Archive for October 14th, 2008

Wine Cellar Lighting


2008
10.14

Phantom linear strips make ideal wine cellar lights. Due to both their flexibility and concealment, they can be positioned in a variety of positions that create both direct and indirect cove lighting effects. In smaller wine cellars, they can function as the primary light source, and in larger cellars where people gather for a quiet getaway into a better, alternate reality, linear strips can be used to create ambient wine cellar lighting that contributes a vital element to romance, mystique, and relaxation.

Because many wine cellars are intended for viewing rather than visitation, lighting them with standard overhead accent lighting fixtures can often detract from the presentation of the wine bottles and the aesthetic of ornamental wine racks. Wine cellar lighting in this type of environment must completely hide its source and magnify the bottles, labels, and racks without giving away the source of illumination. This can be difficult in narrow confines that often resemble a long closet more than what most of us think of when we visualize a room. In such quarters, Phantom linear strips can be mounted on the rear interior of the doorway of the wine cellar. Light shines back into the room from the concealed strips, creating a luminance that appears to grow out of the corridor and intensify as it reaches the bottles.

In larger wine cellars, lighting takes on a more subtle role as an accent to atmosphere. Wine cabinets and wine racks stand along the walls, normally surrounding a table or two where people can gather and enjoy wine and cheese and quiet conversation. Most wine cellars of this nature, though spacious in floor space, nevertheless have low ceilings. Flexible cove lighting strips can be mounted on top of racks and cabinets, shining light upward along the back wall and reflecting it off the ceiling. This is similar to valance and cove lighting, but it has a much more powerful effect due to the space limitations of the low ceiling. The light appears to climb the wall and wrap itself around the ceiling, fading toward the center in a gentle glow.

Lighting wine racks themselves can also be done with similar effect using linear strips. Because Phantom makes every LED energy saving lighting strip custom to the dimensions of either a horizontal or vertical mounting surface, strips can be fitted to the interior of the rack to emphasize the label and surround the bottle with an aura of light. Or, wine cellar lighting strips can be concealed behind the racks along the rear surface of the wood, shining the light forward for a silhouette effect. Because of this remarkable flexibility and precise matching of fixture size to mounting dimensions, the possibilities for wine cellar lighting with Phantom custom lighting strips are as many and varied as wine cellars themselves.

For lamping options, we recommend LED 2800K festoon lamps as the most ideal source of both direct and indirect wine cellar lighting. 2800K festoons produce the warmest possible colour temperature available in LED, and they are a viable replacement for incandescent and xenon light sources. It is extremely important to use LED strip lighting in any wine cellar if at all possible. The absence of UV radiation and infrared heat renders the light harmless to the wine itself and prevents interference with any refrigeration systems that may be in place. The distribution of light produced by the 2800K LED festoon is indistinguishable from that of previous, more primitive technologies, and is ideal for creating an atmosphere of warmth, colour, and comfort. This is also the most energy efficient form of wine cellar in cabinet lighting and the best option for those who wish to leave the lights on for most, if not all, of the time.

Due to the highly original and custom nature of wine cellars, lighting in these environments has to reflect a level of equivalent customization and adaptability to some of the most eclectic cabinetry and interior architecture found in refined and elegant settings. Because our Phantom LED cabinet lights are all manufactured custom to specification orders, the best way to order these lights is to contact our main office and send us blueprints of your wine cellar (if available), along with a series of photographs that will help us build your lighting strips specific to the dimensions, floor plan, ceiling height, racks, and cabinetry of your cellar.

Phantom Lighting. For more information on Wine Cellar Lighting and LED Lighting Technology visit us online today.

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Top 10 Reasons to Love Your Food Processor


2008
10.14

You should get a food processor if you don’t already have one. In fact, go out and get one today! Out of every appliance in my kitchen, it is my absolute favorite, and I use it constantly. In fact, I never put it away. I have a small processor for fast shopping or veggies and herbs and a large 14-cup processor to make all sorts of wonderful concoctions. So again, if you don’t have one of these marvels, you need to get one.

