Chinese Food Culture

by ballookey

What Should You Look for When Buying a Food Processor?

A food processor is no longer an elite kitchen appliance used only by the top chefs. Due to its immense practicality, this kitchen time-saver has grown in popularity over the past few years, generating higher production and lower costs. Consequently, food processors are easily available to grace even the most basic of kitchens.

Small enough not to take up lots of valuable countertop space yet powerful enough to cut down food preparation time to a minimum, food processors are not just another appliance you will use a couple of times and then store away in the basement when the newness wears off. Rather than painstakingly chopping, grating, shredding, dicing, slicing, or pureeing recipe ingredients, choose the right disc, throw the foods in your processor, and hit the speed button. In a matter of seconds, your food is ready to use.

As with any appliance, food processors come with a variety of levels and options. Consequently, you need to do some research and planning before you purchase one. Food processors typically are not a large investment, but, of course, you want to spend your money wisely on whatever you choose.

Make a list

First, consider what you will be using your food processor for. What is your budget? Do you have a large family or invite groups over frequently? Do you cook often? What foods do you usually cook? Do you have small children or even a baby at home?

Making a list about how your food processor will be used helps you in a couple of ways. One, you are less likely to get distracted or overwhelmed by the variety you can be barraged with when shopping. And two, you can narrow your options down, cutting your shopping time down and helping you weed many selections out.

Read reviews

Next, read reviews online. Many consumer review websites provide neutral comments on the pros and cons of various food processors. As they are not affiliated with one brand or another, they can give you an accurate opinion of how the food processors work. And how cooks like yourself have found the processors to benefit themselves. Click here to read our reviews

Wattage

One important factor you should look for when buying a food processor is the wattage. The more powerful the motor, the more expensive the processor. However, the benefits outweigh the costs. A faster motor means faster chopping time. You can also rest assured it can tackle all the especially tough foods you may put through it, such as coffee beans or meat. Typically, larger motors last longer and have an extended warranty than smaller ones do. Wattage on a food processor usually runs between 500 to 1,200, with some very small processors a little under and some especially large ones a little over.

Speed

Along with the wattage are the speed options. Obviously, the motor controls the speed of the blades spinning around inside a processor. Most processors come with two speed options-low and high. Some include a pulse button, which you can use to manually turn on and off the speed. Pulsing is helpful to provide bursts of speed to slash through the food.

Bowl options

Bowl size is another point to consider when purchasing a food processor. There are three main bowl sizes-large (full-size), medium (compact), and small (mini). Although the exact size of the bowl can vary, large tends to be about nine to an impressive sixteen cups. Medium bowls are around five to nine cups. And a small bowl is about two to four cups.

Here is where you need to really consider how much food you will be preparing with your processor. Obviously, if you have larger family and entertain a lot-or even a small family yet you love to cook-, a mini or even compact bowl could be a challenge to work with. Who wants to worry about constantly have to stop the processor, empty the bowl out, and then put it back together? Most food processor users recommend using at least a compact bowl, if not a full-size. Even if it is bigger and you never use a full sixteen or even twelve cups, you still have some room to spare. To make the choice simple for you, some food processor brands come with a bowl set, allowing you to switch out bowls according to what size you need for that cooking day.

Some bowls come with cup markings up the sides to make measurements simple.

Bowls can come in either plastic or stainless steel. Plastic is cheaper and fairly durable, but it tends to stain from the food juices and does not last for significantly long periods of time. Stainless steel, on the other hand, is more expensive, but it will last as long as your food processor does.

Attachments

Attachments make up the most exciting part of the food processor. Here is where you get to have fun with your kitchen appliance. Every processor comes with a metal s-shape disc, which does your basic chopping and slicing. Then there are multitudes of other options to choose from. Turn potatoes into perfectly shaped french fries with a french fry disc. Whip eggs into delectable meringue for a lemon meringue pie. Finely grind up spices. Knead dough for pizzas and breads-in just a couple of minutes. Shave chocolate pieces. Grate cheese. Slice vegetables and fruits up for salads: you can even choose what thickness to slice the foods by choosing the width of the disc. Puree natural fruits, vegetables, and even meats into healthy, nutritious food for your baby. The options are as wide as your creativity.

