texts: Baba au Rhum: Why am I not getting a good rum flavor?

texts:
I've been wanting to make these for years after having some really good ones in Paris. Now I'm finding these are hard to duplicate!

I find I'm not getting enough rum flavor. There is definitely sweetness from the syrup, and a bit of orange from the orange zest, but I can't add more rum to the syrup because there is already a cup for the syrup made with 2 c water and 1-1/4 c sugar. I tasted a sample dipping of the baba and it actually gave me a buzz! (Granted, I am sensitive to alcohol.) I read a thread about alcohol and how to burn it off, so I put the syrup in a wide pan and boiled for 5 minutes or so. None of the recipes I looked at (and there were many!) said anything about using rum extract but I wonder if that's a possibility.

I don't know much about brands of rum, but I am using Whalers Dark Rum.

Does anyone have experience making baba au rhum, and if so, with what results?
How can I get a more intense rum flavor?
Has anyone making these ever used rum extract?


texts: Can I eat venison that was frozen for 13 years?

texts: My mother in law has has vacuum sealed venison in the freezer for about 13 years. Would it still be ok to eat? It doesn't look like anything is wrong with it.


texts:
I recently tried deep frying some chicken and it went horribly wrong. The oil started to smoke so much that I had to step outside because it was so thick. Even after I brought the Dutch oven I was using outside it smoked for a long while after. My question is why was it smoking so much.

The oil was cooking in a 9 inch cast iron Dutch oven. I had the heat on about a 9 (out of 10). The oil was peanut oil. At one point I put the lid on the cast iron. It was after I took it off that it began to smoke. I should have been more careful about how I researched the safety of doing this sort of cooking. Can anyone explain why this happened?


texts: Is there a difference between tepid water and lukewarm water? Are the terms interchangeable?


texts: Does the Philips Air-fryer work as well as a standard deep-fryer?

texts:
I've seen commercial ads about the Philips Air-fryer:

I'd like to hear answers from someone who actually tried it..

Does the outcome taste the same as if it was fried in a normal deep fryer?
Does the outcome have the same crispness? (or better or worse?)
Is it worth its price? (around $248)


texts:
We were out of red wine when cooking spaghetti bolognese today, but eyed off the port as a possible substitute. We decided against it but were left wondering. I imagine you'd have to halve the quantity because it would be too strong. I thought it might make it too sweet.

My question is: Will swapping the red wine in my spaghetti bolognese with port wreck the dish?


texts: Can't Get That Grilled Cheese Done Right

texts: I've been trying to make grilled cheese on the grill for a while now. While at first this sounds funny, but I believe that it is 100% possible to do. I just have no idea even how to approach this meal. Also, please keep in mind that this is my first post here so apologies if this has been asked before or seems like a joke.


texts: I've never cooked with these before, si maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I was kinda surprised when I opened my (store bought) can of beans and found that the liquid they were packed in was kinda cloudy. I've heard that this can be a sign of botulism. The can is not dented or bulging, and they don't smell bad. It seems like the beans just dissolved a bit into the liquid, and this is why the liquid is kinda starchy and slimy, but it seemed worth asking... Anyone have experience opening canned cannellini beans? Is it normal for the liquid to be clouded?


texts: I like the fruity taste of habanero a lot (the red ones if that matters). But I usually get stomach pains after eating them (not that it stops me). Are there any chilis that taste similar to habanero but burns less/are easier on the stomach/have less scoville rating?


texts: Sous Vide ribs -- can't eat for 2 days... best choice?

texts:
Cooking ribs in the fairly new Sous Vide cooker seemed like a great idea, right up until the schedule changed and we can't eat dinner as a family tonight.  Right now, the ribs are about done with the 36 hours of cooking time we'd planned on (a couple hours left).  Tomorrow dinner is no good, so we're about 2 days away from being able to eat them.  We know that you can cook longer than planned without any problems with Sous Vide, but an extra 48 hours seems like we might be tempting fate.

Are we better off

letting the ribs cook for another 48 hours, or
pulling the ribs out on time and refrigerating/freezing them for the 2 days, and then finishing them in the oven right before we serve them, or
pull the ribs out tonight, finish them in the oven, then refrigerate them for 2 days, and reheat them?

Any pro/con for those 3 options would be most helpful!

Edit & Follow-up:

Most. Tender. Ribs. EVER!
As suggested, took the ribs out on time, chilled, and then tonight they were warmed in the sous vide cooker for about 30 minutes then finished in the oven. The meat was sliding off the bones, fork tender (for those who didn't use their fingers) and the whole family was raving about how awesome they were.  This method is a keeper for sure!

Thanks for the advice!


texts: Is salt caking really a big problem, or are anti-caking agents just cheaper than salt?

texts:
Moving back to the US from Europe after 8 years, my wife and I thought we were going crazy when salt seemed ... less salty here.  Taking a look, almost all salt has anti-caking agent mixed in with it.  Morton Sea Salt was the only one we could find without it, and indeed it's just as salty as salt oughta be.

So what's the deal? You know how often I had a problem with salt caking during my 8 years of using normal salt abroad?  Zero.  Is this really a problem, or is anti-caking agent cheaper than salt and they're just saving a buck by diluting it?


texts: Mushrooms, beef, long cooking and bitterness

texts:
I tried two long-cooking beef dishes starring mushrooms, an ossobuco of veal and beef breast.
The directions went by basically cooking the ossobuco (after cutting the junctions) or the beef breast cubes in vegetable stock, not submerged, for some hours until tender.
Then I was supposed to add mushrooms and cook for another while. Champignon in the case of ossobuco and girolle in the case of the beef breast stew.
They did hold their shape after at least an hour more, but the resulting dish was in both cases bitter. How can this be related to the mushrooms?
I can't identify other possible causes for this. Both dishes included also a splash of wine, but in both cases, it had not turned into vinegar. The stew did contain a bit of rosemary but dry (and the ossobuco was way bitter anyway).
The cooking vessel was a steel pan for the ossobuco and a cast iron pot for the stew.


texts: A lot of the recipes that I've seen on YouTube and different forums have used four main ingredients when making pizza dough - flour, water, yeast, and salt. I'm confused because I though sugar is also a main ingredient since yeast feeds on it. Would y'all recommend always adding sugar to the pizza dough recipe? Also, what if the flour that's being used already has a few grams of sugar - should I still add sugar to the list of ingredients?


texts: What's wrong with if you only sharpen, and never hone, your knives?

texts:
Pretend that whenever a knife feels dull (even if it isn't), you sharpen it on a whetstone, and never hone it. What do you squander if you only sharpen, and never hone? What are the drawbacks?
I'm guessing that only sharpening curtails or docks your knife's edge, and wastes your knife's length? Because you're wastefully removing the bent steel, rather than straightening it?
Top picture below. Bottom.


texts: How to make lactose free mashed potatoes

texts: To begin with, I use soy cream instead of dairy-based cream.  It tastes alright, but not superb, and it seems to require more salt. What is missing that I should find a substitute to add back in?


texts: Easiest way to bread chicken for frying?

texts: I usually toss the flour and chicken in a bag and shake it up. The problem is that pieces of chicken will often stick together and not get evenly coated. Is there an effective way to bread my chicken evenly without getting clumps of chicken?


texts: What's an effective way to remove this stubborn burnt-on oil from a saucepan?

texts:
I have a stainless steel saucepan that has dark burnt on oil around the sides. I'm assuming it's from cooking oil since I use oil in this saucepan a lot.

It seems to just keep building up and up and I can't get rid of it.

This morning I tried boiling 1cup water with 1cup distilled vinegar for 5 minutes, then adding baking soda. I emptied the water, then tried to scour it clean but it made very little difference.

Is there some industrial strength stuff I can buy to help me out here?

Here's a pic: https://imgur.com/a/G2CkM


texts: I bought a (fine china) coffee mug a couple of months ago and started using it recently. I saw 3 black spots in the inside of the mug and a lot more speck-like scattered on the outside.Initially, I assumed it to be just dust and tried washing with dishwashing liquid. It still remained and so,I tried my luck by soaking it in baking soda.Rinsed out the baking soda and filled with diluted vinegar. And then I tried scrubbing it with an brush but the spots do not seem to go away. What are these spots?


texts:
I scored skin, started in cold, cast-iron pan, but as skin and breast contracted the major center of breast seemed to rise a tad from griddle and would not brown, even after 15 minutes. Only the edges seemed to brown.

How can I cook the Duck Breast so that all the skin browns without drying out the edges?


texts: Pressure canner vs water bath at altitude

texts:
OK, I know right of the start that asking which way to go is opinion based, and the both still likely have their pros and cons, but still asking, more for what are the pros and cons for each method as it pertains to those of us at altitude.  I personally am at about 4000 feet (1200 meters).

My personal goals are to remain safe in preserving foods while when appropriate to retain the freshest possible taste and character. My initial thoughts have been that needing to increase time to compensate for lower boiling point in a water bath will over process some items losing more of the fresh character than I would prefer.  Pressure canning just needs pressure up a notch to get then same temp as sea level, but, as someone who has always water bath canned, does the higher temps used in pressure canning really keep items as crisp and fresh tasting as water bath?

Thoughts and experiences appreciated as my freezer space will be limited and nee to make the call before my hard work in the garden starts coming to harvest.


texts:
I got a kitchen blowtorch for Christmas.

Frying eggs in vegetable oil for breakfast, it occurred to me that the blowtorch would be an effective way to cook the last few uncooked parts of the white on the top of the eggs, as an alternative to flipping the eggs, or spooning over hot oil.

So I tried it, and it worked.

However, I realised soon after that the flame might have ignited the hot oil, causing a really nasty fire.

Is the risk genuine?
If so, can it be mitigated?

I was using rapeseed oil.


texts: Can I use sugar as a pie weight when blind baking at 425F?

texts:
I found a recipe by Brave Tart (Stella Parks) for pie crust that's blind baked at 350F. I'm using it for one pie but I have a Cook's Illustrated Dutch Apple Pie recipe that uses a different recipe for the crust and bakes it at 425F. The recipe calls for using white sugar to weight the crust when blind baking, which is really awesome because I don't have any pie weights and I've been really concerned about using dirty pennies.

I'm worried that the sugar will melt at this temperature. Will I need to find different pie weights or can I bake the pie crust for longer at the lower temperature and have it come out nicely?


texts:
No matter how much I love baked food, I cannot avoid a guilty feeling with the environment whenever I turn my oven on.

