texts: Pressure Cooker - Same Settings, but much tougher meat

texts:
I often cook chicken thighs in my InstantPot pressure cooker, 12 minutes on high with a marinade and it turns out tender and perfect each time.

This time, however, the thighs were still a little frozen.  I had let them thaw for 2 days in the fridge, but I could tell when I squeezed them that they weren't thawed all the way through.

I put them in the InstantPot for the same amount of time with the same settings, and they came out quite tougher than usual (but still done all the way through).

My theory is that it took the Instant Pot longer to get to pressure due to the temperature of the chicken thighs, and so ended up cooking them longer...

What could be the cause of the dramatic difference in toughness?


texts: My chicken soup always ends up with bones

texts: I'm an avid crock pot-ter. My favorite recipe by far is my dad's famous chicken soup. It calls for bone-in chicken. I usually use drumsticks because that is what my dad uses, but I ALWAYS end up with a ton of little pieces of bone in my soup and it makes this amazing soup kind of disgusting. I'm wondering if I'm doing it wrong? I always get out the big bone, but those little ones are hard to find once the soup is made and everything is just falling off the bone. Is there a better cut of chicken that I can use to minimize the bones I have to fish out of it? I've tried it with boneless chicken and it isn't near as good.


texts:
I found on Wikipedia that it is made from animals' skin and bones. The article describes the steps of gelatin production from a technical perspective:

The manufacturing processes of gelatin consists of three main stages:

Pretreatments to make the raw materials ready for the main extraction step and to remove impurities which may have negative effects on physiochemical properties of the final gelatin product,
The main extraction step, which is usually done with hot water or dilute acid solutions as a multi-stage extraction to hydrolyze collagen into gelatin, and finally,
The refining and recovering treatments including filtration, clarification, evaporation, sterilization, drying, rutting, grinding, and sifting to remove the water from the gelatin solution, to blend the gelatin extracted, and to obtain dried, blended and ground final product.

How can you make gelatin from scratch in your own kitchen?


texts:
This has never happened to me before!  Last night I made Refrigerator Pickles using cucumbers and an ordinary vinegar, water, sugar brine.  My intention was to make a couple jars for co-workers who would use them within a few weeks.

I sterilized my jars, lids, and rings but didn't keep the jars hot.  The brine simmered but never boiled and was allowed to cool down quite a bit (not completely cool to room temperature and still warm). I filled the jar with my vegetables and added the warmish brine.  Then I added hot lids (I was simultaneously actually canning apple butter so they were simmering), sealed with rings, and set aside to cool.  Within just a few minutes I heard the lovely popping sound all canners long for!

I don't trust it for long term storage since I didn't go through the actual entire canning process.  Once the jars cooled to room temperature, I put them in the refrigerator; this morning, I tested the lids and they are in fact sealed.  Are they safe for long-term refrigerator storage?  I've had trouble in my early attempts at getting a jar to seal but  never had a batch seal on me unintended!  :)


texts: Is it okay to use whole wheat flour instead of vital wheat gluten for a recipe?. Would there be any noticeable flavor and texture changes?


texts: Is is possible at all to barbecue uncooked calamari (tubes) without getting them tough? If so, how should it be done? Are there any preparations (marinade?) which may help to get them soft? Does the size of the calamari matter?


texts:
Been in the market for my first good knives - mostly want either a Chef's Knife or Santoku as well as a paring knife.

I'm left handed and unsure if Santoku blades will work just as well for me or not. I'm obviously not a pro but before I spend $60-$100 on a knife I'd like to make sure I'm buying something intelligent that will last. I've only ever used a Chef's Knife but the more I read the more I think a Santoku might be better for me.


texts: How can I bake bread using a mother culture?

texts: If I want to make bread using a 'mother' culture what do I need to do?  How do I go about starting the 'mother'?  How should I keep the 'mother' going? and how do I use the mother in my bread?  What should I use to make the 'mother' for different qualities?


texts:
I got ten pounds of rye flour from the amish store yesterday. They only had a single, two-pound bag sitting on the shelf but, when asked, the man behind the counter said they actually have lots of rye flour but keep it all in the freezer because otherwise Something Bad will happen to it. It's organic and I think it might be wholemeal but I'm not sure.

I haven't been baking for terribly long, maybe 8 months or a year, but I've never frozen my rye flour. Is this a legitimate need? Ten pounds of flour takes up more freezer space than I would prefer. Thanks!


texts:
My wife and I enjoy a recipe for rum-balls that she has made in the past, but we have friends that choose not to consume any alcohol.

Is there any hope for non-alcoholic rum-balls? What could be substituted?


texts: Boiled a stainless steel pot dry, safe to eat food from the episode?

texts:
I steamed some broccoli and asparagus and let it boil dry. Is it safe to eat the food?

Thanks!


texts:
Beef soup bones were on sale today, so I thought I’d make a broth )(stock?). I roasted the bones for a couple of hours, then added them to the pot along with some onion, celery, and mushroom stems. As it came to a boil, there was virtually no scum to skim.

The broth is milky white. I can’t seem to get a beef broth with characterstic dark golden brown color that characterizes a French onion soup base.


texts: I made Turkish Delight today. I used 2 large cups sugar, 1oz gelatine, 1 saltspoon citric acid and 1cup boiling water. Boiled all together for 15 minutes then halfed the mixture. Flavoured one with lemon essence and coloured lemon and the other half flavoured with rosewater and tinted pink. Allowed it to set. Lemon is almost perfect texture but the rosewater one is "grainy" and much firmer set than the lemon. Why is it so? It was the same mixture, halved!


texts: Storage of Pecorino cheese — is room temperature ok?

texts: Is it permissible to store and transport an intact wheel of Pecorino cheese at room temperature for 2 or 3 days before putting it back into refrigeration?


texts:
When serving some mascarpone with French toast to my mother, she exclaimed: "Oh, this is the clotted cream I had when I was a little girl!"

Are mascarpone and clotted cream the same thing?

If not, what are the differences?


texts: First time canning my ball wide mouth jar may have gone into the water bath with the lid depressed. Must it go in with the lid in a popped up position? Now cooled, it makes a thud sound when tapped with the side of a spoon, but the lid is stuck to the jar. Any opinions on if this is properly sealed?


texts:
Do you wash or rinse your fish before cooking it? I usually don't, but I'm not sure whether I'm right or wrong.

Well, ok, I guess it's probably unnecessary in most cases but, what if we're making a raw fish dish like a ceviche? Does that scenario changes the rules?

Same question goes to seafood of all types: mussels, clams, shrimps, so on...

Thank you in advance!


texts:
I have a school project. We are to create a recipe of our own and also explain the effects of the ingredients used when cooking.

I would like to know if adding onions to tomato sauce helps to sweeten the sauce and how it helps to sweeten the sauce.
Can someone help me?


texts: What should I look for in a good, multi-purpose chef's knife?

texts: If I want to buy a good multi-purpose chef's knife, which characteristics should I look for?


texts: Can you take a cooked roast and make it tender and moist?

texts: I roasted a top round roast low and slow and it still came out dry and tough. I know that this is a cheaper cut of meat but I was wondering if I put it in the crock pot with gravy or water, could I get the roast more tender?


texts: Why can food be left out to cool (140F to 40F in < 6h) but not to defrost?

texts:
Local government food safety guidelines for storing foods (p26) which have already been cooked stipulate food internal temperature must be brought from above 140F (serving temperature) to 70F in less than 2 hours and from 70F to 40F in less than four hours.

Why then do the rules for defrosting (p23) (the reverse) say food should be at room temperature "for very short periods during preparation" and foods can only be defrosted in one of three ways: in refrigerator, under running water, or in the microwave provided there is no interruption in the cooking process (ie. partially in the microwave then cooked or all in microwave). If its just time and temperature, why is the cook trusted to watch the clock for cooling and not defrosting?

Previous posts have asked for guidelines and best practices; however, my question accepts the practical advise and hopes to discover the political (creating effective guidelines) and biological (does warming from 40F generate more/more harmful bacteria than cooling from >140F?) reasons. I have my own theories but what are yours?


texts:
I'm looking to make a variety of infused oils (lemon zest infused, garlic confit oil, herb oil, etc--all strained with no solids left) to have on hand. Unfortunately, most recipes recommend to use infused oils within one week, which
in most cases would not be possible in my case. I'd like to make a batch of each and keep them for longer, if possible. Would it be feasible to freeze oils like this with minimal loss in quality? If it would ruin the flavor/aroma of volatile compounds found in lemon rind and herbs, I'm not sure it's worth it, but wanted to see if anyone else has had success here.


texts:
What's the best way to roast small chicken (500g or one pound) in the oven so its skin has enough time to get crisp? I have broiler and convection and familiar with spatchcocking (usually do it for regular-sized chicken but not sure if it's a way to go in this situation). Other tools that I have that could potentially help with it is cast iron pan and a blowtorch.

UPD. Did the first one by spatchcocking a straight out of package chicken, separating the skin from the meat and putting it into a 200C oven with convection turned on for 15-20 minutes. The meat was great, the skin underwhelming.


texts: Why are there spikes growing out of my ice tray?

texts: This is sooo weird. As is my habit, I filled my ice trays with cold tap water and let them settle on the counter for 15 minutes or so. Then I put them in the freezer. A few hours later I opened the freezer and found that the ice had these nail-like projections. The longest was maybe 3 inches long. They weren't touching anything. What the heck happened? Notice the baby dude in the first picture? WTF?


texts:
I've read that non-stick saucepans using Teflon are dangerous. Why do so many people still use them including all the professional chefs, and how do you personally feel about using them after reading this?

We are in the predicament at the moment where we have an induction stove and a titanium Woll pan which is non-stick but takes FOREVER to heat up. The only other non-stick pans are Teflon. What to do?


texts: What makes a bread either close or open crumbed/textured?

texts: What causes the texture of bread to be open, ie with lots of large holes, or close, ie a regular, uniform tender crumb with no large holes? How can I achieve either?


texts: Why does curry flavor improve overnight (beyond the effects of permeation and infusion)?

texts:
The flavor of a curry usually improves overnight. Harsh overtones mellow and disparate elements combine for a richer, more coherent result. Some people think this is just because the flavors from whole spices have more time to infuse (and larger chunks of vegetables and meat exchange flavors with the sauce base).

