texts: what happens when one mixes flour into batter?

texts:
I have been mixing quite a bit of batter lately for various recipes, and I continue to see the same behaviour:

The flour clumps together as soon as it hits the fluid (beit milk, water, or anything else); using a sieve to sift the flour doesn't seem to matter;
Mixing longer does not make the clumps dissolve;
Adding more flour up to a critical amount while mixing will, all of a sudden, cause the clumps to grind apart and dissolve, mixing with the fluid, and create smooth batter.

This has led me to imagining that it's the grinding of the flour particles against each other that causes the smoothing of the batter, more than anything else, and that the mixing helps that effect.

Is this hypothesis correct? Or is there something else going on, that I missed?


texts:
I am following this recipe to make stir fry lamb.

However, I always end up overcooking the lamb out of fear of serving raw food, resulting in tough pieces of meat.

How do I tell when the slices of lamb is done when stir/pan frying?


texts: Dairy-free substitute for milk when marinating chicken

texts:
A number of recipes involve soaking meat in milk, buttermilk or yogurt, for example several Middle Eastern lamb recipes and traditional American southern fried chicken. Someone I'm cooking for is allergic to dairy. What dairy-free substitute would give the most similar effect and why?

(Slightly related answer about effects of milk)


texts: Alternatives to borax for minced protein recipes (fish balls, kebabs, etc.)?

texts:
Borax (sodium salt of boric acid) is used in some recipes as a texturizing agent.
From Wikipedia:

borax imparts a firm, rubbery texture to food.

It does this by binding polymers in the food:

Borax acts on these polymers just as it acts on other polymers and will bind polymers together forming cross-linkages which change the texture and structure of the proteins.

However, it is banned as a food additive in several countries due to concerns about its safety.
What is a safe alternative which will have the same textural/binding effect on meat proteins but without the possible risk?


texts: How to make cakes/scones that won't go off, for display purposes

texts:
This is a bit of a strange question, but I thought someone here might be able to help.

I am trying to make some cupcakes, scones or similar to display on a home-made cake stand in a shop window. I think the cake stand really needs to have something on it as part of the display, but obviously I don't want to just put normal food on it as it will gradually go off (and mouldy cakes won't look nice!).

Does anyone have any ideas for recipes for cupcakes, scones or something similar that are unlikely to go off for a couple of months, or at least, if they go off, won't smell or look bad? I don't care about whether they will taste nice or not, as they won't be eaten!

Part of me is wondering whether I can modify a recipe to add extra dry ingredients (flour?) and remove some of the perishable ingredients (butter, eggs?) to help this?

Does anyone have any ideas?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  A definitive method of dicing an onion

Do I first cut it in half or do I make crosswise incisions before chopping it? And what is the best knife to use?


texts: What properties allow something to be considered "milk"?

texts:
Traditionally, milk is defined as (from Merriam-Webster):

1: a white liquid produced by a woman to feed her baby or by female animals to feed their young; especially : milk from cows or goats that is used as food by people
2: a white liquid produced by a plant

In today's day and age, if you go to a grocery store (or coffee shop) you can get many varieties of milk: animal milk, lactose-free animal milk, soy milk, coconut milk, rice milk, almond milk, hemp milk, and more.
My question is, is the traditional definition of milk complete? Are there any exceptions to definition #2 of milk (i.e. white liquids produced by plants that are NOT considered milk, or non-white liquids produced by plants that ARE considered milk)? What other properties do all milks share that allow them to be substitute ingredients in the same products?


texts: Differences between heavy and light whipping cream?

texts: What is the difference between light and heavy whipping cream, and for what purposes would one want to use one over the other? What effects does the difference have on flavor, texture, etc.?


texts: My older sister keeps telling me that the Chicken 65 she had at a restaurant had this crunchy taste and since I've made this recipe twice now: I've been unable to get that crunch. I believed that it was an issue with the flour I was using, but that doesn't seem to be the case? My first Chicken 65 recipe consisted of just using Corn Starch--at the time there was no Corn Flour available: the chicken after being deep-fried came out soft but not crunchy. On the second try, this time with Corn Flour mixed with Rice Flour and a tablespoon of Corn Starch: there still remains to be no crunch, only a soft coating. What ingredient am I missing to get that crunch?


texts:
So we cooked some corn a couple weeks ago, left extras in the oven. Fast forward to tonight, I discovered we left it there. The pan it was sitting on was white as a ghost. Tossed that pan.

Is it safe to throw new food in there and cook it? I already got a cassarole baking now. Is it ruined? Only thing I can think would be mold spores, but 400F should kill them.

p.s. I'm paranoid about this stuff, sorry.


texts: Super tiny bugs in store bought raspberries

texts:
For a while now, I've been seeing incredibly tiny bugs in store bought raspberries. They survive refrigeration and I can rinse them off (I think, can't be sure due to their size). They are really really small so I can't take a picture. They look like a little dot and do not fly.

I'm a bit concerned if they may be damaging to health. Does anyone know what they are and is rinsing the raspberries enough?


texts: Can Grapeseed oil be considered edible after it has passed the expiry date?

texts:
We have an un-opened bottle of grapeseed oil that got buried away and never used.
It has 'best by 3/31/2012' on the label.

Should I just throw it out or is it possibly still good? It's from Italy and a 'gold medal winner' so I'd prefer not to throw it out if I don't need to.

Is there any health risk of using it? Is there any use that would be better than others (eg do not use for salad dressing but still OK in skillet)?


texts: I've been watching a lot of Hells Kitchen, and one of the signature dishes that Chef Ramsay has the chefs prepare is Risotto.  This seems like a simple enough dish but often times the seasoned chefs on the show get it wrong.  I'd like to try making this dish at home, so what is the technique I should use to ensure a tasty final result?


texts: Can I use apple cider vinegar instead of white wine vinegar for cooking?

texts: Can I substitute apple cider vinegar for white wine vinegar in a pasta and chicken dish?


texts: I know you can use pink Himalayan salt for cooking, but I'm wondering if you can use it directly on food after it has been cooked, can you put it on steak or fries after they're cooked, as you would normal table salt?


texts: cooked corned beef, "potted meats". preservation

texts:
I cooked corned beef that is to be used as sandwiches or tortilla wraps, so
I chilled my freshly corned beef in a Ziplock bag  and was thinking about the method of "potting meats" for preservation.
So, what if I left the sliced corned beef in the "jelly" from cooking, (I make my own bonebroths. Hence, the jelly from the corned beef.lard), and topped it off with the fat from the same cooking liquid or, some fresh rendered lard?

Would this work to truly preserve my corned beef? It's coloring, texture, and taste?
(I steam my corned beef, and other meats, to reheat them, or wrap them in foil and heat them to the correct temperature.)


texts: Alternatives suggestions to apples and bananas

texts: As you are aware, lots of recipes call for apples, applesauce, bananas but I am severely allergic to them.  Do any of you know of alternatives for these healthy alternatives?


texts: What's the egg for in this no-bake fridge cake and can I leave it out?

texts:
I remember making these as a kid, they were quick and easy to make. I'd like to make some now, but there's an uncooked egg in the recipe and I'm pregnant.

I don't really understand what the egg is for here if it's unbaked. Is it just to bind everything together? Can I leave it out or substitute something else?

I have googled for other recipes and they all contain raw egg.

Link: http://freerecipehub.blogspot.co.za/2011/03/chocolate-fridge-cake.html

Recipe:

  250g margarine
  1 egg 2 tblsp milk
  2 tblsp cocoa
  1 tsp vanilla essence
  500g icing sugar
  1 packet marie biscuits

  Method Melt the margarine. Beat the egg, milk, cocoa, vanilla, icing
  sugar with the melted margarine together. Break up the marie biscuits
  and place in a greased dish then pour over chocolate mix. Leave to set
  in fridge.


texts: How to tell apart mold and flour on sourdough bread?

texts:
I bought some sourdough bread from a bakery three days ago, and put it (still in its brown bag) in a ziploc bag. Now, I know these loafs are covered in flour, but the bottom looks slightly different than flour.

Are there any tricks to tell if it's mold or not?


texts: Is powdered sugar a dietary alternative to granulated sugar?

texts: How does powdered sugar stack up to regular sugar and artificial sweeteners in terms of sugar/carbohydrate content?


texts: The dough in my bread maker collapses just after cooking starts

texts:
Every time I try to bake some bread in my bread maker, it rises at first but just when cooking process starts and the device increases the heat, the dough collapses!

I tried several recipes with white bread, french bread, whole wheat bread with various amounts but always this happens.

My device is Even Baker XBM 1029S. There is not much info about this model but it seems to be a clone of "Cookworks Signature Breadmaker". The same menu, LCD, Buttons.


texts:
There is an issue I face whenever  I try to make cakes or pancakes in which egg yolks and egg whites must be separated. I try to achieve the thickened creamy mixture by whipping egg yolks with a portion of sugar and I  make sure I am doing it right by mixing for a long time, but when I pour milk/oil in the mixture as the recipe calls for, the mixture of egg yolks and sugar gets separated and I can feel the sugar when the mixer touches the bowl. What must be done to get the right texture for the batter and what am I doing wrong?

  Pancake recipe:

  1 egg
     2 tsps sugar
   1 tsp vanilla powder
   1 cup flour
  1 cup milk
  2 tbsps  oil
  1 tsp baking powder
  a pinch of salt

  separate egg white and egg yolk. whip egg yolk with sugar and vanilla
  until creamy. Add milk and oil. whisk flour, baking powder and add to
  the egg yolk mixture, mix until well combined. Beat egg whites to the
  soft peak stage and fold into flour mixture with spatula.


texts: Does ketchup belong in the fridge, or the cupboard?

texts:
I'm hoping this will solve a biiig long-running debate I have with my friends.  Heinz Tomato Ketchup (The UK version contains sugar from beets, rather than HFCS like the US version)

I tend to think that ketchup should live in the fridge, once opened, because I'm a real stickler for the use-by instructions.

However, my friends, and their friends think I'm nuts, and are convinced that ketchup should live in the cupboard.  Having eaten ketchup stored in both fridge, and cupboard, the only difference being that refrigerated ketchup also cools the food it's just been applied to.

Consensus of the cooking gurus then?


texts:
I have tried a number of times to make my own pizza dough.  Where I am falling down is the sponge.

In general, I am mixing a packet of yeast with about 2/3 C of flour, and 3/4 cup of very warm water.  Let rise in a warm place.  I no longer have a gas oven.  I leave it in the oven with the light on.

