Rearview – Scott's Personal Blog

Did you know you can combine two loves: of cooking and nature, by investing in the best, most durable and all-weather outdoor cooking equipment? Well, it’s true; many people love the thought of summer approaching simply because it gives them a chance to head out the doors and whip up some great family meals because they have the perfect opportunity and tools to do so and outdoor cooking equipments make the job easier – and fun too!

Earlier times did not have the conveniences and design options of today’s advanced and customized outdoor cooking equipment types, but did all right for themselves; however, we have it better today with the giant leaps made by man and technology in this field.

There are many ways to enjoy the luxury of being in nature’s lap and cooking outdoors too, as the fresh air and scenery – even if it’s backyard cooking and not the camping grounds – provides a great, fun-filled opportunity for all to cook, spend quality time, chat and laugh together. So pick the right outdoor cooking equipment for your family size and the kind of cooking you intend doing in the future; lightweight, portable products that are easy to clean are best, but if you are the proverbial backyard cook, you can opt for more permanent fixtures.

The basics of outdoor cooking equipment include the mandatory camp-stove that is budget-friendly and light (the backpack model is lightweight and easy to use, ideal for hikers and anglers) and mostly work on kerosene that one can store and carry easily, besides using it to light camp-lanterns. Besides this, other top products for outdoor cooking include the char-grill, (some campgrounds have their own, however, avid campers may prefer to carry their own), which cooks steaks and other meats well in a matter of minutes, giving it a lovely flavor; they are also inexpensive and portable.

The other option is to use Dutch ovens, preferred by many campers who love the outdoors and cooking on their own too; these are easy to clean, simple to use and energy efficient so that meat and veggies get cooked perfectly with light seasonings.

Thus, the best of outdoor cooking equipment must be cost-effective, energy-efficient and durable besides being easy to carry so that your backyard barbeque or campfire meal is cooked just right while making entertaining less of a chore and less time-consuming too. Besides enabling you to cook for more people in a short time, the use of specialized and cheap outdoor cooking equipment like the charcoal grill also enables you to cut down on methods like frying, which use a lot of fat and cut back on the grease by giving you the healthier alternative of grilling and roasting.

Abhishek is a cooking enthusiast! Visit his website http://www.Cooking-Guru.com and download his FREE Cooking Report “Master Chef Secrets” and learn some amazing Cooking tips and tricks for FREE! Learn how to create the perfect meal on a shoe-string budget. And yes, you get to keep all the accolades! But hurry, only limited Free copies available!

http://www.Cooking-Guru.com

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If you are one of those people with a taste for the elegant and refined manner of French culture, your love for French cuisine is but natural; even those with a love for cooking and experimenting with light, delicious and healthy meals cannot help but be impressed with the wide array of distinct French recipes and cooking methods that grant this nation of wine and merry-making their reputation for nutritious, great home-cooked meals.

Some of the best resources for easy and best French cooking recipes can be initiated from searching them in cookbooks, magazines and on the internet, which is home to hundreds of websites dedicated to cooking craft. Besides this, there is added scope for collecting the best French cooking recipes that are in circulation in friend’s groups and people who have been using these throughout their lives to last your entire lifetime, if not beyond – should you need more! Plentiful options for healthy, balanced and tasty meals are what French cooking recipes aim to create for their chefs.

Those already in this field of gourmet cooking, like a French chef or even a newbie wanting to learn more about the styles and flavors besides secrets of French cooking schools, can hope to gain a lot of information from the traditional and the newer twists given to established French cooking recipes to increase the quality of life!

A great way to surprise loved ones is by whipping up a meal to delight the senses and French cooking recipes show just the way to do so, in style: because when well-made, they guarantee people coming back for second and third helpings, the best compliment to a cook. Perhaps, you could even teach them variations on cooking styles to make the enjoyment last longer?

