texts: Can I use this air fryer basket with a non-stick coating as a grill basket?

texts:
Scenario
For (reasons), I have an extra inner basket for this model of air fryer. I have completely removed the handle assembly; what I'm left with is a single piece of non-stick coated metal. I've been grilling a lot recently and experimenting with ways to cook different types of veggies on the grill I came across the concept of a 'grill basket'. I was wondering if I could use this air fryer basket on the grill. I use a Weber kettle charcoal grill and I'd have the basket on top of the grate, not directly in the coals.
The air fryer itself maxes out at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, but I couldn't find any information about the temperature rating of the actual basket or even specifics on the coating used.
N.B.

I couldn't find any good information about this online except for fairly common assertions that 'one shouldn't use non stick cookware at very high heats' without much in the way of specifics.
Looking through this stack I found Why would a portable barbecue warn against using pots on the grill? which actually didn't include any info on my topic and also Cooking temperatures with non-stick cookwear which (surprisingly) didn't either.

Question(s)

What potentially deleterious effects might result from using this air fryer basket with a non stick coating on a charcoal grill?
Specifically what might be the possible negative outcomes from simply throwing some veg in there and trying it at least once?


texts:
Is there a way to dry homemade seasoned popcorn ?

I used this recipe and the popcorn felt soggy. Can I dry it in the oven ? I am just afraid of the popcorn burning if I put it in the oven at 350F to dry.


texts: What is the difference between kosher dill pickles and Polish dill pickles?

texts: What is the difference in taste between kosher dill pickles and polish dill pickles? Do they have any visual distinctions that would make it possible to differentiate between them on sight?


texts:
I would like to bake 4 3-lb lasagnas at same time.  Recommended time for one is:
375 degrees for 55 minutes, remove film and bake an additional 10 minutes for browning.  How much extra time is required and does the temperature need to be changed?


texts: I ran across a recipe (bouillabaisse) that calls for pastis, but grocery stores in my area don't carry pastis. Is there a substitute for pastis? Thank you!


texts: Do I need to adjust slow cooker recipes for high altitude?

texts: I live at a high altitude and love to use my slow cooker, but I don't think the meals are coming out as expected when I follow the recipes. Do I need to adjust the recipes for high altitudes?


texts: How can I store root ginger for maximum shelf life?

texts: I have root ginger which sometimes dries out and goes a bit wrinkly.  Currently I just store it on the side in a bowl.  Is there a better way to store it to maximise its shelf life?


texts: What spike is this? Identifying some utensils

texts:
I moved into a new home and found these spikes left behind in different drawers in the kitchen. I assume they are for cooking, but they are not items that I have come across in my limited culinary experience. Can you help me identify them and maybe suggest a recipe that uses them?

In the background is a large spike-stand.

The foreground, is a bunch of six individual spikes with two 90 degree bends, and a sharp point on the long side.

They may have been supplied with the oven (gas stove, electric oven) or the combination microwave/grill, or maybe have nothing to do with them at all (or cooking in general) and may have nothing to do with each other.


texts: Have I ruined my chicken by marinating it in milk and lemon?

texts:
So I wanted to make Gordon Ramsay's buttermilk fried chicken Recipe. Although I didn't have any buttermilk so I found online you can use milk with lemon as a replacement for buttermilk. Sounded perfect. Gordon recommends in the video that you marinade it over night. So I try that. I have come back the next day and the milk has separated. Have I ruined the chicken?

Thank you in advance.

EDIT: Yes its been in the fridge. very little lemon juice was included, so it doesn't appear to have cooked.

EDIT 2: OK, I will try it and then answer my own question with the result.


texts:
I was picking some home-grown basil for a simple pasta dish yesterday, and like many people who grow in home-made compost find tomato seedlings are very common weeds. Obviously the leaves of basil and tomato are very different shapes, but the colour is very similar and it was only as I ripped up the leaves that I noticed they weren't all basil.

So I started wondering whether tomato leaves can be eaten. By this I mean whether they're safe to eat, and also whether they're pleasant to eat, in the sort of quantities we might use for herbs or salad.

I've looked online and there's disagreement: NYT says they're edible, even tasty when done right. Many sources make the same claim as Modern Farmer, that the leaves are actually toxic (in quantity -- I linked to a more cautious article than some).

I'm ideally looking for something definitive.


texts: Can I double cook apple? When making, say, Apple Crumble?

texts:
I am new to cooking.

I like to cook in batch because I want to come down to kitchen and pop something in microwave and return to my desk.

I only like apples (Granny Smith) cooked, so I steam them, i.e. wet cook them about a pack of 8 with a cup of water after I have peeled, cored and sliced them.

Then later, when I want a pudding I heat them up in microwave with some brandy butter.

In order to expand my range, I think I'll try cooking some Apple Crumble.  Recipes say put the crumble mix on top of raw apple.

Can I put crumble mix on top of already cooked apple?  Or will double cooking apple turn it to mush?


texts: 2000g sourdough boule in medium sized dutch oven

texts:
I've been just starting to get into baking. I made my own starter and I've been following the tartine bread recipe to reasonable success. The problem I continually run into, though, is weak oven spring. I understand that there are a bunch of factors that are difficult to isolate that go into this. Despite my loaves pancaking, I'm usually able to get a pretty nice hole-y crumb, which leads me to believe that the difference between the loaf size and my dutch oven could be a major culprit (it's maybe 2 inches in diameter larger than my desired loaf).

So, I wonder, what if instead of separating my dough into 2 loaves, I just bake it all at once? Is there anything I should know before trying this?

Here's my recipe:

Leaven:
1 tbsp starter
200g 50/50 bread flour
200g water

Dough (2 variations):

Rye:
200g leaven
180g rye flour
710g all purpose
800g water
20g salt

Whole wheat:
200g leaven
700g whole wheat flour
300g all purpose
750g water
20g salt

Steps:
1. Mix leaven, let rise for 10-14 hours
2. Mix dough ingredients except salt and 50g water, autolyse for 30 mins.
3. Add the salt and remaining water. Bulk Fermentation for 3-4 hours, turns every 30 minutes
4. Separate into loaves, light preshape to create surface tension, bench rest for 30 minutes
5. Fold each loaf once, shape into boule. Final rise in shaping bowls 2-4 hours
6. Bake in dutch oven at 450 F, lid on for the first 20 mins.

Thank you!!


texts: How can I fix my tasteless baked flounder?

texts: I fixed flounder fillets in a bed of yellow onions and mushrooms in a 425°F oven -- as the recipe says -- and the fish does not taste like anything. The Hollandaise sauce did not help either. Is there anything that I can do to improve the flavor or is trashing it the only option?


texts:
I do not eat farmed animals, including animal rennet, which is used in making many kinds of cheese.  Cheeses here in the U.S. vary in what they use as curdling agent and I have seen the following labels listed in ingredients:

Animal Rennet
Rennet
Microbial Rennet
Cheese Cultures (does this mean animal rennet?)
Vegetarian Rennet

Unless the ingredient list makes is explicit that it is of animal origin, such as the first or probably the second bullet point above, is there any way to guess which origin the Cheese Cultures connotes? Is there a special marking on the product (like a kosher label) that denotes that it is safe for consumption by non-meat eaters?


texts:
This is a 12 cm inch blade utility knife.

As you can see the bolster (fat part near handle) extends out on the edge side.  On a flat surface like a cutting boards it takes the handle 1/3 of the edge out of play for any task you need to slice all the way through such as mincing.

I cannot think of a single task I would prefer that design. Is there any purpose to extending the bolster like that on a utility or cooks knife?  I could understand on a boning knife or small paring knife.

In the current version (Grand Prix II) of the knife the bolster does not extend like that.  I have a Spyderco 6 inch kitchen utility knife from the same time and same thing - bolster extends but does not in the current version.

The background is wet cement. I went outside for the light.

In response to comments:

I don't think this is due to sharpening but cannot be sure. The chef's knife in the set does not have protruding bolster and I use/sharpen it almost as much as the others.  The chef's knife is also thicker and could be different steel. I sharpen with a Spyderco Sharpmaker Sharpener like twice a year and hone with pretty much every use. The Wüsthof hone came with the set. I don't even use the Spydeco kitchen knife that also has the protruding bolster and I only sharpened it once with the Spyderco Sharpmaker Sharpener. I accept the comments it could be worn from sharpening.

For my replacements I will avoid a bolster that extends all the way down. I am looking at the Wüsthof Classic Ikon series.  Or I may not replace and get a Santuko for mincing.  As is the knives still slice and dice fine.

My neighbor has a belt sander and is going to grind down the bolster.


texts: Crystallization of sugar solution, and oddly crunchy candy with fudge-like texture after eating

texts:
I've been trying to recreate the results from:
http://cookingsciencetradition.blogspot.com/2010/12/crystallization-of-sugar.html

to very little success.

My process:

1: Add 1 + 1/2 cups white refined sugar, and an arbitrary amount of water to a pot.

2: Add some heat, and stir until sugar fully dissolved

3: Allow sugar to boil (without stirring) on high heat until 240F is reached

4: Turn off heat, and allow to cool until 100F is reached

5: Pour into mixer, and beat.

What goes wrong:

While the sugar is cooling, it seems to crystallize on the surface.
Then, during the beating process, it beats without turning into crumble, going from a clear syrup to a white almost crystalline looking substance (with visible strands within the substance resembling the etching seen in ribbon candy), but after only 40 seconds of beating, it starts to give the electric mixer trouble -- first starting to spew strands of candy at the sides of the mixing bowl, and then turning to crumble (identical, visually, to the crumble which is shown in the link I gave above) if left mixing too long. If I stop the mixing right when it starts spewing strands of candy, then it quickly hardens into a strange mass, almost identical to a very hard icing -- Hard, and visibly rough, fragile and crumbling when pressure is applied (though not turning to dust!), quickly melting/dissolving in the mouth into a very smooth, creamy feeling substance (not dissimilar to what fudge does in the mouth!) when consumed.

To be honest, I have no idea what is going on, or why my candy is behaving this way. Is there something obvious here that I am doing wrong? Is it possible that what is happening is actually exactly what should be happening? The reason I doubt this, is that the website I linked shows a picture of the result when the sugar syrup is cooled and beaten properly -- though my product has exactly the same color, it does not have the glossy shine which is showcased in the link's photo.

Now, it is possible that my thermometer is not calibrated correctly -- for the sake of faster problem solving, let's assume that my thermometer is of godly quality (though, I am still open to human error being the cause -- IE, maybe I misread the temperature during the cool-down process, and this is why it turned to crumble?)

