Potato salad is a dish made from potatoes, and varies throughout different regions and countries of the world. With respect to its place among the various individual menu courses served together as one meal, it is better classified as a side dish rather than a salad per se, as it generally accompanies the main course.

Tips in Preparing and Cooking Potatoes For Salads
By David Urmann

In order to bring out the delectable taste of potatoes, especially in salads, you need to prepare and cook them properly.


Photo: leftoverqueen.com

Here are some useful tips in preparing and cooking potatoes:

For fried potatoes, estimate 1 potato for each person to be served. After you cut the potatoes, soak it in cold water for about 30 minutes. Dry them before frying.

After frying, use 2 layers of paper towels to drain the fries. Reheat the oil only between batches.

To have crispier fries, you can fry it twice. The initial one should be fried at 340oF with oil until it becomes golden. Then, drain it and allow cooling at room temperature.

Prior to serving, fry it again at 375oF with some oil in batches until it becomes golden brown. Transfer this to baking sheets with paper towels and keep it warm in the oven (low setting) as you fry the rest of the potatoes again.

As for baking potatoes, if you plan to bake several potatoes, stand these potatoes along the end part inside muffin tins. Skewer some potatoes using an aluminum type of baking pan in order to cut baking time. Do not use a microwave oven for this.

To make the skins crispier, bake it at 425oF for about 45 to 60 minutes. You can still use these for hash brown the following day.

Another option to make skins crispier is to rub some butter, bacon drippings or oil onto ½ inch pieces. Brush these with some seasonings and olive oil. Bake these at around 425oF for 35 to 45 minutes. Make sure you turn them occasionally. Cut the left over skins into strips.

Brush these with some olive oil and bake for 10 minutes at around 400oF. Make sure it becomes crispy. Season this and consume with dips. It can also be used as a crumble for salads or soups.

You can also top the baked potatoes with cheese, chili, light cream cheese and chives, sour cream, vegetables, spaghetti sauce, chicken a la king, and pizza toppings.

To make roasted potatoes, toss some medium, small halved or large potatoes, cut into eights or quarters, in olive oil, or oil and melted butter combo. Roast it for 1 to 1 ½ hours inside a preheated 375oF oven. Make sure it becomes golden brown on the outside and "fork-tender" inside.

Turn the potatoes often to make it crispy and to brown uniformly. For extra flavoring, use bacon drippings, lard or pan drippings.

Mashed potatoes can be cooked with milk. Cook some potatoes using several garlic cloves (peeled). Then, mash these with some garlic. It is better to use baked potatoes instead of boiled ones.

Instead of adding whole milk, add some evaporated skim milk. For a lighter type of mashed potato, you can beat-in additional milk, leaving the butter out. Never over beat this because it can become sticky and starchy.

Mashed potatoes can be used to thicken some sauces and soups.

For more information on How to prepare potatoes for salad and Starters and Snacks Recipes please visit our website.

Do you want to buy kitchenware for anyone, but no have idea to buy anything yet. I would like to suggest you to buy or change to a gift card. A gift card is a restricted monetary equivalent or scrip that is issued by retailers or banks to be used as an alternative to a non monetary gift. Your recipient will buy their kitchenware themself.




Therefor, your gift card's recipient can buy the gift or anything that they want or favorite, it easy for you and happy to receiver. Gift cards have become increasingly popular as they relieve the donor of selecting a specific gift. The recipient of the gift card can use it at his or her discretion within the restrictions set by the issuing agency. So, you can choose the price for your gift card which you want to buy for anybody. For more information about gift cards just visit Amazon.com.

Sushi uses simple, healthy ingredients seafood, seaweed, rice, and vegetables carefully seasoned and arranged to satisfy all the senses. Sushi is a perfect food not only for calorie counters, but also for those following more specific nutritional guidelines. Most chef make their sushi with Art.

The Art of Making Sushi
By David Urmann

Making sushi is also considered an art. Here are several types of sushi.

Maki Sushi is comprised of fish or seafood wrapped in a roll of nori or seaweed. It has two variations, Hosamaki and Futomaki. Hosomaki is a thin type of maki that has only one kind of filling. It can be seafood, fish or one type of vegetable. Futomaki is a fat type of maki that has 2 or more kinds of fillings.


Photo: politicook.net

Nigiri Sushi is more popular. It is shaped with the use of hands. It comprises slices of seafood, tamago, raw fish or various other toppings. Then, wasabi is placed in-between slices as well as a thumb-sized chunk of vinegared rice or shari. In Japanese customs, you present these to couples as a sign of harmony and peace.

Uramaki is similar to maki, however, rice is placed on top of the nori instead of inside. It consists of more than 2 fillings. Sometimes, it is topped with a thin slice of avocado or fish. This is most popular in Western Sushi Bars.

Making Sushi

Maki
Feel your nori sheet. One side is smooth and the other side is rough. Nori should lie on your rolling mat with the rough side facing upwards.

Wet your hands and get about a handful of rice and roll it to a ball. Wet your hands so that rice won't stick to your palms. Dry your hands when it's time to work with the nori. Have a dry towel and bowl of water handy beside your working place.

Carefully place and spread equally the rice ball on your nori sheet. Make sure that your layer of rice almost covers the entire sheet, excluding about 2cm from the upper margins. This should be left uncovered to properly close your sushi roll.

Then, place one slice of fish by the nori's edge. Add about 1 up to 3 "pre-cut" vegetables slices such as cucumber, carrot, asparagus, green onion and the like. Along your rolling mat's closer edge, close your nori. Make it like a rectangular-shaped hill while tightening it from the upper part.

