While I agree 100% with vmac in the article Kitchen gadgets you think you need (but don’t), that egg-poachers, garlic peelers, julienne slicers, and choppers aren’t essential equipment, I do differ with his opinion on spatulas.  To me, an active home cook (who also bakes) can have more than two spatulas without it being too many.  I myself do have too many to admit, but a lot are doubles (which is handy when cooking with your partner or friends, or when multi-tasking).  But here’s the nine-yes 9-spatulas I consider essential, and why.

Pictured in the image, left to right:

1)      Small, off-set metal baker’s spatula:  This is an indispensible tool for icing small baked goods like cupcakes, petit-fours, and holiday cookies.  The off-set feature puts the spatula at an angle for easier frosting.

2)      Large, off-set metal baker’s spatula:  You’ll want one of these for frosting anything larger than a cupcake.  Again, the off-set angle of the spatula makes icing cakes a breeze rather than a mess.

3)      Large, flat metal baker’s spatula:  This is indispensible for rolling out dough.  As you roll, you continuously slide this spatula under your disk of dough to keep it from sticking to the surface.  When used in unison with the large, off-set cook’s spatula, you slip them under your cake cross-wise, and can transfer any cake from prep surface to presentation platter without it ending up in pieces or on the floor.

4)      Small, heat-proof rubber spatula:  This is good for cooking and baking.  In cooking, you can use it in small pans without melting your spatula.  In baking, it’s ideal for scraping your paddle attachment, or scraping the large rubber spatula you’re using.

5)      Large, heat-proof rubber spatula:  I wouldn’t even think about folding without one of these.  They’re slightly flexible but rigid enough to handle folding, say, the two parts of a Chiffon cake batter into one homogenous batter.

6)      Standard metal spatula:  This is a must-have for flipping burgers and pancakes, as well as removing cookies from a sheet pan.

7)      Standard, off-set metal spatula:  Also for flipping, great for frying fish (whole or filets), and it works in combination with the large off-set baker’s spatula for transferring anything from point A to point B.

8)      Wood straight-edge spatula:  This is a must-have for making pan sauces from roasting pans, they scrape all that flavorful fond out of your pan with ease.

9)      Hand-held plastic spatula (a.k.a. plastic bench-scraper):  Not only is this the ideal tool for loading batters and icings into a piping bag, smoothing a crumb-layer onto a cake, or scraping flour or dough off your work surface, it also makes removing baked-on or fried-on gunk left in your pan a cinch.  After a bit of soaking in water, just use this plastic spatula to scrape the tough gunk out of your pan, then say bye-bye to heavy scrubbing!

After over a year of listening to my French-man say how much he missed eating Raclette during the winter, I finally went out and found a Raclette machine to gift him at Sur La Table. Though I’d had Raclette in Switzerland years ago, when we had our first Raclette dinner here in NYC, I was reminded just how perfect this meal is for winter, as well as for last minute dinner parties because it’s a meal your guests prepare themselves at the table—and have fun doing so.

A cheese originating in the Swiss canton of Valais, today Raclette is also produced in the French regions of Savoie and Franche-Comté. My personal favorite is the ultra-stinky Raclettes of Franche-Comté. Whole Foods always has Raclette, but I’ve also seen Raclette at many other quality markets, as well as on Fresh Direct (for you New Yorkers).

Read the full article at my blog, Culinary Sagacity

http://culinarysagacity.blogspot.com/

the trick is to get as much water out as you can! drain the package, but then flip the whole brick out onto a paper towel. put another paper towel on top of it, and then cover it with something heavy and flat. i used my second cutting board!! i let it sit like that for about ten minutes and then pop it in the over on some parchment paper or tinfoil at 450 for about 10-15 minutes.

either it crisps up nicely in the oven, or take it out and finish it off in a pan!!

i like to drain mine the previous night, then marinate it overnight before putting the cubes into the oven. Enjoy!!!

I love yogurts, but I’ve noticed that even the ones that claim to be healthy are loaded with many artificial flavorings that probably aren’t so great for you. Be especially awar eof “lowfat” and “nonfat” yogurts like yoplait, which use high fructose corn syrup as thickeners.

Because of this, I decided to start flavoring my own yogurts, and I never thought how fun or easy it could be! Basically, all you do is decide which flavor you would like, and then mix it into plain yogurt (I like brown cow)with a little sugar, sugar replacement or honey. Crushed fruit is an obvious but delicious option, such as blueberry, raspberry etc, but I suggest getting creative as well.

