Rotisserie Basket Reviews

We adore Aga cookers. And we're also huge fans of Italian based Alpes Inox, founded in 1954 by Nico Moretto, an extraordinary designer renowned for enormously stylish, typically Italian kitchen appliances... and more. So what's the Aples Inox story?

Founder Nico Moretto is so passionate about his work that he designs every piece himself. The company started off manufacturing contemporary metal kitchen cabinets but, ten years after launch, moved into built-in stainless steel kitchen appliances; stunning steel sinks, beautiful hobs, incredibly attractive designer ovens and state of the art exhaust hoods.

As well as creating appliances that look really good, Alpes Inox is famed for their technical excellence. So they're much more than just a pretty face. They're very hard to beat for sheer quality, uncompromising efficiency and safety. And they appreciate that not everyone has an enormous kitchen - their appliances and accessories are neat, compact and perfect for smaller kitchen spaces.

We're proud to provide a wide range of Alpes Inox kitchen appliances and equipment, from stunning built-in gas or electric barbecues to clever under-mounted wash bowls, fold up gas burners and attractively concealed exhaust systems, all designed with unmistakable Italian flair and panache. There are space-saving but satisfyingly large built in corner cooktops and hot plates. There are elegant kitchen sinks and basins complete with useful, beautifully designed and highly practical baskets, draining board and chopping board accessories.

Alpes Inox hallmarks include superb quality, high functionality and an impressive eye for detail where safety is concerned. Their range isn't as wide as some of our favourite manufacturers... which means they concentrate their considerable expertise into creating the best of breed. Sounds good? Head over to our site and sample a spot of genuine Alpes Inox style!

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Ronco ST2000WHGENZ Showtime Petite Rotisserie Oven Review

Ronco ST2000WHGENZ Showtime Petite Rotisserie Oven Feature

• Petite rotisserie oven for 1- to 2-person households
• Cooks up to a pound of burgers, steaks, or chicken at a time
• Nonstick rotisserie basket; 60-minute dial timer for convenience
• Drip tray, basket removal tool, and instruction/recipe booklet included
• Measures approximately 9 by 15-2/5 by 10-1/5 inches

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A memorable Mother's Day gift doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. In fact, the best gifts in life are indeed often free. Here are five surefire ideas to honor your wife:

1. Give her a 30 minute massage. If you've never given a massage, you'll be surprised at how easy it is. Have your wife lie face down on the bed. Begin with her neck and shoulders. You can buy massage oil or even use a little olive oil. Make a fist with your hand and using your bent knuckles, knead her back and buttocks. You can also use your elbows to provide more pressure. End with massaging her hands and feet. If you want some professional pointers, check out a massage book from the library.

2. Do the dishes. It's a chore that always needs to get done but rarely feels worthwhile - doing the dishes after dinner. Offer to wash and put away the dishes after dinner for a week. You will be a hero!

3. Write her a love letter. It doesn't matter if it's a few sentences or a novel, write something romantic to your wife. Tell her what you appreciate about her. What do you love about her smile, her hair or appearance? How does she make you feel? Why are you grateful she's in your life? What do you admire in her as a mother?

4. Offer to watch the kids. Take your kids for the evening and give your wife a quiet night at home. This will give her a treasured time to exercise, watch a movie, take a bubble bath, read, or do anything she would like to.

5. Make her a special meal. If you have young kids, you can involve them and make your wife a pancake breakfast. If you have older kids, you can set up a candlelight dinner and have your children act as your servers. Even if you can't cook, you can pick up a rotisserie chicken, side order, salad and dessert and you're on your way!

When you make a special effort to appreciate the little things your wife does all year for the family, she will be refreshed and blessed. Any of these five ideas will make your wife's Mother's Day memorable. She'll be the envy of her friends!

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Auspit Spitmate, Full Size Review

Auspit Spitmate, Full Size Feature

• Good for smaller items, from wings to nuts to chilli peppers to garlic potatoes with bacon
• Twice the capacity of the Spitmate Jr., which is good when there are more mouths to feed
• All Stainless Steel
• Comes with a free pair of handling gloves
• Dishwasher safe

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If you are in the market for a new outdoor gas grill, when you hear about the DCS bbq grill the simple dilemma is what model to opt for! The DCS bbq grill gives you the supreme open-air cooking involvement. This bbq grill utilizes the finest high-grade construction with modern technology, leaving you with a supreme grill with kitchen arrangement.

Handmade with the finest craftmanship, DCS bbq grills are built to last. This bbq grill is exceedingly hard-wearing as well as being impervious to the most brutal of weather circumstances. This is due to the heavy gauged 304 stainless steel construction employed by DCS. These bbq grills are not meant to rust.

Each DCS bbq grill applies ceramic heating radiants in order to equally distribute the heat all round the whole surface of your grill. These ceramic rods do glow vivid red once they're hot. This is because the heat that they're giving off is an intense radiant heat. It's been shown that this kind of heat will be additionally efficient for barbecuing foods quicker.

Each DCS grill grate has an individual spark igniter, combined with a precision made brass valving system. The grates also have runners, or furrows, integrated right in them which helps to stop grease flare ups when cooking. Any oil or grease that comes off of the food is routed into the runner and away from the food.

Each DCS grill grate is made with two usable cooking sides. The grates are made in this manner because different foods should be cooked on different cooking surfaces. One side of the grate is smoother and offers more support, and is perfect for cooking fish and vegetables. The other side of the great is made for meat and will produce seer lines.

DCS barbeque grills are available in three sizes 30 inches, 36 inches and 48 inches, and have a main grilling area of 575 square inches to 646 square inches. Each grill size is offered as a free standing unit or a built in unit, and some have the option of side burners. Each grill has a 9-volt battery ignition system. The grill burners put out 25,000 BTU each and the rear inferred burner puts out 14,000 BTU.

If you choose a DCS bbq grill with a rotisserie, depending on the size of your grill, it will be able to hold as much as 50 pounds of meat. DCS grills have a patented infrared rotisserie which throws intense heat and deliciously sears the meat. Each rotisserie comes with a heavy duty motor that is easy to remove for storing and cleaning. The rotisserie rod also is easy to remove and clean.

DCS offers many accompanying components for your outdoor cooking needs. Your grilling island can also have an electric warming drawer, which will keep all of your cooked food nice and warm until it is ready to be served. Your outdoor kitchen could also contain a refrigerator, which is built right into your grilling island. These island features complement your DCS bbq grill perfectly.

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Are you looking for a Weber grill sale? You may be asking "Can I get a better price on a grill from Weber?" In this article we are going to look at 3 reasons to buy online instead of in the store.

People that are searching for a Weber grill sale most likely want to find the best price on one of these items. This isn't being cheap, this is them being smart. Let's now go on to look at 3 reasons to buy online instead of in the store.

Number 1 - No Sales Tax

Did you know that when you buy your next grill online you are not going to have to pay sales tax? This is a big drawing card for many people that are searching for the perfect grill at the right price. Why would you want to pay tax on something when you do not have to.

Number 2 - Free Shipping

Not only do you not pay tax on your new grill but you can also find various websites that will offer free shipping. Shipping can cost your quite a pretty penny these days with gas prices being the way that they are so free shipping is a great perk. Make sure you look for this when you are buying your next grill.

Number 3 - Quick Price Comparison

If you are not sure that you are getting the best deal you do not have to go around from store to store. All that you have to do is go the different websites that offer this product and you are going to be able to see which one has the best deal.

Conclusion

In this article we have looked at 3 reasons to buy online instead of in the store.

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Auspit Spitmate Junior v2.0 Review

Auspit Spitmate Junior v2.0 Feature

• Good for smaller items, from wings to nuts to chilli peppers to garlic potatoes with bacon
• Jr. model is better when fire size is limited or when combining with meat on the spit
• All Stainless Steel
• Comes with a free pair of handling gloves
• Dishwasher safe

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Rib-O-Lator Barbecue Rotisserie Review

Rib-O-Lator Barbecue Rotisserie Feature

• Our exclusive TRAY design means you can now rotisserie ANY food on your BBQ grill
• Cooks your food with the indirect heat of your barbecue so your food won't burn or dry out -- always tender, moist, & full of flavor
• Almost no flare-ups because juice stays locked in your food instead of dripping on your grill.
• Stainless Steel construction The Rib-O-Lator will fit medium to large gas grills and 22.5 Weber styl kettle grills as well as 55 gal UDS.-- Trays ar 17"L x 5"W =340sq inches of cooking surface and detach for easy dishwasher clean-up
• .95 shipping to continguous U.S.; .95 to Canada

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Mexico is the original birthplace of gourmet vanilla, and it remains the source of some of the finest gourmet vanilla produced anywhere in the world. But Mexican vanilla has gotten an undeserved bad rap for the practices of some imitation vanilla manufacturers.