Also a great gifting idea, French cooking recipes or a collection contained in a cookbook is just the perfect thought to boost spirits and health for those that love to try out new, healthy hobbies. In fact, complete novices can also try their hand at easy French cooking recipes to come up with great results since following instructions, buying fresh foodstuff and cooking light are some basics anyone can master with time – perhaps even leading up to a career in gourmet cuisine, French style – who know? One small gesture like this could be the start of bigger things, so think about it & do!

However, if you are that novice in turn, then perhaps you could consider opting for taking lessons for French cooking recipes so you can watch demos live, or on TV shows and imbibe these in your cooking style to come up with interesting French twists to your regular cooking tale. Flicking channels comes in as a handy option when looking for specialty cooking shows and techniques, so do not stop searching till you find the right show or internet recipe guidelines for your choicest French food items.

Those that particularly like trying out new and varied fun-stuff will definitely enjoy doing this one activity with friends and family to give company and share the best of finger-licking French cooking recipes!

Abhishek is a cooking enthusiast! Visit his website http://www.Cooking-Guru.com and download his FREE Cooking Report “Master Chef Secrets” and learn some amazing Cooking tips and tricks for FREE! Learn how to create the perfect meal on a shoe-string budget. And yes, you get to keep all the accolades! But hurry, only limited Free copies available! http://www.Cooking-Guru.com

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Free outdoor cooking recipes are there for everybody to enjoy and share besides providing the perfect opportunity for people to experiment and have fun while sharing jokes, recipe ideas and more by the camp-side.

While many people take up cooking as a hobby that is reserved for their spare time, others can also benefit from picking up the quick-and-easy methods of free recipes to have the confidence to participate in varied cooking events that occur on food network channels, online portals that advertise free outdoor cooking recipes besides other places. The charm of entering a cooking competition online or in person is exciting and cannot be stressed enough; however, there is definitely something for everyone as contests can include styles like grilling or Dutch oven cooking, besides free outdoor cooking recipes that are easy and fast.

In fact, much of the popularity of these recipes lies in their simple techniques of cooking that minimize preparation time and use of few ingredients that cook fast too. The menu selection and the technique of cooking one chooses for preparing outdoor meals also determines the fun, ease and simplicity factors for a great outdoor activity that can be shared and two best bets include Dutch oven cooking and grill-cooking, because they both give fast and nutritious results to whatever is cooked!

A wide array of dishes can be prepared using free outdoor cooking recipes that can include food groups like veggies, meats, breads, chicken, fish besides kebabs and sweet dishes too! Hassle-free, quick and using little heat, the appeal of free outdoor cooking recipes spreads far and wide to incorporate mealtime decisions for breakfast, luncheon and supper that can be either light or filling.

Salads and desserts are included in the cooking recipes that are comprehensive meal planning tools besides also leaving enough scope for introducing the meal with a tasty starter snack like grilled salmon or tenderloins. Roast, grill or bake, there’s a cooking method that is ideal for every family and outdoor cooking makes this experience even more enjoyable when free outdoor cooking recipes are shared among guests who have enjoyed the outing too! While the preferred way to have outdoor fun and meals is no doubt grill-cooking that fixes healthy and hot hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken in a jiffy, there’s much more fun to be had when menu-planning is done as group activity.

Latest advancements in the products available for outdoor cooking have furthered eased the activity for many hobbyists and technology being used in barbeque-stands, cookware tools, support equipment for outdoor cooking has become safety-conscious that users can look forward to having a good time with great meals that make partying an all-time option for large families as well as small groups of friends. Thus, these easy recipes for outdoors increase the scope of creative fun for everyone!

