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Learn the science behind:
Category Comparing Ingredients
Why would you use one cocoa powder over the other? How do you choose a replacer for egg? Sometimes, you learn the most about an ingredient when you compare it with another one. It forces you to think about what’s important and what makes it work. That’s what we do in all these posts, whether it’s butter, cocoa powder or tomatoes.
If you want to learn more about how ingredients change when you use them check out our posts on using ingredients. If you prefer a deeper dive in specific ingredients, we have a category for that too!
Previous step: all these ingredients started out at a farm!
The (Scientific) Guide to Choosing Pectin
HM, LMA, LMC, rapid-set, slow-set. There are a lot of different types of pectin, some of which sound like code names! But which one do you need to make a sugar-free jam? Or a tart raspberry gummy? Or a new…
How to Choose the Right Type of Flour
If you’ve ever moved between countries or went to a specialized (online) baking store, you might have experienced it: flour analysis paralysis. There are so many different types of wheat flour, making it hard to decide which one you need.…
Vanilla vs. Vanillin – Science of Vanilla Flavorings
If you want to give your food a vanilla flavor, you have a range of options to choose from. You can use vanilla vs vanillin, or ethyl vanillin. Synthetic or natural vanilla flavoring. Or, choose between a vanilla extract, a…
Potato Science: Why Some Fried Potatoes Brown and Others Don’t
Have you ever wondered why some potatoes brown easily upon frying or baking, while others remain a pale yellow? Good news: you can influence this browning process yourself. According to theory, at least… Of course, we put this to the…
Why and When to Use Potato Starch in Baking (Tested Cakes, Cookies & Brownies)
It’s not the most common baking ingredient, but it shows up here and there. You might have come across it if you’re into baking cookies or cakes of a Northern European origin. Or, if you’re looking for gluten-free alternatives. It’s…
Sour Cream vs Creme Fraîche – Digging into Cultured Creams
In the Netherlands, sour cream and creme fraîche often share a shelf in the supermarket. They’re packaged in very similar packaging and even look and taste alike to some extent. But recipes can be very specific about using just one…
Sweet vs. Popcorn vs. Tortilla Corn
Grilled corn on the cob, cornbread, popcorn, corn tortillas, none of these would exist if there had been no corn. But did you know that they all rely on slightly different types of corn? There are a lot more corn…
How to Choose Beef Cuts for Making a Stew (+ Beef Pie Filling Recipe)
Have you ever bought a seemingly beautiful piece of meat for dinner, only to find out it turned out completely dry in your stew, or chewy when grilled? Is so, you’re not alone, choosing the right piece of meat for…
How To Choose the Right Lentil For Your Dish
Have you ever substituted a black lentil with a green one? And did you also end up with mushy lentils that were supposed to go into a salad but seem more at home in a soup? In other words, did…
How Baker’s Yeast Is Made & Which Type to Use
If you have your own sourdough starter, kept alive by carefully feeding it on a regular basis, you are growing your own micro organisms. Micro organisms are all around us, in the air and on most surfaces. In most cases…
How to Choose Fats: Comparing Butter, Ghee, Lard, Etc.
We eat our freshly baked bread with a spread of butter (or margarine). Use lard (or shortening) in a pie crust. Can’t make a decent paratha or chapati without a good dollop of ghee. Yet they’re all fats and even…
How to Use Aquafaba Instead of Egg Whites to Make Meringue
For years, if not decades, meringues, whether Italian, French or Swiss, relied heavily on eggs to make that light and airy texture. If you didn’t eat eggs, meringues were out of the question. Egg whites are just such a unique…