Gino's Pizzeria

As a treat for myself after a good week in school I go to Gino's Pizzeria of North Bellmore to have slices of Sicilian Pizza or Meatballs and Spaghetti. They have a menu that has food that is out of this world and most of the reviews on the internet back up my claims. Whether you order a Meatball Hero, Pizza or anything else you should enjoy it. Besides having the usual types of pizza, Gino's has an extensive menu of traditional and heart healthy meals. Their menu has a symbol to tell you it a meal is considered healthy. Gino's food is prepared freshly and is well worth the visit. This Gino's is part of a chain including 4 others. I was pleasantly surprised one evening when I ate dinner at another Gino's and found the food equally as delicious ad the Gino's in North Bellmore.

                                  A picture of the North Bellmore Ginos and their Sicilian pizza.             

The pictures are by Kyle Karlin.

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Bio(food)fuel: Is it good or bad?

Many of us have been introduced to alternative fuels as well as  alternative sources of energy with the hopes of reducing our dependency on fossil fuels. Alternative sources of energy range from solar energy, windmills, watermills, nuclear energy, etc; while alternative fuels range from biodiesel/ biofuel, electricity, vegetable oil, etc. What we're concerned of now is the production of biofuels such as ethanol and whether or not such fuel production is ultimately great for our society or if our choice in producing biofuel will result in some sort of economical downfall.

To begin with, ethanol provides further purpose in crop production, so in turn a portion of crops and cropland is diverted from only focusing on human consumption but also on fuel production. This results in higher price which pushes the need for higher income. This, of course, will result in many more people suffering from hunger.

In short, I have this question for all those reading this entry: does global warming kill thousands and thousands of people worldwide or is it hunger that lends a hand in killing those who are financially unfortunate? We aim to go green but is it worth the loss of those whose only concern is trying to find food and water on a daily basis? Now I don't mean to say that we shouldn't appreciate the benefits of biofuel but we should at least take into consideration the moderation we need in order to produce fuel without significantly and negatively affecting the economy.

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Posted in: Biofuel,Ken

Uniformed Grinding

I will be extending the information regarding the art of coffee in the technique of grinding. This technique, to put it bluntly, is not for those who are not willing to invest a good amount of money for a great cup of coffee. Why? The usual, homestyle method of grinding uses a multiple purpose grinder that utilizes blades. As the blades rotate, the coffee beans are cut apart. But this results in uneven grinding with large to fine particles. Furthermore, the longer the grinding process takes, the more heat that's generated which may result in burned beans. 

As an alternative, we have burr grinders. Instead of blades, beans are crushed by a wheel against a nonmoving surface. The spacing and position dictates how the beans are crushed which leads to a much more controlled grinding process with much less heat generated. Furthermore, there are two different types of burr grinders. One utilizes a wheel and is the less expensive of the two. The wheel burr grinder spins at a fast rate which sometimes result in a mess. Conical burr grinders tend to clog less, spin at a moderate speed, and produce less mess -- this is optimal for oily beans. 

Either way, you will be expected to pay from $100+ for a quality burr grinder.

Photo provided by Michellocafe.nazwa.pl

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Posted in: Coffee,Food,Ken

Boston: Cafeteria Capers

For some kids, school lunch is as part of the day as having leaf on a tree. City schools for the most part (at least here in New York) are required to serve school lunches. Sure they might not be the most edible thing you've ever seen on the end of your fork, but it kept you going throughout the day (unless you skipped lunched in lieu of "other activities"). If you go to a Boston city school, you might want to follow this practice. Recently, it has been discovered that some of Boston's city schools have been serving something that many would find repulsive: expired food. Many items were found to be either past the expiration date or the best-if-used-by date.

Imagine your kid or a little kid you know going to school, then during lunch are forced to unwittingly drink a spoiled carton of milk. Then they have to miss class due to being ill either immediately afterward or the next day. Not to mention these expired items could potentially seriously endanger their lives. Boston, please clean your fridge.

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Posted in: Food,Herb,School Lunch

Eat This Not That

I recently picked up a copy of "Eat This Not That", a series of nutrition books by David Zinczenko, editor of Men's Health magazine. There a several books in this series. The copy I looked through was mainly for those interested in buying the healthier versions of common prepared foods. For instance, I liked Rice A Roni but found out that between the sodium and transfat levels I could cut them by substituting Lipton Knorr's rice sides versions. This seemed to be an easy trade and as I found out, a delicious one too. This book was held my attention and even though I didn't expect to look at it for a long time, I pretty much read the whole thing. I recommend this series. Making substitutions for food seems an thing to do and I'm willing to try.

                                                         Photo of book by Kyle Karlin

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Posted in: Dinner,Food,Guides,Kyle

Beware of the Bottle Return Law

I return bottles religiously. My mother thinks I'm a tad obsessive but it usually puts an extra  few dollars in my wallet that have come in handy. Unfortunately while cleaning up my room last week I found several old scrips that I never cashed in. I mentally totalled them up and they came to a good chunk of change. That was enough to try to cash them in.

