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Using Gas Grills

The act of Barbequing or Grilling has been around as long as humans. Cavemen quickly realized that food tasted good after it was cooked over an open fire. Barbequing has become a standard American tradition for families. The reasons as clear as to why, not only does the food that comes from barbequing have a taste that is unmatched by other cooking methods, but barbequing presents a reason for families to gather together.

Gas grills work by a spark igniting the gas within the grill. Gas grills typically have a knob or button in which you push, which in turn activates a small hammer. The hammer hits the top of an ignition crystal. Then the burner mixes the gas with oxygen and spreads it all over the cooking surface.

Gas grills come in all shapes and sizes, which makes then ideal for just about any type of barbequing party. Smaller gas grills give you the portability needed to plan barbeque parties away from home. Larger gas grills are handy and efficient for cooking larger amounts of food quickly, and without the mess of other types of grills.

So after deciding that you indeed are in the market for a barbeque grill, there are several factors that you must consider when you purchase your first gas grill.

Weight

Gas grills literally come in all shapes and sizes. The type of grill you get should really depend on what you plan on using the grill for. If you foresee camping trips, barbeques at the beach or tailgate parties, you may want to consider getting a smaller gas grill. Smaller gas grills can range from anywhere from 10 to 40 pounds. Portable gas containers are also available for these types of grills.

If your plans are move focused on home cooking, then larger grills should suit you fine.

Cooking Surfaces

Gas grills, unlike some of the other grills types, have the ability to come with many different types of cooking surfaces. These different cooking surfaces include a BBQ surface, a flat grill, and a ribbed grill. Some grills even offer these types of surfaces as none stick, which allow you to cook a whole array of foods that you would not be able to cook on a grill otherwise. You will be able to cook your whole meal, including side dishes if you plan correctly.

Some gas grills even contain a Wok type surface for cooking pasta and rise dishes, or a full rotisserie set that allows you to cook rotisserie chicken.

Surface Area

Similar to weight, you should consider the amount of cooking surface area you will need, depending on the situations you will be in. If you will only be cooking for yourself or you and one other, you will want a gas grill with a smaller surface area, as it will be easier to clean. If you plan on holding parties or cooking for a larger family, then you will want to consider a gas grill with a larger surface area.

This surface area may also include different types of cooking surfaces. Look for the type that suits you best, or is interchangeable.

Cost

Gas grills are typically on the higher end of the cost scale, as they require more mechanical parts then other grills. You can expect to spend anywhere from $50 for a smaller grill up to $400+ for a large stationary grill.

You also have to remember that you must also purchase the gas for your grill.

The Beginning of Nachos And What They Have Become!

Nachos are one of the most popular snack foods. They can be found at home, festivals, and sporting events. They do not take much effort to prepare. People add different toppings and enjoy the warm cheese. It may be a surprise to know that nachos came about less than 100 years ago. It all started in 1943 at the military base, Fort Duncan in Eagle Pass, Texas. A few military wives decided to take a visit to Mexico, which was not far away at all. The wives grew hungry, so they stopped by a restaurant, demanding food and drinks. The only employee available, who was nicknamed “nacho”, brought out tortilla chips. He melted Wisconsin cheese over it and cut jalapenos for a topping. The women enjoyed the snack so much that they went back to Texas and it spread like wildfire.

Texas was the only area that knew about this special dish. It was not until 1977 when a man named Frank Liberto decided to sell nachos at his concession stand. He found a way to keep the cheese soft and served it with tortilla chips. One day when it was Monday night football, a few of the hosts tried the nachos and fell in love with the new snack. Whenever the hosts were on the air, they would talk about nachos any chance they got, which spread the word all over the United States.

These days’ people all over the United States enjoy this snack. There is a never ending variety of toppings that can be served on the nachos. Some include guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, and ground beef. Some people enjoy the nacho cheese so much that they put it on other foods. Have you ever tried nacho cheese on ice cream? How about on sausage, and fish? Maybe these people enjoy the cheese a bit too much.

Different parts of the United States serve nachos differently. In the south, you can usually find nachos at barbeque restaurants. The toppings include barbequed beef with the sauce on top of the rest of the toppings. Restaurants in other parts of the country refer to some nacho platters as “loaded nachos”. It is usually an appetizer. Loaded nachos are abundant in toppings. You can find these at bars and restaurants. Outside of America also enjoy nachos. If you go to Ireland you will find “Irish nachos”. Instead of tortilla chips, they use French fries or potato wedges. The rest of the toppings are the same as regular nachos.

