Rice Cookers Steamers

I have just started trying baking in mine, there directions are al in Chinese, so its a challenge and I am sure a lot of seniors have gone over to them to save energy expenses, Do you have tips and ideas for using it? It sure would be appreciated !!

6 Comments | Tags: Baking, Cooking, Have, Ideas, Oven, Tips, Toaster, Using

I have one first…
DON”T substitute chocolate chips for raisins or add chocolate chips to it in oatmeal raisin cookie recipes.
The cinnamon and nutmeg spices that go well with the raisins don’t go as well with the chocolate chips… it’s not gross, it’s just not very good.
And oatmeal raisin cookies are usually better spread out rather than in lumps because they cook more evenly.
Any other cooking tips? mistakes good to know not to make?
thanks!

1 Comment | Tags: Anything, Baking, Cooking, Experiences, From, Good, Past, Tips, What

Summer just never feels real without summer food. Meat on the grill, home-made ice cream, fresh fish and frozen yogurt. Watermelon salads, fruit smoothies and fridge tarts.
There is however a down side to summer meals. Food budgets take strain when you constantly substitute quick-cook steaks and chicken breasts for economical stove-top casseroles. Ravenous children seems to be constantly in the refrigerator to find something to eat. Mealtimes, eaten on the run, substitute convenience for nutritional value. What’s a summer cook to do?
With creative meal planning strategies, summer doesn’t have to bust the food budget, toss nutrition to the winds, or reduce the family chef to a crazy lunatic. Try these suggestions for simpler, saner, cooler and more nutritious summer meals:
Use everything but the oven… All those wedding-gift appliances that you stored away will come in handy during the summer months. A rice steamer makes perfect rice, every time, with no excess heat to fog your kitchen. Spicy chili in the crockery slow-cooker is a super ending to a day at the park.
A pressure cooker can prepare family favorites in a fraction of the time—or kitchen temperature—needed by an oven. An automatic bread machine enables you to make hot bread to make a summer meal more substantial. Finally, there is the old time favourite of putting some chops on the braai outside in the garden!
The way to go is a cold dessert… No matter how much you want to make dessert, just thinking about turning on the oven can induce perspiration. There’s an easy solution, thankfully: refrigerator desserts, which come in a variety of styles, from fresh fruit trifles to no-bake cheesecakes to ice cream terrines. Instead of using the oven, desserts are finished in the refrigerator or freezer and rely on key ingredients such as whipped cream and gelatin. Sure, a few varieties do require that the oven be turned on, but only for a few minutes to bake the cookie crust, which is so yummy it’s well worth the momentary heat.
Make your own fast foods! Is it any surprise that fast food restaurants are the busiest in the summer? Everyone is busy and on the go! You can make your own chicken nuggets, pizzas, own breakfast sandwiches and taco fillings. Load them into the freezer and watch the time and money you’ll save.
Think drinks.. Does your freezer contain some of those marvelous, plastic-gel coolers? It should. A jug of iced decaffeinated tea or fruit juice, snuggled up against a gel cooler will go a long way in quenching your thirst without the calories and caffeine—not to mention expense—of fast-food sodas.
Consider, too, outfitting each family member with personalized plastic water bottles. In order to keep water consumption up during the hot days keep bottles stored in the fridge so they are easy to grab on the way out the door.
Most of all, summer is a great time to spend time with your family and enjoy the ordinary things in life. Whether it’s fresh fruit trifle for dinner or can we have a lemonade stand, say “yes” to your children? Summer is a time for making memories. With a little inspiration and new ideas you can create golden days that will be remembered forever.

Comments Off | Tags: Baking, Foodcreations, Recipe., Summer Cooking

I am a really good cook, but not baking. I can bake a cookie here or there, but it is nothing like my cooking.

13 Comments | Tags: Baking, Cooking, Like, More

Yeah, I’m in college and forgot to bring down a baking pan and my cooking stone, so would it be okay to just put it on the rack? And if so, would I have to like pam up the rack so the pizza won’t stick to it, plus how do I get it off the rack anyways?

5 Comments | Tags: Baking, Cook, Cooking, Oven, Pizza, Stone, Tombstone, Without

The different foods and beverages that Americans typically consume contain an overwhelming amount of sugars. It is often argued that these sugars are not essential to our bodies, and in many cases provide little benefit. Some experts believe this is one reason why obesity in children and diabetes in both children and adults is on the rise.