Abhishek is a cooking enthusiast! Visit his website http://www.Cooking-Guru.com and download his FREE Cooking Report “Master Chef Secrets” and learn some amazing Cooking tips and tricks for FREE! Learn how to create the perfect meal on a shoe-string budget. And yes, you get to keep all the accolades! But hurry, only limited Free copies available! http://www.Cooking-Guru.com

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One great way to enjoy fair competition, know where your culinary skills and knowledge stand and to make money online is to join a cooking contest website by a simple sign up procedure. You get to enjoy food related news and views and the simpler ones call for writing in your favorite recipe to qualify for a chance to win something while other cooking contests require you to go through the activity of preparing a meal yourself to be in the running for a prize. Depending on your preferences, you can enter the cooking contest of your choice on many websites sponsoring these.

1. One such website promoting food related competitions online is Cooking Contest Central, a website dedicated to storing info on cooking contests and where to find them; it also has calls for submission of recipes. At times, some of these websites come with a minimal subscription fee and Cooking Contest Central has annual charges of $25! This fee is in lieu of the information and alerts it sends the way of its members, such as contest news, with details on deadlines for upcoming ones and reminders about them through e-mail, including those held for cooking professionals and those meant for kids.

Acting as a news directory in this specialized domain, Cooking Contest Central gives basic information about contests and links to other websites for additional info members may find useful while also providing a common platform for interaction online for the subscribers.

2. Another great website related to cooking contests is Food Reference, which also has a remarkable listing of various cuisine competitions on a single web page reserved solely for this type of info; there are no charges for the info stored here, including a short explanation of the contest requirements and its deadline. Recipe submissions are the most popular category here though there are cooking contests details also mentioned such as preparing the perfect menu for a block party, how to encourage better fruit and veggie eating habits for the family and tips on making an advert!

3. The third new website, Contest Cook, comes on the lines of the first (Cooking Contest Central) and charges a subscription fee of $25 a year to enable members to access information about various cooking competitions, including additional details, last dates, prizes applicable (if any) and the rules for the contests.

This is a useful site for the foodies that love to cook because there’s something for every kind here: be it a professional cook, the state-level food fair, other thematic contests or archived ones, there’s really no dearth of information about ongoing cooking contests and those coming up! Past competition winners chat with members on a message board that facilitates communication about cookery news and views and best recipes get a separate page so aspirants get a better idea of the judging style. A section on forms allows entrants to keep a record of recipes submitted while the web master gives members handy hints on how to compete too!

4. Proof Positive is a website offering cooking contest listings free of charge and has 2 main segments to it: ongoing contest listings and deadline based ones, with newer competition listing being added frequently. They give comprehensive details so are a good bet to try for cooking contest links, rules, prizes and more!

Abhishek is a cooking enthusiast! Visit his website http://www.Cooking-Guru.com and download his FREE Cooking Report “Master Chef Secrets” and learn some amazing Cooking tips and tricks for FREE! Learn how to create the perfect meal on a shoe-string budget. And yes, you get to keep all the accolades! But hurry, only limited Free copies available! http://www.Cooking-Guru.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Outdoor cooking appliances are simply the most extraordinary inventions that have ever seen the light of the day. Cooking is made an enjoyable and effortless activity thanks to these appliances. Nobody in their right mind wants to set the house on fire, but even than it is far less difficult and dangerous to ignite a fire outside the house for cooking purposes, greatly aided by suitable equipment. These appliances are the essentials of outdoor cooking and facilitate the preparation of tasty and healthy dishes in a jiffy. Amongst the outdoor cooking appliances available, the most widely preferred are Dutch ovens, griddles made from cast iron and cooking grills.

1. Griddles : Griddles made from cast iron present stovetops with greater flexibility. The side with ridges can be employed for grilling and the other plain side can be utilized for making eggs and pancakes. A vital point to commit to memory is that when the griddle is used, you should ensure that it receives proper circulation of air.

2. Jambalaya Pots : A different kind of outdoor cooking appliance is the Jambalaya Pots, which are made of cast iron of approx. 3-10 gallons, and are multifunctional. They are extremely useful in the preparation of stoufee, gumbos, and soups when cooking for a large number of people. On the inside, it is concave in shape, but even then can function as a LPG burner.

