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!
1. Just starting to form peaks, but still quite coarse
2. Chubby soft peaks, still a bit coarse
3. More angular soft peaks, finer texture, but still a bit wobbly
4. Beginning to hold stiff peaks, fine texture (getting glossy), with a slight droop
5. Very stiff peaks, glossy, sculpted lines, no droop or wobble
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.
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.
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.
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.