texts: Does ginger infused honey or vodka ever go bad food-safety-wise?

texts: I have sliced ginger stored in a jar of honey, and another jar of a small ginger knob in vodka. Both were stored in the refrigerator. Both are about 2 to 3 years old. They do not have any off odors. However, they both have a white powdery substance that has settled to the bottom. Could it be mold? Or bacterial growth? Before I noticed the white substance, I started to mix up the honey-ginger and it mixed up milky cloudy. I'm inclined to throw it away, but if there's no chance something can grow in a gingered honey or vodka infusion, I'd be happy to keep any use. Appreciate any expert advice.


texts: Cake without baking powder made 2 layers in a cake. Why?

texts:
Yesterday I baked a chocolate cake. Fifteen minutes after it went in the oven I realised I'd left out the baking powder, so  I quickly made another one, this one with baking powder.

This cake recipe only uses 2 eggs (unlike most cakes I've baked that use 4 ) and only 2 teaspoons of baking powder instead of a whole packet (3-4 teaspoons). This means it will grow less (eggs grow when cooked, as well as baking powder).

This means there is more batter and it is more liquid, instead of the typical thick batter that grows a lot in the oven. In those cakes in the past (thick batter, 4 eggs and a whole packet of baking powder), whenever I forgot to put baking powder, it literally ended up in a hard and one-finger thin cake, difficult to eat.

But this cake baked quite well. After it was baked I made another one, exactly the same but with baking powder. The difference it was basically that it was a bit (just a little) bigger and quite spongier. But the MOST representative thing was that it all looked homogeneous (like a cake should, I did not take a picture of the second one). But look at the no-baking-powder cake. You can literally see 2 different layers of cake (one more choco-flavourful). This did not happen to the second one.

Does the baking powder have something to do with this? I guess so, but I do not fully understand how can baking powder solve the issue of the "mix batter". Like, my logic tells me once you put the mold in the oven, if it is not homogeneous, the thicker part will go down, but it did not happen in the second one...

Ingredients: Eggs (2), cocoa powder, sugar, flour, milk, water (sounds weird but gives the thing!), vegetable oil, some melted butter!


texts: What is the hottest part of a chili/chilli/chile pepper?

texts:
I often hear different points of view to this question - some say the hottest part of the chili is its seeds, yet I've heard some (arguably more believable) sources claim that the white part that holds the seeds to the flesh is the hottest.

What part of the chili fruit is the hottest?


texts: I want to add chopped toasted pecans to my stove top stuffing.  How do I toast 1/4 cup of chopped almonds?


texts:
I'm following a recipe that calls for 2 chiles serranos and serves 6. The dish is not hot/spicy at all, and I wouldn't want to lose this when scaling.

I need to scale by 6, and the dish should serve about 36 persons. Should I now use 12 chiles serranos?

They will be cooked with the rest of the ingredients, adding some flavour. Unless I'm missing something about this recipe, you are not supposed to eat the chiles!

This is the recipe I'm following. It's from a Diana Kennedy book.

I don't want the dish to become super hot!!!


texts: What are some best practices to cook salmon on a cedar plank in an oven?

texts:
I know that cedar plank cooking is normally done on a grill but I want to see what I can do with it indoors.

What are some ways to get more of the wood flavor when cooking salmon with a cedar plank in the oven?


texts:
I love salisbury steak, ever since I first tried it in Wendy's, but now I want to know exactly why it is named the salisbury steak.
What's the reason it's called a salisbury steak?


texts: Do you leave the oven thermometer inside the oven while you are baking?

texts:
We have a very old gas oven at home. I just started baking but every time I use it for baking, I end up having burnt cookies, unevenly baked cakes, etc.
I plan on buying an oven thermometer. I'd like to know if I should leave the thermometer inside the oven in order to  monitor the temperature. Or should I take it out once the oven has been preheated enough?


texts: Why does my ice cream leave a waxy texture on the roof of my mouth?

texts:
I made a batch of ice cream using the following as the base:
1 pint cream,
1 cup milk,
4 egg yolks,
½ cup sugar,
2 tsp vanilla extract

I simmered that until just boiling and then cooled it for a few hours before finishing it up in my ice cream maker for 20min.

I've used this base a few times and add different fruit and spices based on what I want to make.

The problem I'm having is the ice cream leaves a waxy coating on the roof of my mouth. It still tastes great, but the coating is unpleasant. Should I use a different recipe to start with? Am I doing something wrong when I make it?


texts:
From my conversation with some of my friends, they mention that using canola oil would be suitable for cooking a almost "Well Done" salmon. Also, it will make the salmon taste better.

So, I was wondering if would it make a difference if I use other type of oil or even use butter to cook my salmon fish and if possible, make it taste better?


texts: Tips for cooking a whole lamb in a fire pit?

texts:
A while ago we tried to cook a whole lamb in a fire pit.  Basically we dug a pit about 2-2.5 feet deep, lined it with rocks to try and retain the heat, made a large fire in it, and started to drink.  Then when the fire had died down a bit we lined the fire with some damp straw, put in the hessian wrapped lamb, put more damp straw on top then covered the whole thing with earth and left for 24 hours.

When we dug it up, the lamb was done beautifully on the fire side, but raw on the top.

What might we have done wrong, apart from getting drunk whilst the fire was burning?  Has anyone done this before and what are the things that we should bear in mind if we do it again?


texts: How can I get a syrupy "mouth-feel" in sugar-free syrup?

texts:
I viscerally hate low calorie sugar replacements - all of them, including Splenda (sucralose), except in one application. In my iced coffee I like sugar-free hazelnut syrup. The brand that I've been using is sweetened with Splenda (and sneakily, acesulfame potassium). It would be great except that it's very expensive. I spend $70/month just for that syrup. I have 50 grams of sucralose (that's enough to sweeten my coffee for years) which is the sweetener in Splenda. I also have hazelnut extract. I've made a "syrup" with water, sucralose and hazelnut extract and it turned out OK, but the coffee drink really lacks something without the syrupy quality of the commercial stuff.

The ingredients on the label for the commercial syrup: Purified water, natural and artificial flavors, citric acid, acesulfame potassium, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (to preserve freshness), xanthan gum, sucralose (SPLENDA Brand), caramel color.

I know that acesulfame potassium is a sweetener, Splenda generally contains maltodextrin and sucralose, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. There doesn't seem to be any maltodextrin in the product. Unless I'm missing something, that means that the commercial product gets its viscosity from an infinitesimal amount of xanthan gum. Could that be right?

Of course I can get xanthan gum. Say I'm making 2 cups of syrup at a time, I add 1/8 tsp sucralose and two teaspoons of extract to 2 cups of boiling water (off heat). Now what?


texts: What is the best process/technique to use for hot smoking salmon on a smoker like the Big Green Egg?


texts: How can I make a quick bread mix less sweet?

texts:
I have one of those quick bread mixes to which you only need to add water, oil, and eggs. The problem is that it is too sweet for my taste.

Are there any tricks to make it less sweet?


texts: Can I re-can a batch of salsa that is missing an ingredient?

texts: At the end of last summer we made up a huge batch of salsa and successfully canned it (approximately 8 months ago).  My wonderful hubby finished it when I was at work. Now I opened a jar and realized it is bitter and he forgot to add the sugar after cooking it and before sealing the jars. Is it safe to reopen and add the ingredient from my recipe and re-can them after this much time?  They were all successfully sealed and I was hoping to not have to doctor each jar after opening it before consuming. Thanks for your help.


texts: Air bubbles in semi liquid chicken sausage

texts:
I'm facing a problem of existing air bubbles in semi liquid chicken sausage. The bubbles are tiny and mostly formed while mixing to bowl chopper machine. So when I fill the mixture into the casing there observed tiny air bubbles on the sausage. After smoking the tiny bubbles are clearly observed and it is the reason of rejecting much amount while sorting. I used needle for expelling the bubbles but it is a semi liquid mixture so the mixture gets out from that needled hole while knotting manually.
Can I be helped how to remove or expel the bubbles of chicken sausage.


texts:
As we've seen in previous questions, certain flours have different gluten contents. Time and time again, I find reviews of King Arthur Flour recipes indicating that I really must use their flour if I want the recipe to come out right, as any other flour will make it come out horribly wrong. Is there a way to convert a bread recipe to use a more widely available brand, given that my supermarket actually sells gluten in a bag?

ETA: Also, is there a way to find out what makes a given brand different so I can evaluate it?


texts: How to gauge orzo's change in volume from dry to cooked for a soup?

texts:
I am working on a scratch chicken, vegetable orzo soup. I'm not following any particular recipe, just shooting from the hip. I usually come up with a good meal but the problem I always run into though is with gauging how much pasta (or barley or rice) to add to a soup and keep it at all balanced.

Protein and veggies are easy since those ingredients usually do not change in size during cooking but whenever I use a starch that changes in volume while cooking I end up with a soup that is either starch heavy (too much grain or pasta) or starch light (too much veggie and protein in relation to the starch.)

So my basic question is: I have a half cup of dry orzo sitting at the ready. How many cups will that half cup turn into after cooking in soup stock? I am using orzo right now but would also be interested in seeing similar information for other types of pasta and any soup-suitable grains. Any rules of thumb or ideas for different approaches would be appreciated as well.

Thanks!


texts: How much does fresh pasta yield when cooked?

texts:
While I know the yield for dried pasta, I cannot find the yield for fresh pasta, which I know is different from dried.

(My goal here is actually to calculate calories for fresh pasta based on the weight after cooking.)


texts: What can I do with the white parts of kale?

texts:
I like to bake, fry, cook and make salads out of dark green parts of the kale. But when I get to the middle of the kale, I don't like those whiteish bright parts, just not tasty much imo.

I was thinking about blending it in a smoothie but I don't have a blender yet.

Any ideas how to prepare those?


texts: How do I substitute proofed dried active yeast for fresh yeast?

texts:
I have a recipe that calls for fresh yeast, but I want to substitute a particular weight of dried active yeast for the fresh yeast.

It seems from this question that I do not need to proof the dried active yeast and can simply weigh the amount of granules out of the dried yeast and just make the dough with that relying on the water content of the dough to work on the yeast.

What I am interested in though is if I decided to proof the yeast, how would I go about doing this to use in the recipe?

