Category: Cooking

Baking is more than making delectable treats. It’s a way to create, entertain, and nourish — and it comes with powerful mental benefits to boot. It’s also a thrifty way to treat a family’s collective sweet tooth.

But there’s a problem. Baking is hard. Really hard. You can make the same recipe time and time again, and it always comes out wrong in a different way.

What gives? Odds are, you aren’t doing anything wrong. The basics of baking are hidden well, but they can be the difference between a moist cake and a burnt one.

Luckily, you don’t need to go far to find them. Read on and up your baking game with these baking tips.

1. Ingredients Matter

Not every brand of milk, butter, or sugar is crafted the same. In addition to varying flavor profiles, they’ll have unique textures, moisture, and more. As individual ingredients, the differences may seem small.

But they’ll have a massive impact on the quality of your baked goods.

Make an effort to try different brands of ingredients on a regular basis. As you continue to bake, you’ll discover brands with qualities you love — as well as those you should avoid.

2. Wait for Room Temperature

Whether chilled, melted, or soft, the texture of butter is everything in baking. If the recipe calls for room temperature butter, exercise some patience. Yes, it can take hours for everything to reach the right consistency.

But it’s worth it. If your butter is too cold, it will remain chunky even under the power of the best mixing machines. And if you try and cheat the system by microwaving butter, the heat can cook or separate important ingredients.

There are a few ways to soften butter quickly when you don’t have time to wait.

3. Don’t Forget About Carryover Cooking

The baking process continues once you pull baked goods out of the oven. This is known as carryover cooking.

For this reason, you should always take baked goods out of the oven a bit early. Maybe the tops of the cookies still look wet or the cheesecake still has some wiggle. That’s okay because they’ll finish cooking once you pop them out.

4. Baking Tips Can’t Replace Excellent Bakeware

You could have the best baking tips in the world, but you won’t be cooking your best with low-end bakeware. Quality cooking utensils are more consistent and offer better heat conduction. In turn, this means you’ll just bake better.

For example, a ceramic muffin pan will outcook a flimsy steel tin any day of the week. It’s a little more expensive, but it’s absolutely worth the price. Shop around for good deals on bakeware and try to replace cheap pans and trays you use on the regular.

5. Learn to Weigh Ingredients

Most home chefs measure by volume with plastic measuring cups. But, as you know, this type of measuring is inconsistent. A cup of flour can vary drastically depending on how you pack your ingredients.

Baking is a science. If you don’t use the same amount of ingredients every time, your baked goods will always come out different.

But if you learn to weigh ingredients, you’ll never have this issue. 200 grams of sugar is always 200 grams, no matter what.

6. Rely on an Oven Thermometer

Unless you have a professional oven, it’s probably not as accurate as you think. The thermometer could be off by 25 degrees and some parts of the oven can get hotter than others. Even for basic baking, you should consider an oven thermometer.

It’s a bit more work to look inside the oven to check the actual temperature. However, that can be the difference between perfect cookies and overcooked disappointment.

7. Rotate Baked Goods

Since most ovens aren’t perfect, they may cook certain parts of your food faster than others. Thankfully, there’s an easy fix.

For one, always set your pans in the square center of the oven. And at the halfway point, crack the oven open and rotate your baked goods. This will ensure a better, more even cook.

8. Chill Dough Before Baking

Many cookie recipes ask you to chill dough for at least an hour beforehand. Don’t ignore it! As part of baking basics, you should always follow the instructions.

When you chill cookie dough, it reduces how much your cookies will spread in the oven. This will impact the cooking time and consistency of the cookie. But also, chilled dough allows flavors to intensify.

Even if a recipe doesn’t ask you to chill cookie dough, you should consider this option when your dough is too thick or sticky to handle.

9. Preheat to a Higher Temperature

An oven thermometer can help you regulate your oven, but there are more baking tips and techniques to make the most of it. In the brief time it takes to put your pans in the oven, you’re letting out hot air.

It may seem insignificant, but it can really affect how well your baked goods cook. With the help of your oven thermometer, preheat your oven about 25 degrees over the actual cooking temperature.