Miscellaneous facts:
I live at 96.343 m above sea level.
Indoor humidity is typically around 53%. Outdoor humidity can be as high as 70%-80%.
I use filtered water

Questions summarized:

Am I making any obvious mistakes?
Does the ratio of water to sugar matter? I would think not, since the ratio between sugar and water is dependent upon the boiling point, and hence temperature of the mixture.
Is my altitude screwing things up? Could that cause problems with my (momentarily ungodly) thermometer?
Does humidity have anything at all to do with this?
Is anything even going wrong to begin with -- could it be that I am crazy, and what I describe is exactly what ought to happen?

Thank you very much for your time, and potential answers! I hope I can eventually get this right.


texts: I would like to make my own Chicken Stock, any suggestions?

texts: I am tired of using canned broth/stock and would like to make my own - any suggestions as to the proper technique and parts to use?


texts: What are sugar-free sweets actually made from?

texts:
I was eating a sugar-free "Polo mint" the other day and the question popped into my mind "So, if this isn't sugar.... what is it??"

I understand they use an artificial sweetener (Sorbitol), and Magnesium Stearate as a lubricant, but these don't explain what is the BULK of the sweet actually made from?

A Google session came up with a lot of people asking this question (about sugar free sweets in general) but no solid (!) answers.


texts: What part of beef is used in beef chow mein?

texts: The meat in beef chow mein doesn't look fatty or have white tissue on it unlike say front lamb chops.  What part of the beef is it they use to get these clean cuts of meat and why do they use these instead of say more fattier cuts of meat?


texts: Green rhubarb safe and tasty for use like red?

texts: My mom in her earnest harvested her rhubarb early and sent me stalks that are indiscernible from celery. It tastes very tart which I like but has very faint "rhubarby" flavors. A couple applications I have in mind are a standard cobbler and making bitters by infusing them in vodka. Is it safe to eat (i.e. does red stalk indicate that oxalic acids are no longer present in the stalks?) and how can I intensify the rhubarby flavors without overwhelming anything with the acids?


texts: Warming refrigerated butter at a table in a restaurant

texts:
I love to cook.  One of my favorite ways to cook is to go to a restaurant, look at the menu, get ideas, and order creatively.  It helps to tip well.

For example, I've been successful creating diet ginger ale by ordering it cut with club soda and adding sugar substitute to taste.  Also found breakfast burritos are very tasty if you substitute the tortilla with a crape.  These work because the directions and goal are simple and understandable.

My current obsession is room temperature butter for the hot rolls.  I want the butter to spread.  I don't want the butter cooling the rolls.  Can order the butter ahead of the rolls, if I must, but time is still at a premium.

If you're lucky you can order room temperature butter and get room temperature butter.  More often I'm told they have to refrigerate the butter.  I don't want to argue with them about the wisdom of their health codes.  Some have tried to microwave it only to present me with abstract art sitting in a pool of drawn butter.  This site could teach them how to microwave butter properly but I'm trying to communicate through a busy waiter.

Typically what I'm given is either small foil wrapped pats of butter or a 1 inch by 1 inch by 1/8 inch slice placed on a saucer.

What are your ideas for warming the butter before the rolls cool down?  I'm willing to do some work myself at the table.


texts:
I've really been getting into capers lately - mostly just the ones you buy from the store in the little jars that cured in either brine or lye. I didn't even know what the heck they were for a while until someone told me and I looked it up on the internet - basically flower buds that come from a specific bush.

My question is when frying capers (make them nice and crunchy for some yummy meat dishes) would I fry the picked capers or is there another type and where would I buy that?

Second, are there alternative flower buds that I can pick from my garden and use in place of capers?


texts: Are commercial chocolate almonds coated with something that prevents melting?

texts:
Why is it that a milk chocolate bar begins to melt in my hand sooner than a chocolate-covered almond?

The surface of typical chocolate-covered almonds are also a lot smoother than regular chocolate bars when I slide my finger around each of their surfaces.

And does the shiny surface of the chocolate-covered almond have anything to do with its ability to not melt so easily?


texts: Baking wheat and dairy-free bread with only dry yeast

texts:
I am going to try and cook my own wheat and dairy free bread. It says use dry and fresh yeast.

Can I use only dry yeast, and if so how much more do I have to use?


texts: How to select a coffee powder for preparing Turkish Coffee?

texts:
This is what I can get here:
http://www.devans.in/product.html

What kind of roasted (mild/medium/strong/very strong) powder/beans should be selected for Turkish Coffee?

Can the coffee powder meant for preparing Filter coffee be used for Turkish coffee?

I'd prefer a sweeter taste of coffee rather than bitter.


texts:
Raw fish pieces have stuck to each other in freezer. How to take out few pieces of fish without disturbing other pieces?

Thawing whole bunch may not make sense since I do not intend to eat them all today. What are my options?

My question is about "how" to do it. Should I hammer out the pieces without thawing them? If yes, then what would be the approach to do it?

https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/40690/6168

  Quick and sloppy:

  Pry the frozen fillets apart using a case knife or use a wedge of some sort to separate them physically without thawing.

Why is this method called sloppy? What is wrong with it?


texts: Can I use baking powder to replace cream of tartar

texts:
I need cream of tartar to make a special apple pie,but I have none can you tell me the correct substitute
I need a proper answer
The pie is called cracker apple pie the crust is made of crackers


texts: How can I more effectively remove bones, when fileting a sardine?

texts:
Sardines ("kilu") are very common out here in Tallinn, and are very commonly eaten raw (e.g. kiluvõileib). It's particularly easy (and cheap) to find whole sardines that you can filet yourself. I have tried this at home in the following steps:

Cut off the head.
Slice open the belly.
Remove gizzards and nonsense from belly.
"Unfold" the sardine.
Using a fork, grab the spine at the head-end of the fish and pull it straight out.
Spend several minutes collecting bazillions of leftover rib bones, one-by-one, for each tiny fish.

The final step is obnoxious. I must be doing something wrong. How do I get the ribs out of the fish, efficiently?


texts: What is the best/easiest way to juice a watermelon?

texts:
Last year, I had a lot of leftover watermelon from a full-size melon and I pressed it in a strainer to get out the seeds and pulp, but it took forever.

(I then froze the juice in ice trays and stored them in ziploc bags in the freezer - it makes a great margarita in the blender.)

Now that we are getting great local watermelon again, I thought it would be a good use (I've got a huge half a melon taking up space in the fridge)

Are powered juicers any good for this?  Would they work with watermelon (obviously cut up with the rind removed)  Would I have to remove the seeds manually first?

(I found this ridiculous video of Rener Gracie, BTW: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClIepBc7z6s)

Apparently, they claim that the $20 Gracie Juice Bag (http://www.gracieacademy.com/storeitem.asp?r=74903) is more efficient to use on watermelon than the juicer they sell on the site.


texts: Is it possible (and if so, how) to convert a store bought "pickles in vinegar" to "pickles in sweetened vinegar"?

texts:
In the past I've bought many pickled cucumbers and other veg, but a few weeks ago I bought pickled 'sandwich' cucumber slices (similar to this) which were in sweetened vinegar and liked them much better; the key thing about these pickles is that they are in "sweet" vinegar rather than normal pickling vinegar which is quite sour.

I would like to know whether it's possible, and if so how I can do it, to take a jar of pickles I've bought in normal (sour, not sweetened) vinegar and sweeten it? Can I just add sugar to the vinegar they are in, in the jar? Will that have any effect? If it would have an effect, how long would I need to leave the sugar in there before eating them?


texts: How to make glowing Jello without Tonic Water?

texts:
I found a note the other day, that said Tonic water glows under black light.  A quick check at Wikipedia, shows that it's the Quinine that flouresces.  B2 also flouresces.  Are there any other edible substances that flouresce?

We made some Jello with Tonic Water, and while the kids found it inedible, it did look cool under black light.  (Hint: use light coloured jello over dark colored to see this better.) Curious if there's a way to make glowing jello that tastes decent.


texts: Does mayo "break"/decompose if you stop whisking then whisk the other way?

texts: Is is true or an urban legend that if you whisk the opposite way while making mayonnaise (after you've whisked in one direction for a while), the mixture will be "undone" into its components?


texts: Can soft-boiled eggs be reboiled and turned into hard-boiled eggs?

texts: I recently boiled some eggs, then put them in the fridge.  When I went to use them, they were not boiled all the way through.  Can I reboil them or should I throw them away?


texts: Can I use a deep fryer instead of a pot with oil?

texts:
I got a deep fryer for Christmas, and that made me think of all the donut recipes I have seen floating about, like this one for crullers or this one for chocolate dipped donuts.

These are just two examples, but I noticed they all call for a pot filled with about 2 inches of oil heated to a certain temperature. My deep fryer does have adjustable temperature settings, so that would be fine, but I am not sure if using the deep fryer instead of the pot of oil would work.

Is a deep fryer an okay substitute? I really want to get some good use out of it, and this sounded somewhat plausible. Am I completely off-track?


texts: Are there any cold paddles that are BPA free?

texts: There have been previous discussions on the cold paddles to use to rapidly cool soups, etc. One of the more common ones in the San Jamar line. However, on their website, it says that there is some possible exposure to chemicals like BPA when using this product. https://www.sanjamar.com/warning/  Is this a big concern? Are there any other equivalent products which are safer (BPA free)? Thanks.


texts: Stock questions. What to taste for when making stock?

texts:
First, what should homemade stock taste like? Should it be fairly bland? When I cook other things like pasta sauce, dressing, etc. I can always taste and add seasoning and adjust as needed while it cooks. Since it seems to be a rule to not salt stock, what should I be tasting and adjusting for to know if I'm going in the right direction? Is stock tasting during even a thing or are you supposed to rely on a proven recipe and just wait and hope?

I'm making beef stock for the 1st time and I'm around the 3 hour mark and it tastes pretty bland. I used 2lb oxtail, 4 onions, 1 large carrot, 2 celery stalks, couple bay leaves, 2tsp thyme, 1tsp rosemary and enough water to cover everything (guessing around 3 liters). If it tastes bland at the 3 hour point should I consider adding salt or something else? If after 8 hours, it's still bland, is there any chance of salvaging by reducing?

