Cooking Tips « The Publishers League

November 3, 2010

Silicone Bakeware – Choosing and Using

Filed under: Cooking Tips — Tags: Baking Tins, baking tray, cake moulds, cake tin, muffin pan, muffin tray, silicon molds, silicone baking, silicone baking sheet — damon @ 10:30 am

When it comes to silicone bakeware and cookware there is so much to choose from that it can seem a bit confusing at times. If you know what you are looking for then it makes choosing a lot easier, but if you are new to the whole world of silicone bakeware then the huge ranges on offer may seem a little daunting at first. A great way to get an idea of what is available and what might be useful to you is to read some reviews.

Whether you are looking for loaf tins, cake tins, muffin trays or perhaps silicone utensils such as spatulas or oven gloves, you will be able to find out all about them in silicone bakeware reviews. You might be wondering if you should buy your new bakeware from a certain range, or if you should just get a couple of pieces to start with or invest in a silicone bakeware set. If you read up even just a little bit on silicone bakeware, you will realise just how good it is, and how many people have switched nearly all of their baking tins and cooking utensils over to silicone. Properties such as fantastic non-stick surfaces, hard wearing, non staining finishes and benefits such as being cool to the touch within minutes of coming out of the oven all add up to make silicone bakeware one of the most sought after kitchen items at the moment.

Many people find they struggle to have the time to bake, especially when you take into account the time spent preparing cake tins prior to actually being able to use them, then the cooling time required before you can try and get your fresh baked goods out of the tin. With silicone bakeware none of this is necessary as the molds need no preparation, you can simply pour your cake mix straight in, once the baking is finished, you only have to wait a few minutes until the molds are cool enough to touch and a simple twist of the sides releases your cake, no sticking. Washing the tins takes nothing more than a quick wipe round with warm soapy water and they are ready to use again. As you can see, silicone bakeware makes cooking so much quicker and easier all round.

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September 30, 2010

Try Cooking with Quinoa!

Filed under: Cooking Tips,Food and Drink — Tags: clean eating, healthy diet, healthy diet plan, Quinoa, quinoa salad — damon @ 1:36 pm

photo credit: Justin and Elise

Even though there are many people in the western world that have never heard of quinoa, it has actually been cultivated for almost 6,000 years. Although it is not uncommon to hear quinoa be referred to as a grain, it is actually a seed that is related to chard, beets and spinach. It has gained such popularity, thanks to its impressive nutritional content. Not only does quinoa provide your body with the good kind of carbohydrates – ones that burn slow – it is also one of the best plant proteins that you can find. Most vegetable based foods are short on at least one of then nine amino acids that we must get from foods. For example, very few grains contain the amino acid lysine, which is critical for cellular repair. However, this is not the case with quinoa. It has all nine of the essential amino acids that you need to survive. This is why you may hear of it refereed to is a complete protein.

A one cup serving of cooked quinoa has 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber. With just 220 calories, you can see why anyone who is interested in improving their health could benefit from adding quinoa to their diet.

It is easy to find a quinoa recipe for any meal. To start your day off right, try a warm breakfast cereal made with quinoa and oatmeal. Or, if you prefer yogurt and fruit in the morning, you can toast quinoa and use to to make a warm crunchy topping. Later in the day, you may want to try a quinoa salad or add it into your favorite stir fry recipe. Believe it or not, quinoa even works great as a snack. I like to make a quinoa tabbouleh and my favorite hummus recipes and serve them with warm whole wheat pita bread. The serving options are endless when it comes to quinoa.

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August 25, 2010

What Everyone Should Know About Silicone Bakeware

Filed under: Cooking Tips,Food and Drink — Tags: bakeware silicone, silicon bakeware, silicone bakeware, silicone bakeware set, silicone spatula — damon @ 6:51 am

photo credit: ms.Tea

Now, you too can bake like a pro with silicone bakeware! This space age material has been around for over 50 years, and is the brainchild of the aerospace industry. Scientifically proven to have fantastic thermal and conductive properties, silicone can endure temperatures between 130 degrees Celsius and 260 degrees Celsius. The eighth most common element in the Universe, silicone really delivers when it comes to baking.

Bakeware made of silicone can move from oven to freezer without difficulty. They are flexible and easy to use. While their flexibility does take some getting used to, bakeware made of silicone is easily rolled and nested for storage. Because of their lightweight and pliable characteristics, silicone needs to be supported by standard solid baking sheets. Also, time needs to be monitored carefully until you become familiar with the necessary temperature adjustments to assure even cooking throughout your baked items. Unlike their metal counterparts, silicone cools very quickly though, using oven mitts to remove baked goods from the oven is a must. Once removed from the oven, handling the silicone with your bare hands is possible. Dishwasher safe, silicone is easy to clean. You will want to make sure you keep sharp items way from your silicone kitchen bakeware due to the fact that it will cut easily. Also, make sure that your bakeware is rolled out completely and that all compartments are shaped correctly before filling, as your baked goods will take on the shape, dimples and all, of your silicone, making for some very oddly shaped baked goods.

