texts: Is it okay to keep opened loose leaf tea packages in the freezer?

texts:
I've bought approximately 10 kilograms worth of tea and it's taking up a lot of space in the fridge. Family isn't happy about the sudden lack of fridge space, and so I'm thinking of stashing 80% of each packet and leaving the remaining 20% on the shelf for frequent access. The question is, where to put the big packs.

With Japanese green teas which come vacuum sealed and with a special packet of oxygen remover, I've found that if left out in the open, they tend to go bad much much faster than if I keep them in the fridge. And then if I also keep a big portion of it always closed in a glass jar with a tight lid in the fridge, and only use some small portion of it and refill only every once in a while, the big jar doesn't get oxydized and stale as fast as when I use just that one big jar. So with this experience I was thinking of doing the same with this tea, but there's just too much of it to keep it all in the general fridge space.

Does tea get ruined or lose flavor or otherwise becomes worse if kept in the freezer instead of the fridge?

This time it's a lot of black teas with all kinds of flavorings and some fruit/herb mixes, so it shouldn't be as oxydizable as green, but I'd like to learn more about storing all sorts, if possible.


texts: I would like to make some gumbo, but I can not find fresh okra locally. Is it ok to use frozen okra sourced from a Indian supermarket instead?


texts: Wood for a cutting board, will sanding make it food safe?

texts: I would like to make a cutting board from some hardwood I have. I'm pretty sure it has been imported, so I think it might have been fumigated or treated for insects/pests at some point. I've tried researching about this but I found very little, but the little I did find suggested sanding it as the fumigation process would only leave chemicals on the surface. Does anyone have any input? It looks like a good beginners project but I want it to be as food safe as possible.


texts: What is the best way to chip your butter when making biscuits?

texts: I love biscuits and have made many. The one thing that gets me is cutting the butter. I have used several different approaches with varying degrees of success. What works for you.


texts: What material is best for a pour over coffee brewer?

texts: Pour over coffee will be my next venture in the coffee world, and I'm trying to decide between ceramic and plastic. The ceramic devices are much more expensive, and I'm hoping to understand if there is a justification for the extra expense.


texts:
This was surprising to me. Every other week I make straw fries. These are kept on the counter in a plastic container and with kitchen-paper. The container is open because otherwise the fries lose their crisp.

I've made tuna teriyaki twice this week and found that the straw fries have obtained a distinct tuna flavor that I could do without.

The fries are not even close to the stovetop.

Any suggestions?


texts:
I want to make sausages, likely following a fresh sausage chorizo recipe. I can't dry and cure them in the traditional way since I lack the equipment, so my plan is to make regular fresh sausages using either Spanish or Mexican-style recipes (still undecided, and they'll be fresh/non-cured either way).

I was toying with the idea of putting the fresh sausages in my oven on the dehydration setting, which I think takes many hours. However I've learned that this is a bad idea. Apparently the fat in the sausages wouldn't respond well to dehydration in this way and the product wouldn't resemble the dry cured sausage I would desire.

But what if I put the sausage in the oven on the dehydration setting for maybe 2-3 hours? I would likely use a temperature around 150F, which would cook them thoroughly with enough time. I'm thinking this would have a few advantages:

It would cook the whole batch at once. This means I could freeze them after they've been cooked and simply warm them up in the future to eat them.

It would dry them a bit, which would in my opinion improve the texture and flavour.

What would happen if I dehydrated fresh sausages for a couple hours?


texts: I've made pasta before using 00 flour. I was about to use the same thing to make gnocci but I've noticed that none of the gnocci recipes mention the "00". Does it make a difference? Is one better then the other?


texts: Making Mayo by hand , using whisk , emulsion breaks down

texts:
I'm trying to make homemade mayonaise and it's not really working out well.

I got a glass bowl that's fairly deep and use the following ingredients:

*  1 egg yolk*
* 1/2 teaspoon salt (not kosher)
* 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
* 2 pinches sugar
* 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
* 1 cup oil

I put the oil into a squeeze bottle, basically like a ketchup bottle so I can squeeze the oil out a few drops at a time in the beginning.

Well about 1/3rd of the way through I lose my emulsion and I'm left with egg and oil on top.  Should I be using a whisk?  The one I have I feel that the spacings are too far apart but I'm not sure.

How long should it take from start to finish to get this thing made?  I don't know if I'm whisking too long or not...can you even whisk too long?

EDIT 1:  I get an egg and separate the yolk out in a bowl and once i know it's all good I put it into my glass bowl.  After this is done I add the sugar, dry mustard, salt, the vinegar and 1stp of the lemon juice.

I then start to whisk the crap out of this thing until it looks like it's been beat up.  I then start to slowly add the oil.  Just a drop or two at first, then slowly add more.  I'm not sure if I'm adding the oil too fast or put the ingredients in wrong or what the deal is.  At about the 50% mark I want to add the rest of the lemon juice.


texts: Why do BBQ sauce recipes specify that you must cook the sauce?

texts: Most BBQ sauce recipes specify that you cook them, why is this? Would it not suffice to just mix the ingredients together as they will be cooked when you use the sauce on the grill anyway?


texts: When I make apple juice, what's in the foam on top?

texts: I juiced my peeled apple seconds. What makes the foam on top? It seems to have good flavor, but this juice is going into the fermenter for apple cider when I collect enough (freezing until then) so I'm wondering how much sugar is in the foam.


texts: How can I tell when red bananas are ripe?

texts: Recently we bought a hand of red bananas. We watched them for a while, but couldn't sense a change in them (they don't change color). We eventually opened one and it was hard inside. How can I tell when they are ripe?


texts: I have to cook bacon for 300, how far in advance can I make the bacon?  How will it hold up if say I start cooking it 2 days before the breakfast?


texts: How much protein from the stock of one large chicken (2kg) carcass once legs, breasts and wings removed?

texts:
I can find details of how much protein per body of fluid (e.g. 1 US cup) but to be honest we probably all make stock to a different concentration, so that makes that metric useless.

When I prepare a large chicken (2kg), I remove the breasts , wings and legs (and the oysters on the back) so I'm left with just the main carcass which I then simmer for ages.  How much protein is extracted please?


texts: Letting batter with baking soda wait before adding into the oven

texts:
I want to bake a cake with 3 layers, but I only have one baking pan and thus I will have to bake them one by one (already thought about making one big cake and dividing it into 3 parts but I pref not to use that method).
The problem is it takes 35 minutes to bake one layer and the batter contains baking soda and baking powder and I'm worried it will affect the outcome since I'm not baking the other 2 layers immediately after adding the baking soda.
So my question is, can I let the batter for the other 2 layers wait before adding to the oven?
Making the batter and separating into 3 and then adding the baking soda and powder isn't an option since I would have to mix it again which will affect the result. And I also don't want to make the batter for each layer separately.


texts: A strange cooker or fait-tout or... what can it be?

texts:
We have this odd cooker. We have not been able to figure out what it is. The top can't be opened.

EDIT : There's some liquid inside both parts, we can hear it if we shaken them. Even if we can't figure if it's water or something else as we can't see it.

Does anyone know what this is?


texts: While frying the cheese garlic bread on a frying pan, can a silver foil prevent the base of bread from burning?

texts: Everytime I make cheesy garlic bread at home using a frying pan, the base of the bread turns black within few minutes. Can using a silver foil on the base prevent it from burning.


texts: Cooking fruit with or without sugar solution

texts: Why does fruit retain its shape when heated in sugared water but break down when heated with just plain water?


texts: what is the point of making jam if it consumes pectin which requires fruit to make

texts: Making jam usually requires pectin which is extracted from fruit. If the traditional purpose of making jam is to preserve fruit, why would it be a good idea to extract the pectin from one fruit to preserve another. This seems circular.


texts: I want to use a full stovetop griddle in my regular stovetop. I have this https://www.webstaurantstore.com/vigor-23-x-23-portable-steel-griddle/247PG2222FH.html   My issue is that the heating ends up being uneven hot in the spots where the burners are and cold elsewhere. Is there someway I could get even heating across my entire stovetop? I have a regular residential gas stove. I’m trying to cook large amounts of scrambled eggs and hash browns at once.


texts: When proofing active yeast, is it ok to add oil?

texts: When I put my active yeast in the water, can I add oil?


texts: How can I tell if vitelottes/purple potatoes have "green flesh"?

texts:
I know not to eat white-fleshed potatoes if the skin/flesh is turning green.

Is there any way to tell with purple potatoes?
I know this variety is darker purple all the way through, unlike some...
so I wouldn't be able to see a green flesh color inside, but imagined maybe they'd turn brownish from the combination?

They have just started to sprout, which is what caused me to question them.


texts:
I'm trying out making macarons, and I'd like to get some strawberry flavor incorporated, but I don't have access to flavored powder.

I've seen some recipes that use an Italian meringue instead of French, and I'm wondering if I could just make the meringue with a flavored syrup instead of just simple syrup? Like maybe strawberries and sugar instead of just plain water and sugar. I'm sure I'd need to run it through a sieve, but are there any chemical reactions due to the berry juice I need to worry about?


texts: How is boiled rice different from steamed?

texts:
I recently got into a friendly argument with a coworker about how rice should be prepared.

I insisted that the goal was to steam the rice- too much water and it would boil into a soupy pudding.

She claimed that her uncle's family in a little village in India boils their rice with a lot of water and pours off the excess. She says that the rice is "fine". I don't believe her.

Is it possible to make rice that isn't a sodden mess by boiling it? If so, how does it differ from steamed rice?


texts: Why does ice form mostly on one side of frozen sliced bread?

texts:
I keep my store-bought bread in the freezer and I've noticed that after it's frozen, every slice has a lot of small ice crystals on one side, but almost none on the other. I was wondering if it had to do with the opening of the bag or the direction it faces in the freezer so the last time I bought a loaf I put it with the sealed opening facing the back of the freezer, when normally I put it facing the front of the freezer. In both cases the crystals formed on the side facing the back of the freezer with almost none on the side facing the door. What causes the ice formation to be uneven?

EDIT
I have experimented further and discovered that the ice crystals form after the bread is already frozen. The longer the bread is left in the freezer, the larger and more numerous the visible ice crystals get. Turning the bread around after a few days causes the ice crystals to form on the other side of each slice without noticeably reducing the ice that's already formed.


texts:
Magic Cake has a seemingly simple batter, that is mixed and baked as a single entity.  (See link for the full recipe and method).  When it is baked, it separates into three distinct layers:

A dense bottom layer
A custard middle layer
A cakey top layer

(Photo and baking by Rfusca)

What is the science behind this?  How does the single batter separate and create three separate and well defined layers?

