Create Quick Harvest Soups With These Kitchen Staples

Have you ever had a quick and easy soup recipe become slow and difficult? It's usually not that the recipe is more complicated than you thought, but that the kitchen is missing a few ingredients. Yes, those simple soup recipes are often written by folks who assume the cook has prepared their kitchen with the basics. But unfortunately, too many of us have not.

In order to make simple recipes work, there are some basic ingredients you'll need to keep in your kitchen. Let's take a look at kitchen staples that will help you speed through any simple soup  recipe and make it even simpler.

Broth

(Image courtesy of Apolonia via FreeDigitalPhotos.net.)

This ingredient seems almost like a given, but some cooks still have not gotten used to having chicken, vegetable, or beef broth on hand at all times. You can, of course, get by with water as a base for your simple soup recipe, but broth adds so much flavor it would be a shame not to take advantage of this kitchen staple. You can buy canned or boxed broth, but you may want to make your own to save money - it's so easy to make, and it tastes better too! Plan a day to simmer chicken, vegetables, or a beef bone for hours and you'll have a rich broth ready when you are. Then cool, strain into freezer-safe containers, and freeze until needed.  If standing over a pot doesn't thrill you, just throw the ingredients in your crockpot and let it cook all day. Either way, creating big quantities of broth and having it in the freezer is a big help when it comes time to make your quick soups and stews.

Chopped Vegetables

Soup making time can be cut drastically when you prepare at least some of the vegetables ahead of time and store them. These vegetables would include the ones we use most often as the basis for any soup – onion, celery, carrots, etc. As soon as you get home from the grocery store, wash and dice these vegetables, then store separately in zipper food bags either in the refrigerator or in the freezer. Then, when the recipe calls for the standard “saute onion, celery, and carrots” step, you are ahead of the game. Stopping to chop these basic vegetables takes time, which is something we are trying to avoid by making simple soups to begin with. This is a kitchen staple everyone needs to keep on hand. If you're harvesting them from your garden and you have a lot of them, you can also dice and freeze in freezer bags for winter.

Seasoning Blends

It doesn't matter what the blend is, having a favorite pre-mixed seasoning blend of any kind or flavor helps the busy cook with the creative process. Instead of stopping to search, measure, or think about substitutions, grab a seasoning blend you like and sprinkle it in the soup. It's like decorating a house; if you buy the styles you like, the house will look nicely decorated. That's because we all tend to lean toward the same styles over and over, making the house unified and pleasing to your taste. Likes and dislikes in flavors and seasonings are the same. Use seasonings you find tasty and your soup will please you, too. Once you find a seasoning blend you like, or several blends you like, stock up - or make your own. Now when you are following a recipe that has a list of spices as long as your arm, you can skip the frustration and grab your favorite seasoning blend and move on.

Any Starch

A quick and easy soup recipe can sometimes be on the watery side. Part of this may be because there just isn't a lot of cooking time involved, or a lot of ingredients, or both. Some recipes solve this by turning the soup into a blender to puree. This works just fine, but there are soup recipes you might want to serve chunky. Keep potatoes, pasta, and rice on hand to add body to your soup. These starches will thicken the broth without adding a lot of extra work. Both pasta and rice can be added to the soup raw or cooked, but raw will provide a little more thickening power.

These kitchen staples are particularly helpful when making simple soup recipes. Be sure to have the basics on hand in your pantry, refrigerator, or freezer and you can have your soup on the table quickly and easily, just like the recipe says!

No Recipe? No Worries! Cook One Pot Meals From the Pantry

We've all been there. We find a great recipe for a one pot meal and plan to make it for dinner. Then, the day gets busy and dinnertime arrives and we didn't make it to the grocery store. Or, we get to the grocery store and forget the recipe or the grocery list. Even if we guess the ingredients, inevitably we arrive home without some crucial element for that particular dish.

The solution may be simply removing the recipe from your plans.... Of course, this goes against every meal planning procedure you've ever learned! Meal planning starts with finding the recipe, right? Well, that works great - until it doesn't work....

