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Selecting Backpacking Cookware

Thursday, December 27th, 2007 by The Cooking Guy

Going on a backpacking trip? There’s several things you’re going to need. One area that often gets overlooked is the need for backpacking cookware. Many trail foods are packed dry and do not need any preparation, but eventually, you’re going to want to cook something. The challenge is trying to find the backpacking cookware that best fits your needs among the many options available.

Aluminum cookware
Aluminum is a metal that is generally very lightweight. For this reason, it was the logical choice for backpacking cookware for many years. However, due to it being so lightweight, it is also not very durable, so it will need replaced if used frequently. Unless it has some type of coating, food sticks to it, making it very hard to clean as well. Another disadvantage of aluminum is that, over time, it begins to break down and leach into the foods you cook. This will not only affect the taste, but poses potential health risks as well.

Trangia 25-1 Stove & Cookware Set

Stainless Steel Cookware
Stainless steel is another material often used for backpacking cookware. It’s a bit heavier than aluminum, making it more durable as well. The major drawback to stainless steel is that it doesn’t distribute heat as well as some other materials. This means that your food may not be cooked as evenly as it should.

Titanium Cookware
Titanium is a material that is growing in popularity for use in cookware. It has many characteristics that make it ideal for backpacking cookware. It is very lightweight while maintaining it’s durability at the same time. It’s also quite efficient as far as heat distribution is concerned. Titanium is also non-porous, which makes it a natural non-stick material. At first glance, titanium seems like the perfect material for backpacking cookware, but like anything else, it has one major downside. Titanium is among the most expensive cookware you can buy. For the avid hiker, this probably doesn’t matter, but the average Joe isn’t going to invest that kind of money for a few trips each year.

In addition to the material, there are several other factors to consider when purchasing backpacking cookware. The size and shape should be considered since you are going to have to carry this equipment many miles on your back. Things such as folding handles will make it much easier to pack. The shape of your pots is important as well. Some shapes are easier to clean and distribute heat better than others. Consider how often you will be using it and what your personal preferences are, and you should be able to find the right backpacking cookware for you.

American Gourmet Foods

Sunday, December 23rd, 2007 by The Cooking Guy

When most people think of gourmet foods, they think of the wonderful restaurants located in France. However, American chefs have come up with their own versions of American gourmet foods.  Many of them can be made at home if you have some ability in the kitchen and a grocery store in the area that carries specialized food items.

Dinner Suggestions
Your dinner guests will be delighted when you serve them King salmon, seared in a pan accompanied with blood orange vinaigrette. The vinaigrette was chosen due to its acidity which offsets the salmon’s sweet flavor. The combination of colors will be quite pleasing to your guests. If you plan to serve fish at your dinner party you might want to consider a grilled fish accompanied by a nectarine mint sauce.

Chef Adam Perry Lang, located in New York, has come up with clever American style gourmet food consisting of barbecued pork shoulder and tasty grilled peaches. The flavor combination of the pork with the peaches is scrumptious and will leave you wanting more. There are numerous ingredients that are required, but the meal is worth the effort.

Cory Schreiber, a chef located in Portland Oregon has created wonderful American style gourmet food consisting of roasted Cornish hen with sautéed garlic and tasty fresh blueberries. It sounds fancy, but it is actually relatively easy to make.

If you would prefer to impress your guests with American gourmet food which has a southwestern flavor, you might want to try a raspberry and chile glazed chicken roulade. The dish looks classy and tastes wonderful.

Desserts
Delight your dinner guests with a wonderful strawberry baked Alaska. The recipe was created by Mindy Segal, located in Chicago, and although the recipe appears to be complicated she has broken it up into a series of easy to follw instructions.

If you are ambitious you might want to try and create a chocolate lava cake which is provided with a chery sauce as well as vanilla ice cream. The middle of the cake is filled with a liquidly chocolate which seeps out of the cake while you slice it.

If you want to serve a scrumptious cheesecake consider a pomegranate banana cheesecake that comes with a chocolate crust. The ingredients in this particular cheesecake combine to make a wonderful flavor. Next time you are having a dinner party and you want to impress your guests there are a variety of American gourmet food recipes that are available on the internet that will help you make a wonderful meal.

All Clad Cookware– Quality Cookware You Can Trust

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007 by The Cooking Guy

All Clad cookware is a well-established brand for the last thirty odd years. When John Ulam, a metallurgist and founder of All-Clad cookware started his company over thirty fives years ago, his strategy was to combine different types of metals to create cookware that gave a superior performance when compared to single metal cookware products that were prevalent at the time of his creations.

