On 6/28/12, marilyn deweese <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hi Tina, do you have a question?
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dena Polston" <[email protected]>
> To: <[email protected]>
> Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 10:46 PM
> Subject: Re: [CnD] helpful hint: thickeners
>
>
> On 6/26/12, marilyn deweese <[email protected]> wrote:
>> 11 Commandments of Crockpot Cooking
>>
>> Thought I'd share ....
>>
>> Crockpot's are a safe and wonderful way to make a meal. In fact, they
>> might be the only cooking appliance you can leave on while you're out of
>> the
>> house quite a testament to their safety. The key to creating a delicious
>> slow-cooked meal? Knowing the rules. Follow these 11 principles, and
>> you'll
>> be creating warm, hearty recipes all year long:
>>
>> 1. Temperatures must reach at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit for safe
>> slow cooking. (The low heat on most models is about 200 degrees F.)
>>
>> 2. To keep foods out of the food danger zone, always use fully thawed
>> meats. Don't use whole chickens or roasts; cut the meat or poultry into
>> chunks to ensure thorough cooking.
>>
>> 3. For best results, a Crockpot should be between half and two
>> thirds full.
>>
>> 4. Resist temptation to open the lid during the cooking process --
>> each peek you take will add an additional 15 to 20 minutes of cooking
>> time.
>> Also curb your urge to stir; it's usually not necessary.
>>
>> 5. Cooking on low heat takes about twice as long as cooking on high
>> heat. A general rule of thumb is that "low heat" means about 200 degrees
>> and
>> "high heat" is about 300 degrees.
>>
>> 6. The ceramic insert in a Crockpot can crack if exposed abrupt
>> temperature shifts. Don't put a hot ceramic insert directly on a cold
>> counter; always put a dish towel down first. Likewise, don't put a
>> ceramic
>> insert straight from the refrigerator into a preheated base.
>>
>> 7. You can certainly just pile food into the Crockpot and turn it
>> on, but some recipes come out a lot better with a little prep time.
>> Browning
>> meat especially ground meat -- and sautéing vegetables in a skillet
>> before
>> adding them to the Crockpot will greatly improve the flavor of your meal.
>> If you dredge your meat in a little flour before browning, you will get a
>> thicker sauce.
>>
>> 8. For high altitude cooking, add an additional 30 minutes for each
>> hour of time specified in the recipe. Legumes take about twice as long as
>> they would at sea level.
>>
>> 9. Fat retains heat better than water, so fattier foods, like meat,
>> will cook faster than less fatty foods, like vegetables. For more even
>> cooking, trim excess fat off of meats. If you're cooking a dish with both
>> meat and root vegetables, place the vegetables on the bottom and sides of
>> the insert and put the meat on top.
>>
>> 10. Dairy products, like sour cream, milk, or yogurt, tend to break
>> down in the Crockpot. To prevent this, add them during the last 15
>> minutes of cooking.
>>
>> 11. If you're adapting a favorite recipe to the Crockpot, there are a
>> few things you should keep in mind:
>>
>> - Liquid is not going to evaporate, so cut back on the liquids by about
>> 20 percent.
>>
>> - If you're using herbs, select whole leaves and spices, and use half
>> the normal amount.
>>
>> - If you're using ground herbs, add them in the last hour of cooking.
>>
>> Source : The All-Around-Cooking list on yahoogroups.com. From Richard.
>> _______________________________________________
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>> [email protected]
>> http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
>>
> starch thickeners Notes:
> These silky powders are used to thicken sauces, gravies, pie
> fillings, and puddings.
> They're popular because they thicken without adding fat or much flavor.
> Tips:
> To avoid lumps, mix the starch with an equal amount of cold liquid
> until it forms
> a paste, then whisk it into the liquid you're trying to thicken. Once
> the thickener
> is added, cook it briefly to remove the starchy flavor. Don't
> overcook--liquids
> thickened with some starches will thin again if cooked too long or at too
> high a
> temperature.
> Cornstarch, arrowroot, and tapioca are the most popular starch thickeners.
> They
> have different strengths and weaknesses, so it's a good idea to stock
> all three in
> your pantry.
> Starch thickeners give food a transparent, glistening sheen, which looks
> nice in
> a pie filling, but a bit artificial in a gravy or sauce. If you want
> high gloss,
> choose tapioca or arrowroot. If you want low gloss, choose cornstarch.
> Cornstarch is the best choice for thickening dairy-based sauces.
