Connect with us

Food

The Kochi-Based Sugar Sifter Gives Pro Tips For All Your Baking Woes

Published

on

Images from: The Sugar Sifter

Successful Kochi-based home baker, The Sugar Sifter, is a treasure trove of pro baking tips for all those budding bakers out there. Your baking woes are sure to end soon!

Text Credit: Rheanna Mathews

All you budding bakers out there would surely agree that your experiments have met with many a roadblock, right? Well, Bhavana aka the Sugar Sifter, is a successful home baker who’s helped us with some baking tips and tricks of the trade when it comes to these things.

Baking Tips from the Sugar Sifter, Bhavana

How do you zero in on recipes?

Trial and error. You try and fail at different recipes. Over the years, you develop a certain knack for knowing which recipes will work for you.

Do you experiment a lot?

I try to stick to the basic recipe, but there’s no end to experimenting with flavours.

When it comes to decorating cakes, what are the most common mistakes we can make?

A messy workstation.  It makes you want to give up too soon. Not measuring your ingredients accurately and not following the right method are other common mistakes. Also, if you substitute the ingredients in the recipe with whatever you have on hand at home could also yield unsatisfactory results.

How easy is it to pipe frosting onto cakes?

Frosting and decorating cakes certainly takes a lot of practice before it becomes easy. Each cake you decorate helps you learn something more. But it’s not exactly rocket science either. Chilling the cake before frosting and crumb coating it definitely makes it easier.

Bakingtips: piping buttercream

How do you reduce wastage?

Wastage generally occurs when you need to trim the cake, especially when you don’t have a flat top or if the sides aren’t straight. This problem decreases as your expertise grows, but in the meantime, use the leftover crumbs to make cake pops, truffles or layer it with custard for a simple dessert.

So how do you get perfect cake layers? And then, how do you store a tall cake?

Again, chill your cakes before before torting them into layers. Chilled cakes mean lesser crumbs and more control.

Boxes to store tall cakes are readily available in the market, these days.

Sprinkles are easy and fun but hardly sophisticated. Are there any easy decorating ideas that we can use to make our cakes look extra special?

Naked cakes are a brilliant trend that’s popular all over the world these days. They’re easy to make, don’t require much skill, and can be adapted to any style you like – vintage, rustic, elegant or chic. Fresh flowers or a chocolate ganache drip around the edges can do wonders for it. Top it with different candies or French macarons and you get a decadent version everyone will enjoy.

Baking tips: how to decorate

Finally, how do you transport tall cakes without toppling them?

Transporting tiered cakes is difficult and quite risky, especially during the summer with its melting heat. Chill the cake before transporting and secure them with dowels. And, to keep it from slipping, make sure that the cake board is nice and snug inside the box.

Armed with these baking tips, if it is inspiration that you need, click here and definitely here. And if you really just want to have beautiful looking cakes and eat them too, get in touch with Bhavana here.

Advertisement
Comments

Food

Benefits of Including Crab in your Diet

Published

on

Crab has all the attraction of seafood without the fishy flavor that some people want to avoid. It is delightfully salty with a delicate mineral sweetness. Crabs were reportedly among the foods that coastal societies eaten a hundred years ago. On the menus of the greatest restaurants today, it stands out as the highlight dish. Crab is famous for its distinctive, exquisite flavor as well as for the health benefits it provides.

Omega-3 fatty acids and protein are abundant in crabs. The Food Experts advise two servings of fish and seafood every week, which is not difficult. 

 Good Protein Source

Crab is a low-fat, nutritious protein source that boosts metabolism and gives you energy. In reality, crab has less saturated fat and about the same amount of protein per 100 grams as other meats. 

Strengthens Heart Health

Consuming a lot of crab meat can actually benefit your cardiovascular system. The Omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and protein found in crab are all beneficial sources of lowering cholesterol. Having lower cholesterol lowers your chances of heart attacks and strokes. 

Increases Brain Activity

Crabs are healthy for you since they are a high source of selenium, vitamin B2, copper, and other vital vitamins and minerals. Together with omega-3 fatty acids, these nutrients support healthy brain ageing and reduce the risk of dementia. They aid in defending against oxidative stress, inflammation, and other elements that may have an impact on the growth and health of the brain. 