However, I think there's more to it than that. Even with a curry without large chunks of food or whole spices, the flavor still seems to improve over time. Is this really so, and if so, why?


texts: What would cause maple syrup bottles to bulge?

texts: This year a lot of our maple syrup bulged out the bottles and almost blew the tops off when loosened. There were particles found in the syrup.  What is going on??


texts: Last weekend, I had a delicious bread, whose name was Sal-ra-man-d. Since English is not my native language, its name was written in non-english. It sounds like french. But I don't know its exact name. It is somewhat like a pound cake, with some cheese flavor. I think it is made of cream cheese. Is here anyone who knows its origin, or its original name. It is very hard to google what this bread really is.


texts:
Is it possible to slow roast potatoes?

I am slow roasting a pork belly in the oven at 130c for 4 hours, can I add whole (small-medium sized) potatoes as well? Would they need the full 4 hours? How would it effect the end product (texture/taste/etc)?


texts: What is a good substitute for ground veal?

texts: I found a great looking recipe that calls for ground veal.  What other meats would be a reasonable substitute for flavor and texture for ground veal besides the obvious ground beef?  Lamb?


texts:
I always keep bread around, home-made or otherwise.  Is there a way to keep it from molding, or at least delay the process?

I've tried the fridge with some success (extra day or two), but I don't like my bread that cold to eat.

I've tried zip-top bags with no success (seems to mold faster).

Bread-box didn't seem to make any difference in time.

Thanks


texts: What brand of tupperware-style (kitchen storage containers) are the easiest to clean?

texts:
I'm trying my best to keep this from being too opinionated, but I won't be offended if this gets closed.

I'm looking for a new set of storage containers and while there are a lot of factors that would weigh my choice (nesting/stacking, ecology, etc), the most critical would be ease of cleaning.

Factors to consider:

Materials, and how prone they are to stain, scratch or get food stuck
on
Texture and Corrugation. I hate, HATE, the embossed brand names
on my current cheap set. It's like they're specifically designed to
capture scraps in them that are a pain to wash out!

Please include in your answer available brands that are a good fit for the above.


texts: How long does a pack of raw, dried Indian papad keep once opened?

texts: How long does a pack of raw, dried Indian papad keep once it's opened? There's a best before date on the pack, but it's not mentioned how long they keep once it's opened. The ones I have are the Lijjat Papad brand that's sold internationally. This stuff is pretty dry, so I'm guessing it will remain safe to eat for quite a while though.


texts: What is the difference between sorbet and sherbet

texts:
From my [limited] exposure, it seems like sorbet is merely sherbet with a higher price tag.

Is that a fair understanding?

If not, what is a better way of understanding the difference(s)?


texts: How is meal prep safe after longer than three or four days?

texts:
Meal prep is usually meant to be a week's worth of meals but how does that work with the three or four days in the fridge most leftovers are considered safe for? Is three or four days too conservative then or are meal preppers risking their health with meals five days or so old?

Added: My question is, in spite of recommendations not to exceed 3-4 or 3-5 days in fridge, how are meal preppers doing fine with eating foods a week old? (I assume they are anyway). For example I have six day old chicken and veg I have just frozen and debating over that would be fine for a meal prepper I think but not fine if following the recommendations.


texts: baking time adjustment when baking large quantity of fish

texts: Do I need to increase cooking time when baking many more fish fillets than receipe calls for.


texts: Tortilla de patatas: Flip and slide, or slide and flip?

texts: Most recipes I've found suggest flipping the half-done tortilla from the pan onto a plate, and then sliding it back onto the pan. However, that would leave egg residue on the plate. Why not slide it onto a plate, place the pan over the plate, and flip it back into the pan? I was wondering if there were any advantages of the flip and slide method that I might not have been aware of, because this does comprise a majority of the recipes out there.


texts: I have a frozen fish head. What should I do with it?

texts: I butterflied a whole dorade but removed the head. It's now sitting in the freezer waiting for a soup or stock. Does anyone know a more interesting or creative use for fish heads?


texts:
When preheating a stainless steel or cast-iron pan I tend to throw it on a high temperature with nothing in it and leave it on for several minutes until it is very hot. I then add the oil and cook. I can't add the oil at the start because it would burn during the heating process over the long time.
A couple people over the years have mentioned that you shouldn't heat a pan without having oil or food in it. I didn't pay much attention because my method has never caused any problems (that I know of).
Today I got a set of 5-ply stainless Henckels pans. I took a quick look at the instructions and it says "never leave an empty pan on the cook top.... this can quickly lead to irreversible damage....". This took me by surprise.
Is it bad to heat empty pans?


texts: What is the shelf life of unopened jarred hollandaise?

texts: I have a jar of unopened Trader Joe's Hollandaise sauce that I forgot about in the back of a cupboard. It's definitely been there for over a year. There's no expiry date on it. Is it still safe to use?


texts: Why is orange juice or apple juice added in a smoothie?

texts:
I currently have strawberries, bananas and yogurt in my fridge and this got me thinking about the Strawberry-Banana Julius from Orange Julius. Previously I've made smoothies with strawberries, bananas, yogurt, milk and a light dash of sugar.

I know most places add in some orange juice or apple juice. What does the addition of orange juice or apple juice do to the smoothie? Does it amplify the flavor of the strawberries and/or bananas?

How much would someone suggest adding if I do not want the juice flavor to overpower the smoothie?

Thank you!


texts: And what will happen if I eat them after they're past the expiry date?


texts: Why does storing bread in a plastic (grocery) bag keep it fresh longer?

texts:
I accidentally stumbled upon this 'trick' a week ago when I forgot about a baguette that I bought for a party and never used. It was half-covered (loosely) by a plastic grocery bag. When I took it out after the week period, the top half (not covered by plastic) was rock hard, but the part inside the plastic bag was still relatively soft.

What biological mechanics are causing plastic grocery bags to keep bread fresh longer? This Q/A discusses storage methods, of which plastic bags are one, but doesn't actually explain why it works the way it does.

I also stumbled up this video where a guy mentions that he also keeps bread in plastic bags, so this isn't an isolated incident.


texts: Canned fruit vs fruit packed in shelf stable plastic packs

texts: I bought some fruit in Dole Fridge Pack off of shelf from store. It tasted surprisingly fresh. Is there a different method for fruit stored in shelf stable not refigerated plastic container vs fruit in cans. I though both were just different types of canning.


texts: How can I remove moisture from my onions?

texts:
Currently, I prepare onions to put on a pizza by using a food processor to chop them, then strain them and let them dry.  Then, I put them in containers before use.

However, the onions have been too moist lately, and make the pizzas soggy when they're put on them.  How can I remove some of the moisture so they don't do that?


texts: Achieve the crispiness of fried potatoes using baking

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How can I bake normally fried foods?

I usually cut my potatoes into sticks that are slightly bigger than your generic frozen fries. I've tried baking the sticks with low temperature (350) / long duration and with high heat (425) / short duration. I still can't achieve the crispy on the outside but moist, soft, and not dry on the inside. The results are either mushy or crispy but dry and unchewable.
 I tried baking the sticks with a bit of oil, or a bit of oil mixed with butter to get some browning going, but that didn't achieve the same results.

Question: What are some of the cooking techniques involved to produce quality baked potato sticks to make them taste similar to fried potatoes (French fries)?


texts:
I made a rhubarb jam a little while ago, basically rhubarb, sugar and grated ginger.  Its quite gingery.

I've now made some duck terrine and fancy serving it with some chutney.  I have some chutney, but I wouldn't mind trying to convert some of my rhubarb jam into a rhubarb chutney, to use tonight.

Not really sure how I might go about this, but was thinking I might soften some onions and garlic, then mix these and some cider vinegar into some of the jam.

Is this likely to work?  Anyone got any better ideas?  Would it be different if I had more time?


texts:
My wife and I have noticed that a lot of the drinks or liquids we buy have a measurement of "fl oz".

I was surprised to ascertain that fl oz. is indeed a measure of volume.  I might be a little dense here but why the hell do I need the "fl"?  Does this provide us with any more information?

Also for "heavier" liquids couldn't fl oz be different from oz?  So if a recipe asked for 10 oz of gravy and I have a jar that is 10 fl oz, what if they gravy is 11 oz?  Serenity now!


texts: Is there a way to "fix" my stainless steel fry pan that does not sit flush on my cooktop stove?


texts: Substitute agar-agar for gelatine in no bake cheesecake

texts:
I realise that there are similar questions but I'm confused by the quantity I should use.
Various cooking websites say anything from equal quantities to 8 of gelatine = 1 of agar-agar.
Maybe the ones who say 1:1 haven't heated the agar-agar to near boiling point so it isn't fully dissolved whilst the 8:1 sites have boiled it in some liquid for 4-5 minutes, but this is unclear.
My current recipe uses about 6 leaves of gelatine or about 1tsp of gelatine powder.
Being a lemon cheesecake it also contains the juice of 3 lemons. Some sites say that acid can reduce the effectiveness of agar-agar.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Since posting the original question earlier today I have experimented with using 1 tsp agar-agar and it seems to work. I have been requested in one answer to post the whole recipe. Here it is in both gelatine and agar-agar forms.
Lemon Cheesecake
300 gr biscuits
75 gr melted butter
2 X 340 gr tubs (family sized) ordinary Philadelphia cream cheese
1 250 gr tub Mascarpone
Zest and juice of 2 lemons (maybe 3?)
100 gr caster sugar
6 leaves of gelatine (or one sachet of powdered - possibly only ½ is enough)
OR 1 level tsp agar-agar powder

Put the semi-sweet biscuits. 200gr digestive + 100gr other Hobnobs, almond biscuits,
ginger nuts etc. (or it could be all digestives) in a food processor and blitz
to a fine crumb. Add melted butter, blitz, scrape down, blitz again until
it's fully mixed.

Take a 24cm loose bottomed (springform) cake tin, use the loose bottom
as a template to cut a circle of greaseproof paper / cooking parchment
and assemble with the disk in the bottom. Add the biscuit mixture and press down
into an even layer. Use whatever you like, finger tips, knuckles, spoon, bottom
of a jar or glass. Put it in the fridge to firm up.

If using gelatine, separate the gelatine leaves and put them in a bowl of cold
water to soak. Not necessary if using powdered gelatine or agar-agar.

Put the cream cheese and Mascarpone in your food mixer and beat at high speed
for about 2 minutes, speed consistent with keeping the cheese in the bowl .
Scrape down the bowl. Beat in the sugar and lemon zest.

Squeeze as much water as possible from the gelatine leaves and add to the lemon
juice in a small bowl, or just stir in the powdered gelatine, making sure there
are no lumps. Add 1 or 2 tbsp of water (not too much, just enough to partly cover
the gelatine). Microwave at full power for 30 sec or until the gelatine has fully
melted when stirred into the liquid.
OR
Put the lemon juice + 1 or 2 tbsp water in a small glass bowl and whisk in the
agar-agar powder with a fork. Bring to the boil in the microwave, 1 minute at
full power then, stirring occasionally, run at low power for another 3 minutes
to keep it boiling.Check you don’t boil dry! Add more water if necessary.

