texts: Proper preparation of veggies for an egg scramble

texts:
I really enjoy cooking eggs for breakfast, and sometimes I'm feeling fancy enough to add veggies into my scramble. However, I'm never sure how to prepare the veggies to put into the scramble. If I don't cook them, usually they are too crunchy or tough (and sometimes make the scramble watery), and don't taste good with the eggs. If I try to cook them before adding them, they usually come out too dry/overdone. I figure this might depend on which veggies I'm cooking so here are my common favorites: tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions (suggestions welcome!)

To make my question more specific (and hopefully more answerable): how can I prepare the veggies so that they are not crunchy, but not over-cooked?


texts: I wanted to make homemade pickles, does it matter what type of salt I use?

texts: I've got the spices, jars, etc. I was wondering if there is a special salt, or can I just use table salt?


texts: How to dissolve salt into mashed potatoes

texts:
I am trying to find a way to mix salt into my mashed potatoes without having unpleasant bits of salt appear in each mouthful.

I usually steam them with their skins-on, before mixing in salt, and vegan butter with a touch of truffle oil.

I have tried:

Whisking the salt into the vegan butter before mixing them into the mash. But I can still taste bits of salt in the mash.
Whisking salt directly into mashed potatoes. This is even worse than 1.


texts:
As some of you may have noticed, I'm on the trails of making perfect good creme brulee.

Recently I've had great success and ended up with creme brulee of nice consistency... however there the top layer seems to be thicker and harder than the rest.

Allow me to elaborate:
After taking the creme out of the oven and allowing it to set in a fridge and before melting sugar on top I find that the top layer of my creme (about a cm's width) is hard and if I press on it it "breaks" almost like it froze on the top like surface water freezes into ice.
Below that layer the creme is like caramel, it's not hard at all and the "hardness" of this top layer is not caused by the low temperature of the fridge (I think).

Could this be because I bake my creme in a bain marie / water bath in an oven with both the top and bottom element on (i.e. the ramkins are getting heat from the top and bottom/sides)?

My recipe:

3 egg yolks
250ml whipping cream
70ml plain white granulated refined sugar (should be the same kind people put in everything)

I put the yolks, cream and sugar in the mixer bowl. Let the mixer mix them for a couple of minutes, pour into ramekins. Put the ramekins in a deep pan. Fill the pan with water so that the water covers the ramekins about halfway. Watch that no water gets in the ramekins. Turn the oven on. Put a thermometer in the water. When the water gets to ~85 degrees Celsius, leave it like that for a while. Turn oven off, let cool.

After all that the custard is still "soft". It continues to be soft after cooled to a little warmer than room temperature. Only after left alone for an hour or two does it develop this "crust".

UPDATE:
I just made Creme Brulee with only the bottom heating element turned on - same thing happened.
I should mention this happens only after the cremes are cooled - when taking them straight out of the oven there is no harder upper layer. Could it be that, akin to pudding, it dries up if you do not cover it in plastic wrap? This does not happen with crem caramel (a close relative of creme brulee).

Maybe I should mention I am cooking them for longer at a lower temperature than most recipes? But please don't jump to conclusions that this is the reason if you do not have some solid reason of thinking so.


texts: Can I finish cooking a stuffed pork roast if I turn it off for a while?

texts: I am cooking a pork sirloin stuffed roast. It's been in the oven for 20 minutes but I have to leave the house for no longer then 1 hour and a half. Can I continue to cook it when I get back?


texts: Fresh blueberries vs dried blueberries in a cookie recipe

texts: Can fresh blueberries be used instead of dried blueberries for baking cookies? This is for a cookie recipe that calls for 1/2 cup dried blueberries.


texts: What type of lubricant should be used on oven door hinges?

texts:
My oven has squeaky door hinges.

There are many types of lubricant available ( traditional, silicon, Teflon etc.), all with different pros/cons.

I'm curious, is there a "best practice" choice for what should be used in this case?


texts: Is there a bacteria that would eat gluten for cooking?

texts: Is there some yeast or bacteria that will eat gluten? I was hoping for some kind of yeast, but I can't find one. Where could I look?


texts: Why must I return the chilled chocolate cookie dough to room temperature before baking?

texts:
According to a chocolate chip cookie recipe, I chilled the cookie dough before baking but it was also written to turn the cookie dough to room temperature before baking. What is the purpose of doing that?

I found out research indicating that we put the cookie dough in the fridge to prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. But then why do we have to return the dough to room temperature?

How long should I wait in order for the shaped cookies on the baking sheet to get the room temperature?


texts: Is it okay to boil milk (making steel cut oats)

texts:
I am trying to make simple oatmeal (steel cut), and on the package the directions say to boil milk, add the oats, then simmer for 25 minutes. But the milk is starting to get a film on top and is becoming a cheese-like consistency which doesn't look too appetizing in my oatmeal. Up until now I've always boiled oats in water and added cold milk after. Is this desirable?

I should add that the milk is actually a bit old and while past the expiration date, still smells okay and has not spoiled yet. This is also my first time making steel cut oats but I doubt that makes a difference.


texts: How long can you keep bacon (from a butcher) in the refrigerator?

texts: I bought smoked bacon from a local butcher and I want to know how long I can keep that bacon in the refrigerator. It is an all natural product with no preservatives other than the process by which it was cured, so no nitrates etc. I forgot to ask the butcher thinking it would be gone before it became an issue.


texts: Reliable Cookie-to-Butter Ratio for Crumb Crusts

texts:
I'm trying to find a general and reliable Cookie-to-Butter ratio (or weights) that I can use when I make crumb crusts for no-bake pies.

My old baking textbook, On Baking: A Textbook of Baking & Pastry Fundamentals (Third Edition) by Labensky, Martel & van Damme gives the ratios for a basic crumb crust as follows:  4 parts cookie crumbs to 2 parts sugar to 1 part melted butter.  So, for a single 9" deep dish graham cracker pie crust, they recommend going with 8 oz. graham cracker crumbs + 4 ounces sugar + 2 oz. butter (blah, blah...food processor...pressed into the pie plate and baked at 350° F for 10-12 minutes).

OK, I have a few problems with those amounts:  (1) 8 oz. of crumbs is WAY too much for a single pie crust (5-6 oz. is plenty), (2) using half as much sugar as crumbs is WAY too much sugar for my taste (I go with more like a quarter), & (3) I can never seem to get a crust to hold together with that amount of butter.  Lately I've been going with 6 oz. cookie crumbs + 2 oz. sugar + 2.5 oz. melted butter - I'm pretty sure I can do better than that.

Ignoring my first two complaints - I can get the cookie and sugar amounts right w/o a problem - does anyone have a reliable Cookie-to-Butter ratio that works well for cookie crumb crusts in general?  I don't want links to recipes (there are recipes out there with butter ranging from around 15% to nearly 60% of the cookie crumb weight), I want to hear from people who have had repeated success with specific crumb crust formularies (in weights, not volumes).

In a perfect world, I would love to hear of a trustworthy Cookie-to-Butter ratio that applies equally well to most cookie types (I almost never use graham crackers - I'm more of a Nilla Wafer and Animal Cracker kinda guy who dreams of one day branching out into ginger snap territory).


texts: What is the shelf life of Ultra Clear rice protein powder?

texts: I have some Ultra Clear rice protein powder that is a few years old that has never been opened and has been constantly refrigerated. Is it still safe to use? I am nervous about using it, but the current cost of the product is over $60, so I am also not happy about throwing it out. If there is a danger - then I will throw it out, and forget the cost. Otherwise, maybe I can use just a teeny bit - to test it out. I don't want to end up in the ER though. Can you please advise.


texts: Books for very high level vegan cooking?

texts:
I'm looking for a book, or some books on cooking vegan on a very high level. There are several nonvegan michelin star level books, and many "quick and lazy" books, but I'm having a hard time to find one that covers vegan dishes on star niveau.
Can someone recommend a book like this?
If there are books that contain a lot of vegetarian receipts that can be "veganized" without destroying the whole meal, that would be fine aswell :)


texts: how do I toast oats so that they are crispy?

texts:
I'm playing around with making cereal, and one of the cereals I want to replicate is the "bunches of oats" style, with crispy clusters that include oats.  Every time I try to toast oats, though, they get more flavorful but not much more crispy, until they get burnt.

My current method: I use minute oats (problem #1?) but otherwise just put them in the oven at 350F.

I'd like to avoid adding sugars if possible, but I'm not stuck on that idea if it's not possible.


texts: Where can I find a quality comparison for Zwilling Knives?

texts:
I'm trying to find comparisons between various knives from Zwilling.  I know the difference between the lines: JA Henckels International tends to be of different build quality as compared to Zwilling.

However, I'm having trouble differentiating between the different knives from within the Zwilling brand.  For instance, sets are named things like Cuisine, Gourmet, Signature, Four Star, and Professional S.

Even the Zwilling website doesn't really offer too much information about the specific lines.  In fact, it doesn't even list some of the lines I've seen for sale, such as Gourmet.  Can anyone provide info about these knives, or a link to further descriptions and comparisons?


texts:
I frequently eat these Madeleine pastries, and then drink filtered tap water after. For some reason, this sometimes creates an off-putting, "grassy" aftertaste. Does anyone have an explanation for it?
Here's the ingredients list for the Madeleines:
Untreated and unbleached enriched wheat
flour • Eggs • Sugars (white sugar, liquid invert sugar)
• Soy, palm, modified palm and modified palm kernel
margarine • Water • Baking powder • Whey powder •
Natural and artificial flavors • Sodium propionate
[preservative].
I live in southern Ontario so the water has some minerals in it, although we have a filter which should be removing most of it.
The aftertaste is hard to describe, something like the smell of grass and iron.


texts: What exact temperature allows me to store frozen products really long?

texts:
For as long as I remember, I was always told (and I was always so sure), that minus 18 degrees Celsius is an optimal temperature for storing frozen products  for really, really long. Months usually and in case of certain types of meat and fish, even up to one year.

Some other sources, that I recall, but can't cite right now, said that in minus 18 degrees Celsius most (if not all) products can be kept until at least "best before" date.

Some time ago I went to a one of Polish shops around me and I was shocked to find this infobox:

It basically says, that in minus 18 degrees Celsius I can store all products up to one month (so not "many months" and not "really long"), with exception of ice cream (which even at this temperature can't be stored for longer than a week+).

And minus 24 degrees Celsius* I can store most frozen products "many weeks". Which leads me to a conclusion that under no home-applicable* circumstances I'm not allowed to store frozen food for "many months" or "really long".

