A healthy, hearty, and warm meal daily can help to keep you warm in freezing temperatures and give you the essential energy needed to tackle the winter climate. Discover new, exciting winter meal ideas to help you keep warm and give you that cozy feeling while enjoying delicious nutritious meals.

Beef Stew

A good old-fashioned beef stew is an excellent and simple way to keep you warm while providing essential energy to get you through icy cold months. It’s a tasty warm meal that everyone will love and can be used when winter is long gone too!

To create a hearty beef stew, you only need everyday ingredients such as beef, vegetables, and stock cubes. It is an easily adaptable meal too where you can add ingredients you have in or ones that you love to create a unique stew to your liking.

Baked Mac and Cheese

Mac and cheese is a popular hit with the whole family for dinner. Making a baked version keeps the mac and cheese warmer for longer, ensuring every bite warms you through during winter. You can adapt your usual mac and cheese recipe to include a parmesan breadcrumb topping. Be careful though, make sure to make plenty for everyone as a baked mac and cheese will go down even more quickly than a regular mac and cheese!

Use a blend of your favorite cheeses or various cheddars and add a few tomatoes for extra taste.

Chicken Pie

Nothing is more perfect for winter than a proper chicken pie that warms your bones with every bite. A classic, warming, delicious chicken pie is flavorful with lots of goodness packed in through the meat and vegetables. Crumbly pastry, sweet leaks, crunchy carrots, and any other vegetables you desire with juicy roast chicken make the chicken pie a must-have during winter.

You can serve it with mashed potatoes, vegetables on the side, and warm chicken gravy to provide a hearty meal that’s ideal for the cold months.

Sweet Potato Chili

Warm your family up with a scrumptious and healthy sweet potato chili. Instead of using mincemeat, as with a traditional chili, replace it with sweet potato for a healthier twist on a traditional tasty chili. Everything else within this meal can remain the same as a traditional chili, adding vegetables if you wish, or kidney beans.

To help thicken the chopped tomato sauce, add two tablespoons of tomato puree and enhance the flavor with various spices such as paprika and chili powder. You can make it as spicy as you wish and enjoy it with a splash of sour cream on top!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup is another warming classic that is perfect for icy cold days. It is a nourishing meal to keep your energy high through the long winter days and it’s also an ideal meal for when you’re feeling unwell or down.

Choose warm flavors and filling ingredients such as the vegetables you love and mixed herbs. You can tailor chicken soup to your liking, swapping ingredients or using what you have in. Try using chicken breasts too so as you cook it, it will create a yummy chicken stock with the juices.

Cottage Pie

This meal idea is a much-loved winter pick-me-up and is simple to make too. The whole family will enjoy a scrumptious cottage pie packed with energy and nutrients. You can add peas and carrots to create a healthy cottage pie and create a rich gravy with the juice from the meat for extra taste.

Ensure to add some cheddar to the top of the mash if you want a crunchy, delicious layer on top of this stunning meal.

Try some of these hearty, nutritious, and absolutely delicious meal ideas to keep you warm throughout winter. Make sure to pack each meal idea with healthy ingredients to give you and your family the vital energy you need. Swap ingredients for your favorite foods that work with the dish and ensure to season well for extra taste.

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However, with over 350 varieties of pasta to choose from, it’d be a shame to stick to the same staple night after night, no matter its versatility. Thankfully, there are a host of similar styles that make worthwhile substitutes, so you can switch up your mealtimes without completely leaving behind what you know and love. Read on to learn about four tubular pasta shapes other than the classic penne, and what makes each of them truly unique.

1. Garganelli

First on our list are garganelli, the ridged pasta tubes inspired by body parts. Yes, you read that correctly — body parts. Buon appetito! As the pasta experts Pasta Evangelists explain, “the name of this pasta is derived from the dialectical term garganel, which relates to the Italian gargarozzo, or oesophagus in English. The shape is in fact said to resemble the gargarozzo of a chicken”.

Thankfully, this is where the anatomical comparisons end: garganelli are actually delightful little hand-folded tubes, made by delicately wrapping pasta dough around a rod and rolling it across a lined surface, to create a ridge pattern across the width of the pasta. Penne tubes, on the other hand, are usually extruded to achieve their trademark shape which results in grooves along the length of the pasta. When it comes to pairing garganelli with a sauce, their narrow ridges and smaller inner tube make them the perfect pasta to carry bright, flavorful sauces, with ingredients such as tomato and parsley.

