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Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Tips For Cooking Authentic Thai Food

Like Thai Food? Love to cook? Perhaps your first attempt did not turn out like in the picture or taste like at the restaurant. Well, do not give up on cooking Thai food. Some Thai dishes may seem difficult because of a long list of ingredients and instructions. Thai cooking is all about ingredients and preparation. In Thailand, frozen or canned food is not very common. Thais love fresh ingredients. Thailand is one of the lucky countries in the world that has abundant vegetables, exotic fruit, seafood, etc. There is a well-known verse in Thailand describing abundant food resources: "Nai Nam Mee Pla Nai Na Mee Khao" which means "In river, there is fish, in the field, there is rice." This article will start with some general tips and then move in to specific tips for each food category.IngredientsIngredients are the most important part of authentic Thai cooking. If you live in Thailand or in Southeast Asia, finding fresh Thai ingredients is easy. But if you live somewhere else, finding fresh ingredients can be difficult or troublesome especially for those who do not live in a city. If you decide to make Thai dishes, first invest a little of your time getting to know the ingredients. Then find the nearest Asian grocery store. If you like, call to see if they carry ingredients you are looking for. For instance, if you are looking for "Winter Melon", not all Asian grocery stores carry it. If you prefer, buying online can safe you driving time. If you cannot find fresh ingredients, try frozen and canned foods. In my opinion, most frozen products are the next best thing to fresh food. For instance, stir-fried shredded ginger with pork has two main ingredients: shredded ginger and pork. Shredded ginger? Sounds like lots of work to use fresh ginger. One might try a jar or can, but the taste and aroma of the ginger are not the same as the fresh version. It is not difficult to make shredded ginger if you have the right peeler. Try your best to find fresh produce, as it will be a good start to cooking authentic Thai dishes.EquipmentThais use a wok and pot in most dishes with the exception of desserts. For desserts, it is not required but it is recommended to use a bronze wok (Ka Ta Thong Lueng). Other common equipment includes a mortar and pestle. In Thailand, gas stoves are the most commonly used. Electric stoves are uncommon and not very popular because heat may not be distributed evenly. Regarding the mortar and pestle, it depends on one's desire. If you are going to cook Thai dishes very often, a mortar and pestle can become handy in your kitchen. Otherwise, using typical kitchen tools like a knife and cutting board can accomplish the same goal. Food processors or blenders are another option when it comes to making pastes.PreparationPreparation is also one of the keys to authentic Thai cooking. As mentioned above, Thai food focuses largely on ingredients and preparation. Preparation in particular is essential to authentic Thai food. You may spend more time preparing ingredients than you actually spend cooking. For instance, it may take about 30 minutes to prepare all ingredients for Tom Kha Gai but you only spend about 15 minutes cooking. A typical Thai dinner consists of 4-5 communal dishes. It may take up to 2 hours to prepare all ingredients, but only 1 hour to make. A few reasons follow regarding why Thais spend more time on preparation. Thais like their meat in bite size pieces. Fresh vegetables require time to wash, cut and maybe pad dry. Pounding spices and fresh herbs is also common for many dishes. Some desserts like Ta Go (sweet on the bottom layer with salty coconut topping in a pandanus basket) require lots of time in preparation starting from cleaning and cutting leaves and then making baskets. Depending on the amount of Ta Go you are making, it can take up to hours just to make those tiny baskets. Don't be discouraged by this because after preparation, the wonderful dishes are right around the corner!Cooking to Your TasteThe art of Thai cooking has placed emphasis on the harmonious blending of various ingredients, particularly as the individual ingredients can vary by freshness and so on. Without harmony the taste and the dish fall short. The five elements of taste in Thai food are: sweet, salty, sour, spicy and bitter. When cooking Thai dishes, one may follow a recipe, but use it as a guideline when it comes to taste. Taste varies for each individual, sometimes in response to variables such as ingredient quality or occasion, and thus the tastes of the recipe author may or may not reflect one's own taste. Following a recipe is a good idea, but when it comes to taste follow your own preference. Know your ingredients and start adding flavorful items in small amounts. For instance, when it comes to curry pastes and fish sauce, some brands are saltier than others. Most Thai