As a kid, do you remember holding a dandelion under chin?
We talked about it on the show last week. (It was Dandelion Day on Tuesday, April 5th). If there was a yellowish reflection, that meant you liked butter, right? I don't know the origin of that practice but I think I ALWAYS had the yellow color reflected under my chin! I loved butter and still do. On today's show I shared some interesting facts about butter.
Have you wondered which is better salted or unsalted?
- Unsalted is best because the amount of salt can vary from brand to brand.Salted butter contains more water, which can interfere with gluten development
- Salt masks butters naturally sweet, delicate flavors and can be overwhelming
Where should you store butter?
- Place in back of fridge where it’s coldest. Don't use the compartment in the door.
- Butter will keep for 2 1/2 weeks in the refrigerator and up to 4 months in the freezer.
- Place in ziplock bag (before freezing) so that it won’t pick up other odor
Why is it important to use the proper temperature in a recipe?
- Chilled butter-should be cold and unyeilding
- Cold butter melts during baking leaving behind small pockets of air that create flaky layers in recipes like pie dough and croissants.
- Room Temperature-should easily bend without breaking
- Softened butter is flexible enough to be whipped but firm enough to retain the incorporated air-vital to making cakes with a tender crumb.
- Melted and Cooled-should be fluid and slightly warm
- Butter is roughly 16% water; when melted, water breaks from the emulsion and helps create gluten for chewier cookies.
On Monday, I spoke with Lesley Bolton regarding her new book, "THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BABY NAMES: THE MOST NAMES, THE MOST UNIQUE NAMES, MOST IDEA GENERATING LISTS (600+), AND THE MOST HELP TO FIND THE PERFECT NAME."
It really is the most complete baby name book that I have ever seen! Lesley said that it's very important to select the right name. You need to think about your child and most people select a first name that has meaning-not necessarily what the name actually means, but why it has meaning to the Mom and Dad. You also need to consider how the first name sounds (on it's own) and also when paired with the last name. The trend right now is for more traditional, classical names and the Social Security office will release the top 10 for 2011 this May. So stay tuned....
