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Have you ever gone to the supermarket to pick up something and you ended up walking out with other things you think you'll need? If so, keep reading. Supermarkets and groceries have secrets to get us to buy items we weren’t planning to buy. Here are the secrets you should know before your next grocery trip.
#1 Spraying Produce with Water
Once fresh produce is picked, they begin to lose its natural moisture so fruits and vegetables dry out. Spraying water on fresh produce helps keep it hydrated so that it maintains moisture and letting it taste fresher for longer. Plump produce also looks fresh and you are more likely to buy food that looks good.
#2 Milk Fridge In The Back of the Store
Few people said that milk needs to be refrigerated otherwise it goes off so when deliveries are made at the back of grocery stores so having milk fridges there would be the best location. However, the real reason is that people come to the supermarket to buy milk, placing the milk fridge in the back forces visitors to walk through the entire store to find it. The result is that you end up seeing interesting products and likely you will buy more than you planned.
#3 Music Encourages You to Linger
Many supermarket play music with a rhythm that’s slower than the average heartbeat, which encourages you to move slower, making you spend more time in the supermarket.
#4 Supporting Local Causes
Supermarkets often have budgets laid out for supporting local causes. If the organisation is having a fundraiser, asking your local grocery store for a donation is a great place to start.
#5 Price at the Unit Pricing
When buying everyday items like rice or pasta sauce, it can be tempting to reach for the item that’s $4.50, instead of the one that’s $5.99. If you look closely at the price tag and you’ll notice the price per unit. Usually, it’s the smaller, lighter and cheaper bags that end up costing you more.
#6 Fresh Produce Entrance
Having flowers, fruits and vegetables be the first thing you see when you enter a grocery store, gives your brain the impression that you’re entering a place that’s natural and fresh. Supermarkets know that this zen entry is not only welcoming but it also makes you feel good about shopping at the store.
#7 Almost Expired Produce Used in Prepared Foods
Ever wondered where all that excess meats and produces goes once it's on its last legs? Many stores give it one last appeal in the prepared foods section - marinaded meats, cooked pies, prepared sausages and so on.
You might stress out of finding something to do on Valentine day? Going out or staying at home? For sure, you might find more romantic than going out to eat on Valentine’s Day and that is cooking for someone at home. Whether you cook together or create a culinary masterpiece to surprise your love, step out of your comfort zone and try your hand at these Asian recipes to really set the mood for love.
#1 Vietnamese Spring Rolls
It's really easy to make restaurant-quality spring rolls at home. This little spring rolls can be frozen and cook straight from frozen in the oven or better at home to shallow fry them!
Check out the recipe here
#2 Thai Glass Noodle
Glass noodle salad belonged to my favourites. Like in the majority of Thai salads, it is a great mix of flavours like spicy, sweet and sour. You can garnish with peanuts however in the class we may not provide peanut as someone might have an allergy.
Check out the recipe here
#3 Green Papaya Salad
If you visit Thailand on the streets of Bangkok, food vendors pound together this combination of green papaya, chillies, fish sauce and lime. Make this salad as tradition dictates with a large mortar and pestle to create the unique flavours of Thailand. More Green Curry and Red Curry Making as a base for your dishes.
Check out the recipe here
#4 Making dumplings
It's easy to prepare, budget-friendly and great-tasting, so what's not to love about dumplings! We've got chicken, pork, beef, vegetarian and more dumplings to make. You can use the ready-made wrapper.
Check out the recipe here
#5 Chinese Custard Tart
Egg tart made with Chinese puff pastry is one of the best Chinese desserts among the dim sum spread in Cantonese cuisine
Check out the recipe here
You can make a pizza party at home and pizzas can be as tasty as some of the best on the planet. With little planning and practice, you will become good at it, we are here to help though.
It has been almost 20 years since I finished Chef school in Wellington. I have worked in restaurant kitchen, catering company, my own cafe, luxury hiking lodge and now with Otao Kitchen. Quite often, people invest a lot of time, money and efforts into cooking and then when you taste the food you start to wonder how to make your cooking easier. I have few tips i can share with you:
It doesn’t matter if you are a professional chef or a home cook, we all have bad days in the kitchen where you accidentally put too much salt in your stew or overcook your pasta. In this blogpost, we would like to share some cooking tips that will save your dinner on one of those bad days!
Healthy eating goes beyond just consuming nutritious food. The way you prepare your food is equally important. If you had been eating out lesser and cooking at home more often, kudos to you!! That’s a great start to healthy eating! Now, let’s take a step further by using these tips to cook healthier meals at home!