KitchenSavvy

Mexican Vanilla Extract - Is It Safe?

Happy New Year.  Some friends of ours just came back from a trip to Mexico and they brought us a bottle of vanilla concentrate. I’ve never used ‘concentrate’ before so decided to Google it.  Some people are saying to not use it for it could cause liver damage if there’s a certain ingredient in it. Can you help clarify some of this for me and if’s it’s okay to use does one use it as normal vanilla in recipes?
--Belinda

Vanilla extract is a liquid food flavoring made from the seed pods of the vanilla plant.  There are numerous varieties of the vanilla plant that are used for making vanilla flavoring and extract.  In fact, the first records of vanilla are from when the Spanish arrived in the Gulf of Mexico, around the area that is now known as Veracruz.

While there may be some perfectly good and safe vanilla made in Mexico, unfortunately there are others that are not safe and shouldn't be used.  According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration one ingredient that is used in making so-called vanilla flavoring is the bean of the Tonka plant (Dipteryx odorata, also known as Coumarouna odorata).  The tonka bean is sometimes described as double vanilla or vanilla on steroids, due to its strong flavor.  Unfortunately, tonka also contains a substance called Coumarin, which has blood thinning properties and has been shown to cause liver damage.  Because of this, foods and foodstuffs containing tonka bean or its extract are banned in the United States and several other countries.

The FDA says "Be wary about buying products labeled "Vainilla" or "Extracto de Vainilla" in Mexico and other Latin American countries. Look for "vanilla bean" in the ingredient list on the label. If it has "tonka bean" or if there is no ingredient list or a vague one, do not purchase this product."

My best advice is to thank your friends for thinking of you and go back to using your favorite store-bought vanilla.  It is not worth the risk to your health, or that of your loved onces, to use any ingredient that you are not confident is safe.

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Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered, nor can we guarantee we will answer questions immediately
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

How Does Gluten Free Baking Rise

I understand how the gluten in wheat flour works to capture the gas formed by either yeast or baking powder or soda, but what makes the non gluten containing flours rise?
--Lynn

In normal baking, the proteins glutenin and gliadin in flour bond with the water and with each other to form long strands and sheets of what we know as gluten.  Many baked goods rely on the formation of gluten to trap gases released by leavening agents in order to make the product rise.  The most common example is the gluten formed in making bread, although gluten is found in lesser amounts in biscuits, cakes and cookies, as well.

Gluten sensitivity is a reaction to the gluten found in most baked goods.  The proteins that make up gluten can be found not just in wheat, but also barley, rye,  triticale and some other grains.  Others, like oats, may be contaminated during handling and processing.  Gluten sensitivity affects the body's ability to absorb nutrients.

Many gluten-free baked goods can be bought, or made at home.  Flour made from rice, corn, beans or other starchy foods is used to provide the substance of the product, and yeast or baking soda or powder are still used to provide the lift, but because these flours don't form gluten, something else is needed to trap the gases produced by the leavener.  The two most commonly used ingredients are egg and xanthan gum, both of which allow the gases to be held until the starches can set enough to hold the volume.

Because bread made in this way lacks the long protein structures of gluten, its consistency is somewhat more cake-like than regular bread.  All gluten-free products will tend to be denser and more crumbly that their gluten containing counterparts.

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Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered, nor can we guarantee we will answer questions immediately
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Cream of Tartar vs Tartar Sauce

Are Cream of Tartar and Tartar Sauce the same thing?
--Helen

Seeing this question made me think of a Before and After category puzzle on Wheel of Fortune where the answer is "Cream of Tartar Sauce."

No, they are not the same thing.  Cream of tartar is a dry white powder that is actually finely ground tartaric acid.  The chemical name is potassium bitartrate and the formula, for those who care, is KC₄H₅O₆.  It is found as a sediment in the making of wine (see Crystals in Wine).  Cream of tartar has three main uses in the home kitchen -- to stabilize egg whites when they are whipped (see Beating Egg Whites - How Cream of Tartar Helps), in candy making to help reduce the formation of crystals in boiling sugar, and as a leavening agent when combined with baking soda (see Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder).

