Transitions for the Contemporary Cook

Cooking for those with special dietary needs requires an added level of attention to the process of making meals. That's what I've been writing about in this blog – addressing special dietary needs in my own family. I've posted about some of the problems encountered during the years, and I've posted recipes.

Now, my husband and I are a few short years from retirement from our day jobs and our kids are pretty much grown. Our lifestyles are changing, and so to our eating habits.

Of course, Bob and I still adhere to the low-fat, low-sodium mantra of good health. And our son follows the gluten-free diet faithfully. Our daughter is now and always will be a vegetarian.

But I don't have to cook every meal now, and food makers and manufacturers have stepped up their game to capture the gluten free market. Bob's Red Mill, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, and others all provide high quality baked good mixes; I don't always have to bake from scratch. Flour blends are also readily available and in some cases, are cup-to-cup substitutes for wheat flour.

Fresh and healthy, with a bit of dessert

So I'm going to move along, and explore the world of food from a different perspective. There's still dietary restrictions to deal with, but healthy eating is now a standard and gluten free is the media darling. For those of us dealing with specialty diets for the last decade, the rest of the world is just catching up.

Now, I want to look at how we can simplify the process of providing meals, in particular to a mature family. Cooking for kids and busy parents is different from cooking for adults, but the techniques and methods aren't mutually exclusive.

JustAz.com Productions has various projects in the works; among them, a series of videos for Contemporary Cooking focused less on recipes and more on ingredients. We'll also be looking at some renovations in the just az gardens, focused on providing some fresh herbs and vegetables for this cook.

 

Over the next few months, we'll transition from the more singular focus of recipes and techniques to a broader approach toward providing meals, looking at more than just cooking in the kitchen. Healthy take-out, make-ahead meals, and product reviews are all on the menu. Sorry, couldn't resist.

A Review of Krusteaz Gluten Free Double Chocolate Brownie Mix

 

The cost of gluten free mixes for baked goods is higher than that of their wheat-based counterparts. This irks me, because for those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, opting for the less expensive item isn't an option.

So when I saw this 3-pack of Krusteaz Gluten Free Double Chocolate Brownie Mix for $7.99 at Costco, I bought it. The video is a review of this product.

Mixes versus Made from Scratch

The advantage of mixes is that most of the prep work is already done. All the dry ingredients plus the sugar are in the pouch. You add an egg, some oil or butter, maybe a little water and stir it all together. Bake. Cool. Eat.

Making brownies, or any baked good, from scratch is more work. There are more ingredients, more steps. Less uniformity of measurement and technique.

But you are also familiar with every ingredient in your homemade goods. There is no unpronounceable element, such as those listed on the side of the box of the oh-so-easy-to-use mix.

Is one better than the other? If I had the time, I would bake from scratch more often. But the mixes give me a way of making a dessert without too much fuss when I just don't have the time or energy to bake.

But What I've Noticed About Mixes

The cooking time for mixes is a real variable. The directions usually give you a 5-minute spread, and that should be about right. But too often, to get the middle cooked through, I find I need to cook it a little longer. My neighbor says the same thing.

This results in crunchy sides, such as those seen in the video. Cooling time, to, is a variable. As is the type of pan you use, and what altitude you live at. Maybe mixes aren't less fussy; they're just fussy in a different way.

It's All About Results

In the video, I make two batches of brownies using the Krusteaz brownie mix. The first was too gooey, and the second was better, but the longer cook time meant a hardened crust. Everyone cuts the brownies out from the middle and leaves a ring of brownie crust around the sides.

At the cost of gluten free pre-packaged foods and mixes, I get choosy about which company gets my dollars. The results I got from this mix aren't great, but I have one more pouch to go. Maybe, I'll try something different. Maybe, third's the charm.

How I Created the Gluten Free Chocolate Donut Recipe

Sometimes people ask me how I come up with my recipes. Well, like most cooks, I look to already existing recipes for inspiration and guidance. But I also depend on the Scientific Method.

It's a sound methodology for recipe development, and I used it to create the recipe for my gluten free chocolate donuts.

Ask a Question (Can donuts be low fat and gluten free?)

Do Background Research (Discover donut baking pans- Viola! Baked donuts cut the fat)

Construct a Hypothesis (The right gluten free flour blend with a method for baking donuts results in a gluten free, low fat donut)

Test the Hypothesis by Doing Experiments (Test various gluten free flour blends combined with other ingredients until one particular set of ingredients in specific amounts results in tasty donuts)

Analyze Data and Draw a Conclusion (Take the donuts to work and see if everyone else likes them as well. If so, the recipe works)

Communicate the Results (Make a YouTube video)

One of the most important steps in creating a new recipe is keeping track of the experiments and the results of those experiments. My notebooks are filled with recipes that didn't work, but I don't throw that data away. Parts of a failed recipe may have worked, and I can draw on those minor successes. For example, I may have a sauce recipe that didn't work for enchiladas, but hey, with a bit of tweaking, it will make a great chili sauce.

It took four 'experiments' to get just the right donut recipe. I kept track, and so didn't make the same mistake twice, and made notes on what worked and what didn't.

But it doesn't stop there. Oh no. Now that I have a basic chocolate donut recipe, I'll start playing around with it. Maybe I'll add some sour cream, or yogurt- just to see what happens.

Well, that's my 'secret' to creating new recipes. I follow a method and then cook, cook, cook. And even after I get it right, I cook some more.

Obamacare and Healthy Diet Prescriptions

I'm not a fan of Obamacare. I think forcing American citizens to purchase expensive health care insurance is not a solution to the health care crisis. President Obama can enact a law saying "You have to buy this product", but that doesn't mean the financially challenged among us will magically have the money to pay for it. It's a stupid law, even if it is considered constitutionally correct.

The health care crisis, in my opinion, can't be addressed by insurance plans. But since that seems to be the direction this administration is taking us, I'd like to discuss an idea I have for insurance companies to offer a better product.

Start with a Script 
I'd like to see "healthy diet prescriptions." Doctors often say, "Eat healthy. Stay away from fatty foods and reduce your sodium intake." For many people, those words don't really identify what constitutes a healthy diet, one that would aid in their staying healthy.

Now, insurance companies encourage doctors to assembly line their patients through the office so there's no real dialogue. Patients leave the office thinking they just can't eat McDonald's anymore. I propose that patients who have plunked down their $50 copay get a little more for their money.

Physicians write a "Healthy Diet Plan" prescription, and the patient is then sent to a certified nutritionist. The health insurance company pays for this visit; it's part of the original copay.

The patient gets an in-depth session with a nutritionist. The nutritionist develops a diet specific to that patient's needs, and takes the time to explain how best to utilize this plan.

The Cost of a Healthy Diet

Healthy foods, though, are more costly than cheap, junky food. A single green pepper can cost a dollar (How outrageous is that!)Lean cuts of beef cost around $8 a pound, and chicken breasts around $6 a pound - more in some regions of the country.

People often forego the better foods because their budget is already strained, and ground beef is cheaper than chicken breasts, and a can of beans (think fat and salt) goes farther than a single green pepper.

Ahh, but now the patient has a prescription for these healthier foods. Now, getting healthy and staying healthy through proper nutrition is a medical thing, not just a food trend. The patient isn't just buying expensive food, he's buying meds.

So, how does the healthy diet prescription help our patient reduce the cost of his medically prescribed diet?

Tax Deductions
According to the Obamacare plan, it falls to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to collect the penalties for lack of health insurance from those citizens unable or unwilling to pay for this product.

Medical costs, such as doctor visits and prescriptions, are tax deductible. I propose that anyone with a healthy diet prescription, or a prescription for a gluten free diet, or a prescription for a diabetes diet - you get the idea - is allowed to claim the cost of their foods as a tax deduction.

So, let's say our patient spends $75 a week on his prescription diet. In a year's time, he's spent $3900. That entire amount counts as a medical deduction.

Why Should Health Insurance Companies Do This
It's time for the health insurance industry to put its money where its mouth is. Health insurance companies yammer on about "health visits" and "preventative care" and send customers pamphlets about being healthy. They do this because healthy customers don't cost them money.

If we, as a nation, are putting the health insurance industry in charge of our health care, then it needs to put up or shut up.

Insurance companies need to pay for customers to stay healthy. They need to make it possible to deduct the cost of healthy foods, of yoga classes, gym memberships and exercise equipment.

The health insurance industry needs to subsidize health food stores and supermarkets that carry specific dietary foods that meet the needs of those whose conditions demand a specific diet. This subsidy would reduce the initial out of pocket costs of these foods for those who are already financially challenged.

If we, as a nation, are putting the health insurance industry in charge of health care, then we need to demand a better product, one that keeps us healthy, not leaves us sick and financially crippled.

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

First Published February 24, 2010

Update: The mix is just as good today as it was then. Though the purchase price can be a bit high, the quality of the product cannot be disputed. 

Thanks for reading. September, 2025

Note: I purchased this product, Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix, in the supermarket. The review has not been influenced by anything other than the quality of the product.

Bob’s Red Mill as a company has been operating for over 25 years, and is considered a leader in gluten free products. The company’s products include several gluten free flours and mixes.

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix weighs in at 22 ounces and all that’s required to yield two-dozen cookies is butter, egg and water. A package of the mix can cost, on average, between five and eight dollars.

The mix uses natural ingredients and gluten free flours, and the result is a sweet, crunchy cookie that pleases even the wheat eaters in my family.

You may need to watch your cooking time, though. The package calls for 18 minutes in a 350-degree oven. If you overcook, the cookies get a little hard rather quickly. If you undercook, the taste is a little grainy.

Judging exactly when the cookies are done can be a little tricky. Because there’s no gluten in the flours, the cookies don’t take on that smooth, toasted look of wheat-based chocolate chip cookies. They tend to look a little “wet” and feel too soft to the touch.

Take them out anyways and let them cool on the cookie sheet for one or two minutes before moving them to the cooling rack. The trick with gluten free mixes is to NOT expect the end product to look like those from wheat-based mixes.

The taste and texture, though, of these cookies is very, very close to wheat-based cookies. I try to keep a couple of packages in the pantry so I can bake up a batch quickly. I store the cookies in my cookie jar and they stay fresh for two to three days.

You can also freeze the cookies, or even freeze the dough. Roll it into a cylinder and slice off as much as you need, just as you would a store bought dough.

Gluten Free Daily Bread

I make gluten free bread from scratch. It’s a rice flour bread and the process is a departure from the usual one used in bread making.

Let’s start with the recipe.

Dry ingredients
3 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons milled flax seed
3 teaspoons xanthan gum
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup dry milk
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Wet ingredients
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon molasses
1 1/2 cups water

Butter a 5x9 loaf pan and sprinkle with rice flour to coat.

Mix all your dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl, including the yeast. You don’t proof the yeast with this gluten free bread as you would with wheat-flour bread.

Put the eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat lightly with the whisk attachment. Add the vinegar, the canola oil and molasses and beat again to mix. Add half the water to this and mix again.

Change to the dough hook. Add your dry ingredients to the bowl all at once.

Mix the dry ingredients at low speed. Add the remaining water one to two tablespoons at a time.

The trick here is to add the water slowly, keeping the dough moist. The dough will not look anything like wheat-flour dough. You want to add the water slowly and get the bread dough to the consistency of thick cake batter. You may not use all the water. You may need a little more.

Adding the water is the equivalent of adding the flour in traditional, wheat flour bread making.

Once you get the dough right, spoon it into the pan. Spread the dough out evenly and set in a warm place. Cover with a clean towel and allow the bread to rise. Once it reaches the top of the pan, it’s ready for the oven.

Bake the bread at 375 degrees for about 50 minutes, depending on your oven.

Allow the bread to cool completely, at least two hours. Now you have to store it.

Gluten free bread should be frozen. If you leave it on the counter in a plastic bag, it will dry out, crumble and go bad within a couple of days.

I slice the bread, place the slices in plastic sandwich bags (I put in two slices to each bag) and then put all the bags in a larger gallon-size freezer bag. I take out a bag or two at a time, depending on need.

Just set the bag with the slices in it on the counter and allow the bread to defrost. This takes less than an hour. You can also put it in the toaster on low, if you like.

Unlike wheat-flour bread, gluten free bread doesn’t get soggy when frozen.

This bread won’t taste like white bread. It’s denser, hardier, and has an almost nutty taste. It tastes great with homemade jelly, which we’ll talk about in an upcoming post.

Bette Hagman’s Scones, Modified

These gluten free scones are based on the recipe found in Bette Hagman’s cookbook, “The Gluten-Free Gourmet Bakes Bread”. I do modify the recipe somewhat; the recipe lends itself well to tailoring the scones to taste. The flour mix used in this recipe is the author’s Gluten-Free Flour mix. Make up a batch of this mix to have on hand.

For 9 cups of the mix use the following:

Six cups of rice flour
Two cups of potato starch
One cup of tapioca flour

Mix the flours thoroughly and store in a cool place in an airtight container. Label the container so you know what’s in there.

The scones recipe is as follows:
DRY INGREDIENTS
2 cups gluten-free flour mix
1 rounded teaspoon xanthan or guar gum
3 teaspoons egg replacer (optional)
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon dried orange peel
1/2 teaspoon salt

WET INGREDIENTS
5 1/2 tablespoons butter or margarine, cold
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk

I skip the dried orange peel, cranberries and sliced almonds and substitute chocolate chips. You can also substitute dried apricots or raisins. I also skip the egg replacer and add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to the wet ingredients instead. It’s cheaper and adds to the flavor.

For the butter, I use a non-hydrogenated, trans-fat free butter blend with no saturated fats. This reduces the high saturated fat content found in so many baked goods.

For the buttermilk, I add 1/2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to vanilla flavored soy milk and stir. Allow it to stand for ten minutes and it’s just like buttermilk, but with fewer calories and no lactose.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients together with a whisk, including the sugar. You can use raw sugar, sugar substitute or white granular sugar. I prefer raw sugar.

Cut the cold butter into chunks and add it to the dry ingredients. Use a fork to break up the butter and mix it into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly.

NOTE: With pastry, the butter and flour mix will coalesce, that is, come together when you press it with your fingers. This is a pastry mix. With gluten free flours, this happens, but the crumbly mix has larger, looser crumbles.

Stir in about 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Nestles chocolate chips are gluten free.

Add the two eggs to the buttermilk or soy milk mix and stir. Add all but two tablespoons of the buttermilk to the newly formed pastry mix and stir until moistened. The pastry mix should now hold together; it becomes dough.

Place half the dough onto a sheet of wax paper and with your hands shape it into a rough disk. Place another piece of wax paper on top and slowly roll it out with a rolling pin to approximately 1/4 inch thick.

Now Ms. Hagman rolls out all her mixture at once to 1/2 inch thick and cuts the disk into eight wedges. I prefer round scones and I prefer working with the smaller amounts.

Once you’ve rolled out the dough, use a cookie cutter or biscuit cutter to cut out your scones. Place them onto an ungreased cookie sheet. If I’ve got it on hand, I line the cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Brush the tops of the round scones with the remaining buttermilk or soy milk mix. This gives the scones a nice shine and helps keep them moist during the baking process.

Set your timer for 18 minutes. Roll out and cut out your second batch and bake. Allow the scones to cool for a few minutes before serving.

The scones are light and sweet, and the taste is close to that of a chocolate chip cookie. Store them in a plastic bag or airtight container.

You can also freeze the scones dough if you want to cook these up in smaller batches. Just allow the dough to come to room temperature before rolling it out.

In my next post, we’ll talk about how the process differs when baking gluten free compared to baking with wheat flour.

Gluten Free Flours

First Published February 3, 2010

Update: This post guides you through some of the gluten free flour options available to you. From these, I would make various flour blends for the different recipes used, such as a bend for zucchini bread, a blend for white bread, a blend for brownies, and so on. 

Today, I rely on mixes and pre-blended flours, such as Gluten Free Bisquick and Bob's Red Mill Gluen Free All Purpose Blend. But I still need to find the right pre-blended brand for various bakes. Knowing what kind of flours are in these pre-blended products will help you make decisions as to which ones work with which recipes.

Thanks for reading. September, 2025

Original Post - I have in my pantry several gluten free flours. Unlike wheat flour, which is generally used as a single ingredient, gluten free flours are combined; you make specific mixes of flours to meet specific baking needs.

Cookbook author Bette Hagman includes several flour mixes in her book, "The Gluten0Free Gourmet Bakes Bread". For example, her Gluten-Free Flour Mix is a combination of rice flour, potato starch and tapioca flour. The mix is just right for her scones recipe.

So, for the gluten free foods, I store brown rice flour and white rice flour, potato starch and potato flour, tapioca flour, soy flour, corn flour, buckwheat flour (which does not contain wheat or gluten), and garbanzo bean flour.

I also have cornstarch. Quite a bit of it. Cornstarch, commonly used as a thickener, gives gluten free flours a bit more texture, a bit more adhesion.

Brown rice flour is slightly courser than white rice flour and does well in bread mixes. Potato flour is very fine and adds a savor, potato taste to breads. It also blends well with tapioca flour, which brings a bit of chewy texture to cakes and cookies.

Soy flour is high in protein and corn flour adds texture to muffins and breakfast rolls. Both buckwheat flour and garbanzo bean flour are high in protein and work well in breads.


This quick overview of gluten free flours will take us to our next blog, where we'll look at Bette Hagman's scones recipe and her Gluten Free Flour Mix. After that, we'll experiment with a recipe using a premix for cornbread and buckwheat flour to make a breakfast bread.

Introductions

First Published February of 2010

Update - As I look at this post now, in August of 2025, I can see the goals are the same - avoid fat and salt, avoid wheat products and keep a focus on vegetarian dishes.

And now we can add a diet for me... pre-diabetic. I weigh 105 pounds, so I have to gain weight, but I also have to control my blood sugar and my cholesterol. 

As we age, and our bodies rebel against the habits of our younger years, we adapt new habits in cooking and eating. This is one of the core ideas behind Contemporary Cooking, so I'm reviewing and updating old posts, and hopefully, will add new posts with new ideas for you, the 21st century cook.

Thanks for reading. September, 2025

Original post- My kitchen is like a restaurant kitchen. It's a working kitchen. And I'm chief cook and bottle washer.

I need to bake gluten free foods and cook low fat foods and vegetarian dishes. I need to keep it fresh and diversified and avoid cross contamination between wheat flours and non-wheat flours. I need to keep the salt out and the flavor in.

For all you young parents out there who are just starting to raise your kids and need to cook in the 21st century, this blog is for you. For all you older folk who need to pass up the fried chicken to keep your arteries open and lose the salt to lose the pounds, this blog is for you. And for you vegetarians, new and seasoned, this blog is for you.

What this blog isn't is a collection of recipes, though recipes will be included in posts from time to time. But we'll focus on techniques and products for contemporary cooking. We'll focus on food sensitivities and specialized diets and designer diets. We'll explore what it means to feed your family in the 21st century. We'll explore what it means to be a contemporary cook.