Tag: Sweet Tooth

Become a Pastry Chef and Make the Career of Your

Become a Pastry Chef and Make the Career of Your Life

Who would say no to a delectable dessert? Well, unless you are someone trying to lose as much wait as you want and sacrifice all the pleasures of the sweet tooth, you might be one who would take no advantage of pastries presented on your table. And anyone who have tasted a pastry that appeals even to the taste buds of the gods who, for hope, that he or she too could make one.

This is among the numerous reasons why there is a fast growing demand in the food industry to create more recipes, more particularly the pastry industry.

Enrolling in a culinary arts school or curriculum offer the best source of information regarding both education and training to help you become a pastry chef. Like all other chef careers, the job of pastry chefs requires much patience, dedication, initiation of practices, loads of creativity and organizational skills. Nonetheless, this career has its equal shares of toil and hardship as well as enjoyment and satisfaction.

Most people wanting to establish their careers as pastry chef often begin with several educational options such as associate degree in culinary arts, certificate in baking and pastry, and bachelor’s degree in culinary arts. Any of these three will push you a step higher on the ladder of a pastry chef career.

While the three are more significantly considered for their classroom and applied setting, the one year or two year course which would give the certificate on baking and pastry will qualify you for an entry position. The other two options will give you the foundation on baking education and specialized curriculum for pastry. However, electives are necessary parts as these would determine the real area of specialization a student wants to have. In any of your field choice, you will have a well-rounded preparation towards a successful career on pastry chef.

One key factor in pursuing your career as pastry chef is your choice of school. No doubt, there are lots of schools and institutions out there who would be more than willing to attend to your need for formal education. However, too few would really qualify for your personal demands and standards. It is important that you are comfortable with the school of your choice and that you get justification for what you are paying for.

Instructor credentials are a must and this must be certified by the American Culinary Federation. Also, the instructors in your choice of school must have a college degree or any relevant experiences in the industry.

Further, look for scholarships. Most culinary arts schools are offering this privilege for students who have met standards. Well, if you truly have the passion in pastry cooking, you are most likely to perform well on any course you take in relation to your choice of career.

If you have not as much flexibility on your schedule, you can consider programs that will allow you to attend part-time. Some culinary schools engaged on some public services and those staffed by students where enrolled students are required to work as part of their requirements. Furthermore, apprenticeship programs are also an option since this could help earn you a bachelor’s degree. In fact, apart from formal education on pastry preparation, apprenticeship is your second option. This is also a more advisable path on people who are just testing their real choices. If you are not so sure with the career you are trying to pursue, it is best to test the waters through assisting a pastry chef.

Whatever option you would try, just remember one thing: test the water first before you decide to swim the tide.

Low Calorie Sweeteners for Better Health

People have become health conscious these days. This is due to the fact that there are more people who are overweight and this has affected both kids and adults.

Can this be treated? Yes but it is going to take more than a change in diet and exercise to make it work. The person can watch the food and beverage being taken in by only using artificial sweeteners that are low in calorie.

Low calorie sweeteners still give the same flavor as regular white sugar. The difference is that it only gives the person a few to zero calories per serving. This product has been called different names such as being a intense sweetener, an alternative sweetener, high potency or high intensity and non-nutritive sweetener.

There are many products in the market that the person can choose from. One of the best selling is made of an ingredient called Aspartame. Brands that use this are NutraSweet, Equal and Canderel.

Companies that manufacture this have produced beverages, sachet packs and bars which serve as another way of taking this into the body. The shelf life of such products could last three years as along as these are stored in room temperature.

Another brand that is quite popular is Splenda. This product also adds flavor without the extra calories after being taken in by the body. People who buy this product dont only mix it with tea or coffee. There are those that substitute this for regular sugar during baking.

The company also has a wide range of products to choose from in the grocery that are good for those with a sweet tooth but dont want to add those extra calories.

Sugarcane has been used for years on a variety of products. In Asia, this has been used as a drink. Lately, people have seen this as an alternative to oil for vehicles. A few years back, scientists have discovered that this can also be a low calorie health sweetener.

Sucanat serves as a wholesome sweetener that is all natural and can give the person the right amount of vitamins and minerals that the body needs.

The ingredients that make up a low calorie sweetener can be found in almost every basic thing that the person buys from the supermarket. Some examples are toothpaste, breath mints, syrup and cooking oil. These ingredients are printed on the label are a good for those who want to have a healthy lifestyle.

Aspartame Sweetener- On the Questions of Safety

With American societys penchant for low calorie foods, the market has been plagued by all kinds of sweeteners that promises low to almost non-existent calorie content. One of the many kinds of sweeteners that are already flooding the market is Aspartame sweetener.

Aspartame sweetener is a non-caloric sugar substitute. This means that there is no calorie content, which is real good news for people with sweet tooth who still wants to diet.

Aspartame has actually been discovered way back in 1965 and is already been available in the market since the 1980s. The safety of this sweetener has already been established by both local and international committees and agencies. However, there have still been doubts on its safety up until now.

Aspartame has a powderish consistency. It is odorless and is approximately 200 times sweeter than sucrose or ordinary table sugar. It has already been used in so many products in the market and have actually even been marketed in brand names like Canderel and NutraSweet. When ingested, it does not enter the bloodstream but rather goes straight to the intestines and breaks down into three components, aspartic acid, methanol and phenylalanine.

