Essential Baking Equipment

The Three Things You Need When Baking

So you fancy yourself as a baker, you have gotten the latest edition of the Jamie Oliver cook book and you are ready to flip through the book. Since you are new, your first instinct is to look for recipes that say easy on the top and well Jamie says that it does not get any easier than an apple pie.

So you decided to make the apple pie and off to the shops to get all the ingredients – the eggs, sugar, flour, baking soda, butter and so on. Well what is next? There are three important things you need to have before you can begin your baking adventure: An electric beater mixing bowl, an oven and a dishwasher.

 Number One – The Electric Beater

The reason the electric beater is so important is that in order to make a soft, creamy and light dough, you need to beat the eggs, sugar and butter well. A hand beater will only leave you feeling like you have just rowed across the pacific ocean and your arms will be feeling rather ginger (not a good way to start).

An electric beater also allows you to add the ingredients into the bowl and give you more time to focus on getting the recipe right. Remember to watch the speeds – the faster it goes the messier it gets, there is a fine line between beating fast enough and spraying your kitchen with eggs, sugar and butter.

Number Two – An Oven

When baking the oven is the most critical component in the apple pies success. The reason for this is that the older the oven, the hard it is to get the temperature correct (over time the oven can become hotter or cooler). Buying a new oven will ensure that your apple pie bakes at the right temperature and will be more energy efficient as newer models use less electricity.

Number Three- The Dishwasher

A dishwasher is the most amazing device that allows you to pack all your dirty dishes in and walk away. Trust me when I tell you as a baking lover, there is nothing worse than having to clean ten bowls, five measuring cups, spatula’s, beaters and the trays in the sink.

It takes forever and leaves you not wanting to repeat the exercise, so get yourself a good quality dishwasher and ensure that you do not place extra unnecessary strain on your new hobby.

To conclude, ensure that you keep a ‘noise’ on your apple pie. No one wants to burn their apple pie and have to start all over, after all it looks so delicious when you preparing it. Remember, to make a traditional apple pie, you need to make custard with it. It not only completes you dish, but will leave your guests begging you for more.

I am Greg Jones, a gym nut, food lover and adventurer and online bed shop user…True be told I have a weakness for apple pie and even though I try to resist its goodness, I am slightly powerless to a well prepared apple pie… The crust, the crumple, the juicy apples…oh I am dying for a slice now. I may just need to go find a comfortable bed to lie down on afterwards though.

Because toothache can be uncomfortable, unbearable and at times, excruciating, finding relief and cure for it is always the imperative. A toothache develops because of an underlying problem in the oral region. The teeth may be seriously decayed or there could be an infection. The nerves of the teeth are probably inflamed, which is what’s causing the pain.

Fortunately, there are ways to relieve this and some remedies are easily available for cheap, in the comforts of kitchen.

Barring a visit from the dentist or budget constraints, you can use the following toothache remedies to temporarily get rid of the pain and the swelling:

1. Cold compress. Put ice cubes in a soft cloth or a cooling pad and then press this against the side of the cheeks where the toothache is. This will help numb the area and make the pain go away for a few hours. Ice melts, however, so you must prepare a lot of this.
2. Salt and water remedy. This is a method that has been passed on from generation to generation and it’s probably safe to say that its healing powers are legendary. Salt and water remedy is also used for treating sore throat and other conditions of the mouth. It’s said to have anti-bacterial components that work for pain well. In a cup of war water, add a teaspoon of salt. Use this to gargle your mouth with or swish it all around inside, concentrating on the area where the pain is. Do this every hour, until you feel there is no more discomfort.
3. Onion or Garlic. Slice some onions in really small pieces and simply put this, little by little, in the affected tooth. This will help kill the germs that bring the pain. The only drawback to using this method is that some people may not be able to endure the smell of the onions. You can also use garlic cloves instead of onion, but the concerns for it are just the same. Garlic has strong antibacterial properties that come with an equally strong smell.
4. Vanilla extract. If the smell of onions and garlic turn you off, you can perhaps try using vanilla extract, which smells wonderfully better. Using a cotton bud, dip this onto the extracts and then dab on the affected area. The alcohol that is found in the extract has Eugenol, the same component found in garlic. Eugenol has an analgesic effect and even dentists use this for some of their treatments.
5. Tea bags. Heat a bag of tea and then put this against the cheeks, similar to a hot compress. This will provide a soothing effect and will also reduce the swelling of the nerves. Any type of tea will do.

Remember that these kitchen remedies are only temporary and would be good to use for four hours at most. A visit to the dental clinic is still very important.

Dealing with pain and other tooth problems when you’re wearing braces is twice as difficult. It is, however, manageable and curable. You can read tips on how to manage pain and find the best treatment for it at BracesCostInfo.com.

Cry No More

Why do onions make you cry?

They’re a staple ingredient of many recipe favourites but why do onions make you cry?
Although the unpleasant sensation may be familiar, onion tears are not the same as crying in the emotional sense of the word, perhaps as you would at a sad romantic movie. These impulsive tears are called ‘psychic tears’ which occur when a stimulus evokes an emotional reaction. Onion tears, however, belong to the category of ‘reflex tears’.   ‘Reflex tears’ occur when an external stimulus acts upon the lachrymal gland which regulates tear production. When onions grow in the ground, they absorb sulphur from the soil. This sulphur forms a sulphur compound (sulphide), which is converted to enzymes called syn-propanethial S-oxide. It’s these enzymes which act as the stimulus affecting our eyes.

When an onion is cut, the cells are damaged and these enzymes, called ‘allinases’, are released as a gas, causing the familiar unpleasant stinging sensation and tears.

Your body’s natural reaction is to try to expel or dilute the onion irritant from the eye with tears, so when the brain registers an irritation, the lachrymal gland is stimulated to produce tears.

There are various steps you can experiment with to minimise the effect of these unpleasant gases reaching your eyes:

Why do Onions Make You Cry

1.    Keep your onions in the fridge
Chilling onions for half an hour or so before preparation is believed to slow the movement of the sulphuric vapours, thus reducing their irritating effect on your eyes.

2.    Cut with a sharp knife
A sharp knife requires less pressure to cut through the onion and less pressure means less cell damage. Fast, precise slicing also minimises time spent chopping the onion and releasing the gases.

3.    Avoid the root
The root is thought to contain the highest concentration of the syn-propanethial S-oxide gas. Try avoiding cutting through the root to prevent the irritants from escaping into the air.

4.    Wear goggles
It may seem extreme and may look odd but onion goggles can prevent eye irritation by protecting your eyes from the unpleasant gases.

But although they make you cry, the sulphur in onions has benefits for the eyes in helping to reduce the risk of cataracts. Similarly, onions (particularly red) contain quercetin, a potent antioxidant thought to help prevent cataracts. Antioxidants are compounds which can help to delay or slow the oxidative damage to tissue and cells in the body. Most of these precious antioxidants can be found in the outer layers of the onion’s skin so, during preparation, avoid removing too many of the edible layers.

Victoria writes for DirectSight, supplier of cheap glasses online .