Free Online Cooking Recipes

Nothing can be more satisfying than making your own applesauce and enjoying it. A typical applesauce usually
lasts in the bottle for a good 2 to 3 years without any preservative, and it so very easy to make.

Ingredients for basic homemade apple sauce

The ingredients for a basic homemade applesauce include apples, cinnamon, and depending on the sweetness of your apples, a little bit of sugar. With very ripe or sweet apples, no sugar is needed. If you prefer to use sour apple, be prepared to use a lot of sugar. A good tip when buying apples is to look for overripe ones. These usually need no additional sugar. You can buy your apples straight from apple orchards and choose "seconds," "culls," or "drops," apples that are irregular in shape and appearance with a few imperfections. Most orchards sell these apples at half the price, letting you save some money.

Storing your homemade applesauce

You store your homemade applesauce in bell jars. You use the jars for processing the applesauce in the water bath and for storage as well. For applesauce that will be consumed within the week, you can place the sauce in Ziploc bags before popping them into the freezer. No matter what container you use, make sure it is airtight before you freeze them.

Applesauce is a great accent to certain dishes. It is very cheap and easy to make. As long as your container is airtight, you can enjoy your applesauce for days, weeks, months, and even two to three years.

Cooking is an enjoyable activity, but there are times when you have other things to do and need to hurry up your time in the kitchen. Here are a few tips that can help you do s:.

Planning your meals

Planning your meals is a time-proven trick to help speed up your time in the kitchen. By planning your meals, you know what to get when grocery shopping and can prepare ingredients in a matter of minutes. This prevents you from wasting time thinking about what you are going to make for that day. You can go the extra mile and prepare the basic ingredients and store them in separate containers so all you need to do is open them up and cook. Others prefer pre-cooking meals and storing them in airtight containers in the fridge so all you need to do later on is reheat.

Preparing your favorite drinks in big pitchers

Preparing drinks is not very time-consuming, but preparing drinks in big pitchers will save you time in making multiple drinks in smaller pitches. This way, you do not run out of drinks too fast and get to enjoy your meal or the company of visitors more.

Making a few preparations well in advance can save a lot of time you need to spend in the kitchen. From simple list making to precooking meals, as well as making bigger batches of meals and drinks so you want have to refill too often, these tips can help you enjoy your time outside the kitchen.

Cooking food requires a number of precautions and safety tips. These must be kept in mind to ensure proper nutrition for you and your family. Basic rules include washing your hands often and using separate cutting boards for raw meats and poultry.

Food safety: cooking at the right temperature

Aside from the obvious cooking precautions, one must also cook the food at the right temperature. Ground meats need to be cooked at 160°F while beef, lamb, roasts, and veal at 145°F. Whole poultry must reach a high of 180°F for its thigh and 170°F for the breast. Hot foods should be maintained above 140°F and cold foods below 40°F.

Food safety: diseases that can come from contaminated food

The common food-borne diseases and infections include vomiting, diarrhea, fever, headache, and cramps. Vomiting is commonly caused by bacteria such as staphylococcus aureus and bacillus cureus. An extreme threat, listeriosis bacteria cause fever, diarrhea, headache, constipation and meningitis.

All these symptoms indicate that we should be very careful in cooking our food. Unsafe practices will lead to disastrous and unhealthy results. The said symptoms may even get worse without immediate treatment. The basic food safety practices only entail common sense. Keep these in mind and you won’t have to worry about health problems.

Before learning how to cook, you should have a complete set of the most basic cooking equipment in your home. This way, when you see a recipe you like, you can just buy some ingredients and you are good to go.

Basic cooking tools for frying

When deep frying, you need a heavy skillet that is deep enough to contain the oil needed. You also need a frying rack, especially for industrial cooking. If you just need to stir fry foods, a simple frying pan will do. You will also need something to stir or flip what you are frying. One such tool is a spatula. You may also consider using a tong, depending on the food being fried.

Basic cooking tools for steaming

Steaming is a healthier cooking technique than frying. A steam pot is enough for you to start steaming some food.

Basic cooking tools for sauteing

There is a sautee pan, especially made for this cooking technique. It stands straight instead of sloped like a skillet. A sautee pan is about two to three inches high. You will need a cooking equipment to stir your food, as well. You can use a tong or a spatula.

There are many other cooking equipment out there, each of them making every cooking technique much more easier.

Deep frying produces fatty but often delicious foods. This cooking technique is popularly used in Asian cooking. It entails having food immersed in hot oil. Though food is immersed in a form of liquid, deep frying is still considered dry cooking as no water is used. The cooking technique is also popular in fast food restaurants because of its ability to cook dishes quickly.

How do you deep fry food?

Use a heavy skillet with enough space and depth for frying with a few inches of oil. There must be two inches allowances from the oil’s top level to the rim of the skillet. This is to keep you safe from scalding bubbles. Heat the oil from 350 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the oil is ready, add in dry food. If the food has some coating, allow it to dry first before putting into the oil by placing it on a rack. When your food is already brown, it is cooked.

Examples of deep fried dishes

Deep fried dishes include burger patties, French fries, banana chips, and fried chicken. There are a lot more samples from the fast food world and from Asian cooking.