The vanilla planifolia orchid is indigenous to Mexico, which was the principal source of vanilla worldwide for many centuries. Only a small amount of real vanilla is produced in Mexico now, but it continues to be prized by connoisseurs for its smoothness, creamy richness, and bright, spicy flavor and aroma.

Mexico lost its dominance of the vanilla market in the early 1900s, after the Mexican revolution wreaked havoc on the vanilla producing operations on the Gulf Coast. Unable to produce enough to compete with new growing operations in Madagascar and Indonesia, some Mexican producers began substituting natural vanilla with cheap manufactured imitation vanilla, to which a potentially toxic compound called coumarin was added.

Not only did coumarin disguise the artificial taste, it greatly intensified the aroma and flavor of the imitation vanilla and made it seem more like the real thing. This made it possible for Mexican producers to continue to capitalize on the nation's association with top-quality natural vanilla long after long after they had actually become manufacturers of a synthetic imitation product.

However, the toxic properties of coumarin became a cause of concern when it was proven to cause liver damage in lab animals, and in the 1950s the US officially banned the use of coumarin in any foods or food additives sold in the country. Many other nations have done the same. Further research on coumarin has shown it to also be a carcinogen.

How to be sure you're buying real, natural Mexican vanilla

Though it is illegal to import imitation vanilla with coumarin into the US and other countries, it still manages to make its way to consumers. Often tourists visiting Mexico are tempted by low prices and an overwhelming aroma (which is actually typical of coumarin-laced imitation vanilla) and are convinced that they're getting a steal on the "real thing".

Here are some tips for making sure you don't get duped:

1. Pay attention to price. Real, natural Mexican vanilla is relatively rare and is definitely not cheap. In fact, it's expensive - and there are no "special bargain sales". If you're offered a low price for a large bottle, you can be certain its an imitation.

2. Pay attention to color. Real Mexican vanilla is translucent and amber colored. Most synthetics are dark and murky or perfectly clear.

3. Pay attention to alcohol content. Real gourmet vanilla is extracted by using alcohol, and according to FDA standards real vanilla extract must have an alcohol content of at least 35%. Synthetics typically contain either no alcohol at all, or have an extremely low alcohol content, no higher than 2% - 3%.

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With spring just around the corner, it's time to start looking forward to our favorite outdoor activities, and nothing says springtime like the aroma of succulent foods cooking on a barbecue. The majority of American households sport an outdoor grill, but few people seem to realize how much more flavorful their barbecued foods could be if they just added one often overlooked grilling accessory: natural aromatic wood for an authentic smoke taste.

Before the barbecue, wood smoke was what was used to cook meats and vegetables over an open fire. The wood smoke enhanced the taste of grilled foods much more than either gas or charcoal. Using wood is easy and rewarding, in many cases replacing the need for seasonings or spices by imparting subtle, natural flavors derived from the wood itself. Whether purchased from a specialty store along with other barbecue accessories, harvested from your own back yard, or picked up from an orchard that might be tree trimming, many types of wood can be used to pump up the flavor of grilled foods. Another bonus is that wood smoke works equally well whether you are cooking right on the grill or using a rotisserie.

Wood for grilling comes in a few different forms. Many seasoned grilling masters prefer chunks of wood that are fist-sized or larger. Wood chunks burn slowly, so they can usually be added to the fire just before placing the food on the grill without the need for replenishment during cooking. Wood chips and pellets are much smaller than chunks and will burn up too quickly if placed directly on the heat source. Therefore, pellets and chips need to be protected from the direct fire, and still allow the smoke to be released during the cooking process. There are barbecue accessories that work well for this purpose, such as baskets that can easily be refilled, or you can purchase self contained pre-filled units with your choice of wood chip flavors. Since chips and pellets burn up much faster than chunks, they should be checked regularly so more can be added if needed.

Many varieties of trees produce wood that greatly enhances flavors for grilling. In fact, each type of tree will impart a unique taste. Hickory is perhaps the most common type of wood used for barbecue, but others are gaining popularity for their accents with different types of meat. Oak produces a more subtle smoky flavor than hickory or mesquite, so it works well with most types of meat. The sweet flavor of cherry wood is commonly used for grilling fish, and apple is a favorite with pork ribs.

With so many culinary possibilities, using wood to smoke food on the barbecue is an experience that everyone can enjoy this spring.

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As most chefs know, a rotisserie oven can be used to cook a wide variety of delicious foods. Created from timeless stainless steel, the Ronco ST3001SSGEN Showtime Compact Rotisserie and Barbeque Oven, is adept at accomplishing this task. From turkey to Cornish hens to chicken, it can accommodate a wide variety of foods. The rotisserie oven's different settings allow for normal rotation, no-heat rotation, or pause-to-sear modes of cooking. The accessories that accompany the purchase of this oven include a nonstick rotisserie basket, rotisserie spit, a spit loading/carving base, a drip tray and grate cover, and 12 rotisserie food ties, as well as rubber barbeque gloves. There is also an instruction booklet that is filled with numerous recipes the rotisserie oven is capable of producing. To enjoy the benefits of this oven will cost an individual $69.00.

Providing competition for the Ronco rotisserie oven is the Black & Decker CTO7100B Toast-R-Oven Digital Rotisserie Convection Oven, which features a starting price point of $95.55. With 1,500 watts of power behind it, this rotisserie oven is capable of toasting, baking, and broiling different foods. It features a digital display screen with a touch pad control panel and 1 touch operation for popular foods. The see through glass door allows an individual to observe their food while it is cooking. The removable drip tray can be placed in a dishwasher for simple cleaning. A baking pan and rotisserie spit forks are also included in the purchase of the unit. The unit is backed by a one year warranty from the manufacturer.

In a similar manner, the Wolfgang Puck WPDCORP20 Bistro Digital Convection Oven with Rotisserie and Pizza Drawer, which has a starting price point of $169.99, has a wide variety of capabilities. The multiple functions of this oven allow it to serve as a convection oven, a rotisserie, and a pizza baker. It features 9 different cooking modes with adjustable temperatures featured on a blue, LCD digital display screen. The accessories that accompany the purchase of this unit include 2 baking racks, rotisserie spit and fork, rotisserie removal tool, baking pan with broil-pan insert, and 2 crumb trays. With a nonstick interior, the oven can also cook pizzas that are less than twelve inches in diameter. The instruction manual contains a variety of delicious recipes, and the unit is covered by a limited, one year warranty offered by the manufacturer.

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Weber 2290 22-1/2-Inch Charcoal Kettle Rotisserie Review

Weber 2290 22-1/2-Inch Charcoal Kettle Rotisserie Feature

• Fits all 22-1/2-inch charcoal kettle grills
• Heavy-duty electric motor
• Counterbalance for even cooking and less motor wear
• One piece spit for greater strength
• Wooden rod handle

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Surprisingly a lot of people who own a rotisserie oven don't know how to use it, or even worse-simply don't use it. Many a time have I seen a commercial rotisserie oven delegated the task of being a bread-basket of sorts. People stuff it with things they don't know where else to put in their kitchen, and before they know it-they've wasted an investment that can easily feed them fresh, and tasty food. All over the country: Texas, California, Florida, New York-people purchase these machines with little to no knowledge on how to use them. Not knowing that it's all quite easy to do!

What it comes down to be it a wood burning oven, or whether its simply a normal home rotisserie oven-is the recipe. People often times don't know exactly how to use their equipment, but it also comes down to not knowing how to prepare food for a rotisserie oven. So think of this article as friendly information to help you cook and use your oven, and hopefully-put some spice back into your kitchen life.

CHICKEN

Chicken is one of the most popular meats to cook in a rotisserie oven. In fact, chances are you've seem racks of chicken roasting on the commercial rotisserie oven at your local grocery store. They look appetizing don't they?

Well believe it or not-it's quite easy to get juicy chicken straight from your oven, all it takes is a little preparation.

