Pie Crust Recipe

*all images for illustration purposes only, they do not show the finished recipe unless stated.

Please note that these are recipes we have purchased or had sent to us. We have tried some but obviously not all of them, so please do your own due diligence before trying them to see that they are safe to eat, and we can’t promise the methods used to create the recipe are safe or complete so you follow them at your own risk.

Making pie crust can be pretty tricky, so what I like to do is create batches of them when I am in the mood and then stick the dough in the freezer that I’m not using for next time I need it. In this recipe I try to take you through how to make the perfect pie crust, but nothing is a substitute for real life experience so it may take you a few tries before you get this just right!

Ingredients:

What you need to do:

To get the ice cold water I would recommend sticking some ice cubes in a glass to melt for a bit and then using that. The reason we use cold water is I believe to stop the whole mixture warming up too much which will ruin the consistency of it (which is why you don’t use your hands to mix it in this recipe).

So to start with then grab a large mixing bowl and put the flour and the salt into it. Now you need to use a pastry blender to slowly cut the shortening into that mixture, and mix until it gets a crumbly texture. Now start to add in the ice cold water one teaspoon at a time, after you add it then use a fork to mix it in a bit and move the wet mixture to the side, leaving the dry stuff ready for more. Keep doing that, only adding the ice cold water to the dry mixture, until all of the mixture has been moistened.

Hopefully now you should have a dough which is just moist enough to stick together, but not wet and sticky (if not you added too much water!). Now you can separate the dough into sections, use what you need and roll the rest into good sized balls, wrap them in wax paper, then freezer wrap, and pop them into the freezer. When you want to use them then take them out in plenty of time and let them warm up to room temperature before you start to work with them.

Now go make some delicious pies!

A Closer Look at the West Bend 77205 Electric Can Opener

The electric can opener isn’t a new invention. Can openers have been around for over 150 years and probably are the single invention largely responsible for the proliferation of canned foods. Prior to the introduction of the first can openers in the 1870s, people were literally taking their lives in their hands by following the instructions on the first canned foods: "Cut round the top near the outer edge with a chisel and hammer." (the cans were a lot thicker when they first came out!). Now, if those directions aren’t asking for crushed fingers or stiches, I don’t know what is!

The first electric can opener was introduced in 1931 and safety considerations were a big part of the promotion of the new invention. However, the invention really didn’t catch on at that time, perhaps because electricity was still a new thing and not all homes were wired yet. It was 1956 before electric can openers caught on and that was when Walter Bodle introduced the Udico freestanding powered can opener in three popular colors.

While the novelty of having a can opener in a decorator color quickly wore off, the electric can opener was here to stay. Canned foods of all sorts have grown so that having a can opener of some type today is an absolute must for any kitchen. However, for many years, the lowly can opener has been mostly utilitarian and an unattractive addition to the countertop. In fact, many people hide such appliances away from sight in cupboards when not in use.

The West Bend 77205 Electric Can Opener is changing that mindset. The sleek and modern design has been called “almost modern art” by customers and many say they are proud to display it out in the open. The combination of bright, shiny chrome and exciting decorator colors such as red, blue, black, white or silver bring a welcome note of color to today’s modern kitchens. Taller and narrower than most electric can openers, the slim footprint is also welcome to those with less counter space.

Not only does this model excel in eye-pleasing design, but the West Bend 77205 Electric Can Opener also has excellent functionality. The tall, slim design enables even large, gallon-size cans to be opened with ease. The magnet placed in the cutting device holds the can cover in place after opening so that you don’t have it dropping inside the can, where it can be a real mess to get back out. After use, the device folds down against itself so that it’s not sticking out and catching on anything else – another way that West Bend perfectly blended form with function.

The retractable cord, which stores inside out of the way when not in use, is a popular extra feature as it keeps counter clutter at a minimum. The cutter unit is detachable and dishwasher-safe, so this is by far one of the easiest can openers to keep clean. One of the main reasons that people have to buy a new can opener is that the blade does eventually become dull or damaged. West Bend eliminates the need to replace your entire can opener because they sell replacement cutting blades for just that reason. The West Bend 77205 Electric Can Opener may very well be the last can opener you ever need to buy.

