Cooking — What You Need To Know-Tips
Cooking -- What You Need To Know
From ancient times till the nineteenth century cooking was basically a survival skill. The nineteenth century marked the division of cooking into two main categories.The two branches were defined by the French, were there is 'normale cuisine' which means home cooking, and 'haute cuisine', which is cooking conceived like an artform. The major difference between the two branches is that one form should be considered as practical cooking while the other is more like cooking with a view to demonstrating skill.The boundary between ~normale cuisine~ and ~haute cuisine~ gets thinner and thinner over time. New professional kitchen equipment and more information about cooking allow people to perform like chefs at home.Haute cuisine cooking gathers different techniques and ingredients together in an artform. Haute cuisine thrives to gather as many aromas and subtle variations as possible to let our taste buds discover the variations of even the most ordinarily food. Color is also an important factor in this type of cooking.While cooking was mainly a means to survive, food cooking techniques were simple ~ roasting by the fire, or wrapping in leaves to steam. The first revolution in cooking took place twelve thousand years ago, when pottery was invented.Pottery opened the door to new cooking techniques like stewing, boiling, and frying. Actually, the heart of modern cooking is the combination of these simple techniques.Historically, the three most important cooking styles are Italian, Chinese, and French. The oldest is Chinese. Its most popular equipment is the wok, which is a special frying pan, where food is prepared fast and effectively. Food ingredients circulate permanently inside the wok. Its design also allows to fully utilize the heat.Chinese cuisine chops ingredients in small pieces. On one hand, this saves fuel, which is a scarce commodity, and on the other ~ since maximum surface of the ingredient is exposed to heat, dishes are prepared in no time at all.Chinese food is considered light and fresh. Sauces and various flavors and aromas help to fine-tune the taste of Chinese food. Chinese dishes are light and fresh and Chinese restaurants are very popular internationally.Because fuel was also a rare resource in Italy, Italian cooking, similarly to Chinese, relies on the fast and efficient exposure of ingredients to heat. The main ingredient of Italian cuisine is pasta, to which small pieces of meat, rice, corn, and tomatoes are added.In the beginning, French cuisine involved too many spices and was heavy. This was changed by Catherine de M~dici, a French Queen, born in Italy. In 1534 she came to France, together with a crowd of Florentine chefs and bakers. They introduced new equipment that revolutionized French cooking and set new standards all over Western Europe.Today it is very different. We can expect to find everything mentioned above and much more besides in most cities in the developed world. When next you find yourself spoilt for choice, think of those earlier gourmets who would be amazed at your good fortune!David Owenforth is the Operator of
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10 Wide Open Tips For Food Safety In The Great Outdoors-Tips
10 Wide Open Tips For Food Safety In The Great Outdoors
Hiking, camping, and boating are good activities for active
people and families. However, if the food isn't handled
correctly, food-borne illness can be an unwelcome souvenir.1. Choose foods that are light enough to carry in a backpack
and that can be transported safely. Keep foods either hot or
cold. Since it's difficult to keep foods hot without a heat
source, it's best to transport chilled foods. Refrigerate or
freeze the food overnight. What foods to bring? For a day
hike, just about anything will do as long as you can fit it
in your backpack and keep it cold -- sandwiches, fried
chicken, bread and cheese, and even salads -- or choose non-
perishable foods.2. Keep everything clean. Remember to bring disposable wipes
if you're taking a day trip. (Water is too heavy to bring
enough for cleaning dishes!)3. It's not a good idea to depend on fresh water from a
lake or stream for drinking, no matter how clean it appears.
Some pathogens thrive in remote mountain lakes or streams
and there's no way to know what might have fallen into the
water upstream. Bring bottled or tap water for drinking.
Always start out with a full water bottle and replenish your
supply from tested public systems when possible. On long
trips you can find water in streams, lakes, and springs, but
be sure to purify any water from the wild, no matter how
clean it appears.4. If you're backpacking for more than a day, the food
situation gets a little more complicated. You can still
bring cold foods for the first day, but you'll have to pack
shelf-stable items for the next day. Canned goods are safe,
but heavy, so plan your menu carefully. Advances in food
technology have produced relatively lightweight staples that
don't need refrigeration or careful packaging. For example:
peanut butter in plastic jars
concentrated juice boxes
canned tuna, ham, chicken, and beef
dried noodles and soups
beef jerky and other dried meats
dehydrated foods
dried fruits and nuts
powdered milk and fruit drinks
5. If you're cooking meat or poultry on a portable stove or
over a fire, you'll need a way to determine when it's done
and safe to eat. Color is not a reliable indicator of
doneness, and it can be especially tricky to tell the color
of a food if you're cooking in a wooded area in the evening.
It's critical to use a food thermometer when cooking
hamburgers. Ground beef may be contaminated with E. coli, a
particularly dangerous strain of bacteria. Illnesses have
occurred even when ground beef patties were cooked until
there was no visible pink. The only way to insure that
ground beef patties are safely cooked is to use a food
thermometer, and cook the patty until it reaches 160