So here's what you'll need:

-1 (2-3 pound) whole chicken (skinned and deboned if you're lazy)
-1 pinch of lemon salt (trust me on the lemon salt)
-1 1/3 cup butter, melted (you can substitute for margarine)
-1 tablespoon of pepper
-1 tablespoon of rock salt (you can use regular salt, but rock salt will assure juiciness)

1) Take a pan of some sort, place the thawed chicken on it. Season the inside of the chicken with the lemon salt you have.
2) Mix the butter you melted, the tablespoon of pepper, and tablespoon of rock salt. Begin to baste the chicken with this butter mix. When you've basted the chicken completely, if you still have any left-pour it on the inside of the chicken.
3) Set your oven to 180 F-a good 10-15 minutes at that temperature will result in perfectly cooked, juicy chicken. (add lemon juice on top for extra flavor)
Serve over rice, with veggies and your favorite gravy.

That's it for now, and enjoy-invite guests over; and feed them straight from your oven. I'm sure they'll be surprised, especially if you're not a cook. So really when it comes down to it-you definitely don't need a commercial rotisserie oven to make some good food.

So stop wasting the equipment you have, and use your oven the way it's supposed to be used.

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GrillPro 24764 Non-Stick Tumble Basket Review

GrillPro 24764 Non-Stick Tumble Basket Feature

• 12-Inch by 6-Inch by 3-1/2-Inch Basket
• Non-Stick cooking surface
• Attaches to rotisserie rod

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So you've just cooked the most awesome barbeque meal ever and are sitting back enjoying the fruits of your labor when you realize there is a nagging feeling at the back of your mind. Soon, the evening is drawing in and friends are leaving and you just want to kick back and enjoy the game on TV. But that nagging feeling won't go away. Your grill is calling - it "wants" to be cleaned. It "needs" to be cleaned.

Now at this stage you can make a decision. You can ignore that nagging feeling and your grill will still be there tomorrow. Watch the game and forget about it. The other choice you can make is to spend a few minutes to clean the thing and then you won't have to think about it tomorrow. Not only that, but by removing all the grease and fat, you will reduce the amount of dirt and potential rust that can damage the grill. Invariably stepping up now to maintain the bbq will ensure that your investment will last you longer.

Regardless of which grill you have (gas, electric, charcoal or smoke barbecue grill) there are some aspects of grill maintenance that are standard. While you should check with the manual that came with the grill for specific cleaning requirements the following tips should hold for most post-cooking grill cleaning situations.

You will need the following items which can be found in most households. A brass wire grill brush, steel wool pads, mild dish soap, sponge or dishcloth, spray cooking oil, dry baking soda and aluminum foil.

Brushing is the first place to start and you can do this almost straight after cooking as the longer you leave the food the harder it will be to remove. Use the brass wire grill brush to dislodge any greasy build-up on the grill top. Leaving this on the grill is one of the worst things you can do as it harbor rust-promoting elements.

Remove the excess gunk making sure there is nothing left on the surface. Wait until the cook top is cool (very important) and then use the cooking oil spray to lightly cover the cook top with a thin layer of oil. This will "seal" the grill and ensure no rust is allowed in. But you must ensure the grill is cool as if you do this while it is still hot it may ignite and cause damage to you and the grill.

Apply Baking soda and scrub with a sponge or dishcloth to areas that you can't access with a wire brush. The baking soda will give it an extra shine and lastly rubbing surfaces down with aluminum foil will remove the last remnants of grime.

Taking some time to clean your grill can help you maintain your investment in the appliance and ensure it will be ready to cook for years to come.

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Whether you wear petticoats and pearls or sneakers and yoga pants, chances are you don't think you have enough time in the day to get to work, get to the gym, hang out with your friends or family, watch a little TiVo, and, on top of all that, actually make real food to eat. To be blunt, you're wrong.

I know, I know! Half of the girls at my favorite Friday night club just threw their hands up in the air and stomped their feet. But the greatest disservice done to the modern single female (or male) is the widespread publicity of the hour-long cooking show.

Simple Says Who?

I went to the library two days ago to look for books with "simple recipes." My requirement was that it had to have:

I came up with just one book out of hundreds that seemed to fit my criteria, a book called No-Fuss Dinners: Deliciously Simple Recipes for Cooking After Work by Caroline Marson (photos by Peter Cassidy). Let me just say, Caroline and Peter had their stuff together. Every recipe has a picture, and Caroline put together a list at the beginning of the book of what you should have in your pantry.

But something is still a little off. Who actually has a scallion at their house (or has seen one, for that matter)? Have you ever even bought fresh mint sprigs? Do you stock creme fraiche in your fridge?

Almost every recipe calls for some crazy ingredient, most of which you will throw away after you make that one dish. And what about breakfast and lunch? Are we supposed to drink Slim-Stuff drinks every day and starve ourselves until dinner? Please tell me you don't believe that. I sure as heck don't.

So kudos to Marson and Cassidy but for most of us, by the time we get home from work, take off our high heels and neck ties, and sit down on the sofa, we're more ready to reach for the remote than to go rustle up some creme fraiche.

Marson does offer one brilliant tidbit of advice: You can do a lot of your preparation ahead of time. For example, cheese, peppers, and onions make eggs an omelet. They turn breakfast poultry into a meal. But oh my lord, who wants to wake up at 7 AM to make breakfast and start chopping onions? "Not I," said the little red hen!

Back to Basics

So here is my list of things you should keep in your fridge or pantry, many of which you can prepare when you buy them so you're not fumbling around for a knife at 7 AM and accidently stabbing yourself:

Peppers - I like red and green ones, and you can store them in the same Tupperware® container. Core them and rinse out the seeds, then chop them up into single-serving sizes (about 8 chunks per pepper). I recommend not dicing them until you're actually cooking them because they keep better that way. Even though I know people say you can freeze them, just don't do it. It makes them soggy and weird when you thaw them out.

Onions - Green, red or yellow, I love onions! Each type has its own unique flavor and is particularly useful in certain dishes. Green onions can be chopped into little pieces and stored that way, and you can slice the red or yellow ones so you have rings handy. Be careful not to buy these in bulk unless you're feeding a family of six because they go bad after a week once you begin cutting on them. I store mine in Ziploc® baggies in the crisper drawer.

Say Cheese! - Real cheese. Don't you dare pass those individually wrapped pieces of "processed plastic" off on your family and friends! Maybe to a guy who you really want to get rid of but don't have the cajones to dump. But nobody who has tasted real cheese wants to go back to yellow rubber. My personal favorites (which are also sort of good for you) are feta, parmesan (in a wedge, not a canister), goat cheese, extra sharp cheddar, and aged Swiss. The stronger the flavor, the less you need to use so it's healthier and tastier at the same time. Store cheese in freezer baggies in the fridge remembering to get as much air out of the baggy as possible before you zip it up.

Eggs - A necessary ingredient in almost anything you bake, eggs are a tasty little dish all on their own or with some peppers, onions, cheese, and a little rosemary tossed in. The reason I love eggs is that they're just so darn easy to make. You don't have to think about it, you just crack the shell and dump them in the pan, or you can get all fancy-shmancy with them and beat them or make Eggy in a Basket or boil them for a handy snack.

Bread - Yes, I know, it has carbs. But if you're cooking for yourself and not going out and eating a zillion grams of greasy McBurgers every day, the 70-120 calories and 2 grams of fat in these little slices aren't going to hurt you at all. Reach for some whole wheat or whole grain bread. It will cost you a few more pennies, but you'll feel fuller than if you eat the white flour junk. If you don't like little flakes of crunchy things on your bread, opt for the whole wheat they make at the local bakery or grocery store bakery. It isn't as healthy for you, but the taste makes up for the few extra calories, and they mark the date that it was made on the package so you know it is fresh.

Healthy Butter - And this probably means no butter at all. Don't get me wrong, I love butter so much I almost hate to say this...almost. The only reason I say don't get real butter is that I actually looked at the nutrition facts on the back of my butter today and unholy cow! Something like I Can't Believe It's Not Butter light has literally half the calories and fat that real, unsalted butter has. Tear. Sniffle. Okay, I'm over it. I can have twice as much of the tasty fake stuff or eat bread with more fat and calories and not suffer an ounce from the switch.

Pam - Yes, the cooking spray. Have you ever looked on the back of a can of Pam? It reads like the Broncos standings during the second half of last year: 0, 0, 0, 0... This stuff is fantastic and has pretty much nothing in it. Please don't suggest that olive oil is better for you than Crisco, or even that Smart Omega stuff. I have bottles of all three of those kinds of oil sitting in front of me right this second and they all have 120 calories and 14 grams of fat per tablespoon! That's more fat than a Hershey's® chocolate bar! Even the extra virgin stuff! So opt for Pam and save your calories and fat for stuff that actually tastes yummy.

