texts:
Fresh mozzarella is usually sold floating in whey, and feta cheese is often sold soaking in brine.  Once I've opened the container and used part of the cheese, how should I store it in the fridge to make it keep the best for the greatest time?  Specifically:

Should I store the cheeses in liquid, or dry in a covered container?
For mozzarella, should I put it away in its original whey, or put it in a clean container with fresh water?
For feta, should I store it in the brine it came in, or change the brine before putting it away?


texts: Is it okay to use stainless steel in oven?

texts: Its stainless steel dish so can I put it in the oven at 250c/482f ?


texts: Can I successfully bake previously-frozen bread dough?

texts: I prefer my bread freshly baked (who doesn't?), but my mixer prefers kneading two loaves at a time to just kneading one. I have tried to freeze the second loaf before baking it, but when I thaw it, it does not rise well before baking. I've tried thawing it entirely in the refrigerator and then letting it rise on the counter, but that did not seem to work. Does anyone have a good technique or suggestion for this?


texts:
There are usually two ways of adding khada masala spices(cloves, cardamom etc) to a curry:

Add the whole spices in the beginning in oil
Add garam masala in the end

What kind of difference in flavor do these two methods create and which is better to use?


texts: Sweetened Condensed Milk in Carnitas - What Does it Do?

texts: I plan to make carnitas soon with a lovely pork shoulder that wants out of my freezer. I've made carnitas many times before; what's not to love about Mexican pulled pork? I've never used sweetened condensed milk though, and I see that's a very common ingredient. What does the milk add? The recipes that use it only call for a small amount, a tablespoon or so.


texts: Little maggots on top of my home-made apple cider vinegar, is it bad?

texts:
This was my first attempt at making apple-cider-vinegar at home. I did this all following a tutorial from YouTube. I simply cut a few apples and put them in a clean jar with sugar+water. I set the lid over the jar but did not tighten so as to allow some airflow. Then, I just kept it untouched for about two weeks.

Up until two days ago, there used to be messy white foam/scum on the surface. And the jar looked a little messy on the top due to that. Today I noticed it is all clean at the top, then when I looked closely I found these tiny maggots lurking all around the top of the jar.

Is this batch completely ruined? What must have I done wrong? Is it salvageable?

Am I right to think that some sort of tiny flies must have found a way inside the jar (since the lid was intentionally not tightened)? Also I don't see these guys below the surface.


texts: What bean species are best for baked beans?

texts: I want to cook baked beans, the slowcooker version. I want to make it from dry beans. My question is: what sort of beans will be best for this dish? I need at least 2-3 alternatives, cause I live in Poland, and I'm not sure if I will be able to buy some more exotic species...


texts:
I want to make an easy cake. What flavor should I do it?
I have already tried strawberry, vainilla and chocolate cakes, but I want something different that its not too difficult.


texts: why use a pressure cooker for collagen to gelatin conversion?

texts:
I was watching S13E16 of Good Eats and to cook his chicken for "chicken and dumplings", he places an old hen (instead of a rooster) in the pressure cooker at the maximum temperature & pressure. I've done a bit of searching and it seems pressure cookers are recommended for stocks since it can denature collagen in the connective tissues in tough meats and other pieces to gelatin faster.

This makes sense, except I thought the whole point of slow roasting (and indeed sous-vide) is to use low temperatures over a long period of time for collagen to gelatin conversion.

Why is the low temperature needed in this, and the high temperature needed for the pressure cooker? It seems a bit contradictory. If the higher temp and pressure is better, we should be able to sous-vide in a pressure cooker too.


texts: I cooked some Turkey sausage out of the casing in about 3/4 a tablespoon of canola oil (recipe called for olive oil).  I tried to drain out most of the grease. I added some soft cheese to it and served in a pizza roll.  When I bit into it, something tasted a little off.  I can't describe it, but I didn't care for it.  Was it the oil or the fat I was tasting?  I'm hesitant to just lick the canola oil to determine if that was it.


texts: When do you add bok choy when cooking stir fry?  Other ingredients are mushrooms, carrots, red peppers, broccoli, green onions. This is my first time cooking stir fry and I'm not sure of the order to add them.


texts: Why does meat coated in oil cook better than meat not coated in oil?

texts:
I recently oven cooked some meat.  Half was coated in oil the other half not.  Other than that they had salt and no other ingredients.

After cooking for about an hour I found the one coated in oil had less crusty surface and wasnt tough whereas the one with no oil was tougher inside and had more crust on the surface.

Why exactly is the oil doing that made the food come out this way and basically cook better?


texts:
I have been trying to master the roti for about a year now, and I've only made perfectly soft roti a handful of times. Otherwise they come out rubbery.

The problem is NOT the dough.

I make the dough with atta, water and about a teaspoon of oil. But my mother-in-law uses the same dough and achieves perfectly soft roti every-time. She has watched me making roti and can not spot the problem.

After I roll out the roti (not too thick, not too thin, but not always in a perfect circle), I place it on a preheated tawa on high gas. I wait until bubbles come up on one side and then I flip it. Once brown spots start to appear, I flip it onto the gas. Usually they bloat, but even the bloated ones come out rubbery. I then place them in a box with paper to keep them warm.

Another thing is that these rubbery roti give stomach aches, which might mean they're undercooked. But when I cook them longer on the tawa, they get crispy and hard.

I've tried the style of dabbing the roti with a cloth (no significant change, only slightly softer), I've tried putting less flour when rolling (slightly softer but almost impossible to roll). I've tried making only small roti, and then making bigger roti. Nothing has worked.

Any feedback would be appreciated. I'm at my wits end trying to figure out what's wrong.

EDIT: My mother-in-law and I suspect it has to do with the cooking on the tawa, primarily because when I roll but she cooks it, it turns out fine. She can't tell what I'm doing wrong though then I'm flipping it.

My roti ends up slightly brownish, while hers are more white. I'm guessing that means its undercooked, but when I cook it longer it tends to get crunchy and hard.

Flips: 1st when there are bubbles and the sides start to turn up. 2nd when there are medium-brown dark spots on the roti. 3. I let it bloat for a few seconds both side on the open flame.


texts: What is the purpose of the jelly and milk powders in this energy bar recipe?

texts:
I modified this recipe for survival bars by moving the sugar to the wet ingredients and boiling them on the stove until soft-ball stage. My goal was to reduce the moisture in the bars and add a more toffee-like taste and consistency. I also ended up reducing the dry ingredients because the result was very crumbly otherwise.

Here's my modified recipe:

  Boil together on stove until soft-ball stage:

  1 cup sugar
  80g jelly powder (jello for USA folks, flavour of choice. I found orange was the best)
  3 tbsp water
  3 tbsp honey

  Working quickly, take off the heat and add in 1.5 cups oats and 1.5
  cups milk powder. Mix until combined. Press into pre-prepared lined and buttered dish.
  Bake at 180 C for 5-7 min and cut into bars while warm.  The baking
  stage is technically optional because everything is edible already,
  but baking gives a nice nutty crunch.

I've worked with sugar and candymaking quite a bit before (toffee, nut brittles, fudge), but have never made anything quite like this. In particular, I wasn't sure how the jelly powder and milk powder will affect the result. It turned out amazingly well. Much better than expected. The bars taste very very similar to commercially produced oat energy bars. The jelly flavour does come through slightly but not very much.

I'm still not quite sure what the jelly and milk powder are for in this recipe. Since there's very little water in the recipe at all, I don't know if the jelly is even necessary here. It seems like too heavy a recipe for the gelatine in the jelly to be "jellifying" anything. The milk powder seems to be doing the job of absorbing the sugar syrup, but I was wondering if I could use something else to do that job instead. Like flour? I didn't really detect a milky flavour to these at all. (Again, no water in the recipe to hydrate the milk. These bars make you really thirsty!)

So I'm wondering what roles these ingredients play, and if they are even necessary. It would be great to switch the milk powder out for something else to reduce the thirst factor.

(Aside question: I've never seen this kind of recipe before (sugar syrup + powder). Is it a fairly common combination or is it really a strange combination?)


texts: Is it safe / advisable to use a nonstick baking sheet on an induction cooktop for pancakes (375 F)?

texts:
I bought a large non-stick baking pan and I would like to use it on my thermador freedom induction cooktop to make pancakes. The cooktop will apply energy evenly to the rectangular footprint of the pan. The pan is coated with or made from the same material as just about all bakeware that I have used before.

After washing it I heated it up on a low setting (3.5 out of 9) and monitored the temp with an infrared thermometer. When it reached about 200 F it released a plastic-y smell. It also deformed slightly which I know I will not be able to prevent and I can live with as long as it mostly maintains contact and doesn't shoot pancakes across the kitchen.

I took it off the cooktop after that and fired up the exhaust hood.

My concern is the material. Is it safe at pancake temperature (375 F)?

EDIT:

Is there a difference between the pan being heated in an oven from convection plus a relatively weak infrared source versus the heat being generated within the pan by induction? Is the induced heat more effective at decomposing the PTFE (Teflon)coating? Does the magnetic field in the pan affect the PTFE coating itself, or only kinetic heat?


texts: The art of Sushi: using wasabi to kill parasites

texts:
I've been to many sushi places and last night I went to a place that I've been to before (not that long ago either). When the sushi came, we noticed that it had wasabi spread on the rice, under the fish.

When we complained we were rudely told that the chef had been doing sushi for 30 years and wasabi is used to kill parasites in the fish.

This is believable since I know in some countries, red peppers are used in foods all the time for the same reason.

However, my understanding of sushi is that the chef is a craftsman who not only picks great fish, but also knows how to find and remove parasites.

My question is, is this normal? Is it proper for the Sushi chef to add wasabi to the sushi to help prevent parasites? If so, how come I've only encountered this practice once out of the many sushi places I've frequented?


texts:
Are there good bread styles or techniques for baking bread in the evening after a day at work?

Specifically, there's a couple of us who have taken to bringing food for a meeting every couple of weeks, and I tend to do the breads while someone else makes soup or a casserole.

I know I can whip up a quick bread, like Irish Soda, cornbread or most muffins fairly quickly, but they're not as conducive to eating at a meeting (they crumble, and then I have to spend more time cleaning up after the meeting), or I could make something like naan or tortillas, but it's quite time consuming towards the end if you have roll out and grill up enough for 18+ people.

