I think most people can blame their parents for something that has gone wrong in their everyday lives. One thing I can't blame my parents for is allowing me to have my intellectual freedom to destroy the kitchen. Somebody in their great wisdom gave an 8 year a chemistry set as a present. Well this nutty professor in training started immediately breaking out the alcohol based bunsen burner and learned how to make a very small string of rock candy. Being of sound mind, I brought it into school. Well lets just say it was a hit and my friends all asked that I make them a string. Hmmmm. Well that will cost you 25 cents. I had an order for at least 50 of them. I was going to be rich. So that night I told my mom and dad I was going to make more rock candy but on a larger scale. Sure no problem. I broke out my mom's big Pyrex Pot. It was made by the same company that made my beaker and I had heard my mom say one time it was unbreakable. Great, success was soon to be at hand. I poured in the Sugar into the pot and added some water. My mom left for a PTA Meeting and my dad was watching TV/sleeping on the couch. The water was heating up nicely but the sugar wasn't dissolving quite as well the first time. I added more water. The water was a rolling boil now, but still the sugar just wasn't doing its thing. More water, but I need to slow down the process...OK...I need cold water. Well I added a huge amount of cold water and I heard a weird tinking sound and then Kaboom. The Pyrex pot exploded. The sugar on the bottom of the pot was now resting comfortably on the electric burner still turned on high. That immediately burst into flames. I screamed fire and my Dad bolts into the kitchen barefoot and guess what, stepped on a piece of broken pyrex. By that time the fire extinguished itself and my dad needed to get stitches in his foot. My mom came home and saw her sparking stove stop charred and caramelized. Needless to say it was about a week before I was allowed back in the kitchen. I learned a very valuable lesson. If you want to learn how to use cursewords in proper context, set your parents kitchen on fire.
Now if that hasn't dissuaded you from making rock candy, here is a perfectly acceptable method. Please above all, ask to make sure its ok with Mom and Dad, even if you no longer live with them.
From the Accidental Scientist, Science of Cooking
http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/candy/recipe-rockcandy.html
Showing posts with label sugar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sugar. Show all posts
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
French Toast
I love French Toast. Its by far my favorite breakfast food and who ever invented it is pure genius. Its also one of the few really good items my mom could cook. However, I learned how to cook this at around 8 years old and made it many times for myself. My mom would always curse at me because of the mess I made, but hey I was kid. It tooled around with the recipe numerous times and here is my version. I have a kids version and an adult version. To make the kid version just omit the alcohol.
The main ingredients are bread, eggs, sugar and cream. For the bread, if you have a favorite bread by all means use it. I used to make this with slightly stale Wonder Bread all the time. Now I use Challah, or Hallah. You can use Brioche, which is French Challah or Challah, Jewish Brioche. It doesn't really matter, I would just say that you probably should avoid sourdough bread for this recipe.
Ingredients
sliced day old Challah, Brioche or any other White bread you like
3-4 large to extra large eggs (approximate since eggs have different consistencies batch to batch)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup favorite liquer or liquor, I like Grand Marnier or Cointreau (omit this if serving to children or alcoholics)'
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
butter
Beat eggs sugar liquer if using, vanilla and heavy cream together. Should have a slightly thickened consistency. If you think its too watery add an additional tablespoon of sugar and taste it should be sweet. It should be noted that consuming raw egg products could be detrimental to your health. If you are afraid of getting sick, do not taste this before cooking. My one and final warning on that topic. Pour mixture into a lipped shallow dish. That's one with a rim so your mixture doesn't get on the counter or floor. Add sliced bread and start poking and mashing with a fork. You want to see some of the egg mixture start penetrating the bread to reach the top side. Once that is done, flip the bread and mash down on it with the back of a fork. Heat you pan to medium and melt two tablespoons of butter to coat the bottom. Add soaked bread slices and cook to golden brown. Then flip and cook until lightly brown and remove from pan and put on plate. Dust the toast lightly with sugar if you like it real sweet. Do not under any circumstance use powered sugar on your beautiful French Toast. I will personally rap you across the knuckles with a wooden spoon. Powdered sugar contains cornstarch and that prevents the maple syrup you are about to put on your toast from adhering and spilling over the sides. Granulated sugar absorbs the syrup for a lightly crunchy yumminess. I promise its delicious.
The main ingredients are bread, eggs, sugar and cream. For the bread, if you have a favorite bread by all means use it. I used to make this with slightly stale Wonder Bread all the time. Now I use Challah, or Hallah. You can use Brioche, which is French Challah or Challah, Jewish Brioche. It doesn't really matter, I would just say that you probably should avoid sourdough bread for this recipe.
Ingredients
sliced day old Challah, Brioche or any other White bread you like
3-4 large to extra large eggs (approximate since eggs have different consistencies batch to batch)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup favorite liquer or liquor, I like Grand Marnier or Cointreau (omit this if serving to children or alcoholics)'
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
butter
Beat eggs sugar liquer if using, vanilla and heavy cream together. Should have a slightly thickened consistency. If you think its too watery add an additional tablespoon of sugar and taste it should be sweet. It should be noted that consuming raw egg products could be detrimental to your health. If you are afraid of getting sick, do not taste this before cooking. My one and final warning on that topic. Pour mixture into a lipped shallow dish. That's one with a rim so your mixture doesn't get on the counter or floor. Add sliced bread and start poking and mashing with a fork. You want to see some of the egg mixture start penetrating the bread to reach the top side. Once that is done, flip the bread and mash down on it with the back of a fork. Heat you pan to medium and melt two tablespoons of butter to coat the bottom. Add soaked bread slices and cook to golden brown. Then flip and cook until lightly brown and remove from pan and put on plate. Dust the toast lightly with sugar if you like it real sweet. Do not under any circumstance use powered sugar on your beautiful French Toast. I will personally rap you across the knuckles with a wooden spoon. Powdered sugar contains cornstarch and that prevents the maple syrup you are about to put on your toast from adhering and spilling over the sides. Granulated sugar absorbs the syrup for a lightly crunchy yumminess. I promise its delicious.
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