Nesco FD-80 American Harvest Square-Shaped Dehydrator

Easy-to-use dehydrator for drying fruit, vegetables, herbs and jerky. Lay out jerky strips with ease. Includes spices and cure packets.

When your friends and family think your a good cook, chances are you will be asked to cook for them. Most times that will be for a larger audience then you normally cook for. Most times that means a lot of stress and sometimes these things end up in a nervous breakdown for the cook. It doesn't have to be that way, cooking for a large group of people, if planned correctly can be a lot of fun for every one in the dinning room. You need to plan ahead and stick to that plan the whole evening. The larger the group the larger the dishes and pots and pans but that is not a thing you should start worrying about. Making stuffing still is making stuffing even for a large group. If the group is double then your used to doesn't mean cooking and preparation time doubles as well.

Time flies, when you should be having fun

Often, time is wasted when you, the cook, start to worry about everything that could go wrong. Instead that time worrying should be spend on preparing for dinner. Involve those friends and family members that asked you to cook for them by asking them to do things for you. When a person asks if he or she can do anything to help you. don't be polite and say you have everything under control. Even if you really have it all under control, take accept their help so you have more time on your hands for later. Let that person serve the drinks or set the table.

Don't be afraid to ask for help

Cooking for a large group of people is not a small task. When you start planning don't be afraid to include the help of people who are coming to dinner. Maybe you trust one or two of them to help you prepare the food or even help you cook. Not the whole dinner but little things like dressing the salad or preparing the side dishes. Small things so you can keep your mind on the main courses and grand deserts you have planned for the evening. The people who join you for your dinner are not coming to see you fail but to enjoy a lovely meal. If you make them part of the creative part of the evening they may just take pleasure out of it.

When the time has come that everyone is enjoying the meal you have prepared for them you should enjoy it as well. Enjoy the look on the faces of the people who are eating what you created in the kitchen. Start to relax and enjoy it with them. And when the evening comes to an end, again don't be afraid to ask for help picking up and cleaning the dishes. You removed the stress of preparing the dinner, now you should avoid the stress of ending the dinner. The sooner everything gets cleaned up the quicker everyone, including you, can enjoy the after dinner drinks and conversations.

After a while you will get the hang of cooking for a large group of people. And don't forget to thank the people who helped you out before, during and after the dinner. Then when the next one comes around they will be more then willing to help you again.

Kenny Vanderburen is the main blogger at http://www.kitchencookings.com. The kitchen might as well be his living room, that's how much time he spends there.

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The most popular fuel for backyard grilling is charcoal. Charcoal is made by heating wood in the absence of oxygen. The original method of making charcoal was to set fire to a pile of wood and then cover it with dirt and allowing it to simmer.

Today's grilling fuel is processed charcoal briquettes. These little molded pieces of fuel are made with wood and a clay binder. Many purists dislike artificial binder charcoal. Pure wood charcoal is also available. It comes in chunks rather being molded into briquettes.

The great thing in cooking in barbecue charcoal is cooking low and slow. The meat cooked in barbecue charcoal is so tender that it falls apart and the taste drives people crazy. The secret is that one should keep a close eye on the fire and have some patience.

Barbecue aficionados prefer charcoal over gas (propane) for the authentic flavor that coal provides. Barbecuing with charcoal is the best way for cooking burgers, steak, chicken or anything over open fire. It adds flavor to the dish.

Careful attention should be paid while lighting the coals. There are a number of ways to start the fire. A charcoal chimney starter is a traditional method for getting a consistent heat from the coals.

Another common method is to soak the charcoal with aliphatic petroleum solvent or pretreated briquettes and light them in a pyramid formation.

The most popular method is to stack the charcoal in a neat pile and saturate it with charcoal lighting fluid, allowing it to settle for a couple of minutes and then applying the match. Charcoal lighting fluid is naphtha, a fairly clean burning fuel. It has a petroleum taste when burnt.

