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The Basics: Béchamel Sauce

YumSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:15:28 -0700

Calling all home cooks: if you haven't been acquainted yet with béchamel sauce, it's time you learned a thing or two about it. Chances are you've eaten this white sauce more than a few times in your life, whether layered in moussaka, drizzled on a croque monsieur, or as a component in other classic courses. Béchamel is over 300 years old, and is such a key element of traditional French cuisine that it actually serves as the base for many other sauces (see variations after the jump). The white sauce begins with a roux, and then scalded milk is gradually added, until the consistency is smooth and thick. Once you've mastered the recipe, you can use it to make a filling for white lasagna or to mix together a cheese sauce for nontraditional nachos. What are you waiting for? Get the recipe when you read more.

Definition: Masa

YumSugar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:00:32 -0800

Masa & Masa Harina
Masa - literally "dough" in Spanish - is a cornmeal dough traditionally used in Latin cuisine. Unlike cornmeal, it's made of sun- or fire-dried corn kernels that have been cooked in a solution of lime or ash and water and then ground.

When dried again, the substance becomes masa harina, or "dough flour." Both are used to make tortillas, empanadas, tamales, among other dishes.

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Whole Grain Flour Breakdown

FitSugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Baking is always happening at my house, whether it be cookies, muffins, or bread. Not only do I love concocting delicious treats with my girls because it's a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, but I love that I can make scrumptious foods and know they're made with actual ingredients.

I also think it's fun to try out recipes using different flour. Whole wheat or all purpose is the usual standard, but there are so many other flours out there made from whole grains. They add different flavors, textures, and colors to your recipes, and they can also offer added nutrition. To see how whole-grain flours compare read more.

1/2 Cup of Flour	Calories	Total Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)
Amaranth Flour	220	4	12	40	6	8
Barley Flour	180	1	0	46	8	8
Buckwheat Flour	220	3	0	40	12	10
Corn Flour	240	2	0	50	8	4
Millet Flour	260	3	0	52	6	8
Oat Flour	180	4.5	0	31.5	4.5	6
Quinoa Flour	240	4	0	24	4	8
Brown Rice Flour	260	2	0	54	4	6
White Rice Flour	180	0	0	42	less than 1	3
Rye Flour	200	2	0	40	8	10
Sorghum Flour	240	2	0	50	6	8
Teff Flour	226	2	10	42	8	8
Triticale Flour	200	1	0	44	8	8
Whole Wheat Flour	260	2	10	52	8	10
White Whole Wheat Flour	240	1	0	48	8	8
All-Purpose Flour (made from wheat)	200	0	0	44	2	6

Do you have a favorite flour you like to use for baking? Share it in the comment sections below.

Definition: Cake Flour

partysugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 11:30:19 -0700

Cake Flour

Sometimes known as pastry flour, this high-starch, soft wheat flour has a fine texture. It makes baked goods like cakes more tender than regular flour because it has the least amount of gluten. Bleached cake flour has a bright white color.

The best substitute for cake flour is to use 7/8 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch to make 1 cup of cake flour.

Source

Gold Medal Flour May Cost More Than Gold

YumSugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:28:51 -0700

As someone who loves to bake, I was pretty bummed to hear that the price of flour is going up. We've been hearing about how grocery prices are going up due to increased prices of dairy and wheat, but this is the first time I've seen solid numbers. According to CNN Money, the price of a 50-pound bag of flour went from $16 to $37, a 131 percent increase. And if that's not crazy enough, sources say that the price may reach $40 next week.

The prices have been steadily climbing due to poor growing conditions including a US Winter freeze and a European drought. With prices reaching new records, it's not just the homecook who won't be able to afford anything. Increased prices means less profit margins for restaurants and retailers. Sooner or later, those price increases are going to be passed on to those of us eating the food. So start saving your pennies, that $2 croissant might just be $3 tomorrow.

Source

What Would You Make?

partysugar — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 01:30:17 -0700

Ok here's the deal: You are at home and hungry for food. You have to cook up something scrumptious for you and your boyfriend/ girlfriend/ spouse/ child/ friend, but the ingredients you have on hand are limited.

You have cheddar cheese, fresh thyme, and all-purpose flour. Using these ingredients, along with whatever staples you currently have in your cupboard and refrigerator, what would you make? Tell me in the comments section below!

To see what I would make, read more

I would start by finely chopping an onion and garlic.
I would add this to a pot with melted butter, heating over medium heat.
I would sauté the veggies until tender, then add the flour and cook to make a roux.
Meanwhile I would boil whatever kind of pasta I have on hand, and grate the cheese and chop the thyme.
After the roux has cooked for a few minutes, I would add liquid (chicken broth, milk, or heavy cream, depending on what's open in my fridge) to thicken the sauce. I would boil this a minute and slowly stir in the cheese and thyme.
I would toss with the pasta and call it pasta and cheese. I would enjoy it in a shallow bowl paired with a cold beer.