I guess I'm hoping for something where it's either slow-rising enough where I can prep it the night before or morning of, then return to it 8 to 20hrs later, punch down and shape, then have a short rise before baking.  (right now, I do a refrigerated rise of the dough, which requires giving it more time to come back up to room temp so I can shape it and let it proof in the pan before baking).

Another option would be to know the techniques to make something like the par-cooked breads that you used to be able to find in the stores.  (if it can be done at home, and doesn't require blast chillers or other specialized equipment)


texts: Is it good to add salt or oil to pasta water

texts: Is it necessary as should i add salt or oil to the pasta water when it comes to the boil as before  i add the pasta??Does it  really effect the outcome of the pasta at all?


texts: Which containers should I use for souffles?

texts:
I want to make some individual zabaglione & fruit souffles, but don't have ramekins. Also, I don't have much experience with souffles (but I have made them some times).

I have at my disposal:

10 cm tartalette forms, nonstick, made from some very thin sheet metal, probably steel
 6 cm silicone muffin cups
 6 cm muffin pan paper liners. I have made muffins in them, stacked in twos on a rack. The muffins  flow much wider than when contained in a pan, but are still not too flat.
 plain porcelain tea cups

Which alternative will work best, and why?


texts: What's this "pucker" style hole on my cheese grater for?

texts:
Ok, this picture has two sort of weird looking holes, but the one I'm asking about is on the left side of the picture - the metal sort-of puckers up, like it's been punched through from the back side.

I've tried this kind of grater to zest things before, with no success, and it clearly mauls cheeses... I can't figure out what it's for!


texts: Does Pressure cook work for hard to soften soybeans?

texts:
I do not have a pressure cook in my house. But the soybean I bought remains really hard after soaking for 24 hours and boiled for 1 hour. I saw someone  saying that some old beans will never soften no matter how long I cook. Is this really true?

One of the poster mentioned 10 min cooking in a pressure cook should soften the beans. This appeals to common sense. But I am still concerned about those people saying "will never soften no matter what".

So, I am asking if any one has tried boiling which did not work but succeeded to soften the beans with pressure cook? I have no need for a pressure cook. And I don't want to buy a pressure cook if it too can not soften stubborn hard soybeans.


texts: Why did butternut squash make my fingers dry and yellow?

texts:
Last weekend I made butternut squash soup. In an experiment to get more of the squash browned I peeled two medium squash and cut them into 2 inch chunks, rather than just halving it, before roasting in the oven. (Result of the experiment was OK, but the extra exposed area also allows more moisture to escape, so I wouldn't recommend this method.)

Halfway through peeling the 2nd squash I noticed that the fingers on my left hand (I'm right-handed) were getting yellow and that the skin was drying, cracking, and tightening up. The yellow I can understand as transfer since I was using that hand to hold the squash while peeling. But I've peeled butternut plenty of times for various recipes and this hasn't happened before. Washing my hands didn't help. The problem went away after a couple of days.

Does anyone want to venture an explanation? Did my fingers O.D. on carotene or potassium?


texts: How long does white wine vinegar last if kept in a sealed bottle? Does this apply to the age of all vinegars kept in a sealed bottle?


texts: Why does salt taste different in different dishes?

texts:
If I salt tomato, potato and pasta, their tastes change in completely different ways to me. Why is this? Had I put oregano on them, they'd all taste like oregano.

Update: The question is not "is it so?" but "why is it so?"


texts: Is calcium hydroxide an acceptable substitute for sodium hydroxide for making century eggs?

texts:
Due to the difficulty in finding food grade sodium hydroxide and safety concerns, I'd like use calcium hydroxide instead. Specifically, some recipes call for a solution of NaOH and NaCl, would Ca(OH)2 (and NaCl) work here instead? I understand traditional recipes use weaker reagents like wood ash
I'm planning to use chicken eggs if that makes a difference


texts: Are soft boiled eggs and poached eggs identical?

texts:
Today I heard from a friend, that poached eggs are simply glorified soft-boiled eggs and that there is no way to distinguish between the two except for the form. The only reason anyone does poached eggs is because soft-boiled eggs are kind of hard to peel.

He then told me that you can make a hole in an egg, soft boil it, than because of the small hole you can peel it easily basically eliminating the main disadvantage of soft-boiled eggs: difficulty when peeling.

The result is supposed to be identical to a poached egg.

I have had both soft-boiled eggs and poached eggs many times, and I always felt that poached eggs have a unique taste and texture.

Or is the hole in the egg mimicking the poaching because it lets water in?

You are supposed to make the hole on the flatter side of the egg, where the air pocket is.


texts: What happens to cheese below 0°C and above +8°C?

texts:
What happens to cheese if I transport it in cold temperature (below 0°C, up to -20°C) for 5-7 hours?

What if it's at +10°C for 5-7 hours?

Can it go bad? If it does, do cool bags solve the issue of cheese going bad?


texts: Cooking different meats on George Foreman grill

texts:
If I cook some chicken breasts on a George Foreman Grill, can I cook another type of meat straight after it? Or do I need to clean the grill inbetween each?

I've been doing the latter since I bought once recently as I didn't want to take any chances, but it is proving a lot of hassle.


texts: How can I roast chicken bones (without meat)?

texts:
I plan to make a sizable quantity of chicken stock this weekend.  Since I can't actually eat that much chicken, I just bought several pounds of bones, figuring I'd save the effort and expense of cleaning and butchering entire chickens.

But now I'm wondering: Can I roast the bones by themselves?

Most resources seem to agree that stock made from roasted bones is richer than stock made from bones that were boiled raw.  However, every "recipe" I've looked at assumes that whole chickens are being used.  I've never been taught or seen instructions on how to roast just the bones.

So I have a few questions related to roasting the bones:

First, is it actually practical?  Is there any reason I shouldn't consider this?
What would be the recommended oven temperature and cooking time for about 5 pounds of bones?
Assuming I use butter as the base, how much would I likely need?
Does it make any sense to brine the bones, or to season them at all before roasting?
Should I bother including vegetables or other flavours in the roast, knowing that it's just going into a stock afterward that will have its own separate flavours?

My intuition is that any special preparation, seasoning or additives would be pointless, but I'd prefer to go by facts rather than intuition.  And even if I'm correct I'd still like to get some rough guidelines as to the oven settings, because if I accidentally burn them then the whole endeavour is a bust.


texts: Can I fill my sous vide container completely full?

texts: I am cooking a brisket in a 12l container right now. It is packed absolutely full right now. Water covers everything, but pieces are pressed against the sides and against each other. Is this ok?


texts: Today I bought a small bag of cranberries. I ate some but they tasted bitter. I was wondering if they can be eaten directly?


texts: What are the limitations of aquafaba as an egg white substitute?

texts:
I learned recently that aquafaba is claimed to be usable as an egg white substitute, able to be whipped to form stiff peaks, etc.
Now an egg-white-and-cottage-cheese omelette is a frequent breakfast of mine. So it was with great experimental enthusiasm that I mixed up some aquafaba with cottage cheese, and set about cooking it as usual...only to end up with aquafaba and cottage cheese soup. :(
What is a more realistic assessment of where aquafaba can be substituted for egg whites? Or is there possibly some modification that would make an aquafaba-and-cottage-cheese omelette possible?


texts: Using light cream instead of milk in crepes?

texts:
I have light cream with 15% fat. How can I use his cream instead of milk in crepes?

Do I need to use water and what percentage?


texts: How can I adjust my recipe for étouffée to prevent the addition of okra to it from making the dish too gummy?

texts:
This is my recipe for étouffée:

4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup minced bell pepper
2 toes minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped green onion
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 cup seafood stock
1/2 cup white wine
salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste
8 oz crawfish tails

I want to double the recipe, substituting a cup of chopped okra for the additional 1/2 cup each of celery and bell pepper otherwise called for. What concerns me about doing this is okra's mucilaginousness; I know that my great-grandmother adjusted her étouffée recipe when adding okra to it to prevent it from becoming too gummy but can't remember how.


texts:
Before the first time I use a none-stick teflon pan, how should I do seasoning?

1- Should I first rub oil on it then heat it? [ref1] or first I should heat it then remove heat and rub oil on it? [ref2],[ref3]

2- How long should I heat it for 30 seconds (ref3)?  an hour (ref4)!!! or 2-3 minutes (ref5)?

3- How much hot should oil be? Smoking point or light flame?

4- After seasoning what to do? should I wash the oil off? or leave it on the pan for a while?

5- Should I use cooking oil or frying oil (I think they write cooking oil but they mean frying oil)?

6- After each time using pan, should I wash it immediately or letting oil solidify on pan then after I ate my food I wash it?

7- To extend life span, should I rub some oil on pan after each time washing?

I appologize for links. Since I do not have 10 reputation, I cannot have more than 2 links.

ref1: www.thekitchn.com/surprising-tip-do-you-season-your-nonstick-pans-187938

ref2: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasoning_%28cookware%29

ref3: www.ehow.com/how_7745528_season-non-stick-cookware.html

ref4: cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/34420/wok-patina-comes-off/41164

ref5: www.productknowledge.com/more-myths-nonstick-coatings-myth-13.html


texts: What kind of vegetable oil should I use for baking?

texts:
I'm going to bake this cake: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/French-Yogurt-Cake-395471
and was wondering what sort of vegetable oil (canola etc) I should use? Would the type of oil make any difference to the cake?


texts: Fry onions and garlic before adding to the sauce?

texts:
I am making a tomato sauce for pasta but I am not sure whether to put the garlic and onions into the sauce raw or to sauté them first?

What would be the difference in the taste, does one have more depth?


texts: Name of the sauce/salad eaten with roast dinners up north UK

texts: Its a sauce that contains lettuce and vinegar to eat with roast dinner and can be eaten with chips and cold meat in Newcastle, UK.


texts: How to fry Italian sausages without producing so much smoke?

texts:
I just fried 2 Italian sausages on a non-stick pan, which created enough smoke to briefly set off my smoke alarm.

The sausages are delicious, but how can I do this next time without producing so much smoke?


texts:
Our home oven consistently undercooks food when we follow the recommended cooking directions.

