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Sunday, January 9, 2011

Fast Food Recipes - Cook Fast Food at Home


Have you ever wished you could cook your favorite fast food items at home? Wondering how they make those dishes taste so good? Well fortunately, you can cook your favorite fast food recipes at home, and it's easier than you think! Plus, you can save money and calories by cooking these recipes at home instead of eating at your local fast food chain. Here are a few free cloned fast food recipes for you to make at home.

KFC Potato Salad

2 pounds russet potatoes

1 cup mayonnaise

4 teaspoons sweet pickle relish

4 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons minced white onion

2 teaspoons prepared mustard

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon minced celery

1 teaspoon diced pimentos

1/2 teaspoon shredded carrot

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon pepper

dash salt

Taco Bell Enchiritos

1 lb ground beef

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 tablespoon dried onion flakes

1 (30 ounce) can refried beans

1/4 onion, diced

1 (14 ounce) can enchilada sauce (La Victoria)

2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1 (2 ounce) can black olives, sliced

10-12 flour tortillas (10 or 12-inch 1 pkg)

Wendy's Chili

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 (14 ounce) can stewed tomatoes

4 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce

1 (14 ounce) can ranch style beans

1 (14 ounce) can pinto beans

1 (14 ounce) can kidney beans

1 (10 ounce) can Rotel diced tomatoes

1 (1 1/4 ounce) package McCormick mild chili seasoning

2 lbs ground chuck

There are hundreds more fast food recipes out there that you can cook at home. Many times you can reduce the calories significantly without harming that great taste you love! See the website below for tons more recipes!








For lots more fast food recipes, check out The CopyCat Cookbooks. They contain over 500 replica recipes from all the most popular fast food and restaurant chains in America.


Saturday, January 8, 2011

Chinese Food Recipes - Cooking Techniques

While Chinese food recipes may be specific to a certain region of China, cooking techniques often cross provincial boundaries. In a country the size of China, that's a lot of travelling.


Stir Frying


Stir frying is one of the favourite cooking methods. The actual cooking is very quick indeed so all the ingredients need to be prepared in advance. Many Chinese food recipes involve meat and vegetables being sliced into evenly sized pieces, so that they will cook at the same speed. Things like carrots, spring onions and courgettes look nicer if they're cut on an angle, giving an interesting shape.


All the spices and sauce ingredients need to be measured out and mixed before cooking starts.


The wok should be heated until it is almost smoking before the oil is added. The ingredients which take the longest to cook should be added first then the others progressively, stirring and tossing continuously, followed by the sauce which should be simmered for a minute before serving.


Stewing


Stewing is a bit more leisurely than stir frying. Chicken or meat can be used, together with vegetables, water, stock, beer or wine (or a mixture any of them) and spices depending on the individual recipe. For the method known as "red cooking", a lot of soy sauce is added which permeates all the ingredients. The whole lot is then simmered gently until cooked. The traditional utensils would be a clay pot over a charcoal fire but a saucepan or wok on a gas or electric cooker will produce much the same result. The sauce can then be thickened with a little corn flour mixed with some of the stewing liquid.


Alternatively, the meat and vegetables can be extracted to form the main course to be followed by the broth served over rice as a filler.


Roasting


Just as with our own "roast dinners" in the West, the Chinese marinade and roast large pieces of meat either in an oven or over a barbeque. These Chinese food recipes are often produced in restaurants and the marinade is key to the flavour, often containing five spice powder, star anise, chillies, garlic and ginger or a selection of these.


Whichever cooking method is used, preparation and presentation are the keys to a successful dish, as in Chinese cookery, aroma and visual pleasure are just as important as taste.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Famous Restaurant Recipes Cooking Terms Dictionary


If you are inexperienced at cooking, but have desired to make these famous restaurant recipes that are so popular, you will need to have at least a few basic skills. One issue you will run into are the various cooking terms that you will see in any recipe.

If you are not familiar with what I am talking about when I say famous restaurant recipes, these are a collection of recipes for your favorite dishes from your favorite restaurants. These recipes have been reversed engineered by chefs and documented in a set of cookbooks and at various online websites.

After the proper ingredients and cooking processes are discovered, they are then tested by various methods and teams of people to ensure they really do taste like the originals. By producing these dishes yourself, you can save money and put on some pretty impressive dinner parties.

As with any recipes, famous restaurant recipes will have terms and procedures required that you may or may not be familiar with. Here is a short list of some of the most important cooking terms with their definitions. While these definitions will not show you how to perform the tasks, they may give you enough insight to practice them until you get the process down.

Cooking Terms Dictionary:

Al Dente: Usually this refers to pasta with the result of just cooking it long enough to make it firm but not soft. The idea is to avoid overcooking it. It also refers to not overcooking vegetables to the point of losing their crispness.

Blanching: This is the process of boiling water and then adding food to it and cooking completely submerged. You only do this for a couple of seconds and then immediately removing the food from the pan and rinsing it in cold water to stop it from cooking.

Braising: Cooking food in a small amount of liquid with the intent of drawing the flavor into the liquid.

Deglazing: Used to make gravy. The dripping from cooking foods stick to the bottom of the pan and are dissolved in a liquid.

Folding: The process of blending egg-whites into a batter without stirring vigorously keeping it's light foam properties.

Simmering: The action of heating water to just below boiling level.

Poaching: Cooking an egg in simmering water.