What am I missing? Is above presented table correct?

* not mentioning, that none of fridges / freezers, that I use is able to run at minus 24 degrees Celsius temperature and to be honest -- I have never heard about any home-targeted device, that is able to achieve this temperature.


texts: Every time I make rice it comes out mushy and clumps together. How can I get rice to cook properly and be fluffy with grain separation and everything?


texts: Why would a recipe call for pouring boiling butter into egg-whites?

texts:
I made a sponge cake using a recipe from an old cookbook and at one point it told me to melt and boil butter and pour the boiling butter into beaten egg-whites, let sit for a minute and then mix gently. This procedure puzzles me. Why should I pour in the butter while hot?
If you want the whole thing, here goes (no measures, 'cause it's in Polish and uses Polish measures, where "one cup" is not what you would call "one cup"):

beat egg whites with powdered sugar until stiff
pour in melted and boiling butter (or shortening), mix gently after one minute and let sit until it cools.
Start mixing again and add egg yolks one by one, then lemon juice and finally flour mixed with baking powder.
Mix a bit more.
Bake for at least 50 minutes at 160 degrees C

The batter looks fine, it's baking nicely, but the long time is also strange for me, most sponge cakes that I made require just 20-25 minutes of baking. I skimmed the book, but didn't notice any other sponge cake recipe with this approach.


texts:
My girlfriend is vegan.

How can I replace eggs in a recipe?

Maybe with banana or soy? How much?

The egg is the key ingredient to keep everything from falling apart.


texts: Traditionally, why are 'pasta bowls' wide and shallow?

texts:
I was curious as to why they're marketed as pasta bowls in the UK, and it's because they're frequently used for pasta (obviously). Buy why are bowls used for pasta traditionally wide and relatively shallow? As opposed to other types of bowl?

The reasons I can think of are potentially to do with serving size (i.e. can fit more in the bowl) or thermodynamics (larger surface area to allow faster cooling). But I don't know why either of these would specifically apply to pasta dishes.

For context, this is what is generally considered a pasta bowl here in the UK as far as I'm aware:

As compared to a cereal/all-purpose bowl:

Or a soup bowl/lipped bowl:

I understand that a 'pasta bowl' is not exclusively for pasta dishes and I know that other types of bowl are also used when it comes to serving pasta. But I'm interested in why, in the UK at least, a 'pasta bowl' is sold as such.


texts:
My minestrone turned out too bitter. How can I counter it? The soup contains tomatoes, pasta, Savoy cabbage, celery, carrots, burnt sautéed garlic, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper.

Sugar seems to be a general solution, but I figured there could be better solutions for my specific case.


texts: Crispy pork belly, how can I cook the inside more?

texts:
I recently discovered that there is an Asian market in my neighborhood. I was thrilled to discover it. I ended up purchasing a bit of pork belly cooked on-site and highly recommended by the owner. She said (rightfully) that her pork belly was crisper than any pork belly I'd ever seen. The crusty outside is very, very nice. Unfortunately, the inside still has that unrendered, solid quality.

I've tried slicing it through the center and frying it (cut side down) over a low flame. That left the beautiful crust overcooked. I could slice away the crust, I suppose, but I'd rather not dissect it that much. Any other ideas?


texts: Why does steak change colour after seasoning?

texts:
When I have sirloin steaks, I take them out of the fridge and season them while they return to room temperature before I cook them.

I add various seasonings - salt, pepper, garlic etc. it depends on my mood.

I notice that after I season them, the more heavily seasoned areas turn grey. Why is this? Is it to do with dehydration from salt or something else?

The steaks are always delicious so it's not a concern, I'm just curious as to what causes the colour change.


texts: I've got a variety of frozen fruits in a freezer that I've been neglecting...For 12 months or so, at this point. At this point I'm wondering whether I should bother with the fruit at all or if there's a receipe that works better with aged produce? Part of my stock is fruit that was already frozen and part were cranberries that started fresh and then got the freeze. Any tips?


texts: Why are non-orange coloured carrots so uncommon?

texts: Carrots come in a great variety of colours, from almost white to dark purple. However, the most ubiquitous colour variety is orange, and often the only to be found in regular supermarkets. Why is this?


texts: This year I'm going to try my hand at pickling. I've found recipes for asparagus refrigerator pickles that sound good, but they all say to use mason jars. I have a number of plastic containers that are of a perfect size and shape. Is there a good reason to use glass rather than plastic for refrigerator pickles?


texts: Will milk produce more curds if you add additional protein and fat content?

texts:
Cheese is basically made up of protein and fat. If I take non-fat milk and add more protein (i.e, from protein powder), and more fat (i.e, olive oil, or some other type of oil), will it produce more curds when I make homemade cheese? Does it also depend on the type of protein I use and the type of fat? Or does the amount of curds produced depend on something else?

I know this sounds like an unusual question, but I have my own reasons for asking. =)


texts: Using both cook and serve pudding and instant pudding in pie

texts: I have a layered Pudding Pie recipe that calls for Chocolate, Vanilla, and Butterscotch pudding. I have not been able to get the Butterscotch pudding in instant pudding (which is what the recipe calls for), only in cook and serve. Would it cause the milk in the other two to curdle when that layer is applied, and if so, how would I avoid that problem? I intend to let the pie set in the fridge overnight.


texts: I have a recipe that calls for Wanjashan naturally brewed organic rice vinegar and I do not have this ingredient.  Is there another vinegar I can used instead?  I have white vinegar, red wine vinegar, and malt vinegar.  The recipe is for sweet and sour pork ribs with honey.


texts: How long can food last if reheated periodically?

texts:
Say I fixed some stew that's been in the refrigerator for around three days. Will putting that stew in a pot, heating it up to around 170F (77C), and letting it simmer for a while make it last longer in the refrigerator? And if so, then can this be done (nearly) indefinitely?

I think the answer is yes, because whatever microbes have had an opportunity to take root in the food will have been killed by the high temperatures, but I am not sure about whatever biproducts that might remain (e.g. toxic chemicals exuded by the microbes as part of their metabolism or something).


texts:
I bought an Asian pear the other day and let it ripen for about a week since it was still very firm when I bought it.  When I ate it, I found it to be very bitter and almost inedible because of its rotten taste.  However, it looked fine, came from a good grocery store and was stored properly.  I've never had one before, so I don't know if they are usually so bitter.  Did I have a rare experience or are they usually so bitter?

I was so surprised because the sign at the store for the Asian pears said they were sweat, juicy and the most flavorful of pear varieties.

I looked online and found no mention of Asian pears being bitter, so I suspect it was just this one pear, but maybe I just didn't do enough research.


texts:
How does one make a thick soup, like Campbell's Chunky brand beef stew?
I have already tried flour*, but it didn't work the way I was hoping.  I'm cooking home-made beef bone brothers based stews.
Any suggestions?

* I added a whole cup and a half of flour slurry to about 2.5 gallons of stew, but it didn't have the thickness I was looking for. It also made the soup (borsch) look like greenish sewage water when it shpuld have just made it pink if anything


texts: I have some recipes, that took quite long to cook, for example 8 hours. I want to start cooking those in the morning, so it is ready after I come from work in the evening. Is it safe to cook it on the gas? I put it on the smallest flame, so the amount of gas is very low. Are there generally any risks of some accident, or is the amount of gas so low, that when I open a window, the gas will be dissolved (in case that it would stop burning at some point in the process of cooking)?


texts:
I saw the question about UK, but I don't think I can find treacle of any kind in Germany.

I am looking for a substitute which will keep the physical qualities of the pie filling reasonably close to the original. I don't mind if the sweetness changes (in fact, I'd probably like it if it is less sweet than the original) and I don't mind introducing new aromas into the recipe.

My first idea was to make a very light caramel, and eventually keep it sticky with a dash of lemon juice. Then I could probably try to solve sugar in maple syrup, which will also introduce a new flavor and also keep it sweet.

Probably the closest thing to real corn syrup sold in the supermarket here is beet sugar syrup. But it isn't high on my list, because I probably won't use the rest up.

I also plan to use walnuts instead of pecans, if it makes any difference (pecans are quite rare here too).

The substitution shouldn't be too adventurous, I am baking this for guests (if I were alone and the filling got too thin or too thick to call it a pie, I'd still eat it as long as the taste is OK).


texts:
My skillet is dishwasher safe but it comes out with rust colored spots on the bottom.  The non-stick surface is rough and if I use a paper towel to wipe it down it leaves little pieces of paper behind.

Instructions say not to soak it. It has a sticky feel to it and patches that look and feel like burned on grease.

I feel like I have tried everything. Anyone have any suggestions for me?


texts: How do I cook these two items in the oven at the same time?

texts: If I need to cook salmon in the oven at 375° for 15 to 20 minutes and crab cakes at 400° for 20 to 25 minutes, what do I do?


texts:
I will be making sausage and want to include the flavour of caramelized onions. I have caramelized the onions but the pieces seem a bit large to be in sausage.

I intend to add wine to the sausage as well. Can I simply liquify/blend the caramelized onions in a blender with some wine? Would this have any unintended or unwanted effects when introduced to a sausage mixture?

I could also run the caramelized onions through a meat grinder with the meat, but I am concerned the onions will be too "wet" and lead to a strange effect.

The recipe I am using is pretty simple. I am using garlic, salt, pepper, wine, and caramelized onion and I am making fresh sausages. I am worried that blending the caramelized onion will lead to an ugly brown in the sausage, but perhaps it is fine.


texts: Pampered Chef taco shell maker stoneware with cracks. O.K. to use?

texts:
I bought 2 taco shell makers stoneware that have some hairline cracks in them. Will it be safe to use them?

Here is a picture:


texts: My cast iron has become flaky, did I damage it?

texts: So I am quite new to this cast iron thing. After few uses I tried to clean it with kosher salt. Now some parts of it look like it's all flaky, as if the layer will come off if I scratch it with my fingernail. The part is grayish in color. Is it the seasoning that has come off, or have I damaged my pan? How do you really know the difference? I mean, how easy it is to damage a cast iron pan in a way it is no longer useful, and what will that damage look like?


texts: When is the best time to use my sourdough starter?

texts: When I feed my sourdough starter and leave it out to make bread, it reaches max size in about 6 or 7 hours, then it begins to fall back.  Is this the point at which I should make bread in order to get the maximum rise from my starter?


texts: Most recipes for amaretti call for the sugar to be combined with the ground almonds and then added to beaten egg whites. When making meringue, on the other hand, the sugar is beaten into partially-beaten egg whites. What is the reason for this difference?


texts:
Do you add any flavor of British breakfast tea?
I need to know how it is prepared; either with or without additional flavor.


texts: How do you make General Tso's chicken as generally found in the Eastern USA?

texts:
I realize this is a recipe request, but I'm hoping that the supplemental information will be enough to let it through. I also realize it's rather localized and apologize to all of those who don't know what I'm on about.

