texts: The family is eating home roasted chicken tonight. I cut into it, and found this bright green "line". What is it?


texts: Indian cooking - How do I get the consistent taste

texts:
I am a grown-up man who has developed an interest in the art of cooking. I have been spending time in the kitchen with my wife and mother-in-law to learn their ways of cooking. Here are the questions I don't seem to be able to get definite answers from them.

1. How do I ensure that a dish has the same consistent taste every time I prepare it? These women don't use any measuring cups/proportions (it an art and not a science!) and use whatever spices/things at hand. I am worried that their method is not going to help me in ensuring a consistent taste.

2. How do I determine the minimum number of things required to get a certain taste? My wife adds at least 10-12 condiments /spices in her curry. My questions is are they all required? What all spices we can avoid and still get the taste I like? Just adding everything from the Masala Dabba doesn't make any sense to me. It is about efficiency for me.

Also, is there a book or website that can help me get the answers to these questions?

Thanks


texts: How to keep homemade soup and cooking stocks/broths consumable without refrigerator?

texts: Since there is a way for fruits, vegetables, meats, grains, seasonings and other stuff, I assumed there was a way for these flavouring liquids as well. Right now I'm wanting to preserve japanese dashi and korean kimchi but I think would be super nice to know of a method to preserve all types broths/stocks as well.


texts: Why are there holes in pasta dough when it is cold

texts: I made some pasta dough this morning and put it in the fridge. When I ran the first batches thru the roller there were some holes in the pasta after it came out of the roller. But for later batches, when the pasta heated up from being out of the fridge, there were no more holes. Why is that? I am partially asking about the chemistry and physics underlying this observation.


texts:
Today makes twice that I've tried to make brioche and twice I've failed. I have some suspects:

Kneading-I don't have a stand mixer and mixing everything by hand, and perhaps I'm not kneading well enough. ¿Would poor kneading prevent the dough from doubling?

Yeast-I've tried dry active yeast and instant yeast. I mixed the dry yeast with water. And the second time I made brioche I mixed the instant yeast with whole milk heated to 99 degrees F and then I let it sit for 20 minutes; this was 4.5g with 0.5 cups of warm milk.

Overall, I have a feeling it's the kneading. But I dunno.


texts: Why should I wrap a cake tin in newspaper?

texts: I have a Christmas Cake recipe which instructs me to "wrap the outside of the [cake] tin with a few sheets of newspaper, securing with staples or string". What is the reason for doing this, and is it really necessary?


texts: How do I keep Glaze for Gingerbread cookies translucent

texts:
need to glaze cookies that will be help at a cold temp. cookies are translucent when glazed, if refrigerated, they become chalky and opauque
looking for ideas on how to keep the glaze clear-
glaze formula
powdered sugar - 100%
water - 24%
thanks!


texts: I forgot to add butter to my king cake dough

texts: I forgot to add butter to my dough when making king cake, I have kneaded it and left it to rise, will it ruin the dough to mix the butter in and then knead and let it rise again?


texts: How to get cheese sauce to stick to meatballs

texts:
I want to serve meatballs that have been dipped in a melted white sauce or. fondue cheese... but would like to do it in a way that the cheese doesn't just slide off the meatballs but clings to it or begins to harden bit once it coats the meatball...any ideas suggestions?
thanks


texts: How to know if water has evaporated from curry/stew?

texts:
I am trying to get a curry to be thick and less watery.  At the moment I am removing solids, boiling water off and then adding solids back in later.  Unfortunately some green vegetables I put in are not practical to move and so as the water lessens they can sometimes burn without constant movement.

Is there a way to know if most water has evaporated and hence further cooking isn't neccesary?  As an example I realise when there is more water there is more boiling so when boiling has turned into small bubbles maybe that means it's enough and one doesnt need to cook further?  I can of course just take a spoon of liquid and test it seems oily rather than liquidy but just wondering if you have any other ideas?


texts: What can replace coconut oil in a chocolate cookie coating?

texts:
For cookies I cover in chocolate I usually use add coconut oil to the liquefying chocolate to get a smooth mass. However, here it is really hard to get and even big supermarkets usually don't have it.

I tried with butter and cream instead but usually the outcome are squishy - or at least not really crunchy - cookies. What is another substitute? What are other oils that do not have a taste on their own that may be a proper replacement?


texts: Purpose of hole in stove leading to oven

texts:
I'm staying in a hotel and have access to a "electric coil stove" for one of the first times.

I accidentally turned on the oven light and saw that the light was shining up through only one of the stoves:

There's only a port from the oven into the top right stove, and note that the stove is not on.

Here's a view from within the oven:

Is there a hole here as a vent for the oven for some reason, or is this for the stove? I typically use a glass "flat-top stove" that doesn't have an oven underneath it. I've never seen a direct hole from a stove to the oven before, and have to wonder what the purpose is.


texts:
Many sources suggest that olive oil loses its distinctive flavors when heated to high temperatures (e.g., Can extra virgin olive oil be used for stir frying, roasting, grilling?). When olive oil is used in baking, however, it would typically stay at lower temperatures than it reaches in sauteeing or roasting. Do baked goods made with olive oil retain any of olive oil's distinctive flavors?

(For what it is worth, I am particularly interested in whether it is worthwhile to use olive oil in breads such as focaccia and in cakes made with oil.)


texts: What part to use from fresh Basil leaves?

texts:
I was wondering what am I supposed to cut from basil leaves, do I only use the “blade” until the petiole or I should cut that too?

I know some things must be chopped in the right places because it may add sourness.

Also, can they be boiled or they should be eaten “raw”?


texts: Why are wire beaters becoming more common in hand mixers?

texts:
It seemed to me that most hand mixers in the past used centre post beaters.  They seemed more sturdy and durable, thicker construction.  I saw one recently by Kitchen aid and the wire beaters seem very minimal, thin, with little surface area compared to the centre post beaters of the past.

However I was wondering why most are now moving towards wire beaters?

I don't know if this is a manufacturing issue - perhaps it is cheaper and easier to build the wire beaters. Perhaps it is a cost savings approach? Or is there some other reason like some benefit to mixing with the wire beaters?


texts: What is the correct timing when cooking spaghetti sauce from minced meat and prepared tomato sauce?

texts:
First, after adding a little oil in the pot, when do I add the minced meat? Then how long do I leave it?

Also, when should I add the sauce? (I use a spaghetti sauce already prepared with all stuff in it.)

Finally: after I add the sauce, how long should I leave it before in the pot before I serve the minced meat sauce?


texts: I'm terribly impatient but I love cooking on a charcoal grill.  How can I get the charcoal ready faster?  Currently I have a chimney starter, I use lump charcoal and light some kind of paper under the chimney.  It takes about 25 minutes to get ready.


texts: I bought some maize(also known as Indian corn or flint corn). Do you boil it just like regular corn on the cob? If so, how long do you boil the corn?


texts: Should I use my microwave's 'popcorn' button?

texts:
My microwave oven has a "POPCORN" button. Its manual reads:

  Touch this pad when popping popcorn in your microwave oven. The oven's sensor will tell the oven how long to cook depending on the amount of humidity it detects from the popcorn. See page 31 for more information.

Page 31 clarifies:

  POPCORN lets you pop commercially packaged microwave popcorn.

(As opposed, I suppose, to popping kernels in a paper bag, which I also do.) Fine. Other microwave ovens have a similar button (though I must admit I haven't checked their manuals).

The problem is that my "commercially packaged microwave popcorn" bag reads:

  Do not use popcorn button.

I've seen it on other microwaveable popcorn bags, too.

So... which of the two manufacturers is correct, and why? And why does the incorrect one claim what it does?


texts:
If I dont drink my smoothie straight away the amount of smoothie in my bottle seems to decrease by almost half. I normally make the smoothie in the morning and have it for my lunch at work.

Has anyone else experienced this problem?


texts: How do I substitute a recipe that calls for yellow cornmeal for self rising corn meal mix

texts:
I have a recipe that I am trying to make but it calls for regular yellow cornmeal. I have self rising yellow corn meal mix, so the question is how do I make the recipe turn out right? It calls for

3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup yellow corn meal
1/4 cup of sugar
2 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp of salt
2 cups of milk
3 extra large eggs
2 sticks of butter

It also calls for jalapenos, cheddar, and scallions.


texts:
My mom uses to add 2 or 3 garlic cloves for each pickle jar when pickling something.

She says that by this way she will prevent them from being overpickled, and stay one whole part.

However I tried pickling more than once without adding these garlic cloves, and they ended just fine.
Is there any hidden purpose from adding garlic to pickles, for the taste probably? Or is it just by chance?

Some websites list in their recipes garlic cloves too.


texts: Problems using my black garlic fermenter

texts:
I just got my fermenter and my garlic came out hard and dried.  It also tastes bitter.

The machine I have is Homend 5L Black Garlic Fermenter Full Automatic Intelligent Control Garlics Maker Multiple Clove Garlic DIY Cooker.

Just wondering if anyone else has used a fermeter and has had this problem also.


texts: Crackling sound and a thin layer of something on the surface before water boils

texts:
I washed my cooking pot and put some water in it, and put it on the stove.
When the water came close to boiling, I started hearing crackling sounds and there was a thin coat of some substance on the surface.

I thought maybe the pot wasn't clean enough, so I washed it once again thoroughly, but the same thing happened again.
Then I used another pot and everything went fine.

My question is, obviously, what was going on with the first pot, and how do I avoid it?
The obvious theory to me would be that there was still some oil in it, but I did wash it properly and don't even remember putting oil in it recently.

Edit: I'm using electricity to cook (the oldschool 3D round thingie, no glass and no induction) and the pot is made out of stainless steel.
The crackling sounds are not from the pot being wet, they're similar but a bit different (and the pot was dry).
 They could be from the pot expanding, but that wouldn't explain the thin layer on the surface of the water.

Edit2: video


texts: Substituting mayonaise for vegetable oil

texts:
I know there's a recipe for Mayonaise cake that is super moist.

