Category Archives: Tips for cooking

being a better cook

Tips for being a better cook

Being a better cook: Cooking is a skill that you are born with but I like to believe cooking can be  improved with a little practice and cool tips. No one is a fabulous cook from day one.

I taught myself by eating a lot of food and a whole bunch of trial and error. In the beginning, I started with the basic stuff, had a few successes and a couple of fails. Over the years I have found a couple of helpful tips that I want to share with you.

A simple way to keep salad lettuce, and vegetables fresh?

Before making salad, soak your veggies into iced water for 30 minutes. This way you will have fresh vegetables, just like you have recently cut them from the farm.

A simple way to prevent oil from splattering out of the pan?

Just take a pinch of salt, and sprinkle on your frying pan. This would prevent oil from splattering.

Do your eyes tear up when you cut onions, try this technique.

Peel the onion under running water. Refrigerate before chopping them. And chop near a candle flame would reduce the sensitivity.

How to prevent ice cream from melting while serving?

Keep your bowls in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before serving ice cream to your guests. Cold bowls would not let ice cream melt too fast.

How to make overripe tomatoes, fresh again?

Take a bowl of cold water, and add salt. Add overripe tomatoes to the cold water, and leave overnight. In the morning tomatoes would be fresh and firm.

What is a faster way to sauté onions with less oil?

Sauté sliced onions without oil, this would reduce moisture from onions faster. Later, add a little oil to sauté the onions. This is how to use less oil and your sautéing will be faster.

Did you know how to prevent apples from turning rotten?

Simply apply lemon juice on cut apple. This would prevent apples from turning rusty.

A simple way to keep cilantro fresh and green for a long time?

Cover the coriander leaves in cheesecloth, and keep it in refrigerator. This will keep coriander leaves fresh and green for longer time.

Did you know how to peel off orange, or tomato skin effortlessly?

Keep orange or tomato in hot water for 2 minutes, and then in cold water for 2 minutes. Now you could easily peel off the skin.

How to remove garlic skin easily?

Soak garlic in warm water for 30 minutes before peeling. Garlic skin would come out easily without any effort

Did you know how to peel ginger skin quickly & easily?

Peeling ginger with the side of a metal spoon is an easy & quick way to peel ginger. This way ginger skin would come off easily.

How To Make The Perfect Pie Crust

Yes, you can make your own homemade pie crust! It’s not hard, once you get the hang of it, and the result is so much better than your typical frozen pie crust that you get at the store. To help get you started on your journey here are some great tips to make the perfect pie crust.

https://lifetimevibes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Making-Perfect-Pie-Crust.mp4

Use very cold butter or fat

Whatever fat the recipe calls for should be well-chilled and cut into very small pieces. The fat in a pie crust must maintain some of its integrity in the dough to make the flakes in the crust truly flaky. Starting with very cold butter makes it easier to keep from over-working the butter into the dough. As a standard rule, you want to freeze the butter for 10 to 15 minutes before starting the dough.

Chunks in the dough are okay

Many recipes call for you to work the fat into the flour until the mixture is similar to cornmeal. That’s ok, but there should still be a few big chunks of fat mixed within the dough to ensure peak flakiness. Keeping a few bigger pieces in there will also help keep you from over-mixing the dough.

Add a little yolk

Even if the recipe does not call for it, add an egg yolk. This adds more fat, as well as natural lecithin, which makes the dough pliable and easier to handle.

Limit the water

Start off using the least amount of water or other liquid possible. Water aids gluten development, which you want to avoid for a tender pie crust. Add just enough water so the dough holds together. The dough will look quite shaggy and that’s a good thing.

Do not over-handle the pie crust

Overworking makes the dough tough. It’s okay to see flakes of yellow from the butter and egg yolk. Also, when working the dough, use your fingertips instead of the warmer palms of the hand. Remember the goal is to make a nice flakey crust.

Chill the dough

Chill the dough before you roll it out for at least 30 minutes and/or up to 2 days.

Roll the dough the right way

Lightly flour your work surface, then roll dough from the center outward to create a circle. Lift and move the dough frequently as you work so it doesn’t stick to the surface.

Let it rest

Always let your dough rest for at least one hour. Again, it’s all about gluten, and the key to making really flakey crust is to, let your pie crust have time to relax in order for it to be on its best behavior when you’re rolling it out.

