How To Cook A Tender Juicy Steak

USDA Prime Beef - Photo: Wikimedia

You invest a lot of time and money into the steaks for a special occasion and when dinner time comes, they are tough.  What happened?  How can you cook steaks as tender as your favorite restaurant?  

The first step to cooking a good steak is to choose the right grade of steak.  The top quality beef is graded USDA Prime and commands top prices.  USDA Prime grade meats are sold to the restaurant industry and specialty markets and are not as likely to be found at your local grocery chain.  The next grade of beef is USDA Choice.  USDA Choice is tender, flavorful and only slightly lower in quality than USDA Prime.  The meat is well marbled with fat and will be tender and juicy when properly prepared.  USDA Choice makes up about 70% of all graded beef and is readily available in your supermarket.  USDA Good graded beef is an acceptable grade of beef that has only minimal marbling of fat.  It is leaner, but may not be as tender as USDA Prime or Choice.  

Next, look at the color and texture of the meat.  A good steak should be firm to the touch, moist, and bright in color.  It should be well marbled with thin streaks of white fat throughout and a thin crust of steak on the outside.  In our fat conscious society, we tend to look for lean cuts of meat, but the thin streaks of white fat marbled throughout the meat are the key to a tender juicy steak.  

The most tender and juicy steaks come from the sirloin, the short loin, and the rib.  These steaks include the sirloin steaks, porterhouse steaks, t-bone steaks, rib steaks, Delmonico steaks, and the filet mignons.  Steaks containing bone will weigh more than those without, but the bone adds flavor to the steak.

Aging is a desirable process that intensifies the flavors and makes the meat more tender.  Aged steaks are more expensive and usually only found in high-end supermarkets and specialty markets.  An aged steak is recognizable by its darker color.

Once you have purchased your steak, you can further increase the tenderness and juiciness by marinating it.  Try a marinade made of  ½ cup each good wine and olive oil mixed  2 Tablespoons of lemon juice or herb vinegar.  Add any seasonings that you like such as garlic, freshly ground pepper, onion, or herbs.  Place the steak in a  ziplock bag, pour in enough marinade to just cover it, and refrigerate overnight.  Marinating a steak like this will add flavor and tenderness.  If you routinely store steak in the freezer before cooking, try pouring the marinade over the steak before freezing.  The steak will marinate when thawing and be ready to cook.

There are meat tenderizers available to sprinkle onto your steak, and they certainly do tenderize the meat; however, meat tenderizers can sometimes over-tenderize the meat, changing the texture of the meat into mush.  If you should choose to go this route, do it carefully.

When ready to cook, slash through the outside fat layer on the steak in a few places to prevent curling, but do not cut into the meat.  The more tender steak cuts can be broiled, grilled, or pan-fried.  Less tender cuts should be pan-fried or slow braised.  Steak should never be cooked in liquid.  When pan broiling, use a very heavy skillet such as an iron skillet or griddle and heat the pan before adding the meat.  The heavy metal will hold the heat for proper heat distribution and not cool down when the steak is added. A hot pan will quickly sear the outside, trapping the moisture inside.

When cooking, try to turn the steak only once.  Cook the meat until browned on one side and half done, then turn and finish the other side.  Turning too often will stew the meat rather than searing it and produce a less juicy steak.  When the steak is done, remove from the pan and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.  

While the meat rests you can make a sauce with the pan drippings if desired.  Use your favorite sauce, or fry mushrooms and onions in the pan.  When nearly done, add a tablespoon each of butter and flour and cooks until lightly browned.  Add a splash of wine and loosen any bits that may be stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Allow to cook until the thick, taste and adjust seasonings, and serve over the steak.  Enjoy!

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The Basics Of Building Your Own Greenhouse

Photo: Flickr

Building a greenhouse is easier than you may think. You can choose different designs and sizes that you would like to build. A greenhouse will give you comfort whenever you visit your plants, vegetables, flowers, or orchids. It also provides the needed sunlight and humidity for these plants. You may relax and enjoy it every time you visit this place where you have exerted all your effort of building such a wondrous place. 

