Cooking with Fat: Butter vs Margarine vs Oils

There are several different types of fats on the market today. Knowing which to use and why can be a little confusing. Plus which is really better for you? This post, hopefully, will be one of my most imformative and shed a little light on the subject of fat!!!

Margarine: Just to forewarn every reading this: I AM ANTI-MARGARINE!!! I feel that this chemical substance (because that's what it really is) should be banned from the earth! There are several articles on why margarine is so bad and even some describing how it actually increases the risk of heart disease depending on which type of fat that is used in the spread. However the most compelling thing that made me stop consuming margarine all together was this experiment: Take a tub of margarine and a stick of butter. Set them both outside on a normal day or even a hot a day. The butter will completely melt if it's warm enough outside, if it doesn't melt, bugs will attracted to it before it eventually goes rancid. The tub of margarine, while it will melt, will not go rancid. Bugs will not touch it. Animals will not touch it. Why? Because it's made of chemicals and contains hydrogenated oil which in simplest terms = bad for you health. When something is hydrogenated, it means that hydrogen was added to it, making the chemical compound that much closer to plastic. If that isn't bad enough these hydrogenated oils are very high in trans fatty acids which as we all know now, are very bad for our bodies and especially our hearts.
Now if you still insist using margarine knowing all this then really just keep in mind that it contains a lot of water. When baking, this water makes your cookies spread out more and not always brown the way they should. When cooking, the water can make things soggy instead letting them brown nicely.

Butter: Yes, butter is an animal product which means it's going to contain cholesterol, about 30 mg per tablespoon or roughly 10% of the USDA daily allowance. However butter also contains nutrients which margarine does not unless it's added to it. Something else to keep in mind is that butter and margarine contain the same about of calories and in most cases the same amount of fat as well.
When baking, butter gives a flavor and flakiness that margarine just can't compete with. When cooking the smoke point of butter is relatively low when compared to most oils and is generally combined with a touch of olive oil to raise the smoke point. It has great non stick properties when baking or cooking. I use butter when cooking and a mixture or butter and oil when cooking depending on the dish.

Oils: An oil is nothing more then purified fats of plant origins. There are several types of  oils available on the market, but only three that should be kept on hand. Those are canola oil, a good olive oil and peanut oil.

Canola oil is an all purpose oil. I use it in most of my recipe that call for oil, unless a specific oil is called for. Canola is light and is good for making salad dressing and used in baked goods. You can fry with it but it has a lower smoke point, about 300 degrees, which makes this oil the last I would choose to fry with.
Olive oil ranges from extra virgin to just regular olive oil and each can be used for different things. I stick with a light olive oil which is great for several things. Combine oilive with some butter to sautee onions, use it by itself for flavor and to prevent foods from sticking when pan searing. It is great for salad dressings as well as marinades. Olive oil is also great to just drizzle over things like nice crusty hard bread. You can use it for frying as it has a smoke point of around 400 degree however olive oil can be a little expensive to use for frying.
Which brings us to Peanut oil. Peanut oil has a high smoke point of around 500 degrees which makes this the perfect for frying. Fried foods won't absorb as much oil when fried at higher temperatures. To me this is a strictly frying oil and I wouldn't use it for anything else. It's also one that I don't keep on hand for the simple fact that I don't do much deep frying. However I will pick up a small bottle if I know I'm going to make fried chicken during the week.

H A P P Y  C O O K I N G !!

Harvest Season

     Harvest seasons means many things to many people. To the farmers it means harvesting all their crops and preparing their fields before the first frost hits. For my husband it means pumpkin, sweet potato or apple pies. For me, it's canning and preserving season and for you, the grocery stores and farm stands it means great savings. This is actually the second harvest of the season and my favorite by far. The markets are flooded with apples, squash of all shapes and sizes, pears, and pumpkins. The fall harvest is roughly from September to November and it's the perfect time to get the above as well as broccoli, Brussel's sprouts, cauliflower,    cranberries, grapes, pomegranates, potatoes and turnips to name a few. What even better about most of these fruits and veggies is that they are easily kept through the winter months if you know how to store them properly. 
Keep the following in a root cellar where the humidity stays moist and the temp stays cool. If you don't have a root cellar there are other options such as the produce drawers in your fridge. Just make sure they control the humidity. If you have a basement, the stairwell to the outside makes a good root cellar as well.
     Apples: keep them in a plastic and they will last at least 4 months or better.
     Cabbage will keep for 2-4 months
     Carrots will keep for 6 months
     Cauliflower will keep just about 2 months
     Pears will keep for 2 to 4 months
     Potatoes will keep for upto 6 months

  
Onions, pumpkins, and squash require temps of around 50 degree and like it dryer then the above. While you cans till keep them in your basement, try setting them on shelves on the inside of a basement.