So, I am a huge fan of General Tso's chicken. I grew up on the east coast of the USA in the DC/VA area. Every dish of General Tso's was more or less the same: breaded deep fried chicken, a spicy, thick, reddish brown sauce with a hint of sweetness, chili peppers, sesame seed, and  broccoli.

Since moving to Chicago I have been unable to find this style of General Tso's. Out here the sauce is runny, brown, sickly sweet, and barely spicy. They also put all kinds of random crap (vegetables) that I don't want in there. I've tried this dish in L.A., Seattle, and Phoenix and it's all similarly gross. I've even had one where the chicken wasn't breaded!

The dish I want to know how to make looks like this:

I realize D.C./VA is a rather specific area, but since this dish originated in New York City, I imagine that it didn't get butchered much migrating 200 miles south. So, while I haven't had NYC General Tso's I imagine that it's quite similar, or at least much closer than the mess I have out here in the midwest.

Update

I'd prefer first-hand knowledge to a top 3 Google hit.


texts: Recipe calls for garlic powder and all I have is garlic salt

texts: If so what is the proper amount to put in? It calls for 2 tablespoons of garlic powder but I got garlic salt. Anyone?


texts: semi-freezing ripe avocado for easier handling

texts:
I've got a sack of ripe avocados that are going to be used in
vietnamese salad rolls, sliced into long pieces. The avocados
are getting bit too soft to cut, and I'm considering putting
them in the freezer for 1-2 hours to harden them up so they'll
be easier to peel and cut.
Am I asking for trouble putting my avocados in the freezer?


texts: food safety regarding re freezing twice cooked chicken

texts: I am defrosting a cooked chicken to use in a curry it will be thoroughly heated at a high temperature. If I have too much curry will i be able to freeze it, as the cooked chicken was frozen before?


texts: Cake not rising - too many wet ingredients?

texts:
I've tried making this three layer cake twice in the past two days. I think the issue is too many wet ingredients. It’s from a cookbook I trust for the most part, but after two failures, I’m not sure what else to change.
If the issue is too many wet ingredients, how do I substitute or alter the recipe to remedy this?
For reference, it calls for:

2.5c AP flour (12.5oz)
2t baking powder
1/2t salt
3/4c room temp unsalted butter
1.75c sugar (12.25oz)
1/3c maple sugar
1/3c canola oil
1t vanilla
2 egg yolks
4 eggs
1c milk room temp
Approx 1/2c “burnt sugar” syrup (mixed in with room temp milk

I started typing this last night and have now discovered that my pans are also an inch too wide, but I’m almost positive that additional batter will still be somewhat too dense. Is that the issue or do we think it’s the high proportion of liquid to dry?
Attaching photos for reference:
The flat cake from my second attempt (first picture), and then what the cookbook says it should look like (second picture)


texts: Pulled pork - inject brine AND immerse in brine?

texts: Aiming to do a pork shoulder for pulling. In the past I've made an apple juice brine and immersed the joint for up to 24hrs. I bought an injector. Would it be overkill to inject the brine AND immerse it for say 12hrs? Or should I only do one?


texts: I have a 40 pounds Turkey. I want to cook it on the oven. Where can i get a tray big enought to hold it. The ones in walmart are not big enough.


texts: Can I replicate these Cafe Noir cookies?

texts:
I recently bought a pack of McVitie's Cafe Noir expecting shop junk and for once quite liked it. It's very light and crunchy like a rich tea with a thin icing which seems to permeate the upper half (rather than a simple iced topping).

They seem to derive from the Dutch cookie "verkade cafe noir". I couldn't find a recipe or anyone trying to recreate them. Any ideas if they can be created at home?


texts:
I'm (attempting) to make homemade Cinnamon Dough Balls. However they seem to always come out a little doughy. How can I eliminate this problem? I've tried to poke holes in them but they just get hard. I want them to be cooked but so it's still a little chewy. Any ideas?

The balls are about 1in. to 1 and a half inches in diameter. There is no hard recipe I'm making theses as like an experiment.


texts: If I make a big batch of blueberry buttermilk pancakes and freeze them, how long will they stay fresh for before getting freezer-burnt?

texts: I love buttermilk pancakes. Being able to make them on the weekends for breakfast at a later date is just a bonus (like Eggo without the preservatives). I'm just not sure how long they last for in the freezer, as in, if they will ever get freezer-burn like meat does. I store them in individual ziploc bags for easy retrieval.


texts:
I cooked a batch of garbanzo beans, immediately washed under cold tap water, drained 10-20 minutes, and transferred to the fridge to chill for a  few hours, then transferred to portioned freezer bags and put in the freezer

A few days later I took a portion, thawed in cold water 10-20 minutes, fully recooked it, drained at room temp for 10-20 minutes, squeezed out as much liquid as I could, transferred into airtight container and then put in the fridge to chill

After 3 days in the fridge I recooked it (the second time), drained, and immediately (while still piping hot) blended with ice cubes, tahini, lemon, salt, pepper and some of the (still hot) cooking liquid

I immediately transferred the mixture (now at about room temp) to an airtight container and put it in the freezer about 20 minutes to quickly cool down, then down to the fridge

How do I tell if it's still completely safe? (after 1 month in the freezer, then 3-4 days in the fridge, during which it was recooked and rechilled twice)


texts: What qualities should one look for when choosing Egg cooking gear?

texts:
Stainless Steel seems to be all the rage in cooking stores these days, yet frying eggs on one leads to an extremely messy cleanup situation, assuming you can get it out without breaking it. Scrambling eggs works fine but the cleanup is brutal, even with loads of butter.

My goal is to cook/fry eggs in a pan, Teflon seems the obvious choice; but it quickly starts to flake off making the food uneatable.

What type of pan and associated tools (spoon, spatula, etc) should I look for? I’d also like to avoid using loads of butter, PAM, and oils, seeing as eggs have enough fat and cholesterol already.


texts: I have a thawed, dry brined 22 lb turkey.  Does anyone know how long it'll take to cook it and what temp? Thank you!


texts: How do I become more time efficient in the kitchen?

texts:
The only thing holding me back from truly enjoying cooking is that it takes so much of my time. The prepping, cooking, cleaning...

What techniques do professional chefs utilize to cook a three course meal in the time an average cook finishes seasoning a beef roast? How do you become more time efficient in the kitchen?


texts:
I was reading a question here on Food and Cooking and no one seemed to know how much it is. I tried to Google convert it to cups but no dice.

So how much is it?


texts: When heating up a pizza, edges burn while middle still liquid

texts:
(Please excuse the fact that I don't make my own pizza...)

I have a thawed (originally frozen-bought) pizza of about 25.5cm diameter, a microwave, and a convection toaster-oven, whose internal space' dimensions are  38cm x 30cm x 23cm  WxDxH. The pizza is neither super-thick nor super-thin.

When I heat my pizza in the convection oven, I can't get the different parts of it to be done simultaneously: Either the surrounding crust has its brown color slightly deepening, so it's a bit toastier than originally but not totally dry - but then the middle is still barely warm and very much liquid-laden; or the surrounding crust has blackened, charred, and is inedible, while the middle is just about properly done.

You might be wondering what temperature I'm using. Well, it's 180 degrees celsius or so, but actually I have no idea what to set it to. I was wondering perhaps playing with this setting would help, but I don't even know whether to increase or decrease it.


texts: I heated a dish that my local fish store said was in a microwave-safe aluminum foil. Now I have a brown (chocolate looking) residue, mostly on the sides of the inside of my microwave. I have read that I can sprinkle baking soda, then add acetone (followed by liquid coffee) to remove these stains.  Will this work on a white interior or is it just for stainless steel? I have white.


texts: What's a good substitute for basil in pesto sauce?

texts: I'm making some pasta at home with a pesto sauce. The recipe I'm referring to asks for some basil leaves to go along with the pine nuts in the food processor. Unfortunately, I can't find basil where I live, and I'm looking for a something else to put instead. What's a good substitute? For that matter, what does basil taste like -- is it like spinach?


texts: How do I make prepared seitan (gluten) more tender?

texts:
The 'chicken' Twinkie-sized logs from Chinese grocer are roughly the texture of firm silicone.

I sliced them thinly and braised for 1 hour. Not noticeably softer.

How do I tenderize them? Would meat tenderizer work? I'm assuming no but I reckon I will get some other good tips!


texts: Is it safe my leftovers in freezer are not frozen yet?

texts: I put some leftovers in the freezer last night (it was food that was in the fridge that I portioned out into baggies) and stacked on top of each other.The baggies in the middle still aren't completely frozen yet. Are they safe?


texts: Can I use chestnut roaster clay pot to roast coffee at home?

texts: I got the attached clay pot chestnut roaster. Can I use it to roast coffee at home?


texts:
I found a strange recipe in Escoffiers's Guide Culinaire:

2939 - CHERRY WATER
Stone two lbs. of very ripe cherries, and rub them through a sieve. Put the purée into a basin with the stones crushed in the mortar, and let the whole macerate for one hour. Then moisten with one pint of filtered water, and strain the juice trough a woollen bag, or muslin folded in two and stretched.
Add a piece of well-washed ice and six oz. of loaf-sugar, and put the whole in the cool for twenty minutes. Flavour, when about to serve, with four liqueur-glassfuls of Kirsch.
The saccharometer should register 9° when inserted into this preparation.

To me, this sounds like a straightforward way to give your guests a nasty cyanide poisoning. But given the author, and the fact that this was probably served to a large number of people over the years, this doesn't seem to have happened. Is there anything in this recipe that would neutralize the amygdalin from such a large amount of ground-up cherry pits?


texts: Can jerky be re-dehydrated within 24-hour of removing from dehydrator?

texts: I am making jerky for my son's wedding (175 people), and I want it to be perfect. I've made it many times without issues. However, a batch I made late last night was removed from our dehydrating oven by my husband after I went to bed. This morning, it looks to me as if it could have stayed an hour longer. Can I put it back in the oven for a bit without problems? I've eaten a couple of pieces and it tastes ok, but much of it is gleaming with fat that I believe would disappear with a bit more heat. Hoping for some great responses QUICK!


texts: Cooking beef goulash in a slow cooker with a temperature controller, what temperature?

texts:
I bought a slow cooker:

and connected it to a temperature controller:

Usually precise temperature control is employed in sous-vide, but I don't want to cook food in plastic bags, only I want to adopt to precise temperature control for making the perfect tender goulash out of cheap goulash beef meat (which can be almost any part of beef which is not nice enough to be sold as a prime part).

