Low Carb Diabetic Diet

Let’s see how to prevent cooking sauce containing flour from turning lumpy.

The basic ingredients for a white sauce are butter, flour and milk. Melt the butter in a nonstick pan and gradually add the flour; cook the mixture over gentle heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan. Then add the milk gradually, again stirring constantly. Once all the milk has been added, use a balloon whisk and beat until the sauce boils and is thick and smooth.
Is there any way to rescue a sauce that has turned lumpy?

If the sauce should turn lumpy while cooking, plunge the bottom of the pan into a bowl of cold water and continue to whisk; the sauce will get smooth again. You can also pass a lumpy sauce through a sieve or pour it into a liquidiser and blend until smooth.

A recipe on a Sherry-sauced halibut.

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Sponge cakes are the lightest of all cakes. Sweet and delicate in texture, they can be made with or without fat. The success of sponge cakes depends on incorporating as much air as possible into the batter. Pay attention to beating eggs and folding in the dry ingredients. The electric whisk is excellent for whisking the eggs and sugar efficiently until light and fluffy. The egg mixture should be stiff but moist and able to hold its shape before folding in the flour.

The dry ingredients can also be folded in with an electric mixer; blend on lowest speed for a few seconds until the batter is well blended with no visible traces of flour.  Stop to scrape all batter from the edges of the bowl with a spatula, then turn on the mixer again until just blended.
Once mixed, the batter will lose volume if left to stand, so pour it into the prepared cake pan immediately. Cut through the batter several times to dispel large bubbles, then spread batter to fill all sides and into corners.

Try a low carb sponge cake today.

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Does your claypot keep cracking? Even if you season each new pot, but every time you use one it crack? What can you do to stop this from happening?

Claypots or sanpots are made from porous clay and crack easily if subjected to a sudden change in temperature or not handled carefully. Therea few precautions you can take to avoid cracking. Begin by buyging glazed claypots, which are more durable and easier to clean than unglazed pots. Avoid pouring cold water over the pot immediately after cooking, and wash the pot in hot water; a claypot retains heat for quite a while after cooking, and the shock of cold water could cause it to crack. Finally, to avoid hairline cracks, be careful not to knock your claypot against hard objects; store your pot in a rattan basket, and if you are stacking several claypots, be sure to place a thick wad of paper between each pot.

Healthy Low Carb Diabetic Diets

If you came across a recipe that asks for, say using 0.38 g of ammonia, do you know many teaspoons do you need to use?

Well, you do not have to use a scale for this.  Just a tiny pinch of ammonia is sufficient for use in most recipes.
When using measuring spoons, do you need fill the spoon just the rim or until it peaks?

Measuring spoons and cups are important for accurately measuring dry or liquid ingredients.  Unless specified otherwise in a recipe, the correct way to measure dry ingredients is to fill the measuring spoon or cup and then level the surface with a knife.  Don’t press or shake down the ingredients you are measuring.

How much is a dessertspoonful?
A dessertspoonful is approximately 15 ml.

Healthy Low Carb Diabetic Recipes

Treatment and Emotion of Diabetics.

Mention pumpkin and most people think of the famous American Pumpkin Pie which is traditionally served during Thanksgiving.  During the American Halloween festival, when pumpkins are hollowed out, carved and made into, candlelit lanterns, also comes to mind.
The pumpkin is relatively cheap and very nutritious.  It is a good source, of vitamins A and C, and is therefore good value for money.  The delicious golden orange flesh is versatile enough to be used for both savory and sweet dishes, such as stews, soups, cakes, custard, ice-cream and, course, the popular pies.

How to choose a pumpkin?
Pumpkins are easily available throughout the year.  Look for ripe but firm pumpkins which are heavy for their size and have unblemished skins. They will keep well for a couple of weeks if stored whole in a cool place.  Large pumpkins are also sold cut into wedges. Once cut, the pieces should be wrapped in plastic wrap. They keep well for about a week  in the refrigerator. Use them as soon as possible as they will quickly lose their flavour or even turn mouldy.
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“What is buttermilk? Is this in liquid or powdered form? What can be used as a substitute and where can I get in?”

Buttermilk is the product that remains after milk has been churned to make butter.

Nowadays buttermilk is made by adding special cultures to skim milk, and is usually sold as cultured buttermilk.
It is available in leading supermarkets in powdered form.  Mix with water and use as required.
Fresh buttermilk has a very short shelf life and is seldom available in our supermarkets. You can use skim milk as a substitute, although the fat content in buttermilk is higher.

A recipe on Cinnamon Orange Scones that uses nonfat buttermilk.

Low Carb Diabetic Diet

Sour cream is normally a light cream to which a special culture has been added to give it a sour taste. It enhances the flavor and creaminess of many dishes, particularly soups, savory sauces, dips and jacket potatoes, as well as desserts. You can buy it in most department store.

Yogurt is made by fermenting milk with a natural bacterial culture. Yogurt can be used as a substitue for sour cream; the calories will be reduced, but the dish won’t be as thick and creamy.

A low carb recipe that calls for sour cream.

Healthy Low Carb Recipes.

What is the the difference between using icing sugar or castor sugar for biscuits and pancakes?
Castor sugar and icing sugar are both used to sweeten as well as to decorate biscuits and pancakes. Pure icing sugar has the advantage of’ dissolving quickly and makes a finer-textured biscuit.  Castor sugar gives equally good results but it produces a more crumbly texture.  Icing sugar is dusted over biscuits and pancakes for sweetening as well as to provide a pretty decorative snow effect.

What is icing sugar?
Icing sugar is produced by milling selected granulated cane sugar to a fim powder It is used mainly for cake icing and decorating.

What is cinnamon sugar Is it the same as mixing cinnamon powder with sugar and considered it cinnamon sugar?
Cinnamon sugar is fine castor sugar mixed with ground cinnamon powder.  It is used for the coating of doughnuts or biscuits and for the topping of cakes and bread.

Low Carb Diabetic Recipes

To separate the yolk from the white, tip the egg yolk from one half shell to the other. You can also tip it into your palm and let the egg white run through you fingers. Eggs are easier to separate when they have been chilled in the refrigerator.

Egg separators are also available. They are in the shape of a spoon with slits to allow the egg white to drain through.

Low Carb Diabetic Recipes

Basically what you need to do is to peel shallots and rinse and drain well first. Dry thoroughly with absorbent paper or a tea towel. Slice shallots thinly.

Heat enough oil for deep-frying until smoking hot.  Put in sliced shallots and stir-fry continuously over high heat until shallots are just beginning to brown.  Reduce heat to low and cook until very light golden brown.  Just before removing crisps from pan, increase heat. This will prevent crisps from retaining too much oil.

Pour oil with crisps into a colander placed over a heatproof dish. The shallot crisps must be drained very quickly from hot oil to prevent them from turning too brown.

Spread crisps onto absorbent paper to cool. Store in an airtight jar. The fried shallots will keep crisps for months. Store cooled shallot oil in a separate covered container.

More Low Carb Diabetic Diet.