The hardest thing about making a layer cake is getting evenly sliced layers. It never seems like it will be that difficult to level the rounded top off of a single layer or cake, or to cut a taller cake into two even pieces, but even pros end up with uneven layers sometimes. The trick to getting even layers is to have a very large ... Read More »
Pie servers are triangular spatulas that are supposed to make it easy to lift a slice of pie easily from a pie plate by offering more support than simply trying to balance a heavy slice of pie on the blade of a thin knife. Most pie servers are made of metal and are fairly stiff, but when it comes to pie servers, stiffness is not ... Read More »
Fine mesh strainers have many uses in the kitchen. They can be used to sift flour into a cake, dust a finished cake with confectioners sugar or strain lumps out of any kind of soup, sauce or pudding. They’re not as glamorous as a stand mixer or blender, but they’re a staple kitchen gadget and it is well worth getting a good one. I was ... Read More »
Chopping up a large amount of fruits and vegetables, whether you’re baking pies or making a stew, is not a problem if you have the counter space to really spread out. If you don’t, you will probably find that even large cutting boards start to look small as you fill them up with slices, dices and juliennes. When you can cut everything and push it ... Read More »
You don’t always have to measure ingredients when cooking like you do when you’re baking. You can get away with adding a big pinch of oregano to a recipe or “eyeballing” a tablespoon or so of ground cumin when making chili. But it is nice to know exactly how much you’re adding to a recipe, especially if you get a good result and want to ... Read More »
It is often said that you shouldn’t cook with a wine that you wouldn’t want to drink because a good tasting wine is going to infuse the best flavor into your dish, whether you’re cooking a meal that just calls for a splash of wine or making a sauce that calls for a lot of it. When you have a good tasting wine, however, you ... Read More »
It seems like winter just ended, but I know I’m not alone when I say that I’m already looking forward to the summer. Summer means sun, beaches, vacations and relaxation. For many of us, it also means that there is more time to bake because the days are longer and lazier, which makes it seem like there is always time in the day to whip ... Read More »
Whether you’re using them for grating cheese to fill up a quesadilla or shredding carrots for a carrot cake, a grater is a tool that just about everybody has in their kitchen. The more often you use graters, the more you will notice how different they are. Some grate smoothly, some leave you with chunks of cheese or other crumbly products in your hand after ... Read More »
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