I am baking sugar free brownies that are a bit dry, box recipe. I'd like to use mayo instead of oil and see if it comes out moister. However I am not sure what the equivalent? I know in the cake mix the oil is double. Not sure if the brownie mix would be the same?


texts: What vessel should I choose for Lactofermentation?

texts: Do I have to use a mason jar to ferment veggies? Or would any jar do? In case of the latter, does it have to be air sealed?


texts: Can I roast nuts in a convection microwave oven?

texts: I am looking for a new microwave. I heard a lot of good things about convection microwave ovens. I am wondering if I could also use one for roasting nuts or any kind of seeds, so I don't have to buy another appliance for roasting nuts and seeds.


texts: Can I dissolve sugar first before steeping tea?

texts:
I am usually making big batches of sweet tea (20 gallon+). My problem is that after steeping the tea the temperature in the boil kettle will have dropped to the point where it becomes difficult to dissolve the sugar. Last time I had a big sugar crust left at the bottom of the kettle that had hardened.

So my idea is now to dissolve the sugar first and then steeping the tea bags in it.

Will this have a negative impact on the tea (reduced extraction rate from the tea bags etc.)?


texts: I have some leftover brine that was leftover from making canned pickles, it was heated up to put in the canned pickles to make them. Can I use this brine again to make more canned pickles? The brine never touched the pickles or anything else.


texts: How does meat nutritional profile change in freezing?

texts: My teacher said that you cannot stop fats going bad with freezing. So fatty meat is not good idea to freeze over a long time. Are there other factors to consider in freezing meat?


texts: Is it normal to wash an apple, or other fruits, with dish washing liquid?

texts: I've never seen anyone do that until yesterday. So I wanted to know is this appropriate for when preparing apples for any meal, how about other fruits? Unlike plates, fruits can absorb chemicals.


texts: Can you substitute white wine with rose?

texts:
My recipe calls for white wine, but I only have rose. my rose is dry.

Will this work? It's paired with mustard and tarragon for a steak


texts: Can I soak and rejuice the pulp that comes out of a juicer?

texts: If I'm juicing Oranges it takes quite a few oranges to get a decent amount of juice. Would it be possible to soak the pulp in water and send it through the juicer again? If so, what is the best way to go about that? What ratio of water to pulp would be optimal?


texts: What is the difference between molasses and treacle?

texts: I'm just wondering what the difference between the two are, and whether you can substitute between the two? My recipe for sticky toffee pudding calls for treacle but I only have molasses. Can I substitute the treacle for molasses? It is kinda hard going to the shops just at this moment?


texts: How can I keep food hot for extended periods without an active heat source?

texts: Say I have a hot dish, and I want to keep it hot and safe (i.e. >140F) without any heat source (no electricity, no fire) for as long as possible, say morning to evening, or even over a day. Just using something insulated won't be enough for more than a few hours, so what else can I do?


texts: How long do black olives last once opened?

texts: I opened a can of sliced black olives for my pizza and only used half. I put the leftovers into a sealed container with the liquid and put it in the fridge. Under those conditions how long will the olives last? Is there a better way to store leftover olives?


texts: How do you grill Shish Kabobs so they aren't so chewy?

texts:
We cut beef stew into one inch cubes and pierce them on a stick with cherry tomatoes, onions, green peppers, etc, and grill them nicely.

The meat is brown and grilled on the outside, pinkish in the middle, vegetables are grilled, but the meat ends up being not so tender.

How can I make the Shish Kabobs tender?


texts: What to put underneath a polycarbonate sous vide bath container?

texts:
I am using a polycarbonate gastro container for sous vide cooking. The water is relatively hot and I prolonged heat can damage the counter on which it is sitting.

What would be a good and cheap pad to put underneath my sous vide container to protect the counter? I am looking for something cheap and easily obtained, ideally also non-slippery.


texts: How do you keep chicken breast juicy when grilling?

texts: Most of the time it ends up dry. Are there any special marination tricks?


texts:
I'm trying to slow-cook using indirect heat on my kettle-style grill, and having some temperature issues.

Most of my experience with my grill follows one of two patterns:

First cook the food item (almost always meat) sous vide. Dump an inordinate amount of white-hot coals from the chimney into the kettle. Sear the meat for about 30 seconds for a quick crust without affecting the perfectly-done interior. Rest and serve
Sear first (following method above), then cook indoors.

But, as much as I like the consistent results I get from cooking sous vide without having to pay attention, I am trying to improve my BBQ game.

So, I tried using fewer coals, preheating them a bit less, and reducing the air flow. Even still, low and behold, I got a fairly hot fire going that I really didn't want this time.

So, how do I cool it down? I'm trying to get from over 300 down to under 200. I think water will do the trick, but I worry it will put out the fire. I already have the airflow restricted--again, I'd be afraid of closing it off too much and killing the coals. What tricks are available to drop the temperature to a range I can start maintaining.


texts:
I have always used this recipe and this turns out really soft and moist, but also crumbly. How can I fix it?
Here are the ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans

3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted, plus more for pans

3/4 cup hot water

3/4 cup sour cream

3 cups cake flour, (not self-rising), sifted

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

I haven't used up all the batter yet, so I can do changes if required. Please help!


texts: How to make my ice blend more slushy-like?

texts:
I'm trying to make a chocolate ice blend from chocolate syrup, sweetened condensed milk, plain milk, and shaved ice (no measurements, eyeball and taste). I have a shaved ice maker and don't want ice chunks (also not sure how the blender can handle cubes), thus shaved ice instead of ice cubes go in the blender.
I want my ice blend to come out with a slushy consistency, but it keeps turning to liquid and more like just chocolate milk. I'm hesitant to add more ice since I like the strong taste I've got from the current (estimated) ratios.
How can I make the consistency more slushy-like?


texts: Is it safe to boil frozen vacuum sealed chicken without thawing?

texts: Need to cook it fast and it's frozen. Can I place it in hot water with the pouch? Or is that dangerous because plastic particles get on it? What about if I use the microwave to thaw it with the pouch?


texts: What cheese to use for homemade Sicilian pizza so it does not dry in the oven?

texts:
I followed the recipe from Serious Eats to make Sicialian Pizza at home.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/01/easy-no-roll-no-stretch-sicilian-style-square.html

Everything was good except for the cheese.

I baked the dough with most of of the tomato sauce at 525F at the beginning for 5 minutes, to then add some more sauce and the shredded cheese (typical shredded mozzarella cheese in bags). It was supposed to bake for another 10 minutes, but the cheese got very dry and with that brownish color of dried cheese. It was not pulling as it usually pizza cheese does.

Should I be using a different cheese for pizza at home? Maybe fresh mozzarella instead of shredded?


texts:
I was wondering if there’s a downside in cooking ramen noodles directly in the broth it will served in. From the recipes I see, ramen noodles are cooked in slightly salted water and then incorporated into the hot broth.

With instant ramen noodle, cooking directly in the broth seems more common.

Any advice? Thanks a lot.


texts:
I have been making spiced dried mangoes lately by purchasing a package of dried mangoes, placing them into a bowl, splashing some lime juice on them, and then adding paprika, cayenne, ancho, and crushed red pepper.

While the process works nicely to get the spice in place, the acidity of the lime seems to rehydrate the mango pretty thoroughly. I have tried using as minimal of an amount as possible, but it doesn't seem to matter much if I drench it or use it sparingly.

Once the process is complete, I will leave the mangoes out in the open, however it can take several days for them to gain rigidity and stop being sticky to the touch from the lime juice.

How can I speed up the process of getting them back to the similar dried fruit nature they were when I purchased them without losing the new flavors?


texts: how to improve the consistency of my pizza sauce

texts:
I'm trying to make homemade pizza sauce but end up with sauce that ends up drying up in the oven. Here's what im using:

1 can crushed roma tomatoes
3/4 cup garlic
3/4 cup basil
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper

Heat until thick

However when I smear the sauce onto the dough and bake it, it never turns out right. Any thoughts? Any suggestions on my recipe would also be great.


texts: Could you cook Chicken Galantine in stock?

texts: All the recipes I have seen for a Galantine just cooks the prepared chicken in an oven pan. What would you generally expect from the Galantine if it was cooked in chicken or vegetable stock?


texts: Is "krapfens" commonly used to designate donuts?

texts:
"Krapfen" is a German word which means "donuts".
I wonder if the term "krapfens" is commonly used in English to refer to donuts or if it may be pretty odd.
I have such doubt because it sounds similar to "crap" and it might sound not very good to designate food...

In other terms, if I say "Krapfens" in England / America does everyone understand what I meant to point out?


texts: Why do brinjal change their color when they being cut? How to keep them not to change color?

texts: Why do brinjals (eggplant, aubergine) change their color(mostly black or brown) when they being cut? How to keep them not to change their color after cutting them?


texts:
I've got to the point where my bread springs beautifully (I can see it grow). Unfortunately, no matter how I score it, the score always spreads open gently, then hardens along with the rest of the crust. Then, 5 minutes later, the bread splits open at the side.

I usually bake a batard shape, with 80% hydration. I make a single score, using a kitchen knife, about 0.5 to 1 cm deep cut straight down. I spray the oven walls three or four times with a plant sprayer after I put the loaf in.

What can I do to get better results? Should I invest in a razor, should I angle the cut a bit more?

Since the answer is a combination of the things mentioned, I'd thought I'd edit the question to summarize my findings. I've tried most of the things mentioned below. The following things stand out:

It's perfectly possible to get a  properly opening score without a lamé.
There's a spectrum ranging from doughs that immediately open up when you cut them, and those that stay firm and re-seal immediately. This mostly depends on hydration. If you have the first, you'll want to make very horizontal cuts. This gives you a kind of flap that holds the cut closed long enough to keep it from hardening during the first minutes of the oven spring. This is why the score looks asymmetrical after baking.
I resisted the method of putting a dutch oven inside my oven for a long time. I have a small oven and this reduces the effective space a lot. Also I can't watch the dough spring anymore, which I find the most magical part of baking bread. But I tried it and, holy cow, what a difference it makes. Of all the tricks mentioned, this one made by far the biggest difference.


texts: How do you know when your flavor base is thoroughly sauteed?

texts:
I have read that sauteing is basically taking all of the moisture and bite out of aromatic veggies. My assumption is as long as steam comes out of the flavor base (not fat burning smoke) there is some moisture to cook off.

Is it true? How can you know when your flavor base is properly sauteed?


texts: Pulled Pork in a slow cooker. To brown or not to brown?

texts:
I'm going to make some barbeque pulled pork in a slow cooker. I've done it a few times with some good results, but I'm always looking for ways to improve.

