texts: Re-heating beurre blanc without splitting

texts:
Warm emulsions are tricky to reheat without splitting... Beurre blanc being inherently unstable is the worst. I have tried several things from microwave on defrost, to bain-marie, to very low heat. I know that it should remain tepid (butter melts at about 35C), but I never seem to get it right. So:

How do you do it?
If it splits and you have (almost) no additional ingredients, how do you re-emulsify it?

Thanks


texts: Why is the middle of this sweet potato dark?

texts:
This is a red-skinned white-fleshed sweet potato.  I don't know what kind.  I have never tried one before, I have only had the orange kind.

The outside looked OK.  There were no black spots or damaged areas.  The inside had this darkness all through the middle.  It was not soft or pithy and did not smell bad.

What is it?  Mold?  Fusarium?


texts: What is a good brand for parmesan to buy in Rome?

texts: I'm soon going to Rome for vacation and want to bring back some parmigiano reggiano cheese. Could anyone suggest a good brand and a good place to buy this? Thank you


texts:
My mom keeps telling me it is unsafe to refrigerate leftover cooked potato in any form because she claims refrigeration accumulates toxins in them (or something like that).  I, on the other hand, often refrigerate all forms of cooked potato, including but not limited to boiled, roasted, meshed etc.  Often, I will boil a bunch of potatoes, refrigerate them and then just slightly sautee them with spices before eating.

Who is right?  Can it be bad to eat leftover refrigerated potatoes?


texts: Can I preserve fresh potato gnocchi by drying it?

texts:
I have a lot of potatoes to use, and I am making a large batch of Gnocchi. I plan to freeze much of it, but I was wondering if it's also possible to dry the fresh Gnocchi and store in a sealed container at room temperature (as is done with other pastas).  Has anyone tried this?

If it matters, the Gnocchi dough will not have egg in it.


texts: How to reheat without compromising quality

texts: Not always, but more often than not, I am able to perfectly cook our dinner protein (meat). This also includes my husband when he B.B.Q.s.  The problem is, how can the meat be reheated the next day and not compromise the quality.  No matter what different types of gentle heat sources I try, the meat always cooks a bit more.  I even take the meat out of the fridge a couple of hours ahead of time so it's not ice cold.  I always like to cook lots so we can have leftovers, and I know fresh is best, but there must be some sort of middle ground!  Any tips?


texts:
I have a fudge brownie recipe that I followed pretty much to the letter. I think when I baked it, it was too thin; it came out hard, like a brick, and it's pretty much inedible. I'm also afraid someone left it outside / in the fridge exposed, and it dried up more.

Is there anything I can do to soften it and make it edible?


texts: Are insects bought as pet food safe for human consumption?

texts:
I want to try some cooking with insects. So far I found no shop in my town selling insects for human consumption, and online shops I found (so far) where really expensive (10-40€/100g!).

So I'm thinking of buying some pet food insects (most likey cickets or grasshoppers). Are these safe for human consumption?

I'm in Germany, I assume regulations for pet food would apply to these insects (is this so?).

I'm mostly concerned about antibiotics and whatever harmful stuff they might get via their food.


texts: How to par cook potatoes for use as home fries

texts: If I were to use a deep fryer, and then a flat griddle, at what temp and for how long should I par cook potatoes to later finish on a griddle as home fries?


texts: Where can I find black cocoa powder (a.k.a. black onyx cocoa powder) in the UK?

texts:
I live in the UK and want to buy some black cocoa powder, also known as black onyx cocoa powder. This is a type of cocoa powder that has been alkalized more than standard cocoa powder. As a result, it is much darker than normal cocoa powder and tastes different. It is what is used to make Oreo cookies.

The only places I can find that sell it are in the USA, and they won't ship internationally.

Is it available in the UK? Surely it must be?


texts: How often do you need to change the water in your Sous Vide machine? Given food never touches the water I don't think I need to change it every time, but it does seem like I should change it once in awhile. Any rules of thumb?


texts:
I just prepared my first scallop dish. The recipe instructed to remove roe (the orange part) before searing, as it cooks much faster than the rest of a scallop. As this was my first try, I ended up not using it for the dish.

Afterwards, I read a bit about scallop roe and it seems that many cooks actually sear it together with the rest of the scallop. Also it's a delicacy in China. Some instructions indicated that I should dry roe in oven, powder it and use it later to give extra taste to broths etc.

What is the best way to use it? If I dry and powder it, how should I store it and in which kind of dishes should I use it?


texts:
So I've been trying to up my cooking/plating game.
I see that in many Michelin Star restaurants it's almost a meme to plate some protein on a vegetable 'puree' base, put some flowers and greens on top, and maybe some herb oil.
So I found some parsnips in the store, and I made a parsnip puree after looking at a couple of youtube videos.
I basically used ~500g Parsnips, 4 chopped cloves of garlic, ~365ml Half and Half, and ~50g Butter, along with a bit of salt. After bringing it all to a boil, I simmered it until the parsnips were fork-tender and simply blitzed it in a blender until I got a smooth puree.
I served this by putting some sautee'd fish on top. Very simple just to see how the flavor combo worked.
I think I messed up by using Parsnip Puree instead of Cauliflower Puree - the parsnips are pretty earthy. While it worked with the fish, it wasn't as smooth as I would have liked.
It's definitely easy to play around with on the plate for nice platings/smears, but I'm just not sure if I love the flavor by itself. Very earthy - I mean, it tastes like parsnips - so I'm wondering how to fix this.
Should I add something crazy into it like a fortified chicken broth/demi glace?
Is it better with meats?
Does it need to go with an acidic sauce?
Any ideas?


texts:
Over the summer, I had the opportunity to have some cracked corn which is similar to pop corn but with a different species of corn that had bigger kernels and the chef that served them said they were starchier which meant that they popped differently, the texture was the same as the type of kernels that are at the bottom of a bag but only slightly popped.

I've had a hard time looking for a source except for cracked corn as animal feed which I wouldn't trust for my own consumption. Does anyone know of a place to find some to pop?


texts: What effect will this have on my french fries?

texts:
While making french fries earlier I began to wonder what would happen if I changed my process in a few ways.

My current method:

Peel potatoes and cut into thin slices
Pan fry until golden

Simple enough. But I was wondering what would happen if I did the following after my initial pan fry:

a. Cook fries in a pan with little or no oil

Or

b. Bake fries


texts: Is there a spice that is hot and colorless?

texts: I want to prepare a drink that is hot (spicy) but I don't want to use regular hot sauce because it will affect the color. Is there anything like "clear" hot sauce?


texts: If a recipe doesn't specify the type of vinegar, is there a standard type implied?

texts:
I occasionally come across recipes that call for vinegar, but don't specify which of the many varieties they mean. (A recent example is this recipe for a corn and pepper salad, which just says "2 tbsp. vinegar".)

While I recognize that sometimes this may just be that the recipe is badly written, I've encountered it often enough to wonder: is there a "standard" or implied type of vinegar that should be used when a recipe simply calls for vinegar? Or is it assumed that the chef will be familiar with the flavor profiles of the dish they are trying to make and will be able to choose an appropriate vinegar by their own knowledge and discretion?

I've been unable to find an authoritative answer to this: other forums provide conflicting answers with no documentation or reasoning for the answer put forth, or make it seem like your only options are white vinegar and cider vinegar.


texts:
I saw many people eat cereal by pouring in milk. I don't have milk.

Is boiling or microwaving cereal in water a good idea? Or should I cool drinking water to melt the cereal without any heating?


texts: Vacuum sealer exclusively for canning jars?

texts:
I'm looking for a vacuum sealer just to vacuum seal canning jars.  Presently I use a traditional vacuum sealer for bags that has an accessory port.  It's bulky and because it's designed for bags as well requires you to press some latches to seal the vacuum chamber every time you seal a new jar.  It's cumbersome and inconvenient.

Ideally there would be a compact device designed just for creating a vacuum that I could use for the canning jars.  Ideally it would be something I could keep on the counter for quickly resealing a jar and flip a switch to power it on/off.

I've seen that you can use manual brake bleeder hand pump, but I'm looking for something electric as I open and vacuum seal mason jars daily, and from what I hear the manual pumping is a significant amount of labor.

If there isn't a dedicated device for this, I'm wondering if there is a product that at least doesn't require you to re-seal the vacuum chamber after vacuuming each jar.


texts: How to Prepare Chickpea Purée from a Can?

texts:
I got a can of "chickpea purée with sesame paste" (though the English name on the can seems to be "chickpeas with sesame purée"), produced by Baktat, as a gift. It is this product.

The can specifies the ingredients in various languages, but fails to provide any preparation instructions. How can I prepare it?

Do I have to cook it, or fry it (as is possible with potato purée)? For how long exactly/until what state is reached? Do I have to add anything, or will it dissolve in water? Can I microwave it instead?

There are loads of online recipes to create your own chickpea purée, but that's not what I'm looking for; I'm looking for preparation instructions specifically for the indicated (or a comparable) product.


texts: I've canned hot peppers for years. This year I've developed little blue floaters in the jars. I've never seen this. Does anyone know what this might be???


texts: Will putting a salted steak into a preheated stainless steel pan cause pitting?

texts:
Typically when I cook steak, I salt/pepper it and then leave it out for a while to warm up.  Next, I preheat my non-stick pan, put in olive oil, and add the steak.

However, I recently bought a set of All Clad stainless steel pans.  I’ve never cooked with stainless steel before and am worried about pitting.

Will adding a pre-salted steak to a preheated stainless steel pan (coated in olive oil) result in pitting? If so, how/when should I salt to avoid pitting?


texts: When I add the indicated amount of water to my beignet recipe, I end up with humid flour: not enough moisture to form a dough of any kind. It seems apparent to me some minor adjustment to the water is necessary, but I can't find much information on what I should be aiming for. What should the target consistency be? What will the end result be if I add too much, or too little water?


texts: How do you saute anchovies in a flavor base?

texts:
Once in a while an Italian recipe asks for dissolving a couple anchovy filets in the oil before adding other veggies.

Should you chop your anchovies before, or break them in the oil? Also what degree should the oil be in? I feel like I always burn my anchovies.


texts: Is there any significant flavour difference between dehydrated and sun-dried tomatoes?

texts: I have a large batch of tomatoes which I want to preserve. I am confused between sundrying them and dehydrating them. Essentially they are the same processes but is there any significant flavour difference between dehydrated and sun-dried tomatoes?


texts:
Glazed/candied cherries, the sort that sits nicely on top of a sundae. I don't like the look of the packaged ones in my local supermarket, is there an easy way to create my own?

