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Posts with tag how to
Grilling With Honey
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| Gena visits Ted at Savannah Bee. |
When most people think of honey, they think of breakfast and hot tea, but honey is actually one of the most versatile ingredients in the kitchen -- so versatile, in fact, that I use it on an almost-daily basis. A natural way to sweeten marinades and salad dressings, honey can be used to add flavor to savory dishes and not just desserts.
Of course, as with any food, you want to use a good quality honey. One of my favorites is Savannah Bee, and my friend Ted, the owner behind this delicious honey, has chosen his favorite full-bodied honey for grilling. The rich amber color and robust flavor stands up to the smokiness of grilled foods and the easy, no-spill pump isn't bad either.
How to Cut Open a Lobster with Chef Marc Murphy
Summer leaves seafood lovers craving lobster in some incarnation, whether it be tucked into a buttery roll, scattered throughout risotto or luxuriating in the butter-cream bath of lobster Thermidor (thought to have been a favorite of Napoleon).
However you like your lobster, getting to its tender meat can be nightmarish, with spiny claws and juice flying everywhere. Not so in this excellent Howcast video, with a demonstration by chef Marc Murphy of New York City's Landmarc, who knows his way around the leggy critters. Who knew you could either snip open or crush those dastardly knuckles? Or crush the tail under a towel?
The video even ends with a quirky factoid: Boiling lobsters alive in Reggio Emilia, Italy is illegal, with violators facing fines nearing $800. We wonder how many Italians risk it!
[Via Howcast]
Buying and Storing Tea - Tip of the Day
Different teas last for varying amounts of time. Find out the best way to buy and store tea so that you can enjoy its unique taste longer.
Cleaning and Drying Mushrooms - Tip of the Day
Washing dirt off mushrooms can be frustrating and challenging if all you have is a wash cloth. Instead, use a salad spinner to make cleaning and drying mushrooms an easy efficient task.
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Tip of the Day - Adding Volume to Whipped Cream
Thinking about making whipped cream? Find out the best way to make it so that you can maximize every ingredient and whip the cream easier to a higher volume.
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Tip of the Day - How to Clean Wooden Cutting Boards
Unlike plastic cutting boards, wooden cutting boards need to be dealt with differently to preserve their quality. Find out quick and easy ways to clean and to remove stains from wooden cutting boards.
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How to fold bread dough
If you bake a lot of bread, you've almost certainly come across directions to fold the dough. In times past, bread recipes instructed you to punch down the dough after it had fermented, though now bakers are generally directed to "deflate" the dough. Folding accomplishes the same goals as deflating, but with some added benefits.
Folding is a technique that's more often used with wetter, or more hydrated, bread doughs, as well as doughs that have been underdeveloped for some reason or other. Doing this procedure does two things: it redistributes air/gasses and evens out temperature, and it aligns/develops the gluten structure. Deflating only accomplishes the redistribution element of folding, but that's really all that's needed for less hydrated doughs. Folding is always used as part of the fermentation stage. Generally, you'll proof the dough for an hour (first rise), fold it, then let it proof (rise) for another hour or so. An under-developed, wet dough can be fermented for many hours with multiple folds.
Now that's artisan bread.
To fold, first flour your work surface fairly well. Turn your dough out onto it and pat out most of the gas. I like to work left to right, top to bottom, but use whatever directions work for you as long as you hit all points of the compass. Take the first side, stretch it out and fold it onto the middle of the dough. Repeat this for the opposing side, then do the same thing to the top and bottom. To finish, get you hands under the dough and turn it over so that the smooth side is on top. Then put it back into whatever proofing container you're using and let the dough finish proofing. Check out the gallery below for images matching the directions.
Gallery: Folding dough
How to husk corn and eat cheese in France
Although not at the same time. The folks over at World Hum feature lots of wonderful information on traveling and things you should know before flying off to a new country. In a recent feature, a Terry Ward walks you through how to behave and what to expect when eating with your new French friends. For those of you who are challenged when it comes to getting all the husk and silk off an ear of corn, wikiHow has some guidance for you, along with step-by-step instructions to ensure that you do it correctly. My favorite piece of wisdom from their article is how they instruct you to deal with any little critters you might find in your corn, "While they look unpleasant, there is no need to discard the ear. Just cut away the damaged portion." Waste not, want not!
Talk about a king sized Kit Kat bar!
Are you a fan of the Kit Kat candy bar? I must admit to enjoying one occasionally. Well, whether you do or don't like Kit Kats, I think you'll get a kick out if this.
Over at Supersized Meals, you can see, step by step, the making of a giant Kit Kat bar! I mean, seriously, this thing is awesome. If you ever wanted a candy bar that has about 45, 888 calories but still fits in the refrigerator (barely), then this one is for you. Enjoy, 'cause you're gonna need a lot of breaks for this Kit Kat bar.
Tip of the Day: Enjoy the long-lasting flavors of artisanal cheeses
The most exciting thing about artisanal cheeses is their complex, multi-layered flavors. However, for many people, they seem unapproachable. The best way to savor these cheeses is to breakdown the experience from the first encounter (touch and smell) to the last encounter (after-taste).
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Cathedrals of bacon fat
OK, this is definitely what I want for my birthday: a 1944 booklet entitled White Art in the Meat Food Business. A Practical Handbook for Butcher, Pork Stores, Restaurants, Hotels and Delicatessens on How to Make Lasting and Transferable White Art Decorations out of Bacon Fat Back for Window Displays, Ornaments on Meat Food Cold Buffets and for Exhibits and Advertising Purposes. The book teaches you how to construct cathedrals, vases of roses and Santa Claus faces out of nothing but white bacon fat! Who doesn't need that? And I love the euphemistic "white art." I Guess "fat art" didn't have such a nice ring.
Ptak Science Books found this in a random Library of Congress pamphlet collection years ago, but who knows, maybe a second copy will turn up at my local Goodwill? I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Tip of the Day: make your own marzipan
Knowing how to make your own marzipan is maybe not as useful a household trick as, say, knowing how to remove stains with seltzer water.
Tip of the Day: How to keep your radishes fresh
Wondering how to keep your radishes fresh and crisp? This reader-submitted tip will save the day.
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Tip of the Day: Save the old maids!
I bet you didn't know that those unpopped kernels at the bottom of the popcorn bowl are known as "old maids."
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