texts:
One of my favorite sandwiches is the Reuben. One problem I tend to have when making this at home is the sandwich is damp from the sauerkraut.

I buy sauerkraut from the store. Before putting it on the sandwich, I put a little bit of sauerkraut in a small strainer and push on it with a fork. I mix it up and keep pushing until I hit diminishing returns on time spent v. liquid removed.

However, my sandwiches still are damp from sauerkraut juice, and have liquid running down the sides and making the bread soggy. It appears I am not removing enough liquid. I would rather not spend an hour squeezing the liquid out.

Is there a better way of draining the liquid from sauerkraut than the method I describe above?


texts: How much Finger Food to make for a 'crowd'

texts:
I am helping a friend plan and prepare 'finger foods' for a post-funeral gathering of about 50-75 people. Right now we are thinking in terms of a meat & cheese tray with breads and crackers, a 'typical' veggie tray with ranch, etc., little smokies...

What I would like to ask is "how much" should we make?

Any great suggestions for what to include beyond the basics will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to all who contribute.

  ps.. I tried a lot of things for tags, finger-foods, quantity,
  snack-foods, snacks that don't
  currently exist. If anybody has a
  suggestion the right 'tags' for this
  question I will appreciate the input.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Resources for a beginner learning to cook

So, I really want to improve my talent in the kitchen. I think I should start with the basics though. I've always concentrated on following recipes, or trying to emulate what I see on television, but I feel like without a good foundation on the basic skills in the kitchen, I will never truly improve.

One example I can give is to the television show "Worst Cooks in America" on the Food Network. They basically bring those guys in, tell them how to cut correctly, which knives they should be using - then they move on and go over the proper way to sear meats, what heat to keep your pans at, how to season different things correctly, how much oil to use, the proper way to fry/saute - everything like that.

I kind of just do everything my "own" way, and when I'm following a recipe I get off line or something, I just pretend I know what I'm doing, and that if I follow the steps, it will come out exactly as theirs did, which has been pretty false for the most part.

How can I start to improve my basic cooking skills? Is there any books or anything I should pick up? Maybe any links online that go through how to get better and where to start?

I eventually want to be able to just see what food is on sale in the grocery store, and be able to picture how I can create a meal with it, how I would season it, what would go great together, etc - as opposed to only buying things that match up with whatever recipe sounds good to me that night :)

Thanks guys.


texts: Which mode for baking cake in microwave?

texts:
I have a microwave over with a grill. Four modes of cooking are possible with this.

Microwave(with 100, 80, 60, 40 and 20% power)
Grill(heating coil is only at the top)
Combination 1(30% time for microwave and 70% time for grill)
Combination 2(55% time for microwave and 45% time for grill)

Is it possible to bake a cake using any of these modes and if possible which one will be the best option?


texts: How can I use an espresso maker on an induction cooktop?

texts: The espresso maker is a stove top, and I am unable to find a way to use it on the induction cooktop. I want to make decaf with milk and that is filtered coffee, not instant coffee.


texts: Bread recipe calls for dry milk powder. Can I use dry buttermilk powder?

texts:
I'm making a white pain de mie. I'd like to try to use up some buttermilk powder in place of the dry milk in the recipe.

I've swapped out some of the water for fresh milk to substitute for dry milk before without any ill effects.

The dry milk has a bit more protein than the dry buttermilk, and the dry buttermilk has a trace of fat. I'm not finding any other relevant differences in the nutritional facts. The reconstitution ratio is the same.

The ingredients of the dry buttermilk are: A cultured blend of sweet cream churned buttermilk, sweet dairy whey, and lactic acid.

Should I expect any problems just swapping them out, 1:1?


texts:
Well my rule of thumb is to boil the following vegetables for that time before putting them in the ice bath:

1 minute for broccoli
3 minutes for carrots
2 minutes for beans
1 minute for flat beans
4 minutes for cauliflower

Is there a master list out there for the amount of boiling before bathing that will perhaps have better timing and more vegetables on it?


texts: Can I preserve the shelf-life of a cannoli?

texts:
I plan on purchasing some cannolis from a local bakery and will bring on a trip with me to some friends. Since my trip will span a few days, I want to try to preserve the cannolis until I can deliver them to my friends.

The one time I have tried this before (a half day's worth of driving), I placed the cannolis in an icebox to prevent the cream from spoiling but results in a slightly soggy and moist shell.

Is there a way to prevent the cream from spoiling but also keeping the shell hard and crunchy? The bakery I am getting the cannolis from makes them in-house daily (since it's a very popular local spot).


texts: when baking vegan lemon drizzle cake, should the soya milk be sweetened or unsweetened, fresh or longlife?

texts: I'm making vegan lemon drizzle cake for a friend and not being vegan myself, I am unfamiliar with some of the ingredients!  Should I use swettened or unsweetened soya milk? If I used sweetened I thought I may be able to lower the amount of sugar that the recipe calls for but not sure of the ratios I will have to have a few practise goes! Also, does it matter if the soya milk is fresh or longlife when making vegan cakes please?


texts:
I am newbie to cooking,
I will have to create veg noodles , I am following this tutorial,

I want to know what are the add-ons I can add it to make it testy and best.

Thanks,


texts: What are some savory banana applications?

texts:
I have a lot of bananas, but I don't particularly like bananas.  I would like to try using them, but I want to use them in a more savory application.  I'm not looking to make a dessert or bread with them.  How can I use a banana in a savory application and/or what kind of flavors would pair well with banana that I can use to get an idea for a savory banana dish?

In other words, I am looking for a banana application that is not a dessert.


texts:
I have three very productive guava trees in my yard and end up throwing away 25-50 guavas each day, as I can't go through them all fast enough. I'd like to make juice from some of this excess, but I'm not sure how to go about this.

Do I do my best to peel them and then put them in the blender? Or do I just throw them in whole into a blender? Do I peel and then boil? Or just boil? Or do I just break down and buy a juicer?

FWIW, the guavas are about golf ball-size, a little bigger, and vary in tenderness from very squishy to a bit firm.

Thanks


texts: Are there any calories in roasted coffee beans? Why is black coffee 0 kcal?

texts:
Are there any calories in roasted coffee beans?

And why do they seem to 'disappear' when turned into black coffee?

According to some websites, there are (I've seen values between 300 and 400 kcal per 100 g).

At the same time, when I check nutrition facts about black coffee - it says 0 kcal.

Where do all the calories of the coffee beans go when they turn into black coffee?

I read that when coffee is filtered (with paper filters), some oils are absorbed in the filter. But this alone does not seem enough to account for the missing calories. Also note that although the nutrition facts for black coffee are 'diluted' (i.e. it's expected they would be a lot less than the actual coffee in powder form, because there's water added), that is also not enough to bring the value to 0 kcal (however the rounding is performed).

And what about coffee that is not filtered (French press?) or even about eating whole roasted coffee beans - what would the calories be then?

Thanks

Below are some sources with confusing/conflicting data:

Sources:

Coffee beans kcal per 100 g:

406 kcal: http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=28551
417 kcal: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Orzo-Coffee-Ground-Roasted-400/dp/B00EXPZIT6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443103310&sr=8-1
300 kcal: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/generic-whole-plain-medium-roast-coffee-beans-eaten-227569387
267 kcal: http://www.nestle.co.uk/brands/coffee/dolcegusto/dolcegustopods


texts: How to make/preserve popcorn so that its taste and texture doesn't deteriorate within a day or two?

texts: I really love popcorn and usually pop it on the stove and eat it right away. However I'd like to make it ahead to save for snacks at work. I tried this once before and the kernels got a bit stale tasting, not very crisp. Are there any techniques for making popcorn that can hold up for a day or two, and how long would it last?


texts:
Since I love so much chicken bone broth, I avoid buying always plain chicken breast. Instead I buy the whole thigh because I want to collect the bones.

My only problem is finding a good way to separate meat and bone. Normally my only option is just boiling a big batch. That makes cleaning the bones by hand way easier. However I wonder if there is an alternative method. I found trimming with a knife quite hard, but maybe there is a right knife or technique for it?, maybe just partially boiling them? Buying half leg instead of a whole one?

I would like to find an easy way to prepare a big batch of raw chicken and bones (freeze most of it later) since I believe that without boiling, I could get a better match while cooking a full dish.


texts: specific temperature vs "medium heat" on an induction cooker?

texts: Some recipes call for "medium heat". . .What is the SPECIFIC temperature range for "medium heat" on an induction cooker?


texts: Ways/techniques to make things "fluffy/foamy" like whipped cream?

texts:
In general, if you want to make something fluffy like whipped cream, what ingredients/techniques should you use?  Basically, I want, when you put it in your mouth, to almost be like eating flavored air.  Like eating the foam on a hot chocolate or beer.
I would like to make dipping sauces with this fluffy like texture.
Thanks!


texts: How does the industry conserve their smoothies

texts:
I was wondering how companies like Innocent (smoothies) or basically any juice manufacturer keep their liquids fresh so long while my smoothies are bad after a couple of days in the fridge (the water and the fruit seems to separate). I've heard about oxidation and preventing it by adding lemon juice or rosemary to the mix or by sealing the bottle with no air left in it.

So, how is juice/smoothies being conserved by the manufacturers and is there any way that I can do that at home?


texts: Is rice supposed to be eaten with chopsticks?

texts: This question is about cultural norms and tradition. In Asian countries, is rice intended to be eaten with chopsticks? I heard this is a western misconception, as rice is too hard to pickup with chop sticks (though in my opinion if it's sticky rice it's manageable). Is rice supposed to be eaten with a spoon in Chinese cuisines? I'm not expert, but I noticed Chinese cuisines normally have more loose rice, compared to Japanese cuisines where the rice is often wrapped in seaweed.


texts:
I am a fan of some YouTube channel, and back in 2018, he posted this video: Slav snacks - Slav party tutorial and I really want to try these foods because I'm an Asian.
In timestamp 7:00, he shows off these stones, which are sugar-covered. I'm certain that since this is slav, it is hard to exactly figure out what the stones are.
Search for "sugar-covered stones" and you won't find the similar dessert. What exactly are these given "stones"?


texts: How to perfectly separate hemp hearts from hemp seeds

texts:
I often buy shelled hemp seeds, but there is still a lot of hull in the bought
product. No manufacturer sell hemp seeds perfectly shelled (only hemp hearts).
You can see the typical product on the picture.