I always got the impression that stock is pretty versatile and you can throw leftover bones and scraps you accumulate and have tasty base to use but as of right now I'm a bit underwhelmed. Have I overlooked something?


texts: Could you cook and eat potatoes the same day you dig them up?


texts: What causes a tomato sauce to have a bitterness and getting rid of it?

texts:
My tomato sauce is coming out great, lots of flavor, especially after I was able to reduce it following the tips here

However, it is still slightly bitter.
What causes a tomato sauce to have a (in my case, slight) bitterness and how do you get rid of it?

Is there an anti-bitter technique that is commonly used.


texts:
I've just discovered swiss meringue as a dairy-free option for frosting cakes and am not sure much about it, including how long it lasts, whether to store it in the fridge or room temperature, how far ahead can I make it  and does it freeze.

Please note that I am not talking about swiss meringue buttercream, but just swiss meringue (egg & sugar).

It seems such an easy, delicious frosting I'm surprised I haven't encountered it before. Maybe I'm not aware of the downside?


texts: Why is expired frozen chicken safe to eat?

texts:
It seems to be a widely held belief that that freezing chicken, and then defrosting, cooking, and eating it much later (well past the expiration date) is a perfectly fine thing to do.

What makes it safe? And are there any food safety hazards to watch out for when doing this?


texts: For blenders, is Stainless Steel sturdier than Glass?

texts:
My grandparents intend to blend warm (≤ 70°C = 158°F) soups in addition to fruits and vegetables. To them, glass feels more fragile and untrustworthy compared to stainless steel. So is stainless steel stouter?

They know that opacity is one disadvantage of Stainless Steel; they haven't lighted on a transparent stainless steel container/jar.


texts:
I have a blender that is not very powerful, just 400 Watt. I tried to use it with nuts and it cannot do it, I notice it suffers too much. If I add some water it works well and I like the result. My question is how much time will the cream last in the fridge?

What I have tried:
- I tried to make just what I need for today. The blender needs more quantity to move everything.
- I tried to add lemon. It seems to work with savory recipes but not if I want a sweet cream, sauce or spread.

If I make a cream, sauce or spread with nuts and a bit of water, how much time will it live well in the fridge?

None of the sources commented answers the question. It is known that nut butters have long shelf life as natural oils help to preserve them. The question here is if adding water can shorten the regular shelf life of a nut butter.


texts: How to determine if meat needs to be aged?

texts:
Some animals are ready to eat (or freeze) immediately upon slaughter. Some need to be aged first otherwise they may be too tough. E.g. venison needs to be aged 2-5 days (depending on the age of the deer) so that the enzymes from the meat break down collagen (which I understand makes the meat tough).

I also understand that beef needs aging but not necessarily lamb -- I have seen lambs getting roasted immediately after slaughter.

How do you determine whether meat needs aging? Is it better to age an animal in bigger chunks (like whole or halved) vs butchered in smaller pieces? What are some tips for aging a large animal (like a deer) in case a walkin cooler is not available? Is quartering it and putting it in a large cooler (vs hanging) going to produce inferior aging results?


texts: What should I cover bread dough with while it's rising?

texts:
If you let (bread) dough rise, the recipe always asks to cover it. Years ago, I read to cover it with a wet towel. Nowadays, I see more and more recipes that ask for plastic wrap (aka saran or cling wrap).
The towel lets air through, the wrap does not. What is the difference between the two in the end result? What is best to use and why?
I'm talking about the first as well as the second (proofing) rise. If there is a difference between the phases, please inform me.


texts: Is it possible to cook semolina or rice with milk in the microwave?

texts:
Is it possible to boil semolina or rice in milk in the microwave?

The problem is that milk will boil over, but I wonder if there are some adapted pots for this purpose or if there is some other trick.


texts:
I am trying to find a recipe to re-purpose black and white sandwich cookies with the icing inside.

I have two bags my family will not eat; I would hate to waste them.


texts: I recently purchased a cast iron corn stick pan that appears to have been spray varnished. How can I remove this varnish to use this cast iron pan safely?


texts: How to release pungence out of onion for salads without cooking?

texts:
I have been making a pretty standard Mediterranean-style potato salad but replacing the standard vinegar with lemon juice, which I like better. However, I noticed that, when used, red wine vinegar does more to soften the uncooked union and seems to release the pungent juices from it so they spread to other ingredients. Lemon juice tastes better but I don't think it treats the onion as well.

Because I would rather not mix vinegar and lemon juice, I was wondering if there are any way other than using vinegar to treat raw onion so that it releases more juice and also make the onion more palatable?


texts: Can I use a fondue bourguignonne set to make cheese fondue?

texts:
I have a fondue bourguignonne set (this model). Can I use it to make cheese fondue? The manual explicitly says that it is not suitable for chocolate fondue, but it says nothing about cheese fondue.

(BTW, I am also curious to know why it is not suitable for making chocolate or possibly cheese fondue. Is the réchaud too powerful?)


texts: Why does fondue sometimes "curdle" and what can I do to prevent it?

texts:
Once when I was making a pretty standard fondue (50% gruyere, 50% emmenthal, white wine) the cheese somehow "curdled" and became a mix of a slightly fondue-tasting liquid and a rubbery ball of cheese, completely useless for fondue purposes.

Why and how does this happen? Was it the quality of the cheese, did I overheat the wine before adding the cheese, or did I add too much/too little cheese at once?


texts:
I have recently been ordering food from a place that has a fried rice that I like a lot. A lot a lot. The ingredients are pretty basic, which makes me think that the spices used in this dish are what makes it taste so incredibly good (though of course things like the method of preparation may also matter quite a bit).

I should really go to the restaurant and ask them about this dish. However, this does make me wonder:

Is there a way for me to take a prepared batch of this dish and find out what spices were used? The spices I do not know yet are the ones I care about the most.

(I'm very much afraid the answer will simply be no, but it doesn't hurt to ask, does it?)


texts: I am making a large quantity of a recipe that calls for whipped cream. I can use A KitchenAid mixer with the standard 4.5 quart bowl and whisk.  For efficiency sake, I’d like to whip as much as possible at one time, and would appreciate advice on how much Cream I should whip at one time.


texts: What are good ingredients to put into a Scrapple soup stock?

texts:
I'll try to make this as focused as possible, so that a reasonable answer can emerge. I have a (loaf?) of scrapple, which Wikipedia describes as:

  traditionally a mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. The mush is formed into a semi-solid congealed loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then panfried before serving.

I'm fairly new to cooking, so this is a question about soup stocks in general. Given the ingredients, is it possible to create an edible soup stock from it, as one would from other leftover meats? If so, what kind of ingredients would pair well?


texts: How long can I keep espresso in the fridge?

texts:
I often make espresso with a bialetti moka. I made some espresso martinis for my family at a party earlier this year and I have been asked for some more over Christmas.

How long can I keep espresso coffee made with a bialetti in the fridge? If it can be stored for a long time, can I top it up with more coffee as I make it, or should each batch be stored separately?


texts: Why is there liquid at the bottom of my lemon meringue pie?

texts: Why is it that whenever I make a lemon meringue pie, (packaged lemon filling, directions followed EXACTLY), and I cut into it, there is always a puddle of liquid on the bottom? I do use 7 egg whites but I put a bit of cornstarch in to help with the beads of moisture on top. That works, but I don't think that is related to my puddle problem! I have also tried to add the meringue to the lemon filling when it was hot and when it was cold. I have also tried to refrigerate the pie and just leave it on the counter. Still, a puddle! Does anyone have any ideas why I am getting a puddle on the bottom of my pie?


texts: Cheese like slime on potato, but no pinkness

texts:
I had some potatoes in the back of a cupboard, and one solitary potato has sort of disintegrated into a cheesy yellow slime.

The skin looks mostly intact, and the slime is sticky exactly like melted cheese. I looked up potato slime, and the only similar ailment was pink slime, but there's no pink here.
They were not old enough for any other signs of rot.
I've washed the other potatoes, and will monitor them.
What happened to that one potato.


texts: Dicing roasted pumpkin instead of puréeing it?

texts:
I have a memory of reading somewhere (but I can’t seem to find the source) that when making a pumpkin pie from fresh pumpkin, you could beneficially dice the pumpkin after roasting it instead of puréeing it. Is this true, or will it ruin the pie if I try that?
Also, does dicing the roasted pumpkin instead of puréeing it make it easier to deep freeze it?


texts:
Sometimes when I buy lunch meat cuts, from the supermarket, they quickly get slimy on the outside. Regardless of the date which is indicated by the sticker.

I perform taste, smell, and visual checks for discoloration, but the cuts of meat seem to pass all those criteria.

Is this a sign that it's about to expire? Also, why does it get slimy?

FYI: This happens on Dietz BBQ chicken, and this other chicken cut I get from Costco.


texts: Pound cake sticks to pan - need alternate solution

texts: My pound cakes stick to the pan regardless of the efforts I take. I have used baking spray, olive oil, butter, butter & flour, and tin foil strips. I have cooled completely, placed in the freezer until solid and still have to chip it out. The recipe is 3 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup butter, 6 eggs, 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 cup self rising flour, and for the liquid I use 8 oz of either sour cream, buttermilk, sweetened condensed milk. One time I added 6 bananas, chopped pecans and mini chocolate chips and it did NOT stick quite as bad. What can I do to prevent this?


texts: Trusted Custom mold manufacturers for confections

texts:
Hello Seasoned advice community,

I am new here and just want to say thanks for letting me into your lovely community. =)

I am the R&D manager at a confections company and I am in need of some Custom molds for my jelly products. I've sourced some molds from a company in France and went through the whole back an forth process with them to nail down a design for my molds. They sent me numerous pictures of the mold, as well as, sample products they made using my molds and everything looked great. I received the first set of molds yesterday and they are nothing like the pictures! =( I'm working with them to hopefully rectify the situation but needless to say this will be the last time I use them.

Does anyone know of a trusted and reliable custom mold manufacturer?


texts:
I'm shopping for a new 16 to 20 quart induction-compatible stock pot and seem to be having a hard time finding one that has handles that are not welded.  I've read in various Amazon reviews that welds can weaken and break, and if true, nobody wants a pot of scalding water spilling all over themselves.

Is this true?  Assuming so, is there an induction stock pot that has screwed or riveted handles?

The two pots I'm looking at are the Update International SPS-20 and the Winware Stainless Steel one.


texts: Cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes? Chili powder?

texts:
Sorry for the double questions. I'm looking at two recipes of chicken tikka masala and one has both cayenne pepper (1/4tsp) and red pepper flakes (1/2tsp) I can only find red pepper flakes where I live. My understanding is that they're both made of the same kind of pepper. So, for this recipe would it be okay if I just add extra pepper flakes in place of cayenne?

