Author: joepastry

I like to blog a lot on Fridays when I can, but this week I can’t. I’m off to Virginia for a wedding. Thanks for visiting all you newcomers, I’ll see you bright and early on Monday.

In the world of bread there are two main periods of dough rising. There’s the period right after the dough is mixed, which is usually just called “rising”, though some fancy-pants baking types call it “primary fermentation” or “bulk fermentation”. “Proofing” is the period of rising that happens after your dough is shaped into a […]

I understand my good friend from down under, the Old Foodie, put up a link to me on eGullet. So…welcome all eGulleteers! (And please forgive the many fluctuating visuals that will be occurring in the next few days…I’m getting a site-lift).

…is cinnamon. A scant 1/2 teaspoon per quart of blueberries (half that amount if it’s a very fresh cassia cinnamon) gives blueberry jam amazing, subtle complexity. It’s a flavor that’s hard for people (even a lot of experienced cooks) to define exactly, which makes it a great trick for secret ingredient recipe warriors (What, that? […]

Not at all. Especially if your fruit haul happens to be just a few handfulls of wild berries, it might not even be worth you time. Just scale down whatever jam recipe suits your fancy and pour it into a jar without a canning lid. Cooled, it’ll keep in the fridge for weeks. The ubiquity […]

Good and safe preserving comprises multiple layers of preventive measures, counter-counter-measures and safeguards. There are a lot of bugs out there, after all, so it pays to cover every last anti-microbial base. We’ve talked sugar, we’ve also talked heat. This time let’s talk about acid. Acid is a time-tested bug killer. It’s found in copious […]

I know, the very fine Obsession with Food linked to this, but it’s just too cool. Ya gotta love steam power!

Sourdough starters may be about unrestricted microbial growth, but preserves are about putting the hammer down. As mentioned in the previous post, jams put the squeeze on bugs primarily (though not exclusively) via sugar. Sugar does two things to ruin a bug party. First, it dissolves into solution and binds up water molecules, preventing microbes […]