Posts in General Information
Corn Muffins
Corn is an abundant and relatively inexpensive grain. Originating in the Americas, American Indians and Spaniards called it maiz. In Italian it is mais or grano. An inexpensive Italian peasant food food derived from corn is polenta a cornmeal mush that can be baked, fried or grilled. American ingenuity has ... more
Read moreHow to Perfectly Poach Shrimp
Many recipes like Shrimp Cocktail cook raw shrimp in boiling water. But shrimp, like most seafood cooks in just minutes making it easy to overcook producing a tough, rubbery, chewy consistency. Precooked, frozen shrimp is usually grossly overcooked. The secret to perfectly cooked succulent shrimp is poaching. Poaching is the ... more
Read moreSalted vs. Unsalted Butter
Virtually every celebrity chef and cooking show recommends cooking and baking with unsalted butter. The rationale is using unsalted butter allows you to control how much salt is in the food. But does cooking with unsalted butter really make that big a difference? Considering how much salt is added to ... more
Read moreAn Egg A Day May Be OK
For decades doctors have warned patients with high cholesterol to avoid high cholesterol foods like eggs, which have about 210 mg per large egg, to reduce the risk of heart disease. More recent studies found dietary cholesterol, cholesterol obtained from foods, may not increase blood cholesterol and the risks associated ... more
Read moreI Lost 23 Lbs. in 6 Weeks!*
With all the miraculous weight loss plans offered in the United States you’d think Americans would be the beacon of health and fitness. Whether the person pictured in the ad is unknown or a celebrity the weight loss claims are always followed by an asterisk and barely readable fine print ... more
Read moreNatural Pizza?
People who travel to Italy rave about the food. What usually differentiates good Italian food from American chain restaurant food is the quality of the ingredients. American restaurants focus on large portions and low prices. As a result they pile on the salt to mass produce industrialized food. When I ... more
Read moreObscene Breakfasts and Sandwiches
On way restaurants attract patrons is by offering huge and in some cases gigantic portions to provide the biggest value to the customers money. They also can provide a days worth of calories and several days worth of saturated fat and sodium all in one meal. Large portions are common ... more
Read moreFresh Produce?
It is unfortunate many Americans never eaten fresh, tree or vine ripened fruit. Most supermarket produce is far from fresh. They are picked days or weeks before they are ripe to withstand mechanical picking, storage and transportation. Some fruits and vegetables have travelled more miles than some people. Produce from ... more
Read moreAmerican Heart Association List of High Sodium Foods
The American Heart Association publishes a list of foods providing high levels of sodium in the American diet. USDA sodium limits for Americans are 2,300 mg per day if you are 50 or younger and 1,500 mg per day if you are over 50, African American or have high blood ... more
Read moreEgg Safe Handling Instructions
The American food supply is so safe according to politicians that the following warning is printed on some cartons of fresh eggs about the hazards of eating undercooked, improperly stored eggs: “To prevent illness from bacteria: keep eggs refrigerated, cook eggs until yokes are firm (i.e. hard boiled), and cook ... more
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