By Susan Carey

As fish has such a small amount of connective tissue, it requires very little cooking. If it is overcooked, the flakes fall apart and the fibers become tough, dry and tasteless. There are several ways of cooking fish, but the cooking process should, in general, be short and gentle. Although fillets are more popular, most cooks agree that fish on the bone - as with meat - has more flavor.
Frying -
This is a popular method, and fish can be both shallow-or deep-fried. For both processes the flesh of the fish must be coated with egg and breadcrumbs, batter, flour or oatmeal - to protect the delicate flesh. Usually fillets of fish are cooked in this way. A vegetable oil should be used (if deep-frying, the oil should only be used for fish), but a combination of butter and oil is best and tastiest for shallow-frying.
Grilling -
This methods is used for whole fish, steaks, fillets and cutlets, particularly oily fish such as mackerel, salmon and trout. The flesh is usually scored with a knife (if the fish is on the bone) to ensure even and thorough cooking. The fish should be dotted with butter to prevent it drying out. The grill should be set at a moderate heat, rather than on high, so that the fish does not dry out. The smaller the fish, the higher the grill. Line the grill with foil so that the pan and the rack don’t have lingering fish flavors.
Baking -
Fish can be baked whole, brushed with butter or oil, and stuffed; they may be open or lightly covered with buttered foil for protection. They can also be baked in a liquid (milk, sauce, wine or stock).
Poaching -
This method ensures that the fish remains moist throughout cooking. The fish is cooked in a liquid, such as fish stock, wine, water or milk. which can be flavored with herbs, a little onion or lemon juice. The fish may be cooked on top of the stove in a pan or fish kettle, or in the oven. If the pan is not covered the fish should be basted frequently. The cooking liquid is usually used as a basis for the accompanying sauce.
Steaming -
The fish is cooked in the steam above a pan of simmering water. It should be placed between two buttered plates, or on a plate covered in foil to prevent the natural juices escaping into the water beneath.
En Papillote -
Fish, whole or in fillets or steaks, can be wrapped up in foil, greaseproof or cellophane with various flavorings (butter, lemon juice, wine, onion, garlic, herbs) and poached, steamed, baked or deep-fried. All the essential flavors and juices are retained making it one of the best ways to cook fish.

By Kelvin Ho Wee Min

Chicken is no doubt one of the most popular meats in our daily diet. However, how should one cook them so that they retain their juiciness and flavor?
Here are some tips to help you along.
1. Brining A Chicken Brining a chicken before cooking is one good way. To brine it, all you need to do is to soaked the chicken in a salt solution for about 1 hour. It is recommended that you leave the whole setup in the fridge during this time.
2. Selecting the Right Temperature When Cooking Chicken Generally, it is suggested that you cook your chicken at about 165 degree F. With the present Bird Flu concerns, this is a sound advice to follow especially when you have family members who have weak immune systems. This include children and the elderly. If you are cooking dry chicken meat, set the temperature to high and cook for about 5-10 minutes. If you are using a piece of moist chicken meat, go for low temperature and cook for about 10-15 minutes.
3. Cooling the Meat Should you need to keep away leftover chicken, be sure to do it very quickly, preferably in a container placed in an ice water bath. You should also choose not to keep any cooked chicken in your refrigerator longer than 3-4 days. This is of course done to ensure the quality of your food.
4. Cooking Chicken Differently Chicken can be cooked in different ways. It can be grilled,steamed, fried and barbacued. So do not restrict yourself to one way of cooking. You will be surprised with the different results as you experiment. One little tip for you. Most of the time, it helps to pound or cut the meat to similar thickness before you cook. This helps to ensure that your chicken cook evenly.
Conclusion
With these tips of cooking chicken, you should be able to dish out quite a few delicious chicken dishes from now on.

