TO OUR NEW MEMBERS
By Joe Cooks. Thursday, 1. November 2007, 17:45:03
Hello to all you new members of "THE FOOD, COOKING and RECIPE NATION." It's great to have you.
PRACTICAL COOKING SAFETY TIPS
By Joe Cooks. Wednesday, 24. October 2007, 09:40:15
The kitchen can be a very busy center of activity. Many of us have more than one thing that we are working on in getting that meal prepared and ready for consumption. The stove is heating pots of whatever, the oven is cooking or baking something else, the cutting board and knives are either being used or going to be used for chopping, dicing, mincing, etc. We are moving from the refrigerator to the sink to the stove to the kitchen countertop to the microwave to the . . . You get the idea.
Add one or more precious ingredients while this is going on, like our children, and we really need to be extra careful that no mishaps occur. Here are some cooking safety tips that we trust will avoid anyone getting hurt in your kitchen.
● Always use cooking equipment tested and approved by a recognized testing facility.
● Never leave cooking food on the stovetop unattended.
● Keep a close eye on food cooking inside the oven.
● Keep cooking areas clean and clear of combustibles (e.g. potholders, towels, rags, drapes and food packaging.)
● Keep children away from cooking areas by enforcing a “kid-free zone” of three feet (1 meter) around the stove.
● Keep pets from underfoot so you do not trip while cooking. Also, keep pets off cooking surfaces and nearby countertops to prevent them from knocking things onto burner.
● Wear short, close fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can dangle onto stove burners and catch fire.
● Never use a wet oven mitt, as it presents a scald danger if the moisture in the mitt is heated.
● Always keep a potholder, oven mitt and lid handy. If a small fire starts in a pan on the stove, put on an oven mitt and smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan. Turn off the burner. Don't remove the lid until it is completely cool. Never pour water on a grease fire and never discharge a fire extinguisher onto a pan fire, as it can spray or shoot burning grease around the kitchen, actually spreading the fire.
● If there is an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed to prevent flames from burning you and your clothing.
● If there is a microwave fire, keep the door closed and unplug the microwave. Call the fire department and make sure to have the oven serviced before you use it again. Food cooked in a microwave can be dangerously hot. Remove the lids or other coverings from microwaved food carefully to prevent steam burns.
Source: The National Fire Protection Association (www.nfpa.org).
If you feel you've got some other safety tips that just might help someone stay safe in the kitchen, why not post them here.
Add one or more precious ingredients while this is going on, like our children, and we really need to be extra careful that no mishaps occur. Here are some cooking safety tips that we trust will avoid anyone getting hurt in your kitchen.
● Always use cooking equipment tested and approved by a recognized testing facility.
● Never leave cooking food on the stovetop unattended.
● Keep a close eye on food cooking inside the oven.
● Keep cooking areas clean and clear of combustibles (e.g. potholders, towels, rags, drapes and food packaging.)
● Keep children away from cooking areas by enforcing a “kid-free zone” of three feet (1 meter) around the stove.
● Keep pets from underfoot so you do not trip while cooking. Also, keep pets off cooking surfaces and nearby countertops to prevent them from knocking things onto burner.
● Wear short, close fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can dangle onto stove burners and catch fire.
● Never use a wet oven mitt, as it presents a scald danger if the moisture in the mitt is heated.
● Always keep a potholder, oven mitt and lid handy. If a small fire starts in a pan on the stove, put on an oven mitt and smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan. Turn off the burner. Don't remove the lid until it is completely cool. Never pour water on a grease fire and never discharge a fire extinguisher onto a pan fire, as it can spray or shoot burning grease around the kitchen, actually spreading the fire.
● If there is an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed to prevent flames from burning you and your clothing.
● If there is a microwave fire, keep the door closed and unplug the microwave. Call the fire department and make sure to have the oven serviced before you use it again. Food cooked in a microwave can be dangerously hot. Remove the lids or other coverings from microwaved food carefully to prevent steam burns.
Source: The National Fire Protection Association (www.nfpa.org).
If you feel you've got some other safety tips that just might help someone stay safe in the kitchen, why not post them here.
Cooking and Fire: Some Alarming Stats
By Joe Cooks. Wednesday, 17. October 2007, 14:46:12
Here is some "Food for Thought."
