Brown Bag Lunches VS Cooler Lunch Bags

A packed lunch is brought from home typically in a brown paper bag, a plastic bag or a lunch bag. People bringing lunch to their workplace now will likely utilize a paper bag that is either plain or showing their company logo. In the modern era, school children generally opt to use a lunch bag with their favorite cartoon character or superhero pictured on the outside.

A great number of people throughout the world count on a packed lunch for their afternoon meal. A packed lunch is brought from home typically in a brown paper bag, a plastic bag or a lunch paper brown bag. Carrying around ones lunch has been a practice of many for a long time but it wasn't until the 20th century where it became a marketable concept. Before this time, lots of folks still brought their own lunches to work or school but they did it in a more creative way. Workers had what was called a lunch pail. It was made from toolbox grade metal. People bringing lunch to their workplace now will likely utilize a lunch bag that is either plain or showing their company logo. School children during this era used old tin boxes that previously stored biscuits, cookies or tobacco. In the modern era, school youngsters generally opt to use a paper brown bag with their favorite cartoon character or superhero pictured on the outside.

With a packed lunch, the lunch is typically made the night before and kept in the refrigerator until right before the person that will be eating the lunch leaves for the day. In the past it wasn't viewed as a good thing to bring your own lunch. Times have changed and now there are quite a few reasons a parent will prepare a lunch for their child or even make one for themselves to bring to their workplace.

The lunch paper bag has clearly evolved over the years and it continues to get better. In today's world we now have the Packit Cooler Lunch Bag. This lunch bag has been featured on The Martha Stewart Show and Good Morning America and for good reason.

One of the best things about the Packit Cooler Lunch Bag is that is keeps your food cold and fresh for up to 10 hours. Before the Packit Cooler Lunch bag, an alternative to try and keep the food cold was using an icepack. An icepack is only good for around 2 hours whereas the PackIt Cooler Lunch bag doesn't require an icepack and it can keep food cold for up to 10 hours.

This article is brought to you by MATCHMAKING.

Reasons to Choose Office Party Catering

There are a lot of corporate entities that will choose to reward their clients or their workers with an office party. Throwing an office party for a large group of people can be fairly costly, but there are a lot of options that can help you save time, money, and not interrupt the daily workflow of your office. By hiring an office party catering service, you will be able to serve your employees beverages and food throughout the day, without having to disrupt their productivity.

There are many different reasons why you should consider hiring an office party catering service to cater your corporate events. A few of the top three reasons why it is a good idea to hire a professional catering service for the event is because they can provide peace of mind, competitive pricing, and present the event in a professional manner.

Presentation - When hiring a professional office catering service, the first thing that you will notice when hiring a company is their level of professionalism that they take while performing their job. The food that the company will bring to your office will come ready to serve, and if you choose to rent tables for the event, the catering company will set up the tables in a professional manner to suit the venue that the party is being conducted in.

Pricing - Instead of taking all of your employees to an expensive restaurant or purchasing large quantities of food from a nearby eatery, you can choose to have an office catering service come to your office and provide you with a wide variety of options to choose from, for a relatively low cost. You will be able to feed every employee within your office, and still have enough food leftover for the employees to take home with them, if they desire to do so.

Peace of Mind - Instead of spending your valuable time coordinating different pieces of your party together, office party services can take care of every aspect of your party for you. You will be able to call one company and get your food, drinks, and desserts delivered to your office without having to stress out about the event plans. You will not have to take any of your employees away from their work to help you plan the occasion, because all of the planning can be done by one person, when you have a team of caterers to help you with the rest.

Presentation, pricing, and peace of mind are just three ways that office catering services can help make your office party an eventful and stress free event. Office catering services can be used for a lot more events than office parties. You can utilize the services at wedding receptions, birthday parties, and other special occasions as well. The office party catering service will be able to adhere to your needs, whatever they may be.

