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Archive for March, 2010

Often newlyweds face the challenge of equipping their kitchen with the tools for making their home complete. Deciding on whether or not to even own a pressure cooker, and then whether or not to go with stainless steel or aluminum can be quite a daunting task. Is the stainless steel or aluminum pressure cooker the right choice? Though often of similar design, some basic differences exist between the two types of pots.

The earliest form of the pressure cooker dates back to the late 1670′s with a mathematician named Denis Papin. During a demonstration for the Royal Society, guests were amazed at how quickly even the bones of beef were softened to pasty consistency. Improvements in design and materials have made modern pressure cookers safer, more efficient and lighter than Papin’s creation, but the pressure cooker continues to perform its primary function: cooking food faster.

Once a person has decided on a pressure cooker, which is better: stainless steel or aluminum? The answer generally depends on your needs. Ultimately each cook must decide which tool better suits his or her cooking needs.

Resistance to stain, rust or pitting, can be attractive assets for a stainless steel model. Following the directions and care instructions carefully can insure the long life of a good one. Often, a quality cooker will have a heavier bottom that includes a copper layer to ensure the even distribution of thermal energy. These qualities, and the usually higher cost of steel, can make them cost more than a nearly identical one made from aluminum.

Commonly, cooks who favor stainless steel are sure that they cook the food better. Some attribute this to the lower thermal conductivity of the stainless steel, as compared to aluminum. Others point at the stainless nature of the cooker that keeps the food from sticking to the bottom and possibly scorching. This is often added to the general quality and sturdiness of the cookers.

A few cooks point out what others seem to miss. These cookers can be used to prepare some of the ingredients before actually sealing them. Sauteing vegetables or browning some of the ingredients before starting the actual cooking with pressure is often necessary for a recipe. To be able to do this without the need to change pans or pots can be seen as an advantage offered by stainless steel.

Aluminum cookers are somewhat lighter than stainless steel, and do not need a copper layer to assist with the even distribution of heat within the pot. Aluminum is generally a cheaper material and therefore may be less expensive. However, the process of making the aluminum pot safe also raises the cost.

For a large pressure cooker, the weight difference is much more noticeable. A cook moving a fully loaded pressure cooker may find the task daunting with a stainless steel version, while being able to more easily handle an aluminum model.

Whether they’re made of stainless steel or aluminum, pressure cookers all have been designed with safety in mind. In most models three stand-alone safety valves make up part of the mechanism that allows the cooker to use pressure safely. Added to many models is a device for not permitting a lid to be removed while the contents are under pressure. Keeping the pressure cooker clean and properly maintained is important in keeping it safe as well.

Ultimately, the choice is the consumers. A choice based on the needs of a kitchen, a household’s budget, and the style of the cook. Cooking with a stainless steel pressure cooker, or even an aluminum one, continues to be an efficient, effective, and speedy way of cooking a nutritious meal.

Choosing the best aluminum or stainless steel pressure cooker for your needs can seem like a major undertaking, but it does not have to be that way. If you’re stuck for what to purchase, it’s hard to do better than a Presto pressure cooker.

Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets has been the perpetual best-seller on popular mycology since published in 2005. It’s an indispensible reference book for anybody working the land, especially foresters, farmers and environmental cleanup contractors. It’s also a great book for anyone interested in growing their own food mushrooms.

The book is a treasure trove of useful practical information on what Stamets refers to as mycofiltration (of water), mycoremediation (of toxic waste), and tips on how mushroom mycelium can help improve soils and boost productivity in farming and forestry with less use of pesticides and fertilizers.

For example, an easy do-it-yourself method of creating a mycofiltration bed for filtering waste water is delineated in detail. Recommended materials are listed along with suggested mushroom species to use and the ideal dimensions of the bed. In Stamets’ examples, these mycofiltration beds are used to effectively filter and neutralize farm runoff but they could also be used to filter industrial waste water.

Added perks when using mycofiltration is that the beds also yield crops of scrumptious food mushrooms, and every 2-3 years, as the bedding material needs to be replaced, the old material can be spread on the farm fields as a rich fertilizer.

