Basic Cooking Terminology

Bake - To cook in the oven by dry heat.

Beat - To mix ingredients briskly with a rotating motion, using a spoon, wire whip or mixer.

Blend - To thoroughly mix two or more ingredients.

Boil - To cook foods in water or a liquid until bubbles are breaking on the surface and  steam is given off.

Braise - To brown in a small amount of fat, then simmer covered in juices or liquid.

Bread - To dip in egg-milk mixture then coat with bread crumbs or cornmeal.

Chill - To refrigerate until thoroughly cold.

Chop- To cut into small pieces.

Coat - To cover entire surface with flour, fine crumbs, sauce, batter, or other foods.

Cube - To cut into ½ inch squares.

Dice - To cut into ¼ inch cubes.

Dredge - To thoroughly coat a food with a powdery ingredient mixture such as flour and  spices.

Garnish - An edible trimming added to a complete dish to enhance its visual appeal.

Mince - To chop food into very fine pieces.

Mix - To combine two or more ingredients by stirring.

Peel - To strip off the outside covering of a food item.

Pot Roast - To cook large cuts of meat by braising.

Preheat - To heat oven or other cooking equipment to desired temperature before putting in food.

Sauté - To cook in a small amount of fat.

Simmer - To cook in liquid in which bubbles form slowly and break below the surface.

Steam - To cook in vapors of boiling liquid with or without pressure.

Stir - To mix food in a circular motion.

Toast - To apply direct heat until the surface of the food is browned.

Toss - To mix ingredients lightly.

Whip - To beat rapidly to increase volume by the incorporation of air.

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Menu Planning

You'll save time and provide more nutritious meals for your family when you plan meals a week in advance. Use this guide to help plan for your weekly shopping and menus.

A healthy daily diet for an adult includes:

Breakfast:

• One serving of Vitamin C fruit (oranges, grapefruit, cantaloupe)
• High-fiber cereal
• Whole-grain toast
• Skim milk

Lunch:

• 3 ounces of meat or legumes
• Two servings of starch (bread)
• One serving of vegetable or fruit
• Skim milk

Dinner:

• 3 ounces of meat or legumes
• Two servings of starch (potato, pasta, bread, etc.)
• One serving of vegetable
• Fruit or light dessert
• Skim milk

Dinner in Advance:

These freezable dinners will meet adult daily requirements for protein. Cook double quantities to allow for lunchtime leftovers:

• Spaghetti
• Chili
• Vegetarian casseroles
• Stew without potatoes (Potatoes don't freeze well unless they're mashed or blended with other ingredients.
• Hamburger dishes
• Legumes

Salads With a Shelf Life:

Serve salads to meet your family's daily needs for vegetables. Lettuce may wilt, but these salads can last in your refrigerator for up to four days:

• Tomato, cooked green beans and onions in dressing
• Cooked corn, peas with onion, celery and dressing
• Macaroni salad
• Potato salad
• Raw zucchini, onion, cooked pasta, red cabbage and dressing
• Cooked chicken, celery pineapple chunks, nuts and sour cream.

A Week of Sandwiches:

Sandwiches satisfy your dietary requirement for starch. Depending on the filling, they can also add to your daily protein intake. You can save time by fixing and freezing sandwiches for an entire week. Remove the sandwiches from the freezer each morning, and they'll be defrosted by lunch time. You'll need a variety of bread, including pita bread, onion or french rolls and hamburger buns, and freezable fillings, such as:

• Peanut butter
• Lunch meats (low-fat ham, chicken and turkey breast, bologna and lean roast beef).
• Leftover chicken or turkey.
• Tuna made with low-fat or nonfat sour cram or salad dressing.

Freezing Tips:

• Store Each sandwich in its own plastic bag.
• Label and date each sandwich.
• Put all of the wrapped sandwiches in one large airtight bag to preserve them longer.

Try These Condiments For Variety:

• Jam
• Relish
• Barbecue sauce
• Chutney
• Sweet and sour sauce
• Mustard
• Ketchup
• Honey
• Sour cream
• Horseradish sauce
• Salad dressing
• Cranberry sauce
• Teriyaki sauce

  Note: Mayonnaise doesn't freeze well.

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Ten Time Saving Tips

1. Delegate household chores to your spouse and children. Pick chores that are appropriate for each child's age and ability. Ask children which chores they prefer.

2. Plan ahead. Do things the night before. Encourage children to prepare their backpacks for school before they go to bed. Collect everything you need for the next day and put it in the car or by the door before going to bed.

3. Freeze meals ahead of time. Make double portions of your favorite dishes. Use leftover turkey for casseroles, soups and stir-fries. Make and freeze a week's worth of sandwiches at a time. Take them out of the freezer at breakfast and they'll be defrosted by noon.

4. Enlist outside help for yard work. If your kids are too young to rake leaves or water the lawn, hire an older neighborhood child to do the job. Be sure to clearly explain what's expected.

