3 ingredients you can' t compromise if you want to cook real american food
I remember when at the beginning of my culinary american experience, I used to look for american recipes online to make my husband happy.
Obviously online research in english and only from american bloggers!
It was full fo interesting cakes, I used to get so excited and... then I used to get frustrated because of these:
the measurement unit - cup, tablespoon, teaspoon - what? (I will tell you somehting I learnt in the next few posts)
basic ingredients I did not have at home and had no idea where to find!
We don't ever give up here! So I started to study and I figured eventually what to do. Here what I learnt!
Buttermilk or latticello (in italian)
Have you ever whipped heavy cream too long? If yes, then you already know what buttermilk is! If not, you should try because heavy cream can generate two fantastic products:
butter - you can put any flavor and you'll love it (please do it!)
buttermilk or latticello in italian with a sour flavor, a sort of sour cream in liquid form
The sourness of buttermilk has different benefits compared to milk: it makes baked goods softer and helps to levitate! [if you have a friend working in the Chemistry field ask him/her why and let me know!]
So in case you were thinking to use milk instead of buttermik just because you are in Italy and you can't find it, let me say... NO!
Ok, so where can I find buttermilk?
In case you don't want to do it at home, you can find it at NaturaSì (vedi qui) and this is it! Esselunga, Carrefour, Coop: no way!
If you want to use powder (like I do) just buy it on Amazon: it is going to be always there when you need it! The powder just needs some water, very simple and always available! I suggest this option honestly!
What to cook with buttermilk? : cornbread, pancakes, sodabread, scones, american biscuits, chicken...
Vanilla extract: they are not all the same!
In the US vanilla is like sugar: don't bake anything if you can't use it!
Vanilla extract gives to any cake a wonderful taste. Now, I use vanilla everywhere, even in whipped cream!
So, which one to use?
I think the right vanilla extract is available only on Amazon or some niche stores! Here's a link where you can find a pro ratings abaout vanilla extracts. https://www.thespruceeats.com/best-vanilla-extract-1666074 . I wouldn't suggest to buy vanilla from regular grocery stores here in Italy, it just doesn't taste enough vanilla-vanilly! lol.
The best product in terms of price-quality trade off in this link here QUI.
Evaporated milk o Latte evaporato in italian
Please evaporated milk is not condensed milk! Evaporated milk is exactly what it says: milk that is evaporated and lost around 60% of water. There is no sugar added (like condensed milk)!
As buttermilk, you can make evaporated milk at home, but if you would rather buy it like I do, let me tell you where: Amazon has the classic Carnation from Nestlé (QUI), but it could be not always available.
So if you need to cook with evaporated milk HERE AND NOW go to Esselunga: the product name si Régilait, a french brand (https://www.regilait.com/it/i-nostri-prodotti/i-nostri-latti-condensati-non-zuccherati/latte-intero-condensato-non-zuccherato/). No Esselunga? Try then Penny Market with this product: latte concentrato Penny!
Or try some international (asian mostly) grocery store, you never know.
Let me know in the comments if you can find evaporated milk in some other places!
What to cook with evaporated milk: sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, fluffy waffles, ....
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