The bread recipe calls for a weight measure of yeast which is easy to achieve without activating the yeast. However activating the yeast calls for a specific weight of the yeast along with measurements of sugar and water. This would leave me with a liquid of a particular volume - this doesn't translate into a weight of dried active yeast too easy any more. Secondly, the bread recipe calls for water, yet adding the proofed yeast would change the ratios of this and I imagine alter the consistency of the dough.


texts: I like moose and I like bacon. Is it possible to make moose bacon? How is the moose belly?


texts: Which is better to sauté with, stainless steel or Teflon?

texts: Lots of times in recipes, they'll specify using a stainless steel pan, but I find the non-stick aspect of Teflon to be an advantage. Is stainless steel really better, and if so ,What about it makes it a better choice?


texts: Vegetarian substitutes for nuoc mam / nuoc cham?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is a good substitute for Fish Sauce?

What makes the best vegetarian substitute for fish sauce (nuoc mam) in Vietnamese dishes and condiments, especially nuoc cham (the nuoc mam prepared with acid, garlic and chilis)?


texts: How do I know by taste, if ham is bad. I have had pre cooked ham cooking in a slow cooker on warm for 3 days

texts:
My boyfriend has been using this idea, for a long time. He makes bean soup, with just ham and beans.. maybe a onion, then it sits in the crockpot on warm until digested, by us. LOL. well today. I grabbed a bowl.. and noticed a faint sweet taste to the ham.. I have been digging for suggestions since, to know if I should throw it away or, continue eating it.. It still taste amazing. Just nervous is all. I am going to stick a thermometer in the soup to see what temperature, my crock pot is on, while on warm. Then, I will know if its cooking at at least above 140, safe area. We do this to chili too, and deer meat.. It actually, taste better the second day.
Sign.. a bit unsure.. lol
Rose Dubois


texts: Does bacon need to be fried until crisp?

texts: I'm not sure how much to fry the frozen bacon I get. Should it be crisp? When do I stop?


texts: Two different gynostemma teas taste completely different, why?

texts:
So i've ordered 2 different brands of gynostemma (or jiaogulan in chinese) and they each taste very differently. The first one I've ordered tastes extremely bitter, the second one I've ordered tastes light and sweet, even though I can detect somewhat of a similar bitter after taste.

According to the boxes they are both 100% gynostemma leaf, and the tea bags appear to be exactly the same in size. Why does one taste very bitter why the other one doesn't? Is it possible the leaves from the first box were older when i ordered them?


texts:
We have some radish that have these darker areas in the flesh. Currently, we are on the island of Malta where food ingredients are very low quality in general, so anything out of the ordinary immediately becomes suspicious :)

Click for larger size image.


texts: Interesting use for Okra as the main ingredient in a dish?

texts:
I had a few handfuls of fresh Okra delivered with the last CSA delivery. I'm looking for an interesting way to cook a dish featuring it. I also have:

One eggplant
Some pumpkin
One leek
Lots of tomatoes
Cilantro
Dill
Potatoes


texts: Cacao percentages and aromas developed in chocolate from different origins

texts:
About chocolate:

I tasted a 66% cocoa chocolate bar origin of Caribbean coast. And then, I tasted a 66% cocoa chocolate origin of Alpaco (Ecuador).

The only thing I've noticed it, that the Ecuadorian was stronger. The cacao taste last for long minutes in my mouth. But the Caraiban one, was subtle and delight.

The both have the same cocoa percentages.

On the manufacturer site they wrote:

  This "Mariage de Grands Crus" from a small plantation along the
  Caribbean Sea has an exceptionally long nose and the soft aromas of
  nuts on the palate. CARAÏBE 66% is a perfect balance of smooth
  chocolate and roasted dried fruit notes with a slight oaky finish. Its
  opulent and soft, melody unveils subtle almond and roasted coffee
  flavors.

And:

  A Grand Cru whose subtle floral aromas melt exquisitely into supremely
  intense chocolatey notes. The majority of the cocoa used for ALPACO
  66% comes from the Ecuadorian Arriba bean. It combines strength and
  sophistication, and offers delicate floral aromas of jasmine and
  orange blossom, intimately and intricately intertwined with deep cocoa
  notes. The subtleness of floral aromas exquisitely melting into
  supremely intense chocolaty notes. Pure Ecuador.

How could I improve my tasting skills. I couldn't taste the orange blossom and jasmine aromas from the Alpaco. How chefs knows that a cacao has nutty or dried fruit notices ? And how just by changing the planting soil and environment will produce the same nibs but with different aromas ?

After all, if a meat cut coming from Australia, will taste the same as the one coming from America right ??


texts:
One of my friends recently went to India and brought back some sweets today. These sweets have a silver layer on top. Therefore, I'm quite curious as to whether or not it is safe to eat silver.

As far as I know, there is no processing mechanism for heavy metal in the human body. I think that these sweets probably do not contain real silver metal, otherwise they could be really expensive... I guess it could be aluminium or some other less expensive metal.

Anyone have any idea?


texts: Do there exist cookbooks, possibly in English, about food from the state of Odisha, India -- preferably written by an author from that region?


texts: What is a lean cut of beef (steak) to use in low calorie recipes?  I am interested in creating some low calorie recipes using steak but am unsure which are the best cuts to start with.


texts:
When milk is cultured (eg kefir), what changes occur in terms of lactose, glucose and galactose levels?
What happens to these sugars, and why?


texts: Induction compatible pans not working on induction stove-top

texts:
I just purchased a set of "induction ready" pans from All-Clad. Found here.

However, to my dismay when I got them home, they wouldn't work! My stove makes a kind of clicking noise when I try to use cookware that's too small or not quite placed inside the cooking zone, and that's what I heard with these, although according to my range's manual they are the correct size.

I have a Samsung Range, NE599N1PBSR/AC

I can return them so it's not a huge deal, but I'd like to know why they don't work. Is it because their bottoms aren't flat? They have kind of grooves going towards the center, maybe to help distribute heat?


texts: is it ok to use parchment paper when baking cream puffs

texts: Is it better to use parchment paper when baking cream puffs so that the middle does not end up being wet and soggy?


texts: Pre-preparing breakfast scramble -- potatoes

texts:
I liked to cut up a bunch of onions and bellpeppers once a week so that when I make eggs in the morning I just need to put a scoop in the pan and add the eggs once they are cooked. This has been going well, but I want some more variety by adding sausage and potatoes to the mix as well. For the sausage I plan to precook it and mix it in with the veggies. However, I'm not sure what to do for the potatoes as they take longer to cook.

Should I simply chop and microwave them and add them? Or would I need to fry them a bit in the pan first so they will cook a bit in advanced?


texts:
I bought a pack of 'Custard Power' around 4 year ago. I placed the pack in my store room and completely forgot about it until now. The packet was 100% unopened until yesterday, when I found it. I cannot seem to find an expiry date, but the powder still seems fine.

Can I use it, or should I throw it and get fresh?


texts:
I have a tart recipe that has a shortcrust base that I have done several times. On the first attempts, everything was okay with the base - the "dough" was crumbly but could be rolled and kept its shape relatively well.

Now I tried making it and the "dough" turns out very crumbly, more like dry flour than dough. Rolling is impossible, and only after a lot of compaction with my hands was I able to make something workable.

The ingredients are:

  300 g flour
  100 g sugar
  200 g butter, cut into small cubes
  1 beaten egg

The instructions are:

  Mix flour, sugar and butter
  Add beaten egg and stir until combined
  Flatten the dough, wrap in cling-film and place in refrigerator for 2 hours

The instruction imply to use a food processor, but I have been using my KitchenAid stand mixer with the flat beater. I also tried mixing by hand (with a fork as well as literally by hand), with minimal improvements.

What am I doing wrong now, and why did it work before but not anymore?


texts: I understand it has to do with the marbling of the meat.  Does the grading system apply to the entire cow, as in any cut from this cow is considered prime/choice/select?  Or is it done by the portion of meat cut; could the same cow produce both prime meat and sub-select meat?  And who came up with prime-choice-select instead of a simple letter grading system?


texts: Ratio of cream/butter to cheese in Alfredo with high fat cheeses?

texts:
I would like to substitute ricotta in Alfredo with mascarpone. However I found doing that greatly affects the texture of the Alfredo making it too greasy and less creamy and smooth like I want it to be.

What should be the butter and cream ratio to cheese when using high fat cheeses? Should you use milk to offset all the fat from the mascarpone?


texts:
Is it okay to store cooked omelette for 1 week?

Secondly, at what temperature it should be stored ?


texts: Can salted butter be used to make lemon curd?

texts:
The recipe I want to use to make lemon curd specifically calls for unsalted butter, while many other recipes I've looked at either also specify this, or simply say 'butter', making me unsure whether they mean salted or unsalted butter.

Where I live butter is very expensive, and it can also be difficult to buy it in any reasonably large quantities. So this makes me wonder whether it's okay to use salted butter which I readily have available instead of spending the time and money to buy the suitable amount of unsalted butter.

So would using salted butter to make lemon curd somehow cause it to fail? Or would it succeed, but change the taste and/or texture?

EDIT

Today, I finally got around to making some lemon curd. As an experiment, I decided to make a small batch with the salted butter I had to hand to see how it would turn out, and to be perfectly honest it tastes great. It doesn't taste particularly salty and the texture is just as I wanted. I plan to give some to my in-laws and ask for their opinions on whether it tastes salty at all, but since they have a more salt heavy diet than me (I've been trying to cut down on salt when possible for the last half a year or so), I don't think they'll be put off at all. Or at least I hope so!

In any case, I don't think I'll be worrying too much about whether I'm using salted or unsalted butter in my curd from now on. Though I will note to buy the same brand of butter as often as possible, since I might just be using a comparatively lightly salted butter.


texts: What were the primary reasons for different livestock consumption habits of countries and cultures?

texts:
Whilst visiting a friend in Germany recently he told me that the prevalence of pork in the German diet was because the winters often killed cattle and beef was not readily available.
I began to think about the issue on a much deeper (but uniformed level) and wondered what the primary reasons were for particular meat consumption in regions.
Examples

Beef in the UK/USA
Pork in Germanic Countries
Herring in Scandinavia
Goat in Arabic countries
Lamb in South East Asia
Tofu or Soy based products in Far Asia
Mixed chicken and seafood in Romance-speaking countries

Is there a deep historical reasoning for the prevalence of one product over another?


texts: How can I improve my barbecue sauce recipe?

texts:
I've been trying to refine my BBQ sauce lately and I'm really curious if I can improve it, or if I'm mixing a sauce for a wrong purpose. The times I've made it, it have been used as a marinade for steaks, and a spread on the steaks while they've been on the grill, though if found the base of it as a ribglaze.

