Make Your Own Sourdough Starter at Home

Wednesday is Recipe Day at CookingManager.Com.

A couple of years ago my baking reached a new level when I began using sourdough. Sourdough traps natural yeast spores in the air, encouraging them to multiply in any kind of batter.

Once you have made a sourdough starter from flour and water, you can use it in two different ways:

  • Make different types of sourdough bread.
  • Add to batter for flavor, like pizza dough, muffins, pancakes, and even chocolate cake.

How Does Your Washing Machine Work?

Hello again lovely readers. I know this is a cooking website, but I have a special place in my heart for appliances. My friend recently told me about her daughter’s joy at getting new school shirts, because the other children made fun of her over the state of her clothes. I assure you that no […]

11 Reasons to Choose Fresh Foods, and a Few Reasons Not To

Happy New Year! This is an update of a post originally published December 23, 2011. A friend was wondering whether it was bad to eat soy patties for lunch every day. This led to a discussion of ingredient lists on packages and concerns about processed food. We’ve all been told to choose home-cooked foods over […]

11 Food Processor Tips for Bakers

When my friend Efrat asked on Facebook about the best tools for making bread, most people replied that they use their hands or a mixer. It seems that many people still see a food processor as a tool for slicing and chopping and the occasional cake. But if used correctly, the food processor excels at […]

Ethiopian Lentil Wot (dip) and Injera

Hello, dear readers! I am reviving the website with two Ethiopian recipes that my 20-year-old son tried over the weekend. After the recipes, I’ll share a short review of a few new products from a company called Yoffi. After high school, my son spent a year volunteering in a town where he interacted with many immigrants from Ethiopia. He’s […]

Don’t Judge a Fruit by Its Peel

Usually, when we pick fruits and vegetables, we look for the most attractive. But we pay a premium for that privilege. And what looks best in the store, is not necessarily the tastiest.

I noticed three different types of produce being sold for a discount: Tomatoes, avocados, and sweet peppers. As you can see from the pictures, the tomatoes looked dented and spotted, the peppers wrinkled (you may need to look closely), and the avocado skins mostly black. My adult son, who came along to help, was especially skeptical about those avocados. I told him that we might have to throw out 10-20% of the produce, but it would still be worth it.

Spicy Beans with Coriander and Garlic

Remember those black beans I posted about recently? And how I planned to keep a container of beans in the freezer? Well, I defrosted the container in the refrigerator overnight Thursday. On Friday, my vegan son came home, and added beans to the rice and mushrooms he cooked for the Sabbath. He took the leftovers with him for […]

10 Great Reasons to Cook Fresh Black Beans

The kids are back in school, and while the heat hasn’t let up, the smell of routine is in the air. I just finished cooking a pot of black beans, and am enjoying anticipating how I will use them. Beans take a while to prepare, although less than you might think because soaking isn’t strictly necessary. If you’re […]

Review: Vegan Start Passover Cookbook

I’ve been stressing about Passover cooking. My 18-year-old son became vegan a few months ago, and I’m afraid my usual menu plan might leave him hungry. Because of the prohibitions against seeds and legumes (kitniyot) in the Eastern European (Ashkenazi) Jewish Passover tradition, vegan staples like lentils, beans and sesame are off the table. Fortunately, my friend Rena Reich came […]

How Risky Is It to Eat Questionable Leftovers?

One of the most common questions on cooking sites and forums is whether leftover food should be thrown out. The best advice is to prevent these questions , by learning how to store food properly, estimate quantities, keep track of what you have, and use leftovers creatively.

But what happens if you fear your food has been hanging around for too long? You can look up storage times on various sites, but the recommendations tend to be overly cautious. So much depends on how the food was prepared, and the storage conditions. I suggest using those sites only as a general guideline. If the food looks and smells good, it’s probably safe.