Instead of having to burden yourself with the stresses that come from feeding a large group of people, let someone else do the work for you. An office party catering company will prepare all of the food, drinks, and décor for the party that you are hosting. They will bring all of the items to your office for you.

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A Quick Crash Course in Bread Machines and Why You Need One

The bread machine is one modern invention that doesn't get nearly as much credit as it deserves. In fact, compared to toasters, blenders and coffee makers, bread machines are the unsung heroes of kitchen appliances.

It's a real shame when you think about it. Good kitchen appliances are prized because they make life a little easier. And bread machines take one of the most time consuming, labor intensive things you can do in a kitchen-making bread-and makes it both fast and easy.

There's just nothing like eating a slice of warm, homemade bread fresh from the oven. And not only does homemade bread taste great, it also smells heavenly. In fact, the smell of bread baking in the oven can do anything from improve your mood to help sell your house.

Most people would eat fresh, homemade bread every day if they could.

So why don't they?

For most, actually making the bread from scratch is the problem.

If you've never tried making your own bread before, it can seem like a complex and mysterious process you're too intimidated to tackle. And the truth is that making bread completely by hand, even if you're using a simple recipe, really can be a challenge.

If you're an experienced bread maker, time might be the problem. Making a simple loaf of bread by hand can take several hours. If your life is as busy as most people's, you probably just don't have time to make homemade bread.

That's where the bread machine comes in. First of all, they're fast. You can set up a machine to start making homemade bread in just minutes.

Bread machines are also user-friendly. Even absolute beginners can turn out a beautiful and delicious loaf of bread with the help of a bread machine.

Whether you're an experienced baker or a newbie bread maker, there are countless reasons why you need a bread machine in your kitchen.

The Advantages of Using a Bread Machine

Compared to making bread by hand, using a bread machine has several benefits.

You Don't Have To Do the Kneading. Kneading is the most arduous part of the bread making process. It's tiring, tedious, and leaves you with sore arms and tense shoulders. Yes, it can be therapeutic. Pounding on a lump of bread dough is a good way to work out your frustrations. However, if you've had a lovely day and just want to make some bread as quickly as possible, let the machine do the kneading for you.

There's No Big Mess to Clean Up. Making a single loaf of bread can require the use of several bowls, pots, pans and utensils... all of which needs to be washed and put away.

It's also hard to make bread without ending up with flour all over your countertop and, more often than not, the floor. And that mess has to be cleaned up too.

But you don't have to worry about cleaning a big mess when you use a bread machine. All of the stuff that can create a mess takes place inside of the machine. So aside from the bread maker itself, all you'll have to clean is a measuring cup or two.

Worry Less About Making Mistakes. There are so many things that can go wrong when you make bread completely by hand. You might not knead the dough enough. Or you might knead the dough too much. Or you could make a mistake with the yeast, causing the dough not to rise properly. Any of these mishaps can result in a loaf of bread that's hard, tough, and about as appetizing as a shoe leather.

Luckily, using a bread machine makes bread making nearly fool proof. You don't have to worry about how much to knead the dough, or whether or not the bread dough will rise. The machine takes care of all of that for you.

Now that you know the advantages of using a bread machine, it's time to pick one that's right for you.

How to Choose a Bread Machine

There are a lot of machines on the market. They come in a multitude of shapes and sizes, and can have a variety of features. So how do you decide which bread machine is right for you?

Ask yourself these questions.

How Much Do You Want To Spend? There are cheap machines that can turn out a decent loaf of bread. However, they are usually pretty small, so you can only make small loaves. Cheap bread machines also tend to be lacking in features. Still, if you only want to make a small loaf of bread every week or so, a cheap machine might be all you need.

How Much Homemade Bread Do Your Really Need? For some people, bread making is a hobby. They only make the occasional loaf of bread, usually when they find an interesting recipe they want to try. For these hobbyists, a machine that makes small loaves might be enough.

