10 Rules To Cook By in 2009
Posted on 06 January 2009 by joy
Maybe your resolution is to get in the kitchen this year. You might just be surprised by the joy you can create for your family with a bit of time and a few simple ingredients. Here are some tips to keep you happy and smiling in your kitchen this year.
Say “Hey Neighbor!” with homemade. Nothing says “Hey! I like who you are. I’m glad we’re in the world together” like homemade chocolate chip cookies. Nothing helps makes the world a better place like letting people know they’re appreciated. See how that works? Spread the good.
Play. Commit to playing in your kitchen. Visit to one of those fancy food shops and buy yourself a treat. Maybe something that you never played with in the kitchen before. Get it home and get crackin’. There’s something fundamentally awesome about playing with new ingredients in the kitchen. It’s like getting that new color of Play-Doh for Christmas, and just about losing your mind.
Give. The best part of baking, aside from eating a brownie fresh from the oven, is being able to share your treats with others. You might even consider contacting a shelter that might be able to take your goods. That’s thinkin’.
Preheat. Why? Because it says so! If a recipe asks you to preheat the oven to a certain temperature. Well… you should. What the recipe is trying to tell you is that your cupcakes, or loaf of zucchini bread, or blackberry muffins need to combine with a certain temperature to do their thing. And we all know, we want out baked goods to do their thing. Even if they don’t, we’ll probably still nibble on them on their way from the oven to the trash bin. But everything seems to work out like sunshine and roses if our baked goods do their thing. Right?
Yeast- You Can do It! I know, yeast is a little intimidating. But really- you can do it! There are a few things yeast needs to get going- warm water and sugar. Simple as that. You have live yeast. These cinnamon rolls were some of the first yeasted breads I mastered. They were more approachable to me because the dough has creamed butter, sugar and eggs. It starts off like and cake and finishes as a bread. If you’re scared of yeast, please give this recipe a go!
Butter is butter. Margarine is NOT butter. I don’t mean to yell. I just really need you to understand that margarine is not butter. Butter is fat, milk solids, water and sometimes salt. Margarine is hydrogenated yellow. And you know what!? They (margarine makers) have to dye it yellow! Margarine is really a dull grey color that they bleach white and then dye yellow to make it look more like butter. Not kidding. Not cool. Google it. Use butter. It tastes good and we know where it comes from. If you’re a vegan- please don’t yell at me, because I like tofu and I’m not listening.
Cool To Room Temperature. Translation- Wait. I tend to be a bit of a rule breaker, which has produced some pretty disastrous baking results. One of those tragedies came when I didn’t let a cake cool properly and I tried to frost it while it was still a bit warm. Fail. Not good. My cake turned into a slip and slide. Frosting was oozing out of the layers and the whole thing wouldn’t stay together no matter how I cursed. Some lessons you have to learn the hard way. I’ll never frost a warm cake again.
Get you hands on a new cookbook or two. New cookbooks are full of new tricks and new stories. Dive in!
Celebrate the season. I know, sounds totally cheesy, right? Here’s the thing about celebrating the season… it’s all about enjoying where you are when you’re there. My favorite way to do this is to head out to the farmer’s markets for some seasonal shopping. Early morning, fresh produce and hot coffee. It’s one fine day.
Do it with love. Whatever you do this year, if you do it with love. It feels super awesome crazy great! I promise.
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Tags | baking, cooking, Food, kitchen tips, tips