Features and Specifications

• Powerful 70-watt motor
• Made of durable plastic, chrome and heavyweight aluminum
• Extra-tall design allows for commercial gallon-size cans to be opened with ease
• Slim design, perfect for those without much counterspace
• Built-in knife sharpener
• Built-in bottle opener
• Automatic shutoff
• Cutting unit is dishwasher-safe and easily detached from unit
• Cord storage built-in for less clutter
• 1 year manufacturer warranty
• Measures only 5 1/6” x 5” on the base and is a tall 9 8/9” in height

Customer Reviews

Of 438 reviews posted so far at Amazon.com for this can opener, a whopping 313 customers gave this electric can opener a five-star rating. A further 76 of the total reviewers gave it a four-star rating. That means that roughly 89% of all customers who bought this product are extremely happy with the purchase. That’s pretty remarkable when you consider that this is mainly a functional item.

Out of all the comments made, the one that stands out the most is how pleased customers are to be able to buy replacement blades directly from West Bend. Too often, we must throw out a perfectly usable can opener only because the blade is damaged. What an incredible waste of our limited resources! One of the mainstays of being environmentally conscious is to be sure to buy products that can be used for many years to come and the West Bend 77205 fits this requirement perfectly.

Where Should I Buy From?

Looking around then it seems Amazon.com offer the best price at the moment (just under 30 dollars), at the time of writing you get it for about 35% off the normal retail price. Use the link below to check out the current price at Amazon.com:

>> Click here to check the current price and get more details on this item

You can also get a very stylish red version too, you can find more details on that version here

If you are still not sure which set you want to buy though, then head over to Amazon.com and browse through all of their electric can openers.

 

Frozen Stawberry and Pineapple Jam

*all images for illustration purposes only, they do not show the finished recipe unless stated.

Please note that these are recipes we have purchased or had sent to us. We have tried some but obviously not all of them, so please do your own due diligence before trying them to see that they are safe to eat, and we can’t promise the methods used to create the recipe are safe or complete so you follow them at your own risk.

Did you know you can actualy freeze jam? No we didn’t either until we found this recipe, but it actually seems like a very good way to stop you having to fuss around with lots of jars, just make a big batch and take some out when you need it!

Ingredients:

What you need to do:

First of all grab the strawberries and give them a good wash and a dry, then you want to mash them up really well so put them into a large mixing bowl and use something like a potato masher to crush them up (remember to remove the green tops first!).

Then measure out 2.5 cups of that mixture which you will be using, and remove the rest from the bowl (store it or use it for another batch).

Now drop in the pineapple and start to slowly add in the sugar and mix it all up together.

The next part is the pectin so grab a saucepan, pour the water in and set it onto a medium heat. While it is heating up slowly start to pour in the pectin, all the while stirring to stop is clumping up. Keep stirring even after all the pectin is in, and once it reaches the boil then keep it there, stirring all the time, for about a minute.

Now take that off the heat and start to pour it slowly into the bowl with the sugar/fruit mix in, stirring as you do. Once it is all in the bowl then continue stirring for a good few minutes just to make sure you are mixing it all up well and dissolving all that sugar you put in!

That was the hard part, now you just pour the whole mixture into the container you have and let it stand for about 24 hours witht he lid on. Then pop it into the freezer.

Now when you want some jam get the container out, scoop some into a jar and pop it into the refrigerator to thaw!

Yummy!

Why Should We Eat Brown Rice and Wholemeal Pasta, Etc.?

There are much greater differences between white rice and brown rice aside from basic color. Brown rice is considered to be a whole grain that has several layers. The hull, or the outermost layer, is the only portion that is removed to produce what we know as brown rice. This process is quite gentle to the grain, and ensures the most nutrition is left in the rice, due to the lack of excess processing which is common in white rice. When brown rice is processed more, the germ and bran layers are removed, resulting in a grain that has lost many nutritional properties and is whiter in color.

