Personal Empowerment

Being able to feed yourself is a crucial survival skill.  When you let other people do all of your cooking, you are depriving yourself of being able to take care of yourself.  When you learn the basics of cooking, you learn not only learn how to feed yourself, but also increase your self-confidence.  You are not subject to a restaurant’s opening hours, a large factory still making your favorite flavor or even on traffic patterns that might keep a delivery person from your door.  You have the power to feed yourself without the cooperation of others.

Expressing Your Creativity

Everyone is artistic, whether they realize it or not.  The human race seems to have a need in order to express itself in many ways through art.  One of the best and most practical art forms in the world is cooking.  Making a meal is a lot like making a painting – blobs of different colors in different shapes and textures come together to make up an entire painting.  Cooking uses different tools, but the effect is the same.

Health Issues

You can’t control what a company puts in their foods. You can add to it – but you can’t subtract.  Many processed and refrigerated foods are loaded with sugar, salt and fat that your body really doesn’t need.  When you do your own cooking, you control the amount of salt, sugar and fat that you consume.  Making this adjustment to your diet can help ease or prevent many health conditions.

Cost

The best reason for learning the basics of cooking is that you will save yourself so much money!  Going out to eat is a luxury – and a very expensive one.  Not only do you have to factor in the cost of the meal, but the gratuity, the parking, the gas to get there and back and any applicable sales tax.  You just pay for the food, cooking utensils and the stove when you do your own cooking.  You can also pay for cook books, but you can also get free recipes off of the internet, from the newspaper, magazines and well-meaning relatives.

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If you want to make some tasty meals for your family with Dutch oven cooking, perhaps while camping, there are some useful tips that can increase the chances that your family will enjoy the meal.

Typically, Dutch ovens are made from cast iron or aluminum. The aluminum Dutch ovens have the advantage of being significantly lighter in weight. The aluminum version doesn’t need any curing and just like the cast iron types they have been designed for cooking on open fires and can be heated with coals.

The cast iron Dutch ovens have the advantage of being better at keeping their heat as well as being significantly more effective at evenly distributing the heat. Some experts of Dutch oven cooking claim that the aluminum variety adds a chalky type of taste to the foods while the cast iron dutch ovens provide a smoked flavor to the meals.

A Good Lid

Select a Dutch oven that has some legs and make sure the lid that is provided makes a snug fit for Dutch oven cooking. It’s a good idea to select a dutch oven that has a consistency regarding the thickness of the metal. Hot spots as well as cold spots can be created due to variations in the thickness of the metal in the oven.

Cast Iron

If you select a cast iron dutch oven for cooking meals the oven has to be properly cured. A Dutch oven that has been properly cured will not rust and will provide the inside of the pot with a surface that will keep your food items from sticking to the pot while Dutch oven cooking. After you have sufficiently cured the oven it’s a good idea to keep the cure and improve it by wiping the oven with a little oil, lard or shortening while the oven is dry and warm. Experts suggest that you never clean the Dutch oven with wire types of scrubbers or brushes since they can easily eliminate the curing that you have produced in the Dutch oven.

If you are going to do some Dutch oven cooking it’s also highly recommend that you purchase a lid filter which will prevent the lid from moving when you lift it. A wire handled type of hook is typically used while some prefer to use a more recent variation which combines a three legged type of a brace device with a hook.

In order to avoid your food from becoming dry, or burned on the bottom or not cooked enough on the top make sure to purchase the right sized coals and space them properly  in order to achieve the appropriate temperature inside the Dutch oven. You will want to use coals that are about the size of typical charcoal briquettes. Soon enough you will agree that Dutch oven cooking can provide you and your family with some excellent meals.

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For some people, cooking turkey is something that they do every month or every couple of months just because they cannot get enough of that taste. But for a lot of people, the hassles of cooking turkey are simply saved for Thanksgiving, and for even a smaller amount of people, for Christmas.

The reason for most people probably saving the task of cooking turkey for the holidays is because of the expense. The cost of a turkey is not cheap by any means for those who are on fixed incomes or that have a tight budget. If the cost of cooking turkey were not so steep, then more in likely there would be a lot more people purchasing these birds throughout the year.

Also, there may be another big reason that people tend to hold off cooking a turkey for the holidays and that is because how everyone says that it is so hard to prepare and to cook. But that is simply not that true if you really know what you are doing when cooking turkey.

