Monday, 19 November 2012

Tasty and Healthy Frozen Foods

Frozen foods have been used in households since a long time. The idea first came into being in the year 1929 when Clarence Birdseye offered his frozen foods to the public. Freezing as a method of preserving food has many myths associated with it. But the fact remains that frozen food is very healthy and nutritious; at par with the fresh food that we get from the markets and groceries.

Freezing is a natural process of preservation where food is stored at very low temperatures. Micro-organisms which are responsible for the spoilage of food cannot survive at such low temperatures. Thus frozen foods can be stored for longer periods of time without any deterioration in quality.
Frozen foods are made by picking up fresh foods and freezing them at very low temperatures immediately. This helps to retain the freshness and texture of the food item. The nutritional value is also maintained as all vitamins and minerals are locked inside. Some foods are not available all the year round. Freezing food gives an added advantage of enjoying  foods at any time of the year and that too at a very fair price.

Frozen foods are very healthy to consume since they do not contain any harmful chemicals or preservatives in them. Also, they help in reducing wastage of food to a great extent. Frozen foods can be stored for as long as one wants. With the work pressure that people have to deal with today, frozen foods offer a healthy and convenient way of having nutritious meals in no time. Frozen meats, frozen fruits and vegetables; these can be easily prepared in a matter of minutes.

Frozen foods are cost effective as well. They minimize wastage and spoilage of food without compromising on quality. They also taste great, as good as the fresh food and sometimes even better. This can be attributed to the fact that they are picked when they are absolutely fresh and immediately frozen. This keeps the flavor and the nutrients intact. Contrary to a popular belief, fresh food that we buy from the market may not be as fresh by the time it reaches the stores. This is because after harvesting, the food has to be transported and this process may take a few days. So the food we assume to be ‘fresh’ may not actually be that fresh.

So enjoy the benefits of having frozen foods. They are healthy, tasty, easy to use and above all do not burn big holes in your pockets!

Monday, 12 November 2012

Tortilla Chips: Healthy Snack For Kids

Tortilla chips come under the category of snack food and is relished mostly by people of all age groups, especially kids.  This is a Mexican recipe but is a favorite of all Americans. The corn tortillas that are made out of corn, vegetable oil salt and water are cut into wedges and then fried or baked. Although yellow corn is the usual type of corn use to prepare these chips, but red, white and blue corn is also used by certain manufacturers including various other ingredients like wheat, sugar etc. Since corn is the main ingredient of tortilla chips, these snacks are healthy and rich in fiber and various essential minerals and vitamins that are required for a kid’s growth. The various healthy nutrients contained in a single serving (1 oz.) of corn tortillas are discussed below:

Macronutrients and Calories
A single serving of tortilla chips include around 138 calories out of which carbohydrates contribute 76 calories, 54 calories are provided by fats and the remaining 8 calories are provided by proteins. A single serving includes 7grams of fat, out of which 1 gram is saturated. The protein content is 2 grams, 1.3grams of dietary fiber, 0.3grams of simple sugars and 18 grams of carbohydrates is contained in a single serving of tortilla chips.

Additional Nutrition
A total of 5 percent of the recommended dietary allowance for calcium is contained in a serving of tortilla chips which is required for healthy bones and teeth in kids. About 6 percent of Vitamin E and 7 percent of Vitamin K of total RDA is contained in an oz. of tortilla chips. The essential minerals contents in a serving are 9 percent for phosphorus, 7 percent for magnesium and 6 percent for selenium of RDA. One serving tortilla chips also consist of approximately 118 mg of sodium.

Salsa, queso, cheese dips and various other sauces are often eaten with the tortilla chips. These all are likely to be high in fat content. There are many other healthier alternatives to salsa and other dips and sauces which include celery, carrot sticks and slices of jicama, which are low in fat and calories. However, there are many low fat and low calorie frozen forms of dips and sauces available in stores that you can pick and eat with tortilla chips. You must also opt for baked varieties of tortilla chips because unlike the fried versions these have fewer calories and less fat.

