http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/ food and cooking advice forums, recipes, tips for kids in the home and advice from a professional chef. en Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:59:24 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.recipebite.co.uk/images/styles/dash2/misc/rss.jpg http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/ http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/cupcakeaddict/wedding-cupcake-tips-26/ Thu, 14 May 2009 14:25:11 GMT Are you considering making your own wedding cake? The key is simplicity. Using wedding cupcake tier will have many benefits and the actual display... Are you considering making your own wedding cake? The key is simplicity. Using wedding cupcake tier will have many benefits and the actual display does not have to feed your entire guest list.

Now a day, many couples are opting for wedding cupcake trees as a way to save money on their wedding cakes; and the cupcake trees can be just as stunning as traditional wedding cakes since they can be designed on tiers just as large as a five tier wedding cake

Cupcakes make a great alternative to the traditional tiered cake. They can be made in a variety of flavors and arranged on a tiered rack or in a creative design on the cake table.
What would be the benefits of opting wedding cupcakes?

First choosing cupcakes requires less staff on hand as there is no need to cut the cake and not messy. Secondly, the guests can choose their favorite flavor or decoration making it more personalized. And of course, decorating disasters can easily be hidden.
Wedding cakes needs just to be tasty.
Over recent times the wedding cupcake has certainly made its way into the traditional wedding ceremony and is likely to stay around for many years to come.

In UK, Bradfords bakes the very best cupcakes which are available to order for next day delivery or can be ordered in advance for the date of your choice. ]]> cupcakeaddict http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/cupcakeaddict/wedding-cupcake-tips-26/ http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/jen/summer-is-coming-25/ Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:24:41 GMT As we all know, summer is on the way, which means that now I am on the hunt for new summer recipes. I love salads so I am currently experimenting... As we all know, summer is on the way, which means that now I am on the hunt for new summer recipes. I love salads so I am currently experimenting with dressings (recipes will be posted when I have found my favourites) and I am also going beserk with my ice cream maker, my current favourite being pecan and honey. The only problem I have with the gorious weather and food is my expanding waistband. I think it may be a good idea to experiment with sorbets instead. ]]> Jen http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/jen/summer-is-coming-25/ http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/taylor123/nandos-chips-24/ Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:44:50 GMT hey guys,

Just wondered if anybody else has tried the new Nando's crisps.
I saw them in Tescos the other day and couldn't resist the temptation and i ended up buying them.
They do 3 flavours:
Peri-Peri chicken
Smokey BBQ
Hot Peri-Peri

I bought the Chicken and BBQ flavours, and what a success they were!!
Both packets were gone in a matter of seconds as me and my friends scoffed them down. The taste was like no other, unique.
We wanted more.

Now they are top of my shopping list and would recommend them to anyone:D

WB
taylor ]]> taylor123 http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/taylor123/nandos-chips-24/ http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/shammrok/roast-pork-compost-potato-salad-some-23/ Fri, 12 Dec 2008 10:06:36 GMT Jamie's Bloggers / Roast Pork.

Jamie's Bloggers / Compost

Jamie's Bloggers / Ingredients for potato salad

Jamie's Bloggers / My Potato salad

Jamie's Bloggers / Rosemary, mint and parsley ]]> shammrok http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/shammrok/roast-pork-compost-potato-salad-some-23/ http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/shammrok/tips-on-making-compost-22/ Mon, 08 Dec 2008 05:14:41 GMT Tips on making compost. Making Compost. Vegetables and herbs love soil moderately enriched with compost. Even if you have a relatively small... Tips on making compost.

Making Compost.

Vegetables and herbs love soil moderately enriched with compost.

Even if you have a relatively small garden, it is possible to make good compost in a commercial or homemade bin.

Keep a small plastic container with a lid in the kitchen and place all your vegetable scraps and peelings plus t- bags and leaves in to the container. You can also place wet shredded newspaper in the container.

Each night empty the container into your outdoor compost.

Do not add, oil, fat, artificial fibers, stacks of newspapers, printed cardboard, plastic, kerosene, detergents, thick tree stumps or seeds of weed that have been diseased or chemical treated.

If you have space, a three compartment compost bin is a good idea. You can be filling one, while another is decomposing and you are using the finished product in the third. A sheet of thick plastic or old carpet can be used to cover the bin to prevent excess water entry and keep out predators.

