Clarified Butter

Ghee / Nei

Ingredients:

·        Butter: As required

·        Salt: One pinch or less at the rate of 500 grams of butter.

·        Leaves of drumstick: A few (optional)

Method of preparation:

·        Melt the butter under low flame in a heavy bottomed vessel along with salt.

·        Reduce heat further when the molten butter starts bubbling.

·        Stir intermittently for about 10 minutes and continuously for about 5 minutes.

·        A pleasant aroma will fill the entire kitchen.

·        A brown coloured residue will start forming.

·        Remove from flame.

·        If you want very good smell, add some drumstick leaves.

·        Wait for about 15 minutes and strain.

List of some kitchen wares and utensils

Some kitchen wares and utensils

·        Apple corer

·        Baba mold

·        Bain-marie

·        Banneton

·        Basting brush

·        Basting syringe

·        Bench scraper

·        Blender

·        Boil over preventer

·        Bone scissors

·        Bread knife

·        Browning tray

·        Butcher block

·        Can opener

·        Candy thermometer

·        Casserole

·        Cauldron

·        Cheese cloth

·        Cheese grater

·        Cheese slicer

·        Chef's knife

·        Chimta

·        Chinoise

·        Chop sticks

·        Chopping board

·        Coconut grater

·        Coffee mill

·        Colander

·        Cookie cutter

·        Corkscrew

·        Crab cracker

·        Crab fork

·        Crockery

·        Cutting board

·        Double boiler

·        Dough blender

·        Drum sieve

·        Egg beater

·        Egg piercer

·        Egg slicer

·        Egg timer

·        Faucet

·        Fillet knife

·        Fork

·        Frying pan

·        Garlic press

·        Grater

·        Grill

·        Hand held electric mixer

·        Heavy earthen pot

·        Herb chopper

·        Idli Pan/Tray

·        Kitchen scissors

·        Kitchen shears

·        Kitchen timer

·        Knife

·        Ladle

·        Lamé

·        Lemon reamer

·        Lemon squeezer

·        Lemon zester

·        Lobster pick

·        Mandoline

·        Mated colander pot

·        Measuring cup

·        Measuring spoon

·        Meat knife

·        Meat tenderizer

·        Meat thermometer

·        Melon baller

·        Mezzaluna

·        Milk watcher/saver/guard

·        Mixing bowl

·        Mixing spoon

·        Molcajete

·        Mortar

·        Muffin tin

·        Nutcracker

·        Nutmeg grater

·        Oven mitts

·        Pastry bag

·        Pastry brush

·        Peel (tool)

·        Pepper mill

·        Pestle

·        Pie bird

·        Pie pan

·        Pizza cutter

·        Pizza plate

·        Pot watcher or minder

·        Potato masher

·        Potato peeler

·        Potato ricer

·        Potholder

·        Puree sieve

·        Rolling pin

·        Roulade needles

·        Salamander grill

·        Salt shaker

·        Saltspoon

·        Scale

·        Scoop

·        Scraper

·        Sieve

·        Skillet - see Frying pan

·        Skimmer

·        Slotted spoon

·        Spatula

·        Spider

·        Spoon

·        Spork

·        Stainless steel soap

·        Strainer

·        String

·        Sugar spoon

·        Tamis

·        Tea kettle

·        Timer

·        Tinfoil

·        Toaster

·        Tomato knife

·        Tongs

·        Trongs

·        Vegetable knife

·        Vegetable peeler

·        Waffle iron

·        Wonder Pot

·        Wooden spoon

·        Zester

Types of sieves / filters / strainers

There are many varieties. Some are highlighted here.

·       Chinoise:  A conical shaped sieve used as a strainer

·       Cocktail strainer: A bar accessory

·       Colander: A bowl-shaped sieve used as a strainer in cooking  

·       Flour sifter: It is used in baking

·       Mesh strainer (strainer): It consists of a fine metal mesh screen on a metal or plastic frame with or without handle

·       Pannadai / Pannaadai: It is a Tamil name of a part of palm tree, temporarily used as natural filter to filter fresh toddy.

·       Spider: It is used in Chinese cooking

·       Tamis: It is also known as drum sieve

·       Tea strainer: To filter tea extract while preparing drinking tea

·       Zaru: It is also called bamboo sieve, commonly used in Japanese cooking

Difference between Baking Soda and Baking Powder

• Baking soda and baking powder are leavening agents. Leavening agent is a substance used to produce fermentation in dough or in a liquid.

• Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, which does not have any leavening capabilities by itself. When baking soda is mixed with sour cream, molasses, lemon juice, or buttermilk, fermentation takes place. Carbon -di -oxide is formed during fermentation and causes the baked item to rise.

• The reaction begins immediately upon mixing the ingredients, so you need to bake immediately if using baking soda.

• Baking powder has baking soda with cream of tartar, or calcium acid phosphate, or sodium aluminum sulphate, or a mixture of all these.

• Single-acting baking powders are activated by moisture, so you must bake recipes which include this product immediately after mixing.

• Double-acting powders react in two phases and can stand for a while before baking.

• With double-acting powder, some gas is released while making dough and a lot of gas is released in the oven.

• Double-acting baking powder has corn starch as a drying agent.