Philadelphia Astronomy Social Network

When You Should Not Grease Your Pan

admin — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Most baking recipes call for greasing the pan you cook the product in. It is important to follow the instructions in the recipe to produce the optimal results for whatever you bake. However, if the instructions say that you are to bake in an ungreased pan, you may wonder if there is an error. You may be tempted to grease the pan anyway but this may result in recipe failure.
Sponge-type cakes such as angel food or sponge cakes specifically will call for an ungreased pan. These cakes rise quickly and need to stick to the side of the pan as they bake to allow for them to achieve their maximum height. If you grease the pan, they will not be able to rise properly, resulting in a flatter, denser cake.
Cookies are often baked on ungreased sheets. Cookie batter often contains enough butter in it to prevent the cookies from sticking. If the cookie sheet is greased, the cookies may expand too large and flat, or the bottoms may become too dark. Also the greased cookie sheet will be more difficult to clean afterwards.
If you are in doubt about a recipe, you can research similar recipes to determine if it is common practice for this type of recipe not to use a greased pan. A little extra research can ensure you final product is a success.

The Best Pans For Baking Brownies

admin — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

There are a wide variety of baking pans to choose from, but many work much better than others. When choosing the best brownie pan, first decide on the shape of the brownie pans. With the wide variety of pans to choose from, it can be a bit daunting if one’s new to baking. There are many shapes, sizes, and styles of pans. There are metal baking pans, and now silicone baking pans, as well. Silicone baking pans are great for baking brownies as they distribute heat evenly.Confused? Here ‘s a little help . Another plus to silicone bakeware is they do not need to be greased before using. Silicone bakeware also allows for quicker cooling, therefore treats can be enjoyed much faster. Another great thing about using silicone bakeware for cooking brownies is the easy removal from the pans. With just a slight twist of the pan, brownies pop out with great ease. Silicone bakeware also comes in a variety of bright fun colors. Another great benefit of silicone bakeware in cooking brownies, is they can go from the oven to the refrigerator. Silicone bakeware is also very easy to clean, and storage is a breeze. Baking brownies with silicone bakeware is a breeze for everyone!

Some Of The Most Popular Cookies

admin — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Cookies have always been the perfect snack for both children and adults. They are a convenient and easy form of snack for anyone who wants to satisfy their sweet tooth. For parents, they are a great treat to pack in their child’s school lunch. They go well by themselves or as a combination with a glass of milk. They can also be crumbled and used as toppings in ice cream or pies.

Cookies come in many flavors and types. Some of the popular ones include chocolate chip, oatmeal, macadamia, gingerbread, and raisin. Sandwich cookies are also popular. These are two pieces of cookies adjoined by a smudge of cream. These kinds are great for dipping in milk.

Cookies are generally considered junk food. However, in recent years, manufacturers are beginning to use more natural ingredients. This means a cookie that is free of trans-fat and hydrogenated oils. Cookies geared towards health conscious consumers are becoming vastly popular.

For many years, cookies have been the snack of choice for people worldwide. They are great tasting, and also make a great occasional treat for those trying to eat a healthier diet. It will be interesting to see what different type of cookies will be created in the near future.

Best Bets for a Great Philly Summer

admin — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

There’s a lot to see and do in Philadelphia and some of it doesn’t have a thing to do with astronomy. When you’re tired of looking at the stars or you’ve set your atlanta home security alarm and are in town on vacation, check out a few of Philly’s best summer activities…
Screening Under the Stars: Enough star action to get any astronomy enthusiast excited, Penn Park screens a new movie every Thursday night. Great for families or just a romantic date in the park!
Philadelphia Alternative Craft Show: August 2nd of this year hosts this year’s alternative crafts show, a gathering of artists and sculpturists in the Philly area who have unique wares for display and sale. Check it out for the art lover in your family!
Festival of India: Held at the Great Plaza this year, this cultural event gives residents and visitors alike a taste of the real India. Try traditional Indian cuisine and pick up your very own Sari…there’s a lot of things to do at one of Philly’s best festivals.

How To Store Your Baked Goods Long-Term

admin — Sun, 08 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

After spending your entire day baking, the last thing you want is for improper storage to undermine all your hard work. Freezing is the most common way to store baked goods long term. Ideally, you want to be sure your baked goods are cooled completely before storing.

Breads or cakes without frosting can be stored in the freezer for about 3-4 months. Wrap at least half of the top of the baked item in a cloth towel and then wrap well in plastic. The cloth towel will absorb the extra moisture during thawing. To use aluminum foil, you must first wrap the baked good in parchment paper, then foil. After the cake is wrapped in foil, place inside plastic bag for added protection.

Frosted cakes must be frozen unwrapped initially until the frosting gets hard. Then the cake should be wrapped in plastic. When ready to thaw, unwrap the cake and leave at room temperature until thawed.

Cookies must be stored with like varieties. For example, you cannot store peanut butter cookies with sugar cookies, the flavors will mingle and you cannot store moist cookies with crisp cookies. Brownies can be wrapped individually or as a unit prior to cutting.

Healthy Options For Baking For Your Family

admin — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

There are so many ways to bake healthy foods for your family. First of all start with the flour, use wheat flour instead of white. White flour breaks down like white sugar in the body. It also has absolutely no nutritional value.

Use natural sugars instead of refined white sugar. Honey is great to bake with or there are other sugars such as raw brown sugar. It has not been bleached so does not contain all of the chemicals that white sugar has.