For some people, bread making is a huge lifestyle change. For example, if you have a large family, and have decided to stop buying store-bought bread altogether, you'll need a bigger machine. Look for a bread machine that can make at least a 1-pound loaf. You can even find larger machines that make 2-pound loaves.

But keep this in mind. Homemade bread has no preservatives, and will go stale faster than store-bought bread. Will your family be able to eat a 2-pound loaf of bread before it goes stale? If not, stick with the 1-pound loaf bread machine.

Do You Need a Machine with a Timer? Some bread machines come with delay timers, so you can set the bread maker to start at a certain time. Using a timer, you can set the machine to start while you're asleep or out shopping. If you time it right, your bread can finish baking just as you arrive home from work. And what can be better after a hard day at work than a slice of warm, freshly-baked bread?

Getting the Most Out of Your Machine

Yes, bread machines are nearly fool-proof. But there are things you can do to get the best results possible from your machine.

Choose Recipes Carefully. Not every recipe will work correctly in a bread maker. Fortunately, a quick Internet search is all it takes to find bread recipes that have been modified for use in bread makers.

You can also find ready-made mixes especially made for bread machines. These mixes are convenient, affordable, and almost impossible to screw up.

Don't Leave Bread In the Machine for Too Long. Homemade bread is the best when it's still warm. Some machines can keep bread warm long after it has finished baking. However, bread left in the machine for too long could end up being soggy, and not a lot of fun to eat.

Make the Bread Easy To Remove. Thoroughly spray the inside of the machine with cooking spray before adding the ingredients. This will make the bread easier to remove after baking.

Use Bread Machine Yeast... Always. Some recipes don't specify the kind of yeast you should use. But, for the sake of convenience, use bread machine yeast whenever possible.

Bread machines are a modern marvel that many people are just starting to discover. If you've never made bread from scratch before, a bread machine will have you turning out beautiful and delicious loaves of homemade bread in no time. If you're an experienced baker, but just haven't had time to make much bread from scratch, a bread machine will help you step back into the homemade bread making game with ease.

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Green Party Foods

So you consider yourself a pretty good earth steward... you're clean, green, low impact and you're hip on global warming. What does it take to transform your squeaky clean green image out into the backyard? I see it like "taking your green on the road." Make it fun... you're about ready to get your barbeque freak on and you ask yourself, "What can I do to make this Cool Q as green and earth-smart as it can be?" Here's a couple pretty simple starters.

GO OUTSIDE

Simply by getting outdoors and turning your indoors off, you're already saving mega loads of electricity. Even turn off your air conditioner if you're bold. Find yourself an old school "Smokey Joe" kettle grill and let the magic come to you. No propane or other gases needed- just stamped wood and wood bi-products charcoal briquettes. Get the cheap ones and please don't use the lighter fluid for the start- use a couple sheets of wadded up newspaper and a charcoal chimney if you've got one. See, you're getting greener already.

BUY LOCAL

So the grill is going leaving you just enough time to quaff about 1.5 beers before the cooking begins. Whatever you throw on the grill, make it local. Local chicken is very easy to find, in fact you can even grow them in your backyard if you're so inclined. It's common for municipalities to allow up to a half-dozen birds per property and that's a pretty steady source of eggs when you think about it. Obviously, your local farmers market is your best means of participation and a shining endorsement for the "Locally Grown" movement that is afoot. Beside the fact you're doing your neighbors a good, you're keeping the revenue in the community and not paying someone else the unit cost of the product- plus fuel, shipping, distribution, labor, taxes etc. to get that cold, dry, stamped chicken breast from Chili.

WHAT'S ON THE MENU?

Straight from the farmers market down the street, scratching the back of a local guy I don't know, we've come up with a pretty green, well-rounded, eco-friendly and healthy faire for a cookout. No appetizers required. Beer.

