Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

A Sweet Guide to Tasting Chocolate

Looking for a fun time with other food-minded friends? Or, do you just love chocolate and want to know everything out it? Consider a chocolate tasting! Like wine, chocolate is a multifaceted food, with each step of its growth and processing—from bean to bar—impacting its texture, flavor, and usability. No […]

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All About Baking Soda and Baking Powder

Both baking soda and baking powder, referred to as chemical leaveners, give breads, cakes, and other doughs and batters a light texture by introducing carbon dioxide gas into the batter. The gas expands the bubbles that are already present in the batter due to the action of mixing or creaming. […]

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All About Chocolate

Bewildering arrays of cocoa and chocolate products exist and vary widely in quality and availability. The first step in properly selecting these products is to understand the makeup of each and their uses. Bittersweet/semisweet chocolate Often simply called dark chocolate, the FDA regulates that this type of chocolate must contain […]

Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

All About Gelatin

Gelatin is used as a stabilizer in many baking preparations. In small amounts, gelatin adds body, like to a sauce or whipped cream; in greater amounts, it can set a liquid so firmly that it can be sliced or cut into shapes. Using the precise amount of gelatin is crucial: […]

Chef's Notes Plus

Best Water for Bread Making

Bread dough is made from very few ingredients, and each one counts. This includes the most basic, likely least-considered ingredient: water. The rule of thumb here is that if you enjoy drinking it, you can use it for baking bread. However, there are three important ways water quality can affect […]

Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

Blue Cheese 101

Blue or blue-veined cheeses are thought to have been among some of the first cheeses produced. Although there is no specific research to prove the theory, it is believed that the mold was first introduced to cheese from moldy bread that had come in contact with the cheese. In the […]

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Chiles of Mexican Cuisine

Use this glossary to help identify chiles in recipes or to pick out what to try next! FRESH CHILES Anaheim (C. annuum) These light-green, rather flat-looking chiles will measure about 6 inches long and 2 inches wide, gradually tapering to a blunt end; they may have squared-off or sloping shoulders, […]

Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

How it Works: Ice Cream Ingredients

The key to making perfect ice cream (with or without a recipe!) comes down to an understanding of the primary ingredients and what purpose they serve. The basic ingredients for ice cream are milk, cream, sugar, flavorings, and sometimes eggs. There are two basic types of ice cream. Custard ice […]

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How to Choose Olive Oil

Olive oil can be fruity, nutty, sweet, zesty, peppery, rich, intense, and assertive; mild, mellow, light or heavy, subtle, and delicate; opaque or clear, deep olive green, pale green, gold-green, golden, or pale yellow. Like wine, no two olive oils are exactly alike. The most wildly-available olive oils in the […]

Chef's Blog, Chef's Notes Plus

How to Measure Half an Egg

At the CIA, each kitchen classroom is equipped with several scales for measuring ingredients, and we are firm believers in scales for home cooking and baking. Not only are weight measures more accurate, but they can make for quick and efficient measuring (not to mention less dirty dishes to clean […]

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How To: Cook Asparagus

When the local crop of asparagus first starts to trickle into the market, we can’t wait to get it home. Tender and sweet, asparagus is wildly versatile and easy to cook, making it a favorite for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Asparagus can be sold in several sizes, from pencil-thin and […]