MTips

How to Store Goose Fat
By Superman
Goose fat is a rich substitute for butter and oil. Gourmet stores often carry canned goose fat since it is commonly used in European cuisine. Making goose fat at home is an expensive alternative to purchasing canned fat. It is possible to render goose fat by roasting a goose, or simmering raw fat in a sauce pan with water. After rendering it, you can store the fat for later use. When stored correctly, goose fat can last up to a year.

To Store Goose Fat You’ll Need:

• Cheese cloth
• Sieve
• Freezer bag
• Plastic storage container

To Store Goose Fat Instructions:

• Let the rendered goose fat cool off and then strain it through a cheese cloth to remove pieces of skin. You could also use a small sieve to separate the skin from the fat. Repeat the straining process to increase the purity of the goose fat.
• Pour the strained goose fat into an air tight container or glass to store goose fat for a short duration. Cover and refrigerate it for later use. Refrigerated goose fat lasts for two to three months.
• For long-term storage, pour goose fat into a storage bag or plastic storage container. Cover and freeze the goose fat for later use. Frozen goose fat lasts for up to 12 months.

• Spread stored goose fat on bread or rolls for a rich treat. Roast root vegetables in goose fat for added flavor.

• Check goose fat for a rancid odor before using.

How to Make Strong Drinks With Vodka & Oranges
By Pranav Reddy
The Screwdriver is one of the most popular alcoholic drinks made with vodka. Orange juice adds a tangy and sweet flavor to any alcoholic drink, but goes especially well with vodka. To make the best, and freshest, vodka and orange juice drinks, it is always better to use fresh-squeezed orange juice and plain, unflavored vodka.

To Make Strong Drinks With Vodka & Oranges You’ll Need:

• Oranges
• Juicer
• Vodka
• Glass

To Make Strong Drinks With Vodka & Oranges Instructions:
Make Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice

• Obtain room temperature oranges. Warm oranges are easier to squeeze and produce more juice. If the oranges were refrigerated, you can warm them by either placing them in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds or in a 300 degree Fahrenheit oven for three minutes. Another method is to place the oranges in a bowl of boiling water for 30 seconds.Wait for the oranges to cool for a bit so you can comfortably hold them.
• Roll the oranges against a hard surface one by one. Place the orange against the palm of your hand while gently pushing down and rolling the orange on a hard surface. Keep rolling the orange until you feel the flesh becoming soft inside.
• Cut the oranges in half and use a juicer to remove the juice from the orange. You can also squeeze the orange by hand, but a juicer is more efficient.
• Remove the seeds and pulp from the juicer once you have squeezed all the oranges. The seeds should be thrown away, but you can add the remaining pulp to the orange juice if you wish.
• Chill the orange juice until you are ready to make your cocktail or mixed drink.

Make The Drink Of Your Choice

• Make a Screwdriver by pouring 6 oz. orange juice into a cup and adding 1.5 oz. unflavored vodka. Mix the contents of the glass thoroughly and enjoy a freshly-squeezed vodka screwdriver.
• Create a Desert Sunrise cocktail by adding Grenadine and pineapple juice to your orange vodka drink. Pour 1.25 oz. vodka, 1.5 oz. orange juice and 2.5 oz. pineapple juice into a glass. Mix gently. add grenadine for a sunrise effect.
• Mix together 1.5 oz. vodka, 1 oz. orange juice and 5 oz. orange liqueur to make a Crushed Orange. Pour into a cocktail glass and mix thoroughly before serving.
• Add 1 oz. cream to a cocktail shaker filled with half an ounce of orange vodka, half an ounce of triple sec and 1 oz. orange juice to create a Creamsicle cocktail, a childhood favorite with an adult twist. Shake well and pour into a glass.
• Start a Sex on the Beach by filling a pitcher with ice. Add 1.5 oz. vodka, half an ounce peach schnapps, 2 oz. cranberry juice and 2 oz. orange juice. Stir the contents well before serving.

• Be careful when consuming alcoholic beverages. You will not be able to taste the alcohol, which will allow you to drink a lot more volume.

