As far as I’m concerned you can never have enough food storage solutions so I have decided to review some of the food storage solutions that are available on Amazon and which I think would suit the needs of anyone who is looking for food storage solutions.

Joseph Joseph Melamine Bread Bin

This has to be one of my favourites and it is such a great idea I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself. It is basically a bread storage container but the lid also doubles up as a bread cutting board. The container is of good quality and to round it off it really does look really good.

Kitchen 2-Tier Door Mounted Storage Rack

This is  a great device and simply hangs on the inside of any of your kitchen unit doors. It is designed to hold bottles such as sauce and vinegar and is very easy to fit. It is ideal if you are a little short on space and it really is a brilliant food storage solution.

Sistema Klip It Storage Container, 6 Pack

No Kitchen should be without these type of food storage solutions  and these Sistema storage boxes are similar to the ones that I use myself and they really are very good. They have a rubberised seal which really does make a great deal of difference when keeping food fresh and you can put them in the dishwasher without any problems at all.

Modern 5 Piece Steel Kitchen Storage Jars Canister Set

If you haven’t got much room on the worktops in your kitchen then you would be advised to forget about  this storage solution but if you have got the room it really is something of a stunning set of storage jars. They are made out of stainless steel and the set includes a bread bin, biscuit jar and tea coffee and sugar canisters. What’s more is that this set is very attractively priced so is ideal for people who are just starting out and who have a limited budget but who don’t wish to compromise on the quality of their kitchen utensils.

Joseph Joseph Large Kitchen Storage Jar

This is by the same company as the bread storage container and it really does look very trendy and it comes in a variety of different colours. It could be used to for many different food storage solutions and it is one of those storage jars that you will always be able to find a use for.

Kitchen Craft Deluxe Glass Preserving Jar

This traditional type of storage jar is designed for storing home made jam etc but you could use it for anything really. I use one similar for storing cereal and for anything like that it is absolutely perfect. They are very cheap so you could easily have two or three which would all contain a different type of cereal.

Nigella Lawson Living Kitchen Storage Jar 3lt Blue

This large storage jar is bigger than the one above and comes in a sky blue but you really are paying for the Nigella Lawson name as it is more than 3 times as much as the normal glass jar. It does look good but it is obviously up to you if you think it is worth it or not.

Nigella Lawson Living Kitchen Cake and Biscuit Tin Set

This set is surprisingly well priced and as you would expect it is very well designed as a food storage solution for your biscuits and cakes. It is not really very modern looking but many people are not really looking for that modern look and this set would suit a more traditional type of farmhouse kitchen.

To round of the review there are two other products that I must mention and they are the Prepara Ceramic Salt Pig and the H and L Russel Vacuum Storage Bags.

The uses for the salt pig speak for themselves but the storage bags are probably the most useful food storage solution out of all of the reviews. My fridge is full of food which is kept in these bags and I can honestly say that I don’t know what I would do without them.

For a fantastic selection of free food recipes please visit my website:

http://www.dsmfoodlimited.com

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

What could be a better way of enjoying cooking than inviting your children into your cooking workspace. As well as being a fun activity it will also mean that your children will feel comfortable in the kitchen which will leave them well equipped for looking after themselves when they leave home in years to come.

Unfortunately it is often the case that if children venture into their cooking parents workspace they end up getting shouted at and told to leave things alone. Imagine the difference if they are actually welcomed into the cooking workspace and actively encouraged to get involved.

I find that a great way to invite your children into your cooking workspace is to buy them their own apron to wear whilst they are getting involved in the cooking. If you have a little boy who doesn’t want to wear an apron you could buy them one with a cartoon character printed on the front or perhaps their favourite football team, you will find that an apron like this usually does the trick.

You should then start to think of a simple recipe that your children can get started on so that there cooking experience is not just watching you. By letting them take an active part you will find that it gives them a great deal of confidence but they must also be made aware of the dangers within the cooking workspace such as hot pans and sharp knives.

The great thing is, as they are getting actively involved they will not feel the need to touch things that they shouldn’t and they will also act with responsibility when faced with situations that they are not used to.