I have two large plastic compost bins with lids which I started a few months apart and therefore have one finished product and one breaking down.

Make sure your compost heap has access to good drainage, a water supply and keep it aerated by turning over every so often and add water if necessary to keep your compost moist, and encourage worms.

You may add garden leaves, animal manure, grass clippings, pea straw, animal manure, bark, wood ash, seaweed and vegetable waste to your compost.

Composts are slower to break down in winter, than in summer, as heat accelerates the process.

The application of certain herbs on a compost pile speeds up the breakdown of organic matter. Chamomile will improve any smell and also act as an activator, to accelerate the rate of decomposition and the absorption of calcium in the heap.

Comfrey also acts as an accelerant and adds phosphorus, calcium, potassium and trace elements, so be generous.

Yarrow also acts as an accelerant.

Gradually in 3 – 6 months, depending on size of your heap and weather conditions your compost will turn into a dark brown, moist crumbly rich plant food.

From then on you can apply it to your garden, either dug in or spread on top of the soil. ]]> shammrok http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/shammrok/tips-on-making-compost-22/ http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/shammrok/tips-for-making-pork-crackling-21/ Mon, 08 Dec 2008 05:12:47 GMT Tips for making perfect pork crackling It is important to preheat your oven to set the crackling. If your butcher has not done it for you,... Tips for making perfect pork crackling

It is important to preheat your oven to set the crackling.

If your butcher has not done it for you, score the fat with a sharp knife.

Brush the pork fat with olive oil and salt, add rosemary or other herbs into the slices if desired. Place the pork into a very hot oven until crackling sets, then turn down to cook through, if too much colour on top of the roast just cover loosely with some tin foil.

I like to cook my pork on some onion, fresh ginger, segmented oranges and zest, lime and chili. Baste sides of roast during cooking. Pour over some honey 1/2 hour before cooking time finishes.



Recipe based on something similar I saw jamie do. ]]> shammrok http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/shammrok/tips-for-making-pork-crackling-21/ http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/shammrok/tips-for-making-potato-salad-20/ Mon, 08 Dec 2008 05:10:00 GMT My tips for making tasty Potato salad. Choose nice firm potatoes. I prefer to use kennebecs, Nicola or Bismarks. Chop your potatoes into a... My tips for making tasty Potato salad.

Choose nice firm potatoes. I prefer to use kennebecs, Nicola or Bismarks.

Chop your potatoes into a large dice, allowing more surface area for flavours to develop.

Cook your potatoes in boiling salted water with fresh mint for added flavour.

Always dress your potatoes whilst still warm so they will take up the added flavours.

Again using fresh herbs to dress the salad adds flavour and colour.Wait till potatoes cool slightly before adding herbage, otherwise it will be wilted.

I like to add red onion and celery for extra colour and crunch.

Dress with enough mayonnaise to cover without drowning the salad.

Refrigerate before serving.

Can be made a day ahead. ]]> shammrok http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/shammrok/tips-for-making-potato-salad-20/ http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/shammrok/tips-on-growing-herbs-19/ Mon, 08 Dec 2008 05:07:15 GMT A brief run down on how I grow my herbs. Tips for growing herbs and Insect Control There are many different ways to grow herbs; they are... A brief run down on how I grow my herbs.

Tips for growing herbs and Insect Control


There are many different ways to grow herbs; they are really very undemanding plants.

Most need plenty of sun and well – drained soil. But you can grow some indoors, on a windowsill, in pots or hanging baskets or massed together in different containers on a patio, porch or balcony.

It is also important to take into consideration their accessibility, so planting close to the house or the kitchen is advisable.

Nearly all herbs require full sun for at least parts of the day and good draining soil, as most don’t like to have their roots continually in water.

Some herbs do nicely in drier conditions but grow better and more pungent if watered regularly. Early mornings and late evenings are best.

When selecting potted herb seedlings or plants, always choose the sturdiest looking ones, and plant out as soon as possible, even if it’s into another pot, as most of these potting mixes are not suited to growing for long periods of time.

Raising herbs from seeds can be achieved by sowing the seed into small punnets, pots or seed raising trays, that way you can control the conditions and monitor your plants.

Give the seeds a light water and cover in plastic and place in a warm spot, water gently as needed.

Once you have shoots, remove the plastic. When the seedlings have developed about four leaves they should have a small root system. It is now time to transplant them from the seed box into the prepared ground or into larger containers.

