The USDA Says There’s Something You Don’t Know

There’s just one thing that might make you reconsider how you use your Instant Pot. That’s the recent advice provided by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture).

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh4uEH1lNL4/

They want everyone to know that if you like to cook frozen chicken in an Instant Pot, you should probably stop right away.

Here’s The Problem With Frozen Chicken

Bacteria dies at roughly 165 degrees. Until it gets to that point, there’s a “danger zone” between 40 and 140 degrees where bacteria love to breed and take up home in your meat.

The Instant Pot gets chicken to 165 degrees, no problem. But when you start from frozen, the chicken spends more time in the danger zone.

This, according to the USDA, presents a health risk. Yes, you kill off the bacteria while cooking, but the by-products of bacterial infection are not destroyed by heat.

These by-products are poisonous and can cause infection in humans. There are many more of these by-products in chicken that has not been thawed before cooking. So, defrost your chicken, throw it in the pot, and get back to your busy schedule!

The post New Health Warning – The Instant Pot Mistake You’ve Probably Made appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

Perk Up Your Pancakes Using This Method

No more soggy, dense pancakes! The secret method to achieving thick, fluffy “Japanese pancakes” is to ditch your frying pan. Well, not exactly. But, the trick is to use a rice cooker instead of a regular frying pan. Using a rice cooker is one of the keys to making thick, fluffy, sponge-like pancakes. But that’s not all – you’ll need to add two secret ingredients that you wouldn’t normally associate with pancakes.

Secret Ingredient #1 For Perfect Pancakes

After Japanese Twitter user @majyokkorei shared a recipe for the perfect pancake, Tweeps were on a mission to put it to the test. According to the recipe, the key to perfect pancakes includes the addition of two common yet unexpected ingredients. And what exactly are they? Secret ingredient number one is carbonated water.  Find out what secret ingredient number two is below.

Secret Ingredient #2 For Perfect Pancakes

The post Use This Secret Japanese Trick For Super Fluffy Pancakes appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

Ingredients

3 oz butter

1 tablespoon minced garlic and finely chopped

2 tablespoons flour

1 ½  cup milk

1 ½  cup heavy cream

½ cup Parmesan cheese grated

½ cup Romano cheese grated

Directions

Prep and cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves up to four people

1. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped garlic to the melted butter and cook for no longer than 2 minutes, but no less than 30 seconds. You’ll want to keep it sauteeing until the garlic becomes fragrant.
2. With the heat still on, add the flour and whisk it in. Keep whisking until it thickens, creating a roux.
3. Stir in the milk and cream.
4. Stir in the cheese and keep stirring until all the cheese is melted.
5. Turn off and remove from heat. Continually stir the sauce until it becomes thick (usually about 30 seconds to one minute).
6. Serve as you wish, usually over pasta. Feel free to add parsley as a garnish to your taste.

The post The Perfect Dupe For Olive Garden’s Alfredo Sauce appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

TIP: To prepare the dish ahead of time, make the casserole up to eight hours in advance, cover it with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate it until it’s time to bake.

Ingredients

2 cups chicken cooked and diced

3 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend

1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles, undrained

¾ cup sour cream

8 flour tortillas (8-inch tortillas)

1 can (16 oz) refried beans

1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce

4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

1 cup shredded lettuce

1 medium tomato, diced (3/4 cup)

 Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 13×9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Using a medium bowl, mix the chicken, 1 and 1/2 cups of the cheese, the chiles, and sour cream.
3. Layer three tortillas in baking dish, overlapping as necessary and placing slightly up sides of dish (you may want to cut the third tortilla in half to fit).
4. Spread half of the beans over the tortillas and top with half of the chicken mixture and half of the enchilada sauce.
5. Layer with three more tortillas and remaining beans and chicken mixture.
6. Top the dish with the remaining two tortillas. You can overlap them slightly, but do not place up the sides of dish.
7. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over top and then sprinkle the remaining 1 and 1/2 cups of cheese on the top.
8. Cover the baking dish with foil. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until bubbly. Remove the dish from the oven and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
9. Garnish the casserole with onions, lettuce and tomato.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BH8AgswD8iy/

The post A Layered Chili-Chicken Enchilada Casserole That Will Melt In Your Mouth appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

The USDA Says There’s Something You Don’t Know

There’s just one thing that might make you reconsider how you use your Instant Pot. That’s the recent advice provided by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture).

