Why is it that whenever I make scrambled eggs they end up in a puddle of yellowish water?- Gwen As is so often the case in cooking, the culprit is overheated protein. When you scramble eggs, initially the protein molecules in the eggs unfold into long strings that cross-bind with each other to form a network. That network holds the... Read more →

What is a 'Mimosa'?-Daniel In the culinary world, 'mimosa' can mean one of three things: A drink, typically served at breakfast or brunch, made from equal parts of champagne and orange juice; A preparation, similar to a deviled egg, where a hard boiled egg is cut in half lengthwise, the yolk is mashed and combined with mayonnaise and... Read more →

Sometimes I make a dish which calls for Gruyere, Jarlsberg or another pricey cheese which is sold in much larger quantities than I require. Can these cheeses be frozen and used later for another cooked dish?-Zender Cheese can be frozen, however freezing can affect the quality of the cheese. In general, higher fat cheeses will freeze... Read more →

Despite its reputation as being the hallmark of a skilled chef, a beautiful cheese soufflé is surprisingly simple to do, takes very little effort, and wows dinner guests. And, contrary to popular myth, you don't need to tiptoe around the kitchen while it is baking. Just don't slam the oven door or choose then to practice your jumping... Read more →

In our local newspaper recently was an article titled Italian twist lightens up classic French onion soup1. The author is a well known and respected chef, author and TV personality. The lead in says, "In my quest to slim down this French classic, I turned to Italy. I swapped out Gruyere in favour of Parmigiano-Reggiano and moved the... Read more →

I've heard it said that what we buy as buttermilk on the supermarkets now isn't the same as what buttermilk used to be. Can you explain the difference to me? --Strong Back in the day, as my kids would say, buttermilk was the liquid that was left behind when butter was made. The milk would be left stand for the cream to rise, and... Read more →

Are Cream of Tartar and Tartar Sauce the same thing?--Helen Seeing this question made me think of a Before and After category puzzle on Wheel of Fortune where the answer is "Cream of Tartar Sauce." No, they are not the same thing. Cream of tartar is a dry white powder that is actually finely ground tartaric acid. The chemical name is... Read more →

Making "White Christmas Pie" for the first time, the recipe calls for beaten egg whites, with cream of tartar and sugar but never says to "cook" it. Is it necessary to cook the egg whites, or is it safe to use them, blended with other ingredients? --Dora You are right to be concerned about using raw egg whites. The USDA now warns... Read more →

I read your previous posting on Baker's Percentage. My question is, given that eggs contain a lot of water, should they be counted in the hydration percentage for bread? --Eric About 76% of the total weight of an egg is water. Of the rest, about 9.5% is fat, 12.5% is protein and 0.4% is glucose. Technically, that means that for a... Read more →

Generally, I am not a fan of unitaskers, those kitchen tools that have only one purpose. An asparagus steamer or a fish poacher may be just the tool for the job, and if storage space is never a problem, you may want one of each, but for a practical home kitchen, we just don't have enough room for every device that comes along. That said... Read more →