texts: I'm trying to mix (coconut) oil into glucose using sunflower lecithin as an emulsifying agent, this is being mixed into a candy (vegan) mix that consists mainly of glucose syrup, pectin, colouring and flavourings. I'm not too sure on the exact process and can't find much information online. The oil is heated and mixed with the lecithin and then mixed in with the hot candy mix (at around 220 F) but this is not mixing at all. Anyone have any pointers?


texts: Help with getting the correct consistency in dairy-free ice cream

texts:
I'm lactose intolerant and have been experimenting with homemade ice cream recipes. I've been making my ice cream using a vanilla custard recipe - substituting the milk/cream with almond milk and adding guar gum to it. I make a recipe that yields a 2 quart batch of ice cream. However, I cannot get the guar gum amount right.  Too little and the ice cream becomes as hard as a brick when freezing. Too much and it is so slimy, I might as well add vanilla to raw egg whites and slurp it down.

Is there an additive or method to make my non-dairy ice cream that will give it as close a consistency to normal ice cream (scoopable after freezing, but not soft serve) as possible?

I want to make some for my daughter's birthday party coming up and would rather make it ahead of time to save myself some stress. I want to be able to freeze it and bring it out when guests arrive, rather than letting it thaw out for hours previous and it be half-melted and the consistency off. BTW, I use an ice cream machine, if that helps any.


texts:
I've recently explored many Pavlova recipes and some of them say its ok to store the pavlova 3-4 day, while others say that one day of storage is already too much. As I've never made a Pavlova, I am asking myself:

How long can I store a Pavlova (without topping, but with nuts in it) in an airtight container before it's texture & flavor change so much that it won't be fun to eat?

Actually, I have stored baked meringues for 2 weeks in the past and they still were fine, but as a Pavlova is supposed to be gooey in the center, I can't imagine how long it will be good.


texts: Does this recipe want me to start with a dry-aged roast beef?

texts:
Here's the recipe I'd like to make for Christmas:

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/dry-aged-roast-beef-with-fresh-hot-sauce

The first step of this recipe says:

  PREPARE THE ROAST BEEF Set the roast on a baking sheet and rub it all
  over with the salt and pepper. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 day.

The ingredients call for dry-aged roast beef, but isn't the first step how you dry-age roast beef? Are they assuming that I'm starting with non-dry-aged beef, or does this mean perform step one in addition to the initial dry-aging? Why would I need to both dry-age the roast beef and then leave it in the fridge for an extra day?


texts: How does one remove the "fishy flavor" from seafood?

texts:
My sister really doesn't like a strong fish flavor and is very picky.  Are there any effective ways to prepare the seafood in such a manner that reduces the fishy flavor/taste?  If "seafood" is too broad, then please limit your answer to include fish and prawn.

Thanks!


texts: I am flying to Macau from Michigan and would like to take a kilo of frozen Cured Canadian Bacon

texts: The flight is roughly 20 hours.Will it still be safe to eat once I arrive in Macau?


texts: To what extent are dimpled pans interchangeable?

texts:
We recently got a very popular question, What is the function of this shallow, 19-divoted, eared cast iron piece?. It centers on recognizing exactly what type of dimpled pan is on the picture, and it is obvious that several users don't make a distinction between them. I personally have never used one, and wasn't aware that there are flat-dimpled ones and half-spherical dimpled ones.

If we leave away matters of presentation (assuming that poffertjes are traditionally flatter than aebleskiver), what is the differnce? What can flat dimples do which deep dimples can't, and vice versa? If a cook has only one and tries the recipe for the opposite baked good, what would we expect to happen?


texts: can maple syrup be refrigerated after it was out for a few days?

texts: I opened Adirondack pure maple syrup a few days ago.  It didn't say to refrigerate, so I didn't.  When I googled it, it said that it should be refrigerated.  Can I still do that?  If I may not use it for a while, should I freeze it?


texts: Are these Indonesian milk products cheese, yogurt, or curd?

texts:
In Indonesia there are various traditional milk products (excluding tofu, which is made from soya milk, which isn't really milk at all)
This is one I found on an Indonesian e-commerce site:

This is called 'susu/dali/bagot horbo/kerbau' ('milk buffalo' in Batak/Indonesian language).  As far as I can tell dali and bagot both mean milk, or possibly breasts. There is not an obvious etymological connection between 'dali' and 'dahi', which is a Hindi word for 'curd'.
They seem to use papaya leaves, sisal, grated unpeeled pineapple or pea eggplant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaEVi-4_0Bo
Essentially the fresh buffalo milk is cooked with an acid to reduce the water. I think there is not necessarily any process of pressing, but you end up with curds, which I'm not sure is 'cheese'?
This is 'dadih', which is from the Minang region, which is not far away.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ybKzbAXkKU
It seems to involve buffalo milk being boiled to kill bacteria, and then placed in bamboo where presumably lactic acid bacteria are, which fairly obviously make yogurt. (Which is not cheese) The word 'dadi(a)h' here seems to be close to Hindi दूध (doodh), or milk. There was a lot of commerce between Sumatra and India so this is not surprising
This is another 'cheese', dangke, from another island, Sulawesi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWQbA7pd7-0
The process involves the sap from papaya skin being extracted and added to boiling fresh milk to curdle it. The curds are then strained in a sieve and lightly squeezed, then traditionally placed into a coconut shell.
I haven't tried it, however whereas dali ni horbo seems to be sold in the same way as tofu, floating in its 'whey', dangke seems to be slightly drier, and is usually sold in banana leaves:

This blog claims that cheese is fermented
https://thehungrybiologist5889.wordpress.com/2018/03/15/indonesian-cheese-dangke-from-enrekang-south-sulawesi/
and it's possible that 'being fermented' is part of the definition of cheese. (E.g., yogurt is made by fermenting milk with bacteria; if you strain yogurt then you have what I believe should be called cheese.)
However I don't see any fermentation in this process. The milk curdles, because of the papein, or acids, or whatever, and then it's squeezed a bit, placed into coconut shells and then banana leaves for sale. It seems unlikely that there's any significant impact on flavour due to banana leaves. Possibly you could age it, in the same way that rotten tofu or tempeh is often considered tastier than fresh, but this does not seem to be an essential part of the process.
Perhaps the definition above of 'cheese' is wrong, or overly prescriptive. Is there a reasonable boundary between when something stops being 'curdled milk', and starts being 'cheese', or indeed stops being 'strained yogurt', and starts being 'cheese'?


texts: How long does ketchup and mayonnaise last at room temperature?

texts:
Ketchup and mayonnaise on their own don't require refrigeration, as far as I know (though some mayonnaise do seem to need it). I just mix the store-bought stuff and like to use them together for things like burgers and prefer them room-temperature.
How long can a mixture of ketchup & mayonnaise last at room temperature? Should I just assume the shorter lifetime of the 2?


texts:
Is buttermilk another term for sour milk or some part of sour milk?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttermilk says:

Originally, buttermilk referred to the liquid left over from churning butter from cultured or fermented cream. Traditionally, before the advent of homogenization, the milk was left to sit for a period of time to allow the cream and milk to separate. During this time, naturally occurring lactic acid-producing bacteria in the milk fermented it. This facilitates the butter churning process, since fat from cream with a lower pH coalesces more readily than that of fresh cream. The acidic environment also helps prevent potentially harmful microorganisms from growing, increasing shelf-life.[3]


texts:
I bought some fresh champignons from the supermarket. What's the proper way to clean them before cooking (or rather frying) them?

Should I just wash them with cold water? Should I peel them?


texts: Can baked savory pastries with ham or bacon be left at room temperature?

texts: I am going to be traveling with pastries that will be served the next day. I will not have a good way to keep them cold. I was wondering if ham and/or bacon are okay at room temperature (for 24 hours) if they are cooked then baked inside a pastry?


texts: Baking a cheesecake at 325 instead of 350

texts:
I have a cheesecake recipe that I have used for years, It is as close to perfect as I need it to be...except, sometimes it cracks (maybe 1 of 5). I have never used a water bath and I don't want to start.
I was thinking if I lower the temperature from 350 to 325, it might stop occasional cracking. If I bake for 41 minutes at 350, how much time should I add if I bake at 325?
It has also been suggested that I add a tablespoon of cornstarch to the recipe...any thoughts on cornstarch.
Thanks


texts: How to prepare tasty tea on induction cooktop?

texts:
I used to preapre tea on gas stove. For two, my measurements were, 2.5 tea spoon of Tata tea, 1 glass water, 5 spoons of sugar. The measurements arent that important as they are in relation to spoons I have. I used to keep it on gas for 8 min with least flame and it used to turn yummy. I came with this formula over long time of experimentation.Recently, I bought Prestige PIC 16.0 plus Induction Cooktop and since then for a week I am not able to prepare tea well. First of all, even on least temprature within couple of minutes the tea boils down quickly and starts spilling. So I guess tea and sugar doesnt get enough time to mix well and tea turns not so tasty. I am not able to figure it out how can I prepare tasty tea on this induction cooktop as I am alredy operating at least temprature, that is 65 degrees Celcius.

This is 1900 W cooktop. I am guessing if 1200 W cooktop would have given lower temprature. Is it so? Should I return this cooktop and try some other?
You can view control panel of this cook top here. So it has eight modes: pressure cooker, curry, dosa/chapati, idly, deep fry, heat milk, keep warm and saute. I guess each option is nothing much but different combination of temperature and timer. I usually put it on saute and reduce temperature to 65 degrees. Still it never worked. I also tried pausing heating for some minutes and starting it again while continuously stirring it. It improved but still not satisfactory.
I also observed induction heat comes waves. It boils tea for some seconds, then stops for some seconds and then again boils and then stops again. Is it normal? Is it the reason for not so great tea?
I am now doubtful if I can prepare good food on induction cooktop similar to gas stove. For example, my chapatis on gas stove looks like this. Now I am wondering whether I will able to prepare same on induction cooktop as it gets hot quickly. Is it possible?


texts: What went wrong with my Chocolate Chantilly (Hervé This' recipe)

texts:
I just made Hervé This' Chocolate Chantilly and it didn't taste anywhere near as good as I had hoped. The consistency seemed almost right, though very slightly grainy, but the taste was, well, what you might expect: watered down chocolate.

Does anyone know what, if anything, might have gone wrong? I'm using Weiss chocolate with 57% cocoa solids. I was expecting it to taste something like chocolate mousse. Do I need to alter my expectations?


texts: Tips for reheating food in the microwave

texts:
I often want to buy more than a meals-worth of fast-food (or other food you buy hot) to save multiple trips, but the reduction in taste that comes from reheating it makes me not want to.

