Food – Pluto Blogs

Chocolate Gifts

Chocolate is a popular gift item that you can give to anyone for any special occasion. You can give chocolate to your amour with a bunch of red roses. You can wish your friend good luck with this delightful treat. Or you can greet your parents a happy anniversary with a chocolate basket. Whatever the celebration is, chocolate gifts are sure to bring a smile to the faces of the people who are close to your heart.

One of the most popular forms of chocolate gifts is the chocolate gift basket. A variety of chocolates can be included in the basket, which is artfully decorated for artistic appeal. Chocolate gift baskets are noted for the variety of chocolate they carry. If the recipient is a chocolate lover, he is sure to be delighted with a miscellany of white chocolates, dark chocolates, chocolates with nuts, fruits, and almonds, and those with different flavors such as raspberry or caramel. The more chocolate variations, the better.

If there is a chocolate gift basket, there is also a chocolate gift box. A chocolate gift box can include either a single flavor of chocolate or a variety of chocolate flavors. Some people prefer giving chocolates in a box instead of a basket because it is more presentable. Also, in giving chocolates packed in a box, there is less risk of melting. This would be a good choice if the recipient lives miles away and won’t be able to open your gift till a later time.

Lastly, you can simply give a piece of chocolate as a gift. Choose the favorite chocolate bar of that special person and tie a small ribbon around it for a more presentable look.

Chocolate gifts are indeed ideal for any occasion. Whether it is a basket bursting with chocolate variants, a neatly wrapped chocolate gift box, or a simple chocolate bar, it is sure to make that special day more memorable.

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate-the drink of the Gods, has forever been man’s sinful indulgence. Chocolate comes in many shapes and sizes, and it’s used for many recipes, but none surpasses the chocolate cake – first place in popularity.

A chocolate cake can be made from any type of chocolate. It can be made from plain, dark chocolate or “bitter” chocolate that contains little or no added sugar. Cakes can be made from white chocolate, which tastes sweet and is very rich and smooth, almost with a melt-in-your-mouth quality. Cakes made with organic chocolate win hands down for they contain a very high percentage of cocoa solids. However, this type of chocolate is very expensive.

Innovation is the buzzword in chocolate circles now and along with chocolate you will find varied other ingredients added to the cake to woo your taste buds. There is the chocolate and orange angel cake, the tangy cinnamon cake, the hot spicy chocolate ginger crunch cake made with ginger syrup and chocolate cake topped with a mildly tempering Banana Sauce to name a few. In fact, it seems that almost everything that is palatable in the kitchen can be used as a flavoring in chocolate cakes. Hazelnut is great in chocolate cake and is beetroot (used in chocolate layer cakes), redcurrant torte chocolate cake is fabulous and baked chocoate and rasin cheese cake.

Chocolate cakes come with vast array of toppings and decorations. Since chocolate cake by nature has a rich taste, the toppings are deliberately kept light. You can have dates, almonds, honey toppings, fruit sauces or you can have decorations made with chocolate. You can peel off chocolate curls, scoop off chocolate balls or create designs with contrasting colored melted chocolate. When it comes to decorating with chocolate, the “Covertures” type chocolate with a glossy finish is the choice of many. There are plenty of options when it comes to decorating with chocolate. Anything made with chocolate is sinfully delicious.

Chicago Restaurants

Chicago is a city that has pioneered many “firsts”. These include the first planetarium in the Western World, first atomic reaction, first elevated train system and commercial airplane. These events and facts have played a role in shaping Chicago into a city where tradition and enterprise coexists with innovative ideas. Chicago and its suburbs are home to more than 10 million people.

Also known as the Windy City, Chicago has a distinctive style of its own and is also a fast-paced city. Chicago can be described as a restaurant town in a factual sense of the term, as diners here have the opportunity to taste cuisine from all parts of the world. The city is home to a wide range of eating establishments that serve Mediterranean, Israeli, Italian and Japanese cuisines. Specialized seafood restaurants, steak houses, burger joints or theme restaurants, they are all available in Chicago.

