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Archives for October 2011

Making Sense: Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda

By Denise Pare-Watson

The Confident Kitchen Series

Today’s post will concentrate on, what exactly is the difference between Baking Soda and Baking Powder? In my day-to-day life as a chef, I am presented a lot of interesting questions regarding all kinds of stuff, such as:

1. What is the difference between baking soda and baking powder?

2. What does it actually mean when the recipe calls for “creaming” ingredients?

3. What is the difference between a conventional oven and a convection oven?

But first, I need to start with a story or two. Growing up in a family of five girls, there were lots of learning “incidents” in the kitchen. For example, there was the time that one of my sisters decided to make a cake. Her cooking experience up to that point was limited to scrambling eggs. That was exactly what she did when the cake recipe called for eggs! The addition of a leavening agent in this cake would have been helpful. None-the-less, the end result would still have been the same – the cake did have an “interesting” texture with all the yellow particles.

Recently, I was presented with a few recipes that had been used for quite some time in a bakery with a loyal clientele. One of the recipes was a bran muffin. While it was not a particularly extra-ordinary muffin, it was a regular on the list of items offered. I set to organizing the ingredients for the batter. The verbal instructions were: “you will have to overfill the muffin cups because these muffins do not rise at all”.  My inquisitive nature kicked in, so, I asked myself these questions, “Why is this muffin not rising to the occasion?” What is preventing it from becoming a star attraction?

One of my mentor culinary instructors, Chef Maxwell, always ingrained into our heads that we should first read any recipe for balance and accuracy. He was the first to say, “just because a recipe is printed in a book does not mean that it is correct, in balance, or makes sense.  So true, Chef, so true!

Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda: Happiness is working with Children | urbnspice.com

Making Sense: Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda

My Chef Mentor gave us very good advice.  Checking a recipe for balance and accuracy is now something I do with every recipe before I start.  When analyzing this particular recipe, I noted a few things:

a. There was baking soda listed as the only leavening agent in the recipe which had a lot of “heavy” ingredients (wheat bran, etc.)

b. The recipe had a good balance of acid (molasses and buttermilk) to counter the bitter effect of the baking soda. This balance is necessary to prevent the batter from tasting “soapy”.

c. When using baking soda, keep in mind that as soon as a liquid is added to the batter, the reaction is immediate (this reaction is caused by the acid); meaning, you should get the muffin in the oven quickly or it loses its effectiveness.

d. Baking powder is often used in addition to baking soda in a muffin recipe to give the muffin batter “lift” and tenderness. Baking powder is actually a combination of three ingredients and they all play an important role in the result.

e. You need to be careful when adjusting leavening products because if you use too much, you have a batter that will likely taste bitter – not very pleasant.

Here is a leavening formula that I use when assessing recipes similar to this one. It depends on the ingredients used, but as a general rule of thumb:

For every two cups of flour in a recipe, use:

a. 2 1/2 teaspoons double acting baking powder, or

b. 1/2 teaspoon soda plus 1 cup buttermilk (for the acid) and 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

Making Sense: Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda

There are a few things that could affect the overall result of your recipes:

1. Was an error made in the preparation of the recipe? In other words, even though you may be diligent about gathering all of your ingredients before you actually start the recipe, did all the ingredients listed actually end up in the prepared item? (i.e. were you distracted by phone calls, doorbells, children tugging at your jeans or chocolate in the pantry? They can affect the overall result.

2. Was there an error made in writing the recipe? Many recipes are not triple-tested or edited for accuracy of ingredients and method. I have a recipe from a professional reference book for a spectacular lemon mousse recipe that completely omitted the sugar in the list of ingredients!

3. Is it inexperience or over-exuberance that affected the overall result of your recipe? I remember when my daughters (youngsters at the time) and I made “The Best Ever Muffin Recipe” together, as we had done many times in the past. This particular time, the muffins were quite inedible. We discovered that the baking soda had been “helpfully” added twice and the baking powder had been inadvertently omitted.