If you are transplanting into pots, fill the pot with the potting mix and make a hole with your finger large enough and deep enough to put your seedling without damaging the roots. Press the potting mix gently around the plant. You may like to add other seedlings or different ones, depending on the size of the pot.

A pot of herbs should look filled and generous without being over crowded.

If planting into the ground gently place your seedlings into the ground and space apart so that they have room to grow, water them in to help root growth and keep an eye on them daily, making sure they have plenty of water and are predator free. You may like to make little weather shields out of milk cartons or cling film wrapped around circular mesh.

Most herbs can be propagated from cuttings. Cuttings are best taken after flowering, take stems that are firm and healthy, with a woody heel if possible, and trim off the bottom leaves. Take a few cuttings of each herb to ensure that you have more success at striking should some of them fail .If you have multiple strikings you may like to do as I do and give some cuttings away as presents. You can use rooting compounds if you wish but I just place cuttings into potting mix and place in a sheltered warm spot, (my front porch), out of direct sunlight and do not allow to dry out.

When cuttings show new growth, you know they have rooted successfully. Leave another few weeks and then plant out. I usually put mine out on the front steps in the sun for part of the day to harden them off before transplanting.

As the plants become more advanced I plant out into much larger pots in the backyard where they get mid morning to late afternoon sun and are sheltered by the boundary fence. In summer they tend to dry out so I water early morning and late evening with the sprinkler on a timer so as not to waste water or waterlog the plants.

Now it’s time to enjoy your herbs, both as a plant and as a welcome addition to any dish!







Earwigs

Diatomaceous earth is a safe and effective way to control earwigs in the home. One application in key spots (bathroom, baseboards, window frames) can be a long-term repellent.

To trap earwigs, spray a newspaper lightly with water, roll it up loosely and secure with a string or rubber band. Place on the ground near earwig activity. The next morning pick up and discard the paper in a sealed container.

Another method to trap earwigs is to take a shallow, straight-sided container and fill it half full with vegetable oil. Clean the trap daily; the oil can be re-used.

Garlic Spray
Three large cloves of crushed garlic
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
One teaspoon of liquid soap
One litre of water
Combine the garlic and vegetable oil and leave to soak overnight. Strain and add to the litre of water along with the liquid soap. Spray regularly. Garlic in known for its antifungal and antibacterial properties, but it is its insect repellent qualities that most gardeners admire.

Homemade Oil Spray
Mix 500ml of vegetable oil
½ cup of Sunlight dishwashing liquid or other pure liquid soap
Blend thoroughly and seal in a clean, clearly labelled jar. Store in a cool area for later use.
Dilute one tablespoon of the concentrate into one litre of water before spraying.

Oil based mixtures can be used to suffocate mites, scale and other soft bodied insects. They help to repel leaf miner moths and some gardeners even find them effective against grasshoppers. Avoid using on plants with hairy leaves and during very hot weather.



ORGANIC WHITEFLY CONTROL

Whiteflies suffer from an identity crisis, as they are not flies at all, in appearance they resemble tiny, pure white "moths" but are in fact, closely related to sap-sucking aphids. Aphid cast-off skins could be mistaken for whitefly, but whitefly will quickly flutter up and fly away when disturbed, while the cast-off aphid skins will drop off. Just shake the plant to find out which you have! While there are about 20 species in Australia, the most serious pest is the greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum that attacks a very wide range of plants including tomatoes and beans. Unfortunately, whiteflies don't go round in ones or twos - they go round in hordes, so a severe attack can have a major impact on a plant.

Whiteflies suck sap from the plant, resulting in a yellow mottling on the surface of the leaf, as well as leaf loss, wilting and stunting. Not only do they feed on plants, but they also produce honeydew, which spoils the plants' appearance, attracts ants and black sooty mould. Whiteflies can also transmit plant viruses.

Adult whiteflies have a 3mm wingspan and are covered with a white, waxy coating. Each adult female lays about 200 eggs on the underside of the leaves, the eggs hatch in 8 days. Newly hatched ‘crawlers’ or ‘nymphs’ move around for a few days but then insert their feeding tube and lose their functional legs. At this stage they can be confused with scale.

Most species can complete a full life cycle in 20-30 days, less in summer. Whiteflies have no hibernation period and must have a suitable host all year. Severe winters reduce numbers considerably.