Could you recommend some home-made easy method how to filter (or separate) the hemp hearts (white on the picture) from the hemp hulls (green and black on the picture)?


texts: I have two days to thaw a 16 pound turkey; Can I start thawing it in cold water, and do the rest in the fridge?

texts:
The calculator here:

http://www.butterball.com/how-tos/thaw-a-turkey

says I need about four days of thawing, and I only have two. Can I cold water thaw it at the start, and let the rest thaw in the fridge?


texts: Is the grey stuff the thing we make fond out of

texts:
When cooking minced meat in particular (and most meat as far as I know), some grey, gooey stuff usually turn up on one side.

Its also apparent when doing certain sous vide things and chicken (in that case white).

As I've understood it, that's denatured proteins that are forced out of the meat. But in that case - shouldn't it always be like that, just that we often don't see it because we brown it immediately?

So my hypothesis is that the good brown stuff in the bottom of the pan that we use when deglazing, really just is browned "grey stuff". And not to any large extent "parts of the meat that gets stuck", since when it happens, it is very annoying, and i cant imagine how it can get stuck "a little".

Is this correct?

EDIT:
I'll rephrase it:
What approximate proportions are between

browned protein scum
browned small stuck pieces of meat

In the bottom of the pan right before deglazing?

And could I scrape off the grey stuff from say a meatloaf and fry it separately to get an awesome sauce?


texts: Figuring out gas oven temperature numbered 1 through 7

texts:
New apartment, old oven and a lot to bake with precise temperatures.
Thermostat is numbered 1 through 7 and no idea what temperatures they represent, couldn't find any identifying company logo or other signs on the oven itself or inside of it and not the owner nor any of the previous renters knew anything useful.
I have seen too many different gas mark temperature charts, none of which are scaled 1-7 and all of them are different from one another. (the one that came up the most said that 7 is 220 Celsius, but still it wasn't consistent)
I was hoping anyone here might know more than what I could find so far or even, if the gods are righteous, someone here owned/still owns that very oven and still got the manual.
Here are some pictures of the whole oven, the top part and the thermostat itself:

Lastly I'm guessing it's made in the UK since the labels are in English and the little Celsius orange light, but that's just speculations.


texts: What is the difference between white and pink ginger?

texts: Some sushi places serve white ginger flakes with their food, while others serve pink colored ginger. There doesn't seem to be any detectable taste difference that I've found. So, what is the difference between the two other than just color, and, why serve one over the other?


texts: How to infuse flavors into steamed vegetables?

texts:
Tried to put 5 smashed garlic cloves in boiling water in a hope to get the spanich flavoured but failed. Spanich was being steamed in that vessel.

I intend to steam cook mushrooms, spanich, green onions, and cauliflower.

What is the way to infuse strong garlic, ginger, and black pepper flavours in them?


texts: I recently found an old family cream pie recipe that called for scalding the milk.  Is there any reason to do this other than to kill bacteria? If not, isn't this an unnecessary step if using pasteurized milk?


texts: Is there a substitute for Dzira (Georgian Caraway) in Khinkali?

texts:
I have been looking up Khinkali recipes online and from my research it would seem that authentic Georgian Khinkali make use of a spice called dzira. Since it is sometimes referred to as "Georgian Caraway" I am wondering if I can substitute regular caraway for it?

I live in New York City, and I have never seen Dzira in any of the spice shops that I have visited.


texts: Smoking chicken breasts with and without skin

texts: UGH! I'm so stressed.  I Have a new electric smoker and I Have listened to every Tom, Dick and Harry for "The best way" to smoke chicken breasts, yet I have served DRY meat for dinner! What I'm gathering from this forum is that the leaner the meat, the higher the smoker temp (i.e. 275 degrees) and the fattier the meat I should cook "low and slow". Also, I should brine poultry - especially lean meat. Am I correct??  I just want to cook a nice dinner without tears or frustration.


texts: How do I reduce the lemon acidity in apple soup?

texts: I have just made an apple soup that has lemon juice in. The problem being the lemon tartness totally overpowers the soup. How do I neutralise this???


texts: missed out cream of tartar in chiffon recipe

texts: I forgot to add cream of tartar to my egg whites as inwas making a chiffon cake. what happens if you missed out adding cream of tartar to the egg whites for your chiffon cake recipe. will it alter the taste, texturre or fluffiness ofvthe cake?


texts: I made some boiled eggs and they were white when they went in! I did water, two inches above the eggs (18 of them). 1/3c Apple cider vinegar, and 1T salt... I was using a cheap Walmart pan as we just moved and I bought it for like $5. It’s really thin. I brought to a boil and then cooked for 11-12 mins.


texts: Where to buy a Scandinavian birch twig whisk?

texts:
Our old birch twig whisk (from Norway) is getting old, and has lost several twigs.

Any idea how we can acquire one mail order or in the UK?


texts:
The malt that I found in the store is barley malt.

I have a bread recipe that calls for rye malt.

I have whole rye grain. What do I have to do to make rye malt? Would it be the same with any malted grain?

** edit **
Related to this answer:
https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/21691/2001

I have sprouted and then dried wheat to use as a sweetener in bread. What process should I use to produce diastatic malt at home? What temperatures should be used?


texts:
Today, chilli powder in the UK, as sold by the major supermarkets and the largest independent brand, is a US/Mexican style blend of powdered red chillis with herbs, spices and seasonings such as oregano, garlic, cumin and salt, as used for seasoning chilli con carne. (Asda mild,hot; Sainsbury's mild, hot, Tesco mild, hot; Schwartz mild, hot.) Until I found this out, I'd always assumed that chilli powder was exactly what it says: powdered chilli.

It appears that at least some UK brands are just that – Morrison's don't list ingredients for their hot chilli powder and the web page for their mild chilli powder just says "Ingredients: chilli powder". The bag of chilli powder I got from an Indian grocer also lists no ingredients, so I assume all of these are just powdered chilli.

What is the history of this? Has chilli powder in the UK "always" been the US/Mexican style blend or is this a more recent phenomenon?

Please include evidence beyond personal recollection in any answers. Personal recollection is unreliable in this case, because everyone thinks they know what chilli powder is and most people mistakenly believe that it's just powdered chilli. This question is an attempt to clear up the confusion in the comments to an answer on "Confused about cayenne pepper, chili powder and paprika?".


texts: Prepped beef mixed with other ingredients before tomorrow's stew

texts:
I'm prepping for stew.

I'm cutting "beef for stew" into smaller pieces.

I put it in a Pyrex tupperware container.

Then I chop mushrooms and add them to the tupperware container on top of the raw beef.

I intend to cook all of it the next-day in a 6-hour stew. Pour straight from tupperware into crockpot.

As I prepare to chop the carrots, my husband says, "Don't mix the produce and the beef."

Is there danger? (Of cross-contamination presumably?) Even if not, is it a faux-pas? If it matters, other ingredients include cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, stock, and tomato juice

By the way, as I'm prepping, I cut the beef to my preferred size. It comes from the grocer golfball-sized. I don't like chewing that down. So I cut it down to quarter-diameter-sized or marble-sized. Is this just a matter of preference? Even if it is, what would a trained-chef prefer?

Why am I prepping so far in advance? Because I cut enough for a stew now -- so the crockpot is full & running. But while I'm all messy I want to cut the rest so tomorrow I can just plop it into the crockpot. Also welcome opinions on this.


texts: Is there a way to adjust hot spots in a horizontal smoker setup?

texts:
I have a combo gas/charcoal grill:

I have an offset firebox that attaches to the right side that I use to convert the charcoal grill to an offset horizontal smoker.

However, when using the offset to smoke, I have noticed that there is about a 10 degree differential between the right side of the grill, and the center.  This is problematic with larger cuts of meat (boston butt, rib racks, etc.), and even with large trays (such as smoked almonds), as the side on the right cooks significantly faster.

Aside from rotating the food regularly, is there anything I can do to reduce the temperature differential created by the hot spot?


texts:
I've just booked my Christmas meal. This included Sausage, mashed potatoes and an Onion Jus. Why Jus and not Gravy?

Begs the question,  What is the difference between a Jus, Sauce and a Gravy?


texts: Stop marzipan drying out during storage (eg. on Battenberg)

texts: I bought a Battenberg cake and ate it over the course of a couple of weeks.  To try and stop the marzipan wrapping drying out I stored it in clingfilm; however, after a week, the marzipan had still somewhat dried out and become more brittle.  Am I missing a trick?  Is there a better way to store it that will help keep it in its original state?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is a substitute for red or white wine in a recipe?

I am making a short rib recipe which calls for white wine in the brazing liquid.  I don't have any wine, what would you recommend I used in place of it?  Will I be missing out on a lot not using the wine?


texts:
I know that in order to eat elderberries in a safe way, one has to cook them beforehand. Today, I found out that dried elderberries are a thing.
That new knowledge arose some questions on food safety:

Is it safe to eat those dried berries?
If it is safe, then why?
If it is safe, what is the process to dry them at home?


texts: How to cook 1.5+ inch veal steak to medium?

texts:
It's a NY Strip part of a 12 month old calf. Hasn't been dry aged but I keep it 5 days in olive oil in a fridge. It has a bit of marble but way less than usual steaks could have. Pieces are pretty thick, 1.5 or more inch.

I was thinking searing them 2 minutes each side on high heat - say 7/10, both sides, then also sear the side edges. Then putting in the preheated oven on 400F for 10 - 15 minutes.

I don't have a thermometer to check so I'd need to be on the safe side that it's cooked, but also wouldn't like it to be well done.


texts: How thoroughly do you need to clean the inside of a chicken before baking it?

texts: My wife's family breaks apart the inside and cleans out what is in between the bones. My family just rinses the inside and then bakes it. Do you need to be super thorough when cleaning a chicken or is the baking process going to kill all the bacteria?


texts: I need to cook spaghetti for about 70 people.  How do I cook up the noodles that morning and avoid soggy or stuck together noodles? I am assuming my heating option at this event will be the portable tray pans with the little heating candle underneath. So, should I cook the noodles, cool with cold water, and add a little olive oil to keep from sticking? Then to heat back up slowly mix some of the hot noodle water back in? My plan was to make both spaghetti and alfredo also.


texts:
I know there have been questions on refreezing meat, which apparently is not safe to do. My understanding from those posts was that it was referring to raw meat. My question is slightly different.

I made a casserole with pasta, cheese, cooked ground turkey, and some veggies a few weeks ago. I had the leftovers in the fridge for about a day or 2 and then froze the leftovers. First, was it okay to freeze it at that point?

