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Baking
Do You Bake With Shortening?
This morning, I set the record straight on the baking fat known as shortening. Although it's a nice vegan alternative to butter or lard, a number of you are disgusted with its trans fat content. I can relate to both perspectives — although I recently became enamored with the flaky texture it lends to pie crusts, like the one in traditional apple pie.
Know Your Ingredients: Shortening
While baking apple pie, I enlisted the help of my boyfriend, who took notice of the substantial amount of Crisco that was going into the pie dough. What exactly is shortening? he wanted to know.
What Should You Do on a Cold Rainy Day?
Here are highlights from the OnSugar blog Cakes Icecreams Tarts And.
That's right, you should bake brownies! 'Cause I'm sure you've already got all the ingredients at home, yeah? Chocolate chips, cocoa powder, plain flour, eggs, butter .
5 Thoughtful Finds For the Baking Enthusiast
Even though Summer seemed like yesterday, the year's already well into November. You know what that means: The holidays are fast approaching! We got off to a good start sharing our most coveted items of the moment, but beginning today, we'll also be offering useful gift guides that'll outline kitchen must haves for your hard-to-shop-for family and friends.
Do You Have an Oven Thermometer?
While I might be a late-night baker, I have never trusted the temperature of ovens. Instead I rely on a trusty oven thermometer. My somewhat new oven is about 25 degrees cooler than what the knob says, so with my thermometer, I can adjust the temperature and cook time correctly.
Are You a Late-Night Baker?
I've been known to bake when it's late, and I'm not alone. In a recent Washington Post story, writer Lisa Yockelson waxes poetic about the pleasures and perils of baking past your bedtime. Do you indulge your hobby in the wee hours?
Simple Tip: Transport Baked Goods in Bakery Boxes
Unless you make and transport cupcakes on a very regular basis, you probably have no need for a bulky plastic cupcake carrier. However, on those occasions when cupcakes have to be carried from your kitchen to another location, do what I do and pick up a baking box. A local bakery, or even the baking section of your grocery store, has a large supply of these boxes in a variety of sizes.
Muffin Top Tin: Love It or Hate It?
Ever since I saw this muffin top pan ($19.95) on Serious Eats the other day, I can't seem to get it out of my head. The author of the story, a self-professed muffin-bottom lover, employs the pan to make other things, like individual quiches, gratins, and tarts. I, too, have never really understood the allure of the muffin top, but after reading the descriptive uses for the pan, I kind of want one.
Simple Tip: Keep a Ruler in Your Kitchen
When improvising in the kitchen, I like to "eyeball" measurements, as Rachael Ray would say. But if there's one scenario when I like to be exact, it's baking. While I'm rolling out dough for anything from tarts to pizza to shortcakes, I prefer to be precise, because variations in size can have a significant impact on baking time.
7 Unconventional Cupcake Recipes
If you woke up thinking it was merely a typical Tuesday, you were mistaken: today is Cupcake Day! While it's true that the cupcake market has probably reached its saturation point, most of you still admitted you aren't over the cupcake craze. Yearning for something other than run-of-the-mill vanilla and chocolate?
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