11 Nov 2021
CookinGenie offers a multitude of options for meals. You can try dishes from across the globe from the conveniecen of your home.
01 Nov 2021
Let’s do a little exercise really quickly. What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the words “personal chef”? More than likely, you’re thinking something along the lines of how expensive it must be or how only the very rich can afford to have their own personal chef.
Are you ready for a little secret?
Lean in a little. Okay, here it is.
Personal chefs are an affordable choice that can fit just about any budget. In fact, you could be doing yourself a disservice by not using a personal chef service for special occasions or as a little treat.
You may be surprised by what’s included when you get a personal chef service. The first is that they come to your home after shopping for all of the ingredients that they need to cook the dishes that you requested. Then, the kitchen magic happens where your regular kitchen is turned into a fancy restaurant kitchen for one night. Your selected chef will prepare the dishes so that you can enjoy a hot meal at home. Once the meal is finished, your personal chef will then clean up the kitchen leaving you free to enjoy the meal and conversation without worrying about whether or not that sauce is going to easily come off the pan or how long you’ll need to soak everything.
Are you still thinking that a complete chef service that includes so much is going to break the bank? You are about to be surprised. A personal chef service will cost you less than going out to eat.
At a traditional restaurant, there are a number of costs to consider. Meals can cost about $20 to $25 a person. Don’t forget to add on the cost of any drinks you and the rest of your party are enjoying. Even drinking a carbonated beverage can add up to your bill. Then, you must consider other costs associated with dining out. You had to drive to the restaurant, so that’s gas along with wear and tear on your vehicle. You may have to pay to park or use the valet service depending on where you’re dining. Then, there’s the time factor. Going out to eat, especially today where many restaurants are having staffing shortages, can chew up a lot of your valuable time as you wait for an open table, wait some more on your food to be prepared, and then wait on the check to arrive at the end of the meal.
Personal chef services like CookinGenie can be less costly and time-consuming than the old way of going out. You can pick your meal and see your price. Don’t want to have leftovers? Order exactly the number of portions you need. Want to enjoy leftovers for lunch the next day? Order more portions.
So, using a personal chef service is cheaper than visiting a restaurant. There’re some other benefits that also come with this option over dining out. Ever go to a restaurant and must eliminate many of the dishes from consideration because of a food allergy or not like a particular ingredient? It’s often easier to just order something else because even if you go through the process of telling the waitstaff to remove an item, there’s always a chance that it will end up in your dish anyway. Kitchens at restaurants can be loud and busy places where sometimes things get lost in translation. Imagine being able to tell your personal chef that you don’t like mushrooms or a family member has an allergy to peanuts, and feeling safe in the knowledge that they won’t buy mushrooms or peanuts during their shopping trip. That’s a great feeling.
At the end of the day, is dinner a rushed event in your home? Do you rely on packaged meals that may not be the healthiest choice, but it’s quick and easy? That happens to a lot of people who have enough to juggle in a day on top of making sure no one goes to bed feeling hungry. Going with a personal chef service means that you’ll get freshly made and healthy meals that aren’t coming out of a can or the freezer. You do not have to feel guilty about not having time to make a meal that not only tastes great but is great for you and your family.
The convenience that comes from hiring a personal chef gives you the chance to focus on what matters the most to you, and that is worth its weight in gold. Your life is busy. It’s easy to forget how to connect with those you love the most when you have got to handle everything on your plate in a day along with getting food on a plate for everyone to eat. Imagine instead of trying to rush to the store to grocery shop, someone else handles it for you, even if just for one day a week or month. Plus, an added bonus is that you do not have to worry about handling the cleanup after spending even more time with your family.
Convinced yet to give a personal chef service a try? Still worried that the prices are too high for your budget. You can do a little experiment. Pull out your last receipt from your favorite restaurant you like to visit for special occasions. Then, open CookinGenie website, so you can compare the two. Oh, and do not forget that you do not have to buy the groceries, do any cooking or clean-up, and get to enjoy the professionally made food hot and ready right from your kitchen without the inconveniences that come from eating in restaurants in a world still getting over the pandemic.
15 Mar 2020
Most of us feel pretty confident in our ability to read labels and know what we’re putting into our bodies. But sometimes, understanding food labels can be daunting. We feel like we need PHDs in food science. Did you know, for example, that there are 61 ways in which sugar can be described on food labels? Surprised? We thought as much.
The FDA requires that ingredients be listed by weight in all packaged foods. Most of us are savvy enough to realize that the ingredients are listed from greatest to least, but there may be more than one form of sugar in the packaging. Bottomline, when you read food labels, be sure to understand everything that is listed. If you recognized all the ways in which sweeteners are put in packaged foods, you can make an informed choice about what you are buying.
In a recent article published by UCSF it was revealed that manufacturers add sugar to 74% of packaged foods. Consumers expect sugar to be added to dessert type items like cookies and cakes, but many are shocked to find out that otherwise “healthy” foods such as yogurt, breakfast bars, and juice often contain sugar. In some packaged foods, multiple sweeteners are used with different names.
So how can you be sure what you’re eating is healthy? Well the FDA is considering revising the guidelines for how food labels are created to help people better understand what they are putting in their bodies. But industry wide changes take time.