Second, I put the casserole in the fridge to thaw yesterday, but ended up having something else to eat for dinner. Based on other plans, I won't be able to eat it for another 2 days. I am not sure if t will be safe in the fridge for that long. If won't be safe for that long, would it be safe to refreeze?


texts: Why are my Rucola and Lettuce washed in ice-water?

texts:
I bought rucola and lettuce at the grocery store today and on the packaging is said in Dutch Drie keer gewassen in ijswater which translates to washed three times in ice-water.
Is there a reason why ice-water seems to be the water washing of choice, instead of water in general? Is it for a longer shelf life or freshness? I might be missing something obvious here. Could someone clarify?


texts:
I am thinking about incorporating some raw shredded beets in a vegan chocolate sheet cake. Since it is vegan, I will be substituting with Ener-G, chia, or flax egg substitutes and earth balance margarine, and can add more if a solution so dictates. In other baking, I have not found any need to make drastic accomodations to accommodate for moisture or texture.

However, I am wondering if incorporating beets will alter the moisture levels. I will be balancing the earthy flavor with a lemon and lavender shortening-based frosting, so I am just basically looking for any confirmation that beets will not drastically add or leech moisture from the cake as I anticipate that they will function like carrots in carrot cake.

If using them will change the baking process, on the other hand, I would like to know so that I can adjust the recipe accordingly. If so please include any tips to balance it out, bearing in mind that extra egg substitute or margarine is doable, but not if it entails one of the specific properties of actual eggs (feel free to include those too, bearing in mind that I am looking for a vegan solution).


texts: Is this fish dish actually Greek in origin?

texts:
In Poland, where I live, a certain fish dish became very popular not so very long ago. It's called "ryba po grecku" which essentially translates to "Greek-style fish". The recipe is not particularly complicated, and I personally find it very tasty, but I was wondering if it is actually something originating from the Greek cuisine, or perhaps somewhere else, and hence I want to ask if you ever came across something similar.

The basic idea is to get some fish filet (most popular choices include hake, pollock and common sole), cut it into middle-sized pieces which you then sprinke with lemon, salt and pepper, roll them in flour and fry on both sides in a pan. In a separate pan, chopped onion is fried until it gets soft, at which point grated carrots (sometimes also parsley, celery, leek) are added, and this is braised (with water) until the vegetables are soft. Some tomato concantrate is mixed in and the mixture is flavored with salt, pepper and allspice to obtain a sort of paste with distinct, soft onion chunks. It is supposed to be quite thick, not liquid. The fried fish pieces are mixed with this paste and put in a fridge (it's said to best let it sit for approx 2 days) and the dish is served cold, like a salad.


texts:
How long can I freeze a pig whole? How can I keep it from getting freezer burned?

We are having a wedding in September and it's June but the pig is already currently at the size we need it to be. I was told that the pig will get freezer burned by then.


texts: Please help I hope the picture is clear enough!


texts: Where can I find the most complete possible list with raw products and their respective pH?

texts:
I'm looking for the most comprehensive list of raw products such as vegetables, fruits, meats, seeds, etc. used in the kitchen (Oriental Cuisine) and their respective pH. I found so many things about alkaline and acid foods, which is good to know, but I really need the pH of each one. How alkaline is it?

For example:

Fruits ----- Figs (raw) ----- Alkaline (How Alkaline? 7.5, 8, 9 ??)


texts: Can I take off the gas deflector on my stove for cooking with a wok?

texts:
This question might be Off-Topic, due to the gas involvement, although it is equipment related, but I'll see what people think.

I have a gas stove top, and I like to cook with a wok.  But the gas deflectors that are used to make the nice 'ring' of gas for flat bottoms pans mean the heat source is dissipated for my wok, and when I have worked in chinese restaurants in the past they generally have a single ruddy great flame in the middle that their woks go over.

Could I remove the deflectors and just burn the gas coming directly from the hole underneath so I got the single large flame under my wok that I'm after?


texts:
I have tons of basil in my herb spiral.

However, this stuff is precious, and I always feel bad when I throw away the basil flowers when I make pesto sauce.

Is there a way to use the basil flowers when cooking?


texts: Is it possible to re-use pickling liquid?

texts:
I have previously pickled some cucumber in a pickling liquid of mostly vinegar, which was kept in the fridge. I have now finished the pickled cucumbers, but would like to pickle some more. Can I re-use this liquid to pickle the cucumbers?

Note: I made the original pickling liquid about 3-4 weeks ago, it is kept in the fridge, in a sealed jar.


texts: If I'm reheating things in tins and I don't have enough oven space, can I stack them on top of each other?

texts:
I'm reheating a bunch of leftovers, all stored in aluminum tins. I don't have enough oven rack space to lay it all out flat. Can I stack the tins?

(Additionally, is it safe to leave on the paper/aluminum covers - the ones that are cardboard on one side and silver on the other?)


texts: Mixing condensed and evaporated milk for fudge?

texts:
Before anybody says this is a duplicate, I'm not asking about the difference between the two milks; I already know that. What I'm looking for is a way to lessen the sugar content of sweetened condensed milk without changing the texture of the final product too much.

Nestle makes a 50% less sugar version of sweetened condensed milk, but that isn't available within 50 miles of my home, so I'm trying to find a different solution

If I use half sweetened condensed milk and half evaporated milk, will I end up with lower-sugar sweetened condensed milk or will I end up with a watery, useless product that can't become fudge?


texts:
So I like to eat a cooked lunch, but my work break room only has a microwave - incapable of producing the Maillard reaction and only good for reheating decaying food into a disgusting, soggy pap.

I understand that oil doesn't warm up in a microwave because the electrons don't resonate at the right frequency, unlike water.

However... a mixture of water and oil would transfer the heat to the oil, right? So all I need do is mix together water and oil in a cup, microwave on full power till all the water is gone and the oil is at 100C, then add my stir fry ingredients.

Has anyone tried this? Will it work?


texts: how dangerous is it to refreeze meat that has been thawed

texts: I thawed steaks in the frige and added soy sauce to marinade them..they were in the frige for 2 days..I didn't use the steaks and so I refroze them.  Is it okay to thaw them and serve them?


texts: can you use metal pans in combo convection/microwave ovens


texts: Good sauces for large Italian Conchiglioni pasta

texts:
I bought some packets of Italian Conchiglioni pasta (Brand Maestri pasti selection Giovanni Castiello). The Conchiglioni are really large: each shell is probably 5cm long.

I tried them with a traditional tomato sauce (tomato, onions, carrot, basil, olive oil) and it didn't feel right: I had to eat large chunks of pasta with not much sauce and had at the end some sauce left. So I'm wondering whether other types of sauces are better suited for pasta that large.


texts: Prevent pepper spray effect when cooking raw hot peppers

texts:
Something I've noticed when using raw, fresh jalapeños and adding them directly to heat. It can sometimes put out a "pepper spray" which can make you and others around the area you are cooking cough and have trouble breathing.

So my question is, how to prevent this? And other tips for working with even hotter peppers that need very little to create a spicy atmosphere.

EDIT: Don't think the linked question is very helpful in terms of cooking with hot peppers, seems more to do with oil use.


texts:
I was picking up some bread and I noticed something moving in the box. After some searching I found the thing and it turned out to be a worm or a larva. Any idea what it is and should I start throwing everything out of the food closet?

Picture: (The worm is in two pieces in the middle)

-You can right click and select "View Image" for a bigger picture.

(Sorry if this is a wrong place to ask, this seems food related so I posted it here)

-----     UPDATE     -----

I found another one:

-You can right click and select "View Image" for a bigger picture.

For size comparison that stuff is the residue from the back of this bread.


texts: Should I salt the water when boiling store-bought dry potato gnocchi?

texts:
Should I salt the water when boiling dry gnocchi? I have seen some recipes where they do salt the water, but also advice on some websites recommending not to do so.
Most information on the internet seems to be about fresh gnocchi, so I’m not sure if the advice would be different for dry gnocchi.
These are the ingredients of the gnocchi:

Edit
So far people are suggesting to salt the water. So, I would like to share a source which recommends not doing so:
A culinary article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the following:

"Typically you cook pasta in salted water," said Wisniewski. "But in the case with gnocchi, the salt will cause the potato starch to become sticky, and you'll end up with a mushy product."

It seems they are talking about fresh gnocchi here, but a counterargument to that for the case of dried gnocchi would be helpful.


texts: Kneading dough with long nails; latex gloves?

texts:
Is it possible/recommended to knead dough with disposable latex gloves on?

I'm asking because I have quite long nails and don't find it a very hygienic idea to knead dough with long nails. Not to mention the amount of dough I'd have to pick out from under my nails later on...

Will it transfer any smell/taste to the dough?
Would washing your hands with the gloves on change this?


texts: How do commercial operations defrost large amounts

texts: I know the basic health regulations but practically what do large scale operations do to defrost chicken/meats? Trying to defrost it all in the fridge takes approximately forever, and doing it all under cold rubbing water seems very inefficient.


texts:
I've been using a rotisserie oven to bake my chickens for a while now. However, it's no longer available to me.

My first attempt at baking a chicken in a long time:

Purchase a chicken that's approximately 5 LBS.
Removed the innards of the chicken and washed it.
Marinaded the chicken with Johnny's Seasoning.
Place the chicken on a deep baking tray, resting on a grill.
Let the chicken sit for 2 hours at room temperature.
Baked the chicken at preheated 400 degrees on middle rack for 1:20:00.
Allow the chicken to sit for 20 minutes, then cut it into pieces for consumption.

My results: The chicken was nearly done, but one thigh was a little bloody at the joint.  The other was very bloody at the joint.  I microwaved the bloodier pieces and ate them anyway. The rest of the chicken was cooked pretty well.

My questions: How can I improve upon my process?  Should I be baking the chicken at a lower temperature (350 degrees) for longer?  Should I be baking at 400 degrees for longer?  Should I raise the temperature to 425 degrees?

I've considered using a meat thermometer, but it seems daunting to me and I haven't had a lot of lucky in the past. Maybe my thermometer is just bad?

Any advice is appreciated, but if you can provide reasons for why you advise things, I would be most grateful.

Update:

I've tried some variations with lower temperature and higher temperatures.  The method that has worked best for me is a simpler one adapted from this link:

http://thepauperedchef.com/2006/06/kafkas_simple_r.html

Purchase a chicken that's approximately 5 LBS.
Removed the innards of the chicken and washed it.
Marinaded the chicken with Johnny's Seasoning.
Let the chicken sit for 2 hours at room temperature.
Place the chicken on a deep baking tray, resting breast-side down on a grill.
Baked the chicken at preheated **500** degrees on middle rack for 50 minutes (10 min/lb).
Allow the chicken to sit for 10 minutes, then cut it into pieces for consumption.