Another method is to use an electric iron to heat the coals. There are electrical charcoal lighting devices, with containers that stack charcoal on top of a sheet of crumpled newspaper and use the newspaper to start the coals glowing. A small propane torch can also be used to fire the coals. Whatever the methods may be, still one can enjoy the smoky taste afforded by the hot coals.

After the coals are ashed, they can be spread around the perimeter of the grill with the meat placed in the center for indirect cooking, or piled together for direct cooking. Water-soaked wood chips of mesquite, cherry, hickory or fruit trees can be added to the coals for flavor. In wood barbecuing, the temperature of the grill is controlled by the amount and distribution of coal within the grill and through careful venting.

Charcoal is inexpensive to buy and is more convenient to use in portable barbecues that can be carried along in any holiday excursions.

Barbecue charcoal grills can be problematic in two ways. First, the charcoal can produce hydrocarbons and tiny soot particles that pollute the air which can aggravate heart and lung problems. Second, when the fat from the meat drips onto the charcoal, polycyclic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amines form which are carcinogenic compounds that produce cancer.

It is safer to buy charcoals certified by the Rainforest Alliances SmartWood program which are 100 percent oak hardwood that are sustainably harvested and contains no coal, oil, limestone, starch, sawdust or petroleum products. Get the best charcoal and make your charcoal grilling fun.

Former International Hotel General Manager and culinary expert, Peter Finch, hosts a site dedicated to one of his favorite forms of cookery - barbecue. If you are looking for information on barbecue food or advice on barbecue recipes or barbecue grills, visit us now. BestBarbecues.co.uk is a goldmine for information on everything related to barbecues.

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Excalibur 5 - Tray Dehydrator

Excalibur 5-Tray Dehydrator for great tasting and long lasting fruits, veggies and jerky! Save the flavor, save the nutrition, SAVE BIG BUCKS! Eating healthy can get expensive... especially fresh produce that seems to go bad the moment you get it home. The Excalibur is a compact Food Dehydrator with plenty of room to make jerky or dry your favorite fruits and vegetables so you can keep them edible longer while still maintaining almost all the taste and nutritional value! Excalibur! Holds 5 to 6 lbs. of meat; 5 trays with 8 square feet of drying area... means BIG CAPACITY; Easy to clean with removable doors and trays; Trays roll out easy so you can check on drying process; 8 1/2"h. x 17"w. x 19"d. with 5" fan. Order Now! Excalibur 5-Tray Dehydrator

The most popular form of entertaining a gathering seems to be outdoor barbecue. Basically there are two types of grill for the choice of a barbecue chef. This includes gas barbecue grill and charcoal barbecue grill. The gas barbecue grill is quite expensive but it is convenient to use. Most of the gas grills are easy to assemble and also simple to operate and easy to clean.

The taste of the food prepared using the charcoal grills will be better than that prepared using gas grills. The reason is that the gas grill can not give the smoky flavor to the food which is produced by the charcoal grills. If you want to cook in a bulk the gas grill will be convenient.

The charcoal grills will be a better option for cooking less quantity of food and it is easy to transfer too. The charcoal grills are less expensive as well. There are some disadvantages for charcoal grills. In a rainy day it will be difficult to light the grills and also to keep it lit till the end of cooking. After igniting the grills one has to wait till the flames die out and the coals are hot.

The food may get burnt easily soon since it is difficult to control the heat. The charcoal has to get cooled down completely before cleaning the grills. This may take hours and one will have to wait till that. When charcoal grill is used grease, ash and charcoal will be formed. Removal of these ashes for cleaning the grill can be messy. After each use the coal has to be disposed.

Gas grills are easy to ignite. The heat of the grill can be controlled easily, so there is no need of worrying about burning of the food. The gas grills may have more than one burner which can be operated independently. This helps in simultaneous cooking of different food stuffs which require different cooking temperatures. Another main advantage is of cleaning with less toil.