Before you get all ambitious and purchase every attachment option available, though, pull out your list of what you plan to use your processor for-and stick with it. If you find that you would like and use additional discs later, then consider purchasing them. For now, save money and storage space by only buying what you know you will use.

Safety features

Look into the safety features of a food processor before you buy one. Check to see if there are grip-able feet on the bottom, to prevent the appliance from sliding around. Most have options which ensure the processor does not start if the lid is not snapped on properly or if the bowl is not screwed into the base. The cylinder should be tall enough that you cannot get your fingers in and get cut by the blades (not that you should have your fingers in the processor to begin with).

Easy to clean

Make sure the processor will be easy to clean. Who wants to deal with one more hard-to-clean item around the kitchen? It should be simple to disassemble, and all parts should be readily available to be washed down and dried without having to work to get food remnants out or water left to sit.

Warranty

Your food processor should come with a warranty. Most are one year, some come with two. Whichever the case, be sure to look into warranty options before you purchase.

by dimitridf

What Is a Food Processor and What Are the Advantages of Having One?

You finally have a few extra minutes to spend in the kitchen to fix a tasty supper. You open up your cookbook, find the perfect recipe, read the steps. And quickly decide to call in a pizza. With the amount of ingredients needing to be finely chopped, grated, kneaded, and sliced before you can even get the meal in the oven to cook, you have used up any additional time you may have had. However, with a food processor, you can cut your preparation time down to a minimal amount, enabling you to have even a gourmet meal right at home.

An essential and popular kitchen tool

This kitchen appliance is an essential kitchen item. Originally, it began as a machine only top chefs and cooking connoisseurs used. As time progressed though, and people began to realize just how wonderfully simple and efficient food processors were, they became popular. Production increased, prices came down, and now the average kitchen can afford to have one sitting on the cabinet.

Food processors take the time out of common kitchen tasks, such as chopping, cutting, slicing, pureeing, kneading, grinding, grating, and shredding. Plus, they take strain off your fingers, wrists, and lower arms, which can be especially helpful for individuals suffering from joint problems and arthritis.

Powerful and effective

While some miniature food processors are hand operated, most run by electricity. Typically, the wattage is around 500-1,200, giving enough power to slice through the toughest foods. The motor is powerful, but it is set inside the base, making it essentially sound proof. The motor spins metal discs or blades around at high speeds.

Usually, food processors have two speed controls of low or high, with some, like the Cuisinart DLC-2014N, having the option of a pulse button. The pulse button allows you to manually control the blades while still producing a high spin rate.

Sizes

Food processors come in different sizes, depending on what your cooking needs are. There are various bowl sizes, ranging from large, medium, and small. Small, or mini, usually starts about two cups and can go up to five cups. A medium, or compact bowl, holds between five to seven, or even eleven cups. And a large, or full-sized, bowl will hold between seven to a whopping fourteen cups. Some bowls come with markings up the side of the bowls to indicate how much you have processed without having to get a measuring cup out. Some food processor brands even allow you to interchange bowl sizes on the same processor.

It is recommended to get a food processor with at least a compact bowl size, though large is the best. While it costs a little more, the advantages of not having to continually empty a bowl out, as well as being prepared for any sized cooking need you have, outweigh the price. A large bowl also allows you to mix several foods at once. Typically, a food processor with a larger bowl size also has a more powerful motor to be able to keep up. This means faster results and a longer-lasting machine. A small bowl is convenient for quick jobs, such as chopping a half-cup of onion a recipe calls for or grinding spices to add to a homemade apple pie.

Attachments

A cylinder leading down into the bowl allows for ease-and safety-of putting foods into the processor. Not only do you not have to worry about getting your fingers in the way of the blades, but you also have both your hands free to add food.

Food processors come with various attachments. One helpful attachment which comes with some processors is a chute. This allows you to not have to stop the food processor and dish out the food before you can continue to add more. Instead, the processed food comes out the chute into another bowl, while you can continue to add food to the processor through the cylinder.

The main bonus of food processor attachments are the various blades and discs you can choose from. Many blades are universal, so regardless of what processor you have, they will most likely fit. The blades make the food processor. Depending on what blades you have dictate what you can do with your processor. The most common blade is an s-shaped blade, which comes with the processor when you purchase it. It does the basic cutting jobs. Another common attachment is the dough hook, a plastic attachment which kneads dough. If you frequently make bread, a dough hook is extremely helpful. It cuts kneading time down to just a couple of minutes.