Normally I try baking as much as possible in one go to make a better use of the space. Recently I am wondering which type of baked food (ingredients or companions, not full dishes) are OK to freeze and reuse later as a side dish or part of other recipes?

Although I understand that the flavor will change, I am looking for food that can be baked and still be acceptable later as a side dish itself or part of one.

For example, I was planning baking a batch of bell peppers and see how they test as unfrozen side dish. I also love baked eggplant, but since it is so juicy, the taste loss will be far more dramatic.


texts: How to know potato is done without poking it to check softness?

texts:
I can never get potatoes boiled just right. They're either over or under cooked.  When I think they could be about done, I poke one or two with a knife but then that one splits and cooks faster than others.  It also spills the potato juices in the water, and I don't like to do that, which is why I boil whole potatoes and not sliced.
Is there a way to know potatoes have attained just the right level of doneness without poking them with a knife or fork?


texts: What kind of mortar and pestle will be strong enough for grinding date pits?

texts: So, I need to crush date pits, I have a marble mortar and pestle, but I don't think it is strong enough for this job. Has anyone any suggestion?


texts: I want to bake salmon with some seasoning in the oven. I was wondering what whould happen if I were to cut fish in thinner pieces so I can have more surface area covered with seasoning. Will the fish bake worse? What should be the perfect size? Or is it get the fish as big as possible, like whole maybe?


texts: When trying to infuse spices into an oil, why is it important not to cook the spice?

texts:
I read that one there are different ways to infuse a spice into oil including leaving in oil for an extended period of time or if you want quick resuls, low temp heating for about 2 hours.

In the case of the latter, the article said you should be careful not to cook the spice which I think means high temp.  What exactly happens to the spice during cooking that wouldn't happen during low temp infusio.  For example does it destroy the flavours, reduce compounds such as peperine etc?

When making a curry, I notice people just put all spices in and cook it, I guess this would mean infusion isn't happening in a typical curry?


texts: Can I brine chicken in buttermilk after I boil the chicken?

texts: I want to make crispy fried chicken and waffles. I have had great luck boiling chicken wings and then deep frying them. Can I do the same thing for fried chicken? Boil, brine in buttermilk mixture, coat and then fry? Or is there a better way?


texts: Making sourdough starter with bread flour

texts:
Since all of the sourdough starter-receipes call for "flour", sometimes ryr flour, sometimes what flour, or "regular" flour, can bread flour be used instead, to accommodate a bread machine?

I ask because the bread machines call for bread flour, and not regular flour. Is mixing the (regular) flour made sourdough, with the bread flour in the machine problematic? Will bread flour work to make a starter, or must regular flour be used?


texts:
I am making date bars very similar to nakd bars but keeping running into the same problem when making them.
The bars are way too sticky!
I used the following ingredients

Dates
Freeze dried raspberries
Salt
Vanilla extract

Anyone know what I am doing wrong? the taste is there but the texture is not.
The Nakd bars have a harder feel to them but I'm not sure how to get that. Ingredients and measurements are very similar too.


texts: Why is there a small piece of iron sponge in my electric water boiler?

texts: My electric water boiler has a small, yet dense bit of iron sponge, about the size of a Brussels sprout. I think it is something to prevent the water from superheating. However, I'm not sure that's the only reason, because they could also just make the inside of the boiler somewhat rougher, a solution that doesn't involve a loose element hanging around in the pot that can get lost. I think there's another reason for that loose element, but I'm not sure what that reason could be. Could there be another reason beyond superheating?


texts: Omelette stuck to pot on low fire with extra virgin olive oil

texts:
I've tried to cook an egg with some oil underneath on low fire, trying to make an omelette, but the egg still got stuck and when I turned it over a plate it collapsed apart. It was just some egg and hard cheese bits. Anyone know what went wrong?

Maybe it's because the small pot was not nonstick. I thought it would turn out ok anyways.

Thanks.


texts: Do I need to let wine breathe if I'm cooking with it?

texts: Some red wines benefit from being allowed to breathe for some time before being drunk.  If I'm using such a wine for cooking rather than drinking, do I still need to let it breathe?


texts: How to prevent fresh peaches from sinking to the bottom of a buttermilk pound cak?

texts: I baked a buttermilk pound cake which was a very thick batter.  The recipe said to dice 3-4 fresh peaches and put them on top of the batter just before it went into the oven.  I did as directed and all the peaches sunk to the bottom and stuck to the bundt pan.  It was delicious but very ungl.  Help!


texts: Cleaning white bubbles on induction stove

texts: I recently moved into an apartment with an induction stove. After the first use with a designated pan, some white bubble marks have appeared. Has anyone had these types of stains? Any suggestions on how to clean it?


texts: Why does salt enhance the flavor of food?

texts:
I eat a lot of salt. It makes almost everything taste better, including:

Meat
Cookies
Vegetables
Sauces
Chocolate
much more

It seems to me like salt makes almost anything better, but it doesn't just make it better because now I taste salt. It enhances the flavor of whatever I eat.

Why? What about salt makes it bring out the flavor in other foods? Also, are there compounds similar to salt (referring to NaCl) that act as flavor enhancers? Does salt add "umami", or something else?


texts: How would I go about home smoking a ham joint?

texts: I love the flavour of smoked meats, such as ham, and have wondered if it would be achievable to to do some smoking in a domestic environment? Would I need to hot-smoke, or cold-smoke? what would the smallest practical amount to attempt?


texts: Can you use woks on an electric induction cooktop in an apartment?

texts:
Can I use woks on my electric  induction cooktop at home? My guess is NO. Because  woks are designed for Chinese restaurant gas ranges with tremendous BTU, and woks must rest inside the range and the flame envelops the wok. If I use a wok on electric induction cooktop, induction just heats the bottom, not the side of, the wok.
I live in an apartment. I don't have a gas wok range like Chinese restaurants.


texts: Prepared food in containers that I forgot to put in the refrigerator

texts: I forgot to put prepared food I received in the refrigerator. It sat out over night at room temperature. The food were in containers. I put them in the refrigerator in am. Is it safe to eat?


texts: Can I use extra virgin olive oil for cooking steak?

texts:
According to this: What oil or fat to use for different purposes?

For general pan cooking: olive oil (any kind), butter..

I see video from youtube such as How to Cook Steak by Jamie Oliver, he also used olive oil in a pan, but I am not sure if extra virgin is being used.

Since for steak cooking, the temperature should be high, or should I use extra light olive oil instead?


texts:
My mom will be traveling via plane this holiday season. She has a frozen apple pie.

By the time she arrives at her destination (my sister's house), the pie will have thawed. Could she then cook it and refreeze it before bringing it to my house?

There are too many days in-between for her to cook it at my sister's house and then leave it in the refrigerator.

Please advise.

Thanks!


texts: What's the best water temperature for making Pizza dough

texts: I know the dry yeast proofing is at 100 - 110F, but what about the water that goes into the flour?


texts:
I watched this video yesterday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LerF1zgRDE . (Its a video that the manufacturer shows how they make candy and in this case its also seen they work the candy with naked hands). And reading the comments most people were shocked that they do not use gloves for (consumer health reasons). Chefs don't use gloves when working with food which in this case should be seen as the same as candy.

It doesn't bug people (as much) when people at restaurants working with your food do not wear gloves. Yet when a manufacturer touches food or candy its frowned on.

So how dangerous is it really to the consumer if who ever is working with your food or candy touches it with their naked hands, if they practice good hygiene (disinfecting hands) ?


texts: I now live on the Sea of Galilee (600+ feet below sea level), and my cakes all seem to fall, no matter what I do. Is baking affected by being below level?


texts: I am making sauerkraut, and don't have a handy kitchen scale. What is the approximate volume of 1 lb of cabbage?  Also, any advice on saurkraut making would be appreciated. This is my second batch. The first one turned out very good, but I had to throw away that last of what was in the crock as it had mold on top.  I am using a Harsch Crock.


texts: Can I use the same board for meat and vegetables?

texts:
I've heard that it's not good to use the same board for vegetables and meat, not only when you are making a salad but in general. Something about the bacteria in dirt and the bacteria in the meat is a bad mix.

But I'm wondering if you are making a stew of some sort, where you need to boil both meat and vegetables together, can I safely use the same board for both?

I'm thinking since it will be cooked together anyways, what danger can there be?


texts: Title sums it up, every now and then I'll notice that shallots sometimes take on a pronounced blue (or purple) tinge after cooking. I've noticed it when they're sauteed or roasted, seemingly independent of other ingredients. I'm aware of a similar, more common phenomenon with garlic, but that involves some source of acidity and copper, which hasn't always been present (eg. just shallots and olive oil in a nonstick pan). As such, I'm assuming there's another cause at work.


texts: What kinds of beans are there and how to recognize them?

texts:
I've been looking for nutrition facts for beans (bought in bulk, doesn't have a label) I bought but couldn't find which type there are. It took me quite a while to recognize them as pinto beans. Also different sources differ way too much when it comes to nutrition data, I'm sure they don't have 22 calories per 100grams, as some sources state.

So my primary question is:

How many basic types of beans are there and how do you distinguish them from one another?
Second question is: do they differ a lot nutritionally? And final one, can you freeze beans?

Thank you for reading.


texts: Do flavors remain on an enameled skillet?

texts:
A simple test to determine whether particles from cooking remain in the skillet and get absorbed by a subsequent meal is to cook fish (or something particularly spicy) and then wash the pan carefully. If you can detect that flavor in the next dish, some kind of leaching is going on.

After many years of using tri-ply, I can confirm that I've never detected this pan-to-dish flavor exchange to occur. I've burnt food on stainless steel many times, and when that happens it takes a lot of scrubbing with Bar Keepers Friend to get the carbonized food out, but the pot comes out as good as new. The trouble with tri-ply is that the bottom of pots remain perfectly flat, but skillets warp, making them tiresome to use on ceramic stoves.

I'm contemplating a new type of cookware. Given the uncertainty of whether a cast-iron skillet's seasoning makes it into the food, I'm skipping this type of cookware. Instead, I am looking into enameled cast iron.

I'd like to focus on just the flavor. If we assume that the cook cares for the enamel so it doesn't chip or similar, will there be flavor transfer between dishes?


texts: Is there an alternative and less toxic way to clean an oven than using oven spray?

texts:
I have drippings that have caked on to the botton surface of my oven. Now, every time we use the oven, they start to smoke and set off the smoke detector.

