When a baking recipe asks for xx cups of 'sifted flour',
do they mean that you measure the prescribed amount and then sift. Or sift and then measure to meet the amount? I'm making a birthday cake and don't want it to be too dry...
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The Ten Most Recent Posts By shaofan
Eating in China- any tips?
I'm going to China and will be in Beijing, Xian, Guilin and Shanghai-- anyone have tips on must go to places? I want to eat as authentic as possible- street food, restaurants, whatever is good.
Deep frying: OK to reuse oil? What to store in,esp when it's hot
I would love tips on whether it's okay to reuse oil for deep frying (since you usually need quarts), best oils for deep frying (Chinese food, fried chicken, beignets) and what people store the hot oil in when they are done and need to put it somewhere for next time!
Thank you.
The Ten Most Recent Comments By shaofan
Doughnut Plant Throwdown
I saw it and thought that he was irritated that he was celebrating his shop's 7th anniversary and then some hotshot (though I don't think Bobby Flay is that bad) strolls in and makes it into a challenge to try to take him down. Seemed like he was pissed it was an interruption to his party and maybe that he was a little insulted that someone would challenge his product. Their Tres Leches donuts are delicious though!
Cookbook conundrum
I see a lot of Joy of Cooking and I don't have it though I have about 20-30.. maybe I need to get it! I agree that the Cooks Illustrated classics are great (American Classics, etc)- just pick one of their many for the style of cooking you want. Some of my other favorites:
Hot Sour Salty Sweet- gorgeous book and great southeast asian recipes
Simple to Spectacular (one of Jean-Georges' books)
Sunday Suppers at Lucques (Suzanne Goines)
Also would suggest subscribing to a magazine- they are fun and help inspire each month- Gourmet, Saveur, Food & wine, Cooks Illustrated....
Would you rather give up eggs or cereal?
Cereal, hands down. Eggs are one of the perfect foods, not to mention all the things it is used in. Cereal, while okay, is just cereal!
Help me make a tasty carbonara!
I think it is hard to make authentic carbonara like a real Italian. Coincidentally, I made it tonight before I logged on- I tried Giada's recipe from her EveryDay Italian book for kicks. Bad. Too creamy and not sophisticated. Also tried the one Saveur published last spring - better but not great. Here is one from Gourmet: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/107810.. Real Carbonara doesn't normally have onions, from what I know.
using pancetta or guanciale is better than plain bacon. And usually the cheese is a mixture of grated parmagianno and pecorino romano...
For the love of Congee...
We ate this at home almost every Sunday- we would top the congee from a variety of dishes- Chinese pickles, dried pork, egg, peanuts, seaweed (nori)... it is delicious and very very comforting...
cooking with coconut oil
I just bought some and wanted to use it but was wondering if it should only be used for certain types of dishes- do you use it for everything? Like meats, stir fries, eggs? Or can you taste it? It is supposed to be much much better for you than veg, canola or even olive oil...
CSAs in NYC
You can also look at justfood.org, though I didn't know CSAs did winter shares! Mine ends in November...
What are you reading (food-related)?
I just finished the The Zen of Fish: The Story of Sushi from Samurai to Supermarket- great, with so many great nuggets of information on sushi and the fish. Also, just finished Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, all about growing and eating local with her family for one year.
When a baking recipe asks for xx cups of 'sifted flour',
You guys are good- thank you so much. That CI guide is great! Wish me luck!
Good things come in cans...
unsweetened coconut milk
green curry paste
water chestnuts
pellogrino limonata
san marzano canned tomatoes
canned water chestnuts are definitely used mainly for texture and crunch. fresh might be better but i have had success with canned for certain recipes.
Responses to Comments by shaofan
Doughnut Plant Throwdown
Personally I think that Mark Israel came out looking like the Douche I think he really is in real life. What a winer! Did this guy not brag about working in the basement of his home for something like 5 years? This publicity would have been priceless and most take it as a compliment. Instead he whined like a 6 year old girl who had her doll taken away. Its not like this guy is a chef. He makes donuts. Single dimension. And who the hell picked the cops? No way I would have chosen his. I suspect they rigged it just to keep it going and salvage the taping. I was personally most disgusted by the comments to Bobbies donut from his and the handshake with the filling. That just shows what a classless douche he is. He can say whatever he wants about the conditions etc, but he is responsible for his behavior. I hope people start avoiding his shop since he is such a graceless fool. I am certain every chef in NYC will certainly avoid his shop. My 2c.
Cookbook conundrum
If I had to pick only five, they would be, in no particular order:
The Joy of Cooking (I have both an old edition and an updated)
Silver Palate New Basics (I also have a nuch stained original Silver Palate cookbook)
Bittman's How to Cook Everything (we do not have one but many friends swear by it)
One cookbook on grilling by the Schlesigner/Willoughby team (your choice, I like License to Grill)
One outrageous dessert cookbook (my faves are Luchetti's A Passion for Ice Cream and David Leibovitz's Perfect Scoop, but get one with clear recipes and gorgeous pictures to inspire you).
I note that DH and I have Gourmet, Bon Appetit and Food and Wine going back to the ealrly '90s (and even a few Bon Appetits from the 80s) and they are invaluable resources. However, don't kid yourself about the amount of space that cooking resources can take up . . . we have an entire wall closet devoted to cookbooks and cooking magazines. They multiply!