Cooking is fun and very rewarding. The holidays are quickly approaching and with it the cooking intensifies and seemingly multiplies. But cooking can also be deadly if safety is not maintained. Here are some alarming statistics that may cause you to be more conscious of safety while cooking.
• Cooking fires are the #1 cause of home fires and home fire injuries.
• More than 100,000 home fires associated with cooking equipment are reported each year, resulting in nearly 300 deaths and more than 4,000 injuries.
• Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires.
• Three in ten reported home fires start in the kitchen – more than any other place in the home.
• Two out of three reported home cooking fires start with the stove.
• Electric stoves pose a higher risk of producing fires, injuries and property damage than gas stoves. Gas stoves carry a higher risk of fire deaths.
• A study published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found that 75 percent of stove fires started with food ignitions, 45 percent began with cooking oil and 63 percent occurred when someone was frying.
Source: The National Fire Protection Association (www.nfpa.org).
Whenever you cook, please be extra careful and be safe.
Copyright 2007 Team Eat This!
All Rights Reserved
Cooking is fun and very rewarding. The holidays are quickly approaching and with it the cooking intensifies and seemingly multiplies. But cooking can also be deadly if safety is not maintained. Here are some alarming statistics that may cause you to be more conscious of safety while cooking.
• Cooking fires are the #1 cause of home fires and home fire injuries.
• More than 100,000 home fires associated with cooking equipment are reported each year, resulting in nearly 300 deaths and more than 4,000 injuries.
• Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires.
• Three in ten reported home fires start in the kitchen – more than any other place in the home.
• Two out of three reported home cooking fires start with the stove.
• Electric stoves pose a higher risk of producing fires, injuries and property damage than gas stoves. Gas stoves carry a higher risk of fire deaths.
• A study published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found that 75 percent of stove fires started with food ignitions, 45 percent began with cooking oil and 63 percent occurred when someone was frying.
Source: The National Fire Protection Association (www.nfpa.org).
Whenever you cook, please be extra careful and be safe.
Copyright 2007 Team Eat This!
All Rights Reserved
Fresh Fruit Salad
By Joe Cooks. Tuesday, 9. October 2007, 00:11:51
A Cool and Tropical Delight
I never thought one day that I would ever like a fruit salad, let alone have and write my own recipe for it. But, ladies and gentlemen, here I am about to do just that. I suppose my taste buds have changed over time. I can honestly say that I love fruit salad – at least my “special blend” fruit salad.
I've had years preparing and serving this dish to many a populace. I now offer my personal and treasured recipe to you for your consideration and perhaps (should you care to prepare this cool and tropical dish), your consumption as well.
Ingredients:
FRUIT -- The following are my choices. I try to put in all of these for this dish. You may add or delete to your liking.
Apples -- I like using red delicious apples. I use just less than a quarter of an apple.
Bananas -- One whole banana.
Peaches -- Less than one quarter, depending on the size.
Plums -- Half or more, depending on the size.
Strawberries -- Try to get these as fresh and as red as you can. Five or so, depending on the size. I like to de-core the strawberries before slicing.
It's great that there's a strawberry farm so close to where I live where I can pick fresh strawberries from rows and rows. If you can ever get to a strawberry farm and pick your own, please, mark it on your calendar and take the time to go picking. It's lots and lots of fun. Bring the kids, your date, or your whoever.
Raisins – I prefer the “normal” raisin, not the golden raisin. One box of mini-snacks. This is the real small boxes that come in a bag of 14 mini-snacks.
Besides the nice sweet taste of a raisin in this dish, I like the different textures in my mouth when I chew this meal. My tongue gently rearranges and positions the fruit in my mouth so I can masticate properly. (Aahh, the art of masticating is, I'm afraid, just about lost. But that's another topic.)
COCONUT FLAKES – The kind in a bag that is often used for baking cakes. about 1-2 tablespoons.
GRANOLA CEREAL – The brand I use is Heartland Granola Cereal (original), in a box.
I buy it from the local grocery stores in town. If you want, you can try buying it from a “health food” market where they have bins and bins of various grains. You may be able to find the granola cheaper at a place like that.
