How to Win at Shaping Cream Biscuits and Scones:
For Rounds:
- Pat the dough into a 3/4-inch-thick circle on a lightly floured work surface.
- Punch out dough round using a biscuit cutter. Push together remaining dough pat back into a 3/4-inch-thick round and punch out several more dough rounds. Discard scraps.
For Wedges:
- Press the dough into an 8-inch cake pan, then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.
- With a sharp knife or bench scraper cut the dough into 8 wedges.
How to Win at Folding Egg Whites:
- Gently stir a quarter of the whites into the batter to lighten it. Scrape the remaining whites onto the lightened batter and cut through the center of the two mixtures to the bottom of the bowl.
- Pull the spatula towards you scraping along the bottom and sides of the bowl. Once the spatula is out of the mixture, rotate the spatula so that any mixture clinging to it falls back into the batter.
- Spin the bowl a quarter turn and repeat this process until the beaten whites are just incorporated and no streak of whites remain.
How to Win at Fitting Tart Dough into the Pan:
- Ease the dough over a rolling pin and roll it up loosely. Unroll on top of the tart pan.
- Lift the edge of the dough with one hand and ease it into the corners of the pan with the other.
- Press the dough into the fluted sides of the pan, creating a distinct seam around the pan’s circumference. If parts of the edge are too thin, fold the dough back on itself.
- Run the rolling pin over top of the tart pan to remove excess dough. The finished edge should be 1/4-inch thick, if not press the dough up over the edge and trim the excess.
How to Win at Preparing Pastry Cream:
- When you add a half a cup of simmering cream to an egg yolk-cornstarch mixture, stir well to temper the yolk and don’t forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl!
- Pour your tempered yolk mixture back into simmering cream all at once, whisking vigorously. Bring the cream quickly back to a simmer, whisking constantly.
- Off heat, whisk in cold butter one piece at a time and for a smooth texture pass the cream through a fine-mesh strainer, using a rubber spatula to push the cream into a bowl beneath the strainer.
How to Win at Shaping Pizza Dough:
- Working with one ball of dough at a time and keeping the rest covered with a damp cloth, flatten the dough into a disk using your palms.
- Start at the center of the disk and work your way out using your fingertips to press the dough until it is about 1/2 and inch thick.
- Holding the center in place, stretch the dough outward. Rotate and stretch again, repeating until dough has a diameter of 12 inches. Finally use your palm to press down and flatten the thick edge of the dough.
How to Win at Beating Egg Whites:
- Beat the egg whites at medium-low speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Raise the speed and add the cream of tartar to help stabilize the egg foam. Then slowly add the sugar and continue to beat.
- Just before the egg whites are the proper consistency, turn off the mixer. Take the whisk attachment off of the mixer, remove the bowl and finish whisking by hand scraping the bottom as you whisk.
How to Win at Making Pie Dough:
1. The secret to perfect pie dough is in the details, including the temperature of the fat and water (icy cold), as well as the amount of liquid. Most pie dough disasters arise from too much or too little moisture.
2. To keep the butter cold, we like to use the food processor when mixing the dough. Flour, salt, sugar, and cold butter are pulsed in a food processor until the butter pieces are no longer clearly visible. The mixture will be slightly yellow, mealy in texture, and ride up the sides of the workbowl. The mixture is transferred to a bowl and Ice water is added, bit by bit, by hand.
3. Too much water is better than too little — a dry dough cannot be rolled out, but you can flour the work surface if the dough is a bit too wet. Ideally the dough will clear the sides of the bowl and be wet to the touch.
(Source: americastestkitchenfeed.com)
How to Win at Whipping Cream:
1. Whipped cream is as much about texture as flavor. Overwhipped cream looks unappealingly stiff and chunky and has a greasy mouthfeel, too. Most cooks whip cream at a breakneck pace and fail to catch the cream at its peak.
2. To prevent overwhipped cream, equipment and cream should be well chilled. At least 15 minutes before whipping the cream, fill the mixing bowl with ice cubes and cold water and place the whisk or beaters in the ice water. Dump out the ice water, dry the bowl and whisk or beaters, and add the cream. The cold bowl ensures that the cream will whip up beautifully.
