Forums > Specific Focus > Mexican Kitchen

jennifer rose

Apr 6, 2006, 8:12 PM

Post #1 of 11 (2192 views)

Shortcut

When Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Can't Post |

Even among the most kitchen-challenged of us sometimes are impelled to re-create food items that simply aren’t available here in Mexico. Take French-cut green beans, for example. They’re not available in the frozen food aisle of the supers in this country – or at least I’ve not found them. And, next to frozen pizza, an essential food group as far as I’m concerned. This morning found me slicing up green beans with my French-cut green bean cutter, an acquisition I was thrilled to find at Sur La Table in Chicago a few years back. (So enchanted with this little device, I bought up all the store had as little gifts for friends, who just weren’t impressed.)

And that led me to wondering what other unavailable food items and food preparations the rest of your folks miss from the Old Country and have been forced to replicate in Mexico?

(This post was edited by jennifer rose on Apr 6, 2006, 8:14 PM)

Anonimo

Apr 7, 2006, 7:20 AM

Post #2 of 11 (2167 views)

Shortcut

Re: [jennifer rose] When Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Can't Post | Private Reply

That is an everyday ocurrence in our kitchen. Really, I enjoy the challenge of improvisations and substitutes. Too many to and too detailed to go into here.
FROZEN PIZZA??
I pride myself of making excellent pizza, from scratch.

I didn't know, until now, that you could buy frozen vegetables in Mexico.
I thought that they all came from the mercado. I wish you hadn't told me.

I just haven't yet come up with an really effective recipe for Pop-Tarts.

(I did make a boiled vanilla custard sauce the other day from two paquetes of Maizena Vainilla Atole powder, a can of Leche Clavel, water, and two eggs. not great, but not bad, either.)
All generalities are suspect, including this one.

Saludos,
Anonimo

jennifer rose

Apr 7, 2006, 11:50 AM

Post #3 of 11 (2150 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Anonimo] When Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Can't Post |

Frozen vegetables have been available in Mexico since the invention of frozen food units in supermarkets. And they've been for sale -- not just for decoration.

Cynthia7

Apr 7, 2006, 7:38 PM

Post #4 of 11 (2130 views)

Shortcut

Re: [jennifer rose] When Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Can't Post | Private Reply

Diet soda made with splenda. Chili powder or chili mix..such as Williams Chili Mix, 10 Alarm chili mix. Bacon that doesn't stick in the pan because of high sugar content. Lemons and Yellow onions..all the time. Orange sweet potatoes that are like the ones available in the US. non anemic zucchini..deep green. Mrs. Dash spices..salt free. Some of these are probably available where you live but not in Guanajuato or Queretaro...

ekammin

Apr 10, 2006, 11:43 AM

Post #5 of 11 (2082 views)

Shortcut

Re: [Cynthia7] When Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Can't Post | Private Reply

On the other hand, try finding plain corn tortillas here in Toronto. I doubt that more than five or six stores in the entire city have them. In Ajijic I buy them at a tortilleria on the Carretera near Colon; however, I usually feel like a piker just buying a few while the other customers always seem to want a kilo or two.

zoeq1000

May 9, 2006, 3:54 PM

Post #6 of 11 (2031 views)

Shortcut

Re: [jennifer rose] When Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Can't Post | Private Reply

Try looking for baking soda, for instance. Finally, Bear's wife, Ana, came up with bicarbonato which is baking soda. Some baking calls for it even though you can substitute 1 tsp of baking powder for 1/4 tsp baking soda. The product is OK, but it's just not the same. We found bicarbonato in the spice section of an Oxxo of all places. Some things one just takes for granted. Where's the Arm and Hammer?

I've also found baking powder, but it doesn't say "double-acting". And where's the un-sweetened baking chocolate? I had my daughter bring some down.

juditha16

May 10, 2006, 3:43 PM

Post #7 of 11 (2011 views)

Shortcut

Re: [zoeq1000] When Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Can't Post | Private Reply

We found baking soda (bicarbonato de soda) in the pharmacy section of Mega. Only slightly different in texture to our usual Arm and Hammer.
Judith

zoeq1000

May 10, 2006, 6:13 PM

Post #8 of 11 (1998 views)

Shortcut

Re: [juditha16] When Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Can't Post | Private Reply

I hope I've got this right. I found bicarbonato. Think it's the same?

Anonimo

May 11, 2006, 3:34 AM

Post #9 of 11 (1978 views)

Shortcut

Re: [zoeq1000] Sourcing Baking Ingredients

Can't Post | Private Reply

Quote

And where's the un-sweetened baking chocolate? I had my daughter bring some down.

