18 Nov 2021
If you have an emergency, you can reschedule the service. Please provide us with more than 24 hours notice. All rescheduling related to health reasons is free.
21 Sep 2022
When pregnant, you may worry about a million things, such as your health, your baby’s health, what you should be eating, what you shouldn’t be eating, and on and on. It can feel like there’s never enough time or energy to get everything done.
One thing that you don’t need to worry about is dinner; as for that, you can depend on a personal chef. Hiring a personal chef can help save you from the stress of meal planning and preparation, giving you more time to focus on your baby’s impending arrival. A personal chef will work with you to create a menu that fits your needs and dietary restrictions and prepare meals accordingly. You’ll never have to worry about what’s for dinner again!
Expecting a baby is an exciting time, but it can also be a bit overwhelming. In addition to all the usual preparations, you both have to think about how you will keep up with your routine while taking care of your upcoming baby. One way to ease the transition into parenthood is to hire a personal chef. A personal chef can take care of meal planning and preparation, giving you one less thing to worry about. And because they can customize their menu to meet your dietary needs, there’s no need to fret about whether you’ll enjoy the food or not. With a personal chef on hand, you can easily focus on taking care of yourself and your new bundle of joy.
As an expectant mother, you know pregnancy is a time of intense physical and emotional changes. In addition, it can also be a time of upheaval when it comes to mealtime routines. With morning sickness, food cravings, and a constantly changing body, it can be challenging to cook meals for oneself, let alone for a family. In such situations, a personal chef can be a great help. By preparing meals in advance, a personal chef can take the stress out of mealtime for you. In addition, he can also customize menus to meet the unique needs of you and your family. From Salmon Salad to Chicken Soup, a personal chef can help ensure that your family is eating well during this particular time.
Along with all the joys of parenting comes a lot of extra work, including meal planning and cooking. In these instances, a personal chef can be a real lifesaver. By cooking meals in advance and freezing them, a personal chef can help you save both time and money. Having a stash of homemade meals in the freezer means you can reheat and serve without spending precious time in the kitchen. And because the chef prepares meals using fresh ingredients, the food is healthier and more affordable than takeout or frozen dinners. A personal chef is an invaluable asset for busy parents like you, especially when expecting a baby.
A personal chef is an excellent option if you have specific dietary needs or preferences. A personal chef can cater to your particular needs, whether you have food allergies, follow a religious diet, or are choosy about what you eat. A personal chef can create menus everyone will enjoy by working with you to understand your family’s likes and dislikes. And because they do all the shopping and cooking, you’ll have more time to spend with your loved ones – something that’s priceless.
Also Read: 10 Time-Saving Services That Every Busy Mom Should Use
The arrival of a new baby is an exciting time, but it can also be chaotic and stressful, full of new challenges and responsibilities. Although a personal chef can take care of meal planning and preparation, helping you de-stress a bit, with so many chefs to choose from, it can be challenging to know which one is right for you. Here are five questions to ask when interviewing personal chefs and making the right choice:
By asking these questions, you’ll be able to narrow down your choices and find the personal chef that’s right for you and your family.
When hiring a personal chef for the first time, you may be eager to convey your dietary needs. One way to do this is to be proactive about communicating any dietary changes or preferences to the chef. Of course, you don’t want to be a picky eater, but you must let the chef know if you have any food allergies or specialties. This information will help them to create meals that are both tasty and safe for you to eat. In addition, sharing your dietary preferences with the chef shows that you are considerate of their time and effort.
Overall, as an expectant parent, you have a lot to think about, and meal time can be one of the last things on your mind. However, hiring a personal chef can take some of the stress out of meal planning and provide you with the peace of mind that comes with knowing your family is eating healthy, homemade meals. In addition, personal chefs can tailor their menus to meet your unique needs, whether accommodating dietary restrictions or simply preparing your favorite dishes. So hiring a personal chef may be the answer if you’re looking for a way to make mealtime easier when expecting a baby.
09 Sep 2021
We all know at least one person who loves their food insanely hot. They insist that their hot wings “aren’t spicy enough unless I’m dripping with sweat.” On it’s face, that doesn’t make sense. Spicy foods cause physical pain, not just in the mouth, but sometime through the entire body. Why would we deliberately eat, and enjoy, something that causes pain? Well, it turns out, there are actually some pretty compelling reasons why so many people around the world love the way it hurts.
Spice is not a “flavor” but rather a sensation. The sensation of spice comes from the chemical compound capsaicin, which is the substance that makes hot peppers hot. Capsaicin causes pain and triggers the body to think it’s in danger. In response, the body releases endorphins, which are pleasure causing hormones, this is the body’s way of trying to eliminate the “threat” it feels when you eat spicy food. This chemical release causes some people to associate eating hot foods with happiness, creating a “high”, similar to that of the good feeling you get after exercising.
When the body feels it’s in danger, it will also release the survival hormone adrenaline, which can give someone eating a fiery hot bowl of noodles a sense of heart-pounding excitement, just like if they were riding a roller coaster or bungee jumping. In short, for many, eating hot foods is a kind of thrill seeking.