I am not going to sear the meat, because of AGEs concern.

So I am cutting the meat into pieces, putting in the slow cooker with vegetables (little or no liquid, the meat and vegetables is gonna give off plenty of its own), and then sticking the temperature controller probe into a piece of meat through a small hole in the lid.

Now I am wondering what temperature and time would be ideal for this exercise? I know I will need to experiment myself, but maybe someone already did this, and if not, at least what values to start experimenting not to have to many failed dinners, and also not have to wait unnecessarily long.

I can probably set it to 65°C (150°F) and wait 3 days, but is it likely to produce a better goulash then some higher temperature at which it will be done in 8 hours? There is probably some point in decreasing temperature and increasing time at which the improvement is infinitesimal or even negative.

Bear in mind in there there are also vegetables like carrots, celery root, parsley root, leeks, radish, swede/rutabaga, and I would prefer them not to be completely unrecognizable.


texts: Why can't whole milk be substituted for cream in caramel sauce?

texts:
I learned to make caramel sauce pretty recently and for a while was on a serious sauce-making kick.

Anyway, the day after Christmas I went to make a batch and noticed I didn't have any cream. I did a quick Google search and a few sites said I could substitute whole milk for the heavy cream in my recipe. When I got to that stage and added the milk it very quickly became apparent that those sites were wrong. Instead of thickening and becoming creamy the melted sugar simply dissolved away and I was left with a really nasty smelling pot of sweet warm milk.

So obviously I can't use whole milk instead of cream, but I'd really like to know, for curiosity's sake, why it doesn't work.


texts:
It's been a few years since I nixtamalizated the last time with the help of my Chilean friend.
Now I'm on my own and due to several contradicting information on the internet a little lost. Maybe someone can advice me on what and if I did something wrong.

For tonight I would like to prepare Polenta and do Nixtamalization with the flour before. I got pure calcium hydroxide from the pharmacy and used the following recipe:

250g Polenta Flour
1l Warm Water
1 stacked Tea Spoon of Calcium Hydroxide

First I dissolved the Ca(OH)2 in the water and then added the polenta flour in the legía, stirring gently. Now, after 30 minutes there is a white layer on the flour (picture 2).
The scent of it is really nice (very corny).

Ideally I'd wash it out tonight (after around 8h) and boil it.

As there are several recipes on how to do the Nixtamalization, I'm not sure if what I did is correct (I'm very careful. Some suggested to use a whole cup of Ca(OH)2 for two cups of corn - that's probably too much). Maybe someone can answer my questions:

Are the amounts correct?
Is it correct I'm not boiling the polenta in the legía?
What is that white layer on my polenta?
I haven't read many articles on nixtamalizating polenta flour. Has anyone ever tried that?
Should I stir it once in a while or just leave it?
I won't be able to eat the whole 250g of Polenta tonight. How to store it? Keep it in the legía or wash the whole and keep the wet polenta?


texts: How long is cooked hamburger able to sit in a crockpot?

texts: I came across a crockpot recipe for burritos. It calls for cooked hamburger (1 lb) as one of its ingredients and specifies that I should cook the mixture on low for 6-10 hours. Is this safe? Whenever I have cooked meat in the crockpot in the past I only use a high temperature and I take it off as soon as it is done so its not kept on 'stay warm'. Since the hamburger is already cooked this is not a question on will this cook it properly but more a question on is this safe and how long (max) can I leave hamburger on low?


texts:
I want to make corned beef, completely from scratch. How do I:

Select the cut of beef to corn?
Corn that cut?

I'm well aware of how to prepare corned beef after that process, but I'd like to start from scratch.

Is this possible to do at home with basic equipment? If so, how?


texts:
I've recently begun shallow frying a lot of chicken in batter - which have been turning out perfectly tasty for what I need them for.

However, frying with more than a splash of oil is scaring me - especially in my rented appartment where a fire would be extremely serious. Without regard to how these practices affect the quality of my cooking; how safe are the following:

Shallow frying in a deep-sided saute pan, with ~2cm of oil
Overcrowding the food in the oil
Continuing to use the same oil, even when it's starting to fill with lumps of burnt food
Not refilling the oil when it starts to run low
Refilling the oil when it starts to run low, in the middle of cooking
Stirring the food I'm shallow frying
Using a high heat when frying (level of heat you'd use for cooking steak)
Covering the pan with concentrated dish-soap once I'm finished cooking


texts:
I've looked online but found no clear explanation... I had bought these Gingko nuts because I'm curious to try new flavors, but could never find how to eat them
An article online said that the outside shell could be poisonous, so I ended up getting rid of them.

I'm still wondering how these are cooked, when sold as seen on the picture (dry, white outer shell).


texts: What's the difference between natural honey and supermarket honey?

texts:
Would either one affect glycemic index for consumption purpose?

Are they the same in terms of food safety for normal people and diabetics.


texts:
I have an older instant pot pressure cooker (ip-lux50 v3) and I've tried making rice according to various recipes I've found on the internet and none of them have turned out well
This is one recipe I've tried
https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-rice/
The rice came out gummy and stuck to the pot. I'm hoping for suggestions of a way to make good rice based on this recipe


texts: My sourdough starter has turned yellow is it still good?

texts:
I have two sourdough starters going one I keep in the frig. the other on the counter. The one on the counter has all of a sudden turned yellow. It was fine yesterday and when I went to feed it today it had a crusty film on top and it is a pale yellow. Is it still good?

Neither one of my starters has hooch is that normal?  They have been going for about 3 to 4 weeks. They also are not very sour smelling. Will this just mean the bread wont be very sour? I got the start from a friend I used it and the bread was great. I saved some to do the two starters I have.
Thank you for any help


texts: Can I substitute just yolks in a recipe that calls for a whole egg?

texts: I have a cookie recipe that only needs one whole egg. Since I have lots of yolks from other baking, can I use 1 yolk with something else (like a Tbsp. of water) or can I use 2 egg yolks?


texts:
I was trying to make regular tomato sauce for on my pizza. And I didn't want to buy any processed goods. So I bought tomatoes:

I put them into a blender and just blended them until it became smooth. For some reason, it turned pink, and it had a really bad flavour. It didn't taste like 'normal' tomato sauce.

How can I make it red, and thicker and taste more like tomato sauce?


texts: using coffee filters to filter home pressed olive oil

texts: I have recently made some home pressed olive oil but it is quite cloudy and I wanted to filter it so it will keep longer and be a bit more pleasing to the palate and the eye.  I initially used a muslin (ham) bag in a steel colander over another steel bowl and weighted down with 70kg of gym weights to press.  I was wondering if it is effective to try running it through paper coffee filters to get rid of the fine particles?


texts:
I'm trying to get more raw veggies in my diet in general and Kale is such a good one. I recently had a raw kale side dish at a Korean restaurant that may or may not have been fermented. It's flavor was very subtle and lightly sweet.

I'm trying to find how to make this, though I'm imagining the restaurant may have simply innovated something on the fly (likely not a traditional recipe). I don't care to copy it exactly either - just looking for something similar to it on any level.


texts: I took a salami and removed the outer plastic packaging and hung it in my refrigerator to dry. After about a week it got white mold on it. Is this normal/safe? I know that real/fancy salami has molds rubbed on. This salami does not contain any bacteria or fungus (at least it’s not supposed to) ingredients are beef, water, salt, flavorings, sugar, potato starch, sodium phosphate, ascorbic acid, sodium nitrite


texts: Can I Re-use Unfiltered Frying Oil From Night Before?

texts: I want to re-use some peanut oil I used to make wings the following morning.  I don't have any cheesecloths for filtering.  The used oil will be sitting out on the stove for less than twelve hours from the night before.  Is this safe?  Any advice on filtering without cheesecloths if it's a must?


texts: What is this tea stalk that almost every cup of tea in anime has?

texts:
Here are two photos of tea stalks in their natural habitat:

I've never seen those myself when I made tea, and I've been making at least two cups of tea every day for the past six years.

Is it a Japanese tea thing? Is it sorted out from the leaves in other regions? I've been buying some export green teas from Japan (sencha mostly) but I've never had any tea stalks appear in my cups. How do I get them?


texts: Getting rid of raw onion taste without the frying process?

texts:
I'm trying to find a reliable way to make a good base gravy for British Indian Restaurant (BIR) curry -- for those that don't know, this is essentially the adapted form of Indian curry cooking used in Indian takeaways in the Western world (I know, glamorous!).

Base gravy is essentially some alliums and sometimes tomatos / carrot / celery cooked for a long time and then blended to a soup-like consistency (after this, spices and other flavorings are added to achieved a finished dish). The basic sauce of the curry world, essentially.

The key determinant of success seems to be sweetening the onions. I can carmelize them using the standard technique (frying and deglazing), but I'd ideally like something that only uses boiling because it is less work (also, adding a lot of oil to base gravy and then again in the finished dish - to temper the spices - seems unhealthy to me).

And even in the more varied base gravy recipes in which carrots/cabbage/tomatoes have been involved, these ingredients have only been introduced towards the end of the cooking process after a base of well-sweetened onions has already been achieved.

TL;DR Can brown / sweet / onions that don't taste raw be achieved without frying?

Even if you start with frying, can the sweetening process continue to take place while the onions are boiling (once cooking temperatures are below what would be required for the Maillard reaction to take place)?

And if so, how long would the onions need to be boiled to achieve reliable results?

I notice that some base gravy recipes call for boiling the onions for very long periods of time (2 hours) but I didn't achieve what I expected using a slow cooker.

(I feel a little stupid even asking this, but take solace in the fact that learning to produce tasty, consistent base gravy is apparently something that it takes every Indian chef a while to master.)


texts: Making Chinese chicken-and-broccoli sauce

texts: I love the sauce you get on that take-out dish, and I want to make it myself. From all the places I've ordered it, it tastes relatively the same, yet several recipes online show big differences. So I compiled a list of the most common ingredients to these recipes. My question is, which of these are nonessential to the standard recipe: Soy sauce, sugar, garlic, sesame oil, hoison sauce, dry sherry (Chinese cooking wine), and chicken stock.


texts: Do you have to drain all the sugar water from water kefir regularly?

texts:
I know that water-kefir grains need to be fed sugar and minerals every 24 to 48 hours, but my question is whether I can withdraw just 25% to 50% of the sugar water, and leave the rest of the sugar water as a sort of "starter" to speed up the next fermentation, and add enough sugar and dried fruits or sea salt for the total amount of liquid being fermented or according to taste or need?

