Tag: Vegetables

Chinese Recipe Cookware Substitutions

So, you have got a great Chinese recipe you want to try out but you realize you are not prepared at all for the demands of Chinese cooking.

Well, there are many ways you can recreate what you should have with what you might have on hand. This goes for cookware as well as actual food ingredients.

An important part of cooking any Chinese recipe to perfection is to use the right cookware. Many people dont own a wok or rice cooker however and will have to use what they have in the kitchen.

A normal frying pan can work as a wok but its best to use a very deep frying pan that is at least 1 and a half inches deep.

Woks rely on oil and high heat to cook meat and vegetables and if you use a shallow pan, grease will get all over and might even spill out and start on fire. Thats no good at all.

For rice, a normal saucepan will work but you need to make sure you have a tight fitting lid. Tin foil over the top will work in an emergency but can burn you and is not recommended.

Many Chinese recipes call for a meat or seafood to be breaded and deep fried. Without a deep fryer, you are going to have a mess no matter what.

The deepest cooking pot or saucepan you have will work but will probably splash all over no matter how you try to contain it.

These are basic solutions but having the proper equipment can really make a difference. An electric wok is very easy to clean and can also be used to deep fry.

A rice cooker really isnt necessary unless you truly cant cook rice. Buy what you need and have fun with your new recipes.

Chinese Noodle Recipes

Chinese noodle recipes can be very fun to make and the entire family can get involved. Many Chinese noodle recipes call for fresh homemade noodles.

These are very easy to make. They usually use wheat or rice flour mixed with water and maybe some egg or milk (depending on the recipe) and then they get rolled out and cut.

Of course, before you start on a recipe that calls for these types of noodles, you might want a recipe for the noodles themselves.

These are in most cookbooks and all over the Internet. You should be able to find the perfect one in just minutes.

In addition to rice, noodles are very important to Chinese culture and are a part of many different types of Chinese recipe.

From very easy dishes that are just noodles, meat, vegetables and sauce to complex dishes that use very specific types of noodles, they are usually delicious.

Noodles are typically boiled after they are made. Sometimes, a recipe might call for them to be fried in some kind of oil until they are crispy.

Chinese noodles cook a lot faster than Italian pasta because the ingredients are different and the shapes vary greatly.

The boiled noodles can be used in soups, stir fry, with a hearty sauce, or almost anything. Noodles can also be substituted for rice in many different dishes.

You can always buy noodles from the store or an Asian market for your cooking and this decreases the time you will spend in the kitchen and is a lot less mess.

For families with kids, making the noodles from scratch can be a fun bonding experience and might help get your kids interested in all types of cooking.

Organic Gardening Supplies That You Can Use

One of the most important aspects of a successful organic garden is to know the list of organic gardening supplies that you will need. This is very important because these tools can help and assist you in growing healthy crops in no time.

Finding the right organic gardening supplies

Aside from regular care and proper monitoring, having the right organic gardening supplies would definitely ensure that you would have a successful and healthy garden. Experts say that knowing what you need and have them readily available would lessen the time that you would have to spend in taking care of your crops. This will also ensure that you will have fun in watching every development in your garden.

The following are the most important organic gardening supplies that you need for your organic garden:

1. Water. This is very important because this will serve as the secondary lifeline of your plants. Having enough supply of water nearby is very crucial because you will never know when the plant would need some of it. Although there is scheduled time to water the plants, it is always best to have ample supply of water just in case you or somebody forgets to water the plants on time.

2. Soil. This is considered as a lifeline of any plant in any organic garden because this is where all the nutrients are derived. Although you dont need so much of it if you only a few number of pots and trays, it is best to have an extra supply of soilclay soil is the best for its capability to hold water betterjust in case accidental dropping of containers happens. Having extra supply of soil can also make it possible for you to make another organic garden.

3. Organic matter. This is also crucial because it will provide nutrients for your plants. Although you need not worry about having enough supply of this because these are always readily available in your backyard through grass clips and dried leaves and in your kitchen through decaying vegetables and peel fruits. You can also use the dog or cat manure, if you have a pet, in the compost pit as well as head of fish that has not been consumed.

4. Light. This is very important especially for indoor gardening because it will provide the light needed by the plant. Light is very important from the germination of the seeds to the growing of the sprouts. It is also very important for leaves because it paves the way for a very important process called “photosynthesis.” If possible, make a garden site where there can be direct exposure to sunlight. If this is not possible, try to create alternative light from a fluorescent bulb or tube that is placed directly on the container.

5. Tools. These are also very important organic gardening supplies for a successful gardening because it will make the work easier for you. Important tools might include cutting tools, weeding tools, watering tools, clawing tools, and sweeping tools. These will help you in cleaning and maintaining the plants especially if they are growing fast.

These tools can also help you organize the plants so they won’t get tangled, as they grow taller. In buying tools, make sure that you only buy those that you really need. Use the size of your garden as a guide. If you have small garden, there is no need for you to buy large tools for gardening.

