My Poochie treats 'n more

02/06/2026

I got tired of eggs going bad in the fridge, so I started freezing them in big batches — and it works beautifully! Six eggs at a time is the perfect amount for my family.

How I Freeze Eggs:

Ingredients per bag:
* 6 eggs
* ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions:
1. Crack 6 eggs into a bowl.
2. Add ½ teaspoon salt and beat well.
3. Pour the beaten eggs into a quart-size freezer bag.
4. Lay the bag flat in the freezer so it freezes nice and thin (makes stacking super easy).

To Use:
Simply move a bag to the fridge to thaw, then cook as you normally would — scrambled, omelets, French toast, or baking recipes.

This method saves so much time and money. No more wasted eggs, and I always have them ready for quick meals!

— The Tan Recipes

02/06/2026

Michelle Harman-Poley

I got tired of eggs going bad in the fridge, so I started freezing them in big batches — and it works beautifully! Six eggs at a time is the perfect amount for my family.

How I Freeze Eggs:

Ingredients per bag:
* 6 eggs
* ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions:
1. Crack 6 eggs into a bowl.
2. Add ½ teaspoon salt and beat well.
3. Pour the beaten eggs into a quart-size freezer bag.
4. Lay the bag flat in the freezer so it freezes nice and thin (makes stacking super easy).

To Use:
Simply move a bag to the fridge to thaw, then cook as you normally would — scrambled, omelets, French toast, or baking recipes.

This method saves so much time and money. No more wasted eggs, and I always have them ready for quick meals!

— The Tan Recipes

02/06/2026

Can you use 40%, 50%, or even 60% starter in your dough?

Absolutely.

People do it all the time.

The better question is this:

What are you trying to achieve?

Because adding more starter doesn't automatically make better bread.

It changes the entire fermentation schedule.

And if you don't understand what it's changing, you can end up fighting your dough from the moment you mix it.

•••

Let's start with what starter percentage actually means.

When a recipe calls for 20% starter, it means the starter weighs 20% of the flour weight.

So if you're using 500g flour:

20% starter = 100g starter

30% starter = 150g starter

50% starter = 250g starter

Simple enough.

But here's what many beginners don't realise.

When you increase the starter percentage, you're not just adding more yeast.

You're also adding more flour.

And more water.

And all three affect how the dough behaves.

•••

So what happens as the starter percentage increases?

The first thing you'll notice is speed.

More starter means more active microorganisms are introduced at the beginning of fermentation.

The dough gets moving sooner.

Bulk fermentation becomes shorter.

Proofing becomes shorter.

The entire process speeds up.

That can be useful.

If your kitchen is cold, a higher starter percentage may help keep fermentation moving at a practical pace.

If you're short on time and want to bake the same day, more starter can help there too.

But there is a trade-off.

The faster fermentation happens, the less room there is for flavour development.

The dough reaches its destination more quickly, but it spends less time developing the organic acids and by-products that give sourdough much of its complexity.

That's why many bakers find that slower fermentations often produce deeper flavour.

•••

There is another consequence.

Your fermentation window becomes smaller.

Imagine two doughs.

One uses 15% starter.

The other uses 50%.

The 15% dough may take several extra hours to reach the same point.

The 50% dough gets there much sooner.

That sounds like a benefit until life gets in the way.

Miss the ideal shaping window by an hour or two on a low-inoculation dough and it may still be perfectly usable.

Miss it by an hour or two on a very high-inoculation dough and you may find yourself dealing with an over-fermented dough that feels loose, sticky, and difficult to handle.

Higher starter percentages often require more attention because everything happens faster.

•••

Now let's talk about the mistake that catches people by surprise.

Hydration.

Suppose your recipe uses:

• 500g flour

• 70% hydration

• 20% starter

Most people focus on the 350g water and stop there.

But if your starter is 100% hydration, that 100g starter contains approximately:

• 50g flour

• 50g water

Which means your dough contains more flour and water than many people realise.

