Tag: Grocery Store

Natural Gas Grills

Summertime would not be complete without at least one outdoor barbeque. Once upon a time, there was a very limited array of foods that you could cook on your grill Today, modern conveniences allow you to cook pretty much any type of food on your grill.

The easiest grill to use is by far the natural gas grill. Natural gas grills are designed to hook directly into your homes natural gas line, eliminating the need to provide the fuel source. This cuts out all trips to the grocery store for more charcoal or propane.

Another advantage when using a natural gas grills is the ability to control the temperature in which you are cooking. Natural gas grills have burner controls which allow you to produce different temperatures for the different cooking areas on your grill. This allows you to cook your meat on one side while keeping your side dished warm on the other.

Natural gas grills 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. 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.

Natural gas grills are by far the easiest type of grill to clean. With other grills such as charcoal and smoker grills, you have to remove the wood and charcoal briquettes each time. Natural grills only have to be wiped down. Some natural gas grills even have a none stick feature.

Natural gas grills are not portable as you will need to be able to hook them up to your natural gas line, so weight should not be that big of an issue when you go to purchase your first grill. Instead, you should look at the surface area available. Will you be able to cook for just yourself and one other? How about a family of 5?

Natural Gas Grill Brands

Broilmaster- One of the most popular brands of natural gas grills is the Broilmasters. This company has been around for a long time and prides itself on creating great grills, even in its companies early years. If you are looking for a reliable name, Broilmaster would be the way to go. One of the most popular Broilmaster grills is the Super Premium Series, which puts out 40,000 BTUs of cooking power, and has a cooking surface area of over 695 square inches.

Brinkman- These simple natural gas grills put out a lot of power, and can be purchased for much less then its competition. The Brinkmans, like the Broilmasters, are built of solid construction and meant to last a long time. Typical power output is around 45,000 BTUs. Smaller units can range from 12,000 to 15,00 BTUs.

Lynx- Lynx natural gas grills were specially designed for cooking higher end meats such as steaks and ribs. This grill have a patent design that is suppose to lock in flavor and juices. The Lynx run on the higher end of the price range, anywhere from $500 to $3000. The typical cooking power is about 50,000 BTU and has a cooking surface area of 840 square inches.

Where To Find Your Ice Cream

Whether you have current preferences or are seeking new ice cream products to try, there are many places where you can find ice cream. Some of these places focus mainly on the basics, while others cater to specific tastes.

If your preferences tend toward the basic, you can find a wide range of ice cream products in your local grocery store. While the ice creams you will find there can be considered uncomplicated, that does not mean you will not have an extensive variety from which to choose. In most larger grocery chains you can find a huge selection of ice cream in various sized containers, including not only a large variety of flavors but also offering a variety of fat content, sugar content, and calcium-fortified styles. Most of these stores carry the most basic brands from their own stores to the nationally-popular brands. You can also find ice cream novelties, ranging from ice cream bars to ice cream sandwiches to small ice cream cups which come with their own spoons.

Ice cream specialty shops are another possibility. In some locations these are in the form of old-fashioned family-owned ice cream parlors, and some locations still have similar shops as part of their drugstores and department stores. More widespread in the United States these days are the ice cream chain stores. Dairy Queen, Baskin-Robbins 31-Flavors, and Carvel are three of the most popular. Offering a nice selection of flavors in ice cream cones, these chain stores also sell ice cream novelties, ice cream pies, and custom-made ice cream cakes decorated for special occasions. Dairy Queen’s specialty is soft-serve; Baskin-Robbins sells the standard hard-scoop style of ice cream. If you love ice cream, and you love good ice cream, every trip to one of these ice cream shops will leave you satisfied and happy.

When you think of Starbucks, you might naturally think of coffee. But Starbucks also sells its own brand of ice cream. Starbucks Seventh Heaven ice cream now comes in five regular flavors– Java Chip, Mud Pie, Coffee Almond Fudge, Caramel Cappuchino Swirl, and, of course, Classic Coffee ice cream; as well as the no sugar added Coffee Fudge Brownie and Low Fat Latte. The next time you visit your local Starbucks for a cup of coffee, try one of their new Starbucks ice cream flavors.

If you have a distinct preference in which ice cream you want but cannot find it in your local grocery store or hometown ice cream shops, some of the most well-known ice cream manufacturers will assist you in ordering your ice cream directly from their companies. You can have your ice cream favorites delivered directly to your home! One of the most popular ice cream companies, Ben and Jerry’s, will ship an order of six pints of your favorite Ben and Jerry’s ice creams, currently priced at $54.95, which includes the cost of shipping.

