Asian Recipes

Asian Recipes Blog

The Unrivaled Practical Guide for Asian Cooking

The delicious seaweed

Seaweed is quite delicious, with a pleasant fresh saltiness reminiscent of the sea. Vegetarians have always recognized the importance of sea vegetables, which are a valuable, and inexpensive, source of concentrated essential vitamins and minerals. They also rely on carrageen or agar-agar, seaweed used for thickening and gelling, instead of animal-derived gelatine.

Asian have always been more ready to eat sea vegetables than Westerners, and seaweed is particularly popular in Japan with its long jagged coastline. The proliferation of Japanese restaurants all over the world has spurred interest in sea vegetables, and there is a wide variety of dried marine vegetation now on sale in Asian food stores and health food shops.

Seaweeds are eaten as vegetables, are used as garnishes and in dressings, and add a distinctive salty flavor to soups and snacks such as crispy rice crackers.

** Asian Recipes **

13:32:22 on 09/30/08 by Webmaster - General -

Electrical fire in the kitchen

If there is an electrical fire in your kitchen, firstly turn off the power and pull out the plug, if possible. A small fire will probably go out once the power is cut. If it persists, it is best to use a dry-powder fire extinguisher on a small electrical fire: conveniently sized extinguishers of dry chemical powder marked 'for kitchen use' are sold by hardware shops. Never use water on an electrical fire.

If the source of a fire is in the socket rather than the appliance, it may indicate a fault in the wiring. In the event of a socket fire, do not attempt to fight it yourself. Close the doors and windows, leave the room and call the fire brigade.

** Kitchen Safety **

07:55:02 on 09/17/08 by Webmaster - General -

What to do when oil catches fire in a deep-fryer or saucepan?

Never throw water on an oil fire as it will cause an explosion of hot fat. Turn off the heat but do not move the pan as the flames could blow towards you. To deprive the flames of oxygen, cover the pan with a fire blanket, or use a damp towel or a metal lid or tray. When approaching the burning pan, keep the cloth or lid between you and the flames.

Leave the pan covered for at least 30 minutes; do not uncover it sooner as it could reignite. To minimize the risk of an oil fire, never fill a pan more than half full of oil. If you feel unable to cope with fire, shut the doors and windows to contain the flames, leave the room and call the fire brigade. Do not go back into the room.

** Kitchen Safety **

00:18:10 on 09/16/08 by Webmaster - General -

Coping with gas leaks in the kitchen

If you smell gas, extinguish any naked flames immediately, but do not turn any electrical switches on or off. Open the door and windows to let the gas disperse. Turn off the gas supply to the stove and any other gas appliances such as a gas fire, either at the tap that supplies it, or if it does not have one, at the main tap next to the meter. Usually when the lever is parallel with the pipe the gas is on, when it is at right angles to the pipe the gas is off.

If you cannot turn off the supply, or the smell continues after the gas has been turned off, ring your area's gas supplier immediately. Their 24-hour emergency service number should be listed in the phone book.

** Asian Kitchen **

13:19:19 on 09/15/08 by Webmaster - General -

Best first aid action when got burnt in the kitchen

Never apply butter, lotion or ointment to a burn, as these trap the heat and intensify the problem. Instead, run cold water over the affected area for at least 10 minutes. Remove any rings, watches or tight clothing before any swelling starts, then cover the burn with a sterile dressing or any other clean, non-fluffy covering.

If the burn is large, or the skin looks charred and grey, or there is clothing stuck to the burnt area, the injury may be serious. Cover it with plastic wrap or a clean plastic bag to prevent infection and reduce dehydration of the area, and cool the burn by running cold water over the film or bag. Do not touch the affected area, burst any blisters or remove anything sticking to the burn. Seek immediate medical help for any burn larger than a 10 cent coin.

** Kitchen Safety **

04:31:54 on 09/14/08 by Webmaster - General -