aforkcalledspoon's Profile
bread bakers please: my grotesque "finger" loaves
oh the heavy center and collapsed top and sides sounds exactly like my problem! This is my first time baking in California, and had no issues in the frigid north where I used to live proofing my bread. I guess that is where I developed the habit of proofing in sunny corners.
bread bakers please: my grotesque "finger" loaves
oh I see. I did purposely leave it in the sunny patch on the counter because I thought it would "help". I had no idea about the tension idea behind shaping the loaves, so with all these pointers, I will embark on a humbler task. thanks again
bread bakers please: my grotesque "finger" loaves
Thank you all so much for all your insight. I think that I am probably guilty at all five levels of this process,a nd I will assiduously apply myself to correct them all as per your suggestions! May "finger" sandwiches no longer mar my appetite.
How come we don't salt japanese/korean rice? or do you?
I guess that is what puzzles me. I agree that I don't miss it in the asian context, but can't eat the others without it, and I just don't relaly understand why that is! Is it because the short grain rice is sweeter?
bread bakers please: my grotesque "finger" loaves
Wow, seriously, I knew I was a bad baker, but I did not know that I could be doing so MANY things wrong!!! oh dear. I thought it would be kind of simple like not enough kneading = ugly bread.
Well, the latest loaf was the green onion yogurt bread from Baking Bites (i think). 3 cups of bread flour, 1/2 cup of yogurt, 1 1/4 water, yeast, 1 tsp of sugar, 2 tsp of salt, 1/2 cup of green onion. first rise = 1.5 hours second rise = 40 minutes (I think I let it go for an hour and a half though, does that matter?) I shaped into a log, as stated, made three slashes after the second rise. It looks as it should going into the oven, kind of, but spread out in the oven.
Seriously, I feel defeated by the sheer number of possible failures that I committed.
bread bakers please: my grotesque "finger" loaves
This is a plea for help. All the loaves of bread I make (non non-knead variety) inevitably deflate and end up as flat, ovoid blobs instead of trim, tall, oblong loaves. Does this mean anything? Like am I not kneading enough, or too much flour, or.... please correct my ways. The taste is usually fine, maybe a little dense? But I don't know if that is the recipe, or just my bad skills. Please save me from a lifetime of "finger" sandwiches because quite literally, once sliced, the bread resembles fingers. NOT ATTRACTIVE!!!!
How come we don't salt japanese/korean rice? or do you?
that's a great idea about the soy sauce. Everyone says to season every step of the way, and that would season rice straight off. I am far too lazy to wean myself off my electric rice cooker. I did try to add salt once to the rice cooker and my grandmother smacked my hand like it was some kind of heresy, so curious as to other people's habits. I just don't know any asian people who salt their short grain rice.
How come we don't salt japanese/korean rice? or do you?
hmmm but basmati rice is usually eaten with curries, which are salty, no?
How come we don't salt japanese/korean rice? or do you?
I was wondering why you never read instructions to add a pinch of salt to short grain rice when cooking, and wanted to know if it is because it is generally cooked in the rice cooker, or because of the flavor? I know it doesn't really matter..... right? Looking to be educated... yet again!
Help - green onion overload
I make a yogurt green onion yeast bread that is fantastic! I got the recipe from Baking Bites, I think. It uses a lot of green onion.
whole wheat pastry flour - offensively grainy or just pleasantly toothsome?
wow, great tips. I will definitely sift today, and thank you for letting me know about resting time. I did try to make soup dumplings with them yesterday, the batter seemed way too dry, added way too much water, and ended up wtih sodden lumps. Mind you, that could just be my cooking. sigh. My learning curve is so embarrassingly shallow.
whole wheat pastry flour - offensively grainy or just pleasantly toothsome?
I used 100%. I didn't realise until afterwards that the bag said whole grain. The disconcerted looks on the kids' faces tipped me off. Yes, I think that blending is key.
has chowhound thought of blog awards?
I love Use Real Butter because, well, we should all use real butter, she is an amazing photographer (but a lot of the nature shots bore me to bits), and she is so forthright. You see how food is her life, and how life translates into her food (cancer recovery, etc.) It's so fresh, in every sense of the word (ie. some strong language for sensitive folk)
You may laugh at me, but please stop long enough to answer my question
brilliant! If i ever own a grill, you can bet that my tong ends will always be sticking out of it.
You may laugh at me, but please stop long enough to answer my question
HAHA oh god, that is such a funny scenario, like a house elf hovering and swooping in to ensure safety. I only took a food safety course, which my husband took as well. I got an "A" and he got a "C". Enough said!!