As the link warns, there is lots of smoke.  The breast is tender, the thighs are juicy and cooked.  It's the best chicken I've ever made.


texts:
I have read on multiple canning sites that you can freeze jam in glass jars. Has anyone actually done this successfully? Under what circumstances would it be preferable to putting the jam in plastic containers?

It just doesn't seem very safe to me (I fear the glass would break).

Previously, I have bought plastic containers to freeze jam in, but they did not seal very well. I'm wondering if glass could perform better? Or, should I just find better plastic containers?


texts: Making a 2 ramekin recipe into an 8 ramekin recipe: Do I change the cooking time?

texts: I've read answers about doubling a casserole recipe in a larger container, or putting two cake pans in the oven instead of one. But what about a recipe that asks you to put your ramekins into a shallow pan with an inch of water in it, and you want to do that with 8 ramekins instead of the two that the recipe is intended for? Do you have to add time? Reduce the temperature? Both?


texts: Chicken and Beef stored in the freezer not entirely frozen - safe?

texts:
Recently (four days ago), a friend gave me a large chicken leg and some beef chunks for me to use at some point to cook with. Both of them were raw, but totally frozen, when I received them.

I put them in the freezer of my small fridge (I am a college student studying in a foreign country) to keep until I decided to make something with them. However, I opened the small freezer door (it's one of those student fridges where the freezer is a small box at the top of the fridge - you have to open the main door to open the freezer) and realized that the meat was no longer totally frozen. The freezer itself is apparently still cold enough that there is still ice and frost on the walls and floor of the freezer, and most of the meat is still frozen as well. However, some of the edges are not frozen, and are actually quite thawed. They are still cold, though.

Is this meat safe to eat/cook with?


texts:
I'm going to lead a workshop for kids about decorating gingerbread cookies with royal icing. It will take place at a cafe, so I need the icing to be as dry as possible as fast as possible, otherwise the kids will not be able to take the cookies home or the icing might get broken on the way.

The problem is that I have very limited space and resources, for example, the cafe doesn't have an oven, so I can't dry the icing like meringues. There is a microwave, but I haven't got one at home, so I don't know if it will work or how to set it. I could bring a fan, but will a fan be enough? Nobody I know has a dehydrator, so this option is also out of question.

I plan on making the icing as stiff as possible while keeping it liquid enough for the kids to pipe on the cookies, but my experience says it will still need 2-3 hours before it's hard enough to be carried home more-or-less intact. Is there anything more I could do?


texts: What's a gluten free alternative to farro?

texts:
I am looking for a safe gluten free alternative to farro for a Greek chicken soup recipe.

Perhaps a wild rice?


texts: Why does my red wine reduction go 'grainy'?

texts:
After frying some meat, say beef or lamb, sometimes I want to make a red wine reduction.

After lifting the meat out of the pan I turn the heat down to low and add the wine. The wine tends to bubble furiously and reduces quickly. I quickly try to scrape the meat remnants as it goes.

Trouble is, the sauce ends up looking grainy with dark spots in the sauce, and it tastes bitter.

The wine is always wine I wouldn't mind drinking.


texts:
What's the best way to juice a pineapple? Should the whole fruit be used or should the core be discarded?

(I'd prefer a method that doesn't require one of those huge electric fruit juicers. The only fruit juicers I have are for oranges and a hand one for lemons.)


texts: Do you need a stock for carbonade flamande

texts: So there is this amazing Belgian/French dish called carbonade flamande and as I browse recipes I see one major difference in them: some recipes use (beef) stock while others don't (but then they have larger quantities for beer, or they add apple vinegar, etc…). What is the recommendation regarding the stock while cooking carbonade flamande, and is there some "classical way" to cook the dish?


texts:
I have an upcoming project which is going to involve pulled sugar.

Everything I've read on the project suggests that I'm going to end up blisters or at the very least first degree burns (similar to sunburn) until I've built up some callouses.

Are there any heat-resistant gloves that are good for pulled sugar work?  I'm okay with some loss of control -- I'm only making a few arches, nothing really of fine detail.

If not, at the very least, are there materials that I should favor or avoid in this sort of work?


texts: Cooking a chicken and peppers in a crockpot instead of sauteeing, how much water should I add?

texts:
My father shared a recipe with me and my mother "gently corrected" some of the details, but it sounded good, and I wanted to replicate it, but cook a little more to have some leftover for later.

The recipe they're using is:

1 whole onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 1b chicken, sliced into ~1" x 2" pieces
1 jar pasta sauce
  handful of parmesan cheese
Saute the onion and pepper for about 10 minutes, till they start to have some juice
in the pan. Add the chicken and cook about 3-5 minutes on a side, till it's about
cooked through. Add the pasta sauce and let it come to a slight boil (so it's nice and hot)
Remove from heat and cover with the cheese (so it melts)

But I've moved up to 5 peppers (two green, one red, one yellow, one orange) and 2 onions and 2.25 lbs chicken breast, sliced as per recipe (also seasoned a little with some light marinade to give it a little extra taste). I thought it might be nice to cook it in the crockpot (4qt classic) with the cool weather and let it slow cook, and have something nice when I get home.

My plan is to add all the veggies and chicken when I leave the house, and add the sauce right before I'm ready to eat (I actually want to split half of the crockpotted mixture and store it without the sauce on it, to heat later with the sauce). What I'm not entirely sure about is:

Do I need to add some water so the chicken doesn't start to stick while it cooks, or burn in some way? I'm going to be at work but I'll be home at lunch if I should stir it or change something.
What is the best temperature to set my crockpot to? Low I would assume.

If I really need to cook this in my large deep skillet I can, but I like the idea of trying this recipe in a slow cooker.


texts: What is an easy-to-make dessert that goes well with Indian food?

texts: We are making vegetable curry with rice and need a dessert to go well with it. Does anyone have any suggestions?


texts:
I would like to make wafer paper like it is used as basis for some Christmas cookies or as used in church (oblates).

This seems to be too basic to be mentioned in usual recipes. Internet search results are so much spammed by recipes using wafer paper that it appears impossible to find clear instructions on how to make the paper itself.

I found only generic instructions like "Use flour and water, maybe sugar salt. Bake."

"Use flour and water" also applies to making pizza or bread and I would prefer to avoid too much experimentation.

How do I choose the ratio between flour and water? What type of flour should I use? How long and at what temperature to bake?

I know this requires experimentation, I am mainly looking for a starting point to reduce the parameters to try.


texts: How many people would a bushel of average sized blue crabs feed?

texts:
I am getting a bushel of crabs tomorrow morning for football and dont know how many people to invite over. How many people do you think would all be able to have a good amount to eat out of a bushel of crabs?

also , the crabs are mixed... not a specific size.


texts: What's the best option for water for tea in the office?

texts:
When making tea at home, I have all the equipment I need to make a fine cup of tea. In the office, however, my options are more limited. It seems my sources for hot water are:

Straight from the tap
From the "hot" dispenser on the water cooler
Microwave in styrofoam
A Keurig without a K-cup
A hot water/coffee dispenser (don't know how to describe this--looks a bit like the commercial milk dispensers you sometimes find in cafeterias)

My criteria for evaluating these sources would be:

Purity
Temperature
Dissolved Oxygen

Oh, and one of the pieces of equipment that I lack is a thermometer.

A couple of observations

Though there is no shortage of oxygen, the tap was right out for purity and temperature.
I tried using the water cooler's hot tap for a while, but, based on dead reckoning, it just doesn't seem hot enough.
I've heard that you're supposed to leave styrofoam out of the microwave, so I've skipped over that so far. Perhaps that is good material for a follow-up question. I suppose I could get it as hot as I want, and lose no more oxygen than would be expected at that temperature.
The Keurig is what I've been using most recently, which seems closer than the water cooler, but the machine itself claims to max out at 192 F, and I'd prefer something a bit hotter if possible. Additionally, the method the coffee maker uses to heat the water makes me wonder if any dissolved oxygen is driven off in the process.
Lastly the water/coffee dispenser. These are huge commercial coffee makers, essentially, and one of them simply doesn't get coffee grounds added. They've got to be at least five gallons each, and I doubt they're refilled until they're used up. I imagine a water line runs straight to the machine, but, clearly, there is a lot of speculation here. This is also the one method that I would have to pay for, which I'd be willing to do, but only if this source is better than the rest. It's also farthest from my desk.

So, what's the best option I have for a good cup of tea in the office?


texts: How do I tone down the flavor of garlic in spaghetti sauce

texts: I am taking a meal to a family tonight, my sauce is cooking, it will cook for several more hours.  Right now, it is much too strong, ( I know, I did not think it possible).  How do I cut that flavor?


texts: Can you make latte-art with a panarello wand?

texts:
I have a deLonghi Icona coffe machine. It contains a steaming wand of the panarello kind (with a hole in the top that automatically injects air). I tried to steam the milk to create a microfoam that would behave correctly when pouring into coffee. No success though.

My question is - is it possible to make a correct foam that would create latte-art on pouring with this kind of wand? Or do I need a machine with other wand type?


texts: What is the difference between doughnut and krapfen?

texts:
I have been in a shop where you were able to see how they made doughnuts. The first thing I thought was that they were krapfen.

Are there any differences between krapfen, and doughnut? Does one use different ingredients?


texts: how to cook boneless chicken breasts for curry?

texts:
I am trying to make chicken curry my way. I have already prepared curry and now I want to add cooked pieces of chicken into it (cooked separately). I assume the chicken needs to be cooked separately, and I am not sure how to cook it. I am using boneless chicken breasts, and I want my cooked chicken to be soft and juicy.

Or should I be cooking chicken in the curry that I made? My curry consists of grinded onion, yoghurt, water and spices.


texts: How to simulate an oven when what you actually have is a gas stove?

texts:
Well, I currently don't have an oven. And also, I don't expect to prepare cakes on gas. :rolleyes:

But, is it possible to bake things like garlic bread (at least) on gas stove somehow? If yes, then how?

EDIT 1

I should have clarified, that I also want to bake biscuits (from scratch).


texts:
I found an interesting recipe (http://www.icouldkillfordessert.com.br/receitas/mingau-de-milho/) for corn porridge, in it was necessary "3 ears of corn" for the amount of porridge.