Although the sweetener is relatively stable when dry, it loses its sweetness when it is combined with liquids or in temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius.

Still, despite being in the market for so long, questions about its safety is still being raised. The long-standing debate on whether it is safe or not has actually not been resolved. Some claim that aspartame sweeteners can cause headaches, epilepsy and even brain tumors. There are however no major study that has yet to support this claim.

In fact no link has been found between aspartame and cancer or gene damage. Many scientists have also disclaimed the suggested link between the headaches/epilepsy with aspartame.

Consumption of aspartame does not affect human reproduction and does not prevent conception. It does not lead to any nervous system disorders or any allergic reactions. There is also no evidence that aspartame can affect a persons behavior, cognition and mood.

People, however, could not care less. They still use aspartame. Europe for instance consume about 2.8 to 10.1 kilograms per body weight aspartame every day. This however is still quite low and way below the accepted daily food intake that is set by international agencies like the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Personalized Party Favors

If you are one of those people who are depressed just by thinking of how much money they need to spend in buying party favors for their party, then this is the best time to consider giving personalized items.

It is best if you stop feeling low because you dont have much money to spend in buying expensive party favors for the people who will be attending your part. But, you really need not worry so much because there are so many party favor ideas out there perfect for all occasions. All you need to do is to make a list of the people whom you’ll give the items to and jot down at least one or two of their interests or favorite activities.

After doing this, you can now visit various department stores, specialty shops, novelty stores, and craft shops to find the perfect party favor item for your friends without having to spend so much money.

Unisex items as party favors

While giving presents such as party favors would really touch your guests’ hearts during a special occasion, it is important to remember this should not rob you off your money. Instead of spending money in buying items as party favors, why not try to create your own “gift” using your creativity and resourcefulness? If you have the time and the talent, ideal party favor ideas perfect for any occasion might include:

1. Personalized items. These can be considered as the most inexpensive yet valuable item to give out in almost all occasions. Personalizing items does not only save you some money, time, and effort in strolling shops looking for that perfect item because you can do in inside the confines of your own home. This is actually one of the best party favor ideas out there because you can literally personalize just about anything. All you need to do is to ask the person about his or her favorite item or interest and create your own masterpiece out of it.

2. Sweets and treats. For people with sweet tooth, sweets such as chocolates, cookies, and sweet breads are surefire hits. If you that knack for baking, you can bake your own goodies and wrap them in a special colorful box or jar to make it presentable.

3. Custom-made stationeries made at home. For those who are into writing letters, one of the best gift ideas for them is a collection of custom-made stationeries. What you can do is to collect all unused envelopes, specialty papers, and unique items to come up with a custom-made stationary set.

The good thing about this is that it will not only help you save money by buying cheap materials for the party favor but can also serve as a bonding activity for you and your family members or friends. Aside from that, the process of making the items itself is fun and easy. While doing the items, you and your friends can squeeze out your creative juices and each other to explore different possibilities of the craft to make it more beautiful.

What Are Some Types of Candy in Mexico

Children in Mexico have a huge selection of candies to choose from. The candies are abundant. Anyone is sure to please their sweet tooth. The candies are not just sweet, though. Many of the candies pack heat! That is right, chili. Mexican’s like to include chili in many of their foods, so it is natural to find candy with it. There are also chocolate candies, gummy candies, and chewing gum. It is obvious that Mexicans have different preferences when it comes to candy. The hotter, the better!

A newer item in Mexican candy is called Salsaghetti. The package has straws of watermelon that look like pasta. They are spicy and come with a sauce to pour over it. The sauce is called Gusano Tamarind. Tamarind is a fruit that is typical in Asia, but widely grown in Mexico. Many candy items contain Tamarind. Salsaghetti looks like a pasta meal, but unfortunately there is no candy meat balls included.

Lollipops are a lot different than what you would taste in other countries. In Mexico they can come very hot. The candies are Jalapeo hot. Americans are used to spicy candies that are full of cinnamon, but children from Mexico love the lollipops with chili powder on the outside. The inside can be different flavors. Mango is a big hit because it offers a different taste than the chili. There are also flavored chili-peppered lollipops. Other flavors include pineapple, watermelon, strawberry, cherry, and more.

You would expect since Mexico gave the world chocolate, back when the Aztecs shared with the Spaniards that Mexicans would eat a lot of candy bars and other chocolate candies, but in Mexico these types of candies are rare to even purchase. Instead, Mexicans enjoy chocolate in their drinks or in traditional dishes such as mole poblano. Sometimes you might find someone enjoying a chocolate pattie candy that may include cinnamon, grounded almonds, and sugar.

A popular candy throughout Mexico is known as Dulce de leche. It means “milk candy”. It is milk-based syrup that is similar to caramel by how it looks and tastes. It can be as a sauce, or as a caramel-like candy. It is simple to make, simply by boiling milk and sugar. Besides being in candy, it is also used in cakes, cookies, and ice cream. People even spread it on toast. It is very popular in other countries besides Mexico. Even Starbucks have recently started selling lattes with the flavor of dulce de leche which is making it popular amongst Americans. Even dulce de leche ice cream is sold in grocery stores throughout the Southwestern states of America.

Mexican candies can be found at local Mexican grocers. Let your taste buds try some new treats. If you cannot find any stores close to where you live, many online stores sell Mexican candies. If hot is not that type of candy you would enjoy, there is also different chocolate, and caramel candies. Give it a try today! You might just enjoy a new sensation.