Also, how to best pit these cherries without compromising their structural integrity?


texts: What is the difference between a New York Strip and a Bone-In New York Cut Sirloin?

texts: The iconic Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse in DC was not able to answer my question at dinner and I truly wish to know the answer.


texts:
So here is my plan. Instead of buying sugar free artificially sweetened jam or reduced sugar jelly made with extra water and thickeners, I want to take really good full-of-fruit preserves, heat it up and add my own water and thickener. I was thinking of using potato starch. Any thoughts?

Update
My goal is to reduce sugar consumption without buying artificially sweetened preserves or expensive commercially diluted preparations. My thought was to buy some really good preserves and do the dilution myself. I tried it with corn starch but it didn't thicken.


texts:
This is jelly as in Jello (either gelatine-based or vegetarian), not as in jam.  I'd buy it in the right base colour/flavour.

I appear to have been volunteered to make Shopkins¹-themed food -- at least a cake and as little more as I can get away with.  One thing that looks quite simple is Wobbles.

This is essentially a green jelly (classic jelly mould shape) with eyes and a mouth.  The eyes themselves could be made from icing quite easily, but how could they be attached? The mouth could do with being outlined in a darker shade of green: piped on? painted with food colouring?

So I'd like to stick icing onto jelly on a near-vertical surface (or find some other way of getting the white) and paint/pipe onto jelly.

¹Colourful collectible plastic things with faces, only comprehensible to small children.


texts: Matcha cheesecake can't keep the bright green color

texts: I made a no-bake matcha cheesecake with cream cheese, yogurt, whipping cream, matcha powder and gelatin. The type of matcha powder I used was not very green but it was ok. However, the next day, the green color turned grey, not completely grey but not attractive anymore. How can I prevent this?


texts: Does cooking wine go bad like regular wine?

texts:
I bought some cooking wine last week and made a delicious meal with it.  I only used half a bottle, so the other half is still in my pantry.

I know that regular wine goes bad after about a day where as regular alcohol (rum, scotch, etc) doesn't really go bad at all.

I looked on the bottle to see if it says "keep refrigerated", "expires after opening", etc... and there's nothing of the sort.

Will that wine go bad, and if so, how fast?

Thanks in advance!


texts:
I'm making my second attempt at a sourdough starter. I tried once in the past and I now know that I just didn't stick with it long enough and had a bad bread recipe, but with a little more knowledge, I've had the urge to give it another try.

I came across a tutorial when browsing instructables.com, by user name ItsJeremy. He uses half AP flour and half of another flour, but said you can use straight AP. That's what I had, so that's what I used. I spaced out on the very first start up. Instead of using a 2:1 ratio, I used a 1:1, but since many other people use this, I figured it was okay. I went to the 2:1 every 12 hours after that. If my starter got too thick, I'd add a little extra water and if it got a little thin, I'd add a some extra flour. I tried to keep it pancake batter consistency.

After a couple of days, I started seeing bubbles forming. Not like you'd expect of a good starter, but it was a start. I started it on Sat morning and on Monday, I had made it a little thicker that day and when I got home from work, it had risen about 1/4". That wasn't much as in the container I had it in, the starter had begun at ~1" deep. So I got a 25% rise.

However, the next feeding haven't risen at all as far as I can tell. I'm still getting some bubbles, but not a massive amount. I haven't tasted it, but I have been smelling it and I don't smell an odors besides flour and water. Now, at 4 days into it and 7 feedings, I'd expect more progress. We do have the AC on in the house, but I imagine daytime temps are around 75deg. Nighttime probably gets cooler.

I do live in the south east and temps are hot and humid. I don't know that I shouldn't stick it on the covered front porch in the shade. I have a couple of extra containers and I might try that as well as another I saw a chef on youtube.com do, where they did a 1:1 ratio, put plastic wrap on it and let it sit 24-36 hours with no feedings till it bubbled.

I'm just looking for some guidance here. Is it not taking, do I just need to keep with it, should I find somewhere warmer. I mean I'd at least expect some sour smell after 4 days. It's not like I'm adding bleach instead of water. Thanks for the help.

Edit: I didn't mention it above. I'm on well water, so there is no chlorine.


texts: Can I use sona masoori rice for making dosa?

texts:
I have been trying to make dosa in the US since 6 months & never got the fermented batter. When searched in seasoned advice I found a similar question asked.
How to ferment dosa batter?

I have been using correct proportions of rice, urad dal, fenugreek & poha. Even I tried grinding the mixture using soaked urad dal, rice, water and even kept overnight in the oven with lights turned on, but I never got my dosa batter fermented. I have used the same proportions in India and I was successful in making good fermented dosas, but the only difference is that I am using Sona masoori rice for making dosas in the US. I am suspecting that this might be causing a problem , but I am not sure about this and if it is yes, why is it so ?


texts: Today at lunch, i accidentally ate a small piece of tamarind string. I am not sure whether it would be digested inside my body. I am little worried. Can someone tell if i am going to be safe, or would there be any side effects ?


texts: Sourdough bread keeps cracking underneath. What could be the reason?

texts:
We have been facing this problem as you can see in the image. This dough is 75% hydrated and it is always cooked in a ventilated oven over a baking stone, the temperature of baking is 220° Celsius / 428° Fahrenheit, while it bakes we create steam inside the oven by sprinkling water inside it.
In the beginning of the baking process the oven spring happens accordingly, after a while the oven spring stops upwards and the bread beggins to crack underneath, creating in some cases huge cracks. What can we do to prevent it? What could we having being doing wrong? Thanks in advance


texts:
I've been making brownies lately, and my last brownie turned out like dwarf bread. As the recipe and the oven/time haven't changed, my guess is that the preparation went wrong.

I mixed all the ingredients, (just like always) and then walked away to have lunch. After lunch, I tried to pour the batter in the mold, but it was impossible to pour.

Is my analysis correct and, more importantly, is there anything that can be done if the batter does have to sit for a while? Can it be gently heated?

Edit Chocolate & Margarine gently heated together. Sugar and Eggs beaten. Mixed together. Added flour & hazelnut.


texts: Is it safe to make extracts from stone fruit pits?

texts:
So stone fruit pits I've been told taste a lot like almonds. I've been told that you can make an extract, much like almond extract, out of them as well. I've also heard that stone fruit pits contain cyanide. Reading about this a bit more closely it seems that they actually contain something called amygdalin which contains cyanide and can be released into the body when injested. Pub chem lists amygdala as "slightly soluble in alcohol" but I'm not exactly sure what that means. It leads me to believe that making an extract out of stonepit fruits might be dangerous. However I've seen other culinary sources claiming its safe like this one: https://food52.com/blog/10809-how-to-use-stone-fruit-pits. I'm more inclined to play it safe than trust such a thing.

Is there a trustworthy source that says this is safe? Is there a trustworthy source that says this isn't safe?


texts: Is my chicken stock still safe to eat? Left on stove on low-medium heat, partially uncovered +9 hours so it reduced

texts:
My boyfriend and I are new to cooking and might have made a few errors while making our chicken stock overnight. This is what happened, can someone tell me if our broth is still safe to eat? We started this pot at night, around 8pm.

We stuck a whole chicken in a huge pot of water with some veggies added for aromatics and brought it a strong boil and then simmered for maybe 1 hr and 20 min.
At this point, we turn off the stove and take the chicken out to break down all the meat and put the bone carcass back in the pot.
We turn back on the stove and decide to let the bone broth keep going overnight. It's probably 9pm and I'm already upstairs and he turns back on the stock but doesn't close the lid all the way, leaving it 25% exposed all night.
I wake up at 5:30am and find the pot of stock is gently bubbling and has completely reduced, with maybe 3.5 inches of concentrated broth in a large pot, with all the bones exposed and maybe halfway covered in water.
I fill up the pot again with room temperature water and close the lid, not adjusting the heat. Maybe 20 minutes later I decide I probably should bring it to a boil to be safe, and at this time I fish out all the veggies since I don't want them to break down more. The carrots and celery stalks are all still intact, just really soft. Onions were still somewhat intact but I think a lot of them turned to mush in the pot overnight.
Now we are just going to let it simmer for a tiny bit more to get everything reconstituted.

After doing research I'm not sure if this pot of stock is salvageable and safe to eat, can someone advise me on whether to dump this or if it's okay to use this stock to make soup?

Thank you so much for your help :)!


texts: Is there any advantage to resting (banana) bread batter?

texts:
I make several different types of breads (apple, banana, etc.). All of them have some commonalities, which includes that they start out life as a batter, don't require yeast (baking soda and hot water does it), and use normal (not gluten-free) flours.

What I can't quite figure out is whether resting the bread will have any impact on it. I know (from sources including this question that gluten makes many flour-based dishes (like crepes) gummy.

But does that apply to breads? Is there any significant difference if I actually rest the batter before baking?

If it matters, I mix aggressively with a KitchenAid mixer (so I expect there to be lots of gluten).


texts: Making homemade seitan for stew recipe, do I need to cook the seitan first, then cool it, then use it?

texts:
There are several homemade seitan recipes available, and all call for boiling the seitan in some kind of broth for a bit, then letting it cool. I'm making seitan for this "vegan beef stew" recipe.

Do I need to boil the seitan first, then let it cool, then use it in this recipe? Or can I just make the seitan and use it "raw" since I'm going to be boiling it in the stew anyway? Is seitan something that wants to be twice cooked or anything along that line?


texts: Can I subtitute water for milk in crêpes?

texts: I want to make crêpes, but I have run out of milk. I do have all the other ingredients I need. Can I somehow substitute the milk by water or anything else?


texts: How much do I reduce the sugar when using a sweeter fruit in a pie filling?

texts:
I've got a surplus of Bing cherries at the moment, since they're in season and therefore on sale everywhere.

