To Measure or Weigh, That is the question....

This is a copy and paste of a posting in Fine Cooking, my favorite cooking magazine and site. Brian Geiger discusses the pros and cons of weighing your flour and measuring it. I'm in favor of following the recipe. There are times when weighing your flour makes a HUGE difference. The difference between weight and measure can, sometimes, be as much as 1/4 - 1/2 C. of flour. Not good for Spritz Cookies. It will, literally, make it impossible to get the dough through the press.

Read his comments and see what you think.....

"Brian, I love to cook, and love the science behind baking. Why is there so much discrepancy regarding measuring flour? People whom I consider to be experts measure/weigh flour differently. I prefer wt., but experts don't even agree about that."

Hi Cindy,

Unquestionably, the best method to measure flour is weight, not volume. It gives you more predictable results each time, and it actually measures what you want, which is: how much flour am I using? If you measure using volume, you are only determining how much space the flour you are using was taking up while it was in the measuring cups. That is similar to how much flour you are using, but the differences could certainly cause you trouble.

Even I, who believe that weight is unquestionably better than volume, have given recipes with volume for the flour measurement. Essentially, when I do that, it's because I am being lazy. It takes a little more effort to measure out flour by weight than by volume, because with a measuring cup you could conceivably manage it in two strokes: one to scoop the flour, the other to sweep off the excess. Whereas with weight, you have to keep pouring in flour until it hits the proper amount, and if your scale isn't quick enough, you might overshoot your mark. These aren't terribly difficult trials to get through, but they take a tiny bit more effort. So I'll admit: sometimes I am lazy.

Lazy Cooks Take Heart
Now, if you know what you're doing, and you're familiar at least with the type of food that you're making, then you can get by with some laziness. People talk about baking being much more scientific than other types of cooking, requiring precise measurements and so on, but that's not strictly true. There are variations and tolerances in all of the ingredients, and a whole list of things that are completely not in your control. Humidity, barometric pressure, the precise ratio of glutenin to gliadin in your flour, and so on. If these thing all had to be perfectly controlled, we'd never bake. What we need to do is to get close enough and to know how and when to correct it if it goes wrong.

Why Weight Matters
The difficulty with volume measurements for flour is that they can vary so much more than weight measurements. For any given cup of flour, you could have roughly 30% more or less flour than you expect. It's a huge amount, and if you're making something new, you wouldn't know if you have too much or too little or what. That will make everything else about the recipe much more difficult to control.

Factors that cause variations in volume measurements include how you collect the flour and how the flour was before it was collected. If you keep your flour in a clear plastic container like I do, you can look at how much flour is in there to start with, then shake it up and check again. Chances are, it's going to look like you have quite a bit more flour than you did before. For scooping, there are two major schools of thought: the scoop and sweep, or the spoon. If the recipe that you're following was done by a spooner, and you are a scoop and sweeper, you're not going to end up with the right amount of flour.

Some people describe their measurement method along with their recipe, so you can do a better job with the volume measurements. And if this is a family recipe, and you were taught how to do it by a family member, you probably know the proper method for that recipe.

The great thing about weight measurements is that you ditch all of the ambiguity we discussed in the past three paragraphs. The weight is the weight, plus or minus the resolution of your scale. It's really not that difficult to do, and it'll make your life easier.

Know the Formula
You know how people say that you can't really double recipes for baked goods? That's not entirely true. You can double them, if you weigh your ingredients. Usually you run into troubles doubling a recipe with the volume measurement because all of the error from the main recipe, which was small enough to not bother the recipe all that much, is suddenly doubled as well, and now that causes you trouble.

Of course, if you have a recipe that calls for volume measurements and doesn't have weights, what do you do? Ideally, there would be a conversion factor, but as we've discussed, that would depend a lot on how the person who made the recipe measures. But all is not lost.

Most recipes are based on archetypes. There is an ideal muffin formula and method that all muffins are based upon. Same with cakes, yeast breads, souffles, and so on. If you are concerned about the weight of the ingredients, you can go to the archetype and extrapolate from there. Now, some recipes are deliberately varying from the archetype so that they can be moister or fluffier or something, in which case you're probably going to have to do some experimenting. Since that recipe clearly wasn't as good as it should have been (what with the volume measurements and all), you'd probably have to experiment in any case.