To start your children off in their cooking adventures you could look at recipes for biscuits which are easy to prepare but also involve the oven which will again go to demonstrate the need to respect the appliances within the kitchen.

The biscuits could the be decorated with sweets for example, and then it is important that the whole family sit down and eat the end product and congratulate the children on how well they have done, and how proud you are of them. You can see how much better this is for the family rather than telling the children to stay out of the cooking workspace and not to touch anything.

For a fantastic selection of free food recipes please visit my website:

http://www.dsmfoodlimited.com

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

If you really want to forge ahead with your cooking skills it is highly recommended that you find yourself a mentor who will guide you along the way. I am not saying that you have to splash out a fortune by paying someone to personally teach you all that they know (that is unless you can afford it) but by following the books and videos of your chosen cooking mentor you really can learn so much.

What is important is that when you find your cooking mentor you actually stick with them. The reason I am saying this is that you will soon realise that there is not a set way to cook and many chefs have their own methods along with a variety of tips and tricks,. If you start to follow several different chefs you will soon find yourself confused and dare I say it, overwhelmed by all of the different cooking methods that are being explained to you.

Using myself as an example, my cooking mentor is Gordon Ramsay and as a result of reading his books and watching his videos and television programmes I am now a far better cook than I was only a few years ago. I love his style of cooking and that most definitely helps because when I am following his recipe’s I am really enjoying myself and this really shows up in my cooking.

You may not like Gordon Ramsay and would rather follow someone like Jamie Oliver, but whoever you choose as your mentor, you must like them, you must enjoy eating the food that they seem to specialise in and most importantly, you must be prepared to at least have a go at trying out some of their recipe’s, you will be amazed at the number of people who don’t even try and let any cookery books simply gather dust on the shelves.

After all, having a go and making mistakes along the way is all part of the fun and if you let your family join in you will be amazed at what a centre of fun the kitchen will become. There is nothing like it when you all follow the instructions of your cooking mentor and prepare a lovely meal that you can all sit down and enjoy after all of the hard work has been done. Just make sure that it is not you that has to do the washing up!

For a fantastic selection of free food recipes please visit my website:

http://www.dsmfoodlimited.com

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

If you want to learn how to cook you really need to take notice of someone who is an expert in the field and in my opinion you really can’t get more of an expert than Gordon Ramsay.

He has written several cookery books and this is my review on the top 10

Gordon Ramsay’s Great Escape

This is definitely one of my favourites. It is based on a tour that Gordon embarked on around India, stopping off at various places along the way, from top hotels to ordinary peoples houses. The section of the book where he describes joining the cooking staff at a wedding is absolutely brilliant and the old chef in charge most definitely taught the old dog a few tricks, highly recommended.

Gordon Ramsay 3 Star Chef

This one really must go down as a classic as it details 50 classic dishes with detailed instructions how to cook them. The photography in the book is first class and even though it is a little on the expensive side it really is a must have for any kitchen bookshelf.

Gordon Ramsay’s Great British Pub Food

This book has a slightly misleading title but it basically contains the recipes for a range of traditional British dishes that are easy to prepare along with tips and tricks from Gordon how to make them extra special.

Healthy Appetite

This is a great book because it details 100 healthy dishes that are really good for you. Gordon gets away from the myth that healthy food has to be boring and as an ex professional footballer and marathon runner he is certainly qualified on the subject of what kind of food is good for you and what is not.

Gordon Ramsay’s Fast Food

This book comes from Gordon’s TV show, the F Word. This book would probably appeal to the widest cross section of the community out of all Gordon’s books for the reason that because of the fast world that we live in, cooking is probably the last thing on peoples minds. This book gives a selection of recipes that can be prepared and cooked in a short space of time without compromising on the quality of the meal. Almost everyone would find this book extremely useful and for that reason I would have no hesitation in highly recommending it.

Gordon Ramsay’s Just Desserts

If you have a sweet tooth then this will be the number one on your Gordon Ramsay shopping list. The book really goes back to basics and gives a step by step guide to putting together a variety of desert dishes that will have your taste buds trembling. Another must have book for that kitchen book shelf.