Chicago is famous for its corner restaurant chains such as Pizzeria Uno and Georgetti. Diners in the city can also taste preparations by world famous chefs at eating establishments such as the West Loop’s Blackbird. The Everest, situated on the Chicago Stock Exchange’s 40th floor is another unique restaurant.

The city’s dining experience offers multiple moderately priced eateries. Chicago has a reputation for launching stylish and original restaurants. This trend has helped broadening the options for the diner besides providing reasonable prices. Along with these eating joints, Chicago is also home to numerous celebrity restaurants. These include restaurants owned by famous people such as Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenneger.

Visitors to Chicago have an opportunity to pamper their taste buds and often, it is a problem of “ which one do I miss out on”. Trial and error is never a good way to get familiar with the dining culture of any city. It is important to read reviews that appear in the local print media or on the Internet. Some of these reviews give a pretty good glimpse into featured menus of various restaurants and an approximate pricing.

Chef Supplies

Being a chef includes much more than just proper attire and good culinary skills. Particularly, a head chef must be able to wield a kitchen knife with expertise, and face all the various problems that might arise in a kitchen.

A chef must include mitts or gloves in the attire, as dealing with hot dishes would be a part of the job in course of work. A chef must also be well versed in removing all those stains and splatters that would be found on the work clothes. Also, the temperature of certain items must be perfect, and the chef must be able to keep track of this by using chef thermometers. Be it a soufflé or a hot pie right from the oven, a correct temperature setting is very essential for that perfect taste.

Knives play a very important role in a chef’s life. The appropriate knife must be used to cut either vegetables or meat or even to carve vegetables for a good salad spread. A seven-course meal would require the chef to produce a spread good enough to rival the competitors. Each dish prepared would be perfect only when the ingredients are perfect. A good chef would be able to wield the knife with ease and must be innovative while producing a salad or a side dish that requires intricate carving or cutting, such as fish.

Chefs must be familiar with the different kinds of electric appliances, stoves, pans and dishes that need to be used for cooking. Also, it is essential for the chef to be familiar with proper dinner etiquette to provide the items in the correct dishes to avoid any mishaps while the waiter is serving the same.

Saucepans, stockpots and other various dishes to be used must be clean, and the head chef must ensure these are being used in a proper and exact manner. While providing the guests with desserts like fondue or brownies and ice cream with hot chocolate fudge, it is very important to provide the dish at the right temperature.

A chef is responsible for the cooking supplies in the kitchen. It would be bad practice to refuse a customer a dish in the menu due to a lack of ingredients. All the dishes in that days’ menu must be available and ready to serve.

The chef has the main role in making the customer happy with the meal. Although the restaurant’s ambience and service do play a part, the majority of its success depends on the quality of the food. Of course, this proportionately depends on the chefs and the cooks in the kitchen. Although they form an invisible part of the workforce, chefs and cooks actually play a major role in building the restaurant’s reputation. Good food is always an enticement in bringing the customer back.

Chef Hat History

Chef hats have a history that can be traced as far as the beginning of the centuries. Although the real origin is not really known, it does go back a long way. It is a popular belief that the chefs in the courts of Iran and the nearby nations wore the chef hats even in the B.C. times, although for reasons that might be different from now. However, the shape and sizes must have considerably undergone some drastic changes since then. Even with all the noticeable changes, the chef hat is still being worn by all the chefs and cooks worldwide to avoid stray hair from falling into the dish being prepared allowing contamination of the dish.

Tradition indicates that the number of pleats on the headdress indicates the experience of the chef. Of course, this means the head chef, who is the one with the maximum experience gets to wear a hat with a hundred pleats. Although a hundred pleats are not found on a head chef’s hat these days, these hats do contain the most number of pleats still. The number of pleats also indicates the number of ways the chef can prepare a dish as so any head chef worthy of the title must be allowed to wear a head chef hat in honor of the knowledge possessed.