Benefits of no-till farming are described in terms of how it supports saprophytic soil fungi, which in turn help protect the soil from erosion as well as break down organic matter at a rate that is better paced to benefit plant life than if the stubble were to be plowed under and broken down by anaerobic bacteria.

In addition to helping decompose and recycle organic matter, saprophytic fungi can also help forestry by protecting its tree residents from parasitic fungi (blights), which may kill thousands of trees if left unchecked. Seeding saprophytic fungi in a productive forest may help out-compete parasitic fungi, thus functioning as natural fungicides; good fungi vs. bad fungi.

The symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi can also be seeded in forests to promote healthy trees. Or they can be protected and naturally promoted through wise and informed forest management.

Mycorrhizal fungi help extend the reach of tree roots to better absorb nutrients and water, thus making the trees healthier and more drought resistant. Mycorrhizal fungi also manufacture and provide trees with natural antibiotics against many pathogens, especially parasitic fungi.

Another cutting edge technology in Mycelium Running is Mycoremediation, the neutralization of toxins through the use of mushroom mycelium. The term Mycoremediation was coined by Paul Stamets, author of Mycelium Running, but was already in common use among mycologists before publication.

Contaminants that may be effectively mycoremediated include, but are not limited to, heavy metals, pathological bacteria (such as E. coli), petrochemicals, neurotoxins, dioxin, toxic dyes and other toxic industrial waste.

Mycoremediation is extremely economical, at less than 5% the cost of some conventional methods for cleaning up toxic waste.

All that is just in the first half of this 300-page book; the second half is an instruction manual on growing your own mushrooms and mycelia, which is something that may be of interest to forest managers for mycoforestry, environmentalists for mycoremediation, farmers for increasing soil productivity, and the rest of us for growing our own gourmet mushrooms for food and medicine. In other words, this is a book for anyone and everyone.

Dr. Rafael has worked in natural health since finishing Chiropractic College in 1996. He currently focuses on medicinal fungi, frequently consulting two reference books: Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets for chemical, biological and medicinal properties of mushrooms, and Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora, the most comprehensive identification guide for North American mushrooms.

After you are planning a healthy vegetarian diet, you are only restricted by your imagination. It’s important to include a wide range of whole grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits in different meals, together with seeds and nuts.

Variety is that the spice of life, and it can help guarantee your vegetarian diet is nutrient-dense, fascinating, and fun! Aim for variety, even when you serve favorite entrees time and again once more, by serving completely different facet dishes, snacks and desserts.

Be creative in planning meals. Boost your consumption of beans and vegetables by eating these foods at lunch time rather than simply for dinner. Make it a goal to serve a vegetable every day for lunch and 2 for dinner. Set up a meal around a vegetable. A baked potato will be a hearty entree; serve it with baked beans, a sauce of stewed tomatoes or a few tablespoons of salsa. Or make a easy meal of sauted vegetables and pasta.

Attempt new foods often. Experiment with a selection of grains like quinoa, couscous, bulgur, barley, and wheat berries. Strive fruits and vegetables that are popular in different international cuisines, like bok choy. Accentuate the positive. Focus additional on healthy foods that fit into a vegetarian plan rather than foods to avoid.

If you are unsure how to incorporate a brand new food into your vegetarian diet, ask the turn out manager at your native grocer or health food store for ideas on how to prepare it. The web will be a nice resource for brand spanking new recipe and preparation ideas. However be sure that you simply are building your menu on a robust plant food base. Create them the core of your diet.

Don’t stress about obtaining enough protein. So long as calories are sufficient and therefore the diet is varied, vegetarians simply meet protein needs. Grains, beans, vegetables, and nuts all give protein. Vegetarians do not want to eat special combos of foods to fulfill protein needs. However, it’s vital to pay attention to fat. Even vegetarians can get an excessive amount of fat if the diet contains giant amounts of nuts, oils, processed foods, or sweets.

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