Other handy discs include a French fry blade, making homemade French fries a cinch. There are also attachments which whip eggs, finely grate cheeses and chocolates, and thinly slice vegetables for salads. The pieces which come from the food processor are evenly cut, both in size and thickness. This not only makes for more attractive foods, but it also means the food will cook evenly and consequently, taste better.

Many advantages of a food processor

One great advantage of food processors is making your own baby food. Not only does this save you a significant amount of money from having to buy little jars of baby food every week, but it also provides a more healthier to feed your baby. With a pureeing blade, you can purchase fresh foods and with no effort turn it into perfectly edible, nutritious meals. Even meats can be ground up small enough for a small child to safely eat. Foods such as apples, peaches, bananas, squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes are highly recommended as a baby’s first solids. A food processor has no problem pureeing these. Plus, you can make up a large batch at a time and freeze the extras in ice cubes, saving you time in the future.

Food processor advantages also include helping you control your weight-or to even lose weight. While obviously running a food processor is not going to help you burn calories, the benefits come in eating healthy meals you can prepare yourself at home. Fast-food restaurants are giant calorie traps. Rather than wasting money on foods which only put you back on your weight loss goals, use your food processor to help you quickly throw together a meal at home, where you can control the amount of calories you put into foods, and where you can choose fresh, healthy ingredients. Plus save yourself cash to spend on other necessities.

Finally, wow your family and friends with gourmet meals. Enjoy quality time over a delicious meal rather than slaving away in the kitchen, trying to finely dice ingredients. Or throw together salsas and dips for game days. The advantages of owning your food processor are almost limitless!

by sheilaz413

Recommended Dog Food – What is Best?  

Article by Rick Lockwood

Good food for your Dog – 9 Rules for Healthy Nutrition

Dog nutrition has always been a popular topic among dog lovers and animal health professionals alike. The importance of the matter has lead to better understanding of the problems associated with nutrition as well as to changes in dogfood products standards. Unfortunately, manufactures are not inclined to make the best food for your dog.

There is no doubt that adequate nutrition is essential for the proper development, health and longevity of dogs. However, many dog owners find it difficult to decide which dog food ingredients and products are beneficial for their pets.

Although there is no universal characteristic of what is good kibble, there are several useful rules that can help dog owners in providing their pets with healthy dog food.

1. Do not “humanize” your dog’s diet. Canines are carnivorous animals and they have unique nutritional needs. Assuming your dog can eat the same food as you is wrong and potentially dangerous. Wrong diet can ruin your dog’s health and even reduce his or hers life span. This is why you need recommended dog food recipes that are reviewed by a vet or authority on the subject. Something someone else just posted may not be good…

2. Make a list of safe dog food ingredients. There are foods a dog can eat, foods that are unsuitable and foods that are strictly forbidden. Dogs can eat any type of meat (chicken, pork, beef, lamb, game meat, and fish), dairy products (cheese, butter, milk, and yoghurt), grains (corn, wheat, rice, etc.) and vegetables. Sugar, cocoa, chocolate, alcohol, coffee, onions, garlic, moldy foods, some fruits and nuts must not be included in a dog’s diet. They can be toxic for them!

3. Stick to hypoallergenic foods. Food-related allergies are common among dogs. They can occur in canines of perfect health without any warning. Although there are no real rules for prevention, certain foods are less likely to cause allergy than others. A diverse diet including varied protein sources also helps keeping allergies away.

4. What is healthy dog food? Good dog food is not only food that contains safe ingredients but food that is well balanced and nutritional. Each meal must consist of 30% meat, 30% grains and 30% vegetables. This balance as well as the amount of daily food consumption must correspond to the dog’s breed, age and any specific health conditions (such as pregnancy, lactation or disease).

5. Homemade vs. commercially manufactured food. There is no rule about which type of food is better. Homemade and ready-made dog foods can be equally beneficial, if they contain dog-friendly ingredients and meet your dog’s nutritional needs, or dangerous, if they are made of low-quality ingredients and are not well-balanced. A healthy dog diet usually consists of a combination of home cooked meals and ready made food products. Though, more and more vets and breeders are jumping on the homemade food band wagon. I can tell you from our experience, Tiny and Mr. Peanut only eat homemade dog food. It’s simple, cheap and healthy without question.