One pot meal recipes are typically chosen because they save time. When you rely on specific recipes to make your one pot meals, you also rely on having everything you need. When time is short, or your day gets chaotic, that becomes a problem. Removing the recipes from the planning can help.

How do you remove the recipes from the planning? You stock the basics. Cooking a one pot meal can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. For real time savings, stick to the simplest strategy and fill your kitchen with the basics. Let's take a look at how you can stock your kitchen to have the makings of a one pot meal, with or without a recipe.

Protein

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Buy chicken, beef, pork, sausage, seafood, etc. in any variety you like. Clean, trim, and cut these proteins up in bite size pieces so they thaw fast and cook fast. Bag them in good freezer bags or containers in individual recipe portions, typically 1 to 2 pounds will work for most recipes. Now you can reach in the freezer for a one pot meal inspiration.

Fill your pantry with good canned tuna, salmon, shrimp, crab meat, and other protein that your family likes. It doesn't hurt to have some canned chicken and ham on hand, either. When you're trying to make dinner in minutes instead of hours, having a canned protein on hand can help get a tasty meal on the table fast.

Canned beans, peas, and lentils are another way to easily build a protein rich meal in a hurry. Choose a wide variety of products. Don't over-think what you buy to have on hand. It's amazing how an unfamiliar type of bean can inspire a completely new dish that your family will end up loving, and requesting over and over! Of course you can use beans, peas, and lentils as the protein source alone, or mix them in dishes with meats and seafood.

Nuts and nut butters, like peanut butter, are also excellent sources of protein. Think about Thai food and the inspiration for a one pot meal will become clearer. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top of a dish for extra crunch. Just keep an open mind and you'll find uses for this often-overlooked form of protein.

Eggs should not be overlooked, either. There are many popular dishes in all kinds of cultures that call for the addition of eggs. Some dishes may call for the egg to be beaten and drizzled in, like egg drop soup or fried rice. Other dishes may call for hard-boiled eggs to be placed on top of a dish. When you look at your ingredients, take a moment to think about whether an egg would enhance the flavors.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Produce

Keeping fresh fruits and vegetables on hand for quick meals might be a challenge. Perhaps, you can stock your kitchen with a bag of onions and potatoes, but when it comes to anything further than that, it gets a little more difficult. That's where canned, frozen, and dried may be your best bet.

Begin by stocking up on as many easy to keep vegetables and fruits as you can. Go ahead and grab a bag of onions and potatoes and keep them handy. If you have a cool spot for apples, stock up if you can. Any other root vegetables that keep longer, like rutabagas, turnips, parsnips, carrots, and even cabbage can be a good investment, but only if you have a place they will keep fresh for a while.

However, it's my experience that in order to spring into one pot meal action at the end of a busy day, you really need to have some 'grab and go' produce on hand. That means canned and frozen varieties. You will be surprised to find out how many of the fruits and vegetables you're used to cooking with are available either canned or frozen, or both.

Give some of these choices a try. A bag of frozen diced onions can be a real time saver. You'll even find combination 'basics' to use, such as frozen green pepper, celery, onion combinations.  A bag of frozen potatoes, any variety, can help speed up dinner, too. If you want convenience and class, a box of frozen pearl onions can really dress up a dish.

Have canned or frozen fruit on hand to add a kick to recipes that you have become bored with. Just think about what a can of pineapple will do for that pot of beautifully browned pork. Choose canned fruit in its own juices and you have some built-in liquid for the pot, too.

Grain

Brown rice. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This category is very broad. It includes pasta, rice, quinoa, bread, and everything in between. Grains (and seeds) added to your pantry should include a good variety. You want standard fare, such as spaghetti and macaroni pasta, but you also want to expand your choices.

Add brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, whole grain pasta, steel cut oats, buckwheat, and other grains and seeds to your collection. Stock all sorts of shapes and flavors of pasta. You never know were the inspiration for a meal might come from. If you have large shell shaped pasta, for instance, you may decide to turn your one pot meal into a seafood extravaganza. If you have wild rice on hand, you may want to go a little wild with lots and lots of mushrooms, beef, and nuts added for crunch.

