Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum

On a recent trip to Switzerland, I had the good fortune to have access to the airport lounge. I was so impressed by the quality of the coffee, which in prior years I couldn’t even bring myself to drink, that I had two cappuccini. But it was not just the quality, it was the ease of self-serving. All one had to do was chose the type of coffee, press the button, and wait a few seconds. From there on all was automatic: the milk came steaming and foaming into the cup followed by a steady stream of espresso. Bliss. Little did I dream of having such a luxury in my own home.

When people ask me to name my number one comfort food, what springs immediately to mind is cappuccino. It serves as my breakfast (after all it does have milk), my mid-day break, on bad days an extra cup or even two as my go to comforter, and sometimes even an after dinner treat though I am aware that it is a mockery-inviting break with Italian tradition. At least it’s not after dinner latte (thank you Amanda Hesser for teaching me that). Italians drink espresso after dinner.

So when I discovered a few months ago that Nespresso had launched a new line of coffee makers for the home and that the Latissima, a fully automatic model, was available I had to have one. In addition to its speed and ease of producing the perfect cappuccino or latte, I was charmed by the little milk container that gets stored in the refrigerator between uses so that the half gallon milk container one purchases at the supermarket doesn’t have to be accessed and exposed to heat each time you make the coffee. I also appreciated all the custom settings, determining how much frothed milk and how much coffee is dispensed according to one’s own taste. I loved the design of the machine and that it accommodated both tiny espresso cups and tall latte glasses.

Continue reading "Latissima Love" »

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The BeaterBlade™

My next book (several years hence!!!) will be several pages shorter than it might have been because I will be able to leave out that annoyingly repetitive phrase scrape down the sides of the bowl! This is because an inventive young man, Gary Fallowes of NewMetro Design (he may not be so young by the time I finish another book) has designed a flat beater for most models of the Cuisinart,KitchenAid, Kenwood, Viking and DeLonghi stand mixers, that has a flexible rubber ‘wing’ down the entire outer length of the blade which continuously and efficiently scrapes the sides and bottom of the bowl as it is beating.

I waited a long time to write about this much needed attachment because I wanted to test it out thoroughly and be certain that it would not in any way harm the mixer.

Continue reading "The Most Revolutionary Improvement to Stand Mixers in 90 Years!" »

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When I was a child, I couldn’t help but notice that all the other little girls’ mom’s wore pretty shoes while mine wore sensible oxfords or orthopedic models. Actually this was because she was a dentist and in those days, before the advent of electronic multi position examination chairs, dentists had to stand on their feet all day. It was also because my courageous mother had been crippled by polio but she didn’t allow this to stop her from choosing a profession that was physically demanding. She was, in fact, the only woman in the entire dental school at the time.

Though I didn’t have the problems with my feet and legs that she suffered, I never-the-less was strongly influenced by her approach to support and comfort. This has stood me in good stead as now so many of my friends are undergoing foot surgery for bunions and other problems. But catering to your feet has more ramifications than just your feet. Happy feet make for a happy back, happy body, and happy soul. And shoes are not the whole story.

Continue reading "Standing on A Cloud of Comfort" »

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We all know that they best way to keep pie dough from sticking to the surface while rolling it out is to keep it cool. But unless you have a refrigerated marble top, chill down your marble or granite counter, or use the Kuhn Rikkon plastic box like device into which you can insert ice packs, the chances are that it will soften to some degree while rolling.

The best temperature for the dough is 60 to 65˚F/15 to 18˚C. Colder and it cracks, warmer and it sticks so speed is of the essence here.

I’m always looking for the ideal way to prevent sticking and avoid adding too much extra flour to the dough. Up until I discovered the "magic dough mat" I swore by the pastry cloth and sleeve into which you rub flour allowing the to dough pick up only the bare minimum it requires.

When I saw the dough mat described in an industry equipment magazine I was skeptical but ordered one to check it out. I was stunned to discover that unless the dough really softens it virtually prevents sticking.

Note: It’s always a good idea when rolling the dough to move it from time to time to ensure that it will release and if it seems to be getting a little resistant, to sprinkle on a little flour. I prefer Wondra, as it’s slightly coarse texture makes it wonderfully slippery and less is needed.

The dough mat has a slightly adhesive bottom surface, which keeps it from slipping on the counter. The top surface has all manner of useful information such as guide rings for different size doughs and lots of metric equivalencies including volume and temperature. It rolls up for easy storage.

The dough mat is carried by some cookware shops or can be ordered on line from http://www.cooking.com or directly from the manufacturer for about $20 plus shipping.

http://www.magicslice.com Put the words dough mat in the search box.

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A few months ago, there was a posting on the blog alerting everyone to the possibility of a proof box designed for home use. I checked out the website and it sounds like the perfect thing, not just for creating the ideal temperature(s) to raise bread, but even for melting chocolate!

