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April 5, 2010

How to Choose the Pressure Cooker

Filed under: Restaurant — Tags: , — admin @ 2:03 PM

The Pressure Cooker size?
For family that from 1 to 4 peoples, preferably can choose a prestige pressure cookers with a capacity between 3 and 4.5 l. For family from 4 to 6 peoples, you may need a pot from the 6 l and if you are between 6 and 8, you will need 8 l.

Material: Steel or Aluminum?
The steel may retains and distributes heat better, but most of the pressure cookers are aluminum material much lighter and therefore more practical. There are a lot of models of the pressure cooker copper or tempered glass (which may be put in the oven).

The electric pressure cooker: stainless steel or terracotta, this kind of pressure cookers is very useful when you need a tempo to cook. A special program also allows you to keep food warm before going to the table. When cooked, the pressure cooker power can also be put in the dishwasher.

Maintenance means any kind of pressure cooker must be washed well after use. If there is a bit of food encrusted on or under the gum edge, pour a little dish soap, rinse and leave in a second time. Always lift the lid of pot to let the air come in.

Instructions for use
1. Fill the pot: pour a minimum of 25 ml (two cups) of water on the bottom. Depending on the type of food, you can fill up to 2 / 3 of its height but no more. Always put food into the basket.

2. Close the pot: if the pot is not properly closed, the pressure inside will not increase and cooking result will be slow.

3. Cooking: You must make the pressure cooker placed on a high heat. In a few minutes the internal temperature exceeds 100 °. The control valve will let you know when you need to lower the heat and you can begin to count the minutes of cooking.

4. Decompression: finished the cooking time, remove from oven and lower the pressure by lifting the valve cap and vent steam. After that, you can remove the lid safely. To lower the pressure more quickly, you can put it under cold water and wait until it become cold.

July 9, 2009

Picnic Food Ideas for a Nutritious and Simple Picnic

When deciding the menu for a picnic, the name of the game is flavor. But, flavor doesn’t have to mean unhealthy. A picnic menu can be just as healthy and easy as a meal you would prepare at home.

Picnic appetizers keep guests from getting bored while they wait for the grill to heat up. Make or purchase a container of veggie dip. If you purchase the dip, buy the light variety. When whipping up a dip, opt for ranch seasoning mix and a container of low fat sour cream. The taste is just as flavorful minus all of the added calories.

To accompany your dip, try a raw vegetable platter. Vegetables are lighter than chips and they won’t adversely impact your waistline if you eat too many. Preparing the vegetables the night before gives you more time the day of the picnic. Vegetables can be sliced into decorative chips with a crinkle cutter for added variety.

If the kids must have salty snacks, choose the baked variety. Most snack companies sell a baked, lower fat version of their popular snacks. More importantly, one hundred calorie snack bags will keep them from consuming too many of their favorite snacks.

Frozen burger patties don’t have to be fattening anymore. Choose from turkey burger patties or 98% lean hamburger. These alternatives are tasty and will benefit your family’s health. When dressing the burger, add a generous slice of tomato, onion, and/or lettuce.

The more food items you can prepare before hand, the more relaxed the actual picnic will be. Chicken breast or seafood kabobs can be bought fresh directly from the meat department of the local grocer. Keep them cool until ready to toss on the grill. A side dish of brown rice can be served with the kabobs for a complete meal.

Dessert at a picnic usually consists of cake or some other sweet confection. Fruit salad is a healthy twist on dessert. A combination of sweet fruits topped with coconut pieces or served with a fruit dip satisfies the sugar craving. Try grilled fruits like pineapples or peaches for a tangy tasting dessert.

When it comes to drinks, opt for bottled water or juices. Sugar free flavor packets can be mixed into bottled water for a fruity drink if you don’t want to drink juice. If picnickers will be active, water offers better hydration than soda drinks.

A picnic doesn’t have to equate to a departure from a healthy eating regimen. Nutritious menu items can be managed even on the grill. Pre-planning can keep the menu less filling not to mention simple and stress-free.

For more healthy eating tips and recipes from Christine Steendahl, “The Menu Mom”, log onto http://www.themenumom.com

Great Food Options For Little Ones

Around age 2, little ones might become finicky eaters. They begin to smell everything before they will eat it. Little ones transition from an infant that you can cuddle and give them all their nutrients in a bottle to little independent people who want to choose what they eat.

Now is the time to come up with some innovative ways to get kids to eat foods that are healthy for them. The positive side of this age group is that they will mimic what they see. When you are slicing up vegetables, offer them a bite.

Give the child a plastic knife and paper plate so they can pretend to cut up vegetables along side you. When you take a bite of the carrot or other Vegetable, the toddler will mimic your actions.

Depending on their age, they can combine ingredients and mix them using a blender or wooden spatula or anything else you can think of that would be age appropriate. Come up with ways that they can help you prepare a meal. They can pull lettuce apart for salads, and add olives and cherry tomatoes. You will see the delight in their faces when the family enjoys one of their masterpieces. The important thing is kids will generally eat what they help prepare.

Get the children involved in the kitchen when it is time to prepare a meal for the family. You can make the children responsible for making the salad. Children can help you wash vegetables. They can also count out the number and types of vegetables that you will use in the salad.

Have the little ones prepare a salad bar for the family. Put out some lettuce, some sliced or chopped tomato, slices of cucumber, shredded carrot, slices of red and yellow peppers, small broccoli flowerets and other nutritious ingredients.

Have the little ones choose their favorite salad dressings. Make it a fun event as you prepare nutritious selections for your family. Don’t forget the croutons and shredded cheese.

Keep these easy but healthy treats handy. They can help you shop for groceries and help you prepare snacks that are healthy for them.

Some easy nutritious treats to prepare in your kitchen with little ones include:

*Vegetable sticks with a small container of salad dressing for dipping Offer them some raw vegetables with some ranch dressing to dip them in? Many kids who don’t care much for cooked vegetables will eat them up if they can dip them.
*Fresh fruit cut into bite sized pieces may be more appealing to a small child
*Pretzels are fun snacks and easy for kids to use
*Celery sticks filled with cream cheese or peanut butter and raisins provide healthy nutrition
*Fruit yogurt provides calcium
*Pudding cups are a quick snack that children can easily navigate
*Crackers–plain or with peanut butter or cheese
*Cheese sticks are full or protein
*Graham crackers a quick snack that can be combined with pudding cups
*Dried fruit - a quick way to get 2 servings of fruits
*Fruit leather - nutritious snack
*Nuts
* Tortilla chips with a small jar of salsa

For more awesome kid friendly ideas log onto http://www.kidapprovedmeals.com

Christine Steendahl - EzineArticles Expert Author
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