Spices - You may think they're expensive, and yes, they are. But think about this: It is highly unlikely you'll get through one of those little jars of spices in less than six months. If you're restocking one or two spices a month, you're only spending about $5 on stuff to make your food really yummy. I recommend:

Sauces and Dressings - Keep these simple and read the back of them, especially the grams of sugar. Mustard and apple cider vinegar are good on almost anything, and instead of a high-fat, high-calorie dressing, you can sprinkle on a little of the vinegar, which has a whole lot of zeroes in it.

Frequent Forays

There are a few things that you will want to buy every few days, just so they are as fresh as possible when you're eating them. These include:

Milk - Duh, right? But give up the whole milk and even 2% milk. They don't do anything special for you, and if you're not getting enough calcium have some freshly sliced parmesan, whole wheat bread, or spinach...yup. Spinach.

Meat:

Fish - My favorite, I always buy fish on sale. I can get two servings out of one package of "fresh" salmon, tilapia or trout, which means two really incredibly tasty dinners for the price of one.

Chicken - You might be more of a chicken type, and while I don't recommend freezing fish, freezing chicken doesn't seem to have any adverse effects on it. But make sure you don't forget your chicken in your freezer for months at a time.

Beef - I am also a huge fan of beef, which is super easy to cook. I always opt for very lean beef - 98 or 99 percent fat-free - and marinate it in a peppercorn sauce before throwing it on the George Foreman for a few minutes.

Greens:

Spinach - This is super healthy for you and gets rid of toxins while loading you up with vitamins and minerals. If you buy spinach fresh in the produce aisle, don't forget to wash it thoroughly, or you may get a mouthful of dirt. Spinach is going to do more for you than lettuce because it has tons more fiber and protein, but if you just can't get over your childhood fear of it, a good arugula is an acceptable substitute.

Lettuce - As for lettuce, don't even think about Iceberg. It does nothing for you except occasionally clean out your intestines in the least comfortable way possible. Romaine, arugula (which I adore), or most types of leaf lettuce are acceptable. Spinach and lettuce in particular seem to have remarkably short shelf lives, even in the crisper drawer stuffed in a freezer bag with all the air pushed out, so you'll want to pick up fresh bundles or bags of it every three days or so.

The Fun Stuff

All those bits and pieces above are good core items. You can put of them together and have a meal with almost zero fuss, but who wants a piece of chicken on plain spinach? Dare I quote the little red hen again?

So while you're at the grocery store, pick up some fun things, but watch out because they tend to be a bit pricier than the staples. Some things you might want to include this week are:

Pine nuts - use sparingly because they're fairly high in fat and calories

Almonds - great for a little snack between meals

Fruit - pair a pear, apple, or banana with a few almonds and you'll forget you ever knew what "hunger pains" were

Avocado - not my choice, but I hear they're great on sandwiches

Raisins - another one to be careful with because they have hello-high sugar content, but holy cow are they fabulous on a salad (Craisins probably do just as well), or you can do berries, peaches, or orange wedges to the same effect

Tea - iced or hot, the best way to break your need for sugary soda is by replacing it, just be careful not to sugar yourself up too much with every mug or glass full

100 Calorie Snack Packs - okay, yes, this looks like a sell-out item, but if you're just dying for little cookies, even after you've had your Granny Smith and a handful of almonds, these are the way to go

Instant Taters - yes, I know, you're going, "What? Why?" Well, simply put they are way easier to make than real mashed taters, and though they have quite a bit of sodium and carbohydrates, they have pretty much no fat, no sugar, and not too many calories

Oatmeal - in a canister, not in packets; the quick cook kind takes the same amount of time as the packets but has about 50,000 fewer grams of sugar than the packets, and if you add a little salt, some cinnamon or berries to it you'll never miss the sugar and dried fake fruit chunks

I know, still no sign of a recipe. Don't worry - there's another article coming right up!

Cheers!

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Weddings mark a special day in two people's lives, although these days as traditions change there are various other special occasions which need to be marked with a special item such as trendy culinary concepts dining accessories. Whether it is a wedding or the excitement of a new home, it is important to show people that you care.

Friendship and strong family relationships can be highlighted at times like these. Being a witness when true hearts make wedding bells chime brings us back to romantic occasions in our own lives and we want to wish the best to our friends and loved ones. Two people make a commitment to understand and love each other and to be on each other's side through thick and thin.

Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly from one culture to another. They differ according to ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Usually, wedding ceremonies involve exchange of wedding vows and presentation of a gift such as a symbolic item, rings, flowers or money. It usually ends with a public proclamation of marriage by an authority figure or leader. Some weddings incorporate music, poetry, prayers and readings into the ceremony.

For centuries, giving gifts at weddings have been a practice. Friends, relatives and other guests, who attend the ceremony, usually bring along with them gifts as sign of their best wishes. The gifts they bring express their joy and blessing on the newlywed couple. Buying a gift for someone, or in this case, for a couple, leaves you confused due to vast array of choices.

Fortunately, most couples have a wedding gift registry at a store, arranged well in advance of their wedding. Gift registries should aid guests in selecting gifts that the couple wants. This gives them the opportunity to create a list of household items, such as china, silverware, crystal ware, linen and other fabrics, pots and pans, and other kitchen appliances.

Even when budget is lower you want to make people feel special at a time like a wedding or any other significant occasion and giving style and something that will stand the test of time is the ideal solution. Quality cutlery and tableware which is at the same time contemporary can be a practical and stylish solution on the occasion of important gift giving. You can find tools for a contemporary dining experience with culinary concepts dining accessories.

Regular consumer exhibitions across the UK highlight their new products and designs in table accessories, cheese and olive accessories, cutleries, serving accessories, breakfast accessories, wine and champagne and other drinking accessories. They stand out as excellent presents for the potential experiences they will give to their users.

These type of dining accessories can jumpstart a day with breakfast served in stylish and chic butter dishes, fruit toast racks, eggcups and honey drizzler. Drink in style with elegant goblets, flutes, chalices, pitchers and champagne buckets. Coordinate dining table and barware to give the glow of well being in any home.

Selecting ideal gifts is considered an art. Just always keep in mind that the gift you keep should have good quality, yet be affordable and suitable to your budget. Culinary concepts ticks all the boxes.

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Fire Magic Rotisserie Accessories, Accessory: Rotisserie Basket Review

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George Foreman Grp90wgr grill allows people to easily make many of their favorite recipes. Foreman grills are a great choice for a grill because they have the benefits of convenience, functionality, and fat burning that no other grill has. Not only do Foreman Grills have all of these benefits, they are all put together in a small, easy-to-use machine.

These grills are great because they can easily be stored. They are compact, and thus can easily fit on a pantry shelf or in a cupboard. Foreman Grills can also be stored on top of a counter without being too inconvenient for performing other kitchen tasks.

Foreman Grp90wgr Grill are also convenient because they are so easy to keep clean. Their grill is coated with a non-stick substance, so food does not stick to the grill easily. Clean up is thus made easy, as any leftover food can be cleaned up with a wet sponge or towel - scrubbing will probably not be necessary. The container that catches the fat can also be cleaned easily, as it is small and has a shape that is simple to clean. Foreman Grills are sleek in design, which makes them even easier to clean. Because they have a simple design, they do not have the crevices and hard-to-reach places that other machines can have.

With Foreman Grp90wgr Grills, someone can get the taste of barbeque without the difficulties involved with barbequing. Since they can be used indoors, anyone can use them year round. Barbeques, on the other hand, can only be used in good weather. Even during the summer people can save time by using Foreman Grills instead of barbequing. They require less clean up and work for simple dinners.

The Grp90wgr grill main function is, well, to grill. And it does that very well. Many different things can be cooked on the grill, including steak, chicken breasts, salmon, and vegetables. It is easy to set the time for Foreman Grills, and it is also easy to keep an eye on the meat or other foods to make sure that they do not burn.

Food tastes delicious, especially when it is marinated before cooking, when it is cooked on Foreman Grills. This will add extra flavor and make it even juicier. With grilling, meat can taste even better. And you do not get the same amount of fat that is usually associated with grilled food.

Fat can be burned off easily with Foreman Grp90wgr, which is what they are known for. They cause the fat to drip down into a catch container, which can also catch some precious juices (though not all of them). However, the juices can be added back to the meat while it is cooking. Foreman Grills give one excellent grilled foods with much less fat than meat that is cooked with oil or fat.

