Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum

Two of my favorite neighbors have just moved but in the process have left me a real treasure. One day when I was emptying the trash in the incinerator room I found a discarded cast iron Dutch oven that clearly had been used for many a camping trip. It was rusted in spots and had layers of encrusted baked on scuzz on others but i quickly scooped it up along with its equally dismal lid and brought it to Hope for a new life.
I followed the very good instructions on the Lodge website: www.lodgemfg.com to reseason it, first using steel wool to remove the rust. After the first treatment the pot was still not as black or smooth as I had hoped so remembering how I preheat my cast iron pots at 450ºF/232ºC for an hour before baking the "no knead bread" and how beautifully seasoned the pan becomes I decided to give it a second go. The results were spectacular as you can see for yourself!

From the kitchen of Rose on 03.22.08 at 11:22 AM in Equipment
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There have been many requests regarding where my products can be found.

U.S. Orders:
If you purchase from Amazon, a small amount of the purchase prices goes directly to me:
Rose's Heavenly Cake Strips
Rose's Perfect Pie Plate
Rose's Sweetheart Crème Brûlée Set

These also will be permanent links on the main page of the blog under equipment.

International Orders:
If Amazon carries an item, they will ship out of the U.S., but if Amazon is temporarily out of stock, and routes you to another purveyor, it is unlikely that they are set up to ship abroad at the present time.

From the kitchen of Rose on 11.14.07 at 9:41 AM in Rose's Products
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I’m thrilled to report that after working extensively with the wonderful silicone bakeware of Lékué I have come to understand the advantages of its properties so well I was inspired to create my first silicone product—a silicone cake strip! It works like a charm and it’s everything I wanted it to be.

The strip fits a 9 inch round or 8 inch square pan. It is quick and easy to attach—NO PREPPING—You simply turn the pan upside down and slip it around the sides. It then works to insulate the sides of a metal cake pan, slowing down baking at the sides of the cake. You can even use it for a 10 inch round pan if you run the strip under hot tap water or wave a hair drier over it to make stretching it easier for the larger size pan. it will return to it's original size on cooling.

It produces better cakes:
* more even
* less doming
* less shrinking from sides
* less browning and drying of sides

Other advantages:

* it stays like new for years
* is dishwasher safe
* is oven safe up to 500°F/260°C.

(Do not subject to direct heat such as a flame or broiler)

Harold Import Company is the distributor for the cake strip. It will be in retail stores by Fall and I will list an on-line order site as soon as it’s available.

From the kitchen of Rose on 07.25.07 at 11:24 AM in Announcements
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those of you who have read my postings about coffee will already know that it ranks as my all time top beverage and that i devote an unusually great proportion of my time to making it, drinking it, and thinking about it.

there is something that coffee, tea, and perhaps wine have in common: even with the same exact ingredients and equipment, they do not taste the same in different locations!

my husband noticed this with tea when he first came from toronto to ny. when i was revising the cake bible for the UK edition i adored the tea in london so much i stopped drinking coffee . i brought the tea back to ny and it just wasn’t the same. my husband even had brought back the water from toronto so though that seems like the obvious common denominator of tea quality failure—it wasn’t.

when it comes to my beloved coffee, i’ve tried many machines plus ny water, and my favorite brands of coffee and it was never the same (i.e. as good) as drinking it in ny.

so the question remains—is it something in the air? can it be that i require a deep inhalation of ny pollution to achieve coffee nirvana?

Continue reading "Coffee Mystique" »

From the kitchen of Rose on 07.15.07 at 1:58 PM in Equipment
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The manufacturer is in the process of retooling the spoons so that they will have a raised embossed number on them instead of the ink that sometimes washed off. He assured me that anyone who has spoons with the problem ink can have them replaced by calling Tara @ 602-340-0441

This is directly to the company that manufactured the spoons and they are responsible for sending out replacements.

From the kitchen of Rose on 04.08.07 at 10:40 AM in Announcements
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hector posted an interesting idea regarding the aeroccino milk foaming device i recommended in a former posting, and i finally got around to trying it. the BEST foam i've ever achieved and such a simple solution as the best ones usually tend to be:

put the device in the frig to chill before foaming the milk! yes!!!

and now for a little science along with your capuccino:

cream needs to be high in fat and cold to whip well and stay stable without watering out, the firm and well-dispursed fat molecules support the foam.

heated milk for capuccino, however, foams most effectively with low fat milk, as when warmed the fat softens and weighs down the foam, preventing aeration.

