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10 Best Sugar Substitutes for Event Planners or Home Entertainers

Whether you're planning a corporate workshop, a private birthday party, or a fun cooking class at Otao Kitchen, the food you serve is at the heart of every memorable event. Today, more people are watching their sugar intake, so offering healthier sweetening alternatives isn't just thoughtful—it's essential.

Sugar might be one of the most widely used ingredients in cooking and baking, but it’s also linked to various health concerns, including obesity, diabetes, and inflammation. The good news? There are plenty of delicious, natural sugar substitutes that don’t sacrifice flavour or experience. Here are our top 10 sugar alternatives to use in your recipes for both professional events and casual home cooking.

How to Buy, Store and Prepare Chicken?

Australians eat more chicken every year than any other meat or protein. It can be a nutritious and tasty choice, but raw chicken often contains nasty salmonella. If not handled properly, the bacteria could make someone really sick! Poultry is a product that deteriorates quickly, so it’s important to know when it is fresh or not. Here are some hints to find the freshest chicken and the best way to store it.

Buying Chicken

• When purchasing chicken, make sure there’s no ‘off’ smell. Fresh poultry should have very little, or no aroma.
• If buying a whole bird, ensure the skin, flesh and bones appear undamaged.
• Chicken breasts should be plump with a very pale pink flesh.
• Chicken thighs have a darker meat. They should have a dark pink flesh and a little white fat.
• Make sure to purchase from a reputable supplier who has been approved by local authorities.
• Check that the chicken is delivered at 5C or below.
• Confirm that frozen chicken products are completely frozen and inspect the packaging for any signs of thawing.
• Don’t accept any chicken that is soft, discoloured or sticky. Pay particular attention to the wings and joints.

Storage

To store chicken, leave it in its original packaging or place in a container and cover completely. Store on the bottom shelf (or the coldest part) of your the fridge for up to 2 days. This helps prevent contaminating any foods below. Cook any raw chicken within two days of purchase and freeze whatever you don’t use. Ensure to wrap your chicken in airtight packages. Label, date and keep refrigerated at 5C or below, or frozen at -15C or below.

If freezing fresh portions, do so immediately after purchasing (in its original packaging) for up to 2 months. Alternatively, separate the chicken into serving portions, thoroughly wrap in plastic bags or cling film and freeze for up to 2 months. It is very important to thaw chicken completely before cooking. To defrost, place the chicken in the fridge on a large plate (in its original packaging). This will take between 12-24 hours. Never refreeze chicken that has already been thawed. Cooked chicken can then be frozen for later use.

If you’ve ever been to a Chinese, Indian, or Thai restaurant, you likely already know how intentional Asians are when it comes to preparing food. Their dishes can’t be easily replicated using the typical options you find around you, so you’ll need to look for a good source of Asian ingredients. 

It’s popular knowledge that to make the best Asian cuisine, you should have the best ingredients. You probably want to try cooking some Asian meals at home, but you don’t even know where you can get everything you need to do so. Fortunately for you, the answer is right here. Just read on to know how you can search for and get your hands on quality ingredients for Asian cuisine.

1. Browse Catalogues

You’re probably wondering why you haven’t thought about this. Or maybe you have. Either way, checking catalogues is a great way to locate specific shops where you can get good ingredients for the Asian food you want to serve.

Not only will a catalogue provide you with store names, but it’ll also help you know the prices of the ingredients you’re after. Browsing a Coles catalogue and others similar to it will even allow you to discover special offers you can take advantage of.

1. Visit An Asian Supermarket

You may have already gone to different supermarkets in your area numerous times to purchase ingredients for your everyday meals. However, those places might not have the specific ingredients that’ll allow you to prepare Asian dishes the right way. You have to go to Asian grocery stores to buy those, so keep an eye out for one whenever you’re walking around or traveling from one place to another.

1. Do An Internet Search

In a world where nearly every business is online, you’ll surely be able to find an Asian online store offering high-quality ingredients. Some of them may even offer discounts on certain items. You only have to take your time and ensure that you choose the right one for you. 

Although many of them have physical shops, it may be more convenient for you to order from them online and have your items delivered. In doing so, you’ll save time and effort and get your Asian ingredients at excellent prices.

1. Ask An Asian Friend Or Neighbour

Of course, your Asian friends and acquaintances would know exactly where you can buy fresh ingredients for Asian cuisine, and they’ll be delighted to share that sort of information with you. Don’t be surprised if they even offer to accompany you to the particular stores they mention. And when they do go with you, they might just be able to teach you how you can determine the freshness and quality of certain food items.

There's no better time than now to take a full check of your kitchen essentials as a budding chef. If you still keep old and destroyed pots, stubborn knives, and worn-out chopping boards, it’s time to change those. These essentials have reached their end of life when it doesn’t serve its purpose anymore. Chefs know that while cooking skill and technique matter, it doesn’t hurt to invest in top-quality materials to make cooking easier, more efficient, and speedier, too.

You have that drive within you now to take your cooking to the next level. So, as you hone your skills, your kitchen tools should contribute to that purpose as well. Yes, there are gadgets and gizmos for just about everything in the kitchen. But you don’t need to have them all at once as a budding chef. You can start with the bare essentials.

With that said, here’s a list of the top kitchen essentials you must have as a budding chef:

3 Healthy Cooking Class Ideas For Your Kids

Fun, hands-on learning that inspires lifelong healthy habits

As parents, we all want to raise happy, healthy kids who know how to look after themselves — and that includes learning how to cook! Cooking classes not only teach practical life skills but also build confidence, creativity, and positive eating habits.

At Otao Kitchen, our kids' cooking classes are designed to be fun, educational, and most importantly, healthy. Below are three popular and healthy cooking class ideas that your kids will love — and you can book them right now.

The quality of meals you consume regularly can affect your health in many different ways. Consuming healthy meals regularly can improve your immune system and keep you healthier in the long run. Eating healthy can also boost your energy levels and make it easier for you to maintain or lose weight.