When you think of an all purpose baking mix, you might think of something like Bisquick. Bisquick is a mix of flour, salt, leavening and fat – shelf-stable shortening – that can be used in a huge variety of different recipes just by adding a few simple ingredients to it. You can make pancakes, biscuits and casseroles, just for starters. But although it can be ... Read More »
Finally, you can have your cookies and eat them, too. Actually, you could always do that – assuming that you could make or buy the type of cookies you wanted to eat. A weird new invention know as Meta Cookie was just unveiled this week in Los Angeles that simulates the visual and sensory experience of a cookie flavor, regardless of what type of cookie ... Read More »
Every kitchen should be stocked with a good set of knives. Whether you’re a cook or baker, a good knife will always come in handy. Good quality knives that are kept sharp will last for years and can save time in the kitchen on a daily basis, shaving minutes off of prep times (which add up after a while) and generally making life easier. You ... Read More »
The only way to get those classic Girl Scout Samoas (a.k.a. Caramel de Lites) is to wait for another Girl Scout selling season to roll around – or to set aside some time in the kitchen to make your own homemade Girl Scout cookies. Although I can and do make them at home, I still look forward to “cookie season” and when I saw a ... Read More »
Fondant is a really neat product to work with when you’re decorating a cake because it allows you to do things that you can’t quite do with regular frosting. For instance, you can create a perfectly smooth and firm surface that is not only a good canvas for even more decorations, but it helps keep the cake moist underneath. There are downsides, however, and the ... Read More »
A few weeks ago, I picked up a couple containers of Ad Hoc Milk and Dark Chocolate Frosting from Williams Sonoma because I couldn’t resist the chance to try some of chef Thomas Keller’s famous goodies in my own kitchen. At the same time, I picked up a box of Ad Hoc Yellow Cake Mix to go with the frosting. After all, gourmet frosting calls ... Read More »
Ad Hoc is one of Chef Thomas Keller’s restaurants in Yountville, California. The restaurant has an interesting story behind it, but even more interesting is the food, which is high quality, family style fare. They actually have just one menu each day – just like Mom might make (assuming that she is a truly excellent cook) for dinner. Since the food is homestyle, it’s not ... Read More »
The last time I tried biscuits from Trader Joe’s, it was a disaster. Not only were the baking directions on the package terrible, the biscuits looked and tasted bad no matter what you did. Often, TJ’s stocks very good ready-make products, but perhaps bake-from-frozen biscuits were not the way to go. I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt where biscuits were ... Read More »
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