On leavening: baking soda
During a surprisingly memorable middle school talent show act, a classmate of my older sister staged a sort of cooking show where she “demonstrated” how to bake something–maybe cookies? Under the requisite floppy chef’s hat, she mixed and stirred and…
Egg and hashbrown nests
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me Six geese-a-laying Five golden rings Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtledoves, and a partridge in a pear tree. For a pretty simple idea–bake hashbrowns and an…
The myth of turkey and tryptophan
As we all look forward to some socially acceptable gluttony tomorrow, let’s fast-forward to the inevitable consequences: the food coma. You know how it goes. You say you’ll just get a bite of everything, but then the cranberry sauce really…
Science of fizz
There’s something about fizz that just makes any drink more fun. Champagne feels so much more exciting than regular old wine, and I don’t know anyone who wants to drink a flat soda. Bubbles feel like magic. So how do…
Why use lard? (part 2)
Hopefully we’ve all learned that lard won’t kill you, and that it can even be a good choice sometimes. But I have to admit that I’m not totally convinced for health reasons alone–after all, lard is still pure fat. So…
Why use lard?
Lard sounds gross. I get it. For people like me who didn’t grow up with it, lard seems like a foreign and intimidating substance. Pile on years of hearing about the wonders of olive oil and the danger of saturated…
