Food

If you’re a dab hand in the kitchen or fancying dedicating more time to learn more skills, it may be time to give baking a try. From cakes and cookies to bread and pies, there’s a wide range of things to bake and all you need is some quality bakeware, the right ingredients and a recipe. Here are 10 reasons to bake more often.

1. Everyone deserves a cake on their birthday, so if someone you know and love has a special day coming up, why not bake them a birthday cake? It’ll be much more personal than one that’s store-bought and with so many different types of cake to choose from, all you’ll need to do is find out what they like.

2. If you’re keen to keep morale up at work, why not bakes some tasty treats for your colleagues? It could be in the form of a whole cake, cookies or even cupcakes. It may even inspire others to start baking and, who knows, that could lead to Cake Friday!

3. If you’re hosting a dinner party, chances are your guests will be expecting some form of dessert to follow the main course. If you’ve cooked the rest of the meal, why stop there? By baking the dessert, it will show off your kitchen skills and make sure your guests leave satisfied.

4. If you’re a guest at a party, it’s customary to take something along. Sometimes its drink, at other times it may be nibbles. But if you really want to leave your mark on a party, it may be a good idea to bake a cake.

5. Baking isn’t all about cakes and biscuits. It could be as simple as baking bread. Not only is home-based bread delicious, it is also a lot cheaper than getting a loaf from the supermarket.

6. The smell of baked goods is enough to lift anyone’s spirits, so could be reason enough to get the bakeware out the cupboard. There’s a good reason why estate agents recommend baking cookies when viewers are coming round.

7. Bake sales are a great way to raise money for charity or even a local sports side. If you’re looking for a way to raise money for a good cause, cake baking could be the answer.

8. If you like to be creative and try your hand at new challenges, baking offers that in spades. With so many different types of baked goods, there’s always a new recipe to try.

9. If you’re worried about being able to buy presents for everyone when Christmas is round the corner, baking everyone a personalised cake could be a great solution. The ingredients are inexpensive and everyone will appreciate the time you put in.

10. Why bake? How about the chance to lick the cake mix from the bowl? If that’s not a good enough reason, I don’t know what is!

Have you grown weary of spending time in the kitchen? Cooking can be hard work, but it can also be very rewarding with the right setting, equipment and attitude. Here are some tips to help you step back in the kitchen and reignite your enthusiasm for cooking.

1. One of the easiest ways to make your kitchen a more appealing environment is to tidy up and clear out anything you don’t need. If your kitchen isn’t particularly big, clutter can make it feel claustrophobic – not what you want if you’re facing a few hours of cooking.

2. If your kitchen is looking tired, it may be dampening your enthusiasm and putting you off spending much time there. A refit, with new cupboards or countertops could transform the room into somewhere you look forward to spending time, rather than dreading it.

3. If your kitchen is quite small, you may want to consider an extension. Whether it’s merging your kitchen and dining room or building onto your house, this type of change could help you to enjoy your home even more.

4. If your cooker has seen better days, it can be a major off-putter for cooking. If, despite all your hard work, your meals aren’t coming out how you intended, it can be disheartening and stop you from even attempting anything adventurous.

5. If there’s nothing wrong with your cooker, but you’re still not getting the rewards for your culinary efforts, it may be that you require a new cookware set. Cookware sets can play a major role in the success you achieve in the kitchen, so it could be a worthwhile investment.

6. If you find cooking a little tedious, but want to be able to prepare better meals, why not put a TV in your kitchen? It’ll keep you company while you cook, so you don’t feel like you’re waiting ages being bored.

7. You should also add some personal touches to avoid the kitchen feeling like a separate place from the rest of your house. Flowers, pictures, candles, bowls and other features could help to make the kitchen feel homely, rather than like a work place.

8. If your enthusiasm for cooking has waned because you’re the only one who does it, maybe a rest is all you need. Tell your family or hoursemate that you’re handing the rolling pin to them and taking a few days off from the kitchen. That’ll give you time to recharge your batteries and feel better about the prospect of going back in. Make sure you give yourself plenty of breaks every week, not just as a one off.