The other chicken tikka masala recipe calls for chili powder (2tsp), which I think for Americans means a mix of several spices. (Where I live chili powder and red pepper flakes are the same thing) They don't have it here either. I found some recipes for chili powder blend but they require cayenne (again!) and onion powder, neither of which I have. So, what's a recipe for chili powder that has neither but still would taste similar to the original?

So, what should I do and which recipe should I use between the two that would yield a better result despite my lack of ingredients? Thank you in advance for your answer.


texts: how to correct a problem with my sourdough starter

texts: My boss gave me a sourdough starter that I've had on my counter for a week. I"ve fed it with just equal parts of flour and water without wasting the starter in order to increase the amount. it has increased in the amount, but have I made the starter less effective? My starter does have bubbles and it also has some fluid on top. how can i get what i have ready to use?


texts: How long will a sourdough starter last between feedings?

texts:
I'm using a sourdough starter from the recipe in Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day and I have gone through several of the rebuilding cycles with it.  It's been working fairly well for me and I have been refreshing it every week.  It is stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

How long can the starter be left in the fridge without being refreshed before it's un-salvageable and would need to be thrown out?


texts: Is there a difference in taste between female and male beef?

texts: A friend said that male beef is more expensive.  I'm thinking she really means the difference in taste of different breeds or some other criteria that makes some beef more expensive. Is there a difference?


texts: Does boiling a salsa or BBQ sauce for 30 min alter the taste?

texts: So after I "cook" my salsa ingredients for 30 min, then blend and place it in the jar, does boiling the jar for another 30 min affect the taste?  I don't notice it but wonder what other think.  Also, what's the difference or advantage of hot fill BBQ sauce vs boiling?  Is it the type of lid you have to use?  I know you can't boil a plastic lid.


texts: Prime rib weight on a restaurant menu - raw or cooked?

texts: When a restaurant menu lists a weight for a steak, I know it's raw weight. But when it lists the weight for prime rib, is it raw weight or cooked weight?


texts: Half butter half shortening in overnight potato rolls?

texts: I am making overnight potato rolls and have always used 2/3 cup of shortening. I was thinking that half butter half shortening might make my rolls even better. Will this idea help or hinder a yeast dough potato roll?


texts: Are refried beans supposed to be slimy and nasty smelling?

texts: I found a recipe in the local newspaper to make refried beans.  It said to soak them for 36 to 48 hours, draining and using fresh hot water several times.  After the time frame, the beans were so slimy and nasty smelling, I just threw them away.  The slime was so thick that I could hardly get them rinsed.  What did I do wrong, or is this way they are supposed to be?  If so it was disgusting.  This was my first time, so I need all the help I can get. Thanks for any help you can give.


texts:
I live in a hot climate. Days average 85-90 F and nights only get down to 75 F lately. I started a SD starter from scratch 6 days ago. Using the King Arthur recipe found online, and whole wheat grocery store flour. I’ve been keeping 1/2 cup starter, feeding it 1 cup AP flour and 1/2 cup room temp water. The first 3 days it doubled quickly. Now it bubbles some but doesnt seem to rise. Smells very mild/pleasant now. I’ve got it in a glass crock with lid.
Should it rise more? What can I do to get it to rise?


texts:
Clarification: The term "grill" is used here with the US-based term for grilling, which may differ from other countries such as Great Britain and Australia, where it is typically called a "barbecue"; Ideally it is a direct flame against one side of the food at a time, though other heat sources are not out of scope.

I live in an apartment complex where it is hugely impractical (if not impossible) to own a full-size grill. Despite this, I really want the ability to grill small amounts of meat and vegetables without too much hassle. Two possible solutions occurred to me, but I'm not sure which would be better or if there's a third option I'm unaware of:

Portable propane grill (camping stove) - I don't know how practical this would be, but the ability to fold it up and store it would be nice. Do these work as well as a normal propane grill?
Cast iron grill pan - I've seen many of these online that basically just sit on a stove burner and allegedly emulate a regular grill. I'm skeptical because the lack of a direct flame seems like it would affect the outcome.

Are either of those actually good options? Is there a better way that I haven't thought of? I know there are also miniature charcoal grills but they don't seem to be nearly as portable or space efficient as the other two.*

Edit: Advice in the answers/comments has led me to order a smokeless stovetop grill, because they're so cheap and allegedly pretty good there's no reason not to try it out. This is the one I decided on. In a couple days it should be here and I'll give it a thorough test and report back.

Keep the advice coming! It seems there are several other good options, so I want to float as many of them as possible for future viewers to reference.

* As for an outdoor solution: it's somewhat restricted in my area, you're allowed to have them but they must remain unconnected to a fuel source if they're within 25' of the building. That's one big reason I'm interested in indoor solutions, though I can compromise if a charcoal option seems like the way to go.

Conclusion: The stovetop smokeless grill worked out great. It's not a perfect replacement for a real grill but for such a cheap pricepoint and for its ease of use, it provides very satisfying results. The only things you need to watch out for are the fact that it doesn't cook evenly, so you have to rotate your food at least once, and it doesn't burn away oil and fats like a normal grill, though it does drain a fair amount of them; basically just go very light on the oil or you'll end up with a greasy mess.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!


texts: What's the difference between black currants and red currants?

texts:
I've noticed different stores carrying "currants" where some are red and others are black. What's the difference? Do they go by any other names?

For putting in cereal and making museli does anyone recommend one over the other?


texts: Separating chocolate-coated cookies stuck together

texts: I purchased some really nice chocolate-covered cookies that were packaged in a metal tin.  The cookies must have been stored somewhere warm, because the individual cookies are stuck together.  How can I separate them without ruining them?


texts: Should I use a metal pan or non-stick pan for cooking salmon on the stove top?

texts:
I am going to be cooking salmon for dinner tonight on the stove and debating whether to use a non-stick or metal pan.

I was going to use the non-stick at first, but saw an interesting approach where a guy puts olive oil and butter into his metal pan, which seems more flavorful.

Thoughts?


texts: Why does my banana bread have a moist top?

texts:
My mother always made banana bread when I was growing up, and my favorite part was the the fact that the top of the loaf was sweet and moist, to the point that it would leave residue if you touched it!  Hers is the only banana bread that I've seen that does this.

When I first tried making the recipe, the top stayed dry, but these days it becomes moist just like when she makes it.  As far as I can tell, the top is dry straight out of the oven, then as it cools it becomes slightly tacky.  After saran wrapping, the top develops the moist layer that I'm familiar with.

Does anyone know:

What physically causes this moisture on top?
What I can do to reduce or enhance it?


texts:
I've bought a bag of small dried and salted fish at my local Chinese market. My guess was that the thingies could be eaten right out of the box, but they are too bony and salty.

I guess they need some kind of desalting and perhaps frying, but not sure what to try.

From the back of the bag drawings and text (thanks Google Translate!) I managed to infer that it's really a snack (ideal beer companion!)

Any ideas on how to prepare/serve them?


texts: How can I check if my flour is self-raising or plain?

texts: If I have some unlabelled flour in the cupboard, is there a way I can determine if it is self-raising flour or plain flour, before cooking with it and just checking if the cake rises? :)


texts: Is there a rule of thumb when replacing flour with whipped egg whites in a cake/muffin recipe?

texts:
I was trying to use up some old bananas yesterday and decided to make banana muffins. I find that my (improvised) recipe that I pulled from the Internet is a bit dense.

I have a sponge cake recipe that calls for 10 whipped egg whites. This makes up the majority of the cake. It's light and moist and fluffy.

So I thought that perhaps I can replace some of the flour in my normal banana muffin recipe with whipped egg whites. My thinking was that the reduction in flour will be off-set by my whipped egg whites, it would hold it's shape and I wouldn't get a sloppy mess.

I went from

  2 cups flour + 2 eggs + wet ingredients + sugar

to

  Slightly less than 1.5 cups + 4 yolks + 4 whipped egg whites + wet ingredients + sugar

For the most part this seems to have worked but it clearly needs adjustment. Have I stumbled upon an actual technique? If so, is there a guide on what the correct substitution of flour to whipped egg whites is?


texts: How to declog coffee maker clogged by milk

texts:
I have a coffee maker which I used milk in it rather than water. Now milk has clogged its tubes as shown here:

Can anybody help me with a simple and easy trick to clean and declog the coffee maker tubes? Thanks =)

Make and model


texts:
I purchased some fresh chicken a few weeks ago and immediately froze it. Today I took it out and put it into boiling water to start making soup. Before I added anything else, the whole room started to smell like eggs (not rotten per se, but strong).

Is something wrong with the chicken? Should I throw it out?


texts: Is it possible to make non-sweet icecream (i.e. with no added sugar or sweeteners)?

texts: I know plain frozen yogurt exists, but what is so special about sugar that there doesn't seem to be a non-sweet substitute?


texts: microplastics from plastic pepper grinders?

texts:
I have a regular (steel) pepper grinder but I have defaulted to buying and using the 'all-in-one" bottles of peppercorn with the grinder top' from Trader Joe's.

I am hearing more and more about exposure to 'microplastics' from all sorts of sources. Last night while I was cooking and grinding some pepper into a roue for a cauliflower-cheddar casserole (it was delicious!), it occurred to me: am I adding microplastics along with the pepper?

I'm no engineer or physicist, but it seems likely that a plastic grinder working against hard peppercorns is going to cause wear on the grinder surface with the result getting added to food.

Is this a known "thing" (e.g. concern, myth, stoner speculation )? I've googled around but couldn't find anything.


texts: Does cooking one month expired canned goods render it edible?

texts:
Sometimes when preparing to eat canned goods, I realized that it has already expired. I am hesitant to throw it away because it may still be edible.

Question: Does cooking expired canned goods make them edible? Assume that it expired no more than one month ago. Some say yes, because it only affects the quality of the product. Some says no, because it is very dangerous and not worth risking.

I want to hear this from experts. :)


texts: I have a recipe for an Italian sausage, sweet potato and kale soup and I don't have the sausage.  Can I use chicken and turkey meat or are there seasonings I can to replace the flavor? How much of the seasonings do I need to replace a pound of Italian Sausages?


texts: What is the right moment to add sugar to make my own coffee liqueur?

texts:
I've been looking for a good coffee liqueur recipe. In some places they add sugar and water before you store the liqueur for a few days or weeks, and others say to add the sugar and water after it.

