Wizard Recipes

Defrosting Food

Thaw poultry, fish, and meat in the refrigerator. Defrosting at room temperature promotes thawing on the outside while the core remains frozen. The soft outer portion provides a fertile site for bacterial growth.

Instead, put frozen food in the refrigerator (which is cool but above freezing) 1 or 2 days before it is to be used. For faster thawing, run cold water over the item or use a microwave for quick defrosting.

Marinade Savvy

Marinate poultry, seafood, and meat in the refrigerator. To play it safe, set some of the marinade aside (to use for basting or as a sauce at the table) before adding it to the raw meat.

Avoid using the liquid that the raw meat has been marinating in for basting. If you do, discontinue basting at least 15 minutes before the meat is done so that the marinade can be heated to a high enough temperature to kill any bacteria that may be present.

Do not use the leftover marinade as a sauce unless it has not come in contact with the raw meat or you have boiled it for at least 5 minutes.

Cooking Food

Always be sure to cook recipes at the appropriate temperature. Cooking foods to an internal temperature of at least 160° Fahrenheit kills most dangerous bacteria. Uncooked or undercooked meat can harbor pathogens such as the notorious E. coli bacteria

Using Slow Cookers

Using a slow cooker is a popular way of preparing soups, stews, roasts, and other hearty dishes. Because this device cooks at relatively low temperatures-compared with the oven or stovetop-it is vital to exercise safe cooking habits.

For example, thaw meat thoroughly and cut it into small pieces. Use recipes that call for plenty of liquid. Bring to a boil quickly and then reduce heat to simmer. Do not overfill the cooker. Be sure to use a thermometer to make certain the temperature stays at 160° Fahrenheit or higher

The hamburger from Fast Foods was precisely made to offer a first juicy and delicious bite that would be impossible to enjoy if we could imagine the whole aspect of farms, butcheries and of all the workers or if we could know from the first bite that the hamburger is so delicious because of the “artificial barbeque flavors”.

The hamburger must be fast consumed; it would be a pleasure if we could imagine the green grass, the steak from an animal grown on a pasture, a pleasure based on knowledge and appreciation for the work and creatures not on ignorance and indifference.

To eat slowly means, to eat “in a free way” not because of an impulse. In many cultures, especially in those that didn’t lose the bond with the earth, there still are rituals that encouraged this was of eating, for example, there is a food blessing or an appreciation prayer before eating.

I believe that the goal of these rituals is to don’t eat in ignorance or in a hurry, and also to combine the pleasure of eating with the pleasure of thanksgiving and knowledge. I’m not used to express my appreciation before meals, but sometimes I remember Wendell Berry’s words that help me to eat free.

Probably the way to fully enjoy the food- to feel a pleasure without ignorance- is the most profound form of the bonding with the world. Trough this pleasure we are aware of our dependency and we celebrate this, because we eat in mystery from creatures that we didn’t create and from forces that are beyond our understanding.

Such words can help you to be in control of your meals, but the best would be (as Wendell Berry said) that we, the consumers should involve ourselves more in the food production, even if this means just to plant some herbs in a pot, or just to go different plants or mushrooms picking in the park.

Because of the indifference of the consumer beside the food, we have to remember how the food from our plates is tilled, grown and prepared.