Deep frying may produce fatty foods but because it's a quick cooking technique, it is still widely used.

When someone feels sick or is just plain sad, chicken soup serves as a picker-upper. That is how chicken soup is thought of, anyway. There are even a series of inspirational books based on the chicken soup-as-picker-upper concept.

Ingredients for basic chicken soup

Before going on to cook chicken soup, you should prepare the basic ingredients. You will need chicken, of course both for the broth and the meat. You will also need a large onion, carrots, some celery, and water. Add some salt and pepper for added zest in the flavor. Chicken bouillon granules may also add to the taste. Water is another obvious ingredient.

How to prepare chicken soup

Put your chicken and vegetables in cold water. Heat the ingredients with the pot open. Simmer until the chicken meat separates from the bones. Strain the broth and put in a separate container. Add the salt, pepper, and granules to the broth. Chop the meat, vegetables, and onion. Put these solid pieces back to the broth and stir.

You may also add in herbs with distinctive flavors, such as bay leaf, parsley, sage, and thyme. For those who are not squeamish, chicken feet can add flavor.

Everybody loves chocolates. It's the happy hormone that makes us feel good. I remember when I'm sad or depressed, I usually eat a lot of sweet pastries. Every Sunday, my nieces and nephews visit me at my house. Usually, I prepare a lot of cookies and cakes since they love it. Last Sunday, when they visited me, I cooked Coconut Butter Cookies for them. I learned this recipe from Gale Grand, a famous American chef. I love this recipe because it's easy and delicious. In fact, it's even yummier than Polipetti in Salsa di Pomodoro.

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon dark rum
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut, toasted
Scant 2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

The first thing you have to do is whip the butter in a mixer until it's fluffy and light. Then put the sugar next and whip it continuously. Place the rum and vanilla next and mix it. Next, place the coconut, flour, and salt. Don't forget to add butter mixture and mix them until it's fully blended. The next step is to get a small sheet pan and butter it, preferably 9 x 12 inch. Insert the plastic on all it's sides. The next step is to spread evenly the dough in the pan, cover it and let it freeze. After that cut the frozen dough into two-inch strips and roll it in flour. Then wrap and freeze it again. Afterwards, cut it into 1/8-inch bars and put on a parchment. Then you're ready to bake it for thirty minutes at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. If it's crispy already, it's ready to serve.

Last Sunday, my parents surprised me by visiting without telling me. I was working in my new laptop computer when I heard a knock. I thought it was the homeowners association who collects money for donation. When I opened the door, I saw two familiar faces, my papa and mama. I miss them very much. Working in the big city really keeps me busy that's why I don't have any time to visit them at all. Since this is a special moment, I decided to cook up a Barbecued Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps that I saw in Rachel Ray's Thirty Minute Meals. It's easy, delicious, and perfect for lunch.

2 cups, 4 handfuls, fresh shiitake mushrooms
1 1/3 to 1 1/2 pounds thin cut chicken breast or chicken tenders
2 tablespoons light colored oil, such as vegetable oil or peanut oil
Coarse salt and coarse black pepper
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 inch ginger root, finely chopped or grated, optional
1 orange, zested
1/2 red bell pepper, diced small
1 small tin, 6 to 8 ounces, sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 scallions, chopped
3 tablespoons hoisin, Chinese barbecue sauce, available on Asian foods aisle of market
1/2 large head iceberg lettuce, core removed, head quartered
Wedges of navel orange -- platter garnish

In preparing Barbecued Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps, you have to get rid of the hard stems of mushrooms and brush it with a wet towel. Then you have to slice the mushrooms and chicken into small pieces. While chopping, you can preheat your skillet. After that, add oil in the pan followed by the chicken. Fry the chicken for one to two minutes. Put the salt, pepper, water chestnuts, and scallions. Stir fry this for one minute. Then add the hoisin Chinese barbecue sauce and toss it to spread the sauce. In a big platter, arrange the crisp lettuce along with oranges for decoration then put the chicken in the middle of the platter. You can eat this by filling the lettuce and orange with the chicken.

I love adventures in food and cooking. I always want to taste new food and new flavors traveling down my throat. Whenever I run out of ideas, I always check on the dsl broadband internet at home for recipes. This week, I decided to prepare a Scrunchy Sweet and Sour Chicken, which takes only twenty minutes to cook. This meal is very delicious since you can feel the texture of the skin mixed with sweet and sour flavors.

Ingredients:
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp cornstarch
salt and ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cubed
vegetable oil

1 onion, sliced
1 small red pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small orange pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 lb can pineapple cubes in natural juice
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
handful of fresh cilantro leaves, to garnish

First, you have to make a cornstarch mixture by combining egg yolks with one tablespoon of water, salt, and cornstarch. In a deep frying pan, heat two inches of oil then put the chicken marinated in the cornstarch mixture. Fry it until crisp. Then in a pan, fry the peppers and onion for three minutes. Then add the cubed pineapples in the pan and fry it for two minutes. Now, to form paste, mix the cornstarch and little pineapple juice. The paste will be stirred in some pineapple juice. Ketchup, vinegar, half cup of water, and soy sauce should be added to the paste mixture. Place the said mixture in a pan then wait until it boils. Keep stirring it to thicken the mixture. Add and stir the chicken into the mixture and let it simmer for five minutes.