4. Is your oven temperature accurate? A simple and inexpensive internal oven thermometer ($ 5 – $ 10 in a hardware store) can help determine if your oven temperature is accurate. If your oven is set to 350oF and the internal oven temperature is 50oF higher or lower, it can be detrimental to the result of your recipe. Adjust the oven temperature accordingly, and you will be pleased with the results. Money well spent for peace of mind.

Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda: Best Ever Banana Muffins | urbnspice.com

This is an example of a perfectly baked muffin 

As for the problematic bran muffin recipe – it went through a transformation with the addition of baking powder which made a big difference to the end result. The muffin was no longer dense and flat, but tender and light with a nicely rounded top when baked, as it should be. (Go to Muffin tips and Techniques)

In summary, baking soda and baking powder are powerful leavening agents, and when used properly and accurately, will result in excellent baked goods. The “cooked egg” method of making a cake is not recommended! No amount of leavening agent could improve that particular cake.  However, it is interesting how this one particular baking misadventure has developed into an over-blown/inflated tale even after all those years ago!  Fun in the Kitchen – what are your baking stories?

You Might Also Like These Urb’n’Spice Posts:

The Best Ever Banana Muffins

Convection vs Conventional Ovens – What is the Difference?

Baking Dilemmas & the Fix  – See this Post

Additional resources:

David Lebovitz wrote recently about how to tell if your baking powder still works in this post

If you enjoyed this article, please leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy! 

Denise Pare-Watson - The Urb'n'Spice Chef | urbnspice.com

 

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urb’n’Spice Chef

Follow me on Social Media

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2017 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Have you Ever wondered about Series?, Making Sense Series, Muffins & Quick Breads, The Confident Kitchen Series Tagged With: Baking, Baking Ingredients, Baking Tips

Money Saver – Life Saver – Food Saver – Creating Convenience Foods

By Denise Pare-Watson

There is a great deal of satisfaction as a blogger when there is an overwhelming response and interest on a subject from my blog.  This happened recently with the post “Money Saver, Life Saver, Food Saver”.  In response to Bethany, who is dusting off her food saver and trying some new ideas for filling her freezer, she asked me for ideas for building up her freezer reserve.  So, this post will focus on ideas and tips for Creating Convenience Foods that are freezer friendly and quick to rewarm to feed your family.

Creating Convenience Foods

Here are just a few of the items that I have made for my freezer reserve for our family and for clients:

1. Individual or Family Size Chicken Pot Pies

Creating Convenience Foods: Chicken Pot Pie | urbnspice.com
Creating Convenience Foods: Chicken Pot Pie

2. Individual or family size Beef Mushroom Pot Pies

Creating Convenience Foods: Individual Pot Pies in reheatable containers | urbnspice.com
Creating Convenience Foods: Individual Pot Pies in reheatable containers

3. Seasoned meat (in meal size packets):  I use this base mixture for tacos and taco salad, lasagnas, hamburger soup, chili, Aussie hand Pies, etc.

Aussie Pies ready to bake or freeze | urbnspice.com
Aussie Pies ready to bake or freeze

4. Marinara Sauce

5. Spaghetti sauce, with or without meat

6. Chili

7. Bean Salad

8. Cooked Pasta or rice

9. Individual Shepherd’s or Cottage Pie

Creating Convenience Foods: Individual Shepherd's Pies | urbnspice.com
Creating Convenience Foods: Individual Shepherd’s Pies

10. Individual desserts (sticky toffee puddings)

11. Portioned sized packages of thinly sliced beef, pork, turkey or chicken, ready for stir-fry, etc.

Creating Convenience Foods: Pre-cutting stir fry meat packages | urbnspice.com

Creating Convenience Foods: Pre-cutting stir-fry meat packages | urbnspice.com

12.  Breakfast Pockets or Breakfast Bars, packaged and ready to place into lunch bags.

Creating Convenience Foods: Breakfast Pockets ready for the freezer reserve | urbnspice.com

Creating Convenience Foods: Breakfast Pockets ready for the freezer reserve

And, I am a bit of a geek when it comes to labelling my packages, so this sheet of labels below is what I typically create for the tops of the convenience food packages.  The labels are clearly titled, with ingredients and dietary needs. (I had quite a few gluten-free clients).  There is nothing worse than pulling a mystery package out of the freezer when everyone is starving.

