texts: Yellow sticky film on coconut meat - is it bad?

texts: I drank water out of this coconut and then left it unopen in a fridge for few days, and this happened - see the yellow film. It is sticky and the taste is neutral. Doesn't look like mold. Is it bad, or is it good natural process?


texts: How to increase the carbonation for water Kefir fermentation?

texts:
I want to make my fermented water kefir drink more fizzy.
I used to following recipe
1st Fermentation 24h
78g    sugar
237ml  hot water
1.2 l  room temp filtered water

2nd Fermentation 48h
51ml   Lemon Juice
1l     Kefir water from 1st Fermentation
5g     sugar for each 0.33 l bottle

I used these fermentation lids which lets oxygen out but no in. after the second fermentation the the drink is as flat as ironing board.
How can I make the drink more carbonated?
Update
After the second try, I did use just the flip-top bottles and closed the bottle tight. I opened the lids once a day since I was afraid of an explosion.  Opening the bottle might have reduced the carbonation. It is adequate but could be a little more. Nevertheless, safety first.
From my experience, close the lid tight and leave it outside for about 24-48h.  Leave it closed at your own risk.


texts: We have 2 almond trees but we cannot crack the shells because they are so hard. What am I doing wrong

texts: We find it impossible to crack the almond shells on our almonds from two trees we have. What are we doing wrong?


texts: Does the material of the container affect the flavor of the prepared tea? If yes, what material should be preferred to get the best results?

texts:
I use a steel bowl for boiling the combination of tea and milk. Then I pour the prepared tea in a melamine cup.

Does the material of the container affect the flavor of the prepared tea?

From: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/10338/6168

  The pot should be white porcelain or glazed earthenware and have a partly serrated edge

Why porcelain or glazed earthenware? What will happen with the steel bowl and melamine cup?


texts: Nonstick Pans: Purpose, Cleaning and Heating

texts:
Three newbie questions:

Purpose - I read somewhere (can't find the link again) that nonstick pans were purposefully designed to be used without oil.  Is this really true?  Or just that food generally won't stick?
Cleaning - I also read that one of the options for cleaning grease off is boiling a vinegar-water mixture, based on the principle that oil and vinegar don't mix. It seems the hazard is that the oil can stick to the back wall of the pan when pouring the mixture out.  Has anyone tried and/or have tips to prevent oil on the wall? I was thinking I'd get a paper towel and lay it on top to soak up the grease but not sure if it'll work.
Heating - It seems that it is unsafe to heat up a nonstick pan without anything in it. How do I safely heat up the pan to the right temperature, without any oil in it?  If you put the ingredients you're to cook as it's heating up, doesn't that affect cooking the food?


texts: I've been experimenting with soups recently and trying different recipes, and I've found that I often come out with a good soup that's a bit too bland in taste. And yes, salt and pepper makes a huge difference... but it needs something else. Beyond finding the right spice for the right soup, what are some general things that I can do that won't greatly change the flavor but will add some fullness to the flavor?


texts: Does anyone have experience using psyllium husk in place of gelatin. (My particular situation is making marshmallows)


texts:
Cold brew coffee is known to be less acidic and it stays airtight in fridge overnight. It's not heated before consumption.
There are news on the internet about a well known coffee producer recalling its coffee cans for botulism risk. Is there any botulism risk in homemade cold brew coffee?
Also, does covering the can that contains cold brew in fridge (overnight) airtight increase botulism or any alike food poisoning risk? Should I cover it or keep it open to decrease the risks?


texts: I came across a recipe for skillet potatoes that asked for "cooked potatoes cut into 1/4-inch chunks". While the 1/4-inch chunk part was easy to understand, I'm not sure what is meant by "cooked". Boiled? Sauteed? Baked?


texts: Could I use a sous vide rack for cooking lasagna in boiling water?

texts:
I enjoy cooking my lasagnas in boiling water before using them in the pan. I am perfectly aware that putting a little oil in the boiling water helps avoiding the noodle to stick together. But I cook rather large and thick organic lasagnas noodles and I never really managed to avoid the two following issues:

the noodles will still stick together;
the noodles fall on the bottom of the pot making the water suddenly boil with unexpected bigger bubbles;

I usually cook 5 noodles only in the same pot, and need to do it three times in order to get 15 noodles for my recipe.
Then I discovered the following picture:

and while I couldn't find the very same tool anywhere on the web, I finally discovered a cooking tool called "sous-vide rack", some of them being circular:

(other models here)
I don't know exactly what they are made for, but I would like to know if it would be safe to use them for keeping lasagnas noodles in a vertical position in boiling water for 5 minutes. I understand that this tool is intended to be used with some water, but I am not sure the water is intended to be boiling water (I mostly ask about the temperature and the material), and while I don't see much reason why I couldn't use it for my purpose, I prefer asking before purchasing one.


texts:
I have a recipe for a South Indian "allspice" mixture that includes cardamom among other spices. One begins with whole spices, toasted, and in the end they are ground in a coffee or spice grinder.
Does one have to extract the black seeds within the pod and discard the husks before roasting and grinding? Or does one roast within the seedpod and grind the whole thing, husk and all?


texts: Techniques for making sourdough starter in cold/altitude

texts: I want to try my hand at making sourdough starter but live in high altitude and cold weather. I'm not sure if the altitude is an issue but I don't think my house is warm enough on its own to allow a starter to properly rise and ferment. Aside from I'm wondering if there are any other ways to create a warm, moist environment in which a starter could be successful.


texts: Do we really need to salt eggplant in order to remove the bitterness?

texts: Do we really need to salt eggplant in order to remove the bitterness out of it, or will only peeling remove its bitterness?


texts: Can you add alcohol to chocolate being tempered?

texts: I want to make a tempered white chocolate coating with brandy flavour. Will adding the alcohol ruin the tempering process, or is there another way of going about this.


texts: How to protect hand skin when preparing food

texts:
My hand skin is extremely dry due to exposure to water. But when cooking, it is inevitable to submerge my hands in water, for example, to wash food.

So I was wondering

generally how to protect my skin
during and/or after preparing food?
I saw there are gloves sold in the
supermarkets, but they look like for cleaning things such as dishes
and counters. For example, I have
this pair

it is made of "Premium gloves
specially blended with natural
rubber latex and durable synthetic
Neoprene".

I was wondering if such gloves are
safe for food handling? What kinds of
material for gloves are safe?

Thanks and regards!


texts: Can you make strawberry extract at home?

texts: I know you can make vanilla extract, using vodka and vanilla pods. But can you replace the vanilla pods by pieces of strawberry? I'm not sure whether the vodka would absorb the strawberry flavour, but if it works, I think I could give some desserts that extra punch.


texts: How long can vegetable-based foods be stored at room temperature?

texts:
New York City health department forces restaurants to sell prepared food such as babaghanoush on a bed of ice in freezing temperatures. I thought that this was not necessary and I posted a question here http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3326872 but someone replied that it was necessary.

Would vegetable based food such as babaghanoush or humus or pasta salad spoil in 3 or 4 hours and become dangerous to eat if sold in room temperature?


texts:
I am struggling with yeast again, doing "Milchbrötchen", basicalyl buns from a sweet yeast-dough.
My current process leaves me with "ok, but not great" results, and I am hoping for pointers on two things:
1) The crust is still a bit too hard, I am looking for a very soft crust.
2) The result tastes too yeasty.

Current process:

500 g of flour (German type 405)
50 g sugar
250 ml milk
one packet of instant yeast
70 g of margerine
a bit of salt.

I ready the yeast in some warm milk (should not be required for the yeast, but it DOES help a lot).
I mix up flour, sugar, salt.
I add the warm milk with the melted margerine.
I knead it until I can make decent buns.
I brush the buns with eggs.
Let the buns rise until about doubled in size.
Bake for 15 minutes at about 180°C.

Is there anything that will help me with my two issues?


texts: How to tell when a turkey burger is fully cooked?

texts:
I had a BBQ this weekend, and I've come to pride myself on my BBQ'ing skills... except turkey burgers. Cook them too short and you're endangering your guests. Cook them too long and they get really dry.

I can visually tell when to flip a burger (because the juices come to the surface), but are there any visual clues for when to flip a turkey burger, and when to take it off the grill?


texts: Jellies and jams: what is most important to preserve the food?

texts:
I've seen many jelly and jam recipes. Some with and without gelatin, generally all with sugar and in varying amounts. However, I am wondering what is most important for the preserving the food.

I know that gelatin helps preserve the jam/jelly by cutting the flow of air. However, is there something else in gelatin that is doing the work? If not can it be substituted by Irish Moss or Agar?

Sugar seems to have a gelatinizing effect also (less than actual gelatin though). Is it the gelatinizing effect that is helping to preserve the food, or is something else happening chemically?

Cooking is also used for food preservation, but it seems you can also have raw preserves.

Just asking the question has me asking many more. I also realize there are many books on the subject, but I guess this is my first step in a deeper understanding of the subject.


texts: How do price and quality relate in blenders?

texts:
I've seen blenders for anywhere from $20* to $2,000, and I must say, the variety of marketing-speak has my brain in a tizzy. In plain english, what are the major price levels in blenders (general ranges, obviously there's some variety in quality at each price range) and what sort of features can I expect at each level? For example, I'd not expect a $20 blender to, say, heat up soups like one famous (but more expensive) model is known for.

* I use USD, but I can convert prices easily enough


texts: How long can hard cheeses last in a refrigerator?

texts:
I had chunks of various hard cheeses, mostly parmesan, in my refrigerator for varying lengths of time.  Some as long as 3+ months.

I've never seen any obvious signs of spoilage and have never been struck down by food poisoning after using said cheese.  But my wife is very suspicious when using any food that has been in the fridge for longer than a week.

