texts:
Maybe a silly question, but I've been trying to learn a lot of baking fundamentals and trying to understand specifically what makes a cake. Most explanations I've read are something along the lines of:

flour for structure
fat to interfere with gluten development
sugar for taste and moisture
binder (eggs) to keep it all together

Then the explanation for the flour is that the water and flour interact to produce gluten that then gives the cake its structure. One main thing doesn't make sense to me here though:

If flour is there for the gluten, and gluten is required to form the structure of cake, how can gluten-free baking ever work?

Now, I've done gluten-free baking plenty of times. Have never really had an issue. Additionally there are tons of alternatives, how can you get something cake-y out of so many different materials, none of which have gluten? Are there alternative protein networks that function like gluten? Are these protein networks common or rare, or beside the point altogether?

Not sure if it's related, but why does adding xanthan gum to these gluten-free flours seem to always make them better?


texts: Truffles: how do I pick between buying truffle or truffle oil?

texts:
I'm interested in buying truffles in one form or another to be used as a seasoning for omelettes and pastas and such.

The main two truffle products available are fresh truffles and truffle oil. Truffle oil sometimes contains no real truffle, but some kind of synthetic aroma that imitates the truffle aroma (however, I'm interested in oils that have real truffle).

Price-wise, should I be looking at oils or buy straight fresh truffle and use it as I wish? I've heard a claim that truffle oils should be a more inexpensive way to get the truffle aroma, but upon comparing the prices of truffle oils with real truffle and fresh truffle, I'm not sure.

E.g. I can purchase truffle for £45 for 15g or 250ml of truffle oil for £12.50. Which one is affordable should depend on how much 250ml of truffle oil might have actual truffle and whether one would get more truffle by buying fresh truffle instead.

So should I look into purchasing and using truffle or truffle oil, if I want the most (real) truffle aroma per buck?


texts: Why are nectarine pits different colors?

texts: Some nectarines have a dark reddish pit, while others have a much lighter tan color. Why is this? Are they different species?


texts: Are these grocery store oyster mushrooms OK to eat?

texts: I bought these at the grocery two days ago. They have been in the fridge. They are firm. The white fungus in the gills is firm too. No bad smell. Can I cook and eat?


texts: What is the slight pink color on white canned beans?  I am concerned they may have spoiled and I should not use them.


texts:
As far as I know, the only difference between white pizza and red pizza is the sauce.

I know that the white sauce is dairy-based, but what is it exactly? What are the main ingredients, is it thickened somehow? Is there something special to pay attention to when making white sauce? How thick should it be exactly? Should it contain herbs or not? Oil? How does it combine with the cheese, is the cheese supposed to melt "into" it?


texts:
For some time people have been making much of the Instant Pot as a time-saving tool. I recently bought one and it produces good results, but I'm not sold on it as a time-saver. Tonight, for instance, I made a recipe that involves a chuck steak and vegetables. In addition to the normal cooking stages, I had to allot time for the IP to come up to pressure and then for the "natural release" of pressure. At that point the time involved seems comparable to what I would have done on the stove. So is there any actual savings of time?

(Obviously it depends to some extent on what you're making.)


texts: If you add spices to boiling pasta, will it absorb spices/flavours?

texts: If you are cooking pasta via simmering, and you add some spices e.g. pepper to the pot, will the pasta absorb the spices/flavors or will the spices just go to the top of the pot and not really get absorbed?


texts: Residue in a cup of tea using household filter

texts: I'd like to ask some insights re potential cause of residue in a cup of tea when I used water from household filter but no residue when I used the water bought from purified water vendor. I boiled the water from both sources and used the same tea bags. The filtered water showed lots of residue while no tea residue using the water that I bought.  Both of them were very clear before dipping the tea bag. Hope you can shed some light.


texts: What is the maximum temperature at which cream will still whip successfully?

texts:
I recently tried to whip warm cream and was surprised to find out that it would not hold air. After some limited research, I have discovered that in order for the fat in cream to form the matrix and hold air it must be cold.

What is the event horizon at which the cream is too warm to be whipped?


texts: Bad tasting mussels and avoiding buying them

texts:
Sometimes when you buy mussels, you find that they taste sort of rancid or at least not very fresh, even if they are alive (or at least closed).

How can the taste get so bad if they still are alive? And how can you tell at the supermarket or fish monger?


texts: Substituting vegetable oil for canola oil

texts: Can you use vegetable oil instead of canola in a party mix recipe using saltine crackers?


texts:
Do eggs really need to be refrigerated? If so, how long can they last without refrigeration? Obviously eggs come out of the chicken at body temperature, so there must be some amount of time they can survive without spoilage.

I once attended a catering school in Hungary, and families there store eggs at room temperature for days with no (apparent) ill-effects, particularly in rural areas. But the idea seems anathema to almost everyone in the US.


texts:
I had some pork (shoulder) I had to use today, suspecting it might be unsafe tomorrow.

So I thought I'd soak it in some hydrogen peroxide, about 2-3% concentration to at least get rid of any surface bacteria.

After about 10 minutes, the pork looked half-cooked and felt extremely pliable. I assume the proteins had denatured like in a ceviche. Stir-frying it quickly to finish it off took less than a minute and it was really tender.

Is cooking with hydrogen peroxide an accepted practice?


texts: How do food producers determine expiration dates on products and ingredients?

texts:
It is well known that food expiration dates are somewhat arbitrary. For some foods, they are much more important than others -- for example, you can pretty easily tell on your own if milk has gone bad based on smell or taste, or yoghurt that has grown mold. Not so much the case with other kinds of foods, such as dry ingredients, granola bars, dried pasta. However they all have expiration dates.

How does a company which produces food or food ingredients determine the expiration date? Is there a specific scientific process? To what extent are they "fudged" by companies, who either (or both) want to spur customers to make more frequent purchases, or limit liability?


texts: Cuisinart 12 cup coffee maker - How many grams of ground coffee to make a full strong drip pot?

texts:
I just bought a fancy Cuisinart 12 cup machine and some fairly pricey freshly ground coffee.

The machine came with a scoop that is equal to 5 g (1 tsp).  The machine advises not to use more than 15 scoops.  75 g (2 ⅔ oz) is a dangerous amount for some reason, probably overflowing or clogging the filter basket.

Anyway, how many scoops of coffee would you recommend to make a full 12 pot?


texts: I have an idea for making coated popcorn with caramel or marshmallow. I have not tried this yet. I do know popcorn gets hard and tasteless quite easy. Is there a different technique I can do or add a preservative to the recipe that would not affect the taste?


texts:
I bought some live mussels from the fish counter and I had been reading about 'flushing' them so I put them in a bowl of fresh water for a while and carried on perusing the internet.

I then read here and here that leaving them in freshwater will quickly kill them. So I quickly rescued them and right enough a few of them are now dead (slightly opened and won't close no matter how many times I yell 'clear' and tap them on the worktop). Lesson learned.

Before I soaked them I checked they were all alive - they were all either closed or closed themselves after tapping. So any that died were killed by me slightly earlier than planned. The rest are now cleaned, de-bearded and chilling in the fridge mourning their fallen comrades.

Although in the comments for this answer they seem to say to use fresh water to tell if any mussels are dead rather than saying it will kill them. But anyway...

Problem is that now I have a load of Schrödinger's mussels that could be alive or dead as I might have killed them. I've found LOTS of debates online about whether or not you should eat a cooked mussel if it's still closed (consensus and most research - one example - says yes it's fine). What I can't find an answer for is...

Are dead mussels always open? Everywhere says if it closes then it's fine, but is it possible to have a closed dead mussel?
Are any mussels that died in my 'care' still ok to eat as I know they've not been dead and rotting for ages and are still relatively fresh?
Will dead (recently deceased) mussels still open when cooked?

UPDATE:

Thanks @logophobe for the advice :)


texts: The carrots that I buy come in a sealed plastic bag. In the store they are not refrigerated. I've tried keeping them in the bag in the place where I keep things like onions, garlic, and potatoes (a cabinet with metal racks, and an air opening in the back - I keep the carrots on their own rack). I've tried keeping them in the bag, but I've found that one often rots, from moisture or something similar, and causes all the rest of the carrots to go bad. I've tried taking them out of the bag, but they all quickly shriveled up and went bad. The only thing I can think of still trying is to keep them in the fridge... What is the preferred way of storing carrots? How can I keep my carrots in good condition and prevent them from rotting?


texts:
I'm looking at this recipe:
http://www.chow.com/recipes/30370-cuban-rotisserie-pork-loin-with-peppers-and-onions

It says to marinate for 2 hours. Do you think it would be ok to marinate overnight?
I'm just looking to make less work the day of.


texts: Blender Buying - Square vs. Round Container

texts:
After looking at this blender question, I had a follow-up question.

I've seen both square and round containers/lids for blenders. Is either better?

I tend to see square blenders at smoothie shops - leading me to assume square ones are better.  By better I mean, you don't have to do as much scraping and maybe they have more settings and automated features. I see mostly round blenders in your typical kitchen appliance aisle at your typical big box store.


texts:
I find that roast beef in the refrigerator starts going bad within 24 hours and after a couple of days, it is noticeably bad smelling.

How can I keep the roast beef fresh? How do butcher's do it?


texts: How to get spongy slightly chewy pancakes?

texts:
One of my favorite restaurants makes these amazing pancakes that are wide (12+ inches), pretty thin (1 cm?, fairly spongy/chewy and fried crispy on the outside edges.

I'm wondering what steps one must take in order to create batter that produces a spongy/stretchy product?  When I follow most recipes the pancakes comes out more cake/bread like.

If my description is lacking, the only thing I can compare the consistency to would be the pancake like bread that comes at Ethiopian restaurants, which I believe is called Injera

Side note:
These definitely weren't crepes though they were sort of shaped like them.  They didn't have the "eggy-ness" of crepes.


texts: What happens when chocolate is overheated further than 50C/120F?

texts:
I've been googling about this for a while, and it seems to be a common practice to avoid overheating chocolate in the context of tempering. Here's an example source mentioning the fate of overheated chocolate: How to Fix Overheated or Seized Chocolate

Dark chocolate should never be heated above 120 F, while milk and white chocolates should never be heated to above 110 F. It is quite easy to exceed these temperatures if using a double boiler with boiling water, or if microwaving on full power.
Overheated chocolate will lose the silky shine of melted chocolate and become thick and muddy.