2. Ditalini

Our next pasta variety is the shorter and chunkier sibling of the classic penne. The name ditalini means “little thimbles”, in reference to their small and stout tubular shape. The hollows in the center of ditalini have a wide circumference, perfect for carrying creamy sauces.

This small shape is also used to add little bites of pasta to salads and classic soups like minestrone. Ditalini are commonly available in both smooth lisci and grooved rigate varieties, the latter providing a larger surface area to soak up sauce or broth.

However, the quintessential ditalini dish is pasta e fagioli, or “pasta and beans”. This staple Italian meal is usually prepared with cannellini or bortolotti beans, sat in a broth or tomato base. These beans actually originate in America and were first introduced to Italy in the 16th century, when the rich and powerful imported them to enjoy in classic dishes. While some ditalini recipes can contain meat, beans add more than enough texture and variety to a soup, as well as a healthy dose of protein.

3. Rigatoni

Rigatoni are a larger tube than penne, typically associated with southern Italian dishes. As well as the size difference, the cut of rigatoni also separates it from penne: while the latter is cut diagonally to give a pointed tube shape, the former is cut straight instead of crosswise, making a traditional cylinder. The name comes from rigato, meaning “ridged”. In tandem with a wide hollow inside, rigatoni’s trademark grooves help to catch chunkier sauces and vegetables, as well as hold cheese effectively in baked dishes.

Once cooked, these bigger tubes get coated with sauce both inside and outside, making every bite satisfying and flavorful. Rigatoni are also a great shape to stock up on, so you have something to throw with any old produce that needs to be used up, as they can hold larger pieces of veg — for inspiration, check out broccoli and walnut rigatoni or vegetable rigatoni ‘n’ cheese.

4. Paccheri

Paccheri are a much larger, wider tube of pasta than penne, and broader still than the similar rigatoni. Their name is suggested to originate from the Neapolitan dialect, in which paccharia means “slaps” — emulating the sound made when pouring a large glug of sauce onto the pasta, or possibly when it’s eaten.

Once upon a time, this particular shape was considered ‘pasta for the poor’, as its pieces are large and very filling, so it takes little in quantity to satisfy an appetite. Interestingly, paccheri have a rich history in Europe: thanks to their large size, legend tells that the tubes were used to smuggle Italian garlic across the Austrian border, where it was banned to protect local farming in the 17th century.

Thanks to that same size, paccheri are classically served with rich, heavy sauces that can soak into the pasta. For example, some opt for a creamy tomato sauce with spicy Italian sausage. Alternatively, others prefer to stuff their hollow tubes and bake paccheri into a dish not dissimilar to lasagne, filling each shape with ricotta and layering them with tomato, spinach and Parmigiano Reggiano.

The post More Than Penne: 4 Tubular Pasta Shapes Other Than the Classic appeared first on The Free Closet.

One of the major voices and trends out there is the reduction or removal of meat from diets across the age, race, and culture range. From a society that was based on meat, we now look to a future that may be meat-free.

Eating Meat

This has always been the mainstay of modern mealtime. But there have been changes underway that have culminated in a possible and probable meat-free future.
Excess consumption of meat has been argued as a cause for the increased number of heart-related diseases and other related poor health issues, food-related emissions, reduced biodiversity, and less nutrients being available for the less advanced nations. Meat has been included in our food and has become the main component, resulting in developed nations like ours overusing and consuming a product that may not be as good for our health or the planet as we previously thought.

The dilemma is that there are nutrients and minerals that we need in meat, and yet the replacement not only needs to taste like meat and have the texture of meat but also have the nutrients in a manner that our bodies are able to access and use, as well as reducing the impact on the environment. There would be no point reducing the consumption of beef only to use cleared pastures for soya beans, with the related continued deforestation and monoculture.

Science Says

Eating meat is on the decline across the globe, and the US is no different. There has been a change in the way that we view meat, and it has been said that beef is the new coal. It’s causing unrefuted damage to our environment and the planet as a whole.