Suppose I don't find the corn on the cob and can only buy it in a can, how many grams of corn does the proportion of the recipe ordered?

Recipe:

3 ears of corn;
500ml of milk;
1/2 cup of sugar;
1 pinch of salt;
Cinnamon.


texts: difference between pan-cooking with and without oil

texts:
So lately I've been pan-cooking single chicken thigh fillets as a snack of sorts. Heat the non-stick pan, and toss a chicken fillet in there, turn around a few times while making cuts to make them even etc..

I haven't been using oil, and usually the chicken thigh fillet isn't very oily. I mean, the only seasoning I use is a mixed garlic salt with some herbs. However, the thigh fillet still puts out plenty of oil, as the pan is sizzling with them by the end of the cooking time usually.

Now, just yesterday, the thigh fillets I've bought were quite a bit larger than average, and a lot oilier with more fat. The pan was sizzling with oils. I didn't use any timer, but I'm wodering.. does more oil cause the cooking to get more even? That is, would the oil have helped seep the heat into the parts of the chicken that doesn't touch the pan?


texts: What is a good way to cook a pork tenderloin without searing?

texts:
I realise there are a couple of similar questions hereabouts, but this is a specific case.

I currently have sitting in the fridge a pork tenderloin (fillet) coated in a paste rub of ancho and chipotle chillis, garlic, cumin and oil. With an 'unrubbed' tenderloin I'd normally sear each side in a hot pan and roast for 25 minutes or so at about 180C/350F (my wife refuses to eat slightly pink pork).

However, what with the garlic and spices on this particular pork, I want to avoid searing and thus very likely burning them. So, am I better off just roasting for longer at 180/350 or should I crank up the heat to say 200-220/390-430 and keeping it at 25 mins? Or perhaps an initial blast then lower the temp and cover with foil?


texts: I have a cookie recipe that calls for 1/4 cup of lemon zest.  Can I substitute dried lemon peel, and how much?  Or should I use lemon extract,  how much?  Or would it change the consistency of the cookie?


texts: Soaked urad ki dal too long - Is it safe?

texts: I soaked black dal for too long (24 hours) and its colour changed from black to green and it smells very bad, can I still use it or not ?


texts: How do you make sure the roast chicken and the sides are done at the same time?

texts: I often avoid adding sides like rice or potatoes to my roast chicken because my chicken often reaches 165f wayyy before the rice or the potatoes are done. Is there a technique to get both the roast chicken and sides done at the same time?


texts: Condensation between parchment paper and cake pan

texts:
I tried the following recipe for making Basque Burnt Cheesecake.

430g cream cheese, room temperature
120g caster sugar
3 large
eggs, room temp (approx 150g of eggs without shell)
270g heavy
cream/thickened cream (35% min fat content)
20g cake flour
1 tsp
vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice

Everything turned out great except that there was condensation between the parchment paper and cake pan. It got the bottom of cheesecake a little moist.  Is there any way I could prevent this next time?


texts:
My husband and I do not drink milk during the week, and rarely use it for cooking. However, on weekends when I am home I like to make coffee and have it with milk. The problem is it is very expensive to purchase even the smallest container of 2% milk at the store only to have it go bad before I've gotten more than a quarter of the way through it.

Is there a way I can preserve a quart of milk for my coffee, without it going bad? Is freezing an option? I am not a fan of milk alternatives, or the little creamer things that are shelf stable.


texts: How to know whether the default coating on the iron cookware has totally come off?

texts:
https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/29609/6168

  But you can't season a pan "on top" of the wax coating. The real seasoning would stick to the wax, and when the wax melts, the seasoning will come off. Therefore, you have to remove the wax coating before making a normal seasoning from polymerized oil.

So, yesterday I scrubbed hard the cookware with the steel wool and now instead of looking black it looks somewhat dark grey. When I run fingers on the dried vessel now, I see little dark grey powder sticking to my fingers.

How should I know whether the coating has actually come off? Do I need to scrub even more?


texts:
I tried making this recipe: Nutella Cookie Crisps.

Since I am not in the USA, I had to convert cups to grams. It ended up being about 300g Nutella, 200g soft brown sugar, and the 6 tablespoons of flour came out to 62g. I used 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 large egg and about 120g of chocolate chips, as the recipe indicates.

The recipe said that the dough would be sticky and wet, because of the Nutella, but mine wasn't. It was dry, difficult to mix the chocolate chips into it because they wouldn't "stick" in and kept falling apart. I initially used 280g Nutella, but seeing this consistency problem I added another 20g. This seemed to make it worse, and make the dough even more crumbly.

When baked for 10 minutes at 180C, after cooling and setting, the cookies taste overwhelmingly of raw brown sugar and just fall apart. I was aiming for the cookies to be crisp on the outside, with a chewy, toffee-like consistency in the middle. They're slightly crisp outside, but the inside is soft and crumbly and just tastes of sugar. I know that 200g of brown sugar certainly isn't more than 1 cup, so I have no idea what's gone wrong.

I tried baking one of the cookies for a further 5 minutes, but it hasn't made any difference. I still have half the dough in the fridge, so if someone could help me salvage it, I'd be very grateful!


texts: Why does my cheese sauce taste like flour/paste?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How do I make my roux taste less like flour?

I'm trying to make a basic cheese sauce for putting over broccoli, etc.  A typical recipe I've tried is:

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons unbleached white flour
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
Sea salt, to taste
1 cup low fat milk
1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
White pepper, to taste

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in flour, mustard powder and salt to taste. Gradually stir in milk, whisking over med-low heat until thickened. Add cheese, stirring until completely melted. Season to taste with white pepper.

The problem is that it always ends up with a flour/paste undertaste.  Am I just not cooking the Roux sufficiently before adding the cheese or what?


texts: How is home made yeast very approximately equivalent to?

texts:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8171553/Scientist-shares-home-yeast-recipe-people-moan-bake-bread.html

Of course it would depend on a lot of factors but how much dry yeast equivalent  would you say very approximately the above home yeast production recipe link would produce?
There is shortage of yeast in Japan (and in USA)- luckily we think we have sourced yeast from a shop.


texts:
I'm planning on making Baileys ice cream from the recipe given in Larousse Gastronomique, which calls for 1 tsp of stabilizer. Ice cream stabilizers are briefly listed in the preceding paragraph as edible gelatine, egg white, agar-agar, and carob but are not discussed any further. I find the stabilizer reference vague and the 1 tsp measurement further puzzles me because I wouldn't expect them to be used in the same ratios.

Please help.

150 g egg yolks
1 tsp ice cream stabilizer
1/2 cup castor sugar
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
175 ml Baileys


texts: What is the difference between a turkey and a chicken in terms of taste,look and preparation?

texts:
I am interested in sourcing a turkey and cooking it. Its not that easy to get a turkey from were I am. I am only wondering if it would be worth while to do so. Having never eaten a turkey, I cant help to be curios.

If there is not much of a difference between a turkey and chicken it would not be worth the trouble.

What are the differences between a chicken and a turkey in terms of:

taste
appearance
cooking


texts: Is there a substantial difference in using fresh vs frozen broccoli when making Broccoli Cheese Soup? And if I do make the substitution, should I thaw it first or put it in frozen?


texts: Baking with oven without bottom heating element

texts:
My mom wants to do baking but her oven doesn't have bottom heating element. It only has an element on top, with a fan at the back.

She told me that she can't make me a good pizza or cake without it.

Is there any way around?


texts:
I plan do make a Daquoise. I've seen people making them round, consisting of 2-3 disks, piped like so:

Once I tried to bake a Macaron this big and failed because while the outer area where done, the center was still pretty undercooked, I wasn't even able to lift the Macaron from the sheet.

In my oven, I used top & bottom heat.

As Macaron and Daquoise batter is pretty similar, I am afraid to fail again. Is there anything I can do to bake such a disk (about 18cm diameter) evenly? Or would you recommend to make it square shaped?


texts: How can I stop cocktails from being foamy?

texts:
Whenever I make (shaken) clear cocktails, I end up with foam on top of the drink, like this:

I follow the usual steps of building the cocktail in the mixing tin, adding ice and shaking strongly for a few seconds. The ice comes from a regular freezer tray and isn't clear.

How can I stop this from happening and get foam-less cocktails?


texts: Storing potato water: how long can it be refrigerated?

texts: When boiling potatoes, I like to use the leftover water for soups, sauces, etc. Does anyone else use potato water, and if so, how long can it be stored in the refrigerator? I am wondering if it has a "shelf life" similar to homemade stock.


texts: I made dill pickles using an old Ukrainian recipe fermenting the cucumbers in salt water. I wanted to can them when they were finished instead of keeping 10lbs of fermented pickles in my refrigerator. I didn't want to use the salt brine the pickles fermented in,so I made a brine using 1qt white vinegar, 3tbls salt, 1tsp mustard seed,and 1/2 cup sugar. The result is really, really sour pickles! Can I open the jars and dump the brine and use salted water as canning liquid? Or what can I use?


texts: Why does my food turn out poorly using an All-Clad Stainless-Steel Fry Pan?

texts:
I have an All-Clad frying pan, the precise one shown below:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005AL5F

I made this purchase out of curiosity after reading about the benefits of this professional grade cookware (from the above Amazon link):

Beautifully polished, magnetic stainless exterior layer.
Pure aluminum core that not only covers the bottom of the pan but also extends up the sides. This allows for great heat conductivity as well as an even heat distribution so you won’t have "hot spots" when cooking.
Stainless-steel interior layer/cooking surface.
Long, polished stainless, stay-cool handles.
Sturdy, non-corrosive stainless-steel rivets won't react with foods.
Polished stainless-steel lids fit evenly with the pan’s edges to seal in flavor of your foods.
The All-Clad Stainless collection is compatible with an induction stovetop (with the exception of a few pieces) in addition to gas and electric stovetops.
The Stainless collection is dishwasher-safe, excluding pieces with a nonstick cooking surface.

However, as a novice cook, I can't seem to cook anything as well using this pan compared to a non-stick teflon pan.  Food seems to stick or become overcooked easily or just not turn out well.

Have I fallen victim to a weak product sold on marketing hype?  Or am I simply too novice to properly utilize this pan?  What cooking skills might I be missing to properly utilize this tool?  What tools should I be using instead?

What reasons might there be for me sucking at using this pan?


texts: Why has my recently bought peanut butter such a liquid consistency?

texts:
The title says it basically all. Below you see a glass of peanut butter of which the content is partly so liquid you could easily drink it. The label on the glass says "Creamy" but I have never had a glass with such a liquid peanut butter, may it be creamy or crunchy, not even of the same brand.

