Rouxbe

Rouxbe (pronounced roo-bee) is a fantastic website that provides online instructional videos which can help to improve your cooking techniques.  Rouxbe is aimed at home cooks looking to improve their techniques and knowledge with videos from professional cooking school instructors.  According to it’s website, the focus is on food and not celebrity chefs.

The best part about this website is that it offers highly detailed, step by step instructions which are just what you need when you want to learn new techniques or hone your skills. 

Rouxbe offers free 30 day membership however at the end of your 30 day membership you will be required to become a premium member ($99 US annual or $199 US for lifetime membership) to continue to gain access to it’s cooking school and instructional videos.

Check out the lesson on crushing and mincing garlic as well as this lesson on dicing and mincing onions.  Rouxbe also offer a fantastic free lesson as well on wheat and gluten.

How to poach an egg in the microwave

 

I am a huge fan of poached eggs, but the amount of time and effort required to cook them used to put me off having them.  Well, that’s now a thing of the past having learnt how to poach an egg in the microwave.  Better still, it couldn’t be easier.

What you need:

Boiling water
A deep bowl (noodle bowls are good for this as they are tapered at the bottom)
A plate that is a little bigger than the bowl
A spoon
Vinegar
Eggs
Paper towel

Method:

1. Fill the bowl half full of boiling water and add 1 teaspoon of vinegar.

2. Stir the water so that it begins to form a whirlpool in the centre of the bowl and then stop and let the whirlpool settle a bit.  Crack the egg on the side of the bowl and slip the egg into the whirlpool.

3. Cover the bowl with the plate and place in the microwave for 75 seconds (time required will depend on your microwave)

4. Remove from the microwave, ensuring the egg white is cooked, and strain on paper towel. 

5. Tada…poached eggs in under 2 minutes!!!!

FoodTube

With the growing popularity of You Tube it was inevitable that variations of the successful theme would appear.  FoodTube is a video sharing website in the same vain of YouTube but the focus is on sharing recipes and cooking techniques.  On FoodTube you will find videos guiding you through restaurants, cooking various dishes along with how to make drinks.

Videos can be added by direct uploads from your computer or mobile phone, or importing from various video-sharing networks like YouTube.

Storing food so it lasts longer

 

I came across this great article on Gomestic on how to store food correctly so it lasts longer.  I don’t know about you but I have a tendency to buy things with the intention of using them and then finding that they have already spoiled so I think this advice is fantastic.

Organize fruits and veggies: We often toss produce into crispers together, but apples and some other fruits give off gas called ethylene that speeds ripening in vegetables. So store them separate, so vegetables don’t ripen too fast

Know which need room temperature: We tend to keep most of our fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator. But cold temperatures can actually damage some produce, like squash, tomatoes and oranges

Use your own packaging: That flimsy package from the butcher won’t protect your meat from freezer burn. Put it in a vacuum sealed or sip lock bag with the air squeezed out

Protect your dry goods: Dry kitchen products like flour, cornmeal and other grains can attract bugs that make them unusable. Instead, stash them in the refrigerator or the freezer where they will be safe from pests

Chill your bananas: Most of us keep our bananas on the kitchen counter. But it seems like they spoil almost as soon as they ripen. Instead, store them in your refrigerator once they have ripened. The skin will turn brown but the inside lasts a lot longer

Shield leftovers from the air: Many of us end up throwing out leftovers because they went bad. To prevent it, don’t just cover the top of the bowl with foil or plastic wrap. Instead, transfer your leftovers to an airtight food storage container to keep them fresh

So keep it fresh longer. Oxygen damages food, so air tight packaging will help keep things fresh.
 

How to poach an egg

I love poached eggs for breakfast on a sunday.  There is nothing better.  But getting them right can be a little tricky.  When I first started poaching eggs they looked deformed but after a lot of practice and reading tips they now look perfect (well most of the time anyway).  So follow the tips below for the perfect poached eggs.

1. Fill a deep frying pan almost to the top with water. Bring to a simmer (when small bubbles break the surface). Using eggs at room temperature, crack 1 egg into a ramekin. Check for freshness (odourless, with a thick white and whole, rich-yellow yolk).

2. Add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar (don’t add salt). Using a metal spoon, stir water to create a whirlpool. This prevents egg from sinking and sticking to the base.

3.  Allow whirlpool to slow slightly. Hold ramekin as close to water as possible and gently slip egg into whirlpool.

4. Cook, stirring the water occasionally, for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with remaining eggs (you can poach up to 4 eggs at a time).

5.  Using a slotted spoon, remove 1 egg at a time from water. Gently press the yolk to test if cooked to your liking. Hold egg over paper towel to drain.