Easy homemade vanilla sugar
You may have come across “vanilla sugar” as an ingredient in some recipes, especially in baking projects. And you may have wondered just what the heck it is.
Kitchen
Divided into three sub-categories — ingredients, how-tos and tools — this section includes tips on choosing a kitchen countertop (in case you're remodeling) and kitchen organizing.
Cornmeal, cornflour and cornstarch: are they the same?
All are made from dried corn. Cornmeal and cornflour are ground whole corn kernels. Cornstarch is made from the endorsperm (starchy center) of the kernel.
Green and black olives: what’s the difference?
The fruit of the olive tree has culinary uses other than as a source of oil. You find olives on pizza, pasta, canapes and even in cocktail drinks. They are sour and salty …
The difference between whipped cream and whipping cream, and how to whip whipping cream
That's a lot of "whip", I know. whip, whipping and whipping are all different when we're talking about cream.
Beating egg whites: frothy to stiff peaks, illustrated
When a recipe calls for stiffly beaten egg whites, what does it mean? How can you tell the difference between soft and stiff peaks? Here are illustrations of the …
How to caramelize sugar
Why do we caramelize sugar? For many reasons. Pasty chefs use hardened caramel to create pretty things for decorating. The hot caramel is shaped and swirled before it …
The better way to cook bacon is in the oven
The better way to cook bacon is to arrange the rashers on a rack set on a tray, stick in the oven and allow the bacon fat to collect in the tray.