Kitchen Disasters & Fixes | One-Day, One-Dollar

Kitchen Disasters & Fixes App - TheMessyBaker.com

Spend a dollar. Save a dinner. 

Not a bad slogan.

May 1st my app launched. A month later, I’m celebrating with a sale. Today only, Kitchen Disasters and Fixes is priced at $0.99. Both the iTunes version and the Android version are  2/3 off the regular price of $2.99. (Note: Android prices are set on the day, not in advance, so if the price hasn’t been updated yet, please don’t write me angry emails. My tech people are in California and are likely sound asleep as I write this. It will change! The iTunes price is currently set at $0.99. Phew!)

My newsletter subscribers got the heads up on the sale yesterday and, as requested, are kindly sending me the details of their culinary struggles for a chance to win a line of PaperChef culinary parchment products. (See membership does have its privileges.) If their issue isn’t covered in my app, I’m going to add it to the next version.

As a thank you to the first person to respond to my newsletter plea, I’m addressing Kathyrn B’s struggle with making a roux for a white sauce. This is straight from the app. In the live version, the underlined words would take you to other entries where you would get more information. Here, they’re just underlined to illustrate how the entries interlink. Once the app is downloaded you don’t need Internet access to use the app because, unlike the creators of certain cooking apps, I know not all kitchens have wifi!

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Roux – Techniques and Variations

A roux is used to thicken sauces and gravies. It’s made from equal parts butter and flour cooked over medium heat. A roux varies in colour depending on how long you cook it. Regardless of which colour of roux you are aiming for the technique is the same.

  1. Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Add an equal amount of flour and stir to form a paste.
  3. Cook, stirring constantly, until flour is cooked and the desired colour is reached.
  4. Don’t overcook as the roux will lose its thickening abilities.

White roux — for Béchamel: Cook until the flour no longer smells raw, but the roux hasn’t turned colour. This takes only about 2 to 3 minutes.

Blond roux — for Velouté: Cook until the roux begins to turn golden and begins to smell nutty, like browned butter. This will take about 4 to 6 minutes.

Brown roux — for Espagnole: Cook until the roux is brown and begins to smell like toast. This can take as little as 7 minutes or as long as 15 depending on how dark you want the roux.

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Not a newsletter subscriber? You can still share your culinary struggles for a chance to win something. I’m giving away a free iTunes version of the app. I’ll announce it tomorrow. Just leave a comment and tell me what stumps you in the kitchen. One lucky winner will get a copy of my app, and if the app doesn’t already address your issue, I’ll find a fix for the next version. How’s that for a deal?