Deep Frying

Deep fried foods is a treat that many people enjoy. Deep frying is a basic method, foods are cooked by being submerged into hot oil. If done correctly your food will not be overly greasy even when deep fried.

Our most popular deep fryers that we sale are the Presto Deep Fryers. Presto has been creating quality products since 1905. Their first deep fryers appeared on the market in 1976.

Using a deep fryer to create your own crispy french fries, onion rings, shrimp, and chicken at home is quite simple. Just choose the size deep fryer that is right for your family and follow the instructions that come with it. There are a multitude of foods that can be deep fried for a unique side dish to any meal.

Most people can give you a list of the most popular deep fried foods such as chicken, french fries, onion rings, shrimp, corn dogs, etc. But we've found some unusual deep fried foods that are being sold at fairs. It may take someone with a braver palate to try these out:

Deep Fried Bubblegum Flavored Marshmallows
Deep Fried Butter
Deep Fried Coke
Deep Fried Jelly Belly Jelly Beans
Deep Fried Cadbury Creme Eggs
Deep Fried Kool Aid

Have a Presto Deep Fryer and need parts? We carry deep fryer parts.

Cooking Leather Breeches Beans

Where we are from (the mountains of Virginia) a lot of folks used to enjoy eating leather breeches beans. These beans were considered a treat by many, and some people said they preferred these beans to canned beans. You don't hear a lot about these beans any more, but we were able to acquire an old recipe.

Leather Breeches Beans
To make your beans you would need get down a string of dried green beans, remove your string and drop the beans into a pot of scalding water. (This would probably have been a cast iron pot as in those days people usually used cast iron cookware.) Then you would add a "good hunka meat", which would usually be fat back, pork, or ham. You would cook your beans all morning until they were nice and tender for eating.

Drying Leather Breeches Beans
Now, you can't cook leather breeches beans if you don't know how to dry the green beans. Now it is easier to dry things as there are food dehydrators readily available. But the way my grandmother and her mother used to do it was to take a long string and needle and thread the green beans onto it. They would go through the middle of the bean and push the beans together at the end of the thread. Be sure to knot your string very well so the beans won't slide off. The beans would be hung up in warm air but not in direct sunlight. My grandmother would use her attic to dry her beans and other foods. The attic stayed very warm in the autumn months as heat would rise through the house up into the attic.

Another great benefit to this type of food storage? You save your canning jars for foods that you prefer to eat canned (such as jellies and jams).

Popping Popcorn the Old Fashioned Way

Today there are many ways to pop your popcorn, from using the pre-bagged just pop it in the microwave type, to using popcorn popping machines, or you can also go with the old school method. Before we had microwaves and popcorn poppers, people would pop their popcorn in the fireplace or on the stove top.

To pop popcorn in the fireplace one needs a fireplace popcorn popper. To use one of these you will want to heat a couple tablespoons of canola oil in the bottom of the popcorn popper. Then add 1/4 cup popcorn kernels and spread them evenly across the bottom of the bowl of the popcorn popper. Cook over the fire in your fireplace, being sure to shake from time to time. Listen for your popcorn kernels to start popping, when the popping of the kernels starts to die down, remove from the fire to keep from burning the already popped kernels. Empty your popcorn into a bowl and season it to your preferences.

To use a stove top popcorn popper you will follow the above directions, but instead of placing the popcorn popper over a fire, you will place it on an eye of your stove that has been heated to medium heat. On a stovetop popcorn popper instead of shaking it, you will turn the crank on it while your popcorn is popping. Remove the popcorn from the heat source after the majority of your popcorn has popped, this will take around 3 minutes.  Empty your popcorn into a bowl and season it to your preferences.

Have a Presto popcorn popper? We have Presto popcorn supplies in our online store!