Hang sticky yellow traps above the plants, at the beginning of the season to detect an invasion early. Tapping the plants with a stick will cause the whitefly to fly up and onto the traps. Whiteflies are strongly attracted to the colour yellow, so you really shouldn't wear yellow clothing around whiteflies or you may carry them from plant to plant. ]]> shammrok http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/shammrok/tips-on-growing-herbs-19/ http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/shammrok/tasmania-18/ Mon, 08 Dec 2008 05:02:53 GMT What 's on offer around Tasmania.

Tasmania,

Tasmanian Food:

Fertile soils, pure rainfall from the cleanest air on Earth, the clear waters of the Tasman Sea and Southern Ocean – these are the elements that combine to create Tasmania’s wonderful fresh, natural produce and acclaimed cool-climate wines.

Each region of the island has its specialties – fresh seafood from cold, clean West Coast waters, wholesome farm and dairy produce from North West fields, full-bodied reds and delicate whites from grapes ripened in East Coast vineyards.

There’s more to savour, more to enjoy, anywhere you sample Tasmania’s fine food and wonderful wines.

Strahan

With its history as a working fishing port, Strahan is the source of a variety of delicacies from the sea.

Cradle Mountain

The fertile soils around Cradle Mountain provide for a bounty of natural produce, including world class dairy products.

Freycinet

Long sunny afternoons are perfect for the slow ripening of classic cool climate wines.

Hobart

A haven for lovers of seafood and wine, Tasmania's capital city serves up a multitude of culinary delights.
Tasmania offers you the chance to savour hand-crafted wine, beer and fresh produce, and to meet the makers, chefs and growers.
Our Island has restaurants to suit all palates and budgets – many of them offering a range of local cool climate wines to complement your meal. You can eat among the vines in the wine regions – some serve tasting platters with their wines, others elegant a la carte, and each location tells a story.
On Saturday, visit Salamanca Market, in Hobart, and look for our local produce. You can sample special herb vinegars, mustards, bush honeys and organic goods and meet the producers. Or visit one of the specialist delicatessens across Tasmania to taste locally produced condiments, smoked and fresh produce and luscious cheeses.

The best known Tasmanian edible plant today is the Mountain pepperberry. 'Tasmania's shrub of the decade', many restaurants include dishes flavoured with the dried berries or leaves of this alpine bush, and both the leaves and the fruits of the pepper shrub can be bought. Oils, liqueur, wines, ice creams, biscuits and dampers are all flavoured by the pepper of this versatile plant.

Tasmania’s history revolves around the sea and in those rough and ready early days of tough whalers and bold sailors, there was a pub on every corner of Tasmania’s many seaports.
Today, you can still find them - some are gentrified, others less so - and they are a great place to go to meet up with the locals, to hear good bands, or just sit quietly over an ale or wine and a pub meal.
Within 20 years of settlement Hobart boasted of 50 pubs for its 10,000 inhabitants.
Stories of Tasmanian heritage and culture live and breathe in our historic sites, arts and culture.
The people and events that left their mark on our Island are with us today. You can see their imprint wherever you travel.
Tasmania has a strong and lively arts and culture scene. The more relaxed pace of life, lack of pretension, and energetic and connected art scene has attracted writers, artists and performers. While we may have less than three per cent of Australia's population, we are home to nine per cent of its artists.
Our culture is enriched by our Aboriginal heritage and European, Asian and African immigrants. ]]> shammrok http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/shammrok/tasmania-18/ http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/greenkitchen/my-plastic-sandwich-17/ Sun, 07 Dec 2008 17:23:58 GMT I always have some sort of plastic food on my desk at work. I do it mostly because it cracks me up just to look at it but I also get great pleasure... I always have some sort of plastic food on my desk at work. I do it mostly because it cracks me up just to look at it but I also get great pleasure watching other people's reaction to it.

I currently have a plastic sushi set comprised of one piece each of tuna roll, shrimp and salmon sushi, wasabi and pickled ginger. There is also a jar of soy sauce, a little dipping dish, a tea cup and a pair of chopsticks to complete the set.

This little food oasis on my desk is really just an extention of me however people who visit me must feel it's an extention of them because they pretend to pour soy sauce in the bowl, use the chopsticks and eat the sushi. Clients and co-workers all seem to have an opinion on the pairing of soy sauce, giner and wasabi or the general merits of Japanese food.