All Clad has always been known for its classic design and excellent performance. Even now their cookware is inspected by hand at all the stages of the manufacturing process. The expert metallurgists who are involved in the production of All-Clad cookware use their own specifications when designing the metal formulations that are utilized in producing the cookware.

All-Clad claims they put more emphasis on cooking capability than quick and easy manufacturing when formulating the metals used in their products. They are pleased to mention that their products are manufactured with strict environmental standards. They proudly mention that performance is their most important priority and they will never lower their standards of quality.

All-Clad for Chefs and the Public
All Clad cookware was designed for professional chefs but after it became available to the public it became one of the most popular and respected cookware products available on the market. Most of the cookware products are made with a special triple-ply construction which is excellent at distributing heat evenly which is important for chefs and cooks at home.
All Clad has become very popular due to its sturdy construction, including the handles, its excellent distribution of heat and its lifetime warranty against defects due to improper manufacturing. Some people are willing to pay the high price for All-Clad cookware primarily because it looks classy and professional. All-Clad is found in some of the top restaurants all over the world.

Varieties of All-Clad Cookware 
All-Clad stainless products are made with a five-ply stainless steel construction which contains an aluminum core. This type of construction provides All-Clad cookware with even heating and allows the pan to be heated up quicker when compared to most pans available on the market.

The Copper Core selection utilizes copper and stainless steel to give you the cooking advantages of copper and the combination of the copper and stainless steel provide the pans with a an attractive, classy appearance.  The All-Clad LTD variety also utilizes three layers of metal and has a beautiful appearance due to the black exterior and the stainless steel handles.

The Cop R Chef style of All Clad cookware is preferred by many professional chefs. The aluminum core of their pans is combined with an outer layer made from copper which provides the heat conduction that pleases the professional chefs. The stainless steel interior is preferred by some chefs for contact with food ingredients. If you are looking for quality cookware you might want to consider All-Clad cookware.

Enamel Cast Iron Cookware

Sunday, December 16th, 2007 by The Cooking Guy

Enamel cast iron cookware has been around for the last three hundred years. Although enameled cast iron cookware has somehow lost its popularity with more cookware made with new metal alloys, it still has some ardent fans and is still sold today especially in the form of Dutch ovens.

Makers of cast iron pots and pans began to place a coating of enamel on them to prevent the iron from rusting. Seasoning of iron skillets is no longer necessary if they have the enamel coating. The enamel coating allows for easy cleaning and provides very attractive bright colors for the cast iron cookware.

There are a variety of brands to choose from and some of the more popular brands include Staub (made in France), John Wright, Le Creuset (made in France), Mario Batali, Daniel Boulud Kitchen and Calphalon. Some people prefer cast iron cookware due to its ability to retain heat as well as to redistributing the heat for a long time. Cast iron cookware is also an excellent choice for those who prefer to use a slow cooking method.

Staub Enameled Cast Iron Cookware
Staub is used by professional chefs all over the world. Staub enamel cast iron cookware is designed with spikes on the interior portion of the lids which provide a self-basting action. They come with a black matte enamel interior. They are constructed to resist rusting and discoloring. They are chip resistant and the more you use your Staub enameled cast iron cookware the better it cooks. After you place some oil in the cookware the oil is able to penetrate the matte enamel and forms a smooth non-stick surface.

Calphalon Enamel Cast Iron Cookware
Their enamel cast iron cookware is excellent for the oven as well as the stovetop. The cookware comes with dome shaped lids which include dimples designed on the interiors of the lids which provide a redistribution of important moisture to your foods while they are being cooked. This collection of Calphalon cookware looks great on your dinner table and keeps your food warm. They also were designed with large handles to make maneuvering them easier.

Calphalon enameled cast iron cookware comes in a variety of beautiful colors and elegant and attractive designs. The enamel is considered to be a porcelain enamel and is resistant to chipping as well as scratching. The cookware comes in cabernet, custard and chive colors. If you are looking for enameled cast iron cookware there are several quality brands available.

The Good and Bad Of Copper Cookware

Sunday, December 16th, 2007 by The Cooking Guy

When buying your cookware, you should consider the following:

• what type of cooking you will be doing,
• what is your personal preferences and tastes
• how do you want your cookware to be like- decorative, functional or both

With the wide variety that is available today, cost is another major factor in this decision. One of the more popular options for home and gourmet cooks alike is copper cookware. As popular as it is, it still has some drawbacks that you should be aware of. Here is a look at some advantages and disadvantages of copper cookware.
The Pros
The main reason that copper cookware is such a popular choice is it’s unrivaled heat conductivity. This is an advantage for a number of reasons. A copper pan will heat up quite quickly, which drastically reduces cooking times. This makes it very useful in restaurant settings, where meals must be prepared in a timely manner. This conductivity also allows for more precise cooking. If you adjust the heat on your burners, the temperature of the pan will respond almost immediately.