Case and point: We just bought some chicken skewers from Costco. The directions say to cook them at 350F for 25-35 minutes. I just took them out after 35 minutes, and our digital probe thermometer read ~45C; well below the required 76C.

To measure, I found the thickest piece of meat I could find, and pushed the probe in, taking care not to go all the way through and touch the metal container that they're being cooked in.

I know it's likely not the oven not getting to temperature. It's a fairly new oven with a digital display that shows the current oven temperature (it was at 350F when I put them in). We also have a little bi-metal thermometer that goes in the oven itself. Last time we tested it, it agreed with the reading on the front of the oven.

It's also not likely the probe thermometers. We had 2 old bi-metal probes. I didn't trust them though (since apparently they can lose accuracy as the metal ages), so I went out and bought a new digital probe (mentioned above). After calibrating the 2 old ones one via the ice-water method and testing them on some chicken, all 3 probes agreed with each other within 2C.

We do live at a fairly high altitude (Calgary, Alberta, Canada [1,045 m, according to Google]), which if I recall, can mess with cooking times. I can't see that having this much of an effect though.

What are the possible problems here?

The oven:

Checking the temperature after it had been in for 45 minutes (10 minutes extra). Note it's only at 47.9C:

I just took them out again after 55 minutes, and it was only at 56C. I put them in for another 10 (which in total will have been an extra half an hour).


texts: How long should I cook boned shoulder of Lamb?

texts:
I have 794g of lamb shoulder. It is boned (can you buy it with a bone in??). How long should I cook it?

I have Delia's Complete Cooking Course, which suggests cooking for 30 minutes at 230C plus 30 degrees at 180C per pound (450G); about 1hr 20 minutes.

Delia Online just says 30 minutes per pound at 190C.

Which would people recommend?


texts: Trying to find childhood recipe: Chocolate pudding covered in graham cracker dust

texts:
I'm trying to find a childhood recipe.
Best I can remember it's this:
Chocolate pudding/mousse covered in graham cracker dust.
It doesn't really have a shape. It's like a blob. When you look at it all you see is graham cracker crust. When you scoop some with your spoon you see the mousse/pudding.
Anybody ever seen / heard of this? Or could it really be as simple as making some pudding and covering it in graham cracker crust?
Thanks!


texts: Downside of 'Turbo' mode on rice cooker?

texts:
My rice cooker has an optional Turbo mode when cooking rice.  The mode is off by default.

As I understand, the upside is that rice cooks faster.  What's the downside?


texts: Yellow color from brand new Pre-Seasoned Lodge Cast Iron griddle (before seasoning or even heating). Is this normal?

texts:
I received my Lodge 10.5 inch pre-seasoned cast iron griddle today (and I'm very new to the world of Cast Iron). I washed it with water and soap and used the soft side of the sponge and on second wash I used the rough side. While waiting for the pan to dry (before I was going to start seasoning), I tried dabbing the sides with a paper towel to remove some of the moisture and I noticed a yellow stain of sorts coming off of the pan. I washed the pan again a couple of times but there still seems to be a yellow stain. Is this normal? I haven't seasoned the pan with oil or anything.
Also, I know cast iron pans aren't perfectly smooth like a nonstick Teflon pan but there's a very small grey bump on my pan. Is this acceptable?
Edit: The pan upon drying looks rusty and it appears yellow-orange like on kitchen towels if I try it rub it.
Edit 2: Thank you everyone for your comments, feedback and advice. I'm a complete newbie and I've been reading and watching as much info about cast iron usage and I, really, appreciate them. I don't own a oven so I've been using a stovetop to season the pan. After about 3 rounds of seasoning, I attempted a fried egg test with cooking canola oil(I think my pan was too hot/medium flame) but failed twice. Today (24 hours later), I attempted the fried egg test using a teaspoon of butter (preheated the pan and used a low flame) and it came off quite cleanly except for when I tried to flip it over and a bit of it got stuck. (check images 4 and 5). However, I've noticed a dark brown color tone around the pan (image 6) except at the periphery. I don't know if this is because I've seasoned it incorrectly.


texts: Why does my lemon tart filling sometimes curdle?

texts:
My recipe, which is wonderful when it goes well is:

grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
142 mL double cream
6 oz castor sugar
4 large eggs

Whisk all ingredients together, then pour into pastry shell and top with a lemon and gin glaze..

The mixture sometimes curdles at the whisking stage and looks like scrambled egg, and looks as though the mixture is "cooking" in the lemon juice.
Why does this happen and what can I do about it?


texts:
I am planning on making a new chili using grilled venison, Great Lakes Black Out Stout, and roasted corn (I'm in Ohio and sweet corn is getting good right now). My least favorite part of making and eating chili is the beans; I hate selecting them and pick around them in my bowl. (I will probably also be using chiles en adobo, serranos, and roasted jalapenos/tien tsin as my pepper trinity.)

The only ones I do actually like are black beans. What would your recommendations be for a good bean, both in choice and preparation to pair with the ingredients above? (Please include other ingredients or flavors to incorporate in the comments.) I want it to be dark and mysterious; typically I name things first and then build them up from there and this one I'm calling Bear's Den Chili (hopefully that will be a note to start you off with).


texts: How should I prepare an excellent sauce from sous vide juices?

texts:
Reading the other posts on this, I realize I should have coagulated the myoglobin and removed it before attempting to make a sauce with what's left over. Anyone have a good trick to do that simply?

The issue is that there really isn't much left over. Typically, from 2 prime strip steaks cooked at 130F for 2.5 hours, I'll get 4-5 tablespoons of juice, and that's with the myoglobin. (I also cook the steak with some olive oil.)

I sear the steaks with a good butane torch rather than a pan (primarily so my kitchen doesn't get smoke-filled), so there's no pan fond available.

What do you sous vide steak folks do for a good sauce?


texts: I have a 10 pound log of ground beef - I want to thaw it and make meat-loafs, meatballs, and hamburger patties - once made refreeze for future use - is this appropriate?


texts:
What chemical product should I use to disinfect surfaces that may get in contact with the food? (wooden table where I knead bread/pasta and etc)

With this COVID-19 frenzy it's impossible to find alcohol (what I usually use for cleaning) so my wife bough a bunch of Clorox desinfecting wipes. I was wondering if it's safe to use it


texts: How to choose not only juicy lemons but lemons with less acrid flavor

texts:
What is the teaching in choosing lemons—I know the obvious of picking heavy weight lemons, avoiding a dried-out looking lemon with significant pitting.
I was reading that one must choose thin-skinned lemons but how would u know that without cutting the fruit?
Any other recommendations for getting lemons with a bright, lemony, flavor without so much bitterness?


texts: Paper towel gets completely dark after I wipe my Dutch oven

texts:
I bought Lodge cast iron dutch oven a few weeks ago. I didn't season it right away since I kept it in a dry closet. Last week seasoned it with pure almond oil (because I read it somewhere it's slightly better than other oils) and an hour in the oven (500F). After I cooked with it, nothing was wrong with the food. Then I rinsed it with hot water and wiped with paper towel, and the paper towel got completely dark, and it didn't seem like the oil I used for the food.

So my question is: Is it normal ? Should I reseason it ? I thought maybe I should've done the seasoning for a couple more times instead of once, or I used too much oil for the seasoning.

Thanks in advance,
Cheers!


texts: Can I cook my tandoori chicken in the marinade for a sauce?

texts:
I'm cooking tandoori chicken and I was wondering if I can cook the chicken in the marinade to make a sauce.

Marinade:

300ml Greek yogurt
Ginger
Garlic
Masala seasoning
Turmeric
Cumin


texts: Can fruit juice be used to hold a cheesecake crust together?

texts:
I'm thinking of changing a Mocha-Mint Cheesecake recipe of mine to a more plain Peach Cheesecake.

Among the other things that need to be modified, I was thinking of instead of using butter as an "adhesive" to hold the (oreo) crust together, I would use graham crackers mixed with a small amount of peach juice. The idea being that the sugar in the juice would caramelize while cooking, and hold the crust together.

Does this sound feasible? If so, can anyone with relevant experience give me tips on how to have this work out as well as possible?

Provided it would work, the only downside I could immediately see was that the absence of butter in the crust may make it drier. Is this actually a concern? I'm currently using 3 tbsp of butter for 1 1/2 Cups of crust

It's baked in a 10" springform at 375F for 70 minutes; if any of that info is required.


texts: Is there a hand blender with a metal coupling connection?

texts:
I used to have a hand blender of the stick type http://www.jmldirect.com/Power-Blitzer-With-Cook-Book-PP5125/

It was pretty good except the coupling teeth were made of plastic and looked prone to fast wear especially if someone hit the power button by mistake before engaging the coupling. After about 6 months the inevitable happened and I came home and the coupling had become a molten lump of plastic.

Does anyone know if there is a brand of blender of this type that has a metal coupling connection. It seems to be the most obvious thing that manufacturers are creating a built in expiry in these tools.


texts: I have read that brining pork chops is a good idea but can you brine beef steaks of various cuts? Would this achieve anything good or spectacular or is it just a waste of time?


texts: How to compensate for high altitude when baking bread in a bread machine?

texts: I have heard that high altitude can create bad results when making bread in a bread machine. I live at 7,000 ft above sea level. If I bought a bread machine, is there some way to compensate for the altitude, so that the results are still good?


texts:
recently I've been trying to recreate the mocha they make at Mcdonalds. After many failed attempts. Here is how I currently prepare it:

Put chocolate powder and sugar into a cup, pour a little boiling water, beat
Heat milk in another pot, mix in coffee powder while boiling
After the milk is sufficiently boiled, pour it into the cup

The problem I'm having is that my mocha doesn't have the 'creaminess' that the fast-food chain has... it's a bit too 'smooth'. Yet when I drink the one from Mcdonalds, the drink feels dilute yet more creamy... which is weird because how can you have less milk in the drink yet have it creamy?


texts: How much salt can I safely add to bread dough?

texts:
I recently made ciabatta, which turned out very well, with a good crust and nice open crumb. However, I felt it could use more salt to give extra flavour. I'm aware that salt and yeast do not make good bedfellows (or should that be breadfellows?), so how much salt can I safely add to the recipe without compromising it?