For a good first look at master formulas for a variety of goods, I recommend Michael Ruhlman's excellent book/app Ratio. For similar, but more in-depth sorts of looks into food, you might try a book on professional pastry recipes, which tend to be in baker's percentages and done by weight. For artisan bread recipes with weights, the always-thorough Peter Reinhart has a number of books to work from.

If you're feeling confused or discouraged, take heart. The best end product comes from a great recipe. I find mine on line, in great cookbooks, but mostly, from friends. It's always great to use a recipe that's been "kitchen tested" and that you know you love. The other great thing about using a "shared" recipe is that you can always call your friend if it doesn't turn out just right and find out what the problem was. Remember, cooking and baking is NOT brain surgery. Don't take it too seriously, just start with a good recipe, pay attention, follow the instructions and have fun.

Who knew that cast iron would be so great?

While preparing for February's cooking class, I came across a recipe for a terrific bread - "No Time Bread". Someone asked me how I found the recipe and I said......I'm not sure. As I visit my favorite sites, Food Network and, primarily, Fine Cooking, I, sometimes follow a trail if something looks interesting. I'm sure that's the case with this recipe. Below is the link for the cooking blog where I found the recipe. Take a look, it has some fun recipes, ideas and information:

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/quick/recipe-notime-bread-040653

I'd decided that I wanted to try this bread, but that it would require some experimentation before class, I also needed to purchase a dutch oven (oh shucky darn). That's pretty unusual for me as I, often make a new recipe at class without trying it out first. I think because of how the bread is prepared and baked. I wanted to make sure that it lived up to it's hype. Well, it does!

Let me say first, that you can make this bread from start to finish in about 1 1/2 hours. Follow the recipe, it's very straightforward and simple. It takes about 5 minutes to mix the dough. It takes 20 minutes to raise it in the microwave (I'm thinking this might be very user friendly for many bread recipes), you "plop" it, literally, in a very hot, preheated, dutch oven, put the lid on and bake it for 20-30 minutes (it gets "plopped" because it's very sticky. You'll notice also that you don't have a second rising time - pretty cool), take the lid off and continue baking for 5-10 minutes and you have the most amazing bread you've ever tasted. It has a slightly thick, crunchy crust with a dense, moist center. It can be sliced hot and served with butter (yummmm!) and it holds up to a Panini press. I placed it in a zip lock bag to keep fresh and the crust became chewy instead of crunchy, it's still the best bread I've ever made, and I've made a lot.

The article indicates you can use other pans for baking your bread if you don't have a dutch oven. I wanted to try it out, so the next day I made 3 more loaves of bread (I couldn't wait to try it again). I baked one in the dutch oven again, with a little less baking time. Because it's dark, it bakes quickly and conducts the most amount of heat. I reduced the baking time to 25 minutes instead of 30 and the 10 minutes "toasting" time to 5 minutes. I'll reduce the baking time again to 20 minutes. The bread is amazing, I just want it a little lighter.

I baked the second loaf in a Corningware casserole dish with a clear lid. This dish had the least amount of dough, not by design, and rose the most. I determined it was due to the fact that the dish was white and had a clear lid.

I baked the third loaf in my Pampered Chef Covered Baker. I was sure that between the Corningware and the Pampered Chef stoneware, that I'd prefer the PC stone. I have to say, the Corningware out baked the stone on this one.

I should say, that each dish resulted in a different end result. The dutch oven gives you a rather nutty flavor to the bread with a thicker crust. The Corningware gives you a finer bread texture than the dutch oven and the crust is slightly thinner. The Pampered Chef stone gives you the finest texture and thinnest crust. All the breads were very good. My "taste-tester" started with the Pampered Chef stone and loved the bread, moved to the Corningware and realized that there was a slight difference in the texture and crust, when she tasted the dutch oven bread, she couldn't stop raving about it. The difference is so significant that she thought that it was a different batch of dough. It was not.