I made a vanilla almond by scraping out seeds from a vanilla bean and mixing it in with grated almonds and sugar replacement (organic zero). I also made an orange peel and nutmeg flavoring by grating orange zest and nutmeg and mixing in some honey. Apple chunks and cinnamon is also a good one, lavender honey and chocolate chip raspberry is a great alternative to ice cream if you’re looking for something sweet to eat without as many calories. Try putting it in the freezer and enjoy!

Be creative, and ditch the preservatives!

Sometimes it’s fun to go all out and decorate for a party – birthday parties or theme parties usually lend themselves to this really well.  However, sometimes there’s no apparent theme or more often than not, you just don’t have the time to come up with ideas and implement them all.  I’ve found that the best, easiest, fool proof way to set the atmosphere of a party is with candles.  They look very elegant and take all of 5 minutes to set up.  Everything looks nicer in low light. The more you use the better, and entire tabletop covered in tea lights is pretty impressive and fancy looking. Whether you’re hosting a dinner party or a big celebration this works every time.

Those who bake well and often will tell you that making cupcakes is easy.  And it is, if you were raised by June Cleaver or born with the Julia Child gene.  I was lucky enough to learn from my mom, the daughter of a truly fantastic baker who wasn’t too June to let me “experiment” in the kitchen.  But even without training from the womb or possessing a natural gift, it’s still eminently possible—and a good time—to learn how to bake cake from scratch.  Here’s my advice for newbie cupcake makers.

1. Measure carefully - It’s not difficult to do, it’s just that you might not know how.  Do you want a heaping cupful of flour?  Or do you want to pack it in there?  As a general rule, you want a level measure of whatever it is you’re measuring.  Cookbooks will tell you to scoop the measuring cup overfull of flour/sugar/dry ingredient of choice and then use a knife to level it off.  I usually use the bottom of the spoon or a smaller cup measure—whatever I’m using to scoop, simply because it’s more convenient to me.  Baking powder and baking soda have a lip built into their containers that you can use to scrape off the top of a heaping spoonful.

2. Whisk the dry ingredients -  It helps break up the baking powder or baking soda and salt and makes for fluffier cakes.  Chewy is not what you aim for in cake making.

3.  Beat the wet and dry ingredients separately -  The recipe actually says this, but it bears mentioning again.  Cake mixes were invented to avoid the use of more than one bowl.  In cake making, you need two.  Bite that bullet.  This is part of a larger theme, which is…

4.  Follow the recipe -  Restrain your inner improvisational actor this round.  Eventually you’ll be able to make a cake healthier/more exciting/look like confetti cake mix, but on your first recipe, stick to the rules.  Kitchen chemistry doesn’t require petri dishes but it’s no stir fry.

5.  Mix well –  “Mix well” is recipe-ese for beat like you’re a Kitchen Aid.  Lumpy batter leads to more nasty bites of baking powder—don’t let that face happen at dessert.  Use a spatula at this stage (or a big spoon) to beat the batter until it’s smooth, and scrape down the sides and the bottom often.

6.  Preheat the oven -  Another chewy cake prevention tactic.  Baking cookies doesn’t require you to preheat the oven (necessarily) but cakes are finicky.  Preheating the oven means turning it on as soon as you get out the butter and eggs.  The heat will shoot through the batter and make it rise quickly and cook thoroughly.

7.  Fill the cupcake tins…half to two-thirds of the way.  Too high will make it hard to frost because they’ll have a muffin top.  That’s unattractive.

8.  Let the cupcakes cool IN the tins…

9.  …and completely  – Keeping the cupcakes in the tins helps them keep shape, and if you don’t let them cool completely, you’ll get cupcake scramble when you go to frost (don’t worry, it still tastes good!).

10.  Sprinkle  - The key to good décor is fake it ‘til you make it.  I’ve been frosting for a decade now and I’m no Martha Stewart, but I’ve found that a shaker of sprinkles can save anything.  To get the most coverage, pour a good half cup or so of the sprinkles (or colored sugar) into a bowl and dunk the cupcakes in as soon as you frost them, before the frosting gets hard.

The most important thing to remember is that the very fact that you are using a recipe instead of Duncan Hines gets you (har har) brownie points.  Even if your cupcakes are lopsided and gooey, your friend/coworker/potential mate will be more than happy to see you with a plateful of homemade stuff.  So don’t quibble–put down the mix and go for it!

I love roasting a whole chicken.  I love the way it smells, I love the crispy skin, but most of all, I love roasting a chicken because I get to make a savory stock from the left-overs.

