Author Archives: Cris

Coconut Cream

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Coconut Cream

Coconut milk, coconut cream and cream of coconut – so many coconut extracts!

  • Coconut cream is an extract from coconut that is thick and creamy.
  • Coconut cream is commonly purchased as a thick liquid, however, if it is stored in a fridge, the cream will separate from the liquid, resulting in a more paste-like consistency, although it will become less solid if left at room temperature.
  • Coconut cream can be sweetened for use as a dessert or drink ingredient, and when sweetened it is known as ‘cream of coconut’.
  • Coconut cream is used in cooking, typically in Asian cuisine in main dishes like curry, in baked goods or to make ice cream, and is often used as a dairy substitute.
  • Coconut cream has a slightly sweet taste with the flavour of cream and coconut.

Coconut Cream, Thick, Container, Clear, White, Spread, Ten Random Facts, Food

  • Coconut cream is generally made from shredded coconut and water, although it sometimes contains thickeners and other additives.
  • Coconut cream is white in colour and can be whipped like dairy cream.
  • Coconut cream is typically bought in cartons or cans from supermarkets or Asian grocery stores.
  • Homemade coconut cream can be made by simmering a ratio of 1:4, of water to shredded coconut and then strained through a cloth.
  • Coconut cream is extremely high in manganese and fat, and is high in copper, phosphorus and iron.
Bibliography:
Coconut Cream, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_cream
Coconut Cream, 2014, Bon Appétit, http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/coconut-cream

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Cyclamen

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Cyclamen

Cyclamen… a hardy but beautiful plant.

  • Cyclamens are flowering perennial plants, that grow from tubers and are also called ‘sowbread’, as the tubers have been commonly eaten by wild pigs.
  • Cyclamens are native to parts of Europe, north Africa and west Asia.
  • Cyclamens were originally considered to belong to the family Primulaceae, the family of primroses, but are now considered to be part of the family Myrsinaceae, the family of myrsine.
  • Cyclamens develop flowers with five petals that point upwards, in various shades of white, red, pink or purple colours.
  • There are approximately 20 species of cyclamens, and they have different flowering seasons, depending on the species.

Cyclamen, Red, Green, Flower, Plant, Large, Fence, Decorative, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Cyclamens can be found in woody or rocky areas, and are generally hardy plants, although some species do not cope with frost.
  • Cyclamens prefer shady conditions and are popularly used as a decorative house or garden plant, and are often grown in pots.
  • Cyclamen leaves are are often heart shaped, and typically green with sometimes a red coloured underside, and the leaves usually have a distinctive pattern in a lighter colour.
  • Cyclamens grow to be 15 to 25 centimetres (6 to 10 inches) in height and the flowers usually sit above the leaves of the plant on thin stems.
  • Some cyclamens go dormant in summer and appear to be dead, however, they will generally re-sprout leaves in autumn.
Bibliography:
Cyclamen, 2014, Burke’s Backyard, http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/factsheets/Flowering-Plants-and-Shrubs/Cyclamen/1296
Cyclamen, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclamen
Perry L, Considering Cyclamen, n.d., University of Vermont Extension, http://perrysperennials.info/articles/cyclamen.html

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Barbecue Grill

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Barbecue Grill

“Throw another shrimp on the barbie” – Paul Hogan

  • Barbecue grills are generally large appliances used for cooking food outdoors, with direct or indirect heat, depending on its design.
  • Barbecue grills’ are also known as ‘barbeques’, ‘barbeque grills’, ‘barbecues’, ‘BBQs’ and ‘barbies’.
  • Barbecue grills have a heating source generally derived from gas, electricity, charcoal or wood.
  • The word ‘barbecue’ is believed to be derived from the Caribbean Taíno word ‘barbacòa’ or ‘barbakoa’, meaning ‘framework of sticks’.
  • Barbecue grills can cook almost anything, but are generally used to cook vegetables and meat, and are common in America and are particularly popular in Australia.

Barbeque Grill, Barbecue, BBQ, Rectangle, Gas, Black, Grey, Bench, Ten Random Facts, Cook, Food,

  • One of the first modern barbecue grills was invented by American George Stephan, a welder, in 1952, that used half a steel buoy attached to legs as the base, with a dome shaped lid, that famously became known as the ‘Weber’, or ‘Weber kettle’.
  • Barbecue grills typically have the shape of a rectangular prism, hemisphere or semicylinder, although they come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours.
  • Gas barbecue grills were invented in the late 1950s or early 1960s, and usually use bottled gas, and have now become one of the commonly available barbecues.
  • Barbecue grills typically consist of a heat source and a cooking grill or plate and depending on the type of barbecue and its design, it may also have a heat shield, temperature controls, hood or cover, rotisserie, racks, thermometer, trolley, wheels, cabinet, and so on.
  • The largest barbeque grill made, was for the Discovery Channel in 2004, measuring 4.7 metres (15.3 feet) in height, 6.2 metres (20.2 feet) in length and 2.4 metres (8 feet) in depth.

 

Bibliography:
Barbecue Grill, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbecue_grill
Green A, A Brief History of the BBQ Grill, 2014, Popular Mechanics, http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/news/a-brief-history-of-the-bbq-grill-11000790

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Wadden Sea

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Wadden Sea

Appear to walk on water at Wadden Sea.

