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Literally the oldest cooking utensil in the world.

admin December 11, 2024 0

A mortar and pestle is the worlds oldest cooking utensil used to crush and grind ingredients into a paste or powder. You can find them made of stone, like granite or marble, or other materials like ceramic or wood. Mortar and pestles are great tools to mix, grind, smash, pulverize, and pound both wet and dry ingredients. A mortar and pestle are among the oldest tools on earth and ancient civilizations were first in the development and use.

They're not just decorative--they're one of a chefs favorite kitchen tool. The mortar and pestle work faster than a knife to crush nuts, pound garlic into a paste. You can also smash ginger or chiles to infuse flavor, or grind whole spices into powders. We also use it to crush peppercorns destined for our blended products. People have used these to render wheat into flour for making bread so as you can see, they’re versatile.

Mortar & Pestle is highly recommended for use in our products. The reason for that is that we do not use anti-caking agents. Agents include the stearates of calcium and magnesium, silica and various silicates, and talc. Our rubs will cake but balancing the value of natural products against chemical-laced products we feel is easy peasy.

Worlds Oldest Cooking Utensil Maintenance

For regular maintenance, you need to clean the mortar and pestle after every use—this is true for all mortars and pestles regardless of material. Otherwise, you'll risk your guacamole tasting like the Szechuan peppercorns you pounded a few days ago. Wet a soft sponge or dishcloth with warm water and apply a squirt of unscented dish soap. Then, gently scrub the mortar and pestle to clean off any stubborn residue. Use an unscented dish soap to prevent the taste and smell from seeping into the marble.

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"Life's Good When You're Cookin Wit' Gus"

Enjoying Food Without Additives

admin December 7, 2024 0

Like most Americans who grew up in cities, we never paid much attention to what meals were prepared and served. We ate what was prepared with minimal complaining, if any. As I got older, I embarked on a quest to find out what enjoying food without additives tasted like. The experience resulted in an appreciation for the natural flavors in the food. Additives and preservatives are nothing new they have been around in one form or another since early man. Food additives are certainly front and center in today's processed foods.

The evolution of food additives has spun off many studies, mostly about their safety. If you look at food products banned around the globe, it is primarily because the additives have been deemed harmful to your health. Many banned products contain coloring agents to make the food look more appealing or improve texture. All of which contain "suggestions" that they cause cancer, nervous system damage, DNA changes, etc. I say suggestion because most public-facing ads will not confirm or deny the concerns. Enjoying food without additives has become easier but visiting the grocery store or grabbing a quick snack to take off the edge is unavoidable.

Our Products:

We have made an entire line of spice/seasoning blends without additives or preservatives. That is our sweet spot. The result is we have been able to appreciate natural flavors in the food we eat. I suppose in the long run I will know if dietary changes have had a meaningful impact or not. Maybe I won't even worry about it. What I do know is products made without additives and preservatives require different handling over their lifecycle. Seasonings tend to clump and require grinding mostly. They have held their flavor over time so I consider that a win. Our favorite sauces have been made using real fruit. They are fresh and tasty but must be refrigerated to slow down the ripening. And you don't want to open more than you need but the good news is they respond well to freezing.

I've purposefully stayed away from today's engineered foods. It's just not clear what the long-term effects will be from making a hamburger patty from plants or wood will be. I'm of the mind you can eat whatever you choose within reason. My preference is to know what I'm taking in so there are no surprises later.

Enjoying Food Without Additives Summary:

If after researching food additives you come away confused about what's good to eat and what's not, we're in the same boat. It seems to me that additives are used to extend the life of products along with making them taste better. When using my products at least you know what you're consuming. I think I'll err on the side of healthy eating.

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"Life's Good When You're Cookin Wit' Gus"

Is Your Spice Rack Ready?

admin November 10, 2024 0

We’re always in holiday season and our kitchen is always open, view our spices to see what we use. Because we like to try different recipes, It’s never an option to be out of a spice or sauce. Running out or sending somebody out while cooking disrupts the flow of the meal prep.