I have a handful of made-from-scratch cherry pie filling, but most call for tart cherries (and a relatively large amount of sugar, 1/2 to 1 cup, about twice what I put in a typical blueberry filling). How much should I reduce the sugar to allow for using a sweeter variety of cherries?


texts: I'm looking for a good way to get uniform dinner rolls cut from a batch of dough (6 lbs dough and 4 oz per roll). I use an old-fashioned scale and I have found that unless I work very slowly, it does not measure 4 oz accurately. The pieces are visibly different in size even though they appear to balance the scale. (The scale works well with larger weights.) When I eye-ball it the pieces are better but still not great. I'm wondering if there are any tricks to get good cuts? Note that the dough is 70% hydration so it's somewhat sticky.


texts: Do I need to vacuum the meat slices if I freeze them?

texts: I think the question is clear, but as you know there are devices that can vacuum the meat slices in a plastic bag. But does it make any difference if I wanna freeze them? Will that make any difference?


texts: What is the minimum amount of sugar needed for getting the desired texture in this banana marmalade?

texts:
I've been trying to make banana marmalade(1) with the least amount of sugar possible. I've tried the following basic recipe - with variations in the amount of sugar, I've tried the following three versions:

500g water;
500g banana;
One tablespoon of flax seed;
70/100/130g sugar.

(Yes, I don't like to follow recipes, I like to make a guess and experimentally trying to find the right ratio of ingredients). When I use 130g of sugar, it cristalizes(2) and the color changes (ambar color) but this doesn't happen when I use 70g or 100g it gets more like sweet boiled banana. Is there a way to know - given certain amounts of ingredients - what is the correct ratio of sugar? I'd like it to be as minimum as possible.

In the first version of my recipe (130g), I've tried without flax seeds. Perhaps the flax is changing the cristalization/coloring process?

(1) The nomeclature seems problematic: In Portuguese we call it "doce", which literaly translates to "sweet" but when I change the languange in wikipedia, it suggests that "doce" is "marmalade" which - for us - is marmelo marmalade.

(2) This is a gross translation of the word we use here, but it refers to the hardening of the substance and color change.


texts: Why does the grated coconut "float" to the top of quindim while baking?

texts:
Quindim is a typical Brazilian dessert made from sugar, egg yolks, butter and grated coconut.

All those ingredients are mixed (yolks and sugar first, then the butter, then the grated coconut, in my experience), then bain-marie baked in a pudding mold or in muffin tray slots. And, somehow, the grated coconut is all at the top (which ends being the bottom) of the mixture at the end of the baking process.

Also, I've read that the quindim's ancestor recipe from Portugal, brisas do Lis, exhibits a similar phenomenon, where small almond pieces float to the top of the mixture while baking.

What causes the grated coconut or the almond pieces to move to the top of the mixture during the baking process? Does this occur in other recipes (maybe in less noticeable ways)?

(My ultimate point is to know how to cause such an effect in similar recipes.)


texts:
I have some plums that have started to go soft and squishy. Would they be OK in crumble / crisp / cobbler type recipes?

(I can't taste them before cooking because I am allergic to raw fruit).


texts: Difference between types of Thai black soy sauces (Healthy Boy brand)

texts:
I've noticed that a lot of Thai dishes call for thick black soy sauce, but they rarely specify the type. Occasionally, a recipe will specify a certain brand, and sometimes they'll note if you should use the "sweet" (pad see ew, pad kee mao, etc.) or "regular" (pad ka prao, etc.).

When looking, I'll usually stick with Healthy Boy, since that seems to be the standard (and the most widely available in the US). When I get to the local Asian market, though, I'm confronted with about 5 or 6 types of Healthy Boy soy sauce, each of which says "Black Soy Sauce."

Within those, I've been able to narrow it down to three major types so far:

Black Soy Sauce - Thick, salty, sweet, strong flavor
Sweet Black Soy Sauce - Thick, somewhat salty, very sweet, strong flavor. Not always labeled "sweet"
Light/Thin Black Soy - Thinner consistency (similar to regular soy sauce). I have never tried this.

While it's easy to tell the light from the others (just flip over the bottle), telling the difference between the sweet and regular is not always as easy. Thankfully, Healthy Boy color-codes the bottles. So far, I have seen:

Light Orange (regular?)
Dark Orange ("stir fry seasoning with soy sauce?")
Brown/brown-orange
Green (says Black Soy Sauce B, I think. High sugar content, mostly additive)
Red (sometimes says "sweet")
White (sometimes says "sweet")
Yellow - thin/light
Yellow - thick

Each of those typically have varying sugar/salt contents, and have anywhere from 3 to 10 ingredients. Some are also labeled "Natural Ferment" (sub-questions: What does this mean? Does it matter?)

Just going by the bottle color, is there an easy way to tell the difference between all of these? Also, are certain colors more suited to certain dishes?

(I've also seen a couple Bronze and White that are mushroom and oytser flavored respectively, but this isn't about those ones.)


texts: Is there any other substitute of papaya paste to tenderize the mutton or beef?

texts: To tenderize mutton for BBQ I use fresh papaya paste, but it is not available in some areas. Are there any alternatives to papaya paste that could be easily found?


texts: Beating egg whites cold vs. warm - Japanese cheesecake

texts:
Namiko Chen's recipe for Japanese cheesecake specifically requires that the egg whites be beaten chilled. I have also asked my Japanese friends to check other Japanese recipes and they get the same instructions. On the other hand, Western recipes for Japanese cake calls for the egg whites to be beaten at room temperature. I assume that since Japanese souffle cheesecake is originally from Japan, the Japanese version is the "correct" one and that the room-temperature requirement is a modification by Westerners who copied the recipe.
I have tried Namiko's recipe with great results. The egg whites took quite some time to beat, but they remained stable even without cream of tartar. I presume beating the egg whites cold will take a longer time but will give more stability, but is this something that's well-known? I know that the same holds for cream, I just have never read it for egg whites.


texts:
I remember hearing a long time ago that putting dry ice into a liquid that is then consumed by people could potentially poison them.  I was just looking at halloween drink recipes and a few of them used dry ice in the liquids that people were drinking.

So, can putting dry ice in a liquid (say, punch) and then drinking that liquid poison you?  Or ws this information wrong?

Please note, I do not mean that the carbon dioxide that's released into the atmosphere can poison you, I mean the physical consumption of the liquid that the dry ice was put in.


texts:
I have just picked up baking confectionery bread buns and I wanted to ask how long can I keep a mix of dough, yeast and water in the freezer or refrigerator? The mix has no butter or eggs by the way.

Thank you!


texts:
I do a lot of backpacking, and I usually buy freeze dried meals, like these ones.

This year I would like to make my own dried meals. I know how to dehydrate my main ingredients, but I'm not sure how to make a good soup base.

Does anyone have some tips on how to make good mix bases? Or dried meals in general?


texts: Name of an herb or spice that is small, dark spines

texts:
My question is about an herb that my mother used in her spaghetti sauce, and that I did as well using her recipe... And neither of us can remember what it actually was.
I remember the flavor, but could not describe it.
I believe I recall how it looked. Namely, small thin spines, black or dark green. Sharp enough that they could get stuck in your gums.
I have looked through herb shelves, and couldn't find anything that spurred my memory. I've looked through lists of herbs, and none of them jumped out at me.
Does anyone know what it is I'm remembering, or am I just imagining that such an herb existed?
Thank you


texts: I'm about to make cinnamon rolls & one recipe calls for 2 whole eggs. The other recipe calls for 3 egg yolks. Which one will give me a moist, soft, cinnamon roll?


texts: What are the Standard Terms Used to Describe Liquid Viscosity in Cooking?

texts:
When describing the thickness of a sauce or other liquid when cooking, what are the standard terms that should be used?

I've heard things like "gravy-like" or talk of coating metal spoons, but I'd like to know if there's a list of "standard terms" that are known to most chefs/cooks.


texts: Is it normal for potatoes to look like they are 'shedding'?

texts:
I bought potatoes today in a different store then I normally do. When I came home I saw that the potatoes look like they are 'shedding', and I can peel of pieces of skin. Is this normal for some kind of potatoes? I'm not familiar with this with the potatoes I normally buy.
They feel and smell normal. Also they have normal color, no 'bad' spots and when cutting one in half it also looks fine.
Are this potatoes just an other kind then I'm used to, or is there something wrong with it?
I bought 'regular' waxy potatoes from some supermarket.

Thanks!


texts: How to prevent dumplings from sticking together

texts:
I tried cooking dumplings for the first time a while back. Now I am trying for the second time.

Last time I made them, I used fresh pasta wonton wrappers. I set the edges of the wrappers and then folder them over. There was water getting all over the dumplings.

Then I put them in a pile when they were done.....they glued completely together. This time I want to prevent any chance of them sticking to each other.

Obviously the first step is not to pile the wet dumplings on top of each other. But I am also concerned they might stick when I boil them. They wrappers seems very thin a delicate and I don't want them to tear.

Should I use liberal amounts of flour on them at all stages? Or should I oil them instead before I boil them?


texts: Is it safe to drink grain alcohol mixed with snake blood?

texts:
I was in Vietnam recently and I took a shot of grain alcohol mixed with blood from a freshly killed cobra.

That was close to a month ago and I didn't die or get sick, but I'm wondering how dangerous this was.  The cobra was definitely of the venomous sort.  What are the risks posed here?


texts:
What benefit should I expect from longer chilling of brioche dough? My recipe calls for kneading, allowing the dough to rise until doubled, chilling (without deflating) for one hour, deflating, chilling another hour, deflating by business envelope folding twice, then chilling for at least 6 hours up to two days.

The recipe says longer chilling allows the dough to "ripen". I kind of understand that as it relates to a tangier dough like a ciabatta or certainly a sourdough, but brioche is so cake-like, I can't imagine how "ripening" will affect the flavor? Also, I plan to braid the loaf. Will longer chilling make that easier? Are there any cons to resting/chilling longer than the minimum 6(+2) hours that I should consider?


texts:
I cooked some sausages sous vide at about 158F for a few hours. Usually I cook sausage in my pan until it hits an internal temperature of about 155 and it climbs to 165 and they are incredibly juicy. They are 30% fat and I made them myself, so fat is not an issue here. I subsequently used a torch to brown them.

I cooked them sous vide due to convenience rather than wanting the sous vide experience. I expected them to be very juicy because they would be less cooked than in the pan (158 all the way through, and not just in the centre), but they turned out significantly more dry.

Why were my sous vide sausages drier than my pan sausages?

I have two hypotheses, and am open to others:
1. Cooking sous vide resulted in an overall lower temperature, but cooking the sausages longer forced out more fat.
2. When I browned them with the torch, the outside skin shrivelled a bit and some holes appeared because the torch is so hot. I don't think this cooked the sausages any more, but perhaps rupturing the membrane and slightly constricting the casing may have pushed out some of the fat.

Any other ideas?


texts: Pan-frying marinated meat without making a huge mess?

texts:
I love marinated meat, I love the extra flavor that the marinade adds to it. However, I don't always have the option to BBQ it, so sometimes I have to use a frying pan.