Take charge of the flour

Use flour liberally to roll out your dough. Don’t even think twice about it. However, once your dough is rolled to the appropriate diameter, take a pastry brush and brush off any and all excess .

Chill the lined pie pan before baking

Cover and chill the lined pie pan before baking or adding the filling the pie. This will help the pie keep its shape (and size!) when baked.

To prevent excess browning

Make the edges perfect during baking, cover the pie edge with a 2- to 3-inch wide strip of aluminum foil, and mold lightly around the edge of the pie. Bake as directed, removing the aluminum foil 15 minutes before the end of the baking time.

Tips for Cooking Rice

Tips for Cooking Rice: Rice is cooked in millions of households every day, yet cooking it properly still bedevils many aspiring cooks. Cooking tasty rice can be a simple process, provided you follow a few simple steps.

Use a ratio of 2 cups of water or broth to 1 cup of rice

Too little liquid results in partially cooked rice burnt to the bottom of the pot. Too much liquid, results in gloppy mushy rice.

Always rinse your rice

Before cooking rice, always rinse it. This will make it less sticky and prevent it from clumping together.

Add salt/seasonings to water before adding rice 

Don’t wait until the rice is cooked to add seasoning. This ensures an even flavoring throughout the rice. You can also add other spices like cardamom or cinnamon with the salt. And if you want to be adventurous, substitute coconut milk for water.

Add a splash of oil to your rice to prevent the individual grains from sticking together: For rice that you don’t want to stick together, add a dash of oil or a pat of butter into the cooking liquid. As the rice cooks, it’ll prevent it from sticking together and give you beautiful defined grains.

Rice cooking temperature

Once you add rice to boiling water, reduce heat to low or medium/low heat, stir once or twice, and then cover pot. Check periodically for doneness.

Towel underneath the lid

During the final stages of cooking, place a kitchen towel underneath the lid to absorb any condensation and prevent it from getting mushy. The idea here is that the towel traps the condensation that would otherwise rain back down onto the rice and cause it to get soggy. Just place the towel underneath the lid during the last few minutes of cooking.

Fluff rice with a fork

Just before serving the rice, gently fluff the rice with a fork to separate the grains. And these are you tips for cooking rice.

What are the best seasoning to use with Beef

We all know salt and pepper is all a good steak really needs. Have you ever wondered what other spices are good for cooking beef? Here are some of my favorite seasoning for beef. So lets take a simple grilled steak to the next level and get you a printable cheat sheet for your kitchen!

Bay leaf

Bay leaf is an aromatic leaf commonly used in cooking. It can be whole or ground dried pieces of the plant. It comes from several plants such as: Bay laurel. Fresh or dried bay leaves are used in cooking for their distinctive flavor and fragrance.

Cayenne seasoning

The cayenne pepper is a type of Capsicum annuum. It is usually a moderately hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes.

Chili

Chili powder (also powdered chili, chile powder or chilli powder) is the dried, pulverized fruit of one or more varieties of chili pepper, sometimes with the addition of other spices (also sometimes known as chili powder blend). It is used as a spice to add pungency or piquancy and flavor to dishes.

Curry

The main spices found in most curry powders of the Indian subcontinent are coriander, cumin, and turmeric. A wide range of additional spices may be included depending on the geographic region and the foods being included (fish, lentils, red or white meat, rice, and vegetables).

Dill

Dill is an annual herb in the celery family Apiaceae. It is the only species in the genus Anethum. Dill is widely grown in Eurasia where its leaves and seeds are used as a herb or spice for flavouring food.

Ginger

Ginger is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems about a meter tall bearing narrow leaf blades.

Mustard

Mustard Powder by OliveNation is crafted by grinding the seeds of the mustard plant. This fine yellow powder has a tangy, mildly hot flavor and is also known as dry mustard or ground mustard.

Paprika

Paprika is a ground spice made from dried red fruits of the larger and sweeter varieties of the plant Capsicum annuum, called bell pepper or sweet pepper. The most common variety used for making paprika is tomato pepper, sometimes with the addition of more pungent varieties, called chili peppers, and cayenne pepper.

Marjoram seasoning

Marjoram is a somewhat cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavors. In some Middle Eastern countries, marjoram is synonymous with oregano, and there the names sweet marjoram and knotted marjoram are used to distinguish it from other plants of the genus Origanum.