So far I have:

A dash of Jack Daniels
2 cups of ketchup
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of cider winegar
A dash of orange juice
2 teaspoons of Worcesthershire sauce
3 clovers of garlic
1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard

Am I using it "wrong" (debateble since you can't tell what's right and wrong anyway)...should I look more at a non-galizing sauce for a steak instead?


texts: How to a prevent spoon from falling into soup?

texts: When preparing a soup, the spoon which I use to stir the soup with, often falls in. Is there any way to prevent the spoon from falling into the soup?


texts: If my sourdough starter does not float in water, does that mean it is not ready?


texts: Is there any reason not to keep fruits inside nalewka for too long?

texts:
In much of Eastern Europe, it is common to prepare so called nalewka. The basic idea is to take some fruit (e.g. cherries, blackcurrants) and macerate it in strong alcohol, then remove the fruit and age the liquid for several months. It is a lot like liqueur, but not quite the same. Right now, I am preparing a traditional nalewka with fruit of Cornus mas.

Is any reason not to macerate the fruit for longer than suggested in the recipe? In particular, is there any chance that the seeds would release any unwanted (poisonous?) substances if left for too long? I am mostly interested in Cornus mas because that is what I am using at the moment, but I would welcome advice about other fruit as well.

(Apologies if the question is too region-specific or otherwise inappropriate. This is my first post of this SE).


texts:
I overmixed my pate sucree and it is now very soft (see picture). Is there any way I could fix it?

Recipe:
1/2 cup/120g cold butter
1/2cuo + 1 tbsp/ 70g icing sugar
1/4cup/25g ground almonds
1 pinch of coarse sea salt
A few drops of vanilla extract
1 egg
1 2/3 cup / 200 g cake flour.

I realised afterwards that i had added 120g instead of 200g of flour. It looks more dough like now. However, when i tried to roll it out, the pie dough feels very soft after i roll it out and was pretty impossible to remove from the floured surface. I think it might really be overworked..


texts: I have had unsalted butter in the fridge for a while and used it from time to time. Now I realize that's it's been there for many, many months. It tastes fine but is it safe to keep it longer than a month?


texts: Does a 1500W blender produce a less viscous smoothie than a 400W blender?

texts:
A less-viscous smoothie is more drinkable, by adults and kids alike. (We assume we add minimal to no water.)
1300W-blenders are touted by sales-folks as Formidable Juice Machines.
Is this marketing hype to justify the significantly higher price tags, or do they actually serve a better purpose than 400W blenders.
No wide survey question is sought here. The question is very narrow.
Is the viscosity of the smoothie (for mangoes, berries, kiwis and other low-fibre food) produced by 1300W blenders noticeably lower than that of 400W blenders? Assume that I add equal amounts of water, and I do not intend to add ice cubes.
Context
A high-powered blender from a good brand may render the price-tag a moot point. What still remains distasteful in high-powered blenders is that they all come with plastic jars. It may well be that the plastic never leeches into the food, but the possibility that it could be happening is disturbing.


texts:
What can I do to get avoid a super strong seaweed taste when making sushi? I've had sushi wrapped in seaweed before, and I absolutely love how the roll tastes. However, I attempted to make my own sushi at home and everything was turned out fine but the moment I took a bite it tasted like pure seaweed. I know that it'll have somewhat of an after taste, but it tasted as if I was eating the dried nori itself.
Any tips on what to do or why my sushi tasted that way?


texts: I'm having a barbecue and I'm cooking steaks and asparagus. I still have some uncooked potatoes left in the pantry. Is it possible to grill a potato?


texts: I had a glass container with turmeric roots. When I was preparing curry I noticed that they have sprouted but seems to be firm and not problematic in other way (no mold etc.). Is it safe to use them?


texts: What varities of chili peppers are most commonly used in Italy

texts:
I've been reading some Italian (written in Italian, by Italians) cook books and web sites and I find that many recipes call for peperoncini.  I thought I knew what these are, but according to this article in Wikipedia:

  While called peperoncini in American English, peppers of this
  particular kind, in Italy, are called friggitello (plural friggitelli)
  or more generally peperone (plural peperoni) like other sweet
  varieties of peppers, while the term peperoncini (singular
  peperoncino) is used for hotter varieties of chili peppers.

There are, of course, many varieties of hot chili peppers.  My question is, what variety of peppers would most commonly be used by a cook in southern Italy when a recipe calls for peperoncini?


texts: Does it make sense to refrigerate the dough made for Parathas to be used after 8 hours?

texts:
Paratha: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paratha

Flour:
Wheat flour

Dough ingredients:
Water
Salt
Wheat flour

I am planning to make this dough in the evening and keep it in the fridge for 8 hours to be used in the early next morning.

Is this going to be disadvantageous for making soft plain Parathas any how?
Does any care needs to be taken here?


texts: If I need to cool something quickly or keep something at a lower temperature, do I put it in the top or bottom shelf of the fridge? Which part of the fridge is the coolest?


texts: How to know how salty is my soup without tasting?

texts:
This is a sister to this question.

I need a method or a trick to measure (or guess) how saline is my food using normal tools or substances available on the super-market

Any help?


texts: Can I make a good pizza in a home portable oven?

texts:
I have a portable small oven with a max temperature of 250°C.

There are two hot bars, one at the top and the other at the bottom.

First of all, I'm not sure that I can get good pizza in that.

My crust never gets heated much, it looks like the base is not heated when it's on the plate.

So I want to ask if it's possible to get a good pizza at 250°C.


texts: Is it possible to stir-fry meat cutlets without "oil bombing" ?)

texts:
While frying in the pan, meat gives out the moisture, that causes oil to "shoot".

How do you make cutlets? And is there something, that I can add to the meat, to make water stay inside or go out slower? I've tried to add dry bread to meat, but it doesn't help. Maybe egg?


texts: Making yogurt I put the yogurt in before heating the milk

texts: I've made yogurt before, but it's been awhile and I was distracted. I added the yogurt before heating the milk. Is there anything I can do to fix this?


texts: How do I keep the rice cooker from boiling over?

texts:
I am having epic rice-cooker failure here.

I measure out the amount of rice suggested by the little cup thingy. I rinse it with a bowl and a strainer until the water is clear while rinsing. Then I put the rice in and fill it to the appropriate line in my Rice Cooker with fresh water. After cooking for a little while, it immediately begins to boil over and nasty bubbles start popping out of the little hole in the top, dumping yucky, sticky water all over the place.

The Rice, when all is said and done, is alright but it's a hell of a mess! What am I doing wrong?


texts: What is a good way to cook Turkey Chops?

texts: How should turkey chops be cooked so they are tasty? Is a cast iron pan needed or benefitial?


texts: Oil vs butter in chocolate sponge cake cake

texts:
I baked a Victoria chocolate sponge cake. It did not turn to be a sponge cake at all. I wouldn't call it hard, but it was definitely not a moist cake. It was kind of fudgy (but it won't pass off for a fudge cake either).

I was wondering if I could replace the butter with oil and also add milk to give me a nice moist chocolate cake. If I could, can I replace the amount of butter I used with 80% oil and 20% milk. Will that work??

Please help.


texts: What is the effect of a semolina/plain flour mix in pasta making?

texts:
I have made fresh egg pasta a couple times now using various combinations of semolina and plain flour (4:1 semolina to plain flour, 4:1 plain flour to semolina, all plain flour).

Seeing as semolina flour is more expensive than plain flour, what's the effect of the semolina/plain flour mix on the texture and flavour meant to be? Perhaps the distinction is lost on me, but for me all the variations taste roughly the same.


texts: What could be used as a savoury custard to serve with a savoury jam roly-poly?

texts:
I'm not mad, you know.

I have this plan to serve a meal backwards - coffee and brandy, then dessert, then a main, then starters, then champagne. Except that of course each stage will be tailored to work in the actual order, which mostly means making a savoury dessert and a sweet starter.

Honestly, i'm really not mad. I've been tested.

For the savoury dessert, i plan to make that celebrated stodgy English treat, jam roly-poly. To make it savoury, i will use something like red pesto instead of jam. Or it might be a savoury version of some other suet pudding - spotted dick or figgie hobbin with olives instead of currants, perhaps.

Pudding needs custard. What can i use as a savoury custard?

One option is simply to make a savoury custard. Cream, eggs, no sugar, and perhaps black pepper instead of vanilla. Would that work from a purely physico-chemical point of view? Would it be disgusting? Apparently it works on top of moussaka, but that's a baked custard.

How about a Béchamel sauce, or some derivative of it? Perhaps with some cheese, to make it a custardy yellow and give it more interest?

A Hollandaise sauce might be the closest thing to a savoury custard, what with having eggs in. I've never made one, though, and it looks too difficult for me.

Any thoughts?


texts: What is the proper ratio of tapioca , sugar and water for boba?

texts:
I want to make my own boba.
My first attempt turned out to misshapen flat disk. It looks more like a bread roll.
I really would like to them to be round.
I used

120g tapioca starch
78ml water
65g brown sugar

Might be too dry.  I cooked it 6 min on high, 20 min on medium and let it stand for 20min.
What is the proper ratio of all three ingredients?


texts:
I'm making a two pounds of dry black beans by:

Sorting out the rocks, dirt, malformed beans
Washing any dirt or mud from the remaining beans
Soaking for only 1 hour in 2 gallons of water and 2 Tablespoons of salt
Add any non-acidic ingredients and spices
Heating stove top until 212 F
Maintaining temp in oven at 225 F for 3-4 hours
Adding any acid like Tomatoes after cooking is finished

My Logic is:

Soaking for 1 hour is reported to decrease cooking time
Soaking for 8 hours only decreases cooking time by 30 minutes and makes more beans fall apart
Soaking / cooking in salt reduces skin toughness
Using the soak water in the final product improves taste, nutrients, color, as reported by Alton Brown, many other pro chefs, and most traditional Cuban and Mexican cooks
Salt content of the soak water is about what I'd like in the final product
Using stove top is fastest method of reaching 212 F and avoiding 170-180 F, which increases phytohaemagglutinin (phytohemagglutinin) by 5 x at that temp
Using oven avoids stirring / sicking to the bottom of the pan
Adding any acids like tomatoes increases cooking time

Answers and feedback requested:

The CDC reports that pouring off the soak water decreases phytohaemagglutinin in the final product.  However, if 30 minutes or more removes most all of the phytohaemagglutinin, why would throwing out the soak water help, and if so, by how much?

