KitchenSavvy

Chicken Oysters

Whenever I read instructions on how to cut up a chicken, the writer seems to invariably talk about the 'oysters'.  What are they and how do I find them?

--Sandy

They oysters are small tender pieces of dark meat situated just forward (toward the front of the chicken) of where the thighs meet the backbone.  Because they do very little work, they are quite tender.  In fact, some restaurants collect the oysters as they break down chickens and serve them as a specialty dish.  There are two per chicken.

It is easy to find the oysters if you have a leftover carcass you can look at as a reference.  Just ahead of the hip joint, where the thigh connects to the pelvis is a small scoped out area called the ilium.  That is where the oyster is found.  The oyster is about the size of the last joint of your thumb, and rests in this indentation.

To find the oysters, place the chicken breast down on your cutting board.  Pull the thigh slightly back, away from the wing.  The skin in front of the thigh is loose and will pull away from the body.  Using your chef's knife, cut through the skin in front of the thigh, just where it attaches back to the body.  Now if you were to feel under the skin just ahead of the joint and you would find the oyster.  It can be removed along with the thigh, or you can go back to get it after you are finished breaking down the rest of the bird if you want it separate.

If you are taking it out with the thigh, run your knife under the oyster and then continue back along the pelvic bone to sever the joint.

The easiest way to remove the oyster if you left it until later is to make a small cut at the front end of the oyster and then slide your thumb underneath, using your thumbnail to free and lift out the piece of meat.

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

Searing Scallops

I like to sear and cook scallops in butter, but I have a hard time getting a great sear on the scallops without the butter really browning too much.  The issue isn't the scallops as much as it is the sauce that I attempt to make after the scallops have seared,  After the scallops sear I build my sauce by adding more butter, sautéing shallots, and then deglazing the pan with white wine, reducing briefly, and finishing "a la minute" with lemon zest and parsley.  Pretty standard issue stuff.  The problem is that it is sometimes too bitter and too dark.  I need clean flavors.  What am I doing wrong?

--Kacey

The underlying problem is likely that you are allowing the milk solids in the butter to burn.  Store-bought butter contains between 1-2% milk solids made up of the proteins (caseins and whey)  and carbohydrates (lactose) found in milk.  It also contains somewhere around 16-18% water by weight.   The remaining 80-82% is fat. 

To sear scallops, you need to use a fairly high heat.  Otherwise the meat will toughen before the scallops are properly seared.  The milk solids in butter start to brown at a considerably lower temperature.  By the time that the scallops are finished the milk solids may have already started to burn.  Since the pan is quite hot once you have finished cooking the scallops, if you add more butter at this point the milk solids in that may burn, too.

To sear scallops, start by buying so-called "dry" scallops.  These are scallops that have not been treated with phosphate.  "Wet" scallops are soaked briefly in sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), chemical formula Na₅P₃O₁₀.  STPP attaches to the protein molecules on the surface of the scallop in such a way as to cause the protein to bind with more water than it normally would.  Other than the fact that you are paying for the extra weight of the water, as the scallops are cooking some of that extra water gets released, which will cool the pan down and interfere with the searing.  Since the STPP binds with protein, it may also interfere directly with the formation of a nice brown crust on the scallops.

Use a fat or oil that will withstand fairly high temperatures.  A light flavored olive oil is ideal, but since you are making a sauce with butter in it, you may want to start with clarified butter for cooking the scallops (See the post Clarified Butter for more details). 

Start by patting the scallops dry of all surface moisture and then lightly seasoning them with salt and pepper.  Preheat your pan over medium-high heat, add the fat or oil and then the scallops, being careful not to crowd them.  Depending on the size of the scallops you need to cook them for about two to three minutes on the first side, and a little less once you turn them over.  What you are looking for is a nice nut brown color on each surface.  Transfer the scallops to a warm platter while you make your sauce.

I would almost suggest reversing the order of your ingredients.  In making a butter sauce (Beurre Blanc, Hollandaise, Béarnaise, etc.) you need to keep the temperature low.  Temperatures above about 136°F (58°C) can cause the sauce to break.  By adding the wine before the butter, you are taking heat out of the pan.

So, reduce the heat to medium, or medium low, sweat the shallots, using a little more clarified butter if necessary, and then add the wine and reduce the liquid, if you wish, to about three tablespoons (45 ml).  Take the pan off heat and add the whole butter you are using for the sauce (not clarified) one or two tablespoons at a time whisking it in, and returning to the heat for a short while if the temperature drops too low for the butter to melt.  Start with cool butter, not melted or even room temperature.  Finish with the lemon zest and parsley as before.

All of these steps combined should give you the nice clean flavors you are looking for.  Let us know how it works.

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

Dis-dressed Turkey

I understand that the common wisdom nowadays is to cook stuffing separately from the turkey.  Why?