I've been in touch with the manufacturer, Michael Taylor, and he asked me to ask all of you to give a response on his survey regarding your interest in this product. We need to encourage him to produce it as it's both expensive and time-consuming to launch a new item. Here's his website:

http://www.berkshirebread.com

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Some years ago I visited London for the first time and was staying in a rather depressing dumpy but affordable hotel, but not for long. Old family friends, the Streeters, who had retired to Harrogate—land of James Herriot (All Creatures Great and Small), invited me to visit. It was like coming home—a beautiful apartment in the countryside, my own room with comfy bed and down pillow. I never did have to return to that dumpy hotel as my next stop was friends in Paris.

Staying with the Streeters was a most wonderful and sentimental visit as I had grown up with their sons and we hadn’t seen each other for years. Ted took me to see the newly unearthed (literally) Viking Village in York. Rosalind, a terrific cook, fed me well, but what was most memorable was breakfast. Rosalind served me a fried egg that was still sitting in the little copper bottomed stainless steel Revereware skillet in which it had been fried. She silently set it before me, having announced the night before that she didn’t like conversations first thing in the morning, and left me blissfully to enjoy the fabulous country egg.

When later I told her what a perfect way it was to serve an egg, keeping it warm but not continuing to cook it she told me that she had been looking for years for more of those little frying pans so she could serve more than one person at a time.

Continue reading "Cast Iron Eggs" »

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My first job in the food world many years ago was at the Reynolds Metals Company in New York City. The main offices were in Richmond Virginia but we had a satellite office set-up for publicity with no test kitchen. And it was this job that led me to return to college and get my degrees in food.

One of my responsibilities was to distribute aluminum foil and plastic wrap to the press and to anyone else who could promote what a wonderful quality product it was (and still is)! My grandmother said she would have enough to be buried in foil but this turned out to be incorrect as happily she lived to over 99. James Beard was another happy recipient of roll upon roll of foil and plastic wrap. I felt like a female Santa Klaus and only I had the key to the store room. I wish I had sent myself more!

I have remained loyal to Reynolds all these years and have never purchased any other brand of foil. So it is with great pride that I can tell you about an invaluable new product on which Reynolds have spent years of research. It is called Reynolds ® Handi-Vac™Vacuum Sealer.

Continue reading "The Perfect Stocking Stuffer for the Home Cook and Baker" »

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It has taken several years, but such is the superiority of silicone in many applications of baking and cooking, the consumers have reached a real comfort level in near record time it usually takes to accept new technology. I would bet that there is at least one silicone product in every kitchen in America. I don’t think anyone still uses rubber spatulas rather than silicone spatulas that are heatproof to over 500˚F.

Through using silicone bakeware and cookware, and learning its properties and how it functions, manufacturers and designers are coming up with all manner of incredibly inventive gadgets that show silicone to its best advantage and that serve as indisputable replacements for old technology.

Continue reading "A Few of My Favorite Silicone Things" »

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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.

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when i was growing up, and discovered the joys of fried rice at the local chinese restaurant, i wanted to be able to make it at home. to my disappointment the rice turned to mushy clumps when i tried frying it. i thought the chinese had some special secret to having each grain whole and separate. it wasn’t until many years later that i learned that rice for frying needs to be made ahead and allowed to dry overnight in the frig.

when i started living on my own, i learned something else about cooking rice. the instructions on the box were wildly inaccurate, calling for enough water to turn the rice mushy and splayed at the ends. i also failed to understand why wild rice that takes about an hour to cook would be packaged together with white rice that only requires maximum 20 minutes, thereby resulting either in overcooking the white rice or undercooking the wild. after many years, i finally perfected rice from uncle ben’s to basmati, from brown to wild, from sushi to butanese red. but my number one favorite way to make rice is what i call dirty rice.

Continue reading "My Sweet Little Rice Cooker" »

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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.

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the manufacturer has offered to make these fantastic measuring spoons (the only ones i trust) available directly from him:

Cost for the 7 pc spoon set is $7.00
Cost for the 3 pc spoon set is $4.00
S&H $2.00 per address

he is also very generously offering the complete 14pc set (bowls, beakers, and measuring spoons) to "real baking with rose" bloggers. The cost is $39.95 plus $7.99 S& H

The suggested retail is $52.99 so there is a nice savings by ordering it directly from him. Checks only (no credit cards).

Make checks payable to:
Randy Kaas
4541 E
Frye Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85048

pourfect@cox.net

photos of the bowls, beakers, and measuring spoons are on the site http://www.pourfectbowl.com

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POURfect Bowls, Beakers, and Measuring Spoons

Good design is something I value very highly. The first thing I learned about design when I was a freshman in college, is the concept of form following function. Over the years I have found it to be both disappointing and outrageous that in the arena of home baking, the critical tools--measuring spoons and cups with spouts for measuring liquid--have fallen so far from this design principle and, more often than not, are inconsistent in accuracy. I kept thinking: no wonder so many people are under the mistaken impression that baking is hard—there is no standard of measure for the ingredients and unfortunately most people seem to think that measuring is easier than weighing.

When I bake, I weigh almost every ingredient except for small but essential ingredients like baking powder, baking soda, salt, and yeast. 1/8 teaspoon more or less of baking powder or baking soda makes a critical difference in determining whether a cake will dome, have a flat surface, or sink in the middle—as does 1/8 teaspoon of yeast in bread baking which can affect the rising time by as much as an hour for each rise. Most scales don’t measure these minute ingredients as accurately as measuring spoons do. And I know most people who bake measure liquid by volume not weight.

