Baking

Meats are muscles. On account of this, they’re not perfectly symmetrical bricks. Different cuts can be tear-dropped, conical, or otherwise shaped asymmetrically with a thick and thin side. But, alas, uneven shapes lead to uneven cooking.…

I hate baking, especially when pie is the goal. I love to eat it, but I am just not good at making pie crust. If I manage to get the dough into the pie plate free of tears and holes, it will inevitably shrink and pucker in some way.…

Wheat flours are the building blocks we use to make our favorite breads, pastries, and other baked goods, but the array of available flours can get overwhelming. We’re lucky to live in a time of so many options, but what good are they if…

With the exception of three people, the only things I miss about living in Florida are foods and beverages. I long for the wine cellar (and dessert room) at Bern’s Steakhouse, proper Cubano sandwiches, Publix subs (and banana pudding),…

Oats need help. I am forever on the lookout for ways to make breakfast oatmeal more interesting. Despite how nutritious and filling it can be, preparing the same oatmeal every day is a recipe for tedium, and that’s not how I like to eat.…

I have been putting cheese in my instant ramen for as long as I’ve been eating instant ramen (nearly 30 years). When I was a teen, I would crush up a packet of Maruchan instant noodles, add them to a large paper coffee cup, then fill the…

Reckitt, one of the main formula manufacturers in the U.S., announced a voluntary recall for two batches of their infant formula for the possibility of cross-contamination with Cronobacter sakazakii, a potentially dangerous bacteria. The…

Part of aging is watching the younger generation “discover” things you’ve known about for years. It’s most common with music, movies, and fashion—I will never forget how excited I was to tell my parents about this obscure group I had…

In the wide world of cleaning products, so many of them are multipurpose—but even the most versatile of products are not good for cleaning granite. You can’t use Bar Keepers Friend or the poorly-named “all-purpose” cleaner on it, for…

About a month ago I found a two-for-one deal on tri-tip steaks, and I bought a whole bunch. Having recently read an article claiming one can dry age steaks by simply leaving them in the refrigerator for an extended period of time, I decided…