It stands to reason that since the chemicals in hot peppers cause us pain, they can also be harmful to bacteria, viruses, and other microbes. Before refrigeration, hot peppers were often used to help preserve food and ward off bacteria in hotter parts of the world. This was integral to food safety; hot peppers were literally life savers.
That’s why hotter countries like India and Mexico have developed very spicy traditional cuisines while more temperate climates like England and Scandinavia produce much more mild food. So, because of these antimicrobial properties found in hot peppers, many cultures created spicy traditional dishes and over generations, billions of people have come to love them.
One reason we may love spicy food is because it’s so good for us. Extensive amounts of scientific research point to all kinds of health benefits from eating spicy foods. Capsaicin, the chemical compound found in chili peppers, is loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. Capsaicin has also been linked to improved digestion, an increased metabolism, better heart health, reduction in cancer risk, and a strengthened immune system. Turns out, hot peppers are one of nature’s true superfoods.
At CookinGenie, we offer a range of fiery, delicious dishes that appeal to even the most avid of heat seekers. Try genie Jared’s Red Thai Curry, which uses bird’s eye chili peppers along with a blend of aromatic Thai ingredients to make a vibrant, spicy curry sauce filled with stir-fried vegetables. Perhaps order genie Dylan’s Jerk Chicken, which takes juicy chicken legs and slathers them in a tangy, sweet & spicy Jamaican sauce made from habaneros, ginger, cinnamon, and more.
Whatever, your spice preference may be, CookinGenie can accommodate you. You can always request that a dish be more (or less) spicy, and our genies can even make separate plates so that some portions are really spicy for the heat lover in your family, and the rest are milder. To bring the delicious, healthy heat to your kitchen, book a genie today.
Written by: Jared Kent
28 Sep 2021
Cooking for someone with a severe food allergy can be intimidating. And with food allergies on the rise, it’s becoming more common than ever. You want people to enjoy your food. But you would never want to be responsible for giving someone a severe allergic reaction.
Thankfully, with the right knowledge and planning, cooking for guests with severe food allergies doesn’t have to be daunting. It will take some extra steps, but it’s always better safe than sorry. Here are some things to remember before cooking for guests with food allergies.
People can have food allergies to just about anything. But food allergies, which are not the same as food sensitivities and intolerances, are not all created equal. Some people have allergies with mild symptoms like hives and a stomachache. Others may have allergies that could cause life-threatening anaphylactic shock, which may include dangerous symptoms like a swelling throat, fainting, wheezing, and trouble breathing.
While all allergies have the potential to be severe, certain ingredients are far more likely to cause extreme reactions. The 8 most common severe allergens are milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, and wheat.
It’s important to understand the complexities of these allergies. Someone who’s allergic to milk can’t eat other milk-derived products such as cheese, yogurt, or ice cream. And while some of these allergies sound very similar, they can be different. For example, someone may be allergic to almonds, but not peanuts. Or they may be allergic to shrimp and scallops, but salmon is fine. Whatever the case may be, make sure you talk to your guests and understand exactly what it is they’re allergic to.
Some people tend to think that if a guest has an allergy, they can just leave out that ingredient for that guest and it’ll be fine. While this may be true for some, in cases of severe allergies, the allergic person may not even need to directly consume the allergen to have a dangerous reaction. For example, an invisible trace of peanuts that can be spread through the air onto a dish may be enough to trigger an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts. So, if possible, it’s best to leave the allergen out of the entire meal, even for those who aren’t allergic to it.
Reading labels can be a pain, but it’s an important safeguard against allergic reactions. Sometimes ingredients can have unexpected allergens. For example, Worcester sauce, which is a popular condiment for steak and burgers, often contains anchovy paste, making it unsuitable for people with seafood allergies. But, by the name, look, and flavor it, you would never know, making reading the labels all the more important. By law, common allergens are bolded on the bottom of the label, making it easier to identify them.
Additionally, because just a trace amount of an allergen can cause a reaction, you need to watch out for any possible exposure. Some foods, like prepackaged cookies, may not actively contain nuts but may be processed in the same facility as almonds. In this case, those cookies would not be safe to serve to someone with a severe nut allergy.
Before beginning to cook for someone with a severe food allergy, be sure to thoroughly clean and sanitize the kitchen, including surfaces and utensils you will use. There’s no telling if there may be trace amounts of the allergen floating around the kitchen. So, to be safe, give everything a good cleaning beforehand.
If you take all the proper steps to protect against food allergies, you should have nothing to worry about. But just in case, you should be prepared to handle a severe allergic reaction. Make sure any guests with food allergies are carrying their EpiPen on them. Also ensure that someone in your party knows how to properly inject an EpiPen as the person having the reaction may not be capable of injecting it themselves.
The EpiPen will help immediately ease the symptoms of the reaction. While one person is injecting the victim with the EpiPen, someone else should call 911 to get the victim professional medical aid. While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, try to keep the victim calm while lying on their back.
Anaphylactic reactions are scary, but if handled properly, everything should turn out fine. Less than 1% of anaphylactic reactions from food are fatal, according to the national institute of health.
At CookinGenie, the chefs know that protecting customers from allergies is of the utmost importance and they’re experienced in cooking for people with serious allergies. Genies can modify orders to fit around allergies and the support team will work with every customer to craft the best meal.