Mixed Greens, Mint and Radish with Cranberry Vinaigrette

Local Asparagus shoots in lemon butter and rosemary

(1) 4x4x4 Slab 'o Cornbread

New baby rounds and golden potatoes with chives and lemon butter

(3) Beer Can Chicken, smoked in a brightly scented Applewood riff raff and soaked (marinated) in Jack

Dessert... Strawberry shortcake with ice cream made by the local dairy that picks up our local farmers milk ( they make a mean batch of curds as well) It's a perfect blend of garbage in garbage out, Local.

SERVE IT UP

This is pretty simple and sometimes I feel silly even mentioning it but have you ever wondered what the backyard barbeque would be like without all the plastic and paper products we've become accustomed to? Try it sometime - Eliminate all the paper plates, plastic forks and cups and all the Tupperware type plastic containers that swell from your cupboards and instead, take a step back and use your regular indoor plates and silver. It works- It's easy. To compliment that idea is something else taking shape slowly but surely... Bamboo dinnerware. This is a great hybrid and compromise between indoor and outdoor 'ware'. The bamboo stuff is nice because it's like washable picnic ware. I like it. Finally, (and this one kills me) throw away all the plastic water bottles and drink responsibly from glass, the end of the hose or from the nice metal bottles that flood the market today. No liners, no BPA. It's all good.

This news article is brought to you by FOOD AND DRINKS - where latest news are our top priority.

Easy Pumpkin Pie Crust For Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving dinner is not Thanksgiving dinner until after you have a delicious, rich slice of pumpkin pie! Even the strictest of dieters has to succumb to a slice of this all time most popular Thanksgiving dinner pie! These are made different ways, but the most important step in creating a wonderful pumpkin pie is a fabulous pie crust! After you have a great base for the pie, making the filling is as easy as pie. No pun intended!

One way to make sure you have surefire delicious pie on Thanksgiving day is to buy a package of Pillsbury pie crust in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. I always keep a package of these on hand in case something does not turn out as expected. These can be a great back up source of perfect pie crust, and no one will ever know they are store-bought crust!

Now that you have some extra pie crust on hand for the big day, we can talk about making some delicious crust from scratch. After you have made this recipe a couple of times, it is so easy you do not even need to try to remember a recipe. I like this recipe because the crust is buttery, flaky and rustic - the perfect vessel for any Thanksgiving pie.

To start this recipe you will need 3 cups of flour. I like to use all-purpose flour for my baking needs. To this you want to add a teaspoon of salt. Mix to combine. Next you want to add 1 1/2 sticks of cold butter and 1 cup of vegetable shortening. The key is to make sure the butter is cold so the dough comes together nicely! After you have added the butter and vegetable shortening to the flour mixture, you simply want to mix it together using a pastry cutter. Once you have joined the fats with the flour, you want to add one beaten egg. After you have completed that step, you want to add 5 tablespoons of cold water and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. You want to add the vinegar as this result in a softer pie crust. Mix until well combined and form into a disk.

At this point I like to put my dough mixture into a plastic bag and let it rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. When you are ready to use, simply take out of the fridge and roll to the desired shape!

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Protein - How Much Do You Need And Where to Get It?

I challenge everyone to write down what they eat each day. Do that for a full week and then you can focus on what you are consuming. Few of us pay attention to what we eat, and it may just surprise you. For anyone trying to make a change in his or her eating habits, knowing what you consume is always a great start to knowing how to reduce what you shouldn't be eating.

If you really want to get crazy, copy all the labels on the canned, frozen or packaged foods that you eat and figure out how much sugar, sodium and fat you are ingesting, too. If you eat out, you can easily get the nutrition information from fast foods online.

Now compare your weekly intake with a look at a balanced diet chart. Notice that you should eat the least of the following: fats, oils, salt, sugar and alcohol. After these the next grouping includes meats and dairy products. If you eat more of the foods that you should, like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, you will find that you don't need to copy any labels to see what you are eating, because what you are eating is what you are buying with no added preservatives. Even if you don't buy organic, fresh produce with its pesticides are better than canned and processed equivalents.

