Beginner's Recommendations

Revolving Spice Racks - The Benefits of Using Them

For me, with a Revolving Spice Rack, I don't have to go through my entire cupboard to find a container of spice!
Revolving Spice racks really free up a lot of space, especially if you don't have a lot of space, to begin with.

If you are a very short person, and you store your spices and herbs in an overhead kitchen cabinet, it will be challenging and time-consuming going through several bottles of spices just to find a particular bottle in the back of your cabinet.
  
This is a great way to keep your spices in check, as you will be able to easily see what you already have, don't have, or what needs to be refilled.

 A great way to keep your cabinet clutter-free

You can save on spices also when you purchase some spice racks since you are eligible for free spice refills for 5 years from the date of purchase. https://freespicerefills.com.



Kitchen Cookware and Utensils

Get the Right Cooking Utensils 

There's this old saying, "A bad workman blames a poorly done job on his tools." If you are a beginner or have recently started cooking, don't end up being like the bad workman. In other words, don't only avoid getting some bad cooking tools, but also get the right and necessary tools. Don't spend all of your savings on cooking utensils you don't necessarily need or expensive brands that are not necessarily better than other cheaper brands. Try to be as frugal as possible.

Why You Should Get The Right Cooking Utensils

Let's first take a look at cookware. Having pots that are the best for preparing meals on stove-tops or baking containers that are oven-proved, for example, is of paramount importance if you intend to do a lot of cooking and baking. Unfortunately, pots and pans made from cheap materials or poorly designed will cause your food to stick to the bottom of them or burn and will also warp, rust, scratch, chip, and even break after using them for a short period.

This I can definitely attest to. When I first started my undergraduate studies, all I could afford was some cheap pots and cooking utensils because I was struggling to make ends meet. One evening I had just finished preparing dinner when another student who was also a resident of the Dormitory I was staying in came to the kitchen and asked me if he could borrow my frying pan. He told me that he would be quick because he was just going to fry two eggs, so I should wait for the frying pan.

As I stood there waiting, I wished he had allowed me to return to my room, just for a minute or two, instead of having me waiting around to witness what this cheap frying pan had done to his eggs. I was so embarrassed as he cursed this poor pan, calling it all sort of names. No matter how hard he tried the prevent his eggs from sticking, his effort was in vain; the eggs just kept sticking to the bottom of the frying pan. As a result, what was meant to be fried eggs, turned out to be scrambled eggs. It didn't take long for the bottom of this pan to get discolored and my cooking fork, skillet, spoons, etc., to start rusting.

How to Choose Pots and Pans for Cooking

If you are working with a limited budget or really don't know how to choose good-quality pots and pans, you might find yourself struggling with the decision as to what types of pots or pans you should buy. One very important thing you should be aware of is that most cookware sets today are made either of aluminum, stainless steel, cast iron, or copper. In addition, the materials can either be nonstick or non-coated.

 Secondly, your should think about the things you like to cook the most, which will ultimately affect your choice of materials. Most of the time, if you prefer to fry your eggs, meat, etc., you might want to consider purchasing at least one non-coated pot or pan. Finally, if you would like to be able to wash your pots and pans in the dishwasher, you should also take this into consideration when choosing your cookware sets. However, it won't hurt to get both a nonstick and a non-coated pan since they both have their share of advantages and disadvantages. Below are some advantages and disadvantages of nonstick and non-coated pans:-

Nonstick Pans

     Advantages

·         Perfect for simple cleanup

·         Require less oil for cooking, thus help to reduce fat intake

Disadvantages

·        More easily scratched than non-coated pans, for this reason, it's best not to use metal utensils in them

· Don't allow your food to brown as well or like they do in nonstick pans

   Non-coated

       Advantages

·        Perfect choice if you do a lot of browning and braising

Disadvantage

·        Much more challenging to clean than nonstick pans

A Few other Useful Cookwares 

1. Slow Cookers

Why Do You Need a Slow Cooker

We live in a society where most people are always "on the go." If you are one of those individuals currently living a fast-paced life, a Slow Cooker--- often referred to as Crock-Pot--- is definitely recommended, simply because it saves time by allowing you to cook your meals at a relatively slow pace unattended. When cooking soups, stews, and tough cuts of meat, for example, a slow cooker will get the job done well.

Newer models are designed to simmer food at a low temperature, generally between 170° and 280° F, for an extended time. The later models are even equipped with electronic controls that allow you to program cooking time, usually in intervals of 30 minutes, and that automatically switches to warm when cooking is completed.

  2. Pressure Cookers

While Crock-Pots AKA Slow Cookers are designed for cooking meals at a slow pace, the traditional Pressure Cooker, on the other hand, is designed to cook tough cuts of meat or bony pieces of meat such as beef oxtails, at a much faster pace. So, if you need to prepare something that takes quite a long time to cook and is pressed for time, the original pressure cooker will get the job done quickly. For example, it usually takes 45 to 60 minutes to cook oxtails when using a traditional pressure cooker.