So the moral of my story is, you don't need a dutch oven to try this bread. You don't need to be a great bread maker to try this bread, it's over the top easy, in other words, there's no excuse for not trying this great bread. If you try this bread and don't have a dutch oven, great! You'll love it! If you have a dutch oven, you'll be amazed!

There were only three changes I made to the dough:

1. I added a little more sugar, about 1 Tbl., because I like a slightly sweeter dough.

2. I used unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar instead of Balsamic.

3. I also added 1 tsp. of dough enhancer to the recipe. This isn't necessary, I just like it.

My brother, Mark, made it with Balsamic and said that it gives it a nutty flavor and he loved the bread. He said it was as good as any fine bakery bread. That's true.

Hmmm ... I think I'll try the Balsamic with some fresh herbs and perhaps, a little grated Parmesan cheese.

I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to make this dough into rolls - well you'll know at the cooking class. Make some bread today. See you.......

Baking anyone?

I've already started thinking about our February cooking class. Baking in all it's glory and yumminess can sometimes be a challenge, so a little practice never hurt anyone.

I baked cinnamon rolls yesterday, a request from Kalynn, to see how this recipe would turn out (you have the recipe in your December file - Suzy's Cinnamon Rolls). Well taste testers, it seems that most of you like the ones that have a little more flour added to the dough and the Lemon rolls seem to be the favorite among those that like a little taste of citrus.

I made the lemon rolls to use up some "lemon sugar" that I've had in the kitchen for a while and after tasting them, a cross between a roll and lemon meringue pie, I've decided that there is no end to what you can do with flavored sugars.

I thought I might share the secret to making flavored sugars with you. It's really very easy.

Measure 1-2 cups of sugar into a container that has a lid. Zest an orange, lemon or lime and add the zest to the sugar. Stir it up and allow it to sit for a while. You'll notice that the sugar will pick up the taste of the oils in the zest and the color as well. How much zest you add depends on how strong you want the sugar to be. More zest, stronger flavor and brighter color.

If you're planning on trying a flavored sugar in your rolls, you might want to get a jump on it and start your sugars now. That will allow them to sit for a couple weeks and pick up the flavor and color you want.

If you want vanilla sugar, split a vanilla bean, and place it in the middle of the sugar. Make sure you keep all containers covered with a lid and away from moisture.

Have a great time making sugars and spend a little time in the kitchen - it's good for you.

Name Brands vs Generic

In a conversation with my Cooking Class last night, we talked about the difference between name brand products and generic. I must say, I have some very definite ideas about some products.

In the world of food products, “all things are not created equally” and, believe me, you certainly “get what you pay for”.

If you’re one of those people that actually tastes their food and likes to “feel” the texture with your tongue, you’ll understand what I’m saying. If not, this may not make any difference to you at all. Over the looooooong years, I’ve found that certain products will give you the end result you want, while others will not. If I’m going to spend my valuable time cooking in the kitchen, I always want the best outcome, thus….invest in the best products.

My list of products that are non-negotiable:

I only use C&H sugar (this includes white, brown and powdered). C&H is a cane sugar, while most generic sugars come from beets. What I’ve found is that cane sugar dissolves better and completely, while beet sugar may not. If you’re having problems with your jams and jellies jelling, or thickening, it may be the sugar you’re using. If you feel a granually texture to your baked goods, it may well be the sugar you’re using. I realize you may pay a little more for C&H, but with the cost of all the other ingredients you’re using, isn’t it better to have a terrific finished product? I think so. C&H is well worth any additional cost!

I only use Crisco Shortening. There is nothing worse than baking something, or making a wonderful frosting and feeling a greasy slime on the roof of your mouth after you’ve eaten that “wonderful dessert”. If you like to sauté, pan fry or deep fry, you’ll get a much better end result with Crisco. I promise you won’t be sorry for switching to Crisco. If you’ve never experienced this or aren’t that aware of the texture of your food, trust me, you’ll be much happier.

