Archive for June, 2010

London Has the Best Indian Food?

WONG:

Better quality meat, fish and vegetables could very well put London ahead of any Indian city when it comes to high end Indian food.
World renowned London-based Michelin star Indian chef, Atul Kochhar said
Indian needed to reform and reorganise its farming industry, so consumers and
caterers had reliable access to fresh produce.

STORY:
Watch out – be warned! Chefs in India could lose their cutting edge in preparing top quality Indian food to chefs in London.

Atul Kochhar is one of the few Michelin star Indian chefs. He warns that if India’s farming industry is not reorganised – London will become the center of Indian cuisine in terms of quality.

[Atul Kochhar, Owner, Benares Restaurant]:
“It’s not because of lack of good skill, or lack of good spices. It’s purely because of lack of excellent ingredients. India doesn’t have excellent ingredients in terms of fish, meat or vegetables.”

Kochhar is the head chef and owner of Benares – a high-end Indian restaurant in the exclusive Mayfair area of central London.

Back in 2001 Kochhar became the first Indian chef to be awarded the highly coveted Michelin star. Kochhar is looking to return to India and open up restaurants. His biggest worry however is getting a regular supply fresh food.

[Atul Kochhar, Owner, Benares Restaurant]:
“How will get the best produce India has to the restaurants and to the tables of my guests. The lamb farming has to be niche. The goat farming has to be niche. The vegetable farming has to be amazingly good. All those things are there, but there is no organized effort.”

London is home to five Michelin star Indian chefs, New York has one. And there is no reason why more Indian chefs or restaurants in this city will be awarded Michelin stars in the near future given that the reputation of high end Indian food is growing.

[Atul Kochhar, Owner, Benares Restaurant]:
“There are more people traveling to India right now. there are more people conducing business with indians. they are trying to understand the culture and cuisine better now. hence the recognition.”

Kochhar says the corner curry house which churns unique English scorchers such as ‘chicken tikka masala’, or ‘balti chicken’ – are on the decline.

[Atul Kochhar, Owner, Benares Restaurant]:
“It was never an authentic cuisine. I call that British Indian food – because that’s how brutish people liked it. That’s why they were cooking it and thats why it went on for so long.”

The curry house will always be part of the British landscape. But with changing tastes – its high end and expensive Indian food that is on the rise.

Duration : 0:1:56

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Prime Rib Recipe : Season Meat for Prime Rib

Learn how to season the meat for Prime Rib with expert tips for cooking beef in this free online video recipe clip.

Expert: David Postada
Bio: David Postada is Chef and owner of the Big Easy Catering company in Santa Barbara, California.
Filmmaker: Diana Bacon

Duration : 0:1:19

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Washing dishes keeping a clean working kitchen. Simple tips

Dishes the alpha and omega of the kitchen. How much thought do we put into washing dishes? Nowhere near enough consideration is given to this so-called menial task. It is probably the most important thing done in the kitchen if you have improperly washed dishes your life and others can be compromised food poisoning is no laughing matter and cleanliness determines who is plagued with this malady and who is not. I know we should put some time into washing dishes I like most people want to put as little time as possible and maintain the highest standard. Safety is your first priority I have had OSHA training we use to make little jokes about OSHA but this group takes the time to consider things that were overlooked making all our lives better. Never put knives in dishwater use a knife sharpen it wash it and place it on the magnet on the wall keep track of them by keeping them in their place where they are less likely to cut you. You have your kitchen set up our way you will always have a good sharp knife clean and ready to do your bidding.

Some let the clean up pile up and never return to cooking in their home short of microwave dinners cereal and popcorn. If you are that person cheer up you didn’t shoot the pope, get pen and paper evaluate your kitchen go get the supplies you need to get your kitchen back to work this can be fun. Many would call these people lazy I beg to differ they have a failed system to start with. Get a pan and a plan start these dishes to soaking so you can get the crusty caked on mess off call a friend to help. I am a true friend If I encounter a friend that has sunk into a depressed state I have helped clean their house you do have friends that would be glad to help you get your life back.