As many photos of various magic cakes show (such as those at the recipe author's Part II,  page), there is a definite edge effect on the layers, so it is not simply separation of components due to differing density.


texts: culinary difference between dill and fennel

texts:
Many salmon recipes use Dill (Anethum graveolens) as the usual ingredient as condimentary herb.

In my place, I have fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) available outdoors, so I opt to use it instead. And I like it.

Why is it never mentioned as a substitute? what is your opinion?


texts:
I Have already cooked in the slow cooker overnight the bacon and forgot to soak.  It is now really really salty and unfit to eat.  How can I solve now and get rid of the salt.

Thanks

Bernie


texts:
Here's the situation: We're looking for a good coffee solution at our church. Churches (especially in the midwest) tend to have terrible coffee and we don't want to add to the problem. I'm looking for a machine that has the following characteristics.

Good taste
25+ cups
Keeps coffee hot for 2-3 hours without burning it
At least the ability to auto shut off after an adjustable amount of time, programmable is a plus
Affordable (< $200)
Preferably urn vs. drip

This machine, the Nostalgia Electrics DSU-600 (http://www.livingdirect.com/Nostalgia-Electrics-60-Cup-Digital-Coffee-Urn-DCU-600/DCU-600,default,pd.html) looked promising but I don't know if it supports auto shutoff or only auto start AND I'm worried that it may no longer be produced by the manufacturer. If someone can suggest a machine that meets these qualifications or set my mind at ease about the DCU-600, it'd be greatly appreciated. (To be fair, I will accept the first qualifying post to remove any subjectivity)

Thanks for your advice!


texts: What can be done with Norwegian brown cheese Brunost other than a sandwich?

texts:
Some years ago I tried Norwegian brown cheese Brunost. I am aware that technically it is not cheese and it is brown and very sweet due to caramelized milk sugar.

I was wondering - is there any other use of this cheese other than a sandwich with some butter and possibly jam/marmalade?


texts: I already know you can't freeze an avocado and have it come out usable. Is this mitigated at all, however, by the avocado being in a dish? The specific example I'm thinking of would be avocado slices or chunks in a freezer burrito. Would it be better to make guacamole? Or what if a dish has avocado cooked into it, but not pureed?


texts: Does anyone pre-juice their fruit juice for sale?

texts: I would like to know if there are stores out there that that pre-juice their fruit juices on the eve of sale, perhaps for 24-hours only since juicing. Have they been successful? What are the methods and protocols they might be using in in-house juicing/packaging/storing?


texts:
My self-defrosting freezer appears to have gotten stuck in defrost mode for the past three weeks.  The internal temperature is around 25F rather than the ideal 0F, but nothing seems to have thawed.  Is the food still good to eat?

(The refrigerator compartment is also too warm, at 45F rather than 35F, but nothing in there is particularly heat-sensitive.)


texts:
I've been experimenting some with do it yourself microwave popcorn, and some trouble getting the 'burn time' right has led me to a question that I can't find a good, definitive answer to.

What is the scientific explanation for the mechanism for how popcorn burns?  I'm not looking for "Because it gets too hot", but what gets too hot, how does it actually get that way?  Microwaves don't just heat everything up (like a stove does), so it's not as straightforward as that.  You can put many foods inside of a microwave and massively overcook them without burning.  So what's special about popcorn that causes it to burn?  I would prefer either a detailed chemistry/physics answer, or  a reliable, science-based source.  From looking around online, there are lots of semi-reliable opinions on this, none of which agree with each other.

For example, this very old Chicago Tribune article on Popcorn seems to say that it's a problem of "finding" the kernels.  Really?  Others claim it is the kernel overheating, or the bag overheating, or the oil overheating (yet no-oil still burns, though that may contain some oil from the corn itself I suppose), or gnomes lighting them on fire with matches (Well, no, but it's about as reliable as anything else I've found).

And related to this, what control do I have over this other than time.  On a stove, I can reduce the heat; for example, if I'm cooking on the stove with butter, if I cook at '3' I can cook almost all day without burning my butter, while at '4' it browns pretty quickly; so I can choose whichever setting based on that.  What in a microwave would be similar (in allowing me to cook the kernels more thoroughly - not just take longer - without risking burning).  What ingredients or microwave settings can I control?


texts: Resources for reheatable meals, specifically fish?

texts:
I start work today at a new restaurant. One of my responsibilities will be to come up with daily fish dishes for the takeout counter servicing the lower echelons of office staff in our building. Easy, right? Not so much; these dishes will need to be easily reheatable in a microwave. Are there any recipe sites out there which focus specifically on meals which don't degrade when microwaved?

Alternatively, does anyone know of resources which discuss general principles for making food intended to be reheated in a microwave?

(NB: yes, of course, one solution is to make cold dishes. That isn't doable for ten dishes per week. The majority must be hot.)


texts:
I've been trying to sear tofu in my stainless skillet, but no matter what I do it seems to stick. The nice crust gets ripped off of my tofu pieces. I've played around with different amounts of oil, different starting temperature, different cooking time, etc. Is there anything I should focus on?

If it's not possible, I'm happy to give up and just use a cast-iron or crumble the tofu or whatever instead.

UPDATE

I bought a carbon steel wok and can pan fry tofu in there with no problem!  I sprinkle a bit of salt on there to prevent sticking but I'm guessing most of the nonstick comes from the pan's seasoning.


texts: Is there a formula for converting pancake batter to waffle batter?

texts: I have a wonderful pancake recipe that I would like to convert into a waffle recipe.  Is there a generally accepted formula for doing this?  Based on other recipes I've seen, it looks like the amount of oil is the main difference.  Would more flour or other ingredients need to be added to compensate for additional oil?  Are there any specific pitfalls to avoid?


texts:
I heard of someone who supposedly had a fire while cooking on an enameled cast iron grill pan. I am not sure if this was due to negligence on the part of the chef or if there was something in the grill pan that could have caused this. What do you think?

Could some materials like the enamel coating have reacted to certain foods?


texts:
So I'm at my sister's house, and it turns out she doesn't have any scales.

I need to weigh 120g of castor sugar.

What can I do?


texts:
This recipe for southern-fried chicken mentions something called "bagel chips."

What exactly are bagel chips, and how do you make them? All I can find are recipes for it or places that sell something in a bag that resembles potato chips.


texts: why does my beer batter seem to hold too much oil?

texts:
Please can you help find out why when i deep fry my cod in beer batter it even when drained on paper is still full of cooking oil please.
I use same measure of flour to beer and add lemon juice and saffron for colour .


texts:
Is it possible to make smoothly melting cheese slices at home, similar to Kraft American cheese slices?

What are the key techniques?


texts:
I've just bought a wok recently and seasoned it. The only thing i realized at the end is that it never became blue, it's just a dark brown color. Is there a possibility to season it wrong? I've added a few layers of coat with oil, however i have no clue if this can be a health issue on the long run or not.
Thanks in advance.


texts: Why do sungold kiwis never sting the tongue, while green kiwis can?

texts:
I've been buying ripe sungold kiwis (from New Zealand) and green kiwis (from Italy) for at least 5 years, and have noticed that sungolds never sting, while the green ones sometimes do.

Why? Are they different cultivars or varieties? Which is the correct term, BTW?


texts:
Is it possible to sharpen a peeler?  And if it is, how should I do it?

Are there any things to look out for? (Such as ending up with concave blades.)

This is the sort of peeler I'm talking about:


texts: Can I use soy butter instead of olive oil for baking vegetables?

texts:
I'm putting olive oil (probably too much) in my oven tray when roasting vegetables, potatoes, poultry, etc.

Can I use soy butter instead of olive oil?

Alternatively, what are some cheaper types of oil that I can use for baking vegetables?


texts: Can I use Bisquick instead of All Purpose Flour?


texts: Can fermented products (yoghurt, creme fraiche etc) be added to a ravioli filling?

texts: If not, why not? (From a science point of view if possible :))


texts: How to dry Eucalyptus leaves (to later on make herbal tea from)?

texts:
I recently collected Eucalyptus leaves that I'd like to dry out to later on make herbal tea from.

I've cleaned the leaves and scattered them on a grid, but I'm wondering if there are fast techniques to dry them (faster would also mean less bacteria or dust collecting on them).

I didn't collect the whole branch, just the leaves, so hanging them isn't the easiest way for me. I'm wondering if there's a solution involving using the oven or the stove to dry them out.


texts: Why does my sourdough starter have in the top the liquid separated from the flour? 2 days after beginning a new one, a liquid (water) appeared on top of it, it appeared after I fed it the first time. To feed it I discarded half of the starter and then I added 5 tbsp of flour and 5 tbsp of tap water to feed it. Then, on the next day the liquid appeared like that. I don't think it's OK, so I discarded that liquid, and then waited a full 24 hours to feed it again like that.


texts: Why don't some Italian tomato sauces and pastes use citric acid?

texts: I bought tomato paste that came from Italy that just contains tomatoes and no citric acid. Another jar of tomato passata also only contained tomatoes. Are Italian tomatoes more acidic or is there a reason that they don't seem to use citric acid? I would be more comfortable knowing the ph is at the right level for food safety reasons but perhaps it is?


texts: How can I reheat chicken without it getting rubbery or dry?

texts: Reheating chicken in the microwave is usually a disaster, rubbery and awful or underheated.  In the toaster oven, the meat will frequently dry out.  How can I reheat it and keep the texture reasonable?


texts:
I am trying to make a hazelnut butter, for the ultimate gain of a vegan Nutella-like outcome, but in order to do so I need to use "skinned" hazelnuts. I've tried the following:

Boil a cup of hazelnuts in 2 cups water with 3 tablespoons baking soda
Drain
Put in ice bath to cool
Rub skins off with towel

I got to the fourth step, but it was difficult to get the skins completely off of the hazelnuts. I was using a paper towel, and it turned out using my fingers was easier.
How can I get completely clean/blanch hazelnuts? Am I doing anything wrong or using something incorrect?


texts: If braised meat is cooked at 200 degrees in a perfectly sealed pouch in the oven, does the temperature rise above boiling?

texts:
I just tried to answer a question about pot roast and looking at recipes I discover one that cooks the meat at 200 degrees in a sealed pouch for 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

There is a lot of reason to make a roast such as a prime rib at low temperatures since the inside of the meat will cook close to the same speed as the outside making an even color and temperature to the meat.