The higher your starter percentage, the more important it becomes to understand what the starter is contributing to the final dough.

Otherwise you may find yourself wondering why a dough feels wetter, softer, or more difficult to handle than expected.

•••

So what percentage should you use?

For most sourdough bakers:

• 10–15% works well for long fermentations and overnight schedules.

• 20% is a common all-purpose starting point.

• 25–30% can be useful when you want fermentation to move more quickly.

• Above that, you're usually making a deliberate adjustment to suit a specific schedule, temperature, or process.

There is nothing inherently wrong with 40%, 50%, or 60% starter.

You just need to understand what you're gaining and what you're giving up.

•••

One thing I've noticed over the years is that many baking problems aren't actually fermentation problems.

They're maths problems disguised as fermentation problems.

The recipe looked right.

The ingredients looked right.

But the baker didn't realise how changing the starter percentage changed everything else.

That's one of the reasons I built the Baker's Math Calculator and included it with The Sourdough Playbook.

The calculator handles things like starter percentages, true hydration, recipe scaling, flour blends, feeding ratios, and the other calculations that often leave bakers reaching for a calculator, a notebook, or a Facebook group.

And the Playbook explains the why behind the numbers so you're not just following formulas, you're understanding them.

Because once the maths becomes simple, sourdough becomes a lot less intimidating.

Get the Sourdough Playbook and Baker's Math Calculator using the link in my bio area and in the comments below.

As always, I hope it helps someone.

~ Neme's Kitchen

02/06/2026

Michelle Harman-Poley

Let’s talk about the float test for sourdough starters.

As a beginner you might have heard of it, or you might not, so here is a clear explanation of what it is and how to use it.

The float test is simple. Scoop a spoonful of starter without stirring, gently drop it into a glass of room temperature water, and watch. If it floats, many people take that to mean the starter is full of gas and ready to leaven dough. If it sinks, it usually means the starter is still too dense and needs more time after feeding.

Here is how the float test came about. Bakers noticed that active starters trap carbon dioxide, and trapped gas makes the starter lighter than water. The test grew from that observation because it is quick and visual, and because it can feel reassuring when timing a bake.

What the float test actually shows, and what it does not. The test shows whether a scoop of starter contains enough trapped gas to float. That is useful, because gas means activity. It does not show the full picture. Floating does not guarantee the starter is at peak fermentation, and sinking does not always mean it is useless.

False positives happen when a bubbly but immature or weak starter briefly floats. False negatives happen when a dense but active starter fails to float, for example when it contains whole grain or rye, when it is very thick, or when it was stirred before testing and lost surface bubbles.

Why the float test is not 100 percent accurate. Several variables change the result. Starter hydration matters. A stiffer starter often sinks even when active, while a very aerated starter may float before it is truly at peak. Flour type matters, whole grains and rye tend to produce heavier slurries that sink more easily.

Temperature and timing matter, the test is sensitive to when you scoop and how soon after feeding you check. How you scoop matters too, stirring destroys bubbles, overhandling deflates the sample. Even surface tension and the size of the scoop can change whether it floats or sinks.

So what should beginners do. Treat the float test as one quick check, not a final answer. Use it alongside other, more reliable cues. Mark the jar when you feed and note how long it takes to double or triple for you. Watch for doming, bubbles throughout the jar, a slightly domed top and a pleasant mild acidity. When a starter is at peak it feels airy and will have a pleasant ye**ty, slightly tangy smell. If a starter floats and shows those signs, great. If it does not float but shows other readiness signs, trust what the starter is telling you.

How to do the float test properly, if you want to use it. Use a small spoonful, do not stir the jar first, use room temperature water, and test at the time the starter usually peaks. If it floats, note that result, but still check other signs for confirmation. If it sinks, do not immediately discard the idea of using it. Consider hydration, flour mix, and timing, and allow a little more time or feed once more if the starter looks slack.

