Baking/cooking questions........

[Miss Mary]

Here's a place to ask any question you might have about baking or cooking. Someone is bound to have an answer for you.

I'll start....

1. Does anyone own and use the new silicone muffin pans, cookie sheets and baking pans? If so, do they ~really~ work and do you have to grease them?

I'm very skeptical of these newer products....

Thanks!

Mary

[Pburgh]

I love them. No, you don't have to grease them. My are kinda old and are getting scratched so with my cake rounds I do spray a little of the Pam that has flour with it for baking.

[weathermom]

I have some too, I don't really care for them. I find that when they are in the oven I can't stand the smell. I can't help wondering if they are adding anything bad to my food.

Pburgh- does the smell go away after a while?

[Pburgh]

It really does. You might try spraying them with butter flavored Pam and putting them in a 350° oven for about 10 minutes. They will probably take the smell away and kinda "season" them.

[weathermom]

Thanks! I'll try that.

[Miss Mary]

You know, I think I'll pass on these new type of pans. Not for me!

Just recently I read this tip - line your pans with foil, grease it well with margarine or butter. When your breads/muffins are done, all you do is take the foil out, your pan is clean but more importantly, you just peel the foil away, and your loaf of bread is intact. Not half left stuck to the bottom (what used to happen to me!). I've been doing this for several months now. Smart idea! Now why didn't I think of this years ago.....been baking for oh, 30 years now! Yikes, that sounds like a lifetime....LOL

Mary

[Miss Mary]

Current cooking question......

I don't have a food processor. Is it possible to use a blender or mixer to puree ingredients for a cheesecake?

I'd rather not borrow one. Since I'd need it on Dec. 24th for an appetizer for Dec. 25th.

Here's what I want to make.....my next door neighbor made it for our neighborhood progressive dinner party but brought it to the appetizer course. It was delicious! Even though it's technically a dessert, it was better as an appetizer.

http://www.southernlivingathome.com/pdf ... secake.pdf

Thanks to anyone who answers my question!

Mary

[Pburgh]

What ingredients are you going to puree? I use my hand mixer to blend my cheesecake ingredients. I make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature and use extra fine sugar.

[dizzyfish]

I would use the mixer to blend the softened cream cheese with the rest of the ingredients. The blender (if it has a high setting or maybe a puree button) should work on the rest of the ingredients. You may have to add small amounts of the "harder" ingredients a little at a time. (be sure to chop them up small)
I have used my mom's blender to make dressing (stuffing) and the recipe uses onion and celery and it works pretty well.
Let me know how it comes out. I like cheese cake but the artichoke part sounds strange.

Dotty

[Miss Mary]

Think of this as an appetizer, put aside the word cheesecake. It was really quite good. And my in-law's are extremely fancy. You can't bring a regular tossed salad, well you can, but they prefer salads with everything in them, and very little lettuce. Nuts, dried fruits, feta cheese....when I tasted this "appetizer" I knew they'd like it.

I was just hoping to use my mixer and/or blender.

Thanks for your replies!

Mary

[Pburgh]

Mary, if you just PULSE your blender, it should work.

[weathermom]

Sounds good Mary! Have you had this before? We will be making a more conventional cheesecake this Christmas. My youngest daughter has been after me to make a cheesecake with brownie on the bottom for a long time. We are going to try that this year.

[Miss Mary]

Hi Loren - yes, I did try it this past weekend. It's a light taste, the artichoke is very mild. You could easily fill up on it, going thru 4 or 5 crackers spread with it.

All I need now is a spring form pan.

Another question: are they difficult to use? Just curious. Since I'd be new at spring form pans, I could take it in the pan. And ask my sister-in-law to release it. LOL I'd hate for it to flop! She's made cheesecake a lot.

Mary

[Pburgh]

Mary, I have a teflon springform pan that I love, but even if it's not teflon I would put some cooking spray (they have it that has flour in it) on the sides of the pan. After it is baked and cooled, dip a knife in hot water and slip it down and around the sides of the springform pan. Then it's time to open the clip. It's easy. Put the cheesecake (bottom of springform pan and all) onto a great looking serving platter, surround with crackers and there you go. All your family will be callin you Martha Stewart.

Thanks for the recipe. I'm going to make it and take it to my daughters for Christmas. It sounds YUMMY.

[Miss Mary]

Karan - well I'm glad someone's making it! LOL I've decided now is not the time to try this new recipe, try out a spring form pan AND make my very first cheesecake. 2 days after our xmas party, to boot. Things are already sliding - can't get to my faux roping for our bannister. It will stay on the basement shelf. I'm getting closer to closer to party mode, or what I call it. When I clean for company! Today I just said to myself, I am crazy to try this cheesecake, since I'm going in a zillion different directions.

But I will try it, just not now.

I do have an easy artichoke dip recipe, so in a sense I will be bringing something artichoke related.

You will like it though, it was very light, tasted great. Let me know how it turns out.

Mary

[Pburgh]

Mary, that cheesecake recipe turned out SOOOOOO great. I mixed up the entire recipe but divided it into two small springform pans. One of them was plenty for a party of 20. It went over so well and several people asked for the recipe. I would highly recommend it. I would not make a full recipe in a 9" springform unless you're having a party of 50 or 60 people. Thanks!!!!!

[Miss Mary]

Karan - well now, you've given me inspiration! Maybe I will try it, soon. So glad it turned out well for you!

I made my old artichoke dip recipe for the family dinner. You mix chopped artichoke hearts with crumbled feta cheese, add mayo, freshly grated parmesan cheese and seasonings. Bake for 30 minutes and serve with crackers or raw veggies. It went over well too. Found this recipe in the newspaper once.

Just glad one of us could pull off this cheesecake recipe!

mary

[O Town]

My mom makes that articoke dip Mary, I love it! Sound like the same recipe. Yummy.

[Persepone]

I would not make a full recipe in a 9" springform unless you're having a party of 50 or 60 people.

Thanks for the tip! I read the recipe and thought it sounded really great! Plan to make it for next party/get together...

The original question about "food processor" interested me. I own one, but usually don't bother as my cooking was learned before electric food processors were available. Alternatives? Mixer, ricer, food mill (manual food processor), hand mixer, heavy duty wooden spoon, sharp knives, etc. etc.

Remember that people made cheesecakes long before there were things like food processors. A blender on "pulse" might work, but it also would probably make the ingredients too soupy... I'd choose the food mill instead (it's sort of like a colander with a bent disk inside that forces food through the holes...