3. Cooking Paddle : Then, another kind of outdoor cooking appliance, which is used regularly, is the cooking paddle, which comes in both wood and steel and, largely makes cooking very uncomplicated and easy.
4. Fish Fry Basket : A further kind of outdoor cooking appliance, which is often used, is the fish fry basket, which can be put in the deep fryer.

5. Fry Thermometers : Fry thermometers, which apart from being a safety measure, enable you to check that the meat is cooked at the right temperature and is not over- or under done.

6. Grill Accessories : Grill Accessories can be placed in the storage shelf or rack of the grill. Hence, seasoning food becomes quite easy as all the ingredients are kept close at hand.

7. Deep Fryer Kit : The deep fryer kit is a very popular outdoor cooking appliance and comprises of large and deep fryer pots with a thermometer and a burner included.

One can make cooking seem easy by putting the ingredients on the grill or in the deep fryer very conveniently. You need not invest a lot of time or effort to prepare dishes using the outdoor cooking appliances, as they tend to reduce considerably the cooking time. Many people who lead extremely busy lives opt for grilling as it produces fast results in a relatively short time. At times, the menu should include simple meals and grilling is your best bet as it helps you prepare food with ease. Outdoor cooking can really be a pleasurable activity, more so if you are using the latest equipment, which provide you with valuable assistance. Discover the thrill of cooking outdoors. Take pleasure in what you do best and remember there is no short cut to success. The only exception to the shortcut rule is grilling.

Abhishek is a cooking enthusiast! Visit his website http://www.Cooking-Guru.com and download his FREE Cooking Report “Master Chef Secrets” and learn some amazing Cooking tips and tricks for FREE! Learn how to create the perfect meal on a shoe-string budget. And yes, you get to keep all the accolades! But hurry, only limited Free copies available! http://www.Cooking-Guru.com

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Feeling peckish and can’t be bothered with the regular meal preparation that is time-consuming and asks for a whole lot of steps? Then you are in luck with putting together a healthy and fast meal with basic cooking tips using the Chinese Cooking Method, ideal for those unannounced hunger-pangs that can quickly be appeased without compromising on granting taste-buds their due and simple to follow. Most Chinese recipes require one or more of a combination of methods like stir-frying, steam-cooking, boiling or sauteing besides other styles adapted over the years!

The most commonly used Chinese cooking methods of all times though is frying, which may include deep, shallow, stir or slippery frying while popular Chinese food items include noodles, fried-rice, chicken pieces and shrimp dishes. Sometimes, Chinese cooking methods extend to dicing chicken and veggies into small bits and stir-frying them to serve with noodles or a rice dish.

Sauteing, also known as shallow cooking, is another popular Chinese cooking method that requires a thin oil layer to cover the food which uses minimal grease and cuts down on much of the calories that creep in with other cooking methods. To ensure all the food items being cooked in this manner are not under-done, the veggies or meat is sliced thinly to enable faster, even cooking. When a light-brown color is achieved, then the spices and seasonings are added in to complete the process of sauteing.

Chinese cooking methods are usually very healthy ways of cutting back on calories and excess oil and thus Stewing food (first sauteing thinly sliced or diced veggies or meat, then pouring a sauce over it and cooking it over slow fire) is yet another popular cooking style adapted for world cuisine from Chinese cooking methods. The stir-frying ensures the food items are cooked superficially but raw inside so nutrients are retained and once gravy is poured over it, the simmer-and-cook method works well to give a good taste with a zesty tang to the dish.

Slow cooking over low flame and boiling are other smart and healthy ways of preparing food that are borrowed from the various Chinese cooking methods many chefs follow. Boiling calls for large pots with hot water used to cook vegetables, rice or noodles and meat; it can also incorporate the use of sauces to lend a savory taste to the ingredients while they cook. Simmer-cooking involves cooking in water or sauce for a long time and low heat is required and since it does away with the need for oil, this is among the best dietary helpers agree experts as no extra calories get a chance to creep in.

