Annatto has many varying uses ranging from war paint to lipstick to food coloring and just about everything else you can think of in between. Having been used for years as a food additive the product is catching on greatly in society today for its multi uses and looks to continue growing in popularity in the coming years.

If you were to travel to Central of South America you might just stumble across the achiote tree which is the host to the annatto seed. This heart shaped seed is red colored and thus is used as a red food coloring in the kitchen. Most commonly it is used to color various cheeses such as cheddar, brie, and others. In general cheese makers will use the seed in their lower grade cheeses to give it a flair and get it sold better than if it did not have the color.

Aside from its coloring aspects the achiote tree is also rich in antioxidants which are said to be passed to the fruit and then ultimately to you. Cooks may also use the product as an oil in their cooking to reduce sticking and enhance the flavor of the product at the same time. It is a wonder that annatto is not more widely known in and out of the kitchen for all of its many uses.

Its rather interesting when you find something that at one point in history was used as face paint to fend off evil spirits. In another generation it was and still is used as a lipstick (hence the reason some call it the lipstick tree), and on top of all of that you are able to use the product in your everyday cooking either as an oil or a food coloring to give your food some flair.

Their are similar products to the annatto out there today, so perhaps that is the reason it is not very widely used, however you would have a hard time finding one with as many uses. At the end of the day, when you set up to cook a meal in the kitchen it is not always about the ingredients that you are using, or the tools that you are mixing with. Rather it is about the time, effort, and care that you put into each meal. Though if you are looking to add a little something extra, annatto may be for you.

By: Peter Foti

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Annatto is a rather useful spice and should be used more in kitchens and on tables around America and abroad. With its large range the true annatto color is not known although it has been used as red, yellow and brown before.

Do you like pancakes? Of course, you do. Who doesn’t love pancakes. Do you make pancakes a lot? If you do and you aren’t using the right tools, you are probably being ineffective and wasting time. You should be using a great cooking spatula. Do you really need a great cooking spatula when you are making pancakes. They aren’t that important. You could still make pancakes without one, but it would make things a lot harder and I can’t guarantee you would get a very good result.

What is a cooking spatula? A lot of people think a cooking spatula is one of those things that you use to flip burgers on the grill. This isn’t technically what a spatula is. Technically speaking, those are called flippers. What a lot of people call a rubber scraper is actually called a cooking spatula. You know, those things you use to scrape out the rest of the batter when you are pouring out brownie batter into a pan? That’s a spatula.

If you’re still confused, don’t worry. There are spatulas that can be used for both purposes. Scrape the bowl of batter when your pouring it out and then flip the pancakes over when they’re ready. If you want to make some great pancakes, first make some batter. Pour it out onto a hot griddle and use a spatula to get the last bit out. When bubbles emerge, flip them over with the spatula and cook some more.

Once they’re cooked to a golden brown, flip them onto serving plates and serve them with butter and syrup. You could also serve them with just about any other topping you think you’d like to try.

What are you waiting for? You know what tools you need. Get a recipe, gather all the ingredients, and start making up a batch of pancakes that you can enjoy today.

By: Samantha Asher

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Are you looking for a good cooking spatula? Do you want to learn more about how to make pancakes? Don’t wait, check it out for more information.