The Food Network has kindly requested that I spread the word that they’re casting for a new competition show along the lines of The Next Food Network Star. They’ll be holding open casting calls soon in Philadelphia, Boston, New York and DC. If you’re interested don’t quit your day job and go here.
READ ONThe below pretzel recipe calls for either dipping your pretzels in a lye bath or simply painting them with egg wash. However there is another method that’s very commonly used. It involves poaching your pretzels in boiling water to which a large volume of baking soda has been added. Soda, as you most of you […]
READ ONThose questions all came in over the weekend, and they’re good ones. I’m no chemist, but I’ll do my best to answer. Lye is an alkaline substance, which in chemical terms means it’s on the opposite side of the pH scale relative to an acid, but that doesn’t mean it’s harmless. A strong alkaline, like […]
READ ON…to every one who sent me suggestions on where to find lye these last few days. From candle and soap-making supply stores to Mexican groceries to Asian markets to Amish general stores, I had no idea there were so may potential sources of lye or very close equivalents. Due to a combination of weather, proximity, […]
READ ONI’ve been plagued by email problems the last two weeks. Yesterday I discovered several dozen emails that had collected over the last month, emails that I meant to read and respond to, but promptly lost instead. So, if you’ve sent in a question or comment and haven’t received a reply yet, please re-send. If you’ve […]
READ ONNew reader Deborah B. writes: I have now spent the last 40 minutes reading your blog — dang! You may have succeed in moving me off food porn to food erotica! Er, thanks Deborah! I think…
READ ONYes, lye. I understand why you might be worried about it. I confess that it’s worrisome having a dangerous caustic alkaline in the kitchen. However if you take the proper precautions, it’s no more dangerous to work with than a strong drain cleaner. The big problem is getting it. I confess I didn’t plan terribly […]
READ ONYou may have heard a rumor that you can only make truly authentic pretzels by using dangerous chemicals. That’s pretty much true. Lye has been an important part of the pretzel-making process for hundreds of years. However it’s not essential. You can make very serviceable pretzels without it. This recipe includes instructions for both. It’s […]
READ ONReader Michael F. submits this whopper by way of his Scottish grandmother: The Pretzel was Roman, but they invented it when they invaded the British Isles…they took English wheat to make their traveling biscuits but it was too soft to make the hard biscuits that they made with their own flour so the shape was […]
READ ONI love this one for the sheer inventiveness of it. It regards a young baker (variously referred to as an Italian, a German, Frenchman, even a colonial American) falsely accused of a crime (usually theft or fraud). The poor fellow is called before the local magistrate and sentenced to prison — with one caveat. If, […]
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