9. If you’re bored of cooking the same old things, maybe you could benefit from being a little more adventurous. Why not pick up some cookery books or check out some online recipes to give you inspiration.

10. You may simply find it a lot of effort for very little pay off, especially if you’re only cooking for yourself. Why not invite friends or relatives round for their tea and show off your culinary treats.

Good bar food can be perfect for a number of situations, providing hearty meals in an informal setting. Bar food can be the perfect compromise if you’re looking for good places to eat, but require something not quite as casual as a pub meal but less formal and less expensive than a restaurant. Here are 10 situations that often call for good bar food.

1. If you’re out shopping and want to break up the day (and take a rest) from your retail exertions, good quality bar food could make for the perfect lunch. You’ll feel suitably relaxed and full of energy, ready for the second phase of retail activity.

2. If you’re meeting up with friends or a partner for the cinema and fancy a nice meal before you watch a film, bar food could be just the job. Plus, with cinema prices very expensive, the value offered by bar food could help you to keep your costs down.

3. Not all dinner dates have to take place at a fancy restaurant. Sometimes, it’s perfectly acceptable – and often preferred – for a couple to enjoy good quality grub in a more informal setting, such as a bar. Many establishments provide bar menus that contain a wide range of tasty meals, so it won’t feel like a compromise.

4. Bar meals could be exactly what you’re looking for if you have a birthday coming up and want to invite friends and/or relatives to join you in celebrating. If you go for a posh restaurant, you may price some friends out of coming, while bar food is cheaper and served in a fun, but perfectly nice setting.

5. If you’re meeting a client, but prefer to talk in a more informal environment, bar meals could be just what you need. There’s plenty of atmospheric noise without it drowning out conversation, so can be ideal for some meetings.

6. This type of grub can also be ideal if you want to take your staff out of the office for a team meeting. Being away from boardrooms and desks can often lead to a move creative level of thinking.

7. If your business has achieved a major target, you’re welcoming new staff or a long-serving member of staff is leaving, a bar meal could be a great way to acknowledge the occasion.

8. If you’re in charge of the office Christmas party plans, a bar could be the perfect setting. Many will provide you with a cordoned off area or have a private hire room, so you can sit down for a bar meal before enjoying some music and dancing.

9. If you’re heading out on a big night, but want to make sure you have some good food before you start on the drinks, bar food may be the answer. The atmosphere is such that it will help you get in the right mood for the night of partying.

10. If you’ve overdone it on the night out and wake up feeling worse for wear, many bars also offer a breakfast or brunch menu for you to enjoy some hearty recovery food.

Who doesn’t like sugar when they are baking? Yes, there are some people who prefer to go sugar-free, but the majority of us can’t get enough of that sweetness. Sugar comes in many shapes and forms when baking, making it hard to know which one is best for what dessert. It is difficult to bake with sugar when you are trying to eat healthy, but it’s not impossible.

Here is an overview of some common baking sugars, what types of desserts they are best used for, and how healthy they are for your family:

Granulated white sugar – Granulated is the most common form of sugar used in cooking and in recipes. It can be used for just about anything you can think of to bake. Unfortunately, there are no nutritional benefits in using this form of sugar. In fact, there are 108 calories in just one small serving size of granulated sugar!

Powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar) – Powdered sugar looks precisely like its name, powder. This type of sugar is used in meringue pies, some icings, and toppings for pastries. While powdered sugar may have small amounts of vitamins in minerals it is not significant to warrant the whopping 466 calories that are in a cup.

Brown sugar – Brown sugar is made from refined white sugar with molasses added to it. Brown sugar is a common ingredient in spice cakes, muffins, some cookies, and they give a great taste to baked apple goods. It is considered a cooking myth that brown sugar is healthier than granulated sugar. In fact, in most manufactured brown sugar granulated white sugar is used, so the only health value comes from the molasses, and it is miniscule.

It is important to note that these are not the only three sugars that can be used in your favorite dishes. However, they are the most common. Although these sugars are the most commonly used in cooking and baking, they are definitely not healthy. However, nature has provided us with many forms of sweeteners that are pure and do contain some health benefits.