Is there a generally accepted length of time to keep these types of hard cheese?


texts: I made kosher dills for a Christmas gift and they turned out great. The jar tipped in transit and leaked all the brine. Can I refill it? With what?


texts: Does using egg+yolk in a chocolate chip cookie recipe make a big difference?

texts: Some recipes I've seen use an egg + yolk combination. A lot of them just use one egg. Does it make a big difference, as long as there is enough liquid in the batter? Would big brands use egg + yolk for a chocolate chip cookie? Wouldn't that waste a lot of whites?


texts:
I'm making bread and the recipe is calling for 10g od dried milk powder and 260g of milk. I don't have any dried milk powder and there's no place to get it near me.
In other posts, I saw that you recommended switching dried milk powder and water to only milk. In my recipe it's different, there's no water in, only dried milk powder and milk. What can I switch the dried milk powder with?
I got an automatic answer which lead me to a post which they told to substitute dry milk by reducing the amount of water and adding more milk. In my case, I don’t have water in the recipe so what can I do?
thank you :)


texts: I'm interested in an techniques for preparing courgettes? I cook mine either in a stew or I lightly fry them until brown. Are there any techniques to prepare the vegetable before cooking in either in these styles.


texts:
Today I cooked lamb on a BBQ with hood and rotisserie. I adjusted the burners to keep it at about 130C.  The lamb was boneless leg roll, prepared by my butcher.

After about an hour, the fat caught fire and the temperature shot up to 300C+. Flames of about 30cm. This charcoaled the outside. I turned the gas off entirely for a while and then put it back on when the temperature dropped.

The BBQ has volcanic rocks. Under that are three gas burners. Only the outside two were turned on.

My question is what should I have done to avoid the fire? Was there too much fat left on the lamb? Should I change the BBQ somehow?


texts: Why does almond milk make eggs stick to a nonstick pan?

texts:
I was doing an experiment when I was making eggs this morning, and tried friendly farms almond milk instead of regular milk in my eggs, and the eggs stuck to the pan, when they normally won't without anything. Why did this happen?

Method:
crack eggs
pour in a little almond milk
cook
scrape out whatever skin formed to the pan


texts: I accidentally left my groceries out on the counter for an hour. Some frozen fish and frozen fruits and vegetables. Are they still good? Especially the fish?


texts: How to make caramel sauce that doesn't taste bitter?

texts:
Tonight I made a simple caramel sauce by using:

1 cup granulated sugar
6 tbsp butter
1/2 cup cream

I caramelized the sugar (without any water), stirring constantly. When it was fully melted and had no lumps in it, I put in my butter and stirred until it fully melted. Finally I took the mixture off the heat, slowly added cream, and whisked until the mixture was smooth.

At no point during the process did I smell burnt sugar, but when I tasted the caramel sauce, it tasted a lot more bitter than I was expecting.

Is there anything glaringly obviously wrong based on how I made my caramel sauce, or is there something else I can do to ensure my caramel sauce tastes less bitter?


texts:
Goat. Goat kid.

I have a three month old goat kid that recently had to be moved to the freezer.

Most of the goat recipes that I see call for long braising in strong flavors. I assume they are using older animals with a lot of connective tissue and goaty flavor.

Is this true of kids as well? Can I just grill the meat like chicken or should I plan on doing a slow braise? Will this work for the rack of ribs as well as they seem to have more connective tissue?

I am going to be experimenting with this new meat but I want to waste as little as possible in my experiments.


texts: Is there a way to make compressed watermelon without a vacuum machine?

texts: I've got in mind to make a dish with compressed watermelon, but I don't have access to a vacuum machine. I've tried once using weight, but it just cracks because the pressure is all from one side. Thoughts? If not, can it be done with a home vacuum food-saver type device instead of a restaurant quality vacuum machine? What about denser foods such as canteloupe or cucumber?


texts: What are things to look for when choosing a raw cut of Steak?

texts: I'm guessing that when chefs go to the meat market early in the mornings to choose the best cuts of beef, they are doing it for a reason - what do they look for when judging raw beef that they will use for Steaks?


texts: Something came out of oats. What's this?

texts:
These came out of a rolled oats product.
Are these some part of oats and safe to eat?


texts:
I was going through some miscellaneous silverware in my in-laws' drawers, and ran across a set of these strange-looking forks that look a bit like sporks.

Anyone know what specific food they're for?

UPDATE: the forks in the photo are quite small, only about 5 inches long, the size of a salad fork.


texts: When baking rasberry and white chocolate muffins, the chocolate chips come out brown and discoloured on top and white in the middle. The taste of them is not affected. Does anyone have any (hopefully simple) solutions to make sure they come out nice and white. Also, the muffins were not overcooked, they came out nicely baked, fluffy on inside, not burnt anywhere.


texts: What are the advantages of using a stove instead of an oven?

texts:
Are there any advantages to using a stove instead of oven?  As a woman of science, this is a question that has been lingering in my noggin for a very long time.

The main points I'd like to see answers for are as follows:

Time
Heat Spread

If possible, provide facts and examples to prove any advantages claimed.  I would prefer if answers are not provided as experiments that I can perform, because I have a very busy work schedule.


texts: I have a recipe for Asian salad using canola oil and rice vinegar.  Is there a substitution for canola oil that will not be changing the flavor? I would prefer to not use vegetable oil.


texts: Trouble cooking steak to the standard internal temperature

texts:
I just cooked a steak following Gordon ramsey's "perfect steak" method found on youtube, I flipped the steak every minute about 4-5 times on medium-medium high heat, but I couldn't get the internal temperature to go higher than 120 degrees F and I've always had this problem regardless of how I cook the meat.

I'm including a picture of a cut from about the thicker part of the steak, it seems like it's medium-rare to me but again it only went to 120 degrees according to my thermometer which is a metal rod type thermometer.

I should note, I let the steak sit out for about an hour before cooking so it could reach room temperature, after that I put it in a zip-lock bag and let it sit under hot water for a minute or two hoping to further increase the temperature so it would cook quicker, also room temperature in my house is about 70 degrees or so.

I don't know what else to do, I don't want to eat completely brown steak, I did eat this steak despite the thermometer saying the internal temp only hit 120 and it was great, but nobody in my house but me would eat it like that. So any suggestions would be great.

Thanks.


texts:
This is a maxim that I hear frequently, especially as a defense of cooking methods that don't produce a lot of aroma: if the aroma is in the air, it means it's left the food.

As an example, some people complain about the lack of aroma produced in sous vide cooking, to which the sous vide advocates retort that this is evidence that more flavor is in the food.

Likewise, I recently saw Heston Blumenthal's roast chicken, where he went for a low-and-slow approach that produces little aroma: here, too, he claimed the flavor-retention defense to its lack of appeal. "Don't be disappointed, but my roasting technique doesn't flood your kitchen with good Sunday roast smells. This is a good thing, because smells are lost flavor" he said, while "SMELL = LOST FLAVOR" popped up on the screen.

I suppose it stands to reason, and that's the appeal of this explanation, but is it the truth? Does smelling a food necessarily imply that the final product will be less flavorful, and is it strictly because the aroma is escaping?


texts:
From times to times, I make this soup that consists of 90% onions and 10% green pepper/garlic/white cabbage/carrots. Not matter how much water I add to it, it always ends up quite thick after blending. I own 2 different (Though not particularly priced) hand blenders and normally try to blend the onion stock with both and sieve it, however after blending the soup, there is a thick layer with a paste-like consistency in the sieve that no matter how much I try to scrape using a soup, it just won't strain through. Could I be undercooking the stock?

My method is normally: 1.5kg - 2kg of onions, 1 green pepper, 2 carrots, 1 piece of cabage same weight as carrots. I put it all in the pressure cooker and boil it for about 20 - 40 mins after it peaks pressure in a low heat. On another note, I also notice this puree/stock/soup never really gets very sweet as I would hope it to. Perhaps I need to simmer it longer so as to help the onion and other veg to break?

Thanks.


texts: Repairing the Seasoning on a Cast Iron Pan

texts:
I had some caked, hard burned substance (garlic, really, from steak) on my cast-iron pan. I tried cleaning it with a brush, and it didn't come off.

So unfortunately, I put a bit of muscle into it, and now the bottom of my cat-iron pan has bits that are positively shiny and silvery. I'm pretty sure the seasoning came off here and there.

Is there a way to fix it, other than completely re-stripping the seasoning and re-seasoning it from scratch?


texts: How to make a "French Vanilla cappuccino" with a espresso machine

texts:
My wife like the French Vanilla Cappuccino they sell in restaurants like Tim Horton's.

I have an espresso machine and I wonder how I could make one with it.

If I just add some Vanilla Extract to a cappuccino, will it work? If yes, how many?

Would it be better if I buy some Vanilla syrup?

And what about those "Vanilla flavored ground coffee" they sold at the grocery store?


texts: Do I need to coat beef in flour mixture for slow cooked stew?

texts:
I've recently bought a slow cooker and my first meal will be a simple beef stew.

According to this recipe, step one is to:

  In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt and pepper; pour over meat and stir to coat beef with flour mixture

My question is, why do I need to coat the beef in flour mixture rather than simply add to the cooker?


texts: I need to quickly and safely thaw frozen ground beef, what are my options?

texts: Since reading the answers to my question about defrosting meat on the counter I've been good about giving my meat time to defrost in the refrigerator. However, my plans for tonight have changed and I'd like to defrost some ground beef that is completely frozen for dinner this evening. What are my options to do so quickly and safely?


texts:
From what I've read, to make some spices more "potent", you have to toast or bloom them. Take cinnamon stick for example, in most Indian recipes, they call for it to be fried in oil (blooming). Other spices like coriander needs to be toasted first.
Different spice calls for a different treatment. What about if I toasted the cinnamon stick first and then fried it in oil? Will it somehow make it more potent? The same case goes for coriander; will it "improve" the coriander if I toast it first, ground it, and the fried the powder in oil?
For more context, lets say the cinnamon stick is for biryani and the coriander for some stew.


texts: I like making fry-bread to go with my chili, but they always seem to be really oily. I like having well browned scones, but I can't seem to do that without plenty of oil, which apparently gets absorbed by the fry-bread.


texts: Prefermenting the whole sourdough rye bread

texts: Why is it recommended to preferment only a portion of the dough required to make a sourdough rye bread? What can go wrong if I preferment the whole batch? My current knowledge is that it should only help to get better and more acidic taste - more time for yeast to process starches.


texts: Coconut milk ice cream — getting volume?

texts:
I've made ice cream with full-fat coconut milk twice in my KitchenAid ice cream maker with OK results.

I've followed the instructions and have run the machine for the time suggested (about 20 minutes) and the ice cream mixture is ice cream like, but the volume has not increased by much.

My question is are my low-volume results because I'm using coconut milk, or can I run the machine longer and get more volume?

Thanks

Recipe:
1 can of full fat coconut milk (Aroy-D Coconut Milk)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons cocoa power

Steps:

Mix ingredients together
Chill for 1 hour
Start ice cream machine (get it turning...)
Add mix to machine
Churn for 20 minutes
Serve


texts:
I tried my hand at making homemade seitan the other night, and it was pretty good - my only complaint was that it wasn't as firm as I would have liked it to be.