However, this always creates a huge, huge mess. The oil in the pan seems to not like the marinade, it immediately starts to crackle and boil, spilling hot oil everywhere.

I thought that I didn't use enough oil, so today I used a bit more, but that made it even worse. Using less oil seems to make it hard to actually get good meat, that is meat that is NOT a lump of coal on the outside and raw inside.

So I thought I'd ask for advice here :)


texts: Is there a reason to not just cut chestnuts through before cooking them?

texts:
Most instruction on cooking chestnuts (I'm going to boil them specifically) tell you to score them with an X. I know this is so the steam from the inside has somewhere to escape.

If I'm fine with just having halves/quarters of flesh, is there a reason why I shouldn't just cut through them entirely? Seems like it'd be less persnickety to do, especially with a sharp chef's knife designed for chopping/slicing in the first place. (I have a pound and a half to process and scoring is a silly amount of work.)


texts: Home made pickled peppers without sodium - botulism risk?

texts:
I found a recipe for fresh homemade pickled peppers.

I went ahead and made it today but now I'm freaking out about whether or not I'm going to be able to eat it because of botulism. It's a no sodium recipe, so there's no salt to help the brine.

I boiled the peppers for five minutes, then I chopped them up, chopped some garlic, put it all in a jar and poured apple cider vinegar over. I then let it sit for a minute, closed the lid, let it sit for another 10 minutes and put it in he fridge.

Is this safe or not? I'm not in the best health so I can't afford a serious thing like botulism...


texts: Can I use dried dates instead of fresh ones for baking a cake? The dates should build the base of the cake

texts:
I have a cake recipe, which is based on a mixture of 250 g dates and 200 g almonds, which is mixed in the end. Can I use dried dates instead of fresh ones?

The full recipe is, for 10-12 pieces:

6 eggs, separated
200 g almonds
250 g dates (without seeds)
200 ml water
40 g cocoa

Heat the oven at 175 °C
Beat the egg yolk and  egg white separately. Crush the almonds to powder; give dates, water egg yolk and cocoa into and mix it. Gently fold the egg white in.
Bake it for about 20 minutes.

The recipe is named "Klitschkuchen" in Germany, which roughly means "very wet cake", but unfortunately I don't know a real English translation.


texts: Is it safe to use 'food safe' hard plastic for hot liquids?

texts:
Searching the internet, I found a lot of sites and articles saying that you should not use plastic containers for hot liquids, like plastic cups for coffee. But I was not able to find an answer for whether this applies to hard plastic with the 'food safe' (wine glass and fork) icon.
More specifically, I use plastic bowls like this for soups, ramen, etc. And I am wondering if this is safe. The bowl is bought in Norway, in case that makes a difference. I do not see any other symbols on it.


texts:
I have 2 lbs of carnaroli rice and 1 lb of arborio rice, both the same brand. I need to make a recipe calling for 3 lbs total. The basic recipe on both boxes call for the same amount of liquid, but I've heard that some people use 1/2 the liquid for carnaroli rice.

I'm wondering if I mix them, will it turn out fine? Is there some adjustment I should make? Just keep stirring and adding liquid until I like the consistency?


texts:
So I have about ten pounds of ground goat, ten pounds of goat sausage, and 2 racks of goat ribs. This is an ongoing supply, my folks keep meat goats so goat is cheap and plentiful.

The meat isn't particularly gamy, but it does have a bit of a gamy flavor. Right now I want to take some goat meat and make a cottage pie (potatoes over meat over crust). I have two questions:

1- I love pie crust, but my cottage pie never really holds together in a pie slice. What can I do to give it more consistency?

2- What can I do to minimize the gamy flavor of the goat?


texts: Precise cooking time: how to figure it out

texts:
How do you figure out the exact time how long to cook something?

Do you use binary search?


texts: What's the beef cut with solid, thick bone?

texts:
I need a cut of beef with very specific requirements. I'm interested in bone first:

It should have it medullary cavity approximately in the size of a small finger.
It should have compact (dense, cohesive) bone walls as thick as possible.
It should be cut perpendicularly to the bone, in a way that does not create fracture.

Seasoning and cooking it to preserve bone strength may be a  follow up question, but it is out  of scope for now. Now I want to know:

What cut I should ask a butcher for?

I want meat and bone, for specific aesthetic purpose. I want it to be edible, but artistic vision comes first.


texts: How prepared should a baked dessert be before a long transport?

texts:
I need to make a ~2.5-hour drive with a baked dessert (most likely a crisp/cobbler) but am unsure how prepared it should be beforehand. I suppose I have three options:

Prepare ingredients at origin and cook at origin
Prepare ingredients at origin but cook at destination
Prepare ingredients at destination and cook at destination

Which would be best in this situation?


texts: What material wok did I get while thrifting today?

texts:
I asked all 4 employees but nobody could tell me.
It is heavy, and it doesn't look like the same material as my cast iron pan.  A magnet sticks to it.

There are no markings on it at all. I think the red handles are silicone.

It is smooth and dark grey on the outside, and the inside is almost black and you can tell it's been well used.

Thank you!


texts: How do you substitute brown rice for white rice in recipes?

texts:
90% of recipes that use rice do so with white or Basmati. I would like to spice up my rice routine using these recipes, while having the health benefits of using brown rice - but it cooks in a much different fashion than white rice.

When substituting brown rice for white rice in a recipe, what should I adjust in terms of cooking time and technique?


texts: I recently acquired a pizza stone to use for baking bread. Other than pizza and bread, are there other uses for it in the kitchen?


texts: What accounts for the softer texture and sharper flavor of Italian ice creams?

texts:
I know that Italian ice cream (home made, most of all) doesn't use any stabilizers or gum ingredients.

How can they be made soft, and agreeable to taste?


texts: I have come across this food,  but I am not sure what it is called. This is a totally vegetarian food but looks like non vegetarian. It is made up of soya(soya beans). Does any one knows whats its real name and whether such food exists or not? Also, how organic/non artificial free from chemical is it? How Hygienic is it? What are the famous restaurants in the world for it? I have heard some Chinese restaurants which offers vegetarian Chinese food, is that the same?


texts: Are there any substitutes for squash puree?

texts: I am trying to make a recipe that calls for squash puree. Unfortunately, I am unable to find any in stores. Is there a good substitute?


texts: What's the easiest dough for a Lemon Pie that still tastes good?

texts: What dough would you recommend for when you need to wrap up a lemon pie fairly quickly?


texts:
I want to make my own salami but I'm interested in alternative ways to lower the ph of the meat. I have people in the house with dependency issues so using wine in any sort of food (Like the recipe says) is a big No-No. I was thinking maybe some sort of citrus to reduce the ph. Maybe Citric Acid or lemon juice. I'm not sure how that would end up though.

Any advice would be appreciated.


texts: Ingredient Identification: Hong Kong restaurant spicy spice

texts:
I was at a fast food restaurant in Hong Kong which was apparently popular for its spicy dishes - there were cartoons on the walls and lots of red peppers everywhere.  It looked like a chain, sort of on the level of In-N-Out or Five Guys, but with spicy ramen.  My wife and I ordered different dishes and they both were, well, spicy.

But! This spicy-ness was a different sensation than I've had before or since, and I can't find what was causing it!  The best way I can explain it is lots of little ants with hot feet running around on my palate.  This isn't very appetizing, I realize, but it was delicious - usually, hot foods will spread out evenly around one's palate, but this was (I'll try again) like those "pinhead" toys where each bit of hotness was a separate point (rain on a tin roof?) It was delicious!

I hope I've given enough clues for someone to tell us what the heck this was!


texts: Ate steak with the layer of fat kind of undercooked, is it dangerous?

texts:
I bought a nice steak from a very good butcher yesterday. It was marinated in garlic and oil.

Tonight, I cooked it for about three minutes on each side (probably more).

The layer of fat on the steak, when I cut into it, was still kinda pink. It looked "raw". I ate it (or basically, sucked the juices out because I couldn't eat the fat as it wasn't breaking down [it never does really]), and it tasted great, but I'm a bit worried that it was dangerous.

Like I said, I fried it for at least 3 minutes on each side (the two sides). The rest of the steak was fine -- probably about medium to well-done, just the layer of fat on one end which was attached to the meat was kind of pink and fleshy. I think it's the bit that connects the fat to the rest of meat that was pink, and maybe some of the meat nearby it as well.

Will I get ill?

I saw the other thread on eating undercooked steak but I think my thread is different.


texts: Low tech strategies for keeping food warm

texts: I need to cook food from the middle ages and bring it to school for a project. How can I keep the food warm without using innovative appliances?


texts: My cake crumbled on the top and took very long time to cook

texts:
This time I didn't have much white sugar, so I added half cup brown and half cup white sugar to my carrot cake.

I observed that the cake crumbled on the top with large cracks, and took very long time to cook as compared to previous same cake in which I had used just white sugar.

The change that I did to the cake was to add half cup brown sugar. The taste was same as before.

Can brown sugar be the culprit here?


texts: I don't know how old it is, but I inherited it from my mother-in-law and she always bought good quality stuff, so it could be 40 years old, but it is still in great shape. I am trying to learn some Chinese cooking and I have a recipe that calls for heating sesame oil over high heat. The heating element goes from 100 dig F to 400 dig F. I set it to 350 dig F, added the sesame oil heated it for less than a minute then added the garlic. The garlic burned almost instantly (within 10 seconds). Is the temperature too high? Or could it be the heating element is just getting old?


texts: Is it safe to boil water in a microwave?

texts:
Our electric kettle broke. So this morning I used the microwave to boil water for the first cup of coffee.

Only thing is - the water in south Africa is not really the best of quality when you get it from the tap. I presume using a kettle kills of some of the bacteria that is still in the water.

So my question is:

Is it safe to boil water in the microwave and then consuming it in coffee? What other complication might boiling water in the microwave bring other than from a bacterial point of view?


texts:
I buy meat from a supermarket which is around £5-£10 per kilo for most types of meat.  At my local bucher, I buy high quality meat for ~£10/kg.

I think perhaps online I could get a better deal, buy bigger quantities etc.  But no!  Normal online prices seem to start at £20/kg all the way up to £55/kg!  So many sites sell rip off 'meat boxes' as well.

Why is it so expensive?  I want to make regular 10kg beef orders (1 per quarter probably) to make lots of beef jerky but I just can't find anywhere online where this wont bleed my bank account dry!

