Which Rice Cooker is the One For You?

Are you wondering which rice cooker you should buy. A common choice these days is to get a Sanyo ECJ-PX50S rice cooker. First I shall discuss some of the benefits of eating rice and then go on to talk about why this Sanyo model may be a good choice for you.

Now a days there are a whole range of companies that sell specialist rice cooking machines across North America. These firms include companies such as Zojirushi, Tiger, Panasonic, Black & Decker, Aroma, Krups, Cusinart and many more. The list is not quite endless but it does go on quite a bit. One of the reasons that these appliances are gaining in popularity is that they make the whole rice cooking process simple and on top of that they are able to create great tasting rice with little effort on your part. Admittedly you still have to measure out the amount of rice that you want to cook; wash it; and then add the correct quantity of water. But that is about it. The rice cooker takes care of everything else for you.

The more you spend on a rice cooker, the better the machine will be able to make rice. For me, there is a “sweet price spot” for these kinds of appliances. What I mean by this is that the cheapest machines are cheap for a reason. They do cook rice but you have a harder time cleaning the machine afterwards. Conversely, the most expensive devices are good but are marketed at people with a lot of money on their hands.

The Sanyo ECJ-PX50S is in the sweet price spot. It costs about $150 which is reasonable for a high quality machine. It includes a variable pressure control function which helps to make great tasting rice with a nice texture.

Great Maple Sugar

Granulated maple sugar is very sweet so you do not have to add any sweetener to it when you use it for baking, cooking or the likes. Maple sugar is just the solid form of maple syrup. It is a100% organic and the tastes the same.  Some people prefer to use maple sugar compared to the common sugar because it has a special aroma that makes the food and beverages more flavorful and aromatic.

Just like maple syrup, granulated pure organic maple sugar is also expensive compared to any other sugar. The fact that it is made from maple tree saps makes the product more expensive. Not to mention the processing factor that yields the product to become solid.

Some people prefer to purchase granulated maple sugar because it is easy to use and easy to store. Unlike maple syrup, they still need to put it or store it inside the refrigerator. Granulated maple sugar is also lighter since it is in powder form. However, you rarely see the grade classification of these maple sugar unlike the maple syrups. Just like maple syrup, maple sugar also has the essential vitamins that the body needs.

Who Makes The Best Olive Oil?

I love to cook with olive oil and I’ve tried many brands from around the World. But I’m wondering who makes the best olive oil? Is it the Italians, the Greeks, the Turks, Spaniards or does the best olive oil come from Australia or California. I’m aware that the weather and climate can have a huge effect on the quality of olive oil, but does one region really produce better oil than another region? If you have a favorite brand of olive oil or a favorite region that produces olive oil, please drop me a line and let me know how to obtian it. I buy a lot of oil from the Internet from a lot of different regions and I’m not sure I’ll ever get to try it all.

Avoid Non-Stick Cooking Pans

These days there are lots of nonstick cooking pans and cookware sets available. They have a coating on the pan, such as Teflon, that is known to help keep food from sticking. Often this type of nonstick coating is very effective.

What is wrong with? If you have ever owned any, you will notice that after years or even months of use, it will start to wear away. You’ll get scratches from spoons and spatulas that you used in the pan and other pieces will become missing in the coating.

Where does it go? I can only guess that most of it ends up in your food, and whether or not it’s toxic is not something you want to have to find out. That is why a recommend avoiding them.

Is Gourmet Olive Oil As Good As Pure Olive Oil?

photo credit: fatal_error

There seems to be some confusion about the difference between Gourmet Olive Oil and olive oil labeled Pure olive oil. Gourmet olive oil is a oil that is processed from the first cold press of olives. It’s the finest and most flavorful olive oil. On the other hand, olive oil labeled ‘Pure’ is really oil that is either heavily processed or has other oils mixed into it, diluting the benefits of the olive oil itself. This is probably why so many people are confused. They falsely believe that Pure olive oil is the same as Gourmet Olive Oil and it’s simply not true. If you want the best quality olive oil that you can find, then settle for nothing other than genuine Gourmet olive oil.