Moxley’s Ice Cream, of Baltimore, Maryland, is another company which will supply your ice cream by mail order. Moxley’s, which only has its stores on the East Coast, is available to ice cream fans regardless of location by way of mail order. You can choose any of their thirteen basic flavors, and they will ship the pints of ice cream to you. Pierre’s Ice Cream, based in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Ice Cream of America company, which is located in Hickory, North Carolina, also offer mail ordering and delivery of their ice cream products.

The Best-Kept Secrets About Ice Cream

Fans of ice cream will be pleasantly surprised to learn that two of the most common myths about this product are not based in fact. First, ice cream is not a high-calorie diet disaster; and second, ice cream is actually better for you than its substitutes. It is a good idea to dispel these popular misconceptions, for you can not only enjoy ice cream, you can also appreciate knowing that it is good for you.

Many people believe that ice cream is high in calories, and therefore believe that it is a treat which should be avoided. While calorie content varies, depending on which particular brand and style you prefer, the brands and styles you can find in your local grocery store are considerably lower in calories than one might think. It is not necessary to sacrifice taste and enjoyment, for the regular varies of ice cream do not contain a caloric count that is significantly higher than the “light” or “diet” types.

For example, Breyer’s, which is one of the most popular brands of ice cream, has only 140 calories per serving in their all-natural vanilla flavor. While one might be skeptical about additional tasty morsels in ice cream, Breyer’s natural rocky road only has 160 calories per serving. And while the Blue Bunny brand entices you to its product with wonderful enhancers, even their Bunny Tracks delight, which is said to be “chunky and gooey” will not sabotage your wish to eat healthy treats, at 170 calories in each serving.

For those who prefer their ice cream to be portable, many of these treats are also well within the range for calorie-counters. An Edy’s ice cream sandwich, for example, contains only 150 calories; and there are only 180 in each Blue Bunny neapolitan ice cream sandwich.

Ice creams which are listed as light or diet do not generally have a lower enough calorie content to make it a factor. Most serious ice cream fans will be happy to know that they do not need to sacrifice flavor, taste, and the better consistency of their favorite product for the sake of lower calories. Schwan’s light vanilla, for example, contains 120 calories per half-cup serving, while their regular vanilla is only 140; Perry’s light vanilla has 110 calories, but their premium White Lightning has only 170 calories.

In addition to concern about calories, many people who love ice cream also believe it to be unhealthy in general, and opt for less enjoyable substitutes. While those who have been advised by their physicians to limit their intake of fats and sugars due to medical conditions, should follow their doctors’ advice, people who are in good health and do not have such limitations can note that ice cream substitutes are not generally more healthy than traditional ice creams.

The most well-known ice cream substitute is called ice milk. While many believe that this product is significantly more healthy than traditional ice cream, the only differentiating factor is that ice milk contains less than ten percent milk fat, whereas ice cream is required to contain at least ten percent, and many of the better brands range up to sixteen percent milk fat. Gelato, the Italian style of ice cream which is increasing in popularity in many areas, also does not have a much lower fat content– up to seven percent, as opposed to regular ice cream’s required ten percent. Other than ice cream products which are specially made fat-free or sugar-free for those who have medical conditions which necessitate this, the ingredients in regular ice cream and the process by which it is made make it not only a good choice for one’s enjoyment, but also a healthy one.

How Ice Cream Is Made

Whether ice cream is produced in large quantities for nationwide distribution, or in small amounts to be used by one’s family and friends, there are a number of ways by which ice cream can be made. While top-selling ice cream companies and individuals have some similarities and some differences in their means of production, everyone who makes ice cream has one main point in common: to turn out a great-tasting product of the finest quality.

For individuals who wish to make their own ice cream, there are a couple of methods of doing so. One of the best parts of home-made ice cream is that the process of making it can be as enjoyable as eating the result! In addition, when making your own ice cream, you can be as creative as your imagination and taste-buds will allow you to be. There are virtually no limits to the flavorings and extra tidbits you can add when you make your own. You can try the absolute basic recipes, or you can let your creativity run wild with chocolate sprinkles, nuts, coconut flakes, and many other possibilities.

One of the most important ingredients in making homemade ice cream is rock salt. The purpose of this salt is to freeze the ice cream mixture as rapidly as possible, ensuring that it will retain its creamy texture and consistency. There are three basic containers in which you can make your ice cream. The most efficient are the two types of ice cream makers there is a manual, hand-crank style, and an electric version. The Cuisinart brand offers an excellent style of electric ice cream maker, which not only makes ice cream but also frozen yogurt and sorbet, at a very reasonable price. If you want to make ice cream at a campsite, or other location where electricity is not readily available, a non-electric style may be more to your liking. These manual, hand-cranked ice cream makers are also cost-efficient, and are sold by companies such as White Mountain.

