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 →

Being an incurable foodie and techie, I of course have been grabbing cooking apps for my iPad. Some apps are little more than shameless money grabs or self promotions. Others are poorly constructed technically or have little quality content. The exception, far and away, is Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything application. This is... Read more →

I am making applesauce and then freezing it. The recipes call for white sugar. I was told I need to add this so the apples do not turn brown. Is there something else I can use? I prefer not to use any sweetener. Thank you very much. --Mary Apples brown because they contain an enzyme that causes the flesh to turn brown when it is... Read more →

Regular readers of KitchenSavvy will know that one of my quests is to make the perfect loaf of bread. You may have read some of the articles and maybe even tried my Breadmaker Jewish Rye Bread recipe (Hint - you don't need a breadmaker. It is just as easy to make by hand or with a mixer). Well, I just spent four great days at the King... Read more →

What is the difference between salsa and Pico de Gallo? They seem to be used interchangeably on restaurant menus. --Denise Salsa is the Mexican word for "sauce". It can include both cooked salsas, like those found on supermarket shelves across North America, or "Salsa Cruda", meaning uncooked sauce. A salsa cruda is typically prepared... Read more →

What is the purpose of drawing out all the juices from a piece of meat with salt just have to have them all reabsorbed again. To me, this doesn't make any sense. --Linda I mention this process in the posting Salting Meat Before Cooking. It is also part of the working of dry rubs containing salt that are used on meat. There is some... Read more →

Family is gathering at my house for Christmas supper this year. How big of a turkey do I need? There will be about 14 adults and 5 children. --Emily The size of turkey you need depends on three major questions. The first one you have answered -- how many people will there be. Next, you need to decide on portion size. Health adults... Read more →

How long does it take to defrost a frozen turkey? --Andy The length of time it takes to defrost a frozen turkey depends on a few things, most importantly the weight of the bird and the method used. The length of time will also be affected by the temperature at which it is being defrosted. There are two generally accepted ways of... Read more →

Why should you rest meat after cooking it?-- Darren Resting meat serves three purposes. First, it allows the meat to finish cooking through, Straight out of the oven, or off the fire, the outside of a piece of meat is hotter than the middle. The difference in temperature can be quite large. During resting, the heat from the outside... Read more →

When I barbecue meat, there is a layer just under the surface that doesn't look like it got cooked, even though the middle looks done. What causes that?-- Dean What you are seeing is called the smoke ring. It is an area of meat that, although it is cooked, hasn't turned the greyish brown we associate with cooked meat. There are... Read more →