Cooking With Alcohol

By admin on January 12th, 2007

Cooking with alcohol can be thought of two ways. It can refer to adding a cup of sherry to the stew or enjoying a glass of Chablis while engaged in food preparation. Either can be a delightful experience, but let’s discuss using alcohol in cooking to enhance the flavor and texture of cuisine.

Alcohol can add a richness and depth to food. The finest, most intense cooking extracts are almost all alcohol based, especially vanilla. (I checked the jar of vanilla extract in my cupboard and found alcohol listed as the third ingredient.) Alcohols from light white wines to rich ports will add their own unique flavors and enhance the flavors of other ingredients. When you cook with alcohol, you can turn an ordinary dish into a gourmet experience.

Try these combinations next time you cook:

• Add a Riesling wine to a spicy dish to complement the bold flavor.
• Pour some robust red wine with a berry flavor or dark ale into a stew or casserole to make a savory dish.
• Cook with earthy wines like Pinot Noir to enhance the flavor of vegetables or mushrooms

Alcohol can also be used to change the texture of food. The acid in alcohol can help tenderize meat. Using a marinade that contains wine can make an average cut of meat tender and flavorful. When preparing a frozen dessert, adding alcohol can help keep the texture creamy and smooth. Alcohol prevents the formation of ice crystals so don’t add too much or that sorbet won’t freeze at all. Wine is often added to cheese fondues and gourmet sauces to keep the texture smooth and to help prevent the sauce from curdling.

Tags: Design Kitchen Software, interior design, long island kitchens, new kitchen, decorating, Kitchen Appliance Trends

Finding A Casual Dinnerware Set

By admin on January 12th, 2007

Casual is the defining word for how we dine today. Our lifestyles call for a casual dinnerware set that is stylish but low maintenance. Dinnerware companies have responded by creating casual dinnerware in every material from melamine to stoneware.

All casual dishes are designed to be versatile, easy to care and relatively inexpensive when compared to fine china. Many of today's dinnerware sets can go from the freezer to the microwave to the dishwasher. Some stoneware dishes are even oven safe. Be sure to follow the manufacture's instructions for the proper use and care of your casual tableware.

For truly casual tableware that is suitable for the picnic table and the family dinner table, melamine dishes are both practical and fun. Melamine is the material used for children's dinnerware sets that features licensed characters such as Sponge Bob and Barbie and also for popular seasonal dinnerware. Melamine is strong and lightweight which makes it ideal for casual dinning.

The most attractive qualities of melamine dinnerware sets are the price and the designs. No other type of dinnerware offers the color and shapes available in melamine. Melamine dinnerware can be square, round, rectangular or shaped like a train. The colors can be bold and bright or have the natural look of stoneware.

Tags: appliances, Kitchen Remodeling Advice, kitchen islands, kitchen design, kitchen furniture, Home Floor Plans

All-Clad Cookware: Your Set For Life

By admin on January 12th, 2007

How would you like to use the cookware of the star chefs? All Clad cookware is found in some of the world's finest kitchens and can be found in yours, too.

What makes the pots, pans and skillets designed by All Clad Metalcrafters, LLC, some of the most-sought after kitchen equipment? It's All Clad's bonded triple-ply construction that is designed to evenly distribute heat. Each All Clad pan has an 18/10 stainless steel interior that won't interact with food, a core of pure aluminum or copper and an exterior layer. Every pan is hand finished and comes with a lifetime guarantee.

You'll pay more for All Clad, but you'll own it forever. A 10-piece cookware set can cost more than $700. A single two-quart saucepan runs between $100 and $189 depending on the type of finish.

All Clad has five lines of cookware:

LTD
The LTD line features an aluminum core and dark, anodized aluminum exterior that is guaranteed not to crack, chip or peel. Like each of All Clad's collections, LTD pots and pans come with extra long, stay-cool handles. The LTD line offers traditional-sized sauce and frying pans and a variety of specialty pieces including a 14-inch professional skillet, a French oven oval roasting pan and a double boiler.

Stainless
This is All Clad's most popular cookware line. Stainless pots and pans feature an 18/10 stainless stick-resistant interior, an all-aluminum core and a magnetic stainless exterior. The gleaming exterior will make your kitchen look like the bailiwick of a professional chef. Many pieces in the stainless line come with high, dome-shaped lids. Specialty pieces in All Clad's stainless collection include a flared Windsor pan designed for whisking sauces and a wok-style chef's pan.

 

Tags: new kitchen, Kitchen Appliance Trends, kitchen redesign, kitchen appliances, Kitchen Remodeling Advice, cabinetry

The 411 On All-Clad Bakeware

By admin on January 12th, 2007

If you want to bake in the very best pans available, consider investing in All Clad bakeware. All Clad calls it's bakeware line "Gold Standard" with good reason. These baking pieces have set the standard for the bakeware industry in aesthetic design, balance, construction and performance. The bakeware was originally designed for professional chefs and it shows.

Distinctive bakeware by All Clad features beautiful champagne-colored surfaces that clearly state, "these are no ordinary pans." The pans are so beautiful you'll want to use them as serving pieces as well as bakeware.

The surface is made stick resistant through an innovative process call vapor deposition. For you scientist in the crowd, this means the non-stick coating is molecularly bonded with the bakeware surface. For you cooks, this means food will come out of the pan with ease.

All Clad makes its bakeware with heavy gauge five-ply construction. Two layers of stainless steel are bonded around a core of three layers of aluminum. This bonded construction creates superior heat distribution across the entire pan for exceptional baking results. The stainless steel finish means the bakeware won't react with foods.

Tags: appliances, kitchen islands, Kitchen Design Articles, kitchen designer, countertops, kitchen photos