Biologically the science shows that the only vitamin we need from meat is B12, and perhaps this is only due to a genetic glitch and the prolonged eating of meat as a society. It is furthermore a vitamin that can be accessed as a supplement and only if noted as low.

Whether it’s eating to offset climate change in your own little way or eating better for health reasons, the change to a meat-free future is on the cards, and it’s worth starting to get to grips with what this will look like for you and your family. The variety of meat-free produce has also increased dramatically, with local places like Native Foods Wicker Park providing localized outlets for vegans. Vegetarianism and a whole host of meat-free eating lifestyles have become increasingly popularized.

Meat-free suggests a predominantly plant-based diet and is one that has seen numerous proven benefits. The most difficult part of this way of eating is the human mind. We have arguably been engaged in the habit of meat-eating for so long that it has a special place in the human psyche. The only way to a meat-free future is to educate and disseminate information to begin to spread the debate.

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Growing your own vegetables or flowers is indeed a fulfilling experience. But it is quite difficult, as it needs a lot of hard work, patience, and knowledge. When it comes to the art of gardening, some people tend to neglect it. This is why it is very important that we all have a basic understanding of this subject.

Plants take a lot of space and require a good amount of sunlight, moisture, temperature, soil, and nutrients. So how can you improve this? Gardening is one of the ways through which you can enhance the growth of plants. The best way through which you can increase the growth of plants is by ensuring healthy and suitable soil for the growth of plants. In addition to this healthy soil will also help in pest control and thereby prevent diseases from attacking your garden. So it is a very essential thing to do.

One of the main requirements of the plant is water. Water is needed for the survival and growth of the plant. You have to pay particular attention to providing a good amount of water. It is necessary to keep in mind that the gardener should not give an excessive amount of water. If you are one of those people who are having problems with this then it is advisable to get some professional help.

It is also necessary to plant a variety of plants that have different requirements. This will help you get some knowledge and eventually learn more about gardening. The gardener must be careful about the weeds in the garden. They must not be planted close to the house or anywhere within the garden. They need to be removed as soon as possible.

Do not try to transplant or move the plants out of their region, if they are not suitable for it. You should make proper arrangements to maintain them properly. The most important part of a garden is the soil. You need to take special care while adding fertilizers and applying them. It is better to consult an expert before doing so.

Beginners should not be contented with garden supplies available at a local store. They must explore the various options online. There are many websites that give detailed information about gardening. You need to visit such websites and learn the various gardening tips. You can get a lot of ideas regarding maintenance, pruning, watering, etc. You must take adequate care to ensure that you get the best result out of your plants.

Beginners must not wait for the right time and try their hand in different types of plants. This will help them to broaden their experience and improve their skills. You can also make a small garden in your home and enhance the beauty of the room.

If you are having a water garden, make sure to add a pond or a fountain to it. This will give a beautiful look to the garden. If you do not have a water garden, you can simply use large stones to fill it. You just need to fill it with gravel and put some plants around it. This will make the garden look beautiful.

The Garden is very important. So, you must have proper planning to design a beautiful garden. You need to decide on the size of the garden, the number of plants, and the type of flowers that you are going to plant. A well-designed garden can increase the value of your home.

Beginners always need to take more care of their gardens. They should always plan and lay down strategies about how they are going to grow the garden. You should have a proper drainage system in your garden as it helps the plants to grow properly. Other than this, you should also prepare the soil before you start gardening. It is said that for beginners, giving enough attention and care can increase the quality of their lives.

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Not all spices are created equal, and many common bottled spices are just collections of salt and flavoring. But if you know where to look, some spices pack a serious flavor punch and should be regular additions to your diet. There are several common spices with major health benefits.

Turmeric

Turmeric can be purchased as a fresh root, but it’s more commonly found dried and powdered. It’s best known for its distinct orange color, and while it doesn’t have the strongest flavor, it packs nutrition into each root. It’s related to ginger and is frequently prescribed as a dietary supplement for arthritis, digestive issues, respiratory ailments, and allergies. It can aid liver health and is even made into a paste for skin conditions.

