Food and Drink Center

How To Brew Wine At Home
By Orville Boisvert

Ever wonder how to brew wine at home? What do I need? How much will it cost? Is it legal? Well
keep reading, I am about to tell you all you need to know to get started on making your wine
from home.

First you need a wine making kit. These kits, to alot of peoples surprise, are not that expensive.
A 5 or 6 gallon kit will cost between $50 and $100. Your ingredients will cost $30 to $70. That
comes out to about 2.50$ a bottle.

You don t need a winepress. Wineries use these winepresses to extract every last drop of juice
from the fruit. Not for quality reasons. At $1 to $2 a bottle for home wine makers, the last
drop of juice is not important.

Making wine at home is legal. As household of 2 adults can make up to 200 gallons of wine a year.
And a household of 1 adult can make 100 gallons a year. You will need to check with your local
authorities if you intend to sell or distribute your wine.

The most important thing in home wine making you need to have is good recipes and clear instruction
on how to use them. The smallest variation can be the difference between wine that taste like shoe polish and an award winner. You can waste alot of time experimenting without proper instruction.

There is not that much to consider but alot of variables when it comes to which ingredients you should use, how to mix them together and when. So finding detailed step by step instruction can save you alot of time and improve your success rate.

So what s the best way to make wine at home, find all the info at http://www.winebrewingsecrets.com

href="http://www.winebrewingsecrets.com">How To Brew Wine At Home

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Gourmet Coffee Beans - 10 Reasons to Stop That Morning Run to the Local Coffee Shop
By Will Thompson

1. Coffee beans from many of the popular local coffee shops are just plain bitter and over roasted. Darker doesn t necessarily mean better, many times just bitter.

Don t believe me? Just ask Consumer Reports. In February 2007, a panel of trained testers put a cup of Starbucks up against some STRONG competition: McDonald s, Dunkin Donuts, and Burger King. McDonald s wins with their Premium Roast being labeled cheapest and best. Starbucks finishes dead last after being judged as “strong, but burnt and bitter enough to make your eyes water instead of open.” I guess most expensive doesn t always mean best.

2. Save money. More than you realize. Really!

On average, a cup at a shop is going to run you about two bucks. Two cups a day, 6 days a week(let s pretend your religion doesn t allow you to drink coffee on Sundays) comes to nearly $1250 a year! Now suppose you re a college kid spending the money from student loans that will accrue interest over the next 20 years. I don t even want to go there(no one told me about this when I was going to college.) Brew your own and put that 4 bucks a day into a compound interest savings, and you ll have a balance of over $55,000 by the time you re 40. Try it out for yourself: www.interestcalculator.turbo-traffic.com

3. Two bucks for a supposedly “TALL” cup of coffee? (and just by what standards do they consider what they serve “TALL”?)

An average pound of gourmet coffee beans runs anywhere from around $10 to about $20. The average home brewer can make around 10 pots of coffee from a single pound of gourmet coffee beans, which in turn should give you around 10 cups of coffee for each pot. That s 100 6 oz. cups of coffee from one pound of coffee beans. Ok, now what does that mean? Coffee chains are making astounding profits from every pound of beans they roast, grind and sell. Makes you want to go into the coffee business doesn t it? Ok. So brew at home, and you end up paying about 10 to 25 CENTS per cup of coffee. Brew at home and even the most expensive, rare coffee you can find (such as the Kopi Luwak bean) and it ll still only cost you under 4 bucks for a 12 oz. cup. (by the way, if you don t know where Kopi Lowak comes from, I won t tell you about that now. I don t want to be the butt end of a joke, especially one that will run you around $150-$180 per pound!) This all sounds much better to me, doesn t it to you, too? And guess what? It will all TASTE MUCH MUCH BETTER!

4. Shouldn t most people want FRESH coffee?

Coffee bean s two greatest enemies are air and moisture. How long has that cup of java been sitting there warming before you get it? The only way to know you re truly getting fresh ground coffee is to buy the beans online where they are roasted and shipped the same day and grind yourself. It is best to buy fresh-roasted gourmet coffee beans in amounts that you will use within 7 to 10 days. I personally recommend grinding only what you need and storing the rest of the whole beans in an airtight container. I used to think storing the remaining coffee beans in the freezer or fridge was best to keep them fresh. I discovered the worst thing for beans is any extreme temperature, or exposure to air, light, moisture or strong odors.

5. Impress your date with your homemade brew!

Ok, coffee may not be the best thing to sip before that first good-night kiss, but the knowledge you can share about how you made the perfect cup of joe can be perfect first date conversation! Imagine what might happen if you tell her that you even roasted your own beans? Just make sure to make a prior investment in a good sugarless gum or mint to follow up the cupping(the coffee tasting…what were you thinking?)

