As beautiful as they are, autumn leaves can become a huge headache when it comes to clogged gutters and un-raked yards. Japan, however, has turned this seasonal flood of garbage into a tasty treat by frying their maple leaves in lightly sweetened batter.
The snack, which seems to be a specialized delicacy from the Osaka area in Japan, is made by frying Japanese maple leaves in tempura batter. The pros in the city of Minoh in North Osaka preserve the leaves for a year in salt barrels, but other recipes don’t seem to demand this lengthy step.
If you want to try making them, simply dip your cleaned and dried (ideally, Japanese) maple leaves in sweetened tempura batter and fry them in hot vegetable oil.
أوراق القيقب المقلية هي وجبة الخريف الخفيفة اللذيذة في اليابان
بالرغم من جمال أوراق الخريف الا انها تعتبر مشكلة فيما يتعلق بانسداد مزاريب الماء وتغطية الساحات لذا في اليابان تحولت هذه السيول من اوراق القيقب الي وجبة خفيفة مقلية ففي شمال أوساكا يحافظون على الأوراق لمدة عام في برميل الملح
إذا كنت ترغب بتجربتها ماعليك الا بالتقاط اوراق القيقب الخريفية وتنظيفها وتجفيفها ثم تحمص في الزيت النباتي الساخن
On the phone with his sister Prachi in New York one day, software engineer Rahul Baxi was being reprimanded by her for his unhealthy eating habits.
الطهي أسهل مع أول مقلاة ذكية إن كنت تعاني من طهي أسهل الوجبات، فقد تدلك مقلاة ذكية على طرق النجاح في الطهي. وتسمى هذه المقلاة “سمارتي بان” والتي توجد فيها مجموعة من أجهزة الاستشعار تعمل مع تطبيق على الهاتف يوضح وقت الطهي، والوزن، ودرجة الحرارة
وقد تكون هذه المقلاة وسيلة جيدة لتخفيف الوزن؛ لأنها تبين كمية السعرات الحرارية الموجودة في كل طبق، كما تبين عدد الأشخاص الذين تكفي لهم الوجبة
“I always eat out because I don’t know how to cook,” said Rahul Baxi. “My sister, who is a nutritionist, didn’t like the fact that I was doing it every single day, and told me, ‘You need to start cooking at home.’”
Easier said than done. Baxi describes himself as culinarily-challenged. In past attempts, he has either not put the right amount of ingredients, or has ended up with food so overcooked, it’s inedible. Why even make the effort, if the results aren’t worth the time and effort it took?
Prachi had a simple idea for her brother: “How about you create a pan that does the simple things for you, such as take the temperature or measure the amount of food, and lets you know whether you have the ingredients right?”
وقد توصل "راهول باكسي" من سان فرانسيسكو لهذه المقلاة. ويوجد في كل مقلاة أجهزة لاستشعار الحرارة، والرطوبة، والوزن، وتعمل بواسطة بطارية قابلة للشحن
وعند الطهي، تتصل المقلاة مع الهاتف، أو الجهاز اللوحي عبر البلوتوث وحين يضيف المستخدم المكونات إلى القدر، فيساعد خيار "الوصفة" الموجود في التطبيق في عملية الطهي، إذ يشير إلى الوقت المطلوب لإتمام الطهي
ويراقب التطبيق درجة الحرارة والرطوبة، ليكون مناسبًا للوقت المتبقي للطهي، والتعليمات
Baxi got out his toolbox and began tinkering. Enter “SmartyPans,” a smart pan that, he hopes, will revolutionize cooking for those like him who could use a bit of extra help in the kitchen.
Now based in downtown Oakland, Baxi, 28, is from Adelaide, Australia. He came to the U.S. to attend Carnegie Mellon University, and now works for a company that creates financial software for banks and institutions.
With Jonathan David of Biorenew Labs in the Los Angeles area serving as an advisor, and his sister as another advisor, the team, headed by Baxi, hopes to bring this smart pan called “SmartyPans” to market for a retail price of $189.
وتعيد المقلاة الذكية شحن بطاريتها خلال ساعة، وتستمر في العمل حتى شهر كامل. ويتوقع أن تباع المقلاة بسعر 189$
وإن نجحت حملة التسويق فستنطلق إلى الأسواق العالمية بحلول شهر أكتوبر من العام القادم. لكن يمكن للمشاركين اليوم عبر موقع “انديجوجو” طلب المقلاة بسعر 169$ مع 10$ لرسوم الشحن
Working from a prototype he has made from a pan he bought on Amazon, Baxi has determined that SmartyPans will have a temperature and humidity sensor as well as a scale beneath the surface. And then there will be a computer chip that continuously transmits information to the app. Those instruments will capture the basic information from what’s cooking in the pan. As the cook approaches the pan with her phone, the app will sense that it’s nearby, and start transmitting information about what’s happening in the pan in real time to the phone.
“Existing recipe instructions are static, and don’t take into account what’s going on inside the pan,” said Baxi. “The app will be constantly monitoring and changing instructions in real time, to tell you exactly what needs to be done.” For example, if you’re filling the pan with liquid, and you’re working from a recipe selected from its database, it will tell you when there’s enough, and tell the user to stop.
When asked why not just take a few cooking lessons, Baxi said that there are many working professionals like him who will never find the time to make that a priority.
Recipes are only as good as those who use them, he said, noting, the same thing is true for the various recipe apps out there. “Once you add technology to the pan, it gives you a lot more insight into what’s actually going on. It helps you cook better, as it gives you instructions to do things you don’t usually do.”
When further pushed that it might actually be easier to learn how to cook rather than use such sophisticated technology, Baxi had a good answer for that, too.
“The beauty of this pan is that there’s no integration required,” he said. Tech luddites will have nothing to configure. “The mobile device near the pan will know there’s a smart pan right there, and connect with that pan, you don’t have to do any configuration whatsoever.”
The recipe database will also help give calorie counts and other nutritional information.
While Baxi’s prototype is rather primitive, the team is looking to raise funds on indiegogo to build one that will look and work like the proposed pan.
If it fails, the pan will get made regardless, he said. Noting that his L.A.-based advisor has some connections with major retailers, Baxi says they’ll go directly to consumers if the crowdfunding doesn’t work out. “No matter what, we’re still building the pan,” he said.
“When I cook, there’s so much guesswork involved,” Baxi concluded. “Cooking, or any mundane task, should not be that difficult given the amount of technology we use on a day-to-day basis. These things should be really easy, but I don’t think that we use technology in a way we should be using it.”
Orange is a juicy citrus fruit containing lot of vitamin contents especially Vitamin C. The delicious fruit contains some nutritional elements having lots of nutritional benefits. Oranges contain carpels with many fluid vessels which are specialized hair cells. It mostly comes in winter in its 600 varieties. It is one of the best fruits which comes with disease curable factors. Oranges contain large amount of Vitamin C and calcium, phosphorous, potassium, citrus acid, beta carotene, and aldehyde and alcohol ENE group compounds. Brazil produces highest amount of oranges all over the world.
Nutritional Benefits of Oranges:
1: It is helpful in inflammatory conditions
Various vitamin contents like Vitamin C are known as a powerful antioxidant for human body. Orange has the ability to reduce oxidant injuries. It provides resistance power against infectious agents.
Vitamin C protects the body against harmful and pro-inflammatory free radicals present in blood. As we know citrus fruits are rich in Vitamin C, orange is the best for the source of Vitamin C.
2: Good for anti-aging
Presence of bioactive compound like Narigenin which is a good antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and a good immune system provider helps in neutralizing the effect of free radicals and the unstable oxygen molecules in human body. These neutralizing effects clears the sign of aging like scars, wrinkles giving you the perfect skin letting you feel the glow and sparkle of your skin. This nutritional benefit of orange is more useful for aging women .
3: Good for skin
Vitamins present in orange posses the good skin maintaining properties providing healthy, glowing, smooth and soft skin. This nutritional benefit of orange is used by cosmetic companies for making their product.
4: Helps in losing weight
Nutritional benefits of oranges helps in losing weight as they are fat and calorie free fruit containing large amount of fiber. It also contains vital nutrients for human body like thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6, magnesium and copper.
All these contents with fat free elements help in losing weight and providing all necessary elements and vitamins for your body.
5: Orange juice absorbs medicines in the body
One of the very good health benefit of orange juice is that it helps in absorbing the biochemical and physiological effects of medicines which help you cure your disease in a faster processes thus helping in absorbing medicines by the body.
6. Good for vision
Orange contains a good percentage of Vitamin A and various flavonoid contents along with the antioxidant particles like alpha and beta carotenes, beta cryptoxanthin, zea-xanhin and lutein gives you a good skin. As we all know Vitamin A is most essential element for eye sight vision thus keeping your mucous membrane and skin of the eye healthy.
7: Oranges control heartbeat and blood pressure
Large number of mineral present in orange helps to control the heart rate stable and moderate.
The minerals are like potassium and calcium controls the sodium action in the human body and maintains blood pressure and heart beat.
Oranges contain fiber with fat free, sodium free and cholesterol free properties keep your heart healthy.
8: Prevents cancer
Large amount of Vitamin available in orange and other flavonoid antioxidants like alpha and beta carotenes and other antioxidant compounds which helps in preventing cancer.
The most useful nutrition fact of orange is that it is rich in flavonoid that prevents from lungs and cavity cancer.
9: Orange peels lower blood sugar level
Orange peels contain low sugar percentage affect blood sugar levels. Diabetes and metabolic syndrome patients should take Glycemic load lower. This nutritional benefit of orange is useful for diabetic patients.
10: It keeps balance in nutrition
Oranges have essential Vitamin contents, antioxidants, protein, water percentage, fiber, some necessary minerals that helps in keeping your body nutrition in a balanced manner. Site: Health Digezt
Heston: "By flipping the meat every 15–20 seconds, the steak will develop a crisp flavoursome exterior without being overcooked in the centre. After cooking, it is important to remove the old oil from the pan and then, after a couple of minutes, to add the new oil while the pan is still warm. A good heat is required to get the flavour of the garlic, lemon and rosemary but if it’s too hot it will lose the freshness."
Serves 4
Ingredients
Olive oil
2 sirloin steaks, weighing approx. 400–500g each
Salt and black pepper
3 cloves garlic, peeled and bashed with the flat part of a knife or by hand
4–6 sprigs of rosemary
2 strips of lemon zest (use a vegetable peeler)
50g lemon juice (approx. 1 lemon)
60g rocket leaves
40g parmesan cheese shavings (use a vegetable peeler)
Sea salt
Method
1. Place a heavy-bottomed frying pan over a high heat, then add a thin layer of olive oil. Heat until the oil is smoking hot.
2. Season the steaks with a little salt and place them away from you in the hot pan for 15–20 seconds. Then turn the steaks over and fry for a further 15–20 seconds. Repeat this, turning the steaks, for 2–3 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to rest on a wire rack, for 5 minutes, set over a plate to catch the juices.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and discard most of the oil (but don’t clean the pan). Allow the pan to cool for a few minutes, then pour in 120g olive oil. Add the garlic and sprigs of rosemary to the oil. Rub the strips of lemon zest between your finger and thumb to release the oils, and add them to the pan too. Allow to infuse for 5 minutes while the meat is resting, then squeeze in the lemon juice.
4. Strain this dressing through a sieve and add any juices from the steak.
5. Slice the steaks thinly (5mm wide) with a sharp knife. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and place on a serving dish. Spoon over half the dressing.
6. Mix the rocket leaves with the remaining dressing and place on top of the beef. Finish with the parmesan shavings and a sprinkling of sea salt.
Heston's ageing trick: Once you've bought your steak take it out of the packet and place it on a wire rack set over a tray. Refrigerate for 2 days to let the air circulate around the meat and start to dry it out. This will concentrate the flavour and start to tenderise the meat. When you're ready to cook the steak, take it out of the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature for 2 hours.
Recipe from Heston Blumenthal at Home, Published by Bloomsbury
Most energy drinks contain large amounts of caffeine, which can provide a temporary energy boost. Some energy drinks contain sugar and other substances. The boost is short-lived, however, and may be accompanied by other problems.
For example, energy drinks that contain sugar may contribute to weight gain — and too much caffeine can lead to:
Nervousness.
Irritability.
Insomnia.
Rapid heartbeat.
Increased blood pressure.
Mixing energy drinks with alcohol may be even more problematic. Energy drinks can blunt the feeling of intoxication, which may lead to heavier drinking and alcohol-related injuries.
For most people, occasional energy drinks are fine, but try to limit yourself to about 16 ounces (500 milliliters) a day. If you're consistently fatigued or rundown, however, consider a better — and healthier — way to boost your energy. Get adequate sleep, include physical activity in your daily routine, and eat a healthy diet. If these strategies don't seem to help, consult your doctor. Sometimes fatigue is a sign of an underlying medical condition, such as hypothyroidism or anemia.
There are a few groups for which energy drinks are typically not recommended. If you have an underlying condition such as heart disease or high blood pressure, ask your doctor if energy drinks may cause complications. Pregnant women and women who are breast-feeding may want to especially limit consumption of these beverages.
With the growing popularity of energy drinks, many parents have become concerned about how much caffeine their kids are getting. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that adolescents get no more than 100 milligrams of caffeine a day. Younger children shouldn't drink caffeinated beverages on a regular basis.
Got an awesome recipe for pasta sauce, but you don't want to spend hours peeling tomatoes? Well, thanks to this simple tip you can peel tomatoes in just one minute!
I've always thought that there's probably an invention out there for everything, but we just don't know about it yet. One place this is especially true is the kitchen. For all our kitchen problems, there's a gadget that exists to make our kitchen experience significantly easier.
Here are 30 useful kitchen inventions you never knew about:
1. Pasta Pot
Love pasta? Empty out the pot without a colander or strainer.
2. Portion Control Dressing Cap
A great way to dispense one serving (2 tablespoons) of dressing at a time.
3. Tabletop Oil Mister
A fantastic way to control how much oil you use without resorting to cooking sprays.
4. Space-Saving Kitchen Grater
Box graters are bulking and take up a lot of space while flat ones aren't nearly as functional. Enter the space-saving box grater. It folds flat but has the stability of a box grater.
5. Professional Multi-Chopper
Mandolines can be a little scary, but provides you with evenly cut pieces (in many different shapes!) with none of the worry.
6. Fridgepad for iPad
7. Herb Mill Yes, this really exists. Add herbs just like you would add pepper!
8. Silicone Bowls Mix in the bowl and use it to pour into whatever vessel you want. No more dirtying extra utensils.
9. Julienne Peeler Blade This peeler is great for creating little thing strips of vegetables, which can be use like pasta.
10. Spiral Vegetable Slicer A fantastic way to get more vegetables in your diet. You can make fancy vegetable noodles, garnishes, or fries!
11. Over-the-Sink Strainer Board Save counter space by doing your washing, slicing, and dicing over the sink.
12. Water Bottle Ice Cube Tray Ice cubes that fit into any water bottle.
13. Spaghetti Measure Take the guesswork out of pasta servings with this neat little gadget.
14. "I Could Eat a Horse" The horse is four servings but it's a nice, unique twist on how to measure your spaghetti.
15. Clip-On Pouring Spout This handy clip-on makes it so easy to drain fat from meat or water from vegetables without any hassle.
16. Yolk Extractor This is for the people who don't like to separate yolks and whites. ;)
18. Expandable Drawer Dividers Customize and get more organized with these expandable dividers.
19. Obol The Original Crispy Bowl Some people HATE soggy cereal. Heck, sometimes you have to leave the bowl. This prevents that. You can also use it for chips and dip, too.
20. Zipzicles A great way to make your very own, healthier freeze pop. You can also fill it with anything else to take it on the go. Go-Gurt anyone?
21. Pancake Pen While you could reuse other bottles, this was designed to easily dispense pancake batter, making for a fun eating experience.
22. Citrus Sprayer Have a fresh spray of ANY citrus fruit with this handy, portable attachment, which is particularly good for salads.
23. Double Dish Love eating food that ends up having a disposable half? This is a genius solution.
24. Pot Clip While there are multiple ways you can hold your spoon (there are even hacks for this), this little clip adds a nice, functional design element to your pot.
25. 2-in-1 Silicone Whisk Protect your nonstick pots and pans while also having a whisk and scrapper in one!
26. Compact Food Prep Set
Functional, colorful, space saving, and more, this set is great for anyone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen
27. Dip Clips Ever hate using small (or even big bowls) just for a tiny bit of sauce? This is the solution.
28. Hands-Free Bag Holder I HATE asking other people to hold the bag for me because it seems like I become an instantaneous burden. Even then, what if someone isn't around? That's why this exists:
29. Cracker Containers Hate stale crackers and cookies because some of them don't come with a resealable container? Solution:
30. 3-Tier Oven Rack Cook more things at once without sacrificing time.
It’s already been established that, in the hands of an expert breakfast cook, pancake batter can become just as legitimate an artistic medium as paint or pencils. These artistic pancake drawings, which a dad made with dyed pancake batter for his kid, were uploaded to Reddit by user ptgkbgte. They are the latest example we’ve seen of this unusual but delicious art form.
