texts: Can one get sick from drinking too much home made Water Kefir?

texts: Using well water and some Odwalla orange juice..  What is the maximum amount that is safe for consumption daily?


texts: Is there any difference between chakki and stoneground whole wheat flour?

texts:
Many websites have been telling that stoneground white whole wheat flour outside India yields lofty breads but 'CHAKKI MILLED' white whole wheat flour gives dense and crumbly breads. Take a look

This is made from chakki milled white whole wheat

made from KA whole wheat flour(i do not know whether roller mill or stoneground)

Chakki and stonegrounding device look same to me so I dont understand why there is a difference in the flour therefore in the loaf too.

This is a traditional chakki. These days chakkis are modernised with an electric motor.


texts: How do I stop my flatbread from going hard like pizza crust?

texts:
Whenever I make flatbread, I can never get it soft and chewy on the inside AND outside, like storebought flatbread.

It always ends up like pizza crust, crunchy on the outside and somewhat softer inside; in addition, when left overnight, it just goes rock-hard, crunchy throughout.

Any thoughts on how to get softer flatbread?


texts: How to treat a cast iron pan that only gets occasional use

texts: I have a small cast-iron pan that I use a few times a month, sometimes more, sometimes less. Most advice about how to season a cast-iron pan involves lightly oiling and wiping it down, after it's been cleaned, before putting it away. This seems to assume that the pan gets used every few days. Since I don't use it very often, my concern is that any oil that remains on the pan might go rancid before I use it the next time, and that it will affect the flavour of whatever I cook. Is this something I should actually worry about? How do other people treat a cast-iron pan that only gets occasional use?


texts:
Costco sells a Korean BBQ Pork Jerky with the brand name Golden Island

It's delicious- it's soft but chewy, smokey, sesame-ey, moist with the sugars but obviously also dried enough to not need refrigeration.

I've tried making it myself with mixed results. The marinade is easy: ginger, sesame, brown sugar, etc. The flavor is good but my texture isn't quite right. I tried my normal jerky method which is to marinate and dehydrate. As you would expect, the sugars didn't caramelize correctly and the meat didn't take on the soft, chewy, candied texture that I crave.

The labeling and the texture imply that the meat is cooked. A Chinese pork "jerky" that I learned about from this question is only cooked. I want the meat to also be preserved so only roasting/grilling is insufficient.

There are several questions here:

Does this product represent a dish in Korean cuisine or is it a fusion variation? If I could find a name I could find a recipe.

How could I both cook and preserve my pork?
The options that come to mind are:

Smoking until dehydrated (requires much more effort as I think it would have to be a cool smoking over a long period of time)
Grilling briefly for flavor and then dehydrating until done. (does partially cooked meat still dehydrate?)

Is there some other method that I haven't thought of?


texts: Replacement for celery with equivalent nutrients?

texts:
I have this recipe:

2 celery sticks
1 cucumber (large)
2 large handfuls of spinach leaves
1 large handful of lettuce (dark)
1/2 freshly squeezed lemon

But I don't like the "aroma" of celery. So what can I use in place of the celery sticks? The replacement should have similar nutritional values to celery.

The best replacement I have come up with is 2 tomatoes.


texts:
I've been practicing baking croissants for a couple months now. I'm getting the hang of it (I feel) but I'm missing a crucial step that I cannot master and can't put my finger on how to fix it. I'll share my process below and I'd appreciate advice on the process. I like being an 'exact' (nearly science) cooker, so to understand my process, ingredients and temperatures. Please feel invited to be critical!

Ingredients:
 - 300g flour (10.7g protein / 100g),
 - 150g french butter
 - 150ml/g water
 - 10g sugar, 8g salt, 8g dried yeast

Step 1:
I mix the dough and kneed it for about 5 minutes. The result:

Step 2
I roll the dough to a (near) rectangle with a thickness as shown by my finger.

Step 3
I place the slab in the fridge for about 40 minutes, after which it emerges quite hard, but still sufficiently foldable. Three-quarters or two-thirds of the slab is coated with the butter (all 150g of the butter)

Step 4: Starting of lamination
I fold the dough as such, followed by rolling it out to a thickness of 1 cm again, and then another fold as also shown below:

Step 5
I let the dough rest for 40 minutes in the fridge, and then perform another double fold, followed by 40 minutes, and another fold.

Step 6
I let the dough rest in the fridge overnight, using a partially wet towel, or other semi-air tight cover

Step 7
In the morning (+8 hours), the dough is taken from the fridge and feel fluffy and soft, as expected with a risen dough. I roll it out to a final thickness of 1 cm as shown:

Step 8
I cut triangles using a regular kitchen knife and add the little cut at the long end to start rolling (shown in front):

Step 9
This is what they look like after rolling. I let them rise for another 30 minutes before entering the oven, pre-heated to 230 degrees C, or 450 Fahrenheit. There's also eggwash on top for a nice brown tan.

Step 10
After 20 minutes, they emerge as such:

Examining
The taste is great, really. But I'm not content with the structure. It's too bready and I feel croissants should have a web-like structure with very thin layers within.

In particular with the result, I wonder what has happened. What I observe is:

The oven tray is quite wet after the croissants emerge from the oven. Is it the butter that ran out? Why?
Even though the top of the croissant has great flaky-ness, the inside feels more like a regular bread but with butter infused into it.


texts:
Steaming seems like an ideal cooking method; I've seen it used for mostly vegetables, sometimes fish (salmon).

Is it possible to steam a steak? Does it cook well? (I assume the target is medium doneness.)

What are the limitations of steaming steak? For example, I usually marinate mine in some oil, soy sauce, salt, black pepper, and garlic; I assume if I steam it, I would put the soy sauce in the steaming liquid.


texts: How much water does pasta absorb when it is cooked?

texts:
How much water will dry semolina pasta absorb when it is properly cooked?  For example, how much water would one pound of farfalle or spaghetti absorb?

I am guessing the shape of the pasta doesn't matter, just the absolute weight.

I am not looking for how much water is required to boil it, nor what temperature is required, just how much should be absorbed.  I like my pasta cooked a minute or so past the box "al dente" stage.

The application is single burner cooking (I only have one available).   I can make the sauce, then add additional water and pasta to cook directly in the sauce, making for only one burner being required, and only a single pot to clean.

I understand the actual amount will require due to the vagaries of how much evaporates, but I expect that to be a minor adjustment.


texts: Bulk ingredient for keto/low carb flour substitute mix with gluten

texts:
Minimising one's intake of carbohydrates tends to deprive one of some rather lovely culinary items such as pasta and bread, because grains contain a lot of carbohydrates thanks to the high amount of starch in them. Typical substitutes are non-grain flours such as almond flour or coconut flour, but those come with their own problems - a distinctive taste (especially for coconut), a crumbly texture and they're around 20 times as expensive.

Since I can happily eat gluten and gluten is not just apparently the key to the typical texture of wheat-based dough products but also a protein with rather low carb content, I decided to try and make a flour substitute mix that I can use more or less like wheat flour with the help of vital gluten. However, I am unsure about just using pure gluten as a flour substitute - partially because there's a lot of claims about its inflammatory properties even for non-coeliac/intolerant people and partially because I sort of just assume there's a reason nobody seems to be doing it.

Because of that I wanted to ask whether there was an easily available, halfway affordable and low-carb (let's say under 8%) edible substance that I can use as a bulk base for my flour substitute which doesn't have weird reactions when used in baking or noodle making and isn't too far off in terms of taste (as a scale: I can tolerate almond flour, but coconut flour is too much for me outside of cake). I'm considering adding some psyllium husk to jack up the fibre content, but I don't think it's suited for this purpose. Advice as to the ratio for mixing is also appreciated.


texts: What is the difference between a biscuit and a roll?

texts:
Most restaurants in the US bring either biscuits or rolls to the table with your meal.

What is the difference between the two?


texts: I always put chocolate or cocoa powder in my chili. Now I want to try making white chicken chili. Should I add white chocolate?


texts: How to light this type of basic, old fashioned gas-cylinder-powered gas oven?

texts:
My rented apartment has an old rickety gas stove, fuelled by a hose connected to a gas cylinder. No electricity is used at all in any way. This is fine because in this part of West Africa we get constant electricity outages, but I can't figure out how to light the oven part.

Every guide I can find online assumes I'm trying to light a sophisticated gas cooker with a fancy feature like:

A pilot light, or some obvious recess to light first
A self-lighting spark when you push the oven dial
Some kind of electric indicator light or control system

This seems to have none of these things. It's basically just a tin box connected to a gas cylinder.

I can smell a little gas after having the gas on for a while, but no amount of using a plastic lighter near the obvious holes inside the oven actually lights anything, and I can't see any clues as to where the gas is coming from. Obviously I don't want to mess around too much.

Brand is Westpoint, it looks like it might have been made in the 1960s or 1970s, no clue about model. Here's a photo:


texts: What to do with egg whites after stiff peaks collapse & you can't re-beat

texts: So weird situation... beat eggs to stiff peaks with intention of making meringues. Forgot about them somehow (dinner party), but now, my friend's mixer that we borrowed is no longer available and the peaks have collapsed... anything else I can do with them? They already have sugar and vanilla and cream of tartar


texts: Rodent droppings on cast-iron frying pan

texts:
I recently discovered I have mice or rats in my garage, where I had some stuff stored for space purposes, including a barely-used newly-seasoned frying pan. I found a bunch of rodent droppings in it (blegh), and I scrubbed it hard, twice, with soap and hot water, and washed it out.

I also re-seasoned it (stove-top method, not oven method, where the oil smokes and burns) since the seasoning was not that well done. I thought the soap/water/scrub would damage it, but I didn't see any visible deterioration of seasoning.

I have young children (two under 5 years old), and I'm not a food safety expert. Is this enough, or do I need to do something more to guarantee the sanity of my cast iron pan?

Edit: After doing some reading, I've found a few things to verify:

Bleach dissolved in water, soaked for ~5 minutes, will kill everything rodent-specific. But what will that do to my cast iron?
Droppings themselves are easily discarded, if not green (from poison)
Rodent urine (which will exist anywhere droppings exist) will soak into the seasoning, even if it's sterilized now.
Baking it in the oven for a couple of hours is probably a safe way to sterilize it. 350F seems okay. Is it high enough?