The selection of gas grills can be done based on the size and shape of the grill. The main drawback of the gas grill is that the smoky flavor is not obtained in this. Comparatively the gas grill is costly. It requires more space also since it is bigger than the charcoal grills.

Points to be considered to make effective use of out door barbecue are:

1) Check whether there is adequate fuel.

2) Charcoal should be stored in a dry place.

3) The cooking time and fuel used will be more when outdoor barbecue will be in cold or gusty weather.

4) Place barbecue in a direction of the wind away from the crowd.

5) Spray some vegetable oil over the grill before lighting it.

6) Small pieces can be placed in skewers.

7) All the things needed for grilling should be assembled in a tray before starting. This includes the tools, utensils and raw ingredients.

8) If the outdoor barbecue is lit once, do not leave it unattended.

Former International Hotel General Manager and culinary expert, Peter Finch, hosts a site dedicated to one of his favorite forms of cookery - barbecue. If you are looking for information on barbecue food or advice on barbecue recipes or barbecue grills, visit us now. BestBarbecues.co.uk is a goldmine for information on everything related to barbecues.

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Nesco Clean-a-Screen for Dehydrator Item# 168605, Model# LM-2-6

Screen flexes to remove sticky fruits and jerky quickly and easily. Herbs and spices wont fall through tray spokes. Includes 2 screens. Dishwasher safe. U.S.A.

Cheesecakes are a heavenly dessert, but they may not always turn out just the way you want. Here are some quick cheesecake baking tips to help your next cake come out looking like they were baked by a professional.

When baking the cakes, always remember that softened cream cheese is a prerequisite and is used in most cheesecakes today. You'll need to leave the it out at least 30 minutes before using it, but it's best to let it get to room temperature. The softer the cream cheese, the easier it is to mix.

Keep in mind that the cakes can also be made from ricotta, havarti, quark and twarg cheese among others. Although most of the recipes use cream cheese, occasionally you'll find recipes that require one of the latter. Be sure to let them also warm up and to follow whatever other directions the recipe may recommend for using them. For instance, if you use ricotta cheese, you may need to drain it if it is watery.

Don't over mix. Your filling should be custard like as oppose to cake-like. This is another cause of for cracking. Add ingredients such as berries and nuts last.

When cooking, always preheat the oven 15 to 30 minutes beforehand, 30 being better. This insures the oven will have an ambient temperature which also helps to prevent cracking.

And resist the urge to peak. You want the temperature to stay as consistent as possible. If you oven doesn't have a window, wait at least 30 minutes before you take a look and do it quickly.

Never go above or below the recipes recommended cooking temperature. If the temperature is too high or if you cook too long, you'll over cook and get a crusty topping--which also leads to cracking-- as oppose to a nice creamy top with a slightly brown appearance.

Springform pans are the perfect pan for baking cheesecakes. With a release clamp on the side, the cakes can be lifted out without cracking or crumbling. I also recommend wrapping the bottom with aluminum foil before any baking. The butter used to make your crust may start to slightly leak even when using a small amount. Before taking the cheesecake out, it's best to loosen the side of the pan with a spatula. Also the pan's non-stick coatings makes clean ups a breeze.

Follow these tips and you're sure to see improvements in your next great cheesecake.

Cedrick White is an avid baker and publisher of http://www.I-Love-Cheesecake.com which offers an assortment of delicious and delightful cheesecake recipes. Be especially sure to check out the large selection of chocolate cheesecake recipes. Go ahead and find one to bake today.

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Trail Food: Drying and Cooking Food for Backpacking and Paddling

PCKT GD WILDRNESS MED & 1STAID

There's nothing like a nice, ripe, delicious apple freshly picked from the tree, although the same might be said of garden fresh peas or a crisp, healthy carrot newly plucked from its earthen home.

But why, then, do we allow those apples to fall from the tree and rot upon the ground? Why do we go to the trouble of picking all of those great looking, red, ripe tomatoes only to allow them to slowly spoil as they sit in baskets and pails carefully placed in kitchen or pantry? The standard answer is "too much crop and too little time."

"When we can't even give them away to family and friends," we ask ourselves, "what else can we do?"

Food storage might be an answer to that. Unfortunately, it takes a long, long time to cut, peel and prepare fruits and vegetables for canning, freezing or dehydrating; and that can be time that we don't have.

The thing is, that time can be lessened. The old, wringer washers probably got clothes just as clean as do the new automatic washers, but who would willingly trade an automatic washer for those old, labor intensive machines even if those old appliances involved some initial cost savings? Similarly, cutting, dicing and peeling doesn't all have to be done by hand. There is a wide choice of tools and appliances to make those jobs much, much easier, and considerably quicker.

Pressure canners cut down on time, and are environmentally friendly. The right juicer, used when needed, can end the rotting of apples upon the ground. The combination of a good blender and the right food dehydrator can have you making your own fruit leather and other snacks. It may be just a matter of doing some checking, choosing appropriately, and investing wisely in order for you to "waste not" and "want not" without crashing into that wall of "too little time."

Even though you may have to open the pocketbook a little to get started, food storage really is a way of saving money by cutting down on grocery bills, and who would not want to do that in times of tight money and uncertain jobs? Food storage done wisely can also be much easier than what many envision.

The author of this article is the webmaster for http://www.storeitfoods.com, a site providing tools and tips for those interested in a home, food storage program.

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Nesco American Harvest FD-75PR 700-Watt Food Dehydrator

The NESCO Professional Food & Jerky Dehydrator has more power than most dehydrators -- 700 watts -- which means faster drying time. You will have results in hours, not days. The top mounted fan with patented Converga-Flow action pressurizes air downward through the outer ring and horizontally across each individual tray, converging at the center, for fast, even drying. No need to rotate trays. The adjustable thermostat allows you to dry different foods at proper temperatures (95-155 F), providing the flexibility to produce the best drying results. As your needs grow, the Professional Food & Jerky Dehydrator can be expanded up to 12 trays.

It is no secret that many people in our society are overweight. It is also no secret that eating out is one of the favorite pastimes. As the owner of a restaurant, one issue you will need to address is the size of the portions of the food you offer. If you are part of a chain restaurant then this will already be decided for you. As an independent though you will need to come up with something reasonable.

You want to be able to offer enough food for the customers to be full when they leave. In fact, most will say that portions are so big that they either over eat or the end up wasting a great deal of food. Some will ask for a box to take it home but not everyone is going home so they can't benefit from eating the leftovers at another meal.

The price that you charge for the meals needs to be comparative to the size of the portions as well. Each customer should leave there feeling like they got enough food for what it cost them. I know I have left some restaurants astonished by the total bill and I won't be going back. A tip to understand is that you are better off giving smaller portions and lower prices then too much food and a high price for it.

Portion sizes are also a concern for customers. I took a friend to a Mexican food place once and she ordered two burritos. I had to laugh and then told her not to get two as one would be more than enough. They were huge and covered the entire plate. Yet she didn't know this from looking at the menu.

I like to eat at a local restaurant that serves chicken fried steak. It is so big it is one plate. The side dishes are on another so it is definitely more food that one person can reasonably eat. Yet at another place I frequent the chicken fried steak is about 1/3 that size. So knowing what the portions will be like before you order is important.

Customers who frequent certain locations will learn what the portions look like. It will vary significantly from one restaurant to the next. This can make it difficult to eat at someplace new though. It is a prime reason why so many travelers look for chain restaurants. They know exactly what they will be given and the portions they can expect as well.

With more people paying attention to their health and their weight, portion sizes in restaurants have become more of a concern. Make sure you are offering plenty of food for your guests. Keep in mind though it can be a turn off when they are getting too much. It can lead to customers feeling like they paid too much for a meal and that doesn't make them happy.

More isn't always what customers are looking for though. Many who like to eat out want to be healthy as well. They want a well balanced meal that is satisfying so the quality is the most important thing to consider. You can help keep your prices down for food items too if there isn't a great deal of it being wasted.

Amazingly Patricia Farnham actually knows what whe is talking about when it comes to the restaurant industry. Read her insight on starting a restaurant.

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Nesco American Harvest FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator All-In-One Kit with Jerky Gun

The FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express All-In-One kit has a top mounted fan. Easily dries fruit, vegetables and jerky quickly and evenly. Dries food in hours not days. Comes with 5 trays and jerky gun. Unit disassembles easily and all parts are dishwasher safe except the power head. The Opaque Vita-Save exterior helps block harmful lights which destroys nutritional content of food being dehydrated. The Patented fan flow radial air action forces air down the center of the unit and horizontally across each tray for fast, even-drying. No need to rotate

After you have harvested your vegetables you might not be sure what you should do with them. Even a large family will have a hard time eating a steady supply of fresh organic vegetables. The way to avoid wastage is to store your vegetables in your home.

It is true that some vegetables are easier to store than others but most organic vegetables can be stored and saved in some way or another.

There are actually many ways to store your harvest so do not get frustrated if you feel that you have grown more than you can eat. Many grocery stores sell mason jars and supplies needed for making preserves and canning vegetables along with instructions on how to do this. The same stores sell cheesecloth which is great for placing vegetables on when drying if they are air drying.
Food dehydrators can also be used for drying your vegetables along with your oven. When using an oven to dry vegetables set it for the lowest setting, usually 140 degrees, and watch carefully to make sure the vegetables are drying out and not roasting.

Lettuce

Once you have harvested all of your lettuce you can wash it, remove the core, and pat it dry with a towel. When you have finished store it in a plastic bag and put it in your refrigerators crisping section. This will help your lettuce remain crisp for up to a week.

Since it is harder to store vegetables for a long period of time it is recommended that you harvest your lettuce and start using it even before it has reached full growth. When it has reached full growth use what you can, store what you can use, and offer the rest to friends and family members. They will appreciate some fresh organic salad to use in their salads or to place on their sandwiches.

Root Vegetables

Root vegetables can often store longer than the other vegetables you harvest as long as they are harvested on time and correctly. Make sure your vegetables have not been bruised or damaged during the harvest. If they have been damaged throw them away since the spoilage can spread if you are not careful.

Many root vegetables such potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, and more can be stored in a cool, dark, dry place such as a root cellar or some pantries. Other root vegetables (carrots) can be dried with a food dehydrator or even in an oven set to a very low heat setting. Some vegetables such as turnips can even be stored in a refrigerator crisper, especially if they are going to be used soon.

Tomatoes

There are many ways to store tomatoes and that is a great thing since tomatoes are popular with many organic gardeners. Tomatoes can be stored well on a counter top or in a window sill if they are still a bit green. They can also be stored in the refrigerator.

Some people will dry tomatoes for later use in sauces or even preserve them. Tomatoes preserves either sweet preserves with ripened tomatoes or pickle preserves with green tomatoes can be a winter time treat.

Onions

Onions will store wonderfully in any dry, dark place. As long as the onions have not been bruised and have no sign of moisture they can be stored in a pantry or attic for a long time.

Beans and Peas

Beans and peas can often be harvested as needed but once it is time to store them there are several methods that can be used. Peas and beans can both be stored in bags in the refrigerator for several days. They also can be canned with the proper equipment. Beans can also be dried which is a popular way to store them. Once beans are dried and bagged they can later be soaked and cooked.

Corn

Corn can be stored in the refrigerator or, once the husk is removed, frozen for a long time. The kernels can also be dried, stored, and creamed at a later date.

Learn about the redbud tree and the weeping cherry tree at the Tree Facts site.

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