Too much sugar can also be bad for the teeth as well, causing cavities and decay.  Yet many individuals eat as many sugary foods and beverages with as we can. Why do we do this? Because sugar tastes sweet and our diets have conditioned us to crave a sweet taste. Cutting out sweets because it would be a healthier choice is not a reason enough to give up sugar for most of us. Even some people with diabetes or weight issues, who have to watch their sugar intake a lot closer, fall into having sweets they should not have, because sugary foods are enticing to the taste buds and stomach..

Splenda is a sugar-alternative that has the sweetness of sugar because the processing of it begins using pure sugar. That is how Splenda gets the sweetness of sugar and ends without the calories and insulin-raising affects of pure sugar.  Splenda can help you and your family to eat healthier without having to sacrifice the sweet taste from foods that you and your family love.  Splenda also permits diabetics and those watching their weight to have sweet-tasting foods while reducing their sugar and calorie intake. Splenda offers an easier way for you to cook and bake Lo-Cal meals and snacks for your family.

It is not hard at all to transform your family’s favorite meals and snacks into great-tasting, healthier versions of themselves. Breads, cookies, glazes, pies, muffins, and sauces that generally call for sugar for its sweetness effect, are best transformed into healthy alternatives you and your family will enjoy using Splenda granules. For chewier cookies, it may be better to use Splenda blend instead of the granules to make chunkier cookies. If the sugar is more for providing substance to hold all the ingredients together in a recipe than for its sweetness, a blend of sugar and Splenda with a ratio of 25 to 30 percent of Splenda to the amount of sugar needed, will work best in these recipes. You will still be cutting calories and making healthier foods for you and your family.

You may have to use different cooking and baking pans (usually a little smaller) with certain recipes than you had to before to obtain the same consistency as with the old versions of those recipes. Printed right on Splenda packages are recipes to help you in cooking and baking with Splenda. If the recipe you want to prepare is not on the package, hop online and search for a version of that recipe that uses Splenda.

Are you concerned that your family will notice the change from pure sugar to Splenda and not give your healthier baking and cooking a chance? Try substituting ½ to 1 cup of Splenda in a pie or cookie recipe calling for 2 cups of sugar. This will at least give your family more of the sugar taste they still crave while cutting calories they are consuming by a third. Once they realize that there is no bitter aftertaste in foods cooked and baked using Splenda unlike many of those other sugar alternatives, they will be more likely to try recipes using Splenda in the future. You can slowly wean them off pure sugar and before long; they will not be missing the sugar-laden meals and snacks they used to eat at all.

The website provided by Splenda is an excellent resource for learning about how to use this sugar substitute in recipes for better health for both you and your family. On the site, you will find baking and cooking tips, educational resources for coping with diabetes, a store to purchase items to help make your Lo-Cal baking and cooking with Splenda even easier, and a whole lot of other useful information. Do check out the recipe collection where you will find many delicious recipes made using Splenda for you and your family to try.

Make the choice to begin baking, and cooking healthier foods and snacks for you and your family. Let Splenda help make your family’s move from unhealthy to healthier eating an enjoyable experience. With Splenda you can create Lo-Cal meals and snacks the whole family will enjoy. Share your recipes made using Splenda with friends so that they might also begin using and benefiting from Splenda, the great tasting, zero-calorie alternative to sugar. What’s for dinner at your house tonight? It could be a delicious Lo-Cal meal with the sweetness of sugar, but without the calories and harmful effects of sugar. Make tonight a Splenda-Terrific mealtime for you and your family with Splenda.

Comments Off | Tags: Baking, Cooking, Desserts, Diet, Drinks, Exercise, Food, Health, Low Carb Food, Nutrition, Splenda, Sugar-Free, Sugar-free Cooking, Weight Loss

The 21st Century has seen an explosion in the popularity of cooking and creative catering on both sides of the Atlantic. Although cooking and preparing food is an age old skill that has been passed down through generations of people, the recent fashion for celebrity chefs has led to an increase in the amount of people who cook and prepare food. Traditionally, cooking and preparing recipes has been the domain of the housewife or matriarch in a household but due to the emergence of celebrity chefs such as Gordon Ramsay and Aldo Zilli more and more people have developed a flair and passion for creating culinary masterpieces.

As well as many cook books and recipe books being published and available in retail outlets and television programmes and dvds being shown, the internet is a very valuable resources for chefs of any standard and also the casual and occasional cook. Many celebrity chefs have put their names and signatures to recipes and too products used in cooking.

Recipes for almost any type of food, from Indian to Mexican through to traditional English meals can be found online. For example, typing in the phrase “recipes” into Google provides 122,000,000 results.

