Posts Tagged ‘ice’

Kitchen Tips Tuesday: Take It With A Pinch Of Salt

August 2, 2016

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Adding a pinch of salt to a bucket of ice helps to keep it from melting quickly.

This sounds counter-intuitive, since we salt the pavement in the winter to melt the ice. Yet, adding a little water and salt to a cooler full of ice helps keep the ice cold for a longer period of time. The reason?
Salt lowers the freezing point of water. Once the water temperature dips below the requistite zero degrees fahrenheit, it serves to keep the vessel cool. While the ice may in fact melt, the water temperature will remain cool.

Next time you fill an ice bucket to keep wine or beer cold, try adding some cold salt water and see what happens.

Photo: Glasshouse Images

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Kitchen Tips Tuesday: Frozen Lemons

June 7, 2016

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Summer is here, and now more than ever, it is important to hydrate. Ice cold water is not only refreshing, it is also more palatable than drinking it room temperature. A squirt of lemon adds a little flavor, as well as a jolt of vitamin C and potassium. Drinking lemon water is also reputed to boost our immune systems, aid digestion, and reduce inflammation. Freezing lemon slices can eliminate the need for ice cubes, and offer an infusion of taste and health benefits at the same time.

How to freeze lemon slices:

Scrub the lemons of any residue, and rinse them well. You can use a brush, a citrus based produce wash, or a mixture of white vinegar and water to get them clean. It is best to use organic lemons for this purpose, to cut down on pesticides. Wipe them dry.

Slice the lemons into 3/8″ thick slices, and cut them in half if desired. Freeze them on a parchment covered sheet pan until frozen through, and then transfer them to a zip lock freezer bag to store.

Grab a few to chill and flavor your water or iced tea, and enjoy!

Photos: Glasshouse Images

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Take a peek at our Tumblr.

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Visit our shops on Gourmly ,Ecohabitude, and Etsy

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Kitchen Tips Tuesday: How to Chill Wine Quickly

September 16, 2014

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Sometimes we want a glass of nice, cold chardonnay, and we want it NOW. Chilling wine quickly isn’t as difficult as it sounds.
Place the wine bottle into a metal bucket, fill it with ice and cold water, and toss in a big handful of salt. The salt will lower the freezing point of the water, making it colder, faster. After about 6 minutes, your wine should be sufficiently chilled and ready to drink.

Salud!

photo: Glasshouse Images

Ouch Update

November 11, 2012

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I hobbled to the doctor’s office on Friday morning, and left with a heavy-duty knee brace, a prescription for a strong anti-inflammatory and a referral to an orthopedist/sports medicine doctor.

I made it to the office with assistance, and spent the day propped up in front of my computer with an icepack.

The anti-inflammatory has its plusses and minuses; it makes me feel a little “woozy”, but it has completely obliterated all of my chronic, cranky gym aches and pains. It ‘s effect on the knee is less profound, but today I can walk gingerly with a major limp, which is better than the slow-mo version of the painful chicken dance I was doing, in an effort to propel my body forward without actually walking.

Getting around New York City is a challenge. Taxis are scarce during rush hour, which seems to be several hours long in evening, where it is almost impossible to get a cab. Hailing and then running to hop in before someone else does is not an option these days.  Not to mention how much I HATE taxis, but I will save that one for another time.

I spent the day in bed yesterday with my laptop, trying to get ahead on some work, as my hours in the office need to be limited.

I am cautiously optimistic that I will be able to get around minimally in the next few days.

While this totally sucks, I do believe it is my body telling me to slow down.  The last 2 weeks of storms, work, power outages, and voting (we stood outside in the cold for 1 ½ hours just to cast our ballots) combined with getting up at 5:45 to make it to the gym before getting to work extra early has finally taken its toll.

My house is a mess, my CSA vegetables are rotting in the otherwise empty refrigerator, and the content of my blog has been more about updates on my personal survival than on the intended subjects of food, fashion, fitness and family.

I am making lists, prioritizing, and asking others for help.

Hopefully, this will be something that will heal on its own, and not require surgery.

Thanksgiving is coming, and I will need to take an alternative approach to getting the annual feast ready, but it will get done, even if it is mostly prepared from a bar stool.

Thank you to everyone who has expressed concern. I will keep you posted, but it’s time to move on to other more interesting subjects!

Dirty Ice

September 7, 2012

Did you ever wonder how clean the ice in a fast food restaurant is?
Jasmine Roberts, a 12 year old from Benito Middle School in New Tampa, Florida certainly did. She chose her 7th grade science project in an effort to find out.

Roberts states: “ My hypothesis was that the fast food restaurant’s ice would contain more bacteria than the fast food restaurant’s toilet water.”

Roberts set out to test her theory, selecting five fast food outlets within a 10-mile radius of the University of South Florida.

In each restaurant, she flushed the toilet once, and used sterile gloves and a sterile beaker to gather water samples.

She asked for cups of ice from both the drive through windows, and the soda fountains inside the restaurants.
The samples were tested at the Moffitt Cancer Center where she volunteers with a USF professor. The results did not surprise her.

Roberts found that 70% of the time, the ice contained more bacteria than the toilet water. YUK!

Her teacher, Mark Danish, was concerned, yet not surprised.

“It does concern me and I think with any restaurant you have to think twice about what you may get there.” Personally, I’d prefer not to think about it at all.

Jasmine Roberts received first place in the regional science fair and won $800 for her project.

FIre and Ice

July 11, 2012

I work out hard, most days of the week.  The farther away from 25 I get, the more injuries and chronic aches and pains I experience. Lately, it seems something always hurts.

I’m never actually sure when to apply heat to an injured area and when to use ice.

I set out to get the information from “Dr. Google”, my go-to source for all things medical.

According to About.com: Sports Medicine and Everyday Health, there are 2 kinds of injuries:

Acute pain is of rapid onset, and can be short lived.

Chronic pain develops more slowly, and is persistent and long lasting.

Acute injuries are generally sudden, sharp and occur immediately after some sort of trauma or impact. They are often accompanied by pain, tenderness, redness, swelling and inflammation.

Chronic injuries can be slow to develop, and the pain often comes and goes. They are often the result of overuse, but could be caused by an acute injury that was not properly treated.

Cold therapy, or ice is considered the best treatment for acute injuries, because it constricts the blood vessels and reduces swelling

Ice can also be effective for some overuse injuries as well. For example if a runner experiences knee pain after running, ice can prevent or reduce the inflammation if used after each run.  ( bingo!)

To ice an injury, wrap the ice in a towel and place it on the affected area for 10 minutes at a time. From personal experience with runner’s knee, I’ve found a small bag of frozen vegetables such as peas or corn are perfect, because they allow the “ice pack” to conform to the entire knee area.

Heat is recommended for injuries that have no swelling or inflammation, such as stiff, sore muscles. Heat can also be applied pre-workout, to increase joint elasticity and stimulate blood flow. It is also helpful in relaxing tight muscles or relieving muscle spasms. ( my computer neck, for example?)
It is not recommended to use heat immediately after a workout.

Moist heat is optimal, so hot, wet towels can be used. Heat packs or heating pads can also be used for 20 minutes or less. Never go to sleep with a heating pad on.

While heat and ice can be very helpful in treating injuries and muscle pain, it is advisable to see a real live doctor for treatment.

photo: Glasshouse Images


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