Soak water also contains other non-digestible sugars and proteins that can cause problems.  However, extended cooking is also supposed to break these sugars and proteins down.  So, will this increase digestive problems, and if so, by how much?

Any other comments of answers to critique my methods are welcome.

For an extremely detailed discussion with many references:
By "Captious" - 2006/05/01 -
Common Bean Myths

Pressure cookers and tossing the soak water do decrease non-digestible sugars:
Thai Science -
Effects of Tossing the Soak Water and Pressure Cooking Beans -
Research Report on Detailed Scientific Experiments.PDF (Title is mine)


texts:
I use my dehydrator to dehydrate herbs such as parsley and dill. I use low temperature (95 F = 35 C) to preserve the taste. The dark-green leaves are usually completely dry after several hours, but the light-green stems remain slightly wet.

At one time, I made the mistake of putting everything together in a jar; it caught the mold in several days and I had to trash it.

I tried to cut the stems from the leaves and dehydrate them separately, but it turned out to be a very tedious task as each piece has a different length so I had to cut each piece separately.

What do you do?


texts: How do I adjust cooking time for an under-powered microwave?

texts:
Example:

I have an 800-Watt microwave.  Cooking instructions for a certain product say to cook on HIGH for 4 minutes in a 1,100-Watt microwave.

How do I properly adjust the cooking time so that my microwave will properly cook the product?  Is it simple math (such as 4*{1100/800}=5.5, or 5 minutes, 30 seconds), or are there more factors involved?

For the purposes of my application, presume altitude is at or near sea level.


texts: Can you concoct Kombu with Dulse (Palmaria palmata)?

texts: I followed Nami's YouTube video starting at 1:37 for Kombu Dashi, but I substituted Nova Scotian Dulse. The resulting mixture tasted like water and had no flavor. What did I miff? If Palmaria palmata can't be used to concoct Dashi, why not?


texts: Do you fold or blend the olives in a fougasse?

texts:
As a variation from making focaccia with fried onions (impatience to spend 30 minutes frying onions, really), I experimented instead with sundried tomatoes.

It's a success, although I needed to keep a very close eye after switching low-broil on (to get a more interesting crust and golden hue on top). The oil in the tomatoes makes them burn very quickly.
My next experiment is a sibling dish: olive fougasse, still in a 12" cast iron pan to get a nice crust.
Here the recipes call for burying the olives inside the fougasse, not keeping them on top.
But it's unclear whether the olives should be blended in before the first/second rise, or folded into the dough after the first (second?) rise. Can you comment?
As you see from the picture above, the oily tomatoes weigh down the dough considerably, stopping it from rising quite as much as it would otherwise. Presumably the (equally oily) olives will
also inhibit excessive rising, although it may be that that's a characteristic of focaccia/fougasse.
Clarification (update)
A (good) pizza dough is not that different from the dough for focaccia or fougasse. Focaccia may have a bit more oil within the dough, but otherwise they're all similar.
Within that line of thinking, fougasse is an inherently easier dish to eat away from home (even in the car of someone who insists on absolute cleanliness inside, with no pieces of rosemary scattering around). Whatever would have made it as topping is simply burried inside the dough. The extreme is to fold the ingredients inside the dough. If the ingredients include tomato sauce, then the folding makes the dish become calzone—another dish that's particularly easy to take on trips.
Returning to the focus of the question: Is there any reason why you would want to fold the dough, possibly multiple times, to keep the olives out of the fabric/mesh of the dough? Or would you simply mix the olives in the dough (what I called earlier "blend in")? The nicest doughs result from two rises, not one. If you'd mix the olives, is there any reason why you'd mix them after, rather than before, the first rise?


texts: How to remove the bitter taste from green bell pepper?

texts:
Green pepper has a more bitter taste than red or yellow pepper.

Are there tricks to remove or diminish this bitter taste? A special way of cooking, or adding a bit of sugar or something maybe?


texts:
Does flour and water of 45 degrees Fahrenheit rise? I thought that it has to be warmer, or they wont react at all.
Will it rise just at a slower paace?


texts: How can I get my defrosted pizza dough to transfer from peel to oven?

texts:
My defrosted dough hard to handle once I put stuff on it. I make a horrible mess getting onto the pizza stone. I wind up with at least part of the pizza dough folded over on itself. I never used to have quite so much trouble. I was using a wooden pizza peel; I just tried a metal one for the first time and still have the same problems.
what am I doing wrong


texts: Does a change in altitude affect baking time or temperature?

texts: I used to live at several thousand feet above sea level, but now I live only a few hundred feet above sea level.  Will this affect the temperatures and times in my baking recipes (cakes, breads, etc)?  If so, how?  Does a change in altitude affect any other areas of cooking?


texts: What is this sauce-making technique called?

texts:
My mother was not the best cook, well she cooked because she needed to, but I don't think she ever enjoyed it. One of the things she did was if she was making sauce, is to take a spoonful of margarine or butter and use a fork to knead a little bit of flour into the fat.

She would then slowly add milk to the butter paste to get the thickness she wanted, and then flavour it depending on what sauce she wanted to make.

Is there a name for this? Was she making a roux or a beschamel without even knowing what either is? Is this a French technique?


texts:
I have several bags of quality coffee beans brought from Costa Rica. Their best before date is over a year ago. I just grinded and made a pot of coffee of them, and although it was drinkable, taste wasn't that good anymore.

Is there any other culinary use for coffee beans? Any recipe where their fresh taste isn't as important as in a cup of coffee?


texts:
I have long struggled with pan-frying cube-shaped foods to try to get them evenly browned on all sides.

I have this struggle with potatoes and tofu, and there are likely other foods it applies equally well too.

I typically start out frying on one side for a while, until it's starting to brown on that side and heated through, then toss and fry for a few minutes, toss and fry for a few minutes, etc. until either everything looks perfect (never happens) or I start to see some sides getting waaaaay overdone and burnt (at which point there are always others who haven't been browned at all).

Sometimes I hover and pick at individual cubes after tossing, manually flipping them so that the least-done side is at the bottom, but this is a huge pain.

Is there some technique I'm missing, or do I need to resign myself to a life of hovering over hot potato pans, burning the tips of my fingers flipping them one by one?


texts:
At first I thought they are plain moths, until I noticed some larvae climbing towards the ceiling, always in the kitchen. I made an inventory and discovered a package of hazelnuts which contained more larvae and excrement than hazelnuts. I threw away all open nuts, grains, flour and chocolate packages I had, and started keeping all of them in tightly closed containers after opening. I also placed a pheromone trap in the kitchen.

But I am still seeing them, both larvae and adults, weeks after the big throw-away-day. I went again through the pantry, but this time, I didn't find contaminated food, just a few larvae outside of food containers. Periodically throwing the stuff away is too expensive, and it makes no sense if it doesn't get rid of them. Any idea how to remove the infestation? Also, are they just unpleasant, or can they present a health risk (e. g. as carriers of microorganisms which infect the food)?


texts:
I have a Cr-Ni stainless steel frypan which I'd like to toss in the oven. It doesn't have any plastic/wooden components ; the whole thing is SS including the handle.

Is it oven safe?


texts: How long does it take to cook eggs safely as a function of temperature?

texts:
The FDA recommends cooking eggs (or dishes containing them) to 160°F (71°C) for safety. However, I know it's possible to make them safe by cooking for a longer period of time at a lower temperature.

Douglas Baldwin's excellent sous vide guide has an egg section showing the results of cooking at various temperatures. Unfortunately, as far as safety goes, it only mentions that 1.25 hours at 135°F will pasteurize them.

So how long does it take to make eggs safe at temperatures between 135°F and 160°F?


texts: Can one become ill from consuming food smoked with wood that contains a common fungus?

texts: If someone used common wood (oak, hickory, etc) from the woodpile, which had been sitting in the rain and weather for some moderate time and, consequently, may be harboring some common fungi, could the smoke from such wood, deposited on food, cause illness?


texts: What can I cook with noodles and soy sause only

texts:
Fellows all the ingredients I have in my cabinet are:

1)Noodles (containing egg)
2)1 bottle Soy sause
3)1 botttle Sesame Oil
4)2-3 Onions
4)1 Ginger root

And because I am reallocating I want to cook something without having much leftovers in order to get rid of them. So buying too much extra ingredients is out of question.

So what can I cook with having the ingredients above?

I thought ramen but the last time I tried to make one used too much sesame oil and I did not like it. But I thought I could retry can by just buying pork to make ramen again with the meterials above.

Can you suggest me a recipe having the materials mentioned above; If posssible only them.


texts: How to efficiently remove the food particles stuck in the scrubbing pad?

texts:
Food bits get stuck in this. Simply washing it under tap doesn't help.
How to efficiently remove the stuck particles from this scrubbing pad?

Don't have a dishwasher.


texts: Meat juices can they be saved for recooking meat?

texts: Can I keep the dripping and meat juices to cook with at a later date?


texts:
We planned to eat hamburgers tonight, so I bought 1.5 Kg of fresh ground beef at my store, at 3 PM.
But then, we decided to postpone that to tomorrow night.

Ground beef can be kept for at most 24 hours in a fridge right ?
It is not vacuum sealed, the butcher packed it in front of me.

So what should I do ? (it is 5:30 PM now)

Leave in the fridge and cook the meat before 3 PM tomorrow (and reheat at dinner time)
Freeze the meat as-is (in the store-sealed package)
Prepare the patties and freeze them now
Other ?

I don't have a microwave, I would defrost it in the fridge (I heard room temperature isn't appropriate, especially for ground meat in which micro-organisms develop quickly).

If I choose to freeze the meat as-is, I guess I would have to defrost it at least a bit to form patties. But if I freeze the patties, can I pan-fry them right away ?

Freezing should be safe, even though a friend of mine once tried to cook ground meat he had put in the freezer a few days before (right after buying it, he said) ; and it seemed not to be good anymore (rotten or something) ; so I'm not sure.

Thanks in advance, I'd rather not poison everyone tomorrow :)

EDIT : The hamburgers were fine — I lowered a bit my fridge temperature overnight, just to be sure, and cooked it well before serving.


texts: Do people add onions when cooking meat via sous vide

texts: I never really see or hear of people adding onion to the bag when they are cooking meat with sous vide. Are there any reasons not to add onion? Would it affect the texture of the meat?


texts: How can kneading something create more gluten? Gluten is a protein. Can moving something around create more protein? I doubt it. So what is really happening? Are the gluten proteins bonding differently or tangling?


texts: How to reduce a sauce at the bottom of a baking dish?

texts:
A recipe I'm interested in making asks to bake some vegetables in the oven in a baking dish, afterwards, to reduce any remaining liquid by putting the pan on a stove over medium heat.

