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Who will ever resist a dish that smells and looks mouthwatering? The appearance and of course the aroma of a cooked meal greatly depends on how it was carefully prepared. Chicken dry rub will make any grilled or roasted chicken irresistible! This coarsely ground mixture of herbs and spices are really meant to be rubbed to raw chicken before they are cooked.
Using dry heat on raw poultry product covered with chicken dry rub is the common practice. You can leave the entire rub on it while cooking or you could take some out. Culinary experts have proven that food prepared with rubbing rather than soaking to liquid marinades taste better. Once you massage the rub into the chicken, this amazing blend of herbs and spices penetrates the raw food making it tasty and prevents overcooking too.
I learned how to cook from my mom. She learned how to cook from her mom also. That’s makes my cooking recipes three generation old. One of the secrets of my cooking is I don’t use ordinary table salt. I use sea salts. The best and only salt for me is Hawaiian sea salts.
Hawaiian sea salts have a distinct flavor. They don’t have that bitter aftertaste that comes from iodine in ordinary table salts. It is a mild tasting salt that has not been processed. It’s also mineral rich. It has also been said to have medicinal properties. My favorite is the red variety.
Some people eat for the simple reason of nourishment. But most would like to enjoy the pleasure of every bite. The lovely flavors of a certain dish can be attributed to the meat rub used in preparation. This is the finished product of blended variety of herbs and spices. It is the perfect way to add life to our usual everyday meal.
Meat rub has two categories: dry and wet. Wet rubs are made of moist ingredients while dry rubs contain spices and seasonings only. The dry ones are generally preferred because they are best for long cooking times as they won’t burn. As opposed to marinade, a rub is being applied only on the surface of the meat. This will then give you control over the distribution and intensity of your seasonings.
The best caviar, according to many gourmet food lovers, are those that come from the sturgeon fish that swim in the Caspian sea which is bordered by Russia and Iran. Caviar is a major industry in both countries although Iranian caviar seems to be more popular. Sturgeon roe is premium and considered the true kind of caviar.
The three main types of caviar are beluga, osetra and sevruga. Iranian Caspian caviar is ranked among the finest gourmet products that are considered particularly elegant. They are dark-gray to light gray in color. Grains are of normal size and they have a fine, delicate aroma. A lot of corporate buyers as well as cruise ship operators prefer Iranian caviar over any other caviar varieties.
Spice up your food with hot sauce. If you love ‘em as hot as they can get, go for the hottest hot sauce you can find such as one made with Habanero chilies. This type of pepper has an intense and excellent flavor and heat. Take precaution though that you don’t use too much sauce as you might suddenly find yourself gasping for breath.
Habanero chilies have a Scoville Heat Rating of 100,000-350,000. On a scale of 1 to 10, they are a 10 for being the hottest. Use gloves when handling these peppers to prevent a burning sensation on your hands. The chili’s name was derived from La Habana, a Cuban city known more as Havana in English.
When you get the roe of some kinds of fish, salt and season it, you have an expensive delicacy. It is called caviar. It is commonly used as garnish or as spread. Although it is more commonly associated with Russia, the word caviar is believed to come into the English dictionary by way of France and Italy, thus the term French caviar.
Caviar has its own share of imitations. In Scandinavia, a significantly cheaper version of caviar, made from mashed and smoked cod roe, is sold in tubes as a sandwich filling. A typical Swedish sandwich is hard boiled eggs and cod roe caviar from a tube. Another imitation is Danish or German black colored lump sucker caviar, which is sold throughout Europe in small glass jars. In Finland caviars from the burbot and the common whitefish are also sold.
There are a lot of practical and budget friendly gift giving tips. But that will not keep you from indulging your loved ones with a gourmet food basket for the holidays. After all, the best gift that anyone can get is something that she likes but will not get for oneself. We all like gourmet food but feel guilty about indulging ourselves. Imagine the joy when you get one delivered to your doorstep on Christmas day.
Cheeses, chocolates and desserts, special coffee blends are just examples of gourmet ideas for gift giving. How about some really special extra virgin olive oil, Italian ham and
What a better way to spend the cold holidays staying indoors. Lounge in your new pajama set well into the morning while waiting for lunch. It is the time to open your chocolate gift baskets and munch the little babies as you surf the TV for an entertaining show to watch. Start with chocolate filled wafers and follow that up with milk chocolate covered chocolate nuts.
Hey, these are great. If you love it so much, make a note to get them for your friends next Christmas or for other occasions. This gift basket features an irresistible chocolate assortment. They are offered in two sizes to match your friends’ appetite. If you like getting them, you will love giving them.
I once stayed with an uncle of mine who had a house by the beach. I loved it there because I could go swimming anytime. My uncle and aunt were also fun to be with. They loved to eat. We always had a hearty breakfast followed by a sumptuous lunch then gourmet snacks before dinner.
My aunt and uncle had what they called their “cocktail hour”. This was usually around 6 or 7 in the evening when they would serve gourmet snacks. Their snacks consisted mostly of cheeses, crackers, breads and other spreads and dips. Although I enjoyed cocktail hour, I hated spoiling my appetite for dinner. I had always looked forward to dinner because their son who was a chef always prepared his best meals at dinner time.
I first learned how to cook in our home economics class back in grade school. I remember going to the wet market with my mom to buy the meats and fish then watch her cook afterwards. I guess my mom appreciated me accompanying her in the market because more often than not, what we ate for the next meal was whatever I liked to eat. My mom is a great cook and I learned a lot from here. She would use sea salt to flavor her meals.
Even now, I prefer using sea salt instead of iodized salt. I can taste the difference. Iodized salt seems saltier with a hint of bitterness. I only use iodized salt when I make gravy or other condiments. Other than that, I use sea salt for all my cooking. I think it’s healthier also than ordinary table salt.