Meaning, is there a problem with leaving a lot of old sugar water regularly and just adding sugar and minerals with minimal water every 24 to 48 hours?

Please note that I'm not asking about taste or for any subjective advice; I'm asking whether old sugar water creates any problems for the kefir grains, from lingering yeast or anything like that, or compromises the grains' health or activity in any other way.

Thank you.


texts:
I found a box of lime jello that I have had for a while (at least 6 months). I made it last night, following the directions (boiling water, etc), and left it in the fridge til today. I went to eat it just now, 24 hours later, and it is only set in parts - there is still lots of liquid, and it isn't as jelled as I would expect - it's chunky, not a solid wiggling mass of jello goodness.

Steps I took:

Boiled water (a bit more than a cup) in a pot on my stove. Measured one cup of the boiling water, poured it into a pyrex bowl, added the packet of lime jello powder. Mixed it until it was dissolved, then added one measured cup of cold water.  Stirred it a bit, then put the lid on the bowl and put the bowl in my fridge. Didn't add any fruit or anything.

What could have gone wrong?


texts:
Related question: Why are Italian eggs so yellow?

Occasionally I get served a fried / poached egg with a deep yellow/orange yolk. I find it extremely appetising and visually attractive.

Sometimes eggs have very weakly coloured yolks, which is less appealing -- but I couldn't swear that the flavour is affected.

Is there a correlation between the colour of a yolk and its flavour?
When shopping, how can I increase my chances of getting a richly coloured yolk?

Does free-range / barn / battery make a difference?
Is there a correlation between price and yolk colour?

Do egg producers and/or chefs use dirty tricks to effect a yellow yolk? Dye? Food additives?

I'm in the UK, but please feel free to give answers for other parts of the world. If you suspect they're not universal, make sure you point out your location.


texts: Simmering lemons for hours, leaves them quite bitter?

texts:
I have a lot of lemons.  I drink a lot of tea.
I've been experimenting, by slicing lemons, putting them in water, and letting them simmer for a long time, reducing the water 2-3X, then impulse blend them, and put them in a tea cup with some simple syrup.
The first few times I did this, the taste was great.
Lately, the taste has been completely bitter.  The lemons are fine for other "normal" lemony things.
I have tried cutting off all the peeling, and just have the inner part, and that was bitter as well.
I'm stuck.  My only remaining idea is that the seeds might be bitter, causing the problem (maybe my earlier lemons were seedless?  Is there such a thing?)
TLDR:  I'd like to simmer lemons for several hours, impulse blend them, add some sugar and have a tasty hot drink.  Instead it ends up totally bitter.  Why?  Is there something I can do to remedy this?


texts: How to make a strong mug of instant Coffee?

texts:
I am not an avid coffee drinker.

Yesterday, I tried Bru Gold coffee brand. I mixed one teaspoon milk with 1 teaspoon coffee and added the remaining 200ml hot milk premixed with 2 teaspoons of sugar.

The result wasn't great. The coffee was NOT strong nor did it contain any froth.

I want strong, not bitter coffee.
How do I know how much coffee to add to how much milk?
Secondly, do I have to mix coffee in whole milk and then boil the whole thing like it is done for tea?
Does the amount of time I spend in mixing coffee with milk also have an effect on the outcome?


texts: Use of sour milk for bread making - how long after the expiration date is it safe?

texts:
My mother uses (and my grandmothers used to use) sour milk in the baking of homemade bread. This was generally  whole raw milk that had soured.

I'm not so lucky as to be able to get whole raw milk from a source I trust any more but occasionally a carton escapes the thirsty horde at home and goes past its expiration date. If it's only a day or so gone then I'll use it as normal given that I exercise a healthy degree of scepticism anyway about BB dates but if it's any longer then my idea would be that I'd use it in a bread recipe.

To clarify: the carton is unopened and has been refrigerated since purchase. It is not UHT milk as that's relatively rare here with HTST (72C for 15 seconds) pasteurisation the norm (probably owing to the relatively low ambient temperatures here)

The question is how long after the expiry date is it safe to use milk in this manner?


texts: How can I learn to sharpen my Japanese knives properly?

texts: I have a couple of nice Japanese kitchen knives, and a whetstone in two grades. I can sharpen them reasonably well using the stone, but does anyone have any good tips for improving my sharpening skills?


texts: How should I adjust the time and/or temperature when baking a pound cake in loaf pans

texts: When splitting pound cake batter into two loaf pans instead of using a tube pan, how would you adjust your baking time and temperature?


texts: Chocolate coating for truffles shrinks as it sets - What to do?

texts:
I've been making chocolate truffles recently, and I'm pretty pleased with the result, with one exception.

I make a ganache (different mixtures of cream, butter, chocolate and flavourings) and form into balls. I chill them, and dip in tempered chocolate, and letting is set at room temperature. (I'm tempering the chocolate in a sous-vide water bath at ~33°C, according to Jeff Potter's 'Cooking for Geeks')

The chocolate has great snap, and a good shine, but the chocolate shrinks while it sets, which often causes the coat to crack or a small puncture appears through which the ganache seeps out.

I understand the physics behind it (chocolate shrinks as it sets), but I'm wondering what to do about it. Surely I can't be the first person to have this problem.


texts: How to Remove Excess Water from Chicken/Other Meats Prior to Cooking?

texts:
Here in the UK, supermarket chicken and other meat cuts are infused with water to bulk them up prior to sale.

So, when frying or browning the meat, I often end up half boiling it from all the water that comes out and I end up having to spoon the excess water out of the pan (along with a lot of flavour) so I'm able to carry on with the stir-fry/browning.

Aside from simply buying more expensive (water free) meat or smothering in salt, is there any way of getting rid of this water before cooking?


texts: Why did the crust get too hard on my Blueberry Cheesecake?

texts: I recently made a no bake blueberry cheesecake with its crust made of cookie crumbs(Used Digestive Biscuits as cookies), Brown sugar and melted butter. After keeping the cake overnight in the refrigerator, the crust turned out to be too solid, so solid that not it was difficult to cut it using a knife. What did go wrong? Did i keep it in the refrigerator for too long? Or should i increase the cookie crumbs or the melted butter content to avoid it?


texts: Gravlax still red on skin side after 24h of curing

texts:
I am trying to make gravlax (lox).

Method

Clean off salmon fillet (~200g tail portion)
Mix 50/50 table salt and sugar
Coat skin side in salt/sugar mixture, rub in
Coat non-skin side in dill
Coat non-skin side in salt/sugar mixture, rub in
Place in covered container
Place in fridge for 18-24 hours

Problem

After 24 hours, the thin parts are cured, but the skin side of the thick part is still red.

What I have tried

Cutting off the skin - completely effective, but makes it very tough, also all the videos I watched had it cured with the skin on, and those came out fine

Curing for longer - did not seem to have any effect

Rubbing salt/sugar mixture directly on end - this seemed to help a bit right on the end, but it was still red further in

Place weight on top - some videos I watched had the fillet wrapped in cling wrap and smooshed with a weight, but this did not seem to have any effect


texts: Fruit leather sticking to parchment paper

texts: Having some trouble making strawberry fruit leather for the first time. I'm pureeing frozen strawberries in orange juice then spreading the puree on parchment paper that I put on a pan. I then put it in the oven at 175 degrees. I've tried leaving it for 1 hour, 2 hours, or 3 hours. But it always ends up being really thin and sticking to the parchment paper to the point that it's impossible to separate from the paper. What should I change in my steps above?


texts: If I use instant mashed potatoes for my potato bread, what do I iuse to replace 1-3/4 cup potato water?

texts: I am making potato bread. I want to use instant mashed potatoes. The recipe calls for 1-3/4 cups potato water. Is there a liquid substitution for the potato water?


texts:
I've searched everywhere and I've been unable to find a copy of the recipe I found in the 1938 or so edition of Etiquette by Emily Post. She describes a drink that is served flaming mixed with spices, and as far as I can find, it's probably cafe brulot.

As I have been unable to locate my copy, can anybody point me in the right direction, or do they have the recipe from the book?


texts: How long will blackberries keep in the refrigerator if they have been cooked with sugar and water added?

texts: How long will blackberries keep in the refrigerator if they have been cooked with sugar and water?


texts: What hot sauce should I use for Buffalo wings sauce?

texts:
After watching "The Wing and I" in Good Eats and being the one that always ordered Buffalo wings (I no longer live in the US), I decide to give it a try. The recipe for the sauce is:

butter
garlic
hot sauce

I wonder what exactly is hot sauce. Alton Brown said there are dozens of hot sauces. I tried to use plain tabasco but that doesn't work. Can I make my own?


texts: Why do you add the ingredients in sequences when stir frying?

texts: What is the reason for ingredients being added in sequences when stir-frying?


texts: My Condo only has an electric stove, an no gas lines. I was looking to get a portable propane burner for a wok, so that I could effectively cook (I use it daily). Is this something that is safe to do inside? I've seen things like this use professionally, but as I do it personally and for family, I wanted to be sure the danger wasn't unreasonable for a non-professional chef


texts: Fully cooked chicken tastes kind of weird

texts:
I bought some frozen chicken cubes, defrosted them in the fridge and put them in the oven for 12+ mins. The chicken was white and the juices that ran out was clear, so I figured it was fine. But it tasted a bit "raw", not sure how to describe it. After I put the rest of it in a bowl, I noticed that some pink juices ended up on the bottom of the bowl.

Microwaved some of it the next day and it still tasted a bit "raw". The chicken does have some of its skin left so that might be why? Not sure why its tasting like that, its killing my appetite.


texts: Do you know of any good rectangular spice storage solutions?

texts:
Currently I'm storing most of my spices in a cabinet next to the stove. That's the best place for them. However, because of the way the shelves are spaced, I generally need to stack containers, leading to a pretty huge mess in our spice cabinet.

I'd like to get some containers that are relatively uniform in size so they can be stacked on top of each other without falling all over the place. And I'd like them to be rectangular or some other non-circular shape so they can be placed in rows easily. And, for the tricky part, I'd like containers that have some sort of shaker part so I can shake the spices in if I want to. Any suggestions?