dishes can be fixed to some extent. If it is too sweet, adding a little bit of fish sauce will fix the problem and vice versa. If it is too sour, add a little bit of water; sugar or fish sauce will help.Coconut MilkThai food and coconut milk almost always go together. Many dishes require Hua Ka Ti (first pressed coconut milk or creamy coconut milk) and/or Hang Ka Ti (second or third pressed milk or water-like coconut milk). To make fresh coconut milk, finely grated coconut meat is still steeped in warm water, not hot water. It is then squeezed until dry. The white fluid from the first press is called "Hua Ka Ti". Warm water is then added again to make the second and third pressed coconut milk, which is called "Hang Ka Ti." Finely grated coconut meat is generally used about 3 times and then discarded. Freshly pressed coconut milk has a better taste and aroma than commercial coconut milk in a can.If you use canned coconut milk, you will need to have a can at a cold temperature because cold temperatures help separate the creamy coconut part and the water-like part. The creamy coconut milk will float to the top of the can. During hot weather, you may want to leave a can of coconut milk in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.Fried RiceGood fried rice is not difficult to make. The most important part is the steamed rice. The rice should be cooked but firm, not mushy and soft. If steamed rice is soft and mushy, when it is stir-fried it will all stick together. Good rice in fried rice should be easy to break up and the grains should stay intact. So to make the steamed rice, make sure you use a little less water than normal so that the rice is dryer than normal. Keeping rice in a refrigerator for 2-3 days is another alternative, but if your rice is mushy and soft after those 2-3 days, the fried rice will also still clump together. Other keys to making good fried rice are using a wok and high heat. Heat must be evenly distributed and consistently hot all thel time. A wok is recommended for making fried rice but not required.CurryThere are two main types of Thai curries: coconut-based and non-coconut based. Those which use coconut milk mostly have similar initial steps which include separating the coconut oil and mixing curry paste into coconut milk. These first 2 steps are keys to perfecting your curry dishes. For instance, if you are making green curry, red curry, matsaman, or kaeng kari, the very first step is bringing Hua Ka Ti (first pressed milk or creamy coconut milk) to a boil until the oil starts to separate. You do not want to boil too long because you will break Hua Ka Ti and it will look like little white balls. After adding curry paste into the coconut milk, stir until the green or red oil separates and floats to the top. Frequently stirring curry paste is required because you do not want to burn the paste. Curry paste may stick to a cooking spoon, so make sure to remove it from the spoon. During this process, if Hua Ka Ti is getting dry, add 3-4 tablespoons of Hua Ka Ti at a time to keep the curry paste from burning. After adding vegetables, do not overcook them.Stir-friedMost stir-fried dishes take a short time to cook, especially stir-fried vegetables. The main key to most stir-fired dishes is heat. Heat must be evenly distributed throughout the wok or pan. Most recipes will suggest to heat up vegetable oil. In this step, one must make sure that the oil is hot and spread all over the wok (up to the side) or pan. In some dishes, after adding meat and/or vegetables, the pan or wok starts to get drier, so one may add a little bit of water so that the food won't get burned. For vegetables, make sure they are not overcooked.DessertsThai desserts are not too difficult to make. Some may be easier than others. Some require more patience and time than others. Many Thai desserts require one to use the same ingredients, and substitutes are not recommended. For instance, if Khanom Ta Go asks for mung bean flour, other flour substitutes usually won't work well. Khanom Bua Loy requires sticky rice flour, and one may not use multipurpose flour or tapioca flour or some other types of flour. In some desserts like potato in ginger syrup, one can use mixed types of potatoes. Khanom Kaeng Buat can consist of taro, potato and/or pumpkin. When making Thai desserts, read instructions carefully.Ingredients and preparation are the keys to cooking authentic Thai food. Some of the first few dishes in particular may require patience. However, once you have gotten to know Thai ingredients more and more, you will find how easy it is to cook authentic Thai food. As for Thai desserts, some are very simple and easy to make and you can perfect them the first time you try. Some desserts may take practice and time to develop certain skills. Do not be discouraged by recipe directions or how beautiful a picture of a dish might be. When you decide to cook authentic Thai food, gather up some friends and enjoy your cooking. Have fun!

