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.
Kosher salt is a bright-tasting white, coarse-grained salt made without additives (such as iodine).
It is called kosher salt in North America (elsewhere it's referred to as coarse-grain salt) because it is used to aid in the preparing of kosher meat that is salted after butchering in order to draw out the animal's blood. Kosher salt works particularly well because its large grains don't immediately dissolve on the surface of meat, drawing in liquid instead.
But you don't have to keep kosher to appreciate kosher salt, a favorite of cooks everywhere for its large flaky texture and clean taste that works in a variety of dishes.
If you're new to kosher salt, be aware that it doesn't always dissolve completely in baked goods and that its grains vary in size according to the manufacturer, so be sure to check the box for measurement conversions. The large flakes of kosher salt make it a nice finishing salt to sprinkle on dishes before serving.
Maldon sea salt is cultivated in Essex, England. A favorite of British chefs and cooks everywhere, it has a crisp, bright taste and large, jagged pyramid-shaped crystals that make it a nice finishing salt.
Legend has it that salt has been cultivated on the British coast since Roman times and the first evidence of salt manufacturing in Essex dates back to the 11th century. But today just one salt-panning company remains, Maldon Crystal Salt Company. Believed to be located on the site of a medieval salt factory, it has been producing the salt for more than 200 years.
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.
Parchment paper is moisture- and grease-resistant heavy paper that's useful in the kitchen, whether you're making a pouch to cook something en papillote, lining a baking pan to prevent a cake or other preparation from sticking, in need of a pastry bag, or making a collar to line a soufflé dish.
Parchment is made by coating thick paper with silicone that allows it to resist heat and sticking, meaning that you don't have to use extra grease when baking. Unlike wax paper, parchment paper is durable and will not burn.
What does it mean to grease something?
What does it mean to grease something?
To grease a pan means to coat it in some sort of protective shortening or fat -- usually butter -- to prevent whatever you are cooking from sticking.
Greasing has fallen out of favor with the demonization of fat and in the advent of non-stick pans, parchment paper, non-stick cooking sprays and silicone baking liners and tins.
While it's not always necessary to grease a cookie sheet or a cake tin, you have no choice if you want your soufflé to rise.
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
Unsalted butter is always equally unsalted, but salted butter is never quite salted the same.
The NaCl uncertainty is the main reason we prefer to use unsalted butter when we cook. Often that salt can subdue the sweet flavor of butter. (Unsalted butter is often labeled as "sweet butter.")
salt conversion In most recipes, the little extra salt will go unnoticed. Still, as a general rule if a recipe calls for unsalted butter but all you've got is salted butter, cut 1/4 teaspoon of salt per stick of butter (1/2 cup) you use.
stick it up Salt acts as a preservative for butter. Tightly wrapped in foil and stored in the fridge, salted butter can last for five months, while unsalted butter lasts about three before going stale. (Spot stale butter by slicing into the stick; the outside will be darker than the inside.) Then again, many people don't store butter in the fridge to begin with.
cooking with butter Sometimes, when you want a nuttier flavor, you'll want to let the butter's foam subside. But butter has a low smoke point, so be careful using it as your cooking fat. It'll burn easily. Clarified butter, or ghee, has a higher smoke point (and also makes a tasty dipping sauce for crab, lobster and anything else).
roux-dimentary Butter forms the foundation for countless classic sauces and thickeners, including béchamel, beurre manié and roux.
what you need
Have you ever wanted to make fresh butter at home? This traditional butter churn is based on the famous Dazey churn from the early 20th century.
You can also make a small batch of butter by putting cream in a jar and shaking it for a long, long time until you've shaken it solid.
The water-cooled crock owners we know swear by the constant supply of creamy, spreadable butter they keep on their tables.
Other butter lovers who shun the refrigerator prefer the classic rectangular butter dish.
what you do
Sage and butter are absolutely delicious together. How delicious? Try this rich and pillowy tortellini with sage brown butter and parmesan to find out.
Steamy Kitchen likes to top her slow butter- braised asparagus with parmesan and sea salt. With that savory finale, you definitely don't need salted butter.
Drizzling roasted sweet potatoes with cilantro-lime butter gives them a burst of tart richness.
Salted butter might interfere with the complex sugar-spice interaction in these orange-scented popovers with cinnamon-orange honey.
These better-for-you whole-grain flapjacks from hogwash are made with quinoa, millet and flaxseed. After using butter to grease the pan, you can afford to use a little extra on the cakes themselves.
Coconut & Lime's worked out one of the fastest and tastiest cinnamon bun recipes out there.
Many consider fleur de sel, which means “flower of salt” in French, the finest type of sea salt available. Its price reflects its high quality, as it costs about 10 times more than your average sea salt and 100 times more than table salt.
The delicacy with which it is hand-harvested accounts for much of the expense. Fleur de sel floats on the surface of shallow salt water marshes and is scraped off with a special rake called a lousse à de fleur. The raking must be done carefully by hand to prevent mixing the fleur de sel with the coarse gray salt beneath it.
France harvests most of the world’s fleur de sel, with the town of Guérande possibly being the most famous producer. Spain and Portugal also harvest variants of fleur de sel.
Fleur de sel has a higher mineral content than table salt, a natural grayish hue, a moist texture and a violet-like fragrance. Sprinkle it on food before serving to enliven flavors.
Both baking soda and baking powder are leaveners, which means they make cakes and muffins rise. So what's the difference?
Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate. Not only will baking soda fluff up your muffins, it can also put out a grease fire, clean your teeth and deodorize your carpet. When you cook with baking soda, you need to balance it out with an acid like lemon juice or buttermilk. Otherwise, your muffins may have a bitter, soapy flavor.
Baking powder, which usually comes in a can, is a combination of baking soda and a few other ingredients, most notably cream of tartar, a dry acid. Out of baking powder? Make your own by mixing one part baking soda with two parts cream of tartar.