Considering the beans are roasted in way higher temperatures like ~ 130C/270F. I don't see why this should be avoided, or whatever the problem it would cause, should be reversible.
I would think the only problem would be about fat bloom or breaking the suspension (or emulsion if any). But I think, a good blender should fix the issue. But is there some other thing happening physically or chemically when chocolate is overheated to say 80C/180F?


texts: Crisp skin of meat in the beginning or end of roasting and meat in aluminum foil

texts:
1) I would think that crisping the meat towards the end of the cook could result in drying the   already cooked portion, specifically if the heat is turned up for the crisping process near the end.

What do you think? Is there science behind this?

2) Also, why do some recipes require you to roast with the meat tucked in aluminum foil? Then we're effectively steaming the meat. Is there an advantage to that, flavor-wise, or is it only to speed up the cooking process?


texts:
I have never managed to successfully roast chestnuts on an open fire. I tend to end up with charred chestnuts, which are inedible.

Is there a good technique for this?


texts: Top of my sourdough starter has gone grey

texts: I started my first sourdough starter about three weeks ago and after one week put it in refrigerator and the next week fed if 3 times in 12hours intervals an then put it back into fridge , but now there is some greyness on its surface which seems part of the starter itself and is not like fungal mould but i'm worried if it's safe to use or not ?


texts: Do they count calories in fried chicken accurately?

texts:
Personally, I never eat my fried chicken to the bone. There is always the veins left as well as some meat and skin.

In a frozen dinner, do they calculate the calories assuming the chicken was licked clean? Or do they take a more realistic approach and account for loss?


texts: How does marinating with sugar improve cherry tomatoes jam?

texts:
I am trying to make a cherry tomatoes jam.  All recipes ask to let the tomatoes marinate with sugar for a night, and I can't decide if it's just tradition or if it may have an actual positive influence.  I'm afraid it may moulder if there isn't enough sugar…

What would be the positive effect(s) of marinating with sugar ?


texts: How to prevent shami kabab from breaking at the time of frying them?

texts: I am making shami kabab, but the kababs are breaking when fried although the pre-frying mixture is hard. What should I do to prevent them from breaking? It spoils their look.


texts:
I made 2 mousses. One typical and one was an attempt for something new. Both turned out with liquid in the bottom. I made both with egg whites. Did I not beat the egg whites enough?
The first was a simple passionfruit juice, unflavored gelatine, cream, and egg whites.
The second: Inspired by a chocolate mousse recipe, I made a base of cottage cheese blended for 5 min, stonyfield soy yogurt, and a pack of unflavored gelatine and slowly mixed with egg whites beaten in meringue with sugar. The next day the intended mousse was fine at the top but had a base of water. What did I do wrong? How could I improve it to make it better? Is the problem lack of fat?


texts: Is there a way to quantify smoke in meat while cooking?

texts:
I've observed across multiple meats and cuts of meats that the other impact of smoking varies greatly. Additionally, while actually smoking my perception of the flavor is overloaded and doesn't return to normal until probably the next day.
The three variables I consider are the
meat itself, the time spent in the smoker, and the temperature.
Outside of extremes (like obviously too hot or too short) I find it virtually impossible to disentangle the individual variables' impact on desired outcomes (smoke flavor added, fat rendering, protein breakdown) and undesired outcomes (dry, tough, et cetera)
The goal is to adjust my recipes more purposefully and efficiently; not just to follow someone else's recipe.
Is there a proxy (not simply tasting) way to know the amount of smoke penetration or smokey flavor?
Edit: I'm thinking something along the lines of the charts showing sous vide eggs by temperature, or the doneness of a steak, or milk in tea. The intent is to known that "it's done enough" while smoking.


texts: Is it a high hydration rate? Minimal kneading? High-protein flour to hold hydration?


texts: I want to offer a veggie and a meat strata at a brunch for a large group. They both require the same oven temperature. Can I bake them at the same time, and if so, what adjustments do I need to make? Thanks!


texts: Why is the Chicken too hard in the outside but soggy in the inside?

texts:
I have a problem when I cook a chicken. Usually, I will divide the chicken into smaller parts. However, when I cook the chicken by placing in a soup, I often get the meat too hard at the outside and soggy in the inside.

Any insight on making my chicken consistent from outside to inside?


texts: How much oil do i use in place of butter in a cake?

texts: I have a cake recipe which use butter in cake.But, i want to use oil in place of butter.So, how much quantity of oil is used in replacement of butter.According to recipe 10 tablespoon butter is used in it.


texts: What can I do to stop hot sauce from separating?

texts: I make homemade cayenne pepper sauce every year. I do add some liquid pectin to slightly thicken it so it will stick to food rather than roll off. After a month or so on the shelf it seems to separate a bit. What can I add to this so that it won't or is there a method I can do to stop this. We are slowly working our way into marketing this product down the line and this won't work for that reason. We are using a water bath canning method, vinegar based, no sugar added.


texts: Reheated half a cherry pie in the oven. Accidentally left it in said oven overnight

texts: Is it still safe to eat? It was cooked the other day, reheated last night, and left in the oven until 4:30, turned off of course.


texts: I would like to make my own food coloring with natural vegetables, what is the technique?

texts: I read that you can use Beets to make a natural Red food coloring, how would I go about doing this?


texts: New Red Potatoes have pink streaks inside

texts: Is it safe to eat new red potatoes fresh out of garden that has pink streaks in them? What are these pink streaks?


texts: How can I prevent my house from smelling like the food I've cooked for hours afterwards?

texts:
Often when I cook on the stove top, it will involve something fragrant like garlic, onions, seared meat, etc. I'm fine with smelling it while it cooks, but it seems to permeate the air and linger for hours afterwards. To make matters worse, my house has an open floor plan, so the smells spread to the living areas as well.

I have tried running the vent fan, which is connected to the outside, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. It's also very noisy, so it's not pleasant to use. (Maybe something is wrong with it?) It gets cold here for every season except summer, so opening windows is not ideal. I clean up the dishes while or immediately after cooking, so it's not a dirty kitchen that's causing the smells.

What can I do to prevent these smells or get them to dissipate promptly? I own my home, so solutions that involve modifying or replacing something are fine.


texts: Sauce made from butter and cream flakes/curdles

texts:
My sauce recipe (Laurent Tourondel, BLT p 140) called for heavy cream and butter to be set on high heat:

  Put the cream and butter over high heat. cook until the butter is
  melted and browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the shallot and garlic
  and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, until tender.

Everything went well for the first 5 minutes but after adding shallot and garlic and keeping it over high heat for another 2-3 minutes, the sauce started to flake/curdle.

I replaced heavy cream with sour cream.

I had a look at this answer that only gives »alcohol and acidity« as causes for curdling and this one which advises not to overheat crème fraîche lest it will curdle.

Did heat cause my flaking/curdling? If not, what did?
And What means »tender« in this context?


texts: How do I stop metal-bottomed pots squeaking on my gas hob?

texts:
I have a gas hob and metal-bottomed pots. The support for the hob is made of metal and is coated in black plastic, like the image below.  The previous owner has worn away at the layer of plastic that allows pots to move freely and quietly, so the metal is exposed.

The problem I'm trying to solve is that skillets and pots squeak horribly when they are moved due to the metal-on-metal scraping.

One option is to replace the support, but this seems wasteful and it will crop up again;
Another option would be to heat the metal and use a plastic dip; in school we used a heat-and-dip treatment to treat metal products to give them this nice finish, but I don't have the equipment.

How can I mitigate this noise?  Is there a nice way to completely stop it?


texts: I'm making an Indian tomato and ginger chutney. What can I find in Brisbane to use as a substitute for 200 grams of jaggery?


texts: What is this food "cr of leek and pot 21814"?

texts:
I was given some food, one of which is named "cr of leek and pot 21814"

I am not sure what it is. Can anyone tell me how to cook it? Is it vegetable, staple, or  ...?

should I store it in freezer or the warmer part of a refrigerator?


texts: what size foil squares to wrap chocolate truffles?

texts:
So much leftover chocolate truffle base that I better package nicely and get out of the house:

Is there some ratio or rule of thumb to spare me from experimenting on the right size and shape of bon bon to fit either a 3, 4 or 6" square foil?
Closest answer I find is from foil ordering site stating 3" is for small, 4" medium size candy etc. Whatever that may mean.

Cube, ball or flat-bottomed egg are all fine by me; typically my portioning is not more than an inch thick.

Sorry if this post is more geometry than cooking but appearances count too


texts: What is this spiky-leaved Mexican plant with large seed pods?


texts: Can I let food be tested for spoilage after freezer power outage?

texts:
We had a chest freezer filled with beef get disconnected from power for some period of time.  Reconnected and refroze the meat.  I don't know how long it was without power.  Packets of hamburger were soft to the touch.  I didn't think to check the temperature so I don't know if it was above 40 degrees but I suspect so.

Are there facilities that will do small batch food testing for pathogens for end consumers?


texts: Sometimes when I buy (cheap) gummy candy, it's a little too hard to enjoy. Is there a way to soften them? Preferably something that lasts, as opposed to perhaps heating them and eating them while they're warm.


texts: Flour and water... at which temperature?

texts:
What is the difference between adding hot, lukewarm or cold water to flour?

EDIT:

I'm curious about the following dishes, they all call for flour and some water and I'm not sure how warm the water should be:

Pizza dough
Flour tortillas
Quiche crust


texts: how can I save banana milk shake from being black?

texts: We often see that when we make banana milk shake and keep in refrigerator after some hours it getting black.why it do so and how we can save it for a long time from being black?


texts: What's the best way to store potatoes and maximize their shelf-life?

texts: What's the best place and way to store potatoes so they keep fresh longest?


texts: Substitutes for wheat flour and their challenges in baking

texts:
What are the flours that can be substituted for wheat flour in baking, specifically for breads, pastries and cakes?