I'm not sure whether it's safe to put a baking dish onto a stove, and since I have a glass-topped electric stove I'm worried that doing this will cause the dish to break due to uneven heating.

Is it safe to place the dish there? If not, how would I go about reducing any liquid left at the bottom of the dish?

Thanks!


texts: How Can I Spread Crepe Batter Before It Cooks?

texts:
I am trying to make crepes in a non-stick skillet. I've got the batter ready, well refrigerated. However, I am having trouble getting the batter to spread enough to cover the whole skillet before it cooks too much to do so. So I'm ending up with small crepes shaped like a splatter, instead of pan-sized ones shaped like nice circles. Also, the edges are crisping way too much and folding up and down in unattractive ways.

I'm mostly cooking on low-medium heat, closer to low than medium because I don't want the batter to cook. But no matter what I do, it seems to cook almost as soon as it hits the pan and no longer flows. So when I try the 'dip and swirl' method to spread the batter, it's already too thick to flow.

Any help? Should I try higher heat?


texts: How do you dry homemade pasta so that it stays straight?

texts:
I did a big batch of homemade pasta (linguini) with stand mixer + pasta cutter attachment. But they all warped during the 24h drying process. I then need a huge bag to store them as they take up a lot of space.

Is there a trick to make them dry straight?


texts: Is blanch freezing vegetables required for short term storage?

texts:
I need some vegetables to last for about a month until I've juiced them all.

Blanch freezing many vegetables sees them last for periods 6 months and longer, but it's a bit of a hassle.

Would just ziplocking them in the freezer direct give me a month? I'm talking carrots, celery, spinach, zucchini. I'm sucking air out with a dustbuster which is nowhere near a vacuum sealer but hopefully better than not doing it.

Would putting the celery and spinach in a bowl of (sugared) water keep them going?


texts: How to add pistachios in a white chocolate mudcake

texts: I am planning to make a white chocolate mud cake with pistachios, white chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips. I know that there are several methods to prevent the chocolate chips sinking to the bottom. But do I have to take any precautions with the pistachios too? Should I dust them with flour or what things should I keep in mind to add pistachios to my cake? I would also like the pistachios to be a good size so that people can bite into them and taste them in the cake.


texts: What flavor should you highlight from an oyster?

texts:
I've noticed some seafood restaurants put so much stuff on baked oysters, it completely overpowers the oyster.  You could have baked a napkin, and it would have tasted just as good.

And then it can go the other way with raw oysters.  I never understood the oysters when it doesn't taste like much at all.


texts: Can't stop eggs from sticking to stainless steel pan

texts: I've made omelettes in this pan before without any problems, but fried eggs are impossible to make without sticking.I heat the pan, throw few drops of water and check if they move around (some would say like mercury), lower the heat, pour oil and then put eggs in.I've tried to monitor the temperature carefully to make sure that the pan isn't too hot, still no success.Is my pan the problem?


texts: How can I make my own small pie dishes and still cook pies effectively?

texts:
I need to make individual pies this week.  I would usually use pre-bought tin foil containers, approximately 10cm diameter, 3cm high.  I can't buy these anywhere near me and have left it too late for mail-order!  I also don't have any ramekins I could use in the oven.

Has anyone got experience making their own foil pie trays?  I am thinking of using a noodle bowl as a mold and just layering the foil.  How many layers of foil is optimum?

I am also worried that the pies won't have enough support while baking (they will be filled meat & gravy pies, traditional Australian style) and could burst open in my oven, so was wondering about placing them into a bed of rice/uncooked beans.  Would this still allow the shortcrust pastry to cook?


texts:
I recently got a samovar tea kettle and am not sure about how to use it. For those of you confused about what I am talking about, this is my samovar (electric):

The metal part is a kettle for boiling water and keeping it warm. On top, there is an opening, on which you put your pot. You make very strong tea in the pot and keep it warm throughout the day by placing it on top of the samovar. When you want to drink a cup of tea you first pour in 1/10 to 1/3 tea from the pot and mix it with water from the samovar.

The point of the whole system is to have tea on demand all day for many people. By having only water in the metal part and strong concentrated tea in the pot every person can mix their own tea and make it as strong as they want to. In addition, you only need to clean the pot, the samovar is only used for water.

With this kind of kettle, you are supposed to brew the tea for a long time, and you need to choose a tea with low bitterness.

What I don't understand:

Isn't it a bad idea to have tea brew for so long? Am I even doing this right? Does the long-brewing provide any kind of benefit? Isn't it also a bad idea to continuously keep your tea warm throughout the day? I ended up removing the tea from the pot after several hours. It ended up so strong, that even when mixed 1:10 it was pretty much undrinkable for most people. But I guess I probably used too much tea, so this could have been avoided.

Also, would it be OK to put the tea in the samovar, or is the "svarka" (the tea concentrate) an integral part of the whole thing?

For reference, here is a samovar, without a pot on top:

Presumably, in this case, the tea is in the samovar and there is no concentrate?


texts: How do I wash the "pokey" side of a box grater?

texts:
I have this box grater, and one of the sides is "non-directional" (not sure what this is called) -- that is, the pointy "blade" things are on every side of the holes:

Close-up:

The fibers you see are from ginger.

My question is: How do I clean this side of the grater?

Sponges and rags get torn apart and the fibers are left on the grater.
Brillo pads same deal, of course.
I tried rubbing it out with my fingers but, you know: Ouch.
Even scrubbing from the inside doesn't do much like it does for the directional sides of the grater. The food isn't stuck in the holes, it's stuck on the little points.
Rinsing it under the highest pressure water my sink has doesn't blow away the food matter either, it's just all snagged there pretty tightly.
I found this page about graters and the author there seems to just avoid that side of the grater specifically because of how hard it is to clean, so perhaps there is no hope here.
I do not have a dishwasher.

Even though the above picture has ginger fibers on it, I'm not looking for techniques just for this specific case (that just happened to be what was stuck on the grater when I took the picture). I have the same problem with this side of the grater no matter what I grate, e.g. cheese, even hard cheese, leaves bits of cheese there, which are slightly easier to remove with hot water than tangled fibers are, but still not easy.

What can I use to quickly and conveniently clean this after each use? The cleaning difficulty makes this my least favorite kitchen tool. I'm never excited when it looks like I have to use it.


texts: How long will whole coffee beans last in the freezer?

texts:
I was gifted several bags of great coffee beans, which I won't be able to use all at once. If I store them in the freezer, how long will they last without losing flavor?

I know some have noted that they can last months in the freezer, but I seem to notice a difference in taste after just a few weeks.


texts: I left some ground meat in the refrigerator on a plate uncovered for 2 days, would it still be good to use it doesn't look like there is anything wrong with it? Answer asap please.


texts: How does amount of flour affect cookies?

texts: What will happen to my chocolate chip cookies if I add more or less flour than the recipe calls for?


texts: What kind of knife should I use to slice tomatoes?

texts: Is it better to use a serrated knife, or a regular chef's knife that is really sharp?


texts: In our sushi rolls with plain cucumber - the sushi rice seems to get a black discolouration around the cucumber after a few hours stored in the fridge. Any ideas as to why and how to prevent it?


texts: How do you avoid getting burnt by hot oil?

texts:
I find myself getting hit too much by boiling oil. Even when I keep my face really far from the pan it hits me.

Are there any general guidelines or best practices to avoid getting hit by boiling oil?


texts: I'm going to attempt a Sage Derby this weekend. I want to stain the large curd with green on the outside so that it has a marbled look after pressing. What could I use to soak the curd in and get the best results? Spinach juice was suggested but I'm wondering if their are better options? I saw another post here with some suggestions but it didn't really have any good answers specifically about green. It's going to have to be a very hardy, dark green to have any affect on the curd.


texts: Clarified butter: what happens if the foam isn't skimmed off?

texts:
I know that most recipes for making clarified butter discard this foam. But I've also seen some recipes, like this one for ghee, which do not skim the foam.

  The butter will form a foam which will disappear. Ghee is done when a second foam forms on top of butter

Instead, the butter is left to simmer until the foam goes away. In my experience this happens around the same time the solids in the bottom begin to brown, which I'm guessing coincides with most of the water having boiled off.

Apparently, this foam is whey protein. Where does this protein go and what happens to it when the foam subsides after extended simmering? I've heard it suggested that it makes the resulting clarified butter grainy. Is that true?


texts:
I'm working on a sort of high protein+carbohydrate omelette that I can prepare in batch, dump into containers, and take with me when I'm on the go.

I've devised a sweet potato + egg recipe that goes something like this:

Boil sweet potatoes
Peel sweet potatoes
Put sweet potatoes in blender with eggs
Blend
Dump into pan, cook while stirring

So far so good.  Here's the problem:  The sweet potatoes and eggs both turn brown, giving the end result an unappealing look.

Is there a way to alter the recipe so that it is aesthetically more pleasing?


texts: Can some dishes be washed with only water?

texts:
How can you know when washing something with soap is a waste of time?

If a quick rinse removes all residue - is water needed?


texts: Making clarified butter by removing water but not the milk solids?

texts: People say that clarified butter doesn't taste as good as normal butter, but what if you were to make it in a way that retains the milk solids but still removes the water? So it would be something like 97 percent butterfat and around 3 percent milk solids?  And also because there's no water,  would this basically make it a more flavourful version of shortening? Thank you to anyone that replies.


texts: Oven does not have a temperature notification sound

texts: Oven is in new condition, however about 10 yeqrs old. The oven does not have a signal to let you know when desired temperature has been reached. Mfg. suggested using an oven thermometer probe.  A probe attached to a wire that goes inside oven connected to a wire and to a battery operated control unit outside of oven.  My question, is than an alternative to this method?  Thank you


texts: Should I retire my scratched non-stick rice cooker?

texts:
I am the lucky owner of a George Foreman Multicooker which is essentially a fancy rice cooker with a removable steaming basket. It has a non-stick cooking surface they call "George-Tough" coating. Right. I googled around a bit. I didn't see any definitive identification on this stuff but I figure it's probably Teflon.

I left the cooker with a friend for a month or so while I was out of town. I brought it out to cook up some rice this evening and it appears that the non-stick surface has been badly damaged. After fumbling around with it, it appears that somebody tilted the lid at an angle and set it down inside the cooker. Presumably while it was still turned on.

