by: Emmett Barnes
1. Live Maine Lobsters: Everyone's favorite seafood is now easier than ever to find! Who ever thought it would be possible to find LIVE lobsters, of all sizes, shopping from the comfort of your living room? Well now you can, and that is the definition of unusual.
2. Reindeer: Even if they've never tried it, most people have heard of venison (deer) meat. Well, take it to the next level of uniqueness with reindeer! You know meat is unusual when it is listed as an alternative to Caribou. Reindeer is said to have a distinct flavor similar to red deer venison.
3. Ostrich Kabobs: People who say all poultry tastes like chicken never met this bird. Ostrich is actually a red meat more similar in taste and texture to beef. Sounds delicious, right? Now try it on a kabob! For the health conscious out there, ostrich has less cholesterol and fewer calories than chicken, turkey, pork or beef.
4. Kobe Hot Dogs: Kobe beef is known for being the richest and most delicious beef out there, however, it is more commonly associated with burgers and steaks. So this kobe beef-hot dog combination is clearly unusual. If you love hot dogs, just thinking about the taste must make your mouth water.
5. Original Pheasant Jerky: You've never had jerky quite like this before! Step away from those typical beef and turkey jerky and give pheasant jerky a bite. If jerky is not your thing, of course you can also find just pheasant online too.
6. Bison Prime Rib: Prime rib, with more protein and less fat? Who wouldn't sign up for that? That's exactly what you're getting with bison prime rib: four lbs. of tender delicious meat all coming from a healthier source. You will have to search long and hard to find a gourmet dinner like this at any restaurant.
7. Seafood Boudin: There are so many delicious gourmet seafoods, and if you combine four of them you can't go wrong. That's exactly what you get with this tasty Cajun combination of crawfish tails, catfish, crab and shrimp. Pack these four gourmet delights in sausage casing and you have seafood boudin. It sure it sounds usual, but it is delicious.
8. Mango Licorice: Gourmet consumers often shy away from the unique taste of black licorice even if they may like the texture of the candy. Mango licorice is here to give that texture the sweet fruity flavor you may enjoy in other candies. You won't find any mango licorice in a bin of your local candy shop, but you can online.
9. Maple Salsa: Different regions are clearly known for their different flavors. This salsa brings together two of the most distinctly different regions of cuisine: the cold maple flavor of Vermont and the bold spicy flavors of the Latino culture. You might be skeptical of this combination, but this maple salsa is just delightful.
10. Maine Wild Blueberry BBQ Sauce: BBQ sauces are usually sweet or spicy, but this condiment gets all its flavor naturally from delicious Maine wild blueberries. You won't find this specialty food down the aisle of your local grocery story, that's for sure.
11. Cinnamon Pear Maple Syrup: Pure gourmet maple syrup is always better than those sugary imitation syrups, but who says that pure maple syrup has to be plain? This syrup has a whole stick of cinnamon in each bottle and is also infused with pears.
12. PB & J Sammies: A good peanut butter and jelly sandwich can take you back to your childhood. This is a new take on that same time-honored tradition: two delicious peanut butter cookies with raspberry jelly sandwiched in the middle. Those cookies are much more unusual than bread, and these sammies make for a delicious sounding treat, don't they?
วันอาทิตย์ที่ 24 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2552
วันพุธที่ 20 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2552
Jamon Serrano
by: Dan Mandsel
The popularity of Jamon Serrano makes one wonder, why is this ham so well-loved by the Spaniards? There is nothing ordinary about the Jamon. As one of the favorite foods in all of Spain, this Spanish ham is treated as a national treasure by people from all walks of life. Spaniards cure it for at least one year to get the best flavor. Compared to the Italian prosciutto, the Jamon Serrano is firmer and more flavorful. Spaniards prefer to serve it with olive and cheese using their family recipes.
The Spanish ham has been around since anyone can remember and it has been their source of pride for years. Families in Spain have been rolling hams using in salts and then curing them on rafters for many generations. The results can only be savored eighteen months later when the ham is ready to be enjoyed. The Jamon is placed on special stands so that anyone within proximity can stop by, slice a paper-thin part, and get an instant snack. Usually, Spaniards prefer to eat the slice with menchego cheese.
