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The Finer Points of Broiling Foods

June 1, 2010 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
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Grilling is one of America’s favorite pastimes. Yet there are times when the grill just isn’t the way to go. The weather, having charcoal or propane on hand or a quick meal can all but a halt to the idea of grilling. This is when broiling comes into play. You can get that same grilling experience right from the oven. Broiling foods doesn’t mean skill but that are a few things that are necessary to know before broiling up those mouthwatering meals.

What is Broiling?

Broiling uses intense direct heat when cooking just like grilling. Even though it is in a closed in box the food is cooking like it’s in an opened space. Broiling requires keeping an eye on the food to keep it from burning. It gives the food a rich juicy taste and gives it a pretty golden brown color. Broiling reaches those characteristics differently than the grill.
 
Temperature

Many of us believe that it is easier to cook when we turn the knob to a certain temperature on the oven. With broiling you could face more of a challenge. When your oven reaches the desired temperature it will automatically cut off. This helps to regulate the oven in order to keep it at the programmed temperature. The problem with that is the food is left cooking in its own heat. A wonderful way to avoid this baking like switch is to crack your oven door so that the oven never reaches its set temperature letting the food actually broil.

Cookware

One of the key factors when broiling is separating the fat and greases from the food. If they don’t separate, instead of broiling the food will actually bake. This is where the need for a broiling pan comes in. It’s a specially designed pan that allows the “extras” to drip to the bottom of the pan and away from the food. Making food that much healthier.

Eyes

With any method of cooking you always have to watch the food.  Some forms of cooking may allow you to walk away for extended periods of time but that is not the case when broiling. Just like when you cook on the grill it is important to be very cautious and attentive to make sure the food doesn’t burn.

Space

The amount of smoke is another issue that must be faced when broiling. Because the food is not being cooked outside like when grilling there is nowhere for the smoke to go but in the house. The way to help eliminate the amount of smoke is by trimming the fat off the meat. This will be healthier as well as helping to keep the smoke out your eyes.

With broiling you won’t get that charred taste like from a grill but it still offers some pretty special tasting food. Try broiling and see how juicy and tender those cuts of meats can be. Learning the techniques of broiling will keep everyone coming back for more.

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Boiled or Steamed What is the Difference?

May 20, 2010 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
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One healthy way to cook is using water. Water is used to boil and steam many types of foods. From pasta, rice, vegetables to meat this type of cooking leaves those foods in their healthiest cooked forms. No oil or fats are incorporated into the water when cooking in this fashion. What’s the difference between boiling and steaming? Let’s check it out to see.

Boiling Is Effective

Boiling is a unique and effective way of cooking. It is similar to steaming but slightly different. Boiling requires the food to actually sit in the water. You can boil vegetables, meats and seafood. With boiling the taste, look and even a little of the health values are also different from steaming.

Boiling or cooking food directly in the water gives the nutrients a chance to move from the food to the water. It also doesn’t spice up the food nor does it give it that appetizing color. Boiled foods don’t have a lot of flavor because the enhanced flavors are lost in the water. This is known as blanching foods. Also with no added oil or fat you get the fresh flavor of the food instead of the taste of additives. Adding seasoning to your boiled food will help to enhance the flavor.

There are many positives to boiling:

•    It doesn’t require any added fats leaving it a healthier choice

•    It’s easy; it doesn’t require hovering over the stove for hours

•    It takes those tough pieces of meat and makes them tender

•    It is perfect for large scale cooking

Steam is Unique

To steam foods is to boil water causing it to evaporate into a fine mist. The steam and not the water is what cook the food. Something important to remember when steaming is that you are not putting the food directly in water. The food is suspended over the top the water letting the steam rise up to cook the food. For those who are watching there calories and fats, steaming is a very effective way to cook food and make it healthy. .

Steaming basically eliminates the opportunity to over cook the food. Steaming foods is a slow method of cooking so if the food is left longer than need be, the steam will not have cooking power to over cook the food. Steaming uses a lot more energy than any other cooking method. If steam is cooking the food it must stay at a constant stable temperature to cook through.

