Posts Tagged ‘steaks’

The Secret To Tender Chicken Breast Meat

Posted in interesting advices on September 22nd, 2009 by admin – Comments Off

When cooking chicken breast meat, it is always a task to ensure the meat ends up tender, soft, succulent, juicy and delicious. Chicken breast meat is probably the toughest part of the chicken and not as tender as the drumstick and yet, it is the healthiest as it has the least fat and is mostly lean meat once you remove the skin. The trick to cooking chicken breast meat is in the marinade and the cooking technique.

Say, you have a family recipe for chicken recipe but you are trying it out for the first time. However, you left it on the stove for too long and your chicken ended up practically dry and stringy. There was nothing wrong with the recipe but the duration of the cooking time. Chicken breast meat must not be overcooked or else it will dry out and neither should it be uncooked or else it’d be too raw for anyone’s taste!

Whether you want to bake the breast meat, roast it, stir fry it or deep fry it, the marinade for the meat is also quite important as it could serve to tenderize it and give it flavours. Many would resort to the commercial bottled tenderizer, most often used for steaks, to rub it on the chicken to soften the meat. However, the more natural way is to use apple juice and marinade the chicken meat overnight in the juice. It will tenderize the chicken and at the same time give it a nice gentle apple flavour.

Now, if you are thinking of deep-frying the chicken for some crunchy chicken fingers, you could also choose to use buttermilk as marinade. Buttermilk is also another natural tenderizer. Next, we talk about how you cook the chicken. When you are grilling it or baking it in the oven, remember to keep the temperature at moderate and set the cooking time to shorter periods. All you need to do is to pop the chicken in and set it at maybe, 15 minutes cooking time and then check on it. If it is cooked by then, remove from the oven. The cooking time varies according to the size and amount of chicken you are cooking.

Chicken breast meat also tastes great when stir-fried. The best way is to slice the meat into thin, small pieces. This is to make sure the chicken cooks more thoroughly. Here’s a simple ‘Stir-fried Mushrooms Chicken Recipe’ I can share with you. You start by seasoning the chicken with some soy sauce and pepper. Then you heat up the wok with some cooking oil and sautee some diced garlic till fragrant. Next, add in sliced brown mushrooms and sautee for another minute. Finally, add in the chicken meat and then you let it cook by stir frying it for another 3 minutes or so. The chicken is cooked when the juices run clear and it is no longer reddish in color. Remove from heat immediately when cooked.

Although the chicken breast meat could prove to be a challenge to cook, it is low in fat, packed with proteins and is great for lunch and dinner. It suits those on a diet and those watching their weight very well and that’s not all, it is pretty versatile. Chicken breast meat can be cooked any way you like and as long as it is done correctly, it will be tasty, healthy and best of all, low in fat!

Easy to Follow and Quick Healthy Recipes

Posted in interesting advices on August 21st, 2009 by admin – Comments Off

Many of us are health conscious. We only eat grilled food or vegetables. There are many quick recipes you can follow using these ingredients.

There are already lots of easy to follow recipes you can gather from different sources. Whether you are a vegetarian, meat or seafood lover, there are lots of easy to do recipes that you can make for yourself and your family. These can be very healthier alternatives too. It depends on the recipe that you choose.

Grilled foods are very popular among the health conscious. It is any food cooked without oil. Instead, it is smoked to tenderize the meat. An example is a barbecue which is also the all-time favorite grilled dish. Meat is lined up in a stick and placed under fire or smoke. The heat slowly cooks the food.

Other kinds of grilled foods are steaks, kebabs, sea-foods or vegetables. Here are some principles of grilling.

Remember that there is only one portion of a meat or fish good for grilling. But this rule has an exception when it comes to the chateaubriand. And choose meat of high quality. Use only the prime cuts as much as possible.

It is best served right after taking it out of the grill so as not to lose the juicy flavors. It is also recommended to first preheat the food before grilling. Check the charcoals to make sure it is emitting just the right amount of heat to avoid burning or overcooking. Natural juices are lost with overcooking. The meat then ends up dry.

Avoid sticking by putting a little oil in the grill. It may be possible that you pass the meat to be grilled in the clean cooking oil. When you start cooking, use steak tongs to turn the meat.

For fishes, it must be floured, oiled and seasoned. If you are grilling both meat and fish at the same time, separate a clean area for the fish so that the flavors will not get mixed. Clean the grill to avoid burnt residue. The usual grilled foods are seasoned after being sealed.

These are just the basics of grilling. You can also deviate a little depending on what you think will make your cooking more delicious. Vegetables and seafood are easy to grill and make healthy additions to your meat and fishes.

Vegetable recipes are also becoming prevalent now as many people are turning vegetarians. These are healthy alternatives usually grown naturally. These leafy greens may be used in salads, soups, or even as a main dish in itself. It requires little time to cook. Some people prefer veggies to be half-cooked only because most nutrients are lost in heat.

This kind of food option is very low in cholesterol. Vegetarians are not prone to any serious digestive problems or colon cancer. Their body is able to get all the vital nutrients even without meat.

There are four types of vegetarian people. These are the true vegetarian, lacto vegetarian, ovo vegetarian and the pesco vegetarian. The true vegetarian eats only vegetables. They eat no meat or fish, not even processed foods. The lacto vegetarian includes dairy product in their diets. The ovo vegetarian also eats eggs. The pesco vegetarian eats non red meat, fish, dairy products and eggs.

There are many easy to do recipes that fit these different diets. An egg for example has many different types of cooking. To make your dish healthier, do not use oil in cooking your egg. You could steam or cook it in a microwave.