Cookbook conundrum
The Joy of Cooking is indispensible
And for just getting started, especially when you need the most variety from the least number of sources (and the most bang for your buck), I recommend getting one of the annual collections from one of the leading cooking magazines (Southern Living, Cooking Light, Bon Appetit, etc). These are especially affordable if you're willing to buy one that is a few years old. I got the 2004 edition of Bon Appetit's annual collection for about five dollars on the Barnes & Noble discount shelf.
Cookbook conundrum
OMG! One of my favorite subjects! I have over 1000 cookbooks and still can't qiut buying them. First, let me tell ya, you can really save a lot of money by joining the good cook (http://www.thegoodcook.com) or buying from Jessica Biscuit (http://www.ecookbooks.com/) or amazon. Top 5? Tricky? Ok, I'll try not in any particular order though.
Local Flavors by Debroah Madson
King Arthur Whole Grains
http://www.kingarthurflour.com
Cooks Illustrated Best Family Dinners
http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Family-Cookbook-Revised/dp/193361501X/ref=sr_1_33?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215733107&sr=1-33
The Essential EatingWell Cookbook: Good Carbs, Good Fats, Great Flavors
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-EatingWell-Cookbook-Carbs-Flavors/dp/0881507016/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215732981&sr=1-2
My new favorite is Cake Love
http://www.amazon.com/CakeLove-How-Bake-Cakes-Scratch/dp/1584796626/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215733050&sr=1-1
Have fun!
Cookbook conundrum
I'm also a collector of cookbooks and recipes -- something I regret every time I have to pack up and move!
I agree with those who suggest a good, basic cookbook. The Joy of Cooking, How to Cook Everything, Betty Crocker or Better Homes and Gardens are all good and all appeal to various cooks. I'd suggest you go to the bookstore or library and look at them to determine which one fits you best.
After that, what you choose depends on how you like to cook and eat. I'm very fond of the foods of the Mediterranean and good, old Midwestern home cooking. I'm also fond of quick and easy (or, at least, not a lot of time and effort from the cook). There are quite a few cookbooks already mentioned that I like.
Among my favorites:
How to Cook without a Book by Pam Anderson
The Good Home Cookbook by Richard Perry (this one I found through a mention on a blog, and purchased the book from Amazon)
All of The Barefoot Contessa cookbooks -- I've never had a recipe failure from Ina
How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman
The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Nancy Harmon Jenkins
Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver
The Olive and the Caper by Susanna Hoffman
Mediterranean Light and Mediterranean Harvest by Martha Rose Shulman
I'll have to admit that many of the Mediterranean cookbooks I like as much for the reading as the recipes.
However, probably my favorite "cookbook" is my binder of recipes that I've collected over 30+ years from family and friends, magazines, blogs and other sources on the internet. I also copy and put my favorite recipes from cookbooks in my binder. My one true test of whether or not a recipe from a cookbook is a keeper is my willingness to copy it (by hand or typing) to add to my binder.
Cookbook conundrum
i love to collect recipes from magazines or websites - Cooking Light, Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, Food & Wine, Everyday Food, Food Network... I have bunch of cookbooks, but I find I refer mostly to a binder I created where I have organized a bunch of recipes from these sources. I go thru them periodically and throw away stuff I have had for a while and have not tried still.
I tend to also like a lot the Cooking Light year end collection cookbooks and the Everyday Food cookbook - I enjoy seeing how the final dish is supposed to look like. Plus appetite appeal is a MUST for me to get me to try a recipe.
Cookbook conundrum
How on earth did I miss this thread!
I have a monstrous collection, between collecting for the past 20+ years (even losing many in a fire), inheriting Gramma's when she passed away and keeping custody of a friend's collection.
One title I am missing, and for whatever reason never think of buying it, is The Joy of Cooking. I do have 3 versions of Good Housekeeping, which have been "go-to" for me for years. I love to pick up books at garage sales and auctions.
I am primarily a baker, but I don't have the "bibles". One of my recent "go-to's" for standard, classic cakes is a compilation of county fair winning recipes "Blue Ribbon Recipes", published in 1958. I LOVE this book.
And, whenever I venture into B & N or Borders (where my son works), I ALWAYS hit the clearance shelves first. Even though in my general cooking I kind of go with ingredients we like and never measure, I do like to look at recipes and get an idea of what ingredients go together to create a certain taste, i.e. certain ethnicities.
And...not sure where they are around the country, but Central Ohio has several "Half-Price Books" stores. There are many used books, and many new books as overstocks at amazing prices.
Cookbook conundrum
Thank you, thank you, everyone! My internet service has been down since friday and I've been dying to get back to SE. I am heading to the library and then bookstore armed with all this truly wonderful advice R.
Cookbook conundrum
I also use the library to "test drive" cookbooks and do most of my purchasing from used book sites, like Albis Or Abe Books.
I would like to put in a plug for James Beard's "Therory and Practice of Good Cooking". It's an excellent technique book.
Cookbook conundrum
Huge fan of Lidia Bastianich, here. My favorite is Lidia's Family Table. There are plenty of photos, recipes, and techniques(!) in this book. I've tried some new things and made improvements on dishes I've been making forever. I've also been inspired to come up with some new recipes of my own using Lidia's principles.
I often use "Joy" for reference, but rarely make any of the recipes.
I also like cookbooks with lots of photos since I'm more likely to try new things if I can see them first.
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