How to Bake Potato
By Tom Ross
Potatoes are consumed all over the world and are cooked in many ways. Potatoes are nutrient rich and contribute to a healthy diet when eaten alone. The nutritional integrity of the potato is maintained by topping it with healthy toppings such as cottage cheese, homemade fresh salsa, hot sauce or plain yogurt. Traditional toppings such as sour cream, cheese, bacon bits and other such personal favorites add fat, salt, sugar and other unhealthy ingredients to the potato. Baked potatoes are convenient to store, fast and simple to prepare and add a hardy side-dish to the meal or make a meal all by itself.

To Bake Potato You’ll Need:

• Vegetable brush
• Oven
• Meat fork
• Baking sheet
• Vegetable oil

To Bake Potato Instructions:

• Choose potatoes for baking that are smooth skinned, free of blemishes and sprouts and are an oval shape of the size you wish to serve. Potatoes should feel firm without damp spots and free of cracks. Properly stored potatoes are critical to the baking process.
• Scrub each potato with a vegetable brush under cool running water, washing it thoroughly. Remove any “eyes.”
• Make preparations for baking the potatoes by heating the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Pierce the potato with a two-pronged meat fork or knife tip twice, evenly spaced on each side of the potato to allow steam to escape.
• Bake the potatoes by placing them on an oven rack or baking sheet, placing them into the oven and baking them for 45 to 55 minutes. The potatoes are done when they are tender when pierced with a fork.
• Cook the potatoes in less time by cutting them in half end-to-end and rubbing the cut side with vegetable oil. Grease a baking sheet and bake the potato with the cut side down at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 35 minutes. The potatoes are done when they are tender when pierced with a fork.

• Check the potatoes occasionally as they are used and remove any with wrinkled or damp skin.
• Under the correct conditions, mature potatoes last up to two months.
• Make the potato skin softer by rubbing it with butter or vegetable oil.
• The baking time for the potato remains the same whether cooking one potato or more.

• Exposure to light and warmth encourages sprouting of the potatoes.
• Refrigeration causes the starch in the potato to turn to sugar, changing the flavor and texture and color of the finished baked potato.

How to Make Pancakes With Cheese
By Elizabeth Arnold
If you’re hesitant to add cottage cheese to your pancake mix, take a culinary risk. Not only will cottage cheese give your pancakes a healthy dose of protein, it’ll make the breakfast favorites fluffy and tender. It’s simple to add cottage cheese to the pancake mix, but the small effort will go a long way in pleasing hungry family members. Top the pancakes with maple or fruit-flavored syrup, along with fresh blueberries or strawberries, as an added treat.

To Make Pancakes With Cheese You’ll Need:

• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 tbsp. natural vanilla extract
• Large mixing bowl
• Wire whisk
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries or sliced strawberries (optional)
• Cooking spray
• Non-stick skillet
• Ladle
• Spatula
• Toppings such as syrup, butter and fresh fruit to taste

To Make Pancakes With Cheese Instructions:

• Place 1 cup of unbleached flour, 1/2 tsp. of baking soda, 2 tbsp. of sugar, four eggs, 1/2 cup of milk, 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil, 1 cup of cottage cheese and 1 tbsp. of natural vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Combine the ingredients with a wire whisk until the batter is well blended.
• Add 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries or sliced strawberries to the batter if you desire.
• Cover a non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Turn the skillet on to “Medium-High” and pour batter onto the skillet to create each pancake in the size you desire.
• Cook the pancakes on the first side until bubbles appear on the top and the bottoms are golden brown. Turn the pancakes over with a spatula and cook them until the opposite side is golden brown as well.
• Place the cottage cheese pancakes on individual plates and top them with fresh fruit, butter or syrup to taste.

How to Make a Stratosphere Margarita
By Brian Baer
Margaritas are a very popular cocktail that generally uses tequila and a tart fruity cocktail mix (margarita mix). A variation to the traditional margarita is a special recipe and procedure that creates a unique appearance and taste. The Stratosphere Margarita is a specialty drink that, if prepared properly, has a layered (stratified) appearance and a fruity, cranberry flavor. The preparation of the ingredients and careful mixing provides a thre-layered drink that is sure to be a hit at parties and gatherings.