Contrarily, a traditional Slow Cooker, on the other hand, may take as much as 6 hours if you were to cook oxtails at high temperature; and 10 hrs if you were to program it to cook it at low. First, however, it's not safe to leave an older model pressure cooker unattended. Secondly, because the meat is being cooked under high pressure, you have to be extremely careful when removing the lids of the older version pressure cookers. For this reason, you are advised to always read the manufacturer's instructions before using them.

Nonetheless, some newer Pressure Cookers are multifunctional and programmable, just like Slow Cookers. Some of them, for example, even function as rice cooker, slow cooker, steamer, warmer and can even saute/brown meat. So, the bottom line is that all you need is a traditional or simple Pressure Cooker, which of course, is much cheaper. 

3. Food Processors or Blenders

If you enjoy or would like to experiment with different herbs, fruits, and vegetables like I do, either of these two pieces of appliances is a must. It suffices to say, you should always consider the types of food and drinks you will be preparing before choosing a blender or food processor. For example, some processors can help you reduce the amount of time you usually spend cutting fruits and vegetables into small pieces to feed smaller processors, simply because they are designed with wider feed tubes, which allow you to feed larger pieces of fruits and vegetables into them.

  

My advice is that you shouldn't buy any of these just because of the design or simply because it matches the color of your other kitchen utensils or appliances. Other important things you may also want to consider when trying to figure out what food processor or blender you should purchase are:- whether or not a blender or processor has easily read measurement marks and controls that are not technical to use. Also, if you are going to prepare meals for a small family or just for yourself, a processor that can hold up to 7 cups of dry ingredients should be okay.

 Last but not least, you may also want to consider the quietness of the blender when in use. This bit of information should be enough for a beginner or someone who will not be catering for large crowds. For others who will be catering for larger groups or will need food processors or blenders for other purposes, there are undoubtedly several other features you might want to consider when deciding on the type of blender or food processor you should purchase.

 KIRKLAND SIGNATURE STAINLESS STEEL COOKWARE
I recently started using these Cookwares, and I must honestly say they are some of the best pots I have come across. These are some of the reasons I find them to be excellent for cooking:
1. They are not too heavy or too light
3. Reach desired cooking temperature quickly
2. They retain the heat perfectly well
4. Cook evenly

FYI. The first time you use any of these Cookwares, the bottom(inside) may develop a temporary stain or discoloration. However, this is not a problem! When washing them, just pour a bit of vinegar or lemon juice in the bottom and gently scrub. This will get rid of this discoloration.

 How to Clean Mack and Cheese Pots and Pans - The Ridiculously Easy Way

This is a simple method – nothing new to many of you. So without further ado, let me dive right into this method and when and how I learned it. In the first year of my undergrad studies, I worked part-time at a Nursing home as a Dietary Aide. I started some days washing pots, pans, and other utensils(lots of them). Other days, I may either help with meal prep, serving and delivering the resident's meals, etc., or work with the other guys in the dishwasher room. 

I always dreaded the days when I was assigned to utility #4(washing pots, pans, and other utensils). Because the cooks had to prepare lunch or dinner for the entire staff(all shifts), and breakfast, lunch, and dinner for about 200 Residents, utility #4 was not my friend. I hated washing the same pots and pans repeatedly.

I was fresh out of Jamaica, never knew anything about cooking mac and cheese, moreso washing mac and cheese pots or pans. 

On this day in question, the cooks prepared several pans of baked mac and cheese. I decided to leave those pans for the last because once I washed them, I would have to change the water, and I didn't want to do that until I cleaned all the other less dirty/greasy containers. However, refilling that huge utility sink with water took a long time, and it was getting too close to 7:00 pm - the end of my work shift. 

When I finished washing all the other pans, pots, and utensils, I filled the utility sink with cleaner water – steaming hot water and then added the sterilizer/disinfectant. I then decided to soak the mac and cheese pans in hot water for a few minutes, as I thought that would help loosen the cheese from the bottom of the pan. 

 However, when I returned to washing them, I realized the cheese in the pans cooked further in hot water and stuck firmer to the bottom and sides of the pans. I was struggling to clean the cheese from the first of four huge pans, but the sponge/scouring pad I was using could not remove all the cheese effectively. So I was now asking for help.

This was when another worker came over to me – after he saw me struggling, of course – to let me know that I should never try to soak mac and cheese containers in hot water because hot water further cooks and glues the cheese to the bottom of the pan. So instead, he told me that I should always leave them to soak in cold water as this would loosen and not further cook it. 

To this day, I never use hot or warm water to soak a mac and cheese pan before washing it.