How to Choose the Best Pressure Cooker for Your Kitchen

Pressure cookers are excellent investments in any kitchen. Like any other cookware, the best quality pressure cooker is one that's made out of the best materials to begin with. High-quality, heavy-gauge steel is what you want when looking for a long-lasting pressure pot. It doesn't matter what other great features and components your kitchen tool has if it isn't made out of superior quality materials that help cook your food fast and keep you healthy in the process. When buying any type of kitchen/cookware, it is important to know the materials that go into each product, especially when you intend to use them frequently.

Here are some things you should remember when shopping for a pressure cooker:

• Choose a pressure cooker made out of the best quality stainless steel. Remember that not all stainless steel is created the same. In the product label or its bottom stamp, look for high-gauge indicators. 18/10 stainless steel implies a metal makeup of 18% chromium and 10% nickel, which helps reinforce the quality of the steel. Some advantages of this type and gauge of metal include better stain and corrosion resistance, remarkable sheen, and greater durability. 
• Look for a pressure cooker with accurate pressure indicator and a quick-release option in its regulator. These features will help you keep the pressure inside the mechanism controlled so food can cook better and pressure and heat-related accidents can be avoided.
•  Take note of extra safety features. Pressure cookers from the past are notorious for exploding due to excess pressure. Choose ones that offer automatic pressure vents through the lid so that pressure doesn't accumulate in excess inside the cooker. 
•  Choose the right size pressure cooker for your cooking requirements, storage space, as well as your budget. Larger cookers are naturally more expensive than smaller units.

What to Look For in a Hand Mixer

If you don’t do a lot of baking or simply don’t have room on your kitchen counter space for a full-sized stand mixer, then a portable hand mixer is a great option. It can help you do all of your basic baking prep.

Weight is one of the factors to consider when buying a hand mixer. What’s great about a lightweight hand mixer is that it lets you move more freely with almost no effort. Just lift it and press its buttons to give your tired arms a much-needed break from manualkneading, mixing, or beating by hand. It’s very easy to manoeuvre a lightweight hand mixer, so you can cover every inch of the mixing bowl and thoroughly mix ingredients. It’s also easy to carry the mixer to use with just about any container, saving you from having to transfer your ingredients from one bowl to the next.

Look for a hand mixer that is easy to clean. You have to be able to pop the beaters and whisks off, soak them in warm water mixed with a mild detergent, and then simply let them dry. The mixer unit itself should be easy to wipe down, too.

Hand mixers are designed to be easy to store. They don’t take up much space and you can pretty much keep them anywhere. Some of the latest models even feature retractable cords. Choose these for neater storage.

You also have to look at the variable speed settings and check if the motor is a high-performance type. Having more speeds makes a hand mixer more versatile, letting you complete kitchen tasks in a jiffy.

Finally, check if the hand mixer comes with a full manufacturer's warranty. This assures you that you are getting a well-made, durable product that the manufacturer proudly guarantees.

Pressure Cookers for Faster Cooking

Pressure cookers are known to speed up food preparation but did you know that they also cook healthier and better tasting food? This essential kitchen tool is more than just an accessory as some may regard it. Pressure cookers make you an efficient cook, along with this they also make you a health-conscious food guru and here's how:

How you prepare food has a great impact not only in the way that the finished dish tastes but also in the amount of nutrition left in them. Regardless of the quality of meats and vegetables you source, they tend to lose a great portion of their nutritional value as they are prepared for cooking. The more liquid you use to cook food, the more nutrients they lose, because water cooks out and washes away water-soluble vitamins and minerals. Pressure cooking requires very little water to cook food, thus helping retain the quality of the raw ingredients as they are prepared. Faster cooking time also prevents heat from rendering vitamins and minerals useless. This way, vegetables remain crisp and colourful and meats, nice and juicy while retaining their flavour and texture.

Pressure cookers also cook food at least 70 percent quicker than conventional food preparation techniques. Not only does this prevent you from losing your food's nutritional value, it also allows you to save on energy by using up less gas. Less energy use also equates to great savings on your gas bill and perhaps more importantly, less impact on the environment.

Additionally, pressure cookers don't release oily residues and odours like your typical stove top pans while also preventing painful oil splatters. Modern pressure cookers have also improved on their gasket mechanisms and pressure release design, thus preventing accidents from over-pressurized pots. They also require very little maintenance and are extremely versatile as they can be used as a steamer, sauce/baking pan, or even a Dutch oven.

Make a Multi-Layer Cake with a Cake Stand

Wedding cake stands are the secret to a well-supported multi-tier cake. They help create a sturdy base for your masterpiece, add height and drama while also creating more possibilities to help you with your cake presentation. Cake stands can make even the simplest cake designs stand out, adding the illusion of height and dimension to your cake.

When shopping for a cake stand, always choose one that is at least the same size or bigger than your cake's bottom tier. Follow the size of your cake board or go a step bigger if you want to add depth or include some additional decor around the bottom tier of the cake. The small ledge that space creates will cradle small embellishments perfectly. Never use a cake stand that is even a millimetre smaller than your cake or cake board to ensure stability and safety. Additionally, choose a stand that is completely flat so that the cake will be supported properly, dips and bumps in the top plate of the stand can cause your masterpiece to sag or be deformed, ruining your design.