By Elsie Shan

A cooking recipe is a series of instructions on how to prepare a meal. It will list down the ingredients required as well as preparation instruction and other useful information to make your cooking a success. By following the instructions the cooking recipe, you will be able to come up with new dishes. Cooking recipes are used not only by novice but by professional chefs around the world.
In order to take full advantage of the cooking recipe, it got to be used in the right way. Many people do not know how to use a cooking recipe correctly. They usually jump right in and before you know it, faces problem with their cooking.
Browse Through The Cooking Recipe
The right way is to browse through the cooking recipe briefly from the beginning to the end. Familiarize yourself with the methods or processes involved and try to visualize it in your mind. After you have understood what is needed out of you do you start it. By taking this initial step, you will save yourself from trouble because you can give the recipe a miss if it’s too difficult to cook. It will spare you the embarrassment of failure. You will also be able to plan what to buy before actually starting to cook. Therefore it is important to browse through your cooking recipe before you actually begin cooking.
Preparing The Ingredients
After the preliminary reading of the cooking recipe you will have a general idea of how the dish is cooked and what ingredients to buy. Make sure that all the ingredients are ready before you begin your cooking adventure. It is very frustrating to realize that you have run out of the ingredients half-way through your cooking. You will loose all the momentum and enthusiasm once this happen.
You will also need to have the right type of ingredients. For example, if the cooking recipe says prepared mustard, do not assume that you can substitute it with dried mustard. They are two completely different ingredients and substituting one for the other will have disastrous effect on your cooking. Another thing worth mentioning is make sure you have enough of the ingredients. Double check to ensure that you have enough of everything before you starts to cook. Imagine what will happen if you don’t have enough flour when baking a sponge cake!
Have The Equipment/Utensil Ready
Just as important and often overlooked is to have all the equipment and utensils ready before cooking. If you do not have the equipment or utensil, try borrowing them from your friends. You might only need to use the utensil mentioned in the cooking recipe once and so it is cheaper to borrow. If your friends do not have the items you are looking for or if you foresee that you are going to use it more than once, then buy it. Also, check that the equipment or utensil is in working order before starting your cooking.
Conclusion
Cooking is great fun for many people. It can foster relationships and improve family bonding. In order cook great dishes, you must make sure that you have followed the cooking recipe closely.

By Echo Wang

When it comes to that time of year that everyone is looking forward to because of the delicious food that is served, there is always at least one person that is slightly tense about it and that would be the person who is going to be cooking a turkey.
Although it really is a simple job, a lot of people tend to get a little stressed out about cooking a turkey and it is not because it is a hard job, but because the turkey is the thanksgiving dinner and many people feel that if the turkey gets ruined, that thanksgiving is ruined. Even though that is not the case, a lot of people cannot get that thought out of their minds.
Remember, that cooking a turkey is not a hard job in itself and that is a fact but it is strictly the anticipation of whether or not it is going to come out right that is the problem. But when you think about it, your oven is actually doing more work than you are so when thinking about how hard cooking a turkey is, think about how much work your oven has to go through. All you really have to do is dress it and place it in the oven and the rest of the work from cooking a turkey is done by the oven while you prepare other things such as side dishes.
The Most Important Thing
Although messing up the turkey in that it came out a little dry or without a lot of flavor is heartbreaking to some; that is not the real danger to consider when cooking a turkey. When you are getting ready to begin cooking a turkey, you have to make sure that you have fully read over all of the instructions. By not following these instructions, you are either going to have a bird that does not taste all that great or you could end up giving your guests food poisoning.
When roasting a turkey, make sure that it has reached the proper temperature of 165 degrees by sticking a cooking thermometer into it. Any reading lower then that, you need to put it back in. All in all, when those few things are followed, cooking a turkey does not have to be anything to worry about or stress over. You can do it just as millions and millions and of people before you have done it. Cooking a turkey will soon become second nature to you and you will be a pro before you know it.

