Who would have ever thought that non-stick cookware would become controversial? It was approved for use in cookware in 1960, and gave cooks the option to cook with less fat. Even more exciting, the non-stick surface made cleanup a snap. And yet, for almost 20 years, there has been vigorous debate about its safety.

The culprit is a substance called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which is used in making Teflon. Manufacturers say it’s safe to use in cookware – as long as the cookware is used properly. When it’s not, the fumes from overheated non-stick skillets can kill birds and sicken humans with a malady called “polymer fume fever.”
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An Old Favorite Regains Popularity

After experimenting with Teflon, anodized aluminum, and stainless steel, many cooks are tossing the expensive, high-tech stuff in favor of an old standby: cast iron.

The cast iron skillet
is relatively inexpensive, healthy, and almost indestructible. Even better, well-seasoned cast iron has a slick, almost Teflon-like coating – but without the health concerns now swirling around Teflon.

If you’re wondering how to season cast iron, cook in it, or how to care for the skillets you inherited, read on. Cooking with and caring for cast iron is easier than you think.
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What are the key relevance factors for grading honey?

Honey is nature’s perfect food: it is the only food that humans eat that harms neither plant nor animal in its production and consumption.

Honey is derived from plant nectar, with each individual honeybee contributing perhaps only 1/12 of a teaspoon to the hive’s honey production during her entire lifetime. Because there are so many different nectar sources being visited by a single hive of bees, even a single pound of produced honey will contain nectar from thousands and thousands of different flowers. In order to standardize the sale of honey, the USDA developed a set of standards for grading honey. As of 1985, these Standards are now in their fifth issue. According to the National Honey Board, honey is graded, on a voluntary basis, using these USDA standards.

There are 6 relevant factors in evaluating the honey’s grade (5 quality factors and color):
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Low fat, inexpensive, and delicious!

It’s October, and we’re starting to feel the crisp bite of fall. Unfortunately, many of us are also feeling a painful bite in our wallets as prices rise. The US Department of Agriculture reported in August that food prices this year will show the biggest annual increase since 1990. And there’s no end in sight.

Struggling to get your food budget under control? Remember the humble pot of soup. It’s a wonderful cold weather meal that’s easy to make, and relatively inexpensive if you start with basic raw ingredients like dried beans.

Here’s one of my favorites: Pinto Bean and Barley Soup. It’s a chewy blend of common kitchen staples that freezes well. Add a salad and warm bread and you have a delicious – yet inexpensive – meal.
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or…. what happens when you pick a pound of basil leaves and dry them?

Home-dried herbs are less expensive than the commercial variety and taste better too. Fresh-dried herbs have a more intense flavor, brighter color, and are less likely to have been irradiated.

Most herbs are extremely easy to grow and hard to kill – kind of like weeds. They grow well in the garden or in a group of pots arranged on a sunny windowsill. Delicious fresh, herbs are also easy to dry and store. Homegrown and dried herbs also make great gifts.

Learn the basics of sun-drying or air-drying as we follow an entire pound of fresh basil leaves through the picking, washing, and drying process.

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Cooking Tips for the Personal Chef with a Sweet Tooth

When you think of cake, you automatically think of frosting. But do you realize there are at least half a dozen ways to frost a cake? Of course there is the traditional icing: thick, creamy and oh so sweet due to its butter, eggs and milk. However, top chefs in popular cities such as Chicago or Miami teach culinary arts program students a wide range of ways to top their cakes and other sweets. Let’s look at a list of delicious and beautiful ways to frost a cake provided by one Florida cooking school.

Icing/Frosting - This is what grandma used to make. In her day, making icing was a labor of love. With no electric mixers, frosting had to be beaten by hand in order to combine all the ingredients and make it light and fluffy. Today, a basic icing recipe includes milk, powdered sugar, butter, flavorings and possibly eggs or egg whites. As with cakes, you can take these fundamental ingredients, add a little imagination, and create concoctions so delightful your mouth will be in ecstasy! Read the rest of this entry  

Tips on Frying as a Cooking Method

There is an old saying about how Americans will eat anything if it’s deep fried and coated in chocolate sauce! That joke may have more truth in it than we’d like to admit. Greasy French fries have reigned supreme for most of the last century in America. Go to any country fair and you can find almost anything fried from a turkey leg to a Twinkie. Fried chicken is a particular favorite in Southern states. Professional chefs are quick to point out the differences between pan-frying and deep-frying. Read the rest of this entry  

Simple ways to roast meat

Scan the menu of many fern-bar restaurants and you’ll see a menu option of pot roast. People love ordering it because it evokes memories of home dinners and good feelings. Now think about the grocery store. Ever notice how they put those roasted chickens up front to get you hungry? There are few things in life that stop shoppers faster than the smell of roasting chickens wafting through the air. Many shoppers are overcome with the appearance of the golden-brown skin glistening with juices and the sensory experience. Many stores will offer samples to customers – a sure way to sell more chickens because the moist, tender meat is filled with flavor. Read the rest of this entry  

Sautéing – the word itself conjures up sounds of sizziling aromatic gormet delights. It’s also one of the easiest cooking methods to master. Sautéing is a French cooking technique that involves placing small cuts of food into a scant amount of fat then cooking over high heat. The two primary benefits of sautéing are speed and flavor. The food is cut into small chunks so that it cooks quickly and uniformly. At the same time, the small amount of fat allows for a rich, encrusted flavor to develop on the bottom of the pan, which sets the stage for a fabulous sauce once the meat and/or vegetables have finished cooking. Read the rest of this entry  

Remember growing up and devouring mom’s roasts for Sunday dinner? Preserve that memory and introduce your family to this lost art by serving braised meat at your next sit down dinner. Braising is a method of cooking meats and vegetables that is easy to do and works especially well with tougher, cheaper cuts of meat such as shanks, briskets and rumps.

Braising is a primary technique taught in culinary school. Braising is not only great for home cooked meals, it is also a method for gourmet preparations straight from Paris. Over the years chefs have developed some wonderful variations to the meats, liquids, vegetables and spices included in braising to create some truly elegant meals. Read the rest of this entry