Stop the mixer, add the gelatine / agar-agar / lemon juice scraping the bowl
to get it all. Cautiously restart the mixer. The contents will now be a lot more
liquid you won’t be able to run at full speed without it sloping all over the place!

When fully incorporated, pour the mix into the now chilled cake tin.
Scrape the bowl, shake the tin to get the top flat.
Put it back in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
With agar-agar the mixture will set much more quickly even at room temperature,
you need to work quickly.


texts: Can you beat eggs inside their own shell?

texts:
A random thought: can you shake an egg vigorously enough to beat it inside its own shell?
Aside from this patent I can find nothing about this. Any thoughts, recipes?


texts: Is a top heat gas grill, capable of 800°C / 1500°F perfect for pizza and sous vide steak?

texts:
I am talking about something like this:

The biggest problem with home made pizza seems to be the lack of temperature, which dries out the dough. Professional pizza makers bake a pizza for under 2 minutes at about 400-450°C / 800-900°F.

I also appreciate this machine's capability to sear a sous vide steak, without creating a gradient.

Basically, this looks like exactly what I am looking for, a steak / pizza machine, which can do grilling as well.

At first I wanted to get a Weber gas grill, but the problem is the low maximum temperature.

One downside of this machine is that it doesn't heat evenly at all. But I think I could get around that by turning the pizza.

Does this machine have any disadvantages compared to similar solutions, which are produced for home made pizza specifically?

The temperature checks out, but is it missing something critical? And also, would it actually produce crust without cooking the inside, similar to a torch, but hopefully a lot quicker?

If a grill existed, which could cover these two things (steak searing after sous vide and proper pizza) I would actually prefer something like a Weber gas grill. But my understanding is, that these have trouble achieving anything above 350°C / 700°F.


texts: Can i use non stick cooker (futura pressure cooker) for making cake without oven

texts: I saw so many recipes but in every recipe simple cooker is used.


texts: I like to make kabobs, but when i try to turn over the kabob so it cooks evenly, the meat and vegetables sometimes spin around on the skewers.Is there a trick to grilling kabobs so i don't have to turn each piece of meat  with tongs??


texts: Chinese chicken balls - should the chicken be precooked?

texts:
There seems to be two schools of thought when it comes to cooking Chinese chicken balls. Some chefs pre-cook the raw chicken in simmering water (in a similar way to BIR take-away chefs) before coating and frying, others just coat the raw chicken batter and deep fry.
Which is the most authentic method used in Chinese restaurants? The only reason I can think of pre-cooking is to eliminate any risk of the chicken being undercooked, while the latter would allow for a more flavoursome chicken by using a marinade etc.


texts: how do I remove partially-disintegrated sediment/tiny-bones from stock?

texts:
I have just finished my first batch of bone broth, and have removed all of the bones I could find.  I noticed that there are some smaller pieces, as well as "grit" from disintegrated bones, which seems to be from the handiwork of my vinegar leaching minerals from the bones.

I am wondering what people normally do when dealing with these very tiny gritty pieces, as well as pieces that could have been hard to miss that are still bones/larger grit.  I went through with a strainer, but the issue is that the marrow is also strained so I have to pick through.  Currently it is very hot, so I am waiting for it to cool down before I pick through it more.

My questions are

How do people get rid of the very tiny pieces of bone/tiny-grit from the bones.
Is there an issue with eating the grit and such?  It seems that it would be disintegrated with more time, so there shouldn't be an issue.  What about small bone pieces?  It seems that with the long simmer the bones are a lot softer, so there wouldn't be splintering, but it's probably still a possibility.

Any help would be appreciated on how to deal with/ work with tiny-bones and grit, thank you!.


texts:
One of the positive things about lockdown has been cooking more with my children (6 and 9). They enjoy the obvious tasks to give them peeling & washing veg, grating, picking leaves of herbs, and stirring saucepans. I’m pretty safety conscious so while they sometimes chop things these are only things that can be chopped with a table knife, like mushrooms. They also enjoy opening packets, etc. I like them doing these tasks as it can be a genuine help as they prefer that to invented jobs. But, these tasks unfortunately all tend to be clustered at the beginning of most recipes and I’d like to find things for them to do. But, I want to keep them away from boiling water, hot fat, chefs’ knives, and the inside of the oven until they are a bit older.
I’d love suggestions of other things they can do so they don’t wander off disillusioned. Equally, I’d be super grateful for  suggestions of recipes where they can contribute throughout. Or if there is equipment or other ways to make other activities safer that would also be great. I’m not terribly interested in baking type things which we already do.


texts: How to safely reuse glass bottles to store oils

texts:
I like to reuse glass bottles and jars in my kitchen in order to create less waste. Recently, I bought a large quantity of olive oil which I would like to use by pouring some of it in an empty 500ml vodka bottle:

I have a few concerns, however, since the oil I bought came in a dark glass container which I can only assume is there to protect it from light. I also wonder if it would be fine to simply top off the oil in the bottle once it gets low or if I should clean the bottle every time to ensure it remains safe. Basically, how can I do this safely?


texts: Do specialty cheese-cutting tools have specific advantages over an ordinary knife?

texts:
I cut block cheese (mostly cheddar or muenster) into slices or cubes using an ordinary non-serrated stainless steel knife. I used to use a T-shaped slicer that had a wire and an adjustable roller (for slice thickness), but when it fell apart I realized that an ordinary knife worked about as well.

But I keep seeing lots of novelty cheese-cutting gadgets and specialty cheese knives, and I don't understand what gives them an advantage over a regular knife.

Could it be the type of cheese? Are different cheese-cutting implements better suited to different cheeses?


texts: How can I make my no carb sausages more succulent?

texts:
I'm trying to find a way to make my home made English sausages more like shop bought English sausages (I'm saying English here as I'm pretty sure sausages around the world are very different - ideally I'm looking to make something like Black Farmer sausages)  The only caveat is that I'm trying to make them carb free, so can't use rusk or breadcrumbs.  I've been experimenting with kibbled onions, as I read somewhere that you can use anything as a binding component as long as it's very dry.

I've been using mostly pork belly, which seems to have a good meat to fat ratio - I've been careful to get meat with a fair amount of fat, but my sausages are still a bit dry when cooked.

Can anyone give me some tips to making sausages, especially how to make them moist and succulent?


texts: forgot the shortening (1/2 cup) in banana cake. How can this be served, or rescued?

texts:
We forgot the 1/2 cup shortening in banana cake mix. Can this error be fixed out of the oven?
It seems to be a wee bit heavy, as in unleavened.


texts: In the context of breading meats, is there a difference in how things adhere to one another? What about in regards to the crispiness in the final outcome?


texts:
I was at a Brewers Fayre pub and saw this on the menu (pictured)
When it arrived it was an egg on top of a garlic and breadcrumb chicken breast. Why call it chicken garlic chicken? The waitress didn't react in the slightest to the name, and it's still on the menu now
Am I missing something here?


texts: What features should I consider when getting an ice cream or gelato machine?

texts:
Obviously, there's the amount that it can make in one batch, and there seem to be three basic types (ones you freeze the bowl ahead of time; ones you pack it with salt and ice, and ones that refrigerates themselves).

... and I know I'm looking for one that I don't have to hand-crank ... (I did more than enough of that as a kid)

... but beyond that, are there any features I should be looking for when buying a machine?

If it makes a difference ... I'd mostly be making sorbet with it, as I don't handle dairy well, but I might make ice cream or gelato to share with other people.


texts: How do I add back in the taste and fat to low fat alfredo sauce?


texts: What should I use to marinate chicken with a lime seasoning?

texts: I'm trying to marinate chicken with lime for a party. I know I can't use metal as a marinating dish otherwise it corrodes. Is wooden okay to use? I need an answer hopefully within the hour because of the upcoming party tomorrow morning. I have already used up my plastic bowls for fruits. Are wooden bowls okay to use or should I use multiple Tupperware dishes?


texts: Are long brines neccesary for sous vide?

texts:
I'm looking at a recipe which calls for two weeks of wet brining followed by 48 hours of sous vide for beef tongue. I've seen similar recipes for other tough cuts of meat such as brisket.

It seems to me that if we're going to stick it in a vacuum, the meat can't really dry out that much in any case, so I'm not clear on what the brine, especially such a long one is accomplishing.

What am I missing? Are long brines for tough cuts really necessary if you're going to sous vide them afterwards?


texts:
My grandma used to make a waffle cake with chocolate cream filling, Romanian/Hungarian/Russian style.

My mom is trying to recreate it, without success. But she doesn't exactly know how to make the cream.

I had one recipe with sweet cream and chocolate pudding, but it didn't work well — it was too wet.

I had another recipe with cocoa and halva, where you cook them both with some water, butter and sugar, and it too didn't work — also too wet, and too chocolatey.

How can I find a decent recipe for the filling? Are there any names I should be searching for?


texts: I accidentally put in banana bread 1 1/2 tsp of baking soda instead of 3/4 tsp of baking soda.  Is it going to be edible?


texts: Baking bread/cake yields different results than expected

texts:
I am trying to bake bread/cake without flour (gluten free). The friend who gave me the recipe gets a fluffy, light weight loaf, while mine tastes the same, but it is more condensed and hard even when I follow the recipe to the letter. What do I do?

This is the recipe:

(using measuring spoons)

6 tbs Tahini paste
2 tbs honey,
4 eggs,
1/2 tsp baking powder.

Lightly beat the eggs and mix well with other ingredients, pour into a lightly greased English-Cake form (long and narrow), and bake for 20 min. in a pre-heated oven at 160-180 °C. 320-356 °F.


texts: If you are using pasteurized eggs or pasteurized egg yolks when making mayonnaise is it still necessary to leave the mayo out at room temperature for the recommended 24, or more, hours?


texts: Could cheese "halt" the tenderness of cooking lentils?

texts:
I was cooking some lentils in chicken broth. When the lentils seemed almost done (they had been simmering for 30 minutes or so), on a whim, I added a fair amount of Gouda cheese. There was still plenty of broth left, the cheese barely thickened the liquid and the taste was nice. I was looking forward to the lentils being done so I could enjoy them.

It's been over an hour since I added the cheese. I've kept it at a simmer ever since but the lentils are still not done. If anything, they are tougher now than when I added the cheese.