Based on all this information, I think the best approach would be to strip down and re-season the pan from scratch. That'll remove anything soaked into the existing seasoning, and it'll sterilize the surface.


texts: Dehydrating Strawberries - Wax Paper or Parchment?

texts: I just tried dehydrating strawberries in our oven (it has a dehydrator setting), and used parchment paper to line the metal trays. The results were quite good, but the parchment absorbed a lot of juice and I'm wondering if wax paper would be better? Or would that just leave wax on the fruit?


texts: How can I prevent coconut cream from curdling in a soda drink?

texts:
I've made Tom Kha soda syrup:

  simple syrup + coconut cream + lime leaves + lemongrass + galangal + a bit of lime juice to help preserve

When I add a couple spoons of it to soda water and ice, it curdles. I know this is because the soda water is too acidic (it's just tap water that I carbonated — no basic additives). What can I do to alleviate this without changing the flavour too much?


texts: Chicken: How to prevent spices/seasoning from burning on Pan?

texts:
Newbie cook here, I use stainless steel but it seems to be a paradox on this.

I am using bone-in chicken thighs and a dry lemon-pepper rub that I put on the chicken.  Pat it dry/let it cool down etc etc

I know you need to get the pan pretty hot to where water will form a ball on it, then add oil (I use vegetable) then wait for slight whisps of smoke.  Then add chicken.

My stove seems to get my pan very hot in even medium heat so maybe that's an issue but I start on medium.  Put chicken on skin down, get a pretty good "crackle" from the oil on it.

Here is where problems arise.  People talk about leaving chicken/salmon in this position for like 3-5 minutes and I find that if I do that.  All of my seasoning will be black and burnt.

How do I balance getting the steel hot enough to prevent sticking/get a good crust, but not burn the spices?

Should I start at medium (which seems more like medium-high) and then drop the temp after the first 30 seconds or so?


texts:
I have heard a few suggestions for reducing gas (flatulence) from eating beans, including:

Kombu (seaweed)
Draining the beans after boiling

Any other thoughts?
How effective either of these.


texts:
Please HELP!
I have a burning desire to know how luxury breakfast restaurants (I'm talking like expensive yuppy brunch places like Waldorf Astoria hotel and Sweet Maple in San Fransisco) make their pancakes. It is IMPOSSIBLE for me to find correct information on how to do it because everyone that I read online is looking for the exact opposite of what truly makes a good pancake. If you look online for the best pancake recipe, all you'll see is recipes talking about ways to make the pancakes as fluffy and light as possible. At Sweet Maple, they are called Buttermilk Thin Pancakes.
However, from my experiences dining at these luxury restaurants, their delicious pancakes are completely opposite from that: they are thinner (not as thin as crepes or Swedish pancakes mind you), not fluffy, and they also are NOT fall-apart crumbly. They are actually quite chewy and sort of dense in a way! It's hard to explain to most people that haven't tried it why this is a more desirable pancake texture, but trust me, once you have these pancakes, you'll never seek out recipes of the typical American diner being thick, light, and fluffy.
The only piece of info I've been able to discover about these mysterious pancakes is the restaurant told me they are more of a European style than an American style, but that doesn't tell me much. Are they using different types of flour that only restaurants can get? Are they leaving out baking soda/powder to get that texture?
I need a pro/restaurant baker to help out here! I would be so grateful.
PS: Yes I've seen the other thread of someone asking essentially the same question (How can I make NON-fluffy pancakes?), I only hope I can get better answers from the right people this time around.
Update, here are some pics of the pancakes I found online. Hard to see the thickness though.


texts: The more I season, the worse it gets with my cast iron

texts:
Recently, I bought a cast iron skillet, which was preseasoned. Still, I did season it a couple of times and since then I season it after every cook. I didn't cook anything crazy, just a dutch baby and a pizza.

Still, even after multiple seasonings, there is a clear hole in my seasoning in the middle of the pan:

How I season it:

I put some oil in it, spread the oil with a paper towel, then heat it on the stove until it starts smoking, then let it cool.

I tried olive oil, which apparently is no good, so I switched to sunflower oil and now I am trying it with canola oil. I also switched from paper towel to regular towel, but still, the hole just seems to be getting bigger and bigger. When I touch it with my finger, I can see black residue on it.

What am I doing wrong here? Yesterday I even did a couple of seasonings one after another (let it cool, oil it, heat it, repeat), but this seems to have been counterproductive.


texts: Does shape affect pasteurization time when cooking sous vide?

texts:
Looking at Douglas Baldwin's charts for time to heat a piece of meat sous vide (table 2.2), a cylinder with diameter X heats through much faster than a slab with thickness X. This makes sense to me. The change in time needed can be quite drastic when you get to a larger X, though.

However, when looking at pasteurization times for beef (table 5.1), the shape of the meat doesn't seem to be taken in to account. I don't understand why not. Surely if the meat gets to temperature faster, it must pasteurize faster as well.

From the above tables, a 50mm (thickness) steak takes 3 1/4 hours to pasteurize at 134.5F. If it's a slab, it takes 3 1/2 hours to get to 133.5F through out. If it's a cylinder, it only takes 2 hours. Do I really need that additional 1 1/4 hours for pasteurization?

Can I adjust the pasteurization times for a different shape of meat? If so, how can I calculate what that change is and how much time I really need for pasteurization?


texts: How does the flavour from aromatics actually get into food?

texts:
I've always wondered what the exact mechanism is which allows flavours from aromatics to permeate food. For instance, I bake chicken with sliced lemon, sliced garlic, and parsley (each in hefty amounts), and it doesn't really seem to matter where the aromatics are in the pan when I put it in the oven, as the chicken still comes out with some of the flavour.
I haven't been able to find an answer online, perhaps because it's simpler than I'm imagining. Is the chicken basting in a liquid flavoured with the aromatics? Are the flavours of the aromatics carried in evaporating water molecules through the air?
Also, what are the implications of this mechanism of flavour transfer? For instance, where should my aromatics be placed relative to my food in order to maximize flavour transfer, and what ingredients work best as aromatics?
If flavours are aerosolized and transfer to the food that way, is it a good idea to loosely cover the food with aluminum foil before putting it in the oven to "trap" the flavour particles?


texts:
I use a recently-purchased bamboo large-and-heavy cutting board to cut/chop/dice/slice veggies and fruit.  However, my routine is such that I typically dice a red onion at night, and a green apple for breakfast.

I've noticed that the red onion smell and, to some extent, taste gets on my green apple in the morning.

I read online about people treating their cutting board with coconut oil or something before using it. I failed to do that.  Is it too late to do it now?  Will it solve my problem?  Are there other ways to prevent the onion smell-and-taste to get on fruit?


texts: Do eggs have to be very fresh for baking?

texts:
Assuming an egg is old but still good (not rotten or otherwise detrimental to health compared to a fresh egg):
Does it make a difference whether I use this egg or a freshly laid one in baking?


texts:
I've tried to make cake pops a few times but they never came out as beautiful and tidy as the pictures I found on the web. I would love to try more and more to nail the goal but I think I must know some rules or what-to-do's to make progress. So please anyone who has the experience share the important points here, I really appreciate it. Please note that for me, the taste is as important as the look.

The following questions are what I'd like to know:

Does it matter what kind of cake you use, greasy or sponge or something else?
What about the icing? Here the question is, do I have to add less sugar in my cake batter to make it less sweeter so that I can use any kind of icing without worries?
Does it make a big difference what kind of  lollipop stick?

I tried googling the subject "how to make cake pops" and read a few search results but most of them used special brands for different uses (e.g. candy melts) which are not available in my country.

Here is an example of some amazing cake pops:


texts: Microwave cooking time with porcelain/stoneware container rather than plastic

texts:
Would the cooking time change if I microwave some food in a porcelain or stoneware container rather than plastic?

More details (if you have time to waste)

I generally do not like to put plastic in the microwave. I had some accidents in the past where the plastic softened or even melted. In those cases I had to throw the food away because honestly the idea of accidentally ingesting plastic scares me. And this happened even when plastic containers were claimed to be microwave safe.

Therefore, recently I decided to move food from plastic "microwaveable" packages to my own microwaveable porcelain and stoneware containers (dishes or mugs with lids).

Would this mean that I have to cook the food for longer time or shorter time, compared to the cooking time suggested on the package?


texts: Why refresh lentils before making lentil soup

texts:
I recently made lentil soup from a recipe that involved bringing the lentils to a boil and refreshing them before a more prolonged cooking together with the aromatics.

The soup turned out great, but I wonder why the refreshing step might have been necessary. Does anyone know?


texts: How are commercially dried cranberries dried?

texts:
I'm trying to clarify how exactly commercially available dried cranberries, like craisins, are dried.
I'm specifically trying to research the topic to understand the processes involved, in order to determine if the cranberries are considered to be "cooked" according to Jewish law (which doesn't necessarily correspond to a scientific or culinary definition of the word "cooked.") Whether or not the cranberries are considered "cooked" has numerous ramifications, which are beyond the scope of this forum.
The questions involved are:

What temperature is used? I'm trying to get as exact as possible, as even a 5 degree difference can be significant.
Are the cranberries dried using dry heat? Or are they dried using moist air, in effect more cooking the berries than drying them?
Is there a difference between different companies, or regions?
Is there a difference whether the cranberries are sweetened with sugar vs. sweetened with apple juice?

I've seen sites discussing home-drying cranberries, like this one, but the sites specifically say that the process used commercially is different.
When discussing this topic in various rabbinic forums, I've received different answers, but no one had any hard (sourced) facts to share. That's why I'm trying to obtain sourced answers to help clarify this.
Thank you so much!


texts:
My homemade yogurt is wonderful: thick and fresh, made out of whole milk and cultures, no sugar, just a bit of organic vanilla powder.

There's only one thing I dislike: the aftertaste is quite cheesy and metallic at the same time. Can this be due to the cultures? Or the milk itself? The pan? The container (plastic made)? Vanilla powder?


texts: Can adequate heating transform spoiled food into safe food?

texts:
Suppose I have some food that became unsafe or contaminated by any means besides explicitly adding dangerous substances.  It could be past the expiration date, or handled unsafely by leaving at room temperature too long, etc.  Another possibility to consider is botulism from damaged cans.

