I was reading an article in the New York Times today that was announcing a new app that allows I-phone users to look up recipes and then save recipes; as they called it a breakthrough.  No offense here but we have been doing that for over a year with our website: www.emealsforyou.com.  So it got me thinking about how most people are unorganized and are constantly looking for recipes that they and their families liked.

This is one of the core requirements that our focus group told us was important 5 years ago.  Not only do we have hundreds and hundreds of recipes and meal plans, all automatically scaled to the number of people you are feeding, but you may simply “park” any recipe or meal plan in your Favorites Box.  No more looking for the folder with all the recipes falling out to get to the one you wish to make.  No more searching through all those index cards for the right one.  Simply go to our site, sign in, go to your Favorites Box and pull down the recipe or meal plan.  If surprise guests are coming for dinner; just update the recipe to that number by clicking on the drop down menu.  That’s it.

Maybe the Times needs to look beyond the I-phone only apps.

One of my pet peeves, and regulars here know I have a few, is that people feel the need to have the latest and greatest pots and pans, with “magic” surfaces, no stick, no burn, heck they practically cook the meal for you.  Like knives, a good cook has pots and pans that have been around a while, favorites that are old friends in the kitchen and are reminiscent of good meals gone by.  Proper care of your pots and pans will ensure long life and many great meals.

Non-stick surfaces require occasional attention.  When food that normally slides right out of these pans starts to stick it is time to “season” them.  This simply involves taking a paper towel with vegetable oil or olive oil and rubbing it into the cooking surface.  If the outside of the pan is looking a little dry, rub the oil onto that as well.  I am talking a very thin amount here, just enough to return the shine to the surface.  Now put the pots into a 200 degree oven for a couple of hours, this will re- seal the surface and bring the pan back to its fully functional self.  Wipe any excess oil off with a dry paper towel, they should look shiny but not slippery.  You should do this every 3 months or so, depending on how much you use the pan.

I have many “special” pots and pans for special uses.  Many of these are in new condition as I found using my normal, day-to-day pots and pans work just as well.  Here is a picture of one of my favorite pots, it’s a $20 wok I bought maybe 15 years ago.  It heats quickly, has high sides to prevent spills and is non-stick, I couldn’t ask more of  it.  I don’t get many complaints about the food around here, maybe it is because I am cooking it and not the pan.

Get the sale fliers from the groceries in your area.  Go through them and see what food appeals to you.  Log on to www.emealsforyou.com and go to Recipe Finder.  Choose those foods that appealed to you and see the recipes associated with them.  Choose those recipes, send them to your Favorites Box, scale them, and using our easy shopping list function, print the list.  This allows much more freedom of choice; why limit yourself to only one grocery store.  Our members report shopping with a list will save you 10-20% on your grocery bill; easing your mind and saving you money.

ROASTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR SAFETY AND DONENESS:

1. Set the oven temperature no lower than 325 °F. Preheating is not necessary.

2. Be sure the turkey is completely thawed. Times are based on fresh or completely thawed frozen birds at a refrigerator temperature of 40 °F or below.

3. Place turkey breast-side up on a flat wire rack in a shallow roasting pan 2 to 2 1/2 inches deep.

Optional steps:

• Tuck wing tips back under shoulders of bird (called “akimbo”).
• Add 1/2 cup water to the bottom of the pan.
• In the beginning, a tent of aluminum foil may be placed loosely over the breast of the turkey for the first 1 to 1 1/2 hours, then removed for browning. Or, a tent of foil may be placed over the turkey after the turkey has reached the desired golden brown.

4. If a meat thermometer is not available, cook stuffing in a casserole. Mix ingredients just before stuffing a turkey; stuff loosely. Additional time is required for the turkey and stuffing to reach a safe internal temperature (see chart below).

5. For safety and doneness, the internal temperature should be checked with a meat thermometer.

The temperature must reach 180 °F in the thigh of a whole turkey (center of the stuffing should reach 165 °F) before removing it from the oven. Cook a turkey breast to 170 °F.

6. Juices should be clear. In the absence of a meat thermometer, pierce an unstuffed turkey with a fork in several places; juices should be clear with no trace of pink.

7. Let the bird stand 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving.

APPROXIMATE COOKING TIMES

UNSTUFFED

• 4 to 6 lb breast…..1 1/2 to 2 1/4 hrs
• 6 to 8 lb breast…2 1/4 to 3 1/4 hrs
• 8 to 12 lbs…………….2 3/4 to 3 hrs
• 12 to 14 lbs…………..3 to 3 3/4 hrs
• 14 to 18 lbs……..3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hrs
• 18 to 20 lbs……..4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hrs
• 20 to 24 lbs…………..4 1/2 to 5 hrs

STUFFED

• 8 to 12 lbs……………3 to 3 1/2 hrs
• 12 to 14 lbs…………..3 1/2 to 4 hrs
• 14 to 18 lbs…………..4 to 4 1/4 hrs
• 18 to 20 lbs……..4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hrs
• 20 to 24 lbs……..4 3/4 to 5 1/4 hrs

From: FSIS Food Safety Education and Communications Staff
Meat and Poultry Hotline:

Kitchen Notes

Ever wonder what a roux is? How about, “How many tablespoons in a cup”?  What about which tools we rely on in our test kitchen?

