A lesson for today in identifying that your favorite restaurant needs to clean their carpet. This is an easy one, first pick the restaurant that you would like to enjoy a meal.

Second, arrive at the restaurant of your choice; this next step is the most important one.

Third, when you open the door take a deep breath, what do you smell? If you do not smell food, I suggest you go to another restaurant. Now the reasons I said that, you should smell food, I think that is fare to say it is a restaurant. If you opened the door and smell smoke from cigarettes, maybe you should suggest they should install a smoke eater to filter the air you breathe. The most familiar reason is if you open the door and smell a funky smell, which could be they used a dirty mop to clean the floor. The most common problem is soured or mildewed carpet.

This is the restaurant’s problem for the poor cleaning they receive, I have seen the managers trying to hide this problem they spray deodorizers around the restaurant. Some even put those little plug in deodorizers in the walls, just look around, be nosey at what you favorite place to dine is doing.

I guess this is a plea for help for the professional carpet cleaners who invest time, money, training, into their business. These restaurants try to sacrifice your health to save money by using a cheaper cleaning company. Do not be embarrassed to tell them they have cleaning issues, remember you are PAYING THEM.

Brian Ward author of information articles, on health topics , and helpful articles for all people. Visit his website at http://www.carpetcleaninghelp.com.

[tags]food,drink,restaurant,cleaning,information[/tags]

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Online, your Local Fishmonger or at the Supermarket. What is the best option for buying Seafood?

At the Supermarket

They may have a fresh fish counter or a section in the chiller department, they will almost certainly have a freezer department.

You may or may not realise this, but all fish starts to spoil as soon as it’s killed and the more the seafood is processed/handled the quicker it starts to deteriorate. When buying seafood you want it as fresh as possible, preferably still flapping.

When buying fish a good way to tell if it’s fresh is to press it with you finger, the flesh should spring back, not leave your fingerprint in it. It should smell of the sea, slightly of ozone and most definitely not of FISH.

The reason that the seafood in supermarkets manages to have such a long shelf life is because those little sealed containers have pumped air in them - not air exactly as you and I breathe but air with the same elements calibrated to a different ratio and this is what stops the fish going off so quickly. As soon as that container is opened the fish will start to spoil faster (I might add that they do the same with bagged salad). Do you really want to be buying fish that’s been artificially kept edible?

At the fish counter you will probably find not only whole fish and seafood but also fillets, steaks and cutlets. It’s a good idea to ask the assistant when the fish was caught/brought in. They should be able to tell you. Be aware of any fish that’s been covered in ice with just the heads sticking out, this is an old trick to disguise old product, get them to take it out so that you can see the fish properly. If there are fillets on sale, especially sole or plaice fillets check to see if there’s any yellowing of the flesh; this is another indication of stale fish, and of course, ask to smell it.

If you’re looking at a whole fish - take a good look at its eyes, they should be clear and bright, not sunken and cloudy. The gills should be a deep red colour and the skin shiny and slippery. If you pick up the fish it should feel firm, not floppy like some old rag doll.

If you’re after shellfish there’s 2 very simple rules to follow. Before cooking, if it’s open and doesn’t close when tapped sharply don’t buy it or cook it. After cooking if it’s still shut, don’t eat it.

When buying crab or lobster, pick it up, it should feel heavy for it’s size.

The third option in the Supermarket is the freezer department. This can be a very good alternative to fresh fish. Look for fish that has been ‘flash frozen’, this means that the fish has been caught and filleted very quickly - possibly at sea , then frozen very quickly thus retaining all the flavour and nutrients. This is often a far better option than fish lying around for days in the chiller cabinet.

If you are lucky enough to be close to a decent Fishmonger, get to know him and he’ll look after you. He will invariably know where the seafood has come from and when it was caught. He can prepare it for you and give you tips and recipes. If you have a special occasion coming up, tell him beforehand and he will be only to happy to fulfil your order, handing it over ready to put in the oven or whatever.

Thankfully, now that the Internet has come into its own, buying fish and seafood online has never been easier. There are many small, specialised companies where you can buy not only fresh fish and seafood but delicacies such as Smoked Salmon and Caviar. They deliver excellent seafood either fresh in chilled boxes, frozen or vacuum packed.

Cherie is a freelance cook, cookery writer and webmaster. See http://www.great-salmon-recipes.com for more great salmon recipes including how to smoke, grill, bake and poach Salmon and for quick and easy recipes using canned salmon.

[tags]buying seafood,buying fish,guide,fish,salmon,seafood,smoked salmon,caviar[/tags]

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According to Greek mythology, the ancient gods of Mount Olympus, like Zeus and Athena, used to eat nectar and ambrosia to maintain their healthy looks and perform their rather unusual human-like activities. Although scholars have not yet concluded on what exactly ambrosia was for ancient Greeks, nectar in botany is a sugar-rich liquid produced by the flowers of plants in order to attract pollinating insects, like honeybees, essential for honey production. Nectar is produced in glands called nectaries, which are located at the base of the perianth, so as to allow pollinators perform their role and accessing the flower’s reproductive structures, the anthers and pistil, while collecting the nectar the flower produces.

The collected nectar is then transported by honeybees to combs where honey is produced. Honey is a sweet and viscous fluid, significantly sweeter than table sugar and has very attractive chemical properties for baking. With its distinct flavor, which leads some people to prefer it over sugar and other sweeteners, honey is a type of food that has great benefits for the human body and its consumption promotes contemporary nutritional habits and healthy dietary demands. Categorized both as a type of food and a natural medicine, honey has been used by a variety of civilizations for different reasons. Ancient Egyptians used it to preserve their dead (mummies), Roman’s as an important cosmetic ingredient and it is mentioned even in the Christian Bible.

Many types of honey exist today and the recent technological developments have created the best possible conditions for honey production and have contributed to its different uses in medicine, food and cosmetic industries. But unfortunately, chemical substances used to increase the honey production and meet the greater demand existing today, have resulted in deteriorating its natural ingredients and even making it dangerous, in rare and extreme cases, for human consumption.

Contemporary consumers have the ability to protect their health by buying honey that is produced by professionals and thus minimize the risk of consuming a product that will not benefit the human body. But even when the honey purchased is produced in accordance to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Guidelines, it is extremely important for us to maintain the appropriate storage conditions and prolong its duration by promoting its safe use. Specifically, honey has to be stored in cool places and we have to avoid storing it close to electric appliances or near sunny windows that raise the temperature in the storage shelve or room. Any kind of utensil used to retrieve honey out of its container has to be totally clean and without any kind of moisture on it. Honey-lovers should follow these simple instructions in order to keep their purchased honey longer and their minds at rest regarding its safe use.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Food, Nutrition, and Food and our Lives.

[tags]Flowers, honey, food[/tags]

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