That being said, the rice is not yet white rice, as it still needs to be polished to produce the appearance we are familiar with. The process of polishing removes the layer of the grain known as aleurone, which consists of essential, healthy fats. This layer must be removed during the refining process because once the fats are exposed to air, they quickly oxidize. The shelf life of the rice is prolonged by removing this component. The end result is white rice, which is nothing more than a refined starch with little nutritional value.

Brown rice, as well as other forms of whole grain products, such as whole wheat pastas, is considered to be an excellent source of manganese, as well as magnesium and selenium. When these grains are refined to the point they become white, nearly sixty seven percent of vitamin B3, fifty percent of manganese, fifty percent of phosphorus, eighty percent of vitamin B1, sixty percent of iron, ninety percent of vitamin B6, and just about all of the essential fatty acids and fiber are depleted. Because of this issue, fully refined products, such as white rice and pastas need to be enriched with vitamins. Even though these nutrients are added back, they do not provide the same nutritional quality as unprocessed forms of grains.

Another reason why eating brown rice, and other whole grains is beneficial is because they can improve your overall health. These grains have been found to help lower cholesterol levels. Also, eating at least one serving of whole grains, at least six times per week, can benefit women, especially those who are postmenopausal, to manage cholesterol levels, ward off high blood pressure, and lower their risk for developing cardiovascular disease.

The Yummy History of Chocolate

The rich, delicious, smooth, delectable taste of chocolate is loved by many. What people may not know is that chocolate was actually a New World discovery, making it an American treasure. Once discovered, chocolate became one of the most hunted treasures that was then brought back on ships to Europe as a prize from the uncharted territory located across the open waters of the Atlantic.

Chocolate is created from Cacao, which is thought to have originated approximately four thousand years ago in the Amazon. It is said that the Aztecs were so fascinated with Cacao that they credited their god Quetzalcoatl with its creation. The story asserts that Quetzalcoatl came down from the heavens, on a morning star, carrying the Cacao tree that had been stolen from a paradise. While this story obviously cannot be verified, what is known is that the Aztecs placed such a high value on the Cacao bean that it was commonly used as a form of currency.

The Aztecs also produced a cold, thick, unsweetened drink from the Cacao beans known as Chocolatl. This drink was considered to be so special that it was served in goblets made of gold, which were thrown away after just a single use. In 1502, Christopher Columbus became the first European to discover the beans during his fourth voyage to the New World.

Later, a man with his sights set on money, Hernando Cortez, became enthralled with the Aztec people, their spicy, yet bitter beverage, and perhaps most importantly, the fact that the Aztecs were using Cacao beans as a form of currency. In 1519, in the name of Spain, Cortez established a plantation for Cacao where he believed “money” could be grown on trees. Upon his return to Spain in 1528, he brought the king of Spain, Charles V, some of these magnificent beans. It was also at this time that Cortez suspected that if sugar was added to the bitter beverage, it would not only be more palatable for the tastes of the Europeans, but that it could become a delicious treat.

His suspicion was dead on, and Spaniards began mixing the bitter beans with sugar, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, allspice, and nutmeg. The drink that resulted quickly became the drink of choice for the rich. Believe it or not, Spain managed to keep this tasty secret from the rest of the world for nearly a century. Luckily for all of the chocolate lovers in the world, this secret is now well known, and well loved by thousands all over the globe.

How to Sauté Like a Pro

So many recipes call for sautéing ingredients. While this may seem like an intimidating term, the process is actually simpler than you may believe. Once you master this process, you will be able to prepare thousands of dishes with ease.

The word sauté is French, and literally means “to jump”. The reason this applies to cooking is because you are going to heat the food at a high temperature, in a fairly quick manner, without letting it linger in the pan. Sautéing is a form of frying; however it is more of a dry high heat, with a small amount of fat or liquid.

In order to get the very most out of sautéing, you will need the proper type of pan. Some chefs insist a good sauté pan needs to have sloped sides, while others insist upon straight sides. As long as the pan has a thick, heavy bottom that heats evenly to prevent hot spots, your food should cook with no problem, regardless of the sides.

You can certainly use a non-stick pan for sautéing, but if you plan on making a pan sauce at the same time, you will find a regular pan will work better because you will need to have those little stuck on brown bits in order to get the very most flavor.