So, taking to Chinese Cooking Methods not only ensures quick meal time options but healthy ones too that are suitable for one and all!

Abhishek is a cooking enthusiast! Visit his website http://www.Cooking-Guru.com and download his FREE Cooking Report “Master Chef Secrets” and learn some amazing Cooking tips and tricks for FREE! Learn how to create the perfect meal on a shoe-string budget. And yes, you get to keep all the accolades! But hurry, only limited Free copies available! http://www.Cooking-Guru.com

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There is Southern Cooking and then there is SOUTHERN COOKING! You can follow a recipe and still come out with a dish that does not resemble what the recipe intended. The reason is technique and the little secrets that are not included in the recipe.

Technique is as important as the ingredients and proper technique helps you avoid the following common mistakes made by novice cooks. You can find many free Southern recipes on the internet, but few web sites provide the additional information needed to to be a real Southern cook. So when you find a site that does, bookmark it and stick with it for your Southern recipes. (See Resource Box below for recommendation).

7 Biggest Mistakes:

1. Failure to Properly Preheat Oven When Baking.

Have you ever made cornbread that came out soft and crumbly without a crust? Or biscuits that did not rise and have a gray color? It was probably due to the fact that your oven was not properly preheated. When baking, the crust is set in the first 10 minutes. So, if you want a nice, golden crust on your cornbread, be sure to get the oven up to 400 degrees before you put the cornbread in.

Ovens vary in how long it takes to reach a given temperature. Some ovens will reach 400 degrees in 4-5 minutes. Some will take as long as 15 minutes. A good practice is to get a thermometer (any food thermometer that goes up to 425 degrees will work) and time how long it takes your oven to reach 250, 350, 400 and 425 degrees. Write it down and keep it handy if you can not remember. Then always allow the alloted time to reach the desired temperature before beginning your baking.

2. Undercooked Vegetables

Keep in mind we are talking about Southern cooking. Not Chinese or West Coast casseroles. Many vegetables, Southern Style, are cooked considerably longer than most people tend to cook them. Specifically, green beans are cooked until soft and dark green in color. They are not crunchy and bright green. Okra and green tomatoes, are cooked until some burned edges appear and are very crunchy. As a general rule boiled vegetables are cooked until very tender and fried foods are cooked until crunchy (this goes for cornbread, fried chicken and pork chops, too).

3. Failure to Use Cast Iron

I have never researched all the reasons why, but Southern cooking is best cooked in cast iron cook-ware. The cast iron holds and transfers heat unlike any other type metal. Food just does not cook the same in aluminum or steel. Especially cornbread. Besides, it is the traditional way to cook Southern.

Older cast iron tends to have problems with rust and food sticking, but the newer cook-ware comes already cured (seasoned) so it is not as much a problem. However, it is not difficult to cure your cast iron if you have an older style. You can get complete, free instructions in the web referrals below.

4. Failure to Use Onions and Bacon

Onions and bacon (or bacon grease) are used extensively in Southern cooking. Some cooks, however, stray away form cooking real Southern because they (or family members) do not like onions and/or concerns about the fat content in bacon.

They do this because they fail to understand the reason for using bacon and onions. They are NOT in the recipe so that you taste onions or bacon. They are there only to provide subtle flavor. A unique Southern flavor. If you do not like onions, use only a small amount and remove the onion from the dish before serving (put onion in cheesecloth while cooking and it is easy to remove). If you are concerned about the calorie content of bacon, do not use whole bacon. Just add 1/2 tsp of grease from previously cooked bacon. And, accept the fact that Southern cooking is not inherently low fat. It is meant to be flavorful and robust. So, use that bacon and onion for real Southern dishes.

