In order to excel at things like doughnuts, fritters and cannoli, it’s important to understand the process of frying. As I’ve mentioned previously, good frying is really more like steaming, but why would that be so? It all comes down to this simple maxim: oil and water don’t mix. In the case of frying, the […]
READ ONIt an easy thing, but sometimes it helps to see it, yes? If a recipe calls for, say, four tablespoons of clarified butter, I’ll start out with a little extra since I expect to lose some in the process. Here I have about 4 1/2 tablespoons of fresh, unsalted butter: I heat it up until […]
READ ONWarm — not merely room temperature — eggs and dairy are critical to the success of many baking projects, but particularly cakes. Warm (85-degree) eggs let yolk emulsifiers flow, keeping batters smooth and uniform. Soft butter evenly coats flour granules, and warm milk, well…that doesn’t do much other than help keep everything else warm (but […]
READ ONI think there are probably half a dozen posts on this site that include this process in some form, but I receive so many requests for a separate tutorial on it, I’m going to go ahead and put one up. It seems a lot of people out there are having trouble seeding vanilla beans. The […]
READ ONBy popular demand, an easy and clear recipe for this very handy pastry component. As you can see, the home-made stuff has a very nice, thick consistency, especially after it’s been well chilled (as this has). A home made version of sour cream is what it is. Begin by pouring about 2/3 cup of cream […]
READ ONIt’s funny how many people seem to think their ovens are too cheap/old/junky to be improved by things like pizza stones and pans of water. The fact is, the junkier your oven is, the greater the difference these tricks will make. The first thing you want to do to make your oven more hearth-like is […]
READ ONMy pride and joy…and I’ll be even prouder and more joyous if I can ever figure out how to use it! What was wrong with my Maytag again?
READ ONIt was not so very long ago that canning was commonplace enough that most people had at least seen it done. That’s not true anymore, hence this little photo-primer. Like my jam-making instructions, there’s no recipe included here, though the procedures apply to pretty much any recipe that calls for a boiling water canner. Which […]
READ ONSo then, having tried and tried and tried again to master this brick oven firing thing, I’ve gotten to a place where I’m mostly satisfied. There’s still plenty to learn, I’m certain of that, but at least now I’m in a zone where I can generate enough heat to get my Alan Scott-designed wood burning […]
READ ONThis ultimate no-fail non-stick technique can be applied to any sort of pan or project — standard layer cakes, flourless cakes, fruitcakes, brownies, you name it. It’s incredibly easy to do provided you have some parchment paper on hand. Flat sheets are the easiest to work with. I order pre-cut half-sheet pieces from King Arthur […]
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