| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
SHU MENU : Topic Main Index | Topic Site Map | SHU Home | Discussion Forums | Contact or Contribute Keeping and Wasps and Flies Away from your Barbecue
It is one of life's oddities that we take a lot of trouble refrigerating meat, keeping food sealed and washing our hands before touching it, only to throw out the rule book when we have a barbecue. The meat is left out in the sun waiting it's turn to be cooked, exposed to the elements and there is no washbasin to be seen. Another oddity is that it is men that do most of the barbecue cooking: 7 out of 10 according to the American Dietetic Association (http://www.eatright.org) in a survey. They also found that only 44% of these men washed their hands when cooking at the barbecue. Shame on us men! Why is it that, more often then not, it is women who get to do the day-in, day-out drudgery cooking, while men suddenly muscle in for those special occasions? Is this right, or am I imagining it? Anyway, back to food hygiene. I am not suggesting that we plumb washbasins into our back yards but I would suggest that at least the following two precautions are still maintained. The first one is that, even though it can be difficult to arrange, it is an absolute necessity that cooked meats never come into contact with raw meats either directly or via utensils, plates, bowls, trays or cutting boards. This is a very easy mistake to make, especially if you are not the usual cook of the house. The other precaution is to try to keep wasps and flies away. You may know that their main purpose in life is to spoil your barbecue by diving at you and your guests and depositing some nasty germs - from nearby rubbish tips or animal dung - onto your food; and there is always the risk of being stung by a wasp. A little tip is to avoid wearing yellow, as they are attracted to it. Of course, if there is someone you don't like very much, you could make a point of inviting them, but telling them to wear only yellow clothes (just say it is part of a role-playing game you have laid on). The unwanted guest can act as a decoy, attracting all the wasps and flies, while the rest of you enjoy yourself. As this is a particularly nasty thing to do to anyone, an alternative is to lay out some yellow objects in a circle around the barbecue area. For example, you could wrap 10 bricks in bright yellow paper and place them evenly in a circle at a radius of, say, 8 feet from the picnic/barbecue area. Drop some treacle on each. They will act as decoys and reduce the threat of wasps and flies. An even better way is to save some time by buying a few fly & wasp traps from Arkay Hygiene at www.eeeee.co.uk As well as attracting wasps and flies, they will keep them trapped at least until you have finished your feast. Then you go and release them at your old boss's house. Please note that Vernon has a wicked sense of humour and asks that you do not release any flying insects at anyone's house! Fly & Wasp Traps for the garden can be found at this page
MORE RESOURCES:
cooking - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Flax Seed Will Add A Little Extra Flavor To Your Recipes Flax seed will add a pleasant nutty taste to any recipe. The attractive, round reddish-brown seeds of flax add flavor, extra texture and good nutrition to your breads, cakes, muffins, and other baked goods. How to Bake: Muffins (with recipes) Muffins are a mainstay around our house. They are as nourishing as they are good to eat. Seasoning An Oven Untreated cast iron rusts, especially around water. To prevent metal from oxidizing in the presence of moisture, cast iron requires a process called ?seasoning?. The Wonderful Wok: Stir Frying Basics Want to enjoy the tantalizing taste of Asian food at home? Invest in a wok! Stir-frying is one of the easiest ways to create a delicious, healthy dinner in minutes. Learn to prepare meals the Asian way: light on meat, heavy on the vegetables, and quick-cooked on high heat to retain vitamins and flavors. The Almighty Beer-Can Chicken A popular method of cooking chicken in recent years both in Barbeque contest as well as backyard barbeques is the beer-can chicken. Cooking a beer-can chicken couldn't be any easier but the results are worthwhile. 10 Convenient Ways To Eliminate Food Poisoning With Your Microwave Microwave ovens can play an important role at mealtime, but special care must be taken when cooking or reheating meat, poultry, fish, and eggs to make sure they are prepared safely. Microwave ovens can cook unevenly and leave "cold spots," where harmful bacteria can survive. Troubleshooting Cookies If your cookies are too tough . . How to Bake: How Long Should My Bread Rise? It depends. The best way to tell if the dough has risen enough is not by time-though it helps to set the timer so you don't forget about your dough-but by look and feel. What You Need in a Gourmet Kitchen The best way to decide what you need in your kitchen is to first decide what it is you are going to be cooking in there. The best suggestion I ever heard on this matter is to find five dishes you really love. How to Cook a Lobster French chefs plunge them into boiling water; English ones, in an attempt to appear more humane, drive kitchen knives through their skulls before doing the same thing.No wonder the miserable creatures go red. ServSafe Food Program in Montana a Success Montana has a great program for restaurant employees. Each preparer of foods to the public must go through a special program where they learn at what temperatures food must be served and how to keep the place clean. Cookware - Whats In It? Have you ever wanted to buy new cookware but didn't know what kind to buy? There are many types of cookware from which to choose. The following is a summary of the different materials that are used in cookware. Buying, Storing, and Preparing Apricots When buying apricots, always look for those that are firm, plump orange fruit that gives slightly when you press with your thumb. Bruised apricots should be avoided. About Baking: Eight Tips for Perfect Pancakes Pancakes are easy and almost foolproof. But there are some tricks to making them perfect. Compact Refrigerators Are Great When Small Is Needed The small refrigerator can be used in many places that a regular size fridge would not be practical. Many places including offices, apartments, student dorms, hotels, motels, and military housing can benefit from using compact refrigerators. Roasting Meat - Temperatures and Times Despite plenty of evidence to the contrary, I still see recipes that insist you should cook meat at high temperature for the first twenty minutes or so to seal it and then lower the level for the rest of the cooking time.This has become the fashionable way and I'm not sure why. Cut The Take Out A long hard day at work. You get home and need dinner. Easy Herb Butters Since herbs are plentiful this time of year, why not use them to make a variety of simple herb butters? You can even freeze the butters to enjoy in the cooler fall months ahead.Use these tasty butters on everything from grilled steaks, fish, and chicken, to cooked vegetables. Dutch Oven Cooking Basics Pioneer CookingWhen you think of a cast iron Dutch oven, what comes to your mind? Pioneer cooking? Stews over the open fire?Of coarse both are true, but they are still very much in use today and as for the Dutch oven, the possibilities are endless.Dutch ovens can be used for frying, baking, boiling, and steaming as well. Outdoor Chefs Choose Gas Grills How many of you remember dad trying to get the charcoal started? The mess, time and burgers tasting of lighter fluid are some reasons why outdoor chefs are choosing gas grills for their recipes for BBQs over a charcoal barbecue. A gas grill offers many advantages for BBQ over charcoal.
|
 |
| Topic Main Index | Topic Site Map | SHU Home | Discussion Forums | Contact or Contribute |
| © 2006 Self Help University :: Helping YOU Help Yourself! |