After the first 30 minutes, it looks like it is starting fine.  I then add a cup of my flour/salt mixture, and a cup of cold water, then return to the lighted oven.

After 30 more minutes, it does not look right at all.  It looks somewhat spongy, but not enough.  It hasn't gained in volume, and judging from previous attempts, I abandoned making dough because it hadn't risen before.

Do I need to add heat somehow?  For the process outlined, I was cooking on the range.  Would that residual heat have been too much for the inside of the oven?


texts:
We were gifted a Sizzler yesterday - a sort of elongated shallow cast-iron pan on a wood base for serving and keeping warm at the table. I know these are supposed to be for helping things caramelise, but I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to serve in it and how to make use of it.

Any ideas?


texts: Is it healthy for no frost fridge to have water in ice cube forms?

texts:
It's said that we should close liquids when we put them into fridge that has no frost system (no ice formation in the freezer).Or ice will appear and the fridge will not serve that long.
At the same time there are forms for ice cubes in my fridge, in the upper shelf of the freezer.
They're open, so I supposed to pour water and leave this water exposed to the freezer.
I think if I'll use them I'll harm my fridge, I'll have to defrost it or may be even fix it.


texts: Temperature logger shows fridge temperature at coolest shelf between -1.5C and +10.0C. Is this intentional algorithm (fridge set to +4)?

texts: Our Temperature is set to +4C. I'm aware that food temperature has some latency and air at +10C doesn't mean all of food is at +10. Chart below, however, still looks concerning.


texts:
I’ve recently cooked the same recipe with different batches of cumin.

The first time when I added the cumin it gave off a Middle Eastern / Indian scent, the second time it was more Mexican smelling.

Are there different varieties of cumin grown in Europe / Asia and America?


texts: Is there any substitute for butter (or oil) on puff pastry?

texts:
I tried to create puff pastry.
For medical reasons I should minimize the fat on my recipe. Puff pastry is mainly made by 3 important ingredients, flour, water, and fat (butter or oil).
Unfortunately, I learned that butter and oil, consist of 100% fat. I've successfully created puff pastry using oil in a pan before. It works! I create 2 doughs, one dough is formed using flour and water, the other one is using flour and oil. Then, I do the pastry folding.
So as no-fat alternative I tried using a flour-water dough and a flour-applesauce dough, laminated as for regular puff pastry. The result was crisp at the outside, but uncooked on the inside.
I baked twice as long, and the result were very thick hard crackers. I can see the layers with different color, but there is no air in between the layers.
I've also tried only using flour-water dough pastry, folded. Again I can see different colors of the layera, but no air in between.
I haven't tried making the second dough with egg yolks though. It may interesting to see the result, since egg yolks supposedly have around 63% of fat.
Research
After that failed experiment, I read some articles about the science behind the pastry. It says that the pocket of air is formed because of the boiled water that becomes gas, trapped between the fat layers.
I assume, it happens because the oil and water are not soluble. On the other hand, the boiling point of water is 100 C (212 F), yet the boiling point of oil is around 300 C (572 F). I see here that vodka has a boiling point around 78.3 C, which is lower than water. I  haven't tried vodka for the mixture with flour because vodka actually is also soluble in water.
My question is:
Is there any food grade liquid that has boiling point over 100 C and is not soluble in water?


texts: Is there a substitute for tamari and soy as I have a soya allergy?

texts: I'm on an exclusion diet for some time. I have found loads of amazing recipes that have soy or tamari or miso paste in them but I can't eat these. Does anyone know of something that's similar?


texts:
I think it means picking the olives early I.e when they are green(unripe) . Is this correct?

I’ve also heard people say that like any fruit, they should be used when they are ripe ie black so wouldn’t it go against wisdom
To be using early harvest olive oil?


texts: Why have a stainless steel griddle instead of simply a stainless steel pan?

texts:
I've seen a lot of gas cooktops that have stainless steel griddles built into them. This seemed like a useful feature, but it occurred to me that I could just throw on a stainless steel pan, presumably to the same effect.

Are there any advantages to having a stainless steel griddle like this vs. a good stainless steel pan?


texts: I have some old smoked nuts- can I make anything with them?

texts: They were smoked so they are not rancid. They are just rather flat in flavor. Are there any options for use? They are smoked almonds and brazil nuts.


texts: Does a mix of cocktail sauce and tartare sauce have a special name?

texts: What does one get when one combines cocktail sauce and tartar sauce in equal parts?


texts: How do I know if US lettuce is safe, given the E. coli outbreak?

texts:
I'm gonna order a turkey and swiss sandwich soon, on a spinach wrap.

Is it safe to get lettuce on it?

I know that in 16 states, over 50 people have gotten e.coli from lettuce, so I'm not sure whether I should get lettuce or not.


texts: How do I control the temperature of burnt sugar?

texts: I made a burnt sugar caramel sauce tonight that turned out beautiful. It is just what it sounds like; you make a normal caramel sauce but cook the sugar until it is past amber and getting almost black. Making this is such a high-wire act though, especially in a small batch. The difference between not dark enough, just right, and actually completely burned is just seconds. Much too fast to manage with a thermometer, especially because the temperature isn't even throughout the pan. So my question is, is there a way to slow this process down towards the end so that picking the right moment isn't so difficult?


texts:
I am looking to buy a frying pan but the material has confused me.
One is said to be Mineral B, the other is carbon steel. I was confused about the differences between the 2 materials. Thankfully, I wasn't alone and found https://www.chowhound.com/post/confused-de-buyer-mineral-element-pan-iron-steel-greatly-834744 which goes into detail about what materials exist within iron / steel etc
If it helps, the 2 products I'm looking at are https://www.debuyer.com/en/products/carbone-plus-round-frying-pan-stainless-steel-cold-handle and https://www.debuyer.com/en/products/mineral-b-round-fry-pan
What I can't tell is, if there is going to be any difference when cooking and caring for the 2 frying pans.
I am not asking for a recommendation. I'm only interested in what one could expect to cook using the materials (and if the difference of the material really is going to make a difference)


texts: Are the bake and broil elements in my Frigidaire oven interchangeable?

texts:
We ordered a replacement element and realized after installing it that we installed what appears to be the bake element in the broiler element location.
Will this be a problem as in a fire hazard?


texts: When grinding flaxseeds in a coffee grinder, is it safe to add some water inside?

texts:
http://www.drdavidwilliams.com/how-to-relieve-constipation-naturally/ says

  Flaxseed is inexpensive and you should be able to find it at your
  local health food store. Keep in mind that if the seeds aren't
  crushed, ground, or broken, they will pass through your system intact
  and you'll lose the benefits. Except for decorating the outside of
  bread loaves or muffins, I would recommend grinding the seeds in a
  small food processor or a blender. Small, inexpensive coffee grinders
  also work well for this purpose. (If you intend to use a blender,
  adding a bit of water or liquid to the seeds will make the blending
  process much easier.)

When using a coffee grinder to grind flaxseeds, is it also advised to add some water to the seeds? Or will adding some water cause danger and damage to the coffee grinder due to short circuit caused by water?

My coffee grinder is KRUPS F203 Electric Spice and Coffee Grinder with Stainless Steel Blades, 3-Ounce, Black:


texts:
Arepas are a traditional dish from Venezuelan cuisine. After eating them a couple of times, the other day I decided to try to cook them myself. I searched over the internet the recipe and I found several differences. Ones cooked it mixing the pre-cooked corn flour P.A.N. brand with water, others with milk. Some fry them in the oven, other in the pan. And there is even yellow or white corn flour.

So in brief my question is, what's better to cook arepas?

to use yellow or white pre-cooked corn flour?
to use water or milk?
to cook them in the oven or in the pan?


texts: converting pure chocolate to "bittersweet" chocolate

texts:
A chocolate cookie recipe I'm looking at calls for melting down a cup of bittersweet chocolate chips. However, I happen to have a brick of completely unsweetened cooking chocolate in the fridge. Can I convert that to "bittersweet" by simply melting it down and adding stuff (sugar, butter?) to it? If so, what should I add, and in what ratios, relative to the amount of unsweetened chocolate?

Thanks,
-- Matt


texts: Cook a smoked ham and scalloped potatoes

texts: My ham is to bake for 3 hours at 375 and my scalloped potatoes are 400 for 55


texts: How to prepare butter for baking when time is limited?

texts: From my experience, the best way to use butter when baking is to let it soften to room temperature. However, sometimes one is short on time and must use the microwave to soften the butter. I always felt that cookies are better when the butter is a little firmer. Why is that? Is there a better way? Should I simply defrost the butter in the microwave carefully? Perhaps put it in a closed bag and run it under warm water?


texts: Why worry about "danger zone" when thawing meat if I'm going to be cooking the meat immediately after?

texts:
I'm cooking my meat above 55C, mostly around 65C.
I understand there are all kinds of safety measures surrounding defrosting. Using cold water and changing it every 30min or defrosting in the fridge. Making sure not to leave it on the counter or not to use warm/hot water.
This is because of the danger zone; bacteria doubles every ~20 min.
If I am defrosting meat in order to cook it, and I am cooking at safe temperatures, then why should I worry about how I defrost my meat?


texts: Can I boil bratwurst in beer to cook them?

texts:
I bought Red Hook Bratwurts today, and I'm making them tomorrow. Does anyone know if I could boil them in beer since it already was pre made with beer (Red Hook), or would it not be a good idea?

Also, how long do you cook Brats on the grill or oven?


texts: What is the purpose of the light coating of flour in a three-step bound breading?

texts:
I've always understood "bound breading" to refer to a three-step process, performed with chicken or other meats that have been portioned and patted dry:

Dredge through (seasoned) flour and shake off the excess;
Coat with beaten egg, slightly thinned (with water, milk, etc.);
Coat with an even layer of desired breading (crumbs, more seasoned flour, etc).

Recently, I came across this web page which describes bound breading as a two-step process, excluding the first step of dredging in flour. It occurred to me that, although I've always done bound breading this way, it seems like the thin layer of flour between the meat and the egg mixture would actually work against the breading sticking firmly to the meat. And yet, this is the way a bound breading is done in all the recipes and cookbooks I've encountered previously.

What is the purpose of that first light coating of flour, structurally speaking? Obviously if you use seasoned flour, you're adding seasoning; but does it really make the breading stick any better through the cooking process?


texts: I left stock out to cool overnight. Is it safe to use?

texts:
I made a Peking duck stock, strained it while hot, then left it to cool overnight. My apartment is 24 degrees C. In the morning, I divided it into smaller portions and refrigerated it.

