By Compiled by JANET KEELER

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 11, 2000

Deconstructing: explanations from the inside out

Leavening agents

Professional bakers often refer to "formulas" for breads or cakes rather than "recipes" because baking is a science, and a bakeshop is like a chemistry lab, where ingredients react to one another as they are heated.

Leavening agents play a large role in baked goods because they add volume to the finished product.

Common leavening agents:

Yeast. This microscopic plant reacts with carbohydrates (flour and sugar) to cause fermentation, which releases carbon dioxide and alcohol. In baking, the alcohol evaporates, and the carbon dioxide adds to the volume. Yeast can be purchased in compressed cubes or granulated in packets or jars. It also adds flavor and is more commonly used in bread doughs rather than cake or muffin batter.

Baking soda.

Baking soda. This is sodium bicarbonate. When mixed with moisture (oil, water) and acid (honey, fruits, cocoa, molasses), carbon dioxide is produced. Products leavened with baking soda must be cooked as soon as they are mixed, or the baking soda will lose its leavening powers. Used in cakes, muffins, cookies and quick breads.

Baking powder.

Baking powder. Baking soda mixed with an acid becomes baking powder and does not require acid in the recipe to produce leavening gases. This makes powder more versatile than soda. Single-acting baking powder requires only wet ingredients to react. Used in cakes, muffins, cookies and quick breads. Some recipes call for both baking powder and soda.

This Web site cooks

http://www.supermarketguru.com

Phil Lempert calls himself the Supermarket Guru, and his site proves he's the messiah of marketing. The creator of the industry newsletter The Lempert Report is raising money to end hunger, selling T-shirts adorned with his name, hawking his book and tasting the latest products on the market.

If you can stomach the self-promotional nature of this site, the archives of Lempert's column hold a store of information. From barbecue safety tips to the scoop on genetically altered food, Lempert addresses many hot-button food issues, especially as they relate to grocery store shopping.

Constant comment

"I have very black-and-white feelings about food -- that something's good or something's bad, or if I eat this I'm a bad person, if I eat that I'm a good person."

Jenny Craig diet spokeswoman and famous intern Monica Lewinsky.

Never too early

You might think it's too soon to start your Christmas preparations, but not so at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Spa in St. Petersburg. Pastry chef Bill Hallion and his staff have already started to make the 100 or so spun-sugar windows for the holiday gingerbread house. The confectionery edifice will be a replica of the hotel in honor of its 75th anniversary this year. It will be displayed in the hotel lobby in December.

It's in the bag

The Candy Meter bag

Dump the pillowcase. Ditch the grocery store plastic bag. There are plenty of stylish ways to collect Halloween candy, including this version, which lets kids judge how the treating is going as they scurry from house to house. Halloween costume stores, such as Party City, have many varieties to choose from, including the traditional hard plastic pumpkin. The Candy Meter bag is $2.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond.

Tea for girlfriends

Bag Ladies Tea serves up its brew with a touch of humor, mostly the male-bashing sort. Each bag comes with a go-girl saying hanging by the thread, such as "No, we can't drive by his house again" and "Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight." You can get cheaper English breakfast tea, but you can't get it any cuter. It's $12 for 20 tea bags at Restoration Hardware in Tampa's Hyde Park and Citrus Town Center. Order online at http://www.bagladiestea.com.

Falling arches

Is our appetite for Big Mac waning? McDonald's added 1,790 new restaurants last year, with 90 percent outside the United States, but so far this year sales at all U.S. McDonald's restaurants rose only 3 percent, and in Europe they were unchanged compared with a year ago.

Cooking class

You might be using an incorrect measuring method for flour if your cakes and breads are coming out dry and heavy. Do not dip the measuring vessel into the container of flour and pack it full; this adds too much flour to the recipe. Use another container to lightly sprinkle the flour into your measuring cup.

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