Revere Copper Clad 9-Piece Cookware Set

Another reason people are drawn to copper cookware is the fact that, if it’s cared for properly, it is quite attractive. Often, you will see copper pots and pans displayed as decorations when they are not in use. There’s no denying the beauty and shine of copper cookware.

The Cons
Even with it’s superior heat conductivity and precision in cooking, copper cookware is lacking in some other areas. Copper is softer and not as strong as some other metals, such as stainless steel. Thus it is very vulnerable to scratching and warping under high temperatures.

Another problem with copper cookware is tarnishing, when used frequently for acidic foods. Copper can also leach into whatever you’re cooking, affecting the taste and possibly introducing harmful toxins into your food. Caring for your copper cookware can be a bit of a hassle as well since it is not dishwasher safe. You’ll also need to polish it frequently to prevent corrosion and maintain the beautiful look. The last, and often the deciding disadvantage, is that copper is among the most expensive types of cookware on the market.

Whether or not you decide to purchase copper cookware is going to depend on your specific needs. If looks are not that important to you and you’re not going to be doing much precision cooking, then the investment is probably not worth it.

The Good and Bad Of Copper Cookware

Sunday, December 16th, 2007 by The Cooking Guy

When buying your cookware, you should consider the following:

• what type of cooking you will be doing,
• what is your personal preferences and tastes
• how do you want your cookware to be like- decorative, functional or both

With the wide variety that is available today, cost is another major factor in this decision. One of the more popular options for home and gourmet cooks alike is copper cookware. As popular as it is, it still has some drawbacks that you should be aware of. Here is a look at some advantages and disadvantages of copper cookware.
The Pros
The main reason that copper cookware is such a popular choice is it’s unrivaled heat conductivity. This is an advantage for a number of reasons. A copper pan will heat up quite quickly, which drastically reduces cooking times. This makes it very useful in restaurant settings, where meals must be prepared in a timely manner. This conductivity also allows for more precise cooking. If you adjust the heat on your burners, the temperature of the pan will respond almost immediately.

Revere Copper Clad 9-Piece Cookware Set

Another reason people are drawn to copper cookware is the fact that, if it’s cared for properly, it is quite attractive. Often, you will see copper pots and pans displayed as decorations when they are not in use. There’s no denying the beauty and shine of copper cookware.

The Cons
Even with it’s superior heat conductivity and precision in cooking, copper cookware is lacking in some other areas. Copper is softer and not as strong as some other metals, such as stainless steel. Thus it is very vulnerable to scratching and warping under high temperatures.

Another problem with copper cookware is tarnishing, when used frequently for acidic foods. Copper can also leach into whatever you’re cooking, affecting the taste and possibly introducing harmful toxins into your food. Caring for your copper cookware can be a bit of a hassle as well since it is not dishwasher safe. You’ll also need to polish it frequently to prevent corrosion and maintain the beautiful look. The last, and often the deciding disadvantage, is that copper is among the most expensive types of cookware on the market.

Whether or not you decide to purchase copper cookware is going to depend on your specific needs. If looks are not that important to you and you’re not going to be doing much precision cooking, then the investment is probably not worth it.

Beef-Topped Bean Enchiladas Recipe

Saturday, December 15th, 2007 by The Cooking Guy

I have the best Beef-Topped Bean Enchilada recipe that will have your family asking for more.  This recipe is a perfect a freeze-ahead meal. 

Here is what you will need to get started on a dish I’m sure your family will love!
Enchiladas
Ingredients:

• 6-8 flour tortillas (you can adjust the number to fit your family)
• 1 can refried beans
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese (or you could use Monterey Jack or a combo of both)

Steps:
Spread each flour tortilla with a couple of Tablespoons of refried beans and sprinkle with cheese. Roll up and place in plastic freezer bag.

Beef topping:
Ingredients:
Brown following in a sauté pan:

• 1 lb hamburger
• 1 medium onion, chopped

Steps:   
Drain meat, and then add:
16 oz salsa (or less if preferred)
1- 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1-2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp garlic salt

Heat together for two or three minutes and then cool and package in a freezer plastic bag.

