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What Happens In Your Freezer (Pt.1)

The freezer has changed food in America and around the world. I’m fascinated with the story of Clarence Birdseye, who discovered that flash-freezing fish was a practical way to ship seafood to distant inland locations. His name became a brand synonymous with many frozen vegetables and cooking staples. Alas, not everything freezes as well as freshly harvested seafood and vegetables. Here’s a description of foods that freeze badly and what happens. ( Source: National Center for Home Food Preservation ) Cabbage, cucumbers --   These become limp, waterlogged and quickly develop an oxidized color, flavor and aroma. These can be effectively frozen as marinated products. However, “freezer slaw” and “freezer pickles” won’t maintain the same flavor or texture as regular slaw or pickles that were not frozen. Celery, Cress, Lettuce, Parsley, Endive, Radishes – Limp, waterlogged and these also change color, flavor and aroma. Potatoes, baked or boiled – These become soft, crumbly,
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Perfect Scrambled Eggs

Recently, I learned I've been making scrambled eggs all wrong. If you want perfect scrambled eggs, watch this video. Starting with a cold pan makes the difference. Since using this method I have had perfect eggs every time. Smooth, creamy and easy clean up, too. Take a look at Bridget Hallinan's video tutorial.
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Iodine and Thyroid Disease

It seems that thyroid disease is more prevalent now than ever in our society. More and more people are prescribed remedies like Synthroid and levothyroxin to treat hypothyroidism, the disease that slows the activity of the thyroid gland. A better understanding of the disease and some causes rooted in diet may be able to normalize thyroid function. The thyroid gland is tiny, but it can affect so many finctions of the body and mind. A malfunctioning thyroid might be the cause of: fatigue, depression, joint soreness, weight gain, infertility, increased sensitivity to the cold, dry skin, puffy face, hoarseness, elevated blood cholesterol levels, muscle aches and stiffness, thinning hair, impaired memory and more. To my surprise, it has even been linked as a cause of carpel tunnel. Iodine is known as a halide, a class of elements that also includes chlorine, fluorine, bromine and perchlorate. These other halides compete with iodine, and are often taken in by the iodine receptors in
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Salt, Not Oil

When cooking meat, particularly beef, you can eliminate the need for cooking oil completely. Heat the pan. Sprinkle salt evenly through the pan. Add meat to the pan, and you will hear it sizzle and crackle. The salt draws moisture from the meat, and enough fats to take the place of the cooking oil you might have used. I've been told this does not change the flavor of the meat, although common sense dictates that it must. I must say, I have used this method for many years and never experienced overly salty meat using this method.
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High-Altitude Cooking? No Pressure!

I was kindly invited to spend Christmas Day with friends up in Ft. Collins, Colo., last December, and I offered to bring a Cheesecake made with the world's bar-none best New York-style Cheesecake recipe.  The day prior, I set aside for baking.  This was one of my first attempts at baking since moving to Colorado, and while I'm keen on improvising in cooking, I'm less likely to stray from a baking recipe.  I completely forgot that adjustments needed to be made to my favorite recipe for the change in altitude. What do you suppose my first clue might be?  The mellow filling in the spring-form pan rose much more than usual.  I thought nothing of it, because everybody likes a mile-high slice of Cheesecake, right?  Well, clue number two was the baking time.  The cheesecake requires a very high temperature of 500 degrees for (I believe) 90 minutes.  At 30 minutes, the top crust was already golden brown.  At 45 minutes, it was black and charred.  I removed the cheesecake at thi
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pHarmony for Your Body

Your body is like a barber-shop quartet.  When you are feeling at your peak, everything works in  harmony with everything else.  Sounds great, looks great, feels great.  Diet plays a major part in the orchestration of those harmonies, and when you hear those sour notes prick your ears with more frequency, you may want to check to see if you have a pH-armony problem.  I apologize up front:  This is a rather complex issue and I am giving it  a basic blog overview.  For more details, consult a registered dietician (RD) or a doctor. For most non-space alien people, the body operates with an average blood pH of 7.35-7.45, which is slightly “alkaline.”  In this range, the body maintains stores of minerals, nutrients and raw materials to maintain its peak performance.  To keep the body in this range, an alkaline diet is helpful. In today's world, however, many of us thrive on or fall prey to pre-packaged foods, meats, white bread, sugared drinks, alcohol, chips and candy.  All of those ar
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Why Onions Make You Cry

Here in the Atomic Kitchen, we bring the gamut of emotions. We like to make you laugh.  Today, we might make you cry.  Fair warning: you may need a box of tissues as we explain why cutting onions makes you cry. Your tears are primarily water.  Saline. Salt water. Onions can be divided into two categories:  Sweet and Storage.  Sweet onions have a much higher water content, and have a limited shelf life.  They have a milder reaction with your eyeballs and tear ducts because of that high water content.  We're going to address yellow, white and red onions used in cooking – the “storage onions” sometimes referred to as “dry onions,” with a relatively low water content. You're embarking on a fantastic recipe.  You've got a sharp knife at the ready.  You peel the skin off the onion and place it on the cutting board.  Shortly after making that first slice, your eyes tear uncontrollably.  These do not feel like “Oh, the suffering of humanity!” tears.  They burn.  What is going on? L
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