Seeking advice on Flour
 

OK, growing up I think my Mom used Gold Medal flour. I think that was
a staple in our home. I think a lot, if not everyone, seems to use it.

Now that I plan to cook from scratch, I need flour. My instinct says
to just grab Gold Medal flour from the supermarket.

I'm looking to eat healthy, and incorporate more grain into our
balanced diets.

So I have a couple of questions:

#1. Is Gold Medal flour fine? Or are there better brands? And if so,
what makes one brand of flour better than another, the way the flour
is produced I assume?

#2. Wheat flour or All Purpose flour? I thought flour comes from wheat
anyway, so I'm a little confused. And is Wheat flour better for you
than all purpose flour? (I'm assuming yes)

#3. Waffle Flour? Since I'm interested in making waffles from
scratch, do I want to use waffle flour like Golden Malted Pancake &
Waffle Flour as found at amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/review/product...DateDescending

Or do I just want to buy the flour mentioned in #1 or #2 at the
supermarket that I plan to cook everything with (muffins, bread, etc.)
and use that?

Thanks!
Paul

Seeking advice on Flour
 

meatnub wrote:
> OK, growing up I think my Mom used Gold Medal flour. I think that was
> a staple in our home. I think a lot, if not everyone, seems to use it.
>
> Now that I plan to cook from scratch, I need flour. My instinct says
> to just grab Gold Medal flour from the supermarket.


Just get the Gold Medal. If it was good enough for Mom it'll be good
enough for you. Unless you start baking up a storm and learning about
how to use the various flours (to play up their qualities) a good all
purpose will do. Baby steps...

Seeking advice on Flour
 

On May 16, 2:25*pm, Goomba38 > wrote:
> meatnub wrote:
> > OK, growing up I think my Mom used Gold Medal flour. I think that was
> > a staple in our home. I think a lot, if not everyone, seems to use it.
>
> > Now that I plan to cook from scratch, I need flour. My instinct says
> > to just grab Gold Medal flour from the supermarket.
>
> Just get the Gold Medal. If it was good enough for Mom it'll be good
> enough for you. *Unless you start baking up a storm and learning about
> how to use the various flours (to play up their qualities) a good all
> purpose will do. *Baby steps...

Baby steps. Yes, how true. Thanks Goomba! (i'm probably thinking too
much)

Seeking advice on Flour
 

"meatnub" > ha scritto nel messaggio
...
On May 16, 2:25 pm, Goomba38 > wrote:
> meatnub wrote:
> > OK, growing up I think my Mom used Gold Medal flour. I think that was
> > a staple in our home. I think a lot, if not everyone, seems to use it.
> Just get the Gold Medal. If it was good enough for Mom it'll be good
> enough for you. Unless you start baking up a storm and learning about
> how to use the various flours (to play up their qualities) a good all
> purpose will do. Baby steps...

Baby steps. Yes, how true. Thanks Goomba! (i'm probably thinking too
much)

Yes, not that there isn't a lot to know, but it's better to make sense of it
as you go along so that you understand food and nutrition, just not collect
a bunch of facts. The most important thing is to care and to know it is
important.

Seeking advice on Flour
 

"Goomba38" > wrote in message
. ..
> meatnub wrote:
>> OK, growing up I think my Mom used Gold Medal flour. I think that was
>> a staple in our home. I think a lot, if not everyone, seems to use it.
>>
>> Now that I plan to cook from scratch, I need flour. My instinct says
>> to just grab Gold Medal flour from the supermarket.
>
>
> Just get the Gold Medal. If it was good enough for Mom it'll be good
> enough for you. Unless you start baking up a storm and learning about how
> to use the various flours (to play up their qualities) a good all purpose
> will do. Baby steps...

Goomba's advice is good. Gold Medal all purpose is just fine for many
purposes. I'm an avid baker, so I've also got a stash of other flours too:
bread flour, whole wheat flour, cake flour, whole wheat pastry flour, 00
flour (for pasta), various grain flours (rye, etc). As your knowledge and
expertise develop, you may wish to branch out. I love baking for my
office - they love it too :-)

TammyM

Seeking advice on Flour
 

"meatnub" > wrote in message
...
> OK, growing up I think my Mom used Gold Medal flour. I think that was
> a staple in our home. I think a lot, if not everyone, seems to use it.
>
> Now that I plan to cook from scratch, I need flour. My instinct says
> to just grab Gold Medal flour from the supermarket.
>
> I'm looking to eat healthy, and incorporate more grain into our
> balanced diets.
>
> So I have a couple of questions:
>
<snip>
> Or do I just want to buy the flour mentioned in #1 or #2 at the
> supermarket that I plan to cook everything with (muffins, bread, etc.)
> and use that?
>
> Thanks!
> Paul

