GoGoKitty’s Do-It-Yourself Secrets

Espresso

The technical definition for espresso is a concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee. For those who appreciate a finely pulled espresso the definition is pure bliss.

Espresso originated in Italy in the early part of the 20th century. It wasn’t until the later part of the century that it became the beverage that it is known as today. In the beginning espresso was created using steam pressure; however, the spring piston lever allowed for more commercialization and the espresso today was born.

Characteristics

A truly good espresso pull (brew) has defining characteristics that are unique to an espresso. The consistency is much thicker than coffee due to the high amount of dissolved solids. The chemical components that make up an espresso quickly degrade and so it is served in small two ounce servings known as shots.

The most defining trait of an espresso is the crema. The crema is the top layer of reddish-brown foam that seems to float on top of the liquid. This element of is made up of proteins, sugar and vegetable oils. The flavors in an espresso are highly concentrated which is why it is the foundation for other coffee drinks such as cappuccinos and lattes.

How to Brew

Brewing or pulling an espresso is not difficult but it does take practice to perfect. An espresso machine is required in order to obtain enough steam pressure to make the beverage. People who enjoy espresso will often visit coffee shops just to watch a good barista (Italian for bartender) pull espresso, much like watching an artistic performance.

First, the barista will fill a metal filter basket with the proper amount of finely ground coffee. There is not a bean that is specifically known as an espresso bean; however, the higher quality the coffee bean, the better the espresso will be. Typically, one-fourth to one-third of an ounce of coffee will make a single shot.

The coffee is then tamped down with a large amount of pressure. The goal being to compress the coffee into a tightly formed, smooth-topped puck of coffee. The filter basket is then placed back onto the espresso machine.

When the machine starts, it forces pressurized water through the filter and the resulting output is the espresso.

Factoring Agents

There are many factors that can affect an espresso pull, which is what makes a good barista an art form to watch. If the coffee is not tamped down properly the resulting espresso will not be of good quality. The crema is dependent on the amount of steam pressure used to force the water through the grinds. Some machines have a manual control that allows the barista to control this force and others are on a timer.

Espresso is a common drink in many parts of Europe while in North America it is more often used as a foundation for other coffee based drinks or to give a cup of coffee some added umph. No matter where espresso is pulled, there is as much pleasure in watching a barista pull it as there is in the couple of minutes it takes to drink it.

-Katya Coen

Individuals around the world and in a variety of different cultures use deep frying as a primary means to cook their foods and the majority of individuals are nearly on the verge of being hooked on the huge range of foods that can be and are deep fried. Although you will not find them anywhere on a list of foods recommended for healthy living, numerous people are so captivated with fried cuisine that they have even fitted out their kitchen with a home deep fat fryer.

Nevertheless, amongst the drawbacks to having a fryer in your home, such as a mini deep fryer or a cool touch deep fryer, is the fact that they are quite messy to keep clean, sparkling and looking sanitary. This is actually one of the reasons why a lot of folks choose to get their fix of deep fried foods out at restaurants rather than having to deal with the fuss of doing deep frying oil cooking in the home.

As well as the mess that comes along with a deep fryer in terms of grease that gets into the air and clings to just about everything it comes into contact with, there is also the question of handling and getting rid of the oil. With deep fat fryers the oil for deep frying has to be disposed of after it has been well used, in order to make space for fresh oil for the next meal.

Nevertheless, by following a few easy tried and tested tips, the cleaning of your home deep fryer need not be such a chore as it first appears. With a regular cleaning and maintenance routine, you will be making sure that all the deep fired foods that you cook will all come out tasting delicious and not winding up with a gone off grease taste. Nothing can spoil an otherwise fantastic meal more than finding out that your oil has been in the fryer for so long that it either has gone off or has that old grease tang to it.