What are some natural ways to clean the oven? There's probably some major scrubbing in my future. :)

(Note: Someone at DIY Stack exchange https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/1890/672 suggested that I cross post here)


texts: It is safe to store celery in aluminum foil?

texts:
Because I cannot find on a regular basis celery, I am trying to preserve what I buy as long as possible.

After trying some methods, the one I found is aluminum foil.
I wash the celery, dry it, put in paper towels, then in aluminum foil, then put in the vegetables area of the freezer.
I managed to have fresh celery for 2 weeks, maximum, keeping in mind I didn't use a metal knife for cutting the edges.

Is it safe to store celery in aluminum foil?


texts: Effects of elevated storage temperature on bread quality

texts:
It's pretty well-known and scientifically established that rather cool temperatures are bad for bread: putting your bread in the refrigerator will tend to dry it out and accelerate chemical reactions in the starches that cause staling (as discussed, for example, in some answers to this question).  Freezing, on the other hand, stops some of those reactions and is a common method for maintaining bread quality for longer storage.  Regardless of quality issues, both types of cooling will help to prevent molding, so there are trade-offs.

My question is: what happens when we store bread at warmer temperatures, say in the 90-130F range (about 35-55C)?  How will quality be affected?  Will the shelf-life be altered?  Are the effects only good, only bad, or mixed?  I'm particularly interested in short-term holding (less than a day) at elevated temperatures.

Also, are there any food safety issues raised by a practice like this (i.e., worse than bread storage at room temperature)?  Bread is not a particularly good growth medium for bacteria, but I imagine that Bacillus cereus or something might be at least a potential concern.

[Background, for those who are curious: The reason I ask this question is because I sometimes need to store bread temporarily in a hot car.  The only bakery near me that I trust to make decent bread sometimes has "day-old" bread on sale for half price.  Their normal prices are, to my mind, excessively high; so if I can't buy their loaves for half-price, I usually just make bread myself.  Occasionally, I'll pick up some loaves on the way to work, but it's inconvenient to take them back home immediately.  And while I have sometimes carried them into work with me, it would be easier to just leave them in my car.  I also can't pick up the bread on the way home, because the half-price bread (when they have it) generally sells out by mid-morning.  Although I can sometimes park under a tree or something, the reality is that the summer sun will often raise the temperature of my car interior to above 100F.  Thus, the bread will be subjected to quite a few hours of elevated temperatures.  I've done this once or twice without a major change in quality, but I'm wondering if there are benefits to justify the inconvenience of keeping it near room temperature.]


texts:
In a few days I'll be cooking for my grand parents. Now I want to make it special so I decided to brine some pieces of chicken fillet before going there. But they live an hour traveling by bus from where I live, so I would have to carry the chicken in my bag. I was thinking of putting the pieces in a tupperware box along with some of the brine and wrap it in foil so that it won't spill in my bag. But I don't whether or not it will be still safe after I'll arrive. Any comments on this?

Thanks


texts: My beef roast is dry on top and soggy on the bottom, how to correct it?

texts:
When I put a lamb roast on, I rub it in salt, put a few dabs of garlic and pour two glasses of red wine in, and leave it in the slow cooker for 8 hours. Everyone who has never tried this before says it is the most amazing lamb roast they've ever tasted. People who have tasted this before, say this is the 'standard' way to do a lamb roast. (assume 2kg leg of lamb).

When I try the equivalent with a beef roast (2kg leg, rub in salt, 2 glasses of red wine, leave to roast for eight hours) the result is ok, but leaves something to be desired. The result is a little dry on top, and soggy at the bottom. I feel like there is a 'standard' way to cook a beef roast that I'm missing. (My mother suggested perhaps it needed some beef stock).


texts: Are these courgettes overcooked, if so how can I avoid it?

texts:
I set the double oven(I think) to 150 and left thinly sliced courgettes in there for about 20 minutes.
The skin of the courgette looked a bit dark to me and it tasted a bit dry:

How can one know if it is overcooked and how can I avoid this?


texts: Why is 45 degrees Celsius considered the optimal temperature for coagulating milk?

texts: I heated pasteurized milk to around 80 degrees Celsius and let it cool down to 45 degrees Celsius (according to a few guides) before adding 50 mL vinegar. But I've been wondering, why is it considered the optimal temperature for coagulating milk? (Note: This was for an experiment and I don't intend to add any starter cultures. I'm just investigating the effect of acids on the coagulation of cow milk.)


texts: How do I make scrambled egg whites more like scrambled eggs?

texts:
Sometimes I scramble egg whites (or make an omelette) when I have a lot left over from using yolks for ice cream, and want to do something really quick to use the whites. I much prefer scrambled whole eggs - richer, less rubbery, and so on.

So, what can I do to make scrambled egg whites more like scrambled whole eggs?


texts:
I'm making a north Indian snack for my toddler, he likes crispy textures.

Moong dal ground with water, added chopped onion and cilantro.

The batter was thin like a crepe batter and cooked in frying pan. The edges were crispy. The interior was like a crepe.

Would boiling off some water help (adding more water in the beginning helps the grinding process and smooths the moong dal)?
Would Rice flour help?
I know America test kitchen adds baking soda to things to increase browning, would that work?

How can I improve the texture to make the outside more crispy?


texts: How to keep sausage cases from splitting?

texts:
I make the sausage mix and put it in the casing. Although, when I twist them to make them into individual sausages it splits and I have wasted the casing and sausage meat.
The sausages split literally as I twist them. I use 'Single dry beef collagen casing 28mm' cases. I store them in a dark safe cupboard where they cannot get damaged. Before filling them I wash the to make sure they are no snags
Any help would be appreciated,
Domford


texts: Why use a sandwich press instead of an oven or pan?

texts:
I often make hot sandwiches. Usually I just put butter on the outsides of the bread, then put them in the oven just until the cheese melts. I see other people just put the sandwiches in a pan with butter, and flip it a few times.

I notice the store selling sandwich presses, but am confused by the purpose. They do not seem more convenient than an oven, because that just adds another item to wash, and they seem to smash the sandwich.

Is there some advantage to using a sandwich press in terms of convenience or of taste?


texts:
Do I have to boil canned food, specially tuna can, in water for twenty minutes?
I think it's necessary to prevent food poisoning by botulism. However, currently that I am in Europe, I have not seen a written passage on tuna can to advise people to boil the can before consumption, or did I miss to see such a thing?


texts: How long is sugar (mixed with minor ingredients) good for?

texts: Over a year ago I made flavored sugars and have recently remembered them. They are basically a sealed container (canning jar) with a cinnamon stick, lemon/orange zest, vanilla bean/pod, or a combination of two of the aforementioned.


texts: Best thickness for shaped pizza dough for good sliding from the peel/tray into the oven

texts:
I made pizza yesterday and encountered an issue.

My dough was not very sticky, it was sliding well when adding flour to the surface.

However, after I added toppings (tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil, olive oil) it seems like the weight made the dough stick a little bit or at least it did not slide well. I had issues to slide it into the oven and had to end up putting the first tray where I put together the pizza into the oven, losing the heat of my pizza stone.

I assume this issue is caused by the thickness of my shaped dough, which was maybe too thin and did not have enough "body" to slide out properly from the tray (peel).

What is the ideal thickness for a Neapolitan pizza when you shape it? I mean the inner areas of the pizza, not the external crust.


texts: Cayenne stripes inside fried chicken strips how is it made?

texts: We've all been to KFC and had those spicy chicken strips.. and also fried chicken legs wings etc.. my questions is how does the cayenne powder or sauce get inside the chicken strips  ? By needle ? Everytime u take a bit u find red stripes inside.


texts: What is the difference between sea salt and regular table salt?

texts:
I often sea sea salt sold in grinders to be used at the table, with comments about how it tastes better. What sort of taste differences would I notice using sea salt vs table salt, and what other differences might using one over the other impart?

I've also noticed people say that regular table salt is unhealthy, but that sea salt is somehow healthier for you.


texts:
I was reading this comment while once again wondering if I should get a deep fryer for the few occasions I would use it and I stumbled across "tempura" or "deep fry" modes on some induction cooktops.  At the time ~2012 one of the commenters indicated that these weren't available in the US.

Is this still true?  A quick internet search didn't turn any burners up that had these features but I'm not giving up the search.


texts: Same recipe but sometimes white chocolate cookies come out strange

texts:
I always use the same recipe (weight everything including eggs) but occasionally the white chocolate cookies come out funny.

When baking in the oven I can see them making bubbles constantly, they always come out flatter and taste doughy.

Here is a video showing the bubbles while in the oven: http://youtu.be/ZLA1h3HzkXY

What could be happening here?

Note: I melt the butter, use a bit of baking soda and bake them from frozen. But it only happens with white chocolate, that's what is strange!

From the same dough batch that was divided into two:


texts: I've seasoned and floured more chicken than I need to fry. What's the best way to store it for cooking at a later date?

texts: I have marinated chicken overnight, floured it for frying and didn't cook. What is the best way to store it for frying at a later time?


texts: Shelf life of soft or medium boiled eggs?

texts:
Its easy to google and find information on the shelf life of hard-boiled eggs from seemingly authoritative sources. It seems roughly 1 week when refrigerated is the going shelf life I see quoted.

Does the same apply to softer boiled eggs? Or should those be eaten more quickly?

What is the shelf life of eggs boiled at donenesses < hard (ie soft/medium boiled). Should they be enjoyed same-day or right away? Or does the doneness even matter if I haven't broken the egg shell? Will the egg shell protect the egg regardless of doneness?


texts: Is it possible to oversalt pasta water? Will the extra salt be unabsorbed or would the pasta be noticeable too salty? Is there anything people add to pasta water for seasoning  (I.e ground pepper or anchovies)?


texts:
I was making mustard croutons. I whisked together 2 parts warm melted butter, 2 parts olive oil, 1 part Dijon mustard, 1 part brown mustard (with whole seeds), 1 part sherry vinegar and table salt.

Since I had so much mustard I didn't think it would be necessary to do anything gradually (mustard being a great emulsifier), so I just dumped it all together and started whisking. Is that likely to have been the problem? Could it have been the warmth of the butter (not quite hot)?

Is there such a thing as too much emulsifier? The sauce never did emulsify by whisking, it just stubbornly stayed completely separated, albeit with ever smaller droplets of mustard/vinegar.