ALMONDS (Natural) – Optional for some people. I like this in my fruit salad. You can use either the whole almonds or the sliced. Avoid the salted, coated or the fancy funky kind of almond. The plain natural almond is the best. If they are whole, I put in about 6-10. If sliced, about 1-2 full tablespoons.
YOGURT – I get this from the local Publix grocery store in town. I prefer their brand of the “fat free light” yogurts. I'll use half of their vanilla flavor and half of one of their other flavors. The extra I'll put back in the fridge for the next fruit salad I make.
The other flavors are either mandarin, strawberry or strawberry with banana. Not matter what I use, I always, and I mean always must have their vanilla flavor. It's the best vanilla yogurt I've tasted in quite some time and it blends nicely with all the ingredients.
But you may have a favorite brand of yogurt that you like to use. You have my permission to use whatever your taste buds would prefer. Ha, ha.
How To Make It:
Depending on how many people plan on eating this ambrosial dish, determines how much fruit you'll be slicing and how much of the other ingredients you'll be adding.
The following directions are for one serving, the serving size that I normally have. Remember this is not a snack dish. This is a full size meal portion. I eat nothing else after this fruit salad because for me it's very filling.
1. First get the bowl that you will be eating this dish from. I use a glass bowl about 1-2 sizes larger than a normal cereal bowl, or the smallest mixing bowl I've got.
2. Begin chopping, slicing, or cutting the fruit to comfortable bite size pieces and put them into the bowl.
(I recommend not cutting too much at first. If you are hungry when you start to cut, you may wind up putting way too much fruit in the bowl and then find out that you don't have the room in your tummy to eat all of it. Saving the leftovers and putting it in the refrigerator for another time loses that fresh taste when first prepared. I've done it often enough to know it just doesn't taste the same.)
So cut what you know you can eat. You can always add more of the fruit you like best. The extra fruit you don't need can be stored in a zip lock bag and put in the fridge.
3. Sprinkle in the coconut flakes to the bowl. about 1-2 tablespoons.
4. Now pour in the granola cereal. I like the “crunchy-ness” of granola so I put a nice coat over the fruit in the bowl.
5. Next, put in the almonds.
6. Now add the yogurt.
7. Mix it all up making sure everything is fully coated with the yogurts.
There you have it, folks. This is a perfect refreshing dish for a hot steamy day, or if you just want to have a “no-meat meal” for a change.
So, from one fruit salad lover to perhaps another, Enjoy!
Copyright 2007 Team Eat This!
All Rights Reserved
I never thought one day that I would ever like a fruit salad, let alone have and write my own recipe for it. But, ladies and gentlemen, here I am about to do just that. I suppose my taste buds have changed over time. I can honestly say that I love fruit salad – at least my “special blend” fruit salad.
I've had years preparing and serving this dish to many a populace. I now offer my personal and treasured recipe to you for your consideration and perhaps (should you care to prepare this cool and tropical dish), your consumption as well.
Ingredients:
FRUIT -- The following are my choices. I try to put in all of these for this dish. You may add or delete to your liking.
Apples -- I like using red delicious apples. I use just less than a quarter of an apple.
Bananas -- One whole banana.
Peaches -- Less than one quarter, depending on the size.
Plums -- Half or more, depending on the size.
Strawberries -- Try to get these as fresh and as red as you can. Five or so, depending on the size. I like to de-core the strawberries before slicing.
It's great that there's a strawberry farm so close to where I live where I can pick fresh strawberries from rows and rows. If you can ever get to a strawberry farm and pick your own, please, mark it on your calendar and take the time to go picking. It's lots and lots of fun. Bring the kids, your date, or your whoever.
Raisins – I prefer the “normal” raisin, not the golden raisin. One box of mini-snacks. This is the real small boxes that come in a bag of 14 mini-snacks.
Besides the nice sweet taste of a raisin in this dish, I like the different textures in my mouth when I chew this meal. My tongue gently rearranges and positions the fruit in my mouth so I can masticate properly. (Aahh, the art of masticating is, I'm afraid, just about lost. But that's another topic.)
COCONUT FLAKES – The kind in a bag that is often used for baking cakes. about 1-2 tablespoons.