Though it has been compared to the Italian prosciutto and the Virginia country hams, the Spanish people like to think that their Jamon Serrano is more special. This is because unlike the prosciutto which is merely cured for several months in lard, this ham has a lot less salt and fat while being more flavorful. In addition, it also cannot be compared to the Virginia ham which is first soaked and cooked.
In Spain, the Jamon Serrano more than just a delicacy, it is treated as a normal element in family dining. In addition, almost every café and tapas bar has their own version of this ham. The popularity of the Spanish ham becomes increasingly evident as the Christmas Season approaches. Countless Jamons are hanged from resident’s rafters. It also becomes available in different food stores across the country.
If you’ve never tried a Spanish ham before then you are definitely missing out. With one taste of the Jamon Serrano, you will find out why it is so popular. Treated in clean country air, this delicacy is transformed from an ordinary piece of meat into a rich and flavorful fare. The amount of time dedicated for curing also enables it to get rid of more fat and become firmer. Even paper-thin slices of this treat coupled with cheese and olives are enough to make most people forget the time it took for this food to become available.
While there is no real secret about how the Jamon Serrano is made. A lot of people believe that its unique flavor comes from its curing which replicates traditional methods. The Spanish tradition of curing is still being practiced in rural areas. Families slaughter their livestock during the early winter season to prepare for the forthcoming months. The Jamon Serrano is permitted to experience the changing temperature because it gives the ham a certain character and flavor that can only be perfected in the cool and clean Spanish country air.
The popularity of Jamon Serrano makes one wonder, why is this ham so well-loved by the Spaniards? There is nothing ordinary about the Jamon. As one of the favorite foods in all of Spain, this Spanish ham is treated as a national treasure by people from all walks of life. Spaniards cure it for at least one year to get the best flavor. Compared to the Italian prosciutto, the Jamon Serrano is firmer and more flavorful. Spaniards prefer to serve it with olive and cheese using their family recipes.
The Spanish ham has been around since anyone can remember and it has been their source of pride for years. Families in Spain have been rolling hams using in salts and then curing them on rafters for many generations. The results can only be savored eighteen months later when the ham is ready to be enjoyed. The Jamon is placed on special stands so that anyone within proximity can stop by, slice a paper-thin part, and get an instant snack. Usually, Spaniards prefer to eat the slice with menchego cheese.
Though it has been compared to the Italian prosciutto and the Virginia country hams, the Spanish people like to think that their Jamon Serrano is more special. This is because unlike the prosciutto which is merely cured for several months in lard, this ham has a lot less salt and fat while being more flavorful. In addition, it also cannot be compared to the Virginia ham which is first soaked and cooked.
In Spain, the Jamon Serrano more than just a delicacy, it is treated as a normal element in family dining. In addition, almost every café and tapas bar has their own version of this ham. The popularity of the Spanish ham becomes increasingly evident as the Christmas Season approaches. Countless Jamons are hanged from resident’s rafters. It also becomes available in different food stores across the country.
If you’ve never tried a Spanish ham before then you are definitely missing out. With one taste of the Jamon Serrano, you will find out why it is so popular. Treated in clean country air, this delicacy is transformed from an ordinary piece of meat into a rich and flavorful fare. The amount of time dedicated for curing also enables it to get rid of more fat and become firmer. Even paper-thin slices of this treat coupled with cheese and olives are enough to make most people forget the time it took for this food to become available.
While there is no real secret about how the Jamon Serrano is made. A lot of people believe that its unique flavor comes from its curing which replicates traditional methods. The Spanish tradition of curing is still being practiced in rural areas. Families slaughter their livestock during the early winter season to prepare for the forthcoming months. The Jamon Serrano is permitted to experience the changing temperature because it gives the ham a certain character and flavor that can only be perfected in the cool and clean Spanish country air.