However, cooking something at 200 degrees for 3 hours will ultimately cook it through and through which is the purpose. But, does it make a difference if the actual temperature of the meat goes past the boiling temperature? Would it be better to cook it in a 170 degree oven since the steam pressure raises the temp to perhaps something just under boil?


texts: Can I still use meat left out in the trunk

texts: I accidentally left meat in the trunk of my car, it's so cold outside it froze, can I still use it?


texts: My jello is not getting firm in the refrigerator

texts:
The procedure I followed this time:
I started using the microwave to heat up the water. Then I pour both cold and hot water in a bowl, then the package of jello.

Previously I always cooked on the stove. After boil I would pour the jello in the pan, then to a bowl and then the cup of cold water. Never had a problem with that.

With the new method my jello is not getting firm in the refrigerator. Why (not)?


texts: One whole duck and extra pieces - how long in the oven?

texts: I have a duck (a bit more than 3 kilos) and two additional breast pieces (each around 300g). Now I am wondering how long this should stay in the oven. Rule of thumb is usually one hour per kg. So I would put the duck in the oven at 180° for three hours. But what about the additional pieces? Should I add them after two and a half hours? Or does this extend the oven time?


texts: I have some cranberry juice that developed some dark spots under the lid, is it still considered safe to drink?

texts: My mom had some cranberry juice that says best if used in 2018, and was wondering if it will do anything very bad to me, since it was sealed by a reputable manufacturer for this long, and never opened.


texts:
I am trying to make baguettes. I didn't really follow any measurements, but my ingredients are: 1:1 all purpose and wheat flour, salt, water, instant yeast. I don't have a machine. I eyeballed the dough until its the sticky yet intact consistency during the folding phase.

Whenever I fold the dough, after leaving it to rise, the first fold is fairly loose, compliant, and sticky. But when I try to fold it again, the dough somehow becomes stiff. It becomes malleable again after leaving it but is still again by the second fold. Why does this happen? I think there is something wrong with my technique rather than the recipe.


texts: Lard (or other fat) as a subsitute for butter in desserts for someone with a dairy allergy?

texts:
My wife is currently unable to consume any dairy as our breast-fed baby has a milk protein allergy. When reading many dessert recipes, many of them call for butter. For example:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/04/shaker-lemon-pie/
or http://chefmichaelsmith.com/Recipe/cinnamon-rolls/

I know pie crusts for example can be made with either, but can they always be substituted?
When would I not want to use lard over butter?
What ratios should I use to convert the recipe?
Is there some other milk-protein free alternative that would work better?


texts: A firm mousse with juice with my cream whipper

texts: Can I create a firm mousse (dense self holding foam) with juice and no fat or dairy with my cream whipper?


texts: Why do HK chefs let water faucets run unceasingly, when the basin overflows?

texts:
Doesn't this waste water?  I screen-shot 7:45 of Executive Chef Sze Man Sui  at Yè Shanghai on Kowloon Hong Kong.

and 0:42 of Paul Lau at  Tin Lung Heen, Ritz-Carlton HK.


texts: Why is it important to add salt during cooking?

texts: This may seem like a silly question, but given that each persons' tastes are different why is it that salt is added during cooking?  It seems better to just allow the person eating the food to add their own salt to taste as opposed to forcing the same amount of saltiness on everyone equally.


texts:
I've checked out several recipes and none of them really turn out right. They taste like well... parsley, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. No actual kick to it. Nothing special.

I toss the whole thing into a hand blender and serve it raw.

I'm not sure if I'm using the right chili. I don't have access to many American chilis, and am mostly relying on SE Asian ones. I also avoid alcohol, hence the usage of balsamic vinegar instead.

Am I missing some technique or secret ingredient?


texts: Should tomatoes be stored in the fridge?

texts: Storing tomatoes in the fridge tends to make them last a bit longer, but I've heard that the flavor is negatively affected. What is the best way to store them?


texts: What's the best way to store rice long-term?

texts: I have purchased a rather large bag of long-grain white rice (25 lbs.) and need to know the best way for storing it long-term. This rice will be used as both a food-storage food source and as my everyday source of rice for cooking, so the storage solution should (hopefully) be resealable, rather than once-it's-open-it's-open. I eat rice maybe three times a month, so it isn't really "everyday" but it will be my go-to when I have it.


texts: How do they extract kernels from sunflower seeds in mass production?

texts:
Every time I seed a gunny sack of sunflower seed kernels in a supermarket, I wonder how they are extracted from their seeds. It is very difficult to extract even one of them by hand without smashing its kernels, I really wonder the process that extracts mass of them.

How do they do it? Is there a documentary or Youtube video about it?


texts: Why is my meringue soft, moist and discoloured?

texts:
There is a similar question to this, but without a recipe and no satisfactory answer...

I used 3 egg whites with pristine metal utensils. Absolutely no moisture, fats, etc.

Whisked slow, medium, fast, evenly spaced timing over 5 minutes.

Towards the end, around 4 minutes, started adding tablespoons of icing sugar and letting them whisk in.

Continued whisking for a further 2 minutes once all mixed.

Beautiful texture and gloss. Stiff and awesome.

Preheated oven to 100c, spread meringue out for a pavlova.

In the centre of the fan assisted oven on 100c for 2 hrs 10 mins. Turned off and sat until cold (over night and it was actually 5 hrs.)

The first 2 times I did this I got perfect results. Couldn’t wish for better. (First time I used granulated caster sugar, second was with icing sugar which gave a better texture.)

The next time I made 2 pavlova bases and put them in at the same time. Shelves were close together but still centred.

Exact same ingredients, conditions, etc.

This time they came out fluffy, like bread on the inside. Moist to the touch. Stuck to the baking paper. Most worryingly they were a discoloured orange on the outside.

I have now made another at the end of the day, but only one this time. It has turned out the same:

What makes a meringue stay moist? What makes it discolour? Is there anything I should look at considering that I did exactly the same thing each time?


texts:
Very often when looking for recipes for something I want to try, I will only find "easy, ready in 20 minutes, one pot, etc." recipes. The problem is that I want to be challenged, I actively seek recipes that are NOT simple.

Where can I find recipes that dont cut corners to be simple?
Are there specific cookbooks known for this? Or websites?


texts: I have a Brie Cheese that has not been opened. It shows an expiration date that is 6 weeks ago. Is it still safe to eat?


texts: Can a combination of Grilling and Baking be used for Chicken?

texts:
I was wondering If 1st Grilling the chicken to chrisp up the outer surface and then baking it to get is cooked all over and retain the Moistness will work .

Can this give me a Moist and Chrispy chicken ? For how much time should each method be applied ?


texts: Does it make sense for a cake icing recipe to call for vinegar but not baking soda?

texts:
See the making of icing in this video.

"cream cheese" frosting ingredients:
1/2 C coconut oil (solid but soft at room temperature)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 C powdered sugar
1 tbsp + 1 tsp unsweetened soy milk
Using a hand mixer beat the coconut oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract and 1 cup of powdered sugar to start. Once it's mostly combined add in another cup of powdered sugar and beat together. Then add in soy milk and beat until smooth and fluffy. Then ice the cake!

I'm worried that there's some kind of mistake and this will impact the flavour for no reason. Should I leave out the vinegar? Add baking soda? Leave the recipe as is?


texts: Condensed milk versus regular milk in fudge recipes

texts: What is the difference between fudge recipes that call for sweetened, condensed milk versus regular milk?


texts:
I made challah earlier today and the texture is a bit off- it's slightly too dense and not as fluffy as it should be. The recipe I used calls for only yeast, not baking soda. Any idea what I should do differently next time?

Edit:
The recipe I used was this, but without the apple filling https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/apple-honey-challah/

I let it rise for 2 hours (punching it down at the halfway mark). I baked it at 350° for 20 minutes, turned it 180, baked another 20, covered with foil, then baked it at 10 minute intervals for another 30 minutes until it sounded more hollow and the internal temp was about 190°.

After shaping I let it rest for about 40 minutes.

It tastes good but the texture seems slightly off, so I’m hoping to get some insight for my next attempt


texts: Do beef foreshank (the shin) and hindshank taste different? Should they be cooked differently?

texts: What are the practical differences between the foreshank and hindshank? In terms of the amount of fat they contain, dryness, sinewiness and taste. Should they be cooked slightly differently? Does one need a longer cooking time than the other?


texts: I asked a question about what I could add to homemade bread to stop it going off so fast and someone suggested trying "a poolish starter". I've never heard of this before, so what is it?


texts: What is the proper technique for making an angel food cake?

texts:
I made one this weekend for the first time in 2 years, following a recipe. As I was following the instructions, I felt like it was missing something and when I looked at the end product I determined I absolutely did not have the proper technique.

I know now that the egg whites should have been at room temperature, but what else did I miss?

Is confectioners sugar better than granulated?
Is cake flour (over all purpose) a must?
Should the sugar be whipped with the egg whites or folded in with the flour?
What is the proper temperature? (375 for 40 mins was too much in my oven)


texts: Does commercial bread use baking powder?

texts:
My understanding of baking powder is that it supposed to be a chemical alternative to yeast, allowing a baker to leaven bread more cheaply and faster than yeast would do.

Is baking powder the primary method for leavening commercial breads that I would find in a grocery store like "Wonder Bread" and "Sunshine" and so on?


texts: How to make chapattis round and of same thickness?

texts:
I have tried making Chapatis many times. I can make dough for Chapati very well, but I am failing when it comes to structure of the roti/chapati.

I make two mistakes:

When I try to flatten it, one side (when you look at it horizontally) is thicker than the other which makes it hard to be cooked evenly and results in a chapati that no one wants to eat.
Chapati should be round, sometimes I am lucky, most of the times it is similar to map of Australia. Is there a trick to keeping the chapati all uniformly round?


texts: Soymilk for drinking vs. soymilk for tofu making

texts:
Many recipes for tofu start from soymilk, many others start from scratch, but most of either kind share a whole variety of approaches, i.e. the order of the soaking, boiling and blending operations, the duration of the soak, the length of the milk cooking/simmering, whether the milk should be strained before simmering or the other way around. Recipes for drinking soymilk vary on a similar fashion, apart from the fact that they aim to remove the so-called "beany flavor" that seems to be haunting homemakers.