Most cooks only use the steam method of cooking for vegetables but some meats can be steamed. Beef, pork and even chicken can be steamed. It gives it a very different taste that some may not like. Seafood is a very common food to be steamed. Fish does very well and even shrimp taste wonderful.

As you can see there are few differences when it comes to boiling or steaming those foods. Yet both are an effective unique way of cooking. Grab a steamer or fill a pot with water and see for yourself just how great they both can be.

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Roasting Means More than Just Meat

May 13, 2010 By The Recipe Mom 1 Comment
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A trip to the kitchen when that roast is cooking is more than the imagination can fathom. The smell alone makes the stomach growl. Pull it out of the oven and it’s a sight to behold. Most often when we think of roasting something we think of large pieces of meat. A beef roast or a pork roast even ham and turkey are roasted. Yet there are other foods that benefit from roasting.

Roasting foods entails using dry heat. Dry heat means that the foods are cooked uncovered with far little if any liquids being added. This type of cooking caramelizes the meat and gives it that beautiful golden color. It leaves your roasts with superior flavor and brings out the best in any meat product.

Many roasting meats are knotted up using a knot called the packers knot. This keeps the meat in a tight ball keeping those hidden surprises intact and ensuring your food is getting cooked evenly all the way around.

Another cool fact about roasting is that in most instances the meat comes out of the oven before it’s all the way done. The internal meat is still cooking and gives us that slow cooked touch. It allows for all the juices to sink in giving you that mouthwatering taste.

Meats aren’t the only foods that benefit from the roasting process. Most vegetables can be roasted as well. Here are just a few vegetables that roasting will enhance in flavor.

•    Potatoes- When roasted the texture and taste of the potatoes skin change
•    Zucchini- Gives it a juicy yet crunchy taste
•    Pumpkin- Roasting really brings out the best in pumpkin
•    Turnips- Makes for a healthy treat
•    Cauliflower- Lets you add a zesty flavor to any meat
•    Squash- A great side dish to that main course
•    Peppers- Livens your food up and gives it a spicier taste

There are some tricks you should know to make that roasting experience better. Make sure to rub the meat or vegetables with a little butter or some sort of oil. This allows for moisture to remain in the meat rather than losing all of it in the air while cooking. Another good tip is to put your meat into a plastic bag while being roasted. This allows for the cooking time to be cut in half and also helps keep juices in the meat.

Roasting isn’t the healthiest way to cook your foods as it does take a lot away from what you cook. When roasting meat there’s a spicier taste, so if you like your taste buds to tingle then roasting is perfect way to go.

Roasting is just as effective as your traditional baking, seeing as it derived from that. Stop just imagining all the wonders you can create and go to your kitchen and start roasting up an unforgettable meal.

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Winter Roasts are Comforting and Warming

January 30, 2010 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
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roast
Meat and potatoes have a way of making us feel good and help us to ward off those cold winter days. Sometimes when it’s cold and snowy outside the comfort of a good home cooked meal is all you need to forget the chill outside. Fixing a good roast is as easy as making a sandwich.

Beef, pork and lamb cuts make the best roast. Look for flecks of fat or “marbling” when choosing a large cut of meat for your roast. Marbling helps in making a tenderer roast along with enhancing the flavor and juiciness of the roast. Beef that has been aged also enhances the flavor of the meat.

When it comes to types of meats to roast, there are many to choose from. Beef roasts and pork roasts are favorites, but roasted prime rib and leg of lamb have a great taste when roasted. A roasted chicken is moist and will have more flavor than fried chicken. Turkeys and hams are often roasted to enhance their flavor and texture.

Look for a cut of meat that is at least 2 inches thick. The larger the cut of meat, the moister the finished product which in turn makes for a less chewy piece of meat. Moist heat is important when roasting a large cut of meat. A large cut of meat when slow cooked should be braised to give it a moist texture and to seal in the flavors.