What can I do to reheat food in the microwave and have it taste more like it did originally?


texts: Can I use cookie cutter shapes in a frying pan?

texts: Was thinking how to spice up our pancakes and eggs for the little ones and remember seeing pancakes in various shapes before.  Do people put them right in the pan or bring them out and then cut them after they've been already cooked?  I was thinking the same possibility for eggs too.  Then I got to thinking whether or not it was safe to put them in the pan.  Let's assume I have cheapo dollar store shapes and not the higher end stainless steel ones.


texts: How do I recognize if a dish cannot be cooked in a gas oven?

texts: I have moved to a house that has a gas oven. I am new to gas ovens. What dishes can we cook in a gas oven? Cake? Are cookies possible to bake in a gas oven?


texts: Is the sink or float test for eggs accurate?

texts: I recently read that the sink-or-float test to see if eggs are still good is not a very reliable judge; eggs float because as they age the eggs lose moisture and air replaces it. That’s what I read. If that’s true, is there a reliable way to test the viability of eggs, aside from breaking them open and smelling them?


texts: What can I substitute for soda pop in a sweet pork recipe?

texts:
I was looking up sweet pork recipes and every one of them call for Coke or Dr. Pepper.

I avoid soda as much as possible because of questionable ingredients: specifically GMO corn syrup, sodium benzoate and caramel color.

Are there any safer substitutions I could use to achieve the same/similar flavor?


texts:
What would happen if you put your uncooked potatos in a blender and then cooked the result?

Would you get mashed potatos? Faster?


texts: How much salt do I use to ferment 1 quart of cabbage?

texts: How much salt do I add to ferment 1 quart of cabbage?


texts: Can vanilla pods be blended into a paste?

texts:
As recipes using vanilla seeds often request the pod to be chucked in the pot, I'm thinking there must be no unappealing flavors in the pod itself.

I've seen vanilla pastes for sale but they seem to be a mix of the extract and the seeds.

So what about blending up used pods with a bit of liquid (vodka?)? Tasteless?


texts: When and why would one infuse flavor into sugar for baking?

texts:
Listening to The Splendid Table today, the first caller asked how to infuse flavors into her marshmallows.  The answer provided was essentially to infuse the sugar, by placing herbs, tea, lemon rind, etc, in a sealed container with the sugar for a few days, so that the sugar takes on the desired flavor.

I can see how this would be necessary for flavored marshmallows.

However... around 39:15, the host says:

  It's an old trick. Jerry Traunfeld ... mentioned this business about infusing your sugar when you're baking, with any kind of herb you like.

Why would one choose to infuse sugar with an herb while baking, rather than adding the herb directly to the recipe?


texts: How do I make my baking powder biscuit dough stick together?

texts: I am trying to make baking powder biscuits for strawberry shortcake.  i followed the recipe on the baking powder can and i was trying to roll them out but the dough doesn't stick together very well.  I was able to get some biscuits cut but not very easily.  Should I add more shortening or more milk?


texts: What method of extracting oil from almonds preserves the most almond flavor?

texts: Which would be the best way to extract oil from Almonds preserving the strongest flavour of Almonds?


texts: How to ADD a black patina to a bare aluminum frying cauldre

texts:
I was born in 1936 and my mother bought a small aluminum ( 6.5 inches in diameter ) cauldre, thus it is my own age, 75 years old. It had a beautifull black patina on the outside and to make a long story short, somebody in my family found it and removed all this patina and painted some ridicolous flowers on it. To do this the patina was removed ( maybe with sandpaper ). Now this item is again in my posesion and I removed the ridicolous flowers and now the small cauldre is shining aluminum color.
I would like to ADD a black patina on it, on the OUTSIDE. All the information there is on the Internet is about seasoning the metal on the inside.
Does somebody know how to do this ?


texts: Can I turn my marinara sauce recipe into "pizza sauce"?

texts:
We're making pizza for dinner tonight, and instead of buying sauce, I'd prefer to make my own. I've never made sauce specifically for pizza before, but I often make marinara/bolognese sauces for pasta.

The base of my sauces (without any extra veggies or meat for the bolognese) is a can of tomatoes, some tomato paste, white wine, onion, garlic, chili pepper, and herbs. If I made my normal sauce and then just puréed it, would it work for my pizza? I am concerned it might not be thick enough - any suggestions?


texts: Which kinds of rice can replace Uzbek devsira?

texts: I found a recipe for a Fergana-style plov, one of the main versions of Uzbek plov: https://zen.yandex.ru/media/savedaru/uzbekskii-plov-poferganski-vkus-i-aromat-bespodobn-5f93ccc1a81c50318e584c8c . The description asks for devsira, a type of Uzbek rice. Not having that I wonder which other types of rice I can use instead. Any hints?


texts: Amount of Brioche dough in a Brioche mould?

texts:
I have a 22 cm classic fluted Brioche mold (22 cm being the widest measurement on top).  It's volume is extremely close to 1500ml. I'm wondering how much dough in total to put in it to make a "Brioche à tête".

More generalized question that would help anyone, since the tins are so varied in size:
What is the dough to mold volume ratio for making a "Brioche à tête" (e.g. grams of dough per ml of mold).


texts: Can a loose leaf tea basket be used for steeping/brewing coffee?

texts:
Is it possible to brew a good cup of coffee by steeping freshly ground coffee in a tea basket? Would the time amount be the same as for a french press (4 minutes)? It seems like it would technically work, but I couldn't find any personal accounts of its effectiveness. Has anyone tried this before?

Similar to this question but I'm curious about using the tea basket specifically along with determining the correct steeping variable values.


texts: I am making fondant based on this recipe and it keeps on cracking when I try to lift it. Any suggestions on fixing this? Someone told me to add Glycerin. Will this work?


texts: Can we use baking powder instead of activated yeast for making pizza dough?if yes than in which proportion we can use it?

texts: Can we use baking powder instead of activated yeast for making pizza dough wouldn't it effect the recipe?if yes than in which proportion we can use it?


texts: How do I reheat a casserole in the microwave?

texts: Would someone please tell me how long and at what power I should reheat a casserole or other pasta dish that has already been cooked?  Thank you.


texts: Preparing a fresh bag of spinach: To Stem or Not To Stem

texts: In the past I have always de-stemmed my fresh spinach leaves.  But I am wondering, is that necessary?  I'd like to prepare as-is.


texts: What should the results of my chocolate soufflé be like?

texts:
Should chocolate soufflés in their entirety have the same texture and solidity as its somewhat firm outer shell through out its body(excuse my redundancy)?

I made soufflés for my girlfriend and I and she noted there were creamy parts and suggested that they might be raw.

I bake them at 390 degrees for 14 minutes using 7oz of chocolate melted with 6 large egg yolks, and 5 tbs of butter and a pinch of salt.

I wanna make them for us again for valentines day and was wondering if I should change up the procedure.


texts: Would it be possible to make a chili that drew its influence from eastern cooking and used curry as a base?

texts:
My plan is to follow the concept of a conventional chili, but replace the chili powder with a homemade curry powder spice blend containing coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger, peony, lovage, star anise, fennel seeds, Rehmannia, and cayenne. The idea is to sautee the beef with onions and fennel, seasoning it lightly, and then, add it to a beef stock, along with a few varieties of bean, stewed tomato, the curry powder from before, and rice wine. I also had the idea of making miniature naan-parmesan wraps that would be stirred into the chili in the last few minutes of cooking, as to absorb some of the liquid from the chili, in place of the traditional cracker. So my question is, would this work in a way that remained as pleasing to the senses as conventional chili or curry (if not more), and if not, how could I tweak it to make the tastes blend better for a more appealing dish?

Also, how can I add the naan wraps to the chili while having it retain its fluffiness and not getting soggy?

Thank you so much, and I greatly look forward to your response.


texts: In the long grain white rice (parboiled) there these occasional grains of darker brown to black grains. Any idea what these are?


texts:
I bought a one-pound tube of pork sausage. After opening it, and putting it in a zip-lock bag (weeks before the sell-by date), the remainder turned gray on the outside the next day. I understand that turning gray is normal and does not necessarily mean that meat has gone bad. I am not confident in my ability to identify meat that has gone bad by smell.

When should I throw it away? Should I just cook it all at once, and keep the cooked product if I don't want to eat it all? (I trust cooked food in the fridge for a longer time than it is likely to take me to eat all of it, so this is a viable possibility, but inconvenient.) Should I be splitting it into smaller portions and freezing it?


texts: Can I use flour to make a carrot soup more thick?

texts:
I made a carrot soup without the use of a blender as described in previous question link. Which was to chop the carrots and onions really small. The problem is that the result is quite watery.

In the recipe for goulash, I use flour to thicken the soup, in the frying stage. Can I do something similar here? Or will it ruin the taste. I was imagining throughing in some flour with the carrots and onions as they fry.


texts: Can tomato paste be substituted for tomato purée?

texts:
A recipe for meat loaf from an Australian book (apparently terminology differs from country to country) calls for 1 cup (250 mL/8 fl oz) of tomato purée, and 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce.

Wikipedia's article on tomato purée claims that the main difference between purée and paste is the thickness, whereas tomato sauce has a different taste.

Can I substitute tomato paste for the tomato purée? If not, is it because the taste, or the amount of water, differs?

If so, how much "triple concentrated" tomato paste should be substituted for a cup of tomato purée?

Edit: the tomato paste ingredients are: concentrated tomato (98%), salt. Link to the product page.


texts: What will happen to my Pecan tassies if I use too much butter?

texts: When I was making Pecan tassies, I read the recipe wrong and put a stick of butter in for the filling instead of 2 tablespoons. There are two eggs, 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, vanilla extract. Will it turn out with that much butter?


texts: What was Indian food like before the arrival of the chili pepper from the Americas?

texts:
One of the things associated with Indian cuisine is heat from chili peppers. Yet, chili peppers can only have been introduced to Asia from their Central and South American homeland after the Spanish conquests of the 1500s.

What was Indian food like before this time? Did heat come from elsewhere or were Indian people eating bland, boring food? Or have I got my food history completely back to front?


texts:
I'm baking a cake that shall be categorized as "light cheesecake". The recipe says when the top of the cake is firm, the cake is done. So I baked for an hour, opened the oven and found the top of the cake baked right, but when I cut up the cake the inside was too wet. So I had to bake for another 20min to get the inner texture right, but the top is dry already(and stiff after cooling). What have I done wrong?

