Getting egg whites to room temperature for recipes...

Many recipes call for your egg whites to be at room temperature, such as Angel food cakes. Although refrigeration keeps eggs fresher for a much longer period of time than storing them at room temperature, they will blend into recipes much more easily if you take the time to take the chill off of them before using them.

Egg whites at room temperature will have become more “relaxed” and the whites will take on more volume when beaten, and break up more easily when whisked into a batter. When making Angel food cakes this is a must, as its the volume that forms the cake.

To bring the whites, to room temperature, you can take them out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you plan to use them and leave them on the counter top. If the eggs sit out longer than that, it won’t hurt them in terms of how they act in the recipe, but they will have “aged” compared to eggs that have been kept only in the refrigerator.

Recipes that call for egg whites alone, such as the Angel food cake I will be making today, most often call for them to be at room temperature to insure the proper volume when beating.  Eggs are however, much easier to separate when they are cold. To warm up just your egg whites, separate the eggs when cold and place the whites in a small bowl. Place the bowl into a slightly larger bowl full of warm water and allow them to sit for 5-10 minutes. Or simply let them sit, covered, at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before using.

The leftover part of the egg that you are not using  can be stored in the refrigerator for later use.

Hope this info gives you new insight into baking gluten-free.
Sharon

Being in control...

 Today  is one of those days after a long week that just seems to set my mind on whirl with thoughts...Thoughts about the course of my life, family, health.. You know what I'm talking about, I am sure you have all been there at one time or other.. Its that state of mind that reminds you about the things in life we actually do have control over.

We can't control the weather. We can't control the price of gas, or even the price of the food that we eat. We can't always control unruly children, or sometimes the course of our marriage, or whether we have brown eyes, or blue. We can't control the fact that an inexperienced driver will ram the back of your car, as I had happen to me just last week. These, and many other things, are out of our control.

The one thing I "AM" sure of, is that I can control what goes into my body with what I choose to eat. I have to say first off that I am not a "Expert" when it comes to knowing everything there is to know about being gluten intolerant. I don't know every product by name to live a gluten free lifestyle, nor am I am proficient in reading labels when it comes to finding products available to live a gluten free lifestyle. If it states that it is gluten free,  I'm in! For this reason I trust the advice and knowledge of the experts along the way. I'm still very much a newbie in some areas...

There is much information available out there on this subject via the web. There are also many great blogs on the web with which to visit and gather information from. I just read the other day that someone who had gone gluten free decided to not start a blog on the subject because he was not a "expert' on the subject of living a gluten free lifestyle.

If a surgeon never performed that much needed first surgery he would never have become a great surgeon. If Christopher Columbus would never have sailed the "oceans blue" we would not be the great United States that we are today! We all have to start somewhere!

This blog might not contain all the information that one who is living a gluten free lifestyle might need, (you would need a set of gluten free encyclopedia's just for this subject alone)  but it can be a starting ground...The recipes are all delicious, or they wouldn't be posted here. The tips and information all come from great gluten free and Celiac Disease sites, or books, from which I have gathered information. Even from my own personal experiences of trial and error :-)  Everything posted here is to help you in your gluten free adventure...

Product reviews are done with all readers in mind. Gluten free products can be costly, and it is always nice to have the honest opinion of someone to help save a few bucks here and there...

As I mentioned in the beginning of the post...There are things in life that we just can't control. Living gluten free is often not a decision many of us would have made on our own, but is often dictated by our bodies for health reasons. We are all just trying to live our lives to its fullest.

If this blog has helped you on your journey then I am blessed. If my research  has helped you in any way I hope you will take the time to leave a comment or become a follower so as to let me know I have been a asset in some way.

Last weeks accident was a eye opener to the fact that life is ever changing. Nothing stays the same forever. In the gluten free world recipes change and can be altered. Flours can be substituted, and different spices are used to make a whole difference in taste and texture. However one thing will always stay the same with each end product...it will remain... gluten free!

Until next post....
Sharon