It all started with a plan to have Sloppy Joes for supper. For those not familiar, a Sloppy Joe is a mixture of ground beef in a tomato based sauce served in a hamburger bun. You can serve it sandwich style, which can be very messy, with the filling oozing out over everything, or as an open-face sandwich eaten with knife and fork. I... Read more →

Not that I have ever actually aspired to be a food writer for a mainstream newspaper or periodical, but occasionally I see an article that really brings home the truth that I could never cut it in that job. The most recent was an article just before Christmas in a national paper. It was a question from a reader who 'loves to bake for... Read more →

Why is Cream of Tartar so expensive? Can I make my own? - Alice Cream of Tartar (AKA tartaric acid, chemical formula KC4H5O6, Potassium bitartrate) is formed during the production of wines made from grapes. For commercial production the crystals that precipitate out in industrial fermentation vats are collected and purified into the... Read more →

When you cook larger quantities of rice (say, more than three cups dry rice), you need proportionally less water. Can you provide a rule of thumb or a chart? I cook both white and brown rice.-- Marcia I can find no detailed reference for the amount of water needed to cook larger quantities of rice but I notice that the instructions for... Read more →

Why do pie crust recipes tell you to refrigerate the dough before rolling it out?--Linda Refrigerating the dough after mixing has two main benefits. First, it cools down the fat, usually butter and/or shortening, making it firm again. If the fat becomes too soft, it will mix too completely with the flour. To get a good crust, you need... Read more →

How do you measure flour after it is sifted? I can only figure out how to measure it before. I'm sifting into a big bowl and it would be so messy to then put it back into the measuring cup! -- Amy Use two approximately square pieces of waxed paper. Fold them both across their width to form a crease, and then lay them out flat beside... Read more →

When a recipe calls for scalded milk, can you use skim milk or do you need to use whole milk? The kind of milk depends on the recipe more than on whether or not you are scalding it. In most cases, if not all, you should be able to substitute skim milk for whole, although it may give a slightly different mouthfeel to the finished dish... Read more →

As frequent readers will know, I went to the King Arthur Flour "Artisan Baking at Home" class this past fall. Since then I have been working to make the best baguette possible in a home oven. After tweaking the KA method, and adjusting the recipe for Robin Hood unbleached white flour, I think I have gone about as far as possible in the... Read more →

I have used self rising flour instead of all purpose flour for a pizzelle recipe that uses rum, orange extract, grated orange peel, unsalted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, sugar, flour and baking powder. Not knowing I was using self rising flour, I added 2 tablespoons of baking powder to 3 1/2 cups of flour as per recipe. The batter... Read more →

I am reading your article about the baking powder. Mine contains monocalcium phosphate, sodium bicarbonate and cornstarch. Since the monocalcium phosphate is listed in your article as available for both the fast and slow acting components, is this particular brand I am using (Rumford, aluminum-free) considered 'Double'? It bubbled up... Read more →