When the float test helps most. It is useful when you are learning timing, because it gives a quick yes or no on gas presence. It can be handy when you are building a starter and want to see a change over a few feedings. It is also helpful as a quick pre-bake check if the starter has been predictable in the past.

When the float test misleads. New starters can float without the mature microbiome needed to create good structure in dough. Very active but dense starters can fail the test yet still perform in dough. Different flours and hydration levels make the test unreliable across all starters.

In short, the float test is a useful tool in the toolbox, but it is only one tool. Learn to read your starter by time, smell, texture and volume first. Use the float test as a quick confirmation when other signs align. When they do not align, trust the fuller story the starter tells you through its behaviour, not only what a small spoonful does in a glass of water.

As always, I hope this helps someone.

02/06/2026

Let’s talk about the float test for sourdough starters.

As a beginner you might have heard of it, or you might not, so here is a clear explanation of what it is and how to use it.

The float test is simple. Scoop a spoonful of starter without stirring, gently drop it into a glass of room temperature water, and watch. If it floats, many people take that to mean the starter is full of gas and ready to leaven dough. If it sinks, it usually means the starter is still too dense and needs more time after feeding.

Here is how the float test came about. Bakers noticed that active starters trap carbon dioxide, and trapped gas makes the starter lighter than water. The test grew from that observation because it is quick and visual, and because it can feel reassuring when timing a bake.

What the float test actually shows, and what it does not. The test shows whether a scoop of starter contains enough trapped gas to float. That is useful, because gas means activity. It does not show the full picture. Floating does not guarantee the starter is at peak fermentation, and sinking does not always mean it is useless.

False positives happen when a bubbly but immature or weak starter briefly floats. False negatives happen when a dense but active starter fails to float, for example when it contains whole grain or rye, when it is very thick, or when it was stirred before testing and lost surface bubbles.

Why the float test is not 100 percent accurate. Several variables change the result. Starter hydration matters. A stiffer starter often sinks even when active, while a very aerated starter may float before it is truly at peak. Flour type matters, whole grains and rye tend to produce heavier slurries that sink more easily.

Temperature and timing matter, the test is sensitive to when you scoop and how soon after feeding you check. How you scoop matters too, stirring destroys bubbles, overhandling deflates the sample. Even surface tension and the size of the scoop can change whether it floats or sinks.

So what should beginners do. Treat the float test as one quick check, not a final answer. Use it alongside other, more reliable cues. Mark the jar when you feed and note how long it takes to double or triple for you. Watch for doming, bubbles throughout the jar, a slightly domed top and a pleasant mild acidity. When a starter is at peak it feels airy and will have a pleasant ye**ty, slightly tangy smell. If a starter floats and shows those signs, great. If it does not float but shows other readiness signs, trust what the starter is telling you.

How to do the float test properly, if you want to use it. Use a small spoonful, do not stir the jar first, use room temperature water, and test at the time the starter usually peaks. If it floats, note that result, but still check other signs for confirmation. If it sinks, do not immediately discard the idea of using it. Consider hydration, flour mix, and timing, and allow a little more time or feed once more if the starter looks slack.

When the float test helps most. It is useful when you are learning timing, because it gives a quick yes or no on gas presence. It can be handy when you are building a starter and want to see a change over a few feedings. It is also helpful as a quick pre-bake check if the starter has been predictable in the past.

When the float test misleads. New starters can float without the mature microbiome needed to create good structure in dough. Very active but dense starters can fail the test yet still perform in dough. Different flours and hydration levels make the test unreliable across all starters.

In short, the float test is a useful tool in the toolbox, but it is only one tool. Learn to read your starter by time, smell, texture and volume first. Use the float test as a quick confirmation when other signs align. When they do not align, trust the fuller story the starter tells you through its behaviour, not only what a small spoonful does in a glass of water.

As always, I hope this helps someone.

