Wok and Pans

Looking for recipe ideas that are easy to follow, inexpensive and relatively guilt-free too? Try incorporating an American household favorite -- canned tuna! For something a little different that promises to please guests and family, Bumble Bee provides some delightful, recipe ideas made with canned tuna’s new gold label Prime Fillet. Keep this gourmet quality solid white albacore tuna ready in the pantry for parties, unexpected guests or family get-togethers. Then, whip up an affordable gourmet-style meal that will have your guests convinced you’ve prepared something truly elaborate and extravagant. As an added bonus, they will enjoy canapés or entrées that are delectable, but without those serious calories.

You don’t have to go by the book to create tasty, easy, sociable food. Easy-peasy meal preparation is all about stripping cooking down to its bare essentials (they don’t call me the Naked Chef for nothing!), using little techniques and conveniences to make the most of your recipes.

It’s easy to eat right during the summer months with an abundance of fresh produce available from a wide variety of sources. But as winter rolls around, those juicy ears of corn are just a memory. That doesn’t mean, however, that you drop your healthy eating habits with the dropping temperatures. You still need to get your five servings a day of fruits and vegetables.

Lobster, once the food of poor farmers, is now considered a special treat for many. Although some people prefer the meaty claws, I think that lobster tails are the best tasting part of this delicious creature. A great meal of lobster tails might seem like a gourmet feast to your guests, but they are actually quite easy to prepare. Add a little sprig of garnish and a fancy side dish and you’re sure to impress even your mother in law.

Being a chef is a very physical profession. You are required to remain on your feet almost constantly. Along with that, you must also be stirring, kneading, and chopping your foods. Many times, you will have to do all of this while also having to ordering foods for hungry customers and critical customers.

A kitchen is almost scorching hot year round so you should be quite prepared for that. Even in the best conditioned areas, a kitchen is often as hot as 95 degrees or higher. If that doesn't sound like enough to do, try doing it while you are also maintaining all of the rest of the kitchen staff.

Choosing to be a chef for a living is a very rewarding and time consuming job. Now do you see why being able to multi-task is so important? The road to becoming a chef requires much training and hands on experience. Here's what you need to do to be a good chef.

A strong desire to be a chef is a good place to start. Having a good sense of smell, and taste will be necessary also. It would very difficult to prepare a good meal if you can't decipher the differences from one spice to another; or if you do not know which spices go well together and which ones don't.

Cooking is a lot different than being a chef is. If you are just cooking for yourself you have room for errors. If you are cooking for a stranger, you will want to cook your food to perfection. Of course, you will also want to present the food in an enticing manner as well. There are stages to becoming a chef. You have to start at the bottom, but becoming a chef is one of few occupations where you can get most of your training on the job. You do have to go to school and train as well, but much of the training is done in a working environment.

With the holidays on their way soon, many people will be beefing up kitchens to handle the increased demand for ‘fit for a king’ meals. Not being a professional Chef shouldn’t stop you from being able to cook like one. But, you’ll need the right tools to create those tantalizing dishes. Read on and find out the five tools that no kitchen cook should be without.

Getting started making a plan for a week's worth of meals can surely be a bit daunting at first. It need not be complicated--though a little bit of time spent planning will be well worth it! A good way to start is by looking at what you already have on hand -- sort of taking a visual inventory.

To someone who is just learning to cook, this topic may seem like one of the hardest meals you will ever have to prepare. Needless to say, if you're having a turkey there's usually company involved which means a number of hungry people are relying on you to prepare a great meal. This can be very intimidating. Luckily we have all the information you need, in order to ensure a great meal for you, your friends and your family. In order to successfully carve a turkey, you will need to have the following pieces of equipment:

In the days before we had non-stick cookware, we had the next best thing - seasoned cast iron cookware. While non-stick cookware has certainly outdone cast iron cookware in the non-stick category, cast iron pots and pans are still favored by many chefs, including the professionals because of their durability and ability to retain flavor. But, if you're not lucky enough to have a hand-me- down from Grandma, you may find yourself confused about how to become a cast iron chef.

