texts:
I am thinking about buying nuts in bulk, specifically hazelnuts, almonds and/or walnuts. Are there any considerations regarding:

Type of nut - i will buy straight from farmers so i have to hope they have been stored appropriately. Which type of nuts are less likely to go off if not stored correctly?
Storage once i get them - cool dry place or maybe even freeze them?
Roasting - is it ok (flavourwise) to roast a large batch at once and eat over a period of a month or more?

I intend to start with buying small quantities of about a kilo, preferably without shells, from this site that connects farmers and customers.


texts: Why does my ice cream have ice crystals?

texts: I put icecream mixture in freezer but after taking it out of freezer, I found ice crystals in it. What should be done to avoid ice crystals in icecream?


texts:
Can a new unseasoned carbon steel wok be seasoned after one use (used it for steaming)?
It now has some rust on it. Can it be salvaged?


texts: Too big tin for meringue cake recipe. How to solve?

texts:
So I have this recipe for a hazelnut meringue cake. It asks for an 18cm tin. However, I only have a 24cm tin. I went to the shop today but they do not have a 18cm tin. So i guess there are several other possible options.

I could make more of the recipe using the 24cm tin. However the surface of the meringue will be about 2.25x the meringue then when using the 18 cm tin. So does that mean I have to use over 2 times the amount of ingredients? Or won't that work?

An other option is not using a tin at all. I actually thought that you do not need a tin for making meringue. So I can just draw an 18cm circle and put the mixture on the baking tray. Will this work or not? I have very little experience with meringue so far.

Two meringues will be made with (original recipe for 18 cm tin):
-3 egg whits
-175 golden caster sugar
-85 grams chopped roasted hazelnuts.

Which idea will work? Or is there a better idea?

-edit-

So I draw a circle and put the maringue mixture on. It worked out very well!
The cake turned out delicious.
Thanks for the feed back.


texts:
I bought some silicone easter egg molds, and I put 2 layers of chocolate in them. After they had set I tried to turn them out of the molds and they just cracked.

Is there any trick to turning the chocolate halves out of the molds without cracking the chocolate?

Thanks


texts: Can I substitute chocolate chips for cocoa powder in my frosting?

texts: I just ran out of cocoa while making a cookie sheet cake.  Had enough for the cake, but not for the frosting.  Can I substitute chocolate chips?


texts:
I found many Chumus recipes online. The general gist is to cook the chickpeas for a few hours (or let them sit in water for a day, then cook them), grind them, add water/oil/Tehina/lemon juice, and salt/pepper.

The result comes out more or less chunky (not that there are pieces, but it feels thick). I've seen "professionally made" Chummus (like Sabra) come out rich and smooth.

How do they do it?


texts: What do I need to do to use my current recipe for thin-crust pizza?

texts:
When I make pizza dough, I use a variation on Bobby Flay's recipe - instead of 3.5 - 4 cups of bread flour I use 2 cups of bread flour, 3/4 cup AP, and 3/4 cup white wheat, with maybe a touch more AP if the dough is too wet. I also use AP when kneading. This makes 2 ~14" pizzas for me, which means a fairly thick crust - especially at the edges, which can get 1" or higher after cooking.

I make 14" pizzas largely because that's the size stone I have, but also because I can't get the dough to stretch much more without tearing. If I want to make slightly larger / thinner pizzas, do I need to modify the recipe? Is there a difference between thin-crust recipes and thick-crust recipes (and deep-dish)? Or is it a matter of technique before / while shaping the dough? Could I use this to make a truly thin crust pizza, or would I need an entirely different recipe?

Edit: The suggested duplicate is similar, but in my case the dough is able to be shaped exactly how the recipe indicates - yielding 2 ~14" pizzas. I do not have problems working it to get the yield specified by the recipe, but am instead interested in using this same recipe to make more and/or bigger (thinner) pizzas.


texts: Does marinading preserve food's freshness

texts:
I have 2 questions; 1 is very general, and one is very relevant to my current situation but both are about the same thing.

So, I defrosted a topside of beef over Saturday night/Sunday morning. It is now Wednesday night.

1) Does marinading meat (beef) preserve how long it can last before cooking, regardless of whether the meat was marinaded from frozen or fresh?
2) In my case, is it still safe to eat? It is only marinading in a batter for deep frying!


texts: How to set yogurt in the room temperature between 20 to 16 degree Centigrade?

texts:
It is winters here, and the yogurt never sets the way I used to set it during summers.

If for example, we have 1/2 litre milk, what is the near exact temperature (for heating the milk), and the near exact yogurt to be added to the milk for setting?

EDIT 1:
When I mention heating milk, I mean that milk has been boiled quite a few hours ago, we just need a warm up session now. So how many centigrades are required?


texts: What are the differences in protein content between chicken broth and chicken stock?

texts: Does anybody have any data on the nutritional composition of chicken broth (liquid in chicken soup) and chicken stock (liquid from chicken bones)? For example, will stock contain more protein then broth? Have googled the nutritional contents I read conflicting things and I'm not sure whether they are referring to broth or stock. When during the cooking process is protein extracted? If you simmer stock for 2-8 hours, does most of it come out in the first two hours, or does more come out with prolonged simmering?


texts: What type of sherry is typically used when cooking?

texts: Not having used sherry before, what is the type used when a recipe just calls for "sherry"? I see cream sherry, dry sherry, and very dry sherry at my local grocery store. Does brand matter much?


texts: I am making a turkey in a bag this weekend and I was wondering if there is a sure fire way to know when your turkey is done cooking. I don't have a meat (or any other) thermometer.


texts: dhungar method: How can I make smoky dal tadka without charcoal?

texts:
Normally one is to get a piece of charcoal red-hot, put it in a small metal cup, put some ghee on it to burn/smoke, and put it in the pot with the finished dal tadka curry.
I don't have charcoal.  And even if I bought charcoal I don't have a gas burner to heat it.  I have IH burners (electric induction heating, which can't heat charcoal).


texts: How to reseason cast iron skillets using a fire

texts: I was told to put my cast iron skillets in an open fire to clean.  We did and now they have a red discoloration and look worse than before.  How do I clean the red off and get them shiny again?


texts: How do I cook bolognese-filled ravioli from frozen?

texts:
I'm planning on following Jamie Olvier's bolognese ravioli recipe, freezing the ravioli and then cooking and serving them the next day.

When talking about cooking them, the recipe says:

  Cook the ravioli in the boiling salted water for 3 minutes, or until
  tender, then use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the sauce. Gently
  toss together and simmer for another couple of minutes [...]

But earlier in the recipe, where it talks about freezing them:

  [...] or make a double batch of pasta and freeze as ravioli – you can cook
  them from frozen in the sauce.

Does that mean I don't cook the frozen ravioli in boiling water at all? And, as the recipe doesn't say, how long would you recommend cooking them?


texts: What could I substitute for coffee in an Opéra cake

texts:
I would like to bake an Opéra cake for someone who doesn't really appreciate the taste of coffee. Since coffee and chocolate are the two main elements, I am wondering: what flavour could I substitute for coffee in my coffee buttercream? I suppose the qualities I'm looking for are a bit of bitterness, and it should go well with chocolate and orange liquor?

PS: I just noticed that the English wikipedia describes the sponge cake as “soaked with coffee”, but in the way I usually do it it's soaked with Cointreau so I don't need any replacement there.


texts: My mother-in-law put chicken on the counter to thaw for an hour then put the chicken directly into the sunlight still on the counter top! I've done a little Research but have found nothing that clearly states not to eat chicken thawed in the sun, only how to thaw chicken instead of how not to thaw chicken...any help is much needed I have children and don't want to chance them getting any food Bourne illnesses


texts:
I have been failing, for six years, to make the amazing fried potato curry I grew up eating at home in India. I honestly don't know what I'm doing wrong. I have tried literally every single variety of potatoes I can get my hands on at my Trader Joe's: Russett, Golden, Red, White, you name it.

I cut up the potatoes into small, uniform cubes so that there is a larger surface area to work with; I first add oil (I've worked with olive and canola oil) to my pot and let it sit until I can feel it get hot. I then add my spices (cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilies) and let it all splutter nicely. Then I add my potatoes.

Every single time, the potatoes end up not getting fried, rather, they end up sticking to the bottom. I then up adding more water or more oil with increasing frustration to try and get the potatoes off the bottom; they only get more and more mashed. As a result, I've never been able to eat my favourite curry, and end up with a subpar dish that's neither your American mashed potatoes nor your Indian potato curry.

What am I doing wrong?


texts:
I purchased salmon that seems to have an interesting history:

[Norwegian flag] NORWEGIAN* SMOKED SALMON
FARM RAISED AND COLOR ADDED
harvested in the icy Norwegian waters of the Northern Atlantic and delicately smoked with a mild, low salt cure
*PRODUCT OF GREECE

I'd be interested in knowing my salmon's provenance. How did it get that label?


texts: I have some (not so) fresh broccoli I need use. I'm thinking of making a quiche with it. Most quiche recipes seem to call for frozen broccoli. Can I just use the fresh instead? Does it need any special prep?


texts: How long is raw (unrendered) beef suet is good for in the fridge?

texts:
Note that this question

is about suet (unrendered kidney fat from cow), not tallow.
was never answered before on this site; this question specifically does not say anything about unrendered fats.

Therefore please refrain from closing this question as a duplicate of either of those aforementioned questions.

The question really is: how long can raw unrendered beef suet be left in the fridge? Suet when rendered is called tallow and can be left outside for about a year, but what can be said of suet when not rendered and left in the fridge?


texts: Getting onion/garlic smell out of rice cooker

texts: I used my rice cooker for rice with pork, onion and garlic. I washed it well twice but it still smells of pork and onion. It seems like the fat from the meat permeated the teflon (slightly scratched). I cleaned the lid well too. I wonder if I should just cook rice with it and see if that works but not sure if the smell being there means there is any bacteria growing on it. Or boil water with it to clean it?


texts: Does anyone know what this dark red colored discharge is from this grilled chicken?

texts:
I'm grilling marinated chicken (I'm following a Tandoori chicken recipe which involved marinating the chicken in lemon, curd, Ginger, garlic and some other spices for 3 hours in the refrigerator).

While grilling them I see a dark red color discharge coming out. I'm not sure what that is and whether it is a normal thing. Here's a photo of what that looks like:

And here's another image before I turned it over and zoomed in.

