6 tips better Recipes

muffin pans, a special metal baking pan , sometimes referred to as a muffin tin, with 6 or 12 cup-shaped depressions. most often this pan is made from aluminum., muffin cups are, standard muffin cup is about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and holds 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter., giant or texas-size muffin cup is about 3 1/2 inches in diameter and holds 5/8 cup batter., muffin cup is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter and holds 1/8 cup or 2 tbsp batter., muffin-top cup is about 4 inches in diameter but are only 1/2 inch deep ., substituting a different size muffin cup, substitute another size muffin cup for original size listed in recipe. if substituting a larger size muffin cup the recipe will yield fewer muffins and if using smaller size muffin cup the recipe will yield more muffins. the bake time will be changed also. bake a larger muffin longer than the original time and smaller muffins a shorter time., tips on baking muffins, grease muffin cups by spraying each cup with no stick cooking spray or using a paper towel dipped in shortening to grease each cup., use paper liners in muffin cups for easy clean-up., if muffin cups are filled more than 3/4 full the muffins will have flat, flying saucer tops. if sufficient room is not allowed for muffins to expand before reaching the top of the cup the muffin will flatten on top., if some muffin cups will remain empty during baking , put 2 to 3 tbsp water in the unused muffin cups to keep the pan from warping., if baked muffins stick to the bottom of the muffin cup, place hot muffin pan on a wet towel for about two minutes., source : land o lakes, all about muffins, are you eating muffins or cupcakes, hot breads are always a hit and muffins are 1 of the easiest to make. they are more quickly and easily made than biscuits and no kneading, rolling or cutting is required. they can be a savory, last minute dinner muffin or a sweet delicious breakfast muffin. made using whole-wheat flour, wheat germ, bran, honey, fruits and nuts they can be very nutritious. but like the healthy granola craze which turned into candy bars, muffins also can quickly turn into cupcakes. eating cupcakes for breakfast is your choice, but don tsp tell yourself you are eating healthy breakfast muffins. a recent magazine article revealed some muffins available in new york delicatessens were claimed to be low fat, but actually contained up to 23 g of fat. that s more fat than two egg mcmuffins., what is the difference between muffins and cupcakes, some say cupcakes have frosting. a basic formula for muffins is 2 cups flour, 2-4 tbsp sugar, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 egg, 1/4 cup oil, shortening or butter, 1 cup milk. when the fat, sugar and egg ratio in a recipe reaches double or more than this, you have reached the cake level., other technical difference between muffins and cupcakes, method of cooking is different for muffins and cupcakes. the muffin method is by far the fastest and easiest. flour, sugar, baking powder and salt (all the dry ingredients) are mixed together. this is where the leavening can be uniformly dispersed into the flour. sugar is mixed with the flour to prevent the flour from lumping when combined with the wet ingredients., making and baking muffins, in a large bowl, oil (or melted butter) and egg are beaten together to form an emulsion to disperse the fat more uniformly. then the milk is stirred in. this much mixing can be done ahead and held. the two are combined just before baking., combine, cut and fold liquid into the dry ingredients. mix only to combine. batter will be lumpy but no pockets of dry ingredients should remain. the general rule is only 12 strokes., bake as soon as it s mixed. when filling cups, do not mix batter between scoops. excessive mixing causes loss of leavening., cake method for making muffins, sometimes muffins are made using the cake method , i.e. cream the fat and sugar, add eggs, add the dry ingredients and milk alternately. this is more time consuming but produces a lighter, more tender, cake-like muffin., perfect muffin, perfect muffin has a thin brown crust , a slightly rounded top with a pebbled appearance and a moist, even interior. there should be no peaks, no tunnels which are usually caused by excessive mixing and too much liquid (muffin batter should not be fluid)., more leavening is not better, just because a recipe is in print does not mean that it is in balance. a guide for leavening 2 cups of flour in a recipe is either 2 1/2 tsp double acting baking powder, or 4 tsp fast acting baking powder, or 1/2 tsp soda plus 1 cup buttermilk (for the acid) and 1 1/4 tsp baking powder. excess baking powder and soda taste bitter., here are a few tips for altering muffin recipes, substitute 2 egg whites for 1 egg in the recipe. if these are stiffly beaten and folded in at the end it will produce a lighter muffin with less fat., use non-fat milk instead of whole milk ., use salad oil in place of butter. in place of the fat in the recipe , use 1-fourth of the oil and replace the other three-fourths with fruit puree such as applesauce. jars of baby food fruits provide a quick choice of purees other than apple. adding non-gluten grain products (bran, germ, oatmeal, corn meal) for part of the flour makes a more tender muffin., create your own taste sensations, begin with the basic formula and change 1/2 cup of the flour to corn meal, bran, wheat germ, rye, oatmeal or leftover cooked cereal. add 1/2 to 1 cup chopped apple, dates, prunes, raisins, apricots, figs, blueberries, cranberries, cheese, nuts., make your favorite muffin mixes by measuring the dry ingredients twice (or more ) into two separate bowls. use 1 and package 1 with the list of wet ingredients to be added when mixing at a later date.

