"Sheldon" > wrote:

>With baked goods a proper recipe should account for the liquid
>contained in ingredients by appropriately adjusting the other liquid(s)
>in the recipe. Fritters are donuts, deep frying extracts liquid quite
>rapidly... the idea of the shredded zuke is primarilly to give the
>fritter a moist interior (and some nutrition), otherise the recipe
>would call for wheat bran instead. Most recipes found in cookbooks are
>written by people who they themselves can't properly cook, and the few
>who do really know how to cook dumb down their recipes to the lowest
>common denominator... rarely do recipe writers explain why a particular
>method is used, especially not when it comes to nutrition, because 99%
>of the time they haven't a clue, haven't even given it a thought.
>
>I don't recommend cooking methods that extract liquid from food unless
>that liquid will be used in some other way... otherwise you're
>essentially making stock, straining the liquid down the drain, and
>eating what remains. When liquid is evaporated in the course of
>cooking only water is lost, most nutrients do not evaporate. It's bad
>enough people peel and toss the vegetable skin in the trash, then they
>wring out what little nutrition is left and pour it down the drain...
>like straining blueberry soup... may as well shove the zuke up a body
>cavity, at least that way it'll be of some use. There's a whole lot
>more to cooking than dumbly following recipes. Unless nutrition
>contained in ingredients is maximized it's not really cooking... any
>jerk can learn to apply a sprig of parsley to an attractively arranged
>plate of excrement.
>
>You've just been given a special gift, you've been apprised of the most
>important aspect of cooking, Alley... nutrition... try to digest and
>retain... and with that alone you'll know more about cooking than 90%
>of those who post here.
>
>Sheldon
>
Although it minorly pains me to do so <G>, I must admit that you are
quite correct. You have to keep in mind Sheldon, that while I have a
small group of dishes that I can do very well, I am, in general, an
accident waiting to happen in the kitchen. I love good food and I
wish I could do it all properly, but I'm the last one to suggest that
I'm really good at it. I just sort of struggle along and do the best
I can. If I find a recipe that really sounds good, I can work with it
until it turns out OK, but that's pretty much the extent of my
ability. Guess I'm certainly not cut out to be a chef.

--
The Doc says my brain waves closely match those of a crazed ferret.
At least now I have an excuse.