These are the steps I followed (based on "Basic Seitan Recipie" instructions on the back of a vital wheat gluten box)

Mixed vital wheat gluten with water, kneaded for 5 minutes until it was elastic.
Formed into 2.5" log, let sit for 5 minutes.
Cut log into 0.5" pieces.
Heated vegetable broth over medium flame, added seitan pieces.
Brought broth to a boil.
Reduced flame, let seitan simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

So what could I do to improve this, and get firmer seitan pieces as a result? Less water in initial dough? Cut smaller pieces before boiling/simmering? Longer simmering time? Different type of vegetable broth?


texts: Why is the handle of sauce pans tilted and not horizontal?

texts: Why is the handle of a saucepan tilted upwards now-a-days rather than the old fashioned horizontal handles?


texts: Does taking an unopened can of soda out of the refrigerator and leaving at room temperature compromise the taste, flavor, or carbonation of the unopened soda can?


texts: Any tips/resources/guidelines for making homemade pasta with other flours/grains?

texts: I've made homemade pasta with AP, 00, semolina, and durham flour.  Now, I'm interested in experimenting with incorporating farro (because I had a great farro pasta dish at a local restaurant) or rice flour (because I have some gluten free friends).  How should this be done? What are the rules?


texts: Can I use mulled wine for deglazing a beef stew?

texts: In the middle of preparing a beef stew when I realised I have no red wine (I may or may not have drunk it all, you can't pin anything on me!). I have copious amounts of mulled wine though. Will this do for deglazing or will the sweetness/spices mess up the flavour of my stew?


texts: How do you temp a raw carrot for a salad bar setup per the health department and what should it temp at?


texts: Is there an alternative to condensed milk?

texts: In Denmark we don't have condensed milk in our regular stores and I've actually only seen it in an UK-import store a few years ago. Is there an alternative to it or can you craft it with regular cooking equipment?


texts:
I just picked up some ready-made, already-toasted tlayuda at a Latin American market. I'm wondering:

What is the standard/traditional method for heating these with toppings?
Is there a way to heat them on the grill?  They're big enough (like 40cm diameter) to be hard to fit into my oven.

Like I said, I've done some searching, but have found three kinds of recipes: those that have me making them from masa dough and serving immediately after toasting, those that have them served cold, and those that assume I'm substituting tortillas.  None are the case here; these tlayuda are pretty well toasted, so I'm wondering if I could spread them with black beans and heat them on a low grill.

I've had these at restaurants with melted cheese on top, and it's pretty common to buy them pre-toasted, so there must be a way.


texts: Just reading how a high end caterer is fielding requests for pork in milk for Christmas dinner.  I've never heard of that.  What advantage does braising pork in milk give?


texts:
I'm considering purchasing a new freestanding gas range and would like to hear pros and cons of people's experiences with a broiler drawer under the main oven or having the broiler element inside the top of the oven compartment.

I'm interested in efficiency, ease of use, consistency, safety, versatility, price, etc.

I've only ever used ovens that have a broiler drawer and thought in-oven broilers were reserved for electric or in-wall ovens. One thing I'm really curious about: the broiler burners are the main burners for the oven with broiler drawers. When using an in oven broiler, is the top broiler burner also the main burner for the oven? That would put the flame directly in the oven when baking. Or are there two burners? One underneath for baking and one on top for broiling?


texts: Can avocado act as an egg replacement for vegan bread

texts: Can avocado be used to replace the eggs to make a bread vegan.  I have seen very little information regard avocado as an egg replacement and was hoping to find advice from anyone who has tried baking with avocados before.


texts: Can I replace a food processor in this brownie recipe?

texts:
I'd like to make a "healthy" brownie recipe, but the instructions ask for a food processor, which I don't have. I thought about using a blender, but I've read it won't come out right using a blender.

Here's what the instructions say:

  Combine the black beans, dates, jam, and vanilla in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt and process again.

What can I use instead of a food processor?


texts: What's the source of the sweetness in tomato sauce that's simmered for at least four hours?

texts:
I was reading up on tomato sauce, and it seems important to simmer the sauce for at least a few hours. The “Frankies Spuntino” recipe is about as simple as it can get, it doesn't even contain onions. It's said to produce a “thick and rich sauce, with the flavor of the sweetest summer tomatoes.” The key points to the recipe seem to be to use canned San Marzano tomatoes and to keep the sauce at a simmer for four hours. It's clear that the quality of the tomatoes plays a role in the sweetness of the sauce, but why the long simmer? What exactly happens to the sauce during this? This snippet of advice from allrecipes.com suggests the sweetness is due to caramelization:

  Cooking time can range from two hours to all day, depending on how thick and caramelized you like your sauce.

Is that correct? I thought that the sauce, being liquid and kept at a gentle simmer, wouldn't reach the necessary temperature for caramelization. If not, what exactly does happen? And does the process really need to take so long, is there a way to speed it up a bit?


texts:
I have recently begun a sourdough starter. General advice is to throw away half the starter every few days then feed what remains with additional flour and water.

Is there a reason why most instructions say to simply discard half of it? I just fryed up some "wholemeal starter pancakes" instead of chucking it in the bin. Is this advisable? I've got a fear there's a food hygiene issue here that is more pronounced because I'm not baking it at 200c for 20mins.

Bad idea or good use of what is otherwise waste?

--FOLLOW UP--

I've been going for about a week now and the starter is really acidic and doesn't taste very nice in pancakes... I think i might have found the real answer to why it isn't suggested to do 'something' with the waste before the first bake - it doesn't taste very nice!


texts: Panko-breaded tilapia, medium fried, non-stick pan, absorbed oil

texts:
I just cooked some breaded tilapia. The breading consists mostly of panko. As per my "chef" training, to bread it, I did the usual:

Dusted the fish in flour first
Dipped it in egg next
Dredged it in panko last

I fried about 4-5 pieces with maybe 1/4" of oil in a non-stick frying pan -- gas stove (medium burner, medium heat). I'm surprised that by the time I finished the fourth piece of fish, I had to put more oil.

I thought the addition of flour, and the fairly high heat, should have prevented the fish from absorbing oil. I don't think the oil was too cold, because after I flipped the fish (two minutes on one side), the panko looked golden brown and a touch burned.

What did I do wrong?


texts: When baking what works well as a sugar substitute?

texts: I'm curious about what I can use for a sugar substitute while baking. I'm not interested in artificial sweetners, really. For instance, I've found that apple juice works well in some muffins. Are there any substitutes that work particularly well with other baked goods? Any general rules for selecting a substitute?


texts: How to maintain a smooth seasoning on carbon steel skillets?

texts:
I have two carbon steel skillets from De Buyer. They are no stainless steel skillets so I have to season them. I did this with the flaxseed oil method (apply a thin coat of oil, then eat on the stove burner (not oven for me) until it smokes a lot. Wait and redo it 5-6 times.)

Just after seasoning my skillets are perfect (black and with a smooth surface). But when I start cooking a steak, the seasoning is deteriorating. Indeed, I use to add some olive oil before my meat. In the part of the pan where there is no meat, the olive oil polymerizes and create some ugly and sticky bubbles. I cannot remove these hard oil bubbles when cleaning with salt and hot water.

So, every time I cook something with requires high heat (like steak), the oil I added just before the food is polymerizing and ruins my smooth seasoning. On my older skillet, the surface is no smooth at all anymore.

How can I avoid this and maintain a smooth seasoning?
How can I remove the oil bubbles?

Here is the kind of skillet I have (I took the picture from Internet):

Here is one of mine skillet. It is the new one and I use it only a couple of times. The surface is still smooth but you can see on the top the formation of oil bubbles:

Here is my older skillet. As you can see the surface is not smooth at all:


texts: Is cheese or pasta a good source of protein?

texts:
I am eating "Wheels & Cheese":

As you can see, there's literally nothing but cheese and pasta here. The nutrition facts on the back says that there's 11g of protein in it. I've never heard of cheese or pasta being a good source of protein.

Where does the protein come from?


texts: What temperature and time do I need to bake a 35cm Madeira cake?

texts: I am cooking a very large wedding cake (35 cm or 14 inch) and can't get the cooking time right. Is there a specific temperature I should use?


texts:
I've owned and used a variety of counter top induction burners, ranging from 1200-1800 watts, including popular, well reviewed brands.
Between the electronic whines and the fans, they were all extremely loud; amongst the loudest items in my home kitchen, and annoying enough that I don't use induction as much as I'd prefer to.
Do any quiet induction burners actually exist?


texts: Why does chocolate go grainy when I melt it?

texts:
I was melting chocolate and it turned into a thick, grainy mess. What happened and what can I do about it? I followed this common method to melt chocolate:
I used a double boiler i.e. I put a heat proof or glass bowl in the mouth of the pot having water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Stirring chocolate occasionally as it softens.


texts: How to clean settled oil fumes from cabinets?

texts: Well, I haven't really cleaned my cabinets right above the stove for a few years so now they are covered in sticky, nasty goo that's basically settled oil fumes (I like to fry and sautee stuff).  Any idea what to use to clean it?  I tried regular soapy water through a sprayer but that didn't do much.


texts: How do you stop tomato sauce from splattering?

texts:
In order to reduce tomato sauce to make a nice thick tasty topping for pasta, you often need to let it simmer with the lid off for a very long time. This always seems to result in tomato splatters all over my kitchen.

How can one prevent the splattering without preventing the evaporation of liquids that allows the sauce to thicken? Thanks!


texts: How can I cool chocolate in a couple of minutes?

texts:
I wonder how to cool chocolate in a couple of minutes, without losing its quality. I'm looking for a portable chocolate cooling machine. I think of using it in my kiosk. Meanwhile,
it's acceptable to lose some of its quality.


texts: How does a typical electric rice cooker work?

texts:
I have a cheap $15 rice cooker from my undergrad days (link). It has a metal pad on the bottom attached to a spring, a "Cook" switch (feels like a toaster lever), a "Cooking" light and a "Warm" light.

Generally speaking, how does a low-tech, electronic rice cooker work? Clearly the spring on the bottom is at play, as is the "Cook" switch.

Specifically:

How does it know when the rice is "done"?
What is the role of the spring pad on the bottom?
How do the amounts (not just the ratio) of water and rice affect the timing?
Is there a timing mechanism? Is there a temperature probe?

