Shel_B

A recent batch of biscuits didn't rise as much as expected, and upon checking the baking powder, found that it seemed weak. I say seem because I never tested baking powder before, and have no experience with the resultant reaction. I've only seen pictures and videos. So, considering that the powder is weak, could I just increase the amount in the recipe, say from11/2 tsp to 3 tsp. If I do that, would there be a need to change the amount of baking soda in a recipe that calls for both? Finally, might I expect the addition of more powder to affect the taste of the final product compared to fresh powder of the same brand? Thanks!

A couple of friends brought me a package of sumac from the Istanbul Spice Bazaar. Any suggestions on how to use it?

Maybe the difference in the weights in these recipes was due to the source of the recipes - some from the US, Canada, England, France, Australia, etc. and the writer of the recipe did the conversion using the known cup size used in that country and actually tested the recipes. CI and ATK supposedly develop their own recipes. In an article they wrote it was stated that they settled on a cup of AP flour to weigh five ounces, yet when checking the recipes I got widely different weights for a cup. Strange! At one time on this forum I was chastised for not using weights, yet many of the same people who were critical of my using measurements posted recipes using cups rather than weight. I now have started converting my recipes to metric, and always weigh my flour. I'm even starting to weigh my eggs having discovered that a large egg comes in widely different sizes and weights. Not all recipes need that precision, but some certainly benefit from it, and it makes me feel good being as precise as possible when necessary. My kitchen scale weighs in grams and ounces, and I've not used ounces almost since the day I started using it.

Yeah, we use those bindery clips as well, although I use them more than Toots. No particular reason though, it just worked out that way. Clothespins are kind of long for our needs and preferences, and they don't seal as wide an area as the bag clips and bindery clips. Plus, the handles on the bindery clips can be folded down, thus saving some more space.

Toots does something similar, but since she often doesn't keep the boxes, she packages the O's (which remain in their original bag, sealed as you describe, except using a bag clip or a couple of rubber bands) and puts that into a Ziploc freezer bag http://www.ziploc.com/Products/PublishingImages/Large%20Images/Zip_SmartZip_Gallon15_306x198.png squeezing out as much air as possible, folds it over on itself, sometimes more than once, and then uses a wide bag clip to secure. Works like a charm. Even after a month the O's remain pretty fresh, and I'm fussy about eating "soggy" cereal.

While we've not yet tried them, a friend recommended them and said they were quite good.

Because of this thread, I enjoyed a bowl of steel cuts this morning using a simple technique of adding the oats to boiling water and letting them sit overnight, then adding some additional liquid in the morning and cooking the oats for about ten - twelve minutes. Next time I'd like to try toasting the oats, but I'd like to stay away from cooking them in butter. Has anyone tried dry toasting the oats, either in a skillet or in the oven?

Thanks for the tip about Berkeley Bowl's oats. It's hard for me to understand how so simple an ingredient can vary so much in terms of taste and texture.

I was just over at CI, and FWIW, they did a taste test on steel cut oats. McCann's came in dead last. Some said it was “too mild, almost timid,” “like cardboard or paper pulp,” with an “odd aftertaste,” that was slightly “bitter” and “vegetal,” like “raw seeds” or “grass.” Bob's Red Mill organic steel cut oats finished first.

Thanks. Next time I buy steel cut oats, I'll try the Hamlyn's as I have a couple of other items to get from the British Food Shop.

What ways are there to skin almonds?

How has McCann's changed? What do you mean by "Americanized?" The last steel cut oats I bought were from Bob's Red Mill. How would Flahavan's compare to Red Mill, if you know?

What a shame that your choices are so limited. If eating frozen shrimp is more important to you than human rights and environmental concerns, then keep buying frozen shrimp. Maybe you can find another source for frozen shrimp and have them shipped to you. It' may not be an easy solution, or a cheap solution, but sometimes taking a stand requires effort and a little sacrifice.

This should give you a good, quick rundown: http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-steelcut-138355

This is coming from someone who is not very familiar with baking, and who has only made soda bread once, with poor results. I'm having a hard time understanding how steel cut oats could be used in soda bread. Could you explain your thinking, your plans for using the ingredient, or maybe a pointer to a recipe or technique if you have one? Thanks!

“A great burger should be like a baked potato, or sashimi. It should taste completely of itself.” Indeed!

Softer almonds is a good thing for milk.

Having asked in a few other places, and searched the 'net, it seems that only a minute, at most depending on technique, is needed.

Thanks! I'll be making enough almond milk that I'll want to blanch relatively large quantities, and the steaming sounds like a good option, especially if the almonds don't need to be soaked further. Big time saver. I'll try the technique with my next batch of almond milk. Although I resisted getting the Soybella (I think that's the correct name) earlier, it may come in handy now that I'll be making more and larger quantities of almond milk.

So, after plonking them into boiling water, then what? Do the skins just float off? How many minutes is "a few?" Is there some minimum amount of time that the almonds need to soak?

I'm making more and more almond milk these days. I buy raw, organic, unpasteurized almonds and have noticed that the soaking water sometimes gets murky and needs to be drained a couple of times during the soaking process. I'd like to try blanching the almonds to see if the taste of the milk improves and also to eliminate the need to drain the soaking liquid. I don't want to buy blanched almonds as I like the flavor of the raw, organic ones that I get at the farmers market. So, what's the most efficient way to blanch almonds? Thanks!

This weekend we made flan, or, more precisely, Toots made flan and I helped, and learned. Now, when Toots makes her flan, she makes it in a ring pan (if that's the right nomenclature), and she covers the pan with aluminum foil. In looking at other recipes on line, all of which are fairly similar, some call for covering the pan or the ramekins, and other recipes don't. Since all the recipe ingredients are similar, I can't help but wonder what the pros and cons of covering the pan/ramekins are? Why cook one way or the other? Also, when using ramekins, some recipes say to cover each individual ramekin, and others suggest covering them all with one large sheet of foil secured to the vessel that holds the water bath. What's up with that? How does covering the individual ramekins effect the results as compared to covering the entire water bath vessel and ramekins with one sheet? Thanks!

I'm just a novice wrt baking, and certainly no expert making drop biscuits. However, over the past year or so, I've read that letting the dough or batter sit for a while develops some additional flavor, although this has been related to other types of baked goods, not biscuits. So, my thinking is that maybe it will help increase flavor or improve texture. The reality is that I'm just taking a shot in the dark - experimenting, as it were - and looking to see what happens. Also, Andie mentioned using cream, which has a high fat content, and the buttermilk that I use is a full-fat variety, so maybe the rest will be beneficial in that case.

Yes, I still like it having used it about 15 times. Yes, you can set the tare weight very easily. I haven't been able to get the readout to light, but I'm not sure it's supposed to. However, the readout can be pulled from the base of the scale allowing a good view even with a large bowl on the scale. For the money, it's a good deal, IMO.

Could adding a full fat yogurt, especially a Greek style (without additives) work as well as the sour cream trick?