10 Links to Recipes for your Juicer

Sometimes finding new recipes for a juicer can be a challenge. We've tried to gather and link to recipes that we found to be interesting. Try some of them out and let us know what you think:

1. Strawberry Pear Orange Juice: enjoy a sweeter juice with these delicious fruits mixed together.

2. Carrot Apple Beet Juice: trying to consume more beets? Here's a juicing recipe that makes the most of them.

3. Pineapple Watermelon Mango Juice: wake up to a tropical fruit juice that will remind your senses of summer.

4. The Fabulous Fennel Drink: consume more fennels by enjoying this juice.

5. Over 20 Juicing Recipes: find 23 juicing recipes at this link, a lot of the recipes on this site use carrots.

6. Carrot Juice Recipes: 15 carrot juice recipes to choose between.

7. Orange, Carrot, Sweet Potato, and Ginger Juice: Great way to use up any sweet potatoes you have left from your garden.

8. Power Gulp: this juice recipe has a lot of iron in it from kale, green apples, cucumber, and a granny smith apple.

9. Healthy Green Juice: this recipes makes 2 cups. Drink one now and save one for later or share with a friend.

10. Strawberry Field Juice: love strawberries, then this might be the juice for you.

A great way to take your juice with you when you are on the go is to store in glass milk bottles or a mason jar!

How to Convert Recipes to a Slow Cooker

Sometimes life can get hectic, when that happens it is hard to find time to cook. We've discussed how slow cookers help save time, but what if you have a favorite recipe and can't find a version of it for your crock pot? Here are some tips on how to convert recipes to a slow cooker.

The majority of recipes out there can be converted to a crock pot/slow cooker recipe. The easiest to convert are going to be soups, stews, casseroles, and chilies.

In most recipes that you convert you will want to reduce the amount of liquid that you use since the slow cooker holds in moisture. The only time you will want to use the same amount of liquid that the original non-slow cooker recipe calls for is in the case of recipes that have rice, beans, or pasta in them.

To convert the amount of time that your recipe will need to cook in the crock pot follow the following times:

Oven/Stovetop Cook Time from orig. recipe	Cooking on Low Time Conversion	Cooking on High Time Conversion
15-30 min.	4-6 hours	1.5 - 2.5 hours
35-45 min.	6-8 hours	3 - 4 hours
50 min. to 3 hours	8-16 hours	4 - 6 hours

If cooking raw meats, you will want to cook until your kitchen thermometer reads the appropriate temperature for doneness when inserted into the thickest part of the meat. You can brown the meat before placing into the slow cooker, this helps to cut down on fats.

When cooking vegetables, keep in mind that in the crock pot/slow cooker they take longer to cook than meats. For your vegetables to cook evenly you will want them cut to about the same size and placed in the bottom of the cooker.

When converting recipes it make take a few times to get it just right as the liquid may need to be increased or decreased.

For more ideas on what to cook in your crock pot you should visit our blog 101 Recipes for the slow cooker.

10 Slow Cooker Recipes found on Pinterest

Slow cookers make great meals and save a lot of time. You can fix your meal, pop it in and let the slow cooker do the work while you are away at work or running errands. Come home to the smell of a nice cooked meal, ready to be eaten by you and your family.

We have gathered some recipes to help you get started using your slow cooker on a regular basis. We selected 10 that grabbed our eyes on Pinterest. Try them out and let us know what your thoughts are.

1. Our first recipe to try is from Sweet Happy Life. Slow Cooker Black Bean, Corn, and Spinach Enchiladas:

2. This one is technically more than one slow cooker recipe, it is an article on Parents.com called Slow Cooker Spectacular. Several good contenders to try in your crock pot on here.

3. Taste and Tell Blog has shared a slow cooker recipe for Beef Stroganoff, the recipe is towards the bottom of the page, you will have to scroll to find it.

4. And as always Food Network's website has great recipes for almost every small kitchen appliance there is. The one that caught our eye for the slow cooker? Their slow cooker Sausage Breakfast Casserole:

5. Skinny Taste's website has a great looking Minestrone Soup recipe for the slow cooker:

6. This is also more than one recipe, it is a slide show of Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes that were found on BHG.com.

7. A Girl's Gotta Eat has shared her Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole recipe on her blog.

8. Mother Thyme has a delicious looking Slow Cooker Pork Ragu recipe on her site.

9. We're sharing another link with more than one slow cooker recipe. This is the compilation of Skinny Ms.'s Top 10 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes.