Of course if you have a furance that "dumps" excess heat or a finished, heated basement, this might not be the best place to store your harvest.

There are several was of preserving fruits and veggies if you don't want to store them. Jams and jellys are a great way to use up excess fruit. Applesauce is the best when you make it yourself but it can be time consuming. Just about everything can be frozen and will last upto a year if done properly and sealed properly. My pantry is filled with canned pears and peaches from two years ago. This year I replenished my green beans and will making applesauce soon. I try and only do 2, sometimes 3 things a season which makes it easier to manage and I don't have to worry about jars being shoved to the back of shelves and forgotten.

If you plan on canning and/or freezing it can be a big investment up front depending on what you want to preserve. I recommend buying the Ball Blue Book or Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. You'll also need a water bath canner but if you a large wide pot that will hold several quart canning jars then you can skip it. You'll also want a set of tongs that were created for lifting hot jars from the boiling water. That's all you need to get started preserving a number of things. If you want to tackle low acid foods then a pressure canner is required and they tend to be very expensive.

Just one last quick tip. To discourage smaller pests, such as insects, sprinkle bay leaves on your shelves in your storage areas.

*Some of the information in the above post was taken from "The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest" by Carol W Costenbader



H A P P Y  C O O K I N G !!

Tip of the Day: Pasta Pasta Pasta!!!

Alfabeto: letter shapped pasta, generally used in soup

Acini Di Pepe: Peppercorn shapped pasta, generally used in soup

Anelli: ring shaped pasta, used for soups and salads

Angel Hair: thinest of all pasta, long, fine, round strands.

Bucatini: looks like spaghetti however it is hollow and is thicker then spaghetti.

Capellini: is often confused for angel hair, however it is slightly thicker.

Cavatelli: short shaped pasta that resembles hot dog buns, used in thick chunky sacues

Cocciolette, Conchigliette and Conchiglioni: refers to the different sized shell shapped pasta. The smaller ones are great for salads, mac and cheese or chuncy sauces. The jumbo shells are used primarily for making the dish known as stuffed shells.

Couscous: yes it really is a pasta. It's made by rolling moistened semolina wheat and then coating the granules in a finely ground wheat flour. It's usually served under stews or as a side dish.

Ditalini: "little thimbles" are tiny, shot cut tubes and is what you find is Pasta E Fagioli and minestrone soups

Farfalle: bowtie shaped pasta is great in salads, casseroles and sauces.

Fettuccine: long, flat cut pasta, great for thinner sauces such as alfredo

Fusilli: longer cork-screw shapped pasta used in salads and sauces, espeically cheese sauces.

Galletti: "cocks' combs" are simicircular, tube shaped pasta with a ruffled edge.

Gemelli: meaning twins is two short strands of pasta twisted together, because of this they retain and al dente texture making them versatile. 

Gnocchi: is a dumpling made of flour and potatoes that are then boiled or baked and served with butter and grated parmesan cheese.

Lasagne: Long, flat and wide used for making Lasagna

Linguine (Linguini): flattened spaghetti, that is narrower then fettuccine

Macaroni: Hollow, elbow shaped pasta, commonly used in salad and sauces

Manicotti: large tube shaped pasta that is about 4 inches long and 1 inch in diameter

Mostaccioli: Similar to penne, it's 2 inches long and cut on the diagonal.

Orecchieette: "ear" shaped pasta used in salads and sauces

Orzo: rice shaped pasta, used with thin sauces or soups

Penne: tubular, slanted cut pasta used in several dishes

Penne Rigate: penne pasta with ridges

Ravioli: filled square shaped pasta of different sizes

Rigatoni: hollow tube shaped pasta with ridges that are straight cut

Rotini: another spiral shaped pasta and is shorter then fusilli

Ruote: wagon wheel shaped pasta used in soups

Spaghetti: medium diameter, long cut pasta

Stellette: tiny start shaped pasta used in soups

Tagliati: spaghetti cut into smaller pices for soups

Tagliatelle: classic egg noodle that is thin long and flat

Tortellini: "belly button" shaped filled pasta

Vermicelli: thinner then spaghetti but thicker then angel hair, means little worms and is used just like spaghetti. Can also be referring to angel hair "nests"

Ziti: long cut, tubular, hollow pasta used for making Ziti

H A P P Y  C O O K I N G !!