There is not actually a lot of preparation that must be down to cook a turkey but it does take a long time to cook, several hours in fact. But when you think about it, while a turkey is cooking, you are not standing there staring at the oven because you are busy doing other things. So, the oven actually has a bigger job than you do so maybe you should try cooking turkey more then once a year.

Hints on Finding Recipes

The best way to find some recipes that you know you will like and that you know that your family will like is by talking with some relatives. Think about where you have had a great Thanksgiving dinner or who used to make it all and talk to them about sharing their recipes. This is an excellent way to find recipes and little tricks of the trade that you could never find anywhere else. Just know, that you are not the only one in the family who has experience in cooking a turkey so go ahead and use their knowledge and see how it comes out.

If you really never liked the recipes that other people in your family have followed, then you may want to consider making your own. If you are handy and creative in the kitchen, you may be able to come up with your own recipe to share with others. If you lack that sense of cooking knowledge and experience, you can always turn to the World Wide Web for suggestions and full-fledged recipes on cooking turkey. There are thousands, if not more, for cooking turkey at any given time. Just do a search and see what you find – you may be very surprised.

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A fine distinction exists when you are talking about different cuisines, particularly when the term southern cooking comes into play. The cuisine found in the South is quite distinct as it heralds from many different backgrounds and histories throughout the years. Southern cooking can be applied to a general type of food made in the kitchens south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

A Brief History

Southern cooking is a basic food genre that gets its influences from a variety of traditions carried over from the settlers, native people and even slaves who inhabited the area for many years. In essence, you can tell the history of an area based on the food that is traditionally served. For instance, wheat was not a common crop of the southern United States because it was the wrong climate and therefore corn was grown instead and used in a variety of applications from liquor to breads.

In addition to money making crops like cotton and maize, farmers also ended up growing a large number of vegetables that excelled in the soil and climates here like peppers, beans, squash, tomatoes, okra, onions and more. Southern cooking influences from the settlers like the French made a huge impact on such areas as Louisiana where Cajun food rules. Most Cajun cuisine is a direct result of the French heritage with the different spices, sauces and combination of foods together.

Slaves that were shipped to southern plantations to work the fields were also a great influence to the southern cooking you know of today. What many people term “soul food” is a direct result of the slave influence as are several Cajun dishes like gumbo and jambalaya. The slaves ate a lot of vegetables, beans, rice and stews in their diet and when they planted their own gardens to feed themselves, they planted a lot of greens, beans, okra, sweet potatoes and more. Eventually, these foods became a mainstay and integrated into southern cooking.

A Look Today

Today, southern cooking has broader connotations and usually people think of wholesome, fattening comfort foods. Mashed potatoes, cornbread, meatloaf, fried chicken and biscuits and gravy are just a few staples of southern cooking cuisine. In fact, there are several restaurant chains that base their existence on their southern cooking practices and have extended their reach into the northern areas of the United States.

There is no doubt that southern cooking is its own genre or cuisine in the world of cooking and baking. A rich and colorful history precedes this special type of cuisine and while most people don’t really think of that history, they certainly enjoy the “fruits” of those influences.

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Prime rib is a treat that most of us enjoy when we go out to dinner at a nice steak house or fine dining restaurant. But did you know that prime rib is easy to cook yourself at home?

There is no reason you should deprive yourself of prime rib except on those occasions when you go out to dinner. Surprise your family by cooking your own prime rib dinner, just like you get in the restaurant.

Choosing the Meat

Never skimp on quality when you’re buying meat. Go to the very best butcher shop you can afford for a prime rib roast. You will be charged by the pound for your roast, and you want to be cooking a prime rib roast that has at least three ribs attached. If you’re cooking for a small family of two or three people, you’re going to have some prime rib left over, so plan ahead on how you will use it up. Better yet, invite someone over for dinner and treat them to a lovely meal of home cooked prime rib.

Preparing the Meat

Leave the meat as it is when you bring it home from the butcher shop. You may be tempted to trim the fat, but when you are cooking prime rib, that fat will keep the meat moist and tender. Let each of your guests trim the fat off their own meat as they see fit, but don’t trim the meat before you cook it.

Prepare the meat by salting any meat that is not protected by fat with large crystals or flakes of salt, such as kosher salt or margarita salt. Do not use iodized salt or sea salt, or the meat will just taste salty without being protected. If the salt is not sticking to the meat, moisten the meat with water or red wine.