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A loose definition of the word improvisation is to invent, compose, or perform something extemporaneously. For example if you've ever seen a Woody Allen movie, laughed at a sketch on Saturday Night Live or heard Miles Davis play notes of music not bound by this earth, you've experienced improvisation in action. As it is in movies, sketch comedy or jazz the joy of improvisational cooking is in the results that spring forth from inspired creation.

How do you use a recipe? Do you follow each step and measure each ingredient with the precision of a chemist? Do you nervously meter out the baking time of your cookies by tapping your foot to the cadence of the timer? We perform this culinary art to please more than our stomachs, the reasons too numerous to mention. Whatever the reason we usually approach it with recipe in hand. Often times a recipe we don't understand. The essence of Improv Cooking, with it's somewhat Zen like approach, demands you're imagination and instinct to help you solve the riddle of the recipe.

The Steps Towards Improv Cooking

Improvisational cooking is not so much reading and following a recipe as it is using skills and techniques to take a recipe to another level or create a recipe out nothing more than a larder full of ingredients. You have to possess a certain amount of skill and understanding before plunging in to any kind of cooking. Improv Cooking is no different. It forces you to trust your instincts as well. Follow these seven simple steps and you'll soon be free to open the fridge and just start cooking.

#1 Taste As Many Different Styles of Cooking as Possible

This is probably the simplest of all the Improv techniques to learn and master. Just eat as many different cooking styles as you can. The axiom is straightforward. The more you're exposed to, the more imaginative you'll become. Fill your headphones with nothing but Britney and it certainly would be difficult to imagine Charlie Parker's saxophone. Consequently, eat nothing but the same restaurant or home cooked food all the time and your cooking vocabulary will reflect it.

#2 Understand the Basic Fundamental Techniques of Cooking

You can't pick up a trumpet and expect to sound like Miles Davis without knowing a few things first. I won't go into all the things that could and will go wrong. I'm sure you get the picture. Well, Improv Cooking follows the same rules. You can't expect to be able to whip out a perfect Coq Au Vin without knowing the techniques involved to do so. But, the rewards will be greater once you do. The following list is more than just the basic fundamentals though. I've listed all the techniques and methods that matter to the experienced cook.

The Oven Group

Roasting - Cooking with dry heat that surrounds the food with as much direct heat as possible.

Pan Roasting - The wary little secret of every professional kitchen. This is a combination of method of starting the food in a hot sauté pan then finishing in a hot oven.

Broiling - A cousin to grilling, this is direct heat cooking with the heat source above the food instead of under it.

Braising - Moist heat cooking usually achieved in a sealed container like a Dutch oven, tagine or stoneware crock.

Baking - A dry heat method of cooking usually referring to breads, pastries etc.

The Wet Group

Boiling - Cooking in a large quantity of liquid, usually water.

Steaming - Cooking in a sealed container with a small amount of liquid (usually water but not especially) with the food suspended over the liquid so that it only comes in contact with the steam vapors.

Poaching - Best known as a method to cook egg, fish and perhaps chicken. This is cooking in a hot still liquid where the liquid never reaches more than a bare simmer.

The Frying Group

Sautéing - Cooking in a hot pan with little or no fat (butter, oil etc.)

Pan Frying - Very similar to sautéing, except done with more fat. Sometimes enough to almost immerse the food.

Stir-Frying - The Asian method of cooking in an extremely hot pan, usually a wok, with very little fat while keeping the food almost in constant motion.

Deep-Frying - Cooking by totally immersing the food in hot fat. The fat does the job of cooking by encircling the food with heat, thereby allowing it to cook faster sealing in natural juices and flavors. If done properly it's not the health demon most people assume it is.

The Outdoor Group

grilling - Cooking over direct heat with the food usually supported by a grate of some sort. This method can be performed indoors as well with the right equipment.

Smoking - This is actually two sub groups. Hot smoking is cooking at temperatures that will cook the food at the same time it infuses the food with smoke flavor. Cold smoking is done with the heat source separate from the cooking chamber so the food is enveloped in low temperature smoke that will infuse flavor without cooking.

Rotisserie - Like grilling, this method does not necessarily have to be done outdoors for the lucky few that have the capability in a well-equipped kitchen. Either way this is cooking with the food suspended over or next to direct heat and rotated via by some mechanical means.

The Sauce Group

Here's where it gets a little dicey and can separate the cooks from the pretenders. Some of these techniques are best learned at the elbow of someone who's been there before. But don't let that stop you from digging in and trying on your own. You may come with some pretty awful stuff, but the attempt will teach you a lot.

Stock - A cornerstone of cooking, whether, meat, fish, poultry or vegetable. A low and slow cooking that's meant to draw the true essence of flavor into a liquid form.
Brown Sauce - Usually made with beef or veal, but can be made with any brown stock made from roasted bones, flavored with aromatic herbs and vegetables.
Demi-Glace - Similar to brown sauce only made without a thickener and reduced to thicken and intensify flavors.

White Sauce - Also known as Béchamel, made with milk and or cream and thickened with a roux (flour and butter paste)

Veloute - Constructed very much like white sauce, except the milk is replaced usually by a light colored stock of either meat or poultry. It is often enhanced with egg yolks and butter at finishing.
The "Aise" Family - This includes Hollandaise and all its progeny like béarnaise, choron etc. and mayonnaise and all its descendants like aioli, remoulade etc. These are all emulsion sauces with egg bases and a body made mostly of oil or butter.

Other Emulsions - This can range from aiolis or butter sauces to vinaigrettes, to pan sauces that are thickened or finished last minute with butter and or cream.

Gravy - A sauce in loose terms only. Gravies are usually made with the juices collected from roasting meats or poultry. The non-thickened varieties are sometimes called "Jus" in modern menu vernacular.

The Soup Group

The Hearty Family - This includes all the varieties you want to serve in meal-sized bowls like beef stew, chicken and dumplings, chili, chowder and minestrone.

Bisque - Usually and intensely flavored soup that's been thickened with rice, potatoes or a flour paste called panade.

Purees - Similar to bisque in nature but usually made with a single vegetable flavoring and thickened by pureeing the entire mass via some mechanical or manual means. Often times these soups are finished with cream.

Creams - Any soup, thick or thin, where a significant portion of the liquid is either milk or cream.
Broth - Often confused with stock, both are liquids that have been flavored with aromatics. But the basic building block of stock is bones whereas broth is composed from pieces of meat giving it more collagen. This is the lip sticking quality that gives broth its viscous body.

Consommé - A broth that's been clarified with egg whites

The Miscellaneous Group

This is a hodgepodge of techniques that will give you a little more depth to your creativity.
Papillote, Packages and Pouches - This is where the food is wrapped and sealed in paper, foil or sometimes a natural wrapper like corn husk or banana leaf. The packages can be cooked by baking, steaming, boiling or grilling.

Dumplings - This is a very broad category of foods and methods that includes many varieties that I'm going to break put into two families. The filled dough variety and the nothing but dough variety. The filled dough relatives have names like ravioli, dim sum, kreplach or pierogi. After filling, these succulent siblings can be steamed, boiled, baked or fried. The nothing but dough relations generally just go by the name "dumpling" but sometimes have the main flavoring preceding their surname such as apple or onion. Also on this branch of the tree are hush puppies, zeppoli and matzoth balls.

Croquettes - Usually a fried delicacy, but sometimes baked. A soft filling of any manner of meat, cheese, vegetable or fruit encased in a crisp shell.

Brining - Very popular these days. Besides turkey at Thanksgiving, it's an essential step in the process of smoking certain foods, like salmon or ham. But will often stand on its own in foods like gravlax or prosciutto.

Paté - A French term to describe a dish made with forcemeat (ground) of innards or any kind of meat. But the technique occurs in other cuisine and has recently been tagged to concoctions of vegetables or fruits as well. Cold meatloaf is technically a pate.

Charcuterie - Pardon my French, but they did have a huge influence on the world of cooking. This term covers all manners of sausage making and preserving of meats.

The Baker's Group

This group of techniques is where the art of cooking meets the science of food. Precision in measurement, combination of ingredients and technique is of utmost importance. Discipline and a strict adherence to formula must replace the looser attitude you can give to other areas of cooking. But, as in life, there are no absolutes. Once mastered, these techniques will reveal many ways to tweak and stretch a recipe to your will.

Yeast Breads - These can be savory or sweet, loaves, rolls or doughnuts. They can be baked, fried or steamed.