Creating Convenience Foods: freezer labels | urbnspice.com

Creating Convenience Foods: freezer labels 

I have had great success in creating convenience foods for the freezer, and it certainly provides an easy option after a busy day at work when someone asks the question, “What’s for Dinner?”

If you would like the recipes for the items listed above, let me know and I will put in on my Blog Ideas list.

For further information, please see Part One of this post:  Money Saver – Life Saver – Food Saver

If you have enjoyed this post about  Money Saver – Life Saver – Food Saver:  Creating Convenience Foods, please leave me a comment below.

Denise Pare-Watson - The Urb'n'Spice Chef | urbnspice.com

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

Contact me at urbnspice@gmail.com

Follow me on Social Media:

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016-2018 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
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Filed Under: Freezer Reserve Series, Urb'n'Spice Tips and Techniques Series Tagged With: Convenience Foods, Food Storage, FoodSaver, Freezer Food

Braising Brazenness

By Denise Pare-Watson

Ask any chef what their favourite cooking method is and they are bound to say braising.  It is a method I use often in the UrbnSpice kitchen.  In this post, I explain what braising is all about, together with ideas and a recipe for a Classic Braised Beef Stew.  This article is all about Braising Brazenness.

“Braising is one of the most amazingly delicious and yet simple methods of cooking an otherwise tough cut of meat.”

Braising Brazenness: Classic Braised Beef Stew | urbnspice.com

Classic Braised Beef Stew

Braising is definitely one of my favourite methods of cooking.  It uses a combination cooking technique in that the meat (example:  beef cubes) is first seared to brown, and then cooked in a liquid slowly for a long period of time at a lower temperature.  Beef stew, Osso Buco,  pot roasts, chicken thighs, pork belly, beef ribs, lamb shanks and pulled pork are just a few examples of braising.

Try cooking a tough piece of meat using the braising method and I can guarantee that you will find it becomes one of your favourite methods of cooking as well.

But don’t stop there – did you know that you can also use this method for vegetables?  I make a classic vegetable dish called Vichy Carrots, and Honey Glazed Rutabaga which you can see in the photos below.  They use the same concept – braising.  Once the vegetables are cooked, the cooking liquid is reduced to a syrupy glaze.

Vichy Carrots | urbnspice.com

 

Braising Brazenness: Braised Honey Glazed Rutabaga | urbnspice.comBraised Honey Glazed Rutabaga

Classic Braised Beef Stew

Classic Braised Beef Stew with Root Vegetables | urbnspice.com

Classic Braised Beef Stew with Root Vegetables | urbnspice.com

CHEF TALK:  I love a classic beef stew. My absolute favourite recipe is adapted from The Canadian Living Cookbook, which is no longer in publication.  My copy has been well used by myself and my two daughters.  I was able to find two more copies of the same book for them from collectors – they were thrilled as it was a cookbook that they used frequently with me in the kitchen. It is called Old Fashioned Beef Stew with Winter Vegetables. Winter vegetables are a perfect accompaniment. I like to cook the vegetables separately and then add it to the finished stew as a garnish.

Canadian Living Cookbook - A well loved family favourite | urbnspice.com

Classic Braised Beef Stew

 