My recipe: 33g flour, 75g yoghurt, 140g cream cheese, 50g whipping cream, 50g sugar, 2 eggs for an 6-inch pan. Baked in water bath, oven at 160 Celsius.


texts: What is the toothed side of the blade on a Fantastique veg cutter used for?

texts:
In India I picked up an Anjali vegetable and fruit cutting board, pictured below.  Its blade is two-sided: straight on one end, very roughly serrated on the other.

What is the toothed side used for?  In this demonstration video from the manufacturer they never show it being used.  It does show a pineapple with some fancy decoration, so if this happens to be the use, please explain precisely how to achieve that.


texts: Why and what kind of breads should be scored?

texts:
Inspired by this question How can I score wet bread dough more easily?, I am quite keen to know why and what kind of breads should be scored?

What will happen if we don't score the breads?


texts: How can I word "add bread crumbs until it feels right"?

texts:
I'm writing a recipe for publication on a site not written for expert chefs. It's a contest with a very nice cash prize. One of my recipes includes meatballs. My final ingredient is dry commercial bread crumbs. The point is just to add them if the mixture feels a bit loose to shape. You know, ground meat varies in moisture content, so if your meat is loose, you just add some crumbs...right?

So how do I word that in a recipe that's supposed to sound professional and polished?

Mods: If you feel this question is better suited to ELU, feel free to migrate it.


texts:
Should I precook mushrooms before putting on pizza to prevent soggy pizza?  I swear when I've seen pizza shops do it, they put them on raw--albeit from recollection they're more thinly sliced than the supermarket pre-sliced variety.

Is that the key?  Or do most pizzerias saute their mushrooms in advance to remove the moisture?  What if I'm using a lot of mushrooms?


texts: Do I need to pre-cook bacon when adding it to a quiche?

texts:
I've got a quiche recipe that requires me to use bacon but it's not clear on whether or not I should cook the bacon before adding it to the quiche.

The quiche is to be cooked at 180C for 25 mins so I wanted to double check.

Is it ok to add bacon to my quiche without cooking it first?


texts: Is apple to be grated a wet or dry ingredient?

texts: Can you please answer this. Is apple a wet or dry ingredient? It will be grated


texts: Which parts of a chicken are used to make chicken soup?

texts: I boiled a chicken legs for over 2 hours in low temperature. The soup is yellow and with very soft chicken. It tastes very good after adding some salt. Which part of chicken is the most appropriate for doing a soup? I am looking for the lowest cost option.


texts: How can I improve the presentation of the food I serve?

texts:
Cooking great tasting food is an art of it's own, but to create a restaurant quality dish requires the food to be professionally presented.

I have no formal training in cooking and really struggle trying to make my dishes look as stunning as you would see on the food channels or gourmet magazines, so I ask:

What simple techniques or tips exist that a novice chef could use to enhance the presentation of a dish (i.e. make it more visually appealing?)

For example: balancing colours of food, drizzling this or that, stacking items vertically.


texts: To much green pepper in my chili, can I fix it?

texts: Can I fix it? What can I add, everything I see says about pepper. It has to much green pepper in it.


texts:
My question is for potato and carrot dumplings as follows, what sort of binder would you recommend to make it more stable for frying or boiling? I've tried eggs myself, would you recommend flour? if so what kind of flour?

Potato and carrot dumpling recipe


texts: Why does store-bought peanut butter in a jar have so much more oil than fresh ground?

texts:
When I buy fresh ground peanut butter, it has a very dry, paste-like texture with almost no oil. It can sit on my shelf for a week in warm weather and no oil separates out.

When I buy peanut butter in a jar, it has a layer of oil on top. Once this is mixed in, the texture is creamy and oily at room temperature.

The label claims that the jar contains only dry roasted peanuts, nothing more. This seems to be the case for all brands I've seen. Where does all the extra oil come from?


texts: After soaking and sieving the tamarind through a fine mesh strainer, the remaining pulp has some grit. It kinda ruined my dish. Wonder if there’s any method that would get rid of the grit, maybe a second sieving?


texts: Does commercial sour cream still contain live bacteria? A family member cannot consume them, so I am looking for a way to recognize sour cream without live cultures.


texts: I have a cookie recipe I am trying for the first time, and it calls for both shortening and butter. I only have butter-flavored shortening on hand for the shortening. Should I reduce the amount of actual butter the recipe calls for? Or should I trek back to the store for regular shortening?


texts:
Salut!

Using a hambone left over from the holidays, I made some split pea soup. The problem is that, deviating from the recipe, I added ham as well as the hambone.

Now, the soup is so meaty  it is quite overwhelming- at room temperature the liquid turns into jelly.

I tried adding a few glugs of lemon juice but that doesn't seem to have helped. Does anyone have any suggestions?


texts: How long will it take for yeast culture to adapt to new flour

texts:
My starter is made from organic whole wheat. I feed it twice a day every 12 hours with 1:1 ratio of flour to water.

It almost triples in volume each feed.

I started it on April 12/2020

I decided to change my feeding to 50% white all purpose and 50% whole wheat. (Both organic/unbleached). That was 2 days ago. Now my starter is barely doubling but i see plenty of bubbles.

Is my starter slowly dying? Or just getting used to the new flour? If so how long will this take?

Here is an image of "Meredith"

Thanks


texts: Making cinnamon buns and recipe calls for dry yeast, I don't have any yeast and was hoping someone has encountered same issue.  Any suggestions to alternatives?


texts: I miss Indian food and especially good naan bread. I haven't really tried it, but I wanted to test if it's possible to make naan without a tandoor? Has anyone tried this, do you have some good tips and do you manage to make it just as good as the naan you get in India?


texts:
A very long time ago, I was at a friend's house where her father took out this piece of ribbed metal from the cupboard.

It was a dark piece of metal about the size of an adult hand. It had grooves on one side, and was smooth/flat on the other.

He asked me to touch it and it felt cold to my touch.

Next, he placed an ice cube on it and it began melting immediately. It did not require plugging in, it was just a slab of metal.

At that time, I was just amazed at how it worked and forgot to ask him what it is called. He tried to explain to me the physics behind it but I was just gobsmacked at the thing.

Now many years later I realized that its a thawing utensil and I am trying to search for it but as you can guess from the question, I don't know what to look for.


texts: Why do fry cooks use water to cook burgers?

texts:
I'm sitting at a diner and I'm curious if there is a reason as to why the fry cook cooked my burger the way he did.

The process is different from the one I'd use at home. The cook put the burger on the flat top, the covered it with a metal domed item that looks like a cloche, the cook used a squirt bottle of water to squirt water onto the flat top and covered the burger and the now-steaming water. I've seen this done to quicker melting cheese onto the tops of burgers, but it's never something I've done at home.

Why is this the process that seemingly every diner cooks with? Why is it not commonly done at home or am I wrong, and it is?


texts: How to make mint syrup with minimum water?

texts:
Serious Eats recently ran a recipe for essentially water-free lemon syrup.

Is there a way to achieve something similar with mint as the flavour? The quality I'm ultimately looking for is "can be used to flavour whipped cream / cream cheese without making it break."


texts: Should I seal my hot leftovers before putting them in the fridge?

texts:
I understand that I should put my hot leftovers straight into the fridge, to best avoid spoilage. And that if there are lots of leftovers, I should divide them into smaller containers to help them cool faster.
My question is: Should I put lids on those containers?
My two concerns are:

Will a lid, that traps hot air around the food, slow the cooling down too much?
Does sealing hot food "sour" it somehow?

For reference, I store my leftovers in these 16 oz. deli containers


texts: Underside of dough in proofing basket pulls apart

texts:
When I form a loaf out of dough and put it upside-down into a proofing basket, the bottom of the loaf sometimes begins to pull apart from itself, as if the dough isn't sticking to itself as much as it should. I'm using a sourdough starter and white bread flour at about 70% hydration, and I proof the bread after a 6 hour bulk ferment with folds every half hour.

This doesn't seem to affect the final bread, but I'm wondering if there's some way to avoid it?

Here are a few photos of what is happening:


texts: Can Wild Yam (dioscorea villosa) replace Yamaimo (d. japonica) in japanese cuisine?

texts:
Yamaimo (dioscorea japonica) or Nagaimo (dioscorea polystachya) is used in many places in Japanese cuisine — be it topping for Zaru-Soba together with Negi, or the ubiquitous Okonomiyaki.

Where I live, both are unobtainable, be it powdered, canned or fresh. So I have to look for an alternative. As many genuine Yamaimo/Nagaimo powders are expensive, I looked for alternatives.

It seems only “Wild Yam”, dioscorea villosa, is available as powders. Origins seem to be Mexico, Ghana or Indonesia, most of the times.

The interesting question is: Are cooking properties, especially the “slimey” and viscous texture, similar enough to Yamaimo/Nagaimo, that it can be used as a emergency-substitute?


texts: Will adding salt to stainless steel steamer cause pitting?

texts:
I have bought a stainless steel pot steaming insert.
Will adding salt to food (maybe frozen) when I start cooking it with steam cause pitting of the insert?
Thank you.


texts: I'd like to try my hand at baking my own bread.  Do I need a bread maker to get decent bread?  Are there any advantages to using a bread maker vs. my normal oven?


texts:
Someone game me a lump of solid cocoa (from Samoa, if that matters).

What can I do with it that I cannot do with cocoa powder?


texts: Creating a thanksgiving brine for a 7-8 lb Turkey?

texts:
How much salt is one need for a typical brine for an average 7-8lb turkey?

Or is it more appropriate to ask what the ratios are of water to salt for a brine ?

I found a SA.SE question regarding brine and salt but it asked about salt content of the turkey: How much salt does brining a turkey add?

Also, there was a link for information about brining on that thread but unfortunately, it's no longer available.


texts: Any idea how to incorporate more fat into seitan? With the purpose to bind flavor for richer and more complex taste, similar to beef.


texts: Why does my Italian made gas oven take so long to heat to required temperature. Any tips please

texts: I have a Glem Gas Oven that can take over 30 mins to heat to desired temperature.  I was advised to place a pizza stone on the bottom of the oven but it still takes longer than 30 mins to reached desired heat.  Any tips please.


texts:
What types of bread and bread substitutes are there for people who are allergic to wheat (and also soy), as a part of breakfast fare (sandwiches etc)?

Unfortunately most of store-bought bread here in Poland, be it rye bread or corn (maize) bread include quite a large amount of wheat among its ingredients. One that doesn't is Lithuanian black rye bread, but it is hard to get.

Perhaps there is something that can be made at home?


texts: How to cook a 2-inch thick steak to medium?

texts:
I have a striploin steak that's about 2 inches thick. I'm going to sear it in a hot pan on all sides. And then put it in the oven to cook it.