6. Say NO to dog treats. In dog’s world, junk food would be called dog treats – dogs love them but they can hardly be considered good dog food. Usually dog treats contain chemical ingredients, preservatives, sweeteners, aromas, flavors and colorants that have deteriorating effect on dogs’ health. If you want to spoil your dog with a little tasty snack, prepare it at home.

7. Be careful with dog food recipes. Unfortunately many of the dog food recipes you are likely to come across contain unsuitable and even dangerous ingredients or are not well-balanced and thus will not be able to provide adequate nutrition. Make sure the Recipe is safe prior to preparing the meal and feeding it to your dog. You should use only home made recipes that have been reviewed by a veterinarian.

8. How to buy good dog food. The key to finding the best food for your dog is in selecting several products suitable for his or hers breed and age and comparing their ingredients. Usually the first five dog food ingredients can indicate whether or not you are looking at quality package of dog food. Avoid foods that contain any chemical substances, artificial flavors, colorants or sweeteners. (Reliable Homemade food has no artificial chemicals). This is not easy to do and most people who discover what they have been feeding their pet begin down the road of preparing it themselves, especially when you look at cost. We all know it’s cheaper to do it yourself 99.9% of the time than have someone else do it and make a profit from it as well.. It’s the way the world works.

9. Create a healthy eating regime. Regardless of its quality, excess food usually leads to excess weight gain, especially in less energetic or older dogs. Weight gain can be avoided by giving your dog only the amount of food it actually needs once a day or divided into several meals.

For further information on good dog foods, we suggest you check out the highly recommended Dog Food Recommended by Vet’s. Click Here to check it out.

About the Author

I’m a retired Marine Gunny Sgt working as a professional reviewer within the internet marketing genre. Avid Dog Lover and proud proponent of homemade dog food.

The Finest Finger Food Catering In Australia

Regardless of whether you’re getting married, having a party, or organising a special event in Australia, you will have to plan a menu which encompasses finger foods. Finger food catering companies will cook and deliver the food to your event. Regardless of which part of Australia you reside in be it Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Geelong it is possible to find finger food catering. All of these regions have some of the finest finger food catering services around.

Locating quality finger food is as simple as a quick look online. There are several firms offering one of a kind selections for finger food catering. Finger food can be found on Lonsdale Street, Kilda Road, Commercial Street, or Spencer Street. There are also several other choices for finger food catering nearby. Finger food consists of everything from Italian to Asian.

Finger food catering is even readily accessible. There are shops all around the downtown area which are willing to cater to all of your finger food requirements. Planning fun events in Sydney will result directly for the requirement of finger food catering, and you’ll be pleasantly astonished with a whole array of menu options.

Finger foods are generally found at dozens of catering restaurants. Finger food catering is obtainable for any event which you are planning, from weddings to parties. You’ll be pleased with the number of finger food catering companies which you’ve to choose from. These finger food companies will offer all kinds of finger food catering services all across the city.

One can select anything from pies to sausage rolls, to Asian cuisine, seafood, and Italian food with the help of the finger food companies. Finger food catering will deliver or will be available for you to pick up. Finger food is provided by companies, that are guaranteed to be some of the best found in Australia.

Finger food, Melbourne, finger food, Sydney, finger food Brisbane, and finger food Geelong all present personal choices for catering their event. These companies have a few of the best finger food catering accessible and a person won’t be disappointed when picking out a menu.

by bunchofpants

Figuring Out The Best Finger Food Catering, Sydney

What is finger food catering? Finger food is completely what it sounds like, food that is eaten with your fingers. When planning any type of event from a birthday party to a funeral, it is important to have food for the guests available. Finger food catering companies in Sydney provide a great way to acquire food to your event with very little attempt. There are several well known finger food companies in Sydney to choose from.

Finger food catering companies in Melbourne provide a menu which can be hot or cold, based on the place the food will need to be shipped to. Perhaps you are just having a small birthday party, finger food companies in Melbourne might include small sandwiches and certain fruit and vegetable trays. When you appoint a firm for finger food catering, you’ll get just what you ask for. Choosing your finger food menu is entirely up to you and what you want for your guests. The finger food catering will do all of the work for you. All you have to do is sit back and wait for your finger food.

