Friday, December 31, 2010

Healthy Food For Diet

One of the biggest problems for people with a weight loss diet is the selection of foods they are going to be allowed to eat. The big fear of some people with a weight loss diet which often talk about, is that they would get tired or bored of eating the same healthy diet foods over and over again.

Some people may even go as far as to say that it is impossible to consistently eat the same few healthy foods every single day for a long period of time without either falling off the diet or just going insane.

Top 10 Industry Organizations in Culinary

There are many different culinary industry associations for all types of chefs and for the food service world in general. These culinary organizations can serve as great resources whether you are a professional chef, a head chef, an aspiring chef, a culinary student or any other player in the gastronomic industry. The following are considered to be the top 10 culinary organizations in food-industry circles:
  1. The American Institute of Wine & Food: This educational nonprofit organization is dedicated to the pleasures, benefits and traditions of the table, with 31 chapters in the U.S. as well as a chapter in France.
  2. Chefs Collaborative: A national network of more than 1,000 food community members supporting sustainable cuisine through local, seasonal and artisanal cooking.
  3. International Association of Culinary Professionals: This 30-year-old group is one of the largest culinary industry associations, with more than 4,000 members in 32 countries. It is a nonprofit professional association that provides continuing education and professional development and sponsors the annual IACP Cookbook Awards, among other things.
  4. The James Beard Foundation: This nonprofit organization was founded in 1985 on Julia Child's suggestion to espouse the philosophy, ideals and practices of James Beard, the father of American gastronomy.
  5. National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc: The NASFT has 19,000 members including manufacturers, distributors, importers, brokers, foreign government offices and other suppliers of specialty foods.
  6. National Restaurant Association: This is the definitive membership-based business association in the restaurant industry with more than 30,000 members representing more than 175,000 restaurants since 1923.
  7. New York Women's Culinary Alliance: The NYWCA promotes cooperation and education among women in the food industry.
  8. Roundtable for Women in Foodservice: For 17 years the RWF has organized foodservice professionals while providing educational, mentoring and networking opportunities to enhance the development and visibility of women. There are 10 U.S. chapters.
  9. Slow Food: This is the largest of all the culinary organizations in the world. They are committed to supporting and promoting quality food and beverage patrimony.
  10. Women Chefs & Restaurateurs: The WRC promotes the education and advancement of women in the restaurant industry, as well as the betterment of the industry as a whole.
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Thursday, December 30, 2010

Cooking As A Culinary Art

Culinary arts is the art of cooking. Cooking is a way to prepare food that will be eaten or served to other people.
The culinary arts is comprised of many categories - some of which are tools, methods, combination of spices and ingredients that adds flavour to the food. It normally needs the right measurements, proper selection and accurate combination of ingredients involved to reach desired result.
The diversity of the Culinary arts around the world mirrors many considerations such as:
- Economic
- Aesthetic
- Nutritional
- Religious
- Cultural
1. The Dawn Of Fire
The culinary arts, if not always, is associated with fire. The heat generated by fire is oftentimes required to be applied to be able to change the food's texture, flavour, nutritional contents and even its appearance. Heating is important in the culinary arts because it disinfects the food and makes it softer. The food danger zone is between 4 to 60 degrees Celsius. Within these temperatures, the bacteria found in the found or even those that were transferred to the food can grow at a very alarming rate. Under ideal conditions bacteria can double their population every twenty minutes. Although at a glance, these foods may not appear harmful, when ingested they can be. Many people have the misconception that bacteria will die when we freeze our food or refrigerate them, but this actually does not rid the food of bacteria, merely it slows down their expansion.

2. Baking
Baking is probably the most famous department in the culinary arts. In the culinary arts, baking is the art of cooking food using an oven. The food is cooked through applying dry heat evenly through the oven and onto the food. It is used in producing pastry based goodies such as pies, tarts and cakes. The dry heat in the oven causes the starch to gelatinize and results to the browning or charring of the outside of the food. Some uneducated in the culinary arts might think that the charred part or the brown part is not as tasty as it sounds, but this part is actually what gives taste and flavour to the baked good, partly sealing the moisture of the food. The browning apparent in the baked good is caused by the sugar caramelizing and the chemical reaction that happens between the reduction of sugar and the amino acid (Maillard reaction). Moisture in the baked goody, on the other hand, is not really completely kept in, in time as the goody is being baked it will become drier and drier.

