Christian Chefs Newsletter
March 15, 1999

OUTLINE:
           Introduction
           Christianity in the Kitchen - The Lord's Day
           Learning Subject of the Month - High Altitude Cooking (Part 2)
           Featured Recipe - She-Crab Soup
           Recent Job Listings - including info on new Employment Opportunities area of our website
           Featured Website - "Chefs at Work"

God is allowing us to continue to build and grow both physically and spiritually: we have started two new sub-ministries within the Fellowship this month!!! A new and very much improved "Employment Opportunities" area has been added to our website this past week. Currently there are three job postings there, but not all of the listings have been transferred from our message board to our website. More information about this program can be found below, in the "Job Listings" area of this newsletter.

Another option started this month is the new hyperlinked version of this newsletter on our website. The hyperlinked version has direct links to areas in the website and is in color. It is also much easier to read if this version doesn't appear properly in your mail program. In future months, we will also be including pictures in it. A link to this can be found at the top of this newsletter.

"On the seventh day he (God) rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." Gen. 2:2-3 (NIV) As it is written, God Himself, the one and only, even rested on the seventh day. With that in mind, how can it be that so many of us in this world, as Christians, especially in this industry, think we don't need to follow His example? The seventh day has been sanctified, meaning that it has been set aside for His use ONLY, and regretfully, way too many of us abuse it even if we do get that day off from work. I know how hard it can be in this industry to get every Sunday off, but God has commanded us to not work on the Sabbath AND to not require others to work then either (Ex. 20:8, Dt. 5). Yes, that does mean to try your best to get Sundays off to completely devote to God alone. I'm not saying that we should all just pack up and quit our jobs for that reason. It may be impossible for many of us to get off work Sundays, but you should still set aside one day every week to devote to Him, for almost everyone gets at least one day off work every week.

The word itself, Sabbath, translates from the Hebrew word that means "to rest". You may think this is another ritual from the Old Testament that isn't necessary to follow, but man was not created to worship the ritual of the Sabbath day. Actually, it's the other way around, for Sabbath was made for man (Mk. 2). God created us to NEED that time of rest and reflection. There's more than one reason why it's on one set day during the week, for the Bible says in numerous places how it occurs once every week on the designated day (Sunday) for the purpose of hearing the gospel. If you neglect the Lord's Day altogether, you lose out on more than your personal time of reflection; you lose out on a time, (maybe the only time for you) to hear the gospel being taught. Many people in recent months have even been coming to the Internet to try to fulfill all their spiritual needs, including Church, Bible studies, and their spiritual social life. The above three means are a great way to get to know God better, but by NO means should your computer be your only source (besides your own prayers) for spiritual guidance and spiritual contact with others.

Spending time with God, not just on the Sabbath but in your everyday life, can be very closely related to tithes and offerings. Think about it. There are probably more people that give 10% of their gross income to benefit the work of God than there are people that take 10% of their time to devote to Him. And 10% of your WAKING time is only about twelve hours per week, being about 1 hour per day and five on Sunday. Don't you think God would prefer for you to devote to Him 10% of the time that He's given you in this world rather than 10% of your finances? Why is it that most of us don't? I believe the answer is simple: because money, (although we work hard for it) is something that can be handed over and done so without consciously thinking that the finances from 10% of the time you're at work is given up to Him. Time, on the other hand, is given with complete knowledge of where it's going. Yes, it's also commanded that finances should be given to God, but priorities in our daily lives NEED to be set straight, for if you belong to God you should be acting like it in all areas of your life.

In the end, it comes down to us all needing to ask ourselves these questions AND acting upon them: Am I really resting and reflecting on Sundays? If not Sunday, am I taking one full day to do this? If not, isn't it about time I start? Now's a better time than any other!

By Ira Krizo

If God is speaking to your heart about these things, and you need somebody to talk with, or if you have any specific prayer requests, please don't hesitate to e-mail us about your need and somebody from the fellowship will contact you as soon as possible.