One of the best ways to pick a finger food catering company is to go in for a taste test. Majority of the finger food catering companies will allow you to head to the store and try some of the food you are considering for your menu. Finding the right finger food menu will only be difficult because one can find a whole lot of choices to consider. The very first step in scheduling your finger food menu should be to consider what type of food category you’re seeking. Many of the finger food catering companies have menus like Asian, Italian, hot or cold bars, even vegetarian or gluten-free menus are available.

Once you’ve sought the type of finger food that you’d like, the very next step will be to order. You’ll even need to decide if you’d like finger food catering company to deliver the food or if you’re going to be picking it up. When considering picking up the finger food you’ll want to consider the distance the food will be traveling when you are choosing your options. On the other hand, finger food catering companies will deliver the food in their exceptional vehicles which are equipped to move food long distances.

Companies offering finger food catering in Sydney aren’t hard to find. However, discovering the best one might take a little patience and quite a lot of taste testing, which can be fun.

by basykes

Dog Food Recall – Questions And Concerns

Dog Food Recall – Questions And Concerns

 

Pet owners are concerned about the health of their dogs. And the item we are most concerned about is food. Dog food recalls seem to be happening more often.

 

Can you remember a time when dogs were fed table food scraps and they were left to wander about the farm or the community and folks or neighbors might toss some food in their direction? None of these foods had hurt these dogs.

 

If your pet passed a butcher shop, a bone or a piece of meat may have given to him, if he passed a bakery, perhaps he was given an egg, and as he passed a farmer milking his dairy cow he probably received a squirt of milk.

 

When I raised German shepherd dogs a trip to the grocery store allowed me to purchase leftover bones and meat cuttings from the meat counter to be used for dog food. If this opportunity is open to you, great!

 

 Currently, in the city where I reside grocery sores are not permitted to sell these bones and scraps.

 

Then commercial pet foods came along and turned the heads of pet owners with promises of their prized healthy dog food recipe, excellent nutrients, and convenience for pet owners at a reasonable price.

 

Regardless of where you got your meat for the high protein content, or the dry or canned commercial dog foods, I do not recall ever hearing about a dog getting sick as much as we do today. And today there are many pet foods recalls which cause alarm for pet owners because of dog illnesses. 

 

Do you remember when television dinners and fast foods were first introduced for people to eat? These served as occasional meals and were particularly handy when traveling or there truly was no time for making a home cooked meal.

 

Have you begun to notice the fact that now in both situations, we are hearing of animals and people getting sick from commercially produced foods? What is the dilemma?

 

One sure ingredient causing problems is sugar. Too much sugar in both animal and people food. Now we hear much about overweight, immune deficiency diseases, heart and circulation diseases, and diabetes on the increase. Dogs and people are having health problems which seemingly are related to the ingredients in our food.

 

Where are the wholesome foods for us and our pets? Why are there so many preservatives, chemicals, dyes, and names of ingredients that we cannot pronounce being put into food?

 

Pet owners are questioning ingredients in pet foods, both dry and canned, because their pets are getting sick. If commercially prepared pet food is so good why have there been so many dog food recalls and cat food recalls by the pet food industry?

 

You have read or heard of human error at the factory, or the wrong additive being added to the food or too high a dose of certain vitamins, wrong ingredients, and contaminated ingredients from foreign countries.

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Do you have questions about pet foods? Are you concerned about dog food recall or cat food recall? Visit the pet section at http://www.Infotrish.com and review Dog Food Secrets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