Grilling Fish Outdoors

Fish On The Grill

Fish, no matter what type it is has always been one of the most favorite items on the grill along with steaks, ribs and vegetables. For an outdoor grill, it would always be better with a few slices of salmon steak or sea bass. No matter how you cook, season or serve it, fish would always taste great on the grill most of the time. However, you should be aware that there are different cooking methods that are right for different type of fish.

You can classify fish according to size, whether it is firm or not and whether it is fillet or whole. This is because not all types of fish would fit into a single grilling method; different approaches are for fish depending on how it is classified. So for you to learn more about fish and how exactly you should grill them, here are some tips and tricks.

The Right Type Of Fish

While a lot of different types of fish would taste great on the grill, most of them are cooked differently and have different approaches to one another. Firm fish such as swordfish and tuna cook easier than other types of fish and are much better of cooked in steak cuts. The firm and meaty composition of these fishes make it easier for you to turn them every once in a while and make it harder for them to break apart and fall right into the grill.

When grilling fillets, make sure that it is at least 1 inch thick and reasonably large for consumption. When putting them on top of the grill, do not forget to turn them every 2 minutes or less. You will know if you are doing this right if you have a nice set of grill marks on the sides of the fish, this of which is the sign of a grilling master.

Keep Good Hygiene

There are just three things to keep in mind when it comes to grilling hygiene; that of which is it should be hot, it should be oiled and it should be cleaned. You can start of by having the grill cleaned every time before you start grilling. Make sure that you scrub all residues off the surface since these can fall inside the grill and cause flare ups or induce a different flavor into the items being grilled. You would not want to grill fish and have it taste like prime rib.

After that, you should make sure that the grill is pre heated even before throwing in the items to be grilled. This is the most common mistake people make especially for those who own gas grills as they would tend to throw items in the grill immediately after starting the fire. The last one is you have to make sure that the surface is oiled well enough to keep residue from sticking to the grills surface later on. You can do this by spraying small amounts of vegetable oil on the surface before grilling.

Grilling The Fish

You can use a lot of accessories for grilling fish. Accessories are made to make fish cook faster and make it cook evenly on all sides. These would include a wire basket, a metal skewer and a seasoned plank for causing a different pleasant taste to the fish. Take note that fish, unlike meats has to be well cooked but not overcooked to make it dry. To test if a fish is cooked, you can use the poke test to find out.

This involves having the top part pushed with something. If it crumbles or breaks, it is well cooked.

Tips For Great Fish On The Grill

Along with meats, vegetables and poultry, fish is also one of the most popular items anyone can put in on top of the grill. This is because fish has a very pleasant flavor, is quite easy and fun to cook and would offer a healthier option than most other items that are usually grilled. However, there are different methods and approaches to cooking different sorts of fish. Following these methods correctly would make your fish taste much better than how it has always been.

Take note that fish is to be classified into some categories when it comes to grilling and these are whole, fillet, firm and tender fish. These categories are what you should use as a basis to know how to cook it. So to further educate you with other guidelines you must follow when grilling fish, here are some helpful tips to guide you through.

Direct Grilling

Firm fish such as swordfish and tuna are much easier to grill since they do not crumble or break apart as easily as how some other fish would. Being that, you can have them cooked right on top of the fire, just make sure that there isnt too much fire that it would overcook it. Make sure the fire is set on medium when first having the fish grilled and you can later set it higher so that there would be pretty grill marks on the sides of your fish, these of which are the signs of a grill master.

It is also very important that you know how your fish should be. In being so, choose cuts that are at least 1 inch thick and are quite wide. Also when grilling those nice fillets, make sure that you turn them every once in a while or every 2 minutes or so. While you would want to have those nice grill marks, it is more important to have the fish cooked well.

Grilling Hygiene

When grilling, you would not want to have a nice sea bass on top of the grill cooked perfectly and later have it taste like steak. To avoid this, you should practice good grilling hygiene that is you should always see to it that your grill is clean and is fit for use. In grilling hygiene, there are three main guidelines to remember. The grill must be cleaned, it must be hot and it must be oiled too. Take note that fish could stick to the grills surface and damage it easier compared to other items.

First is you have to keep it clean, make sure that you scrub the grills surface each time before you use it and you have to make sure that there are no remnants of any food items on top of it. Another is that you have to keep it oiled. Before grilling, spray a small amount of vegetable oil on the grills surface to keep the fish from sticking to it later on. Last is you have to keep it hot, or pre-heated. Never toss fish on the grills surface right after setting the fire, wait for 15 minute before doing so.

Make Use Of Accessories

Accessories are now widely available to make grilling fish much easier and taste much better. A famous example of this is the fish basket which is a device which puts the fish into a cage like grill and makes it cook evenly on all sides easier. To enhance the fishs flavor, you can also add herbs, lemon and spices with the fish inside the grill for the vapor to sink deep into the fish.

There are a lot of accessories and you can use them depending on how you want fish to be prepared.