Archive for December, 2009

By Dennis Weaver

Fresher is nearly always better

Food deteriorates over time. Sometimes it does so very slowly but it does deteriorate. Expiration dates and “best by” dates are misleading. Food does not stay magically fresh up until the expiration date and then it’s suddenly bad. Think of it as straight-line event. The fresher, the better.

Generally, expiration dates and “best by” dates are not governed by regulations. They are set by the processor who has its own agenda, are subject to judgments, and storage conditions. Comparing expiration dates between brands is not reliable. Manufacturing dates are a much better guide but are rarely available.

It is a good idea to check the expiration dates of a particular product on the shelf. The oldest products tend to get shoved to the back of the shelf where they get older still.

Buy from suppliers that have a higher turnover. Chances are their ingredients will be fresher. Buy from processors and distributors when possible.

Know what makes food go bad.

Vitamins deteriorate over time. Of greater concern to most of us, is the oxidation that creates rancidity. Rancid, stale-tasting products don’t just taste bad, they can be bad for you. If it tastes stale or smells rancid, throw it out.

Products with high levels of fat are more susceptible to oxidation. Flour, especially white flour, with low fat levels will keep a long time in the right conditions. High-fat products like butter will not.

Oxidation is accelerated by heat, light, and exposure to oxygen. Packaging is important. Mylar and metal containers are much better than most plastics and paper. Storage conditions are critical. Fatty foods are very susceptible to heat. Ten degrees can make a real difference. Nuts will last a long time in the refrigerator but will deteriorate very rapidly in a warm cupboard above the stove.

For our personal use, we store oils, nuts, and dried fruits (once opened) in the refrigerator. We store cornmeal and flour products in a cool room downstairs which was built for storage and rarely gets above 55 degrees. Many baking mixes will last a very long time in that room. By the way, if you refrigerate chocolate, it will get a white dusting called bloom. While not attractive, the chocolate is still good.

Be willing to experiment.

When we started this business, we spent over a year working on ingredients and products. If there are lessons from all that trial and error, they are: There is great deal of difference in quality and you don’t know which products are best without trying them. It may be tedious to keep trying different flours or chocolates but the quest is worth it.

The more you know about ingredients, the easier it is to find the best.

Understanding flour or cinnamon or chocolate is essential to buying the right product and makes buying quality products easier. That’s beyond the scope of a short article but our How to Bake e-book covers baking ingredients extensively. It’s free. If you don’t have a copy, we recommend that you get one.

Copyright 2003-2007, The Prepared Pantry (http://www.prepraredpantry.com ). Published by permission

About the Author: Dennis Weaver is a baker, a recipe designer, and a writer. He has written many baking guides and How to Bake, a comprehensive baking and reference e-book–available free at The Prepared Pantry which sells baking supplies and tools and has a free online baking library.

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=119528&ca=Food+and+Drinks

By Dennis Weaver

Anytime is cookie time. Many of us make tons of cookies. Some of them will turn out better than others. We thought it might be helpful to share a troubleshooting guide for less than perfect cookies. So here goes:

Cookie Troubleshooting Guide

If your cookies are too tough . . .

You may have used too much flour or a flour with too high of a protein content. Unless you want a chewy cookie, do not use bread flour. Check your measurements–the cookies may not have enough fat or the amount of sugar may be wrong.

If your cookies are too crumbly . . .

They may have too much sugar, shortening, or leavening or may not be thoroughly mixed. Try adding more eggs.

If your cookies are too hard . . .

They may have been baked too long or at a temperature that was too low. Too much flour or not enough shortening or liquid will make them hard also.

If your cookies are too dry . . .

The same elements that make cookies too hard, may make them too dry. Try baking them at a higher temperature for a shorter period. Substitute brown sugar (with its higher moisture content) for part of the granulated sugar.

If your cookies are too brown . . .

The cookies were most likely baked too long or at too high of a temperature. Too much sugar may make a cookie brown too readily.

If your cookies are not browned enough . . .

The baking temperature was too low, they were not baked long enough, or there was too little sugar.

If your cookies spread too much . . .

The baking temperature may be too low. Too much sugar, shortening, or leavening will cause spread. If pans are greased with too much shortening, spread may occur. Add a little more flour or chill your dough before forming the cookies.

If your cookies don’t spread enough . . .

The opposite conditions that create too much spread may cause your cookies not to spread enough. There may not be enough sugar, shortening, or leavening, or the temperature is too high. Try adding more grease to the pan and baking at a lower temperature.

If the edges or crust turns out sugary . . .

The cookies probably have too much sugar. The dough may have been inadequately mixed.

If your cookies have a poor flavor . . .

Make sure all the flavoring ingredients were added. Dated or low quality ingredients may not impart strong enough flavors. Improperly washed baking pans will sometimes cause a cookie to taste bad.

If your cookies stick to the pans . . .

The pans probably weren’t greased adequately. Too much sugar will make cookies stick. Cookies are usually easier to remove from their pans immediately after coming from the oven.

Copyright 2003-2007, The Prepared Pantry (www.prepraredpantry.com ). Published by permission

About the Author: Dennis Weaver is a baker, a recipe designer, and a writer. He has written many baking guides and How to Bake, a comprehensive baking and reference e-book–available free at The Prepared Pantry which sells baking and cooking supplies and has a free online baking library.

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=122024&ca=Cooking