peel a banana from the bottom and you won tsp have to pick the little stringy things off of it. that s how the primates do it., take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. if you leave them connected at the stem , they ripen faster., store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. it will stay fresh much longer and not mold, peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking., add a tsp of water when frying ground beef. it will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking ., reheat pizza, heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to medium-low and heat till warm. this keeps the crust crispy. no soggy micro pizza., easy deviled eggs, put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. seal , mash till they are all broken up. add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. just throw bag away when done easy clean up., expanding frosting, when buying a canned frosting, remove frosting to a mixing bowl and beat with your electric mixer. the amount will come close to doubling., squirrel away, keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. the cayenne pepper doesn tsp hurt the plant and the squirrels won tsp come near it., flexible vacuum, get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. it can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings., reducing static cling, pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. place pin in seam of slacks and -- at da! -- static is gone., measuring cups, before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. dump out the hot water, but don tsp dry cup. next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out., foggy windshield, hate foggy windshields buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. when the windows fog, rub with the eraser! works better than a cloth, reopening an envelope, if you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. viola! it unseals easily., conditioner, use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. it s a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. it s also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn tsp like when you tried it in your hair..., goodbye fruit flies, get rid of pesky fruit flies , take a small glass fill it 1/2 with apple cider vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid, mix well. you will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever, get rid of ants, put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. they eat it , take it home, can tsp digest it so it kills them. it may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works & you don tsp have the worry about pets or small children being harmed

shredded cabbage and carrots from ready-to-eat package, poured loosely into a measuring cup and settled down ever so lightly with the finger tips., apple grated , should make 1 cup (i prefer brae-burn for its crispness), grated fresh onion (more is not better .), miracle whip (half the fat of mayo.), milk, level tsp sugar, salt

i have found for cooking heavy whipping cream is best. cook slow and temper (this is when u add some of the hot liquid to the cream to bring it up to temp.) before putting in a hot liquid. if it is cooked to long and too hot it will break up or separate. i also know it can dry up, but just follow these rules and it should be okay. cream picks up flavors pretty quick. i would thin 15 or 30 mins. is long enough to let the cream sit with ingredients, althought when i was making souffles and other desserts the cream was not a factor unless i beat it too long (it would dis-solve to nothing), didnt have a clean, cold bowl or cream was warm., cream, half & is at least 10.5% butterfat (milkfat), light cream is between 18 and 30% butterfat, light whipping cream is between 30 and 36% butterfat, heavy whipping cream is between 36 and 40% butterfat., colder cream is to start, and the colder it stays as you whip it, the easier and better it whips., if it is not cold enough , it doesn tsp whip , it churns (no air is incorporated) which makes butter., when whipping cream , add the sugar when the cream is mostly whipped, and the cream will whip to a higher volume. adding the sugar at., prevent cream from curdling when adding to coffee, use fresh cream. as cream ages, its lactic acid content increases. acid can curdle cream. the acid in coffee, along with coffee s heat, favor curdling of cream., here are some facts and tips on using cream or milk in hot dishes., lower the butterfat (milkfat) content, the more likely cream is to separate., half & is at least 10.5% butterfat (milkfat), light cream is between 18% and 30% butterfat, light whipping cream is 30% to 36% butterfat, heavy cream (heavy whipping cream) is 36% to 40% butterfat, hotter the liquid , the more likely cream is to curdle (separate). cream should never be added to a boiling liquid., when adding cream or milk, it is best to heat it up a bit before adding it to another hot liquid. it is partly the difference in temperature that causes milk or cream to curdle. the beginning results is lower volume., freezing cream : freeze only heavy cream containing 40% or more butterfat. heat to 170 to 180of for 15 minutes. for storage longer than 2 months, add 1/3 cup sugar per quart of cream. cool quickly. place in moisture-vapor resistant containers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace., cream whipped after freezing and thawing does not become as stiff as never-frozen cream. individual whipped cream garnishes can be satisfactorily frozen by whipping cream before freezing. place dollops of whipped cream on baking sheet and freeze. once solidly frozen, remove dollops and store in the freezer in freezer containers.