I want it to come out medium to medium-well.

How long do I need to bake it for and at what temperature?


texts: How to thaw a bottle of beer that got frozen accidentally without exploding the bottle

texts:
Recently I had occasion to put @Kevin Selker 's answer to the test in terms of rapidly chilling beer. However, we uncovered a problem the next morning where people had taken beer and thrown it in the freezer only to forget about it.

I will flip this question around now, what is the best way (is it possible) to take beer from your freezer and safely thaw it for drinking? Is it actually worth drinking if you freeze it solid, then thaw it then chill it again? will the glass be compromised? anyway, i guess this is some regular event at my parents and i would like for this to stop happening.

[as an aside: we wrapped up the two bottles in towels and put them in the basement (which was relatively cool. we came back awhile later and the one bottle had exploded, the other on had a crack around the neck. we had to throw both out. so either this method is fail, or needed augmented.]


texts: What are some good reasons for why people make homemade pasta?

texts: What are some good reasons for people to make their own pasta? Does it make it cheaper? Does it taste any better?


texts: How long will corm vegetables last in a refrigerator and should they be wrapped?

texts: How long can corm vegetables - celeriac (celery root), turnips, and swedes (rutabagas) - be kept in a refrigerator? And should they be wrapped? I usually buy them wrapped in sealed plastic. If aiming to store them for as long as possible, should I leave it on, replace it with cloth or greaseproof paper, or perhaps store the vegetables unwrapped?


texts: Do bakeries generally knead dough for bread by hand or use a machine?

texts: Question is in the title - if anyone has experience working in a bakery that would be great. Thanks!


texts:
My mango chantilly cake has fallen, due to too much water inside the plastic storage. Now, assuming that I don't have an oven what are the practical workarounds that I can try to fix the cake?

So far this are the things that I did:

Removed all the water, but still the cake is watery and not good looking.
I tried to put it in a rice cooker then while trying to pre-heat the rice I put the cake in a steamer then put it in the rice cooker, but it's still damp/soggy.


texts: How to protect roasted coffee powder from degrading during daily use?

texts:
I have to buy coffee roasted powder in 100gms packet. I use 1 tablespoon on coffee per day.

I do keep the coffee in an airtight container and then in an opaque cover.

How should I protect remaining coffee from damage from air when I use some coffee from the container and the container starts half emptying?


texts: White stuff on the top of my apple cider vinegar?

texts:
This white stuff has appeared on my Apple cider vinegar. Is it good or do I remove it?

It has been 4 weeks. I was going to strain the apples out today and let it sit for another 4 weeks.

Smell of the vinegar is nice and doesn't have a bad odour.


texts: Can you make oven proof and microwave safe pie dishes using cardboard and who supplies them?

texts: Does anyone know where I can source cardboard oven proof and microwave safe pie dishes and if these are even possible?


texts: Does a pressure cooker really cook food evenly?

texts:
My mother uses a 5 liter pressure cooker to cook chicken pieces.

She heats it for 10 minutes, switches off the stove and waits for the steam pressure to go down before opening the lid.

Even though this is done, some chicken pieces, although seemingly cooked; when you chew it, it feels like chewing gum and does not 'disintegrate' well enough to be swallowed. Same way you don't feel like swallowing a chewing gum because it does not 'disintegrate' into tinier pieces, for example, the way cooked rice 'disintegrates' into a mushy semi-solid before we swallow it.

There are other pieces of the chicken which do get fully cooked, and they are not like chewing gum. They 'disintegrate' and can be swallowed comfortably.

I asked her to cook it for longer. She cooks it for 15 min now-a-days, but the result is the same. Some pieces end up like chewing gum.

She believes that since it is cooked in a pressure cooker, the heat and pressure should be even, and therefore all pieces should get cooked evenly. So even though I proved to her that it isn't evenly happening, she still remains stuck with the belief that it should cook evenly, and she's doing nothing to solve the problem.

So:
1. Is the food (especially meat) cooked in a pressure cooker really supposed to get cooked evenly?
2. Is boiling the meat in a pot (instead of pressure cooking it) the only other alternative?

UPDATE: From the answers and comments. Yes, Mom says that first we wait for the steam to come out of the pressure cooker's vent, then we put the weight over the vent and that's when we start counting the time taken for cooking. We can't really depend on the number of whistles, coz it varies among pressure cookers.


texts: I have a lot of papalo in my garden, and want to preserve it. What method should I choose to do this? I want to use it throughout the winter, and maybe some next year. The internet suggests that drying is not a great option, so I am looking for other preservation methods.


texts: Capsaicin - how sourced and what's in it

texts:
I face a problem here, cooking thai quite often and using the same sort of chillies every time, bird's eye chillies. The problem is that some of them are hotter than other and sometimes the meal is not hot enough even when adding more chillies than the recipe says.
I want to try capsaicin extracts but before I go and get any (not shops with this sort of stuff in the area) I would like to know 2 things:

how is this sort of extract made, how is the capsaicin sourced from the chillies
what's in the bottle, any additives, unhealthy things?

Thanks you in advance.


texts:
My friend has some kind of weird food sensitivity to mustard. He's coming over for dinner and I wanted to make baked beans, but just about every baked beans recipe I've seen calls for mustard.

I have a feeling I can probably just leave the mustard out, but I feel like it might leave the flavor somewhat unbalanced. What can I do instead?


texts:
I want to make some "Tortas de Algarrobo" cookies like the ones they make in my grandmother's village. The ones I like are tender but the ones I make are crunchy. How should I modify the ingredients or preparation to get a tender cookie? No eggs please.

The ingredients are: wheat flour, sugar, extra virgin olive oil (24%), aniseed, cinnamon, almonds and yeast.

Each cookie has one almond on top.

The nutritional facts are. For each 100g:

433 kcal
22.6g fat
57.1g carbohidrates
24.1g sugar
0.65g salt
4.8g protein

The ones I make are crunchy and they are based on this recipe:

60 gr of baker's yeast
1 kg of wheat flour
500 gr of sugar
1/2 liter of olive oil
2 tablespoons of aniseeds
1 glass of hard liquor
Whole roasted almonds
Mineral water

Preparation Mode

Slip the yeast into a little warm water and add it to the flour, along with the sugar.
In a pan, heat a little oil. When it smokes remove it from the fire and add the aniseed, stirring a bit so that it is evenly roasted. Pour it also on the flour.
Go slowly incorporating the rest of the ingredients, while you knead, except the almonds. Add a little water if you see that the dough is too compact.
Let rest at least 24 hours in the refrigerator and form cookies of about 100 gr each. Give them round shape and not too thin.
Bake for about ten minutes at 180 ºC, making sure they don't burn. Let cool in a rack.

The secret of Algarrobo
This is an approximation of the recipe of the famous "Tortas de Algarrobo", as the genuine and original formula is a secret jealously guarded by the grandmothers and confectioners of the town.

From the book "La cocina de La Axarquía y sus fiestas" Pablo Castro.


texts:
Is it safe to drink the water that basil seeds are soaked in?
Also would it be okay to drink that water with and/or without removing the soaked seeds?
Thanks and regards :-)


texts: What would be the proportions of potassium bicarbonate & potassium sulfate added to one litre of water before carbonating it?


texts: What is the difference between grape and cherry tomatoes?

texts: What is the flavor difference between grape and cherry tomatoes? The store had both and they looked rather similar.


texts: How can you make "All Purpose Flour" using home ground wheat?

texts: We grind our wheat at home. Many recipes call for "All Purpose Flour" and we have been trying to find how to make our own "All Purpose Flour".


texts: Removing oil bubbles from bolognese sauce

texts:
I am making bolognese for dinner tonight. In the past I have had trouble with oil in the sauce  giving it a not very nice oily texture. I tried to limit the amount of oil I used, but I still have oil bubbles on the surface of the sauce.

Is there an easy way to remove the excess oil from the sauce?

For the future how do I prevent the excess?

my recipe is:

teaspoon garlic paste
250gm lean beef mince
teaspoon of peanut oil
handful chopped onion
tin crushed tomato's
one tub of tomato paste
mixed herbs, salt and pepper to taste

brown onions, garlic and mince
add crushed tomato's; fill can with water add to sauce
add salt, pepper and herbs
simmer for a few hours stirring occasionally
add tomato paste
stir and simmer for at least 30 mins

serve with preferred pasta

I eventually tried to soak up as much as possible with some paper towel. But I hope there is a better solution.


texts: Can I slow cook a 3.25 beef roast for 4 hours on high, refridgerate in the crock pot overnight and then cook on low again in the morning for 4 hours?

texts:
Can I slow cook a 3.25 beef roast (not browned) with vegetables for 4 hours on high, refrigerate in the crock pot overnight, and then cook on low again in the morning for 4 hours?

I am new to cooking at all!

Bonnie


texts: How to make Cafe Gram bouncy pancakes? (Fluffiest pancakes in the world)

texts:
I have read this question on making thick and fluffy pancakes but I think that the Japanese Cafe Gram goes beyond the normal "fluffy pancake". See video of the pancake here

Cafe Gram Pancakes

Are there any additional steps or substitutions that this cafe has taken to create these insanely fluffy and bouncy pancakes that have been dubbed the fluffiest pancakes in the world?


texts: Why does oil puddle in some non-stick frying pans but not in others?

texts:
I have an old teflon frying pan with a non-stick coating (I think all teflon pans are non-stick, but let's not be picky :) ).

If I pour some oil on it, it doesn't spread out and cover the pan, it collects in small puddles.

I know this is expected because of the nature of the non-stick coating, but what I'm wondering is:

I bought a new teflon non-stick frying pan and when pouring oil on it, again, it doesn't spread and cover it but instead of forming in puddles it only leaves drips/drops on the surface.

Is this because my newer pan has a higher quality non-stick cover or is it some other property that dictates HOW MUCH oil won't puddle/spread on it?


texts:
I'm trying to make a curry, and failing. I'm a decent amateur home-cook, but now that I'm exploring outside of my usual cuisines, I'm at a loss how to improve my preparation of this recipe. Either that, or the recipe might just be of questionable quality... which would also be good to know.

Following this recipe (automatic translation here), I end up with something that looks and smells very much like a curry, but it tastes very flat/bland, while still hot/spicy.