How come that this peanut butter has such a liquid consistency? Putting it in a fridge did not change the concistency.


texts: What is a good substitute for avocado oil in Indian food recipes?

texts: I am making dal and would like a suggestion for an oil that could be a substitute for avocado oil.


texts: I'm making tomato sauce which never thickens

texts:
I tried the following recipe.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5211/amatriciana-pasta

The result is tasty, but the sauce looks nowhere near the image. It is some red paste, yes, but with onions and bacon still clearly taking about half of the volume.

My guess is that I didn't let the onions caramelize long enough. Is this correct? Basically, the "sauce" I get didn't thicken much and the water from the tomatoes evaporated without leaving anything of substance.


texts: How can I make curly rāmen noodles from scratch?

texts: I want to make the rāmen noodles from scratch including the pasta itself and not just the sauce. I have found some recipes online that look promising. However, how can I give it the characteristic "curly" appearance?


texts:
Miracle Thaws are utensils for rapidly thawing foods. Put an ice cube on one and it melts before your eyes, yet the whole thing stays cool to the touch. How do they work?

(Inspired by this question: Utensil to thaw meat)


texts: What determines the 'saltiness' of salt?

texts: I've bought two brands of salt that are completely different in terms of 'salt' concentration(not sure if this is the correct terminology). I realized this because I needed three or four times more teaspoons of one brand in order to match the saltiness of the other when making the same recipe. Chemically speaking, what is accounted for the difference? Which one is better for cooking? If I recall correctly from the chemistry classes, salts have crystal structures embedded with water molecules; could the concentration of water molecules be the determinant factor?


texts: How to make a complex novelty cake at home?

texts:
how would one make a cake like this?

This is my drawing of what i want my LOs cake to look like. The bakery estimated it at being over 500 dollars! So I'd rather make it myself.


texts: Is there such a thing as a tabletop conche?

texts: Prompted by @JamesWilson's chocolate question, I am wondering if anyone makes a very small scale conche. I searched online but did not see anything obvious.


texts: Why are home canning jars made of glass and not metal?

texts: I was hoping to can some food to take backpacking and looking for metal canning jars for home canning, but as far as I can see, they don't exist. Is there any reason why canning jars are made of glass? Metal seems like it would be lighter and sturdier.


texts: Convection/Steam cooking in a Normal Oven?

texts:
A recipe that I am trying says that it's very important I follow the instructions to the letter. However, at one point it says "Each loaf should bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit in convection/steam oven for approximately 40 minutes or until the loaf reaches 155 degrees internal temperature."

However, I only have a Normal Oven, not a convection/steam oven. Can I still cook this recipe? Or, do I need to buy a new oven?


texts: Is there additional risk in cooking meat sous-vide from frozen?

texts: I am aware of the additional cooking time required when cooking frozen meat sous-vide.  Beyond that, is there additional risk in cooking meat sous-vide from frozen?


texts: How can I make home-made veggie burgers stay together so I can grill them?

texts:
I tried this weekend to make veggie burgers to cook on the grill, with fake ground beef (maybe Gimme Lean or something like that), egg, breadcrumbs, spices, and they totally fell apart.

Is there a secret to home-made veggie burgers that can be cooked on the grill? All grilled veggies instead of fake meat?  Just a proportion issue? Can't be solved?

Thanks!


texts: Is it cost effective to make your own roast beef sandwich?

texts:
Seeing how expensive deli meat is it sure seems like roast beef sandwiches would be cheaper to make if you did your own roast and sliced it thin.

Are there any cons to this method?  I imagine it would not last as long as the deli meat.


texts: How should I clean, or care for, a banneton (brotform, proofing basket)?

texts:
How should I care for a rattan (cane) banneton?  It would seem that washing it in water would eventually warp or ruin the basket since the wood can easily absorb moisture.  I've seen people suggest that a quick washing is OK, but it still feels like the wrong thing to do if I want to prolong the life of the basket.

I usually just tap out any loose flour and store it. Some people are concerned about bacteria, but if used regularly, I don't see it as too much of a concern.

If one makes too wet a dough, it's possible that it could stick to the banneton and make a good mess.


texts: What should I do if I bought prime rib roast too early?

texts:
I have just purchased my Christmas prime rib from Costco (boneless). We are 13 days away from Christmas, so I think I bought it too early. Should I freeze it or dry age it on a rack in the coldest part of the fridge with salt and pepper crust?
Thanks!


texts: How do i cook pizza dough before adding toppings?

texts: As we know, normally pizza dough is cooked after adding toppings to it. I want to know how I can pre-bake pizza dough, before adding toppings. I find that sometimes pizza dough is not cooked properly after I add the toppings.


texts: Why are Parathas smeared with fat/oil within layers?

texts:
The difference between plain roti and plain parathas is that parathas have oil in between their layers, and roti's don't.

Even after we put oil in the layers we still smear the front and back sides with oil while cooking them. That may be for taste though.

What purpose does oil in layers serve?

If we put the same amount of oil in flour while kneading the dough, instead of putting it in layers, will the effect be same?


texts:
I was on a trip to the middle east a year or so ago around mid spring.  I was offered what looked like a green plum.

The taste was very sour and hard (not soft like a plum). The locals called it "janarek" and for the life of me I can't find it here in North America.

The closest I've found were the yellow and golden plums

the mysterious green plums I'm talking about are a bit smaller and lot crunchier.

any ideas on what its name, and where I can buy it from?


texts: I have a frozen brown bear (roast?) from somewhere in Alaska

texts:
I have a small 1.3-pound brown bear roast and don't know what to do with it.
It looks pretty lean thru the plastic wrapper.
I am certain it was handled and prepared well, though have no more info.
I tried a marinade on 2 small steaks and have 2 more left. It was pretty good overall, though the (connective tissue?) was stringy.

Would chunks in the crock pot be best?
Any advice appreciated.


texts: What is the real temperature to caramelize sugar?

texts: A lot of web pages claim that sugar caramelizes at ~160C. But also a lot of recipes caramelize sugar in a simmering water. The boiling point of water is only 100C. So how can these recipes succeed so well in practice?


texts: Pressure cooker rice quality vs high-end rice cooker

texts:
I'm considering buying a proper rice cooker, as we've eaten most of the non-stick coating of the cheap one. The forums rave about induction heating, Zojirushi, Tiger, Toshiba RC-18NMF with its cast-iron pot, Buffalo with their stainless steel pots. And now there is also the Tefal RK704 with its ceramic pot to consider...

Occasionally it comes up that folks cook rice in their electric pressure cookers, and it takes them on the order of 10 minutes! That speed sounds like a major advantage. Why would anyone use a rice cooker? (At least the expensive ones?)

Comments such as this one seem to indicate that the high-end rice cookers do something special, resulting in longer cooking times (50 minutes) and better-tasting rice.

So my question is: is this difference real? Is it noticeable by ordinary people? Has anyone tested this side-by-side, with the same rice?

Is there any other reason I'm missing that a rice cooker be more convenient than a modern electric pressure cooker?


texts: goat cheese or feta as substitute for guyere cheese in yogurt bechamel sauce

texts: I have a mousakka recipe that uses a bechamel made with yogurt and olive oil (instead of heavy cream and lots of butter)that calls for guyere cheese. Can I use feta or goat cheese instead in a becahmel for a mousakka?


texts: Why does my coffee sometimes taste sour?

texts:
I typically drink light roast single origin coffees from a third wave coffee roaster.

I'm brewing with either plunger/french press, or swiss gold filter.

Often with the french press, the coffee will taste quite sour.

I suspect that this isn't just how the beans taste, other times it will taste quite good.

Any idea what causes a coffee to taste sour?


texts: How can I get cuts of beef I recognize when in Italy

texts: Almost five years ago, my husband and I retired to the Abruzzo region of Italy from the U.S. I've made a lot of cooking adjustments, but beef cuts have me beaten. I want steaks and roasts. Research has helped very little. Dialect gets in the way in villages and I'm a long way from the closest large city, Roma. Photos are met with quizzical looks. The closest we have gotten is "girello", from the shoulder. I want top round, sirloin tip roasts, and NY strip, T-bone, and rib-eye steaks. The only time I sort of got what I wanted was when I recognized a piece of meat that resembled a filet, but it was huge and there was no "mignon" about it. It was good, but pretty expensive. I have seen few cuts with marbling, but a lot of stringy tendons. They don't seem to cut meat in the same direction I'm used to seeing. We have a good butcher who is willing but doesn't seem to be able to help. I welcome any suggestions as to how I can shop without being so frustrated. Thank you for any assistance.


texts: Tips and advice for cooking a bean recipe in the oven

texts:
The other week I tried cooking the braised carrots, date and chickpea recipe from Ottolenghi, published on the Guardian that I have put below.

It was delicious and super easy. As someone who doesn't eat much meat I often turn to dried beans to provide a bit of substance to otherwise vegetarian or vegan meals. However, I can't find any other recipes that cook dried beans in a casserole-like dish straight in the oven.

1) Why is this?
2) What tips are there for experimenting with my own recipe?
3) Is there a rule of thumb for converting stove top recipes to oven cooked recipes?

Prep 30 min
Soak Overnight
Cook 2 hr 25 min
Serves 4-6

300g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in plenty of cold water and 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large green chilli, roughly chopped, seeds and all
15g coriander leaves, roughly chopped
75ml olive oil
1½ tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
4 carrots, peeled and each cut at an angle into 2 or 3 large chunks (450g)
2 bay leaves
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
Salt and black pepper
1-2 lemons, zest finely grated, to get 1½ tsp, and juiced, to get 2 tbsp
120g feta, roughly crumbled
1 tsp caraway seeds, toasted and roughly crushed
1-2 tbsp parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Drain the soaked chickpeas and set aside.

Put the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli in a food processor, and pulse a few times until very finely chopped but not pureed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Add the coriander, and pulse a couple of times more, just to mix through.

On a medium-high flame, heat two tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy-based cast-iron pot with a lid. Add the onion mixture and cook for about four minutes, stirring occasionally, then stir in the cumin, cinnamon, dates and tomato paste, and cook for a minute more, or until fragrant. Add the drained chickpeas, carrots, bay leaves, bicarbonate of soda, 1.2 litres water and a good grind of black pepper, and bring to a boil, skimming off any froth that comes to the surface. Cover and bake for two hours, or until the chickpeas are very soft and the sauce has turned thick and rich. Stir in the lemon juice and two teaspoons of salt, then leave to cool for about 10 minutes.

