How to Line the Base
Sides of a Cake Tin
and
Some recipes require you to line not only the base of your
cake tin, but the sides as well. There is a really easy way to
do this.
Remove the base of the tin and place it on greasproof paper.
Draw round the outside and cut out. Put the base back into the
tin then grease the base and sides of your tin with margarine
or butter. Place your circle of greaseproof onto the base and
press down.
Measure the depth of your tin and add 1.5 cm to your
measurement. With a piece of string measure the circumference
of your tin. These two measurments give you the size of
greaseproof paper you need. Measure and cut it out, then use
it to line the sides of your tin. Press it into the sides to
ensure it sticks.
You can see in image 2 below, the greaseproof paper does not
go all the way round the inside of the tin. It all depends
which way you cut your greaseproof paper. I have used the
width of the roll of paper
Dried Beans or Cooked Beans?
There are many types of beans and pulses to buy, both cooked
in a can and dried. But which are better value, and is there a
difference?
As a general rule of thumb, when dried beans are cooked, they
increase in weight by 2 1/2 times. So 100g dried beans becomes
250g cooked beans. Cost wise dried beans are cheaper than
canned beans. For example, 500g dried kidney beans costs £1.10
and a 410g tin of kidney beans is 55p. If you multiply the
500g dried beans by 2 1/2, you get 1,250g for £1.10. Three
tins of tinned beans will give you 1,230g for £1.65.
Dried beans do however need soaking, often overnight, so they
are not ideal for a quick meal you want ready in 30 minutes.
Use whichever suits your needs best. Italian Bean and Pasta
Soup is a recipe where I do use dried beans, and generally I
use tinned elsewhere.
Having said all that, I do always use dried lentils. They cook
really quickly and do not need pre soaking, and are quite a
handy ingredient to have in the kitchen. Lentil bolognaise is
a really quick and easy alternative to meat bolognaise.
How to Line a Loaf Tin for a
Cake
Loaf tins are great for making cakes in. Round cake tin sizes
are referred to by diameter, however, loaf tins are referred
to by weight. For example a 1lb loaf tin. Often the size is on
the bottom of the tin. The best way to line a loaf tin is to
use a piece of greasproof paper which runs the length of the
tin including up the ends, as I have done in the photo. Once
you have cut the greaspfoof paper to size, grease the bottom
and sides of the tin with margarine or butter, lay the paper
in the tin and press down gently.
How to Base Line a Cake Tin
Lining a cake tin prevents the cake sticking to the bottom of
the cake tin. The easiest way to line a tin is to line the
base only. Cake tins usually consist of a base which can be
removed. Remove the base, place it on some greaseproof paper
and draw round the edge. All that is left to do is to cut out
the circle. Put the base back into the tin, then, using a
pastry brush and some margarine or butter grease the sides and
base of the tin. Finally, place your circle of greasproof
paper onto the greased base and press down gently.
Why Do I Need to Brown Meat?
When cooking stews and casseroles, recipes will say to brown
the meat in small batches before adding the other ingredients.
I have often been asked why we should brown the meat, and why
brown it in small batches.
Browning the meat gives it and incrediable depth of flavour.
Searing the meat in a very hot frying pan caramelises the
surface of the meat. This in turn enhaces the flavour of the
meat, giving it a caramel/nutty flavour.
If you miss out the browning stage you may end up with a less
flavoursome casserole. However, skipping it will not cause a
disaster. I have sometimes skipped it myself if short of time.
The best way to brown meat is in a really hot pan and not
putting too many pieces in at the same time. If the pan is not
really hot, when you add the meat the temperature of the pan
will decrease and you will not sear the meat. If there is too
much meat in the pan, again the heat will decrease and you
will end up braising or stewing the meat and not get a lovely
brown colour.
How to Thicken a Sauce
If you find your sauce too thin there is an easy way to thicken it.
All you need is some cornflour (also known as sauce flour) and water.
Combine about a heaped teaspoon of cornflour and mix it with enough
water to make a thinish paste. Add a couple of tablespoons of your hot
sauce and mix. Now pour it all back into your sauce mix well. If you
find it still not thick enough just mix a little more cornflour.
Conversly, if it is too thick you can add a little water.
How to Get More Juice from a
Lemon
There is a really simple way to get more juice out of a lemon.
Before I found this trick I could not imagine how to get more
juice, but this ttrick works. Before cutting your lemon, put
it on your counter surface. Now place the palm of tyour hand
on to the lemon and roll it back and forth. Use a fair bit of
pressure, don’t be shy. Do this for about 20 seconds, then cut
the lemon and enjoy the extra juice. You can of course use
this trick with limes and oranges as well.
How Much Juice in a Lemon?
Just how much juice is there is a lemon?
If you only have a bottle of lemon juice, but a recipe asks
for the juice fo 1/2 a lemon, how much do you use? All lemons
are no the same size, however, the general rule of thumb is 3
tablespoons of juice per lemon.
Sausages
Try to buy the best quality sausages you can. Packets tell you
the percentage of meat in the sausages, the higher the better.
Don’t be fooled by packaging saying ‘Butcher’s Style
Sausages’, thinking that they must be good. I have done a
quick online check and found that Sainsbury’s ‘Butcher’s
Choice Sausages’ have 72% pork compaired to their ‘Ultimate’
range of pork sausges which have 97%. The price difference
between these two types of sausages is marked. The ‘Butcher’s
Choice’ sausages are £1.50 for 454g, apposed to £2.50 for 400g
for the ‘Ultimate Range’ sausages. It is very easy to see why
people opt for the cheaper range. What I sometimes do is buy a
packet of the cheaper one, and a packet of the more expensive
ones. Then, when I get home, mix the two packets together and
freeze the ones I don’t need.
Coconut Milk
Coconut milk is freely available in cans, but there is an
alternative and more economical way to buy coconut milk. This
is in the shape of creamed coconut. It comes in 200g packs,
and is a solid mass of creamed coconut. There are instructions
on the packet telling you how much of the creamed coconut you
need to get a required amount of coconut milk in mls. All you
need to do is weigh out the amount of creamed coconut you
need, add the reuired amount of boiling water and stir until
dissolved.
I buy KTC Creamed Coconut 200g which costs 80p. If you were to
use the whole packet, you would end up with 600ml of coconut
milk costing 80p. A 400ml can of coconut milk costs between
£1-£1.60. The maths speak for themselves.
There is a catch however. Inside the
comes in a vacuum packed bag. Trying
challenge. It is so tightly wrapped
very difficult to find somewhere for
plastic. Once you have battled your
not disappoint.
box, the creamed coconut
to get into the bag is a
around the coconut it is
your scissors to cut the
way in, the contents do