Have no fear - you can learn to season cast iron cookware with the pros and keep them in great shape for years to come. Seasoning New Cast Iron Cookware The process is actually quite simple. When done correctly, your pans will last a long time and may even become your own hand-me -downs in the future.

1. Heat your oven to 300 degrees.
2. Coat the pan with lard or grease. (Be sure that you do not use vegetable oil or commercial cooking sprays. While they may seem easier, they will not only cause your cookware to be seasoned incorrectly, but they will also leave a sticky film on the outside of the cookware that is impossible to remove.)
3. Place the pan in the oven on the middle rack and allow it to bake for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the pan and pour out any excess grease or lard.
5. Put the pan back into the oven and bake for another two hours.
6. Repeat as needed Many cast iron enthusiasts will swear upon repeating the seasoning process several times before ever using the cookware the first time.

Each time you season the cookware, the seasoning bond becomes stronger. Many people will recommend that the first few times the cookware is used it should be used to cook greasy foods (bacon, fatty meats, etc.) to again strengthen the seasoning bond.

Re-seasoning Cookware
If you find that you seasoned the pan improperly the first time, or if food starts to stick to the pan after a period of time in use, you may want to re-season the cookware.
1.Wash the cookware thoroughly with a steel wool pad (doing this while the pan is warm and still safe to touch is best).
2.Make sure the pan is fully dry (use a towel if needed).
3.Follow the seasoning steps above to re-season the pan. Cleaning Your Cast Iron Cookware To make your cookware last the test of time, be sure to take proper care of it. Remember the creed of every enthusiast of cast iron - no soap and no steel wool. Soap and steel wool will cause a breakdown in the seasoning bond and should not be used to clean your cookware on a regular basis. If you're baffled at this moment, have no fear. Cleaning cast iron cookware is a breeze.
You'll need to rinse your cookware while it is still hot. If food is stuck to it, then scrape the pan or pot as needed. That's it! Remember not to store food in your cast iron cookware because it may attach a metallic flavor to the food. In addition, store your pans with the lids off to prevent moisture from accumulating and rusting from occurring. Now that you know the ins and outs to cast iron cookware, you can start creating your own family heirloom - as well as some great food!

Crockpots vary but the low setting is typically around 100 degrees and its high setting is around 300 degrees. Knowing this, it is fairly easy to convert most recipes for use in your slow cooker. Some adjusments to cooking times will be a judgement call on your part, but some simple guidelines should help. Just follow a few simple rules and you're on your way.

You should decrease the liquid since it does not boil away in a crockpot. Add cheeses and other milk product towards the end of your cooking since they tend to break down if they are cooked for too long. Brown any ground beef before adding to the crockpot. It will taste better and have better texture this way. Add rice and noodles at the end of your cooking as well. They will turn mushy if they are cooked too long. You can cook these separately and then combine them when it's time to serve. Add your spices at the end. If a stovetop recipe calls for 15-30 minutes, the crockpot should cook it for 1 1 /2 - 2 1 /2 hrs at a high temperature and 4 - 8 hours at its low temperature setting.

If a stovetop recipe calls for 35-45 minutes, the crockpot should cook it for 3-4 hrs at a high temperature setting and 6 - 10 hours at its low temperature setting. If a stovetop recipe calls for 50 min to 3 hours, the crockpot should cook it for 4 - 6 hrs at a high temperature setting and 8 - 16 hours at its low temperature setting. Following these guidelines will allow you to be able to convert a stovetop recipe to its delicious slow cooking counterpart!

Melting chocolate for baking is an exacting task, if not done perfectly you can end up with a burned or grainy mess and ruin whatever you are baking.Below are 3 methods for melting chocolate, each can be successful in it's own way and you need only pick a method that works for you and get cooking!

Vegetables add colour, taste, texture and bulk to our
daily diet. There are dozens of different vegetables that can be prepared
in literally hundreds of ways. So what's best?