Neat as sorbet syrup is in terms of its ability to resist freezing completely, it would still freeze into a (mostly) solid block were it not for the ice cream machine. An ice cream machine performs two crucial roles in the sorbet-making process. Firstly, it freezes the syrup mixture quickly, and that helps create ice […]
READ ONBefore we can talk about what a stabilizer does in a sorbet, it’s important to know how a sorbet works. Most people’s reaction, on seeing a sorbet recipe, is: wow, that’s a lot of water. The concern being: won’t all that water tun into big chunks of ice? The answer to that is no. The […]
READ ONLots of folks like to disparage stabilizers, but they’re one of the most important classes of food additives. As their name implies, their main job is to prevent things from happening. If a catalysts are instigators of reactions, stabilizers can be thought of as their opposite. Sort of like chemical cops, they keep molecules of […]
READ ONReader Lee comments: I like chemicals too, and in fact have ever since the ’60s. But this Cremodan stuff: I looked on the Internets, and it’s pretty expensive: $25 for a pound! That’s a lot of tomato sorbet! Any idea of where I can get it in smaller quantities? Also, suppose I want to kill […]
READ ONI knew it would be. I knew there’d be plenty of criticism, but I was surprised at the number of food science types who wrote in to express their relief that somebody, somewhere was willing to engage in a pro-additive discussion. Seems In Praise of Chemicals has popped a cap on some pent up frustration. […]
READ ONAt its heart, this chocolate sorbet recipe is actually quite basic. It omits the bar chocolate that seems to be the rage with a lot of the newer chocolate sorbet recipes. Even so, you’ll be amazed at how rich and creamy a dairy-free frozen chocolate dessert can taste. It’s excellent when made without the Cremodan, […]
READ ONWhy risk a week of nasty-grams by celebrating food additives? Because it’s high time somebody did. I’ll wager there’s nary a food columnist, cookbook writer or blogger working right now that doesn’t in some way, shape or form pay obeisance to the local/natural/organic food movement. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of things […]
READ ONOh sure, it seems like an innocuous topic, but mark my words, before the week is out it’s going to blow up into a firestorm of controversy. And why might that be? Because in addition to lauding dessert ices, I shall also be mounting a full-throated defense of certain food additives, notably a stabilizer by […]
READ ONThis is something of a Southern treatment of a classic coffee cake, as it calls for both buttermilk and pecans. If you like, you can substitute either yogurt or sour cream in the batter, and swap the pecans in the streusel for walnuts — even almonds — if they’re more convenient. All the egg yolks […]
READ ONReader Joe from Israel asks: I’ve seen the terms “tender crumb” and “open crumb” and I think I know what they mean. Can you define it for us? What affects the crumb of the cake: processing methods, ingredients or both? Thanks Joe! “Crumb” is simply the word for the interior of a bread, cake or […]
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