It probably wouldn't have mattered much since I was just planning to toss bread chunks in it anyway, to bake for croutons, but it bugged me so I whipped out the food processor. After processing the sauce looked emulsified, but it separated within perhaps 2 minutes. The croutons turned out great anyway, but for future reference I'd still like to know why I never did achieve an emulsion. I've made mayonnaise pretty much the same way, and it always turns out. What gives?


texts: How to make "white" jello using aloe vera jelly pack for broken glass dessert

texts:
I've heard that it is possible to make the base of broken glass jello with aloe vera jello and milk/cream/vanilla ice cream. I attempted to do it but at first I brought milk to simmer then one pocket of aloe vera jelly but it got a lumpy mixture! At my second attempt, I did what I usually do with a packet of jelly and mixed together the jelly and boiling water until the jelly has dissolved and the mixture is smooth, let it cool. Then I poured milk to have the white color but the same thing happened. I wonder how should one add milk/melted vanilla ice cream/cream to a jelly mixture to prevent curdling?

I wouldn't use unflavored gelatin, that's why I would use aloe vera jelly.


texts: I am a huge fan of spinach after Popeye! It packs a flavorful punch as a side dish and a main course dish. But somehow whenever I try to make a halva out of spinach I fail badly. Either spinach loses its punch or else it gets all bitter. How do we make spinach taste sweet but at the same time not lose all of its flavors? Also I intend to lose the astringent-y after taste that spinach has.


texts: I heated water in the microwave and it exploded inside. Water was pouring out even though the door was shut. I now know that I'm not supposed to heat water in the microwave. But I did and now after the water explosion, I'm not sure if I can use my microwave. Twelve hours after the explosion inside the microwave, I tried to warm up some vegetables and there were crazy noises and flashes of orange. Is this because the water hadn't dried out yet or is the microwave completely ruined?


texts: Is there a risk of botulism when using honey for the first fermentation of kombucha?

texts:
I have been reading conflicting statements that there is a risk of botulism when using honey for the first fermentation of kombucha. Some are saying that the acidity of kombucha is too high for botulism to survive. Others are saying to never use it because the risk exists.

This Cornell University study (PDF warning) suggests that botulinum spores were killed when inoculated into tea drinks, but suggests that it might have been the effect of the green tea. I'm wondering if this also applies to black tea.

Is there a definitive answer that will tell me whether it is safe to use honey for the first fermentation of black tea kombucha?


texts: What ingredients will allow me to make a foam with a whipped cream charger?

texts:
So I have an iSi whipped cream charger. There are a series of recipes that sound really interesting, but I don't quite understand what ingredients you need in order to make a stable foam / mousse. Some common ingredients seem to be cheese, cream, and gelatin. But I've also seen recipes with chocolate and water (melted and combined), lecithin, or even scrambled eggs with sous vide eggs, skim milk, and butter.

So what ingredients are a must for making a foam? How do they work?

I must admit, I'm more interested in the "how" than the "what". The what seems to be pretty well defined in the list or recipes, but I want to be able to create my own culinary treats and understanding the process is invaluable in making things up.


texts: How do I stop the pressure cooker from clogging up when cooking lentils?

texts: When I cook yellow lentils at home, the valve of the pressure cooker seems to clog up. How do I prevent this?  By clog up, I mean that the pressure cooker sits quietly on the burner and then all of a sudden there is a gush of steam coming from the valve. My pan is ten years old.  I soak the lentils for a few hours, rinse, and add some oil and salt to the cooking water.  The lentils and the water only take up the bottom quarter.


texts: How do I know whether I should use flat-leaf or curly-leaf parsley? I'm interested mostly in their uses as ingredients, but guidance on usage as garnishes is also welcome.


texts: Should indoor ripened tomatoes be used for sauce?

texts: I was talking with a person about getting all my green tomatoes in and ripening them for one last batch of sauce. She told me as a matter of safety that you shouldn't use tomatoes that were picked green for any sauce but couldn't explain why. It was just something she was told and and that's what she does. Is their any credibility to this? I usually just let everything ripen on the vine but we have a lot and the squirrels are beating us to most of them now as temperatures are getting lower.


texts:
What is the proper way to store a pomegranate? How long can they be stored for at room temperature?

Would refrigerating pomegranates cause any problems (I'm a little worried about the fridge getting slightly to cold, freezing the seeds and ruining the fruit).


texts: Why did my marinated chicken literally almost fall apart before cooking them?

texts:
I put a wing sauce (spicy) and seasonings (salt, pepper, Italian, paprika) on chicken tenderloins, put them in a ziploc bag and sat in the counter why I did a couple of things, NO longer than 15 minutes. When I took them out the chicken tenders literally looked shredded...still together but like I had taken a razor to each one. I’ve never had this happen and I cook chicken this way (minus the seasonings, which I usually layer on top vs putting in the bag) every week.
Is something wrong with my chicken?


texts: Why does olives with the pit left always taste better than pitted ones

texts:
When you buy or eat olives it seems that the high quality ones always have the pit left in them. If you buy cheaper, not so good olives, they will most likely be pitted.

What is the reason behind this? Does the pit have an effect on the olive once it's in the brine or is it something else, perhaps tradition, that makes it seem "low quality" or "bad" to pit the olives before they are put in a jar?


texts: What should the consistency of the meat filling of moussaka be like?

texts:
I intend on cooking a lamb moussaka (having never eaten one before); in planning to do this I've referred to numerous recipes. The meat filling of the moussaka seems to be it's most integral element however in looking at all these recipes I've been unable to reach any consensus as to how this should be cooked. The sticking point seems to be the choice of ingredients to cook the meat filling with. My options seem to be:

tomato passata/canned tomatoes/peeled tomatoes
tomato puree
or a combination of both.

I am under the impression that the meat filling in a moussaka tends to be less tomatoey and thinner than say a Ragu alla Bolognese meat sauce. When cooking a Ragu alla Bolognese meat sauce you're aiming for a nice thick consistency with caramelisation of the tomatoes in the sauce.

I feel that cooking moussaka meat filling with tomato passata/canned tomatoes will result in the meat sauce being similar to that of a Ragu alla Bolognese. Is this desirable for moussaka?

Can someone tell me the consistency I should be striving for?


texts:
I've been debating with my friends whether or not corn kernels are considered to be fruits or vegetables or nuts. To my knowledge, a fruit is a sweet "bubble" (in that it's a membrane with a fleshy interior) of a plant's seed (they remind me of pomegranate seeds). A vegetable is part of a plant that is eaten but not part of the seed. I was under the impression that nuts were only from a specific "branch" of plant evolution that is predominantly trees. This information would lead me to believe it is isn't any of them. Looking into it myself, I learned the word aril, but I'm not sure if corn's kernels are like that, either. It doesn't sound like it fits the criteria of that, or any of them.

Taking up from there, I'm a bit confused on what corn should be called. Do we have a name for corn like we do everything?

Thanks!


texts: Vacuum-packed (or not?) bacon, safe to use?

texts:
I purchased a 3-pack of bacon a week ago, basically 3 vacuum packed (is that the right word for this?) bacon, stripped together (probably made together, seems like the plastic was just sealed between three clusters of bacon.)

I have discovered that one of the packages is not void of air, but it is apparently airtight, I can squeeze on the package and it doesn't give in or seem to vent any air, it just contains air, whereas the other package (I have already used one) is void of air, which is what I expected it to be.

So my question is, is the package that contains air safe to use?

The expiration date on the packages are middle of next month, so they're well within their intended usage, but I'm just not sure about the air.

Does anyone know?

Considering they were cheap packages, I will probably just toss it, but since I planned on using the packages for dinner today, I probably need to come up with a backup plan, unless, of course, it is entirely safe to eat.

So what's the verdict?


texts: Szechuan fish soup ingredient -- what is it?

texts: I got a fish-and-pickled-cabbage soup the other day at a Szechuan restaurant that had these things in it that looked kinda like this. They were translucent off-white, about 2 inches long, and maybe an inch across. They had a light but chewy texture, and at first I thought it was some kind of tripe. What is this stuff?


texts: Replacing cream and butter in a carrot casserole/pie

texts:
Casserole from pureed carrot (it may be a "pie" rather than a "casserole" though - my footing in Anglo cooking terms isn't very strong, feel free to edit) is a traditional Finnish recipe.

Essentially, it consists of cooked and pureed carrots, cream, butter, eggs, breadcrumbs, syrup, and salt, baked in the oven for about an hour. Sometimes, some rice is added as well.

You can imagine what the dairy products add to the dish - they emphasize the delicious carrot taste, and make it rich and heavy.

I'm not a hard-core vegan, but I'm curious what vegetable based alternatives could work to replace them. I'm sure olive oil wouldn't: it has too strong a flavour of its own. Other vegetable oils would add the heaviness, but I find there is something unique to what cream and butter do to such a simple dish, something that no oil known to me can.

Are there other ingredients that could work here? Preferably something that is readily available, as opposed to complicated and expensive vegan "xy replacement" products.


texts:
The jar or packet at either of my local stores is quite big.   How long does it stay effective, once opened?   Given Star Anise is quite hard, I'm thinking it may last a while.  But would I be better vacuum sealing half or 2/3?

[edited to correct grammar.  rmjf]


texts: How do you clean tupperware that is always so stained after pasta sauce has been in it


texts: Why did my brown beef stock end up yellow?

texts:
Over the weekend I attempted a brown beef stock for the first time.

I roasted (from frozen) a couple of kilos of beef bones in the oven for an hour or so until they were a deep brown colour all over.

I drained off the fat that had collected in the oven dish, deglazed with water and added this and the bones into a stockpot with an additional 2 litres of water, roughly chopped onions, carrots and celery, a few sprigs of thyme, a couple of bay leaves and a few black peppercorns.

The stock was brought to the boil and then left to simmer for 3 hours over a low heat. When I strained the stock, it was a yellowy tan colour and not the dark brown that I had been hoping for.

What did I do wrong?


texts: My small steamed pudding mold has sprung a leak.  What type of solder should be use to repair the leak?  Thanks,


texts:
Does anyone know long would salt cured salted egg yolks keep in the refrigerator?
I've seen a few articles including this one https://practicalselfreliance.com/salt-cured-egg-yolks which notes that its good for about "3-4 weeks if not longer", though some claim that it's only good for about 2 weeks.
Is there anyone here who could clarify which one is correct?


texts:
When you want to make Brezel or swiss Délices, you usually use lye dough. The technique is to coat the dough just before backing with either:

Sodium hydroxide NaOH (2 %)
Sodium bicarbonate NaHCO3

Both recipes looks quite similar. The second is usually easier and less risky, but the coloring is not as good that with caustic soda.

