News
Learn about Chinese New Year traditions from this new children’s book.
Friday is the start of the Chinese New Year. My buddy Jeannie Chen, an accomplished food stylist and recipe developer, is also a fine illustrator and has done all the illustrations for this new children’s board book by Michele Wong McSween. It’s the perfect introduction for little humans to learn all about…
“How can I keep chocolate chip cookies from spreading during baking. I love a plump cookie” 🍪 is a question from Karen McCarthy Pratt addressed to my website column, “The Kitchen Shrink.”
My answers are based on the assumption that you used the original Tollhouse cookie recipe. There are several reasons why your cookies might be spreading: The dough is too soft. It might have sat out too long on the counter before you baked the cookies, or you might have let the…
Brownie Tips from the Road
So I am in Chapel Hill, NC, staying at the house of my good friend Jean Anderson while I am on book tour in her neck of the woods, and in the process of making brownies for my book signing tonight at Quail Ridge Books, I learned several new things.…
Cookies: Why do cookies deflate after baking?
Pam recently e-mailed the Kitchenshrink with several questions. With the help of my friend Jean Anderson, I answered one last week and Jean and I will take on the second this week, “Why do cookies deflate when you take them from the oven. Especially chocolate chip?” My thought was that…
Cheese: What causes cheese sauce to have a gritty texture?
Pam recently e-mailed the Kitchenshrink to ask, “When I make a cheese sauce starting with a roux of flour and butter then adding milk and cheese it sometimes gets a gritty texture. What causes this?” I thought perhaps it was caused by overheating but wasn’t sure so I asked my friend Jean…
Jean Anderson’s “Crisps, Cobblers, Custards & Creams.”
Jean Anderson describes her latest book, “Crisps, Cobblers, Custards & Creams,” as “a global collection of the puddings I like best, all-time family favorites retrieved from dusty attics plus dozens of unusual recipes that caught my fancy while traveling at home and abroad.” Chances are you’ll find your favorite desserts…
My buddy, Chef Rick Bayless, has started an online video subscription; you should sign up.
I bet you could use a few quick Mexican cooking classes to perk you up. My buddy, Chef Rick Bayless, one of the best teachers on the planet, has started an online video subscription as a way to raise money to pay for his workers. You should sign up! Here are more…
Potatoes: What is the best way to store potatoes?
I am often asked, “what is the best way to store potatoes?” “Should I store them at room temperature, refrigerate them, put them in an open bowl, or a tight plastic bag?” Potatoes keep best when placed in a well-ventilated container and stored in a dry location, away from sunlight,…
Shallots and Onions: Can they be interchanged?
There are many varieties of both shallots and onions within the species Allium cepa. They vary in appearance in that shallots grow in clusters attached at the bottom and each onion is an individual. But there doesn’t seem to be a consensus as to which is stronger in flavor. Perhaps…
#mymomsdollhouse
Here is a before and after shot of the miniature couch I found in my Mom’s dollhouse which I am renovating – My brother- in- law, John Murphy, just retired from his very intense job as the President of Rhode Island Hospital, is quite the woodworker! (who knew?) When I…