CLASSIC BRAISED BEEF STEW

INGREDIENTS
Imperial Metric
For the Stew:
2 ½ lbs 1.125 kg Lean boneless chuck stewing beef
1 Tablespoon 15 ml Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons 45 ml Butter
¾ cup 175 ml Onion, finely chopped
2 2 Cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup 50 ml All Purpose flour or Gluten Free Flour Blend
1 teaspoon 5 ml salt
½ teaspoon 2.5 ml black pepper
1 1 Bay leaf
1 teaspoon 5 ml Dried Thyme
1 teaspoon 5 ml Marjoram
1 cup 250 ml Red Wine
3 cups 750 ml Beef stock
For the Winter Vegetables:
2 2 Large Potatoes, cut into 1-inch dice (Waxy potatoes such as Red or New potatoes that hold their shape well after cooking)
8 – 10 8 – 10 Pearl Onions, peeled and left whole
4 4 Large Carrots, cut into 1/2 inch dice
3 3 Small white turnip, cut into wedges & trimmed
2 2 Medium parsnips, cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 2 Stalks Celery, sliced into 1-inch slices
For Garnish:
¼ cup 62.5 ml Parsley, chopped fine

METHOD:

For the Stew:

  1. Cut the Chuck beef into 1-inch cubes. Pat the pieces dry with a paper towel.
  2. Season the beef with salt and pepper.
  3. In a heavy saucepan, heat the oil and half of the butter.
  4. Brown the cubes of beef in a single layer, ensuring that the beef is browned well. CHEF TIP: This part of the braising process is very important, so take the time the beef requires to caramelize nicely.
  5. When all of the meat is browned, set it aside. Melt more butter in the saucepan and sauté the onion until tender and golden. Add the minced garlic.
  6. Stir in the flour and continue cooking over medium heat until the flour is cooked out – about 3 minutes.
  7. Deglaze the pan with the red wine. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
  8. Return the meat to the pan and add the beef stock, bay leaf and herbs.
  9. Simmer, either on top of the stove or in the oven until the beef is tender (about one and one-half hours.
  10. Once the beef is tender, remove the bay leaf and the beef cubes and keep the meat warm.   The remaining braising liquid can be reduced if necessary.
  11. Combine the meat with the braising liquid, and distribute the cooked vegetables around and on top of the stew. Garnish with parsley and serve.

For the Vegetables:

  1. Peel the vegetables and prepare as indicated above.
  2. Steam the vegetables until tender.   Steam the smaller dice vegetables separately. Distribute them around the stew and stir through, if desired.

CHEF TIP: The photograph shown was for a catering event. For added flavour and presentation, I tossed the steamed potatoes in paprika and lightly sautéed them just for colour.   The turned turnip was kept very plain for presentation – it is a beautiful brilliant white vegetable when steamed. Tossed in a bit of melted butter is all that is required for these beautiful vegetables.

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

  • Reductions
    __________

Other Urb’n’Spice Recipes you might Enjoy!

Pulled Chicken

Vichy Carrots

Honey Glazed Rutabaga

Tweaking – A Study in Flavour Amendment

Roasted Strawberry Salsa on Grilled Chicken Breast

Braising is a technique that produces a sauce or glaze that is so rich and flavourful – it is hard to beat.  I hope you are able to try Braising as a cooking technique in your kitchen with these ideas and recipes.

Happy Braising, Everyone!

Denise Pare-Watson - The Urb'n'Spice Chef | urbnspice.com

 

Denise Pare-Watson

The Urb’n’Spice Chef

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy! 

 

Follow me on Social Media

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

 

Canadian Living – The only magazine I subscribe to since its inception.  I trust the recipes from Canadian Living – they are triple-tested in their test kitchens.

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2014-2017 Urb'n'SpiceAll Rights Reserved
Original content here is published under these license terms: X 
License Type:Commercial
License Abstract:You may read the original content in the context in which it is published (at this web address). You may make other uses of the content only with the written permission of the author on payment of a fee.

Filed Under: Cooking Techniques, Foodie Quotes, My Current Foodie Fondness Tagged With: Braising, Cooking Techniques, Food Quotes, Main Dishes, Slow Cooking, Stews

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Welcome to Urbnspice - A Taste of Heart and Home. Inspiration in my kitchen is often a trip to the market or an experimental coincidence! Come and join me on this culinary journey where I share my passion for the creative, technical and teaching components of the profession and unravel culinary quandaries for you with fun and easy to follow user-friendly recipes, tips & techniques.
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