I only use Best Foods Mayonnaise. If you live on the East Coast, Best Foods is labeled as Hellman’s. Either one, they’re both the same product. If you’ve had something made using Best Foods, and you try it with a “salad dressing” instead, I promise it won’t taste the same. I know that many of you are married to a salad dressing, like Miracle Whip (which is a great name brand if you like salad dressing), but the end result is definitely different. When a recipe calls for mayonnaise, please don’t substitute salad dressing…..

P.S. – I was raised on cheap mayonnaise and Miracle Whip, I repeat myself; I ONLY use Best Foods Mayonnaise!

Jello – what can I say? Jello is the brand you want to use for gelatin and pudding mixes. If you don’t think there’s a difference between generic and brand names, pick up a box of each – same product, same flavor and do a taste text. I promise you’ll see the difference!

Flours – I may not have a favorite brand of flour, but make sure that you use a company that always produces a high quality product. Most of the Mills out there are very reputable and I find that most flours are pretty much the same, brand wise, unless you’re using specialty flour. If you have a recipe calling for cake flour, buy a box and try it out. It really will make a difference in the end product. In baking, they talk a lot about “crumb”. If that’s not a concern of yours, forget the cake flour. However, if you’re always looking for a way to improve your finished product, try the cake flour, you’ll be surprised what a difference it makes. In the October cooking class – Pies, Pastries and Desserts, I talked about an article I read where they added ½ cake flour to their Puff Pastry dough. I tried it for the class, and I must say, it made a huge difference. I loved my Puff Pastry before, adding the cake flour, blew me away.

Always be mindful when storing your flour. It should be kept in a cool dry place in an airtight container. If you don’t rotate your flour regularly, by baking, store your flour in the refrigerator or freezer. Always be aware of items in your freezer or refrigerator that have a strong scent, like onions. Anything you store next to these items will pick up the flavor, so watch out.

Oils – Many people ask me about oil brands. I choose a name brand that’s on sale. As long as you’re using a good brand of oil, I think they’re pretty much the same. I use Olive Oil for much of my sautéing (I rarely fry). I always use extra virgin (I know that many chefs will disagree) because I don’t particularly like the strong taste of olive oil and I don’t like how it affects the taste of my food. Of the two, olive oil is better for you than other oils. I do not use olive oil in baking, with the exception of my pizza crust occasionally.

Just a Note:

I bought a store brand Maraschino Cherry for the December Candy Class. BIG mistake!

Did you know that slicing olives yourself will give you a much better flavor than buying pre sliced?

I love the taste and texture of Jiff Peanut Butter. “Picky Mothers Choose Jiff”. This one does.

Did you know that you CANNOT substitute cream for milk? You can substitute milk for cream, but not the other way around. It’s a scientific thing. Trust me on this! The end result will NOT be the same.

I use butter instead of margarine. If you’re attending the cooking class, you know this. I use soft margarine for toast, but butter for baking and cooking. Why? You may ask. Well, margarine is not the same today that it was 10 or 20 years ago. They’ve added so much water to the margarine now, there’s not a high enough fat content to make your baked goods work. Adding additional water to your recipe is not good either. If you’re not sure about this, just let a cube or tub of margarine melt on your counter on a hot day (in a bowl, of course) and you’ll see the water that comes to the top. Many “light” margarines, just have water added to reduce the caloric values.

Tuna is HUGE. If you like cooking with tuna, whether in sandwiches or casseroles, please use white tuna packed in water. I was raised on oil packed, light tuna. Trust me, white, water packed is the way to go. You won’t have that strong fishy taste and your recipes will be amazing.

Well, if you learn nothing else, please compare store brands to name brands. If you find a generic store product that you like just as well, or even better, buy it, but be careful when investing in a recipe – go with the name brand, then experiment later. If you do this, you’ll know what the original recipes should taste like and you’ll better be able to decide if the store brand affected the outcome or not.

Time for Change - try something new in the kitchen.

I hope you had a terrific holiday season and are looking forward to a great new year.

Our January cooking classes start tonight with Main dishes and Casseroles.

I believe most people think of casseroles as something your mother or grandmother subscribed to, that they're "old fashioned" and "out of date". Think back ..... what are some of the best memories you have spending time in your Mom's or Grandmother's kitchen? Don't those memories involve food and family? Don't we all have fond memories of what we, lovingly, refer to as "comfort food"?

