High Altitude Baking

Written by Lauren Danver


Continued from page 1

When buying cake mixes, look forrepparttar high altitude baking instructions onrepparttar 148954 box. Your quick breads will vary from muffin-like to cake-like in structure. The cell structure of biscuits and muffin-like quick breads should be firm enough to withstandrepparttar 148955 increased internal pressure at high altitudes withoutrepparttar 148956 need of adjustment. Be cautious, though, as a bitter or alkaline flavor can result from inadequate neutralization of baking soda or powder. To avoid this, reducerepparttar 148957 baking soda or powder slightly and this can often improve your results. The quick breads with a cake-like texture will be more delicately balanced and can often be improved at high altitudes when you followrepparttar 148958 adjustment recommendations given for cakes.

You can also take advantage of a variety of charts available for high altitude baking. These will come in handy and help you determine what adjustments to make according to how many feet above sea level you are. The higherrepparttar 148959 altituderepparttar 148960 more adjustments are needed.

The following guidelines may be used as a general rule of thumb. Remember to test each recipe, first, for best results:

3,000 to 4,500 feet: decrease baking powder 1/4 tsp per required tsp decrease liquids by 1 Tbs for each cup required

5000 to 6000 feet: decrease baking powder by 1/4 tsp for each tsp. required decrease sugar by 2 Tbs for each cup required increase liquid by 2 to 4 Tbs for each cup required

6000 feet and above: decrease baking powder by 1/4 tsp - 1/2 tsp for each tsp. required decrease sugar by 3 to 4 Tbs for each cup used increase liquid by 2 to 4 Tbs for each cup used

Altitudes over 10000 feet: same as 6000 feet, but add an extra egg to recipe

High altitude baking can be fun. As you experiment, you will come up withrepparttar 148961 formula that works for you at your level of elevation. You should begin withrepparttar 148962 suggested adjustments and then make minor tweaks here and there. Your good efforts will produce quality baked goods, sure to please evenrepparttar 148963 gourmet in all of us.

About the author: Lauren Danver is the owner of All Kitchen Supplies, where you can find all types of discount kitchen products. She also recently relocated from living at sea level to over 5,000 feet!


The World's Best Pickles

Written by Janette Blackwell


Continued from page 1

So this is an old, old recipe belonging torepparttar whole human family.

END-OF-GARDEN PICKLES

Vegetables:

Green tomatoes*, cut in half or quartered if large Carrots, peeled and cut into strips Cauliflower, separated into small florets Baby onions, peeled, or larger onions halved or quartered Green peppers, cut into broad lengthwise slices Garlic, two peeled cloves per quart jar Medium-hot peppers, two small whole peppers per quart

You can also add unpeeled and unwaxed small cucumbers, zucchini, or lightly cooked green beans, though we never did. The hot peppers add adventure and zest, but if you prefer to save your tears for really sad occasions, why not?

Amounts and proportions depend on what vegetables you have and how many quarts you plan to make. You don’t have to haverepparttar 148905 green tomatoes, andrepparttar 148906 other things can be bought in a grocery store. But you do need a variety of vegetables, and you have to haverepparttar 148907 onions and garlic, or you won’t haverepparttar 148908 world’s best pickles. You will haverepparttar 148909 world’s so-so pickles, and that would be a shame.

Armenian-Persian-Bulgarian Brine

To one quart of water add 1/4 cup pickling salt (salt that isn’t iodized), and one cup of white distilled vinegar. Bringrepparttar 148910 mixture to a boil. This is enough brine to cover two quarts of mixed pickles, with a little left over.

Processing

Followrepparttar 148911 canning instructions in a good, standard cookbook. Or, if you plan to eat them right away, packrepparttar 148912 vegetables into clean quart jars, pour over themrepparttar 148913 hot brine, and keeprepparttar 148914 pickles covered inrepparttar 148915 refrigerator. Some ofrepparttar 148916 more impressionable vegetables, like zucchini, will be ready to eat in only two or three days. ________

* The green tomatoes for this recipe should be at least thinking of getting ripe. A tomato demonstrates its thoughts along this line by getting a white overlay on top ofrepparttar 148917 green.



Go STEAMIN’ DOWN THE TRACKS WITH VIOLA HOCKENBERRY, a storytelling cookbook -- and find Montana country cooking, nostalgic stories, and gift ideas -- at Janette Blackwell’s Food and Fiction, http://foodandfiction.com/Entrance.html -- or visit her Delightful Food Directory, http://delightfulfood.com/main.html




    <Back to Page 1
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use