Since, I'm a complete beginner in cooking chicken I'm not sure whether this is a normal thing or not. Can someone please help me out with this?


texts: I don't really understand what the phrase "stir to cover and warm" means. Can someone shed some light?


texts:
It's hard for me to decide what apple I want to buy from all the different choices in a store. I can look at the colour, the size and maybe carefully feel if it's hard or soft, but that's it.

This page (archive) gives quite some information about apple types, but it's difficult to search (for example a Google search for "sour site:orangepippin.com/apples" results in nothing useful) and it's more about apple identification than about apple choice.

How can I find out how sweet/sour an apple is, how hard/soft, how durable it is, maybe even how much of which vitamin is in it, just by conducting non-destructive tests on apples in a store? A website that's easier to search would also be acceptable, although that wouldn't work if I'm offline.


texts: Without knife skills, how can I quickly and accurately dice vegetables?

texts: As an occasional cook, I know the value of correctly diced vegetables when the recipe calls for it. But I don't have the knife skills to work through a soup's worth of vegetables in under an hour. In lieu of simply "getting better" with the knife (if I were going to be a chef, it would have happened by now), how can I quickly and accurately mow through a pile of dicing work?


texts:
I am making these muffins but would like to freeze half the mixture - will this be ok or will it affect how they cook/rise/taste when I cook my second batch (from the frozen mixture)?

(Recipe contains - self raising flour, bicarb soda, golden caster sugar, chocolate, dried cranberries, butter, eggs, yoghurt)


texts:
I store my bread in an enamel breadbasket like this one (different decor, though). In the bottom of the basket, there are some small holes, I think to let the air circulate. But bread stored in this basket goes stale in a matter of two or three days.

Any hints as to why and how to prevent it?

EDIT:

As I was made aware only later, my bread isn't going stale, rather it takes on too much moisture. Cross-language problems...


texts:
i'm pretty decent at doing rustic pates in a terrine mold, but wanted to expand my skill set... so i decided to make liverwurst for the first time.

I used 1:1 ratio of pork liver and very fatty pork shoulder and followed this procedure - per recipe I found online:

Ground pork, then liver, then ground combined mixture all through small die
Mixed in spices, powdered milk and onions - chilled, then ground again through small die
Wrapped in muslin, twisted ends to create a tight casing and tied off
Dropped in boiling water, reduced water to simmer and poached for 3 hours
Drained water, dumped in ice water to chill - then set into fridge overnight

when i unwrapped it the following day i was expecting a nice firm, well bound sausage.  instead i have something that crumbles when i cut a thin slice.  it's really more like a pate.

i know that there are many many things i could have done wrong.

any ideas on what i should change up when i try again?


texts: Foods other than onions that can be caramelized for a delicious result

texts: Is there a way to caramelize foods other than onions and produce similar results?


texts: In general, would I need to season a meat when making a sauce?

texts:
I'm making a Romesco Sauce. I wonder, in general, would I need to season the meat that goes with the sauce? or do I leave the meat plain (just cook  thoroughly without even salt and pepper).

The above image is the grilled chicken that the Romesco sauce goes with. Does it look like it has been seasoned?


texts: What started out as a variation on a Sacher Torte has turned into a roulade (mostly to justify my recent purchase of a jelly roll pan). I think I've got it figured out exactly how I want to do it, except for one thing. I want to coat the whole thing in ganache, kind of like a giant Ho-ho. I'm going to be using pretty expensive chocolate, so I want to waste as little as possible. How can I evenly coat a cylinder with ganache? I'm going to roll the whole thing in chopped hazelnuts, so minor imperfections won't matter.


texts:
I have seen some recipes saying you can cook fries with coconut oil.  The temperature for fries seems to be 350f however this is also the smoking point for unrefined coconut oil.

Does this mean you cannot cook fries with unrefined coconut oil and perhaps these recipes are referring to the refined type?


texts: How Long Can I Keep Uncooked Sushi Rice?

texts: I only prepare sushi rice a few times a year, so it takes me a while to go through even the smallest of bags.  How long can I keep the bag for before it "goes bad"?


texts: How can I increase the shelf life of a cut onion?

texts: While chopped onion is kept in deep freezers for a longer time and then kept at room temperature inside an airtight container it still remains good


texts:
I recently had thick and fluffy pancakes at a restaurant and I am eager to figure out how to make them.

Anyone know the secret behind getting thick and fluffy pancakes? Is it adding baking soda? Using carbonated water (does this even work?)?


texts: Why does my home made Split pea & ham hock soup have a floral taste--I used fresh onions, carrots, Celery, Bay leaf, Vegetable Broth and pepper


texts: Who originated the dangerous avocado-pitting technique?

texts:
There are several reasonable and safe ways to pit an avocado.

There is, however, one very popular (at least in the USA) and unsafe way: digging the pit out with the point of a knife. I see people injuring themselves this way so frequently on social media and in the news that it seems that some popular show business personality or well-known chef must have shared this as a technique, to get so many people to send themselves to the emergency room.

So, my question is: who's responsible for this?  Who first told so many people to stab a vegetable, held in the hand, with the point of a knife? (references please)

Or am I wrong and folks are just being reckless on their own initiative?

(I realize this may be off-topic for SA, but figured I'd just ask instead of asking to ask)


texts: Every Christmas I make caramels for family, friends, and neighbors. And every year I'm stuck with the same choice. Stir the sugar mixture while it boils to prevent sticking and burning but end up with grainy caramel, or don't store the caramel but risk burning the sugar at the bottom. I've tried several tricks to skirt this Sophie's choice of sugar including using half Karo syrup, adding a pinch of lemon juice at the start, and swishing the pan on the burner, but nothing has worked. What tricks am I missing to make perfect smooth caramel?


texts: When should you season sauce that needs to be reduced?

texts: I just thought about how seasoning a sauce is not a wise decision because if it needs to through reduction like marinara then the flavors would get too concentrated. But I always see people put salt and pepper into sauces before they are properly reduced so maybe there is a reason to season before a big reduction?


texts: What is Okinawan "yushi tofu" made from?

texts:
Here in Okinawa where I'm currently travelling, there is a dish called "yushi tofu" (Japanese: ゆし豆腐).

So far I've only noticed it offered as a variety of Okinawa soba. (Okinawa soba is different to regular soba made of buckwheat.) I tried "yushi tofu soba" tonight in Naha and enjoyed it - but I'm still not sure what it actually is or what it's made from.

Image thanks to the Japanese Wikipedia.

I've asked a few locals and none have been able to tell me what it is. English Wikipedia doesn't cover it and the mentions it gets in the Japanese Wikipedia do not translate well with Google Translate.

I'm pretty confident that "yushi" is Japanese "油脂", which means "fats and oils" - but that doesn't tell us very much.

In particular, apparently the word "tofu" is sometimes used for foods not made from soybeans so I would like to know if this is made from soybeans combined with fats and oils, made with the fats and oils that can be extracted from soybeans, or is made with fats and oils rather than soybeans. Or something else (-:


texts: How should I choose my next step as a cook?

texts:
I'm a reasonably competent home cook: I can roast a chicken, bake bread, improvise a dinner with what's in the fridge, etc, but I'm looking to step up my game a bit. How do I look at a recipe and decide if it's a good next step in learning to cook?

I would like to make good use of my time and energy; for example some things might be too ambitious, or some things might not teach me much.


texts: How to interpret "an ounce of ground coffee"

texts:
I am going to attempt to replicate a product.  The product is a cold brew packet system.  Contained in the package are two sachets, each with 2.15 oz of ground coffee.

My question is, should I interpret this number to be a volume or a mass?

A follow-up question, if it is a mass, what is a good household method to measure this small amount?  (I don't own a triple beam).


texts: How do HK restaurants keep wok-fried scallops white, with no visible sear marks?

texts:
After I add oil to pan on cook top and stir fry them, my scallops get brown sear marks. See photos:

But when ever I order Jade Scallops (西蘭花炒帶子  in Chinese) in HK restaurants, their scallops stay white! I phoned them all yesterday and they confirmed they wok fry them  – I don't think they're lying. Top to bottom – House of Canton in Kowloon Tong (first photo beneath),Ming Kee Restaurant in Wan Chai, 金龍冰室 in Tai Po  大埔, Joy Point Dim Sum in Tsim Sha Tsui.


texts: Why does the Instant Pot use pressure while steaming?

texts:
I think this question falls under "equipment", but if it's off-topic, please close and I'll delete it.

I recently acquired an Instant Pot. To my surprise, its "steam" setting generates and uses pressure. If I steam something for 10 minutes, for example, I have to manually release the pressure or let it equalize naturally before I can open the lid. This has deleterious effects on certain foods. For example, idlis will not puff up the way one would expect; the pressure prevents it.

I hadn't thought that steaming food used pressure, generally speaking. The Wikipedia page on steaming explicitly contrasts the two:

  The food is kept separate from the boiling water but has direct contact with the steam, resulting in a moist texture to the food. This differs from double boiling, in which food is not directly exposed to steam, or pressure cooking, which uses a sealed vessel.

My earlier rice cooker (which the IP replaced) had a steam setting as well; on that one, steam escaped continually from the vent during the steaming process.

I'm trying to figure out what the advantage is of sealing the vessel and building up pressure if the intention is to steam food. The product manual is very sparse on detail regarding steaming, but does mention that steaming vegetables "require[s] 1~2 minutes pressure cooking time" and that pressure must be released manually after steaming.

Is it the case that the "steam" function of the IP is not actually meant for steaming, say for custards or dishes that rise? Is it meant for pressure cooking vegetables in a way that replicates the effect of steaming, but faster? I tried searching online to find out more about how the steaming function of the IP works, but found nothing useful.


texts: Why should (or shouldn't) we wash rice before cooking?

texts:
There are pretty confusing articles on this topic on the internet.
Some suggest that we should wash them to remove starch, talc, etc. Some suggest that we should not wash them because they are fortified with minerals.

This also varies according to the type of rice - short grain, Jasmine, Basmati, etc. It would be great to have logical reasons instead of just instructions.


texts: Getting a cast iron skillet surface smooth

texts:
I've had a Lodge cast iron skillet for about a year. A few months after I bought it I seasoned it with too much oil (I learnt later) and the surface developed some 'bubbles' that later started flaking. I've used it almost every day and while it is fairly non stick (I can fry eggs in it) I never managed to get a smooth surface on it. Here's a photo of how the surface looks

. While the surface might look like it's flaking, I do not see flakes in the food or when I'm cleaning it. Do you suggest I sand it and reseason it, or will the surface eventually smoothen out if I just keep using it?


texts:
Last night we tried to make bagels. We used this quick video online to give us the basics in terms of process and then we used the measurements from this website.