Why is it so expensive online?


texts: Why does canned mango pulp have no vitamin A?

texts: Mango contains plenty of vitamin A (http://www.thefruitpages.com/chartmango.shtml). I have some frozen mango which confirms this on the bag. However, a can of mango pulp says that it has 0% of the daily recommended amount. Why is that?


texts: I forgot to add brown sugar to my chocolate chip cookies......and didn't realize I forgot the brown sugar until it was done cooking

texts: I remembered everything else, it taste fine but a little bland. Even though i already cooked it, is there anything I can do to make it taste better?


texts: Does abalone have any unique nutritional value that justifies its lofty prices?

texts:
I read that wild abalone's illegal to sell and unsustainable, but abalone is still  expensive to farm as they grow slowly and the algae and kelp for their diet are expensive.

I read https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/finfish-and-shellfish-products/4178/2 and https://www.eatthismuch.com/food/nutrition/abalone,3405/, but I don't know enough science to judge: are there nutrients unique to abalone that justifies its lofty prices? Or is abalone pricey only because of abalone's expensive production costs?
Is there any cheaper (combination of) foods that can yield the same nutrition?


texts: Grey mushroom cream sauce - why so dark?

texts:
I've attempted making an Alfredo sauce many times in the past: With flour+butter, without, many different recipes that none have achieved an actual white color. The mushrooms and onion tint the whole sauce in this grey shade which isn't very appetizing. Any tips or tricks for a sauce that's actually white?
Thanks.


texts: Cooking defrosted then rechilled beef in a slow cooker

texts:
Is it  safe to cook 500 grams of browned diced beef in a slow cooker?
This beef was defrosted in the fridge, browned and placed back in the fridge overnight to place in the slow cooker the next morning.


texts: How much "buffer" or margin of error is in food safety guidelines?

texts:
When I read food safety guidelines, I always get the sense that I should run for the decon shower if I even look at a piece of raw meat. I have to fight the urge to sprint home with my groceries lest the eggs become poisonous on the way. If I thaw meat from the freezer, I worry that one misstep will kill me.

But rationally, I know none of that is true. Aside from the fact that I've been cooking for myself for decades, and I'm still here, we simply wouldn't be here as a species if it were that hard to cook safely. And then there's this thread from a couple of years ago, which seems to say that there's a fair amount of subjectivity in food safety procedures. (But this thread takes a stricter line.)

So: how much difference is there between official food safety doctrine and actual danger? Are there rules that are just oversimplifications in order to minimize human error?

Update

This is not a duplicate of this question. More specifically, the question is similar, but the accepted answer on the other thread doesn't actually address the question of fault tolerance.


texts: What is the appearance of expired brown sugar?

texts: I have a bag of brown sugar that I never noticed in my cupboard, and I needed it for a cookie recipe that I decided to make today. The brown sugar has been there for about a year, and it looks really packed together. Is it safe to use?


texts: Is it possible to make cookies without creaming the butter?

texts:
I love to make some cookies but have limited kitchen appliances. I don't want to cream the butter and sugar by hand -- I did that before and it was not fun!

Is it possible to make good cookies without creaming the butter and sugar or should I just buy a hand-mixer?


texts:
I recently spotted grapeseed oil at Costco.

I've been considering switching over from Canola oil; are there any culinary advantages or disadvantages of grapeseed oil over Canola or other cooking oils?


texts: Secrets to making crystal clear gelatin?

texts:
As I've mentioned in another question, I'm attempting to make a large block of gelatin.  Unfortunately, my first few attempts come out a bit amber in hue, using just water, sugar, gelatin and clear flavoring.

After some research, I found a video on making clear gelatin in which they:

used a different brand of gelatin
bloomed the gelatin in less liquid than I had
added citric acid
heated it for quite some time

I suspect that they also used a lower gelatin to water ratio.  (I need this quite stiff, as it'll be an unsupported cube about 10 inches (25cm) on each side.)

In looking at their images, I think that there's still a little hue to their solution, but I'm not sure which of the differences are most significant to the process.  Does anyone know?


texts: How do I remove small grounds when using a french press?

texts:
When I use a french press to brew coffee, there always is some small grounds with the coffee.

I have adjust the grinder to make coarse grounds, but this does not help a lot.

Can I remove these annoying grounds without a filter?


texts: What is the difference between normal salt and salt of guérande?

texts:
What is the difference between the salt of guérande sel de guérande and normal salt ?

I have a truffle flavored sel de guérande, which have nearly the same taste of normal salt if it doesn't contain truffle flavor.


texts:
I'm currently making a plain chicken broth with the carcasses. It's currently at a low simmer and will be for the next few hours.

If I place a lid on the pot, will it affect the clarity of the broth somehow? I have in the back of my mind that placing a lid can make it cloudy for some reason, but I'm not sure if my mind is making up things or if this is a cooking myth or if it is actually the case somehow.

Leaning towards either cooking myth or my brain making things up again.


texts: Why doesn't my cheese cake rise when cooked in a water bath?

texts: When I cook a cheesecake using the water bath method, the cheesecake does not rise. It stays flat.  How do I make my cheesecake rise?


texts: Preparing pork belly: Odd barn yard flavor

texts:
This might be a very silly question, but I'm sort a pork newbie.

Anyway, I recently went to the butchers and bought a big slab of pork belly, to make crackling.

Immediately, I noticed it had a very "farm-y" smell. I rinsed the pork belly but the smell was still there, mostly in the skin. I prepared it by steam cooking it in the oven for about three or four hours. But the smell made it impossible to eat, as the barn yard stench permeated the entire pork belly. It was nothing like what I'm used to when eating pork belly in a restaurant for example.

My question then is: Did I screw something up in the preparation, or did I get a bad piece of meat or what happened?


texts: Can you make porridge out of P.A.N. harina?

texts: I don't have proper polenta, but I do have P.A.N. arepa flour, can you successfully make a porridge similar to  soft polenta or grits out of this type of cornmeal?  What ratio of liquids is required?


texts: Adding liquid to Le Creuset Casserole during cooking

texts: My Mum had just purchased a Le Creuset Casserole with enamel coating and is wondering how you add liquid to it when it is already hot without cracking the enamel? This not only includes water, but wine and beer as well.


texts: Chances of getting sick from reusing utensils after checking chicken doneness

texts:
So last night I was cooking dinner for a friend, not at my house, and they don't own an instant read thermometer.  I put the chicken breasts (boneless with skin on and wing attached from a local farm) into a preheated 375 degree oven.  After 45 minutes I checked them and they looked done but the juices we're still a bit cloudy, but not any pink.  I decided to be on the safe side and put them in for another 15 minutes.

Afterwards when I checked them again and then cut them into pieces I used the same utensils I'd used to check them the first time.

What are the chances of someone getting sick from this? I'm assuming very low, but she has a 1 year old that ate a couple bites of it as well.  I'm usually very careful around chicken but I wasn't thinking.


texts:
I was shown this recipe for choricitos a la sidra -- small chorizo sausages cooked in cider. From the pictures it's not obvious if the sausage used is fresh (raw) or cured (ready to eat).

 (Image courtesy of https://cookpad.com)

I'm thinking that there's not much sense in boiling cured choricitos (if such thing even exists) and the recipe implies raw sausage. However, I'm hoping to learn from those more familiar with Spanish/Portuguese cuisine: what's the usual way of making choricitos a la sidra -- from raw or cured chorizo?


texts:
WARNING - IF YOU HAVE A PET SNAKE LOOK AWAY NOW!

The quest continues!  The back story to this question is:  My friend is competing in a competition, the main ingredient should be lizard, however I pointed out to her that some people didn't like talking about lizard.  I suggested snake, yes, she can cook snake, and be judged on that, as there will be other snake dishes being offered.

Now, I've eaten snake, and found it quite palatable, but I have never personally cooked one.

I asked what equipment they will have access to: BBQ grill, oven, broiler, hot plate for pans. I asked if there were any other requirements as per the ingredients - no she can use what ever she like.

I found this recipe for fried rattlesnake with ham gravy particularly interesting, but am struggling with the coffee bit in it.  Not quite sure why it calls for that, and to my mind sounds wrong - so the question is:  what can she substitute for coffee in this recipe and what does the coffee achieve?


texts: Can I prevent hot pepper sauce losing heat?

texts:
I regularly make a few different condiments with hot peppers:

Pico de Gallo (tomato, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime, salt)
Pepper Sauce consisting of habanero, garlic, lime, culantro, salt
Variation on above using dry roasted chile de arbol in stead of the habanero

In every case I've noticed a significant decline in heat after the first day, then a slow and steady decline as time goes on The taste immediately after preparation can border on unbearably hot, while on the proceeding days it can become almost what I would call mild.

Why does this happen and can anything be done about it?  I'm wondering if it's possible that any of the ingredients I use are having a chemical reaction with the capsaicin causing the loss in heat.  Or is it storage related?  Or is this simply something that cannot be avoided once you cut and grind the peppers?

UPDATE:

For the record I think this is fairly reproducible:

Get the hottest peppers you can imagine.
Grind them up with some water, salt and lime juice.
Taste and experience the hopefully insane level of heat.
Refrigerate & taste again in a few days. Notice how it's not as hot as before?


texts: Is mechanically separated beef legal in products in the U.S.?

texts:
I was shopping on line at a major supermarket and noticed  items from major brands that the ingredients list lists mechanically separated pork and chicken. I don't know about the pork or chicken but as for the beef I found the following link.
https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/What-is-Mechanically-Separated-Meat-MSM#:~:text=At%20that%20time%20the%20use,for%20use%20as%20human%20food.


texts: When making french press coffee, what is the purpose of blooming the grounds?

texts:
When making french press coffee, you are often instructed to "bloom" the grounds by adding a small quantity of boiling water, stirring the grounds into a slurry, and then adding the rest of the water.

What I don't understand is... Why?

For clarification, most other situations where you are instructed to bloom something it makes sense to me - cornstarch being added to soup needs to fully hydrate before it hits the hot water to not get clumpy, "active dry" baking yeast needs to dissolve the pellets and start releasing nutrients to the yeast before being diluted in the dough, and gelatin needs to hydrate fully being integrated with other ingredients without clumping. The coffee case seems mysterious to me.


texts: Why does a brown paper bag speed ripening?

texts:
I often see this technique suggested as a way to speed ripening. Why does it?

Also, is there any data available on how fast it ripens comparatively?


texts: I opened my bag of beets and there is a bit of mold on some of them.  Are they safe to cook and eat.  Also are they safe to use for pickled beets?


texts: Correct measurement for chicken broth powder to water

texts:
I have some concentrated chicken broth powder in a jar but no instructions that explains how it should be mixed with water.

