Hi, How are you guys? I have a few quick questions to ask.
1) When making soups if I dont have chicken or vegetable stock at hand is it okay to use water instead?
2) When Baking dessert is honey a healthier substitute for sugar and would you know what the sugar to honey ratio would be?
3) When making pie crusts is it okay to use healthy oils like canola/olive oil, intead of butter? If yes, how much oil should you use when making pie crusts?
You guys are awesome. Keep up the great work. Thank you.
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Re honey - you asked if it was "healthier". The question I would ask back is what do you mean by healthy? Sugar and honey both contain a lot of calories - so if you're cutting back on calories, you'd want to use each sparingly (although, by weight, honey is sweeter, so you tend to use less). If healthy=natural, well sure a local honey is a better choice than refined white sugar. But evaporated cane juice may be more "natural" than honey produced in a huge monocultural hive system where the producers kill their bees every year and put corn syrup into their honey to dilute it (this does happen). All that said - I love honey in custard, ice creams and candies and frequently sub it in for corn syrup when it's called for in a recipe I'm using.
1. Use 3/4 cup of honey as honey will sweeten more than sugar
2. Reduce liquid ingredients by 1/4 cup as honey is a liquid
3. Add 1/2 tsp baking soda to the recipe as honey is acidic
2. Baking is science and making substitutions of honey for sugar can alter both taste and texture. And it's still sugar. I'd follow the recipe. 3. Ditto for pie crusts. Oil will alter the taste and texture. It's still fat. Butter is your friend when making pie crusts--it adds great flavor and texture. Exchanging oil for butter won't make it "healthier." Go for the butter. You won't be sorry.
#2 Honey is pretty much made of fructose and glucose, basically sugar in liquid form. That said, you'd have to play around with your liquid and dry ingredients to get the right combo and a successful end product.
#3 oil is too liquidy for a pie crust, in my opinion. Won't give you the tender/flaky crust most pies dream of. But if you google, you'll probably come up with an oil crust.