texts:
I tried making meringues for the first time yesterday, using splenda instead of sugar. I didn't have any cream of tartar either. I definitely overbeat them, to the clumpy and a bit runny phase. I baked them anyway and they still tasted fine, they were just extremely crispy throughout.

Today I got some cream of tartar and tried again.

2 whites
bit less than 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup splenda
1/2 tsp vanilla

They seemed to be going very well through soft peaks, when I added the splenda in a few batches. Shortly after, the vanilla. Maybe it was the extract, but at that point it returned to a runny goop phase, still foamy but no peaks. Two more minutes of beating and it seemed good again, uniformly small bubbles and medium peaks. I stopped here so I wouldn't repeat my previous mistake.

I then put the meringue in a large ziploc bag to use for piping. As I began, I immediately noticed that it was again looking like the previous attempt. The bubbles were getting bigger and less uniform, and the inside of the bag showed collapsed runny whites all over. It was more foamy than creamy.

Where did I screw up this time around? Was the runnyness halfway through a warning sign? I imagine the extract could have added too much liquid.

Edit: The results

Today I got the chance to try again, and it was a success! (I think, they're in the oven...) I added a 1/4 tsp white vinegar as well, and replaced almost half the splenda with granulated sugar. I was worried because I didn't bother processing the sugar finer, but it seemed to do fine.

I added the sugar at around medium peaks, and it did collapse a little back to that runny stage, but not nearly as bad as the previous attempt. Another few minutes and I got them back, and then added the splenda and vanilla.

I made quenelles instead of piping, and it worked well. There was no weeping at all, not a single drop, and the foam stayed smooth throughout.


texts: How to substitute in baking so the result is both egg- and gluten-free?

texts:
What is a good substitute for egg and wheat flour in baking?

I have a friend who is allergic to eggs and I would like to be able to bake for her.
I have another friend who is gluten free.

Can these allergies have combined substitutes?


texts:
Is there any risk of botulism from refrigerator pickling or brining? (referring to both meat and slices of vegetables/fruit)

I've read about the subject a fair bit, and know the inherent risks with garlic in oil or items vacuum packed in the fridge for a long time.

However, I recently read about the use of nitrite salt in refrigerator brines for cured ham (a week-long process), which the author claimed was used to maintain the colour of the meat (which darkens without the nitrites) and also prevent botulism growth. But if all the ingredients were at 4°C before going into the fridge, what botulism growth could there be, especially in one week?

Is there something I'm not aware of, or this person uninformed?


texts: What is the difference between Prime Rib and a Standing Rib Roast? (and a "rib eye roast" while you're at it)


texts: I think some water got into my olive oil bottle, which can make bacteria grow. I'm thinking of using that bottle for frying or baking, would that make using it safe?


texts: The recipe for chess pie includes cornmeal and vinegar-why?

texts: I am making a chess pie, and the recipe calls for vinegar and cornmeal-why?  Can I leave it out?


texts: How to stop sea bass fillets from sticking to foil

texts:
I've cooked sea bass before on 220 degrees centigrade for 15 minutes baked in the oven. I get some foil and place it on a baking tray and cover it in a thin layer of olive oil. I then place the fillets on top and drizzle over some more olive oil. I fold the tin foil into loose little packets and put it in the oven. 15 minutes later the fillets are stuck to the foil and have to be forced off, ruining the shape of the fish and reducing it to mush.

How can I prevent this? More oil? Which side should I place the fillet down?


texts:
Onions are an ingredient in almost every recipe. I hate the taste(flavour) of them (I know I might be the only one). I always try to avoid eating them and try to pick them out of the food. Seeing that I am the only one in the house that doesn’t like the taste of onions not using them in a recipe would be selfish.

I was just wondering (a) if there would be a good substitute or (b) do I really need to have them in a recipe? And (c) what purpose do they add to food?


texts: What is the cranberries/sugar ratio used in the American cranberry sauce?

texts:
I once tried to make a cranberry sauce like the one I tasted on Long Island, but the one I made tasted differently (it was more sour). I guess I used less sugar that I should have done.

Do I wrongly recall, or do you use also lemon juice to prepare the American version of the cranberry sauce?


texts: can whole milk with corn starch be used to make caramel sauce?

texts: I read through some of the other answers about substituting milk for cream in caramel sauce and it seems that the sauce wont thicken because of the fat content of whole milk being too low,....so I was wondering if corn starch would work??


texts: How to get rid of plastic and residual weird taste from food stored in tupperware?

texts:
When I store leftovers in plastic tupperware and eat them later, I sometimes taste plastic. I do have some glass pyrex containers and they don't leave this aftertaste, but I would like to be able to use my plastic tupperware since I have so much of it.

Is there a special way to clean plastic tupperware? I tried handwashing and after it's dried, putting newspaper in there to absorb stuff.

On another note, it seems like some of my plastic tupperware absorb some food material onto itself. Kind of like forming a seasoning on a cast iron pan, except this is a waxy-food-weird-tasting film on the insides of the tupperware. Anyway to get rid of that? Soaping doesn't seem to work. This film is way too waxy.


texts: Oven baked cod fillets get soaked in their own liquid

texts:
I baked cod fillets twice. The first batch was fine, the second had the fish soaked in its own liquid.
(Two different batches from the same shop, salted 1.5 hour before cooking, within expiration date).

I used a basic recipe:

cod fillets
olive oil
garlic
parsley
salt, pepper

Baked in pre-heated oven @ 180C/fanned air for 10-15 minutes

How can I prevent this loss of water?


texts: What type of sugar can preserve bread the longest?

texts: I believe that honey preserves bread the longest. Are there any other sugars or sugar-like solutions that can preserve bread from mold longer?


texts: “For optimal flavor, open the package 30 minutes before eating” - only temperature or also chemistry?

texts:
Packages of ham or smoked fish sometimes have a hint like the one I quoted in the title.
They are usually stored in the fridge, so one part of the reason to take it out of the fridge and open it earlier is probably just the temperature. But is there some chemical reaction with oxygen that is important for the flavor? I think the packages are sometimes sealed in a pure nitrogen atmosphere.


texts: How to make a sandwich bread with a very soft crust? And what is the ideal temperature to bake sandwich bread?

texts: I have to ask this question as I really tried hard to achieve a soft crust for sandwich bread but couldn't succeed. I have tried lots of techniques and different recipes but I really couldn't make a bread having a very soft crust that we get in supermarkets. And many recipes say to bake the sandwich bread at 200 degrees C and many other say 180 degrees C, but what is the ideal temperature to bake a sandwich bread with really soft crust? I know that crusty bread is good but many people, especially children don't like to have a crusty sandwich bread!


texts:
I've been making fruit kefir (or tibicos), using only some sugar and a lemon for 1L of tap water (boiled to remove chlorine and sterilize my bottle, and of course left to cool down before adding the kefir grains).

After some 24 hours I've noticed a thin film of white mold forming on the surface of the water and on the slices of lemon. The mold looks a lot like some starting colony of penicillium digitatum and/or penicillium italicum (I was not thinking about making a post about this, sorry for the absence of picture!), which are common attacker of citrus fruits, and as far as I guess are rather harmless.

After about 36h of fermentation I've transfered the drink (+some mold!) into new bottles and put the ferments (+some mold!) back into a clean container. Neither of them smelled like rotten fruits, otherwise I would've thrown them both away. I've also added the juice of the lemon to decrease the pH and hopefully prevent the mold from growing again.

Is the filtered drink (which I'm going to let sit in the fridge for a couple more days) safe to drink if no more mold develops? Such small amount of a common mold seems unlikely to cause anything serious, but I'd rather avoid food poisining if there's a chance for it.
Can the kefir grains safely be used for future batches?

Thanks in advance!


texts: How long to cook 500g of boneless pork leg?

texts: I cut a 1.8kg boneless pork leg into three pieces and now am unsure how long is enough to cook it. How long will a 500g piece take to cook?


texts: Does freezing butter or margarine change the properties?

texts:
I have a lot of butter & margarine and looking for ways to keep it for longer time.

Will freezing them change melting point, flavor, or anything that could be undesirable when cooking?

Update:
We are now freezing our butter and margarine. It is a perfect solution!


texts: Doctoring up part-skim low-moisture mozzarella for pizza

texts:
I recently started using low-moisture full fat mozzarella on my homemade pizzas, and it is simply fantastic. Went to the store today to pick some up, but all they had was either low-moisture part-skim or regular full fat.

I figured low moisture was more important than than the delicious delicious flavor of fatty cheese, but now that I'm about to make it I'm thinking it'll probably be sub-par.

Is there anything I could do to make part-skim mozzarella have a fuller flavor? Or is there anything I can add to the pizza? I was thinking of having an oily pesto base in the hopes of upping the fatty flavor and mouth feel. But, if I'm just adding oil for the sake of adding fat, should I skip the base and just drizzle olive oil on top of the cheese?

I'm going crazy thinking about this here. Please help, and thanks in advance! (PS sorry if I sound like a foodie snob in this question. I get really serious about homemade pizza...)


texts: How to preserve home-made salad dressing, without using bad preservatives?

texts: I want to start making my own salad dressing because I don't like all of the stuff they put in processed food. However, I still would like my dressings to last more than just a few days in the fridge. What kinds of preservatives (hopefully natural ones) can I use to preserve home-made salad dressings?


texts: Is the liquid I get after pressure cooking a whole chicken a "complete" stock?

texts:
Recently I've been buying whole chickens (~4-4.5 pounds) from the grocery store and pressure cooking them to great effect. It cooks fairly well, and I add about 1.5 cups of water to get it started. When the chicken comes out, I end up with just under a quart (4 cups) of liquid and fat. I strained off the fat and ended up with a liquid that got beautifully gelatinous overnight in the fridge.

In previous attempts, I've always taken this liquid along with the bones and little bits of meat, added more liquid to get to about 8 cups total, added aromatics, and pressure cooked it again. I end up with much more liquid (obviously), but it doesn't end up as beautifully gelatinous as the initial liquid.