Yummy Links: From Pie Bags to Bad Restaurants

YumSugar — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 10:08:31 -0700

Maybe if I had one of these hand pie crust bags I would make more pies. - Apartment Therapy: The Kitchen
Tao Las Vegas is the highest grossing restaurant in the US. Want to know what the other 9 are? - Will Work for Food
Have you ever wondered what self-rising flour is? - Baking Bites
There's a lot of food in movies these days. Premiere lists the 20 most mouth-watering movie moments. - Slashfood
Just two words: apricot dumplings. Now four more: pair with a riesling. How can you resist?- Culinate
Do cooked vegetables have more nutrients than raw ones? - FitSugar
Would you eat Spam for every meal? How about every meal for 30 days? - Serious Eats
Oh when is America going to receive Fuji Apple Mentos? - Candyblog
Here are 10 warning signs that your restaurant meal will turn out poorly. - Chow

Weekend Well-Being: Make Your Own Pizza

FitSugar — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 03:30:00 -0700

Making your own pizza is one of the most satisfying things a person can do. A lot of time, effort, and love goes into a homemade pizza, and it tastes like nothing else.

Now I don't mean buying a ready-made crust like Boboli - I mean making the pizza dough. Once you know how, it's really quite easy, and healthier too. It'll take some time to let the dough rise, so that's why making pizza is great for the weekend.

Want to see my recipe for Homemade Pizza? Then read more

Homemade Pizza

Let's start with the pizza dough. You first need to make the "sponge," when you feed the yeast to make it grow (this is what makes the bread rise). You'll need:

2 pkg (2 Tbs) active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (NOT hot or cold! - this will kill the yeast)
1 tsp honey (this is what the yeast eats)

In a glass bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in the water. Let it stand for 5 minutes or until you see the mixture start to bubble.

Now it's time to make the dough. Want to know how? Then

You'll need:

4 cups whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp fresh chopped oregano
1 Tbsp fresh chopped basil
1 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary

Add the oil, salt, and herbs to the dough and mix it well.
Gradually mix in 3 1/2 cups of the flour.
Place dough on a lightly floured wooden board and knead the dough (with your hands) for about 10 minutes or until it's smooth and elastic. The extra 1/2 a cup of flour can be sprinkled in as needed to prevent it from sticking to your hands and the bowl.
Wash the bowl, lightly oil it, place the dough back in it and cover the top with a wet dish towel. Set it aside in a warm place to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. If it's cold in your home, turn the oven on "warm" and place the bowl ON TOP of the stove (that's why you use a glass bowl).

Now is the fun part. While the dough is rising, you can get your toppings ready.

You can lightly sauté your veggies first, or keep them raw.

After the dough has risen...

Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Knead the dough another 3 minutes.
Grease a 14-inch round pizza pan with olive oil. If you don't have one, you can also use cookie sheet.
Spread the dough out evenly on the pan.
If you like your pizza crust thin, allow it to rise for only 15-30 minutes and then bake it. If you like a thicker crust, allow the dough to rise for 30-60 minutes before baking. Cook the crust for about 10-20 minutes or until it's slightly hard and golden. Then pull it out of the oven.
Top your pizza anyway you like with tomato sauce, veggies, and cheese. You can get creative and make designs if you want.
Bake for 10-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
Allow to cool for 5 or so minutes before cutting.
Enjoy!

Fit's Tips: You can also make the pizza crust, bake it, and then freeze it for later.

Print recipe with images | without images

Definition: Slurry

partysugar — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 07:53:42 -0800

Slurry
A liquid mixture usually involving water and flour that is stirred into hot soups, stews, or sauces as a thickener. In order for the flour to lose its raw taste, the soup, stew, or sauce should be cooked for several minutes longer.

White Flour: Tales From the Darkside

FitSugar — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 16:35:00 -0800

White flour has a bad rep.

The life of white flour (basic version):
White flour comes from wheat, but wheat is not white. Think of a wheat field ("For amber waves of grain..."); yeah, so not white. So to become white, the flour goes through a process (hence why it is processed) that strips it of almost all of its nutrients- the bran and the germ. Then it gets bleached and some other technical things, which makes it white and fluffy and therefore more appealing to us, the consumers.

Not over yet. Then, the it becomes enriched which means they add some synthetic nutrients back in but nothing in comparison to the nutrients it had before being processed.

Yum.

Whole wheat flour and other whole grain flours are different in that they keep their bran and germ and are not nearly as processed as their white counterpart. A lot of people who want to lose weight (for example those trying the South Beach Diet) cut out simple carbs like white flour -the quintessential simple carb- because your body does not feel as full when you are eating white flour in comparison to whole wheat flour.