Most people associate the profession of a chef with one traditional part of their uniforms – the chef’s hat. However, not many realize the importance of other aspects of a chef’s clothing. Chef coats have developed quite a lot in recent times, both in terms of looks as well as utility, and they’re currently an indispensable part of any respected chef’s equipment. Chef coats not only help identify the chef among their co-workers, but they also provide a variety of useful functions that help ease the job.

Does every person who works in a kitchen really need a good assortment of chef jackets in their wardrobe though? It all boils down to several factors. First, what type of cooking do you do precisely? If it involves a lot of boiling and generally working with hot materials, well-made chef jackets can provide you with the extra protection you’ll need to feel comfortable. Additionally, if you want to make a good presentation, wearing something respectable will always be of benefit.

It’s not just about the coat though – chef aprons are just as important as the coats worn by chefs, as they provide additional protection and utility, while also being a traditional part of a chef’s attire. Chef aprons are more commonly worn by non-professional chefs as they’re easily available and very convenient.

Women need to take care of themselves just as well in the kitchen – good women’s chef jackets are widely available just as men’s, and offer the same utility and comfort that help ease the job’s stress.

Children love christmas time. Maybe it’s because of the joy in the air or maybe it’s because of the gift giving. They definitely enjoy the decorating that is done for this holiday.

The gingerbread house is a fun christmas tradition. It allows you and your kids to work together to be creative. It also makes a great item for your christmas decorating. You might want to buy extra bits of the ingredients as some might get nibbled before you finish making your gingerbread house.

The gingerbread house starts with the form. Most use a cardboard house as a base. You can usually buy these in stores if you don’t want to make your own or try creating your own template, it is really easy. Of course you can always print out guides from online.
For the rest of the gingerbread house, try this recipe from Chef Bobby Flay. He introduced this recipe on his show, Food Nation.

Ingredients:

• 5 1/2 cups flour
  
• 1 tablespoon ginger
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 cup solid vegetable shortening
  
• 1 cup granulated sugar
  
• 1 1/4 cups dark molasses
  
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  
• Frosting, either store-bought or homemade
  
• Brightly colored candies such as gumdrops, licorice, peppermint sticks, etc.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix 5 cups of flour, the ginger and baking soda in a large bowl. Set aside.

Cream shortening and sugar in large bowl with mixer. Add molasses and lightly beaten eggs. Blend well. Gradually add dry ingredients. Knead in remaining flour, if necessary. Chill dough 1 hour for best rolling results.

Lightly grease cookie sheets. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick directly onto cookie sheets. Cut patterns, removing excess dough. Chill 10 minutes before baking. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes.

Let cookies cool.

Next, to assemble house, you will want to make a simple cardboard house to use as your base to help hold the house together. Begin applying cookies to the cardboard using your frosting as glue. Once cookies cover the entire house you can decorate with colorful candies such as gumdrops, peppermint sticks and licorice.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, recipe, Bobby Flay, gingerbread house, decorating

Any home should have cutlery. Whether it is the fine and expensive one or the regular ones you use for every day cooking, cutlery serves as a very important part of the kitchen.

Whatever type of cutlery you have in your home, it is a must that they be kept clean and in good condition all the time. If you ignore the cleaning aspect, you can be sure that dust, dirt and rust will find their way on your beloved knives and you will no longer be able to use them particularly those that get rusty.

Most homeowners have their favorite knives that they use when they prepare food every day. These can be of different sizes each with different purpose. Yes, they sure serve you and your family well and so they deserve proper care every time you use them.

With fine cutlery and cooking cookware, normally homeowners use these only during special occasions but again, maintenance is vital if you want to keep them for a long time and even pass them on to your children and grandchildren. Nothing can be better than using a clean and sparkling knife during a special dinner with family and friends in your very own home.

So what are the basic steps you need to keep in mind when caring for your fine cutlery ?