Cooking Your Prime Rib Roast

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your prime rib roast on a rack in a roasting pan, stick a meat thermometer into it, put it in the oven, close the door and wait. Cooking prime rib takes a few hours at a minimum, so make sure you can spend a few hours at home while the roast cooks.

Cook the roast until the internal temperature reaches 110 degrees for medium rare roast beef to 120 at the max, for well done, almost charred meat. Anything cooler isn’t safe to eat; anything hotter is too dry to enjoy. 

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When it comes to that time of year that everyone is looking forward to because of the delicious food that is served, there is always at least one person that is slightly tense about it and that would be the person who is going to be cooking a turkey.

Although it really is a simple job, a lot of people tend to get a little stressed out about cooking a turkey and it is not because it is a hard job, but because the turkey is the thanksgiving dinner and many people feel that if the turkey gets ruined, that thanksgiving is ruined. Even though that is not the case, a lot of people cannot get that thought out of their minds.

Remember, that cooking a turkey is not a hard job in itself and that is a fact but it is strictly the anticipation of whether or not it is going to come out right that is the problem. But when you think about it, your oven is actually doing more work than you are so when thinking about how hard cooking a turkey is, think about how much work your oven has to go through. All you really have to do is dress it and place it in the oven and the rest of the work from cooking a turkey is done by the oven while you prepare other things such as side dishes.

The Most Important Thing

Although messing up the turkey in that it came out a little dry or without a lot of flavor is heartbreaking to some; that is not the real danger to consider when cooking a turkey. When you are getting ready to begin cooking a turkey, you have to make sure that you have fully read over all of the instructions. By not following these instructions, you are either going to have a bird that does not taste all that great or you could end up giving your guests food poisoning.

When roasting a turkey, make sure that it has reached the proper temperature of 165 degrees by sticking a cooking thermometer into it. Any reading lower then that, you need to put it back in. All in all, when those few things are followed, cooking a turkey does not have to be anything to worry about or stress over. You can do it just as millions and millions and of people before you have done it. Cooking a turkey will soon become second nature to you and you will be a pro before you know it.

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If you have ever been to someone’s house when they prepared you a fabulous thanksgiving dinner and you just did not like the turkey taste, there may be one very good reason why. A lot of times, it is because they simply did not use a lot of flavoring according to your specific taste buds or even more times then not, it is because of the dryness of the turkey. A dry turkey can happen several ways such as not basting it properly and as often as one should in order to keep the juices flowing.

Another reason is that someone cooked the bird at too high of a temperature and then kept it in there for the recommended cook time or even longer. This would certainly be the cause the turkey to be dry because the proper turkey cooking temperature was not followed. When the proper turkey cooking temperature is not followed, you are going to end up with one of two cases. The first scenario is that the turkey ending up being over cooked because the temperature was too high which means it ended up dry. And the second is that the turkey cooking temperature was set too low which means it was not fully cooked at all.

How to Get It Right

In order to make sure that the turkey cooking temperature is correct, you will want to strictly follow the instructions on the oven. The general recommendation for the proper turkey cooking temperature is three hundred and twenty five degrees. And once you have it set, try to make sure all little children are away from the stove as we all know how they love playing with knobs and such. Also, try to refrain from opening the open door too often unless it is time to baste because every time you open the door, the built up temperature is lost and it has to build itself up again.

You are also going to want to watch the directions carefully in order to not remove it too early or too late. But something important that you will want to keep in mind is that all ovens are different so when it is time to remove the turkey, you will want to make sure to stick a thermometer into the turkey. If the proper turkey cooking temperature was used and it was in there long enough, the temperature of the inside of the turkey should read at least one hundred and sixty five degrees. Eating a turkey of anything less could mean getting sick in a very bad way such as food poisoning and no one wants to go through that.

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Cooking a turkey is actually pretty easy once you know what you’re doing. These tips for cooking a turkey will make everything go smoothly.

Tip #1 for Cooking A Turkey – Plan Ahead.

The truth is, it can be difficult to cook a turkey on short notice. In the United States, anyway, you need to plan ahead if you want to cook a whole turkey. Frozen turkeys are available year-round, but frozen turkey take a couple days to thaw, depending on how much they weigh.

