Solving The 7 Most Common Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistakes
July 9, 2009
Let’s face it EVERY cook makes mistakes (yes, even us professional bakers make boo boo’s).
I’m going to list here, the 7 most common whole wheat bread baking mistakes that you’re probably making, or might make if you’re not forewarned, and what you can do about them.
Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistake 1
By far the most common bread baking mistake is when the salt is forgotten to be added to the whole wheat bread dough.
This results in very bland bread, and even effects the rising of the dough. Making your whole wheat bread flat on top.
The best solution for this is to use a post it note as a reminderto yourself, to add the salt to the whole wheat bread dough.
You can stick the post it note where ever you’re most likely to see it (fridge, recipe book, etc..)
Whole Wheat Bread Baking Mistake 2
The second most common mistake is when the whole wheat bread dough is allowed to over rise, which leads to it falling.
This usually happens when the whole wheat bread dough is forgotten about. And with so much going on our lives, who doesn’t forget things like this now and then?
The Art of the Marinade
July 2, 2009
It’s a sad fact that these days it has become almost essential to marinade most cuts of meat, unless you intend to casserole them.
I’ll go into why that is the case a bit later on, but for the time being let’s just examine why we use marinades at all.
Principally there are two reasons. One is to add flavor, and the other is to tenderize. Usually, we are trying to do both.
It’s worth bearing in mind that marinating is a cooking process, even though heat is rarely applied. The importance of recognizing this is that, like any other cooking process, you can overdo it.
It’s not just a case of putting the meat or fish in a sauce and leaving it there until you are ready to use it. Many of the fruit juices we use in marinades, such as lemon and pineapple, contain enzymes that break down proteins. In essence, what they do is digest them.
Leaving meat in them for too long would result in an unpalatable mush. If you want to try this for yourself, leave a piece of pork in fresh pineapple juice overnight and then see what happens when you cook it.
Easy Herb Butters
June 25, 2009
Since herbs are plentiful this time of year, why not use them to make a variety of simple herb butters? You can even freeze the butters to enjoy in the cooler fall months ahead.
Use these tasty butters on everything from grilled steaks, fish, and chicken, to cooked vegetables. And don’t forget to slather some on a big chunk of fresh bread.
To make herb butters, chop the herbs very fine (and pulverize the seeds). Cream the butter. Then blend in the herbs and seasonings. Roll the herb butter into a log, then wrap the log in waxed paper. Store in the refrigerator, or put in the freezer (for up to 6 months).
Try the following herb butter combinations:
BASIC HERBAL BUTTER
2 sticks softened butter
1 Tsp. chopped, fresh green basil
1 Tbsp. chopped, fresh marjoram
1 Tbsp. chopped, fresh chives
1 tspo. chopped, fresh rosemary
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
PARSLEY HERB BUTTER
1/2 c. softened butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. chopped basil
1/4 tsp. oregano
Pepper to taste
Make It With Mint
June 19, 2009
It wouldn’t be summer without fresh mint in pots on the front porch and in the garden. Mint is so easy to grow, it has such a wonderful fresh scent, and it can be used for all sorts of things.
Here are some easy ways to use mint:
Put a few fresh spearmint or peppermint sprigs in a teapot with your favorite tea. Let steep for 2-3 minutes and serve.
Use sprigs of mint as a pretty garnish for a special dessert.
For a casual arrangement for your dining room or kitchen table, fill an attractive glass or ceramic pitcher, vase, or other container with water. Add several long sprigs of fresh mint (being sure to strip away any mint leaves that would be covered by the water). The mint will add color to the room, scent the air, and even help keep pesky ants away.
Pot your favorite mint in a pretty container on your front porch to provide a welcoming fresh scent to anyone who comes to visit.
Add chopped mint leaves to scrambled eggs, omelettes, quiches, or souffles.
Mix mint in with your regular tabbouleh recipe for a refreshing summer salad.
Moms Easy Cooking - Fast Meal Ideas For Busy Moms
June 12, 2009
Every busy mom worries about how to prepare fast, nutritious meals for her family. Working moms often find they have very little time for meal planning and preparation. After a long day at work, the last thing on your mind is spending an hour or more cooking and cleaning up afterwards. A little advance preparation and some creative menus are all you need to make mealtime less stressful. You will save a lot of time and energy if you plan an entire week’s meals in advance, and do your shopping all in one trip instead of making several trips to the grocery store each week.
