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Cork and the corkscrew.

(Pictures included above)

Q 1&2, who was the innovator and whats the history behind it?

 It is said that the ancient Greeks were the first ones to make it and put it into use, but it was first largely/commercially used in the 17th and 18th century by the English when they could fit a cork inside the neck of the bottle as their glass blowing became better and better. The wine corkscrew was invented in 1795 by a Samuel Henshall.  People began using the corkscrew widely thereafter because now that they could properly store their wine, they needed a safe way to open the bottle and serve it when they were ready.  He started out with an interesting and innovative design, that was improved upon several times, most notably:

1 by Edward Thompson, in 1802, with the single direction twist corkscrew.    (Fig. 1)

2 by Carl F.A Wienke, in 1882, with the waiter’s friend. (folds like a pocket knife and has a lever.) (Fig. 2)

3 by H.S Heely, in 1888, with the winged corkscrew. (two folding levers on each side) (Fig 3)

4 And many more from the 20th century and on.

Q 3, its in the category of service, technology, idea, product or process?

Cork is mainly used in the process of making things and food, since im not focusing on the other uses for corks.

Q 4, How was it accomplished?

Born from need, people looked and looked for ways to easily and efficiently open their wine bottles without completely destroying the cork and filling your wine with small pieces.  Cork itself is harvested from the cork oak tree (Fig 4) when its about 25 years old. they wait until July or august and strip the outer layer of bark and treat it. Half the Cork trees are located in Portugal. 

Q 5, How is it important?

Cork is extremely useful and important in wine bottling for its impermeability and elasticity, meaning it will fit and suction a wine bottle easily and stay there no matter the size or shape of the bottle opening.  

Q6, How is it important to me?

this is important to me as a chef student and future chef, because without cork, storing wine would be much harder, and without the corkscrew, opening the wine bottles would also be much harder than it needs to be.

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My Diet

Hello,

Today I’m going to be talking about my diet and some other information i recorded while doing a week-long test run of the Mediterranean diet.

First let me explain what this diet entails.  For this particular diet I’m trying to limit my sodium, fats and red meats.  That’s not too hard!  What does that leave?

Its encouraged to use less salt to flavour and instead use Herbs and spices, Eat lots of fish and chicken (at least 2 or 3 days a week), and primarily fruits, veggies, nuts and legumes, frequent exercise and a moderate amount of red wine is optional.

The whole idea of this diet is to eat what the Mediterranean people in South-West European countries (France, Spain, Italy etc) would traditionally eat.

When done correctly, the diet will reduce risk of cancer (breast cancer in particular), reduce cholesterol, risk of cardiovascular mortality and much more.

I’ve made a recipe for those looking for an example of how easy it can be:

YOU WILL NEED:

Ingredients: about 4 Rainbow trout fish fillets, 3-5 sprigs of fresh thyme, A lemon, about half a cup of all purpose flour, 2 or 3 tsp of Vegetable oil, ground black pepper to taste, and (optional) Chives chopped small to taste.

Materials: Micro planer, a medium bowl, (optional) a juicer/ reamer, a medium spoon, tongs, a Grill pan or a regular skillet, and your plate.

1. Zest the lemon and juice it. (optional) reserve a wedge for plating

2. In your bowl, combine the flour, lemon zest black pepper, and some thyme leaves, reserve at least half for the pan.

3. dip or coat the fillets in lemon juice and then dredge in the flour mix.

4. Heat and oil your skillet or grill pan and then cook for 6-8 minutes, or until fork tender, turning once. (thinner fillets will take much less time to cook)

5. (optional) Plate your trout with a lemon wedge and finish with chopped chives.

Ready in less than ten minutes and can serve 2-4 people.

Here’s what i ate on my diet:

Sunday: I started with oatmeal, blueberries and an apple to start the day, i wasn’t doing much if I recall correctly because I took a nap instead of having lunch (oops!) for dinner I made the lemon rainbow trout recipe listed above. i felt hungry later in the night so before bed I had a banana and did some cardio.

Monday: I actually woke up feeling pretty refreshed having changed my attitude and routine, so I started off by having some sunny side up eggs with some more fruits I had in the kitchen.  For lunch I was in class working, So i didn’t have anything again (d’oh!)  On my way home i had a whole grain banana walnut muffin from Tim Horton's. For dinner, I had a Roast mushroom and cheese stuffed chicken breast with broccoli, cauliflower and mashed potatoes on the side.

Tuesday: Had some raisin bran cereal and milk and an orange and coffee with no sugar added.  Went to class instead of having lunch again, (ack!) and went home and tried making smoked salmon with a few herbs and a bun on the side.

