Learn the science behind:
Let’s discuss (the science of) pies. Whether they’re sweet or savoury, crunchy or soft, pies can be made in loads of different ways. There are tons of recipes for crusts and fillings on this world.
Scroll down the posts to learn all about pies and the science of pies. Interest in just pie fillings or pie crusts? Head over to those sections.
Custard ice cream, creme brulée, lemon meringue pie. They all rely on egg yolks. Without them, custards melt too quickly, creme brulées are runny, and the pie filling wouldn’t set. Egg yolks can thicken liquids. But, it’s a fine balance.…
Fresh blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, they’re delicious and juicy. But, they’re also very seasonal and fragile. There’s a reason they tend to be sold in sturdy plastic containers, even a slight bruise ruins them. The presence of these brightly colored fruits…
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…
Sugar definitely is one of the most complex and fascinating ingredients in the kitchen. It sweetens your food, but can also be used to create a whole lot of different textures and structures in your food! Sugar helps thicken a…
If you’ve never been to Chicago, chances are small you have come across Chicago-style deep dish pizza. It’s a pretty regional phenomenon and personally I haven’t seen it outside of the city, whereas in Chicago every tourist seems to ‘need’…
So many cuisines have dishes that are made with super thin pastry. The very thin dough can be used for making anything from Middle Eastern baklava, Greek spanokopita, German strudel to Indian samosas. They’re all made with phyllo, or the…
There are tons and tons of recipes for apple pie (such as our Dutch one). They use different crusts, different ingredient ratios, maybe some additional add-ons. There’s so much to choose from. However, most of these recipes fail to mention…
If there’s one completely new thing I learned from the show Great British Bake Off, it’s hot water crust pastry. I had never heard of the term before watching the show. Although, looking back, I did have some pies made…
When cooking or baking, food scientists (that’s me!) like to disseminate their food and all what’s going on. So when you’re baking a cheesecake and it’s in the oven, you start thinking about what’s happening in that oven. A cheesecake…
Making a pastry that beats or rivals that of a pastry shop isn’t something that happens to me very often. I mean, a good cookie or muffin are doable, but those more delicate, often French, pastries, aren’t as easy. But,…
Water keeps a cake moist and strawberries juicy. But water can also make a cookie soggy, or ruin the crispiness of baked chicken skin. Water can be a food’s best friend or its worst enemy. Controlling just where water sits…
There are a lot of different styles and types of pie crusts, some are sweet, some savoury. Some crunchy, some soft and tender. Your heritage will probably determine what you call a standard or basic pie crust. That makes the…