Tartar sauce is a mayonnaise-based condiment most frequently served with seafood.  Typical ingredients, other than the mayonnaise are chopped dill pickles, capers, lemon juice, vinegar, onions or shallots, and various herbs and seasonings.  Here is my recipe for homemade tartar sauce which I like to serve with crab cakes:

Homemade Tartar Sauce

	1/3	c	Mayonnaise
1		tsp	Lemon Zest
1		tbsp	Fresh Lemon Juice
	1/2	clove	Garlic, minced
1	1/2	tbsp	Chopped Caper Berries, rinsed and drained
1	1/2	tsp	Chopped Fresh Chives
2		tsp	Chopped Fresh Cilantro or Tarragon
			Salt and Pepper, to taste

Mix all of the ingredients together and refrigerate, covered, for at least one hour for the flavors to meld.  Quantities can be adjusted to suit your taste.

I like to zest the lemon and mince the garlic using a micro-plane since that way they mix right in without any chunks or stringy bits, but both can be done with a knife if you prefer.  Also, I prefer the larger caper berries to the non-pareil size, although any size would work.

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Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered, nor can we guarantee we will answer questions immediately
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Raw Egg Whites

Making "White Christmas Pie" for the first time, the recipe calls for beaten egg whites, with cream of tartar and sugar but never says to "cook" it.  Is it necessary to cook the egg whites, or is it safe to use them, blended with other ingredients?

--Dora

You are right to be concerned about using raw egg whites.  The USDA now warns against eating anything made with raw eggs and especially about serving them to infants, young children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, since they are the most susceptible to salmonella bacteria.  The risk is especially high in something like White Christmas Pie, since it is typically made well ahead of consumption and may be eaten over a period hours or even days.

There are alternatives however.  Some cooks have suggested a process for heating the egg whites with water, sugar and cream of tartar over a double boiler until they reach a temperature of 160°F (71°C).  I'm not crazy about this method for two reasons -- first because raising the temperature increases the risk of contamination so you need to be sure to heat the entire amount to that temperature and hold it there, and second because there is a chance of actually cooking the eggs if they are over-heated.  If done right, however, apparently you can still whip the egg whites as usual.

The other alternatives are the whites of pasteurized in-the-shell eggs and powdered egg whites or meringue powder.  The US FDA has approved the pasteurization of whole eggs in their shell.  They can be found in some grocery stores and can be used in recipes calling for uncooked eggs.  Powdered egg whites are also pasteurized and can be used.  They are reconstituted with water following the manufacturer's directions and should whip well for this recipe.

Meringue powder is powdered egg whites already blended with sugar and stabilizers such as gum arabic, as well as flavor and preservatives.  Since they already contain sugar and usually vanilla, you will likely need to reduce or completely omit the sugar and vanilla called for in the recipe.  It may take a bit of experimenting to find the right amount of sugar and vanilla to use.

In any case, the pie should be kept refrigerated until served.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com

 

Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered, nor can we guarantee we will answer questions immediately
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

How are Egg Counted in Baker's Percentages

I read your previous posting on Baker's Percentage.  My question is, given that eggs contain a lot of water, should they be counted in the hydration percentage for bread?

--Eric

About 76% of the total weight of an egg is water.  Of the rest, about 9.5% is fat, 12.5% is protein and 0.4% is glucose.   Technically, that means that for a large egg, weighing approximately 50 grams (1.76 oz), 38 grams are water. Egg whites alone have about 87.6% water.

For a typical white bread recipe, the water in one large egg can represent about about 5% - 6% of the total hydration percentage.  For doughs like Brioche and Challah, the water in the eggs can represent up to 20% or more of the total hydration percentage. 

