|
|
Fried Rice is Nice
Setting the Table for Romance
Men and women have used food to aid in romance since the beginning of time; of course a caveman set his rock a little differently than a modern man would set the table!
This is something that women seem to know instinctively, while for men it can be a major problem.
A romantic meal can be any type of meal, from a picnic on the beach, (watch out for the sand) to a candle light dinner at home, choose wisely, it can set the tone for the entire relationship!
Perhaps your partner likes to be out doors? If so the picnic can be a wonderful idea, if it is at the beach, plan a bonfire (make sure this is legal) in the evening when there are less people around, the beach can be very romantic on a moon lit night.
A picnic at a favorite spot in the country can also be very romantic, just be prepared for any contingency, remember the saying the best laid plans of mice and men.
The weather can be the biggest problem when it comes to picnics, have a backup plan in case of rain. Assuming the relationship has gone from dinner and a movie, to dinner at your house, how do I get ready for that?
Being able to cook is a really good beginning, even though there are many places that you can buy food, and take it home.
Whatever direction you take, make sure it is food that your partner would like to eat.
While hamburgers or fried chicken are great, they arent necessarily the most romantic of foods! However, atmosphere, including candlelight, music and real dishes (instead of paper plates) can make any meal romantic.
Use your imagination, be aware of your partners likes and dislikes, make a plan, and be prepared to change that plan if necessary.
Your romantic dinner for two can be a great way to take the relationship to the next level.
See Also:
Fundraising cookbooks, Cookbook publishing, Church fundraising, School fundraising, Personalized cookbook ...
Ice Cream the Old Way
The History of the Fry Pan
The ancient Mesopotamians used copper frying pans; they were also available in Greek and Roman kitchens.
To the Greeks they were know as Teganon and the Romans called them patella, patella is used in its modern form in Spanish and is translated as paella and in Italian as padella.
Regardless of the name, they are all frying pans! Frying pans were originally deep like modern sauce pans, in North America they are also referred to as skillets.
In England and America fry pans with legs were commonly called spiders, and were used for open hearth cooking.
Little change was made in the fry pan for many years, they had broad shallow bodies and long handles to keep the cooks hand from being burned by the fire.
The first use of the word fry pan was in 1382 when it was used in the translation of the Vulgate Bible by John Wycliffe, other than that, the term fry pan is infrequently used prior to the 1950s.
Frying pans were typically made of cast iron, and even though cast iron is still in use, mostly for outdoor cooking, most pans today are made of aluminum or stainless steel.
Often frying pans are coated with Teflon for a non-stick surface; this does not apply to cast iron, which develops a non stick surface when it is seasoned.
The largest fry pan in the world was created by Mumford Sheet Metal Works in 1950 for the Delmarva Chicken Festival; they fried over one hundred tons of chicken in it before it was retired in 1998.
It measures 10 feet in diameter, which is 4 inches bigger than the previous 9.6 ft Washington fry pan built in 1941 for the Washington Clam Festival.
Considered a luxury because of the high cost of electricity at the time, frying pans were one of the first items to be electrified.
In 1898 Britain an element fitted below the pan, with the socket at the end of a wooden handle. They never gained popularity even when electricity became a normal part of everyday life. |
|
More articles:
Cooking with Teflon®, carefree cooking and cookware
Leftovers Fall to Blazers
Maui Luau Best Maui Luaus in Maui Best Luaus in Maui Hawaii Sunset ...
Price of Coffee vs Price of Petrol
Far Away Foods - Pastas
Quick Healthy Snacks
Outdoor Cooking
One of the most difficult things to learn about outdoor cooking is timing and heat control, this usually takes years of experience.
However, the beginner can use the counting method as a learning tool. After the briquettes have turned gray, (this is ash) then arrange the coals in the grill. Knock the gray off the briquettes,
it acts as insulation and the fire isnt as hot as it should be. Hold your hand over the coals at the same distance as the food you are going to cook, slowly count 1 barbecue 2 barbecue and so on, until you have to remove your hand, a count of three is medium heat.
To reduce the heat, remove some briquettes or cook the food further away from the coals, adding briquettes or moving the food closer to the fire will increase the heat.
Remember to tap the ash off the briquettes often to maintain your heat.
Other considerations in cooking your food are:
*Temperature:Cool temperatures and wind cool the food and slow cooking time.
*Humidity: charcoal absorbs moisture from the air and cooks slower on a damp day.
*Food temperature: colder food slows the cooking time.
Even the most experienced outdoor chef has to deal with flame-ups, as meat cooks the fats drip onto the coals causing flame ups.
To minimize this, trim as much fat off the meat as possible prior to cooking. A small spray bottle will help put these out, but dont drench the coals; it slows your cooking time, just spray enough to put out the flames.
Be sure to remove the meat before you spray the flames with water!
To get that great smoked taste, soak hickory wood chips in water, place the chips around the edges of the fire so they smoke rather than burn.
If they start to burn, remove them and soak again in water. If you like a heavy smoke flavor, reduce the heat and cook food longer, place the lid on the barbecue if it has one.
A little trick I learned about cleanup is to wad up aluminum foil and scrub the grill with it, this works great if you dont have the proper tools for cleaning.
Enjoy your barbecue along with friends and family, cookouts are fun for many occasions.
Related Topics: The Basics of Spices,
Thanksgiving Day Feasts, Refrigerator and Freezer-Approximate Storage Times
|