My question is this: if my initial cook is in the pressure cooker, should I expect any additional extraction of flavor or gelatin from the carcass and remaining bits, or is it likely that all the substantive extraction took place on the cook of the whole chicken, and that the liquid I got the first go-round is all I'll get?


texts: How to predict and adjust the spice level of dal?

texts:
I have made countless recipes from popular Indian books and when I taste the end result, I always feel like the dish needs more spice. For example, I tried a recipe for Sri Lankan Dal with coconut found below and thought it could use more spice and it's usually too late by the time everything has been cooked since the dal needs to simmer with the spices. How can someone gauge the needed spice level of a recipe before hand? And how can someone amend the spice level after the dal has been cooked? Fry the spices in some oil and add it back to the dal?
Recipe:

450g red lentils

3 cardamom pods

coconut oil

1 cinnamon stick

3 whole cloves

2 brown onions, thinly sliced

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

2cm ginger, peeled and grated

2 green finger chillies, finely sliced

⅓ teaspoon ground turmeric

250g kale

200ml tinned coconut milk

salt

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

2 tablespoons desiccated or fresh grated coconut

juice of 1 lime

Recipe taken from Fresh India: 130 Quick, Easy and Delicious Vegetarian Recipes for Every Day by Meera Sodha.


texts: I added olive oil to my cake, but I haven’t baked it yet

texts:
The taste is so strong, and I haven’t even baked it yet.
How do I make it taste better?
I added it as a butter substitute... now what do i do?


texts: What nondairy milk does not curdle when heated?

texts: I like to heat my milk for coffee (and use the microwave to do so) but I find with Soya Milk it curdles. Does anyone know of any other non-dairy milk that one can heat in a microwave please?


texts: Coating to make waffle cones withstand hot liquid?

texts:
I'd like to use a waffle cone, like used for ice cream, to hold hot liquids. I assume without modification, the liquid would soften the cone and break through.

Is there an edible coating I could put on the inside of the cone to keep the liquid from soaking through?


texts: Please let me know when would we consume payaya. What is the difference between ripe and overripe papaya? I do not like soft but hard papayas which taste sweet. Please advice.Thanks


texts: Can I cook chicken in the over after leaving them sitting in the oven all night?

texts: I put some wings in the oven last night and then forgot about them and my roommate turned the oven off. They weren't fully cooked but is it still okay to fully cook them now and eat them or would it be better to throw them out?


texts: I have a cake recipe that calls for egg yolks and separately folding in egg whites. What would be the difference in eliminating folding in the whipped egg whites and just using the whole egg? Would it work if I want a "sturdier" cake? That was my thinking but I wasn't certain of the outcome.


texts: Is it safe to half cook a lamb roast and the recook the roast the next day?


texts: How can I make oatmeal cookies softer/more chewy?

texts:
I am using the vanishing oatmeal cookie recipe on the container of Quaker  oatmeal. I do not like the way the cookies turn out. I am looking for a more chewy or softer cookie. It calls for two eggs - would reducing the eggs to one make them more chewy? I'm not experienced in making adjustments to recipes so I'm not sure if the eggs are the problem. I thought they might be the problem because I really loved the results I got from a sugar cookie recipe that only had one egg.

The full ingredients list is:

  1/2 Cup(s) (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
  3/4 Cup(s) firmly packed brown sugar
  1/2 Cup(s) granulated sugar
  2 Eggs
  1 Teaspoon(s) vanilla
  1-1/2 Cup(s) all-purpose flour
  1 Teaspoon(s) Baking Soda
  1 Teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
  1/2 Teaspoon(s) salt (optional)
  3 Cup(s) Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
  1 Cup(s) raisins


texts:
Last week, I made croissants. Everything was working properly until I reached the baking step.

First, I used convection settings and it was too hot, the butter was oozing and almost caught on fire.
Then, I used regular settings. While the temperature was better, the butter was still oozing and the dough was swimming in a pool of melted butter.

Is the oozing to be expected?
Is there something to do to avoid that?
What settings are more appropriated for croissants?

Edit:
I don't know if the rule of thirds applies in my recipe. Here it is:

Ingredients:

15g of yeast
15cL of water
15cL of lukewarm milk
500g of flour
10g of salt
40g of sugar
250g of butter

I set the temperature to 220°C on my oven. First in convection mode then in regular mode.

@droidnation mentioned that I should wait for 30 minutes between folding steps and to put the dough in the fridge during that period. I skipped since my recipe does not mention it. I probably need a better recipe.


texts: What's this green crispy vegetable or edible seaweed?

texts:
My grandparents saw, but didn't take, these online images at Chiu Chow Garden restauarant in Central, Hong Kong. They can't remember which website: perhaps OpenRice? What's the scientific name for the green?

Sources: Left, Right picture.


texts: Do I need to add liquid to my slow cooker dish?

texts:
I have a large slow cooker that I have added chopped potatoes, carrots, onions, aubergines/eggplants, courgette/zucchini to along with five chicken breasts.
I added half of the vegetables at the bottom, then layered the chicken breasts, then topped off with the remaining vegetables.
It is almost full and I intend to cook it on high for three-four hours, but I can't help but wonder if I need to add any liquid/stock to it before I cook it.
What is generally the best approach here?


texts: We just realized that our garage refrigerator/freezer was not on. The eggs are still cold to the touch but the vegetables, rice w/shrimp and meatballs in the freezer are not frozen but still cold. The ice cream is mostly melted. This tells us that the frig hasn't been off for a long time but we don't know for how long. Should we throww all the frozen foods away? Or would it be safe to cook everything instead.


texts: Yellow tail tuna (hamachi) -- is it possible that the sweet taste comes from sugars present in the fish's flesh?

texts: It feels like this might be a stupid question but I can find nothing from googling this and in my experience, anything that tastes sweet tends to have sugar or sugar substitute.


texts: Why remove the skin and seeds of a tomato?

texts:
Many recipes ask for peeled and seeded tomatoes, which I find both wasteful and too hard work.

What is the point of removing seeds and skin of tomatoes? Just texture and presentation?
Or can it actually change the food's taste?


texts: I have a roller meat tenderizer and I was wondering do I roll over the meat before I marinate it or after? Or does it even make a difference of when I do it?


texts: Why do some melons contain removeable dark tiny bits?

texts:
Here's my procedure for cutting melons:

Wash the original whole under tap water.

Peel/unpeel the rind.

Wash the peeled melon again under tap water.

Wash my cutting board and entire knife.

Cut the peeled melon.
For convenience, call these tiny bits 'motes'. Possibilities for their origin:

Growth inside. But how can they originate from inside?

Originally on rind? They might've fastened to the knife while I cut the rind, and became transferred to the inside. But this looks unlikely: see 4 overhead.


texts: Oven features required/desirable for baking bread at home

texts:
I am considering to buy a new built-in electric oven for my kitchen because the old one does not have top or bottom heat (believe it or not). I regularly bake heavy rye bread (e.g., of the Danish kind), but would also like to bake other kinds of bread, both sourdough and yeast variants. For this purpose, which features and functions should I be looking for in a new oven?

Just top and bottom heat, or anything else?
I have seen steam functions in some brands (e.g., AEG), which I guess would come in handy (?).
Are special bread baking settings (e.g., NEFF) useful?
Is a proofing function useful, or is leaving on the light just as effective?
Would a food sensor/oven thermometer be useful? Some ovens come with one that you can stick into meat (I guess probably also bread...), and it displays the temperature on the outside or stops when done. Good or bad for bread?
People have recommended getting telescopic rails (e.g., Bosch and other brands). Are they still worth it if the oven is below the worktop?
Anything else I should look out for with a view to baking bread? Or is a basic model with just top and bottom heat useful enough for all kinds of bread?


texts: How can I tell when the wax has been removed from citrus fruit?

texts:
This evening I tried different ways (taken from other cooking forums) of removing the wax coating from lemons.

Pouring boiling water over
In a bowl with (initially) boiling water for five minutes
Scrubbing with warm water and dishwashing liquid
Scrubbing with warm water and ascorbic acid
Scrubbing with warm water and baking soda.

After each trial I rubbed the lemons with a tea cloth. The methods involving boiling water produced slightly tacky, but less glossy lemons. The other methods made no obvious difference. No method really impressed me, and in the end I couldn't say if one method was better than another.

Before I experiment further, I would like to find a more objective technique for judging the results.

Some methods left the lemons looking as glossy as they were to begin with. Other methods left the skin feeling slightly tacky. Neither of these outcomes seems right to me, although I'm hampered by the fact that I live in a country where you don't see many lemon trees. I'm not quite sure how an unwaxed lemon looks and feels.

Is there some way that I can unambiguously tell whether the wax coating applied to prolong the shelf life of a citrus fruit has been successfully removed?


texts: Special coffee served in Malaysia (or India)

texts:
When I was in Malaysia an Indian friend offer to me a coffee, It tasted really nice and kinda unique. I'm not sure if that coffee was unique from Malaysia or recipe from India. The store where I got those was just a regular hawker around Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.

It looked something like this:

I would be really happy if you recognize or know what I am describing.


texts: What methods can be used to cook Skipjack tuna other than frying it in oil?

texts:
First of all I must say that I'm not a fish person but a red meat person. However I'm currently on a diet and as such I've been looking for different ways to properly cook Tuna with low fat.

I know there are my recipes out there, I'm not looking for an specific one but rather a short summary of the methods used to cook fish without requiring much expertise and can be done quick and without much equipment. Therefore is there anyone who can help me with this?

Please don't say just boiling it in water or putting in the oven for who knows how long. I must add that I do not have access to an oven so the suggestion which would help me the most is one which does refrain from using it.

Maybe this can work but is not what I'm looking for. I'm aiming at something which has proved over the time to be easy to do and use little or almost no oil.


texts: What is the difference between regular (vege. oil) and butter recipe cake mixes?

texts:
Many commercial cake mixes use vegetable oil, but I have seen some (usually 10% or less of what the store carries) that are "Butter Recipe".

These use butter instead of vegetable oil. What is the difference in these? And is the reason you do not find many in stores is because it is not popular, or costs more, or something else?


texts: Whey separation making yoghurt: change in proportions

texts: I make yogurt about twice a week in an instant pot using 2qt of 1% milk and 3 tablespoons of whey from the previous batch as a starter (original starter was 1 Tbsp of Chobani plain non-fat). I normally culture for 8 hours, refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours and then strain for 3 to 4 hours. I usually end up with a quart of yogurt and a quart of whey. yesterday I forgot and left the batch in the pot about 2 hours past the shut off time, refrigerated for 10 hours and strained for 3 hours and got almost 25% less whey separation. I stopped straining after 3 hours because the strainer stopped dripping whey. the batch is as thick and tasty as always but I have 20 to 25% more yogurt. can you tell me why?


texts: How to separate two jammed-together measuring cups?

texts:
I have two Pyrex measuring jugs (this type) that have got jammed together, one inside the other, I'm looking for suggestions on how to separate them again.

