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What’s the difference between vegetable oil and canola oil?

It can be easy to get canola oil and vegetable oil mixed up. Both are extremely common pale yellow, neutrally flavored, inexpensive oils with high smoke points making them great for high-heat cooking or frying. But these two vegan-friendly options are just as great for baking and sautéing. So, what’s the difference between them, and can they be used interchangeably? The short answer: Canola oil is actually a type of vegetable oil, so yes! You can use canola or vegetable oil when a recipe calls for either. What’s the difference between vegetable and canola oil? Canola oil is a specific type of vegetable oil. It is always derived from the rapeseed plant, a bright yellow plant resembling the mustard seed. The seeds go through an extremely lengthy process before their oils can be extracted. Vegetable oil is a catch-all oil, which — fun fact — does not actually include any…

Homemade pumpkin pie spice blend

Do you know what’s in that pumpkin pie spice blend you purchased? Chances are, if you’re a fan of pumpkin spice, you might have some idea. But I’m here to convince you that making your own is the way to go. Here’s why: You’ll save money Spices don’t come cheap. Buy the good stuff, and you’ll be plunking down $5-15 for just a few tablespoons of various spices, and more if the spice is labor intensive to grow or harvest. But you’re buying pre-mixed spice blends, you’re choosing to spend more on spices than you even need to. You’ll get much less product, for way more money, and that mix is so highly specialized, it’s way more limited in use. You’ll save space Most spice blends are made from your basics. You’re probably already equipped to make pumpkin spice (and many other spice mixes) simply by having a reasonably well-stocked…

Which apples are best to use in apple pie?

Who doesn’t love homemade apple pie? Come fall, it’s a must-make dessert for just about any baker in America. But if you’ve never made one, or if you think yours could improve, perhaps you should play around with your choice of apples. But wait! With more than 2,500 varieties of apples grown in the United States alone, how do you know which ones will make the best pie? Well, it all comes down to just two characteristics: firmness and flavor. First, you’re going to want firm apples that can hold their shape through the long, slow cooking process — no one wants applesauce pie! Second, you’re going to want to make a mix between two varieties of apples: sweet and tart. Buy half of your apples from the tart column and half from the sweet. A good balance between the two is what makes the best pies. So when we…

10 creative ways to use your blender besides smoothies

Your blender is your best friend when it comes to mixing killer morning smoothies. But blenders are way more versatile than pureeing fruits and veggies. Try these ten hacks and you’ll be getting lots more use out of your blender in no time. 1. Make sorbet High-powered blenders can crush through ice with no problem, so it stands to reason they do the same with frozen fruit. Try tossing in some frozen mangos, strawberries (or really just about any fruit) in your blender with a drizzle of honey. You blender will whip up a tasty frozen sorbet in no time. 2. Grind spices Blenders can grind spices with complete ease. Store leftovers in an airtight jar and use within three to four weeks for best flavor. 3. Make frozen cocktails Add alcohol and frozen fruit to your blender and make a boozy slushy in no time. 4. Make nut butters…

Strawberry oatmeal muffins

This time of year, I just can’t get enough fruit. I like eating it fresh most of all, but I also find it impossible to pass on delicious, fruity baked goods. Last week, I came across a killer deal on strawberries at the market, so I was inspired to use some of my stash to make this super summery strawberry muffin recipe. These strawberry oatmeal muffins have tons of texture thanks to the quick-cook oatmeal. And the brown sugar gives just enough sweetness. You’ll love these for breakfast, brunch, or an anytime snack. Since strawberries can sink to the bottom of batter, coating them in flour first will help them float throughout. It also helps distribute their moisture throughout the muffin leaving you with something tender and tasty. Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins Ingredients 1 cup quick-cooking oats, uncooked 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 1 cup Greek yogurt 1/3 cup vegetable oil…

15 fun ways to take S’mores beyond the campfire

S’mores are delicious. If you disagree, we’ll, we’re no longer digital food world friends. Now, if you say they’re a pain to eat, they’re messy, and they leave you wondering if your face is covered in melted chocolate, gooey marshmallow, graham cracker crumbs, or all three — now I can relate. S’mores are seriously one of the most perfect trio combinations. Give me tomato, basil, and mozzarella caprese salad for dinner and a s’more for dessert, and I’ll be in a sort of summertime seventh heaven. But I do agree they are a serious mess. Most of the time the whole s’more doesn’t even make it into my mouth. The chocolate will ooze out, or a giant piece of cracker will fall into the fire. Thankfully, s’mores ingredients are insanely versatile and you can get super creative with them. From milkshakes to cheesecakes, here are 15 fun ways to enjoy…

Lovely lime squares bring just enough zing

If you’re a fan of all things citrus, you’re going to love these tart little lime squares. Just 5 ingredients give you a bright and cheery dessert that goes great washed down with hot tea or ice cold milk. I could pretty much commit to only eating desserts that incorporate citrus. I crave that light, refreshing, tongue twisting flavor. These lime bars aren’t overly zingy, but they have just enough pizazz to make them memorable. If you need to cut down, a small dollop of fresh whipped cream always does the trick. Make a batch for Mom on Mother’s Day or serve them in the winter when you need a cheery pick-me-up. They’re good any time you can find fresh limes at the market. Lime Squares Serves 9-16 Ingredients, Crust 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 6 tbsp sugar 12 tbsp cold butter, cut in small chunks Ingredients, Lime filling 1/4 cup…

An easy trick to bring butter and eggs to room temperature for baking

Baking happens. Sometimes it’s planned days ahead, and sometimes you get the urge for something sweet out of nowhere. But, if you find yourself up for a little impromptu baking session, you might run into a few problems. Recipes regularly call for room temperature eggs, butter, and even milk — that means setting them out ahead of time to warm up. So what’s an impulsive baker to do? While a perfect planner would have had these ingredients resting on the countertop for an hour ahead of time, you just pulled them from your fridge and need them ready now. The microwave looks tempting, but you know that’s seriously hit or miss — and usually makes a mess. Don’t fear. Here a few hacks so you can bake your cookies without waiting until 10 p.m. to start. How to bring butter to room temperature If you’ve ever tried to microwave butter…

How to make a buttermilk substitute at home

Buttermilk is one of those annoying ingredients you either have too much of, or you don’t have at all. It’s usually sold in cartons larger than you need, so leftovers sit in the fridge for weeks. By the time you need it again, the milk will have gone bad. If you’re tired of this endless bad buttermilk cycle, do not fret. There is a solution! Make your own. A bit about buttermilk Buttermilk is an acid, so recipes that call for it won’t turn out right if you just use plain milk. You need a substitute with the same acidity as buttermilk. This acid is usually required to create a reaction with baking soda or other leavening agent in the recipe. Regular milk just isn’t acidic enough. Substituting with plain milk will also produce drier, less flavorful baked goods and can reduce the rise on your muffin tops, biscuits or other…

This is the difference between evaporated milk and condensed milk

Sometimes two foods are so similar we mistake them for one another — yams and sweet potatoes, baking powder and baking soda, and cilantro and parsley, to name a few. They’re all different foods that could never be used interchangeably. The other day I ran into another example as I was baking a pie that required condensed milk, but in a hurry, I had purchased evaporated milk. Yikes! I wondered if I had to go back to the store, or could I substitute one for the other? They both contain a shelf-stable concentrated canned milk substance, but in my research, I learned that there are clear differences. Let’s explore. Condensed milk Condensed milk is often referred to as sweetened condensed milk, and the name gives a hint at what makes it different. This shelf-stable milk concentrate has had about 60 percent of its water removed and loads of sugar added…