Fresh turkeys can be cooked the same day you buy them, but in the U.S. you can only get fresh turkeys the week before the Thanksgiving holiday – unless you ask your grocer or meat market to order a bird especially for you.

If all else fails and you must have a turkey right away, you are best advised to buy a smoked turkey. A smoked turkey is fully cooked when you buy it, and all you have to do is heat it up and serve it.

Tip #2 for Cooking a Turkey – Use a Meat Thermometer

Turkeys come in a variety of different sizes, and ovens work in varying levels of efficiency. Eating raw turkey can make you and your guests very, very sick, so use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the meat is at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit before you remove the bird from the oven. Insert the meat thermometer in the deepest part of the breast or thigh.

Tip #3 for Cooking a Turkey – Skip the Stuffing

Stuffing that’s cooked inside the bird is very tasty because it has been soaked in turkey fat; it is unhealthy for the same reason. Not to mention, there are issues with bacteria when you cook the stuffing inside the bird.

A turkey cooks faster without stuffing. It’s easier to maneuver because it’s lighter in weight when the stuffing goes in a separate casserole dish, not inside the bird. Stuff the turkey cavity with a bouquet garni or bundle of herbs to season the bird as it cooks, or stuff it with aromatic root vegetables like sweet onions and carrots. Discard the herbs and vegetables when you carve and eat the bird.

Tip #4 for Cooking a Turkey – Use a Cooking Bag

Sure, you can use a turkey baster to keep pouring hot juices all over the turkey, but a safer, more efficient way to guarantee that your turkey stays moist is to put the whole bird in a cooking bag. All the moisture will be trapped in the bag, making it next to impossible for your turkey to dry out.

Tip #5 for Cooking a Turkey – Let the Bird Sit

After you take the turkey out of the oven, the interior of the turkey will continue to cook for a short time after you remove it from the heat source. Don’t try to carve the turkey until all the juices have settled – usually about 20 to 30 m

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The most confusing thing about cooking prime rib, for most cooks, is that prime rib cooking times vary significantly depending on many factors.  Variables that can affect prime rib cooking times include the thickness of the meat, the amount of fat on the cut, the moisture content of the meat, and the temperature of the meat when it’s placed into the oven. 

How Long to Cook Prime Rib

There are many charts and resources that will give you approximate prime rib cooking times based on the weight of the cut, but these are educated guesses at best.  While you can take approximate prime rib cooking times and make them work for you, the best way to cook your prime rib is to use a sturdy, reliable, and high quality meat thermometer.

A meat thermometer with a heat-proof probe that stays in the meat the entire time it’s being cooked is the most accurate way to gauge when your prime rib is done.  Forget trying to calculate prime rib cooking times or attempting to tell by sight or smell when it is done.  The only way to be sure it’s done is to use a reliable meat thermometer.

Even when you’re using a meat thermometer, your prime rib cooking times will still vary significantly based on the factors mentioned above.  However, knowing what temperature your prime rib is at will tell you the exact moment to pull it out of the oven.  This will be anywhere from 110 to 120 degrees, depending on how well done you like your meat.  After pulling the pan out of the oven, let it sit for a good 10 to 15 minutes.  The temperature will continue to increase for a few minutes and will then stop rising.  Then, and only then, your prime rib is ready to be served.

The well-seasoned cooks in your family will no doubt have all sorts of tricks for calculating prime rib cooking times that they’ll happily share with you, but if you want your meat cooked perfectly every time, stick with the thermometer method.  You may even impress those experienced cooks and win them over to your method.

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If you know anything about Italian cooking then you would know that there are literally thousands of delicious recipes to choose from. There are a few in particular that are the real authentic Italian cooking recipes however, and which should definitely be included on any Italian food lover’s menu.

Spaghetti With Meatballs

Spaghetti with meatballs is obviously an Italian cooking staple. This is a dish that originated in the heart of Italy but which is now widely loved around the world.

You can vary the recipe according to your own personal tastes, but the standard recipe calls for 500g lean minced beef, 2 tablespoons parsley, 60g salami finely chopped, 60g parmesan cheese, 3 tablespoon tomato puree, 1 egg beaten, 15g butter, 1 onion finely chopped, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 440g can of tomatoes chopped, 125ml beef stock, 125ml white wine, 1 teaspoon caster sugar, and 250g spaghetti.

