Have you ever felt like making something home made and when you started you found you did not have an ingredient or two? Cooking substitutes are common not only is a case like this but when you feel you like a certain recipe but want to change it a bit because you are tired of the same old thing. I very often substitute certain items for others because I am short of something or, in order to experiment with a recipe. It makes me feel like a science fiction professor when I do this but I have come up with some interesting foods. Some were good and some not so good. My family and friends are quick to point out the latter.
When preparing a cake from a box the container directions tell you how much oil to use. Instead of oil use apple sauce. Purchase a four pack of apple sauce (5 oz. each) and use in place of the amount of oil the directions specify. One container of apple sauce from the four pack in place of the oil. This will make your cake a little lower in calories and very moist. Another variation is an envelope of pudding such as Jello Instant Pudding in place of the same amount of flour i.e. 3 oz of pudding in place of 3 oz of flour. Use puddings such as lemon or banana and your cake will automatically become either a lemon care or a banana cake. Some people that I have given this recipe to have neglected to use the pudding to flour ratio and used the entire envelope of pudding which did not harm the recipe at all. They are not harmful to the cake but change the flavor slightly and make the cake more interesting. Cooking substitutes are common today because cooks are looking for more interesting foods to serve their families.
When making a spice cake it usually calls for buttermilk. Well, how many of us have buttermilk readily available in our refrigerators? You can quickly make your own. To make one cup of buttermilk use one tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar and add enough whole milk to make one cup. Let this mixture stand for about five minutes and you have a buttermilk substitute. Another way to make a buttermilk substitute is to use one cup of whole milk plus 1-3/4 teaspoons of cream of tartar. Another way to make a buttermilk substitute is to use one cup of whole milk and one cup of plain yogurt. The latter is the easiest because in today's refrigerator there is generally at least one cup of plain yogurt. These are the easiest of the cooking substitutes.
Now we get into the more difficult ones. Although they do not appear to be difficult when you read the proportions and ingredients, they will change the recipe somewhat and you will have to continually taste to be sure the flavor is what you are looking for. For instance: if you need a substitute for one cup of whole milk you can us ½ cup of evaporated milk with ½ cup of water. I don't know about you, but no matter what you do with canned milk it still tastes like canned milk. Another variation here is one cup of water to ½ cup of powdered non fat dry milk. To make a light cream: use one tablespoon of melted sweet butter to enough milk to make one cup. I remember my mother making butter and milk to drink when you had a cold. It tasted awful. You got rid of the cold in order not to have to drink any more of that concoction. I hope these cooking substitutes are helpful. Cook and enjoy.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Crock Pot Cooking Tips For Everyone
One of the least used and yet most versatile tools in the average kitchen is the slow cooker. With just a few crock pot cooking tips you can turn this dust collector into one of the most useful items in your kitchen
This is some of the best crock pot cooking tips obtainable out there.
Buying roasts and other big cuts of meat that will go into in your crock pot easily is important. If the cut wont fit it into the container, trimming the piece down works better than attempting to stuff it further. This is one of the most significant tips on using crock pots that people will learn to appreciate.
Before cooking, you must get rid of the skin and cut away any extra fat from the poultry and other meats. This will assist to lessen the quantity of fat in the completed serving of food as well eliminate any oily flavor.
Some of the best crock pot cooking tips involve using vegetables. Fresh root vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, and onions, should be placed in the bottom of the pot, under the meat, for more even cooking. These types of vegetables tend to cook more slowly than meat.
This is another neat trick you can use. You can pace the process of thickening the sauces near the end of cooking time by turning up the heat setting. Tasting the liquid to ensure that it has had enough time to flavor is advisable. Leave it on low heat and let it sit a little bit longer until you start to taste the flavor that you want.
Another important point to remember is seasoning in crock pot cooking. Periodically seasoning and tasting prior to taking away the dish is important. This is because crock pots, after sitting for some time, will tend to sometimes water down the flavors. Being resourceful with your seasonings is a good practice. Adding seasoned salt, garlic powder, seasoned pepper, and complementary herbs and spices is also an excellent way to complete the cooking.
Another important thing to remember is that in slow cooked foods, the dish will tend to lose its color. Utilizing certain garnish such as chopped fresh parsley, chives, tomatoes, and red or green peppers when the cooking is nearing completion, helps by adding color to the dish.
Buying a cookbook that has been written especially for crock pot cooking is amongst the best ways to learn to use your slow cooker more effectively. Not only do they offer delicious recipes but also lots of crock pot cooking tips that can help you use your slow cooker with ease and you can find these types of books either online or offline. The slow cooker can really earn its keep once you know how to put it to work, in today's busy world of working families.
This is some of the best crock pot cooking tips obtainable out there.
Buying roasts and other big cuts of meat that will go into in your crock pot easily is important. If the cut wont fit it into the container, trimming the piece down works better than attempting to stuff it further. This is one of the most significant tips on using crock pots that people will learn to appreciate.
Before cooking, you must get rid of the skin and cut away any extra fat from the poultry and other meats. This will assist to lessen the quantity of fat in the completed serving of food as well eliminate any oily flavor.
