Kitchen Safety Tips

Here are some kitchen safety rules that you should keep in mind. People who cook enough have learned the hard way.......so BE SAFE

• Keep your hands clean while handling food. Keep countertops, food preparation surfaces and sinks clean and disinfected with a mild bleach solution. Wash vegetables and fruits to remove chemicals, dirt and molds. You may use commercially-available veggie-wash or learn to make your own, Rinse uncooked fish, poultry and meat thoroughly, under cold running water, in a clean sin. Keep your refrigerator shelves clean, as per instructions from the manufacturer.
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• Use a clean wood, or soft polyethylene, cutting board when cutting/trimming vegetables, fruits and meats. Use only sharp knives.....they are actually safer. Watch your fingers!
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• Do not allow loose or dangling clothing or hair to come in contact with a stove, open flame or any motorized kitchen machinery. 
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• Keeping pot handles angled towards the back of the stove will help avoid accidentally hitting them and tipping the pots or spilling the hot contents. Keep children away from all stoves, kitchen machinery or any hot dishes.
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• Pot holders are best to steady hot pots or to take pans out of a hot oven. Don’t use a wet cloth on a hot pan because the steam it produces can burn you.
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• Be careful while lifting the lid of a steaming pot. Open it away from you, since hot steam will burn you.
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• If you do get burned, run cold water over the burn, immediately! Never put grease or butter onto burned skin. Cold water will cool the burned skin, while grease or butter will trap the heat. Consult a first aid book for treatment.
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• If you have a grease or oil fire, it's best to use a proper kitchen fire extinguisher, correctly. If one is not available, you may throw baking soda or salt at the bottom of the flame to help put it out. (Water will make a grease fire EXPLODE and will NOT put it out!) Call the fire department, and attempt to turn all the stove burners to “off", if it can be done, safely........OR turn the electricity to the stove off at the breaker box.
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• EVERY KITCHEN NEEDS A WORKING FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND FIRST AID KIT.
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• EVERY COOK SHOULD KNOW HOW TO USE THESE IMPORTANT ITEMS BEFORE THERE IS AN EMERGENCY.

Chicken Wings in Spicy Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

10 chicken wings

1 cup water

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp Ground black pepper

½ tsp McCormick® powdered black pepper

½ tsp American Garden® powdered white pepper

1 tsp McCormick® dried oregano

1 tsp McCormick® Marjoram

1 tsp Sumac

1 tsp McCormick® all spice

1 tsp McCormick® turmeric

1 tsp McCormick® cayenne

1 tsp McCormick® Spanish paprika

Darin® powdered cardamom

2 tbsp sugar

9 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

1 medium onion, chopped finely

2 tbsp tbsp rock salt

To prepare:

1. Sprinkle 1 ½ tbsp of rock salt on the chicken wings then set aside.
2. Heat the pan in medium heat; pour the olive oil and sauté garlic and onion until golden brown.
3. Add all the herbs and spices: Ground black pepper, powdered black pepper, powdered white pepper, dried oregano, Marjoram, Sumac, all spice, turmeric, cayenne, Spanish paprika, cardamom.
4. Stir until the ingredients are mixed well together.
5. Add 1 tsp rock salt.
6. Add 2 tbsp water.
7. Add sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
8. Add the chicken wings.
9. Stir until all the ingredients are distributed on the chicken wings.
10. Add the remaining water.
11. Cover with lid until it boils.
12. Stir from time to time until water evaporates and the sauce thickens.
13. Remove from stove.

Good for 2 servings.

Cucumber Salad Recipe

(I have been referring to this salad, in my previous recipes, without realizing that I haven’t posted the recipe for it. Now, here it is! I apologize for the delay. =P)

Ingredients:

1 medium cucumber, cut into ¼ inch thin slices

8 tbsp white vinegar

2 ½ tbsp sugar

1 tsp of rock salt

5tbsp water

Ground black pepper

To prepare:

In a bowl, pour the white vinegar and add the sugar, rock salt and water. Mix them together until the rock salt and sugar are dissolved. Sprinkle it with black pepper. Lastly, add the cucumber.

Voila, your cucumber salad is ready. Enjoy!  

(I prefer to eat mine freshly made, certainly less then 2-hours old.)

Food Experience: Pork Paper

By the sound of it, you might ask, “Pork paper!? Is it edible?” Yes, it is! This mouth-watering delicacy is made of pork mixed with spices and a hint of sugar. It’s called “paper” because it’s as thin as paper, and it’s very brittle. It’s easy on the teeth, so you’ll enjoy biting and chewing on it as the taste of pork, sweet and spice spreads in your mouth. It can be found outside of Taipei, Taiwan, in Chufen Village. If you live there, lucky you, you must have tried the pork paper already. If you’re going there, I recommend that you try it. Personally, I couldn’t get enough of it; I could eat ten, or more, packages of it. It truly is very tasty!  

Hot Chili Octopus Recipe

Ingredients:

2tbsp butter

2 bay leaves

2 fresh basil leaves

McCormick® Spanish paprika

McCormick® chili powder
1/2 tsp McCormick® cayenne pepper

6 bird’s eye chilli, chopped finely

Sprinkle of McCormick® Marjoram

Sprinkle of McCormick® Oregano

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

12 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1tbsp sugar

Black pepper

Jalapeño

Salt to taste

1kg octopus, cut into bite size pieces

To prepare:

1. Sprinkle the octopus with salt. Set aside.
2. To make a chili mixture, mix these ingredients in a bowl: McCormick Spanish paprika, McCormick chili powder, McCormick cayenne pepper, bird’s eye chili, McCormick marjoram, McCormick oregano, half of the chopped onion, half of the chopped garlic, sugar, black pepper and salt, to taste.
3. Pour the chili mixture onto the octopus and mix them together until the flavor is evenly distributed.
4. Heat the pan to medium heat.
5. Melt the butter.
6. Sauté the remaining half of garlic and onion until golden brown.
7. Add the jalapeño, bay leaves and basil leaves.
8. Add the octopus, including the chili mixture.
9. Turn the heat up and cook until most of the water of the octopus comes out.
10. Stir from time to time until the water evaporates and the sauce thickens.
11. Remove from stove.

 Good for 6 servings