Posted by Jan Hultermans | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 08-04-2012
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In the last twenty years or so the United Kingdom has developed a love affair with espresso and a variety of espresso related drinks. This has enabled countless companies, most notably Starbucks, to tap into this love affair and offer quality espresso in virtually every city in the United Kingdom. The popularity of cafés has served to actually increase the overall demand for espresso made drinks. The result is that average person has become an almost daily drinker making significant profit for their espresso provider of choice. At most of these places the typical latte or cappuccino can cost around £2-£3 per drink. As you can imagine a daily habit can get really expensive really fast. The argument is that part of what you are paying for is convenience and that home espresso makers either do not provide the same quality espresso or if they do, the machines are far too expensive and bulky for an individual or family to own and operate. This may have been true in the past, but this is no longer the case.
There are many
great espresso makers on the market that are compact, convenient, and most important, create amazing espresso drinks. The cost of these machines can range from around £25-£65 at the low end to £1000-£1500 on the high end of the spectrum. Even the low end models are still really nice and produce a high quality espresso drink that would meet the needs of most people. Buying your own
home espresso maker can be a little overwhelming if you do not know what you are doing. The first question that you need to ask yourself is what type is right for your individual needs. In most cases, the
Super Automatic Espresso Makers are the perfect choice as they are the most convenient, easy to use, and fastest option. This type of machine requires just the simple press of a button to create great tasting espresso drinks. If you are busy professional or family that does not have a lot of time in the morning we would suggest choosing this type of maker. The other is the
Pump espresso maker which is for individuals that long to have traditional Italian espresso in the comfort of your own home. It is not as convenient or easy to use as the automatic version, but is by no means hard. These days there are also a great selection of
combination espresso and coffee makers or espresso makers that also allow you to you use the pod coffee technology. The next decision you need to make is what brand of espresso maker to purchase. Although there are many great brands that produce high quality makers at affordable prices our espresso maker of choice is ….
Posted by Jan Hultermans | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 06-04-2012
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Blenders are something almost every household should have in their kitchen. There are so many uses for them and it just takes a little creativity to get the maximum potential out of them. Some fun uses for them can be healthy fruity smoothies, late night margaritas or making your own pizza sauce by pureeing fresh tomatoes. There are many different types of blenders know including your traditional blender, food processors and hand immersion blenders. Below you will find some tips to help you select the right blender for your kitchen.
Quality Components are a very important thing to consider when buying a blender. You want to be sure to see what the blenders gear and base is made of. After a lot of use if the parts are not of high quality, they will start to break down and you will have to replace them. It is better to get a better quality blender that may cost a little more but will last over the years. The jar portion of the blender is another thing to watch out for and to see if it is made from glass, plastic or metal.
Having a good warranty is the mark of a good blender because it shows the manufacturer stands behind their product whereas if a company only offers a 6 month warranty it may be because they tend to break and wear down in a short amount of time. So be sure it has a lifetime or at least a few years warranty before you purchase.
One thing a lot of people leave out when searching for a blender is the amount of power the blender puts out. This is important in knowing that whatever you try to blend will not get caught in the blender and burn out the motor such as frozen fruits and ice cubes. The typical ranges for consumer blenders are around 300 to 1500 watts. If you just use your blender for simple daily blending like smoothies then you are ok with a blender that has 300 to 600 watts. More important than a lot of different speeds is to have a pulse feature on your blender that gives short bursts and allows you to control how much everything is ground up.
One of the parts of a blender that needs to be made from a good quality material is the blender jar. This is what you put the contents in when you are blending. Blenders usually come with blender jars made of glass, metal or most popular, plastic. While plastic is cheaper and lighter weight it is also prone to getting scratched up sooner which can lead to bacteria getting in the scratches and odors. Glass is usually the material used in most high end blenders and a very thick glass is used to prevent it from cracking. While the glass is a good quality there is still always a chance of it breaking if dropped to hard and then you have to replace it. Stainless steel is another material used and can also be light weight and very durable but you can see through it to check the consistency all the way through.
Hopefully this article has shown you some of the pros and cons of each type of blender and what to look for if you are replacing an old blender or getting your very first one.
Posted by Jan Hultermans | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on 05-04-2012
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The market is the best place to get fresh food. But, for many of us, we don’t have the luxury of time nor have a market near us and we look to the supermarket for convenience. Supermarkets try to keep food as fresh as possible but we know that its not enough. There are things we could do to arm ourselves to keep the food still fresh and tasty for our family, particularly for our growing children.
What do we mean by ‘Fresh’ can be subjective. Fresh for most us means that food as far as possible is in its raw form, whether its fish, meat or vegetables and fruits or otherwise is only frozen or refrigerated quickly and for a very short time. However, in today’s world this can be difficult. However, there are few simple methods of ensuring that foods stay as fresh as long as possible and keep their taste.
The secret to keeping food fresh and tasty is good storage. Good storage ensures food remain fresh two times or three times longer than improperly stored food. Bacteria multiplies between 40 F (4 C) and 140 F (60 C). Keeping this in view, there are a few rules to keeping food healthy.
(a) Meat and Poultry
The fat content makes meat and poultry deteriorate when it reacts with oxygen. Chicken and other poultry meat has shorter, looser fibers which allows microbes penetrate more easily and thus spoiling faster than red meat. Refrigerate immediately. Don’t leave them to be in room temperature for more than two hours or more than one hour at temperatures above 90 F (32 C). In hotter climates (such as Asia), red meat and poultry should preferably be refrigerated within half an hour. Try leaving chicken meat out for a few hours – you will find your dish having a smell or bad odour.
(b) Fish and seafood
Fish and seafood spoil faster. The meat is softer and thus microbes attack them quickly and easier. Keep fish and seafood cold all the time.
(c) Dairy and Eggs
Same thing with dairy and eggs. Don’t leave them in room temperature for too long. One hour is the maximum time. The best is always refrigerated immediately.
(d) Leftovers
General rule is to refrigerate leftovers immediately and don’t keep for more than 3 or 4 days. Cover the left over food carefully with aluminum foil if possible. Freeze left over food if you want to keep it longer. Reheat left over food thoroughly. Reheat leftover sauces, soups and gravies to boiling or if you’re using the oven to reheat leftovers, set the temperature no lower than 325 F (163 C) to ensure they’re reheated quickly. Slow cookers are not recommended for reheating because they are not hot enough. If using microwave, cover foods with a lid to hold in moisture
(e) Thawing frozen food
The best way to thaw frozen food is to leave in the refrigerator. It is thus important to plan your meals. Don’t leave frozen food in room temperature and submerge in hot water because they become susceptible to bacteria. If you need your food thawed fast, use the microwave or sub merge in cold water (tap water) but ensure it remains cold. Cook thawed food immediately and freeze leftovers or if you decided not to eat the food.
(f) Fruit and Vegetables
Refrigerate fruit that is ripe. Allow fruits to ripen outside and then refrigerate. Those fruit that don’t ripen, you can keep them out or refrigerate. Fresh vegetables should be wrapped and stored in the refrigerator for longer lasting taste.
While we ensure that our food is kept fresh and healthy for our kids, we should also in the process educate our children about eating fresh food and teach them how to keep food. For example, teach them not to pick up food that it outside especially if they don’t now how long its been there. Tell them to keep food in the refrigerator and how its done.
