Essentials for Successful Food Service

Most publicans, landlords and bar owners will tell you that the hostelry industry has been suffering these past few years. With economic recession, government cuts and the smoking ban, many drinking establishments have had to close the doors.

In the UK, nearly three pubs a day close their doors for the last time and many traditional pubs are disappearing from our town, cities and villages leaving a social gulf with nowhere for local people to congregate and socialise.

The pub or local bar is an important aspect of any local community but even for those struggling in the current times, there are things you can do to ensure you keep your doors open

Serving food is one way of boosting an income and generating enough money to pay the bills and stay open. More and more people now visit pubs for the food rather than the drink so it can be very short-sighted not to want to take advantage of such custom.

One thing that puts people off is the need to buy all those catering accessories and equipment and retrain staff to deal with food. However, the time and investment is often worth it as a pub can make huge leaps in revenue by offering food.

However, quite often pubs fall into the trap of failing to plan their service properly which can lead to blockages in the kitchen, disgruntled customers and all the investment that's gone into serving food becoming a waste.

With any food service a system of four steps needs to be put in place: First menus. Providing a form of menu is essential fo customers to peruse, and not just indoors either, all food establishment need to provide a menu outdoors to entice people in through the doors. The most efficient method for providing a menu, is to use chalkboards or menu-boards which can be altered at will, this does away with the need to get menus printed for each table.

The next step in the food service system is taking the orders. Most pubs do this electronically with the tills behind the bar hooked up to screens in the kitchen, but it can be done manually on appear but it is always best to request food orders at the bars at it reduces the number of service staff required.

The next step is service. Bringing the food to the table and ensuring customers have the relevant cutlery and condiments.

Finally, removal of empty plates needs to be done efficiently, otherwise blockages of washing up can halt the kitchen. It is recommended that you invest in a good selection of trays and a tray stacker or trolley, this will allow empty plates to be stacked neatly and not clutter up the kitchen.

Food Storage 101

Being able to know how to store your food in your kitchen makes your life in the kitchen easy, it ensures that you are able to save money by preventing the food that you have in the kitchen from getting spoilt. It also provides the opportunity to have your kitchen to be more organized and ensure the food can be easily retrieved.

The first thing you need to do is to select the perishable from the non perishable i.e. all the foods that have been stored in the cans should be kept away after confirming the date of expiry of the cans and see if they are leaking from the cans since if they are leaking they are a potential hazard and might make the other foods around it to rot.

If you have food in excess and you know that you can not be able to finish the food in a specified time meaning the food is likely to rot, it's good if you donate the food to a neighbor or the less fortunate so that they can be able to use it before it goes bad.

After doing that it's good if you devise a more comfortable means that you can use so that you can be able to store some of the foods well. For example foods like flour should be kept well in a sealed plastic container.

Plastic manufacturing companies have been able to come up with this containers that enable one to store the food in a more organized manner, you can purchase some of them and see how they will go a great way in ensuring your food is well preserved.

For those people who love to budget for the whole month, it might mean that you have to acquire things in bulk; these plastic containers will enable you to store the foods easily once you are able to remove them from their original containers which will help you in saving of space.

If you are not good in food storage and arrangement of the foods in your cabinet, it would be better if you are able to store the most commonly used food items in a different place. This place should be where you can be able to reach without interfering with the other arrangement of the food.

Last but not least to ensure you have an easy time in the kitchen, by the use of a weekly menu try and gather all the food stuff that you require in one place so that you can cook food more faster and save more time in the kitchen.

Enjoy Fresh Squeezed Juice With The Breville Juice Fountain Plus

Fresh squeezed juices and vegetables are both a pleasure to enjoy and nutritionally healthy. The Breville juice fountains incorporate the latest technology, are user-friendly and allow you to enjoy your favorite juice in a matter of seconds. It is no wonder that they have received high marks from users and are among the bestselling currently.

The Breville company introduced its first appliance from its factory line in 1932. For over 70 years and 30 million satisfied and loyal customers and users, it is still producing and innovating consumer products that make our life simpler and more enjoyable. The company has had a great ability to combine innovation with great design that has brought them to the top of the consumer appliance market.