What is the standard chicken broth powder to water mixture?

I know that the concentrations may differ depending on the product, but assuming this product is on par with the average?


texts: Sous Vide Pork Butt Char Siew (Chinese BBQ)

texts:
I want to make Char Siew (Chinese BBQ pork).  I also want to try it sous vide up to medium rare, then finished under the broiler to get that nice caramelized outside while basting. This way it ends up medium.  My question is, I'm using pork butt, but it's pork butt that I've broken down into long strips about 4" wide and 1.5" thick.  I was planning to cook these about 2.5-3 hours in the water bath at 135 degrees Fahrenheit.

Is this not long enough for this cut of meat, even at this thickness?

My main concern is safety, but I also want the meat to have enough of the fat rendered and meat at least somewhat tender.


texts: Why is it necessary to remove skins from soybeans before making soymilk?

texts:
I have made soymilk and tofu a few times. All the recipes I have looked at say that you must remove the skins from soybeans before making soymilk, but none of the recipes explain why you must do this. It's kind of a pain and I'd like to skip that step if I could do so without ruining the end product. Do you know why it is suggested that we remove the skins from soybeans before making soymilk and if it is worth the time and effort?
Thank you very much for your advice!


texts:
I'm currently making iced green tea by placing two green tea bags into 500 ml of water and moving the bags arround for 2 to 5 minutes before placing the whole mixture into the fridge in a sealed container. After a few hours I remove the tea bags leaving the iced tea in the fridge until it is wanted.

So far I have made flavoured iced green tea by either using flavoured tea bags or by adding honey and/or lemon. I would like to be able to add flavour without using flavoured tea bags and would like some ideas on other flavours to try as honey and lemon is pretty basic?


texts:
The ideal goal is to replicate something similar to Welch's Fruit Snacks. We want something that is firm, flavorful, and not sticky. Has anyone come up with a delicious fruit snack recipe?

Here is what has been attempted:

Mix ingredients on medium heat in saucepan until fully dissolved. Pour into mold (ice cube tray is what we we're using), let sit for 20 minutes (we put it in the fridge for 20+). We used the same process for the following:

Experiment 1

2 packets (0.25 ounce each) unflavored gelatin
1/3 can Fruit Punch 100% fruit juice concentrate

Experiment 2

2 packets (0.25 ounce each) unflavored gelatin
1/3 can Fruit Punch 100% fruit juice concentrate
1/2 ounce sugar in the raw
1/2 ounce corn starch

Experiment 3

1/3 cup water
2 packets (0.25 ounce each) unflavored gelatin
1 packet (3 oz) Strawberry-Banana Jell-o

So all of the experiments ended up sticky, difficult to pry from the ice cube tray. Experiment 2 was delicious, but didn't feel like a fruit snack.

What can be done to improve consistency (make it more solid) and decrease stickiness?

Update

Experiment 4

2 packets (0.25 ounce each) unflavored gelatin
1/3 can Fruit Punch 100% fruit juice concentrate
1/2 ounce sugar in the raw
1/2 ounce corn starch
1 tsp coconut oil

Experiment 4 was definitely less sticky, and didn't take much work to get it out of the ice cube tray! I also took the advice from an answer below and poured some of the contents into a corn starch mold, unfortunately the exterior of the fruit snack became hard from the corn starch, and was not a pleasure to consume. Going into this I had no knowledge of how much coconut oil to put in, and the fruit snacks had little bits of coconut oil in them, so I think I'll try to decrease the amount for the next experiment.

Update 2

Experiment 5

2 packets (0.25 ounce each) unflavored gelatin
1/3 can Fruit Punch 100% fruit juice concentrate
1/2 ounce sugar in the raw
1/4 ounce corn starch
1 tsp pectin

Experiment 6

2 packets (0.25 ounce each) unflavored gelatin
1/3 can Fruit Punch 100% fruit juice concentrate
1 ounce sugar in the raw
1/2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp pectin

Experiment 5 & 6 are still not quite there yet. They still are somewhat sticky in the trays. I've also recently learned that it's best to add each ingredient and mix it in individually, instead of adding them all and trying to mix all together. I've had issues trying to get the corn starch/pectin to dissolve.

I encourage everyone to try to make some of these using the experiments so you can see what we're producing, and that may also help come up with further ideas to generate an excellent fruit snack!


texts: Is there a way to safely can pesto sauce?

texts:
I grow basil and I have enough that I would like to can some pesto sauce.

I have tried to find a way to can it but I keep hitting a wall.

I would like to give a few cans of pesto to people for Christmas.

Can anyone help me?


texts: Does celery powder have any non-preservative use?

texts: Recently I've been seeing an increasing number of packages with labels such as "Contains no added nitrates or nitrites (except those naturally occurring in the celery juice powder)".  Does celery powder have any use other than as a method of sneaking nitrates into things?


texts: Graham cracker crust too salty for cheesecake

texts:
My first cheesecake was too salty, particularly around the crust, and I want to know what could have caused it.

One possibility is that I mismeasured the salt, although I do not make that mistake often. I doubt it was the use of sea salt as it is usually less salty.

So I got to wondering if it could be that I used salted butter. (I buy salted butter because the ingredients are salt and butter, whereas the unsalted has natural flavors added.) Is this something I should adjust for?


texts:
I have heard about "polvo à feira" (Pulpo a la Gallega/Spannish style octopus) and I went on a search for recipes.

In one of my findings (https://youtu.be/bHSjnzNvJYo), I have seen Eric Ripert boiling the octopus with ham, celery,  parsley, onion, garlic and seasonings (black pepper and paprika), in a process that he called a "broth".

As I am not familiar with it, is there advantages of doing a "broth" instead of a simple boil (in which one can add an onion) when it comes to the flavor?


texts: What is a more common substitute for Shaoxing cooking wine?

texts: I have never cooked with Shaoxing wine, so I'm not sure what would be its best substitute.


texts: What is the diference between a quinoa burger, a quorn burger, and a soya burger?

texts: I would like to know, what is the difference between a quinoa burger, a quorn burger, and a soya burger? Are their ingredients all different, or are some of these in common to the above? What about the industrial preparation process? And are quinoa and quorn just brand names of soya?


texts:
Most, if not all, of the lettuce I've seen has been uncooked, usually as a salad, wrap, or garnish. I don't recall ever seeing it being heated, even though visually similar leafy vegetables, like cabbage or kale, are often cooked. I have a feeling that this has something to do with the lettuce's water content, but that's just idle speculation.

Why isn't lettuce usually heated as part of the cooking process? I'm mainly looking for what happens when it is cooked that discourages people from cooking it, but I'd also like to know the scientific explanation. Instances of successful lettuce-cooking, if such exist, would be welcome, as well as explanations about what makes the cooking work in that particular situation.


texts: Need to replace my "Bean Pot" what should I look for?

texts:
I have this 5 quart, aluminum nonstick pot.

It is my go-to pot for candy making (fudge, toffee and brittles), jams and jellies. It also gets used for stews and chili.

The non-stick finish is wearing off so I'm looking to replace it. I really like the nonstick surface for candy and jam making, but don't like that it wears off.

I'm considering an enameled cast iron Dutch oven as a replacement.

Would enameled cast iron work well for candy making, jams and jellies, where controlling the temperature is very critical? (I'm sure there would be a learning curve).  I know that one these will be considerably heavier, but also more durable.

Or should I just replace my current pot with the same pot, and plan on replacing it when the finish starts to wear?

(There are also ceramic coated pots. I've never used any of these and don't know if I should be considering one.)


texts: When a recipe calls to reduce oven temperature mid-cooking, should you leave the door ajar until the oven reaches said temperature?

texts:
I have always wondered this. Many recipes will ask for 15-10 minutes browning at 450f and then continue cooking at 350f. But should you leave the door open until the oven hits said lower temperature, or just reduce the temperature mid cooking and be done with it?

What yields a better result?


texts: How can I make use of an underripe mango

texts:
I bought a mango this morning that seemed to be ripe; at least it was the ripest of the bunch. I'm somewhat acquainted with picking out red/green mangoes, but this was my first exposure to yellow mangoes, and I apparently chose poorly.

After slicing up the whole thing, I realized my mistake, and as it is, the fruit is so sour it is inedible.

If it were a lesser fruit (say, a nectarine), I might just toss it, but I'm trying to be resourceful, and mangoes are not inexpensive around here, so I'd like to make use of it. What uses are there for an underripe mango? I thought of simmering it with milk and a little sugar, but I can only guess as to how how things would turn out.


texts: Using the same baking paper as always, suddenly my bread sticks, what's happening?

texts:
I regularly bake bread (1+ times a week). I usually reuse a sheet of baking paper a few times, and for the last 20+ times it has been from the same roll. Now suddenly the last two breads I made are completely stuck to the (new sheet of) paper after baking. I have to cut off the bottom after slicing the bread.

What is happening? Some people told me certain brands of baking paper have two sides, one shiney (non-stick). Today I actually checked which side I was using and made sure to use the shiney side, but again it got completely stuck.
I thought the dough might be a bit too wet, but it wasn't that wet. Definitely not wetter than I've sometimes had in the past without problems.


texts: Prevent uneven browning with breadcrumb chicken?

texts:
I love pan-fried breadcrumb chicken, but I don't know how to get the breadcrumbs to brown evenly. I dip the chicken breasts in egg, then cover them in breadcrumbs, melt butter in the pan on medium heat, and then put the chicken breasts in the pan.

By the time the first side finishes, however, all the butter has burned off and when I flip the chicken breasts, the other side cooks very unevenly. I could add more butter, but it seems like I'm using too much already.

What can I do to get the breadcrumbs on each side to brown evenly


texts:
Different flours have different levels of humidity, or they absorb different amounts of water during mixing. It would be useful to be able to measure the dough humidity to judge the ratio of ingredients and avoid a failed batch.

This is especially useful when variations on the choice of flours are done, so that the "tested" formula does not apply anymore.

Are there cheap tools to do it?


texts:
I would like to know the purpose of large spring onions and bay leaves and baking soda when soaking beans overnight as in the following picture.

Is it for cleaning the beans, killing germs, easing in on the smell, or adding flavoring?

What other sort of seasoning can be added when soaking beans eight hours overnight prior to cooking?


texts: How much time do I need to achieve a smokey flavor in bbq?

texts:
What is the minimum amount of time that I need to smoke food (in particular meat) in a smoker to achieve a noticeable smokey taste (assuming I have plenty of smoke)?