Move forward by rolling it continuously in rectangular-shaped hill steps. Make sure every move or roll you make is tight until the end portion. Always exert pressure on all 3 sides of your roll, especially along stops. It allows tight rolling.

Cut your roll into small sushi units with a sharp, wet knife.

Nigir Sushi
Wet your hands and get about 20 grams of vinegared rice or shari. Shape it into long and ovalic forms. Use the rice as base with the fish on top. The bottom should be flat and the top rounded.

Follow the measurements carefully. If you plan to make fish nigiri sushi, get a slice of fish. It should be 1cm thick and about 5cm x 3cm rectangular-sized. If it is a bit smaller, you should try slicing it at about 45 degrees. It maximizes fish surface. Then, take some pea-sized portions of wasabi. Smear this in the midst of your fish slices. Wasabi actually helps your fish slices become glued into your shari.

Place the slice of fish, facing down, along with the wasabi. Lay this gently on top of your rice. Then, firmly press on it so that it will stick to the rice. Using your other hand to hold your nigiri sushi's sides, use the other to press it from the upper portion.

Uramaki
Your mat should be the "one side round and one side flat" type. Wrap it with a stretch of nylon. You can start with the round side but also ending with it. Create at least 2 up to 3 "full" rounds of such wrapping. Afterwards, roll your mat in order to squeeze out all the air locked inside. You can also use a toothpick to poke it to let the air out.

Get one piece of nori sheet. Break this down in the middle. If it does not easily break, it is either not a good brand or it is already old. Put your nori sheet on top of your rolling mat. This should be around 5cm from its edge. The rough side of your nori sheet should face upward.

Wet your hands. Create a ball of rice with one handful. Put the ball of rice inside your nori. Spread it evenly, gently pressing downwards. It should be about 1cm high,with equal layers of rice. You can add more rice as long as it is even, if necessary. Flip your nori over. The rice should face your mat.

Place one slice of fish along your nori's edge. Add about 1 up to 3 "pre-cut" slices of vegetables. Close the filling, making a rectangular-shaped hill with nori. Make sure to tighten it along the upper portion.

Move forward by rolling it continuously in rectangular-shaped hill steps. Make sure every move or roll you make is tight until its end portion. Always exert pressure on all 3 sides of the roll, especially along stops, for tight rolling.

Cut your roll into small sushi units with a sharp, wet knife.

For more information on Making Sushi and Sushi Plates please visit our website

Blue cheese is a general classification of cow's milk, sheep's milk, or goat's milk cheeses that has had Penicillium cultures added so that the final product is spotted or veined throughout with blue, blue gray or blue-green mold, and carries a distinct smell. Some blue cheeses are injected with spores before the curds form and others have spores mixed in with the curds after they form. Blue cheeses are typically aged in a temperature-controlled environment such as a cave.



Photo: labellamozzarella.com

In the European Union many blue cheeses such as Roquefort, Gorgonzola, and Stilton are, like wine, a protected designation of origin, meaning they can bear the name only if they have been made in a particular region in a certain country. Similarly, individual countries have protections of their own such as France's Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée and Italy's Denominazione di Origine Protetta.

The characteristic flavor of blue cheeses tends to be sharp and a bit salty. The smell of this food is widely considered to be pungent, even as compared to other cheeses - due to this strong smell and flavor blue cheeses are often considered an acquired taste. They can be eaten by themselves or can be crumbled or melted over foods.

Blue Cheese Omnivorous
By Bryan Applegate

Ingredients

Romaine Lettuce (head $1.29)

1 pound of steak ($10 per pound)

1 box of colorful pasta ($1.03 Blue’s Clues because my inner child sways me at times.)

1 red pepper ($2.62)

Blue Cheese dressing ($2.43)

½ pound block of blue cheese ($3.79 optional ingredient)

*Save money everywhere but in buying the meat. Cheap meat is too tough for this.

Wash and shred lettuce. Put it in the refrigerator so that it remains cold and crispy at serving time.

Then, cook pasta until tender but not downright floppy. We want the pasta to be somewhat cooler, so in this instance, it’s okay to rinse it off with cool water a little bit so it no longer steams.
Meanwhile, cut steak into slices and sear with salt and pepper. Do this in a shallow pan and a tablespoon of oil in the pan. As the meat cooks, toss it around a bit. When it starts sticking to the pan, you’re done in thirty seconds.

As the steak finishes, wash and half the red pepper. Faux roast a half on an electric range or carefully roast a half on a gas stove so that the outside is dark and toasty. While the pepper can still keep its shape, remove it carefully from the heat and slice lengthwise. It’s a lovely and tasty garnish with dramatic flair during cooking!

Assembly for presentation:

Toss the lettuce and cooled pasta together evenly. Now add enough dressing to coat the pasta and lettuce in a toss. Put this tossed mix as a bed on a plate or in a bowl. With clean fingers, crumble some of the wedge of blue cheese. Now place the steak strips on top in no particular pattern. Lightly drizzle with blue cheese dressing (diners can add more to taste). Finally, garnish the top with the most aesthetic strips of red pepper providing remaining slices for your companion.

What you have is a colorful and healthy salad for the human omnivore. Most every need of nutrition is encompassed in this attractive dish that goes well with red wine, water, or even cola for the kiddies.

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Bryan Applegate is >Online Cooking's Associate Editor and does really cool things with 3d graphics!