Oat bran is also healthy for baking along with other whole grains. When making muffins be sure to use wheat flour, oat bran, honey or natural brown sugar and instead of oil, use natural applesauce. If you like the texture oil gives the muffin then use canola or olive oil instead of vegetable oil.

For healthier cakes use whole wheat flour and natural sugars. To add some flavor to the cake use whole unsweetened fruit.

Cookie are the same, they are healthier if whole grains are used. Oatmeal can be added to cookies and raisins will make them healthier. For those who like chocolate, use either carob or dark chocolate. Both are healthier than milk chocolate.

Always use natural ingredients in every dish that you make. The more natural ingredients that are used, the healthier the baked good will bed.

Most Popular Items To Bake For A Charity Bake Sale

admin — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Charity Bake Sales – Bring Out Your Inner Creative Baker
A charity bake sale is the ideal opportunity to bring out the creative baker hidden within. This is especially true when charity bake sales aren’t limited to cakes, pies and cookies. Although, even those items get a lift with a bit of creativity.

Know Charity Bake Sale Patrons
It’s pretty easy to know patrons of a charity bake sale as they leave Sunday church services. The most popular items for these patrons are cakes, pies and pastries that become dessert to round out Sunday dinner. For other patrons, bake items like dense chocolate fudge cakes, glazed angel food cakes, fruit or custard pies or cupcakes. Everyone loves cupcakes. These are usually the first items to disappear before bake sales end. Oatmeal, chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies are also best sellers.

Miscellaneous Charity Bake Sale Items
For other charity bake sales, baked items may include brownies, ice cream cones baked with cake batter inside and frosted in pretty colors or petit fours made from pre-baked pound cake. Cut into 1-inch slices, spread jam between 2 layers and frost. Sponge cake rolls with filling and frosting are also a good item.

Things That You Can Bake With Young Children

admin — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

There are many different things that you can bake with young children that can also be a fun way to learn about astronomy at the same time. A popular item that is a favorite to many is sugar cookies, and with sugar cookies you can make many different plants and stars. The sugar cookie dough can be colored easily with food coloring, and decorated with different colors of frosting for the rings. You can make different sizes cookies to display the different sized planets in proportion to one another, and also cut out stars too. Kids will really enjoy making the dough, decorating, cutting the cookies, and they will learn about each planet along the way.

Another fun dessert that you bake with your children for events like birthday parties and school parties is popcorn balls or rice crispy treat balls. , and you can also do these in the shapes of the planets. You easily add dye to the popcorn kernels and make earth themed balls, or even mars balls. Adding items like M&Ms and Reese’s Pieces is a great way to add detail to the balls as well. Baking with your young child is fun, so take these ideas and make sure that you be safe.

A Look Ahead at 2011

www.philastrosoc.org — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Looking ahead at the 2011 calendar, the night sky is riddled with treats for gazers who know what to look for in the Philadelphia area (again, with best results on the outskirts as far away from city lights as possible). Here are the highlights and their corresponding dates (approximations mind you), as we move forward to 2012, with hopefully little to no indicators of apocalypse or cataclysmically devastating global destruction.Full Moons:

February 18
March 19
April 17
May 17
June 15
July 15
August 13
September 12
October 11
November 10
December 10

New Moons:

February 3
March 4
April 3
May 3
June 1
July 1
July 30
August 29
September 27
October 26
November 25
December 24

Planets Reaching Closest Proximity to Earth (Potentially Visible):

April 3 Saturn
August 22 Neptune
September 25 – Uranus
October 29 Jupiter

Meteor Showers:

April 16-25 Lyrids
July 18-August 18 Southern Delta Aquarids
July 23-August 22 Perseids
October 17-25 Orionids
November 13-20 Leonids
December 6-19 Geminids

Must Own Pennsylvania StarWatch: The Essential Guide to Our Night Sky by Mike Lynch

www.philastrosoc.org — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 20:02:22 +0000

It is important for any upstart astronomer to have the guidance of a knowledgeable expert to help him or her interpret the universe as seen through a telescope lens, particularly one with distinct knowledge of the area and what’s visible when. Mike Lynch has helped to provide this simple instruction and wisdom for amateur astronomers all across the country, conveniently mapping out constellations and celestial trends for the greater Pennsylvania area among other regions nationwide.Lynch first rose to prominence within the Astronomy book community with his first guide, Mike Lynch’s Minnesota StarWatch, taking the time to figure out and document the sky above his native state. He got his start as a broadcast meteorologist and personality at a local Minneapolis radio station in 1981. He began writing on the subject for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, where he kept a column on a week basis. His love for the night sky predates his career as a public figure however, teaching 1,000 stargazing class since his inaugural session in 1973. With over 35 years of instructional experience, who better to teach the basics of amateur astronomy?This particular book is intended for audiences ages 12 and up, perfectly informative for novice backyard telescope operators from teens to adults. Pennsylvania StarWatch caters specifically to seasonal constellations and monthly star maps as coordinated with the state’s latitude to ensure accurate and timely viewing. Charts, stories even some astrological anecdotes are included to help augment your astronomical experience, all in a Lynch’s enthusiastic, easy-to-understand teaching style. If you don’t have the time to attend meetings or seminars hosted by local astronomy clubs but still would like to get acquainted with the stars above, Pennsylvania StarWatch can be a great tool for beginners to get started.