I'm not used to talking about flavour so forgive me for this poor attempt at describing the taste (any hints on how to learn that skill?). It's spicy, but only as an after-taste, mostly in the back of the throat. Most curries I've eaten in Indian restaurants had a real strong flavour right at the first impact, which mine is lacking. Adding questionable amounts of salt after serving helped a little bit, but felt like a cheap trick to mask the issue.


texts: How should Dashi made with kelp and bonito flakes smell?

texts: I attempted to make homemade Dashi with kelp stands and bonito flakes. It looks as suggested on multiple Japanese cooking sites but it smells like low tide. Is that how it's suppose to smell?


texts:
I was using some variant Veg. Ramen Noodles (The one with the noodle brick and the TasteMaker) and wished to add some "real" protein in the form of egg.

I cooked the Ramen as follows:

I got the water to a boil and added the brick
After about a minute, I added the TasteMaker and stirred
I added 1 egg and stirred.

However, once I added the egg, the whole noodle mixture got congealed and semi-solid and no matter how long I let it be, it didn't change form.

I inferred that I should have added the egg just before I was ready to take it off. This reinforced my inference. However, I tried again and this time, I added the egg 30 seconds before I was ready to take it off but now it tasted weird.

I wanted something more like scrambled eggs in Noodles.

Note: As always, I am on a student budget.

EDIT: A minute ago, I found a video on youtube which stated that I should throw away the extra water a minute after I add the egg. This doesn't seem right, does it?


texts: how early can I put food into a slow-cooker?

texts:
I am considering getting a slow-cooker.  I leave for work by 8am, return about 4pm and feed my family dinner about 5pm.  Can food sit in the slow cooker that long?
Thanks.


texts: Advice for making/keeping shredded chicken moist?

texts:
My dietician ordered that I eat chicken. I found that to eat the portion I'm supposed to eat (10oz), it's easier to shred the chicken and take 10oz of shredded chicken, rather than try to find 10oz breasts. I am trying to meal prep this chicken over the week.

The way I currently cook my shredded chicken is I take raw chicken breasts, throw them in a steamer basket, put the steamer basket in the instant pot (pressure cooker), throw in about a cup of chicken broth and 1/2 cup of pineapple juice, and then pressure cook for 15 minutes with a 5 minute natural pressure release. I then pull out the breasts and shred the chicken breasts. I then store the shredded chicken in the fridge.

The problem is that the shredded chicken is terribly dry. Whenever I reheat the chicken it tastes like I am eating chalk (in terms of texture). This makes it impossible to stick to my diet.

Can someone give me advice on how to cook shredded chicken and maintain moisture for several days (at least 3)? I am not a good cook and I don't know if the problem lies in the cooking, the storage, or the reheating.

Thanks


texts: Is it possible to fry breaded or flour covered chicken with only butter?

texts:
I understand that I would be using a lot of butter, but my only concern would be burning the milk solids.

So would clarifying the butter be key?

Would it take better than using oil?


texts: Why is baking soda included in sourdough cracker recipe?

texts:
I'm following a recipe for crackers made with unfed sourdough starter (other ingredients are flour, oil, and salt). It also calls for 1/4 tsp baking soda and I'm wondering why since the dough sits on the counter several hours before baking, and can also be stored in the fridge for days. I would think the baking soda would no longer be active to work as a raising agent. Is it possible it is there for some other reason?

Am I correct that the baking soda is no longer active in the dough after so many hours before baking? If so, how can it work as a leavening agent?

I've added a photo of a cracker from the batch with baking soda. Not sure if the photo shows it well, but there's a big raised bubble in the middle, although hard to say if it's due to the baking soda or the sourdough starter. I'd say 80% of the crackers have a bubble of some sort. I read somewhere that baking soda might be used to make a more tender cracker and this batch is in fact not crispy (big disappointment). My next batch will be identical but without baking soda, so I'll see!


texts: Do chile peppers heat vary depending on the season?

texts: I found a great recipe for Chilles Rellenos - the first time I made them - they came out perfect. I used pasilla Peppers and the spice/heat was just right. Since then, I have not been able to duplicate the heat level no matter what type of pepper I use. I'm removing the membranes and seeds - and the skin as I can - it's really hard to do. Other than that, the only difference I can think of is that when I made them the first time it was fall and now it's winter. I tried pasilla, poblano, anaheim - in all cases - they're not just a little hotter - they're excruciating. (to the point where just working with the peppers has my HAND burning a day later - and of course the Rellenos were too hot for anyone to eat, even after roasting and frying them.) All these peppers are listed as being "mild"... What gives?


texts: Old family recipe has cryptic measurement for flour

texts:
My husband's grandmother's recipe card for bread calls for "one half canister of flour".

Does anyone have any ideas on what that might equate to? My brother-in-law has been playing with measurements and all attempts have been undesirable.


texts:
I followed this recipe (Hebrew; my loose translation below) for homemade halva, which is a candy based on tahini (ground sesame seeds). As you can see in the picture in the original recipe, the end product is supposed to have a rather firm consistency. I also understand from the recipe that after the mixing stage, when the mixture is poured into the pan, the warm mixture is supposed to be rather liquid.

  Place 500g raw tahini in a mixer bowl.
  Heat 500g white sugar with 1 cup water up to 121°C.
  Set mixer to medium speed, and slowly drizzle the hot sugar syrup into the bowl.
  Add 1 tbsp vanilla extract, and mix for 30 seconds until combined.
  Add 1 cup peeled, roasted pistachios and mix until evenly dispersed.
  Pour the mixture into a square pan, lined with a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with a second baking sheet sprayed
  with oil and let cool to room temperature.
  Cut to small cubes and serve.

In my attempt to make this, the mixture became quite firm while still in the mixer, even before I finished drizzling all of the sugar syrup into it. I insisted on drizzling all of it, and by the time I was done (and combined the last ingredients) the mixture pretty much turned into halva crumbles.  I tried pressing it into shape in a pan, but the crumbly mixture remained just as crumbly after it cooled down.

Can you figure out what I [could] have done wrong? Perhaps I have cooked the sugar syrup too long? I used a thermometer, and I took care not to touch the bottom of the pot. Or have I drizzled the syrup too slowly?

I'll appreciate any input.


texts: How can I make Chinese chicken fingers like in the northeast USA?

texts:
Does anyone know how to duplicate the chicken fingers found at Chinese restaurants in the Boston area? The batter on them is very puffy, and doesn't really conform to the shape of the chicken.

Google has been no help in finding a recipe (though it did find this picture):

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/179/385182683_6af6fbf451.jpg?v=0

I couldn't find them at any of the restaurants I checked in California, so they may be a Northeast-only thing. Someone must have discovered the secret though! Anyone with a recipe?


texts: I want to cook some chickens in the morning, and then travel about 2 hours in a car later in the day. Should I cool the chickens in the fridge after cooking them, or just wrap the hot chickens in tin foil and travel with them that way?


texts: Chocolate seized during dipping, how to prevent it?

texts:
I used a double boiler (two pots) to melt chocolate for truffles but half way into dipping the truffles in the chocolate, the chocolate hardened and became very clumpy.

How do I keep the melted chocolate from hardening?


texts: Italian Meringue Help - Sticking to Mixer

texts:
I am trying to make Italian Meringue and I using a candy thermometer and following a recipe very closely. However, whenever I pour my sugar into my egg whites the sugar instantly sticks to the side of mixing bowl and then I have little pieces of rock candy floating around my egg whites. What am I doing wrong? Everything I see makes it look so simple and I can't find anyone else encountering this issue. Thanks!

115g aged egg whites
3g cream of tartar
150g granulated sugar

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium until soft peaks for (~2 min) and reduce speed to low
Add granulated sugar and 57g water to saucepan and heat over medium high. If sugar sticks to side use a wet pastry brush to remove sugar crystals
Cook sugar until it reaches 235 degrees Fahrenheit.
When sugar is 235 degrees quickly and steadily pour it down the side of the mixer bowl while the mixer is on medium speed
Whip for about 4 minutes until glossy


texts:
I perused the ingredients list of a bag of oyster crackers and to my surprise they don't contain any oyster ingredients at all.

Since then I have looked at a multitude of different variety of oyster characters and they all share the same characteristic: the lack of oysters.

Why don't oyster crackers contain oysters? Why even use the word oyster?


texts: When reducing, why do you simmer instead of boil?

texts:
All recipes call for simmering a dish if you wish to reduce. I know that if for example if I wish to reduce wine, it will take me double the time or even more if I simmer instead of just cranking the heat up to a boil. But there must be a reason for this - what is that? There is only a 6c difference between a simmer and a boil.

I also presume boiling is more permissive in some cases than others, so an ability to distinguish the importance of simmering is necessary to know when you can crank the heat up to save time.


texts:
I am in the UK, but acquired a taste for cornbread from previous visits to the US (it is almost unknown here).

I’ve successfully made cornbread in the past and have quite a lot of cornmeal in my kitchen. However, at this time of lockdown, with folks getting bored and baking at home, it seems to be quite hard to get hold of flour; stocks are running low. Every recipe I can find online for cornbread involves using (roughly 50:50) flour with cornmeal, usually all-purpose.

I’d like to minimise the amount of flour I use. Is it possible to make cornmeal with no, or very little, flour? How little can I get away with and how should I amend the rest of the recipe?


texts: I have little experience and little money. I would like to know beginner recipes that are well rounded. Sorry if this is in the wrong place, still pretty new.


texts: Bread - Liquid proportion in french toast

texts:
Torrijas are a Spanish version of French toast (as seen in Kramer vs Kramer). Very popular here during easter.

The trick is to get the torrijas very moist without the bread falling apart. If they stay too dry, it's not very nice.

I've seen a recipe with 750g bread and 1l milk.

I'd like to know what variables influence the perfect french toast, and what proportion of bread vs milk is best. My guess is that the bread type plays a role in the quantity of milk. Or maybe it's a matter of trial and error.

I'll try this answer next time around.


texts: Why cook onion with chicken? Is it just for taste?

texts: In some of the chicken chili recipes I use, the recipe says to cook (or sauté rather) chopped onion with the chicken. Is that only because onion adds a certain taste? Or does this process do something more?


texts: Lemon juice and kale/green leaf lettuce salad produces a very horseradish-y taste and smell

texts: This is the strangest thing I've ever experienced with food.  I have a salad, a kale and green leaf lettuce salad, sprinkled with lemon juice.  As I'm eating it, when the lemon juice and kale leaves mix together, it produces the typical horseradish scent and taste - I even feel it in my nose as you do with horseradish.  It's very spicy as one would expect from horseradish/wasabi.  Very strange - what is the reason for this?


texts: I have baked Betty Crocker's Giant Honey and Oat Cookies three or four times now, and every time, my cookies do not spread out, I just get thick cookies. Is there something I am doing wrong? As far as I can tell, I am following the recipe exactly. Does it have something to do with my oven? With my technique?


texts: Cracked egg leaves egg white residue. Should I worry about the other eggs?

texts: I had an egg crack in the carton and cover the other eggs with egg white. I consider the cracked egg a lost cause, but what about the splash damage? Are the eggs that have received an inadvertent egg white wash safe to eat?  Particularly, for someone who may be very vulnerable to infection?


texts:
A visitor has left a nearly full bottle of soy milk in our fridge.  Personally, I hate the taste of soy milk, I find it too sweet and nutty for me, yet I feel compelled to use it up somehow.

