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| Author |
Message |
denise
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Quickie Questions
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Jan 14 21:14 UTC 2007 |
This item is for qyestions that don't neceearily need its own item. There have
been multiple times when I've wondered about different food related things
but am not experienced enough to know or haven't necessarily seen it in a
cookbook [though I'm sure there ARE cookbooks that may answer some of these
questions].
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| 26 responses total. |
denise
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response 1 of 26:
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Jan 14 21:17 UTC 2007 |
What's the diffence between the various types of flour? Ie, all-purpose flour,
cake flour, self-rising, etc? How much of a problem is there when substituting
one [like all-purpose] for one of the others? [This is generally for white
flour; I know there are other types, too, like wheat and a couple others].
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keesan
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response 2 of 26:
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Jan 14 23:22 UTC 2007 |
Self-rising has baking powder in it. Cake flour has less gluten than all
purpose. Bread flour has more gluten. Hard wheat has more gluten than soft
wheat and is used for bread flour. All-purpose is probably a blend. White
flour IS wheat flour which has been deprived of all its germ and fiber, and
usually bleached.
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cmcgee
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response 3 of 26:
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Jan 15 03:12 UTC 2007 |
Denise, generally you can substutute white and bread flour for each other.
If you use self-rising instead of white, eliminate any baking powder the
recipe calls for (like biscuits).
Don't substitute all whole wheat flour for all white flour. Half and half
you can probably get away with.
Cake flour is softer and finer than white. In making cakes and cookies, you
can substitute white for cake. Just don't expect the same soft, tender crumb
and texture.
I'll look up the exact substitutions tomorrow, but flours are somewhat
flexible.
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denise
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response 4 of 26:
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Jan 15 04:31 UTC 2007 |
Thanks, y'all! :-)
I know I've had other questions in the recent past but just can't think of
them at the moment. I'm sure I'll come up with more, soon.
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glenda
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response 5 of 26:
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Jan 15 04:40 UTC 2007 |
When substituting all-purpose flour for cake flour, remove 3 tablespoons per
cup of all-purpose to each cup cake. Self-rising is 1 cup flour, 1 1/2
teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; adjust accordingly.
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denise
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response 6 of 26:
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Jan 15 12:33 UTC 2007 |
Hmm, I'll have to write this all down and keep it with my recipes. Thanks
again... :-)
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cmcgee
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response 7 of 26:
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Jan 15 13:57 UTC 2007 |
Thanks Glenda, that's the information I was going to look for.
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denise
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response 8 of 26:
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Jan 15 18:04 UTC 2007 |
Ok, another question/topic: I just read a thread in one of the craislist
forums [but for some reason, I can't respond to], the topic being on mashing
potatoes. The question was, should someone get a potato masher? Personally,
I use my hand-held mixer [I don't have a kitchen aid]. There were several
responses with positive results with the masher. Someone also mentioned using
a ricer for this job, but hardly anyone else mentioned using a hand mixter
[except to say that overdoing it with a kitchen aid makes it too glue-like].
So what's your opinion on a potato masher? Is it just another gadget to
clutter up the kitchen with? And what does a ricer do?
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keesan
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response 9 of 26:
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Jan 15 18:38 UTC 2007 |
A ricer forces the potatoe through a bunch of small holes.
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cmcgee
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response 10 of 26:
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Jan 15 19:33 UTC 2007 |
I use a hand masher, but that's because I prefer non-electric utensils. Hand
mashing is not much harder for me than hand mixing batters. I do use my mixer
(actually, my does-practically-everthing-including-beating-egg-whites Little
Pro Plus) for creaming sugar and butter for cookies and cakes. And for angel
food cakes.
I keep a hand masher around because I make a lot of refried beans as well as
mashed potatoes.
A ricer pushes soft solids through tiny holes that are a little bigger than
the ones in a strainer.
