Article: In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups (500 ml) of milk with the full amount of sugar and salt. Set the pan on the stove over medium-low heat. Nearly any variety of milk should work for this recipe, including whole, low-fat, and non-fat dairy milk. To make a vegan version, consider using soy milk or almond milk. As the milk mixture heats up, you should occasionally stir it together with a whisk. Keep an eye on this saucepan; the milk should eventually bubble, but it should not be brought to a full boil. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup (125 ml) of milk into a separate small bowl. Sprinkle the cornstarch over it, then whisk well to combine. Continue whisking the mixture until the cornstarch fully dissolves and leaves behind no lumps. If there are lumps in the cornstarch slurry, there will be lumps in your pudding. Gradually pour the cornstarch slurry into the saucepan of steaming milk, whisking well to fully incorporate it. Note that the sugar and salt should already be fully dissolved before you add the cornstarch slurry. If you can't tell whether or not the grains have dissolved, wait until milk in the saucepan begins to steam and bubble around the edges of the saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and cooking the pudding, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes or until it thickens. Cornstarch requires and adequate amount of heat before it releases its thickening qualities. You need to continue stirring the pudding as it cooks, however, to prevent the cornstarch from forming lumps. When ready, the pudding should be thick enough to coat the back of metal spoon without immediately running off. Remove the saucepan of pudding from the heat. Pour in the vanilla extract, then stir well to mix it in. If you suspect that any lumps may have formed while making the pudding, pour it through a strainer and into a medium or large bowl. This step won't always be necessary since it's quite possible to prepare vanilla pudding without cooking any lumps into it. If you feel confident about creating a smooth pudding, or if you don't mind a few lumps, you can pass this step and continue directly to the next. Pour the pudding into four individual serving dishes. Chill the dishes in a refrigerator for 1 or 2 hours, or until cool. Enjoy. If you prefer room temperature pudding, you can place the saucepan or full bowl of pudding into a larger bowl filled halfway with water and ice, working carefully to avoid introducing excess water into the pudding. Chill it for 30 minutes or so in this ice bath, then serve in individual dishes once the pudding becomes lukewarm. Skin may form over the surface of the pudding as it cools down. To prevent this, consider pressing a sheet of plastic wrap over the surface of the pudding before chilling it in the refrigerator or ice bath.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Heat the milk, sugar, and salt. Combine the cornstarch and remaining milk. Add the cornstarch mixture to the simmering milk. Continue cooking. Stir in the vanilla extract. Strain the pudding. Chill before serving.
Article: Turn on the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Get out a rimmed baking sheet and lay aluminum foil across the bottom. Set the pan aside while you prepare the yam. Wash 1 large yam and use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel. Take a sharp knife and carefully cut the yam into 1/4-inch (6 mm) thick slices. Slice the yam horizontally so you get circular slices. Place the slices on the sheet so they overlap a little. Drizzle 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of olive oil over the yam and sprinkle the slices with 1 teaspoon (5 g) of kosher salt and 1 teaspoon (2 g) of freshly ground black pepper. Put the pan in the preheated oven and bake the yam for about 30 minutes. Insert a fork to ensure that the yam is totally soft once it's finished cooking. It should begin to curl slightly around the edges too. Remove the yam and serve it immediately. You can store leftover yam slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They'll keep for a day or two.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Preheat the oven and prepare a pan. Cut the yam and place it on the sheet. Season the yam. Roast the sliced yam for about 30 minutes.
Article: Pour 1 cup (250 mL) dried lentils out on a kitchen towel, plate, cutting board, or other clean surface. Pick through the lentils, sorting out any rocks, bits of soil, or other debris as you run across them. Also discard any lentils that appear to be damaged. While reputable sellers do have a sorting process of their own, it is possible that their machines can miss the occasional rock or bad lentil. As such, it is recommended that you sort through the lentils by hand before making them. Note that green, brown, and French lentils work best if you plan to prepare and serve them on their own. Red, orange, and yellow lentils tend to get mushy when cooked, and are better when prepared for sauces, stews, and soups. Place the lentils in a colander and rinse them under cool water for 30 seconds or so. Turn off the water and gently shake the colander to encourage excess water to drip out. A strainer, sifter, or other fine-mesh utensil can also be used in place of a colander. Simply make sure that the tool you use has small enough holes to prevent the lentils from falling through. Do not soak the lentils. Most dried beans and other dried legumes need to be soaked for a period of time in order to soften them and remove some of the compounds known to cause digestive upset. Lentils, however, will become mushy if allowed to soak in the same way dried beans might soak, so pre-soaking them is not recommended.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Sort through the lentils. Wash the lentils.