Eva Longoria ‘pops out of her plunging jacket’ during cookbook promo
London, April 8 : Eva Longoria appeared on David Letterman’s ‘Late Show’ to promote her new cookbook, but she ended up revealing a lot more than her recipes when her low-cut jacket popped open.
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”I will promote Lucknow cuisines,” says Chef Pankaj
Lucknow, Dec 30 : Bidding adieu to the year 2010, which changed her life remarkebly, Master Chef winner Pankaj Bhadaouria says ” I have lot many things in my mind now.” ”I want to focus on whatever I do,” remarks the winner of Star Plus recemt cooking talent hunt.
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A lot of people ask me about tips on making cooking videos. When I make my video, I am not attempting to create a TV style slick show, nor am I trying to haphazardly record rote recipe preparation. I think the slick television type video production must be reserved for those with the skill and the time, which I lack. My goal is to create clear, concise easy to follow videos that contain new information for the viewer. In short, I am attempting to provide educational videos on the topic of cooking. Due to my current limited equipment I am not happy with the sound or light quality of my videos, however I decided to strive to make the best videos I could with what I had available before diving in and making a more serious financial investment. I needed also to be able to create the videos in a time sensitive manner so as not to excessively detract from my other innumerable responsibilities.
About a year ago I was given a tiny digital camera, which took videos! I got the idea to try and capture some of my favorite recipes on video, so I could eventually share them with my young daughter. At first, I tried editing using the software which came included on my laptop, windows movie maker…as with many Microsoft products this software left a great deal to be desired. I changed tactics and decided to attempt to record my recipes live, as I went, with accompanying explanations as clear as I could make them. I still use windows movie maker, and am happy to have it. I add titles and transitions between clips and that’s all.
I came up with a few guidelines which aided greatly in creating my videos.
* First the basics which cannot be overstated:
o LOOK AT THE CAMERA – its so easy to forget this while cooking, after all its not a speech and you are working. Try to minimize views of your back.
o Speak clearly being careful to annunciate your words. Try to project your voice, as though you were on stage, which in a way, you are.
o State what your recipe is, what ingredients are involved and give measurements when practical
o Don’t move too much – keep motion down to what is essential for the preparation of the dish
o I started with youtube which limited the duration to 10 minutes, and I still try and stick to this … in todays day and age nobody has time to watch forever, and 10 minutes is long enough without resorting to a great deal of post filming editing.
* I try to do as much prep work as possible off camera, ahead of time. This includes measuring ingredients and placing in small bowls, chopping, dicing and the like. Unless the technique involved is novel or interesting there is no need for the viewer to watch 5 potatoes being diced fine.
* I try to film in natural stages, ending clips where appropriate and resuming when valuable to the viewer – for example, nobody needs to watch a pot of simmering liquid simmer for 20 mins.
* I think about what I am preparing for dinner as I shop, and I think about the parts of the recipe, how it breaks down naturally – first we combine ingredients, then cook or marinade or whatever, then season, further treat and finally serve.
* I try to film each part of the food preparation in one continuous pass, so that there is no subsequent need for editing. This can be problematic in a house with children, pets and the various noises and needs that arise from same, so I start a lot of videos and end up not using them – simple salmon in foil packets is one that I will someday post, I’ve made it for my family countless times since I started recording my dinner preparations – but for some reason, there is always a child having a meltdown (which is rare normally) a dog who won’t stop barking, a ringing phone – something disruptive.
* If something mild occurs while I am filming I try not to overreact and continue on cooking and talking – for example, causally remove cat from butcher block and continue cooking/filming.
* Initially I neglected to include in my videos a shot showing the final plating of the dish. I now try to always do this, as well as taking a picture of the final product.
* Initially, I neglected to provide close-ups of crucial phases of a preparation. I try to incorporate these more often, but within reason as there is only me, and one camera
* I turn on my little camera and place it on a 64 oz jar of organic apple juice and aim it towards the area I cook in. I look through the lens to make sure its roughly in the right place.
* I turn off the camera after first cuing in the potential viewers with a statement like “I will be back after the chicken marinates to demonstrate what to do next” this allows for a transition to the next clip without more formal editing.
* The number one problem with my little camera is lack of space, so I need to transfer my video clips to my computer as I take them – then delete them from the camera and film the next clip. More than once I have inadvertently ran out of space and thought I was recording when I was not.
* I film most nights, not concerned with my physical appearance – because to worry about this on top of everything else would no doubt decrease the number of videos I can make.
* Finally, once you have made your video – watch it, all the way through. I find this painful, because I tend to be self – conscious but it is essential. Watch it for continuity, accuracy and basic ‘watchability’. If you are lucky to have someone willing, get someone else to watch it through as well. Then go ahead and post it, this isn’t rocket science after all!
Dr. Maria Gray is a featured member and regular contributor at iFood.tv, a video recipe website. Her most popular cooking videos on ifood.tv include Chicken Parmigiana Recipe, and Chicken Satay Recipe.
Ever notice that some people seem to know exactly what they are doing in the kitchen and have great cooking recipes? They place a pot on the stove, grab a few ingredients, stir it up, taste the spices, and they’re done; a perfectly seasoned pot of vegetable soup was created with seemingly no effort. Contrast that with the way you feel in the kitchen. You spend time looking for the perfect cooking recipe. You gather all of the ingredients and cooking equipment, or so you think, you can check it out from www.cheese-cake-recipes.com and get started. Halfway through, you realize that you forgot to buy parsley, or lemons, or some other ingredient and don’t have the necessary cooking gear. So you run to the store. By the time you follow the instructions, dinner time is over and the rest of your family gave up and decided to order a pizza. It doesn’t have to be like this. Cooking is not hard. It is also not simple. But the majority of us make it a lot more complicated than it really is. A great way to start cooking a meal and make it easy is to follow a good cooking recipe and buy and prepare the ingredients ahead of time. In general, there are several basics steps for cooking.
Most people who have been cooking for a while follow them without realizing it. The goal is to get to the point where these steps are automatic. If you want to follow a recipe, you can look online or in your favorite magazine or cookbook to find what you are looking for. If you’ve been cooking for a while, you may eventually find that you do not need to follow a cooking recipe for everything you do. In this case, all you would need to do is simply decide to prepare a dish you already know well. Either way, both of these things are part of step one. Great ways to find cooking recipes include looking through your favorite cookbook to see if anything inspires you, looking in women’s magazines, cooking magazines, and fitness magazines for some ideas and inspiration or to ask a friend or family member to write down their signature cooking recipes. A lot of chefs also look around their house for inspiration. Check in the pantry, your fruit basket, freezer, and produce bin for ingredients you would like to build a meal around. Then, either use the ingredients to inspire you or find a recipe that includes them. The internet has also proven to be a great resource for finding cooking recipes. Visit your favorite popular websites to find the recipes you need, or you can do a general internet search go to www.chef-123.com. Once you find the right recipe, purchase all of the ingredients you need and gather them when you are ready to prepare the recipe.
It is a good idea to find all of the ingredients and have them in front of you. That way, if you’ve forgotten to buy something, or you realize you do not have a key ingredient, you will not be in the middle of a crucial step when you figure it out. In addition to simply finding the ingredients, top chefs understand that you should prepare all of the ingredients before you start assembling the recipe. That means you will do all of the initial preparations such as chop and measure out the ingredients before you get started. This may feel as if it is taking you a long time, but once the ingredients are all in front of you, assembling the recipe will be a breeze. Cooking doesn’t have to be difficult and shouldn’t be. Simply, follow these steps to create fantastic meals using great cooking recipes.
