Absurdly, stupidly basic cooking questions (Part 2)

[heidih]

Good on you for trying to help. I would suggest an 8"square pan rather than loaf, but if loaf is all you have then go for it. Add some powder sugar icing and sprinkles - done!

[Tropicalsenior]

I don't know whether this will help but I have read that cakes that have a thicker batter are better to bake in loaf pans than ones with thinner batter. The ones with thinner batter are more apt to fall.

[Tropicalsenior]

Here is a recipe that I have used for years and bakes well in a loaf pan. It is also easy to cut the recipe in half.

Moist Chocolate Cake 

 

 

I found this recipe about 25 years ago and I haven’t baked any other chocolate cake since.  It not only is the easiest and cheapest, it is by far the best tasting.

 

2  cups  flour

3/4  cup  cocoa 

1  teaspoon  baking  powder 

2  cup  sugar 

2  teaspoon  soda 

1  teaspoon  salt

1  cup  oil 

1  cup  milk 

1  cup  hot  coffee 

2  eggs 

1  teaspoon  vanilla

 

Mix dry ingredients together, and then add oil, coffee, and milk.  Stir two minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and mix  well. (This order of adding ingredients is important) Bake in two 9” x 5” loaf pans. Or it can be baked in two 9” layer pans. If baked in the layer pans, reduce the time to 30 to 35 minutes.

Bake at 325o for 40 to 45 minutes

Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Edited October 20, 2021 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[blue_dolphin]

14 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

I don't know whether this will help but I have read that cakes that have a thicker batter are better to bake in loaf pans than ones with thinner batter. The ones with thinner batter are more apt to fall.

 

I agree with this.  I'd say most bundt cake recipes fall into that sturdy category and work well in loaf pans. 

I've made a bunch of cakes from the book Snacking Cakes.  All are written for 8 or 9 inch squares but can be doubled and baked in a bundt pan so @Heidi's suggestion is also a good one. 

 

Edited October 20, 2021 by blue_dolphin (log)

[Toliver]

On 8/6/2020 at 11:57 AM, Toliver said:

I think I know the answer to this but would like to her your opinions...

I like the Country Style Ribs that our local grocery stores sell (not sure if that cut is national or just from California). They tend to be on sale quite often.

The issue I have been having is that they tend to be tough to chew. My mom used to parboil country ribs in a pot of water with lemons, then finish them off on a grill slathered with BBQ sauce. I don't own a grill so that option is out.

I bake them in the oven in a foil lined 13 x 9 pan at 350°F. I put a rub on them and cover the pan with foil for about 30 minutes, then remove the foil cover and put BBQ sauce on them and return them to the oven for another 30 to 45 minutes depending on the thickness of the ribs.

But, like I said, they're quit chewy. I'd like to see if I can get them to be more tender.

I think the answer is to cook them low and slow...perhaps a 250°F oven for 2 to 3 hours. Would that do the trick to make them more tender? Or is there a better method? A pressure cooker is not an option since I don't own one. Thanks in advance for any suggestions...

Reviving this ancient post of mine to say thanks to everyone, again, for the feedback and suggestions.

I made country ribs for dinner last night, roasting them low and slow. They were so tender I had to use tongs to plate them (they fell apart when I originally tried using a fork). Which made me think if I used different spices and herbs I could have had carnitas instead.  Maybe next time...

[heidih]

20 minutes ago, Toliver said:

Reviving this ancient post of mine to say thanks to everyone, again, for the feedback and suggestions.

I made country ribs for dinner last night, roasting them low and slow. They were so tender I had to use tongs to plate them (they fell apart when I originally tried using a fork). Which made me think if I used different spices and herbs I could have But they might not be fatty enough for carnitas. - They are nice and meaty.nhad carnitas instead.  Maybe next time...

Might not be enough fat for carnitas - though fat level varies. - in my experience less connective tissue to break down than ribs. But....give be pork bitt any day

[andiesenji]

On 10/20/2021 at 11:44 AM, SLB said:

I have had success halving a recipe for a bundt cake (or a cake designed to be made in that kind of pan), and then baking the half-recipe in a loaf pan.  

 

But can any-ole' cake recipe be halved and made in a loaf pan???   

 

I guess I mean, can a cake recipe meant to be baked in a regular cake-pan be successfully reduced and baked in a loaf pan?  It seems like the pan might matter . . . .

 

Help!  Please!  Quick!  I'm helping a five-year old struggling with the covid-divorce of her parents make a cake in a few hours for one of the parents.  Everybody but me is quite grumpy, and needs cake, but not a big-ass cake that is going to just sit around and make the parent sad when the kid leaves for the other parental home.

 

Aii.    

 

I know this has been answered and the cake baked and all that BUT I thought I would add this for anyone in the FUTURE that has this "problem" of needing to bake a cake when one doesn't have or can't use a larger or bundt type pan.

 

Don't try to reduce the recipe.  Make the batter for the "normal" size pan and then put it in whatever smaller pans you have, loaf pans, square or rectangular pans, even cupcake tins.  This method will save a lot of angst in trying to figure the ingredient measurements and as a bonus, you have some extra cake.