Oregano

Oregano is a flowering plant in the mint family. It is native to temperate Western and Southwestern Eurasia and the Mediterranean region. Oregano is a perennial herb, growing from 20–80 cm tall, with opposite leaves 1–4 cm long. The flowers are purple, 3–4 mm long, produced in erect spikes.

Parsley

Parsley or garden parsley is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region, naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as a herb, a spice, and a vegetable.

Rosemary

Rosmarinus officinalis, commonly known as rosemary, is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which includes many other herbs.


Thyme

Thyme is an aromatic perennial evergreen herb with culinary, medicinal, and ornamental uses. The most common variety is Thymus vulgaris. Thyme is of the genus Thymus of the mint family, and a relative of the oregano genus Origanum.

Tips for cooking with butter

Cooking with Butter: Any good cook know that butting is a key ingredient in any meal. So, I have decided to put together a couple of tips for all you aspiring cooks to help you master the art of butter.

1) ​ Before sautéing wait for butter to stop foaming.

Sautéing is best done in hot fat. When foaming subsides, it’s an easy visual cue that the melted butter is hot enough for cooking.

​2) For pastry use cold not softened butter.

​Good, light pastry and biscuits depend on distinct pieces of cold, solid butter distributed throughout the dough that melt during baking and leave behind pockets of air.

​3) Add cold butter to pan sauces.

​Swirling a tablespoon or two of cold butter into a pan sauce right before serving adds both richness and body. pull the pan off the heat and add at least one tablespoon of cold butter. To make sure your sauce is thick and glossy, you need to create an emulsion. Swirl or whisk in the butter, returning the pan briefly to the heat if necessary, to help it melt. If you want to thicken and enrich the sauce even more, add more butter, one tablespoon at a time, letting it melt and emulsify between each addition; this gradual process of adding the butter is called mounting.

​4) Slip butter under the skin of chicken breasts.

Start by sliding your fingers between the meat and the skin, entering at either end of the chicken. Working slowly, separate as much of the skin from the meat as you can reach

Grab a few tablespoons of the softened -butter and use your fingers to push it beneath the loosened skin. Rub it directly into the meat as evenly as possible. You can massage the outside of the bird to distribute the softened -butter to the areas that you can’t reach directly.

​5) For creamy mashed potatoes add butter before dairy in.

​If the dairy is stirred into the hot cooked potatoes before the butter, the water in the dairy will combine with the potatoes’ starch, making them gummy. The result? Smoother, more velvety mashed potatoes.

​6) Add butter bits to uncooked eggs for omelets.

​Whisking a tablespoon of cold, diced butter into the eggs before cooking is the secret to a soft, creamy omelet.

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10 herbs seasoning that go well with lamb

Best Spices for Lamb: There’s nothing better than a perfectly herbed rack of lamb. If you are new to cooking with herbs or just want a brand new flavor combo to try. Simply combine some my favorites from the list below. 

Basil, also called great basil or Saint-Joseph’s-wort

Basil is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae. This herb is native to tropical regions from central Africa to Southeast Asia. It is a tender plant, and is used in cuisines worldwide.

Cardamom, sometimes cardamon or cardamum

This a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia.

Most curry powder recipes include coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, and chili peppers in their blends.

Depending on the recipe, additional ingredients such as ginger, garlic, asafoetida, fennel seed. Also caraway, cinnamon, clove, mustard seed, green cardamom, black cardamom, nutmeg, white turmeric. Finally curry leaf, long pepper, and black pepper may also be included.

Dill is an annual herb in the celery family Apiaceae.

It is the only species in the genus Anethum. Dill is widely grown in Eurasia where its leaves. And seeds are used as a herb or spice for flavouring food.

Mace is made from the lacy, red outer coating

that covers the shell around the nutmeg kernel. Once this coating is removed, it’s dried, and can be found and purchased as whole, golden-orange “blades“, though it’s mostly commonly sold ground. In flavor, mace is very similar to nutmeg, though more subtle and delicate.

Marjoram is a somewhat cold-sensitive perennial herb

Marjoram is undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavors. In some Middle Eastern countries, marjoram is synonymous with oregano, and there the names sweet marjoram and knotted marjoram are used to distinguish it from other plants of the genus Origanum.

