Flavors, how to

recipe for flavor

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How do you get the most flavor out of your recipe?

If you ask me the most important thing you can do to get the best flavors into a recipe it comes down to a few things. First, you must have a competent cook! If your cook has no experience or has no idea what different flavors taste like when mixed with others you will find that that recipe will lack in appeal and flavorings. This same cook must know how to and have the ability to follow a recipe and consistently correctly measure and monitor the addition of ingredients into the recipe.

Second the to get the best flavoring out of  your recipe you should always get fresh ingredients. When shopping instead of buying canned vegetables and bottled spices you should try to choose the fresh ingredients by staying away from the prepackaged items. Od f course the price you pay for the fresh ingredients might and probably will be a little more than buying the “dry” ingredients but the payoff in the flavor of the recipe will be greater! And not only will the flavors be enhanced but research indicates that fresh ingredients have more health benefits than prepacked ingredients.

The third and last addition to get the most flavor out of your recipe is to find a good recipe. There are millions of recipes out there and not all are good recipes. It will take some research and probably some experimentation to find out and figure out which of these recipes are accurate and have the best mixing of flavors.

This might not be a guarantee for a recipe of flavor but I can say that this will help you gain ground on creating a dish that has more flavor than you last.

herbs

Mint

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Mint is often used in cooking and in the kitchen for it’s aroma, mint is considered an herb! Many products are sold using mint flavoring or extracts, including and not limited to: Mint ice cream flavors, mint candy flavors, and often time even mint tooth past. The Mint gives the mouth a sense of “freshness” that some people would say gives a “cool” sensation. This freshness sensation of the mint helps it gain popularity in toothpastes and in mouthwashes.

“mint 1 |mint|
noun
1 an aromatic plant native to temperate regions of the Old World, several kinds of which are used as culinary herbs. • Genus Mentha, family Labiatae (or Lamiaceae; the mint family): several species and hybrids, in particular the widely cultivated common mint or spearmint ( M. spicata) and peppermint ( M. × piperita). The mint family, the members of which have distinctive two-lobed flowers and square stems, includes numerous aromatic herbs, such as lavender, rosemary, sage, and thyme.
• the flavor of mint, esp. peppermint.
2 a peppermint candy”
Ref: Oxford American Dictionary

Peppermint
Peppermint

Picture of peppermint: Robert H. Mohlenbrock @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA NRCS. 1995. Northeast wetland flora: Field office guide to plant species. Northeast National Technical Center, Chester.

But Mint flavoring is not limited to toiletry items, in fact mint is often used in cooking, baking, and in ingredients for drinks. This includes the popular drink the Mint Julep that is a southern traditional drink. One of the main ingredients in this drink aside from the bourbon is the Mint! Another very popular mint flavor food item is ice cream! Ice cream commonly uses the mint extract to infuse the flavor into the cream which give the cream a unique cool and fresh flavor…

cheese

who moved my cheese

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Who moved my cheese sounds like something a child would ask his or her sibling, “who moved my cheese!?” Right? But it’s not, Who moved my cheese is a book written by Spencer Johnson M.D. and is a Best Selling “motivational” book that deals with “Change.” The story is written from the perspective of Mice! As the mice live their life they realize they are stuck in a maze to which some adapt differently to the obstacles presented than others adapt to those obstacles.

“Who Moved My Cheese? is the story of four characters living in a “Maze” who face unexpected change when they discover their “Cheese” has disappeared. Sniff and Scurry, who are mice, and Hem and Haw, little people the size of mice, each adapt to change in their “Maze” differently. In fact, one doesn’t adapt at all”… Ref: Who Moved My Cheese (Official Site).

Who moved my cheese?

This Best Selling book will also be turned into a movie, you can watch the preview for Who Moved My Cheese here:

The Best Seller is written from the same author who wrote the book, The One Minute Manager, which of course is another popular motivational type of book. The original publishing of the book was in 1998 and is said to have remained on the New York Times business Best Seller list for five years.

grains

wheat germ

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Wheat germ might be just the thing you are looking for if you are wanting to start out the new year on a healthy note. I use this food additive a few times a week and can tell you that you don’t even notice it in your food.

Wheat germ is a light and fluffy flaky type substance that you can sprinkle on almost any food you want. It is pretty much flavorless in the recommended serving size and is noted for being an excellent source of Vitamin E among other vitamins.

On cold mornings when I eat hot cereal I stir it into the mix and get the added vitamins into my diet. You can sprinkle it on top of your dinner, salad, fish, beef, anything! There are even suggestions of baking with it, although I do not know the effects this would have on your recipe, so experimentation would have to be conducted.

There are two flavors offered by the brand we use, which is linked on this website. There is an original, which to me is flavorless if you mix it into your meal. The other is a honey flavored that I have not tried.

%Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Trans Fat 0g 0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 0mg 0%
Potassium 140mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 6g 6%
Dietary Fiber 2g 26%
Sugars 1g
Protein 4g
Iron 6%
Vitamin E 20%
Thiamin 15%
Phosphorus 10%
Folic Acid 20%
Magnesium 10%
Zinc 10%

(Reference: quakeroats.com)

Wheat germ has many vitamins that you might want to get on that healthy diet kick for the new year! It’s not that expensive and is almost unnoticeable in food. This might be a good way to sneak in extra vitamins to your loved ones when you cook for them! Check out the referenced website for the wheat germ product.


 

cheese

gourmet cheese

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One of the best snacks ever, plain or on a cracker. Cheese! There is no doubt that almost everyone (non-allergic to dairy) even children love cheese!

Cheese is great, especially the cheese that is not cheese food. Such as American cheese which has it’s own place in our world. Im talking about specialty cheeses or gourmet cheese, the cheese you can slice off and snack on.

If you are looking for a new cheese to snack on especially one of the gourmets kinds look some of these:

Provolone cheese, swiss, mozzarella.

Cheddar cheese, gouda, cocoa cardon (goat cheese w/cocoa powder).

Montforte gorgonzola cheese, smoked cheese (many varieties), emmenthauler.

There are also many cheese that have added ingredients, like spicy cheese! Look for them in your local store.

(Reference: Wisconsin Cheese Masters)