Recent content by Mystic

I don't think there's any exact answer to this. Everybody is different and will have different needs. Also, training programs are different and will produce different results in different people. With that said, we are left with general guidelines such as eat an extra 3500 calories to gain a...

How do you clean the grinder? I would love to be able to grind my own meat but am concerned about keeping a grinder clean. If I were to grind chicken, turkey and pork would I be able to keep it clean enough to safely grind beef for a med-rare hamburger? I use my food processor now but don't...

This thread has been a fun, and educational, read. Food safety has really interested me recently and I've tried to learn as much as I can about proper food handling. I'm doing this mainly for my families survival, you see my in-laws live with us. They are from China and their ways are very...

I freeze pineapple all the time to use in smoothies. I use it while still frozen. I've never thawed the pineapple to eat it though so I don't know how they would taste. Michael

Bleaching is simply using a chemical to hasten the process of whitening the flour. The endosperm has a natural yellow pigment. Although this pigment fades with exposure to air, flour producers often try to speed up the process using chemical bleaching agents. Bleaching has nothing to do with...

I always lightly oil the burgers before putting them on the grill. Actually, I oil one side of the burger and put that side down. Before flipping the burger, I'll oil the second side. I like my burgers thick and with a hot grill, it's easy to burn the outside of a burger waiting for the...

Amen to that!! There's nothing like a rich tasting broth with that mouth feel only gotten from home made. Michael

As I recall Julia Child used to praise McDonald's fries, but I think that was in the days when McDonald's still used lard. Now those were some good tasting fries:wink: They just don't have that same flavor today. Michael

Lady D, Does the school allow for lunches/snacks that need to be heated? My kids preschool was very good about that so we were able to send in all sorts of "real" food. Their primary school is cold lunch only which makes it a whole lot more difficult for good lunches. Also, is there...

I'm still trying to figure out my kid's school policy on snacks. What the school sent us in a letter is to send a "healthy snack like a small fruit, few crackers, or fruit snack" no cookies or chips and no peanut or peanut products. It also says not to send in any juice or drinks with the...

I never even knew this festival was in Hoboken. I went to Steven's way back when. We'd go to the San Gennaro festival each year but never was at the one right down the street. I guess I must have been drink.......I mean studying too much to go. Michael

I aw an episode of "Chef's Story" where Thomas Keller demonstrated the Sous-vide technique. He cooked up some chicken breast (boneless), a stuffed boneless chicken thigh (rolled up and tied like a sausage, and some asparagus. After the Sous-vide, he pan fried the chicken a bit. It looked...

I love "Eat Drink Man Woman". Just an incredible movie. I have it on laserdisc but unfortunately my laserdisc player has been broken for about 10 years. I have to get it on DVD. The opening scenes of preparing the Sunday dinner make me salivate just thinking of it. Michael

Check your local bookstore for James Peterson's "Essentials Of Cooking". It is a book filled with techniques to do just about anything. Everything from peeling veggies to making chicken stock. It may be a bit overwhelming for a complete beginner but if you use it as a reference book along...

The big problem with all this trans fat hysteria is the death of common sense. I think it's pretty well known that artificial trans fats are bad. The problem is most of the laws don't take into account that there is natural trans fat as well which don't appear to have the same very negative...