How to Bake the Perfect Loaf of Bread

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If you are someone that has been bored in lockdown and you are looking for ways to occupy your time, then you may have taken up baking. Lots of people decided to give baking a whirl during the lockdown and there was actually a shortage of baking products all around the world as everyone was going mad for cooking banana bread. Though everyone was getting involved in baking, this does not mean that everyone was being entirely successful. Baking is a precise science and even adding a gram of the wrong ingredients can completely ruin the texture of anything that you make.  

 

Though it has been made for thousands of years, bread is also extremely difficult to make. Nowhere in the cookbooks among all of the bread puns does it say just how temperamental bread is.  If you have tried to make bread in the last few months, then you have probably have had to deal with your loafs collapsing and everything just going wrong, which is extremely common in the world of bread baking. The last thing you should do when things go wrong is given up, as you can always try again and do it better the next time around. If you are looking into trying again then you may be looking for some useful tips to help you get by. Here are our tips on how to bake the perfect loaf of bread the next time you give baking a go.  

 

Yeast 

People forget just how important yeast is when it comes to baking bread and some people forget that you even need yeast at all when baking bread. There are several types of yeast that you can choose from when it comes to using yeast in your bread. You can use fast-acting dried yeast, fresh yeast, and active dried yeast. Depending on the kind of bread that you are making, the recipe will tell you exactly what kind of yeast you should be using. Be sure to not ignore the specified yeast as you could ruin the entire recipe for yourself. 

When you have got the right yeast, make sure that you care for it properly. Many people believe that yeast is one of those things that you only need to buy once and leave in the back of the cupboard for when you need it.  In actual fact, most yeast can only keep for a couple of months and after that, it won’t work the same and will not make your bread rise as you would like it to. Another very common mistake that people who are new to bread make is not knowing how to store fresh yeast. People that are new to the world of bread making often think that all yeast can be stored in the same place, however, you should know that if you want to use fresh yeast it should in fact be stored in the fridge and only has a lifespan of a couple of weeks. 

 

Give your dough time  

Another very common mistake that people make when they are trying to cook bread is rushing. Bread is something that needs to be treated with care and so you should do what you can to ensure that you are not rushing the recipe. Once you have made your bread dough, this dough will need time to rise. We recommend that you let your bread rise overnight so that you get the best possible results and an airy loath that you can be proud of. If you are someone that doesn’t have the time to wait for the bread to rise, we recommend that you make sourdough bread as this needs no time to rise and is a brilliant option for someone that is new to bread making.  

 

Measurements 

With anything in baking, you need to make sure that all of your measurements are extremely accurate. Baking is often considered to be somewhat of a science and with any kind of science, you have to make sure that you are being as accurate as you possibly can. We recommend that you not only use measuring cups but get weighing scales so that you can weigh out your overall mixture. 

Eating on a Budget: How to Make Cost Effective Meals

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Whether you are a student looking to save some extra money, a young family saving for a holiday, or just want to be able to spend less money on meals, this is the article for you. Having to even think of three meals a day is difficult, and when you think of how much it all costs to have a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner- it can have a troll on your wallets! In this article, we will be making budget meals, delicious meals! Now, let’s figure out the main ingredients to make a cost-effective meal.

Coupons!

Yes, it may be obvious but coupons are a great way of saving that extra bit of cash, with big supermarkets always offering some sort of loyalty program which is free to join and take the benefits. Some coupons can even be found online with a simple google search, and St Coupon Codes seem to do the job well! The ability to search and find coupons to use at a variety of different shops is amazing! You will definitely find a coupon code for your local shops.

Pasta and rice- everything nice

You may be thinking that pasta and rice are very boring and bland dishes, but that is not true! Pasta and rice are extremely cost-effective and give great amounts of fiber and energy to keep you going throughout the day. The fact they could be incorporated into so many different styles of dinners is perfect to configure the most cost-effective meal. From a simple curry to an Italian al fresco, to a Mexican chili- rice and pasta will be right up your street and goes well paired with any dish.

Buy bulk!

When purchasing food items that tend to be expensive, always go for the bigger portioned packages. For example, if you were cooking one meal with chicken breast, do not buy the 2 pack of chicken- buy a kilogram worth of chicken and freeze it! It works out as cheaper and by freezing it you are stopping it from going off but are also saving yourself the money in the long run. It is important to think ahead, by doing this you will also be saving the hassle of thinking of more dinners as you will remember you have chicken in the freezer. This is also the case with rice and pasta, buying these items in bulk as they do not go off quickly and it works out as cheaper in the long run.