Handwash them. Remember to wash fine cutlery only using your hands and never in the dishwasher. A mild soap mixed with warm water should do to clean them. The same with the regular knives you use during your food preparations. They’re best washed with hands to remove any residue from vegetables and meat.

Wipe dry. Using a soft cotton cloth, carefully wipe dry the cutlery.

Remove fingerprints. As you’re wiping, make sure you take away the fingerprints that you see. You have to know that any oil from your skin can lead to a permanent stain on your cutlery. Make sure then that you use a pair of gloves preferably those made from white cloth so you avoid finger marks on the knives.

Put coating. It would be a good idea to coat your cutlery with a USP food grade mineral oil particularly if you’ll be storing them for quite some time. Just a light coating will do.

Don’t forget to put the oil as well on the leather handles of your fine cutlery. This will prevent the leather from cracking.

Store properly. Fine cutlery should be kept in a warm area if possible such as a cutlery drawer if you have. If they came in a well packaged box, put them back there. Make sure that you store each knife separately as it’s never good that they rub against each other.

Avoid high temperatures as this can cause damage to your cutlery. So never put them on top of your refrigerators or expose them to cold temperatures such as in your basement particularly during cold weather.

Sharpen knives regularly. This is a must for the knives you use on a daily basis. You can sharpen by hand or to ensure you get the right sharpness, get a professional to do it for you.

Celebrity chefs have huge pantries at their disposal—but what’s the one ingredient they can’t live without? Six of them share their secret.

Clarissa Dickson-Wright: Heinz tomato soup. She also depends on chicken stock, but prefers to make her own. For regular blokes, she says, “”There’s a place for the stock cube in every kitchen.”

Richard Corrigan: Organic Swiss vegetable bouillon. This is something he only uses at home, since he makes his own stock from scratch in the kitchen.

Antony Worrall Thompson: ketchup, worcester sauce and anchovy essence

Delia Smith: Sainsbury’s fresh bolognese and freshly made gnocchi. “This is a total cheat – but utterly gorgeous”

James Martin: Supermarket’s own-brand fresh stock. “It’s my favourite thing at the moment. It makes a great sauce”

Sam Stern: Marmite. “The best shortcut for stock is having the real thing around in your freezer whenever you want it”

Gordon Ramsay says that the true test of any cook is how he or she can scramble eggs. Check out this blog with tips and a video demonstration.

Chef Ann has an incredible and impressive list of achievements and credentials in the course of her culinary career. Among these accomplishments include that of Chef of the Year awards and winning national American Culinary Federation awards.

Chef Ann Cooper works as an industry services consultant for the Culinary Institute of America, a corporate chef and as a consultant to various restaurant and hotels located around New England. Ann was among the first 50 women to be certified as an executive chef by the educational arm of the American Culinary Federation.

Chef Anne has also published a book titled “A Woman’s Place in the Kitchen” that narrates the vision of women and their role around the kitchen. It contains both traditional and innovative approaches that women have had in the field of cooking. She also authored another book, “The Sustainable Kitchen” that will surely make the grade and be a hot commodity among aspiring chefs of today.

I haven’t met a person who hasn’t said this recipe produced fabulous results. Its mindlessly easy too, so I urge you to try it for yourself.

*note: my sister and I like to temper the acidity by adding a little cream or milk during the last whisk at the end. Also, it is well worth the effort to pound the breasts as much as possible before cooking.

Giada’s Chicken Piccata

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and give it a shake to remove excess.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil.

When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate.

Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner.

Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.

Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

There is nothing as important as feeding our children. Yet food for kids isn’t exactly something that you see on TV everyday. In fact there are only a few people writing about it.

Enter Annabel Karmel. She is a household name in the UK. She is an inspirig person. She is not just a cook, she is also a mother which is why each of her recipes have been carefully tested against the best possible guage: her own kids.