GRANOLA CEREAL – The brand I use is Heartland Granola Cereal (original), in a box.
I buy it from the local grocery stores in town. If you want, you can try buying it from a “health food” market where they have bins and bins of various grains. You may be able to find the granola cheaper at a place like that.
ALMONDS (Natural) – Optional for some people. I like this in my fruit salad. You can use either the whole almonds or the sliced. Avoid the salted, coated or the fancy funky kind of almond. The plain natural almond is the best. If they are whole, I put in about 6-10. If sliced, about 1-2 full tablespoons.
YOGURT – I get this from the local Publix grocery store in town. I prefer their brand of the “fat free light” yogurts. I'll use half of their vanilla flavor and half of one of their other flavors. The extra I'll put back in the fridge for the next fruit salad I make.
The other flavors are either mandarin, strawberry or strawberry with banana. Not matter what I use, I always, and I mean always must have their vanilla flavor. It's the best vanilla yogurt I've tasted in quite some time and it blends nicely with all the ingredients.
But you may have a favorite brand of yogurt that you like to use. You have my permission to use whatever your taste buds would prefer. Ha, ha.
How To Make It:
Depending on how many people plan on eating this ambrosial dish, determines how much fruit you'll be slicing and how much of the other ingredients you'll be adding.
The following directions are for one serving, the serving size that I normally have. Remember this is not a snack dish. This is a full size meal portion. I eat nothing else after this fruit salad because for me it's very filling.
1. First get the bowl that you will be eating this dish from. I use a glass bowl about 1-2 sizes larger than a normal cereal bowl, or the smallest mixing bowl I've got.
2. Begin chopping, slicing, or cutting the fruit to comfortable bite size pieces and put them into the bowl.
(I recommend not cutting too much at first. If you are hungry when you start to cut, you may wind up putting way too much fruit in the bowl and then find out that you don't have the room in your tummy to eat all of it. Saving the leftovers and putting it in the refrigerator for another time loses that fresh taste when first prepared. I've done it often enough to know it just doesn't taste the same.)
So cut what you know you can eat. You can always add more of the fruit you like best. The extra fruit you don't need can be stored in a zip lock bag and put in the fridge.
3. Sprinkle in the coconut flakes to the bowl. about 1-2 tablespoons.
4. Now pour in the granola cereal. I like the “crunchy-ness” of granola so I put a nice coat over the fruit in the bowl.
5. Next, put in the almonds.
6. Now add the yogurt.
7. Mix it all up making sure everything is fully coated with the yogurts.
There you have it, folks. This is a perfect refreshing dish for a hot steamy day, or if you just want to have a “no-meat meal” for a change.
So, from one fruit salad lover to perhaps another, Enjoy!
Copyright 2007 Team Eat This!
All Rights Reserved
Mom's Saturday Mornings French Toast
By Joe Cooks. Monday, 1. October 2007, 23:44:08
A Damn Good Tasting Breakfast Treat Here's a favorite of mine from my childhood. My mom used to cook this in the morning for the family just about every Saturday. It was a breakfast I looked forward to the whole freakin' week.
People always thought that I played Pop Warner (little league) football better that day because of the “energy” this meal gave me. Yeah, yeah, I must admit that the sugar rush did help initially, but it was mostly my astounding athletic ability that catapulted me above the other “earthling opponents.” (Smile)
Anyway, I learned to cook this meal while still in grade school (with my mom's help) and through the years I've, you might say, “made it my own.” Whether you've got a sweet tooth or not, and if you don't mind indulging once-in-a-while in a damn good tasting breakfast, then people, “I've Got Something to Put in Your Mouth.”
Ingredients:
Eggs – I like to use 1 egg for every 2-3 pieces of French Toast when I make it.
Nutmeg (powder) – the first of three ingredients that are on this list are some of the greatest aromas on earth to live for.
Cinnamon (powder) – the second great aroma.
Milk – Use whole milk if you can, but if you need to use 2% or less, you'll be fine.
Vanilla Extract (pure) – the third great aroma on earth to live for.
Toppings – Aahh yes, this is where I (or you) can go ape nuts with this, and let me tell you, I have many a time. You can add strawberries, blackberries, peach slices, banana slices, or my favorite “special” topping – which I'll tell you more about later.