By Anne Clarke

These great steak cooking tips will help you cook the sort of steak that you thought only professional chefs could create!
• One of the most important steak cooking tips is to start out with a good steak in the first place! A poorly cooked steak that is of prime grade will still likely taste better than a low grade steak that is cooked well.
• Look for a steak with marbling throughout. This will ensure that it is flavorful and remains juicy.
• For a great steak, get a great cut of meat like top loin or filet mignon.
• Refrain from cutting open your steak to see if it is done! Doing so will release valuable juices.
o To see if your steak is done, touch it! A firm steak is well done, a springy steak is medium, and a soft steak is rare. The more often you cook your steak, the more obvious this will be.
o If you have a meat thermometer, use it! A medium rare steak will be about 145 degrees.
• Ditto on turning your steak with forks – you want to keep all of the juice and flavor contained in the steak. Instead of using a fork, use tongs (long-handled ones are best… then you do not have to get too close to the heat).
• Realize that if you have a large and thick cut of meat, it will continue to cook, even after you have removed it from the oven. Therefore, take it off a little early or serve them immediately!
• Do not be worried about cooking and serving a rare steak. Once you have browned all sides of the steak, you have effectively killed off any bacteria. This is because the steak can only be contaminated with bacteria on the outer service. Therefore, you simply need to make sure that the outside of the steak has been thoroughly cooked.
• Use seasonings and marinades to enhance the flavor of your steak, not to mask it. You may find that you do not need any seasonings beyond salt and pepper! A good steak will already be tender.
• When grilling, be sure that the grill is extremely hot. When it is very hot, it will sear the outside of the meat and lock in the juices. (For the same reason, preheat your broiler if you are cooking your steak in it).
• If cooking your steak in a pan, be sure to oil your steak rather than the pan.
• Once you are done cooking your steak, take it off the heat source and let it “rest” for at least five minutes. This will allow the juices to spread out.

Free Raw Food Recipe - Best Blueberry Or Blackberry Pie Raw Recipe

By Helen Hecker

If you’re looking for a healthy alternative to cooked berry pies or even cooked desserts that are laden with unhealthy fats and sugars, why not try my live-food, free, easy, raw berry pie recipe. Many people are gradually making the switch from cooked desserts and cooked foods which are causing so many of our health problems today. It doesn’t matter if you’re a raw fooder or eat the standard American diet; you’ll love this raw berry pie recipe and know that you’re doing your body good in the process.
In fact making a raw berry pie does not require turning on the oven and can be made in virtually minutes. I have often timed myself and can make this pie in ten minutes or less if the ingredients are assembled. Equipment: food processor.
This is my own creation, one of many vegetarian, vegan and raw food recipes that I have developed and created over the past few years as a raw fooder - eating raw foods, having cured myself of breast cancer, fibromyalgia, arthritis and sinus infections along with many other ailments.
You can use the pie crust for dozens of other types of raw food recipes or live pies including raw or live apple pie. I’ve experimented with dozens of variations and tried various ingredients but I’ve found this raw blackberry or blueberry pie recipe is the best, fastest and easiest recipe to make. In fact if you’re going to have company coming over you can whip this free raw food diet recipe up in no time.
Helen’s Best Raw Berry Pie - the ingredients: 12 organic medjool dates, 1 cup raw pecans, 4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, blackberries or boysenberries and 2 bananas.
For the crust put 1 cup of raw pecans in a food processor and grind until fine. Add 8 pitted organic medjool dates and process until mixed fairly well. Place into a 9-inch pie plate.
For the binder mix two bananas, 8 berries or so for color and 4 medjool dates in a food processor - use the same food processor - don’t need to wash it. Remove to large bowl and carefully fold in 4 cups of fresh or frozen or partially frozen blueberries, boysenberries or blackberries. Spread berry-binder mixture on top of the crust. Decorate with boysenberries or blackberries around the edge of the pie. Refrigerate.
This live or raw berry pie is a family favorite and one I have served on many occasions to company who are not aware they are eating something healthy containing all the vibrant nutrients - nothing cooked out.
This pie is really good with boysenberries too. You can also slice some fresh kiwi on the top or other fruits that won’t turn color.
One nice thing to know about fixing any raw food recipe is that you can eliminate, substitute or add ingredients easily and it will still taste delicious! In this vegan or raw food diet recipe - you may only have one banana on hand for example or you can make half the recipe. You can substitute the pecans for a mixture of one half cup pecans and one half cup walnuts, or all walnuts.
If you live in an area where you have tons of wild blackberries you can make this pie for pennies. Pick blueberries cheaply in the summer and freeze them for year-round use, although fresh berries are always the best. You can make raw berry pies with this free raw food recipe year-round and you’ll feel good too knowing you have served your friends and family something that will help them better their health and help them lose weight if they need to too.

