Cooking A Universal 20 Minute Formula To Cook Almost Anything

Writen by Ugur Akinci

I love cooking. And over the years I've noticed that I'm always cooking more or less the same way.

Granted, I'm not a gourmet cook but I never had any difficulty fixing up a delicious hot plate for myself and family within 20 minutes. You can do it too.

Here is how to do it:

First of all, you have to look at a dish as a unit composed of Three Components:

1) The TOP Stuff.

2) The MIDDLE Stuff.

3) The BOTTOM Stuff.

Let's start in reverse order.

The BOTTOM Stuff is what you cook first before you add anything else into the pot.

My universal Bottom Stuff consists of oil to taste (believe it or not, I always use Extra Light Olive Oil) warmed up in medium heat.

NOTE: If you're going to use olive oil like I do, make sure you're not using Extra Virgin oil, which is great for salads but will leave a fragrance too heavy for comfort in a regular dish. It has to be Extra Light.

Once the oil is warmed up I usually add TWO more items: Diced onions to taste and tomato sauce or diced tomatoes. Stir while continuing to simmer. If you feel like adding sliced garlic (yummy!) always do it towards the end because garlic browns and burns up much more easily than onion.

One other thing you may want to add at this stage is ground beef (or meat in general). Keep stirring until the beef turns dark brown and mixes thoroughly with the rest of the ingredients.

To add volume add water as required. Some people even add and stir flour at this stage to give a gooey consistency to the Bottom Stuff.

Now it's time for the MIDDLE Stuff which is for me usually nothing more than steamed vegetables, or rice or canned anything. I just add it onto the Bottom Stuff and add water, spices, salt and pepper to taste. Chopped parsley is usually appropriate at this stage as well.

If I have grilled or stewed meat before hand, I mix it in also at this stage of my 20-minute formula. I sometimes also mix in some cold cuts or hot dogs. They work fine with me.

If you are cooking rice, add two cups of water for every cup of rice at this stage. Cover and simmer on low heat until rice absorbs all the water.

After the Middle Stuff is also cooked it's time for the TOP Stuff. And this is really any SAUCE that you'd like to add on top of your dish. I've tried ready off the shelf Salad Dressings in the past and especially the Italian style dressings worked pretty good. But I wouldn't recommend those with a distinct taste of their own like the French or Russian dressings.

And voila! Your food is ready. Enjoy!

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Ugur Akinci, Ph.D. is a Creative Copywriter, Editor, an experienced and award-winning Technical Communicator specializing in fundraising packages, direct sales copy, web content, press releases, movie reviews and hi-tech documentation.

He has worked as a Technical Writer for Fortune 100 companies for the last 7 years.

In addition to being an Ezine Articles Expert Author, he is also a Senior Member of the Society for Technical Communication (STC), and a Member of American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI).

You can reach him at writer111@gmail.com for a FREE consultation on all your copywriting needs.

You are most welcomed to visit his official web site http://www.writer111.com for more information on his multidisciplinary background, writing career, and client testimonials.

While at it, you might also want to check the latest book he has edited:http://www.lulu.com/content/263630

What You Need In A Gourmet Kitchen

Writen by Jerry Powell

The best way to decide what you need in your kitchen is to first decide what it is you are going to be cooking in there. The best suggestion I ever heard on this matter is to find five dishes you really love. The dishes you like to find on menus at restaurants. The next thing you want to do is learn to prepare those dishes to your standards. This is going to take some time, and some research, but I promise you it is well worth the effort.

They say that professional cooks don't like to discuss the way they prepare a disk or recipe, and I find this to be a fallacy most of the time. People in general love to talk about what they do, and enjoy appreciation for their hard work. So don't be afraid to ask, politely, a chef how he makes a certain dish or what is in the recipe. Keep the question general, and you might be surprised about the tips you can pick up from a simple question. If she doesn't want to share her knowledge, thank her and be on your way. Its not like you can't find out from several other sources what is in a certain dish and how to prepare it. No harm no foul. Most of the time I get great results by paying attention to the chef if only taking a quick look at his pots and knives.

Each of our five dishes are going to have a few nuances regarding the items required in their creation. But there are some basics we want in our kitchen no matter what we are going to put on our home menu.

The first item on the list is a set of good cooking knives. You can't do much without chopping and slicing. A set of good knives is always worth the money. Generally they last forever. When ever I get offered something like a "life time warranty" I always wonder "whose life?" But in the case of a fine set of cutlery we don't have to worry about things like that. In the higher echelons of fine cooking, a chef's set of knives is part of the job interview process.

When you look at chef knives, you will notice they generally have a wide triangular blade which tapers to a "center tip", meaning both the back of the knife and the blade are gently angled to meet in a point at the tip.