Ask yourself what can I do to accomplish the task and make it more enjoyable. If you have a roach problem because of the mess get some fogger bombs first. Then turn on every light you can in the area if it seems dim get more lights crank up the stereo start a pot of coffee. Take out the trash clear off the counter tops put things in boxes if you have to but get more than enough space to get your job done.

Ever wonder why dish drying racks sold at the store barely do the job? As with everything it is a conspiracy it’s because if you have a dinky useless strainer it will keep you from wanting to wash dishes this keeps you from cooking and the downward spiral has begun. You will buy the prepared foods maximizing the stores profits. Your waistline the larger it gets the more clothes you have to buy. Then there is the weight loss industry now you are going to buy useless exercise equipment useless because most equipment is never used it’s just purchased; don’t believe me go to a yard sale or a thrift store you will find plenty of workout stuff there near free.

In this video, I address some of these problems and my simple solutions that are inexpensive and require a measuring tape and a trip to the wal-mart. Using a dishwasher tray like the one I do is recycling it is the key to maintaining a working kitchen it is the most important thing in my kitchen and it was FREE. This is a sturdy basket that will never flip over, you have more space than you need you can stack over 2 foot high with it using heavy pots plates casserole dishes you name it this thing is designed to last years its industrial grade. It drives my wife nuts I will use a spoon and instinctively toss it in the sink. Why, because it is sanitary you do not want to cross contaminate use it wash it immediately.

If you handle poultry wash up and afterward I even change the water immediately take no chances wipe everything you might have touched use sanitizer (bleach water).
I start a dishwater with a fresh towel first then I start getting out pots, food etc. It will change dishwater some 3x while cooking if it gets cold or dirty what ever I change it. Using the pan inside the sink the way I do means I can change water quickly, just flip and all the contents are free from your pan you can go to the other side the sink and begin a fresh water. It is the fastest most flexible way to get the job done.
Sometimes you will have dishes pile up when you are in and out the house you just place things in the dishwater to soak. We just roll those dishes out into the sink and start fresh hot dishwater in the next sink takes seconds and you don’t have to pull the gross plug.

Sure, we have those tips like placing a sponge in the microwave for 2 min to kill any germs in the sponge ok I do that. We like to use 1 to 2 tablespoons of bleach to sanitize the water that way I know we are going to be safe. When you wash dishes you are not doing this for show you are first and foremost doing it to be healthy and that requires you kill germs I wish you the best enjoy your kitchen. This is a major wealth wound in many families today many are eating out getting poor food choices as a result they are paying a lot of money for their mortality.

Duration : 0:1:17

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Meat sensory evaluation provides quality assurances

As beef and pork producers look to make improvements in the technologies they use in producing safe and wholesome meat products, taste and texture at the dinner table become important evaluation factors. Iowa State University is home to a program that provides answers to how meat quality might be affected by a modification at farm or ranch.

Duration : 0:6:55

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Make Prime Rib by Cooking.com

Learn to make prime rib with Professional Chefs Chris “Stu” Randell, Mike Yakura and Cooking.com.

Duration : 0:1:41

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Culinary Arts help!!!!!!! please!!?