10. The Perfect Pantry has a beautiful looking recipe for Slow Cooker Thai Red Curry Turkey.

What is your favorite recipe to use in your slow cooker?

More Uses for Pulp Leftover from a Juicer

We wrote a blog in the past about using the leftover pulp from your juicer. This blog has had a great amount of traffic and pins on Pinterest. Due to this interest in this topic, we've decided to visit the subject again and see what other uses we can find for you try out. So don't be afraid to use your juicer because of waste. If you use the pulp there will be no waste.

If using fruits or sweet vegetables in your juicer, these make great additions to muffin mixes, pancakes, and breads.

Another use for leftover fruit pulp from juicing is to make fruit leathers. Some people make these using their ovens others use food dehydrators.

Add to smoothies for extra nutrients.

Some people use the pulp in recipes that call for bread crumbs. You can add a bit of extra nutrients and flavor to dishes.

Use veggie pulp to add to spaghetti and/or lasagna sauces to get more nutrients and fiber in you and your family's diets.

People with backyard chickens toss out the pulp for them to feast on.

Use in ground meat dishes or veggie burger dishes. This adds extra fiber and moisture to these types of recipes.

Fruit pulp can be used in frozen fruit pop recipes.

Omelets are good with a little leftover veggie pulp added.

Those are just a few ideas that can be found for using leftover juicer pulp. We would love to hear your ideas!

What Can You Cook on an Electric Griddle

Many people when thinking of electric griddles think only of cooking breakfast. But there are many other dishes that can be prepared with an electric griddle. Our favorites are the Presto Griddles.

So onto that list of foods that can be cooked on a griddle:

• Fish
• Burgers
• Pork Chops
• Liver
• Cottage Fried Potatoes
• Grilled Sandwiches - Paninis, Grilled Cheese
• Steak
• Saute Veggies
• Philly Steak & Cheese
• Just about anything that you can cook in a skillet that uses little to no liquid you can cook on your electric griddle.

Actually, the electric griddle can be used to cook nearly every meal.

Own a Presto Griddle? We carry griddle parts in our online store.

Topping & Batter Ideas for Waffles

Waffles have many various topping options, we are going to discuss 10 that we thought were fairly unique to share with our readers. If we left our your favorite, let us know what it is in our comments. But for now, let's get out those waffle makers and experiment a bit, but keep in mind that some of these toppings may require a little bit different waffle mix than the standard:

Top your waffles with shredded ham and cheese for a complete one dish breakfast.

 Banana slices, walnuts, and your choice of syrup makes for a sweet breakfast treat.

Like fruit salad? Add some fruit and whipped topping for a breakfast that is delicious.

Create a waffle that is as flavorful as your favorite pizza crust by adding seasoning to your waffle mix. The use pizza sauce to dip them in.

There's always fried chicken and waffles. Try a sweet potato waffle for a different flavor boost.

Smother your waffle with crushed bacon, shredded cheese, butter and syrup for an all-in-one breakfast dish.

Use your waffles as bread and create a sandwich using your favorite deli meats, cheese, tomato, lettuce, and if you like mayo and mustard, use those too.

Use a cornmeal waffle mix and top with your favorite chili, shredded cheese, and a dollop of sour cream for a waffle dish that can serve as dinner.

Want a waffle that is themed for a holiday? Try creating a Thanksgiving themed waffle with turkey salad on top and some cranberry sauce.

Toss some cinnamon, nutmeg, and apple pieces into your waffle mix to create a waffle that is reminiscent of apple pie.

What are your go to waffle recipes and toppings?