While the chickpeas are cooking, put the feta in a small bowl with the caraway, lemon zest, parsley and remaining three tablespoons of olive oil, and leave to marinade.

To serve, spoon the feta mixture over the chickpeas and serve directly from the cooking pot.


texts: How do I cook with Salsola (land seaweed)?

texts: I've seen Salsola in buffets, but don't know how to prepare it. How do I prepare it, because I can't seem to find a recipe anywhere?


texts: What is the rise / fall / feed cycle of a sourdough starter?

texts:
I'm following this recipe to make a sourdough starter for the first time.

The recipe says to wait 3 days before the first feed.
On the morning of day 2, the starter had increased 3 times in size.
By the evening of day 2, it had reduced in size back to about 2 times the original volume.

My question is: what's the best way to judge when to feed the starter?  If it is reducing in size now, does that mean it is "hungry" and running out of food?  Or should we expect a couple of rise & fall cycles before the first feed?

Is feeding time best judged by time elapsed, or by volume of the starter?


texts:
I live in a condo complex where having a smoker or any sort of BBQ is difficult. I'm also on the Keto diet and I don't use most standard, store-bought sauces.
But I love some good St. Louis ribs and I want to order some naked ones from a local store. What is the best way to go about adding my own sauce to naked ribs? I was thinking about maybe saucing them, wrapping in foil and then baking them? Or just add sauce on top and re-heat? What are my options here?


texts: Using maida + bread flour to create AP flour substitute

texts:
This is a follow-up to my earlier question about using bread flour instead of all-purpose flour in a banana bread recipe. The consensus was that using bread flour would yield a denser, chewier loaf, which could be undesirable (or perhaps desirable, depending on the eaters' preferences).

Among the flours I have at hand is maida. As explained here and here, maida is a soft flour with around 7.5% gluten, similar to what is sold as cake flour in the US. My understanding from the Cooking for Engineers article linked from the latter question is that using such a low-gluten flour for this recipe would not be good:

  Cake flour is produced from soft wheat and is low in gluten content (8-10%). This flour is used for making delicate cakes. Baked goods made with cake flour has a tendency to crumble because of the low gluten content.

This is the opposite danger to the one of using bread flour in the recipe: instead of being too dense and chewy, by using maida I risk making the bread too crumbly.

Can I split the difference? Since maida is around 7.5% gluten and the bread flour I'm using (King Arthur) about 12.5% gluten, if I use 50-50 maida and bread flour, I would get a flour with (7.5 + 12.5) / 2 = 10% gluten. That is within the range of AP flour, which could be from 9% to 12% according to that Cooking for Engineers article.

It seems to me that I could just combine maida and bread flour in equal proportions and use it, not just in this banana bread recipe, but in any recipe that calls for AP flour. Is this understanding sound? Or are there risks I'm not seeing in this approach? Are there specific properties other than the gluten/protein content of maida, bread flour, and AP flour that would cause the recipes to turn out badly?


texts: Have to preserve a cake for decoration purposes

texts: We had a cake which was made for our school opening and we need to find something to spray on to preserve the cake? For the future.  We called other cake shops but they didn't have anything we could how used.


texts: How would you restore sweetness and moisture in this bundt cake?

texts:
This is a follow-up to my first question about this bundt cake recipe.

I baked that bundt cake again with some changes from a blog post that @Stephie's answer linked to. Specifically:

reduce 2.75 cups sugar to 1.5 cups
use 4 whole eggs instead of 3 whole and 3 yolks
use 1/3 cup cream instead of 3/4 cup

The consistency and crumb are now excellent. It looks like a pound cake (see photo). But things are a little dry and no longer sweet enough so I'm looking for advice on next steps to head back towards the original while still making the dough work. It seems like the only way to increase sweetness is to add some sugar back. For dryness, would you

increase cream
increase yolks
decrease cooking time
other?


texts: Is it safe to leave butter at room temperature? If so, for how long is it safe to keep it out?


texts: Is the mixing order important when substituting white sugar + molasses for brown sugar?

texts:
I bake cookies at a relatively large scale (16 qt batches) My recipe calls for both white & light brown sugars. In an effort to make production more efficient I would like to substitute the brown sugar with a combination of cane sugar and molasses.

My question is this: Must we premix the cane sugar with the molasses? Or may we just add the cane sugar and molasses into the mixer at the "creaming" stage? Or add the cane sugar at the creaming stage and the molasses in with the eggs? What would be the anticipated outcome of each scenario?

I am aware of the hydroscopic properties inherent in the brown sugar, but somewhat confounded by the question of whether separating the molasses from the cane sugar, then reuniting them in the dough, would impact this.


texts: How to store Curry Leaves for many days?

texts: I've used polythene bags and they remain good for at-least 3- 4 days. Then the leaves are becoming dark. How can I store them for at least one/two week(s)?


texts: Bananas - too many - so how can I preserve them?

texts: It must be banana season as the supermarkets are full of them at silly prices.  I am beginning to think that I have come across and tried every banana recipe known to mankind.  Is there a method of preserving banana?  The weather here is quite dry so I have thought about drying banana slices.  How about preserves, is there a way to preserve banana without using any sugar?  Unfortunately freezing is not an option for me, since my freezer space is at a premium.


texts: Why has the meat turned out to be hard like rubber?

texts:
I was following this recipe for Chinese Stir-Fired Steak with Peppers.

I think I messed it up by cooking this for too long. The meat (I used lamb's meat) turned out very hard, like rubber.

I suspect this was because I cooked it for too long. Can someone confirm this? I will be much obliged.


texts:
I've got a small bag of whole barley malt intended for brewing beer. After doing a bit of reading I'm getting conflicting information.  Some say the outer hull in not edible, while others say it is fine and a good source of fiber.

Take this yahoo answer for example, which indicates that unhulled wheat is the same as whole wheat.  I don't think that's true, as I'm under the impression
that the outer hull or chaff is not the same thing as the bran (and germ) included in whole wheat.

Is the unhulled barley edible or not?  My intended purpose is simply to mill it and simmer to as a breakfast cereal.


texts:
My son just got his braces adjusted and in a panic to make him a lunch for school, I made the following soup in my vitamix with what I had on hand. The problem is that the soup is very bitter (raw leek I suspect). I usually sauté the leeks first but didn't have time this morning. If I cook it on the stove, will the bitter taste go away? What if I blended in a head of raw broccoli?

Here are my ingredients:
1 raw leek...stalk and all,
1 small avocado,
2 stalks of celery,
About 8 cherry tomatoes,
½ cup of potato and garlic mash from a previous dinner,
about 1 cup of ready made chicken broth.

The consistency is awesome. I just need to fix the bitter taste and nastiness of eating raw onions! Thanks for your suggestions.


texts:
I've found a number of recipes online for shirred eggs.

Some have a fat (cream, ham) beneath the eggs; others don't (except for a bit to grease the ramekin).
Some have a cheese (Parmesan, Cheddar, Swiss) above the eggs; others, I think, don't.
Some have milk or cream above the eggs (beneath the cheese if both are present); others don't.

I have two questions:

What purpose in the recipe do these elements serve? How important is each?
What is considered classic, or traditional, or standard shirred eggs? I'm seeking not an exact recipe, but merely indication of the presence or absence of ingredients like those listed above.


texts: Chinese crispy beef with minced beef instead of slice steak?

texts:
I've read up on a fair few recipes for Chinese crispy beef, but they all call for a beef steak to be sliced up, such as topside, rump, sirloin. But I cannot find any info or recipes on substituting slicing a steak with using minced beef instead.

I presume this is because minced beef is much smaller and won't be "bite-sized", but I've had similar very small sized crispy beef in a Chinese restaurant before and it was fine.

So would it work out ok using packet bought minced beef covered in cornflour and fried?
Or would something not work, such as the beef wouldn't go crispy etc?


texts:
Bear with me here,

My roommate insist that she wants to keep her spoiled 2% milk in the fridge, it's been 1 month! That thing look disgusting. To my knowledge, you don't use rotten milk for anything/ingredients. So before I throw it out, is there something I don't know of that people use rotten milk for?


texts: Non-glass baking containers for both microwave and oven use

texts: Are there any lightweight baking containers that can be used in both microwave and oven.  I have bought prepared meals in these but have never seen them for sale. I do not want glass.


texts: When making a lemon dill sauce will limited ingredients due to Lenten restrictions, we found the sauce broke after simmering.  The sauce was vegetable stock with lemon juice then thickened with a roux of margarine and flour.  All was well for 10 minutes at a low simmer when suddenly it broke.  Did the lemon break the gluten?  Did the simmering cause the breakage? Was the margarine the cause?


texts: Store bought Mayonnaise is too vinegary?

texts:
I haven't made mayonnaise myself but the one Ive liked while eating out, is the one that tasted like a 'smooth creamy salt-sugary eggy' paste. However I happened to buy a bottle of imported mayonnaise, and it had a very sharp vinegary kick to it, which I am kind of allergic to. How can I remove that 'vinegarnishness' from my store bought mayonnaise.

EDIT: The ingredient list: Water, vegetable oil (soyabean and/or canola),distilled vinegar, modified food starch, egg yolk, sugar, contains less than 2% of salt, spices(black pepper, mustard flour),potassium sorbate as preservative, phosphoric acid, xanthan gum, lactic acid, lemon juice concentrate, artificial flavour, beta carotene.


texts: How do you defrost frozen chili peppers without them turning soggy?

texts: How do you defrost frozen chilli peppers without them going soggy? (I suppose this applies to other frozen fruit and vegetables with a high water content.)


texts: Is it possible to make vegan Yorkshire Puddings?

texts: What could be used as a replacer for the egg in Yorkshire puddings, having tried before nothing quite seems to work properly :(


texts: In reading about baking one comes across many different type of icing; royal, buttercream, fondant etc. What is the difference between these? What determines the choice of icing used on a cake?


texts: What are the tasteful herbs served with dizi in Iran?

texts:
I’ve tasted Iranian dizi and loved the herbs that where served with it. Leaves look like basil and have a minty taste. Does anyone know what it is?