I am going to make a bechamel sauce for a lasagne, and wondered whether I could use 1/3 soy milk and 2/3 regular milk in an effort not to waste the soy.

Will this still taste like soy??  Should I reduce (or increase) the ratio of soy?  Will it affect the thickening of my bechamel, or the general texture of the sauce?  I will be adding a bit of grated grana padano to the sauce at the end of the cooking process.

I did a bit of searching online, but everything was about a 1:1 substitution rather than the EFFECT of incorporating soy.  Advice appreciated.


texts: What is this leaf vegetable? It tastes like cress but looks different

texts: My girlfriend got this at a Turkish supermarket in Berlin. It's quite spicy and tastes like garden cress or a bit like radish. I looked up cress varieties but couldn't find this particular leaf shape.


texts: Adjusting whipped cream to hold its shape longer?

texts:
How can I adjust a whipped cream recipe so that it holds together longer? I envision a cross between whipped cream and a light airy frosting. The whipped cream will also have different flavorings added.

These need to hold together at room temp for several hours.

I'm thinking by going heavy on the powdered sugar I can get a thicker consistency.

I would like to pipe this onto the top of miniature gingerbreads with a large pastry bag.


texts: When a recipe calls for a cup of chopped nuts, should they be measured before chopping or after chopping?

texts: It seems like it would throw off recipe since you can fit more in once they are chopped?


texts: What can I use instead of cornstarch in Turkish Delight?

texts: I want to make Turkish Delight but I don't have cornstarch and cream of tartar. They are not available in our country, Bangladesh. What can I use instead?


texts: Make sourdough starter without discarding

texts: I understand the point of discarding half the sourdough starter as the yeast develops so that you don't have exponential amounts of starter. Why not start with a half ounce of flour and just add the same weight as what's in the container? (I plan to try this.) On the fifth day, feeding once a day, there would be 8 ounces of flour.


texts: OK, made another beef stew in the crock pot and again, it has a bitter flavor.  No tomatoes, only 2 T canned tomato paste and 1 C cabernet.  Thinking maybe a lighter wine to fix this and/or eliminate the tomato paste? Add brown sugar?


texts: What is safe/GMP prescribed limit of Sodium Benzoate in nacho dough?

texts: I've been cutting nacho triangles from rolled dough and then after lightly pan-roasting them I store them as ready-to-fry, which works and tastes very good but it devlops mould within a week. So, I purchased powdered Sodium Bemzoate, which should work considering the pH of my dough is slightly acidic, but I can't find reliable information about exact GMP limit.


texts: I bought some blueberry hot sauce while on vacation in Maine. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I have no clue what to pair it with. Any suggestions would be welcome.


texts: How to clean and maintain cast iron lids

texts:
I have a number of cast iron lids that fit skillets, dutch ovens, etc.  Most have the little cone-shaped spikes on the underside to collect and return moisture to the food.

I have no issues cleaning and maintaining my cast iron pans and pots, but I find the lids are prone to specific problems.  Here are the two main ones:

(1) When simmering or baking with the lid on (or partly on), the underside of the lid gets exposed to a lot of water vapor which then condenses.  The underside is therefore "attacked" by more excess moisture than any other part of my pots or pans.  Over time, this tends to degrade the seasoning and can more quickly lead to rusting.  With periodic oiling and reheating after cooking, I find that I really never need to do a complete re-seasoning of a pan (unless it gets damaged in some way).  But seasoning on lids seems to degrade a lot faster, and it's next to impossible to do stovetop "maintenance seasonings" with a little oil because of the shape of the lids.

(2) When cooking over high heat in a skillet, I sometimes want to put the lid on.  For example, one method I like to cook a cheap thick steak is to sear over high heat on both sides, and then turn off the heat and put the lid on to finish cooking (which is easier and simpler than heating up an oven to finish it).  Anyhow, if the pan is hot enough, a significant amount of grease will rise in the closed pan and condense on the lid.  The residue is difficult and annoying to clean because of the spikes on the lid.  Another area that often gets build-up of grease is the small lip right on the edge of the underside of the lid.  Neither the spiky area nor the lip lends itself well to scrubbing with salt or wiping with paper towels, which I commonly use to take care of the pans and pots.  In just a few uses over relatively high heat, the grease will build up, leaving behind sections that are gummy and others that are hard to scrape off -- and it seems like it also can trap moisture sometimes that contributes even more to the problem mentioned above with degraded seasoning and even rusting.  Unless I soak it in a sink with hot water and a lot of soap, it's very difficult to keep clean, and that will also degrade the seasoning more quickly.

In many cases, I've just given up and will use an ill-fitting random lid on cast iron rather than the traditional cast iron lids.  But given that people can buy lids like this, there must be ways to maintain them without gummy grease build-up or spotty seasoning.

Is there a way to avoid or lessen these problems or to solve them in a straightforward way?


texts: What pros and cons two-sided grill has if compare to pan?

texts: There two-sided (both sided heating up) electric grills with non-stick surface. I understand cooking gonna be a little more expensive because electricity instead of gas, but what else except that?


texts: Pancetta Mold. How to tell whether it's safe to eat?

texts:
I've been hanging my own Pancetta based on the recipe in Ruhlman's 'Charcuterie' book. Some small white dots of mold have started to appear.

I want to identify whether this mold is to be expected or whether it is a sign of my preservation gone wrong. I realise mold is almost an ever present factor in charcuterie but how can you tell the safe mold from the dangerous ones?


texts: Royal icing - how important is accurate measuring?

texts:
Making royal icing today, for a rather overdue Christmas cake.

I always end up with too much icing sugar, based on my normal recipe which asks for 4 large egg whites and 500g icing sugar.

So today I used 3 egg whites and as much icing sugar as "felt right". Is this fair enough?

If it's taking a long time for stiff peaks to form, is this a sign of too little icing sugar? And if I overdid the icing sugar how would I tell?


texts: What are the differences between spice paste and spice powder? Which should be preferred over the other for what reasons?

texts:
Assuming both are freshly available, are there reasons why one should prefer paste over powder or vice versa?

Example: I have seen both Garlic powder and Garlic paste available in the market.

Which one should be used in which circumstance for what reasons? Please answer in a generic way rather than focusing over Garlic.


texts: Is there a frosting that's sweet like American Buttercream but textured like Italian Meringue Buttercream?

texts:
I know a lot of people find storebought frosting like Betty Crocker's to be vile anathema... but I love its taste.  For me, the sweeter the better! Which is why I was disappointed when I made a batch of Italian meringue buttercream and it was anything but sweet. However, I loooved its rich smoothness. (Conversely, I like the taste of American buttercream but not its texture.) My first instinct would simply be to add more sugar, but I'm worried that would ruin its creaminess.

Is there a way to sweeten an IMBC without impairing its texture, or a different type of frosting that's similarly textured but super sweet?  Or will I be forever condemned to choosing between taste and form?


texts: How to keep biryani hot and moist for a long time

texts: I am looking forward to opening a biryani stall in my area, but my supplier of prepared biryani is far away. What method can I adopt to keep biryani rice fluffy, moist and hot for longer period of time? I want to keep it hot in a prepared condition for eight hours.


texts:
I am making a quart of sauce and want to use just enough mace that it can be detected. How much should I use?

Is there a general set of guidelines of quantities of spices per volume of sauce?


texts: Potatoes in bread? How to estimate potatoes needed?

texts:
Just found out that adding potato to a bread recipe can make it softer and more moist. I'd like to experiment with this. If I were following a recipe that didn't include potatoes, how could I modify it to include potatoes? Do the potatoes need to be a certain percentage of the flour? Do I add more liquids along with the potato? Do I remove some flour and replace with potatoes?

Also, will potato flakes work as well?


texts: Why do the inserts in pasta pots not go all the way to the bottom?

texts:
I love using a pasta pot/steamer where there is an inner "colander" pot so that you can pull all the pasta out easily.

BUT... in all of the ones I've seen, the inner colander doesn't go all the way to the bottom. There is a gap of about 1.5 to 2", plus the 1/4 space of the bottom of colander itself.

The means I have to boil a LOT more water. That takes more time, uses more water and energy.

It seems like a gap of just 1/2" or so would be sufficient to "insulate" the bottom of the pasta from the hot bottom of the pan. (And I've boiled pasta for years without a colander inside (so zero gap) fine).


texts: How to avoid cream breaking / splitting in oven?

texts:
A peculiar Swedish recipe calls for ladling curry flavored whipped cream over chicken and baking in the oven, at 225c for 20-30 minutes typically.
During my childhood, this resulted in a creamy, emulsified result.

Now, when trying to recreate it, it always comes out thin, with visible butterfat and coagulated proteins.
Does anyone know why this happens? When reducing cream in the pan, this never happens. Id suspect the whipping to be the culprit, but it was never a problem during my childhood.

Should I try lower heat for a longer time, higher heat for even shorter time, or could it be that I use enameled ceramic cookware while my mother used ovensafe glass cookware?


texts: Stovetop Waffle Iron vs Electric Waffle Maker

texts:
I can't decide between buying a waffle maker (electric appliances used to cook waffles simply by pouring in the batter and turning the device on), or waffle iron (cast iron devices used to cook waffles over a fire or over your stove top). This link presents convincing arguments and counterarguments. I assume no significant price differences.

Have I overlooked anything beneath? Can someone please counsel which to buy?

Waffle Iron

Easier to clean.
Can control temperature.
Can save space by being stored away.
Longer lifetime.  The Waffle Maker will stop working after 5-10 years.

Waffle Maker
Requires less human control and skill, and so better for amateur?
Simultaneous; more exact, uniform heating on both sides.


texts: Is there a way to make Beef Jerky at home?

texts: I would like to make beef jerky at home, is there a way to do this?


texts:
I commonly use a technique when caramelizing onions, in which I add the sliced onions to a pan with salt, oil, and water. The water softens the onions and helps cook them evenly such that by the time it all boils away, they caramelize quickly and evenly.

I decided to use this technique on garlic the other day, when making a garlic and oil sauce for pasta, and was surprised to find that the garlic turned a fairly vivid shade of purple!