From the kitchen of Rose on 03.31.07 at 2:37 PM in Equipment
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Having fallen in love with my new cast iron pots with the intended use of baking bread, I found myself gazing admiringly at the lids when inspiration struck. Why not cook on the inverted lids ?! And why not borrow the technique of preheating them from the no knead bread recipe?

So I preheated the lid with the oven to 450ºF./230ºC. tossed some quartered little potatoes and a few mushrooms with olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper.

The lid handle fits right through the opening in the oven rack keeping the lid stable. After about 30 minutes, turn the potatoes and remove the mushrooms. Sprinkle the potatoes with chopped garlic and continue roasting for 10 to 15 minutes or until the potatoes are browned and tender.

From the kitchen of Rose on 01.22.07 at 3:12 PM in Savory Cooking
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how wonderful--no need to pray for a cosco to open in new york to get stretch-tite: it's now being carried by d'agostino's.

From the kitchen of Rose on 07.28.06 at 5:33 PM in Equipment
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When it comes to baking, the three most critical factors to ensure the best results are the quality of the ingredients, the quantity of the ingredient (I prefer weight to volume) and the temperature. For the latter, it’s often useful to have a thermometer but if it’s not an accurate one it’s better to use none at all. You can get away without one for most baking but when it comes to sugar syrups it is almost essential. And it’s reassuring when baking bread to know for sure when it’s reached the proper internal temperature. For roasting or grilling I can’t begin to imagine doing without a thermometer.

Since mercury thermometers for use in the kitchen were banned by the FDA I’ve been searching for a viable replacement that would be both accurate and affordable. I love infra-red for surface temperature such as the inside of the oven, the freezer or frig, but have not found the ones that also include probes adequately reliable for internal temperatures. For these uses I can now recommend the CDN Pro Accurate™ Quick Tip™ Digital Cooking Thermometer on a Rope Model Q2-450 that I’ve been testing since the Chicago Housewares Show a few months ago. I’m pleased to report that tested against my old reliable mercury thermometer it is as accurate and possibly even faster. This is now the one that I pull out with the most regularity, probably because it’s so handy in design and so extraordinarily easy to use. Since I’m not working with large volumes, I especially appreciate the “quick tip” feature--the sensor is in the tip of the probe so it doesn’t require the usual deep immersion to get an accurate reading (No more tilting of the pot!). There are so many useful features I’ll list them here:

Temperature Range: -40 to 450˚F, -40 to 230˚C ±1/2 ˚
Waterproof
Self calibrating
One button operation (easy to turn on and off but auto turn-off after 10 minutes)
Big digit readout
Data hold (locks reading on display for use in low light conditions)
Hangs on a rope
Suggested retail price under $20

The company also offers a 23-page booklet on “temperature and thermometer tips” at www.cdnw.com or by mail if you send a stamped self-addressed envelope to:
CDN Customer Service
PO Box 10947
Portland, OR 97296

Check out their site for other useful thermometers such as one specific to grilling. I haven’t tried it out yet but the outdoor grilling season is just beginning so stay tuned!

From the kitchen of Rose on 05.15.06 at 4:23 PM in Equipment
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We’re all familiar with the concept and it’s so omnipresent we’ve all but accepted that when a piece of lumber is called a two by four it refers literally to what it once had been and NOT what it is now. Just in case you don’t know, it’s not bigger, it’s smaller. And having succeeded in gaining the mute acceptance of the American public, other areas of industry have followed suit. Think of all the money this is saving them, shaving off pieces of wood. It’s become a metaphor for clever merchandising (read cheating the public and getting away with it).

Although I detest the concept on principal, it doesn’t directly affect me when it comes to many things but when it comes to cake pans, my most vital piece of equipment for cake baking, it makes me MAD.