We, at CookinGenie, started our business with the core value that cooking from scratch is the healthiest way to eat. However, not all of us have the time to cook from scratch. If you fall in that bucket, consider CookinGenie. Our Genies are here to cook from scratch in your own kitchens. We choose only the freshest ingredients from your neighborhood groceries and prepare your food right in front of you in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Enough suspense on the 61 names for sugar though. Here they are:
1. Agave nectar,
2. Barbados sugar,
3. Barley malt,
4. Barley malt syrup,
5. Beet sugar,
6. Brown sugar,
7. Buttered syrup,
8. Cane juice,
9. Cane juice crystals,
10. Cane sugar,
11. Caramel,
12. Carob syrup,
13. Castor sugar,
14. Coconut palm sugar,
15. Coconut sugar,
16. Confectioner’s sugar,
17. Corn sweetener,
18. Corn syrup,
19. Corn syrup solids,
20. Date sugar,
21. Dehydrated cane juice,
22. Demerara sugar,
23. Dextrin,
24. Dextrose,
25. Evaporated cane juice,
26. Free-flowing brown sugars,
27. Fructose,
28. Fruit juice,
29. Fruit juice concentrate,
30. Glucose,
31. Glucose solids,
32. Golden sugar,
33. Golden syrup,
34. Grape sugar,
35. HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup),
36. Honey,
37. Icing sugar,
38. Invert sugar,
39. Malt syrup,
40. Maltodextrin,
41. Maltol,
42. Maltose,
43. Mannose,
44. Maple syrup,
45. Molasses,
46. Muscovado,
47. Palm sugar,
48. Panocha,
49. Powdered sugar,
50. Raw sugar,
51. Refiner’s syrup,
52. Rice syrup,
53. Saccharose,
54. Sorghum syrup,
55. Sucrose,
56. Sugar (granulated),
57. Sweet sorghum,
58. Syrup,
59. Treacle,
60. Turbinado sugar,
61. Yellow sugar
31 Jan 2022
Whether you tune in for the creative commercials or to see the action on the gridiron, there’s nothing like getting ready for the Big Game. No matter if you’re planning on having a more intimate gathering with just a few close friends or a much bigger bash, you want to have a memorable event that everyone is talking about until you throw your next party. Here are some fun party ideas to delight your guests.
A football-themed photo booth is always fun. First, create a football backdrop that helps your guests feel like they are at the big game. You can make it look as though you are sitting inside the stadium where the action is happening. Then, add some fun props, such as footballs, jerseys, football bead necklaces, football glasses, and more to let your guests create fun pictures to share.
Football season just isn’t the same without going tailgating at least once. One of the drawbacks of tailgating towards the end of the season is the cold weather, so set up a themed party indoors that looks like a tailgate party. Decorate your table to look like the back of a truck. Throw up some folding chairs for extra seating.
Since not everyone wants to sit still through the entire game, you may want to consider adding some fun games to your party. Some traditional favorites played before a game while tailgating include cornhole, washers, ring toss, beer pong (minus the beer for the kids), and more. Perfect for parties where there are a variety of ages. It’s a great way to keep kids occupied while the adults cheer for their favorite team.
Custom create some fun drinks to celebrate the Big Game. Make a cocktail to represent each team’s colors and let your guests decide who will be the winner of the matchup. You can even add to the event’s fun by using glasses shaped like footballs. Of course, if you can’t find appropriate glasses, you can always create your own using mason jars and some white tape to mimic the look of the laces on the football.
There are so many fun decorations that you can use to make your home festive for the Big Game. Hang up football streamers and similar decorations. Use the different team colors to create a bold look around your house. Big foam fingers scattered around the room that can be picked up and used during the game can be fun for all.
Let your guests make guesses about the game. Then, create a square game to let your friends have some friendly (or not so friendly among really competitive friends) competition on the Big Game. You can find these games online to print or create your own.
Food makes a party. Everyone wants to have plenty of snacks and dishes to eat while watching the fun on TV. Every party often goes the same for the homeowner throwing the party where they spend more time preparing food than enjoying their own party with their guests. So why not get someone else to handle the food? Catering means that your food probably won’t be warm by the time it’s delivered. Ordering in at the last minute from your local pizza joint or restaurant often leads to the food arriving later than you want. A personal chef is a perfect option. You can pick some dishes and have them prepared in your own kitchen. Your food will be hot and ready for your guests, and you get to participate in all the fun without missing out. The cherry on top is that the chef cleans up the kitchen after they’re finished cooking.
No party is complete without food, and dessert is always the perfect touch to help sweeten up your event. What better way to console fans disappointed their team is losing with something tasty to eat or make winning fans feel victorious as they cheer their team on for the W? There are lots of fun cupcake toppers and football-shaped cakes or cookies you can offer up to your guests. For instance, you can take peanut-butter cookies and shape them in an oblong shape. Once they come out of the oven, you can put some frosting on them in lines to complete the look. You can also turn chocolate-covered strawberries into little footballs with white chocolate details.
Have you ever played commercial bingo? It can be a lot of fun. Each card has different squares featuring something that may be featured in a commercial, such as a particular brand or the use of animals. Play bingo every round of commercials until someone gets bingo. For more adult gatherings where alcoholic beverages are flowing, you may want to consider playing a shots game. You can pick phrases or actions for during the football game or the commercials, and when it happens, it’s time to drink. For instance, if someone tears up during a commercial, they have to drink a shot, or if someone yells a particular phrase, they have to drink a shot. You can find both bingo cards and shot game directions online if these are new to you.
Not everyone you want to come to your party will be available to attend. You may have some family or friends who need to stay home for various reasons or aren’t able to come over, from quarantining to traveling for work. So, why not create a virtual watch party for the Big Game. Start by sending everyone attending virtually a list of all of the things you’ll have on hand so that they can prepare some of the same dishes. Then, everyone can log in and enjoy the game together.
Celebrating the Big Game in a big way is a time-honored tradition. You’ll be the talk of Monday after you pull off a big party. Let CookinGenie be part of your Big Game plans. No matter if you’re planning on just watching with family or a larger group, your personal chef can help you create a fantastic spread sure to please even the pickiest eaters. Check out the variety of dishes available for your next gathering.
