Instawares Bakes: Ice Cream Bread

There are two things that are nigh-universally liked in America; bread and ice cream. The problem is, neither are traditionally diet-friendly and healthy; as Scott Pilgrim VS. The World famously reminded us in a line delivered by Michael Cera’s titular “hero”, “Bread makes you fat?” It’s nothing but carbs, at it’s basis. Ice cream, on the other hand, never has had any notions of being healthy. It’s milk, cream, eggs, and traditionally a variety of other ingredients to give it flavor.

At some point, someone realized something amazing. All bread is, at the source, is water and flour. Water can be replaced by another liquid, such as… melted ice cream. In Katrina’s Kitchen has a great recipe for ice cream bread. Wikipedia encourages three parts liquid to five parts flour for most yeast breads. Her recipe is largely simple.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix 1.5 quarts of softened ice cream with 3 cups of self-rising flour.
Pour in a pan and bake for 35 minutes.

It’s suggested to not use a low- or non-fat ice cream.

Have you already started to think of recipes that could use this bread? Just looking at what Ben & Jerry’s offers, a few ideas jump out.

Cinnamon Bun ice cream could become the basis of a good cinnamon bun bread.
Oatmeal Cookie Chunk could be a sweet and chunky way to keep this almost traditional bread-like.
Banana Split may be the beginning of a decent banana bread.
Coffee Caramel Buzz or Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz may be the perfect thing for coffee cake bread.

Do you have any ideas for ice cream bread you’d like to share?… Read the rest

How To Use A Trivet

What Are We Talking About?

What is a trivet? You might have heard the word before, but have no real idea what it is. At the same time, you might have seen some devices and just called them “pot stands” or such. A trivet is traditionally metal (but can be found in wood, ceramic, silicone, and more materials), and effectively elevates a hot dish.

Who Should Do This?

If you want to put a hot dish on the kitchen table or counter-top for everyone to dish out, or to clear room from the stovetop, this item is for people who don’t want heat or water damage on their surface.

How Do I Use A Trivet?

If you’re using it to protect a table, countertop, or the like, simply just place the trivet on the surface, followed by placing the dish on top of it.
If you’re cooking with the trivet, place the trivet above the heat source and cook away.

Never…

… use the wrong material in the wrong situation. If you’re cooking over fire, you’ll primarily want a metal or ceramic dish.

Be Careful…

… and make sure the surface is level. Most trivets are three-pronged to find a balance on uneven surfaces, but since you are elevating a hot dish, you’ll want to ensure it won’t fall if knocked or bumped.

Definitely try…

… steaming. Trivets can, in a large pot, raise the dish above the water line, keeping it from being submerged. With a lid on a pot, this allows the dish to steam.
… using a silicon trivet in unique ways. Grab pans out of the oven, or use it to twist off stubborn lids. If you’re mixing stuff by hand, a silicon trivet will help keep the bowl in place.
… keeping food warm

… Read the rest

How To Season A Cast-Iron Pan

What Are We Talking About?

Seasoning a cast-iron pan is something you may have heard of, but it’s definitely something you should do if you ever use one. The cast-iron pan is a definite requirement in any modern kitchen, despite it’s age-old design. When you season it, you’re effectively filling in any cracks and cuts in the pan with natural oils. These cracks reduce the non-stick nature of the pan, and by filling them up, you’ll increase the desired slickness. Additionally, some report that you’ll bring more flavor to the dish by adding some of the natural oils now inherent to the pan to whatever you’re cooking in. Finally, you just can’t make proper cornbread without a good, seasoned, cast-iron pan.

Who Should Do This?

Anyone with a cast-iron pan, which might be found in everything from major restaurants to tiny apartments.

How Do I Season A Cast-Iron Pan?

Using a food-safe oil or butter (coconut oil/butter seems to work best) and a paper towel, rub and scrub the inside of the pan. When you are finished, there shouldn’t be any actual oils moving in the pan, but it should have gotten into crevices.
Place a sheet of foil in the oven, and place the cast-iron pan upside down over it. Bake at 350-400 degrees for 30 minutes. Smoking is normal, akin to a dirty oven.
Turn off oven and let cool.
Repeat 3-4 times for better seasoning.

Never…

… put the cast-iron dish in the dishwasher.
… keep the cast-iron dish in storage with the lid on; moisture can collect in it, leading to rust.
… boil water in the dish; the “seasoning” can come loose and mix with the water.
… pour large amounts of cold liquid into the pan.
… leave food in the pan after

… Read the rest

Gender-Neutral Easy-Bake Oven In Time For Next Christmas

It really, really shouldn’t take until next Christmas for the new, revised Easy-Bake Oven to hit shelves, but when in the season…

With Anthony Bourdain, Jamie Oliver, Guy Fieri, most of the Iron Chefs, and more male chefs being highly visible on television and the media, there’s enough testosterone shown in the kitchen to give boys a male role model, if they wish to pursue a culinary career.

But, if they want a Easy-Bake Oven, the default toy for children who want to cook without severely burning themselves, they’re relegated to pink and purple designs. Now, I’m of the mindset that, as a male, if you’re offered something in pink and opt out, you need some confidence-boosting. Nobody cares if you wear or use pink products.

I’m an adult male; I can deal with any and all criticism. A young girl’s campaign for a male (or neutral) designed Easy-Bake Oven has successfully resulted in Hasbro announcing they’ll be releasing a black/silver/blue model next year.

It may not be due to the actual campaign, as Hasbro says it has been working on a model for eighteen months (one needs to wonder what exactly takes 18 months about “change color scheme”), and will include boys in the advertising for the product that should hit shelves in summertime. The current model will not be replaced, as it sells well, but will be sold in unison.… Read the rest

Baking Basics: Selecting the Right Pan

Select the right Baking Pans

From cupcakes to crème brulee, good baking is not always about just having the best recipe. What you decide to bake your culinary creations in can have just as much impact on the final product as the balance of ingredients and cooking method. Choosing a baking pan that is too small can have a devastating effect, turning your mouth-watering red velvet cake into an overflowing gooey mess in your oven. Selecting a glass pan instead of a dark metal pan without lowering the oven temperature could transform your favorite lemon tart’s flakey, buttery crust into a black, burnt disaster.

So how do you choose the right baking pan to fit your needs? Follow these three simple guidelines to achieve baking pan perfection.

Material

Baking pans are available in a range of materials, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Known for their superior performance and durability, aluminum
baking pans are frequently used in both restaurants and homes. Aluminum pans vary in color and weight; generally the heavier and darker the pan, the better it will conduct heat and brown evenly and the less likely it will warp or bend. Available in non-stick, aluminum baking pans make excellent bread pans, muffin pans, and cake pans.

Extremely versatile and dishwasher safe, ovenproof glass baking pans make it easy to prepare, bake, serve, and store food in one single dish. Ovenproof glass does not conduct heat as well as other types of materials, so it is generally a good idea to reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees when using these pans in lieu of metal ones. Because glass prevents excessive browning, ovenproof glass is often a top choice for casserole pans and roast pans.

Flexible and convenient, silicone baking pans allow bakers to easily remove muffins, cakes, pastries, and other baked … Read the rest