And remember that cakes can be frozen and when defrosted, taste as good and can even be "refreshed" by putting them into a heated oven for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the size.

6 to 12 cupcakes in the cupcake tin, can be reheated at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.

 

[heidih]

It used to be "grease & flour" a baking pan. Recent years for cookies I do parchment and for my square Pyrex I use cooking spray. Baking tomorrow and no spray. Awkward to line glass with parchent. Am I headed for disaster sticky mess if I just run butter stick around and omit flour? It is a pumpkin quick bread.

[DesertTinker]

2 hours ago, heidih said:

It used to be "grease & flour" a baking pan. Recent years for cookies I do parchment and for my square Pyrex I use cooking spray. Baking tomorrow and no spray. Awkward to line glass with parchent. Am I headed for disaster sticky mess if I just run butter stick around and omit flour? It is a pumpkin quick bread.

Okay, just trying to get the lay of the the land. So, no pan spray because you’re out. Why not “grease and flour” (butter and flour)? Or parchment for the bottom and butter the sides?

Edited October 29, 2021 by DesertTinker
Punctuation an added information. (log)

[heidih]

30 minutes ago, DesertTinker said:

Okay, just trying to get the lay of the the land. So, no pan spray because you’re out. Why not “grease and flour” (butter and flour)? Or parchment for the bottom and butter the sides?

In the time it took to type and read i could have done (no spray around) - maybe in lazy cut corners mode. I'll just grease and flour. Thanks for pulling me up

[Orbit]

Can you thaw frozen flounder and then re-freeze it? My mom's butcher gave her 8 pounds of it frozen, and she wants to thaw it and break it into smaller portions to re-freeze. She seems to think you can't and I'm not sure.

[gfweb]

15 minutes ago, Orbit said:

Can you thaw frozen flounder and then re-freeze it? My mom's butcher gave her 8 pounds of it frozen, and she wants to thaw it and break it into smaller portions to re-freeze. She seems to think you can't and I'm not sure.

It'll lose texture and gain mushiness with every re-freeze. Flounder is pretty fragile.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

As @gfwebsays, but I've found that if you are able to subdivide only partially thawed frozen foods, there is little deterioration of quality with re-frozen portions.  

[weinoo]

It was often said that as long as the product remained icy, refreezing wouldn't be a product for many things.

 

But with many fishes, I'm with the above 2 posters.

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

This week Shoprite's loss leader is Choice grade bone in beef rib roasts on sale for $4.79 a pound -- or First Cut or Certified Angus roasts for $5.79 a pound.  The meat isle was quite a scene.  Two people putting out cartloads of roasts with stickers over $100 as fast as customers could grab them up.

 

The best looking roast I could find was labeled "First Cut".  It is now in my refrigerator.  What exactly is First Cut?

 

[AlaMoi]

first cut is the "position" in the whole roast

https://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--34529/rib-roast-beef.asp

 

aka little end, opposite of "big end" (doh...)

and kin to the ever popular "center cut"

[kayb]

I ought to know this. Is an oven braise left uncovered?

[TdeV]

Another question:  when making soup and there will be added onions, celery, and carrots, is there any reason to sauté the vegetables in butter first? If so, why?

[Smithy]

28 minutes ago, kayb said:

I ought to know this. Is an oven braise left uncovered?

 

Not in my household.

[Smithy]

13 minutes ago, TdeV said:

Another question:  when making soup and there will be added onions, celery, and carrots, is there any reason to sauté the vegetables in butter first? If so, why?

 

If you saute them first, you'll get browning (maillard reaction) that adds depth to the flavors. The saute gets those vegetable surfaces hotter than boiling water can. Whether you use butter or another fat is another question; the fat will change the flavor, but any fat will generate enough heat to cause browning.

[liuzhou]

Ok.

 

For reasons beyond reasonable explanation other than rampant lack of attention, today I made some couscous.  Making couscous doesn't need explanation, but the amount I made does. Accurate measurement (no cups involved) have calculated it as 'too frigging much'.

So, my question is can I freeze prepared couscous or would it be better to just keep it in the fridge overnight and reheat and eat it tomorrow?  I did have other plans for tomorrow, but they are not fixed in stone.

[Kim Shook]

You can absolutely freeze it.  When you want to eat it, you don't even have to thaw - just steam gently.  

[BeeZee]

I've reheated after it's been in the fridge for 2 days, worked just fine with a little liquid added to create steam.

[liuzhou]

16 minutes ago, BeeZee said:

I've reheated after it's been in the fridge for 2 days, worked just fine with a little liquid added to create steam.

 

Exactly what I did tonight. Then ate it. Perfect.

[BeeZee]

My question: Is it feasible to halve a bread recipe where it is baked freeform, just assuming it will get done faster than the whole recipe? King Arthur has a recipe for Irish Brown Bread that yields “one large loaf” using 4c of flour, which I would like to try.