Thawing

Is it just me, or does anyone else get annoyed when it comes time to thaw something from the freezer?  There is always some dinner planning element when thawing is involved and I don't know about you, but I'm more of a spur-of-the-moment dinner decider.

If you do find yourself thawing a chicken breast or steak from the freezer, know that there are good ways to go about it and there are bad ways.

Food that isn't thawed properly can spread foodborne illnesses, but that can be avoided if you use one of the following thawing methods:

• Leave it in the refrigerator overnight
• Use the microwave to thaw it
• Leave it under cold running water
• Use it in it’s frozen state while cooking (Think about those frozen hamburger patties)

Problems can occur when meat is left on a counter to thaw at room temperature.  In the food sanitation world, there is something called the Temperature Danger Zone (queue the scary music!).  The TDZ is a temperature range between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit in which bacteria grows and multiplies.  Room temperature, which for me is usually 74 degrees, is an ideal temperature for bacteria growth.  If meat has been left out on the counter for longer than four hours, you need to toss it and make it an Anthony's Coal Fire Pizza night.

Is Powdered Coffee Creamer Flammable?

Last week, I was in the break room at work and a co-worker of mine was making a cup of coffee. She went for the mysterious powdered creamer-in-a-can and I had to interject.  I explained to her that a general rule of thumb that one should live by is to refuse any ingredient that can also be used as an ingredient in a deadly weapon.

Oh no, think it is just an urban legend?

I'll take my coffee black please.

I dug into this topic a little further and found that I was both right and wrong at the same time (which if you ask my wife, is usually the case).

Powdered coffee creamer is most certainly flammable, but not only due to it's chemical make-up (Thanks, but I'll stick with soy). 

Back in the late-1800s, explosions at flour mills were commonplace.  Before industry standards were in place and before the advancement of technology, a flour mill had the potential to light up faster than a matchstick.  The reason?  Airborne flour dust within the mill.

A dust explosion can occur if there is a highly concentrated amount of powdered combustible material (dust, flour, powdered coffee creamer...) and an ignition source.  
As for an ignition source, lets just say I found many "creative" individuals while doing my research who were able to harness this maniacal fuel source and create a bomb-like device.

One of those science fair projects came straight out of MythBusters a couple of years ago:

So in conclusion I guess I will let my co-workers drink their coffee in peace, unless of course it is Mexican day in the cafeteria...

The Difference Between Chicken Broth and Chicken Stock

It's happened to us all.  We get to the grocery store to pick up a handful of ingredients for a homemade soup, or a sauce and we get to the soup aisle.  Was it chicken broth or chicken stock that I needed?  What's the difference really?  Is there one?

Well I'm here to tell you that there is a difference.

Let's start by talking about how they are made.  Both broths and stocks are made from simmering chicken in a mixture of water, celery, onion, carrots and different herbs.  The base flavors are the same, but the difference is the part of the chicken that is used. 

Chicken broth is typically made by adding a whole chicken to a simmering pot. After 1-2 hours, your broth will have a rich chicken flavor and be ready to use in a number of soup recipes.

Let's say you added a 4-lb chicken to your broth recipe.  To make chicken stock, the same flavor base can be used, but a whole chicken will need to be swapped for 4 lbs of boney chicken-parts (back, neck, wings , legs, skin, or the whole carcass).  Simmering the chicken bones releases gelatin into the stock, which is the main difference between stock and broth.

I mentioned before that chicken broth is ready to use as-is.  Chicken stock on the other hand, is used in the production of other dishes.  For example, chicken stock with a high gelatin-content gives body to sauces.  When making a sauce from pan drippings, the gelatin in chicken stock binds with the drippings (fond), making it a healthy alternative to cream or butter.

There are plenty of chicken stocks on the market and I found that this site provides some great reviews and recommendations.

Sorry for Being MIA

Alright ladies and gentleman, I'm sorry for being absent the past two weeks, but it has been a hectic time. Work has been hectic and I just finished up with midterms at culinary school.

I must say that I think I did pretty well. How cool would it be to end up valedictorian or summa cum laude of the Art Institute?

Anyways, I promise that I won't leave you hanging like that again and that I will have plenty of posts coming your way.