You can find a wide array of silicone bakeware online, at your local retailer, and in your local kitchen gifts specialty store. Prices range from around $8 on upwards, depending on what you are seeking. They are fun to use and come in a wide choice of colors, which range from blue and yellow to white and red. Because this fantastic bakeware can be used in the microwave, or in the oven, it is extremely versatile and popular with home cooks. Made with food-grade silicone and FDA approved, you will have no worries using these baking tools. So, if you have never tried baking with silicone pans, try them, you will not be disappointed.

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August 10, 2010

Two Seriously Delicious Chocolate Cake Recipes

Filed under: Cooking Tips,Food and Drink — Tags: chocolate fountain, chocolate recipe, tiarmisu recipe — damon @ 9:57 am

photo credit: megan.chromik

Looking to indulge your tastebuds? Here’s a couple of ripper chocolate cake recipes you can make at home. Enjoy!!

Chocolate “diplomatic cake”

Ingredients for six people:

700gr (1½ lb) dark chocolate
500ml (17 fl oz) double cream
240gr (8½ oz) sugar
170gr (6 oz) flour
70gr (2½ oz) potato flour
120gr (4 oz) butter, melted and cold
100ml (3½ fl oz) rum, diluted in 100ml water
6 eggs
cocoa powder
Cocoa-based liqueur
a pinch of salt

Directions:

For the discs
Preheat the oven at 200ºC (392ºF)
Melt 100gr (3½ oz) of chocolate on a very low heat. Beat the eggs with salt and sugar until foamy, add the flour, the butter, and the melted chocolate. Mix well until completely blended.

Grease 6 12cm diameter ramekins, and pour in the mix (keep aside two tablespoons). Bake for 20 minutes.

Once out of the oven, let it cool for 10 minutes, then cut each sponge lengthwise into two discs. Dip them in the rum.

For the chocolate mousse:
Melt the remaining chocolate, mix it to the cream and the remaining cream, whisk it until it doubles its volume.

Spread the mousse on the top of six discs, then put a disc on top, another layer of mousse, and dust with cocoa powder.

Not enough chocolate in this recipe? Dip these cakes in a chocolate fountain then!

Mascarpone cheese and chocolate cake

Ingredients for six people:
For the sponge:
230gr (8 oz) flour
180gr (6½ oz) sugar
60gr (2 oz) bitter cocoa powder
2 glasses of milk
1 tsp of baking powder
caster sugar for dusting

For the filling:
255gr (9 oz) mascarpone cheese
2 cups of espresso coffee
3 tbsp sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven at 160. Mix the cocoa powder with lukewarm milk, add sugar, and the flour and baking powder, one tablespoon at the time. Mix well before adding the next one.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. The cake will have to form a thin crust on the surface, but will have to remain soft, almost wet inside.
Once out of the oven, let it cool on a rack.
In the meantime mix together mascarpone cheese, sugar and coffee, until soft and creamy.
Cut the sponge into two discs, lengthwise and spread the mascarpone cream all over one of them. Put the second disc on top, and dust it with caster sugar only right before serving.

Italian coffee, mascarpone cheese, eggs and cocoa are also the main ingredients of tiramisu. There are infinite variations, I recommend this spicy tiramisu recipe.

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May 6, 2010

Problems with Electric Meat Grinders

Filed under: Cooking Tips,Food and Drink — Tags: buying a meat grinder, choose a grinder, electric meat grinders, ground meat, meat grinders — damon @ 6:03 am

photo credit: klwatts

Buying an electric meat grinder is a great idea. You can make your own ground meats, burgers, sausages and meatballs safe in the knowledge that you know exactly what is going into your food and that all the ingredients are good for you. You can reduce the fat and salt content to improve your health, and live additive free. Electric grinders do have their problems, however, but nothing that you can’t deal with. Here are the things you might encounter when you own one.

1. You Have to Cut Up the Meat

Many are under the impression, before buying a meat grinder, that you can just push big steaks into the grinder and it will come out as ground beef. Unfortunately you have to cut up the meat into one inch chunks and remove any bones and obvious gristle before you process it.

2. They are Noisy

Electric meat grinders are not quiet machines so don’t run the machine if you have a sleeping baby or want to watch your favorite TV show!

3. They Get Clogged

All meat grinders will clog up at times especially if you don’t remove tough tendons or you have processed a lot of fatty meat. Always choose a grinder with a reverse switch so that you can release any meat clogging the blades. If that doesn’t work, take your machine apart (which is easy enough to do) and unblock it.

4. Blades Can Rust or Go Blunt

If you choose steel blades, they stay nice and sharp but they can easily rust if you do not wash and dry them carefully. You can buy an electric meat grinder with stainless steel blades instead if you prefer and you will have fewer problems with rust, however these will go blunt faster and will need to be sharpened or replaced!

5. Clean Up Can Take Time

If you process a lot of meat you will find that everything will be very greasy after you are finished. No matter how much meat you processed, you will need to clean your machine carefully to avoid contamination from raw meat, especially if you use it for grinding other food stuffs.

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