This blade shape is perfect for allowing the blade to rock back and forth on the tip (using it as a fulcrum) when you are chopping. It is a great all-around, all-purpose knife for most of your kitchen. They tend to be a bit heavy, 6 to 10 inches long with the most popular being 8 inches. If you have never purchased or handled on on a regular bases, start with an 8 inch chef's knife and get used to how it feels before moving on to something bigger.

Another choice you will have to decide on is whether you want a French or German style chef's knife. The French version has a longer and thinner blade that is better for slicing while the German style is shorter and wider and better for chopping. To help you make this decision, check your list of five dishes and see what you are going to be doing the most of. Make sure the knife has a secure grip and a good feel in your hand, you're looking for balance. The handle should be riveted to the blade. Those would be real rivets, not the painted on kind.

The next items we are going to need are a good set of pans and pots. Which pots and pans can probably be decided by our list of five dishes we made before. However, the pans should be of good quality. We don't want a poor 'non-stick' application flaking off and ruining our dinner. There are plenty of things we can do to ruin our own dinners, we don't want to be required to worry about our Cookware.

You want pots and pans made of stainless steel or heavy-gauge aluminum with non-oxidizing surfaces. The base of the pan should be thick and flat on both the inside and out for better heat efficiency. You also want handles that are riveted to the pan not welded and certainly no plastic handles. The lids should fit snuggly. The most important aspect however is how they feel in your hands. Pick them up and handle them. Just because some bouncy gourmet said they were the best doesn't mean you are going to enjoy using them.

You probably want a good spice grinder. You might already have an electric grinder for your coffee beans and these are great, but don't use the same one for your spices. Mornings have enough surprises.

Once you have these basics, start going through your recipes and keep in mind the methods you have to use to get them prepared. The rest of your kitchen will fill out from there.

Jerry Powell is the Owner of a Popular site Know as Gourmet911.com. As you can see from our name, we are here to help you learn more about different kinds of Gourmet food and Wines, Coffees from all around the world. http://www.gourmet911.com

The Almighty Beercan Chicken

Writen by Scott Schirkofsky

A popular method of cooking chicken in recent years both in Barbeque contest as well as backyard barbeques is the beer-can chicken. Cooking a beer-can chicken couldn't be any easier but the results are worthwhile. This is a technique that delivers a moist, succulent chicken and flavorful chicken. It's also a bit of a showstopper and makes a lively conversation starter as well. Is it chicken in a beer can? Close but try beer can in a chicken. The beer is used to both keep the bird flavorful and moist, and the cook happy. By the time the bird is ready to eat, the chef will not be the only one with a beer belly!

Is it safe to eat chicken that has been in contact with the ink from a beer can? When the FDA was asked this question they were not sure because they have only tested the cans as a container and not as a cooking utensil. However the ink on the cans is applied at a temperature in excess of 500 degrees while the can never get hotter then 215 degrees during the cooking process. The conclusion by most is that there is nothing harmful in using the cans.

For those cooks who still worry about possible contamination, vertical stainless steel chicken roasters are available. These roasters have their own reservoir for beer, water or your choice of liquid.

1 whole chicken
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons of your favorite dry spice rub
1 can beer

Preparing the chicken
Remove and discard neck and giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Rub or brush the chicken lightly with oil then season inside and out with salt, pepper and dry rub.

Open a can of beer and drink half. Wait 5 minutes then drink the other half and open a second can for the chicken. Drink half of the second beer and reserve remainder of beer for the bird. Using a "church key"-style can opener, pop a few more holes in the top of the can so that the moisture will be able to escape.

With the can on a steady surface, lower the chicken onto the can. It should stand on it's own using the legs and can as a tri-pod. Refrigerate the bird while you get your grill or smoker setup.

Preparing the grill
Whether you intend to grill or smoke the bird, the goal is indirect heat. No coals or burner directly under the chicken. Place a drip pan under where you intend the bird to sit. If you are grilling, turn the burners to medium-high on one side of your grill and place the bird on the other side.

Cooking the chicken
Continue to cook the chicken over medium-high with the grill cover on for approximately 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 hours. The chicken will be done when the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F in the breast area and 180 degrees F in the thigh. Remove from grill with tongs and move to cutting board. Be careful not to spill the beer when removing the can. Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before carving. Toss the beer can out along with the carcass.

Scott Schirkofsky is the chef and owner of At Home Gourmet. You can find more recipes, cooking tips, food and beverage articles on his highly recommended website: http://www.athomegourmet.com Scott is also the owner of http://www.americasfavoritefood.com and http://www.thetravelassistant.com