What is the chemical reaction of both solutions, are they equivalent? Why professionals prefer using NaOH?


texts: Do slow cookers require liquid to operate?

texts:
I have a Butterball turkey breast roast that I'd like to cook tomorrow, and I'm planning to do it in my slow cooker.

The recipe as provided online is the same one that is on the turkey packaging:

  Slow-Cooker Instructions:
  Place THAWED roast, skin side up, flat in 8” diameter slow-cooker. Add 1/2 cup water. Cover, cook on low 7-1/2 hours to internal temperature of 170 degrees as measured with a meat thermometer. After 4 hours, check temperature at center, ends and near top for food safety. Turkey must reach 140 degrees within 4 hours.

Now, I haven't done a lot of slow cooking before, but when I have, I've always added enough liquid to fill the slow cooker up to about 3/4 full.  Half a cup of water will barely cover the bottom of my slow cooker.

I did some research, but found nothing conclusive.  Some people say that slow cookers should always be more than half full, while others seem to indicate that it's fine to run them almost empty.

Is there a minimum level of liquid necessary when cooking in a slow cooker?


texts: How to make black peppercorns extremely fine?

texts:
The black pepper I buy come in containers where you can grind it on use and they come out fine but not super fine.

I'm just wondering :

how do powder suppliers e.g. the companies which make curry powders etc make black pepper so fine?
What can I use to make my peppercorns more fine, it seems the store containers with grinder do just as good a job as a purpose bought pepper grinder(mill I think its called)?
How does a mortar and pestel compare to above?  I imagine the pepper is always much bigger?


texts: Is it safe to eat hard boiled eggs after washing with peroxide and cold water?

texts:
I read that washing eggs with cold water will draw bacteria from the outer shell inward the egg.

Are hard boiled eggs made with eggs washed with peroxide and rinsed with cold water before cooking safe to eat? I am concerned about the cold water I used to clean the porous shell.


texts: I just started cooking dried chickpeas in my pressure cooker. It made me wonder... I have some soup recipes that I make in my IP that call for canned chick peas. At first I was subbing in my cooked chickpeas. Is there any reason I can't just add my already-soaked chickpeas directly to the soup? The soup will be cooking at pressure for at least as long as my chickpeas recipe calls for anyway.


texts:
I have several recepies which call for cracking coconut cream (Thai curries).

I used to just fry the curry paste and add coconut cream (or coconut milk) which produces reasonable results, but on reading the recipes again I realized that I was not making it correctly.

My more recent attempts at starting with coconut milk have resulted in it being more poached than fried, still nice but I feel that I am missing something.

As far as I can tell if you simmer the cream for long enough the oil should separate out and you are able to fry in it. But I can't seem to get this to happen. Am I being impatient or am I doing something fundamentally wrong?


texts: When milk is poured into cereal, what is it?

texts: Is it a broth, a sauce, a beverage, or other? this was a question posed to me and I have clue how to answer this.


texts: How do I keep my butter based syrup or sauce from separating?

texts:
Sometimes my butter based syrup separates once it’s cooling, or after it’s reheated a couple of times. Then, when I try to reincorporate it by stirring, the consistency is never the same and the taste is off too.
How do I prevent my syrup from separating?
I’m thinking that the times it separates after it’s initially cooked, and it’s cooling, is because it didn’t cook long enough and/or wasn’t stirred enough as it cooked maybe?
But if it’s perfect and after it cools there’s no separation..why does it separate after it’s reheated. Is there a way to prevent this?
Advice appreciated.


texts: How to tell pre-sliced, raw mutton from beef?

texts:
Given two plates of raw, thinly sliced meat (e.g. hot pot or Korean BBQ), how can one reliably disambiguate beef from mutton?

Both appear as thin slices of red meat, with similar texture and marbling. Tasting them is not an option, nor is asking someone involved in preparing the meats.


texts: emulsifier and stabilizer equivalent to one yolk for frozen desserts

texts:
I want to make ice cream, sorbet and gelato without eggs. Momofuku's Christina Tosi's Milk Bar cookbook advocates for this and uses gelatin  as emulsifier and stabilizer as well as glucose for thickening instead of the usual full eggs/yolks required by many other books (e.g. one of Ben & Jerry's bases, Ample Hills, Bi-Rite). [UPDATE: the excellent Hello My Name is Ice Cream by Dana Cree avoids using eggs in many of its recipes.]

Modernist Cuisine at Home for their nut butter gelatos also uses tapioca starch and xantham gum as stabilizers (as well as the nut butters themselves, I assume). ChefSteps uses locust bean gum, xantham gum and kappa carrageenan as stabilizers.

What is the equivalent of

one full egg, and
one egg yolk

in traditional custard/egg-based ice cream recipes in terms of

gelatin + glucose
tapioca starch + xantham gum
locust bean gum + xantham gum + kappa carrageenan
other emulsifier/stabilizer/thickener combinations?


texts: Would this cheat puff pastry really work?

texts: I watched this video titled: "Cheats Quick Puff Pastry Recipe by Paul Hollywood". The one claims that it will result in the same dough and as flaky as the original puff pastry. The trick is, he used frozen grated butter instead of cubes of butter and used it twice in the rolling process. I would like to know if this really works, because then I don't have to wait for the butter to get softer so that flattens.


texts: Occasionally, I see a product in the supermarket that is either sold off the shelf at room temperature (then expected to be refrigerated after opening), or right out of the fridge.  I use soy milk as an example, but there are other products that fit the bill as well (though the only other one that comes to mind is almond milk).  What's (most likely to be) the difference between a product sold refrigerated and its equivalent sold room-temperature?


texts:
I ate black pepper with chips from the shop and it tasted very strong(a good thing for me).  I bought some black pepper from the shop however it didn’t taste the same and the label also read ‘mild’.  If it’s black pepper then it should all be the same.

What is different about mild and strong black peppers in how they are processed that makes one stronger or milder than the other? How can I ensure I get a strong one?

Does it have anything to do with the number of black to white bits, it seems to me the more black bits the stronger the taste though I could be wrong.


texts: chocolate fudge not having harder or sticky consistency

texts:
how to make a proper chocolate fudge, which is as shown in picture?
I followed a recipe shown online, where condensed milk and chocolate chips have put in Microwave oven for 3 mins; and after refrigerating; it was perfect fudge.

When I followed the same recipe; after refrigerating; it became so watery as a sweet chocolate sauce, Please help;


texts: Is it safe to eat a pork loin that has been refrigerated for 6 days?

texts:
I've accidentally left a pork tenderloin marinating in the fridge for the past six days. Is it still safe to cook and eat? I'm not sure how it will taste, but I'd hate to waste a good tenderloin. The marinade is really more of a brine made of apple juice, sugar, soy sauce, salt and some spices. It was in the back of refrigerator, so it remained quite well chilled.

Update!

As many folks mentioned, I used the power of The Sniff Test and everything smelled fine. We ate it and no one died or fell ill. In fact, it was quite tasty. I was afraid the taste would be off, but it was great!


texts:
My query is regarding fish in general and specifically types like salmon, tuna and trout.

How long should fish be brined for? Some recipes say 4 hours and others say 8-12 hours.
Should the saline solution be 6% as usual.
How do you know if it has bined properly?  Do you expect it to be plump and juicy as with poultry or how exactly?

Thanks

To answer your question, my goal in brining is to simply get as much salt as possible into the cells of the fish. . I do not care about taste, flavour or anything else, I just want salt to penetate into all parts of the fish.  As you know if you want salt in your meat brining is the best method and better then normal and slow cooking which do not absorb to the same extent and in the same way.


texts: Are caraway seeds and fennel seeds the same?

texts:
My mom always called the seeds in rye bread caraway. But they are in Italian sausage and a jar labeled fennel seeds.

Are they the same thing?


texts: What is the point of mustard-frying burger patties?

texts:
I mean the type where mustard is placed on the hot griddle, and the patty is placed or smashed on top.
Mustard is actually mostly water (with some vinegar and mustard powder mixed in). The water inhibits browning of the patty and causes the patty to be steamed, so it does not seem like a great idea to put it below the patty.
There are other ways to add mustard flavor to the burger, like adding mustard or mustard powder to the sauce, or smearing mustard or mustard powder on the patty after it has been cooked. You could even season the patty with mustard powder before cooking it.
So, why place the patty on that mix of water, vinegar and mustard powder, which we know as mustard?


texts: Lamian (Hand Pulled Noodles) Technique Question

texts:
I have been learning and working on creating Lamian (拉麵) for a year now, and it has been quite
an adventure! I had little experience working with dough coming into this, so despite many failed attempts, I've been learning a lot. But I'm not quite there yet. Let me explain my problem and I will then get to my question.

I've looked at many tutorials for hand pulled noodles, many with wildly different recipes. Some say lye water, some say baking soda, some say just plain flour and water, some say oil, some say high gluten flour, some say low gluten flour etc. One person online even claims to have succeeded with lamian using 00 flour (link here)! I have noticed that all these recipes have achieved success for the people making them, so it occurred to me that there really is no "correct" lamian recipe; instead, it's all in the technique.

After many completely failed attempts, I've managed to be able to create dough that will stretch evenly and easily at first. However, after just one or two stretches, the dough will start to resist the stretch, even pulling back. Resting the dough after a stretch helps some, but after a while, even that doesn't really cut it. My main question is: Why does this happen? The followup question is: What can I do to prevent this from happening?

The following are just some references that I used to help develop my technique or generally better understand what's going on in the dough in the lamian making process. NOTE: Unfortunately due to being new here I can't put more than two links, so I'll just describe a few of the sites

Uyghur Method, linked above.

Luke Rymarz's website, which is pretty well known among people who have tried to make lamian

I did look through previous Seasoned Advice questions on hand pulled noodles, none of them seem to directly address the problem I'm having. However, some of the answers have given helpful insight into ways that I can try to improve my technique.

This thread in a cooking forum has also been very helpful to me.


texts:
My fiancée lived in England for a few months a couple of years ago, and has spoken about crumpets ever since.

I've never tried them myself, but I'm planning on making a few for her breakfast on her birthday in a couple of weeks.

I found several recipes, but they all follow the same basic structure:

Mix stuff.
Let sit for about an hour.
Make crumpets in pan.

Step 2 is somewhat problematic here, I don't really have that hour.

Is there any way I could make the batter in advance?