Is there a reason cheese would have this effect? There is still plenty of liquid, I started with at least 4:1, and there is still at least a good half inch of liquid above the level of the lentils.

What's going on?

EDIT From this question: Can Calcium Chloride be Used to Prevent Lentils from Bursting? I gather that the calcium in the cheese may be the issue, but it seems that it shouldn't have that much of an effect.


texts: Cooking Dry noodles without them being soggy

texts:
Could I get some tips on how to cook like or similar to Sharwoods Dry Noodles since when I cook, strain, wash and add them to the wok for cooking they always seem to come out soggy and sloppy. I've tried cooking them less but it doesn't really help too much.

So any tips to make them better?


texts: I have a daughter who is allergic to tomatoes, but there are so many recipes calling for tomato juice. What can I use to substitute for tomato juice?


texts: What difference does it make if I substitute low-fat milk for water in bread recipes?

texts:
I'd like to know whether is it possible to always substitute milk with water (or the other way around) in bread recipes and what difference does it make? For example, in the following recipe that I found here:

Honey-Oat Pain de Mie

255g lukewarm water
361g AP Flour
85g old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick oats)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
64g honey
57g melted butter
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast


texts: Is it possible to use jam instead of sugar to make a dough?

texts:
I followed this recipe to make a dough for cookies to dip in milk:

300g flour
1 egg
70g sugar
60g milk
50g butter
10g yeast

However I replaced sugar with jam (~100g) and butter with yogurt (~200g).

The result are cookies kind of fluffy, that took slightly more that twice the time in the oven (25m instead of 10m at 180C) and are chewy! And they do not dip really well in milk... I am not sure if I added too much yogurt or it is the pectin in the jam working against dipping. The fluffines might have been an overdosage of yeast.


texts: Clear cauliflower and blue cheese soup - how to get it clear

texts:
I am trying to recreate a Cauliflower and Blue Cheese soup I had many years ago (at a ski resort - the private chef wouldn't tell/sell me the secret recipe).

All the recipes I have tried end up being thick cauliflower 'glue'. They're more towards a paste/sauce dish rather than liquid soup side I am trying to reproduce.

Donna Hey's
Food.com's
HealthyFoodGuide, etc etc

Essentially the Cauliflower must be blended or perhaps grated because the soup is a slightly yellowish transparent colour with 1 to 2mm bits of cauliflower swimming.

I have a gut feeling the chef must have somehow used the Cauliflower in a broth method.

Basically I am asking how would you make a dish so it ends up as a nice clear watery soup dish that is cauliflowered and blue cheese flavoured not as a liquid paste?


texts:
Simple question: can you generally use baking soda to cancel acidity in your dishes?

For instance, sometimes tomato sauce is too acidic, or you put too much vinegar in some dish, etc.

The simple acid$+$basic$=0$ concept should make it work, but do you get undesirable side effects?

The production of CO₂ should not be that much of a problem if you let your dish breath a bit after adding baking soda.
I guess the reaction is exothermic, so maybe you get heating…
I'm not sure if you can get a a chemical reaction producing harmful stuff, depending on the type of acid you start with.

So, what's the verdict?


texts: How do you wash fruit and veggies effectively?

texts:
When eating or preparing fruit and vegetables, you should wash them beforehand to get rid of pesticides, bacterias, fertilizers, etc. However, I notice that I (and others I know), just put the thing for a few seconds under cold running water while rubbing it softly.

Is this quick rinse enough to remove those unwanted things or at least some of them? What big of a proportion are washed away by this?

I've found this question, but I'm not satisfied with it.


texts:
I've been following all the rule books on how to cook fresh/thawed  octopus, specifically to "frighten" the octopus before cooking. The "frightening" is a quick 10 second bath in the boiling water, repeated 3 times, which shrinks the arms. I know I have to put spices in the water where I cook the octopus, and perhaps some sea-salt. All that will help to tenderize the octopus.
Now the question is: Why is it recommended to add a whole onion, including the skin? Is there some reaction with the onion and the octopus while cooking?
Note: This is a wide spread recommendation on how to cook octopus in Portugal.


texts: Hi All! I tried to make a sourdough starter, and after 24 hours I uncovered it and discovered black spots and 2 white fluffy areas. The black spots are only at the top layer so can I still use it after removing this layer?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Should maple syrup be stored in the refrigerator?

I have pure maple syrup and it has only been opened for maybe 5 days or so. I do keep it in the fridge but the other day I was distracted after breakfast and forgot to put it back in the fridge. It sat out for about 7 hours before going back in the fridge. Is it still safe to eat?


texts: Would adding more egg help crumbling cookies?

texts: As this is a controversial subject I cannot just ask it to the majority of the women I know that bake. I make cookies for my father who has cancer and was losing weight at an alarming rate until I suggested pot cookies. I have been using Betty Crocker peanut butter cookie mix. The recipe calls for only one egg, I have been having a crumbling issue. It's too expensive to trial and error in this situation. Would adding another egg help?


texts: I always have trouble figuring out how long to saute garlic for before adding it to a dish.  How do I know when it is ready?


texts: What happened, when I boiled this pot dry?

texts:
I started boiling water in a small, stainless steel, copper-bottom pot. Old story: I forgot about it, the water boiled away, and the pot spent a couple hours on maximum heat from my electric stove.

I noticed it as I sat reading: a funny smell was coming from the pot, not unlike the smell of burning plastic. I opened the pot and saw the bottom covered with this dark grey matter that doesn't wash easily. What could it be?

Then, while washing the pot, the nice dark copper color seemed to wash away. Now I have this. What happened, here?

Lastly, now I have white spots on my cooktop where the pot sat. What could these be?


texts: Can I use a pint/ 500ml whipped cream canister for small volumes?

texts:
When using a small volume of contents, is it better to fill a larger (pint/ 500ml sized) whipped cream dispenser only partially or to fill a smaller (half or quarter pint/ 125ml or 250ml) whipped cream dispenser fully?

Specifically, will the cream be filled with enough tiny air bubbles if I do not fill it to maximum volume?

Secondarily, is it cost effective to use small batches of content in regards to the whipped cream nitrous oxide chargers?

Edit:

Thanks, commenters who discuss cost effectiveness! Now I know, nitrous oxide chargers are one-time use. :)


texts: Are those black spots on the inside of kaki safe to eat?

texts:
I bought some kaki / sharon / persimmon (Rojo Brillante, from Spain) and left them for about a week. Now that i cut them open they are full of black and brown patches

What is this and is it safe to eat? It looks fine from the outside and doesnt affect the firmness of the flesh like mold or bruises usually do. Having tasted a small bit of "clean" and "dirty" parts, i found no significant difference in taste.
I found some brief descriptions of a "japanese chocolate persimmon" kind but the pictures looked quite different, either with a flat shape and uniform brown speckles or entirely rotten


texts: Is there any way to avoid fruit flies with my fruit on the counter rather than the fridge?

texts:
I enjoy keeping bowls of fruits out at room temperature in my kitchen.

This has given me quite an annoying abundance of fruit flies in my apartment.

I've brought my fruit in the fridge to avoid this for now, but I was wondering if anyone has any success or tips to leave fruit out without any fruit flies present?

Note: I've tried leaving some apple cider vinegar nearby but that hasn't been successful in trapping them/distracting them.


texts: What are the options when looking for gluten free chapati?

texts: Hi does anyone know where I can buy gluten free chapatis or what is the best method of making them and storing them without any preservatives?


texts: How to clean ice from ice cream maker bowl without thawing?

texts:
I made a sorbet using a bad recipe (too watery) and I had a 3 mm thick layer of solid ice form around the walls of the ice cream maker bowl. The plastic spatula can't break it and the user's manual warns against using hard/scratchy implements in the bowl (metal is explicitly forbidden).

I would like to clean it without letting the bowl warm until it thaws, as the bowl needs a day of refreezing before reaching optimal ice cream making temperature. Any ideas?


texts: How can I easily peel baby round potatoes?

texts:
I was planning to try out a recipe for roasted baby potatoes, but I have noticed that most of the recipes involve slicing the baby potatoes in half and roasting them with their skins on. They turn out this way:

However, I want to peel them and roast so they turn out like crispy, roasted potato balls.

Does anyone know how to appropriately peel baby round potatoes bought fresh and with skins from the market?

I thought of blanching them and then pulling their skins off, but I'm not sure if they will work well with this variety.

(The above image is from https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/recipe/roasted-baby-potatoes-oregano-and-lemon-1/5626a63ca6d5b39610701a16)


texts:
So, there was an article saying if you vaporize alcohol and Inhale, that you can consume it and it will go into your bloodstream and make you drunk.

I’m wondering if when you cook with alcohol and it burns off/evaporates if you are consuming any alcohol since it’s in the air and if you are also consuming any calories from it? Less of you have a cover to the pot of the food you are making ???
How long do the molecules from the alcohol stay in the air surrounding you?


texts: Mixing 60% and 81% dark chocolate to get 70%

texts:
I need 70% dark chocolate for a cake recipe (actually 72%, but the recipe notes that slightly lower content will be fine), also, according to the recipe, high-quality chocolate is not a must.

In my local supermarket, 70% dark chocolate was priced extremely high, and 100 grams of 60% and 100 grams of 81% chocolates (of different manufacturers) costs half the price of 200 grams of 72% chocolate.

Will mixing 60% and 81% dark chocolates (the recipe requires melting the chocolate) give me similar result to a 70% dark chocolate?


texts: What causes Béchamel Sauce to get so clumpy?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How not to mess up Béchamel sauce

Just starting to learn how to create cream sauces for dishes; as it's foreign to me. Most the sauces i know start with a slurry and soy sauce.

I tried creating sauces from this recipe.

  Béchamel Sauce:

  2 tablespoons butter
  2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  1 cup heated milk
  salt
  white pepper
  freshly ground nutmeg (optional)

It seems to get lumpy. What is the trick? I think i may have added the flour too quickly or the milk had to be much hotter


texts: Is roasting a whole duck something a beginner should avioid?

texts: I have experience in my own kitchen and I can follow a recipe. I was planning on serving roasted long island duck for a Christmas party for about 8-10 people.


texts: Substituting white chocolate in Julia Child's mousse

texts:
I've been making chocolate mousse à la Julia Child since I was 12.  I vaguely recall trying it with butterscotch chips, which didn't work.  Now I have high quality white chocolate I'd like to try in lieu of semisweet, but what to substitute for the two liquids, espresso and liqueur/orange juice?