Bonus (since this isn't the main question): How can I use this knowledge to cook different amounts of rice or other things, such as lentils or beans, without resorting to directions online?


texts: To what extent is curcumin destroyed by boiling?

texts:
I came across a "juice shot" / "anti inflammatory drink" recepie the other day which lists the following ingredients :

lemon (in slices)
ginger (in slices)
turmeric (in slices)
sugar
water

The above ingredients should boil for 45 minutes, and then be ready to drink.

One of the advertised health boosters of this drink is curcumin (from the turmeric). However, does it withstand 45 minutes of boiling, or is the amount of curcumin reduced by the boiling?


texts: I’m making slow cooker lasagna and want to put a liner in the cooker. Has anyone been successful with this method?


texts: term for the fact that's easier to mix 2 things if the amount are different

texts:
I am asking this for a friend because we cannot find the answer in google (but did learn a lot about  cocaine, dj mixers, bread, concrete and ligers).

Seems like there must be a term/principle/something for this thing:
It's easier to mix cocoa powder into a tiny bit of water than a whole cup of
water.
Is it easier to blend two things of different textures or consistencies or forms when
the amounts of each type are quite different? When the wet thing is much less?

For example:
In making a tea blend that involves two main textures: powder and granules, it's easier to mix the powder with the granules when I do all the powder at once and just a small amount of granules, then add that mix to the rest of granules.

What are the words for this?


texts: Is it possible to do slow cook things using a sous vide machine?

texts:
My question is the exact opposite of this one. I'm considering getting a sous vide tool like this one. I'm wondering what's preventing me to use it as a slow cooker?

Like, would it make sense to use the sous vide thing to circulate water in a bain-marie, and cook something inside a second bowl? Maybe that's overkill, or consume an unreasonable amount of energy?

If that's not a good idea, what's the cheapest way of getting equipment that allows you to do both slow cooking and sous vide?


texts:
I've seen a number of sites talk about laminating pasta dough with herbs and it looks lovely. But I haven't seen anything about doing this with meat. I assume you wouldn't want to do it with uncooked meat, but I feel like you could do with thin slices of cured or cooked meat.

Is it possible to laminate pasta dough with meat?
Has anyone done this before?


texts:
I usually use pineapple juice or apple juice while preparing a cake instead of milk.
However some juices sound heavy in a cake, for ex. mango juice.

What will the cake result in if I used Mango juice, or another heavy juice? Or, could I dilute it with water, or will the cake fail then?
If I used orange juice, will it be OK? Will the acidity of the orange juice affect the cake recipe?

I use this simple recipe for the cake:

2 eggs

1.5 cups flour (all purpose)

0.75 cups sugar

1.25 cups oil

0.75 cups juice

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla


texts: How do I keep my chocolate ganache in the right consistency?

texts: I made a chocolate ganache and after a few hours in the fridge it was in the perfect consistency. I left it out of the fridge so it would be room temperature, and an hour later it became much harder. I tried putting it back in the fridge but it didn't help. I need to use the ganache on a cake in 12 hours. How do I get the ganache back to the right consistency?


texts:
I have this really tasty recipe for pancakes that use almond flour and whey protein (along with Ricotta cheese and lemon).  However, the problem is, these pancakes don't "flip".  Does anyone have any advice on what could be done to improve this tasty breakfast treat?  Oh, and I have also tried to make it in a waffle maker, and that doesn't work right either.  We lovingly call this recipe "Scrambled Pancakes".  :)

Here is the list of ingredients:

3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cups sour cream
4 packets Splenda, stevia, or erythritol
Juice and zest of 1 large lemon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup natural or vanilla whey protein powder
Pinch of salt


texts:
I've read somewere in the net that sushi is an extremely difficult food to prepare. It will take at least one year just to learn to cook the rice, and ten year to complete the experience.

It's so difficult? To do a comparison, one could prepare a decent home sushi like one can prepare a decent home dish after some years of home cooking?

It's more like a western chef that needs anyway to study and practice for a long time?


texts: Is it possible to make yoghurt directly in the milk carton using sous vide?

texts:
I recently got a sous vide circulator as a gift. I've made yoghurt before but using jars and a thermometer, and the method is heating it to 82 degrees, cooling it down to 46, then adding the culture and leaving it in the oven with the light on.

I've been wondering whether it would be possible to put the whole carton of milk into the sous vide to get to the temperatures I want, then add the culture and let it do its thing inside the carton?


texts: What temperature of water will kill yeast?

texts: In other words, what is the maximum temperature of water I can use in yeast bread dough? I don't proof the yeast, I use rapid dry yeast and I just add it to the other ingredients and knead it in.


texts:
This is turning out to be harder than I expected. I had gnocchi at a restaurant which had a crispy outside. I fail to consistently achieve this.

I have tried shallow frying — gnocchi just absorbs all the oil.

Pan frying — gnocchi seems to cook through before getting crispy.

Any help?


texts: How can bitterness from dried mushrooms be avoided?

texts:
A couple of times I've made the mistake of adding the liquid used to soak dried mushrooms back to my broth resulting in a horribly bitter taste.

The top answers here and here make no mention of bitterness. Instead they say the liquid should be reserved and used to add mushroom flavor. This can't be the whole story.

Could it be that different mushrooms require different preparation methods?

Recently I have been using a mixture of porcini and funnel chanterelle. Previously, I only used porcini, so perhaps chanterelles are the problem?

One online source (which I'll link to if I find again) suggested cold water should be used to avoid bitterness. Another online source (again, I've lost the link) says that warm water should be used and boiling water will cause bitterness.

I don't remember now but it's possible that I used boiling water so these claims sound plausible to me.

Does anyone know for sure whether bitterness depends on the type of mushroom or the method of soaking?


texts: Brand new grill pan was seasoned but food taste rancid/metallic?

texts: Bought new cast iron grill pan from Bed Bath etc and seasoned it per videos on FB. Then used for first time tonight and something is off. Grilled asparagus tasted rancid or metallic and the pan smoked alot. Prior to using the pan it seemed sticky and shiny. Thinking maybe a failed seasoning due to too much oil? Is this right and how do I fix it?


texts: How do I stop my Crispie/Crispy cake from going stale?

texts:
I make a Crispie type cake, but with my own homemade ingredients, Mallows,etc when I make it with shop bought Marshmallows etc it lasts for weeks, when I make it with my own ingredients it goes soft/dry, the crispies loose their crisp and the gooeyness goes. How do I solve this? Would thicker packaging work? or vacuum sealer. At the moment they are just on trial and are being ept in thin "boil in a bag" vacuum packaging for home use.
Can anyone give me any advice that might help me please.
Thank you Sarah


texts: What is the purpose of adding baking powder to a recipe that contains yeast?

texts:
Example, this recipe: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/recipes/recipe-traditional-cypriot-tahini-pies/article25201735/
In addition to yeast it calls for a small amount of baking powder. What is the purpose of that?
I found this thread, from which I basically concluded that there is no real leavening effect of using baking powder and yeast together because if you bake it quickly, the yeast fails to leaven as it does not have time to work, and if you bake it after resting, the baking powder would fail to leaven because it is already spent by the time baking starts.
So is there any other reason one would add baking powder to a yeast-leavened dessert? One of the answers in the link above talks about a possible reason for adding baking soda to yeast but nothing on baking powder.


texts: why does my microwave beep half way through a defrost?

texts:
When I defrost meat in my microwave, it will beep about half way through the cycle. I'm assuming this is to indicate to me that I need to do something, I'm just not sure what.

Am I supposed to check to see the progress?
Am I to remove the meat and re-evaluate?
Are there health concerns associated with ignoring the beep?


texts:
I see in many recipes with beef meat concrete part of the cow in the ingredients. I'm always wondering, what would happen if I put the meat I actually have and not the exact one. Is it that different?

These are the parts of beef: neck, brisket, chuck, rib, sirloin, tenderloin, flank, shankle, round. Are any of them interchangeable, so it is safe to replace one type of meat with another? Are there any general on-this-site-explainable modifications, that need to be applied when using different kind of meat?


texts:
I read this recent news story about a Kentucky Chinese restaurant dragging road kill into their restaurant and the town became skittish and shut the restaurant down.

Is eating road-killed venison a health hazard? What is the difference between a bow/gun-shot deer and and a road-killed deer, in terms of health concerns?

Can a road-killed deer be converted into quality acceptable by health depts by some form of inspection? Or, does restaurant quality venison have to come from deer farms?


texts:
Sometimes I wish to bake a cake, but the country where I am in doesn't have baking soda. I have tried using actual soda, but this has limited success and the cake tends to just rise and then fall.

I've already read this question on substitutions for baking soda, but that's for pancakes and the main problem seems to be that the pancakes would taste funny. For a cake, where there's a lot more ingredients, I'm hoping that other substitutions would be possible which would not otherwise be possible in a pancake (would the cake also taste like metal by tripling the baking powder?).

Thanks for any help!


texts:
I recently bought a Good Cook brand sheet cake pan, not realizing that it was nonstick. I'm was wondering what kind of nonstick coating it had, since the only coatings I know of are ceramic and teflon, and I usually expect to see a darker color on teflon pans.

What kind of nonstick coating does this pan have?


texts: Both over- and undercooked beans from a pressure cooker

texts:
I cooked pinto beans in an electric pressure cooker and ended up with a few overcooked mushy beans, few cooked ones, if slightly al dente, and the majority of beans so severely undercooked that they seemed to be hardly cooked at all. Over- or undercooked beans wouldn't have surprised me, but both at the same time? What happened?

I used my newish electric pressure cooker to cook dried, not soaked, pinto beans. I cooked 250 g (9 oz) in 1 litre (4 cups) of water on high pressure for 22 min (the accompanying booklet recommended 22-25 min) and did a quick release (I did 24 min and natural release before; this resulted in beans so mushy you cannot eat them as anything else other than puree; internet research pointed towards 22 min and quick release). Where was my mistake?


texts: Is it possible to make salty avocado Ice Cream without a machine?

texts:
I'm trying to make salty avocado ice cream for a culinary school project, but don't really know if it's possible.

I've found several no-churn recipes, but most of them use sweetened condensed milk. I'm trying not to use any sweeteners (or as few as possible), as this will be a cold entrée.

Would it be possible to have some sort of mix made of processed avocados, some heavy cream, lemon and a bit of salt/pepper (resembling a simple guacamole) and have this turned into ice cream?