We proofed the yeast for a few minutes in water and sugar and it was active, and then mixed in the flour. I kneaded the dough until it was really consistent - for about 15 minutes by hand. Then we let it rest for a little over an hour. There was a bit of expansion. The mass might have grown half again it's original size (150%)

I then weighed out the 65g balls and they rested in the fridge for a little over an hour. This was longer then that video recommended, but it didn't seem like going over by a half hour would do anything terrible. Next, we rolled out the ring shapes and let them rise for an hour... and then another hour. They didn't rise. The recipe called for putting them in the fridge overnight, but we chose to let them rest in a cool room, covered, overnight, just to give the yeast more of a chance. The trouble was there had been no change in size or consistency. They were almost tacky still, just as they had been during kneading.

This morning they had not changed at all. It was possible to re-shape them into balls with a few quick turns of the hand. I nonetheless boiled the water and turned the oven on. I lifted the first one and it stuck to the plate as tacky, unleavened dough would. They all went straight to the bottom of the pot, so I had to keep watch turning them. I boiled four and put them in the oven just to see what would happen, knowing it had been a failure. The results were "bagels" that didn't rise at all. Dense and chewy. They looked like dead piles of dough with seeds on them.

I read somewhere that you can't over kneed bagels, so I don't feel it was this. We weighted every ingredient so it can't be that. The yeast was active so it can't be that (or could it have been killed somewhere along the way?). All I can think of is that something went wrong in the proofing. But I can't figure out what.

Can anyone tell me what might have happened? Thank you!


texts: help me identify the factors which make grass-fed beef tender or tough

texts:
I have been buying grass-fed beef straight from the farm both in Germany and in Poland. The beef I bought in Germany was invariably tender, regardless of the cut and what way I prepared it, while the beef from the farm in Poland was usually tough, chewy, to the point of being unusable for anything else then making broth. Even the supposedly premium cuts where somehow dry and tough.

Summary of all the possible differences:

German beef was from Highland breed cows, Polish beef where Salers, Piedmontese, Limousin.
German beef was hanged for two weeks after slaughter, Polish beef was cut into pieces almost immediately after slaughter, and sold to me within 3-5 days.
The beef from Germany I mostly ate before freezing it, the beef bought in Poland I have mostly frozen, and kept in the freezer for up to a few months, -32 deg C. Some of the German beef I also frozen, but for a much shorter time (days). Still very tender.
The Polish beef was slaughtered about 24 months old, the German I am not sure, might have been a little younger, but not much, maybe 15 months old.

I was buying all kinds of cuts, both cheap cuts and premium cuts. Even the cheap ones from the German beef where quite tender after slow-cooking them a few hours. The beef from Poland, regardless of how I cooked it, fast or slow, where somehow tough, chewy, dry. Even the Entrecôte from the Polish beef, was much tougher and drier then some cheap flank from the German Highland beef. Both the German and Polish beef where purely 100% grass-fed on pasture. The only tender meat from the Polish beef was when I slow-cooked brisket on the bone overnight in broth. And the tongue (also cooked overnight). But the German beef, even cheap cuts I can just braise for an hour or two, and its amazing.

My question is what is the most likely the major factor in such astonishing difference between the two sources of grass-fed beef?

Is it just the breed, and that Highland cattle is more juicy and tender?

Does the two-week hanging of the whole steer make the difference?

Or does the long-term freezing of mine destroy the beef, freezer burn?

I don't think its the way I cooked them which made the difference, as I tried both beef in several kinds of ways, mainly braising, slow cooking, crock pot, cast iron dutch oven. Never frying or anything like that.

I was buying the beef from Germany shortly in 2013 and then in 2014 I was on the Polish beef and I though I just had luck in 2013 to get a really tender steer, but now in 2015 I bought from the same farm in Germany again, and again its so tender and juicy compared to the Polish Salers, regardless of how I cook it.


texts: I accidentally bought a set of induction vessels. Currently I have a gas cooking range. Can induction vessels be used on a regular gas stove or electric stove?


texts: Are stainless steel saucepan glass lids dishwasher friendly?

texts:
All in the title really...

Are stainless steel Saucepan glass lids dishwasher friendly?


texts: How much sugar and vanilla extract should I use in 1/2 gallon of ice cream?

texts:
I've lost a simple ice cream recipe I used prior to making custards, and I find occasionally I'd like to make it since it's much simpler and faster - can be made in the churn with no additional dishes dirtied.

The only part I remember was that it contained equal (3 cup) portions of milk, half-and-half, and whipping cream, and beyond that was just sugar and vanilla extract:

3 cups Milk
3 cups Half and Half
3 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
???    White Sugar
???    Vanilla Extract

Without the sugar and extract, this makes just over one half gallon of liquid (prior to churning).

What is the range of sugar and vanilla extract I should try for this volume of liquids for a typical American vanilla ice cream?


texts: How to remove the fuzzy innards from an artichoke?

texts:
What is the best way to remove the fuzzy inner threads from on top of the artichoke heart, without losing too much delicious heart?

Is it easiest to cut out the choke (the fuzzy stuff) before or after steaming the artichoke?
Does anything work better than a spoon?
Is there any way to remove the choke without cutting out pieces of heart?


texts:
I was given a tea that my understanding is came from China (so I can't go to the store and get more). I am interested in getting more, but don't know who sells it (if I can buy it online) or even what type of tea it is.
The tea comes in a metal box, with a pressure-fit lid under the decorative one.


texts: How do you cook special pasta that is flavored (tomato, squid etc)? Do you salt the water the same way? Should you incorporate less flavorful sauces to not mask the initial flavor of the pasta?


texts: How to remove most water from food when cooling them down before putting to a refrigerator?

texts:
Today I baked some liquid eggs, see the picture below. After baking, there was no liquid in the eggs any more. I waited till them became lukewarm, and put them inside a plastic bag used for packaging frozen vegetables before. I continue to keep the bag of baked eggs at the room temperature, and after a while, I found a lot of water dripping from the outside of the bag.

I doubt that the bag is leaking. But why is there so much water?
The liquid eggs are no longer liquid, why give off so much water when cooling down?

Shall I avoid the water before putting the baked eggs into the freezer?

How can I deal the water from cooked food better than letting the water dripping from the bag?

I remember after I baked a turkey and put its pieces in plastic bags into the freezer, I found some ice in the same bags. Did the ice also come into being for the same reason as the water from the baked eggs?


texts: How do i improve my hot and spicy chicken breast recipes so that the heat isn't an after taste?

texts:
This was my recipe from last week:

  Chicken Breast Marinade (this is after cutting them up into small pieces):

  Yogurt
  Sriracha
  Lemon Juice
  Black Pepper

  Marinate for 30 minutes.

  Caramelized Onions

  Black Pepper
  Salt
  Turmeric
  Soy Sauce (when the pan looks dry, only add a little bit)

  Cook 2 minutes on each side on a hot pan or when the sauce dries up which gives the best flavor.

My other recipe for whole grilled chicken breast:

  Marinate (30 minutes)

  Salt n Black Pepper
  Chili Powder
  Lemon Juice

  Toss on grill for 6 minutes on each side.

above are just a very roughly written recipes

The problem I have with both is that the hotness or spiciness does not kick in when you eat the chicken; it kicks in as an after taste. I want it to be enjoyably hot, not excessively hot: I've refrained from adding in chili peppers--we have a ton of dried peppers that are very spicy at home. I don't know what to do to achieve what I want: hot but kicks but not too hot but also enjoyable.


texts: Can I make a latticed cream pie (no-bake filling)?

texts:
I want to experiment with a cream pie with a nonbaked filling (containing whipped cream, thickened with gelatine - basically a flavored diplomat cream). But for aesthetical reasons, as well as a better crust-to-filling ratio, I want to try it with a lattice. But I don't have much experience with double-crust pies, so I am not sure how to make it.

My first idea is to blindbake the double crust, then remove the "weights" and get the filling somehow into the pie. I normally use white beans as weights. But I am not sure how I can get them out without breaking the lattice, as they are quite heavy. Also, I normally line the crust with alu foil when blindbaking. How can I get the alu foil out, and how can I prevent the beans from sticking to the lattice? I don't think there will be problems with the filling, I think a piping bag can get it in while still semi-liquid.

The second idea is to bake the lattice separately. I would weave it, put it on something of the right size (I have a glass cake pan bottom, could use it without attaching the pan wall) and bake. Blindbake the low crust, then fill the pie, then cover with the lattice. The question is, how to attach it to the pie?

Has anybody tried this before? I think that the second idea is more feasible than the first, any comments? Or are there other tricks I haven't thought of? Any reason why this will or won't work?


texts:
I will be smoking a brisket on Christmas Eve for 6 to 8 hours, and then completing the cooking of in the oven on Christmas day. I want to keep it moist, avoiding the risk of congealing from overnight refrigeration (releasing liquid then not reabsorbing it).

A friend of mine who is a gourmet cook recommended that it simply be doubled wrapped in foil and left at room temperature overnight, instead of refrigerating. While it would sure solve the problem of keeping the brisket moist, I have concerns about the safety in doing this.

Would that be safe? If not, how can I keep the brisket how I want it?


texts: Can I make a cake with finely ground coffee instead of cocoa powder?

texts: I used all my cocoa powder. Will it taste good if I use coffee instead? If anyone has done this before, please share your experiences and hints.


texts: How long should I bake a whole sweet potato for?

texts: How long should I bake a whole sweet potato in the oven for versus an 'ordinary' potato of the same size?


texts: To boil frozen food with chicken without microwave

texts:
Assume you have microwave food dishes with chicken and you have no microwave.