I went to the supermarket the scrips came from and was told they would only cash $12.00 per day. Okay, I cashed the first amount in. When I went back the next day I was now told that the scrips had to less than 24 hours old and in addition to the $12.00. The store did make an exception and cashed the scrips in. On a whim, my mother took $12.00 of slips in a few days later and came back with the money and nothing was said to her. I tried again the next day after that and the same garbage was said to me. My mother again took them in a few days later and again had no problems. What is with this store? Nothing like consistency.

                  Photograph of water bottles on my parents kitchen table- Photograph by Kyle Karlin
 

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Posted in: Food,Kyle,Laws,News

Friday night dinner

We used to go to dinner at the drop of a hat, especially at the end of a workweek. It took a job crisis to make my parents rethink their priorities and start to make meals at home more frequently. But, there does come a time when going out to eat is a necessity. That was last Friday.

My Dad loves Houlihan's and we had no hesitation to go there. The food is good, prices reasonable and usually we take food home to have another lunch or dinner. It was also the day after St. Patrick's Day and we predicted that since the place was probably hopping the night before, it would be empty that day. We were correct. Anyway, we got there and saw the manager we came to know when we went there on a more frequent basis. He came over to our table and said that he would like to pay for appetizers for the family. I was totally amazed and took him up on the offer. For three of us it saved us a tidy sum of money but I was very appeciative of his offer. It made going out to dinner that much sweeter.

                             Food from Houlihan's on my kitchen table- Photograph by Kyle Karlin

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Posted in: Dinner,Food,Kyle

Subway trumps McDonalds

Subway left McDonald's behind.....

In recent weeks, it has been found that Subway restaurants have globally more established locations than McDonald's, the former reigning king of the fast food world. 2002 marked the beginning of Subway's ascend over the Golden Arch Empire when it had more stores than McDonald's in the U.S. Lo and behold, less than a decade later, it has once again triumphed over the burger mogul as Subway is reported to have 33,749 stores world wide; nearly 1,000 more stores than McDonalds' 32,737.

Despite Subway's continuing success over McDonald's, the latter still claims a significant lead in revenue than Subway. That is not to say though, that it cannot overcome the revenue obstacle. If the trend continues, perhaps kids will be begging their parents for half footers instead of happy meals.

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Posted in: Herb,McDonalds,Subway

Vacuum Brewing

Photograph by Kadluba

I'll be taking a different route and instead of introducing you to the method(s) of coffee grinding, I will be introducing another method of coffee brewing. What you see here is a vacuum brewer and takes the infusion process to a different, and very much unique level. Through this method, you may experience the cleanest, purest cup of coffee and I'll show you how through the steps required to utilize it.

Primarily, we have to know how it works. Vacuum brewers utilizes a process of suction -- the result of expanding/ contracting gases and in this case, the gas is water vapor. With it comes four parts, two glass containers, a tube that connects the two, and a filter that allows water/ gases through but keeps sediments, in this case, coffee out. Those two containers sit on top of one another, connected b that tube, and there's a filter in between. Of course, all of it is set on top of a stove or other heat source.

Step 1 requires the actual assembly. Step 2 follows by filling the bottom container with water and the upper container with coffee grinds.  Through the process of heating water, water vapor is formed and water vapor requires relief somewhere and the only relief is through the tube. So as the water heats up and vaporizes at the bottom, liquid from the surface is pushed up through tube and into the second container. At this point, the coffee grinds are undergoing their infusion process. 

Within 1-3 minutes, the process of vaporizing, expanding, transporting of liquids, infusing is over. Remove the entire assembly off from its heat source. At this point, the cooling temperatures affect the vapors and actually contracts the gas, bringing the liquids from the top back to the bottom -- through the tube and ultimately leaving all coffee grinds at the top and pure, clean coffee at the bottom. 

There you go! Though people used to the French press might find it weak since there's more filtration going on, they're always allowed to adjust the amount of coffee grinds.

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Posted in: Coffee,Coffeemaker,Ken,Vacuum Brewer

A Coffee Fieldtrip

On the main counter top of my kitchen sits a Keurig coffee machine and an accompanying coffee carousel. My mother's mission seems to be to keep the carousel full of coffee, tea, hot cocoa and now iced tea "Kcups". For a while it looked like the only places to purchase K cups were online distributors, Keurig  and eBay. I was always finding packages of K cups on my deck and I became a K cup taste tester. Recently, my mother was given a place to actually test and buy Kcups. It's called Filterfresh Distributors and is located a few blocks from Farmingdale State on Smith Street.