The 'before' ones use instant coffee which I think it's not in the 'original' (old) recipe.

Does adding the sugar before or after make any difference in the outcome? The liqueurs I have bought usually get thicker as time goes by.


texts:
I am looking into creating some super fine sugar (finer than confectioners sugar) for icing. This is more for experimentation than anything, I am more interested to see how this impacts the consistency/texture of the icing than anything. I've tried using a blender and a coffee grinder, starting with both granulated and confectioners sugar, but can't seem to get much finer than the confectioners sugar.

I'm willing to build a device, but I'm not sure the best path forward here. My thoughts were something along the lines of an old stone mill, except in this case I would use food grade steel plates, but that is a big investment.

Is there something existing I can re-purpose for this endeavor or perhaps something relatively low cost I can buy? If not, thoughts on my plan above?


texts: Are steel containers good for storing food in the refrigerator?

texts: I have heard some people say steel containers should never be used in the refrigerator, while others say steel is the best. Which is correct?


texts: Should a gas Aga be left on when not in use?

texts:
We've recently moved into a house with an Aga GC3 cooker; though have no experience with this type of oven.  Reading up on Agas, people talk about them being left on all the time; though this seems like a waste of gas for our usage (1 cooked meal each evening; unused the rest of the day).  When people say they can be left on all of the time I'm not sure if they're envisaging scenarios where the Aga is an old solid-fuel style (where this would have been far more practical), or cooks who are baking throughout the day, or making use of the waste heat for drying their wellies and wet dogs.
We've found that it takes about 2 hours to get up to the required temperature for cooking; so if not left on all the time requires a lot more planning than the gas hobs we're used to; but leaving it on feels wasteful.
Is it best (in terms of efficiency / our described usage pattern) to leave an Aga on full time (e.g. is it more efficient to keep it at temperature than to have to bring it up to temperature each day), and if left on, when not in use is it best to keep it on the Full setting, or to put it to Low Heat or Pilot Light mode?


texts: I have a recipe for sweet corn bread and it calls for fresh corn and it is very hard to find fresh corn in winter; can it be replaced with frozen corn?


texts: Can I bake a christmas cake in a cardboard box?

texts:
So, usually christmas cake recipes call for  wrapping paper/cardboard around the cake to insulate it a bit. (See this question: Why should I wrap a cake tin in newspaper?)
I find myself lacking in newspaper but with a plethora of shipping boxes due to all the online purchases I've found myself doing recently. I happen to have a box that would be the perfect size (small enough to fit in the oven, but big enough for the cake). And also this seems like a great lazy person solution that appeals to me.
To be clear, I mean to put the Christmas cake mix in the baking tin, and then put that in the box.
Given the box is devoid of plastic (paper tape and cardboard only), and isn't touching the element (obviously), would this be a viable method? Anything I need to keep in mind? My plan is to close the box entirely top and bottom and interleave the flaps so that nothing comes open.
Particular concerns:

The box catching fire
The printing on the box releasing chemicals into my food
The oven convection being impeded

Any reasons why this is a bad idea?
(My cake is currently in the oven, I jumped ahead a bit and then thought maybe I should check anyway. It hasn't caught fire yet).
(Also, I did also see the reduce-by-15C-forgo-the-box-entirely method, but my oven only goes down to 140C, the next step down is 100.)


texts: How long can cream cheese frosting be safely stored in the fridge?

texts:
I made a cream cheese frosting a while ago.  I didn't use all the frosting, so I put the rest (quite a lot actually) in the fridge with the intent to freeze it by the weekend if I hadn't used it.  Fast forward a month and it's still in the fridge.  I don't have the exact recipe in front of me, but it's cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, extract, and milk.  The milk is minimal and I can't remember if I actually used it (I don't always).

I should note that I keep my refrigerator very cold (veggies usually freeze after a couple days - I like milk super cold).  I don't know if that would help preserve it longer, but thought it might be relevant.


texts: What results can I expect from egg and sugar variations in spritz cookies?

texts: Some Spritz cookie recipes call for powdered sugar vs granulated sugar, and some recipes use egg yolk only vs whole egg. Without trying every recipe, what differences might result from these differences?


texts: In a cheesecake, what’s the purpose of creaming the cream cheese and sugar?

texts:
I did a cheesecake following this recipe (first time).

I didn’t know I had to use cream cheese at room temperature, so I took it directly from the fridge, and also I don’t have an electric mixer. So as you can imagine, it was extremely difficult to "mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth". I decided to give up on that mixing and just continue, given that with the eggs and the milk it would be much easier to mix.

In the end, I got something which looks like a cheesecake (the texture is uniform) and seems to taste like a cheesecake (not that I have much experience), but is very dense and I feel that my stomach has trouble digesting it.

Looking at the Internet, everyone says that it’s important to cream together the cream cheese and sugar very well, which I didn’t really do, so I was wondering what’s the purpose of it? Would it explain the fact that my cheesecake seems a bit too dense?


texts: adding vanilla extract to cooled pudding

texts: I made a pudding from scratch and put it to cool in fridge. Three hours later realized I had forgotten the vanilla! Can I add vanilla to the pudding and whisk it really well? Or just forget about it?


texts: What is a good substitute for Fish Sauce?

texts:
Are there any good substitutes for Fish Sauce for cooking Thai food?

This is due to a severe food allergy (anaphylaxis) to all forms of seafood, so I'm unable to substitute for other fish-based products.


texts: What species of shrimp is "delicate pale colored river shrimp"?

texts:
Which is the species? There are YouTube videos how to make 龍井蝦仁.

Dragon Well Green Tea Shrimp Stir Fry 龍井炒蝦仁 | Chinese Recipes at TheHongKongCookery.com

  Traditionally delicate pale colored river shrimp were used for this dish.  As river shrimp are almost impossible to come by these days we used frozen shrimp.   But let me quantify that statement.  Frozen shrimp sold in Hong Kong is absolutely fresh when frozen and tastes pretty darn close to fresh shrimp.  The Cantonese are famously picky about their shrimp.  But as you know, once shrimp gets not fresh it just don't taste good at all.

Stir Fried Prawns with Longjing Tea (龙井虾仁) – teavivre

  Stir Fried Prawns with Longjing Tea (Longjing Shrimp for short) is a typical dish of Hangzhou cuisine. Just as its name implies, Longjing Shrimp is made by cooking peeled river prawns with tender shoots of famous Longjing tea.


texts: When preparing confit, do you start ingredients in cold fat, or do you add it when it reaches cooking temperature?

texts: I have watched many videos on the subject and I see it going both ways. Also, do you have to wring out all the water from the duck/chicken before adding it to the fat? Is there a splattering risk?


texts: What to use on top of a baking stone: parchment paper, a silicone sheet or a thin steel tray?

texts:
According to the top-rated answer to this question, you cannot wash the baking stone (or else you can, using baking soda and a lot of care and time, which is not practical). I am mostly interested in baking at the temperatures of cr. 180°C (360°F), although sometimes I use 450°F (230°C) regime.
I wanted to compare three options that could potentially be put on top of a baking stone, to avoid hygiene concerns:

Silicone sheet - it's stated to be safe for temperatures up to 500°F (260°C), but I have read that the safety of silicone at high temperatures is disputed. Other than safety concerns, I see no downside;
Baking paper - it's stated to be safe for temperatures up to 420°F-450°F (210°C-230°C), and is single-use;
Thin steel tray - I have made it up myself, it's obviously safe, but does it negate the advantages of baking stone?

Is my analysis correct? What am I missing? What are your recommendations?
As per this webpage, a lot of people are using parchment paper to avoid sticking, and discuss silicone as an alternative.


texts: What is the purpose of using ping pong balls on top of a Sous Vide Bath?

texts:
I recently saw a picture of expert Douglas Baldwin with his sous vide equipment in this article.  One of his immersion circulator baths was covered with ping pong balls.

What is the purpose of covering the immersion circulator bath with ping pong balls?


texts: Hardening Homemade Butterscotch into the Consistency of Butterscotch Chips

texts:
I've been considering making butterscotch chip cookies with homemade butterscotch chips for a while now, but every time I look for recipes I find only butterscotch sauce recipes or recipes that use butterscotch chips.

So, assuming I've made butterscotch sauce, how would I go about properly hardening it to make chips or chunks out of it?


texts: Boiled chicken: coloured parts of the meat?

texts:
When I try to make chicken soup I usually find parts of the meat don't seemed to be cooked properly: red, purple, or brown bits which I think should be white. Sometimes some pieces come out white while other are white on the outside but inside they are coloured. I use a standard method: I cut 1kg chicken into 4-8 pieces, add 2 litres water, add salt, bring to boil, then simmer for 1 hour. On occasions I have managed to cook it all white but this is the exception not the rule.

Does the size of pieces make a difference as to how well it cooks?
Does size make a difference as to how I should cook it? e.g. should large pieces be cooked slowly while smaller pieces be cooked fast?
Does the speed at which I bring to a boil affect the cooking? Should I bring it to a boil slowly or is it ok to do it fast so long as I lower the heat once it's boiling?
Sometimes I notice some chicken bits start ripping, e.g. skin opens, tears.  My guess is this is due to boiling or staying on the lower surface centre of the pot. What causes this, and is it a problem?
How long are soups meant to be cooked for? Mine is usually 1 hour 15 minutes. Sometimes I add more time but it doesn't still cook the insides properly.
Could it be the temperature? Even if I don't go above a simmer, it still doesn't cook properly.
Does stirring make a difference? I have tried this, but it doesn't seem to.

Do you have any idea why I cannot get it right or what I may be doing wrong? Is there a sure procedure to cook chicken soup to make sure it cooks fully every time?


texts: Whenever I watch cooking shows on TV, they always advise to season the meat "liberally", even "aggressively". Is there a particular reason for this, or do regular people just tend to under season their meat?


texts: Is it possible to make low-alcohol Limoncello?

texts:
Lemons are currently in season and dirt cheap. I'd like to make a homemade Limoncello.

The recipe I'm using calls for odorless, high-ABV (150+ proof) spirit, like Everclear. Unfortunately, my state doesn't allow the sale of high ABV spirits.

Can I use a lower ABV, like vodka, as a stand in? Will this change steeping time?


texts: Can I bake my bread in a loaf pan instead of baking sheet?

texts: I have found a lot of recipes that says to bake your bread on a cookie sheet. I was wondering if I can use a loaf pan instead? Do you have to adjust time or any thing else? My family like sandwich style bread better than French style. Most of the recipes are sourdough some are French bread.


texts: Do I need a special oven to cook a pizza as evenly as the chain stores?

texts:
When I buy a pizza from Pizza Hut or Domino's, it has a crispy base with a soft cooked middle and a properly done top.