> Arrowroot becomes
> slimy when mixed with milk products.
> Choose arrowroot if you're thickening an acidic liquid. Cornstarch
> loses potency
> when mixed with acids.
> Sauces made with cornstarch turn spongy when they're frozen. If you
> plan to freeze
> a dish, use tapioca starch or arrowroot as a thickener.
> Starch thickeners don't add much flavor to a dish, although they can
> impart a starchy
> flavor if they're undercooked. If you worried that your thickener
> will mask delicate
> flavors in your dish, choose arrowroot. It's the most neutral tasting
> of the starch
> thickeners.
> Tapioca starch thickens quickly, and at a relatively low temperature.
> It's a good
> choice if you want to correct a sauce just before serving it.
> Substitutes:
> roux (Higher in fat, but best for gravies, stews, and gumbos.) OR
> instant flour (Use
> twice as much. Flour turns sauces opaque, imparts a starchy flavor,
> thins out if
> cooked too long, and breaks down if frozen and thawed.) OR potato (Adding
> grated
> potato to soups or stews will thicken them.) OR nut flours (These have
> a more pronounced
> flavor.)
> Varieties:
> arrowroot starch = arrowroot powder = arrowroot = arrowroot flour
> This starch thickener has several advantages over cornstarch. It has
> a more neutral
> flavor, so it's a good thickener for delicately flavored sauces. It
> also works at
> a lower temperature, and tolerates acidic ingredients and prolonged
> cooking better.
> And while sauces thickened with cornstarch turn into a spongy mess if
> they're frozen,
> those made with arrowroot can be frozen and thawed with impunity. The
> downside
> is that arrowroot is pricier than cornstarch, and it's not a good
> thickener for dairy-based
> sauces, since it turns them slimy.
> Arrowroot also imparts a shiny gloss to foods, and while it can make a
> dessert sauce
> glow spectacularly, it can make a meat sauce look eerie and fake. To
> thicken with
> arrowroot, mix it with an equal amount of cold water, then whisk the slurry
>
> into
> a hot liquid for about 30 seconds. Look for it in Asian markets and
> health food
> stores.
> Equivalents: One tablespoon thickens one cup of liquid. Substitutes:
> tapioca starch
> (very similar) OR Instant ClearJel® OR cornstarch
> (Cornstarch doesn't impart as glossy a finish and can leave a starchy
> taste if undercooked.)
> OR
> kudzu powder OR potato starch OR rice starch OR flour
> (Flour makes an opaque sauce, imparts a floury taste, and can easily
> turn lumpy.
> Use twice as much flour as arrowroot.)
> ClearJel® = ClearJel® starch = Clear-jel Notes:
> This modified cornstarch is the secret ingredient that many commercial
> bakers
> use in their fruit pie fillings. Unlike ordinary cornstarch,
> ClearJel® works well
> with acidic ingredients, tolerates high temperatures, and doesn't
> cause pie fillings
> to "weep" during storage. ClearJel® is an especially good choice if
> you're canning
> homemade pie fillings, since it doesn't begin thickening until the liquid
> begins
> to cool. This allows the heat the be more evenly distributed within
> the jar during
> processing. This is such an important safety advantage that ClearJel®
> is the only
> thickener the USDA recommends for home canning. You can also use
> ClearJel® to thicken
> sauces, stews, and the like, though it's a rather expensive
> all-purpose thickener.
> One downside is that products thickened with ClearJel® tend to break
> down if they're
> frozen and thawed. If you plan to freeze what you're making, use
> Instant ClearJel®,
> arrowroot, or tapioca starch. ClearJel® is available either as
> pearls or powder
> from mail-order suppliers, but it's not yet available in grocery stores.
> Substitutes:
> Instant ClearJel® (Don't use this if you're canning a pie filling.) OR
> tapioca starch
> OR arrowroot starch OR cornstarch
> cornflour
> cornstarch
> = corn starch = cornflour = crème de mais = maize cornflour
> Equivalents:
> One tablespoon (1/4 ounce) thickens one cup of liquid.
> Notes:
> This silky powder is used to thicken sauces, gravies, and puddings.
> Like other
> starch thickeners, cornstarch should be mixed into a slurry with an equal
> amount
> of cold water before it's added to the hot liquid you're trying to thicken.
