KitchenSavvy

Solving Runny Tzatziki

Here's my problem.   I love tzatziki but every time I make some, it ends up so runny you could almost drink it with a straw.  It is too runny for dipping pita or vegetables in.  How can I make it thicker?

--Gail

Tzatziki is a traditional Greek dish made by combining yogurt, crated cucumber and other ingredients.

There are two things you can do which will likely solve your problem completely.  The first is to very thick Greek style yogurt.  If you can't find Greek style yogurt, you can make a good substitute by straining regular yogurt. To do that, place a paper coffee filter into a strainer, place the strainer over a bowl large enough that the bottom of the strainer is at least 2 inches (5 cm) above the bottom of the bowl, and then pour the yogurt into the filter.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours and up to overnight.

Depending on how long you leave the yogurt drain, it may be reduced by about half the volume and there will be about the same amount of yellowish liquid.  The longer you let it sit, the firmer your tzatziki will end up.  If you are straining the yogurt overnight, then after a couple of hours pour off the liquid in the bowl.  Drained yogurt is sometimes referred to as yogurt cheese.

Even if you are using Greek style yogurt, you may still want to strain it to make the final result even firmer.

The other trick you can try is once you have peeled, seeded and grated the cucumber, toss it with some salt and then place it into a fine sieve strainer and let it sit for an hour or so.  The salt will drain excess liquid out of the cucumber.  If you don't do this, the liquid will still come out of the cucumber only it will thin out the tzatziki once it is made.

Other ingredients that you might put into your tzatziki include garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil and mint.  Here are the ingredients that I use.  You may vary them according to your own preferences.

1	1/2	c	Strained Yogurt (see above)
1			English Cucumber
	3/4	tsp	Salt
	1/4	tsp	Fresh Ground Pepper
1		clove	Garlic, finely grated
1		tsp	Lemon Zest, finely grated
2-3		tsp	Lemon Juice
2		tsp	Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4-5			Mint Leaves, finely chopped	(optional)

Make the strained yogurt, as described above, starting with 3 cups of regular yogurt.  It will reduce to the desired amount.  I prefer to use a full fat yogurt because it gives a better mouthfeel, and because some of the flavors in the garlic and lemon zest are fat soluble so it enhances the taste of the final dish.

Peel, seed and grate the cucumber, using the fine toothed side of a box grater.  Toss with the salt and strain as described.  If you prefer a chunkier texture, you can use the coarse side of the grater or finely dice the cucumber instead.

Blend all of the ingredients together.  Taste and adjust all of the flavors as desired.  Refrigerate for at least an hour and preferably a full day.  Remember that the flavors will meld some as it stands, but that the garlic may become stronger.

Serve with pita wedges or vegetables,  in gyros or as a side with other Greek foods.

Oh, and a final hint.  If you are making your tzatziki by whizzing everything in a blender, quit doing it that way.  The blender will only encourage more liquid to come out of both the cucumber and the yogurt and will make the end result too uniform in both texture and flavor.

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

Rancid Flour

Hi
I substituted white whole wheat flour in a Challah recipe that says to use just whole wheat flour.   I found that it tasted and smelled like play dough.  Is there a difference in white whole wheat flour and whole wheat flour. If so what is the difference?  Do you have any good idea for a whole grain healthy Challah?

--Julie

By coincidence, just as I was reading your email I happened to take a taste of a restaurant whole wheat dinner roll that had a similar chemical taste.  Play dough is a good description.

White whole wheat flour is similar to whole wheat flour that has been milled finer so that it doesn't have the larger and tougher particles you find in regular whole wheat.  Some manufacturers claim that it tastes just like white flour.  While the flavor is much lighter than whole wheat, there is still a perceptible nutty taste.  You can make your own approximation of white whole wheat flour by mixing regular white flour with an equal amount of whole wheat flour that has been sifted using a fine mesh kitchen strainer.

My initial guess is that either the flour or oil you used had gone rancid.  If it was the oil, you would likely have noticed the taste in other dishes, so I'll bet it was the flour.  Because white whole wheat flour is made from the whole wheat berry, it contains considerably more fat than does regular flour.  According to King Arthur Flour's website, their 100% White Whole Wheat Flour for professional bakers contains 1.62 grams of fat per 100 grams of flour.  Compared to the USDA analysis for all-purpose white flour, which they give as 0.98 grams per 100, the white whole wheat flour contains 65% more fat.

Because of the extra fat, the shelf life of white whole wheat flour is shorter.  Robin Hood Flours in Canada gives the shelf life of their regular, all-purpose flour at 12 months, but their white whole wheat flour at only 9 months.  Also, white whole wheat flour is a bit of an odd mix, targeting a niche market looking for increased fiber in baked goods traditionally made with white flour.  Because of this, it may sit longer on store shelves than other products.

