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Organic foods, especially fruits and vegetables, seem to be all the rage these days. Unlike many fads, however, organic foods are deserving of the good press they receive. The meteoric rise in popularity of organic foods has entirely changed the landscape of eating in this country – and all for the better.

Why should you buy organic fruits and vegetables? The number one reason to buy organic produce is that it is not treated with chemical pesticides which not only remain on the fruit we eat but also find their way into the soil of the fields in which the produce is grown and thus, into the groundwater.

The second reason is that they taste better. Organic farmers are growing a wide variety of naturally-occurring, non-genetically modified fruits and vegetables. While factory farming has decimated our choices in the supermarket to the one or two varieties of any type of produce that can best stand up to long distance shipping, organic farmers are bringing back delicate, heirloom varieties that are richer in taste, color and nutrients.

Organic foods are also healthier for you. The USDA’s own research shows that most non-organic produce contain residual pesticides even after washing. Organic certification typically requires that farmers avoid most synthetic chemical inputs (i.e.; pesticides, and antibiotics), genetically modified organisms, irradiation and the use of sewage sludge. Their farmland must be free of chemicals for three or more years and they must maintain a strict physical separation of organic products from non-certified products.

If you’re looking for somewhere to purchase organic fruits and vegetables you will find them almost anywhere you can buy food today including local grocery stores (even mega-retailer, WalMart), fruit stands, farmers markets and online stores with door to door delivery services in many major cities

If there is a downside to organic fruits and vegetables it is cost. Since organic produce tends to be more expensive than non-organic, for some grocery budgets, this can be a hardship. A good way to offset the cost is to become educated and then prioritize.

The following are foods that are exposed to multiple pesticides and therefore have the highest concentrations remaining on them even after washing and peeling. They are listed in the order of the amount of pesticides they retain, with number one being the highest. Consider these priority foods to buy organic:

1. Peaches                   4. Celery            7. Cherries
2. Apples                     5. Nectarines      8. Pears
3. Sweet Bell Peppers    6. Strawberries   9. Grapes (imported)
10. Spinach

By contrast, here is a list of fruits and vegetables that have been found to contain and retain the least amount of pesticides after washing and peeling. These are much safer to buy in non-organic varieties:

Asparagus        Cauliflower        Papaya
Avocados          Kiwi                 Pineapples
Bananas            Mangoes          Sweet Peas
Broccoli             Onions

Your health, and that of your family, is of paramount importance. One way you can help to preserve it is through the purchase and consumption of organic fruits and vegetables. With the delicious varieties being grown and the wealth of availability, eating organic is easier now that ever before.

Author: Pablo Maiorino

FreeCookingVideos.com

Tags: cooking tips, fruit, Organic, Organic food, Vegetable

Baby back ribs. I can barely sit still when I just think of these baby back ribs. Not sure about the process for grilling baby back ribs? For more tips on grilling baby back ribs make sure you keep reading!

Grilling baby back ribs is actually quite easy with the right directions. There are a few tips that should be kept in mind for grilling baby back ribs in order to get the best results.

Begin by using a roasting pan to form a bed of onions and whatever fruit you prefer. For an additional sweet flavor, use oranges on your ribs. The next step in grilling baby back ribs is to prepare some seasonings. Pepper, coriander and salt is a must. You will then use this mixture to coat the ribs. Apply the coating evenly to the baby back ribs. Next, place the ribs on the bed of fruit and onions. Now, pour two cups of orange juice over the ribs, cover the roasting pan with foil and place the pan on the grill.

With this technique for grilling baby back ribs you will be grilling the ribs using a low, indirect heat. The ribs will be done grilling after an hour or when they are tender. At this point, the ribs may be removed from the grill and you will be ready to move on to the next step of the process.

The next step in grilling baby back ribs is to increase the heat on the grill to medium and place the ribs directly on the grill rack. Now be sure to cover the ribs up and barbeque them for a good ten minutes with a good flip in between. Brush the ribs with your favorite barbecue sauce and then cook the ribs for another six or seven minutes. Check the ribs to be certain, as it could take up to ten minutes for the ribs to be completely finished. At this point the ribs should be finished and you can remove them from the grill and serve.

Using this technique for grilling baby back ribs will provide you with bbq ribs that are tender and delicious as well as moist. I like to use apple for the flavor for the finished meat, but this is just my choice.

Tags: baby back ribs, bbq ribs

Cooking with children is a special way for parents and children to connect. Even very young children can participate in cooking in age-appropriate ways. Time spent in the kitchen offers an ideal learning environment and creates cherished, enduring memories that last a lifetime. 

When cooking with children, however, the first thing that should be taught is kitchen safety.
Particularly in this era of children with two working parents, many kids are home by themselves several hours a day and the kitchen is often the first place they go for a meal or snack after school. It’s a time when many accidents, including cuts and burns, can occur. That’s why, when you’re in the kitchen together, it’s vitally important to teach children kitchen safety and what they should do in case of an emergency.
The first thing to teach children is that they should always wash their hands with soap and warm water, making sure to get between fingers and under fingernails, before they touch any food. They should wash again any time they cough, sneeze or use the bathroom.
Parents should demonstrate the proper use of utensils, especially knives. Remember to keep your kitchen knives sharp – more cuts occur from dull knives than from sharp ones. Teach children to always cut food away from themselves.
Give specific directions for using the microwave oven. Microwave cooking is easy and convenient but because the food coming out is very hot, it can cause severe burns. Food should be allowed to cool for several minutes before eating. Make sure your child knows how to program the microwave oven (so that 20 seconds is not programmed as 20 minutes). Identify microwave-safe cookware they can use. Instruct them how to cover foods in the microwave so they don’t splatter and to always use potholders to remove hot dishes.
Hot liquids, not fire, are the most common cause of burns to children. Instruct children that if they are burned, they should hold the burn under cool, running water for several minutes. If the burn begins to blister, it should be loosely covered with a clean cloth or sterile gauze. They should immediately tell a grown-up the burn has occurred as it may require medical attention.