One of the most common places to loof for turmeric is as an ingredient in curry powder. If you’re a fan of Indian or Thai food, it’ll be easy to get your turmeric fix. For those who prefer it in a milder form, you’ll be able to find turmeric supplements or powder you can add to smoothies. You can even take turmeric gummy vitamins to get your daily allotment easily.

Cinnamon

One of the most common spices, this bark can have a spicy kick but can easily be toned down to add a pleasant accent to many dishes. It has a surprising number of health benefits, including helping your body fight off viruses, bacteria, and fungal infections. It’s an antioxidant with natural anti-inflammatory properties, reduces blood pressure and blood sugar, and contains prebiotics that can improve your digestive health and stomach ailments.

How you prefer cinnamon in your diet depends on what you normally eat. Some of the easiest ways are to add it to morning treats like oatmeal or add a small amount to the creamer in your coffee or tea. It can also work surprisingly well with savory items, like going in a curry or a barbecue rub. How much you want will depend on your spice tolerance, but a little goes a long way.

Ginger

Ginger is one of the oldest health supplements and has powerful anti-inflammatory properties and anti-nausea effects. There’s a reason you may have been given ginger ale as a child when you had an upset stomach, and the more concentrated root is even better. Studies show that taking ginger regularly may also provide a long-time reduction in colon cancer risk.

Ginger has a very potent and spicy taste, so eating it straight may not be for everyone—even though candied ginger is available and cuts that spice with some sweetness. Authentic ginger ales that have ginger root as an ingredient are available. A little ground-up ginger can also add a nice kick to cookies or sweetbreads.

Garlic

Garlic isn’t just the cornerstone of any flavorful dish in many cultures—it’s a plant that can help you live longer. It concentrates its efforts in the circulatory system, promoting heart health and keeping your blood vessels flexible. This can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, which is especially important as people get older.

The good news is garlic is one of the easiest spices to work into your diet. If you don’t like the texture of raw garlic or find it a little intense, it’s perfect for cooking with. Chop or puree it as finely as you want and add it to your soups, pasta, or meat marinades. Everything will taste better, and you’ll reap the health benefits.

Cayenne

This pepper powder goes perfectly in just about any food you don’t mind a bit of heat in, and it also packs a powerful punch for your health. It can boost your metabolism, making it easier to control your weight and stay healthier, and it provides a boost to appetite control. Spicy foods suppress the appetite after smaller portions, so it’s easier to lose weight.

Most savory foods, and even some sweet ones, go well with a bit of a kick. But while those who like fiery foods will enjoy this spice, it may also have diminishing effects. Studies show that the health benefits of cayenne aren’t quite as strong on those who regularly eat spicy foods.

Spice Up Your Diet

These spices are much more than just health supplements. They’re the backbone of countless recipes. With some clever cooking and mix-ins, you can give your daily diet a powerful health boost without sacrificing any taste.

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In these situations, you don’t have to spend lots of cash on takeaway or store-bought goodies. All you need is 25 minutes to produce an ’emergency’ quick and easy dessert recipe!

The good news for all sweet-tooths out there: the foundation for most quick dessert recipes is chocolate. So make sure you always have a few bars in your pantry. And remember to stash your cocoa like there is no tomorrow! It is best to buy bulk cocoa powder so you never run out of it.

In this guide, everyone can find something they’ll love – vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free recipes – but the main principle is that it’s always easy to make, quick (some under 10 minutes!), and dangerously addictive. Let’s get to it!

Dark Chocolate Gooey Kladdkaka Brownie

This brownie is inspired by a Swedish Kladdkaka chocolate cake. All it takes is six ingredients, one bowl, and 20 minutes of preparation. After that, it’s only you, gooey dark chocolate paradise, and a desperate need for more.

What do you need?

• 2/3 cup melted butter
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1-2 tbsp vanilla sugar
• 1 big cup all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt

When you have all the ingredients ready and at room temperature, grease a springform pan, melt butter and mix with other ingredients using a large whisk combine. Next, put it in the oven for 17 minutes, and voilà! For some more information, make sure to check out this Swedish chocolate cake tutorial by Manuela Kleilen.

Pro Tip: Add dark chocolate chips for extra fudginess and (just before serving) vanilla ice cream and whipped cream to add a tweak of decadency.