by gailf548

How To Switch To The Raw Food Diet For Dogs Who Are Picky Eaters. Â 

Article by Jake Bison

To get some canines to swap to a raw food diet will challenge the creativity. But you know you do persevere simply because it’s for the great of the dog. Thankfully, there are some recommendations online that will improve you improve the dog regulate to this new and healthier diet.Listed below are 7 recommendations from Maggie Rhines’ “Going Rawr! Dog Lover’s Compendium” to improve you stimulate the select eater on to raw food:1. Regulate the giving schedule.Some canines are much more open up to trying new food once these folks are on a set giving schedule. Other than becoming used to becoming fed and eating at a sure time, you are additionally sure that these folks are hungry by the time you give them food.A different way to improve the dog’s party day of raw food is to schedule his giving once a vigorous program activity – say once his morning take a walk or a jog approximately the block. A great run will improve him work up an appetite.2. Regulate how much food the dog is finding.If the issue is finding the dog to end his serving of food, you may want to re-examine how much food you are in fact giving him. It may be too much for him to consume.One way to improve the dog end his food and end it rapidly is to set a sure volume of time for him to eat. Say you solely give him 20 minutes to end his food. After that, take away his food bowl. Hereby, he’ll be inspired to eat his food and to end it rapidly.A different main reason why you want to do this is simply because with a raw food diet, you don’t want to go away food lying approximately. This will allow bacteria to grow on the dog’s food, which may lead to stomach upset once the dog puts to use the contaminated food.3. Lay off on the treatsIf the dog is frequently disinterested in his food, it may be time to examine what food the dog is finding outside of his recipes. Accomplishes he get to eat once he arrives to you though you are preparing his food? Which regarding once the family sits down for dinner, accomplishes he get a chew as high?Treats are meant to be rewards for great behavior and must not be a thing you routinely give the pet every single time. Which will flip treats into snacks, which will solely spoil the dogâ��s appetite during food time. So if the dog appears well-rounded during food times, check if unscheduled snacking may be to blame.4. Variety is the spice of existenceWhen giving the dog raw food, variety is key to maintaining him engrosed. If you are giving him the same kind of food all the time, it won���t be a shock if there arrives a time once he’s just not that fascinated by the same old thing.Planning a varied food doesn’t need to be complicated. It is easy to rotate his recipes every single 3 days. Serve different types of animal meat or different types of many fruits and greens to keep him energized during food times.5. Generate it funJust like with wee kids, most of the time canines necessity a wee arousal to stimulate them to try and to eat new food. It is easy to experiment with a variety of pursuits and different types of toys that dispense food. Or one can take his food (for example, raw meaty bones or full carcasses) and dangle it a bit in front of him. Which may work to get his attention to try the new food.6. Maybe he’s not experience highWhen you’ve attempted different approaches and the dog is still not eating, it may be a indicator that the dog is not experience high.  If his shortage of appetite is characterized by a common shortage of interest in any activity, you may do high to possess him viewed by a vet.7. Do the slow swap methodSome canines just necessity much more time to regulate to raw food diet particularly once becoming so used to a different sort of food for a lengthy time. To facilitate his adjustment, you may possibly want to take into account executing the slow swap method. Which you do is you mix his old diet with the new diet, gradually increasing the proportion of the new diet, until such time once you are giving him just raw food. This will allow him to acquire a taste for raw food at a much less tense pace.Introducing the raw food diet to the dog isn’t often as straightforward as just giving him raw meaty bones to munch on. There are many points to take into account, particularly if the dog is the sensitive/picky eater sort.A great resource to check out though will be definetely Maggie Rhines’ “Going Rawr! Dog Lover’s Compendium”. If you possess a dog or a dog that you want to increase on a raw food diet, her skilled recommendations and advice will go a lengthy way in helping you make the move as straightforward and as pleasant as doable for both you and the pet!

About the Author

Read blogs and get recent news on amazing animals and the owners that love them.  Check out our blogs on Raw Dog Food Diets and how to train puppies at http://dogs-cats-pets.411-blogs.com 

by Tom Olliver

What Is a Solar Food Dehydrator?  

Article by Doug Hoover

Raisins are undoubtedly the most common examples of dehydrated food sold and consumed around the world. Other common popular dried fruits are figs, dates, prunes, apricots, bananas, papaya, mango and the crispy, savory banana chips. Even though these foods change appearance in their texture and in some cases color after dehydrating, they remain very flavorful and retain their nutritional value. The most significant change is in size and weight resulting from the removal of water from the food through the application of dry heat in the dehydration process.

In addition to the food weighing less and taking up less space, it has a much longer storage life without the need for special packaging, canning or refrigeration. For these reasons the cost of the dehydration process is offset by the savings derived from not needing to refrigerate or package the food. Thus dehydrated food is ideal for camping, hiking and backpacking; it is light, compact and lasts for extended periods of time without a cooler.

It is a fact that through dehydration food can lose as much as೚ percent of its body weight in water. With this in mind ask yourself, what is the difference in cost between fresh fruit and dehydrated? The cost is definitely not 90 percent more for dried fruit. Not only do dehydrated fruits and vegetables retain most of their vitamins and minerals, they can be reconstituted with water without losing their appeal or flavor.