FYI, the recipe in question uses 3.25 cups polish, 3 cups of flour, and 0.75 cups of water to 1.75 teaspoons of salt (I use table salt to avoid lumps of undissolved salt in the bread).


texts: Stiff vs Liquid Starter, what are the differences between hydration in a sourdough starter?

texts:
I stumbled on the concept of a stiff starter from Northwest Sourdough Baker
and have kept a high hydration starter (100% hydration) since I started baking.
Was wondering what notable differences do Stiff/Liquid starters have with one another
(apart from the obvious hydration percentages).
Note:
It's noted that stiff starters have a higher acidity when baking,
but I also wonder if anyone has experience working with stiff starters.
As of posting, I've started a stiff starter, will update if I have anything to update.


texts: Reason(s) for not making stock with oily fish (salmon)?

texts: Making stock from oily fish is often advised against, but what is the big deal? Does it just taste really bad?


texts: I have a tough time telling if my cantaloupe is ripe (without opening it and trying it. Any suggestions?


texts: What are proper methods of cooking stovetop lentils?

texts:
I've had lentils that are cooked through but retain their form, as well as lentils that are cooked down into an almost blended substance.

What's the origin of each type of preparation, and when is it best used? Are certain kinds of seasoning better for either method?


texts: I am making pancetta for the first time and I've just taken it out of the cure to dry.  I have rolled it and am ready to hang it.  Before I hang it, what are the pros and cons of wrapping it in cheesecloth while it dries?  The recipe I am using says to cover it in cheesecloth when laying flat to dry, but nothing about wrapping it in cheesecloth to hang it.


texts:
I'm very concerned about food safety, but at the same time, I like to keep windows open when I cook to get in a lot of fresh air.

Unfortunately, this has the bad effect of allowing flies to swarm in.  Lately, I've been having to cook with all my windows closed, and this makes the air in the room extremely stuffy and very uncomfortable to work in.

Is there anything I can use to keep flies out of my kitchen when I cook?


texts: Can I use a rosettes iron as a branding iron?

texts:
Is it possible to use a rosettes iron as a branding iron to stamp decorations on cheesecake and bread?

Rosettes

Food branding iron


texts: How much cayenne powder contributes the same spiciness as one minced habanero?

texts:
I recently made a curry with 4 habaneros and 2 Tbsp (approx. 30 mL) of ground cayenne powder.

It was extremely spicy so I'd like to reduce the heat next time and am wondering what the relative contribution of each ingredient was.


texts: What is the best way to douse a charcoal grill?

texts:
When the heat of a charcoal grill gets too hot, what is the best way to douse the fire; the objective being to lower the temperature without putting the fire out completely?

How much water should be used when burning charcoal in a very primitive grill or pit without a lid or adjustable vents, and how should it be added (poured, sprayed, etc.)?


texts: Do dishes used for preparing food need to be washed with soap?

texts:
It seems to me that washing dishes with soap serves two purposes:

To remove food residue from the dishes
To kill bacteria that got on the dishes

As far as I know, the primary way bacteria get on dishes is from coming in contact with human saliva. But that wouldn't happen with dishes that are used exclusively for preparing food and not for eating it. So, assuming good residue can be removed without soap, is there any benefit to washing dishes used for preparing food with soap?

For the purposes of this question, assume we are talking about a home kitchen and not a restaurant.


texts: How much prime rib should I plan per person?

texts: I plan on cooking a prime rib for an upcoming dinner party for eight adults. I would like to have enough beef leftover to make a soup or stew. I plan on cooking the prime rib to medium rare. Is it best to calculate the amount by the number of bones per person or by pounds? How much prime rib should I purchase to feed my guests?


texts: How do you safely bottle or "can" bbq meat drippings?

texts:
I want to bottle (and store) about 16 oz of barbcue drippings I captured from cooking brisket.

Do I have to use the "pressure canning" method to can the drippings, or can I just bottle it using the boiling water bath method?

I would prefer the latter. But either way, do I need to add citric acid to make it safe? And if so, how do I know how much to use?


texts: Can I leave my cinnamon bars unbaked in the fridge for a few hours?

texts: I'm making a cinnamon bars recipe in a 9x13 pan. (Recipe something similar to this.) I'd like to assemble it a few hours in advance and then leave it in the fridge a few hours before baking. Will this affect the taste at all? Should I let it return to room temperature before baking?


texts: What are the basics and options of brining meat, for example chicken?  I ate at a restaurant in Santa Fe that specialized in brining and the chicken was amazing.  Id like to know what the process is and how much variation there is.


texts: What to do when one thing on a plate cooks faster than the others?

texts: When I want to get fancy and add fruit juice to a saute pan to braise my meat, the juices from the fruit often caramelize too fast and burn before my meat is ready. What do you in that case? I have thought about half plate sauce and half plate meat, but then I will deglaze charred juices from the meat half will ruin the finished sauce.


texts: Searing Sous-vide with electric heat gun

texts: After looking at various searing approaches incorporating the use of gas torches I wondered if heat guns might be a useful tool for searing. Heat guns are relatively inexpensive and have various tips to adjust the heat pattern. Having used both tools I believe the heat gun might be easier to use in this application. An inexpensive variable output gun can attain either 750  or 1000 degrees F. Has anyone tried this approach?


texts: Why does diluted half & half not make a substitute for whole milk?

texts:
I noticed that cutting half & half with water does not make it taste like whole milk. What is the reason for this?

I'm trying to apply some systems thinking to my understanding of ingredients.


texts: How should I prepare kola nuts for creating a soft drink?

texts:
I have recently gotten into making my own soft drinks, and I would like to attempt making a cola.   I found an online spice retailer that sells Kola Nut and bought some, but I have no real idea how to prepare them for use.   I also don't know how much I should use for a liter or two of soda, but I can figure that out via experimentation if I have to.

But what should I do with the kola nuts?   Do they need to be ground before I boil them in a simple syrup, or should the pieces just be dropped in as-is?   How much time does it take to extract the flavor from them?

Edit:  I have made my own ginger ale using fresh ginger and my own berry soda using a bag of frozen berries, and I am a homebrewer and have a kegging system and a carbonator cap for soda bottles.   I really just want to know if there are special considerations for how to treat kola nuts.


texts: Working with sticky dough for pizza making

texts:
I made a pizza dough with a recipe containing:
20 ounces of wheat, 2.25 teaspoon of Salt, 1/2 teaspoon of active yeast, 12 ounces water.

After a good time of kneading, I let it rise for around 2 hours. Then I made balls. Already I could tell the dough was very humid and bubbling. I let the balls at room temperature for around 10 hours and after, when trying to shape them, they are way too sticky.

Unless the recipe has an issue, is there any tip for handling sticky doughs for shaping pizzas?


texts:
Ever noticed how certain foods seem to get a lot hotter than others?  I almost never burn my tongue or mouth... except on tomatoes;  Pizza sauce, tomatoes in panini sandwiches or spaghetti sauce.

Tomatoes always seem to get hotter and retain their heat longer than almost any other food I've encountered. And they are nearly always the culprit when I succeed in burning my mouth.

Why would that be? Is there something about their chemistry that causes them to have a higher heat capacity?  Do they hold their heat longer? Or is it simply a figment of my imagination and bad luck with hot tomatoes?


texts:
Wood Ranch famously roasts their Tri-Tip overnight and then finishes it off on the grill before serving.
Whenever I slow cook my tri-tip (in a smoker @225) it only takes about 4 hours. I don't think this qualifies as "overnight". And their tri-tip certainly has a different texture that tri-tip's I've cooked in this manner. I've looked all over the internet for a recipe or process to start from (oven-temps and cook times), but everything seems to max out at about 4 hours of cook time.
All I can think of is cooking the trip tip at an over temp around 190, but that seems quite low and I'm apprehensive to try it. Is this a viable method?


texts: Differences between coffee made with french press or espresso machine?

texts: I've liked coffee for years and I'm thinking on buying a espresso machine. Before that, I want to know why the coffee seems more tasty when it is done that way than with a french press or a drip coffee maker and what are the pros and cons of a espresso machine. Thanks!


texts:
When I buy eggs, I have trouble deciding which size is the best value.

Does any one have any tips?


texts: Does anybody recognize this Finnish dill sauce?

texts: My husband brought back a homemade sour cream dill sauce from Finland. It was thick, perhaps with a puréed vegetable, but I couldn't taste cucumber or the like. There is definitely some texture there. Any suggestions?


texts:
I have to reduce my sodium intake. I love kosher dill pickles. I'd like to make my own with less or no sodium.
So in researching, I see references to using saltpeter in place of salt sometimes. It is described as a preservative. But it doesn't look like it can completely replace salt.
Is there a way I can pickle and brine without using sodium? Will the taste be close to kosher dill pickles?
It would be fine if I have to eat it within a few weeks.


texts: What is considered to be an ideal roasting time and temperature for Cauliflower?

texts:
If I just want to make the simplest roasted cauliflower, what is the best temperature and roasting time?

I have never roasted it, only boiled and fried it before.


texts: Search terms for potatoes inside of a bun

texts: So, while traveling in Japan, I found that a lot of European-style bakeries have a dish that's essentially a baked potato inside of a bun.  Like, it's a small potato wrapped in bread dough which is pinched closed over top of it, with bacon, green onion, and cheese on top.  Now that I'm home, I'd like to recreate it.  For the life of me, however, I can't find any kind of recipe.  Since I don't remember what it was called, I'm stuck rehashing fairly generic Google searches for "baked potato in bun with cheese" or the like.  What is this dish called?


texts: Is that bechamel that Gordon Ramsay is adding to the lasagna?

texts:
In this video, you can see Gordan Ramsay piping a white substance into his lasagna.

Recently saw a post about substitute for ricotta or cottage in a lasagna. Several members agreed that bechamel is traditionally used.

So is that what Ramsay is doing here?


texts: How to increase the temperature of my double boiler?

texts:
I have a double boiler that I wish to use to prepare a batch of fudge. The recipe I am using calls for heating to 240°F (=116°C), but a double boiler is limited to the boiling point of the working fluid used, so plain water, boiling at only 100°C, won't work.

