What I learned from a rotary evaporator was that reducing liquids at very low temperatures saves their flavour. Not that the rotary evaporator stood in front of a classroom of able-minded cooks and told me that. Instead, I tasted it in the spherified orange juice that looked like … [Read more...] about Thumbprint Cookies and Slow-cooker Sugar-free Raspberry Jam
Canning and Preserves
Vacuum-Sealed Pickles, Quick Fermentation, and Ultrasonic Baths: Cucumbers, Chanterelles, Maple Syrup Pears, Fennel and Chili Peppers
I went on a bit of a pickle roll when I was at the Modernist Cuisine Cooking Lab... "Can you quick-ferment cucumbers?" I asked. I'd heard they made their own sauerkraut and I wanted to know if there was a way to do it in one day instead of two weeks. Turns out you can't actually … [Read more...] about Vacuum-Sealed Pickles, Quick Fermentation, and Ultrasonic Baths: Cucumbers, Chanterelles, Maple Syrup Pears, Fennel and Chili Peppers
Slow Cooker Apple Butter
What the heck is apple butter? Is it apple-flavoured butter? What do you do with it? These are all valid questions. Here are the answers: Apple butter is just apple butter cooked down to a spreadable, sort of butter-like consistency. It is not butter at all, thus is not … [Read more...] about Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Sleeping Problems, My Roommate, and Apple Pie in a Jar
One of the problems with making a lot of jam is you end up with a lot of half bottles of jam in your fridge, and if you're any good at making jam, you'll want to eat them. Now, I'm not a toast-in-the-morning kind of person because of the whole gluten thing, so I've discovered … [Read more...] about Sleeping Problems, My Roommate, and Apple Pie in a Jar
Old Fashioned Peach Jam (Without Pectin), As Opposed to New Age Jam
As opposed to new-age jam, this is old fashioned jam. What's the difference, you ask? Beats the heck out of me. As far as I know, people are still making the same old jam these days. Maybe new-age jam requires digital instant-read thermometers, calcium chloride, or heaven forbid, … [Read more...] about Old Fashioned Peach Jam (Without Pectin), As Opposed to New Age Jam
Tomato Jam (aka “Heinz on Crack”)
Normally I change a recipe in some way to adapt it to my needs. This one I kept exactly as is. It's from Food in Jars, the websit I trust the most for canning. This woman is a canning guru, and her website offers tons of recipes, tips, and canning wisdom. I call this "Heinz on … [Read more...] about Tomato Jam (aka “Heinz on Crack”)
Sweet Cherry Jam and Pitting 12 lbs of Cherries
12 lbs is a lot. It makes a lot of jam, but it also makes for black fingers. For 4 days I looked like a hardcore gardener. No one would have believed I can't even keep basil alive, or that parsely wilts at my gaze, and my poor, poor strawberry plant never stood a chance. But I'm … [Read more...] about Sweet Cherry Jam and Pitting 12 lbs of Cherries
Strawberry-Vanilla Jam
I was gifted some organic vanilla beans from the Kingdom of Tonga. Don't know where the Kingdom of Tonga is? Neither did I. Don't feel bad. Didn't know the Kingdom of Tonga produced vanilla beans? Again, join the club. My, hasn't this been an educational day for us all … [Read more...] about Strawberry-Vanilla Jam
Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam for Beginners
Did you know rhubarb is a vegetable? So this is a fruit and vegetable jam. Tell that to your kids...or not. Rhubarb has a stringy outer layer that makes chopping annoying (all those slices stick together), so scrape it off with a knife before chopping, or cut off just the edges … [Read more...] about Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam for Beginners
Strawberry Jam for the Common Man/Person/Jam-Lover Who’s Scared of Canning
Strawberry Jam 4 cups chopped strawberries 1 cup sugar zest and juice of 1 lemon All you do is hull and slice the berries and combine them with the sugar in a medium saucepan. Then bring them to a boil over high heat for about 8 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes occasionally so … [Read more...] about Strawberry Jam for the Common Man/Person/Jam-Lover Who’s Scared of Canning