Here are my top ten favorite things to make using a food processor.

1. Peanut butter cookies, the easiest recipe in the world: 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 cup peanut butter, and a teaspoon of vanilla if desired. Toss them into your processor; give it a whirl for a few seconds until well mixed. Scoop out a tablespoon of dough and scrap it on the side of the bowl to even the spoon, drop onto a cookie sheet and smash it down with a fork to make the cross hatch design. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes and you have fabulous, gluten free peanut butter cookies.

2. Specialty butters are definitely a favorite of mine. In fact, I get ideas from many restaurants, constantly seeking new flavors to spread across bread. Armed with my food processor, making specialty butter has never been so easy. My favorite is basil-garlic butter. By processing a stick of butter with a couple cloves of garlic, I can then add some crushed basil leaves and let it sit in the fridge for a week or so in an air-tight container. Then, it’s French bread and wine for dinner. Sometimes I even use it on grilled cheese with mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, and bacon. So delicious!

3. Make steak sandwiches by chilling, but not freezing, leftover steak in the freezer until firm but not frozen. Slice with your processor and then add to a skillet in which you have been sautéing bell peppers and onions. Put it all on a sandwich bun, top with jack cheese, and enjoy. I know, who has leftover steak? Plan for this and throw an extra steak or two on the grill next time.

4. One of my favorite uses for a food processor is making soup when I’ve had a hard day. Some chopped onion, garlic, milk, a bit of flour, chicken broth, broccoli, cheese, and pepper can be easily put together to make an excellent meal. After sautéing the onions and garlic, add all ingredients except milk and flour and cheese, cooking over medium heat for 10 minutes. Afterward, combine with milk and flour and cook an additional 5 minutes, then let cool while adding cheese until it melts. Place in a food processor, and you have smooth, creamy broccoli-cheese soup that can relieve any stress-filled day.

5. Want to make a great hollandaise sauce in a short amount of time? Take ¾ cup of butter and melt it. Then take three egg yolks, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon water, and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and mix on high in your food processor, slowing adding the melted butter. Add a bit more lemon juice, some cayenne, and some salt to taste, blending well, and store the mixture for 30 minutes.

6. Puree unsalted and lightly seasoned foods for your baby and save on the cost of canned or bottled baby food. On the flip side of life, you can puree foods for the elderly who have denture issues.

7. I make dips and spreads with my processor; my favorite is a pureed cucumber and cream cheese dip. Sorry, secret family recipe.

8. I am a huge fan of chocolate, and my food processor allows me to take melted chocolate chips, some tofu, salt, 3 egg whites, half a cup of sugar, and a quarter cup of water and turn it into a light, chocolaty masterpiece. My chocolate mousse is a favorite amongst all of my friends, and can be topped with either grated chocolate, whipped topping, or both!

9. To chop nuts, I use the shredding disc which makes the pieces more uniform in size and doesn’t make the texture too fine or risk turning the nuts to butter.

10. My 14 cup processor will hold an 18.5 ounce cake mix. I can have the cake ready to bake in less time than it takes me to haul my big mixer out and find the correct beater.

There it is; my list of top 10 favorites. Keep your processor accessible, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you come up with your own top 10 list.

As a chef, Rodger Haroar has used many different kitchen appliances. And, as it happens with most constantly used equipment, replacement restaurant equipment parts like restaurant equipment parts and Hobart meat saw parts are often needed. Rodger shops for replacement parts at National Band Saw, knowing that he can get Hobart parts, Biro meat grinder parts, and Berkel slicer parts for less.

By Rodger Haroar

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Doughnut holes


2008
10.14
50g butter
65 gr sugar
1 pack vanilla sugar
2 eggs
250 gr quark
125 gr flour

How to cook Doughnut holes

- stirr all ingredients together
- cut out teaspoon-size pieces
- insert cut out dough into boiling vegetable fat until they
have a medium brown colour (app. 3 minutes)