Classic Foods offers a range of crispy tortilla chips and cheese dips including Premium Queso, Nacho Cheese Sauce, Yellow Cheese Sauce and White cheese Sauce. They also offer green & red pickled jalapeno is a perfect topping for tortilla chips. To order, contact them at 629 Mony, Ft. Worth, Texas 76102 or call them at 817.332.1071.

Monday, 5 November 2012

Making Delicious Hamburgers At Home

The fast life of today has made fast foods like hotdogs, tacos, etc. rise in popularity especially with the people on the go. Hamburger is another such fast food item that has been accepted worldwide. It is a sandwich made out of a cooked patty enclosed inside a sliced bun. The patty is made of ground meat that usually is beef. The hamburger is often garnished with lettuce, bacon, onion, tomato, cheese etc. and is served with ketchup, mayonnaise or mustard sauce. The simple recipe of hamburger has turned to a gourmet’s delight, as now the simple beef patty is accompanied with a variety of mouthwatering ingredients. The recipe of this delicious fast food is easy to follow and economical to prepare at home.

Being the most important of the hamburger, the patty can be created by making use of different meats like pork, ground lamb, sausage and ground turkey. You can also add fish, chicken or a squash and cracker mix. You can also prepare a totally vegetarian version of ham burger by making the patty of tofu cheese or potato.  Although, the preparation of this fast food meal is easier, but still it requires skill and more importantly appropriate ingredients.

To prepare a patty, make sure that the meat is coarse grind. Finely ground meat becomes very soft and cannot be cooked into a patty easily. It can fall apart while grilling. Add diced vegetables instead of large pieces of onions and garlic to coarse ground meat so that they can mix up well and can be held together. You can also add breadcrumbs to the ground meat that absorbs the extra moisture and hold the meat together on the grill. When you are done with making the patty, prepare the hamburger by enveloping it inside a sliced bun. You can further dress up with lettuce leaves, cheese slices, sliced tomatoes, onions and finely sliced pickles. Serve this delicious hamburger with ketchup or cheese dip.

Sliders are the latest craze in the food industry.  These are nothing but mini hamburgers. Their tiny size and delicious taste make you eat many of these at one time. While watching TV, you can pop these mini snacks into your mouth. Just like hamburgers, the sliders are also versatile and can be prepared with a variety of ingredients and served with different dips and sauces. The slider burgers are made of ground chicken or turkey or more exotic meats like ostrich or beef. They can be used as appetizers in parties. These sliders served at various restaurants and eateries are delicious and quite affordable.

Classic Foods offer raw and frozen Beef Hamburger patties which are perfect for making all types of sliders.  To order, you can contact them at 629 Mony, Ft. Worth, Texas 76102. You can also call them at 817.332.1071.

Friday, 26 October 2012

Convenience Foods For Kids

Convenience foods are gaining popularity among various households. The reason being, it’s ease to use and requires less preparation time. Convenience foods are available in a variety of flavors and more importantly these meals are healthy. They fill you with everyday required nutrients. It is really difficult for the working parents to serve their kids a freshly prepared nutritious meal every time. To avoid inconvenience, they can stock their refrigerators and kitchen cupboards with delicious convenient and nutritious foods and prepare a healthy meal in no time. Moreover, children love the various yummy delicacies and pick the one of their choice to satisfy the taste buds.

Breakfast: A quick and nutritious breakfast is what you want in the morning, as you have to drop the kids to the school and head to work. Here you can rely on convenience breakfast to feed your entire family with a tasty yet nutritious breakfast that can be prepared in a very less time. Convenient breakfasts like low-sugar instant oatmeal provides with fiber and iron and high fiber cereal breakfast made with sliced fruits like banana, strawberry, almonds cashew nuts etc. provides essential vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Lunch: What your kids eat at the cafeterias of the school may be unhealthy. You can get healthy convenient food packed instead. The lunch may include hotdogs with frozen meat sausages, corn tacos with variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian frozen fillings. These hot-dog sausages and frozen taco fillings are glutton free and give your kid the essential proteins, fibers and minerals required to maintain his/her overall health while saving your time. You can also prepare peanut butter sandwich with whole-wheat bread. This can be prepared quickly and provides the body a good supply of fiber, protein and vitamins. You can thereby pack healthy lunches for your kids in a hurry.