As well as the recipes published on websites, it is also possible to purchase the cook books and recipe books mentioned in the previous paragraph from online retailers such as Amazon. Purchasing using this method allows the consumer to read reviews of the books and compare them online very easily. These sites also allow people to buy new books and also second hand books for cheaper than the new version. These books can be ordered, dispatched and received within 24 hours from some sites and this has helped see a huge surge in online book sales. E-Bay is another very useful resource for picking up recipe books, cookery books and items needed for cookery. Often very good condition, second hand and new items can be found on EBay for very good and affordable prices.

As well as these online book stores and recipe websites which can help chefs at all levels and culinary standards to achieve great results there is another aspect to the internet which can help greatly. There are many forums online which are used by people who have great knowledge and experience in cookery and food preparation. They can provide answers to specific questions if necessary or even just help with general cooking tips and ideas. These forums allow people to compare and discuss results they have achieved when cooking as well as giving tips and advice. Forum users must be wary however when taking advice and help from other users because it is very difficult to ascertain the validity of someone’s ability or expertise in the cookery world. Sometimes an element of trial and error is needed when using forums and the advice received from members of them.

Comments Off | Tags: Baking, Cooking And Recipes, Food

Rice is not a traditional dessert dish in my home. But it’s hard to argue with a sweet, creamy, steaming bowl of good rice pudding. Perhaps it is childhood memories of winter in Minnesota that has me associating this dish with a satisfied, comfortably full belly. The smell of sweet milk and cinnamon and that unique texture of the rice on my tongue brings back memories of a warm kitchen on a cold Minnesota winter day, the wind howling outside while the warm coziness of a sweet smelling kitchen kept us warm and snug. Unless you have experienced the below zero temperatures that is part of what winter in Minnesota means, it’s hard to truly appreciate the warm snugness of a truly cozy kitchen. When winter howls cold and fierce outside your door, I hope one of these recipes can keep you warm and snug with the ones you love.

Creamy Rice Pudding

2 cups cooked rice

1/3 cup raisins

2 1/2 cups milk, divided

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons butter

2 eggs, beaten

In a large saucepan, mix together the rice, raisins, salt and 2 1/4 cups milk. Cook over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the butter, sugar, eggs and 1/4 cup milk to the pudding mixture. Heat for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the mixture thickens to pudding consistency. Remove from heat and add in the vanilla extract. Put in serving dishes and sprinkle the top with cinnamon. Serves 6.

Pineapple Rice Pudding

3 cups rice

3 cups milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon butter

1 can (15 1/4 ounces) crushed pineapple

3 eggs, separated

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup flaked coconut

In a large saucepan, mix together the rice, milk, sugar and butter. Stirring occasionally, cook over medium heat for 25 minutes or until the mixture is thick. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks and add some of the rice mixture into the yolks. Add the yolk mixture to the rice mixture and cook for 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat and blend in the pineapple and cinnamon. Let the mixture cool. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff and then add them to the rice mixture. Put the mixture into a greased 8- or 9-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle the coconut on top of the mixture and bake in a 325 degree oven for 25 minutes. Serves 6 to 8.

Comments Off | Tags: Baking, Baking Recipe, Baking Recipes, Dessert Recipe, Dessert Recipes, Rice Pudding Recipe, Rice Pudding Recipes

Every few months my husband and I enjoy treating ourselves to a homemade oyster dinner. Most of the time we bake them in a casserole-style recipe as we don’t enjoy just plain steamed oysters.Oysters should be purchased fresh and then placed into the refrigerator and consumed as soon as possible. Some people say they can last up to 2 weeks refrigerated, but I say that is too long. I believe you should consume them within 3-4 days after purchasing them.You can purchase a special knife that is found in kitchen and cooking stores called a oyster knife, which will help you to easily open the shell and remove the meat. You will insert the knife blade into the back hinge side of the shell and then twist it, until the shell opens. Scalloped Oysters 1 pint oysters1 cup fine bread crumbs1/2 cup coarse cracker crumbs1/2 cup butter, softened1 cup oyster liquid1 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon black pepper1/8 teaspoon celery saltbutter for greasing the baking dishPreheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and drain oysters until they are clean. Using a 9 x 13″ baking dish, rub the bottom and sides with softened butter. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs with the softened butter until mixed and crumbly, then layer bread crumbs on the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange the clean oysters on top of bread crumbs and then finish up with the cracker crumbs on top. Season the top layer with salt, pepper and celery salt. Finally, pour the oyster liquid over the top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until done.Deep-Fried Oyster Fritters1 cup oyster meat1/4 cup evaporated milk2 eggs1 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon black pepper2 tablespoons butter, softened1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder1/4 cup all-purpose flourCook and drain the oysters, then remove the meat. In a large bowl, combine the evaporated milk, eggs, salt, black pepper, butter and baking powder. Stir in the flour until ingredients are combined. If the mixture is a little runny, stir in extra flour until its a thickened batter. Stir in the oyster meat and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Heat your deep fryer up to about 350 degrees and deep fry your coated oysters for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