Seasoning Blends

Making your own blends of herbs and spices is a great way to control salt content, not to mention those longs words you can't pronounce that companies use to enhance flavors, prolong shelf life, and use as anti-caking agents. So here is a nice list to get you started. It includes taco seasonings, chili powder and even a Faux Old Bay seasoning! Depending on the size of the batch that I make, I will either store them in pint sized canning jars or baby food jars. Unless other stated just stir the ingredients together and place in a labeled airtight container.


Apple Pie Spice

8 parts ground cinnamon
4 parts ground nutmeg
2 parts ground allspice
1 part ground cloves or ginger

BBQ Rub 1

6 tbsp brown sugar, tightly packed
2 tbsp Kosher salt
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

BBQ Rub 2

2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup paprika

Blackened Seasoning

3/4 c paprika
1/2 c salt
1/4 c garlic powder
1/4 c onion powder
1 to 2 tbs ground cayenne pepper
1/2 c black pepper
2 tbs leaf thyme
2 tbs leaf oregano

Cajun seasoning

1 cup salt
1 cup garlic powder
1 cup onion powder
1/2 cup dried oregano leaves
1/2 cup dried sweet basil
1/4 cup dried thyme leaves
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup white pepper
1/4 cup cayenne pepper
1 1/4 cups paprika

Chili Powder (best method)

4 large dried mild chili peppers
2 medium dried hot chili peppers
4 teaspoons cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
1/4 cup oregano
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Remove stems and seeds from peppers. Cut peppers into small pieces. Place in a heavy skillet. Add cumin, cloves, coriander, and allspice. Over low heat,
stirring constantly, cook until mixture begins to crackle and gives off the aroma of the peppers. Cool to room temperature.
Place pepper mixture in blender. Add oregano, garlic powder, salt, and sugar; blend to a find powder. Spoon into a screw-top jar.

Chili Powder (easy)

2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp clove
1 tsp oregano

Chili Mix

1 tbs Unbleached Flour
2 tbs Instant Minced Onion
1 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Seasoned Salt
1/2 tsp Crushed Dried Red Pepper
1/2 tsp Garlic
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
Spoon mixture onto a 6" square of aluminum foil and fold to make an airtight packet.
Label with date and contents. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 6 months. This is equal to the seasoning you would purchase in packages in the store.

Essence Seasoning

2 1/2 tbs paprika
2 tbs salt
2 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs black pepper
2 tbs onion powder
1 tbs cayenne
1 tbs dried oregano
1 tbs dried thyme

Fajita Seasoning

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
Spoon mixture onto a 6" square of aluminum foil and fold to make an airtight packet.
Label with date and contents. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 6 months. This makes enough for 1lb chicken or steak and is equal to the seasoning you would purchase in packages in the store.

Garam Masala Spice

2 tsp Ginger
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Black pepper
3 tsp Ground cumin
3 tsp Ground coriander
1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
1 tsp Ground cloves

Italian Seasoning

1/3 cup oregano
1/3 cup basil
2 tbsp rosemary
1/4 cup thyme
1/4 cup sage
1/4 cup marjoram

Lemon Pepper

1 cup ground black pepper
1/3 cup dried lemon peel
3 tbs coriander seeds
1/4 cup dried minced onion
1/4 cup dried thyme leaves

Montreal Steak Seasoning

4 tbs salt
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs onion flakes
1/2 tbs garlic
1/2 tbs crushed red pepper
1/2 tbs thyme
1/2 tbs rosemary

Onion Soup Mix

3/4 cup instant minced onion
1/3 cup beef flavored instant bouillon
4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp celery seed, crushed
1/4 tsp sugar

Old bay

1 tbs ground bay leaves
2-1/2 tsp celery salt
1-1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground mace
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tbs fennel

Poultry seasoning

1 1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp black pepper

Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground allspice


Season salt

6 tbs salt
1/2 tsp thyme leaves
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp garlic salt or garlic powder
2 1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp curry powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp celery salt

Shake and Bake

4 cups flour
4 cups cracker meal or ground crackers
4 tbs salt
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
3 tbs paprika
(store in fridge)

Sloppy Joe Seasoning Mix

1 tbs dried onions
1 tsp bell peppers, freeze-dried
1 tsp salt -- or to taste
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp dried minced garlic
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp chili powder
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl until evenly distributed.
Spoon mixture onto a 6" square of aluminum foil and fold to make an airtight packet.
Label with date and contents. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 6 months. This is equal to the seasoning you would purchase in packages in the store. When making sloppy joes, combine spice packet with 6oz can tomato paste and 1 1/4 c water.