Cooking a smoky fish recipe is one thing, but grilling it without ruining the skin is another. In fact, the trouble with fish-grilling arises when I've just set up the Hibachi with the right amount of coal, with the vents keeping the constant flow of air inside, but the heat becomes uneven in a span of thirty minutes or so. I'd grit my teeth in frustration when the skin gets stuck on the parallel wires. Also, there's the potential of burning the lower area of the salmon and leaving the upper side raw.

I thought I learned from mistake, or maybe it was just some well-groomed French chef back at cooking school who taught me tricks to maintain the heat level so as not to burn the salmon when being grilled. Actually, what he did was check the coals time and again. In some tropical areas I've been to, they wrap the fish in aluminum tin foil or banana leaves. Since these aren't always available, the French chef, in his faltering English, demonstrated to me how he positioned the fish away on the opposite side where the coal lumps are placed.

Somehow, I never thought my Hibachi would be too small for this salmon grill trick to work out. He showed me eventually how to put an improvised insulator such as an aluminum pan right over the grill, while putting another mesh or fish grill above it. If this still sounds inconvenient, he asked me to baste the salmon with lemon juice while rotating the Hibachi time and again. At the rate I'm going, I told him, I'd probably be finished in five hours!

There is no greater relief than roasting pans or any cookware that's easy to wash after a greasy meal. Also, the dishwasher must be able to handle this pan as soon as cooking is over. Some cookware just don't make it to the convenient list. If the food tends to taste different in time, it's probably the chemicals that got corroded in the cookware material. There's also cooking time factor, as some foods take more time to cook when, for example, you're cooking with a glass pot.

I haven't made the slightest effort to check out the effect of aluminum and copper pans in my kitchen until my sauces tasted a little tangy and sour. Soon, I switched to anodyzed aluminum and I got rid of those made of copper. Also, I've decided to use stainless steel pans even if they took longer time to cook. If I want my dinners microwaved, there's no better deal than porcelain enamel and glass to nuke.

My visit to an old relative who lives in some South American jungle (this is true) has given me a better perspective towards the choice of cookware. I wonder if we've just been a little too paranoid here in America, since we think all foods can get contaminated if we don't watch out. In Peru, I had a lunch of creamy fish stew cooked in glazed clay pots. Some of them haven't been washed thoroughly. Did I puke? Of course not. Elsewhere in the world, there's always another way to treat grubs being cooked in pans. And it's not dirty in their eyes.

My cousin's four-year-old daughter came home from nursery school one time and did something nice. "Nice" meant volunteering to help me wash the dishes after a hearty Shrimp Scampi and broiled tuna meal - something I could do with eyes closed. Indeed, she asked me to close my eyes while she deposited the dirty plates and cutlery one by one on the dishwasher. What I did was actually nod off on the kitchen table for fifteen minutes. When I woke up, the dishwasher was bleeding.

Was it such a terrible thing to put the knives in the dishwasher? Especially, dammit, if they were Chroma knives! These cutlery knives were imported from Japan, and they were awesome looking. I couldn't imagine anyone putting the sharp-bladed kitchen masterpieces in the spinning washer. The Chroma knives are the sharpest and strongest steel knives my sister has owned. They weren't supposed to be put in the dishwasher, as despite being sharpened only every once in a while, they maintain their strictly-for-gourmet-chefs edge.

The rascal didn't know any better. The good thing - she didn't cut herself. The ugly thing - the Chrome knives could have dulled their edges. But I trust that since they're made of high-grade quality steel, them undergoing the dishwasher ordeal won't be noticed by my sister when she chops her next pork loin. I taught the little girl to stop messing around in the kitchen. The Chroma cutlery knives, I told her, should be washed with warm water and stored on rack nicely.

I had imagined cooking courses could take forever. Yeah, well, if it's your lifetime passion, learning cooking recipes is surely something you would indulge in eternally. My eternal desire to learn begins at about the time I descend from the airport ledge to the time I step up again, to go back to the US and "eat". Note that I didn't mention the time it took for me to learn. I was dying to show off to my family what I learned in Tuscany for three days.

Agriturismo Macea looked like any ordinary kitchen and picnic area where lots of Italian folks huddle to teach and learn about exotic Italian dishes. Basically, I won't call it a real cooking course, since all we did was prepare and cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner and then eat them afterwards. But the rapport with both the food and the hungry Italians are really beyond the lessons I've learned. The course speaks of the fancy Italian region, reflects the history and gustatory tendencies of the natives, and reminds me I need to broaden my taste buds' horizons.

That's what a cooking course is supposed to teach me. It's not just about the food, or the exact ingredients which I list down on a Mario Battali Lifestyle Network show. It's how the food affects people and changes attitudes towards the art of preparing food. I learned all of these at the 3-Day Tuscany Cookery course. Some of these hands-on Italian courses come on discounts, but I don't mind if I don't get one at Tuscany cookery. I brought the love-for-food lessons with me back home.