What is the recommended time to boil the food?
The temperature is less than microwave can reach.
I think the time should be longer, but how much?


texts: Slow cooking chicken (thigh), why 4 hours?

texts:
I don't get why slow cooking recipes recommend 4-6 hours for chicken thighs on LOW (which is 185F) when Sous Vide recipes for chicken thighs recommend only 1 hour (up to 8 hours) at 160F.
Again, for chicken thighs:

Slow Cooking: 4 hours 185F
Sous Vide: 1 hour 160F

Does it make any sense?
PS: I sous vide'ed recently chicken thighs, 1 hour, 4 hours, and 8 hours at 160F, not a huge difference between 4 and 8 hour batches, not actually that more easier to shred than 1 hour one.


texts: Any downside to pre making marinade and then putting it in the fridge?

texts: I was just wondering, is there any downside to making a marinade and then storing it in the fridge before it's used?


texts: When you hear of people making extreme quantities of omelettes in record time (think: contests), is there a special technique one needs to master in order to do this? Or is it simply a matter of being really good and efficient with the standard technique? If there is such a technique, what is it?


texts: Yellow bell pepper with brown spots inside

texts: I bought an organic yellow bell pepper today. When I cut it open I found small brown spots inside. The outside looks fine. Is it safe to eat?


texts: What's wrong with my iSi soda siphon, and how do I fix it?

texts:
I am the happy owner of a soda siphon which I've used for the last three years on a near-daily basis to make sparkling water for sundry use at home. It appears to be this model, though I've lost the manual and there isn't a model number on the device that I can find.

The only problems I've had with it up to now have been due to operator error. However, the last time I tried to fill and charge with a CO2 canister, the siphon immediately released a short blast of carbonated water from the dispensing nozzle. When I squeezed the trigger, the water was poorly carbonated and trickled out much more slowly than normal; presumably that initial blast vented a lot of the gas as well.

I figured something was misaligned, so I emptied, disassembled, carefully reassembled to ensure there were no gaps, and refilled. Upon charging: same result, an initial blast without me squeezing the trigger, but this time contained in the sink. I tried to compensate by adding a second CO2 charger, then I placed the device in the refrigerator (letting it chill for at least a couple hours always seems to help with good carbonation).

A few hours later, I opened the fridge to find a puddle of tan, disgusting-looking water. It seemed to have leaked out of the siphon, and when I removed the charging nozzle cap I could see small bubbles and a trickle of water venting from the charging nozzle. The charging nozzle itself appears to be discolored (in truth, I noticed this before but figured it was just mineral buildup and cleaned it as best I could) and the interior of the plastic cap is corroded too.

As you can see, the majority of the discoloration is around a small vent hole on the side of the charging nozzle, and where the charger meets with the actual nozzle intake. The state of the nozzle cap interior leads me to believe that some venting and liquid seeping may have been occurring for a while, but this is the first I've noticed it and definitely the first time that it created a puddle in my fridge.

I've searched around for recommendations, but all I can find online are some not-very-helpful general tips on cleaning, and admonishments to only use iSi-brand CO2 chargers. I don't; I buy mine in bulk instead, but they're rated for the same gas purity as the iSi versions and are the same design. Out of 200+, I've only had one that wasn't pressurized enough and didn't fully discharge, so I trust them.

Any idea what might be causing the immediate venting when I charge the siphon? Would a thorough deep-clean fix the issue, and if so how would I go about doing that? Is there some maintenance that I could perform, and should be performing to prevent this in future? Or, am I completely hosed and in need of new parts, or worse, a whole new siphon?


texts: How can I package durian flesh so that its fragrance cannot be detected?

texts:
How can I package durian flesh so that its fragrance / smell cannot be detected?

I tried to package some durian flesh using several layers of ziplocs followed by several layers of plastic bags but it didn't prevent the fragrance from escaping the package.


texts: How can I intensify the orange flavour in orange cake?

texts:
The ingredients I followed are:

  2 cups all purpose flour
  2 teaspoons baking powder
  1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  1 cup white sugar
  1 cup orange juice
  1/2 cup oil
  2 eggs
  1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Cooking time 35 minutes at 180 C.

I didn't put zest.
I couldn't feel the strong orange flavor in the cake. The cake was rather dry.

If next time I put 2 cups orange juice, what other thing do I have to increase to maintain the balance?

Can I put half cup brown sugar to maintain the moisture?

Can I put the Orange "pulp" in the cake? Will that make any positive difference? If yes, then what's the way to use it properly?


texts:
I love yerba mate, I drink A LOT, and I would like to bring some with me backpacking.  Do you think I might save a few ounces to carry if I brewed my mate beforehand, concentrated it into a thick goo and then took that with me backpacking?

How would I do that? Just simmer it for a few days? That seems like not the best idea...

Also, is there any online retailer where I can find such a product for purchase?


texts: Standardized symbols for marking food allergies / warnings?

texts:
I was reading a blog posting about someone who visited Google's cafeteria and noticed the picture of a sign labeled 'Menu Labeling Symbols'.

As I occassionaly participate in pot lucks and similar, and end up bringing index cards or post-it notes & a sharpie so that I can mark whatever it is that people bring, I've often thought about need some standards for marking things.

There are some things that have been around for years, such as a capcicum (chilie pepper) to mark spicy, or a the various markings for Kosher food (in which most of the letters only are claims by the manufacturer/packager, unless there's also a certification group mark as well).

But are there standard symbols out there for 'contains dairy' or 'doesn't contain dairy' or any of the other items on this list?

I'm thinking that the assertion of 'this is safe' for a given group is generally more useful for potlucks and such than more controlled food sources (catered events, cafeterias), as you always have those unknown items where you can't make an assertion if it's safe or not.  (or it's put out without getting labeled).

So, the question is -- is anyone aware of any symbol standards for this sort of labeling, other than spelling it out (I'd like to avoid the "may contain nuts" and "processed in a facility that processes nuts" ... it's either safe, or it isn't) or the Kosher markings which may not be sufficient for allergies and intollerances?

update : okay, the question's a bit rambling ... take a look at this picture, and it'll hopefully make sense.


texts:
In Great Britain, recipes often call for a "pot" of something.
Is a "pot" of whipping cream whipped or un-whipped?


texts: heat chicken breast in a pan with no oil - ok for the pan?

texts:
I have heard of putting chicken breasts in a pan and heating them  No oil.

To get past any terminology issue, i've included a picture. Just imagine a chicken breast or pieces of chicken breast in the pan. And heat beneath the pan.

I heard you can cook like that, letting it cook in its own fat, no oil, nothing added to the chicken breast.

I wonder though, if it's bad for the pan?

Can this be done?

Can it go wrong, if so, how can I avoid it going wrong?


texts: How could I split the proving and baking of bread over 8 hours plus?

texts:
I'd like to bake my own bread now and again, but timing things like proving and baking around a regular work day make it practically impossible. I'm not going to get up at 4am to make dough so it proves in time to be baked before work, and the kitchen is rather monopolised by dinner in the evenings. In an ideal scenario I would like to either:

Make dough before bedtime (before 10pm)
Knock back, second prove and bake around 7am

or

Make dough at breakfast time
Knock back, second prove and bake at dinner time

The second approach is probably better as the oven will likely be hot from dinner anyway so less energy wastage.

The problem is, I can't leave dough to prove for 8 to 10 hours by normal methodology. I'm wondering if there's some way I could reliably slow the first prove. Thinking slightly differently, I wondered about feeding the yeast in a controlled environment, specific amount of sugar and water temperature overnight, and then making dough with that and skipping the first proving.

Any recipes of convenience exist?


texts: Hitting specific color of orange in a sponge cake

texts:
What could I use in a cake to make it stackoverflow-orange?

Would a copious amount of carrot ever turn a sponge cake that orange?


texts: What is a good fish for cooking crumbed / battered?

texts: I love cooking fish in a batter or crumbed. I usually use flathead which is nice, but I would like to know what other fish works well when being cooked in a batter or crumbed?


texts: Which method of killing the lobster would cause the least pain and distress?

texts:
The most common way of killing a lobster is to put it into boiling water, however we can read on Wikipedia page that it is one of the methods which cause pain and distress.

The killing methods most likely to cause pain and distress are:

Placing crustaceans directly into boiling water

Placing crustaceans in slowly heated water to the boiling point

Placing marine crustaceans in fresh water

...

Secondly, we can read here about the following study:

Dan Ward, then a grad student at the University of New Hampshire, once hooked an electrode up to a Lobster heart for me and boiled it. The heart beat for 1 minute 53 seconds.

So the question is, what is the most humane way to kill a lobster?


texts: I have recently discovered a much broader use of lemon juice in my cooking and now add it to almost all stews and soups a few minutes before the end of cooking.  But I am curious if there are benefits to adding it earlier, e.g. if it will cook in better and give it a zestier flavor if I cook it longer than just adding it at the end of after.  One example that comes to mind are fava beans, which are great zesty.  The downside of cooking lemon juice is that it can cause undesired curding of some vegetable protein.


texts: Should I keep oil in the refrigerator after deep frying?

texts: We have a turkey fryer and want to know whether we should refrigerate the oil between uses. We have been refrigerating the oil but it takes up lots of room.


texts: Protein in cooked vs. raw chicken breast filet

texts:
I'm a bit confused by the label on an uncooked versus a cooked chicken breast.  Both mention 23g of protein per 100 g of product:

If I cook the raw chicken myself, it loses a lot of water, so after cooking it only weighs 80% of what it used to weigh, and as none of the protein evaporated, my cooked chicken now contains 23g of protein per 80g, (28.75g / 100g) whereas the store-bought cooked chicken has 23g of protein per 100g

Where does this discrepancy come from?


texts: Difference between frozen and canned fruit paste

texts:
I want to make a recipe requiring strawberry fruit paste. I went on a web site of cooking supplies seller, and they have two options for fruit paste, simply "fruit paste" and "frozen fruit paste". The site says that the frozen paste is made from 90% fruit, but has no ingredients description for the normal one (says it's made only from fruits and natural food coloring).

When going on the manufacturer webpage of the non-frozen product, it says that it's in a tin can.

What are the differences between the two, and what are the advantages disadvantages of each, regardless of the price?

The brands being sold are (to clarify what the seller means by frozen and "normal" are) Boiron for frozen and Fabri for normal.


texts: Can I use Yellow Croaker for fish and chips?

texts:
I bought some fish called Yellow Croaker. Can this be fried with batter to make fish and chips or will this type of fish not have the right type of texture for fried fish?

What type of fish is traditionally used to make fish and chips, and generally what type of characteristics in fish would make it a good candidate to be used as a fried fish?


texts: How do I convert between the various measurements?

texts:
I found a recipe that's using one or more measurements that I don't recognize. How can I convert it to a unit that I use locally?

Alternative question template: (to improve searchability):
How can I convert an Imperial weight or volume measurement (tsp, tbsp, cups, ounces, pints, quarts, gallons, pounds) to an equivalent Metric measurement (g, kg, mL, L)?


texts: Presto multi cooker sous vide- clarification?

texts:
I read Marc-André LaFortune's post about using the Presto multi cooker as a secondary sous vide machine.

