Now that summer is in full bloom, many people will be taking out all their barbeque gear to enjoy all the neat things about summer cooking. At the same time, it's best to follow the guidelines for food safety because you don't want to suffer from foodborne illnesses when everybody is supposed to be enjoying their summer cooking. Here are some great tips. Since perishable foods get spoiled more easily than other food items, it's a good idea to buy these foods last on your shopping trip. Raw poultry and meat should be placed into plastic bags and they should be separated from other food items to prevent cross-contamination. After you have completed your shopping, head home right away. If your home is quite a distance from the grocery store, you should put the perishables into an ice-filled cooler. A standard practice is to put the perishables into the fridge within two hours if they are left at room temperature. If you are not planning to use the raw poultry or meat within a few days, you should put them in the freezer. Before you start to grill the poultry and meat, make sure that they are thawed completely because it means that they will be cooked more evenly. For safe, slow thawing, you may place the packaged items in cold water or place them in the refrigerator. On the other hand, you may use to microwave for defrosting if you want to thaw quickly but you should be putting the perishables on the grill as soon as possible. Every barbeque expert will tell you that you have to marinate the poultry and meat items to get the best tasting grills. You can marinate stew meat, cubed meat and poultry for up to 2 days while you can marinate steaks, chops, lamb roasts, pork, veal, and beef for up to 5 days. Of course, you have to put the marinated poultry and meats in the refrigerator. When you are ready for the barbeque, you should only take out the portions that are to be placed on the grill immediately. If you have to remove all the marinated meat and poultry form the fridge, you should use a cooler. Find a shady spot for your cooler and you should keep the opening of the lid to a minimum. Use a separate cooler for your beverages, and you should be safe from cross-contamination. Maintaining cleanliness is very important when you are doing some summer cooking. Make sure that the utensils and platters are washed thoroughly. You may also consider using paper platters to cut down on the washing. Always remember to use separate utensils for cooked and raw foods. When you are cooking, you should make sure that the food is thoroughly cooked to the recommended minimum internal temperature. This way, you will be sure that harmful bacteria are destroyed. If you are unsure, you should use a food thermometer to check on the minimum internal temperature. For reheating, the cooked meats should be grilled until steaming hot or 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Have you ever wanted to learn how to dry food at home? Drying your foods is a great way to preserve them but you should know that the quality of the foods will not be made better. For this reason, you should select high quality foods which are ripe. Sort the produce and separate the low quality foods from the high quality ones. Here are some tips to help you to dry food at home. Do you like raisins or dried apricots? Many people like to eat dried fruits because they are delicious, and quite different from the fresh versions. Start by selecting the best quality ripe fruits to be dried. Before you try drying your favorite fruits, you should know that some fruits, like oranges and grapefruits, are not ideal for the purpose because they have high water content. If you are drying fruits for the first time, you should work with a lower quantity because it can be time consuming. The first step is to clean the fruits thoroughly, under cold running water. If you spot any soft spots or bruises, use a fruit knife to trim away the affected parts. The pits, cores, and stems of the fruits should be removed. You may have to remove the skins from some types of fruits because the skins will turn brittle or tough after drying. For high quality, more nutritious fruits, it's best to slice the fruits about a quarter or half inch thick. Drying turns some fruits brown so you have to use sulfur treatments on apricots, nectarines, peaches, apples, and so on. Other than locking in vitamins A and C during drying, sulfur treatments also help to prolong the fruit's shelf life and retain the fresh fruit flavor. Sulfuring and sulfite dips are the treatments that are used. The color of the fruit can be retained with syrup blanching or steam blanching. In syrup blanching, the result is almost like candied fruit. Some of the fruits which are great for this process are prunes, plums, pears, peaches, figs, apricots, and apples. In steam blanching, the fruit's texture and flavor are altered but the color is retained. Steam blanching is very easy to do but you should see that the fruits are evenly blanched. Another method of pretreatment is known as checking. This procedure is recommended for fruits like small, dark plums, grapes, and cherries and it's done to crack the skins. Firstly, you should bring a pot of water to a boil into which you should immerse the fruit for about 30 to 60 seconds. Next, the fruit is to be quickly put in cold water and you should use paper towels to drain the fruit. In the past, people dry their foods in the sun or the oven. Nowadays, many people opt to use food dehydrators because they are very easy to use, and faster. It takes different times to dry different foods. For instance, apples can be dried in about 6 to 12 hours but the drying time for peaches is 35 to 48 hours.