Here's what I've been doing:
1. Brine pork for a few hours
2. Slow cook all day with carrots, celery, and onions
3. Shred and toss with Montgomery Inn or Hickory Brown Suger Sweet Baby Rays bbq sauce

Here's the question:
Would browning the pork help in any way? Could the pan drippings be used to jazz up the bbq sauce?

EDIT:
this also popped into my head: Should I sautee the onions ahead of time?

Thanks.


texts: Best way to preserve excess tallow long-term

texts:
I received a shipment of eight 14oz bottles of grass-fed beef tallow. I will use one bottle right away. What is the best way to preserve the rest of the seven?

One idea is to put the 7 bottles in a freezer, and take one by one out as needed. Will this work?

FWIW, from the FatWorks FAQ I located this; not sure how reliable that information is.

  Tallow is naturally shelf stable for years.

  You can freeze your fat for an even longer shelf life, years in fact.


texts: How can I reduce the bitterness of onions?

texts: Sometimes onions are too much better and can't use for salad. Then what should I do for reducing onions bitterness?


texts: Food safety of China-imported kitchen utensils

texts:
I am considering ordering a few silicone kitchen utensils from China (like this). However, I am concerned about their food safety. The seller assures that the tools are made of "100% Food Grade Silicone" and food safe symbol (fork and wine glass icon) is there - however anyone can print anything on their products... The seller also assures that their products are certified by a number of agencies ("CIQ,EEC,FDA,LFGB,CE / EU,SGS", of which for certain I can recognize only FDA, EU may possibly mean European Union).

Do you have any experiences with this producer or is there any official online resource (e.g. published by FDA or EU) that can be used to confirm food safety of products offered by a given producer?


texts: My father insists on "burning off" the grill by letting it run on high after each use. Is there any advantage to doing so?


texts: Funnel-like device for putting non-liquids into a whipped cream dispenser?

texts:
I use an iSi whipped cream dispenser to make things besides whipped cream, such as microwaved chocolate cake, or coffee foam to top desserts.  Pouring cream or sugar into the small opening at the top is easy.  Pouring things like cake batter or coffee in gel form is not as easy.  I tried using a funnel, but it just got clogged and made a mess.  The best technique I've found so far is to fold some parchment paper in half to create a channel, and have a helper hold it while I pour the mixture onto it.

Does anyone have a better technique for this?


texts: How can i tell if a pineapple will be sweet?

texts: A lot of the times when i bring a pineapple home and eat it, i get a semi-sweet and sour taste. How can you tell when is the right time to eat your pineapple to get very sweet pineapple meat?


texts:
I frequent a place that makes thick tonkotsu (pork based) ramen, so that is my point of reference. But I recently tried a new place that only makes chicken based broths and, for the same size bowl, I found it to be extremely filling to the point of being uncomfortably full

How is chicken broth typically made? and is there some ingredient in there that causes it to be much more filling than pork based broths?

The 2 places in question:

http://ramendanbo.com/our-menu-vancouver/
https://marutama.ca/menus/


texts:
We store a few cast iron pans in the oven, on the bottom rack. We leave the pans in there while cooking other things. Occasionally, I worry that this might affect oven performance, by interfering with radiation or convection in the oven. While investigating the subject today, I found several guides to cast iron guide that mention oven storage, but none of them answered that question. However, a few of them did advise against the practice for a different reason: cooking with empty cast iron might ruin the seasoning.
If you store cast iron in your oven, do you need to remove the empty pans before cooking? Will empty cast iron pans affect the oven performance? Will it harm the pans or ruin the seasoning?


texts: Can you substitute blood for the eggs in an ice cream base?

texts:
I read somewhere (Facebook) that you can use blood as a substitute for the eggs in an ice cream base due to to the similarities in protein composition shared between the two.

Does anyone know more about this?

Have you made Blood Ice Cream?

What would be some good flavors?

Would the blood give the ice cream a metallic flavor because of bloods high content of iron?


texts: Copper saute pan metal lining is melting?

texts:
So, I tried using a copper (I bought 2nd hand recently) pan to brown some beef. The lining is melting and bubbling.

Am I not supposed to use it for this?

Or has it been lined with something other than tin?

Thanks,

I am worried to eat from it now.


texts: Does soaking candied fruit in bourbon change the taste?

texts: Recipe for fruitcake cookies calls for soaking candied fruit in bourbon overnight. Does this change the taste?  Texture?  Why do it?


texts: eggnog doubling the ingredients, what is the new cook time?

texts: I am attempting to make homemade eggnog. My recipe requires you to cook your mixture (which is good, as I am pregnant and can't have raw eggs but would love to taste my end result). I do however need to double all the ingredients as I am making a large quanity. How do I determine how long to cook it on the stove top? The original cook time is an hour. This is my recipe if this helps anyone.


texts: How do I adjust cooking time for smaller batch of bread?

texts:
I've been making this recipe for bread that I really like, but it yields more than I'd like to make at a time. I'm wondering if I were to cut the recipe by half, how would I adjust the cooking time?
Here's the current recipe:

40g fresh yeast
600ml warm water
1kg bread flour
18g salt

You proof it once for 2 hours, shape it, and once again proof for another hour. Then you cook it in a dutch oven in an oven heated to 480º F for 30 minutes and then 450º F for another 30 minutes.


texts: Appliance to wash or scrub fruit and vegetables? Washer or scrubber

texts: I need to wash or scrub 20 lb of oranges a day. Some have a layer of white stuff on them and I never tried juicing those without scrubbing. Does anyone know of a household sized  automated machine for this? The best I have found Cuisine cleaner at AMZ seems intended for more delicate things. Will the ozone help in any way? Would ultrasonic? I hope I will not have to DIY something out of a paint buffer or back and forth towel mover machine.


texts: When should I use lemon zest and not just juice?

texts:
If you want to add lemon flavor, why not just add lemon juice?

For what type of dishes would you recommend using each one?


texts: I saw this question and it got me thinking, can I freeze egg whites, and if so is there anything I need to bear in mind when doing so?


texts:
I already know basic cutting skills. But I am confused about the order of things and thus while I have an OK technique, my board and the surroundings are in anarchy.
Do you chop from left to right or right to left? Should you pick up the diced veggies with the knife or push them from the board into the pan (in which case, the order in which you cut is important)?


texts: How can I make carrot cake more fruity and fresh?

texts:
I am planning to create a carrot cake that should be a bit different from what people usually think of when they think of carrot cake.

Please note: This is not a recipe request!
My carrot cake recipe consists of the usual stuff cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts...and of course carrots. The frosting is classically cream cheese.
The purpose of this question is more to ask for classic flavor combinations or well knows flavor combinations. I want to be creative, but not too bold. Basically I just want to add different textures and bit of a fruity and fresh flavor to it, so:

What do you think about a layer of raspberry gel inside the cake?
What do you think about a layer of orange gel inside the cake, maybe with a bit of ginger?
What do you think about a passionfruit layer? Maybe together with the orange?
Do you think a bit of lemon and basil or mint in the frosting could be used to create a refreshing aftertaste?


texts: Difference between French bread and Japanese bread

texts:
I have lived in Japan for 1 year now, but I cannot find French bread - baguette - in Tokyo like the one we have in France.

Their bread is not crunchy nor crispy at all, and it's chewy, I kind of feel like I am eating a sponge... like old bread.

What is the difference between the bread made in Japan and the one we have in France? Do they use different flour, different way of baking? Do they wait for the bread to become chewy before selling it?


texts: What's the best time and temperature for tenderness when baking red potatoes?

texts:
Lately I've gotten into baking Red Potatoes with butter and spices and I've found I enjoy them when they are nice and tender.

What's the best temperature for baking red potatoes for tenderness?

How long should they be baked for?


texts: When bringing water to a boil from cold water, what effect does a lid have on the time to boil? Does it increase or decrease the time? How much? Why?


texts: Pecan pie says "keep frozen" on the box, but the store is selling them just sitting out. Is this safe?

texts:
My local supermarket has a display of Edwards Pecan Pie boxes that all say "keep frozen" on the box, yet they are just sitting out at room temperature in a display.

I asked and the manager said this was fine. So my question is, why does the box say "keep frozen"? How does it make sense that the store could sell them unfrozen and then the customer is expected to freeze them at home?


texts: The consistency of my hot chocolate is off, what do I do?

texts:
I've made hot chocolate before however it's only ever been the instant powdered variant by Cadbury's, however today I bought some hot chocolate by "Charbonnel et Walker", I don't know if anyone knows about this drinking chocolate but it isn't powdered instead it's comprised of really fine and small flakes of chocolate and you're meant to mix them with the milk I guess? I did so but the consistency of the hot chocolate was off; that is to say that although the flakes melted a little they congealed/massed on the surface of the hot milk rather than assimilate and no matter how much I stirred they'd still rise back to the top.

My steps were: I microwaved some full fat milk till it was a hot, mixed the recommended amount of chocolate flakes in and some brown sugar, gave it a good stir and put it back in the microwave.

I've probably made this wrong, was I meant to make this in a sauce pan?
Could anyone help me with this?
Thank you.


texts: When making a sponge cake how does the method of combining ingredients effect the final product?

texts:
I recently completed a project where I would bake several sponge cakes using various recipes so I could test how the different ingredients such as milk, self-rising flour, plain flour and baking powder would affect the final product.

I was surprised to find that the method and order of mixing the ingredients vary such as “creaming the butter and sugar first” compared to “whisk eggs and sugar together first” and also “whipping the egg whites separately then folding into batter”. I had assumed that the methods would be the same. Although in making the cake I found that the batter was very different for each, some would be grainier then others and some would be more viscous.

I apologise for asking such a broad question, but what different orders and methods are there for mixing the batter of a sponge cake and how will they affect the final cake?

Also, as an extra, how does adding milk affect the batter?


texts: Keeping cooked pasta, chicken, beef, shrimp, and rice edible for at least 5 days

texts:
I am trying to meal prep for the work week. I have come up with recipes that meet my calorie goals, and I am trying to make them in advance. I have tried this in the past, but what I noticed is that I got bored after about the 3rd day or the meat did not taste good after approximately 3 days (especially chicken and fish).

I tried making meals for only 3 days in advance vs 5 days, but the problem is that I have very little to no time to cook during the weekdays. I tried yesterday, and it took me over 2 hours and I still was not able to complete the meals.