Quick Breads - The "Quick" generally refers to the active leavening that's achieved with eggs, baking soda, baking powder, and any combination thereof. These can be baked in loaves or cups (then they're called muffins). Or steamed in molds which will change their name to pudding.
Pies, Tarts and Cobblers - Be they one crust or two, hand held or deep dish, cream filled, fruit filled, custard or meat. The basic construction varies very little.

Cakes and Tortes - The basic building blocks of flour (usually wheat but can be any variation), sweetener (sugar, honey whatever) and leavening (very similar to quick bread) rarely change. The differences all come in the flavoring and final construction.

Icings and Frostings etc. - Really a sub group of cakes and tortes, but for this purpose it stands alone. I'm including in this arena fondant, buttercream, ganache, boiled icing and all the wondrous creations done with pulled sugar.

Soufflés and Mousse- A seemingly daunting hurdle to the novice, but once the simple construction of flavoring base lightened with egg whites in the case of soufflé or whipped cream for mousse is mastered the sky is the limit.

Custards - Learning how to manage both breeds, baked and stir-cooked over heat, opens opportunities for both sweet and savory variations.

Puddings - A difficult process to pin down because of the wide range of foods that can be called puddings.

#3 Learn the Relationships of Aroma, Flavor, Texture and Color

The relationships of aroma, flavor, texture and color are possibly the most important aspect of improv cooking. In order for any dish to be cooked well, the dish must be whole. It must appeal to all the senses completely and with harmony. Webster's Dictionary describes these elements in the following way;

Aroma - A pleasant characteristic odor

Flavor - the taste experience when a savory condiment is taken into the mouth

Texture - The distinctive physical composition or structure of something, especially with respect to the size, shape, and arrangement of its parts.

Color - That aspect of things that is caused by differing qualities of the light reflected or emitted by them.
To make all of this work in harmony is no small task. Whether from recipes or you're imaginations it's the crux of all cooking. To neglect or diminish anyone of these elements would result in a dish that's not complete. And by contrast, to enhance or over emphasize anyone of these elements as well would result in a dish that is off balance and probably not very appealing. So how do you know when you get it right? Is there a formula or system of measuring these elements that can insure all the pieces of the puzzle are in place? No, you just know when it works. Even though the balance of these elements is crucial, the right answer is up to you. Let your self go and become the dish or as was first said in Caddyshack "Be the ball!" Let your senses tell you what's happening in that pot or pan. Smell, taste, look and even listen to the food as it cooks. It has a great story to tell if you let it.

#4 Learn the Art of Accompaniment

Very few things we cook stand-alone. Even the most well-crafted stew or soup becomes even more complete and interesting by what it is served with. The gamut of choices can range from side dishes to condiments to beverages and even to the choice of lighting or music. In fact there are too many choices to discuss in detail. The best way to approach this dilemma is to first understand the goal. Because there are huge differences in these as well, a simple lunch for two suggests a different set of choices from a large family gathering or an elegant supper. Throw this into the mix along with your own level of ability or comfort with certain techniques and dishes and well I think you get my point. Perhaps the best way to approach this step towards Improv Cooking is to begin with what you know, because just as the right accompaniments can make a meal, the wrong ones can just as easily destroy it.

#5 Cook With Others

"One can acquire everything in solitude except character."
Stendhal, On Love, 1822

Unlike jazz, comedy or any of the other improvisational arts, where the act of improv is rarely done alone, you rarely think of cooking as something that can and should be done with others. Yet there are the accidental improvisational sessions that happen all the time.

While developing the skills of Improv cooking, you should plan several intentional cooking sessions centered on a specific dish or meal that two or more people can prepare together. Cooking with someone else can magically open a door to your imagination.

#6 Taste Analytically

I started cooking because I wanted to understand the magic behind the food I was eating. Tasting smelling and analyzing ingredients to understand the effects each can have within a dish is an essential improvisational skill. The more you do it the easier it becomes to unlock the magic of a dish. This skill coupled with a solid understanding of technique will enable you to accomplish great things in the kitchen.

#7 Break the Rules.

Without a sense of exploration, which is the ultimate rule breaker, we would have never walked on the moon or experienced Nouvelle Cuisine. The space program produced hundreds of modern conveniences we enjoy today. Yet many food writers and Chefs look upon Nouvelle Cuisine with the same disdain as the embarrassingly wide collars and polyester clothing of the day. Nouvelle Cuisine left us with a legacy of pushing the envelope. Unlike any other period in cooking, Chefs were taking the expected and giving us a whole new way to see it. The foods, techniques and presentations that seemed far out and strange then have today become not only the norm for many Chefs, but a jumping off point to even wilder ways to cook. Breaking the rules is the mantra in many kitchens today. Savory foams, laser printed edible paper, carnival midway snacks served in the palaces of high cuisine are just a few of the ways rules are being broken. If something feels like a rule the next time you're in the kitchen, then break it. You may create something inedible, but you will learn a valuable lesson. I can't emphasize enough that once you combine your increased knowledge of techniques, flavors and construction your imagination will be free to see new avenues to explore. Soon the rules will start disappearing.

CHICKEN BREASTS IN MUSTARD PAN SAUCE IMPROV

Chicken Breast, boneless and skinless

Unsalted Butter

Kosher Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Veloute Sauce

Good Grainy French Mustard

Egg Yolks

Lemon Juice

Chives for garnish

Butterfly the chicken breasts or pound them to 1/2" thick. Season each liberally with salt and pepper then set aside. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat until it foams and begins to brown. Add the just enough chicken to the pan so its not too crowded. Brown the breasts on one side then turn and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and lift the chicken breasts to a warm platter. Repeat the process again if you need to cook more chicken. If not, return the pan to the heat and add the veloute sauce. Stir in the mustard and reduce the heat to low. Scrape the pan to lift all the little bits of browned chicken stuck to the pan. Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl. Add a little of the warm sauce to the yolks to warm them then stir the mix into the warm sauce. Return the pan to the heat, but do not let the sauce boil. Finally, stir in the lemon juice and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the sauce and warm briefly. Serve the chicken topped with a little sauce and garnished with some snipped chives.
Improv Hint: The veloute sauce in this case should be a little on the thin side. The simmering in the pan, the mustard and the egg yolks will have an affect on making it a little thicker. Plan on about one-third cup of sauce per chicken breast.

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Writing a website full of bbq Smoker Recipes is a time consuming business even at the best of times. I take pride in ensuring that the pictures I put up on my site are of food that I have cooked and not some glossy template purchased on the internet and I also want my recipes to be innovative. What I enjoy most of all is when readers use my feedback form with ideas for improvements to my site and also to suggest recipes, there's so much creativity out there and to harness just a small amount of it is truly humbling.

It's a two way street of course and just as I get some great free barbecue recipes in return and I also get a lot of questions to which answers are free of charge. Many of the questions start with the sentence "I've just won / been given a smoker without any instructions and I'm gonna cook for 20 guests at the weekend, do you have any tips for me?"

I'm not sure about tips but my immediate reaction is a combination of:

· Lucky you winning a smoker

· Cooking for 20 first time out, that's a challenge..........

· Cooking for 20 first time out - are you mad?

barbecue cooking for any number of people is challenge enough but doing it on a piece of equipment that's never been used before is really asking a lot. Nevertheless I always respond with my "essential tips":-

1. Do a trial run. Not just to test your bbq cooking abilities but also if the smoker is new it will be protected with an oily film that needs to be cleaned up. Just like any oven it's important to give it a run otherwise your first food will not taste right.

2. Keep the temperature in the smoker between 230 - 250°F

3. It's indirect cooking so heat should no be directly under the food, put the drip tray here and this will help keep it moist.

4. If it's a charcoal smoker the coals will start to cool after 60 mins so keep a steady stream on fresh charcoal available and change every 45 mins

5. Slow cooking is the order of the day and you'll need to allow up to 90 mins cooking time per pound of meat

6. Many argue that after 5 hrs smoking, the smoke adds no further flavour so you can finish off in the conventional oven if you wish. (Just wrap the food in foil to keep it moist)

7. Don't be tempted to lift the cover of the barbecue too often - you only let the smoke out

8. Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature.