I know that one can increase the boiling point of a liquid by dissolving material in it, governed by ∆T = Kb m, where Kb is the boiling point elevation coefficient and m is the molal concentration of solute.

Using this, to get the boiling point of water to 116°C requires a ∆T=16 K, and Kb = 0.512 K / m, so that would require a 31.25 molal solution. Using NaCl, that would mean about 1.8 kg of salt per kg of water, which is around 5 times as much salt as will even dissolve at all.

What can I do to increase the temperature of my double boiler?


texts: What type of whetstones are you using for sharpening stainless steel knives?

texts:
What type of whetstone should I use for sharpening knives made of VG-10, A2, D2, S30V?

More specific, for each step (grinding/sharpening/honing):

what kind of whetstone: natural or artificial? If artificial, what type of material?
what kind of bonding material? or no bonding material at all for specific grit ranges?

P.S. If you know some other place where specific models of whetstones (and their recommended usage) are discussed, please leave a comment. All I have found so far are some vendor sites, and nothing relevant about practical usage.


texts: Bottling and Storing Cold-Brewed Coffee?

texts:
I'm a bit of an iced-coffee snob – I love a good, rich tasting coffee, and love the smooth flavor of cold-brewed coffee; unfortunately, the only time I have to make it is the weekends, and it lasts for one to two days in the fridge before being consumed, leaving the rest of my week relegated to Keurig brewed over ice, or a trip to Starbucks.

I had the thought to brew coffee on Saturdays and to store it in lock-top amber bottles in the refrigerator on Sunday, but I wanted to know how long I could expect the coffee to be safe to drink? Is there anything I can do differently to extend the shelf-life of my cold-brewed coffee?


texts:
I've read about the beneficial use of soybean in the food industry, so I wonder what it tastes like? How can it be explained?

Does soybean taste like regular beans? Also, what's the difference in its processed forms, such as soymilk?


texts: Put pork in crock pot and accidentally set to warm

texts: I put a large pork roast in the crock pot this morning and accidentally set it to warm. I noticed it about 2 hours later and turned it to high. Is it safe to eat or do I need to toss it and buy a new one?


texts: Storage of partially used jar of mustard?

texts:
Because I use mustard for my own consumption only occasionally, I am buying smallest available packages (350 g) but after opening I can see unused mustard slowly changing into "water" and solid component. I understand that every food deteriorates but I would like to understand something more about this.

Why it does not deteriorate this way in unopened package?
Is there some advice to slow down the process? Or even a way to simply renew its original consistence?


texts: Can I store a fresh turkey in my garage for a few days?

texts: I have a 25 lb. fresh turkey and would like to store it in my garage if possible. It's 43F during the day, and 33F at night - will it be safe to do that?


texts:
I've been experimenting with fresh coconuts lately (they are amazing), but one thing I haven't figured out yet is how to make a nice creamy coconut milk. Mainly to make hot chocolate and eat with fruits like an yogurt,

So I put the coconut water and the meat in a (not very good) blender, strained it through a sieve and refrigerated it, this is the result:

The part at the top is a grainy, watery coconut mush, I was expecting it to be like cream/yogurt

And the part at the bottom I assume it's really just coconut water.

Looking at a carton of store-bought full fat coconut milk it contains chemical emulsifiers and thickeners, so is there no way of achieving a natural creamy coconut milk?

And the store bought one never mentions it was pasteurized, one of my ideas was water bathing the glass.

I also thought abount whisking it but not sure about it yet.

So, what can be done to achieve a homogenous, creamy, eat-by-itself, homemade coconut milk?

In regards to the duplicate question, I want to know how to emulsify it, the store bought ones do not completely separate this way and the top part is creamy unlike mine.


texts: Why is the nutrition information for these two items so different?

texts:
(In the UK)

I have a packet of custard, which has the following ingredients: Maize starch, salt, Flavouring and Colour.  The salt content on the nutrition information is 0.17% so I assume that the custard is almost entirely Maize Starch.
Wikipedia tells me that Maize Starch is the same as (in the UK) Cornflour. I have some of that in the cuboard and its nutritional information looks like this:

My question is: why is the nutritional information so different? Where did the Sugars come from? Why is there more protein? What's going on?


texts: I work in a cafe but I am still a little new to some things so my question is: If I turn yesterday's bakers into today's mashed potatoes will they taste any different? I am concerned that they may look different  or taste less fresh.


texts: Malva pudding recipe containing too much bicarb and vinegar?

texts:
I tried making Malva pudding today using this recipe and the results were decidedly off. I don't know if it was too acidy or basey but definitely didn't taste right. The recipy calls for 2tsp bicarb and 1tbsp vinegar. I did think it was quite a bit of vinegar at the time but trusted the recipe. I assumed the bicarb/vinegar would neutralize eachother and act as a rising agent.

Is this a usual amount of bicarb/vinegar to use in a recipe of this size? Or did I do something else wrong?

Full disclosure: I didn't have jam so that was excluded but followed the recipe faithfully otherwise, fresh ingredients and all. Could the exclusion of the jam have made a diff? I didn't think it would?

Edit:

It could have been the jam! Apricot jam has a pH of 3.8ish which is what makes it preserve so well I believe. So it's possible that the jam was also supposed to neutralize the bicarb.

Edit 2:

I asked about the acid base ratio at chemistry here and almost certainly too much bicarb!


texts:
I had a jug of
Milk todaynand I was trying to open it ... instead of the seal breaking ... the whole lid mechanism popped off. It made a cracking noise so I'm sure the thing was sealed . It wasn't easy to open but for some reason the seal didn't break. Any input as to why or if it is still technically sealed?


texts: What is the origin of fish sauce in asia?

texts:
wondering about the history/origins of fish sauce, specifically in Asia. I haven't found anything after Googling a bit..

My friend claims that fish sauce was invented in Italy (the Romans?). Can someone help clarify?


texts: Accidentally bought a bag is poached peanuts instead of roasted.  Can I roast them despite the fact that they are already cooked (and not raw)?  If so, are there any extra steps I should take in doing so?


texts: What aspects of a fridge most affect the quality/taste of food?

texts:
I am buying a refrigerator. Aside from the usual non-culinary criteria (size, style, energy efficiency, cost), are there particular features/designs that will affect the taste of my refrigerated cooking ingredients (meat, seafood, produce, dairy, eggs, etc)?

For example:

Since various ingredients are optimally preserved in different conditions (temperature/humidity/light), are there fridges that make it easier, e.g. by having different compartments?
Is it important to have different compartments to prevent ingredients from interacting with each other?

Are any of these a major consideration for you when shopping for a fridge?


texts: Are oven bags anything more than disposable dutch ovens?

texts:
A few months back, on a whim, I bought plastic oven bags. I'd never seen them before so I was curious. According to notes on the packaging I can cook chicken, beef and pretty much anything else in them, but the notes don't hint at why I would chose to do so.

A little post-purchase reflection has lead me to believe that these bags are essentially disposable dutch ovens. Since I already have a dutch oven I wonder if I've wasted my money. Can anyone tell me?


texts:
I got an apple chutney recipe from a friend.  It's an old family recipe and it specifically says to chop the apples but to NOT core or peel them.  The recipe is basically just apples and pears, red onions, raisins, brown sugar, cider vinegar and various spices which you simmer gently for a couple of hours. It says nothing about straining or grinding. The onions are finely sliced and it says "chop apples and pears roughly but without coring."

Does the vinegar somehow soften the seeds and core of the apple?  Is that important to the taste or texture? I am hesitant to used the whole apple as most recipes I have found online say to core or even peel and core.


texts: How do I add citric acid to my hard candy without it burning?

texts: Every time I try a recipe and add the flavoring and citric, within seconds the citric burns and gives the candy a horrible taste. How or when should I add it so that this won't happen. I'm using a powdered form of the citric acid.


texts: What provides the acid for leavening in this banana bread recipe?

texts:
I have made this banana bread recipe a couple of times. The ingredients are:

All-purpose flour
Salt
Brown sugar
Baking soda
Bananas
Butter
Eggs

My understanding is that baking soda requires some acid such as milk or yogurt to provide leavening. But this recipe doesn't call for anything that is an acid that I can see. Yet it does produce a perfectly edible loaf and not a dense brick.

What is reacting with the baking soda to provide leavening?


texts: Pasta maker: Spaghetti sticking after rolling

texts:
Love to check out the threads on the board, now finally decided to make an account in the hope some of you could help me out.

Recently started and dough-making is going quite well now. In the below images I prepared as follows:

Using Grano Duro 1 egg/100g and some water
Kneed, work, the dough for about 5 minutes.
Let it sit, airtight, on counter for 30 minutes
Use a pin to roll it out to a thickness of 1 cm before starting to use the pastamaker's rollers

My problem is that the spaghetti is sticking together after emerging from the rollers. I'm able to pull apart some of it, but barely 1/3rd. The rest might as well be parpadelle... I'm in doubt on whether my methods are at play, or the pasta maker itself. With cooking, it's usually the latter I think :)

Pic 1: 'rough' sheet after rolling at medium thickness. I trim the edges after so that it's a nice square.

Pic 2: I feed it through the pasta machine. The spaghetti is coming out but with a 'fleece' in between. It's not easy to pull apart manually, it destroys the spaghetti strings.

Pic3: The alignment of the rollers in my pasta maker. At least I don't see them being misaligned too much, are they?

What have I tried so far:
- Different thinknesses of the sheet when I push them through the spaghetti rollers
- Adding olive oil, adding more water rather than egg
- Letting the dough sheets dry on counter for 30 min, and once for 3 hours (which was clearly too long)

Love to hear if you have advice!


texts: Does adding baking soda to steam sweet potatoes in a pressure cooker help with caramelization?

texts:
I recently discovered that adding baking soda to increase Ph in a pressure cooker promotes the Maillard reaction (see article, and this answer), and I want to try this with steamed sweet potatoes.

In both links, the food is submerged in the higher-Ph liquid. Could I achieve a similar result with steaming, by dissolving (possibly more) baking soda in the water, or does the food have to be in contact with the higher Ph environment?


texts:
I had a few attempts at making Dragon Beard candy, and I can't seem to get a handle on the consistency of the caramel.