By John C McRae

Easy recipes for dinner do not mean that you and your household have to eat insipid boring food. With careful planning and preparation you and your family can relish meals that are not only full of sustenance but also extremely tasty.
Here is how a busy parent or partner can provide easy recipes for dinner which will be relished and appreciated.
It is nice to be able to dine out but in these harsh economic times a lot of of us can’t afford to waste money on take away food.
You need to plan your weekly menu. From that plan it is comparatively easy to develop your shopping list so that when you attend the food market you know exactly what you need to purchase. This means that you will not begin a recipe and find you do not have the necessary ingredients to complete it. You may want to refer to your favourite recipe books or simply search for recipes on the World Wide Web.
Whether you want to eat chicken, meat, vegetarian or fish you will find a great deal of choices. It could be a stir fry or a broil or even a risotto, pasta, salads , or a curry. They are all in those places, it is only a matter of looking for for them.
When planning you will discover that a lot of meals can be prepared in advance so that when meal time arrives it is only a matter of completing the final cooking or even merely heating up what you already have cooked.
Crock Pot cooking allows you to simply turn on the timer and the rest looks after itself. It merely makes life easier. This is one area where it can be cooked earlier and reused later in the week. A different item that can be pre-prepared is a casserole. Simply cook them on the weekend and place them in the deep freezer. They are ready to heat up once you arrive home from work at night. You will be able to prepare more than one at a time.
On a weekend our family loves to enjoy a Bar B Que meal. What could be easier. Simply light up the fire and unwind with family and friends around the grill. The conclusion to a perfect week of stress free cooking and meal preparation.
I hope that you have found the above to be of some benefit and thank you for reading the article.

Healthy Cooking Recipes-Eat Your Way To A Better Health

By Abhishek Agarwal

If you’ve been longing to change over to healthier eating habits and hoping to knock off some extra kilos, then choosing healthy cooking recipe ideas and adapting to a fitness-friendly lifestyle is what is needed! You can add more zest, time and energy to your lifestyle besides feeling fitter and looking that way too, once you’ve found the answer to putting together the perfect healthful menu for yourself and your family that ensures your balanced nutrition for the day - and we’ve made this task easier for you by listing some smart ways to make this eating choice simpler and effective.

Putting together a healthy cooking recipe is a fairly simple task; at most, you may be required to drop a couple of ingredients off a recipe or use low-fat or low calorie substitutes to make a favorite dish! This is not as difficult as some may think it to be as simple measures like cutting out the butter from a vegetable dish doesn’t mean you do without the flavor entirely: you can margarine or low-fat butter substitute for a great tasting idea!

Those who wan to broaden their knowledge base of varied cuisine styles and methods can look up different ideas online and are sure to find more than one; other options include visiting the local bookshop for cook-books and nutrition guides. These are some of the ways in which you can improve your lifestyle and overall wellness levels too.

Many people equate a healthy cooking recipe with insipid or bland food, but this is not true, if you know how to use healthy ingredients and substitute fatty ones with less greasy or fattening stuff. For example, butter and cream-based foodstuffs are fattening but because of their taste, people love them and are not willing to try out the alternatives, which they feel will not tantalize the palate as much as these. But there are many wonderful healthy cooking recipe ideas that include low fat options that taste good too. We list some for you:

Pick a simple but delectable Valentine Day dessert recipe to add the finishing touch to your Valentine dinner. Any pink or red fruit is ideal, such as strawberries, raspberries or rhubarb. Tropical fruits are also an excellent choice, and for the simplest dessert of all, you could simply serve a platter of sliced fruits such as juicy mango, halved passion fruits , fresh pineapple chunks and papaya wedges.