How To Save Wrongcooked Dishes

Writen by Yana Mikheeva

How to vary your menu? Of course, with the help of sauces. They will not only add a new taste to known dishes, but also help to hide some of your defects. I can remember myself pouring overdone ravioli and burnt meat with big amount of ketchup or mayonnaise, and everybody was pleased. So, sauces – are an irreplaceable part of menu for a young housewife. And if you use not just ketchup or mayonnaise, but home sauces, you will gain a reputation of an excellent cook. And it is not so difficult to cook a sauce by yourself.

Sauces for meat dishes

Red sauce (for roasted and boiled meat)

Roast a table-spoon of flour with the same amount of oil, then mix with tomato paste and dissolve in two glasses of meat broth. Add slightly roasted roots and onion and boil on light fire during 20-30 minutes. When you finish boiling, add some salt, 1-2 table-spoons of wine, filter and season with a bit of butter.

For 1 table-spoon of flour: 1 carrot, 1 parsley, 1 onion, 1 table-spoon of tomato paste and 1,5 spoon of butter.

Sour cream sauce

Roast a table-spoon of flour with the same amount of oil, dissolve in 1 glass of hot meat broth, add sour cream and boil on light fire for 5-10 minutes. When you finish boiling, filter the sauce, salt and mix. For 0,5 glass of sour cream: 1 table-spoon of flour and 1 table-spoon of oil. You can serve up this sauce with meat rissoles, meat balls or liver.

Sauce for fish dishes

White sauce

Peel off 1 parsley and 1 onion, wash, cult into small particles and roast gently in a pan with 1 table-spoon of oil and the same quantity of flour. Dissolve roasted flour and roots in 2 glasses of fish broth, salt and boil for 7-10 minutes. Then remove the sauce from fire, filter, add a raw egg yolk mixed with 1 table-spoon of butter in it, and mix carefully. Then add 1-2 table-spoons of wine and lemon juice in your sauce.

Sauces for vegetable dishes

Mushroom sauce

Take dried mushrooms washed in warm water, soak them in 3 glasses of cold water and leave for 2-3 hours, and then boil in the same water without adding salt.

Roast 1 table-spoon of flour with the same amount of oil till light-brown color and dissolve in 2 glasses of hot filtered mushroom broth. Boil the sauce on light fire for 15-20 minutes. Roast onion, cut in small particles, with oil, add chopped boiled mushrooms and roast everything again on small fire, then put into sauce, add salt to your liking and boil.

For 50 g of dried mushrooms: 1 table-spoon of flour, 1 onion and 2 table-spoons of oil.

This sauce combines well with potato dishes (potato baked puddings, patties etc.)

Egg sauce with wine

Smear egg yolks with powdered sugar, add lemon peel, and whip the mixture, pouring wine to it. Put a pan with mixture on light fire or water bath and keep on whipping till it thickens, not allowing it to boil. When you finish boiling, take lemon peel out, and add lemon juice to your liking in a ready sauce. For 3 egg yolks: 3 table-spoons of powdered sugar, ¼ glass of white table wine, ¼ of lemon. The sauce is served up with cauliflower, asparagus and artichokes.

Yana Mikheeva is the creator of the WomansPassions site for women and about women at http://www.womanspassions.com, it is an on-line resource for women and about women. Here you can find articles on various subjects, such as: diets, receipts, health, cellulite, figure, aromatherapy, wholesome food, psychology of relationships, pregnancy, parenting, fashion and many others.

She also has a blog for women at http://www.womanspassions.com/blog/

Best Way To Cook A Steak Sss Style

Writen by Graham Manvell

This is our opinion after cooking millions of steaks, and developing a sheer feel, plus enormous feed back over the years

Start with a great steak, an awesome young under 18 month old on the hoof yearling, boss Taraus English decendant or cross meat that has been aged, hung or cryovaced, and has been on a feed ration of grain for a minimum of 100 days. The butchery is ultra important as the steaks need to be denuded of sinew and definitely cut across the grain, the meat also needs to be nicely marbled as this acts like a moisturizer as the meat cooks.

Now for the cooking, we prefer flame grill to bring out the awesome bbq flavours, slight smokiness and caramelizing, this flame grill needs to be very hot so it seals the meat both sides. This meat by the way should be at least an inch thick after it has had a very slight tap with a meat mallet to make sure it has an even thickness all over. Now this is where most people disagree, cause we believe once all the moisture is sealed in, you can season for flavour with salt, pepper paprika etc; or sSs flame grill seasoning BBQ mate, turn the steak until the correct amount of doneness is achieved.( as some may say not to turn the steak until the blood starts to come through from the top, then turn) we believe this dries the steak out.

Now to tell if the steak is cooked please don't cut the steak to see, as this lets all the juices out, and what you are after is a big juicy steak, if you have a great piece of tender meat, as it is cooking, touch it, thin food grade gloves on of course, and if it feels soft like your cheeks (soft), it will be somewhere around rare, if it feels a little firmer something like the flesh on your chin,(slightly firm) it is somewhere around medium, and if it feels even firmer like your forehead, (firm and not spongy) then it is around well done. This is why the best way to eat your steak is around rare to medium, so not to toughen and firm with no juices, like well done.

Now for the final touch before serving up to your friends and guests, we like to lightly brush our famous BBQ glaze on just before it comes off the grill, it caramelizes and brings out the amazing country flavours, ( sSs is famous for) straight on the to the real hot sizzle for a bit of theatre which brings all your senses to experience the sound, the sweet smells, wow it is getting my tongue salivating right now! The biggy now is to under cook it slightly on the grill, let it rest and set, because it will keep cooking on the hot sizzle!! One thing for sure, it will be hot, juicy and tasty, just the way you like it.

Graham Manvell is a multi-Internationally award winning culinary Olympian, and the franchisor sSs BBQ Barns. Learn more about his Steakhouse Restaurant at www.sssbbq.com.au

Caring For Your Wooden Cutting Board

Writen by Daniel Urmann

Researchers have found that bacteria have a tougher time surviving on wood cutting boards. However, plastic cutting boards are less porous than wood, making it less likely to harbor bacteria over a long period of time, but only if it is immediately cleaned. Here are a few tips to caring for your cutting board.

1. It is best to apply the oil slightly warm and with a soft cloth in the direction on the grain. Warming the oil allows it to penetrate deeper into the wood. "Season" your board by applying mineral or butcher block oil and letting it soak into the wood for 15-30 minutes. Apply 4-6 coats before using the board.

2. Oil your cutting board when it looks dry, sometimes as frequently as once a week. If you allow your board to become dry it may begin to crack.

3. Scrub and wash your cutting board with soap and water but don't immerse it completely in water. In addition, don't put your wooden cutting board in the dishwasher because it will warp the wood.

4. Spraying vinegar on your cutting board with a spray bottle is a good way to sanitize it. Using bleach on a wood cutting board isn't a good idea because it is not as effective because the organic composition of wood neutralizes the disinfectant quality of bleach.

Daniel Urmann is a contributor and author for the website Vermont Cutting Boards.