Once your baked goods are in the oven, set your oven back down to the proper temperature. The extra temperature creates a buffer, ensuring your oven doesn’t dip down below the proper heat.

10. Don’t Skimp on Flouring Pans

There’s a reason most recipes tell you to either flour or butter your pans. If you don’t, your baked items are going to cling to them. This means you’ll ruin your food when you’re trying to free it.

Always add a heaping helping of flour or grease to avoid this problem. A little bit extra isn’t going to ruin the recipe, I promise. The same isn’t true if you don’t use enough.

Bake Like a Professional

Since baking is a science, anyone can learn to do the job well. In fact, most of the work has already been done for you. Decades of baking experience have led to balanced, delicious recipes.

You just need to learn how to follow them. These baking tips can help you make the most of your time in the kitchen. Keep baking, keep practicing, and before too long you’ll wow your friends — and yourself.

Did you find this article helpful? If so, search the rest of our blog for more tips for hardworking moms.

In one year, 80 million Americans say that they grilled outdoors. Seventy-five percent of us own an outdoor grill or smoker.

While grills apply heat directly to cook food, smokers use indirect heat that passes through a cooking chamber, usually containing wood chips. Smoking foods helps to preserve their flavor, and the wood gives them that down-home barbeque flavor we recognize immediately.

Grills, on the other hand, cook food more quickly and are easier to use. Many hosts prefer them because they can socialize with their guests without continuously fussing over the fire.

Whatever your preferred method is, nothing compares to the sweet, barefoot music of a summer cookout in your own backyard. Here are some of our favorite grilling ideas for the season!

1. Fish and Veggies En Papillote

This is a great crowd-pleaser that allows each guest to have their own neatly-wrapped protein package that smells like heaven when it is cracked open.

Place a white, flaky fish with light flavor like halibut, tilapia, or cod in aluminum foil and season with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, or lemon juice. Sprinkle with some basil or thyme and salt and pepper.

Light fish are packed with vitamins and minerals and light on calories. Add some summery cherry tomatoes, zucchini, or squash before closing up the package and grilling it with the lid down. The result is a succulent, savory treat that melts in your mouth.

2. Cedar Plank Salmon

For best results, your cedar plank should be placed in the center of a hot grate, away from the heat. The fish will steam gently here, remaining tender and moist. It picks up the smoky flavors from the grill as well as the woodsy taste of the cedar.

Some serious grillers prefer a charcoal grill smoker combo when entertaining outdoors. It combines the flavor of a smoker with the convenience of a grill.

You will need to soak your cedar plank in salt water for two hours before using it on the grill. Salmon is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and Omega-3 fatty acids, which prevent heart attacks and contribute to overall mental and emotional well-being. Try flavoring yours with brown sugar and dry mustard before grilling.

3. Veggie Kebabs

Great summer vegetables such as zucchini, squash, bell peppers, and red onions can be served as a side dish or main event. The grill will make them so soft, smoky, and tender that they will be praised even by non-veggie fanatics.

Try brushing yours with olive oil and lemon juice, and light herbs such as thyme, basil, salt, and pepper.

4. Hot Dog Bar

Anyone who tells you that hot dogs are better served indoors is lying. Something about those charred grooves lets you know a delicious, smoky flavor unique to summer is on its way to your mouth.

Be sure to include classic fixin’s lined up in style like catsup, mustard, pickles, relish, sauerkraut, and an assortment of buns.

You can also shake things up by serving unique recipes like Hawaiian dogs with pineapple relish in bacon, or Asian dogs with hoisin sauce and ginger relish.

5. Grilled Romaine Halves

A healthy, surprisingly delicious appetizer or side, grilled romaine lettuce halves deliver a gorgeous color and succulent flavor.

The halves can be placed directly on the grill, and they need to be turned quickly. Season them with salt and pepper and top with blue cheese and bacon off the heat.

Choose Your Grilling Ideas

Smoky veggies, ethnic hot dogs, and savory fish all make great grilling ideas for your next entertainment event.

For more information on frugal cooking, read our blog today!

Are you on the hunt for the best air fryer?