When I make a pizza in my own oven (electric, fan assisted, maximum 230° C), I can get it done to the same standard as a local Indian takeaway but not as good as any of the major chains.  I'm wondering if my problems are due to the oven or the pizza.

Ideally I would like to buy an oven that can go up to 550° C like a brick-built oven.  I'm wondering if I can get a better result with a better oven?  I'd like to do it for under £100 (UK).

I think that if I can bake the pizza in 5 to 6 minutes, that may do the trick; unfortunately I don't think I can afford any of the 90-second pizza ovens or install one at home.


texts:
Is there a way to make sourdough bread without the long term commitment of feeding a starter?
My kids and I love sourdough bread, but I also work 2 jobs, so making bread is, sadly, a once in a blue moon type of thing.  Taking good care of starter would get lost in the shuffle, and I don't want to waste/ruin/starve any starter.  Essentially, I want to make sourdough bread once.


texts: How to avoid vegetables sticking on heat-resistant glass dish?

texts:
Sometimes I cook vegetables + fruits in a heat-resistant glass dish (yena/jena/pyrex, -40-300 Celsius degrees). I cut them into small pieces (carrots, potatoes, parsnip, mushrooms, onion, quince, apples, tomatoes, pepper, cauliflower, broccoli), I add some spices (salt, pepper, paprika) and some butter, and I put the dish (with the lid) into the gas oven for about 2 hours.

Everything is good, excepting the fact that some of the vegetables/fruits stick to the dish walls (not on the bottom side) and get burnt. Greasing the dish walls with butter didn't solve the problem.

Does anyone have a solution?


texts:
Why "soda water", in the sentence above my red heart?

Seafood Basics: 86 Recipes Illustrated Step by Step (2012) by Abi Fawcett,
Deirdre Rooney.


texts: I am making Russian Teacakes.  They have been refrigerated per the recipe for approximately 4 hours.  I cannot roll the Teacakes into balls as the dough is too crumbly.  Help!


texts: How large is "1 large beef bouillon cube" for risotto?

texts: I am am making a bell pepper risotto. The recipe calls for 1 large beef bullion cube. I have packets that are roughly .15oz (4g) per packet. Is a normal beef bullion cube considered large? What size is the large?


texts: Accidentally beat sugar and butter together

texts: I was doing a pound cake and instead of gradually adding the sugar to the butter, I mixed both together. I continued with the recipe because I was too afraid of telling my mom. Will my cake come out good? Or it does not affect anything?


texts:
I recently overcooked a rib roast – not badly, but into the “well-done” class. The roast itself was still OK – but the gravy…the gravy was fantastic. I can only assume this is because I cooked a lot more juices out of the beef.  I enjoyed just having leftover mashed potatoes and gravy from this roast, so I don’t even need a roast to come along with the gravy!

What made the gravy so good? What tecnique can I use to replicate this type of gravy?


texts: Where can I buy rose petals that are safe for human consumption?

texts: I'd like to make a rose petal jam, which requires roughly 14-16 ounces of rose petals. However, I've been warned to not buy roses from florists, due to potential pesticide issues from roses sold for being displayed, not for eating. Is there any place to get fresh rose petals that are organic and/or pesticide free? My guess would be a farmer's market or the like?


texts:
I was considering making baking goods with protein powder and was considering Hemp Protein Powder.  I see most of the recipes often use Hemp Hearts but didn't find much with the protein powder form.  Is that Hemp Protein Powder a form that can normally be baked with, and is there a recommended cooking temperature limit?

Will any protein powder work for cooking or should I be selective?


texts: What is this cotton-like stuff growing on my pizza sauce?

texts:
The sauce was to expire in Nov 2013. I kept it in the fridge all the time. The thing that grew on it was white in color (just like cotton). There was a greenish center. The overall "ball" was about 1 cm in diameter, and they were all over in the bottle.

I don't have a picture of it, because I had to throw it out. I don't know what it was, or how it started growing.

What was it? Why was it there?


texts: What could I use for this Yakisoba dish instead of cabbage?

texts:
While planning out our meals for the week, I found this delicious-looking Yakisoba recipe that I would like to try.  The recipe looks good, but one thing concerns me.

  cabbage (~2 leaves) chopped

It seems like a waste to purchase one whole head of cabbage for just a single recipe.  So I'd like to use something else.

It can have a similar flavor, or be complimentary to the rest of the dish, but my main goal here is to use something other than cabbage for this recipe.

I know that I could re-use the cabbage in another recipe, but I've already picked out the rest of our meals for the week, and my wife's already bought some of the groceries, so it's either find another ingredient, find another meal, or waste most of a cabbage head.

So, what can I use in this dish that would work for a Yakisoba dish?


texts: Getting correct baking consistency when using stevia as sugar substitute

texts: When replacing sugar fully or partially with stevia powder it seems that baked goods like biscuits do not spread as much and are often dryer. Is there anything that can be done to make the dough with stevia behave more like dough with sugar when baking?


texts: What safety precautions should be taken when attempting to flambe at home?

texts: Is this one of those things that unless you've been taught by an experienced person and you know what you're doing you probably just shouldn't try? If I did want to try, what precautions should I take? Is this a valid cooking method or is it mostly just done as an impressive visual effect?


texts:
The other day I was making flan and decided to try palm sugar instead of white sugar to make the caramel.

Although palm sugar is better than white in a lot of ways, the melting point of the sugar seems to be a lot closer to the burning point. Needless to say, I ended up with a black pool in seconds.

Does anyone have any suggestions to help control the temperature to keep it from burning?


texts: Do shrimp really have sex with their siblings before being served raw in sushi?

texts:
"The raw shrimp served in sushi all begin life as males—and then they all suddenly become females and have sex with their younger siblings." -Trevor Corson, The Story of Sushi

Is this true? Do all shrimp really need to go through this process before being served raw? If they don't have sex with their siblings should they not be served raw? Why?

Edit: After doing more research, I've found out that not all shrimp are born as males. So why are only the ones that are born as males used in sushi? Or is the guy that published this book full of S#i%?


texts: What is the charcoal snake method and how does it work?

texts:
I've read in places about using something called the charcoal snake method for slow smoking in a kettle bbq. What is it and how does it even work?

Here's an example picture.


texts: Adding flavorings & fillings to bread dough

texts:
I have a basic sourdough bread recipe that I've made a few times with consistent results, so I decided to try modifying it with different flavors and fillings.

My question is, are there general rules of thumb, specifically regarding how different additions affect overall hydration percentage, baking & proofing times, etc?

One plan is too try a recipe with walnuts, and given their low water content, I assume I can just try adding them in after the first proofing and keeping everything else the same, as I might with seeds and other drier ingredients.

But what if I wanted to add a pure liquid like olive oil, or something with a higher water content like onions?  Should I tweak the flour:water ratio?  Should I add them in at different times?

And can I add a small amount of an extract, or will the alcohol have some negative effect on the proofing and/or baking process?


texts: Is it possible to treat dairy with lactase to make it lactose free at home?

texts:
Part of my unending series of ice cream related questions: I’m mildly lactose intolerant and usually don’t have a lot of upset from a small amount of ice cream. (Especially since cream is naturally lower in lactose.) While lactose-free milk is widely available here, LF anything else is harder to find and/or overpriced. In particular regarding ice cream making, evaporated milk or sweetened condensed milk aren’t available LF, and due to what they are have whopping amounts of lactose.
Can these or the cooked base be pre-treated using the lactase pills I keep around to make them lactose free? And how would I go about this re: heating or time required?
(I suppose a possible hack would be using a matching flavour of whey isolate powder, the stuff used for protein shakes after workouts, but I’m still curious about breaking up the lactose in regular dairy.)


texts: I can only assume we use gelatine with liquids (or at least the majority of time it's to set a liquid) - so why soak it first? And why do we then squeeze it? I would assume it's to get rid of something but my searches return no results.


texts: What method can I use to cook pumpkin seeds so that they turn out crunchy?

texts: I've always enjoyed eating the pumpkin seeds when I buy them at vendor, but whenever I try to make them at home in the oven, they always seem to turn out either still soggy, or deflated and not crunchy.  What am I missing in the technique - I've just simply washed them off, laid on aluminum foil and placed in the oven at 350.


texts: I'm making a cinnamon raisin bread.  The recipe calls for 5 3/4 cups of flour and 4 tsp of sugar in the first part.  Later on it calls for 3/4 cups of sugar mixed with cinnamon.  I was working the recipe from my computer screen and somehow missed the first sugar in the ingredients and added the 3/4 cups to the dough. I didn't realize the mistake until it was already proofing.  I did add some extra water to the knead, but not enough.  The dough is barely rising after 2 hours.  What can I expect the results to be?  Thank you in advance for any help.


texts:
How to check whether the Olive oil is fit for consumption or not?
The oil is in a bottle and doesn't have any froth.

EDIT 1:

The oil is about 1 and a half years old. I kept it in a capped bottle. I didn't do anything to the oil. Haven't eaten it for quite a long time now.

Adding references to the answers will be more helpful.


texts:
My specific query is to the products on http://www.columbussalame.com/products/italian-delicacies
The website says that it is "cured and naturally aged"
Does this mean I dont have to cook it before eating?


texts:
From American-"Chinese" restaurants, I usually order a dish called "Pepper Steak with Onions". This seems to be a simple enough dish, mostly a straightforward stir-fry, except for one unique characteristic: the beef comes out soft and easy to chew, much like chicken.

How is this achieved? Is it a certain cut of meat? A certain cooking technique?


texts: I want to try a dessert using a can of cinnamon rolls for a crust. What I plan on doing is pressing the cinnamon rolls in the bottom of a 9"x13" pan, spreading them out so they cover the bottom of the pan, then baking it until it is done, about 10 minutes. After this is cooled, I'll add a pudding type filling. Will this work?


texts: What is the typical consistency of a roux?

texts:
When making a roux, how would you describe the final consistency that it should be after the butter coats the flour?  Should it be a lighter dirt-brown paste with a glistening buttery sheen, or should it be more runny/liquid?