What happened? Was it some reaction the garlic had to the boiling? Or could it have been a reaction with the cast iron pan I was using?


texts: Why do microwave ovens make bread rubbery?

texts: Why does heating bread (cinnamon buns) in a microwave give it a rubbery texture, when a regular oven doesn't?  What are the chemical or structural changes?


texts: Ruined My Pre-Season Cast Iron Pan- Help!

texts:
I bought a cast iron pan, and did not realize it had been preseasoned (this is my first one!).

I washed with soap and hot water and thoroughly dried it, then coated with thin layer of vegetable oil and baked it (upside down, over foil) at 350 for one hour.

It came out SO sticky, and the reside was thick. When I touch it, the oil rolls into little flakes (although the cast iron is NOT flaking).

So, I scrubbed that out as best I could,did less oil this time, and tried again. It still came out sticky and thick.

I cooked in it, chicken, to try to use it, and it all stuck and burned in the bottom.

Do I need to just season it a few times? I think the seasoning isn't taking. I am so bummed I didn't realize it was pre-seasoned, or else I wouldn't have had all these issues!

HELP PLEASE!


texts: Is there an official comprehensive list of E-numbers?

texts:
Does an official comprehensive list of the E-numbers exists?

I'm thinking of something along what the Wikipedia page provides:

Number
Role
Name
Description
Approval
Notes

An example of an entry could be:

E110
Colour
Sunset Yellow FCF
Used to grand a yellow-orange colour
Approved in the European Union, approved in the United States of America, banned in Norway
Products in the European Union require warnings and its use is being phased-out

These informations can be found scattered around the internet, but I've not yet been able to find a single page containing all of them besides the Wikipedia article (not that I've anything against Wikipedia, but I'd like an official source instead of a page anyone can edit and whose accuracy can't be guaranteed), lLooking up the informations through 4/5 documents every time is impractical.

At the moment I've been able to find these official documents:

Class names and the international numbering system for food additives
Codex general standard for food additives
Current EU approved additives and their E Numbers


texts: Can one use chocolate fèves/callets/nibs for tempering?

texts:
I usually buy Valrhona chocolate in blocks, but at this moment only the fèves/callets/nibs are available to me. Is it possible to temper these nibs or are they further processed beyond what is in the bars?

Thanks!


texts: What is the purpose of baking soda in chocolate-chip cookies?

texts: I thought baked goods which include baking soda should be put into oven immediately, otherwise they won't rise. But some cookie recipes call for cooling the dough in the fridge or even freezing it, which seems would negative the leavening properties of soda. Does it have other purpose or could it be left out?


texts: Are there any differences in cooking techniques for Farm raised Salmon versus Wild Salmon?

texts: In the last couple of months my grocery store has started to sell Farm Raised Salmon and separating it from "Wild" Salmon.  Any difference in cooking these two that I should be aware of?


texts: Charles Darwin high altitude cooking of potatoes

texts:
I just read about Charles Darwin's attempt to boil potatoes while at high altitudes.
In The Voyage of the Beagle you can read:

  Having crossed the Peuquenes [Piuquenes], we descended into a mountainous country, intermediate between the two main ranges, and then took up our quarters for the night. We were now in the republic of Mendoza. The elevation was probably not under 11,000 feet [...]. At the place where we slept water necessarily boiled, from the diminished pressure of the atmosphere, at a lower temperature than it does in a less lofty country; the case being the converse of that of a Papin's digester. Hence the potatoes, after remaining for some hours in the boiling water, were nearly as hard as ever. The pot was left on the fire all night, and next morning it was boiled again, but yet the potatoes were not cooked.

At that altitude the boiling temperature should be around 88°C depending on local variance and weather, but as far as I know that should be more than enough to break down the starch and pectin in a potato. There are a number of sous vide recipes which states that you can boil potatoes at 87°C or even lower.

Why couldn't Charles Darwin cook his potatoes? Was it a special kind of potato or was the boiling point even lower where he was?

This is keeping me up at night, could anyone help me understand this?


texts: What's the difference between gazpacho and normal soups?

texts:
Gazpacho is (afaik) a tomato-based soup, eaten very cold. I was wondering if there is a difference between gazpacho and other soups, apart from the temperature eaten at.

Could you heat gazpacho and eat it like a normal soup?
Could you chill a normal tomato-based soup and call it gazpacho?
Are there ingredients that are mandatory when making gazpacho? Or things you certainly cannot add?


texts: How to make perfect pearl rice in a rice cooker

texts:
This question is specifically about short grain pearl rice.

I recently got a nice Zojirushi rice cooker that has all the bells and whistles, and I've been wanting to use it to prepare perfect rice. I know that is a little subjective, but let's assume I just want distinct, not mushy, kernels that are clean and moderately sticky.

Items that I would like to have addressed:

Washing. I already do this, but including good methods would be appreciated.
Water proportions. I've found a 2:1 ratio makes them a little mushy, but any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
Soaking. I have heard people do this, but I haven't ever tried it. Does this affect how much water you use? What are some good methods for doing this?
Post cooking instructions. E.g. should it be allowed to cool, taken of warm setting, should the top be opened to let steam out, etc.

I know a lot of these items can be somewhat opinion based, so if that is the case, just comment on how any changes will affect the end product.


texts: Can beef stew be reheated several times?

texts:
I purchased 2 pound of meat, and the same day cooked it into a stew.  For dinner I had a small amount of it, and then put the pot into the refrigerator.

The next day for lunch I would like to reheat the entire pot of stew to boiling temperature, let it cool to eating temperature, eat some, and afterwards put the entire pot back into the refrigerator.

I would like to repeat this pattern for a few days.  I am told there is a risk of bacterial contamination, and the proper way is to only reheat the small amount I want to eat each time, not the entire pot.  But as long as I reheat to boiling temperature, is that really true?


texts: There are three types of sauce, which is 1. roux, 2. blended, and 3. all-in-one. I get what the all-in-one and roux sauce are and what steps to take to achieve it, but what exactly is a blended sauce? My teacher says that blended sauce does not mean blending the sauce using a blender. I searched on the internet and it basically says that is is the combination of a small portion of liquid and starch together, then heat the remaining liquid till it is almost at its boiling point. Afterwards, pour the heated liquid to the blended mixture and stir carefully. Heat the mixture and stir continuously until gelatinisation has reached. However, I came across another definition of the blended sauce: combining two or more sauces together. I'm quite confused, which one is the right one?


texts: Where to get fresh rose petals( rosa demascena) that are organic and/or pesticide free

texts: I need to make rose water and therefore need fresh rose petals (rosa demascena) that are organic and/or pesticide free. Is there any place to get these in the uk?


texts: What is the difference between "European Butter" and American butter?

texts:
I am in America, recently I noticed in my grocery store in the last year or two that there is a type of butter called "European Butter".

Is "European Butter" really different from regular butter, yes/no?

If yes, what is the difference between regular butter and "European" butter?

p.s. I thought there was only one way to make butter. So... is there such a thing as "European Butter" or is "European Butter" just made with different type of cow milk (i.e. a more organic... more grass fed.... less processed type of milk... maybe less homogenized)?


texts: How to make fluffy rice and which type of type of rice to use?

texts:
In some restaurants like Greek ones I get some nice pretty fluffy rice. The rice is short and little fat in the middle. It doesn't like look Jasmine or basmati rice which are longer.

When I prepare rice at home I follow the instructions in terms of amount of water, rice and simmering at lowest heat. Still the rice comes out pretty sticky. (Another question here talks about adding water in batches.. will try).

Question: How can I make the fluffiest rice and what type of rice to use? Do rice cookers make fluffier rice than using a pot?


texts: Substituting almond milk for regular milk in coffee without bitterness

texts:
I've tasted my local coffee shop's specialty coffee in which they substitute homemade almond milk for regular milk, and it tastes creamy and smooth. No bitterness.

When I try to recreate this with Starbucks coffee beans ground and put into a moka maker, and then adding sugar and microwaved Silk almond milk (bought from the store, and frothed a bit with a milk frother), it tastes slightly tangy and kinda bitter. The taste is kinda strange. I don't taste it from the coffee or the almond milk alone, but when combined, it forms.

Does anyone have any ideas what could be happening and what I could do to remedy it?
I would like to avoid too much sugar.


texts: How are fresh fish shipped across continents?

texts:
I am currently wondering when I see in US fish markets "Fresh Scottish Salmon" or in Europe "Fresh Alaskan Salmon".
How do you ship fresh fish across continents? By plane over night? Or there is no way it will be frozen then not fresh?

Thanks


texts:
I have to take a soup to a party but my kids only like the Pacific brand of tomato soup. I am wondering if it's safe to put in the crock pot to heat up and take it with me. Thanks,
Kay


texts: Can you thaw a frozen turkey in a dryer?

texts:
In the TV show New Girl, there is an episode (season 1, episode 6) in which they are cooking for Thanksgiving but forgot to thaw the Turkey, so they put it in the dryer, but it has some unexpected results.

Is it actually possible to thaw a turkey in a dryer? If one were to try to accomplish this in real life, how would one go about doing it a safe and reliable manner?

Please note that I am not asking, should one thaw a turkey in a dryer. Rather - is it possible?


texts: Can you make tandoori rotis with chickpea / green pea flour?

texts: I would like to know if it is at all possible to make tandoori roti with chick-pea or green pea flour. Also is it just as simple as grinding dry peas into fine dust and using it as a substitute for flour or is there more to it than that. Also, what would you use as binding agent?


texts: What are the culinary differences between Chinese Mitten Crabs and Blue Crabs?

texts:
I wonder why Chinese mitten crabs are a delicacy in Chinese food,
while most people in Europe and US don't eat them even though there are
many of them now in these two places? For example, in Germany, mitten crabs are only caught for exporting to China.
In US, why are blue crabs popular and valued while Chinese mitten
crabs are not? On the food safety side, are the two species both
safe to eat?

Thanks!


texts: I grew up in Nova Scotia, Canada and my grandmother used to make what she called "brown" bread she used to make it every time she would make homemade baked beans.  She is no longer with us and I'm trying to track down this little bit of my childhood.  Any suggestions on a "brown" bread, I believe it was made with molasses and it was quite moist and filling.


texts: We live at elevation 7000 ft up. How long should I cook swiss steak for tender thin sliced beef? I have never used a slow cooker in this altitude.


texts: Bag-cooked omelettes turning gray when stored in the fridge

texts:
So, we found the omelette in a bag recipe, and decided to use it. Pretty simple, beat the eggs, drop in ingredients, (Usually either Great Value Mozzarella, Fiesta Blend Cheese, or Cheddar) and some Jimmy Dean's Breakfast sausage, boil for 20mins, done.

