Friday, March 19, 2010 8:53 am
Frank
Harold McGee, a well-known food science and chemistry writer, wrote an article in his Curious Cook column entitled "Better Bread with Less Kneading" which discusses the workings of the bread dough's gluten protein and how kneading certain types of flour doughs produce different types of gluten structures. Gluten is responsible for the chewiness and firmness of almost all wheat flour based goods. When kneaded, gluten forms due to the cross-link of glutenin molecules and also joins with gliadin to form a more viscous mix.
A nice point in the article is summed up in this quote:
So doughs of a certain wetness and little or no kneading can make
delicious bread. But beware of other “revolutionary” ideas that are
little more than industrial shortcuts on a small scale. This is true
above all for methods that save time and effort with large doses of
yeast. The doughs rise in a couple of hours, but the breads are harsh
and acrid with instant-yeast flavor. Whole-grain flours or other
flavorful ingredients can mask it, but only partly.
Head over to the New York Times article and see what you think.
The Curious Cook - Better Bread with Less Kneading
Last Updated on Friday, March 19, 2010 9:04 am
Friday, March 19, 2010 7:15 am
Frank
Kenji over at Serious Eats compiled a very nice list of top 10 kitchen tools to have around for home cooks. A good set of kitchen gear is essential for any home cook as it will ensure proper, safe cooking as well as a clean work area, accurate measurements, and a good mise en place.
I agree with almost all of the choices, including the instant-read thermometer, a good set of prep bowls and even the kitchen scale. I am an avid Alton Brown follower and any time I bake, I pull out my kitchen scale and weigh ingredients rather than eyeball them. The article over at Serious Eats even lists the website URLs to buy the specified tools so there is no excuse to not have at least a few of the items on the list.
A few items I feel are missed on this list are a set of heavy duty cutting boards, a nice knife set, and a good oven thermometer would be great additions to the list.
Head on over to SeriousEats.com and take a look at the Top 10 list. If there are any kitchen essentials you can't live without, let us know!
The Food Lab's Top 10 Pieces of Kitchen Gear
Friday, March 12, 2010 3:09 pm
Frank
CNN.com's iReport reporters poured in home videos of home cooking shows and recordings and posted them on CNN.com. Many home cooks went ahead and shared their skills and techniques with their video cameras to post reports of their abilities and hope to share their skills with everyone that watches.
From the article:
Home cooks all over the world flock to YouTube, WordPress and the like
to share their recipes and experiences. Food blogs and communities like
Epicurious and AllRecipes explode with content, from the
"semi-homemade" recipes popularized by several Food Network shows to
demonstrations from trained cooks and expert bakers. They're a diverse
group -- world travelers, stay-at-home moms, even restaurant owners --
but they share a passion for creating and sharing fabulous dishes.
Many of these home cooks are driven by their desire to cook and share their knowledge with others who are willing to learn how to cook and want to expand their skill set. Head over to CNN.com and see what's up.
Online chefs serve up cooking advice, expertise - CNN.com
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Friday, March 12, 2010 12:00 pm
Frank
Seth Simonds wrote a nice and detailed article on making a one minute prep solution to ciabatta bread. All you need for his recipe is all purpose flour, warm water, salt, yeast and some pretty basic kitchen hardware.
Home made bread really requires nothing more than a hot oven, some simple ingredients and a good amount of time to allow dough to rise. Many home cooks are put back by the quality of home baked bread and most breads are simple enough to cook pretty often.
Head on over to Lifehack.org and see Seth's detailed recipe for home made ciabatta bread.
Kitchen Hack: One-Minute Bread
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 1:22 pm
Frank
Kevin Purdy over at Lifehacker.com wrote a nice comprehensive guide to defining what certain food labels really mean on packages in the supermarket. Head over there and take a look at what Kevin broke down, between "organic", "natural" and other labels.
A nice snippet from the Lifehacker article about organic food...
This is the biggie among food labels, and one of the most
controversial. It's a word that sounds black and white—either it grew
up naturally and was brought to you without chemicals, hormones,
pesticides, or radiation, or it didn't, you'd think. But under federal
law, any product with "organic" anywhere on its packaging or display
materials must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients.
Head over to Lifehacker.com via the link below and take a look at everything broken down into simple and easy-to-read words that are a lot less cryptic than what the food companies want you to think.
The Common Sense Guide to "Organic" and Other Food Labels
Last Updated on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 1:32 pm
Sunday, March 7, 2010 1:18 pm
Frank
Federal health officials announced this Thursday that processed foods that contained hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) have been recalled due to a salmonella outbreak. This additive is found in many processed foods such as soups, hot dogs, gravy, chilis and others. The list of recalled foods can be found here. This recall affects all bulk HVP produced at the problem facility since September 17. Many criticize the Food and Drug Administration due to its lack of widespread oversight of processing methods and foods, which is only compounded by the inability to make this HVP recall standard. Read the article on CNN for a more in-depth view of what the FDA and CDC are doing about this recall.
FDA recalls some foods with flavor enhancer HVP - CNN.com
Saturday, March 6, 2010 8:44 am
Frank
In this modern age, with the countless amount of food processing, we are rushed into having certain thoughts about labels on food. "Made With Whole Grains", "0g Trans Fat" and other labels are placed to mislead consumers into having a more healthy perception of the food while in reality it may or may not be healthy at all.
From the article:
"Consumers need honest labeling so they can spend their food dollars
wisely and avoid diet-related disease," said CSPI senior staff attorney
Ilene Ringel Heller, co-author of the report. "Companies should market
their foods without resorting to the deceit and dishonesty that's so
common today. And, if they don't, the FDA should make them."
Read on to discover exactly what these labels could mean for your food and what you can do to change your perceptions of these labelings.
Reading Food Labels - Nutritional Lies - Food Label Facts and Lies - thedailygreen.com
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