Recipes that appear in Idea Alley have not been tested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
"I don't know if this is something your Alley Kats would be interested in hearing about or not, but it's something I've wondered about for a long time.
"Many recipes call for putting a pan over "medium heat." I have 6 burners with 5 different BTU levels, so I can go medium on any of them. What's your recommendation for this quandary? Medium heat on medium burner?" writes Ann Freely.
Excellent question, Ann.
Medium is relative, comparative really — anything can be medium as long as there's something smaller and something bigger to compare it with.
As a general rule, which burner to use (and how high to set it) depends largely on the pan you'll be using and what you're cooking. On a gas range, the flames shouldn't lap at the sides of the pan. On an electric range, the burner shouldn't be larger than the base of the pan. Induction ranges are a little different, but the same general idea applies: Try to match the size of the burner to the size of the pan.
On the other hand, you don't want to use a giant pan on a small burner because it could create a very hot spot in the center of the pan while leaving the outer areas too cool.
My range has five burners — a simmer burner, two quick boil burners, a "regular" burner and a long center burner that can accommodate a griddle.
If I'm using my Dutch oven or a 10- or 12-inch skillet, I opt for the "quick boil" or largest burner. But for steaming rice, I stick with the regular burner. If I want to heat something gently or if I'm using a small saucepan, to melt butter, for example, I use the simmer burner.
Once I've selected a burner, then I consider the heat. To heat or cook the food quickly, say for boiling a pot of water to make pasta, I'll use the burner's highest setting. If I'm sauteeing vegetables I'll set the heat somewhere in the middle of the burner's range. If I want the food to cook slowly, I'll opt for a lower setting.
Often, regardless of what I'm cooking, I'll start the burner on high to get the process started, then reduce the heat to medium or low.
A helpful reader identified only as Tom reminded me we once published another recipe for sauce like Dixie Pig's.
"Finally, I get to answer a request. ... I grew up in Blytheville, where Dixie Pig originated and branched to North Little Rock and Heber Springs. I've been making this for years; it's the only kind of sauce I like on 'pig sandwiches,'" wrote Kay Coil in 2015.
Bar-B-Que Hot Sauce
4 cups water
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons salt
1 ½ cups ground cayenne pepper
1 gallon vinegar
In a large pot, combine the water, sugar, salt, cayenne pepper and bring to a boil; then add vinegar.
Return to a boil and boil about three minutes.
Makes about 1 ¼ gallons.
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