I want this mousse to taste like white chocolate, so orange juice, Cointreau, Amaretto, and coconut milk are out if a quarter cup would compete flavorwise.  Rum may be a safe choice, but I only have Captain Morgan's on hand.  I won't up the liqueur to a half cup.

I appreciate the mocha flavor of the original, and wonder if using espresso would overpower the white chocolate, or if orange juice would any more than rum.  I have a couple more days to figure out what to do.  Suggestions?


texts: Gumbo base tastes burnt, but the final product does not

texts:
I made a gumbo on Sunday. First I made the roux, using equal parts flour and oil, high heat, constant stirring. I ended up with a beautiful dark brown roux. At no point did it stick to the pan, at no point did I see black flakes rise to the top. I took it off the heat and added the trinity, returned to a lower heat for awhile, added garlic spices and stock, in this case it was a homemade beef stock that was still frozen when I added it. I brought it to a simmer and tasted. It was burned! It had a bitter after taste and it tasted distinctly burned. My wife, whose default reaction to such situations is, “It’s fine dear”, agreed. “Yep, it’s burned”.

Well, at this point I was so disgusted I wasn’t about to start over, I just dumped the rest of the ingredients into the pot, set it to a simmer and went off to pout for a couple of hours. Okay, but here’s the kicker, At dinner time I told my wife, “Okay, time to eat burnt gumbo”, we dished it up, and it was great! No burned taste. No bitter after taste. It was quite possibly the best gumbo I’ve ever made. Can anybody explain this to me?


texts: Does a pan used for cooking scrambled eggs multiple times a day need to be washed with soap every time?

texts: I have some very tight diet restrictions right now due to a medical issue.  As a result I need to eat scrambled eggs three times a day.  Here's my question:  if I rinse the pan thoroughly each time do I really need to wash it with soap and water after every meal?  Can I just wash it every night?  (The problem is this hurts my neck, which is another medical issue I have.)


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Do you heat the pan first, then add oil? Or put the oil in and heat up with the pan?

When sauteing food with oil, how do the following two sequences differ in the final taste of the food?

A

Place oil in skillet.
Turn on stove and wait for oil to heat up.
Place food in skillet.

B

Turn on stove and wait until it's hot.
Place oil in skillet. Oil should heat up in a few seconds.
Place food in skillet.


texts: Can I add cocoa butter to white chocolate chips to promote a smoother melt?

texts: My daughter sent me a recipe for gingerbread biscotti which has macadamia nuts and then dipped in white chocolate.  The recipe says to "melt according to the instructions on the bag".  Well, there are NO melting instructions on this bag of Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips.  After reading umpteen stories online about the hazards of melting white chocolate, NONE of them mentioned adding cocoa butter.  Is it because most people don't have cocoa butter on hand (I use it in my soap making) or is it that it doesn't work?


texts: My chicken stock is a gelatinous mess. Is this normal? Can it be saved?

texts:
I've been looking for a chicken soup with matzo balls recipe that would duplicate my grandma's (she died without passing on the recipe.) This one sounded like it would be close. I followed it to the letter, and let it cool in the fridge overnight so it would be easier to remove the fat.

When I took it out of the fridge, I was able to pull a solid layer of fat off the top, but the "soup" underneath is not liquid - it's gelatinous. Is this normal? If not, what did I do wrong? And is there any way to fix it? I had planned on giving jars of it to friends, but it looks pretty disgusting when cool, even if it does heat up correctly (which I'm not sure it does; it's reheating on the stove now.)


texts: How to cook whitebait without overcooking?

texts:
I think I keep on overcooking whitebait. Here is what I am doing:

Quickly bring water to a boil, lower to simmer,
Add whitebait(which may remove simmer since food lowers temp),
move heat to high until water is starts simmering again,
simmer for 1 minute,
turn whitebait over.
simmer for 1 minute.

Basically fish should spend  1 minute in poached water and 2 minutes in simmering water.

My problem is that even after the above I notice the overcooked fish smell which tastes nasty.
I know people say look at the texture for measure of doneness however I think the cooking time is so short and when i check it it is done.

Can you see where im going wrong?  Is it that the two minutes are on a simmer, but it should be on a poach?
Should it only be two minutes from the time the fish is added and not more?


texts: Is it possible to infuse piperine of Black pepper into oil?

texts:
Is this possible?  From my understanding one would need to freshly grind the black pepper into an oil and heat it, however due to the volatility of piperine it would be lost during the heating and so wouldn’t infuse.

Is there any way to infuse piperine from black pepper or maybe another spice into an oil?


texts:
I have been wanting to try a nice red wine with fish and I'm not a huge fan of white.
Recently I have been drinking Pinot Noir. But I'm looking for one more suited for fish (I know this isn't traditional)


texts: Switching out butter for vegetable oil (like canola) when making caramels

texts:
Before I ruin a batch, I'd like to check for ideas - are there any potential problems with using vegetable oil instead of butter for caramels?

I already switched out from heavy cream to butter (making some adjustments for quantity) and that turned out well. As a matter of fact, it cooks much faster now.

Just a note - I regularly switch replace butter with vegetable oil for cookie recipes, and they taste fine to me. Also, the caramels I make are flavored (chocolate or licorice) and not plain caramels.


texts: I placed a loaf of bread into a a 350 preheated oven with a rack directly below the pan containing two wet towels to create steam.  It sprung up beautifully but the bread has been cooking 40 minutes and the inside is gooey @ 140 degrees F.  I have made this loaf before consistently without the wet towels.  Did I miss up the loaf or does the steam result longer cook time? Or does the steam cause the internal temperature gauge to be inaccurate?


texts:
I have a carbon steel wok but it became rusty recently when I forgot something in it for a day.

I decided to scrub everything off and re-season it. The problem is I can't get the center of the wok to be seasoned. No matter how much oil I add, it burns and disappears leaving the center as bare metal...

My method is applying a very thin layer of oil and making it burn on the gas, then when it's dry (and not seasoned...) I rub more oil. It worked for everywhere except the middle.

Should I scrub off everything again and start over? If not, what should I do?


texts:
What is the best way to store tomato paste or tomato purée? Just to be clear, I'm talking about this stuff

At home we buy metal cans of the stuff (500g or 1Kg), but once opened, within about 5 to 6 days, mould starts to grow, and within 2 weeks, you have a thick layer of green/blue mould on top.

If you scope that top layer off, the you're back to the good stuff underneath.

What is the best way to store this so that I can avoid this mould growth?

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Is it advisable to sous vide in "steam fresh" bags?

texts: Is it advisable to sous vide in steam fresh bags, the type where one cooks the veggies in the microwave for 4 minutes?


texts: Does anyone know what kind of pan this is?

texts: I have a friend who has this pan. What is it used for?


texts: What are different methods of preserving chillies?

texts:
I've been given three chilli plants:

Bulgarian Carrot
Jalapeño
Scotch Bonnet

I'm not going to be able to use them fresh before winter arrives.

What methods of preserving would be appropriate for chilli?
What would be the effect on them in terms of taste, texture etc.


texts:
I've just bought olives in foil bag in Lidl (name Baresa Aceituuas verdes) because I like to eat olives. This is probably the 1st time I eat them with no other products (not in salad etc.)

They are so salty that I can hardly eat them. In country where I live it's not possible to buy fresh olives. So my question is: are olives from shops always very salty. Are fresh olives salty?


texts: If a few of my eggs crack when making them hard-boiled, is it still safe to eat them?

texts: I was making about a dozen hard boiled eggs last night and a few of them cracked when boiling.  The yolk partially came out of the shell but I continued to cook them as other ones in the pot were fine.   Is it safe to consume the partially broken eggs after they cool?


texts: What is the historical origin of the sauté cooking technique?

texts:
Although the term sauté is used colloquially in the US to refer to other types of frying, it is a specific cooking technique that involves high heat and constant movement of the ingredients in the pan.
According to Wiktionary's entry for the word sauté:

Definition: To cook (food) using a small amount of fat in an open pan over a relatively high heat, allowing the food to brown and form a crust stopping it from sticking to the pan as it cooks.
Etymology: Borrowed from French sauté, past participle of sauter, to jump, in cooking, diced onions jump in the pan from the hot oil, resembling a ballet dancer performing a "saute".
Sauté - Wiktionary

So the word sauté comes from the French verb "to jump".
Did this high-heat, constant-movement cooking technique actually originate in France, or did the English language just borrow the word because it was popular there? Do we have any records of where and when this cooking technique originated historically?


texts: Why season the bottom or handle of a cast iron / carbon steel pan?

texts: I hear a lot of advice to season the entire pan, including the handle and bottom of the pan along with the inside. Is this really necessary, and if so, what purpose does it provide?


texts:
Warning: I am a cooking noob. I might overlook something ridiculously simple.

Anyway, I just made my first pesto sauce (do you call this a sauce?). Basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic, etc. At the end, I added vegetable oil. All was good and I was proud. Put it on bread and on pasta, and it was very tasty.

However, I stored what I had left in a small jar in the fridge. Only one day later, and it became solid! You can clearly see that the oil had solidified. Why is this? In fact, I poured in too much oil and took some out, and what I took out I put it in the fridge, in a cup (just the oil). This is also one massive block. I am used to oil solidifying, but AFTER you use it to cook. The oil that I used has not been cooked, and the rest of the oil I bought at the store is stored in a cupboard, in its original packaging, and is still liquid.

What went wrong?

Extra question:

Can I somehow still de-solidify this and still eat this?


texts: How long does Turkey Crown take to defrost at room temperature?

texts:
So, I think I've messed up on Turkey defrosting for Christmas Day.  Packaging says defrost for 10-12 hours per kilogram in a fridge at 4 degrees centigrade.  Turkey Crown is 2.8kg so thats 28hours or so.  Well, I removed at 1900 hours Christmas Eve, so I'm in some bother.  Do we know the defrost time at room temperature?

I know Isaac Newton developed at law of cooling that says the rate of temperature change is proportional to the temperature difference.  So I'm hoping room temperature should get the turkey crown defrosted in time.

Any advice?

[The stakes are Christmas Dinner for 13.]


texts: Why doesn't my quick bread rise properly when substituting splenda for sugar?

texts:
I used Splenda in one of my favorite quchinni (squash) recipes and it did not rise at all. It is about 3 inches thick and is heavy as the batter was thick.

