The 5 Second Rule

Do you live by the 3 or 5 second rule?

You know what I mean! …

If you drop something on the floor … you pick it up fast and yell “Five second rule” and pop that bad boy in your mouth!

Haha – it makes me laugh thinking about it because I know I”ve shouted that out a million times so far!

But honestly I never really thought about the saying until I ran across this article that breaks down the 5 second rule!

The history … oh and if you love Julia Child then you will smile at what she dropped!

The science … does 5 seconds mean less or no bacteria? .. find out!

The fun .. of course the little quirks in the 5 second rule and how it differs between men and women both!

Ready to learn more about the 5 second rule?

Click the link below to head onto the article posted by Inverse.com

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30 Most Influential Restaurants in the last 30 Years

I recently ran over an article written by the Robb Report (link is at the end of this article) that outlined some of the most influential restaurants in the last 3 decades.

It’s interesting to see how restaurant trends have shaped how we eat and view food.

I think some of the list is on point but I think for many some of the restaurants may have some food items that are ‘way out there’ or ‘totally outside’ of what someone will try to eat.

For example – fish – several of the restaurants cited talk about the amazing and exquisite fish dishes they serve.  I find many people I talk to just don’t like fish.  They stay away from it and steer clear. Despite my efforts to get friends, family, customers and ambassadors to TRY different fish dishes, they just cant stand the though of it.

Farm to Table Eating – this trend pops up among over 1/2 the restaurants cited. And I agree. I think as we have grown into the 2000’s we are more conscious about eating local.  We are more aware of supporting our local growers with the produce they are farming.  Many top chefs either have their own gardens they use produce from or they partner with local micro-farmers and create dishes using in season produce.

The selection of restaurants cited in the Robb report are very diverse not only in location but in the type of food being offered.  They are truly an around the world look at some of the most influential restaurants in the past 3 decades.
Several on this list make my list for must try! … I don’t eat out often because I truly love cooking from home and can use my own creative juices but thinking about eating out at some of these restaurants make me giddy and excited to try something totally different, unique and delicious.

On my top list is

Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, Alabama

Au Pied de Cochon, Montreal

El Bulli, Roses, Spain

Harvey’s, London

 

What make’s your top list of restaurants to visit and try?

Read the full article on the Robb Report’s website by clicking here

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Half of All U.S. Produce Is Thrown Away

Did you know that close to half the produce cultivated in the USA is actually thrown away?

I definitely know food is tossed from several check points.

The farmer tosses what he or she doesn’t think will sell or ‘windfalls’ that hit the ground that have a blemish here or there

The distributor sorts the produce according to grades.  1st’s are more expensive because they are the ‘nicest’ to look like and they are th produce that best represent what we buyer’s or us consumers expect.

From there the produce is graded all down the line … all the way down to the ugly fruit and vegetables…

Bins are tossed at the distributor level and never even make it into the ugly fruit and vegetable packaging…

Then the fruit and veggies make its way to the grocery stores. That’s where the stores stock the bins and line the shelves.  During that process they pick through all the produce, showing off the nicest produce in their bunkers and display cases.

The not so pretty pieces of fruit and vegetables then either make their way to the discount bins and grab tables or they get tossed.

Oh but it doesn’t stop there! … the longer the veggies and fruit sit on display the more they will ripen and turn into uglier versions of their younger selves…. and again they will make their way to the discount portions of the store .. or worse to the big ol’ garbage bin.

It’s a growing problem .. as one study shows. Read the original study here.

What do you think? Do you shop the pretty produce? Or will you go for the uglier produce? …  Check out the original article written by the Guardian by clicking here

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Will the New Chipotle Grill Menu Be Enough?

This month Chipotle Mexican Grill announced they will be testing the roll out of several new menu items, to include a Quesadilla, a milkshake and Avocado Tostadas.

But will it be enough to bring you back to the esteemed Chipotle Grill?

Will it be enough to help salvage their reputation?

