Pudding Tips
Puddings are often considered to be rather indigestible foods and in many cases this is true. For this reason, it is not wise to include them to any great extent in the diet of older people and very young children.
Because of the ingredients used in them, puddings are a heavy food and are usually high in food value. Consequently, some thought should be given to their selection so that they may be suitable for the rest of the meal in which they are served. It seems to be the custom to serve a rich dessert with a heavy meal, but, as is well known, it is less proper with such a meal than with a light meal. A little attention given to this matter will enable you to prepare menus that will provide your family with a properly balanced meal.
The time of day and the season of the year for the serving of puddings are also matters that should receive consideration. It is much better to serve desserts of this kind with a noon meal than with an evening meal. Then, too, warm puddings with sauce will be found much more appetizing in the cool season of the year than in warm weather. On the other hand, cool desserts or fruits served as desserts are very much more acceptable in warm weather than during the cold seasons.
If you don't have original pudding steamer, regular household utensils may be used to improvise. For example: a pan, a colander, and another pan with cover that will fit tight enough to retain the steam will answer the purpose of a steamer. Another option may be to put pudding into individual mold or molds and these then set in the second pan to cook.
Many left-over materials, such as bread, rolls, stale cake, cookies, cooked rice etc., may be utilized in the preparation of puddings. So, next time when you are making desserts, try to make good use of all such things in case they cannot be used by themselves.
When puddings are cooked by steaming, it should be remembered that the steaming process must be continuous. Therefore, if water must be added during the cooking, boiling water should be used so as not to lower the temperature and stop the formation of steam. After being steamed sufficiently, puddings of this kind are often placed in the oven for a short time in order to dry the surface.
The utensil for a pudding that has to be baked or steamed may be of any desired shape, but it should always be greased.
In making puddings of bread, rice, sago, tapioca, etc., the eggs should be beaten very light, and mixed with a portion of the milk, before adding them to the other ingredients. If the eggs are mixed with the milk, without having been beaten, the milk will be absorbed by the bread, rice, sago, tapioca, etc., without rendering them light.
The freshness of all pudding ingredients is very important, as one bad article will taint the whole mixture.
All sweet puddings require a little salt to prevent insipidity and to draw out the flavor of the several ingredients, but a grain too much will spoil any pudding.
In puddings where wine, brandy, cider, lemon juice or any acid is used, it should be stirred in last and gradually, or it is apt to curdle the milk or eggs.
In making custard puddings (puddings made with eggs and milk), the yolks of the eggs and sugar should be thoroughly beaten together before any of the milk or seasoning is added, and the beaten whites of eggs last.
Many baked pudding recipes are quite as good boiled. As a safe rule boil the pudding twice as long as you would bake it.
When pastry or baked puddings are not done through, and yet the outside is sufficiently brown, cover them over with parchment paper or with a piece of white paper until thoroughly cooked; this prevents them from getting burnt.
BROWSE RECIPES & RELATED INFO:
Preparation of Puddings
Pudding Sauces
Recipes for Puddings
Desserts
Cakes