If there’s one ingredient that sets the enthusiast apart from the casual cook, it’s home-made stock.  Nothing at the supermarket will ever match the richness, depth of flavor, purity and TLC of home-made stock.  Thing is, while stock is super easy to make, it does take time.  A poultry stock can simmer away on your stove for 2-3 hours.  Beef or veal stock may take up to six hours, while a vegetable stock takes about 1 & ½.  But the time your stock spends simmering is not all active time.  After keeping a close watch in the beginning, you can just leave it on a low simmer and let it work its magic on its own, concentrating its flavor as it reduces to your desired strength.

Step One:  Just add water

When making any stock, all you need are raw or roasted bones (or veges-whichever ones you like) and water.  When I roast a chicken (or turkey, poussin, etc), I save the entire carcass.  Within two days, I pull the carcass out of the fridge, break it down, and put the pieces straight into my heavy stock pot.  If you’re working with raw parts, roast poultry at 425, beef and veal bones at 435, and veges at 400, until they are golden brown.  Roasting produces a “brown” stock, using raw ingredients produces a “white” stock.

When you’ve got your parts in the pot, add enough water to cover the contents completely.  I use filtered or distilled water- it will be my stock-so I refrain from using tap water like I would when boiling pasta.

Never add salt when making stock!  As your liquid reduces, the salt will become concentrated, and your stock will be much saltier than intended.  With home-made stock, you just add salt to taste when you’re using it.

Next, put the stock pot on the stove over medium-high heat, uncovered.  You don’t want your stock to come to a rolling boil, that’s part of why you have to babysit it.  The other reason is that as the liquid gets hotter, you have to skim the top.

Step Two:  Skim the brim

For a beautifully clear stock, you’ve got to skim the brim to remove all the foam that develops as the liquid heats.  This foam is nothing more than fat and sinew released from the bones, which is why you have more skimming with a white stock than a brown one, much of the fat and sinew melts during the roasting process for a brown stock.

Just before your stock reaches a boil (you’ll see a couple of large bubbles perk up, and a lot of steam), turn the heat down to medium and don’t let it boil.  No matter how much you’ve skimmed your stock, if you let it boil, the end result will be a murky liquid.  That’s no big deal if you plan to use it in a risotto, braise or Bolognese, but if you want to use it as broth for, say, chicken soup, then you’ll want a crystal clear liquid-called a consommé.

Now that your stock has reached an almost-boil and you’ve turned the heat down to medium, stay put, and step up the skimming.  At maximum heat level, the bones give off a continuous amount of muck.  But you’ll soon see there’s nothing more to skim, and you can stop baby-sitting.  Just turn the heat down to med-low, leave it uncovered, and let it simmer away on its own.

Step Three:  Drain and strain

When your stock is finished simmering, it’s time to drain and strain.  I drain the liquid first by pouring all the contents through a large sieve (like you would use to drain pasta).  Then I take the just-drained liquid and strain it through a fine sieve lined with a paper towel.  This straining will remove all the tiny bits that slipped through the large sieve, leaving you with a consommé.

I like some fat in my stock-fat is flavor after all.  If you prefer none, you just need to refrigerate it overnight with a sheet of plastic wrap touching the liquid.  When the stock cools, the fat solidifies and sticks to the plastic wrap.  When the stock is cooled (and you’ve removed the fat if desired), pour it into ice cube trays or freezer-safe containers and freeze it.

Now you’ve got a stash of stock for use at a moment’s notice.  Risottos, á la minute pan sauces, soups, rice, braises, and stuffing are just a few things that need good stock and consommé.  With the summer behind us, there’s no better time to make your own stock.  After all, so much of what we want to eat when it’s cold-all that comfort food-will benefit beyond measure.  Plus, making stock not only warms your home and fills it with wonderful scents, it warms your heart and fills it with a love of cooking.

*Feature Story*

Mango chutney rocks my world a little bit. Sweet, savory and spicy all at once, this chutney is addicting at first bite. I figured it was time to make my own stash to feed my addiction.

Although I cook regularly, I hate using one single recipe for a new dish. To me, spending all day on a recipe that doesn’t turn out is about as much fun as getting a few teeth pulled (minus the nitrous). Cooking three different recipes alone is impossible, so I discovered how to customize my own recipe by using other recipes. Trust me, it sounds much harder than it is.

Step One: Load Up on Recipes

Pick a dish and gather several recipes of that dish from as many different sources as you would like to.

