How to separate egg whites with a spoon and 2 bowls
Take cold eggs out of fridge (cold eggs are easier to separate). Break and 'slide' them carefully into a clean dry wide plate. Using a clean dry spoon, carefully scoop the yolk, one by one, letting the whites slide off the yolks first before placing them in another plate/cup. If whites sticks to the yolks, 'cut' the whites using the spoon you are using at the sides of plate. It's okay to have some whites with the yolks. Had an 'accident' that day - bursted yolks - then meticulously removed as much yolks as possible and the cake still turned out fine.
How to beat egg whites till stiff peak with an electric hand mixer and stainless steel bowl
Add 1/2 tsp lemon juice to 2 egg whites and beat at high speed for about 1 minute till foamy. Next, without stopping the whipping, gradually add sugar (50g), tablespoon by tablespoon (I poured sugar from a cup by approximation, at the sides of bowl). Finally, increase to higher speed and continue to beat for another 2-3 minutes till stiff peaks form. If stiff peaks does not form, beat at an even higher speed for another 2 minutes. All takes about 5 minutes. Be sure that the whites are foamy and stiff, not creamy.
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| My first |
How to fold in egg whites with a rubber spatula and a deep wide mixing bowl
Fold egg whites outside-in and bottom-up in imaginary circles cutting through the centre occasionally and scraping the sides of bowl to ensure all mixture are well incorporated. All these while turning the bowl at the same time. Stop when mixture is of consistent colour and texture usually after about 30 folds. As a side note, I actually think that using a whisk to fold in the egg whites work well for me. The resulting batter is more consistent. I use the same folding method as using a spatula but with an extra twist of the whisk each time I fold. Do try it and see which one works for you.
How to make instant buttermilk with just milk and lemon
MILK + LEMON = BUTTERMILK. When you add milk and lemon juice and let it sit for a few minutes, a curd-like substance will form. Some say it's yogurt, others say it's buttermilk or cheese. For convenience sake, if a recipe calls for milk and lemon juice, I like to put them together so that I can 'dump' them in the mixing bowl later without measuring them (it's my suffer first, enjoy later mentality again).
I didn't know that they will form curds in the first place! It's like MAGIC. Bringgg! Hee... Ahem. Sorry. In my opinion, I think that it makes my cakes creamier and fluffier.
Products used for baking, in case you are interested in what brands or types of ingredients I use
SCS salted butter
Anlene adult milk powder
Philadelphia cream cheese
Local eggs (Chew's)
Fine sugar (Happy Family)
Prima self-raising flour
Ready-squeezed lemon juice (Top Gourmet)
My choice is simply based on convenience - they're easily available in the nearby stores where I live.
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| Using rice cooker to bake cheesecakes (Philips) |
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| My very first electric hand mixer |