Get authentic Thai recipes at http://thaic

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Sunday, December 8, 2013

Weight Loss-Diet Tips And Bridget Jones

'BRIDGET JONES' 1920s DIARY FOUNDBack in the good old days of the Roaring 20's, even weight loss was of importance to the teenagers of the day. Even a 'Bridget Jones' type, was not spared the trappings of the good times, as a long lost diary that even included a diet plan, was part of the life style of a young lady called Ilene Powell would tell. Her short diary was discovered in a charity store, and depicts in some detail the life in that time of the 17 year old, as she juggled parties, boyfriends, and weight loss, way back in the '20's.One thing is certain, some things never change, and just like the present day Bridget Jones's, young Ilene Powell fought a constant battle with her weight, and she weighed only eight stone according to her diary. An extract from her diary reads, Wednesday 14th January "I now have lemon juice in hot water with no sugar instead of tea, also a Very small breakfast of dry toast. If this doesn't get my fat down I'll give up dieting." This weight loss diet plan seems extreme even by to days standards, almost anorexic by nature, a whole lemon squeezed in warm water to stimulate the digestive system, there by hoping to lose a few pounds was the order of the day. Hmm, sound familiar? Health practitioners don't advocate that these days.Old diaries are meant to be read, I'm told, and Ilene's vital statistics were also entered, to keep track of her diet plan and were very important to her in her day; "Glove size 6, Boot size 3, Hat size 6 5/8, Weight 8 st., and Height 5ft. 3ins.Ilene was of the middle classes, and lived in the family home near Knowle, in England.
She taught dancing part time, spent the rest of her time shopping, having tea (lemon), and deciding on her next big night out.With weight loss, diet plans, and diaries, in all these areas, some things just never change.

http://www.weig

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Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Price Range of Region Free DVD Players