In exchange for less weight, volume and bulk, your meal takes a little longer to prepare from the dried state; however, on the economical side, you only cook what you need and save the rest for another meal — something you cannot do with fresh, frozen or canned foods.

Keep in mind that dehydrated foods have a different taste or flavor just like fresh foods, organic foods, cooked foods, and canned foods all have different flavors. That does not make it bad, just different, and these differences change and vary from food to food and with the varying methods of reconstitution. Take an apricot for an example. A dehydrated or dried apricot has a more intense or concentrated flavor than a fresh apricot does, as do dried bananas and other tropical fruits. These subtleties are no different than having the same food prepared by different chefs, with each using different or varying amounts of spices or cooking techniques.

Dehydrated food is the perfect food for survival and preparedness. Since many dried foods, such as rice, beans, pasta, grain and multi-grain cereals, vegetables, meats etc., need to be cooked, another important survival item is a camp stove or cooking grill. However, both of these require fuel and fuel needs to be stored and fuel is exhaustible.

One fuel that does not run out is solar energy. During a natural or manmade disaster there is a common response by most people to do whatever it takes at the moment to survive, especially if they have made no attempt to prepare for the unexpected event. The results are a combination of panic and hoarding, resulting in a run on grocery stores for food and water and on hardware and department stores for survival supplies, kerosene, propane, flashlights, batteries etc. In no time, the inventory is spent and the panic becomes pandemonium.

Do not allow yourself to be in this situation; prepare ahead of time by storing a sufficient supply of food and water now. Keep in mind that one of the first things to become unavailable during a disaster is utilities, resulting in the spoiling of your refrigerated and frozen food. In most cases, this food makes up the bulk of many American families’ food supply, leaving a few canned goods, baking supplies and junk food in the pantry.

Dehydrated foods do not need refrigeration and last for months. Rice beans and pasta will last even longer, with only one drawback: much of this food needs to be cooked, and with no utilities how will you do that?

Solar ovens reach cooking and baking temperatures of 300-375 degrees F. in a matter of minutes after being lined up with the sun. A solar sun oven will cook or bake anything a conventional oven will and in the same amount of time, the only difference being that it uses inexhaustible solar energy. Most food dehydrators or dryers operate on electricity, so consequently the dehydrated food produced costs extra to produce and during a disaster becomes another worthless appliance.

The solar sun oven will not only cook your food for free, with the aid of a solar oven dehydrator kit. It will now efficiently dehydrate food that would otherwise spoil without refrigeration, saving it for future consumption.

Prepare today, store food, water and emergency supplies for tomorrow, for you know not what tomorrow may bring. Food dehydration makes good healthy, tasty common sense.

About the Author

Learn the history of solar ovens, FAQ, how to build your own solar oven, discover the consumers reports and best prices from the Sun Oven Chef. Douglas C. Hoover CEO of Aquamedia Group Co., is a free-lance writer and inventor. Aquamedia manufactures the solar oven dehydrator kit. Cook a 5-lb chicken in 90 min. – watch 3-min. video Solar Sun Oven Cooker.

by Shermeee

Why It’s Important – ‘best By’ Date on Pet Foods..

A recent article posted on The Consumerist website brings up a very good point (and lesson) that pet owners should take note of�

The article comes from a pet owner whose Yorkie became ill, and after a couple of days in the vet’s office, the owner looked at her Eukanuba canned food and realized it had expired 3 years ago. When she checked the cupboard she discovered several other cans of dog food – all recently purchased at PetCo – had expiration dates from 2004. 

What happened to this pet owner (and pet) can easily happen to anyone. How many times have you purchased something and never looked at the expiration date? 

With pet food – somewhere on the can or bag, usually on the side or back of the bag – is the ‘Best By’ date. With most of the manufacturers that I have spoken with, this date does NOT mean the food is officially expired – it just means that the food does not provide the nutrition as stated in the Guaranteed Analysis. The ‘best’ nutrition for your pet has expired – but again in most cases – per what the manufacturers tell me – the food is still ‘good’. 