Another very important element of sautéing is having the right type of fat. Butter is highly recommended as it heats hotter, provides a good deal of flavor, and allows the food to obtain a great golden color. That being said, butter cooks off quickly, and can also burn. Oil can heat even hotter than butter, still produces a great crust, and does not burn off as quickly. That being said, it does not provide as rich a flavor as butter. Many chefs use a butter and oil combination for the best of both worlds.

The next key to getting a proper sauté is knowing how much fat to use. You are not deep frying, so you need just a skim coating on the bottom of the pan. Keep in mind the size of the pan you are using to ensure the food will not be floating in the fat.

Finally, you need to make sure your pan is properly preheated. One of the biggest mistakes people make is not heating their sauté pan hot enough in advance. People simply place cold ingredients right from the refrigerator into a cold pan, and put it on the stove burner. This does nothing more than cause food to stick, causes food to be oil laden, and in the end meat becomes dry, tough, and rubbery.

How to Cube an Onion the Easy Way

Onions add so much to even the most basic recipes. While many people love the taste of an onion in a variety of dishes, and even enjoy the smell of an onion sautéing in a pan full of butter, getting the onion prepped and recipe ready is another issue entirely. This issue can literally bring tears to the eyes of many cooks. Not to mention, getting the peel off, the onion cut uniformly, and having it come out perfectly tender just seems to be all too much for some.

This most certainly does not have to be the case. In fact, learning how to cube an onion is quite simple once you understand the basic technique. To help get you started, here are some great tips, straight from a chef’s kitchen.

Step 1: Obtain a good quality chef’s knife, and cut off almost the entire stem end. You should leave a small amount of the end to hold on in order to peel the skin off. From this point, peel all of the skin off of the outside of the onion.

Step 2: Next, put the cut end of the onion on a cutting board or a plate, with the roots facing upward. If there are a lot of roots, simply pull them off with your hands. From here, slice the onion in half the long way. Leaving the roots on the onion will hold it together nicely during the slicing process.

Step 3: Now that you have two halves of the onion, place them each flat side down on the cutting board or plate. Begin making long, multiple cuts from the top to the bottom, while leaving the end with the root intact.

Step 4: The number of cuts you will make depends on how finely you want to dice your onion. The more cuts you make, the finer the dicing will be.

Step 5: Once you have made the long cuts, turn the onion ninety degrees, and make several cuts across the onion in the other direction. Be sure to keep your fingers curled inward so you do not cut yourself. Again, the number of slices you should make will depend upon how finely you would like the onion diced.

As you can see, there is really nothing to dicing an onion. Once you master these steps, you will never again dread the process of adding a tasty onion to all of your favorite dishes.

Here is a youtube video to illustrate the process:

How to Buy the Tastiest Steak

Many people find themselves standing in front of the butcher counter, looking at the various options of steaks, and feel completely overwhelmed. Most people simply do not know what to look for when choosing a steak, and what characteristics will ensure the meat will be tender and tasty.

In order to help with this issue, below are a few tips to assist with selection when buying a steak. These tips will explain the different types of cuts, along with what the best chefs look for when choosing their own pieces of meat. So, without further ado, here are the top tips for choosing the best and tastiest steak.

Tip #1: Talk to your local butcher and ask him or her for their personal recommendations. These people are meat professionals and will always steer you in the right direction.

Tip #2: Always buy the best cut of meat that you can afford. Even though it is tempting to purchase the cheapest option, you often get what you pay for when it comes to steaks. The grades are ranked in order from lower quality to higher quality. This ranking is as follows: prime, choice, and select.

Tip #3: Whenever possible, have the butcher cut your steak to order, and try to avoid steaks that are sitting out in the pre-packaged area of the store.

Tip #4: Feel the steak. You can easily do this through the package, but just verify that the steak is nice and firm to the touch, and has a good texture.

Tip #5: Color is definitely key. If the steak has a gray appearance, run the other way. That being said, the meat should be a light, bright red color, never a dark red.

Tip #6: Check for marbling. Marbling is just little bits of fat that can be seen running through the meat. This helps to flavor the steak, while adding great juiciness.