You will want to refer to Part One on our Website if you have not read it (2/15/99 Newsletter). Part One covered the basics of High Altitude Cooking. Almost all of this information is being quoted from "The New High Altitude Cookbook" by Beverly M. Anderson and Donna M. Hamilton. This is the best book of its kind I have been able to find. I highly recommend adding it to your library if you ever plan to do any High Altitude Cooking. (Links to our archived newsletters and a link to our Recommended Books page, where you can purchase the following book, can be found at the end of this article.)

Food is often underdone because the moisture in the food itself and the water in which it is being cooked boils at a lower temperature. Because of the rapid rate of evaporation, food can easily cook dry. Unless special adjustments are made in the temperature of cooking oil, deep-fat-fried foods will be over-browned on the outside, undercooked on the inside. Because of the lack of moisture in the air, sugar syrups used in making candies, frostings and jellies concentrate much more rapidly than at lower elevations. Canned fruits, tomatoes and pickled vegetables do not become thoroughly processed because of the lowered boiling point of water, and low-acid foods (vegetables, meat and poultry) can nurture heat-resistant bacteria unless processed longer and at higher poundage in a steam-pressure canner.

In summary, altitude has a great effect on food and food processes. It affects the flavor and taste of food, influencing three of our four basic tastes: sweet, sour and bitter. It affects processing time and moisture content. But there are solutions to the problems. You will find these solutions in each and every chapter of this book mentioned above by reading the introductory material, using the guidelines in the charts, and carefully following the directions in the recipes.

(Within the webpage link entitled "High Altitude Charts" at the end of this article, you can find a chart explaining the boiling temperatures of water in both metric and US scales. The other chart, which is on the same webpage, lists "Oven Temperature Ranges at High Altitudes".)

Because slow cookers use a very low temperature, it is important that the food inside gets hot enough to become properly done. At high altitude, a minimum safe temperature is 200'F. You must take special care to get more heat into the slow cooker, since you are already cooking with a 10 or more degree drop in the boiling point.

Since temperature control units on slow cookers vary with each manufacturer's model, you should be careful to select a setting comparable to at least 200'F. Low settings should not be used for cooking at all. Also, allow for considerably more cooking and baking time at higher elevations.

Aluminum foil on top of the foods being cooked or between the rim of the cooker and the cover reflects the heat downward into the food and is especially helpful at higher elevations.

Successful use of the electric skillet and wok at high altitudes depends on increasing the cooking temperature by about 25'F.

You should always allow for more cooking time than is called for in accompanying instruction manuals and in sea-level recipes.

You can maintain or increase "cooking power" in ways other than by just turning up the temperature control dial. First, keep the vents tightly closed during cooking to keep all the steam possible inside the skillet or wok. Second, when braising foods that require long cooking times, secure aluminum foil over the skillet's rim, then place the cover on tightly. This optimizes the use of all available heat, reduces heat loss, and helps retain the proper moisture content.

*The information in this section has been adapted from materials compiled by Joan Gehle, Home economist, Denver Public Schools*

High altitude affects most foods cooked in the microwave oven with the exception of vegetables.

Temperature of foods decreases as altitude increases, yet due to more rapid evaporation of liquids in high altitude areas, microwave cooking takes less time than at sea level.

The exceptions are meats and dense, low-moisture foods such as pasta and rice, which require the maximum cooking time recommended in manufacturers' instruction manuals and nationally published microwave cookbooks. It is advisable to judge the doneness of the meat by the muscle, not the fat, since fat cooks more quickly than muscle.

Cake batters should stand fifteen minutes before baking to permit some of the leavening gas to escape. Fill baking dish only half full because cakes rise higher and more rapidly in the microwave oven. High altitude directions on package mixes should be followed.

Every high altitude cook should own a pressure cooker. When you live at 5,000 feet above sea level, for example, the atmospheric pressure is 18 percent, or 2.1 pounds less than at sea level, and every increase in elevation decreases it further. By enabling you to increase the pressure inside the cooker to nearer that of sea level, the pressure cooker raises the temperature at which water boils and makes food cook more quickly and thoroughly.