Would it be possible to resurrect food from these situations, making it safe, by sufficiently heating it?


texts: How does one know if one can eat raw saltwater fish?

texts:
As I go spearfishing a lot, I have always lots of fish at home.
After testing a variety of recipes, I was thinking of trying some sushi variations (sashimi, maki, uramaki, nigiri, tempura rolls).
However, thinking in terms of safety, how does one know if one can eat saltwater fish raw?
Also, what are some methods to make it safer?


texts: Sticky aluminum half sheet pans - Self cleaning oven - What would happen?

texts:
I recently cleaned my broiler pan with great success in my self-cleaning oven. Great. Now I'm looking at my aluminum half-sheet pans. They're sticky, they're discolored, I only have so much elbow grease to spare. I'm soaking the pans now to apply precious elbow grease in the morning, but I just don't want to. What if I ran the self-cleaning cycle again, this time with the cheap aluminum sheet pans? (They are of the "hotel" variety, not the disposable kind) I know they'd get clean, sort of, but would it ruin the pans?

This is pretty close to what I have (or what I used to have before I loaned them out): pans


texts: I am going to make chicken saag. I have bought garam masala powder but my recipe says that I need 5ml of garam masala paste. Can someone tell me how do I convert garam masala powder to a paste?


texts: preserving hot peppers without damaging heat

texts: How is this possible? My garden is starting to produce but I don't yet have enough to make into hot sauce. It would be easier to mske a large batch at the end of the season. Texture isn't important, just preserving flavor and heat since it will be sauced and canned. I am growing serrano, scotch bonnet, sweet hot cherries,  habañero, and ghost peppers.


texts: The smoothie with skim milk and fruit turns into a sort of mousse and it is not drinkable. Not liquid. Have tried two or three recipes with same results.


texts: Are hard anodized aluminum pans oven-safe?

texts:
I have a full metal "hard anodized aluminum" pan which I'd like to use in the oven. I heard non-stick pans in the oven are unsafe.

This pan comes with: no "oven-safe" label, a metal handle on the pan, a glass lid with a plastic handle on it. Because of the glass lid with plastic handle, I assume it's not designed to go into an oven.

Can I still safely use this pan in the oven?


texts: Chilies have different temperatures for dehydration. Does anyone knows what temperature to use for Tabasco and Habanero? And the duration of the process?


texts: Does anyone have experience with colouring vegetable/olive oil? My goal is to end up with a brown-chocolate colour so that the result would be a chocolate look-alike.


texts:
I use gas stove.

What is the quickest way to defrost a vegetable curry without a microwave?


texts:
The kitchen queen marinated three whole chicken breasts in the refrigerator today. She left a note saying to bake them. I have no idea what I'm doing. Should I slice them in half to make them thinner? What temperature do I cook at? How long do I cook approximately? What type of dish do I use? Should I cover said dish?

Chef Joe


texts: I've used several recipes for making pizza dough, most recently one from Delfina Pizza.  My issue is that regardless of the recipe I use it is very difficult to work the dough into the pizza crust.  It is usually very sticky and it tears too easily.  I'm working on how to make the dough easier to work with, any ideas?


texts: What difference does the bar pressure makes in espresso coffee machines?

texts:
I read somewhere that 15 bar is enough and any pressure higher than that doesn't make any difference. The standard pressure is 15 bar for home machines and 9 bar for professional machines!

If so, why are there machines with higher pressure (16, 19, 20, 21 bar) and why do these machines cost more money? If professional coffee is made with 9 bar, then why do home machines work with 15 bar?


texts: Complete list of terms used to describe cooking methods?

texts:
I am trying to build up a list of all the cooking methods which can be used to cook something, including terms used in the stages of the cooking process used to cook such food. Here is what I have come up with so far:

boiling
simmering
steaming
poaching
sweating
braising
frying
shallow-frying
stir-frying
deep-frying
refrying
toasting
broiling
stewing
charbroiling
grilling
sauteéing
browning
baking
marinading
pickling
macerating

Is there anything else which can be added to this list (or where can I find a complete list of these in English (I expect these terms to differ a little bit from language to language, even with some incompatibilities, given that different cultures are associated with cooking methods that to some extent would differ), and if such book or other source is proprietary than could someone please quote from it and post an answer)? Thanks.


texts: Why do you need to refrigerate bread dough overnight?

texts:
I'm making a no-knead bread (actually my very first time making bread!) and right after mixing the dry ingredients with water, it's supposed to sit for a couple hours to rise and then be placed in the refrigerator for some long period of time. Well wouldn't you know, after mixing the ingredients I accidentally let it sit all night - so it sat at room temperature for some 8-10 hours before I realized it. As soon as I found it in the morning, I put it in the fridge, where it has sat for now about 9 hours.

The dough's consistency seems fine. Is there any reason I shouldn't go ahead and bake it? (after bringing it back down to room temp, as the recipe calls for) Why does it need to be refrigerated after rising at room temperature for a couple hours?


texts: What will happen if I substitute beef liver for pork liver in sausage?

texts:
When we bought our cow this year, we opted to take all the organ meat. So, I now have a bunch of beef liver, I don't actually like beef liver cooked with onions or any other preparation I've encountered.  I do however like liverwurst, and braunschweiger.  Both of these sausages are traditional made with pork liver. I've never encountered pork liver in any other form though, so I don't know how it tastes by comparison.

Are the two livers roughly itnterchangable in other ways?  Fat content, texture, etc.
How do they compare flavor wise?
Am I doomed if I try and make sausage out of beef liver?


texts: Is there any potential harm to using warm water in my sourdough starter?

texts:
My house is cold. It is regularly around 13 to 15°C (55 to 59°F) and it is only with a lot of (expensive) heating that I get it up to anything approaching "normal" room temperature. My sourdough starter is about three weeks old and is healthy enough (I've made several loaves with a decent texture and taste) but it does seem a little down in the dumps compared to many that I've seen online.

I've tried adding warm water rather than room temperature. I mix water half from my filter jug and half just boiled, which is about 53°C (127°F). I add it to my starter and the combined temperature is about 33°C (91°F).

This, along with several tea-towels for keeping that heat in, seems to help. The starter is significantly more bubbly and active and actually come close to doubling in size like everyone says it should!

But I'm aware that heat can kill yeast cells. Am I putting my starter at risk by this method? What do I need to be wary of?


texts: How do you actually manipulate raw meat safely?

texts:
I understand the need for hand-washing and food safety procedures. What I don't understand is how you physically manipulate raw meat while maintaining safety. For example, if I'm roasting a chicken, I need to unwrap the bird, put it on the cutting board, blot it dry, salt and pepper it (thus handling loose salt and the pepper grinder while also turning the bird, holding the body cavity open, etc.), and put it on the roasting pan. It feels like I need to stop every ten seconds to wash my hands, but that can't be right, can it? If nothing else, the precariousness of balancing a chicken on its shoulders while holding the cavity open with one hand so I can pour salt in with my untainted other hand just seems wrong.

So: how do you safely manipulate raw meat?


texts:
The bottle has a best by date. The bottle has been stored in a cool dry place away from sunlight. Does anyone have a clue?
I know they discovered honey thousands of years old but that is probably a very specific type.


texts:
I'm supposed to be boiling it, but this russet potato has this one smooth spot on it. It's not like the rest of the potato's texture, it's almost as smooth as my phone screen. Not oddly colored. Is this okay to eat?

(Click to enlarge)


texts: can i put hot soup in mason jar for travel

texts: i ran out of glass containers (people haven't returned them) and i want to give my boyfriend hot soup for work.  Is it safe to put it in a mason jar and put the lid on while hot? And how long might the soup stay hot in it?


texts:
I was looking at the tiny nation of Brunei on Google Maps, and I noticed they have a Pizza-Hut there, not too many details but a few photos were attached and there was a Pizza that I didn't recognise, although I must say it looked rather intriguing!
If I'm totally honest, I don't even know if it is savoury or some kind of dessert, so I have attached a copy.
I did attempt a reverse image search but I couldn't seem to see a very similar match, so I hope that the experts here might know?

.
I will be very grateful if someone can identify this, or even perhaps have a recipe?
Yours, Humbly!
Hungry from Heanor :)


texts: Sous Vide at 165F - Air formed in the bag, is this natural? Bad?

texts:
I am cooking a pork butt roast sous vide. I am following this recipe.
https://recipes.anovaculinary.com/recipe/sous-vide-bbq-pork-shoulder

My bag had no or very little air in it after sealing and when the cooking started. Since cooking for a few hours the meat has shrunk considerably in size within the bag. But the bag also has new air in it. Enough to make it float.

I am worried I could have bad bacteria and make my guests sick.

Here is more of my thoughts:
1) According to some articles I have read this could simply be vapor. At 165F the meat is hot enough to release some water to vapor.
2) Maybe while coming to temperature some bacteria did grow, but at 165F, that bacteria is now dead. Even though the air remains, the meat is safe to eat. The dead bacteria and/or their waste are not harmful.
3) I grew a bunch of bacteria and this is not safe to eat.

Here are some pictures:
http://imgur.com/a/ARlbT

FYI, This was the only other SO post I found:
Ziploc vacuumed bags expand in sous vide


texts: I'm cooking beef ribs and I am trying to cook oriental ribs and I want to cut the cooking time in half.


texts: What characterizes a soup that holds well in a buffet setting?

texts:
Maybe there is good reason buffets seem to have the same short list of soups: they hold well ie flavor and color; do not separate or split; heavy ingredients do not sink to bottom.
What should I avoid in soup recipes that they can be held hot for up to 4hrs?


texts: I made candy melt modeling chocolate for the first time and it is just a bit too oily.  Is there a way to fix it?  I don't think I stirred it too long but my melts may have been too warm when I added the corn syrup because my microwave was on 100% power.  I really don't want to throw it away...


texts: How can I improve my gluten-free pizza dough?

texts:
I've been making pizza dough for years, and recently found that I have a gluten allergy, and can no longer eat wheat flour! Very sad news, indeed.

So... I bought Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza dough mix, which has a bit of xantham gum in it, and serval kinds of flour (rice flour, tapioca, flour, corn flour, etc). The dough itself was difficult to work with, a bit crumbly, and not as stretchy as I would like. I know that the "stretch" I'm talking about truly come from gluten, but is there anything I can add, to help with the consistency? The flavor was perfect, and the calzones were wonderful, they were just really hard to form...

Thanks for your help!


texts: Recipe calls for shortening, I want to substitute butter. Do I need to melt the butter?

texts: I am baking bread, and the recipe (from the Bread Bakers Apprentice) calls for shortening. I don't have any in the house and would like to substitute butter. The recipe does not indicate that the shortening needs to be liquid. Should I melt the butter that I will be using in place of the shortening?


texts: Why grease the pan, then line with greaseproof/parchment paper?

texts:
Many recipes I've seen request this.