I found a few here: Top 10 alternatives to wheat

What sort of challenges have you, experienced or novice bakers, faced while using substitutes? In terms of taste, texture and aroma, is there a better compromise? Are the baking temperatures higher or lower and is making the dough easier or more difficult when using substitutes?


texts: Can I use cottage cheese instead of cream cheese when making a cheesecake?

texts: If I can, would there be any difference in the measurements? For example if the recipe calls for 8 ounces of cream cheese, would it be the same amount of cottage?


texts: Why did my chocolate chip banana bread split?

texts: Usually, I mix the butter and sugar first, then add the banana mashed with a little milk, and I put dry ingredients in last. But this time I put the baking powder with the butter and sugar and egg mixture, and my bread split in half while baking. That had never happened before! Did putting the baking powder with the wet ingredients first mess it up?


texts: Why is there no sweet (as in 'with sugar') butter?

texts: I understand salted butter can be useful is some situations, but why there's no such thing as "sugar butter" that can be sold in stores? I mean, there is sweet milk (concentrated, for instance) and sweet yoghurt, but no sweet butter nor sweet cheese. Is it just cultural or is there some chemical explanation behind it?


texts: We're having friends over and I'd like to make 3 or 4 pizzas. I'm considering stretching out the dough and put on the toppings ahead of time, say an hour ahead of when I pop them in the oven. How long can the pizzas sit on the counter in this pre-oven state?


texts: being served prime rib when asked for ribeye steak

texts: Last night I was served prime rib when I specifically requested rib eye steak. Is this a normal practice in restaurants?  I understand that the meat is the same, that the cooking process is what differs.  Although I do enjoy prime rib, it is not at all the same as a grilled rib eye steak.  This happened at a restaurant that has received awards at the state level and is well known for their steaks.


texts: Is it true that good pistachio nuts should have yellowish shell, purplish skin and greenish flesh?

texts:
In China, where I live, most pistachio nuts sold on the market have very white shell, and yellowish skin and flesh, like this:

Today I read some articles claiming that these pistachio nuts were so white because they had been bleached using hydrogen peroxide, and good pistachio nuts should have yellowish shell, purplish skin and greenish flesh, like this:

So, my question is: have white pistachios been bleached? What colour do pistachio nuts in your country have?


texts:
Today, I cut up some pineapple. On the bare fruit that was left after cutting, there was residual pieces of the skin, so I washed the pineapple. To me, it seemed like I was washing off juice from the pineapple, which seems negative. However, I also didn't want to eat random pieces of skin.

First, how much of the juice am I washing off when I rinse after cutting, and is it enough for me to be able to taste a difference? Second, when cutting pineapple or fruit in general, how can I avoid having small leftover particles on the bare fruit?


texts: How do tempura chefs touch 350 degree oil without being burned?

texts: In this video of a chef deep frying shrimp, he repeatedly applies more batter to the shrimp, clearly touching the oil over and over. Does the batter protect your fingers? Is it just a short enough time to not be burned? It seems like this shouldn't be possible in oil hot enough to cook meat. Is this a safe practice?


texts: Egg used for breaded poultry added to other parts of the dish. Is this a health hazard?

texts:
I often make breaded poultry (chicken, turkey) or pork. To do that, I dump the cut in a bowl of scrambled egg then coat it with flour/breading etc in another plate. The recipe after that varies but thats not important.

I sometimes think tossing the rest of the egg is a waste, so if I'm also cooking rice I put the rest of the egg on the rice in the rice cooker and let it there until im done cooking. This is either during the final stages of the rice cooking or when its done and the cooker keeps it warm. Do you think the heat there is enough to remove whatever possible salmonella contamination from the moment the poultry came in contact with the scrambled egg?


texts: Can you cook food in a ceramic eating plate in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit?


texts: What can I use to replace onions on sauces?

texts: Is it possible to replace onions with another vegetable on sauces and get a similar flavour?


texts: Are 'sweet' and 'mild' - Italian Sausage - the same thing?

texts:
Do they refer to the same kind? Or is there a subtle difference?

And what essentially encapsulates the concept of a sausage being sweet? Is it typical sucrose driven sweetness inherent to the product...or the resultant chemical aftertaste on consuming it?

Cooking geeks unite! We have a problem.


texts: What to do with soggy mushy potato chips?

texts:
We had crispy potato chips (not french fries) made by a catering service. They arrived already a bit on the soft side, and on the next day they are quite soft and mushy. I don't like wasting food, so I am looking for ideas on how to turn them into a meal.

My first idea is to bake them, maybe with sauce like a gratin or casserole.

Any other ideas?


texts: How to cook cubed fish for a fish taco (tortilla)

texts:
Today someone at work described eating a delicious halibut taco. I've never had one before but it sounds awesome, so I'm going to try to make one some time this week (but since I have a lot of salmon in stock, I'm going to make it with salmon instead of halibut). I'd rather not grind the fish - ground fish does not sound like something that's too interesting to eat. So, I was thinking I'll just cut the fish into cubes, and fry them up, then throw the cooked cubes into a tortilla, roll up with some sauce, and serve (to myself). If it turns out good it would be a great recipe to share with friends and family.

However this is not something I've done before. I know fish breaks apart quite easily when cut into small bits, so is it even possible to preserve "fish-cubes" in a frying pan or will all the little cubes break into a flaky mess? Or, maybe it would be better to cook the whole fish first and then dice it afterwards?

If anyone has any advice or suggestions on how to create awesome fish-cubes (or just any general advice about how to prepare a salmon for a fish taco) please let me know.


texts: how long to leave the sliced onion mixed with salt/pepper for onion Bhaji/onion fritters/onion pakoras?

texts:
How long should we leave the sliced onion mixed with salt and red chillies/green chillies, for them to be used for onion fritters/onion bhaji/onion Pakoras with gram flour?
Suggested time is usually 15-20min.

What if it is increased or decreased? How does it affect the taste of the pakora?
Accordingly, what should be the quantity of rice flour to add to the crispiness of pakora?


texts: Is food with hair in it (or food which had hair in it) safe to eat?

texts:
Occasionally I'll find a hair in my food. If I find one in say a restaurant, I won't eat my food, but I can't just throw out an entire platter of food if at home where my own grandma worked hard to cook it for me. In that case, I'll generally pick the hair out and continue eating (at least in that case I know where the hair has been).

If a hair falls into food in preparation, is the food still safe to serve/eat once the hair is removed? What are the potential hazards of serving food with a hair still in it?


texts: What oil has a smoking temperature high enough for broiling?

texts: Lately we have been broiling vegetables in the oven with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil on them, but we keep setting off the smoke alarm in the kitchen although the vegetables come out deliciously. What oil has a high enough smoking temperature to be appropriate?


texts: Ground beef storage and use past sell-by date

texts:
When I buy food it's at least a few weeks worth, and I bought some ground beef the other day with the intention of using it over a couple weeks. I have a couple questions regarding storage:

I use about a pound of it a time, so I took it out of its wrapping, cut it up, and put the pieces into sealable plastic bags, wrapped in foil, and then stuck them in the freezer. Is this an acceptable storage?
The sell-by date will be coming up very soon. However I was looking at this website which states ground beef can be frozen for 3-4 months. Is it safe to store past the sell-by date?
More generally, is sell-by meant to be different than "use by" dates I also see on certain items?

Thanks!


texts: Can you store whipped cream.  If so, how and for how long?   If you can't, is that why commercial kitchens use a "dispenser'.   is it as good coming from a dispenser?


texts:
I want to know where cheese dip was invented. Based on this article it was invented in Arkansas.

This documentary goes into more detail about it being from Mexico Chiquito, a restaurant in Arkansas.


texts: Why can boxed brownie mixes use so little "wet" ingredients?

texts:
Be it Betty Crocker, Ghirardelli, or Pillsbury, I only ever have to use (on average) 2-3 eggs, less than a cup of oil, and a bit of water.

Somehow, these people have been able to make it so that these mixes result nearly perfect without so much quantity of "wet" ingredients.

My mind boggles as to how they've achieved this due to the fact that the majority of "from scratch" fudgy brownie recipes I've come across usually call for a lot more with respect to "wet" ingredients.

I've been trying for a while to replicate these fudgy brownies with around the same quantity supplied in the mixes. Since I don't have the exact measurements of each dry ingredient, I had to play around.

My attempts have failed and I don't understand why.

I shouldn't have to use more ingredients for something others have been able to get with less.

Why can they do it?


texts:
I bought a bottle of ktc pure coconut oil but as far as I can tell, it is in solid form and not liquid as I sort of expected. How can I use it?

In case anyone has used it, is the oil going to cause the food to impart a coconut flavour?

This is the bottle I have at home:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31evWfwu6-L._SL500_AA300_.jpg


texts:
Every Indian recipe I see seems to insist on rinsing basmati rice before cooking it. Why, I have no idea, because I never rinse it, yet I can discern no difference between my rice and rice cooked by other people that have, presumably, spent the extra 15 minutes rinsing.

If the stickiness is the difference, as suggested in this thread, then I would suggest that not rinsing the rice would make eating rice-based thali a lot less traumatic because the grains would clump together more easily.


texts: How to measure tomatoes for making sauce?

texts: In the ingredient list my recipe calls for 10 lbs of tomatoes. I'm not sure if this means before or after they are cored and peeled. What is the best way to measure tomatoes for canning sauce?


texts: how long can I keep thawed corned beef in my refrigerator?

texts: I took a corned beef out of the freezer and thawed it in my fridge. How long can I keep it before it has to be cooked.


texts: Is there a difference between poached and steamed chicken?

texts:
I'm planning to make chicken sandwiches and was wondering what the difference is when chicken is steamed vs poached. I know the technique for both but was wondering if steaming was meant to leave the chicken more juicy (or vise versa), or are they much the same?
Recipes call for one of the other and I'm curious if I can substitute!


texts: Tools to peel and crush a whole garlic bulb

texts:
I'm conscious of this other question, yet this is (veritably) a different question that doesn't duplicate.

What are some tools or appliances that peel an entire garlic bulb?
Are there any for crushing it? Are there any that accomplishes both?

I've also tried the shaking method with metalware, but this fails for me.

Google returned the following that requires processing one clove at a time. I'm interested in something more efficient and productive:
http://www.amazon.com/Zak-Designs-E-Z-Rol-Garlic-Peeler/dp/B00004RDDP
http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-1059DB-Garlic-Peeler/dp/B000HJW8MW/ref=pd_sbs_k_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=0VAMW3C7M17D0MDN1RTG


texts: How often should I clean my coffeepot, and what is the preferred method?

texts: We use a typical drip coffee maker with a thermos-type pot. Naturally I rinse the pot and filter holder every day, but how often do I need to clean it more thoroughly? I've heard that it is bad to use soap and water, but is that just an old-wives tale, maybe out of fear that it could leave a soapy residue? Once a month or so, I'll run a few cups of white vinegar through it, which seems to improve the flavor a lot, but is a surprisingly expensive proposition. Any suggestions on frequency and method?


texts:
I just watched Heston Blumenthal - Perfect Roast Chicken where he does a few thing unconventionally.

