#sorted blog

(via itin)

There’s a lot going on in the Sorted community right now!! A few weeks ago we posted a few cooking based projects that you could get stuck into this year, and we’re loving some of the stuff people have been doing to get into the kitchen and try something new. 

(via Bistro Battle)

@bistrobattle on SORTEDfood / http://bistrobattle.tumblr.com/

You HAVE to check these guys out! Bistrobattle are a boyfriend and girlfriend team battling it out every week in the kitchen, taking turns to cook up something special. 

We LOVE this idea… It’s the perfect blend of social cooking, trying something new, and having the challenge of getting into the kitchen weekly. 

These guys add recipes and photos of their creations to SORTEDfood, and have slightly longer posts over on their Tumblr blog (they’re a good read!). 

(via itin)

@itin on SORTEDfood

We've actually mentioned Christin’s project before, and since then she has completed her 30 day challenge! It’s not easy, but cooking something new every day can be done! 

Finishing the challenge hasn’t stopped her getting into the kitchen though! There are still loads of photos of what’s cooking in Christin’s kitchen and they look so good… Just look at the Honey Toast Box Dessert above! 

(via congarules12)

@congarules12 on SORTEDfood

Not only did Christin complete her challenge, she inspired conga rules to do one too! 

Congarules12 is posting the best food they eat every day to make a food diary, and will be posting recipes too! 

(via recreatedrecipes)

@recreatedrecipes on SORTEDfood

Elin has set herself a huge challenge… To blog every dinner of 2015! She’s been posting some awesome looking food so far and we’re loving her twists on Sorted recipes. Her version of protein bars look amazing! 

Elin also blogs more delicious food here - https://blogmydinner.wordpress.com/

(via Sorted Food Challenge)

Sorted Food Challenge

Ema recreates Sorted recipes with her own twist and posts the results to her Tumblr blog. There is some seriously good looking (and most sweet!) food here. In fact one of the best looking is her own creation: Cinnamon and Cardamom Spiced Almond Cupcakes with Fresh Mint Tea Buttercream. That sounds YUM! 

"Tea is always a good idea"

"You, me and a cup of tea"

"You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy tea and that’s kind of the same thing"

"Where there’s tea there’s hope"

"Tea is the finest solution to nearly every catastrophe and conundrum that the day may bring."

"You are my cup of tea"

EVERYONE loves tea! It’s associated with warmth and happiness all over the world, and if you look it up, all you get is lovely quotes about how great tea is! :D

This drink of pure awesomeness originates from China, and people started drinking it over 5000 years ago! The four types of tea are all made from the same leaf, but they’re separated by how that leaf is treated. There’s also a completely different ‘herbal’ tea which usually refers to one made with herbs or fruit.

But there’s more. Loose leaf or tea bag? Apparently over 90% of tea made uses tea bags, but for the real connoisseur loose leaf is the way to go. The leaves are kept whole and rehydrate in the water to give a better flavour. What do you think?

But there’s MORE. Hot or cold? What temperature should the water be? How long do you brew it. Some people even think about the quality of the water. It’s pretty amazing and it differs with every tea! There’s real actual science to this (remember our Perfect Tea Fridgecam?).

So tea is pretty versatile… there is probably a tea for every occasion, right? Well we’ve done a few, and so have some SORTEDfood users. We’ve even used in dishes to give an awesome flavour to our bakes and meat! Check out some of the recipes below, and let us know what your favourite is!

Thai Iced Tea - Thai tea, double cream, condensed milk. What’s not to like?

The Scientifically Perfect Cup of Tea - #supergeek

Green Tea Madeleines - The perfect way to use matcha powder in baking!

Chai Tea Spice Blend - by @louise on SORTEDfood! No matter how much you want to make, just use this ratio! 

Amarula & Rooibos Tea - by @kurtmvanwyk on SORTEDfood. Adding alcohol is usually reserved for coffee, but it can go really well in some teas too! 

Black Sesame and Matcha Ukishima - by @ngjiajia on SORTEDfood. Another awesome use of matcha in baking. 