Similar to Taco Bell, they have suffered from public perception.  A rash of E.coli outbreaks have caused the chain a lot to deal with and in turn, many customers have opted for other fast casual and take-out restaurants other than Chipotle

These moves don’t really make me want to run to Chipotle Grill for my next fast casual meal.  First of all, Quesadilla’s are nothing more than a tortilla filled with cheese, a few small toppings and grilled to create a cheesy pocket.  There’s absolutely no nutritional balance of that meal whatsoever.

I am not sure the Quesadilla is really going to do it for them, at least not from my perspective. I”d much rather eat a taco salad that I make with the proper amount of meat, accompanied by those delicious toppings I love to mix.

Milkshakes, just don’t make sense at all. How is a milkshake really Mexican?  Why would they think Milkshakes are the way to go at a Mexican Restaurant? Why not invest in a delicious Horchata.  A traditional drink made with carefully soaked rice combined with flavors such as vanilla, cinnamon and cacao.

Even virgin Margaritas.  Seriously.  You can make delicious frozen frappe Margaritas without the alcohol.

I mean really, Milkshakes could not feel any less Mexican. When you have so many other delicious options that are closer to Mexican origins  … and ya gotta pick the milkshake?

C’mon Chipotle…. try harder.  Restore our confidence in good healthy food that is SAFE for us.  This confidence has little to do with Milkshakes!

To read the original review by the New York Times Click Here

 

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Fancy Baking Hack : Use a Vegetable Peeler

Use a vegetable peeler to make a pretty and fancy toppings using a simple kitchen tool. Use chocolate curls and shavings to decorate cakes and other baked goods or to garnish mugs of hot chocolate.

Slightly soften a 3 to 4-inch chunk of chocolate in the microwave on medium (50% power). Using a vegetable peeler, scrape the blade lengthwise across the softened chocolate to create pretty, delicate curls.

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How Long Can You Freeze Food Before It Goes Bad?

We all freeze food! Let’s face it …With the New Year upon us, everyone is looking for ways to stay healthier, drop a few pounds and that usually starts in the kitchen.

We all look for great strategies to eat smarter and make our prep easier.  One of the easiest ways to shed a few calories is to start cooking from home again.  And..that means shopping the sales and freezing food or coming up with great freezer meal dishes.

So how long can you actually keep your foods in the freezer for?

If you search the internet you will find a long list of helpful infographics that are to point you in the right direction about how long you can actually use that food that’s frozen.

Some charts say you can freeze chicken for up to nine months. Others say twelve. Some charts say that cheese will last for six months and others say four.

Those guidelines are helpful but are they accurate?

Not really…

If you look at the USDA, those guidelines aren’t actually referring to safety at all.  Because food frozen is safe to eat provided it was safe to eat at the exact time it was frozen.

“Because freezing keeps food safe almost indefinitely, recommended storage times are for quality only,” says the USDA. “Food stored constantly at 0 degrees Fahrenheit will always be safe. Only the quality suffers with lengthy freezer storage.” 

The charts may be helpful .. but they are only actually suggesting the optimum freezing times for the best quality .. not necessarily for safety.

For example, a frozen banana will be safe to eat in your freezer until the end of times.  It may only actually taste good and remain it’s delicious white color for three months, but in terms of safety – have at it!

The USDA explains why freezing is a safe method of storage “Freezing keeps food safe by slowing the movement of molecules, causing microbes to enter a dormant stage. Freezing preserves food for extended periods because it prevents the growth of microorganisms that cause both food spoilage and foodborne illness.” Freezing also inactivates any bacteria, yeasts and molds that may be found in your food. (Just remember that once you thaw your food, these microbes can become active again.)

Below are the USDA’s freezer guidelines and below that is an additional guide from FreezerLabels.net that includes more ingredients ― remember, these charts are both guidelines for qualit

y only, not safety. If you’re looking for a food that’s not listed on any of the charts below, the USDA offers some tips that’ll help you determine a food’s quality:

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Cooking spray for grate cheese

If you’ve ever had to grate a semi-soft cheese, you know it can be difficult to clean the grater afterward, and you know you lose a lot of cheese because it breaks up when you’re trying to press it through the grater. Use cooking spray to stop cheese from sticking to a grater and make the grating and the cleanup easier!