Nachos are simple to make from your own home. There are many different recipes available. Some include chicken instead of beef. Others have many different vegetables with a dab of sour cream on top. Let your imagination go wild. If you would prefer to have it already made, some grocery stores have the nachos pre packed with the nacho cheese in a separate container next to the chips. A great way to have authentic nachos is by having lunch or dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. The nachos can come really big and piled with many toppings. It may be messy, but it is worth it!

The Health Benefits of Sugar-less Belgian Chocolates

It seems like a nightmare for some to realize that there does exist sugar-free Belgian chocolates. After all, doesnt it sound crazy? Chocolates, especially those made by heavenly Belgian chocolatiers, are supposed to be sweet and without the magic touch of sugar the taste would be entirely different!

Is this a joke? Has the world gone mad? Well, no and yes. It is not a joke and the world is still crazy about chocolates. Even the diabetics crave for it and the concoction of a sugar-free Belgian chocolate will finally allow them to have a little taste of this legendary sweet. Whats more is that being sugar-free doesnt mean that it does not taste as good as those with sugar. Who would think of the day when Belgian chocolates would not cause any rise in blood sugar levels. Its amazing how science today can make these things happen.

What makes these chocolates still taste sweet even without the presence of sugar is the substance Maltitol. Maltitol is a corn-based sweetener. It tastes, functions, and gives massiveness to food just like what sugar does. With all these factors, the use of maltitol is beneficial for diabetic individuals as well as those who eat low carbohydrate diets. And maltitol also prevents tooth decay.

Being sugar-free, just about anybody who needs to cut down on sugar can taste, at least, this kind of Belgian chocolate. Some attest to the fact that there is no difference at all, but still there are others who say there is a distinct taste of the prized chocolate being sugar free.

With sugar-free Belgian chocolates, diabetics and the health conscious can freely experience the pleasure of eating this mouth watering delicacy, feeling the meltdown of these sweets in the mouth, which then leads to the release of endorphins. Endorphin is a kind of hormone that can make you feel good. Thats why people who feel a bit down crave chocolates.

But the best feature of a chocolate that is sugar-free is that it has its health benefits which recent studies have proven. These chocolates are not only sugar free but have also have low amounts of calories. Moreover, Belgian chocolates that are sugar-free compared to green tea and red wine contains more antioxidants. An antioxidant is a group of substances that are organic which may include vitamins A, C, and E, carotenoids, and selenium. Antioxidants are believed to be efficient in the prevention of stroke, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases.

In addition to antioxidants, sugar-free Belgian chocolates may also contain flavonoids. Flavonoids, which its activities resemble that of antioxidants, can prevent allergic reactions, fights off viruses, prevent inflammation, and an abnormal increase in platelets. It is basically benefits the cardiovascular system as it lessens blood platelets and thwarts off abnormal clotting. It is also believed to prevent the occurrence of cancer.

Being sugar-free, you dont have to worry about the rise in sugar blood levels while thinking that chocolates contradictorily reduce the danger of high blood pressure. Without sugar, this contradiction is eliminated. The reduced incidence of high blood pressure is due to the fact that cocoa beans have nitric oxide and nitric acid that is associated with low blood pressure.

So, with Belgian chocolates that are free of sugar, there is no way that diabetics and the health conscious can avoid this sweet taste of heaven. Nothing will stop them anymore from taking a bite of these precious little things. Just dont eat more than you can digest, though.

Using a Charcoal Grill

So you have decided that you want to start barbequing. What more, you have done your research and decided that a charcoal grill is the right type of grill for you. So now you have to pick out the charcoal grill that suits you best.

One of the first things to consider when purchasing your first charcoal grill is what you will be using it for. If you plan on traveling and using your charcoal grill, you will want something small enough to travel with you. Smaller charcoal grills are ideal for cookouts, camping, and tail gate parties, but would not be useful if you were cooking for a larger amount of people. Smaller grills that are easy to transport usually cost under 20 dollars, so you may want to consider purchasing a separate grill for smaller occasions.

Safety should also be a major concern when you are picking out your first charcoal grill. Since you grill will contain hot coals, the number one concern should be whether or not your grill is sturdy. Look for a charcoal grill with a sturdy structure and sturdy legs. If you grill does now have sturdy legs, its chances of falling over is much greater. When a charcoal grill falls over, it send hot coals flying. Many charcoal grills also have built in safety features such as a water reservoir and smothering valves. Undoubtedly, when you are cooking with fire, accidents can happen. In the case that your grill gets out of control or becomes to hot, these safety features will prevent potentially dangerous fires.