You may save more money if you decide to build a small greenhouse. There are supplies and materials that you can use which should be just enough according to your own prepared budget. If there is enough space that can accommodate a larger greenhouse, do it because you may want to develop more plants and vegetables.

If you really desire to build a greenhouse where you can develop and propagate more plants, you should consider the different factors that would be necessary on the type of greenhouses you would like to build. Here are some tips and factors you should consider in building your own greenhouse. 

1. You may consider using salvaged materials if you intend to make a larger greenhouse. You may use these materials in designing and planning for a low-cost budget greenhouse. This will also help you minimize the expense of the other supplies and materials needed. 

2. You should also determine the climate of the place where you live. An insulated greenhouse should be appropriate for cold climate areas. This will help you provide the needed warmth and heat for your plants. For warm places, a greenhouse that has a shade control would be advisable.

3. You also need to make sure that your greenhouse will be designed with proper air circulation spaces, ventilation, pest control soil, heaters for winter season, and humidity control devices. You should create an environment that is appropriate for the types of plants that will grow in your greenhouse.

4. The location of the greenhouse should be built where there is enough sunlight. If you choose a solar greenhouse for vegetables and exotic fruit bearing plants it is best if the greenhouse is situated on the east-west part of where you live because facing it this way it is more exposed to sunlight.

5. It is also important to consider the covering of the greenhouse. The most advisable shades are the glass made coverings and fiberglass which might not fit in your budget. But just know that they provide more durability and they do not deteriorate quickly compared to plastic coverings. A greenhouse covered with glass or fiberglass allows more humidity and warmth.

6. You have the option to choose what kind of foundation you would like to use. The foundations can be concrete for a more secured greenhouse. Others prefer the less expensive lightweight foundation where they use improvised materials such as railroad ties, which they can easily attach to the ground. It all depends on how much you are willing to spend on the structure of the greenhouse.

7. You may also consider building a greenhouse that will maximize its full potential. You may want to add benches or materials that will be used for your comfort every time you want to relax in the greenhouse. You may also want to add many accessories to the place like automatic watering systems, heating systems, ventilation system and other automatic equipment that are effective in maintaining the plants. 

8. You should use the “good bugs” for you pest control chemical. They prevent and control the spread of the bad bugs in a greenhouse. If you ever find insects in a plant, you should isolate the plant and if possible place the plant outside the greenhouse so that the insects do not house in the other plants.

9. You should allow a space where you can store fertilizers, potting soil and other tools that are essential in the greenhouse. You should place a tool rack nearer to the potting place so that it would be easier for you to transfer the soil from the pot of the plants. You should also place buckets and tool holders to accommodate the other equipment when they are not in use.

You can develop and grow all sorts of plants with a versatile greenhouse. You may also want to reproduce the grown plants to fill the greenhouse with a variety of plants. Putting up a greenhouse will be more enjoyable if it has done with the help of the family and friends. So get them involved too.

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Modern Pressure Cooker

Pressure Cooker - Photo: Wikimedia

Cookers are no more simple cooking utensils of the yesteryear where there was not an iota of safety element built-in. Cookers have come a long way since World War II and in addition to having countless safety features, they are also aesthetical and eye-pleasing plus user-friendly, not to mention their functionality and utility.

Ever since man discovered cooking was delicious than eating raw, cookers began commanding kitchens across the globe. Modern cookers come in a huge variety of designs and safety features. Still, others like the solar variety sport the smart tag of not consuming any power at all.

Features

Pressure cookers have features characteristic of their categories. Rice cookers have single inside containers while normal cookers come with multi-deck containers. Another distinguishing feature of rice cookers is relatively thinner construction.

Cookers provide pressurized (10Ksc) cooking which helps cook 30-50% faster. Cooking under sealed condition, as dictated by high pressures, has dual advantages. One: Faster cooking saves time and energy; two: prevents loss of nutrients.