He roasts the chicken at approximately 200 F and stops the roasting process when the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast reaches 140 F.

Has anyone tried this method? I don't think I have seen chicken roasted at such a low temperature. For a 5-6 lbs chicken, the cooking time might even reach 4 hours in the "danger-zone"

I am also curious if anyone verified his metric of ending the roasting process at internal temperature of 140 F. I am not sure juices run clear at that temperature.


texts: How do I use Cacao Nibs in the chocolate making recipe

texts:
The chocolate making recipes usually say Cacao powder and Cacao butter. What if I have nibs?

I can process/blitz them, but do I substitute the nibs for powder, butter or both? What is the substitution rate?


texts:
It's traditional to rest dough for some pastries like cookies and breads. I think it allows more time for delicate enzymatic processes, to yield a better flavor.

I would like to ask if this is also applied to resting brownie batter?

I use a brownie batter recipe with the following components: unsweetened chocolate (some kind of a Paris award winning choco), butter, salt, vanilla extract, white and brown sugar, eggs, flour, a dash of baking powder, and cocoa powder (sifted).


texts:
I've tried a recipe for caramels that turns out too sweet for my own liking. I substitute agave syrup for corn syrup because it's an invert sugar and I can't find glucose or corn syrup in my area. The recipe itself is
2 Cups sugar
1.5 cups corn syrup
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream.
basically is there anything I can do to lower the sweetness?


texts: cake baking problem (white lumps of flour)

texts: I have a cake recipe called oil cake that has been in my family for a long time. It calls for flour and sugar and to make a well and add egg, buttermilk, cocoa, pinch of salt, cinnamon, and oil. Then add 1 cup of boiled water to which 2 tsps of baking soda have been added. Sometimes I mix it first and then add the water w/ b soda and sometimes I add it all together. My problem is sometimes I have white clumps in the batter and they are still there when the cake is done baking. I can't figure out what the problem is. Is the water too hot? Which is the correct way to add it, before I mix the rest of the ingredients or  after? Help I love this cake but sometimes it comes out perfect and other times not. I am at a loss. thanks for the advice


texts: How to preserve tea taste for 6-7 hours?

texts:
I am new to this site and I hope my question is clear to everyone.

I prepare 4 cups of black tea in the morning by bringing water and tea powder to boiling.
Then I pour this into flask by filtering tea powder.
Whenever I feel like drinking tea, I pour black tea from flask, add sugar and milk and heat it for 1 minute in microwave.

I noticed that tea taste is changing from fresh prepared tea to 5 hours after.

Is there anyway to keep the same taste? I don't want to prepare tea every time I want to drink.


texts:
I am in the process of replacing my commercial freezer. We typically freeze our pie fillings to simplify production. In looking into new freezers I can choose between 0 Degrees Fahrenheit and -10 Degrees Fahrenheit depending on the unit we purchase.

I was thinking I might try out the -10 degrees model for our pie fillings. My thinking being, pie filling is kind of sort of very loosely like sorbet (in so much as it's basically fruit and sugar) and may benefit from the lower temperature due to the sugar content.

I have no additional info to back that claim up other than a hunch, so I figured I would ask if anyone else had additional experience on this topic.

We don't use cornstarch in the filling, so I'm not concerned about the freeze/thaw stability issues that presents. We do use tapioca though.

Additionally if the lower temperature is preferable (-10 Degrees Fahrenheit), would that same temperature also be appropriate for the pie crust dough or would that lower temperature have other consequences?


texts:
A family member recently inherited a recipe for some simple but delicious crumbly cookies from her grandmother. They consist of flour, sugar, and canola oil with cinnamon on top.

The grandmother in question calls them "monte cows". No one knows the correct pronunciation, meaning or origin of the name. Does something by a similar name exist? What is it really called and why?


texts:
Yeast is a fungus. We eat other fungi like mushrooms. I love the taste of bread yeast (although it's a bit expensive to make a full meal out of compared with other ingredients).

I know that live yeast produces CO2 and alcohol, which makes it unsuitable for consumption. But what about cooked yeast? Is it possible to make yeast soup? Yeast stir fry? Yeast stuffing?

Has this been successfully done before (where and how)?

Also, is the yeast which is used for making bread pure yeast? Or is it some type of dissolvable material used to carry the organisms?


texts:
i purchased sizzler plate last month. I am using it once or twice in a week. However it is getting lots of rust on it. within 5 minutes of washing plate, it turns back to rust one. I am using lemon juice for a while and it does the trick.

But i am looking for some permanent solution for this.

Thanks for stopping by....!!!


texts: Plain chocolate Chips same as semi sweet chips

texts: I live in the UK and am having trouble obtaining semi-sweet chocolate chips in grocery stores.  Today I spotted De.Oetker (brand) plain chocolate chips.   Would that be the same as semi-sweet, say Nestle' or Hershey's?  Package states Cocoa solids 44% minimum.


texts: What piece of veal should I ask a butcher/meat shop in the US if I want to do stew dishes like "blanquette de veau" or "veau marengo"?

texts:
Ideally, I should be using "tendron" which I think is equivalent to flank steak for a veal. But flank steak is "bavette" for beef, so maybe it is a different name. I think I could also use jarret, which is for the pork called ham hock I believe. Do I have any chance of finding these pieces? Do they have a proper name in US english?

Any other piece suggestions for veal-based stew dishes?


texts: Does it matter if I sauté onions for high liquid foods?

texts:
Many (most?) recipes ask that you sauté onions before adding other ingredients when making soups, stews, or other dishes that contain lots of liquid (as opposed to something like a stir fry).
I'm not taking about caramelization -- I understand the purpose of that.  I mean recipes that ask you to "sweat" the onions or cook them until they're just translucent, with no browning.
Cooking the onions this way makes sense if you want to reduce the moisture and concentrate the flavors.  But it seems to me that if you're adding the onions to soup, for example, you're reducing the moisture just to put moisture back in it.
Does it really make a difference in a soup or stew, as opposed to simply adding the raw onion along with other ingredients?


texts: Silicone molds: transportation and storage

texts:
I'm not quite sure if this is a proper question for this website, but I hope it is.
My question regards silicone molds you'd use in patisserie for baking (like cakes) or freezing (like mousses).

I am considering bringing back from a trip overseas some items, including silicone molds. However, I'm afraid if packing them in luggage or airplane travel could significantly damage the molds, for instance by leaving dents in them. Should I be worried? Are there any particular precautions I should take when transporting them? Of course, I understand they should be kept away from objects that could cut or tear them.

Since we're already here, I think I'll make the question a bit more general and ask about storage. Is there any care in particular one should take when storing them in order for them to keep their forms or otherwise quality?


texts: Would freezing affect the flavour of mint tea?

texts: I have a recipe that calls for a large pot of strong mint tea. I don't have time to make the recipe these days, but I'd like to make the tea before the spearmint in the garden dies off so I can finish this later when I have time. My plan was to harvest the remaining mint (I was going to include the stems as well since by now I've already used many leaves - but would stems affect the flavour in a negative way?), brew a pot, then put it in a container and freeze it, and then thaw when necessary. Would freezing affect the flavour?


texts: Is it bad if a sponge cake sits out for a couple hours before cooking?

texts: I am making cupcakes and was wondering if it is okay if you leave the batter out for a couple hours before cooking.


texts: What is the proper term for real oil vs. flavoured oil?

texts:
Is there a better term for flavoured oil?

For example, a "chili oil" is clearly not same as "grape seed oil" or "snake oil".


texts: How to change this frosting recipe to get a thicker result?

texts:
Making chocolate cake and frosting per recipe below from Hershey's recipe. The frosting we made is a bit too liquidy to put on the cake, more like icing. is there a way (or even hack) to make it thicker, short of adding a cup of powdered sugar to cut the ratio of the liquid ingredients?

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.

Add small amount of additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.


texts:
I've tried a lovely chocolate milk (cold, not to be confused with hot chocolate) from Marks and Spencer (a supermarket in the UK) and I'm trying to emulate it's rich Belgian chocolate taste.

My recipe so far looks like this:

-Mixture of dark (bittersweet) and milk chocolate

-Whole fat milk and Condensed milk

-Espresso powder

-Cane sugar (or honey)

My questions:

I'm thinking of using a mixture of condensed and whole milk because the chocolate milk I tasted seems thicker than whole fat milk, but not TOO thick or cloying. The consistency I'm going for is the same as milk with a 6% or so fat content. Is this recommended or should I go with whole fat milk with a little cream?
I've decided to use espresso powder because I'm hoping a tiny bit of this will give the chocolate a teeny weeny hint of roasted coffee/espresso notes that I seem to detect from the drink. Is there any other way I can enhance the flavour of the chocolates in the drink?
I'm thinking of using a cane sugar or honey, as hopefully this may give the chocolate a slight caramel-ly taste, is this the best way of doing this?
The main part i'm stuck on is this: I'm not sure whether or not to go for a milk chocolate/dark chocolate combo (35% milk chocolate and 65% bittersweet chocolate) or just use a high quality cocoa powder like Valrhona? The aim is to go for a Belgian chocolate taste here.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!


texts:
Am I right in thinking it's safe to cook pheasant breast medium so its a little pink?

If so why is this different from chicken?


texts:
I recently received from a friend a batch of live kefir grains, by mail. The grains were packaged for a few days in a little jar filled with water. As soon as I received them, I put them in some half-skimmed milk (probably too little for the amount of grains I received), and for the following week I could not take care of them, so I left them in the fridge with the milk.

A few days ago I had a look at them, to see if anything happened, and to try reviving them. However, the milk seemingly did not change consistency. I strained the grains out, noticing a very strong yeasty-alcoholic smell. I dropped that batch of milk, but I retried (unfortunately again with some more half-skimmed milk) leaving them at room temperature for the night.

The following batch still did not thicken at all, but the smell was really interesting: exactly like beer. Out of curiosity I tasted a few drops of it, and it also tastes good, just like regular beer.