Is it just to stick the paper to the pan to make it easier to work with?


texts: How to cook a thin crispy pizza on a pizza stone

texts:
Hello I am attempting to make my own thin and crispy pizza and am cooking it on a pizza stone however it keeps coming out a little bit soggy (its not too bad, its still nice its just not as crispy as I would like) and I was wondering if anyone had any tips as to how to make it a but more crispy?

I could just be putting too much topping on it I'm not sure (I'm not stacking loads on though, just maybe a little too much cheese)?

How does the temperature of the oven effect this?

Thanks very much for any help


texts:
When cooking black rice, I’ve been told I need to soak it for a few hours, then drain and finally cook with 1:3 parts regular rice (i.e., topped up with fresh water).

Black rice is a type of glutinous rice, so I can understand the soaking stage. What I don’t get is the need for draining; especially given black rice’s nutritional content, which presumably partly ends up in that soaking water. Why is this done? Does it need to be done?

My best guess, if it does need to be done, is that it’s for some hygiene reason.


texts: How to cut a crumbly baked item (e.g. cereal bar) without it disintegrating?

texts:
When baking something which needs to bind - like a (British) flapjack / cereal bar - I have mixed results when it comes to cutting it, even if I repeat the same recipe. Sometimes it binds really well, sometimes it's a crumbly mess, especially after cutting.

Apart from the obvious: a) pressing down hard and evenly before putting it in the oven and b) using enough binding agent (honey / syrup / fat), what other tricks are there?

e.g. Is it better to cut hot, warm or cold? Leaving it to go cold in its tray seems to work best, but my instinct and habit with all baking is try and get the item out of its tin/tray immediately and let it cool on a rack.


texts: Clarification on the process for making fudge

texts:
OK, so I'm trying to make fudge. The recipe which I'm following doesn't give all that much in the way of directions. So I'd like clarification of a few points, so I know what I'm aiming for.

Am I right in thinking that the objective is to heat the mixture as slowly as possible, and then cool it down again as slowly as possible?
Some sources seem to claim that you want to stir the mixture until everything disolves, and then stop stiring it and just let it boil. Is that correct?
The plan appears to be to heat the stuff until it hits the magic temperature of 115°C or 116°C (depending who you ask), and then stop heating it and let it cool down again. (?)
How crucial is it that it's exactly 116°C? I mean, obviously if it was way hotter or colder, that would be bad. But what kind of tolerance are we looking at? Is 2° either way going to matter, for example?
The recipe talks about letting the mixture cool for a while, and then stiring it "until the gloss finish disappears". Is it crucial exactly when you do this? Does it have to cool to a specific temperature or something? (I've seen recipies that seem to suggest constant stiring all the way through, and others that say to only stir once cool...)
In the past, I've bought fudge and left it unwrapped, and it dries out and becomes inedible. How do you stop this happening while you're waiting for your freshly cooked fudge to cool down? Should it not be a problem?
Flavourings should be added at the end. (?) Should it be while the mixture is still hot, or once it cools down a little? (Currently I'm using vanilla essence, but obviously I'd like to try some other things - if I ever get the fudge itself to work...)

I guess that's quite a lot of points for just one question, but I think it shouldn't be too hard to answer them all in a fairly short answer.


texts: Substituting buttermilk powder for buttermilk

texts: I made a banana cake with ripe, pureed bananas and substituted pineapple juice mixed with buttermilk powder instead of the buttermilk in the recipe. I used the same amount of juice as you would water listed on the package. The cake tasted great, but was very dense. Will the powder and juice mixture affect the consistency of the cake? Thanks!


texts: Safety glasses in the kitchen: why are these not common place?

texts:
A long time ago in high school, we used to have "home-ec" (short for home economics classes), which also involved some hands-on-cooking. No one needed to wear safety glasses (even though one does learn how to fry stuff).

In chemistry classes on the other hand, even putting some water to boil on a bunsen burner required donning safety glasses.

The pattern applies more generally: cooks seem to regularly do things with water, oil, etc. that chemists wouldn't dare to without safety glasses.

WebMD suggests that 40% of eye injuries are caused during home-activities, such as cooking. but I am not sure how to learn more (for instance, how many of those injuries occur in the kitchen specifically, rather than at home in general?).

Are there sources that suggest that eye-safety is unnecessary in the kitchen?


texts: I am cooking French dip, using a chuck roast. And I ended up having to substitute a recipe (I didn't have a can of soup so I improvised). It took a bit longer than I thought and now dinner won't be done til around 9 to 10. Is there any way I can turn the heat up do it cooks faster without it ruining my dinner?


texts: yeast-less pita bread sometimes inflates

texts:
I started making pita flat breads at home using only whole wheat, water and salt. I usually make it really fast by putting all the ingredients together and start giving it a roudish shape straight away.
Then I just put it in the frying pan both sides for a couple minutes.

Now, I noticed that sometimes it starts to puff, which is good as I can simply cut trough it and fill it easlly, lile a kebab.

However it only happens sometimes, and I wanted to know if there is a way to make it always inflate... It seems pretty random to me so far. Any help?


texts:
I'm a pretty good griller (gas barbeque).  I can turn out perfect steaks, fish, duck breasts, and even an entire leg of pork.  The one thing that eludes me is the simple burger.  Even with lean beef, I get constant flare-ups and greasy black smoke.  What's the trick to grilling the perfect burger?  (fresh meat, hand pressed, not a recipe question)

Edit: Definition of a perfect burger

Cooked through with just a suggestion of pink in the center.
Juicy on the inside - Your bun should soak up lots of beefy goodness after it's been bitten


texts: How to brown the sugar for pumpkin flan?

texts:
I've made pumpkin flan from the following recipe http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/mucho-gusto-latin-recipes/Pumpkin-Flan

I follow the instructions to a tee: "In a medium saucepan over high heat, add the sugar and pour 2/3 cup water around the perimeter. Using a wooden spoon, cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat and cook until copper-colored, 1 to 2 minutes."

My sugar never browns like shown on the picture. It's a translucent off-white. I feel like there is too much water.

Is my pan just too small of a diameter? What is the diameter or volume for "medium saucepan"? Is it something else - like the recipe? When I put the sugar into the pie dish, it seems to be a really thick layer of sugar when usually it's a thin layer for flan, no?

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!


texts: Found this yellowish mushy stuff on my freshly cooked plain rice, any idea what could it be?


texts:
Is Erythritol acid or alkaline and what is it's pH compared to brown sugar?

In many baking recipes, baking soda is added together with acidic ingredients, such as brown sugar.

Also, this way, the possibly metallic taste of baking soda is neutralized.

Does this applies to Erythritol ?
Edit: Sugar alcohols generally are not measured with pH directly, but with pKa indirectly. So in a nutshell, I'd like to know if it would behave more like an acid or as alkaline. For example 180g pure Erythritol (pka 13.903@18degreeC), in 100 ml H2O with 1.2g baking soda.

Some people bake with it and baking soda, some with baking powder (with the rest of ingredients being about the same). In the end it's hard to know which one will give better cooking yield and flavor(based on how it reacts with baking soda) without wasting ingredients... please help!


texts:
Two well known facts about pomegranates:

they are yummy
they are a pain to peel by hand

do you know of any efficient ways to peel pomegranates? by efficient i mean two things:

quick
minimum number of 'hurt' arils

be blessed


texts: What is vietnamese pho? What exactly does it consist of?

texts:
What exactly is pho? I know it's a type of vietnamese cuisine.

What does a bowl of pho typically consist of?

What are the bare requirements to consider it pho?


texts: What is the equivelant of 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract in Organic Vanilla Bean Paste, is it teaspoon for teaspoon?

texts: I would like to start using Vanilla bean paste in some of my recipes. I usually use Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract and wondered if the measurement was the same i.e. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract = 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste. I thought I heard somewhere that the paste is a lot stronger. Would appreciate any feedback.


texts:
The yoghurt I bought from the store in a 1 l glass jar has in the 4 or 5 days since opening separated a little from the whey.
The whey is has gone slimy putting me off breakfast.

On this site it has been stated several times that yoghurt cannot really go off.
However, this has happened a few times with this brand and I'd like to know what is causing it (and if its really safe to eat)

It smells like yoghurt and the packaging says it is made with pasteurized milk.


texts: I found some dark mold on a bottle of quartered artichokes in the packing solution, and accidentally ate one before realizing there was a problem with them. Should I be worried?


texts:
If a pork shoulder is sold from a butcher on Wednesday will it still be good to eat on Sunday? the butcher selling it says it will be but I've heard pork should be consumed with 1-2 days of purchase

Any food safety / quality experts have thoughts on this?


texts: Why do some recipes claim to "never fail"?

texts:
I have read it countless times, mostly in baking magazines: "This recipes always works!", "Always turns out great!" etc.

Of course I know that you can fail at all of them if you really want to, but what is the reason behind these recipes - are there really any recipes that always work (without being basic 'one pot' recipes) as long as you don't screw them up badly?
Or do they only print stuff like this to get novices to buy the magazine?


texts: Do the nutritional facts on the outside of a package reflect the ENTIRE contents of the package or just what it is assumed a consumer would eat?  For example:  a jar of pickles (or pickled eggs) -- do the nutritional facts include the vinegar and brine the pickles (eggs) swim in?


texts: How do I use beer barm to make sourdough?

texts:
I have been making sourdough now for the last six months or so, fairly successfully, using a starter that I created on the bread-making course that kicked this all off.

While on the course, I mentioned to the instructor that I also brew beer and he said I could use the beer barm to make bread. However, I'm not sure exactly how to do that.

Barm is defined as

  the foam or scum formed on the top of a fermenting liquid, such as
  beer[...]

Now, the first problem I have is that I do not have easy access to the top of my fermenting beer. In order to keep things sterile, the lid of our fermenter is kept firmly on until after bottling. I am therefore left with whatever we have left over after bottling. I have emptied this into a tub and the result is a lot of sediment at the bottom with fermented beer on top. I'm not even sure if this qualifies as "barm", although it must contain whatever was on the top of the liquid before we bottled.

This is a side view that shows the separation.

and here is some of the sediment scooped off the bottom.

Question: Can I use this to make a starter? If so, how? Which part do I use, and what do I do with it? I'm not even sure exactly what the sediment is.