My favorite plastic food was my first, a true to life replica of a bologna sandwich. The original toy, purchased at Toys R Us, came with two slices of processed white bread, a slice each of bologna, American cheese and tomato, 3 slices of pickle and a piece of romaine lettuce. I went to a restaurant supply store and added the cheapest white diner plate I could find, assembled the sandwich and placed it on my desk.

It didn't take long to learn that the humble bologna sandwich is sacred to many people and they have very strong opinions of what exactly constitutes the American original. Some favor meat and bread sans anything else. Others have varying opinions, some quite adamant, about the addition of lettuce, tomato, pickles and cheese. I never bothered to look for plastic mustard or mayo and strangely enough, wthout the visual prompts nobody ever mentioned them!

I've gotten in trouble at work for this behavior. Most of my bosses insist I hide my food when the corporate big wigs come to town. I never do and have spent quite a few meetings with the higher ups discussing food. I can't think of a better way to get to know someone! ]]> greenkitchen http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/greenkitchen/my-plastic-sandwich-17/ http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/michaelmac/christmas-time-is-coming-let-us-16/ Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:47:03 GMT Christmas time is coming and I am sure we will all be tucking into expensive meats and treats around the festive period. Well my words of advice... Christmas time is coming and I am sure we will all be tucking into expensive meats and treats around the festive period.

Well my words of advice are dont over do it and remember that you can always still eat healthily at Christmas and enjoy yourself :D

Have a great Christmas everyone! ]]> michaelmac http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/michaelmac/christmas-time-is-coming-let-us-16/ http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/greenkitchen/seven-year-palate-15/ Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:37:54 GMT On December 31st I will have been married to other half, sometimes better half, Derrick for 7 years. I dedicate this, my first blog on recipebite,... On December 31st I will have been married to other half, sometimes better half, Derrick for 7 years. I dedicate this, my first blog on recipebite, to him because instead of developing an itch, he has developed a palate. :)

When we met dear hubby was subsiting on Hamburger Helper, fast food, fizzy drinks and Twizzlers. He told me never to serve him onions, he hated them and would know immediately if they were in a dish. Ditto for garlic and oh by the way, he didn't care for salt. Garlic powder, tinned black pepper and Tony Chachere's seasoning were acceptable.

I proceeded to cook without my trusty aromatics which resulted in what I thought were painfully dull meals that he, interestingly enough, gobbled up. Then I went through several months of cooking 2 versions of everything, mine with the onions and garlic and his without. He would look at my dish, filled with fresh veg and herbs and ask "whats that?". I would tell him, ask if he wanted a taste and he would just smile and go back to his unseasoned food.

One day, fed up with all the work I decided to trick him into eating my way. I minced green onion until it was almost a paste and added it to a stir fry after a few months of him tolerating and then requesting that dried herbs be added to dishes. That night he ate with a fair amount of gusto and then suddenly put down his fork and said "what is the green herb in here?"

I started to laugh and told him I sneaked fresh onion into his food and to my delight he laughed and told me he liked it. I wasted no time introducing him to new tastes with the first order of business being replacing waxy Twizzlers with the much deeper flavored Red Vines!

Now other half eats everything, including salad, milder dark chocolate, fresh herbs, my beloved infused salt (even on ice cream) and craves local organic meat & veg. He even has a healthy appreciation for Wensleydale cheese.

Last week we were cooking together (his left handed chopping is pretty amazing to watch) when I realized what time of year it was and that our 7th annivesary was approaching. I realized my husband has an itch to experiement with food and grow his palate. I'm one lucky woman! ]]> greenkitchen http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/greenkitchen/seven-year-palate-15/ http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/johntaylor/snakes-urghh-13/ Sun, 19 Oct 2008 02:32:55 GMT Look at these: people actually eat them! Recipe Search: rattlesnake recipes at recipe-super-search.net... Look at these: people actually eat them!

Recipe Search: rattlesnake recipes at recipe-super-search.net

I got thinking about these recipes the other day and got to the point where I decided I'd do one of them. The thing is, I can't get hold of snake meat anywhere! darn. ]]> johntaylor http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/johntaylor/snakes-urghh-13/ http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/o_chef/taste-12/ Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:33:35 GMT *What does that taste of?* Taste… I ask you what is it really for? When you listen to a wine sommelier talking about the blackberries in the... What does that taste of?

