We’ve teamed up with South Chicago Packing to spotlight their new Wagyu Beef Tallow Spray, the ultimate ingredient for BBQ’ing, grilling, searing, sautéeing, and more.
Here at Food52, we’re a community full of cooks, and we cook A LOT. With that exp…
We’ve teamed up with South Chicago Packing to spotlight their new Wagyu Beef Tallow Spray, the ultimate ingredient for BBQ’ing, grilling, searing, sautéeing, and more.
Here at Food52, we’re a community full of cooks, and we cook A LOT. With that experience comes some techniques—and preferred products—that are now second nature to us, like preheating a pan with our favorite cooking oil before dropping in an ingredient. The satisfaction of that sizzle is music to our ears—it means good things to come.
Knowing how to make buttermilk at home has saved me so many times. I constantly forget to buy it at the store leaving me with two options when I’m baking: make my own or run to the store. This is probably the EASIEST kitchen hack you’ll ever learn! Learn all the different ways to substitute…
Knowing how to make buttermilk at home has saved me so many times. I constantly forget to buy it at the store leaving me with two options when I’m baking: make my own or run to the store. This is probably the EASIEST kitchen hack you’ll ever learn! Learn all the different ways to substitute for buttermilk in cake, banana bread, or anything you’re baking.
Buttermilk adds so much flavor to so many recipes but it’s not just important for that tangy flavor: it’s actually a really important ingredient in baking because it’s an acid that activates baking soda. When called for together in a recipe the acid in buttermilk actually make the baking soda do it’s job, resulting in fluffy baked goods. (This is also why many baked goods call for sour cream or yogurt; the acid in those does a similar job to buttermilk.)
If a recipe calls for buttermilk it often will not work properly without it, so you can’t just omit or use regular milk. What’s great is it’s easy to make a substitute and, while using store-bought buttermilk performs best, using acidified buttermilk (liquid + acid from vinegar or similar) will work in most recipes and you probably have everything you need already.
Buttermilk Substitutes
To substitute for 1 cup buttermilk:
1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon white vinegar or fresh lemon juice
When using milk, you can use whole milk, fat free milk or 2% skim milk. Be sure to use a liquid measuring cup for this (see the difference between measuring cups).
How to make Buttermilk
Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to a measuring cup.
Fill up the milk to the 1 cup mark.
Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
If using sour cream or plain yogurt you’ll want to measure the proper amounts and stir them together before adding to your recipe.
Vegan Buttermilk or Dairy-Free Buttermilk Substitutes
My solution: make it as stated in the recipe below (1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice + 1 scant cup almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk or other nondairy milk) and just add it to the recipe. This will ensure the leavening works as it’s supposed to.
Note that this method won’t look “curdled” because nondairy milk doesn’t have the same properties dairy milk does, but the acid in the vinegar or lemon juice will do it’s job.
Buttermilk Uses
There are many ways to use buttermilk for flavor, like in my Yellow Cake recipe, ranch dressing or other vinaigrettes, and often fried chicken is soaked in it to make it tender.
When it’s called for in recipes on my site, it’s often required so use this homemade buttermilk recipe to make some of my favorite baked goods:
Often you’ll buy a carton of buttermilk and have tons left over. It will last in the fridge until the expiration date, but you can also freeze it! Transfer to an airtight container before placing in the freezer. Or if you think you’ll just need little bits occasionally, pour into an ice cube tray and freeze that way (once frozen, place in an airtight container). I do not recommend freezing homemade buttermilk – use that immediately.
Use homemade buttermilk right away for best results.To make dairy-free buttermilk, simply swap any nondairy milk for the milk called for in the recipe.
Take a peek at your spice cabinet: If it’s anything like mine, you’ve got a mix of plastic and glass jars, and maybe a few pouches here and there, too. All of them are from different retailers, ranging from the nearby dollar store to Kalustyan’s, and t…
Take a peek at your spice cabinet: If it’s anything like mine, you’ve got a mix of plastic and glass jars, and maybe a few pouches here and there, too. All of them are from different retailers, ranging from the nearby dollar store to Kalustyan’s, and there’s at least one duplicate bottle, from the time you forgot you already had a certain spice at home—in my case, cardamom.
Though it’s not the prettiest or best-organized cabinet out there, it’s deeply functional, and that’s what matters most to me. However, I wondered if—given the variety of spices in my kitchen (and their containers)—there was anything I could or should be doing to extend their shelf lives. Though spices don’t typically go bad or mold like other ingredients, they can lose their potency in a matter of months. So, I reached out to Ethan Frisch, co-founder and co-CEO of Burlap & Barrel, a spice company that works directly with farmers to source its products, who had an unorthodox answer to my spice storage question.