I wasn't confident enough to drink more than that, but my question is: can kefir grains change milk into some milk-based, beer-like beverage? If so, is it safe to drink? And what caused this weird behavior?


texts: Do pickled sausages need to be refrigerated?

texts: We have a jar of Hannah's Red Hot Pickled Sausages that we just opened last night.  I couldn't find any "Refrigerate After Opening" indication anywhere on the jar, so we left them out overnight.  I'm still uneasy about it, but the only way to ask Hannah's is to have a facebook account.  I don't have one since I don't use facebook (yes, only person on the planet), so I was hoping you may know for sure.


texts:
There are lots of American cheese cake recipes which call for cream cheese. And I don't know about cream cheese in the USA, but in Europe, cream cheese is salted. It may be not as salty as, say, feta, but the salt is definitely noticeable. As a result, my cheesecake's taste is a combination of sweet and salty.

Do you have any ideas how to solve the problem? Of course, it would be perfect if you can tell me a brand of cream cheese without salt which I can get in Germany. But if not, I would like to hear ideas about how to make the salt less noticeable. Adding more sugar or using a different kind of cheese (e.g. mascarpone) are not an option. Or if it is normal for a cheesecake to taste that way (I have never eaten a genuine American cheesecake), please tell me so I can stop worrying about my cakes.

Also, I have observed that a cheesecake tastes less salty after a day or two. Is this real, or just my imagination (or me getting accustomed to the taste)? If true, what causes this to happen?


texts: Why does meat go bad after 1 month sous vide at 55-60C ( 131 - 141F)

texts:
See this I COOKED a Brisket for a MONTH and this happened! and Can Viewers SAVE a 1-month BRISKET? of a brisket cooked in 55C and 60C for 1 month. It smells very bad! So they proved (twice) that the brisket goes bad, you can read all the comments and there are lots of suggested reasons especially that you must cook at 65C since it is only above 65C that you really kill salmonella and whatever. I don't think so, Modernist cuisine says that salmonella dies at temperatures above 48C.

My question is, what really happens? I.e. what is growing, is it dangerous, and how long does it take to get dangerous in 55C e.g.?
Is it some anaerobic bacteria? It can't be botulism, he would be dead by now, right?

I have done brisket many times at 55C/131F for 3 days, no smell, everything very good. I don't think I will get any better result after longer time so I have not tried (and I don't have a youtube channel to sell crazy ideas :-) ). I do 2 days now and I get nicely rendered fat and a (sorry Americans) very nice texture.

Here we have more examples of 4-5 days, comments say texture was really bad, but nothing about bad smell. link
I don't really see what would be bad for 30 days, but ok after 3-5?

Update
Please read e.g. Douglas Baldwins Practical Guide to Sous Vide, I think he is much more qualified than you and me.
He clearly states e.g.

  You were probably taught that there’s a “danger zone” between 40°F and 140°F (4.4°C and 60°C). These temperatures aren’t quite right: it’s well known that food pathogens can only multiply between 29.7°F (-1.3°C) and 126.1°F (52.3°C), while spoilage bacteria begin multiplying at 23°F (-5°C)

and

  So why were you taught that food pathogens stop multiplying at 40°F (4.4°C) and grow all the way up to 140°F (60°C)? Because it takes days for food pathogens to grow to a dangerous level at 40°F (4.4°C) (FDA, 2011) and it takes many hours for food to be made safe at just above 126.1°F (52.3°C) – compared with only about 12 minutes (for meat) and 35 minutes (for poultry) to be made safe when the coldest part is 140°F (60°C)

and

  Indeed, the food pathogens that can multiply down to 29.7°F (-1.3°C) – Yersinia enterocolitica and Listeria monocytogenes – can only multiply about once per day at 40°F (4.4°C) and so you can hold food below 40°F (4.4°C) for five to seven days (FDA, 2011). At 126.1°F (52.3°C), when the common food pathogen Clostridium perfringens stops multiplying, it takes a very long time to reduce the food pathogens we’re worried about – namely the Salmonella species, Listeria monocytogenes, and the pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli – to a safe level; in a 130°F (54.4°C) water bath (the lowest temperature I recommend for cooking sous vide) it’ll take you about 2½ hours to reduce E. coli to a safe level in a 1 inch (25 mm) thick hamburger patty and holding a hamburger patty at 130°F (54.4°C) for 2½ hours is inconceivable with traditional cooking methods – which is why the “danger zone” conceived for traditional cooking methods doesn’t start at 130°F (54.4°C). [Note that Johnson et al. (1983) reported that Bacillus cereus could multiply at 131°F/55°C, but no one else has demonstrated growth at this temperature and so Clostridium perfringens is used instead.]

So what he calls pathogens DIE at 50C and they die even faster at 55 or 60. IF this is true, what is the problem with the 30 days brisket at 60C? That is my question. I don't want to hear about danger zone, I know what it is and that it is exaggerated to be simpler and safer to use. If you don't believe me, that's fine, but then no need to answer.


texts: What temperature is the "warm" setting of a PC550 slow cooker?

texts: I recently prepared a pork roast, but it wasn't ready in time for supper. Once it was fully cooked, I switched it over to "warm" for the night to be ready for today. But now I'm a little worried if it is still good. I have heard that as long as the "warm" setting maintains a heat above 140f it should be fine, but I do not have a functioning thermometer to test this. If someone else has a PC550 slow cooker, and can give me a reference of the (approximate) setting (warm, 1, 2, 3) temperatures, that would help!


texts:
I am reading some books on cooking technique and often see the guidance "don't crowd the pan" when sautéing or pan frying, so that food cooks by browning/maillard, rather than steaming. However, many recipes I find online and in cookbooks involve piling many ingredients into one pan.

A couple of recent examples from NYT's Mark Bittman, where ingredients are crowded into the pan and cooked (prior to adding any braising liquid, etc)

http://markbittman.com/dinner-with-bittman-real-beef-stroganoff/ (onions and mushrooms)
http://markbittman.com/sunday-supper-coq-au-vin/ (onions, bacon, mushrooms, chicken, garlic)
http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/dinersjournal/2012/02/13/the-minimalist-crisp-braised-duck-legs-with-aromatic-vegetables/ (onions, carrots, celery)

Are these exceptions to the pan-crowding rule? Or is it just that it a matter of convenience to put everything in 1 pan?


texts: Is there a multipurpose cooking appliance that can be used to make natto?

texts:
I want to try making some of my own natto, since it is a bit pricey getting it from the store.

Looking at online recipes (such as this and this) it appears that at one point it is necessary to maintain the mix at slightly over body temperature (100-115 F) for about 24 hours. I'm not sure if I have the equipment for this at home.

My oven's dial goes from 200 to 550, although there is a "warm" setting for gentle warmth. I'm not sure what temperature the "warm" actually is, but it seems like something between 50-80 C. Also this oven is gas-powered, and isn't too great at keeping temperature stable, in the past I've had it deviate by 25 or even 50 degrees (especially when trying to reach 500). My oven thermometer is cheap and low quality as well, so I'm not confident about maintaining proper fermentation conditions for natto in the oven - but perhaps I'm being too cautious.

Nattodad on Youtube shows in one of his videos a simple device he built by wiring together a hot plate and thermostat. I've actually constructed similar circuits before, but DIY-wiring electrical devices makes me nervous due to the potential fire hazard - although I could set up a special area in my house to minimize the danger. The other issue is that I don't happen to have a hot plate or thermostat on hand, I would have to spend time and money to obtain them.

It seems to me that I'd be much better off getting some general purpose cooking appliance capable of maintaining low temperatures long-term, that is useful for things besides making natto. That way I'm not spending a bunch of money on something that can only make natto. For instance, this video apparently uses a programmable pressure cooker. That sounds great, since a pressure cooker is pretty useful - but it's not clear to me how exactly this works for natto.

What are my options here? What is a practical way of setting up the natto fermentation temperature? Is there a way to do it without buying a dedicated hot plate with thermostat?


texts: Finishing Sous-Vide Chicken Thighs en masse

texts:
I'm throwing a party together soon and I wanted to sous-vide some chicken thighs. Because (1) It's tasty, (2) it's easy, (3) leaves open all my pans, stove and oven for other foods.

The problem lies in finishing it off. Typically I remove the chicken, put it in a ice water bath till cool, dry it off then finish it in a small pan till golden and crispy. It's delicious but there's no way I can finish off 30 of these in a timely and efficient way.

I tried broiling but they were not as golden and crispy and were overcooked by the time they had any crispness.

Any ideas? (I'll also take other ideas to feed ~15 people as a main that doesn't take much effort/time)


texts: What makes the difference between domed and flat cookies?

texts:
I'm baking cookies using recipe from Ruhlman's Ratio, which goes something like this:

100g butter
90g sugar
160g flour
1 tsp baking soda (I use baking powder)
150g chocolate chips

I scoop the dough using my ice cream scoop and have nice good tasting round cookies come out. They are rather tall and domed.

What can I adjust to get flatter cookies like in the following picture? What difference would it make if I, say melted the butter first, then combined with sugar and egg (like brownie batter) and then mixed with my dry ingredients? Or does my use of baking powder cause the difference?

This is what I would like my result to look like:

This is what it looks like:


texts: Has anyone ever made margarine out of butter?

texts:
It occurred to me that since margarine can be made by emulsifying fats with a suitable level of saturation with water to simulate butter, and clarifying butter is essentially just breaking the emulsion, driving off the water, and removing some solids.  So it seems to me that it should be possible to turn clarified butter into margarine by emulsifying it with water.

Doing this would probably be pointless, but I'm curious if anyone has done it just for the sake of having done it?

I'm not talking about margarine with butter derived flavouring or anything like that.  This is specifically about using butter as the fat in a margarine without significant additions or alterations to it beyond clarifying it normally and then emulsifying into margarine normally.


texts: I like to give my friends boxes of cookies for Christmas. How can I ship boxes to those living across the country or in neighboring countries without them getting damaged or going stale in transit? Would vacuum-sealing help? Do certain types of baked goods ship better than others? Should I use a certain type of box?


texts: Tenderizing fava bean skin without overcooking inside

texts:
For the umpteenth time I'm going to give fava beans a try, never having achieved satisfactory results thus far. I love them when someone else makes them, or even the canned ones ready to eat at my local Middle Eastern store, it's just that every time so far either the skin was too hard and the inside fine (1.5-2 hrs cooking total) or the skin was tender but inside mushy (3 hrs total cooking).
I soak the beans over night, then just boil the beans alone with salt for 1-2 hrs (regular white and black beans only 30-45 min), then mix with fried onion and other stuf and cook another 45 min - 1 hr.
Is there any way to tenderize the skin without overcooking the inside of the beans?


texts: Why do some pies call for two crusts, and some do not?

texts:
Most fruit pies call for two crusts, whereas most custardy pies do not.  However, my apple pies with one crust or two or substantially the same.