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Shopping for wine on the Internet is a lot different than shopping for wine at a brick and mortar wine shop; Wine, after all, isn't like a book or CD. Holding a bottle, inspecting its label, you just can't replicate that experience inside a browser window. The fact is that even though it is not the same as being at a wine shop in person, buying wine online has many advantages. The ability to do comparison shopping is unbeatable. With search engines like Wine-searcher.com and of course Google, you no longer have to go to the wine; the wine will come to you. Cross referencing the latest wine reviews and scores and top recommendations is delightfully easy, and particularly enjoyable when you can do it at home in your bathrobe on a Saturday morning. The ability to buy wine online from wine merchants who sell via a website is a good example of how the Internet can be of great benefit to both the wine merchants and the consumer who decides they want to buy wine online. All online web merchants are not created equal. Certain things separate the top wine merchant’s websites from the second tier wine retailers. Ease of use and good customer service are critical and so is price. But at the end of the day, what really counts is variety and availability. There are many wine merchant websites to choose from, ranging from huge, super sites to tiny, quirky specialists, these e-merchants can procure great wines in top condition. Buying wine online also allows the wine aficionado to search out that rare or obscure item that would have likely not have ever been found by physically looking in traditional wine shops. The world of wine buying has truly been revolutionised by online wine merchants. The online wine buyer has at their disposal thousands and thousands of bottles of whatever type and vintage they may prefer, and often at bargain prices. With the advent of online wine selling, dealers have been forced to adjust their prices now that comparison shopping is so easy. Like with any online purchase, the person who chooses to buy wine online needs to exercise a reasonable amount of caution; there are unscrupulous online wine merchants out there. The majority of online wine merchant’s websites are legitimate, honest dealers, but there is always the small percentage that is out to dupe the unwary wine buyer. A little research into the history of a particular online wine merchant is a prudent measure, and fairly easy to accomplish; do a search on any of the major search engines for the merchant in question, and usually if there have been issues in the past there will be plenty of people who have posted complaints or warnings in newsgroups, blogs, and wine forums. Overall, online wine merchants provide the internet wine buyer a tremendous opportunity to get a wide selection of great wines at bargain prices.

How to Make a Perfect Grilled Chicken

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Grilling can be a fun, family activity during weekends. Spend your lazy afternoons in your backyard, and take out those grillers for a grilled chicken for your dinner. Learning how to grill is not as hard as you would see on television. All you need is the proper temperature for your griller especially if you are using an electric grill. Nevertheless, if you have the conventional griller, try to find some dried wood or charcoal. Ignite the coals or wood by placing crumpled papers below each coal and then set the papers on fire. Do not pour gasoline on the coals or dried wood. The smoke coming from the coals will give a gasoline-like aroma to your grilled meat. These are your best weapons in grilling. Choose the best part of the chicken. I usually use chicken thighs and legs since they are the fattiest parts of the chicken. These parts will yield a juicy, barbecued chicken. Although these may sound unhealthy, the taste is incredibly delicious. Some would still prefer grilling chicken breasts with the skins on. Before you start grilling your chicken, do not forget to marinate them at least overnight. Yes, overnight. This is because the longer you marinade your meat, the better absorption of flavors happens. I prefer to use store-bought marinades as these save much preparation time in the kitchen. The downside of most ready-made marinades is their high sodium content. But if you have time, you can make your own marinade from scratch. In the recipe below, the marinade and the chicken were simmered together to speed up the process of grilling and also to let the flavors marry together. I like Asian-style marinades such as this: For every kilo of chicken: ½ cup light soy sauce (available in the Asian section of grocery stores) 2-3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice 4 tablespoons brown sugar 1 medium stalk of lemon grass (pounded) 3 cloves crushed garlic 1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional) Combine all the above ingredients in a heavy skillet and let it boil for two minutes. Add in the chicken and simmer for another five minutes. Drain the chicken in a colander and reserve the marinade for basting during grilling. Basting is necessary so that the chicken won’t dry out. The marinade can also be made as a sauce by making a basic roux. This is simply done by placing a tablespoon of butter on a non-stick pan and let it cook for minutes. Pour over the marinade and whisk until the sauce thickens. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings accordingly. You can also opt to make a dry, rub marinade. This dry rub is comprised of herbs and spices and a little oil. For chicken, dried or fresh tarragon and rosemary blends together very well. If you want a spicier, grilled chicken, add a pinch of chili powder and cayenne pepper. There are limitless marinades for grilled chicken. A little imagination and creativity are the keys. Make sure that when grilling the chicken, never let the flame flare up. This will result in burnt chicken. This does not appeal both to the eyes and to the palate. If this occurs, sprinkle a little water over the flame. Some also like their grillers to be covered during the grilling process. Personally, I liked mine uncovered. There is just something about the smoke which is, for me, the essence of grilling. Grilled foods are best served warm, right off the grill with some salads or other vegetables of your choice.