Good Meal Food
A good meal is one that has the desirable qualities which distinguish it from ordinary meals. Therefore, a good meal should be tasty, healthy and nicely served. This includes proper selection of ingredients, food preparation, cooking, garnishing and presentation and considering the time and environment of the meal.
Making a good meal starts by selection of ingredients. Always select canned and dried food first. Cans should be intact i.e. no bulging, leaking or dentations. Sell-by date should be looked for in every purchase. Dry food (e.g. spices) should be well contained or enveloped (air-tight) to keep the flavor and aroma. The second purchase is for fresh vegetables and green herbs (e.g. parsley, green beans). Green vegetables should be vividly green with no yellow patches on leaves. The package should be uniform with no other herbs included. Finally, refrigerated food, poultry, fish or meat are the last to be selected. Any purchase that is felt worm to touch or packed in a leaking package should be discarded. Once at home, preparation of the meal starts by proper handling. The main objective is to prevent a possible food poisoning that may result from growth of bacteria. Therefore, always keep the food in the refrigerator till its use, keep every thing clean (utensils, hands, towels, cutting boards) and do not allow juices of fish, poultry or meat to reach readily prepared other ingredients. Marinating serves the purpose of tenderizing the meat so it cooks faster and become juicier. The basic elements of a marinade are a mixture of vinegar and/or lemon juice, a finely chopped onion, herbs and spices. Additional elements are added according to what is marinated are yogurt or wine for poultry, olive oil for fish and Soy sauce for meat. Spices (the dried parts of aromatic plants except the leaves) can be hot as dried hot chilies, black or white pepper or ginger or they can be mild as dry coriander. Fresh herbs (basil, mint, parsley…) and spices serve to change basic foods into flavored ones. The best marinating methods is to put the marinade and the ingredient in a nylon bag, mix well then squeeze to the air out, tightly seal and put in the fridge for 2-4 hours. A good delicious meal does not necessarily mean that it should be unhealthy. A report released by the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Academy of pediatrics and the National Institutes of Health, stated six rules for a healthy diet namely; a variety of food, mostly of plant origin, including starch in the form of bread, rice, pasta or cereals, low fat in food (<30% of the total calories needed), intake of sugars should be kept to a minimum and women are particularly encouraged to consume low fat diary products to combat osteoporosis (Tanne, 1999).
Cooking methods are many. They include baking, boiling, grilling, roasting and steaming. Choosing a particular method depends on the flavors and nutrients one wants to keep without adding or consuming extra amounts of fat. Baking is used for cooking bread, potato and sweat potato in addition to poultry and fish. The concluding step of preparing a good meal is presentation. It does not only mean garnishing and preparing the plate, but it should occupy the five senses of the guest (seeing or garnishing the plate, table clothe, and possibly flowers and/or candles, hearing an accompanying soft music, smelling the aroma of the food, tasting the meal and the served beverage and touching whatever he/she can reach). The most important single item is garnishing the plate and it should start by the ingredients of the meal itself as regards colors texture of sauces and fresh green or colored vegetables added at the end. As regards the rim or edge of the plate, it can be decorated using a pâté of red, yellow and green pepper or use cut pieces of vegetables (carrot, potato, or green beans) that are geometrically matching the main item in the plate. Always keep in mind that the additions should add color, flavor and preferably nutritious value to the meal.
To apply the principles described I shall describe how to make a good vegetable stuffed fish fillet meal.
Works Cited
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 4th edition. Pub. Houghton Mifflin e-reference.
Tanne, J. H. One diet fits all. BMJ, 1999. 318: 1646
We provide a professional essay writing service that thousands of our customers use as an effective way of improving their grades, improving their research and saving them lots of time.