10 Recipes for Toaster Ovens

Toaster ovens can be a great addition to any kitchen, big or small. When baking small items they can help to save electricity since you will not need to heat up the whole oven just to cook something small. To get you started using your toaster oven we have 10 recipe links that we've gathered from across the internet:

1. Meals for You Toaster Oven Recipes - They have recipes listed such as Bruschetta, Mini Meat Loaves, Smoked Salmon Muffins with Herb Cheese, Toaster Oven Easy Muffins
2. Man Tested Recipes Toaster Oven Recipes - These recipes may be Man Tested, but they sound good enough for all genders, recipes such as Mock Lobster Roll, Baked Salmon Toaster Oven, Cornbread, Cinnamon Rolls, and more.
3. Cooks.com Toaster Oven Recipes - Several recipes listed here such as Breakfast Pizza, English Muffin Pizza, Smores, and many many more.
4. Good Housekeeping Lasagna Toasts - These are a great meal to whip up in your toaster oven.
5. Huffington Post Reader Toaster Oven Creations - Huffingtonpost had a Facebook challenge for their readers to show them what they could create in a toaster oven, read this article for some toaster oven inspiration.
6. Weekly Meal Plan for Toaster Ovens - Get a whole week's worth of recipes here.
7. Toaster Oven Pizza on All Recipes - Individual sized bagel pizza recipe.
8. Toaster Oven Recipes from Toaster Oven dot net - Lots of recipes for toaster ovens.
9. Microwave and Toaster Oven Recipes - found on Delish
10. Miso Glazed Salmon for the Toaster Oven - from Serious Eats

What recipes do you  get out when you are using your toaster oven.

Cast Iron Cooking

Cooking with cast iron cookware has been around for centuries. Cast iron gave people the ability to cook food in cookware that could withstand the heat from being on stoves and directly in fires.

In China cast iron cookware was being made as early as 513 B.C. However, the European countries would take many centuries to follow suit and discover how to create their own cast iron cookware. 

Cast iron cookware was first made around 1100 A.D. in Europe, it was made by pouring molten iron into a sand mold. Most of the first cooking pots made of cast iron had three legs on them so that they could be used to cook food over an open fire. To keep food warm sometimes ashes from the fire would be spread across the lid of the cast iron pot or dutch oven.

Photo taken at Shockley's Old Timey Days 2012

Cast iron pieces became known as heirloom pieces as they were expensive and so valuable to home life throughout the centuries. Many times cast iron cookware was even placed in wills to determine who these valuable items would go to.

Cast iron cookware is still created today, the choices of skillets, pots, pans, dutch ovens, camp cookware, and more is a great variety that many of those that created those original pieces centuries ago would have ever dreamed of seeing.

Cooking in Pioneer Times

Cooking has changed drastically over the years. We now have tools for nearly every task imaginable, and the invention of electricity along with the ease of getting it into our homes, has also changed how we cook.

In pioneer days the meals were usually cooked over a fireplace, or if the family was lucky enough to have a wood stove, then their meals could be created there as well.

Cast iron cookware was used in the home as it was able to withstand the heat from the fire. Most meals were simple, vegetables that the family had grown over the summer and preserved for the winter was the main fare at meals, if the family had chickens then eggs would also be incorporated. If the family was lucky there would sometimes be meat available at meal time.

If the family did not have a wood stove then they would cook over a fire in their fireplace, when cooking over the fireplace, most of the foods were cooked in a kettle that would be suspended above the fire on a fireplace crane. When the family wanted toasted bread they would use a roasting iron.

If the family was fortunate enough to have a wood stove for heat and cooking then they had a few more options for cooking.

With the wood stove, foods could be cooked in several different ways with cast iron frying pans, skillets, etc. The wood stove also made cooking a little bit easier and safer as it was dangerous near a fireplace as sometimes women's skirts would get sucked into the fire. 

All photos taken at Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center.

10 Recipe Links for Indoor Grills

Now that the weather is starting to cool, many will be putting up their grills to store them during the winter. However, this does not mean that all your grilling options are out. Using an indoor grill you can cook a variety of recipes to satisfy your family's grilling hunger.

1. Montreal Peppered Steak
2. Buttermilk Southern Grilled Chicken - this recipe calls for a grill pan
3. Cajun Catfish with Asparagus, Shallot & Brown Butter Sauce
4. Prosciutto Provolone Panini
5. Simple Teriyaki Burgers
6. Glazed Ham Slice
7. Easy Grilled Prawns
8. Grilled Eggplant
9. Lemon Pepper Grilled Tuna
10. SeaPak Salmon Burgers

When using your indoor grill, keep in mind that the majority of regular grill recipes can be converted to cook on the indoor grill. The cooking times will be shorter as with most indoor grills the food will be cooked on both sides. Be sure to refer to the instructions that came with your indoor grill fro meat cooking times and more instructions.

