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How to make a buttermilk substitute at home

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…

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Get your ice cubes to stop sticking with this easy trick

Get your ice cubes to stop sticking with this easy trick

If you’re like many Americans, the ice cube maker on your refrigerator is broken no less than 364 days a the year — and that’s if you’re lucky enough to have one. Most of us still rely on the ancient technology that is ice cube trays. But even trusty trays come with problems. With only 12 cubes per freeze (24 if you’re fancy and have two trays!), you’re out of ice in no time, especially if you are entertaining. You probably freeze cubes ahead of time and store then in your freezer’s side bid or even a plastic bag. But right when you go to gather the fruits of your pre-planning labor, you find your cubes have fused together into an enormous indoor iceberg.  Yuck! Avoiding this situation in the future is a total cinch. Don’t let your ice cubes stick together in the first place. Here’s how: Also see, the difference…

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Seasonal

Keep potatoes from turning brown this holiday season

Stop your potatoes from browning

When you’re preparing a big meal for the holidays, there are so many ingredients and different dishes to prep that you can easily get distracted. One minute you’re creaming corn, and the next, you’re cleaning up apple pie spillover in the oven. While you may be able to throw away a few forgotten burnt rolls, one mistake will be too obvious to hide — a bowl full of grey mashed potatoes. If you’re not planning to use your potatoes within 20 minutes after exposing the inner flesh to air, you should takes steps to prepare. Here’s how to keep your potatoes from turning grey or brown, so they’re be worthy of praise at your holiday table. Why do potatoes brown? If you ever took a long phone call in the middle of chopping potatoes and came back to a brownish-grey mess on your cutting board, you’ve seen the science in…

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Seasonal

The most likely places you’ll catch a cold this winter

The most likely places you'll catch a cold this winterAdobe stock

The cold and flu are a harsh reality of winter for many. Between October and March, about 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population comes down with the flu, according to the CDC. Adults average about 2-3 colds per year and children have even more. While we all know to wash our hands frequently and eat a healthy diet, to stay healthy it also helps to know the places where we’re most likely to pick up cold and flu causing bacteria and viruses in the first place. Both cold and flu are contagious infections of the respiratory tract. Coughs and headaches are common to both. Congestion, sore throat and sneezing are associated with colds, while the flu brings tiredness, a high fever and an overall feeling of weakness in the body.  A cold is milder than the flu, and one can’t turn into the other because they are completely different virus. What they…

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What side of aluminum foil should you cook on?

What side of aluminum foil should you cook onAdobe stock

You’ve probably notice by now that foil has two distinct sides: one that’s shiny and one that’s dull. You may even have a preference for which side you cook on. But what’s the truth behind this two-faced tin foil conundrum? It would be natural to think that the shiny side would reflect more heat and maybe create a more effective surface for cooking. So if you use the shiny side, you’re right. But if you use the dull side, you’re also right — you’re both right! According to Reynold’s Kitchen, the different textures on the two sides have nothing to do with cooking efficiencies, but rather, the manufacturing process. Reynold’s explains in the FAQS on the company website: The foil is ‘milled’ in layers during production. Milling is a process whereby heat and tension is applied to stretch the foil to the desired thickness. We mill two layers in contact with each…

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This is why bread comes wrapped in brown paper bags

This is why bakery bread comes wrapped in brown paper bags

Grocery stores have a lot of tricks up their sleeve to persuade you to part with your hard-earned cash. From the local farmers market look of the fruit baskets to the “wet look” of the lettuce, there’s a lot of psychology behind a supermarket’s decisions. But while making things look appetizing is the grocer’s goal, there is one product decision that has nothing to do with convincing you of freshness. It’s the bakery section bread, and it’s wrapped in brown paper bags for a reason. You might have thought that the paper was to make it look like a fancy French bakery (or even to make it go stale faster if you’re a bit cynical), but believe it or not, the brown paper bags actually help keep the bread fresher longer. The open paper bag allows room temperature air to circulate, keeping the bread crusty — in a good way —…

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Crave-Worthy Recipes

9 Tips for making the perfect fruit salad

9 tips for making the perfect fruit salad by Everybody CravesThinkstock

Summertime is synonymous with fresh fruit, so it’s no wonder why we consume so much fruit salad during these warm months. It’s sweet, refreshing and so easy to make, but for those in the know, there is actually more to it than just chopping up a bunch of fruit and tossing it in a bowl. Not all fruit salads are created equal. There are a few tricks you can follow to enhance the flavors and make the dish more pleasing to the eye. Here are 9 tricks to help you make your best fruit salads this summer, and all year long. 1. Buy fruit in season Fruit is flown in daily from around the world, but that doesn’t mean it’s fresh. It was likely picked weeks ago — before it was ripe and ready. It was packaged, bruised, stored and shipped before it ever made it to your grocery market. Instead, you…

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7 tips that will help cut calories from your favorite cocktails

7 tips that will help cut calories from your favorite cocktails

Everyone knows that alcohol is the first thing you should give up if you’re trying to shed some weight — and with summer coming up, we’re all looking for fast fixes. Alcohol possesses the unfortunate combination of being high in calories while also inhibiting or reducing your body’s ability to burn fat. In other words, your body is forced to store excess alcohol calories as fat, which makes sugary drinks one of the worst offenders ever. But not all alcoholic drinks are created equal. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you want to imbibe, but also want to minimize the damage done. 1. Let’s begin with booze. Every bottle is different, but as a general rule of thumb, it’s better to stick with standard types of alcohol — vodka, gin, tequila, whiskey or scotch. All of these options have zero carbs and have fewer calories that cream-based liqueurs, like…

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How to make perfect hard-boiled eggs that are easy to peel

How to make perfect hard-boiled eggs that are easy to peel

Making hard-boiled eggs is one of those skills you think you’ve mastered — Eggs. Water. Boil. Done… right? Not so fast. If you struggle to remove the shell or bite into a slightly sulfuric, green-tinted yolk, your eggs are less than perfect. It’s nothing personal: these problems arise when the proper level of doneness hasn’t been reached. Improve your process with these four steps for perfect hard-boiled eggs. Step 1: choose older eggs  The age of an egg does make a difference. The outer membrane of a freshly laid egg will cling to the shell more than older eggs, making the peeling process for difficult. Most likely, the eggs you’re getting at the supermarket are old enough that aging them in your fridge isn’t necessary, but check the expiration date. You don’t want expired eggs, but a week or two out are primed boiling candidates. STEP 2: Cooking the eggs Place eggs…

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9 Food Myths That Just Won’t Die

Image credit: Thinkstock

Some food myths just won’t quit. They usually persist because people cling to old science or wives tales out of confusion or simply out of habit. Some myths stick around because they can be easier than the truth. Eating a balanced diet and getting enough sleep and exercise is usually the best course for fighting disease and maintaining overall health. But drinking alcohol to fall asleep and  then energy drinks to stay awake or lose weight is seen as easier and sexier… but it won’t give you the healthy results you seek. Here are 9 myths you should purge from your brain right now. Myth: The fewer carbs in your diet, the healthier you are Healthy truth: It’s true that most Americans eat more refined carbs and sugar than we should. These should definitely be avoided. But some carbohydrates are essential to a healthy diet, since they provide energy for your whole body. It’s best to get your cards from minimally processed…

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