Chef Master USA's simple cooking tips

Chef Master USA's cooking tips

Chef Master USA's tips for how to test your baking powder

If you're unsure about the freshness of your baking powder try Chef Master USA's freshness test. Put one teaspoon in 1/3 cup of water. If the water does not fizz toss the baking powder. Chef Master USA would like for you to know this means it's too old.

Chef Master USA's tips for softening brown sugar

There are many ways to soften brown sugar, but Chef Master USA believes this one is a good one becuase you will probably have the items in your pantry. Put the hard brown sugar in a plastic container and line the top with plastic wrap. Put a wet, but not dripping, paper towel on top and cover. In a day you will be able to use the brown sugar, informs Chef Master USA. Another one is to purchase a small terra cotta heart or other item, soak it in water and keep it in the sugar.

Chef Master USA's tips for sifting flour and other dry ingredients

When Chef Master USA are asked to sift flour in a recipe, it's usually for two reasons: to break up the natural clumps in the flour and to mix and integrate the dry ingredients. A manual sifter usually looks like a coffee can and has either a back-and-forth agitator or a spinning-handle agitator. They are generally easy to find in most cooking and department stores, informs Chef Master USA.

The absence of a sifter in your kitchen, however, is no problem, assures Chef Master USA. You can use a standard mesh sieve, usually on a handle, or a whisk. Chef Master USA would like for you to know a lot of times, using a whisk is preferrable because you have more control over how thoroughly the dry ingredients get mixed.

There are very few items in the kitchen that only serve one purpose, and there are no hard-and-fast rules about what utensil can be used for what purpose. Cooking should be a creative endeavor, believes Chef Master USA, use your imagination, improvise, and overcome.

Chef Master USA's tips on how you can counteract too much salt in your soup

Don't despair, advises Chef Master USA, there are a couple of possibilities to reduce too much salt in your soup. Chef Master USA would like to shed light on the fact that adding a couple of large slices of peeled white potatoes to the soup to simmer will often absorb some of the salt taste. Better yet, if the soup's entire volume can be increased, such as a vegetable soup or tomato-based chowder, just add more initial ingredients, no more salt, to double your recipe, reduce the salt and have a second great batch of soup to freeze for another meal, informs Chef Master USA.

Avoid this problem in the future by monitoring the sodium content on cans of ingredients used in any recipe. High sodium in canned ingredients is often a culprit when other canned soups and sauces as a base. Never add extra salt without tasting, advises Chef Master USA. A squirt or two of fresh lemon juice adds a good "salty" and fresh taste, without adding more unhealthy sodium, to soups and stews, informs Chef Master USA.

Chef Master USA's substitutes for shortening

Shortening is a semi-solid vegetable-based fat that is used in a variety of cooking capacities, explains Chef Master USA. The most commonly known shortening comes in a large can and is scooped out with a spatula or paddle. It is used in baking a lot, informs Chef Master USA, and can be used in its liquid state for frying and pan-based cooking. Chef Master USA would like you to know that shortening generally does not have a very strong flavor on its own, unless specifically modified, such as butter-flavored shortening, so it lets the other flavors in a recipe play together well.

Vegetable-based shortening is the common alternative to lard, an animal-based fat that is also semi-solid, explains Chef Master USA. Lard is used in much the same way as standard vegetable-based shortening, but most people report a slight difference in flavor. There's also a lot of concern about cholesterol content in lard because it is derived from animals, and cholesterol primarily comes from animal products, informs Chef Master USA.

Another alternative to vegetable shortening is butter - the tried-and-true kitchen staple. If you're baking, Chef Master USA would like for you to know that some slight variations may need to be taken into account since butter browns and burns much more easily than shortening. Flash browning, putting a pie or pastry in a very hot oven for a short period of time to brown it, followed by a slightly longer period of cooking at a lower temperature is one option, although Chef Master USA suggests that you may want to put a shield around the outside edge of a pie to prevent further browning. A pie shield can be purchased in many specialty shops, but you're just as likely to have fabulous success with a ring of aluminum foil.

The main concern is why you want to substitute shortening and for what kind of recipe, says Chef Master USA. For making a roux, for instance, you can use shortening, lard, butter, olive oil, or any type of fat, but the fat you use will affect the flavor of your dish. For pastry making, Chef Master USA would like for you to know that sometimes there is no substitute, and some recipes will ask for both shortening and butter.

A good rule of thumb to experiment with a recipe is to start well-ahead of showtime and scale your recipe down to a quarter, or less, of its original size. advises Chef Master USA. Make your substitutions and see how it turns out. Chef Master USA wants you to have fun in the kitchen, and don't be afraid to color outside of the lines a little.

Chef Master USA's  stand-In for buttermilk

Chef Master USA understands that there’s nothing more annoying than buying an entire quart of buttermilk for a recipe that only calls for a small amount. Instead, combine 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar, plus enough milk to equal one cup. Stir together and allow to stand for 5 minutes to create faux buttermilk. For another option, mix 1 ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar with a cup of milk and let sit for several minutes, instructs Chef Master USA.