Brining 101

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Ingredients:

3 to 5 vanilla beans
8 ounces alcohol such as vodka, bourbon, brandy, or rum

→ General Rule of Thumb: Use 3 to 5 vanilla beans per 8 ounces of alcohol and multiply accordingly if making more extract.

Method:

1. Split the vanilla beans: Split each vanilla bean in half lengthwise. If you like, you can leave an inch connected at the end of the bean for an attractive presentation. You can also chop the beans into smaller pieces if necessary to fit in your jar or bottle.
2. Place the vanilla beans in a jar and cover with alcohol: Place the vanilla beans in a clean jar or bottle. Cover them with alcohol, making sure they are completely submerged. Cover the jar or bottle and give it a good shake.
3. Infuse for at least one month: Store the jar or bottle of vanilla beans in a cool, dark place for at least one month, shaking it from time to time. Taste the extract and let it infuse longer if you want a stronger flavor.
4. Strain it if you like: You may wish to remove the vanilla pods and decant the extract into a pretty bottle. The little flecks of seeds can be a nice touch, but if you want a clear extract you can strain them out using a coffee filter.
5. Or leave the pods in the extract: You can also leave the beans in the alcohol and top off the bottle as you use the extract. Eventually all the flavor will be extracted from the original vanilla beans, so you can periodically add fresh beans as well as leftover pods that you've scraped for other recipes.

→ Uses for spent pods. You can also make good use of the spent vanilla pods by drying them and then making vanilla sugar or flavored salt.

What Vanilla Beans to Use?

You can use any vanilla beans, bearing in mind that different varieties and grades will have unique properties.

Bourbon or Madagascar vanilla has the classic, robust flavor that one typically associates with vanilla. Tahitian vanilla is subtly fruity and floral, whileMexican vanilla tends to be smooth and spicy. Create a single origin vanilla extract or invent your own blend — it's up to you!

Although Grade A or gourmet/prime vanilla beans are superior for cooking, in this case Grade B or extract grade vanilla beans are ideal because they have a lower moisture content. Feel free to use whatever you have, though.

A note on pricing and sourcing: Vanilla beans can get expensive. While it's possible to find inexpensive vanilla beans in bulk from places like eBay, I also like to buy Fair Trade vanilla whenever possible. Mountain Rose Herbs is a good source for organic and Fair Trade vanilla beans.
What Alcohol to Use?

Vodka has the most neutral flavor, but you can also use bourbon, brandy, or rum to create unique extracts.

There's no need to use a top-shelf or high-proof alcohol when making vanilla extract. An inexpensive 40% (80 proof) alcohol will work just fine. (Commercial vanilla extracts are typically 35% or 70 proof alcohol.) I prefer using a mid-tier alcohol, not bottom of the barrel but not too expensive, either.
How Long to Infuse?

Let the vanilla beans infuse for at least one month and even a couple of months for a stronger flavor. You can also use more beans to speed up the process. If giving this as a gift before the infusion is complete, tell your recipient to let it mature for a number of weeks. Vanilla extract is kind of like wine in that the flavor will become more complex over time.

Testing baking soda/powder

Baking soda and baking powder are essentially chemical leaveners that react to temperature and other ingredients, so you are testing to see if the chemicals are still active. All you have to do is drop a little bit of the baking soda or baking powder into hot water (and vinegar if testing baking soda) and look for a bubbling reaction — if there's fizzing, it's still good to use!

Cleaning Burnt Pots

Materials
1 cup of vinegar
2 tablespoons of baking soda
1 cup of water (give or take depending on the size of your pan)
A burnt stainless steel pan that was left empty and unattended on a heated hot plate. oops!.
A scourer, because I can't find any way to avoid it entirely

Instructions

1. Fill the bottom of the pan with a layer of water.
2. Add the vinegar.
3. Bring the pan to the boil. It should be looking a bit cleaner already.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and add the baking soda. Expect fizz!
5. Empty the pan and scour as normal; if necessary add an extra bit of dry baking soda.
6. If there are any super stubborn marks that don't come off with scouring, make a paste of baking soda and a couple of drops of water. Leave the paste on the marks for a while and return to clean as normal.
7. Ta-da! Now you can put your feet up and enjoy the many hours you saved yourself standing over the sink.

Meat Doneness Temperature Guide

Meat Temperatures & Doneness Chart

The “Remove” temperature on the left is the target temperature to remove from heat source. The “Ideal” temperature on the right is the ideal internal temperature after resting. These temperatures are all Celsius.

Baking Ingredient Substitutes

Baking Mix: If you are ever short on pancake, baking, or biscuit mix, know that they are completely interchangeable. Most of these mixes contain almost the exact same ingredients as the other. You can also easily mix up your own with 5 cups of flour, ¼ cup of baking powder, 2 tablespoons of sugar, a splash of salt, and 1 stick of butter or margarine. You can seal this mixture up and keep it for about 6 weeks if the container is airtight.

Baking Powder: Hate it when you grab for the baking powder, to find you only have baking soda? Not a problem; with baking soda and cream of tartar, you can make your own! Just mix 2 parts tartar to the 1 part of soda, and you’ll be good as gold.

Brown sugar: Brown sugar, white sugar, and confectioners sugar may all look different, but they taste almost identical in most places. You can easily substitute brown and white sugar one-to-one, but add an additional ¼ cup of confectioner’s sugar to the 1 cup of the other two.

Butter: This one can be tricky depending on the recipe. Margarine (not the soft tub type) can often be used in baking. Cooking oils, like vegetable oil, will substitute one-to-one with butter in most baking.