--Karen

In order for salmonella and other bacteria to be killed, most food, including turkey,  should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).  The temperature should be measured at the center of the food.

The ideal cooking temperatures for turkey are 165°F (74°C) for breast meat and between 175°F (80°C) and 180°F (82°C) for the leg and thigh.  At those temperatures, the light and dark meats are at their most tender and moist.  Above those temperatures, the proteins start to tighten, squeezing out moisture and leaving the meat drier.  At approximately 12 - 15 minutes per pound (27 - 33 minutes per kg), an 18 pound (8 kg) turkey will take between 3 ½ and 4 ½ hours to cook¹.

So, here is the problem.  During the time a stuffed turkey is sitting in the oven, juices from the meat, possibly contaminated with salmonella or other nasties, are soaking into the stuffing.  Since the food is in a nice warm environment, the bacteria will grow even faster than normal.  By the time the breast meat reaches its ideal temperature the stuffing has been acting as a bacteria culture for around three hours or so.  If you go for the higher temperature on the thigh meat, it has been sitting even longer.

Instead of measuring the temperature at the the center of the breast or thigh, you need to measure the temperature in the center of the stuffing.  Because the heat had to penetrate the breast and thigh to get to the stuffing, by the time it is thoroughly heated, the meat is likely overdone.

The other problem with stuffing inside a turkey is that if it is not thoroughly cooked and then is left inside the cavity, it can contaminate the leftover turkey.  Stuffing should always be removed from inside the cavity before the leftovers are refrigerated².

The easiest way to avoid this dilemma is to cook the turkey and the stuffing separately.  Prepare the stuffing as normal but keep it refrigerated in a covered casserole dish until about a half hour before the turkey is finished.  Then put it in the oven and let it cook while the turkey finishes and rests before carving.  All together that should give you about a full hour of cooking.  Check to be sure that the stuffing has reached at least 165°F (74°C), and if necessary cook it a bit longer.  If you miss the taste of the pan juices soaked into the stuffing, you can pour some into the stuffing from the bottom of the roasting pan when the turkey comes out to rest before you make the gravy.  Also, if you want, you can take the lid off of the casserole for the last 20 minutes or so to brown the top.

I make a version of the Mashed Potato Stuffing I had the first time I went to Christmas with my future in-laws.  This year at Thanksgiving there were rave reviews about the stuffing, which had been cooked outside the turkey as described above.

^1. Always use a thermometer to measure doneness.  Cooking times are approximations for planning.

^2. If you absolutely must cook the stuffing inside the bird, you can use a stuffing bag to make removal and serving easier.

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

Solving Runny Tzatziki

Here's my problem.   I love tzatziki but every time I make isome, 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 yogurt 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.

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 encourage more liquid to come out from 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

Beef en Daube

On a recent trip to Victoria, British Columbia, Pat and I visited the home of some friends -- old friends for her, new friends for me.

As probably is happening among foodies all over nowadays, conversation turned to the movie Julie & Julia which had just come out and, with that, discussion of the supposedly challenging and difficult Boeuf Bourguignon recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. 

Personally, I don't see what is so daunting about the recipe.  Still, I make a similar dish called Beef en Daube, which is somewhat simpler.  "Daube" refers to the earthenware pot in which the dish is traditionally cooked.  A good crockpot makes a modern substitute. While Beef en Daube is easier to make than Boeuf Bourguignon, you still need to count on a long slow cook to get tender meat and good flavor.

Here is the recipe:

4	oz	Bacon, cut into 1/4 inch strips
3	lbs	Stewing beef cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
1	large	Onion, peeled and cut in half crosswise
4		Cloves
1		Carrot, peeled and cut into 4 pieces
1	bottle	Sturdy red wine (Côtes du Rhône, Beaujoulais, Bordeaux)
3	cloves	Garlic, peeled and smashed
2	whole	Bay leaves
1/8	tsp	Dried thyme (optional)
10	fl oz	Condensed canned beef broth, preferably low salt, undiluted
2	tbsp	Tomato paste
20		Pearl onions, peeled (optional)
10		Button mushrooms, cleaned, stems cut off and quartered (optional)
3	tbsp	Butter, room temperature
5	tbsp	All-purpose flour
		Salt and pepper to taste

Method 1

1. Fry the bacon until crisp and then drain off the fat.
2. Stick the pointed ends of the cloves into the outside of the onion halves.  This makes them easier to remove later.
3. Put the bacon and all of the other ingredients, except the pearl onions, mushrooms, butter and flour, into the crockpot.  Following the manufacturers directions, cook for 4 to 6 hours, until the meat is tender.  If your crockpot has a heat adjustment, use the lowest heat that will keep the liquid at a very low boil.
4. A half hour before the dish is cooked, remove the large onion halves, bay leaves and the pieces of carrot using a slotted spoon.
5. Add the pearl onions and mushrooms.
6. In a bowl, mix together the butter and flour to make a paste.
7. Use your fingers, crumble about half of the butter and flour mixture into the liquid and stir.  Cover and allow to return to a boil to thicken the gravy.  If necessary, add more of the mixture and repeat until the gravy is the desired thickness.
8. Skim off the surface fat and serve hot, accompanied with mashed potatoes.