Quick Vegan Lemon Pudding

No eggs, entirely vegan and made in less than half an hour. This vegan lemon pudding recipe is exceptionally adaptable. You can make it both in dairy and vegan versions, gluten-free, or decide to swap sugar for xylitol and go sugar-free.

What do you need?

• 3 tbsp lemon juice (fresh or store-bought)
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 cup full fat coconut milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable milk

Mix all the ingredients in the pot on low heat. Remember to stir it properly to remove any lumps and create a smooth texture. Then, let it cool down for a few minutes, pour into cupcake pans, and bake at 392 °F till it’s golden and crispy on the top. All it takes is one bite to nominate it for the most prominent show-stopper position.

Pro tip: Let the pudding cool down for 10 minutes before you dig in to guarantee a thick texture. You can also add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and grated dark chocolate or cocoa powder on top.

Banana and Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

This ice cream is not only easy to make but also vegan, gluten-free, and paleo-diet friendly. Instead of cream, the “carrier” ingredients are bananas, which can also serve as sweeteners. Thanks to that, no sugar addition is necessary, making it a go-to easy dessert recipe for healthy diet maniacs.

What do you need?

• frozen bananas (it’s handy to always have a few in your freezer)
• unsweetened cocoa powder
• sugar and salt-free peanut butter (you can exchange it for almond or sunflower butter)
• dark chocolate wafers

Start by blending frozen bananas with cocoa, chocolate, and peanut butter. When the consistency is smooth and thick, put it into bowls and enjoy your dessert. You can freeze leftovers (if there are any!) for later. Add a competitive edge to your ice cream game by including different toppings. The best would be coconut whipped cream, melted white chocolate, and sea salt.

Pro tip: make sure that bananas are REALLY frozen; otherwise, you will be left with a banana and chocolate smoothie (which is also a perfect easy dessert option). After some time, you may consider stepping up your game and try out some sweet potato chocolate ice cream, although they do take a bit more time.

Peanut Butter Mug Cake

It may sound like a calorie and sugar bomb, but a peanut butter mug CAN be healthy. Yes, it is mind-blowing. As long as you use dark chocolate and unsalted 100% peanut butter, you are free to enjoy it without a sense of a calorie-shame.

What do you need?

• 1tbsp coconut flour
• 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
• 2 tbsp organic crunchy peanut butter
• 2 tbsp vegetable milk
• chocolate chips or organic cocoa powder

Making this peanut butter mug cake takes nothing more than a mug, spoon, and 2 minutes of stirring. After you mix the ingredients, put chocolate chips on top and microwave for 1 minute. It may look slightly undone on the surface, but don’t worry, the inside is going to be cakey, dreamy, and gooey, just like a fudge brownie!

Pro tip: When the cake is still hot, add vanilla or chocolate chip cookies ice cream on top. If you worry about the calorie intake yet have a sweet tooth, you can swap regular dairy ice cream for banana or sweet potato options.

Easy Dessert Recipes

When looking for the easiest desserts to make at home, look for terms like pudding, mug cake, brownie, and peanut butter. Many desserts might look like a professional pâtisserie quest initially but are easy to make for the biggest baking rookie.

Peanut butter pudding, chocolate chip cookies, and dark chocolate brownies are perfect for satisfying your sudden sugar cravings. But sweet desserts are only the top of the dessert mountain. If sweet treats are not your thing, check out the easy savory snacks checklist.

Like everything in life, sugar is perfect in rational doses, so be sure to frequently change your dessert menu. It will let you become a quick dessert diversity master and astonish your guests (and your taste buds)

The post 4 Easy Desserts You Can Make at Home appeared first on The Free Closet.

Being at home for the whole of the quarantine period strained our energy and left us with almost nothing to do but eat. Even those who engage in online jobs get easily stressed with all the workloads expected of them, and what better way to release all these pressures than to turn on our ever trusted, always reliable, comfort food: desserts.

But wait! Wouldn’t it also be nice to eat your favorite delectable treats from your favorite country? It’s like traveling around the world though you are only within the four walls of your house. You don’t have to altogether cancel your plans to visit different places this year when you can make them visit you (in your kitchen) instead. Here are the best desserts you can make from different countries in the comfort of your home.