In the Challah recipe given by Reinhart in The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread, he calls for 18 ounces of flour, 2 large eggs (3.3 ounces), 2 large egg whites (1.25 ounces), and 7 to 9 ounces of water.  The water in the eggs and whites totals just over 3.6 ounces or 20% of the total weight of flour.  The water represents between 40% and 50% of the total weight of flour, so the overall hydration is 60% to 70% (i.e. total weight of water from all sources/total weight of flour as %).

While I have heard some comments to the effect that we tend to spend too much time focusing on the minutiae of baker's percentages rather than learning how our bread actually behaves when we make it, since my return from the King Arther Flour Artisan Baking at Home class, I have been tracking my recipes and trying to learn how the science and the art come together in the kitchen.  In part, this is necessary simply because the Canadian flours available to home bakers tend to be higher in gluten forming proteins that their American counterparts.  What that means is that a recipe that works for US all-purpose flour will be under hydrated for Canadian all-purpose.  To get the results I want, I am finding I need to increase the hydration by a factor of about 1.03 -- that is, if a recipe calls for 70% hydration, I need to use about 70 X 1.03 = 72.1% hydration.  So far I would only call that a starting estimate, but without understanding where all of the sources of water are that come into a recipe, I can't make the appropriate corrections.  Either that or I try to figure out how to measure 0.03 of 2 whole eggs.

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Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Just for Good Measure

Along with baking ammonia ... where does one find a dram of lemon oil, and for that matter, how much is a dram?   Thanks for your answer on baking ammonia.

--Karen

The dram measure is not used very commonly now, perhaps because it has numerous definitions.  Depending on who you consult, it is ¹/₈^th of an ounce by weight,  or ¹/₁₆^th of a fluid ounce, or about 3.7 milliliters (mL) in the United States, or 3.6 mL in the United Kingdom.  And as if that wasn't enough, a dram of whiskey or brandy is about two tablespoons.

In cooking the most common conversion of a dram is ³/₄^th of a teaspoon.

Now for lemon oil, there are essentially two types when it comes to cooking^*.  One is the essential oil extracted from the rinds of lemons.  This kind of lemon oil adds a distinct lemon flavor to pound cakes, cookies and other baked goods. Some essential lemon oils are cut with another flavorless oil to make them less intense.  For that reason, you want to read and the manufacturer's directions, if there are any.

The second type is a cooking oil, such as olive or canola, which has been infused with the taste of lemons.  This may be done by heating the oil and simmering lemon rinds in the warm oil, or by crushing lemons with the olives when making olive oil.  This kind is used for salads or drizzling on foods such as pastas or vegetables.

I'm guessing you want the former for baked goods, based on your mention of baking ammonia, but without the recipe, I could be wrong.  You can find lemon oil of both types at most reliable gourmet stores.

So, where does all of that leave you? You likely want to use about ³/₄ teaspoon of the essential lemon oil in your recipe.  Depending on the strength of the lemon oil and the source and accuracy of your recipe, you may need to adjust the amount either way.  You might be able to find other similar recipes to yours that give some guidance, but it will likely be hit-and-miss the first couple of tries.

^* It may go without saying, but only use food grade products.  Lemon oil used for aromatherapy and household cleaning are not edible and should not be used in cooking.

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Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Oops! Self-rising Flour in Yeast Rolls

I was supposed to use all purpose flour in my yeast roll recipe, but used self-rising.  What will happen now?

--Sarah

 

As described in the earlier post on Self-rising Flour, it is regular flour that has baking powder and and salt added.  The exact formulas, including the type of baking powder used, vary by manufacturer. 

There are two problems you are likely to encounter.  The first is fairly easy to predict and likely the biggest factor.  Your bread will likely be a lot saltier than usual, due to the extra salt in the self-rising flour.