Here's the recipe I use:

200g sugar
13g dextrose
1g lemon juice
130g water

- mix ingredients
- heat up to 135°C
- immediately remove from heat
- pour into silicone containers
- let cool until solid

Now from my understanding, there is quite a bit of chemistry involved, so the ingredients have to be measured precisely and the target temperature is very important, as it decides on the hardness of the caramel when solid. Too soft and the dragon beard will fall apart during pulling. Too hard and it will break.

I had a few previous attempts that turned out fine, so I thought I had the temperature figured out for this recipe, but recently another batch failed (too soft). I am using a digital thermometer, but it's a hand-held device, so I can't control precisely whether it touches the bottom of the pot or not, which might be a problem.

Also I wonder whether the time until the temperature reached is important. I am aware that the temperature plateaus for a time while the sugar does its transformation thing, and then starts to go up again, but I might be losing too much water during boiling if I wait too long.

There seem to be multiple factors that could potentially fail the process, so can anyone with experience on the matter help me out? Are there any tricks I may be missing?


texts: Mold is growing on my cheese, what is common practice?

texts:
I love cheese and I am always buying and trying new types. Because of this, my cheese stash starts to grow faster than I can eat all of it. Sometimes mold starts to grow around the outside before I get to it, particularly the cheddar.

I practice good storage techniques to no avail, still the mold eventually shows up.  So when this happens, I just trim the mold off and move on, but some of my friends think this is "so gross" and I should just throw it away.

What do you think?


texts:
I have two questions:

1. Are curd and paneer the same thing?

I prepared the curd by acidification of milk (adding vinegar). In the recipes, I see that the result is called curd and also paneer (Indian cheese).

In the second step, I found easy instruction for making mozzarella from curd, by cooking it in hot water for about 5 min.

This recipe was perfect, when I used curd purchased from the market. But when I used homemade curd (made by adding vinegar to milk), the curd was fallen apart instead of forming elastic mozzarella.

I am a little bit confused, the curd (or paneer) I make by adding vinegar is similar to that I buy from the market (even tastes are similar).

2. Why homemade curd cannot produce mozzarella?


texts:
I am living in Asia and it's summer here for all year long.
I realised that my butter tends to melts very fast when I am doing creaming method. Will the melted butter affect the texture of my cake?


texts:
Acorns of many oak species are edible.
They've been used as food in many traditions, but almost all need boiling and/or soaking to leach out the tannins.   I'm curious to try them, as nuts, a hot drink, or ground into flour for baking. I'm particularly interested in the European Oak (a.k.a Quercus robur, English or Common Oak) as I have several growing over my garden.
I've found plenty of sources on how to prepare them, but little on how to select them.  I assume they should be brown to be ripe, but do I need to get up and pick them as soon as they turn brown, or are fallen ones good?  Apart from obvious signs that something has started eating them, is there anything I should beware of?
Update:
Even after discarding the floaters I had to throw away quite a few.  they were quickest to shell by quartering them lengthways with a sharp knife.
Unroasted ground acorns worked well in place of ground almonds in a biscuit (cookie) recipe, but the coffee substitute has a flavour closer to malty than nutty and isn't great.  I may not have roasted the acorns enough, because despite leaching until they weren't bitter, they turned dark brown on drying so I couldn't see how roasted they were.


texts: Air-fried sweet potatoes come up dry and tough?

texts:
I just tried air frying rather thickly-sliced sweet potatoes for 160°C/320F for 20 minutes. Tossed them in olive oil and sprinkled some salt before air frying too.
All the recipes I've read online say that the potatoes should turn out soft and moist on the inside but my sweet potato fries turned out really dry and tough. Should I be air frying for a shorter duration, or is it something else (maybe not all sweet potatoes are suited for air frying)?


texts:
What's the best way to store cream cheese icing to make it last as long as possible?  How long will it be good for?

The icing is made up of

1/2 cup of butter
1 cup cream cheese
3 cups icing sugar


texts: I left creme fraiche out of fridge for 2 hours it turned bad

texts: How long can you keep creme fraiche out of the fridge before it gets spoiled


texts:
I have a piece of olive bread which was good by April 16. I have seen some white things on them since I got them on April 17, and have kept it in refrigerator. Are they normal and safe to eat?

Will it make it safer to eat by boiling the bread?

Thanks.

without plastic package:

within plastic package:


texts: Recreating a Mexican spice blend I have bought

texts:
I previous bought a pre-made spice blend from a health food store which I absolutely loved however its $5 per 30g which is pretty expensive so I was thinking I would try and recreate it.

The ingredients it contains are paprika, cumin, sea salt, smoked paprika, coriander seed, amchur, chili, cinnamon, coriander leaf (cilantro) and oregano.

The reason i am posting here is that when it comes to actually doing the ratio/quantities for the spices I am lost. Naturally it doesn't say how many grams of each spice there is in the packet. I thought asking here would be a good option since a lot of the people here seem to know there stuff.

I want to use this in a chili con carne sort of styled dish.

1kg Beef Mince
1 Large Onion
6 Garlic Cloves
1tsp Salt
1tsp Black Pepper
1 can Pureed Tomatoes
1 can Diced Tomatoes
2tbsp Spice Blend

I would put the tomatoes and spice mix in a slower cooker for 10 minutes while I browned the rest in a pan then I would add the meat into the slow cooker for 2 hours.

I am looking for something that isn't on the hot side since I am not the only one eating this and unfortunately the others don't appreciate hot food however when I made this with the spice blend it was very well received.

Any help with this would be much appreciated. Thanks.


texts: Can a beef brisket be tenderized by cooking a second time?

texts: A neighbor gave me about 2.5 pounds of cooked brisket. He said he cooked it overnight but he did not say  a temperature. I have roasted several briskets overnight in a tight roaster at 210 to 220 F and they have always been very tender. This roast looks cooked but is relatively tough. If I cook it several more hours at about 210 F , is it likely to get "fall apart" tender ?


texts:
Is there a way to make stone ground flour at home easily, preferably manually, from whole wheat/rye/kamut/spelt berries? Is that what a miller is used for, or is that only to make regular flour?

Can I just use something like mortar and pestle?

My end goal is to make sourdough bread and a starter with this stone ground flour.


texts:
I'm trying to make Injera traditionally, without any starter, just teff flour (the white one) and water (tap water). I mixed it and left in a bowl, covered by dish towel, in my kitchen. After 60 hours I noticed the surface (just the surface) was grey with molds, something gone wrong! I'm investigating about the causes. First of all I live in central Italy, weather conditions are obviously different from Ethiopia. Maybe my kitchen is a too humid place? Could be something related to tap water (PH?)? Or maybe I let it ferment too long, as there were bubble even after 48 hours..
Any hints?


texts:
I'm making some kebabs, which involves taking a mixture of ground meat and spices, then rolling them into small cylinders. I usually hand roll, but I have to make them in large volume soon and would like them to look a little more like perfect cylinders.

I cannot figure out the name for a tool that might be a cheap, small hand tool that would form ground meat into small cylinders. I picture something that has a scissor handle and a cylinder end, like a  meat baller but cylindrical instead of spherical. Does something like this exist and have a name?


texts: I was cooking rice, beans and sausage for my friend and I but since we are living very low budget my only utensils were plastic forks, knives, and spoons (really cheap ones that come in packs of like 48).  I was picking up the sausage in pieces and putting them in a bowl when I noticed the fork had begun to melt.  Luckily these are not for until tomorrow but I was wondering if it is safe to eat them since the fork did not seem to leave any plastic behind and was only in the sausage for about 30 seconds.  I just don't want to feed my friend contaminated sausage. Thanks.


texts: A Chinese style recipe for duck calls for seasoning the duck with salt, pepper and stuffing with ginger and scallion.  Then, hanging to dry at room temperature overnight before cooking.  Is this method safe? What about the temperature danger zone? Thanks!


texts: Is synthetic astaxanthin (salmon "dye") safe?

texts:
TL;DR Is synthetic astaxanthin safe for humans to consume?
Background
Synthetic astaxanthin is available as a supplement, and is also commonly consumed by humans in the form of farmed salmon.
Wild salmon eat a lot of shrimp-like krill, which contains lots of astaxanthin, which is what gives salmon it’s red/pink flesh. In farmed salmon, they’re not fed the same diet, so they don’t get the same colour (they’d be grey or off-white). So farms feed them synthetic astaxanthin to give their flesh a red/pink colour.
This says that humans that eat the farmed salmon end up consuming the synthetic astaxanthin via the salmon's flesh.
I found the following:

An article saying:

... one company has announced it will bring a synthetic astaxanthin supplement to market for human use. Their argument for its legality is that it’s already approved as a color additive in food (salmon). This may be a legal loophole that could potentially bring this far inferior supplement onto health food store shelves sometime in the future. The question that remains to be answered is whether or not synthetic astaxanthin is safe for direct human consumption.

Astaxanthin may cause stomach pain in large doses (but so do many foods in large quantities).

Also:

Synthetic astaxanthin is significantly inferior to algal-based astaxanthin

Note that being 'inferior' doesn't imply that it's unsafe.
Question
Is human consumption of synthetic astaxanthin (via capsule, salmon, or any other means) safe?


texts: Can I mix anything into cheesecake batter?

texts:
When I say "anything" I mean things that might go well with cheesecake - ie, fresh fruit, chocolate chips, etc. In particular I've got cranberries in mind. All the fruit-related cheesecake recipes I've seen save the fruit for a topping.

Is mixing stuff into the batter itself before baking a bad idea?


texts: Is kangaroo meat safe to eat raw such as kangaroo tartare?

texts:
I know that kangaroo meat is usually cooked rare because it's so low in fat.

I also know that certain meats are not safe unless well cooked, such as chicken and pork.

But what about kangaroo? For me it's the most delicious red meat so if I like steak tartare I know I should like kangaroo tartare, but how could I make sure that I'm doing it the safest way possible, if there is a safe way?


texts: How to Convert Blueberry Muffin Recipe to Vanilla Muffin Recipe

texts:
I tried this recipe with good results.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/blueberry-coffee-cake-muffins-recipe/index.html

So I decided to make plain vanilla muffins using the same recipe except for adding blueberries. However, the texture was not the same - I am guessing this is because of the reduced moisture content from the missing blueberries.

