How to judge the quality of pizza dough?

Question

What are some good guidelines for judging the consistency and texture of a good pizza dough? I would like to know so I could make some corrections before it's too late!

Maybe some people have some good rules of thumb or neat tricks to share?

I would be more interested in the thin base italian style. The thinner the better and the bigger the bubbles on the edge the better!

Answer

My targets for the final dough:

1. when I stretch it over my fist, once it has got to the size where it covers my whole fist, it starts to stretch under its own weight
2. if the inside of the dough is exposed it will stick to hands/surface
3. need to use semolina/cornmeal to transfer the pizza around
4. contains lots of visible bubbles before stretching, with the dough having enough integrity to stretch the bubbles without losing them.
5. can stretch it to be translucent without tearing too much (preferably without tearing at all)

What I look for at different by stages:

I have been making a lot of pizza dough over the last year, experimenting with different amounts of water and kneading techniques. In order to make a very thin base, (on you can stretch so it is translucent) but can still transfer into the oven I make a very wet (60% hydration) dough and either:

1. No-Kneed approach: use small amounts of yeast and salt. Just leave the dough for approx 18 hours. Then put in the fridge, I find it is best after 2 days in the fridge. Because the dough is cold you can easily handle it, although you might need to let it warm up a bit before you can do anything with it.

   What I am aiming for is that when I stretch it over my fist, once it has got to the size where it covers my whole fist, it starts to stretch under its own weight.

   I expect to see a lot of bubbles, up to 0.5mm in diameter but most smaller, in the dough, but not to be able to pour it out. I will have to scrape it out of the bowl using a wet spatula. and will have to use a light dusting of flour (not too much) to stop it sticking to the surface or my hands. I sometimes let it rise again after shaping (need to at least let it relax for a few minutes) and usually have to add more flour to my hands to do the stretch. Try to use as little extra flour as you can. I usually have to only dust the dough once and lightly before stretching it. If you have to use any more it might be too wet or not have enough gluten development.

2. Hand Kneed approach: using more yeast and salt. When I first turn the dough out to kneed I do not expect to be able to handle it, it is to sticky and runny. I use tools to fold it a few times. You will probably need some flour to do this, but try not to use too much. After several folds the dough comes together enough for me to lightly cover it in flour I "roll kneed" - which is rolling and stretching it, but not bringing the wet inside to the surface. If you start to fold or tear the dough it will stick to your hands and the surface, if that happens you have to put more flour on which will reduce the hydration of your dough so avoid it. You will have to work it for quite a while. Try to get your body weight applied to the dough as your roll it.

   What I am aiming for is a dough which you can pick up without your fingers just going into it and that springs back when you deform it; but if you tear it or open it up the inside will immediately stick to your hands and the surface. When I get this I stop kneading.

I usually rise it for 80 mins but it depends on the temperature. After this rise, I will divide it and shape it into balls. I expect to not be able to easily rip the dough apart due to its wetness. It should contain quite a bit of air, and some largeish bubbles which I try not to knock back too much.

I have to use a wet spatula to divide it, and then use a small amount of flour on the outside to form a smooth surfaced ball. Then I cover it and rise it again for 20mins. The outside will be sooth with some bubbles visible and due to the flour dry enough to handle. The inside will be too wet to handle without adding more flour.

After this second rise I put a bit of flour on my hands and stretch it over my fist, it should behave pretty much the same as the no-kneed version at this stage.

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Blender makes burning smell after liquid spilled on (maybe into) it

Question

There is a slight burning like smell when I use my blender now. While making a smoothie, the bottom seal was broken and the drink spilled/poored everywhere. When I use the blender now, I smell this burning type smell. It's a good blender (Osterizer). Should I buy a new one?

Answer

See if you can locate the source of the smell. Blenders are generally designed so that a simple spill doesn't cause permanent damage, but if the connection between the cannister and the motor came partially apart when the seal broke, it is possible that the little doodad they use to interface was damaged.

I've had a burning smell before when using a cheap blender with a high-wattage motor; where the drive shaft connected to the canister was rubber or plastic and stripped, producing a burning smell and lots of little black pieces.

Edit: Burning smell common to Oster blenders

A casual Google search shows that a lot of the Oster blenders and immersion blenders will produce burnt-insulation smells in use, some from the first day. In your case, it may be coincidence that it started when it did, or if there was ice in your smoothie that could have been enough strain to jiggle something out of alignment and start problems.

I'd start shopping for a new blender. The burning smell generally means your blender's days are numbered; that smell is the motor or its insulation overheating, and death is soon to follow. Repairing a burned-out motor will cost around the same amount as a new blender.

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How long should you cook lamb steaks?

Question

I saw some posts about lamb. but they were related to lamb leg steaks, etc.

Any way, how long should i grill these lamb steaks?

I want them to be a medium? Or should they be served rare (i'm not sure how they're typically served in restaurants) ?

They're about 1/2" thick and they're (two) both about 0.7 lbs each.