Children should only use a stove if they have been trained by an adult. Pan handles should be turned into the middle of the stove at all times and the stove should be immediately turned off when finished. If something on the stove catches fire, it should be smothered with a lid and the burner should be turned off. If the fire has leaping flames, the child should immediately leave the house and call 911. Emphasize that baking soda, flour or water should never be thrown on a kitchen fire.

You can encourage your children to have fun in the kitchen as you follow recipes and prepare meals and holiday treats together. Kitchen safety, however, should always be paramount and constantly reinforced. When the right precautions are in place, children and parents can relax and truly enjoy the art of cooking.

Author: Pablo Maiorino

FreeCookingVideos.com

Tags: cooking safety, kids and cooking, kids cooking, kitchen safety

For most people, buying fruits and vegetables is just a typical part of grocery shopping. But what kind of produce are you really getting? Certainly it’s sanitary, and it’s displayed to look appealing, but could there be produce that is better tasting and more nutritious?

Have you ever stopped to think where that rainbow of fruits and vegetables at the supermarket comes from? While some types of produce may be indigenous to your region, so many fruits and vegetables today are shipped from hundreds or even thousands of miles away. It’s natural to eat vegetables and fruit…but is it natural for them to be flown in from South America?

You can change that – and start shopping in your own latitude - by shopping locally. No matter where you live in the country, there are certain fruits and vegetables that are grown in your area that are more delicious and fresh than you could ever buy in the supermarket. The bonus in finding these foods in your city or town is that you can enjoy the unique bounty of your geographic location while also supporting local farms.

Check community bulletin boards and other resources like the Internet to see where local farmers markets are held. Locally grown produce is fresher so it tastes better. Local farmers are able to plant delicate, better-tasting varieties because their produce doesn’t have to withstand long-distance shipping. Take advantage of roadside fruit stands and tailgate markets (parking lots that are temporarily transformed into commerce areas). Ask questions about where the food is grown. Get to know the varieties of produce that are grown near you.

You can hand pick your own produce by seeking out local orchards, berry farms and pumpkin patches. Here you can get your fruits, veggies and a little exercise, too, because many farms will let you do the harvesting yourself. Go ahead and pick a whole bushel. Many fruits are easy to freeze, like juicy summer berries. Crisp fall apples will keep all winter if stored in a cool corner of your basement.

The best local produce of all, however, comes from your own garden. Why not devote a patch of yard to planting one this season? Even growing a tiny herb garden in your kitchen window will give you fragrant herbs to cook with. If you don’t have space to garden, connect with a community garden. There are over 18,000 in North America where individual members work their own plots. You can look on the Internet for one in your area or contact the American Community Gardening Association.

Finding fresh, local, delicious fruits and vegetables can be as easy as wandering through your local farmer’s market – or even just picking them out of your backyard. When it comes to your health and nutrition, these locally grown gems are a must. In addition, you also help support local farmers, and your community in general, which is good for everyone.

Author: Pablo Maiorino

FreeCookingVideos.com

Tags: cooking tips, finding fruits, finding vegeagtables, fruit, ingredients, vegetables

Folks wish to eat healthy foods today, and a good way to accomplish that is thru poultry. There are some chicken cooking tips that will help you in the kitchen and look after your folks too.

Here are a few of the best chicken cooking tips available.

You may take care to always wash your hands, knife, and cutting board in hot soapy water after preparing raw chickens. You must never use the same utensils and cutting board for other ingredients without thoroughly washing them first and after use. This forestalls cross contamination. You need to always marinate poultry in the chiller. Never leave it out in the open. Do not use the poultry marinade for basting. If the marinade is to be used for the root of a sauce, bring it to a boil for two mins. Never put cooked poultry on the same plate that was used to transport raw chickens. Again, this prevents cross contamination.

These are some chicken cooking tips for storing your poultry: Fresh poultry is a very perishable food. You shouldn’t leave it out in the open air. Instead, wrap it in plastic as soon as you get it home from the store and always store it in the coldest part of your fridge. You need to use it within two days; if this is place it in a fridge bag and freeze for at least a quarter. You need to always freeze giblets and livers separately from the entire bird. Cooked poultry dishes can be frozen. However, you should not freeze birds dishes that contain mayonnaise or boiled eggs.

Allow small poultry dishes to cool completely before wrapping and freezing them. Allow larger items to cool in the refrigerator and then wrap airtight and freeze.

You should never freeze stuffed poultry.

Some of the most critical chicken cooking tips involve proper thawing of the bird.

It is especially important that the poultry be correctly unfroze before cooking. Permit it to unfreeze in the chiller although it is in the original wrapper. You can place it on a tray to catch any drips which will fall as it thaws. When unfreezing in the refrigerator is not possible because there is not enough time, there are two other alternatives. For rapid thawing, the bird in watertight wrapping and then submerge in cold water. You should change the water often as this will help quicken the method. Smaller birds require about 1 to two hours. The other alternative is to leave the bird in its wrapper and put it into a heavy paper grocery bag. Close up the bag and put it into a cool room. You’ll need to check it often, and once the bird is unfroze, you must cook it straight away. You will find lots more chicken cooking tips online or in most good cook books.

Do you like to cook? If so, visit cooking101.org and get easy recipes you can use everyday to make delicious meals for the entire family and you might also want to take a look at chicken fingers.

Tags: chicken cooking tips