Add up your totals and try to compare them to a balanced diet. Is yours heavy on the protein or meat side? Do you have eggs and bacon for breakfast, a ham sandwich for lunch and steak and potato for dinner? Where are the whole grains (also a good source of protein), fruits and vegetables? If you must have meat, fish and poultry are better for you. But if you are going for the protein, beans and nuts are the best and they are as filling as meat, too.

Most immigrants to America in its first 300 years of settlement preferred pork and chicken to beef. It wasn't until the Civil War, when these two meats became scarce, that beef got the upper hand. Today we eat on average about 75 grams of protein each day. For a person weighing about 160 pounds you should have about 58 grams. That overindulgence might be justified if you eat more meat in order to replace or cut back on pop, white bread or sweets, however.

A diet of moderation usually provides us with all the protein we need. If you must have meat, then try to focus on those that are most lean and less processed (that means avoid the lunchmeats, sausages and hotdogs.) The fact that about 80% of all antibiotics sold every year are used in animal production that we end up eating is enough to give you pause.

Do yourself a big favor by eating out less and choosing salads or beans more when you do eat out. It not only will thin your waistline, it will fatten your pocketbook. Perhaps that is why we don't keep track of what we are eating. It might just turn us all into garden growing, chicken raising, canning and food dehydrating paranoids!

This article is sponsored by medical case study.

Restaurant Budget Techniques to Save Money

A field like the restaurant business requires scrupulous attention to every last cent. Eliminating wastefulness, purchasing the best products at the right prices, and above all, composing the best quality staff are some means for keeping you well under budget while letting you maintain your high standards of excellence. Keep spending reasonable and continue to give your customers the experience they deserve.

The Right Janitorial Supplies and the Best Employees

Your staff represents amazing money-saving prospects, without using pay cuts. Boost employee productivity by assigning certain jobs during slower times of day. For instance, cooks can prepare foods with good shelf lives, especially sauces, in advance. Record which times of day are busy and which are slower until you see a clear-cut pattern. Then manage staff presence accordingly. Cautiously let staff members go home, particularly if business fades within a couple of hours of closing time. Take on employees who get the job done as thoroughly and quickly as possible. People who can finish the usual start- and end-of-shift cleaning jobs twice as fast only need to be there when the restaurant is closed for the time that those tasks take. High quality industrial janitorial supplies help all staff members reach higher standards faster. Pay them slightly higher rates to reward their efficiency and you will still spend less than paying average wages to people who take longer to complete the same tasks. The same idea applies to chefs. Hire chefs with greater productivity levels who create fascinating, business-drawing dishes. They will help you gain more profits, so choosing them over average chefs for average pay will be worth it.

Ingredient and Restaurant Supply

Food waste reduction results in the biggest savings in the food service industry. Use as many vegetable scraps as possible with the aid of a mandolin slicer set. Offer distinctive but inexpensive additions such as specialty sauces for low-cost main courses to increase the price potential of your dishes. Of course, using seasonal, local produce generally translates to better prices as well. Discuss bulk prices and discounts with suppliers and find out whether you will get a better deal on essentials by diversifying or by purchasing everything from one supplier. This approach works with both ingredients and professional restaurant supply.

Continuing to proffer exemplary food and service while maintaining acceptable menu prices is one of the greatest challenges that a restaurant owner faces. Using these techniques will enable you to meet that challenge and go above customers' expectations. Equally important is the fact that your staff will recognize that you value them and their loyalty to your establishment will increase. Add worth to your restaurant while subtracting dollars from your overheads.

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Added Conveniences of Owning a Portable Bar

Not everyone owns a well stocked bar, but those who do will ensure that it is in perfect shape. Great pains are taken to ensure that the bar is designed well and placed prominently for everyone to admire. The bar, after all, is where great times and memorable relationships are shared. How could a few extra pennies and some extra care matter?

When planning a bar, we are careful about where in the house we would like to have it placed, how it should look and also how much it should be able to contain. Some people like to have automatic lights installed, while others would look for a special form or shape to base it around.