Answer

I think they usually make them medium at the restaurants, but you could get rare if you like.

Anyway, with a .7 pound lamb, you could probably warm the oven up at 120C for 10 minutes, then put in the lamb, and turn the thermometer up to 180C for round about half an hour, and it should done to a turn.

Leastways, that's what I did.

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Difference between Pan-Frying and Searing

Question

What exactly is the difference between pan-frying and searing? They both use the same principles -- high heat, oil, flip once or twice -- and they both create the same result, namely that wonderful golden crust.

Is there a difference?

Answer

Pan-Frying is a complete cooking technique. When something has been 'pan-fried' it is done and ready to serve.

Searing is an incomplete process, a step in a larger process. Searing can happen before roasting, braising or other finishing method. It is even good to sear before marinading.

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What to look for when purchasing a blender?

Question

I currently don't have a blender after purchasing my own home and am looking to get one for making smoothies primarily, but also for pureeing for soups, etc.

I had a smoothie maker that I won as a prize; it was very obviously a cheap unit. It barely handled frozen fruit and yogurt. Ice cream and frozen fruit burned up the motor.

I am aware of the extreme "Home Improvement"-style "Binford-3000" Blendtec blenders (also as proposed in this question) but they are extremely expensive and I don't plan on incorporating cell phones or garden rakes into my smoothies.

What should I look for to get a quality blender? I don't want to purchase an inexpensive one three or four times in the next few years. I'd prefer one that will last a long time and prove to be a good kitchen tool.

Edit:

In shopping for blenders, it seems that most seem to be between $30 and $150. Obviously there are some questionably cheap ones and many that exceed that range. So for the purposes of this question, assume that range to be the budget.

Answer

Look for a strong motor and thick blades. If the blades are thin, they're likely to warp over time. The motor needs to be able to spin those blades through the liquid.

Look for a thick glass container. The plastic ones are unlikely to deal with the heat of things like soups and sauces being dumped in.

Check the gasket between the glass container and the piece that attaches the blades. A thin, flimsy gasket is likely to start leaking before a thicker, softer gasket.

Look at the number of teeth on the connection from the motor to the blade. The more teeth, the greater the surface area being used to distribute the power to the blade mechanism and is less likely to wear out.

Overall, as with many things, one of the quickest ways to tell a good one is to weigh them both. The heavier item is better. No one pays for shipping extra weight unless it's there for a good reason.

(note that the "heavier" rule doesn't apply to electronics like cellphones/computers, etc. where the cost of making it small is actually higher)

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Does it take a special type of blender to make smoothies?

Question

Or am I just doing it wrong? I have what I consider a typical blender that you might find in any American kitchen. It's a glass container with a cross shaped blade. The problem I have is that pieces often get underneath the blade and don't get blended at all. With smoothies in particular as well, if it's too thick the blade tends to spin too fast and keep everything pushed out to the sides and not actually blend. This is mostly a problem if trying to make a thick milkshake.

I have tried adding in thing like fruit while the blender is going in hopes that it wouldn't make it to the bottom without being blended but that doesn't seem to work really well. I've been reduced to blending multiple times (starting with a small amount of well blended material and slowly adding in the "chunks" from the previous attempt while the blender is running), but that is fairly time consuming.

Answer

Ahh, the complexities of blending. Have you tried pulsing the smoothie? Short bursts tend to stir up some of the stuff that sneaks below the blades.

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Can clarified butter be used for beurre noir?

Question

The first recipe of "The Nero Wolfe Cook Book" by Rex Stout is for Eggs au beurre noir. For the black butter sauce he gives the following instructions:

"In a skillet melt [...] four tablespoons of butter over a medium heat. When white waxy particles have settled to the bottom, pour the clear liquid off into a bowl. Return the clarified butter to the pan and continue to cook until it has turned a deep golden brown..."

Now I have tried this recipe with unsalted butter, with salted butter, using a low heat, a medium heat, enough heat to create a fire hazard. I also tried different methods of clarification, all to no avail. The "deep golden brown" is only achievable, as far as I can tell, with unclarified butter. Indeed it appears to be the toasted butter solids that produce the golden brown.

I would have given up on this recipe altogether if it wasn't corroborated by other sources. It makes me wonder if, for example, American butter differs substantially from European butter. Does anyone know if black butter sauce can be made with clarified butter?

Answer

@Chris: Does the recipe from the Nero Wolfe cookbook say anything about dumping the milky/watery portion out of the pan before returning the butter to it to brown?

Clarified butter WILL NOT brown, that is the purpose for clarifying it. The milk solids are what brown. The portion that usually goes to the bottom will be the whey and the milk solids initially tend to form the "scum" on the top. To me it sounds like he's trying to suggest that you should pour the butter & solids off, dump out any whey, and then return the butter to the pan so you can heat it to the point of a dark brown without it splattering (which is caused by the water in the whey). 4 tablespoons of butter isn't going to have much whey in the first place so just cook the whole butter to the beurre noir point.

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