I've already tried

washing-up liquid around the edge
putting ice water in the upper jug, then dipping the bottom jug in hot water

but neither of these has worked.

What else can I do to separate them?


texts: Can you use cooking oil to make "African Drop Doughnuts"?

texts: Do you have to use deep-fry oil or corn oil to make "African Drop Doughnuts" or can you use cooking oil?


texts: My sister got married recently and had a candy buffet at the wedding.  Their colors were yellow and gray, and we now have a lot of leftover banana taffy.  We're never going to eat it all at the rate that we're going, and Halloween is still a long way off.  Are there any secondary uses for taffy?  I've searched for recipes containing taffy (as an ingredient) but haven't been able to find any.  Are there any candies that have a taffy-like stage on the way to something else?


texts: Using an ice cream maker with its own compressor

texts:
I'm used to using the ice cream makers where you have to freeze the bowl first, but have now got a used Andrew James model 3368 ice cream makers with its own compressor - but no manual.

I've read about putting a saline solution between the machine and the mixing bowl (I'm guessing for thermal conductivity?), and I know some machines have to get down to temperature before use but I can't see a way to do it with this machine. Do I need to worry about either or is it likely OK to just plug it in and use?


texts:
We recently upgraded at the office from an old and cold Mr. Coffee 12-cup at work to an old but hot Bunn coffee maker. It is a 10-cup BX-B, and appears to have no damaged parts. However, when I brew coffee, it starts gurgling out of the top after the first thirty seconds of brewing.

After a taking-apart and cleaning of the basket and spray nozzle, the grind of the coffee was the first thing I tweaked. Initially it was slightly fine due to having been purchased for the colder pot. I got an appropriate auto-drip grind and it continued to overflow. I also tried a larger style of coffee filter to ensure it wasn't overflowing with grounds getting down into the spout.

  After about thirty seconds of a weak stream through the basket, water backs up to the point where it starts spilling, along with grounds, from the top of the brewing basket (where it meets the head of the base).

What should I do to counteract this behavior?

I can ask for a coarser grind from the local coffee shop if that would make a difference.
If it is a matter for concern, we are on the ninth floor of a building.
The taps in the building typically have signs of hard water.

I really would prefer to not go back to the colder pot since it brews less flavorful coffee, requires an excess of grounds to keep it from being watery, and takes 12-15 minutes to brew.


texts: Technical terms for an oven that would resist to cleaning products wipping out painted symbols?

texts:
Hi not sure if anyone could help with this but I aim to buy an oven that would keep its settings symbols for a decent amount of time. Would be great if ovens had a technical term(s) that would indicate the ability of the oven to withstand cleaning products from removing painted symbols?

I have spent already 30 minutes looking all over the internet and could not figure out how I could possibly find out the answer to this. Looking to buy online does not give you much of an indication whether the symbols are engraved, painted or behind a glass window?

Many thanks


texts: Best way - if any to "thin out" overly salty kimchi - already in jar

texts:
I made  Kimchi and put it into glass jars, based on this recipe:  https://www.feastingathome.com/how-to-make-kimchi/
I made it in 2 batches:

1 batch I accidentally put double the salt, but gave it an extra rinse after 4 hours. I also forgot to put the daikon in it.
1 batch I had normal salt and rinsed after 8 hours

When mixing with the paste I tasted the first batch and found it a bit salty, however I put both batched into jars nonetheless.
I'm concerned of both batches being to salty and inedible, so I thought of the following plan:

taste each jar after 1 week
if too salty, mix in another daikon to "thin out" and distribute the salt over more material.

To make sure I don't spoil the batches I was going to

use a fresh fork to taste each jar
get mixing bowls and forks straight out of a freshly run dishwasher
mix with freshly dishwashed cutlery only

Is this a good approach or is there a better way to check and fix overly salty Kimchi


texts: I made a large batch of strawberry rhubarb pie filling and apple pie filling.  How long can it sit out on the counter and at what temperature has it spoiled?


texts: Soaking liver in milk: in or out of the fridge?

texts: When soaking pork liver in milk for 2 hours, should I place it in the fridge or at room temperature? I'm worried it might go bad, as my room is pretty hot in the summer...


texts:
What are the differences between an induction stove and a regular electric stove?  They are both electrically powered, and don't look all that different, but the induction cooktops I have seen are a lot more expensive.

What difference does the type of stove - induction vs electric - make to the actual cooking process?


texts: How can I smoke something without a smoker

texts:
I am looking to smoke some meat for my chili, but the problem is, I have no smoker.  I understand there are products like liquid smoke, however, this didn't create the taste I wanted or really much of one for that matter (I used a good 1/4 of the bottle too).  Is there a way to get your own wood chips and smoke something in a propane grill or even an outdoor firepit?  Are there wood solutions or chips you can throw into a crock for chili to provide a smoked flavor?  Any help would be appreciated!

EDIT: Found a link that mentions the possibility of using real wood chips in a crockpot to smoke the meat.  I am a little skeptical of this.  Would this be a possible method?


texts: Should I refrigerate canola oil cooking spray?

texts: I'm not sure if the canola oil cooking spray should be refrigerated or not, any idea?


texts: Gluten-free replacement to coat something with before roasting, to obtain crust

texts: A recipe calls for coating (slightly cooked) fennel bulbs in flour before roasting them, presumably to obtain a bit of a crust. Is there anything I could coat them with that is gluten-free?


texts: Why are my cookies crumbling after I bake them?

texts: I make the Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies recipe and swap out the flour for gluten free flour.  I'm trying to figure out why the cookies crumbled after I made them. The butter was very soft; could that be the reason, or do I need an additional egg in the recipe because of the flour substitution?


texts: What are some good tips or techniques for using a carbon steel wok on electric coil range?

texts: I was just given a carbon steel wok for christmas. I used it to cook my first stir-fry vegetable dish and I noticed on that the directions indicated to cook on a high flame. I was not sure if this translates to an electric range as turning on the electric burner on high. I am interested in any general knowledge or hints on the most effective use of a carbon steel wok on an electric coil range.


texts:
I have this recipe https://www.whittakers.co.nz/en_NZ/recipes/soft-centred-chocolate-pudding/ which uses 50g ground almonds for the chocolate pudding.
Would it be safe if I could replace that with 50g of flour instead if I don't have ground almonds? Would it affect the consistency of the pudding in any way?


texts:
The eggplant in my garden was doing very well up until a hard frost a couple of days ago (it's late December, and this was inevitable). Some of the plants died and I picked the eggplant.

I have several variety of eggplant, but they are all rather hard. Will they ripen indoors? And, would it be possible for me to use them in eggplant parmesan before they are fully ripe?


texts: Crust separating from crumb in white bread. What gives?

texts:
The last couple of loaves I have made have had large air-bubbles which form at the top of the loaf, separating the crust in places from the crumb.

Before shaping, I have been degassing my dough using the King Arthur Flour recommended technique of folding the dough over itself a few times. To shape, I form a rough rectangle, then fold the lower side to the middle and seal it shut with my fingers. I do this a couple more times until I have a nice loaf shape.

Is it possible that I am over-proofing the dough before putting it in the oven? Or is it my shaping technique?


texts: How do I clean these gloves so they do not leave marks?

texts:
They leave marks on dishes in the pattern of the gloves.
Details

Tried soap, bleach, ammonia, vinegar, scalding water, microfiber cloth.
Only the fingertips leave marks and are sticky.
Palms or back of fingers with the same pattern are not sticky, nor are flat parts.
Brand: Playtex
The marks on glass come off with microfiber cloth and pressure.


texts: I know that it should steam until the leaves pull off easily. But how long does that take?


texts: What type of flour should I feed my starter with?

texts: Different sites recommend different flours for the feeding of my established starter, so I suspect it depends on the purpose, but I can't find a definitive answer. Should I be using the  flour I plan to bake with next? Will mixing and matching make a difference? Do certain types produce more activity? Better flavor?


texts: Bumps on carbon steel seasoning, can I repair it

texts: I've just got a new De Buyer carbon steel pan and I'm 3 seasons in (oven method) and I'm noticing quite an uneven surface (especially little bubbles). I've tried as best as possible to keep the layers of oil used very thin. I'm wondering if I should strip it down and start over or just forge ahead?


texts:
I don't know if this question is relevant here, or if it should wait for the upcoming Robotics Proposal, but I'll ask it anyway.

Chefs such as Heston Blumenthal and Ferran Adrià are known for appropriating various high tech pieces of equipment from labs and industry, and using them in their kitchens. I was wondering if any of them use robotic systems in the kitchen. I imagine that robotics would allow increased repeatability, reduced cost, and the ability to do things that would be very difficult for a human to do accurately or quickly, such as decorating food in novel ways.

By 'Robot' I mean something which has the ability to make controlled coordinated movements, on at least two axes, and manipulate the external world. This definition would not include things like bread makers or dishwashers, no matter how smart.


texts:
For those people that don't know, vietnamese pho is usually a beef broth with noodles as the very basic; variations of pho will include beef, beef meatballs, etc.

However, I'm looking for ingredients and instructions on how to create this perfect bowl of pho at home. Has anybody done this before?


texts: Can the non-stick coating be removed from cookware and still be useable?

texts:
I have an old but very useful baking sheet. It is heavy-gauge aluminum, and in reality having had it for so long it is unlikely that I would be allowed to replace it. Here is a photo to give any idea what I am facing.

My question is whether the remaining non-stick coating can be safely removed. At this point we are probably eating some of the coating so I think it would be better to do this if possible.


texts:
I have long been trying to increase the quality of my fried eggs. A few weeks ago I ran across a recipe that instructed me to crack the eggs into a cold pan, season them right there and THEN turn on the heat and cover them.

This turned out to be a great success and the eggs had amazing texture.

I thought I had kept that recipe however today I am unable to find it and I dont remember for how long and at what temperature it advised to cook them at.

I realize there are a lot of "amazing fried eggs" links out there but I am specifically looking for the one that involves covering the pan and seasoning the eggs while they are cold.

Does anyone fry their eggs like this?


texts: Is the yellow skin of a raw chicken indicating that it has been dyed?

texts:
Yellow skin in raw chicken is seen is some parts of Mexico and I was wondering if that color is obtained using dyes. I've done lots of research both online and asking people who have knowledge about raising chickens but have received a lot of conflicting information.

To be clear, this is the kind of yellow I'm referring to:

So far, I have found the following things, which some contradict each other:

The yellow skin is caused by eating marigolds.
The yellow skin is caused by dipping the chicken in hot water and removing quickly.
The skin is dyed yellow due to cultural reasons.
The skin is dyed yellow to help with gutting the chicken.
The skin is dyed yellow to give it a more tasty look.
The yellow skin is caused by eating grass.
The yellow skin is caused by eating special bird feed to puff up the chicken.
The yellow skin is caused by eating carotenoids.

