My daughter is on a gluten free diet. If I wanted to use corn starch to replace flour as a thickener in stews, how much would I need? - Dave As a general rule, you would use about half to two-thirds the amount of pure starch, depending on type, as flour to get the same thickening effect. What I would suggest, is that for each... Read more →
This bright, colorful salsa pairs well with grilled salmon, steelhead trout, shrimp or other seafood. It can be complemented with the addition of diced avocado. The white balsamic brings together the sweet taste of the mango with the acidity of the lime juice to create a perfectly rounded flavor, and the hint of Thai pepper leaves a... Read more →
When I was a kid, we used to make these wonderful bush pies. For those who don't know what a bush pie is, it is a sandwich made by compressing to pieces of bread, with filling in the middle, in a device which compresses the edges and which you then heat over a fire to toast the outside while heating the interior at the same time. My all... Read more →
One of those "wish I could do it better" items that has sat on my cooking To-Do list for years is beans. I prefer for taste, nutrition and cost to work with dried beans, but I'm forever plagued by inconsistent results. Well, two books that I recently got seem to have removed most if not all of my worries. The books are Harold McGee's Keys... Read more →
Hi. My wife keeps telling me that I shouldn't mix the last leftovers, say from a container of hummus, with the new one. I say there is no reason not to. What do you think?- Jake There is good reason behind your wife's concern, and that is that you are mixing food that has already had a chance for bacterial growth into new food, thus... Read more →
If a diet calls for 9 ounces of protein daily, how many grams would that be? - Kitty Nine ounces equals 255 grams, but if a diet calls for nine ounces of protein, the first thing I would recommend is checking out just exactly what the author meant by the word 'protein'. Technically, proteins are organic molecules made up of amino acids... Read more →
My oldest daughter is a vegetarian, so visits home can be a challenge and a learning opportunity for the 'head cook'. On her last visit, I wanted to try something new. I had read that dried mushrooms ground into a fine powder was one way to add flavor depth to food. Some refer to this meatiness as Umami. To test the idea, I made the... 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 →
By popular request, here is my recipe for a Caramelized Onion and Potato Flan. OK, really, in a comment on the article "Substitute for Gruyère Cheese", Cindy asked if I would post it. The recipe is based on one published in A Year of the Best: Seasonal Recipes From The Best of Bridge with Chef Vincent Parkinson. The KitchenSavvy version... Read more →
In your post on Seasoning Stainless Steel, you say to "wash in warm water with a small amount of dish soap and dry immediately." I thought that soap would dissolve the fat, so you would damage the coating if you use it. - Comment* Seasoning in this sense involves heating oil in a frying pan, or other cooking surface, to form a non-stick... Read more →