I'm interested in doing this but it would appear to me that the machine is not accurate enough without modification to hold the pot to +/- .7 F.
Do you do this by monitoring temperature with a thermometer and switching it on and off, or with a PID controller like others have used?


texts:
I've been baking for not that long now and I usually peruse the web and the hundreds of books I have at home before I attempt a recipe. However there is one thing I am just not able to get down right.

Whenever a cake or something involving eggs is baked, I get a really strong eggy smell that puts me off. Even after it has cooled down, the egg smell and taste remains. But I don't notice this in cakes from stores or bakeries. I don't know what to do to neutralize this, or is it completely normal?

I use brown farm fresh eggs that aren't pumped full of stuff (at least that's what they say on the packaging).

Update: I will try to figure out what the cheap eggs taste like in the next cake that i bake. Furthermore, i will also compare with results i obtain from a new professional line oven that i am purchasing soon. One of these is the culprit, since whenever i eat baked goods elsewhere this issue is rarely experienced.


texts: What's the proper procedure of making ghee?

texts:
I'm often making ghee for my cooking. However, I've never seen how it's done, I've only read how to do it, I'm having some doubts about its preparation.

Should heat butter slowly or fast? I saw both directions in recipes and I don't know which one is better. Or does either of them have some advantages?
When I know ghee is ready? When cooking it, it goes roughly through these phases:

Foam is forming (and I'm collecting it and putting away).
Foam gradually stops forming, but white pieces are floating in the liquid, I cannot see the bottom of the pot.
The liquid becomes clear, solid whitish pieces are lying on the bottom. Small bubbles are still forming.
As the pieces on the bottom turn dark, small bubbles eventually stop forming.

I believe the proper time is somewhere just after 3., but I'm not sure about that. I don't want it to get burned, but at the time I want it to be really pure. Some sources claim that ghee is ready when the surface becomes completely still. But this doesn't happen until all the pieces on the bottom turn dark, and I feel at this time it's like a bit burned.
If I want to keep ghee for a long time (I've read that the older the better), what is important to be aware of in order it doesn't go bad?

I couldn't add  tag ghee to the post, if someone has enough points, feel free to do it.


texts: How do I preserve a tomato's freshness after it is cut?

texts:
I've seen and read online, and experienced firsthand, that refrigerating a tomato is an awful idea.  Not only does it lose freshness, it does little to prevent wilting and leads to flavorless tomato.

But, eventually a tomato needs to be cut if it's going to be used in slices (for say, a sandwich), and I hate to throw it out when there's still a full half of the fruit left.

How can I preserve the tomato after it has been cut, without putting it in a refrigerator and spoiling the freshness?


texts: I brined chicken breasts overnight.  When I grilled them they were too salty to eat.  Any suggestions for the ones I brined and froze?


texts: How do I ensure my deep dish crust gets cooked

texts:
I've made a couple of deep dish pizzas over the last several months and I occasionally get either a soggy or a not cooked crust.  I've been pushing the dough into a cast iron skillet and then putting it into a 400-450 degree oven for say around 25 minutes.  By then the crust around the edges is threatening on burning but the crust on the bottom might still be doughy.

I've thought of a couple things and I'd love to hear some feedback on what you may have tried and found successful:

"sear" the pizza on the stove for a little bit (Wondering if just a minute or two would suffice
Bake the pizza with the pan on my baking stone

I'm nervous that the cast iron might suck enough heat out of the stone to risk cracking it.

As always your feedback is appreciated.


texts:
Sour cream is not sold in stores where I live. I found a sour cream recipe. This asked me to put some cream in a bowl, add white vinegar, then let it sit in the refrigerator for one hour. I used some cream called “UHT thickened cream” and added some drops of white rice vinegar.

The taste is okay, but it is liquid like milk and not thick like the sour cream sold in stores in the United States. How can I thicken this sour cream?


texts: Why are some kind of packets-soups boiled up in lukewarm water, while normally just stirred into already boiling water?

texts:
Inscription on packets-soups from supermarket states:

  Stir the soup-meal into lukewarm water, boil it up, and wait 5-10 minutes. Ready to eat.

Normally the inscription says that you should boil up water and then stir the soup-meal into it. At least for all noodle and broccoli soups I regulary buy.

Whats the reason, that, in my case, a potato-soup and very few noodle soups needs to/should be boiled up in lukewarm water. Can somebody explain the cooking-physics/purpose behind this procedure?

I cannot imagine is has to do with cooking time like other boiling-tagged questions at first made me think (because the inscriptions are different on packets of same company, there seems to be a different reason), I suppose more that those soups would get lumpy/agglutinate? Cannot think of other reasons.


texts:
Living alone I can not resist buying pots of pickles.
But I do not dare to open them as I know I will not finish them before they go off, even when kept in the fridge. I have binned a few pots with at least half the pickles still in, gone nasty.

My question, can you freeze the pickles out of a freshly opened pot? My intention is to freeze them in 'one use' portions in plastic bags, so I can get them back to room temperature in the amount(s) I think I will use.
And if you can only do so with some of them, is there a list somewhere?
If I can freeze them, I expect them to be still nice to eat, not coming out as mush or dried out.

At this time I have beetroot, garlic and mini corn on the cob pickles.


texts:
The instructions for the basting sauce I tried to make called for heating olive oil, butter, Dijon mustard, vinegar, and pepper and then whisking together until smooth.

I heated the oil, added the butter to melt, and then added the mustard. I skipped the vinegar.

When I added the mustard, it turned into tiny clumps and no amount of whisking would get it incorporated. What did I do wrong?
I don't think it was leaving out the vinegar; could it have been that?


texts: Whats the simplest possible spicy thai curry?

texts:
I love massaman, green curry, red curry, yellow curry, etc.

Can any of these be made quickly at home with only 4-5 ingredients?


texts: How can I make low sodium (140mg or less per serving) pancakes / waffles?

texts: I work with heart failure patients who have to limit their sodium intake, but still would like to enjoy some of their favorite foods. How can I reduce the sodium (to 140mg or less) in pancakes and waffles?


texts: How do you know if cookies are undercooked?

texts: How can one tell if cookies are under baked?


texts: What went wrong with my yuzu cheesecake?

texts:
Having seen an episode of The Great British Bake Off, I decided to bite off more than I could chew and made a yuzu cheesecake. As yuzu was described, on the program, as having a taste somewhere between mango and kiwi I was expecting a nice, fruity cheesecake. What I got was something like a not-quite-ginger, but bitter.

The recipe I used was a very basic cheesecake, with the yuzu added once the primary cream cheese, mascarpone and sugar were mixed.

Can anyone suggest what I should do - specifically for yuzu flavouring - or what might have gone wrong and perhaps what yuzu should taste like when used correctly?


texts: Food Safety - Infused oil with dried herbs

texts: I know using fresh herbs to infuse oil can be dangerous as the oil might become a breeding ground for botulism. I was wondering, if I first rinse my herbs (or peppers for that matter) and then dry them for several weeks/months, would it be safe to make an infused oil with these dried herbs compared to fresh ones?


texts: Can I make a sweet hot water crust pastry?

texts:
I’ve been making lots of Hand raised pies recently and I’m wondering if it’s possible to do a sweet hot water crust pastry.  What I’m wanting to attempt is a Christmassy Hand raised mince pie.

My usual savoury pie pastry recipe for one pie with lid is 150g fplain flour, 33g lard, 50ml water, 1tsp milk and a pinch of salt.  I find this amount fits my pie dolly perfectly with no waste.

I’m hoping it will just be as simple as add some sugar but wonder about effect of other substitutions?  Lard swapped for coconut oil?  Adding butter?

Has anyone tried sweet hot water crust before as not found much online?


texts: How can I tell if the food inside a pressure cooker is done cooking?

texts: I've been looking into getting a pressure cooker since it works on the premise of increasing the boiling temp of water thereby cooking things more quickly. Operating on the premise that a pressure cooker is an enclosed system, is there a way besides following the time recommendations of a recipe to find out if it's "done", or is it like Schrödinger's Cat where you only know for sure when you open it and release the pressure.


texts: Why do you need eggs when making icecream?

texts:
I was looking for a good recipe to make pistachio almond ice cream, but all of them needed Eggs.

My uncle used to sell home ice cream in Mexico, and I'm 100% that he never used an egg to make pistachio almond ice cream, or any other ice cream.

However, it's not the first time I see eggs listed as an ingredient for homemade ice cream.

Is there any particular reason for that? Why do you need eggs? What other thing can I use instead of eggs?


texts: What am I doing wrong with my Beurre Blanc?

texts:
I made my first Beurre Blanc a couple days ago. It got very sour and I had to pour some sugar to sweeten it. I'm almost sure I reduced the wine and the vinegar enough before I started throwing in the butter.

I know I probably made this 2 mistakes:

I didn't measure the exact amount of wine and vinegar. I just put one glass of wine and a little stream of vinegar.
I used distilled white vinegar, not white wine vinegar.

Are these 2 mistakes what made my sauce sour or there's something else I'm doing wrong here? I really wanna master the Beurre Blanc because I love cooking fish but I've never made a sauce for it.

Thank you guys in advance.


texts: Do sodastream PET bottles have normal 28mm threaded caps?

texts:
The question pretty much says it all. So far all of the bottles I have found have breaks in the threads which I've been told makes homemade sodas go flat faster. I was considering picking up some sodastream bottles if standard caps fit them since I would assume they do not have the breaks in the threading.

The ultimate goal is to keep homemade sodas from going fizzy as fast as most commercially available bottles (1L, 2L, 3L, 12oz, 16oz, 20oz, 24oz) have small breaks in the threading to make drinks go flat faster (to keep you going out and buying more soda).

So the question is, do sodastream bottles use standard sized caps (28mm)?


texts: why does my sourdough bread have lumps of flour

texts:
I've made sourdough bread numerous times, however, I sometimes find hard parts in the center of the loaf.

Whenever I cut into a baked bread (after rest) - there appears to be hard parts towards the centre of the load (seems like lumps of flour).

I'm wondering if anyone might know what this might be (and should I bake or proof the loaf for longer to eliminate this?)


texts: Which nuts can be cracked without tools?

texts: I sometimes find myself wanting to eat whole nuts in situations where I have no access to a nutcracker, whether because I'm at work or traveling or otherwise not in a place where I might be expected to keep a nutcracker on hand. I've had good luck squeezing two pecans together in my hand, but what other nuts are good for improvised cracking methods?


texts: Very moldy cast iron cookware - what's the best way to clean it?

texts:
Returning home after using cast iron cookware on a camping trip, I forgot to clean the cast iron in the midst of much unpacking and other matters. As a result of A) leaving any cookware with food in it for almost a week, and B) leaving a cast iron pot sealed with its cover on it, there was more mold in that cast iron pot than I'd ever seen on any cookware before.