To Serve
If frozen, thaw enchiladas and beef topping.  Once they are thawed, place the enchiladas in a sprayed pan and top with the beef topping and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Bake on 375 for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly.

To make a wonderful addition to your enchilada, top with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and sour cream.

Kid Friendly Recipes

Saturday, December 15th, 2007 by The Cooking Guy

We all know that some kids are very picky when it comes to eating.  Many of them feel that healthy food is just not for them.  Know any kids like that?  I didn’t think so.  Here are some great tips and ideas that will get your kids excited about what they are eating.

Being Creative
Kids love to be creative.  They also like to be involved.  Letting them help plan and yes even help prepare the meals will get them excited about the food they are eating.  Kids love choices, and if they feel they get a choice, they are more likely to eat or try new things.

Recipes
There are many great Kid-Friendly recipes as well as creative ways to prepare healthy and delicious foods.  Kids love food that is interesting to them.  Most kids love pizza right?  Many will even eat it with a few vegetables mixed in.  Make individual pizza using refrigerator biscuits or English muffins.

Find food that they can help create and assemble.  They will love foods they can personalize and make it their own way, even if it is a simple bowl of tomato soup.  Have different bowls of crackers, cheeses or pepperoni they can throw in their bowl.

Choose recipes that are appealing.  Most kids love French fries right?  Why not fix up some healthy sweet potato fries or chicken strips using wheat germ as the crust with a healthy dipping sauce.

Shapes
Another great idea is making shapes out of your food.  The possibilities are endless.

Using a cookie cutter or using your own art skills cut a shape out of their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or chicken nuggets or virtually anything that can be shaped.  Pancakes also make great shapes.

Animal and Bug Shapes
There are a lot of different ways to take fruit and even vegetables and make them into bug or animal shapes.  For example, use an apple slice to make a lady bug.  Use peanut butter as the glue and put raisins on the dots to make the spots.  Ants on a log are another fun idea.  Take celery and fill it will peanut butter and dot the inside with raisins.  With a little creativity, your kids are more likely to eat their fruits and vegetables.

Disguises
A little bit of food coloring makes a perfect disguise.   Add a drop or two to mashed potatoes and throw in small bits of broccoli and they won’t even know they are eating vegetables.  Again, kids love foods that are interesting to them.

Other easy and tasty dishes would be lasagna or spaghetti with shredded carrots or finely chopped broccoli.

Drinks
Every kid loves something they can sip on.  A great way for them to get extra calcium and fruit is to make smoothies or milkshakes.  Let them choose the fruits that sound good to them.  You can also add small amounts of fresh vegetables to the drink without clouding the fruity taste.  They might not ever notice that you’ve added something to their drink!

Many processed fruit drinks have a lot of added sugar.  Find juices that are 100% fruit or vegetable juice.  For a tasty frozen treat, you could make homemade freezer pops using the smoothie mix or fruit juices.

Yes, it does require a little creativity and maybe even a little disguise, but helping your children eat healthy is worth the effort.

Freezer Cooking

Friday, December 14th, 2007 by The Cooking Guy

For those of you who are super busy and don’t have time to make dinner each night, freezer cooking is for you.  It is a great way to get a delicious, nutritious and fast meal on the table.  Freezer cooking is not only for busy moms and dads, but for anyone who likes to plan ahead, shop for deals or wants a little extra free time in the evenings.

There are many general freezer cooking guidelines.  Here are a few to get you started.

Planning your meals
The wonderful thing about freezer cooking is you are freezing meals you know your family already loves.  If your family loves lasagna, then the next time you make it, double or better yet triple the batch.  It really doesn’t take that much longer to make a double batch than it does to make a single batch.  Just tightly cover the extra batch and freeze for later use.  The same idea can be used for meals like meatloaf, most casseroles and baked goods.

Before you freeze any recipe, try it first.  It does not make sense to make multiple batches of something you or your family do not like. Once you know your family likes it, go for it!

Some things freeze better than others.  For example, cream based sauces separate after freezing.  You still can freeze these items, you will just need to give the thawed out dish a stir before you bake.  Dishes that contain mayo or salad dressing don’t freeze well.

Take inventory of your freezer space.  Freezing in bags does not take up a lot of space, so you will be able to make multiple dishes.

Preparing your meals   
A great idea that really helps me plan is to make up extra hamburger meat for dishes that require hamburger meat.  For instance, make 5-6 pounds of taco meat and freeze in meal size portions.  When I need the meat, I just pop it into the microwave and I have instant tacos, taco salad, burritos, taco soup ect.  The same thing could be done with sloppy joes.  Just reheat and serve on buns and you are good to go.  This can also save you from having to buy and cook the hamburger which can save a lot of time.

