- Industry: Printing & publishing
- Number of terms: 62403
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Founded in 1941, Barron's Educational Series is a leading publisher of test preparation manuals and school directories. Among the most widely recognized of Barron's many titles in these areas are its SAT and ACT test prep books, its Regents Exams books, and its Profiles of American Colleges. In ...
Created in the mid-1800s by Philadelphia pharmacist Charles Hires, the original root beer was a (very) low-alcohol, naturally effervescent beverage made by fermenting a blend of sugar and yeast with various roots, herbs and barks such as sarsaparilla, sassafras, wild cherry, wintergreen and ginger. Today's commercial root beer is completely nonalcoholic and generally contains sugar, caramel coloring, a combination of artificial and natural flavorings (including some of those originally used) and carbonated water for sparkle.
Industry:Culinary arts
N. A term used to indicate the amount of alcohol in liquor or other spirits. In the United States, proof is exactly twice the percentage of alcohol. Therefore, a bottle of liquor labeled "86 Proof" contains 43 percent alcohol. proof v. To dissolve yeast in a warm liquid (sometimes with a small amount of sugar) and set it aside in a warm place for 5 to 10 minutes until it swells and becomes bubbly. This technique proves that the yeast is alive and active and therefore capable of leavening a bread or other baked good.
Industry:Culinary arts
Pulverized dried meat or fish mixed with hot fat and dried berries and/or other dried fruit into a thick paste, and then formed into loafs or small cakes. Some regional variations of pemmican use parched corn instead of dried meat. This food originated with North American Indians as a nutritious, spoilage-resistant food good for traveling. Pemmican, which can be eaten out of hand or added to hot water to make a soup, was adopted by early American pioneers, hunters and others on the move.
Industry:Culinary arts
Long a symbol of hospitality, Greek mythology claims that mint was once the nymph Mentha. She angered Pluto's wife Persephone, who turned her into this aromatic herb. There are over 30 species of mint, the two most popular and widely available being peppermint and spearmint. Peppermint is the more pungent of the two. It has bright green leaves, purple-tinged stems and a peppery flavor. Spearmint leaves are gray-green or true green and have a milder flavor and fragrance. Mint grows wild throughout the world and is cultivated in Europe, the United States and Asia. It's most plentiful during summer months but many markets carry it year-round. Choose leaves that are evenly colored with no sign of wilting. Store a bunch of mint, stems down, in a glass of water with a plastic bag over the leaves. Refrigerate in this manner for up to a week, changing the water every 2 days. Mint is used in both sweet and savory dishes and in drinks such as the famous mint julep. Mint is available fresh, dried, as an extract, and in the form of oil of spearmint or oil of peppermint, both highly concentrated flavorings. Most forms can usually be found in supermarkets. See also herbs; herb and spice chart.
Industry:Culinary arts
There are two edible, very similar plants known as samphire. The first is Crithmum maritimum (commonly referred to as rock samphire), which grows along the coasts of Great Britain and northwestern Europe and is available in the United States only through costly import. What we have in the United States is the second type of samphire known as salicornia, (also called glasswort, marsh samphire, sea bean and sea pickle). It's abundant along both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and has spiky green leaves that are so arranged as to make the plant look somewhat like a spindly, miniature cactus, sans needles. Both the leaves and stem are crisp, aromatic and taste of a salty sea breeze. They're often pickled and can sometimes be found in jars in gourmet markets. Fresh salicornia can be found from summer through fall, though it's at its most tender during summer months. Choose crisp, brightly colored sprigs with no sign of softness. Refrigerate tightly wrapped for up to 2 weeks — though the sooner salicornia is used the better the flavor. It's best used fresh, either in salads or as a garnish. When cooked, salicornia tends to taste quite salty and fishy.
Industry:Culinary arts
A small, typically ring-shaped pastry that is usually leavened with yeast or baking powder, and which can be baked but is generally fried. The traditional doughnut shape is formed by using a special doughnut cutter that cuts out the center hole in the dough. It can also be made with two biscuit cutters, large and small (for the hole). Fried doughnut holes are favorites with children. There are two main styles of doughnuts. Raised doughnuts are leavened with yeast and allowed to rise at least once before being fried. Besides the traditional ring-shape, raised doughnuts also come in squares and twists. Additionally, the dough is used to make oblong and round jelly-filled doughnuts — commonly called jelly doughnuts. Cake doughnuts receive their leavening power from baking powder and are chilled before frying to prevent the dough from absorbing too much oil in the process. The dough for cake doughnuts is often flavored with spices, orange or lemon zest or chocolate. Crullers are made from cake-doughnut dough. They're formed by twisting two (about 5-inch) strips of dough together before frying. Both types are usually either dusted with granulated sugar (cake doughnuts often with confectioners' sugar) or topped with a flavored glaze (such as chocolate or butterscotch). French doughnuts, though not as readily available as the other two types, are made with choux pastry (cream-puff pastry dough). They're very tender and light.
Industry:Culinary arts
A round, flat griddle on which tortillas are cooked. In Mexico, comals used over open fires are usually made of unglazed earthenware. Those intended for use with electric and gas heat are more often made of a light metal, such as tin. The earthenware and thin metal allow fast heat penetration, thereby cooking the tortillas quickly — important so they don't become dry and brittle.
Industry:Culinary arts
A clear oil pressed from peanuts; it is used for salads and, because it has a high smoke point, especially prized for frying. Most American peanut oils are mild-flavored, whereas Chinese peanut oils have a distinctive peanut flavor. Peanut oil is about 50 percent monounsaturated and 30 percent polyunsaturated. If stored in a cool, dark place it will keep indefinitely. See also fats and oils.
Industry:Culinary arts
A cocktail made with gin, lemon juice, sugar and soda, served in a tall glass over ice. When an egg white is added, the drink is called a silver fizz. Adding orange-flower water and cream or milk to a silver fizz transforms it into a Ramos gin fizz, a New Orleans original created in the late 1800s by bar owner Henry Ramos.
Industry:Culinary arts
Called littlenecks on the East Coast and Pacific littlenecks on the West Coast, these small, hard-shell clams have a shell diameter of less than 2 inches. They're usually reserved for eating on the half shell. See also clam.
Industry:Culinary arts