Mint: Mentha is a genus of plants in the family Lamiaceae.

It is estimated that 13 to 18 species exist, and the exact distinction between species is still unclear. Hybridization between some of the species occurs naturally. Many other hybrids, as well as numerous cultivars, are known.

Oregano is a flowering plant in the mint family.

It is native to temperate Western and Southwestern Eurasia and the Mediterranean region. Oregano is a perennial herb, growing from 20–80 cm tall, with opposite leaves 1–4 cm long. The flowers are purple, 3–4 mm long, produced in erect spikes.

Paprika is a ground spice made from dried red fruits

The larger and sweeter varieties of the plant Capsicum annuum, called bell pepper or sweet pepper. The most common variety used for making paprika is tomato pepper, sometimes with the addition of more pungent varieties, called chili peppers, and cayenne pepper.

Rosmarinus officinalis, commonly known as rosemary

This spice is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which includes many other herbs.


Turmeric is a flowering plant

of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the roots of which are used in cooking.

The basics of a plant based diet

A plant-based diet is the new craze, its all about celebrating and enjoying the foods that naturally grown and that help fuel our bodies. Also one of the major health benefits is that you will be eating minimally processed. Switching to a plant based diet can be a key to proper nutrition. But before you make this decision you should learn the basics.

https://lifetimevibes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Plant-based-diet.mp4

As a quick disclaimer don’t dramatically change your diet without consulting your doctor to make sure that there will be no medical issues, such as problems with medications you may currently be on. Also any change in diet should be gradually change to the plant-based diet if you are a heavy meat eater.

Curry Rolls Recipe with Spinach and Apricot Chutney
Plant Based Recipe

THE BASICS

There is no portion control, no carb counting and no calorie counting with this diet plan. You can eat when you’re hungry, and you can eat until
you get full. Simply make sure that you choose food from the right categories. Of course, there are going to be exceptions that you’ll need to make occasionally. You need to be sure that you aren’t eating too often from your sparingly food category for example.

Red Bean Indian Curry with Gluten-Free Grains Pilaf
Plant Based Recipe

WHAT YOU’LL BE EATING

You’ll be eating the following.

Starchy Vegetables: This includes all kinds of potatoes, including sweet potatoes, legumes, which is all kinds of lentils and beans, whole corn, root vegetables and quinoa.

Non-Starchy Vegetables: This includes your leafy greens, broccoli, eggplant, tomatoes and more.

Whole Grains: This includes things such as brown rice, oats, whole wheat and more.

Fruits: All fruits are included if they’re found in nature. This doesn’t include juice or dried fruits.

Spices: You can use all spices

Beverages: Your beverages are limited on this diet. You can drink unsweetened plant “milks”, decaffeinated coffee, decaffeinated tea and water.

Omega Three Sources: Your omega 3 sources are flax seed and chia seeds.

Black Bean & Corn Chimichanga and a Wine Pairing
Plant Based Recipe

EAT THESE SPARINGLY

These are foods that you can have once in a while, but you should eat them sparingly.

Nuts: The nuts you can eat sparingly are almonds, cashews, walnuts and peanuts.

Seeds: The seeds you can eat sparingly are sesame, pumpkin and sunflower.

Dried Fruit

Coconut

Avocado

Sweetener: Use maple syrup, fruit juice concentrate and natural sugars sparingly

Drinks: You can have caffeinated tea and coffee occasionally as well as the occasional alcoholic drink.

Refined Protein: You can have refined soy and wheat protein sparingly Tofu, Wheat Gluten Protein & Soy Protein Isolate

Vegetarian Greek Cobb Salad with a wine pairing
Plant Based Recipe

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Selecting the Perfect Cheese Board Recipe

Selecting the Perfect Cheese Board Recipe: When it comes to a party, just about everyone is happy with a nice cheese board appetizer. Not only is cheese wildly popular these days, it has also become a conversation piece. Some people might say this is the perfect addition to any winter holiday party. Add some fruits, meats, nuts, and olives, and you have a perfect dish to serve at any holiday / dinner party. Whenever there’s a platter of really good cheeses, most people dig in with gusto.  

