Post by benshelpmeet on Dec 29, 2005 14:35:50 GMT -5
I thought this might be helpful. I found this info and wanted to share it. 
Happy and succesful cooking!
~ sister Darlene ~
Cooking From Scratch Tips!
What's the difference between all-purpose flour and cake flour?
Quite often, cake recipes call for cake flour, which is fine-textured and makes tender cakes and pastries.
For 1 cup of cake flour, you can substitute with 1 cup minus two tablespoons of all-purpose flour, which you should sift 3 or 4 times.
And what should you use instead for 1 cup of self-rising flour?
Just sift together 1 cup of all-purpose flour plus 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda.
What exactly is toasted sesame oil?
Often used in Indian and Southeast Asian cooking, sesame oil comes in two varieties: regular and toasted.
Toasted sesame oil has a richer, more pronounced flavor, is high in protein, and is also a very good source of B vitamins and iron. This oil is wonderful in salad dressings, marinades, or cooked dishes and can be found in most supermarkets.
It is often used in combination with vegetable oil for stirfrying or sautéing, adds a distinctive nutty flavor and aroma to salads and cooked dishes.
Tofu will take on the taste of whatever food it is cooked with. For the most intense flavor, drizzle some oil on a dish just before serving it. Because sesame oil is high in polyunsaturated fats, it can be kept at room temperature, in a cool, dry place, for several months.
If I don't have buttermilk, is there something I could substitute?
Buttermilk is excellent for baking because it produces an excellent crumb and texture, but people don't often have it on hand.
To create a substitute for 1 cup of buttermilk
Mix 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar with enough milk to make 1 cup, then let it stand for 5 minutes. You could also use one cup of plain yogurt.
I don't have a lot of money to spend, but I'd like to buy 2 or 3 all-purpose pans, which should I buy?
For the best results with your favorite recipes, having a frying pan, saute pan, and sauce pan is essential.
What does it mean to hull a strawberry?
Hulling a strawberry means removing the green tops from the fruit.
While one option is to buy a strawberry huller designed specifically for this purpose, there are a number of other techniques.
One idea is to slice the top of the strawberry off with a paring knife (which may involve removing a little more of the strawberry than you want).
You can also pluck the greens from the top and use the tip of a knife to remove the soft, white, part of the berry at the base of the stem.
Another trick is to insert a drinking straw through the bottom of the berry and push it through the top (like coring an apple).
The stem and leaves lift off once the straw passes through the top.
What's the difference between mincing and dicing?
To mince means to cut food into very fine pieces.
Minced food is not uniform in shape.
Dicing involves cutting food into uniform cubes and is generally larger and more precise than a mince.
Do they make a special knife for cutting tomatoes, or can I use my bread knife?
Most bread knives come with a serrated or scalloped edge that saws through both hard crust and soft crumb.
The serrated edge gently and neatly slices breads and cakes as well as soft, juicy produce, such as peaches and tomatoes.
Is there a trick to making uniform cookies?
To bake a batch of equally-sized cookies, use a small ice cream scoop to measure out each piece of dough.
How can I tell the size of a skillet or saucepan if it isn't marked?
If your pan doesn't state its dimensions, measure it across the top from outer edge to outer edge — not across the bottom.
What's the best way to find out the volume of a pan?
To determine volume, place the pan in the sink and, using a measuring cup, pour in water until it is filled.
How do I make fresh breadcrumbs?
Simply take pieces of fresh bread — crust and all #151; place them in a food processor, and pulse until the bread is at the proper texture.
How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?
How many tablespoons are in a cup?
There are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon
16 tablespoons (48 teaspoons) in a cup.
Happy and succesful cooking!
~ sister Darlene ~Cooking From Scratch Tips!
What's the difference between all-purpose flour and cake flour?
Quite often, cake recipes call for cake flour, which is fine-textured and makes tender cakes and pastries.
For 1 cup of cake flour, you can substitute with 1 cup minus two tablespoons of all-purpose flour, which you should sift 3 or 4 times.
And what should you use instead for 1 cup of self-rising flour?
Just sift together 1 cup of all-purpose flour plus 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda.
What exactly is toasted sesame oil?
Often used in Indian and Southeast Asian cooking, sesame oil comes in two varieties: regular and toasted.
Toasted sesame oil has a richer, more pronounced flavor, is high in protein, and is also a very good source of B vitamins and iron. This oil is wonderful in salad dressings, marinades, or cooked dishes and can be found in most supermarkets.
It is often used in combination with vegetable oil for stirfrying or sautéing, adds a distinctive nutty flavor and aroma to salads and cooked dishes.
Tofu will take on the taste of whatever food it is cooked with. For the most intense flavor, drizzle some oil on a dish just before serving it. Because sesame oil is high in polyunsaturated fats, it can be kept at room temperature, in a cool, dry place, for several months.
If I don't have buttermilk, is there something I could substitute?
Buttermilk is excellent for baking because it produces an excellent crumb and texture, but people don't often have it on hand.
To create a substitute for 1 cup of buttermilk
Mix 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar with enough milk to make 1 cup, then let it stand for 5 minutes. You could also use one cup of plain yogurt.
I don't have a lot of money to spend, but I'd like to buy 2 or 3 all-purpose pans, which should I buy?
For the best results with your favorite recipes, having a frying pan, saute pan, and sauce pan is essential.
What does it mean to hull a strawberry?
Hulling a strawberry means removing the green tops from the fruit.
While one option is to buy a strawberry huller designed specifically for this purpose, there are a number of other techniques.
One idea is to slice the top of the strawberry off with a paring knife (which may involve removing a little more of the strawberry than you want).
You can also pluck the greens from the top and use the tip of a knife to remove the soft, white, part of the berry at the base of the stem.
Another trick is to insert a drinking straw through the bottom of the berry and push it through the top (like coring an apple).
The stem and leaves lift off once the straw passes through the top.
What's the difference between mincing and dicing?
To mince means to cut food into very fine pieces.
Minced food is not uniform in shape.
Dicing involves cutting food into uniform cubes and is generally larger and more precise than a mince.
Do they make a special knife for cutting tomatoes, or can I use my bread knife?
Most bread knives come with a serrated or scalloped edge that saws through both hard crust and soft crumb.
The serrated edge gently and neatly slices breads and cakes as well as soft, juicy produce, such as peaches and tomatoes.
Is there a trick to making uniform cookies?
To bake a batch of equally-sized cookies, use a small ice cream scoop to measure out each piece of dough.
How can I tell the size of a skillet or saucepan if it isn't marked?
If your pan doesn't state its dimensions, measure it across the top from outer edge to outer edge — not across the bottom.
What's the best way to find out the volume of a pan?
To determine volume, place the pan in the sink and, using a measuring cup, pour in water until it is filled.
How do I make fresh breadcrumbs?
Simply take pieces of fresh bread — crust and all #151; place them in a food processor, and pulse until the bread is at the proper texture.
How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?
How many tablespoons are in a cup?
There are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon
16 tablespoons (48 teaspoons) in a cup.