Mastering the kitchen involves understanding healthy fat profiles, variety-specific grain preparation, and safe food handling techniques.
Canned green peas are probably not the first item to spring to mind when you think of wholesome, nutritious foods. However, canned peas -- although not quite as healthy as their fresh or frozen counterparts -- still pack a nutritional punch.
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A convection oven uses a fan to circulate hot air throughout the oven cavity. When the hot air is blowing, food tends to cook more quickly than in a conventional oven. The hot air also allows chemical reactions that occur during the cooking process, making flakier pie crusts and moist meat with a crispy skin.
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Lamb chops are usually prepared by grilling or sautéing them over high-heat. If you want to bake lamb chops, you need to choose tender cuts that will cook well in the oven. Purchase a minimum of one chop per person and serve the baked chops with vegetable and potato side dishes.
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Most people associate slow cooking with using a slow cooker called “Crock-Pot,” which is a trademarked name. Essentially, a slow cooker is similar to a Dutch oven, introduced in the colonial times and made of cast iron.
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Stevia, Stevia rebaudiana or sweet leaf of Paraguay are some of the names given to the leaves of this plant native to Paraguay. In the early 1900s stevia was documented by Moises Bertoni, a Paraguayan botanist.
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Also known as the “lemonade diet,” the lemon juice and cayenne pepper diet is one phase of the “Master Cleanse” diet. Developed as a short-term solution for cleansing the body of harmful toxins, the diet significantly restricts food and beverage intake.
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Great northern beans are a type of white bean that is available year-round in dried form in most markets and grocery stores. Great northern beans have a delicate flavor and are commonly used in soups and stews.
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Tater tots have been a favorite of kids, young and old, since the 1950s. The bite-sized crispy treats made of shredded potatoes are a satisfying side dish that provides antioxidants, fiber, potassium, magnesium, zinc and vitamin C.
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The intense heat of a charcoal or gas grill gives foods a deeply savory flavor, but it isn't always the most practical way to cook. A ridged stovetop grill pan isn't an ideal replacement, but it's still a useful tool for preparing chicken and other meats when your outdoor grill isn't an option.
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Many cuts of pork are as lean as boneless, skinless chicken breasts, with less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol, 10 grams of fat and 4.5 grams of saturated fat in every 3-ounce serving. Because of their low fat content, these cuts can be difficult to prepare in the slow cooker without ending up with tough, dry meat.
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The creamy and filling comfort of grits can be ready in minutes in the microwave using quick-cooking varieties. This Southern breakfast favorite of finely ground corn kernels boiled in water or milk traditionally uses stone-ground grits, which can take up to an hour on the stove.
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Bulgur, a precooked, dried grain product, is made from cracked wheat. It is a staple in Middle Eastern cooking, and is traditionally used as a base for tabbouleh salad.
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Fried chicken is one of the 10 most popular comfort foods in the United States, says Alton Brown in the "Food Network Magazine." But it's also a food that may be difficult to incorporate into a healthy, balanced diet.
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If the flavor combination of chocolate and olive oil piques your interest, then substituting olive oil for vegetable oil might be a great choice for your next batch of brownies.
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If you don't own a grill, or don't like hassling with charcoal or propane, your oven's broiler is a good alternative. A broiler is essentially a grill turned upside down -- the heat comes from the top, rather than from underneath the meat, and the heated space is enclosed.
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You can use any of your favorite cookie recipes to create a giant cookie to decorate for a party or special occasion, but for any of these recipes to be a hit, you have to get the cookie to cook evenly. It can be difficult to adequately cook the middle of a giant cookie without over-browning or even burning the edges.
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There are more than 300 types of honey, with each variety classed by the source of blossoms the bees use to collect pollen to make honey, reports the National Honey Board. Acacia honey comes from the black locust or false acacia tree and is usually labeled as American acacia or locust honey in the United States.
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Boil-in-a-bag rice is an easy, no-muss, no-fuss way to prepare rice. You don't have to worry about measuring your rice or about your rice getting stuck to the pan. You can prepare boil-in-a-bag rice either on the stove top or in the microwave.
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Bottom round steak is one of the leanest cuts from the cow, and when properly tenderized, is succulent and delicious. It's cut from the heavily exercised muscle of the cow's hind leg. One of the best methods to cook this cut is to first tenderize it, then pan fry it.
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Orange lentils are a little smaller than their green and brown relatives, but they're the lentil of choice for thickening vegetarian soups and sauces. Orange lentils give you a small window of time between crunchy and mushy, so you have to time their cooking if you want to eat them as a stand-alone dish.
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