I'd never made stock before so I wasn't quite aware of all the issues. I want to freeze the stock but want the fat to solidify at the top first so I can store it separately so I've left it in the fridge for the moment. Then I read all these posts and am worried I may have ruined everything.

Can I still use it? Is it only safe to be used if boiling now (e.g. to make risotto)? What about the duck fat?


texts: How to crack several types of nuts in one batch?

texts: I have a big bag of mixed nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts) in their shells that I want to crack open to enjoy later. I have tried to look up how to crack individual types of these nuts but they are all different. Can I just dump all the nuts in a barrel and soak them for a few hours until their shells are soft or will this ruin the nuts?


texts:
I made apple crumble in small ramekins earlier today. I tasted one and the crumble felt a bit dry and not sweet enough, so I added white sugar on top and put it in the oven on broil, hoping to melt the sugar and make it better.

Naturally, I made the mistake of forgetting how fast and hot of a setting broil really is...

How can I salvage these apple crumbles? (remove the burned appearance and taste)


texts: What is the difference between the dairy products quark and skyr?

texts:
What is the difference, if any, between the two dairy products quark (consumed in German-speaking countries) and skyr (traditional in Iceland)?

They are both similar to what the result would be if you took cottage cheese and blended it.

I'm interested in any differences in the contents. I read the Wiki articles I linked to. In Britain skyr is labelled as yoghurt (at least the Arla brand is) and must therefore contain both Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. Wiki mentions both in their skyr article and neither in their quark article, where they mention lactococcus instead. But I don't take Wiki as canon and I wouldn't assume that these and only these bacteria are included.


texts: Espresso machine has to warm up halfway through pulling a shot

texts:
I've had my espresso machine for a little less than a year. It's a DeLonghi EC155. It heats up fine (I assume so - a green light that means "ready" turns on, and I've followed the instructions and let it sit for 30 minutes heating before using it), but when I pull a shot, it makes the sound of the water being pushed through the grounds, but the green light turns off halfway through the process. I stop pulling the shot, wait for the light to come on, and finish pulling the shot.

Usually when I dispose of the grounds, they're very watery. Is there a way to make the machine hold heat longer, or is it a defect with the machine?

EDIT: It should also be noted that the light turning off halfway through is a relatively new occurrence. Before about a month ago the "ready" light would stay on until after I had pulled my shot.


texts: I've been making a soup that has an onion + garlic + carrot + celery + flour base, and then chunks of sweet potato and potato as well as barley added. I've been spicing it with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and basil. Now I want to substitute paprika for the basil. Would that ruin the soup?


texts: How long can you store the bones of a chicken in the refrigerator?

texts: No odours can enter the place where I am keeping the bones in the refrigerator so contamination is minimized.


texts: Convert cooking Shrimp and Vegetables in a foil-packet on a 400 degree grill for 25 - 30 minutes to an oven

texts:
Recipe calls for cooking the shrimp and vegetables in a foil-packet on the grill at 400 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. I do not have a grill in the city; therefore, I need to use my oven so I'd like to know at what temp and for how long would I bake the foil-packet in my oven.

Thank you.


texts: Does the nitrogen-based cryogenic freezing technology work equally well for all durian types, or only for a few types?


texts: Why do the bottoms of my cookies look like cakes?

texts:
What could possibly have gone wrong? I used only 1 egg yolk with no baking soda and Melted butter:

And this is what I got after beating sugar+melted butter+yolk:

After adding dry ingredients:

And here's what it looks like in the oven:

In which step do you think I could have done something wrong? I have no idea really.


texts: How to bake baking soda to produce sodium carbonate?

texts:
I'd like to make sodium carbonate for ramen noodles. The instructions on the web however vary greatly. One source says to bake baking soda at 350 degrees for 2-5 hours. Others say 250 degrees for an hour. Another says just 200 degrees for an hour.

Does the temperature even matter at all?

How about if I use a higher temperature like 450 degrees? This would be preferable for me as I only need a small amount and I can probably bake it at the same time I'm baking bread.


texts: Are lebkuchenherzen made from the same mixture as Lebkuchen?

texts:
I'd like to know how lebkuchenherzen are made.
Round iced Lebkuchen can have a soft cakey texture which I would imagine wouldn't be strong enough to hold the shape of a large lebkuchenherzen.

Are lebkuchenherzen made from the same mix and the structural strength comes from a thinner shape and harder bake or are there different ingredients or method?


texts: I make lollipops at home in a silicon mold but every time as soon as I take them out the mold not even two minutes after they seem to develop a sticky coating how can I prevent that in the first place? I have been dusting a coating of cornstarch but it seems to help temporarily.


texts:
What can I use to replace [beige] sesame seeds? What could be a close visual match?

I want to make an "everything bagel" inspired scone, but want to avoid sesame seeds due to allergy concerns.

Thanks in advance.


texts: Kosher alternative for butter as emulsifier

texts:
Jewish Law prohibits the mixing of milk and meat in cooking. However, butter, a milk product, is a kitchen staple for most cooked emulsions (eg. pan-sauces, sauces béchamels, or roux-based sauces). While I use appropriate cooking fats for making non-dairy versions for meat dishes, this frequently doesn't work.

What is a non-dairy fat which may be used to as an emulsifier or roux ingredient?


texts: how does turbo chef oven work and technology in it?

texts: Anyone know exactly how the turbo chef oven works like what technology does it use and how does it supply heat ? I'm interested


texts: I've got about 20 red thai peppers from my garden this year that I air dried.  I currently have them in a mason jar with the lid and ring on (not sealed though).  Is this a sufficient storage method, or is there a better way?  The peppers are whole.


texts: How to bake extra turkey legs along with a whole turkey?

texts: I have bought 4 Turkey turkey legs that I would like to serve at the same time as the rest of the turkey.  I am baking the turkey.   At what point in time during the baking do I add the additional legs so they are done at the same time?


texts: I grease both tube & bundt pans & dust with flour.  Because I live at about 4200 altitude I cook recipes longer.  Every time the cakes stick & do not come out of the pans.  I have to do patchwork to make it look presentable.  Please give me any advise or suggestions.  Thanks JB


texts: What can I add to this food to make it taste good?

texts:
I want to make some sprats + potatoes + some cheap vegetables like cabbage soup. What can I add to it to make it taste better? Some types of spices or some other cheap type of vegetables maybe? As long as it's cheap enough and makes it taste good, I'm fine with it.

Mainly the thing that I'm having a problem with is the fish taste, seeing as sprats taste kind of like herring, and boiled herring doesn't taste very good.

Pickled herring tastes great, so does salmon and other fish. Especially smoked. But not boiled sprats.

Note that I'm not looking for options like baking or frying the fish, I'm looking for a solution to the current problem, to add something, not to change something in this "recipe."


texts: Using fresh pumpkin as a substitute for canned

texts:
Several times I've seen recipes from the United States that call for canned pumpkin which isn't widely available in Australia. From research I see fresh butternut pumpkin / squash which is available should be a good substitute but I've found conflicting ideas on the best consistency and cooking method and I've never eaten canned pumpkin for comparison.

If I was to say halve a butternut pumpkin, remove the seeds and roast until it was easy to scoop out the flesh with a fork would that be a good substitute? I'm unclear as to whether boiling or roasting would be best, whether it should be puréed or somewhat chunky and if any other additional ingredients are required to best imitate the flavour of canned pumpkin?


texts: What causes the green ring between yolk and white when hardboiling an egg?

texts: The yolk of a hardboiled egg often has a green tinge right at the interface to the white. Besides not looking very good, I think it also maybe contributes a sulfurous odor. What causes this green coloration and how can I prevent it?


texts:
In the markets of Bangkok I often came across these sticks (or similar sticks); I found these sold along with Thai traditional herbal tea products.

I was later learned that these are Cassava sticks (Tapioca sticks); also named "Cassava stakes".

I thought they should be used to make tea or to distancing/repelling muscitos so I bought a pack; no muscitos were rejected but I tried to bite one stick → both the outer part (Sheath) and inner part (Xylem) and both were bitter.

What are Cassava sticks (Tapioca sticks) used for in Thai cuisine, if at all?


texts: Substitute clarified butter with sunflower spread

texts:
Background
I am making a sweet recipe of Baklava, which calls on ghee or clarified butter.
So the butter substitute would be used to paint on the layers of filo pastry before baking.
My problem
When reading the ingredients list I instinctively substituted butter for sunflower spread as an acceptable dairy free alternative, not realising the process I would have to expose it to.
Question
Now given what is the desired outcome of clarified butter, I’m assuming this wouldn’t work by using sunflower spread? .. Or would it?
If not, any suggestions to how I can get around this mess without butter?
The instructions I have for making clarified butter
Melt the 1 1/2 cups (340g/ 12oz) butter slowly over medium low heat until the milk solids have separated from the butterfat. and collected on the bottom of the saucepan. Remove the pan from heat, let the butter settle for 10 minutes, then carefully skim the foam from the surface with a spoon. Slowly pour the clear butterfat into a bowl, leaving all the milk solids behind in the saucepan. You should end up with about 1 1/8 cup (255g/ 9oz) clarified butter.
Any thoughts, suggestions or workarounds much appreciated!
I'm making baklava, so the butter substitute would be used to paint on the layers of filo pastry before baking.


texts:
When I steam vegetables or boil rice I leave it to cool off for a few hours and then put it into a plastic lunch box and then into the fridge. After a day the vegetables get very soggy with a pool of water at the bottom of the lunch box. The rice turns brittle and tastes like sand.

I don't have time to cook everyday, I try to get as much cooking done as possible on Sundays and store the result in the fridge.

I try to Google things about avoiding moisture or drying vegetables but this gives me unrelated results.

Can anyone give me advice for avoiding these problems?

Thank you very much.


texts: Does an electric grill make it faster than a pan?

texts: My teflon pan heats up for several seconds (to roasting temperature). When I tried 1500W teflon electric grill (in a shop) it took much longer. But electric grill is two sided, so parallel roasting of two sides. So what is quicker and how much?


texts: Gas stove + Wok Vs. Induction top + Skillet

texts:
I have two questions regarding woks:

Can I achieve close to the same result with an induction top and either a kettle or high edge frying pan, or is a wok pan and gas stove paramount to achieving a great wok result?
Is there any point at all in using a wok on a flat cooking top, since they are initially designed for using on a gas stove with flames coming up along the sides and everything?