Assuming the invariance of the final product in terms of flavor, firmness, coagulation etc. there are some choices that result in consistent operational advantages, such as the boil-and-blend method which leaves out the discomforts of the soak, or the option of straining the milk before the simmer so that all you have to do to get to the coagulant insertion is wait for it to come down to temperature.

My question now is: can we make such an assumption? Some other sources suggest for example that a soaking time longer than eight hours inhibits the soymilk's ability to coagulate properly, but others point out that it would yield a better drink. Same goes for simmering time, let alone all other variables and orderings I briefly listed above.

I tried making tofu twice using a combo lemon juice and salt as a coagulant, but the results were ricotta-like and silken tofu, while I strive for firm to extra-firm. I mostly blame it on my previous lack of a cooking thermometer which I just purchased specifically (together with some nigari crystals) for this purpose, so I thought I should ask if there are other parameters I might be leaving out of the investigation.

TL; DR: Just read the stuff in bold.


texts: Autolyse with milk or substitute the milk?

texts:
I have a sweet dough recipe that calls for milk powder, heavy whipping cream, and whole milk. It also calls for water, but all of it is used in a tangzhong formulation. I would still like to autolyse the remaining flour, but I'm not sure how to do that since I don't have any water left. How can I autolyse?

Combine flour, heavy whipping cream, and whole milk - then let it rest for 20-60 minutes?
Scald the heavy whipping cream and whole milk, combine with flour - then let it rest 20-60 minutes?
Replace the heavy whipping cream and whole milk with UHT milk, combine with flour - then let it rest for 20-60 minutes?
Replace heavy whipping cream and whole milk with powdered milk, then combine the water that should be added to the powdered milk to the flour instead - then let it rest for 20-60 minutes?
Should I add the tangzhong during the autolyze? I'm concerned that there won't be enough hydration unless I do so.

BONUS QUESTIONS:

Generally, what is the hydration level when doing an autolyse?
When a recipe calls for milk powder, is it asking for non-fat milk
powder?
Why would a bread recipe call for heavy whipping cream? Does it have something to do with fat content?


texts: Why are all sour cream cultures I've found for sale online labeled as direct set? Why can't I reuse like I do yogurt?

texts:
I've realized we go through a lot of sour cream in my household, and I want to start making probably about a pint or two a week during the summer months.

I've been researching for a few hours, and while I haven't found any reusable sour cream culture, I haven't found any reason I can't reuse sour cream culture. On the same websites selling culture, there's reusable yogurt and cheese culture, so I'm pretty sure it's not just a sales tactic.

I've come across a few articles that state you have to be careful with reusing culture for other fermented milk recipes. It looks like contamination with other bacteria is a concern even with yogurt. Learning that, I may just go ahead and start setting aside my culture for the next batch right off the bat, before any spoon or air contamination can hit the yogurt. I learned from my parents, who reuse from the bottom of the pot when we're getting low.

The only reason I can think of for sour cream being an issue is temperature. I assume that at 75 degrees, a lot of different bacterias can thrive. With yogurt at 110 degrees, maybe it's more of a hostile environment to unwanted bacteria, making it more easily reusable?

If that's the case, I think I can make a jar of sour cream and pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it to provide myself with culture for a few more batches out of that one.

If there's something special about sour cream culture that it's not reusable at all, why is it special, and can I make my own through some process?


texts: Made a ginger carrot soup with coconut milk but accidentally made it too salty, how do i fix it?

texts:
I made a ginger carrot soup with coconut milk but accidentally made it too salty, how do i fix it?

From some google searches - one said to put raw potatoes to absorb the salt. I am not sure if that will work for the soup as it is a thick carrot soup. Adding water would make it watery. Does anyone have any other methods that would work for me? I would like to keep the soup thick.

Thank You

Edit - the butternut squash worked for me!


texts:
I'm working on a bread roll recipe that's 66% water (it's wet, but I'm still able to shape into rolls), 4% powdered skim milk, 1.8% ADY, 1.6% salt, 10% sugar, and 8% shortening. I divide the rolls into 30 grams per roll. I spray the buns and put in extra steam in the oven when I bake them. I also start the first couple of minutes of baking at the highest oven temperature, then drop it to about ~300F/150C for a total baking time of about 15 minutes.

It's a very basic dough recipe. When baked, the rolls come out slightly sweet, very soft, and moist. It's a decent bread roll.

However, I would like the crumb to be a bit airier and slightly drier. And I want the crust to be slightly thicker and flakier (but not as thick and flaky as a French baguette).

What adjustments can I make to my formula to achieve the crumb and crust texture that I am looking for? I'm thinking that less sugar and possibly less shortening might help? Should I drop my shortening to 3% (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread#Fats_or_shortenings)? Would those changes help me?

Also, besides changing my formula, is there anything else I can do to help achieve my goals?


texts: How to plan the portion size for a vegetarian bourguignonne dish?

texts:
I like the taste of beef bourguignonne and would like to create a vegetarian version of it. For that, I plan to use oven-dried, tempura-fried aubergine slices instead of meat (egg-containing tempura, fried to a golden crust), and mushroom stock for the sauce.

The problem is that I am not sure how filling this substitution will be, and how many calories it contains - the aubergines probably close to nothing, but the fried tempura is rich.

How should I go about calculating the portions, so they are roughly equivalent to a portion of standard beef bourguignonne?


texts:
So I wanted to infuse garlic flavour to my sunflower oil. I sliced one full garlic and added it to cold sunflower oil and let it be for a week. When I opened it, the flavour seemed to have infused well but I saw a few bubbles of air in the oil. I got a bit worried and put the glass jar in the refrigerator.

Can you please tell me if:-

I can use the oil safely if I continue to refrigerate it. Or should I just throw it all away?
Can I do something to the oil to make it safe to consume?


texts:
I recently found an old recipe dating from (we think) the mid 19th century.  It states to, "grate a stale tuppenny loaf".
How much is that?  Pounds, ounces, kilograms --  I haven't been able to find a weight that I can use, and none of my older relatives know.
Location could be Cornwall, but that's based purely on where my family came from, rather than any knowledge or certainty
Does anybody on here know?


texts: I am trying to mix 1 part water and 1 part liquid margarine on a stovetop. I notice it will not mix too well. I would also like to make this sauce thick. What would be the best way to do that?


texts: What's the point of long/complex sourdough feeding techniques?

texts:
About a year ago, a friend taught me how she makes her sourdough bread and gave me a portion of her starter.  It works great and makes fantastic loaves.  I've started to look at other recipes online and in various books (e.g. Flour, Water, Salt) to better understand how different types of sourdough breads are made and I've realized that the splitting/feeding of the starter in my recipe is quite a radical departure from every other Levain/sourdough-starter recipe I've found.  Otherwise, it seems to be the standard high-hydration (78%-80%), autolyse (2 hr), bake-in-a-dutch-oven approach that's so common these days.

Specifics:

I typically only have time to bake once a week, so I store my
sourdough culture in a glass jar in the fridge.
For most of the past year, when preparing my dough I would simply
take the starter out of the fridge, split it, and dissolve both
portions directly in warm water (~90 F).
The starter would then get some flour and be put back in the fridge
(100g starter, 100g water, 100g flour).
The portion for the bread would simply have the flour and salt added,
autolyzed with occasional folding, divided and allowed to rise
overnight (~12 hours).

In contrast to this simple approach of dissolving the starter directly in water and then adding the flour for autolysing, every other recipe I've found seems to require a 12 or 24 hour pre-feeding routine that involves feeding the starter first, then discarding most of this newly fed starter before adding this "revived" starter to the water/flour before either a long bulk fermentation or a long rise time.  Or some even require multiple feedings...

Why do people spend so much time and energy on long drawn out pre-feeding routines?  My approach obviously works - the bread rises just fine, the crumb is fantastic (that's mostly due to autolyse and cooking in a dutch oven), it develops a nice flavor and a little sourness over the 12 hour rise time (especially if it's a cold night).

What am I missing?  Better flavor?  I can seen an argument for getting the culture more active this way, but I don't see much difference between that and simply allowing my culture to warm up to room temperature. In fact, I've started letting my culture warm up before splitting it this past month, as well as leaving the newly fed cut at room temperature for several hours before sticking it back in the fridge - however, I haven't noticed any difference in flavor nor in how long it takes to rise, etc.


texts: How can I get crispy skin when pan frying fish?

texts: I struggle to get crispy skin when pan frying fillets. What's the secret?


texts:
I'm planning to make a sort of diorama, and the 3D nature of it is going to require suspending things in clear gelatin.

Are there flavorings that would work that wouldn't significantly affect the color and opacity of the gelatin, or its setting strength?


texts:
If I make a loaf and slow proof it in the refrigerator, I find that sometimes it will collapse in the middle. I know this is happening because there is a large air pocket in the cling film above the bread.

Is there anything I can do to rescue a loaf once this has happened? The objective is to let it rise overnight so that I can bake it first thing in the morning without having to knock it back and do a second rise.


texts: Why does meat (beef and pork) stay pink inside even when braised or stewed for hours?

texts:
Question is basically as is in the title. After simmering for hours, I would expect beef or pork to look fully cooked and grey in the centre, but it'll come out with some pink in the middle. Since its internal temperature should have reached around boiling, why would the inside still look like a medium steak?

(This question isn't about food safety, more about why this happens.)


texts: What's the fluid that comes out from cheese after heating it up?

texts:
I just put some cheese sandwiches into my microwave oven, and I can see a small layer of fluid on the surface of the cheese (trappista). What's this and why I can't see it before heating cheese up?

I assume this is fat, but I'm not sure.


texts: Bagels - Baking Soda or Sugar in the Water?

texts: I'm looking at highly rated bagel recipes. I'm surprised that many (if not most) of the recipes call for sugar in the water the bagels are boiled in instead of baking soda. That has me a bit puzzled. I always thought that the water is supposed to be alkaline, like lye in the water in old-fashioned pretzel recipes, that it is the alkalinity of the water that give bagels (and soft pretzels) their distinctive chewy texture. What am I missing? Will sugar really create that texture?


texts: Is it normal for hot mustard oil to foam strongly when ingredients are added, and why does it?

texts:
I noticed that my mustard oil (of indian brands, as bought outside india, from specialty grocers carrying indian ingredients) tends to foam/bloom much more than other strongly heated oils when adding dried spices, gram flour and similar ingredients.