Chicken's Are No Longer As Lean As They Used To Be
by: Briana Southward
Unfortunately, the way we raise our chickens today has changed their nutritional value. We have always been told that chickens are a lean source of protein. This was because they had higher protein content than fat. Now however, most chickens have higher fat than protein making them far less healthier than they used to be. This change in the chicken has been caused by factory farming. This involves packing hundreds and sometimes thousands of chickens into a small space with no room to exercise, feeding them high-energy food so that they bulk up quickly, and giving them antibiotics so they do not get a disease in this less than humane environment. Animal rights aside; the process of factory farming has changed the nutritional value of the food we eat and this has been done to help increase profits for those involved in the industry. In summary there are two key problems that now arise from the chickens we are sold:
Problem 1: No exercise makes the birds fat. This fat is passed on to the consumer.
Problem 2: Chickens are fed cheap food made of seeds which makes them get fat and weigh more, but the extra weight is fat not protein. Factory farmed chickens are not given the grass and protein they require. Not only has this affected their fat to protein ratio, it has also increased the amount of Omega 6 fatty acids while decreasing the Omega 3 fatty acids. In a healthy chicken these would be balanced offering us health benefits such as helping to lower bad cholesterol, heart health, etc.
To conclude, we need to be more cautious about the chickens we buy and look for chickens that are reared in a way that leads to a healthy lean meat on our plate.
For more information and TIPS on what to look for when buying chicken, click here
Unfortunately, the way we raise our chickens today has changed their nutritional value. We have always been told that chickens are a lean source of protein. This was because they had higher protein content than fat. Now however, most chickens have higher fat than protein making them far less healthier than they used to be. This change in the chicken has been caused by factory farming. This involves packing hundreds and sometimes thousands of chickens into a small space with no room to exercise, feeding them high-energy food so that they bulk up quickly, and giving them antibiotics so they do not get a disease in this less than humane environment. Animal rights aside; the process of factory farming has changed the nutritional value of the food we eat and this has been done to help increase profits for those involved in the industry. In summary there are two key problems that now arise from the chickens we are sold:
Problem 1: No exercise makes the birds fat. This fat is passed on to the consumer.
Problem 2: Chickens are fed cheap food made of seeds which makes them get fat and weigh more, but the extra weight is fat not protein. Factory farmed chickens are not given the grass and protein they require. Not only has this affected their fat to protein ratio, it has also increased the amount of Omega 6 fatty acids while decreasing the Omega 3 fatty acids. In a healthy chicken these would be balanced offering us health benefits such as helping to lower bad cholesterol, heart health, etc.
To conclude, we need to be more cautious about the chickens we buy and look for chickens that are reared in a way that leads to a healthy lean meat on our plate.
For more information and TIPS on what to look for when buying chicken, click here
Burn Your Recipes! How learning Basic Cooking Method Will Improve Your Cooking Tonight!
by: Chef Todd Mohr
Have you ever wondered why chefs are able to cook great meals without using recipes, even inventing their own recipes on the fly? Do you think these cooking secrets are reserved just for the professionals? Well, maybe they have been, but you are about to learn some of these very secrets – ones that will really get you cooking!
Cooking is a journey. When you understand this, you realize the pressure is off. You are on a journey and your goal is to learn, grow and improve. Of course, along the way, you’d also like to prepare some great meals so let’s start here with 5 Secrets in cooking by method that will get you started today.
Recipes don’t really work.
Why?
• Food products are not uniform. They are different sizes, textures, degrees of ripeness and firmness.
• Kitchens (and cooks) do not all have the same equipment. Different pans use heat differently.
• It is impossible to give exact instructions. “Medium” heat can vary as can “medium” onion.
Maybe “burning” your recipes is a bit extreme. It’s great to use recipes for ideas and as guidelines , but cook with your own observations and knowledge. This is what cooking with confidence is all about. This is what helps the professionals make it look easy.
Keep some junk in your trunk.
There are many items you can keep in your pantry to give yourself an everyday cooking “head-start”. This is a key for cooking by method because you need readily available ingredients to cook. First, the goal is to have a good variety of some staples: rice, beans, spices, vinegars, oils, grains, pastas, tomato products, sauces, canned meat and fish, and a freezer full of protein standards (meats, chicken and fish). Then, when your pantry is stocked, you simply choose a protein, a flavoring, a cooking method, a side dish – cook – and dinner is done! It really is that simple when you understand cooking methods.
Stay on the cutting edge.
When you learn some basic knife skills your time spent in the kitchen is safer, more efficient and definitely more fun! Your dishes will be more consistently prepared, more evenly cooked and the finished results will have the advantage of consistent texture and great eye-appeal. In addition, being able to quickly prep lots of ingredients in advance, what the French call mise en place, enables you to get in and out of the kitchen fast. Whether you are cooking meat or making a salad, knowing how to use that knife - and which knife to use - is an important starting point.
Turn up the Heat (or not?).
A skilled cook anticipates the end result of their cooking procedure. How do they do this? They understand that differences in how heat is applied in cooking will dictate that end result. As food cooks, it rises through temperatures where changes take place. What those changes are depends on the type of food (meat, vegetable, fat, sugar, starch), the temperature and the method of heat being applied. Controlling heat and moisture is the key to a quality finished product that meets expectations.
Call Your Mother.
There are five "mother sauces" in cooking from which all sauce recipes are derived. What this means for your home cooking is that you can create a limitless array of sauces when you master the big five. Simply take the basic sauce and add your own creativity with herbs, spices, cheese, vegetables – whatever’s in the pantry. Bechamel is the basic French white sauce made by stirring milk into roux. Veloute is a stock-based white sauce made by adding chicken (or other) stock to roux. Espagnole or brown sauce is a stock-based sauce. Vinaigrette is an oil-and-vinegar based sauce which is manually emulsified prior to serving. Finally, hollandaise sauce is made from egg yolks, butter and lemon juice to emulsify.
So go forth, empowered now to incorporate these 5 tips into your routine and start cooking by method today. Just by understanding these “secrets” you are well on your way to better, easier everyday cooking. Whether or not you burn your recipes is up to you.
Have you ever wondered why chefs are able to cook great meals without using recipes, even inventing their own recipes on the fly? Do you think these cooking secrets are reserved just for the professionals? Well, maybe they have been, but you are about to learn some of these very secrets – ones that will really get you cooking!
Cooking is a journey. When you understand this, you realize the pressure is off. You are on a journey and your goal is to learn, grow and improve. Of course, along the way, you’d also like to prepare some great meals so let’s start here with 5 Secrets in cooking by method that will get you started today.
Recipes don’t really work.
Why?
• Food products are not uniform. They are different sizes, textures, degrees of ripeness and firmness.
• Kitchens (and cooks) do not all have the same equipment. Different pans use heat differently.
• It is impossible to give exact instructions. “Medium” heat can vary as can “medium” onion.
Maybe “burning” your recipes is a bit extreme. It’s great to use recipes for ideas and as guidelines , but cook with your own observations and knowledge. This is what cooking with confidence is all about. This is what helps the professionals make it look easy.
Keep some junk in your trunk.
There are many items you can keep in your pantry to give yourself an everyday cooking “head-start”. This is a key for cooking by method because you need readily available ingredients to cook. First, the goal is to have a good variety of some staples: rice, beans, spices, vinegars, oils, grains, pastas, tomato products, sauces, canned meat and fish, and a freezer full of protein standards (meats, chicken and fish). Then, when your pantry is stocked, you simply choose a protein, a flavoring, a cooking method, a side dish – cook – and dinner is done! It really is that simple when you understand cooking methods.
Stay on the cutting edge.
When you learn some basic knife skills your time spent in the kitchen is safer, more efficient and definitely more fun! Your dishes will be more consistently prepared, more evenly cooked and the finished results will have the advantage of consistent texture and great eye-appeal. In addition, being able to quickly prep lots of ingredients in advance, what the French call mise en place, enables you to get in and out of the kitchen fast. Whether you are cooking meat or making a salad, knowing how to use that knife - and which knife to use - is an important starting point.
Turn up the Heat (or not?).