1.) Muscles that are least used by an animal are the most ____________.
tough
tender
–
–
2.) One serving of cooked beef is equal to _____ ounces.
8
6
3
2
3.) Trimming excess fat from meat can make it less tender and less ____________.
flavorful
salty
dense
aromatic
4.) The leanest cuts of beef have the words "loin" or ________ associated with them.
"round"
"rump"
"roast"
"butt"
5.) _______________ refers to the bits of fat that are scattered throughout a cut of beef.
Rolling
Lacing
Marbling
Stripping
6.) When cooled, the fat in soup will ___________.
sink
mix in with the rest of the soup
rise
–
7.) In broiling, heat is placed __________ the meat being cooked.
above
below
on either side of
on both sides of
8.) About 80 percent of the poultry eaten yearly is from _________.
turkey
chicken
emu
ostrich
9.) Canadians average about _________ eggs a year.
500
400
300
200
10.) Pin feathers indicate a(n) ______ bird.
young
old
–
–
11.) Ostrich was domesticated in ____________.
China
Africa
Mexico
The United States
12.) Turkey was domesticated in _____________.
China
Africa
Mexico
The United States
13.) Chickens that have access to an outside environment are considered ____________.
Organic
Free-range
Natural
Capons
14.) A squid’s head has _____ eyes.
2
3
4
5
15.) A quahog is a ____________.
clam
crab
oyster
shrimp
16.) Jewish Kosher Law forbids the consumption of _____________.
chicken
eggs
shellfish
milk
17.) Jambalaya is a popular dish from ______________.
Boston
Californica
Louisiana
Alabama
18.) Mechanically refrigerated trucks and railroad cars have eliminated the need for ice and salt to ___________ meat.
cool
cook
preserve
baste
19.) A USDA grade of 1 indicates that it is _______.
lean
fatty
–
–
20.) A USDA grade of 5 indicates that it is _______.
lean
fatty
–
–

Well the answer to #16 is shellfish. The others I can’t help you

MARIA JACOBS AT HEN HOUSE STUDIOS

HenHouseStudios.com
Raised in a musical family out of Cleveland, Ohio, Maria has always been surrounded by diversity in music that reached far beyond what could be found in record stores. From the tender age of six, she has sung in her church choir where eastern melodies and percussion were heard from the Melkite Catholic Mass. In the fourth grade Maria began fifteen years of classical flute study and some piano, gaining a new appreciation for European melody and harmony through much practice and listening.

Her first encounters with live music were with her father Mike Jacobs, a drummer who frequently brought Maria to the bandstand to render her interpretations of favorite standards on which she was raised. All of these rich, early experiences lead to superior ratings in flute competitions throughout high school, a music scholarship at The Ohio State University and singing jazz in area night clubs.

Maria has jammed with many great musicians including Grover Washington Jr. and Nancy Wilson. She has opened for Bob Dorough and recorded with bassist Alphonso Johnson and drummer Ndugu Chancler, both formerly of Weather Report.

Upon graduating from college with a degree in Journalism, Maria started working with several jazz radio stations as a disc jockey, but it was in Cleveland that she met up with friend and mentor Bobby Jackson, three-time Gavin Radio Person of the Year. The musical director of then 24-hour jazz station WCPN hired her as his research assistant. It was here that she realized she would forever be a student of music, absorbing all she could from her various surroundings.

In 1997, Maria moved to Los Angeles, CA upon the coaxing of Alphonso Johnson, who also encouraged her to fulfill her musical journey. He introduced her to JVC recording artist Kevyn Lettau, with whom she studied privately for three years, and later followed to the Los Angeles Music Academy for more group study in vocal improvisation and technique.

Other musicians Maria has worked with include Bob Conti, Tony Dumas, Ralph Penland, Greg Poree, George Gaffney, Tom Garvin, Earl Palmer, Ernie McDaniel, Richard Sherman, Geoffrey Aymar, Sherry Luchetti, Greg Bandy, Paul Kreibech and Wilford Middlebrooks. She has participated in master classes of some the finest vocalists in the business including: Betty Carter, Diane Reeves, Jay Clayton, Kitty Margolis, Ellen Johnson, Suzanne Pittson and Cathy Segal-Garcia.

Maria is a professional member of the Jazz Vocal Coalition and the International Association of Jazz Educators. She currently teaches private flute and voice at the AMUSE Music Center in Palos Verdes, and attends Chapman University for Music Therapy. She sings professionally throughout Los Angeles, New York and Cleveland, and is featured singing in the film “Made Up,” directed by Tony Shalhoub, and starring Brooke Adams and Gary Sinise.