6. It really doesn t make you cooler than you already are.

Ok. Call me crazy, but do you think that a large portion of those that are hooked on Starbucks could possibly just be hooked on the pretentiousness associated with the whole idea of being a coffee drinker? That might upset a few people, but we re being honest here, right? Forget what people think and just make your own. Drink what tastes best to you, period. Then, create a fancy label with your logo and slap it on the side of your coffee cup. You ll be impressed with your own branding. Hey, you own the company, right? And no one has to repeat back to you what you just ordered…unless you just want to stand in the mirror and impress yourself.

7. Grinding, brewing, even roasting your own coffee can be fun.

The investments you make in the beginning in coffee equipment(whatever matches your budget) can last you a lifetime and become quite a great hobby. People LOVE to talk about coffee(especially the Kopi Lowak I ve found.) Just how much can you go into depth about how they poured and served you that last cup of coffee at Starbucks. That story might last you all of say…30 seconds? Learning about the history of coffee can lead to great conversations with friends, family, or even to share to the world in an article like this!

8. No waiting in line.

The only waiting you ll be doing is when you re grinding and brewing. But then, you ll be grinding and brewing, so that s not really considered waiting is it?

9. Conserve energy, help fight global warming, and support charities.

Ok, grinding and brewing your own coffee at home probably won t achieve any of these things, but you should do them anyway. I just wanted to mention that.

10. Did I mention it will TASTE BETTER?

I guarantee it! If you re not completely amazed with the difference you ll see between you re own freshly ground and brewed coffee and the bitter, awful stuff you ll be exposed to commercially, I will…well, I ll be really shocked. And sad. And probably feel really bad. But I d feel worse if I had to start drinking bitter coffee, so now I feel so better again. Really though, I think you ll be glad you did. I personally recommend trying Kona blend gourmet coffee beans. I absolutely love pure Kona coffee, but it s a bit expensive, and a Kona blend still gives you a great taste that s easily affordable. Then pick up the best coffee maker you can afford and enjoy!

William Thompson

Kansas City, MO.

Make My Day Coffee.com

This article has FULL REPRINT RIGHTS, as long as author and website link are included.

William Thompson has been working as a 3D Artist and Animator for most of his career. His work can be seen seen HERE. Working many late nights on popular video games required massive intakes of caffeine, which led to his passion of finding the perfect coffee. That passion turned into a business selling convection roasted gourmet coffee beans and and the best coffee makers to brew them. Stop by and try our gourmet coffee beans today and let us know what you think.

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French Wine Clubs
By Jimmy Sturo

Many wine stores and different sites on the internet that primarily deal with the selling of fine French wines, also provide information on the different French wine clubs, to their customers. In order to be a part of an exclusive wine club, the willing enthusiasts simply has to pay a fixed amount of membership fee at the onset of his or her membership and a subsequent monthly or annual fee for a continuing specific or indefinite period of time (lifetime) membership.

Wine lovers often yearn to acquire a membership to these exclusive wine clubs as it helps them to keep in touch with other wine aficionados as well as keep themselves abreast with the latest news or information regarding wines or vineyards. Generally, a newsletter is circulated every month or so (the time period may vary from club to club) by the club to its members. This newsletter contains information on the different kinds of French wines, accessories and other important information such as availability and prices, among other facts. These newsletters often serve as a brochure to the kinds of wine that the club is offering.

Wine clubs even offer good discounts on the different wines to their members and entice them with many other lucrative offers including wine merchandise such as coolers and attractive gift baskets. Since these offers and discounts can be availed only by members, membership is highly recommended for wine lovers and connoisseurs.

There are many different types of wine clubs. While some are simply interested in buying and selling wines, others may be interested in sharing information and increasing their knowledge about the field. It is very important however, to find out as much information as possible about a particular wine club before joining it to see whether it meets one s needs and is appropriate to one s interest or not.

French Wine provides detailed information on French Wine, French Wine Gifts, French White Wines, French Red Wines and more. French Wine is affiliated with Italian Red Wines.

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Adventures in Cheese Making - Walk this Whey
By Paul Rinehart

I’ve had homemade cheeses before and loved how they tasted, but I never got around to making cheese myself. So one day recently, I mustered up the courage and began the process of learning how to make a simple cheese.

Making cheese is a lot simpler than one might think - at least when it comes to making a simple cheese. You can make it just by heating milk and adding vinegar, which is fairly similar to the way I improvise on a recipe requiring buttermilk. When I make imitation buttermilk, all I do is add lemon to the milk until it curdles, the only difference is that when it comes to making cheese, you harvest the curdled part. The solid substance is called the curd, the leftover liquid is called whey - the same curds and whey Miss Muffet enjoyed.