Is the number of crusts simply traditional?


texts:
I'm trying to identify what this steak is typically called, so I can know whether I am trimming and preparing it properly. I've been unable to find any photos of similar cuts.

I recently purchased a side of beef and we have some packs labelled "rib steak". These steaks look like this:

The steak is wedge-shaped. As I've indicated, a curved rib bone runs along one edge of the steak, and a strip of thick tissue runs along the other edge. About half of the cut (the narrower half) is mostly fat. When I trim this steak, I end up with the portion which I've colored red in my drawing.

Thanks in advance.


texts: Do you cook in oven before dehydrating venison jerky to kill possible bacteria?

texts: I am getting mixed advice on preparing venison jerky at home. Some people/sites advise to cook venison to internal 160 degrees in oven prior to dehydrating to kill any potential bacteria that may be present. Please advise who does/does not cook prior to dehyrating


texts:
I am having issues with my fondant tearing and cracking. I experimented a lot but didn't get the satisfactory results? What could be going wrong?

Some possibilities I thought of:

Am I using too much buttercream?
Am I rolling out the fondant too thin?
I read somewhere to apply piping gel before applying fondant. Could this be
the problem?

Kindly guide me through it, please.


texts: How long can flour dough sit on counter?

texts: I'm making flour tortillas with all purpose flour, butter, water, and baking powder. How long can the dough sit on counter?


texts: My stock made from leftover rotisserie chicken is very gelatinous. I thought only uncooked chicken bones made stock gelatinous. Any explanation?

texts:
Everything I read about making stock indicates that using raw chicken will create a gelatinous stock. I used leftover rotisserie chicken and it is delicious but very gelatinous. I let it simmer a LONG time, at least 6 hours. I did not skim as it was simmering. After straining, I poured it into jars, let it cool before putting in the refrigerator. I believe there had to be a good deal of fat because there was some skin on the carcass but there was not a layer of white fat on top after refrigerating.

My question is: why was there no fat layer? Gelatinous is good but if I wanted less, what would I do different? Did I make mistakes not skimming, letting it cool to room temperature before refrigerating?


texts: So I want to experiment with making a food product, and I'm wondering where I acquire the chemical ingredients? Things like vitamin chemicals and caffeine. Thanks.


texts: As a consumer in the UK, how can I choose well marbled beef?

texts:
In the USA beef marbling is graded by the USDA - and this grade labeling is enforced to be passed nearly to the end consumer (i.e. the labeling is on the cryovac). So if I wanted well marbled beef in the USA, I could either buy in cryovac, comparing unit prices between prime grade and premium select grade, or in the grocery store where the cryovac is opened, I can see the marbling myself and make a judgement.

I am living in the UK, and although we technically have access to EU beef and a number of non EU imports, most available beef is UK sourced. And most consumer education is around awareness of beef cuts, food safety and animal welfare, rather than any information about beef quality.

When I approach butchers at say, Smithfield Market, they conflate quality with country of origin, following I think the attitudes of shoppers here (UK citizens seem to think if the meat comes from a faraway country it will be swapped for horse meat).

Finally I find that in the UK we do have carcass grading - to identify females or age of the animal. But as far as I can tell this information is unavailable to the end consumer.

So if I don't care a whit about country of origin, and would simply like the most well marbled best tasting product for my budget... how to shop?

Since meat is heavy, I prefer to make my purchases online.


texts: Should tamarind pulp go into Pad Thai sauce?

texts: I'm making my own Pad Thai sauce and I'm not sure if I should strain out the tamarind pulp or if it can stay in the sauce. Or is there some type of prepared tamarind which dissolves into the sauce so there's nothing to strain?


texts: Is the SS Stovetop Espresso Maker from CafeCoffeeDay a Moka pot?

texts:
Is the SS Stovetop Espresso Maker what's called a Moka pot? They haven't named it explicitly a Moka pot, hence the question.

If not, can a Moka pot style coffee be prepared in that instrument?


texts: What is the easiest way to grind poppy seeds?

texts:
When I prepare a poppy seeds filling (e.g. for a pie), I currently use an old-style coffee grinder. It takes small amounts (like 2 tbsp at a time) of poppy seeds and grinds them into powder in 2-3 minutes. The resulting quality is OK for me, but the process is not very easy as I often need to stop for the grinder to cool down, to move around the seeds that got stuck to the inner walls, and it takes quite some time when you need to process 200-300 g of poppy seeds that way.

So, my question is: Is there any kitchen appliance or just some other way to grind poppy seeds easier without losing on the quality?


texts:
My wife loves rasmalai and we make it often.

I have used several different recipes and both made the paneer from scratch as well as using paneer purchased at a local Indian grocery store.

Some recipes call for the paneer balls to be cooked in the syrup for some time, sometimes even in a pressure cooker. Any time that I have tried to do this my paneer has completely melted into a sweet, foamy, butter slick. I stopped trying the pressure cooker recipes because it was too wasteful.

Other recipes, including those from Indian coworkers, don't pressure cook the cheese and only briefly simmer it before chilling the dish.

Is rasmalai traditionally cooked in a pressure cooker? If so what does it accomplish and how do I keep my paneer from melting?


texts: Is a borosilicate glass pot safe to use on a gas burner stovetop?

texts:
I've seen similar questions about Pyrex, but as I understand it Pyrex manufactured in the United States is now made from tempered soda-lime glass, so I am not asking about that.

UPDATE:
To address a similar question: the answer to the question on Pyrex was, first of all, a generic question on Pyrex (not just borosilicate Pyrex), and it left an open ended answer for personal testing on borosilicate, which doesn't answer my specific question, and it attracted boarder answers (many completely oblivious to the materials used). I'm really looking for a specific answer from personal experience with borosilicate.

The Question:

I specifically would like to know if anyone has used a (verified) borosilicate glass pot on a gas burner stove top, and if it is safe for regular use, and by "regular use" I would specifically mean:

Is it safe to take a chilled pot from the refrigerator to a full open flame?
Is it safe to take a pot that has been on a full open flame (for an hour or so) to the bottom of the sink (risking a little cool water splash)?

OR are there limiting factors, and if so, what are they?

I just want to make sure I can treat a borosilicate pot the same way I might a regular pot or pan. I've done a decent amount of research, and according to the stated temperature limits, it would seem that it might be okay, but I've not seen enough information on the effects of rapid temperature change. So I'm really interested in actual experiences.

I once spat on a hot incandescent light bulb, and I just want to make sure this pot won't explode the way that light bulb did.


texts: Is custard powder(powder mix) is same as pudding mix powder?

texts: I observe Custard powder and pudding mix is same just combine it with milk, cook to thicken, and you have custard or pudding.Can they use as a replacement of one another?


texts: Temperature for making bone broth in slow cooker

texts:
I've made bone broth with grass-fed beef bones a couple of times in regular stock pots. Yesterday I tried it in my Hamilton Beach 6-qt Stay or Go Slow Cooker after carefully preparing the ingredients - soaking, roasting vegetables and sitting with the vinegar before adding herbs and turning it on - at the low setting. Last night I noticed - after 7-8 hours - the water was boiling. Continued for 19 hours when (duh!) it occurred to me this could be WRONG!

I checked a number of Websites, many of which said bone broth should never be boiled b/c, among other things, it causes the fat to be reincorporated in the broth, without being possible to separate it and it could affect nutrients in the broth.  Other considerations: What about taste? I don't care if it's cloudy since it's for helping a family member with health issues - medicinal rather than show off culinary purposes.

I checked with Hamilton Beach folks who said the low setting is for 180 to 200 degrees, yet it boiled continuously. They also said it would turn off automatically after 14 hours; it didn't! I turned off crock pot and now seek advice re whether it's ruined or if 19 hours at the boil is enough cooking time or WHAT? Any feed back is greatly appreciated.


texts: How can I remove mold stains from a pan?

texts:
A few weeks ago I made some homemade bread pudding. We had a few servings of it, the weather got hot and humid, and I soon learned that mold really likes bread pudding too. The pan is a stoneware pan.

I rolled up my sleeves, got some really hot water, and scoured it as best as I could but it still has dark spots and a moldy "funk" to it. I don't really want to use it like this. Is there a way that I can clean this pan or is it a lost cause?


texts: Making liquor with normal milk instead of UHT milk

texts:
I would like to make a liqueur, using alcohol with 40% and other ingredients. Two of those are (according to the recipe) UHT-milk and UHT-cream. Unfortunately I could not find any source for them where I live at the moment. Thus I was thinking of replacing the UHT milk with normal milk.
Would that work? And how fast would I have to drink the liqueur now, assumed the alcohol content (~20 % in the final product) does not keep the milk fresh?


texts: How can I test if I've added baking soda to my cake batter?

texts:
I have prepared some cake mix and while I know I added baking powder, I don't remember whether I have added baking soda in it! Is there anyway to check this (of course without baking the mix ;-). )

This is wheat-based eggless cake. The mix contains wheat, all-purpose flour, sugar and baking powder.


texts: Does teff flour destroy gluten, and what do do about it?

texts:
I like to add various different types of flour to bread when baking for sake of variety: Amaranth, Chickpea, Teff, Corn, Sorghum, etc.  These all worked fine when I was using a bread machine.

Now I like to do everything by hand, and I'm encountering the following problem with Teff flour specifically (and none of the others so far!).  Basically, the dough becomes extremely thin (like a liquid) even with just a small amount of Teff (even just 15% Teff and the rest wheat).  Even when I use less water to maintain a reasonable consistency in the dough, I can't seem to form it into a loaf; the gluten just breaks down almost immediately.  This is not just an issue about not having enough wheat flour: I can add easily 25% of other gluten-free flours such as chickpea flour without any problem.  Does Teff flour destroy the gluten in some way?  Is there any way around this other than baking in some sort of receptacle which creates the correct shape for the loaf?


texts: I bought a bag of peeled garlic cloves as a convenience(I know, shame on me) I stored the unused cloves in the fridge and the began to show purple areas on the cloves. I don't think this is anything harmful but my partner didn't like it and insisted I throw away what was left. Is this just another natural color change for garlic such as the blue/green or green colorations that can occur. Anyone have a definitive answer? I'm not trying to one-up her, just trying to be safe.


texts: Tips on cooking fish/meat when not even thickness

texts: Sometimes, I have cuts of meat/fish (mostly fish) that have dramatically uneven thickness. I like to pan sear, so how would I cook it so the thinner ends are still tender, but the thicker ends are not undercooked?


texts: Odour removing metallic soap: what is it and how does it work?

texts:
When browsing for kitchen tools, I found a metallic soap. It's purpose is to remove any (food) odour from your hands. Here's a cheap ($2.55) example.