5. Buy birthday, anniversary and special events cards in advance. Pre-address and sign them. Mark dates in a calendar so you'll remember when to send them.

6. Ask a teenager or older family member to plan and prepare the evening meal one night a week. Encourage them to use imaginative menus to make the job more fun and add variety to your diet.

7. Use work breaks to review your daily to-do list. Crossing off completed or unnecessary items will help you feel more relaxed.

8. Plan ahead for at-home emergencies. Keep an extra key with the neighbors. Post a list of essential phone numbers, such as those for relatives, doctors and neighbors, next to the phone. Compile phone numbers of backup baby sitters and child care providers.

9. Create a neighborhood car pool for carting kids to games, school events and lessons.

10. Consolidate bill paying. Stash bills in one place when they arrive. Pick a time once a month to pay bills that are due.

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Curbing Your Sweet Tooth

Few of us can resist the temptations of sweet food. Sweets go hand in hand with parties, celebrations and rewards for good behavior. One way to curb a sweet tooth is to find nutritious alternative to high-calorie sweets.

Low-Sugar Alternatives
Here are some snacks that cater to the craving for sweets without adding too much sugar and fat:

• favorite fresh fruits kept handy in a fruit basket;
• a cup of low fat yogurt flavored with two tablespoons of low-calorie strawberry jam, a dash of cinnamon and grated lemon rind;
• chunks of frozen fruit, such as bananas, cherries and berries;
• instant "ice cream": blend one cup low fat milk, two cups frozen fruit and two tablespoons sugar, if desire. Eat it immediately or freeze it in plastic cups;
• fruit juice or a combination of fruit juice and soda water on the rocks.

If you find yourself simply unable to resist a traditional dessert, try limiting the serving size so as not to give yourself an excuse to binge later on.

Non-Food Rewards

Another way to respond to a sweet tooth is to reward it--but not with food. Everyone has a list of favorite "feel good" activities. These could include:

• listening to a favorite piece of music,
• calling a good friend for a chat,
• stretching out for 10 minutes in a hammock,
• getting a quick facial or other beauty treatment,
• renting a movie,
• or taking a walk or other pleasant exercise.

You can probably think of other activities that are perfect for you. Pick one of these activities the next time your sweet tooth starts to get out of control. To make your job easier, rid your house and desk at work of high-calorie sweets. Stay away from activities and places that tempt you to eat sweets--or fill up first on a healthy sugar-free or low-sugar snack.

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Turkey 101

Step 1: Buying

Allot 1 pound per person. See chart below to determine the appropriate size turkey for your family gathering. You may want to buy a fresh turkey as opposed to frozen to avoid days of thawing.

Turkey by the Numbers

Step 2: Thawing

THAW turkey in unopened wrapper, breast-side up, on a tray in the refrigerator. See chart for thawing time.

Step 3: Preparing

REMOVE neck and excess fat and giblets from chest cavity.

RINSE cavity and outside of turkey with cold water. Blot with paper towels.

SEASON cavity and area under the skin with salt, pepper and herbs. Try poultry seasoning, thyme, sage or marjoram.

HELP bird cook evenly by making it as compact as possible. Tuck legs into ring of skin that they were originally in when you unwrapped bird. Fold first joint of wings underneath bird's back.

GRAVY is most flavorful if the turkey is cooked on a bed of carrots, celery and onions. Quarter the onions, peel and trim the carrots and celery, but do not chop. Lay carrots and celery in a lattice pattern with onions in between on the bottom of a large roasting pan and place turkey on top of the vegetables.

BRUSH skin with vegetable oil to prevent it from drying out during roasting.

INSERT a meat thermometer deep into the thickest part of the thigh next to the body. Make sure it does not touch the bone. If you don't have a meat thermometer that can stay in the oven, you can also check for doneness with an instant-read thermometer near the end of the estimated roasting time.

Step 4: Cooking

ROAST at 325' for indicated time (see chart above) - basting is unnecessary. When the skin turns brown, about two thirds of the way through roasing, shield the breast loosely with a sheet of foil to prevent overbrowning.

CHECK for doneness. The internal temperature of thighs should be 180'F on a meat thermometer. The thigh and drumstick meat should feel soft when pressed, and when the thigh is pierced with a fork the juices should run clear, not pink.

Step 5: Resting

Remove turkey from oven. Place on cutting board resting in a large cafeteria-style tray with a lip or on a flat aluminum foil tray.

Tent the cooked turkey with foil. Let stand for 15-20 minutes. This resting time allows the juices to saturate the meat evenly for the most tender turkey.

Step 6: Carving

Carve the turkey in the kitchen, not at the dinner table.

Serving

Decorate your platter by placing fresh, edible herbs, such as rosemary and sage, around the turkey. Citrus twists, citrus fans or citrus curls are easy and colorful additions to garnish with as well.

Step 8: Leftovers

So What To Do with ALL That Left Over Turkey???

 

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