A favored method of making ice cream amongst youngster is that of making it in plastic bags. Although it can become a bit messy, children will love the process of filling zip-lock plastic bags with milk, sugar, rock salt, and a variety of flavorings or small confections. They will also enjoy eating the finished product that they have created all by themselves or with a little help! The key to making good homemade ice cream in plastic bags is being sure the rock salt is used correctly, so that your ice cream will freeze properly and keep its best texture.

The commercial ice cream companies have their own processes of making ice cream. One of the most best-loved companies has an interesting process by which condensed milk and cream become the boxed treats you will find in your grocery stores. In the first stage of the process, the ingredients of the sweet cream base are put into a blend tank for the mixing and straining part of the process. Next, the mixture goes into the pasteurizer, heating the mixture to 183 degrees to kill any bacteria which may be present. The homogenization part of the process then mixes the cream into the milk to prevent separation and provide the best consistency of the ice cream. The mixture is then allowed to chill in a cooling tank for at least four hours, thus enhancing its consistency and flavor. Afterward, the mixture is transferred to flavoring vats, and to the freezer. In addition to freezing the mixture, the freezer also adds air to the mixture, producing an even better consistency of the product. The next stop which the ice cream mixture makes is the variegater, which adds chocolate fudge or other flavored swirls, and the chambers of the fruit feeder.

After the mixing stages are complete, the ice cream is ready to be put into pint containers by the automatic filler. It is then transferred to the spiral hardener to lower its temperature to zero degrees. The finished product is then bundled for shipping to your local grocery store.

Whether you decide to make your own ice cream, or prefer Ben and Jerry’s to do the work, the final result is worth both the effort and the price.

Sports Nutrition and Quick Food Fixes

Athletes are busy people. They try to balance training with work, school, family and other activities. With all these responsibilities, athletes consume a lot of energy each day. Food preparation can become a challenge but it is a challenge that athletes need to face since good sports nutrition help to adequately fuel work-outs and improve performance and recovery.

Eating well should be a part of an athletes overall training plan. But buying well is a requirement for eating well.

Nutritious meals begin at the grocery store. If you purchase the right ingredients, its a cinch to whip up a nutritious and flavorful meal. Stocking up with healthy staples is critical to good sports nutrition and will give you many options when you get home from a workout. Here are some foods busy athletes must be armed with.

Freeze Health

Frozen foods are time-savers. Many prepackaged frozen items let you use the exact amount you need thus cutting cleaning up time. Leftovers are also instant meals on a busy night.

Freezing is an important method of preserving most nutrients. Frozen vegetables are a lot of help because they require no washing, chopping, or peeling. Serve vegetables as a side dish, or incorporate into soups, sauces, or pasta dishes.

Frozen fruit has longer shelf-life and are easily available if supply of fresh ones is low. Frozen blueberries, mixed berries, and mangoes can be blended into a smoothie with fruit juice and milk or yogurt or used as cereal topping.

Chicken breasts or fish fillets that are frozen in individual packing are a good protein source for your meals. Frozen meatballs provide variation and can be easily mixed with pasta.

Pantry Staples

Canned products dont compromise nutrition. Upon being harvested fruits and vegetables are processed to keep nutrients locked in.

Beans that are canned are nutrient dense, and will load you with the important fuel for maximum growth and sports performance.

Canned tuna and salmon are rich in protein and omega-3 fats, which have been shown to help conditions of cancer, heart disease, arthritis and mental health. Pasta dishes, salads and sandwiches can be given another character by including these in the recipe.

Peanut Butter is a good source of calories, and for busy athletes, an easy fill. Use this as sandwich spread and top with a banana or enjoy with carrot strips. Peanut butter is packed with healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats and vitamin E.

Popular among athletes is the use of tomato sauce. Processed tomatoes are concentrated with protective compounds. One half-cup of tomato sauce, for instance, contains six times more of the antioxidant lycopene than a medium fresh tomato.

Tomato sauce is usually cooked with pasta which is a staple of many athletes sports nutrition diet. If available, use the whole grain variety because refined pasta has been stripped off of its vitamins, fiber and other nutrients. Frozen bell peppers and tuna can boost protein content of meals with tomato sauce.

A wide variety of whole grains must be explored, examples of which are brown rice and red rice. Whole grains take a little longer to cook so cook in medium batches just enough to have leftovers for the next day.

In the Fridge

Fridge wonders include prewashed and ready-to-eat salad greens and carrots, cheese, eggs, milk, and yogurt.