Cake stands are made out of durable materials and can withstand and support the weight of large cakes. Depending on the construction of the unit, they can even support weights up to 200 pounds or more. Always choose a cake stand colour that is appropriate for the occasion and the cake motif itself. Choose colours, patterns, and designs that accentuate the features of your cake or follows the motif of your venue. Your choice of cake stand can add great value to your cake design and allow your cake to pop out, especially when you intend it to be a centrepiece. Lastly, think of your cake stand as an integral part of your overall cake design for added effect.

How to Clean and Care for Your Ice Cream Maker

Leaving your ice cream maker out without proper cleaning and sanitation will not only ruin the next batch of ingredients you pour into the machine. But destroy the device altogether, especially when you forgo maintenance and clean-up on a regular basis, is simply not acceptable. Washing and rinsing right after use should be a running policy that every person using the device should follow to make sure that the machine stays safe and efficient to use for as long as its intended life cycle, or even longer. Leaving as much as a few drops of the dairy mixture inside an ice cream maker regardless of whether you are using a commercial or a home ice cream machine creates the perfect environment for nasty bacterial growth. To prevent this and any further damage to your beloved ice cream maker, you need to follow a strict yet simple cleaning regimen: empty, flush, disassemble, soak, dry, and re-assemble/store.

• First, empty the used ice cream maker of its contents. Make sure that most if not all residual ingredients are drained out.

• Flush the machine by pouring cold water through the machine as many times as it would take until the water that comes out of it comes out clear. Rinse with hot water and then again with a hot, soapy solution created from mixing dish soap and hot water. Most commercial ice cream machines have a wash cycle. Home machines, with less complex mechanisms, are a lot easier to rinse, flush and wash.

• Take the machine apart as instructed in the manual for more thorough cleaning and soak and scrub all detachable parts, making sure to remove all remaining ice cream residue. You can also soak parts in bleach to kill bacteria further.

•  Leave the parts out to dry and reassemble or prepare for storage until the next use.

Different Types of Chasseur Cast Iron Cookware

Chasseur is a globally recognised brand synonymous with high-quality cast iron cookware. Each piece of enamel coated cast iron cookware by Chasseur is hand-crafted by skilled artisans. Their heavy-duty construction allows them to perform well under the most demanding conditions, such as roasting. Chasseur cast iron pans are easy to clean, and the traditional French-style cookware makes them attractive and ideal for different styles of kitchens. They are environmentally friendly to use, too, as they are made up of 80 percent recycled materials.

A Chasseur cast iron multifunction pan is a must for every kitchen. It is cleverly designed and comes in different colours. The pan can be used as two separate pieces, and its versatility allows you to use it as a frypan, saucepan, or a casserole. The handle is made of full twice enamelled cast iron, so the pan can easily be transferred from the stove straight to the oven. Chasseur cast iron pans are typically resistant to high temperatures, and they can absorb and preserve heat to keep your food hot.

The fry pan and sauté pan are basic cookware for the kitchen. Both are designed for stovetop use and are dishwasher safe, so they are easy to clean. The hard wearing double layer of enamel protects the cast iron fry pan and sauté pan from corrosion. You can select them either with a gloss or matt finish. Chasseur's sauté pan comes with a transparent glass cover.

Chasseur grill pans are also convenient to have. They are not just great for grilling but also for making Paninis. Their griddle lines catch and separate excess fat from the food, so that you can eat healthier.

Always buy Chasseur cast iron cookware from an authorised retailer. This way, you can be sure that you are buying an authentic cast iron cookware that comes with the full warranty from the manufacturer. Chasseur usually provides a 10-year warranty for its cast iron cookware. When you use Chasseur cast iron cookware, you can be sure that food can be cooked evenly because the material is an excellent heat conductor. This type of cookware lets you cook with less oil, making it an excellent alternative to non-stick pans.

Comparing Boning and Carving Knives

Having the right kitchen knives can help you accomplish various food preparation requirements. Though your chef's knife is very useful, it has its limitations and might not be enough if you want more precise and cleaner cuts of meat. Adding a boning and a carving knife to your set of kitchen knives is important for precision cutting. Both knives are essential tools for special food preparation needs, such as when serving turkey or making your filleted meat.

At first glance, boning and carving knives may seem similar function, but they have subtle differences that could affect their function and purpose. The boning knife has a flexible and thin blade that is agile and sharp, so you have more control when removing the bones from certain meats like lamb chops, chicken breasts, and butterfly pork. On the other hand, the carving knife would either have a rounded or a pointed tip and a smooth, non-serrated blade meant for carving large, boneless pieces of meat like roast beef and ham.

A carving knife with a pointed tip is designed for cutting around a bone, making it seemingly similar to a boning knife. However, the difference lies in their size and purpose. A boning knife is typically 12cm to 17cm (about five to six inches) long with a narrower blade, and its purpose is to remove the bones of meat, poultry, and fish. Boning knives can pass through holes and perform deeper cuts, so you can be sure that most bones can be removed. Stiff boning knives are recommended for removing the bones of pork and beef, and a flexible boning knife is recommended for fish and poultry.

The purpose of a carving knife is to cutting pieces of meat from their source. Hence, it may not be as efficient and precise as a boning knife for filleting. A carving knife has a longer blade usually about nine inches or longer to reduce the sawing motion when slicing back and forth.