A chef’s hat worn these days is mostly a covering for the head than to depict any other symbolism. They also come in different sizes, heights and shapes depending on who would be wearing them. All the cooks, chefs, and others involved in the kitchen work are supposed to wear them without fail – taking hygiene into account more than anything else.

History indicates toque to have been worn by both men and women as a head covering while cooking. French, Italian, Spanish, German and other countries adopted a unique style by the early 16th century. Although the basic usage remained the same, to cover the head to avoid any stray hairs from falling into the dish being prepared, unique styles had come into vogue and were very distinguishable from one another. They were also named different in different languages, although they are all popular currently as the chef’s hats.

Starched cloth and wool chef hats came into picture in the early 17th century in many countries. These are still popular as along with keeping the hair in place, they also absorb the heat and sweat caused due to the heat in the kitchens. Early 19th century saw a revolution in the chef’s hats. Chefs dealing with various food preparations ended up putting on different caps to be distinguished in their areas of specializations.

Even with all the advancements in the history of chef hats, they still distinguish the chefs and the cooks even when they are currently made from paper and fiber instead of cloth. Cooks and chefs all over the world wear these hats regardless of the history and the tradition, which resulted in evolution of the chef hats.

Cheesecake

When Marcus Porcius Cato made the first cheesecake back the heyday of the Greek Empire, he probably did not realize that his simple dairy recipe would be one of the world’s favorite desserts, even after several centuries. Indeed, the cheesecake has not lost its appeal and continues to evolve to meet the changing tastes of its aficionados.

For such a delicious cake, the cheesecake is actually rather simple. It is made of sugar, eggs, and cheese (usually cream cheese but ricotta is also often used in Italy), and other ingredients such as cookies, or cookie crusts, and cream. The more modern cheesecakes are topped with all kinds of tropical fruits like kiwi, mango, and strawberries, and are decorated with vanilla and chocolate.

Different people from different parts of the world have added their own twists to the traditional cheesecake, and each version is just as delicious as the next. The cottage cheese-based, world-famous New York cheesecake, for example, is loved the world over for its heavy use of cream and excellent consistency. Equally famous are the Italian-style cheesecakes that use delectable ricotta cheese and vanilla extract for extra flavor.

Almost all other food-loving countries have their own versions of cheesecakes as well. The Germans use quark cheese, Greece uses homegrown Mizithra cheese and Mascarpone cream, and Brazilians add in guava marmalade. Can you guess which country likes maple syrup on their cheesecake? You guessed it right – Canada.

The cheesecake has also found a place in Asia, where it has evolved into flan cakes, famous in Tokyo and in Manila. These flans are usually made of starch and eggs. The vegetarians have also whipped up their own cheesecake – they use tofu instead of cream cheese, and surprisingly, their version tastes just as good.

Cheese

Legend has it that an unknown Arab nomad accidentally discovered cheese. He embarked upon a horseback journey across the desert filled with a saddlebag of milk. When he stopped to rest, the milk had separated into curds and whey. The logical explanation to this occurrence is the functioning of rennin. The bacteria were present in the saddlebag, which was made from the stomach of a young animal.

Cheese has been a popular food for centuries and has also been mentioned in the Old Testament. Even today, inducing various types of bacteria into milk transform it to cheese. The bacteria in time works on the milk and, depending upon the different types used, specific textures and flavors of cheese are determined.

Cheese is always manufactured from milk. Milk from cattle (cows, sheep, goats) is used at all times. Cheese textures vary from hard to semi-soft, and from mildly acidic to sharp. There are hundreds of different types of cheese available. Primarily, they are classified based upon 4 factors. These include type of milk used (raw, skimmed or pasteurized) and the source of the milk (cow, goat, sheep, buffalo, horse, yak or camel). Other factors include type of bacteria or acid used and the country it is made in.

Since cheese is available in such a wide variety, it can be confusing for the consumer to decide what to buy. Stored cheese is a good travel food. It has a long shelf life and contains high fat, protein, calcium, and phosphorus. Cheese can also be eaten in various forms. These include consuming raw, cooked, cold or warm cheese preparations.

