A FEW BITS OF USEFULL OR USELESS INFORMATION!

Today, most of the world prefers measurement by weight, though the preference for volume measurements continues in North America.
Different ingredients are measured in different ways.

For a look at the difference in weights and measures around the world: Wikipedia

Liquid ingredients are generally measured by volume worldwide.

For a guide to scoop measurements: click Here



The first tin cans, invented in 1810, were heavy-weight containers that required ingenuity to open, using knives, chisels or even rocks.
It wasn’t until cans started using thinner metal about 50 years later were any dedicated openers developed.
The first patented can opener came from the U.S. in 1858.
If your looking for Kitchen equipment at a reasonable price take a look at: Kitchen Tools and Gadgets Store


Vacuum Packing can be used to keep appropriate types of food stored in an airless environment, usually in an air-tight pack or bottle to prevent the growth of micro-organisms.
The vacuum environment removes atmospheric oxygen, protecting the food from spoiling by limiting the growth of aerobic bacteria or fungi, and preventing the evaporation of volatile components.
Vacuum packing is commonly used for long-term storage of dry foods such as cereals, nuts, cured meats, cheese, smoked fish, and coffee, and also for shorter-term storage of fresh foods such as vegetables, meats, and liquids such as soups.
You can get some Vacuum Jars as well as other storage containers at: Kitchen Storage Solutions

Food Safety:

Food can transmit disease from person to person as well as serve as a growth medium for bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

Some basic guidelines are as follows:


"Cooking food until the CORE TEMPERATURE is 75 °C or above will ensure that harmful bacteria are destroyed.
However, lower cooking temperatures are acceptable provided that the CORE TEMPERATURE is maintained for a specified period of time as follows :

* 60 °C for a minimum of 45 minutes
* 65 °C for a minimum of 10 minutes
* 70 °C for a minimum of 2 minutes"

Stop the spread of germs: keep yourself and your kitchen clean.
Wash your hands before preparing any food, and especially after touching raw meat.
Change dishcloths and tea towels regularly, they are a breeding ground for germs.

When reheating food, make sure it is hot all the way through, and don’t re-heat more then once.

Keep raw meat separate from ready to eat food.
Never use the same chopping board for cooked and raw food.

And finally: My favourite topic of conversation: COFFEE!!

I love to make proper coffee, you just can’t beat it.
In my opinion you need to buy and grind your own coffee beans.
For a good supplier of coffee beans from around the world to suit every taste go to: Coffee

Manual coffee grinders have been supplanted by electrically powered ones where the object is simply to get the job done; manual grinders are used more for their "traditional" appearance: they are made to look good, and are often more costly than the cheaper electric models.
An exception is the manual Turkish coffee grinder; these are inexpensive, and can grind coffee to fine powder for Turkish coffee, unlike the cheaper electric models.

I prefer the old fashioned type that look good and seem more authentic, although they are harder work.

Then you have to pick a brewing utensil be that a filter, cafeteria, percolator or a machine that grinds and brews all in one!

On July 8, 1908, the first paper coffee filter was created by German housewife named Melitta Bentz.
She wanted to remove the bitter taste caused by boiling loose grounds or using the typical method of linen to brew coffee.
She thought that if she could pour boiling water over the grounds, but filter them out, the bitterness would be reduced.