I recently made some brownies, using a Mexican brand of unsweetened baking chocolate. I was very careful in my conversions calculations. The results were edible, but not to my satisfaction; too sweet and not enough chocolate taste. I prefer using a U.S. standard baking chocolate, like Baker's Brand, or better. I haven't seen it here yet. Admittedly, the recipe was from James Beard's "American Cookery", rather than my usual recipe, off the box of Baker's chocolate.

Yes; bicarbonato should be the same as Baking Soda. I bought "BICAR" brand, packed in el D.F. You may have other brands available in your city.

Sourcing baking ingredients: I have bought bread flour at panaderías, although I learned later that it's cheaper and "cleaner" at the supermarket or in wholesale clubs, if you can use that great a quantity. You can probably get bicarbonato de sodio at a bakery if all else fails.
I also note that yeast is widely available, both instant dry yeast and fresh blocks, at the super and the fresh is sold in many tiendas de abarrotes here.

Now, proper vegetable shortening, that's not tough and crumbly, I have not yet bought. I think Cristal may have a type in plastic jars, which is itself more plastic than the stuff in bags. One can hope. Meanwhile, I'm using a lot of butter for baking.

By the way; there's an artisanal, European style bakery in Puebla and a branch in Oaxaca. I don't recalll the name nor have I been there.

Buen provecho,
Anonimo

jennifer rose

May 11, 2006, 12:50 PM

Post #10 of 11 (1958 views)

Shortcut

Re: [zoeq1000] When Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Can't Post |

Baking soda is sodium bicarbondate and nothing more. Baking powder includes cream of tartar and a filler such as cornstarch or arrowroot. The two are not direct substitutes. Baking soda is used when there is a liquid acid among the ingredients, e.g. honey, molasses, vinegar, buttermilk, lemon juice. Cream of tartar, despite its name, is a form of dry acid. This is basic chemistry.

zoeq1000

May 12, 2006, 1:28 PM

Post #11 of 11 (1926 views)

Shortcut

Re: [jennifer rose] When Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Can't Post | Private Reply

Baking powder does indeed contain baking soda. It also necessarily contains an acid (such as cream of tartar) for a reaction to occur. Sometimes it has two acids, a fast-acting and a slow-acting to make it double-acting. When you use baking soda, you have to use an acid for a reaction to occur. But when subsituting, know that baking powder only contains about 1/4 baking soda. So when baking soda is called for, you may substitute 4x the baking powder in order to replace the baking soda. But, this will disturb the browning process.

The exact formula for baking soda is per our friend anomino: Na HCO3. I'm going to assume that the package I bought that says "bicarbonato" is, indeed, baking soda. On the ingredients, it says "bicarbonato" only. It does fizz with an acid so maybe it will serve my purpose. My question still is whether bicarinato is different than baking soda because there's no sodium in the name.

For a complete answer for those of you who read Spanish:
Bicarbonato De Wikipedia Saltar a navegación, búsqueda
Los bicarbonatos son sales derivados del ácido carbónico que contienen el anión HCO3-.
El bicarbonato más importante es el bicarbonato sódico. Debido a su relativamente baja solubilidad es un intermedio clave en el proceso de obtención de carbonato sódico según Solvay.
Los bicarbonatos se encuentran en equilibrio con carbonatos, agua y CO2. Este equilibrio interviene en gran multitud de procesos naturales y artificiales. El cuerpo emplea catalizadores de cinc para que se produzca más rápidamente y facilitar así la respiración.
El hecho de que el bicarbonato cálcico (Ca(H C O3)2) sea más soluble que el carbonato cálcico (caliza) es importante en geoquímica y ha conducido a la formación de los sistemas cársticos en las rocas calcáreas.

[editar]
Aplicaciones
Al tratarse de sales de un ácido débil los bicarbonatos solubles tienen carácter básico. Así el bicarbonato sódico es parte esencial de muchas formulaciones de antiácidos estomacales. El mismo compuesto también se utiliza en los extintores de polvo.
Por el hecho que los bicarbonatos en contacto con ácidos liberan dióxido de carbono se utilizan en levaduras químicas (empleando generalmente trifosfatos como ácidos) y en las formulaciones de tabletas o polvos efervescentes (a menudo en combinación con ácido cítrico).
Véase también: Carbonato

(This post was edited by zoeq1000 on May 12, 2006, 2:12 PM)