With each new brand or design of measuring spoons and liquid measuring cups I eagerly ran (with hope in my heart) to the sink to start checking by pouring in water. A cup of water, by the way, measures 8 fluid ounces but does not weigh 8 ounces. Look up water in the dictionary. It defines one fluid 8 ounce cup of water as 238.35 grams which is 8.4 ounces. The volume reading should be taken at eye level and the meniscus—the clear space at the very top—should be above the line. (Incidentally, liquid measures are not designed to measure solids such as sugar and flour which need measuring cups with unbroken rims on which to level off the ingredient.)

Continue reading "The Importance of Pourfection for Baking" »

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i promised last posting to reveal the favorite use of air in the “food world” and here it is: cappuccino! (yes it’s a beverage but as you may remember from one of my first postings, coffee is the most important thing to “pass the portals of my lips.” and for me, it’s more than a beverage—it’s my daily breakfast.

as i reflect on my restaurant and home cooking experiences over the past 40 years i am struck by the fact that in the beginning most if not all of the best dishes had to be made by a chef. gradually this changed as the best ingredients became available to the home cook and more recently the best equipment as well. it’s a sad irony that people seem to be cooking less at home now that they could make the most delicious and nutritious dishes to their own taste. i honestly think my husband is torn between envying the control i have over what we eat and enjoying almost all of it!

coffee has been the last bastion of “better consumed out.” it was never as good at home because cafés have a faster turnover and for coffee, freshly roasted and ground is an imperative. then along cake illy and nespresso with stunning and efficient hi-tech machines and equally if not more important, high quality coffee vacuum sealed in individual packages. but i still had to go OUT for a good cappuccino. two guys from the UK came up with aerolatte—a terrific battery operated foaming device so effective it was immediately knocked off with lower quality by another major company. the original model was far better and easier to use than the foaming devices on even the most expensive cappuccino machines because, for one thing, the aerolatte did not introduce any steam into the coffee during the foaming process.

my one problem with this hand-held device was that it necessitated my running back and forth between the microwave to heat the milk, the coffee maker, and back to the microwave to retrieve the milk and foam it before the coffee cooled. not enough calories burned to counteract the teaspoon of sugar i added but still….agitation was not the way i wanted to start the morning (foaming is another thing.)

finally nespresso introduced the foamer of my dreams: the aeorccino. it makes foaming the milk so perfect and so easy that it has served to increase my coffee consumption by double. it is a stunning stainless steel little ‘pot’ with non-stick lining and a two magnetic little devices—one a coil which fits on the bottom to foam milk for cappuccino and the other that fits onto the top for making latte. the pot sits on a small plastic base that plugs into an electric outlet. (my base was a little wobbly so i stuck a few small layers of masking tape under it on one side to steady it and it has stayed securely in place for months.)

to become the barrister barista of your dreams, you simply pour milk (i use whole milk but 2% is fine too) up to the mark, cover it, press the button, and in seconds have perfectly foamed milk—the thickest finest foam ever.

caffeine has little to no effect on me but i’m happy to report that both illy and nespresso produce decaf pods that are as delicious as the caffeinated variety.

yes, the aeroccino may seem expensive at $80, but it pays for itself in a matter of weeks when you consider the price of ordering cappuccino out!

to view the aeroccino go to www.nespresso.com and select all accessories.

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MONICA QUESTION

Feedback: Hi Rose! Do you have any recommendations on bread ovens? I am looking into buying a separate oven just for baking bread (and if it had steam injectors, I'd be thrilled!) Have you looked into any of the products that are out there?

ROSE REPLY

i haven't actually tried it yet but kitchen aid has a new built in oven with "steam assist" that sounds very promising! it's projected to come out in 2007. meantime it has a duel-fuel range with steam assist.
http://www.kitchenaid.com/catalog/product.jsp?src=RANGES&categoryId=115&productId=897

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I’m pleased to announce my association with Harold Import Company. Harold Import is distributing my new line called Rose Levy Bakeware™.

Rose Levy Bakeware™ represents my vision for the ideal bakeware that has been brewing in my imagination for years. I’m proud to offer these new design concepts for you to enjoy in your home.
Rose’s Perfect Pie Plate is the first product to be developed and I am very proud of it. It has my favorite pie crust recipe permanently decorated into the plate, and has a deeply scalloped border which effortlessly creates a beautiful crimped crust. Also available is Rose's Sweetheart Crème Brûlée Set. Both are packaged with my recipe booklets.

If you are a member of the trade, please contact Harold Import. If you are a consumer, look for Rose Levy Bakeware™ at fine kitchen and gourmet food stores near you. It is also available on line at CyberPantry.com, Fantes.com, and LaPrimaShops.com

I am also delighted to announce my association with Lékué Silicone pans and bakeware from Spain, also distributed by Harold Import Company.

Please click to download a PDF booklet about silicone bakeware. It's about 2.5 MB.

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