My main priority was to clean all the mold ASAP. I put the pot and pan (lid) outside in my yard, poured bleach on it, then followed up with boiling water. That seemed to kill all the mold, and nearby grass. After that, and rainy weather the following day when I intended to leave it outside to air out and dry in the sun, the cast iron became very rusted.

Now I embark on the task of scraping off all the rust using steel wool, scrubbing the cookware with soap, rinsing it in hot water, drying it, then reseasoning it. This all has me wondering: when cast iron cookware gets very moldy, what's the most efficient and accessible way to make it hygienic and usable again?


texts: Can frozen egg whites be used in a macaron recipe?

texts:
I put a few egg whites in the freezer a few couple months ago (frozen in an ice cube tray, then transferred to a freezer bag).  Would they be viable for using in a macaron recipe (either French or Italian)?  Or do I really need fresh ones that have been aged?

I've seen a few sources that claim it will probably work fine, while another source claims they will be too watery to work (for a French recipe, anyway).


texts: Should I be able use a metal wok spatula on a seasoned wok?

texts:
After a couple months of cooking with a wok my uncle gave me because he didn't use it, I was very pleased to see it seemed to be developing a nice patina.

I cook with it, soak for a few minutes if necessary after eating, then wash with my normal sponge after I rinse the soap out of the sponge. Then I rub a tsp or two of peanut oil into it and heat until smoking before putting it away.

My understanding is that most traditional Chinese cooking uses metal wok spatulas. But when I bought one and used it this happened.

Am I doing something wrong with my seasoning? Or should I be using a wooden wok spatula?


texts:
I was wondering if I could reuse dessicants from storebought goods. I throw a lot of dessicant packets in the bin from seaweed (dried). I also found some in packets of tortillas, but threw them in the bin.

Looking on google I see that you can do heaps of stuff with dessicants. Can I reuse them from food?

I want to reuse them for both in-food uses (like making tortillas and storing them with dessicant) and non-food (keeping jewellry fresh-looking). Thanks.


texts: I often buy cilantro from Trader Joe's in a big bunch. I love using the leaves, especially in Indian cooking, but always end up tossing out the stems, which make up half the bunch. Is there something I can do with them that I'm unaware of?


texts:
I have made jelly using both Jello and agar-agar seaweed.

Jelly made with agar-agar is firm. Using concrete-pouring terminology, the agar-agar jellies that I made would have a slump of more than a foot. Whereas, my jellies made from jello would have a slump height of only about 4 inches.

That is, I estimate that I could make a 1 cubic foot block of jelly from agar-agar and it would still hold, whereas the the max size of a jello block is only 4 cubic inch before it starts crumbling. Just an estimate, have never tried making a cubic foot block of agar-agar.

Is there a way to firm up the jellies made from jello? Would adding tapioca flour help? But adding tapioca flour would destroy the pretty translucence of jello.

Also, agar-agar has a nice firm chewiness whereas eating jello is like eating yogurt.


texts:
Someone1 didn't re-close the Oreo bag properly, and now the remaining cookies are kinda... not-quite-crispy. They're not soft, but they have this chewy side to their crunch.

If these were ordinary cookies, I'd pop them in the oven for a few minutes, but I have this thing where I like my creme filling to be inside my cookies, not melted all over the baking sheet. I'm funny that way.

Is there any way to make these cookies crispy again, or do I make the offending party2 eat this bag and get a new bag for, um, the non-offending parties?

If it makes any difference, these are peanut butter Oreos.

1: //shamefaced It was probably me.
2: hanging head in shame


texts:
I brined a boneless pork chop in

4 cups water
1/4 cup Kosher Salt
1/4 cup Sugar

for 18 hours. When I pulled the meat out there were some spots that looked slightly off color and grey.  I was wondering if this is common and if not what might be the problem causing the off color spots.


texts: Why do my snickerdoodles always come out flat?

texts:
I've made a lot of variations of snickerdoodle recipes and I always seem to get the same results. I can make a thick chocolate chip cookie but snickerdoodles vex me. No matter what recipe I try, they always come out flat like this:

My oven is calibrated, my baking soda is fresh, and all of my ingredients are weighed. I preheat my oven and then wait 30 minutes until after my oven says it's up to temperature. I chill the dough 30 minutes before putting it on the sheets. This recipe I made today (results shown in the picture) is a merge of Cook's Illustrated's and Baked's (which were mostly similar anyway) but no recipe has ever given me the tall, fluffy cookie pictured in the cookbook:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2 3/4 cups AP flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs

The method is the standard creaming method.
Roll the 1.5 inch balls in a sugar/cinnamon mix.
Bake in oven for 9-11 minutes, rotating halfway through.

Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?

FWIW, the flavor is great, and if I fold them in half, the texture's great too. :-) Per request, here's a picture from Baked's cookbook that has results I'd like:


texts: Substitution for egg to bind hamburger mince

texts:
My wife is having pregnancy cravings for (homemade) hamburgers, but has developed a prenatal allergy / intolerance to egg.

What is a possible replacement for egg to stop a hamburger pattie from collapsing into mince during cooking?


texts: How to clean red tea stains from cracked glaze Japanese tea cups

texts:
I have a set of green, cracked glaze Japane tea cups.
A totally unused one is pictured in Figure 1.

Figure 1: A clean, unused tea cup.

As I have used one of these cups several times with African red tea, the cup has begun to take on a stain, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: A used and reddish/brown stained tea cup.

What method can remove this stain while preserving all parts of the cup, including the glaze?


texts: Cooking vegetables with butter and water

texts:
I have been cooking vegetables, such as pea, green beans, broccoli, etc, and even eggs, by placing some butter and water in a fry pan, then cooking the food with a lid on to steam until the water evaporates.

Is there a term that describes this kind of cooking?


texts: Why isn't glass ideal for the fermentation of sauerkraut?

texts:
I last made sauerkraut over 20 years ago, so embarking on it again I did some reading and chose an Alton Brown recipe. He specifically calls for the fermentation to be done in a plastic container. This answer here on SA suggests that fermentation in glass is "higher maintenance" What's the best container to ferment vegetables?, but that is counterintuitive to me.

I believe it, since it meshes with what Alton Brown recommends, but why? And is there an advantage to the traditional ceramic pot or the newer high-tech container?


texts:
I made a shoofly pie using the recipe from Joy of Cooking. That recipe instructed to mix 1 cup of boiling water into the mixture (of eggs and molasses) before pouring into the pie shell.

Why boiling water? What does that do for the pie differently from just using hot water?


texts:
A friend baked a rum cake for me.  She baked it in an aluminum pan.  The cake was soaking in rum.  Overnight the cake turned BLACK.  I suspect this is a chemical reaction, but cannot find information to back my theory. Surely, this may not be safe to eat.  Anybody?

My gifted cake....well....it's a bit scarier......


texts: What's are the benefits of different sourdough starter consistencies?

texts: Is there any real differences between keeping a sourdough starter at a thick dough like consistency compared to a more watery consistency? Aside from the general thoughts of thicker being easier to keep.


texts: Options for non-stick frying pans - not using teflon

texts:
Just for everyday things - frying eggs, making pancakes, steaks, bacon.

Also, what is temperature reached by such frying. Teflon decomposes at 250c - does normal home use ever get near such temperatures ?


texts: Detailed information about a 1st tooth cake design

texts: In the following image which is a 1st tooth cake, are the crowns and the tooth made of fondant? Where can I learn about such designs online?


texts: What is the difference between microwave and convection microwave combo?

texts:
I have been using microwaves for a long time and just a few weeks ago, I saw a convection microwave combo in my office. I didn't know before that it existed.

I saw people putting aluminum foil in it, which I can't use in a normal microwave. How does that work?
I have also heard that we can not put any metal in microwave but the bottom rotating plate itself was made of metal. How does that work?
Regarding heating, I want to know if it still uses microwave technology or a different heating technique, because I have heard it does not use microwave heating. Will convection oven be better for reheating food?


texts: When should I add fresh fruits in homemade yogurt?

texts:
I just bought an Instant Pot and want to use it to make yogurt. I found a recipe online for fresh fruit yoghurt that I want to try (https://recipes.instantpot.com/recipe/fresh-fruit-yogurt-in-the-instant-pot/). After scalding the milk, the recipe calls for the addition of fresh fruit, sugar, and skim milk powder to the milk BEFORE allowing the soon-to-be-yogurt to incubate.

Is this safe? Wouldn't the introduction of the ingredients before incubation (especially the fruit) potentially add unsafe bacteria to the yogurt? Or am I being overly cautious?


texts: Can i refrigerate bread doughs twice before baking?

texts: Can i refrigerate dough twice? Such that after kneading i will refrigerate the dough overnight. Then after forming i will cold proof it. Will there be any deterrents?


texts: What does the "bagel" setting on toasters do?

texts: Usually, I put slices of bread in my toaster.  Sometimes, I toast bagels.  On my toaster, there's a little button that says "bagel".  How does this setting toast the bagel differently?


texts:
Excellent butterscotch pudding has been a Holy Grail of mine for forever. I have an idea of exactly what I want, but I've never accomplished it. Either the flavor isn't rich enough, or it's clumpy. This season America's Test Kitchen tackled butterscotch pudding, so I tried it yet again. I really loved the flavor of this recipe, but I had to strain out tiny clumps of egg yolks. ATK promised me that I wouldn't have to do that! ATK's Butterscotch Pudding
This is what they did differently:

Smoother Route to Pudding?
Pudding recipes almost always have you temper the yolks and cornstarch (i.e., add some hot dairy to the mixture to gradually raise its temperature), add everything to the remaining dairy in the pot, and stir constantly as the mixture slowly comes to a boil and thickens. Inevitably, bits of egg still overcook and need to be strained. We wondered if there was a better way.
EXPERIMENT:
We made one batch of pudding the conventional way and a second batch in which the yolks never saw the heat of the stove: We added a little warm milk to the yolks and cornstarch, brought the remaining “dairy” (in our recipe, the butterscotch mixture) to a boil, and then dumped this hot liquid over the egg mixture and whisked briefly as the pudding thickened almost instantly.
RESULTS:
The conventional pudding needed straining, while the “no-cook” custard was utterly smooth and perfectly thickened.
EXPLANATION:
Boiling pudding is overkill. When cornstarch is combined with liquid, it thickens between 144 and 180 degrees, while yolks diluted by liquid coagulate between 180 and 185 degrees—significantly lower temperatures than the boiling point of 212 degrees. Whisking the hot butterscotch mixture into the yolk mixture heated the pudding to about 185 degrees—plenty hot to properly thicken it but not so hot that the yolks overcooked.
DUMP AND STIR