Think about where you are buying from

We all know that some supermarkets are much more expensive than others- so maybe keep that in mind when you are shopping around? You do not want to be charged more if the quality is the same but the brand is different- don’t be a snob, save that dollar! This is also the case for certain food products- do not think that just because it is a popular brand it will be nicer than the cheaper option. Most of the time this is not even the case- try it yourself and it will become a positive habit of second thinking when choosing the more expensive option!

All in all, think carefully about what you put in your basket– when doing food shopping, the small items always add up somehow and make the total much more than we think! (happens to me all the time). Remember also that just because they are branded does not mean they’re good! The cheaper option will definitely thank your wallet!

Cooking Debate: Is Smoked Meat Tastier than Grilled

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With so many people looking for ways that they can change how they cook meals on a daily basis it can be hard to choose which cooking method you are going to use to create a delicious meal. There is much discussion around whether smoking meat or grilling meat is the best, but the truth is that both methods are great ways to ensure you and your family have a healthy and flavorsome meal.

 

When it comes to cooking meat everyone has their preference in terms of the right way to do it, but changing things every once in a while can be a great way to add variation to your diet. The possibilities are endless as you can alter the cooking method to your needs and flavor preference.

 

Smoking Meat

Smoking meat can be daunting if you are someone just getting started with the process, there are some thighs that you will need to invest in before you attempt your first try at smoking meat. In order to get the very best results, you will need some form of smoking equipment, whether you choose to invest in a more affordable smoker which will require you to burn the wood yourself or you opt for an electric smoker which does the process much quicker, you will need to make the decision before you even think about cooking your first kind of meat. There are many ways to learn about the masterbuilt electric smoker, but doing some initial research into what would be the best fit for your lifestyle is definitely the right way to go.

 

Grilled Meat

Grilling meat is a much easier process than smoking, it would be a suitable cooking method for someone who has to cater to a large family as it takes very little time and is very easy to do. Using a grill to cook meat is very unique in comparison to the normal oven cooking method as it generates flavor by adding a charred effect to the meat you are cooking. Grilling is a great cooking method for meats like beef, pork, and chicken as it adds a smoky flavor that really cannot be replicated by anything else. Simply take your chosen meat and add some form of the marinade to retain the meat’s moisture and inject some extra flavor into your dish.

 

Differences Between the Cooking Methods

The big difference between smoking and grilling meat is that smoking utilizes the heat and the smoke generated from burning wood to create a texture and smoky flavor that cannot be replicated by any other means. Grilling is more of a quick and easy method for cooking meat which doesn’t require much attention other than monitoring the meat to make sure it is cooked properly. If you want to add flavor to your smoked meat then you can add seasonings and even burn some herbs and spices within your wood, if you want to add more flavor to grilled meat then it would be better to use a sauce to prevent the meat from going dry.

 

Which is Better?

The question of which method of cooking meat is better is totally down to your lifestyle and personal preference, based upon the different ways you can add flavor to your meat I would recommend you choose the method which suits your families day to day life. Grilling would be great for those with little time to cook and large families whereas, smoking meat would be suitable for someone with the time to invest in creating a very unique dish that you can be proud of.

Debunked: Is Microwave Food Actually Unhealthy?

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Everyone has heard the on-going debate about whether microwave food is better or worse for you than oven cooked food. This is a hot topic to debate as people rightfully care very much about what food they’re consuming and how they’re treating their bodies. You’ve probably heard many rumors and stories about microwave food that may have put you off it in the past, but we’re here to tell you that that’s all they are, just rumors, microwave food is actually just as healthy as oven cooked food.

 

The Science

Microwaves use very short waves of energy to cook food, the waves cause vibrations among molecules which then creates thermal energy that cooks your food. This is perfectly safe and does not have a negative impact on your food. Microwaves actually retain more nutrients in your food as it cooks food much quicker than an oven, the fastest cook time is the optimal way to preserve all your nutrients. Vitamin C for example, when exposed to heat for a long period of time starts to break down and lose its benefits, the short cook time of a microwave actually helps to preserve vitamin C.