As I was thinking about what to prepare for this month's classes, I, naturally, started thinking about "comfort foods", those recipes that brought us so much pleasure as children and even adults. Food enjoyed while sitting around the table with family and friends. While most of these recipes are "old fashioned", we can always give them a more "up to date" twist.

We're having Mac & Cheese (I have to thank Andee Ott for bring this to my attention. She made it for her family and it was a huge success - way to go Andee!). Of course it starts with, our old friend, white sauce. You might want to break out the memories of "Tuna Noodle" casserole. Kick it up a notch with fresh herbs and perhaps a cheese sauce instead of the old, mushroom soup, standby.

Recipe Note:

Cook your pasta till its aldante'. Drain, but do not rinse. Place the pasta in a large bowl and mix with white sauce (I used frozen Parmesan Cheese Sauce that I had leftover from the September cooking class. If I'm using white sauce in a "savory" dish, I usually season it with broth and herbs or seasonings that will enhance my recipe. If I'm not sure what I'll do with the sauce, I leave it plain, which allows me more flexibility with its use). Make sure that you have enough sauce on the pasta so it doesn't dry out as it bakes. Remember that pasta absorbs the liquids it's in as it continues to cook or sit, so you'll need to allow for that.

I added chopped garlic chives from my garden (frozen, of course) and a combination of cheeses; Parmesan and a blend of Colby/Jack, Gouda and Dubliner. Make sure that your cheese is grated so that it melts evenly. Mix everything together, pour into a greased casserole, top with additional cheese and bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes till golden on top and heated through.

You can certainly add vegetables to your mac and cheese as well as diced, cooked chicken if you like. This is a great way to get your children to eat their vegetables.

Someone suggested adding hot dogs. You could certainly add one of those amazing sausage combinations, such as, garlic artichoke. Grill them up, slice diagonally and add to the pasta. Very yummy.

Next comes, Chicken Pot Pie. I love making my own pot pies and I don't know why I don't do it more often. There's a difference between Pot Pie and Shepherds Pie. I think the main difference is that you use pie crust for one and mashed potatoes for the other. I'm sure that my friend Anne, who is English, would disagree with me, but we're going to keep it simple. We'll be making Shepherds Pie as I want to use those potatoes that I riced before Christmas.

Recipe Note:

Cook two, thawed, chicken breasts in the microwave on high for 2 minutes, turn once and cook an additional 2 minutes, allow to rest for 4-5 minutes before cutting. They'll come out perfect every time. If your chicken breasts are still frozen, cook 3 minutes on each side. If the chicken is still a little pink when slicing, pop back in the microwave, after slicing, for an additional 45-60 seconds. DON'T OVERCOOK!

Start your filling with enough chicken broth to cover your vegetables. Add chopped vegetables, I used celery, carrots, red potatoes and the chopped chicken. You can add onions and any vegetable that your family likes. Don't add the chicken till the vegetables are cooked and if you like peas, don’t add them till just before you pop it in the oven. Add a little rue or very thick white sauce to the broth and vegetables to thicken. I used a corn starch slurry (remember, cornstarch will never become thicker than it is when it comes to a boil), thickened it, and then added some white sauce. Essentially, you're making a cream of chicken and vegetable soup.

Whip up your riced potatoes (you can use sliced potatoes and line the casserole dish with them, overlapping, and top the filling with the sliced potatoes as well. Be sure to cover the top of the potatoes with some white sauce to keep them from drying out and add a little grated cheese. You can also use instant mashed potatoes if you like). Spread the mashed potatoes in the bottom and up the sides of the casserole dish. Fill with the chicken filling and cover with the rest of the mashed potatoes. Bake in a 350 oven for 35-45 minutes or till the top is golden brown and the filling bubbles.

I have a different take on casseroles. I don't think that they need to spend time in the oven to qualify; casseroles can be made on the stove top. There are many recipes I'd consider a casserole, such as Spaghetti and Meatballs. We're having a "stove top" casserole - Chicken Stir Fry with Seasoned Rice. The great thing about stir fry is that it's fast and it's a great way to clean out your refrigerator, as is the case with many casseroles, soups and salads.

