What's the point of scalding milk?
What's the point of scalding milk?
Scalding milk to just beneath the boiling point used to be the best way to kill off any bacteria in the milk. Now, that's accomplished (most of the time) by pasteurization.
Many recipes for ice cream, cheese, yogurt and bread still call for scalding milk. And while there is some debate over whether or not that step is still necessary, some bakers believe that scalding the milk both dissolves yeast and helps bread to rise and gives it a finer texture.
What is extra-virgin olive oil?
What is extra-virgin olive oil?
Extra-virgin olive oil is the precious unrefined first result of cold-pressing olives to make a fruity liquid that contains less than one percent acid.
Extra-virgin olive oil is the most expensive olive oil variety, and it is best appreciated in salads or as a garnish to give preparations a final flourish. If you are using olive oil to cook, it's fine to use regular olive oil.
Greece is the #1 consumer of olive oil in the world and also the leading producer of extra virgin olive oils, which account for 82 percent of their olive oil production. The U.S. is not a member of the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC), which regulates olive oil standards worldwide, and the IOOC does not recognize the U.S. standards for extra-virgin oil.
There is much controversy in the olive oil world, with accusations of corruption and adulteration smearing consumer confidence and shedding doubt on the purity of so-called virgin olive oil.
When you want a dish to have quintessential garlic flavor that permeates each bite, mince it. You can mince with a knife, or a garlic press.
Either way, you need to free the individual cloves. To do that, press down on the head with the heel of your palm. Apply firm, even pressure so the cloves don't fly all over the place.
To peel an individual clove, cut of the hard stem end where the clove attached to the bulb. Either stop the cut just short of the skin on the other side and peel the skin around to remove it, or make the cut all the way through and squeeze out the clove. The older the clove, the easier the skin releases.
You can also peel it by setting the side of your knife blade on the clove and pressing down until you feel the skin release, though not hard enough to pulverize it, or the skin will get mixed in with the garlic.
To mince with a knife, smash the peeled clove with the side of the knife. Then just run your knife back and forth across the smashed clove, chopping as you go until it's as fine as you like.
If you don't want individual little pieces of garlic and have a press, just put the whole peeled clove (or cloves, if you can fit them) in the press and squeeze. Use your knife to trim away any clinging garlic.
Cumin is the dried seed of an aromatic plant that has a dusty, vaguely bitter taste and a distinctive smell. Cumin seeds can be used whole, fried in oil to release their aroma; or ground into a powder.
Most cumin seeds are light brown in color, but they are also available in white (similar to the brown in flavor) and black (which has a more peppery taste). Cumin seeds look a lot like caraway seeds.
You can find references to cumin in the Bible, where it was cited as a flavor-enhancer for soup and bread. The Romans used it to preserve meat and broil fish and it was popular in the Middle Ages. Today, cumin seeds are used to spice up Munster cheese, to make Indian and Pakistani curries and to add flavor to Tex-Mex chili. Cumin is also popular in many cuisines of the world, including Middle Eastern, Mexican, Eastern European and Mediterranean.
During the Middle Ages, cumin was believed to keep loved ones (and chickens) from straying; likewise, brides and grooms carried cumin seeds during the wedding ceremony as a happy marriage charm.
Chopping is probably the most common way to prep an onion. Chopped onions show up in anything that needs the basic, earthy pungent flavor that onions give. Chop them larger for longer-cooking dishes like stews and rustic soups, and smaller (call it a dice if you like) for anything from salsas to sauces to ragouts.
To start, cut the onion in half through the root. The root itself will help keep the onion together for chopping
Rotate the onion 90 degrees and cut off the papery end (not the root end). This will make the skin easy to peel away and discard.
Peel back the onion's papery skin. It's often easiest to peel away the first layer of the onion along with the skin.
Make a series of diagonal cuts (roughly 45 degrees) into the side of the onion. Keep more space between the slices for a large chop. Make the cuts closer together for a small chop or a dice.
Now make a series of horizontal cuts to finish shaping the chop or dice.
Finally, rotate the onion again and slice crosswise against the checkerboard pattern you made in the onion. The chopped pieces will fall away from the onion.
Tahini is a thick paste made from ground sesame seeds. Common in Middle Eastern cuisine, tahini is what brings that nutty richness to hummus, baba ghanoush and halvah. You can find tahini in a jar or can at most grocery stores. A fresh can usually needs stirring to mix the oil and paste.
Most falafel sandwiches are drizzled with a garlicky tahini sauce that is easy to make at home. Mix 1/4 cup of tahini with two minced garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper. (Add a little water if the sauce is too thick.)
Tahini is different than the sesame pastes popular in eastern Asia, which are made with unhulled seeds that create a more bitter flavor.
Got no tahini and craving hummus? Brys had success with toasted pine nuts.
Recipe: Soft Boiled Eggs With Miso, Lemon And Cilantro (Cookthink)
Recipe: Sweet And Sour Udon Noodles With Basil (Cookthink)
Reference: Tahini vs. sesame paste (Cookthink)
Harissa is a spicy chili paste from North Africa and the Middle East that can be found in Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco, and is popular in France.
Made with (often smoked) chili peppers, garlic, olive or caraway oil and coriander, it may also contain cumin, dried mint, verbena leaves, tomatoes or rose petals. The ingredients are pounded to a paste, which is left to develop its flavors for at least 12 hours.
Harissa is used to flavor merguez sausage; as a condiment for falafel and other dishes; as a meat rub; and diluted in broth to add spice to couscous, stews and soups. Prepared harissa is available in jars, tubes and cans; homemade harissa can be covered with olive oil and kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
What to watch for when heating milk
What to watch for when heating milk
The first rule of boiling milk is this: Don't walk away. Boiling milk -- or scalding it to just beneath the boiling point -- is a delicate operation.
Even though milk is mostly made up of water, its protein and lactose contents are potential troublemakers when boiling, as they can burn and stick to the bottom of your pan, creating both a mess and a terrible taste. When milk climbs toward its boiling point of roughly 100 degrees celsius, the cream rises to the top and the water beneath creates steam, causing the milk to rise and spill over as soon as you turn your back.
When heating milk, many chefs advise rinsing out your (preferably heavy bottomed) pan before adding milk, which can help prevent burning. Also, keep the heat down. Milk will boil just as easily on medium heat. And don't be afraid to stir the milk every few minutes to keep it from sticking.
Reference: What's the point of scalding milk? (Cookthink)
A pulse is another name for a number of dried legume seeds from pod plants including kidney beans, chickpeas, peas, lentils, soybeans and peanuts.
Because they pack high energy and low water content, pulses can be stored easily for long periods (unlike fresh vegetables). Mixed with grains and fresh vegetables, they are a vital source of vegetarian protein. Pulses are also cheap, making them a popular ingredient around the world, frequently eaten in everyday dishes like Indian dal.