5. Overworking Dough

Southern breads are meant to be light and fluffy. Even cornbread should not be heavy and solid. Many Southern cooks never learn how to make good biscuits. And homemade Southern Biscuits are the trademark of good Southern cooks.

Three errors cause bad biscuits (and other breads). First, do not overwork the dough. Biscuit dough should only be kneaded three times. No more. Just enough to shape it for cutting out the biscuits.

Second, when cutting the dough, do not push down and twist the biscuit cutter. Push straight down and straight back up. Twisting compacts the edges of the dough and causes uneven cooking.

Third, remember the previous mistake above…preheat your oven. A cold oven can result in flat, hard biscuits.

6. Yellow Cornmeal and Sugar in cornbread

Everyone has their own preference, but, please do not use yellow cornmeal in cornbread. It may be mental, but it just does not taste the same as white cornmeal. Besides it looks funny. And, NEVER, NEVER put sugar in cornbread if you want authentic Southern cornbread. Cornbread is bread to accompany a meal. It is not dessert. It is not cake! It is BREAD. So, if you like sweet cornbread…go ahead and use your sugar…but, do not call it Southern Cornbread!

7. Failure to Use buttermilk

All good Southern cooks use buttermilk in everything except desserts. Regular milk does not add the flavor that buttermilk does. Especially in any dish with cornmeal (cornbread, hush puppies, tamale pie, etc.). If you do not have buttermilk, you can make a reasonable substitute by stirring 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in a cup of regular milk. Allow to sit for a minute before use.

These are some of the most common mistakes (or lack of Southern cooking technique) made in Southern cooking. You can ignore all of them and make eatable food, but it will not be traditional Southern. Even some good Southern cooks fail to comply with all the above, but they have probably developed a variation of these same techniques.

So, get in that kitchen, fire up the stove and make your family a real Southern dinner tonight.

Ken Miller is a free lance writer and webmaster for http://www.olsouthrecipes.com, Southern Recipes – Southern Cooking, where you can find FREE recipes for the most popular, authentic Southern dishes like fried chicken, fried okra, biscuits and gravy, cornbread and many more.

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Although barbecuing is the typical way most of us cook outdoors, cooking with a smoker is gaining in popularity. Even though the smoked heat method takes considerably longer than your basic charcoal grill, cooks say that the distinctive taste of smoker cooking is well worth the wait.

Smoker cooking is a form of cooking where the smoke from burning wood prepares your foods. Heated hard wood chips, such as mesquite, hickory and oak are placed in a smoker, which not only cook the food, but also add a unique flavor from each wood type. The typical wood smoker has a separate fire chamber, which allows the heat and smoke to pass through the food being prepared. In smoker cooking, food never comes in contact with an actual flame as it does with charcoal grilling. As such, there are no dripping oils, bursts of flames or charcoal burnt food.

Cooking with a smoker allows for a whole range of flavor opportunities. The type of hard wood chips you choose will provide the unique flavor for your smoked food. Hickory typically provides a heavy, smoky flavor to foods, and is often used when smoker cooking a turkey. Wood chips made from apple or pecan trees produce a lighter smoke flavor and will produce foods with a light, slightly sweet smoked taste, often used with a white fish fillet.

Patience and allowing oodles of time to prepare a meal is the key to successful cooking with a smoker. Foods cooked with heated smoke take considerably longer to cook than foods slapped on the barbecue. Depending in the size of the food you are preparing, and the temperature you are cooking, smoker cooking takes hours longer than typical grilling. A four pound piece of meat that will cook in 45 minutes on a barbecue will most likely take at least two hours in a smoker. A four pound chicken will need about four hours in the smoker before it is done. The best way to tell if meat is thoroughly cooked is to use a meat thermometer. Chicken that is thoroughly cooked has a temperature of 165 degrees.

There are endless possibilities when smoker cooking food. Any type of meat, poultry or seafood can be prepared for cooking by a smoker. Experimentation will allow you to find the perfect wood chip for each of your favorite meat types. Rubbing spices on your meat prior to smoker cooking, as well as adding sauces while meat is being prepared adds even more flavor to your food.