Is this an innate behaviour of this oil or a sign of an adulterated oil? If it is innate, what is the scientific reason behind this behaviour?


texts: Is the pouring method of beer really important?

texts:
Beer afficionados and similar seem to adhere to some method of pouring beer. The reasons stated feel unscientific, and I'm wondering if there's any truth to it?

What I'm talking about is the method explained e g here: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/101/pour/

  Steps to a Perfect Pint

  Use a clean glass. A dirty glass, containing oils, dirt or residuals from a previous beer, may inhibit head creation and
  flavours.

  Hold your glass at a 45° angle. Pour the beer, targeting the middle of the slope of the glass. Don't be afraid to pour hard or add
  some air between the bottle and glass.

  At the half-way point bring the glass at a 90° angle and continue to pour in the middle of the glass. This will induce the perfect foam
  head. And remember, having a head on a beer is a good thing. It
  releases the beer's aromatics [...]

(emphasis mine)

Another common explanation is that a foam head actually works as a "lid" and thus keeps the beer carbonated bettter.

Is there any truth to either of these?


texts: How do you create and store bacteria cultures for fermenting?

texts:
I'm very new to fermenting and am typically doing it with vegetables pressed under either salt or salt and water.

I've come across several sites teaching about how bacteria cultures can be used in this process, but am unsure how to create them and store them instead of buying them.


texts: What is the minimal set of ingredients that English rice pudding can be made with?

texts:
While reading the Wikipedia article on rice pudding, my curiosity has gotten the better of me. Clearly, any flavourings, spices, toppings or sweeteners will be optional and the article also explicitly states that eggs are optional.

Referring specifically to their section on the UK variants, it seems to be the case that the minimal set of ingredients is either milk, rice, and cream or milk, rice, and butter. This has me quite surprised, as both experience and the earlier parts of the article have suggested that milk is normally a good enough substitute for cream, so I see no reason why it wouldn't be possible to make rice pudding with either just milk and rice or just rice and cream.

However, I've yet to see a recipe for either of these two minimalist options. Is there any practical reason why this wouldn't work?


texts: Why did some leaves of my fresh Fenugreek turn yellow after a few days of purchase, and how to prevent the leaves from turing yellow?

texts:
5 days after I purchased fresh Fenugreek, I noticed some of its leaves turned pale yellow.
What does that indicate, and how to prevent it (if it is a bad thing)?

The Fenugreek was placed as a tied bundle on the kitchen counter for 5 days.


texts: Yogurt-based sourdough smells like alcohol

texts:
I'm following this yogurt-based sourdough recipe, and (right now) at the 18-hour mark, it (the dough) smells like alcohol. Is this a bad sign, that it should not be consumed? And, moreover, is this recipe perhaps dangerous for leaving yogurt out for extended periods of time? Or will the baking process make it safe to eat?

Note: I'm aware that when sourdough starter smells like alcohol, it needs to be fed. But this is actual dough and not starter, which is cause for my concern.

Edit: Finished baking it. Smelled sour-dough-y and fine so I tried a bit. Not as good as regular sourdough but I think the alcohol-smelling issue was actually a non-issue.


texts: Is it possible to make shaken cocktails without bar equipment handy? How do you improvise when a cocktail shaker or strainer isn't available?


texts: Smell Something Burning. Course of action?

texts:
What do I do when I smell something burning in my pot of mutton in gravy? Stirring is the best way to prevent this but what if some charring has already taken place? Wouldn't it be better not to stir to avoid mixing in the charred portion? What is the best way to handle this emergency?

PS: What I'm asking here is quite different from: How do I get the burnt aroma off burnt food?


texts: Can you prepare eggplant by salting, then baking, then finally rinsing?

texts: In normal eggplant preparation, you salt and rinse first. However, when the eggplant is baked, it continues to release water. This leads me to believe that I could achieve a less bitter and tastier result by putting the eggplant in the oven on a rack with salt still on it, and letting the heat help drain it. Would that work?


texts:
My background is in microbiology and I have fairly recently started making sourdough.

I have been working up my sourdough recipe getting lots of information from friends and the internet.

The recipe I have now put together is a 3 day process; the first 2 days are fermentations, and the 3rd day is the preparation of the dough, resting, kneading (stretch and fold), proofing and baking. I have finally hit the 'nail on the head' except for one thing that I need someone to help me solve. ( I have made 6 previous batches until I got here).

I have started to use a stickier dough (as suggested by 2 friends who make a lot of sourdough) mix which results in a dough which is quite sticky to the hands. I make 3 small loaves from this mix. Before proofing them, I coat the loaves in a light dusting of semolina flour and put them in their proofing baskets. This makes the dough much easier to handle (not sticky which is great). I then proof for 5 hours at about 21C. (my place is warm).

The loaf I get is very nicely risen and soft to the touch. However, when I took the first loaf out of its proofing basket (it came out easily) and put it on the pizza stone, it collapsed quite a lot. I put it in the oven at 500 C for 10 mins and then dropped the temperature to 450 for for 35 mins (golden brown) (also recommended by a friend who works with sticky dough). The loaf that came out had not risen really at all, but the texture of the loaf was perfect (nice air pockets, soft in texture and light, and the crust was great. For me it was the perfect loaf in texture and crust, but the rise I saw at the end of proofing (I wish I had taken a photo), was not seen in the final loaf.

My question is, how do I get around this issue? The previous week I made sourdough dough that was not as sticky. It made loaves that rose very nicely during proofing as well, but they did not collapse as much as the "sticky loaves" prior to going in the oven, and they rose nicely in the oven. However the texture of the baked loaf was more dry and only had lots of tiny airpockets.

I know now that one of the keys to a successful sourdough loaf is the stickiness of the dough, but how do I get a better rise using this dough (as I said, it rose nicely in the proofing baskets but collapsed when moving it to the pizza stone)? I am kind of mystified right now.


texts: how to calculate a standard drink from the alcohol percentage?

texts:
Part science, part arithmetic question.

For alcohol with proof x what volume constitutes a single drink?

Defining a standard drink as 14 grams of alcohol:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_drink

although it seems to be the wrong units.  I vaguely remember something about moles but wouldn't recall how to apply this here.

Actually, not sure where I got the 14 grams from, but a unit of alcohol looks to be perhaps a better measure:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_of_alcohol

see also:

How to determine the alcohol content of a mixed-drink?


texts: how long does a cake with avocado frosting last in the fridge?

texts:
I am making a cake that I will frost with avocado frosting. For how many days can I keep cakes/cupcakes frosted with avocado frosting in the fridge?

I use this avocado frosting recipe from Alton Brown:

Ingredients:

8 ounces avocado meat, approximately 2 small to medium

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 pound powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions

Peel and pit the avocado. Place the avocado into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment along with the lemon juice and beat until lightened in color, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time and beat until smooth. Add the lemon extract and mix to combine. If not using right away, store in the refrigerator.


texts: Maximum oven temperature for glass cookware

texts:
Is there a maximum safe temperature for cooking with a glass casserole dish in an oven?

Got some Dutch ovens on the bottom rack at 240C (450F) and wondering if I dare put a Pyrex dish on the top rack for half an hour...


texts: How to prepare baby lima beans for this paella recipe?

texts: This paella recipe calls for frozen lima beans, but I only have dried baby lima beans. How should I prepare the lima beans beforehand so that I can treat them as though they were equivalent to the lima beans?


texts:
My preferred recipe for pumpkin pie uses (approximately, to avoid going into recipe details) a pound of pumpkin, sugar (I use brown), an egg, a cup and a half (total) of evaporated milk and cream, mace and cinnamon.  There's quite a bit of liquid in total, and I find that the pie comes out a bit softer than I like.

I'm wondering what the best approach would be to make it thicker.  Should I reduce the amount of evaporated milk and cream, or could I do something like add another egg?  Or maybe both?


texts:
I want to make crepes, but I am out of milk.  Can I still make crepes?  What can replace milk in this application?

I do have yogurt, beer, eggs, cream, butter, flour, salt, and sugar.


texts: Last week, a friend helped us out with a trip to Costco (long story, we didn't have time to cook, or grocery shop for a couple of days), and while she got us some really good stuff, one of the things I'm questioning is the purchase of a package of american cheese.  Can anyone suggest what to do with 120 slices of cheese?  We don't eat this often, and our church isn't having any bbq's anytime soon, so we're kinda at a loss as to what we should do with all this.  Thanks.


texts: What is the purpose of kosher salt in peanut butter? Can it be replaced with something else?

texts:
From here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-peanut-butter-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

    15 ounces shelled and skinned AB's roasted peanuts, recipe follows
    **1 teaspoon kosher salt**
    1 1/2 teaspoons honey
    1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil

What is the purpose of kosher salt in Peanut butter? Can it be
replaced with something else?


texts: I need a translation from Moroccan to English

texts:
My mother brought some spices back from her holiday in Morocco but I can't seem to find a translation of them they are

Cuorre
Pikante
Pimante Negra
Pimante Rojo
Kanela
Comeno
7 Especais Mexta
Jengebre
Courcuoma


texts:
My family has been trying to work out my late Dutch grandmother's soup recipe since she lost it to dementia. If you have any ideas on herbs and spices to try to get the taste right we'd really appreciate it.

The soup was thin noodles, shredded chicken, beef meatballs, and finely diced carrot and celery in a light broth. We're pretty sure the meatballs were just salt, pepper, and nutmeg. We're also pretty sure that she'd have made her stock from scratch with the roast chicken carcass being shredded into the rest of the soup.

If this sounds at all familiar I'd love to hear your thoughts.


texts:
Many dishes start off by finely chopping and then frying vegetables (usually onions, carrots, celery and maybe garlic) to get a good flavour base.

If you want to get the maximum flavour would it not be better to blend them all into a paste and then fry off the paste? (Assuming of course that they would cook away completely during the cooking anyway)


texts: Sausage roll pastry - how do I achieve a smooth shiny effect?

texts:
I came across this on the net and would love to be able to make them for a party next week.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/296105_10150312607032555_324958872554_8041834_494890086_n.jpg
I've seen pastry like this on sausage rolls in France but don't know how to get the effect.
Is it just puff pastry they use with egg yolk? How is this effect achieved?


texts: What can I mix with a sweet liquor to cut its sweetness?

texts: I have a flavored liquor, Salted Caramel Crown Royal, that is really sweet. What kind of mixer could I use to cut its sweetness?


texts: How would you describe the texture, smell & taste of chicken. Im doing a hospitality course at tafe and i'm finding it difficult to find the write description, any ideas ?


texts:
Can wine be made from citrus fruits? They have sugar to feed the yeast. Or does the citric acid interfere with the fermentation process?