They have a complete line of juicers to meet all taste, needs and preferences. From the Breville BJE200XL 700-Watt Compact Juice Fountain to the Breville 800JEXL Juice Fountain Elite 1000-Watt Juice Extractor and many models in between. The Breville Juicer technology has enormous capabilities that can accommodate entire fruits for juicing. This is because the Breville Juicer fountains have large chutes that are armed with interior cutters. This ensures that the fruits and vegetables are well chopped prior to compressing. All the juicers are equipped with powerful motors that range from 700 to 1000 watts and speeds that go more than 14,000 rpm. Therefore, nothing comes close their overall performance. In fact, an eight ounce glass of juice can be made in as quick as 5 seconds.

To guarantee operational convenience, the Breville juicers have extra-large pulp containers. This allows you to do prepare juices several times without the need of emptying the pulp reservoir. This way, you can enjoy preparing juice in less time and with less effort.

Breville juice fountains are well made and usually are made of stainless steel to last and allow you to prepare your favorite juice for many years. The components are detachable and dishwasher safe for easy cleanup, so you will spend more time enjoying your juice instead of cleaning.

The Breville juice fountains are so versatile that the juices you can prepare are limited by your imagination. Juices are both healthy and refreshing alternative. With the Breville juice fountain you can enjoy fresh juices every day easily and with little effort. That is why the Breville juicer fountains are well worth considering and taking a look at.

Exciting Tastes and Smells Came From Taiwanese Cooking Classes

American Chinese cooking can be likened to the French word potpourri. It comes to us with a blending from many different regions of China. The seasoning ranges from hot and spicy to somewhat bland. However you like it, Chinese food is full of veggies and generally packed with healthful eating.

Taiwan is a small tobacco shaped island, a scant 100 miles from mainland of China. The tiny country wishes to be known as the Republic of China. During the two-years my family and I lived there, we resided in central Taiwan, in the town of Taichung. It was the experience of a lifetime.

My two children attended Morrison Academy, a Baptist missionary school in Taichung. Most of the teachers at Morrison were young American women who came to teach for a year or two before returning home. They arrived eager to experience life in a different culture. Few were disappointed. I was there due to my husband's job assignment, but for me, it was the opportunity to live the pages of National Geographic every day.

Through a friend who was a teacher at Morrison Academy, I was invited to attend a Chinese cooking class that the school's Chinese cultural teacher, a native of Taiwan was offering to the newly arrived staff that fall. My friend asked if I would be interested in joining the group. Would I? You bet I would. Allowing me to join them was like a gift. I felt privileged.

For a small fee to cover the cost of our food and supplies, we attended cooking classes every Saturday afternoon for six-weeks in the Morrison High School home economics classroom. The best part of the course came at the end of each class. We sat down to a gourmet lunch that we helped prepare, sharing the camaraderie of young women living abroad and the exciting experiences each of us was uncovering. Not only new sights and smells, but sharing where to shop and what not to miss seeing during our time living here.

Before dismissing the class, our cooking instructor gave us two different printed versions of each recipe we learned to prepare that day. One version listed fresh foods that could be found in the outdoor markets of Asia. The second version she had adapted the recipes to what we might expect to find in the supper markets when we returned to the United States.

The instructor's adaptation of her recipes offered an excellent primer in the art of Chinese cooking. By sharing her recipe for Egg Rolls, I hope it opens your world to exciting tastes and smells and you too might feel that you are gaining a glimpse into living the pages of National Geographic.

Egg Rolls
? lb. ground meat
6 eggs
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
? tsp. salt
? tsp. salt
1 tsp. cornstarch
Some ginger
a little bit of water

Egg wrappers
1. Mix first 4 ingredients together
2. Break the eggs and add salt. Use chopsticks to beat a little. Then put water (about a tbsp.) with cornstarch and beat a little more.
3. Heat a pan and add a little bit of oil to fry the egg wrapper.
4. place the egg wrapper flat, put some of the first mixture on wrapper. Roll them. Then place on a plate to steam about 5-minutes
5. Take out and cut them on the plate ready to serve.