Japan’s Gluten-free and Vegan Mochi

Take home the Japanese atmosphere with a gluten-free and vegan homemade mochi. These soft, fluffy, and flavorful rice cakes are usually made from mochigome, a variety of Japanese short-grain glutinous rice, with water, sugar, and your favorite flavorings. Amazingly, you can eat these in various ways: either on its own or wrapped with other ingredients such as ice cream.

Preparing and making mochi also involves different styles, and if you prefer, other ingredients. You can use glutinous sweet rice flour, vegan granulated sugar, cornstarch, and water. Don’t forget to add that extra flavoring to boost your appetite. For more tips on mochi, you can check out this mochi recipe by Nikki Cervone.

Italy’s Tiramisu

This Italian delicacy literally translates to “pick me up” and is quite popular in Italian dessert tables. Tiramisu is a coffee-flavored dessert made with ladyfinger cookies known as Savoiardi, instant or just espresso, mascarpone cheese, eggs, sugar, Marsala wine, any liquor (preferably rum), and cocoa powder.

Through time, making this fancy dessert is now enhanced with variations on the ingredients used. Some would make chocolate tiramisu, with chocolate as the main ingredient rather than coffee or fruit tiramisu with fruit ingredients such as berries, apricots, and peaches. Nonetheless, these changes did not compromise the taste. If anything, it only made them better.

Related: Top 17 Yummy Foods to Boost your Mood

Spain’s Churros

Though originally from Spain, these deep-fried dough sticks are becoming a hit both as a street and cafe food in other parts of Latin America. They are made from choux-like pastry (mostly water, butter, sugar, salt, flour, and eggs).

Once the pastry is ready, they are placed in a pipe with a star-shaped nozzle and fried on hot oil until golden brown. After this, they are sprinkled with sugar. The best part of eating churros is dipping them with hot/melted chocolate, adding to the explosion of flavors in your mouth. Yum!

USA’s S’mores

When we talk about American desserts, s’mores would always come to mind. Who doesn’t love this gooey, toasted, campfire treat? The tenth of August is even recognized as a National S’mores Day. These are not only easy to make but also budget-friendly and homey dessert.

During campfire retreats, you should not miss making s’mores. Despite the physical and social limitations imposed on us as of the moment, we still can make memorable family get-togethers in our backyard with these sandwiched biscuits stuffed with melted chocolate and marshmallows.

Australia’s Lamington

These small, square sponge cakes are dipped in chocolate and covered in desiccated coconut. They are particularly famous in Australia, but recent research suggests that lamingtons are actually an original New Zealand product.

There, they were called “Wellington.” Lamingtons are said to be named after the late Governor of Queensland during the 1890s, Lord Lamington. Regardless of origin, one thing is sure: these bite-sized sponge cakes are absolutely delicious and one of the best desserts you can make at home.

India’s Gulab Jamun

When translated into Hindi, Gulab means rose, and Jamun means berry. Together, they define this sweet Indian dessert, which is a deep-fried doughnut in berry sized balls, soaked in a rose flavored sugar syrup.

You can make them in two ways: one with khoya, a dairy product of Indian origin, or with the milk powder, if khoya is not available in the locality. This sweet treat is traditionally served during festive celebrations, colorful parties, and welcoming guests. Bring the festivities to your home with this Indian delicacy.

Takeaway

It would have been nice to fulfill our traveling dreams this year if it just weren’t for COVID-19. However, it is essential to remember that our plans are just put on hold and not wholly ruined every once in a while. While waiting for everything to go back to normal, try to enjoy every bit of your moment at home with these global desserts, and turn your kitchen as if it is Japan, Italy, the USA, and all the other countries you want to visit.

The post Sweet Travels: Best Desserts You Can Make At Home from Around the World appeared first on The Free Closet.

In the Middle Ages, due to the mixing of ice with salts, for example with saltpeter, it was possible to lower the temperature of the mixture below 0 ° C, which allowed cooling juices, wine and even making ice cream much faster.

The first ice maker, in the modern sense of the word, was made in America in the middle of the 19th century, and since then their distribution has expanded exponentially.

Artificially produced ice is used in medicine, construction, perfumery, and food industry but we will consider equipment for the production of ice and its use in catering and trade enterprises.

