A Cooks Best Friend

Here’s a recipe for delicious peanut butter-chocolate cookies.  In addition to the ingredients, you will need a mixer, a couple mixing bowls, and a cookie sheet or two. Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
¾ cup softened butter
¼ cup peanut butter
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350.  Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set it aside.  Beat the butter, sugars, and vanilla in a mixing bowl until smooth.  Add the eggs and beat well.  Stir in the flour mixture and chocolate chips.  Drop rounded spoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet, then cook for 11-13 minutes.  Let cool, and enjoy!

Here is a recipe for excellent banana nut muffins—enjoy!

• 2 eggs
• 2 ripe bananas (mashed)
• 1 cup of buttermilk
• 1 stick of butter (softened)
• 2 cups of flour
• ½ cup of chopped pecans
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda
  

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F, and grease your standard 12 muffin pan.
2. Beat together butter and sugar, then add eggs and beat thoroughly, then beat in bananas until the mixture is smooth.
3. Mix together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, and then stir the flour mixture and buttermilk into the egg mixture.
4. Stir in the chopped pecans and vanilla.
5. Spoon batter into the muffin pan, filling each tin about 2/3 full.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

There’s nothing good about taking a bite of pot roast and nearly breaking a tooth, or having to spit meat out into your napkin because it’s too tough to chew. But meat doesn’t have to be tough. Using just a little meat tenderizer can make a gristly steak a great steak.

Meat tenderizer works by breaking up the strong fibers that make meat hard to eat. The connective tissue that holds muscles together is quickly dissolved allowing for more pleasurable consumption. A steak treated with meat tenderizer can be cooked more quickly and won’t shrink.

Popcorn is an easy and healthy snack. Popcorn is also a good source of fiber and aids the digestion process. Popcorn is low calories, and only contains about 100 calories per two cups. The puffed corn is also low in saturated and trans fats.

But don’t think that just because popcorn itself is healthy that you can prepare it however you like. Putting gobs of salt and butter on the popped treat pretty much diminishes its nutritional value. And, that fluorescent yellow variety you can find at the movie theater is not on any dieter’s meal plan. For the healthiest results try popping your corn using one of your common kitchen accessories — a hot air popcorn maker.

Some people shy away from stainless steel bakeware because they are afraid food will stick to the surface, making it difficult to work with. But there are several benefits that need to be addressed about these kitchen products.For one, stainless steel is extremely hygienic. Unlike wood or other surface material, stainless steel does not have any cracks or pores. That means it is very difficult for bacteria to grow or dirt to hide.

Maintenance is another major benefit, as the surface is extremely difficult to rust or corrode. It’s also difficult to chip.

Also, food taste is not compromised with stainless steel. While other surfaces interact with the food and alter the taste, stainless steel does not.

And you’re certainly getting more bang for your buck. Stainless steel is projected to last upwards of 100 years when properly cared for.

With these benefits, stainless steel cooking and baking sets are at least worth a try. Experiment with the nonstick surface, and see if you can make it work for you. In my kitchen, I use stainless steel for the majority of baking and cooking items and reserve nonstick pans for select items such as eggs. Maybe a setup like this will work for your kitchen.

You might think every rolling pin is created equal, but this is actually not the case. There is a staggering variety of rolling pins in the cookware market, and each one is tailored to a slightly different task.One such variation on the standard rolling pin is the French rolling pin. The major difference between the French and standard version is that the French pin does not actually have handles. It merely tapers at both ends.

Frequent bakers often cite a preference for the French rolling pin, because it allows for more personal control. Bakers feel like they can manipulate the dough’s thickness better with this type of pin.

Generally speaking, avoid crushing excessively hard items (such as nuts) with your French pin. You could damage the integrity of the surface, and this in turn can affect the ease of rolling out dough.

Caring for a French pin is the same as caring for any rolling pin. Merely wipe it down after each use, and don’t apply excessive water or soap. If it’s made of wood, never put the cooking tool in the dishwasher.

Nothing like a sweet treat after dinner and these turnovers will fit the bill. Best of all, you won’t need an array of bakeware to make this delicious dessert. So give them a try.