Once you have your bar in place, while the drinks may go around, the bar itself is pretty much where it was. The concept of a portable bar is now becoming popular, since it allows lots of conveniences.

A portable bar can basically go about with you, to most parts of your house, and carry all the drinks that you need served. With this bar, you now have the option of hosting your parties anywhere convenient, and saving yourself plenty of anxiety.

You could be planning a movie with your friends in the den, but have to constantly dash out to get the drinks from the bar in the dining area. Not only are you taking away from the whole experience, but also wearing yourself out by having to get about more than you need to. With a portable bar, you can bring in anything that you want, and have it placed around where it is needed most.

A portable bar is ideal for those who have open spaces like terraces, pools and sundecks, and also for those who like to have different forms of entertaining at home. A portable bar will allow you host different kinds of evenings, and retain the convenience and feel of each of them.

Contrary to what some may believe, a portable bar can look rather elegant and in place. It does not have to look quaint and uneasy. In fact, it can just about be a miniature of the version that you would have liked for your large bar, only made smaller.

Look at the various options, and ensure that you hire someone who can do your portable bar full justice. When you make a decision to go with it, not only are you going with an off-beat choice, but also presenting things in new light.

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Beat the Heat With These Frozen Vacuum Food Sealer Snack Ideas

Summer time brings fresh ripe fruit at cheap seasonal prices. For the best quality frozen snacks, pick some of your favorites and freeze them with your vacuum food sealer for cool treats on those hot summer days. Some favorites are grapes, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, peaches and melons. Watermelon doesn't fair so good in the freezer but cantaloupe and honey dew melons work great. If you have ever bought the frozen bagged fruit from the store you know that their fruit was not picked and packaged at the peak of its ripeness. You will enjoy full flavor from the quality fruit you pick and freeze. As an added bonus the frozen fruit make great garnishes or ice cubes for cool tropical summer drinks. For example, frozen grapes work great for keeping wine cool without diluting the drink.

Find your favorite fruit from the store or stock up on whatever is on sale and tasty ripe each week. Wash the fruit and peel if necessary. Cut into bite size chunks or desired garnish shapes. Cookie cutters help to make some interesting theme shapes. As an example, melon can be cut into garnishes that look like flowers for floating in a punch bowl. Melon ball scoops work great for making the right bite size shapes also.

Fruit that is ripe and firm are the best for food sealing whole for snacks or garnishes. If you find you have fruit that is mushy ripe or you have a lot of left over juices, don't be concerned. These can be blended and frozen in ice cube trays for either drink ice cubes or popsicles. If making popsicles cover the ice cube tray, after filling, tightly with plastic wrap and insert a toothpick into each cube section. The plastic wrap will keep the toothpicks upright for freezing. The ice cubes can then be removed from the trays after frozen and sealed in food sealer bags to keep fresh until you wish to enjoy.

When freezing the fruit, you can either package each fruit separately or mix the fruit on a bag by bag basis. It is best to minimize any juice getting in the bags as this will cause the fruit to stick together and cause problems when sealing the bag. It is possible to put the fruit into regular plastic bags first and then put those plastic bags into one larger vacuum food sealer bag. However care must be taken to remove all air from the regular plastic bags or you could get freezer burn. Fill the food sealer bags to the desired quantity and seal. Note: it is best to try to vacuum seal the fruit in flat layers in the bag to better allow you to remove the desired quantity from the bag and reseal to put any remaining fruit back in the freezer if not using the entire bag at one time.

Kids and adults will enjoy these quality fresh frozen fruit treats as snacks or garnishes on those hot summer days to stay cool.

This article is brought to you by SINGLES.

How Eating Seafood Will Help You Live A Longer And Healthier Life - Tip 5 Of 10

Convenience foods. Do you love them or hate them? Or need them because of your busy lifestyle or your unwillingness to cook for yourself?