I'm familiar with limoncello, but that is made by soaking lemons in alcohol.


texts: How do you add ingredients to fudge without stiring it?

texts: There have been a couple of questions recently about making fudge, and a comment which came up twice in answers has got me wondering about something.  (I'll admit, both answers are by Sobachatina, but I think my question could be answered by anyone.)  Both the recipe for fudge I grew up with, and another recipe I found online instruct ingredients to be added as the fudge is taken off the heat (butter and vanilla, in the linked recipe).  But Sobachatina seems very adamant about this being a BAD time to disturb the fudge, as it will cause crystal formation.  So, if I'm not supposed to stir the fudge, how do I add the butter and vanilla?


texts:
I make green smoothie in the morning and I dont want to do it again in the evening.
  Is it fine if I use the same smoothie in the evening or there are some problems.

Thanks


texts: I understand that the primary goal of sorting through dry beans is to remove things like pebbles. I very rarely find any of those, but there are often clean halves of beans. Do they they need to be thrown away too?


texts: Can I add unsweetened cocoa to a store-bought white cake mix to make chocolate cake mix?

texts: I know that buying a chocolate cake mix would be the easiest, but there is a white cake mix whose flavor I like...


texts: What is this grilling utensil with two wire mesh panels?

texts:
I want to buy this cooking utensil but have no idea what it is called and where i can buy one from. I think it is mainly used on barbeques. Ive tried googling and had no luck. I'll try describing it as best as i can.

It has 2 large rectangular flat metal wire mesh panels which fold onto one another like a clam when you close them. You can place meat in between the wire mesh  and clasp the handles together to hold the meat firmly between the 2 meshes. You can then cook the meat over a flame and flip the utensil to cook the other side of the meat.


texts: Due to allergies the thin skin on the walnut itself needs to be removed. The walnuts itself are not dried yet and it is possible to remove it by hand in a time consuming effort. Is there an easy way to do that? Bonus if that method works as well on dried ones.


texts: How to ensure that the salt is very homogenized in a given food?

texts:
Maybe this is a question/doubt dumb enough.

I've been doing a mashed cassava and put salt only at the end, when all the ingredients were homogenized. Consequently, asked me (to put the salt) if adding salt would be present in any scoop of mashed cassava that I was taking.

So, my question is: Given X any food, as a guarantee that the salt will be well distributed throughout her?


texts: How do I remove a sheet cake from a pan?

texts: I am trying to create a double layer 12 X 17 inch sheet cake.  How do I get the cake layers out of the pan and placed one on top of the other in whole pieces without crumbling?  I am using parchment paper which works great but having trouble getting one layer on top of the other.


texts: Why did my sweet potato hash turn soggy when frying in a non-stick pan, and crispy in a cast iron?

texts:
I was making a sweet potato hash for pizza topping the other night, and tried to fry the first batch in a non-stick pan. The hash never crisped up and was soggy, so I ended up mashing it instead. The next batch I fried in my seasoned cast iron, and it crisped up like a good hash.

Does anyone know why this happened? To me, it doesn't make a lot of sense if both the pans were equivalently hot with the same amount of oil to fry in. The hash in the non-stick pan also seemed to absorb more oil, but again, not sure why.

Details:

I used a similar amount of bacon fat to fry both batches in
The hash was seasoned with garlic, salt and various spices (no onion)
Similar heating levels, preheated both pans
No lids were used
The non-stick pan is a nice Teflon coated Calphalon, and has pretty good heat retention; I use it for stir fry successfully


texts: Difference between "real mayonnaise" and "mayonnaise dressing"

texts:
This is something I can't seem to make sense of, even after reading the ingredient lists.

The non-reduced-fat Hellman's dressing is marketed as "real mayonnaise", but reduced-fat Hellman's is sold as "mayonnaise dressing".  I've also observed similar differences in labeling with other brands of mayo, such as Kraft Mayo.

Why is the reduced-fat dressing not considered "real mayonnaise", and what is the difference between these two?  What defines "real mayonnaise"?


texts: how long to cook stuffed chicken breasts

texts: I have chicken breasts stuffed with rice.  How long should I bake them and at what temperature?


texts:
I have some bacon I took out of the freezer and put directly into the fridge to use this past weekend. Unfortunately, the weekend came and went without me cooking said bacon. It has been sitting in my fridge about 6 days in its unopened vacuum pack. The package says it is best by July 30 of this year (so another ~8 days).

Normally this would be the end of the story, but I once read that freezing cured meats actually lowers their shelf life and can lead to them becoming rancid quicker. Further, this pamphlet from the USDA states that bacon is only good up to 7 days in the fridge anyway. My question: should I go with the package date and use it within the next week or should I toss it and buy more?


texts: How to open a malfunctioning tamper-proof bottle cap?

texts:
I have a bottle of oil I want to open. It is a glass bottle with a threaded metal cap. It is the type of cap which is connected in a few places to a lower ring. Usually, one just unscrews the cap, and it tears off the ring, which stays below the threads.
I now have a bottle whose cap+ring system is too loose. When I turn the cap, the whole thing, cap+ring, rotates freely without unscrewing or exerting a tearing force on the connection places.
What I tried, unsuccessfully:

turn it vigorously
grip it with a towel while turning
exert an upward pull while turning it
holding the lower ring with the fingers of one hand while gripping the cap with the fingers of the other hand through a towel, and exerting force in opposite directions
trying to cut the connection places with a knife tip (doesn't get cut, but it feels like the knife might slip and hurt me any time).

Note that this is a different problem than the much more common one of both not turning and my fingers slipping on the cap instead. I can grip the cap perfectly well, and it rotates very easily, it just doesn't unscrew or separate from the ring.


texts: Sourdough starter bubbling but not rising after months of feeding

texts:
I have successfully made sourdough whilst living in Texas - USA then back in Australia and now i am currently living in Nashville - USA.

Since moving to Nashville i began a new starter and have currently been feeding my starter for 2 months. Every day i feed it 100grams of tepid  filtered water and 100grams of strong bread flour. I used the exact same flour in Texas and my starter was fine.

I cannot figure out why my starter isn't becoming active and rising. Do you think it's possible that the water in Nashville is different? i literally cannot figure out why its not working for me. The starter isnt rising and it doesn't float when i put some in a glass of water.

Any help would be much appreciated!
- Bonnie


texts: Official cocktail recipes vs typical glass sizes

texts:
I've bought and tried various types of glassware for cocktails. Glasses for typical shaken drinks include a cheap martini glass (165 ml), a nick and nora style glass and a coupe (125 ml), among others. This matches with sizes found in shops around the web, where they might even go higher in volume.

However, the basic recipes for cocktails tend to end up a lot smaller, to the point where it looks silly in a glass. For example the "IBA Official" Aviation Cocktail calls for 75 ml of spirits and juices, and shaking over ice (using 30mm square solid cubes, about 5 to 6) will not dilute it to 125 let alone 165 ml of fluids.

Obviously I can just scale up ingredients proportionally. But given that "typical" cocktail glasses don't match up with "typical" cocktail recipes, I feel like I'm making a mistake.

So my question is: how do you go from a typical cocktail recipe (with around 75 ml of ingredients) to a typical 125-165 ml final product?

In my examples above the sizes are for the liquids, assuming around 10% of leeway. So for example the martini glass is 165 ml, but around 180 ml when filled up completely.


texts: When cooled, my browies are very sticky and hard towards the edges. What are the possible reasons that this is happening?

texts:
My recipe:

  150g butter
  90g chocolate
  125g flour
  15g cocoa powder
  300g dark brown sugar
  2 eggs
  1/2 tsp baking powder
  1 tsp vanilla

  Melt the butter and chocolate together. In a separate bowl beat the
  eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Add the cooled chocolate and butter
  mixture. Sieve in the flour, cocoa ,and baking powder. Fold
  everything with a spatula, until just combined. Bake in a preheated
  oven at 180° C for 25 mins.


texts:
I have a great Mrs Beetons recipe for Almond Icing.  However, as it's a very old recipe and calls for the whites of 4 eggs what size egg should I use.  As eggs on the whole have been getting smaller over the years.  Yes I can see that egg yolk sizes have been discussed on the site, but not this particular problem that I have.

ALMOND ICING FOR CAKES.

INGREDIENTS – To every lb. of finely-pounded loaf sugar allow 1 lb. of sweet almonds, the whites of 4 eggs, a little rose-water.

Mode.—Blanch the almonds, and pound them (a few at a time) in a mortar to a paste, adding a little rose-water to facilitate the operation. Whisk the whites of the eggs to a strong froth; mix them with the pounded almonds, stir in the sugar, and beat altogether. When the cake is sufficiently baked, lay on the almond icing, and put it into the oven to dry. Before laying this preparation on the cake, great care must be taken that it is nice and smooth, which is easily accomplished by well beating the mixture.


texts: Can you use just egg yolks when recipe asks for eggs?

texts: Having just made a batch of meringues,I am now left with lots of egg yolks, can I use them in recipes that ask for "eggs" i.e cakes and tray bakes. Is the white of the egg needed in the baking process ?


texts:
I followed in this answer to How do you properly cook a steak?,
but I ended up with one problem. After cooking in the oven for 10 minutes, my steaks were soggy and flavorless in the center, yet okay on the outside. I cooked a few minutes longer in the oven and the steaks started turning white and firm, obviously overcooked.

Should I flatten the steaks first; is thickness the problem? I had 1-1.5 inch thick ribeyes from Whole Foods.

One thing: after searing the steak in the pan, my oven wasn't fully heated yet. So I stuck the steak in at around 267° F and it sat there for about 5-7 minutes before reaching 425° F, after which I cooked it for 10 minutes. Could this have messed it up?


texts: When to add seasoning to oven-baked french fries?

texts: When baking French fries in the oven, either from a frozen package, or made from cut potatoes, is it better to add seasoning, such as salt, pepper, paprika, etc., before placing the fries in the oven or after? When should one add vinegar or lime juice?


texts: Why is cocoa powder sometimes used in chocolate cakes when chopped semisweet chocolate is already used?

texts: I found a flourless chocolate cake   recipe that I want to try, it uses semisweet chocolate which I thought would have enough cocoa solids already but it calls for  cocoa powder, why is this?


texts: What is the best way to turn the chunks of jaggery into fine powder?

texts:
I have big chunks of jaggery. I want to turn them into fine powder.