What are your favorite recipes to cook in the indoor grill?

Decoding Pressure Cooker Recipes

Sometimes deciphering a pressure cooker recipe is a little tricky, even to those with plenty of experience. Here are a few tips for your in your pressure cooking endeavors:

What does a recipe mean when it says cook "0" minutes?

In the case of a pressure cooker recipe saying that you need to cook it 0 minutes, it usually means that the food you are cooking is a delicate food. So to cook a food in a pressure cooker 0 minutes, you will just heat the pot until the pressure regulator begins to rock back and forth and then you will cool the pressure cooker according to the recipe's directions.

How do you "quick cool"?

Some pressure cooker recipes will state that you need to quick cool the pressure cooker. This means that you need to either place the cooker under cold running water, or set it into a sink full of cold water.

What adjustments do I need to make for altitude?

Altitude will affect the length of time that food needs to be cooked. To adjust your cook time view the info below:

3000 ft. elevation increase cook time 5%
4000 ft. elevation increase cook time 10%
5000 ft. elevation increase cook time 15%
6000 ft. elevation increase cook time 20%
7000 ft. elevation increase cook time 25%
8000 ft. elevation increase cook time 30%

Tips and Recipes for Your Cookie Press

Cookie presses are great for creating elaborate looking treats with minimal effort. they can take awhile to get adjusted to using, but once you find your rhythm you are set to create cookies galore. These treats are great for holidays, birthday parties, receptions, as dessert at a dinner party, well, the list goes on.

So what are some tips for using a cookie press?

• Allow yourself plenty of time during the learning process.
• Read your instruction manual thoroughly.
• Use only recipes appropriate for a cookie press, anything with nuts, raisins, and other chunky ingredients will NOT press.
• Do NOT grease your baking sheet. 
• Press on your cookie press a little before starting with your cookies to release any air in front of the dough.
• Be sure to hold the cookie press flat to the baking sheet so that the dough will adhere to the sheet.
• Do not overload the fills or you will lose the shape of your cookie as it expands during baking.
• Keep in mind that practice makes perfect, your first few batches may not turn out exactly how you want. Just keep trying.
• Do not immediately lift the cookie press after pressing out your cookie. Give it time to stick or you'll take the cookie dough with you.
• Allow about 1 to 1 1/2 inches between the cookies.
• To keep from breaking your cookies be sure to allow them to cool before using a thin cookie spatula to remove them from the baking sheet.

The most common recipe for a cookie press is the Butter Cookie:

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. softened butter
• 1 1/4 c. confectioners sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift flour & salt together; set aside. 
2. In a medium bowl, cream butter & sugar together. Stir in egg yolks, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Gradually blend in sifted flour and salt. Fill cookie press with dough and form cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. If you desire, decorate with sprinkles or sugar now.
4. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven.

Using a Salad Shooter to Make Pizza

Did you know that you can use the Presto Salad Shooter to help make a pizza? This is especially great for those who like lots of veggies on their pizzas.

Just choose your pizza dough of choice and prepare it so that it is ready to add the toppings (method of preparation will depend on dough chosen, etc). Apply sauce of choice, then get your salad shooter ready to shred your mozzarella or other cheese over the sauce. Then get out your aresenal of favorite veggies to slice or shred onto the top of the pizza (peppers, onions, yum). Then add any other toppings you so desire and bake for the amount of time recommended in your recipe.

And voila' your salad shooter has just helped you make a delcious pizza. But while your pizza is baking, leave your salad shooter out and fix a salad to go with it as a healthy, yummy side dish.

Need parts for your Presto salad shooter? We carry salad shooter parts in our online store.