To prepare you want to combine the beef, parsley, salami, parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon of the tomato puree in a bowl. Then you need to mix in enough of the egg to bind the mixture, and form this into small balls. Cook these for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned and set aside.

The next step is to melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the onion, basil and oregano, and cook this for a couple of minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, remaining tomato puree, beef stock, white wine and vinegar, and simmer this mixture for about a half hour, stirring occasionally. The mixture will become thicker as it heats, and then you want to cook the spaghetti in a separate pot until tender, drain, and stir the meatballs into the tomato sauce and serve on a bed of spaghetti.

Risotto

Another popular Italian cooking recipe is risotto. This Italian cooking recipe calls for 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 cup minced onion, 2 tablespoons minced shallots, 2 cups rice, ½ cup dry white wine, 6 cups chicken or beef stock, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons butter, ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, and freshly ground pepper.

To prepare you start by sautéing the onions and shallots in olive oil until golden, add the rice and stir to coat with oil. Then you want to add the wine, ½ cup of the chicken stock heated and salt. Stir this well and cook, stirring frequently, until all of the liquid has been absorbed. You want to continue to add the chicken stock in ¾ cup increments until it has all been used and then remove this from the heat, whip in butter and half of the grated cheese. Finally you want to season it with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

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While many of us are trying to figure out how to switch to healthy cooking these days, to a lot of people this is a foreign concept.  “Healthy cooking” still inspires visions of chewy, flavorless tofu and boring lettuce leaves to many skeptics, making it very difficult to get those people to make healthy eating choices.

Luckily, the healthy cooking movement has progressed such a long way in just the last few years.  As Americans are starting to realize that their health is in danger from the way they eat, more and more people are turning to healthy cooking to help them live longer and healthier lives.

So how do you start a program of healthy cooking in your house without being met with cries of protest and demands for fast food hamburgers?  The best way is to ease into it.  Start replacing some of the meat in your meals with more vegetables.  Add one new food a week to keep your meals interesting and fun.

Cooking for Picky Eaters of All Ages

If you are trying to switch to healthy cooking for kids, adding new foods can actually be distressing for them.  Never force them to eat new foods; rather, just keep quietly offering the new foods at mealtime.  Eventually, the new foods will be familiar and your kids won’t reject them just because they are unknown.

Healthy cooking for adults can be just as challenging.  It’s difficult to break a lifelong habit of eating high-fat, high-calorie and low-nutrition food.  The best way to start is by adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet.  Not only will this add interest and some new tastes and textures, but it will also help to fill you up with less food. 

Healthy cooking is all about using the flavors and textures and even the appearance of food to please the eater.  It’s not about depriving yourself and telling yourself that you must eat nothing but lettuce and tofu.  Healthy cooking involves learning how to cook foods in a way that is more beneficial to your body while still pleasing your taste buds.

The most important healthy cooking tip to remember is this: food is nourishment, but it is also a great source of joy.  Not many people eat solely for the purpose of fueling their bodies.  This is our primary reason for eating, but we also long for a pleasant eating experience.  The smells, the tastes, and the feel of the food all contribute to the experience.  Healthy cooking just involves adding another dimension to that experience: knowing that you are doing something positive for your body.

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Crock pots (or slow cookers, depending on where you’re from) are an absolute blessing for the busy cook.  When you can just throw some ingredients into your crock pot in the morning and come home from work to a hot, delicious, nutritious dinner, you know that you’re utilizing one of the most beneficial kitchen gadgets ever.

Crock pot cooking is a simple way to cook healthy foods that can help keep your family away from the siren song of fast food on busy days.  Who has time to come home from work, help the kids with homework, tidy the house, wash the breakfast dishes, and make and eat dinner before rushing off to band practice or whatever other activity is happening that night?

When you use crock pot cooking to balance out your weekly meals, you can save valuable evening time that you would have normally spent cooking dinner.  If you decide to have pot roast for dinner that night, you simply throw the roast and some raw vegetables into the crock pot, add some spices, and cover with water.  Put on the lid, start the crock pot cooking on the low setting, and come home nine hours later to a fully cooked and nutritious meal.  Cooking doesn’t get any easier than that.

Not Just for Dinner Anymore

Crock pot cooking isn’t just about dinner, though.  Breakfast can join in the fun with an unconventional contribution from the crock pot.  Have you ever thought of using the crock pot cooking method for scrambled eggs?  Simply throw a few ingredients into the crock pot and then relax on the sofa reading the Sunday paper for a few hours.  By the time you’re ready for brunch, you’ll have a crock pot full of hot scrambled eggs waiting for you.

