Oh, pepperoni pizza. So full of flavor, so full of spice, so full of grease.

A great cooking tip I read years ago in a cooking magazine was to place your pepperoni on a paper towel-lined plate and microwave it for a minute or two. ( I have a high powered microwave so mine takes 45 seconds-1 minute. You might want to start on the conservative side so you don’t have dry, overcooked pepperoni.) This heats the pepperoni and much of the fat is released and absorbed by the paper towel. Gross I know.

It is amazing how much grease is removed from the pepperoni.

However, it does really work. And no more greasy puddles on your pepperoni pizza. It’s a simple step that really is worth the trouble.

And if you are new to gluten free pizza crusts, or just looking for one that tastes good, I posted a thick crust pizza and an easy pizza sauce. Even if you aren’t an accomplished gluten free baker, do try pizza with your kids. It isn’t as hard as it sounds and it’s loads of fun for them.

Cooking With Kids, Kitchen Tips

Sometimes I feel like I have an alternative flour store happening inside my kitchen. If you bake gluten free you probably know what I mean.

Well, this morning I wanted to make a recipe calling for potato flour, only apparently I didn’t have any left.

Potato flour is actually ground from whole, dried potatoes. It adds moisture to your baked goods and extends their shelf life.

I decided to do some investigating to see if there was anything I could substitute for the potato flour.

I managed to find a comment on the King Arthur’s Flour from one of their staff members stating that 1 cup of potato flakes = 1/2 cup potato flour.

I only needed a couple tablespoons of flours and I wanted to make sure that the flakes became fine for my particular purposes, so I ground the instant flakes in my mini food processor.

It appeared to me that the instant flakes were reduced by half after grinding them. This allowed me to substitute the “flour” I had just created at a 1:1 ratio for the potato flour called for in the recipe. And it turned out fabulous!

Whether or not you choose to grind the instant potato flakes into a fine powder is really just a personal preference. I thought it would dissolve better in my case, but it is probably not required.

So if it is difficult to find potato flour in your area or you find yourself needing a substitute, I wouldn’t hesitate to use instant potato flakes.

1 cup of potato flakes = 1/2 cup potato flour

*if you grind them in your coffee grinder or mini food processor you should be able to use it 1:1

Gluten free kitchen essentials, Kitchen Tips, Uncategorized

Let’s face it, lasagna is really good, but a lot of work. No wonder the no-boil noodles are so popular.

Well, to my knowledge there aren’t any no-boil gluten free noodles. And if they exist, they certainly aren’t in any stores I shop at.

I buy the Tinkyada brand pasta, and overall I think they are the best gluten-free noodles. However, the lasagna noodles are very fragile once cooked and aren’t exactly easy to handle. This is a bit frustrating, so I figured there must be a better way.

I know some people claim you don’t have to pre-cook lasagna noodles, but I have never liked the texture of this method.

However, I found a solution.

If you soak the gluten free lasagna noodles in really hot tap water for about 20-30 minutes there is no need to pre-boil them. I use a 9×13 baking dish for this and when I was done soaking I just poured the water off. You have slightly softened, but easy to handle lasagna noodles, ready to be layered.

This will save you the pre-boil step and the hassle of dealing with very fragile cooked noodles. A couple of my noodles did stick together while soaking, but seriously, this was much less hassle than dealing with fully cooked gluten free lasagna noodles.

Once soaked and drained you can just proceed with layering the lasagna as usual.  I like to cover the lasagna with foil for at least the first half of the baking time and then remove the foil so the top can brown nicely. The noodles turn out perfectly cooked this way and the top doesn’t get too done.

I hope you find soaking lasagna noodles a helpful tip and I hope it saves you some time and energy in the kitchen.

I posted a great chicken lasagna recipe if you are looking for ideas.

Happy gluten free cooking!

Gluten Free Basics, Kitchen Tips no boil gluten free lasagna, soaking lasagna noodles

I love my cast iron pans. Okay, so they are heavy and a bit of a pain to “season,” but they last forever, are oven safe, distribute heat evenly, and they have a non-stick surface that will outlive you. Seriously, you should be able to give your grand kids these pans.

Cast iron does need some maintenance. It  needs seasoned, or cured. This is a process of baking oil into the pores of the cast iron to prevent it from rusting and also makes it non-stick. This process is restorable, so if you find an old, mistreated cast iron pan or you don’t take care of yours, there is still probably hope the pan can be re-seasoned and saved.

To season, you basically take a new or scrubbed and cleaned pan, and rub the surface with oil or shortening and bake it in a hot oven (somewhere in the 300-400 range), making sure to place the pan upside down with another pan or some foil underneath to catch any drips. Let the pan cool. With enough seasoning the pan will get that characteristic black sheen to it and will be very non-stick.

There are a few things you need to know to care for your cast iron.