Does anyone have more information about what really is causing this intense yellow? I'd appreciate a paper, research or official information so I can use this to stop the spread of misinformation among my local community.


texts:
What is the best way to store stock in the freezer?

I can think of ice cubes and plastic bags, but am looking for other ideas.

Also, what would be the optimal portion size?


texts: Cheesecake Cooking Time Change with Pan Change?

texts:
I've made many cheesecakes before using a 9" spring-form in a water bath, and have always loved the result.  For a party coming up, I'd like to make individual-sized cheesecakes using a muffin/cupcake pan (Including liners).  So the question I have is what do I do to the cooking time?

All the recipes I've found for muffin-pan cheesecake say about 30 minutes (for example: Cupid's Cherry Cheesecakes).  But the recipe I plan on making (a modification of White-Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake) has a cook time of 55 minutes (in a normal spring-form).

So, what I was thinking is to only bake for 30 minutes.  I don't want to open the oven too often to check (and risk cold-shocking the cakes), so I'd prefer to get some insight.  I'm also planning on doing a water-bath below the muffin pan.

What do you think?


texts: I bought some parsnips two days ago. Today they are slightly soft. Are they safe to use? (The goal is a mashed root dish, so unless there's a safety issue the softness shouldn't matter.)


texts: What can I add to veggie burgers to make them less brittle?

texts: I have a bunch of veggie pulp left over from juicing, and it is packed down into little patties.  After mushing in some black beans, it conforms to a hamburger shape, but is still very brittle.  Is there anything I can add that will make it stickier, so it won't fall apart while cooking or eating?


texts: How do I cook sticky rice/glutinous rice in my rice cooker?

texts:
I would like to try and recreate the sticky rice (aka glutinous rice or sweet rice) as I often find served in a kratip at my local USA Thai restaurant. I already have a rice cooker - the Hamilton Beach Digital Simplicity Rice Cooker and Food Steamer (on Amazon). I've cooked quite a few different long grain white rices and also brown rice, but have not yet tried sticky rice.

For standard long grain basmati rice I would just pop it into my cooker pot with the appropriate amount of water and press the white rice button. I have some concerns about the sticky rice as I have read that it requires a presoak upwards of 6 hours and I've also read that some rice cookers (Zojirushi) have a specific mode just for sticky rice. I've also read reviews on simple steamers for sticky rice, so that leads me to believe that I would actually have to use the steamer basket vs the regular rice cooker pot, but I'm just guessing.

Since my rice cooker does not have a specific mode for sticky rice, is it possible with my rice cooker, and if so how?

Some related resources that didn't quite answer this question:

Making sticky rice without rice cooker
Do you need a rice cooker to cook sticky rice?
How can I make perfect sticky rice?


texts:
Is cheesecake technically a pie or a cake?

I'm curious as to why. Are there solid definitions of what makes a dessert a cake or a pie?


texts: Nutritional value of brown particles settled at the bottom of chicken bone broth

texts: If you get rid of the brown particles in the chicken bone broth, are you getting rid of a nutritious part? If so, how much of the broth's nutrition is in them?


texts: When baking meatballs for a soup, do I have to bake until the meat is fully cooked?

texts:
I'm making Italian Wedding Soup, and my recipe calls for oven-baking the meatballs for 7-9 minutes before adding them to the soup and boil/simmer for 5 minutes.

Maybe I made the meatballs a bit too big, but it's taking 2-3x the suggested oven time for them to reach 160 degrees (they were only about 110 after the first 8 minutes).

Could I rely on the boil-in-soup step to fully cook the meatballs instead?  Would I have to simmer the soup for more than 5 minutes?  Is this a bad idea?


texts:
What differences are, besides speed, when cooking omelettes in oven versus in the frying pan?

I have traditionally always used pan but i see now some recipes recommend oven.


texts: I really hate mincing garlic in tiny batches for each dish. Is there any way to mince many bulbs in advance and store them for a week or more?


texts: Does frozen broccoli need to be cooked to be eaten safely?

texts:
I bought a different brand of frozen broccoli and the package says, "For food safety, cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees".  The previous brand didn't have any such warning.  My questions:

How big a risk am I taking by just blending frozen broccoli into my smoothies without cooking at all?  How likely is it that I get sick and what might be the symptoms?

Besides having been reviewed by different lawyers, might there be a good reason why one package has a warning and the other doesn't?

A Google search gave me a theory about why there might be a difference between the two brands.  A recent study indicated that blanching to 187F destroys a particular anti-cancer enzyme in broccoli and recommended that frozen broccoli manufacturers change their ways and blanch to only 169F before freezing.  Since blanching is typically a pretty quick process, maybe 169F for a short period of time is not enough to kill some relevant strain of bacteria, but 165F for a longer period of time is enough.  Maybe the brand without the warning is blanching to 187F and the brand with the warning is only blanching to 169F.  Does that seem possible?


texts: Will a sharpener for a wider edge ruin a knife with a narrow edge?

texts: I'm loving my new Victorionox chefs knife, and I'm aware the it has a 15 degree blade edge. When the time comes to sharpen it, will using a sharpener for a 20 degree blade ruin the knife edge?


texts: Safety question for defrosting and refreezing chicken breasts

texts: I want to defrost a bulk bag of boneless chicken breasts....while they are still VERY cold I want to marinade them and refreeze to use in a few days and have them already in the marinade to save me time....can i do this without a problem? The marinade has EVOO and lemoin juice, and spices.


texts: How can I make my sauces shelf stable, other than adding acid into it since my recipe doesn't include much of it?

texts: I would like to be able to can and sell my own sauces (brown gravy sauce, chile paste sauce). There isn't much acid in the recipe of the chile paste, and Mason Jar for pressure canning is cost prohibiting in my country. Is there any other way to preserve my food products and make it shelf stable? Can I use the jar as on the picture if I were to use boiling-water canning?


texts: What is the best way to clean bulk blueberries?

texts:
This question has been asked before but only with respect to washing a small container.

We have a friend who runs fruit stands in the summer and we typically get 10 pounds of blueberries at a time from him.  Before freezing or eating, they need to be washed, and I always struggle to find an efficient way to get rid of the squished berries, the stems, the leaves, etc.

I'll post what I do as an answer, but I wonder if there is a better way, or some equipment that would make it easier.


texts:
The other day I made this delicious recipe of Bacon Tea. I thought I could make some more with some Pork Stock.

When I went to the store to buy stock I found:

Beef Stock
Veal Stock
Chicken Stock
Vegetable Stock

(Interestingly enough - no lamb stock either.)

I asked my wife about it, and she said:

  No - supermarkets never have Pork Stock.

My question is: Is there such a thing as pork stock?


texts: What size were Baker's Chocolate bars when they were first introduced?

texts:
I have a recipe from my grandmother that calls for a bar of Baker's Chocolate.
What size (weight) were these bars made by Baker's Chocolates when they were first introduced?


texts: Can I roast peanuts in convection microwave?

texts: I found a small bag of raw un-roasted peanuts, around 200 grams, in my cupboard. Any idea how can I roast these peanuts in my convection microwave oven? Would appreciate if some one can add suggestions :-)


texts: I use a fair bit of Soy Sauce for cooking as well as the occasional Chinese take away. My question is fairly simple. Can I store Soy Sauce in a glass vinegar type shaker narrow neck bottle that's not sealed as it has a 1/16 inch hole in top plastic cap. If I can store in that bottle, is it best in a cupboard or refrigerator. Thanks in advance.


texts: Why using low temperature cooking for potatoes?

texts: I saw somewhere a recipe for using souse vide at 90C for potatoes. I understand low temperature/long time  cooking technics are for tenderizing meat. What is the rationale of using low temperature cooking with potatoes?


texts: I just purchased a new Berkley and Jensen microwave.  I would like to know what the metal rack used for?  There is no explanation in the owners Manuel.


texts:
I have a De Longhi Espresso machine that takes ground coffee. When I use normal coffee (for example with Illy Classico), the coffee is foamy and generally very good.

When I do exactly the same thing with decaffeinated coffee (for example Illy Dek), the coffee comes out watery and actually quite bad, with the filter getting almost blocked and steam coming out of the side. With decaf, the coffee seems to block the water, making the flow very slow. I tried to vary the quantity and compactness of coffee in the handle to no avail. I also tried to descale the machine, but the decaf remains watery and undrinkable.

Is there anything I'm missing? Why is decaf behaving so differently?


texts: How should I choose a BBQ sauce for root-beer-braised pulled pork?

texts:
I made some pulled pork using this slow-cooker recipe a few weeks ago.  Ingredients include:

1 (2 lbs) pork shoulder
1 (12 fl oz) can or bottle root beer
1 (18 oz) bottle "your favorite barbecue sauce"
8 hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted

The pork was very shreddable due to the acidic root beer.  The flavor of the meat was also pretty good.  The only thing that I was unhappy with was the BBQ sauce I choose.

What should I consider when choosing a BBQ sauce? What style of BBQ sauce would pair well with these ingredients? Is there a "standard" BBQ sauce or type of sauce used in traditional Southern pulled pork?


texts:
I don't know if the "Old Wild West" franchise even exists outside of Italy, but I'll give it a shot anyway.
In those restaurants they serve this sauce,

which colors resembles much the one of a cocktail sauce. In the sauce there is something solid that I believe to be tiny pieces of chili peppers.
It has a neutral smell and tastes creamy, slightly spicy. It is very good to eat with sausages or roasted meat.

I have asked the waiters to tell me the recipe, but they wouldn't. Once, a friend of mine told me that it was a mix of mayo, ketchup, chili peppers and worchester sauce. I tried several times to mix them with verious percentages of the components and nothing I could come up with tasted anything like that.

Can you help me to understand the recipe?


texts: What is the proper way to make a cup of mate?

texts:
I've seen different videos on how to make a perfect cup of mate. After putting loose tea in the gourd, some people cover the gourd and shake it upside down, some people shake it on its side, some people don't shake it at all. This is all in an effort to move the smaller bits (after you've right the gourd back up) to the top, so that when you insert the bombilla (metal straw with tiny holes at the bottom), the smaller bits won't be sucked up.

What is the proper way?


texts: Tea taste changes if watered down after steeping

texts:
Why does the taste of tea change after watering it down after it's ready for drinking?