To Make a Stratosphere Margarita You’ll Need:

• Tequila
• Traditional margarita mix
• Tall, slender cocktail glass
• Cranberry juice
• Cocktail measuring cup
• Ice cubes
• Lime slice
• Straw

To Make a Stratosphere Margarita Instructions:

• Place the bottle of tequila in a freezer for at least two hours or until ice cold.
• Place the margarita mix in the refrigerator for two hours or until chilled. Place the cranberry juice on the bar at room temperature.
• Add four ice cubes to the tall, slender cocktail glass.
• Add 1 1/4 ounces ice cold tequila to the cocktail glass. Add 1 cup margarita mix on top of the tequila without mixing. Add 1/3 cup cranberry juice on top of the margarita mix. Do not stir.
• Garnish the cocktail glass with a slice of lime. Add straw.

• It is important that each of the three ingredients are at their specified temperatures. The tequila should be ice cold, the margarita mix should be chilled and the cranberry should be at room temperature. This is how the stratosphere effect is achieved.

• Do not drink and drive. Drink responsibly.

How to Crystalize Ginger
By Esperance Barretto
Ginger, or “Zingiber officinale,” is a remarkable herb native to Asia. It has a peppery flavor and is used both therapeutically and in several culinary preparations. When ginger is crystallized with sugar it takes on a unique hot and sweet flavor. Crystallized ginger is easy to prepare, and can be consumed as a confectionary or used as an ingredient or topping in cakes, cookies, desserts and chocolates. (See Resources 1, 2, 3 and 4; References 1, 2, 3, and 5)

To Crystalize Ginger You’ll Need:

• Fresh ginger root
• Sugar
• Water

To Crystalize Ginger Instructions:

• Use a knife to carefully peel the exterior brown skin of 10 oz. of fresh ginger root. Ensure that you peel off any dried or discolored spots on the ginger. Ten ounces of ginger will provide 6 oz. of ginger root once cleaned and sliced.
• Cut the peeled ginger vertically into 2-inch length slices. Slice horizontally into 1/8th inch thick cubes. Use a fork or needle to prick holes in the sliced ginger. This will ensure that the ginger easily absorbs the sugar during crystallization.
• Place the sliced ginger in a bowl, add 2 cups of sugar and mix with a spoon. Let it stand for an hour so that the sugar evenly coats the ginger slices.
• Pour 1 tbsp. of water in a heavy bottomed wok or thick-based, wide pan and set on medium heat. Add the ginger and sugar and let it simmer, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce the heat when the mixture starts to boil and simmer for an hour, until the syrup thickens and crystallizes. Ensure that you continuously stir and separate the ginger slices to prevent them from sticking to each other and to the vessel.
• Take the vessel off the heat once little syrup remains, and the mixture accumulates into a single mass in the center of the pan.
• Scoop the crystallized ginger pieces out from the vessel with a spoon. Set on a baking tray to cool and dry for at least 12 hours. Once it is dry, store the crystallized ginger in an airtight container, in a cool and dry place.

• You can reuse the leftover sugar syrup from the crystallized ginger preparation. Add the syrup to teas and coffees, and while preparing desserts, for an exotic hot-sweet taste.
• Owing to its sticky consistency, you may be unable to properly chop crystallized ginger. Coat your knife with vegetable oil or cooking spray before chopping, to easily slice the ginger.

What Are Yeast Breads?
By Amrita Chuasiriporn

Yeast breads are some of the most common types of bread that people eat every day. While many other ingredients may be involved in their production, yeast breads always require some sort of flour, liquid and a little bit of salt. Salt not only adds flavor, but helps control the yeast. Liquid may be provided by water, milk, juice, or fruit puree. Richer yeast breads, like cinnamon rolls, usually require milk, butter and eggs.

About Yeast
There are several strains of yeast, but yeast used in baking is part of the family Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Ideally, it’s alive when you begin mixing bread dough, and stays alive until the heat of baking kills it. It can survive in very cold temperatures, although its metabolism slows; that’s why you can store yeast in the freezer if you don’t use it regularly. Yeast, like other living creatures, needs to eat to survive. It loves sugar, and warm environments. Ingredients like flour, sugar, salt, water, milk and butter all help feed yeast — which, in turn, makes yeast breads rise.

Proofing
Proofing is another word for rising, and refers to the fact that the yeast is proving that it is alive, and has not expired. It does this by eating its way through the natural sugars in your bread dough, then expelling gasses as the dough ferments. These gasses are what cause yeast breads to rise, and why yeast breads rise more quickly in a warm, humid environment. If bread overproofs, it will start to collapse — and you’ll notice a vaguely alcoholic smell coming from the deflated mound of dough. This isn’t surprising, as yeast also is used in beer production, and fermentation is involved in both processes.

Finished Product
When you slice open a loaf of yeast bread or tear into a bun baked with yeast, you’ll see thousands of little tiny holes in the interior surface of the bread. In some commercially baked breads, these holes will be almost completely uniform. In homemade and artisanal breads, these holes are usually varied in size. These are the pockets where each granule of yeast emitted gas and caused the bread to rise. As it baked in the oven, all that yeast died — leaving behind a delicious legacy known as yeast bread.

Other Bread Types
Yeast is only one way to raise a bread, and it requires making dough that incorporates the yeast in its recipe. Chemical leavening is another way. Baking powder and baking soda are both considered chemical leaveners, and are what is used to make quick breads — breads that rely on batter rather than dough recipes. Banana and zucchini are two examples of this type of bread. Flatbreads, depending on the recipe, may or may not require leavening. For example, some pita bread recipes use yeast, while others do not. Some cracker recipes use baking powder or baking soda, while others do not. Indian flatbreads like roti and chapati do not typically require the addition of any type of leavener.

How to Juice Cauliflower
By Daisy Buchanan
Cauliflower is one of the many vegetables in the brassica family; its cousins include broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi and brussels sprouts. Cauliflower is packed with vitamins like phosphorus and potassium. Juicing is one of the easiest ways to reap the nutritional benefits of cauliflower. Using a juicer and some household tools, you can make and enjoy your own cauliflower juice in a matter of minutes.

To Juice Cauliflower You’ll Need:

• Knife
• Large pot
• Salt
• Electric juicer

To Juice Cauliflower Instructions:

• Wash and chop the cauliflower, removing just the bottom half-inch of the stalk. All other parts of the vegetable can be juiced. Fresh cauliflower is best for juicing; avoid buying or using cauliflower that has little brown spots on the heads of the florets.
• Blanch the cauliflower, briefly, to remove hidden dirt and small bugs. Small bugs can hide in the heads of the vegetable and can be nearly impossible to see or remove otherwise. To blanch, bring a pot of water to a boil, salt generously and cook the cauliflower for one minute in boiling water.
• Plug in your electric juicer. Cauliflower is too hard to juice by hand, so an electric juicing machine must be used.
• Run the cauliflower through your juicer until you have the quantity of juice that you desire. Drink the juice and store any extra juice in the refrigerator.

• Try juicing other fruits or vegetables with the cauliflower for a more complex flavor.

How to Make a Yogurt Commercial
By Tucker Cummings
Yogurt commercials are commonly targeted toward women and dieters in the United States, so if you’re looking to make a splash with a commercial for your yogurt, you’ll want to keep that in mind. But knowing your audience is just one small part of making a yogurt commercial. The planning and filming process for creating a commercial takes weeks of preparation, but ultimately the final commercial will be better because of planning and pre-production.

To Make a Yogurt Commercial Instructions:

• Evaluate your target audience. Are you catering to women on diets or aiming your product at hungry grade-school children looking for an after-school snack? Decide when most of your customers would eat your product. Breakfast or a low-calorie dessert? The stronger your understanding of your target demographic, the more successful your commercial will be.
• Define your yogurt with three adjectives. These three adjectives should form the backbone of the narration or on-screen text of your commercial. You might use words like creamy, satisfying, healthy, fruity, fun, or decadent.
• Consider the product’s unique qualities to help with this process. Is the yogurt a rich indulgence like Greek-style yogurt? Will it come packaged with granola on top of the lid? Does the yogurt have added health benefits, such as vitamins or fiber?
• Compose a brief script. This can simply introduce the product with narration that extols its benefits. Or, it can involve a storyline with actors interacting with the yogurt. Make sure to incorporate the three key adjectives from the step above. A commercial is generally 30 seconds, so your script will only have a few sentences to sell the product. Read your script aloud and time it with a stopwatch to make sure it’s approximately 30 seconds.
• Draft a storyboard. This is somewhat like making a comic-book version of your commercial, mapping out the visual progression of the commercial and matching each frame with its corresponding narration or dialogue. This will provide the basic structure for your film crew, enabling them to collect all of the footage you’ll need for editing the commercial.
• Scout for talent. Hold auditions for spokespeople or actors and film the auditions for later ease of reference and to see how each person looks on camera.
• Develop a filming schedule. Shooting a 30-second commercial should take between two and eight hours, depending on the complexity of the storyline. Shooting footage of an open yogurt container from multiple angles will take far less time than shooting scenes that involve actors with lines to remember.
• Shoot the commercial in High Definition. HD has been the industry standard for well over a decade, even though many Americans do not have HD service. The better the image quality of the commercial, the better your product will look.
• Edit the commercial using a program like FinalCut, Windows Movie Maker, or iMovie. Make sure the commercial is exactly 30 seconds long.
• Share the commercial with a group of consumers to get their reactions. By getting opinions on the commercial and how it showcases the yogurt, you can gauge how well the commercial will be received by the general public. Ask a focus group whether the commercial: is relevant to them; makes them laugh;and,most importantly, if it makes them hungry.
• Re-shoot parts of commercial and edit any scenes that your focus group may have had issues with.

Contact ad salespeople at local TV stations or websites like Hulu or YouTube and find out how much it would cost to air your yogurt commercial.

• If your shoot involves any outdoor filming, make sure to obtain the necessary permits from local authorities.

How to Form Bread Loaves
By Fred Decker
The smell of fresh bread can be an evocative and comforting smell, often reminding people of home. Even the process of bread making can be deeply enjoyable, without the daily drudgery of years gone by. Powerful stand mixers and bread machines have taken over the hard work of kneading the dough, leaving enthusiasts to simply shape the loaves and bake them.

To Form Bread Loaves You’ll Need:

• Flour
• Kitchen scale (optional)
• Large cutting board or clean counter
• Bread dough
• Bread pans or parchment-lined baking sheet
• Pan spray or shortening
• Sharp knife

To Rounding The Dough Instructions:

• Dust the cutting board or counter top work surface lightly with flour. Turn prepared bread dough out onto the work area. If the recipe makes more than one loaf of bread, divide the mass into the appropriate number of portions. A kitchen scale makes it much easier to make each loaf the same size.
• Take a dough ball and place it in the middle of the work area, cut surfaces facing up. Stretch a corner of the dough, then fold it into the middle of the ball and press it down firmly, so it sticks. Repeat with the other three corners. Dust the work surface with flour, as needed.
• Flatten the dough with the heels of your hands, working out any large bubbles you see. Fold the corners into the middle again, pressing down firmly to seal the dough into place.
• Turn over the dough ball, so the tucked ends are underneath. Cup your hands as if you were going to drink water from them, and place them on either side of the dough ball. The rounded sides of the dough ball should fit naturally into your hands, and the edge of your palm and little fingers should be underneath the edges of the bread dough.
• Draw one hand toward you and the hand in the opposite direction, with your hands about 1/2-inch apart, pinching the underside of the dough between the edges of your palms. The dough ball should rotate slightly, stretching the top and sealing the bottom. Repeat six to eight times, until the dough has a nicely rounded, symmetrical appearance and the bottom is well sealed.
• Repeat for any other loaves. These balls of dough may be raised and baked with no further shaping. This is a common shape for artisanal loaves, also known as “boules” after the French word for a ball. Slash the top of the loaf with a sharp knife before baking to allow the bread to expand. If the loaves are to be shaped further, cover them and allow them to rest for 20 minutes.

To Forming The Loaves Instructions:

• Grease the bread pans, if you are using them, with pan spray or shortening. Set the pans aside. Take the first ball of dough and turn it rounded side down on the work surface. Press it into a rough rectangle, not quite as wide as your baking pan is long.
• Lift the far edge of the rectangle and fold it toward you, stretching the dough slightly. Press the edge firmly into the dough, to seal it in place. Lift the rolled edge and roll it forward again, once more sealing the edge. Repeat until you reach the near edge of the dough. Seal this as well, and press down firmly on the ends to close those.
• Place the dough in the pans, sealed edges facing down. Cover the loaves or spray lightly with pan spray. Proof and bake them as directed in your favorite bread recipe.
• Shape rustic French or Italian loaves in the same fashion, but roll the ends of the loaf under your palms to give them a slight taper. Proof and bake them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Slash the loaves with a sharp knife, to allow them to rise more in the oven.

• These instructions will result in a traditional sandwich loaf, with small holes and an even texture throughout. Do not use this technique for artisanal breads such as ciabatta or classic baguettes.