Butter Milk: Place 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in a 1 cup measuring cup. Fill to 1 cup with milk and let sit 5 minutes. Works perfectly every time!

Cake Flour: Does your recipe call for cake flour? While the type of flour called for in the recipe is best, in a pinch for each cup of cake flour, use 1 cup of all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons.

Half & Half Cream: To make 1 cup of half & half, place 1 tablespoon melted butter in a 1 cup measuring up and top up with whole milk.

Heavy Cream: Need some heavy cream but only have milk? Combine 3/4 milk with 1/4 melted butter to replace 1 cup of heavy cream.

Eggs: Always seem to run out of eggs? No sweat! In baking, you can substitute one egg for half of a banana, or ⅓ cup of applesauce. This will also help if you are trying your hand at vegan baking! The fruit can add a little bit of a different flavor to your light breads and cakes, but you may like it!

Honey: Corn syrup and honey are interchangeable, one-to-one. You can also use white sugar mixed with a little water, one-to-one as well!

Mayo: If you don’t like the fat content of mayonnaise, or if you just ran out, you can substitute real, plain greek yogurt. Also, if you need mayo in small amounts in your recipe, you can exchange it for sour cream.

Sour Cream: Substitute sour cream in recipes for yogurt… same measurements.

Unsweetened Chocolate: Need some unsweetened chocolate? Substitute 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon shortening for each ounce needed.

Cream of Tartar: Did you know you can exchange the cream of tartar for lemon juice or vinegar? The exchange rate is doubled, so if you need 1 teaspoon of tartar, added 2 teaspoons of lemon or vinegar.

Allspice: Make you own! Just mix two parts cinnamon to one part ginger, and one part cloves. Super simple!

1 Package of Active Dry Yeast: 1 Package of Active dry yeast is equivalent to 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast.

Blind Baking

To prevent them becoming soggy, shortcrust pastry cases need to be partially cooked before adding moist fillings. This process, known as blind baking, which seals the surface and results in a crisp pastry case.

Method:

1. Line the base and sides of an uncooked pastry case with non-stick baking paper. Fill with rice, dried beans, or metal or ceramic baking weights. (This stops the pastry base rising during cooking.) Place on a baking tray and cook in an oven preheated to 220C for 8-10 minutes.
2. Remove the pastry case from the oven and remove the baking paper and rice, dried beans or baking weights. Cook for a further 5-10 minutes (depending on the size of the pastry case) or until light golden.

Self-Raising Flour Substitute

For UK recipes, add 2 tsp of baking powder to each cup (150g) of all-purpose (plain) flour.

For US recipes, add 2 tsp of baking powder & 1/2 tsp salt to every cup of all-purpose flour.

7 Tips for a Perfect Cheesecake

1. Use cream cheese at room temperature
   Instead of using cream cheese directly out of the refrigerator, let the cream cheese soften for 2-3 hours so that it is easier to whip. Your cheesecake batter needs to be creamy and smooth, and you'll get this consistency more easily with pre-softened cream cheese.
2. Take it out of the oven when the middle is still soft
   To avoid cracking and overbaking, you'll need to pull the cheesecake out of the oven before it cooks all the way through. This is probably the toughest part of baking this dessert to perfection, but you can easily see the softer center about ten minutes before the end baking time.
3. Add a spot of cream
   Cream and eggs are what bind the cheesecake together, and adding a spoonful of whipping cream can ensure your cheesecake is dense enough to pass as a classic New York style dessert.
4. Use real graham crackers for the crust
   While a box of graham cracker crumbs is convenient, you'll get that 'homemade' taste when you actually crumble your own crackers. Try flavored graham crackers for variation - cinnamon and chocolate can fare well for those deluxe cheesecake flavors.
5. Don't open the oven until the end of the baking cycle
   While it's tempting to check up on your cheesecake during the baking cycle, letting the heat escape can make your cheesecake fall too quickly. Wait until 10 minutes before the time on the recipe where you do a quick check of the center (See #2).
6. Chill the cheesecake for at least 24 hours
   Your enthusiastic cheesecake fans will need to steer clear of the kitchen during your baking escapades, because the dessert won't be ready for at least another day. Chilling the cheesecake allows the cream cheese to sink into the crust and ensures the dessert is firm and easy to cut. Diving into the cheesecake too early can ruin the experience.
7. Use a springform pan
   Unless you have super-baker capabilities in releasing the cheesecake from a regular cake pan, a springform pan will ensure your dessert slides right off the pan in one piece. Spring form pans are ideal for cheesecakes, and investing in a quality pan will help you bake up that cheesecake evenly and prevent any cracks from forming

Conversion Units

Butter:
1 stick = 115 g
1 Tbsp = 15 g
1 tspn = 5 g
1 cup (US) = 225 g
1 cup (metric) = 240 g

Volume:
1 tsp = 5 ml
1 Tbsp = 15 ml
¼ cup = 60 ml
⅓ cup = 75 ml
½ cup = 125 ml
⅔ cup = 150 ml
¾ cup = 175 ml
1 cup = 250 ml
1 pint = 2½ cups = 600 ml
1 litre = 4 cups

Weights:
1 oz = 30 g
½ lb = 8 oz = 250 g
1 lb = 16 oz = 500 g

Electrolux Oven Temperature Units:

No	°C	°F	Gas Mark	Description
1	75	170
2	110	230
3	130	270	1	Very Cool
4	150	300	2	Cool
5	170	340	3-4	Warm/Moderate
6	190	375	5	Fairly Hot
7	220	430	7	Hot
8	240	465	9	Very Hot
9	260	500
10	290	550