Why did this happen, and is there any way to tweak the recipe?


texts: Ideal temperature and stabilizer for chewy ice cream?

texts:
I've been a huge fan of homemade ice cream ever since I went to Herrell's ice cream in Northampton Massachusetts: http://www.herrells.com

The owner, Steve Herrell, is known as the godfather of chewy ice cream in America, and I've been trying to come up with ice cream just as good as his and, after a lot of experimentation, here is my recipe (some measurements might be wrong because I can't find my recipe book right now):

Base:

1 cup of heavy cream
1 1/4 cup of milk
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp of milk powder
3 tbsp of light corn syrup
1/2 cup of sugar
1/8 tsp of salt

Other:

4 tsp of cornstarch
1/4 cup of milk
3 tbsp of cream cheese
Extract of your choice to taste

Mix all the base ingredients together, bring to a boil, reduce to gentle simmer, simmer for 4 minutes. Mix cornstarch and milk together, put in simmering base, bring back to simmer for 2 minutes or until thick. In a small bowl with the cream cheese, mix some of the mixture, then mix cream cheese with base. Rest overnight in the fridge. Put in extract of your choice to taste (this prevents flavor from evaporating if you put it in while hot). Make with your ice cream maker of choice, but make sure to cover holes in your ice cream maker so that air won't get in, and the ice cream is dense.

My ice cream, while it tastes as good as if not better than Herrell's, just does not have the same texture. Herrell's is much softer and creamier. It might be because my freezer is too strong (at someone else's house where the freezer is much warmer, I've noticed that Talenti ice cream has a much better texture) and also because the stabilizer I'm using, which is cornstarch.

Thoughts? What stabilizer is best for ice cream (egg yolk, gum, starch, flour etc.) and what temperature is ideal for the ice cream's texture? I hope I can adjust my freezer's temperature at the apartment I rented.


texts: What's this yellow plum-like fruit with a spiky stone? West Africa

texts:
I recently bought a couple of these from a fruit seller in Sierra Leone. On the right is the stone after eating the fruit. They're small-ish, a similar size to a lime or a kiwi fruit.

I asked the lady what it was called, but she just looked at me as if I was mad in stony silence (I'd already bought and paid for the fruit, despite clearly not knowing what it was, so maybe she had a point).

The skin is thin but strong. The fruit flesh had a texture and flavour similar to an unripe English plum, with maybe a hint of citrus-y melon and pear-like flavour. Quite sharp and slightly sour and/or slightly bitter, very slightly crunchy, slightly sweet (not very sweet). The flesh is very very slightly translucent and slightly whiter that the skin (you can see a little still on the stone).

The spiky root-like fibres are strong, sharp and make it quite hard to eat... It's like eating a very bony fish.

The only thing that came close from my research was a marula, but the stone is very different.


texts: In Polish Sausage Lentil soup, can I use some barley to replace some lentils - can I mix the two? Same question only opposite - in Turkey, Tomato, Barley soup, can I also use some lentils?


texts: How to incorporate quick soaked beans into a simple vegan chilli recipe

texts:
I make a big pot of vegan chilli roughly as follows:

Saute onion and garlic.
Brown soya mince.
Add 1 tin corn, 1 tin tomatoes, 1 tin chickpeas, 2 tins beans, various spices, cocoa powder, and tomato paste.
Simmer for a while.

I'm sorry if all the tins made you cringe. I'm not a cook and I like how convenient the recipe is. Nevertheless, I have dry beans now so I can do better! I want to use the quick soak method from here to cook the beans:

  Place 1 lb. dried pinto beans in a large, heavy pot. Cover with water about 2” above top of beans. Cover pot, bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Let rest 1 hour. Stir in 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Uncover, reduce heat, and simmer until beans are tender and creamy, checking after 1 hour and adding more water as necessary to keep beans submerged, 1–1 1/2 hours total.

However I have no idea how this fits into the grander scheme of the chilli recipe. I see three options:

Once I've gone through the above soaking, consider the beans equivalent to tinned beans and just continue as usual.
Reduce the amount of time soaking and heating to compensate for the time spent simmering with other ingredients.
Cook the non-bean ingredients on their own and only mix the two parts after both are done without further cooking.

Should I add the spices to the beans as they soak?

What should I do with the soak water?

I bought the dry beans from my local supermarket and they're not the typical varieties I see in recipes (I have no idea where to find dry black or pinto beans where I live). I have:

White kidney beans
Half white sugar beans
Red speckled beans
Small white beans

Which of these beans can I use in the recipe, and what modifications to the recipe should I make?

Thanks for reading all the way through! I'm sorry if there are too many questions at once, they all seem tightly related to me.


texts: How can I obtain perfectly peeled boiled eggs?

texts:
Let me put some context to this question.

Sometime ago I checked into this hotel (it no longer exists). It used to be some mansion, and a chain converted it to a routine hotel. Lousy sound insulation, but I'm digressing.

The breakfast was included, and said breakfast consisted, among other things, of a huge bowl filled with boiled and peeled eggs.

I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, but looking back at it now, I marvel that anyone can boil and peel a huge number of eggs and get everyone of them this perfectly peeled. My own talent, which includes pouring a generous amount of salt in the boiling water and plunging the eggs into cold water promptly 3-5 minutes after boiling, produces the rather unapetizing result you see below.

This answer seems to suggest that freshness is incompatible with ease of peeling. I hope that hotel, and workers, didn't merely rely on archeologic eggs to obtain this perfect peeling. I don't recall an unusual taste.

How can I obtain nicely peeled boiled eggs, every time?

To make the question a wee-bit harder, I'm often aiming for a soft core, removing from the heat about 2-3 minutes after the start of boiling.


texts: A question of Fishmonger basics and fish processing and handling?

texts:
I went to a fishmonger for the first time yesterday and I have a few basic questions. Should the place smell like fish? I have been informed that it should not smell like fish and if it did they did not keep a clean and fresh store. It should be a pleasant smell. I bought a pound of mahi mahi and a pound of rockfish both fillets. I had to scale and debone the mahi mahi and debone the rockfish. It wasn't like there where a lot of bones or or scales it just looks like they got lazy and didn't finish the job.

I am trying to prepare more fish dishes and it took me almost an hour to clean those fish having not done those particular tasks before, but with small kids I wanted to be methodical about it. So I guess this a multi-part question; Are my expectations to high for my fishmonger, should I have asked him to do those tasks and not assumed they would have been done? The second part is there a good reference to deboning and cleaning fish, what is the best way to remove the skin? I hacked at it with my pairing knife and a pair of wire pliers.


texts: Alternative to low calorie spray for frying sausages?

texts:
My wife has recently decreed that we are to use low-calorie sprays instead of oil. For the most part, these seem fine.

However, I have been through several different types and not found one that is suitable for frying sausages in. No matter which type or how little spray I use, I end up with little black burned bits in the pan and on the sausages. It's not the sausages burning, the black bits can be scraped off to reveal a nicely cooked sausage. This happens no matter what type of sausage I use.

I could always grill the sausages instead, but I prefer to fry them as I can keep an eye on them while I'm doing other things.

Is there anything low in calories that I can properly fry sausages in without it burning?

Edit:
The question is not about low-fat ways of cooking sausages, it's about avoiding having two lots of oil. My wife has decided to use these low-calorie sprays instead of proper oil. It is not her that is eating the sausages, it's me and the kids. Of course, I could just buy some regular oil and use that for the sausages, but I thought I'd ask and see if there was another way


texts: If espresso is by definition pressure-brewed coffee, is French press coffee a form of espresso?

texts: I wonder what the pressure difference is?


texts: Did I poison myself by eating popcorn made in a steel pot with olive oil?

texts:
I made popcorn by putting a layer of olive oil at the bottom of a steel pot, putting in the kernels and cooking it on high heat for a minute or so. When it started popping, I noticed that smoke with an acrid smell started coming out of the pot in big quantities. I tried not to breathe it and made all of the popcorn pop.

I then ate all of the popcorn, and realized that the smoke might have come from the oil burning up. The popcorn had a bit of that flavor too.

I'm concerned about possible health issues arising from this. Was the popcorn I just ate poisonous? Is there a risk of developing cancer involved in eating food that has been cooked this way (I've eaten popcorn made like this a few other times, but the smoke was never this apparent)?

Should I use a different oil, or is there no safe oil for this kind of cooking?


texts: Gluten free bread initially rises but collapses into itself later

texts:
I've noticed that the gluten free bread I make in the breadmaker does reach the size of the gluten one but later ends up collapsing into itself later.
I've tried to make this recording of the process which seems to show some specific points in the process:

In the raising phase the dough reaches a maximum size after which it goes int the cycle of fall-raise
Once the baking phase starts the bread keeps on shrinking continually

There seems to be a general consensus about "gluten-free bread not raising as good as wheat bread because it doesn't have the gluten to keep the structure together". However the video I made seems to show that the gluten-free bread does seem to be able to set up the initial structure but fails to maintain it during baking.
Recipe:

2dl hot water
1.8dl oat milk
7g sugar
5g of salt
10g psylium (this was a suggestion for hardening the structure in lack of gluten)
5g olive oil
165g buckwheat flour
150g rice flour
25g oat flour
60g corn flour
Egg
[In the dispenser, added after mixing] 5g dry yeast

I'm hoping to see if this the actual behavior of gluten-free bread when people say "gluten-free bread doesn't raise" (but what it's actually doing is raising and later falling)?
Is there perhaps a remedy?


texts:
My sister-in-law is an American living in China, and while visiting the US, learned that reducing certain foods, including gluten, seems to have an improvement in her health.

She is trying to figure out what her diet in China should look like, and noted some confusion about glutinous rice. She said that rice is on her list of gluten-free foods, but since glutinous is in the name, she assumes that gluten is added to it.

Does glutinous rice actually have gluten in it, or is something lost in translation?


texts: For chili con carne, can you brown the ground beef, onions, peppers, etc in a crockpot (without the lid on) and then add the other ingredients to finish by slow cooking?


texts: Can an American substitute for garam masala be made?

texts:
I love Indian food and have been experimenting with curry recipes, and many of them ask for 'garam masala'.  I know it's a spice mix but I can't find it for sale anywhere around me.  I've also read that the mix varies from region to region so I'm not even sure what I would order if I wanted to get it online.

I prefer yellow/sweet curries and Indian food (like korma), can anyone recommend a spice blend that is similar, or should I break down and order it on the internet?


texts: My  Rival Crock Pot doesn't have a high / low (word wise) setting, it only shows me one line or two.  I've misplaced my manual and can't for the life of me remember which is high and which is low...any help would be great.


texts: Bread making, lightly oiled bowl covered, why?

texts:
Every dough recipe I have ever seen follows the same paradigm. Mix ingredients, kneed, rest, kneed, roll into a ball and place in a lightly oiled covered bowl, separate and form. Allow to rise again, bake.