Maple Syrup – The pure stuff. I use the brand Spring Tree 100% Pure, All Natural maple syrup, grade A dark amber.
Whatever your brand choice, please use the pure stuff. It makes a big difference when you pour that warm syrup over those perfectly cooked juicy pieces of French Toast and oohh baby, . . . I better stop. I'm getting a French Toast fix right about now, so let's move on.
Butter – We're talking real butter here. But if you need to cut down on it, use the “lighter” butter.
Sliced Bread – My choice is the 7-9 grain whole wheat bread that are the soft slices. (I don't like the hard slices for this recipe.)
Sausage – This is optional. You can either have patties or links. It's up to you.
How To Make It:
This recipe is for 2-3 pieces of French Toast. Make needed adjustments for ingredient portions according to taste and number of servings.
1. Get a mixing bowl. The size of the bowl you'll use will depend on how many pieces of French Toast you are going to make. For me a small – medium bowl will work because I'll make 2-3 pieces to put in my pie hole.
I like to use a mixing bowl with somewhat of a flat bottom to it so that the bread can soak up the batter without having to move the bread around too much when placed in the bowl.
2. To make the batter, crack the eggs in the bowl and add the nutmeg and cinnamon. I like to use about 4-5 good shakes of each spice.
3. Then add about ¼ to ½ cups or more of milk and mix very well with a fork or a whisk. Make sure those eggs are broken up all the way. I personally rather not see any white from the eggs on my French Toast while it's cooking.
(The reason for the amount of milk that I mention is because I like my bread pieces soaked well in the batter and really soggy. Some people don't like it that way, so I say start with less milk and then you can always add more milk to the batter according to need.
Also, if you later need to add more milk, you may want to add more nutmeg and cinnamon as well since you might lose the “full flavor” of these spices with more milk added to the batter mix.)
4. Now add a good quick dash of the pure vanilla extract. It doesn't take much for this exotic liquid to bring flavor to this dish.
5. Mix all the ingredients well but make sure you don't over do it. Just mix it well enough so that everything is blended together nicely. We don't want it to look all bubbly. We're not making whipped topping here.
6. Cut any toppings you desire and put them to the side for now. They will be ready to be put atop the French Toast when all the cooking is done.
7. Get your pure maple syrup set it aside. The moment the cooking is done, have the syrup warmed (I use a microwave rather than heating it up on the stove)and pour it over the golden entrée.
8. Use a 10-12 inch (or bigger if you've got it) non-stick skillet or fry pan and put it on a middle to high heat setting. If you don't want the bread to cook quickly on the outside, leaving the inner portion of the bread to remain soft, then set your stove to a lower setting.
9. Coat the entire bottom of the skillet with butter. Keep that butter close at hand as you may be using it more than once. Once the butter has melted and the skillet and nice and hot, start soaking the pieces of bread in the batter to your liking.
10. Tilting the spatula slightly to drain any excess batter from the bread, put the bread piece(s) in the skillet and watch this new tasty breakfast treat come into fruition before your very eyes.
(Note: you may want to have a splatter guard to cover the skillet just in case you have some “spitting” from the skillet. I know I need it because I have my heat setting on high when I cook this.)
While cooking, check the bottom of the bread piece(s). When they have cooked to your liking, turn over the bread slice(s). You may want to add more butter so that the skillet stays slightly coated.
Because I love my bread slices to be soggy, I will see that the down side of the slices are dark, dark brown first before I flip the slices over, making sure there is ample butter on the skillet for them to slip and slide in.
11. When all your slices of bread are cooked and delicately placed on the plate that is graced to have such a noble breakfast resting upon it, pour your warm amber sweet syrup upon it and then add your favorite selected toppings that you pre-cut earlier.
Aahh, you thought I forgot about my favorite “special” topping I mentioned earlier. I did not, my curious friend.
WARNING!! You may not want to put what I put on the top of this mound of food, but if you think you can handle it, be my guest.
12. The finishing touch, the ultimate crown topping to this meal is 1-2 scoops of Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream!! Nothing beats that brand of ice cream for me.
This is the time to shut off the TV, radio, computer and all that is around you in the world and eat with honored reverence, my “Mom's Saturday Mornings French Toast.”