3. Many recipes instruct the cook to whip cream to either soft or stiff peaks. Cream whipped to soft peaks will droop from the ends of the beaters. Cream whipped to stiff peaks will cling tightly to the ends of the beaters. To prevent overwhipping, switch to a hand whisk during this crucial stage, even if using an electric mixer.
(Source: americastestkitchenfeed.com)
How to Win at Rising Dough for Sandwich Bread:
1. A drafty or cold room can wreak havoc with rise times, slowing yeast’s growth down to a snail’s pace. Tightly seal your rising vessel with plastic wrap to keep out drafts and trap moisture (and don’t even think about using a dish towel).
2. “Doubled” only means something when you know how much you had to start with. Ideally, let the dough rise in a straight-sided container and mark its initial height by placing a rubber band around the container. It will be easy to gauge the dough’s growth.
3. Underrisen dough is dense and tastes largely of yeast. Letting the dough double before shaping it ensures a tall, delicious loaf.
(Source: americastestkitchenfeed.com)
How to Win at Removing Brownies and Bar Cookies From the Pan:
1. No matter how well the pan is greased, the corners of your baked goodies are generally fixed fast, the sides need trimming, and the bars are a crumbly mess. Such casualties are easily prevented by lining the pan with an aluminum foil or parchement paper “sling” before baking.
2. To make the sling, place two sheets of foil or parchment paper perpendicular to each other in the pan, pushing the sheets into the corners.
3. After the brownies or bars have baked and cooled, they can be lifted en masse from the pan with the sling, transferred to a cutting board, and sliced into individual portions. Pretty neat, you might say.
(Source: americastestkitchenfeed.com)
How to Win at Mixing Quick Breads:
1. Quick breads and muffins can be notoriously tough, squat, and rubbery. Overmixing the batter encourages gluten development, which in turn inhibits rise. What to do?
2. It’s easy: Blend the wet and dry ingredients separately and combine the two with a gentle hand using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. If you mix lightly by hand (and not an electric mixer), the crumb will be tender.
3. Gently stir until the ingredients are just barely combined. Occasional sprays of visible flour punctuating the batter are ideal.
(Source: americastestkitchenfeed.com)
How to Win at Making and Turning Puff Pastry:
1. “Rough” puff pastry (a perfectly proper approximation of classic puff pastry) is easy to make at home. As with pie dough, the best results are achieved by keeping the butter cold. If the butter begins to melt, the puff pastry won’t rise properly — and it’ll be a flat-looking failure.
2. The technique to use while working with the dough is called fraisage, where a shaggy dough is smeared across the work surface with the heel of one hand.
3. Keep the dough as cold as possible as you perform the fraisage twice, wrap and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, roll it out, fold the dough lengthwise into thirds, and loosely roll it up into a small rectangle.
(Source: americastestkitchenfeed.com)
How to Win at Frosting Layer Cakes:
1. Whatever type of cake you’re making, we’re pretty sure ugly isn’t one them. First, anchor the cake by spreading a dab of frosting in the center of a cardboard round cut slightly larger than the cake; center the first layer of cake onto it. Sugar as insta-glue! Set the round on a rotating cake stand (a Lazy Susan will also work).
2. When spreading the frosting, imagine that you are pushing the filling into place rather than scraping it on as if it were peanut butter on toast.
3. When applying the final thick coat of frosting to the top and sides, dipping your spatula in hot water will help create a smooth coat.
(Source: americastestkitchenfeed.com)
How to Win at Blind Baking Pies and Tarts:
1. For success at blind-baked crusts (the shells for most cream and custard-filled pies), the dough must be lined with pie weights to keep it in place. (Pennies piled in a foil-lined shell also work in a pinch.)
2. Refrigerating the shaped dough before baking will help prevent shrinkage, and a short stay in the freezer (after refrigeration but before baking) will improve flakiness in the finished product.
3. Time to bake! Once the crust has set in the oven, it is important to let it brown. To do this, remove the foil and weights and continue to bake the pie or tart shell until nicely browned.
(Source: americastestkitchenfeed.com)