3. Boiling
Another category is boiling. Boiling is when there is a rapid vaporization of any liquid when the liquid is heated. In cooking, boiling is divided into many other categories. Blanching, a cooking term used to describe the submersion of food into boiling water and removing it after a certain period of time and then throwing it into cold water or letting water run over it causing the firming of food. Pressure cooking is when food is cooked inside an enclosed cooking tool that would limit the air that's coming in or going out of that tool - this technique speeds up the pace of cooking. Stewing would probably be the most popular cooking technique in the culinary arts division. It is a method where meats are cut up into smaller pieces and along with some vegetables are simmered into a liquid. Simmering, then again is a cooking method where the liquid is barely kept away from its boiling point. Other boiling techniques are braising, codding, steaming, infusion, poaching, double steaming, steeping and vacuum flask cooking.

4. Other
To most Americans, microwaving and grilling are the most common forms of cooking. Microwaving is the easiest and simplest form of cooking; it is a technique used mostly to reheat sumptuous meals ready to be consumed. And for grilling, most Americans have a grill station in their backyard. Grilling is a roasting method that is cooking directly under a source of heat. Other roasting methods are Barbecuing, Searing and Rotisserie. A less common method is smoking meat, or even salting it.

Culinary Travel Experiences And How To Select Great Regional Dining

To better understand the concept behind culinary travel, one must first understand culinary tourism and all that such provides. As such, if one is interested in knowing more about culinary tourism, one may want to request an information package from the International Culinary Tourism Institute, founded in 2006, which is a non-profit education organization for training and education for its members and the public. Of course, there are also many other organizations involved in culinary tourism which one can also find online.
So, what exactly is culinary tourism? it is when one travels to a country or region with the specific intention of experiencing the food native to such an area. As such, dining out has become a valid part of the tourism experience. So, whether one is in the mood for Spanish cuisine from Spain, or food from the Middle East, when one actively travels to such areas in order to experience such native cuisine, then one is often considered a culinary tourist.

In addition, now that food has become an accepted and valid aspect of tourism, it is also believed that food as well as accommodations, climate and scenery all play an active role in such travel experiences. In addition, as individuals often dine out during vacations, while those on vacation may not experience the full art of culinary tourism, most likely one is going to still experience several culinary delights on such travels. As such, this tourism then becomes part and parcel to most vacations whether family, romantic or otherwise.
Still, as food tourism is defined as the ongoing pursuit of drinking and eating experiences, it differs from agricultural tourism. For, although it may be considered a subset of cultural tourism, cuisine is in fact also a manifestation of culture both past and present. Still, culinary and agricultural tourism remain linked due to the growing of foods which are included in the many regional dishes prepared which use locally grown ingredients.

In addition, although one may perceive from the sound of culinary tourism, that all foods consumed as part of such a process are gourmet dishes. In fact, this is not true at all. For this type of tourism is often more about what is unusual yet memorable and tasty, rather than what is often exclusive, pretentious and overly priced. As such, one can expect to find both basic and gourmet dishes, as well as great beer, wine and cocktails in all price ranges.

So, how does one find out more information about such culinary tourism? Often, one can contact one of many culinary tourist organizations which one can now find online. Of course, one can also decide based on taste and region where to travel to experience such culinary delights. However, if one is interested in specific culinary tourism, one may be able to find some great deals by talking with representatives from one of the many organizations now listed online.

For, whether one contacts an International organization, or a more locally based one, often one can gain a great many ideas of where to go and explore when it comes to such culinary tourism. In addition, as there are often many different dining opportunities available in each region, one may want to read a variety of online reviews in relation to such offerings, along with menu choices to assure one is going to fully enjoy such a dining experience. For, only when one can see first hand how such restaurants operate on an ongoing basis, can one truly decide if a restaurant is one in which one wishes to spend both time and money.

To this end, regardless of the type of food one seeks, one can find a great variety when participating in culinary travel or tourist opportunities. However, to assure one is going to enjoy the atmosphere, food and service, one may want to read a variety of reviews posted by past consumers. For, only in doing so, can one assure that one is going to have an outstanding culinary travel experience in whichever region or area one may decide to visit for such culinary delights.

Michelin Food and travel Experiences provide unique Culinary travel experiences and culinary tours. Travelers can even pick and choose their own culinary travel experiences and customize their trip itinerary.