Various FormatsNewer players are being developed with different configurations, and present day DVD players are compatible with more than one format, like regular CDs, MP3, CDRW, and so on.High-definition units, DVD/VCR combos, DVD recorders, portable players, you name it and the big players have a model ideally suited to meet your needs and purse. The only problem you will face while in the market is to make a choice! It is a really daunting task with such a huge variety being offered.Most of the leading brands operate globally with their presence spanning countries like the U.S., Canada, Italy, Spain, France, UK, Greece, you name it. Big brands like Sony, Philips, Panasonic, Samsung or even some lesser known brands like Cyber Home and Apex have a significant global presence. This being the scenario, you can easily shop for the latest code free DVD player with your neighborhood electronic store.Code Free DVD Players are Priced According to Location and FeaturesBasic region free DVD players would set you back by around $60 or so. Prices may vary even within states and various countries, depending on the tax structure and market availability. A player may for example cost you less in New York when compared to some other region such as California. A basic player will give you good picture quality and comes with a remote control and on-screen control. Having said this, features could vary from one manufacturer to another. For prices less than $80 they make for great buys, unless you are a technical guru, looking for something straight out of the sci-fi movie, which you watched in your basic DVD player!A basic player with a high quality S-video cable may be priced at around $100 . The S-video cable enables better picture quality. One good thing with the latest basic model is that most of the players now come with the most up-to-date features, which could be found only in higher end models just a couple of years ago.If you are willing to shell out more than about $100 you can get models that can handle DVD-R discs, or players than can also handle hi-fi DVD-audio format. They can double up as your music center along with your home theater system. Such players could cost you around $130. The Toshiba SD - 3950 is a good example of a model in this price range.Scan Type for a Code Free DVD PlayerOne thing to watch for in a codefree dvd player is the scan type. Check out whether it is offering progressive scan or interlace scan. A player with progressive scan would offer you a much sharper picture. It also reduces flickers. Basic players in the price range of $50 - $100 often come with interlace scan option only. Once you go $100 and upwards, you will see players offering progressive scan. Picture quality is great, enabling you to watch the latest Hollywood flicks - without flickering! Also, a code free DVD player with the progressive scan option will work only if your TV supports progressive scan. You need not worry though, since most of the modern day TVs support progressive scan technology unless you have one of those antique TVs with cathode ray technology.If you have a high-definition TV, then it will make for a great combo along with a codefree DVD player offering progressive scan. A hi fi TV will ensure truer picture quality. You can also get even better picture quality with a digital video interface connection. Pricing for a high-end DVD player with digital video interface can be around $300. Good examples are the Samsung DVD - HD931, or even the latest Toshiba SD-3950, which both offer great picture quality. Such models can also offer advanced music playback since they can also handle DVD audio discs.Code Free DVD/VHS CombosIf you are looking for a regionfree DVD/VHS combo you will have to shell out around $200 - $250. The price may seem steep, but remember, they offer you the best of both worlds. You can now enjoy both region free DVDs and VHS tapes. The VHS tapes translate into better pictures than in the case of a regular VCR. These players also allow you to record your TV shows for example, into VHS format.Most of the basic regionfree DVD players are not able to record shows from TV, whereas the higher models can. These players will be priced anywhere from $350 - $800. Sony's RDR-GX7 is a good example. Lesser-known brands may cost you less while offering you the same technology. The good news though is that prices are expected to drop, even if it is only gradually.Convenient for TravelIf you are one who is usually mobile and would like to watch your latest favorite flicks wherever you are, you can get a portable region free DVD player, which would weigh in at around three pounds, with a battery back up and come with a 7-9 inch screen.. These sleek models would cost you around $800 and act as your audio player too. Panasonic DVD-LA95 portable is one of the latest models to hit the market. Be on the lookout for other brands with portable models soon.Most Affordable BrandsPerhaps the cheapest regionfree DVD players are from the Chinese manufacturers, which have flooded the markets, recently. Whichever part of the world you are in, region free DVD players, are available by the dozen. The prices may vary slightly, but that's it.Whether you are in any of the European countries like UK, France, Greece, Spain or Italy or from any other Asian or Asian-Pacific nation, you can rest assured that you will be able to get a region free DVD player within your budget. All you need to do is search, either in person or on the Internet.

Where to get REGION FREE DVD players/recorders. To prevent the latest movies from reaching countries where a film has not reached theaters yet, Hollywood studios imposed a block. This regional coding is a digital flag on the disc that tells the DVD player where a particular DVD comes from. This is supposed to prevent the disc from being used by an incompatible player in another country. A normal DVD player can only play discs designated for the player's own particular region. However, a codefree DVD player is a capable of playing DVD discs from anywhere around the world. A codefree DVD player can play DVD discs from all 6 regions and both standards, PAL and NTSC. That's every DVD movie on earth! PAL-NTSC 110-220 volts DVD/VCR Combos for use worldwide. CODEFREE DVD / PAL-NTSC VCR combos and MULTISTANDARD VCRs will play 100% all known DVD discs including FRENCH DVDs.You can buy region free and region free converting DVD players and region free DVD recorders from http://www.mindlogic.com in California. They give you a LIFETIME Warranty and ship worldwide. Tel.800-514-2984 or tel. 925-686-9945They have more thank 140,000 consumer electronics including multisystem pal TVs such as plasma, LCD, DLP etc. They also have free standing video standards converters from Tenlab and converting PAL-SECAM,NTSC, PAL-N , PAL-M VCR

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