Raw Energy is a healthy food and lifestyle café that was born out of the daily life of the Sunshine Coast. As Australia's leading healthy cafe, espresso and juice bar its not surprising when they are asked to build up their kitchens they only use the finest appliances, adopting the latest food safety practices and from suppliers who do functional fitouts. As their motto suggests “Fresh, Fast & Funky” encapsulates the brand and also forms the three pillars of our continued growth.
– According to legend, green tea was first brewed in ancient China more than 4000 years ago – which means it’s been on the list of healthy drinks for a few centuries or so. But your favourite herbal brew now packs an even bigger nutrient punch, thanks to the growing popularity of matcha green tea.
No, matcha isn’t a new dating app: it’s a finely ground green tea powder made from specially grown and processed tea leaves. Soft, supple young leaves from the top of the plant are carefully picked and dried in the shade.  The stems and veins are removed, and the leaves are ground to create a fine, vibrant powder. It looks like it could be used as eyeshadow in a wacky, jungle-inspired episode of America’s Next Top Model, but instead it’s brewed in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. It’s also drunk by health-conscious tea lovers the world over. 
Drinking matcha green tea allows you to ingest the whole leaf, rather than just the brewed water. This means a greater dose of chlorophyll and anti-oxidants like theanine, an amino acid rumoured to help reduce stress and boost mental clarity. The traditional brew is made with hot water, but it can also be whisked with milk for a bright, creamy green tea latte – the perfect alternative to your afternoon caffeine fix.
And trust us, drinking leaves has never tasted this good (for you): matcha tea has an earthy, almost grassy flavour and a sweet, lingering aftertaste. Not a tea drinker? You can also add the powder to smoothies, cakes, muffins and even soup for a bright burst of goodness.

Posted at 06:20h in Dishes, Superfood by Cale Barnett

No longer just a place for cooking and washing up, the kitchen has become a key entertaining area in the family home. With all this activity, most people want their kitchen benchtops to look good, as well as being durable and easy to clean. We explain the advantages and disadvantages of the most popular materials.
Stainless steel is the benchtop of choice in busy restaurants for a number of reasons - it's easy to clean, hygienic and hard-wearing. But while it can provide a contemporary, minimalist look, stainless steel benchtops may not be ideal for the average domestic kitchen.
To begin with, it isn't scratch resistant, so you'll either have to be extremely careful your knife doesn't slip off the chopping board, or get used to the marks. Fingerprints also show up on its shiny surface, although brushed and textured finishes can camouflage marks to some extent.
Stainless steel is typically applied to a plywood base to add strength and deaden its sound, but it can still be noisy.
Many people see it as a very hygienic option for their kitchen, and rightly so. It's non-porous, which limits the growth of bacteria, and the sheets of steel can be formed to include a sink, draining boards and splashback, so there are few joins.
Where joins are necessary, the two pieces of steel can be welded and polished to give an almost invisible seam, minimising the amount of food crumbs and grime that can collect in these areas. You can also put hot pans straight onto it without leaving a mark.

The oil and gas industry has surged over the past couple of years in order to compensate with the growing demand of consumption. Along with the boom of oil and gas is also the resurgence of the steel industry. Tubular goods to be used in drilling rigs, pipes, joints, and tubes has made oil and gas exploration much easier.
Since most technological tools for exploration and drilling are made of steel, production of tubular goods has increased by numbers each year. In fact, the American Iron and Steel Institute reported that a steel manufacturer in the US broke an all-time sales record last year with a staggering production of 19.2 million metric tons of steel, all for the drilling industry.
With the fact that the drilling industry and steel go together, it is undeniable why many steelmakers strive to become one of the best steel manufacturers. The innovation of the core drilling method must be backed up with a quality steel manufacturer, the reason why National Specialty Alloys (NSA) makes sure that their line of steel products are quality made, ISO certified, and efficiently delivered.
NSA provides different kinds of steel alloys to be used in industries such as:

• Water filtration
• Marine
• Mixing
• Pulp and paper
• Food processing
• Drilling
• Chemical; and Pump

Why Steel is Used in the Oil and Gas Industry
Steel is used for the construction of heavy machinery utilized in drilling because it resists oxidation, mainly due to the chromium content. When steel is exposed to oxygen, a chromium oxide film acts as a protective layer. This is also the reason why steel appears shiny.
The metal underneath the steel alloy is protected from water and heat, and even if the surface acquires a scratch, the chromium oxide layer will eventually reform it. Apart from chromium, there are a number of elements which can be alloyed such as:

• Silicon
• Titanium
• Tungsten
• Nickel
• Copper
• Aluminum
• Nitrogen
• The reason why some elements are alloyed is in order to enhance the physical, mechanical and corrosion properties of a specific type of steel.