10 Uses for the Presto Kitchen Kettle Multi-Cooker Steamer

The Presto Kitchen Kettle is a neat little kitchen appliance. It has many uses in the kitchen, so many in fact, you could find a use for it each and every day. However, we are going to talk about the 10 most popular uses for it today:

1. Simmering Soup
2. Braising Roasts and Meats
3. Steaming Vegetables
4. Simmering Stews
5. Cooking Fish
6. Boiling Pasta and Rice
7. Blanching Vegetables
8. Deep Frying
9. Roasting Meats
10. Make Casseroles

This appliance is affordable, which makes it great for a housewarming gift, wedding gift, or a gift for any other occasion, particularly for someone who enjoys cooking, but needs something that will help them save space and time. Since this one appliance does the job of 4 (if not more) appliances, by itself it can save a great amount of cabinet space.

Need parts for your Presto Kitchen Kettle? We carry kitchen kettle parts in our online store.

Things to Cook with the Presto Pizzazz Pizza Oven

Many people have seen the Presto Pizzazz, but many do not want to purchase an appliance to cook just one item. However, the Presto Pizazz is more than just a Pizza Oven, it is a rotating oven that can bake many foods.



Some of the foods that you can fix with the Presto Pizzazz Rotating Oven are:

• Pizza (frozen, home made, deli style)
• Chicken Nuggets
• Chicken Wings
• Fish Fillets
• Egg Rolls
• Quesadillas
• Grilled Sandwiches
• Cookies
• Cinnamon Rolls
• Garlic and/or Cheesy Bread
• Onion Rings
• Potato Skins
• Potato Patties
• Pretzels
• Taquitos
• Smores
• and More!

If you decide to invest in the Presto Pizzazz Pizza Oven be sure to read all the instructions before using. If you already own one, what have you made with it that you just love?

Foods for Deep Frying

Presto has a great line of deep fryers. Deep fryers make some great foods. We are here today to give you a list of some foods to try out in your deep fryer:

• Potatoes (french fries or sliced thin for chips)
• Chicken (make nuggets, tenders, fried wings)
• Fish
• Cheese sticks
• Stuffed Jalapenos or other Peppers
• Onions (make onion rings or a bloomin' onion)
• Macaroni and Cheese
• Pickles
• Squash

Some newer foods we've been seeing and hearing about being deep fried:

• Oreos
• Butter
• Coca Cola
• Pizza
• Cookie Dough
• Cheeseburgers
• Candy Bars

Essentially, most foods can be deep fried, but the preference is up to the cook and the diner. Keep in mind that while deep fried foods can be delicious, they should probably be consumed in moderation.

What is your favorite deep fried dish?

Have a deep fryer? We carry deep fryer parts in our online store.

Popcorn Toppings and Mixings

Popcorn is a great snack by itself, but sometimes you just want to add a little something extra to it. This can make for the ideal snack, whether you want something spicy, sweet, or even a little more salty food with your popcorn, it is a highly versatile snack and can go with all of these flavors and more. So break out your popcorn popper and let's get popping!

Toppings:
Cinnamon Sugar Mix
Apple Pie Spice
Chocolate (Cocoa or Chocolate Syrup)
Cajun Seasoning
Chili Seasoning
Powdered Cheddar Cheese
Powder Parmesan

Mix Ins:
Pizza Seasoning & Sliced Pepperoni
Teriyaki Sauce, Wasabi Peas, & Rice Crackers
Chipotle Chili Powder, Corn Chips, & Lime Juice
Fresh Herbs, Melted Butter, & Parmesan Cheese
Curry Powder, Dried Fruit (mixture), & Yogurt Covered Raisins
Carmel Sauce & Cheddar Cheese
Pretzels, Peanuts (or nut of choice), & M&Ms
Honey Graham Cereal, Marshmallows, & Cocoa
Cherry Twizzler Bits, Red Cinnamon Candies, & Pink Sugar
Banana Chips, Shaved Dark Chocolate, & Toasted Coconut

As you can see from above, popcorn mix-ins and toppings really only stop where your imagination does. You can also top with any kind of seasoning that your heart desires, maybe try some Italian seasoning on your popcorn. The ideas are limitless.

 
Have fun and let us know if you try a fun combination that turned out great!

Have a Presto popcorn maker? We carry Presto popcorn supplies in our online store.