I've seen some very expensive things out there and am wondering whether there are other options. I can store spices that don't fit in the containers on the second shelf of the cabinet, so I don't mind the size  quite as much.


texts: Why does my food taste like propane when i grill?

texts: Every now and then when I use my propane grill my food comes out tasting like propane. I am wondering why this is and how to correct it.


texts: How to stop grease dripping on coals from catching flames?

texts:
I am using one of those small grills where the grate is only about an inch or two above the coals. When I cook something that doesn't have much grease (like vegetables), it is fine but the main thing I got the grill for is grilling mackerel. It's a fatty fish and drips grease on the coals, which then catches flames and carbonizes the outside of the fish while the inside remains uncooked.

There is a reason we have this little (slightly bigger than a shoe box) grill and that's because we like to take it camping (where we also like to grill mackerel). I understand the problem might be solved by a bigger grill where the flames don't reach the food. Is there any technique to mitigate this situation with this little grill?

I do wait until the coals have no more flames and are almost out. Just a few seconds after I put fish on the grill, flames start from underneath it. I move the fish to a different part of the grill where there is no flames but flames start there after just a few seconds.


texts: How to remove alcohol taste from vanilla extract?

texts: I bought Kirkland pure vanilla extract from Costco and it has a very strong taste of alcohol. I'd like to mix it into drinks, but it is really overpowering. Would boiling out the alcohol remove some of the vanilla flavour? I assume the alcohol is there to amplify the vanilla flavours in the first place.


texts: Is it safe/sensible to store utensils above the hob?

texts:
I have a rack of hooks that sit on the wall that my cooker backs on to, and on this I hang a crowded collection various utensils:

The space is fairly contained, as there are cupboards on either side and the fan/extractor unit directly above. While cooking some pasta earlier they were getting a heavy steaming, which got me thinking... is this storage location safe and/or sensible in terms of hygiene and degradation of the tools? Or any other considerations?

For those without access to the image, or want more info without guessing, the rack holds (in order):

Two metal handle/clip things for the oven's grill tray
Metal/Plastic potato masher
Metal/Plastic spatula
Plastic spatula
Plastic slotted spoon
Plastic spoon
Metal whisk
Wooden spatula
Metal tongs
Metal/Plastic tongs
Metal/Plastic Can opener


texts:
I've never used dried chickpeas before, but I'm not wanting for chickpea recipes. The bag of dried chickpeas I got contains no instructions for cooking. I know that I need to soak them in water for a period X and then cook them for a period Y. I could not find conclusive answers for what X (varies from 4 to 24 hours) and Y (varies from 40m to 2h) should be.

So what I need to know is:

how long should I soak them before cooking?
how long should I cook them?
are there other things to take into account (like adding salt when soaking, but not when cooking, or the other way around)?


texts:
I'm following a recipe that required an hour of simmering, first 30 minutes covered, then 30 minutes uncovered. I guess I didn't get the simmer correct as by the end of the hour; the liquid should have boiled down into a thick tomatoey gravy. However, I still have a lot of liquid left.  The sauce consists of chopped tomatoes, white wine and red wine vinegar.

How do I get down to a thick gravy without cooking for over two hours?


texts:
A lot of people advise getting fresh produce and other ingredients at a farmer's market, where you can find items that are local and high quality, and have various other appealing attributes (such as being organic, or grass-fed, or humane, or hormone-free, or heirloom, or whatnot).

However, since many farmer's markets aren't open all the time, and there are different kinds of farmer's markets, finding one can be tricky.

Are there any directories of farmer's markets? What other strategies are there for finding farmer's markets when you're in a new area other than asking around? Do the different kinds of farmer's markets (like the large, permanent kind) have different names that might inform a better search query?


texts: To put aromatics at beginning or end of cooking?

texts: I've read some answers say that you should put things like cloves, black pepper, bay leaves, etc. at the end of cooking a curry, as spices will loose their properties.  I notice that Bangladeshi cuisine always uses these items at the very beginning of cooking.  Why so?  I'm imagining its been done like this for a long time.  What do they know that we don't? Perhaps there is some other goal?


texts: Can I safely prepare these dishes ahead of time?

texts:
I'm making some dishes for an event. Due to constraints in my schedule I'm thinking of making them ahead of time.

The first is a Buffalo Chicken Dip, it is mainly a bought cooked rotisserie chicken and cream cheese.
The second is Kimchi-ppang which contains pork, kimchi and dough.

I'd like to assemble it to the point of a final bake (the dip is mixed, the pork is cooked and the dough unbaked) for both and then store it in the fridge for about 3 days. Will this be safe to do? I may be able to make it fresh on the day, but I'd have to rush a lot.


texts: I was eating at my local Denny's and when you ask for tea, they give you some hot water and two of the below tea bags. On the menu it says "Hot Tea / Herbal Tea" but the tea bags only say Lipton and don't say what kind. I am hoping to identify what type of Lipton tea this is. I know the inside has a number on the bottom which didn't help me in Google.


texts:
In order to get a more gourmet coffee drinking experience I have recently been getting whole beans and freshly grinding them before brewing coffee using an automatic drip coffee maker. Coffee connoisseurs say that freshly ground beans are the only way to go, or so I've herad. However, the results are disappointing and the coffee is always weaker and more watery than the coffee I have been drinking for years.

For reference, I am used to Folgers coffee, or Chock full o'Nuts coffee. These two are both store-bought, pre-ground coffee and produce the results I know. It seems like I need at least 2 extra Tbsp of freshly ground beans to match the strength of pre-ground Folgers, which is counterintuitive.

I have tried three different bags of fresh beans from two sources, so I don't think the problem is the beans. I have heard that if the coffee is too old then it can be much weaker, but the most recent bag was marked that it was roasted a week prior to my getting it.

I am grinding the coffee with a Krups blade grinder and I know that a Burr grinder is more consistent and preferable, but I don't have one (and don't want to invest in one right now, especially if I'm not sure that the blade grinder is the problem)

I have tried a variety of different granularities but try to match the pre-ground as closely as possible. More fine is slightly stronger but also much, much more bitter. The last time, my ground beans looked like this:

I normally measure by both volume and by weight and there was no significant change. When measured by volume, I use the same ratio as I use for pre-ground coffee: 5/8 of a cup (10 Tbsp) to ~2.5 cups water.

I am brewing using a rather high-end Bonavita Connoisseur one-touch brewer. I have tried both "pre-infusion" mode and normal mode and the results are the same.

Is there anything I am clearly doing wrong? From what I've described, is there a reason why my freshly ground coffee is more watery than pre-ground?


texts: I'm very curious what gives canned corned beef its flavor. While there are a lot of guides out in the Internet and YouTube that show how to brine and make American corned beef, there is very little information on the canning process of canned corned beef (the ones from Brazil).


texts: How to make professional style burger buns?

texts: I've tried everything to try and get soft professional cooking burger buns; Tons of recipes and emulsifiers (lecithin , Vitamin C, Improvers, Vital Wheat gluten etc etc), Stretch and Fold method, but i still cant get them perfect like the stores/fast food chains.


texts: Baking bread with spelt flour, without using a bread pan

texts:
I ran out of "normal" wheat flour a few days ago, so I had to bake my bread with the closest thing - spelt flour.

I noticed the dough was a lot stickier than when using wheat flour, and when baked, the bread came out flat (like a thick pancake). The taste was fine, but because it was so flattened out, there was a lot more crust than usual (and the children don't like crust).

I usually bake my bread directly on the baking plate, not using any bread pan, and for wheat flour, that works fine. Do I need a bread pan to prevent the bread from running out, or is there something else I can do?


texts: Heated up oil for frying, stirred it, tiny bubbles appeared and rose slowly but with very loud popping sound - why?

texts:
Last night I tried deep frying stuff for the first time.

As the oil heated in the pot, I thought it would be a good idea to stir the oil (I was really scared of it catching on fire). It was probably around 250F when I stirred it. Big mistake, should have just left it along.

For a few minutes after I stopped stirring, tiny little bubbles appeared in the pot, like the ones you would see in water just as it started approaching a boil. There weren't a lot of them, but they made these sharp, loud explosive popping sounds.

Why were they so loud and what is the science behind this happening?

Thanks!
  Matthew


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is there a magic ingredient that keeps ice-cream soft?

I'm making real dairy ice cream at home, without any sort of machine (which I have no intention of buying). The problem is that it becomes crystalised. I have tried stirring it more and less regularly when freezing, freezing it colder and quicker, adding some glycerine, and whisking the mixture more vigorously to introduce more air. The ingredients I'm using are egg whites and sugar, egg yolks and cream. That combination, from Mary Berry herself, produces a marvelous flavour, whilst maintaining a simple recipe, which I don't want to spoil with things like guam gum. Does anyone know how else to prevent large amounts of crystalisation?


texts:
Recently I came to the discovery of this new product.

Honestly I thought it were just hemp seeds, unfortunately my expectations were incorrect. Yes, it seems I really have to work on my Ukrainian...

Anyhow, now I'm stuck with this package (translation: cellulose from cannabis seeds) and I really wonder what I can do with it. I searched the webs for recipes but nothing popped up, neither when searching for recipes with just cellulose.

Anyone can here who can point me in the right direction?

Thus far I tried to make some salad with it, also I tried to dissolve it with milk which both didn't worked out that well.


texts: Having only just bought a charcoal fired barbecue/smoker, I am confused about brining times.  Having searched the web I found some sites recommend 20 minutes, for mackerel, others much longer, who is right?


texts:
I followed the Pierre Hermé éclairs recipe:

  60mL water
   75mL whole milk
   3g salt
   3g caster sugar
   56g butter
   75g flour
   A little over 2 eggs

I did the recipe and it called for 45 minutes of baking at 185°C.

I baked them for 40 minutes and left them in the oven for an extra 10 minutes before removing them.

The result was that the exterior was terrific, but the inside was too doughy and I couldn't fill it with crème pâtissière (custard).