For the second installment of our series exploring our favorite chefs’, content creators’, and Food52ers’ kitchens and pantries, we turned to our Editorial Assistant, Paul Hagopian. If you’ve spent time on our site, you’ve probably read at least one of…
To make this super-versatile condiment, Paul boils equal parts white vinegar and water, adds a big pinch of salt, then pours the brine over sliced jalapeños and some smashed garlic cloves. Once the whole thing cools to room temp, just store it in the fridge. Don’t forget about the brine: It’s a great marinade for chicken thighs and other proteins.
There’s never been a more exciting time to stock your kitchen—just ask food writer Adam Roberts, who’ll be diving into all things groceries in The Food Haul. This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food5…
There’s never been a more exciting time to stock your kitchen—just ask food writer Adam Roberts, who’ll be diving into all things groceries in The Food Haul. This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.
When it comes to nuts that are on trend, look no further than pistachios. Turn one way, and you’ll see them on a salad; turn another, and you’ll see them in a dessert. Even though they’ve been around for, well, a while (since 6750 B.C. in fact), pistachios have reemerged as the “it” nut of the moment. A recent headline from Eater staff writer Amy McCarthy, “The Pistachio Moment is Already My Favorite Food Trend of 2023,” makes it official: We’re in our pistachio era.
A favorite Julia Child quote: “If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.”
In her heyday—Mastering the Art of French Cooking was published in 1961—a lot of people were afraid of butter. When margarine was invented in the late 1800s, it was made with, of a…
A favorite Julia Child quote: "If you're afraid of butter, use cream."
In her heyday—Mastering the Art of French Cooking was published in 1961—a lot of people were afraid of butter. When margarine was invented in the late 1800s, it was made with, of all things, beef fat. But by Child's time, margarine was made with vegetable oils. And that was its claim to fame: Animal fats are "bad" (because they contain cholesterol). Vegetable fats are "good" (because they don't). Easy-peasy. End of story.
Cold weather may have us confined to our homes, but a little sleet, wind, or single digital temperatures isn’t going to rain—err—snow on our parade. In fact, being indoors is an excuse to throw an impromptu dinner party and gather everyone on your floo…
Cold weather may have us confined to our homes, but a little sleet, wind, or single digital temperatures isn’t going to rain—err—snow on our parade. In fact, being indoors is an excuse to throw an impromptu dinner party and gather everyone on your floor or block for good eats, good drinks, and, most importantly, good memories.
But if you feel the urge to host a late winter or early spring soirée, you don’t want to scramble (unless it’s eggs, which would be delicious for a breakfast theme gathering) at the last minute to find the appropriate ingredients to whip up something special.
A football viewing party is only as good as the food served with it. Sure, your favorite team may have made it all the way to the Big Game, but if you’ve got a tray of rubbery chicken wings and flavorless hummus, you better hope and pray that the playe…
A football viewing party is only as good as the food served with it. Sure, your favorite team may have made it all the way to the Big Game, but if you’ve got a tray of rubbery chicken wings and flavorless hummus, you better hope and pray that the players are scoring big time (or at least that you have enough alcohol on hand to mask the disappointment).
But guaranteeing a successful sports soirée on Sunday, Feb. 12 isn’t a difficult feat with the help of good ol’ Trader Joe’s. The beloved grocery store chain offers a bevy of chips, dips, desserts, and frozen apps that are a touchdown for the tastebuds.
Picture this: You’re in the grocery store, picking out a cheese to sprinkle over your bowl (or blate) of onion-buttered noodles or rigatoni with vodka sauce. You spot the section of the cheese aisle that could be described, loosely speaking, as “Italia…
Picture this: You’re in the grocery store, picking out a cheese to sprinkle over your bowl (or blate) of onion-buttered noodles or rigatoni with vodka sauce. You spot the section of the cheese aisle that could be described, loosely speaking, as “Italian.” You scan each row and see several options that could fit the bill—craggy hunks labeled “Parmigiano Reggiano,” neat isosceles triangles that read “Parmesan,” and a whole host of pre-grated tubs sporting either one name or the other. Are these actually different products? Are they interchangeable? It’s a reasonable question, though the answer can be a little bit confusing. While the cheeses share similarities, Parmigiano Reggiano and Parmesan are not the same thing.
Parmigiano Reggiano hails from Italy, specifically from the Emilia-Romagna region (including the provinces of Parma and Emilia Reggio, giving the cheese its name) in the northern part of the country. As a legally-protected product—the cheese holds DOP (denominazione d'origine protetta) status—Parmigiano Reggiano must be produced in these designated areas, which align with its historical provenance. So, when you grab a hunk of parm at the store and see ‘Parmigiano Reggiano’ imprinted onto the rind or on the label, know that you’re getting the real thing.
Knowing how to make buttermilk at home has saved me so many times. I constantly forget to buy it at the store leaving me with two options when I’m baking: make my own or run to the store. This is probably the EASIEST kitchen hack you’ll ever learn! Learn all the different ways to substitute…