Taco Seasoning Mix

1 tbs minced onion (dried)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp instant minced garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
Spoon mixture onto a 6-inch square of aluminum foil and fold to make airtight, label and store in a cool, dry place. Use within 6 months. Makes 1 package and is equal to the seasoning you would purchase in packages in the store..
To make taco filling, brown 1 pound ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain excess grease. Add 1/2 cup water and 1 package Taco Seasoning Mix. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Tip of the Day: Emergency Substitutions

I've scoured the net the and found two great website to reference for emergency substitutions. These are an invaluable resource when you start making something and realize "oh crap! I'm out of......."

Emergency Site One

Emergency Site Two

Tip of the Day: Baking Soda, Baking Powder and Salt

What is Baking Soda?

            In simple terms baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, a compound that when mixed with an acid release carbon dioxide gas. This process is what makes baked goods rise.

What is Baking Powder?

            Baking Powder is actually baking soda mixed with cream of tartar and a drying agent. The cream of tartar is the acid that mixes with the soda when added to a liquid that produces the carbon dioxide gas. The drying agent is added in to prevent this reaction from happening in the container.

            A double acting powder just means that there are two acids, one that reacts at room temp and another that reacts at higher temps (120 degrees and higher).  This makes it helpful in longer baking times.

            Keep in mind that baking powder deteriorates rather quickly, especially after opening as moisture gets in which starts releasing carbon dioxide.

                You CAN NOT use baking soda to replace the baking powder in a recipe; however you CAN use baking powder to replace baking soda.   If you are out of baking powder you can mix two parts cream of tartar to one part baking soda.

Why do some recipes call for soda and others call for powder?

                Since baking powder contains both a base and an acid it provides a neutral taste. You will see it in recipes where the liquid is neutral too such as milk.

                Baking soda is a base and has a bitter taste. It requires the addition of an acid such as buttermilk, yogurt or vinegar, to balance it out.

Onto Salt!

                In bread making, salt reacts with the yeast and effects taste, texture, and crust color. In other baked goods salt is used to enhance the flavor of the finished product much like vanilla or MSG, without tasting the salt itself. 

Tip of the Day: Perfect Pie Crust

Pie crust recipes are a dime a dozen. They come in all shapes, sizes and taste from flakey to crumb to Oreo cookie. The perfect pie starts with the perfect crust. To achieve pie nirvana, keep a few things in mind when making a normal pie crust.

Rule 1: Look for recipes with both butter and shortening. Butter lends flavor while shortening makes it flaky. Using an all butter recipe is fine as long as it has some sort of acid in it. (see rule 2). Never make a pie crust with all shortening. Yuck!

Rule 2: Find a recipe that uses some sort of acid, especially if you use an all butter recipe. Lemon juice and apple cider vinegar are most common.

Rule 3: Make sure the butter/shortening and water are ICE cold.

Rule 4: Use your hands or a food processor. Your hands work the best to smush the butter and flour together but a food processor is the next best thing. Just pulse a few seconds at a time until a nice crumbly mixture is formed. The key is to coat the flour with butter and not the butter with flour.

Rule 5: Sprinkle in your water 1 tbs at a time. You almost never use the entire amount the recipe calls for. Keep adding water just until the dough sticks together.

Rule 6: DO NOT OVER WORK THE DOUGH! Even if you have the perfect recipe you can ruin it by overworking the dough. Once it all comes together, stop! Flatten it into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour. This gives the gluten in the flour a rest while firming up the butter again. Having a cold crust going into the oven is what helps to keep the nice fluting you spend your time creating. If the butter is warm, it melts in the oven before it can cook enough to hold its shape.

Rule 7: When you’re doing a top crust, brush with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tbs milk). This gives you a nice shiny, golden crust.

Tip of the Day

If you need chives or green onions to finish off a dish grab a pair of scissors instead of a knife. Then just snip away right over a dish!

Tip of the Day

When you can't buy fresh, buy frozen! Fruits and veggies that have been frozen for sale are picked at the height of freshness which means they are perfectly ripe and picked while in season. Frozen veggies are often quickly blanched to retain color and are better for you then the canned type. Canned veggies while a little cheaper on the wallet are cooked and then preserved using, well, perservative, meaning different types of salt and other chemicals to keep them fresh. They lack nutrients and lose their flavor because they are cooked before you ever cook them, or rather re-cook them. Moral of the story: buy frozen!

Tip of the day

Every wonder why egg shells don't always come off easily after being hard boiled? It's because of the membrane. It's what holds the egg together. To remedy this, first off, don't over cook the eggs. Get an egg timer if you're not sure. Second, once they are done, drain off the hot water and add cold until they eggs are cool. Give your pot a shake to break the shells while you cool them off. This allows some of the cold water in to help loosen the shell. Finally if you know you're going to be making deviled eggs, try buying the eggs a week a head of time so they have some time to "age" and loosen up!