Is All Purpose Flour Really All Purpose?

[Chuckanut]

My mother used AP flour for just about everything - bread, pizza dough, pasta, etc. The one exception was cakes for which one really must use cake flour to get descent results. She rarely made homemade cakes since she viewed the boxed cakes as pretty good. The one exception was her family's version of the Italian Cream Cake which she made maybe once a year. That had to be done from scratch. Usually, the box of cake flour was so old by then, she tossed it and bought a new box. Gosh, that cake was good.

 

[Palmtree]

I will say that Costco has the best olive oil, (at a reasonable price point) we have ever tried. We use it daily and it has both a fresh flavor and a slightly peppery aroma.

 

[jim584672]

Flour type makes or breaks the bread. Did the bread machine thing for a while, gave up when I would eat the whole loaf in 2 days, not good for weight.

 

[Freedom56]

King Arthur AP flour is all you need for pizza or bread.

 

[Aerides]

AP is the jack-of-all-trades flour. That's what the name means. You can use it for decent outcomes in most any recipe. Not master level, but good enough. If you want great outcomes and are more than a casual/rare baker, you'll want the right flour.

 

[ScoopKona]

I will say that Costco has the best olive oil, (at a reasonable price point) we have ever tried. We use it daily and it has both a fresh flavor and a slightly peppery aroma.

Family farms in Italy charge roughly $50 per liter for estate cold-pressed extra virgin.

Costco olive oil is $11 per liter. I just bought one -- haven't opened it yet. But I seriously doubt it is 100% unadulterated cold press olive oil. I certainly wouldn't "bet the farm." In fact, if I had to bet the farm, I'd bet on at least a little funny business going on. I don't have any other options here.

Italian oil -- particularly Tuscan oil -- is the most suspect. Tuscany accounts for 2-3% of Italy's total production. Italy is the second-largest producer in the world -- around 20% of the world total. But they are selling more oil than they produce. A great deal more. This is because Italian law says any oil bottled in Italy can be labeled "Italian." So much Italian oil is actually Tunisian or Moroccan.

If that was the worst form of cheating, I wouldn't care and I certainly wouldn't be typing about it. There is nothing wrong with North African olive oils. They're quite good.



Here are some other cheats:

Blending with spoiled/rancid oil which has been chemically scrubbed. This is how producers get rid of oil they should send to a diesel refinery.

Blending with cheaper vegetable oils.

There is even oil that has no olives whatsoever -- just cheap vegetable oil and chlorophyll for flavor and color.

Who is doing this? Organized crime and terrorist groups. The profit margin on bogus oil is right up there with cocaine. So not only are people being ripped off, the profits are funding misery.

Without a lab test, there is no way to be 100% sure. But just assume that any inexpensive oil is at best a blend. You can't be 100% sure about any expensive oil, either. The best way to make sure you get what you pay for is to find a farmer and buy direct.

Sadly, there are dozens and dozens of foods that have similar problems. Olive Oil is just the most profitable.

 

[RetMD21]

I've read that Costco is a reliable supplier - but I'm no expert.

We don't have a Costco nearby so we have been using EVOO from Aldi. The quality is good. It is relatively expensive but certified Olive Oil Certified Quality Seal Program

 

[bzribee]

I use AP flour for most baking. I make my own whole wheat flour by grinding Einkorn berries imported from Italy. Einkorn is supposed to have a weaker glutton which is tolerated better by those who are glutton sensitive (NOT full flown Celiacs disease). Making bread with it is a challenge as the flour makes for a VERY sticky dough. I found that the so-called no-knead methods work better for me.

I just made Einkorn loaves under the supervision of a friend who makes this a lot. He had a af ew of us come over and we each made 3 loaves. You'd know I"ve never made bread before as the first time I added yeast, I just poured it in the warm water then wondered why it glopped together. My friend rescued the mixture. With his overseeing we kneaded it very lightly and only let it rise once (covered). I came home with 3 wonderful loaves of this bread. Some folks don't like it as it can be crumbly for sandwiches and it's a little cake like--reminds me of cornbread. But I heat it and add butter or jam and YUM!!!

Really added to my respect for folks who like to bake. So many details to get correct!