Or could I make the crumpets in advance and reheat them?


texts:
I forgot to put the rest of the ham we ate for dinner in the fridge last night and didn't realize it until this morning. Heat wasn't on but it was probably around 57-60 degrees overnight. If I pressure cook the leftover ham with some beans, how big a chance would I be taking in eating it? I know pressure cooking should kill the bacteria, but I don't know how many toxins would have already been produced.

Just the let you know where I'm coming from, we typically eat things in our house that others would prob throw out for safety's sake (foods past their dates or left out a little longer than they should have been).

Apparently my question is too close to other questions. I would say the difference lies in two parts. One, I am planning to pressure cook the food in question which should kill the bacteria in the food. So my main question is about the toxins produced by the bacteria. And two, I am asking for an opinion, not a reiteration of food safety guidelines. As stated, our family often breaks food safety guidelines when we do not see a significant chance of it actually causing us problems.


texts: How to increase Thai curry flavour without increase spicy

texts: I'm using this Curry paste but my girlfriend doest like too spicy, therefore the flavor is really bland.. how can increase the flavor without make it too spicy?


texts: How do I concentrate the flavor in orange juice?

texts:
I poured squeezed orange juice over my meatballs and I thought how well it complements them, but that it's too watery to enjoy with meat. I proceeded to reduce squeezed orange juice on the stove with and without starch and it just did not work - it's either too watery, or when reduced to a proper texture it's like sugar paste with orange flavoring.

How can I enjoy the flavor of orange juice on meat as a condiment while reducing it's wateriness?


texts: Thawed frozen fresh strawberries, can i refreeze them

texts: I left fresh strawberries, which I cleaned and froze, on the counter to thaw for 5 hrs by mistake. They mostly thawed. I want to know if I can refreeze them. I use them to blend them up in a meal replacement shake. They are less than a week old.


texts: Can you help me identify this appliance/tool?

texts:
A friend of mine asked me to identify an appliance he saw in a picture from the Internet, and I was unable to do so.  Does anyone else know what this is?  I've highlighted it in the background of this image (it's the best picture I have):

It's the one with two handheld drawers on the bottom and conical hoppers up top that appear to be hinged at the bottom.  Given the rest of the items in this picture, perhaps it has something to do with coffee?  My guess is that it's a coffee roaster.


texts: Are there any tools / "life hacks" to cut sphere-shaped potatoes and carrots?

texts:
Salad Olivier - The modern version contains peas, potatoes, carrot, eggs, etc.

It would be cool to cut everything into same-size spheres...


texts: Are tomatoes worth rinsing off if you boil them soon after?

texts: Have a large set of tomatoes to make some pasta sauce. To soften them for the food mill I boil them. My question is whether it's worth rinsing if they're eventaully gonna get boiled anyway?


texts: How do I pick up and move shortcrust pastry dough without breaking it?

texts:
Apologies if this is a bit of a newbie question!

I have no problem with making, chilling, and rolling my pastry, but for the life of me I can never manage to pick up my pastry without it breaking either due to it's own weight, or getting stuck on the surface I've rolled it on.

I've tried floured worktops, baking paper, floured baking paper, using a slice to help support the pastry as it lifts etc.

What is the best method of picking up my pastry and placing it into my pie dish without it breaking?


texts: How to suppress bad breath after eating garlic or onion

texts: How can I suppress bad breath after eating garlic or onion?


texts: Intense mushrooms carbonation while fermenting

texts:
First attempt on fermenting mushrooms. Pretty low experience level in fermenting overall.
So, what I did

boiled them for a 1.5-2 hours
mix broth and salt so it became 2.5% brine
fill jar and put in dark quiet place.

For 2 days there was 0 activity. And then it happens. Carbonation is crazy intense, pretty similar to just opening beer right after initial release. And it keep going like that for over 24 hours already.

I'm not sure if that's okay or not and what should I do with that, if any.

Mushrooms used - regular white champignons.


texts: What's the technique for frying plantain?

texts:
After enjoying a recent BBC Food Programme podcast about bananas I bought some green plantain. I fried them, for breakfast, and ate them with an egg. They were hard and dry and not very nice.

My method: I sliced them 8mm thick along the diagonal and fried them in a little oil until golden, being careful to avoid burning them. I seasoned, patted them dry with kitchen paper, and squeezed over a little lemon.

Is there a problem with the method? Perhaps the plantains were poor quality? I live in Bath, UK, not a very multi-cultural area.


texts: What are some ways to make caramel thin?

texts:
I'm kind of starting off with the culinary world and one of the dishes i'll be making soon is French toast with caramelized strawberries.

However i'd like to know how to make caramel thin, because i'll be drizzling it over the dish and the strawberries, many thanks ^^


texts: I'm reheating 2 9.8# spiral hams in 1 oven. Do I need to change the cooking times and if I do how much time do I add?


texts: How do I tone down biryani that is too spicy?

texts:
I am making biryani and unfortunately, the chili is too much and I don't know how to tone down the spiciness of biryani. I want to tone down the chili.

I found some solutions are given below to dilute the spiciness. Searching told me the easiest way to tone down a dish that's too spicy is to add more ingredients to lessen the proportion of the spicy element:

Add dairy.
Add acid.
Add a sweetener.
Add nut butter.

The best idea for my dish seems to be adding acid in a masala of 2kg rice, but I don't know which acid I should use.


texts: Bread breaks in the middle while in the oven

texts:
Would like to ask a question based on your experience in bread making. We have made in our house several loafs of bread in various shapes and sizes and with many different methods, manually, robot assisted, etc. Right now, the one we are doing involves Bio German Spelt 630 flour, water, olive oil and powdered baker's yeast. the only thing we don't place is anything with any gluten (or at least that has anything beyond just a very tiny portion of it) They all come out yummy :)

So what is the problem? Well they all break in the middle of it when they grow and are baking, even in the English cake tin we are currently using for it. It's really frustrating because we have used several recipes, oven temperatures, metal and silicone based utensils, everything.

Is it related to low gluten and the fact it's obviously not as elastic as your normal wheat bread?

Thanks in advance.

Alban


texts: Balancing out saffron taste, chlorine/latex taste

texts: I am cooking a chickpea stew and clearly used too much Saffron (high chlorine taste). Does anyone know what I can use to balance out or mask the flavour?


texts: How to store/what to do with leftovers from Ayurvedic ginger & turmeric cold/flu drink?

texts:
I've made an Ayurvedic drink for a cold/flu (though I adapted it to my tastes) - minced ginger and turmeric brought to a boil over medium high heat then simmered till it turns a dark amber color.

Can I store the leftovers in the fridge or are there any other ideas on how to store them?
What can I do with the leftover minced ginger and turmeric, which have been boiled and strained out?


texts:
I am thinking of buying a slow cooker because the communal kitchen is usually really nasty and I want to save time. I will use it for cooking up big amounts of meat (chicken fillet, minced meat mostly).

The biggest I found has a capacity of 6.8 Liters. Would it be possible to cook 2 kg of chicken fillet in this at once, if not, how much? (I.e do I need to add water or can I use 6.8 Liters purely for food?)

I can't leave it in the kitchen, so can I use it in my corridor room or how much odor / mess does a slow cooker usually create? Is everything sealed or is it like when cooking normally?


texts: Dehydration temperatures for long-term preservation

texts:
I am dehydrating fruits and vegetables with a home dehydrator. I found in the internet varying recommendations about dehydration temperatures, ranging from 45 to 65 C (113 to 150 F). However, since dehydration is used also for short-term consumption (by raw-food enthusiasts), I am not sure the recommendations are good for long-term preservation.

So, my questions are:

If I dehydrate in 45 C (113 F), for about 24 hours, and keep the dehydrated stuff in tightly closed glass jars - can I expect them to be preserved for about 2 years?
If the answer is no - what is the minimal temperature that I should use in order to guarantee preservation for 2 years?


texts:
Whilst buying perfume for my wife, the assistant kept offering us a glass of coffee beans to 'cleanse our olfactory palate' in between smelling fragrances.

I had heard of 'palate cleansing' before, but never thought of it in an olfactory way, nor heard of using the smell of coffee beans.

Now there is some mention of palate cleansers on the internet, but I wondered if there was a particular craft of 'palate cleansing' when eating particular foods - or even if particular types of palate cleansers existed for particular types of foods.

My question is: Are there particular palate cleansers for particular foods?


texts: Why should we add alcohol to make extract

texts: Why is alcohol used to prepare extracts, such as mint extract?


texts: I am cooking thai curry and wondering if I can seperate coconut oil using microwave?


texts:
TL;DR Why do I find liquid at the bottom of the pan when I make clotted cream?

I've read about clotted cream in books all my life, but it wasn't a thing where I grew up. I recently discovered this recipe online and have tried it out a few times. I follow the directions exactly:

Set convection oven to about 170º or 175º F
Pour cream into clear Pyrex baking dish to about 1" thickness
Put dish in oven and let it remain there for at least 8 hours
Remove dish from oven and let cool for 15 minutes
Refrigerate for 5 or 6 hours.

Each time, I have the same issue. The top layer of the result looks just like in the video, but the buttery portion goes only about three-quarters of the way down the baking dish. The rest is just liquid. In the video, when Steve scoops out the cream at 4:27, it is obvious that there is no liquid at the base.

What accounts for this difference? I have three theories, but don't know whether any of them is correct:

Steve says to use "fresh cream". Does that mean unpasteurized? Raw cream, as it's called here, is super expensive and only semi-legal to buy. So I have to buy pasteurized. I've used both UHT and non-UHT pasteurized cream, and have seen the same results from both. Is it possible that using pasteurized cream causes there to be liquid?
Steve also says to use the "thick cream that we would use for whipping up", which according to Wikipedia means cream that is about 35% milkfat, in UK usage. I used heavy cream, which is 36% milkfat in US usage. So I think I'm using the correct equivalent of what Steve says to use, but perhaps I'm using the wrong kind of cream?
Is my oven temperature wrong somehow? I thought perhaps the milkfat was rising to the top too rapidly and then forming a thick seal that prevented the cream at the bottom from separating. Is this a possibility, and if so, how can I fix it?

I'm attaching two pictures. The first shows the liquid after I've removed a small portion of the clotted cream from the top.

The second shows the liquid by itself, poured out into a jar.

From reading this other question, it seems that whey accumulates at the bottom of clotted cream. But I don't see any liquid at all in the video. And besides, the liquid I have does not correspond to my idea of whey. It's still somewhat viscous and yellow, and lacks the grey, transparent thinness of the whey I get from yogurt.