We store them in the fridge since we don't have time in the mornings, and eat them throughout the week. They're perfect for my father who eats them at work (microwaves them, about a minute or so) and for me if I'm looking for quick meal.

Problem is, that at times they turn a grayish color, as they're put onto the plate and break up the omelette, you can see grayish/black spots.

Are we storing them wrong? Are they safe to eat? Any suggestions would be helpful.


texts: Why does adding commercial processed cheese to fondue change its consistency?

texts:
I like to experiment with cheese fondues.  I've had good results with the traditional Emmentaler and Gruyère mixture, but the best result I've had was when I added some cheese from the supermarket that was labeled as a "Cheddar Blend".  I'm not entirely sure what that means, but it resulted in a fondue that had a wonderful creamy consistency, which very quickly settled into a nice even coating when lifting out the dipped items.  It didn't add a huge amount of flavour on its own, but it helped to carry the stronger flavour cheeses, which I've often had trouble getting into a good consistency on their own (they often either wind up too thin [leading to soggy wine-flavoured bread] or a bit grainy from the flour or cornstarch I try to use to thicken it a bit.)

My question, then, is what is it about this 'Blend' cheese that improved the consistency of the fondue?  I imagine it's something they add to make it a blend in the first place.


texts: Using sal ammoniac (ammonium chloride) for salting fish

texts:
Has ammonium chloride have ever been used in any culture/cuisine instead of regular salt for salting fish, or for curing meat in general? How about pickled vegetables or any other food?

If no, why not?

I was wondering because I like the taste of salty liquorice, and the sal ammoniac itself tastes a lot like regular salt. Could it then be used in place of regular salt?


texts:
I made some vegan lasagna today, despite initial doubts it turned out pretty good.

However the soy meat I used was a bit tasteless. I am not expecting it to taste like meat, I am completely happy with it having its own taste. However I think I could have gotten a bit more out of it.

How I prepared it:
I soaked the soy meat in water, I didn't completely fill the bowl but dredged it until most of the water was soaked in.
Then I heated olive oil in a pot and added chopped red onions.
Then I added the soy meat and some salt.
After that I added the other ingredients of the tomato sauce (strained and chopped tomatoes, spices etc).

The sauce itself was pleasing, just the meat missed something, maybe it was too soggy, maybe not enough salt. Maybe I should have separately fried it, adding it to the sauce after cooking?
So how do I correctly prepare soy meat for lasagna?


texts: How do I tell the freshness of raw chicken?

texts:
I just bought some fresh cut meat from the local market. I've cleaned it and put it for brining. The chicken is smelly and has a yellowish color. I also got a lot more fat than usual while cleaning it.

I know that storage affects chicken quality, but this is fresh cut meat. Could fresh cut chicken be bad? How do I tell the best quality chicken and what factors affect the quality?


texts: Does it harm juice if I store it in sub-zero temperatures?

texts: I have several packs of juice (or multivitamin nectar, to be precise), and I can either keep them in our flat or put them outside, where it's freezing during the night. Is it going to do any harm to the juice if I do the latter?


texts:
I bought it from a farm shop (meadow fresh) as pictured. I know it goes in the oven.
But what temperature or duration.

Unfortunately it came with no instructions and I forgot to look for some when I bought it.

Update:

I followed the instructions from the answer below, and these things expanded to 3 times their size overnight, and 5 times their original size when cooked. They were fantastic. Leaving out overnight, then 10 mins at 190c was just right.
(the clue was in the packaging, as the website did contain instructions as suggested.)


texts:
I bought some really fresh live scallops from the pier today. I was planning on making something with them immediately as it is best when absolutely fresh. However plans change and I wasn't able to cook them. This leaves me with a couple options:

I.)Store live and then prepare them the next day the same way I would have otherwise.

II.)Process them now by taking out muscle and discarding the rest and then keep the muscles in the fridge.

Intuitively it would seem like its best to keep them alive as long as possible. If this is the case then what is the best way to store them?

Note that I am not trying to preserve them very long. Just pushing back my plans by one day.


texts: Convert fresh basil leaves to a dry measurement

texts: I have a recipe that calls for 12 fresh basil leaves. How do I convert that to a dry measurement?


texts: Are salamis/pepperonis in the USA truly fermented?

texts:
I've been exploring making my own salami and have learned that it is a lot of work! Not only must you make sausage, but you must also ferment it and dry it for many days. The fermentation piece seems especially tricky due to the work involved with fermentation starters and the risk of illness (or even death) if done improperly. The fermentation and drying periods also require fairly precise humidity and temperature.

This is why I'm surprised to see so much salami and peperoni in grocery stores. You can find these everywhere for very cheap, which I find surprising given the amount of work involved. I suppose it isn't that expensive if done at an industrial scale with meat scraps, but still, I have doubts that all salamis in the USA are indeed fermented.

Salamis are by their definition a fermented product. Are all or most salamis sold in the USA indeed fermented?


texts: Why do baking recipes call for instant coffee instead of fresh ground coffee?

texts: I have seen many recipes for cakes, cupcakes, coffee buttercream, etc. that call for instant coffee than the freshly ground/brewed coffee because the instant coffee produces much better flavour. Why is that when fresh coffee is considered much better and flavoursome than instant coffee?


texts: How many minutes between 115 F and 120 F for a ham?

texts:
I'm preparing this ham recipe.  It calls for a ham 7 to 8 lbs. Well, I ordered a ham described as "7 to 9 lbs" and what got delivered was a hair under 10 lb, so that's what I'm using.

Using the recipe's 20 minutes per lb instruction, I popped that ham in the oven with the understanding that it would be there for three hours and 20 minutes, total.  The recipe says to glaze the ham with 40 minutes to go, and when the internal temp is 120 and 125 F.  So at 2 hrs and 40 min, I checked the internal temp, and it's 115 F.

How much longer does it need to be in there (325 F) to get up to the 120-125 range?

I have no way to check the internal temp without opening the oven door and pulling out the ham, so when should I do that?  (My natural inclination would be to check like every thirty seconds which I understand is counterproductive.)


texts: Does yogurt maker keeps object at optimal temperature maybe around 40 centigrade, or current temperature of object?

texts:
First of all, I'm in Korea, and sorry for my bad English.

I'm trying to make yogurt at home, so I've searched out the best yogurt machine on the internet.

Something weird is that most yogurt machines do not have any temperature controllers. I thought that a yogurt machine would keep steady temperature of milk. But how? If temperature of milk is at 80 centigrade, does a yogurt machine keep temperature of milk at 80 centigrade? or let milk be cool, and keeps milk at the optimal temperature for making yogurt, which is in this case around 40 centigrade.

Have a good day everyone!


texts: Can I use a terracotta pot to bake a pie?

texts: I have cooked many casseroles in a large terracotta pot with great results.  Can I bake a pie in a terracota pot in an electric oven. Can the pot take the high temprature that shortcrust or puff pastry needs?


texts:
Can the salt content affect the fragrance of the dish?
If so, how does it happen?
Does salt have a fragrance of its own?


texts: What does sourdough starter REALLY need?

texts: I have one of these fancy french baking books that says that the sourdough needs to be feed with a 2:1:3 ratio of water, starter and flour. But a lot of videos I see online basically just pour a little out, add equal parts of water and flour (seemingly regardless of how much starter they have) give it a mix and call it a day. What's the truth behind maintaining a sour? Not talking about storing in the fridge for now as the variation doesn't seem relevant to the question. Thanks for the advice!


texts: Can I use hot water for skim milk powder?

texts:
I was trying to make milk tea from skim milk powder and black tea bags today, and found that after adding hot water to skim milk powder, that powder doesn't fully dissolve in the water. There are lots of white tiny particles in the hot water that doesn't disappear after 20 minutes.

I checked the instructions and it said use cold water to mix the powder. Are the white particles I saw normal? Or are they only a result of me incorrectly using hot water?

Thanks.


texts: When cooking (for example, in a restaurant), is it common for cooks in the same team to taste each other's dishes (still in progress), without asking for a permission?


texts: How to shell a coconut without breaking the seed?

texts:
Quite a lot of the time I'm able to get large parts of seeds by hitting the shell against the ground. This causes bigger cracks in the shell than the seed, I can then pry off the outer layer. However, I've never been able to get a whole seed this way.

The only other ways I can think of would be dissolving it in an acid or using abrasion, but I do not know if these would work.

What is the best method of removing the dark outer shell from a coconut without damaging the inner white seed?


texts: What spice in Asian food makes me sweat and my nose running?

texts:
What spice in Asian food makes me sweat and my nose runny?

I highly appreciate it in those cases where I've caught a common cold or anything the like, just when the original impact is too low so that my body fails to give those reactions by default. (And it doesn't feel wrong even when I feel very healthy otherwise. Just, somehow, purgative.)


texts: How prevalent was foodborne botulism before stricter food safety guidelines?

texts:
Nowadays, foodborne botulism seems to be quite rare, even from potentially high-risk things like home canned goods. (The CDC Botulism Surveillance reports indicate on the scale of tens of confirmed cases per year in the US.)

But I can only assume that the strict guidelines we have today were motivated by a significantly larger issue in the past. What's the history here? When did those guidelines come about, and how big a deal was botulism before then?

This isn't a pure historical curiosity question, of course. Sometimes the low prevalence of botulism is used as evidence of low risk and thus low importance of following food safety rules, but it's unclear what the actual level of risk would be without most people doing things "right" already.


texts: How can I tell if this is baking soda or powder?

texts:
Sure it'd be easier and cheap to just buy new soda and powder but I'm curious.

I had a jar of either baking soda or powder. The marker with which I'd labeled it rubbed off during a house move and I do not recall which one it was.

Is there an easy way to test if I have a jar of baking powder or soda?


texts:
Does microwaving wine have the potential to remove the alcohol? If so, how long might be required?

(I'm specifically interested in the microwaving aspect, which is why the existing questions on cooking away article aren't exactly sufficient)


texts: What are East Coast Chinese Chicken Wings marinated in?

texts: Does anyone know what the Chinese Restaurants on the East Coast (in the US) use to marinate their chicken wings? I was told by one owner that they use 10 different ingredients but she wouldn't tell me what they were. Do you know if they parboil them before deep frying them?


texts: How do I save my curry with too much of a raw onion smell?

texts: I was cooking for a party and ground my raw onions, added to oil and then added meat. Now the curry is sweet and smells like raw onion. How do I save this curry so I can use it for the party?