Before buying an ice machine, you need to determine what ice and for what purpose you will need.

In shape and appearance, ice can be shapeless and molded. The first type is granular and scaly, the second – cubic, although true hexagonal cubes are used very rarely, and by this name they mean hollow pieces of ice in the form of a truncated cone or cylinder (these ones also called “fingers”).

Granular ice is most similar to natural ice formed in snowdrifts in early spring. Its initial temperature is slightly below 0 ° C, it contains up to 25% water, so it has a moist amorphous structure. Granules the size of a pea do not freeze, adhere tightly to the refrigerated product, they do not have sharp edges, so they do not cut through the product or packaging.

Due to the large amount of water, they create a saturated moist environment around them, which is convenient for storing food drying in other conditions, such as fresh fish, leafy vegetables, berries. Granular ice is opaque, and colorful products look beautiful against its milky matte background. It can be successfully used for laying out perishable foods in salad bars, during the design of the buffet, for cooling caviar in caviar and champagne in buckets.

Flake ice is the coldest, its temperature does not exceed –6 … –8 ° С, and humidity does not exceed 2%. The scales resemble broken thin glass of irregular shape 1-2 mm thick. They do not freeze and, due to low temperature, have an increased cooling ability. Therefore, flake ice is used to cool large volumes of products and to transport goods that require cooling. For the accumulation of flake ice, special bunkers are used. They can be either a stand for an ice machine or stand-alone.

Cubic ice is the most common in the restaurant business. Shimmering with sparkling faces, it looks beautiful on the bar in a glass with alcoholic drinks and non-alcoholic cocktails, helps cooks to preserve asparagus chlorophyll color after cooking, and bakers thinly roll puff pastry.

The presence of a cavity inside the cones or fingers increases the area of contact and accelerates the cooling process (compared to real cubes).

The walls of the “fingers” are much thinner than the cones, so they can be crushed with a special blender faster and not so noisy.

Molded ice is produced in ice makers with a horizontally located evaporator with recesses into which thin trickles of water are pumped through nozzles. Frozen cones or cylinders thaw during the passage through the evaporator of warm freon vapor and fall into the storage hopper.

Ice makers can be air or water-cooled condenser unit. Most often used with air (primarily to save water, which after cooling goes into the sewer). Water cooling is used in a situation when in a cramped room with low ceilings the device needs to be squeezed between other equipment or furniture and it obviously will not have enough volume of cool air.

To connect the ice machine, you need to connect it to the power grid, cold water supply and provide for the drainage of excess water into the sewer.

Inventive Italian designers installed the ice maker directly in the refrigerated display case for laying out fish and seafood. The result was a successful symbiosis of refrigeration and demonstration equipment, which has become widespread inexpensive fish restaurants.

Of the innovations introduced in the production of ice makers, we note the application of bactericidal components (based on silver ions) on the plastic parts of the body and the device for the scoop holder inside the hopper, which reduces its microbiological contamination.

An additional unit has appeared in the ice makers of granular ice of high productivity, simplifying the packing of granules into bags and containers for further transportation.

As already mentioned, cube ice makers are the most common in bars and restaurants, but there is also a need for ice crumbs. Ice crushers help turn a piece of ice into small particles. For these purposes, use blenders (the instructions should say that it is suitable for these purposes) and disk ice crushers, with a rotating knife – as in a vegetable cutter, but with a massive clamping device. For safe operation, a microswitch is installed (“foolproof”), which turns on the device only after lowering the pressure device.

Useful Tips

Dirty, muddy ice in a glass with a noble drink will spoil the mood of the client for a long time. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to install a mechanical strainer, a water softener filter and regularly rinse the bath, from where the pump delivers water to the evaporator.

In size and weight, finger ice is divided into American – the largest, Spanish – medium-sized, and European – the smallest. Domestic bartenders prefer large ice, since together with a carbonated drink this creates the illusion of a full glass, regardless of the amount of alcohol poured.

The shape of the ice in the glass affects the taste. In disbelief, we offer in the well-known gin and tonic cocktail to replace ice cubes with its small crumbs (so that they pass through a straw) and add a pinch of powdered sugar. The difference will be overwhelming.