 

Benefits of Using a Microwave

An obvious benefit of microwave food is it’s less hassle for you to prepare and cook, this frees up your valuable time to do other things. If you’re hungry it also allows you to eat much sooner than if you were to wait for an oven-cooked meal. If after reading this you’re ready to make the switch all you need is to make sure you have a good quality microwave like the samsung mc17j8000cs and you’re all set. It’s that simple to make your cooking life so much easier.

Staying Healthy: How to Properly Store Your Food

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Knowing how to store food properly is just as important as knowing how to cook it. Being able to store food helps free up lots of your time during the week as you can cook a meal on one day then eat it for several days after, this also leaves you with a lot less washing up to do too. If you want to take it a step further many people have mastered meal prepping and prepare or cook all their meals for a week on one day, The key to doing this is ensuring you have the correct storage tools and know-how to store your food. Storing your food correctly helps to preserve the nutritional value of your meals and ensures the food still tastes like quality food. Storing your food incorrectly can cause your food to spoil and this can even lead to foodborne diseases. On top of this, it makes your grocery shop more costly as you’re having to rebuy things that have spoiled. That’s why we’ve found all the most important tips and tricks to make sure your food is properly stored.

 

Fridge

When storing your food in a fridge most people use Tupperware as they think this is the best form of storage to preserve your meals but really you should preserve your food with a vacuum sealer. Using a vacuum sealer instead of traditional storing methods vastly increases the amount of time food can be left in the fridge before being consumed. When using the standard storing methods food only lasts between 1 and 3 days before it’s no longer safe for consumption, with a vacuum seal food can be left in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, this is a significantly longer time and is extremely helpful if you like to prepare your meals in advance. Where you store your food in your fridge is a big factor in how to store your food properly and keeping it safe for consumption. The food you prepare needs to be kept in a separate part of your fridge from raw meat. This is because raw meat contains harmful bacteria, if raw meat mixes with your pre-prepared food you could get food poisoning. Meal prep and leftovers should be kept at the top of your fridge, dairy products should be kept in the middle, and raw meat should be kept on the bottom as this is the best place to prevent any cross-contamination, the drawers are where vegetables should be stored.

 

Freezer

Similarly to the fridge, food that has been vacuum-sealed lasts much longer in the freezer than it does with the traditional storage methods. With other methods food lasts around 6 months or up to a year in the freezer, when vacuum sealed it can last on average 2-3 years which is amazing news for food prep lovers. The freezer poses different threats to food preservation than the fridge, one of the biggest problems with leaving food in the freezer is food dehydration, this is less likely to happen to the food that is stored in air-tight containers. Meat again can cause problems due to the bacteria, to make sure your meat stays safe to consume make sure you use freezer wrap on it before storing it in the freezer. It is also not advised to refreeze meat that has completely thawed, whilst it is safe it ruins the quality of your food as a lot of moisture is lost. The best temperature to have your freezer at is –18 degrees Celsius.

How Stress Affects Your Eating Habits and How to Deal With It

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If you are someone that has ever experienced stress, you will have also experienced reaching for a sugary snack to take the edge off. Unless you have an incredible amount of self-control, it is likely that you would have found comfort in junk food during a time of immense stress, but why does our body resort to junk food as a means to relieve us of that feeling of stress?

 

Stress Eating

Do not worry, you don’t reach out for sugary snacks due to your own personal gluttony. When we experience stress, our body releases a handy little chemical called Cortisol. Humans produce this hormone in order to trigger our ‘fight or flight’ response that is caused by feelings of stress. This is created due to our body’s natural need to survive, so when we feel stressed, we instantly go into survival mode thanks to this hormone which may help during situations of actual peril.

 

However, if you are not in a situation of peril, this hormone can actually prove to be quite inconvenient. This is because, as well as making you more prepared for any dangerous encounter, this hormone also makes you crave salty and sweet foods. This explains why you are bound to search for a snack when you are feeling a bit anxious and have nothing to worry about if you aren’t pushing it too far.

 

However, if you are someone who is often exposed to stressful situations, then the effects of this hormone can be quite detrimental. This is because you are likely to consume more unhealthy food that may lead to obesity or other health and organ issues.  This is often an issue experienced by people who work in offices or other desk jobs. This is because these are very stressful work sectors that don’t allow you to gain much exercise as you don’t really have the chance to walk around and burn off any calories that you may consume.