When you are building a great cheese board, try to include a variety of textures and flavors. There is basically four categories of cheese: aged, soft, firm, and blue. For a good variety, choose at least one from each group. Some examples:


 Aged:

  • Aged Cheddar – Cheddar is the most popular cheese in the world.  As cheddar ages, it goes from mild to sharp, developing a tangier taste as the microbes and enzymes transform texture and intensify flavor.
  • Comté – a French cheese made from unpasteurized cow’s milk in the Franche-Comté traditional province of eastern France. Comté has the highest production of all French AOC cheeses, at around 64,000 tons annually.
  • Goat Gouda – a semi-hard cheese made from pasteurized goat’s milk and cream, produced by the Central Coast Creamery in Paso Robles, California. Goat gouda is a firm, dense and smooth textured cheese is slightly grainy with hints of caramel. The rind is hard and natural with ivory colour interior.

Soft:

  • Brillat-Savarin – a soft, white-crusted cow’s milk cheese triple cream brie with at least 72% fat in dry matter. It was created c. 1890 as “Excelsior” or “Délice des Gourmets” by the Dubuc family, near Forges-les-Eaux.
  • Camembert – a moist, soft, creamy, surface-ripened cow’s milk cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Camembert, Normandy, in northern France. It is similar to Brie, which is native to a different region of France.
  • Constant Bliss – In the universe of artisanal Vermont cheeses, few names stand out as much as Jasper Hill. Since purchasing their farm in 1998, the Kehler brothers, along with their wives, have been producing high quality farmstead cheeses. Aged only 60 days, Constant Bliss is their youngest cheese. In fact, because of importing laws, it’s often the youngest raw milk cheese you’ll find in the U.S.

Firm:

  • Mimolette – a cheese traditionally produced around the city of Lille, France. In France, it is also known as Boule de Lille after its city of origin, or vieux Hollande for being made after the tradition of Edam cheese.
  • Parmigiano-Reggiano – an Italian hard, granular cheese. The name “Parmesan” is often used generically for the same cheese made outside the traditional areas of production in Italy, although this is prohibited in trading in the European Economic Area under European law.
  • Manchego – Is a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the Manchega breed. Official manchego cheese is aged minimally for 60 days up to 2 years. Manchego has a firm and compact consistency and a buttery texture, and often contains small, unevenly distributed air pockets.

Blue:

  • Stilton – an English cheese, produced in two varieties: Blue, known for its characteristic strong smell and taste, and the lesser-known White.
  • Valdeón – Queso de Valdeón is a Spanish blue cheese from León. The cheese is made in Posada de Valdeón, in the northeast of the province of León, Spain and is wrapped in sycamore maple, or chestnut leaves before being sent to market.
  • Gorgonzola Dolce – Dolcelatte is a blue veined Italian soft cheese. The cheese is made from cow’s milk, and has a sweet taste. Its name translates from Italian to ‘sweet milk’ in English. Dolcelatte was created by the Galbani Company and the name is a registered trademark.

Accompaniments

Just having a plate of amazing cheeses is not enough to create the perfect cheese plate. Here are a couple of accompaniments you can add to your cheese plate.

  • Offer a selection of breads, including sliced baguette, bread sticks, and crackers in all different shapes and sizes. It’s a good idea to mix up the taste and texture among the breads as well as the cheeses.
  • Jarred condiments and vegetables; for example, preserves or honey, tart chutneys, and spicy mustards. You can also add artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, and caponata. If you really want to be extra, prepare caramelized onions, which complement most cheese plates.
  • Various other sweet and salty items can work as well. Cured meats such as prosciutto and salami, are a great pairing for cheese. Assorted seasonal and dried fruits can include figs, cherries, apples, and pears also make a great pairing.

Serving Tips:

The last step is presentation. For a cheese board it does make a big difference on whether or not it will be a hit at your party.

  • Separate strong-smelling cheeses. If you want to serve a pungent, stinky-socks cheese, place it on a separate plate so it doesn’t overpower more delicate ones. Four or five choices are enough.
  • Set out a separate knife for each cheese, especially the soft varieties. Soft cheese spreads well with a butter knife; firm cheese might require a paring knife; and aged cheese often requires a cheese plane.
  • Remove the cheese from the refrigerator an hour before serving―cold mutes flavor.
  • Spread out the spread. Place the cheese platters and the other nibbles on several tables to avoid guest gridlock.

Label each cheese so you won’t need to recite the names all evening. If you like, also jot down a few poetic adjectives describing its flavor.