The claims made by the burger operators about the 100% Burger for a Euro have to be believed. However an animal supplying Beef is 100% Beef from head to toe, and it is around these two areas that the meat will come from. Do not expect that you will be eating the prime cuts of fillet, sirloin, rib or rump. You are more likely to receive meat from the third quality cuts. Is this what you want out of life? The packet of strawberry flavoured, or rather red coloured dessert, made up with milk is neither convenient or inspiring. How about fresh strawberries with cream. Whilst both contain saturated fats from dairy products the fresh strawberries contain vitamins and minerals as against the chemical kit in the sachet, and surely it is not that inconvenient to take the fruit out of the carton as against whisking the powdered mix with milk. The prepared pies, sausages, fresh meat products and cured meats are in a world of their own. Most come attractively packaged with ingredients lists and nutritional details, to help you assess their part in your daily food intake.

Just consider the claims - "now even creamier", for a dessert that does not include any dairy products. "80% pork content" - for a cheap sausage; Pork does contain fat, gristle and sinew. "Now lower in salt" - for a 28 g packet of potato snacks of which 1 g is salt.

There is an easy way to resolve the problems and still present you with the benefit of convenience and speed in preparing a meal, and lead a healthier lifestyle. That is to increase the amount of seafood and fresh vegetables that you eat during the week. Cooking most fresh fish dishes is very quick. A fillet of Sole or Salmon, grilled or fried, will take less than five minutes, still giving you time to prepare a salad or some fresh vegetables. You will end up with a nutritious and healthy meal on your plate. Do not be concerned because of your lack of previous experience, because there are many TV cookery programmes with fish being used, for a small amount of money you can buy a book or even borrow one free from the library, and the Internet is full of free advice and help. A recent report from Australia finds that people aged over 65 who cooked regularly at home live longer than those who exist on the bought in convenience food. This is due to home cooks having a better diet, so it is hardly surprising.

With over 20,000 species of fish in the world and countless ways of cooking them, you will never have a shortage of choice for a meal. Fish is also high in vitamins and minerals, low in fat, salt and calories. Don't just think about the change to eating fresh food start now, on the road to leading a healthier and longer life.

This article is brought to you by DATE.

Folding a Bread Dough - What, Why and How

Folding a bread dough is an old trick that has become very much a modern "must-do." Many recipes specify a long fermentation period followed by a brief kneading and another, shorter fermentation period. The brief kneading is the fold.

Why should you do it? During a fairly long fermentation, say over an hour, the yeast will eat up the carbohydrates near it and will begin to slow down its rate of gas production. However, the gluten in the flour and the water may not have fully reacted to achieve a good cellular structure in the dough. The yeast will also have given off enough carbon dioxide, alcohol and other by-products that the yeast activity will start to slow down. By folding the dough, the baker shifts the food supply for the yeast, the carbohydrates, so that the yeast has access to a new supply. Folding also degasses the dough, which expels the alcohols and the carbon dioxide, leaving the yeast with a clean place to grow. The baker also works the dough strands and makes them stronger, which can do really good things to the finished bread.

How to Fold.

There are at least three ways to fold.

1. A Pocketbook or Letter fold. This is the fold that Jeffrey Hamelman, the baking education director at King Arthur Flour, espouses. It is a good fold. To do this fold, merely place the dough on the floured counter or work surface and pat it flat. Take about a third of the dough on the left side and bring it over the dough. Work this dough vigorously with your fingers to expel the gas. Take a third of the dough from the right side and do the same with it. Make sure you brush off all the extra flour that you can so that none gets incorporated into the dough. This will leave you with a rather long dough. finish the fold by taking the top third of the dough and bringing it down the dough toward you. Again, expel as much gas as you can and brush off any extra flour. Take a third of the bottom dough and bring it up to the other dough and do the same brush and expel. You now have a folded dough.