Thanks :)


texts: How to enhance sweetness of a baked chocolate brownie?

texts: I am not sure if it is even possible or not. I baked a almond and walnut chocolate brownie. While I was preparing the mixture I added extra cocoa powder, I though it will give the brownie a perfect chocolate color. This resulted in bit bitter brownie. The brownie is perfectly baked. I have never ever baked some thing so perfect and consistent like this brownie. Can I some how enhance  sweetness of this brownie?


texts: Is it wise to use an aluminum foil in the microwave? Is there a substitute for the aluminum foil?

texts:
I was recently looking up a recipe for quick Chawanmushi and came across a recipe which used aluminum foil in the microwave.

First of all, I thought that aluminum foil, with it's jagged edges would cause sparks.
Second of all, why can't you just use some plastic wrap?

I did not try it because I didn't want to cause some sort of fire or do something bad to break my microwave.

Is there a good reason to use this method?


texts:
Not the drink.

I'm interested in making this bread: King Arthur Flour Caraway Rye. The recipe recommends the addition of vital wheat gluten or King Arthur's rye bread improver. This is how the King Arthur product is described on the web site: "A blend of rye flavors and sours, diastatic malt, vital wheat gluten (for a good, strong rise) and potato flour (to help combat the "dry crumblies")". I'm disinclined to buy the King Arthur product mostly because their shipping fees to Alaska are ridiculous, and also because I've been meaning to try this: Honeyville Dough Conditioner. But am I missing something without "rye flavors and sours"? The recipe suggests possibly replacing some or all of the water in the recipe with pickle juice, a concept I find rather intriguing, and it gives a range for caraway, which is one the flavors in the King Arthur rye bread improver.


texts:
My daughter suffers from lactose intolerance and/or milk protein allergy (this has yet to be confirmed by a paediatrician due to the way the NHS works in the UK).

I tend to bake fruit cakes and mix dried fruit in my cereal. My little lass likes dried fruit, too, including dates, raisins; mixed fruit generally, really.

My wife is quite adamant that she read something somewhere regarding dried fruit 'taking the calcium' from other foods that it's mixed with, or reducing calcium levels in the blood stream.

Can anyone confirm or refute this, as my wife can't remember where she read this? (I'm not looking for personal opinion, here, more hard fact).

(I've tried to tag this question to the best of my ability, but there's no dried-fruit tag).


texts:
I got a bottle of (supposedly high quality) ginger syrup for Christmas. I've never seen or tasted it before, so I have no idea how to use it.
Since I like ginger, I considered just diluting it with water and drinking it. Or adding it to tea. Can it somehow be used for cooking or cocktails? I have tried searching, but my google-fu failed once again.


texts: How do I decrease the saltiness in pork meatballs?

texts: If I simmer salty pork meatballs in low sodium tomato juice or sauce would it decrease the saltiness in the meatball?


texts: Tricks for knowing when a cheesecake is correctly done

texts: I have just made a cheesecake, (not my first), but will admit that for me it is a bit of a guessing game to know when it is perfectly done.    I know that the sign is when the middle still jiggles, but how big of a middle?  Dime size, nickel size,  quarter size, or salad plate size?  Fortunately, luck was on my side and it turned out perfect, but not without worrying about its doneness!  Other than the "jiggle", is there any concrete way of knowing when it is done?  Is it possible to use a thermometer for the middle and what would the temperature be?  Luckily, even if a cheesecake is under or over done, it's still delicious, but when serving it to company, it an added bonus if it turns out perfect!  Any tips?


texts:
I really enjoy making this recipe for oatmeal-raisin cookies:
http://viveleveganrecipes.blogspot.co.uk/2007/10/oatmeal-raisin-cookies.html

However, I'm based in the UK, where maple syrup is much more expensive than in the US or Canada. If I make this recipe, I usually substitute golden syrup or honey. However, I've noticed that both of these are much more viscous than maple syrup, which means that when I get to this step:

  combine syrup, molasses, and vanilla, then stir in oil to incorporate

I find that the syrup doesn't mix nicely with the oil to give a smooth mixture -- you get more of an emulsion instead, which affects it's ability to lubricate the dry ingredients. The recipe still works if you add a bit more liquid (either more oil / melted butter or a bit of milk), but it leaves me with a couple of questions:

Why is maple syrup less viscous than other liquid sugars? Is it a different ratio of glucose, fructose and other sugars? Or just a higher water content?
Is it possible to thin honey or maple syrup to get it to mix more easily with the oil?
Is there another sugar syrup that would have the same viscosity as maple syrup that would work better? Taste isn't really an issue here -- the spices in the recipe drown the subtle flavour of maple syrup, so any neutral tasting liquid sugar should be fine


texts: Where can I get Melfor vinegar in Spain? Or can someone suggest a good substitute?

texts:
It's a low-acid vinegar from the Alsace region of France, made with spirit (alcohol) vinegar and honey, and infused with herbs. There is a version of it available on Amazon.

I can't find anywhere to buy it here in Spain. Does anyone know where I may be able to purchase it or order it online for delivery to Spain? Alternatively, can somebody recommend a substitution?


texts:
Everytime I try to make chicken fried rice like I get at the take out place it never tastes like it does when they make it. We all know the basic ingredients
Should you put the eggs or the rice first


texts:
I read that we should place the cake pan on the middle rack when baking a cake. Since my oven has only 4 racks, I am not sure if I should put my cake pan on the second lowest rack or the second upper rack? The cake I want to bake is Betty Crocker Super Moist white cake.

Also - My oven has no fan inside. I have the option to have a bottom or top heating element. I can even use both the top and bottom heating element at once. So I was wondering which heating element should I use to bake a cake? Top / bottom / top and bottom?


texts: What temperature should eggs be when I beat them?

texts:
When I beat egg, I notice a difference with the surrounding  temperatures. I have heard that we should beat eggs at room temperature, but in my country the  temperature is high and I can't  follow the tip! Will I yield a fine result  if I beat them when cold?  What should I do?

**my experience  **

I noticed that cold eggs beat better, but it is against the baking rule.


texts: White stains that make potatoes sticking to my iron frying pan

texts:
I've got a well seasoned, never soap washed iron frying pan that I love and take care. This pan used to work well and not stick at all. Untill now.

There are now small white stains that make potatoes sticking to. Just potatoes (the last I bought, "agatha" variety), not other food.

To correct that I tried to heat up salt (2mn) and re-seasoning (1mm of olive oil, until smoke appears, I put it under cold water and wipe with paper towels)

It didn't work, white stains are still there and potatoes still stick to.

What may I do? Do I need to wash it with soap? I don't want to do that in order to not break the seasoning, but if I can't do anything else...


texts: Does anyone know of a champagne cocktail with vodka and Grand Marnier called a Wild Mustang. We used to get it is Whistler but the bar has closed and we can't find the recipe online anywhere.


texts: Is a Pyrex bowl suitable for a double boiler?

texts: Can I use a Pyrex bowl as a double boiler? Or can I use the microwave when a recipe calls for melting ingredients in a double boiler?


texts: Can a masticating juicer make good hummus?

texts:
Many masticating juicers are sold with the claim that they can also make nut butters. Seeing that chickpeas are easier to crush than roasted nuts, I wondered if they can also be used for hummus or other legume pastes. I searched around, but only found 1-2 links and a video from an Australian juicer manufacturer who suggested this use.

If the answer is yes, then the subquestions are:

what features should the juicer have to make sure it is suitable for hummus? Does every juicer that says "makes nut butter" also make hummus, or do I have to look for other special features?
What can I expect in terms of effort and quality to get results? Can I just pour the ingredients and gather the output, or does it require some kind of fiddling to get everything right? How smooth and creamy is the resulting hummus? Does it work with standard dryish recipes (1:10 tahini:chickpeas) or do I have to use more fat as a lubricant to see results?

The background is that I have been thinking of getting a slow juicer, but the price and counter space deterred me, seeing that I don't drink juice frequently. But if it can make good hummus, this will probably tip the scales.


texts:
Wine, especially combined with the right food, seems to be a great deal among gourmets. I'd love to enjoy those highly-praised combinations too, but unfortunately, although I'm 22 years old by now, I still don't like the taste of wine at all.

Can I learn to like wine? Are there any methods or tips how to train my sense of taste? Or is it a process that will simply take its time, and the only thing I can do is "waiting to become older"?


texts: What kinds of pressure cookers are there, and what are they good for?

texts:
I have never owned a pressure cooker, nor been in a kitchen which has one. But they have been a topic around the site and the blog lately, so I got curious. When I took a look, I noticed that they looked differently. I am not yet in the market for one, but I would like to know more about them.

What different types are there?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each type?
Beyond type, what other attributes make a pressure cooker a good cooker?


texts:
I have recently received a 1983 Magic Mill III. I read through the owner's manual and accompanying documentation and it says that moisture or oil can gum up the mill but does not mention drying your grain anywhere.

In general (bonus points for answers specific to my Magic Mill), do I need to dry my grain before milling? Like by leaving it in the oven on low heat for a while beforehand? I milled some pumpernickel flour last night without drying the rye berries and the flour bucket felt a little hot and there was some flour stuck to the millstone outlet area.


texts: Adding sugar at the end of the mixture for apple bread

texts: My apple bread recipe called for adding the sugar in with the sourcream, eggs and vanilla. I forgot to add the sugar until the dry ingredients and the apples were added.  I added the sugar to the batter just before putting it in the oven.  Will this make a difference in the taste or texture?


texts:
I am preparing sandwiches that have only really soft ingredients, like gouda cheese, cream cheese, etc.

But I would like them to have meat in them, I've decided to use sliced ham for that but the problem is that the sinews or tendons or whatever the little hard bits left in the meat are called in English are harder than the rest of the sandwich which gives an unpleasant feeling.

I want to tenderize the ham, while preserving the texture and moisture, so I was thinking of putting it in a pan of water to boil slowly.

What would be the best method to remove any "hard bits" (sinews, tendons?) from the ham, in order to make it tender and almost "creamy"?
Are there any alternative meats I can use that would offer no resistance to biting?


texts: When soaking chickpeas (garbanzo beans), do I discard floaters?

texts: When I put my dried chickpeas in water to soak, some of them float. Should I throw these ones away, or are they okay?


texts: What do the numbers used to differentiate Chinese slicer knives mean?

texts:
I have a Chinese slicer knife which I bought quite a few years ago, but never much used, it is a stainless steel 3 rams number 2.

I am doing more Chinese cooking now, but when reading in my cooking books what to look for in a cleaver struggling to work out what number it refers to (as that's how they are set out in my local Chinese supermarket).

I'm trying to work out if I have the correct sort of knife for the uses in the book, mainly chopping veg, and meat where necessary, but not through bones.

What are the knives of different numbers used for?

Thanks