Annabel Karmel studied at the Cordon Bleu school. It was the loss of her first child, Natasha, that she began to write. She believes that the one element that any parent can control that will help determine their health is what they eat. She began to create recipes that her son would enjoy eating yet still meet his dietary needs. The result: her first published book in 1991 titled The Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner.

By no means though is she a homely, matronly looking mom. She may have 3 kids but she has kept physically active. She is a fun person who enjoys skiing, tennis and roller blading. She is also a musician and singer. In fact she has performed with Liberace, Denis Waterman, Queen Elizabeth and Boy George. The instrument she has performed on is the harp, though she also plays violin. She has also had a recording career.

To date she has several books under her belt. Her recipes are all kid friendly and are fun to make. If you have a fussy eater, try some of her recipes.

She has also been seen on TV as the Foodie Godmother on the Richard and Judy Show, BBC1′s Saturday Kitchen and BBC2′s Working Lunch.

Everyone has his secret, and although many people would like to keep their secret just that – a secret – these things have a way of coming out into the open. Take this simple technique of cooking food in a bag.

Dubbed sous vide, the technique is basically that – putting food in a sealed pouch and dumping it in hot water (maintained at a precise temperature for a certain period of time). It has been around for so long, but not many chefs (celebrity or otherwise) like talking about it. I suppose the idea is too similar to instant food that health-conscious individuals abhor.

Cooking sous vide, however, is actually quite different. The result of using this technique is three-fold:

• Save time
• Save on costs
• Ensure consistency

What’s the advantage of using the technique? Basically, cooking food in sealed pouches at relatively low temperatures over time makes the fats and collagen in meat break down slowly. The juices and the flavors are also retained much better. You can just imagine how tasty the food will be – whether you’re talking about meats or vegetables!

To do this properly, you can buy a “real” sous vide “machine.” This includes the vacuum sealed pouch and a self-stirring bath. This will set you back several thousands of dollars, though. (Yeah it’s one other reason that not many people are using them.) On the other hand, you can set your own up by buying a vacuum sealed bag and making your own water bath. However, the results may not be the same as you have to monitor the water temperature more closely and make sure that the water is stirred constantly.

The next time you hear sous vide – do not be turned off. It just might yield the best meal you’ve ever had!

And more Thanksgiving tips from your favourite chefs…..

the Hearty Boys
Remember WHY your guests are there. Sure, we all want the food to be glorious and the table setting to be stunning….but we’re talking real life here. When things go awry, your family will just be glad to be together and your friends will probably be thrilled to have something to hold over your head for the next 15 years. That being said, when you plan your menu, don’t be overambitious and bite off more than you can chew. Plan on dishes that can be at least partially prepared one or two days in advance

Michael Chiarello
If you sit down for even a few minutes ahead of time to write down all of your dishes and the ingredients you need, you will actually get to be a guest at your own party. Ask yourself what can I do two days ahead, or even one day ahead? Also, don’t be embarrassed to ask for help.

Nigella Lawson
Keep the sides to a minimum, but make sure you have a lot of each. You need to create a mood of welcoming plenty, but too many pots on the stove will not help you feel hospitable. Make a homemade cranberry sauce�it’s easier than you think and will make everyone feel you’ve made a real effort. What’s more, you can make it in advance.

Paula Deen
Do as much as possible the day ahead. Casseroles are great because you can cook and freeze them ahead of time and just pull them out and heat up at the last minute. Serve things that can be eaten at room temperature.

Robin Miller
Take a deep breath, enjoy yourself and don’t try anything too complicated. Most people enjoy simple holiday foods. And, don’t forget to delegate!!

Sandra Lee
Make as much as you can ahead of time and freeze it. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and heat just before serving. Let guests bring the more labor-intensive and baked dishes. Don’t panic! Perfection is overrated, and anything is fixable.

Technorati Tags: Thanksgiving, Holidays, Celeb Chefs, Chefs Tips, Thanksgiving Tips