Is there a maximum time after which smoking will not appreciably add to the smokey taste? If so, does this imply that I can switch cooking methods without adversely affecting flavor (for instance transition from wood to charcoal, smoker to oven, or wrap in foil)?

Is smoking more effective for flavor transfer at the beginning of cooking rather than the end?

Do these answers vary based on what type of meat is being smoked?


texts: Sous-vide - What does circulation accomplish?

texts: Sous-vide has been on my radar for a while, but there is no way I am going to spend $500 for a new kitchen toy, nor have I been terribly excited about the do-it-yourself projects that I've seen over the last few years. Now I see a plug-n-play unit that's reasonably priced (not to mention cutely named) dorkfood, so I'm looking at sous-vide again. I notice that many of the more expensive units are "circulators", others are "ovens". Is the circulation just a way to heat water as it passes through the heating unit, or does movement of the water affect the cooking process? If it does have an effect, what is it?


texts: Can I keep mulled wine on the stove for longer

texts:
I'll be making mulled wine for the very first time.  I'll be preparing it an hour in advance, more or less.

Once I've completed the recipe can I keep it on the stove on low or low-mid setting for another hour or two without risking any unpleasant taste to it ? If not, how can I keep it warm to hot for that long at home ?


texts:
Being visually impaired, looking at the color of a utensil doesn't tell me whether it's silver or not, so I'm wondering if there are other easy ways than simply "tasting the utensil" to tell if it is silver or (stainless) steel.

I'm wondering mainly because I've understood placing silver items in the dishwasher may cause discoloration in both the stainless steel and the silver itself.


texts:
As a Barista, I have been playing around with different coffee flavours and creations.  Now I have been thinking of also adding textural elements in the coffee.  I was hoping somebody could give me a quick guide on how to make spheres out of coffee.

As I don't know anything about molecular gastronomy, I am not sure if things like acidity level will influence the creation of a sphere. I have also heard that the amounts of what I guess would be some sort of gelling or setting agent, need to be perfectly measured out to the amounts of liquid used.


texts: What is the difference between ice cream, gelato, and sorbet? They look different, but are they made differently?


texts: Can I pasteurize milk using a microwave?

texts:
In our country, we get fresh milk from the milkman and it is usually boiled in a pan over a fire to pasteurize it before we consume the milk. In my office, we do not have gas connection, so I can't use that method.

Can I use the microwave as an alternate source of heat to boil the milk? Will the milk become pasteurized during the heating process in the microwave?


texts:
I have some bread that should still be good for few days that now smells like vinegar.  There is no mold, ect. on it that makes it look bad.  It is store bought whole grain bread with some oatmeal, if that matters.

Personally, I've never known bread to smell like vinegar, even when it has gone bad.  So what would cause it?


texts: Which cooking method gives the leanest bacon?

texts: I've recently discovered the joy that is baking bacon. It's made me curious: does baked bacon render out more fat than pan-fried? How about microwaved?


texts: I am planning on making a sweet potato gratin.  Can I slice the sweet potatoes the day before and keep them in the refrigerator?


texts: How to prepare a vegetable base using roasted squash for savory tomato-chunk soup

texts:
I am looking to prepare a roasted squash soup base/stock. I plan on pairing the meal with a stout beer tasting. How do i go from roasted squash and asparagus to having a flavor dense but low volume soup base/broth/stock to pour over/mix with my onions on the initial sauté?

The primary concern here is that I am going to be making a vegan, chunky tomato-based soup, but i want most of the flavor to come from the vegetable stock. As such, I don't want to have much water content and will be adding things like celery and corn later on. even if the stock will come out as a gravy I am not worried much about consistency as the soup will cook for about four hours.

(*) I am not fixed on squash necessarily if a lower water volume vegetable might help I will consider that an answer as long as it is savory and on par with squash's eathiness and can be roasted for use in a soup stock


texts: Does it matter if I heat water and mik together and pour it in the instant coffee altogether?

texts:
Often I have heard that first we need to add little hot water and then mix the coffee properly and then add hot water and then add milk to taste.

Since instant coffee can be mixed easily, will it make a difference if I heat water and milk together and put it all at once in the cup and coffee and then mix everything?


texts:
Bean sprouts are a common ingredient in stir-fry recipes, but they don't seem to last very long in my fridge.

How can I keep bean sprouts fresh for the maximum amount of time?


texts: I generally defrost my meat in microwave, I think it is recommended to immediately cook the meat after defrosting this way. But I also like to marinate my meat after defrosting, is it unsafe to do so?


texts: What should I check when buying a pineapple?

texts:
I live in middle Europe so pineapple (so called "ananas") is an exotic fruit for me.

What should I check when buying a pineapple to make sure it would taste well? Should it smell specific? Should it be soft or hard? Should it be big or small?

I believe this questions is valid for other regions as well. Is it?


texts: Why do grape sodas taste radically different between US and Europe?

texts:
I am talking about these super sugary artificially flavored sodas, or candies for that matter.

When I was a child and we went from France to the United States, I had absolutely NO idea that I was drinking a grape soda because the flavors are so different there was absolutely no relation to any flavor I ever had.

Later, as a traveling adult, I noticed that this hasn't changed. The 'super artificial made for kids grape flavor' of US products does not exist at all in the EU countries I know well (France, Spain, Malta, Germany), I don't recall ever tasting it in any of the other EU countries as well (I've been to most).

The opposite is more nuanced; I've tasted some US products (that were more 'adult' flavors) that were closer to the European ones.

The question is why is there such a massive difference in taste to the point the flavors can't be recognized as the same fruit (in theory)?
The opposite is almo


texts:
I'd like to bake a chicken. Let's say it's already washed, marinated, sitting on tray and ready to bake. I usually do it at 180 degrees C, for 1 hour. My main problem is that the skin is not crunchy enough and the meat is kind of "wet" and watery.

I'd like to know what will change if I bake it longer at this temperature, or if I bake it for the same time at higher temperature. Basically, how does temperature, baking time and air flow (optional ventilation in the oven) affect the meat. I guess I should experiment, but I'd like to understand the underlying processes a bit.


texts:
I have a recipe for bourbon braised spare ribs which calls for boiling the following sauce in a pan and then pouring it over 1lb  ribs (boneless or bone in) and braised in the oven for several hours.

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
3/4 cup bourbon
1 T. honey
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 cloves garlic
1 medium onion, sliced

So I decided to use this sauce over a 2 lb brisket in the slow cooker. I doubled the sauce recipe since I was using double the meat and wanted a lot of liquid to cover the meat. I mixed the sauce in a bowl and poured it into the slow cooker over the meat (without pre-boiling the sauce). I cooked for 10 hours on low and the meat was soft and juicy and just right. However, there was quite a bitter taste, which I'm assuming is from the whiskey. Is it because I doubled the recipe? Or because the whiskey had to first be boiled and then cooked on low?


texts:
So, the wife and I are in charge of New Years dinner. That involves 2 5-lb boston butts.

One dutch oven is allclad, the other dutch oven is cast iron. The braising recipe calls for 8-10 hours on low in a slow cooker, or 4-5 hours at 325 in a dutch oven.

If we try to braise with both pots in the oven, how will that impact cooking time? Will it increase cooking time since we have 2 pots?


texts: With vs without egg fresh pasta cooking time

texts:
If you have identically sized/shaped/thickness of fresh pasta noodles, with egg and without, is there any difference in cooking time?
My son and his girlfriend are vegetarian and vegan, so I'm looking to make an Italian pasta dish next time we get together for a meal. Most of the recipes I see for fresh pasta are for recipes with eggs.
Any difference in cooking time?


texts: How to Adjust Biscotti Recipe When Using Salted Pistachios

texts:
I am making biscotti.  The recipe calls for the following:

2 C flour
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
3/4 C whole pistachios

The only shelled pistachios I could find were already salted, with sea salt.
Given these ratios, should I adjust the amount of salt I will add to the recipe?
EDIT:  Thank you for the responses.  Since there seemed to be no way to control the saltiness, I ended up seeking out an unsalted lot.  This recipe was sweet, by the way.  And it came out great.


texts: What to do with layer of fat on pork spareribs?

texts:
So I got a nice big rack of ribs from an excellent butcher, and it has a fairly thick layer of fat.

Previously when I've bought ribs for smoking/slow cooking, That fat hasn't been there, and the ribs have been ready to receive my spice rub.

So my question is this:
What should/could I do with this fat?
Since I'll be putting it in my Kamado for slowcooking, I'd normally prepare the ribs similar to this video as seen in this picture

Currently I'm thinking of trimming most of the fat off and see how it goes...
Over the course of 4-6 hours, it should rend nicely, but I also want my spice rub on the meat itself...

Suggestions please? :-D


texts: What is the egg mixture used in gratins called in English?

texts:
This is one of these weird cases of synchronicity. I was wondering today how it is called in English. Then I answered a question, and needed the word for the answer.

The dishes I mean may not always be called gratins in English, sometimes they are called stew. They are a mix of diced vegetables and sometimes meat, mixed in a pan and put in the oven. When they are cooked enough (or when using parboiled vegetables), a mixture is poured over them. The mixture consists of eggs, a very small amount of flour, and one or more milk and fermented milk products. Soft or grated cheeses are sometimes mixed in or strewn on the surface to brown. The vegetables aren't swimming in the mixture, some of it seeps between them to fill the air pockets, but it mostly stays on top and sets and browns nicely.

I have only encountered this kind of dish in Mediterranean recipes. Typical examples are moussaka, ratatouile, gyuvech (although I know variants of all of them which don't have the mixture). In Germany, they'll be called a type of Auflauf, but an Auflauf is not necessary made with this eggy type of liquid, and I haven't heard a German name for the liquid either.

I wouldn't call it custard, as it is mainly used in savory dishes (although there are sweet variants where something else than vegetables is baked). Also, I haven't heard of custards without milk or cream, and these often contain something else, e.g. a mixture of yogurt and mashed feta. It isn't a batter either, the flour isn't enough to thicken it noticeably, and can sometimes be left out altogether. It is not a sauce, it is expected to set after baking.

Of course there is a probability that there isn't a name for it in English, because it isn't used often in English speaking countries. In this case, probably everybody could make up a well-sounding combination to refer to it, like "the egg mixture for moussaka crust". But I am not interested in such descriptive creations. What I am asking is, is there a single term which, when I say it without further qualifications, as in the sentence "I am making a [term]" will let my communication partner understand that I am cooking a dish of this kind and currently preparing the mixture for it.

