How your brain likes to be treated at revision time

If you’re a student, you rely on one brain function above all others: memory.

These days, we understand more about the structure of memory than we ever have before, so we can find the best techniques for training your brain to hang on to as much information as possible. The process depends on the brain’s neuroplasticity, its ability to reorganise itself throughout your life by breaking and forming new connections between its billions of cells.

How does it work? Information is transmitted by brain cells called neurons. When you learn something new, a group of neurons activate in a part of the brain called the hippocampus. It’s like a pattern of light bulbs turning on.

Your hippocampus is forced to store many new patterns every day. This increases hugely when you are revising. Provided with the right trigger, the hippocampus should be able to retrieve any pattern. But if it keeps getting new information, the overworked brain might go wrong. That’s what happens when you think you’ve committed a new fact to memory, only to find 15 minutes later that it’s disappeared again.

So what’s the best way to revise? Here are seven top tips to get information into your brain and keep it there.

(Source: neurosciencestuff)

Favorite photo 

Woohoo! What a fun day cooking cream puffs with Hermizzle! The pastry part didn’t turn out as the recipe showed but I guess we got close enough. Heres the recipe. 

2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

1 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 eggs

 Directions

1. Mix together vanilla instant pudding mix, cream and milk. Cover and refrigerate to set.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
3. In a large pot, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour and salt until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or stand mixer, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Centers should be dry.
5. When the shells are cool, either split and fill them with the pudding mixture, or use a pastry bag to pipe the pudding into the shells.

 *Recipe from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cream-puffs/

How To Cook A Perfect Steak

If you hate cooking or happen to be the laziest person on earth, then cooking steak or any kind of beef is the meal for you. I’ve seen so many people try to do too much to make their expensive cuts of beef taste good by heavy marinating or doing unnatural things which ruins the meat. Here is a quick guide on how to cook steak. 

1. Buy Organic. Honestly most organic foods taste the same. You are just paying twice as much for something that is ethically correct and chemical free. However, organic steak tastes completely different from non-organic steak. If you don’t believe me, buy a small cut of each and cook it the exact same with without marinating and taste the difference. 

2. Let the steak sit at room temperature before cooking. This is your perfect opportunity to sit on the couch and watch TV while telling your significant other “don’t worry honey, I got dinner tonight!” Equal temperature allows for even cooking. 

3. Seasoning. All you need is to sprinkle some salt, pepper and smoked paprika on both sides of the steak and use two fingers and rub olive oil all around. Again, the steak itself has a lot of flavor, all you need are these seasonings to make the outside crispy and savory while the inside remains juicy. 

4. Pre-heat the pan. Just like how you pre-heat your oven, pre-heat your pan for about 5 minutes on medium before placing the steak on. This will allow both sides of the steak to cook evenly. 

5. Place the steak on the hot pan and grill for 5 minutes on each side by flipping the steak ONLY ONCE (for medium rare for 1.5 inch thick steak). No need to put any olive oil on the pan since the steak should already be saturated and covered evenly. It is critical that you only flip it once to allow both side to get exactly 5 minutes on each side. Add or subtract about 1 minute on both side if you want it more or less rare. Ex. rare= 4 mins on each side, medium= 6 mins on each side. You can also use the finger test for more accurate results. 

6. Let it rest on a plate for 5 minutes before eating. More resting… my favorite words. This is probably one of the most important steps to a 5 star steak. You’ll notice that after the 5 minutes, the plate will be saturated in au jus for dipping. This process allows the juice to spread within the steak and for the inside to become more tender. 

7. Enjoy and tell your significant other how hard you worked in preparing such a “difficult” meal. 

90% of cooking a steak was leaving it alone and sitting on the couch. The only time the steak needs attention is when you take it out of the fridge, season, place on the grill, flip and place on a plate. Less than 5 minutes worth of work. So now that you know the “secret” in a perfect steak, go impress someone with your magnificent “cooking skills.”