Should I kick George to the curb or is there some way to salvage my favorite lazy man's kitchen tool?


texts: Chocolate Cream Pie using coconut cream or Coconut milk?

texts: Can I substitute coconut milk or coconut cream for milk in a chocolate cream pie?


texts: How do you correctly use a meat thermometer?

texts:
I have two meat thermometers. I bought a second one because I thought the first one was resulting in overcooked meat, however the new one is doing the same! They are both standard metal prong 'analog style' with a needle.

An example - cooking chicken breast. The thermometer says the temperature must reach 77 degrees Celsius. I cooked it for a short time in a griddle pan first and then put the pan in the oven. The temperature hung around 71 degrees and when it didn't seem to be getting any higher and I felt it was overcooking I pulled it out. Sure enough, overcooked!

How can I use a meat thermometer to cook meat correctly?


texts: Marshmallows are wet on the bottom as they set

texts:
I tried to follow this recipe: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2011/07/marshmallow-recipe-candymaking/

Deviations from the recipe:
- I used icing sugar instead of the marshmallow mix.
- I could not find corn syrup. I wasn't sure if I could keep the sugar syrup from crystallising and for some reason I thought a bit of xanthan gum might help.
- My measurements for the gelatine are probably a bit rough since my scale is not so good for strange numbers like 17g.

I set the mixture in 2 pans, one pyrex, one steel after coating the bottoms with icing sugar. After about 3 hours I checked on them and tried a bit. The texture is good but maybe a bit firm. It is really more like a floppy meringue than store marshmallows.

What worries me the most is that the bottoms are wet. I have turned them out in the meantime to let them dry out a bit. Is this normal? Can I prevent it?


texts: question regarding repulsion to dishes prepared with garlic in a certain way

texts:
I normally don't use garlic paste but I like the taste of garlic, I love garlic pickle, but I use garlic only in finely chopped pieces along with ginger paste in curries.  I never had any problems with that. I have seen that in many recipes the use ginger-garlic paste and decided to try it.
Recently I ground ginger and garlic together, and honestly it smelled different. I added it to sauteed onions, and boiled potatoes and spices to make a curry.
The dish had a distinct garlic-like but not exactly garlic smell or taste and almost made me vomit, even when I think of that, I nauseate. But everyone else I served the dish to, they said there was a garlic smell, but they did not feel repulsed and ate my dish.
My question is that how is this phenomena by which a particular person is repulsed by only a certain preparation of food, while the other people are not, possible?
Also is there a workaround for using ginger-garlic paste and eliminate its repulsive taste?
Edit: I noticed that the particular repulsive smell and taste occurred after several minutes of sauteing with onions.


texts: How to keep cream from separating in milk?

texts:
I have fallen in love with raw milk. It tastes so much better than processed milk. Raw milk is not pasteurized or homogenized. Because the milk is not homogenized, the cream will separate from the milk.  Also, pasteurization or homogenization changes the flavor of the milk so the milk does not taste as good.  Homogenization breaks up the fat cells.

I buy three quarts of milk at a time. As I use the first quart, the cream is well mixed in the milk. By the time I open the second and third quart, the cream has separated from the milk and settled at the top of the bottle. How do I keep the cream from separating? I suppose I could shake each quart each day, but that is more trouble than it is worth.

Once the cream has separated, it requires a lot more effort than shaking to get the cream to mix back in.  I have to stick a knife through the opening at the top and break up the cream.  Then, I have to shake vigorously.


texts: How does the food industry know the expiration date?

texts: I always have this question in mind whenever I see the EXP date on different products.  I wonder how they can know a chocolate bar will spoil after 1 year or 6 months, and why they have such longer shelf life time compared to homemade chocolate bars, for example.


texts:
The Spanish coca is related to the pizza, so I guess the question can apply for both.

Normally I bake it in about 20 minute, should I take it out after 10 minute or later or sooner?

If I freeze it, can it be popped straight into the oven or should it be thawed first?

Edit: I've posted an answer below. Still wondering if you can take the pizza out of the freezer, put the filling on and pop it straight into the oven...


texts: How to remove the distinct flavor of vital wheat gluten when making faux meat?

texts: How do I remove the distinct protein flavor of vital wheat gluten when making faux meat?


texts: Will seeds effectively sprout after blending and leaving them in water?

texts:
Title is the question.
I'm most curious about the results with pumpkin seeds.


texts: Are berries acidic enough they must be on top, not within, panna cotta?

texts:
Item 1 Panna cotta (cream, gelatin, perhaps sugar)

Item 2 berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries)

Stores usually sell panna cotta with the berries on top. Is this just because it is more presentable, or is there a technical reason?

In particular, would the cream go sour if the panna cotta is poured over the berries so that the berries are fully buried inside? Are berries acidic enough for this to happen?

Reasons for putting the berries inside? There are at least two:

Nudge kids to eat the fruits. "You want the nice cream; you've got to have the berries along with it."
The two flavors mix better, and (imagining) the berries will last a day or two in the fridge without the skin "wilting".


texts: How long do eggs last outside the refrigerator and out of the shell?

texts:
How long would eggs last out of the refrigerator and out of the shell?

This may be a strange question, but I'm planning on baking them afterwards. And I'll leave them out only around 6 hours at room temperature.

The thought makes me shiver; but would you reckon this to be fine?


texts: Why do recipes have the instruction to fry in olive oil?

texts: Can someone please tell me, why do cooking instructions have you frying in olive oil? That doesn't make any sense as olive oil has a very low smoking point.


texts: YouTube recently started recommending Chinese cooking videos.  This particular cook has a curious habit of rubbing cornstarch all over the chicken breasts before washing them off.  Is there an advantage to cleaning chicken with cornstarch? Or perhaps an alternate explanation? Some people have suggested it's for tenderizing or velveting but those aren't particularly satisfying answers.


texts:
I live in Africa, but cook with US recipes often. I have found that the locally available chili powder is MUCH more intense than it is in the US. So much so that making a custom taco seasoning yielded some near-inedible heat. For the moment I have solved this by bringing in chili powder in bulk. For many reasons, this is not ideal.

I have heard that one can mix in Paprika (being a milder chili powder) in order to cut down the intensity. Does anyone have experience with this? Do I just need to experiment with various 1/2-1/2, 1/4-3/4 ratios in an effort to find a suitable level of intensity? Any thoughts on how to do this without going through the process of cooking an entire dish?


texts: Is it possible to get veal that is not incredibly fatty?

texts: I have not had such good success with veal. I prefer leaner meats, and every time I get a cut of veal, it is extremely fatty. Is there a way to get leaner veal? Are there specific cuts I should ask for? If so, where are some places I should look to get better cuts?


texts:
What makes this hot sauce last half a year in the fridge? (as stated by author @7:40)

This recipe uses very little salt, no sugar, no vinegar, no oil, the PH wasn't modified, and it wasn't fermented or cultured to introduce live bacteria as a preservative

What is it then that makes it last so long?

In this recipe, they also state it would last up to a year, but they also add oil; doesn't the oil make this sauce even more susceptible to both spoilage and botulism due to the garlic in it?


texts: What type of oolong is Twining's oolong? Or what would this be closest too?

texts:
Edit: From the UK site, there is good reason to believe that Twining's is ALSO Iron Goddess of Mercy, but it tastes nothing like the IGoM I got from Numi. From what I've read about oolong, "nutty and fruity" are not typical characteristics of IGoM, where as the floral, honey suckle-like flavor of Numi's is. So I'm thinking Twingings is mislabeling their tea since Iron Goddess of Mercy is a well known type of oolong. It wouldn't be the first time I've seen tea mislabeled so its not unthinkable. This chances the question, to "what oolong is nutty and fruity".

Recently I discovered that I love Twining's oolong tea.  It has a light, refreshing flavor. Unfortunately, in the US, it is only sold in units of 20 bags, so I purchased a 1 pound bag of Numi's Iron Goddess of Mercy.

The tea is certainly good, but I prefer the Twinings. Where Twinings is nutty and fruity, and it tastes like neither black nor green tea, Numi's tastes much like green tea with a floral falvor. Its still good, but I like the Twinings better.

I then looked up oolong and found that unlike green, black, and white tea, oolong has a wider range of variation. While its true you can have different types of green or black tea (Darjeeling, gunpowder green, sencha, macha...) those all have, at their base, the same ingredient: camellia sinensis leaves that have been dried and processed either with 100% oxidation (black), or 0% (green and white). The difference between green and white is then when the leaves are plucked.

In the case of oolong, the oxidation, and the means of oxidizing, varies greatly (from 8% to 80%), and from mild bruising to fermenting. Iron Goddess of Mercy is one such type of oolong.

My question is then, "what type of oolong does Twinings sell" because I would like to buy a big bag of the stuff (albeit from another company).

Another bit of information that might help: The tea, brewed, is darker than the Iron Goddess of Mercy tea (at least Numi's) which implies greater oxidation.


texts: Why would a cookie recipe start producing puffier, slightly oily cookies over the past few years?

texts:
I have a recipe for some chocolate chip cookies, and it's near and dear to my heart. I watched my mom making these when I was little, and it's older than I am, being from her mom too. They're both gone now though, and I have no idea what's wrong. I have not changed anything.

The ingredients are:

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup butter
2/3 butter flavored Crisco
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips

I've been making these for the past 10 years, since my mom couldn't anymore, and only the past few years I've noticed the changes. The cookies themselves are much puffier than they're supposed to be, and though they mostly taste the same, there's a weird bit of aftertaste to them that I can't place. I also just now realized that the dough is kind of oily almost, and not sticking together like I remember it doing before, but again, haven't changed anything. I'd post a picture, but for some reason it won't let me...

I'd really like some ideas as to what I can do to fix these. They were something I loved helping my mom make when I was little, and it breaks my heart that I can't figure out what''s wrong with them.


texts: What's the best method to poach an egg without it turning into an eggy soupy mess?


texts: Will avocado stay fresh longer if stored in the refrigerator?

texts: Should I store avocado in the refrigerator or will it make no difference for how long they stay fresh?


texts:
Due to my busy schedule, I've started preparing all my meals on Sunday and cooking one a day for the rest of the week. It's generally defrosted chicken or meat.

Is it better for me to refreeze the meals (without cooking and with new liquid introduced) or to keep it in the refrigerator?


texts: How to replace Bouillon cubes without making them on my own

texts:
As far as I noticed the Combination consisting of Bouillon Cube, Wine and spices can make up a good basis for many vegetarian dishes, for instance with Pasta or Rice.