To tell if it is rancid, take a pinch of flour and place it on your tongue.  Regular flour will have a little taste.  Most of us know the taste of raw flour from undercooked sauces or raw dough.  White whole wheat flour will also have a slight nutty flavor, similar to whole wheat flour or wheat bran, only less distinct.  Rancid flour, on the other hand, will have a slight tang to it and will sting a little on your tongue.  If you have ever tasted the membrane that separates the two pieces of meat inside a walnut, rancid flour will have that same acrid flavor only not as strong.

I have tasted other baked goods with rancid white flour in them, so when I tasted the dinner roll, I knew immediately what the taste was, which is why I think that was your problem, too.  Try buying another bag of white whole wheat flour.  Taste it first to be sure it isn't rancid and if not try your Challah recipe again.  Also make sure that the oil you are using is new and has no off tastes.

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

Ounces Weight vs Fluid Ounces Volume

Isn't it true that an 16 oz of dry goods is different that 16 oz of liquid measure.  If a recipe calls for 8oz of flour, you should measure it using a scale rather than using a cup (which is a liquid measure, no matter what kind of cup you use).  I'm confused.

--SM

The confusion comes from the fact that in English we use the word "ounce" when talking about both the weight of something or the volume  it occupies.  In cooking, if you are talking about the volume of something, technically you should refer to the measure as "fluid ounces" and if  you are weighing something then you can say just "ounces."

Ingredients such as beans, sugar or flour can be conveniently measured by volume in cups, pints, quarts, liters and all of the other units that are used to calculate volume, including fluid ounces.  They can also be weighed in pounds, kilograms and ounces.

Depending on what ingredient you are measuring, the weight in ounces and the volume in fluid ounces may be close to the same or vastly different.  Sixteen fluid ounces of water weigh very close to 16 ounces (1 pound)^*.

Sixteen fluid ounces (2 cups) of flour will weigh around 8 ounces (1/2 pound) if it is sifted, and somewhat more, around 9 ounces, if it is unsifted.  This is just a rough estimate, though.

So, if your recipe calls for "fluid ounces" then you are definitely using a volume measuring device, such as a liquid or dry measure.  See the post Difference Between Dry and Liquid Measuring Cups for guidance on which to use and how.

If the recipe just says "ounces", for some ingredients you may be able to assume that the author means to measure by weight.  For ingredients like flour, though, the author may mean either weight or volume so you need to be careful to understand which is being used.  In books on baking there is frequently a section near the start on techniques where sometimes they may clarify which measure they are using.

As a further note, fluid ounces may be abbreviated in recipes as "fl. oz." and ounces as just "oz."

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^* The scientist in me wants to say that is true provided that the water is close to room temperature and the ambient air pressure is close to standard pressure at sea level, but for most practical purposes you can consider them to be equivalent.

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

Making Cinnamon Rolls with Self-Rising Flour

I have a question about self-rising flour. I have a recipe that calls for yeast and warm water. I was wondering if I can substitute self-rising flour and avoid all the yeast and it's complications (like water at 110 degrees etc.)? The recipe is for cinnamon rolls.

Thank you so much for your help.

--Shannon

Self-rising flour is a lower protein all purpose flour with baking powder and salt added in.  The amount of salt varies by maker.

You could substitute self-rising for bread or regular all purpose flour but what you will end up with will be more like a cinnamon tea biscuit.  In bread making, proteins in the flour form glutens that trap carbon dioxide gas produced by the yeast, similar to a balloon filling with air, to make the product rise.  During baking, evaporation of alcohol also produced by fermentation of sugars by the yeast cause the bubbles to inflate further.  Because yeast produces lots of gas over a long period, the gluten structure is needed to trap the gas and make bread recipes work right.

Unlike bread, cakes, biscuits and cookies don't rely on gluten to trap gases.  Instead of releasing lots of gas over a long period, baking powder releases relatively less carbon dioxide fairly quickly, mostly as the product is baking.  Starch in the flour or proteins from other ingredients like eggs set as the gas is released.  A balance of ingredients, temperatures and timing need to work together to make the the product set.

Self-rising flour is used in cakes and biscuits, not breads, and shouldn't be kneaded like bread.  If you do knead it, any gluten that forms will work against the baking powder, resulting in less rise and a flat, tough result.  So if you replace the yeast and flour in your recipe, you shouldn't knead the dough, which in turn means that you will end up with a cake or biscuit like texture.