Filtered Water Vs Tap Water

Water is essential to the human body. It is recommended that 8 ounces of water be consumed daily. Of course, there are several sources: tap water (municipal and well, filtered or unfiltered), and bottled. With the costs of bottled water rising more people are reaching for the tap. So what is better; filtered or unfiltered tap water?

The source needs to be considered first. If the water is coming from a well, there may be more health risks. Water from a municipal supply (also known as "city water") is subject to the "Safe Drinking Water Act". This is a federal statute designed to protect people from unsafe water consumption. Anything that falls under this category is regulated by the government. The treatment for this source of water include: filtration to make sure all particles are removed from the water (dirt, clay, etc), ion exchange to remove chemicals such as nitrates and uranium, and disinfection by using chlorine. These processes keep tap water safe for public consumption (water.epa.gov).

Private wells, on the other hand, are not regulated by the government unless they serve at least 25 people. It is recommended that people with private wells test their water for contaminants at least once a year.

There are several adverse health effects that can come from drinking contaminated tap water. If there is an infant in the household under 6 months of age, high nitrates can cause "Blue Baby Syndrome"; this can inhibit the baby's blood from carrying the proper amount of oxygen and can lead to suffocation.

Another contaminant in unfiltered tap water is lead. Lead can cause delays in mental development in children and babies, if the contamination level is high enough. There is also evidence suggesting lead can cause attention deficits as well as high blood pressure in adults.

Overall, the cleanliness of drinking water is vital to human health. All should be actively making sure their water is safe for intake; especially if there are children or the elderly in the home. A filtration system is a good idea in homes where a private well supplies the water.

Eat Seafood All Year Round With Alaska Crab

One of the most unsung and versatile kinds of seafood on the market today is Alaska snow crab. This kind of seafood is a great way to bring a lot of rich flavor to your dishes. The great thing about it is that it is plentiful, local and you can buy it fresh or canned for later. It is the kind of seafood that you can eat all year round and it is versatile enough to go in a wide variety of dishes. You can make meals with Alaska snow crab for all four seasons. You can add it to warm winter seafood chowder, have it stirred into an autumn pasta dish, you can make it part of a light spring salad, or use it as part of a summer seafood bake. The options for preparing and eating this great seafood are endless.

Another great reason to make Alaska snow crab a part of your regular diet is because it is a food that is delicious and healthy. Among crab and other kinds of crustaceans it is lower in bad oils and fats, and it has a lot more flavor than many other kids. This means that you can add a pungent seafood flavor without also adding all of the fat that usually comes hand in hand with that kind of flavor. It is also one of the largest kinds of crab there is, so you get a lot of yield from one crab.

The way that you can buy this super seafood is varied. You can buy it whole and fresh, to shuck and prepare yourself, you can get it fresh and prepared how you want it, or you can get it canned in its natural juices so that you can keep it in the cabinet to add to any of your dishes year round. You can find it in your local grocery store or order it online depending upon how you want it. It is a delicious addition to your meals and also comes at a great price. When you purchase Alaska snow crab you are getting local, natural, high quality and flavorful crabmeat at a low price.

Difference Between Cooking Wine And Regular

Wine is a delicate drink prepared with grapes. It is being consumed with any meal to enhance the flavors of the various dishes. Wine has been in use since ages, but many of us still are not aware of the difference between regular wine and the cooking wine.

The cooking wine is one which is prepared using grapes that are of low quality. It consists of salt which is missing in the usual drinking beverage. The purpose of adding salt is to preserve the wine for a longer time. When cooking wine is opened, it can be used later. But, when regular wine is opened, it should be consumed within a few days otherwise the taste changes and the wine tends to become sour because of the exposure to sun. The shelf life of regular product is obviously less than cooking type.

Many feel that cooking wine is used for cooking. But is it true? Chefs believe that dishes prepared with wine should not be served. It is considered a low quality wine that has a pungent flavor and is not included in the list of ingredients of many chefs and cooking experts. The wine can neither be used as a drink. Well, at the most one can find it as an inexpensive substitute to regular wine. So, do not get perplexed when you are pondering whether to use cooking wine in a dish. Remember, this kind of wine is no good in preparing various dishes and recipes. Always use the drinking variety to enhance the flavors and taste of dishes.