Tip #7: While it is up to the steak buyer, as a general rule, dry aging is thought to produce a better tasting steak than wet aging. Regardless of your personal preference, you should try to avoid meat that has not been aged at all.

Tip #8: If you have no choice but to buy pre-packaged steaks, make sure the meat you choose is not past the recommended date of sale, there are no tears in the packaging, and there is no excessive amount of moisture in the package.

Tip #9: Angus beef is not the same as “certified black Angus” beef. Just because it says Angus on the package does not mean you are getting a high quality piece of meat.

Tip #10: Experiment with different cuts of steaks. You may find you simply prefer one cut over another, which is a matter of personal preference.

Can anyone get good at cooking?

Cooking might look complicated when you watch the chefs on TV with their knives all a blur and trying to monitor 14 things at once, but really cooking can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it, and just like learning guitar then you don’t jump straight into some complicated piece without first mastering the basics. I know that most guys will curl up into a ball on the floor and whimper at the thought of having to cook anything more complicated than beans on toast, but really cooking is easy once you know how and have the confidence to do it.

So yes I think anyone can learn to cook, however whether they WILL learn to cook is a totally different matter. Have you ever met someone who was a complete disaster in the kitchen? Maybe your partner? Well I think that those people who can burn a saucepan full of water are actually just being lazy. It is kind of like a kid who doesn’t want to go somewhere and they drag their feet on the floor as they try to do anything they can not to go, I think some people just don’t put any effort into cooking so they won’t ever have to do it again!

If you do want to take the time to learn some new dishes and master some new skills though, then you would be well advised to see if there are any cooking classes on near you. Yes you can learn from books and videos online etc, but nothing beats a bit of hands-on tuition, at least until you have mastered the basics, then you once you have finished the lessons you can improve your skills further with books and videos. There are all sorts of courses available, from basic cooking, through to how to cook thai dishses properly or even bake beautiful pastries and cakes, I would start off with the basic course though just to get to grips with everything.

Once you do know the basics and are confident in your skills, then really you will be able to pick up pretty much any recipe and be able to cook it successfully. Yes you might not get it perfect first time, it might be a bit overcooked or you might have forgotten to buy some of the ingredients etc, but it will still taste good (unless you burn it to a crisp!) and the second time you try the recipe you’ll remember those problems and correct them. That means by just putting in a bit of effort now to get some lessons then you can learn a skill which will help you for the rest of your life.

Who is the most popular celebrity chef?

It seems like you can’t turn around nowadays without bumping into some celebrity chef, we are all mad about cooking at the moment and the TV chef industry is thriving, but is there a king or queen bee among them? Let’s a take a look at some of the most popular ones from the UK:

Heston Blumenthal: Heston is best known for his gastronomic experimentation, as he is both a chef and scientist, which is a dangerous combination! The menus as his restaurant ‘The Fat Duck’ are usually full of weird and wonderful dishes and in the past few years he has really pushed his TV career ahead full steam and some of the dishes he has made for his celebrity guest on those shows have been incredible. While he might not be as well known and loved as the other people on this page, then in terms of ingenuity in the field of cooking, then he has to take the crown.

Jamie Oliver: Jamie is the lovable rascal, he has a certain lovable charm that makes him easy to watch, and he always has such passion for what he is doing that I think he wins most people over in the end. His latest foray into the US has been an unmitigated disaster though I think, but he is still a firm favorite in the UK and I don’t think that will have damaged his reputation too much.

Delia Smith: Delia to me, is the queen of cooking. She is known around the world as the person to trust when you need to cook something nice, and she has a wonderfully calm and controlled demeanor that puts you at ease as you watch her effortlessly make spectacular dishes.

Nigella Lawson: Nigella seems to have cornered the market for seductive cooking and I think her fans are mainly guys! She is a stunning woman and a great cook, and the two combine together to make a wonderfully entertaining cooking show.

So I think based on that above that clearly Delia is the most well known and loved celebrity chef, at least in the UK anyway. But TV is a fickle master and I am sure there will be new up and coming chefs that the public will fall in love with soon, and then Delia and all the others on that list will have to work extra hard if they want to keep their spots at the top.

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