My meals are as follows: brown rice with veggies and some meat, wholewheat pasta with some meat, wholewheat tortilla tacos with some meat, and a lean veggie soup base (veggies with broth). Each of the meals may be supplemented by some extra roasted potatoes. All of the meals also include some veggies (onion, bell pepper, spinach, etc)

I have time on sunday to cook but I want the meals that I am going to eat on Thursday/Friday to last if I cook them on Sunday. I am trying to figure out the best way of doing this.

I usually make the meals individually. So for example I'll make specifically 114g of pasta for a single meal and cook that separately from the rest of pasta meals I will cook, since I don't know how much 114g of raw pasta weighs when it is wet. The meats are usually done in batch. I'll cook the chicken around the same time as I cook my flank steak, shrimp, and chicken sausage. Here are my questions:

1) If I make the individual meals on Sunday, and the meals contain brown rice/wholewheat pasta with some meat like chicken/shrimp/flank steak and veggies, can i immediately freeze the meals in the tupperware? Will this taste good if I thaw them 4 days later and reheat them?

2) Let's say I don't freeze anything. Then can cooked pasta/brown rice last for 5-6 days? I read online that chicken/meats in general only last about 3 days before they spoil/taste bad. But it would save me a lot of time if I cooked the pasta/rice in advance and just cooked the meats/veggies on wednesdays.

3) how long can cooked veggies last in the fridge? I make veggie soup as part of my meals, so can that last for 5 days if needed?

Sorry for the long list of questions. Mainly I am trying to figure out what is the best way of prepping this stuff. An ideal solution for me would be cooking all 10 meals (5 days x 2 meals for lunch and dinner) in one day and then preserving the taste of the meals that will be eaten on thursday/friday.


texts: Oven Temperature: How to be sure the selected temperature is correct.

texts: I suspect that my - fairly new - oven gets too hot, so I bought an oven thermometer, which confirmed this.  So I called the supplier.  They say that in order to obtain the correct actual  oven temperature, for any setting, you take the highest reading on the thermometer, and the lowest, and then divide both readings.   Is this correct?


texts: How can I make Shepherd's Pie without tomatoes?

texts:
Shepherd's pie recipes usually involve cooking the lamb mince with tomato paste or chopped tomatoes from a can, for example in this BBC recipe, or this Good Food recipe.

How can I best approximate the usual taste and texture without any tomato ingredients?


texts: I've heard that good polenta can be made in the oven, without the stirring. Has anyone else heard of this? Does anyone know how to?


texts: What are examples of spoiled food that is part of a culture's cuisine?

texts:
Today my brother-in-law told me that he's going to Iceland for vacation. He also told me that one of the delicacies in Iceland is aged/rotten Greenland Shark.

This then brought up a curious question for me and I think this forum is the perfect place for it...

What are some other foods that are essentially allowed to rot or go bad that some cultures call food. If you can name it and maybe give some background about it, describe the taste/texture and maybe how it is used that would be great.

I'm turning this in to a wiki. So please put one food per answer. This way, people can add to and/or comment on each food. I will add the Icelandic delicacy of the rotten shark as an answer below...


texts: Allergic to grapes, apple and cherry how to use recipes with wine

texts: Wine allergy is my problem... not alcohol. I am also allergic to grapes, apples and cherries. Many recipes call for wine... what can I substitute?


texts:
I'm looking at this recipe from Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Home Cooking, pg. 198:

Barbecue-Style Slow-Roasted Beef Brisket

1kg beef brisket, excess fat trimmed off to leave just 1 cm

2 onions, peeled and sliced

6 bay leaves

2 tbsp light brown sugar or muscovado sugar

1 tbsp tomato pureé (presumably this is tomato paste for us Americans)

1 x 300 ml bottle lager

350 ml beef stock

1 tbsp cider vinegar (optional)

For the rub: 2 tsp cayenne pepper, 2 tsp mustard powder, 2 tsp freshly ground cumin seeds, 2 tsp celery seeds, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

He mixes the rub, puts it on the brisket and seals the brisket in a roasting tray with a bit of oil. Caramelizes the onions and sugar and bay leaves and salt and pepper in the tray, puts in tomato puree and broth to deglaze. Then sticks the brisket in this mix, brings it to a boil and then puts it in the oven (140 C). Then takes it out 3 - 3.5 hours later and makes a sauce from the drippings in the pan.

The question I have is: Is the brisket (without any qualifications) from the point or the flat? If it isn't the flat, what would I change to have the recipe work for the flat?


texts:
I just ordered an Anova Precision Cooker. Most of the pictures I have seen show the cookers being used in large cooking pots of water, like Dutch ovens.

Does it make more sense to cook in a small beer cooler, like an Igloo?

Doesn't cooking in mostly-aluminum pots with one of the highest heat conductivities of any metal commonly used in a kitchen cause the cooker to have to work more, and waste more electricity?


texts: How long can milk products be frozen before spoiling?

texts:
I made a sauce for macaroni and cheese about 6 months ago and froze the excess sauce. It is basically a bechamel sauce with a fair amount of cheese melted in.

I realize that if I thaw and re-heat this sauce there may be taste or texture differences - the cheese may seize, etc. But I'm mostly concerned with whether this will be safe to eat.

Is it possible for the sauce to have spoiled? If so, will reheating make it safe to eat or not?


texts: How to get more lactic acid vs acetic acid in sourdough?

texts:
I want to start a sourdough culture with wheat flour. I don't want the vinegar taste to be too pronounced.

What can I do to create a culture which produces a high ratio of lactic to acetic acid?


texts: How should "vegetarian duck" (seitan) be pre-prepared to substitute into a duck recipe

texts:
So, I have a large can of "vegetarian roast duck" (actually braised gluten), and while I can find many recipes to put the stuff into, I'm wondering about how important the physical properties tend to be in cooking duck, and if there are any tips for how best to prepare the gluten, in order to successfully substitute it into a recipe that calls for real duck.

For example, many recipes start with rendering fat out of the duck, which I'm assuming is not necessary here.  Also, steps to encourage crispy skin probably won't be helpful.  On the other hand, such meat substitutes tend to be quite lean compared to actual meat, and often need fats added back into the dish... being unfamiliar with actual duck, is there a way to tell how much fat (or what kinds) I should be adding back?  How much fat I should add if the recipe didn't render the fat out from under the skin first?  Will I need to adjust cooking times, since the gluten is essentially precooked (I don't care about saving time, just if the recipe will suffer for it)?  Are there other common places in a recipe where the physical properties of a duck need to be accounted for, since the gluten doesn't have those properties?

It is fairly easy to find recipes, that isn't the issue - I'm wondering if there are any extra steps I should add to offset any difficulties that might happen because I substituted the gluten in for the actual meat.  I am not at all familiar with actual duck meat, to figure out how to tweak the recipes around the lack.  I'm hoping someone on the site might have enough experience with the real stuff, and the gluten, to suggest ways to avoid problems.  This particular can is already "roasted", so I could just pick a recipe that skips those processes - but I've seen non-roasted varieties available, and I find many recipes interesting enough to try, so any hints for how to deal with this with those recipes that do call for such steps would be appreciated.

The image below isn't exactly the same as mine, but it should give an idea of the kind of product I'm referring to.


texts: Is baking powder the same thing as baking flour?

texts:
Are the two the same? I have no clue. A brief google search didn't provide much help.

Update:
Here's an example of baking flour


texts: Techniques for cooking beef shin in the piece

texts:
I have a large (1.5kg/3lb) piece of beef shin, in the piece with skin on. I normally use beef shin for stews, but I would like to try slow-roasting or pot roasting it in a single piece.

Have you tried this? Can you recommend any techniques?


texts:
Okay I give up, I've tried and failed about 8 times now frying prawns but they never are succulent. The recipe that I want to get done is pretty simple:

De-vein. Salt the prawn for some time and allow it to marinate.
Wash them.  Fry them in some oil till they turn pink.
Add onion, chillies, ginger, garlic. Some turmeric. Some tomatoes.

The cuisine is Goan if it's of any help.

This is exactly what mum does and somehow it turn out great. The only things different that I'm doing are:

The original recipe uses coconut oil, I'm using sunflower
I'm using frozen prawns because i cant get hold of fresh prawns.

I don't think any of this should affect the dish. Anyway, what always happens is that the prawns are either too chewy or too dry (opposite of juicy).

What am I doing wrong here?  How do I know if the prawns are just cooked right?  Should I be using low or high heat?

Any other tips for getting really juicy fried prawns?


texts: Cooked food / heat and serve meal, long term packaging

texts:
How does package food producers such as "Seeds of Change" or "Pacific Foods" package their food to keep for up to 15 months and store without refrigeration? What consumer, or DIY approach, most closely resembles their process?

It seems they use certain natural preservatives, detailed packaging materials, a food vacuum system, and perhaps a bit of drying. I'm trying to avoid canning if possible. The plastic/paper material weighs a lot less.


texts: Is there a difference between Kansas City strip and New York strip?

texts: Wikipedia gives the impression that Kansas City strip refers to the same cut as New York strip. Are they really the same cuts? If so, which name is more "authentic"? And if not, what's the difference between them?


texts: How can you make a sauce less spicy/hot?

texts:
Sometimes when I'm making a sauce or soup that needs to be a bit spicy, I have no troubles spicing how I want to.

But if the dinner party is a bit late, or I made the sauce in advance to really draw out all the flavors of the spices, vegetables and meat, sometimes I end up with a way too spicy/hot dish.

You can always pour a bit water and try to dilute it a bit, but that also takes away all of the good flavor. So is there some trick that I'm missing I can use, when this happens to me (other than being more careful or using the spices later)?


texts: How does a pinch of salt make a difference to a recipe?

texts: Many recipes ask for a pinch of salt. How can such a small amount of salt make any difference to the taste of the recipe?


texts: Why does my pan always splatter when I make chicken breasts?

texts:
I've been cooking for myself since summer started and have been pan-frying a lot of chicken breasts in Sunflower oil. They taste great, but from about halfway through, there's a TON of splattering. Even with the splatter shield it makes a mess of the stove.

