Saturday, November 29, 2008

What Comes From Cooking Games


Ever wonder why you play cooking games and what purpose they serve in your life? Of course they are entertainment and you play them because they are fun, but there is more to a simple cooking game than good times – it has other benefits, too.

Hand-Eye Coordination
One of the biggest skills in a rapid-fire cooking game exercise is how quickly you must move your hands after seeing an order come in or to keep all orders busy cooking. Who knows, you might be a surgeon someday operating via camera!

Processing Skills
Television will numb the brain, but cooking games will actually make your brain work faster. Having to react quickly to different orders and scenarios helps you to process information more quickly and to think of a strategy in a split second. Very useful life skill, indeed.

Real World Experience
When you play cooking games at home, you are working in the kitchen and actually gaining real world experience you can use on a job someday or as you grow older. The years you spent playing in the kitchen can ensure that you are fed well as an adult, too.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Three Reasons You Should Play Cooking Games


Like cooking games? You’re in very good company. Cooking games both online and in the kitchen are catching on in popularity with a wide range of people as more and more individuals start to focus on eating right and staying healthy. This is just one reason you might want to continue playing your cooking games.

Eating Right
Chances are, if you are making your own food in cooking games, you’re able to prepare food in a much healthier way than you’d get it from a fast food restaurant. Cooking games teach you how to use a wok and skillet and you can create your own yummy masterpieces that are actually good for you.

Learning New Things
The best way to keep your brain healthy is to learn new things. Playing cooking games is a great way to learn new things all the time and to try out new skills. The more you learn, the better you are in the kitchen.

Gain a Real Skill
Most games teach you hand-eye coordination and strategy, but cooking games can actually teach you a true skill. You can play cooking games online, then try your hand in the kitchen. When you’re done you’ve learned something you can use for a lifetime.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Cooking Games – Biscuits and Honey


A particularly homey winter cooking game is a very simple one, but extremely tasty. To make biscuits and honey, start by turning on the oven and preheating it to 450 degrees. Blend ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 cups of flour and 1 tablespoon of baking powder in a bowl.

Using two knives or even your clean hands, mix in 1/3 cup of shortening. When the shortening is mixed in thoroughly, the biscuit mixture will be crumbly, and that’s okay. Push a hole in the middle of the mixture ball and add ¾ cup milk. Stir the mixture with a fork until it is all mixed and moist.

Sprinkle flour on a cutting board and then lightly knead the biscuit dough by folding itself over on itself over and over again. Use a rolling pin or large can to roll out the dough until it ½ inch thick. Use a can or cookie cutter to cut out 10 biscuits from the dough. Place them on a cookie sheet.

Bake the biscuits for ten minutes, and after allowing the biscuits to cool slightly, break them open, drizzle them with honey and enjoy!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Cooking Games – Decorating Christmas Cookies


Christmas cookies are a staple of the holiday season and with good reason. To decorate Christmas cookies, however, you’ll need an imagination, a steady hand, and plenty of candy. Start with basic sugar cookie dough. Use cookie cutters to cut out different shapes from the dough and bake.

When the cookies are cool, you can use icing in tubes to outline the cookies however you like and then add candy for detailing. For example, a gingerbread man shaped cookie can be outlined in green icing. Little dabs of white icing will help to hold his candy buttons in place. A line of red icing makes a cute mouth and two black or brown dots make his eyes.

The trickiest part of this cooking game is outlining the cookie. To make a good outline, you’ll have to have a very steady hand as you trace the outside of the cookie and as you squeeze the icing out of the tube. The professionals have years of practice, but you don’t have years – you only have minutes or maybe hours. Do spend some time practicing on a separate piece of cardboard to perfect your techniques as much as possible before getting started.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

The Best TV Cooking Games


There are some great television cooking shows out there, but as you know some are much better than others. I don’t have tons of time to watch online cooking games, but among my favorites:

Iron Chef
A totally random approach to a cooking show, Iron Chef America takes the original Japanese format and pits too chefs against one another to make a creation using a particular kind of food. The set up is cheesy and totally fictional. There is endless drama that isn’t really necessary, but something about the set up just keeps bringing me back. There are regular chefs on the show who are picked to go head to head making something delicious out of…PEANUT BUTTER or SPAM or CUCUMBERS. It makes for an interesting hour or so of your week.