 

Leptin Resistance

Another section of people that may suffer more from the effects of stress is those of us that suffer from Leptin resistance. Leptin is within all of us and basically tells us when we are consuming too much food. Depending on your size, your body will allow you to consume a certain amount. If you are someone who is overweight, your body will try and tell you to eat less in order to remain healthy.  However, if you are someone that suffers from leptin resistance, then your appetite will be slightly out of control and your body will not be able to tell you when you should stop eating. Which can be extremely detrimental to people who experience a lot of stress. If you are someone who relates to this uncontrollable appetite, then you may have leptin resistance. If you think this applies to you, then you can learn more about leptin resistance online. It is nothing to really worry about and can be easily managed once you acknowledge that you have to deal with it.

How One Stay At Home Dad Is Changing the World of Cooking Forever

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Five years ago Gary Briggs was just your average working father. He would leave for work at 8 am and return just after five to enjoy a meal with his whizz of a cook wife and two children. Gary was about as useful in the kitchen as a lawnmower, and so the daily responsibility of feeding the family was left to his wife, not that she minded.

 

Unfortunately, tragedy struck in 2015 when Gary’s wife was killed in a road traffic accident. Not only was Gary dealing with the emotional pain produced by the loss of his wife, but he also had a long line of responsibilities that he had to deal with, along with working full time and caring for his children.

 

A New Outlook

Gary coped with his newfound responsibilities, but admittedly neglected one of his new roles in the household – the role of chef. With Gary working so much, he found it difficult to find the time to cook up the meals that his wife used to and subsequently resorted to freezer food and takeaways more times than he cares to admit.  Gary and his children were not getting the vital nutrients that they needed and the final push to make a change came when his youngest child, Katie, was diagnosed with Anemia.  This meant that Gary had to start putting more effort into making foods packed with iron and other nutrients that they had been seriously lacking since his wife had passed.

 

Gary started off by doing what he thought was the smartest move, which meant going down to the local WHSmith and buying as many cooking books as he could. However, he quickly learned that reading a method and seeing a couple of pictures does not always equate to a quality meal and he is sure that his children would agree.  After weeks of failed attempts and nearly a hundred pounds spent on last-minute takeaways, Gary found himself in a rut. This was until his children introduced him to the world of youtube cooking.

 

Teaching an Old Dog

 

See Gary is a bit of an old body and his only experience with Youtube had been catching a glimpse of whatever Minecraft video his son was watching. So when he found out that there were thousands of people making instructional videos on how to cook delicious dishes, he was excited to get stuck in.

 

Gary studied these videos very carefully and within months he was a whizz in the kitchen, in fact, he started to host a weekly night for his friends to bring their children to feast on his new culinary invention. After a while, people started to encourage Gary to start cooking professionally, as he obviously had the natural talent to do so. Gary considered it, after all, he had been unhappy with his job since his wife had passed and had been looking for something to do. However, working in a kitchen would require years of training and would mean that he would spend even more time away from his children, which he wanted to avoid as much as he possibly could.

 

The Channel

Then it hit him, why not start a youtube channel much like all the ones that had inspired his own cooking? With the help of his children, Gary set up a youtube channel and started posting videos of himself brewing up his culinary concoctions. He was a big hit, due to his charming personality and clumsy cooking techniques.

 

Quickly he became an overnight sensation and was able to quit his job and comfortably support his family on the earnings he had been making from youtube. Not only is he managing to support his family from the ad revenue gained by youtube, but he also sells merchandise to all of his loving fans. You can get your hands on funny baking aprons with his face and popular quotes on them, along with oven gloves and your very own chef hat. Gary is showing the world how you can make a profession out of your passions and how men can survive in the kitchen without the help of their wives. If you like what he does, what’s stopping you from jumping in the

Americas Four Most Popular Food Festivals!

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Going to a food festival in America is an experience that can’t be found anywhere else in the world, with cuisines from around the globe food enthusiasts flock to the various food festivals around America every year. A visit to your local festival is guaranteed to be overall great experience.

 

Milford Restaurant Week

Based in Milford Connecticut, the Milford Restaurant Week is a celebration of all the best restaurants in the area, priding themselves on high-quality service and health and safety, this event provides peace of mind that the festival not only offers great food but that care has been taken in terms of health and safety, including the importance of pest control whilst the event is being hosted. Milford Restaurant Week is proud to partner with smaller pest control companies who are some of the best for pest control in ct, as they offer a more personalized and specific service which tends to be more effective than the mainstream companies.

