Cooking RecipesSimple and Easy Cooking Recipes

Storage life of unbaked breads is shorter than that of baked breads. Frozen unbaked breads do not rise as well and are less tender when baked. Your quick breads will have a better quality if you bake them before freezing.

Use a double acting baking powder for quick breads that are leavened with baking powder.

Store unbaked bread no longer than 1 month. Frozen baked breads will hold for 2 to 3 months.

To serve frozen baked, thaw, then unwrap and heat at 375°F for 5 to 10 minutes.

You can this simple and easy bread recipes by by clicking here.

The recommended storage periods for home frozen meat and fish held at 0°C are given below. For best quality, use the shorter time.

Beef :- Ground meat (2 to 3 months), Roasts (8 to 12 months), Steaks (8 to 12 months) & Stew meat (2 to 3 months).

Fish (6 to 9 months).

Lamb:- Chops (3 to 4 months), Ground meat (2 to 3 months), Roasts (8 to 12 months), Stew meat (2 to 3 months).

Pork, cured:- Bacon (less than 1 month), Ham (1 to 2 months).

Pork, fresh:- Chops (3 to 4 months), Roasts (4 to 8 months), Sausage ( 1 to 2 months).

 Veal :- Cutlets, chops (3 to 4 months), Ground meat ( 2 to 3 months), Roasts (4 to 8 months).

Organ Meat (3 to 4 months).

Select good quality meat, fish or poultry. Thoroughly chill before freezing. All meats should be chilled below 40°C. Hang meat in a chill room with a temperature of 33°C to 36°C. Chill pork and veal 1 to 2 days; beef and lamb, 5 to 6 days. This chilling process makes the meat more tender. A locker plant in your community will take care of this chilling for you, as well as the packaging.

Package in quantities to be cooked at one time.

Protect all foods to be frozen by wrapping or packaging carefully in recommended materials. Proper packaging keeps food from drying out. Use aluminum foil, heavy freezer wrapping paper, waxed cartons, plastic bags, or glass jars. All materials should be moisture vapor-proof.

Read the rest of this entry »

Home freezing of meat, fish and poultry can be very simple, satisfying and effective if the following rules are observed:

1. Meat, fish and poultry should be carefully selected, packaged and frozen.

2. Home freezing equipment freezes quickly at 0° or lower, and maintains this temperature for the storage of the frozen products. The ice making section of your refrigerator does not meet this qualification.

3. Select only high-quality products. Freezing will not make tough meat tender, nor fry poultry succulent and juicy.

To Reheat Cooked Rice : Heat cooked rice in top of double boiler over hot water, about 10 minutes or until rice is hot and fluffy. Or place rice in heavy pan with tightly fitted cover. Sprinkle water over rice, using about 2 tablespoons water to 1 cup rice. Cover; heat over low heat 5 to 8 minutes or until hot and fluffy.

To Refrigerate Cooked Rice: Place rice in bowl and cover tightly or wrap completely to prevent drying out. Keeps 4 to 5 days.

To Freeze Cooked Rice: Store rice in covered freezer container or wrap completely. Keeps up to 6 months.

When food prices soar, the question of the availability of buying a home freezer always arises. There are many points to consider before a freezer is purchased. First, of course is space. The size of the family and the amount of food home grown should also be considered.

A careful shopper can save money by freezing vegetables and fruits if they are home grown or if they can be bought at a reasonable price.

Meat is an entirely different situation. The homemaker may be able to take advantage of specials on meat and keep the freezer adequately stocked. If there’s a freezer locker plant available, large pieces of meat may be purchased and the wrapping will be done by the locker plant. There are many companies that offer sides of beef at greatly reduced prices. Unless you are familiar with the firm (it always pays to buy from a reputable dealer), check with your Better Business Bureau.

If you have to buy fruits and vegetables to put into a freezer, first check cost of the commercially frozen item, and then compare with the cost of the fresh product. Many varieties of vegetables are packed in large package for freezing -that cuts the cost considerably. If you use peaches, berries and other fruits only for pies, cobblers, or other cooked dishes, it would probably pay you to buy the canned fruit, unless you have fruit tree at home.

Generally speaking, pasta is always cooked the same way, though some types are now available which need no precooking. The hard stuff can be layered or stuffed with sauce, placed in an ovenproof dish and baked, and will be tender and succulent after cooking.

The pastas which have to be boiled need lots of space to expand so always use a large heavy-based pan (no lid is necessary). When the water is boiling, add salt, then the pasta, adding it little by little and only as the water comes back to the boil. With the longer cooking ones, keep the pan topped up with boiling water from the kettle. To prevent sticking (to the pan or pasta to pasta), 1 tablespoon olive oil can be added with the salt. Al dente describes the texture of pasta when it is just cooked. It should be firm, but not hard at the core; and soft, but not so soft that it is mushy. Here’s basic time guide to cooking different types of durum wheat pasta:-

vermicelli- 3 minutes

spaghetti – 10 to 12 minutes

shells – 10 to 12 minutes

macaroni – 15 to 20 minutes

cannelloni – 15 to 20 minutes

Read more pasta recipes here.

Rice is the most important cereal in the world, the staple food of six out of every ten people. It originated in south-east Asia; some experts say in Thailand, other India, but all agree that its cultivation dates from around 3000BC. Now rice is grown in most tropical and temperate countries, although 90% of the world’s production comes from Asia. It is also an important crop in the USA, Italy, Spain, Egypt and Brazil.

Paddy Rice is rice just as it comes from the fields after threshing.

Brown Riceis what remains when the edible husk covering each grain is removed. Also called unhusked rice, it contains more natural vitamins and nutrients than other types. It is available in long, medium and short grains and takes about 45 minutes to cook.

Long Grain Rice, usually eaten with savory dishes, has a light fluffy texture and the grains remain separate when cooked. Patna rice is long grain rice from the Patna district of north-east India. Basmati is a high quality long grain rice from the north of India and Pakistan. Long grain rice has three forms: White or polished rice is the most common. The husk, bran and germ are removed during milling so it is less nutritious than brown rice. It takes about 15 minutes to cook. Parboiled rice, also known as easy to cook, pre fluffed and non-stick, is processed before it is milled so more of the natural minerals and vitamins remain. Despite its name, it is not precooked; in fact it takes about 5 minutes longer to cook than ordinary white rice. Precooked or instant long grain rice is completely cooked after milling. Depending on the brand, cooking time can be 1-10 minutes.

Medium Grain Rice is not as translucent as long grain and, as it has more starch, is stickier when cooked. It is used for croquettes and puddings.

Short or Round Grain Ricehas the most starch of all. It is traditional pudding rice as it softens well in milk, resulting in thick creamy puddings. Italian or Piedmontese rice is a round grain rice with a hard core needing slow cooking without much liquid.

Read the rest of this entry »

MEAT

All type of meat can be cooked while still frozen. Always allow 20 minutes per lb. extra cooking time. However, I recommend partially thawing large joints to allow uniform cooking.

To Thaw:

To thaw completel allow 3-4 hour per lb. at room temperature. Place joint into the refrigerator and thaw slowly for 5-6 hours per lb.

FISH

Fish will lose a third of its natural flavour and juices if thawed to room temperature before cooking. Therefore, I recommend cooking fish from the frozen state. However, if thawing is necessary do not break the seal of the package.

To Thaw:

Place package in cold water for 1 hour per lb. Fish thawed in a refrigerator will take approximately 5-6 hours per lb.

Note: To retain the flavor of fish, cook whilst frozen or partially thawed or whilst still chilled.

VEGETABLES

Do not thaw, always cook from the frozen state.

Read the rest of this entry »