Recipe Note:

When stir-frying, you want to heat *oil in the bottom of your skillet or stir fry pan till it’s nearly smoking. Add your ingredients in order; meats first. Stir fry quickly, stirring till the meat is browned (It’s important to remember that in order for your meat to brown, you need to make sure that it’s dry. Rinse the meat and pat dry with paper towels. If the meat is wet or very moist, it will steam, not brown). Remove the browned meat from the pan and add the vegetables in order, starting with the firmest first. Continue adding from firm to soft, the soft needing the least amount of cooking time.

When all the vegetables are tender-crisp, add the meat back into the pan with whatever sauce you’re using. Stir till everything is heated through and serve with rice or noodles immediately.

It’s important to cut your vegetables in pieces that are approximately the same size. This allows the vegetables to cook in the same amount of time. Slicing your vegetables on the diagonal allows for more “surface” to cook and a quicker cooking time. If you want to hurry your veggies along, cover your pan, but only briefly or you’ll end up steaming them instead of stir-frying them.

*I used Sesame Oil for my stir fry. You can use vegetable oil or olive oil if you like.

Casseroles are certainly main dishes, but main dishes are not necessarily casseroles. For our Main Dishes we're having BBQ Chicken Pizza and Squash and Carrot Soup. This soup provided me with a means to use up some pretty beat up squash and carrots that accidentally froze in the back of my fridge. Cook, puree and add a little white sauce to make it a cream soup. Delicious!

Recipe Note - Pizza:

I got this great idea from the “CRAZY GOOD” biscuits we had in November. I thought that if I could add melted butter to the pan and bake the biscuits in it, why couldn’t I add oil to my pan to bake the pizza crust?

It was amazing! The best pizza crust I’ve ever made. Add enough oil to your pizza pan to have a little standing oil (I used Pampered Chef’s Large Stoneware Bar Pan to bake my pizza in). I patted the crust out right in the pan (you have the recipe for the pizza crust in your January “Baking” file on your CD). I spread a little cream sauce on the crust to keep it from drying out (you can use BBQ sauce instead if you like) and spread my *BBQ Chicken over the crust; topped it off with Mozzarella and baked it in a 450 preheated oven for about 30 minutes till golden brown. The crust was amazing! It was golden on the bottom, a little crunchy from the oil and cooked all the way through. I’ll never make pizza any differently.

*I cooked my chicken (see the note above, cooking in the microwave) and cut into thin strips, cut the strips in half lengthwise and across. I caramelized ½ of a large onion and place it all in a quart zip lock bag. I poured BBQ sauce over all and mushed it around till it was all covered with sauce. The great thing about doing it this way is that the chicken picks up the flavor of the BBQ sauce before you even start baking it. YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY!

Recipe Note – Squash/Carrot Soup:

This is a great way to use up old or not very pretty vegetables. Dice everything up and place it in a stock pot with enough broth to cover the vegetables. I added a little chopped garlic to the pot and some Pampered Chef – Citrus Basil seasoning. Bring it to a boil, cover and let it cook till everything is tender and falling apart. Be sure to allow your vegetables and broth to come to room temperature before you start pureeing it in the blender or the mixture will EXPLODE. No kidding! This can be very dangerous, so please take the time to let it cool. When everything is pureed, place it in a stock pot (or it can be frozen or stored in the refrigerator at this point) and add some white sauce to thicken the puree and make the soup creamy. Bring just to a boil and serve hot. You can add cheese, chopped vegetables or meat, top with home made croutons or a dollop of sour cream. The possibilities are endless. Have a great time making soup, it’s ALWAYS a perfect main dish – add a side salad and you have a complete meal.

Miscellaneous notes:

I used the potatoes I'd riced and froze in November. Just let them thaw in the fridge, heat in the microwave (remember, you're not cooking them, just heating them), add a little melted butter, sour cream and milk or cream and whip with a fork. No need for a mixer or masher. They are still amazing even after they're frozen. We used them as a base and top for our Shepherds Pie. Simply YUMMY!

That about covers Mains and Casseroles. Bon Appetite.