Hen House Studios is a record label and documentary film company in Venice, California. First made famous by their unique concept to record musicians for free in exchange for the right to film them, Hen House has grown to a premiere, web based multi media company featuring music videos, CDs, DVDs, and podcasts all produced by the studio.
Hear the Music and See the Stories.

©2007 Hen House Studios . All Rights Reserved.

Duration : 0:4:34

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Can you use apple barrel ink or paint for tattooing?

I am a biginner tattoo guy, I don’t have too much money to buy tattoo ink to practice. But then I when to Michel’s craft and art store and I came across a brand name Apple Barrel acrylic perminent paint and is waterbade and is high-quality paint for all purpose. So I bought it and try it on pork skin and it turns out pretty good and dark. That’s why I just wanted to ask if it can be use for tattooing.

Thanks,
TestedOnPorkSkin

I would say no. Save up your money and get real tattoo ink. Even thou it held up well in the pork skin there is no way of knowing how it would age and in addition, pork skin is not living…you don’t know how a living organism will react to such ink.

Good quality dry dog food with pork or fish meat sources, recommendations?

I had my sheltie on Wellness Core dry food and he suffered a really bad case of allergic reaction. the vet said he is allegic to chicken protein.

can anyone recommend a really good quality dry dog food (preferably on par with Wellness Core), with either fish or pork as meat protein? he doesn’t seem to like lamb much 0.0 picky eater lol.

i had wellness core OCEAN in mind, but any other good ones?
Edit @ Dog lover & Cheryl: the pet mart i bought my sheltie at had him on eukanuba. then after his 1st visit to e vet which was just few weeks after getting him home, vet recommended science diet. so i fed him that for only less than a month b/c i started researching on dogs b/c i wanted to have e best for him. and i realised both of that food are way down at e bottom. this article i read was useful, chances are the ingredients in these 2 foods can be found here:

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients

u’ll know what i mean =)

Fromm Four Star Nutritionals makes a Pork and Applesauce flavor (it actually doesn’t have a ton of apples in it). Fromm also makes a Duck, a Whitefish and a Salmon flavored food. The only other food with pork in it that I know of is Eagle Pack, but those also contain chicken and some corn.

Otherwise you can also try these brands. They have fish and other novel protein flavors:
Solid Gold Millenia (beef and barley)
Nature’s Variety (salmon, beef, venison)
Evanger’s (pheasant)
Merrick (salmon, bison, and venison; trout; beef)
Nature’s Logic (duck and salmon; venison, lamb)
Now (turkey, duck and salmon all in one)
Go Natural (salmon, duck)
Canine Caviar (venison and green pea)
Of course Orijen and Acana

I wouldn’t keep your dog on a fish-based food for the rest of his life. Most fish do have mercury and many fish meals are preserved with ethoxyquin. If you can find at least three or four foods he likes, I would recommend switching between them to prevent more allergies, which can be caused by overexposure, from forming.

And I would never, ever feed any Science DIet products to a dog with allergies.
(Wouldn’t feed it ever anyway)
Would never feed Eukanuba either. Check out what PETA.org has to say about Iams/Eukanuba. Sick.

Food Study Number eight?

15. Lower grades of beef and veal
A. are leaner than higher grades
B. have more fat than higher grades
C. are considered prime
D. None of these

17. Variety meats are
A. meats from animals other than cattle, sheep, or hogs
B. processed meats
C. the organs of an animal

19. Cured meats are perserved by adding
A. salt and sodium nitrite
B. bacteria
C. sugar and spices

20. Which of the following statements about poultry is NOT true?
A. small birds cost more per pound than larger birds.
B. plump birds will give the most serving per pound
C. whole birds cost more per pound than parts

22. Fish Fillets are
A. crosswise slices of a dressed fish
B. the sides of a dressed fish
C. wide strips of breaded and frozen fish

23. The parasite that causes trichinosis is found in
A. raw fish
B. the muscles of some pigs
C. undercooked eggs
D. the connective tissue of beef

If you post your answers and the reason you chose them,
I’ll be more than happy to check them.

~ Mitch ~