To shorten cooking time, have these ingredients already cooked and in the refrigerator or freezer. Rice and quinoa are especially easy to freeze. If you cook pasta ahead of time, drizzle some olive oil over the pasta before you put in a container in the refrigerator. This will keep the pasta from sticking to itself.

Spices (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Seasonings

Snipping fresh herbs from your garden would be ideal, but that just is not in the plans for many of us. Buy a small variety of herbs and spices that you use often, and make your own seasoning mixes as needed. You will save money, and avoid the additives and preservatives that often come in the pre-packaged kinds.

Depending on what types of foods you often cook, choose dried herbs such as basil, oregano, parsley and rosemary (or grow your own fresh herbs - these are easy to grow in pots on a window sill!). Choose common spices such as ground cinnamon, cumin, and chili powder. If you like Asian or Indian food, curry powder is usually easy to find and inexpensive. Add some crushed red pepper, black pepper, and sea salt to your pantry, and you'll be able to season any dish with pizazz!

You're ready to cook!

That just about covers everything you'll need to create a one pot meal without having to rely on a recipe. Of course you'll be adding some sort of liquid and perhaps a thickener or binder, but once you get these basic ingredients in the pot, the rest is gravy, so to speak. Have fun and get creative and you'll have a delicious one pot meal on the table without even glancing at a recipe!

The Four Natural Enemies of Olive Oil

A high-quality extra virgin olive oil is a must-have staple in many kitchens, partly because its delicious flavor and versatile nature allow it to be used in countless ways. For starters, extra virgin olive oil is perfect in homemade salad dressings, on roasted vegetables and as a key ingredient in a wide range of recipes.

In addition to tasting great, olive oil is also good for you. Naturally low in saturated and polyunsaturated fats, it is a healthy alternative to margarine and many other vegetable oils. Versatility, great taste and a healthy profile make it easy to see why many cooks and chefs always have a bottle close at hand.

What many people do not realize about olive oil, however, is that it is actually a perishable fruit juice with some finicky preferences. This mean proper care and precautions must be taken in order to keep your olive tasting and smelling the way it should, and preserve its health benefits.

The Four Natural Enemies of Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1. Time. Because it is a perishable fruit oil, olive does not have an unlimited shelf life. Try to choose bottles with a clearly marked “harvest date” and make sure that date occurred within the last 18 months to 2 years. It is also recommended that you only buy as much olive oil as you can use within 30 – 60 days of opening.

2. Temperature. Heat will cause olive oil to degrade quickly. Therefore, do not store your olive oil near your oven or cooktop because the higher ambient heat in those areas will cause it to break down faster.

3. Oxygen. Like a fine wine, exposure to oxygen for any length of time will cause your olive oil to turn rancid. To prevent this, store your olive oil in an airtight container with the lid securely fastened whenever it is not in use.

4. Light. Exposure to light will also cause olive oil to degrade more quickly. Avoid storing your olive in clear bottles or out on your counter tops. Dark green bottles are the best for blocking out sunlight, but other dark bottles will also work. Storing bottles inside a cabinet when not in use can also prolong the life of your olive oil. A cool, dark place is your best bet to prolong the life of your oil.

Like any rancid oil, rancid olive oil is not healthy to consume. Avoiding the four natural enemies of olive oil will keep it fresh, healthy and full of flavor for a longer period of time. With a little bit of effort, you can preserve the delicious natural flavors and healthy properties of your quality olive oils.

A Quick World Tour of Kitchen Seasonings

Herbs, spices and other seasonings are a natural and healthy way to add a lot of flavor to your recipes without adding a lot of extra calories. With a little practice, you can create an endless variety of delicious recipes, such as Mediterranean-inspired favorites bursting with the fresh flavors of lemon, garlic and rosemary and spicy Mexican dishes featuring cilantro, cumin and chili powder.

Spices (Photo credit: srqpix)

Of course, your options won’t end there. A wide range of herbs, spices and seasonings are used throughout the world to make food taste better, and in some cases, last longer. Over time, certain flavors have come to represent the culinary identity of the areas where they originated. In large part, the seasonings you choose will define the direction of your own culinary development, as well.