Edit
I don't mean a word which describes the content of the thing (although such a word would be nice too, if it were used only for this type of liquid and not for other liquids with similar content like custard). I am expecting something more of a purpose-based word. A comparable word would be "topping": A topping could be smoked ham or caramel sauce, depending on the dish. But it always has the same function. In this regard, I'd say that bechamel can be used as [term] sometimes, as in mfg's answer. But I wouldn't think of bechamel when I say the word. They are definitely not synonyms. "Custard" is problematic for the same reason: it has many other uses.


texts: Do silicone baking mats come in 14x16" sizes?

texts:
I've really liked the non-stick silicone backing mats that I have.  I use them all the time.  They fit perfectly in our 12x16" jelly roll pans.  My cookie sheets are a bit bigger though at 14x16".  I could fit more on the sheets if I could find silicone mats that are two inches wider.

Are there silicone mats that are sized to fix 14x16" cookie sheets?


texts: When sauteing should I put onion or garlic first?

texts:
Most of the dishes here in the Philippines involved sauteing. But I am a little bit confused on what should I put first, are there any advantages on it?

Questions:

Should I put onion or garlic first whenever I am conducting a saute?
What are the advantages of putting onion first before garlic?
What are the advantages of putting garlic first before onion?


texts:
Whenever I broil something (like a piece of fish) in the oven, using either a 1/4 sheet pan or a 9 X 13 pan for example, any fats wind up burning onto the pan and I can't get the pan clean. It's almost like the pan which starts out nonstick winds up nonstick AND seasoned.

Is there a way to keep the pans from getting the fats burned on, even in the short time in the broiler, or is there a type of pan that resists the "seasoning" that goes on, so it's easier to get them clean?

As it stands now, we have a couple of pans that are safe to use in the broiler because they're already ruined. It would be nice to think there was a way to use whatever pan and not worry about it.


texts: Is there a difference between 'Saucisson Sec' and 'Salami'?

texts: Is there difference between Saucisson Sec and Salami?


texts: What are the pros/cons of serving the salad dish before/after the main dish?

texts:
I have noticed that most people in the US serve the salad course before the main dinner course. However, my Italian relatives and my boyfriend's Italian relatives serve the salad course after the main dinner course. (I am assuming it is an Italian or European difference.)

What are the benefits to serving the salad dish either before or after the main course. Does it aid in digestion? Palate cleansing?


texts:
I use the slow method of baking a meringue, as described here.

I'm aware that there is a fast method, but can't find it online. (Besides, I'd really prefer the human input garnered here!)

Currently, my knowledge would be to mix the meringue as with the slow method, spoon onto baking paper and put in a hot over (possibly 180c?) for 10 minutes.

I have tried that and ended up with the result shown here (though not in that particular instance.)

So, does anyone know what the fast meringue method is?


texts: How should I wash the potatoes before baking them?

texts: I bake Russet potatoes. I just washed them a little with cold water and then place them in a  baking pan after I put foil on the bottom of the pan. I do not peel them. Is this a good method or should I wait until they dry?


texts:
I just tried to bake some brown rice (350 degrees in a convection oven) in a white casserole dish that looks kind of like this. Anyway, after 30 minutes (what the recipe called for) it didn't work. The rice just sat there uncooked. So I dumped everything in a cast iron pot and got the job done. Why didn't the white dish work? The water was steaming when I took the dish out for the switch.

EDIT: the recipe called for 1 cup brown rice to 2.5 cups of water or low-sodium broth (I used water). This was same ratio on the rice's bag. Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes. I did not put a lid on it for the casserole dish or the iron skillet.


texts: Why isn't the Shapton Glass Stone 1000 Grit 5mm sharpening my WÜSTHOF 4596-7/20 Classic Ikon 8-Inch Cook's Knife?

texts:
My grandpa bought the Shapton Glass Stone 1000 Grit 5mm
to sharpen his WÜSTHOF 4596-7/20 Classic Ikon 8-Inch Cook's Knife.

He educated himself a whit by watching YouTube videos, and his sharpening has yielded metal shavings onto the Sharpening Stone. He tried to cut squashes with it, but it hasn't become any sharper! Why?


texts:
I am participating in a stew cook-off competition with twelve restaurants involved. Rather than adding the raw, cut and prepared, root-style vegetables (red potatoes, celery, and carrots) near the end of cooking to cook and finish, I am thinking of cooking them separately in salted water, draining and adding to the stew along with frozen peas as it is finished (meat tender).

I am thinking the vegetables will retain more of their inherent individual tastes and flavors, rather than absorbing the flavors of the stew and get lost into a homogenous mix.

Any advice is appreciated, thnk you.


texts: Does allowing apples to brown before long cooking affect the final flavour?

texts:
While making an apple and smoked chilli chutney yesterday (based on the one in Jocasta Innes' Country Kitchen p.266 but hotter) I was thinking about the browning of apple flesh when exposed to air.  It's easily prevented by adding acid, but the way I was weighing the fruit as I cut it meant that I didn't want to add the vinegar to the pan, and the small windfalls I was using took a while to peel/chop/pick over.

The answers to a previous question "Why prevent apples from turning brown?" suggests that the flavour is affected:

  In addition to the brown color they also become mushy and have a bruised flavor -- Sobachatina

but I'm cooking them to mush anyway, and there's enough brown sugar in the recipe to change the colour, so would this negate any benefit of dipping the cut apples in acid?


texts: Cream cheese frosting split. Is it still safe for consumption?

texts: As I was making cream cheese frosting, it split and curdled a bit . Can I still use it for icing the cake . It tastes fine.


texts: How do I know a beaten egg has “set” while cooking stovetop rice pudding?

texts: The pudding is good, nice and creamy. My concern is feeding people uncooked egg as the time to stir in egg mixture is more a texture while stirring than a time to be sure the egg is cooked into the pudding.


texts: What should I do if I forgot to dry fries before baking?

texts:
What should I do if I forgot to dry off my fries before putting them in to bake?
And now they're seasoned and oiled up.


texts:
I left my beets in the garden too long and they are very large (some 10 - 12 inches in circumference).  Can you recommend a good way to salvage these or should I just "use them as a learning tool"?  They are red and white varieties.

Thanks!


texts: When Making A Pie With Graham Cracker Crust, How Can I Get The Crust Just Moist Enough?

texts:
I love making key lime pie.  I've made it a few times this summer with this very simple and delicious recipe:

1 Container Cool Whip
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 (or 1/3) C. Lime Juice
1 Graham Cracker Crust

Mix first 3 ingredients, pour into crust and refrigerate at least a few hours before eating.

The first time I made it, I used 1/2 C. lime juice (following the original recipe).  I found it a bit too acidic, so I lowered the amount to 1/3 C. the next time and I enjoyed it much better.  The first pie's crust got a little too wet after a few days of being refrigerated, but the second pie's crust didn't really get moist at all.  I would like the crust to be somewhere in between, but I would like to maintain the amount of lime juice at 1/3 C.

Is there someway I can control how moist the crust gets over a few days of being in the fridge without changing the ingredient amounts/proportions or the fridge's temperature?  For instance, something I can do before I pour the mixture into the crust or the temperature of the ingredients?


texts:
I'm trying to identify a type of breadcake common in Hull when I was growing up, n the hopes of getting my hands on some again, either bought, or made myself.

Original
As a six-year-old boy In the early 60s living in Pullman  Street Spring bank West my Gran nanny Curtis used to send me out into the terrace when she heard  the sound of the hotcake man shouting down the street,  he provided us with bread cakes, which were hot and Delicious with just butter or margarine whatever was on hand, does anybody have any idea how to make these traditional bread cakes I say cakes but in fact it’s more of a bread bun there is no sweetness about it unlike a lot of recipes which I’ve seen today,
this memory burns brightly in my mind just like a patty with a bag of straps, from the chip shop, Or bread and dripping.
such food might not be socially acceptable today, but there were no fat kids about, we had just enough to fill the tum, and everything was preservative free !,
any help would be greatly received I’m a keen baker in my work free years there must be someone who has The wonderful knowledge to pass on, I’d love to make them for my grand children, keep the tradition going like the patty This only Originates from My birthplace of which I am very proud Kingston Upon Hull.
Were men were made of steel and ships were made of wood.
Rick


texts: Best variety of garlic for slow cooking?

texts:
Take a couple of heads of garlic, sit them in some oil with spices, and cook for an hour or two, then spread it on bread. It's great...with the right kind of garlic. With the wrong kind, you'll be praying for death, and so will everyone around you.

I've tried this a couple of times, and trial and error is not cutting it. Does anyone know a variety of garlic that is mild enough for this sort of thing, but still possible to find in a store?


texts: how much sugar is required to be added to fruit for jam making

texts: when making jam are you able to reduce the amount of added sugar, or is the amount of sugar stated on the recipe necessary for the jam to  have a reasonable shelf life.?


texts: Adding sauce without microwaving the chicken

texts:
I brought the InnovAsian chicken and broccoli frozen food and  missed an instruction. I added the sauce before microwaving the chicken. But the instruction says to microwave the chicken before adding the sauce and add the sauce and microwave another few minutes.

What I want to know is, is this an issue? is it still safe to eat?


texts:
I've just discovered today that there is an instrument used for peeling garlic - it looks like a simple tube made of silicone or rubber. Here's a sample video with it.

I have the feeling that this is something kind of new (decades), I think a century ago everyone was peeling their garlic manually, using a knife.

My question is: when, approximately, did this device first appeared in shops? If there was any other garlic peeling device before this one, when it was invented?


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When making Thuringian potato dumplings, an integral part in the process is the so-called “Schwefeln”:
Sulfur that comes on threads is burnt inside the closed pot of potatoes.

Native Thuringians, if asked what the sulfur was for, will reply that sulfur dioxide prevents the dumplings from turning gray during cooking.
Is there anything to back this up?
Are there any possible side effects, especially wrt taste?

EDIT: Add picture showing dumplings (the bright yellow ones on the right) one day after they were prepared.


texts: So over the thanks giving holiday my wife asked me to go get the apple pie out of the chill chest.  However there were three different pies in there and they all looked alike, and neither of us knew which was which.  We ended up cutting all of them to find the right pie, and made the blueberry pie we took to my parents house look really bad. I was wondering how can I determine what type of pie is in the refrigerator without breaking the structural integrity of the crust? Because I'm sure I'll do it again in the future.