The only thing I can see that that might have been the problem is that I looked away at a critical moment and the base was nearly boiling over when I removed it from the heat to dump it into the egg yolks. So it was a couple of seconds past "climbing the sides of the pan". Could that tiny temperature difference be the problem? Do you have any idea of the temperature difference between "climbing the sides of the pan" and "nearly boiling over" of a dairy/sugar mixture?


texts: How long can I hold brown rice between boiling and steaming?

texts: I use a technique from Cooks Illustrated for cooking my brown rice. I simmer for 25 minutes and then steam for 10. It gets a nice consistent result. But how long can I hold the rice between simmering and steaming? Does it matter if it sits out for 30 - 45 minutes before finishing? Would I need to increase the steam time? How much? Are there any safety concerns?


texts:
I'm working on a chili recipe.  It has a bunch of spices.  I'm trying to figure out when best to add them.  People sometimes recommend "opening up" spices like cumin by toasting them or frying them in hot oil along with the onions.  OTOH, I have felt like cinnamon has much more punch-per-gram when I add it at the very end and don't cook it much/at all.  I'm sure there's a lot of chemistry involved, and different spices will behave differently when brought to different temperatures, but I haven't seen good info on it.

So, does anyone have any information on "max temperatures" or cooking approaches with individual spices?

EDIT: I did just find this link, Indian Spices 101, which talks about it from an Indian culinary perspective.  Interesting.


texts: Is it safe to eat an apple cooked inside poultry?

texts: My guess is that yes, you can; however, my mother always set them aside, not to be eaten. Any ideas?


texts:
I have read a lot about how tender and juicy brining makes turkey, pork, chicken, etc. so I am currently attempting to brine a boneless chicken breast.  I have found a-lot of different methods for brining boneless chicken, but they all differ in ingredients and time.  I decided to do a basic brine (water, salt, and sugar), but I have no idea how long to brine it for.  Some people say 30 minutes and some people say it's okay to brine for 4 hours to overnight.

Any advice on how long to brine boneless chicken for would be great!


texts: Where can I find nut-free chocolate in the EU?

texts:
I'm looking to make homemade chocolate bars but I'm having a hard time finding any sort of chocolate (chips or otherwise) that are nut-free.

Where can I look for these types of chocolate? Are there any companies known for selling nut-free chocolate?


texts:
In the process of cleaning mussels, should I be letting them purge, then remove the beards? Does the order not matter?
I ask because I don’t want to give the mussels any discouragement of purging and I am not sure if that would affect it.


texts: Induction cooking pan bottom is concave - will this affect performance?

texts:
I've just installed a convection cook top, I've researched it and am confident in my purchase. My question has to do with cookware. I've read reviews and bought a Cuisinart set that is "induction ready". I've cooked a few things with them and they work. I noticed that the bottom isn't truly flat though.

On a 12-inch skillet, the centre of the pan is 1/8 inch concave. I understand how an induction burner works (thanks to your site), and I want to take advantage of the efficiency of it. Is this a "flat bottom" or would a truly flat bottom pan be more efficient? Thanks for any insight to this, maybe I'm being picky, just want the best, thanks.


texts: Are there alternative ways to test fruit preserves for doneness?

texts:
I've tried twice to make fruit preserves using only the natural pectins in the fruit. The first time with plums where the jam was much to thick, and yesterday orange marmalade which came out tasting great but a bit on the runny side.

In both attempts I tested for doneness by letting a few drops of hot jam fall onto a cold plate and letting it cool before pushing it around with one finger to see if a crinkly skin has formed.

In my hands this test is clearly not fool-proof. Are there alternative techniques for  those of us who have not yet developed an eye for crinkliness?


texts: I have an unopened package of mozzeralla cheese that is a month past it's "Best By" date, is it safe to eat?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the sign of mozzarella being old?

It's vacuum sealed, and the cheese looks fresh. Is a month a big deal?


texts: What's the difference between jerky and biltong

texts:
I had another awkward conversation this week. I was saying how I liked to make jerky and my mate (who is South African) was saying he likes biltong and that jerky is nothing compared to biltong.

I've had packaged jerky and biltong before and I couldn't tell the difference. What is the difference?


texts: When using fresh corn in place of canned or frozed, should I cook the corn first?

texts: I have a couple recipes that call for frozen or canned corn.  If I want to use fresh corn instead, should it be cooked first or will it cook with the rest of the ingredients (like a casserole for example)?


texts: I'd love to send my friends and family homemade mole sauce in jars for Christmas because we can't be together over the holidays thanks to covid.  Has anyone done this before?  I'm worried about the sauce going bad in the mail.


texts: Safe to use non-sticky pan with scratches?

texts:
Everyday I have to cook using some share kitchenware, and I came across some old non-sticky frying pan that have significant scratch marks on them.

I was told by my parents that I should not use any non-sticky cookware with scratch marks on them, they said cooking with them will cause some harmful/toxic substance release to the food. I have asked if they got any reference to that claim but they never told me about it. I just don't understand if those non-sticky layer can contaminate my food, why it will only be dangerous when there is scratch marks on them but not in normal condition.

Could anyone tell me those frying pans are safe to use? Although there are new one in the share kitchen which I can use, I would still like to know if that safety issue is true. It would be nice if there is also reference given.


texts: What is the difference between crepes and Swedish pancakes?

texts: We just made the Swedish recipe this morning, and it seems like crepes...


texts: Storage of chocolates/candies in process (i.e. prior to cutting, dipping, etc)?

texts:
Especially around the holidays, it usually seems more efficient to build up a selection of projects in need of some finishing steps (usually chocolate dipping). What steps should one take to ensure that undipped centers are stored safely for a few days? Would an oven (off, obviously) be a decent place to store things out of the way?

EDIT:
Specific examples:

Ganache (hand-rolled)
Ganache (slabbed)
Candied citrus peels
Unwrapped caramels
etc


texts: Slow cook pork shoulder without it falling apart

texts:
I have a 2Kg pork shoulder which I would like to cook in a slow cooker (first time user of a slow cooker) so it tenderizes but I also would like it to be able to be cut it in some way to serve with vegetables rather than shredding and being pulled apart. I would also like some sort of sauce with it maybe made using some cider.

How best should I cook it in the slow cooker and what would I be best adding in along with it to create a sauce/gravy which could then be served along with the pork when cooked?

Also is there anything I can do overnight, for example, which would improve the taste of both the joint and the gravy?


texts: Cooking qualities between Glass and metal pans

texts: I have this recipe that is of the cake family.  The base is canola oil and sugar.  Whenever I cook this pan in a square glass pan it cooks perfectly.  However, when I use metal pan it doesn't cook properly.  I don't fully understand why this is.


texts: When should I add proofed yeast to a bread machine?

texts:
I like to use proofed yeast when making bread. I want to use a bread machine but all
the recipes call for adding dry yeast to the dry ingredients before adding the liquid.  Since proofed yeast is basically a solution of water and dry yeast, when and where should it be added to the ingredients?


texts:
How do I choose to avoid brown stringy fibres in avocado?

The brown stringy fibres in avocado taste not good and looks not good when there are brown stringy fibres, especially making avocado dressings or serve in slices.


texts: What kind of Creme or Mousse is the most robust? How can I strengthen a mousse?

texts:
I want to make a multi layer cake where one of the top layers consists of some kind of mousse. I haven't decided on what kind of mousse/creme yet because I have to transport the cake once it's done and I am afraid that the mousse will collapse.

What kind of mousse/creme is the most robust? How can I support a mousse without changing it's texture too much (I don't want it to become a jelly)?


texts: Do I have to change the cooking time when I cook homemade noodles?

texts: I want to make my own egg noodles for a casserole dish. Do I have to adjust the cooking time? I have been told homemade noodles cook faster, does this mean I should add the noodles later? The recipe has to bake for 45 minutes. I do not want my noodles to be mushy.


texts: What kind of cheese does Pizza Hut or Domino's use?

texts: I have been experimenting with Pizza and cakes. I can easily purchase mozzarella in India and have been using it for pizza, but it doesn't come close to the cheese Pizza Hut or Domino's use. Do they use some special cheese? I would like to experiment with cheese. I normally sprinkle oregano on cheese but I think there could be more to it.


texts: Can I first rise my bread dough in the fridge?

texts:
So yesterday, after kneading the dough, I oiled a bowl and put the bread dough in, sealed the top with plastic wrap and put it right into the fridge. Now reading on the web, I found out that it might not be good to let the dough rise in the fridge as the cold has affect on the byproducts of the yeast.

The dough is only half rised after 24 hours in the fridge.. what should I do now? Try to get it rise more at room temperature or punch it down and let it rise again?


texts: Is it safe to wash meat packaging before throwing it away?

texts:
Is it recommended to wash plastic packaging for raw meat before disposing of it? I see advice to just rinse it with soap in the sink to prevent the bin from smelling.
However, I also see it is usually not recommended to wash raw meat as there is a risk of cross contamination - wouldn't the same risk be here as well?
Clarification: I mean before throwing it into bin for landfill


texts: What type of cheese is used on Patsy's Old Fashioned Margherita Pizza

texts:
I am trying to figure out the specific type of cheese used on the Patsy's Old Fashioned Margherita pizza.  I don't think it's buffalo or another fresh mozzarella because they appear to be thin slices.
The description of the pizza on their website's menu just says "mozzarella."
Any guesses?


texts: My ginger is moist and floppy... has it spoiled?

texts:
I have a piece of raw ginger root which I bought a couple of weeks ago and stored in the produce drawer of my fridge. I always store my ginger root this way, and it remains usable for weeks.  Today I pulled the piece out and discovered it looked and felt different:

It is a darker yellowish colour
It is flexible instead of crisp and brittle; I can bend it
It is damp, as if it had been soaking in water
It has a tangier, sharper ginger flavour than I remember from other ginger roots

I checked the produce drawer; it is dry.

