Q: What is high altitude cooking? Altitude cooking refers to the changes caused by differences in geographic elevation. The boiling point of water drops by about 2°F (1°C) for every 1,000 feet (300 meters) increase in altitude, above sea level. What that means in practical terms depends on what you are cooking. For example, if you... Read more →
Q: I like baking muffins and cookies and prefer to use whole grains. I'd like to understand when I can make substitutions for white flour. Also, I have a muffin recipe that calls for 1/2 cup each all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, and 1/4 cup wheat germ. What's the point in that? Why not just 1 ¼ cup of whole wheat flour?... Read more →
Q: I was reading that flax is really nutritious and was wondering if there are any recipes or uses for flax other than in bread? -- Lindsay E. According to Walter Willett, M.D., in his book Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating, flax seed is high in fiber and rich in n-3 (omega-3) fatty acids... Read more →
Q: For our anniversary, I was planning to dip strawberries in chocolate. As I was melting the chocolate in my double boiler, it suddenly turned into a solid lump. What happened? What happened is your chocolate got ‘seized’, and I don’t mean by the culinary police. Seizing happens when water gets into melted chocolate. Only a very... Read more →