By design, our spice rack contains many commonly used items along with everything else to the exotic. Our craft spice blends have been made without additives, flavor enhancers, or preservatives so you can taste the natural flavors in the foods. Read your labels and read ours. You will know exactly what you're getting, nature made ingredients.

Many spices in our store are not readily available in stores. Their explanation is “we can’t have everything”. Neither do we but our exotics are available in sizes that will last and in resealable bottles. And for our friends with food allergies, we have made blends especially for you. We usually ship within 24 hours but we recommend you view our spices and ordering soon to avoid the holiday crush.

View Our Spices and Use Our Tools

Food preparation equipment is any hand-held or machine used to get food to the table. This includes cooking machines, blenders, slicers, mixers, grinders, and presses. Each type of equipment has its purpose, from cooking to blending, slicing, and grinding and you use many of the most common tools daily.

Tools wear out and are replaced with newer, more efficient models. We’ve got some real goodies we’ve added to help make the life of the preparer easily. Click below and take a look at what we have to offer in our well stocked online store.

We add items all the time so if you don’t see something you need let us know. It is our intention to make our store a household name by providing quality products.

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Hot Sauce Is Healthy

admin November 7, 2024 0

I'm just going out on a limb and say hot sauce is healthy eating. Spicy food has been shown to have numerous health benefits. Those benefits include from weight loss to anti-inflammatory properties. A study also found that chili peppers can lower your blood pressure as well. They also increase blood flow, which in turn improves heart and other organ functions. Additionally, the healing properties of capsaicin are at work again here.

Here's the bad news. People with conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), indigestion or other digestive issues should avoid eating spicy sauces and foods. Otherwise, most people can safely tolerate some level of spiciness. Capsaicin can be a very potent irritant. It can cause damage to the lining in the stomach, which in turn can cause gastritis, stomach ulcers and even intestinal disease such as colitis. Moderate spicy eating may benefit fatty liver, be safe, and potentially reduce mortality. So like everything else, enjoy hot sauce and spicy foods in moderation.

Why Hot Sauce is Healthy

Studies have found that spicy foods increase circulation and lower blood pressure. They do this by stimulating the release of compounds that expand blood vessels

Humans have enjoyed hot sauce since ancient times and, as with so many foods, it can serve as an international language to bring different people together and find common ground. Most sources agree that hot sauce is an ancient invention that goes back as far as Mayan times. The first hot sauces were likely just a mixture of peppers and water, but it didn’t take long for people to begin breeding pepper plants to develop the most desirable traits in their peppers. Then, as with most foods, colonization led hot sauce to be evolved even further by introducing ingredients from other parts of the world. Those ingredients are vinegar and other spices. It didn’t take long for spicy flavors to reach all corners of the globe after that.

We have many sauces in our store from mild to molten. What you find in our store is a small sample of what's available on the open market. There's always something new coming on to the market so we recommend bookmarking our page for updates.

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Spooning for Surf Perch

admin October 30, 2024 0

Surf fishing is awesome, especially when spooning for surf perch. Fishing with spoons is nothing new. Spoons have been used for years and for every species you can imagine. Fresh water and salt water, surface, trolled, deep dropped, etc.

One of my newest passions is fishing in the surf with spoons. There are many types of fish lying in wait in the surf for an unsuspecting meal and that adds to the excitement. With variety comes sizes from small to large, to toothy. Sharks also spend time in the surf and that's where it gets interesting. You can also catch Halibut in the surf. Halibut are not line shy so if you wish to target them, scale your tackle up as you see fit.

I throw spoons from 1/8 of an ounce to 1 ounce and 10lb test. The rougher the water the better, but what that means is it may be windy or tides may be out. Rough water tosses spoons around in the surf and that's good for the flash. Spooning for surf perch involves standing in the waves so be prepared to get wet and fight waves as they come and go. This species will viciously attack a spoon so when retrieving the spoon hang on tight. It's not like they will take you down to spool but they barred surf perch on a spoon don't give up easy.