Time for part 2 of our crash course on spices. You’ve probably noticed that a lot of spices have health benefits attached to them. Aside from making your food taste great, they’re often full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, so they’re a great thing to get into your diet.

Fenugreek

Fenugreek isn’t one of the most common spices used, but when it’s used in Indian cuisine it can really transform a lot of dishes. It’s also used in a lot of African cuisines too. The leaves of the fenugreek plant can also be used as herbs, and it’s got a tonne of health benefits… Even more than most spices!

Mustard seeds

Mustard seeds come in black, brown and white varieties. The US and canada are actually major producers of this spice, although it’s often used in Indian cuisine. It’s also used when pickling and of course… making mustard! Making homemade mustard is definitely something to try!

Caraway seeds

Not technically a seed, but a dried fruit of a plant that also produced edible roots and leaves. They have an aniseed flavour, but it’s not as strong as in other spices. They’re used in curries, alcohols and we love the flavour in breads and cakes.

Cayenne

Cayenne peppers are part of the capsicum family. It’s used fresh, but is better known in it's ground, or at least dried. It’s very spicy, but that brings quite a few health benefits, particularly related to weight loss. As always it’s all about balance. You definitely don’t want to be eating a lot of this spicy spice!

Curry leaf

These may be closer to herbs, but for some reason they came to mind as a spice. Curry leaves can make a huge difference to… (you guessed it)… Curry. They actually grow on trees and shouldn’t be confused with curry plants, which are totally different! They’re best used fresh, although over here in the UK they’re easier to get dried. 

Nigella seeds (black onion seeds)

I LOVE this spice. It’s got a real earthy, pungent flavour. It goes by a lot of different names, so you might know it as fennel flower, nutmeg flower, black caraway, black cumin (which is actually a whole different spice) or black sesame. Confused? Me too… Whatever it’s called, try to find some of these. They’re really good in naan breads!

Paprika

Paprika is used in many different cuisines, but it’s the staple spice in Hungarian dishes like Goulash. Hungary also produce a lot of paprika, with their variety often being considered higher quality than others! It’s made from air dried chilli peppers, but the powder is not quite as hot as chilli powder or cayenne. In fact it can have a sweet quality to it. Another well known use is for Spanish food, like the amazing Paella! In Spain it’s often smoked, which add an incredible flavour to the already distinct taste.

Sumac

Again, Sumac is the dried fruit of a number of species of plants. It grows in the Middle East, Mediterranean and North America. The fruits are ground into a citrusy, bright red powder. It’s a versatile spice that goes with a lot of meats and fish, as well as veggies and pulses. It’s particularly good with chickpeas in hummus! Try it on courgettes in this recipe -

Tumeric

Tumeric is the bright yellow spice that gives many dishes a distinct, bright colour along with a slightly bitter flavour. It’s most often seen in a powdered form, but you can also get it fresh, where it looks a little like. You don’t need to use much, but it’s not a bad thing to have in your diet regularly… There’s a long list of health benefits claimed to be associated with turmeric!

Vanilla

And finally… How could we leave out vanilla? Could we even live without this awesome spice? The best way to use it is scraping the seeds from fresh pods, but you can get really good extracts and pastes that give great flavour. It’s just essence that isn’t so good, so treat yourself to the good stuff!

After writing all about herbs last week, clever me thought it would be a great idea to follow that up with a post all about spices! Then I thought about spices. I came up with 20 spices, and that’s probably not all of them.

Well this is gonna be a long one… Might have to split it into two :)

Remember I said that herbs are the leaves of a plant? Well spices are the seed, fruit, root or bark (thanks Wikipedia) of a plant. They’re what gives your food depth, and flavour; Even if it’s just a pinch of pepper, it can make all the difference. Read this for a crash course in spices - from where they’re from to what to use them in. In case you’re looking for it, salt isn’t on this list… Because it’s a mineral!

Cumin

Cumin is an amazing spice. It’s usually dried in the fruit that contains it, then sold either as seeds or as powder. It’s earthy, slightly spicy and to me, it’s that distinct curry flavour (although that definitely not all there is to curry powder or curries!). It is native to India, and is used in many curries, but it’s also great in chillies and even in cheese! 