EDIT: Split food preparation part of question into separate post.


texts: How much should I season meat before sous vide cooking?

texts:
I’m referring mainly to salt.  I’m starting to Sous vide steaks and chops etc.   I do a fast hard sear after the sous vide is finished.

When the steak comes out of the bag I pat dry very thoroughly and remove the sprigs of herbs garlic etc.  Then I lightly brush with oil and salt pepper etc and sear in butter oil mixture.

My question is how much to season with salt and pepper before the sous vide.  I’m tending to go easy on that as I don’t want an overall salty flavour.  But I see many recipes talk about ample seasoning for the sous vide stage (one upvoted answer on this board even capitalised SALT!).

Or should I do that and not salt the meat before searing?


texts: What natural preservative to use to prepare homemade tomato paste for a 2 year shelf life?

texts:
I make homemade tomato, chilli and curry pastes and I am thinking of selling them. I need a natural preservative that can increase the shelf life to at least 2 years.
What can I use?


texts: I recently smoked a pork shoulder in a weber charcoal kettle grill and I had a lot of trouble maintaining the temperature. Are there any tricks to using a mix of charcoal briquettes and wood chunks for smoking like this?


texts: How can I maximize the cheese flavor in my pizza?

texts: I am using the best cheese that I can buy, but my pizzas still don't have much of a cheese flavor.  Is it something that I'm doing wrong, or has the cheese changed?


texts: How do I keep long grain brown rice moist?

texts:
I'm starting to cook long grain brown rice at night, and I usually make enough to last about 4 days or so. The issue is that it gets REALLY dry when I put it in the fridge. I also usually don't warm it up before eating since I'm always on the go.

How can I keep brown rice moist?  Should I not put it in the fridge? I don't have a rice cooker, so I cook it in a pot.


texts:
We have a late 1970s/early 1980s slow cooker (Hamilton Beach Crock Watcher), inherited from my in-laws, that we used to use on roasts, pork loins, etc. and get incredibly tender, easy-to-shred, falling-off-the-bone results pretty regularly.

Lately, everything we cook seems to come out tough, though it sure seems like we're cooking the same cuts and recipes for the same lengths of time... Stuff gets cooked through, it just doesn't turn out as tasty and tender.

Is this possible or are we just losing our minds?


texts:
I am trying to make cheese blintzes. I made them out of egg and flour.

After packaging the blintzes up and readying to put them in the oven, they slowly start to pop back open. How do I keep them closed?


texts: Question about mirror glazes and freezing

texts: I'm trying my hand at a layered mousse cake with a mirror glaze (I guess this is an entremet?). I've read several places that it is advisable to freeze the cake prior to glazing. My question is then: am I supposed to eat the cake frozen? Seems like it would be hard? Or should I let it thaw in the refrigerator? If so, for how long?


texts: Non-cow's milk replacement for Parmesan cheese in Genovese pesto

texts: My family loves Genovese pesto and we'd started making our own (with varied success). One of our number has been diagnosed as intolerant to cow's milk. This rules out pretty much all shop-bought varieties, so we now have to take the homemade route seriously. To help us out, please can you suggest non-cow's milk cheeses that we could use instead of Parmesan?


texts:
I slow-cooked spare ribs on my grill yesterday:

I'm not sure if that picture does it justice, but they were very tasty.

The problem I had was cutting and serving them to my family.  Is there a particular knife I should use to cut these ribs?

Also, is there a particular way I should cut them?  I'm trying to reduce the mess.


texts: Substituting white wine vinegar with red wine vinegar

texts: Can I substitute red wine vinegar for white wine vinegar when preparing a vinaigrette with grilled salmon?


texts: Time of cooking: induction stove vs gas stove

texts: If I get a 2000W, portable, table-top, induction burner (one hob), how would cooking time change as compared to a gas stove (pre-heat time and overall time that would take to cook something)? On a gas stove my pan heats up for several seconds. What about at 3000W?


texts: Why not to cut into the meat when scoring duck breasts?

texts: Every recipe about searing duck breasts I've seen says that you should score the breasts cutting through the skin, but not too deep: you should avoid cutting into the meat. I do follow this instruction but don't completely understand why. What harm could be done if I cut through the meat, just a little? What exactly should I avoid?


texts: I just realized that I canned some potatoes for 25 minutes instead of the recommended time of 35 minutes last night. The jars all sealed. My question is,  do i throw those out or do i just have to use them quickly? Thank you in advance,  I'm new to canning potatoes.


texts: What would adding wine (red or white?) do when cooking Vindaloo?

texts:
This is my first post, so please be gentle.

I am cooking chicken Vindaloo and I'm trying to get a bit creative. I have never heard of adding wine to vindaloo, however, I know that I like it in soups and stews. What would be the effect of adding 1/2-1 cup of red wine, and would the effect change if I added white wine instead?

Thanks for your input!

Recipe edit: The recipe was about 2 cups vindaloo paste simmered in coconut cream. I sauteed the chicken once I started seeing some red streaks of separating oil in the vindaloo/coconut cream mixture. Once the chicken (3 breasts cubed) was cooked on the surface, I added the mix to a slow cooker set to high. I then took the same pan and seared some small russet potatoes (silver dollar sized at most) cut longways in canola oil. Once the cut ends were a touch brown and crispy, I added them to the mix, as well as with whole mushrooms. I then thinned the mixture with the rest of the can of Coconut milk, as well as about 1 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock. After about 2-3 hours of slow cooking, I did end up adding a 1/4 cup Marsala wine. It came out very tasty.


texts: What is the purpose of resting non yeast flour dough?

texts: When making something like flour tortillas, which don't call for yeast in the dough, it's called for to have the dough rest for about an hour before forming to a tortilla and cooking. What is the purpose of resting a flour dough without yeast?


texts:
I have a very simple question, but difficult for me..

How to tell if a sourdough is a real / traditional Sourdough? A lot of times I wonder if the sourdough I have in cafes or those ones I buy from shops are real sourdough. I know sourdough takes a long time to make and have heard that some bakeries take shortcuts to make sourdough.


texts:
I froth my milk using the steam wand on my espresso machine.  With a national-brand organic whole milk, I am able to get a perfect micro foam nearly 100% of the time.  However, when I instead use a local, grass-fed, organic whole milk (whose flavor I prefer to the national brand), I am only able to produce a perfect micro foam about 20% of the time.  What could be causing this?  Could it be differences in the fat content?  (They are both labeled "whole".)  Does it have something to do with the fact that the national brand was likely from grain/corn-fed cows, whereas the local brand is grass-fed?

Update: The local milk is homogenized and pasteurized.  It does not say anything about ultra-pasteurization (i.e., HTST vs. ESL).  The "national brand" milk is homogenized and apparently comes in both "pasteurized" and "ultra-pasteurized" forms.  I'm not sure which one I usually get, but if I had to guess I'd say it's ultra-pasteurized (i.e., ultra-heat treated) because the national brand usually has a sell-by date at least a week after the local milk's expiration. According to their nutrition labels, both have the exact same nutritional content except:

Sugar (per cup)National: 11gLocal: 12g
Cholesterol (per cup)National: 30mgLocal: 35mg
Vitamin C (% of Daily Value per cup)National: 0%Local: 4%
Vitamin A (% of Daily Value per cup)National: 4%Local: 6%

Protein content is reported as identical.

Update #2: As I mentioned in a comment to TFD's answer, I let the local milk age for several days and now I seem to be getting better results (although I am now at the cusp of its sell-by date).  Perhaps there is some psychological effect going on and I am paying more attention to my technique now, though.  If in fact this success is due to the aging, can anyone explain why? What happens over time that allows the milk to froth better?


texts: Is it a good idea to grind dried oregano with a mortar and pestle?

texts: Someone explained to me that I could increase the surface area of my herbs significantly when grinding them in a mortar with a bit of salt. It is indeed quite easy to grind them down to a powder. I do have the impression though that my sauces get more bitter when using powdered oregano. Is there any basis to this? Am I just using to much oregano given its increased "aromatising efficiency"? Or am I indeed releasing some substance that would otherwise be locked in the leaves?


texts: Marinate sundried tomatoes with ethanol overnight?

texts:
One of my favorite meals is an oil pasta with sundried tomato, pork belly, and broccoli. When I make it, I put a cap or two of scotch after adding the tomatoes and it really makes it shine.

I'm preparing this in advance and wondering if there was anything wrong with letting tomatoes sit in alcohol for an extended period? There's some magic involved with tomato and alcohol, but I've only ever done it while cooking, not letting it sit.


texts: When mixing eggnog with brandy, which is poured first?

texts: Liquids often mix due to different densities, so which one should I pour first in order to have them mix properly?


texts:
When bay leaves are specified in a recipe should they be fresh or dried ?
How many  bay leaves per quart are required?


texts: Freezing Indian chicken curry---how to retain texture and flavor?

texts:
I am planning to cook an oil-rich, Indian style Chicken curry that will look something like this: or this:

I am planning to cook a week ahead and freeze them, and my target is to keep the texture and flavor as close to the original as possible. Any freezing technique I should follow to achieve that?

My plan till now:

individually freeze the cooked chicken pieces in a tray, and maybe freeze the gravy separately.
Reheat in an oven in one layer(What temperature?), and sprinkle with garam masala to shore up flavor.

Any more ideas? Thanks!


texts: Anise Cookies: Why 12-hour rest before baking?

texts:
I have a recipe for an anise cookie that I've made several times. The ingredients are: flour, baking powder, salt, anise, eggs, vanilla. No butter or oil. The dough is rather sticky. The unusual thing about the recipe is that once the cookies are put onto a parchment-lined sheet, they sit for 12 hours (not in fridge) before baking. The results are excellent, especially for a no-fat cookie.  After the 12 hours, they still rise during baking and result in a delicious, chewy (not soft) cookie, my favorite cookie texture.

My question is: Why does it require a 12-hour rest on the counter? What is the purpose of the wait period? What creates the chewy texture?

[Today I decided to make them with 50% buckwheat flour. And I only let them rest 6 hours rather than 12. The result is tasty but not chewy. Buckwheat doesn't have gluten so this makes me wonder if the chewiness has to do with gluten development. Did I just answer my own question???]


texts:
is it possible to make flavorful beef broth as a base for Pho/Soup etc without bones?

I'm not minding the body/gelatinous or not, just the flavor.

on our market here the butchers sell meat scrap gained from bones i'm planning to use that for economic reasons


texts: Why won't my sourdough form a shapeable dough that doesn't stick?

texts:
I'm pretty new to the sourdough game and will admit that I have very little knowledge of the science behind it (hydration, etc.). I have so far tried two sourdough starters to make two simple sourdough boules which have both failed.