And keep in mind, there are many other species in the surf. Surf fish have a mild flavor, but connoisseurs agree that what makes the fish known is its texture more than its flavor. Many consider the texture of the surfperch too mushy, so brining the fish in cold water with salt and sugar for a few hours might help with the firmness of the flesh.

Tackle Suggestion Spooning for Surf Fishing

Rod: 8 - 12 Foot in length

Reel: Spinning

Line: 8 - 12lb Test

Baits: Spoons, soft plastics, sand crabs, blood worms, squid, hard baits

Hooks: Sizes 2, 4, or 6

The diets of barred and redtail surfperch consist primarily of invertebrates such as the Pacific mole crab, amphipods, skeleton shrimps, and polychaete worms. They also will consume smelt embryos and small fish such as Pacific sardine and northern anchovy. Barred Surf Perch grow up to 17 inches long and weigh 4.5 pounds. They are native to inshore waters from northern California and as far south as Baja California, Mexico. Most would say they are an acquired taste but everyone who fishes for them do so because they are a challenge and fun to land. While enjoying this fishery, please release pregnant females so they can spawn for another generation to enjoy.

Although surfperch are available year-round, the most productive time to fish for them is in the spring and early summer when they school up along sandy shorelines for spawning. The best fishing often occurs on an incoming tide, especially an hour or two before high tide.

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Tender & Juicy Smoked Brisket

admin October 27, 2024 0

The golden rule for cooking tender juicy smoked brisket is “slow and low.” That's where the general consensus ends. Pitmasters will tell you best way to tenderize a large piece of beef is time over a low flame.

Before I start a full-on brisket fight, let me say Brisket is cooked many ways. Some even say you can marinade, tenderize, and cook over a high flame. Oh yeah, with the fat side up over Match Light. For competition cooking, fat side down is best for consistent results. Fat-side down encourages a more pronounced smoke ring. A smoke ring refers to the thin ribbon of pink-colored meat between the crust and the interior brown-colored meat.

Different grill makers tell you how brisket should be smoked on THEIR rigs. I take their suggestions with a certain amount of tongue-in-cheek. The big commercial smokers are built using thick steel and fireboxes, and use wood for smoking. At the end of the day, Brisket is delicious and when tender, unbeatable. There are some generally accepted smoked brisket principles and if you don't stray too far, the results are worth the work.

Pellet Grills

New to the cooking scene are pellet grills. These grills have made smoking brisket less of a challenge. These grills cook with indirect heat, which doesn't give you the heavy grill marks you get with a gas or charcoal grill. However, some models can also cook with direct heat for grilling and searing, like a standard grill does. Pellet grills produce less smoke and therefore, lower levels of PAHs, contributing to a healthier grilling option. Pellet grills, on the other hand, generally need an outlet to function, so they're not portable. Moving them a lot may cause damage to electrical parts, and they tend to be heavy. It's also worth noting that, because they use electricity, they're not meant for wet-weather use unless covered. You can load them up with meat and pellets and they do the work for you.

Tender Juicy Smoked Brisket GASP

When cooking a full packer (12-14 lbs.)

Use our Cookin Wit' Gus D.D.T. Rub

Smoking Time: 8-9 hours

Temperature: 225

Fat Cap Down

Internal Temperature: 205 degrees

Wrapped at 165-170 degrees in Butcher Paper

Rest for 1 hour

Flipping the brisket does even out the exposure of the meat to heat. Airflow inside any smoker is uneven and letting the brisket sit there in one position the whole time will cause part of it to dry out simply because of this unevenness. Ideally, flip and rotate your brisket at least once during the cooking.