9. Practice makes perfect - don't give up after the first attempt!

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Ronco ST4000WHGEN Showtime Standard Rotisserie and Barbeque Oven with Bonus Accessory Kit, White Review

Ronco ST4000WHGEN Showtime Standard Rotisserie and Barbeque Oven with Bonus Accessory Kit, White Feature

• Standard-size rotisserie and barbeque oven for easily preparing healthy food
• Rotisserie controls include normal rotation, no-heat rotation, or pause-to-sear
• Nonstick rotisserie basket; drip tray; dial timer; dishwasher-safe parts
• Bonus--1-quart dual food-heating tray with lid, plus solid and liquid flavor injectors
• Measures approximately 18 by 15 by 13 inches; 6-month limited warranty

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One of the special skill set you must acquired is mastering the use of sauces. Yes, you are right, sauces are the most important ingredients in any cuisines. Sauces help in adding extra flavors, bring out the original taste of the foods, add on more natural coloring, add on fragrant smell to the dish and sometimes it also helps in softening and smoothing meats, soups, noodles, rice, and others.

Here are the top 6 type of usage of sauces:
1. Seasoning
2. Condiment
3. Dipping
4. Soup based
5. Water based marination

The raw material of sauces are around spices, herbs, fermented soy bean sauce, chili powders, meat stocks, pepper powders, vinegar, chili oil, garlic mince, onion mince, lemon grass mince, fruit juices, yogurt, cheese, mayonnaise, milk, wine, draft beer, rice wine, flour, and a lot more to listed down here.

There are multiple common sauces family show here for your reference:

1. Chinese. It is the most complicated and yet the most interesting sauces around in the world that has more then few thousands of sauce recipes to go along all the Chinese cuisines. A lot of Chinese foods in western countries are no longer genuine with the traditional and secret sauces used back in China.

2. Japanese. It has heavy use with miso paste and rice wine in the sauce preparation. Emphasis a lot in using natural raw materials and fermented soy in sauce making. Japanese sake is also the most authentic symbol of Japanese sauce.

3. Western. It has a lot to do with either Italian, American, Mexican or English sauces. Since they are much different from each other, but they all do have some comment use of cheese, mayonnaise, yogurt, fruits, butter, milk, olive oil, garden spices and vinegar in the sauce making.

4. South East Asian. This region of cuisines use a lot of spices, chili, pepper in the sauce making. An authentic flour is the use of coconut milk in the curries, strong pepper and curry powders in dry or wet dishes. Spicy and heavy fragrant sauce is the unique dressing in this region.

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Most of the time you know that the can of Parmesan cheese is in the fridge and that you pull it out for pasta and sprinkling on an occasional salad. But did you know that it can play an important part in your food garnishing as well? Since Parmesan is a hard cheese it holds it's form when it is heated and then cooled. Which is great from a decorating stand point.

This means that you can use it to make baskets for salads and other uses you may have for it in your cuisine needs. Last year we had a dinner for 500 people and wanted to make a unique salad. We made a large rectangular frame out of tag board and put that on top of one of those fancy cooking mats you see in the Gourmet shops. We then spread a layer about a quarter of an inch thick of shredded Parmesan cheese inside the frame and baked it for about 3-4 minutes in a hot oven.

The result was a perfect rectangle of melted cheese. Next we turned it out on a large cutting board and carefully cut it into 5 long strips about 2 to 3 inches wide and while it was still warm we formed the strips into circles. When the circles cooled we had an edible salad container to put on a plate and fill with a pre-dressed salad. The actual evening was a blur for me as we moved very fast to assemble the salad with pear vinaigrette, Gorgonzola, grilled pears and candied walnuts. The guests were very impressed.

You can do this at home for a much smaller number of guests very easily. The process is fairly simple. To make a bowl out of Parmesan cheese you will need about 3 to 4 oz of shredded Parmesan cheese per bowl. Heat the oven to 350 and take a flat cookie sheet out. Decide the size of your bowl by taking out a small salad bowl and inverting it upside down on the counter. Now spread a circle of the Parmesan on your cookie sheet that is just a little bigger that the diameter of the inverted bowl. Smooth the cheese so that it is even and circular in shape. Now pop it into the oven for 3-5 minutes, it should melt but not get brown.

Now take it out of the oven and let it cool until you can comfortably touch it. Carefully loosen it with a spatula and pick it up and drape it over your inverted soup or salad bowl. Gently mold it to the bowl and then let it completely cool. in about 6 to 10 minutes you will have a fairly hard but edible bowl that you can use for a salad or bowls to hold fresh mozzarella balls that have been marinated in two kinds of pesto. (Basil and Red Pepper). This makes a great center piece for anti-pasto platters.

You can also make individual chips to serve as a base for individual Hors D' Oeuvres. Simply spread 2 inch circles of Parmesan on your cookie sheet and bake for a few minutes. When you take them out of the oven loosen them with a spatula. You now have a full flavored cheese chip to serve as a base for a sauteed sea scallop. A tray of those will be a big hit at your next event.

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"There's nothing more enjoyable than having friends and family gathered around amidst the wonderful smells of charcoal-grilled prawns, vegetables and selected favorites. Barbecuing is one of those time- honored rituals that go hand in hand with summertime. Whether you're in your backyard or at you're favorite camping site, barbecuing is a pleasure to be enjoyed by the whole family."

Barbecuing has never been more exciting; with the endless designs of barbecues available and the myriad of barbecue cookbooks and cooking shows it really does take barbecuing into a whole new realm. With recipes for everything from grilled bananas to peaches and dry rubs for ribs, barbecues aren't just for cooking steaks and burgers anymore. With all the available barbecuing options it helps to know a few of the barbecuing terms and barbecuing utensils that are used.

Firstly, barbecues come in a wide variety of options; there are propane, natural gas and the standard barbecues for use with charcoal. Barbecues can come with range style one, two and four burner options along with rotisseries. There are even barbecues that have coolers built right into the bottom! Barbecuing has never been quite so convenient.

Accessories

When you're using your barbecue it really helps to have the right utensils and barbeque accessories, this will make your barbecuing experience easier and more enjoyable. Long handled tongs, basting brushes and spatulas are quite helpful. Heavy-duty oven mitts can also be useful. Of course you don't want to forget the proper wire brushes and scrubbers (crumpled foil even works well) to remove build-up, keeping your grill racks clean.

Foods that are tender such as fish, vegetables and some burgers can benefit from cooking in a special grill basket (this way you aren't loosing any of your meal into the barbecue). There are also special racks available to be used with corn, potatoes, ribs and meat.

An excellent barbecue accessory is the grill wok, with this you can make you're favorite stir fries and vegetable dishes; the wok has small holes throughout that allow heat and smoke to penetrate the food. Another great grill accessory is the grill pizza tray used mostly for grilled pizza. Other grill accessories include; the grill topper used for fish and vegetables providing an even cooking surface, which prevents foods from falling through the grill rack; you can never have too many skewers in assorted lengths which can be used with a skewer rack for grilling your favorite marinated vegetables and meats; smoker boxes for gas grills filled with soaked wood chips add a wonderful smoked flavor to foods. Lastly foil packets are available or simple tin foil to wrap foods, just remember that you may be sacrificing the grill and smoke flavors when foods are wrapped tightly.

Grilling Processes

After you have the utensils and proper grilling accessories needed for you're barbeque experience you'll want to familiarize yourself on the different types of grilling processes and terms to find the ones that work best for you and to know exactly what has to be done. To start, basting is probably the most familiar of barbecuing terms, a simple brushing with a seasoned liquid adding both flavor and moisture to your food. A brochette is just French for a kabob, or simply food cooked on a skewer. A glaze is a glossy, flavorful coating on food as it cooks as a result of regular basting.

Three very popular methods of barbecuing are the direct grilling, dry smoking and indirect grilling methods. Direct grilling is probably the most popular grilling used, it is when food is placed directly over the flame. It is a fast method because of the intense heat and allows for browning on the outside of foods. This process works best for food requiring short cooking times such as burgers and steaks, you must remember to turn food over to allow cooking on both sides. The dry smoking method is achieved by placing a grill rack indirectly over the heat source with the barbecue lid down, this allows the flame to burn thus creating smoke which covers the food, giving you a smoky flavor. Lastly the indirect grilling is a slow process of cooking because of less heat, it is done by surrounding a drip pan with the coals and putting the food over the pan, so the hot air circulates around the food (similar to a convection oven). It is wise to check with your barbecue owner manual for indirect grilling specific to your barbecue, roasts work well with this method.

After you've acquired the barbecue and all the necessary cooking utensils and accessories you're ready for the best part of barbecuing and that is the cooking of the food. Sauces, marinades and rubs are popular cooking ideas when barbecuing. Barbecue sauce can be said to define a great barbecue. Whether you use a little or a lot is a matter of preference. A sauce often includes sugar, honey or preserves, which can cause the sauce to burn when cooking; a suggestion is to brush your sauce on in the last five to ten minutes of cooking. There are a wide variety of sauces and glazes to be made ranging from apple butter barbecue sauce to raspberry piquant sauce.

