Les Kincaid's Lifestyles

Selecting The Cheese Course

Tips On Buying Cheese: Cheese shops, gourmet food stores and upscale supermarkets usually offer the most interesting, diverse selection of cheese. These specialty stores tend to sell a lot of cheese, so you can be sure that the cheeses they offer are fresh. The merchants at such stores are skilled at handling and storing cheese properly, and can assist you in making a good selection. Whenever possible have the cheese sliced fresh for you. When creating a cheese course, select a...

How to Save an Open Bottle of Wine

Whether you think your bottle of Bordeaux is half-full or half-empty, you don�t want to waste what�s left. But air decomposes and oxidizes a bottle once it�s opened, and the wine spoils, just like produce. Replacing the cork will keep it two or three days. To make it last the week, remove as much air as you can with a device like the Rabbit vacuum pump, moistening the stopper first for the tightest seal. Then refrigerate the bottle; all wines, including reds, last longer if...

Reading and Deciphering a Wine List

As much as you enjoy sharing a bottle with friends, you could probably do without the waiter breathing down your neck as you eeny-meeny-miney-mo the list. To choose a high-quality, well-priced bottle, Andrea Immer, host of the Fine Living Network's Simply Wine, suggests the following: Have a clear idea of what you want to spend before you even crack open the menu. A good rule of thumb is to take the price of the most expensive entr�e as a baseline and then go up to about 50 percent more...

Wine Buying Strategies

You've bought a bed, a car, maybe even a house. So why is choosing a bottle of wine as nerve-wracking as high-kicking for cheerleader tryouts? When faced with a wide selection, many novice wine buyers assume the solution is to "trade up." If you spend more, the wine will be better, right? Not necessarily. You can never assume that a $20 bottle is twice as good as a $10 one. As with other expensive foods and drinks (like caviar and exotic cheeses), high-priced wines may take you...

How to Hold a Wineglass

You should always hold the glass by the stem, no matter what the shape or size of the glass or the type of wine. The most common mistake I see in restaurants and at dinner parties is people holding a wineglass by the bowl. When you do this with a Champagne flute or a wineglass, your body heat warms the drink inside. Of course, white wine and Champagne both taste best when they�re chilled. Holding your glass of Burgundy by the bowl will not affect its taste, but if you�re trying to look at...

When was the last time you took a vacation?

If you had to think about it, it�s been too long. If you need a vacation, you need information. Here is a way to take your vacation(s), take you BIG discounts and make $$ too. Your Dreamtrips are just a click away. Save and enjoy http://www.leskincaid.WorldVentures.com WorldVentures is an online travel company and host agency for home-based travel agents. An emerging leader in the leisure travel...

Six Kitchen Myths That Deserve Debunking

After all is said and done, do seeds turn tomato sauce bitter? Does cold water boil faster than hot? Does a warm lemon produce more juice than a cold one? Old-style chefs and cooks grew up learning �truths� from their teachers and mothers, who�d learned them from theirs � thus the �old-wives tale� thing. These days, we�re a little more empirical, but there are still a lot of questions out there. But listen, if your grandmother told you that baking powder lasts forever (soda does,...

Ten Steps to a Much Safer Kitchen

1. Your refrigerator A temperature of 40�F or less is important because it slows the growth of most bacteria. The fewer bacteria there are, the less likely you are to get sick from them. 2. Perishable foods A temperature of 40�F or less is important because it slows the growth of most bacteria. The fewer bacteria there are, the less likely you are to get sick from them. * Date leftovers so they can be used within two to three days. * If in doubt, throw it out! What's the...

Popular wines of Italy

Major Italian White Wines Asti: Sparkling wine, deliciously sweet, low in alcohol, with pronounced fruity and floral flavors. Usually non-vintage, but freshness and youth are essential to its quality. Frascati: Dry or slightly off-dry, light-bodied, and un-oaked with crisp acidity and subdued flavor. Gavi: Dry, medium-bodied wine. Typically crisp and un-oaked (sometimes slightly oaky) with delicate notes of honey, apples, and minerals. Orvieto: A generally medium-bodied wine....

The 12 Most Popular Wine Varietals

The world of wine is a tricky place for lovers of the fermented juice of the noble vine. There is such a wide range to choose from, and so many varying styles. Chardonnay, for example, can be anything from a luscious, vanilla laden giant to a searingly acidic, dry wine more akin to Sauvignon Blanc. My personal white food wine. It helps to know what grapes a wine is made from, which is no easy task when even the most famous of grape varieties travel incognito, with labels representing a...