There are many more cooking terms that you may need to know. In my blog I have more with the plan of also providing links from these terms to documents showing the processes to actually perform these tasks.

To learn to cook great recipes, learning the basics is important, and hopefully the cooking terms dictionary will help you in your task to create your favorite famous restaurant recipes.








Visit my site for a more complete list of cooking terms in the Cooking Terms Dictionary, where you can find all the information you will need to make fantastic Famous Restaurant Recipes!


Thursday, January 6, 2011

Factors Affecting Microwave Recipes Cooking

FACTORS WHICH AFFECT COOKING


Several factors which influence timing and results in conventional cooking are exaggerated by microwave speed..


From conventional cooking you are familiar with the idea that more food takes more time.


Two cups of water take longer to boil than one.


Size of food is important, too.


Cut up potatoes cook faster than whole ones.


These differences are more apparent in microwaving, since energy penetrates and turns to heat directly in the food.


Knowing what affects the speed and evenness of cooking will help you enjoy all the advantages of microwaving.


Piece Size: In both conventional and microwave cook-ing, small pieces cook faster than large ones. Pieces which are similar in size and shape cook more evenly.


Starting Temperature: Foods taken from the refrigerator take longer to cook than foods at room temperature. Timings in our recipes are based on the temperatures at which you normally store the foods.


Density of Food: In both conventional and microwave cooking, dense foods, such as a potato, take longer to cook or heat than light, porous foods, such as a piece of cake, bread or a roll.


Quantity of Food: In both types of cooking, small amounts usually take less time than large ones. This is most apparent in microwave cooking, where time is di-rectly related to the number of servings. Shape of Food: In both types of cooking, thin areas cook faster than thick ones. This can be controlled in micro-waving by placing thick pieces to the outside edge with thin pieces to the center.


Height in Oven: In both types of cooking, areas which are closest to the source of heat or energy cook faster. For even microwaving, turn over or shield vulnerable foods which are higher than 5 inches.


Boiling: Microwaves exaggerate boiling in milk-based foods. A temperature probe turns off the oven before foods boil over. Use a lower power setting and watch carefully when not using a probe. Prick Foods to Release Pressure: Steam builds up pressure in foods which are tightly covered by a skin or membrane. Prick potatoes (as you do conventionally), egg yolks and chicken livers to prevent bursting.


Round Shapes: Since microwaves penetrate foods to about 1 -in. from top, bottom and sides, round shapes and rings cook more evenly. Corners receive more energy and may overcook. This may also happen conventionally


Bury Vulnerable Foods: Foods which attract microwave energy, such as cheese or meat, should, when possible, be buried in sauce or other ingredients. In conventional stewing or pot roasting, meat not covered with liquid dries out.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Camping Fish Recipes - Cooking Your Catch

Camping and fishing go together like ham and eggs. After you clean and gut your catch, try one of these simple camping fish recipes. I have a fish recipe from each category: 1) Easy, 2) Weird, 3) Artery-clogging and finally, 4) Healthy.


Easy: Tin Foil Rainbow Trout


- fresh trout, any kind


- 1 tablespoon butter


- salt and pepper


- 1 small onion, sliced


- Bacon slices (optional)


Leaving the fish whole, stuff the insides with butter, salt and pepper, and as many onions as will fit. Wrap each fish with 1-2 bacon slices if your heart desires. Place stuffed trout on buttered foil and wrap up tightly to trap the moisture. Place over white hot coals for 7-10 minutes.


Weird: Grilled Catfish in Coffee Butter


(I know you'll be skeptical, but this recipe is from the catfishinstitute.com, it is very good.)


- 1 tablespoon lemon juice


- 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder


- 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine


- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder


- 1/2 teaspoon salt


- 2 pounds catfish fillets


Combine lemon juice, instant coffee, butter, onion powder and salt. Brush mixture thickly onto fillets. Grill on a SPAM-sprayed campfire grate for 10 minutes.


Turn and brush fish again with sauce. Grill 10 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily.


Heart-Clogging: Beer Battered Fish


- 1 1/4 c packaged biscuit mix


- 3/4 c beer


- 1 egg


- 1/4 tsp salt


- 4 fresh fish filet


- cooking oil


Beat together biscuit mix, beer, egg and salt. Pat fish to dry. Dip in batter to coat both sides. Fry in hot oil in skillet for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until done.


Healthy: Steamed Fish with Veggies


- fish fillets


- small potatoes


- 1 medium Vidalia or any Sweet onion, sliced thin


- 2 stalks of celery, chopped


- 1 medium tomato, chopped


- salt and pepper


- 1 tsp Mrs. Dash garlic and herb seasoning


- salad dressing (optional)


Place fish chunks on top of heavy-duty tin foil. Pile vegetables on fish and season with the salt and pepper. Place a salad dressing on fish and vegetables. Italian is best, but Ranch, Raspberry, or some other favorite will work also. Wrap tightly and cook over a campfire for 15 to 20 minutes.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Laxmi's Authentic Indian Home Cooking 700 Recipes

With Laxmi's eBook you will cook with recipes that is Genuinely Indian. It is the food that we Indians make in our homes not the food that we eat in 5 Star Restaurants. Laxmi will show you the art of making Indian curry that is Healthy, delicious & tasty.


Check it out!

Quick Easy Chinese Vegetarian Cooking

Easy, Healthy, And Delicious Chinese Vegetarian Cookbook Package. Complete Chinese Vegetarian Guide With 400 Pages.


Check it out!