Do You Know the Difference?

This week's tip: Leaveners

Two of the most common ingredients in any baking recipes are baking soda and baking powder. These leaveners can make a huge difference in how your baking dish turns out.

Image by Evita Ochel

I found a great article that explains the difference between the two, outlines the pros and cons of using each one and offers suggestions of when to use either when baking.

Which Salt to Use?

Photo by Moritz320

Returning to this blog should be like getting back on a bike after you've been absent for a couple of years. It's easier to ride the bike than it is to blog again.

But here I am -- again!

Today's topic: Salt -- what type should you use when cooking?
Stores offer an array of salts -- sea salt, table salt, canned salt, Himalayan, etc. I generally use some sort of sea salt for roasting veggies, cooking beef, poultry and fish and preparing soups and stews.

 I use table salt for baking, which is an exact form of cooking that leaves little room for error. Baking is unforgiving to mistakes. Too much salt in a recipe, and it's a wrap. There is no coming back. 

Turns out, I've been using salt correctly. All salts are 95% sodium chloride while other minerals make up the remaining 5%. So there is little difference among the types of salt available. The salt you choose will depend upon what you're cooking.

My advice: Don't sweat over this decision too much. Try a variety of salts and stick with what works best for you and your tastebuds.