Taste… I ask you what is it really for? When you listen to a wine sommelier talking about the blackberries in the Burgundy they are drinking, are they really there?
Why can we sometimes eat a huge plate of food and feel content, yet sometimes a relatively small plate makes us feel we don’t want to continue? Why are some combinations of flavours so right… and some so wrong?

This is all about our sensory perception to taste. Taste is a sense, and all of our senses are given to us for one reason. That is protection.
We have made a luxury of these senses through our evolvement in time, with great music we listen to… artwork our eyes admire… soft, comforting fabrics against our skin that we wear… perfumes we spray… and fantastic food we eat.

We have 5 basic taste sensations, these are found by the tongue and they are categorised as SWEET, SOUR, BITTER, SALT, UNAMI.
All the rest of our taste comes from our olfactory bulb in our nose. If you have a cold you notice a distinct lack of taste, the same for airline food. This is because the olfactory bulb swells preventing the volatile food molecules being read and understood. That said, the smallest and warmest food molecules always get received 1st, and upon chewing more molecules are released and carried up to the nose… this is how flavours develop.

We all know of classic combinations such as chocolate and orange, strawberries and cream, chicken and mushrooms… but why have these become so well known?
How is it that some chefs can combine ingredients such as caviar and white chocolate, coffee and fennel, oysters and passion fruit? And these really work, against our minds better judgement…
Flavours are extremely complicated, and unfortunately our ability to detect them isn’t. There are more than a billion flavour molecules, all individual. Our senses can only detect 230 odd of them. It is when our brain maps an ingredient its limitations then become confused. If we were to plot a graph with the flavour molecules of an orange, and then do the same with basil, a part of the two graphs would overlap. This can sometimes confuse our brain so it is totally wrong, but more importantly informs us of any combination where orange is good, its highly likely that basil would be too. So instead of creating the orange flavoured chocolates, why not try with basil and see how complimentary it is!
This is where the wine tasters remark the ‘oak’ or ‘leather’ notes for instance. Neither are actually there… but a taste sensation they pick up on is similar.

The next thing I’d like to talk about is pallet fatigue.
Like I said earlier… our senses are for protection. Think about getting into a hot bath. It’s uncomfortable and you have to ease yourself in, but once you have got accustomed to it then its fine, and it hasn’t burnt you at all. This is your touch sense reacting to danger, and once it has recognised the danger isn’t of high profile you relax and no longer feel uncomfortable.

Eating is the same. Many children don’t like Brussels sprouts, yet as an adult can eat them easily. This is a reaction to danger… as cabbage shares part of the flavour chain as poisonous nuts, and the texture of a hard Brussels sprouts creates the reaction of dislike. To spit it out for survival. Once the brain is educated then this reaction can be turned down.
Pallet fatigue is of utmost importance. Just like the hot bath, once a sense is provoked for a sustained time the body turns down the reaction to it. This can be disastrous to a dish. If the dish is flat on texture and doesn’t hit a varied number of tongue tastes then it quickly becomes boring as the senses close down to it, regarding it as safe.
By using vinegar and sugar as well as salt and pepper as seasonings can give more dimensions to a dish, and keep them alive.
An extreme example of this is chewing gum. You probably agree with me that the flavour lasts a maximum of 10 minutes. In actual fact the flavour lasts days, but our senses stop tasting it as it is registered as safe. That same piece of chewing gum if you removed it and had a glass of water, and 2 minutes later chewed it again, you would find it went back to its former glory and full of minty taste!

With this in mind I hope the next blog I write about dish concepts and menu creating will fall into place nicely! ]]> O_Chef http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/o_chef/taste-12/ http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/cookie-girl/bad-cooking-experience-11/ Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:01:55 GMT Once i was cooking for me and my bf. It was his birthday and wanted to make something special. I had a cook book beside me as i dont know how to cook... Once i was cooking for me and my bf. It was his birthday and wanted to make something special. I had a cook book beside me as i dont know how to cook lol i was making shepherds pie and how i messed it up i will never know. I was watching the time etc but forgot about it.

In the end the fire alarm went of and I burnt it! I was so upset as my bf walked in and i had nothing planned :( prob is the most good thing i have cooked but it didnt go so well! *sighs* ]]> Cookie Girl http://www.recipebite.co.uk/blogs/cookie-girl/bad-cooking-experience-11/