Wherever it is used, the pressure cooker has gained recognition for quick cooking and vitamin-and-energy-saving features, but at high altitudes it provides the additional benefit of accomplishing the otherwise impossible.

Using the Pressure Cooker at High Altitudes:
To reach the same boiling temperature as at sea level, the pressure in the cooker must be increased by 1 pound for every 2,000 feet above sea level, and cooking time under pressure should be increased by 5 percent for every 1,000 feet after 2,000 feet above sea level. At sea level, the pressure cooker is normally set to 10 pounds. At higher altitudes (5,000 feet and above) the additional 10 pounds will not raise the boiling temperature to as high a point as they do at sea level, and the gauges of most home pressure cookers do not go above 10 pounds. To compensate, it is necessary to lengthen the cooking time recommended for sea level, or the gauge from your pressure cooker may be sent to the manufacturer and adjusted to the proper weight for the altitude at which you live.

In addition to altitude, the types of meat and the maturity and size of vegetables must be taken into consideration when determining cooking times under pressure. A one-to-two minute increase in cooking times is usually sufficient for most vegetables, except for such bulky roots as potatoes, beets and the like. At an altitude of 5,000 feet, these require an additional 5 minutes of cooking time.

High altitude recipes for biscuits, muffins, coffee cakes, and fruit and nut breads require less leavening and more liquid than do sea-level recipes. To offset the dryness in the air and to produce a uniformly textured, moist product, they often include buttermilk, sour cream and yogurt among the ingredients.

Popovers will not pop to their puffiest unless extra-large eggs are used and shortening is omitted or reduced. The lower boiling point of liquids, which affects the baking temperature of popover batter, requires strict baking.

Making doughnuts and fritters at high altitudes requires substantial changes, primarily in cooking techniques. The inside of doughnuts and fritters cannot cook as quickly as the outside. Therefore, the temperature of the cooking oil must be lowered to prevent the outside from cracking or burning before the inside is done. The temperature decrease varies according to the type of food being deep-fried, but the rule of thumb is to lower the temperature about 3 degrees for each 1,000 feet of elevation.

High altitude has the greatest effect on cake making and baking. An ingredient-balanced, altitude-adjusted, time and family-tested recipe is the best way to bake a perfect cake at elevation over 2,500 feet. Many elements in a recipe can be adjusted to produce a moist and fine-textured cake at high altitudes, but not all the adjustments possible need to be made in any individual recipe. (I could go on for pages on this subject, but the book mentioned above covers it all very well.)

Please visit the links below on our website for the high altitude charts mentioned and/or to purchase a copy of the book I have been getting my information from.

Submitted by Diane Boone, Retired Camp Chef
DianeBoone@aol.com
Feel free to contact me for more information on high altitude cooking.

Go HERE to view High Altitude Charts mentioned above.

Go HERE to enter the Recommended Books page (including the book "The New High Altitude Cookbook").

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp./30 gm - Butter
1 Tbsp./7 gm - Flour
1qt./1L - Milk
2 cups/454 gm - White Crab Meat with Roe
5 drops - Onion Juice
1/4 tsp/1 gm - Pepper
1/4 tsp/1 gm - Mace
1/2 tsp/2 gm - Salt
1/2 cup/113 gm - Heavy Cream, whipped
4-5 Tbsp/57 gm - Dry Sherry
Grated rind of one lemon

Procedure:
1) In the top of a double boiler, melt butter and blend with flour until smooth.
2) While stirring constantly, add the milk slowly.
3) Add the crab meat and roe plus all the seasonings except the Sherry.
4) Cook over low heat for 20 minutes.
5) Serve in warm cups with one teaspoon Sherry, and a topping of whipped cream.

Submitted by Kathryn Ousley

This past week, we have opened the new "Employment Opportunities" area of our website. Due to the growing popularity of this sub-ministry, we felt this part of the program needed more organization.

If you're currently looking for a job, there are two areas to this program that may fit your employment needs. The first is a listing of ALL the jobs available. For those of you who have a desire to work in a specific location, you can view the listings by state.