And is there any part of it I shouldn't use, or can I just bung it together with some flour and see what happens next? :-) I'm more than happy to experiment, as long as it's safe!


texts: The use of chicken bones that have frost on them

texts: I have chicken bones in the freezer that have frost on them. Can I still use them to make chicken broth?


texts: Scoring medium hydration dough after it's been in the oven

texts:
I've been using this setup for 60% hydration dough:

20 mins in cloche, covered, 500°
10 mins in cloche, covered, 450°
20+ mins uncovered, 450°

For all intents and purposes, the cloche works like a Dutch oven, trapping moisture:

(You can see in my second photo my rescue attempt)

I've got a baking sheet with water to maintain humidity in the oven as I bake it.

The problem I'm running into is that when I score the bread (1/4" - 1/2", single cut along the centre, trying my best for a 45° angle, immediately before it goes in the oven), the score actually glazes over, becoming part of the crust, and preventing the score from doing it's job of 'ventilation'. The first time this happened, my dough blew out. The next two times, I've caught it happening in the first 5 mins and re-scored it after it's been in the oven.

So, two questions:

Is scoring bread after it's baked for a few minutes a common thing? Do bakers do this?
If not, what can I do to my baking method to prevent the score from crusting over?


texts:
My local farm has some sheep that will be slaughtered soon. I'm challenging myself to find recipes (and non-food usages) of every part of their bodies, so that at least we'll not let them rot away.

I've managed to prepare ligaments and tendons for consumption, but I've never tried to eat hooves. Is it possible? Is it part of any existing cuisine?


texts: What would cause the albumen of a hard boiled egg to turn purple?

texts: The albumen of my hard boiled eggs turned purple.  What would cause this and is it ok to consume?


texts:
This Korean fried chicken recipie uses vodka to prevent gluten formation in the batter, which results in a thin and crispier crust. vodka is expensive. Are there any substitutes?

Will a beer batter do the same thing? Does beer prevent gluten formation?


texts: What are the advantages of a long knife?

texts:
A while back, I had a conversation with a purveyor of knives. I asked her to recommend two knives; a general purpose knife and something to use to carve a turkey, steak etc. Both her recommendations surprised me; one was a 175 mm Santoku, the other was a 150 mm universal knife (this one: http://shop.skjerp-deg.no/index.php?route=product/product&path=59_60_80&product_id=100)

The reason I was surprised at the second, was that I was expecting her to recommend something at least 180 mm long.

So, to my question: what are the relative advantages of using a long carving knife, as opposed to a short one?


texts: What can I use as a substitute for canned refrigerated biscuits in monkey bread?

texts: I'm making monkey bread and I need refrigerated biscuits. I don't have any, however, and I don't really want to go buy them. What could I use instead of refrigerated biscuits?


texts: Making high-quality frozen-food at home?

texts:
There's a french chain, picard, which sells gourmet frozen food , for the french. And they really like it - so it must be really tasty. But it's expensive.

On the other hand ,some families , that want to save time and money, cook food in large batches and freeze it for the whole week.

Assuming those families know how to cook great food(say they are the top 20% of home cooks), what are the missing pieces/technologies for them to make really high quality, gourmet FROZEN food ?

Is it only flash freeze tech ? or something more ?


texts:
I have a list of ingredients but no recipe name or method - does anyone know what it may be?

The ingredients are:

200ml strong coffee
1 Tabs Demerara sugar
75g plain chocolate

Also listed separately:

100g white chocolate
4 eggs separated
75g caster sugar
500g mascarpone cheese

I guess you must have to mix the two lots together and then combine but I'm just not sure how and what it makes!  Sounds good though.


texts: Is there a replacement for cheese on pizza?

texts: How can I make pizza without cheese? Isn't cheese the most important thing on pizza? It allows pizza toppings to stay in place.  I tried without cheese, and on bread, but the toppings did not stay in place.


texts: How can I separate fresh rice noodles that are stuck together?

texts:
I sometimes buy rice noodles from an Asian grocery, especially since certain sizes (like sheets) are hard to find in dried form, and the finished texture is different.  However, I generally find that unless the rice noodles are very fresh (as in made within 24 hours) the tend to stick together as if glued, and tear instead of separating.

I've tried soaking them both in warm water and in cold water to help separate them, but inevitably end up with a bunch of torn noodle bits instead of the nice spongy rice noodles I wanted.  Given that selling week-old fresh rice noodles is common across Asian groceries, there must be some way to separate them.  What is it?

Update: I'm talking about noodles like this:


texts: When making pizza dough ahead, at what point in the process should I let it rise?

texts: I would like to make pizza dough by hand a few nights before actually baking. Do I knead the dough, let it rise, punch down, cover in oil and saran wrap, and then place in fridge? Or do I knead the dough, cover in oil and saran wrap, and then place in the fridge?


texts: Are the terms self-rising flour and baking powder different in the US and UK?

texts: I made Mary Berry’s Cherry cake, which called for 275 g of self-rising flour and 2 tsp of baking powder, in an 8-inch pan. Went all over the oven. Are these ingredients different in the US?


texts: How to keep chicken juices in the chicken when cooking in the oven?

texts:
I'm trying to cook 6-8 chicken breasts at a time by putting them all in a roasting pan, adding seasoning, and putting it in the oven.

The problem is that the chicken becomes very dry, but the pan fills with water from the chicken!  The result is a dry, rubbery mess that doesn't taste very nice, as well as a pan full of chicken water which I don't know what to do with.

What's the correct way to do this?


texts: How can I stop puddles of water forming on the shelves of my new refrigerator?

texts: How can I prevent puddles of water forming on the shelves of my new refrigerator.


texts: Effect of carbonated water on the rising of the dough?

texts: Some recipes suggest to add carbonated water instead of milk or water. Does this practice accelerate the rising of the dough and why?


texts: Is it worth putting potato skins in chicken stock?

texts: I like to save vegetable scraps (carrot tops, onion skins and ends, ends of celery etc.) in my freezer and once I have a chicken carcass and a full bag of scraps I will make chicken stock out of them. I often have left-over potato peels and I've thought of putting them in. Will they contribute in any way to the stock?


texts: Does a double walled glass mug really keep the liquid warm?

texts:
I saw some double walled glass mugs like this one and I am wondering if that really works in keeping the liquid warm.

If not, is it just for the looks and marketing spin?

Is there a vacuum between the two walls? Does it help in keeping the drink hot for longer?


texts: My sauerkraut brine seems slightly slimy but the batch otherwise seems normal--is it ok?

texts:
Recently I started a batch of sauerkraut, the first after several years.  Unlike my previous batches this one is much smaller (half a head of cabbage, as opposed to several full heads), uses Morton's Kosher salt as opposed to sea salt, and fermentation was started in a large bowl as opposed to a crock.

Today I received a new crock, and transferred the batch from the bowl into the crock.  The sauerkraut is about 72 hours old, and seems to be progresssing and expected--however as I transferred the kraut I noticed that the brine appeared slimy as it dripped.  Aside from it's appearance when dripping it seems normal (I tasted a small amount, it smells like it should, and when the brine is standing still it appears normal.  I also ran some of the extra brine through my fingers and it didn't feel slimy).

I'm curious if this is normal--perhaps either because the the kraut is relatively young (at only 3 days), or perhaps because of using "plain" kosher salt which may have additives such as anti-caking agents.  Or perhaps it is perfectly normal and I've just never noticed it before, as I've never transferred a batch between vessels before.


texts: Is it sensible to add steamed vegetables to a vegetable curry to reduce cooking time?

texts:
The objective is to make an Indian mixed vegetable curry like this one. However, the last time I tried it, I had used more vegetables than what the recipe specifies, and needed to cook it for around 40 to 50 minutes until it got cooked.

Since pressure cookers are able to cook vegetables faster, I considered doing that, and found a recipe which steams vegetables in a pressure cooker. So it made me wonder if I could follow the mixed vegetables recipe as-is until the step where they add vegetables to the pan, and instead of adding uncooked vegetables, I add the steamed vegetables, then that'd reduce the cooking time drastically. I'd assume it'd take a total of:
10 min to steam the vegetables in the pressure cooker.
10 min to sauté the onions, spices and tomatoes in the pan.
5 or 10 min to cook the vegetables after transferring them from the pressure cooker to the pan.

Does that sound like a sensible plan or is the steaming of vegetables meant to be an entirely different recipe?


texts: How to keep frozen puff pastry dough keep its shape

texts: Whenever I cut semi thawed frozen puff pastry dough with a round cookie cutter, the shapes turns oval when I bake them.  How can I prevent this?


texts: How to prevent brillant pink raw bread dough from cooking up to yellow?

texts:
I added some cooked beets to a bread recipe. The result was a lovely pink dough:

After cooking, the rolls were yellow on the inside with some of the pink still visible in the crust:

Why? Any way to over come the color change?


texts: Was my bone marrow broth boiled too long?

texts: I've been making beef broth regularly but last night I forgot to turn my crock pot to low and the bones boiled all night. Does anyone know if this is ok or should I toss the broth And start over? I've read somewhere that after your stock reaches a boil it then should be simmered not boiled!!!


texts: Cooking Small White Navy's giving me issues

texts: how long must I cook small white navy beans in my soup to get soft?  Seems like it is taking too long. So far I have cooked 4 hours!


texts:
I have a 900 ml can of Saloio olive oil. I lack any idea of how to open it.

The top of the tin is more-or-less seamless (see photo), and lacks any sort of indicator as to how this may be accomplished. At the rim, the metal on the top folds over the outside of the tin, and I've tried wedging flat instruments of all manner in there to no avail.

So, I'm wondering: what is the best way to open a container like this?


texts: Would it be a bad idea to electroplate a knife?

texts: I'm curious, I haven't seen any electroplated kitchen knives before so I'm not sure if they exist. And if not, why?


texts: What was wrong with my Ohio Shaker Lemon Pie?

texts:
Last Thanksgiving I tried a pie from the Joy of Cooking that sounded amazing.

Called an Ohio Shaker Lemon Pie it consisted of lemons sliced paper thin and macerated in sugar. This recipe is similar.

The pie was beautiful. The flavor was overpowering. It was almost inedibly sour and bitter. I was the only person who finished my slice.

