Whipping cream is another word for heavy cream.
Heavy cream has a high fat content -- between 36 and 40 percent -- that allows it to double in volume when whipped. Whipping cream is used to make whipped cream (or chantilly, which is slightly sweetened whipped cream).
Do not try to whip light cream, as it will not obey, no matter how hard you beat it.
Vanilla extract is a vanilla-flavored liquid made from vanillin, one of the organic components that creates the aroma in vanilla beans. A century ago, vanilla extract was produced in apothecary shops and taken to soothe upset stomachs. Today, it's used to flavor desserts (and has become a popular flavoring for savory dishes as well).
Pure vanilla extract is made by extracting the vanilla flavor by macerating the bean in alcohol and water. The FDA requires at least 13.35 ounces of vanilla beans per gallon of at least 35 percent alcohol (and 65 percent water). But the quality of the beans is not regulated and can vary accordingly. And even though vanilla is naturally sweet, the extract may contain added sugar, corn syrup, caramel, colorings or stabilizers.
Vanilla extract deepens with age and will hang out until you need it in a cool, dry place.
You really get what you pay for when it comes to vanilla. Beware of imitation vanilla flavoring, which is harsh-tasting and no match for the real thing.
You can make your own vanilla extract by soaking split vanilla beans in vodka or rum in a sterilized bottle and allowing it to steep in a cool, dark place for about 8 weeks, shaking it every few days.
Some recipes call for just egg whites or just egg yolks. How do you separate them? You could use an egg separator, but it's really not too tricky to just use the shells.
Set yourself up with two bowls -- one for the whites, and one for the yolks.
Carefully crack the egg on the edge of your bowl. Holding it over the bowl you intend to use for the whites, turn it vertically while you separate the halves, so that the yolk sits in one side of the shell. Some of the whites will spill over and into the bowl.
Gently pour the yolk back and forth between the halves, keeping the shells tilted so that the rest of the white can drip over and into the bowl. Once most of it is gone, dump the yolk into the other bowl, discard the shells and repeat. It takes a little getting used to, but a few eggs into your angel food cake, and you'll be a master.
Pure vanilla is the fruit of an edible orchid, which opens once a year for a few hours in order to be pollinated.
The long, thin vanilla bean is harvested while green, cured and dried in the sun for several months until it becomes dark brown and sprouts edible vanillin crystals. Vanilla beans are primarily harvested in Madagascar, Mexico and Tahiti.
The vanilla bean is used to make vanilla extract, vanilla powder from the dried pod and vanilla sugar. Beware of imitation vanilla flavoring.
When cooking with vanilla beans, split the bean lengthwise using a sharp knife and scrape the pod to extract the seeds. If you are using the vanilla bean to flavor milk or cream for a pudding or sauce made on the stovetop, you can also add the split bean to the mixture; the seeds will be released as the mixture heats (remove the bean before serving).
Otherwise, add your dry, de-seeded vanilla beans to a jar of sugar -- they will perfume it with a subtle vanilla essence.
What's the difference between white and brown eggs?
What's the difference between white and brown eggs?
Don't judge an egg by its shell. Whether an eggshell is white or brown is determined by the breed of the hen who laid the eggs. It has absolutely nothing to do with taste or nutritional value.
The only time you may want to consider the color of the eggs you're buying is around Easter and Passover time, since white eggs work better for dyeing and decorating purposes.
Gelato is Italian for ice cream.
The difference between most American and Italian ice creams is that gelato has less air (usually less than 35 percent), making it dense and rich. Like ice cream, gelato can be made with milk, sugar and things like fruit, nuts (hazelnut gelato is a Northern Italian specialty) or chocolate.
Unlike ice cream, traditional gelato is not homogenized, meaning that it melts faster. Gelato is kept frozen in a special forced-air freezer that keeps it at a firm but not rock-solid temperature that means it can be eaten straight out of the freezer. Putting gelato in a traditional ice cream freezer overfreezes it.
Milk-based gelato is traditional in Northern Italy. Water-based fruit sorbetto is more common in the South of Italy.
Once a prize kept under lock and key in wealthy households, sugar is now ubiquitous and comes in many forms. Most commercial sugar is made from cane or beet root. Here's a look at the most common types of sugar used in the kitchen.