With a little creativity, you can put a fresh spin on some of your favorite tried-and-true recipes by simply swapping out the herbs, spices and seasonings you use. For example, if you add fresh or dried basil or oregano to diced tomatoes, chopped onion and finely minced garlic, you have the makings of a wonderful red Italian pasta sauce. On the other hand, if you replace the basil and oregano with cilantro and lime juice, those same ingredients become the foundation for a fabulous homemade salsa recipe.

To help inspire you, the following chart shows some of the most popular culinary ingredients based on geographic region.

Most Popular Kitchen Seasonings From Around the World

Italian
basil, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, parsley

French
thyme, French tarragon, rosemary, basil, sage, mint, marjoram

Greek
dill, lemon, oregano, fennel

Spanish
saffron, smoked and regular paprika, rosemary, thyme

German
mustard, rye, caraway seeds, borage

Mexican
cilantro, chili powder, cumin, Mexican oregano

Indian
curry powder, coriander, cumin, turmeric

Chinese
five-spice powder, star anise, fennel seed, cloves, cinnamon, ginger

Thai
Thai basil, cumin, turmeric, lemon grass, cinnamon

Of course, this chart is far from comprehensive, but it can serve as a good reference point for assembling your own collection of must-have herbs, spices and seasonings.

Harvesting Herbs (Photo credit: Chiot's Run)

Keep in mind, some herbs, spices and seasonings, such as salt, black pepper and garlic, have an almost universal appeal that isn’t limited by geographic borders. Chances are you will notice those items popping up in recipes from all over the world. As a result, you may want to keep an adequate supply of these basic ingredients in your own pantry or spice rack.

You will also see a lot of crossover among dishes from countries that border one another. For example, French, Italian, Greek and Spanish dishes often feature many of the same herbs, such as basil, rosemary, oregano and thyme. Of course, this isn’t surprising when you consider how these populations interacted with and melded together over the course of history. Depending on your personal tastes and cooking habits, these ingredients may be good to keep on hand, as well.

While assembling your own collection of herbs, spices and seasonings from around the world, remember you can save money by growing your own! Fresh herbs are super easy to grow from seed or from cuttings in your own garden and many can be brought indoors for year-round enjoyment.

However, if growing fresh herbs isn’t your thing, many popular fresh and dried varieties are readily available. Dried herbs can be a great alternative to fresh, but take note of expiration dates and suggested storage methods. Dried herbs, spices and seasonings can be quite expensive, so buy smaller amounts at one time if you won’t be using them often.

The Trick to Successful One Pot Meals: Preparation

When you're looking for ways to save time in the kitchen, making a whole meal in one pot has to top the list.  You just have to grab a big pot, grab your ingredients, and go, right? But wait. This is where the idea and the implementation collide.

You've got your pot sitting on the stove, alright, but then you're looking at a pile of ingredients that seem to have taken over the kitchen. Suddenly, you realize that your one pot meal is going to be a lot more work than you planned.

There's the chicken that needs to be cut up and the vegetables that need to be cleaned, peeled, and chopped. The recipe calls for cooked rice and there sits the box of rice, uncooked. You think about searching for another one pot recipe, but by the time you interrupt what you're doing to dig through recipes, you are going to find yourself frustrated as the clock ticks away, resulting in yet another call to the pizza delivery place.

How do we stop this madness? It's really not with magic at all; it's all about planning and preparation. Here are a few simple ways to plan ahead so your easy one pot meals actually end up being as easy as they should be.

Protein

Cooked chicken torn into strips in preparation for a dish. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

No matter what protein you're using in your one pot meal, get the basic preparation done well before hauling out the pot. If the recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken, get the bones and skin pulled off the chicken as soon as you bring it home from the grocery store. If the recipe calls for cubed chicken or beef, cut it up ahead of time. Another tip to remember is slightly frozen meat cuts up easier than fresh meat. Put the chicken or meat in the freezer for a half hour and then cube it if you wish. You may want to freeze it after you cut it up to keep it fresher longer. Another bonus is that frozen cubed meat thaws faster than frozen whole meat.
If you really want to speed up your protein prep work, check the recipe to see if it calls for browning the chicken, beef, or ground meat. You may wish to do this step beforehand and store the cooled meat in the refrigerator or freezer to be used when you're ready to put the meal together. In this case, remember, the pan drippings (the brown bits on the bottom of the pot) may be a part of the flavor element for the recipe, so keep this in mind. But, if speed is most important, this step may be the best choice.