Steaming vegetables is also ideal for cooking with a smoker. The cooking with smoke process seals in not just the taste, but the nutrients as well. Smoker cooking is the simple way and tasty way to add more veggies to your diet. Many of your favorite recipes can also be prepared via cooking with smoke. Chili is a smoker cooking favorite for many cooks. Your smoker will most likely come with a cookbook filled with new recipes to try.

So when you have the time and are yearning for food with that unique smoky flavor, consider smoker cooking for your next meal.

You can never know too much about traditional barbecue basics so it is essential to constantly educate yourself on the latest, greatest things about barbecue. Smoker cooking is another way of providing great barbecue. To get more free information sign up for the free 7 part email series on barbecuing at http://www.allaboutbbqsmokers.com/Reg1.html

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I cook with wine a lot. You can take an easy cooking dish and use a little wine and it makes all the difference in the world. Cooking with wine does not have to be difficult or expensive. I have to say I always have wine in my house. Not just for enjoying a glass of wine, but for the purpose of cooking. Cooking with wine not only adds flavor to your dish it can also act as a tenderizer for your less expensive cuts of meats.

Now I have said it before, I only cook with wines that I will also drink. Please do not cook with cooking wine that they sell at the grocers. It is not the same. For all I care it is darn right terrible. If you think about it, why wouldn’t you cook with wine that you normally drink? If you like the wine on its own there is a good chance you are going to like it in whatever dish you are preparing. Then of course there is the benefit since you are cooking with wine, you must toast yourself and enjoy a glass while you are cooking with.

I am going to go back to what I was saying before, that cooking with wine can act as a tenderizer. Take for instance beef stew. Now for the most part stewing beef is a cheaper cut of meat. Or if you are like me, I’ll by a less expensive roast and cut it up to make stew. Either way the meat is usually tougher and you would not normally just eat it as is. You would normally simmer it in some kind of broth for at least a couple of hours. So why not instead of using only broth use some wine. The wine starts the tenderizing process quicker and adds that extra element of flavor. I can guarantee you that you will be licking your lips.

I know I said if you are going to cook with wine, then be sure it is a wine that you would normally consume. One other factor you want to take into consideration when you are cooking with wine. Make sure you pair your wine up with what you are cooking. What I mean by this is, when you are cooking a stew use a hardier wine. Stew is a very hardy meal so you don’t want to be using a Shiraz. Instead use a Burgundy or a Bordeaux type of wine.

Now I am going to share my beef stew recipe with you. You’ll find out from the quantity of wine I use, why I am talking about cooking with wine today. With stew I do so much on top of the stove and then put it in the oven for the rest of the time. Now you could also do most of the preparation the night before and then put it in a slow cooker for the day. Then finish it off when you get home.

Beef Stew With Red Wine

4lbs Stewing beef nicely trimmed

2-3 Onions Chopped not to small

12-15 Baby Carrots (I use the baby carrots that are ready to use)

1 Large Package Whole Mushrooms quartered

6 potatoes

1bottle of red wine

2-4 cups of beef broth

2 bay leafs

3 whole sprigs of thyme

Flour

2-3 Tbsp butter

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

On the stovetop heat up a large heavy Dutch oven type pot to medium heat. Cover the bottom with olive oil and add onions. Cook until golden and softening. While onions are cooking get a plate and cover generously with flour. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Lie out your meat and start to coat the meat in the flour. When the onions are soft, remove from the pot. You may have to add some more oil at this point. Place some of the meat in the pot and lightly brown. This is a very important stage in the cooking of the stew. Because of coating the meat with flour and then browning it, there will be a more intense flavor at the end. You will have to do the meat in batches. Do Not over crowd your pot. This will prevent some pieces from getting brown.

