While not everyone is a fan of unitaskers, I find that my pineapple corer is one of the better gadgets I’ve added to my kitchen in the recent past – and I say that as a big fan of pineapples. Pineapples are wonderfully sweet, tropical fruits that are delicious in everything from smoothies to pie and I pick up whole pineapples on a regular basis. ... Read More »
When I buy bananas, I buy more than I need. In other words, if I think that I’m going to eat three bananas in a given week, I buy five or six. The leftover bananas will ripen to the point of being overripe, with dark brown mottled peels that make them look a bit unappetizing as an in-hand snack, but perfect for turning them into ... Read More »
Sticky foods tend to be more difficult to cut through than others and toasted marshmallows may be one of the trickiest of all. Not only is the marshmallow gooey inside, but you need to preserve as much of the crisp exterior as possible and prevent the marshmallow from becoming completely smushed. Now, if you’re toasting marshmallows to make s’mores, you probably don’t need to cut ... Read More »
Meringue-topped pies can be very challenging to cut because the meringue can stick to the knife and tear, resulting in slices that are still tasty, but don’t look as pretty as they could. When you go to the trouble of making a beautiful meringue to top your pie, I think that you deserve a slice that looks picture-perfect – don’t you? Fortunately, it is possible ... Read More »
A pastry blender is a kitchen tool with metal tines that allows you to cut butter, or other fats, into flour quickly and easily. The tines are curved, so you can use the tool right in your mixing bowl, and they are attached to a handle that makes it very easy to grip. Pie crust, scones and other flaky pastries can all be made with ... Read More »
Cheesecake is one of the trickiest desserts to cut into and pull out a picture-perfect piece. Cakes and pies present their own challenges, of course, but cheesecakes present many challenges. They are dense and creamy, with a very moist/wet interior that loves to stick to knives and come away from the rest of the cheesecake in unattractive chunks. Fortunately, if you take a few seconds ... Read More »
When you read through recipes, there are often modifiers listed after the ingredients that tell you how they are supposed to be used. For instance, onions might be listed as “onions, diced” or apples might be listed as “apples, peeled and cored.” Ingredients are also frequently listed as “divided,” especially in baking recipes. When an ingredient is listed as being “divided,” the recipe is giving ... Read More »
Vegetable oil is a very common ingredient called for in baking recipes. It appears on ingredient lists for everything from pancakes to layer cakes, and can make for a very moist and tender cake. Many recipes don’t specify what kind of vegetable oil to use when baking, however. In the grocery store, you will see generic “vegetable oil” for sale, but you’ll also see a ... Read More »
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