I don’t understand the significance of the bowl step. Why the ball?  Maximizing surface area?
How does the oil help?   Is that just to stop it from sticking to the bowl?  Why the bowl?   Why cover it?  Is this to limit oxygen?   Bread yeast shouldn’t need anaerobic production should it?


texts: Can a water bath be used to bake brownies?

texts:
I've never used a water bath when baking, but I know that people use it for baking cheese cakes (i.e., placing the cheese-cake form in a container with water), so I was wondering if the same concept could be used for brownies.

Whenever I bake brownies, all the edges become a bit too hard from overcooking. This is not a huge problem because it's only about a centimetre from the edge, and I just cut it off, but I was wondering if a water bath could help.

My main concern is whether the water evaporating would make the environment in the oven too humid and interfere with the batter. I would think the same thing about cheese cakes, but the fact that many people are doing that means it's OK in that case.

Edit for clarification: the rest of the brownie is cooked just right, so I'm less keen to change other variables like temperature and time. I've also started wondering about this because I'm aware of the ability of water to distribute and soften the effect of heat. For example, if I try to defrost meat in the microwave, it will start cooking on the outside before it defrosts in the centre; but if I microwave it in a bowl of water, it defrosts evenly.


texts: Minestrone from cold rather than hot water

texts: I have been told it's a bad idea to put vegetables directly in hot or boiling water when cooking minestrone. Instead, you must start heating the chopped vegetable soup from cold water. Why would this be?


texts: Is butter ever the same after having been melted?

texts:
I was recently doing some experiments with butter which involved melting it gently in the microwave and pouring it into dishes. It seemed to me that after the butter had cooled and re-solidified, it wasn't really the same. The color was yellower, and the texture somewhat grainy.

Obviously if I microwave the butter a lot, the water will boil off. But I microwaved on low power, stirring frequently, hoping to minimize water loss.

Is there some change that happens to butter when it's melted and then cooled? Or am I imagining things?


texts: I have seen many videos online and by chefs on tv, showing how to truss a chicken. What is your way of trussing a chicken? They all seem to have a different technique, and I am interested in a possible easier method.


texts: I'm curious if it is customary to trim the ends off snow peas or should I just leave them on and eat them.  I always clean them but it is time consuming.  The picture shows an untrimmed one on top and a trimmed one in the bottom.


texts: Forgot to add Sugar in cookie dough . Is there any way to add sugar?

texts:
While adding ingredients to mixture(for cookies), I forgot to put brown sugar..
Now that when i've baked cookies, what alternate can I add to retain their taste?


texts:
I am heating up peanut oil in a cheap aluminum pot from Walmart.  Every minute or so, there is a faint popping noise coming from the pot.

I think this is due to uneven heating, so I am trying to heat the oil as slowly as possible. It is currently around 110 degrees celsius.

My questions are:

Will the pot break? (I know you cannot answer with certainty, but I would appreciate an experienced person's response)
Does heating more slowly actually reduce the risk (if any) of breaking the pot?
The recipe says to go all the way to 175 celsius.  Does that seem foolish or risky for a novice deep-frier to attempt?


texts:
I made milk from a mature brown coconut by blending the flesh with water and straining through mesh. That was a week ago. I haven't used it all, and now I've discovered that it has soured. It's kind of slimy and has a tangy smell.

Does anyone know if it's safe to use? Is this probiotic-filled and healthy or is it just rotten?


texts:
I want to cook eggs and I want to know the amount of oil that I have to add for 4 eggs.
The eggs' weight is about 75-80gr.


texts: If I have too much fresh pasta, should I cook it up or store it as is?

texts:
I overestimated the amount of fresh ravioli (cheese and wild mushroom, if it matters) I'd need when buying from the local pasta shop, and ended up only cooking half of it for our meal.

Assuming we'll have the rest sometime later this week, is it best to cook up the rest and put it in the fridge, or to leave it raw? And would it be better to put it in the freezer, or is the fridge okay if it's not going to be more than a few days?


texts: Why does my cake rise more in the center?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How do you make a cake lift equally and minimize doming?

I recently started baking and my cakes always seem to rise more in the center, creating a sort of bump. It has never come out flat, though otherwise the cake seems to taste fine.

This happens with regular cakes and vegan cakes with no eggs/milk. Am I not pouring the mixture correctly or is it something to do with my oven?

This causes a problem when I try to make layer cakes or some decorative frosting as the cake is convex rather than flat.


texts:
I aquired a can of bear meat from Finland. I'm not sure what to expect of the contents of the can. Will the meat be pre-cooked?

I can find some ideas online for preperation of fresh bear meat, but grilling probably doesn't translate too well for canned meat. What are normal preparations for canned bear meat?


texts: Is kimchi a suitable addition to a noodle soup?

texts:
I have just returned from having purchased a can of kimchi. I have no idea what the contents are, since they are written in Korean, but thought that mixing it into the broth at the last minute might increase the soup's flavour.

Is there a flaw in my reasoning?


texts:
I like to bake chicken breasts in a glass container with a layer of vegetable oil at the bottom.

I bake at 500 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Once I rubbed a bit of Worchester sauce into the chicken and baked it and this caused smoke to billow out the oven.

Now, each time I fire up the oven, my entire house is filled with an acrid smoke.

How can I get rid of this problem?


texts:
I want to make cocktails that call for Cointreau (Orange Liquor), but it's rather expensive for a college student as myself.

What can I substitute Cointreau for that wont break the bank?

Options should be obtainable at SAQ (in Quebec, Canada)

Note: I heard of Meaghers triple sec, is this a good option?


texts: How do you freeze fresh pineapple? Can you?

texts: I cut the up a fresh pineapple and wanted to freeze a portion, will it last and retain flavor/consistency? Also: is there anything that can be done with the Core - the hard part in the middle?


texts: What's the most efficient/effective method for removing the rind of a well-ripened Brie?

texts:
My family really loves "cheese crack", i.e. the "savory toasted cheese" from Digby.. (Our proportions: 1 block cream cheese, 1 stick butter, 1 wedge of ripe Brie. Cut up, nuke, stir. Seriously, try it.)

The only problem is that the rind of Brie doesn't melt, so leaving it on leads to oddly-textured bits floating around unpleasantly in your cheese dip. Thus, we need to cut off the rind of the Brie. If it's a mild and firm (read: less ripe and flavorful) Brie, this is easy enough, but when your Brie is at that perfect stage of almost-but-not-quite-oozing-out-of-the-package, like Wegman's store-brand "Intense" Brie, it gets... harder. And messier. And worst of all, more wasteful of all that yummy Brie flavor.

Is there a trick or technique for removing the rind, so that you don't leave behind little bits that'll ruin the texture of the end product, but you also don't end up leaving half the cheese on the cutting board?

Alternatively, the frame challenge: is there actually a way to get the rind to melt? I wouldn't object to a stovetop method - after all, we only use the microwave if we're making a single batch. I know some people use slow cookers to make large batches, but AFAIK that still involves removing the rind.


texts: Why should you serve risotto on a hot plate?

texts:
In many places it is said to "Serve risotto on a hot plate - or else" or "you better serve it on a hot plate".

Why is that so?


texts: Thickening cream in a blender to increase fat content?

texts:
I've established that it's not possible(or a compromise at best) to mix other things in single cream to increase its fat content.
I have 25% and 30%(rarer) cream available where I'm at, and I'd like to have whippable cream with a fat content of 35% or more to use in homemade ice cream.
I've considered and rejected the following methods already:

Adding gelatin. This recipe is vegetarian so gelatin is not an option. I have not tried agar-agar or carrageenan yet.
Mixing butter in the cream or whole milk. This'll lead to a grainy ice-cream so, no.

Is a blender or food processor an option? If a cream can be thickened using a centrifuge, will a blender be powerful enough to thicken it by separating out the buttermilk?
If not, what else can I do? Heating the cream on a low flame?


texts: Can I cut up chicken and store it in the fridge until the use-by date?

texts:
I often buy ~600g of chicken from the supermarket, then cut it all up in one go and use it in two different meals a few days apart. Half I'll cook immediately and the other half I'll put in an airtight container and store in the fridge (then use 2-4 ish days later). The best-before date on the packaging is usually 1-1.5 weeks from purchase, so I've always figured this was ok (and haven't gotten sick yet...). However, most advice online says to not keep raw poultry in the fridge longer than 1-2 days.

Is doing this unsafe? Does the best before date get invalidated when I remove it from the packaging and cut it up on the bench?


texts: What is the name of a drink made with iced tea and orange juice?

texts:
Iced tea and lemonade is known as an Arnold Palmer.  I mix mine in 50/50 proportions.

Lacking lemonade, I mixed 50/50 iced tea and pulpy orange juice.  I really kind of like the result and nick named it a "hairy Palmer".

Is there a legit name for this drink?


texts: What can I use in my own kitchen to fashion a panini press?

texts:
First, I realize someone asked whether they can use a waffle iron.  Great question, great idea.  Alas, while I do have a waffle iron, it's not a very good one and won't fit sandwiches of substantial thickness.

I do have two cast iron pans.  But the smaller one would still crush the sandwich.  (I was thinking maybe I could fashion it in the oven somehow)  I also have two Calphalon griddles, one flat and one with raised grilling "speedbumps".  I also have a variety of other pans, but I think something from among these four would hold the solution.

Just wondering if anyone is using a brilliant alternative to waffle makers or uncheap panini presses.


texts:
My friend and his Brazilian wife are pretty crazy about Picanha. As I understand it, this cut is also called Coulotte and is a part of the top sirloin cut with a fat cap on top.

Typically, it's skewed and cooked over an open flame - which hardens the fat and provides for a nice char over a medium/medium rare cut.

I'd like to make some Picanha for the next time we have them over - but I don't have the luxury of a grill. I do, however, have a Traeger smoker.

The Traeger tops out at 400 degrees. So, I'm wondering if I should smoke the Picanha low and slow or crank the Traeger to 400 and go hot and fast.

I'm hoping for the fat to render and become edible and for the meat to be very tender without being overcooked.

What would be the best way to go about cooking this cut in a smoker?


texts:
I want to make plain dark chocolate at home.

The process is tricky in my experience, not simply mixing cocoa, cocoa butter, milk powder, sugar, etc.

Can you share some practical tips for doing the process and choosing the right ingredients.


texts: Can I use a fresh peach in place of preserves?

texts: Can I use a fresh peach in place of peach preserves in a pork chop recipe?  Maybe just puree the peach to combine in the marinade?


texts: Liquid nitrogen ice cream in food processor?

texts:
Has anyone tried using a food processor to make ice cream with liquid nitrogen?