Air fryers are a wonderful way to bring all those tasty foods you crave right into your kitchen. You can cook up crispy chicken wings, potatoes, and vegetables in the comfort of your home.

What’s more, air fryers are a healthy alternative to fried food, because they enable you to get your fry on without all that added oil!

Air fryers are feasible for any budget. In this post, we’ll take a look at the top air fryers on the market today!

1. Big Boss Oil-Less Fryer

Are you ready to ooh and ahh when you start frying food? Then you should check out this boss of all fryers.

Big Boss has an elegant, ergonomic design, operating on a hefty 1300 watts to fry your favorite foods without all that oil. You’ve got two cooking racks with this fryer, too, for maximum exposure.

We love this fryer because it’s energy efficient, using infrared technology to get your foods from frozen to sizzling in a matter of minutes. What’s more is that you can put anything in it, from toast to stir-fry vegetables.

The Big Boss comes with a recipe book for oil-less frying and a two-year limited warranty.

It’s affordable too, clocking in at $60-$70 at most department stores. Check out this Big Boss Oil-Less Fryer review.

2. French May Air Fryer

If you’re willing to spend a bit more on your fryer, check out this stylish creature from French May. Its sleek black design will look good on any counter — plus, it’s got a touchscreen control panel!

The French May comes with preset frying preferences, AirFlow technology, and a 3.7-quart capacity.

The best part about this fryer is that it’s dishwasher safe, so cleanup is always easy. It also comes with a recipe book for frying inspiration.

Find the French May on Amazon or in other department stores for just under $100.

3. The Dash Compact

If your frying needs aren’t massive and you’re on a tighter budget, check out this compact frying machine.

The Dash has a 1.2-liter capacity for frying, but don’t let that deter you. It’s highly energy-efficient — more so than your oven! — and has an easy slide-out drawer for fast afternoon frying.

It’s great for families, as The Dash has an auto shut-off mechanism for maximum safety. Like the others, it comes with a recipe book.

You can purchase The Dash in a lovely aqua, red, white, or black color. Find it online for around $50.

The Best Air Fryer for Your Budget

You can’t go wrong with any of these three fryers. We love them for their power and energy efficiency.

Choose The Dash for more compact frying needs. Larger families or spaces will find a true companion in any model by French May. The Big Boss Oil-Less Fryer is topping the charts when it comes to efficiency and frying capacity.

At Thrifty Momma Ramblings, we’re all about saving you money and helping you live the life you long for. Check out our blog posts on frugal, nutritious kitchen living here!

Do you think that your family eats nutritious meals?

You may think that you’re giving your kids the best foods possible, but a study on daily nutrition found that empty calories make up nearly 40% of the average kid’s diet.

Do you want your child to eat better and reduce their empty calorie intake? Give them more protein in their meals.

Meat is the go-to source for protein, but when you have to appease picky eaters meat may not be the best choice. Luckily, there are sources of protein other than meat your kids can eat.

Where To Find Sources of Protein Other Than Meat

Kids are notoriously picky eaters. Moms who may have tried low carb or paleo dishes at dinner time know how hard it can be to introduce new foods.

Finding meatless sources of protein can help your child’s overall diet. When you rely more on vegetables and grains in meals your kids can get more vitamins and minerals.

Curious about what things you should add to your diet? If you want to up your protein and reduce your meat consumption, try out some of these foods.

Quinoa

Quinoa is a grain that most people consider to be a superfood.

This wholesome grain has 8 grams of protein in a serving, but its high amount of protein isn’t the best part about this food.

Quinoa is also high in iron, magnesium, and fiber. It’s very versatile, and many people use it as a substitute for rice.

Tempeh

Tempeh is a vegetarian soy food that’s been eaten throughout Asia for hundreds of years, but it has recently become popular in the west.

Tempeh is very high in protein. One cup of it can have up to 31 grams of protein. It’s also an excellent source of calcium.

If your kids don’t like tofu, try introducing them to tempeh. Some people prefer its taste to tofu because of tempeh’s slightly nutty flavor.

Protein Powder

If you want sources of protein other than meat, protein powder is the ultimate meatless protein source.