Beyond that, you will likely need to reduce the amount of liquid since lower protein flour absorbs less water.  The amount of water you want to use will be enough to make a dough the consistency of rolled biscuits.  You will also want to reduce the salt in the recipe if your self-rising flour contains salt.  The exact amount you need to reduce it by is not easy to predict but may be as much as 1/2 teaspoon per cup of flour.

You may find that you need to alter the amount of fat in the dough, too, to get a satisfactory texture.

Finally, you may need to increase or decrease the amount of sugar in the dough to get the right balance of flavors.

The exact amounts for all of these changes is hard to predict, since they depend on the initial recipe, as well as other factors and personal tastes.  A better starting point might be to begin with a recipe for rolled biscuits using self-risng flour and take it from there, rather than starting with a yeast recipe.

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

Removing Mushroom Gills

Is it necessary to remove the gills in mushrooms while cooking?

-- Sneha

There are a few reasons why you might want to remove the gills from mushrooms, but none of them is absolutely necessary.

If you are making a light colored sauce, such as a mushroom cream sauce, you might want to remove the gills from your mushrooms, particularly older mushrooms that have their gills exposed.  The reason for this, is that the gills can discolor your sauce and make it dirty brown rather than light and creamy looking.

If the mushrooms are older and the gills are already exposed, there is a chance that dirt or even insects may be caught up in the gills.  This is especially a problem if they are wild, foraged mushrooms.  To avoid having grit from the mushrooms get into your food, you might want to remove the gills.  Also, the gills of older mushrooms may have more intense flavor.   For a lightly flavored, more delicate sauce removing the gills may be desirable.

When making stuffed mushrooms, you might want to remove the gills just to make it easier to stuff them, and to make more room for the stuffing to fit.

To remove the gills, first break away the stem by bending it back and forth.  It should break off right where it joins the cap.  Then use an teaspoon, the kind you stir your tea with, not the measuring spoon, and scrape the underside of the mushroom with the edge of the spoon.  The gills should come away into the spoon.  Go back and clean up any missed spots or pieces that got left behind.  Finally, wipe the inside of the mushroom cap out with a dry cloth or paper towel.

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

Adjusting Cheesecake Recipes for Different Pan Sizes

I have a recipe for a lemon marble cheesecake that I am making for Easter Dinner. I have several question for you. I would like to make this in a larger size pan but have been unable to find the volumes for any cheesecake pans. Do you have any idea of the volumes on say a 9 1/2 inch, 10 inch and 12 inch springform pans? Also after adjusting the recipe quantities are there any other considerations I might need to take besides increasing the baking time?

--Karen

First, thanks for getting the question to me ahead of time.  So often I get questions right when the problem arises.  By then, its too late to answer in time to be of help.

According to Corriher, in her new book BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking, springform pans may not actually measure the same diameter as they are labeled. The Food Lover's Companion does give the volume for a 9 ½" x 2 ½" springform as 10 cups, and a 10 ½" x 2 ½" springform as 12 cups.

If you have the pans on hand, you could just fill them with water using a measuring cup and see how much it takes, but since springform pans leak, you need to line them with something to keep the water in.  To do that, just open kitchen garbage bag and put it into the pan, the same as if you were lining a pail.  Let the excess drape around the outside, and then fill the bag inside the pan with water until it comes close to the top of the pan.  The water will push the excess plastic out to the edges of the pan, so your measurement will be pretty close.  It is probably best to do this in the sink to avoid a mess.

Alternatively, you can calculate the volume of the pans using the formula:

V= H x Π x r²

where:

• H is the height of the pan, measured inside from the bottom to the height you would fill it;
• Π is the constant 3.1416
• and r² is ½ the measured diameter of the pan squared.

Thus, for a pan which measures 9 ½" diameter and 2" high inside, the volume will be:

V = 2 x 3.1416 x4.75 x 4.75

V = 141.76 cu in

Since 1 US cup = 14.4375 cubic inches, the pan would hold about 9.8 cups or say 10 cups even.

If you are using a larger pan, but plan to fill it to the same depth, then you can just square to ratio of the diameters to get the scaling factor.  A 12" pan will hold 1.6 times as much as a 9 ½" one [(12/9.5)²].  I actually recommend this, as it will cause less problems in terms of cooking time.  If the pan is filled to the same depth, then the cooking time will remain close to the same (see Scaling Recipes).

Armed with the measured or calculated volumes of various pans, you can now scale your recipe.  I recommend against scaling a recipe by more than a factor of two.