Next FN Star - Episode 3 - since no one's started one yet... [spoilers]
haha well you would have done it with good sense and finesse, as far as I can tell from your posts!
Next FN Star - Episode 3 - since no one's started one yet... [spoilers]
I guess it's all relative. Being traditionally raised to be classically submissive by asian parents, I fear all confrontation like the saddest coward of all. I consider it rude in a working relationship, but with friends, I can see it. Just a little harsh, and I thought it ironic, that's all.
New at Little Italy's Farmers Market
Please respect the fact that for some of us, we don't relativize against cocktails, or any other such "luxuries". A $20 chicken is 40% of a weekly food budget of a family of four on no income, trying to make the savings last. I love the idea of supporting the local farmers, as I said, and I will what I can where I can, but the fact that I cannot at this point does not make me a cog in the corporate mass-production evil conspiracy.
You may laugh at me, but please stop long enough to answer my question
Well thanks for all the replies, and for keeping the snickers to a minimum (or at least behind hand :) I had a severe bout of food poisoning that caused me to vomit until the capillaries all over my face burst and I looked like something out of a horror movie. But I guess I feel like the spoon isn't REALLY cooking the whole time the meat is. The meat is in contact with the bottom of the pan, while the spoon just scratches at it with its tip and floats around willy nilly, in and out of the pot, resting beside the stove... etc. Well I am glad that I am not the only one that has an arsenal of spoons. I just wondered if I was as ludicrous as others tell me I am!
Dinner suggestions for a difficult houseguest
A wilted spinach salad with warm bacon vinaigrette? A salad, without being aggressively "vegetable" to some? Served with a roasted chicken and whole wheat crostini with olive oil instead of butter?
You may laugh at me, but please stop long enough to answer my question
Ok, I am the general object of mockery for my husband and friends because cross contamination haunts me. When you start cooking a dish with raw chicken or ground beef or whatever, are you supposed to switch to a clean spoon once the meat is cooked? I don't seem to notice that on any cooking shows. Is there a risk for cross contamination if you don't? Help appreciated, and if it turns out I am rightly the butt of all jokes, then so be it! :)
Next FN Star - Episode 3 - since no one's started one yet... [spoilers]
Two observations:
Debbie is a korean Ina Garten! Down to the crinkly eye smiling!
Bobby Flay was mighty annoyed with that guy's unchivalrous behavior, but I think he is pretty rude to his assistants on Throwdown. I am sure that is part of their relationship, but he is a little harsh, methinks!
whole wheat pastry flour - offensively grainy or just pleasantly toothsome?
oh dear. Thank you both for confirming my worst fears. I can't even return it because I dove into it to make waffles with the kids. They didn't like the waffles, but I figured it was because they were made with rice milk (for the allergy-addled son). sigh. So muffins are ok? How about dredging with it?
whole wheat pastry flour - offensively grainy or just pleasantly toothsome?
I accidentally bought a bag of whole wheat pastry flour to make a cake. Will my whole grain hating husband instantly feel the telltale "grit" or will it be ok? What do most people use it for? Is it perfectly interchangeable with the regular stuff? Does it alter flavor, or do people choose it for the health benefits?
The documentary, "Food, Inc." Seen it?
Fair enough! I do believe, make that, KNOW that certain organic fruits and vegetables taste infinitely superior. But the coward in me doesn't want to watch miscellaneous animal bits being recycled or animals treated savagely. Shame on me! :)
Would you serve a seriously ugly cake to guests?
haha that is so funny. I can hear my father in law using those words to describe me! :)
The documentary, "Food, Inc." Seen it?
If I watch this will I want to curl up in a ball of gastric distress?
New at Little Italy's Farmers Market
Thank you very much for that info. We just moved to San Diego so I definitely need to source good food options for us. I will report back.
New at Little Italy's Farmers Market
I really hope you do get to have a discussion with him. I am in the same boat: I really want to support local food sources while buying strictly organic for some things for the kids, and some not for the rest. I do buy the organic chickens from costco because we were without income for a year, and there is no way I could pay $20 for one chicken. When the kids are older, I can go without meat for more meals, but for now, I can't do the extreme quality/quantity thing. I have also never gotten a deal at the markets no matter what time I go. But then my husband thinks I have "sucker" written on my forehead :)
Would you serve a seriously ugly cake to guests?
I feel your pain, it makes me crazy to serve something ugly, but everyone will appreciate the effort you went to, and it really is the taste that matters! You are a much nicer daughter-in-law than I am! :)