Can someone please guide me as to what I should modify to make up for the reduced moisture (assuming that is the cause)?

Many thanks


texts: I bought (and ate) popcorn made with truffle oil and truffle salt.  I noticed one kernel had a small, moldy spot on it and I tossed it aside and continued eating because the rest of the popcorn looked fine.  As I was eating I did notice two other kernels with the same, small, dark green spots but finished the bag anyway! Now I'm worried that I ate something that is going to make me seriously ill - spores or...????  I don't know what I was thinking!!!!  Should I have thrown the bag out?  Really worried.


texts: Can a clear glaze be made without gelatin or starch?

texts:
I'd like to press some edible flowers onto a cheesecake I will be making. I'll need some sort of a glaze, and my first instinct was egg whites, but then I learned that those tend to brown, which is why they're mostly used for bread and pastries. I then looked into clear cake glazes, and all of them used a thickening agent such as gelatin or corn starch, but I don't want a very noticeable glaze, I just want something that'll keep the flowers pressed to the surface of the cake without being too sticky.

Would just sugar and water (and possibly a bit of rosewater) work as a glaze?


texts: Wouldn't this cake batter be too runny? Would the coffee affect the texture?

texts:
I came across What purpose does coffee serve in a chocolate cake recipe? as a similar  question to one I'd just asked about baking.

Looking at the recipe she provided there, wouldn't the amount of liquid (coffee, buttermilk, oil, and eggs) to solid (flour, sugar, and cocoa powder) make it a very runny batter?  It's 4 1/3 cups liquid plus 3 eggs to 6 1/2 cups solid (if I count the sugar as a solid).  It just seems like a lot of liquid to solid.  Maybe the coffee being hot does something?


texts: How do I adjust for a recipe to bake in an oven instead of on a grill?

texts:
I have a recipe for grilling a pear crisp that calls for grilling for 15 to 20 minutes over indirect medium heat.

Can I instead bake this in an oven?  At what temperature should I bake it?


texts:
At what temperature is water called at a “rolling boil”?
How long does it take until water is at rolling boil?


texts: Won't abalone be unchewable and stony if you steam for 6 hours?

texts:
The last time I went to a seafood restaurant in Sai Kung, we bought fresh abalone from store on ground floor, then took it ourselves to restaurant. Restaurant cooked them in 25 mins, and abalone was tender.
On the other hand, a blogger describes a dish made with abalone that was steamed for a very long time.

The first ingredient to come out was a pair of abalone from Australia which have been steamed with sake for 6 hours.

So what’s the difference between cooking the abalone very quickly and very long - and what about the times I between, e.g. cooking the abalone for an hour?


texts: Would you recommend a way to make mole sauce without chocolate? If so how? I'm diabetic and don't want a lot of sugar in my sauce.


texts:
In case you're wondering, Blin (or Блин) is just Pancake in Russian.
It was given by my favorite YouTuber that these pancakes have to be thin to be a proper blin. Is this true?


texts: Are there other predominantly tangy/sour spices, similar to sumac? I'm thinking of things for dressing roasted vegetables, where you might use something like lemon juice, but a dry spice can be more convenient.


texts: The name or chemical compound responsible for a specific quality of some spices (numbness)

texts: I'm putting together the results of a kitchen experiment and I'd like to be able to identify a phenomenon that I've noticed when using certain spices. I've felt it in some of what are often called "warm" spices, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg come to mind, but that's by no means a complete list. For lack of a better way to describe it, it's a subtle numbness. I feel it primarily on the hard palate, and the sensation (or lack thereof) lasts perhaps twice as long as the perception of the actual flavor of the spice. It's so subtle that it won't surprise me if nobody knows what I'm talking about, but I'm hopeful.


texts:
So I have a lot of those drink packets that you just add into a bottle of water and shake.  It's pretty much adult kool-aid.  A while ago my wife and I went a little overboard and bought way too many, which is making me wonder if they have any other uses.  I've used them for making cheap drinks (for those who don't deserve the good booze), but haven't really come up with other uses, so I'm turning to you!

Can anyone come up with any good culinary uses for these things?  They come in all kinds of flavors. I know I have: Lemonade, Strawberry, Orange, Blueberry, Daquiri, and a host of other flavors I can't think of.

Thanks!


texts: Is there a tradition where eating something sweet before something savory is the norm?

texts: I have a preference for eating sweets before a main savoury. Are there any cooking traditions where this is the norm? Secondly, why has the tradition of having a main savoury followed by sweets arisen? Why not the other way around?


texts:
I would like to try culturing fresh buttermilk that I get from whipping butter. I would like to ask if storebought "cultured buttermilk" is done exactly like homemade yogurt, but with fresh buttermilk?

Thus, would the methodology be as follows?

(1) heat buttermilk to simmering
(2) cool down to 110 F
(3) add live yogurt culture
(4) incubate at the proper temperature

Thanks for any insights or those who have attempted this before.


texts: Can I clean enameled cast iron with steel wool?

texts:
I've got a new enameled cast iron skillet that I've been cleaning with stainless steel wool along with a standard dish rag.

It occurs to me that scratches in the enamel might eventually cause problems.  What's the consensus?  Is steel wool safe to use on an enameled surface?

Thanks.


texts:
I'd like to make some biscuits (cookies), but I have no eggs, and I don't want to leave the apartment.

Can I use something else?


texts: How do I know that the quantity of salt is enough for a given amount of flour?

texts: When making bread during Ramadan, I can't taste the flour.  Is there a known ratio of salt to flour when making bread?


texts: Substitute actual vodka for storebought vanilla extract

texts:
True vanilla extract is vanilla split vanilla pods steeped in vodka for four months. I have never had a taste nor a whiff of this. Can I assume that the vanilla pods simply add aroma to the vodka, and that the vodka's sharp alcoholic flavor still dominates the substance?

Therefore, is it possible to just use clear vodka, particularly, in cookie recipes? Since my idea is that there are already so much ingredients in chocolate chip cookies, maybe the recipe would do better with the "freshness" of vodka, which is closer to the real stuff, rather than the bitterness of storebought vanilla extract.


texts: How can I tell if bell peppers have gone bad?

texts:
I regularly buy bell peppers from a local supermarket, but unfortunately they don't always have the freshest vegetables. Sometimes I can tell that the peppers have gone bad when they have brown spots or even mold, but more than once now I have bought peppers that looked fine from the outside but when I opened them they had mold in them and smelled bad. On the other hand I also had peppers that were very wrinkly or had dark seeds, but other than that seemed fine.

So my question is: How do I know if a bell pepper has gone bad?

What are indicators that a pepper has gone bad?
Are there indicators that I can see or feel from the outside?


texts:
My dad asked me to clean out his freezer and I found this cut of beef.  It said "rib" on it, but it looks like no rib I've ever seen.

(click for full size)

Is this an ankle?  How can I identify which cut it is?


texts: What is the difference between noodles and pasta?

texts:
Is pasta just a fancy name for noodle? Or is pasta always an Italian style noodle?
Is all pasta noodles? Or the other way around?

This may be more of a language question than an actual food question...


texts: I haven't fed my sourdough in about a month so I was going to feed it and I saw a black spot on the dough. I scooped it out and fed the sourdough.I'm worried if this could possibly be black mold and if so is it still safe to eat because i did get rid of the black spot and whatever i use it for will be cooked, or is it just completely contaminated.


texts: I'm cooking 4.5 lb of chicken in a slow cooker. I've yielded some tabasco peppers from the garden, poked holes in them with a fork, and add them to the liquid. Will this blow me out of the water? Will I notice the heat?


texts: Made spring rolls but still got loads of wrappers left, they came frozen so can I refreeze them?


texts:
I made this s’more  peanut butter bars and I did not have Ritz crackers to make the crust that said I could use graham cracker crumbs which turned out to be three cups. I would like to know what I could use to make it pack down again because it came  horribly crumbling. A
Thank Youbig mess


texts: Estimating the fat content of homemade chicken foot gelatin

texts:
I recently simmered a pot of chicken feet (including skin) for the first time and made an astonishingly gelatinous gelatin. It's clearly suffused with chicken fat, but I have no idea how much -- I don't think I could guess the fat % by weight or the fat:protein ratio to within a factor of 10.

I tried melting some in a tall, narrow container and letting the fat settle on top, but that was unsuccessful because 1) the gelatin fraction solidified at room temperature, and 2) some of the fat appears to be emulsified and won't separate out on its own. So, consider this a food chemistry thought experiment: Given a sample of gelatin with fat in it, how would you estimate the fat content?

Responses to some likely questions:

1) If I wanted a homogeneous, clean-looking and -tasting product I definitely should have removed the skin. This was more of a nose-to-tail-eating experiment.

2) I know a little chicken fat won't kill me. But I'm doing nutritional tracking to investigate some health issues, so a rough estimate would be useful.


texts: How do I make instant chocolate powder from a chocolate bar?

texts: I like the flavour of a certain brand of chocolate, is there a method to turn a chocolate bar into instant chocolate powder so I can quickly create a hot chocolate from it? I am aware I can make a hot chocolate drink from the bar, but I'm specifically asking if it possible to turn this bar into a powdered (not flakes/shaving) form.


texts: I want to invest in some hotel pans for home cooking, what size and quantities should I buy?

texts:
When I watch cooking shows and observe equipment in restaurant kitchens, I see a lot of different size hotel pans.

I see that various sizes can be used to hold sauces, hold mise en place, hold cooked product, etc.

What would be a good set to invest in? What sizes and how many of each?


texts: Can I reuse marinade that was used on precooked meat?

texts: Can I reuse Greek marinade that I used on precooked ribs ?


texts: Can any harm come of eating watermelon seeds?

texts: Is there any harm in swallowing watermelon seeds?  Or will they simply pass from one end to the other?


texts: Why do people suggest boiling rice before lowering the heat to low, when making steamed long grain rice? What happens if you don't wait for it to boil and go straight to simmer phase?


texts: Can I put hot soup  straight  in to the freezer or should I let it cool?  With my old frig I used to divide it into meal size portions and seal in freezer bags inside tupper ware containers.  Now I have a new frig I am wondering whether this would upset the automatic functions.


texts: Substituting parchment for foil in slow cooker

texts:
A slow cooker gooey brownie recipe calls for using aluminum foil as a liner.