What is the best way to turn the chunks of jaggery into their powdered form?


texts: Am I able to put uncooked chicken back in my fridge for a day?

texts: I just took my chicken breast out of the packet and cut it up to make schnitzel then realised I had no oil. Is it safe to put it back in my fridge for a day?


texts: How long will a Thai dressing keep in the fridge?

texts:
I use a dressing made from:

60ml fish sauce
juice of 1 or 2 limes
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 clove of garlic
3 fresh red chillis

How long will this keep safely in the fridge?

I have reviewed the answer to How long will homemade salad dressing stay good in the fridge? but chose to list the specific ingredients as it seemed the presence or absence of certain ingredients would change the answer.


texts: What are some good substitions for alcohol in cooking?

texts:
One of my favorite recipes these days is making a good bananas foster dessert.  Everyone I know enjoys it, to some extent, so it's a go-to dessert, for me.

One of my concerns, however, is that since the recipe calls for rum and banana liqueur, I can't (or at least I choose not to) serve it to anyone too young.  I'm not so concerned with the legal age limit as with serving it to very young children, like a nephew under 10 years old.  The idea is to burn off the alcohol, but I assume there is still some that remains in the dish after it is served.

So what I'm wondering is, what are some good alternatives to alcohol in common dishes?  I obviously won't get the same "flambe" presentation from the bananas foster, but it seems like a small tradeoff when considering I'll be able to serve it to more people.  (I wouldn't make the dessert for my sister, if her son couldn't eat it too)

EDIT: Not to take away from any answers, but I did find a website detailing some common alcohol substitutions


texts: Confirming Fried Chicken is completely cooked

texts:
I'm currently involved in a food startup and we're refining our process for product quality.  We fry Bone-In breasts, Dark quarters, Wings and Boneless breasts.  The challenge I'm currently facing is ensuring chicken is fully cooked (165F) but not overcooked (170F for white, 180F for dark).  My main issue is getting an accurate temperature reading:

Do I need to go with the lowest temperature reading? Sometimes I'll get ~140F in one temping, but another place on the same piece I'll get ~170F
What do I need to be careful of in order to ensure an accurate temperature?  I know it's hotter closer to the surface than internally, but I've also heard I need to avoid hitting bones as they get hotter than meat; are there any other outliers like this?
How much might fried chicken increase in temperature after sitting.  For instance, If I pull a piece from the fryer @155F can I expect it'll reach 165F after sitting 5-10 minutes?


texts: What should I do with a just-baked lasanga?

texts:
I'm a complete cooking newbie. I just made a lasanga from a recipe - or something that looks like a lasanga. However, it will probably only be eaten 3-4 hours from now. What should I do with it in the mean while? Leave it in the oven (after turning it off, of course)? Put it in the fridge? Just lay it on a table?

And how should I re-heat it, if it will be required?


texts: Spices create aromatics so it is important when to add them. But what about salt? Is it critical if you add salt to the flavor base instead of adding it to the tomato paste, or adding it to the finished soup?


texts:
Is it possible to freeze a raw unpeeled unripe avacado for use later?

If not why? If so what is the process to ensure maximum freshness?


texts: How to keep my stainless steel skillet clean

texts:
I have a KitchenAid skillet that I love. But I can't seem to get it cleaned easily.
It looks much like this one, but with a brushed exterior and the bottom of the interior is grooved or ribbed.

For now, I run cold water on it when hot but I still end up needing light use of a ScotchBrite pad. I'm concerned I'm ruining the pan by doing so.


texts: I'm making a dish that that has a "sweet and sour" sauce to it.  The recipe calls for apricot and peach preserves.  Unfortunately I am highly allergic to peaches.  Does any one know what a good substitute would be?  Could I just use Apricot alone and double the amount needed?   It is being served with an Asian style chicken and vegetables over rice if that helps.  As I can't eat the peaches I don't know what would be best to match the flavor profile.


texts: Sour Dough Starter - proofing in less than 24 hours?

texts:
I recently started with making sour dough. I created a new starter yesterday. After feeding it one time in less than 24 hours it's already doubling it's size. I'm not using self-rising flour just normal wheat bread flour.

Is it usual that it picked up so fast?


texts: If dark pans brown food faster, do I need to make adjustments to baking when I use a light colored pan (and vise-versa)?

texts: Would lining a dark pan with foil inhibit the browning significantly?


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

texts:
Some time ago, I baked a cake (Sachertorte to be exact).
The taste and texture was fine, so my recipe is okay.

My biggest issue was the shape. In the middle it was really a lot higher than on the sides.
I would like to redo it in the near future, but preferably with a flat(ter) surface.
(Especially since I put icing on top and I don't want it to drip off this time.)

Anyone knows the cause of my problem, or even better a solution?
I think I put enough butter on the side of my springform pan, in case this is an option.


texts: How do you clean cheesecloth full of bean roots?

texts:
Related: How do you clean cheesecloth?

My problem is a bit more complex. I sprout beans in cheesecloth and it's been working okay. The cheesecloth is able to get some of the bean roots off the beans when I harvest the bean sprouts so that I don't have to eat a lot of roots. The drawback: I end up with a piece of cheesecloth full of bean roots. Handwashing it helps remove some but not all the roots. Better ideas?


texts:
If you whip mayonnaise too long and ruin it, you can restart with a new yolk and reuse the ruined mayonnaise.

Is there a similar way to rescue whipped cream that has been whipped too long?


texts: I'm making Salisbury Steak  (https://www.skinnytaste.com/skinny-salisbury-steak-) but would like to substitute xanthan gum for flour to reduce carbs AND use coconut or almond flour (and / or psyllium husk powder) instead of bread crumbs. Instead of 2 T. Flour how much xanthan gum should I use?  Can I use coconut/almond/psyllium husk powder instead of bread crumbs to hold the patty together?


texts: I wanted to ask, if i really have to clean up the wok after every use. You see those black spots on it ? Am i doing it wrong? Or.. is it ok to leave it so? Just fyi, this wok costs about 230 eur. Thank you for your advices.


texts: Is there anything I can add to/change about a store bought white or yellow cake mix to take it from ordinary to extraordinary?


texts: Why are my caramelized onions dried out?

texts:
I've tried a few different methods of caramelizing onions - several combinations of butter, olive oil, medium heat, low heat, occasional/constant stirring. It seems that no matter what I do, they dry up and turn crispy as they brown. The flavor is there, but the texture is more like onion straws than the soft, juicy onions I'm trying to make. Am I cooking too long? Not stirring enough? I'm sure it's something simple I've just missed.

I am aware of this question. I've followed similar techniques, I'm just not getting the results I'm looking for. I hope that's enough to constitute another question.


texts: How do I get Nooks and Crannies in my English muffins?

texts:
I have tried making English muffins a few times. Each time the flavor was good but I didn't end up with the open interior texture that I expect from storebought English muffins.

I let them proof for the amount of time recommended by the recipe- about an hour. I cooked them on an electric skillet. They took a bit longer to cook than the recipe called for- about 5 minutes per side if I recall.

What do I have to do to encourage the formation of large holes and an open interior texture in my English muffins?


texts: I have a very challenging task every time I buy vegetables in preserving them even though I have a refrigerator at home. Tomatoes, carrots, beets, and bottle gourd always collect moisture in the plastic in which I store them. How do I avoid this?


texts:
What is the measurable difference between dry basil and fresh?

Is cooking with fresh herbs different than cooking with dry herbs?


texts: How can I avoid cakes to turn into jelly?

texts:
I am making cakes, and mostly chocolate cakes. But under certain conditions, instead of taking a nice bread texture (soft and with air bubbles), it turns into a kind of jelly (compact, a little bit translucent and without air bubbles). Needless to say, I dont want my cakes to turn into jelly because it is not good at all.

So I am interested to know under what circumstances the cakes turns into jelly.

Quick information about how I proceed : (I don't think this has a big impact, tough I am not sure)

The basic ingredients I use are:

Eggs
Butter
Wheat
Sugar

Sometimes, I replace wheat with olive oil and I may add hazel powder, almond powder, vanilla sugar and/or chocolate, etc...
Most of the time, I start by fixing the eggs, uping egg whites and mixing the yellows and sugar.

The majority of the time, my cakes are fine. There have been two cases where I had "jelly problems":

The first was where I tried to make a cake in a glass dish, into an oven with both pulsed heat and microwaves. No baking paper. This one was 100% jelly and non-eatable.
The second was into a normal oven, with a dish with a somewhat plastic bottom and baking paper. This one had about 20% of the bottom turned into jelly and its eatable but not very good.

So my theory is that the cakes turns into jelly if:

Air cannot flow into the cake, from the bottom, while baking. (The texture of the bottom of the dish matters)
You use a non-thermal oven

Do you have the same issue ? Am I correct and how do you fix the problem ?


texts: Can unsweetened almond milk be used for the same things as regular milk?

texts:
Yesterday, I bought a bottle of almond milk from the store across the street.  Normally I get lactose-free milk for my wife's sensitive stomach, and today I tried the almond milk in my cereal...it tastes very weird.  I'm wondering if I've made a poor decision in purchasing all this almond milk.

Is almond milk, for cooking and consumption purposes, essentially the same as milk, but with a different taste?  Or are there some things we won't be able to use this almond milk for?


texts: How do you make pie with Citron watermelon (not just the rind)?

texts:
Citron watermelon (AKA Pie Melon, Tsamma, and Colorado Preserving Melon) is said to be useful for making pies, preserves, jam, pickles and such. It is not used for fresh eating, typically, and is hard all the way through even when ripe. The interior is supposed to be high in pectin. (I believe Tsamma sometimes refers to a similar kind of melon that may have different properties, FYI.)