I like to use smoked bacon slices, since they add an interesting flavor.  If you prefer to not have the smokiness, use fatback or pancetta.  If it is salty, simmer in hot water for 10 minutes to remove the salt before proceeding.

If you don't have a crockpot, use a casserole and cook covered in a 325°F (165°C) oven.

While the above recipe will make an adequate Beef en Daube, you may find the flavor a little one dimensional.  In cooking, you can add depths of flavor by a number of different techniques.  To make a more flavorful Beef en Daube, try the following:

Method 2

1. Fry the bacon until crisp.  Remove the bacon from the fat and set aside.
2. Working in batches if necessary, brown the meat on all sides in the hot bacon fat.  Place on a plate covered with two layers of paper towel to remove some of the excess fat.
3. Stick the pointed ends of the cloves into the outside of the onion halves.  This makes them easier to remove later.  Brown the cut surfaces of the onion halves in the bacon fat.  Drain on paper towel with the meat.
4. Put all of the ingredients, except the pearl onions, mushrooms, butter and flour, into the crockpot.  Following the manufacturers directions, cook for 4 to 6 hours, until the meat is tender.  If your crockpot has a heat adjustment, use the lowest heat that will keep the liquid at a very low boil.
5. About a half hour before the dish is done, remove the large onion halves, bay leaves and the pieces of carrot using a slotted spoon.
6. Saute the pearl onions and mushrooms in a little olive oil over medium high heat until browned.  Add to the crockpot and cook 30 minutes longer.
7. In a bowl, mix together the butter and flour to make a paste.
8. Using your fingers, crumble about half of the butter and flour mixture into the liquid and stir.  Cover and allow to return to a boil to thicken the gravy.  If necessary, add more of the mixture and repeat until the gravy is the desired thickness.
9. Skim off the surface fat and serve hot, accompanied with mashed potatoes.

The few extra step of browning the meat, onions and mushrooms will pay off in making a much tastier dish.

The butter and flour mixture is referred to as a beurre manié, or kneaded butter. The butter helps to keep the flour from clumping, and adds richness to the dish.  If you prefer not to use butter, you can make a slurry of the flour with 1/4 of water and use that to thicken the liquid.  As with the recipe above, use about half and see how thick the gravy gets before adding more.

Beef en Daube can be made a day or two ahead and reheated gently before serving.

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

Can I Use Olive Oil to Marinate Beef

I have a family favorite flank steak marinade that uses vegetable oil.  Can I substitute olive oil (health reasons) and get the same taste and marinade?  I am worried that when the meat is marinaded over night in the refrigerator that the olive oil will harden.  Thank you for your assistance.

--Sandy

The reason for using fat of any sort in a marinade is because many flavor compounds dissolve in fat, but very little or not at all in water.  The oil carries those flavor compounds onto the surface of the meat.

Very little oil is actually needed to accomplish this.  Only enough to lightly coat the meat.  For a typical marinade, a few tablespoons of oil per cup of other liquids should be enough.  The exception, of course, being pastes that are made of herbs puréed in an oil base, like pesto.

Contrary to popular belief, the oil does not help to tenderize the meat.  Marinades only penetrate the outer 1/8" (3 mm) or so and therefore can not affect the interior.  Since the meat is made up largely of muscle fibers which are saturated with water, it is almost impossible for the oil in particular to penetrate even that far.

So, to answer your question, olive oil will be perfectly fine, as it doesn't have to stay liquid to do its job.  In fact, I use olive oil for marinades all of the time.

In order to be sure that the oil soluble flavor compounds are carried to the meat, finely chop any fresh herbs that you use, and mince or press garlic.  Combine the herbs, spices and other flavoring ingredients like garlic with the oil before adding the other liquids.  Also, I am a fan of putting the meat and marinade into a resealable plastic bag, since this allows you to redistribute the marinade by "massaging" the meat through the bag.  This helps distribute the oil, and therefore the flavors, over the surface of the meat.

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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

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

Canning Stocks and Soups

We’re recently had a few issues raised in our children in that one is very sensitive to highly processed foods and plastic containers.  So I’m trying very hard to stay away from all that stuff.  I’m trying my hand at jarring/canning, well I have yet to do it.  Can I can chicken/beef stock/soups and sauces in the glass jars and then process them as per usual?