Coriander seeds

Coriander seeds are the dried fruit of the coriander plant, where fresh coriander (or cilantro) comes from. Again you can get it whole or powdered. It’s strong… Really strong, but tastes pretty different to fresh coriander. It’s got a bit of heat, but the overwhelming flavour is almost citrus-like. Coriander is another spice thats great in curries, but apparently it’s also often used in brewing beer!

Cardamom

Did you know that cardamom is the world’s third most expensive spice? It’s worth it though! Once again, it’s great in curries and quite unique in both appearance and flavour. It’s really strong and almost medicinal in taste, and although it’s great for flavour you really don’t want to bite into a whole one. Although it’s usually bought whole, you can find powder, which is great for more unusual uses, like our Orange Blossom and Cardamom Iced Buns.

Pepper

Black pepper is the world’s most traded spice and although it’s native to India, it’s used in virtually every cuisine all over the world. It’s so popular that it’s even been used as currency! It’s spicy flavour is perfect for adding a kick of flavour to your food and comes in whole peppercorns of different colours, depending on the ripeness of the fruit when picked, and in ground form.

Cloves

Cloves are the one smell that never fails to remind us of Christmas. You never need to use much, because it’s seriously aromatic and is awesome in dishes like mulled wine, or even a classic béchamel. These little flower buds are native to Indonesia and in addition to adding a great flavour to dishes, are also great for your health. They’ve got anti inflammatory properties and are full of anti oxidants. They can also be used as a mild anaesthetic and to freshen your breath. Talk about a superfood! 

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is another fragrant one! It can be seriously strong, so use it sparingly. Use whole sticks to infuse the flavour into sauces, or use it in a powdered form if you’re really looking to get a strong flavour. Cinnamon has a load of health benefits, but remember it’s also got a Tolerable Daily Intake too, so don’t go adding too much to your cinnamon rolls!

Saffron

Saffron is well known as the worlds most expensive spice! By weight it’s more expensive than gold, and if you know where it comes from then you might understand why! Saffron is the dried stigma of a flower, and need to be hand picked from thousands of flowers just to get a little of the precious spice. It’s best steeped in hot water before adding to a dish like Paella to give it that distinct, floral, almost metallic flavour.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg is another of those spices that are used all over the world to create completely different tasting dishes. It’s fantastic in meat. From sausages, to burgers, to haggis… It gives them a real depth of flavour. Don’t forget pumpkin pie as well. Like sage, it lifts pumpkin to another level… It becomes delicious and incredibly moorish! 

Allspice

Allspice is not all the spices! :) It’s actually a berry, and got it’s name by having a flavour like a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Unsurprisingly that means that it’s great in sausages and even cakes, but the absolute best thing to use allspice for is Jerk seasoning! It’s one of a few ingredients that add to the unique flavour, but it really is the star of the show!

Star anise

Now this is a great looking spice! It looks just as it sounds, like a star! It’s usually used whole, and infused into sauces, soups and even a lot of alcohol. One of the most well know uses is in Vietnamese Pho, but it’s also ground into garam masala and Chinese 5 spice.

There you go! 10 ways to spice up any dish this week! Remember, there are 10 more coming up soon but just in case we haven’t thought of your favourite, which should we be including next time? Go forth and spice up you food!

Let's kick off the week with something BIG! Yes, we’re going on a quest. An epic quest to find the best burger on the internet. Why? Because everyone loves burgers. No matter what you love to eat, there's a stack for everyone.

The thing is, everyone is unique right? One person’s perfect stack might be another person’s nightmare. Remember, a burger doesn’t need to be beef, cheese, mustard and ketchup. It can have ANYTHING you want in it. It doesn’t even need to have bread as a bun! It can be a meaty feast, vegetarian, low carb, low fat... The possibilities are endless.  Now we’ve been thinking this through for a while, but the time has come…. We need your help. We want to make this big. Huge in fact! We want to get the whole world talking about burgers and it’s going to start right here and now. 

#supergeek alert.