How about using the crock pot cooking method for a delicious dessert?  Apple desserts do especially well with crock pot cooking because their flavor increases as they’re allowed to steep in their own juices.  However, there are hundreds of other dessert recipes that take to crock pot cooking extremely well.

Even side dishes can get in on the crock pot cooking fun.  Making refried beans is so simple in a crock pot that you’ll wonder why you ever bothered to buy them in a can.  They taste so much better when fresh that you’ll never want to eat those canned beans again, anyway.

Easy and Healthy

Crock pot cooking not only saves you time – it can actually make you healthier.  By having a hot meal waiting for you at home, there’s no need to order a greasy pizza at the end of an exhausting day.  Crock pot cooking also lets you cook without added fat for most meals, so you save on calories and fat grams while making a filling and delicious meal.  There’s no kitchen appliance that benefits your family more than a crock pot while delivering such a great return on your initial investment.

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It comes around every year and yet, no one is ever really prepared for the hassle and stress that seems to come along with cooking thanksgiving turkey. In fact, there are women who have been in charge of cooking the thanksgiving turkey for 20 years and yet still, without fail, they get stressed and always seem to be running to the store for the last minute things they forget to buy.

You would think that after so many times, that most people would have it down pat but it may not be cause of a lack in cooking skills but rather something else. Most of the time the person who in charge of cooking thanksgiving turkey is more stressed about making everyone’s holiday picture perfect, than his or her abilities in the kitchen.

The best thing to do is to start preparing for this event a couple weeks in advance and go over your list of things to buy over and over again to make sure that there are not any last minutes items that are needed when all of the stores are closing down. Cooking thanksgiving turkey does not have to be stressful at all as long as you have everything that you need, you allow yourself plenty of time to prepare things, and you follow the directions completely. When all of that is done, cooking thanksgiving turkey will be a breeze.

How to Cook

For those who have been cooking thanksgiving turkey for many years, knowing how to cook it is not a problem they are going to have unless they are in search of a new recipe. But for those who have only been cooking thanksgiving turkey for a couple of years, or maybe this is even their first time, seeking advice early on is the best thing to do. There are many different techniques that are used when cooking thanksgiving turkey so you may want to turn to an elder in your family line to see how they used to prepare theirs.

But for those where that is simply not an option, doing a little bit of research on the Internet will open up an entire world of recipes for cooking thanksgiving turkey. Often times, these different recipes were tried by others just like you and then they come back on and rate the recipe or give ideas on what could be better. As long as you give yourself enough time to start searching for the best recipes on cooking thanksgiving turkey, you should not have any problem at all.

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One of the main reasons you want to use a cooking scale is for precision. Especially for larger quantity recipes, you will want to make sure that you have the exact right amount of each ingredient. When you use measuring cups they are accurate but not nearly as precise as scales. When a cup of flour is measured on a scale for instance, it is possible to add or take away flour until the scale measures the exact amount that you are looking for.

When you use measuring cups however, you are more going with an approximate amount and although this may not seem like that big of a deal it can have a major difference on the final result.

Repeatability is another benefit that comes from using a cooking scale, as once you have figured how much of an ingredient to put into a recipe, with a scale the next time you make the same recipe you will have a much greater chance of ending up with the exact same results as last time.

Types of Scales

There are actually a few different types of cooking scales. There are three in particular: balance, mechanical, and digital. A digital cooking scale will typically be the most expensive, but also the most convenient and easiest to use. A good digital scale will provide easy to read measurements with high precision and they work based on an electrical component strain gauge.

Balance scales operate by performing comparisons between known masses and the object to be weighed, and the mechanical scales use a platform mounted on a heavy spring to measure weight. The only problem with these scales is that springs are really not ideal because they may change compression rates over time.

Diet Scales

You can also purchase a diet cooking scale, which helps when you are trying to lose weight or just get in shape. These scales are fantastic and very accurate and help you to make sure that portion sizes are accurate and are a great kitchen staple for anyone who is concerned with their health.

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If you enjoy tasty cooked pumpkin seeds there are a couple of basic procedures you can easily utilize. Let’s take a look at easy ways to roast them in the oven as well as cooking them in the microwave. When you are looking for a snack, cooked pumpkin seeds are a good choice.