I've thought about using dry ice for it but not sure if it would work. I might also be able to use a KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment.


texts: Ingredients vs. Temperature Control in Chocolate Fudge

texts:
In reading through a LOT of different approaches to making fudge, I am wondering about how the non-sugar ingredients affect the issue of temperature control (both heating AND cooling) and, therefore, the results in the recipes.

First of all, a question about heating the sugar solution - am I correct that in bringing a sugar solution to the soft-ball stage temperature, what you are doing technically is boiling-off water to the point where the sugar concentration is appropriate for the re-crystallization properties desirable in fudge?  So, the temperature gives you an indication of the concentration of sugar in solution and different concentrations behave differently when cooled, is that right? Basically, the temperature is documenting sugar concentration achieved by way of evaporation.

If that is true, then I can buy that in heating the sugar and milk or cream or condensed milk to make fudge, the temperature would still be dictated by sugar concentration in the water part of the milk-product.  So if we think of a a milk-product as water + solids + fats, the sugar concentration is still reliably documented by the temperature since the sugar will dissolve in the water of the milk and is (basically) unaffected by the solids and fat content.  Is that, more-or-less correct?

Continuing along this same line of reasoning, would it also be correct to assume that as long as you add to the pot only ingredients that contain NO water, that you would preserve the integrity of the relationship between the temperature of the ingredients and the concentration of sugar in solution?  So heating the chocolate or marshmallow (or whatever) with the milk/sugar solution won't fundamentally alter the relationship between sugar concentration and temperature?

Then what about adding ingredients during cooling?  Most recipes where you heat all of the ingredients together (except butter and vanilla) instruct you to let the mixture sit undisturbed until it cools to (like) 110° F - I thought that the goal there is to have the sugar in a supersaturated state so that crystallization will occur rapidly when you stir.

But some recipes instruct you to add other ingredients after bringing the sugar/milk to the soft-ball stage - I would think that adding ingredients during cooling could induce a temperature change that could screw-up the supersaturated state and give you grainy fudge.  Most of these types of recipes contain marshmallow.  So, since marshmallow is mostly corn syrup, is the corn syrup controlling the re-crystallization properties of the sugar?  If that's true, do you need to be careful with a marshmallow fudge during cooling at all?


texts: I added yeast to a recipe calling for baking soda, what will happen?

texts:
I have added yeast to a recipe that also calls for baking soda and baking powder. I am curious what will happen to the bread?

I combined a bread maker recipe with a gluten free walnut cranberry rolls. I just took them out of the oven and although they look good they didn't rise much. I mixed the gluten free with yeast as instructed but was dry so I opened up recipe from my bread maker which called for baking soda and baking powder.


texts: What caused my homemade "Nutella" to go bad?

texts:
I had a first try on a self-made recipe for a chocolate-hazelnut cream, in short Nutella.

Question Even though I used ingredients that wouldn't have gone bad singularly, the cream as a whole had an intolerable acid smell after 1 week from the preparation. What could have been the cause?

How the cream was prepared I prepared a chocolate-mousse only using 70% dark chocolate and water, then I blended it together with brown sugar, hazelnuts and olive oil. Immediately after preparation the cream was fine. Then I left it on a shelf, and when I came back after 1 week it had a strongly pungent acid smell, the taste was in line with the smell; the situation was bad enough to force me to throw everything away.

Thank you very much for your interest!


texts: My bagel recipe calls for 1 tbsp of barley malt syrup. I have diastatic malt powder. How much powder would equal the tbsp of syrup?

texts: My bagel recipe calls for 1 tbsp barley malt syrup. I have diastatic malt powder. How much powder would equal the tbsp of syrup?


texts: Using baking powder versus self rising flours and corn meal

texts: Everything I bake with baking powder is bitter.  If I use self rising flour or corn meal there is no bitter taste.  So why do so many recipes call for baking powder?


texts:
This question is not being answered because it appears to be a duplicate.  However, the answers provided for the other post on blow outs seem to apply to artisan breads.  I have never added moisture to my oven nor slashed my loaves when baking a yeast bread in a loaf pan nor has it ever been suggested in any recipes I have followed.  Please reconsider my question.  Thank you.
I bake yeast(not artisan or sourdough)in a loaf pan on a lower rack in a preheated 375 degree oven.  When I get a lovely oven spring, I also tend to get an ugly blowout.  I think my ingredient ratios are in line as I follow the recipes but also use "feel" to guide the end result:  Not too stiff but slightly on the sticky side.  I use a stand mixer for most of the kneading and then finish with gentle hand kneading.  I shape the loaves gently by hand and make sure the seams are all tucked into the bottom.  I try to adhere to the recommended rise times as well.  What am I doing wrong?


texts:
What are some good ways of getting the most flavor out of lemon zest and into sugar+water?

I’ve steeped them in the liquid that was just to the boil and left it to cool.

But I wonder what better techniques might be available.  I beleive that the “essence” is oily and doesn’t wash out into water-based solutions easily.

What would Alton Brown do?


texts: How do I get rid of smells and tastes leaching into other cookies when stored together for gifts?

texts: how to prevent cookies picking up the smell and taste of other cookies when storing together - Like Mint or Peanu Butter that makes all the other cookies taste like them.


texts:
I've been wanting to try to make demi-glace, but it seems so complicated that I don't think it's worth it.

Further - it seems unneccesarily complicated. Accoding to wikipedia, we should

  combin[e] equal parts of veal stock and espagnole sauce [...] simmered
  and reduced by half.

Now, let's check what "espagnole sauce" is:

  very dark brown roux, to which veal stock or water is added, along
  with browned bones, pieces of beef, vegetables, and various seasonings

So... a roux, with veal stock, where you add pieces of bones, beef and vegetables.

Assuming we begin with bones, meat and vegetables:

We first make a stock from two thirds of that.
We then take the last third, add half of the stock to THAT (+roux).
And finally we take the rest of the stock, and add the finished espagnole sauce to THAT.

What't the point of all these steps?
I've checked videos, wikipedia and cookbooks - no one explains why one would need it - couldn't one just make a stock, reduce it, and thicken it with roux?


texts: Constructions of Lego Bricks Made of Cake

texts:
My friends and I had this idea while drunk one night, to create a big batch of small cakes shaped like LEGO bricks and interlock them into a larger, round cake. Morning came, and we grew daunted by the task we had set, so promptly gave up. My question then, is this: were we right to give up, or is this actually a possibility?

My primary concern is that cake seems a fairly fragile material. The hollowing process for creating the bricks may spell an end for it right from the start, and even if it can survive that, how well will it be able to stack without collapsing on itself?

Secondary is a concern over the interlocking, how difficult would it be to allow modular construction and destruction? The original idea was only for a bigger cake, but if it works well that won't be where it stops.

Are there any techniques that could make this task more tractable? Cake recipes that might withstand the stresses better?


texts:
We had broad beans last night (in a risotto - yum!)

I emptied the beans from their pod, blanched them, then removed the skins from the individual beans before putting them into the risotto.

I never got round to cleaning up the pan in which I had blanched the beans, and when I came into the kitchen this morning I discovered that the water in it was a brown-ish/orange-ish/bronze-ish colour (still entirely transparent, though). There was no colouring at all after I'd blanched the beans, and I didn't do anything to the pan in between - just left it on the hob.

Does anyone know what the colour is, and by what mechanism it appeared overnight?


texts:
The recipe I am looking at for Apple Crisp by Ina Garten calls for 1 cup of oatmeal.  It doesn't say prepared oatmeal, or rolled oats, just "Oatmeal".

Is the recipe asking for 1 cup of prepared oatmeal (rolled oats + water)?  1 cup of rolled oats and then prepared into oatmeal?

Or is it something else?


texts: How do I prepare (any) coffee with desired caffeine concentration?

texts:
I’m an student from Tampere, Finland, and I’m doing an essay on the effects of coffee (caffeine). However, how to determine the caffeine content in each serving of coffee is unclear.

How do I prepare ~5 servings of each:

Coffee with ~0mg of caffeine
Coffee with ~25mg of caffeine
Coffee with ~50mg of caffeine
Coffee with ~100mg of caffeine
Coffee with ~200mg of caffeine


texts: Melted pot residue on solid plate cooker

texts: My enamel pasta pot, which I've had for years, melted into my solid plate stove after I forgot the plate on.  It smelled like burning plastic.  I removed the pot and it was so hot that it charred my wooden chopping board.  The stove plate was glowing red and after removing the pot there was a residue burnt into the solid plate of my cooker.  I tried scraping it off but it had hardened and feels like plastic and looks like solid aluminium.  How can I remove the melted parts from the solid plate?


texts: Can I assume chicken internal temp rises 5 degrees while resting?

texts:
With steak I've often read you should remove it from heat about 5 degrees before your target internal temp because it will continue to rise about that much as it rests.
Is the same true for chicken? If your target temp is 165, is it okay to remove from heat when the internal temp is a few degrees lower?


texts: What are the differences between fresh beans and dried ones?

texts:
I recently came across some fresh black beans at my local farmer's market. It was the first time I had seen black beans that weren't either canned or dried.

I'm sure the fresh beans will cook faster and not need to soak, but are there any other differences I should know about? How will the resulting beans cook compared to dried beans? Will they also taste different? Are some dishes suited more to fresh beans than dried?

What about other types of beans since fresh Cranberry and Lima beans were also at the market?


texts: Putting a solid chocolate bar inside cake dough: what's the outcome?

texts:
Let's say I'm making a plain vanilla cake in a rectangular shape. If I were to put a solid chocolate bar in the middle of the dough before baking it, what would the outcome be when the cake is removed from the oven and has cooled down?

The bar will have dropped to the bottom and you now have a brown stain on the bottom of the cake
The bar will remain in place, but after melting it simply becomes solid again so you now have a very hard chocolate bar in the middle of your cake.
The bar will melt and become chocolate spread inside your cake. After cooling down, it will remain in its semi-liquid state and thus you have a deliciously filled cake.