Take Home Chef
Dress nicely at the grocery store, because you might run into a totally hot Australian chef. He buys your groceries, plans a yummy meal, comes home with you and actually cooks it with you in your own kitchen to show you how to prepare food at home. He then serves your gourmet meal to you and a special someone making a very yummy waiter and meal.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Are You A Celebrity Chef in the Making?


Someone joked recently that there would be more television chefs than policemen in the near future and there might be a measure of truth to the statement. TV chefs seem to be springing up all over the place and chances are, if you enjoy cooking games, you could be right up there with the best.

You Know How to Cook
To be a celebrity chef, you’ll need to know how to cook. You’ll need to know the basics and have a few tricks up your sleeve to make you better than the rest. Practice over the years with new recipes can help you here.

You’ll Need Showmanship
Nobody likes to watch a boring person stirring a saucepan. You’ll need to cook with flair and the best way to practice this is first using online cooking games and then in the safety of your own kitchen. (Always be careful, of course.)

Easily Speech
Finally, you’ll need to speak freely in front of a crowd or television camera. You can’t cook silently on show, so you’ll want to be sure you are comfortable speaking to an audience of any size and know how to handle yourself if you mess up.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Cooking Games: Nachos


Yummy nachos are a great winter snack as they are warm and gooey – perfect sporting events and winter television shows. To make nachos you need to start with the basics:


• Tortilla chips
• Cheese
• Beans (Pinto or Black beans work best)
• Tomatoes
• Shredded Lettuce
• Hot Sauce

Lay the chips in a single layer along a baking sheet. Carefully scoop out a small spoonful of beans onto each child and coat with cheese. If you desire, you can add another layer of chips above the first and then repeat by adding the beans and cheese to each. Put the tray in the oven for about 7-10 minutes to heat the nachos. While you are waiting, carefully slice tomato into small pieces and prepare your shredded lettuce.

When ready, remove the nachos from the oven and scoop them off the tray and onto a serving platter or plate. Sprinkle generously with the tomatoes and then the lettuce. You can add hot sauce to each nacho or scatter it about the whole platter. Jalapenos can be added for flavor as well. Enjoy!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Cooking Games: Rice Krispies Treats


Snap, Crackle and Pop – three of the best sounds when it’s time for breakfast or time for a treat. Rice Krispies treats are easy to make and even more fun to eat. Invite a friend over for this fun cooking game and you can make your Rice Krispies treats before settling down on the couch for a good gossip session and yummy, sticky treats!

Gather Essentials
To make Rice Krispies Treats, you’ll need six cups of Rice Krispies, one 40oz container of marshmallow cream, and three tablespoons of butter or margarine.

You’ll also need a 9 x 13 inch pan along with cooking spray or extra butter to prepare the pan.

Making the Treats
To make the Rice Krispies treats, begin by melting the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Then, add the marshmallow cream or 40 regular marshmallows and continue stirring until all of the marshmallows are melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the pan from heat.

Next, add in the six cups of Rice Krispies in intervals. As you add one cup, stir the concoction well to be sure everything is evenly coated. When all of the ingredients are mixed together, scoop out the mixture into the pan which should be coated in cooking spray or butter.

Press the Rice Krispies mixture flat and then refrigerate. When the treats are hardened, cut them into squares and enjoy!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

The Best Cold Weather Cooking Games


Like cooking games? Now that it’s winter (or almost winter, anyway) you have more options than ever on games to play. The best winter cooking games take advantage of the cold to make hot, rich dishes the centerpiece of meals and snacks. Here are some of the best cold weather cooking games you should try this fall and winter:

Brownies From Scratch
We can all make brownies from a box, but can you make brownies from scratch? Start with blocks of chocolate and a bit of sugar and flour. Add the remaining ingredients from a time-tested recipe and see what the original version of the brownie is supposed to taste.

Hot Chicken Soup
Don’t settle for canned soup when the weather cools off. Make your own by cutting up chicken and vegetables and cooking. When you make your own chicken soup, you can add as many noodles as you’d like and make your chicken pieces large and delicious or thin and blended in with the rest of the concoction.

Fresh Bread
The smell of bread cooking is unlike any other. If you’ve never made bread from scratch, this is your year. Start with a basic white or wheat bread and go through the steps of kneading the dough, letting it rise, punching it down and repeating. Soon you’ll have loaves of bread fit for a king.