Spooning cupcake batter into a muffin pan can be a little messy. Use an ice cream scoop, the kind with a "sweeper" to easily fill muffin tins.
If you find your baking has a strange aftertaste, it could be the baking powder. Some baking powders contain an aluminum compound (sodium sulphate) which has a notable chemical or metallic aftertaste. Some bakers say that baking powder containing this compound gives baked goods a bitter aftertaste. To avoid this aftertaste, use a baking powder that does not contain sodium sulfate.
If you make a
large batch of pesto, portion the pesto in an ice cube tray,
cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer. When you
need pesto, simply pop out the cube or cubes.
.
Hold an asparagus spear firmly towards the end and bend it until it breaks naturally. The spear will break at the point where it becomes tough.
Use a vegetable peeler to peel the stalks. Do not peel the tips. Younger, thinner asparagus are usually tender enough, so they do not require
peeling.
at can work in a
pinch.
If you need a couple of cups of tomato sauce, you can
use a small can of tomato paste and mix it with a cup of
water.
If you have a recipe calling for ½ teaspoon cream of
tartar, you can substitute 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice or
vinegar.
If a recipe calls for 1 cup of sifted cake flour,
substitute 1 cup of all purpose sifted flour, minus 2
tablespoons.
For a 2 inch piece of vanilla bean, 1 teaspoon
of pure vanilla extract would also work.
Here
are some other substitutions that you might consider when
you run short.
Lemon juice can usually replace vinegar in
most recipes.
Chopped green olives do in a pinch if you need
capers.
A single cube of sugar actually equates to a half
teaspoon of granulated sugar.
A single marshmallow can be
replaced by ten mini-sized ones.
Two egg yolks can be
substituted with a single whole egg.
A third cup of bread
crumbs can be derived from a single slice of toast.