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denise
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response 11 of 26:
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Jan 15 19:35 UTC 2007 |
Hmm, ok. I guess I've never thought about having rice smaller than it already
is before. What kinds of things would one use this kind of rice for?
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slynne
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response 12 of 26:
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Jan 15 21:07 UTC 2007 |
I use a hand masher and it works just great
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cmcgee
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response 13 of 26:
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Jan 15 21:30 UTC 2007 |
It's not rice. A "ricer" is a device that pushes soft food through small
holes. Sometimes you use a spoon and push the soft food through the mesh of
a strainer.
Think of a garlic press enlarged to hold 1-2 cups of cooked food. The piston
pushes the food through the small holes in the bottom. Many people use them
to make homemade baby food.
It's like a mechanical puree device.
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jadecat
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response 14 of 26:
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Jan 15 21:52 UTC 2007 |
resp:8 Denise- my hubby, who makes all our mashed potatoes, uses an
electric mixer. My mom always used a masher.
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keesan
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response 15 of 26:
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Jan 15 22:21 UTC 2007 |
It is called a ricer because the mashed potato that comes out is about the
diameter of a cooked grain of rice, and probably breaks up into short pieces
that look a bit like rice.
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mary
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response 16 of 26:
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Jan 15 23:12 UTC 2007 |
I have a ricer that I used to make very smooth mashed potatoes (both white
and sweet). I do think a ricer makes lighter mashed potatoes than using
either a stand or hand mixer. With a mixer by the time you've beaten out
all the lumps you've worked the gluten. When the potato comes out of the
ricer you can pretty much stir in some milk with a fork for a few seconds
and be good to go. But I still use a stand mixer when I'm making mashed
potatoes for a crowd.
Mostly, I simply use a masher, because I like rustic smashed potatoes.
I'm especially fond of doing this with boiled sweet potato chunks where
I hand mash 'em with a little OJ (or milk), cinnamon and a bit of butter.
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denise
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response 17 of 26:
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Jan 16 00:13 UTC 2007 |
Ok, thanks, y'all! I'm learning lots from this group. :-)
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keesan
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response 18 of 26:
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Jan 16 01:20 UTC 2007 |
Potatoes do not have gluten, only wheat and rye do.
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mary
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response 19 of 26:
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Jan 16 13:38 UTC 2007 |
It's starch not gluten that gets overworked and released. Thanks
for the correction, Sindi.
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slynne
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response 20 of 26:
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Jan 16 23:17 UTC 2007 |
mmmm. I never thought to do that with boiled sweet potato chunks. I
*LOVE* sweet potatoes and often cut them up and bake them. But the idea
of boiling them and then hand mashing them with OJ or maybe pineapple
juice and cinnamon and butter sounds super yummy.
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glenda
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response 21 of 26:
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Jan 16 23:32 UTC 2007 |
I prefer the masher, I like little lumps of potato in the mashed potatoes.
Mom used to use the mixer, I did before I moved out. One of the first things
I bought after moving out on my own was a hand masher and a ricer. I use
the ricer when I want creamier potatoes and the masher when I am mashing
unpeeled potatoes (most of the time). The masher also gets used for mashing
avacados for guacamole and for mashing other root vegetables (turnips,
rutabagas, parsnips, etc.)
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edina
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response 22 of 26:
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Jan 16 23:34 UTC 2007 |
My trick to fluffy mashed potatoes is to drain them, then stick them
back in the pan they were cooked in and let them sit with the lid on.
It's weird - it's like they dry out a bit and are easier to mash, they
cook a bit without water, and it takes very little time with the hand
mixer to mix them up, so they aren't super starchy.
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keesan
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response 23 of 26:
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Jan 17 04:28 UTC 2007 |
We sometimes mash chickpeas for hummus.
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denise
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response 24 of 26:
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Jan 17 05:30 UTC 2007 |
I remember someone saying the masher works for mashing up bananas for banana
breat.
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