This seemed a little too easy and this type of cheese is fairly soft, with an almost cottage cheese-like consistency. I researched a little further to find a way to make a firmer cheese?

The answer came Rennet! Rennet is traditionally made from the stomach of a calf, it is salted after the beast is slaughtered. You can buy rennet easily through various cheese-making supply websites. I was too impatient to wait to get the real stuff, but I found out that there were other forms of rennet that would give the same results. After looking for what seemed like an eternity, I found a recipe for vegetarian rennet. I took about a pound of nettle leaves, a couple of ounces of hops, and some yarrow flowers, put then in a pot and covered it with just enough water to immerse the plants. I brought it to a simmer and then let it sit for a while to steep. I then drained it and added about a cup of salt.

Another thing that helps in cheese-making is conditioning the milk. Through my research I found that I had to add live cultures but where to get them? The answer ended up being rather simple, buttermilk and yogurt. In the same pot as the milk, I poured a half-gallon of milk, one quart of buttermilk, and a whole container of yogurt. I put in half a pint of heavy cream for good measure. I let this sit for a good two hours and guess what? It began to curdle. I wanted thicker curds though, so I poured a half-cup of my homemade rennet in and the curds got thicker in just a matter of minutes. To promote the growth of the bacteria in the yogurt, I let it sit a while, warming it slightly over the stove, careful to not even bring it to a simmer.

I could now see the curds and the whey. The whey was a pale yellowish hue and the curds looked a little bit like scrambled egg whites. I then lined a colander with cheesecloth and proceeded to filter the curds from the whey. I put the curds into a bowl and added salt to further help the removal of excess liquid. Next, I returned it to the colander lined with a fresh layer of cheesecloth. I was anxious to taste it, and wow, it actually tasted like cheese!

The next step is optional - putting your cheese in a mold and pressing it. To make my press, I rummaged around the kitchen to see what I could use. I took an old plastic sherbet container and put a bunch of holes in it. I then placed my cheese curd filled cheesecloth inside and placed it in a large bowl and but a plate on top of my curds. Now the problem was having enough weight to press it. I placed two big cans of tomatoes on top and, voil?, it worked. After pressing it, I put the cheese into the refrigerator and let it set. It tasted a lot like cheddar.

Next time I try to make cheese, I probably use this same recipe but will try to improve upon it. When I master this one, then I think I’ll feel a little more like trying a different style of cheese. Happy cheese making!

Paul Rinehart is the founder of Online Cooking.

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Restaurant Eating CAN Be Healthy
By Charlie Morris

If you only occasionally visit a restaurant, making the meals they offer work with your diet is pretty easy. However, someone people regularly have to eat in restaurants and this can make it difficult to stick to a healthful eating plan. It is important to devise various different healthy choices as well as to avoid the nagging temptation to continue eating once you are full. If you have to have control over a specific aspect of your health such as your weight, your blood pressure, cholesterol or even diabetes, it is necessary for you to find ways to meet the specific requirements that you have.

The first step is to find a restaurant which has a decent salad bar, so that you can load up on fresh fruits and vegetables before you get your entr?e. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a great way to fill your stomach with healthy things before the less healthy entr?e arrives. You may consider choosing a soup and a salad for your meal, rather than a salad and an entr?e.

Choose broiled fish with lemon juice if you are not sure which entr?e to get. You can also have fresh vegetables added, and can have fruit ice or fresh fruit for dessert. Following this basic plan outline, you can cut some serious calories and other bad things out of your meal, making it much more healthful.

Another more healthful option for eating is through Asian restaurants, which tend to offer a lot of dishes which contain large amounts of vegetables. If you stick to the vegetarian or seafood entries that are offered, then Thai, Mongolian and Vietnamese restaurants are all great choices.

You will have difficulty finding real whole grains in a restaurant setting, so rather than eating out for breakfast you should consider keeping cereal with you to eat in your hotel or when out on the road. This way, you can make sure to get a big, healthy breakfast without having to deal with potentially unhealthy ingredients or portion sizes.

There are many restaurants which actually do put some serious effort into creating a menu which is friendly to everyone and their various eating styles. It may take a little bit of effort to find the restaurants which offer menu items that work for you, but once you find healthy options for your meals, it will have been well worth the effort.

You can find healthier food choices and salad bars at many chain restaurants, but they are much more common in independent restaurants that typically have more power over what they serve and in what portions. Check out the webpages for various restaurants in the area to see which menu items are offered that will be healthful for you to eat. Making eating out healthful takes a little bit of work, but is well worth the effort if you want to stay healthy even when on the road.

Charlie Morris is a restaurant connoisseur. His passions include his hand picked restaurant directory, eating out and eating in.

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