  • Wadden Sea is a large body of shallow water in the North Sea, off the coast of Northwest Europe.
  • Wadden Sea is the home of many islands called the same name that are also known as ‘Frisian Islands’.
  • Wadden Sea is an intertidal zone, and the “largest unbroken system of intertidal sand and mud flats” on earth, and it includes kilometres of mud flats, channels, sand banks and salt marshes.
  • Wadden Sea is located on the coast of three countries – Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands; and the countries cooperatively protect the area.
  • Ever since 2009, Wadden Sea has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Wadden Sea, Aeroplane, view, Overtop, Large, Netherlands, Ten Random facts, Water, Flickr

Netherlands part of Wadden Sea
Image courtesy of Eutrophication & Hypoxia /Flickr
  •  Wadden Sea has an area totalling just under 10,000 square kilometres (3,861 square miles), and covers a distance of 400 km (248 miles).
  • Wadden Sea is the migration site of up to 12 million birds of more than 30 species, and is a significant nesting area, and moulting area for numerous birds.
  • Wadden Sea is popular for beach activities, including swimming, as well as bird watching, boating, cycling, seal watching, and mudflat hiking site.
  • The Wadden Sea area is home to more than 5,000 different species of animals and plants, with some being seals, porpoises and, historically, whales.
  • The name ‘Wadden Sea’, comes from the Dutch word ‘wad’, meaning ‘mudflat’.
Bibliography:
Wadden Sea, 2014, UNESCO World Heritage, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1314
Wadden Sea, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadden_Sea
About the Wadden Sea, 2013, Common Wadden Sea Secretariat, http://www.waddensea-worldheritage.org/wadden-sea-world-heritage/unique-its-kind

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Cheetah

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Cheetah

These cheetah facts do not cheat like a cheater.

  • Cheetahs are a large feline, or ‘big cat’ found in Africa and the Middle East, and were once found in India.
  • A cheetah is from the family Felidae, the family of cats, and its scientific name is Acinonyx jubatus, a group that can be divided into six accepted subspecies.
  • Cheetahs, being the fastest land animals, can run at speeds up to 120 kilometres per hour (75 miles per hour), and can accelerate to a top speed in three seconds.
  • ‘Cheetah’ comes from the Hindi word for leopard, ‘cītā‘, that has its origins in the Sanskrit word ‘citrakāyah’, that literally means ‘variegated body’.
  • Cheetahs grow to be 1.1 to 1.5 metres (3.6 to 4.9 feet) in length and 21 to 72 kilograms (46 to 159 pounds) in weight, have light tan coloured fur decorated with black 2 to 3 centimetre (0.8 to 1.2 inch) diameter spots, black rings on the end section of their tail, and keen eyesight.
A Cheetah on patrol in the vast grassland plains hunts for Gazelles.
Cheetah
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • Cheetahs have a typical lifespan in the wild of up to 12 years, although as many as nine out of ten cheetah cubs become food for hyenas, lions, and other animals.
  • Male cheetahs generally live in groups of 2 or 3, although they often live alone, while females are solitary, and give birth to 4 cubs on average, and up to 9 is possible.
  • A cheetah’s diet consists of mammals like gazelles and other antelopes, as well as smaller animals, and they hunt by stalking and chasing their prey which they usually do during early morning and early evening.
  • Cheetahs were historically tamed for hunting purposes in Ancient Egypt, Persia and India, and are currently illegally hunted for their fur, as well as being a vulnerable species, endangered with habitat loss.
  • Cheetahs can go without water for three or four days, as their prey supplies some of the moisture they require, and they communicate through various noises including chirps, purring, growling, hissing and yowling, among others.
Bibliography: Cheetah, 2014, San Diego Zoo, http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/cheetah
Cheetah, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheetah

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Black Box Flight Recorder

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Black Box Flight Recorder

Black box flight recorders are a great help for determining the cause of an accident.

  • Black box flight recorders are devices located in aircraft to record data in case of an accident, and are made to survive at least 1000°C (1832°F) and a g-force of 3400.
  • ‘Black box flight recorders’ are also known as ‘black boxes’ and ‘flight recorders’, usually refers to two separate containers; one a ‘flight data recorder’ or FDR, and the other, a ‘cockpit voice recorder’ or CVD, although sometimes they are held in the same sealed container.
  • It is not known for certain why black box flight recorders are referred to as ‘black boxes’, as they are generally coloured in special bright orange or yellow reflective paint, so that they are more visible in search situations, and they are usually labelled with a warning: ‘FLIGHT RECORDER DO NOT OPEN’ in English and French. 
  • Two of the first innovators of black box flight recorders were François Hussenot and Paul Beaudouin of France, in 1939, and their recorders used a photographic film process.
  • Black box flight recorders have the function of recording aircraft performance, voice and audio signals, and sometimes visual footage, although this is not common.

Black Box Flight Recorder, Orange, Cockpit Voice Recorder, CVD, DO NOT OPEN, Two, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

CVD Flight Recorder
Image courtesy of Joe Kunzler/Flickr
  • The first black box flight recorders to include both flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders were invented in the 1950s, in Melbourne by Australian David Warren, a chemist, and a prototype was completed in 1958.
  • Black box flight recorders were originally included in the front of an aircraft, but later placed near the tail, as they are more likely to survive damage in that section of the plane.
  • Black box flight recorders include an underwater locator beacon (ULB) that is automatically activated in water and sends an ultrasonic signal, known as a ‘ping’, that can be transmitted from up to 6,000 metres (20,000 feet) under water, for approximately 30 days – the duration of its battery life.
  • In 1960, black box flight recorders were required to be on all commercial planes in Australia, the first country in the world to have such a law, and these laws now extend to most aircraft in the world that can carry at least 20 passengers.
  • It is suggested that black box flight recorders may become obsolete, as live streaming of information from aircraft via satellites to a base station would provide a much easier means of retrieving the information in a crash situation, and this technology is already used on some aircraft.
Bibliography:
Flight Recorder, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_recorder
What is a Black Box?, 2014, National Geographic Channel, http://natgeotv.com/uk/air-crash-investigation/black-box

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