I cook them on medium, which takes about 12-14 minutes a side on my stove. Reducing the heat doesn't help much and just takes longer to finish cooking them. I've also tried adding more oil, but that doesn't prevent the splattering either.


texts: At what pressure is whipped cream stored in a can?

texts: Whipped cream is often sold in pressurized cans. At what pressure is the cream stored in such a can when it is new? Thank you!


texts: Making Southern style chicken in the oven

texts:
I've been trying to make southern style chicken in the oven. I firstly soak my chicken in buttermilk, I then dredge it in flour, leave to stand for half an hour to dry a bit. I then dredge it again in the seasoned flour again. I've tried a egg wash and missing the egg wash out.  I then place the chicken on a quality non stick roasting dish and spray it with a butter/oil cooking mist. Every time I make this, the batter sticks to the roasting dish leaving one side of the chicken with no batter. Any ideas what I'm not doing correctly?

I've tried parchment paper and it sticks like crazy. I'm delicate about removing it from the pan. Would using a nonstick spray help?


texts: Everytime I fry eggs, in any pan, it sticks. If I add oil or butter it helps, BUT if I go to make a second egg, it sticks unless I add more butter or oil. And when I add more, the butter or oil burns and makes my eggs taste gross. What am I doing wrong?


texts: What kinds of apples are suited to be filled with cranberries and baked?

texts:
During the holidays, an apple cut in half and filled with cranberries or cranberry sauce is a commonly served item in Belgium. I want to make this too this year, but I'm not sure which kind of apple works best here.

I can imagine that this is opinion-based to some extent, but assume that I do not have any preferences. There are a few conditions my apples should meet.

Since they are baked in the oven, I don't want them to be too mushy. They should hold their shape and become soft, not squished apple sauce. Cranberry sauce is also quite tart, so I'd like apples that are sweeter. The peel is of no issue, I will peel them anyway.

What kinds of apples would be suited for my purpose? And which definitely not? (In Belgium we won't have the same kind of apples, but some are similar enough)

I have two side questions as well: is there a way to minimize colourisation of the apple (because of the cranberries) and how long and at what temperature should I bake the filled apples?


texts: I have a built in deep fryer outside. Is it safe to leave oil in it

texts: I have a commercial grade built in deep fryer that I put in my outdoor kitchen.  I have been using it for awhile now and I just leave the oil in the fryer and put a stainless steel cover on it.  The oil looks to be in good shape not dark or anything and the food taste good.  The oil doesn’t smell or anything like that.   I will use the fryer once a week and change the oil every 2-3 months.  Is this a safe and healthy way of storing the oil?  Draining the oil after every use is not ideal as there is a lot of it.   Would like anyone’s input if possible.  Thanks


texts: If cookies are made with enough sugar, will they just be chewy caramel?

texts:
If one increases the ratio of sugar to flour in the dough of, say,  chocolate chip cookies, at what point (if any) will it no longer make chocolate chip  cookies and instead be chocolate chips embedded in chewy caramel?

In other words: At what point (if any) is dough no longer cookie precursor, but caramel precursor?


texts: Leaving the food out to cool off after cooking

texts:
After cooking, if the food is hot I heard it is better to leave it out until it cools. Why? Because if you place it hot in the refrigerator, the bacteria will grow there.
On the other hand, I think that leaving it out too much on the shelf would also attract bacteria.
So what is the truth? What should I do, leaving it out to cool off or placing it hot in the refrigerator?


texts: How do I make canned tomato sauce delicious for pouring on top of steamed vegetables?

texts:
I usually steam mixed vegetables and top it with the following tomato sauce concoction:

canned diced tomato (salt free)
cayenne chili powder
habanero chili powder
dill weed
stevia

There’s no cooking of the tomato sauce. It’s kinda of boring over time and I was wondering if there was a way you could recommend for me to spruce up my tomato sauce in a tastier, but healthy way.


texts: How long can milk be stored in the refrigerator after boiled and put in a Ball jar?

texts:
I've finally gotten my steel-cut oats recipe nearly perfect and I'm trying to figure out how long I can store them (so I know how much I can make at once). Basically I'm doing a double-boiler setup in a ball jar cooking the oats for 45 minutes to an hour and then putting on the lid and then refrigerating for later use.

Normally milk will go bad after a couple weeks in the fridge but I assume boiling and vacuum sealing will extend this time. I'm not really familiar with canning though so my assumption might be wrong.

How long should I expect milk to last in the fridge when boiled and sealed in a Ball jar?


texts: A substitution for pork in Swedish meatballs

texts:
I am looking for a substitute for ground pork in Swedish meatballs. For religious reasons, I don't eat any kind of pork (I adhere to the Bible clean and unclean meat, fish, and fowl).

Would ground turkey or ground veal be the best substitute for the pork? Thank you for your answer.


texts: How briny should the water be when soaking broccoli to remove bugs?

texts:
I've seen advice to drop homegrown broccoli in a pot of salted water for a while so the bugs come out.

What's the right salt:water ratio and how long should I soak?


texts: What differences will happen if you use a rectangular baker to bake cookies instead of a tray?

texts:
Hey so I have these rectangular bakers that I use to make lasagna. Unfortunately I don't bake cookies that often so I don't have a standard cookie tray. I decided to bake some cookies though so I opted for using those since those are what I have in my disposal. See below

I just popped them into the oven but I actually didn't consider if this would affect how long they need to cook for since they have that lip that surround the cookies. Will they turn out okay? If I don't get an answer in the next 8 or so minutes I can post what will happen for science.


texts:
So this morning I made some blackberry jam (just blackberries, lemon juice and sugar). But apparently I overcooked it, because after dropping it in the pot and sealing it, it cooled off and now it's rock-solid.

Is there anything I can do to save it? I was thinking about trying to scoop it out and re-cook it and see if it'd soften up, but considering how much work it'll be to get it out, I'd rather be sure it'd actually work.

If not, is there anything else I can use it for?


texts: No-bake cheesecake - freeze or chill overnight?

texts:
Good day, I made a big batch of no bake blueberry cheesecakes for an event tomorrow. My question is, do I put it in the freezer or do I put it in the refrigerator? My concern is that if the temperature is not low enough, the icing I placed around the edges will deform and melt. My mom said that if the temperature is too low, the consistency will be ruined when the cheesecakes get thawed tomorrow.

What do I do? Is it possible to just set the freezer on a slightly higher temp? Setting the fridge to a lower temp isn't an option because I don't have enough space there.


texts: Very old sourdough starter; how long is too long?

texts:
For quite some time, my grandmother has had a sourdough starter kept in the fridge. I observed her making muffins and whatnot on an infrequent basis, with the intervals sometimes increasingly greater than the 14 days I see recommended on various sites. My first question is did I just miss her "washing" the mix or is there a secret way to store the starter long term that I am not observing?

The jar has been stored in a static location in the back of the fridge, and is mostly full with a clearish layer (presumably the alcohol layer), apparently airtight, and without noticeable discoloration. With my grandmother's increasing age and decreasing health I doubt this has been touched in between one and two and a half years.

My second question is what beyond obvious (pink, blue, green) color changes am I looking for that tell me that I have to chuck this and start over?

My third question is if I do not get any "stop" signs (from question two) what would the best way to extract a viable sample for my own mix without contaminating or making significant modification to the existing jug? My first thought is to us the trick where you put your finger over the top of a straw to lift out a liquid. And then can I just pick up where I am reading elsewhere about washing and resurrecting old starters?

Thank y'all for your help!


texts: Nutrient impact of squeezing water out of frozen chopped spinach

texts: Many recipes using frozen chopped spinach instruct one to thaw and squeeze out the water from the spinach.  When I do this, how much nutrition I am squeezing out?


texts:
I have been reading about home malting here and here for the purpose of making my own malted flour. However, I doubt my grain has been inspected for Fusarium and, if using rye, I'm not sure if I ought to worry about Ergot either.

I understand this is (practically) an internet forum and I should not be asking for safety advice. However, can anyone say 'Yes, you definitely need special quality grains, special malting equipment' or something else in order to safely practice home malting? Also, since I'm baking, not brewing, would the heat destroy any potential toxins?


texts: What am I doing wrong with my Kool-Aid pickles?

texts:
I'm trying to make Kool-Aid Pickles (koolickles).  I've tried with quartered Ba-Tampte pickles and I seem to get it right, but I'm not seeing the results I expect with halved pickles.  I want to go with halved because quartered seem to shrivel unappealingly.

I have a 2 quart jar of manually halved pickles (they were originally whole).  Into the pickle brine I dissolved a cup of fruit punch Kool-Aid and a cup of white sugar.  After 2 weeks, the coloring has only soaked half-way into the pickles.  They look red on the outside, but are green on the interior.  My intent was to get the full red all the way through.  They taste almost right, but I think they could do with better penetration.

Am I going to be stuck using only quartered pickles?  Should I have used more Kool-Aid, or maybe a different flavor?  Should I consider a different pickle brand?


texts: What organic grains can I substitute for self-rising (Gold Medal) flour?

texts:
My nine (7) year old step-daughter is expecting to help me make Chicken and Dumpling today. I have the recipe for the stew, my question lies in the dumplings:

I am aware that I can replace 1 1/2 cups of self-rising flour by adding 1 1/2 tsp baking power and 1/2 tsp of salt to 1 cup of regular white flour - but I want to avoid the white flour altogether.  What (organic) grains can I substitute for bleached white flour?


texts: Flour for sauce: In the broth or in the oil?

texts:
I am an amateur cook. While I have been making a couple different sauce recipes, I have been using flour to thicken it. To deal with lumping, I have been try several methods. One successful one has been to mix the flour into the cold broth. I simply add the flour to the broth and whisk out any dry lumps. This method works because the gluten globules don't form without heat.

However, I don't see this method referenced in any method. Instead I have been told to only mix the flour in oil or knead it into butter.

Is there a reason why the flour + broth method isn't recommendable?

Does the method to make a roux not work if there is liquid in the mix?

Thank you.


texts: Sauteing onions to the point of transparency - what is ideal?

texts:
Observing other people cooking, I hear comments about sauteing onions until they turn transparent (or translucent), or just before they start to turn.  Usually in books and shows about cooking, this isn't discussed much.  When is the ideal time to stop sauteing onions?  are just-before and well-after transparency good for different culinary purposes?

BTW, as a physicist with a love for molecules, transformations, and looking at cells through microscopes - what is going on when onion turn from dense white to semi-translucent?


texts: Is there anything special about fugu meat?

texts:
I know that fugu is fairly well known both inside and outside Japan, and wild versions of the fish contains a toxin 1200 times more potent than cyanide. (Fun fact: one species is also the second vertebrate to have its genome sequenced after humans)

What I don't know is whether the fish is famous (and considered a "delicacy") solely because of its potential toxicity, or whether there is something else unique about its meat.