We’ve revealed some secrets from our kitchen!

If you are asking it probably someone else has, too. To help you out, we have compiled our own Kitchen Notes tailored just for our members.

Plan Your Meal Cooking

Plan your meal cooking the way you plan your “soccer mom” driving. Assign a time to prep and cook each component of the meal. Start with the longest prep/cooking item, begin that and stage each of the other components according to cooking time to have everything finish at the same time. This is the hardest task to learn but once you master this you will find your cooking will become immensely easier.

Ever wonder what a roux is? How about, “How many tablespoons in a cup”?  What about which tools we rely on in our test kitchen?

We’ve revealed some secrets from our kitchen!

If you are asking it probably someone else has, too. To help you out, we have compiled our own Kitchen Notes tailored just for our members.

Cracking an Egg

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Number of people in household

If two adults, how many work outside the home?

Number of dinners outside the home per week

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31 – 40

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Comments and Suggestions:

Thanks for your help.  Please email this to chefjake@emealsforyou.com

A sharp knife should glide through whatever you are cutting.  If you are having to increase the pressure you are putting on the knife it probably is time to sharpen it.  You don’t have to go crazy buying the top of the line sharpener either.  Sharpening a knife is simply the process of dragging the blade at a small angle across an abrasive surface; about 17 degrees.  You can buy sharpeners that help you hold the knife at the proper angle or you can do this simply by paying attention to what you are doing.  Three to five times on each side of the knife is enough to get a good edge on the blade.  Okay, what about that long, round thing you see the chefs use?  This is a steel and it is used on a regular, daily, basis to re-align the edge of the blade,; you can buy one of these but you will find that you probably will go right to the knife sharpener and the steel will sit in the drawer.

Did you know that how tender a piece of meat is depends on how it is cut?  First of all the butcher cuts the meat so that it will be as tender a possible, witness the new cuts that are appearing on the market: skirt steaks and flatiron steaks.  By cutting these in a particular way the butcher adds to the value of the meat by making it more tender.  When you slice meat always cut cross-grain; this means when you look at the meat you will see lines going in one direction.  You want to cut across these lines to keep the meat tender.  Cutting in the same direction as the grain will result in stringy, tough meat.

So, if you are still using a steak knife for all your cutting needs you probably should go out and spring for a few other knives.  You will be amazed at how easy it will be to cut things and wonder why it took you so long to realize this.

Grilled Cheese

Pavlova with Berries

Whether you are a basic beginner cook making a grilled cheese sandwich for your kids or an established chef preparing the pavlova on the bottom for a dinner party; it’s important to develop your Cooking Comfort Zone. (CCZ)  This is the mental place you go to when preparing food.  Some of us enjoy cooking so we look forward to getting into our kitchens and making that special meal whether for family and friends, or just for ourselves.  The others, and I think this is the majority, dread the ORDEAL of having to get the meal on the table.

Establishing your CCZ doesn’t mean you must all of a sudden jump for joy at the thought of putting your apron on.  What you need to do is create a mental neutral mindset where you will be open to at least attempting to make a good meal.  Even money says that when you are in the waiting room of the doctor’s office or the chair at your hair salon, you are thumbing through a magazine and looking at the food pictures.  You may be saying, ” that looks good but probably too hard to make” but at least you are looking.  So now take that fleeting moment when you thought positively about that food photo and carry it over to your kitchen.  You may be surprised at just how good it comes out.

I write my posts and the recipes on emealsforyou.com hoping to make them useful to all levels of CCZ.  We keep the ingredients to those you probably have in your kitchen and are comfortable using.  The instructions are easy to follow and the end result is a recipe or meal you can take pride in.  Recently I had a question from one of my readers who asked, “my husband can’t eat onions; what do I do if the recipe calls for onions?”  Well the best answer is don’t put the onions in the dish.  You see, recipes are just guidelines…most can be changed without destroying the dish.  If you don’t like something in a recipe; try putting something else in or just eliminate it entirely.  Many spices are like this; use the ones you like and don’t use the ones you don’t like.  Baking recipes are the exception to this; these are really formulas and adding or omitting ingredients can cause some problems.

A quick note for those of you who are good cooks; as the purpose of my blog and website is to get families to the table enjoying meals together, sometimes I don’t put the “extras” into the recipes.  You know the ones where you say, “why didn’t he put fresh ginger into that?”  I encourage you to make my recipes your recipes, add, subtract, alter any way you like.  For those of you who are just starting out on your quest to become a good cook; try things, have some fun.  The main thing is to try and then watch your CCZ begin to expand.