Shelf life is one of the questions I ask manufacturers about and provide in Petsumer Report. It varies greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer. The shelf life of dry pet foods can vary from 4 months to 3 years – canned and/or pouched products vary from 1 year to 5 years. Treats usually have the same shelf life as the manufacturer’s dry food – but just to keep things confusing, that can vary too. The ‘Best By’ date provided on the food – does NOT tell you how old the product is – it does NOT tell you when the food was manufactured.��It only tells you the date that particular manufacturer has determined the food no longer provides the pet with the proper nutrition. While some ingredients in the food might still provide adequate nutrition – other ingredients have faded over time. 

All pet foods that are naturally preserved begin to lose their nutritional value almost immediately after they are made. This is the drawback to natural preservatives (but the ONLY drawback – you ONLY want naturally preserved pet foods and treats for your pet ). So the challenge is to find a pet food that is very fresh. Our friends at AAFCO (American Association of Feed Control Officials �� rule makers of the pet food industry) have made that a little difficult for pet owners �€“ adding to the challenge. Pet food manufacturers are not required to put the date the pet food was manufactured on the bag or can – ONLY the date that particular manufacturer has determined the food no longer is ‘best’. As I stated above – it varies a great deal from product to product – manufacturer to manufacturer. 

So here’s what you can do to assure your pet is eating ONLY fresh food – providing the best that product offers…

Call the manufacturer and ask them what the shelf life is for their dry foods and/or canned foods. Let�€™s say ABC Pet Food Company tells you that the shelf life of their Premium ABC dry foods is 18 months and their Premium ABC canned/pouched foods is 2 years. With that information – you then look at the ‘Best By’ date on the product. As an example, if the best by date on the dry dog food you are considering says June 2008 – knowing that ABC told you 18 months for dry food, you would know that the food was made in January of 2007. Using today’s date – October 20, 2007 – this would tell you this particular bag of ABC dry dog food is 10 months old. 

With a canned food – the ABC canned cat food best by date is also June 2008.� This would tell you that this can was made in June 2006 and thus it would be 14 months old in October 2007.Â�

Most of the time, when pet owners look at the ‘best by’ date and they see June 2008 – they think ‘this is good – this food still has 8 months until it expires’. I was guilty of this until I learned the differences too. But the bigger picture needs to be explained. 

Using my above examples – I would NOT purchase a dry dog or cat food that was already 10 months old. Ideally �€“ dry foods should be four months or less old and you should use them within a two month time frame. Again, with any naturally preserved dry product – the nutritional value starts to deteriorate almost immediately. Fresh is best. I would recommend purchasing and using the food within six months of manufacturing. Storing the food in an air tight container will help keep the food fresher after opening the bag – providing your pet with more quality nutrition. With canned products – it’s a different ballgame. You definitely want to purchase and use the food before the best by date expires – but the quality of the nutrition is protected by the canning process. Any unused opened can must be covered and stored in the refrigerator and used within a couple of days.

Call your pet food’s manufacturer and ask them the shelf life of dry foods and canned foods. I know it’s a chore, just one more thing you have to do and look out for – but it is very important. You want what you pay for – quality nutrition for your pet – and a fresh product will provide that (of course you have to pay attention to ingredients too – but that is a whole different subject!). Get yourself into the habit of looking at the ��Best By’ date BEFORE you purchase the pet food and or treat. Your effort will not only provide your pet with better nutrition – getting yourself into the habit of looking at the expiration date could just save you from an experience similar to the pet owner mentioned in the beginning of this article – and a sick pet.

Wishing you and your pet the best,

Susan Thixton

by shandrew

How to Start your Own Baby Food Business Part #6: Manufacturing Vs. Catering

Handmade Baby Food vs. Commercially Produced, Store Bought Baby Food

Food from your baby food catering business will be differentiated from commercial, factory produced baby food in the following ways:

People & Production

Your baby food is made-by-hand by individuals who are committed to the quality of the baby food. At least one certified chef is on duty at all times supervising the process and ensuring that ingredient and cooking standards are met. The food is made in a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen like the ones used by top chefs.

Commercial baby food is produced in mass in a factory or co-packing facility. More often than not, baby food is not the only food product produced in the facility. Typically baby food is made by workers that do not have culinary training and do not have a passion or commitment to high quality baby food.

Hand Selection of Ingredients

Each and every ingredient in your baby food, down to the smallest berry, is hand selected to ensure that it is of the highest quality and to make sure that it is completely ripe.

Commercial baby food is made from massive deliveries of bulk produce that arrive on loading docks. Food quickly passes by workers on conveyer belts