From: AsiaRecipe.com

With an increasingly health-conscious America eagerly looking for new and tasteful options as alternatives to unhealthy foods and cooking methods, it is no surprise that various tools and cookware for steaming food are rising in sales.

Any store selling cookware touts several varieties of steaming pots and electric steamers, all capable of doing a sufficient job of gently cooking ample varieties of food, but for an authentic flair thats both fun and practical, you may want to invest in a traditional bamboo steamer.

Used prevalently in Asian culture, bamboo steamers possess a few unique characteristics designed to produce a more flavorful, evenly cooked meal, while retaining the natural characteristics of the food as well as preserving essential vitamins and minerals that could otherwise be lost by other cooking methods, such as boiling, frying, or sautéeing.

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Bamboo steamers come in a variety of sizes, and are traditionally constructed of a circular frame, with a slotted bottom and a domed lid. The lid and slotted bottom work together effectively to keep steam trapped and free-flowing throughout the steamer. The bamboo helps to absorb excess moisture and retains heat.

The steamer itself is designed to fit neatly within a wok. Ease of use is an extra advantage. The wok should be filled with water until just below the bottom of the bamboo. You can place the food directly upon the slots, or over lettuce or parchment paper to avoid sticking. This method is preferred because it also prevents the bamboo from absorbing essential flavors. A ceramic plate will also work. Set the water boiling and cover tightly with the lid, then simply wait the appropriate time for the food to be done.

For an extra-flavorful dish, add some herbs to the water. The food will soak up the heavenly aromas of the herbs, enhancing the flavors and your meal.

For health purposes, steaming is ideal. Able to cook the food thoroughly and easily without using any sort of fat, oils, or butter, food retains its healthy properties and appears fresh and vibrant. You’ll likely be able to rediscover natural flavors inherent in the food that were otherwise lost or overpowered by other cooking methods and fats. Perfect for fat-free diets, you can steam a cornucopia of low-calorie foods such as fish, vegetables, shellfish, meats, and much more, as well as the traditional dim-sum, a highly popular Asian dish.

The most advantageous reason to use a bamboo steamer is the ability to cook multiple foods at once. Many pots and electric steamers offer separate layers or compartments for such a purpose, attempting to simulate the ingenuity of bamboo steamers, but they can’t compete with the natural distinct flavors imparted by the use of the bamboo steamers.

Bamboo steamers are made to fit snugly one on top of the other, enabling you to stack them over a single wok or pot, thus steaming several different layers at once. Simply leave the lid off the bottom steamer, place the second steamer with food on top of that one (repeat if using more than two) and place the lid on the top steamer. With this method, you can successfully cook a course of meat or fish on the bottom, and several side dishes or another full course on the second and third tiers. The lowest tier of the stacked steamers will cook food faster than the upper, so larger foods or those requiring more cooking time should be placed on the bottom.

Such efficiency and organization also eradicates the mess of multiple pots to watch and clean. Placing the food on either leaves, parchment, or plates keeps the steamers relatively clean as well.

Most bamboo steamers will be accompanied by an instruction booklet, detailing proper care of the steamer and adequate cooking times for various foods, as well as an assortment of simple recipes. They are often sold in three-piece sets (two steamers and a lid), and are relatively inexpensive. Bamboo steamers a great and exciting gift for yourself or any friends or relatives who are health-conscious.

By Jessica Harlan, About.com

Versatile and efficient, a good food processor will likely become indispensable in the kitchen. I’ve used mine to shred cheese, make biscuit dough, puree baby food, grind spices, and chop up salsa ingredients. But before you head to the store, consider these factors to ensure you select the best food processor for your needs.

Features

Most food processors only have one motor speed, and most have a small tube opening at the top that enables you to easily add other ingredients. They usually come with a “pusher” that fits into this tube and helps to feed larger items, keeps fingers safe, and acts as a lid. Make sure the machine you choose has a “pulse” button to give small bursts of power (good for rough chopping or quick dough kneading). You’ll appreciate a smooth touch pad for the controls, which is easier to clean than raised buttons, as well as dishwasher-safe parts (although I still like to hand-wash my blades to keep them from dulling).

Check Out:The Great Food Processor Cookbook

Power

Make sure the machine you choose is powerful enough to handle the tough jobs: kneading stiff doughs, chopping raw carrots, or shredding a hard cheese, for example. Otherwise, you run the risk of the processor not chopping or combining uniformly. Or worse yet, having the motor burn out. For a full-sized processor (9 cups or larger), I’d recommend seeking out a motor that’s at least 600 watts.

Size/Capacity

Food processors come in all sizes, from tiny three-cup choppers, to 20-cup versions that could function in a restaurant kitchen. What size is best for you depends on the number of people you typically cook for, and what types of recipes you’ll prepare with your machine. If you’re usually cooking for a family of four or preparing single-batch doughs, an 11-cup size should suffice. If you’re often chopping small amounts of herbs or nuts, or making small quantities of sauces, seek out a processor that includes a small work bowl and blade, or consider also investing in a separate 3-cup “prep” processor for these tasks.