And the cheering of the crowd swells as another touchdown is scored!
Enjoy.
Copyright 2007 Team Eat This!
All Rights Reserved
How Well Do You Masticate?
By Joe Cooks. Friday, 28. September 2007, 12:36:49
Here's some "food for thought." Something I wrote that I thought you may want to check out when it comes to eating.
THE ART of MASTICATION: HOW to MASTICATE PROPERLY
Ted has a limited time for lunch. He quickly leaves his job, dashes to his car and goes to the nearest fast food restaurant. He decides to go through the “drive-thru” to save time. Ordering a numbered meal on the menu board, he then pulls up ahead, pays the cashier clerk, gets his meal bag and drives off.
Hurriedly unwrapping the burger while widening the orifice in his head called a mouth to the full extension of the jaw muscles, he takes a gargantuan bite. Forcibly swallowing the chunks of beef only after three hasty chomps, he quickly inserts several potato fries into his mouth while negotiating traffic ahead of him.
The soft drink he sucks through a straw seems to take on the role of a liquid plunger compressing the food down his gullet to avoid choking. He repeats this method of consumption until his entire meal is inhaled with world class speed.
(Unbeknownst to Ted, he has just broken the record held by a Wet Vac on how fast spillage can be cleaned up emanating from a fifty gallon drum.) Arriving just in time to report back to work, his lunch time is now over.
Does this sound familiar? Perhaps you know someone who eats like Ted. To consume food in this manner is extremely taxing on your digestion system, not to mention being unsafe to eat while you are driving.
Our gulping friend Ted would do his body some good if he could just learn to master the art of masticating. How to masticate properly is perhaps the most important and fundamental requirement of healthy digestion, for it is the first step of digestion.
WHAT is MASTICATION?
It is, basically, chewing. It's the process by which food is mashed and crushed by teeth. “Masticate” stems from the Greek word, mastikhan, whick means to “grind the teeth.” During the mastication process, the food is positioned by the cheeks and tongue between the teeth for grinding.
SOME BENEFITS of MASTICATING PROPERLY
● It generates saliva. Saliva is allowed to break the food down so that you can absorb the nutrients.
● Salvia also helps kill potential food-borne bacteria. (Saliva in your mouth contains an enzyme called lysozyme which kills bacteria.)
● It increases the surface area of foods in your mouth to allow more efficient break down by enzymes while still in your mouth.
● The food is made softer and warmer and the enzymes in saliva begin to break down carbohydrates in the food.
● Salivary enzymes can digest as much as 30 to 40 per cent of starches before food even reaches the stomach.
● The digestive system is being prepared for the reception of the food, stimulating the production of digestive enzymes in the stomach. (The various glands of the stomach that perform such important work in digestion begin to pour their juices into the stomach.)
● The more we chew our food, the less work we leave for the rest of our digestive organs, including the stomach, pancreas, liver, gall bladder, and intestines.
● You allow the taste buds in your tongue and your mouth to fully register the flavors of the food, whether bitter, salty, sour or sweet, which can enrich your eating experience making it more pleasurable and enjoyable.
● The act of chewing is relaxing. It is no coincidence that the digestive system is hindered during stress.
Stress is hard on the stomach. Our entire physiological system is extremely sensitive to our moods. Remember how you felt the last time you spoke in public? Those butterflies weren't in your head.
In fact, experts now see stress as a major player in a wide range of digestive problems, including irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, and heartburn.
As we masticate properly, it is a relaxing act of food intake. We are only able to digest properly if we are relaxed.
● Thorough chewing helps to prevent the heavy feeling that sometimes follows a meal.
● It is believed by many to also facilitate managing and losing weight because it slows down the eating process, allowing time for the body to signal to the brain when it is full.
HOW to MASTICATE PROPERLY
● In a hurried lifestyle that so many lead, it may be difficult to allow enough time to eat ones' food. But, it is worth the try. As with our friend Ted in the beginning of this piece, he had very little time to eat the amount of food he ordered so he attacked it ferociously. Try to give yourself enough time to eat your food so that you can chew slowly.
● Perhaps one of the most important thing to remember is to please take small(er) bites. I've seen spoons, forks and even knives pilled so high with food that I've wondered how in the world could it ever fit in a person's mouth. But, lo and behold, they manage. Wow.