Beans are another protein we use a lot in one pot meals. As simple as it sounds, if you use canned beans, open the cans you're going to use that week, drain and rinse them, and store the beans in containers in the refrigerator. Now when you're mixing your one pot meal together, you just open and dump out the beans, removing the need to even grab the colander during your mealtime preparations.

Produce

One of the most time consuming parts of preparation for any meal, whether it's a one pot meal or not, is getting the vegetables cleaned and cut up. In restaurants, the chefs can concentrate on getting the dish cooked to perfection because all the ingredients are sitting there nicely prepared and waiting. Most of us don't have the luxury of having a sous chef busy in our kitchen working to make our life easier! So, we have to plan ahead.

The best way to make sure we can put our meals together quickly is to have all the produce prepared ahead of time. And, the best way to do that is to do the prep work when we bring home the produce - or pick it from the garden! If you wait until dinnertime, chances are time will get short and you'll find yourself chopping celery when you should already have it in the pot.

Take a look at the recipes you plan to make this week. Do the dishes call for things like onions, celery, green pepper, spinach, carrots, parsley, lemon juice and zest, or other produce? Get ahead of the game by washing, peeling, slicing, dicing, squeezing, or otherwise preparing these fresh ingredients. Then, when a recipe calls for a diced onion, you can reach for a Tupperware container of diced onion and throw it in. No cutting boards, no knives, and no clean up to worry about. Planning ahead is the key.

Pasta, Etc.

Many one pot recipes call for some sort of grain or seed ingredient, whether it's pasta, rice, quinoa, bread, or another fiber. Even these food items can be included in your preparation planning. If the recipe calls for cooked rice or quinoa, for instance, you can stock your refrigerator or freezer with plenty so you are ready to grab it and go.

Cover of One-Pot Meals (Great Taste, Low Fat)

If the recipe calls for raw pasta to be added in the pot with the other ingredients, this makes it easy. But if it needs to be cooked first, you can make the pasta ahead of time according to package directions, but be sure to leave it slightly under-cooked so your don't end up with mushy pasta after it cooks in the dish. Put the drained, cooled cooked pasta in a food storage container and drizzle olive oil over it to prevent it from sticking to itself, then keep it in the refrigerator. You can even use cooked pasta in a recipe that calls for uncooked pasta - just reduce the liquid in the recipe and throw the cooked pasta in during the last minutes of cooking time, just enough to heat it up.

Some favorite one pot meals call for dumplings or biscuits dropped on top. It is easy to whip together a simple dumpling or biscuit dough, but do it in advance. Divide the dough into pieces the size you need for your recipe and wrap them up in plastic and put them in the freezer. They will keep for quite some time and be ready to grab to plop on top of your delicious soup or stew when you need them.

Putting meals together quick and easy calls for more than a simple recipe; you need to know how to work smarter in the kitchen. Planning and preparation go a long way to getting meals on the table in a hurry. Use your time wisely to make cooking from scratch more simple, efficient, and delicious!

Cooking Tip: How To Cook Pasta Perfectly Every Time

Do you struggle with under-cooking your pasta so it is still crunchy, or over-cooking it so it becomes mush when you try to stir in the sauce?

Perfectly cooked pasta is easy to achieve and it doesn't require any special or unique gadgets from a high-end cooking store or “as seen on TV” products.  All you need is a good sized pot, fresh water, and a big strainer or colander.  Chances are you have everything already.  Aside from those few items, it all boils down to technique when it comes to cooking perfect pasta. Let's review the basics.