Some of the best crock pot cooking tips involve using vegetables. Fresh root vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, and onions, should be placed in the bottom of the pot, under the meat, for more even cooking. These types of vegetables tend to cook more slowly than meat.
This is another neat trick you can use. You can pace the process of thickening the sauces near the end of cooking time by turning up the heat setting. Tasting the liquid to ensure that it has had enough time to flavor is advisable. Leave it on low heat and let it sit a little bit longer until you start to taste the flavor that you want.
Another important point to remember is seasoning in crock pot cooking. Periodically seasoning and tasting prior to taking away the dish is important. This is because crock pots, after sitting for some time, will tend to sometimes water down the flavors. Being resourceful with your seasonings is a good practice. Adding seasoned salt, garlic powder, seasoned pepper, and complementary herbs and spices is also an excellent way to complete the cooking.
Another important thing to remember is that in slow cooked foods, the dish will tend to lose its color. Utilizing certain garnish such as chopped fresh parsley, chives, tomatoes, and red or green peppers when the cooking is nearing completion, helps by adding color to the dish.
Buying a cookbook that has been written especially for crock pot cooking is amongst the best ways to learn to use your slow cooker more effectively. Not only do they offer delicious recipes but also lots of crock pot cooking tips that can help you use your slow cooker with ease and you can find these types of books either online or offline. The slow cooker can really earn its keep once you know how to put it to work, in today's busy world of working families.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Cooking Grills
Quite a number of people love cooking. Not only do these people love cooking, they also enjoy showing off their culinary prowess to others. Rather they are also love to show off their culinary skills to their friends and relatives to make them envious. The best way to achieve this is to show off the same using the latest cooking grill available in the market. There are quite a number of cooking grills available in the market. It depends on your personal choice to select the type of cooking grill you shall be comfortable with. Some people believe in what others recommend. They cannot make up their own mind. They buy makes of cooking grills as has been suggested by their relative and friends.
Those who follow traditional methods still use charcoal grills and are comfortable with them.
Charcoal grills, no doubt are advantageous over different types of cooking grills. Foods cooked in the same tend to be tastier. Only a connoisseur can make out the difference in foods cooked using propane grills and food cooked using charcoal grills. It has been noticed that there are some people who repose more faith in the words of their friends. Also, there are some people who are interested in just showing off. Turning on an electric cooking grill is easy task but it is not the same with charcoal grills. Just watch carefully when a charcoal grill is being prepared and you will be amazed to see the amount of meticulous work that goes into it. Charcoal pellets have to be dumped on the receiver of the grill and lighter fluid has to be poured on it.
Once this part is done, the charcoal pellets have to be set alight by applying fire to it. Compare this with lighting a propane grill and you'll find the difference. One already has the gas connection ready and attached with the propane-cooking grill. Turn on the main lever to permit the gas to flow. Now turn the knob of the burner to the on position and apply fire to it to set it alight. Modern propane cooking grills integrate the lighter with the knob. Turning the knob to `on' flashes the gas flowing from the burner, setting it alight. We have mentioned two types of grill above, but there is a third one too.
This grill is powered by electric and is known as an electric grill. Since it runs on electric, there is no question of burners and over here one will find plates instead. These plates are constructed of metal or fiber and a coil is attached to the bottom of the plate. When electricity passes through these coils made out of resistance wire, it cannot flow properly because of the resistance offered by the wire and this converts the electric energy to heat energy that heats up the plate. Electric grills and propane grills come with integrated thermometers. These thermometers are quite handy and allow the user to set the correct temperature required for cooking a particular dish.
Those who follow traditional methods still use charcoal grills and are comfortable with them.
Charcoal grills, no doubt are advantageous over different types of cooking grills. Foods cooked in the same tend to be tastier. Only a connoisseur can make out the difference in foods cooked using propane grills and food cooked using charcoal grills. It has been noticed that there are some people who repose more faith in the words of their friends. Also, there are some people who are interested in just showing off. Turning on an electric cooking grill is easy task but it is not the same with charcoal grills. Just watch carefully when a charcoal grill is being prepared and you will be amazed to see the amount of meticulous work that goes into it. Charcoal pellets have to be dumped on the receiver of the grill and lighter fluid has to be poured on it.
Once this part is done, the charcoal pellets have to be set alight by applying fire to it. Compare this with lighting a propane grill and you'll find the difference. One already has the gas connection ready and attached with the propane-cooking grill. Turn on the main lever to permit the gas to flow. Now turn the knob of the burner to the on position and apply fire to it to set it alight. Modern propane cooking grills integrate the lighter with the knob. Turning the knob to `on' flashes the gas flowing from the burner, setting it alight. We have mentioned two types of grill above, but there is a third one too.
This grill is powered by electric and is known as an electric grill. Since it runs on electric, there is no question of burners and over here one will find plates instead. These plates are constructed of metal or fiber and a coil is attached to the bottom of the plate. When electricity passes through these coils made out of resistance wire, it cannot flow properly because of the resistance offered by the wire and this converts the electric energy to heat energy that heats up the plate. Electric grills and propane grills come with integrated thermometers. These thermometers are quite handy and allow the user to set the correct temperature required for cooking a particular dish.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)