Safety Features

Pressure cookers build up to 10ksc of pressure in quick time. This asks for fail-proof safety features. A release valve lifts off just before the threshold pressure is reached regulating the inside pressure. The gasket in the lid expands and comes out of a recess in the lid when the release valve fails to operate or reduce pressure even after operating. Of course, the gasket has to be replaced later. Another important safety feature is the blow-off safety valve. This operates only when both the above fail. This is directly fitted to the top of the lid and is made of a special alloy of aluminum which melts exactly at the threshold pressure.

The body is made of extra strong aluminum of thickness 5mm. The bottom is 10mm thick in some models. The lids are designed to fit either from inside or outside depending on the design. Inside lids are safer than the other design as their entire rim grips the mouth better under pressure. The electric variety cookers have thermostats which switch off at a particular temperature preventing higher pressure buildup.

Solar cookers need time before they got a place under the Sun owing to their dilute energy output.

So anyone still fancies flint and stone to cook dinners?

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Hydroponics and Indoor Gardening

Photo: Pixabay

If you have heard of hydroponics or other methods of growing plants without soil and want to try it out at home, you can.  Hydroponics is easy to care for and set-up at home.  There are materials you can buy or some you may be able to find around the house.

The dirt or soil that you use to grow plants in a traditional method is substituted for a growing medium (full of nutrients the plant needs to grow) in hydroponics gardening.  The growing medium is fed directly to the roots by the method of a drip-feeder.  The system can be automated and the gardener can control how many drips the roots receive in a specified time frame.  The more of the growing medium the faster the plants grow.

Since the system can be automated, the amount of time and energy that is required to maintain a hydroponics garden is less than with a traditional garden.  As long as enough water is present and growing medium the plants can be left unattended for a longer period of time.

A home-based hydroponics garden can grow vegetable year round.  The concern about pests and the composition of the soil are not an issue with this type of gardening.  Another bonus with this type of gardening is how fast you can have mature vegetables indoors (by increasing the amount of growing medium).  

The types of plants that are best for hydroponics are ones with thin spider-like roots.  Plants that have a bulb root system are still best grown in the traditional soil method inside a pot or outside.  When you are ready to begin, germinate the seeds for your plants like you normally would.  When the seed has started to sprout and has approximately 2-5 millimeters of growth it is ready to transplant to the hydroponics container and begin growing.

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Indian Recipes And Indian Spices: History, Present And Benefits

Photo: Pixabay

For centuries South Asian region has been rich. Rich with its spices and food recipes. For years, the region lured various different crusaders to invade the region over centuries. Beginning from the 14th century, the Moghuls invaded and ruled, what is today the Indian subcontinent, for over three centuries. And then came the marvelous voyages of Christopher Columbus taking upon the arduous long voyage and Vasco De Gama of Portugal, all because of the lure of rich and vast variety of spices in the sub-continent.

Vast fortunes have been made and squandered, powerful rulers seduced, ailments cured and nations have been discovered. All in the name of spices. Spices have always cast a spell on our imaginations. Spices flatter our senses; our sight with their vibrant colors, our smell with their enticing fragrances and our taste with their distinct unique flavors.

Today, India is one of the largest exporting nation of spices in the world. Vast variety of spices grow due to natural conditions available in various parts of India. The major western, south-west, south and south-east is tropical in weather conditions, north-west, north are dry with less humidity and north-east and east have pre-dominantly high-rainy seasons.

Due to the abundance in availability of spices in India, Indian food is never bland. Most of the recipies originating from the Indian sub-continent contains spices in the list of ingredients. Spices in Indian food are not heavy and although Indian food is not bland, most Indian dishes are delicately spiced to enhance the flavor of the main cooking ingredient. Curry powder sitting on the grocers shelf may be like saw dust when one compares it to the fine spices roasted, combined and dry ground or wet ground in the traditional Indian traditions. Today one of the most famous entrée in the west consists of curry – a blend created mixing various different ground spices in right proportions with the water. However there are many delicacies in Indian recipes due to the inclusion of variety of spices.