Employers: there is also a variety of tools to aid you in your search for a new cook or chef. You can post a job within our website, and once that's done, you can modify it or remove it at any time. The form to use to submit a new job can be easily found by going to the "Job Listings" area of our website (link below) and following the instructions to the simple process of posting your listing. This is another of the many FREE things provided to you by this Fellowship.

Listed below, and available for your viewing in the website, are the jobs that have been submitted to us this month. We've been informed that some people who are receiving this newsletter (particularly through Juno e-mail) are unable to view these listings. Those of you affected by this can e-mail us with "E-mail Job Listings" in the subject column and we will send you the details on any job that might fit your needs.

Go HERE to enter the Employment Opportunities area.

**
Name = Laurel Pines Christian Camp
Location = Corona, CA (Southern California Mountains)
Timeline = June 99 - Aug. 99 (other dates possible if available)
Positions = Food Service Manager (Cook)
Second Position = Assistant Cook
Pay = Salary plus Room and Board
Contact:
           Gary & Betty Stedman
           Home43boys@aol.com
           or phone: (800) 583-2267 OR (909) 371-1092

**
Name = Clydehurst Christian Ranch
Location = Billings, MT
Timeline = Full Time, June - August
Position = Food Service Manager
Responsibilities = Oversee the food service in a newer and nice facility. We offer youth and family camps and desire quality meals. We also hire good assistance to aid in this position. We are located in a beautiful mountain setting with a great staff all for the purpose of a higher calling.
Pay = Pay plus Room and Board
Contact:
           Bruce Nisley
           ccr@mcn.net
           or phone: (406) 252-3886
           Clydehurst Christian Ranch
           802 N. 27th
           Billings, MT 59101

**
Name = InterVarsity at Toah Nipi
Location = Rindge, NH
Timeline = Full Time, Year Round
Position = Food Service Manager
Responsibilities = Reports to the Director of Operations, enjoys responsibility for planning, purchasing, preparing and serving appealing, nutritious, enjoyable, economical family-style meals and snacks for up to 180 persons. Business background preferred.
Contact:
           Resident Manager
           Ron Chapman
           ToahNipi@aol.com
           InterVarsity at Toah Nipi
           129 Old Ashburnham Rd.
           Rindge, NH 03461
           (603) 899-5464

At chefsatwork.com, our goal is to "Keep Chefs At Work." We do this by providing a place for chefs to post their profiles for free and by accepting ads from employers all over the world. We also publish relocation booklets about the hottest growing culinary cities in the US. I work in these cities and collect up-to-date information, which includes growth and salary information.

Chef Michael J. Garahan, Chefs At Work Director
http://www.chefsatwork.com
mail@chefsatwork.com

Due to the budget server currently hosting our domain name, our website is sometimes inaccessible or very slow. We apologize for the inconvenience. It will be remedied as soon as we have the finances to get hosted elsewhere.

Non-frames viewers can find all this information through links on the non-frames homepage of our website by clicking HERE.

If you have a friend who would like to be added to our mailing list, we welcome you to send his/her e-mail address, but we ask that you please FIRST personally inform them that they will be hearing from us.

If you would like to be removed from our mailing list, please send an e-mail to the address below, with the word "Unsubscribe" in the subject column.

God Bless,
Ira Krizo, Director
Christian Chefs Fellowship
ChristChef@aol.com
http://www.ChristianChefs.org
P.O. box 608
Crestline, CA 92325-0608
(909) 338-0876
AOL Buddy list name = "ChristChef"
ICQ number = 15520005

Note: To view our archived newsletters, go HERE

Volunteering Opportunities Available:
           Writers for the newsletter
                      "Christianity in the Kitchen" articles
                      "Learning Subject of the Month" articles
                      Submitting recipes
                      Recommendations for good Christian and culinary websites to feature
                      Other articles (open for suggestions)
           Experienced web programmers
           Representatives to help get our name out
           Director of "Healthy Living" ministry
           Chatroom hosts
           People wanting to start local chapters in their community