The first was a Paul Hollywood starter and bread recipe. My starter seemed active as described in the book (it would double in size and recede each day when feeding) yet when it came to make the bread my dough would be semi-shapable but would end up sticking to a well-floured (I really mean well-floured...) proving basket and ended up ruining any proving that had occurred rendering it useless.

The second starter I made following this starter recipe from Youtube and this bread recipe from the same person. I decided to go along the video route as I thought I could better see how my dough should look and feel at particular stages. The only difference was that I initially kneaded mine in the KitchenAid Mixer with dough hook to bring it together. For the most part my dough was sticky and wet as expected but didn't quite come together to form the cohesive shapable dough that he seemed to get. I tried adding a bit more flour but it seemed as if I would need to add a lot more to get to the dough that he had. I was able to shape the dough into a ball to place into a well-floured proving basket but again it simply stuck to it when it was time to place it into the oven and lost all air structure from the proving.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?


texts:
Over time, teflon manages to become coated by polymerised oils, similarly to the intentional seasoning on an iron pan. This tends to make the pan just too sticky for such as fried eggs.
I have tried the usual suspects - nylon mesh pan scrubs, Barkeeper's Friend & similar, those little bricks of mica, bicarb. - and all work to some extent, but none get it right back to the original 'teflon'. The substrate is aluminium, so even though a heavy oven cleaner will work well, it also damages any areas with scratches.
With cheap pans ($£€ 25 or so) I usually throw them out once they get to this stage, but for the last few years I've had a really good, expensive one. I retired it to dry frying only & replaced it a while ago, but it turns out it's still actually better than a new cheap one after just a year.
So, I'm back to trying to get this one back to an as-new state on the inside (the outside I really don't care about).
Does anyone have any sure-fire method I've not yet tried? Good for aluminium, bad for organic polymers.


texts: I have some basil from my garden that I would like to infuse with olive oil to flavor it. I was going to pack the jar with the herbs and then pour the oil over it, keep it in a jar for about a week and then strain and store the oil for cooking.  Are there any issues I should be aware of?


texts: Are vacuum pump effective to improve wine conservation?

texts:
Is there any evidence for (or against) those "Vacuum Wine Saver" pumps (such as "Vacu Vin") that claim to improve the conservation of opened wine bottles?

By evidence, I mean blind tastings or equivalent. It is easy to find a lot of opinions on the topic, but I couldn't find any hard evidence.


texts: How can I prevent the cheese on my homemade pizza from hardening too soon?

texts:
I am on my road to perfecting thin crust pizza, but a major problem is that about 5 to 10 minutes after getting it out of the oven the cheese begins to congeal and harden, making my homemade pizza taste like it just came out of the fridge.

Why does it happen? I know the cheese in commercial pizzas from Dominos or Italian mergheritas from Rome both retain somewhat desirable texture for more than 30 minutes after serving. Even as those pizzas get colder, their cheese "coating" does not harden as mine.

Recipe:
500g white flour /335 ml water with 7g dried yeast and 1tbsp of salt /
knead for 10 minutes or so / proof for 2 hours
/ 220c in the oven for 7 minutes

The cheese was a think layer of grated Parmeggiano Reggiano with 18% Mozarella Fresca and a little olive oil with a sprinkle of kosher salt.


texts: Why is ciabatta poolish usually made with instant yeast?

texts:
So far all the "classic" ciabatta recipes I have found propose using small amounts of instant yeast.

But I'm pretty sure that ciabatta predates invention of instant yeast so why not use sourdough instead?

It work pretty well for me except the poolish doesn't get bubbly overnight in the fridge (6 degree Celsius) but if I keep it for like 3 days it looks like gluten gets over-fermented. On the other hand, if I add more sourdough to the poolish it probably will get too contaminated with over fermented whole wheat and rye (I use it to feed my sourdough). So is it the reason?


texts:
From what I understand, the cooking process melts the collagen, turning it into gelatin and making the meat more tender.  However, the process also tends to cook the meat itself, making it tougher.  So too long or too high and the stewing beef is too tough.

How long is too long?  Say in a slow cooker on high, where is the inflection point where the meat stops getting more tender and start to get tougher?  I googled the crap out of this but haven't found an answer?


texts: How to determine perfect pan temperature for steak?

texts:
I have an electric stove that makes it hard to adjust temperature rapidly. I normally cook steaks in cast iron pan which I put on the biggest stove circle, with the highest setting of 12. I noticed steaks get really burned if I cook it there, but everyone says it should be the highest possible temperature. I even put it on half (6) and got some good results.

Is there a general advice how to determine the pan temperature and how to know what's right for the steak?

UPDATE:

I cooked 1.2 inch, T-bone steak last time on 5.8. It was on room temp for 1 hour. 3 minutes each side. Nearly perfect. I still got a bit too much char on the outside, it was medium-well on the edge of the steak, and medium-rare/rare at the bone. It was delicious though, very soft and juicy.

Doe this sound about right?


texts: I want to smoke/slow cook whole blade. These are big pieces of meat, average 7kgs a piece. Dry rub, then how long at what temp and what internal temp should it get to? What sort of time frame, and should it be foil wrapped at some point ?


texts: Homemade sauerkraut liquid level below cabbage. Should I add brine?

texts:
Preamble:

Okay, so I know that this has been sort of answered before to some degree, but I'd really like to avoid throwing it out. After reading one of the links posted in that answer (specifically mistake 2), it leads me to believe I can salvage it but maybe shouldn't?

I'm looking for more experienced sauerkraut/fermentation makers to give advice. I make tomato sauce a lot, and my rule-of-thumb with that is "if the jarred lid hurts to pry off because of the seal, it's fine to eat" (with the reasoning that if the lid is that sealed down to the jar, then bacteria haven't been creating gasses to push the lid off, so there effectively aren't bacteria in the jar), but I have zero experience with fermentation and jarring sauce requires heat-treating the jar/sauce and cooling it to cause the seal, and this fermentation does not... so I'm a little out of my depth.

My situation:

Here is my sauerkraut, made using MasonTop's pickling kit:

As you can see, the lid is sunk in quite a bit. This picture was taken a little while ago, so the liquid is still quite high... but now the liquid is below the top cabbage level and the lid is still sunken in to the same degree. It hasn't been below the brine for too long, 5-7 days at the most (I forget the last time I checked it, exactly). My brother, also a first-time sauerkraut maker, said to just add brine but I questioned this as I know keeping it as oxygen-free as possible is better.

So here's my conundrum:

Given that information, which option is better:

Open the lid, releasing the air-proof seal, and adding brine to level it over the cabbage?
Leave it as it is to maintain the seal, but have the brine level beneath the top bit of cabbage?

Please, any information/advice is helpful! Thanks!


texts: I am often making a basic leavened bread for some basic recipes, like naan, burek, focaccia, pizza, etc. However, I find that dry active yeast is prohibitively expensive, considering it is a self-replicating living organism. Is there a way to effectively create and store yeast for a reasonable period of time (~3 months) from a mother spore?


texts:
This site has what looks to be a good recipe for homemade "Chai" spiced tea; however, it requires a lot of prep and won't work with my current routine, which is the modern English style tea preparation for loose-leaf tea: boil water in an electric kettle, pour into pre-warmed teapot with leaves, steep, dump into travel mug, add milk and sugar, run out the door late as usual. Total time: about 5-6 minutes.

Is the boiling of milk with spices necessary, or can I dump pre-ground spices into my brewed tea along with milk and sugar? Can I boil a large batch of milk with spices and store that in the fridge and add to brewed tea instead of my usual vanilla soymilk?

EDIT: I appear to have misread part of the instructions; it calls for boiling water with spices then adding milk, rather than boiling milk with spices directly. The comments, however, insist that the milk needs to come to a proper boil as well. So, the real question appears to be: is that true, or can I toss the spices in with the leaves in my pot while the tea steeps and add milk as usual later?


texts: Xmas Pudding put in microwave by mistake for 5 minutes

texts: I put the wrong bowl in the microwave and cooked my raw xmas pudding mix for 4 mins. It was meant to be steamed for 8 hours tomorrow. It’s  now pale and semi cooked. What shall I do?


texts: How do I cover up the white spots on my cast iron stove?

texts: My friends brought me a paper bag full of peaches. I set the bag on my fisher cast iron stove, and I forgot about them. Lastnight, I picked up the bag to find the peach juice has bled through the paper bag and ate the black finish on the stove. Now i have two large white spots on the stove. I have tried to rub olive oil on the spots. They are still there. How do i get the black finish back on the stove? Thank you! -Annie


texts: How can I make creme fraiche quickly without waiting for it to curdle?

texts: The recipe I have says to wait 24 hours but I don't have that much time! Is there any way to speed up the process? Thank you!


texts: Is there a point in stuffing a chicken if I'm not planning on eating the stuffing part?

texts: I'm planning to cook a regular chicken on Sunday and I thought that I should probably try to season it somehow. I've never tried to cook a chicken before (first Christmas dinner as an adult obv!). I thought about stuffing it, but scooping out the stuffing after to eat seems a bit gross to me. Will the stuffing itself impart flavour to the chicken meat?


texts: Is both creaming and chemical leavening needed?

texts: Most cakes call for both physical fluffing which is accomplished by creaming the fats and sugars together, as well as chemical leaveners (baking powder or such). Is this needed. Why can't I just use baking powder?


texts:
Does the nutrition facts label include "packaging"?

For example, for "sardines packed in oil", does the label refer to drained sardines, or everything in the container?

Edit: I sometimes forget that other countries exist. I'm mostly interested in U.S. nutritional facts labels. Nothing on the packaging says how it should be interpreted (as far as I can tell).


texts:
I have NO idea what I'm doing :). I'm looking to buy some pots/pans for my appartment (just moved out). Considering these:

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-MCP-12-MultiClad-Stainless-12-Piece/dp/B0007KQZWU/ref=lh_ni_t

I want to spend under $250 and this seems like a good value for my money. Wanted to check with some experts before I take the plunge.

I'd ideally like to be able to washing machine whatever I buy...