I thought that it might be buttermilk that remains after the milkfat separates, but it also seems too thick to be buttermilk. I put a dash of it in the scrambled eggs I was making to go with the bread I baked to go with the clotted cream, and the eggs were fine. I've previously used it instead of whey or water to bake bread, but it turned the bread somewhat gummy. So what is this liquid anyway?

Oh by the way, the semisolid stuff above the liquid layer is very tasty, but since I've never had any other clotted cream, I don't know whether it is the taste it's supposed to be.


texts:
I'm planning on making a lemon tart and the recipe calls for "100 g vanilla caster sugar". Over here (Netherlands) vanilla caster sugar isn't really sold in supermarkets, so I'm looking for a substitute.

One thing I do have acces to, is sachets of vanilla sugar. I have a feeling I can't just use those however, since usually only one sachet(9 grams) is used in a recipe. I'd have to use 11 of those sachets to get the same amount of grams, which would probably make it taste way too vanilla-y.

Should I just use regular caster sugar instead and add some vanilla extract, or maybe regular caster sugar and a singe sachet of vanilla sugar?


texts: on this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX_6l2bmvQI at the 1:30 mark the guy punches the dow down. And its a mere light turning. What process is started? or how will the bread differ if I don't do that? I usually don't and I can't seem to notice a difference..


texts: Name of dish - eggs + flour + bread crumbs (+ baking powder)

texts:
When I was breading I had some leftovers so I decided to mix them together and fry to check if it is edible. It wasn't bad though it was very dense.
Today I tried to make it from scratch and add baking powder. I got something similar to pancake or omelette. I presume recipe is simple enough that humans discovered it long time ago and it has name.


texts: How easily can table salt be contaminated?

texts:
In Alton Brown and The Food Lab Play With Chicken, Alton Brown (jokingly?) chides J. Kenji Lopez-Alt for touching raw chicken right before pinching salt from a tub.

AB: So it's okay to put your hands on the chicken and then stick em back in the salt. Okay, also noted. Good sanitation procedures.
JKLA: What's going to live in the salt?
AB: Nothing's going to live in the salt at all. I'm just giving you crap.

Is it true that nothing is going to live in the salt? Practically, how likely is it for salt to become unsafe for consumption through unsafe sanitation procedures?
As far as I know, there are organisms which can thrive in saline environments, but extreme halophiles are found in solutions of 20 to 25% salinity, not crystalline NaCl. Would mold be a concern? Perhaps the amount of time between contamination and use would make a difference? Does it matter if the salt is granular or in a solid block?


texts:
Is it best to remove sausage casing before cooking sausages or not?
I don't see it mentioned in recipes, but have seen it done by people when cooking. Is this a matter of preference or is there any improvement to quality of flavor when casings are removed?


texts:
My wife made some chocolate chip cookies tonight using the same recipe she has for years; it's the one on the back of the Tollhouse Chocolate Chips bag. The only modification she makes to the recipe is that she uses half the butter, which ends up being only a half cup instead of a whole. Usually the cookies turn out round, flat, and about 1 cm high, but tonight we discovered a surprise. These are around an inch high and weren't completely cooked through the center as seen below.

Both of us being engineers, we are curious as to why this happened. We used the following steps and ingredients when making them:

Ingredients

2.25 Cups of Pillsbury all purpose flour
1 tsp Arm & Hammer baking soda
1 tsp Morten salt
1 stick softened Fleichmanns original butter (normally uses Land-O-Lakes) (113g pure butter)
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups Tollhouse Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation steps

Preheated the oven to 375°F (190°C)
Whisked together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl
Beat butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla with mixer until creamy.
Added eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Gradually beat in the flour mixture
Stirred in the chocolate chips
Dropped dough balls in place on a cookie sheet.
Cook for 9-11 minutes

The above steps are exactly what my wife did when we made these cookies. We noticed that the dough looked incredibly dense, sticky, and was very hard to mix after it was all combined. We used a mixer instead of hand mixing the dough like she has in the past, but I find it hard to believe that this would be the culprit (someone may very well prove the cooking n00b wrong though).

FWIW, please don't critique the recipe ;), as we really only want to know why they came out as biscuits when my wife has used this recipe exactly and successfully in the past. She has followed the same routine every time she has made them except for the use of a mixer and different brands of ingredients.


texts:
I've seen this in mostly chain supermarket and Costco.

When they make sushi, they would brush this clear gel like substance on the sushi maki roll either to keep it moist or fresh for long period of time. Anyone know what that stuff is call?


texts: Is it safe to cook a chicken for 20 minutes at 250 degrees, Then take it out of oven and put back in refrigerator and then cook it thourghly the next day.


texts: What can I substitute for tomato paste to thicken a marinade?

texts: This recipe calls for 2 TB tomato paste in the marinade. I assume it is to thicken it so more stays on the meat and veggies. I don't want to open an entire can of tomato paste just to use 2 TB. Can I substitute anything else in its place?


texts: Why would a baking recipe call for both cake and bread flour?

texts: I recently encountered a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that mixes both cake and bread flour. Why would a baker want to do this? Cake flour, after all, is typically used for its low gluten content, and bread flour is often used for its high gluten content. Mixing the two would seem to defeat the purpose of using either.


texts: Is ok to have boxes of raw chicken stacked on top of each other

texts: I have a small walk in refrigerator. To save space I stacked eight boxes of raw chicken wings on top of one another on a completely separate shelf from everything else. Is this safe health inspector/ food safety wise?


texts: Simmering split peas smell bitter - why?

texts:
Today while simmering split peas with a good meaty ham bone, the whole works smell so bitter. I'm wondering why. I love pea soup but haven't made it very often.

In the end it did taste fine but had a really bad smell like it was going to taste bitter. I added the onions carrots celery and garlic a bit later. I did have to use salt and that helped. Used 10c of water. It ended up fine... my husband had 3 bowls! I just thought it smelled off.


texts: Is it safe to "salt bake" using ice cream rock salt?

texts: Salt baking requires a lot of salt. I want to use ice cream rock salt for salt baking because it normally comes in bulk size. But I've been told that the rock salt used for ice cream is not fit for consumption. However, is it safe to use it to salt bake other foods? I.e. Shrimp. The salt isn't being consumed on the shrimp, so I'm curious whether this is safe or not.


texts: What's a good syrup for home-made chocolate?

texts:
I make my own chocolate from cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and syrup.

The ingredients I was using a while ago were fine, I had success tempering and got the right kind of snap and texture. Now, using the same brand of cocoa powder and cocoa butter, I'm not getting the snap and the texture. I can't remember what syrup I was using in the past.

My method: melt the coco butter to about 55C, add equal mass of cocoa powder and stir, add an equal mass of syrup and stir. Let temperature reduce to 25C then increase to 30-31C then cool completely. I'm confident that these temperatures are reached evenly and accurately.

To reiterate, this method in the past produced a good snap. Now I get soft chocolate and when it reaches 25C it goes nearly solid whereas in the past it was fairly runny at that stage.

I'm assuming the syrup is causing problems. (The cocoa butter is from the same batch, so maybe it's degraded over the years? But I don't think that's plausible.)

I have tried off-the-shelf golden syrup, honey, and home-made invert syrup (soft brown sugar, water, lemon juice, heated to 114C). Results vary slightly but all are somewhat soft. I have tried adding the syrup in cold, warm, and hot, with no significant effects.

Do you concur that the syrup is the reason for this failing?

What's the best syrup to use?


texts: Pizza browning agent substituting proportion

texts:
I've been learning how to make pizzas.

In the book I follow, for home ovens at 500 F, one needs to add a browning agent in pizzas to bake the pizza well. In 453 grams of flour, he uses 9gm of diastatic malt. Sugar and honey are 2 other alternatives we can use instead of malt. I used 9gm of honey for my pizza dough. It didn't seem to brown at all. My first question is "What proportions of sugar and honey should I use instead of 9gm of malt and why?"

I used coarse whole wheat dough without browning agent and didn't use sufficient water (mostly?!) in my 1st iteration which didn't bake well at all. 2nd time, I used something called maida (all purpose flour) with a browning agent which was better.

I'm following Pizza Bible by Tony Gemignani. He tells to use browning agent so I'll go with it.

4.5g active dry yeast,
9g pink salt,
70g water to activate yeast first and
extra 225g ice water to make the dough
5g oil
Cold fermentation (in fridge), 1 day bulk+ 1 day after cutting dough
into balls.


texts: I've found a source of powdered carob. I've read that it is a substitute for cocoa, and I was wondering how this works out practically. Is it a one-to-one substitution, or should I only use it in conjunction with cocoa?


texts:
I've recently started making macarons using the Italian meringue method. I got this recipe from a macaron class I attended at the Waitrose Cooking School (in the UK). When I made them at my class, they were perfect, but I can't say the same for making them at home.

I don't think there is anything wrong with my mixture but rather with my oven that is making my macarons either lop-sided, or spew their "guts" out.

The meringue is glossy/shiny and gooey when I remove it from the mixer.
The paste is firm.
After mixing the meringue into the paste it's the right consistency i.e not runny and not firm that its doesn't fall off the spatula. It looks a bit like ice-cream if you keep mixing for lack of a better description.

Piping them, they keep their shape and size and have the "nipple" on top. Banging them on the counter sets/smooths them and they look ready to go.

The recipe said to have the oven on 145 degrees Celsius (with fan) (293°F) for 14 minutes.

I have one tray in the middle of the oven and my first batch cracked. I left the next batch to set for a few minutes before putting them in and this solved my cracking issue.

Now however, they just spew out the sides and are lop-sided. What could be causing this?

I started trying different temperatures, fan off and on, double tray, putting the tray higher up but nothing really fixed it.

Is the oven not ventilated enough?
Is it too hot?
Too much moisture? (it's quite humid today and rainy)

I have an electrical single oven (top and bottom elements).

The best result seemed to be 125 degrees Celsius (257°F) with fan, in the middle with a double tray. No cracks and spillages but just lop-sided (only one side had "feet"). I tried piping as straight as I could but this didn't seem to help either.

Does anyone have any ideas? I really want these to work :(


texts: Why mixing hot syrup (sugar + water) into yolks in sabayon?

texts:
Recently I browsed for tiramisu recipes where ricotta replaces the mascarpone.

In this particular (italian) recipe the sabayon is started by adding hot syrup to whipped yolks: I have always mixed crystal sugar to yolks.