Also, when melting the butter, is it best to melt it at extremely low heat and then increase the heat to medium after the flour has completely been incorporated into the flour, or can the butter be "rapidly melted" on medium heat while incorporating the flour?


texts: Can active dry yeast be substituted for a compressed yeast cake in baking?

texts: A "compressed yeast cake" is called for in each of my great-grandmother's bread recipes. Can I use active dry yeast as a substitution for one? If so, how much active dry yeast should I substitute per compressed yeast cake?


texts: What is the role of oil in gluten free baking? (Can I substitute applesauce for oil in gluten free recipes?)

texts:
I recently read this question: Why can applesauce be used in place of oil?

And the accepted answer says: "In baking, the role of oil is to coat the flour, preventing it from combining with the water (or other wet ingredients) and developing gluten."

However, all of my gluten free bread recipes call for some amount of oil. If there's no gluten in the recipe, what is the point of oil? Does it inhibit the gum I'm using instead?

Relatedly, can I substitute applesauce for oil in gluten free recipes without unexpected side effects?


texts: Which Oven setting should I use for making pizza.


texts: Is a longer defrost better than microwave defrosting?

texts:
I was taught the idea that if you let frozen meat thaw out over night then it is better for the end product that defrosting it in the microwave? Does this have merit or is it just an old wives tale?

Also does cooking frozen meat effect the taste or will it just take longer to cook?


texts: Brine level goes down as pickles removed - top off or not?

texts: I made some refrigerator pickles and they turned out great. However, as finished pickles are removed for eating, the brine level goes down and no longer covers the tops of the remaining pickles. Should the opened jar be topped off to cover remaining pickles? If so, with what? The opened jars will be put back in the frig.


texts: Salmon turned green - is it safe to eat?

texts:
I left a meal with salmon in the refrigerator for 3 days. The salmon skin is turning green.
Is it safe to consume it? If not, is it salvageable at all?


texts: Is it worth roasting my own red peppers?

texts: I recently realized roasted red peppers make so many of my dishes pop, but it's a pretty pricey ingredient. A small jar costs three bucks and a big jar is seven. At my local grocer I can get red peppers for two dollars a pound. Does anyone have experience roasting their own and, if so, do you save cost and how do I store them?


texts: Is there any reason to use fake white chocolate chips instead of the good stuff?

texts:
I'm making funny cookies for a friend. They're no-bake refrigerator cookies made with (get this) Capt Crunch cereal, peanut butter, nuts and the aforementioned "chocolate". The recipe specifically states the brand of white chocolate chips (yucky fako). Is there any reason NOT to substitute good white chocolate like Ghirardelli? My one concern is that the chocolate is what holds the cookies together and perhaps the fake stuff cools harder after melting. The brand specified in the recipe contains sugar, nonfat milk, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, palm kernel oil, cornstarch, artificial flavor, salt and lecithin. Not so much as a molecule of cocoa butter.

EDIT: As it turns out, I have a half bag of the yucky-fakos. I can't remember or imagine why, but there they are! I feel an experiment coming on. I'm going to divide the recipe into thirds. One-third will only contain the "Creamy Vanilla Premier White Chips (el fako)", one-third will be made entirely with Ghirardelli White Baking Chocolate [bar], the final third will be half and half. I'll make them tonight and report the results!


texts: How much calcium propionate should I use as a bread preservative?

texts: Love to bake homemade whole wheat bread, but after a few days it becomes moldy. No refrigerator, nor freezer available. I understand that calcium propionate is a safe preservative, but don't have any idea what amount to use. If my bread has four cups of whole wheat flour, how much calcium propionate should I use?


texts:
I'm trying to make vanilla cupcakes from scratch and the center is always sinking in and when I touch them they're soft like they're under-cooked?

Maybe it's the all-purpose flour that I'm using? I have no idea..


texts: How one may recognize whatever fish fillet is fresh?

texts:
Is there any way to judge whatever fish fillet is fresh (except judging shop itself)?

Accepted answer at How can I tell if fish is fresh? explicitly mentions that it does not apply to fillets.

Only How can I tell if fish is fresh? mentions in passing "For a fillet, really your only hint is whether it just smells at most like the flavor of the fish and not fishy.".

Is there some other weary to judge quality of fish fillet, or is it all of that is available?


texts:
I am an avid hot sauce collector. I own about 2 dozen bottles in various states of completion, some of which are a couple years old. They are currently in my refrigerator. Is that where they should be?

Frank's FAQ says yes.

This article on Chow.com says no.

What do the hot sauce experts say?


texts:
I'm cooking jelly from quinces, with core housing and seeds. I try to remove sliced seeds. From the leftover mass I prepare delicious quince bread by passing it through a food mill ("Flotte Lotte"). What is left in the food mill (seeds etc., now called residuum) I put in the freezer to get additional juice after quince season. The seed shell from the seeds is damaged/removed during the milling process.
Is it safe to cook the residuum once more? I've read that the hydrogen cyanide inside the seeds is water solutable and volatile. So I'm unsure if

hydrogen cyanide is still inside the seeds after cooking for one hour
the hydrogen cyanide can escape from slightly damaged seeds
I cook poisonous juice
I poison myself from the gas while cooking

I really don't want to put anyone's health on jeopardy.


texts:
I use canned food from tins from time to time (cat food, chickpeas etc.). I need to clean them before throwing away as I don't have that many recyclable items to throw them away daily and I don't want the smell.

I started wondering if I can clean them up in dishwasher? Usually there is some free space either on top or bottom and (as far as I know) the practically same amount of water is used anyway so I would save both time and water. However - is it safe to do it?


texts: Why do my macarons come out looking weird?

texts:
Recipe I use:

100g grade AA brown large egg white

50g sugar

200g confectioners sugar

110g almond flour (I grind my almond flour using nutribullet)

5g egg white powder

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

I use a kitchen aid to beat the egg white gradually, starting at speed 4, after about 3 mins I added the sugar and egg white powder mixture slowly. I increase the speed to six, beat for another 3 mins, then increase to 8 for another 2 mins, and speed 10 for 1mins. So the total beating time is about 9 mins.

Then I fold in the almond flour and confectioners sugar mixture(sifted) gradually. When it's ready, I pipe them in a size about 1.25 inch space in-between 3 quarters to 1 inch. Then I let them rest for about 30 mins until the surface is not sticky. I baked them in a whirlpool conventional oven for about 11 mins at temperature 285 Fahrenheit. They came out looking like the picture below. Please help! What did I do wrong?


texts: Is there an alternative to spreading flour when rolling the dough?

texts: Today, when I was rolling the dough for my Podpłomyk, I noticed that I actually need to use quite a lot of flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin and the board. Is there a way around that, for example some substitute for flour that would work?


texts: I would like to know the ratio for using sodium benzoate as a preservative in our jams and relishes. We state on our product that it's home made and no added preservatives are added, would this be wrong when sodium benzoate is added?


texts: temperature and time to cook a 9" round frozen Chicken Pot pie

texts: What is the best temperature and time to cook a 9" round frozen chicken pot pie.


texts: I have a infrared oven. I want to use it to grill eggplant and tomato. I have no clue why restaurants can do that so good. Every time I do grill them, it just like to put them into reheat. Any advice?


texts: Trying to clean out the spice cabinet and I want to re-purpose a shaker from a chili powder based mix to a cinnamon-sugar (it's made principally of plastic but has wire mesh screen). After a couple of washings the smell of chili powder is still pretty evident. How can I clean out that smell.


texts:
I have falafel sauce made of:

dried red hot pepper
fresh red bell pepper
onion
garlic
lemon
salt
black pepper

I want to sell this product in glass bottles or plastic containers. What kind of preservative should I use?


texts: How do I determine the cut of a pork steak prior to purchasing it?

texts:
Pork steaks can be (quoting Wikipedia):

  cut from the Loin, Leg or shoulder of the pig.

When looking at a pork steak, is there some way that I can visually determine where the cut came from, perhaps by the bones in the steak? Specifically, I'd like to be able to identify shoulder cuts - but being able to quickly identify all three cuts would be extremely useful.

There are times when one of the meat cutters is at my supermarket and available for asking, otherwise not. The labels always say 'Pork Steak'.


texts:
In the Wikipedia article about the Breton delicacy Kouign-amann, there is the following statement:

  The Welsh equivalent is the etymologically identical cacan menyn, literally 'cake (of) butter'.

It isn't clear from the article whether there actually is an equivalent Welsh recipe, or if the text is pointing out a similarity between the Welsh and Breton languages.

Is there a Welsh recipe called cacan menyn?


texts: Is MSG able to penetrate meat like chicken breast and steak when dissolved in a brine?

texts:
I am trying to figure out whether adding MSG to a water based brine will allow the MSG to 'penetrate' the meat. I know it is soluble, but I'm not sure whether this means it will be able to diffuse into the meat in the same way regular salt does. I remember reading a claim (a comment online) that the size of the molecules involved in the MSG means it will not work.
Is this true? I am hoping to actually try this out, but it would be helpful to know the basic food science/chemistry behind it to figure out the optimal concentrations etc.


texts: Kitchen towel vs dough seal in a dum biryani

texts:
A lot of recipes for biryani involve sealing the edges of the pot with dough. I generally used a kitchen towel and weigh down the lid with something heavy and don't bother with the dough. I was wondering if there is any benefit to using the dough over the towel.

I use the towel method for some other rice dishes as well as I find the towel helps to absorb some of the moisture as opposed to it condensing on the lid of the pot and dripping back in.


texts: How to tell when water reaches 100 degrees Fahrenheit without a candy thermometer for the purposes of disolving gelatin?

texts:
I found a recipe for a gelatin desert I'd like to try. But there was one step I don't feel prepared to tackle:

  In the meantime, in a small sauce pan heat ¼ cup of water to about 100
  degrees. Add the gelatin to the water and let dissolve.

I don't have a candy thermometer to measure the temperature of my water. Would it be sufficient to use hot tap water? Or should I bring the water to a slow or full boil? Does the precise temperature make a difference when dissolving gelatin or is it ok to be rather approximate?


texts: How to judge the quality of pizza dough?

texts:
What are some good guidelines for judging the consistency and texture of a good pizza dough? I would like to know so I could make some corrections before it's too late!

Maybe some people have some good rules of thumb or neat tricks to share?