A simple online search will give you some great recipes and meal ideas, most of which you can prepare in less than fifteen minutes. You will be able to find delicious recipes for family favorites such as spaghetti, meatloaf, and stroganoff, all of which can be partially prepared in advance, saving you valuable time in the evenings. Most busy moms worry about nutritious, fast breakfasts. Consider keeping frozen waffles, yogurts, cereal, and microwave items such as Hot Pockets on hand to save precious time in the mornings and still send your kids off to school with a good breakfast.
Ten Proven Tips to Buy the Best Meat Available
June 5, 2009
Ten Proven Tips to buy the Best Meat Available
As you look through the meat section at your local grocery store you are probably like so many others asking yourself if the steaks you have chosen is really good meat. Here are some tips on how to make sure you buy good meat.
The quality grade does not necessarily mean that you will be getting good meat. Some cuts of meat are just naturally more tender than others. You should look for cuts from the less used muscles along the back such as the rib and loin sections. The shoulder, flank and leg cuts will be tougher. How to make sure you buy good meat
Garlic: A Quick Guide
May 30, 2009
Garlic, there’s nothing like the smell of garlic. It’s great in soups and sauces, roasted with meats or on it’s own, and it’s wonderful mixed with butter and slathered on bread and then baked.
The scientific name for garlic is Allium Sativum. It is related to the lily and the onion. Although related to the onion, and having a flavor that very slightly resembles that of an onion, garlic does not bring tears to the eyes when chopped.
When buying fresh garlic, be sure that the head feels very firm when you squeeze it. Over time, garlic will soften and begin to sprout, which turns the garlic bitter. To store fresh garlic, keep it in a dark, cool place, such as the basement. Do not refrigerate or freeze the garlic, as it will begin to loose it’s taste.
To peel a clove of garlic, place it on a cutting board, and put the flat of the blade of the knife against it. Press down on the other side of the blade with the heel of your hand, flattening the garlic slightly. The skin will come right off.
What You Need in a Gourmet Kitchen
May 23, 2009
The best way to decide what you need in your kitchen is to first decide what it is you are going to be cooking in there. The best suggestion I ever heard on this matter is to find five dishes you really love. The dishes you like to find on menus at restaurants. The next thing you want to do is learn to prepare those dishes to your standards. This is going to take some time, and some research, but I promise you it is well worth the effort.
They say that professional cooks don’t like to discuss the way they prepare a disk or recipe, and I find this to be a fallacy most of the time. People in general love to talk about what they do, and enjoy appreciation for their hard work. So don’t be afraid to ask, politely, a chef how he makes a certain dish or what is in the recipe. Keep the question general, and you might be surprised about the tips you can pick up from a simple question. If she doesn’t want to share her knowledge, thank her and be on your way. Its not like you can’t find out from several other sources what is in a certain dish and how to prepare it. No harm no foul. Most of the time I get great results by paying attention to the chef if only taking a quick look at his pots and knives.
The Right Grill for Your Barbecue
May 17, 2009
Barbecue is a mix of talents. There is the choice of meat (or in some cases vegetables), the creation and choice of sauce, and of course the flame. Once the components are gathered together, then the real talent starts with the maintenance of the flame, smoke, turnings and sauce applications.
We are going to focus on the flame, and the types of flame sources for our barbecue. There are basically three main sources in use today: Wood, Charcoal, and Natural gas or propane.
Natural gas and propane
Gas grills are easy to light. The heat is easy to control (via knob-controlled gas valves on the burners), so the outcome is very predictable. They result in a very consistent and tasty result, although some charcoal purists argue it lacks the flavors available only from cooking with charcoal. Advocates of gas grills claim that gas cooking lets you “taste the meat, not the heat” because it is claimed that charcoal grills may deposit traces of coal tar on the food. Many grills are equipped with thermometers, further simplifying the barbecuing experience. However propane and natural gas produce a “wet” heat that can change the texture of foods cooked over such fuels.
How to Peel Almost Anything
May 10, 2009
The great English cook Prue Leith once famously remarked "life’s too short to stuff a mushroom". I feel pretty much the same way about peeling a grape.
However there may come a time when you want to do such a thing and it’s handy to have a simple method standing by. Not that peeling a grape is all that difficult, just tedious. You simply do it.
The same cannot be said of such things as peaches, apricots and even small pickling onions. The trick in each case is to use hot water.
With just about all thin skinned fruit, including tomatoes, you simply make a cross shaped nick in the skin, put them in a bowl and cover them with a very hot water for about 30 seconds. This cooks the skin and makes it very easy to remove.
You can do the same thing with baby onions, but you may need to leave them in the water a bit longer. That’s not a problem because there is no real danger of cooking the onion owing to the toughness of the skin. That’s not the case with most soft fruit so be careful not to leave them in the water for too long.