Start with the number of eggs in the recipe.  In the above example of going from a 9 ½" pan to a 12" pan, if the original recipe calls for 4 eggs, then the scaled recipe will need 6.4 eggs.  Now you have a problem, the 0.4 of an egg.  The easiest thing to do will be to use 6 eggs, and scale everything by 1.5 instead of 1.6 . Scale the rest of the ingredients accordingly and proceed.

Just one more note, though.  If you are scaling by volume, and the recipe calls for a crumb crust on the bottom of the pan, scale the ingredients for the crust by the ratio of the diameters, as above.  If you don't, the crust will be too thick.

Make and bake the cheesecake following the hints in the posting How Can You Prevent a Cheesecake from Cracking?

 

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

Beating Egg Whites - How Cream of Tartar Helps

While you mentioned that cream of tartar, in a properly sealed container, can be kept indefinitely, I used mine last evening and the beaten egg whites did not turn out to be stiff as described in the recipe.  I suspect the culprit is my cream of tartar being too old, even though it was kept in a tightly sealed container.

-- Lucy

Cream of tartar does not affect the stiffness to which egg whites can be beat nearly as much as it helps stop beaten egg whites from collapsing. 

When you beat egg whites, proteins in the whites unfold from their natural shape and become tangled with each other.  At the same time, you are beating air into the whites, forming small bubbles.  The protein molecules become attached to each other through chemical and electrical bonds that reinforce the skin of the air bubbles.  Over time, these bonds can pull the proteins closer together, forcing out the water trapped in the surface of the bubbles.  Eventually, the proteins pull themselves together so strongly that compact, grainy protein lumps form and the liquid pools in the bottom of the bowl.

This is where the cream of tartar comes in.  It helps prevent the formation of chemical bonds between protein molecules.

To understand this, first a little chemistry.  Protein molecules have, along their length, sulfur atoms that in turn may have a hydrogen atom attached.  If the sulfur atoms release their attached hydrogen into the surrounding liquid, then they can attach to something else.  Sometimes, that something else is a sulfur atom on another protein molecule.   If too many sulfur - sulfur bonds occur, the proteins pull together too strongly and the foam collapses, as above.

Because it is acidic, the cream of tartar increases the number of free hydrogen atoms in the liquid.  These extra hydrogen atoms either stop the sulfur atoms from releasing their attached hydrogen, or else provide another hydrogen atom to quickly take its place.  Because of this, the rate at which sulfur - sulfur bonds can be created is slowed down enough to help keep the egg whites stiff long enough to be used.

Any acid can be used for this purpose, although cream of tartar and lemon juice are the most common.  The amounts needed are 1/8 teaspoon per egg white for cream of tartar and 1/4 teaspoon per egg white for lemon juice.

If you are having trouble beating egg whites to stiff peaks, there may be one of three causes.  If you got any of the yolk from the eggs into the whites while separating them, this can lessen the ability of the eggs to form stiff peaks, as can contamination from oil, fat or detergent on the utensils.  You should never use a plastic bowl to beat egg whites, since fat molecules are attracted to some plastics and may leave a film on the inside of the bowl.

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

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

Caramelized Onion, Chevre and Fig Tart

I love cooking with caramelized onions. They have a rich, complex flavor which is suited to many applications. They are the basis of dishes like classic French Onion Soup and and Pissaladiere. Caramelized onion can also be used stews and braises, in making bread and as a complement to meat. 

On a recent trip to France, we discovered a natural affinity for chevre cheese and figs so, bringing these flavors together, I invented the following recipe.

Caramelized Onion, Chevre and Fig Tart

Amount		Measure	Ingredient
2		Med	Onions
1	1/2	Tsp	Olive Oil
	1/2	Tsp	Salt
3	1/2	Oz	Chevre Cheese, unripened
3		Tbsp	Fig Jam
18			Mini Tart Shells

1. Peel onions, halve and slice into 1/8th inch slices. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and let sit for 5 - 10 minutes.
2. Heat a sauté pan to medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the sliced onions. Sprinkle on the salt.  Toss. Cover and allow to steam down, 10 - 15 minutes, being careful to reduce the heat if they start to brown.
3. Remove the cover, and continue to cook the onions down, stirring frequently and progressively reducing the heat as they brown, until they are evenly softened and browned to a mahogany color. The volume will be greatly reduced. Allow to cool.
4. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)
5. Place tart shells onto a cookie sheet. Give the caramelized onions a rough chop just to remove any long pieces and then divide evenly among the tart shells. Divide the chevre evenly among the tarts, spreading it, if possible, to cover the onions. Top each tart with 1/2 teaspoon of the fig jam.
6. Bake tarts for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges of the tart shells are lightly browned and the jam is bubbling. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.

