The Truth about ‘Natural’
Do you make food product choices based on label claims such as, ‘All Natural Ingredients!’, ‘Not from Concentrate!’, or ‘Natural [product] Flavour!’ ? Well, you may be disappointed to discover that these ‘Natural’ claims don’t necessarily guarantee that the product hasn’t been fiddled with! Classic, wholesome, home-made granola bars. TheseRead More →
‘Fast Food’ witch hunt?
I don’t necessarily agree with everything the Organic movement, the Whole Foods movement or the various stripes of vegetarians say – especially the more extreme groups. And I think the ‘healthy’ types are overdoing it in their ongoing witch hunt against fast Food. But…Read More →
Poutine – An all-Canadian Mess!
Poutine is one of a very few foods that can claim to be truly and totally Canadian in origin. Like Butter Tarts, Tourtiére and Beaver Tails (the pastry, from Ottawa; but more on that in a future post!). Today, we’ll delve into the origin of this heart-attack-in-a-bowl and show you how to make it right!Read More →
Kitchen Safety IV – Ware Washing
In a restaurant, hotel or institutional kitchen, guess who the most important staff member is? Yup. It’s the dish washer! If the dish washer isn’t on top of things, there are no pots and pans for the cooks to cook with, no plates to serve the food on and no table utensils to eat it with. It’s that simple.Read More →
The immortal Tea Biscuit
Call them Tea Biscuits, Butter Biscuits, Baking Powder Biscuits or just Biscuits… They’re all essentially the same thing, and they represent a culinary tradition that has been spread around the world by British emigrants.Read More →
Smokehouse III – Pulled Pork
It’s a folk classic from the Carolina Hills. And, like so many folk classics, it has it’s roots in the simple Smokehouse tradition of “low and slow” cooking – just one of the techniques Po Folks invented to make cheap cuts of meat tender and flavourful!Read More →
Make your own Oatmeal tradition!
Yes, good old oatmeal! Soul of the Highlands! Heart of the Haggis! Curer of many ills! And it might even lower your cholesterol! Oats have been a staple in the northern parts of the British Isles for centuries, simply because no other grain would thrive in their gloomy climate and short growing season.Read More →
Sauces Part XII – Dessert Sauces
To conclude our Cooking 101 Series on Sauces, we’ll take a look at the principle Dessert Sauces. They generally fall into one of three basic categories: Caramels, Creams or Fruits.Read More →