Cheap Digital Scales

Are you looking for some good but cheap digital scales? If you thought digital scales are expensive, think again. Digital scales give a more precise measurement than your normal scales, and are also relatively inexpensive. Digital scales also give you a body fat percentage, which normal scales do not have.

Some of the most inexpensive brands of digital scales are Siltec Glass digital scales, with a price range of $70 to $80. The other inexpensive but good brands are the Tanita bathroom scales, Acculab and Ohaus, which also cost around $60 to $70. You could either try your local fitness stores or look up online stores for the addresses where you could purchase these and other available digital scales in the market today. Try to avoid buying online, as you would not be able to determine the quality of the scales online. Also, check whether the cheap digital scales are not imitation brands.

Since there are a wide variety of brands available in cheap digital scales, you have more choices in digital scales, and their prices are also lowered due to competition. There are also scales for weighing postage, baby scales, medicine scales, metal-weighing scales and other digital scale varieties in the market. In fact, some scales are multi-purpose scales that can be used not only for measuring weights, but also for postage, babies, gold, and silver. But you have to be careful of brands which are inferior in quality.

Your gym instructor or friends could tell you which scale is good. You could alternatively either check out the company manufacturing scales, or consult your dietitian or physician for the cheapest and best digital scale options.

Charleston South Carolina Real Estate

Charleston SC is one of the best places to invest your money in real estate. The city is known for the richness of its culture and history and has therefore become very popular in terms of real estate. The city’s popularity is encouraging the buying and selling of properties in Charleston.

Buying and selling land, houses or any other type of real property is not child’s play. At its simplest, buying and selling real estate involves taking a few natives’ points of view, checking a few locations and catalogues, deciding which one is best, and determining the right price. However, it is more difficult a task than this, as all properties are not the same. Addresses differ, streets differ, and construction differs – as do the costs, contract terms and financing schemes. In this, professional advice and suggestions matter a lot. You should find someone who not only understands your requirements but also your budget and can get you one of the best deals.

If you are also thinking to buy a home in Charleston you can contact the various agents or realtors. You can also go through the websites of the agents, which give you the complete and detailed listings. Get informed, so that it is all in front of you when you make a choice.

Such professional guidance in terms of real estate helps you to get the best property or home within your budget. It will guide your investment and, most important, it will help to determine what your future will look like.

Cause Of Bad Breath

Bad breath is a problem most people face today. Most bad breath problems begin in the mouth, and are a result of poor dental hygiene. Others are indicative of internal infections such as kidney failure, malfunction of the liver, disorders of metabolism, and infection of the sinuses or lungs.

Infections such as kidney failure and disorders of the metabolism can cause the release of unpleasant odors from the mouth. Metabolic disorders are difficult to diagnose because the unpleasant odors are not constant.

The three simplest reasons for bad breath from poor oral hygiene are consumption of food and drinks such as garlic, onions and soda; insufficient tooth brushing, and regular smoking or tobacco use. Brushing, flossing and rinsing with mouthwash on a regular basis are essential for good dental hygiene.

In addition, bad breath can also be caused by improper care of tooth cavities. Cavities are an ideal hiding place for food particles, which collect bacteria over time. Upon decomposing, these food particles release a sulfur compound that results in an unpleasant odor.

Improper care of the tongue can result in unpleasant odors being released from the mouth. The back of the tongue is rough and acts as an ideal hiding place. Food particles get lodged in the cracks and crevices, resulting in the release of sulfur compounds causing bad breath.

Bad breath can also result from not eating enough. In such cases, we deprive the body of its daily supply of fuel, in the form of food. To continue normal metabolism, the body breaks down fat and proteins, its secondary food supply, causing the release of bad odor.

A simple visit to the dentist can identify and treat potential oral health problems. However, if bad breath persists, it is essential that one consults a doctor to rule out any serious causes.