Thanks!


texts: Substitution for Suet in Christmas Pudding

texts: I'm interested in making a traditional Christmas pudding but I've never seen suet available in the stores around here. Assuming I can't find any, what would be a good substitution?


texts:
I'm new to salmon. I've been trying new dishes but I read online that Alaskan salmon is not the greatest. But is pink salmon the same as Alaskan salmon?
I've been using chicken of the sea pink salmon wild caught, for quick dishes like sandwiches or salad etc..
Just wanted to make sure I'm eating the right kind. Any suggestions for canned/pouched salmon are welcome.


texts:
Certain recipes (for example, corn bread, buttermilk biscuits) caution against overmixing: you're supposed to add the wet ingredients to the dry with a minimum of agitation.

Why?

And, is this related to why my friend's recipe for cornbread states that "some lumpiness is preferred"?


texts: How do you get a dry surface on gummie candies?

texts:
I made this recipe for sour gummies:

Gummies

2 C / 473ml fruit juice (I used apple)
2.5 C / 600ml water, divided
4.5 tsp citric acid
6.6 oz / 187g gelatin
22.4 oz / 625g sugar

Coating

6 T sugar
3.5 tsp citric acid

[I'm skipping the actual cooking of the candy, which is not relevant
to my question, and going straight to the final step.]
Toss the pieces in the sugar-citric acid mixture and place on the
cooling rack.
Let the coated candies dry for 8 hours on the cooling rack until the
coating is hard and crunchy.

The coating did not in fact become hard and crunchy: it became slimy and sticky. The only remedy I could think of was to toss the candies in corn starch. That worked (the candies aren't crunchy, but they're also not slimy, which is what really matters), but I'm wondering whether I should have done something differently the first time around. Is there a better way to make gummies with a dry surface (that's practical for a home cook)?


texts: How do I keep cake from collapsing when adding lemon juice?

texts:
I am trying to perfect a nice lemon bundt cake recipe that uses lemon juice and zest for flavor. I have achieved the flavor profile I want, but the cake does not rise much and comes out a little too dense. I figured it was the acidity of the 5 lemons I juiced into the batter. Is there a way I can keep that much acidity in the batter and still have a good rise on my bake?

Thanks in advance.

UPDATE

I completely forgot to post the recipe, sorry about that. I am going for a moist and dense cake texture with a vibrant lemon flavor that slaps your mouth. I am a beginner baker though...

3 cups sifted cake flour.
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder.
1/2 teaspoons salt.
1 3/4 cups sugar.
2/3 cup butter or margarine.
4  eggs (4 yokes .
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla.
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 pkg lemon pudding mix (ideally i would like it to be a completely from   scratch cake but 1 step at a time.)
5 lemons ( juicing and zesting all the lemons)


texts:
When making lemon lime and bitters at home, I decided to try the bitters by itself (the one with the classic oversized label, I think it's Angostura).

It tastes heavily of what seemed like cloves and cinnamon, or aniseed-ish flavours and wondered "Could I somehow make a similar thing myself?"
So say I had some ratio of those dry ingredients and wanted to infuse them into some alcohol, what alcohol should I use? Would using say vodka not be a great idea due to it potentially changing the flavour?


texts: Tips for getting a meat loaf to come out just right?

texts:
I'm very new to cooking and honestly don't enjoy it all that much, but I am trying to expand my skills beyond very simple foods like tuna helper and chicken, so I thought I would try making a meat loaf as the next step.

However, since I've never made one before, I'm not really sure what I should be looking for in a recipe, or if there's anything I need to know about the preparation that might not be mentioned in a recipe.  I'm wondering about things like:

Does it matter what type of meat I use?
How do I control how heavy/dense it is?
How can I make sure that it doesn't fall apart?
What oven setting should I use so that it cooks all the way through but doesn't burn the outside?

Any other useful tips would also be helpful.


texts:
I made vegan ice cream for the first time. The recipe:

350 g peeled bananas,
frozen 100 g raspberries,
frozen 100 g coconut cream
50 g agave syrup

I put everything through the high speed blender, until it was finely pureed. The texture was like soft serve ice cream, and it was rather prone to quick melting. It had practically no overrun. I put it in a glass container in the freezer overnight, the way I do with churned dairy ice cream.

Now the ice cream is somewhat difficult to break out of the container, certainly more so than churned ice cream. And it melts in the mouth to an unpleasant, chalky texture with a strong banana taste and almost no coconut flavor (the recipe was advertised as coconut-raspberry flavor).

This is not the first time I've seen banana based vegan ice cream recipes, but it's the first time I make one. Is it normal for them to get chalky? If not, what caused it? The raspberry seeds? The frozen coconut cream?

Also, if I want something softer, would this type of recipe be suitable for churning, and if I churn it, can I expect a creamier result?


texts: How can I make mocktails that actually taste like non-fruity cocktails?

texts:
My partner is a teetotaler and I have oral allergy syndrome, which means I am allergic to almost all raw fruit juices.

We want to try making some mocktails that we can both drink that actually resemble cocktails along the lines of an Old Fashioned, rather than glorified fruit punch. However most resources I've been able to find only discuss making very sweet, simple drinks, often using fruit juice as the major ingredient.

What ingredients and techniques that fit our restrictions (non-alcoholic, no raw fruit) will produce mocktails that are on the complex/sharp end of the flavor spectrum?


texts: How do I interpret this date on tortillas?

texts: This is printed on the package of corn tortillas DA JUN 17 19 L3 15:18.  What does this mean?


texts: How far ahead of time can I make or bake a bread with fruit and honey in it?

texts: I want to make several loaves of a honey-apple challah for Jewish friends for Rosh Hashanah.  However I am going to be out if town for Labor Day weekend.  If I bake some on Saturday night and seal in Ziploc bags and store it in the fridge, will it be fresh enough to deliver the following Wednesday?


texts:
I've been doing some research on canning cheese in half pint jars. A few videos I watched showed some good success with cream cheese but cheddar's seem to change a bit in texture and become a bit porous after the process. My thought here was to turn the cheddar into a spreadable cheese before canning.

Looking at the FDA canning site I notice they have no recommendations for canning cheese and in fact they haven't even tried to can cream cheese. No tests at all. My question is, has anyone had success with making then canning cheese spreads? What would be the best method for making the spread so that I minimize failure and what would be some of the possible risks that might not be noticeable to the naked eye or by smelling if it did go bad?


texts:
wiki says

  Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork ... typically from the pork belly.

What is the uncured pork belly called?


texts:
This is more of a food preparation/health question since it's after the food has been cooked. Recently I've been substituting butter with olive oil. For example, baked potatoes, instead of butter and sour cream, I use olive oil. I've also added olive oil to noodles and in place of gravy in a few meals and also in place of teriyaki sauce in rice bowls.

In most cases the flavor is enhanced. With the potatoes, you taste a bit much of the olive oil but it's still good.

Is it ok to continue doing this? I'm assuming that it's going to be better than butter and other "dressings" such as gravy.

If this is a safe practice, I would like to get my family more into it, but I doubt they will enjoy the natural flavor of olive oil. I've been adding different flavors of Ms Dash seasonings (no salt) which give it nice hints of this and that depending on the type. What else can I do to enhance the flavor so they will enjoy it?


texts:
I wanted to make mint-chocolate-covered candy. I never worked with couverture, but yesterday it was all I had.

I melted the chocolate, cooled it, reheated a bit (tempered), added peppermint extract (homemade, pure vodka and peppermint) and when I tried to gently mix it to incorporate the extract, everything turned into thick shoe-polish-like-paste. I had to add some butter to be able to melt it again, but now, when it is all cool again, the chocolate is quite sticky (I suppose because of the butter) and my candy doesn't look good enough for anybody exept immediate family.

What happened? Did alcohol do something to the couverture? How to prevent this from happening again should I try this again?


texts: Teflon pan safe to use after being in an oven?

texts: We put a Teflon pan in the oven at 400° F for about 20 minutes before we realized and took it out.After it cools off outside and we wash it would it still be safe to use on the stove? or should we toss it.


texts: Can "Canning" be achieved with "vacuum sealed" bags?

texts: Upon reading the question If I vacuum seal a food product like beef stew then boil it in the bag, would it keep un-refrigerated? and the answer provided https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/69423/6279 I agree that 'normally' it would not result in making something shelf stable. But My question is COULD you (by putting the vacuum sealed bag into a pressure cooker) achieve the results of canning in said bag? I found some speculation on this question here but I am unsure of the conclusion...(given the sources)


texts: What is the preferred method for sanitizing the kitchen?

texts:
I'm aware of a number of ways for sanitizing.

Soap.
Ammoniac.
Bleach.
Sodium bicarbonate.

Which of these is the preferred method of sanitation?
Which concentrations are recommended?
How can you test whether the levels of concentration are correct?


texts: When making lasagna noodles from scratch, do you need to cook the noodles first? If I was making it the regular way, layers, I wouldn't think it would need to be cooked. But I'm rolling the noodles around the cheese mixture and so I was wondering if that was going to make a difference.


texts: Will vacuum sealing an open bottle of wine make it like it was never opened?

texts:
I have a professional vacuum sealer, which removes the air, and seals the bottle, or container.

Will this work with wine, or does the wine degrade once it has been exposed to air, no matter how well the vacuum sealer works?


texts: What is a refrigerator tray in older recipes?

texts:
Many older cookbooks call for filling a “refrigerator tray”. For example, in the 1960 Better Homes and Gardens Dessert Cook Book the recipe for “Banana Ice Cream” says to “Pour into refrigerator trays. Freeze till firm.” and in Anne London’s 1972 American-International Encyclopedic Cookbook, the recipe for “Refrigerator Tray Pie” says to “Pack half the crumb mixture into a refrigerator tray. Chill… Return to refrigerator to freeze.”
Doing a search for “refrigerator tray” on archive.org, I found the pamphlet for Use and Care of Your New Norge Refrigerator which mentions many uses for refrigerator trays, all involving freezing in some way. From the various recipes for ice cream and other frozen desserts on pages 31-32,

Pour into refrigerator trays and freeze.

Freeze in refrigerator tray.

…freeze in refrigerator tray until firm.

From this, I can deduce that a refrigerator tray is something that you can pour liquids into and then put into the freezer, but that’s about it.
Those pages also mention trays without the qualifier “refrigerator”:

Pour into tray of chilling unit and freeze to mush.

Pour into tray and chill to soft jelly… Return to tray and freeze to desired firmness.

Turn into freezer tray and freeze 45 minutes to 1 hour.

The list of definitions on page 9 does not include a definition for refrigerator trays, although it does include one for ice trays, and specifically mentions using them for making ice cream:

Ice Trays:
Fill the trays with water to within 1/4 in. of the top. Place trays in their section on top of main freezer compartment. When making Ice Cream, use the aluminium tray by removing plastic cups or dividers.

