THE WASHINGTON POST – Each Wednesday, Aaron Hutcherson and Becky Krystal answer questions and provide practical cooking advice in a chat with readers. Aaron and Becky write and test recipes for Voraciously, The Washington Post’s team dedicated to helping you cook with confidence.
Q: Is there a reason fresh yeast instead of dry yeast is used in my sweet bread recipe? Possible advantages of fresh over dry, and how would I use dry instead of fresh?
A: Older recipes tend to call for fresh/cake yeast because that was the original form available to bakers. Dry came later on with technological advances. Everything I’ve read indicates that they should be interchangeable (two-third ounce of cake yeast is the equivalent of two-and-one-quarter teaspoons or a one-quarter-ounce envelope dry yeast). Some people say they prefer the taste of fresh yeast, others say they can’t tell the difference. In my experience, I lean toward the latter because dry is just fresh that has been dried. You would then need to follow the same steps working with dry yeast usually entails – if using active dry, proof first in warm liquid, while instant can be mixed straight in with the dry ingredients.
Q: I can’t use most of the recipes posted. I need recipes for one person. Is it even possible for you to do this?
A: We will occasionally share recipes designed to serve one, but as a fellow single person, I’d rather make the full recipe and have meals ready to go later in the week. Are you against leftovers? Many of the recipes meant to serve more than one can be refrigerated or frozen for later. And if you don’t necessarily want to do that, depending on the recipe, you should be able to cut most savory recipes in half without much trouble.
Q: We went strawberry picking a few days ago and had strawberry shortcake for dessert that evening. There are still some macerated berries left in the refrigerator (just sugar and berries). Are they still okay to eat?
A: Macerated fruit typically lasts three to four days, so as long as it looks and smells fine, then you should be okay.
Q: How do I keep fries that I make in my air fryer crisp? They come out crisp but seem to become soft within minutes.
A: Daniela Galarza explored a few different methods when she came up with her Air-Fryer Fries recipe last year. One option is parboiling the potatoes in water infused with lemon juice, salt and a bit of baking soda, but that might be more work than you want. She found that letting them soak in cold water really helped and was less cumbersome.
I don’t know if it’s just an air fryer thing. I think we’ve all experienced fries going soft quickly, and what a bummer it is! If you need to hold them, you could try putting them on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and stashing them in a low oven for a few minutes.
Q: Do you have any suggestions on how to get a more intuitive feel for seasoning food correctly? I feel like I understand the basics of cooking, but I’m often confused about how to adjust when it doesn’t taste quite right to me.
A: Taste, taste, taste! The more you cook and taste as you go along, the better you’ll get. It takes time, trust me. A book like Salt Fat Acid Heat will also help. When you taste something, try to think of what’s missing and what can round out the flavour. Often, just a bit of salt or even sugar can do the trick. Does it need sharpness? Try lemon juice or vinegar. Or maybe a little spice, with hot sauce or red pepper flakes. You can even make a big batch of something, like a simple soup, and divide it into smaller portions and season differently to see what you like and how to achieve it. – Becky Krystal & Aaron Hutcherson
