Today we have Kitchen Hacks Ep. 2. Enjoy!
Hack #1: How to make
any dairy recipe be dairy-free (if butter is the only dairy ingredient)
I bake a lot. I have a major sweet and I like my sweet
treats. The best kind of dairy-free desserts are the kind that do not taste
like they are dairy-free. Want to know my secret how I turn any dairy recipe
(given that butter is the only dairy ingredient) into a dairy-free recipe AND
have it still taste as if there is actual butter in there? Are you ready
because this is a total game changer: vegan butter.
I use the Smart Balance brand as well as the Earth Balance
brand and they both work wonders. After discovering vegan butter, it has become
a staple in my kitchen because, for the record, I bake a lot. If you can have dairy, but you’re just looking for a
healthier alternative, this is the stuff. If you can’t have dairy, you must try
this stuff! And if you know anyone who cannot have dairy, share this info with them
and they will be so grateful. Examples of baked treats using vegan
butter:
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Ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies
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Soft & chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
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Hack#2: How to keep
brown sugar soft & fluffy
Rachael Ray uses something ~$5.00 which I have seen at Bed
Bath & Beyond. I have heard a slice of bread works, but bread has a
short-term expiration. I’ve got a much cheaper and yummier trick:
marshmallows. Cheaper because I usually buy a big bag in 16oz because I like
making rice krispy treats with them. Yummy because, well, you use marshmallows to make
rice krispy treats!
This trick works so well, I’ve had this batch of brown sugar
in the container for 3+ weeks now and things are looking soft and fluffy (I use
4-5 big marshmallows for this container). If and when you find that the brown
sugar is hardening, simply replace the old marshmallows with new ones and it
should fluff things up again within the next day.
Speaking of rice krispy treats, I have become obsessed with Oreo Rice Krispy Treats. I don’t have many baking recipes because baking is a science and I’m not a scientist, but Oreo Rice Krispy Treats do not require baking, therefore I can do my own thang. The recipe will be coming soon J
Hack #3: How to keep sliced apples from browning
Step 1- fill a big bowl with water
Step 2- 40% of the world’s population says mix in vinegar.
Don’t worry, you won’t taste the vinegar, they say… perhaps if you fancy the
taste of vinegar then you won’t notice it. If there’s an alternative, let’s
look into that, shall we? Another 40% of the world’s population says to mix in
lemon juice. I love lemons, and I love citrus, but I don’t always have either in my
kitchen at all times. The remaining 20% of the world’s population (where I fall
in) says mix salt into the water* Salt—now that’s a kitchen staple that I always have! Salt enhances
flavor, which is why it is mixed into baking sweet desserts. I actually prefer apples
with a hint of salt, so this is perfect. How much salt to mix in, you wonder?
Enough so the water tastes "salty." I know this is ambiguous so for guidance, try
1 tsp of salt to 3 cups of water.
* Disclosure: the above figures are totally arbitrary.
Step 3- slice apples and let them bathe in the salty water
for 1-2 mins.
Step 4- throw them in the fridge to keep longer. I like to
take these as grab-and-go snacks or I’ll have it along with my breakfast, so I
throw them in zip lock bags.
To show how well this trick works, the apples in the picture
below have been sliced and processed by the above steps for 18+ hours. They are
only a tiny, tiny, tiny bit brown but considering they were out on the counter
for a while as I was filming, this trick really does the job.
Watch a demo of the hacks and join me in my kitchen where everything is served with love.
♥ Yen
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