2. A Roll-Up fold. This is my personal favorite, since it's very simple. I merely pat out the dough, then roll it up into a long tube. Then pat this tube down so it is slightly flat and roll up so that in effect you make a ball. You can do this a couple of times if you wish. This will drive out the gas and other by-products of fermentation, rearrange the nutrients for the yeast and realign the dough strands.

3. The Drop-Hook fold. This is the easiest, and works well it you are fermenting the dough in the bowl on a stand mixer, as I do frequently. Merely drop the dough hook into the dough and turn on the mixer for a few seconds. Then turn off the mixer, reach in and turn the dough, drop the dough hook into the dough and repeat the few seconds of mixing.

When to Fold.

Various experts give different time schedules for folding. One popular timing is to divide the total fermentation time into four parts and fold after the end of the third part. If the total time is two hours, each part is thirty minutes, one-half hour. Fold after 90 minutes, one and one-half hours. Then ferment for the remaining 30 minutes, one-half hour. This timing will never get you into too much trouble.

Certain other breads are made with folds at the half-way point, so that the above bread would be folded at one hour and then allowed to ferment for another hour. This seems to be more popular for doughs with a lot of fats and oils and sugar.

A few doughs benefit from a fold at the half-way point and another fold half-way through the remaining fermentation period.

A lot depends on the recipe, the conditions in your kitchen and your technique. The best thing to do is to start with a simple fold at the three-quarter point and see how that works for you. You can then experiment with various schemes until you hit one that works in your kitchen for each recipe. More than likely, you will find that the four-part timing works fine.

Try folding the dough the next time you make bread, I think you'll like the improvement.

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The Delicious Treat Called Pistachio Baklava

Pistachio Baklava is one of the most popular desserts of the Mediterranean cuisine. This dessert was first made at around 8th century B.C. Although it has faced a few moderations in the course of time, this delectable dessert has never failed to please even the toughest of food critics.

There can be no denial to the well known fact that a tasty dessert can make a meal a memorable experience. Ever heard the Turkish phrase, "Tatli yiyelim, tatli konuÅŸalim"? It literally translates into, "Let's eat sweet and let's speak sweet". Now, a country that believes in such a saying has to be the home to the most delectable of desserts, doesn't it? Turkey really has been a country that has gifted the world with many of today's most cherished sweet dishes. Pastries, puddings and custards are some of them. All of the Turkish desserts have the abundant use nuts and fruits that have been grown traditionally in the region. One such extremely popular and delicious dessert is Pistachio Baklava. Baklava is the most authentic and ambrosial type of Mediterranean sweet dish.

The Turkish chefs say that making a pistachio baklava is a work of art. It requires a passion for food making along with care and affection. The Assyrians were the first people prepared this scrumptious dessert. They made the first Pistachio Baklava at around 8th century B.C. They tried experimenting by putting together a few layers of thin bread dough, with chopped nuts in between those layers. Then they added some honey and baked it in their primitive ovens. Originally, it was considered to be a special dish and was reserved only for special occasions. Even until the later years of the 19th century, the Baklava was a food of 'the rich and the famous'.

For a fairly long time, Pistachio Baklava remained the most favorite dessert of the Turkish sultans. There was another reason for the widespread popularity of this dish among the nobility. The two principal ingredients, of this delicious sweet dish, the pistachio and honey, were believed to be aphrodisiacs when taken regularly. They further enhanced the taste of this pastry by adding in certain spices. Apart from improving the taste of the pastry, these special spices also helped to augment the aphrodisiac characteristics of this preparation. It is interesting to note that cinnamon was added for females and cardamom for males and cloves for both sexes.

Pistachio Baklava is considerably difficult to make. It takes a lot of time to prepare the dough. Once that is done, you have to work pretty quickly as the dough dries up and becomes brittle pretty easily. Even though, previously sugar was used for making the syrup; nowadays honey is used as it contains less calories and is healthier that sugar. Admittedly, if you are a new cook, making something like a baklava can be a messy job. It is because of this reason, foodies prefer to order Baklava from the Greek and Turkish shops. And then it is time to eagerly dive in.

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