Read Online Bon Appetit Desserts by Barbara Fairchild - Free Book Online
Authors: Barbara Fairchild
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nuts, and for sautéing fresh fruit. A skillet should feel heavy in your hand, with a handle that stays cool and is easy to hold. Some large skillets have a loop handle on the opposite side from the long handle to ensure a good grip. The best skillets are made of a mix of materials. Effective heat-conducting metals like copper and aluminum are sandwiched between metals like anodized aluminum or stainless steel, which don’t react with acidic ingredients. Nonstick skillets are handy for sautéing fruit, but their dark interior can make it hard to see color change. Cast-iron skillets are the best choice for dishes that go from stovetop to oven.
spatulas
Spatulas come in solid or slotted versions and a variety of heat-resistant materials, including silicone and metal. The pancake-flipper style is especially useful for transferring cookies from a baking sheet to a cooling rack.
Icing spatulas in flat and offset (bent at a 90-degree angle) styles offer ease of maneuverability for icing cakes and cupcakes. They come in 1- to 2-inch widths.
Silicone spatulas come in many shapes and sizes. They’re great for stirring, folding, flipping crepes, and scraping doughs and batters off the bottom and sides of mixing bowls. In addition, silicone spatulas are flexible and easy to clean. Unlike the rubber variety, they’re heat resistant up to 800°F and come in a wide range of colors. Buy several silicone spatulas in different thicknesses, shapes, and sizes. Silicone spatulas with a scooped head are effective for spooning batter. Those that are curved on one side and flat on the other, with thin sides, are especially effective for folding mousses and angel food cake batters, as well as for scraping mixtures from the sides of a mixing bowl. A silicone spatula with a long, thin head is effective for scraping the last bits of puree from the bottom of a blender or jar.
spice grinders
An electric spice grinder makes quick work of pulverizing seeds and whole spices. A coffee grinder works, too, but get a separate one for spices so that the flavor of your morning brew isn’t affected. Using a mortar and pestle to grind spices has rustic appeal, though more time and muscle are required. Usually made of ceramic or marble, this time-honored two-piece grinder features a bowl-like mortar and a baton-like pestle.
springform pans
Springform pans have removable sides that seal shut with a spring-loaded latch. Making a cheesecake, mousse cake, or frozen dessert in a springform pan allows for especially easy removal of the pan sides at serving time. Springform pans come in several different sizes, but
Bon Appétit
recipes usually call for 9- or 10-inch-diameter pans.
strainers
Buy fine- and coarse-mesh strainers in a few different sizes. They’re indispensable for straining fruit purees, custard sauces, and freshly squeezed citrus juice. A coarse strainer does double duty as a sifter for sifting dry ingredients together, as well as for removing lumps from sugar and cocoa. Use a small strainer to dust cookies and cakes with powdered sugar.
tart & tartlet pans
Tart pans range in size from just a few inches across (for tartlets) to 11 inches wide. They can be round, rectangular, or square. The pan’s shallow depth and fluted edges give a professional pastry-shop look, and the removable bottom makes it easy to remove the tart from the pan.
testers
For testing the doneness of cakes, brownies, and scones, a thin bamboo skewer works well, as does a toothpick. You can also buy a cake tester, a thin steel skewer with a handle at one end.
thermometers, candy & instant-read
To check the doneness of caramels, syrups, candy mixtures, jams, and jellies, it’s critical to use a candy thermometer , also called a deep-fry thermometer. Get one that clips onto the side of the pan so that your hands are free for cooking. A candy thermometer is different from an instant-read thermometer , which is used to read the temperature of custards and butter. Many
spatulas
Spatulas come in solid or slotted versions and a variety of heat-resistant materials, including silicone and metal. The pancake-flipper style is especially useful for transferring cookies from a baking sheet to a cooling rack.
Icing spatulas in flat and offset (bent at a 90-degree angle) styles offer ease of maneuverability for icing cakes and cupcakes. They come in 1- to 2-inch widths.
Silicone spatulas come in many shapes and sizes. They’re great for stirring, folding, flipping crepes, and scraping doughs and batters off the bottom and sides of mixing bowls. In addition, silicone spatulas are flexible and easy to clean. Unlike the rubber variety, they’re heat resistant up to 800°F and come in a wide range of colors. Buy several silicone spatulas in different thicknesses, shapes, and sizes. Silicone spatulas with a scooped head are effective for spooning batter. Those that are curved on one side and flat on the other, with thin sides, are especially effective for folding mousses and angel food cake batters, as well as for scraping mixtures from the sides of a mixing bowl. A silicone spatula with a long, thin head is effective for scraping the last bits of puree from the bottom of a blender or jar.
spice grinders
An electric spice grinder makes quick work of pulverizing seeds and whole spices. A coffee grinder works, too, but get a separate one for spices so that the flavor of your morning brew isn’t affected. Using a mortar and pestle to grind spices has rustic appeal, though more time and muscle are required. Usually made of ceramic or marble, this time-honored two-piece grinder features a bowl-like mortar and a baton-like pestle.
springform pans
Springform pans have removable sides that seal shut with a spring-loaded latch. Making a cheesecake, mousse cake, or frozen dessert in a springform pan allows for especially easy removal of the pan sides at serving time. Springform pans come in several different sizes, but
Bon Appétit
recipes usually call for 9- or 10-inch-diameter pans.
strainers
Buy fine- and coarse-mesh strainers in a few different sizes. They’re indispensable for straining fruit purees, custard sauces, and freshly squeezed citrus juice. A coarse strainer does double duty as a sifter for sifting dry ingredients together, as well as for removing lumps from sugar and cocoa. Use a small strainer to dust cookies and cakes with powdered sugar.
tart & tartlet pans
Tart pans range in size from just a few inches across (for tartlets) to 11 inches wide. They can be round, rectangular, or square. The pan’s shallow depth and fluted edges give a professional pastry-shop look, and the removable bottom makes it easy to remove the tart from the pan.
testers
For testing the doneness of cakes, brownies, and scones, a thin bamboo skewer works well, as does a toothpick. You can also buy a cake tester, a thin steel skewer with a handle at one end.
thermometers, candy & instant-read
To check the doneness of caramels, syrups, candy mixtures, jams, and jellies, it’s critical to use a candy thermometer , also called a deep-fry thermometer. Get one that clips onto the side of the pan so that your hands are free for cooking. A candy thermometer is different from an instant-read thermometer , which is used to read the temperature of custards and butter. Many
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