Gordon Ramsay’s Secrets

This book really discloses some of the tricks of the trade that Gordon has picked over the years as a top chef. When the book was released it did cause some controversy regarding some of the tricks he was revealing including the infamous stock cube trick. You’ll have to buy the book to find out what I’m talking about!

Gordon Ramsay’s Playing with Fire

This one is not a cookery book but an autobiography of Gordon’s working life and if you have any entrepreneurial aspirations then this is definitely the book for you. It details the risks he has taken throughout his business career and how he has learnt from his mistakes. The section of the book which details how he has built his brand is brilliant. I hope you will forgive me for including this non cookery book in the review but it really is a must read.

Gordon Ramsay, A Chef For All Seasons

This book comprises of a chapter dedicated to each of the four seasons and the recipe’s and food that are fitting for each season. Not one of my Ramsay favourites but an informative book that many people will love.

Tana Ramsay’s Family Kitchen

As the saying goes, behind every great man there is a great woman, and none more so than Gordon’s wife, Tania. Her book centres around cooking great meals for the family that are full of goodness and not to expensive to pout together. All in all a great book.

So, there you have it. My top 10 books by Gordon Ramsay (well, top nine and one from Mrs Ramsay) All of these books will make a difference to your cooking and come highly recommended.

For a fantastic selection of free food recipes please visit my website:

http://www.dsmfoodlimited.com

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

There are many great cooks all over the world and the vast majority of them have not received any kind of training at all. So what makes them good cooks who are able to produce dishes that can really take your breath away with flavours and ingredients that mere mortals would not even consider.

The simple answer to this is that to be a good cook you must have a passion in the kitchen. You must absolutely love what you are doing and as with any other walk of life, if you love what you do it will come shining through in everything that you do do.

A fine example of this passion in the kitchen are the countless grandmothers and mothers all around the world who are able to produce dishes, it doesn’t matter if it is a meal for 10 people or a snack for one person, that knock your taste buds for six and leave begging for more. It is often the case that these ladies haven’t attended an expensive cookery course or been to college, they just have a passion for cooking the very best for their loved ones, and over the years their cookery skills have got to such an advanced stage that they will be able to more or less cook anything that they wish.

Anything that is cooked with a passion will always taste better than something that is cooked half heartedly and that is why I always choose a restaurant if I am eating out, with a chef who is recognised as being a passionate cook, it really does make all of the difference.

One of the main problems why some people are not passionate in the kitchen is that for them, cookery has become something of a drudgery, cooking the same few dishes week after week can have that effect on anyone. If you want to start working with passion in the kitchen you should start to experiment with your cooking and you will then find that the enjoyment will start to appear, and then in turn you will find a passion in the kitchen and the food that you produce will start to reflect this new found enthusiasm.

It is amazing to think how different the same dishes can taste when cooked by two people, one with passion in the kitchen and one without.

For a fantastic selection of free food recipes please visit my website:

http://www.dsmfoodlimited.com

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

It doesn’t really matter what kind of house you live in, there is nothing stopping you from taking advantage of your fresh herb pots in the garden. You could even live in a top floor flat and you could still have a wide range of fresh herb pots at your disposal which would enhance any level of cookery.

There are many herbs that you could use and the only maintenance that they really need are placing in an area where they will get plenty of light (a window sill) for example and that they are watered on a regular basis.

It is really down to you which herbs you choose for your fresh herb pots but I always tell people to experiment a little and you may be surprised by some of the flavours that these herb pots can bring into your cookery experiences. One such herb that always raises a few eye brows is the curry plant. This herb is really easy to maintain and as the name suggests it really does smell strongly of curry but in a really pleasant way and it gives a lovely background smell whilst you are cooking.

There are also the more well known herbs such as Basil and Parsley and believe me when I tell you that you will be able to smell and taste the difference between these fresh herbs and the dried variety that most people are used to. When you combine these herbs with fresh food you will really not want to go back to anything that is not fresh. The flavours really are something else and to say your taste buds will notice the difference is something of an understatement.