If you use 100% of water to make a cup of tea and then add 50% more water, the taste is not the same as when you make a cup of tea with 150% of water from the start. Why does this happen?

It doesn't happen to granulated coffee, but it does happen with bagged or free-leaf teas. I'm not a big fan of ground coffee, so I can't say anything about it.

I also know that nobody recommends watering ready tea down, but I haven't heard why yet. What causes the change of taste?


texts: How do I get my homemade english muffins to taste like english muffins?

texts:
I've finally mastered my technique for creating english muffins.  They come out light with lots of air bubbles.  Unfortunately, they don't taste like english muffins.  They taste like regular bread.

My recipe is 2 cups flour, 1 cup water, 7g yeast, and 1/2 cup scalded milk.  After mixing the dough/batter, I poor/scoop into english muffin rings on a bed of corn meal, letting them raise for about 90 minutes.  They then go right into the oven for about 20 minutes at 425°F (220 °C), flipped over halfway through.

Am I missing an ingredient to get that english muffin taste?  Or is my technique flawed?


texts: Optimal shape to cut apples for apple pie

texts:
I have always enjoyed a slice of apple pie... in the morning... afternoon... and after dinner. Or anytime actually. And as such, I had to learn to bake my own apple pie to satisfy my deep affinity with them.

When I bake apple pies, I make sure to use the best apples I can find. I typically always go for Honey Crisp for its sweetness/slight tang and firmness to stand up to the baking. For the longest time, I have been cutting the apple by first peeling the apple, cutting the apple into 4 pieces down the middle and coring each piece. I then cut the apple pieces into slices in the shape of the apple so I get crescent shaped slices.

I have alway had success with my pie and I'm actually quite proud of it. Recently however, I shared a slice with one of my roommates. He enjoyed it but he made a passing comment about how strange it was that I cut the apple in crescent slices(that ungrate... haha jk). That bruised my ego a bit.

So now I want know how other people cut their apples when they bake their apple pie?
And has anyone tried the crescent shaped method and a different method and found that one worked better?


texts: So I'm at home and unable to go out to the store to buy Chunky Peanut Butter for a almost instant no-bake cookies. Does anyone know if there is a possible substitute to use?


texts: Why do some meats get tougher with higher temperatures, while others become more tender?

texts: I am looking for example at a sous vide recipe for goat on the joule app. The tenderness seems to increase with the temperature, while with beef steak it's the other way around. Is that true and why is that? Which meats get more tender with higher temperature, and which get firmer?


texts:
The dish is simple. I usually just boil beans, add sautéed onions and garlic, season with cumin, then eat with steamed rice. I love the flavor as it is.

I have a problem with the texture. If I leave the water in the beans, the dish becomes, well, watery (I don't want soup). If I drain the water, I'm left with a rather dry rice and bean dish.

Rather than draining the water, I'd like to add something that would change its texture.

I've tried thickening the dish with flour and cornstarch, but I end up with a pastey texture. I'd like a more syrupy/creamy texture (think baked beans from a can).

Suggestions?


texts:
I live in the UAE where the climate is hot and humid.

I started making a sourdough starter on the 28th of October and today, 30th October it seems to be doubling quickly. It has a strong acidic sweet smell. Even though I made a stiff dough when I fed it in the morning, the starter seems soupy now.

Does this mean that my yeast is growing rapidly?

Do I need to increase the feedings?


texts: Is is ok to use slightly sour curd for chicken marination?

texts:
The last time I used slightly sour commercial curd (it usually isn't sour and was well within the expiry date) for marinating chicken. An hour or so after cooking, there were little bubbles bubbling up to the top of the curry, and I had stomach trouble after eating the chicken. But I wasnt sure if it was the curd or whether the shop owner had left the chicken at room temperature for too long or whether it was because the shop was just unhygenic.
This time too, the curd is slightly sour and I just wanted to know if it is considered safe to use slightly sour curd for marination. Or does the sourness indicate that that it has too much acid or that the curd has got spoilt and can be bad for the meat?
Update: Slightly sour curd (it's not supposed to be sour) did create a slightly sour taste in the cooked chicken, but it got masked to a reasonable extent by the spices, salt and onion flavour. The little bubbles are just a normal phenomenon I've observed even if I cook without marinating in curd. After cooking with slightly sour curd a few times, I could conclude that it is ok to use it.


texts:
I would like to make Thai yellow curry or Panang curry but there is a severe coconut allergy in my family so I cannot put even a trace of coconut into it. I have the Mae Ploy curry pastes for both but they both call for coconut milk to be mixed in.
Oh, and I am allergic to nuts so almonds (almond milk) and cashews (cashew milk) are out too :/ I have seen cream suggested but am concerned about depth of flavor


texts: Is there a machine for thick shredded carrots for home use (not grated)?

texts:
You can get shredded carrots at a salad bar, and I buy bags of pre-shredded carrots at the supermarket. I want to make these at home with a machine but haven't found one. When you use a food processor, the attachment is usual a grater, similar to a coarse box grater; this makes carrot shreds that are much thinner than the thicker ones you use on a salad (or maybe for use in Vietnamese pickles, banh mi, etc).

I'm sure they use a machine to do this to make the bags available at the store, but I've only found commercial machines that can do it (example: https://www.chipsfryer.com/single-series/carrot-cutter-machine.html)

Is anyone aware of a machine that can do this for home use?

To be clear, I don't think a typical food processor grating attachment does this, nor does a box grater. I know I can use a mandoline or a knife, but I'm looking for a machine to do it in bulk, or an attachment to a food processor or stand mixer. The best idea of come up with is to try using a spiralizer and then chop up the spirals with a knife.


texts: How to know if I am stopping sharpening too early?

texts:
I'm having trouble sharpening my knives, and I'm wondering if it's just that I haven't put in enough time. I've tried spending ~5 minutes per knife at one stroke per ~3 seconds, following all the advice I could find online, but no one seems to give any estimate of how long it normally takes to get moderate sharpness.

When I am sharpening a knife by hand with a (dry, high grit) sharpening stone, how do I decide when to stop? When I see unsatisfactory results, how do I know if it will get better if I continue, or if the problem is elsewhere?


texts:
My boyfriend is convinced that a non-stick coating on a pan (Teflon, seasoned cast iron, eco-ceramic, what have you) is equivalent to eliminating the need for using any cooking oil whatsoever.

Is this in fact the case? I'm fairly sure that it only reduces the amount of oil necessary to keep things from sticking, but I'm having a hard time proving this (other than the empirical tests that keep failing). Essentially, he is a huge fan of fried eggs, but is trying to avoid the eventual heart attacks.


texts: Is there a good technique for cooking chestnuts?

texts: I would like to make my own puree and would like to know of any ways that might be recommended for cooking them first.  I tried the oven once and they started exploding: Ideas?


texts:
I make very thin crepes using batter made of 500 grams of flour, 3 eggs and 250 ml of milk. They turn out thin, soft and pliable. My wife on the other hand remembers fondly her mothers crepes, which used to be a bit thicker and had a bit of crunch.

How should I modify my recipe or technique to make them more like that? I'm guessing using more fat (I try to use as little as possible) could help, but then I run into problems spreading the batter over the pan surface.


texts: Salvaging a cheesecake that's oozing butter

texts:
I just made a White Chocolate Raspberry cheesecake, and it ended up being a failure appearance-wise.

For some reason, it cracked a lot, and the batter ended up super lumpy, so the cheesecake is all heterogenous looking:

The main problem though can be seen in the large crack at the bottom of the image. For some reason, when I took it out, there was liquid pooling in the cracks. I tried wicking it with some paper towel, and it came out yellow. I felt it, and it was greasy. The only thing I can think that it might be is butter.

I've never had this happen before. It must have been because to make a chocolate layer in the middle, I added some butter to the chocolate to thin it a bit (~1 tsp/oz of chocolate), and I must have overdone it. I was BS'ing this recipe as I went, so I don't really have a recipe book to blame here.

Now, I can't taste it because it was made for someone else. I have no idea what the "damage" is in the inside. My problem now is deciding if it's salvageable, and how to go about fixing it if it is.

I've been wicking the butter out with a paper towel, but that doesn't get much, and I don't want to risk widening the crack further.

Does anyone have experience with cheesecakes that have had too much fat added to them? Is there a way to get rid of the butter on the top? Is there a way to tell if it'll be edible?

Update:

So, after chilling it overnight, the butter on top seemed to have receded back into the cake. At that point, I was worried less about the appearance (because that was already out the window), and more about it being a butter-sponge when bitten into. I guess after the fact though, there's likely nothing that can be done about that.

And I've already given it to the ""customer"" (a coworker). I offered to refund it if it's inedible. She's convinced that it will be fine, but we'll see.

From this point, I'd like to know how, in the future, a situation like this can be dealt with should it happen again.

Here's the recipe that I had put together by the end:

Crust:
3 cups Ginger Cookie Crumbs
⅓ cup butter

Filling:
500g Cream Cheese
½ cup sugar
½ tsp vanilla
¼ Cup Raspberry Jam (+ a little to compensate for moisture loss from heating)
2 eggs

Chocolate Layer:
6-8 oz White Chocolate
6-8 tsp butter (~1 tsp/oz of chocolate)

Preheat to 325F

Crust:
Combine ingredients
Pack into 9-10” springform
Bake at 375F for 5-7 minutes
Set aside

Filling:
Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla
Heat jam just until warm and runny, and mix in to batter
Mix in eggs carefully, mixing just enough to combine

Layer:
Melt butter, and add chocolate on very low heat

Pour a thin layer of about half the melted chocolate over the crust
Spread half the batter over chocolate covered crust
Pour the rest of the chocolate over the first layer of batter
Pour in the rest of the batter

Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until centre is almost set.
Allow to cool, then chill overnight.

Edit: I asked the buyer how it was. She said it tasted fine, but that the chocolate layer had an odd consistency and crunchiness. Apparently the oozing butter was non-consequential.


texts: Certain brands of carrot juice taste sweeter than any raw carrot I've ever eaten, yet are made only with carrots, with no added sweeteners. Are carrots sold in supermarkets just not ripe enough?


texts: What is the problem with using a flavored kombucha as a starter?

texts:
In all the videos I see about starting to make Kombucha, they all seem to say (roughly) "You want to use 'original' Kombucha, and not flavored. If you use the flavored stuff, you are going to have problems." But I cannot find anywhere an explanation of what these problems are. I get the feeling that people just repeat what they have heard and don't even know why they are saying it beyond that.