Browning the meat is a plus. It doesn’t matter if you are slow cooking on top of the stove, in the crock pot or in the oven. Browning meat before hand over high heat will help to caramelize the proteins and sugars found on the outside of the meat. This gives your roast a richer flavor.

It is best to season a roast before browning it. By doing this prior to browning, the flavors are sealed into the meat and not left in the bottom of a roasting pan. Roasts are best cooked between 300 and 350 degrees.

If you are adding vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, onions and celery to a roast in the oven, add them about 1 hour before the roast has finished cooking. They will be soft instead of mushy from being overcooked or crunchy from being undercooked.

If you are using vegetables and using a crock pot, always add the vegetables at the beginning of the cooking process. You want your vegetables to be soft and by letting them cook longer at the slow temperature, your end result will be vegetables that are soft but not mushy.

Water, broths, soups, juices, wine and even soda can be added to help keep your roast juicy and flavorful. Always be sure to cover your pan with foil or a tight lid to keep the liquids from escaping and causing your roast to become too dry.

Don’t forget to use a meat thermometer. Different meats cook in different time spans. A meat thermometer is the most reliable way to tell when any meat product is cooked all the way through. Roasts make the best fix it and forget meals. Add a side of fruit and a slice of warm homemade bread and you have a meal that is both comforting and warming.

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Pressure Cooking Tender, Juicy and Delicious Beef

November 3, 2009 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
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roast_potatoe_carrotsPressure cooking doesn’t mean using just beans. Using a pressure cooker saves time and money over slow cooked methods or baking. A pressure cooker will make any beef entree juicy and tender. Here are some quick and easy recipes you can use with beef. The recipe times are based using a 15 psi pressure cooker. Add 12 to 15 percent more time if using a pressure cooker with a lower psi.

Yummy Pot Roast – Serves 4

Ingredients:
• 3 tbsp. canola oil
• 1.5 lb. pot roast
• Salt and pepper
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 bay leaf
• 1-1/2 cups water or beef stock

Preparation:

Place canola oil and roast in pressure cooker and brown on all sides. Place roast on trivet in cooker. Season roast with salt and pepper, then add chopped onion, bay leaf and water or broth. Lock the lid in place and bring cooker to pressure. Lower heat and cook for 35 minutes at 15 psi. Release the pressure naturally.

An Old Favorite Meat Loaf – Serves 4

Ingredients:
• 1-1/2 lb. chopped or ground beef
• 1 tsp. salt
• Ground black pepper
• 2 slices bread, soaked in water and squeezed dry
• 2 tbsp. parsley
• 1 med. onion, minced
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp. chicken stock
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup water

Preparation:

In a bowl, combine the meat, salt, pepper, bread, parsley, onion, garlic, egg, chicken stock and Worcestershire sauce. Shape into two small loaves. Wrap each in wax paper and chill several hours to firm. Heat the oil in the pressure cooker and brown the loaves well on all sides. Transfer to the cooker basket. Discard the oil and combine the tomato sauce and water and season with salt and pepper and spread over the loaves. Lower the basket into the pressure cooker, lock lid and bring to pressure. Lower heat and cook for 15 minutes on high pressure or 15 psi. Allow the pressure to drop by quick release method or automatic release method, slice and serve.

Tasty Beef Stroganoff – Serves 4

Ingredients:
• 2 lb beef stew meat or round steak cut into 1” cubes
• 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup sour cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pkg. egg noodles cooked

Preparation:

Brown the meat in a little in the pressure cooker. Add flour and mix well. Stir in onion, garlic, beef broth, mushrooms, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce, blend thoroughly. Lock the lid and bring to pressure. Lower heat and cook for 25 minutes on high pressure or 15 psi. Allow the pressure to drop naturally then remove lid. Stir in the sour cream blending well. Serve over hot egg noodles or stir the cooked noodles into the meat mixture before serving.

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