Is there anything unique about fugu meat, such as its flavour or texture?


texts: Oat powder is moist after blending for two minutes. Safe to store?

texts: I filled my blender about half way with instant oats and blended on high for about 2 minutes. When I took the lid off, I noticed moisture all inside the lid and and the oat powder is a little moist as well. Is it safe to store the oat powder in the original cardboard carton it came in? Should I try to get the moisture out of the powder first?


texts:
I am living in Marrakech and in our new place I don't have an oven, and don't really want to buy anything expensive as we will only be here for a few months.

I would like to make cakes/biscuits (and possibly bread), but is this going to be possible without an oven?  I have a tagine, could I re-purpose that to make some sort of cake or biscuit?


texts: I made challah dough and it was still sticky after 9 cups of AP flour

texts:
I only needed a few more tablespoons of flour, but I had run out. Instead I substituted half the amount of cornstarch. Will my bread still have the right texture when baking?
Here is the recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/132319/sweet-challah/
Below are the ingredients:

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
⅓ cup white sugar
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup white sugar
6 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 teaspoon water


texts: How to bake a sponge cake in a grill microwave oven

texts: How can we bake a sponge cake in a grill microwave oven where there no preheating functionality? It's an Electrolux grill microwave oven. Is there any substitution to the preheating process?


texts: Scientific results on which oils to use for pan-frying

texts:
I am trying to find out which oils are suitable for pan-frying at high temperatures (when frying steaks or pancakes where smoke points are typically reached). Since there seems to be no agreement and a lot of false information about this in non-scientific sources, I want to consider scientific sources only.
I am more interested in home use, i.e., short pan-frying with little oil (no deep-frying) at higher temperatures (around 200 °C), so many papers researching commercial deep-frying applications (below 180 °C but heated/reheated for multiply hours) seem to be less relevant to me.
So far, I have found two sources that seem to be very relevant to me. Unfortunately, they come to very different conclusions.
In [1], different oils were slowly heated to 205 °C and then retained at this heat for another hour. They used Raman spectroscopy to analyze samples before, after, and at specific temperatures in between.
They concluded that sunflower and canola oils present high thermal stability and are therefore recommended for frying.
Coconut and olive oils showed significant degradation starting at 165-175 °C.
In [2] however, olive oil is recommended for frying because “when different oils were compared, olive oil was considered to be the most stable liquid fat” (p. 665). One source for this is another study of one of the authors [3] where sunflower and olive oils were heated to 180 °C for 5-10 hours. There, sunflower oil showed significantly greater degradation than olive oil (if I interpret the results correctly).
What is the current state of research on this topic? Is this a well researched topic and I just couldn't find the majority of relevant sources? If not, is there a proper conclusion summarizing these two studies? Is [2] less relevant to me because they don't use the high heat that occurs in pan-frying? Is the more recent study [1] more relevant because it uses modern techniques to analyze the oils?
Refs:

[1] Alvarenga, B.R., Xavier, F.A.N., Soares, F.L.F. et al. Thermal Stability Assessment of Vegetable Oils by Raman Spectroscopy and Chemometrics. Food Anal. Methods 11, 1969–1976 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12161-018-1160-y

[2] Velasco, Joaquín & Dobarganes, M.. (2002). Oxidative stability of virgin olive oil. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology. 104. https://doi.org/10.1002/1438-9312(200210)104:9/10%3C661::AID-EJLT661%3E3.0.CO;2-D

[3] Dobarganes, M. C., Marquez-Ruiz, G., & Perez-Camino, M. C. (1993). Thermal stability and frying performance of genetically modified sunflower seed (Helianthus annuus L.) oils. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 41(4), 678-681 https://doi.org/10.1021/jf00028a033


texts:
I'm new to cooking and have no experience cooking.
I know a bit about gluten in that it gives bread the toughness for stretching, which is good for chewy bread and bad for soft cakes.
I've watched some baking videos where the cook says to "let the gluten relax". I just know it means to leave the dough alone to do something.
What exactly does it mean to let the gluten relax? What happens with the gluten and how does it change the bread/cake?


texts: How can I achieve an even heat across a large paella pan?

texts: I just used a 20" paella pan to make a large paella for 10 people.  The pan covers 4 burners.  The problem that I had was that the center of the pan never reached the temperature of the parts of the pan under the burners. If I raise the gas levels enough for the center to get to a boil, the outside areas get too hot and burn.  Difficult to make an even paella.  Any suggestions?  I have looked for, but not found any heat diffusers that are large enough for this pan.


texts: Why is sous vide steak brown on the outside?

texts:
When sous viding a steak, lets say at 130F for 90 minutes, the steak will be completely red on the inside.  However, the steak will look a pale gray on the very outermost portion.  The point of sous vide is to get the temperature throughout the meat to be even with the temperature of the water, so it shouldn't go above 130F.  I didn't take a picture of my steak specifically, but the picture below is reasonably accurate to what I was seeing.

Raw, post sous vide, post sear
What is the difference in the meat on the inside vs the outside if it is not the temperature?  Why is there this difference in color?


texts: Is it possible to make Sour Cream at home?

texts: I use Sour Cream in several recipes, is there a way to make it from scratch?


texts: What is the effect of adding alkaline or acidic substances to wheat flour?

texts: What are the chemical  reactions of adding alkaline substances to wheat flour dough and how does it change the properties and behavior? The same for acidic substances.


texts:
A few times now I've been cooking vegetables like butternut squash, sweet potatoes or normal potatoes in the oven and it took ages to get them to soften up.

Usually by the time the recipe says they should be done most pieces are still of the same consistency as when they were raw. Last time (sweet potato, convection 175°C) it took me over an hour to achieve a mostly satisfactory result when the recipe claimed it would take half that time...

So what am I doing wrong? More temperature? More or less stacking? More oil/liquid?

Edit: Yes. Temperature in the recipe and the stove are Celsius. I've cut the sweet potatos into slices of about 0.5-1cm as the recipe called for thick slices. Maybe that's too thick? They were mostly spread out with a bit of overlapping. The recipe taking longer is not a problem in itself but anoying if it's 9 o'clock in the evening and you're still waiting for your dinner...

Update 2: I've retried the recipe last night with the oven at 200 °C the whole time. I've noticed significantly more sizzling after the first phase (20 minutes under the aluminum foil). It took about 20-25 instead of the "official" 15 minutes in phase 2 (without the foil) and was now perfect.

I'm considering a few more changes to the recipe for next time (like extending the steaming time or raising the temp a bit more) but, in essence, raising the temperature did the trick. So I've accepted the answer. Thank you all!


texts: Is it possible to identify the quality of fish after cooking the fish?

texts:
One know that a fish is fresh if the fish eye is clear and bulging and its gills is ought to be red.

However, if the fish is being cut into many slices and the fish head was being removed, it would be very hard to identify if the fish is of good quality (fresh) or poor quality (not fresh).

So, is it possible to say that when cooking a poor quality fish, the outcome is that the fish meat will be quite hard? (I mean like when one bite the cooked fish, it feel like eating a over-cook chicken breast meat.)

or how do I know the fish is good or bad after cooking it? (This is especially true when you eat in some restaurant that you can't see the fish itself)


texts:
Is there a way to scramble an egg inside its shell without using an external dish? E.g. delicately puncture the shell with a needle of sorts, penetrate the yolk and shake it while keeping the hole plugged with a finger.

I have a favorite Asian soup that I like to twist with a dropped egg at the time of reheating. I do go out camping a lot and it would be nice to spare a dish while fixing the soup on the tailgate of my truck.

Alternatively, is it viable to drop an unscrambled egg in the soup and scramble it in the short amount of time before it cooks?


texts: I bought Mainland's vintage cheddar, it tastes... stale?

texts:
Normally I bought a cheddar slice, which I've been eaten since child. It has a smooth and milky taste. This time I wanted to try something premium so I bought the pricier, but same kind of cheese. (cheddar)

However, when I taste it the texture was very crumbly, the edge of cheese is riddled with white spots (is that germ/fungis?) and the taste is considerably "sour" and with bitter aftertaste. I can't believe this is the same "cheddar" cheese I have eaten!

The expiry date is next year.

So is this what they called vintage, crumbly texture and "with real/sharp bite"? What is "bite" anyway? When I searched for it all returned was cheese bites (the snack). Do vintage cheddar cheese normally taste like this? What kind of cheese I have to buy if I want a flavour more closer to sliced cheddar?


texts: Choosing a Flavorless Oil with Specific Qualities

texts:
I'm looking for a cooking oil that's flavorless.

Many people like coconut oil, but I think it has too strong of a smell. Olive oil, while noticeably less pungent, is still noticeable. I'm also trying to avoid most nut-derived oils, to avoid possible unwanted allergic reactions.

I'm leaning towards something that's low in trans fat and relatively high in polyunsaturated fat. Something that'll stay liquid (even when kept in the fridge) would be nice.


texts: Separating egg yolks the night before beating meringue

texts: When separating egg whites from yolks could a person do it the night before so the morning of making pies turns out faster?


texts: Will blending corn meal make baking corn dog batter more user friendly?

texts: I made a baking corn dog batter (cornmeal muffins with hot dogs spaced out in a glass baking pan) a long time ago, and it turned out well, with one minor glitch. The glitch was that the batter easily fell off the hot dogs. If I blend the cornmeal flour into a fine powder (similar to what you would do with eggshells for your tomato plants) will it be able to grab onto the hot dogs better so that they can be more like a corn dog cake dog?


texts: I made a tapenade with the following ingredients: kalamata olives, capers, anchovy, garlic, thyme, lemon, olive oil. Although I rinsed the olives and capers (as per the recipe) the result is pretty salty. It's not inedible but would be a lot better if there was something to counter the saltiness even if it doesn't end up tasting like a traditional tapenade. I just want it to be eaten! Any suggestions what I can add?


texts: Can I use dried minced onion instead of chopped onion? I don't have onions and I have more than enough minced onion in my seasoning rack.


texts: Dried beans, cooked in an acidic sauce, haven't softened enough - can I do anything now?

texts:
I know why my beans haven't softened - I was adapting a recipe (that calls for tinned beans) to use dried - and there's vinegar in the sauce.  I soaked an assortment of beans from different packs overnight, and cooked in the slow cooker on high for 8 hours.  That would normally be plenty even in chilli with a fair bit of tomato.  As the beans came from different packs that were fine a week ago, and  were uniformly too firm, I don't reckon it's that the beans are too old.  They were just about edible last night.  A further 12 hours on low overnight softened them a little more, but they're still firmer than I'd like.  The recipe isn't online but it's beans, onion, garlic, spices, treacle and vinegar, similar to a vegetarian Boston Baked Beans.
The solution for next time is easy - add the vinegar when they're nearly cooked - but I made several portions and would like to make the best of what I've cooked.
Is there anything I can do at this stage to make them soften further? Would neutralising the acid and cooking some more help?


texts: Why do US chicken taste "gamey"/rancid in no time despite proper storage?

texts:
I am a new member. We are relatively new to the US, moved here 8 years ago.