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Garlic, Garlic, My Good Friend Garlic

admin October 19, 2024 0

When planning or preparing simple to gourmet meals, always included are thoughts of my good friend Garlic. Garlic adds depth and savouriness to anything you cook, so it's hardly ever a bad choice. It is also bursting with many health-supporting phytochemicals. It goes particularly well with tomatoes, greens of any kind, cucumbers or courgette, potatoes, mushrooms, and any meat or fish.

There are 5 generally accepted methods for preparing garlic. Those methods are crushing, peeling, slicing, chopping, and mincing. Using our crushers you can crush garlic with the skin on. This is my favorite method for preparing garlic but it really depends on what you're preparing. The smaller the pieces of garlic are, the more intensely the garlic flavor will be dispersed throughout a dish. When making a sauce, toss in a couple of whole cloves and you'll get a delicate garlicky perfume.

There is no "wrong" way to prepare garlic but my crushers generally get a good workout because they are quick and easy. If you're making a sauce that you're going to strain anyway, just smash the clove and leave the skin on to add maximum flavor. If you're mincing garlic for a recipe, save the skin and throw it into a stock or broth later.

Health Benefits of My Good Friend Garlic

People commonly use garlic for high blood pressure, high levels of cholesterol or other fats in the blood, and hardening of the arteries. Garlic is Rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants reduce oxidative damage in the body tissue, which slows the process of aging and protects the body. The antioxidants in garlic combined with its benefits on blood pressure and cholesterol protect the heart and brain. It's said to reduce the risk of brain diseases like dementia and Alzheimer's. To activate allicin the garlic has to be chewed (raw), crushed or sliced. You can change this and keep all the health benefits of garlic by making ONE SIMPLE CHANGE. Crush, chop or mince garlic and keep it away from heat for 10 minutes. During this time the maximum allicin is created and stays intact during cooking.

Onions and garlic complement each other for sure, but when they're combined, they almost cancel each other out. Rather than the distinct flavor of onion and garlic, often what you taste is simply “something good.” If you stick to one, its flavor becomes a feature of the dish rather than a supporting role. Garlic is used to add a pungent flavor to dishes, while onions add a sweet and slightly savory flavor. Mixing the two can result in an overpowering and unbalanced taste that can ruin your dish.

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Using Binder on Pork Ribs

admin October 16, 2024 0

Pitmasters all have their own "secrets" for preparing meat, some will even use a binder on pork ribs. Some would rather wash their eyes in the hottest pepper sauce available. Binders serve two purposes. The first purpose is to provide a level of moisture to the meat. Another purpose is to help seasoning stick to the meat.

There are as many choices for binders as you can think of. Some of the more common choices for binders are mustard, duck fat, liquid smoke, honey, or fruit juices. Again, these are only a few of the choices. You can use anything pleasing to your palate, any viscosity, any flavor. Keeping in mind that a binder should help rub sticks to meat, I wouldn't use anything too liquidly because it may run off when turning.

When using a binder on pork ribs, I season the meat with a mild dusting of my favorite rub black dynamite. Next comes a liberal coating of mustard followed by another dusting of rub. The family joke is they look like they have measles. Nevertheless, onto the smoker, they go. My favorite temperature is 275-325 degrees. Length of time in the cooker depends on how many slabs (baby backs) and the thickness of the ribs. The frequency and number of flips depend on the perception of how fast the meat is cooking.

Binder on Pork Ribs Cooking Methods

My favorites are the Baby Back followed by St. Louis Style, and lastly Spare Ribs aka "Big Bones". Binder works well on all three and my technique is the same. Not that there's anything wrong with the technique, but I rarely use the 3:2:1 method. My favorite method is to season and slow-cook them using a combination of charcoal and wood. With 15 minutes left, I sauce them on the grill, pull, and slice. It does not matter whether a binder was used or not. The taste is awesome either way and there is no mustardy taste.

At the end of the day, it's all about what you're comfortable with. I had eaten ribs for years prepared without a binder and they went down well. What I will tell you is the 3:2:1 method yields awesome ribs when using binders. They tend to be juicier even if your temperature varies on the hot side. Give using a binder a try, you have nothing to lose. Click the link below and you can see the sauces and rubs we use to prepare mouth-watering ribs.