For most things, the all purpose flour will do you fine. Especially since you're a
beginner, because it's well balanced and works for most recipes.
The only thing I would add is that, nothing beats malted flour for waffles! lol And
if you have a Cost Plus World Market near you, buy it there, where it is usually
cheaper than Amazon, especially once you figure in the shipping.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

kimberly

Seeking advice on Flour
 

"meatnub" > wrote in message
...
> OK, growing up I think my Mom used Gold Medal flour. I think that was
> a staple in our home. I think a lot, if not everyone, seems to use it.
>
> Now that I plan to cook from scratch, I need flour. My instinct says
> to just grab Gold Medal flour from the supermarket.
>
> I'm looking to eat healthy, and incorporate more grain into our
> balanced diets.
>
> So I have a couple of questions:
>
> #1. Is Gold Medal flour fine? Or are there better brands? And if so,
> what makes one brand of flour better than another, the way the flour
> is produced I assume?


You have been given good advice to start your ball rolling, by Goomba...

>
> #2. Wheat flour or All Purpose flour? I thought flour comes from wheat
> anyway, so I'm a little confused. And is Wheat flour better for you
> than all purpose flour? (I'm assuming yes)


Flour comes from many grains, Paul... Not only Wheat, but to name just a
couple, there is Soya Flour, Potato Flour, Corn (Maize), Chickpea, Tapioca,
Rye, Rice and many others as well..

Time enough to learn about them later...
>
> #3. Waffle Flour? Since I'm interested in making waffles from
> scratch, do I want to use waffle flour like Golden Malted Pancake &
> Waffle Flour as found at amazon.com
> http://www.amazon.com/review/product...DateDescending
>
> Or do I just want to buy the flour mentioned in #1 or #2 at the
> supermarket that I plan to cook everything with (muffins, bread, etc.)
> and use that?
>
> Thanks!
> Paul

Bigbazza (Barry) Oz

Seeking advice on Flour
 

meatnub wrote:
> OK, growing up I think my Mom used Gold Medal flour. I think that was
> a staple in our home. I think a lot, if not everyone, seems to use it.
>
> Now that I plan to cook from scratch, I need flour. My instinct says
> to just grab Gold Medal flour from the supermarket.
>
> I'm looking to eat healthy, and incorporate more grain into our
> balanced diets.
>
> So I have a couple of questions:
>
> #1. Is Gold Medal flour fine? Or are there better brands? And if so,
> what makes one brand of flour better than another, the way the flour
> is produced I assume?
>
> #2. Wheat flour or All Purpose flour? I thought flour comes from wheat
> anyway, so I'm a little confused. And is Wheat flour better for you
> than all purpose flour? (I'm assuming yes)
>



Wheat flour IS all-purpose flour. The alternative to all-purpose is
cake flour, whole wheat(dark), rye, etc. Don't try to bake bread from a
recipe with a different kind of flour unless you are experimenting.
Whole wheat, rye, etc. have different levels of gluten which affect the
way the bread rises (or doesn't!)

For your purposes, Gold Medal is fine although a while back Cooks
Illustrated or some other cooking mag did a bread taste test and thought
Pillsbury had better flavor.

If you are baking from scratch you don't need waffle flour, just a good
recipe.

This is an expensive time for you to begin baking. I'm used to buying
flour when it goes on sale (usually 99 cents for 5 lb.) The last time I
looked, a few days ago, flour was around $3.50 a bag, but I guess it's
all relative because the price of bread and baked goods is also soaring.

gloria p

Seeking advice on Flour
 

Giusi wrote:
> "meatnub" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> ...
> On May 16, 2:25 pm, Goomba38 > wrote:
>> meatnub wrote:
>>> OK, growing up I think my Mom used Gold Medal flour. I think that was
>>> a staple in our home. I think a lot, if not everyone, seems to use it.
>> Just get the Gold Medal. If it was good enough for Mom it'll be good
>> enough for you. Unless you start baking up a storm and learning about
>> how to use the various flours (to play up their qualities) a good all
>> purpose will do. Baby steps...
>
> Baby steps. Yes, how true. Thanks Goomba! (i'm probably thinking too
> much)
>
> Yes, not that there isn't a lot to know, but it's better to make sense of it
> as you go along so that you understand food and nutrition, just not collect
> a bunch of facts. The most important thing is to care and to know it is
> important.
>
>
Meatnub, just in case you didn't already know this, that flour will also
help you learn about thickening sauces and gravies. The magic of gluten!
It helps when deep-fat frying, too, if you decide to open a
halfway-house for battered fish...

Seeking advice on Flour
 

none <""Mark\"@(none)"> wrote:
:>
:Meatnub, just in case you didn't already know this, that flour will also
:help you learn about thickening sauces and gravies. The magic of gluten!

It's actually the starch in flour that thickens sauces. The starch
absorbs water, and the molecules expand. That's why pure starches,
like cornstarch, potato starch, arrowroot, and tapioca are also used
for thickening.