For additional context: I made a scoby from a 1.4L bottle (the huge one) of GT's Trilogy Kombucha. They don't call it flavored, but it is red instead of... yellow/tan(?). I'm wondering what kind of problems I should be looking for.

On the left is the one that everyone says to use. On the right is the one I used.


texts: How long can I reuse this delicious bacon grease for cooking?

texts:
I cooked some bacon about a week ago and left the grease in the pan.  I've used it the last two nights with great success for cooking other meals.

How long is it safe to reuse?  I figure since I'm heating it up to a million degrees each time I use it it's probably pretty safe, but.... I'd rather not get food poisoning.


texts: What is the danger in cross contamination?

texts:
This question was prompted by this one on how to clean tools to prevent cross contamination. I wanted to ask it in the comments but realized it might be better as a separate question.

Do I need to be worried about cross contamination if everything is being cooked together? For example, is there a problem if I'm making a stew and I cut the meat and vegetables on the same board with the same knife without washing them in between if I then throw it all into the same pot? I've never really worried about cross contamination between foods that I was going to cook together anyways - is this a serious faux paus?

This mostly applies to foods that were going to be cooked at high temperatures where I figured any bacteria would be killed anyways, like stews, stir frys,  or casseroles.


texts:
I roasted a duck some days ago, and while eating, the meat on the carcass slowly turned a sharp red, much like an apple turns brown.
I can't find any information on this anywhere, as all questions equal "is duck meat red meat?", so my question is: what happened? I've never seen this before.


texts: Alternative for Swenson condensed milk. I'm diabetic

texts: I'm diabetic. I've been given a receipt for ice box pie that uses this milk.  What can I use to replace it with less sugar than receipts shown? It's made with Kool-Aid and cool whip.


texts: For the past couple years I can't ever seem to pick my figs when they're ripe. Not sure if it's the breed of fig or if I'm missing something else. I just picked one of the darker green ones today and cut it open. Did I wait too long or about how much longer should I wait... any other tips on what to look for before picking.


texts: How do I know when fish cooked in parchment or salt is done?

texts:
I want to try fish (either fillets or whole) baked in parchment or salt.  I have found several recipes but they specify a certain weight fish.  How do I adjust the cooking time for the size fish that I have?

Thanks!


texts: Is an oil-based roux cooked the same as one made with butter?

texts: I have experience making a roux with butter and flour. If I want to substitute a non-dairy fat (e.g. olive or sunflower oil), will there be any cooking or consistency differences that I need to watch out for? Does the fat/flour ratio stay consistent?


texts: Safe uses for sourdough starter discards during building phase

texts: I was wondering if there are any safe uses for the sourdough starter that is discarded during the build phase, i.e. in the first 1-2 weeks before the starter has stabilized. Assuming that there is no obvious mold or acetone smell, is it safe to use, and what would be good ways to use it?


texts: Cups v. weighing scales - is there an historical explanation?

texts:
Broadly speaking UK recipes will specify amounts by weight (lbs/ounces or metric), whereas American recipes will specify amounts by volume (cups).

Is there an explanation for how the two different approaches arose in the first place? I'm not talking about whether or not metric is used, but specifically about volume versus weight.


texts: Can you slow down the time it takes for dough to rise?

texts: I am going to make bread sticks and I don't want them to rise too soon. It is hard to predict what time my husband will get home from work. Can I slow the dough from rising too soon? The recipe says first rise about 1 to 2 hours and then let rest for 20 minutes. Can I put them in a cool place or should I refrigerate them?


texts: Spring onion (green onion/scallion) in coq au vin?

texts:
I recently ran into an Australian recipe for coq au vin that called for "spring onions", which (in Australia) refers unambiguously to what the French call cébette:

Oddly, the recipe calls for 800g of them (spring onions are sold by bunch, not weight), says you should "trim green ends, leaving about 4cm of stem attached; trim roots" (not a whole lot of spring onion left if you follow this!), and then continues with "cook onion, stirring, until browned all over", which doesn't seem like the kind of thing you'd usually do to spring onions.

So is spring onion for coq au vin an actual thing in France?  Or did a clueless editor somewhere along the way confuse shallot/échalote in the original (below) with spring onions, which are also known as "eschalots" in Australia?


texts: What is the fastest way to cool hot soup?

texts: I am making vegetable soup for about eight people and would like to cool it in little time. Refrigeration seems to be a good choice, but I would like to know if there are better methods/techniques out there.


texts: What is white meat and dark meat in Canada KFC?

texts:
According to US KFC, a chicken is cut into 2 breasts, 2 wings, 2 thighs and 2 drumsticks. White meat is breasts and wings, dark meat is thighs and drumsticks. But on KFC Canada's website, the options confuse me. Do they have different cuts or a different meaning?

From kfc.ca/different-pieces


texts:
The other day I was looking for chicken steak recipes, and most of them suggested to use an oven. They mentioned particular temperatures and times.

But the problem is, I am in Japan and I have a standard Japanese electric oven (電子レンジ) [microwave oven]. It doesn't have a temperature setting. It only has POWER in Watts and time settings.

200/500/700W are what I have to work with. So, what can I do to make a steak in that oven? Or can't I?


texts:
I have now twice experienced that when I'm tempering dark chocolate is becomes incredibly thick - almost solid- in the cooling phase
When it happens I will accidentally heat it up to much as to get it into a texture where I can work with it. (I make filled chocolates)

I use real chocolate, a water-free heating device, the right tempering method, and a good thermometer, so I have no idea why this happens

The chocolates usually turn out okay, but it's frustrating that I can't figure out, what I'm doing wrong

I hope someone out there can help me with some advice!
Thank you on beforehand!


texts: How much gluten should I add to maida flour for bread, and how?

texts:
Flour you get in India needs additional gluten. My question is whether I need to add 1 teaspoon or 1 tablespoon of gluten to 1 cup of flour in a bread machine.

Also, how do I add it? Do I place the gluten along with the yeast in a hollow in the centre of the flour?


texts: How to improve the texture of frozen yogurt?

texts:
I made some frozen yogurt for the first time yesterday. It turned out better than I feared, but had two problems:

It had some ice crystals, and was more sorbet-like than ice-creamy.
Once served, it melted rather rapidly into a thick soup.

Both these problems boil down to texture. How do I get a consistent, thick texture for frozen yogurt that will last long enough for someone to get through a serving?

Here are the details. The recipe I improvised was this. All measurements are US:

Make the yogurt

Put three cups of full-fat, lactose-free milk into a Pyrex bowl
Steam the milk for 30 minutes in an Instant Pot
When milk has cooled to 110º F, remove 1/4 cup milk
Add removed milk to 2 tbsp of full-fat Greek yogurt and stir thoroughly
Add mixture to rest of milk
Empty water used for steaming from Instant Pot and put Pyrex bowl back in
Leave on yogurt setting for 8 hrs
Refrigerate for 8 hrs

This resulted in a caramelized, creamy yogurt.

Make the golden syrup

I figured golden syrup, since it's an invert sugar, would prevent crystallization. I followed this recipe from the Totally Sacha YouTube channel, which involves adding boiling water, sugar, and a lemon wedge to some caramelized sugar and then letting the whole shebang simmer for ~45 minutes.

Make the frozen yogurt

Mix 1 cup golden syrup into the yogurt
Mix 3 tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream into the yogurt
Grind about 1/8 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt into the mixture and stir
Freeze for an hour
Use a stick mixer to break up crystals and blend the yogurt
Freeze overnight
Use stick mixer again
Freeze until time to serve (about 6 hrs)

What could I do differently to improve the texture? It served reasonably well: neither too mushy nor too firm. But as mentioned, the texture was a tad icy and did not stay firm.

Perhaps I could blend it a couple more times to break up the crystals more, as the answers to this earlier question say. However, the bigger problem was the melting. It melted far more quickly than desirable. Eaten at a reasonable pace, the last quarter bowl of each serving was the texture of clam chowder.

I thought of some things that might work, but I'm not confident they will:

Add some pectin?
Reduce the amount of alcohol?
Use some sugar to replace some of the golden syrup? I don't just want to add sugar, as the yogurt would be too sweet. The answer to this question says that sugar will result in a softer set, but I'm not sure "softer set" == "won't melt as quickly". Sugar might make the crystallization and the melting issue worse.
Add an egg to make the yogurt more custard-like?
Strain the yogurt to thicken it before adding the syrup, etc?

I don't have an ice cream maker or a stand mixer; much though I'd like them (especially the latter), that situation is unlikely to change any time soon. So I'm limited to the equipment at hand.


texts:
So I am really getting into eating Tofu, and I want to get into making my own (since organic soybeans are alot cheaper then organic tofu).

My question is, whenever I buy Tofu I always by the firmest possible so it has the best protein to fat ratio.  When making your own tofu, is this something you can control, and if so, how do you?  In other words, how can I make sure that any home made tofu I make has the highest amount of protein to carbs/fat?


texts: Hard anodized wok without scratch-resistant coating?

texts:
After many years our current wok is dying.  It did not have the non-stick coating, and we continue to not want non-stick coating on our wok.  But every time I search for "hard anodized wok without non-stick coating" I get 10,000 listings for hard anodized woks WITH non-stick coating.

Can anyone give me some suggestions for what we are looking for?  Does it just not exist any more?


texts: What do I do about mold on my sourdough starter?

texts: I started my mother yesterday at 6:00am. with 2 tsp salt and 2 tbsp honey, 4 cups potato water, 4 cups unbleached natural wheat flour. I was told to wait two to three days. Well, 24 hours later I lifted my wicker top and the thing was absolutely frothing. I told my wife 2 hours later to check it and she said there was some green mold on it, but it smelled okay. Reading some of the question responses, it looks like I can scrape it off and put the mother in the fridge overnight. Is that true?


texts: Combining whetstones from different manufacturers

texts:
I recently received two whetstones for my birthday, this chroma and this naniwa. The chroma stone feels very "hard" and heavy, while the naniwa stone is considerably "softer" and lighter. I am a beginner in sharpening knives, so I started practising on very old knives. The results are acceptable, but not too good. It feels like the naniwa stone (both sides) doesn't add to the sharpness anymore. Also sharpening on the chroma is much louder and feels more productive than on the naniwa, even when I change from 800 on the chroma to 1000 on the naniwa.

Is it possible that those two stones are not compatible somehow, because they are of a different sort (the chroma feels "hard" while the naniwa feels "soft")?
Is there maybe a different explanation, why I feel like the naniwa stone doesn't add to the sharpness anymore? Or is it just due to my inexperience in sharpening?