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Benefits of Drinking Tea

admin October 10, 2024 0

Going back thousands of years, the benefits of drinking tea remain today. Tea is a low-calorie drink containing unique compounds that support heart health. Drinking tea was used for its medicinal qualities and enjoyed as the cultural beverage of choice. It's generally accepted that green tea has the most benefits as it contains EGCG, the most powerful type of catechin. Whether you use bagged or tea leaves, the benefits of drinking tea are not diminished. The original tea bags were handmade, hand-stitched muslin or silk bags, much like Mighty Leaf's handcrafted, artisan tea pouches. Patents for tea bags existed as early as 1903. However, Thomas Sullivan, a tea merchant from New York, is often credited with creating the first commercial tea bag concept.

According to Chinese legend, the history of tea began in 2737 B.C.E. when Emperor Shen Nong, a skilled ruler and scientist, accidentally discovered tea. While boiling water in the garden, a leaf from an overhanging wild tea tree drifted into his pot. The Emperor enjoyed drinking the infused water so much that he was compelled to research the plant further. Legend has it that the Emperor discovered tea's medicinal properties during his research. Like Europe, tea initially came to America in the mid-1600s through the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam. The colony was captured by England in 1664 and renamed New York, where the tea trade flourished amongst colonial women and wealthy colonists.

Health Benefits of Drinking Tea

Tea is also associated with a lower risk of many ailments, including cognitive issues, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, and more. Teas are hydrating and tasty, making them a good alternative to water. The nutrients and minerals available in them can contribute to overall health. While drinking tea alone is not a solution or cure for any health condition, it can be easily integrated into a healthy diet.

Various studies suggest that polyphenolic compounds present in green and black tea are associated with beneficial effects in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, particularly of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. In addition, anti-aging, antidiabetic, and many other health-beneficial effects associated with tea consumption are described. Evidence is accumulating that catechins and theaflavins, which are the main polyphenolic compounds of green and black tea, respectively, are responsible for most of the physiological effects of tea.

For the users of dry tea leaves, we offer a line of reusable tea infusers. All are machine washable.

Click Here for a list of available infusers.

Cooking With Cast Iron

admin October 8, 2024 0

Cooking with cast iron is nothing new. My favorite cookware has been around some say since the 5th century B.C. There are tons of cooking pots and pans on the market today, all types of coatings, colors, etc. With the advent of aluminum skillets with Teflon coatings, cast iron fell out of favor. Teflon did NOT make cast iron obsolete, people who had them continued using them for their awesome properties.

What I like best about cooking with cast iron is how it holds and distributes heat around the pan. I translate that into more even cooking, shortened cooking times, and a reduction in gas usage. We use natural gas where I reside but I'm sure the same holds for electric stoves. You can also use cast iron over open flames outdoors. Anything can be cooked using cast iron, any style. Deep-fried fish is my specialty, followed closely by fried chicken. Perhaps cooking in these skillets reminds me of my mum's cooking but I'm okay with that. While cooking, the cast iron surface easily reaches +300 degrees which will kill any bacteria unfortunate enough to stick around.

When cooking with cast iron, you should avoid cooking acidic foods. You should also avoid marinating ANYTHING because marinades are usually acidic. Other than that, anything can be prepared. I will say eggs can be a problem because of the porous surface. I solve that problem by applying a thin layer of oil.

Preparation for cooking with cast iron:

The process of preparing cast iron for use is called seasoning. The process involved rubbing a fine layer of oil on the surface and baking it for an hour at 400 degrees. You should avoid soaking cast iron in water. Cast Iron will absorb water and accelerate the formation of rust. The only problem I have with cast iron is the weight. If you've used it you understand how heavy it is. Nevertheless, cast iron is my favorite, it's like lifting weights..

"Life's Good When You're Cookin Wit' Hus"

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