What's the point of sifting flour?
What's the point of sifting flour?
Originally, the point of sifting flour used to be to remove lumps and the occasional insect, although modern flour is generally free of those concerns. If you don't buy pre-sifted flour, sifting can still be a good idea for a number of reasons.
First, it loosens up flour that has been sitting around in storage for a long time, aerating it and helping your baked goods to have a lighter texture. It's also a good idea to sift flour if you are combining it with other ingredients, such as salt, baking powder or soda, or cocoa powder, to give the mixture a homogeneous texture.
Flour can be sifted either with an old-fashioned sifter, or by shaking flour through a sieve. Dry ingredients can also be whisked together with a wire whisk in a pinch, which also helps lighten up the flour.
Nevertheless, some people think that sifting flour is a pain, and skip it altogether, claiming they don't notice the difference. Do you?
Recipe: Sour Cream Bundt Cake (VeganYumYum)
Recipe: Banana Hazelnut Upside-Down Cake (Hogwash)
Why does Cookthink use red pepper flakes in so many recipes?
Why does Cookthink use red pepper flakes in so many recipes?
We use red pepper flakes so often that we've come to think of them as the third standard seasoning, after salt and pepper.
Why do we use red pepper flakes in so many recipes?
We use it as a flavor highlighter. In addition to the fives tastes -- sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami -- our tongues detect capsaicin, the main ingredient found in any hot chile. The heat of capsaicin in red pepper flakes "points up" the taste of ingredients they season. So, no matter what tastes and flavors you have going on in a dish, a pinch of red pepper flakes will help clarify and those tastes and flavors without necessarily adding heat (though you can add plenty of heat by adding red pepper flakes).
Experiment with red pepper flakes by starting out with a pinch in a dish like this Fusilli with Broccoli Raab and Parmesan. Increase (or decrease) the amount you use to get a sense of how much you like to add.
Recipe: New York Strip With Spicy Gremolata Dressing (Cookthink)
Reference: Measuring freshly ground black pepper (Cookthink)
Garam masala is an Indian spice mix that typically includes cumin, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and peppercorns. The particular mix of spices depends on the cook and the region; garam masala may also include coriander, saffron, nutmeg, turmeric, mustard seeds or dried chiles.
In Hindi, garam masala means "warm spices," and you can probably tell by the list of possible ingredients that garam masala's flavors and smells evoke a sense of home, comfort and happiness.
You can usually find garam masala in the spice section of the grocery store. Or, you might have the ingredients on hand to make your own. Mix 2 tablespoons black pepper, 2 tablespoons cardamom seeds, 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon whole cloves, and 1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick broken into pieces. Briefly toast the mix and then grind it into a powder using a spice grinder.
Authentic garam masala is made fresh every day, but you can keep your homemade version for two months in a spice jar.
Cilantro is the parsley of the East, where it's known as "coriander leaves" or "dhani". (In Mexico, where it's also very popular, it's sometimes called "Mexican parsley".)
If you like cilantro (and some people don't at all), the herb is an easy way to add a beautifully fresh, sweet, fruity flavor to any dish.
To prep it, first rinse and shake dry the leaves. Hold the bouquet at an angle with the leaves against the cutting board. Run your knife down the side of the bouquet to slice away the leaves. It's fine to remove some of the tender stems along with the leaves. (In fact, for salsas, spice pastes, curries and some longer-cooking dishes, the stems add essential, concentrated cilantro flavor.)
Now just run your knife back and forth across the pile of leaves, chopping them as coarsely or as finely as you need to. The closer to the end of the cooking you plan to add the cilantro, the finer you'll want to chop it. But since cilantro is so tender it's usually okay to keep the the chop coarse.
Now that you know how to prep it, try some cilantro recipes at Cookthink.com.
Raita is a cool, salty yogurt dip used as a condiment to temper the heat in spicy Indian dishes. A cousin of Greek tzatziki, it is also called pachadi (though that word can mean several things depending on where you are in India).
The exact formula depends on the cook, but raita usually consists of thick yogurt that's been drained and then mixed with seeded cucumber and a spice mixture that can include cumin, cayenne pepper and a masala (garam or chat), plus finely chopped herbs such as cilantro and mint. Some leave the cucumber out, and add onion, eggplant or carrot.
Raita is always served cold and is best eaten when it is freshly made. A dessert version of raita can include yogurt mixed with chopped fruit, such as pineapple, mango and pomegranate seeds.
Recipe: Cucumber raita (Cookthink)