I am unfamiliar with this.
Does anyone have any experience with it? Does it really work? If yes, how?
Are there odours which it removes better/worse?

And does it last forever (This may of course depend on the brand and model) ?


texts:
When I do anything on the stove - boil water, make rice, make a stew for 3 hours - I always wonder whether I should be using the lid.

The conventional wisdom is that the lid makes water boil faster. Is this true? Sometimes I have oddly-shaped pots which don't have a lid so I try to find a substitute (a plate, a sheet pan) if the recipe says to "cover". Do I have to cover? When I use a lid with rice, it always boils over, leaving me wondering why I even bother with it.

When do I use the lid? Does the lid have to be tight-fitting, or can it be something loose that mostly covers the top? How do I decide whether I can ignore the "cover" directive on a recipe? How does the use of a lid affect the food itself?

I realize this is a very silly question but it has always baffled me, and caused me no small amount of consternation when a recipe says to use one and I don't have a way to cover.


texts: how to brine olives - how cool is cool area to brine them?

texts: My olives have been brining for 2 months, and are still quite bitter. I read to keep them in a cool place, here in Arizona when I started this process it was still in the 90's so I put them in the fridge. Is this too cold for the brining to work? How cool should it be? There is no basement here and the floor temp is about 68º. Will this be cool enough?


texts: Spicy soy, seed bitterness and placental capsaicin

texts:
If you read this Is seeding peppers a must when making hot sauce it is made pretty clear that chili seeds contain little or no capsaicin but are bitter.

I have personally experienced (and then made) a very hot condiment made by cracking chili seeds with a spoon and mixing them into soy sauce then leaving it to stand. It was pretty potent but the seeds could well have traces of the placenta attached to them.

Is the spiciness entirely attributable to capsaicin from placental contamination? Or is there some other mechanism at play?


texts:
Some years back my girlfriend visited Trinidad and Tobago, and there she encountered a dish that she just called roti. She used to buy it from a stand, which offered many variations. The one she favored was one with a spicy chicken filling.

Now rotis I know, or at least the Indian roti, which I presume this caribbean dish has its origin from. But the filling are more of a mystery. Are there typical chicken filling for rotis in Trinidad and Tobago? In that case does it have a name or some typical ingredients so I have a starting point in recreating this mystery dish?


texts: How to replace icing sugar and glucose in a cake icing?

texts:
I love cooking especially sweets but I'm not a professional.

This time I tried to make ready-to-roll icing for the first time to decorate cupcakes but it was horrible (I used crystallized sugar instead of icing sugar which I can't find and another kind of syrup instead of liquid glucose which i can't find either) so the dough was barely holding together.

So here is my question: What can I replace liquid glucose and icing sugar with?

PS. I live in a country where it is hard to find this kind of ingredients.


texts: Why would boiling milk in an electric kettle break the kettle?

texts:
Or: is it safe for the electric kettle's integrity and overall functionality to be used to boil non-water liquids such as milk?

*note: I know milk may burn onto the element and be difficult to clean out after, or it may foam up and out of the spout and make a mess. For the purpose of this question, please ignore any mess that may be left behind by these kettle-adventures.

I read this question on the Workplace SE which states:

  I needed hot milk, so I boiled it in the nearest kettle to me, but I
  think I broke it, as water won't boil any more. I know this, because I
  tried it myself.

This has me wondering WHY boiling milk in a kettle would break it. Logically I think it should simply make a mess, not cause the kettle to cease functioning.


texts: Relation between concentration of sugar in syrup VS its spoil rate

texts:
My mother recently created a Centella asiatica vegetable juice.

She states that we should add some sugar (e.g. 2 tea-spoons for 1.5 liter of vegetable water) to reduce the spoil rate of the juice.

I disagree because I feel that the concentration rate is too low for that - it would increase the spoil rate instead.   However, it bases on just my feeling.

My assumption :-

I believe water, sugar and honey can be stored almost forever, but syrup has relatively short storage time.

There has to be some figures of sugar concentration (e.g. X gram of sugar per 1 liter of water) that make the spoilage rate maximum (parabola?), right?

Question :-

How is the relation between sugar concentration and spoil rate?
How much it can be applied to vegetable juice?

Please also provide some graph/reference/research to support your answer because the belief will impact the rest of my life.

Edit:
Here is what I interpret Juliana Karasawa Souza's answer :-


texts: Is it okay to add extra sugar to a specific brioche recipe?

texts:
A recipe calls for the following ingredients: (a version of potato brioche):

  250g potato
  1/3 cup milk
  1 tablespoon olive oil
  3 and half cups flour
  2 teaspoons instant yeast
  1 teaspoon bread improver
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  1 teaspoon sugar
  1 large egg

But I like a taste of sweetness for my baguettes. Is it okay to add extra sugar, and how many tablespoons would be okay?


texts: How to preserve the green colour of mint when doing spherification?

texts: I was recently making some mint spheres using reverse spherification, as a bit of background here was my process: I blended around 15g of mint leaves with 250ml of boiling water and left to steep for an hour. I strained the infusion through a 50 micron filter and then added some sugar, lemon juice and 3.5% calcium gluconolacte before thickening with 0.4% of xanthan gum. The spherification went fine but the colour of the liquid went an unappetising shade of brown and what I would like to know is there a way, aside from adding food colouring, to preserve the mint's green colour?


texts: I just baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies (https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/bas-best-chocolate-chip-cookies). I felt like they were just a tad bit on the sweet side, so wanted to know if there would be any negative consequences from reducing the sugar? (like 1/2-3/4 of the sugar in the recipe) Would the cookie not bake as desired or something like that?


texts:
I made this clementine cake a while back, and very much appreciated the fact that it uses the entire fruit. I found a good deal on clementines today, and was thinking of trying to do something similar with ice cream or sherbet or even sorbet!

I'm fairly confident with sorbets - some sugar, water until it's the right consistency, and you're just about done. I'm not so sure about an ice cream, though; I know acid and milk can cause problems, and the high water content of boiled pureed clementines sounds like it could turn creamy to icy.

I don't want to directly ask for a recipe or anything - not that I expect there to be any use-the-whole-orange recipes out there anyway - but I would love some advice about starting points. What kind of recipe would you use as a base for a clementine ice cream or sherbet, using the whole fruit? Or am I over-worrying, and I can just swap orange juice/zest for clementines in an orange sherbet recipe, or add clementines to a plain ice cream base, and get away with it with minimal modification?


texts: Vegetarian replacement for pork mince in Chinese style stir fry

texts:
In Chinese cuisine it's very common to start a vegetable stir fry with a bit of minced meat, typically pork, to give the dish a deeper flavor. To make a vegetarian version I usually just leave this out, but I've been wondering if something else would give a similar effect taste-wise.

Typical meat replacements like tofu or seitan don't work here because they focus on providing the texture and protein of meat, but not so much the flavor.


texts: Any suggestions for cracking "black walnuts"?

texts: These nuts have a very tough outer shell, any tips on cracking them?


texts: How to mince garlic efficiently without the garlic sticking to the sides of the knife?

texts: Whenever I mince cloves of garlic on a cutting board, it sticks to the sides of the knife making it a tedious task? Is there anyway to prevent this from happening when using a knife to mince garlic the old-fashioned way? Otherwise, I frequently have to wipe off the garlic remnants from the sides of the knife.


texts: How to add more toppings to frozen pizza?

texts: I generally buy frozen Pizza Margherita in store for making a quick lunch if I am running out of time. However, I don't really like the taste of the baked Pizza because it is just Tomato and Cheese. I am a vegetarian and I would like to add toppings but when? Should I directly add veggies on frozen pizza and put it in the oven or let the frozen pizza bake for a few minutes and then add the toppings ? Suggestions are most welcome.


texts: How to better combine preserved eggs with strong ammonia smell with other foods?

texts: How to better combine or use preserved duck eggs with strong ammonia smell with other foods? Specially if will get rid of or at least alleviate the strong ammonia smell.


texts: How can I preserve large quantities of garlic?

texts: I have a lot of garlic that is still fresh. How can I preserve it easily so that it can be used for a variety of uses later?


texts: After grocery shopping, my husband left vacuum sealed 2 jars of wine marinades herring outside the fridge on a shelf for 2 days.  The shelf is in a cool spot. Can we still eat it?  I have put them back into the fridge.


texts: Does Tapatio red sauce equate to Frank's hot pepper sauce?

texts: Does Tapatio red sauce equate to Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce?


texts:
I'm about to start selling my baked goods at a farmers market, and I want to purchase a clear, portable,  acrylic sneeze guard - like that:

The problem is, I can't find anywhere in the US/Canada that sells them. They are very common in the UK and Australia, but nowhere to be found here. I think I must have the wrong name.

Is somebody aware of a seller that has them, or if they go under a different name? I spent hours browsing the internet but can't find anything.


texts: Cooling cooked onions before adding to raw mince

texts:
In Masterchef The Professionals (season 8 episode 11), Marcus Wareing demonstrates his skills test and cooks a burger. In the process, he rapidly cools the onions after sweating them by placing them on a freezing tray. Would it make a noticeable difference to skip that step? I never did this and my burgers did not fall apart as he suggests. Is there some other reason for doing this?

You can see the episode here (skip to 17:30).


texts: Is there any way to keep bananas fresh for longer? We tried putting them in the fridge but their skins turn black very fast.


texts: What would be good substitutes for non-stick spray? I've heard butter or vegetable oil. Would something like Crisco work?


texts: Left sourdough starter out overnight after feeding and it overflowed?

texts:
I have a new sourdough starter I made about 2 weeks ago. I took it out of the fridge yesterday afternoon and fed it.  It was slow to rise and even placed in the oven with light for a about an hour.  I checked in the evening and nothing, then forgot about it and went to bed.  Next morning it has overflowed.  Is it still good, what should I do with it after sitting out for 18 hours?  Can I put it in the fridge again and use it in a couple days?  Do I need to feed it again before using it to make bread?