● Chew, chew, chew and chew some more. There are advocates of chewing anywhere from “3 - 5 times” to “35 - 100 times” before swallowing. Personally, I prefer not having to apply any of my math skills while eating.
Here is what I do and it's much easier. Just continue to chew until the food becomes somewhat of a liquid or is broken down enough so that it actually passes down your throat involuntarily. Allow your involuntary muscles in your throat, all by themselves, to pull the small pieces of food down.
Each mouthful should be retained in the mouth, being masticated up to the point of involuntary swallowing. And you know what? As you develop this habit, you will be swallowing before you realize it.
● Use your tongue to periodically position the food between your teeth while you are chewing so that your teeth can break down the food properly.
● Endeavour to eat in a nice relaxed manner. Digestive activity slows down significantly when worry or anxiety cause tension in the abdominal area. Be stress free while masticating. (See the bullet point, “The act of chewing is relaxing.” handled above in the section called, “Some Benefits of Masticating Properly.”)
● Sit in an upright position when eating. Hunching over your food is not only poor eating etiquette, but it also hinders the food, when it is swallowed, to travel down the esophagus smoothly to the stomach. Try it and see, or rather, feel it for yourself.
● Use of liquids during a meal may be necessary when they are needed to satisfy thirst, rather than to force or wash food down one's throat. A certain amount of liquid is essential to carry on the digestive process. But even liquids should be drunk by taking small mouthfuls (sipped), not guzzled.
IN CONCLUSION
If one does not properly masticate food, what is eaten goes through the digestive system as large pieces of food, making the digestive organs work that much harder. Let's face it. You do not have teeth anywhere else in your body. After you swallow your food, there are no other opportunities to break up large pieces of food, so give your body some help.
In the beginning you may have to give some very conscious attention and effort to reform your eating habits. But with discipline, desire and proper application, over a period of time, the art of mastication can be established and mastered for the rest of your life without further thought.
Copyright 2007 Team Eat This!
All Rights Reserved
THE ART of MASTICATION: HOW to MASTICATE PROPERLY
Ted has a limited time for lunch. He quickly leaves his job, dashes to his car and goes to the nearest fast food restaurant. He decides to go through the “drive-thru” to save time. Ordering a numbered meal on the menu board, he then pulls up ahead, pays the cashier clerk, gets his meal bag and drives off.
Hurriedly unwrapping the burger while widening the orifice in his head called a mouth to the full extension of the jaw muscles, he takes a gargantuan bite. Forcibly swallowing the chunks of beef only after three hasty chomps, he quickly inserts several potato fries into his mouth while negotiating traffic ahead of him.
The soft drink he sucks through a straw seems to take on the role of a liquid plunger compressing the food down his gullet to avoid choking. He repeats this method of consumption until his entire meal is inhaled with world class speed.
(Unbeknownst to Ted, he has just broken the record held by a Wet Vac on how fast spillage can be cleaned up emanating from a fifty gallon drum.) Arriving just in time to report back to work, his lunch time is now over.
Does this sound familiar? Perhaps you know someone who eats like Ted. To consume food in this manner is extremely taxing on your digestion system, not to mention being unsafe to eat while you are driving.
Our gulping friend Ted would do his body some good if he could just learn to master the art of masticating. How to masticate properly is perhaps the most important and fundamental requirement of healthy digestion, for it is the first step of digestion.
WHAT is MASTICATION?
It is, basically, chewing. It's the process by which food is mashed and crushed by teeth. “Masticate” stems from the Greek word, mastikhan, whick means to “grind the teeth.” During the mastication process, the food is positioned by the cheeks and tongue between the teeth for grinding.
SOME BENEFITS of MASTICATING PROPERLY
● It generates saliva. Saliva is allowed to break the food down so that you can absorb the nutrients.
● Salvia also helps kill potential food-borne bacteria. (Saliva in your mouth contains an enzyme called lysozyme which kills bacteria.)
● It increases the surface area of foods in your mouth to allow more efficient break down by enzymes while still in your mouth.
● The food is made softer and warmer and the enzymes in saliva begin to break down carbohydrates in the food.