I'm hoping for outome #3, but I'm pretty sure it won't be that easy. What If I were to put actual chocolate spread inside the cake dough rather than a chocolate bar?


texts: How do you make sure your salmon is cooked through?

texts: I have taken measurements and by the time the slim side of the salmon hits 60c, the middle is barely scratching 30c. With that gap how can you make sure the inside is cooked without overcooking the surface?


texts: Food Processor Feeder Tube Hole - What Is It Called and How Does It Work?

texts:
I've seen a useful tool on some food processors before, where they have a small hole in the feeder tube that is perfect for making mayonnaise. If you fill the feeder tube with oil, the oil will fall through the hole one drop at a time, taking all the difficulty out of starting the emulsion by hand. I had a couple questions regarding this tool:

What is the right terminology for it? I always think of it as an "eyelet dropper" but I have no idea if that's an accurate term.
Is there anything special about the hole's construction that slows the oil to a single drop at a time? Or is it something about the viscosity of the oil that does it?

I enjoy making homemade mayo, but doing it with my blender is a real pain and I'd prefer to not have to upgrade to a larger food processor to automate starting the emulsion. I was hoping to just 3D Print a plug for my blender's lid that would include one of these holes, but I figured I'd ask first and see if the hole needed some special properties to work the same way...


texts: What does adding dark rum give to a fajita stir-fry?

texts:
I'm looking at a recipe for a fajita stir-fry that includes an optional 2 tbsp of dark rum. The introduction for the recipe mentions,

  Latin spices combined with the optional kick of dark Jamaican rum make an interesting marriage of flavors.

What does the rum offer to the recipe? I ask because I'm not sure I want to buy a whole bottle of dark rum just for one recipe.


texts: What takes over the functions of gluten in gluten-free bread mixes?

texts:
Gluten has many effects on bread doughs, as explained in this beautiful answer. I think the main effects for bread doughs are the first three mentioned there:

Provide elasticity, presumably because of the network of links it creates in the dough;
Trap and retain gas, again with the network of crosslinks;
Absorb moisture.

As the answer linked to above explains, hydrocolloids such as xanthan or guar gum can mimic the effect of 2. to a certain extent by forming a very thin gel. I was wondering which ingredients take over which specific function of gluten.

More specifically: is it possible to indicate specific ingredients that take over some of the other functions? Are there other classes of ingredients that take over the function of trapping gas bubbles - maybe other proteins? And are there other functions that hydrocolloids have in gluten-free bread mixes?


texts: Is it better to freeze crepe batter or cooked crepes?

texts:
I sometimes make crepe pancakes with the following recipe: 200g of flour, 350ml of milk, 2 eggs and a table spoon of vegetable oil.

I was wondering whether it was better to store the crepe batter in the freezer and cook some when I want it, or to cook the crepes then store them in the freezer.

Which way will last longer and which way will ensure that the crepes are fresh when I eat them?


texts:
When I was young, I loved shrimp, crab and lobster.  Sometime in my twenties, I started to develop a mild allergic reaction to them (i.e. tingling in the throat), so I have for the past years been avoiding them.  Once in a while I will steal a spoonful of my wife's seafood bisque, but that's about as far as I will push it.

Last week I read a recipe for Shrimp Scampi, and that got me thinking about how I could make it without shrimp.  My first thought was to use imitation crab, which I can eat with no problem.

Does anyone have any suggestions for substitutions for shrimp for those with shellfish allergies?


texts: How much jaggery can replace 1 tablespoon of white sugar?

texts:
Assume the jaggery is of finest quality and is ground. Also, the sugar can be powdered or in crystal form.

I just want the same level of sweetness when I replace them with each other.


texts: How can I cook the perfect potato for a potato salad?

texts:
I have never managed to cook the perfect potato when making a potato salad.

The potato tends to either be too mushy or it is too crunchy depending on if I over cook or under cook. I never seem to be able to find the perfect balance.

How can I cook the perfect potato?


texts: making scalloped potatoes, need to be in oven for 3 hours,what temperature should I have them on

texts: I need to put scalloped potatoes in the oven for 3 hours, what tempterature should I have them on?


texts:
I have always heard how food companies deliberately add 'extra' sodium to make foodstuffs like fried snacks and instant noodles addictive. But my question is, if I were to make the same food at home, won't I add an equivalent amount of sodium to get that taste? Or is some of the sodium content somehow 'hidden' in the food industries' products?
I get that flavour enhancers like supersalt and MSG have sodium in it. But doesn't the addition of those in packaged foodstuffs compensate for some of the salt that would otherwise be added?
Update: I am talking about extra sodium being added without an effect on taste, or it being added in a way that we get a greater 'kick' from the food, rather than the sodium being hidden in some way.


texts: I'm planning to do a Barbeque at the end of the month and I'd like to serve a variety of different 'Greek' style kebabs. I'm not looking for recipies, but what is the essence of creating grilled / barbeque food that tastes Greek. Whenever I have kebabs in Greece or in a Greek restaurant they taste different to kebabs I have had elsewhere but it's really difficult to tell what the difference is. One issue I think that might be important is the particualr mix of aromatic herbs such as Greek Basil. Does anyone else have any ideas what I can do?


texts: How to dry fruit peels without growing mold?

texts: I'm trying to dry citrus peels in a jar (I don't want to leave them indefinitely on the counter) without much luck. Any suggestions?


texts: How can I get rid of as much oil from my schnitzel after deep-frying it?

texts:
My issue with my favorite food is that it has so much oil in it. I'm using simple sunflower oil to deep-fry my schnitzel and it comes out delicious, but it has too much oil in it.

I use napkins to dry as much as possible but it doesn't do a great job.

Any ideas?


texts:
I've noticed some of the most difficult messes to cleanup happen in the kitchen. I opened the fridge and a large container of salsa fell out and spilled on the floor and beneath the fridge. It was chunky and a rag didn't absorb it well.

Lot's of things in the kitchen are partly solid and partly moist so it's not easy to pickup in one piece but to chunky to wipe up or wash away. Another example is spilled stew or cereal. Any advice on how to clean up things like this?


texts: Why do my pastries come out flat when I use butter instead of margarine?

texts:
I am making Danish puff and also mini cream puffs. When I make them with butter, they are coming out thinner and flatter, spreading out. they should be high and round. It calls for margarine (which I don't like and is hard to find except spreads.) Can anyone help?

The recipe for the puffs is:

  1/2 cup butter
  1 cup water
  1 cup flour
  salt
  4 eggs

  Heat water, butter, salt to boil. Remove from heat and add flour all at once. Stir over low heat 1 min. or until forms ball. Cool slightly, add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Drop by tsps. bake at 400° F for 10 min. Reduce heat to 350° F and bake 20 mins.

It is flattening with butter. Should I add more flour? Ideas?


texts: I normally pasteurize my goats milk before I freeze it, however I also freeze some Raw milk. Can I pasteurize my goat milk after I have frozen it raw?


texts: Do extracts add sweetness or just the flavor?

texts:
I really don't know how to best phrase this question, but do extracts add sweetness or just the flavor? That is, what should I expect from an extract?

For example, say I put maple extract into milk. Should I expect it to be the same as putting maple syrup in it if I use enough? Or if I put strawberry extract into it, is it then going to be as if I blended whatever amount of strawberries with milk without the added bulk of the fruit?

I guess I'm just a bit confused as to what I'm getting, since I've never used them before. I see a lot of baking recipes call for them, but then they also call for significant amounts of sugar on top of it, as well. What if you had, say, strawberry extract and just added more of instead of sugar. What would that do to the taste/sweetness?


texts:
Any pointers on getting a 75% hydration wheat sour dough loaf to hold more shape and spread less?

Full details of current method:

I have a 100% wheatflour levain with a 75% hydration. It is stiffer than most I see online but grows well. It lives in the fridge all week until I make a loaf. It then gets fed with 40 g flour per 30 g of water and left to expand.

I then make a kilogram loaf using 400 g flour and 300 ml water. This is vigorously kneaded for 10 minutes by hand or a good 5 minutes by a Kenwood Chef Mixer with the dough hook.

After being left for an hour in a moist environment then folded and added to a cane banneton it is left untouched until it has expanded by varying amounts (somewhere between 50-100 % extra in volume).

It is only touched once more when the oven is preheated -it is turned out onto a silicone sheet on an oven tray and then placed on a preheated, upturned glass dish to warm the bottom of the loaf. It's then baked in an oven at 220 C for ten minutes and then 200 C for another 30 minutes.

Invariably, the loaf produced is very flat compared to the banneton with a nice crumb and flavour. The crumb is stretchy and a little chewy.

I have tried adding less water than this with similar results. This loaf was proved in fridge overnight and baked in the morning. The loaf looks similar when proved at room temperature over shorter durations.

All I want is to produce similar results except the bread holds its shape more and produce a taller. Any tips?

As my partner and I only eat one loaf per week it's a slow trial and error process varying hydration and watching for expansion.


texts: Is it safe to consume microwaved Campbell’s chicken stock?

texts:
I often pour a bowl of frozen veggies and a cup of chicken stock (straight from those 1 litre boxes) in a bowl and microwave it for 12 minutes. It comes out fairly hot.

Is this safe to do? Or am I risking food poisoning by not boiling the chicken stock?


texts: Doubling the ingredient of Japanese cheesecake: more time to cook?

texts: I've done a fair share of cheesecake in the past. Now I would like to try this Japanese cheesecake for an upcoming birthday. We'll be around 20 persons, but the recipe is for an 8" round pan, which is not enough. Can-I double the ingredient and put it in a 10" square springform pan? Do-I need to cook it longer?


texts: can I process salad dressing for shelf life in a water bath or pressure canner and if I can how long is the process time, I can't find out anything about it please help.


texts:
I usually buy ready made pizza base and use it for baking pizzas. All of my pizzas get a very hard and crispy outer crust. Why so?
I thought of brushing some oil on the pizza base before I bake it but no help. I use a convection microwave oven.


texts: Cookie dough is too dry to shape, can I salvage the existing batch?

texts:
I make this same Christmas cookie every year and this has never happened before. I made the dough on Wednesday, put in fridge, and today was baking them. I let them sit for maybe 20 min at room temperature and the ones I was able to twist, and keep dough together were dry after being baked.  The dough was falling apart when I was trying to make long ropes and then twist.

I put the rest of the dough back in the fridge since this morning. There is milk in the recipe. Should I add some milk to the hard dough or add the milk to dough  after sitting out at room temp when ready to twist?  I'm trying to salvage the rest of my dough.