Preparation

 (Photo credit: Guy Renard 25)

If you are working with boxed pasta, an important thing to remember is to make sure to salt your water before cooking your pasta. This is the only time you have a chance to flavor prepackaged pasta while you cook it. If you want even more flavor to infuse your pasta, add herbs along with the salt, or cook the pasta in chicken or vegetable stock instead of water. You can also throw in vegetables if you like to add more color and nutrition. The point is, you can something with store bought pasta other than just throw it in some water if you want to get the most flavor impact with the pasta.

When cooking homemade pasta, be sure that it is fairly dry. The reason it needs to be dry is to keep it from falling apart in the water. It also helps the pasta cook evenly. When you made your pasta you probably added salt, so adding salt to the water is optional for homemade pasta.  However, you certainly may add salt if you desire, as well as other seasonings.

Cooking

Choose the largest pot you can for the amount of pasta you're cooking. The reason is you want your pasta to cook in as much water as possible. Pasta needs room to move around. Fill your pot with cold, fresh water and set it on the stove on high heat and bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down a bit until it calms down slightly. Pasta consists of a lot of starch, which gets extremely sticky when it is put into rapidly boiling water quickly. Make sure the water has calmed down from a rapid boil, then slowly and carefully add your pasta. Adding the pasta slowly allows the pasta to soften and begin to move around so the starch doesn't keep the pasta pieces stuck together, as they will if the pasta is added all at once.

Some cooks like to add a little oil to the water to keep the pasta separated. Other cooks don't like to do this because they say sauce doesn't stick to the pasta as well. Just experiment and see what you prefer.

This pasta is boiling too hard. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Don't let your water come to a rapid boil again after the pasta is added. If the water starts splashing over the sides or you see foam rise up, the water is too hot. Pasta, even though it feels hard and brittle, is actually quite fragile. If it boils, it will start to break down and all those wonderful strands will become a big ball of starch. Let the water gently bubble away, caressing each piece of pasta until they are all relaxed. That's the image you want to keep in mind so your pasta comes out the best.

When you are cooking the pasta, be sure to stir gently several times and test for doneness often. Follow the instructions on the box if you're using packaged pasta and start testing before the recommended time is up. Just remove a piece from the pot while it's still cooking, cool it off, and bite it.  You'll know the pasta's ready when you feel a bit of resistance when you bite down with your teeth. You don't want it to go 'crunch' but you do want a nice feel to it.  And remember, it will still cook slightly after you drain it, so less cooked is better.

Draining

Here's where there is some debate. Some cooks swear by rinsing their cooked pasta under hot tap water after it drains in order to remove any starchy residue left. Other cooks say if you cook your pasta correctly there won't be any starchy residue left. 

If you added oil to the water, rinsing it will remove most of the oil which defeats the purpose of the oil.  Rinsing also will remove all that salt and other flavorings you added.  However, if your pasta seems to be sticking together in the colander, you may want to rinse it.  And, if you are using your pasta in a cold salad, there are some cooks who recommend running the pasta under cold water to stop it from cooking, keeping it more al dente, and to cool it down for the recipe.

You'll have to experiment on this one.  If you follow the first tips about having a lot of water in your pot for the pasta to move around in, salting the water, and keeping the water at a slow roll instead of a rapid boil, your pasta should come out perfectly.  Try draining it without rinsing and see what happens.  Your pasta could be perfect at that.  Or, rinse it if you like and give it a taste and see if that works for you. Perfecting the pasta really takes place in the pot, and not in the strainer or colander.

Cooking pasta perfectly is simple if you know the basics. The fun part after you've mastered this skill is playing around with different flavors and all the varieties of pasta available.  Now you'll have perfect pasta, perfectly delicious, every time!

And be sure to check back later this week for some healthy and tasty pasta recipes!

Healthy Kitchen Tips: Prevent Food-Borne Illnesses

Eating healthy foods will help you to boost your immune system, but what if it’s the foods themselves making you sick? Food-borne illness can cause food poisoning and a variety of other more dangerous diseases, so they are a real threat to our bodies. Luckily, there are a number of things you can do to prevent food-borne illnesses. Following safety tips when handling, preparing, and storing food is very important.