Dinner: After returning home from work, one is generally too tired to cook fresh food for kids and oneself. Therefore, a convenient ready to eat meal can make for a healthy dinner and can be prepared in a less time effortlessly. Ready to eat foods that are fully or partially cooked like pasta can be prepared in less than 10 minutes and served with low sodium frozen spaghetti sauce. Corn tortilla filled with low fat shredded cheese and other nutritious frozen fillings and chopped tomatoes is another nutritious dinner that can be prepared quickly and provide fiber, proteins and vitamins to the body. A healthy meal at dinner time will energy to the child, which will help him study with concentration and do his homework.

Friday, 19 October 2012

Need A Healthy Meal In A Hurry? Try Frozen Foods

For people who work for the entire day and do not get enough time to prepare fresh meals, frozen foods often come to the rescue. All you need to do is reach for the freezer and keep it stocked with yummy and more importantly nutritious options. Frozen dinners can be very filling and can be prepared in very less time and don’t require any cleaning up. The fast paced life of today has made people depend on frozen food for lunch or dinner on some days of the week. These foods are perfect for travelers as well. These meals are also popular in families as these let the individuals in a family eat what they like.

Variety of healthy choices
There is a variety of never ending choices in the frozen gourmet recipes. You can choose from an array of superior quality frozen foods from the freezer aisle in your neighborhood market. Different frozen foods from light to big-sized, ethnic to experimental ones are readily available. Around one-third of the various frozen food options offer less than 350 calories, 10 grams of fat and 4 grams of saturated fat. These lighter meals are very satiating. Available in various flavors, these make for perfect wholesome meals. These meals have evolved since their introduction and have become a healthier food option.  These foods were once considered to be unhealthy and sort of junk food as they consisted of a number of preservatives and additives. But now, the manufacturers of these foods have improved their quality and add little or no preservatives, making them a healthier alternative to fresh foods. These foods, beside satisfying the taste buds of the individual, also offers essential proteins, calories, simple carbohydrates, calcium and other minerals and vitamins.

A Weight-Loss tool

Pre-packaged frozen food also carries the advantage of controlling the portion size. This is the reason why people who rely on frozen ready to eat meals are able to shed a lot of weight. Various studies indicated that this weight loss is due to the ease, variety, portion control, and nutritional completeness of frozen food. Besides significant weight loss, people who ate frozen meals also reduce the risk of heart ailments.

Frozen versus fresh

When compared to fresh fruits and vegetables, their frozen counterparts are nutritionally superior. The reason for this is that fresh vegetables lose their freshness while being transported from one location to another. While the frozen fruits and vegetables are packed and stored in a refrigerator when also in the shop to be sold out. They lose exactly the same amount of nutrients as fresh food does while it is cooked.

Thursday, 11 October 2012

Cooking Restaurant Quality Food At Home!