I'm assuming it needs more liquid but I've never had to do this. Please help and let me know why this happened; why it seems dry and unable to stay together. I wrapped the dough in wax paper and put in a bag, maybe it wasn't sealed the best? Not sure.


texts: I can never get the middle of my brownies "done" without overbaking the outsides. The middle is tasty, but gooey.   What is the secret?


texts: Dry gravy mix clumped due to moisture safe to consume?

texts:
I have some dry gravy powder (beef flavored) purchase 2 years ago.  It is starting to clump from moisture due to me not closing the lid properly a few times.  Still safe to consume?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004V0D3DQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1


texts: What are the pros and cons when microwaving food in microwave-safe bone china, glass, or silicone?

texts:
All of them can be used in microwave, as far as I know. But the question is which one should be preferred?

What are the pros and cons on the basis of which we can decide which one to prefer?

Out of microwave safe bone china, glass, and silicone wares which should be preferred for heating food in microwave?

Can there be a speed difference w.r.t heat reaching the food in the vessel due to its material?


texts: There is a family recipe which calls for either canned or fresh sweet potatoes or yams. Is there any practical difference in preparation? Sweetness level? Does the cooking process matter (it's a baked pan of mashed potatoes)?


texts: How do you calculate volume of pasta from its weight after cooking down?

texts:
I am hoping to make two 3 quart casserole dishes worth of macaroni and cheese. The recipe I have calls for using two pounds of pasta, but doesn't indicate the volume of food that it will yield after cooking down, or after combining with sauce.

Assuming I will use either small shells  or fusilli (haven't bought the pasta yet because I don't know how much I will need), how do i translate poundage of pasta to volume?


texts: Recently I had this amazing drink in a "Israeli style bistro" in St Petersburg, Russia. I can't remember the exact name, something beginning with 'J', like Jollo, Jalla or something. It had a really interesting flavour with hints of spices and citrus and it was topped with pistachios, sultanas and pine kernels. It had a delightfully golden brown hue and it was carbonated. Could it be based on an actual traditional Israeli drink? I want to try to make it at home! I already contacted the restaurant but they wouldn't disclose anything about the drink.


texts: What is the ingredient that makes a Spanish paella so particular?

texts:
I have eaten paella in Spain; I then ate it in Italy, but it didn't taste like the one in Spain.

What is the ingredient that makes the Spanish paella so particular?
I remember they used a particular sauce for the meat (I have eaten both the Valencian paella and the seafood paella); if that is what makes the difference, what are the ingredients for that sauce?


texts: Can you make croissants with compound butter?

texts: Has anyone ever tried making croissants (or leavened puff pastry) with compound butter (e.g. basil butter, cinnamon butter)? Are there any practical issues with this? Will particles in the butter break the layers of dough? Will sugary butters burn before the dough is fully cooked?


texts: What can I make with the broken corn chips at the bottom of the bag?

texts: Once I've eaten all the biggish chips with salsa, there are a bunch of small-to-crumb sized corn chips left. I always think I'll eat them plain later, but I happen to want more salsa now...and they sit until they get stale. But they're so delicious (so full of fat and salt!), it seems to me I ought to be able to incorporate them into a dish. But what?


texts: When cooking meats such as pork chops in a toaster oven, is it better to use butter or some type of oil to coat the pan?

texts: I often use a toaster oven where I line the tray with aluminum foil and coat it in something so the food doesn't stick. Is a difference between using butter or olive oil or some other type of oil to prevent the meat from sticking and make it taste rich?


texts:
I want to make a replacement for heavy cream. I'm considering almond milk blended with a fat. I have a high powered blender on the way for this purpose (yes, it will blend).

Some fats I'm considering:

Coconut Oil
Butter
Tallow (wet rendered, pretty neutral in flavor)

Blending the almond milk and fat together, is it possible to create a reasonably stable suspension with a consistency similar to cream this way?

Will the fat invevitably separate after a few hours?

Do I need to add an emulsifier or other ingredient?


texts:
Is there any noticeable difference in taste and texture when making caramel on a non-stick pan versus a normal pan? I have seen a few cooks making caramel on a stainless steel saucepan and others on black frying pans most probably non-stick. But, is there a difference?

Surely, the most annoying thing is cleaning up the mess of caramel afterwards, any fast tips?


texts: Why does brining work with dry heat methods and not wet heat methods?

texts:
If you brine chicken in a high saline solution and and then cook it using a dry heat method it will come out salty.  IF however you do the same thing and then cook it with a wet heat method e.g. soup it doesn't come out salty or seem affected by the brine.  Why is this?

Thanks


texts: Can I rely on smell to tell if rendered animal fat is bad?

texts:
I've started storing rendered tallow (beef fat) in a glass jar on my kitchen counter at room temperature. The jair has a lid but is not air tight.

Is it okay to use this fat for consumption as long as it does not smell bad? I'm worried about oxidation / rancidity.


texts: I really enjoy grinding mint with lemon, then adding that to various drinks. I buy fresh mint but mint leaves wither pretty fast. I thought about grinding the entire mint bundle in lemon juice at once and keeping it in fridge. For how long would it be safe to store it like that?


texts: Can I make a hollandaise sauce from mix the day before?

texts: I would like to make a hollandaise sauce from a McCormick mix a day ahead. Will I be able to reheat it and is it safe?


texts: What kinds of metals are good for a salt shaker?

texts: What kinds of kinds metals are good for a salt shaker? Are there metals which will react with the salt in them to cause either the shaker to corrode or ruin the salt (eg. cause caking etc.)


texts: Why doesn't milk create gluten when combined with flour?

texts:
I wanted to make a simple pizza, but as I read the recipe, I began to wonder about the chemistry behind it.

When flour and water come together, gluten starts to form. We know that.
But why doesn't gluten form when only flour and milk come together? 87 percent of the milk consists of water. When I whip the milk and flour, there is no elastic structure.


texts: I got an Angus burger patty from the meat counter at my local Kroger. I cooked it for about 5 minutes on each side on medium heat with a lid on the pan. The burger was a bit thicker. I was so hungry and ate it really fast and didn't realize that it was somewhat undercooked in the middle. Here is a picture of what was left. Am i going to be okay or should I worry about E.Coli? Is it worth puking it out?


texts: What does the egg white do in peppermint creams?

texts:
Some recipes I have seen say to use egg white and water instead of lemon juice and water in peppermint creams.

Why is this? What does egg white do that water doesn't?


texts: Why do bread and butter pickle recipes call for onions, mustard seed, and celery seed?

texts:
I recently made a jar of bread and butter pickles. I understood most of the rationale behind the ingredients and directions in the recipe - the cucumbers are salted to draw out water and break cell walls, then put into a highly saturated acid/sugar solution so that microbes present on the cucumbers would be destroyed by acid and osmotic pressure. Turmeric is not essential to preserving the pickles, but adds yellow color.

That leaves three ingredients I found in most recipes: onions, mustard seed, and celery seed. Why are these ingredients included in bread and butter pickle recipes? What would happen if they were left out?


texts: Where does scarface pasta get its name from?

texts: I couldn't find anything within the first few pages of a Google search other than the fact that fettuccine al burro (it's original name) was named after it's creator Alfredo Di Lelio.


texts: Is it possible to (safely) make dry instant rice?

texts:
For lightweight camping food it would be nice to have rice that cooks quickly without using much stove fuel.  Dried instant rice is available (example) but has some downsides: The flavours aren't great (and I find them unpleasantly salty); it's being displaced in the shops by microwavable rice which is much heavier as you're transporting water (it can be heated on a stove).

So I'd like to make my own dried instant rice - perhaps with some dried veg or spices mixed in.  But rice is one of the worst foods for breeding nasties so I very much doubt you could just cook it and then put it in a dehydrator.  The few ideas I've seen searching online are basically just freezing cooked rice, not dehydrating it at all.

Is there a sensible way to produce dehydrated instant rice at home?


texts: Using parchment paper to bake whoopie pies

texts: My recipe for whoopie pies calls to grease and flour a baking sheet.  Can I simply use parchment paper on the baking sheet instead?


texts:
I'm generally a fan of having quite a bit of whole milk/yogurt made with whole milk (no flavoured stuff, no extra sugar). I'm also quite finicky about calories. I have found that the low sugar content of yogurt vs. milk, and it's rather more savoury nature, mean I enjoy cooking and working with it much more. Is there any nutritional reason I can't just drop all milk consumption for yogurt? Do I lose anything other than the sugar (assuming equal calories consumed)?

EDIT: So to clarify what my question is:

What nutrients/chemicals are lost/changed in the process of converting milk to yogurt? As far as I can tell the most major one is the reduction in sugar per calorie which to me is a big bonus.


texts: I was peeling my pomelo when I noticed this orange gelatinous substance between slices. No other places were found and the fruit looks good from inside. Is it safe to eat?


texts: Are the claims legitimate linking botulism to vacuum prepared foods?

texts:
I have read in many places 1,2,3 claims of a link between preparing foods sous vide and botulism, with claims that this is because the food is prepared in a vacuum.

This struck me as illogical, so I looked around online and could find no solid references to back up the claim that cooking food in a vacuum can result in botulism poisoning.

From what I can tell, there has been misunderstanding and confusion about the risk of vacuum sealed foods and botulism.  I suspect it's because often vacuum sealing is performed to preserve food.  In this case, fresh food is being vacuum sealed just before cooking to protect the food from the water, but still let it come in close contact with the water, after which it is immediately unsealed.

I also assume that clostridium botulinum does not thrive in a vacuum more than it does when exposed to air.

Is there any solid science to these claims I am questioning or is this a misunderstanding?


texts: Would it really be possible to cook a fish in clay?

texts:
Awhile back I read about in a fictional book a person who had no cooking utensils placed a gutted, cleaned fish in clay and baked it, and afterwards broke the pottery on the outside to get the fish out. If someone were to really do that

A) would it work? If so how long would it take?

B) What would the benefits of doing so be over skewering the fish and cooking it over an open fire? and

C) What would its flavor be like (i.e. would the clay impart any flavor in and of itself above any beyond any seasonings used on it)?


texts:
I made beignets and I want to hurry and bake them before going to sleep tonight. Do I have to let them sit overnight or will they be fine if i just put them in there for a few hours then fry?

This is the recipe:

  1 cup warm water
  1/4 cup sugar
  1 Tbs active dry yeast
  1 egg replacement
  2 Tbs vegan butter
  1/2 cup soy creamer
  4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  1/2 tsp salt
  Oil for frying
  Enough powdered sugar to choke out an army

  In a stand mixer or mixing bowl, combine the water, sugar and yeast. Allow to sit until the yeast gets bubbly and happy, about 5 minutes. Add in the butter and the egg replacement and beat until combined. Add in the soy creamer and half the flour and beat for 1 minute. Add in the salt and the rest of the flour and finish with the dough hook. If you don't have a dough hook, knead the dough by hand.

