Ingredients (Continued) Eggs ◊
Egg sizes range from jumbo to small. Always assume and use large size eggs in recipes unless it is specified differently.
◊
Before purchasing, always check the carton to make sure there are no cracked eggs.
◊
Eggs should be stored in the refrigerator. For optimum quality use them before the “Best Before” date expires.
◊
When eggs lose their freshness, the yolks flatten and the whites become runny. A fresh egg will sink in a bowl of water whereas an old egg will float.
◊
When adding eggs to a recipe, break them one at a time into a small bowl before adding to the other ingredients. This way you can check the quality of your eggs first and remove any pieces of shell.
Butter ◊
Substituting a spread product for butter or margarine is the most frequent baking mistake people make and often a guaranteed way to wind up throwing your results in the trash.
◊
If the first ingredient on the product label is water, don’t use it for baking. Spreads that are less than 60 percent fat have a lot of water included and will make cookies spread too thin or otherwise will then mess up recipes.
◊
Stick margarine that is at least 80 percent fat can be substituted for butter. For best results, use butter if the recipe calls for butter.