In the Oven

After you have acquired your pumpkin seeds you need some cooking spray, some olive oil or you can use butter if you desire. Some people choose to add some salt, onion powder, garlic powder, seasoned salt as well as other types of seasonings for cooking pumpkin seeds. Before you cook the seeds rinse them thoroughly and take off the pulp with your fingers. Drain them good and then spread them on some quality paper towels and allow them to dry out overnight. It’s a good idea to place some foil on your baking sheet.

Toss the seeds with some olive oil or butter or spray them with a cooking spray. You can add some salt to the pumpkin seeds as well as other types of seasonings. Take your time while tossing the seeds in order to get a good coating on the seeds. For cooking pumpkin seeds it’s recommended to cook them in a 250 degrees Fahrenheit oven for approximately an hour and it’s a good idea to toss them about every 15 to 20 minutes. Typically they will have a golden brown color when they are done. After cooking pumpkin seeds, allow them to cool off before consuming them. Keep the seeds in an airtight container and enjoy them when you want a tasty snack.

Microwave

For two cups of pumpkin seeds use about two tablespoons of olive oil or butter and you might want to add some flavor to the pumpkin seeds by adding some salt, onion powder, garlic powder or other types of seasonings. As with any type of method for cooking pumpkin seeds, rinse them thoroughly and remove the pulp and let the pumpkin seeds dry on a paper towel overnight.

When you are ready for cooking pumpkin seeds, put the olive oil or the butter in a baking dish that is safe for microwaves. Heat the pan on high for about 30 seconds and then place the pumpkin seeds in the pan and toss them around to get a good coating on the seeds. While cooking pumpkin seeds in a microwave oven, cook them on high for seven to eight minutes and they should have a light golden appearance when they are done. After they have been cooked, add the salt or garlic powder or other seasonings. Cooking pumpkin seeds is easy to do and they make great snacks.

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Do cooking measurements matter? When a recipe calls for a pinch of this and a dash of that, does it really matter how much you put in? What will happen if you leave an ingredient out?

If you’re an inexperienced cook, you wonder about the answers to these and other questions. Let’s take the mystery out of cooking measurements once and for all.

What’s a Pinch or a Dash?

A pinch of an ingredient (usually a spice) is literally the amount of the ingredient that can be held between your thumb, your index finger, and your middle finger. A small pinch is the amount of an ingredient that can be held between your thumb and one finger (take your pick which one you want to use). A dash, on the other hand, is a measurable amount – less than one-eight of a teaspoon but more than one-sixteenth.

Converting Cooking Measurements

Follow this table to convert U.S. measurements to metric:

1/5 teaspoon …. 1 ml
1 teaspoon …… 5 ml
1 tablespoon…..15 ml
1 fluid ounce…..30 ml
1/5 cup ………..50 ml
1 cup ………….240 ml
2 cups (1 pint)…470 ml
4 cups (1 quart)… .95 liter
4 quarts (1 gal.)….3.8 liters
1 oz. weight…….28 grams
1 pound ………..454 grams

What If It Gets Left Out?

Including all the minor ingredients is more important in baking things like cakes, cookies, and pastries, than it is in meat loaf, omelets, and salads. Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to follow the recipe. Whoever wrote the recipe experimented with the cooking measurements to get them just right.

Now, if you know you can’t stand the taste of cumin, and you want to substitute oregano for cumin in a meat loaf recipe, that’s one thing. But leaving ginger out of ginger spice cookies is just wrong.

Measuring Tools

The importance of cooking measurements has led to a whole industry of cooking measuring cups and spoons. One of the most popular cooking measuring cup sets today is a blue ceramic set that looks just like a big coffee cup, marketed by Nigella Lawson the beautiful and famous television chef.

The most popular measuring spoons are heart-shaped measuring spoons by RSVP International. These spoons have arrow handles and heart-shaped measuring spoons. They make the user smile every time they use them.

The final cooking measurement device every cook needs is a scale. The best scales are digital, with the ability to accurately weigh items in bowls or plates or on slips of waxed paper.

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Grandma’s Well Loved Method

One of the classic methods of cooking ham involves boiling the ham in water prior to baking it.  This method for cooking ham is healthy for a couple of reasons: first, if you change the water halfway through the boiling part of the process you can remove much of the salt and nitrates present in the meat.  Secondly, this method lets you cook the meat without the addition of any fats or sweeteners, and the longer cooking time makes the ham more flavorful and moist.