I would guess that the ice trays mentioned are the metal trays for making ice cubes, which used to come with a removable (always metal, in my limited experience) divider that doubled as a loosening device for the ice cubes. They seem awfully small for use as a dessert pan, but then the Better Homes and Garden recipe did use the plural for its mention of refrigerator trays.


texts: Can you mix all dry ingredients for a cake and place ingredients in container and make cake the next day?


texts: What are the preferred veal cuts for sausage making?

texts:
I am going to be trying my hand at bockwurst tomorrow evening, and will be going to the butcher shortly to have meat cut for the process. For the pork, I'm going with shoulder/butt. I can't seem to find any recommendation on what veal cuts are best for sausage making.

Are there standard cuts of veal which are traditionally reserved for making sausage?


texts:
I am experimenting with a home pasta maker, and after all the fun comes the cleaning up.
My worries come from tiny bits of dry dough I find when I clean the machine. There always seem to be more every time I shake it, and they of course contain raw egg .
On the instructions, it clearly says not to wash it with water.

What's the best practice in this case (besides disassembling the thing)?


texts: I made an apple pie just the other day, and everything came out fine. The only problem was that the filling didn't stick to the crust (home made butter crust if it makes a difference). Is there anything I can do in order to make the filling stick to the crust?


texts: I have a couple santoku knives that I use all the time cooking.  A friend of mine has a kohaishu knife.  I've tried to use it once or twice but it wouldn't stay sharp for long so I abandoned it.  My question is, is there a specific use for a kohaishu over a santoku?


texts: Can I use a Lid for a glass vessel for cooking in microwave?

texts: Can you use a lid for a glass vessel when cooking in microwave?


texts: Why do we boil whole spices when making masala tea?

texts:
I've heard that people prepare chai masala by boiling whole spices instead of using a ground masala spice mix. After preparing it with whole spices, I doubt that 10 minutes of boiling will release much of the cinnamon flavor.  It seems wasteful to strain out and discard the whole spices when they should have plenty of flavor left.

Wouldn't it be better if we used freshly ground spices?


texts:
I'm making an experiment which compares different oils.  It seems I can make oil from any fruit/seed
by just pressing it, filtering the liquid outflow, and letting the filtered liquid settle (keeping only
the liquid which settles above the water in the end).

Though not refined, I should be able to thereby make olive oil and sunflower oil for starters.

Then, it seems I should be able to make grape oil or grapefruit oil with the exact same procedure.
But, I can't find nutrition facts about these two oils on the internet, so I'm wondering if no oil
would be produced, or if this is really considered juice (but that doesn't make sense because juice
normally includes water; even "concentrated juice" doesn't seem right since it isn't slippery like
normal oil).  Anyway, what happens when you use the exact same procedure on sweet fruits like this?
If you truly make oil, what is the saturated fat content for extraction from a grape or a grapefruit?

Ultimately, I want to compare the saturated fat content of many fruit oils, extracted by a universal
method, so a big table here would be the best answer.  But, I don't even know if this is possible
since people don't even talk about the oils from normal fruits.


texts: How long may I preserve a caramel sauce?

texts: How long can I preserve in the fridge a sauce made of 11 oz. caramel, 1/2 cup butter and 2 T cream?


texts:
This is a question about the science of baking. What factors contribute to the softness and moistness of the Cinnabon® brand cinnamon rolls? Particularly, I'm interested in:

The type of flour to use (e.g. cake, AP, bread, etc.)
The amount of water and other liquids (i.e. the effects of hydration)
Leaveners
Cooking temperature and time
Additives
Process/technique


texts: Does a long marinade time matter for chicken, shrimp, etc?

texts:
I have no doubt that a long marinade makes a difference for coarsely striated meats like beef, pork, lamb and some fish.  But I've got my doubts that marinating, say, chicken or (peeled) shrimp for several hours makes any substantial improvement over a brief marinating of 15 minutes or so.  It doesn't seem to me that the marinade penetrates the meat deeply and rather simply coats it.  If you use a dark marinade you can see this with beef, pork and lamb.  The longer you marinate, the deeper you can see it penetrate.  But not so with chicken and shrimp.  I see no evidence a long marinade makes any difference.

Am I wrong?


texts: Why is milk powder used in bread machine recipes?

texts:
In a bread machine bread recipe, why is milk powder included?  And is milk powder needed?

I have baked several loaves without milk powder.    When the bread is baking sometimes the loaf collapses with a 'crater' depression of about 3 cm.


texts: What's this off-white particulate stuff on my pickled asparagus?

texts:
I just opened a new jar of Foster's pickled asparagus and discovered off-white particulate matter on the stalks:

The stuff can be scraped off with a fingernail, but doesn't come off effortlessly to the touch.
The jar was opened just moments ago, and was thoroughly airtight prior to opening (I had a hell of a time getting the lid off).  Is this mold that grew prior to pickling?  Is this salt that has settled out of the brine for some reason?  Something else?


texts: Will meat overcook in a boiling water pot?

texts:
I recently ate at a restaurant that had you cook your own food. They had a heating plate in the middle of the table and they would set a small pot onto it and add in spices/vegetables to the water, after which you would receive a platter of raw meats (chicken, steak, shrimp, etc) to cook yourself.

The waiter mentioned that when you cook the meat you should leave it in for 1.5 - 2 minutes depending on what it was (shrimp for less time than the chicken/steak). If you leave the meat in for an extended period (say 15 to 25 minutes) would the meat over-cook in the boiling water?  The small cuts of steak would cook to a 'medium' or 'medium-well' consistency for 2 minutes depending on the size of the cut.

This was the first time I have ever seen small cuts of meat (especially in that variety) cooked in a boiling water pot.

Thanks!


texts: What's the point of roasting a whole chicken?

texts:
Recently I tried to butterfly a chicken before roasting it (in the oven) and I totally liked it. It cooks faster, browns more evenly and is easier to carve. It's slightly more difficult to move the chicken from the pan and I can't put aromatics (like lemon) inside it. These are the only disadvantages I can imagine and they don't look as very important.

So my question is: why mess with a whole chicken if you can butterfly it? What advantages (and disadvantages of butterflying) am I missing?

And second question, related to the first: why even stop at butterflying if I can separate a chicken into parts before roasting? No need to carve at all and it solves the problem when breasts cooks faster than other parts (I can remove them earlier). What are the cons here?


texts: In what recipes can I use a thick coconut milk kefir?

texts:
Kefir has been a big part of my life since childhood because it's a staple item in my birth country and commonly consummed in my house growing up. So when I found out I can make it home with relative easy and minimal expense, I was beyond excited.
Since I've started, my grains have really grown into a healthy culture that keeps multiplying faster than I know what to do with. So I decided to put some to use to make some coconut milk kefir. I wasn't sure which coconut milk to use - the boxed stuff or the fatty canned stuff. I thought the fat in the canned kefir may be necessary to make up for the thiness of typical coconut milk, so I went that route.
Turns out that wasn't the best route, because now that it's developed it still has that canned coconut milk taste (not the most pleasant to drink) and it's somehow developed into a substance that's slighlty thicker than even solid yogurt.
So I was wondering, since I don't want to drink it so much, can I substitute it for coconut cream in any recipe (e.g. in curry soup or heavy cream substitue in baking)? Or does anyone have any general or specific recipes in mind where the coconut kefir may play well?
I should note, I used lime in the second fermentation to give it a bit of flavor, but it's not a very strong presence in the final product


texts: Is it possible to make oat milk ice cream?

texts:
If you think that normal ice cream is made from milk, is it possible to make it with oat milk?

I am not too sure if the lack of lactose in oat milk would restrict the stickiness or formation of the ice cream. Is it possible to make oat milk ice cream, or would it just turn into mush?


texts: Does meat/poultry keep in the fridge for just a couple of days after purchase, or a couple of days after the sell-by/use-by date?

texts:
I usually freeze all of my meat unless I plan to use it within one day, but I was just wondering whether I could keep some raw chicken in the fridge until Thursday (three days from now). I wanted to make sure it wouldn't go bad, so I did some searching and it seems that most sites recommend discarding raw poultry after just two days.

But the sell-by date on the package is August 6th, which is six days from today. The implication is that if I had boughten this chicken six days later, then it would somehow last in my fridge all the way until August 8th (6+2 days).

Why does the usual food safety advice seem to be suggesting that raw poultry/meat will degrade much more slowly while on grocery store shelves? Are they kept colder there than in conventional refrigerators? Or will my chicken actually be safe to eat for another week?


texts: Do potatoes and rice lose significant amount of fiber when overcooked?

texts: I overcooked both brown rice and potatoes today, both boiling. The skin on the potatoes was intact even though I overcooked it but too soft. Does that mean the fiber is significantly reduced in both foods?  Does the fiber leech out into the water?


texts:
I've been given a wok recently in preparation for university, and wanted to practice cooking with it before I left, and read in the instructions that I had to season it first.
I started by washing the wok in hot soapy water for a few minutes with a dishcloth. I then tried it with kitchen towel and heated it to high on the electric hob ( I've read it's prefered to use a gas hob but I don't have one ). It made the room smell like metal for a few minutes - does this mean I have not cleaned it well enough?
I then washed it again before heating it on max. When it had gotten hot enough ( water drops evaporated after a couple of seconds), I added a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the wok. The room smelled like vegetable oil instead. I spread the oil around the pan, and then let it smoke until most of the pan had turned black/brown.
Have I done this correctly, and will their be factory oil in the patina? Should I start again or is this pan ok to use?


texts:
I saw my friend eating this Asian snack, either Japanese or Chinese, which I've seen before in those Asian markets. It is hard to describe, but it looks like a ball of dough, with a clearish color. It is not cooked, and it is not a dumpling. Inside the ball, there is some jelly substance with nuts. It's quite a strange food.

Can someone identify it?


texts: Can water in which pasta was cooked be used to make gravy?

texts: After boiling pasta and setting the water in which the pasta was boiled aside I noticed that after the water cooled it thickened. It sort of has the consistency of gravy. Would I be able to make gravy with this instead of using starch?


texts:
Do Italians ever use nixtamalized cornmeal ("grits") for polenta, or would they no longer call that polenta?

This translation dictionary gives some examples of where "hominy" is synonymous with "polenta," but that doesn't seem correct.


texts: Is there any food safety advantage in blanching meat prior to cooking sous-vide?

texts:
There seems to be a lot of debate regarding the advantages of pre-searing meat prior to adding it to the water bath. I understand that the post-sear process is mainly for appearance and taste purposes, but some chefs I have watched have suggested that post (and pre) searing is essential for killing off any surface pathogens.