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Two color swirl icing!

Use 2 bags of different icing with one tip to make swirl icing! Fill two small disposable piping bags with different colored or flavored frosting. Use scissors to snip holes in the bottoms of both bags. Insert both bags into a large (16”) disposable piping bag fitted with a decorative tip, making sure the two bags are aligned by squeezing and twisting the large bag.

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Fluffier whipped cream!

Light and airy as a cloud, there’s nothing quite like a spoonful of freshly whipped cream. Get fluffier whipped cream when you chill the beater and bowl beforehand. Because you’re relying on the fat in the cream, you need to ensure it stays in a solid, albeit microscopically solid, state. Chilling your bowl, cream, and beaters beforehand means things will stay colder longer during the whipping process. Colder cream = loftier peaks. Using a lower speed to begin your whipping will also be helpful. The cream won’t warm too quickly and you’ll build up smaller bubbles, for a more stable foam.

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Forgot to soak the beans?

We’ve all been there. You go to start a recipe for your favorite chili or bean soup or from-scratch hummus and then it hits you: you forgot to soak the beans! Of course you can reach for canned beans at this point, but if freshly cooked beans are what you really want, then this tip is for you! Cut the soaking time for dried beans by microwaving them for 15 minutes.

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The best way to store salad greens!

Buying a big bag of salad greens or lettuces is a great, economical way to get your veggie servings, but we’ve all dealt with the frustrations of opening the bag a few days later and seeing sad, wilted or even slimy leaves inside. What’s the best way to store salad greens so that they last the longest? Transfer bagged lettuce to a lidded container and place a paper towel over the top to keep leaves crisp longer.

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The best kitchen tip with a rubber band!

Are you tired of the mixing spoon falling into the pot? You have to try this! Prevent a mixing spoon from falling into a bowl full of food by attaching a rubber band.

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More juice out of citrus!

A simple trick: Get more juice out of citrus by microwaving the fruit for 10-15 seconds before squeezing. The fruit will be easier to squeeze and the process will reap more juice for whatever you’re cooking up. A lemon or lime taken straight from the refrigerator is harder to juice than one left at room temperature or warmed slightly.

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Speed up ripening!

Speed up ripening! Be a total magician and morph a banana from green to yellow or a peach from crunchy to juicy all with the help of a paper bag. When fruit is tossed into the bag, concentrated ethylene gas helps it ripen faster.

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Get creative with covering food

Get creative with covering food! They’re known for hair hackery, but shower caps are not limited to the bathroom. Cover leftovers with a fresh shower cap (right in their dishes) to keep bugs and unidentifiable particles from tainting food. They’re reusable and a helluva lot easier than repeatedly removing and replacing plastic wrap or tin foil.

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Clean fruit and veggies without chemicals

Clean fruit and veggies without harsh chemicals. Scrub fresh produce with a mixture of baking soda and water to remove grit, grime, and pesticides.

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De-crust a microwave

De-crust a microwave. Soak a sponge in water, pop it in the microwave, and let it cruise around the turntable for a minute. This double-whammy hack loosens all that gross caked on stuff inside the microwave (making it easier to wipe away later) plus it helps disinfect the sponge too!

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Shining metal kitchen tools

Make an electric kettle glimmer. Lime scale often builds up on electric kettles, French presses, and other metal kitchen tools. To make them shimmer and shine like they’re brand new, scrub them with one part vinegar to one part water. If there are no electrical elements to what you’re cleaning, go ahead and soak the metal in the solution, or fill a kettle with the vinegar water and let it sit overnight.

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New life to wooden spoons

Bring new life to wooden spoons. When wooden spoons don’t exactly look (or smell) like they used to, boil them in a pot of water and leave them lying in the sun to dry.

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Cutting boards looking new

Keep wooden cutting boards looking new. Scrub a wooden cutting board with coarse salt and massage with half a lemon to clean away food particles and food smells. Rub the board with food-grade mineral oil (find it at a hardware store) to condition the wood once a month.

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