Did You know...Making Cake Flour

With just 6 to 8 percent protein, cake flour will give your baked goods a more tender, delicate texture than all-purpose flour.

If you do not have cake flour, it is easy enough to make.  Here's how:

Did You Know...Easy Method for Cutting Food in Half

I found this tip in Cook's Illustrated a while back and have been using this method ever since.  It was a great tip that allows you to NOT slice your hands.

Did You Know...Flattening Cutlets

Since I made home-made Chicken Cordon Bleu last night for dinner, I thought I would post a great tip for pounding out cutlets or chicken breasts.  We all go through a lot of breakfast cereal and it seems to be a waste to throw the bag away.  The great thing about these cereal bags is the fact that they are thicker and resist breakage/tearing from pounding out the chicken.

Did You Know...Saving Leftover Buttermilk

Did You Know...Seasoning with Kosher Salt

Since the grains of kosher salt are typically larger than the holes in a salt shaker, you can use the seasoning bottles that have a bit larger holes.  

Did You Know...Salting Chicken

Did You Know...Pasta Do's and Don'ts

You would never think that cooking pasta would be difficult for some people.  It's just boiling water and dropping in the pasta!  There are some people to struggle with under/overdone, sticky, or tasteless pasta.  Here are some tips for making the perfect pasta for your dinner!

Did You Know...Rice Rules

Did You Know...Turning White Sugar into Brown Sugar

White sugar combined with molasses is an excellent substitute for brown sugar.  Pulse the two in a food processor or simply add the proper amount of molasses along with the other wet ingredients.

Did You Know...Worth It's Salt

6 Types of Salt and How to Use Them

My good friend Karin once asked to me to post a blog entry about all the different kinds of salts and how one should use them.  So, Karin -- this one is for you!

Knowing the difference between all the different types of salt can make a world of difference in your dishes. Here, six easy-to-find varieties, with tips on when and where to use them. 

Kosher Salt

Use it for: All cooking. Kosher salt dissolves fast, and its flavor disperses quickly, so chefs recommend tossing it on everything from pork roast to popcorn.

Origin: Either the sea or the earth. Widely sold brands include Morton and Diamond Crystal, which are made using different methods. Kosher salt got its name because its craggy crystals make it perfect for curing meat―a step in the koshering process.

Texture: Coarse. Cooks prize crystals like these; their roughness makes it easy to pinch a perfect amount.

To buy: Look in your local supermarket. Kosher salts cost about $1 a pound. If you don't mind a few clumps, buy Diamond Crystal; it has no anticaking agents, which can leave a chemical aftertaste.

Crystalline Sea Salt

Use it for: Adding a pungent burst of flavor to just-cooked foods. These crystals will complement anything from a fresh salad to a salmon fillet. 

Origin: Coasts from Portugal to Maine, California to the Pacific Rim. 

Texture: Fine or coarse. The size of the irregular crystals affects how fast the salt dissolves. It varies in color, depending on the minerals it contains (iron-rich red clay, for example, gives Hawaiian sea salt a pinkish hue). These natural impurities can add subtly briny, sweet, or even bitter flavors to the salts.

To buy: Check gourmet shops or on-line. Expect to pay $2 to $15 or more a pound. Many markets sell La Baleine, a relatively inexpensive brand ($3 for 26.5 ounces).

Flaked Sea Salt

Use it for: Bringing a complex flavor to steamed vegetables or shellfish. Take a pinch, crush the crystals between your fingertips, and let them fall on freshly cooked food. This salt will add a hint of briny flavor. 

Origin: England's Essex coast is where the most popular brand, Maldon, is harvested. 

Texture: Soft, sheer, pyramid-like flakes. This is the fastest-dissolving of all of the salt grains. 

To buy: Search specialty-food stores and the Internet. You'll pay $6 for 8.5 ounce. 

Fleur de Sel

Use it for: A special-occasion table salt. Spoon it into a salt cellar to be pinched, then sprinkled over food just before eating. Delicately flavored, it adds a perfect hint of saltiness to freshly sliced tomato or melon. 

Origin: Coastal salt ponds in France. The caviar of sea salt, fleur de sel is hand harvested. Conditions have to be just right (lots of sun and wind) for it to "bloom" like a flower on the surface of the water. 

Texture: Crystalline, which means that fleur de sel melts slowly in the mouth. Its earthy, pleasing flavor lingers on the tongue. 

To buy: Search specialty-food stores and the Internet (try chefshop.com). From $11 for 4.4 ounces to $45 for 35 ounces. 

Rock Salt

Use it for: Making ice cream and deicing. Rock salt is paired with ice in old-fashioned hand-cranked ice cream makers to regulate the temperature. You can also use it to deice your sidewalks and driveway in the winter months. 

Origin: Mined from deposits in the earth, rock salt is not sold for use directly on food. It's usually packaged in an organic, unprocessed form. 

Texture: Large, chunky, nonuniform crystals. Minerals and other harmless impurities can give it a grayish color. 

To buy: It's sold in supermarkets and hardware and home stores for less than $1 a pound. 

Pickling Salt

Use it for: Brining pickles and sauerkraut. It will also brine a turkey, but beware: Pickling salt is far more concentrated than the more commonly used kosher salt, so you'll need to use less. 