After all the meat is browned. Remove from pot. Pour in the bottle of wine. Scraping up all the bits on the bottom of the pot. These bits are pure flavor. Place all the meat, onions, thyme sprigs and bay leaves in the pot. Then add enough beef broth to cover the meat well. Place in a 300° oven for about 2 ½ – 3 hours. While the stew is in the oven, take another pan and heat to medium high heat. Cover with olive oil and add the mushrooms, season with salt. Cook until quite brown.

After stew has been in oven for about 3 hours, take out of the oven and add the mushrooms, carrots and potatoes. You may need to add a bit more beef stock at this point. Check after ½ hour to 45 minutes. If the potatoes are cooked, you are ready to remove from the oven. Place pot on your stove top on a burner heated to medium. Here is the thickening part and just some more flavor. In a small dish take 2tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of flour. Blend together. Slowly add this in pieces to the simmering stew. This will thicken the stew. I say do this slowly so you get the thickness you want. If it is not thick enough do it again. The ratio is equal parts of butter to flour. Taste to see if you need to further season with salt and pepper.

There you go you have dinner for a couple of nights.

Carolin Hopkins operates Cooking With Carolin, a blog all about cooking and cooking tips. She loves giving away Free stuff and is now giving away Free memberships to her newsletter. Plus you’ll want to come and check out the cooking tip of the day. Come and sign up, it is all free!! More information here:

http://www.cookingwithcarolin.com

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Cooking is a spontaneous cooking nature while baking is more to precision cooking or engineering cooking. This is a 40th year old lady, my mom philosophy. My mom, housewife for twenty five years always enjoy cooking but not baking. To her, cooking is an easy and spontaneous process. As long as there are raw ingredients ready, she can cook. Cooking is straightforward, the methods involve, basically throw everything in the skillet, add some salt, sugar to enhance the taste and fry for sometimes, it is ready. So she gets pleasure from cooking and doing it for couple of years.

My mom cooking is very unique. She can cook well, can cook so many dishes but she can’t write out any recipes. Expert in cooking, but can’t teach! Why this happened? Because she had her own feast of recipes, she doesn’t cook based on measurement. She cooks freely and spontaneously. She will cook according to her taste; add in the salt, sugar or any flavour enhancement material based on her own measurement. So, she will not know how to explain her cooking to the others. She can tell you roughly what will be need in her cooking but not exactly what she uses. Because when she found out that the dish is not tasty enough, she will add in something that she feels like. So there is no standard in her world of cooking.

Before I left home to study, I learn to cook few dishes from her. It is a hand on teaching, but due do all the estimation method she use I can’t cook without her hand on coaching. There is no standard measurement in all the raw materials or ingredients use. This make me headache as I am someone who is rarely walk into the kitchen since young. End up, I learning nothing! But still, my mom cooking is the best cooking.

Leaving home from study made me miss home cook dishes so much. I started to search for recipes and learn to cook on my own. In my cooking world, I need accurate measurement on the ingredients I used. I realize that I can cook if I have clear step by step instructions and accurate measurement of the ingredients. I can’t cook with the estimation method my mom applies. With the step by step clear and direct instructions, then only I can cook!

I am dessert lover, I love cake and pudding so much. One day I come across a home made cheese cake recipe in newspaper. I try it out. It is cool. Simple, easy and taste delicious. I share this with my mom, she feel so excited for me. Ask me to bake one for her to try. My mom never enjoys baking cake or pudding because she hates those precision in cake making principle. Step by step instructions need to be follow and no any single step need can be miss out.

My mom hates what I love. So she enjoys cooking while I enjoy baking. My mom hates to follow step by step instructions while I can’t miss the step by step instructions. So I enjoy baking more than cooking. I realize that cooking and baking reflect someone character. I am an engineering background student, in engineering everything must be precise, accurate. So I apply the same principle in baking. So it is comfortable for me to just follow the technique, trouble-free and simple.

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