Attachments and Accessories

Some food processors come with an entire assortment of accessories intended to maximize your use of the machine. These can include different sized work bowls and blades, disks that slice and grate foods to varying degrees of thickness, and even attachments and speed settings that turn the processor into a citrus juicer or a bread dough kneader. Before you spend the extra money on a machine that includes all these bells and whistles, consider whether you’d actually use them.

Brand and Price

The two leaders in the food processor category are Cuisinart and KitchenAid, and their products consistently rank highest in test-kitchen and consumer ratings. They’re also among the most expensive; 11-cup and larger versions from these two brands will set you back $130 or more. Other brands include Hamilton Beach and Black & Decker, whose products start at $50. While these secondary brands might offer some interesting features and accessories, often their motors aren’t as powerful. But ultimately, your decision comes down to your own personal preference, as well as your budget.

Grilling on a wooden plank is a lot like using a pan, except this pan will produce smoke and can catch fire. This method is great because it gives you a good stable surface to put foods on while giving you authentic smoke for flavor. This is particularly good if you are grilling something delicate like fish fillets. In fact it is for fish that this method came about, though you really can put most anything on a plank and grilling.

Start with a clean, untreated piece of wood about 1 inch thick and long and wide enough to completely hold the item you are going to grill. Typically people use cedar, but many woods are good like alder, oak, maple, cherry or apple. Any wood good enough to smoking is good for plank grilling, but make sure that there are no chemical treatments on the board. You can buy cooking quality wood planks either online or in many specialty food stores.

Check out: The Complete Fish Cookbook, 500 Ways to Cook Fish

It is probably your experience that wood burns. To reduce the burning of the wood to a point where you can effectively grill on a plank you need to make sure that it has been soaked in water for at least an hour. This will get the wood as wet as it can get and give you the time you need to get your fish completely cooked before the board starts really burning. If you notice that the board has caught fire while you are grilling, spray it down with water to put out the fire. This isn’t to say that you don’t want the board to burn a little. The smoldering of the wood is what creates the smoke and flavors the fish. You just don’t want the board actually on fire.

To prevent your fish from sticking to the board, very lightly brush it with cooking oil on the side that the fish will sit. You do no flipping when plank cooking. Plank cooking is indirect because the food is insulated from the direct heat. You do want the board exposed to the direct heat of your grill so that it can smolder, so this is style of grilling is a very basic process as far as the grill goes. And since you won’t be flipping the fish or really doing anything with it during the cooking this is a very easy way to prepare grilled fish.

Once you have the grill burning and the planks soaked place the fish on the board, season as appropriate and place the whole thing on the grill. Because the fish is being cooked indirectly it will take longer than if you just grilled the fish directly. Plan on about 50% more cooking time versus regular grilling when cooking on a board. During the cooking time you can baste the fish with lemon juice, butter, or most anything that isn’t flammable. You do not want to inspire a fire.

Once the fish is done you can remove the whole plank and fish with a pair of grilling mitts or you can slide the fish off onto a platter. You get on use out of each plank. If you are using a gas grill you should get the plank off the grill pretty soon because you don’t want a lot of ash falling into the grill. If you are using a charcoal grill you can just let it burn off and clear out the ashes later.

Plank grilling really is a great way to grill. The flavors and the ease have always made this method popular. Once you’ve given it a try you will want to grill lots of dishes on a board. You can plank grill roasts, poultry or most anything, particularly those things that require a longer grilling time. Quick items won’t gain much from the plank because they won’t be exposed to the smoke long enough to get the flavor. Also, you don’t want to plank cook items that need to be grilled hot and fast like steaks or chops.

What better than an alfredo sauce to go with your ravioli recipe, gnocchi recipe or fettuccini recipe? Instead of giving you a fettuccini alfredo recipe, Chef Todd Mohr will show you how to make alfredo sauce by demonstrating how to make roux as the start of an alfredo sauce procedure. Learn how to make roux and add milk to create a basic bechamel white sauce that you can add parmesan cheese and your favorite seasonings to. Now you’ve created your own fettuccini alfredo sauce recipe!

Chef Todd Mohr’s mission is to demystify recipes and reveal chef secrets to bring people back to their home kitchens. By teaching basic cooking method over the recipe, Chef Mohr will empower you to create your own recipes and cook like a painter paints, with artistic expression.

Visit Chef Todd’s Web Site

Crispy and delicious, oven fried chicken is much healthier than the traditional fried chicken. Easy to prepare, it is a great dish anytime of the year. This tasty and healthy recipe comes to us from Chef Jean-Pierre.

Meet Chef Jean-Pierre

Chef Jean-Pierre’s interest in food preparation developed early in life. Born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France, Jean-Pierre is the youngest of five children and spent a great deal of time in the kitchen with his mother, Yolande, a Cordon Bleu chef.

His first job at the age of twelve was in a local butcher shop where he mastered the art of charcuterie. Determined to become a chef, he began his formal apprenticeship at L’Ousteau de Baumaniere in Provence, one of the world’s best restaurants with a 3-star Michelin rating. He continued his apprenticeship on the French Riviera where he worked at famous restaurants, such as L’Oasis at La Napoule, Le Vendome in Aix-en-Provence, and the Carlton in Cannes.

Visit Chef Jean-Piere’s Web Site