>
> You
> then need to simmer the liquid, stirring constantly, for a minute or so
> until it
> thickens. Cornstarch doesn't stand up to freezing or prolonged cooking,
> and it
> doesn't thicken well when mixed with acidic liquids. Cornstarch is
> called cornflour
> or maize cornflour in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. Don't
> confuse cornstarch
> with the finely ground cornmeal that Americans call corn flour.
> Substitutes:
> arrowroot (This tolerates freezing and prolonged cooking better, and
> imparts a glossier
> finish.) OR ClearJel® (especially for pie fillings) OR tapioca starch
> (dissolves
> more easily) OR potato starch (This is permitted during Passover.) OR
> kuzu OR flour
> OR water chestnut starch (especially in Asian cuisines) OR unsweetened
> almond powder
> (imparts a nutty taste, especially good in Chinese sweet-and-sour dishes)
> crème de mais
> Instant Clearjel® Notes:
> This is a modified cornstarch that professional bakers sometimes use
> to thicken
> pie fillings. It has several advantages over ordinary cornstarch.
> Instant ClearJel®
> thickens without cooking, works well with acidic ingredients,
> tolerates high temperatures,
> is freezer-stable, and doesn't cause pie fillings to "weep" during
> storage. Don't
> use Instant ClearJel® for canning--it tends to break down.
> Substitutes:
> ClearJel® (not freezer-stable) OR tapioca starch OR arrowroot starch
> OR cornstarch
> instant tapioca = quick-cooking tapioca = quick tapioca = granulated
> tapioca = tapioca
> granules = instant pearl tapioca
> Notes:
> These small, starchy granules are used to make tapioca pudding and
> to thicken pie
> fillings. The grains don't dissolve completely when cooked, so
> puddings and pies
> thickened with them end up studded with tiny gelatinous balls. If you
> don't mind
> the balls, you can also use instant tapioca to thicken soups, gravies,
> and stews.
> If the balls are a problem, just pulverize the instant tapioca in a
> coffee grinder
> or blender, or buy tapioca starch, which is already finely ground.
> Instant tapioca
> tolerates prolonged cooking and freezing, and gives the fillings an
> attractive glossy
> sheen. To use it in a pie filling, mix it with the other ingredients, then
>
> let
> it sit for at least five minutes so that the tapioca can absorb some
> of the liquid.
> Don't confuse instant tapioca with regular tapioca, which has larger
> beads, or with
> the even larger tapioca pearls sold in Asian markets.
> Minute® tapioca is a well-known brand. Substitutes:
> regular tapioca (Use twice as much. Puddings made with this will
> have larger gelatinous
> balls in it.) OR tapioca starch (This is also used to thicken pie
> fillings.) OR tapioca
> pearls (Pulverize these first with a blender, coffee grinder, or food
> processor)
> OR cornstarch (Use half as much. Cornstarch breaks down if it's mixed
> with acidic
> ingredients, cooked for a long time, or frozen and thawed.) OR
> arrowroot (more expensive)
> OR flour (Use a little more.)
> glutinous rice flour
> katakuriko
> kudzu powder = kuzu powder Pronunciation: KOOD-zoo Equivalents:
> Use 3 tablespoons of kudzu powder to thicken 2 cups of liquid.
> Notes:
> This thickener is made from the tuber of the kudzu, the obnoxious
> vine that was
> imported from Japan a number of years ago and is now growing out of
> control all over
> the South. It's very expensive, and the main reason to buy it is for
> its reputed
> medicinal benefits. It comes in small chunks. To thicken a liquid,
> crush the chunks
> into a powder, mix them with an equal amount of cold water, then stir
> the mixture
> into the hot liquid and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce is
> thickened. Look
> for kudzu in health food stores.
> Substitutes: arrowroot powder OR cornstarch
> lotus root flour Notes: This is gluten-free.
> maize cornflour
> mochiko
> naw may fun
> potato flour
> potato starch = potato flour = potato starch flour = katakuriko Notes:
> This gluten-free starch is used to thicken soups and gravies. Its
> main advantage
> over other starch thickeners is that it's a permitted ingredient for
> Passover, unlike
> cornstarch and other grain-based foods. Liquids thickened with potato
> starch should
> never be boiled. Supermarkets often stock it among the Kosher products.
> Substitutes:
> cornstarch (This is very similar, but not permitted for Passover.) OR
> arrowroot OR
> tapioca starch OR ground Passover matzo (This is also permitted for
> Passover.)