Strengthens bones

You may already be aware of the significance of calcium for bone health. However, did you realize that phosphorus plays an equal role? Due to its high phosphorus content, crab flesh can aid in the development of strong, healthy teeth and bones. 

Contains selenium

Compared to other meats, crab offers a substantially higher supply of selenium. As an antioxidant, this necessary mineral not only assists in preventing cell damage from free radicals but also strengthens your immune system. Selenium aids in the regulation of your metabolism and is essential for healthy thyroid function. 

An aphrodisiac

The aphrodisiac property of crab meat promotes libido and sexual energy. They have high quantities of zinc and substances that increase estrogen and testosterone levels, enhancing sexual desire.

Makes the blood flow faster

Copper is yet another significant mineral present in crab meat. One significant advantage of copper is that it facilitates the body’s absorption of iron, which enhances the creation of red blood cells. After injuries and illnesses, proper circulation aids in the healing process. 

Consuming excessive amounts of crab can have certain unfavorable impacts, just like with most other foods. If you eat too much of some of the nutrients in crab, such copper and zinc, you could get sick. Crab, however, is a fairly nutritious item to eat in moderation unless you have a seafood allergy, and adverse effects are uncommon. Before consuming any seafood, always make sure you don’t have any allergies.

Continue Reading

Food

The Taste Of Malayali Kitchen In Sweden

Published

on

A Kochi-based malayali is creating a sensation by preparing Kerala Cuisine in the foreign swedish kitchen. Devi Nair, who has been settled in Sweden with her husband for almost 10 years, wanted her daughter to experience the delicacies of the Malyaali culture along with her International palette. The sense of homesickness and nostalgia has a part to play in this venture as well. In recent years, as the pandemic hit she chose to share her cooking extravaganzas on Instagram which led her to become more known to the public. Her recipes featured celebratory treats like the Bengali confection Rosbora, local parotta, and non-vegetarian Kerala foods that are popular on social media because they’re simple to make yet delicious to eat and look at. Devi whips up a storm of authentic Kerala delicacies during Malayali festivals. Tender, plump unniyappam, spongy kozhukkatta, rice dumplings, Vishu ada, and Vishu katta are just a few of the items on her Vishu menu this year. She prepared undaputtu with spicy prawn filling, kilikkoodu with meat and egg white, and ammini kozhukatta, a spicy rice dumpling, for Eid. It is also heard that she is planning to launch her own bakery in Sweden as well. 

Words By : Goutham Satheesh

Continue Reading

Food

Some Flavourful Delights to Savour this Festive Season

Published

on

Vishu and Easter festivities are around the corner. Along with dressing up and gathering around for some fun family time, you would definitely want to indulge in these simple but festive special treats.

Lilly’s Pattisserie

What if we told you could have Payasam cakes? Yes. You heard that right. The Lilly’s Patisserie, Thrissur is offering Payasam cakes on it its Vishu Special menu as a distinct highlight. Try out their Palada and Pazham Pradhaman cakes which are available in two sizes.They have also got you covered for Easter with a range of Hot Cross Buns from traditional to chocolate and candy berry flavours. You can also spice up your Easter treats with their artisanally crafted Easter Eggs.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Lillys (@lillysdelicacies)

Pandhal Cake Shop

The Pandhal Cake Shop, Kochi is shelling out some amazing Easter Egg Surprises this Holy Season. Their marzipan-based eggs come in varied sizes and colours vibrant enough to cheer the grimmest of the lot. Also, check out their Easter Egg Baskets that are sure to surprise you!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Pandhal Cake Shop (@pandhalcakeshop)

Lebanese Grill

No Easter is complete without some spicy meat-based main course to savour. This Kottayam-based Arabian restaurant is all about gifting your loved ones with some flavourful rice for the festive season. This Easter they are introducing the Mutton Cask Biriyani. The cask comes along with pappad, pickle and raita. These are only available on a pre-order basis. So, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and order now.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Lebanese Grills (@lebanesegrills)

Words By: Mariam Thankam Mohan

Continue Reading

Facebook

Trending