I am using a particular sort of Bouillon Cube and without using it I cannot reproduce the taste. I am suspecting that this sort uses glutamates (or functionally similar substances) in order to give the dish a certain depths.

Now I am in a dilemma since I am trying to use as much natural products as possible. Do you know any good (and rather easy to make) substitutes for Bouillon cubes?


texts: My aunt lives in Venezuela. They don't have basics like bread or meat. I have been mailing her food like crackers and canned meat. I want to mail her some type of bread. I don't know what kind would last the longest.


texts: Improving texture of yogurt based ice cream- stabiliser?

texts:
I've made a test on a recipe for coconut-yogurt ice cream, and I need some thoughts on improving the texture.

It was churned using an industrial ice-cream maker.
It is based on a recipe I found online, only difference is the online recipe contained cocount based yogurt (which I want to avoid). I really would like to use Greek yogurt and coconut puree for this recipe.

Recipe I used:
500 gr of Greek yogurt
300 gr of frozen coconut puree (boiron)
4 tbsp honey
200 ml of double cream

The taste is super nice, but it is rock hard and once melted turns into soup.

One option is to make an englaise base (which I'm kind of trying to avoid as all of our other ice creams are currently englaise based), another is to use a stabiliser (I'm just not sure which one...). I also thought of maybe using a mixture of glucose and sugar, or even trimoline...??

Thanks!!


texts: To thin chocolate candy coating, how much oil to use?

texts:
I am trying to use chocoate candy coating on chocolate transfer sheets. The normal chunk of chocolate candy coating is too thick when melted, so I used vegetable oil to thin it for better spreading.

I used 1:2.5 ratio for this, 20ml oil for 50ml chocolate. It was thin and soft enough for spreading and hardens nicely in the refridgerator.

The problem is, however, that it stays soft and even a little bit runny at room temperature :(

I don't think this is a problem if my chocolates stay in the fridge but it will be problematic when stored outside.

Is my ratio off? Any other tricks you can suggest? Or if you have a golden ratio of your own please share!

P.S.: I used a kroger brand white chocolate candy coating

(SUGAR (SUGAR, CORN STARCH), PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED PALM KERNAL OIL, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, NONFAT DRY MILK, MILK POWDER, COCOA, SOY LECITHIN (AN EMULSIFIER), NATURAL FLAVORS.)


texts: When should I add diced vegetables to a pie, and how long to cook them for?

texts:
Earlier this week I cooked my first meat & potato pie. It was quite good, however I felt that it lacked a little depth, and also seemed like a meager portion for the amount of meat that I used.

I was hoping to bulk it out with other various vegetables (I realize this would mean that it is no longer an official meat & potato pie, but I'm OK with that).

My ideas for things to add so far are mushroom, carrot, frozen peas or swede. I would want the larger vegetables to be cut a similar size to how I cut the potato (approx 1cm³), however I would then have no idea how long to cook them for.

So far I cook the beef and onion for 2.5-3 hours, using the leftover liquid as the base for the gravy, and cook the potatoes separately for around 10-15 minutes to soften before adding to the pie before baking it in the oven. The onion is almost nonexistent by the end of cooking, but adds flavor to the gravy.

So when adding any of the ingredients, should I add them to the meat/onion to add to the flavor of the gravy (whether for the full time or part-way through), or cook them separately like with the potato?

And how long should I cook each of the vegetables for considering their respective size?


texts: Can I make caramel sauce with crystalline fructose?

texts:
I'd like to make a caramel sauce with crystalline fructose as my mom's diabetic and can't have sugar.

I know (in theory) that fructose caramelizes at a lower temp than regular sugar, but I'm not sure if caramelizing crystalline fructose would lead to a similar taste and if I should do it the same way as if I were using sugar.

Thank you v much :)


texts: How do I hand-roll homemade pasta made with egg?

texts:
I have a very simple recipe for homemade pasta dough (one egg to 100g flour, some oil), and found this worked great on my first small batch. I mixed it in a stand mixer and immediately rolled it out, using lots of flour to keep things from sticking. It was a bit thick, but I chalk that up to inexperience.

On my second batch I made slightly more dough and split it into four balls before rolling each one out. The first two I rolled out almost right away, cut and shaped the pasta, and threw on a plate with some flour until I got around to cooking it.

I left the last two balls of dough sitting for 30 minutes or more before I got to them, and these were much, much harder to roll out. I've since discovered (from Google and word of mouth) is that this is the opposite of what should happen, I'm supposed to let my dough rest to make it easier to work with.

So was this an anomaly? Should I repeat this (tough) task with the understanding that my previous experience was a one-off?

Or is there a special technique to rolling pasta dough made with egg (as opposed to water)?

Any thoughts as to what went wrong? (Or, perhaps, confirmation that my word-of-Google-mouth rumors are incorrect?)

(Also, I'm not monetarily endowed right now, so I won't have access to any other rolling equipment besides my trusty rolling pin)


texts: How can I make kimchi with everyday ingredients?

texts: I've read about kimchi, which is a traditional Korean food made from vegetables. I'm not sure I can find Napa cabbage here in Hungary though - can I make it with regular vegetables?


texts: Electric skillet probe control burnt at end

texts:
I'm wondering if it's normal for the end of the probe of an electric skillet to look a little burnt and misshapen (used it twice). (Not asking if it's safe but wondering if others have seen this before).

I'm asking because I've looked online at other electric skillet control probes online and they look a little burnt too. The company said it's not normal and to return it which I probably will do but I wonder if I get another one will it happen again.


texts: How to add fruit puree into yogurt without making it too liquid?

texts:
What is the best way to flavor our yogurt with fruit puree without making it too liquid? I desire its consistency would be like the store bought one.
Another question: can we preserve yogurt that has already been added fruit?
Thank you very much for your help.


texts: What does soaking in a solution of baking soda do to fruit when preserving it?

texts:
Last year the recipe I used for preserving whole figs involved pricking the figs with a fork and soaking them in a weak solution of baking soda.

What is the baking soda doing to the fruit in this step? Can it be keeping the figs from disintegration (a problem with this year's batch)?

The remainder of the recipe involves boiling the fruit with lots of sugar, then putting the fruit into jars, thickening the remaining syrup and topping off the jars with that.


texts: Why do some mangoes ripen without changing flesh color?

texts:
I frequently buy batches of mangoes to sun-ripen. 5% of these mangoes retain yellow flesh (and do not darken to orange) even as the fruit ripens (and becomes tasty). Why does this happen?

Is this simply due to genetic variability in mango offspring?


texts: How can I cook meat quickly without pressure cooker?

texts: When I cook beef or mutton without a pressure cooker, it takes a long time for it to cook properly. Are there any methods of cooking meat quickly without using a pressure cooker?


texts: Skills that are only learned by professional chefs?

texts:
I always liked cooking as a hobby, however, I am sure that a professional chef that has been trained well has aquired many skills that are hard to learn for a layman. As I don't have respective experience, I can only speculate, but I would assume that, among others, such skills are: speed, the ability to cook for many people at once and the ability to deal with pressure while cooking.

But this is only my guess and I would like to know from someone with respective experience which skills are learned by professional chefs that laymen often don't learn.


texts: Should you freeze pastry lukewarm? If so, why?

texts:
I have a book about baking in general. In the chapter 'Preserving pastry in the freezer' is the following sentence (I translated it for practical reasons):

  Pastry should be frozen as fresh as possible, don't let it cool
  completely and put it in the freezer lukewarm (at 35°C = 95°F).

There is no information why you shouldn't let it cool completely. It's the first time I've heard this (and it's a pretty famous and often used book here; it could be wrong though).

While I was searching on this site whether the question was already asked, I've found this question. The accepted answer claims the opposite.

So, I want to know if the claim in my book is correct and why or why not.


texts: Sealed package submerged in water in the fridge, still safe to eat?

texts: In my fridge I had a sealed package of bacon and hotdogs in the bottom drawer, and the water of the fridge somehow got in there. The package was partially submerged in this water (1 inch of water). The reason why I think they might have gone bad is because something in water may not get as cold as if it wasn't. Is it safe to consume?


texts: How much is a "round" of butter? This is in an old pound cake recipe

texts: I have a very old pound cake recipe that calls for a “round” of butter.  How much is that?  I have no idea.


texts:
What are the recommended times for cooking sweet potatoes in the microwave?

Microwave wattage associated with those times would be appreciated as well.


texts: We recently are starting to run out of coarse sea salt, and I was wondering if it is okay to substitute out coarse sea salt and instead use coarse kosher salt to grind inside of a stainless steel grinder salt mill. Are there any real differences and which would you recommend personally? I would really appreciate the help!


texts: I just roasted some beets in the oven (as usual) but they turned out really bitter. Any idea why or what can I do to save them?


texts: How does butter remain edible for so long without refrigeration?

texts:
My wife and I keep a stick of butter in the cupboard rather than the refrigerator.  Even with just the two of us, it rarely lasts very long, but I'd say it may go as long as a week without refrigeration before it's all gone.  There have been times when I have told friends about this and they express concern due to the fact that butter is a dairy product.  They cannot comprehend not refrigerating it at all times.

What allows butter to stay perfectly tasty and edible, even after a week outside of the refrigerator, where milk, sour cream, or cheese would be foul in a day or less?


texts: How can I make those Dutch pannekoek, specially those salty ones that have cheese and mushrooms? Every time I try, I end up burning those "toppings".


texts: Modernist / molecular cuisine with a microwave?

texts:
The microwave is usually frowned upon by ambitious chefs. It provides a convenient way to quickly heat ready made meals or the leftovers from the day before, but it is usually not regarded as a serious kitchen utensil (as is testified by one of the answers below).

However, it seems to me that the unique way in which a microwave delivers heat should open up possibilities for food preparation that simply did not exist before the introduction of this device.

Not being an experienced "microwave chef" myself (in fact I never had access to one until very recently) I ask myself:

Aren't there any crazy avantgardistic or molecular cuisine type ways of preparing food that exploit the specifics of a microwave oven in an unconventional way?


texts:
I bought a stainless steel pot, soaked it in water and dishwashing detergent overnight.

When I went to dump the water, there was a brown ring around the top.
I then boiled water and a muddy appearance showed up on the bottom and sides.