Let’s talk about herbs! Herbs are the leafy green parts of a plant (whereas spices are another part of the plant). They’re used in just about every dish you can think of in some form or another and they can transform a dish, but most of the time they’re not the star player. That’s why we need to be celebrating herbs, because where would us foodies be without them?! 

Basil Ask people to name a herb and I’m sure basil would come first a lot of the time! It’s best known for being central to many Italian dishes, but it’s also used a lot in South East Asian food too… In fact it was originally native to India, China and South East Asia! One of the best uses has to be pesto… Just check this out - 

Parsley Parsley is the go-to garnish for a lot of dishes. It’s got a fresh taste, but it’s also really strong. You don’t want too much. One great use is in stocks. It’s a key part of the ‘bouquet garni’ herbs that you use to add subtle flavours to a good stock. It’s also used in the salsa verde that we made for this dish! 

Coriander Coriander (or cilantro) is a bit of a love / hate thing. It’s pretty strong, but hard to describe the very distinct taste (can anyone help?). It’s used a lot in Asian cooking and is often added to the dish and cooked down, as well as used as a garnish to freshen dishes up.  Curries are a fantastic way to use coriander, Thai Green Curries in particular! 

Dill Dill is another strong herb that people tend to love or hate. This one is the perfect flavour for fish, but you don’t have to stick to the ‘rules’. We used used it in our Lemon and Dill Chicken Goujons, it’s used to flavour dill pickles (obviously?!) and relishes.

Tarragon  Tarragon has the most amazing anise flavour to it. That’s the flavour of liquorice, and it works really well with chicken, or in some countries it’s even used to flavour fizzy drinks! It’s also a key ingredient in béarnaise sauce, so it’s pretty good with steak too!

Mint  Seriously, we were never going to leave this one out were we?! Aside from being Ben’s favourite garnish, mint has a bunch of uses and goes with plenty of dishes; Sweet and savoury. It’s found everywhere, it grows like crazy all year round and is great in everything from tea to toothpaste. It’s even got a tonne of health benefits. Fair play Ben, it really is a superherb! :D 

Chives Chives are part of the onion family, and although they’re slightly weaker, you still probably want to freshen your breath with a bit of mint after eating! Chives are often used in French food, and are great in things that carry flavour, like potatoes or scrambled eggs.

Oregano Over here in the UK this is often used dried rather than fresh, although if you can get your hands on the fresh stuff then go for it… It’s awesome. This is another herb that’s associated with Mediterranean cooking and it is amazing in bolognese or with lamb. It’s part of the mint family, and apparently, if it’s good quality stuff then it can numb your tongue too! 

Rosemary Rosemary is a herb that we use in British cooking quite a lot. It’s incredible in a leg of lamb, or a roast beef. Potatoes too, are ridiculously good with this herb. Rosemary is a little hardier than other herbs and it can keep for a while, plus it’s easy to grow, so there’s no reason you can’t have a constant supply! 

Thyme Thyme is rosemary’s perfect partner! Stick this over roast potatoes alongside rosemary and crushed garlic and you’re onto a winner! It’s slightly more subtle than rosemary, so is great for flavouring stocks and tomatoey sauces. While fresh is almost always best, dried thyme is actually pretty good compared to a lot of dried herbs, so it’s a good one for the cupboard! 

Bay Leaves

Probably the most subtle of flavours in the list, but that means that this awesome herb is used in loads of sauces and stocks as a flavour enhancer. It's kind of earthy and herbal (for lack of a better word!). 

Sage Last but not least! Sage is always associated with winter here in the UK. It’s perfect in stuffing, or with the turkey. You could even throw it into those roast potatoes that we’re working on with the rosemary and thyme. The perfect culinary partner for sage, however, has to be pumpkin or squash. There is nothing quite like it, especially as it begins to get colder. Sage is a reason to look forward to winter! 

A few weeks ago we did 3 things with eggs and let me tell you, it’s hard coming up with just three recipes using eggs. They really are the ultimate tool in a chef’s repertoire! There is so much you can use them for for sweet things, savoury dishes, breakfasts or snacks. It can transform other ingredients, making things lighter or creamier or silky smooth.

Plain and Simple You really don’t need to do anything to eggs aside from add a bit of seasoning. Even then, you can create completely different things through poaching, baking, frying, scrambling. 

