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How to Keep Raw Meat Fresh Longer in the Fridge

March 19, 2015 by

Meat is an important part of most people’s diets, and it can take up quite a large chunk of your grocery budget. Unfortunately, meat is also difficult to store and has a shorter shelf life than other groceries. Here are a few tips that will help you to store meat properly and make it last longer!

  1. Keep your refrigerator at the proper temperature. In order to store meat in your refrigerator, it should be kept at or below 40 degrees. If you plan on freezing meat, the freezer should be kept at or below 0 degrees.
  2. Timing is everything. In order to safely store cooked meat, you must refrigerate it within two hours of eating. If you’re storing it raw, be sure to refrigerate or freeze it immediately.
  3. Store it in the proper containers. Be sure to refrigerate or freeze meat in a shallow container that is barely bigger than the meat itself. This will ensure that it becomes cold as quickly as possible and isn’t exposed to any air.
  4. Be cautious about freezing. Freezing meat is a great way to make your meat last longer, but you need to be cautious about freezer burn. Be sure to wrap meat thoroughly in plastic wrap, aluminum foil, or wax paper before storing the meat in the freezer.

Storage Times for the Refrigerator and Freezer [Foodsafety.gov]
Meat in the Refrigerator: How Long Does It Last? [Foodsafety.gov]
How to Store Food Properly in the Freezer and Fridge [Lifehacker]
Food Storage 101: Where and How Long to Keep Your Favorite Foods [Lifehacker]

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Play It Safe: How to Cook Food to Its Minimum Temperature

December 4, 2014 by

It's important to cook items to the proper temperature to prevent food borne illness, but it gets confusing keeping all those numbers straight. Check out this guide for the correct temperatures!

  • Using a food thermometer is the best way to verify the correct temperature. You can't always tell if meat is done just by looking at it, even ground meat.
  • Some meats, like steaks, chops, roasts, fresh pork, and fresh ham, need extra resting time after they have been cooked, so that the temperature can continue to rise and kill harmful bacteria.
  • It's also important you cook to eggs to the proper temperature, but using a thermometer in scrambled eggs doesn't work. Just make sure the whites and yolks are firm before enjoying.
  • With some seafood, you can tell if it is fully cooked by looking. Clams and oysters should be cooked until the shell opens up. Shrimp, lobster, and crab need to be cooked until the skin is opaque.

· Safe Minimum Cooking Temperatures [Foodsafety.gov]

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Sample These Acorn Squash Recipes This Fall

September 18, 2014 by

Acorn squash is a type of winter squash with a unique dark green rind, longitudinal ridges and a yellowish-orange inside that tastes sweet and mild. This squash is so versatile that even the most novice home chef can easily prepare it in a variety of different ways. Here are just three ways to try your hand at serving acorn squash this fall.

Baked Acorn Squash [allrecipes.com]
To really get a good idea of how acorn squash tastes, you should first prepare it all by itself. This simple recipe involves baking a halved acorn squash with just a bit of butter and brown sugar to create a healthy side dish or even a unique dessert.

Acorn Squash Soup with Kale [marthastewart.com]
With a hearty texture and autumnal flavors, this soup is perfect for those chilly fall evenings. Pureeing the acorn squash is one of the best ways to prepare it for use in a soup, while adding crispy bacon and finely chopped kale adds a darker, smokier flavor that contrasts the sweetness of the squash.

Spinach and Acorn Squash Ravioli [myrecipes.com]
Acorn squash makes a wonderful filling for pasta, and in this creative recipe it’s blended with creamy ricotta cheese and chopped spinach for added flavor. Plus, using wonton wrappers instead of the usual pasta dough saves on calories, and it’s much easier than rolling out that dough by hand.

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How to Save Time and Money in the Kitchen

August 21, 2014 by

Between family, friends, work, and errands, there's typically little time left in the day for cooking a wholesome, healthy meal. Whether you're cooking for one or preparing a feast for your entire extended family, these time-saving cooking tips can help you stretch those seconds in the kitchen.

1) Keep your cabinets well-stocked.
Before you make a trip to the grocery store, do a quick assessment of your cabinets. Are you low on essentials such as rice, flour, cooking stock, basic seasonings, and pasta? Keeping these kitchen staples on hand will prevent hiccups in your meal planning process down the line. Consider printing this handy grocery checklist from Martha Stewart.

2) Plan ahead.
Establishing a meal menu for the week will not only make dinner prep easier, it'll also help you save money. Scan the newspaper for coupons, then flip through your grocer's circular for any notable bargains. Afterwards, plan a menu based around the food that's on sale. For instance, if chicken is being offered at a discount, capitalize from the deal by creating a chicken-centric menu for the week. Assemble oven-ready dishes, such as casseroles and soup stock, that you can freeze and eat at a later date.

Menu Planning: Save Time In The Kitchen [Organized Home]
Save Time in the Kitchen [Martha Stewart]
5 best time-saving cooking tips [EatingWell]

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Nutrition Tips for Vegetarians

April 17, 2014 by

Whether you want to show support for animals or simply choose to avoid meat products, becoming a vegetarian can be a very healthy lifestyle choice. Though it decreases your risk for many long-term diseases, a vegetarian diet can make it difficult to get the protein and other nutrients a person needs to stay healthy and energized.

These vegetarian eating tips can help you create a balanced, meat-free diet:

  • Make sure that you get enough protein by incorporating nuts, beans, peas and soy products into meals and snacks.
  • Keep up with your necessary iron intake to create healthy oxygen absorption in the blood by eating a lot of spinach, kidney beans, lentils, black-eyed peas and iron-fortified cereals.
  • Choose calcium-fortified soy milk to replace the calcium normally found in regular cow’s milk.
  • Consider vegetarian alternatives to traditionally meat-based foods to keep your diet exciting (for example, bean burritos, veggie lo mein, or vegetarian lasagna).

Tips for Vegetarians [USDA]

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Basic Cooking Terms for Healthy Home Chefs

March 20, 2014 by

Are you the type of at-home cook who uses the same technique for “grilling” as you do for “sautéing”? Using the proper cooking techniques can make or break a nutritious dish, but many people don’t know the true meaning of most of these terms. This helpful list will ensure that you use the most effective cooking techniques for every healthy meal. Here are some of the highlights:

1. Grill. Ideal for chicken, firmer seafood and hearty vegetables, grilling is a common cooking method that can be done on a stovetop or an outdoor grill.

2. Broil. Broiling is a great technique for dishes that require a crispy surface. It can be used for chicken, salmon, tuna or other lean meats.

3. Sauté. This light stir-frying method is effective on thin cuts of chicken or most vegetables, from mushrooms to kale to zucchini. By using olive oil or another healthy oil, you can add robust flavor without adding fat to your dish.

4. Poach. Ideal for salmon, flounder, trout and other white fishes, poaching uses boiling water to gently cook and add moisture to fish.

5. Steam. Steaming vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, green beans or carrots is one of the healthiest ways to prepare them. By using boiling water in the bottom of a sauce pan, you’ll have tender vegetables in a matter of minutes.

Basic Cooking Instructions [NIH]

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