If you would like to try cooking ham by boiling and then baking, start off with a large pot.  It should be of a size that will allow the ham to fit snugly but not be too crowded.  Cover it with liquid of your choice: usually its plain water with some herbs and seasonings, but you can experiment with wine, cola, or fruit juice added to the water for some interesting taste combinations.

You’ll then bring the liquid to a boil gradually, and when it begins to boil reduce the heat to simmering.  Cover the pot and continue cooking ham for 20-25 minutes per pound.  Test the ham for doneness with a meat thermometer.  It should register 155 degrees Fahrenheit when it’s ready for the heat to be turned off.

After it’s done cooking, ham will continue to develop its flavor for a while, so leave it in the cooking liquid for an hour or two.  Then, remove the ham and score the surface of the meat with a sharp knife.  You can either cover the ham with a glaze or just poke whole cloves into the surface to add flavor.  You may also want to add pineapple rings, but this is a matter of personal taste.  Then bake in a roasting pan at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes or until it’s nicely brown.

This method of cooking ham has been used for many generations.  It’s a simple, yet delicious way of cooking ham that your entire family is sure to love.

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The First Step

The first thing you should do if you are going to be cooking for a crowd is determining just how many mouths you are going to be feeding. Count and then count again, and then add on to this a bit just to make sure that you will have enough, especially in case some people are extra hungry.

Recipes

You will then have to come up with some large quantity recipes. Keep in mind that many of the standard recipes can be multiplied in order to feed larger crowds, whereas some are meant to be prepared for a smaller number of people. Also remember that not all ingredients need to be multiplied. If the recipe calls for fat for sautéing for instance you will not need to multiply this, and rather just use exactly what is called for in the original recipe.

Preparation

The preparation process is incredibly important when cooking for a crowd. First you should make a list of all the dishes that you are planning to prepare, and even make a menu if you can so that the guests will be aware of what to expect. Some of the kitchen work can be done ahead of time in order to save you time when the day actually comes, and this includes chopping vegetables, and making stews and sandwiches.

The presentation is going to be very important here so make sure that you have enough dishes and silverware and that it all matches or at least goes with a certain theme. You really want to tie everything in together and not only the dishes but the food as well. Each different course should be separate and have its own look and taste but they should all tie in together in some way.

Cooking for a crowd can really be quite an enjoyable experience as long as you take the time to prepare and follow the right steps to make sure that you make enough food and that your guests are pleased.

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Cooking can be a chore for some, but if you add a little twist to it, and involve other members of the family, it can be less of a burden for mom and more fun for the kids.

Many mothers hesitate to invite children in the kitchen because they are afraid of it creating an even bigger mess to clean up. However, by involving children, thee are quite a few valuable lessons that you can teach without them even knowing

Healthy Eating Habits

If children are more involved with the cooking and preparation of meals, they have a more up front chance to look and talk about different food groups. You can try a new color vegetable a week or explain the difference between whole grain and white bread or lean cuts of meat and other varieties. You can experiment with cooking lighter versions of their favorite like using skim milk in mac n cheese rather than whole milk and because they helped prepare it, they will never say that it doesn’t taste good.

Cultural Sensitivity

You can also give a social studies lesson in different ethnicities by cooking foods from different parts of the world. If you experiment with cooking Chinese food one day and Mexican specialties the other, you can take it as an opportunity to talk about the geography of that country, and a little about their culture and traditions so that children start looking behind their own comfort zone and begin to accept people even if they look a little different than they do.

Math & Reading

You can sneak in a mini math lesson by letting your children help you measure ingredients. You can test their skills by asking them to half a recipe or double it to make two batches of brownies. Children can practice their reading by reading out recipes aloud and then looking for those ingredients in the pantry or spice drawer.

Safety

You can even teach children about safety when cooking with them as you can explain what kinds of dishes can go in the microwave and what cannot. You can also talk about turning pot handles inwards and always using oven mitts and other safety precautions.

Bonding

Over and above all these lessons, you can use cooking as a family bonding experience and get the children’s input at every stage, from menu planning, grocery shopping, sorting things in a pantry, preparing the meal, serving it – and helping clean up afterwards too!

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