Category Archives: Ask Essie

Your kitchen questions

GF Flour, The Weighty Chart & Win a Scale

If you still are on the fence about weighing your GF flours, take a look at Allison’s (Eat Love Drink) post about these AP flours.  Just the difference alone between whole wheat and white flours is astounding and as she says, can certainly explain the trouble with equal interchanging when baking.  Thank you Allison – that was a great post.

From there I began to think more about GF flours.  In the Canteen blog I’ve mentioned that I have over 17 flours and starches hanging around the kitchen.  I often combine many of them (as you know from the recipes) depending upon whether the baked item is more savory, bread-like or sweet.  I like that kind of baking freedom. Continue reading

Ask Essie: How (not) to Read a Recipe

I need glasses? Really? (then)

Caroline asks if you need to be a professional recipe developer to convert recipes to gluten-free and what’s my favorite way to read a recipe?

Nope.  You do not have to be a professional recipe developer to convert recipes to gluten-free.  But you do have to embrace these qualities:

  • sense of humor
  • the ability to cope with total failure
  • the ability to cope with an obsessive need to get it right
  • coping with lots of dirty utensils and baking sheets
  • not to worry about what anything looks like, but how it tastes
  • ability to have a whole lot of fun with GF flours
  • some ability to skim a recipe (see below)

However, that said.  About reading recipes – I have a confession. Continue reading

Ask Essie: In the GF Canteen – My Favorite Things?

Carla asks: what  products do you like to use to bake gluten-free?

I thought you guys would never ask!

First – this caveat.  This would not be an official endorsement for any of these products other than I think they are swell and I use them all the time – and I can call them my favorites.  No one pays me to use this stuff, nor do they send me free things.  I’ve found them on my own through lots of trial and copious amounts of error. Continue reading