Blog Posts by YumSugar

YumSugarSource: Quick Tips For a Breezy Cleanup When Baking

If you love baking and absolutely loathe dishes, then there's only one thing you can do: avoid washing extra dishes by dirtying the least amount of kitchen equipment. Here are a few tips to keep the dishes at bay and the actual dishwashing part easier, so you can spend more time getting down to the fun part of the job - the taste test.

• Set out a large plate. Place all the equipment you will need on the plate like measuring cups, spoons, a knife, and a spatula. It will keep your counters clean and clutter-free.
• Measure all dry ingredients, then wet. So the dry ingredients don't stick inside the spoons or cups, measure the dry ingredients first before measuring the wet ingredients.
• Don't put a single dish in the sink while prepping the batter. Avoid putting bowls, whisks, knives, and other equipment in the sink. Chances are you will need it again, so stash it on the large plate for easy grabs.

YumSugarSource: Quick Tip: Sub Ginger Juice For Grated Ginger

If you've ever had the misfortune to slice into a fresh knob of ginger only to find a bland, unappealing, and fibrous gray ring within, you may have surmised that ginger (like most produce) has a defined season. From August till November (and through February, thanks to cold storage), fresh may be the way to go; the rest of the year, try substituting store-bought ginger juice 1:1 for grated or minced ginger for the tastiest results.

While its texture isn't quite the same as minced ginger, ginger juice is literally just juiced and strained gingerroot, so it serves as a near-exact analogue in beverages, anything pureed, or as part of a sauce or marinade. I also like to keep a bottle in my fridge even when ginger is in season for when I only need a small quantity of ginger and don't feel like busting out my Microplane.


Related Content:
From Shopping to Shucking: All About Oysters
The Basics: Cinnamon Rolls
Roasting vs. Baking: What's

Source: Cool Idea: Spicy Statement Art

Those of you with small kitchens most likely have a spice rack situation - you either devote an entire cabinet to stashing them (which still doesn't grant easy access) or sacrifice precious counter space. Either way, you lose.

Allow us to introduce you to another, more artful option. Create a hive-like wall installation that frees both your cabinets and counter space with Gneiss Spice. The honeycomb-shaped glass jars are topped with gold plastisol lids with strong magnets and can be adhered to a wall plate in rusted metal or sleek stainless steel. If wall space is also limited, no problem. Just stick them on your refrigerator!


Related Content:
Cool Idea: Sweet Paul's DIY Sweater Vase
Quick Tip: How to Clean Your Spice Grinder
A Spice Expert's Steps For Making Homemade Spice Blends


Follow YumSugar on Twitter
Become a Fan of YumSugar on Facebook

Source: Bill Yosses Reveals This Year's Gingerbread White House

If the idea of building a basic gingerbread house sounds daunting to you, try building a 300-pound gingerbread replica of the White House. That's exactly what presidential pastry chef Bill Yosses has been busy doing for the past several weeks, as we discovered when we had a chance to tour holiday decorations at the White House. The 300-pound replica of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue - which features reindeer on the roof, an edible vegetable garden, and Bo Obama playing outside the front lawn - was one of the highlights of our tour of the White House and its holiday festivities. Although a similar house is re-created annually, each house varies from year to year, so we spoke to Chef Yosses about how the creative process works, and why this house was different.

YumSugar: When do you begin designing and creating the White House gingerbread house?
Bill Yosses: Mrs. Obama meets with her staff in July and they begin to talk about

Source: Roasting vs. Baking: What's the Difference?

Living in a small, city apartment, I've learned that I can go without a lot in the appliance department while still managing to create delicious food. The oven, however, is not one of those things; in the modern kitchen, it's the king. Two cooking methods - roasting and baking - are nearly synonymous with the concept of the oven itself, yet they are seemingly identical techniques. They both take place in the oven; they both use dry heat. So what's the difference?

While roasting and baking are almost identical ways to cook your food using dry heat, the difference in the two terms comes from the two different types of food they apply to. Generally, we "roast" food that already has a solid structure, such as meat or vegetables, in order to make it more tender inside with a nice crust on the outside. The term "baking" typically applies to cakes, pies, and breads. In other words, we bake leavened items that need to rise during the

Source: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself If Your Cakes Keep Sinking

We've all experienced the sadness of baking a sunken cake. While there's admittedly something beautiful about the cracked, imperfect center of a sunken cake, for layering and cosmetic purposes, you'll want to aim for a dessert that's fluffy and flat-topped every time. Here are five quick questions you can ask yourself the next time you bake a cake so you can avoid feeling the sunken-cake slumps.

• Did you double check your baking soda and powder? There are easy hot-water tests you can do to see if the powders are still "alive" and reactionary. No bubbles means your baking soda/powder is expired and should be replaced with new, unopened cans.
• Did you read the recipe closely? Measuring a heavy hand of baking soda or overmixing the dough can lead to the cake sinking. Baking is a science, and to achieve accurate results, follow the recipe exactly.
• Did you open and close the oven door? Opening the oven

YumSugarSource: 10 Party-Ready Pantry Items

December's a time for festive lights, edible gifts, holiday music, and, of course, fabulous parties. This time of year, it's impossible to know who may stop by my apartment on the way home from Christmas shopping or before a spirited Saturday on the town, so have the provisions on hand to throw together a quick, snackable spread. Here are 10 ingredients essential to hosting an impromptu evening of holiday entertaining.

• Salami: Fat slices of porky-spicy salami are a hearty nibble. Set the entire chunk of salami on a cutting board and let guests help themselves.
• Cheese: There are always at least two kinds of cheese in my refrigerator. For parties, select interesting and exotic cheese, stock up on a variety of milks and textures, and serve a creamy cheese next to a hard cheese.
• Crackers: You can't have cheese without crackers! They provide an element of crunch to go along with the rest of your charcuterie or cheese plate.

YumSugarSource: 9 Hostess Treats to Make at Home

Fans of nostalgic packaged sweet treats may be racing to stock up with the news that Hostess Brands is closing, but we have a different approach: making our own! Several enterprising chefs have re-created their favorite nostalgic treats which look even better than the original. And an added bonus? Those preservatives that will keep those Hostess treats (and possibly your gastrointestinal tract) fresh through the next nuclear event aren't a concern when the Twinkies and Ho Hos come from your oven.

• Hostess CupCakes: The first commercially produced cupcake, the Hostess CupCake and its signature icing squiggles are now a cultural icon.
• Hostess Donettes: or some, breakfast would never be the same without powdered or chocolate-dipped Donettes to dip in their coffee. Thankfully, a homemade version is within your reach.
• Hostess Twinkies: The original Twinkie had a banana cream filling, but today most people know and love it for