25
Apr
Posted by Edward Antrobus in Tips & Tricks | Tags :Baking, baking powder, eggs, Flax, Omega-3 fatty acid | No Comments
Basket of eggs (Photo credit: wattpublishing)
Eggs are ubiquitous in cooking. Countless recipes call for an egg in some way, shape, or form. However, eggs are perishable and can sometimes go bad on you before you have a chance to use them. But if you wind up with rotten, unusable eggs, or just plain run out, there are some alternatives out there. Additionally, these egg substitutes are vegan-friendly, so if you don’t eat eggs as a dietary restriction, then these substitutions will work for you.
If you have eggs that have been in the refrigerator for an extended period, it is important to test them for freshness before using them. If the egg stands on it’s end, then it is still okay for baking or using in recipes. If it floats, throw it out and try this egg substitute instead.
Baking Soda Egg Substitute
This egg substitute uses water, vegetable oil, and baking soda. It has the advantage of being ingredients that are typically on hand in any kitchen. It doesn’t provide much flavor, but will provide the thickening power of a real egg.
1 egg = 2 Tbsp. water + 1 Tbsp. oil + 2 tsp. baking powder.
Baking Soda & Vegetable Oil Egg Substitute
- 2 TBSP water
- 1 TBSP vegetable oil
- 2 tsp baking soda
- Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.
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Flax Seed Egg Substitute
Flax seeds are the only plant-based foods with significant amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3′s are essential to brain function but are typically only found in seafood products. Use this flax seed mixture as an egg substitute if you don’t eat seafood regularly (or at all).
1 egg = 1 tbsp ground up flax seeds + 3 tbsp water
Flax Seed Egg Substitute
Author: Edward Antrobus
Serves: 1
- 1 TBSP ground flax seed
- 3 TBSP water
- Combine ingredients and mix thoroughly
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Do you have any other homemade egg substitutes to share?
23
Apr
Posted by Edward Antrobus in Utensil ABC's | Tags :cheese, grater, shredding | 2 Comments
Grater (Photo credit: Konstantin Lazorkin)
G is for Grater.
A grater is an implement used to shred or grate foods such as cheeses or vegetables. It is also known as a shredder in some parts of the United States. Graters are used to quickly cut soft foods into small pieces to make them bite ready or melt more quickly. The grater was invented in the 16th century as a way or re-purposing stale cheeses in the days before hard cheeses were common.
Styles of graters
There are two basic styles of graters. While they come in a variety of shapes and sizes, the reality is that they are really just two, the box grater and the plane.
Box graters
Box graters have two to six sides with different size grating slots for different grating and shredding jobs. Typically, there is a handle at the top. The four sided box grater is the most common. It has a rectangular shape with a plane-style cheese grater and a vegetable slicer on the short sides and two different size shredding holes on the longer sides. For a more detailed explanation of the uses of a box shredder, please see Using all Four Sides off a Box Grater.
Aside from the number of sides, other variations include handle styles and storage containers. While basic models have a metal handle, some have a plastic or rubber grip and possibly a non-slip base. Another feature that some models employ is a small storage container. If you need half a cup of shredded cheese, then it is handy to be able to grate directly into a container that marks that amount.
Plane graters
The other style of grater is the plane, sometimes called a micro-plane. A plane has a flat (or sometimes curved) face attached to a handle. Unlike a box grater, the plane doesn’t always have holes. Instead, some plane-style cheese graters have sharp nodules on them which grain size pieces are broken off.
Also related is the zester. A zester is similar to a plane-style grater, but is typically used only for the skins of citrus fruits.
Recommendations
I bought this Kitchenaid Gourmet Box Grater
last year after my old grater started to rust. It is sturdy and holds up well to usage and the storage container and non-slip base are nice features.
21
Apr
Posted by Edward Antrobus in Recipe Sunday | Tags :pita, Potato chip, tuna | 2 Comments
While I don’t eat it as much as I would like because it is a bit pricy, I love tuna and would eat it for lunch nearly every day. And nothing makes a better side to tuna salad than potato chips. So I thought, why not put the potato chips in the tuna salad?
The potato chips don’t show up well in this photo, but they are there.
By incorporating potato chips into the tuna salad, it provides an extra crunch to the sandwich. I had started out with simply stuffing potato chips into the pita. But I would run into the issue of pieces of potato chip falling out as I bit into it. By crushing up the potato chips and mixing them into the tuna, you keep the crunch without the mess.
You could also call this a pita melt because I’ve found that melting the cheese in the pita helps hold the sandwich together better. I discovered this accidentally last week when I put the cheese inside the pita and then decided I should warm it up because it was slightly stale.
If you don’t like this particular tuna salad recipe, you could try my fat-free tuna salad recipe instead. Or instead of a pita, you could make a more traditional tuna melt, instead.
Potato Chip Tuna Pitas
Author: Edward Antrobus
Recipe type: Lunch
Cuisine: American
Serves: 2
- 1 pita, cut in halves
- 2 slices cheese
- 1 can tuna
- 1 oz potato chips, any flavor
- ¼ c. mayonnaise
- 2 TBSP relish
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- Place cheese slices inside pitas. Microwave 30 seconds to melt cheese.
- Drain tuna. Crush potato chips into slivers. Mix in remaining ingredients together.
- Fill pitas with tuna salad.
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You can use any flavor of potato chips, but I have found that kettle-cooked or ruffle chips work best. They hold their crisp better when crushed. Ordinary potato chips are more likely to turn to potato crumbs instead.
Cooking With The D’Grater
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