I would be more interested in the thin base italian style. The thinner the better and the bigger the bubbles on the edge the better!


texts: Making cake balls with a not-so-sweet frosting

texts: I baked a cake which is sweet and moist. I would like to make cake balls with it, but I wonder what should I use as frosting to not make it sweeter! Is it possible to ignore any kind of frosting and does coating the cake balls - which are made out of the cake only- work? I mean will it keep its shape that way? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


texts: I want to make some chicken liver pate and have some raw livers soaking in my fridge. They’ve been soaking in the brandy and port and some sage and rosemary for about 2 weeks. They smell and taste fine but does anyone know how long the alcohol will preserve them? How would I know if they’re no longer edible? Thank you


texts: Are there any substitutes for honey when trying to activate yeast?  I have a bottle of corn syrup and was wondering if I could just use that.


texts:
I grew up in a family where we had mangoes with the skin intact in fruit salad.

After I got married, I was exposed to the "fact" that "nobody" eats the skin of mangoes.

It is true that I have never seen anyone else besides my childhood family eat mangoes, which would explain why I have no idea that you would not eat the skin of mangoes.

Perhaps, my childhood was too impoverished that we even ate the skin of mangoes. Perhaps, eating skin of mangoes is not an unusual practice, I don't know.

A reason that seems valid is that there is too much chemicals on the skin. But then we would have to say that about strawberries, peaches, apples, wouldn't we?

And what about people in India, China, Japan, Germany, Indonesia or Brazil? Do they eat mangoes with the skin?

It seems such a waste not eating the skin.

Q1. Is it unusual to eat the skin of mangoes, unusual to include mango skin in fruit salads?

Q2. Does mango skin have more chemicals than the skin of other fruits, which we have to eat with their skin intact.


texts: How to tell if sausage package swollen or just taut

texts: I bought raw sausages packaged in a meat tray with plastic wrap. The wrapping was taut so that it almost looked like there was extra air in the package. How does one know if this means a swollen package or just wrapped too tightly? It's a grey area but a swollen package worries me. They smell fine and are cooking and within three days of the expiry date and weren't left out of the fridge other than shopping.


texts: How can I make fat-free whipped "cream" with a whipped cream dispenser?

texts: Does anyone have ideas to make fat-free or low-fat whipped "cream" in a whipped cream dispenser (I have an iSi one)?


texts: I have a Hot Dog Stand. I use chopped onions every day, can I re use the left over chopped onions the next day? The onions are in a container that keep them cold all day long. Some days the onions have a lot of liquid in the bottom, is that a problem? I do not want to get anyone sick.


texts: Is it necessary to soak rice every time before cooking.What happens if you don't soak rice? Does it effect the taste after cooking? If soaking is necessary then, How much time is required to soak rice?


texts: How does adding baking soda to soaking beans/lentils reduce the gas they make you have?

texts: I've heard a few times that adding a pinch of baking soda to the water you use to soak beans/lentils in, reduces the gas it makes you have. I've not do any measured experiments myself, but I have anecdotal evidence it does help. But what's the science behind it?


texts:
A similarly-titled question here does not answer mine.

Is there any way to calculate bread cooktimes by taking approximate dimensions, cook time, and perhaps other factors, such as thermal mass of the oven ?


texts: I roasted a chicken at 180 using the fan for 1 1/2 hours, when I got it out of the oven, I pierced it and the juices were clear, I ate some slices of the breast, and the first ones looked fine, but a later one had blood or what looked like blood in it, will I be ok or do I need a doctor?


texts: I have made a tomato, onion and cannelini bean curry.  I put a lot of chilli spice in it, perhaps too much.  If I keep simmering it, will it get milder?  I'm hoping it will cook into the (bland) beans.


texts: Can barley flour be used as a substitute for barley malt extract?

texts: A bread recipe is calling for barley malt extract and i dont have it.So can barley flour be used.


texts:
So I've just recently started baking and I've tried a bunch of cakes using the basic combination of the following ingredients:

225g unsalted butter , softened
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
225g self-raising flour

They're coming out ok but are not really "light and airy", a bit too "dense" compared to a cake made by a pro.  I've done some reading and I think I'm maybe not working the butter and sugar (eggs too?) for long enough and/or working the flour in too much.

Can anyone tell me how to make the perfect light and airy cake?


texts: Why did my tomato soup turn thick and brownish?

texts:
I tried to improvise a tomato soup following these steps:

Slice tomatoes, briefly stir-fry for aroma, together with some onions, garlic pepper, salt, and a bit of sugar.
While still hot, purée all together into the blender.

The result was quite bad: the soup thickened (a bit like jelly) and turned red-brown, rather than fresh red.

Questions:

Do tomatoes have to be skinned for a reason? Does the skin contain all the starch/jelly-ish stuff?
What went wrong with the color? Do you have any advice to keep it truly fresh red?
The above combination with garlic, onions, spices can't be all wrong, can it?


texts: What's the secret to making good turkish bread? (pide)

texts:
I mean the flat but thick bread you get at turkish restaurants.  I've tried it twice now, with two difference recipes, and each time it's come out hard and crunchy, more like a thick pizza crust.

Seriously, two separate recipes?  Obviously I'm doing something wrong but I don't know what.  Can someone who knows how to do this ask me some questions about what I did to try and help me find out what I did wrong?

Edit: I can't find the first recipe I tried, but this was the second:

http://mediterraneanturkishfoodpassion.blogspot.com/2009/05/turkish-flat-bread-pide-ekmegi.html

Also: I used unbleached enriched flour from the bulk section of the health food store, if that makes a difference.


texts: My cheese congealed and I don’t know why?

texts: I mixed up a salad in a glass container I added dressing and goat cheese crumbles and shook it up. The next day when I went to eat it all the cheese ended up in a big congealed lump in the bottom of the container.  Did I do something wrong?


texts:
My wife tells me I should be putting aluminum foil on the grill and BBQing the chicken kebob on that and not the naked flame. She cites that it won't get burnt, easy to clean the grill and the marinade won't drip off. I tell her that the whole point of putting it on the BBQ is for the naked flame otherwise we might as well do it in a pan on the stove.

Should chicken be BBQ'd on foil?


texts: I made a chocolate chip and snicker cookie batter. But I added double the butter not realizing what I had done I chilled the dough until the next day. The next day when I took the dough out of fridge it was hard like solid hard and I realized I had put to much butter in it.   So my question is can I double the rest of the ingredients and add to already mixed mixture after the mixture softens?   please help


texts: How to control temperature of a charcoal bbq

texts:
If my charcoal bbq is too hot and the chicken  is turning stiff on the surface, can I close the top vents to cool down the barbecue?

What is the best way of cooling I down? Once cooled, what is the best way of making I hot again?


texts: Does PME activation differ between potato varieties?

texts:
Potatoes contain the enzyme pectin-methyl esterase (PME). Par-boiling potatoes  at a temperature range between 130F to 140F, activates this enzyme, gelatinising the starch cells in the potato.

According to Dave Arnold's experiments on Cooking Issues, this results in french fries that stay stiffer after frying. In my own testings, I have found that par-boiling potatoes at 140F before cooking them creates fluffier mashed potatoes as well.

Experiments on this enzyme that I have found online seem to test them on french fries, but they don't mention what variety of potatoes they use; high starch, waxy, low-moisture, high-moisture.

High-starch, and low-moisture: Russets, Idahos, Yukon Golds
Waxy and high-moisture: Granolas, Fingerlings, Desirees

My question is, does the temperature range and effects of PME activation differ between varieties of potatoes?


texts: what to use in place of marjoram in vegetable soup

texts: What can I use in place of marjoram in vegetable soup?  The recipe already calls for oregano.


texts: Which kinds of closures for spice and herb containers exist and what are their advantages and disadvantages?

texts:
I have an extensive collection of spices and dried herbs, which I store currently in apothecary bottles with a cork stopper.

Most websites that deal with closure types focus on the differences for beverages, especially wine. Considering the requirements for storing spices and dried herbs (protection from humidity, flavor-retaining, pest control and prevention of contamination by the storage container itself due to industrial binding agents within cork or PVC plasticizers), is a cork stopper the solution with the most benefits?


texts: Par-Cooking Corn on the Cob in a Microwave

texts:
I prefer barbecued corn on the cob, but don't always have the chance to cook it quickly after buying it. I know that fresh corn loses its sweetness fairly quickly if you don't lock it in by cooking it, so I want to blanch it in the microwave enough to retain the flavour but not so much that it will be overcooked if I barbecue it.

Is this possible, and if so, for how long should I microwave the cobs?


texts:
I bought a first rice/multicooker Tefal RK8121. I cooked the rice according to the manual.

I put the rice inside and added the steaming tray on top of the rice to steam at the same time (it doesn't say anything about that in the manual though). Added the water and started the program (with pre-washed rice). The program is one that automatically stops using some sensors inside the machine.

The rice is supposed to be cooking for 10 minutes, as written on the package. It didn't stop cooking, so after 40 minutes I had to stop it. The bottom of the rice was already a bit overcooked and the rice was mushy due to it being so long in there.

Why did it not stop? I tried it another time with wild rice, and it stopped itself after 30 minutes and the rice was perfect. But with white rice like Thai Jasmin, it didn't stop even after 40 minutes, this happened twice. I know somebody else who bought the same cooker and has the same problem, I guess there's something we must be doing wrong, but I'm not sure what.

The program used for cooking is rice/cereal.

What am I doing wrong? I tried both following the rice cooker's water advice, and the rice package's water advice and both without luck, the rice cooker keeps cooking the white rice for way too long.


texts: Will steaming fish cause salt to come out or cause fish to fry in its own fat?

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If you brine some fish and then boil it in water (make a soup) ,the salt and other nutrients leach right out thus defeating the purpose of the brine.  I will soon buy a steamer, however I just wanted to know if you brine fish and then steam it, is it likely the salt will leach out, move onto the surface or will it stay in the fish?

Also if you grill food, the fat comes out and falls of it, however I have noticed the meat is lightly frying in its own fat as it moves along the meat.  Would the same thing happen with steaming, i.e. fat will come and drip out or lightly fry in its own oil as is the case with grilling?


texts: I was given a pie at a food bank,it is not out of date, how ever, when I cut the pie the bottom crust was raw, how can I fix this, can I bake it for awhile, I need an answer, I really don't want to throw it away, It is a Pineapple Upside Down Pie, it looks really delicious.


texts:
Is it okay to freeze individually packaged string cheese?

I'm less concerned about what it does to the taste of the cheese, and more concerned about the safety of freezing the cheese with the plastic. I heard that there are certain plastics that should not be frozen, which is why I'm concerned.

If I had the name of the plastic being used, I'd probably be able to search for its safety online. However, the manufacturer does not list the type of plastic being used.

I've tried several searches online, but nothing yielded anything useful.