Thank you in advance!


texts: Half and half cream already curdled in a fresh carton

texts: What could be going on here? On several occasions recently, I have purchased small (half pint) cartons of half-and-half (10%) cream. The "out" date on the carton is at least four weeks into the future. My fridge keeps it about 2 deg C (35F maybe). Freshly opened after maybe a couple of days in my fridge, the product is already curdled. I often only see it when I pour it into my coffee, but I've also seen it already curdled in the carton (starting to look like cottage cheese). What could be going on here? Is this an issue I need to take up with the grocer? Is it a product quality problem from the dairy? Have I handled it improperly somehow (fridge too cold)?


texts: Should my chicken sit in liquid as it roasts, or not?

texts:
For the last chicken I roasted, I used this recipe, slightly modified.  The biggest modification was that I added liquid to the pan, it was eyeballed but let's say I used about 1/2 to 1 cup total of a vinegar/homemade chicken stock mixture...enough to come about halfway up the halved onions, in a 12" cast iron skillet.

After reading responses to this question about flipping the bird to get crispy skin, I had decided that some liquid in the pan wouldn't be a problem.

Turns out, when I took the bird out to rest and reduced the liquid (now with chicken drippings added), I was treated to the most delicious gravy I've ever had.  It was like sweet liquid gold.  I think the caramelization of the onions over the 2 hours was the main reason.  I definitely want the same result, gravy-wise.

This time, I don't want to flip the chicken but I still want crispy skin, so I'm going to follow the recipe a little more strictly and not add any extra liquid to the pan and just baste with its own juices as they come out.  However, I don't want to lose that delicious caramelized onion gravy.

So, my question: Will the onions still caramelize properly if they don't have a good amount of liquid around them to start?  Or should I oil my skillet or add a small amount of liquid so there's something in there until the chicken starts to drip?

Also: Any other reasons for or against liquid in the pan that I might be missing?


texts: Can dry beans, when soaked, be pickled/fermented, such as in vinegar or brine? Or would there be too much phytic acid in them?


texts:
I've been trying to figure out the best cut of beef to use for a German rouladen recipe. From the butcher and Google searches I've seen advice ranging from slicing flank steak (how would that work?) to pounding out a top round steak. (The final slice needs to be about 1/4 of an inch thick and 3+ by 6+ inches long and wide.)

Could someone suggest a cut of meat and a process for arriving at right kind of slice? (I would like to avoid pounding/tenderizing if possible.)


texts:
I frequently hear people telling me about how wonderful their slow cookers (AKA "crock pot") are.  In many cases they're right - meat that tends to come out tough in normal cooking comes out very tender from a slow cooker.

But do I really need a slow cooker to pull this off?  It seems like such a basic concept - simmer and/or steam at low heat.  What's so special about these devices?  For kitchens with very limited space, can a slow cooker be "synthesized" from other cooking implements, or is there really no substitute?


texts: Is it normal for flames to come up through the slots on each side of the bottom of the oven? They only come up when the burner is on. If not what do I do about it?


texts: Food identification in fajitas - yellow sauce

texts:
I'm looking for the name of a yellow/ochre colored sauce, used in fajitas among other things. I've been to a tiny Mexican restaurant a couple of times and in there the guy made his fajitas with such a sauce.

Now, I know that description isn't worth much, but I was hoping somebody could help me nonetheless. I can't really ask him, since I don't know his contact information, plus his shop isn't exactly close either. The shop is pretty small and it's in West Europe, so it may or may not be 'authentic' Mexican cuisine.


texts: Preventing heavy top layer of cake from crushing cream layer

texts:
I'm making a flourless cake with almond meal, thus quite dense, and it's also covered completely with whole cherries.

I thought I'd slice the cake horizontally and put a layer of cream in. The top layer will be quite heavy and I fear the cream will be squeezed out the sides. I wouldn't mind this too much normally, however I'll be transporting it in the springform tin I baked it in and suspect the squeezed out cream will smudge everywhere.

Just beat the cream until it's stiffer? Is there some additive that makes the cream firmer? The cream I was just planning on whipping it with confectioner's (icing) sugar and vanilla extract.

Update:

Gelatine method below worked perfectly with Australian Thickened Cream(35%, pre-thickened with Carrageenan and guar gum--I thought Aussie stuff was pre-thickened with gelatine?). Cream came out thick and did not squeeze out the sides when the heavy top layer was put on.


texts:
I work with woks at work and know about the wok pit used to cook on for heat, to hold the rounded bottom, and to toss the food. Is there a tool or way to use my at home gas stove for my wok (specifically round bottom) or would I have to install a wok pit.

I know of flat bottoms and have one of them as well but I'm dissatisfied with them.


texts: I used to cook pork shoulder in a slow cooker, however found that this didn't render any of the fat out of it. I prefer a leaner meat, so I figure roasting this in the oven and letting the fat drip out of it would be good. So I want to know how to properly roast a pork shoulder as well as any helpful tips.


texts:
I just made a batch of ratatouille using green bell peppers. There is a bitter metallic taste. Is there anything I can do to salvage this batch?

This is what I did. Olive oil was used throughout.

Peeled eggplant,  sliced in chunks, salted, rinsed

Cut slender young zucchini in same size chunks; Did not salt

Cut an onion and green pepper in chunks

Defrosted frozen Roma tomatoes from last year's garden. Rough chopped

Sauteed eggplant , added to casserole dish

Sauteed zucchini with an garlic clove, added to casserole

Sauteed green peppers, onion

Added last year's frozen  Roma tomatoes to the onion/pepper mix, reduced and added to casserole

(I tasted the tomatoes after they defrosted; no issues there)
Added some Herbs d'Provence, covered casserole and baked.

It is bitter and metallic.
What happened ?
Can it be rescued?

How to avoid this next time?

(I really like fresh made ratatouille in the summer)

Thank you


texts: Does cutting meat into pieces make it go bad faster?

texts: Assuming I buy some chicken thighs, and it would be fine in the fridge for a few days until I'm ready to cook it, if I cut the thighs into pieces and mix with some veggies put into a separate container from the cut-up veggies (thanks @Joe), would the raw stir-fry mix (in a tupperware in the fridge) keep the same amount of time? Or would the increased surface area make it go bad faster? Does the answer change if it's beef or pork?


texts: Botulism, Garlic, Cold pressed Olive oil and mason jars

texts:
I make a product I invented called Maybe It's Marinade. Cold pressed extra virgin olive olive, pressed garlic as the base in three varieties, AoliOliO, Dill and Cayenne Pepper, garlic powder, and titch of salt. I package it in a 250 ml mason jar. I also place the jar in a celephane bag as part of its packaging. Recently, a public inspector noticed the product and sunk his teeth into it concerning Botulism risks.

I've been making this for eighteen years. No one has ever gotten sick. I designed the product to be stored in the cupboard. Using cold pressed olive, extra virgin olive oil I have never found the product to become awful, discolored, smelly, and I set some aside in my house on several occassions for months and tested it on myself and found nothing wrong.

The product is not a method of storing garlic in the oil, with the other ingredients in the recipe, it becomes a bread dipping oil, cooking tool, pasta sauce accessory.
The use of the mason jar provides a secure lid but a very reusable easy to open situation. I do not fill the oil to the top, so that the product can be shaken. Its a very interactive product if that makes sense, in the way that it's spoon accessible.

Can you provide some sort of pro and con overview? I only see articles on storing garlic in oil, not as an ingredient in a recipe? If there's a chance i will make people sick afer eighteen years, I may have to stop making it.
Thanks a heap.


texts: I am wondering if certain ingredients go together

texts: I am making Spinach an Pea soup and would like to know if adding some grated carrots to it would be good?


texts:
It's been years I've been pondering this question. When I go to the store, the olive oil section has a vast array of offerings with a great range in prices.

With that in mind:

Does higher price necessarily mean better olive oil?
What distinguishes good olive oil from bad olive oil?


texts: What is the best way to store loose tea to maintain its freshness?

texts: This is the tea I use. Like Coffee needs to be stored in freezer, are there any storage restrictions for loose tea leaves also?


texts:
If I make pizza on a stone using charcoal barbecue, can I get the charred bubbles of a Neapolitan pizza?

What is the source of these bubbles anyway?


texts: What are the vertical-edge plates called?

texts:
I'm assuming asking this question is ok since questions about kitchen equipment and cutlery are permitted.

So far I've only found steel plates that have a vertical edge. Do these vertical-edged plates have a specific name that I could search for, to check if they are available as a microwavable plates?

Most plates are pretty flat, which causes food to annoyingly go off the edge and onto the table.


texts: What are the benefits and drawbacks of washing dishes in hot water?

texts:
When hand-washing dishes, it seems commonplace to wash dishes in hot water.

This LifeHacker article about washing your hands in hot water versus cold water points out that:

  It's certainly true that heat kills bacteria, but if you were going to use hot water to kill them it would have to be way too hot for you to tolerate

But sometimes when hand washing dishes the water can be uncomfortably hot (i.e. you wouldn't put bare skin under it for extended periods of time and consider that gloves are sometimes worn) -- hotter than what would be discussed in the article.

Also consider this Housekeeping About.com article in which it asserts claims about using hot water:

  Cleaning Power

  Hot water actually helps to lift away and clean dirty dishes

  Killing Bacteria and Microorganisms

  Hot water is needed to effectively kill bacteria on dishes

  Cutting grease

  Water temperatures under about 90 degrees will leave a nasty greasy film on your dishes
  Grease cutting ability is severely hampered by cool water

  Drying Time

  Hot water dries much more quickly on dishes than warm or cool water

And also:

  Dishes will dry spot and streak free with hotter water

However, these all seem to be claims that can be easily assumed. Since most people use warm-to-hot water they would assume it is the reason the dishes are spot free or rinse off easy. Reading the article leaves me asking "why?", how?" and "but wait I just saw a source saying the water isn't hot enough to kill bacteria and microorganisms?".

There are no sources for the information either, and the fact it is About.com leaves me skeptical.

What, if any, benefits are there of hand washing dishes in hot water? What about drawbacks?


texts: Ice pop recipe using egg yolks by two different ways

texts:
A few days ago i started reading about popsicles recipes. Searching this out i found out about two sort of recipes using almost identical ingredients to make a creamy popsicle.

The first recipes uses:

sugar, egg yolks, milk, heavy cream

1) Beat egg yolks and sugar until thicked and paled. Then put the milk and heavy cream on medium heat (not to boil). Then add 1 cup of the milky mixture in the egg yolks mixture and whisk; then put this in the milky mixture to cook whisking all the time until is ready.