Never place it in the dishwasher. Soaps and detergents break down the oils on the surface. Don’t tell the kitchen police, but I do wash my pans out briefly with soap and hot water on occasion, never soaking them though. I know others will disagree here and swear that soap should never touch cast iron. Restaurants must use some soap, I can’t imagine they are just wiping out their cast iron pans and reusing them. Maybe they are……maybe it’s better not to know.

If you have food stuck on, you can scrub your cast iron with a firm bristled plastic scrubber or kosher salt. If it gets rust spots you can use steel wool. Always take your washed pan and place it on a hot burner until it is completely dry, you can also throw it back in a warm or hot oven.

It is suggested that you season after every cleaning, but as long as you place your cleaned pan in a warm oven or hot burner (to remove any excess water) I find that older pans can go quite a few washings without actually seasoning them, but this isn’t the recommended approach

And although I am not sure why you would want to, I better mention that you can’t store food in cast iron. It will most likely ruin the finish and make the food taste metallic.

If you are going to acquire cast iron, especially if you have never owned it before, I suggest you go with the pre-seasoned pans. Lodge makes some reasonably priced pre-seasoned pans and they have been making cast iron pans for over 100 years. They are available in most department or home stores, I have even seen them in the outdoor/camping department.

I own several pieces of cast iron and two enameled cast iron dutch ovens. I must warn you, although the enameled pans are far easier to clean and don’t require seasoning, they chip, crack and stain; basically they have some major drawbacks. Considering the cost and longevity I would definitely just stick to plain old cast iron if I had to do it over again. My enameled pans are not going to last more than a couple years and cost about twice as much.

Cast iron pieces are seriously worth the small investment of time, money and effort that they require. So grab grandma’s heavy pan, dust it off and get cooking. I think once you try it you’ll be searching for more cast iron pieces to add to your collection.

Kitchen Essentials, Kitchen Extras, Kitchen Tips cast iron care, cooking with cast iron

Buttermilk is a key ingredient in many recipes, especially gluten free baked goods. Despite its name, buttermilk is actually low in fat. It is thicker than regular milk and has a tangy, yogurt-like flavor. It is affordable and has a long refrigerator shelf life, so it is great to keep on hand. I have also found that buttermilk powder/blend is also a common ingredient in gluten free baking; it’s around $4 a container, but will last a long time, using only a few tablespoons at a time.

Some of my favorite uses for buttermilk is fried chicken, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, and cakes. It really adds a nice flavor and improves the texture of these foods, especially the gluten free varieties.

If you find yourself wanting to bake with buttermilk, but you have none in the fridge, don’t fret. There are a few acceptable options you can substitute.

For every 1 cup of buttermilk needed you can choose one of the following options:

1) add 1 tsp cider or white vinegar to 1 cup low fat milk

2) add 1 tsp lemon juice to 1 cup low fat milk

3) add 4 TB cultured buttermilk blend/powder to 1 cup water (or follow the directions provided on the package)

4) add 3/4 cup plain, low fat yogurt to 1/4 cup milk to low fat milk

*The first two choices are probably the most common, but the last two will yield better results.

*Buttermilk and yogurt have very similar flavor, so thinning plain yogurt with milk is truly the best substitute; the taste and consistency will be very similar to that of buttermilk.

*Make sure you use low fat ingredients when substituting, buttermilk today is low fat.

Has anyone found a good dairy-free buttermilk substitute?

Kitchen Tips buttermilk subsitutes, gluten free baking with buttermilk

I read a cooking tip in my local newspaper, If you have leftover cream perilously close to its expiration date, just freeze it. Well, I haven’t been to impressed with freezing dairy, but I always seem to have leftover cream sitting in my fridge that will ultimately be thrown out. If it could actually freeze that would be such a time and money saver.

The tip also went on to say that you could whip the cream and freeze the dollops for several weeks; and the best part they only take about 10 minutes to thaw at room temperature. Now this was one tip I couldn’t overlook. How many times would having pre-whipped cream have been so nice? Too many to count at my house. Not only would this be great for the holiday, but anytime you have company over. It would be such an easy thing to prepare ahead of time.

I was skeptical that this would actually work. First, my cream carton said clearly on the side DO NOT FREEZE. So I had to put these freezer cream tips to the test.

To freeze liquid cream, you have to leave 1/2 inch at the top of the container, giving the cream plenty of room for expansion. I used containers designed for freezer products, but I think any freezer-safe jar or container with a lid would do; you could even reuse a cottage cheese or yogurt container. It will thaw overnight if placed in the refrigerator. It will most likely separate, so shake it before using. This really does work!

For the whipped cream, I placed small dollops on a parchment lined baking sheet and placed in my freezer until frozen. Then I placed them in an airtight container and returned them to the freezer. When I checked a couple weeks later, they still looked good. I pulled a few out, let them defrost on the counter. They still held their shape and tasted just like fresh whipped cream!

Freezing cream is one kitchen tip I am glad I discovered. I hope it saves you time and money in your kitchen as well.

Kitchen Extras, Kitchen Tips, Make ahead freezing cream, freezing kitchen tips, Gluten Free

Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits are probably the most common supermarket citrus, but there are many different varieties within these categories. Have you ever tried a blood orange? A pummelo?

The citrus growing season is fall to spring, so now is the perfect time to get some fresh, flavorful citrus, maybe even try a new variety. It is high in vitamin C and low in fat and calories, making it a smart way to add flavor, without fat, to your food.

The most obvious use of citrus in cooking might be the fruit itself to liven up a salad or make fruit salsa in winter. But I find myself using the juice more often.

Sure, you can buy the juice in those green bottles on the store shelf, but don’t. Buy fresh fruit and juice it yourself. It only takes a minute and the flavor is so much fresher and intense.

To extract the most juice, the fruit should be at room temperature (you can microwave it for about 30 seconds) and then roll it around on the counter with the palm of your hand before cutting in half; and I mean really roll the heck out of it. This would be a good job for a kid. I have a fancy juicer, but I lived years without it; you can just squeeze the fruit over a fine sieve to catch the seeds, I did this for years and is worked well.

The zest of the fruit packs a lot of flavor due to the oils. It is important to only get the colorful part of the peel, the white part called the pith is very bitter. I use a special tool called a citrus zester, and it is designed for this purpose, but you can also use a grater of vegetable peeler.

I like to add zest to marinades and main dishes, but you’ll find a lot of pudding, quick breads and desserts also call for zest. It does add a very pronounced citrus flavor, but you will also have little pieces of zest in the food. Personally, I never add zest to things like cheesecake or pudding for this reason.

And one of the best parts, fresh-squeezed juice and zest can be stored in the freezer and used later.

Here are some fruit juice estimations; they seem pretty accurate based on my kitchen experience:

*Medium oranges are ideal for wedging and juicing. Three or four medium oranges will yield 8 ounces of juice. Two medium oranges will yield one cup of bite-size pieces.

*One medium grapefruit will yield 8 ounces of juice and three cups of bite-size pieces.

*It takes 5-6 medium lemons to get 8 ounces of juice; limes are about the same, with smaller limes producing a much smaller yield.

Here are a few of my recipes that use fresh citrus, Lemon Pie Filling, Caesar Salad Dressing, and Cuban Pork Roast.

Gluten Free, Kitchen Tips adding flavor not fat, Cooking with citrus

My family eats a lot of bananas. And if you buy a  lot of bananas, inevitably you have over ripe bananas. What do you do with ripe bananas if you don’t want to use them right away?  I freeze them.  It works best to use the really ripe ones. I prefer to peel them first, if you don’t, they turn a very dark brown and get pretty mushy. You can freeze them whole in a freezer bag and just take out the necessary amount as needed. They take a couple hours to defrost, or you can use the microwave; they do get very soft, but they still work wonderfully in muffins, cakes and quick breads. If you chop the bananas into bit-size pieces before freezing, they’ll be the perfect size to throw in milkshakes and smoothies.

If you are trying to really stretch your grocery budget, buy the marked down bags of bananas when you see them. I was able to get 20 bananas for around $2 and I would never have been able to use them all up if I didn’t freeze some.

Bargain Bananas

Ready to go into freezer

Kitchen Tips Gluten Free

What’s not to like about bacon? Well, I can think of one thing, cooking it. Bacon cooked in a pan tends to messy and cook unevenly, so when I heard an America’s Test Kitchen tip to bake your bacon, I was all ears. I know people who cook their bacon in a microwave (I haven’t tried this), but I hadn’t really considered cooking bacon in an oven before. America’s Test Kitchen stated to cook 1 pound at a time on a rimmed baking sheet, but I prefer a broiler pan so the fat drips down. My broiler pan only holds 10 slices of bacon, so I modified their directions slightly. I am not sure this is much of a recipe, I would call it more a tip or technique. It does make cooking bacon easier, too bad you still have to wash the pan.

*Apparently not all bacon is gluten-free, some of the cheaper brands use soy sauce as an additive. Don’t forget to read those labels.

Oven-Fried Bacon

1/2 pound bacon (about 8 slices-10 slices)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400.
2. Arrange bacon on rimmed baking sheet or a broiler pan. I like the broiler pan because the fat will drip down. The slices can overlap some.
3. Bake until crisp and brown, 10-15 minutes, rotating pan about half way through cooking time.
4. Transfer bacon to paper towel lined plate and let excess fat drain before cooking.

Breakfast, Kitchen Tips Cook's Illustrated oven frying bacon, Gluten Free, oven fried bacon