While there are some people who do not like to go out to any restaurant and dine, there are a majority who just love to enjoy delicacies in their favorite restaurant and have a good time with their families and friends. The rising costs of almost everything in the market have led to a high cost dinner in restaurants. The foodies should not lose heart as they can prepare a restaurant quality food at their home. Certain products discussed below can help them prepare restaurant like food in their kitchen.
  • Food service products: In order to cook a scrumptious restaurant type meal you would require chef style food service products that include immersion blender, graters, skillets, saucepan, measuring spoons and cups, tongs to protect meat or fish when flipping, a chef’s knife and glass casserole dish. Good food service products will help you prepare great and delicious delicacies at your home. With these servicing products you can impress your guests with a restaurant like feel at home. For a clean and alluring presentation, you must serve the entrees in a classy dinnerware. 
  • Ready to eat (RTE) food products: Ready to eat food products are generally preferred by people who have less time to prepare meals at home. These foods are fully or partially cooked when packed in the RTE industry.  Besides being convenient, various RTE meals are also tasty to eat. These food products can be easily stored in your refrigerator. You just need to unpack them and if required, heat in a microwave. Within few minutes you will be ready with a restaurant like delicious cuisine. Earlier people use to dine in some restaurant just to escape the task of cooking meat and fish at home. But now, restaurant quality RTE meats, cheese and sushi are also available on the shelves.
  • Frozen foods: Gone are the days when frozen food just meant granular fish sticks and cardboard crust pizzas. Low budget and tasteless frozen food was often consumed by people while watching TV and therefore they didn't mind the bland taste of these foods. But, with the advent in ingredients and quality packaging, specialized health food makers along with famous chefs have produced new frozen foods that are as or may be more delicious than the variety of cuisines served in a restaurant. These foods consist of various yummy food items like nachos, tacos, hot dogs with different chili topping, many types of cheese dips and gravies, meat or vegetarian fillings, frozen meats and sausages and the list goes on. With a preparation time as long as table service at a restaurant along with more healthy and luscious ingredients, the sales of these affordable, restaurant-quality frozen dinner are rising sharply.
To order quality frozen foods or ready to eat food products, contact Classic Foods. They are located at 629 Mony, Ft. Worth, Texas 76102. You can also call them at 817.332.1071.

Tuesday, 2 October 2012

Whole Smoked Beef Brisket

The Republic of Texas is famous for its beef brisket, which also happens to be the national food of Texas. It is one of the most scrumptious cuisines of Texas, only if prepared well. The Beef brisket is not easy to cook and many times people burn this huge piece of cow’s boneless meat. But, if cooked right you’ll get the most tender, juicy, smoky meat giving you a distinct joy in texture and taste. Brisket is the breast area of the cattle and contains no bones. As this portion of the steer consist of just pectoral muscles and connective tissues, it becomes quite tough to cook it nicely. It takes several hours to prepare this meat and also requires personal attention until fully cooked.

Smoking is the most popular method used to cook such type of tough meats. All sorts of smoked meats, including smoked fish, smoked ham, smoked turkey and smoked beef brisket are amongst the favorite dishes served in various popular American restaurants. Smoking adds a different and yummy flavor to these dishes making them more delicious.

A smoker is a perfect way to prepare this delectable cuisine and gives people the most scrumptious beef brisket needed to satisfy people’s taste buds. One can use apple wood in the smoker that gives the meat a fruity flavor and turns the color of the skin to dark brown. The smoked beef brisket when sliced give rise to gorgeous smoke rings. As we know that the beef brisket takes a pretty large amount of time to be properly cooked, people should be patient enough to come up with an appetizing dish. If people want to cook or rather smoke their whole beef brisket without any hassle, then they should make use of electric smokers. These smokers are convenient as well as save enough time while not burning the beef brisket.

A single serving of the beef brisket weighs around 314 grams. The calorie count of this serving is 309 calories. It consist about 20 grams of protein and about 700 milligrams of other minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc etc. The fat content in this single serving is about 90 grams.

Every sort of frozen food is becoming increasingly popular with consumers as these are instant appetizers and can be served conveniently. Whole smoked beef brisket is also available in frozen form in many grocery stores. The frozen smoked beef brisket is very popular with Americans who do not have enough time to spend on preparing this delectable cuisine. Easily available under different brands, frozen smoked beef brisket saves the cooking time, while preserving its flavor and nutrients.

To order delicious frozen beef brisket, contact Classic Foods at 629 Mony, Ft. Worth, Texas 76102 or at 817.332.1071.