● Salivary enzymes can digest as much as 30 to 40 per cent of starches before food even reaches the stomach.
● The digestive system is being prepared for the reception of the food, stimulating the production of digestive enzymes in the stomach. (The various glands of the stomach that perform such important work in digestion begin to pour their juices into the stomach.)
● The more we chew our food, the less work we leave for the rest of our digestive organs, including the stomach, pancreas, liver, gall bladder, and intestines.
● You allow the taste buds in your tongue and your mouth to fully register the flavors of the food, whether bitter, salty, sour or sweet, which can enrich your eating experience making it more pleasurable and enjoyable.
● The act of chewing is relaxing. It is no coincidence that the digestive system is hindered during stress.
Stress is hard on the stomach. Our entire physiological system is extremely sensitive to our moods. Remember how you felt the last time you spoke in public? Those butterflies weren't in your head.
In fact, experts now see stress as a major player in a wide range of digestive problems, including irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, and heartburn.
As we masticate properly, it is a relaxing act of food intake. We are only able to digest properly if we are relaxed.
● Thorough chewing helps to prevent the heavy feeling that sometimes follows a meal.
● It is believed by many to also facilitate managing and losing weight because it slows down the eating process, allowing time for the body to signal to the brain when it is full.
HOW to MASTICATE PROPERLY
● In a hurried lifestyle that so many lead, it may be difficult to allow enough time to eat ones' food. But, it is worth the try. As with our friend Ted in the beginning of this piece, he had very little time to eat the amount of food he ordered so he attacked it ferociously. Try to give yourself enough time to eat your food so that you can chew slowly.
● Perhaps one of the most important thing to remember is to please take small(er) bites. I've seen spoons, forks and even knives pilled so high with food that I've wondered how in the world could it ever fit in a person's mouth. But, lo and behold, they manage. Wow.
● Chew, chew, chew and chew some more. There are advocates of chewing anywhere from “3 - 5 times” to “35 - 100 times” before swallowing. Personally, I prefer not having to apply any of my math skills while eating.
Here is what I do and it's much easier. Just continue to chew until the food becomes somewhat of a liquid or is broken down enough so that it actually passes down your throat involuntarily. Allow your involuntary muscles in your throat, all by themselves, to pull the small pieces of food down.
Each mouthful should be retained in the mouth, being masticated up to the point of involuntary swallowing. And you know what? As you develop this habit, you will be swallowing before you realize it.
● Use your tongue to periodically position the food between your teeth while you are chewing so that your teeth can break down the food properly.
● Endeavour to eat in a nice relaxed manner. Digestive activity slows down significantly when worry or anxiety cause tension in the abdominal area. Be stress free while masticating. (See the bullet point, “The act of chewing is relaxing.” handled above in the section called, “Some Benefits of Masticating Properly.”)
● Sit in an upright position when eating. Hunching over your food is not only poor eating etiquette, but it also hinders the food, when it is swallowed, to travel down the esophagus smoothly to the stomach. Try it and see, or rather, feel it for yourself.
● Use of liquids during a meal may be necessary when they are needed to satisfy thirst, rather than to force or wash food down one's throat. A certain amount of liquid is essential to carry on the digestive process. But even liquids should be drunk by taking small mouthfuls (sipped), not guzzled.
IN CONCLUSION
If one does not properly masticate food, what is eaten goes through the digestive system as large pieces of food, making the digestive organs work that much harder. Let's face it. You do not have teeth anywhere else in your body. After you swallow your food, there are no other opportunities to break up large pieces of food, so give your body some help.
In the beginning you may have to give some very conscious attention and effort to reform your eating habits. But with discipline, desire and proper application, over a period of time, the art of mastication can be established and mastered for the rest of your life without further thought.
Copyright 2007 Team Eat This!
All Rights Reserved
Welcome!
By Joe Cooks. Friday, 28. September 2007, 09:28:23
Welcome to "THE FOOD, COOKING and RECIPE NATION" blog.
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Here you can post whatever food or cooking recipes you want. If you have any ideas or tips on this topic you are invited to post those as well. Perhaps you can learn some new recipes to add to your personal cuisine and make some new friends along the way.
So, let the cooking and eating begin!
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