The second is a bit more difficult.  Because you were making yeast rolls, you now will have two leaveners in the same batch -- the yeast called for in the recipe, and the baking powder from the self-rising flour -- so your rolls will likely over-inflate.  How much, and what happens because of it depends on the recipe and method, as well as the flour.  According to the USDA, self-rising flour has about 0.5% less protein than all-purpose.  The two proteins glutenin and gliadin in flour bond with the water and with each other to form gluten.  Gluten is the magic ingredient in making bread and rolls, since it is what allows bread to hold in the expanding gases produced by yeast and heat to make it rise and give it texture.  By comparison, cake flour has around 1.7% less protein than all-purpose.  When making cakes and biscuits, you don't want gluten to form, which is why you start with a flour that has less protein.

So, the self-rising flour has less protein, which means it will form less gluten and therefore be less able to hold in the gases.  Because the difference in percentages is small, the effect may be small, but the double leavening will take its toll.  What is quite likely to happen is either rolls that rise way too much in the oven, or rolls that rise well and then collapse in the center leaving a cratered crust.

You may also see a slight difference in the color of the crust or the amount of time that it takes the rolls to bake due to the presence of the baking powder.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com

Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

King Arthur Flour - Artisan Baking at Home

Regular readers of KitchenSavvy will know that one of my quests is to make the perfect loaf of bread.  You may have read some of the articles and maybe even tried my Breadmaker Jewish Rye Bread recipe (Hint - you don't need a breadmaker.  It is just as easy to make by hand or with a mixer).

Well, I just spent four great days at the King Arthur Flour Baking Education Center in Norwich, Vermont taking their Artisan Baking at Home class.  I honestly can't say enough about how much I enjoyed the class and how much I learned. 

The content  took us through focaccia and lunetta (made from the same dough), ciabatta, lavash, baguettes, croissant, pain au chocolat, bear claws, sourdough, rye fougasse and pizza.  With the exception of the ciabatta, which was demonstration only, we made every one of these items.  We learned how make the dough, how to shape the various loaves, including baguettes (a skill that had previously defied most of my attempts), and how to slash the loaves prior to baking.  We saw how the bread was loaded into professional ovens, and helped a little, too, and we even got to use their wood-fired oven to cook our own pizzas.  Now, if I could just convince Pat that I need one of those!

The class was well designed in two important ways.  First, there was a good mix of demonstration and hands on.  For each item we made there was an up-front demonstration by the instructor, followed by hands-on at our benches, learning by doing.  For most recipes, there were two or more up front demonstrations.  For the focaccia and lunetta, there was one on mixing the dough and one on forming the bread.  For croissants, there were more since we needed to prepare the dough and butter, bring them together, roll them to form the final dough, and then roll, cut and shape the pastries.  I found the movement between demonstration and bench was just right for me to learn the steps in chunks that were easy to remember.

Second, as you know if you have made bread, there is a lot of down time while dough rises, loaves rise and breads bake.  The flow of the class was well planned.  We would prepare the dough for one item, move onto learning or preparing for another, getting a demonstration and hands on, and then return to the first dough to take it to the next step.  This alternation kept the class active and informative.  Never once in the 20 hours did I feel bored, at loose ends, or over-stuffed with information.

I also appreciated that when it came to shaping baguettes and boules, the instructors brought in pre-made dough for us to practice on before we shaped our own loaves.  When we were doing the baguettes, for example, we each got three or four practice loaves first, and we did them two students at a time so that the instructor, Amber, could coach every one of us.

Our up-front instructors had an easy and informative style that kept the class engaged.  They all were quite knowledgeable and experienced, and seemed genuinely enthusiastic about our learning.  Kudos to them, and to the instructors at the back of the room who helped in so many ways, from supporting the lead instructor to helping during hands on and making sure we had the ingredients and equipment we needed, when we needed it.  And when they weren't doing all of that, they were cleaning bowls, loading the washer, and generally taking care of all of the mechanics of keeping the class running smoothly.