When I create a recipe for a 9 inch by 2 inch high pan whose volume is 8 2/3 cups and people find 9 inch pans that actually are 8 1/2 inches at the bottom and just under 9 inches at the top, the recipe will overflow the pan. I’ve taken to saying how much to fill the pan (with most batters no more than 2/3 full). Also a slope-sided pan is an extreme inconvenience when you stack one layer on top of the other and hope for even sides to ice.

So when you go shopping for cake pans (or pie plates for that matter) carry a tape measure with you. Being the daughter of a cabinet maker my first toy was an industrial wooden fold out ruler, and I still remember the cute little bronze mini measure that slid out from the end—of course it was my favorite part. I would never leave the house without my own purse size version.

From the kitchen of Rose on 04.29.06 at 4:12 PM in Announcements
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Most oven thermometers I have tested are unreliable. The best way is by baking a reliable recipe. If the recipe says bake 30 to 40 minutes and it is done in 25, turn it down 25 degrees. If it takes longer than 40 minutes turn it up 25 degrees. Occasionally oven thermostats become erratic and do not hold temperatures no matter what the setting. This requires professional calibration or a new thermostat.

From the kitchen of Rose on 03.19.06 at 12:38 PM in FAQs
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The whisk beater is used to aerate mixtures such as egg whites for a meringue; the spade or flat beater to mix things together. Unless otherwise specified in a recipe, it is generally the flat beater that is meant to be used.

From the kitchen of Rose on 03.17.06 at 12:38 PM in FAQs
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DIANNE QUESTION

I wanted to bake your white chocolate whisper cake but use a tube pan instead of the round cake pans. Is this possible and what do I need to know to make this work?

ROSE REPLY

on page 455 of the cake bible is a chart listing the volume of most cake pans. of course if you have an odd-shaped pan you will need to measure the volume yourself by pouring water into it. if it's a two-piece pan first line it with a clean garbage bag.

compare the size and volume of the pans specified in the recipe to the one which you want to use and then either increase or decrease it proportionately.

a cake in a tube pan will take longer to bake than in a 9 x 2 or 9 x 1 1/2 inch pan but use the usual tests of springing back when touched lightly on top and a cake tester inserted in the middle between sides of pan and tube comes out clean.

From the kitchen of Rose on 03.04.06 at 3:12 PM in FAQs
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A preheated baking stone or quarry tiles are ideal. Allow it or them to preheat for a minimum of 45 minutes. Stone retains heat, giving better oven spring or rise to the loaf, and absorbs moisture yielding a crisper crust. To avoid sprinkling flour or cornmeal on the stone, Silpain, or Silpat (both are silicone mats but Silpain is black and has little holes for breathing), or parchment, can be placed directly on the stone.

From the kitchen of Rose on 03.03.06 at 12:18 PM in FAQs
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IRINA QUESTION

Feedback: Dear Rose,

I am so psyched about this blog, you have no idea. I proudly own all of your books and swear by them. The Cake Bible is my enduring source for my home baking business. What an absolute gem!

Recently, I've been asked to supply cheese cakes for a charity bookstore and I thought you might be able to point me in the right direction for individual disposable baking cups. I had in mind something like what Panettone is baked in? A "waxed" paper type wrapper? I figure this would be cleaner and neater to serve to a customer. And who doesn't love their very own cheesecake?!

Thanks so much for any advice you can offer,

ROSE REPLY

I love those little panettone containers, but I personally wouldn't use them for cheesecake, as I like to bake cheesecake in a water bath so that it's at its most creamy. if you used foil custard cup liners you could still use a water bath.

If you want to get the Panettone containers wholesale you'll need to go to a food show where they have packaging or search online. I don't get them in large quantity so I get to mind from la cuisine.

thank you for your appreciation and encouragement!