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh4uEH1lNL4/

They want everyone to know that if you like to cook frozen chicken in an Instant Pot, you should probably stop right away.

Here’s The Problem With Frozen Chicken

Bacteria dies at roughly 165 degrees. Until it gets to that point, there’s a “danger zone” between 40 and 140 degrees where bacteria love to breed and take up home in your meat.

The Instant Pot gets chicken to 165 degrees, no problem. But when you start from frozen, the chicken spends more time in the danger zone.

This, according to the USDA, presents a health risk. Yes, you kill off the bacteria while cooking, but the by-products of bacterial infection are not destroyed by heat.

These by-products are poisonous and can cause infection in humans. There are many more of these by-products in chicken that has not been thawed before cooking. So, defrost your chicken, throw it in the pot, and get back to your busy schedule!

The post New Health Warning – The Instant Pot Mistake You’ve Probably Made appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

Perk Up Your Pancakes Using This Method

No more soggy, dense pancakes! The secret method to achieving thick, fluffy “Japanese pancakes” is to ditch your frying pan. Well, not exactly. But, the trick is to use a rice cooker instead of a regular frying pan. Using a rice cooker is one of the keys to making thick, fluffy, sponge-like pancakes. But that’s not all – you’ll need to add two secret ingredients that you wouldn’t normally associate with pancakes.

Secret Ingredient #1 For Perfect Pancakes

After Japanese Twitter user @majyokkorei shared a recipe for the perfect pancake, Tweeps were on a mission to put it to the test. According to the recipe, the key to perfect pancakes includes the addition of two common yet unexpected ingredients. And what exactly are they? Secret ingredient number one is carbonated water.  Find out what secret ingredient number two is below.

Secret Ingredient #2 For Perfect Pancakes

The post Use This Secret Japanese Trick For Super Fluffy Pancakes appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

Ingredients

3 oz butter

1 tablespoon minced garlic and finely chopped

2 tablespoons flour

1 ½  cup milk

1 ½  cup heavy cream

½ cup Parmesan cheese grated

½ cup Romano cheese grated

Directions

Prep and cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves up to four people

1. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped garlic to the melted butter and cook for no longer than 2 minutes, but no less than 30 seconds. You’ll want to keep it sauteeing until the garlic becomes fragrant.
2. With the heat still on, add the flour and whisk it in. Keep whisking until it thickens, creating a roux.
3. Stir in the milk and cream.
4. Stir in the cheese and keep stirring until all the cheese is melted.
5. Turn off and remove from heat. Continually stir the sauce until it becomes thick (usually about 30 seconds to one minute).
6. Serve as you wish, usually over pasta. Feel free to add parsley as a garnish to your taste.

The post The Perfect Dupe For Olive Garden’s Alfredo Sauce appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.

TIP: To prepare the dish ahead of time, make the casserole up to eight hours in advance, cover it with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate it until it’s time to bake.

Ingredients

2 cups chicken cooked and diced

3 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend

1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles, undrained

¾ cup sour cream

8 flour tortillas (8-inch tortillas)

1 can (16 oz) refried beans

1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce

4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)

1 cup shredded lettuce

1 medium tomato, diced (3/4 cup)

 Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 13×9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Using a medium bowl, mix the chicken, 1 and 1/2 cups of the cheese, the chiles, and sour cream.
3. Layer three tortillas in baking dish, overlapping as necessary and placing slightly up sides of dish (you may want to cut the third tortilla in half to fit).
4. Spread half of the beans over the tortillas and top with half of the chicken mixture and half of the enchilada sauce.
5. Layer with three more tortillas and remaining beans and chicken mixture.
6. Top the dish with the remaining two tortillas. You can overlap them slightly, but do not place up the sides of dish.
7. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over top and then sprinkle the remaining 1 and 1/2 cups of cheese on the top.
8. Cover the baking dish with foil. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until bubbly. Remove the dish from the oven and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
9. Garnish the casserole with onions, lettuce and tomato.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BH8AgswD8iy/

The post A Layered Chili-Chicken Enchilada Casserole That Will Melt In Your Mouth appeared first on thedancingcucumber.com.