Category ... Did You Know
Oct 01, 2011 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Did You Know
No two pans cook exactly the same way any more than no two ovens bake exactly the same way. This is why exact guidelines for recipes are so difficult to make precise. With one saucepan, for example, I need to have the cooktop on low heat while with another one it needs to be medium-low to achieve the same degree of simmering.
I first discovered how non-stick coating changes the way in which a griddle cooks (or should I say griddles?) when I was making pancakes on my Farberware electric griddle some years ago. I should explain that I have two Farberware griddles and I treasure them. The first rectangular one I purchased over 30 years ago when I was a food stylist. It was the only device I could find that produced perfect, evenly browned pancakes. This is because it has an encased heating element running through the entire griddle. (Sadly these griddle are no longer being produced but can be found on ebay.)
Some years later, I discovered that Farberware was producing round griddles with non-stick coating. I loved the idea of not having to add too much butter to the pancakes to keep them from sticking but I wished that it would come in the rectangular model, which it did not. So I called Farberware and asked them if they would be willing to make one for me. To my delight they said yes.
When I use the nonstick model in Hope, NJ, I set it to the highest temperature, but one day, in New York, I used the model without the nonstick surface and set it to the same temperature. My first batch of pancakes burned and I realized that the nonstick coating was lowering the temperature of the griddle and that the griddle without the coating needed to be set at a lower temperature. This is no doubt why my Chicago Metallic cake pans with dark grey exterior and nonstick interior bake at the same rate as my uncoated lighter grey aluminum pans. The dark exterior speeds baking but the nonstick coating tempers it and slows it down.
The lesson here is to learn the idiosyncrasies of your own pots, pans, and ovens and other equipment, and treasure them with care.
Feb 05, 2011 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Did You Know
Egg yolks are the sunshine of baking. Golden, beautiful, and full of flavor. They also are very effective in emulsifying and thickening creams and batters.
There are three things that are very important to know about egg yolks:
1) More and more often, the proportion of yolk to white is less than it has been over the past decades. This means that a recipe dependent on many yolks in order to set or have the proper consistency may be significantly short on yolks if you go by just the specified number. I've found, occasionally, that when I measure or weigh 6 yolks I need to add as many as 3 more to have the needed amount. So be sure either to measure or weigh the yolks. I list them on every recipe and if you're using other people's that don't, make a little index card with measurements or weights to put up in your kitchen as a reminder.
2) If egg yolks are combined with sugar and allowed to sit they will crust over, dry out on the surface, and result in lumps in the cooked or baked product. If you need to separate eggs ahead of using them, either spray the yolks with nonstick cooking spray or if using oil in the recipe that will be added together with the yolks, simply store the yolks in the container with the oil.
3) If you have extra yolks and are not in the mood to make lemon curd! you can freeze them but only if you stir in some sugar which will maintain their texture. Be sure to mark on the container how much sugar you added so you can subtract it from the recipe when you're ready to bake with them. I use 1/2 teaspoon sugar per yolk which is enough to keep them from being sticky when defrosted.
Mar 05, 2010 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Did You Know
Decorative cookie cutters are great fun to use making extra special cookies that are ideal as gifts!
Betsy Cukla of Hammersong, creators of the most exquisite cookie cutters I've ever seen, has also created a great bunch of tips to help you get that cookie dough out the cook cutter in one perfect piece!
Continue reading "Tips for Using Cookie Cutters" »
Feb 20, 2010 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Did You Know
Lemon zest, the colored portion of citrus peel, freezes well after zesting. But my step-daughter Beth, who is an architect, came up with this great idea for zesting citrus peel after the fruit is juiced.
Many recipes call for freshly squeezed lemon, lime, or orange juice. But after the fruit is juiced, the remaining outer portion of the fruit becomes too limp to grate into zest. If you freeze it until you are ready to use it, it is rigid enough to allow it to be grated with ease. So if you didn't think of grating the fruit's outer peel while it was still whole, this is a terrific method.
Feb 06, 2010 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Did You Know
Did you know that not all plastic bags can be boiled? Only the ones designed for that purpose such as these bags from FoodSaver vacuumer. It took me years to figure out that when I vacuum pack my meatballs in tomato sauce I can reheat them along with the spaghetti right in the bag!
A good quality vacuum machine is an indispensable piece of equipment in my kitchens. You wouldn't believe how much it increases the life-span of ingredients in the freezer.
Dec 03, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Did You Know
This goes for springform pans as well: Always place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any possible leaks--usually butter--that make there way out of seam in the pan and potentially onto the floor of the oven!
Apr 04, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Did You Know
That egg whites can be frozen for at least a year but to freeze egg yolks you need to add sugar to keep them from getting too sticky and unusable.
For 1 egg yolk/about 1 tablespoon/0.6 ounce/18 grams stir in ½ teaspoon/2 grams sugar. Don’t forget to remove the sugar from the recipe after defrosting the yolks.
My favorite healthful lunch is 0 fat Greek yogurt with 1 heaping teaspoon of lemon curd swirled in and a handful of blueberries.
Continue reading "Did You Know" »
Feb 13, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Did You Know
I love the Nespresso aerocinno for foaming milk perfectly and effortlessly but when it comes to cleaning the 'non stick' bottom surface it is anything BUT effortless and if it isn't cleaned between foamings it develops little burnt milk points.
My first solution was to scratch at the milk with my fingernails--not a happy one. A better solution turned out to be a dobie plastic sponge reserved for this use. But what a nuisance to have to hide not one but two dobie sponges from my cleaning lady who loves to grab them to scour the cooktop!
I've just discovered the best solution of all to remove the milk scum is to spray the bottom of the aerocinno very lightly with odorless cooking spray. If too much spray comes out simply wipe out the excess.Too much spray could affect foaming.
Voila! I mean ECCO!
When rinsing the aerocinno all the milk comes out easily.
Jan 03, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Announcements
I’ve never liked or should I say accepted rules--at least not without questioning or testing them. But for the new year I’d like to offer up two for consideration and that’s the operative word—consideration!
Restaurant Reservations: How would you like it if you made a dinner party and cooked your heart out for your guests and a few didn’t show up without even letting you know before hand. That’s the way it is for restaurants, especially small ones that have even more trouble surviving, especially in this economy. Some restaurateurs are forced to take credit cards along with reservations.
Also, keep in mind that in order to survive financially, small restaurants need to turn the tables, i.e. you really can’t occupy your table for the entire evening unless, perhaps, you are willing to pay for two seatings.
Group E-mails: If you like or need to send the same message to several people, be sure to blind copy. This is not to keep anonymity of e-mail addresses as much as to prevent hackers—vampires of the internet (who adore group e-mails) from sending everyone in your address book endless spam. All you need to do is put the names in your group list in ( ) and they will be safe. Some people think of this as e-mail etiquette. Surprisingly, though, I’ve lost one very old friend and another previously friendly though evidently self-centered colleague after making this request. Each promised never to e-mail me again at all! And I had informed them in good faith assuming they didn’t realize the consequences of what they had done and would be glad to know how it works.
My husband Elliott has a saying that is a near mantra—it goes something like this: Do what you want as long as it doesn’t hurt others. Of course this is subject to interpretation and requires much turning of the tables but could well account for why our marriage has endured for 33 years as of this July 2009.
Happy and Considerate New Year!
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