When it comes to keeping home deep fryers clean and hygienic, one thing that you do not have to do is replace the deep frying oil every time you use the unit to cook anything. Having said that, if you are inclined to use your home fryer to cook various foods that have strong flavours, the oil will need to be changed more often than if you only cook the same or similar foods. The reason being is that strong flavors are inclined to get into the oil and then transfer to the next food that you cook in the deep fryer. This is particularly true of flavorings that can end up giving a rancid type of taste.

Changing the deep frying oil is a simple procedure of heating it to the stage where it is warm, but not too hot, and liquified. Once it reaches that stage, all you then need to do is drain the used oil off into something like an old coffee can or similar container, preferably one that has a lid.

Next, you can use a spatula to thoroughly scrape the sides of the fryer to remove any bits of food and any oil that is still clinging to the inside of the unit. When you have gotten as much oil as possible out with the spatula, grab some kitchen paper towel to mop up any additional grease that remains. Once the inside of the fryer is cleaned out and the oil is in the container, you should then seal the can with tape.

The next step in the cleaning procedure is to fill the fryer with some warm water and a little dishwashing liquid that is effective at cutting through grease. Plug the electric deep fryer in and let it boil the water for around ten minutes or so. This will cut through any left over oil and grease after which, you simply pour the water out.

Lastly, rinse out the deep fryer with clean water until you are certain that all traces of grease and washing up soap are gone. This is also a good time to clean the outside of the unit with warm water and baking soda, which will help take away the grease that has built up on the outside. Following these simple steps on a regular basis will help keep your deep fried foods tasting fantastic.

The ideal situation would be if we all had great big wine cellars that had air conditioned systems and air purifiers. This would give the wines the best change of aging perfectly and we wouldn’t have to worry about them at all. Sadly, not many people can afford this option and so have to make do with the facilities we have. Outlined here are the top pieces of advice for the storage of wine.

Location. Your bottles, both white and also red wine, are best placed in a cool room, away from the light and with moderate humidity levels. The best temperature to store you wine at is between 10° and 16° C (50° to 61° F).Anything warmer than this will start to have negative effects on the quality of the wine, and a temp 25° C or more will have even more dramatic consequences on flavour. leaving the bottle in direct sunlight can not only discolor it but also affect the air temperature inside the bottle. Moisture levels in the room can affect the cork and cause it to swell or shrink. This can sometimes have the effect of letting air into the bottle and causing something called oxidation, an annoying situation that happens when the liquid is in contact with oxygen for extensive time.

Positioning. You should lay the wine bottles on their side or slightly elevated when in storage. This is because the cork will dry out and shrink if there is not liquid in contact with it at all times. This can cause the wine to suffer from oxidation, a mentioned previously.

Display. Keep your wines hidden away in a dark place is not always practical. occasionally you have an urge to bring them out and show them off. A good choice would be wooden wine cabinets due to the fact these tend to maintain a steady temperature and always go for one that lets you store your wines on their side.  Don’t use one that has a glass covering as this can lead to the greenhouse effect and warm the wines up.

When looking for the best shelves for your bathroom the first thing you will need to do is decide how you will use them. There are a variety of ways to use bathroom shelving. Bathroom shelves are great for providing extra storage space without using up too much floor space. Bathroom shelves are great for holding cosmetics, clean towels, toiletries, and small appliances.

You can find bathroom shelves made from various materials such as glass, metal, plastic, and wood. Glass bathroom shelves appeal to many people. These shelves are installed easily and their clear shelves give the room an open feel. If you decide to go with glass bathroom shelving you will need to determine the thickness of glass needed to hold the weight of your items and whether or not you would like to have tempered glass. Tempered glass is the best choice for families who have children who could get injured if the glass should happen to break.

Variety Of Designs

You can find bathroom shelving in a wide variety of styles. You can use small triangular shelves in the top corner of your shower or bath to hold items that you would use while showering or bathing. Items you may want to place on these shelves include hair products, soap, shaving cream, and razors. This is a great way to reduce some of the clutter in your bathroom. The shelves you put in your bathroom can be either permanent or freestanding. You attach permanent shelves to the wall with a bracket. These types of shelves come in metal, glass, or wood.