Origin: Like table salt, pickling salt may come from the earth or the sea. But unlike table salt, it isn't fortified with iodine (a nutritional need for humans) and doesn't contain anticaking chemicals, both of which would turn pickles an unappetizing color. Virtually 100 percent sodium chloride, it's the purest of salts. 

Texture: This variety is fine grained, like table salt. 

To buy: Many supermarkets sell it in large boxes or bags, but it can be hard to find in cities. It costs less than $1 a pound.

Did You Know...Canned Beans: Observe the 30-Minute Rule

Did You Know...In-A-Pinch Knife Sharpener

Have you ever run across a dull knife and need to sharpen it in a hurry?  In situations like this, the unglazed bottom of a coffee mug might just do the trick!  This tip works especially well on smaller knives.

Applying a moderate amount of pressure, hold the knife at a 20-degree angle and carefully draw the entire length of the blade across the rough surface.

Did You Know...Preventing Soggy Pie Crusts

Have you ever made a pie that looked so good on the way into the oven, even better on the way out of the oven, and then when you slice into it found that the crust was soggy? Or, fruit pies that slice up as a sloppy mess because the bottom crust became soggy as it sat out?

There are several tricks you can try to prevent soggy crusts:

>> Choose a glass pie plate or metal pie plate with a dull finish.  If your pie pan is shiny, you might need to bake the crust a little while long for more browning.

>> For double-crust fruit pies, cut slits in the top crust to allow steam to get out.  The escaping moisture will help prevent soggy crusts.

>> Bake your pie in the lower third of the oven.  This will allow the bottom crust to become crisp while the top shouldn't get overly browned.

>> For pie crusts that must be baked prior to filling, brush beaten egg white or whole egg onto the sides and bottom of pie shells (for single-crust pies).  First, place the pastry in a pie plate and prick the bottom and sides with a fork to prevent it from bubbling as it bakes.  Next line the pie shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil.  Bake at 450° for 8 minutes.  Remove foil; bake 5-6 minutes longer or until dry and crisp.  Finally, brush the bottom and sides of the crust with egg, then reheat at 400° for 4 minutes to set the glaze.  Add filling.

Did You Know...Replacing Fresh Herbs with Dried

Did You Know...Baking Tortilla Shells for Tostadas

Baking tortillas to create tostadas uses much less oil than the traditional approach of frying and produces comparable results.  This will save you time and extra calories! Make sure you start out with corn tortillas that have no preservatives.  They should have three simple ingredients:  corn, lime, and salt.  The baked tostadas can then be served with refried beans or shredded meats.

Did You Know...Canned Beans for Dried Beans

Did you know that for every pound of dried beans a recipe calls for, you will need 58 ounces of canned beans!  As a cost saving tip, always have bags of dried beans on hand!  Plus, nothing beats the taste of all-natural products when possible.

Did You Know...Cake Flour versus All-Purpose Flour

All of the recipes posted on my blog use all-purpose flour unless specified in the ingredient list. Baked goods, however, sometimes call for the use of cake flour.  I thought I would explain the difference between the two.


Cake flour is used in recipes where a fine, tender crumb is desired, such as in a layer cake.  For many cakes, where the batter is stirred, all-purpose flour is suitable.  These cakes won't be as fine textured, but they will still be tender and moist.


Made from soft wheat, cake flour contains about 8 to 10% protein.  All-purpose flour is made from hard wheat and contains about 10 to 12% protein.  Flour with a lower percentage of protein results in a cake that has a delicate tender crumb.


Cake flour is also more finely ground and has undergone a bleaching process so it will produce a cake with a finer crumb than all-purpose flour.


I have experimented with substituting one for the other in recipes and have found this to be completely true.  Typically, I will use cake flour for layer cakes such as devils food, yellow, or white.  Carrot, banana, and spice cakes do best with all-purpose flour.

Did You Know....Desalting Nuts

Have you ever been trying to prepare a recipe that called for unsalted nuts only to discover you only had salted ones?  Don't worry!

Cook's Illustrated had a great tip in one issue.  This will allow you to complete your recipe easily.

1.  Rinse the shelled nuts in a strainer under cool water.

2.  Spread the nuts evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and cook at 350 degrees for about 6 minutes, or until the nuts are dry and slightly toasted.

Did You Know...An Easy Way To Flip Cakes

When ever you have to turn a hot cake out of a pan, we all have experienced the pan sliding around on the plate or cooling rack because you can't get a grip with pot holders.

Cook's Illustrated came up with a great idea involving a dish cloth.

1.  Place the cake pan on top of a large kitchen towel and top with an inverted plate.
2.  Gather each corner of the towel and hold the ends together on the bottom of the plate.  Gripping the towel tightly in one hand, lift the cake and the plate together.
3.  Place your other hand on te bottom and gently invert the cake pan and plate onto the countertop.  Lift off the pan to release the cake.

Did You Know...Storing Fresh Basil

It happens to all of us, we buy very expensive fresh basil from store for one recipe.  We need to store the rest of it somehow so it won't go bad.  I ran across this tip in the July/August 2006 issue of Cook's Illustrated.

They tested many different methods of storage.  Many produced wilted or blackened leaves that needed to be discarded.  The main thing to remember is DO NOT RINSE the basil before storage.  Rinse leaves only as you need them.

The one method the tester's found worked was wrap all remaining basil in a damp (not very wet) paper towel and store in a zip-top bag, unsealed.  Store the bag in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator.  This will keep the basil fresh looking for up to one week.