Some of the purest sweeteners and their health benefits include:

Maple syrup – Natural maple syrup is lower in calories than any processed sugar. It contains nutrients like manganese, giving you energy, and is high in zinc, making it good for your heart health. Maple syrup is also linked to building your immune system and maintaining reproductive health in men.

Molasses – Molasses is a good source of vitamins and minerals when consumed in moderation, since it has as many calories as white sugar. Aside from that small downfall, it also contains calcium, iron, potassium and manganese, and is good for the health of your muscles, bones and teeth.

Honey – Honey is a great immunity builder, it is used as a natural remedy, and it is a natural energy pick-me-up. Honey is actually proven to help seasonal allergy sufferers when a teaspoon is eaten daily!

Corn syrup – Caro syrup is a natural form of corn syrup that has been used for a century to treat ailments like pharyngitis and constipation in babies. It is goof in moderation as it is linked to weight gain and increasing heart attack risks.

Whether you are baking cookies for the holidays or just a snack at home, there are many choices a baker has when reaching for a sweetener. If you prefer the taste of processed, it’s not a crime, however moderation is the key to consumption. Switch up your baking and use white sugar for cookies then maple syrup the next time. You are in control of your health and you control the measuring cup. Just decide which type of sugar you want to scoop up!
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Parties are a time for celebrating-a wedding, a baby, a birthday-and for mingling and having fun with friends and relatives. If you want your guests interacting and having fun, you want to make sure you serve menu items appropriate for the party atmosphere. Some foods just don’t belong at a party unless your guests are octopus and have eight arms! Of course, many things are obvious as to what you wouldn’t serve…cow’s tongue, liver, pickled pig’s feet. Let’s be realistic, though. There are things you might serve at one party that you wouldn’t at another. For general parties, it’s best to avoid even some simple items.

Here are 5 foods you probably wouldn’t want to serve at a party:

- While we all love spaghetti and it’s a great crowd pleaser, it’s probably not the best thing to offer guests at a birthday party or baby shower. Who wants to walk around with a plate trying to balance everything while twirling pasta and splattering red sauce all over the place? Besides, if you miss your mouth, you’re liable to make a mess either on you or your hostess’s carpet. It’s best to leave the spaghetti dinner for sit down meals for the family.

- Unless you’re throwing a backyard barbeque-themed party for a birthday boy/girl or a mother-to-be, it’s not a good idea to serve messy barbeque at a party. If you serve ribs, people will have to eat them with their hands, then they’ll need a lot of napkins or wet-naps to clean up. Also, what do you do with the bones? Pulled pork, brisket, and barbequed chicken all have the same problems. While we love these type of foods for the Fourth of July or a big football game, they’re just not conducive to a party setting where people are mingling and/or playing party games.

- The same as above goes for Sloppy Joes. They’re great for dinner with the kids, but they’re called “sloppy” for reason. The meat and juices can fall out of the bun, making it a mess not only for your guests to try and eat (and carry on a conversation), but for the hostess, as well, if you start finding greasy chunks of ground beef in your carpet or furniture.

- Anything that requires cracking, peeling, or shelling. This would include most shellfish. It’s fun to boil up a batch of peel-and-eat shrimp or steam a Maine lobster. However, your guests don’t want to “fight” their food while they’re at a party. You can serve these seafood delights in other formats if you’d like. Just don’t expect party goers to peel, shuck, crack, or shell anything. It’s a mess and who wants to wear a restaurant bib at a party?

- Anything on a skewer. Okay, now this might contradict some of those awesome appetizer recipes you may have come up with. However, meat or vegetables on a stick can cause a problem for your guest. First, they have to hold it. Secondly, they have to gnaw the item off of the skewer, oftentimes with the appetizer sticking to it. Finally, what do they do with the skewer when they’re done? Do they carry it around? Search high and low for a garbage can? Stash it in your favorite banana tree plant? No, no, and please…no. If you can avoid anything on a stick, all the better.
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