--Lydia

You can definitely can beef and chicken stocks.  Most current reference materials have recipes for canning stock.  Essentially the method is to make the stock by placing the meat bones or chicken carcases in a large enough stockpot, covering them with water and bringing to a boil. Always use fresh ingredients.  Place a cover on the pot and simmer meat bones for 3 to four hours, or chicken carcases for 30-45 minutes.  Strain and cool the broth until the fat can be easily removed (see Removing Fat from Stocks and Soups).  My favorite method is to cool the stock until the fat solidifies and can be easily lifted off with a slotted spoon.  Reheat the broth to boiling, fill sterile canning jars, leaving a 1 inch (2.5 cm) headspace, and process using a pressure canner, remembering to adjust processing times for altitude.

Meat removed from the bones or carcasses can be added back to the broth before boiling, but be sure to remove as much fat as possible before doing so.  Also, if you are using the meat, keep it refrigerated until you are ready to add it back.

Canning soup is a little more difficult.  Noodles or other pasta may overcook and turn to mush or dissolve completely during processing and so many sources recommend not using them.  Fresh or leftover pasta can always be added during reheating.   The same applies to rice.  Flour, cream, milk or other thickening agents should not be added to home canned soups.  

To make and can soups, make broth as for canning above, and wash, peel and cook the vegetables as you would if you were canning them.   Consult the canning recipes for the individual vegetables for instructions and cooking times. 

If dried beans or peas are used, they need to be fully rehydrated first.  This can be done using the quick soak method (see Soaking Beans).  After quick soaking, they should be returned to the boil, drained, added to the liquid ingredients and boiled for a further 5 minutes. 

To process, fill sterilized canning jars no more than half full of solids, and then cover with with the liquids, leaving a 1 inch (2.5 cm) headspace.  Process using a pressure canner, again remembering to adjust for altitude.

More tender vegetables like some varieties of peas that may not can well can be added from frozen when the soup is heated for serving.

Some recipes can be found for spaghetti and other sauces.  Since these contain both high and low acid foods, they must be treated as if they were low acid using pressure canning techniques.

A good resource for information on canning is theUSDA Complete Guide to Home Canning.  You can find an electronic copy here or order it from Amazon.com here .  Canning times for stocks and soups with altitude instructions can be found there.  Note that some older references on canning may not reflect newer methods and may not be safe to follow.  Always take care in canning to have clean, sterile surfaces and utensils and follow instructions carefully.

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

How Can You Prevent a Cheesecake from Cracking?

How can you prevent a cheesecake from cracking?

--Sr. Celine

Cheesecakes crack because the filling expands during cooking and then contracts while it cools.  If the filling is not able to relieve the stress caused by this contraction in some way, it cracks.  There are a few ways to help prevent cracking, according to Harold McGee.  They come down to ways to either reduce expansion or allow the filling to contract more uniformly.

To reduce expansion start by not over mixing ingredients.  The longer the ingredients are blended, the more air is incorporated, which expands during cooking, causing the filling to expand.  If you are using an electric mixer, use the lowest speed possible to do the job.  The downside, though, is that the resulting cheesecake may be more dense.

Also, cook the cheesecake at as low a temperature as possible.  A longer cooking time means more time for bubbles to escape.  If you can, use a water bath to moderate the cooking temperature.  If you are using a springform pan in a water bath, place the pan onto two or three layers of aluminum foil and then bring the foil up around the outside of the pan to keep water out.  The water bath may extend the cooking time, but it is the best way to cook egg custards, like cheesecake.

To get the filling to contract uniformly after cooking, do not overcook the cheesecake.  Shirley Corrihersuggests that there should be an area about three inches (7.5 cm) in diameter in the middle that is "still wobbly and shaky and ... looks undercooked."  For a more accurate estimate, use an instant read thermometer.  Insert the thermometer, starting at the corner edge so as not to poke a hole in the top of the cheesecake, angling down and in so that the tip is close to the center of the filling.  For food safety, eggs should be cooked to 160°F (71°C), however too much above that and the filling may start to separate and become grainy (see the KitchenSavvy posting Custards and Sauces).

If you are using a water bath, you can cook the filling to about 145-150°F (63-66°C), remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow the cheesecake to remain in the water bath, out of the oven, for another hour.  During that time residual heat will finish cooking the filling until it has reached the desired temperature.  If the temperature reaches 155°F (68°C) before you take the cheesecake out of the oven and you are using a water bath, remove the cheesecake from the bath and allow it to cool on the counter.  If you didn't use a water bath at all, cook the cheesecake to 155°F (68°C).  In either case, heat transferred from the edges to the center will finish the cooking to a safe temperature.

Cooking to a higher temperature, or until the center is no longer wobbly makes the filling less elastic, and more likely to crack.

Once the cheesecake is cooled to lukewarm, cover and refrigerate.

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