We decided to take a field trip to see this place and actually buy some of the harder to find coffees and teas. The building is inconspicuously placed between other industrial buildings and has a few parking stalls. We actually missed it on our first go around but when we arrived we were intrigued. The main entryway had various size  Keurigs and every K cup listed on the obligatory order form that you take upon entry to the building. The people who greeted us were extremely helpful, very knowledgeable about their products and VERY patient. The prices for Kcups were very competitive with online, supermarkets, and big box stores. One could drink several cups of coffee, tea, hot cider and cocoa as long as you want. It was literally a Keurig paradise. We ordered 16 boxes of coffee and tea, established an ongoing account and actually had an employee load the car. It was an interesting experience and well worth the trip.

Picture by Kyle Karlin

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Posted in: Coffee,Coffeemaker,Keurig,Kyle

Cartooned packages wins kids over in taste

We'll feed your kids cardboard
Image from USATODAY.com

In a recent study done at the University of Pennsylvania, they have found that packaging featuring popular cartoon characters affect kids' tastes. In the study, the kids were given a sample from different types of cereals, one set with cartoon characters on it and another set without. The researchers also told the kids which cereals they were eating. Surprisingly, the researchers found that the kids who sampled the cereals from the boxes which featured cartoon characters generally scored their samples higher than those who ate the same cereal, but featured boxes without cartoon characters.
     It is no surprise that featuring cartoon character is a great way to market to kids. However, it is highly surprising that this factor on its own can affect what kids are willing to eat. Featuring cartoon characters on healthy foods may change their diets for the better. Although on the other end of the scale, this information can be used to force-feed our kids cardboard.

To to read this article in full, go here

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Posted in: Health,Herb,Kids

New Food Recall

Peanut Butter Recall- Possibility of Salmonella in Skippy Peanut Butter.- Time Healthland There could be Salmonella bacteria in select dated products of Skippy Peanut Butter 16.3 ounce jars. More recalls of foods because of limited government oversite of food processing plants. The recall is because of stool in the peanut butter that may be caused by pigeons living around peanut butter processing plants. A way to prevent contamination of peanut butter is to have a detailed plan to prevent water from entering the inside of the machines the peanut butter is processed in. The water in the peanut butter will only spread the Salmonella. A way to ensure Salmonella is not in your peanut butter is to make it on your own.

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Posted in: Kyle,Peanut Butter,Recall

The French Press

Photograph By mhaithaca

Now here's a fine method of brewing if you insist on or are curious about the taste of bolder and much more flavorful coffee. In short, you'll find out that it's similar to the process in brewing tea. So what is it? A french press has a container, a metal filter attached to a rod that protrudes past the container's lid, and the lid itself. So now the entire brewing method starts with the grinding, the steeping, and the careful observation of time.


In this method, grinds must be slightly coarser than coffee grounds bought from the supermarket. This is due to the pores of the filter being significantly larger than that of regular paper filters*. But depending on the brand and make of the press, you may be able to use a french press with pregrinds as long as you don't mind the occasional bump with coffee grit.

Afterward. you'll have to measure out how much coffee you'll be required to use. In my opinion, a tablespoon per cup of water is suitable. Now boil x amount of water and as you're waiting, pour the measured amount of coffee into the container. When ready, pour the water into the container while stirring -- make sure to not overfill the container so that it can accommodate the added mass of the filter + rod. Now you'll place the lid, filter, rod (which is all essentially connected to one another on top). The rod will be protruding out of the lid at its maximum length indicating that the filter is still at the top of the container.

Now depending on how strong you wish to make your coffee, you'll have to wait a few minutes. A 2-4 cup press shouldn't take any longer than 2-3 minutes to steep. Afterward, you'll press down on the rod gently, pushing the grinds down. At this point, your coffee is ready and you're required to pour it all unto another container to avoid extra steeping time that may make your coffee bitter.

*There will be a detailed entry regarding the process of grinding at a later date.

- - Ken

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Posted in: Coffee,French Press,Ken

Coffee and its intricacy

Photograph by Jon Sullivan:

We are all aware of how coffee is usually brewed in your average household. There's either the instant mix method or the drip style method. Either way, people tend to only be familiar with these two when in reality, there is much more to it than what the majority know and can appreciate. In short, coffee is an art and it can not be explained in such short time, therefor I will be covering the topic of coffee throughout several posts.

Initially, its intricacy starts with what type of coffee beans are used. There are two main types: Arabica and Robusta. Arabica offers a much more flavorful experience, a fuller taste to it, and is seen as the complete opposite of Robusta; the much more economically preferred type within the mass producing coffee industry.

At first, it seems irrelevant. How should we be concerned with the differences? Considering the concept that we're used to either a 100% Robusta coffee and/ or a mix of Arabica and Robusta, we are missing out on what could be great coffee. Coffee that doesn't require creamers, loads of sugar, and whatever else must mask that bitter taste associated with Robusta beans. So I end this thought by asking you all...When was the last time you tried coffee black and enjoyed it?


- - Ken

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Posted in: Coffee,Ken