What is the point of using hot syrup instead of sugar?


texts: How to tenderize bell pepper skin / peel

texts:
Consider the scenario: You cut the bell peppers in 1-2 CM squares, throw them in a pan with some oil and 1/6 teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate. You let it simmer until you get a mush.

At this point the bell pepper's peel / skin is tough to chew on.

What can you do to get the peel tender soft?

Without finding something on the internets, I'm going to boil it together with tomato sauce, diced onion, carrot, celery and minced meat for 2-4 hours and tell you how it went.


texts:
I wish to know what would be the difference between using cream or butter in a pudding.

I have never used cream instead of butter and do not even know if maybe both can be used at the same time?


texts: Steel Cut Oats: cooking in milk vs. water

texts:
Most of the recipes I've seen (including Good Eats) recommend simmering the oats in 4 cups of liquid for 1 cup of oats. Alton Brown recommends 3 cups of water for ~25 mins and then (1/2 cup of milk + 1/2 cup of buttermilk) for ~10 mins.

However, I would like to do away with water entirely (just curious). Could I just simmer 1 cup of oats in 4 cups of milk for ~40mins? Or is the first ~25mins of simmering in water designed to maximize water absorption?

Also, if anyone has cooked oats mostly in milk before, I'd like to hear their opinion as well.


texts:
I've been looking around for lye to make pretzels and found few solutions for food grade lye.  I want to continue using lye in my baking and would like to make my own lye going forward.  The process looks cheap and easy but I'm not sure what I need (or don't need) to make food grade lye.

What part of the lye making process makes (or doesn't make) lye food grade?


texts: What is the safest, most effective way to cleave through thick bone?

texts:
While I was preparing bones for chicken stock today, I was rudely alerted to the fact that my cleaving technique was inadequate for bone-cutting when I nearly chopped off my left thumb.  Fortunately my reflexes were quick enough such that I got away with only a cracked thumbnail and what felt like two simultaneous heart attacks.

I know that it's a supremely bad idea to have a hand anywhere near the cutting area when "hacking" with a cleaver.  However, my work area is small, and the chicken does not really have a flat surface to rest on, and attempting to just hack one-handed would (and did) result in flying chicken shrapnel.

Is there a technique I can use for cutting through bone that is safe and precise?

(Related: How to cut a cooked chicken, including the bones, with a cleaver?  That question, however, deals with cutting an entire chicken, which, unlike my scenario, doesn't require chopping through some of the thickest parts of the bone; most of it can even be done with a kitchen scissors.)

(Note - I did manage to solve this one myself after doing some digging, and will post my own answer, but I welcome other suggestions/techniques as well.)


texts: What can I do to use Revere Ware copper bottom pots on a glass cooktop?

texts:
Only after my new GE Profile cooktop was installed did I read the owner's manual which recommended that I not use copper-bottom pots on it.

Is there anything I can do so I can still use my Revere Ware pots? Would a heat diffuser work?

I am more afraid of ruining my cooktop than my pots so I would like a solution that will not compromise my cooktop in anyway.


texts: How to prevent pizza dough from stretching back

texts:
I have a problem with my pizza dough. I start to shape it but it is somewhat difficult to make it bigger and thinner because the dough stretches back to its initial form.

Any ideas?


texts: Identifying Cast Iron Skillet - with weird pattern

texts:
My mother gave me an old skillet she had, and to me, it looked like a normal cast iron. I wanted to 'clean' it the way I normally clean and season my other pans, by scrubbing it with chain mail scrubber, then heating it up and oiling it. On the back of the skillet it just says "KOREA 8" SKILLET"

However when I got to scrubbing more layers came off than I anticipated and now it has me wondering if it is cast iron or something else? It has a weird pattern that was exposed that I have not seen before on other cast irons. The lighter rings in the spiral rust when exposed to water and let to air dry.

Anyone able to identify? Can I proceed with seasoning it in the oven with oil as regular?


texts: Where to locate thermometer in my Weber charcoal grill

texts:
I am about to purchase a Weber charcoal grill. For optimal cooking, I want to be able to monitor and control the temperature surrounding my meat by operating the vents.

What is the best way to do this? Where should I place my thermometer and what kind of thermometer do you recommend for this task?


texts: I have a coarse pepper grinder, and it says not to grind over steaming pots, why is that?

texts: It says not to grind over steaming pots on the label of the pepper grinder. Is this so you don't get burned or for some other reason?


texts: How do packaged cookies stay good for so long?

texts: How come packaged cookies, even those without preservatives, don't go bad after a few days and have such long shelf lives? Is it because of the packaging? Especially cookies that contain ingredients like milk... doesn't the milk in the cookies go bad??


texts: Is it safe to freeze raw garlic in vacuum-sealed (FoodSaver) bags?

texts:
I'm generally aware of the botulism-related dangers of storing raw garlic in anaerobic environments at room temperature (or even in the fridge), but couldn't find much info on whether it was safe if vacuum-packed then frozen.

My question: we have a lot of raw, peeled garlic cloves that we've put in FoodSaver bags, vacuumed
& sealed, and put in the freezer. Will these be safe long term?

Thanks!


texts: Making Pâté à bombe without sugar thermometer

texts:
The recipe says that the sugar syrup must reach 120C, but I have no sugar thermometer. Can it be done without a thermometer?

  Dissolve the sugar in a medium saucepan with 120ml boiling water. When clear, bring to the boil and place a sugar thermometer in the pan.
  Meanwhile, whisk the yolks with an electric mixer until creamy. When the sugar syrup reaches 120C, remove from the heat at once. Keep the mixer beaters running, drizzle the syrup onto the yolks and beat, on full speed, for 3-5 mins until you have a firm yellow foam. Remove and cool, whisking occasionally. Divide into 3 portions.


texts:
I often make a zucchini, lemon and sage soup (blended with a slow immersion blender) that we eat at room temperature (or lukewarm) during the summer, sometimes with a good white bread (such as a baguette), either as a starter or as a side. It is a very simple soup but it is so pleasant in the summer. I am looking for ideas of recipes for "similar" soups.

The conditions are

Must be a soup to eat at room temperature (or lukewarm)
Light in taste. Pleasant for a hot summer day
Not too fat
No red meat
No shellfish / crustaceans (shrimp, crab, crayfish, lobster) (because I'm allergic to them)
Savoury. Not sweet
No fruit (tomato is considered as a fruit here, so no classic gazpacho)

I live in Vancouver, BC, Canada and if the produce can be found at the local farmers market, it is even better but please don't consider this as a requirement for posting your answer.


texts: Can I bake small pieces of chicken in the oven on a metal bake sheet? Or would glassware be better?  When I say small, I mean 1/2 inch pieces


texts: Substitute frozen cranberries for fresh berries

texts:
I just came across this recipe that calls for 1 1/4 cups of fresh cranberries. I was wondering if it was possible to substitute frozen cranberries instead. I am assuming that I have to

thaw the cranberries
pour off any excess water
measure out the required amount (1 1/4 cups)

Is this correct? Will there be any major differences?


texts: How should I store leftover rice noodles?

texts:
I seem to recall reading somewhere that you should store leftover cooked rice noodles in water.  Is this right?  I don't want them to bloat and become ruined.

I also seem to recall reading somewhere you could revive stuck pasta by running it in (cold?) water.

How should I store leftover cooked rice noodles to best preserve them for a day or two?

UPDATE: I tried storing them in cold water, and that's definitely not the way to go; the rice noodles bloated to about double their original thickness.  They taste fine, just not what I was looking to accomplish.


texts: How does altering the fat-to-flour ratio affect the pastry?

texts: Typical pastry recipes(pate sucre and pate brisee) follow the 2:1 ratio for flour and butter, other recipes (American pie crust, German shortcrust) can have a lower ratio (1.5, 1.29). How does the higher fat content affect the finished product?


texts: What are the benefits of using a dedicated rice cooker, rather than just cooking rice in a pot?

texts: For which reasons should I use a dedicated rice cooker, instead of cooking rice in a pot?


texts: How can I alter this high-protein brownie recipe?

texts:
I'm on a mission to make myself the highest of high-protein brownies. However, the recipes I've found for "high-protein" brownies are lacking in the protein area and I'm after some delicious gains here. I don't care about low carbs, low fat, low calorie, keto, paleo, whatever. Honestly, I'm just sick of drinking protein shakes and I've decided I'm just baking my own brownies.

So far, I've found the following recipe, which has an acceptable protein content, and I'm using it as a starting point.

  1 scoops chocolate whey protein
  2 tbs powdered peanut butter
  2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  1/2 tsp baking powder
  1 dash cinnamon
  1 pinch salt
  1 tbs syrup any flavour
  1 large egg
  1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

  Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Combine all wet ingredients in a separate bowl; beat in egg until incorporated. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until there are no clumps. Pour batter into a greased mug and microwave for 60-90 seconds. Enjoy immediately.

I made it yesterday and, while it tasted good, I wouldn't quite call it a brownie. It was airy and fluffy, more like a cake. So, I'm looking to change a few things but I have pretty poor baking knowledge.

Is there a way I can bake this in the oven? In the end, I'd like to make larger batches.
What can I change to make it denser, like a brownie, rather than airy?
Can I change anything to increase the protein per calorie factor?

Sub soy milk for the almond milk, that's easy.
Can I sneak in more whey protein?


texts: alternative of vinegar for preventing fruits from turning black?

texts: We use vinegar to prevent fruit from turning black.When we don't have vinegar what alternative is used to prevent fruits from turning black.


texts: Does adding brandy to whipped cream make it fall quicker?

texts: I make whipped cream frequently, but this was the first time I added "real" alcohol, and it fell within 20 minutes.  I put both the bowl and beaters in the freezer until cold.  Then, I whip heavy whipping cream by hand mixer until stiff peaks form.  I mix in sugar on a 1:3 or 1:6 ratio (depending on dessert) and add 1 Tbs flavoring per 1 cup cream.  Generally, it stays in the fridge for a few days before falling, but when I added brandy, it fell within twenty minutes.  I wasn't expecting it, since I have no trouble with Bailey's or Amaretto. Is this normal, or did I perhaps mess up somewhere else in the prep?  I'd like another stab at making brandy snaps, but I'm nervous about fallen cream with all the work that goes into the cookies.


texts: I live in an area where ricotta cheese is non existent, and all the dairy products I have access to are high temp pasteurized. Will that work?  Are there any herbs in ricotta? I'm trying to make my lasagna without it, and it would just would not be the same.