Rae Bates's Page

Sometimes people ask me if certain cooking steps matter. Most of the time the answer is yes.

 

Does it matter if I bring ingredients to room temperature? Yes. Ingredients that are too cold will usually not mix well with the other ingredients. They will also bring the overall temperature of the batter (or whatever) down, which can alter cooking time. If you forgot to let the butter sit out, spend a few minutes whipping it with an electric mixer. The friction…

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February is American Heart Month. Oatmeal is considered one of the best heart-healthy foods. But, it has a reputation for being really bland. Maybe once I tell you about the different types of oatmeal and give you a few suggestions you’ll change your mind.  

 

Quick Oats. Instant oatmeal is fast, but it doesn’t have the best texture. Plus, if you’re buying flavored instant oats it’s most likely loaded with sugar and salt—kind of negates those healthy benefits of the…

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This is the season of egg nog. My son considers the holiday season officially begun when he sees the first container of egg nog available in the stores. I must confess that I was never a fan. I’m not a big milk

drinker, so thick, spicy milk didn’t really appeal to me.

That all changed two years ago. I made some cookies that called for an egg nog glaze. It was really simple—a cup of powdered sugar, a few…

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Have you ever been in the midst of making something and realized that you were missing a key ingredient? With the holidays so near, many of us will be doing a lot of extra cooking in the coming weeks, and this sort

of thing is bound to happen at least once. There are lots of handy substitutes

for most things.

If you need 1 tsp of allspice, use ¼ tsp cinnamon and ½ tsp ground cloves.…

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Those dates on foods can get a little confusing for some people. I sometimes get calls from people asking me if they can still eat something that’s past the date on the package. So, I thought I’d share some basic guidelines.



There are two basic types of dates. The first is an expiration date. You’ll particularly find these on dairy foods. Generally speaking you shouldn’t eat foods past their expiration date. The exception is if you’ve frozen the food. For instance, I routinely buy… Continue