Image via WikipediaFirst and foremost, you should be concerned with the temperature of your foods. When cooking meat, make sure to use a thermometer in order to make sure that your meat is reaching proper temperatures inside. Some meats, like beef steaks or roasts, can be served rare safely, but proper temperatures for cooking are crucial. This kills any bacteria that may be growing on the meat. In the case of burgers and other loaf meats that have been ground and formed into patties, you should not eat rare meats. The bacteria can then be found inside the meat as well as on the outside, and you are at risk if you do not cook these meats for a long enough period of time to kill any bacteria.

After your food is cooked, you should continue to monitor temperature. Simply put, keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Hot foods should be kept at temperatures above 140 degrees Fahrenheit, while cold foods should be kept at temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The range between that is where bacteria can grow. When letting food cool for refrigeration, stir frequently to help cool more quickly, and place in the refrigerator after no more than two hours. When thawing meals - especially meats, do so in a bowl or pan in the refrigerator, rather than at room temperature.

Image via WikipediaCross contamination is a huge culprit when you are concerned with preventing illness and your food. Cross contamination is basically the moving of bacteria from one dish to another. This happens when you use dirty cutting boards, don’t wish your dishes properly, and use the same utensil for all of your foods. If you use, for example, a knife to cut raw chicken and then use that same knife to cut your food after it has been cooked, some of the bacteria from the raw chicken has probably remained on the knife, which can make you very ill. Make sure that you are using a clean work space and clean tools whenever you cook.

Along with using a clean environment, you should make sure that you are washing your hands regularly. Every time you touch raw foods, you should use disinfecting hand soap and hot water before and afterwards to make sure that no bacteria remains on your hands. Making sure that your food is safe is one of the most important parts of healthy eating, so don’t overlook this step the next time you prepare a meal. Following the simple tips above can help ensure that your food stays clean and healthy, and so do you.

15 Helpful Uses For Coffee Filters

Today's tips aren't just for cooking - you may be amazed at all the helpful ways these most common of common household items can be used around the house. You probably have some sitting around somewhere even if you don't drink coffee!

Image via WikipediaThese creative ideas are both money and time savers, and who doesn't like saving money? Once you see the wide array of ideas you are sure to come up with a bunch more. Here are a few ideas for putting your coffee filters to use:

1. Coffee filters can be used as disposable bowls for snacks such as popcorn, chips or crackers, allowing you to save time - and they are also biodegradable.

2. You can use filters to clean windows if you run out of paper towels, and they do an excellent job.

3. Heat up leftovers in the microwave and cover them with a filter. This will help keep your microwave clean.

4. Use coffee filters to absorb grease from greasy foods, they do the job perfectly.

5. Catch ice cream drips by using a coffee filter as an ice cream cone holder, it will absorb the mess.

Image via Wikipedia6. Use like a Kleenex when you don't have a tissue, it will get the job done when you are in a pinch.

7. Keep a few coffee filters in the trunk of your car, and you will be able to check the fluids with ease and avoid the mess.

8. Use them to clean your glasses - they actually work the best and won't leave any lint on the lenses.

9. Make an air freshener by adding some baking soda and using a twist tie to secure the contents. Then put them in all the places you need to freshen up.

10. Use as small bowls to divide ingredients when cooking to ease the mess in the kitchen and making cleaning a breeze.

11. Use coffee filters to polish your shoes, this will keep them nice and shiny.

12. Use them when you are packing breakable dishes - this will help protect them better than newspaper.

13. Use coffee filters as coffee cup covers when you are re-heating coffee to avoid any spilling or splashing. This will help keep your microwave looking its best.

14. You can use them to protect your counter when you are cutting vegetables, they will help make sure you are slicing the vegetables and not your counter - this is especially useful if you are cutting on a granite or marble countertop and can't find a cutting board - the filter will protect your knives from dulling.

15. Coffee filters can even be used to help diffuse the brightness of the flash on your camera. This will help ensure that you get the best picture possible.

Coffee filters can be used for these and many other things that you may never have thought of, so be sure to take advantage of all these ideas in your household, and you will indeed save time and money.