Thank you Jessica, Amber, Robyn, Michelle, Karen, and Susan for making the class so much fun and so informative.  If I missed someone, my apologies.

In all ways this class met or exceeded my expectations.  If you are a bread enthusiast, this is the class for you, too.

Oh, and King Arthur, I  hope to visit again soon in your new facilities for Artisan II.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com

Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Sifting Through Recipe Instructions

Is there an answer to this? If my recipe calls for 2 cups of flour and then I sift it, I have well over two cups.  Do I use it all or just take out the two cups after sifting?

--Name Obscured

In theory, the answer is hidden in the wording of the recipe. If it says "2 cups sifted flour", then what is needed is two cups of flour measured after it has been sifted.  If, on the other hand, the recipe calls for "2 cups flour, sifted", then you are supposed to measure out two cup of flour, sift it and then use all of the sifted flour, regardless of how much you end up with.  If the recipe just calls for two cups of flour and then in the instructions that follow it says to sift it, then this can be taken as being the same as "2 cups flour, sifted."

Of course, this assumes that the author of the recipe knows the above convention and sticks to it.  Nowadays, especially with large numbers of recipes being posted to the internet without the benefit of professional publishers and editors, it is hard to know just how reliable or precise a recipe really is.

The problem with the second method above (i.e. 2 cups flour, sifted) is that flour settles over time and the amount of flour in a cup can vary tremendously.  A cup of sifted flour may weigh 20% - 25% less than a cup of flour that has settled.  This difference can significantly affect the results, making breads and cakes more dense (see Sifting Flour).  The best bet for accuracy in recipe creation is to use flour that is measured after sifting.

Some recipes now use a simpler scoop-and-level instruction.  If you encounter this type of instruction, stir the flour in its container to aerate and lift it and then scoop out the required amount, getting a heaping measure.  Level it off with the back of a knife or other straight edge.  The measuring cup should not be tapped or shaken as that will make the flour settle again.  This method results in something close to sifted flour in the amount.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com

Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Where did Petit Fours get Their Name?

Hi.  I was wondering just what Petit Fours are, how the word is pronounced and where the name came from.  Can you help?

--Denise

The word Petit Four is pronounced most often in North America as "PET-ee for", but comes from the French term for a small fire or oven, pronounced more like "PUH-tee foor".

Petit Fours are small baked goods such as cakes, pastries or cookies.  They are usually sweet dessert items, although they may sometimes be savory appetizers.  Cookies like cat tongues (langue de chat in French), madeleine, macaroons and meringues are all forms of petit fours.  They can also be elaborately decorated miniatures of large cakes, covered in icing or fondant and iced with bows or curlicues.

Small tarts and pastries such as eclairs may also be considered petit fours.

A slightly broader but less common term is Mignardise (pronounced MIN-yar-deez).  Mignardise are sometimes lumped together in the same category as petit fours, but since some are not baked in an oven (i.e. chocolates, mousses, fruit compot) technically they are not synonymous.  Mignardise have started to appear more regularly at upscale, chichi restaurants as a small plate of complimentary sweets served at the end of a meal.

As to where the term comes from, I have seen two explanations.  Larousse Gastronomique attributes the term "petit four" to the 19th century French cook and pastry chef Carême, who claimed that they were made at the end of the useful heat of an oven when only small items would cook through.  When ovens were large wood-fired brick or iron monsters, the oven would be heated very hot at the start of the day and a progression of items would be cooked, each at a progressively lower temperature ending with the petit fours.  In this case, petit four would mean small or low heat.

Alternately, Alan Davidson in The Oxford Companion to Food suggests that petit four literally refers to a small oven used specifically for baking them.

Personally, I prefer the first explanation since it is more reasonable and economical than having a unitasker oven built just for cooking small cakes.  Also, it is consistent with current practices in the way wood-fired bread ovens are used.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com

 

Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward