These are adapted from the textbook Understanding Food: Principles and Preparation (2nd Edition) by Amy Brown. I hope to add more troubleshooting and substituting tips here soon!
Quickbread Troubleshooting
Yeast Bread Troubleshooting
The stages of an egg white foam.
Take a look at these pictures of an egg white being beaten at room temperature with 1/8 tsp of cream of tartar and get to know your peaks!
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- 1. Just starting to form peaks, but still quite coarse
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- 2. Chubby soft peaks, still a bit coarse
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- 3. More angular soft peaks, finer texture, but still a bit wobbly
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- 4. Beginning to hold stiff peaks, fine texture (getting glossy), with a slight droop
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- 5. Very stiff peaks, glossy, sculpted lines, no droop or wobble
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- 6. Overbeaten, chunky when stirred, leaky, difficult to form peaks
How to tell when your meat is done: The Hand Test
When you can’t use a thermometer, or your meat is too thin to get an accurate reading, use The Hand Test to judge how well done your meat is.
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- Rare: Relax and dangle your hand. Pressing the area between your thumb and index finger feels similar to rare steak–soft and yielding to light pressure.
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- Medium: Stretch out your hand and tense your fingers. The area between your thumb and index finger feels similar to medium steak–springy firmness that yields to pressure, but bounces back a bit.
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- Well done: Make a fist with your hand. The area between your thumb and index finger feels similar to well done meat–hard and unyielding with little or no springiness left.