Can you tell me why?


texts:
I am a bit wary of Amazon reviews so  I am asking here, are these books useful today?
useful here means; are there any objective scientific practices outlined in them that we accept today? They are not fraught with misinformation to the point where it becomes advisable to stay away from them?

(1)The Original Fannie Farmer 1896 Cook Book

(2)The Boston Cooking School Cook Book 1918

Is it better to get something derived from these books such as Fannie Farmer Baking Book 1996 by Marion Cunningham and The Fannie Farmer Cookbook Anniversary Edition September 9, 1996 by Marion Cunningham? The older books are cheaper.


texts: How to adjust time for oven stuck at 350F

texts:
My oven is stuck at 350F. I need to cook a lasagna that requires 400F for 1:55 (one hour 55 minutes). I also need to cook a turkey at 375F for 4:30 (separately). How do I adjust since my oven is stuck at 350F?

The two means are back to back, not together.


texts: Maintaining Sourdough Starter - Are potato flakes/water necessary?

texts: I just got some sourdough starter going with the Oregon Trail, and it seems to be doing quite well. However, the guide calls for using potato flakes or potato water to feed it- having neither, I hoped for the best and used some arrowroot powder instead. I'm not sure what the purpose of the potato stuff is- is it just food? I figured it might be primarily for providing starch, in which case the arrowroot should be fine.


texts: Cassolette Pans - Cooking on the Stovetop and in the Oven

texts:
So, I'm a hobbyist and like to play with new recipes.  Recently I've found a few recipes which want me to fry something, then put the pan directly into the oven and roast for a bit.  Then maybe move it back to the cooktop a bit.  It seems a bit odd, although deglazing seems a fairly common example.

Well, the problem with this is most pans intended for the stove are very thin and perform poorly on the cooktop.  Most pans intended for the cooktop have plastic handles or other bits which seem like a poor idea to put in the oven.  I can get along passably with a dutch oven (one without legs) but those tend to be round and often an oval pan is good for roasting things.  What I've heard I need is a cassolette pan.

Unfortunately, I'm finding the same problem in the stores.  Either pans don't have the weight for cooktop cooking, or they have plastic or rubberized handles.  Although I have found a very expensive line of colored dutch ovens in a couple of stores.

Is there some way to determine if the rubberized bits are oven safe?  Other than buying one and voiding the warranty?  Any advice which would help determining whether a pan might survive?


texts: I want to emulate pulled pork for my non-pork eating friend (semi-Jewish, read: no pigs, it doesn't have to be technically kosher).  What cut of beef would achieve a similar texture? The closest I've ever eaten was short ribs, but is there something better?  I'm not too worried about duplicating the method- I'm comfortable with a crock pot, a dutch oven, stove top cooking, whatever- just looking for a similar end result.


texts: Custard based ice cream vs eggless ice cream

texts:
I'm looking up ice-cream recipes to try to make one for the first time. I found recipes that use the custard base (with eggs) and then some that do not use any eggs. I am also planning to buy an ice-cream maker coz I plan to make lots of different flavours, well hopefully.

As I will be trying this for the first time, I am really confused, which method to choose and what do people generally follow at home. I have read heaps of different questions, but nothing really helps. For now, I am leaning towards an egg-less recipe as the custard based recipes seem to harden up and crystallize a lot, if not cooked properly. But then custard seems to be silky and smooth in texture. I am really confused and looking for some help!


texts: Savoury equivalent of choco-cornflake cakes

texts:
I'm currently trying to work out a savoury equivalent to chocolate to allow the creation of a non-sweet version of chocolate cornflake cakes.

Currently the best equivalent of chocolate (in terms of melting point and water content) that I can think of is cheese. Another alternative would be to use egg and bake the cornflake cakes to get the egg to set.

Before I set off and possibly create a cheese and cornflake omelette, I wanted to check if there is an ingredient or technique that I've overlooked which would cement the cornflakes together without making them too soggy or burning them.

Any suggestions?


texts: Where and how do I keep the extra buttermilk biscuits?

texts: I wrapped some buttermilk biscuits in a kitchen towel and kept them in the pantry (they were baked two days ago) but now they dried out and turned to some teeth-breaking biscuits! Where and how should I have kept the extra fresh?


texts: Is It Possible to make corn tortillas at home without a press?

texts:
I don't own a tortilla press and until I have more cabinet space, one is not in my future.  However I value making as much as I can from scratch and love using tortillas in my cooking.  I have made whole wheat tortillas using a variation on this recipe, subbing oil and butter in for the shortening to try and get a bit more flavor out of the tortillas.

I'd like to move to homemade corn tortillas, but every recipe that I have seen instructs one to use a press.  With flour I was able to roll my tortillas as thin as required, but will I have trouble when moving to masa trying to do it with a rolling pin, or will I be able to get thin corn tortillas without a press?


texts:
I was lent a crock with a water seal lip, which was used for making sauerkraut. I want to use it for making pickles, which I have usually done by placing a cloth over the crock. Searching for information online, I can only find that I'm less likely have foam/scum to skim off. Curious as to what other differences I can expect? Or is the anaerobic environment not make a difference?
Thanks!


texts: What is the best way to store chopped vegetables?

texts:
To speed up our cooking during the week, I would like to chop up all the vegetables I will need for the week on a Sunday and then just use them throughout the week.

What would be the best way to store these vegetables?

Will this work with all vegetables or are there some vegetables that just can't be chopped until you are about to use them?


texts: How can I control the heat when cooking on a campfire?

texts: In a few weeks a group of us will be camping and rafting.  My wife and I have been assigned dinner responsibility. I've done the hamburger/hot-dog thing on campfires, but I was looking for something more. We are thinking about Carne Asada, and Beef/Chicken Kabobs, but I'm concerned about controlling the heat so the kabobs don't burn.  Any suggestions?


texts: How to prevent tofu from falling apart on the grill?

texts: Whenever I've tried to grill tofu (on a propane home grill), it falls apart and into the grill.  Is there anything I can do beforehand to prevent the tofu from disintegrating, and get it to behave more like a hunk of meat?


texts: Keep chicken with skin from catching on fire on the barbeque

texts:
Short:

Is there a proper technique for cooking chicken (with skin) on the barbecue, without little chicken-fireballs?

Long:

My previous landlord loved to cook on the barbecue, much to the displeasure of our tastebuds. (We alternated cooking days).

Her chicken always caught on fire and the skin burned to a crisp. The meat on the inside was fine of course, but the fatty skin was long since toast.

I have never tried cooking chicken on the barbecue with skin, but I'd like to try it, without setting them on fire. Can it be done, and is it really easy?

I've theorized that if I boil the chicken just a little, it might remove some of the fat and help, but I'm not sure. I won't have barbecue access for awhile (currently living in an apartment) so I can't try it, yet.

I have no idea why her chicken burned (high temperature, not paying attention, etc).


texts: How to get cheese melted without burning grilled cheese

texts:
I've been using a George Foreman like grill for grilled cheese sandwiches. The problem is the bread seems to burn before the cheese is thoroughly melted. How can I fix this? Do I just need to add more butter because I've been trying that.

EDIT: I keep my cheese in the refrigerator so maybe leaving it on the counter to come to room temperature would help.


texts: Do fresh herbs have properties that dried herbs do not?

texts:
I previously asked a question on if fresh chilli peppers have properties that ground/dried chlli peppers do not and the answer was the latter would have no oils, aroma, vitamin c etc.

What about the case for fresh vs dried herbs such as parsley, tyme, oregano.  Do they have oils, aromas any other properties that are lost when using them dried?


texts: How long should Lamb leg steaks be cooked for?

texts:
Is there a rule of thumb for the weight or cut?

I'd prefer to err on the side of well-done, as I want to serve it to my toddler.


texts: I saw the question How long can boiled eggs be stored in the fridge? and it reminded me that as easter approaches here in Austria, my girlfriend's family will decorate a lot of hard boiled eggs. They store these eggs on the counter and eat them well over 2 weeks later. I was wondering what exactly is the risks involved here. Shouldn't they go bad before that, or am I too instanced in the american everything should be refrigerated culture? Are they just accepting a higher risk here?


texts: For a treat for my lunch, having bought a bunch of Jell-o brand instant flavored gelatin mixes, my husband decided to follow a recipe for "magic mousse", as printed here, involving "Cool-whip" whipped topping and Jell-o mix (gelatin, not a pudding mix). The final product came out fairly grainy, however, a texture I found somewhat offputting. Is this expected due to the ingredients in the recipe (clearly chosen for convenience rather than quality), or is this some problem with his technique?


texts: How to reduce the bitter taste in broccoli rabe

texts: My typical way to cook broccoli rabe is to saute it in olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes for a few minutes and then eat it just above room temp.  While I don't mind the bitter taste others do.  I had it out and sometimes it's not bitter at all other times it is similar.  Is there a technique to reducing the bitterness?


texts:
I'm a great fan of popcorn, and I recently acquired a popcorn maker. It's the sort that spins the kernels in a drum and heats the metal until they pop.

However, I've had difficulty flavouring them. When I used to make popcorn years ago if I wanted a quick flavour I'd just sprinkle on salt of sugar liberally. But I'm a little more health-conscious nowadays, and I don't really want to use too much of either.

I found this question about flavouring corn:

How do I coat popcorn with flavor?

But the answers are a little culinary - I want to flavour my popcorn quickly and easily. Are there any good off the shelf flavourings for this? Or any mixtures I can make in advance and keep for quick sprinkles? Suggestions for both adults and kids would be much appreciated.


texts: How to make hot chocolate drink thicker?

texts:
How do you make a cup of hot chocolate drink so that it's sweet and thick and maintains the chocolate taste?

I haven't been able to make anything acceptable by melting chocolate, adding sugar, milk or water. At best it tasted like crude cocoa drink. My cooking skills are very low, so please describe every step thoroughly.


texts: Is it safe to make chicken stock, forgot to turn crock pot on!

texts: I cooked a whole chicken in the crockpot today and then put all of the veggies/herbs in to make stock from the bones. I just realized I forgot to turn it on for the stock and it's 5.5 hours later. Is it be unsafe to make the stock at this point?


texts: How do you season and cook to palates and preferences different than yours?

texts:
Often times the dishes I am the most disappointed with end up being a hit with my family. It is almost as if our tastes contrast each other.

Given that, how can I cook something that appeases a palate which is not my own, and especially one that appreciates flavors and textures I do not like? A major part of cooking is adjusting things along the way according to a preference, and it is hard when whatever preference you are working with (your own) is not relevant (when cooking for others).