I grew one plant that got 9+ melons (the Red-seeded type from Baker Creek). So, I'm wanting to know how to make them into pie, since it sounds fascinating, and I love pie. How do you make pie with the inside of the fruit? I know there are recipes for watermelon rind pie floating around there, and those may work with these rinds, too, but it's mostly the interior that I'm concerned about. If your response involves both the interior and the rind, that's fine.


texts: Are any corn products in the United States made from nixtamalized corn?

texts:
I believe polenta, corn meal, grits, and corn flour are not. But how about tortilla corn chips you buy at the supermarket? This is what I am looking for!
I have a link to a quora question that I believe is wrong in that it says most corn products in the United States are but I read just the opposite on other sources.
Still searching, this is a tough question.  Here is the link which gives various opinions. https://www.quora.com/Why-isn-t-nixtamalization-a-standard-process-for-corn-production-outside-of-Central-or-South-America-European-settlers-seem-to-have-just-ignored-and-eliminated-the-process
P.S. After posting this I discovered a corn chip made with mesa flour! It's called Calidad. It's the only one so I assume the quora answer is incorrect. If it does not list as mesa flour probably the corn meal is not nixtamalized.


texts: I think i undercooked my ghee - can I reboil it?

texts:
I made ghee for the first time on my gas stove. I followed several recipes, but I guess I got shy about how long it was taking. I definitely didn't get any brown bits at the bottom, although it did cook for at least 15 min on high heat.

Can I, and should I reboil?


texts: How to maintain oil temperature when deep frying at home?

texts:
I was frying chicken and I noticed the amount of time needed to fry the chicken and how dark the batter will end up depends largely on the temperature of the oil.

The problem is, the oil temperature when it reaches equilibrium (or almost constant temperature) will vary depending on the amount of chicken inside, the volume of oil, and the heat outputted by the stove. For home cooking, this is a disaster and very variable way of cooking.

The only way I can think of becoming consistent is buying a thermometer that will constantly monitor the oil temperature. I had one where I had to place a meat thermometer on the oil and hold it just so it won't touch the metal portion of the pan, but this is tiring and the heat tends to go all the way up the thermometer--and to my hands and it gets too hot. It may also damage the thermometer this way.

Is there a more industrial (and heat resistant) but affordable thermometer where I can just leave it on top of the oil so I can adjust the heat element to achieve desired temperature for deep frying at home? If none, how to properly deep fry at home to get consistent results?


texts:
I'm happy that the recipes for New York style pizza from Serious Eats and from ATK both use a food processor to make the dough. I'm giving those recipes a shot as soon as my baking stone arrives from Amazon. I have a request for homemade pizza from a neighbor who wants it tomorrow to eat while watching Nascar with a friend (OOOH! Look, he's turning left again!). So I'm looking at recipes that don't require a stone or 3 days in the fridge. I have found a few that look good, but alas, they ask for a stand mixer, which I currently don't have.

The one I'm most interested in is Grandma Pizza from Cook's Country (AKA ATK). It calls for:

  3 tablespoons olive oil,
  3/4 cup water,
  1 1/2 cups (8 1/4 ounces) bread flour,
  2 1/4 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast,
  1 teaspoon sugar,
  3/4 teaspoon salt.

  Coat rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons oil. Combine water and remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 1-cup liquid measuring cup. Using stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix flour, yeast, sugar, and salt on low speed until combined. With mixer running, slowly add water mixture and mix until dough comes together, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-low and mix until dough is smooth and comes away from sides of bowl, about 10 minutes.
  Transfer dough to greased baking sheet and turn to coat. Stretch dough to 10 by 6-inch rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours. Stretch dough to corners of pan, cover loosely with plastic, and let rise in warm place until slightly puffed, about 45 minutes.

Then it's topped and baked at 500F.

Will it work in the food processor too? If I mix it on the lowest possible speed (which is still much faster than the mixer) and give it a bit of hand kneading as soon as it comes away from the sides of the bowl?

Advice? Caveats?


texts: Is it safe to use a cast iron skillet over a chimney starter?

texts:
I want to pan-fry a burger tonight, but I don't want the smoke or smell in the house (we don't have a range hood, just an anemic exhaust fan that dates from the Truman administration).  I considered grilling, but I don't want the trouble of cleaning up the grill.

So, in true mashup form, I figured I could combine the two and heat the cast iron skillet outside on top of my chimney starter.

Is this okay?  I've seen people sear tuna above a chimney starter, but I haven't heard of using it like a campfire.

Cooking-wise, I don't care too much about having the heat concentrated in the middle of the pan - I'm more concerned about unwittingly damaging the seasoning on the pan or something.


texts: Do I have to use oil when making pie crust?

texts: This easy pie crust recipe from cooks.com calls for flour, oil, salt and milk. When you make this crust can you substitute the oil for eggs or something like that, or is oil the best thing to use?


texts: What is the ideal temperature for water added to chickpea flour for falafel?

texts: Recipes for falafel using bean flour usually recommend warm, but not hot water to mix with the dry ingredients. What is the ideal temperature range for the water?


texts: What is a good feeding schedule for a "creamy" sourdough starter?

texts:
I was given a sourdough starter from a bakery that was excellently "creamy" and had light fruity notes, as opposed to a highly acidic starter. My understanding is that a creamy starter indicates a high ratio of lactic to acetic acid. I am interested to know

How is the lactic acid-production effected by a
feeding schedule? What feeding schedule is optimal for
achieving/keeping a creamy stater?

This post suggests that keeping the starter in a warm climate (30-35 Celcius) improves lactic acid production. What about the feeding frequency and starter/flour/water ratio?


texts: Is it OK to bread the chops and put them in the frig for a few hours  before frying, or will that just make the breading soggy?


texts: How do I get breading to stick to pre-cooked chicken for pan frying?

texts:
I tried pan fried chicken and pre-cooked the chicken sous vide. This meant that the chicken just needed to be crisped once it went in the pan. I dredged in flour then egg and then panko (Japanese bread crumbs). The chicken was cooked perfectly and the crust was really nice, but the two didn't stay together when cut. The breading would shear right off.

I did not dry the chicken after removing from the sous vide, so it was a little damp.

How can I get the breading to adhere better to the chicken? Flour, egg, Panko works great for raw chicken. How can I get it to stick to the pre-cooked stuff?


texts:
How can I cut out the sour taste a bit and make it sweeter? Overall the icing tastes good, I'd just like to tweak it a bit.

The recipe I used contains:

2 8-oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt


texts: Is smoking with 'barked' wood dangerous?

texts:
I have been told that smoking with fruit wood that has bark on it is poisonous. I also have been told that there is nothing wrong with using 'barked wood'- that it is only a matter of personal taste.

Which is true?


texts: When to use chicken thigh versus breast?

texts:
The America's Test Kitchen recipe for Chinese Orange Chicken calls for chicken thigh, explaining that it has a better taste and texture for the recipe. It does not explain why, however.

So that has me wondering: how do chicken thigh and breast differ in taste and texture and how do you decide which to use in a particular recipe?


texts:
I recently tried this recipe:
http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/09/easy-pumpkin-bread/
with the following modifications:

I didn't have any butter, so I substituted 1/3c olive oil and 2 pureed apples
I cut the sugar down to 1.5c

After cooking for 50 minutes at 165°C (preheated), the insides (everything more than a few cm from the edge) were still kind of moist. Why is this? Is there a problem with my oven? Was the batter too "wet" or something? I've had this with other stuff, too (muffins).


texts:
There are many "foil" meal recipes online that are quick and easy.
http://www.bettycrocker.com/menus-holidays-parties/mhplibrary/recipes/15-foil-pack-favorites

However, they all have cooking times based on the ingredients being thawed. I would like to make these meals and then freeze them for later use. Is there a good method for determining the proper cook time in an oven for frozen ingredients compared to thawed?


texts: Braising boneless skinless chicken thighs?

texts:
Is it worth braising boneless skinless chicken thighs? All the braising videos and recipes I see call for bone-in, skin-on. The way I understand it, the stew will take on the flavor of the meat through the fat liquifying into a broth.

I'm specifically trying to make Dak Dori Tang or Dak Bokkeum Tang (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dak-bokkeum-tang).

I've seen 4 videos of this on YouTube. Some sear the meat first, and set it aside. Some don't sear the meat at all. Some simmer it for almost an hour (I simmered my batch for 20 minutes, and it was stringy and heavily overcooked, though it was breast), others simmer it for less. All of them pretty much put in the potatoes right as the chicken goes in or well after, never before. My broth tasted like nothing. Luckily, the vegetables--onions and sweet potatoes--were nicely cooked after 15 minutes simmering.


texts: What's the crud in the pan with potatoes and oil?

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Sometimes I make sautéed potatoes. I dice the potatoes into little cubes about 1cm or less to a side, then cook them in a pan with about 1-2Tbsp of hot oil. The result is sort of like little french fries. In spite of the oil, the pieces have always stuck to the pan.

I hypothesized that the potatoes were absorbing the oil and that must be the culprit, so I tried it once with about double the oil. The potatoes still stuck, but this resulted in a layer of dark-brown oily crust forming in the bottom of the pan (that was a pain to remove, too).

It seems like the best option is to use little oil, and just deal with the potatoes sticking for the first few minutes (once they get cooked on the outside, they don't stick anymore). But I'm curious: what is it that is mixing with the oil and forming this crust? And is there any better way to cook the potatoes without having them stick to the pan?


texts: How Can I Make Flour More White When Under Process In Flour Mill

texts: My father is a flour miller. He wants to know how he can make wheat, or flour more specifically, whiter during the milling process. Is there anything that can be done before in preparation or after the process?


texts: Pickling green peaches: is the fuzz a must?

texts:
Last year, I had to thin the fruit on our peach tree to keep the branches from breaking once the fruit matured. Rather than throw away all the quarter- to half-dollar-sized green peaches, I pickled them -- whole -- using a bread & butter recipe.  My thought was that they would turn out a bit like pickled olives. The result was not far off, save for the fuzzy skins-- very fuzzy.  Like, felt fuzzy.  I was hoping that the vinegar in the pickling would change the fuzzy texture; no such luck.

Is there any technique or treatment (saving peeling every last one of them) to tone the fuzzy down?


texts: At what temperature should one bake a coconut crust for a Hershey Bar Pie?

texts:
Today I plan to bake a hershey bar pie.

I have done this in the past but never really get the crust to turn out like I expect. I am wondering if I am not cooking it at the correct temperature since all the other aspects of making the crust have been followed.

What is or are the recommended temperatures for doing this?


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A recipe that I'm trying to make says: "Place mixture into a loaf pan that has been sprayed with pan release and lined with filter paper."

I'm pretty sure that "pan release" is the generic version of PAM, but I don't know what filter paper is. Is it another word for wax paper?

A quick search turned up a bunch of coffee filters and lab equipment.