> regular tapioca = small pearl tapioca Notes:
> These are small beads of tapioca that are used to make tapioca
> pudding. The beads
> don't dissolve completely, so they end up as small, squishy,
> gelatinous balls that
> are suspended in the pudding. Don't confuse this with instant tapioca,
> which is
> granulated and often used to thicken fruit pie fillings, or with pearl
> tapioca, which
> has much larger balls.
> Substitutes:
> instant tapioca (Tapioca pudding made with this will end have smaller
> gelatinous
> balls. Use half as much.)
> sago starch = sago = pearl sage Pronunciation: SAY-go Notes:
> This flour is made from the inner pulp of the sago palm. It's
> often used to make
> pudding, but it can also serve as an all-purpose thickener. Look for
> it in Asian
> markets.
> Substitutes: tapioca pearls
> sahlab Notes:
> This is made from orchid tubers and has a pleasant, flowery smell.
> Look for it in
> Middle Eastern markets.
> Substitutes:
> cornstarch (Substitute measure for measure.)
> sorghum starch Substitutes: cornstarch
> soy starch
> sweet potato starch Notes: Asian cooks like to dredge pork in this
> before frying
> it.
> sweet rice flour = mochiko = glutinous rice flour = glutinous rice
> powder = sweet
> glutinous rice flour = mochi flour = naw may fun
> Notes:
> This thickener has the virtue of remaining stable when frozen. It's
> often used to
> make Asian desserts. Don't confuse sweet rice flour with ordinary
> rice flour
> . Look for it in Asian markets. Substitutes:
> tapioca starch (This also doesn't separate when frozen)
> tapioca flour
> tapioca pearls = pearl tapioca = large pearl tapioca = fish eye
> tapioca = tapioca
> balls = sa khu met lek
> Notes:
> These round pellets are made from cassava roots. Asians use them to
> make puddings
> and a beverage called bubble tea. You can also use them to make
> tapioca pudding,
> though it's faster and easier to use instant or regular tapioca. The pearls
>
> are
> normally soaked for at least a few hours before they're added to a recipe.
> Substitutes:
> sago starch OR instant tapioca OR tapioca starch
> tapioca starch = tapioca flour = cassava flour = yucca starch = almidon de
> yuca
> Notes:
> Tapioca is a good choice for thickening pie fillings, since it
> thickens at a lower
> temperature than cornstarch, remains stable when frozen, and imparts a
> glossy sheen.
> Many pie recipes call for instant tapioca instead of tapioca starch, but
> instant
> tapioca doesn't dissolve completely and leaves small gelatinous blobs
> suspended in
> the liquid. This isn't a problem in a two-crust pies, but the blobs
> are more noticeable
> in single-crust pies. Tapioca starch is finely ground so that it
> dissolves completely,
> eliminating the gelatinous blob problem. The starch is also sometimes
> used to thicken
> soups, stews, and sauces, but the glossy finish looks a bit unnatural
> in these kinds
> of dishes. It works quickly, though, so it's a good choice if you
> want to correct
> a sauce just before serving it. Some recipes for baked goods also
> call for tapioca
> flour because it imparts a chewier texture.
> Substitutes:
> instant tapioca (Also good for thickening pie fillings. If you like,
> pulverize the
> beads in a blender before using.) OR Instant ClearJel® OR sweet rice flour
> (also
> remains stable when frozen) OR cornstarch (doesn't dissolve as easily,
> separates
> if frozen) OR arrowroot (separates if frozen) OR potato starch
> (separates if frozen)
> OR rice starch (separates if frozen) OR instant flour (use twice as
> much; sauce will
> be opaque, not clear; separates if frozen)
> water chestnut flour = water chestnut powder = water chestnut starch
> Notes:
> Asian cooks often dredge foods in this before frying them, because
> it gives fried
> foods a crisp, nutty coating. It can also be used as a thickener.
> Look for it in
> Asian markets and health food stores. Don't confuse this with chestnut
> flour.
> Substitutes: cornstarch
> water chestnut powder
> Copyright © 1996-2005 Lori Alden
> _______________________________________________
> Cookinginthedark mailing list
> [email protected]
> http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
>
> _______________________________________________
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> [email protected]
> http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
>
No questions. I was attempting to send a couple of helpful hints I got
from the Internet. Apparently, I don't know how to use Gmail that well
and the messages are ending up at the bottom of my message. Also, I
never see the messages I send for some reason. Sorry list! Until I
figure this out, I will not send any more messages. I'll just lurk.
Thanks for the ine recipes and helpful hints.
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