We just found out that the wife has another pastry in the oven, as it were. The poor girl gets terribly sick in her first trimester. In the brief moments when she’s able to eat, her sweet tooth comes out with a vengeance. This week’s projects come by her request. Here’s for the good times: […]
READ ONFat is the animal equivalent of a carbohydrate. Which is to say, it’s how animals store energy. You might remember from previous posts on frying that fat molecules are “E” shaped. They’re called triglycerides, which means they’re made up of three fatty acid molecules connected to a “backbone” of one glycerine molecule. The kind of […]
READ ONFatty acids are long chains of carbon molecules that have hydrogen molecules attached to them (which is why they’re called “hydrocarbon chains”). Fatty acids can be anything from three carbon atoms to about 20 carbon atoms long. The regularity with which hydrogen atoms are attached to the carbon atoms in the chain determines whether the […]
READ ONRight about here it makes sense to have a short discussion about how various fats are used, especially in baking. Bakers and pastry makers (from big time commercial operations right down to home bakers) vastly prefer solid fats to liquid fats. Solid fats are in fact the very foundation of pastry. Their ability to stay […]
READ ONWhat do Bill Gates, Prince Charles, William Shatner, G. Gordon Liddy and Calvin Klein all have in common? They’ve all been “pied”.
READ ONThere’s nothing like a trip to the bramble patch to remind you that nature is one tough place to make a living. Just securing enough berries to make a batch of jam involves dealing with a host of natural obstacles. There are competitors (birds, animals and of course, other pickers), predators (mosquitos), pests of all […]
READ ONI know what you’re asking yourself this morning, because I woke up asking it too: why, if preserves are just made of fruit and sugar syrup, can’t you just mix a good thick simple syrup with some cooked fruit and be done with it? The answer is, because what you get via jam making isn’t […]
READ ONWell, it’s the 4th. A lot of hot dogs are going to get grilled today, and in the interests of public service, I wanted to put up this helpful diagram just in case you’ve forgotten how to construct the perfect Chicago dog (and really, is there any other kind?). And don’t forget: friends don’t let […]
READ ONIt’s 4th of July week, so how can I not make pie? This sounds interesting, just be sure to check the reviews section for possible pitfalls: Jumbleberry Pie And since every home-grilled burger or dog should ride in first class: Hamburger/Hot Dog Buns Who the heck is Moomie?
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