The second recipes uses:

sugar, egg yolks, milk, corn flour

2) Whisk off the heat sugar, milk and corn flour. Add the milk gradually and whisk until the ingredients are dissolved, and then whisk in the egg yolks. Cook until ready.

Why in the first recipe we beat the egg yolks with sugar and at the second recipe type we just whisk them in? I would like to know the logic behind this and which recipe is better for the final result.


texts: Should syrup or pastry be cooled when pouring on to Baklava?

texts: When making Baklava, should you let the syrup or pastry cool before pouring the syrup over pastry?


texts: Angel Food Cake: crushed pineapple instead of sugar?

texts:
For my mom's birthday, I want to make an angel food cake.

I am against using any type of processed sugar (even cane sugar) but I am okay with fruit so I am looking for a way to substitute sugar with fruit.

The only thing I could come up with was crushed pineapple. I found a recipe for a pineapple angel food cake online but it requires Betty Crocker cake mix, and I am planning to make mine from scratch.

Do you think it would work if I use a basic angel food cake recipe, but add crushed/ pureed pineapple chunks instead of sugar and add more flour so it's not too wet?

Has anyone tried adding crushed pineapple as a sugar substitute?

Also, is a tube pan necessary? Cause I don't own one.

Thank you.


texts: Will ground sealed pepper have lost it freshness?

texts:
From other answers I can see that fine grounded pepper looses its freshness and flavors so freshly ground is better.

Does this apply as much to coarse ground, I imagine when you bite it more parts of the pepper is newly exposed and the flavour will be better?
With some containers of fine ground i notice, after removing the lid there is a seal with foil paper.  I imagine the fine grounded it and immediately sealed with foil paper to keep freshness and non exposure to air.  Would the foil paper actually make a difference or should I consider finely ground in a bottle with foil paper still to have lost most of its flavour like those in packets?


texts: How to add creamy taste and consistency to pasta dish with cheese?

texts:
I enjoy a plate of pasta every now and then, so yesterday, I made a large pot of pasta combining penne noodles, shrimp, scallops, garden-fresh zuccini squash, cheese, and seasoning.

Everything turned out great, but one thing seemed missing to me.  Whenever I have a dish of pasta with cheese in a restaurant, the cheese sauce usually has a very rich, creamy taste and consistency that I found missing in the dish that I prepared.

How can I add a rich, creamy taste and consistency to pasta dishes?


texts: What determines total heat when using chilis? Quantity × intensity?

texts:
I recently tried a bite of a Bhut/Naga Jolokia pepper, which is rated to be 3-10 times hotter than a "standard" habanero.  It was hot, but the total experience was not worse than a habanero, and definitely not worse than Buffalo Wild Wings' "Blazin' Challenge," which is more about the volume of hot wing sauce you can consume.

Granted, my peppers were farmed in California, not India, but they should be well within an order of magnitude of its variety's rating.

Given the wide range of chili varieties and heat levels, I'm wondering how best to harness the heat of each.

What determines the intensity and mouth location of a raw chili pepper experience?
Most of the capsaicin is contained in the pith and seeds, so is it a matter of how well you chew that portion and move it around in your mouth?
Are there other chemical factors at work in each pepper that affect the release/reception of the capsaicin?
When cooked down, is it just a simple equation of pepper volume × Scoville rating?
Is a large fruit likely to contain more capsaicin than a small fruit, or about the same?
Since Thai chilis are around 75,000 SHU, are they 7 times hotter per volume than Serranos at 10,000 SHU?
Would you want to use a tiny bit of a Naga when all you want is heat with little to no pepper flavor?


texts: I would like to know how to thicken sauces with blood and is it safe?

texts: I saw a recipe (French) that involved thickening with blood (they also said puréed liver would work) - is this safe?  I've eaten blood sausage and black pudding, but still am curious about a sauce?


texts: Why should you never re-freeze frozen vegetables?

texts:
On the back of my bag of frozen broccoli florets it emphatically warns me to not refreeze defrosted vegetables. Why is that? What is wrong with refreezing vegetables after leaving them defrosted for a couple of hours?

I couldn't figure it out through a Google search. Thanks a bunch :)


texts:
This weekend I attempted to make this recipe for brioche.  I did the first step and combined the the milk, yeast, 1 egg and 1 cup of flour which caused very big clumps and then I added the sugar.

I then did the 2nd through the 5th steps but the clumps stayed and the dough was really wet (like pancake batter) so I tried adding more flour until I got something like the right consistency. I then covered the dough and put it in a draft free area that was warm for 2.5 hours but my yeast did not rise and the dough still had clumps in it. I waited longer but nothing so I had to throw it away.

I really wanted to try this recipe again so I would appreciate any insight into what I did wrong.


texts: Can meat flavored tomato sauce be used without heating?

texts:
I saw similar questions but I can't comment as I'm new.
Is there any tomato sauce with meat chunks? Can those be used without cooking?


texts: Under-watered bread dough: specific effect?

texts:
I would like to ask what would be the difference between a bread dough that had a sufficient water component, vs a bread dough that wasn't sufficiently moisturized, in terms of the end result baked product?

Would an under-moisturized bread become crumbly and dry on the inside? Or is this more of an effect of lack of humidity in the oven during baking?

Finally, what parts of a bread recipe or its baking process would yield soft, moist insides as opposed to a dry crumbly inside?


texts: It is a while sinse I baked any sourdough. After 6 days of feeding the starter and 2 12 hour proofs the rise in the loaf was not fantastic but about doubled when I baked it. Is this normal?


texts:
I usually cook Chicken curry in pressure-cooker so that it gets done fast. I usually get advice for expert cooks that its better to cook it in a pan on low heat. But I don't really find a great deal of difference in the taste?

If we marinate the chicken well in advance, does cooking in a pan slowly really make the dish more delicious?


texts: substituting black treacle/molasses for brown sugar

texts: I would like to replace some of the brown sugar in a dark fruit cake recipe with black treacle (similar to molasses I believe), as I like the rich taste and think it will add to the moistness of the cake. But I don't know what quantity to use instead. The recipe calls for 200 grams of brown sugar, so I was thinking of replacing half of it maybe? I've seen a different recipe for a similar size cake that uses 150 g brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of black treacle, so perhaps that would be a better idea? I'm using the dark soft muscovado sugar as the recipe suggests, but I really want a dark, rich, moist, almost sticky cake, almost more like a Christmas pudding in texture. Hope someone can help :-)


texts: My sourdough starter is bubbling but not rising, suggestions?

texts: I've been trying to grow my own sourdough starter; I went with a 'pure' method, with 50g each of hard-wheat flour from a local mill and water.  I've fed it once and it seems to be bubbling nicely after a couple of days, and the taste is nice and tangy, but I'm not noticing the increase in volume that I would expect.  The area I'm in (the Pacific NW) is still fairly cold (the interior temp in my house is probably mid- to upper-60s) so I suspect that could be a factor, but at what point (I'm about 4 days in now, including a second divide-and-feed pass a day or two ago) should I start to expect any real vigorous expansion out of the starter?


texts: Adjusted cooking time for an already-baked pie shell

texts:
I have a pumpkin pie recipe that calls for an unbaked pie shell. During the cooking step, it cooks first at 425°F for 15 minutes, and then at 350°F for 30-40 minutes (until toothpick can be inserted cleanly). My understanding is that the first bit of cooking, at 425°F is to finish off the (frozen) crust, and then the 350°F is to cook the filling through.

At the moment, I have no unbaked pie shells, but I do have some graham cracker crust pie shells that I would like to substitute in their place. I figure that since the shells are 'ready to eat' already, they don't need the initial 425°F cooking step. Since the pumpkin still needs to cook and set, I would need to somehow extend the 350°F step accordingly to account for the cooking done in this initial stage, if I omit the 425°F step.

My basic plan is to fill the crusts and then bake at 350°F for about 50 minutes. Then continue baking until it passes the toothpick test (checking every 5 minutes or so.)

Is this a reasonable plan, or should I instead retain the 425°F initial baking phase even though the crust itself doesn't require any cooking? Or are the graham cracker crust shells entirely unsuitable for this project for some reason I'm overlooking?

(I'm following the basic Libby's "new fashioned pumpkin pie" recipe, which I've used previously many times with frozen pie shells.)


texts:
I'm slowly teaching myself to cook and I made some rice today. While the result was perfectly acceptable, the process didn't go smoothly and I had to add some water in the end and cook it some more to get there.

I did follow the process on the package of rice, though I also read a bit about rice cooking in general before that. So I added the rice with a defined amount of water in a pot, brought it to boil and then simmered it with a half-closed lid for around 10 minutes.

What I'm wondering now is why rice is cooked in this way, with a defined amount of water added and then until the water is absorbed or evaporated? The process seems to me to be rather fragile as the result depends a lot on getting the rice/water ratio right.

Compared to cooking pasta for example, the process seems to be more finicky and depending on rather exact measurements. So why exactly isn't rice just cooked like pasta, where you bring excess water to a boil and put the rice in for a defined amount of time, with the option of tasting when it is done?


texts:
I got bored with my regular coffe "Nestcafe Classic" or "Nestcafe 3 in 1". Are there tutorials how to create some awesome coffee? I don't mind if it's a latte, cappuccino or  espresso, as long as it tastes good. I know it's kinda vague. All I really want is something different and I could do it on my kitchen, fast, easy, cheap and that doesn't require me to have those advanced coffee makers.

Also if I could perfect the process, I would like to serve and impress my guests. But for now I'm the only one who's gonna be trying it.


texts: Hot crab and Artichoke dip - can it be made in advance?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How long can I store a food in the pantry, refrigerator, or freezer?

How much ahead of time could I put this dish together and refrigerate before heating to serve?
Should I freeze it if it is going to be longer than one or 2 days?

1  can(14 oz. / 400 gr) artichoke hearts, drained
1  package(8 oz. / 225 gr) cream cheese, softened
1  cup  (236 ml) mayonnaise
3/4  cup (180 ml) finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3  cup (80 ml) sliced green onions
1  package(8 oz. / 225 gr) flake-style imitation crabmeat, finely chopped
Crackers Keebler® Town House® Original

Link to the crackers web page

directions

Chop artichoke hearts. Set aside.
In medium bowl stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise. Stir in artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese and onions. Fold in imitation crabmeat.
Spoon into 9-inch pie plate or two 2-cup casseroles. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F about 25 minutes or until heated through. Granish as desired. Serve with crackers.