This has been an interesting week. I think I might like baking after all. I rented Shirley’s bakewise book and thank God I did. I actually just ordered the book on line, so I can have my own copy. I went to the store to buy the ingredients that I needed. My first confusion was I did not know the difference between baking soda and baking powder, so I bought both. When I got home I did some research. In Shirley’s book she touched on the two but I could not find what I was looking for. So I went to the WEB, according to the web page I read,(uphttp://chemistry.about.com/cs/foodchemistry/f/blbaking.htm), I discovered that baking soda and baking powder are both leavening agents which means are used in baking to create carbon dioxide which causes them to rise. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate which when added to an acidic like chocolate causes bubbles of carbon dioxide that allows the cookie to rise. The bubbles begin as soon as you mix the ingredients. If you don’t bake the dough right away it will fall and become flat. Baking powder also contains sodium bicarbonate but it also has a acidicifing agent and drying agent added. Often baking soda is used in making cookies and baking powder is used in cakes. You can substitute baking powder for soda, but you can’t do the reverse. You do have to be careful because powder will have a different taste and you have to use more.






I baked a few things this week including chocolate chip cookies. I used the Nestle recipe for my assignment. The first batch I made according to the directions. First mistake I made was I made the cookies to big and they ran together. Elton’s tip on using a icecream scooper did not work well for me. The cookies also came out flat, not very brown and a little too sweet for me. So in my second batch, I wanted to create fluffier, less sweet cookie that a little more brown. To make the cookie fluffier, I followed Shirley’s advice and added an egg and decreased my butter from 2 sticks to 1 ½ . I also incorporated my new found knowledge, or so I thought, about baking soda verses baking powder and decreased the amount of soda to ½ teaspoon and added 1 ½ baking powder (you need 2-3 times as much powder compared to soda). To combat my sweetness issue I reduced the sugar the recepie called for from ¾ cup brown and granulated to ½ of each. After some research I realized that the reduction of butter and sugar also reduced the amount of caleries in each cookie. So in addition to attempting to create a better cookie, I actually was creating a healthier, less fattening cookie.



The first thing I noticed in comparing the two recopies is that the altered batch required a little longer cooking time. I still have not quite figured out why, but it did. My altered batch did brown better, I’m pretty sure that happened because my second batch was less acidic. The cookie itself was fluffier and looked better then the original recepie however when it came to the taste test the cookie had kind of a bland taste. I liked the change in the sweetness of the cookies but not necessarily the consistency of the second cookie my house is split. My husband and nephew like the second batch but everyone else stuck with the first.



All in all I felt I got a lot from Shirley’s book. I even went out and bought a mixer. I am trying my hand at some easy biscuits for my family tonight, wish me luck. If you do have Shirley’s book, try the flourless EZ peanut butter cookies on pages 383 and 384. They are delicious.

Making stock

Food Culture

Spices and Gadgets

Checking out spices and herbs and kitchen gadgets. One of our discussions was on spices, herbs and kitchen gadgets. So I started on a mission to find some different information on all. First I came across the root often used in Japanese cooking, wasabi. The taste is similar to horseradish and it is often used as a condiment or ingredient in sushi, sashimi and soups. In most recopies the root is grated. A sharkskin Wasabi grater is the kitchen gadget I found interesting the sharkskin surface pulverizes the root while grating.

The Colture of Food

When we think of food we often first think of nutrition. However there is another meaning of food out there that I have never given much thought to. The way people eat and prepare food based on their religion, where they were born, where there family was born.


When I began to research what influence my culture had and still has on my likes, dislikes, tastes, perception of food I was surprised to find out that much of my cooking style and ingredients I use when I cook are reflective of childhood. The question I pose is what are you thoughts on food as a culture?