December 12, 2014

How to Line a Baking Pan with Aluminum Foil

One of the best ways to ensure that baked goods will come out of a pan, especially sweet treats that tend to have sticky edges, it to line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Bar cookies and brownies are very good candidates for baking in foil-lined pans. I recommend using the heaviest aluminum foil you can find as the flimsy stuff tears easily. Here’s how I do it:♥1. Find the pan that the recipe calls for. Tear off a sheet of aluminum foil that’s large enough, that it will allow for the foil to go up the sides and leave a good-sized overhang, enough to grab when the baked item is finished. So you can use the overhang as handles, to lift the baked item from the pan with. ♥2. Overturn the baking pan on the counter travel industry statistics. With the shiny side up (see Note, below), press the foil over the outside of the pan, gently smoothing it to contour it with the corners and edges of the pan. Sharp-edged pans tend to tear aluminum foil, so be especially careful not to tear it.♥3. Lift off the foil and turn the pan over. Carefully guarding the form of the foil, gently press the foil into the inside of the pan LED Dimmer, smoothing it into the corners and edges as well as smoothing any creases where batter can flow into and get caught.♥4. If the recipe calls for it, grease the inside of the pan with melted butter or nonstick spray. Use the pan as directed by the recipe.Notes♥Reynolds makes an aluminum foil lined with parchment paper, which gets good reviews, but I haven’t tried it.♥For more on the safety of using aluminum foil, check out articles from Real Simple, The Washington Post, and the National Institute of Health.♥If you don’t want to line pans with foil, brushing them with melted butter, or spraying them with nonstick spray, dusting them with flour, tapping out the excess, and lining the bottom with a sheet of parchment paper, will perform nearly the same function but may be a bit trickier to remove from the pan, depending on the recipe.♥Out of force of habit Information Security, I put the shiny side out when lining pans with aluminum foil, although America’s Test Kitchen and the Argon National Laboratory of scientists says it doesn’t matter much.

Posted by: marlon at 02:12 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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December 02, 2014

Flour + Water's Thomas McNaughton on the Magic of Toasted Fennel Seed and Chili Flake


Flour + Water opened five years ago in San Francisco's Mission District. It's nearly impossible to get a reservation at this deceptively low-key neighborhood spot: the lines are always long, the music loud, the kitchen partly open, and the stained glass partitions lend an intimate feeling to the dining atmosphere.

Before opening this unassuming pizza-meets-pasta spot with partners David Steele and David White, chef Thomas McNaughton was sous chef at two of San Francisco's great restaurants, Gary Danko and Quince, staged at Michelin-starred restaurants in France, Germany, and Italy, and worked at a pasta factory in Bologna.

As a result, at Flour + Water, McNaughton serves serious pizza--with toppings that include bone marrow, fresh horseradish, and caciocavallo cheese.

His menu combines Old World, Italian dough-making techniques with modern, Northern Californian innovations--the ricotta is made in-house, and the meats are butchered in-house, ingredients are sourced from local, small farms. And for those of us who don't live nearby, McNaughton has published a new cookbook.

"I hope this cookbook makes pasta production as approachable as possible," said McNaughton. "Any of these recipes would be a great addition to any dinner party. Bring friends over to be a part of the process and enjoy the food together!"
<img src="http://marlonnicholeblog.mee.nu/files/0211.jpg" />
We agree that McNaughton's recipes are more weekend projects than weeknight dinners, but this Homemade Squid Ink Pasta is worth the effort.

Any tips or tricks that you'd like to share?

"Don't be afraid to practice. The more you work with these pasta recipes, the more comfortable you will become."

What is your favorite kitchen appliance of tool?

"A heavy-weighted rolling pin is irreplaceable--from rolling out pasta dough to pounding chicken cutlets. This versatile tool will be with you for the rest of your life!"

What is your favorite spice or ingredient?

"I love the combination of toasted fennel seed and chili flake. When used sparingly it brings spice and cooling anise to round out any dish."

Posted by: marlon at 04:20 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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