In place of the second step above, you can toss the onions with the salt and then microwave on high for about 15 minutes until they soften and reduce to about three quarters their original volume.  Place the onions and any liquid into the oiled pan and proceed as in step 3.

As they caramelize, the onions will reduce down a much smaller volume, as shown in the following pictures.

Raw Onions		The Same Onions After Being Caramelized

In these pictures, eight large yellow onions, about 5.3 pounds (2.8 Kg) were caramelized, resulting in about 2 1/4 cups (530 ml) of finished product.  The two onions in the recipe should yield about 9 tablespoons, or about 1/2 tablespoon per tart.

Don't spend extra to buy sweet onions for caramelization.  By the time you are done, the sharp sulfur compounds will have cooked off completely, so use the least expensive onions you can find.

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

Substitute for Gruyère Cheese

What can I substitute for Gruyère cheese?

-- D

To some extent, that depends on what you are using it for.  In fondue, Ememental would be the standard substitution.  If you can't find Emmental, look for generic Swiss Cheese.   The Food Substitutions Bible suggests you can also use Comté or Beaufort as a general substitute for Gruyère.

For melting on top of one of my all time favorite potato dishes, Potato Flan with Caramelized Onions, I really like Jarlsberg, since its slightly stronger, nutty flavor stands up well to the complexity of the dish.  The original recipe called for Gruyère.  For grilling or melting onto potatoes or vegetables, you could also use Raclette from France or Switzerland.

And for eating out of hand, try any of the above as well as Maasdam or Edam.

If you live somewhere that has a good, knowledgeable cheese store, like the Bulk Cheese Warehouse in Saskatoon, go in and tell them what you are making.  They may have many more interesting suggestions.  If you are looking for a cheese to go with a particular food, say maybe to serve alongside a Peach Cobbler, tell them.  They may be able to suggest an interesting pairing.  If you aren't sure of a recommendation, most cheesemongers will be happy to give you a taste of any cheese they suggest.

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

Adding Eggs and Dry Ingredients in Baking

Why do you have to add eggs one at a time, or add liquid and dry ingredients alternately in baking?

--Mark & Nancy

Many cake and cookie recipes start by creaming together a solid fat, usually butter, and sugar.  After this they say to add the required number of eggs one at a time, incorporating each one before the next is added.  Then, the dry ingredients and other liquid ingredients are blended in, alternating dry and wet ingredients.   This is probably the most common procedure in home baking.

If you add the eggs one at a time and blend each of them in well, the fat will emulsify with the eggs, similar to making mayonnaise, only in this case you are adding the eggs to the fat rather than the other way around. 

And just like making mayonnaise, if you were to dump all of the eggs into the bowl at once and try to beat them together, it is much harder, if not impossible to get a smooth result.  Try that some time, and you may have the butter turn into grains that don't blend in.  This isn't fatal to making a cake, but could result in some larger pockets of fat that melt during cooking creating an uneven texture in the finished product.  Also, according to Shirley Corriher in BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking with Over 200 Magnificent Recipes if you over-beat the batter once the eggs are added, you may get a hard, shiny crust on top of your baking that separates from the rest of the food.  This is because the eggs have been beaten to a partial meringue.  If you add all of the eggs at once, you may blend the batter too long trying to get it smooth, resulting in this crust effect.

Once the eggs are incorporated, the instructions say to add some of the dry ingredients, which have already been blended together in a separate bowl, and then some of the other liquid ingredients.  Usually they say to alternate one third of the dry ingredients, one third of the liquid, and so on.  Sometimes it is by halves.

In baking, you want to avoid as much as possible the formation of gluten, which result from the combination of certain wheat flour proteins with water.  Because gluten is elastic, and because chemical leaveners are not very strong, any gluten that is formed will inhibit the rise of the baked product.  Gluten in cookies will make them tough and leathery.  Gluten is desirable in bread making, but not baking.

If you follow the typical instructions to alternate dry and wet, the first batch of dry ingredients you add gets coated with the fat, both from the butter or other fat, and the fat in the egg yolks.  The fat interferes with the formation of gluten.  From there you want to add liquids and dry ingredients mixing as little as possible while still getting everything evenly blended.  Too much mixing will cause more gluten to form, resulting in a denser, more bread-like loaf. 

If you dumped all of the dry ingredients in at once, the batter at that point would be very stiff and may be lumpy.  In an effort to get a smooth batter, you will likely mix enough to form lots of gluten.  On the other hand, if you added all of the liquid ingredients first, you wouldn't get the benefit of the fat interfering with gluten formation.  The balance is found in between, neither adding all of the dry ingredients first nor adding all of the wet ingredients first, but rather in alternating them according to the recipe.

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