May Food Holidays

May offers some great days for food lovers. Check out this site for a full list.

May is officially:

National BBQ Month

National Egg Month

National Hamburger Month

National Salad Month

National Salsa Month

National Strawberry Month

And the month has many days devoted to individual items, including:

National Chocolate Parfait Day – May 1

National Orange Juice Day – May 4

National Roast Leg of Lamb Day – May 7

National Butterscotch Brownie Day – May 9

National Shrimp Day – May 10

National Buttermilk Biscuit Day – May 14

National Cherry Cobbler Day – May 17

National Vanilla Pudding Day – May 22

National Wine Day – May 25

National Blueberry Cheesecake Day – May 26

National Grape Popsicle Day – May 27

National Macaroon Day – May 31

Caffeine and Community

If you’re like me, you probably long for the good ol’ days when you stopped for a gourmet coffee every morning on the way to work (sigh).  How about some temporary relief?  According to Businessweek’s site, Starbucks is offering just that—one free coffee for the price of a little volunteerism.  From January 21^st through January 25^th, all you have to do is sign a pledge card to donate five hours of time to a local cause of your choice.  The promotion is set to coincide with the inauguration of Barack Obama as President; part of his campaign platform was a call for more community service.

 

Caffeine and community—I’m thinking it’s a great combination….and it may just lead to increased coffee sales.  (Dare I hope for a report from Starbucks post-promo?)

Chefs in the News: White House Cooking

Foodie bloggers have been buzzing about it since the election results came in; who would become the new White House chef in chief?  The speculation ended this morning when it was announced that the Obamas have elected to keep Cristeta Comerford on as the official White House chef.  Hired by Laura Bush in 2005, Comerford is the first woman to head the White House kitchens.  According to Wikipedia, Comerford is also the first White House chef of Filipino descent.  Comerford was reportedly chosen for her good reputation with the Bush family and her “perspective on the importance of healthy eating and healthy families,” according to Michelle Obama.

 

So it turns out there won’t be a “celebrity” at the helm of the White House kitchens, but a remarkable chef nonetheless.  So “mabuhay” (cheers) to Chef Comerford!

2009: Mixed Blessings for Restaurateurs

After a record-setting increase in global food prices, it seems that consumers might see some relief in 2009—in response to the current economic malaise.  Yes, prices are likely to go down a bit this year as we muddle through some tough times, but once the economy picks up again, we might see prices run right back up.  What’s a restaurateur to do?

 

As the expression goes, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”  Flexibility might just be the key to “making lemonade.”  Over at one of my favorite industry sites, FohBoh, a poster who goes by “The Truth” offers suggestions for keeping food purchasing costs to a minimum: basically, shop around. 

 

Having a flexible menu could also allow several distinct advantages; you can offer meals built on foods that are most profitable at any given time, and you can take advantage of the local food movement by serving seasonal dishes specific to your area.  And be sure you don’t bury these items deep in your menu; instead, highlight the fact that your business is supporting other local businesses (farmers, etc.) by broadcasting your local offerings on a write-on sign.

To all those eaters and restaurateurs out there: what tips do you have for restaurants trying to weather tough times?

Looking for a Healthy Place to Eat?

Then check out the Healthy Dining Finder. This cool new site is a way for diners who want to eat a healthy, balanced dinner to find a restaurant that will suit their needs.

On the site you can search for restaurants, sign up for newsletters, and find healthy choices to order. Restaurant owners can sign their business up to be included on the site so diners can find it.

A quick search of my area gives me the nutritional information for almost all of the major chains in our area. Currently there are 500 restaurants on the site, but that number is bound to go up quickly as more businesses learn about the site.

Once you have found a restaurant you are interested in you can then view everything from calorie count to sodium count to the number of fruits and vegetables per serving for your favorite menu item.

This is a great site to visit to find a great restaurant to eat at or to get your restaurant out there for others to find.

Get Freebies for Voting

Lots of companies want you to go from the polling place to their doors and are offering incentives to bring you in. Starbucks and Krispy Kreme are two of the big names offering up treats to those who have voted today. This article talks about some of the best freebies.

So what freebies did you get after you voted? Or did you ignore them? What do you think about businesses offering these incentives? Did your business offer any? Let us know.

How Does Your Staff De-stress

This article from MSN talks about how the employees do yoga once a week in an attempt to relieve stress. So what does your team do to relieve their stress?

Is there a ritual that they do? Do you encourage them to do anything together? Do you do anything with them?

It is a great idea to look into. Doing something fun and/or physical is a great way to help your employees bond and release stress, both of which makes for happier, more productive employees.

So look into some ideas today and let us know what you think of.

Good Deals Thrive in Tough Times

With the economy not doing well and people everywhere trying to save money businesses with great values are thriving. Sales show that more people are ordering value menu items and combos when they go out to eat, which is becoming more rare.

Places like Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and McDonald’s are seeing sales of their value menu items rise as the economy sinks. This article from the Chicago Tribune shows how businesses are taking advantage of this buy offering more deals. Subway has lowered the price of a foot-long sandwich, while many businesses are offering low cost snack wraps for less than $2.00.

So what are you doing to bring in business in these hard times? Have you changed your prices or created any special items?

Stock Your Kitchen Today

Wondering if you have everything you need for your kitchen? Trying to figure out what some of those crazy looking things are? Then check out this list of tools from Bon Appetit magazine.

The list tells you what common kitchen tools are used for, so you know exactly why you need each item. It is also a great place to look for ideas of any new items you might need.

Once you know what everything is, head over to Serv-U’s Web site to check out the great supply of tools for your kitchen (along with items for your bar, dining room, office, rest rooms, and everywhere else). The helpful staff is more than willing to explain anything you may still not understand and can help you make sure you get everything you need to run your business.

Restaurant Equipment: How to Cook Rice in a Rice Cooker

How to Cook Rice in a Rice Cooker

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Using a rice cooker is a simple and effective way to cook rice. Many rice cookers keep the rice warm after it’s made. There’s no need to watch the rice cooker since this appliance comes with an automatic timer that clicks when the rice is ready. This article will show you how to cook rice with a rice cooker so that you can say good-bye to burnt rice and ruined pots.

Steps

1. Measure the rice with a cup and put it into your cooking pot. Most of the time, rice cooker boxes will have a cup inside or you can use your own scooper for measurement.
   • One cup of uncooked rice will generate roughly one and a half cups of cooked rice.[1]
   • The measuring cup that comes with your rice cooker is not the same size as a standard US measuring cup (240 ml or 1 cup). It’s a cup by rice cooker industry standards (180 ml or about 3/4 cup). Unless the recipe calls specifically for rice cooker cup measurements, you’ll need to adjust your measurements accordingly.[2]
2. Rinse the rice. This is optional. Read the packaging, as some rice does not need washing and is enriched with iron, niacin, thiamin, and folic acid; rinsing may be unnecessary and will remove any water-soluble vitamins and minerals in the rice.[3]
   • Run tap water in the bowl. While the water is running, stir the rice. Continue stirring until the pot is full of water.
   • Tip the pot at an angle and drain the excess water out. Hold the bottom part with your hand so that you can grab any rice grains that may fall with the water.
   • Repeat until the water comes out clear.
   • Drain as much water as you can.
3. Soak the rice for thirty minutes, if desired. This is not required, but some people prefer it. It may result in stickier rice.
4. Measure the water. Most rice cooker instructions recommend cold water.[4] How much water you add depends on what kind of rice you’re cooking and how moist you prefer it. One rule of thumb is to fill the cooking pot with the same amount of cups of rice you used, with an additional 1/2 cup. For example, if you made 2 cups of rice, pour in 2 1/2 cups of water. There are also graduated marks on the inside of many rice cookers indicating how much rice and water should be added. The USA Rice Federation[3] recommends following the directions on the package that the rice came in, or using these guidelines in a pinch:
   • White, long grain – 1 3/4 cups of water per 1 cup of rice
   • White, medium grain – 1 1/2 cups of water per 1 cup of rice
   • White, short grain – 1 1/2 cups of water per 1 cup of rice
   • Brown, long grain – 2 1/4 cups of water per 1 cup of rice
   • Parboiled – 2 cups of water per 1 cup of rice
   • Still, you can’t really go wrong if you just add two or 2.5 cups of water to each cup of rice; you don’t want your rice too dry.
   • For Indian style rices like Basmati or Jasmine, less water is needed as a drier rice is desired, use no more than 1 1/2 cups of water per 1 cup of rice. Use only 1 to 1 if you washed the rice previously. It is ok to add bay leaves or cardimom pods directly to the rice cooker to enhance the flavor.
5. Add a little bit of salt, butter or oil at this time, if desired.
6. Try to get any rice grains around the pot back into the water and level out the rice. Wipe the outside of the pot with a cloth or rag.
7. Place the pot into the rice cooker. Cover it, plug the cooker in, and press the switch to turn it in. The switch will click, like a toaster, when the rice is done. In some cookers, the rice will be warmed until you unplug the cooker.
   • Don’t lift the lid to check on the rice. The cooking process depends on the development of steam inside the pot, so letting steam escape by opening the lid may result in improperly cooked rice.
   • The rice cooker automatically turns off when the temperature inside the pot reaches boiling point (212 degrees F or 100 degrees C at sea level), which happens when all the water has been absorbed by the rice.[5]
8. Allow the rice to “rest” for 10-15 minutes before removing the lid. This is not required but is commonly recommended in rice cooker instructions, and is automatic in some models.[4]

Tips

• If your rice cooker has a non-stick bowl, wash the rice (prior to cooking) in a colander with several washes/rinses/drains. Replacement non-stick bowls are very expensive. Even though the instructions indicate washing is not necessary, especially with a keisenmai/musenmai rice, a few wash cycles will promote a better finished consistency.
• Use a non-stick spoon that will not scratch the inside of the pot to stir and “fluff” the rice after it’s done. The best tool for this purpose is a plastic rice paddle that comes with most rice cookers. To keep the rice from sticking to the paddle, dampen the paddle with cold water (works for fingers, too).
• You may need to make adjustments if you’re using a rice cooker at a high altitude. Since the boiling point of water decreases by 1 degree F for every 540 feet of altitude (1 degrees C for every 300 meters), the rice cooker may turn off before the rice has been exposed to a high enough temperature to cook properly. You can compensate for this with extra water so the rice boils longer–at 5000 foot elevation, use 3 cups of water per cup rice instead of 2.5. Consult the rice cooker instructions and contact the manufacturer if you are experiencing problems with undercooked rice at high altitudes.
• When your rice is nearly done, quickly raise the lid and throw in some broccoli.
• Use your rice cooker for oatmeal! 1 cup of oatmeal to 2.5 or 3 cups of water. Add apple pie spice, dried cherries & pineapples (from bulk food section), and a capful of vanilla extract. After cooked, add sliced almonds and peanuts and bananna. Now pour in 12 ounces of water to which you have stirred in (with a chopstick or wand mixer) half a cup of protein powder. The 22 grams of protein plus the oatmeal make this a fast and tasty nutrition dish. Try the protein powder and you will never again use milk on your cereal. Use natural Xylipure to sweeten, rather than sugar. One protein powder drink (which tastes like a milkshake) will take care of your hunger for 8 hours and is especially good for older people with low blood sugar.

Warnings

• Children can help clean the rice, but leave the rice cooker handling to the adults.
• Don’t overfill the rice cooker or else it will boil over and make a mess.
• If the rice cooker does not automatically keep the rice warm after it’s done cooking, you should consume or refrigerate it all as soon as it’s done to avoid food poisoning due to Bacillus cereus.[6]

Things You’ll Need

• Rice
• Rice cooker
• Water
• Measuring cup
• Spoon or paddle

Related wikiHows

• How to Cook Rice in a Microwave
• How to Cook Low Carb White Rice Without a Rice Cooker
• How to Microwave Refrigerated Rice
• How to Make Rice Cooker Bread
• How to Make Steamed Rice
• How to Make Indian Style Basmati Rice
• How to Make Fried Rice
• How to Make Spanish Rice

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/howtoselectaricecooker.htm
2. ↑ http://www.usarice.com/consumer/ricecookers.html
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.usarice.com/consumer/prep.html
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.zojirushi.com/user/scripts/user/recipe.php?recipe_id=23
5. ↑ http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/question35.htm
6. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_cereus

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Cook Rice in a Rice Cooker. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.