Fresh ground spices are the order of the day in an Indian home and will be chosen according to the nature of the dish, season, individual and family. Some of the common Indian spices available are red chilli pepper, turmeric, black pepper, nutmegs, cloves and many more.

Other then the usage of spices in culinary, they are also used as medicine. Ancient Ayurvedic texts prescribe the herbs and spices for curative and therapeutic functions. Ayurvedic scripts dating back to 3000 years, list the preventive and curative properties of various spices. Looking at curative properties of some of the spices - Ginger prevents dyspepsia, garlic reduces cholesterol and hypertension and fenugreek is a good resistance builder and with pepper often serve as antihistamines, turmeric is used for stomach ulcers and for glow of the skin.

Spices have been used to make the food last longer in the days when refrigeration was absent. And even today in some remote parts of India where electricity is not available, spices are used in food for preservation.

In India the western after dinner mint is substituted by the fragrant spices such as fennel, cardamom or cloves. Effective mouth fresheners, they aid digestion, prevent heartburn and curb nausea. Others such as asafoetida and ginger root, have been known to counteract flatulence and colic, and are added to lentils, a must with every Indian meal.

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Tips for Home Hydroponics Gardens

The requirements for plants are the same whether you are growing a garden traditionally or with a hydroponics method.  In hydroponics, the nutrients the plant would get from the soil are replaced by a growing medium that can be purchased at gardening supply stores.  

The need for water and light is still just as important though.  Light can come from a natural source, an artificial source or a combination of the two.  Depending on the type of hydroponics system the method that your plant gets water will differ too.

In order to get the best results from your home-based hydroponics garden, find a south-facing window to give the plants the best natural light.  If this isn’t possible, you can purchase special lights that are specifically designed for plants.  Instead of using a fluorescent light, buy what is known as a discharge light.  This imitates the light the plants would naturally get from the sun and will produce healthier and hardier plants.

The water that the root system is growing it needs to be healthy water full of nutrients and this can be determined by checking the pH level (it should be a pH level of 6).  The pH level should be checked on a regular basis to ensure it is not too acidic or alkaline.  If the reading is too high, add small amounts of vinegar and keep re-testing until you can the reading you want.  If the water reading has a pH level that is too low, use the same procedure to raise the pH level except using baking soda instead of vinegar.

By growing your plants with hydroponics, you will see faster and more abundant growth.  The method that the plants get their nutrients is more efficient and results in robust and prolific plants – whether they are houseplants, vegetable plants, or herbs.

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The Other Side Of Mexican Cooking

Red Pepper - Photo: Pixabay

High-quality bell peppers, summer squash and cucumbers may not have arrived in the farmer's markets yet, but they're crisp, fresh and abundant at the supermarket-and most likely imported from Mexico.

Many people don't realize that Mexico exports far more than just chiles, avocados, tomatoes, limes and other produce you think of as being in Mexican food. Bell peppers in several colors, summer squash in many varieties, and different varieties of cucumbers are just as commonly available from our warm and sunny neighbor to the south.

Mexico has exported high-quality produce to the U.S. for more than 100 years. All Mexican produce undergoes strict quality and safety assurances before it crosses the U.S. border so you can know it's safe and fresh. Plus, it's healthy: Red, yellow and orange bell peppers are high in beta-carotene and vitamin C. Standard-sized cucumbers are just 39 calories each. And yellow squash and zucchini are an excellent source of magnesium.

Try these vegetables in salads this month, or sliced on sandwiches, or in a stir-fry. You can even use summer squash and red bell peppers in your salsa.

Zucchini & Red Pepper Salsa

2 pounds zucchini (look for small to medium ones)

2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and cut into a small julienne

1/2 cup peeled, seeded and diced cucumber

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

2 serrano chiles, seeded and minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Trim and dice zucchini, and place in a medium bowl. Add julienne of red pepper, cucumber, red onion and chiles. Dress with olive oil, lime juice and salt, and toss to incorporate. Gently stir in cilantro and serve with yellow or blue tortilla chips, round slices of jicama, or thin slices of French bread. Makes 8 servings.

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