Love and Olive Oil

Frequently Asked Questions

We get a lot of emails asking a variety of questions, so I thought compiling them all into a faq page would be useful for all of us! If you have a question that is not answered here or on our about page, feel free to get in touch.

General Cooking & Baking FAQ

Can I substitute ______?

If/when we’ve tested substitutions, we’ll tell you so in the post (so all that text that shows up before the recipe? There’s really useful info in there and we recommend you read it all before you start cooking!)

Can I make this gluten-free?

We’re not gluten-free bakers so we cannot make recommendations as far as this goes. If a recipe is naturally gluten free we’ll certainly mark it as such, but at this time we advise whether or not a recipe can be converted to GF. (The same goes for Vegan, Dairy-Free, etc. etc)

Can I make this in a different size pan?

Since we’re generally just cooking for two, our recipes tend to be smaller size batches. But if we’ve tested the recipe in a different size pan, we’ll say so in the post, and give you scaling information where applicable.

Generally any round cake can easily be halved or doubled or turned into cupcakes, and loaf cakes can be baked in bundt pans and vice versa. For example an 8″ round cake can be halved to make a 6″ round cake, and an 8″ square of brownies can be doubled in a 13×9″ pan.

We’re also working on a nifty scaling tool to add to our recipes to help with the baking math part of this, so stay tuned!

What kind of salt do you use?

Our recipes generally call for two kinds of salt: kosher or fine sea salt, though there are some that’ll call for specialty salts like flake salt or smoked salt too (I will not be sharing just how many kinds of salt we have in our kitchen because it’s a bit ridiculous).

Generally fine sea salt is similar consistency and saltiness to table salt, though if you’re using iodized table salt you may want to start with about 25% less and then add more to taste. We like fine sea salt for baking as it dissolves completely and is more standardized than kosher salt (which can vary greatly by brand).

For more savory recipes we usually use Kosher salt, and whenever a recipe calls for Kosher salt we’re using Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt. Morton kosher salt is denser and saltier due to the different crystal shape, so if that’s what you’re using we recommend reducing the salt in a recipe by about half (same for table salt).

A good rule of thumb is to assume a recipe is written for Diamond salt; you can always add more salt later, but the same is not true of the reverse.

Ok but what about butter?

99% of our recipes will call for unsalted butter. We’re using regular American-style unsalted butter here. If you use salted butter instead, you’ll want to decrease the salt called for in the recipe accordingly. The few exceptions are recipes that specifically call for European-style butter (which has a higher fat content than American-style butter). I recommend using the style of butter called for in the recipe.

More About Us

What is your day job?

Good question! It’s easy to believe that we just sit around baking cookies all day, but that’s not the case. In fact, we work from home (yes, together, all day, every day). By day we run a web and graphic design business called Purr Design.

What got you started blogging?

I’ve always been a bit of a computer nerd, and was involved with various online ‘newsletters’ and ‘journals’ long before blogs even existed. But what got me started with THIS blog was a fancy new camera and macro lens. What better to take really close up detail shots of than food? And since we’re always cooking, I figured, why not!

Blogging Things

What is your photography setup?

I currently shoot with a Canon 6D mk II with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro lens (I also have a 24-70mm f/2.8L II that I use for process photos and such, but 95% of the pictures I take are with the 100mm). I currently use a Manfrotto tripod with a gear head.

I only shoot with natural light (we have nice big windows are absolutely wonderful for this) although it does get tricky in the winter when the available daylight is so limited.

Can I send you my product for a review/giveaway/sponsored post?

While we generally don’t do straight up review posts, we occasionally mention products and/or host giveaways for products we personally use and love, or that we know our readers would love. You are welcome to get in touch with us. Please note that we reserve the right to express our opinions (good or bad) or not say anything at all. We will never accept payment to publish positive feedback.

Can I use your recipe or photo on my blog?

Well, first of all, thank you for asking (many folks don’t have the same courtesy). In short, I ask that you please not republish our content in full on your own blog or website. If you’ve made one of our recipes and would like to share it on your own blog, please include an obvious link back to the original post, and rewrite the recipe in your own words. I’d also prefer if you used your own photo along with it (why not show them what you made, rather than what I made?) As for images on their own, if you’d like to use one in a roundup or similar context, I usually don’t mind, as long as the image is clearly credited with a link back to the original post, and uploaded to your own server (see: hotlinking). If you are unsure about whether or not what your are doing is okay, please ask first (and thanks in advance for making the effort to do so).