I've purchased the chicken brands Foster Farms, Costco/Kirkland, Save Mart, Safeway, and more, but no matter the label, it seems that the taste of the meat goes bad really fast, within 12-24 hours after cooking. It's almost like the fats went rancid or the meat would just taste quite funny/fishy or different in no time.

**EDIT**: Sorry, now I realize it really does taste quite "GAMEY". I didn't want to use the word since it's not gamey like how I find Turkey meat gamey. But there is a little bit of gamey off putting taste to it.

When I was younger, the chicken tasted fresh, it doesn't have to be the free range, native or organic all the time, it never tasted funny like what we have now.

Is it that the chickens are processed for a long time here?

I would appreciate your input. Thanks very much and happy advanced thanksgiving to my fellow American members.


texts: I have a gallon of honey, stored in an ice cream bucket, that smells like sour krout and has little air bubbles all the way thru it. Should i consider it unsafe to use? will baking with it make it safer?


texts: Mystery ingredient in cookies with cream tartar

texts:
The attached picture is of a cookie recipe from my grandmother who passed a year ago. I would like to make the cookies, especially since they share my daughter's name, but there is one ingredient that I can't decode. It appears that the recipe calls for:

Nora's Cookies:

2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup ????
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp soda
salt
vanilla and lemon extract
flour to roll out

What might the 3rd ingredient be?


texts:
Why should bread be kneaded before rising?

If I knead bread after the first rise what difference will it make?


texts:
I've prepared risotto from scratch a handful of times in the last few months.  While I've been happy with the flavor, the texture left a little something to be desired.

In specific, it tasted like it was undercooked even though I ended up cooking the rice well past the time called for in the recipe.  Any thoughts on what could be causing this?


texts: A UK fudge chain uses whipping cream in their fudge (I assume instead of butter). How much should one use and whats the benefit?


texts: how to fix pudding that got extra sweet?

texts: i have made the chocolate pudding and accidentally added loads of sugar..now it is too sweet n too sticky..what can i do with it except throwing it out?


texts: Can coconut cream be made from coconut flour?

texts:
I have never seen or tried coconut cream (nor milk) personally, so I have no idea what should be it, but since I need it as a ingredient in my cocktails, I decided to give it a shot and try to make it.

I read on a website that coconut cream is basically what separates on top of prepared coconut milk. Being unable to get my hands on a coconut, I have tried alternative technique (that did sound plausible to me): to boil coconut flour in a pot with enough water to cover it all, and then to strain it using cheesecloth.

What I got is a liquid that is mostly water, with slight taste of coconut, and it appears that nothing is going to separate on top of that liquid.

Is there something wrong with my alternative technique, or is that coconut flour can't even remotely replace freshly shredded coconut?

Any other thoughts?


texts:
Raita is usually served with spicy dishes like biryani. If the purpose was that the curd in raita would give some relief from the hot, spicy food, then why are chillies and onion added to raita?

Personally, I dislike any foreign objects in the curd I drink. Even if it's "boondi" or mint in the raita.

Was raita meant to give relief from the spices or is there some nuance I don't know about curd being used as a side dish? I considered comparing it to mayo, but I guess the purpose of mayo is to impart a cool, moist feeling to the food.


texts: is it okay to freeze calamari after cooking, even though it was frozen at time of purchase?

texts: Is is safe to freeze calamari prepared as an appetizer if it was frozen earlier at the time of purchase?


texts: Is there any flavor difference in heated sugar (e.g. cotton candy)?

texts:
A friend writes:

  Why do people continue to think that cotton candy is a flavor? It's spun sugar with food coloring. It tastes like... sugar.

Now I'm curious.

Ignoring for a moment any possible contribution of the food coloring, are there chemical changes to the sugar (sucrose, I presume) during the heating process that are distinguishable by the human olfactory or taste system?

The smell of a cotton candy machine and fresh cotton candy definitely seems distinctive; I'm sure the machine itself and the increased aerosolization of the sugar in the vicinity both have something to do with that.  Similarly, the increased surface area of the sugar probably changes the magnitude of our tastebuds' responses.  But I wonder about the specific chemical changes involved, and whether they're detectable by most humans.

(Psychologically and/or neurologically, I'm sure there's something to be said about the whole experience of cotton candy changing our perception of how it tastes.  In this case, I'm looking for the basic chemistry and biology.)


texts: Why should I use garlic making roasted potatoes?

texts: A recipe of roasted potatoes calls for some garlic to be put in the oven with potatoes that are covered with salt and black/red pepper and rosemary. I don't understand what's the role of garlic here, could someone explain?


texts: I've got a recipe that calls for some buttermilk, but none on-hand. Is there some way I could use some common ingredient(s) as a substitute?


texts: How do they get caffeine out in decaffeinated coffee?

texts:
Coffee beans naturally contain caffeine. At the store or in a restaurant, you can choose "decaffeinated coffee".

Is really all the caffeine gone or is there just a smaller amount?
How do they remove the caffeine from the beans?


texts: What is the thickening power of different types of roux?

texts:
I often take the easy way out and work with white roux, usually mixing it 1:10 for a sauce, and using the warm liquid into hot roux method. Tonight I needed a more toasted taste. I was afraid to try dark roux outright, and went for brown roux. "The professional chef" gives a bechamel recipe with 1:10 (white roux to milk) and an espagnole recipe at 1:8.5 (white roux to stock), so I thought I'd be on the safe side with 1:7.2 (brown roux to stock). The result was much thinner than I expected, I had to emergency-bind it with arrowroot.

So, I would like to know, what is the correct ratio for roux? Let's assume that I am thickening the same liquid (e.g. beef stock), and I know how thick a 1:10 mix of white roux and liquid gets. What ratio of blonde, brown and dark roux to liquid creates the same viscosity as 1:10 white roux?


texts: Can I bake cakes or pizzas in my kenstar microwave grill combo oven?

texts: I have a Kenstar microwave grill combo oven without convection mode with coils fitted upwards. Can I bake cake, pizzas or cookies? In which utensils?


texts:
I bought some melamine plates and bowls for using when I have lots of people around. They worked fine.

My question is: What is the safest way to store them? (They will be used infrequently, maybe every six to twelve months).

(I looked on Google without much success).

I thought of two options:

Put away in a cupboard, uncovered (the top ones might gradually get dusty)
Store inside a plastic freezer bag, and the put into the cupboard

I was wondering if the plastic bag is a bad idea? It is intended to keep them as clean as the day they were put away, but maybe the melamine needs to breath or something or it might develop a funny taste?


texts: bleach cleaning on chopping board.... dangerous?

texts:
I had used bleach on a sponge to clean a floor of paint. My boyfriend, then used said sponge to clean our wooden chopping boards. I remembered this today and decided to clean the board with soap and water.

I understand that cleaning a chopping board with watered down bleach is a thing. but how much bleach in this process is toxic levels. The chopping board had plenty of time to dry. I then washed it with soap and water, But I don't want to risk poisoning myself or him as i imagine the aubergine I just sliced sucking in the bleach!

If i now cook the vegetables I prepared on the chopping board harm us? I'd appreciate an answer before I have to cook this food or explain my neuroses to him embarrassing!

Clarification:

It was cream bleach (i think, something similar to 'cif') used to de grease sinks/hobs, although to add to the total ridiculousness of the situation, I'm in Italy and cant read Italian, it was just what was available with a picture of hob/sink on the cover and a texture similar to 'cif'. The paint was oil paint, I can recommend cream bleach to remove this from tiles and sinks based on frequent past usage.

I have swilled the vegetables in water they don't smell of chemicals. The aubergine, I have washed it, but I'm worried it's still not okay because it's porous.


texts: I love Chinese style ribs. They seem to have a sweet plum flavour/fragrance to them and the meat seems to be caramelised. I'd like to try this at home, how are they prepared and cooked?


texts: Can I refreeze sauce made from frozen tomatoes

texts: Hi  I have some frozen tomatoes and I would like to blend them in my Vita mix and make sauce. My question is can I re-freeze the sauce once it's been cooked.


texts: Is mold inside eggshells a sign they're unsafe to eat?

texts: Cooked (over-easy) a duck egg this morning. When cleaning up I noticed black mold inside the shell of the egg I had just eaten. Was it safe to eat?


texts: Can pressure canning be replaced water bath canning?

texts:
I wanted to make and can, my Grandma's tomato soup. However I don't have a pressure canner.

I made the soup in a 15 PSI pressure cooker and then poured it into sterilized jars and then canned it in a water bath canner, but now I am second guessing myself.

Is this safe?


texts: Is the white hemolymph that comes out of a lobster (when boiling) edible?

texts: I know most parts of a lobster are edible except for what was afore mentioned in your content. But there is no mention of the hemolymph, the white substance that comes out of a fresh, live lobster when boiled. I was thinking about blending it into a bisque for intensifying the flavor.


texts: How long should I wait for my gas oven to heat up?

texts:
My cheap rental apartment comes with a (presumably cheap) gas oven. Although this oven has a temperature control, it lacks any sort of indicator to tell me when it has reached the desired temperature. I have reason to believe this oven is relatively new, but I do not know the model or brand.

Understanding that every oven is different, what is the longest reasonable amount of time I should wait when preheating my oven for 300, 350, 400, and 500 degrees?


texts: Can salt be inserted in unshelled peanuts? Do natural peanuts taste salty?

texts:
The label of the blue coloured bag in this link  says:

  Peanuts unsalted In-shell

What is the need of mentioning unsalted In-shell?
Is it possible to insert salt in unshelled peanuts? Do natural peanuts taste salty?