Granulated white sugar: White sugar is highly refined and made from sugarcane or beets. This all-purpose refined white sugar has small but fairly coarse crystals and is used to sprinkle on food, sweeten beverages, or add to dishes during cooking. Golden granulated sugar is a brown sugar made from sugar cane molasses that is similar but has a light brown color.
Castor (caster) or superfine sugar: This refined white sugar has fine crystals that dissolve more quickly than regular granulated sugar, making it a good choice for baking meringues. Golden castor sugar is made from unrefined cane sugar.
Brown sugar: Brown sugar is nothing more than white sugar that has been mixed with molasses to color it and give it a moist texture. Light brown sugar has less molasses than dark brown sugar. Brown sugar should not be confused with raw sugar, which has a similar color and taste but is actually the residue from processed sugarcane.
Turbinado sugar: A sugar cane extract that is made by steaming unrefined raw sugar. It has large crystals and a slight molasses flavor. It's a shade paler than brown sugar and can be substituted for brown sugar in recipes. We like to use turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top of muffins, cookies and scones. It holds its texture well and, when cooked, has a nice sweet crunch.
Demerara Sugar: True Demerara sugar is raw or partly refined sugar with large crystals, but some impostors are nothing more than white sugar stained with molasses.
Muscovado Sugar: This raw cane sugar comes in light and dark varieties and is used to make cakes and desserts.
Powdered, icing or confectioner's sugar: This sugar is made by reducing granulated sugar to a powder and mixing it with starch to prevent it from lumping up. It's used to decorate cakes and can also be used in making sweet dishes and baked goods.
what you should know
Edward Bunyard wrote that while it is the "duty of an apple to be crisp and crunchable, a pear should have such a texture as leads to silent consumption."
America's most popular pear, the Bartlett, usually arrives at the grocery store crisp and crunchable, well away from full ripeness. (To ripen them at home, store pears in a bowl or a paper bag.)
As a Bartlett nears its "silence," it goes from green to yellow. Pears ripen from the inside out, so when the flesh near the stem gives to gentle pressure, a Bartlett is juicy and sweet and ready to eat.
Usually, you don't need to even touch a Bartlett to know when it's ripe. The showy aroma will give it away. A really ripe Bartlett smells like a wine bar at last call.
pairing pears As heady as a ripe Bartlett is by itself, we like to cook with not-quite-ripe pears. A crisp Bartlett thinly sliced adds a mild sweetness to sandwiches and salads. We also like to dice light green Bartletts and toss them on soups and spicy dishes.
williams vs. bartlett Before it was called the Bartlett, it was known as the Williams pear, which is what it's still called in the UK and other parts of the world. How did the Williams become the Bartlett?
what you need
One of the best and oddest books about fruit ever published, Edward Bunyard's Anatomy of Dessert is a true anatomy. It's a record of a better, more flavorful era in fruit.
Speaking of great, odd books about fruit, Robert Palter's massive The Duchess of Malfi's Apricots, and Other Literary Fruits could be said to be a pome tome.
If it's just pears you're into, Barbara Flores' Great Book of Pears is the final word on the matter.
what you do
We've been on a pita pizza kick lately. This one with prosciutto, caramelized onion and pear is salty, sweet and rich. It's too good to be as easy as it is.
Sliced or diced pear adds a mild sweetness that rounds out soups and salads. This dandelion, pear, blue cheese and walnut salad is a study in clean contrast.
It's hard to beat that traditional boulangerie staple, the ham and gruyère sandwich. But adding thinly sliced pears does beat it.
We try out a lot of new recipes every week. This pear and potato gratin is one of the best surprises we've had in a while. Please make it. Try it with a grilled pork tenderloin and a fennel salad.
Two classic pear desserts with slight tweaks: pears poached in red wine and cardamom and baked pears with caramel, crème fraîche and pistachios.
Poire William is a French eau de vie distilled from Bartlett pears, which are known as Williams' Bon Chrétien in France and most of the world outside the United States.
Manufactured in Alsace and Switzerland, Poire William is sometimes sold with a whole pear fruit trapped inside its glass bottle; this is accomplished by hanging bottles on pear trees, and allowing the budding fruit to grow inside.
Related: What is eau de vie?