No clue where to find these recipes? For my mango chutney recipe, I took my recipes from several cookbooks, including a traditional Indian cookbook and a modern Indian cookbook (check your local library if your own supply is dry), a few food magazines (again, you can find these in libraries if you don’t have a subscription or want to buy one), and food websites. Food message boards are another good option if you like to get a lot of different opinions.

Step Two: Consider Your Tastes

Figure out what you want out of the dish. If you’ve tasted it before, was there anything you would change or keep the same? Do you need your dish to be as authentic as possible? To cook quickly? To just taste good?

By defining what you need out of the recipe, you will know what you are looking for when you read the recipes. For my mango chutney, I knew I wanted it to be savory, sweet and spicy, but sweeter than savory, and with a subtle heat.

Step Three: Compare and Contrast

Read all the recipes, comparing and contrasting the ingredient lists and then the directions or cooking methods. After reading five or so recipes, it should become clear which ingredients and cooking methods are common, and which are more unique.

For example, when I looked at all my mango chutney recipes, almost all of the directions called for simmering all the ingredients together until soft and thick, similar to making a quick jam.

One particular recipe called from cutting up the mango, covering it in salt and water, and letting it sit over night to drain out the excess liquid. Then the mangoes are drained and folded into a thick sugar syrup along with the spices and other ingredients and cooked until thickened.The final product almost looked like candied mango floating in a thick syrup rather than the consistency I wanted.

It did come from an Indian cookbook, which suggests it might have been more authentic than the other cooking methods, but it was a time-consuming recipe, so I knew I would not be using this cooking method.

Step Four: Do it Your Way

Craft your own recipe based off of what you read and what your needs and preferences are.

I already knew what my general cooking method would be, which was to cook all the ingredients together in a pot like a jam. When it came to ingredients, I noticed all the recipes called for ginger, either powdered or fresh. I went with fresh because I love how it is tastes almost citrusy. This is where it helps to have a bit of experience cooking and eating.

All the recipes with fresh ginger called for it to be julienned or diced, and I knew personally that I preferred for ginger to be a flavor mixed in to a recipe, rather than biting into a chunk of the stuff. So I grated my ginger on a Microplane or grater, because I know from experience that Microplanes help the ginger juice a bit, which also helps intensify the flavor.

But don’t worry if you are only a cooking newbie. Researching the ingredients and cooking methods you are using can help you decide which are best for your recipe. Yeah, I know, I’m asking a lot of you here, reading several recipes and researching. But trust me, you’ll thank me later, and it gets easier as you go on.

Step Five: The Fruits of your Labor

Give your recipe a shot, and enjoy!

My chutney recipe came out awesome on the first try, and my lazy, MTV-riddled brain gave a shout for joy. I had found a way to take a bunch of recipes and turn them into my ultimate recipe without even trying them out individually. My rewarded was a bowlful of chutney and a spoon. Yeah, it was THAT good.

]]> http://rollickguides.com/cooking/customizing-recipes-using-other-recipes-to-create-your-own/feed/ 0 http://rollickguides.com/cooking/kitchen-gadgets-you-think-you-need-but-dont-how-cooking-skills-eliminate-the-need-for-gadgets/ http://rollickguides.com/cooking/kitchen-gadgets-you-think-you-need-but-dont-how-cooking-skills-eliminate-the-need-for-gadgets/#comments Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000 vmac http://rollickguides.com/cooking/kitchen-gadgets-you-think-you-need-but-dont-how-cooking-skills-eliminate-the-need-for-gadgets/

When I was in school, I worked nights at a specialty cookware store, helping people outfit their kitchens and dining rooms.  I quickly came to understand that there are a lot of gadgets and gizmos purchased solely as impulse buys (coasters shaped like flip-flops and silicone hot pad holders molded after a dog’s head come to mind).  But what about those can’t-live-without-’em gadgets that seem to take up drawer space in every kitchen?  Are they really as indispensable as it seems?  Here, a look at some of the most popular gadgets purchased by cooks, and the simple techniques you can use in their place.

Egg poachers

Egg poaching pans and pods are misnomers because they don’t really poach at all.  True poached eggs are cooked underwater, in a gently simmering liquid that’s around 160 to 180 degrees.  Conversely, poaching gadgets only steam the eggs, and though they’re still cooked through, they don’t help a home cook who’s trying to master the basics.