When taking advantage of your fresh herb pots in the garden it is important that you use the herbs at the right time. They do have a long life if you look after them and you can keep taking bits off to use in your cookery but as they start to dry up and die it is not worth using them. If you are green fingered you could grow other plants from the original but they are so cheap from the markets and supermarkets that it doesn’t really matter, you can just go out and buy another plant.

The sooner you start taking advantage of your fresh herb pots in the garden, the better, and you will be amazed at the difference in the taste of your cooking.

For a fantastic selection of free food recipes please visit my website:

http://www.dsmfoodlimited.com

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

Well, what can you say about Gordon Ramsay apart from that he is the holy grail of TV chefs. You really do have to take your hat off to him as he really has taken being a TV chef up to the next level and is always raising the bar with regard to what is possible in the world of cooking.

He always seems to bounce back from life’s hurdles and a lot can be learnt from him, both from his cooking abilities and his entrepreneurial spirit. He has several top class restaurants, the most prestigious being Gordon Ramsay at Claridges of which it would be fair to say is one of the best restaurants in London.

He also has interests in other restaurants in the UK and around the world as well as pubs and a cookery school. The Gordon Ramsay name is also associated with various cooking appliances and utensils along with a number of cookery books and television programmes.

If ever there was a fine example of how to build a brand then this is it and it seems that there are a host of other opportunities for Gordon Ramsay to put his name to.

One of the most notable television programmes of recent times was Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares which featured him visiting various failing establishments to try and get them back on the right track. This programme gained a massive following on British TV and has since been snapped up by the US and is now being shown there with a similar enthusiastic following.

It is easy to lose sight of the fact that Gordon Ramsay is a very good chef and this is sometimes forgotten when all of his business ventures are taken into consideration. It is also a little known fact that he started out as a professional footballer for Glasgow Rangers but his career was cut short by injury.

That trait of getting over any obstacles seems to have held him in good stead for the rest of his life and the great success that he has made of it. It would be no surprise at all if he decided to go in an all together different direction again in the future but for now at least, Gordon Ramsay is the holy grail of TV chefs.

Click on the banner below if you want to discover more about Gordan Ramsay and his cook books.

For a fantastic selection of free food recipes please visit my website:

http://www.dsmfoodlimited.com

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

There are many reasons why I love to cook fresh food and the number one reason is that the taste is so different from food that is not fresh. The problem is that many people unfortunately do not ever taste fresh food and they just cannot imagine that it would taste any different. After all, a carrots a carrot and a piece of salmon is a piece of salmon, isn’t it. Well no, not really. Fresh vegetables for example really do taste so much different from tinned vegetables that you would not believe it.

As an example, last week I visited a friend and she served tinned carrots with the meal and although I would never be rude enough to mention it, if you tasted one of these carrots next to a fresh carrot you would think that you were tasting a completely different vegetable. Yes really, it does actually taste that different.

It is true that fresh food is more expensive than the alternative and I suppose that is why many people don’t even bother to try it and that applies even more so in the current economic climate.

You will be pleased to know that there are a few ways that will enable you to buy fresh food without it costing the earth and you will then get an idea of why I love to cook fresh food.

You could simple go the your local market or supermarket at the end of the day when they will greatly reduce the price of many items of fresh food. It will still be perfectly safe to eat, it is just that if it is kept for another day or two it will start to lose its freshness so the traders would rather get it off their hands, even though at a lower price.

Another reason why I love to cook fresh food is that the smell during the cooking process is absolutely amazing and this aspect alone is worth paying the extra for, in my opinion. You can actually smell the goodness if you know what I mean but you have been warned, once you start to cook fresh food on a regular basis you will never ever want to go back to the processed stuff ever again, and that can only be classed as excellent news for you and your family.

For a fantastic selection of free food recipes please visit my website:

http://www.dsmfoodlimited.com

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

Just by making some simple changes to your diet and by downgrading some of the different foods that you eat can make all of the difference and enable you to lose weight in both a fun way and without you having to think to much about it.

Here are my top 10 food downgrade solutions for improving your diet.

