Simplify friday series :

{Friday Series} How To: Simplify...Sifting Flour and Other Dry Ingredients

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Why do some recipes and cookbooks tell us to "sift flour" and other dry ingredients? As flour sits, it slowly settles and becomes more compacted. Sifting breaks up clumps, adds air to the flour, helps produce lighter cakes and pastries and makes[...]

{Tips & Tricks} Making a Roux

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A roux is a flour-based thickener traditionally used in gravies, sauces, soups and stews. Making a roux is very simple once you get the basics down pat: heat one part of fat to an equal part of flour and stir constantly to minimize lumps.[...]

{Tips & Tricks} Breading Chicken

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What I love about chicken is that it can be cooked in countless ways and still end up tasting delicious. One of the easiest ways to prepare chicken is by breading it. Now, this might scare you a little since it involves dipping and coating.[...]

{Tips & Tricks} Cooking with Leeks

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If you're anything like the woman who rang up my groceries at the store, you're probably wondering, "What in the world is a leek?" Leeks are white, yellow and green in color and they have a light and sweet flavor. It is because of this[...]

{Tips & Tricks} Blanching Vegetables

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Blanching vegetables is a food preparation technique that allows vegetables to maintain their color, flavor and texture.  If you plan on freezing vegetables, then this technique is a must. Blanching destroys enzymes that cause[...]

{Tips & Tricks} Keeping Strawberries Fresh

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Nothing says "Hello Summer" quite like fresh strawberries that have been ripened to perfection. I grew up near a "Pick Your Own" strawberry field and one of my favorite things to do in the summer was to grab a few baskets and sit out under[...]

{Tips & Tricks} Storing Baking Ingredients

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FYI: For those who follow the {Friday Series}, I'm changing it up a bit! Instead of {Friday Series}, it will not be called {Tips & Tricks}. I thought the new name was more fitting, especially with the material that is covered in these[...]

{Tips & Tricks} Making Homemade Whipped Cream

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Whipped cream can be the perfect addition to any dessert. However, many people often make the mistake of buying whipped cream from a store because they think that it's convenient since it's ready-made. Is the store-bought kind really whipped[...]