American recipes use volumes to measure dry ingredients. Outside the United States, the amount of flour or almonds in a recipe are commonly given in grams, not cups. One uses volume, the other mass. Credit (or blame) for this difference often goes to Fannie Farmer who used cups and spoons for measurements in her The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book (first published 1896). Farmer’s book was very popular. The first two editions sold over 300,000 copies.…

Do you know where your almonds have been? Last week, a federal judge in the US ruled that almonds grown in the United States and sold raw will have to be pasteurized. The pasteurization is achieved by steaming the almonds, which robs them of some flavor, or by bathing the almonds in propylene oxide (a toxic gas). Imported almonds are exempt. Together with many food enthusiasts and organic farmers, I’m disappointed with the ruling, but there may be a way to satisfy the need for salmonella-free almonds and a great natural taste.…

My cookies are burning, so now I’m baking rocks. I have been baking different recipes for biscotti (that is what cantuccini di Prato are called in the US) hoping to write a post on the hows and whys of biscotti, but my biscotto bottoms kept burning. My oven seems to heat up fine despite its 22 years, so I attributed the burning to my inexperience. Things had to improve.…

In an age where online shopping and credit cards allow us to buy goods worldwide it is unexpected that one should have difficulty buying anything. But I have. There are many food products in the market that I have tried to buy, but failed. Want some pink guava puree: easy. Want some Blue Congo Potatoes or in-shell pasteurized eggs: that may require some travel. For some time I have wanted to write about using high pressure to pasteurize food without heat.…

The knife skills of cooks are as personal as their hand writing. As a recent accident made it clear, my “penmanship” needs improving, from chopping onions to carving meats. I started with a copy of Knife Skills Illustrated: A User’s Manual by Peter Hertzmann, watched some of the many online videos, and made sure my knifes are sharp. That is when a laser pointer came in handy. My knifes are sharpened at a local store.…