From the kitchen of Rose on 03.01.06 at 4:54 PM in Equipment
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i’ve already made my case for why weighing rather than measuring is so much more desirable and enjoyable. i know some people resist partly because they don’t know which scale to choose, a good scale can be very expensive, and even relatively expensive scales designed for home use lack some important features of the professional laboratory scales.

about a month ago, a fellow blogger contacted me regarding a scale that he found more reliable and affordable than one i had mentioned on this blog. i promised to check it out and here are the happy results:

the MY WEIGH digital scales are the answer! the 3 scales most appropriate for baking are the 7001DX, the KD-7000, and the 15000. They vary in price from $35 to $65.

the scales weigh from 1 gram (0.1 ounce) to 7000 grams/7 kilograms (15 pounds 7 ounces).

here’s a company that invites consumer response and suggestions. the result is that there is finally an electronic scale for the home baker that can be operated by adaptor as well as battery and, what is most important: the automatic power-off can be disabled so that it doesn’t inconveniently time-out when you’re in the middle of weighing and got distracted for a few minutes (don’t you just HATE when that happens!)

so many nice features: the scales are small and compact, not taking up much counter space; an adjustable-angle backlight timer with option for how long to stay lit; a hold option for large boxes that hide the display; and of course a tare option (removes the weight of the bowl and last ingredients added).

when i asked the owner of the company how they could keep the scales at so affordable a price and yet maintain such high standards of quality and exacting accuracy his answer was : "The prices are low because we believe in lower margin, higher volume sales. We also keep our costs extremely low by producing and distributing the scales ourselves!"

if everything in life were designed with such thoughtful integrity it would indeed be a perfect world.

check out www.myweigh.com
be sure to go to the section on how to select or choose the right kitchen scale to compare the features of the models i mentioned.

From the kitchen of Rose on 02.25.06 at 4:28 PM in Announcements
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JULIE QUESTION

Feedback: The last few times I've tried to make lemon bars they come out all wrong. Instead of a pale yellow soft filling, I get a brown crusty thin layer.

Is it because I'm using a glass pan? The pan is 9x9 instead of 7x11, but I can't see that making such a huge difference.

ROSE REPLY

this is an excellent question julie because many people think that the exact pan size and type aren't important and you have demonstrated perfectly just why it is!

first: when a recipe that has always worked suddenly stops working you must think hard about what you are doing differently or what might have changed. in this instance it is the pan type and size. and here's why it isn't working:
glass is transparent so heat enters it more quickly. therefore when using glass bakeware, set the oven temperature 25 degrees lower.

but what is equally significant, especially to the lemon curd topping, is that since it is a slightly larger pan, there is a thinner layer of the lemon curd so this also causes it to cook faster and the sugar in it is carmelizing and turning brown.

From the kitchen of Rose on 02.11.06 at 1:46 PM in Equipment
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JEAN QUESTION

Dear Rose,

I have an older copy of your "The Cake Bible" that was written before
the advent and proliferation of the silicon baking pans. In general,
what changes to the baking process should I consider if I use these pans?

Thanks,

ROSE REPLY

There are actually very few changes necessary. It is important to realize, however, that no substance on earth that I know of is 100% non-stick. Because silicone happens to be the most nonstick substance, if it is prepared properly (with oil and flour) it will release the cake perfectly with no crust stuck to the pan.

It is best to allow the cake to cool in the pan on a rack until warm or room temperature before unmolding it.

Deep fluted tube pans, as they are now, do not conduct the heat well to the center of the cake and may require as long as 20 minutes extra baking. But this is a relatively new technology and is continuing to evolve. For small cakes and the standard 9 x 2 inch cake I feel silicone has no equal. The cakes rise more evenly, with no need to wrap the sides of the pans with cake strips, and the texture is lighter and more even though the actual height of the cake is slightly lower.

Read about my association with Lékué Silicone pans and bakeware from Spain.

From the kitchen of Rose on 02.07.06 at 4:02 PM in Equipment
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GUY QUESTION

Hi rose! I love your book.

The issue I'm having is that in your Book The Cake Bible, you say to use 9 inch x 1 1/2 inch round pans for making the All Occasion Downey Yellow Butter Cake. I followed your instructions to the letter. The layers rose above the tops of the cake pans. Did I do something wrong? Should I just be using the 9x2 inch pans instead?

Thank you!

ROSE REPLY

It's okay if layer cakes rise a little above the sides of the pan as the structure can still support it. The real indication is if the finished height after unmolding is the same as I specified. The batter may be a little too much for the 1 1/2" high pan but it is not enough for the 2 inch high pans.

From the kitchen of Rose on 02.07.06 at 3:38 PM in General
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