Protein powder isn’t for people in need of a post-workout nutrition boost. It can also help add supplemental protein to your diet.

Do your kids love smoothies for breakfast? Add a scoop of protein powder to their smoothies or extra nutrition.

If you want more ideas on how to use protein powder and which brands are the best, check out The Ultimate Guide To Protein Powder.

Rice And Beans

Want something simple, delicious, and high in protein? Go for something classic like rice and beans.

When it comes to sources of protein other than meat, rice and beans can’t be beat. This utterly simple food can have 7 grams of protein in a serving. The meal is also full of important nutrients like methionine and lysine.

If you want to switch things up, substitute the beans for chickpeas or lentils for a tasty dinner with high protein.

Seitan

Do you want a go-to substitute for meat, but don’t want to use tofu?

Seitan has been taking the vegetarian and vegan worlds by storm. Because it’s created by mixing gluten with herbs, spices, and stock (or water), it’s much more flavorful than tofu.

This meat substitute has been in use for thousands of years, and a serving can have almost 21 grams of protein.

Peanut Butter

Want the ultimate kid-friendly source of protein? Look no further than peanut butter.

Go beyond pairing it with jelly if you want to give your kids something different. Spread it on waffles in the morning, or serve a big dollop of it with bananas and celery.

Your Turn

Now that you know what foods to use, it’s time to get to work!

If you’re not sure how to use some of proteins, check out the list of recipes on the Meatless Monday website. They have tons of recipes that don’t use meat, and plenty of them are kid-friendly.

If you’re interested in other nutritious meals, check out our post on healthy and tasty breakfasts you can make.

Don’t worry I’m not going to start this article talking about how important it is to eat breakfast in the morning. You already know that!

However, if you are like me you often end up eating the same thing every morning because of its convenience. And while fruit is a fantastic and healthy option, sometimes you just need a treat.

Here are five delicious treats that are better than fruit for breakfast.

1. Oats

Did you know oats have been proven to reduce your risk of heart attacks, strokes, and cancer? These super foods are incredibly rich in healthy compounds and great at eliminating the not-so-healthy ones.

Not all oats are created equal though.

If you want to maximize the good ingredient, avoid eating packaged and processed oats. Oftentimes these are filled with too much sugar and preservatives.

2. Eggs

The second food to keep your eye on for breakfast is eggs.

Not only are they packed with protein and essential vitamins, but they’re incredibly versatile as well. One day you could have a poached egg, and the next you could have them scrambled.

I love to make omelets. This allows me to get in some of those other essential vitamins and minerals through added vegetables.

This is a plate that you can get creative with and one that will be a healthy alternative to your classic fruit dish.

3. Waffles

Next is waffles, and yes I do mean it! Waffles and pancakes can be a delicious and healthy treat for breakfast, especially when made with whole grain.

One of the benefits of waffles is the variety of toppings you can add to it. Whether you’re craving something sweet or salty.

Another benefit is that they are so easy to make! Just pull out your bella waffle maker and whip them up with simple, everyday ingredients.

Within 5 minutes you’ll have a delicious and filling breakfast snack.

4. Crepes

Like waffles and pancakes, crepes are another delicious alternative with lots of topping options.

Entire businesses have been devoted to making great crepe recipes that are both sweet and savory. However, regardless of your taste palette, you can be sure that the crepes won’t add much sodium or cholesterol to your diet.

Bonus tip: Add peanut butter to get a little extra protein in your day.

5. Smoothies

If you are still craving fruit for breakfast, but you want to have a change in your routine, smoothies are a great alternative.

You can never go wrong with strawberry and banana blends. Add spinach or kale to get an extra dose of fiber and keep you fueled for the rest of the day.

Plus they are great for when you have to eat on the go!

Enjoy More than Just Fruit for Breakfast

Each of these options provides delicious and healthy alternatives that will keep you fueled until lunch.

As an added bonus, they’ll also leave more room for yummy desserts at the end of the day like my favorite triple-layer cracker toffee bars. Yum!

Speaking of which, I think I might have some cooking to do.

Do you have any special breakfast treats? Share them below in the comments!

Want more awesome tips? Check out our website!