Comments Off | Tags: Baking, casserole recipes, Cooking, deep fried oysters, deep fried recipes, Food, oyster, oyster casserole, oyster fritters, oyster recipes, oysters, Recipes, scalloped oysters, seafood, seafood recipes, shellfish

One of the best things you can do for your family is to cook healthy, nutritious and delicious meals. Science is proving what we have long suspected: the food you eat is largely responsible for how healthy you are. In addition, the eating habits you instill in your children are likely to be with them for the rest of their lives. Those are some very good reasons for serving your family the most nutritious meals that you can possible make. These tips will help you make sure that you are cooking and serving healthy meals to your family.

Serve whole grains like brown rice, bulgur wheat and kasha.

Rice is a staple in the diets of some of the healthiest populations in the world. Cooking rice can be tricky, but it’s surprisingly easy if you invest in a rice cooker which maintains the proper heat to cook rice without turning it into a gluey, sticky mess. Use a little olive oil to keep grains from sticking together and salt and season lightly. A rice cooker can also be used to cook other whole grains like bulgur wheat for tabouleh and kasha.

Include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in your meals.

Fresh fruits and vegetables include fiber, vitamins and minerals that your body needs, along with extra water that helps you stay hydrated. Veggies and fruits are best served raw, but steaming and stewing are great ways to cook them as well, especially if you include the stewing juices as part of the meal. Keep produce fresh longer with Green Bags or Produce Keepers so that salads and fresh fruits are an appealing option for snacks.

Steam veggies and fish to preserve nutrients

Vegetables taste fresher and better when they are lightly steamed. You may even find that your children will eat up all their beans and peas without any butter or other heavy fats when they taste this good. Invest in a good set of steaming pans like a 4 piece Double Boiler and Steamer Pot or a 3 Tier steamer to cook meals all at once.

Add spices to your cooking arsenal.

Spices add more to your meals than flavor. Many spices contain important nutrients and trace minerals that are not found anywhere else. Chili and pepper, for instance, contain small amounts of capsaicin, an anti-inflammatory agent that promotes healthy digestion. Use fresh herbs if you can. It is surprisingly easy to grow them in your own kitchen when you’ve got a good set of herb pots, and invest in a good spice rack like one that can measure spices for recipes.

Send healthy lunches along to school and work.

Don’t let school lunches and take-out snacks sabotage your efforts at a healthy diet. Invest in a set of good portion control containers complete with ice packs so that you can send lunch along with them to school and work. You can even pack up fruit or veggie sticks with dip in containers designed to hold both and keep them separate until you’re ready to dip them yourself.

Grill meats instead of frying them in their own grease.

Enjoy the flavor of your meats without all the unhealthy fats. Grill them on a grilling rack instead of broiling or roasting in a pan that leaves roasts, ribs and burgers swimming in their own fat. There are many roasting pans with racks on the market. If you want something a little more compact, you can invest in a tabletop or counter top grill to cook your meats to perfection.

Serve fresh fruits for breakfast, desserts and snacks.

Melon and pineapple are great snack foods and make wonderful breakfasts and desserts. Take some of the tedium out of the peeling, slicing and wedging with a melon slicer that’s designed just like an apple corer, but a whole lot bigger. You can slice cantaloupes, honeydews, even watermelons, with one easy motion, making it a lot easier for you to serve healthy fruits to your family.

Control what goes into your family’s foods by making supermarket staples at home yourself.

The peanut paste scare drove home what a lot of us have know for a long time, you can’t control what goes into everything your family eats, especially if you are serving store-bought foods. Pick up a few specialty appliances to make homemade foods that your family loves, some options are a peanut butter maker, a yogurt maker or a food dehydrator to make your own fruit leather, yogurt and peanut butter.

The most important things to keep in mind when trying to make your family’s diet healthier are these:

- Whole foods are generally better. Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads and nuts will go a long way toward improving your diet.

- The more refined something is, the less healthy it is likely to be. Skip white breads and white rice and avoid snacks made with white sugar.

- You can almost always make it healthier if you make it yourself.

Comments Off | Tags: Baking, Cooking, Cooking Accessories, Cooking tips, Food, Food And Drinks, Home, Recipes