While this is fairly easy to accomplish with a thick cut of steak, with thinner cuts (and chicken breasts, for example) it is difficult to accomplish.

While I have no intention of cooking below recommended pasteurization temperature/timings, for the acutely food safety conscious, would a 60 second blanch in boiling water prior to immersion be a sensible step? My reasoning here is there will still potentially be areas that do not reach sear temperature. Or is this only a useful technique if you intend to serve unpasteurized dishes?


texts: How long to keep defrosted vegetables in the fridge

texts:
I normally buy frozen bags of vegetables from the supermarket, but I currently don't have a freezer to store them in and have been putting them straight in the fridge instead.

How long will they keep there and still be safe to eat?


texts: I would like to make a thin disk of caramel that could be placed on the top of a cookie. I need it to be very smooth with neat edges because I plan to cover it with royal icing. I was wondering if I made a chewy caramel recipe, but spread it thin, freeze it, then cut with a round cutter, would that work? I've never frozen caramel before, so I don't know if it would have any adverse effects.


texts: Chili and bell pepper substitute due to allergies?

texts: I recently learned that I am allergic to ALL forms of pepper except black pepper.  Bell peppers, chili peppers, etc.  I am allergic to and it makes my throat swell up.  I have several recipes using ground chili pepper.  Is there a substitute spice that will give my (mostly ground beef casseroles) recipes SOME flavor?


texts: Camping stove to supplement an electric hob

texts:
I've got basic electric hobs in my kitchen which do a fine job - but a lot of cookbooks suggest that certain things would be best done on an open flame/gas hob (i.e. anything involving a wok).

My flat isn't piped up for gas and I can't afford the expense of replacing my hob with a better one than it currently has anyway - so I was wondering - would a decent gas camping stove/hob be a suitable and sensible supplement to my electric hobs?

If so, what sort of thing should I look out for on buying one?


texts: How long can I store homemade caramel or butterscotch sauce?

texts: I made a butterscotch sauce for a butterbeer cupcake, but I have about a cup of the sauce left.  How long can I leave it in the fridge since it has heavy cream?  Can I freeze it?  I imagine for most purposes, caramel and butterscotch sauces will have the same storage methods.


texts: How to (cheaply) grind wheat berries for home bread making?

texts:
I've never made wheat flour before, though I bake bread regularly. I'm considering using my KitchenAid blender to grind my hard white wheat berries, but am worried I would harm the blender. I use about 7 cups of flour per week, so hand-milling might be too labor-intensive. Is there a good way I could try out homemade flour without investing in an expensive grinding device? If not, what grinding device is recommended for home use?
As a bonus, I'd like to use the device for occasionally grinding chicken feed...


texts: How do I prevent curd from getting sour?

texts:
I usually take homemade curd in lunchbox to work. Since there is almost 4-5 hours gap between the lunch break and time when I get my lunch packed. I don't have refrigerator or any cool medium to store it at work.

Just because of that long gap, curd usually gets sourer and becomes almost hard to consume.

Is there any particular method so I can prevent curd from getting sour?


texts: Is it safe to eat cooked chicken that has been out for 4 hours?

texts: When I go to school and bring my lunch I like to have chicken but I go at 7:30 and eat at 11:20. Is it still safe to eat or I should not eat it?


texts: How do you prepare bacalhau before cooking?

texts: A specialty grocery store recently started to sell bacalhau (heavily salted cod fish). I am guessing that a recipe I have for baked codfish would work.  Since it is so heavily salted, what should I do to prepare it for cooking?


texts: Cryovac tenderloin left in trunk of my car

texts: I unintentionally left a whole cryovac tenderloin roast in the trunk of my car for 36 hours, big mistake I know!  The temperature range during that time was between 25 - 55 degress, mostly in the 35 - 45 degree range. Is it safe to eat?


texts: How to prevent Italian style rice pasta from sticking to the pot?

texts: Every time I cook Italian style rice pasta the whole pot becomes "starchy" and some of the pasta always gets stuck to the pot. Is there a way to prevent this from happening?


texts: Flour vs cornstarch for keeping fresh uncooked pasta from sticking together

texts:
I am planning on making my first batch of fresh pasta soon and have been researching all of the steps.

One of these steps is to dust a bit of flour on fresh pasta dough to make it easier to work with and to stop freshly cut noodles from sticking together when handling. In some cases I have seen people mention using cornstarch to dust their pasta instead.

What is the difference in using cornstarch vs flour to prevent fresh uncooked noodles and dough from sticking to each other? Is one better than the other?


texts: Can you deep fry a frozen egg? Is it advisable?

texts:
I read in a manga (shokugeki no soma chapter 170) the main protagonist froze an egg, then removed the shell and dipped it in tempura batter, making a dish that seems impossible to be created in reality.

Can one achieve that kind of cooking technique in reality?


texts: Why is butter usually labeled "Sweet Cream"?

texts: Most (or even all?) butter found at the grocery store is labeled "sweet cream".  Is there a distinction between this and another type of cream, and if so, what is it?


texts: can the degree of white to black parts make coarse ground pepper taste mild?

texts:
I previously asked this question about what makes black pepper mild:  What makes black pepper strong or mild?

Both ground type and freshness could be the cause however it has occured to me that the parts in the mild bottle had more white than black bits.  I understand that white pepper(the inside of black peppercorn tastes different to the exterior black bits).  On the other hand when it has tasted stronger thats because I was using a pepper where it was predominantly black bits.

so could this be a cause for the mild taste?


texts: Is refrigerated seafood fresher than seafood displayed on ice but uncovered?

texts:
I'm guessing that  seafood displayed in refrigerators aren't exposed to room temperature

would be fresher than seafood exposed on ice?


texts: How can I extract menthol powder from fresh mint/peppermint?

texts: I have peppermint/mint growing in my garden backyard. I want to make Ice Cream for children and they are asking for some flavour paan ice cream in Hindi (mint ice cream) and for that I want Menthol powder to mix into plain ice cream. How can I make Menthol Powder from Mint/Peppermint Leaves?


texts: Honey-fermented garlic left open overnight

texts: I am a five days or so into the process of honey-fermenting a batch of garlic. Took the can out to let it burp last night but then left it open on the kitchen counter and only realised in the morning. Do I have to throw it all away now? Particularly concerned about botulism...


texts:
I am new to baking and I am in the process of creating and starting my bakery in my country.

I got a few questions, my bakery is planning on making pita bread. I have a fully automatic machine that will create the bread.

I plan to product fresh bread everyday and when needed. My main fears are mold, bad texture, and taste.

My questions are:

1- Would it mold after the first (1st) day If i don't put any preservatives?

2- I really don't want to add to the cost, should I think of adding Bread Improvers, would it even help the taste?

3- Are Bread improvers that important?

Here are the ingredient:

Brown Sugar for browning
Baking soda to help neutralize the acidity that comes from the molasses in the brown sugar.
Salt
Water
Yeast

Thanks!


texts:
I am planning on making soup with my leftover turkey frame. I was just wondering if it is possible to freeze the soup and have it taste good when it is thawed. I am guessing it should be fine as long there aren't any noodles in the soup. Other than that the only ingredients called for are vegetables (celery, can of diced tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms) and spices.

What do you think?


texts:
I have a hard time keeping basil.

When I buy it from a local grocery store, it is perfectly fresh, but when I take it home it withers in a couple of days.

I have tried keeping it in fresh water and trimming the stems, but that only extends its life about 48 hours. My current record is 3 days before it goes bad, and I only got that by trimming and replacing water every 16 hours.

What is the secret here? How can I keep the basil alive?


texts:
I have a recipe where one of spices I need to use is coriander. What other spice can I use to substitute coriander and don't change taste very much?

In the recipe coriander is used to season meat before cooking.


texts:
I really want to make sushi (and sashimi). However, I'm concerned about the health risks of eating raw fish.

I made a research and I found this:

  EU
  regulations forbid the use of fresh raw fish. It must be frozen at
  temperatures below −20 °C (−4 °F) in all parts of the product for no
  less than 24 hours.[66] As such, a number of fishing boats, suppliers
  and end users "super-freeze" fish for sushi to temperatures as low as
  −60 °C.[67] As well as parasite destruction, super-freezing also
  prevents oxidation of the blood in tuna flesh, thus preventing the
  discoloration that happens at temperatures above −20 °C.[68]

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushi.

So I wonder if it's safe if I freeze the raw fish in my refrigerator's freezer for a day or two? Any advice on making safe sushi?


texts:
Years and years ago, I had a pizza stone, and discovered that it was great for making thin and crispy cookies. That pizza stone cracked in half, and it was only this year that I bought another one. Can I make cookies on a pizza stone? Will all my cookies taste like pizza? Will my pizza taste like cookies?

Edit: My previous stone broke before I had made more than a few pizzas on it. I'm concerned that tastes might be retained by the stone over time; is this possible?


texts: From which culture did our North American meal progression (soup/salad/appetizer + meal + dessert) come from?

texts:
In North America (i.e. U.S. and Canada), a typical supper progression is as follows:

Appetizer (optional)
Salad or Soup
Main course (which is called "entree" -- in Europe, "entree" means starter)
Dessert (pies, ice cream, etc.)

My question: How did we end up this progression? Did we inherit this from the British? The French? Or the early settlers?

The reason I ask is because Italian meal progressions aren't like this at all. There go for the primi, secondi, but typically no dessert (well, if they do choose to  have dessert, it's usually something light like fruit; never pies or cakes). Pastries/biscotti are eaten at tea-time.

The Italian progression makes a lot of sense to me. Tea time (around 4-5 pm) is just ideal for a little something before dinner. As for dessert, it doesn't make sense to eat something as heavy as cake or pies after a full meal. For me, eating sweets when one is stuffed takes away from the enjoyment of the sweets. In my own culture, we don't have tea-time, and we don't eat dessert. The main course is the prima donna at supper time, and we don't feel a need to supplement it with anything else.


texts: Can Creme Fraiche be substituted for Heavy Cream in a Cream Sauce?

texts:
I am trying to make a past dish and I need to know if I can substitute Creme Fraiche for Heavy Cream in the recipe I am using. Said recipe calls for:

  Cream Sauce
    1 quart heavy cream
    1 head garlic, roasted
    1/2 teaspoon pepper
    2 teaspoons salt
    1 cup parmesan cheese