Patel

Taco meat needs more than just a good appearance: A spoonful (or two) of tomato paste will also give it some body, balance out all the grease from the meat, and help the seasoning cling rather then slide right off. Too many home cooks eyeball this amount and then end up with an over-sauced dish … Read more

Heavy cream also changes texture of scrambled eggs; it will make them saucy or dry depending on how much you use. Because a little cream goes a long way, you’ll have to practice to get right balance. A tiny alteration in amount will yield big difference in the finished product. So what’s happening? Heavy cream … Read more

Pot roast is also one where ratio of tomato paste is crucial: Too little, and you’ll have thin, pale gravy; too much, and it’s all about the pasta sauce, not the meat at all. It’s somewhere in between where there’s enough depth without overpowering with tomato taste. Most cooks adjusts by feel, getting it just … Read more

There’s no one-rule-fits-all for getting starch just so in, say, peach cobbler. What matters is knowing what happens with the peaches when they’re cooking. As fresh fruit warms, it give off juice. If you add sugar, that extracts further liquid from the fruit. Which brings us to your choice of topping: Does it contain steam-trapping … Read more

Things are jamming up. It seems easy enough to get to the proper consistency for jam, but then you go make some, and whoa: Sugar is different! Fruit is different! You have to learn to make little decisions very early on that can mean the difference between a yummy spread or a watery mess. Adding … Read more

It might seem like making chocolate milk is easy: just add milk to some cocoa powder and sugar. But then that cocoa won’t mix in… And once it does, drink will be too sweet! Or it might not be sweet enough. How do you know what amount of cocoa to use? What ratio of sugar … Read more

More than many baker do, I care about the starchiness of my pie fillings. If they’re not sufficiently starchy, your slices will slide off the plate when lifted; if they contain to much starch, the filling will look like pudding instead of fruit. You’ll notice this not only while eating the warm pie but also … Read more

Marinating steak is one of those little decisions that affects entire meal. If there isn’t enough soy sauce then flavor will only be on top, not inside. If there’s too much, the salt start to pull moisture out of the meat before it even hits the grill. Every bite makes a difference and it can … Read more

When planning a party dip, a ranch dip seems easy, until you discover that you have no idea how much sour cream actualy belongs in the bowl. It’s not always about the seasoning or the base. Getting all three elements, the base, the seasoning, and the serving size, to match your guests’ reach are often … Read more

In alfredo sauce, though, nutmeg act as seasoning: it enhances the flavors present and makes the sauce feel rounder and more complete. Unlike black pepper, garlic, or anything else with an overt flavour, nutmeg doesn’t announce its presence. What it does do is soften sharpness of the parmesan and cream, turning sauce from something simply … Read more