Omelette 2 Ways

Scrambled Eggs

Smoked Salmon Potato Cakes

Tortilla / Frittata This is really the next most simple thing you could do, but it can take a bit of time to really master. Traditionally it’s just eggs, onions and potatoes, well seasoned and so tasty. You can add our own twists too. More endless variations! :)

Chorizo Fritatta

Tortilla

Haddock Frittata

Meringue

This totally transforms the eggs into something light, and gooey but crumbly at the same time. Once again, depending on the techniques you use they can be totally different things too! You can flavour them, or bake them or blow torch them. So many possibilities! 

Cappuccino Pavlova

Lemon Meringue Pie

Floating Islands

Custard Classic! You’ve got to love a bit of custard, and once again you can flavour it, make it thicker or thinner to change it drastically, or even bake it! 

Spotted Dick with Earl Grey Custard 

Egg Custard tarts

Fruit Custard Tart

Cake Probably the biggest transformation… Eggs are a staple ingredient in cakes, they help create the fluffy texture, but they’re unrecognisable once everything is baked. From the ultimate chocolate cake, to carrot cake and even red velvet cake!

Chocolate Cake

Red Velvet Cake

Carrot Cake

Sauces and Mayo What is a sandwich without mayo, or a steak without béarnaise?! Eggs are used in loads of incredible creamy sauces that are proven to increase happiness of tastebuds by 239% (that fact might have been made up on the spot).

Whitebait with 'chorizo' Mayo

Steak and Chips with Bearnaise

Eggs Benedict Bagel 

Pane Just use it as glue! Coat pretty much any veg, croquette, scotch egg, chicken legs or fish in flour and egg, then coat it with crisp breadcrumbs for something that you are DEFINITELY going to enjoy! 

Coxinhas

Teriyaki Chicken

Sesame Tofu

This is going to be a week of trying new things in the kitchen and challenging yourself to become a better cook. This post is inspired by another similar one over at Food52, looking for the recipes for the overachiever in all of us :) Now we’re all about simplifying food and making it as easy as possible to get yourselves into the kitchen. That means that anyone can jump straight in to 99% of our recipes, but every so often we go all out and try to demystify something a little tougher! Here’s a list of sorted recipes that you should definitely be attempting this week if you fancy a bit of a challenge.

Croissants We just posted a whole bunch of tips for croissants, but they do need a lot of love and attention! They’re totally worth it though. Make this your weekend project and you won’t regret it.

Pork Pies These are not the easiest things to make! It’s all about the hot pastry. You need to shape them around the bottom of a glass (or grab yourself a dolly) whilst they’re still warm, then firm them up in the fridge before sliding them back off and filling up! The skill is getting the pastry an even thickness. Make these on Sunday and enjoy them for Monday’s lunch! 

Ultimate BLT Sandwiches are art. Fact. A lot of people don’t understand why you would go to so much trouble to make a sandwich, but we know you understand. Fresh sun dried tomato bread, made specially for the BLT, basil mayo to compliment everything perfectly and to protect your all important bread, and of course the best bacon, lettuce and tomato arranged with precision. Sandwiches are art.

Floating Islands

We actually simplified this process to make it a lot easier for everyone, but it’s still a bit of a challenge to get the perfect shape and texture. Plus, that sugar cage is the thing that will really make it impress your guests, and it can take a bit of practice to get perfect! Next time you have your mates round… This is your project.

Brioche We’ve done a couple of brioche recipes. Bread can be so simple, yet infuriatingly tough to perfect. Brioche is a little more difficult than a simple white loaf, but not something that you should be afraid to try. In fact, we’ve had loads of photos of our Chocolate Orange Twist through Instagram and they look awesome. Challenge yourself to make this one! 

Sushi We’ve done a lot of sushi too. We love it, you guys love it, but mastering it takes some doing! Sushi is one of those things that you may never quite master, but if you give it a go then you’ll definitely get better every time. The trick is not to be afraid of trying. While it might not be perfect, or authentic, you’ll definitely get something that tastes good, and after a few goes it’ll look good too.