  Spray cooking spray or a light bit of oil into a bowl or dish with a lid. add in the dough and turn to coat. Cover and allow to sit in the fridge for 8 hours, or overnight.
  Heat your cooking oil to 360 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out your dough to approximately 1/4 to 1/3 inch thickness. 1/2 inch thick is too thick.

  Cut the dough into 3" x 3" squares or diamonds. Place into the hot oil carefully, making sure not to crowd the oil. The beignet should float to the surface almost immediately. Cook on each side for about 20-30 seconds, or until a rich golden brown.

  Once golden brown on both sides, remove from oil and allow to rest for about 1 minute. With a sieve, sprinkle the powdered sugar generously onto the top of the beignets. Enjoy, traditionally with a cafe au (almond) lait.


texts: Can you put a bottle of whiskey in the oven

texts:
I was in the mood to give someone a bottle of whiskey, but to customize it, I wanted to decorate it with polymer clay. But to set polymer clay, you have to put it in the oven and so therefore I would have to put it on the bottle of alcohol and then put in the oven.
My question is, is it safe to keep the bottle unopened with alcohol inside or should I just pour out the alcohol and reseal it with wax?


texts: How long will a sauce last for when placed in a refrigerator and in a freezers?

texts: How long will a sauce last for when placed on freezer and in a refrigerator?


texts: How can I remove sticky residue from a pot I boiled salsify in?

texts:
Yesterday I made black salsify. I got the salsify fresh and peeled it myself. Knowing what a hassle that is, I rinced and scrubbed it, put on disposable gloves and peeled in my sink, which afterwards I scrubbed down with a cleaning agent. I put the salsify in water with vinegar to avoid discoloration.

I peeled the salsify very thin, however. There were a few small spots of black peel left here and there, but since I was cooking for myself I didn't mind if it looked less than perfect. However, this might have left a bit of the sap on there and after cooking them, it has settled in my stainless steel pot on the sides, at where the water level was. The residue is sticky and extremely resilient.

I've tried scrubbing with a brush and detergent to no avail. After that I put in a mixture of water and vinegar hoping that would soak it loose, but without much success. Just now I took a scrubbing sponge to it with some kitchen cleaner, but no dice. I guess with continued use it might eventually start disappearing, but it's unsightly and probably not too hygienic. Any advice on what could successfully remove this rubbery substance?


texts: I need to take fish to a cooking challenge and the fish has to be cooked, kept hot and then stored and not eaten for possibly 10 hours.  Is there are way to do this without changing the flavor, texture, appearance, etc.?


texts: So, I'm staying in a location that has a gas oven with no discernable thermostat, and there are no thermometers in sight (oven, meat, or otherwise). The situation is such that I can't just run out and buy an oven or meat thermometer, and I'm not sure what to do. The people that I'm staying with have requested that I prepare a "traditional american christmas/thanksgiving dinner" (at least to the extent possible given the ingredients on hand and the circumstances). I have a turkey and several side dishes to prepare, and need advice on how to proceed. Any help is much appreciated.


texts: Why does roasting vegetables before pureeing into soup affect the flavour?

texts:
Last night I made a butternut squash soup. The recipe said to roast some squash and onion for 45 mins before boiling with stock for 15 and then pureeing. Is anyone able to explain (in moderate depth) what the roasting stage does? For example, how would it taste different if I were to merely boil for an hour then puree? Just curious...

Thanks,
Alex


texts: Can gravlax be prepared from frozen salmon?

texts:
I love gravlax and have recently gotten into making it - partly to avoid the nitrates in commercially prepared gravlax, and partly for budget. But even making it still costs so much for fresh salmon ($16/lb).

I'm curious if I can just use thawed frozen salmon since I can get practically a whole half a salmon for like $15 at Walmart.


texts:
I often times find myself making decisions about what I'm going to make for myself and my fiancee at work before I go home, and then stop at the store for any needed supplies on the way. Granted this is not always the most efficient way of doing it, but it does have a couple of advantages:

Our schedules are often times unpredictable, and its hard to plan meals more than a day in advance.
I can always ensure the freshness of ingredients.

That small thing aside, there are certain things that are fairly standard, which I can never remember if I currently have in the pantry or refrigerator.  Do I have enough fresh garlic in the house? Lemons? What spices do I have in the spice rack?

It would be really nice if I could look online somewhere to see what I have in my pantry right now. Does anyone know of a good internet site for managing your current pantry, that might also have a system for managing our favorite recipes?  I'm thinking it might be worth the effort to manage my pantry online for the ability to check on it at work for this reason.

Does anyone else face a similar problem, and what have you come up with to solve it?


texts:
I am planning on making a cheese fondue this weekend.

How ever last time I made it the cheese (Emmental and gruyere) wouldn't fully disolve into the wine base. It basically was a winey sauce with stringy cheese in it. Aside from the wine (reisling) and cheese the pot was rubbed with a garlic clove and it called for a little lemon and kirsh and a bit of corn flour for thickening.

When I had fondue at a restaurant last time the sauce was a lovely consistency and stuck to the bread nicely without stringy pieces of cheese.


texts: How to neutralize candied glacé strawberry and kiwi

texts: I have 200 gm of candied glacé  strawberry and 200 gm of candied glacé kiwi. I cannot eat it, as it has too much sugar for me. Is there a way to neutralize the candied strawberry and kiwi?


texts: Is this coffee ratio calculation correct?

texts: On the Folgers website, it has a calculator.  Place the number of 'cups' of coffee you desire and it tells you how much coffee to use and how much water to use.  I put 8 cups, and it gives the following. 'For 8 servings of coffee use 8 tablespoons of ground coffee and 6 cups of water.'  What?!?!?!  is this 6 eight ounce cups for 8 six ounce cups of coffee?


texts:
Fell in love with some green bean chips I found at the local health food store.  It doesn't have any info on the packaging about how they're made, but they're just green beans that look full (not shriveled) and are crunchy.

I've tried baking at high temps, baking at low temps and dehydrating.  The first two got me shriveled but soft results, and dehydrating got me crunchy and shriveled results.  Any idea how chips like these are made, and how I might be able to duplicate them?

Wanted to try a convection approach, but we don't have a convection oven.


texts: How do I get more flavor in the interior of a brisket?

texts:
My brisket doesn't have a lot of flavor on the inside. The outside is full of flavor but when getting to the inside it doesn't have much flavor to wow my guests. How do I get more flavor to the interior?

I'm cooking it in the oven, by the way. BBQ is not my thing.


texts: How can you prevent lettuce from becoming bitter?

texts:
I've been buying good lettuce recently and have been storing them in the fridge in a water bath. This way the lettuce stays in good shape and I prepare some salads. After about a week, however, the lettuce becomes inedible because of the bitter taste.

Do you know why this happens or any way to prevent the bitterness?


texts: How much food for a tasting event? How big of samples?

texts:
I am participating in my first tasting event. The event coordinator says I need to make enough food for about 400-600 people to sample. How big should a sample be? About 2 tablespoons? 1 ounce? Does anyone have a ballpark for how many pounds of food sounds about right?

Right now it looks like I'm buying about 50 pounds of meat, not including the remaining ingredients. That seems high.


texts: Can onion based recipes such as bolognese be cooked in slow cooker?

texts:
Slow cookers seem like an easy way to cook a meal if you are prepared to wait the 8 hours or so for the meal to cook.

Can you simply put all the ingredients, including onion, for something like bolognese in a slow cooker and expect it cook properly?  Will the onion soften like it does when fried with oil?


texts: How to find/properly cook fresh Baby Squids?

texts:
So, I've had some difficulties with Squid. I think my favorite style of squid is the type you can find at a Chinese Buffet - big chunks of squid, where a slice of a tentacle can be the size of your pinky.

I've had some great luck finding fresh, already cleaned squid at H-Mart, a Korean supermarket which typically stocks a lot of good Seafood. It was properly cleaned, no guts, came to the supermarket already frozen (Some on display were thawed, but there was a whole pile of still-frozen whole suqid to pick through). I deep fried it in some seasoned flour, and it came out really well.

People say you shouldn't cook squid too long or it gets rubbery - well, I fried it for a decent amount of time and it DID get chewy - but that's ok. The flavor of the squid still came out really well, and chewing it wasn't really that unpleasant. Actually, when I briefly deep-fried it, there was a more "springy" bite, but the flavor seemed milder as well.

I came back and saw a cheap bag of baby squid. I left them overnight, and realized that I had to clean them the next morning. They smelled...well...I couldn't tell if it was a natural ocean smell, or if something was wrong (something was definitely wrong). I cleaned all of them, took the guts out (I am assuming that squid typically lose freshness a lot quicker if they are being sold and sitting around with innards) - The flesh was slippery, and actually felt like it was sandy/gritty - there was no sand, so I can only assume that this meant that the flesh was somewhat decomposed by bacteria already. Anyway, I cleaned all of them, sniffed them, and decided that there was a really stank ammonia-oceanic smell that wasn't worth it.

So today my mom brought in some baby squid she bought from the market. I just spent a while cleaning them. They smelled just faintly sweet - some ocean - but not really like a nasty ammonia. It took me a while to clean all 20-30 of them, and I didn't leave them on ice, so when I was ready to batter them there was a bit of an ocean smell that did come through. Still, they were definitely fresher than the other ones - the last batch actually gave me a bit of a gag reflex when I really tried to sniff out if anything was wrong.

Anyway, I deep fried them for a while. It took them longer than I expected for the batter to get crispy.

The batter was crispy, but the squid was...well, it wasn't chewy - actually, the flesh didn't really give much pushback - it wasn't quite MUSHY but it definitely was not SPRINGY. I very lightly cooked one, and it did have a bit of a springy bite, so is this because I overcooked them? Or because baby squid have tender flesh that breaks down quickly - through heat OR just sitting around on display?

Does baby squid have a milder flavor than mature, huge squiddies?

How can I make sure baby squid is fresh? Is it supposed to have a flavor at all?


texts: How can I have a dough attachment when I have a Dretec Handmixer?

texts: I have a Dretec Hand Mixer and as far as I can see it doesn't have additional attachments for sale online. Can I attach some other mixer's dough attachment onto it?