02/06/2026

Pest-repelling plants can help, but they’re not magic 🌿 A few ways I use them:
🌼 Marigolds and nasturtiums are easy to tuck around vegetable beds for extra color and diversity.
🌿 Basil near tomatoes and peppers is one of my favorite kitchen garden pairings.
💜 Lavender and rosemary like sunny, well-drained spots, so I don’t plant them where the soil stays wet.
🌱 Mint is useful, but I always keep it in a pot because it spreads fast.
🧄 Garlic and chives are great around garden edges, especially if you already use them in the kitchen.
I think of these as part of a healthier garden setup, not a guarantee that pests will disappear overnight 🌱

13/05/2026

Amazing cake recipes!
(The date refers to the year each woman graduated nursing school.)

13/05/2026

Before anyone says it, yes, you can walk into a store and pick up a carton of buttermilk. But a large number of people in this community cannot, because depending on where you live, cultured buttermilk simply isn't something that shows up on supermarket shelves. This post is for those people, and honestly for anyone who has ever run out mid-recipe and needed a quick solution without leaving the kitchen.

If this is your first time on my page, welcome. Give this post a like so more people get to see it, follow Neme's Kitchen along so you don't miss the next one, and save this one for reference because it's the kind of thing you'll want to find quickly when you're mid-bake. If you have questions, drop them in the comments. I read every one and the ones that come up most often become the next post.

•••

First, let's talk about what buttermilk actually does in baking, because once you understand that, everything else makes more sense.

Buttermilk is acidic, and that acidity does several things at once inside your batter or dough. It reacts with baking soda to produce carbon dioxide, which gives your baked goods lift and a tender, open crumb. It also weakens gluten slightly, which is what makes buttermilk cakes and biscuits softer than their regular-milk counterparts. And it adds a subtle tang that balances sweetness and adds a layer of flavour complexity that's difficult to achieve any other way.

It shows up in a wide range of baked goods: fluffy pancakes and waffles, tender biscuits and scones, red velvet cake, chocolate cake, pound cake, Bundt cake, banana bread, quick breads, muffins, doughnuts, and even some cookies. Any time a recipe is trying to achieve a particularly soft crumb, a good rise, or a slight tang, there's a good chance buttermilk is involved.

•••

Now let's talk about the three types, because they are not interchangeable in the way most people assume.

The buttermilk sold in stores in the US, UK, and most Western countries is cultured buttermilk. It's made by introducing live bacterial cultures into fresh milk and allowing them to ferment it, much like how yoghurt is made. That fermentation process is what creates the acidity, the thick texture, and the tangy flavour that baking recipes depend on. This is the gold standard for baking because it's consistent, reliably acidic, and behaves predictably in recipes.

The homemade substitute, which is what the visual guide attached to this post shows you how to make, is achieved by adding an acid to regular milk and letting it sit for 5 to 10 minutes until it curdles and thickens slightly. Lemon juice, white vinegar, and cream of tartar all work. The result isn't identical to cultured buttermilk, but for the vast majority of baking recipes the difference is negligible. The acidity is there, the curdling mimics the texture, and your baked goods will rise, tenderise, and behave the way the recipe intended.

Then there's the original buttermilk, the liquid left behind after cream is churned into butter. This is what the word "buttermilk" historically referred to, and it's still produced in traditional butter-making processes. But here's the important thing to understand: this type has not been cultured or fermented. It's much thinner, closer to skim milk in consistency, and lacks the acidity that baking recipes require. Using it as a direct substitute for cultured buttermilk in a recipe will not give you the same results, and in recipes that depend on that acid-leavening reaction, it can noticeably affect the rise and texture of what you're baking.

•••

So if you can't find cultured buttermilk where you live, the substitute works.

Use the ratios in the guide: one cup of milk combined with either one tablespoon of lemon juice, one tablespoon of white vinegar, or two teaspoons of cream of tartar. Stir, leave it alone for 5 to 10 minutes, and use it in place of buttermilk in your recipe. That's it. No special equipment, no hard-to-find ingredients, just something that's almost certainly already in your kitchen.

End of post.

As always, I hope this helps someone.