Wednesday: For breakfast i had another orange and Vegetable omelette. Skipped lunch (gotta stop that...) to go to work, and got a jog in went home and ate a chicken noodle soup where I added more vegetables like carrot onion and celery and more herbs. I had a bun on the side and a banana before bed. 

Thursday: I woke up and went to class. I skipped breakfast and lunch for school, (I know I know!) went home and made a grilled chicken salad with an Italian vinaigrette i made a few weeks ago consisting of Parmesan cheese, oil, vinegar, honey parsley, basil, oregano etc. I did some basic weight lifting today as a workout before going to bed.

Friday: I woke up and had a coffee, orange, went to school, and went home and had a beef and cheese lasagna. its only recommended in small amounts and only a couple times a month but hey, I was ready for a quasi cheat day! :)  

Saturday: on my last day I ate some more oatmeal with apples and blueberries mixed in. I had my last banana and went to work instead of having lunch (last time! i swear!) I came home and had some leek and salmon parcels i made myself, with buns and a baked potato and went to bed.

Reflection: by the end i was waking up alert and ready instead of groggy as usual. i think i lost some pounds but cant be certain of how much exactly because I don’t own a scale.  I felt lighter on my feet and in general happier and healthier because i was straying from the usual fast food and take-out diet I have. in general i will actually try to keep going on with my diet or at least some aspects of it.

Other examples of daily meals include:

Smoked mackerel & red quinoa patties

Greek yogurt topped with berries and walnuts

Lentil soup with swish chard topped with taziki sauce; Hummus and pita

Roasted cod paired with a wheat berry salad consisting of olive oil vinaigrette, feta, parsley, and tomatoes and a glass of red wine

How can i be a chef and maintain my diet?

its pretty easy to do both. some chefs will still taste their food throughout the day but spit it out, some will just reduce sodium levels and other unhealthy things making it healthier for both the customer and the chef.

useful source:

www.mediterraneanbook.com

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And the recipe

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Pickled Eggs Part 2.

Since I’ve had the finished product, i have let it sit for 2 days. after trying the eggs, I have noticed the eggs are very sweet and a little sour too. I enjoy the taste more than i thought i would because i don’t usually like pickles.  I’m happy with the final product and did not actually have any real challenges.  it was really easy to do and i would highly recommend to anyone who likes pickled foods to go out and do it! The Recipe i did is to follow this post.

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Picture #1, I start to hard boil my eggs, (As you can see I only have 2 eggs instead of 12 as my recipe states, because I only had a small jar on hand and I’m the only one in my family who will eat them)

Picture #2, I took the shell off of the eggs

Picture #3, While the eggs were boiling, i gathered all my ingredients. 

(2 eggs, 1 cup of Water, 1 cup of White Vinegar, 2 tsp pickling spice, 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp of salt.)

Picture #4, I then added all of my ingredients as per the recipe

Picture #5, After stirring 10 minutes and then covering and letting it simmer for another 10 minutes, I finally have the reduced hot mixture that I poured over the eggs in the jar.

The rest of the pictures are the finished product!

Prep time = 15 minutes

Cook time = 20 - 25 minutes

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Credibility And Nutrition

some ways to test the credibility of any given website is to ask a couple of questions such as: Who’s the author? Do they have certifications or a high level of education?  And what do they use as sources. 

3 very credible sources pertaining to nutrition

1. https://www.diabetes.ca/research/progress-in-research - This website’s article is about diabetes and how to prevent it and the history behind insulin and the more medical side of the disease.  You can tell it’s credible because of the fact that its got reliable sources from certified doctors from across Canada.

2. https://www.canada.ca/en/services/health/food-nutrition.html - This website is an extremely credible source because it is on the government of Canada’s website.  It covers many different topics such as how to read food labels, a guide to healthy eating, etc.

3. https://www.eatrightontario.ca/en/Recipes.aspx - This website is made by Certified dietitians, not nutritionists.  They recommend the best recipes to suit your dietary needs.

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On nutrition...

A unique thing about me is probably my philosophy on nutrition. I think that nutrition is a very important subject all around and everyone should want to know more about what gives them energy and supports them everyday, and most importantly moderating it.  I would like to know more about moderation and how to moderate what I eat to make myself more healthy.  In terms of a career, i see myself realistically becoming a butcher, chef or a health inspector within 5 years.  I feel like nutrition is coming into the spotlight more and more nowadays and in the future.  People are caring about what goes into their foods and that’s why fast food is making the change to have better quality where before that wasn’t something they were concerned about.  Not just fast food as well, people in the food industry everywhere need to be aware of healthier options for the food they serve because the amount of customers asking for healthier options are on the rise.

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I am much more interested in the process than results

Ted Allen, Host of “Chopped”

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Some good looking pasta! (Autumn Penne)

From www.SkinnyTaste.com