 

Happy Harry’s Ribfest

If you are a fan of ribs and grilled meats, then Happy Harry’s is the food festival for you. Not for the faint of heart, this food festival is a meat extravaganza with every kind of meat being available. Following the idea that outdoor cooking and grilling is the best way to cook, there is a real urban atmosphere within this event. The smell of such a variety of meat being cooked all around you is enough to make you salivate with hunger, with retailers offering freshly cooked meals and butcher counters you can either buy a meal on-site or take something home to cook up a storm yourself.

 

Seattle Street Food Festival

One of America’s most popular and well-known food festivals, The Seattle Street Food Festival offers a wide range of cuisines from around the world. As the event focuses primarily on the sale of street food you can expect to find a wide range of easy to eat, delicious meals that can be enjoyed whilst watching the on-site entertainment. This event is much more than just food with live music and a variety of small retailers selling everything from handmade jewelry to vintage clothes. The Seattle street food festival has been commended for its support of small business owners and giving them the chance to increase their custom, the fact that the event takes the time to do this is reflective of the attitude of the festival as a whole, this family-orientated event isn’t one to miss.

Eat Drink SF

Eat Drink SF is an annual food and wine festival hosted in the San Francisco area, offering a wide range of foods that can be sampled and purchased. I would definitely advise not eating prior to visiting this event, as the amount of foods that can be tasted on a complimentary basis is staggering in comparison to other events like this. This festival is designed to allow food retailers to share what they are offering, instead of just searching for profit Eat Drink focuses on allowing businesses to build their following. Within such a jam-packed industry it can be hard for smaller food retailers to increase their visitors, but by providing the opportunity to interact with large volumes of customers, the festival has proven to be a useful tool in aiding the success of small food retailers.

 

In terms of the food and drink that is available at Eat Drink, you can expect multiple culinary feats inspired by different areas of the world, including Thai street food, freshly made Italian pizzas, and delicious curries inspired by rural India.

 

Is there a Correlation Between Your Diet and Hair Growth?

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Hair loss is one of the most natural and common issues many people face as they age. While it isn’t painful or deadly at all, it can cause a lot of other issues in people such as confidence problems or anxiety. And for others, hair loss is not an issue and just accepted as an inevitable side effect of age.

But for those who dread that day their hair falls out, they turn to miracle cures and any scientific advancement that can hold back the tide of hair loss. Miracle growth cures, fad products, and spiritual meditations to gain control over their body processes.

One of the big parts of our lives that may be having a direct impact on our hair growth, and eventual loss, is our diet. It is well documented how much of our bodily processes are directly affected by our diet. And everything our body does is indirectly affected by it. But how strong is the correlation between our diet and hair growth? And what can you do to change your diet to improve it?

The Correlation

Studies have confirmed that hair growth is directly linked to metabolic function. It is said that hair growth is, in fact, the metabolically active process that takes place within our body. But what does this mean for you as an average person?

The metabolic functions can be affected by both caloric intake and nutritional deficiency. Sometimes this is a result of a preexisting physical condition within a person, other times it can be a result of poor diet. The main issue is that poor diet has a slew of other issues related to it beyond hairless that it is often ignored as a side effect and even attributed to other conditions or simply natural aging. Companies like goodvara have been putting funding into research into the specific relation between diet and hair loss.

Stress is another factor that plays an important part in the process of hair loss and growth. But it also connects to your diet in an interesting way. It has been proven that when under stress, some people will turn to eat to deal with it. This can cause an imbalance in their diet and metabolic functions. This is compounded by the already present issues that stress causes the body, including hair loss.

What Can Be Done

It might seem like changing the fate of your hair is impossible. But this is not the truth at all. Firstly, changing your diet can have a big impact. A good start will be to make sure you are getting enough calories in your day. You might be thinking, won’t more calories make me fat. This is a common misconception. Calories only play a part in weight gain, along with fat and sugar. Calories are what generates the energy our body needs to carry out its natural functions. So making sure you are getting enough calories will keep your metabolic functions ticking along nicely.

Secondly, try to reduce the stress in your life. This doesn’t mean cutting out people or stopping work. These are things that are easier said than done. But you can do a lot to manage how much stress you feel and how much it affects your body. Consider taking up meditation or changing up your exercise routine to include more activities that will boost brain function and release more endorphins into your system.

Above all else, the most important change you need to make is the way you view hair loss. It is the sad truth that, for some people, hair loss is genetically hard-wired and unavoidable. And that’s ok. It is only society’s high standards that make us think hair loss is all that bad.