Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Nesco American Harvest FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator All-In-One Kit with Jerky Gun

The FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express All-In-One kit has a top mounted fan. Easily dries fruit, vegetables and jerky quickly and evenly. Dries food in hours not days. Comes with 5 trays and jerky gun. Unit disassembles easily and all parts are dishwasher safe except the power head. The Opaque Vita-Save exterior helps block harmful lights which destroys nutritional content of food being dehydrated. The Patented fan flow radial air action forces air down the center of the unit and horizontally across each tray for fast, even-drying. No need to rotate


Most people have a preference of whether or not they like their steaks rare, medium, well done, or anywhere in between. Yet, somehow, it seems that cooking a steak to fit these preferences is oftentimes difficult. But with some simple training and a bit of skill, it most certainly can be done. Cooking a steak does not have to be difficult, especially if you follow these few rules:

Take into consideration the thickness of a steak. You must realize that cooking a steak is not an issue of just time. Whereas cooking one steak for 4 minutes might make it medium, cooking a steak that is slightly thicker may turn out rare or medium rare when cooked for the same amount of time.

Also consider the pan temperature.

The cook time is also very important.

You must find a good balance between the three abovementioned things to get the results you desire.

Other things to consider when cooking a steak is the tenderness and size of the cut. The presence of a bone can also change the cooking time as can the method of cooking (barbecuing, sauting, etc.).

If you have a sirloin or rump steak of 1.5 cm thick, then here are a few guidelines to follow when cooking it:

1. Well done, cook it for up to 6 minutes

2. Medium, cook it for about 4 minutes

3. Rare, cook it for just a couple of minutes.

Hold up for a minute are you still confused as to what exactly rare is versus well done? Here is a guide on cooking a steak based off of what the steak should look like (of course, never cut open a steak to see if it is done! It looks tacky, and it causes the steak to dry out).

Well done the steak will be hot, and it will have very little moisture. The color will be a dark grayish. The steak will be firm when touched. There will be no hint of pink left.

Medium well the steak will also be hot, gray, and it will have a juicy center.

Medium a medium steak is light gray, warm, and it will have a juicy center. When touched the steak will offer some resistance. Pink juices will bead up on the surface of the seared side when the steak is turned.

Medium rare the steak will be light pink in color, warm, with a juicy center.

Rare the color will be pink, the temperature will be warm, and the center will be bloody and red! The steak will still feel soft when touched.

Know about the two different types of heat used when cooking a steak:

Dry heat this type of heat does not use liquid and it is used to cook some of the most tender cuts. Examples of cooking with dry heat are broiling, roasting, sauting, pan-broiling, and rotisserie cooking.

Moist heat moist heat, on the other hand, uses steam or liquid. Moist heat cooking methods are soup-making, stewing, braising, and pressure cooking.

You must determine whether or not your steak is cooked based on touch, sight, and the clock. The firmer the meat, the more cooked it is. The lighter the color (from dark purple-red to pink), the more cooked the steak is.

Cooking a steak does not have to be hard, but it can take practice. If you do not get it right the first time, try it again! Be sure to have fun when cooking a steak!

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on steaks and cooking, please visit Filet Mignon.

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Cooking Measurements And The Inexperienced Cook

Do cooking measurements matter? When a recipe calls for a pinch of this and a dash of that, does it really matter how much you put in? What will happen if you leave an ingredient out?

If you're an inexperienced cook, you wonder about the answers to these and other questions. Let's take the mystery out of cooking measurements once and for all.

What's a Pinch or a Dash?

A pinch of an ingredient (usually a spice) is literally the amount of the ingredient that can be held between your thumb, your index finger, and your middle finger. A small pinch is the amount of an ingredient that can be held between your thumb and one finger (take your pick which one you want to use). A dash, on the other hand, is a measurable amount - less than one-eight of a teaspoon but more than one-sixteenth.

Converting Cooking Measurements

Follow this table to convert U.S. measurements to metric:

1/5 teaspoon...1 ml

1 teaspoon...5 ml

1 tablespoon...15 ml

1 fluid ounce...30 ml

1/5 cup...50 ml

1 cup...240 ml

2 cups (1 pint)...470 ml

4 cups (1 quart)...95 liter

4 quarts (1 gal.)...3.8 liters

1 oz. weight...28 grams

1 pound...454 grams

What If It Gets Left Out?

Including all the minor ingredients is more important in baking things like cakes, cookies, and pastries, than it is in meat loaf, omelets, and salads. Generally speaking, it's a good idea to follow the recipe. Whoever wrote the recipe experimented with the cooking measurements to get them just right.

Now, if you know you can't stand the taste of cumin, and you want to substitute oregano for cumin in a meat loaf recipe, that's one thing. But leaving ginger out of ginger spice cookies is just wrong.

Measuring Tools

The importance of cooking measurements has led to a whole industry of cooking measuring cups and spoons. One of the most popular cooking measuring cup sets today is a blue ceramic set that looks just like a big coffee cup, marketed by Nigella Lawson the beautiful and famous television chef.

The most popular measuring spoons are heart-shaped measuring spoons by RSVP International. These spoons have arrow handles and heart-shaped measuring spoons. They make the user smile every time they use them.

The final cooking measurement device every cook needs is a scale. The best scales are digital, with the ability to accurately weigh items in bowls or plates or on slips of waxed paper.

Echo Wang is a contributing Editor for cooking-tips Find out which cooking products, treatments & solutions will continue to be beautiful at any time. Our site is dedicated to providing information about cooking well options so you can continue to do it perfect, if want to more information, please visit Cooking Measurements Inexperienced Cook

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