1/ When ordering a Chinese takeaway meal it can make a huge difference if you order boiled rice rather than egg fried rice. A portion of boiled rice contains around 370 calories where as a portion of egg fried rice is more than double this amount. When you realise this fact and take it into account it makes the choice of boiled rice a little easier to make.

2/ Wholemeal bread is a wiser choice than white bread. A good quality wholemeal bread is full of goodness compared to the white alternative which contains all sorts of chemicals and surprisingly sugar which makes a slice of white toast not such an attractive option.

3/ The same thing goes for brown rice over white rice. Brown rice is in fact one of the most healthy foods your could choose and should always be used instead of white rice wherever possible.

4/ If you drink full fat milk it is well worth opting for the semi skimmed variety, even if it is only for a few times a week. Full fat milk as the name suggests, is very fattening and if you are drinking a lot of it you will find that you are not doing any favours to your arteries.

5/ If you are preparing a lovely roast chicken it will not make much difference to the taste if you remove the skin but it will make all of the difference to your waistline because the skin on a chicken is extremely fattening, and takes away the benefits of eating white meat if you leave the skin on when the chicken is being served.

6/ A great food downgrade solution that many people don’t really think about is by using crème freche instead of cream in your cooking or when serving a desert. Please believe me when I say that the taste is absolutely gorgeous and it is far less fattening compared to the more traditional cream.

7/ Instead of ordering a Chinese or Indian takeaway have a go at cooking your own. It is great fun and you will find that compared to the usual takeaways, yours will have far less calories if that is your aim. Many Indian meals for example contain food that is deep fried as well as many dishes that are cooked with cream. It is true that they are lovely, but by cooking you own you will find that the quality will surprise you and they will contain far less calories.

8/ When you are going about your weekly shopping try and go for the low fat varieties of many of your usual day to day food. Examples are low fat margarine, yoghurt’s, sauces etc.

9/ Cheese is always a favourite for so many people but the full fat versions are bad for your heart if you over indulge. Choose a cheese that is lower in fat such as cottage cheese and hard cheeses.

10/ Finally, think about how you cook your food. If you fry your food use a good quality oil such as olive oil instead of lard or a cheap cooking oil. If the food you are cooking can be poached or oven baked then choose that option instead, it really will make all of the difference.

For a fantastic selection of free food recipes please visit my website:

http://www.dsmfoodlimited.com

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic

Have you ever eaten out at any of the famous restaurant chains such as Pizza Hut, Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster and TGI Fridays and wondered how they are able to cook dishes that have that unique taste to them and no matter how hard you try, you just cannot recreate them in your own kitchen, there is always just that something that is not quite right.

The reason for this is that these restaurant chains keep their recipe’s under lock and key, after all, the main reason people eat there is because of the unique dishes that they have to offer, but unfortunately for the general public, these dishes come at a price and you will only know to well that feeling when the bill starts to get bigger and bigger, and that is just when you order the starters.

Well. I have some great news for you and that is in the form of an amazing ebook, copycat cookbook. This ebook actually gives the actual recipes for many of the dishes that are available at more or less every restaurant chain that you could ever think off, even Mcdonalds! What’s more, these recipes are set out in a way that even the person with absolutely no cooking experience would be able to put together a meal to the same standard that would be available if you were eating at the restaurant itself.

Each recipe is on a separate page of the ebook so it is just a case of printing it out and following it step by step as you go along. Every step has been taken to make the whole cooking process really easy and if you are anything like me you just won’t believe the dishes that you are able to produce.

I would not be exaggerating if I said you could download the ebook now, and have a dish that you would pay a small fortune for at TGI Fridays, on the table in front of you in under one hour, and on top of that, nobody would be able to tell the difference.

The money saving aspect of the copycat cookbook is also worth mentioning at this point and you could easily recoup the cost of the ebook when you have cooked your first dish, how about that? I can’t really recommend the copycat cookbook highly enough and it is my opinion that it is essential reading for anyone who enjoys their food and wants to save some money into the bargain.

You can find out more about the copycat recipe book by clicking here.

For a fantastic selection of free food recipes please visit my website:

http://www.dsmfoodlimited.com

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic