I constantly am having problems with the removal of baking paper used to line baking tray when making Pavlova bases. I have tried oiling the tray and then dusting the baking paper with cornflour to make it easier to remove the baking paper from the cooked Pavlova base, but it always sticks and tends to destroy the base. Any suggestions?
Baking – Help with making pavlova bases
baking
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The key to oven-cooked chicken wings is, basically, don't rely on the oven to do all the cooking for you! It won't get them anywhere near crispy enough. Bake too long and they'll dry out, too short and they'll be soggy. You can't win that way!
Here's how I prepare "baked" chicken wings. Once I learned this preparation method I never went back, not even to frying!
Pull out your steamer or steaming basket.
While your steaming apparatus is coming up to temp, split and trim the wings as you normally would.
Steam the wings for 10 minutes. Don't crowd them - make sure you allow for proper airflow. Steam in batches if necessary.
Get out a cookie sheet and cover it with something to catch any drippings (paper towel is fine). Then put one or two oven racks on top and lay the steamed wings on that. You need this to allow the grease to fall, and you need the cookie sheet covered below the rack because if you let those juices fall directly onto the sheet, they'll boil and burn during the baking process and leave a nasty bitter taste.
Season the now-moist wings on both sides (while on the rack, on the covered cookie sheet). A liberal amount of salt and pepper is the foundation. For general flavour, I generally add garlic powder and paprika as well. If you like a smokier flavour, substitute smoked paprika, and if you want hot wings, add some ground hot pepper or chili powder (I like to use approximately equal amounts of cayenne, ancho, and chipotle).
Place the entire rack as-is in the refrigerator and cool for at least one hour. This is crucial, it will help to "set" the wings, locking in the juices and seasoning and making for a much crispier and juicier result at the very end.
Preheat the oven to 425° F (220° C).
Remove the rack from the refrigerator, remove the paper towel covering the cookie sheet (don't forget to do this!), and place in the oven.
Bake for 20 minutes, then turn and bake for another 20 minutes. It may seem like this is going to dry them out. It won't. It will crisp them up perfectly. You'll see.
While you're baking the wings on the second side, start making the sauce. Your basic hot wing sauce (which should be hot "enough" but still tolerable for most palates) is equal amounts of Frank's red hot (not the wing sauce) and melted butter. The butter serves two purposes; it cuts some of the heat (for those who can't stand it) and it helps to bind the sauce to the wings when you mix them, helping to bring together all the flavours and prevent sogginess. For more heat, just up the ratio of Frank's to butter.
Add your own twists to the sauce as you like; I like to do this with additional garlic & smoked paprika, sage, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and a thickener (usually corn starch). But that's just one of a thousand recipes; some people stick to the basic hot sauce, other people add an Asian twist... this is entirely up to you.
Make sure you've got the sauce up to a nice smooth emulsion and then toss the wings and sauce together.
Serve with chopped carrots and celery, blue cheese dip, and plenty of beer.
The secrets: (some are old wives tales, but hey, it's an old recipe)
Eggs: Room temperature (you don't put eggs in the fridge do you?) and not fresh
Contamination: Make sure everything you use to prepare the base is perfectly clean, especially no grease. Use boiling water to rinse everything first. Metal or glass bowls are best, as plastic is harder to get 100% clean. Also make sure no yolk gets into the egg whites
Beating: When eggs whites have gone firm, add the sugar a little at a time using a powerful beater machine going flat out. NZ'ers use their trusty but ancient Kenwood Chef with the glass bowl for ten minutes until the it looks like the Swiss Alps on a sunny day. You should not be able to feel the castor sugar when you squish some mix between your fingers. If they go dull you have over beaten. They will still work but will go extra soggy when cooked as the sugar runs out
BTW: Use ear muffs when using your Kenwood Chef, I kid you not!
Size: Height = radius, or a little less. A radius of less than 10cm means you won't get Pav, just meringue. You can experiment with baking paper rings to hold the mix into a perfect cake shape if fussy. I wouldn't bother though
Problems:
- Collapse: You opened the oven door ... DON'T
- Cracking: Normal, don't worry. This is a messy desert and you'll be covering it with whipped cream soon!
- Crystallisation: over cooking
- Marshmallow like in middle: Normal, that's what a Pav is meant to be like. If it's not like that you have over cooked it, or you didn't make it thick enough. Foamed egg white is a self-insulator, once the outside cooks it stops the heat getting into the middle
- Weeping: too much sugar, over beating, or not enough cooking. Cook for little longer on humid days
If truly stuck, go on a course http://www.creativetourism.co.nz/workshops_taste_pav.html
This is what they should look like
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Best Answer
Pan release spray (such as PAM in the US) can help hold the paper in place (to aid your piping) and prevent the finished meringue from sticking to the paper once cooled. I've used this technique in both professional kitchens and in my own kitchen at home.
Spray a light coating on the pan, then lay down the paper.
If necessary, spread the coating evenly with your fingers or a towel (for some reasons, the consumer/home versions of these products often emit more of a "blast" compared to the finer "mist" of the professional ones).
Then repeat the process on the top side of the paper.