Since the container is not made of steel but hard plastic, I am wondering if it is ok to use a food  processor to do the stirring. I presume the plastic will turn into extremely brittle glass as soon as the nitrogen is poured in. Has anyone tried this?


texts: How can I use self made cream of celery as a replacement for mushrooms in green bean casserole?

texts:
I follow Alton Brown's Green Bean Casserole for the most part and have had great success making this recipe. My dad always complains about having mushrooms in the dish and he would have to pick them out. But this year I would like to try making without mushrooms.

My goal is to use another vegetable to replace the mushrooms when making the creamy sauce. From what I have heard you can use cream of celery soup but I would still like to make the cream myself. Can I use cut up celery as a replacement in Alton Brown's recipe? Do I need to alter cooking times? I think I would use 1 cup of chopped up celery.


texts: How do I make my Thai curry with paste taste better?

texts:
Looking for simple tips to improve my curries made from paste.  I know of a few answers I've learned, but looking for others...
Thanks!

Original curry recipe:

Fry tofu in oil in a non-stick pan.
Bring coconut milk to a boil, add curry paste.
Add tofu and any other veggies.
Simmer for >= 15 minutes.


texts: What happens to the flavour of meat when you cook it Star Anise with Onions?

texts:
What exactly is the chemical reaction that occurs when you cook Star Anise with Onions?

According to Heston Blumenthal doing this intensifies the flavour of meat.

Ultimately what I want to know is can you use this on any meat based recipe? Won't the flavour of the Star Anise be overpowering?


texts: Can a sourdough starter be kept alive if you live in a dry climate?

texts: I have recently moved to Colorado and now I live in a dry climate at about 5,000 ft (the western slope).  I had a starter in Sacramento CA with me for years, but I'm told that it is too dry here to keep the starter alive.  Is that true?  My fridge sure is humid and I would think that would be fine.  Anyone have any advice?  Thanks!


texts: Does different percentage chocolate set differently?

texts: My glaze did not come out as expected. Will chocolate set differently if I start with, say 60% vs 70% chocolate? If so, is there a suggestion as to how to adjust the recipe so a lower or higher percentage chocolate will work best in a glaze?


texts: Process of water-bath food to pressure cooker?

texts: My daughter water bathed carrots and beets and then found out that they should be pressure cooked.  Can she just put them in as they are and pressure cook them, or should she start over the whole process of cleaning jars and new lids?  Will the food be too overcooked to process them again?


texts: What wine(s) would you substitute for sweet red vermouth?

texts:
I want to make a chukar cherry sauce recipe which calls for 1/2 cup of sweet red vermouth, which gets cooked and reduced with the cherries and other ingredients.  I don't have vermouth on hand, and I'm reluctant to buy a bottle I may never use again given the number of other wines I have around.

So, my question is: what wine or combination of wines and other ingredients would be the best substitute for the flavor of sweet red vermouth in cooking, from the list below?

Marsala wine
Sherry
White table wine (many varieties)
Red table wine (many varieties)
Sake
Sweet white dessert wine
Red and white wine vinegar
Brandy
Other pantry staples (sugar, lemons, etc.)

(I'm OK with the color being different, I really just care about the flavor)


texts: I have made a coulis with strawberries and raspberries, 500gms of each with half a cup of sugar and the juice of one lemon.  I boiled it for 15 minutes, then pureed it, put it through a fine sieve to remove all seeds, then bottled it and sealed with a tamper-proof lid.  My question is, how do I make this coulis shelf stable, are the ingredients I am using enough to ensure this will be fine until opened, then into the fridge?


texts:
I recently tried an experiment with using strong dandelion flower & stem infusion and malt syrup. I was unable to obtain or culture a yeast starter in sufficient time so the wort sat for approx a week and started to spontaneously ferment in that time.  I assumed we'd end up with sour ale or something along those lines but unfortunately the brew became highly viscous - almost syrupy.  My best guess is something other than yeast got busy inside the carboy and maybe went to work on the proteins or whatever else came from the dandelion.

I tasted it and it was a bit sour - not unpleasant other than the fact that it's so thick makes it a bit disgusting.  Does anyone have any idea what organism, specifically, would cause such a change and turn liquid into a thick substance like this?


texts: I use a recipe that calls for removing the top third or more of Cayenne peppers in order to remove most of the seeds. Seems like a waste to me. Aside from having to strain out the seeds after cooking, what would it hurt to just cut the stem and cook the peppers with the seeds in there? Would it have an ill affect on the taste? I wouldn't think so since the seeds are also used for crushed red pepper.


texts:
I plan to cook a basic mushroom risotto. However, the supermarket near us did not have shitake or any other uncanned mushrooms, they only had dried ones.  My question is, do I just remove the stem and place it straight into the risotto as the risotto finishes cooking?

I've seen and watched tutorials on how to cook a mushroom risotto. There are those who cook the mushroom (take out the stem and cut coarsely) by sautéing them in oil and onion. When the mushrooms sweat out, they put it in the risotto. However, there are those who cook out the mushroom and then add the rice in the same pot and cook the risotto. The point is that sweating out the mushrooms concentrate the flavor.

Since my mushrooms are already dry, do I have to do anything else aside from taking out the stem and cutting them coarsely? Is it acceptable if I sauté them or if I let them sit in hot water?

EDIT:

I found this recipe that adjusted the risotto recipe for what's available in our country. It mentioned that I should soak the dried mushrooms in hot water, strain that water, and if I got it correctly, add the liquid to my stock. Can I skip this process? What's the advantages of soaking the mushrooms in warm water?


texts: I overseasoned my food, what can I do to remove the strong smell?

texts:
This happens to all of us - be it because we misread the recipe and threw in a tablespoon of sage when it said a teaspoon of sage, or because we were bravely experimenting with new tastes and suddenly noticed something amiss. The question also covers cases where the food is normally seasoned for the average person, but an eater hates a certain aroma and perceives it as strongly unpleasant, and cases where the unwanted aroma does not come from seasoning, but e.g. from burning the food.

In the end, we have a batch of smelly food and wonder where the Undo button is. How do we save it and make it tasty again?


texts: Making vegetables (those with leaf) more "crunchy" (bite/tear off easily)

texts:
Are there any solution to make leafy vegetables more "crunchy"? (I usually boil my leafy vegetables in water but it seems that when I bite them, they usually does not tear off easily. They become quite "sticky" like pan pizza.)

Example of leafy vegetables: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O075MxiwT4U/TYNSsUyvxpI/AAAAAAAAAHo/ToW_w0Uel6I/s800/vegetable.jpg


texts: Is it ok to pre-mix dry ingredients a few days before baking?

texts:
I've been asked to bake at someone else's house that I'm traveling to. I thought it might be easier to measure all the dry ingredients at home and combine them in airtight plastic bags until ready to use - like a store-bought mix. Is there any reason this might not work? For example, are any ingredients problematic: cocoa powder, corn flour, or leavening like baking soda/powder (just throwing those out as examples)?

If it matters, I'll be making cornbread and chocolate cake.


texts: Is "until juices run clear" a valid test for poultry doneness? Why or why not?

texts:
I've come across this particular recommendation many times in various recipes and cookbooks and probably even given it out myself once or twice.  Poultry is sufficiently cooked when the juices run clear, not red or pink.

In recent months and years, as I've grown more interested in and knowledgeable about the science of cooking, I've learned to be skeptical of such simplistic claims.  This one is repeated everywhere - even the Ontario Ministry of Health says it - but I've also run across various claims that it is dangerous advice.

What I'd like to know is this:

What does it actually mean - chemically or biologically speaking - when poultry juices run clear?  Is it actually a reliable indicator that the food is safe to eat?

P.S. I am quite well aware that the way one is supposed to test for doneness is to use a thermometer and ensure that the internal temperature has reached 165° F / 74° C.  I always do this, but thermometers can break, run out of battery, etc., so I think it is still helpful to know if the juice test is ever a viable alternative.  But most importantly I am interested in understanding what is happening to the meat that causes the juices to change colour, and under what other conditions this can happen.


texts: Should I add binder to a giant, "chicken fried" Latke?

texts:
There is a roast chicken recipe from Cooks Illustrated that I've made for years now.  You spatchcock the bird (remove the spine and flatten it), place it on a broiler pan, fill the bottom of the pan with sliced potatoes, and roast at 500F for an hour or so.  The chicken is good, and the potatoes both prevent the chicken drippings from burning and become delicious cooked in the chicken fat.

Recently when making the recipe I threw some sliced onions in with the potatoes and the flavor profile reminded me of a latke (Jewish potato pancake traditional around Hanukkah).  This made me wonder whether I could shred the potatoes rather than slice them and make a giant chicken-fat-fried latke to go with my chicken.

My question is whether I should add a binder to the shredded potato (and if so, if I ought to use more or less than a standard latke recipe).  Normally to make latkes I add flour and egg to the shredded potatoes and grated onion.  My concern is that the extended high temperature cooking might be too much for the binders, causing them to overcook.


texts: Is sherry wine the same as sherry vinegar? My recipe calls for sherry vinegar and I currently have sherry cooking wine. Can I use it?


texts: How to clean up the smell of egg from a pot?

texts: When I cook eggs, the smell spreads to other dishes, such as glasses or cups. This is very embarrassing. I used hot water to wash them, but failed to remove the smell.  How do I clean them to remove it?


texts: How are powdered emulsifiers (such as monoglycerides) prepared for use in cooking and baking?

texts:
Recently I picked up a few different types of emulsifiers in bulk powder form when I saw them in passing at a catering wholesaler.

Having never used powdered emulsifiers before in cooking or baking, I figured I'd find pretty comprehensive instructions for their use on the web - but I can't.

I'm not a stranger to food science but nor am I a chemist. I understand that emulsifiers are at least sometimes prepared by pre-mixing them into a (heated?) liquid or fat and then using the resulting solution in the actual recipe, which may explain why a lot of commercial emulsifier mixtures are packages as tubes of gel or paste.

I've also checked several industry-level textbooks about emulsifiers and while they are fantastic for in-depth explanations of the chemistry behind each emulsifier, they do not (as you might imagine) provide guidance on how a lowly baker or cook would actually use a powdered form.

So does anyone know how to prepare and use a dry powdered form of any of the following in a real recipe?

Specifically I am most interested in enhancing baked goods and adding stability to sauces, but would also like to know how to use them for other processes such as sausage-making too.

E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
E481 Sodium stearoyl lactylate
E482 Calcium stearoyl lactylate
E472e DATEM (diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono- and diglycerides)

Thanks.