9 makes taste 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.

butter ( makes it taste better), sugar, evaporated milk, semisweet chocolate chunks , can use milk chocolate, marshmallow creme, chopped pecans, salt, vanilla

chicken thighs, about 2 1/2 lb (note : i often remove the skins), kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, vegetable oil , preferably peanut oil (note: regardless of the oil you use, i sub half sesame oil here for extra flavor - it s great), soy sauce, honey, garlic cloves, minced (note : i often use up to 4 cloves here because i love garlic), fresh ginger, peeled and minced, toasted coriander (spread them over the bottom of a small skillet over medium-high heat and toss or stir them until dark brown and fragrant, 3-5 minutes. transfer to plate to cool, then grind in a small grinder or mortar and pestle. if you use pre-ground coriander, heat it a bit in a pan first and cool....it makes the taste better.), curry powder, cayenne pepper, my adaptations to the marinade and optional, chopped scallions, cilantro, hoisin sauce, unsalted butter (if you re browning the chicken on the stovetop before going into the oven), peanut butter (creamy or chunky, your preference), hoisin sauce, fresh lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, fresh ginger, peeled and minced, crushed red pepper flakes

lukewarm water (90of to 100of), dry yeast or two 0.6-oz packages fresh yeast, crumbled, all purpose flour (i use king arthur bread flour), extra-virgin olive oil, coarse sea salt, note: i have found that adding anywhere from 1-2 tsp. of salt (table salt works just fine) to the flour while making the dough works as good or better than the coarse salt on top. it depends on your taste. i would suggest adding 1 tsp. of salt to the flour and maybe lightly adding the coarse salt before baking. or forgo the coarse salt altogether and add 1.5 tsp of salt to the flour for the dough. bread does needs salt to have a good taste., note 2: drizzle with olive oil before baking., note 3: you can knead with a little olive oil to keep from adding more flour and prevent dryness., add herbs of your choice and/or a grated favorite cheese. i have used rosemary, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, cracked black pepper, asiago, and parmesan in various combinations and it all worked out well.

cheese biscuits often sound better than they taste. those we have baked have generally come out of the oven dense as a brick and gummy to boot. the cheese appears to weigh down the dough and prevent a proper rise. we wanted to master this simple recipe and make cheese-flavored biscuits with an airy texture and light crumb. here s what we discovered, test kitchen discoveries, add cheese to cream biscuits, which are prepared simply from flour and heavy cream leavened with baking powder., knead the dough only long enough to incorporate the dry ingredients and cream. overworking the dough will make the biscuits tough., choose dry , strong-flavored cheeses to flavor the biscuits. wet or particularly rich cheeses turned the biscuits gummy during testing. add most of the cheese to the dough just before adding the cream and sprinkle the remainder across the top halfway through baking so that it browns, which will intensify its flavor., bake the biscuits immediately after preparing them to make the most of the leavener.

broccoli florets- stems cut off (i prefer fresh ), white onion- sliced into thin rainbows, garlic- crushed and minced, fresh basil- about 4-5 leaves rolled up and cut into ribbons (try to use fresh, tastes much better!), red crushed pepper (or to taste if you can tsp handle a little heat!), salt, coarse black pepper- 5 grinds, parmigiana cheese- try to use a good brand, drizzle of balsamic glaze- i used store bought , but its easy to make at home too, pam- olive oil flavored, olive oil, cold water (for boiling ), cold water with ice (for blanching)