Is skipping the 5 last minutes of baking the reason it failed?


texts: What would be the effect of doubling the egg in this bread?

texts:
A lot of my bread recipes are for two loaves, I never want two loaves, I usually barely make it through one. I like this recipe a lot:

•  3/4 cups warm water (170g) (110 degrees)

•  1.875 cups (293g) bread flour

•  3/4 teaspoons salt

•  .375 cup (40 g)  milk powder

•  .165 cup (19g) granulated sugar

•  .5 tablespoon instant or rapid-rise yeast

•  1/2 large egg, beaten

•  4 tablespoons unsalted butter (56 g)

Usually I beat the egg, weigh it in two separate little cups, and heat and eat the other half. But what if I didn't? What effect would I see in my loaf if I used the whole egg?


texts: What method can be used to remove the seed from a peach other than just trying to pull both sides after cutting it?

texts:
I tried to find an answer to this question in this community but I couldn't find one. Therefore I'm asking it. So far the method I'm using is cutting the top and the bottom with a knife and then carefully cutting a hole in the middle from the bottom to the top. But the result isn't nice. Well, I often get some troubles trying to not cut the seed of the peach. Does it exist a tool or something that I can use other than a knife?. I tried to look for videos, but none have shown improvement over what I'm already doing.

There is this video and this other but they seem to use a technique of unscrewing the fruit and I tried to do the same but I couldn't as it felt as both sides were well sealed. Therefore Is there any trick on this?. I appreciate your suggestions.


texts: Can I make sweetened coconut from dried coconut?

texts:
In my pantry, I have a bag of dried & shredded coconut. I want to use it, but all recipes I come across ask for sweetened coconut. That coconut also looks a lot more moist than mine.

Is there a way I can change my dried coconut? I was thinking of letting it soak in water/sugar-solution, but I have no idea how much sugar I would need to add, how long I should let it soak and if this would even work at all.

Does anyone have a suggestion?


texts:
Please help me to identify the tea that I tried a long time ago.

It had very small bright green leaves (3-5 mm long). After brewing leaves became fully open, with very accurate undamaged leaves. The tea brew itself was green, with a slightly bitter taste and nice aftertaste, and it produced a very energetic effect.

I don't remember the tea name, but really want to buy one. Probable origin of the tea was Japan, Nepal, or Bhutan.


texts: Cakes cooked in same tin but come out different sizes

texts:
I have recently made a wedding cake with 3 layers of cake for each tier.

For each tier the same tin was used for each of the 3 layers but when putting them together they were all different in size and had to be trimmed so the outside of the cake was even before icing. They had all shrunk away from the sides of the pan by different amounts. How does this happen and how can it be prevented?

It is so frustrating that this should happen. The cake mixture was done in a single batch, and I also use collars round the outside of the cake tins for even baking.


texts: Why did pork tenderloin go pink in the fridge?

texts: I cooked a pork tenderloin to at least 165 degrees F, maybe 180. The thermometer was in a pretty thick part of the meat and it was pretty much grey. Two days later it is pink in parts inside. I was wondering if this is an effect of cooling. I could reheat it in the microwave to 165 degrees but don't know if that is necessary. Thanks!


texts: I have tenderloin for beef Wellington that I'll make in 3 days - how do I store the meat?

texts:
Usually when I buy beef, I put it in the fridge, uncovered, for a day before I prepare it. This time however, I bought it 3 days in advance because good quality meat tends to run out around Christmas here.
I'll make beef Wellington, so my idea is to put it in the fridge to let it become as dry as possible, to prevent it from soaking the pastry. (Of course, the duxelles en prosciutto will also assist in achieving that.)
Will the tenderloin get too dry after 3 full days in the fridge, uncovered?


texts:
So yesterday I made my first ever home-made jerky. It tastes great (I suppose I followed a good recipe).

However, it is quite salty. I thought I didn't use a lot of salt, but I did use a lot of soy sauce.

I heard that the saltiness is important for curing the food. What should I do then?


texts:
I have just bought a flowerpot of sage - Salvia officinalis.
I know that the leaves can be used for tea. But can they also be eaten fresh, as a snack or as part of the salad? Is there any limit on the amount of fresh Salvia leaves that is safe to eat per day?


texts: How to substitute unsweetened coconut for sweetened coconut?

texts:
I'm planning to make a coconut macaroon recipe that calls for:

1 cup of cream of coconut
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
4 egg whites
3 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut
3 cups of sweetened shredded coconut

plus small amounts of salt and vanilla (which are probably not relevant for this question.)
My local grocer was out of sweetened coconut, so I need to make the recipe with only unsweetened coconut instead.  What should I add to the unsweetened coconut to make it sufficiently sweet and moist?  How much?
The recipe, ironically, gives instructions on how to substitute sweetened coconut for the unsweetened (reduce cream of coconut to 1/2 c, omit corn syrup, add 2 Tbsp cake flour), but does not say how to go the other direction;  and the presence of the additional cake flour makes it difficult to reverse the directions.


texts: Should I remove the foam when cooking chickpeas?

texts:
Whenever I boil chickpeas aka garbanzo beans, I usually scoop up and discard the foam that rises to the top of the pot. Is there any reason other than for aesthetics to remove the foam?

As a secondary question, has anyone tried using this foam as an ingredient? It seems like it contains a lot of protein because the bubbles are stiff and resistant to popping. The flavor is pleasant, and the texture is unique.


texts: What advantages does a brasing pan have over a full Dutch/French oven?

texts:
I own a Le Creuset French/Dutch oven, but I'm considering getting a Le Creuset braising pan also.

I understand the oven is great for large/tall braising and stocks, soups, chili and the like. I also understand that the braiser has a wide base and is good for smaller quantities.

What other advantages am I missing?


texts: Does soaking salted anchovies in water to reduce the saltiness, also reduce their umami component?


texts: Would carbonated water be a good substitute for two eggs in this cherry loaf recipe?

texts:
I would like to replace the two eggs in this recipe with carbonated water:

Ingredients

1/3 cup shortening, butter, or margarine
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 large eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup milk, room temperature
1½ tbsp orange juice, room temperature
2½ tbsp maraschino cherry juice, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp almond flavouring
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup maraschino cherries, well-drained, blotted dry, and coarsely chopped

Is carbonated water a good substitute for this? If it is, how much should I use to replace two eggs? Or does anyone have any suggestions of what I should use instead?


texts: How to make Hummus that doesn't have a hardened layer?

texts:
When hummus has stood outside for some time, a harder layer on top forms.

Can this be avoided?


texts: I bought what I thought was a rusted teapot recently, treated it with an environmentally friendly rust remover, cleaned it thoroughly, and only then realized the bottom says "chrome on copper". The inside surface is pretty rough copper (not patina), so I'm just wondering whether that's a reason not to use it for tea.


texts: Can silicone moulds be used for making cupcakes in electric tandoor

texts: I am preparing cupcakes as I have bought new electric tandoor. Now I am confused,  can silicone moulds be used in electric tandoor or not?


texts: Convert grill recipe to broiler and/or oven

texts:
I have a recipe that requires a grill. Its for pizza and specifically I am supposed to:

  Set the pizza on the grill and close
  the lid. Turn grill to medium high and
  cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until
  cooked through. Turn to medium for a
  thicker crust pizza and cook longer.
  Remove onto a cookie sheet with tongs.

I don't have a grill so I was wondering if someone knows how to convert this into a recipe for the oven and/or broiler. This question on the Portable Hibachi Grill site mentions another recipe and someone says to use the same directions (temperature and time) for the broiler. Is this right and if so what temperature should I set the broiler to?


texts: Is this a true? You should use garlic with pork and ginger with beef and never vice versa?

texts:
"You should use garlic with pork and
  ginger with beef and never vice versa."

This is coming from my dad who says that fact has been handed down from generations and generations of Chinese cooking.  He says if I mix it (i.e. cook pork with ginger and beef with garlic), there will be an unpleasant taste.  Maybe he's just exaggerating, I'm not sure.  Do you think there is any truth to this saying?


texts: How can I improve the shape/appearance of this bread?

texts:
I've been making bread from this recipe:

550g flour
370 water
12g kosher salt
4g yeast

Knead in the stand mixer, shape into an ovoid bâtard kind of deal,
slash diagonally, and bake 45 min. at 450F/230C.

Taste & texture are good, but instead of a nice-looking loaf with open slash marks, I get the misshapen broken-backed loaf in the photos below. How can I produce a more normal-looking loaf?

EDIT: I've made this recipe a bunch of times and the results are very consistent.


texts: What happens to pound cakes if I forget the flour and then add it after baking a little?

texts: I was making pound cakes. I put the mixture in loaf pans, noticing the consistency looked off. I put them in the oven and about 5 minutes later I realized I forgot to put in the flour. I took the pans out, added everything to the flour and put them back in the oven. They are cooking at 300° for 1 hour 25 min. Will they turn out or not?


texts: How to know if a zip lock bag is safe for sous-vide (or boiling), without indication from the manufacturer?

texts:
The only zip lock bags available in local stores for me are labelled that they are supposed to be used for refrigerating food.

Is it possible to know whether those bags are safe to put in water temps near or at boiling temperature or not ?

Is there some sort of experiment or indication that would suggest that the bags are BPA-free and EA-free ?

Can we assume that bags that are made for food, are supposed to be safe regardless of the temperature ? (up to 100c only though)


texts:
The first comment or answer that says "Alaska" will be promptly downvoted.

Seriously though, I keep hearing about the superiority of "stewing hens" for stocks and soups, and I'd really like to get my hands on a few. All those eggs we buy have to come from somewhere, I've got to assume that the hens that make our eggs are eventually turned into soup. I'm not asking for a specific source recommendation, just for clues to direct my search.

Does anybody know where the old birds go?


texts:
This may depend on recipe, however since Mace is the outer coating of nutmeg seeds, I was wondering if nutmeg can be substituted in for mace in recipes. Specifically, there is this recipe for hot dogs that I want to try from about.com:

Ingredients:

3 feet sheep or small (1-1/2-inch diameter) hog casings
1 pound lean pork, cubed
3/4 pound lean beef, cubed
1/4 pound pork fat, cubed
1/4 cup very finely minced onion
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard seed
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon freshly fine ground white pepper
1 egg white
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup milk

I have nutmeg in powdered form, is that an acceptable substitution and if so do I need to make any adjustments to the recipe? Would prefer the answer generalized a ratio of nutmeg for needed mace for other recipes.


texts:
So I want make a Swedish meatball style meatloaf. When I make Swedish meatballs I usually use veal and ground pork, but I've always wanted to throw in some ground lamb and buffalo.

So the specific question here is for a meatball how many of these meats can I get away with including in these balls
Of juicy meat?