I suspect that my piece of ginger has spoiled somehow. Does anyone recognise the signs? Am I right?  If it is spoiled, is it a fluke of that specific piece, or am I storing it wrong?

P.S. Following the principle of "when in doubt, throw it out", I set it aside and won't be eating it.


texts:
I like to make fruit salads for desert. However, a few people I know can't eat that much sugar, so I would like to create a fruit salad which has a low sugar content.

Typically, as a base for the salad, I use a splash of water, lemon/lime juice, sugar/honey and Port. Obviously, I would have to consider changing this base. The fruits I typically use are: apples, oranges, bananas, kiwi, mango, papaya, strawberry and pomegranate.

However, I don't know what is the sugar content of these fruits. Therefore I ask, which fruits have the least amount of sugar (compared to a base weight, that is) and which fruit combinations would still make a good salad? I am not looking for anything fancy or incredibly tasty, just a regular fruit salad.

My grocer has a wide diversity of fruits, so fruit suggestions are also appreciated.


texts: What ingredients make powdered sugar not gluten-free?

texts: I am looking to start cooking more things gluten free for my girlfriend, and have heard that powdered sugar may or may not be considered gluten free. What do I need to look for in the ingredients to keep powdered sugar gluten-free?


texts: Pressure canning tomatoes without added acid

texts:
I'd like to pressure can tomatoes without adding acid as recommended by the USDA (and outlined here). The reason being is, imo, the additional acid ruins the flavor.

My understanding of the official recommendation is that it specifically relates to food safety for water bath canning.  This is further supported by statements like this:

  High acid foods can be safely canned in a water bath canner. Low acid foods may need the addition of acids like lemon juice or vinegar to acidify them enough to be canned in a water bath canner.  Non acidic foods require the pressure canner.

There are many recipes for safely canning low acid foods using a pressure canner but despite the above statement and a large volume of research to support it, I've been unable to find a single authoritative recipe outlining a safe procedure for pressure canning tomatoes without acid. I did however find a plethora of other threads about this very topic with nothing conclusive and no strong consensus, e.g.:

https://www.chowhound.com/post/pressure-canning-tomatoes-acid-646654
https://www.pa2a.org/thread-pressure-canning-tomatoes-without-lemon-juice

How can I safely can tomatoes using a pressure cooker without adding any acid?  Can I simply follow the procedure for canning another low acid vegetable like carrots or green beans? Like 10 lbs pressure / 25 minutes? Or maybe err on the side of safety and increase time and/or pressure?


texts: Can garam masala be used as a substitute for curry powder or vice versa?  Garam Masala also known as all spice powder


texts:
I'm looking at getting a new blender, basically the main things I want to be able to do with it are make curry pastes, ultra smooth restaurant quality purees and soups and grind small amounts of spices (I'm talking 1-2 teaspoons). This leaves me with two choices (possibly three of which I'll get too): the Blentec or the Vitamix. The former goes to 27,000rpm and the latter goes to 37,000. I'm wondering is there much of a difference once you get up to crazy speeds like that.

The other option is a Thermomix, which from my reading only hits speeds of 11,000rpm. Unfortunately, given that many Thermomix owners also sell them, it's pretty hard to get unbiased information online so I'm wondering if a speed drop of nearly two thirds will make a difference to the smoothness of my purees. From demos I've seen it think the Thermomix will do a better job with curry pastes and spice grinding as the blades nearly touch the base of the container unlike the other two units: my thinking being that however high the rpm of the Vitamix/Blentec, if the teaspoon of spices can't come into contact with the blades, it's useless.

I read the What to look for when purchasing a blender? question and found no mention of rpm so maybe it's a parameter that isn't very useful, if so then it would be nice to know that at least.


texts:
I try to be careful, I really do, but I found a week old cod smelling 'fishy' in my fridge. Normally, I put the date on the package, so at least I know how long things 'last' in there (lost and forgotten).

So, I made a roster. On the first column is the name of the product/preparation, the first row is the day of the month. I'm putting the number of rations in the cells, and draw a line till the best before date.

I'm thinking about marking prepared foods like:

In a container (two days)
In a vacuum (seven days)
Cooked sous-vide (twenty-one days).
For the freezer, I'm thinking about ninety days.

Do you think this is a workable system? How do restaurants keep track of their inventory? Is it too complicated? Am I too harsh with the # of days (for instance, should these be depending on the food item?)


texts: I followed the instructions, but my food still stuck to the wok

texts: I bought a very expensive Stainless Steel Baccarat Wok only last week. I followed instructions as told by the shop assistant (to wipe with a small amount of oil before I started to cook), but when I started to cook my wok had gone all brown like burnt and all my food was destroyed. Where have I gone wrong? Is there any way to keep this problem from happening again?


texts: How long does it take a hot oven to become cold

texts: The recipe calls for a cold oven and I something baking in the oven on 450. How long will it take to for it to be cold again?


texts: How can you tell if pizza dough has been kneaded enough?

texts: I am making pizza dough for the first time. I know that you can use the window test and the poke test for bread, to see if it has ben kneaded long enough. Can you use the same tests for pizza dough and bread sticks? Some of the recipes  say only knead for 2 minutes, other say 7-8 minutes. I can not find any tips for how to tell if it is kneaded enough.


texts: Are feral hog hind quarters hams, or a different type of pork?

texts: I recently hunted feral hog and had one processed.  I have two full bone-in hind quarters.  I wondering if these are considered hams or a different cut/type of pork.  How would one go about cooking a full bone-in hind quarter?  What are the proper temperatures to cook feral hog to?  I would like to make a ham if possible, also maybe pulled pork or something else with the second hind quarter.  Thinking maybe in the smoker too.


texts: My Yakisoba came out bitter! How can I reduce the bitterness?

texts:
We made this Yakisoba recipe last week, but the noodles came out tasting more bitter than we'd like.  I added soy sauce to mine, but that mostly just drowned out the bitterness.

What can we do with this recipe to make it less bitter?  I like Yakisoba, so I want to try to make it work rather than having something different.  But I'm afraid that if I add something (like sugar) it would change the recipe's flavor too much.


texts: How do I maximize the shelf life of my homemade hot sauce?

texts:
I am planning on putting this year's crop of hot peppers to use by trying my hand at making my own hot sauces.

I've never tried this before, but I've found a number of recipes on the Internet.  However, I'm concerned about shelf life, and the variations in preparation methods that I'm seeing in the recipes are a bit confusing.

Some of the recipes simply call for mixing the peppers, some other vegetables (typically carrots, onions or bell peppers), seasoning (such as sugar or garlic) and vinegar.  The mixture is then blended in a food processor, and is "ready to eat" with no cooking.

Others call for simmering the ingredients in vinegar prior to putting them in the food processor.

Yet others actually detail month-long fermentation processes.

Some of the recipes say the resulting sauce will last at least for a year.  Others say a month or two.

Since the sauces will be too hot for anyone in the house but myself to use, I would prefer to extend the shelf life as long as possible.  If it goes bad in a month, I'll wind up throwing away a ton.

What is the basic method I should use to maximize the shelf life of a combination of hot peppers (bhut jolokia or ghost peppers, if that matters), carrots, garlic, and possibly bell peppers, apples, or grapes (all alternative ingredients I am interested in experimenting with)?

What is the best way to store the results?

What is a reasonable expectation for a safe shelf life for the resulting hot sauce?


texts: Jello Shots Techniques: Alcohol Concentration

texts:
When making jello shots, what proportions do you typically use?

For hard liquor like Gin, Tequila or Vodka, I've been using 1 part hot water to dissolve the jello and then 1 part cold spirits.  Some of these seem stronger than others.

For a liqueur like Pama (only 17%), it froze in the freezer and I had to wait for it to thaw.  I used 1 part cold Pama, but the general consensus was that the shot needed to be stronger.

The Jello seems to gel just fine.


texts: Can I freeze (raw) Brussels Sprouts to mimic the effects of frost?

texts:
This year has been a very mild winter and all the Brussels Sprouts in the shops are quite bitter as they have not undergone any overnight frosts.

Can I mimic the effects of an overnight frost by leaving raw Brussels Sprouts in the freezer for some time? How long should I do this for?

I have access to both individual sprouts that have already been picked from their "tree" and also some "sprout trees" that are still intact but have just been sliced off above the ground.

All the answers that Google can find relate to freezing already-cooked Brussels Sprouts for later consumption, but I assume that once cooked it is too late to reduce the bitterness in this way - although I could be wrong about this.


texts: How are jasmine and basmati rice related, how are they different?

texts:
While I really like to eat rice,
I did not spend much attention on the kind of rice I was eating - up to now.

Actually, I'd probably confuse basmati and jasmine rice...

Obviously, I'm now curious about every aspect of them,

both the academic, the biology and history,

and the emotional - can the taste be compared? Which cultures prefer which one?


texts:
When you're cutting a veggie, you're holding a veggie in the left hand and the knife in the right hand. Which hand does move closer to another? When you hold a knife with a tip resting on the board and keep cutting moving to the left, you will end up with a knife bottom inclined to the left and not cutting straight. How should be done right?

Here's the video that help you to understand the problem better:

http://sebastian.honsa.eu/files/downloads/cutting.mp4

style 1 - I move the carrot to the knife (this cannot be done with any veggie)
style 2 - This is when my problem occurs
style 3 - I tried to cut it right and maintain the knife angle but it was pretty uncomfortable


texts: What are the pros and cons of using clarified butter as opposed to regular butter?

texts: I am about to start making clarified butter and I want to know how removing the milk solids affects the end result when sauteing, making flavor bases and other things. I like the idea of cooking with butter that is harder to burn but I want to know what I am giving away here.


texts: What property makes a liquid soapy/bubbly?

texts:
Is there a scientific or food industry term for what makes a water solution behave like a detergent, and perhaps an associated unit of measure?

For example, the pH of a solution measures its acidity; is there a similar term for "soapiness"?


texts: Can I saute in one pan and bake in another?

texts: Usually I saute my chicken then put the pan in the oven to finish cooking. But I need to make more than my one oven safe pan will hold. Can I saute in a few pans and then transfer all the chicken into a baking pan to finish cooking? Would I need to add oil to the baking pan and/or let it preheat in the oven?


texts: I love the strong flavor of buffalo wings, Tabasco, etc. Are capsaicinoids integral to this flavor, or can the "heat" be removed. I guess I'm not a fan of my mouth burning for considerable periods after the fact. Besides that, my SO is allergic to them, and I'd love to be able to make tasty tacos that she can safely eat.