Errata

In the recipe for Ginger Lemon Soda, calling for 1/2 teaspoon (1g) of yeast. A package of Lalvin's #1118 (suggested in the second column) is 5g and measures to 1 tsp. Based on that measurement, 1/2 tsp would be 2.5 (~3)g.

I used 1/4 tsp (~1g) to test

Note from the Author or Editor:
Indeed, looks like the weight here is wrong--but this being yeast, it's just going to multiply and still work fine, although take a bit longer.

Let's go with:
1/2 teaspoon (3g) yeast

The pictures and the text overlap.

This is present in the November 2011 "print", wasn't in the April "print".

Note from the Author or Editor:
I noticed a few other glitches as well... wonder what happened?

Most recent printed edition cuts off the half the text in the label for the graph.

Page 239:

"Baking soda
A bicarbonate (HCO3?) that?s bound with another MOLECULE ?typically sodium, BUT SOMETIMES POTASSIUM OR AMMONIUM. When added to water, the bicarbonate dissolves and is able to react with acids to generate CO2.

Baking powder
A self-contained leavening system that generates carbon dioxide in the presence of water. Baking powders by definition contain a baking soda and acids for that baking soda to react with."

Description of error:

Baking soda is NaHCO3. The term is not used for potassium- or ammonium bicarbonate. By the way: sodium and potassium are ATOMS (or, more correctly, in the solid salt or in the aqueous solution: IONS), rather than MOLECULES.

Baking powder(s) are mixtures, that may contain baking soda and/or other chemicals (potassium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonat, acidifying agents, like creme of tartar, as well as drying agents, and others).

Note from the Author or Editor:
Change:
bound with another molecule?typically sodium, but sometimes potassium and ammonium.

To:
bound with a sodium atom (related compounds use potassium or ammonium to similar effect).

The image currently only shows degrees Celcius, and should be updated to show degrees Farenheit as well.

The corresponding measurements are:
-20 C = -4 F
0 C = 32 F
20 C = 68 F
40 C = 104 F
60 C = 140 F

Note from the Author or Editor:
Thanks for pointing this out! This is already filed with O'Reilly, but not opened as an errata, so am marking it as confirmed here.

Revise as follows to clarify slight confusion on use of probe thermometers:

Change:

You can also check for doneness using an instant-read thermometer; the internal temperature should be above 205?F / 96?C and ideally around 210?F / 98.5?C, which is the temperature at which starches in flour break down (see...

To:

You can also check for doneness using a thermometer; the internal temperature should be around 210?F / 98.5?C, the temperature at which starches in flour break down (the bread needs to bake a bit longer to be done, though?see...

The percentages given in the chart for collagen are off by a decimal point (error on my part when reading between notes that were mg/g and doing the chart with percentages).

Instead of 10%, it's 1.00%
9.4% -> 0.94%
~7.4% -> ~0.74%
~10.3% -> ~1.03%
~8.2% -> ~0.82%

Thanks to Michael Chu for catching this one!
-Jeff

The explanation on HM and LM pectin types is botched. Both HM and LM pectins require sufficient solid mass to set; which is why adding sugar helps them set. So technically, adding sugar to LM pectins *will* help it gel, since it increases solid mass, but it misses the point. The main difference between HM and LM pectin is that HM requires a pH <3.5; so if it's not setting, add an acid; while LM gels with pH < 5 but needs calcium to form its matrix.

There's not enough room in the layout to adequately explain the above, so the best we can do for now is correct the sentence to be as below:

If you're using a high-methoxyl (HM) pectin, keep in mind that some amount of acid is needed for it to set; in contrast, low-methoxyl (LM) pectin requires a sufficient amount of calcium to set. If your marmalade or jams aren't setting, you'll need to either add something acidic for HM pectin (e.g., lemon juice) or calcium for LM pectin.

[Credit to Bel Campbell for noticing the inconsistency between P282 and 250. Thanks, Bel! -JP]

Nitrogen is not a noble gas.

Change:
Nitrogen, one of the noble gases, is inert and in and of itself harmless.
To:
Nitrogen is mostly inert and in and of itself harmless, making up 78% of the air we breathe.

The sentence:
"a few tablespoons of course salt and a spoonful or two of vinegar or lemon juice"
should be:
"a few tablespoons of course salt and a spoonful or two of oil such as canola oil"

The temperature graph lists nitrogen's boiling point as -346?F/-210?C. It should be -320?F/-196?C. (The temperature is listed correctly in the text itself.)