20 Minutes Preparation
Plus 1 hour chilling
15 minutes baking

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

Filling

1 can apricot halves, drained and sliced
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Glaze and Topping

1 large egg slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Place oven rack in upper third of oven. Preheat oven to 425F.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into flour mixture until coarse crumbs form.

3. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork until a dough forms. Shape into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

4. To prepare filling, mix together apricots, apricot preserves and cinnamon.

5. On a floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 12 x 8 inch rectangle. Cut dough into six 4 inch squares.

6. Spoon 3 tablespoons of filling into center of each square. Brush a 1/4 inch border of beaten egg around dough edges. Fold dough over filling to form triangles. Using a fork, press edges to seal.

7. Brush turnovers with remaining egg. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Place on a baking sheet. Bake until lightly golden, 15 minutes. Transfer turnovers to a wire rack to cool slightly.

Baking Tip

Freeze unbaked turnovers, wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to a month. Bake frozen on a baking sheet in a 425F oven for 20 minutes.

Makes 6 Turnovers

Great American Home Baking

I think you will agree with me when I say that there is nothing like a generous helping of French fries with a burger! But how does one get that restaurant style cut? Well, you can try by hand, but they just don’t look the same as the ones you get in the restaurants. Fear not, for now there is a restaurant quality French fry cutter available that will make French fries restaurant style. Not only can you make restaurant style French fries, but you can make them in three sizes; 3/8-Inch, 1/4-Inch and 1/2-Inch.

You can make up to 50 lbs of French fries in an hour with your French fry cutter. It also features pre-drilled mounting holes for a wall or counter mount. The French fry cutter is constructed of a heavy duty cast iron body with stainless steel components and disassembles for easy cleaning. This quality product will give you many years of use.

I recently purchased a stainless steel cookware set and I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about using it as I have been using nonstick sets for years. However, I now use the stainless set much more often than the nonstick set. I find that the stainless set produces a much better end result and it’s a lot easier to use than you would think. The secret to using the frying pan is to make sure that you heat the pan (using medium heat) first before you start cooking. The food will naturally release when it’s ready to be turned. When using the pots, the same applies. Always heat your pots using medium or medium high heat. Learn to be patient and you will be happy with the final product. You can choose either 18/10 or 18/8 stainless steel cookware sets. What is the difference?

Stainless steel is an alloy that starts with basic iron with up to 8 alloys added, depending on the quality. The major alloys in stainless steel are chromium and nickel. The chromium provides rust and corrosion resistance and durability. Nickel provides additional rust resistance, hardness, and high polishing characteristics.

The numbers 18/0 and 18/8 refer to the percentage of content of chromium and nickel. To be classified as stainless steel, the metal must contain at least 11 % chromium (no nickel required). Stainless steel used in cookware is normally 18% chromium and 8% to 10% nickel.

Low end stainless steel cookware, mixing bowls, stockpots and accessories are usually 18/0, which are usually not highly polished, and could be subject to some rust spotting.

A simple way to test whether or not a stainless steel pan is 18/0 or 18/8 is to place a magnet against it. If the pan is magnetic, it is 18/0…if not, it is 18/8 (or 18/10). The addition of nickel neutralizes the natural ferrous properties of the iron in the stainless steel.

So as you see from the above example, 18/10 stainless cookware sets would be slightly better than 18/8. Now that’s not to say that 18/8 is a bad investment. On the contrary, 18/8 makes a great cookware set. It’s simply not as heavy as the 18/10 and may not sparkle as well as the 18/10. Either set will last a lifetime and you will enjoy great cooking results.

My wife just got me a pasta maker for my birthday and I am ecstatic.  She got it for me after my trip to Italy.  We would go to Italian restaurants, and every time, I would complain that the pasta was not the exact way that I wanted.  Rome really spoiled me.  So she got me the pasta maker and sort of said, ‘Here you try it.’ 

So perhaps the gift was partially for her as well because she was sick of hearing me complain, but we both benefit from it now.  To my credit, she actually made a point to say that my pasta was way better than any restaurant we had ever been to.