Wine Serving Tips

For starters, make sure that your wine is being served at its absolute best. To do that, pay attention to these three tenets of wine service: Glassware, temperature and preservation. Glassware: Each wine has something unique to offer your senses. Most wine glasses are specifically shaped to accentuate those defining characteristics, directing wine to key areas of the tongue and nose, where they can be fully enjoyed. While wine can be savored in any glass, a glass designed for a specific wine type helps you to better experience its nuances. Outfit your house with a nice set of stems you will reap the rewards. Temperature: All wine is stored at the same temperature, regardless of its color. But reds and whites are consumed at quite different temperatures. Too often people drink white wines too cold and red wines too warm, limiting how much you can enjoy the wine. A white that’s too cold will be flavorless and a red that’s too warm is often flabby and alcoholic. A good rule of thumb is to note that white wines should be chilled before drinking and red wines should be have time to rise in temperature. Ideally, whites should be between refrigerator temperature (40°F) and storage temperature (55°F) and reds should be somewhere between storage temperature and room temperature, which is often as high as 70°F. If your wine is in a temperature-controlled unit, at 53-57°F, pop your bottles of white wine into the refrigerator half an hour prior to service and take your reds out of storage half an hour prior to service. This allows time for your whites to chill and your reds to warm up. Preservation: When you have leftover wine in the bottle, preservation is key. As wine comes into contact with air, it quickly spoils. To slow down the deterioration process, use a quick vacuum pump to suck out the excess air. The less air in the bottle, the longer the wine’s lifespan.

How to Clean Stainless Steel Cookware

Stainless steel is one of the finest materials available for cookware, as it is durable and attractive. Unlike non-stick pans, however, stainless steel can present some tough cleaning challenges if used improperly. It is important to establish a regular cleaning routine for your cookware and to learn how to effectively clean tough stains. It is also possible to season stainless steel pans to give them a non-stick surface, which prevents food from sticking and makes cleaning your pans a lot easier. Several methods for cleaning are outlined below. 1. Clean any crusted or built-up food from the cookware. If the pan has food crusted onto it, start by soaking it for several hours in warm, soapy water (you could also let it soak overnight). Drain the water, and then scrub vigorously with a scouring pad. This will remove most food build-up. Do not use steel wool pads or copper-based scrubbers - although they do a good job of removing burnt-on food, they will scratch the surface of your cookware. 2. Clean any burn marks from the cookware. If your pan has heat damage (for example, from being left on a lit burner for too long), you may be able to clean it off using baking soda. Make sure the pan is completely dry, then sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda onto the surface. Rub the baking soda around the pan thoroughly with a dry cloth or sponge. If you're really having trouble with burn marks, try a mildly-abrasive cleaner, such as Bar Keeper's Friend. Just sprinkle a generous amount onto the bottom of your pan and add a little water to form a paste. Scrub with a wet sponge, then rinse thoroughly. Your pans will look good as new. 3. Clean any water spots from your cookware. Water spots are actually caused by the minerals in the water, not the water itself. These will occur more frequently if you live in an area that has mineral-rich water, but water spots can also result from added compounds like fluoride. If you hand dry your pans, water spots are not likely to be a problem. If they occur, swish some club soda around in each pan. Rinse them off, and then wipe them dry with a clean cloth. Alternatively, you can try soaking the pan in vinegar, then clean as usual with a mild detergent and soft cloth. 4. Cook away any serious burn marks. If the pan's burn marks cannot be scrubbed away with baking soda or soap, you can actually attempt to cook them off. Fill the pan with just enough water to cover the damage, and bring the water to a boil on the stove. Add a few spoonfuls of salt to the water, turn off the heat, and let the pan sit for several hours. Dump the water out and try scrubbing away the damage with a scouring pad. If the stains are really burnt on, you can repeat this process again. You should only add the salt when the water is already boiling. If you add salt to cold water, it might pit the metal. Instead of the salt, you could also try adding lemon juice or white vinegar to the pan. Another interesting option is to boil 100% tomato juice in the burnt pan. The tomato's natural acidity is supposed to help remove stains.

Bathroom Cleaning Tips

Bathroom Cleaning Tips Throw out your bathroom cleaners, because with a little lemon, vinegar, ammonia and baking soda you can do just about anything. Banish grime and soap scum Stir 3 tablespoons baking soda and 1/2 cup household ammonia into 2 cups warm water. Once you've wiped the solution on and rinsed it off with a sponge or rag, bathroom surfaces will gleam. Toilet cleaning made easy Drop 2 antacid tablets or 1 denture tablet containing baking soda into the bowl, let them dissolve for about 20 minutes, then scrub the bowl with a toilet brush. A vitamin C tablet will do the trick as well. May also use 1/4 cup of mouthwash, let sit for 30 minutes then scrub. Empty a can of cola let sit for 30-60 minutes then scrub. Clean the ceiling Fill a mop bucket with equal parts water and white vinegar. Then put on goggles or other protective eyewear. Dip a long-handled sponge mop into the solution, squeeze it out and reach up to clean one section of the ceiling at a time. Solve Stubborn Scum and Water Spots Use 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 cup ammonia and 1/4 cup baking soda in 4 litres warm water. Apply one of the solutions, let sit for about 15 minutes, then scrub off and rinse. Brush away rust stains Just squeeze a little toothpaste onto an old toothbrush and scrub away. Attack rust stains right away. The sooner you deal with them, the easier they are to remove. Keep showerheads unclogged If you can remove the showerhead, dissolve 4–5 denture tablets in a bowl of water and put the head in to soak. Or let it soak overnight in white vinegar. (For extra cleaning action, heat the vinegar in the microwave. If the showerhead isn't removable, pour the denture tablet solution or vinegar into a plastic bag, tape or tie the bag to the fixture so the showerhead is completely immersed and leave the bag in place for 1–2 hours. To make sure the showerhead is completely unblocked, clean out the holes with a needle, piece of wire or toothpick. Then wipe the head with a cloth dipped in vinegar. Clean bathroom tiles Make a paste of 1 part borax, 2 parts baking soda and 1–2 parts water and scrub it onto the grout with a toothbrush.

Health Benefits of Olives

Do you know the nutrition (food) qualities of the olives, as well as the substances that it contains? The olive consists of the following elements: water (67%), olive oil (23%), protein (5%) and mineral salts (1%), of which the most important are the calcium and iron, and contains various types of significant vitamins (vitamins E and D, as well as vitamins B and C).

The olive contains a small amount of protein. If you eat it while it is green, it is useful for the brain, if you eat it black, after good ripening, then the olive oil and the proteins are with greater quality and in quantity. If from the olive we take a sufficient amount of oil, then there is nothing missing in the meal. It is advisable to eat olives with cheese, because the protein from the olives are not enough.

The olive leaves, if you chew it, will relieve the sore palate and throat, because the juice from the leaves of the olive trees are very effective regarding these infections.

The squeezed juice from the leaves is useful against warts, wounds and ulcers, because the olives contain substances that disinfect.