techniques Archives ← Foodie's Arsenal

ciabatta: a tutorial 5

Jun

2012

Ciabatta is probably my favorite “difficult” bread to make. I say difficult because it’s in that category of artisan-style breads that means it’s harder to make than just knead, rise, bake. Ciabatta takes some attention and technique and precision, and I usually manage to accomplish about two out of those three in any given recipe....

tortellini and ravioli from scratch 4

Apr

2012

The world of pasta making is a relatively new part of our cooking adventures, and it’s growing on us fast. I love pasta in general, but I have a special place in my heart for stuffed pasta in particular. When I realized that we were able to make things like tortellini and ravioli from scratch,...

dry beans: your new best friend in the kitchen 4

Mar

2012

This is just a quick trick for working with one of my favorite kitchen assets: dried beans. Beans in general are awesome; they add a lot to your diet, they’re a great way to add texture and flavor to a meal, and there are so many different kinds to choose from. Part of the way...

pulled pork in the oven 83

Jan

2012

Pulled pork is easily one of my top three favorite foods in the universe. It works on so many levels, especially the “tasting really good” level. But it’s also a great crowd pleaser (we cooked it for our wedding!), easy leftovers, and has real foodie appeal due to the time, palate, and skill needed to...

pretzel rolls 2

Jan

2012

I guess I’ve been in a sandwich mood lately, because all the bread I’ve been making has ended up in one. Apparently all of my seemingly innocent baking projects have had a secret vendetta of wrapping the results around something hearty and delicious and non-bread in nature. Pretzel rolls are the latest in the trend,...

how to make amazing homemade pizza like it’s your job 7

Dec

2011

My runner-up title for this post was “pizza:the guide your friends’ bellies hope you finally find.” Pizza is just one of those things that’s great to have around, and easy to make bad choices about. If you haven’t heard of it, pizza is a fairly round, flat bread that you slather with tomato sauce, bury...

soft sandwich rolls

Dec

2011

In our house, we pretty much make all our own bread at this point. As fluffy and delicious as store bread is, all the mysterious ingredients were starting to bother us, and since I love baking anyway, it was a fairly easy switch to make. In fact, in many cases, it was an improvement– homemade...

making (and freezing) chicken stock 1

Dec

2011

A few years ago, I had almost no idea what chicken stock was. Those of you more enlightened in the chickenary arts might think that’s a little ridiculous, especially since I’ve probably been eating it in everything for most of my life. But, since I didn’t really get it, I would end up being mildly...