Deanna


texts: I had delicious Udon soup at a Japanese restaurant, and my attempts to recreate have failed. what am I missing?

texts:
I recently fell in love with Udon soup.  I've had it at 2 different restaurants in Austin TX, and I find the broth clean and delicious.  My favorite includes cucumber, carrot, a few shrimp, green onion, a and lil of tempura bits. Usually I love spicy soups, but the broth tastes so well balanced that i wouldn't really dare adding any chili, etc. I have tried to recreate it at home but the broth is not remotely similar.

I've tried making dashi broth a couple times.  The second time was after a lot of internet research.  I added about 4 2"x4" strips of Kombu to bout 5 cups water cold water, and brought it to near-boil over 30 minutes. I tasted and really noticed the umami flavor.  But still, it tasted quite watery.  I added 2 handfuls of bonito flakes (they reached boil for maybe a second) and removed from heat.  Steeped 10 minutes.  I could taste more fishyness now.  I slowly started adding salt and it really started bringing out the fishyness, too much.  I added soy a little at a time.. maybe  a tablespoon all told and it was quite 'soy' tasting. not really the golden-rays-of-sunshine broth i had at the restaurant.  I added a bit of mirin, maybe a tablespoon.  At this point the stock tastes discordant: too fishy, too soy-like, and too salty, too sweet, and too watery.

Am I messing something up, or are these restaurants using some kind of chicken stock?  I feel like I'm not in the ballpark.  fwiw, I'm using light soy and sushi-chef mirin.

Any guidance/suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

UPDATE:
I wrote the restaurant asking what was in the broth, and if they used dashi.  Here is there response: "Our soup broth is made with chicken bone, beef marrow, and assortment of vegetables that is simmered for several hours"


texts:
I know it's completely basic, but I've been reading up on alternative ways to make chicken wings (admittedly because I've been trying to find a similar recipe to Korean soy garlic chicken) and I came across this recipe from Momofukufor2.

It mentions rendered chicken fat, and I'm not exactly sure what that meant. I'm familiar with twice fried wings, so is this just another way of saying "the oil you cooked the wings the first time around"?


texts:
I have got the same annoying result a few times now, when making potato gratin, and something known as "french potato cake" in my country (grated potato in frying pan).

I believe that it's the potato which has a slightly off taste; bitter/metallic/raw. Some googling leads to solanine as an explanation, but I'm not completely satisfied.

Things that might be related:

I rarely peel them (yet, I think that the same batch of potatoes, used a few days apart did taste fine the first time).
I think that it's worse when any piece of potato isn't in direct contact with heat (i e the center of a thick potato cake or gratin)
I almost always add raw, finely grated onions.
Sometimes raw garlic - my impression is that it makes it worse.
The potatoes are not green, at all, in any of these circumstances.

So my guesses are:

Solanine, in that case solution is to peel them?
Something related to oxidation, either in garlic/onion or perhaps catalysed by it. Solution, in that case?
Rawness - can potatoes be soft and still be "raw"?


texts: How to extract mouth numbing effect from Sichuan peppercorn into a syrup?

texts:
I tried following the recipe here to try to create a Sichuan peppercorn simple syrup. The recipe is basically to add slightly crushed peppercorn to sugar and water, allow to simmer, take off the heat, and repeat. The end result was tasty, but it did not have the same mouth numbing effect that I was hoping for except for with the leftover peppercorn in the syrup.
How can I get the mouth numbing effect into a syrup, and why did the above method not work? The Wikipedia article on hydroxy alpha sanshool suggests you can extract it with a distillation method although that seems like a bit of overkill when I am just trying to make cocktails at home (and when I don't own a condenser or distillation flask).


texts: I've just found some deep frozen salmon in my freezer but I'm unsure if it's still eatable though the package says it still should. The case is that the salmon is still pink as it should be but it's back where the back bone should be, it's green/grayish. Is the fish still alright?


texts: I have a regular gas grill (Brinkmann) and I'm trying to find a way or a workaround to have an infrared on it, have any of you tried that? is it possible to use something like this by placing it on grill?


texts: Best knives that don't need regular sharpening

texts: I'm looking for a knife that doesn't need to be regularly sharpened. The knife is for someone who has damaged wrists, and they find it difficult to have to continuously sharpen their knife.


texts: Please name me an easily accessible chilli pepper which is low heat, sweet and aromatic?

texts: As the question states.  I'd prefer something which has very little heat if any at all but it should be strongly sweet, aromatic and grassy. I am in the UK so something easy to get: fresh or powdered.


texts: How can I get breaded chicken to stop from sticking to the frying pan?

texts: Whenever I fry breaded chicken cutlets, the first side browns beautifully, but when I turn them over, the next side always sticks to the pan. Consequently, one side is beautifully breaded, and the other side is bare of coating. This happens to any kind of meat that I bread. I use olive oil for frying- Ideas?


texts: Combating adverse effects of garlic and onions

texts:
I'm a huge fan of garlic and onions and seldom do I cook for myself without adding one of the two.

Recently, I've managed to come across a local garlic grower. The intensity of the taste is like nothing I've had before, but the problem of eating it in quantities that I do has become self-evident in my bedroom, which was probably one of the rare occasions that I've felt happy of waking up alone.

I've had difficulties with my body odor previously and I would usually stop eating garlic and onions two days before exposing myself to potential embarrassment, occasionally even substituting my garlic of choice with the bland Chinese garlic sooner than that, but the garlic I'm eating now seems to take close to a full week to clear out.

Is there anything I can do to prepare the garlic to help manage the allicin contained within? So far I'm having some luck adding it to soups, as the prolonged exposure to heat seems to raise the internal temperature of the crushed cloves enough, but mixing into sour cream and letting it sit for a while doesn't seem to be doing enough.


texts:
my yerba mate i drink with calabaza made of a real pumpkin, and i take care of it and clean it after each use. but during the time i see more and more stronger smell and inside looks like not clean, i guess a little bit of mold, or scum. i dont know what it is, maybe that just the smell of the remaining.
is there a safe way to clean it without damaging the calabaza?
i dont mind to keep using it, can it be dangerous in some way?


texts:
I make and sell freshly made, plant based soups. (no dairy, oil or meat in them) I sell them in quart jars.  I'm wondering if I hot water can them, will they last longer in the fridge, for my customers?

I was also told to just boil for a quick 10 minutes to prolong the freshness so they would be good for 7-10 days.

Right now I'm telling people to eat them within a few days, or to freeze them in a freezer safe container.


texts:
Can I add fresh minced garlic to a jar of Huy Fong chili paste without risking botulism?
Ingredients: Chili, salt, acetic acid, potassium sorbate and sodium bisulfite as preservatives, xanthan gum.


texts:
I'm having trouble with some enamel-coated cast iron grill grates. I've only had this grill for a few years, I don't live on the beach (salt), we don't get much rain, and I store it outside but keep it covered when not in use. However, at this point I strongly suspect that the discoloration is rust, not old grease. It never goes away no matter how much I scrub (before and after every use), and over the last couple weeks I've tried:

bathing them in Simple Green BBQ cleaner,
hosing them off while scrubbing,
running them through the dishwasher, and
putting them in the oven on self-cleaning mode.

Nothing seems to help, and it looks like they're actually crumbling. I've read all sorts of conflicting information about what's considered normal, how to handle cast iron, and so on, and I'm just not sure whether these are in the "a few specks of oxidized iron won't affect you in the slightest" territory, or "you need to throw those away today and stick with stainless steel from now on" territory.

Stainless steel grates are not available for this model of grill (Coleman Roadtrip LXE), and the cast-iron replacements are about half the cost of the entire thing, so if these are no good I'll probably get a new, stainless steel grill.

What do I do about these things?

Update: After getting the answers below, I've been doing regular, minor grilling. After each session, I lightly scrub the grates, put a bit of oil on them, and lightly wipe down the oil with a paper towel. Over time, the rust spots darkened and started to look more like proper cast iron, which I suppose just means properly-seasoned cast iron. I grilled for a get-together a couple days ago, and it all seemed to work out fine. No flakes or other debris from the grates, no problems with sticking or anything, no apparent issues at all. From now on, I'll try to use it more regularly and wipe it down with a thin coating of oil after use.


texts: What does Joy of Cooking mean by "canned spaghetti"?

texts:
My sister was browsing through her Joy of Cooking (the 1975 edition, her copy printed November 1983) and found several recipes that call for things like "1 can spaghetti: 24 oz." or "2 1/2 cups canned spaghetti". We can't for the life of us figure out what this means.

For example, here's a recipe for "Quick Spaghetti Meat Pie" (page 217):

  4 servings
  Preheat oven to 375°
  Sauté lightly:
     2 cups cubed or ground cooked meat
    2 teaspoons grated onion
  in:
    2 tablespoons butter
  Add:
    1/4 cup cream
  Season it with:
    Salt and pepper
    (1/2 teaspoon basil)
  Place in a greased baking dish:
    1 can spaghetti: 24 oz.
  Make a depression in the center. Place the meat in it. Sprinkle the top with:
    Au Gratin III, 553
  Bake about 25 minutes.

When we ask our friend Mr. Google to show us what "canned spaghetti" looks like, he shows us pictures of spaghetti sauce. Is "canned spaghetti" something that (thankfully) died out sometime in the intervening 40 years since this recipe was written?


texts:
When I broil pork tenderloins, they tend to crumble apart when cut.

By contrast, when I get marinated tenderloins from the supermarket, they stay together like beef.

What is the method to achieve this? One factor might be that the Supermarket is using a steam oven.


texts: If a recipe calls for "paprika", what type should I use? Does it mean Hungarian, Spanish, California? Also, what type, Hot, Bittersweet, Sweet?


texts:
I've only recently heard about bouquet garni via a recipe I want to try, but I don't always have access to fresh herbs. This particular garni calls for two bay leaves, one large sprig of sage, and one large or two small sprigs of rosemary. I know the bay leaf isn't meant to be eaten, and I know the taste will be different, but can I use dried herbs and just leave them in the pot?
(This is the recipe I want to make: https://rainbowplantlife.com/creamy-white-bean-soup-with-kale-and-gremolata/#comment-5951)
Thanks!