I’ll be the first to admit that learning to poach an egg is an art.  But once you get your method down, you’ll realize that it is actually pretty simple.  To poach an egg, you need only heat a pan of water to a gentle simmer, then add in a bit of acid to help coagulate the egg whites (lemon juice or vinegar does just fine).  Some people find it helpful to stir the water around in a clockwise or counterclockwise motion, so that the moving water will help the egg white wrap around itself.  Crack open your egg into a small cup or dish, then gently slide it in to the water.  You’ll know it’s done when the whites are coagulated, but the yolk is still soft.  To give yourself a leg up, try using the freshest eggs you can get your hands on, as the whites in these will tend to run less in the simmering water.

Variations of the spatula

Of course it’s essential to have a few good spatulas in your kitchen – they’re perfect for folding, making omelets, or evenly spreading items out on a surface.  But in most cookware shops, you’ll see what feels like infinite variations of rubber and silicone spatulas.  There are double-ended ones, tiny ones no bigger than your hand, gigantic sized ones, styles with spoons attached to them, ones that sparkle and ones decorated with seasonal designs.

My advice?  Unless you’re working in a kitchen that is making huge quantities of food at once, stick to medium sized spatulas.  Pick a color you like, and a handle that feels comfortable to you.  Purchase one or two.  Then walk away.  The same goes for the many varieties of whisks available.  You don’t need a 10-inch balloon whisk and a 5-inch silicone coated whisk to compliment your three different French whisks and flat roux whisk.  Just select one or two that feel comfortable, and stop there.  Those two whisks can handle all of the tasks you’ll ever require of them.

Most important: Don’t fear the knife!

Many gadgets are rendered useless if you have a good chef’s knife and paring knife, keep both very sharp, and take time to practice your knife skills (which will make you a better cook in the long run, anyway).  To be sure, learning how to wield an 8-inch razor sharp plate of steel to create perfect dices, minces, slices and juliennes can be intimidating at first, but like any activity, practice makes perfect.  So, what chopping devices DON’T you need?

The Garlic Peeler and Garlic Slicer

Often difficult to work with and hard on the wrists, the garlic press pulverizes the cloves, without offering that delicate of a mince.  Many models also have the same design flaw: the head of the press doesn’t close flush against the perforated end, so much of the clove is left inside and mushed up.  Garlic slicers, if made well, can produce good, thin slices of everyone’s favorite Allium .  But why not use a knife or your mandoline?

For slicing garlic with a knife, try this: gently press on a wrapped clove of garlic, either with the heel of your hand or your knife, turned horizontally to make a flat plane.  Under pressure, the paper should crack open, allowing you to remove the soft clove inside.  Grasping onto the clove with your thumb and pointer finger, begin making slices based on your desired thickness.  For minced garlic, you can slice the cloves first, then lay the tip of your chef’s knife down on the cutting board and hold it there with your non-dominant hand (careful not to let those finger tips touch the board!).  Grasping the handle of the knife with your dominant hand, and keeping the knife tip in constant contact with the board, lift the knife up and down, so that the blade chops right through the garlic.

Julienne peelers

Technically speaking, the measurements of a julienne cut are 1/8″x1/8″x1-2″.  “Julienne” peelers tend to shred items into uneven hair-like pieces which are far too thin to be considered a true julienne.  Though it can take a while to master a perfect julienne cut, keep practicing – any cook worth their salt knows how to julienne, and the julienne cut is essential to a proper brunoise cut.

Handheld choppers

Okay, admit it.  There have been times when you stayed up late at night, intrigued by infomercial stars dicing and slicing vegetables into perfect pieces with the help of a pumping handheld chopper or alligator chopper.  But wait, there’s more!  Unless you have serious ailments preventing you from using a good old-fashioned knife, these types of choppers are a big cop out for any cook.

That’s because the cuts made with these gadgets can be done-better, in fact-with a chef’s knife.  More often than not, the blunt edges of the metal “chopping” mechanism in these gizmos can break down the cell structure of the vegetable, which means a mushy texture for you.

Once you learn the technique for dicing, it can be applied to nearly all products.  Check out this great video of how to dice an onion here .

Similarly, the apple slicer seems to be an increasingly popular gadget, but has the same blunt style “blade” that can damage the interior meat of the fruit.  By not slicing cleanly through the apple, your cut pieces will tend to brown a lot faster.

As you shop for your kitchen, you’re bound to come across hundreds of other gadgets that seem innovative and fun.  Just know there are very few items that come to market that are true must-haves.  In the end, you’re better off investing in yourself by working towards mastering new techniques, rather than paying a gadget to (sort of) do the job for you.  Have a little faith in your abilities!  Your kitchen will be less cluttered and your pocketbook much fuller because of it.