Freezing  
Some things need to be frozen separately.  For instance, I have a killer recipe for Beef Topped Bean Enchiladas.  My family loves these things, but when I made extra and froze them, no one would eat them.  It was because if I assemble it and freeze, the enchilada part got really mushy from the topping.  So what I do is make the topping and freeze it in one bag and then make the enchilada part and freeze in a separate bag.  When I want to make them, I thaw both and assemble just before baking.  Suddenly, everyone likes them again.  Think about what you are making.  Is there bread or bread type items that could get soggy?  Freeze in separate bags. Also undercook noodles or rice that you plan to freeze.  They get soft during thawing and reheating.

Most recipes can be frozen in Freezer Bags to save your pan from being trapped in the freezer.  There are obvious exceptions.  Lasagna really isn’t going to work in a freezer bag unless you freeze it first.  So here is how you freeze it.  Line your pan with aluminum foil, assemble the lasagna in the pan as you normally would, freeze until solid and then take the lasagna (foil and all) out of the pan, wrap tightly in a freezer bag and freeze. When you cook it, take it out of the freezer and pop it back into the original pan and bake.

Flash freezing items such as meat balls, rolls, filled pasta shells or cookies will prevent the food from sticking together.  To flash freeze, stick the items on a cookie sheet until frozen.  Then place in a freezer bag to store.

Mark the bags with the date including the month and year along with the cooking instructions.

Eating your frozen meals   
When you are ready to eat your frozen meal, just take it out of the freezer the night before and thaw throughout the day.  Pop it into the oven when you get home and you have an instant meal.  Some dishes may need to have foil added to the top so the heat can be evenly distributed.   If you are cooking from a frozen state, just remember the cooking time will need to be increased.  Using an instant read thermometer will also help you determine when your dish is cooked and ready to take out of the oven.

Whether you are cooking for just one or an army freezer cooking is a great way to save time, money and energy.

Cooking for Two

Saturday, December 1st, 2007 by The Cooking Guy

Say goodbye to leftovers.  That is unless you enjoy a good leftover.  Some people find it challenging to cook for just a few people.  The following tips will help you avoid massive amounts of unwanted leftovers or having to throw food away.

How to buy
The best way to avoid a large bowl of leftovers is to not buy too much food.  These days’ portion sizes seem to be much larger.  Manufacturers and store are bombarding us with the “get more for your money” bulk sizes.  That is a great concept if you have a large family or want to store food, but for those who aren’t cooking for an army, bulk doesn’t end up beng cheaper.  You seem to waste more if you don’t end up using the whole package.

So the idea is to plan and shop for smaller portions.  You can  freeze things like meats, chopped fruits and vegetables for later use.  In that case it would make sense to buy in bulk.  For those who don’t want to spend the extra money or like to eat fresh ingredients like salads more often, freezing isn’t the best option.
Although the stores are providing larger bulk items, they are also catering to those with smaller households and are selling smaller portion packages.  You can buy lots of fresh produce in the amounts that you need. They have also started making can goods in single or double sized portions.  Bakeries, butchers and deli’s also sell in the sizes that best fit your family needs.

Cookware
Choose the perfect pan or dish size.  Choose smaller pans that will fit smaller portions.  Instead of using a large casserole dish, consider purchasing a small glass pan.

Cook Once, Eat Twice or even Three Times   
If you do choose to make a large casserole, divide it into two smaller baking pans. Bake one for dinner that night and wrap and freeze the other.  Freezing is a great option because you can freeze in smaller meal portions and cut down on half your cooking time.

If you don’t enjoy leftovers, make the whole batch and eat it until it’s gone.  Another great option is to grill more meat than needed that night for a grilled chicken salad later in the week. You can turn left over ingredients into a great meal.  Throw them in soups, salads, casseroles, pasta or basically anything your family enjoys eating.  You will be surprised as to what you can make with leftover food.
As long as you eat what you cook, you will not feel like you are wasting food.

Great Resources
Most recipes make at least 4-6 servings.  In this case, you would need to cut the recipe in half.  There are lots of great cookbooks designed especially for cooking for two.  They provide recipes that take the guess work out of having to adjust the recipe measurement.

Many food websites also have recipe calculators.  Find a recipe you want and have it calculate the measurements for you.
Cooking for two can be challenging, but with these few simple tips you are off to a great start.

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