The bag of unshelled roasted peanuts I bought was not branded and there is nothing relevant written over it. But, those peanuts do taste a bit salty!


texts:
In nearly every Turkish Coffee making recipe I have found them recommending us to start by putting coffee in cold water and then bring it to boil.

Why is it necessary for Turkish Coffee to start brewing with cold water?


texts: How do I diagnose and adjust my bread recipe?

texts:
Our family has maintained a sourdough start for several decades. It has great flavor, but we use it mostly for pancakes. I've tried making bread with it several times, but never get good results.

This experience has led me to look for some sort of diagnostic procedure for bread. I'm hoping to find some sort of bread trouble-shooter, with common problems and their cause. And, I guess, not just problems, but say I just want more chew, or a flaky crust, the ideal guide would give me some things to try.

Can you recommend a good bread trouble-shooter?


texts: What's the difference between rectangular tea bags and pyramid tea bags?

texts: Does the difference in shape between pyramid and regular rectangular tea bags have any practical consequences? Perhaps a difference in preparation method, or in the resulting tea?


texts:
By this, I mean, are the names of the sizes regulated by an industry or government?

I found this from a seafood wholesaler:

Yet, my local supermarket has this ad, which appears to be 2 sizes off (not to mention the easily misleading 14 oz size bag)

My question, is this regulated, or do stores get to chose their own words, and we should simply look at number per pound to make a buying decision?


texts: What's the role of milk or yogurt in sponge cake?

texts:
Most recipes for sponge cake use a quantity of yogurt which sometimes is replaced with milk, or even soja or almond drinks.

In those recipes (flour, sugar, eggs, butter/oil, yogurt/milk, some flavouring), what is the role of the dairy product? Is it about protein/fat/chs, about water, about flavour, about colour? Do the substitution for soja or almond drink make sense, or exist better ones?


texts: How do I substitute skim milk for dry milk in a muffin recipe?

texts: My muffin recipe calls for 1 1/3 cups of nonfat dry milk. Other than the 4 eggs, there is no other liquid. How much skim milk would I substitute for the dry milk?


texts: I've fried bananas in a pot with some butter, but they remain soft and I would like to make them more crispy. Should I use oil instead?


texts: Is adding guar gum and lecithin alone enough for homemade ice cream?

texts:
I am trying to make decently smooth and scoopable ice cream. I don't have any thickening agent at the moment and I also don't have an ice cream machine, so to make a decently viscous blend that isn't more fat or sugary than a Ben & Jerry's I mixed whipped cream with a base of (boiled and later cooled-down) milk, sugar and 15% fat sour cream. I also combined 1 teaspoon of soy lecithin into this ~800 gram solution.
The fat and sugar concentration should have been close to 20% percent (it was too sweet for me, perhaps due to the taste profile of the dissolved sugar); it was close to being scoopable but still required 10-15 minutes thawing and wasn't as smooth as you'd like.
The reading I made about the different thickening agents often said they have somewhat different properties and are best combined to reach a balanced chemical effect. It was sometimes said locust bean gum might perform a bit better then guar gum, but a main point was that all of these thickeners cause the milk proteins to separate when the ice cream starts melting, and that it is advised to combine guar gum (for example) with carrageenan to mitigate this effect.
I can see in the Ben & Jerry's ingredient list that it indeed contains lecithin (both from the eggs and from soy lecithin), guar gum and carrageenan. But I read some people's claims they made great ice cream adding only inverted sugar and guar gum, and it was also claimed somewhere that "food grade carrageenan" is often adulterated and is considered a possible carcinogen and a cause of gastrointestinal illness.
So to summarize, is it still possible to make descent ice cream using only whipped cream, milk and sugar thickened with guar gum and soy lecithin, or is the mentioned protein-separation effect that detrimental?
Thanks in advance.


texts: Frozen and Unfrozen Chicken: what's the difference?

texts: I see some chicken places advertising that their chicken has never been frozen. The suggestion, I suppose, is that never-been-frozen chicken is better. Is there any truth to this? References please.


texts: prepared meals and storage time in fridge before delivering them to clients

texts: my daughter prepares meals for her small catering business. After she prepares them and stores them in plastic containers she stores them in our fridge which is taking up too mush space. They foods are cooked and vary from pasta to vegetables to seafood and other meats. Sometimes she does not deliver these prepared meals until the 2nd or 3rd days how soon must she deliver them to her clients before they spoil.


texts: Silicone utensils are changing the taste of my egg whites

texts:
I eat scrambled egg whites every morning, cooked over low or medium heat (they have better taste and texture over low, but sometimes I'm in a hurry) in a non-stick pan with cooking spray.  I have to do it this way because I'm on a doctor-supervised protein-sparing modified fast and can't add fats.

I use a good quality silicone spatula to stir/scramble the egg whites, and it often seems like the spatula imparts a taste to them.  It's the same taste I've noticed if I use that utensil to stir a a stew or sauce and then lick what I stirred off of the spatula.  I've tried multiple silicone spatulas and have always had this problem.

Is there something I'm doing wrong, or a better utensil to use?  It seems like I need something fairly flexible since it's scrambled eggs, and it needs to be somewhat soft since the pan is non-stick.


texts: Can I Sear Sous-Vide Rib Eye Under Infrared Broiler?

texts:
I'm new to sous-vide and plan on trying it for the first time with a rib eye steak that is about 1-1/4" thick. I know when it's done cooking, I need to sear it. I was thinking of trying my gas oven's infrared broiler instead of a cast iron pan.
When using my broiler for a fish filet, the broiler element (not the flame) is about 3-1/2" from the top of the filet. This has always worked well for me, but I think it might take too long for the rib eye to sear at that distance (so might end up further cooking the interior of the steak). I can get it closer but don't know how close to try.
Question: Can a 1-1/4" thick steak cooked sous-vide be adequately seared under an infrared  gas broiler? If so, roughly how close to the element should the top of the steak be?


texts: I am a very experienced baker. I have over 50 years of experience with at least 4 electric ovens. Three years ago, I moved out west and bought a deluxe model LG oven. Since that time, I have had several failures with cakes that I have made many times over the years with no problem. This has also occurred with breads. I have baked pies and cookies with no problem in this oven. The cakes that I have had problems with are sour cream coffeecake and Jewish apple cake. The coffeecake fell apart after having baked past the alotted time. It also tested to be ready. The apple cake while holding together is heavy, wet and soggy. I have had breads fail to rise in this oven. I have used an oven thermometer which shows the correct temp when checked. I am beside myself to come up with an answer. I would hate to give up baking and cannot justify getting a new oven.


texts: How to determine whether oven thermometer is accurate?

texts:
If there's a difference between what an oven is set to and what an oven thermometer shows, how do I know which one to trust? Reviews of oven thermometers suggest that not all oven thermometers give accurate readings. The reviews usually involve using three or four different thermometers and/or specially calibrated scientific precision instruments to gauge accuracy, but most home cooks / bakers don't have access to precision instruments or multiple thermometers. So I'm not sure how to determine whether my thermometer is accurate.

Here's the full story. I recently purchased a countertop Hamilton Beach toaster / convection oven. Dishes I prepare in it take significantly longer to bake/cook than the stated times. If something says "bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick," etc., it usually takes 45 minutes or so for the dish to be done. I suspected the oven might be running cold, so I purchased a Rubbermaid oven thermometer to check. It's the first oven thermometer I've owned.

I tried the thermometer in the HB oven on both the convection and regular settings. I also tried it on the oven in my fifteen year old GE electric range. According to the thermometer, the GE oven is accurate: if I set it at 350, the thermometer shows 350. The Hamilton Beach one is apparently too hot by 10 degrees or so, on both regular and convection: if I set it at 350, the thermometer shows 360. I was surprised at this, because as I said the catalyst for my purchasing the thermometer was that I thought the Hamilton Beach might be running colder than the chosen temperature.

I've noticed that on the GE too I have to bake things for longer than the stated time, though to a lesser extent. I've always assumed it's just because recipes are conservative and err on the side of not burning food. If there's a range of times ("Put in a 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes"), cook times on the GE are usually at midpoint to higher end of that range.

The Hamilton Beach does give off heat rather noticeably when in use. I'm wondering the higher actual temperature is an imperfect way for the manufacturer to compensate for heat escaping from the unit. As a countertop device, it's not anywhere as efficient as the very solid GE.

But I'm also wondering about the oven thermometer itself. After all, there's no guarantee that the thermometer isn't off! How do I know whether the oven thermometer is accurate? It's at least possible that the Hamilton Beach is entirely accurate, the GE runs ten degrees cold, and the thermometer readings are ten degrees too warm.


texts: Homogenizing whole milk, butter, and vodka

texts:
I have a recipe that calls for mixing half a stick of butter into 1.5 liters of milk and 4 shots of vodka.

Unfortunately, these three things don't mix very well and as soon as I pour it out into a serving glass the solution separates.

I have read that soy lecithin can be used to homogenize milk and butter, but will it work with the vodka as well? If so, how much soy lecithin needs to be used. If the vodka cannot be incorporated, how much lecithin would I need to homogenize just the butter and the milk?

Thanks


texts: Help with hand tossed pizza dough (like domino's)

texts: I keep fresh dough ball in the refrigerator for 6 days to slowly ferment. I bake pizza in conventional oven at 245C for 6 minutes.  On the 1st and 2nd days they bake perfectly, but I start to have problems on the 3rd through 6th days. They rise well, and stretch well, but do not bake at all. I use CMC powder for preserving dough moisture. I work the dough well. How can I improve baking on days 3–6?


texts: How can I spice up ground beef without using pepper?

texts:
I cooked up some good-quality minced beef yesterday with salt, onion, and breadcrumbs. (I wrapped it around hardboiled eggs and baked it.)  I didn't use any pepper because I have allergies, and I didn't like the way it came out - it was bland and had a faint meaty "off" taste even though I knew it was fresh enough.

I don't insist on it being hot and spicy, but what could I use to give it flavour? What is a good replacement that will flavor meat the way pepper would? Or at the very least, what spice or combination of spices would cover up the faint off taste? I know that medieval cooks used to use spices to cover "off" flavours in meat, but I think they were ones we use in sweet dishes now.

Tomato is not an option for me sadly but onion and garlic are fine.

I hope you can help, I'm finding this really intriguing.  I'm learning a lot about what pepper does just by going without.