Marinades are used for soaking your choice of meat, tofu or vegetables. The marinating both tenderizes and permeates the food with flavor, adding flavor and promoting crisp brown exteriors, changing an otherwise average dinner into a great one. Marinades are virtually fool proof and can be made in advance refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week. The three basic ingredients in a marinade are; flavorings such as herbs, spices, sweeteners; oils which keep the food pliable and give a crispy crust; acids such as citrus juices, wines, vinegars and yogurts used to balance the sweetness. It is suggested to use the acids sparingly on fish and poultry, as they will soften the flesh when used.

A virtually fat free and easy way to add flavor to food is by using a variety of bold seasonings in a rub. The food is rubbed with spices prior to grilling, the rub transforms into a crunchy brown crust that seals in the juices and enhances the flavors of the food. The spices should be generously applied coating the entire surface of the food; the food should then be covered and put in the fridge for 15 minutes to 2 hours. Simplicity is the key for making rubs, salt and sugar are two of the main ingredients and the rest are up to you.

In summary, whatever your barbecuing specialty might be barbecues can be both a fun and convenient way to make dinner. Summertime needn't be the only time of year that you're barbecuing, if weather allows you can barbecue all year round. The options have never been more exciting, and the variety of foods and recipes never more abundant.

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Like most people this year, I'm operating on a bit of a restricted holiday budget. In light of this, I remembered that in my poor student years one of the most popular inexpensive gifts I came up with was that of compound butters, also called flavored or finishing butters. These are simply butters that have had different flavoring agents added, such as lemon or herbs or fruit.

These butters have been a staple of French cooking, with maitre d'hotel butter being one of the best known. This is simply a combination of butter, lemon, parsley, and white pepper, blended, formed, and chilled. A slice or two is then served over fish or meat or vegetables for an elegant presentation and taste. The butters are meant to be the finish to a dish, adding flavor and sauce for a simply prepared item.

The variations on this butter are limited only by imagination. Escoffier is said to have included 35 variations on his 1903 publication, Le Guide Culinaire, and my Larousse Gastronomique has more than 20 listings. These include such wonders as caviar butter and lobster butter.

The preparation of these butters can be as easy as beating some chopped garlic into butter to as complicated as the lobster butter, which requires cooking the lobster meat, roe, and shells in a court bouillon, straining the mixture, cooling, then mixing the resulting essence with softened butter.

Some of the more popular butters I've prepared have included the above-mentioned maitre d'hotel butter, dijon mustard butter, garlic-parmesan butter, basil butter, and sun dried tomator butter. Garlic butter, either with finely chopped fresh garlic or with creamy baked garlic are also high on the popularity list. And don't overlook sweet butters: whipped honey, cinnamon and sugar, maple syrup, or finely chopped dried fruit mixed with butter give extraordinary flavor to breads and other baked goods.

You can use either salted or unsalted butter. If you use unsalted, be sure to check the taste of your finished product; you'll probably need to add some salt. I generally just start with salted butter. Perhaps if you're making anchovy butter or using another ingredient high in salt, you would want to start with unsalted. In any case, you definitely want to taste your butter to be sure of the seasoning and flavor before you give it away.

Here's something else to try: make your own butter. You don't need a churn, but a good mixer is very helpful. Pour well-chilled heavy cream into your mixing bowl, add a bit of salt if you like, and set your beating speed to high. (Chilling the butter, as well as the bowl and mixer attachments speeds up the beating process.) Even with a small hand mixer, you should have butter in just a few minutes. Simply press your butter to the side of your bowl and drain off the liquid part.

The ratio of butter to flavoring is subject to taste, but here are a few suggestions, all starting with 1 pound of butter: for garlic butter, you'll want 2 to 3 tablespoons of minced, fresh garlic; use 2 whole heads of baked garlic. Maitre d'hotel butter has 1 1/2 ounces of lemon juice, 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley, and a pinch of white pepper. Citrus butter will have 3 tablespoons zest and 2 tablespoons juice. To make gorgonzola or blue cheese butter, use 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the cheese. For basil or other herb butters, I use about 1/2 cup chopped fresh herb; dried would be about half. Here it's best to start low, let the butter rest a bit to incorporate the flavor, then taste to see if it's what you think is good. Start with 1 cup of chopped dried fruit and a tablespoon or so of sugar if the fruit is tart. This is another one to let rest and then taste for best result.

Another preparation using herbs is to mix them, either fresh (minced) or dried (crushed), into olive oil. Let the oil sit for awhile to infuse the flavor, then mix the oil and herbs into the butter. Besides flavor, you're mixing in a bit of health with the olive oil.

In all cases the preparation is the same: the butter is softened at room temperature, the ingredients, if not liquid, are chopped very finely, then the ingredients are mixed thoroughly, either by hand or mixer. The mixture is then put onto waxed or parchment paper and rolled into a log. The log is then refrigerated, where it can stay for several weeks, as long as it's properly wrapped. It can also be frozen, wrapped in foil, and it will be delicious for a few months. Be sure to label them well.

For gift giving, I tie a decorative ribbon around the roll and attach a card with a description of what's in the butter and suggested uses for it. A quarter pound each of 4 or 5 different butters makes an impressive and welcome gift.

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The great American barbecue is a traditional way to bring family and friends together on a pleasant sunny afternoon but the sun isn't the only thing heating up these days! Over the years, there have been many heated debates about which types of grill cook meats better; natural gas or charcoal grills.

Die-hard grilling aficionados affirm that the flavor and process of cooking with charcoal grills can't be matched but with the majority of new grill purchases being gas models, there are obviously fans in that camp as well.

Tom Maley, Owner of Jack's bbq on North Market, uses a gas based grill for his barbecue offerings. Jack's has been a Shreveport staple for more than thirty years. "When this restaurant first opened, we used to use a wood smoker. Over time, I found that we get a better result with a gas grill. In fact, charcoal can be drying to meat if left on the grill too long." Although reluctant to share any secret recipes or proprietary tips, he offers one word for keeping meat flavorful with a grass grill: marinade.

The case for gas or charcoal seems to be divided along three main points: convenience, cost and taste. Charcoal grills require quite a bit of afterwards clean up while gas grills require you to heat the grates and scrape with a wire brush. The ash residue left by the charcoal will have to be cleaned out and thrown away.

Sue Cobb with Cobb's bbq made some transitions with their barbecue preparation as the demand required. "When we changed from a small rotisserie to a commercial sized pit, we went from charcoal to hickory wood. Hickory wood provides us with great flavor and burning capability." Cobb also advised that "you just don't want to cook over gas with no flavor" and offers the following tip: place wet hickory chips on the grill for added flavor.

Gas grills have push button starters for an instant fire; although you still have to heat it up. It will take at least 30 minutes to heat the charcoal to the required temperature. In addition, with a gas grill you can grill for longer periods of times without having to replenish the fuel. One disadvantage is if you run out of gas and don't have an extra tank, your grill cools quickly and you could sabotage your barbecue efforts.

The ability to raise and lower the heat with a gas grill gives you the option of controlling the temperature of the foods being grilled. You will never have to worry about the wind since the heating comes from below and they heat more evenly over the surface grates. With a charcoal grill, you do not have the ability to regulate the temperature and will have to rotate the food to find hot spots and then to cold spots for proper and thorough cooking.

For some, this little bit of extra work is acceptable in order to get that genuine barbecue flavor for their steaks on a grill, burgers or ribs that they swear natural gas grills just don't provide.

Shreveport resident Ronald Monsour prefers a gas charbroiler for his home cooking use. He does admit that a wood grill is best for long cooked meats such as brisket but if it's a steak or small meal, gas is his grill of choice. "We make an all purpose seasoning and homemade sauce that gives the meat distinct flavor. If you really want a good taste, marinade your meat overnight and throw the meat on an extremely hot grill. It seals in the flavor." Monsour also adds that tongs and spatulas are a better way to flip your meat to avoid penetrating the meat and losing the juices. "Be sure to let your meat sit 4-5 minutes after you take it off the grill so the juices can be reabsorbed," he adds.

When it comes to cost, the charcoal grill is much more inexpensive than a gas grill. The smaller models are great for someone with no backyard or limited grilling space.

Charcoal grills may not have the ease of natural gas grills when cooking a barbecue, but for serious barbecue connoisseurs, it's the ritual that counts. The primitive thrill of cooking outdoors will keep this debate heating up for years to come.

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