One of the most noticeable features when using charcoal is the flavor of the food you cook. To cook with a charcoal grill, you must buy charcoal briquettes and lighter fluid. Charcoal is a one use item, and will need to be discarded after each use. Charcoal can be picked up at your local superstore, gas station, or grocery store, and is typically pretty inexpensive. Charcoal must be light and allowed to burn until the charcoal is no longer on fire, but is red embers. The best way to get the pile to burn is by stacking it in a pyramid.

While no one likes to clean their grill, it is necessary to maintain your grill if you want it to last its intended lifetime. One problem you will face is the fact that Charcoal grills stay hot for a long period of time. You can remedy this situation 2 ways. First you can leave your grill open, allowing it to burn out. This method typically burns a lot of the grease off, but can potentially cause problems if you are not near your barbeque grill. You do not want to start a fire. Another way is to completely close off your grill and deny the fire oxygen. As soon as the grill is cold, or cold enough not to burn you, you will want to clean the grill. Leaving the grill dirty for any amount of time will cause the buildup to become hard, and may make it harder to remove. Use a wire brush to clean off the surface areas of your grill, and then spray cooking oil on the surface. Take the racks off and clean them with dishwashing soap. Dawn or other brands that have degreasers work best. Rinse the racks off, and replace them in the grill.

The Proud Leonidas Belgian Chocolates

Leonidas Kesdekidis, an ordinary Greek citizen was the founder of Leonidas Belgian Chocolates. His company bears his name as the founder of the company who makes wonderful delights like pralines, truffles and other heavenly chocolate assortments. Mr. Kesdekidis arrived at Brussels in the year 1910 and a bit later on marrying one of the locals making him decide to get settled in the said place. He made a large array of pralines in his place situated close to Rempart de Moines for a living.

Mr. Kesdikidis and his descendants goal was to get his home-made wonderful delights of pralines as close as possible to as many consumers, not to mention every creators dream to let the rest of the world know their chocolate concoctions. His strategy of combining world-class quality and the best price is still unbeatable up to this date. Leonidas products are far different from the chocolates of other brands. The fact that only Leonidas has the most concern for the freshness of its chocolates makes it unique and unbeatable. Meanwhile the other brands strategy to make their products fresh is that they have to repackage the product to look fresh but what about the product itself? Yes, the package is fresh but the content is still the same. Whereas at Leonidas, the chocolates will only be boxed on the day that the customers order is received. Other chocolates quality of freshness may be risked for the necessity of longevity. What they do is they are likely to be pre-packed and or intended to be on a shelf of department stores or supermarkets, but not with Leonidas.

At Leonidas, longevity is not a problem because of the packing strategy; instead the main concern is not to compromise the quality of the produce in other terms. Like in the aspect of the ingredients. Most chocolate makers use vegetable fats on their chocolates but with Leonidas they prefer to use genuine cocoa butter. Because of the very high standards that Leonidas had they were able to obtain an ISO 9001 certificate for the produces quality, which by the way is very much over the needed requirement for the production of chocolates.

Leonidas deliver only at the places where there are Leonidas outlets like Hollywood and all over United Kingdom and Belgium. However, they refuse to export for the reason that they didnt want to risk the freshness of every chocolate bar that goes out of their stores but customers outside United Kingdom will be able to send to their loved ones that lives within the country. To date there is only a small number of sellers of Leonidas chocolates because of the high standard requirement that every seller has to comply with for the very cautious storing and freshness concerns.

The chocolates are wrapped in 500grams, 750grams, and one kilogram boxes. Upon order you will not be experiencing the hassle of putting it on presentation boxes for the box alone that Leonidas use will suffice for they are already gift wrapped and there also offer different sorts of gift wrapping, as well as the standard wrap, luxury and or seasonal choices.

These chocolates are supposed to be consumed within 21 days after it is purchased. They should not be kept too long otherwise the freshness and or the quality will not be the same of what is expected of it, although keeping it refrigerated will prolong the shelf life. Storing on the refrigerator, you have to keep it away from other foods that has a very prominent smell or odor, otherwise the chocolate will be ruined because it may absorb the odor of that certain food and may affect the taste and quality.