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Some people live in a town or city. They may not have the luxury of land to use for a garden. But, that is okay. We are going to show you how you can have a delightful harvest from a patio or balcony garden. There are dozens of vegetables that produce very well without a lot of room to grow. Most are very low maintenance.

When you put the seed in the soil yourself and supervise the growth of your plant, your are no longer concerned about chemicals. You are only concerned with finding great recipes to share your bounty with those you love.

Basic Supplies

The basic vegetable pots you will need are 6” to 10” deep, with a wide top. There may be some pots that require a deeper or shallower pot. You can get this information from your seed vendor. You will need peat-based potting soil, gardening hand-tools, a watering can, and seeds.

Seeds

You are planting your food as a way to have control over what you eat. It is not wise to put all this effort into growing a patio garden if you are just going to pick up seeds at your local department seeds.

You have no way of determining if the seeds at the store are fresh or left over from last season. You do not know if these seeds were harvested from chemical drenched vegetables. In that case, you would be doing yourself no good to plant your own.

Instead, go to an industry leader. Buy your seeds online, delivered directly to your door, and guaranteed to be the highest quality seeds on the market. Click on this link for more information:https://www.myseedneeds.com/blogs/seed-needs/growing-lemon-mint

Vegetables That Grow Well In Pots

Tomatoes

Tomatoes grow easily in pots on the patio and they carry a big harvest. You will harvest from the same plant many times in a season. Select the medium to small tomato varieties. Your seed specialist will help you in you choices.

Lettuce

Grow your own lettuce to enjoy with your fresh tomatoes. Like the tomato, lettuce will produce several times in a season.

Note: A pot that is 6’ deep is deep enough but the pots need to be wider. Lettuce needs 4” of space between each plant.

Chillies Peppers Several Varieties

Peppers looks produce well. Your pot will need to be 12” deep on this one
Peppers are big producers. All you need to do is keep the soil moist and give them plenty of sunshine. You can plant chilies as well. This plant needs a 12” deep pot. Put their pot in a sunny spot and keep it moist. You may have to add fertilizer from time to time but the harvest is ample.

Chillies

Like your green peppers and bell peppers, chillies thrive well if they are planted in a 12” (deep) pot. They love sunshine and as you can see, they produce a large and repeating harvest.

Radishes

Radishes are fast growers and they produce a lot. You should plant them in at least a 6” pot, but 8” will work too. Place them 3” apart. Cool weather will not bother them. Just keep them moist so the roots will not dry out.

Spinach

Spinach is a staple vegetable for a small garden. The plants are easy to grow. Be sure the top of the pot is wider than the bottom. Spinach is used in so many dishes that you will be glad to see the size they grow to. Use smaller leaves for salads and garnishes. You can put this plant where there is shade most of the time. Shade will not hamper its growth.

Dwarf Peas

Plant these peas near the wall. The plant grows up, not out. Use a strong trellis to allow the peas to climb. Dwarf Peas like sunshine.

Carrots

This is another plant that loves water. The plant will grow well in 6” pots but 8” pots are better. They are virtually maintenance free. Just keep the soil moist so the roots do not dry out.

Zucchini

This is a squash that is so tasty and so versatile, we could not leave it out. It grows well in the cooler temps and it has a light, spring veggie taste. You will get a big harvest from this plant and you will find dozens of ways to use it.

Mustard Greens

Mustard greens grow well in the summer months. They can be eaten in salads or cooked with seasonings as a side dish. When other plants have given up to the summer sun, Mustard Greens will push on.

You have many more options for growing your patio garden. Take your time and enjoy your harvest. You will never want another store-bought vegetable again.

The post Gardening Without A Garden – 10 Ideas For Your Patio Or Balcony appeared first on The Free Closet.

1. Dark Habit Coffee

2. Esters Coffee

3. MacIntyre Coffee

4. Lanark Coffee

5. Lyle’s Coffee

6. Origin Coffee

7. Prufrock Coffee

8. Kaffeine Coffee

9. Workshop Coffee

10. Rosslyn Coffee

11. Black Swan Yard Coffee

12. Amoret Specialty Coffee

13. Browns of Brockley

14. St David Coffee House

15. The Black Chapel

16. Monmouth Coffee

17. Mud Coffee

18. But First Coffee Harringay

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