The Fox Test Kitchen

I've been on a cooking kick lately. Not for the cooking itself, but for the experiments. For those who don't know me, I'm a chemist at heart. I love running experiments and changing variables to see the results. As you can guess, I also love America's Test Kitchen. And lately I've decided to imitate them.



First up - Muffins. I tried out only one new recipe, but I made half blueberry and half strawberry to see which we would like better. The strawberries were fresh, but the blueberries were frozen so I was also able to test the difference in cooking time (significant difference).

Here are pictures of my crazy, hyper kids.

Next up - Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. Sorry, no pics. The kids helped me make two different recipes. I found it interesting that the supposedly "healthy" cookies that had oatmeal also had twice the sugar, twice the butter, and half the pumpkin. We all agreed they weren't as tasty either. Luckily, Jonathan's Seminary class isn't as picky.

Last night - Tortillas. For Christmas I got a tortilla press so last night I tried out 5 different recipes for flour tortillas. The kids loved eating the tortillas hot off the griddle. Our findings? Definately don't skimp on the salt. (1 tsp per 2 cups flour is a necessity). Also, tortillas made with shortening tended to flatten out easier (and were tastier) than those made with oil. Baking powder didn't seem to make much difference, although there was a slight preference for no baking powder. Finally, the kids and I agreed (but not Jonathan) that the tortillas made with warm milk tasted better than those with water. And of course, the wetter the dough, the easier to flatten on the press without the tortilla "blowing up."