How To Install bathroom shelves

It is best to install these types of shelves using a level. Anywhere in your bathroom is a good place for freestanding shelves. Some will even feature suction cups on the bottom of their legs to keep them from moving around. The type of shelves that are best for you will be determined in part by the amount of floor space in your bathroom.

Are you considering purchasing new carpets but aren’t sure about the carpet installation? While you can probably install the carpet yourself, there are many professionals available who are experts at this job. Regardless of who will be installing the carpet, you need to ask yourself a few questions. You will want to think about the underlay that will be installed under the carpet. You will also want to make sure that you are purchasing enough carpet to cover the flooring in the room in which it is being installed.

It is very possible for most people to install their own carpeting. While there are a few things that you will need to know before starting, it can be done. The first question that needs to be answered before installing your carpets is just how much carpet material you will need. This will have to be decided regardless of whether the carpet is being professionally installed or whether you are doing it yourself. Exact measurements need to be taken of the floor area in which the carpet will be installed. If you are not sure, then you can ask a representative from the store where you are purchasing the carpeting to help you. It is much better to have a professional make the calculations than to make them yourself and take the chance of not having enough. For the flooring representative to make the calculations, you will simply need to provide them with the measurements of the width and the length of the room in which you will be installing the carpet.

One thing that many do-it-yourself-ers might not think of when trying to complete carpet installation is the underlay that will be needed. The underlay is actually the padding that will go under the carpet. The underlay is very important and can add to or take away from the life of your carpet, if the correct one is not purchased. You will want to choose an underlay that will hold up to the traffic within your home.

There are many books and even websites that can help you with your carpet installation project. It is always best to ask questions or read up on any subject that you have never done before. If you feel that it is definitely something that you cannot do yourself, then by all means hire a professional. Professional carpet installers can have your carpet installed in no time, giving your living room, or any other room, that fresh new look.

As many already know, adequate lighting is a critical part of keeping your home safe.  Even though lighting is very important to home safety, a lot of homeowners don’t look at their lighting as being an integral aspect of safety.  No matter where you may live, you should always make sure that there is plenty of lighting in place and that the lights are out of reach for those without a ladder.

The lighting that is around the doors of your home is very important, as most burglars like to focus on doors before anything else.  When it comes to the doors of your home, any lighting at all is better than no lighting.  If a burglar sees lights around your home, chances are he’ll move on.  If the lights are off however, the burglar will more than likely proceed as planned.

If you own a garage, you should always use an automatic garage opener.Once they have been activated, most will automatically turn on the lights.  Your carport is also important to safety.  If you are going to be away from home, you should always make sure that the leave the light on your carport on.  You can also use motion detected lights as well.  When these lights detect any type of movement, they will automatically turn on – which could easily startle a burglar.

For the exterior of your home, motion detected lights are the way to go.  If you have a large backyard, you should always make sure that you use motion detected lights.  To be on the safe side, you can always connect a home secuirty alarm to the lights.  This way if someone was to move through your yard, the lights would sound the alarm.  Burglars don’t like security alarms and they will normally flee the instant they hear an alarm sound.

If you are planning to use motion sensors in your front yard, you should make sure that you have planned the locations carefully.  People walking by the sensor or kids playing nearby can easily trigger it.  When you set the motion sensors up you should always make sure that you hook lights up to them as well.  This way, those in your family will know where the motion detectors are and they can easily avoid them.

Having the right amount of lighting around your home will go a long way in keeping your family safe.  Burglars don’t like to be around light, which is why it is so very important.If you don’t have enough lights around your home, you should do something about it.  It doesn’t have to be anything fancy – all you need is enough lighting to make sure that a burglar thinks twice about breaking into your home.