And more generally, what are the guiding principles in combing meats from
Different animals like this? Hoping there's like a periodic table of savory sensations I can put on the kitchen wall, but any anecdotal suggestions will be sufficient.


texts: Do pies baked in disposable pans turn out okay?

texts: Do disposable pans affect the quality of pies baked in them? I'm worried that using a disposable pan may adversely affect the end result.


texts: Heating ham/cooking hashbrown potato casserole in same oven

texts: I have to heat my spiral sliced ham at 275 for 2 hours. My hashbrown potato casserole needs to cook for 45 minutes at 350. I only have 1 oven--what is the best way to cook these 2 items so they are ready to eat at the same time?


texts: why does oil temperature rise when I put food in the pan

texts:
I tried deep frying in oil using a thermometer for the first time today, my usual method is to  test temp with a small amount of food.

I was using a wok filled 1/2 full with vegetable oil.  I heated it until the thermometer read 350 deg F.  I then put in some Somosa that were frozen. A lot of steam and bubbles were created. I lowered the gas flame and noticed that the temperature had risen to 390 degF.  My instinct tells me that the oil temp was likely to be really at 390 because the Samosa cooked faster than I expected.

I tried this a few times and consistently got the same results even with non-frozen food. The temperature did not change if I stirred the oil.

Could there be something wrong with the themometer?. I calibrated it with boiling water before I started.

Have I discovered a new form of energy?  :)


texts: How do I prevent opened canned tuna from going stale?

texts: I want to start buying those big tuna cans to save on costs, but I know that after one day at the fridge opened tuna becomes stale. It loses its tangy flavor and gets a rubbery texture. Is there a way to prevent that?


texts: I have had my Gorgonzola in the maturing box for 10 days turning each day it is shiny on the outside, hard and does not have any mould.


texts: The date on my milk says 11/12/19, and its passed. I was going to dump it so I smell it and it smelled normal?? Is it still ok to use? Because I have another gallon in the fridge (they come in pair)


texts: I cook the sugar to a hard crack stage 300.  I have used some gel pigments after temp is reached.  The candy coating is perfect for about 3 - 5 minutes and almost instantly begins to get sticky.  I have tried two methods.  One with Karo light syrup and another with Lorann oils high sweet (specifically used for high humidity areas). they both have given same results with stickiness. I have tried to place them in front of fan and has the worst results compared to not having a fan.


texts:
I love my cast-iron teapots; however, for Christmas, I received a set of teacups to match my latest acquisition. Do I pre-warm them like I do the pot? Or is the intent for it to leech some heat out when poured so it's drinkable faster? They appear to be traditional Chinese-style: small and without handles. They also appear to be enameled on the inside, to match the pot.

Also, is there anything I should know about the care and keeping of them above and beyond the usual cast-iron advice (no soap, dry well, et cetera)?


texts: Do "Best by: XX-XX-XX" foods have an expiration date?

texts:
How long will foods that have "Best by: XX-XX-XX" on the product last past that date?

I have tried looking online, and all I can find is anecdotal evidence, which isn't very assuring for me since there seems to be no specific "x food will expire y weeks after its best by date".

Is there a rule of thumb or some guide out there that can tell me how long a "best by" food will last? Or is it safe to assume that they never expire, since it's not actually labelled on the product?


texts: Can you cut cucumbers when you make them in brine?

texts: I'm trying to make Polish style cucumbers in brine (ogórki kiszone) but my jars are too small to fit cucumbers I can get in the supermarket. Can I just cut them or the lack of skin will change the fermentation process significantly?


texts: Is there a significant difference in flavour between real Mirin and Mirin-like products?

texts:
I read everywhere that there are generally two types of the sweet cooking wine mirin:

A) the real, hon mirin, a sweet rice wine with 14 % vol. alcohol

B) the ersatz, or shin mirin / mirin fu, with less than 1 % vol. alcohol.

I'd like to know if it makes a significant difference in flavours or otherwise if one uses the ersatz mirin instead of the 'real stuff', e.g., for sushi rice or other dishes. Is 'hon mirin' the first choice among the Japanese?


texts:
This is basically the cornmeal equivalent of making your own self rising flour.

I have a cornbread recipe here and I have non-self rising corn bread. Do I do the same ratio of baking powwderand salt to make it self rising?


texts: Why not use cornstarch instead of flour for pastries?

texts:
If when baking cakes, and especially pastries, you want less gluten formation, why not use something that has even less gluten than cake flour?
What would happen if I tried to make a cake or pastry with cornstarch instead of flour?


texts: Why does my pizza dough rise so inconsistently?

texts:
I've been trying to make pizza dough from scratch for a while now, but I have real problems getting it to rise...

Sometimes it works fine and the dough is good, but sometimes it never rises and is edible in only the loosest sense of the word.  I can't seem to find a rhyme or reason to it.


texts:
I'd like to provide an array of meals that are frozen and can be quickly heated and served. I have reviewed different models and there are 3 kinds I think:

1) Steam Combi - e.g. Rational selfcookingcentre

2) Convection+Impingement- e.g. MerryChef E2S

3) Convection + Microvave e.g. Menumaster

The menu would consist of the following types of food:
Lasagna
Pasta
Rice
Noodles
Curries

Objective is To be able to put frozen food directly into the oven (without thawing) and using a particular setting for each item type, the oven should be able to bring it 'closest' to freshly cooked food w.r.t. texture especially.. in under 10min.

Thanks,
Nipun


texts: Tool for making small balls of sticky food

texts:
There are several kinds of sticky food balls that I'd like to make, but the usual process consists in rolling them in your hand one by one. This process is tedious and time-consuming. I'd really like it to scale better. Such food usually tastes better when the balls are smaller, but this means even more time preparing it.

Examples of the kind of food I'm talking about: rice balls, meat balls, rum balls, ladoo, caramel balls, chocolate truffles,  etc.

What they have in common (at least most of them):

The material is sticky, so this requires rubbing butter on the hand, or something similar, with periodic repeats to ensure non-stickiness;
The material is not very hard, which compounded with the stickiness, makes it hard to improvise with similar tools, such as spoons: it will stick a bit and deform easily;
After the ball is done, it is often rolled in some other material (sugar, chocolate, bread crumbs, etc) which coats it.

After looking for several related words ("food baller", "ball scoop", etc.), I only managed to find a few tools that might be useful:

These ice cream scoops have a mechanism to help release the material. I'm not entirely convinced this would work, since the food I'm talking about is usually stickier and less solid than ice cream, but still; the main issue is that the smallest one I found is about 3.5 cm in diameter, and I'd need them to be more like 1.5-2 cm.

Melon ballers have the appropriate size, but they are less "round" (as in, less than half a sphere) and designed for hard, non-sticky melon insides. Also, they do not have a release mechanism.

Non-stick, thin gloves might help speed up the rolling, but if they are cumbersome silicon gloves, they will prevent me from being able to properly ball the food. I did not find any thin, non-stick, food-grade gloves either.

Did I just miss something? Otherwise, how do professional chefs manage to produce these kinds of balled food at scale?


texts:
I've been trying to fry panko coated pork chops. Followed standard recipe which includes seasoning, dipping it in egg wash and milk, coating it with panko breadcrumbs, the usual drill. However, when I go and fry it the crust starts to char and burn midway through the cooking process, while the actual meat is nowhere near cooked.

Does that have something to do with oil temperature? Or something else?


texts: Chocolate mousse - methods to have firm foamy mousse using white egg and cream

texts:
I am working on a multilayer chocolate mousse but is kind of hard for me as some recipe suggested me that I should use the white part of the egg and others suggest me to use double cream.

I would like to derive a scientific method to have nice and foamy mousse all the times, independently from when I use egg whites or cream.

Most of the times I use the "egg white" I manage to get a decently
firm foamy mousse. Some people use salt to get it to become nice and foamy. Other people suggest is not needed. I noticed that when I whisk it and there are drops of water it doesn't  foam.
When I use cream I don't manage to get it foamy. How can I do this?
Any tips?

Any help suggestion is greatly appreciated.


texts: Can I follow recipes for bread-machine breads without bread machine?

texts: I was browsing a recipe website to get some recipes for breads. There is a section marked with bread-machine breads.I am very new to bread making and after some search it seems that the machine is used for baking and kneading. So will it be possible for me to follow the recipes with a normal oven?


texts:
Is it OK use a plain iron rod for a Rotisserie spit?

I have a solid piece of iron rod that is about 1/4 inch diameter and from what I can see it has no coatings. It just looks like extruded iron.

Could this be used as a spit safely? Or should I be using stainless steel?


texts: Are the particulates that settle in a veal stock impurities?

texts:
I've been making veal stock for about a year, and really enjoy the process. It generally takes me two days: the first to generate a base stock, the second to reduce it. I've noticed that when I refrigerate the product of either day overnight, a layer of particulate settles on the bottom of pot. Poured carefully through a cheesecloth, I can generally decant the dark, almost transparent liquid off the particulate.

What have I wrought? Have I just lurched my way to a low-grade consomme, or am I doing something to degrade the flavor of the stock? I assume the particles are denatured proteins, but honestly I haven't the slightest idea.


texts: I see a lot of the hottest foods having multiple peppers used in their sauce, with the infamous ghost peppers being among them. If the ghost pepper is the hottest pepper in the dish, do the other peppers really add any more heat to the recipe or do they actually dilute the ghost pepper's fire?


texts: Why my dinner rolls get dry after two days?

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I bake eggless dinner rolls at home, also known as “Paav”in many countries.
I use  dry yeast to make dough. Also, use sugar for  yeast fermentation, and butter and salt as per the requirements. I bake it @ 360 F for 25-30 minutes. It comes out really soft and in a good texture. Everyone enjoys it’s taste at home.
However, the texture of the rolls stays same for at most two days max then it gets dry and hard. I don’t realize what wrong am I doing. I also, wrap left over rolls air tight with sealing wrap.
I would appreciate your answer.


texts:
Sometimes when preparing pork belly I notice that the piece happens to have nipples on it.

Should these be removed or is it fine to eat? If removed how much of the surrounding should be removed as obviously just making it flat doesn't remove it all?


texts: Why do apples, when placed in a cool environment for extended periods of time, form a 'waxy' layer on their skins

texts: Living on an orchard, we grow many more apples than we can eat and so store them in the garage throughout Winter where it's cold. They are in a box, but with air circulating around them and newspaper between each of the layers of apples. Why does the skin of the apple go 'waxy'? Also, how can this be prevented?


texts:
I've seen numerous online recipes for ribs stating to either 1) cover the ribs in foil 2) cover the baking sheet the ribs are on in foil

Which will yield the most tender ribs?


texts: When a recipe calls for brown sugar, could I use white sugar instead?

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I don't really use brown sugar that often and I would like to know, if I am baking a recipe that calls for a cup of brown sugar, could I use white sugar instead? If not, why? Do they not "bake" the same?

Thank you!