What did I do wrong or is this pie meant to be excessively sour and bitter?


texts: Why do cooked potatoes taste bland when they cool down a bit?

texts:
Plain cooked potatoes have become one of my favorite go-to foods during the recent months. I just wash them, put them in a pot, cover them with water, put in a bit of salt, cook them until they are completely tender (about an hour for the average-sized ones) and eat them with the peel on, only adding salt and butter.
During eating, which probably takes me 10 minutes, the first potato always tastes much better than the last one. It's hard to describe the difference, but I'd say the first one is mellow, creamy and flowery, while the last one is more chewy, bland and boring.
What kind of effects could cause this (in my opinion, pretty significant) taste difference? And could something be done to lessen or avoid it? I suspect the 10 minute cooling time on the plate has something to do with it, although reheating an already-cooled potato doesn't seem to improve it at all. Any ideas?


texts: Is there any way to make whey powder at home?

texts: Any way to make it.Whey powder is pretty expensive here and I want to use it for baking.


texts: Can you reconstitute dried morels in broth instead of water?

texts:
I'm making some risotto this weekend, and I've always read to reconstitute dried mushrooms in water, but I haven't read anything for or against reconstitution in broth.
Would there be any reason not to do this, such as because the salts would change the way the shrooms did their job?


texts: What setting on a thermomix would create a simmer?

texts: Making marmalade in a thermomix and I need to simmer.  What setting should give me a simmer?  Thanks.


texts: What are the pros and cons of coarse and fine coffee ground?

texts:
Coffee can be bought either as whole beans or as coarsely or finely grounded coffee.

What are the pros and cons of the coarse and fine coffee ground? Are there different applications for coarsely and finely grounded coffee?


texts:
A few days ago I purchased a pound of ground beef from the supermarket, it was already on clearance when purchased. Since then, the beef has turned grey all throughout, and has a slight scent to it. I wouldn't say that the scent is necessarily unpleasant, but it's slightly sour, and has an almost buttery or "farm" smell to it. I can't quite explain it well. I am currently cooking the meat, and it still has that smell, and it's since permeated throughout the house. I really have no idea if it's good or not, because it certainly doesn't smell unpleasant, though it does have a smell. As well, it didn't feel slimey, or anything of the sort. The only troubles are that the smell is there, whether it's bad or not, and the entirety of the beef has turned gray with very little red left remaining inside, and mostly dispersed. I am wondering if this is safe to eat or not, or if it's perhaps best to throw it away?

Edit: Also I should note, I noticed that the blood has also turned brown, and the sell-by date was yesterday.


texts:
I have prepared lox and gravlax in the past.  In both instances, I have brined and lightly smoked the salmon; in the case of gravlax, I have then put finely snipped fresh dill on the flesh side of the salmon, put a bit of olive oil on the dill and pressed it into the fish and left it to age for several days in the refrigerator.

These techniques never seem to give me a product similar to those I have tried in restaurants and at commercial outlets.

It seems that I am doing something wrong, especially with the gravlax, which never seems to achieve the fine texture and flavor of the gravlax I can purchase.

I use about 3 tablespoons/50 ml of salt and about half as much sugar per pound/450 grammes for a dry brine, which is then put in the refrigerator for a day, before smoking.

Has anyone made this? Why isn't it coming out correctly?


texts:
I am making a crown rack of lamb tomorrow, and today to prep I plan on getting some of the trimming done. I went to a new butcher this time around and sadly they left the extra layer of fat on the meat side of the racks which I want to remove (i'm a bit angry considering I paid about $30 extra because of that layer of fat).

Anyways - I know lamb doesn't have a lot of extra moisture of intramuscular fat. So, it would seem like it is a natural candidate for wet or dry brining. However despite a ton of searching I can't find anything referencing brining racks or crown racks of lamb. I know the amount of actual meat on each bone isn't huge so I am concerned about over-brining or washing out the delicate flavor of the lamb.

So, is brining lamb not a thing? Is there a specific reason to brine or not to brine lamb?


texts: Why does frozen food seem to have lost its original taste and texture after reheating?

texts:
I usually freeze my leftovers.

Then, when I reheat them, the flavors are diminished - less salt, less chili, less everything.

Any ideas why?


texts: What is the best temperature and method to cook bacon in a grill pan?

texts:
Weekend mornings is always a breakfast feast in our house. When it comes to the bacon it's a war zone in the kitchen with hot fat drops shooting everywhere, and sometimes I get hit.

The texture of the bacon is never the same from soft to crispy, probably because I play with the heat so much that its never consistent. I am only doing that because I am trying to eliminate the hot fat drops.

I use a cast iron grill pan to cook the bacon on medium heat (most of the time) on a gas stove. I do preheat the pan, and use about 3 teaspoons of olive oil per 300g of bacon.

I presume I am missing a trick here or my heat is wrong. SO: What is the best temperature and method too cook bacon in a grill pan?

Please help me bring back the peace to my kitchen. :)


texts: I have purchased microwave safe cake baking pan but as soon as I use the pan in the microwave the spark is coming. What may be the problem ? In which mode should I keep that?


texts: Is this rhombus-like pattern in carrot totally random or is it a specific variety? If so, good to know for decorating ideas.


texts: How do I make a Leek foam from Agar or Egg Whites?

texts:
I have tried 4 times now and either the foam never truly stands up or there is too much agar and the thing starts to harden.

I only have agar or egg whites. I don't have any lecithin powder. What I am doing first is creating a leek juice. I have tried it a couple ways. One is to stick a bunch of leek bottoms in a Cuisineart. Then I cook for a few minutes, strain through a cheese cloth and let cool. I take about 100ml of that "juice" (once it is cooled) and add in about 1 gram of agar. I have tried 1.) beating it in a bowl by hand 2.) mix it, then heat it, then beat it by hand. Both ways fail.

I also tried with egg whites. Same procedure for the juice, but I added in 1 egg white per 100ml. Way too runny. Would never foam. I then added in 2 egg whites. Still never foamed. I even added a 1/4 tsp of sugar. Nothing. I also want this to taste like Leek, not eggs ;)


texts: Why add salt to the water when cooking pasta?

texts: What is the effect of adding salt to the water when cooking pasta?


texts: How can I make fresh burger buns like Hardees?

texts:
I am pretty new to baking and having recently just come back from Saudi Arabia I was privileged to visit the Hardees food chain (non in the UK where I live) and fallen in love with their fresh baked buns.

Does anyone know how to copy or come close to there burger bread buns? Can I can other buns and add butter or something close?

Hardees also wrap it in a foil packaging and since I suspect they use butter for that extra soft velvet feel it makes it more better as the bun melts with the cheese and burger inside the packaging.

Here is a clip too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nvth7WJucQ

Thanks


texts: Is there supposed to be a difference between General Tso's and Sesame Chicken besides the seeds?

texts:
There are three very similar dishes I see on Chinese restaurant menus:

Orange Chicken
Sesame Chicken
General Tso's Chicken

I know Orange Chicken is at least a little bit different (it's typically spicier, I can see the orange rind pieces, I can taste a difference), but with General Tso's and Sesame, it's not so clear.

Anecdotally, a while back I ordered Sesame Chicken from my local place, and when I got there they were still making it. She asked me "General Tso's?" and I said, "No, sesame" and she proceeded to just sprinkle some sesame seeds on it.

More recently, I ordered Sesame Chicken, but upon opening it at home, it had no seeds, and I assume I got General Tso's instead. I kind of feel like it had a slightly different color and flavor, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

So I guess I'm asking a few things:

Is there supposed to be a difference between General Tso's and Sesame besides just adding sesame seeds on top?
If yes, what is the difference?
If yes, is it standard procedure to just use General Tso's and add Sesame seeds for simplicity/laziness/cost reasons?


texts:
Whenever I make aioli with the traditional recipe of egg and oil it always turns out yellowish. It's obviously because of the color of the egg yolks. However, recently I've noticed some good restaurants serving quality aioli that is really white. Also some store bought ones are more white than yellow.

I'm wondering how they make the aioli to be that white instead of the golden version I always get.


texts: What German product is the equivalent of cream in a recipe from the United States?

texts:
I'm looking at a Bolognese sauce recipe from a US cookbook and it contains the following ingredient:

  1 cup cream, half-and-half, or milk

Now I'm wondering what exactly the german equivalent of cream is, as there are many different types.

Does cream in US recipies generally refer only to regular cream ("süße Sahne, Schlagsahne") or to sour cream ("saure Sahne, Schmand") or Crème fraîche as well?

I'm mostly wondering because I read that sour cream or Crème fraîche are especially suited for hot sauces as they don't curdle easily.

I'm interested in both, what is usually meant by cream in US recipies and which type of cream would be appropriate for something like a Bolognese sauce or similar hot sauces.


texts: What is the difference between a Sfogliatelle and a Lobster Tail (Pastry)

texts:
What are the differences between Sfogliatelle and a Lobster Tail (Pastry).

There is conflicting information about them being either different or the same pastry.  Additionally, I'm curious of other variants besides the two listed above.


texts: My dad gave me this - what is it? How would I season it? What would you cook on it?


texts: First time canning....forgot to sterilize my jar. Advice please!

texts:
I made a jalepeno/banana pepper relish from my garden two days ago and have since realized that I was supposed to sterilize the jar before doing this.

My fault for not researching enough at the beginning. Though I did submerge the jar full of relish in boiling water for 10 minutes. Would that not have killed all bacteria?

I am not planning on storing this for an extended period of time. I'm hoping to begin using it within the next few weeks.

Is the batch safe to eat, or can I eat it without worry?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Translating cooking terms between US / UK / AU / CA / NZ

What is the difference between Grills, Barbecues, Broiling e.t.c.?

Note: I plan to post my own answer, but you're welcome to post yours.


texts: Recently I have taken to natural aromas and colours. Does anyone have any idea on best method and equipment for extraction of oil from lemon rind?


texts: What can be used as a substitute for potassium nitrate as a preservative?

texts: I want to substitute another preservative for an Italian antipasto recipe. The original recipe calls for granulated potassium nitrate (saltpetre). I had a 16oz box, but it's empty now. What can I use instead?


texts:
I made a peanut butter sauce/marinade for some tofu bits, with peanut butter, soy sauce and pineapple juice. It tasted good and was the right creamy texture when I put the tofu in it.
After a couple of hours it was still fine, and then I tossed it all in the frying pan.
Within a minute or two, the sauce had split, and had lost most of its flavour. What parameter of the cooking am I getting wrong?


texts: Is it okay to prepare "Cannelloni with Spinach" recipe and put it in fridge BEFORE baking?

texts:
I'm working on this "Cannelloni with Spinach & Ricotta": http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/awesome-spinach-ricotta-cannelloni

The last step is bake it for 20-25 minutes. Is it okay to do everything, and just before the last step, place the dish into the fridge, so the next day I can just take the dish and bake it, and it's ready. Is it okay, or will it ruin the recipe's flavor?


texts: How to keep fried fish warm and crispy during transport to venue?

texts: I frequently cook for my choir and I wanted to serve fried fish.  The problem is I have to cook the food at home and transport it to the church. How do I keep it warm and crispy for about an hour after its cooked and during transport? Additionally, what can I put it in to keep it warm once I arrive. I'm sure putting it on a steam table would make it soggy.


texts: How long will cayenne peppers extend shelf life of cooked ground pork?

texts:
I am wanting to make a spicy Korean soup broth and the recipe calls for ground pork.

I was wondering how long the cayenne peppers would extend shelf life of cooked ground pork?

Or is the broth still "bad in 3 days" as most sites suggest when referigerating ground pork?


texts: Are there disadvantages to storing bread in a vacuum box?

texts:
I love fresh bread, and when I buy it I store it at home in a plastic bag. After 2-3 days it has probably lost about 60% of its overall quality. I've been using some vacuum storage bags and found that the bread can be great up to a week later!

This made me think about how I'd love to have a box or chamber on the counter that I can just dump my bread in and vacuum most of the air out. It would be stationary and much more practical than bags, which require cutting and subsequent disposal.

What are some of the primary barriers to this being a practical tool? I'd imagine many households would want this!


texts: I'm making cook n serve vanilla pudding can I add vanilla extract to it to make it taste more vanilla? it's for boston cream puffs.

texts: I'm making Boston Cream puffs. Can I add vanilla extract to the vanilla cook and serve pudding to make it taste more vanilla?


texts: Preventing a burnt burger patty when pan frying

texts:
So when I cook the burger patties on a frying pan (I lack fancier methods of cooking them), the bottom tends to get burnt pretty black. Yet when I bite into the burger, you can see that it's only a thin layer of burntness outside, but the inside was medium-rare.

Is there a way to prevent them from being burnt too dark? I'm not sure if eating too much burnt stuff is good for the body. Perhaps it's a different oil that I must use? (I'm using canola oil atm).


texts: I'm just wondering. I like experimenting with French toast recipes. What is the best ingredient to add to a normal French toast recipe to make it taste pumpkin flavored?


texts: If cooking doesn't kill all the nutrients in tomatoes, why are none in sauce labels, even the nice ones made direct by an organic farm?

texts:
I've had this question in my head since forever, it's kind of a food sciencey question. I understand that cooking changes the properties of food including their nutritional value, sometimes positively, sometimes negatively. It appears per this link (https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/health-benefits-eating-cooked-tomato-products-4444.html) that cooking does not affect Vitamin C and lycopene (but it does affect Vitamin A).
But every time I go to buy a tomato sauce (see important note below***), the nutritional label shows literally no vitamins, why? Is it a labeling problem? Like lycopene doesn't show up on labels. Maybe Vitamin C becomes some new form that's not label-able?? Or is it that cooking doesn't kill vitamins but the high pressure canning process does? (implying that if I make homemade tomato sauce, I won't have this problem)
My motivation for this is that I like healthy eating and am just trying to understand how to healthily consume tomatoes.
***A note on the tomato sauce I'm talking about
I'm talking specifically about the kinds of tomato sauce that vendors at farmer's markets make using their own products. I can't speak for all farms, but having worked at one that did sell our products, I know exactly how this gets made. We harvest tomatoes, we cook & process everything in our own kitchen, we hire a contracted nutritionist to analyze the product & write the label, then we print the label and off it goes. Like, the process is basically exactly like a home cook's. It's not over-processed, over-salted like some industrial makers' products would be. I imagine this process is similar for some other local, premium organic brands that you find at small grocers (except they don't grow their own tomatoes). So given this is so similar to a home cook's process, why are there no nutritional points?
I know what you're thinking... yes I am an idiot that I didn't think to ask our nutritionist this question. But I didn't and now I don't have a person to talk to.


texts: No brown coloring: how to make macaron brown with only red and green coloring powders

texts:
My local store only has red, green, yellow, blue coloring powders. No brown or anything that looks like chocolate.

How to make chocolate-brown from these basic colors?

I tried cocoa powder, but that changed the texture and the macarons failed.

A French recipe suggests 1 green for 5 red, resulting in pink that supposedly becomes brown when cooking, but that is with liquid colorant so not sure it applies.


texts: Is there a definitive way to know if a tin can is lined with BPA?

texts:
Many tin cans are lined with BPA which has been connected with various health issues in various studies.

Is there a way to determine whether a can of food contains BPA lining?

Can the place of manufacture/packaging give an indication?
Is there something obvious from the appearance of the inside of the can?


texts: Adding fresh fruit to a non fruited banana bread

texts: I have a banana bread recipe that I love.  I want to add other fresh fruit and nuts or chocolate to it.  Do I need to adjust the other ingredients to take into account these additions?


texts: I have a favorite cup made in China that has developed black spots inside the bottom.  I'm worried about lead -- should I stop using it? It isn't crazing but seems to be a failed glaze. I bought 6 of these from Cracker Barrel restaurant a year ago as part of a set with serving dishes signed by Susan Winget -- the Nature Walk series for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. The add picture function isn't working but I can send pictures to anyone who's interested.


texts:
I am looking for a simple and fast gluten level tester (electronic is fine)

There are the testers available for people with Coeliac's which require making a solution from a food sample, and then adding a drop of that to a test strip and waiting some time. They don't tend to actually say how much gluten is present, just that there is

I am hoping for something that uses a very small sample and can perform a test in less than a minute. This ideally can be done at the food wholesalers premises. The result should indicate the amount of gluten in the sample

Edit:

Found a 16Kg machine that takes more than 5 minutes per test, getting closer http://factory.dhgate.com/electronic-measuring-instruments/gluten-tester-mj-iii-p38573988.html


texts:
When I see tuna steaks, seared rare, on restaurant menus it's almost always Ahi tuna specifically.  What's special about Ahi with this preparation method?  Does it have different cooking properties from other kinds of tuna steak, like Yellowfin?  Or is it an economic matter?

I ask partly out of curiosity and partly because I'd like to make this myself, so want to know if I should be preferring Ahi to other tunas that are sometimes at the fish market.


texts: How can I prepare bread dough to be cooked the next day?

texts: I'd like to make some fresh bread for breakfast tomorrow, but don't particularly want to wake up at 5am to mix and prove the dough. How could I make the dough tonight so that I could just throw it in the oven tomorrow?


texts: How can I sharpen my chef's knives at home?

texts: I have a beautiful Calphalon chef's knife that has served me well for years. However, lately I've noticed that it is quite dull, and the blade slips sometimes when cutting tomatoes and onions. How can I sharpen it without spending a fortune?


texts: Why my croissant dough are always having butter going out during folding

texts:
Every time I make croissant. While I am folding the dough with a simple or double turn, I start to see the butter going outside of the dough and stick to the working surface.

Usually I make pierre herme recipes, and I let the dough rest between the folds in the fridge for 30 minutes.

The second problem is, always I cut my croissant as big as I can but the end product is like small ones.

The recipe says that I can get 12 large croissant, but I usually get 8 small ones.

Here is the recipe:

500g flour
12g yeast
100g milk
75g sugar
12g salt
35g butter
145g water
15g milk powder
325g cold butter
1 egg

The technique is in this link.


texts: What is soy chicken and how is it prepared?

texts: In many places in the US, I have eaten something called Soy Chicken varieties. I would like to know how this is prepared. Does anyone have any idea?


texts: How can I remove whole peppercorns from a sauce after cooking?

texts: I've heard that whole black pepper is put in sauces for flavour, but it is not supposed to stay there in a finished dish, because it's quite unpleasant to bite on one during a meal. But how does one remove all of it from a sauce / gravy, especially a thick one?


texts: How can I mask the flavor of frozen vegetables in soup?

texts: Sometimes it is nice to just grab ingredients from the pantry / freezer and throw things into a pot for a quick "homemade" soup. Typically quick soups like this utilize a mixed bag of frozen vegetables. Unfortunately, I can often taste that the vegetables were frozen. Is there a way to mask this frozen flavor?


texts: I have twice popped corn on an electric stove and both times resulted in near disasters with nearly burned popcorn and what did pop was minimal and flat.  I was used to a gas stove and always had beautiful popcorn. The pot used has been used before with no problems. I also normally use coconut oil for the kernels. Help me make the transition, please. Thank you


texts:
Recently got into cooking steak at home and overall been enjoying the results :)
That being said, it seems like my pan always smokes quite a bit and the oil looks to be burnt. I'm using refined avocado oil which has a high smoking point of 500F and a cast iron pan.

I was wondering if anyone could provide some tips to prevent the oil burning and control the pan temp. If I lower the heat I no longer hear a sizzle. Also perhaps the pan needs to be smaller to fit the steak?


texts:
What does the expiration date on milk cartons mean?

I have different experiences with the date:

There is still about a week before the expiration date but the milk has gone bad
It is 1-2 days after the expiration date but the milk doesn't smell or taste bad

In both case, the milk was kept in the fridge.


texts: Do I need to remove clove stems before grinding?

texts:
I have whole cloves and need to crush/grind them. Should I break the berry parts off the much-harder stem and just grind that, or is the whole thing meant to be used?

(I'm using a mortar and pestle, not a spice grinder, so non-mechanized manipulation may make a difference!)


texts: I took out a Pork Roast that was completely frozen solid (double wrapped) and set on counter. Forgot about it until 6 hours later but it was still frozen. Just started feeling a bit soft on top but not deep - just barely - just surface. Is it still safe to eat? I put it in fridge overnight to complete the thawing process.


texts: Are all stainless pans necessarily non stick?

texts:
Are all stainless steel pans coated with nonstick? Can stainless steel saute or frying pans be distinguished by the quality of their nonstick coating?
I'm just afraid of accidentally buying a stainless steel pan that happens to lack, or to have shoddy, nonstick coatings.


texts: What's a good way to taste a variety of alcoholic beverages?

texts: I've never been too keen on alcoholic beverages since trying things growing up and not liking them. However, I try to keep an open mind and would like to taste more. My problem is I'm hesitant to buy my own packs of beer or bottles of wine or drinks when I'm out, as that might get expensive. Is there a way to taste a variety of beverages without breaking the bank or sampling off friends' drinks all the time?


texts:
Roux mention in this answer smoking water. How do you do this? What does it taste like? How do you use it?

Sounds fascinating!


texts: What can I do with extra sourdough starter?

texts:
I recently made a sourdough starter from wild yeast, but the process I followed for making it resulted in a lot of starter.

Instead of throwing it away I'd like to use it, and then once it gets down small enough I won't have to worry about having so much to use.

What can I do with my excess whole wheat sourdough starter?
(I've already made 4 loaves of bread, and they were yummy)


texts: Why can't I get that grilled taste from my outdoor grill?

texts:
We purchased a gas grill years ago. We have caste iron grates and high to low flames adjustment. It has this metal plate that covers the flames. I guess it's there to prevent grease from hitting the flames.

Whenever we grill burgers, chicken or steak, they don't have that characteristic grilled taste you get from a restaurant. The grilled taste I am looking for is that charred taste, which is the same taste you get from a good steakhouse or shish kabob. It's the same charred taste you get from the Whopper or a really good burger cooked over open flames. It's not smokey as in BBQ using wood chips.

I'm not using lava rocks, could that be an explanation?


texts: How do I make the garlic not come out blue during pickling? I know it is safe to eat, I just do not like how it looks. I have used minced garlic but sometimes I prefer cloves. There has to be a way, you can buy pickled garlic in the store and it is not blue!


texts:
I was planning to make a brioche dough, but somehow managed to measure out and add cornstarch instead of bread flour. I've taken as much of the cornstarch out as I can, but there's about 3/4 cup still in there mixed in with the brioche ingredients.

Is there any way to salvage this? I don't need the final result to be brioche, any edible food is fine as long as I dont waste these ingredients.


texts: Can I still use my Worcestershire sauce?

texts:
So we have this Lea&Perrins Worcestershire Sauce from the past 6-7 years ago. And I would like to really know if it is still safe to consume?

I've done my research but I'm still not sure if I could consume it because I do not know how it actually tastes.

It is kinda dusty on the top, but it was last opened years ago and it was just in our cabinet so i don't know if it is still safe to consume


texts: Cooking alcohol: how many calories are lost?

texts:
Google fails me.

I'm curious how many calories are burned away when you cook various kinds of alcohol...wines, liquors, beers (including lite beer).


texts: Is it always possible to visually determine if it's gas or electic stove?

texts: I saw stoves with flat glass-like surface and there red glowing circles inside when they're on. Are those a gas stoves? Are there gas stoves with fire inside or those flat stoves are all electric?


texts: Chinese dumplings vegetarian style - mushrooms raw or cooked?

texts:
I recently started making Chinese steamed dumplings (Jiaozi) with cabbage and beef mince. In this version I simply mix together all the ingredients for the filling (cabbage, onion, beef) when they're raw, fold the dumplings and steam them for a few minutes.
I've now seen recipes for vegetarian variants, e.g. with mushrooms, tofu and some other vegetables, plus the cabbage. For the mushrooms in particular some recipes suggest frying them in the pan before mixing them together with the rest of the filling. Is this always necessary and if not what are the pros and cons of cooked vs raw mushroom? Is it to drain some liquid first?


texts: I love the taste of sesame oil, I can easily go through an 8 ounce bottle in a couple of weeks if I'm on an Asian kick, an 8 ounce bottle of my favorite brand has never lasted more than a couple of months. Right now, Amazon is offering a 56 ounce metal jug of my favorite brand of sesame oil for less than 3 times the price I pay at the grocery store for an eight ounce bottle. Ounce for ounce it's a great deal, no shipping costs even. Can I make an open jug last a year? My thinking is to transfer 8-12 ounces at a time into a glass bottle and keep the metal jug in the back of the fridge where things have the tendency to freeze. Is that the best way to handle it? Should I get the bulk of it out of the metal and into glass?


texts: Why sugar butter cocopowder mixture got hard in double boiler

texts: i was making a fudge brownie without chocolate. The recipe asked to put 1 1/2 cup sugar,3/4+2 tbsp cocopowder and 10tbsps of butter into double boiler and get everthing to be shiny. But when i did the same my mixture ended up as hard sugar rocks and separated butter. Still i managed to stop the disaster by adding little by little water on my own and succeeded. But my fudge brownie ended up to smell like coconut oil. It's not the first time. Once i was making a chocolate frosting and had to do the same,adding sugar butter and coco powder in double boiler until all sugar is melted. But the sugar was not melting as shown in the recipe and it was hard like rock. Please help me a way out.


texts: Grind coffee with a blade grinder for a moka pot?

texts:
I'm thinking about buying a moka pot.

I have a blade grinder.

Will a blade grinder grind coffee beans fine enough for a moka pot?

I can't really afford an expensive grinder and I don't want to use pre-ground coffee, because I heard it loses quality quickly.


texts: Stir-frying: how much of the oil evaporates?

texts:
When you're stir-frying or sauteeing, I'm sure some of the oil get evaporated due to high temperature. How much of the original oil evaporates? Since I suppose it depends on the kind of oil, temperature and duration, can you give example for several typical cases? (for example, vegetable oil, medium heat, 15 minutes, etc)

How does this affect the nutrition and energy calculation? For example if 50 grams of vegetable oil contains ~400 kcal, how much calories does some food cooked with that much oil has?


texts:
Recently I made 2 separate batches of salsa from the same ingredients:
1x Red Capsicum
1x Brown Onion
3x Green chilis
Half a head of garlic
Salt
Sugar
Lime Juice

The first batch was great. I dirced all ingredients to smaller than 2mm pieces, mixed it all together and it was lovely. For the second batch I decided that I didn't have the time to dice everything by hand (I am not very fast with a knife) and so I threw everything in the blender and blended until it was a frothy brown liquid.

The second batch was very bitter despite being made from the same quantities of each ingredient, all of which had been purchased on the day and everything was fresh.

Is there something about the liquifying my ingredients that caused my second batch to be bitter that would not have been caused by dicing them?


texts: Is the typical value (as consumed) refer to the product after cooking or before cooking?

texts: Looking at the Typical Values under Nutrition for Morrisons Free Range Egg Noodles, does the "(as consumed) per 100g" mean that 100g of uncooked noodles provides 107 calories when it is cooked, or 100g of cooked noodles provides 107 calories?


texts: What would happen if you use warm base on a compressor ice cream machine?

texts:
Note: This question is for an ice cream machine WITH a compressor

Pretty much all recipes for ice cream/gelato call for completely chilling the mixture before starting to churn.

I get that for "passively" cooled machines (compressorless) it's important, so that you don't loose any of the pre-cooling you've done to the hardware.

Does it actually matter for a compressor-based machine? The machine can certainly cool it down without a hitch, but would it impact the final texture?


texts: Art of making delicate French butter cookies (Madeleines)

texts:
I love making Madeleine cookies, but I can't seem to make them without burning them. Well, they're not really burnt as far as cookies go, but they are too golden brown and have a slight crisp that Madeleines shouldn't have.

Baked for 14 minutes.

I've shortening my baking time to 10 minutes (4 minutes shorter than my recipe states), but they still are coming up a little too brown. (At 375 in a gas oven)

Baked for 10 minutes.

I'm afraid to shorten it too much because I don't want them to come out raw and mushy.

Any ideas how I can make my cookies softer, but still fully baked through?


texts:
I can't pinpoint why, but this method fails for me. At best, shaking only peels two or three garlic cloves. I've ensured that all garlic bulbs and metalware are dry.

Would someone please help? What other factors may have been overlooked or neglected?

I tried http://blogs.plos.org/retort/2011/09/30/so-why-does-the-garlic-trick-work/.


texts: Should I marinade brisket for smoking overnight, or only do a dry rub?

texts:
I normally grill flank steaks in a marinade w/ citrus juices, soy sauce, garlic and chipotle overnight...
I want to get into smoking brisket and wanted people response about taking a brisket and marinading in such a similar marinade overnight before I pat dry and then smoke or am I making a BIG mistake and should just do a dry rub 2 hours prior to smoking?


texts: Non-dairy substitute for cheese on baked potatoes

texts: One of the combinations I've missed since becoming dairy-free is grated cheese on baked potatoes. Is there any good substitution for this topping that would provide the salty-tangy counterpoint to the potatoes that I'm looking for?


texts:
I very rarely buy avocado, but now I happen to have two of them in my kitchen.

I'm used to ripe avocado having this colour:

Now, mine are more brightly green, like this:

They aren't very soft, so I guess they aren't ripe yet, but I'm wondering if the colour will change or if this is just a matter of which variety of avocado it is?


texts: Substitute for Robin Eggs malted milk candy

texts:
This summer, we made some great malted milk ice cream and mixed in some crushed Robin Eggs that we'd bought on sale after Easter. I'd love to make the same ice cream again, but the problem is: it's not Easter and I can't find Robin Eggs anywhere.

Are there other candy that I could use? I don't think regular milk balls would work as well since they don't have the same malted milk to chocolate ratio, and I'm more interested in the malted milk part than the chocolate part. The candy coating adds a nice crunch and color as well, but that's more of a bonus than requirement.

I know there are some online stores that sell them year round, but they tend to be pretty expensive.


texts: Safety of Sous-Vide for long cooking times

texts:
Note: all of the questions I saw on this focused on higher temperatures.

Brisket, being a fairly large and tough cut of meat, takes longer to cook than a a steak or many roasts. Would it be safe to cook a brisket sous-vide at medium-rare (131˚ F) or rare levels of doneness ?


texts: Apparently water spinach (kangkung) has a parasite as it grows in water. How does one cook it safely to ensure that all the parasite eggs/cysts are no longer viable? I worry that with frying they could still be alive inside the hollow stems. Is there a specific amount of time that it must be cooked? Cleaning the chopping board and counter with just soap and water is okay?


texts:
What is it about the dishwasher that harms knives?

The only reasons I've found are:

You could get cut... I personally have a greater change of getting cut by trying to wash them by hand.
The blades can damage the plastic-coated metal shelves... so I put them in the silverware-holder instead of on the rack (it's 100% plastic, no metal).
The blade could get nicked by being knocked into other silverware... so put the blade by itself in a section of the silverware-holder in the DW.


texts: Are mung beans grown in Japan or North America?

texts: My grandparents in Toronto need green mung beans to make Chinese green bean soup dessert (another recipe). But they've found only ones from China. They prefer to buy locally, and  are too frightened by China's countless food safety incidents to buy foods from China.


texts: Are sesame greens served raw, or cooked?

texts:
While shopping in our local Asian grocery, I noticed a pile of fresh sesame greens, which I've never seen before. Is there a specific reason to cook these, or to serve them raw? Meaning, would cooking mellow a harsh flavor, or enhance a delicate flavor?

I'll ask this part separately if you feel it's a separate issue, but are they a standalone ingredient, or used more as a flavor component?