A skilled cook anticipates the end result of their cooking procedure. How do they do this? They understand that differences in how heat is applied in cooking will dictate that end result. As food cooks, it rises through temperatures where changes take place. What those changes are depends on the type of food (meat, vegetable, fat, sugar, starch), the temperature and the method of heat being applied. Controlling heat and moisture is the key to a quality finished product that meets expectations.
Call Your Mother.
There are five "mother sauces" in cooking from which all sauce recipes are derived. What this means for your home cooking is that you can create a limitless array of sauces when you master the big five. Simply take the basic sauce and add your own creativity with herbs, spices, cheese, vegetables – whatever’s in the pantry. Bechamel is the basic French white sauce made by stirring milk into roux. Veloute is a stock-based white sauce made by adding chicken (or other) stock to roux. Espagnole or brown sauce is a stock-based sauce. Vinaigrette is an oil-and-vinegar based sauce which is manually emulsified prior to serving. Finally, hollandaise sauce is made from egg yolks, butter and lemon juice to emulsify.
So go forth, empowered now to incorporate these 5 tips into your routine and start cooking by method today. Just by understanding these “secrets” you are well on your way to better, easier everyday cooking. Whether or not you burn your recipes is up to you.
วันเสาร์ที่ 16 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2552
วันอังคารที่ 12 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2552
How to Construct and Use a Grape Trellis
How to Construct and Use a Grape Trellis by: E J King
In growing grapes, you will need to construct and use a grape trellis; this is a structure that supports your grape vines as they grow. Grape vines are not very sturdy and as they grow and bear fruit, a trellis is useful to guide the vines and support them.
The construction of a grape trellis is really up to the owner. Sometimes, functionality of the trellis is important especially if you are looking to grow grapes professionally. At other times, the trellis is designed not only as a supportive framework for the vines but also as a decorative addition to the owner’s garden.
If you are aiming at adding a grape trellis to your garden to make it look more inviting, there are available ready-made trellises that you can purchase. However, if you would like to venture into constructing the trellis yourself, then you can follow this guide on how to make simple fence-like trellis.
The first thing you need to consider is whether you have enough space to grow grape vines as they grow very large. If you can only accommodate one or two vines, an arbor is a good enough structure for the vines to trellis along. An arbor necessitates a couple of posts about ten feet long, two feet under the ground as base. The posts need to be about eight feet apart, with two lengths of galvanized steel wire running in between.
Larger trellises require more work, as you will need to construct catch wires as well. Each of your grape vines will need eight-foot trellises. You need to make sure that the trellises are ready before you plant your grape vines. The materials you need to use are the following: pre-treated wood, PVC pipes, stainless steel or aluminum. These materials are better because you need to take weather conditions into consideration. They are ready to stand up to changes in the temperature and the weather, plus animals and other pests will not destroy them.
When your grape vines are growing, you will need to encourage them to follow the grape trellis you have built. This is easy; you just need to guide the new stems to run on the trellis. While constructing your trellis, keep sunlight and wind directions in mind.
In growing grapes, you will need to construct and use a grape trellis; this is a structure that supports your grape vines as they grow. Grape vines are not very sturdy and as they grow and bear fruit, a trellis is useful to guide the vines and support them.
The construction of a grape trellis is really up to the owner. Sometimes, functionality of the trellis is important especially if you are looking to grow grapes professionally. At other times, the trellis is designed not only as a supportive framework for the vines but also as a decorative addition to the owner’s garden.
If you are aiming at adding a grape trellis to your garden to make it look more inviting, there are available ready-made trellises that you can purchase. However, if you would like to venture into constructing the trellis yourself, then you can follow this guide on how to make simple fence-like trellis.
The first thing you need to consider is whether you have enough space to grow grape vines as they grow very large. If you can only accommodate one or two vines, an arbor is a good enough structure for the vines to trellis along. An arbor necessitates a couple of posts about ten feet long, two feet under the ground as base. The posts need to be about eight feet apart, with two lengths of galvanized steel wire running in between.
Larger trellises require more work, as you will need to construct catch wires as well. Each of your grape vines will need eight-foot trellises. You need to make sure that the trellises are ready before you plant your grape vines. The materials you need to use are the following: pre-treated wood, PVC pipes, stainless steel or aluminum. These materials are better because you need to take weather conditions into consideration. They are ready to stand up to changes in the temperature and the weather, plus animals and other pests will not destroy them.
When your grape vines are growing, you will need to encourage them to follow the grape trellis you have built. This is easy; you just need to guide the new stems to run on the trellis. While constructing your trellis, keep sunlight and wind directions in mind.
Replace Sugar with Splenda in Dessert Recipes
Replace Sugar with Splenda in Dessert Recipes. by: Joanna Brown
For individuals living with metabolic syndrome, diabetes, or other conditions which cause them to reduce the amount of sugar they eat, it can be somewhat difficult to find an acceptable substitute. It can be a bit depressing to realize you can no longer enjoy the sweet treats that liven up a healthy diet. Thank goodness there is Splenda, a sugar substitute that tastes, cooks, and bakes in a manner so similar to table sugar that you can now enjoy the luscious desserts and baked goods that were previously banned in the sugar-free diet.
If you are new to the world of baking with Splenda, however, it can be a bit difficult to work with this sugar substitute. Splenda is definitely a great substitute for real sugar in baking, but since it has slightly different textural and chemical properties, it won’t always give you exactly the same results. With that in mind, here are some quick tips for using Splenda in desserts and baked goods, so you can enjoy the sweet taste any time!
Splenda Tip #1: Follow Splenda Cooking Instructions
For the most part, Splenda measures cup for cup just the same as sugar, but there are several different Splenda formulations so this might not always be the case. When you use Splenda Sugar Blend, for example, you should use only half the amount of the blend as you would use real sugar. So make sure you read the label on your Splenda packaging carefully and follow the instructions.
Splenda Tip #2: Sometimes you can’t fully replace Sugar with Splenda
If you are following a recipe which calls for a large amount of sugar, such as fudge, angel food cake, or meringue, it is typically not a good idea to replace the entire amount of sugar with Splenda. This is because in these recipes, the sugar does not just add sweetness; it also adds texture and structure to the food. In these recipes, it is better to replace only half the amount of sugar with Splenda, and then make up the balance with real sugar.
Splenda Tip: 3: Remember that Yeast Needs Sugar
When you are baking with Splenda and are using a recipe that calls for yeast, it is essential to remember that yeast needs sugar to activate properly. If you are making sweet rolls, dessert breads, or any other item that calls for yeast, you must add a couple of teaspoons of sugar to help the yeast activate, or your dessert will fall flat! You can generally replace the rest of the sugar with Splenda with excellent results, but do not forget to add a small amount of sugar needed by the yeast.
Splenda Tip #4: Give your Baked Goods a Little Helping Hand
Because sugar and Splenda differ in chemical composition and texture, the results of your recipes will often turn out differently. Your baked creations might taste great, but look a little different. For this reason, cakes, brownies, cookies, and other baked goods and desserts may, at times, need a bit of a helping hand when you are using Splenda to replace sugar in the recipe. Here are some tips you can use to help make sure your desserts and baked goods turn out just as perfectly when you use Splenda as they do when using table sugar.
• Keep an eye on baking times: Using Splenda instead of sugar might change the baking times of some recipes, so it’s a good idea to check your baked goods a few minutes early, especially when you replace all the sugar in a recipe with Splenda. Check cakes and breads around ten to fifteen minutes early, and check muffins, cupcakes, and cookies three to five minutes earlier. Don’t forget to make a note on the recipe card once you’ve determined the new cooking time.
• Flatten cookies before baking: When you use Splenda, cookies won’t naturally spread as much as when you use sugar, so give cookies a helping hand by flattening with a fork before baking.
• Use smaller pans for cakes and breads: Sugar helps baked goods rise, so using Splenda in a recipe may mean your baked goods won’t rise quite as much. One way of achieving height is to cook using smaller pans. For example, use two smaller cake pans instead of one large one (and make a layer cake!).
Splenda Tip #5: Test your Recipes!
If you are making a dessert using Splenda and you are planning to serve the food to guests, you may benefit from doing a trial run first. Splenda does not always cook and bake exactly the same way as sugar does, so by testing the recipe out first, you can adjust cooking times or ingredients without having to use your guests as guinea pigs!
For individuals living with metabolic syndrome, diabetes, or other conditions which cause them to reduce the amount of sugar they eat, it can be somewhat difficult to find an acceptable substitute. It can be a bit depressing to realize you can no longer enjoy the sweet treats that liven up a healthy diet. Thank goodness there is Splenda, a sugar substitute that tastes, cooks, and bakes in a manner so similar to table sugar that you can now enjoy the luscious desserts and baked goods that were previously banned in the sugar-free diet.
If you are new to the world of baking with Splenda, however, it can be a bit difficult to work with this sugar substitute. Splenda is definitely a great substitute for real sugar in baking, but since it has slightly different textural and chemical properties, it won’t always give you exactly the same results. With that in mind, here are some quick tips for using Splenda in desserts and baked goods, so you can enjoy the sweet taste any time!
Splenda Tip #1: Follow Splenda Cooking Instructions
For the most part, Splenda measures cup for cup just the same as sugar, but there are several different Splenda formulations so this might not always be the case. When you use Splenda Sugar Blend, for example, you should use only half the amount of the blend as you would use real sugar. So make sure you read the label on your Splenda packaging carefully and follow the instructions.
Splenda Tip #2: Sometimes you can’t fully replace Sugar with Splenda
If you are following a recipe which calls for a large amount of sugar, such as fudge, angel food cake, or meringue, it is typically not a good idea to replace the entire amount of sugar with Splenda. This is because in these recipes, the sugar does not just add sweetness; it also adds texture and structure to the food. In these recipes, it is better to replace only half the amount of sugar with Splenda, and then make up the balance with real sugar.
Splenda Tip: 3: Remember that Yeast Needs Sugar
When you are baking with Splenda and are using a recipe that calls for yeast, it is essential to remember that yeast needs sugar to activate properly. If you are making sweet rolls, dessert breads, or any other item that calls for yeast, you must add a couple of teaspoons of sugar to help the yeast activate, or your dessert will fall flat! You can generally replace the rest of the sugar with Splenda with excellent results, but do not forget to add a small amount of sugar needed by the yeast.
Splenda Tip #4: Give your Baked Goods a Little Helping Hand
Because sugar and Splenda differ in chemical composition and texture, the results of your recipes will often turn out differently. Your baked creations might taste great, but look a little different. For this reason, cakes, brownies, cookies, and other baked goods and desserts may, at times, need a bit of a helping hand when you are using Splenda to replace sugar in the recipe. Here are some tips you can use to help make sure your desserts and baked goods turn out just as perfectly when you use Splenda as they do when using table sugar.
• Keep an eye on baking times: Using Splenda instead of sugar might change the baking times of some recipes, so it’s a good idea to check your baked goods a few minutes early, especially when you replace all the sugar in a recipe with Splenda. Check cakes and breads around ten to fifteen minutes early, and check muffins, cupcakes, and cookies three to five minutes earlier. Don’t forget to make a note on the recipe card once you’ve determined the new cooking time.
• Flatten cookies before baking: When you use Splenda, cookies won’t naturally spread as much as when you use sugar, so give cookies a helping hand by flattening with a fork before baking.
• Use smaller pans for cakes and breads: Sugar helps baked goods rise, so using Splenda in a recipe may mean your baked goods won’t rise quite as much. One way of achieving height is to cook using smaller pans. For example, use two smaller cake pans instead of one large one (and make a layer cake!).
Splenda Tip #5: Test your Recipes!
If you are making a dessert using Splenda and you are planning to serve the food to guests, you may benefit from doing a trial run first. Splenda does not always cook and bake exactly the same way as sugar does, so by testing the recipe out first, you can adjust cooking times or ingredients without having to use your guests as guinea pigs!
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