Heart Shaped Measuring Spoons
Exact measuring is not always necessary in a recipe. If you are cooking a soup, stew, or stir-fry, it usually doesn’t require exact measurements. Sometimes in cooking you will hear non-technical terms such as: dash, pinch and smidgen. Traditionally, these were known as very small amounts, although, exactly how much they equaled we didn’t really know.
Since then, these non-technical terms have come to be more uniformly defined. A smidgen is ½ pinch or 1/32 teaspoon. Two smidgens equal one pinch.
We generally know a pinch as the amount you can get between your thumb and forefinger; however, now a pinch is ½ dash or 1/16 teaspoon. Two pinches equal one dash.
Originally, a dash was a term used when measuring liquids. Now the term has come to be used with both liquid and dry ingredients. A dash is 1/8 teaspoon. Eight dashes equal one teaspoon.
If these non-technical terms appeal to you, some companies do sell measuring spoons that measure a dash, a pinch and a smidgen.
When a recipe call for whipping egg whites-start with room-temperature egg whites for higher volume. Beat with mixer on high until “soft peaks” form. This means that the foam will hold peaks that curl over the tips when the beater is pulled away from whites. This is the time to slowly add sugar, if the recipe calls for it. Once incorporated, beat on high until whites hold “stiff beaks”–they can almost stand straight up when the beater is pulled.
When buying an item or gift at the mall, always ask for a gift receipt. If you have one, retailers may be more lenient when you decide to return your purchase. With a regular slip, you often have 30 days to take good back, but stores often accept a gift receipt for up to 60 days.
Kneading dough for pies or biscuits is fun, but getting it off you hands when you’re finished can be a chore. To speed it up, rub your hands with cornmeal and give them a brief rinse. The dough will come right off.
To prevent a dense dessert, leave your butter out to soften for just 30 minutes instead of the standar 2 hours. The “cool room temperature” butter (about 60 degrees F) will aerate more readily than fully softened butter (about 70 degrees F) to produce a light fluffy batter.
Never put dough on a hot baking sheet; it will lose its shape and spread.
Forget to take your butter out of fridge and your’re ready to start your recipe. Thinly slice the amount you need and lay out the pieces on a plate at room temperature. The butter will be soft by the time you have measured the dry ingredients.