Can I substitute parchment paper for the foil?

Since the OP seems to be long gone, I'm going to edit in this recipe, since it's the first Google hit if you search for "slow cooker gooey brownie recipe", and it does call for lining the slow cooker with foil. The recipe also calls for the foil to be generously buttered.


texts: I like to make yogurt from heavy cream so when it's frozen, it keeps creamy texture when stored in the freezer in several days. Do you think this works? Does high fat content affect incubation process of yogurt? Should I use heavy cream or half heavy cream half whole milk?


texts: Can I descale/decalcify my coffee machine without a special product?

texts:
I have a capsule espresso machine. The company sells a special decalcification kit. However, I think that it only contains a citric acid and nothing more, yet it is quite expensive.

The question is whether I can safely and efficiently use just a citric acid I buy in any shop for decalcification? Or is there something else readily available I could use?


texts:
I've read about the Balti bowl (the cookware, not the dish). Apparently, one can cook specific recipes with it. For example, it is used to prepare a curry over intense heat. In particular, I was looking at this bowl from Le Creuset.

I have an electric stovetop so I cannot really use intense heat like from a hob. Also the bowl does not have a lid and it is probably not really stackable/nestable with other cookware. Therefore I'm wondering if it offers any other advantage over or has other noticeable differences from European pots that would justify spending that hefty amount of money and dedicated kitchen space.


texts: In Europe, the very large majority of glucose syrups are actually derived from wheat and thus not gluten-free, while corn syrup is gluten-free (as far as I understand). From this question, I learnt that golden syrup is actually a good substitute for corn syrup, and thus, I am wondering: is golden syrup gluten-free? Does it depend on the source of sugar used, i.e. cane vs. beet?


texts: How do packet cake mixes get their lightness without creaming butter and sugar?

texts:
I don't get it. Do they have some chemical leaveners in them or something?

I just had a slice tonight and upon complementing the chef on its lightness, was told it was a packet mix—just add egg and water.


texts: Cleaning a moldy Ninja Blender so it is again safe for use?

texts:
I have a ninja blender that was left in the fridge for too long and has a mold problem.

When I found it, I washed it with piping hot water heated by our gas water heater.   I've read some other places you have to use bleach and then let it dry out; but I want to know what to do for sure, so I'm asking the question here.


texts: Substituting table salt for kosher salt when brining chicken

texts:
How much regular table salt should I use when brining chicken pieces?

I don't have kosher salt, just regular iodised table salt. Does this really make a difference? I thought salt was salt.

Additionally, I have never found non-iodised salt for sale in South Africa. There is, however, a big fad in "Himalayan Crystal Salt" at the moment in South Africa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayan_salt). Would this be better to use?


texts: Can I use traditional pie crust to make ice cream pies

texts:
For the past 2 weeks I have been working on an ice cream pie recipe and I’ve been running into a few issues(I have less than 2 months of baking experience).
I would like to know if I can use traditional pie crusts(for nut pies, cream pies etc) to make ice cream pies. I have attempted it myself but the crust was said to be either chewy or too hard. Any advice?
PS: I also added a picture of the final outcome for reference.


texts: What is a substitute for corn syrup in boiled icing?

texts: What can I use as a substitute for corn syrup in a recipe for boiled icing?


texts: Sugar/Citric Acid Coating giving Gummy Bears a Wet Look

texts:
So I'm able to make my gummy bear recipe just fine. Its just a simple mix of the following:

1/2 Cup water
1/4 Corn Syrup
1 6oz package of Jell-O Brand gelatin
2 packages of gelatin (Out of the four pack boxes)

I'm assuming you know how to make this recipe into bears at this point as this question isn't about the recipe more so the coating. However this recipe is from the ever so popular gummy bear video on YouTube found here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3_dV-e4d9c

So the bears are made, chilled, came out great. No issues. Except they're definitely not AS clear as the YouTube video, but again not really the point. Taste fine, and are firm.

So, I add a PURE sugar coating, let them sit out for a day, and harden up. They're good to go. Its a solid dry sugar coating similar to sour patch kids, or those little orange or cherry slices you get at the gas station.

However I wanted to create some type of sour coating similar to sour patch kids. I tried buying this product here:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/UBO-Citric-Acid-7-5-Ounce-USA/647638748

Its Ball Jar brand Citric Acid. I added this to a 1:3 ratio of citric acid to sugar, and then coated my gummy bears. After letting sit out for a day to dry up and harden, i come back to the gummy bears looking wet, sticky, and not easily handled.

I'm wondering if anyone has any advice to solve this problem. Its my first time posting here, so hopefully someone can help. :P


texts: What herbs to use when baking bread, rusks and scones?

texts:
since this is my first thread and I'm not a baker myself I hope you can help me as best as possible.

I'm visiting my gran on the farm this weekend - she's the amazing chef and brilliant baker. She grows her own herbs in the garden and I was hoping she could experiment with adding a more savoury/"herby" taste to her freshly baked scones, bread and rusks. Some of her herbs include: Basil, origanum, thyme, rosemary, licorice, mint.

So, I hope you guys have some ideas and thanks ahead :)


texts: What is this metal utensil tool with wooden handle?

texts:
Saw this at a flea market with other kitchen tools and do not know what it is. The end of the tool that is pictured is attached to a wooden handle, not a gear or some other mechanical attachment.

Update: I'm still Google searching periodically. Other ideas include parts for a cookie/pasta press.

This is what the handle looks like:

I think I'm on a lead with these grill scrapers.


texts: How can I make this antique ginger wine recipe using ingredients available today?

texts:
I have this old family ginger wine recipe, but some of the ingredients are hard to find or may not exist any more...

Essence of Ginger 12mls
Tincture of Capsicum 9mls
Essence of Lemon 5mls
Solution of Burnt Sugar 25mls
2 1/2 lb sugar
1 oz Tartaric Acid
5 quarts boiling water

Add mixture and sugar to boiling water.

WHEN COLD add tartaric acid.

I expect I can find the sugar and the water(!), but the rest I'm less sure about. Can anyone give some ideas as to how I could make tincture of capsicum, essence of ginger & lemon, and a solution of burnt sugar? Just in case it's different in other parts of the world, this recipe is British.


texts: How to interpret this recipe for walnuts harvested at a given time?

texts:
I have the recipe for a liqueur which requires using

  walnuts harvested around the 21st of June.

(Yes, the walnuts have to be far from ripe. The recipe call for green walnuts having no hardened shell yet)

The recipe came from the South of Europe (40°N), but now I want to use it with walnuts grown in northern Europe (51°N).

How can I adapt the harvesting time to keep a fairly similar development stage of the walnut?


texts: Is it okay to freeze a cheesecake for a shorter period of time as opposed to chilling it longer?

texts:
I'm sure this has happened before... you're bringing the cheesecake to the party, only to realize the recipe you're using tells you chill it for 12 hours! Is there any way around this? Will it come out horribly if we try to use the freezer? Our recipe says chill for 12 hours but we saw another that said 5.5 hours, so I'd be interested as to whether there's a rule of thumb to shorten any given chill time.

Could we freeze it for say 3 hours? (Then let it thaw in the fridge for some amount of time before serving)
Could we try a few freeze/chill/freeze cycles?
Or should we just suck it up, chill it the 12 hours and then tomorrow just eat it ourselves? ;)


texts: Is there a name for incompletely-sliced potatoes?

texts: I recently made this recipe, but I am wondering if there are any names for this type of slicing (for potatoes, and otherwise).  I suppose it somewhat resembles "blooming" an onion.


texts: A successful souffle is usually one that rises high above its own vessel. What active ingredients / parts of a souffle (regardless of the type of souffle) typically makes it lift or rise?


texts: my son gave me a package of thighs that he had in his deep freezer for 5 years. will this be bad and what will it do to the taste.


texts:
I got a little chief smoker for christmas, I tried smoking a 5lb pork shoulder today.  FAIL! I brined overnight, dry rubbed 1 hour before putting in the smoker.  Never got the meat over 85'.  Tried going to the oven but it had already been to long in the danger zone.

Couple other notes:

I wrapped the smoker in 3/4 in foam insulation to keep heat up
I got the smoker to 178' at the top end

My thought is to try again and cut the 5lb shoulder into two pieces.  I know you want low and slow which I agree with, and I know I'll have to finish in the oven which I am ok with.

Any advice?


texts: Vintage West Bend Slow Cooker number settings verses hi low settings

texts: I recently purchased a brand new vintage west bend slow cooker which I love however the cook settings are marked in numbers 1-5 rather than high and low like on a typical slow cooker/crock pot.  Obviously I understand the lower numbers are less heat etc but I was wondering if anyone has cooked with one of these before and even if not, can you give me your opinions if I should cook the called for 7-9 hours on low setting on number 1 or 2 or even 3?  Its a first try recipe containing 1" center cut chops with potatoes, rice, and onions etc..  I appreciate the help/advice : )


texts: Should a cook be concerned about the type of symmetrical edge-grind from the manufacturer on a chef's knife?

texts:
Asymmetrical edges are out of scope of my question because I feel like they're too different from symmetrical edges as it relates to the question.

If the stock edge-grind on a chef's knife is any rounded variation, is that something that should be avoided due to a less well-defined guiding angle for future sharpening?

Does it have any material effect on knife performance if the quality of the edge is comparable in polish, angle, etc?

This has some examples of edge grinds

In the above picture, all but the chisel type is symmetrical.

Hollow and convex are examples of the types I would be concerned about during the first non-factory sharpening.


texts: isn't ketchup (catsup) technically a smoothie?


texts: Parcooking carrots and green beans for an already well-seasoned casserole

texts: I will be heating an otherwise perfectly-seasoned casserole dish for an hour.  (Time constraint non-negotiable! But temperature flexible.)  I want to add fresh carrots and green beans but am wondering how long to parcook them (respectively) so they will be just right after an hour in a very moist dish of meat and veloute.  Any suggestions?


texts:
I am trying to emulate a hamburger recipe I ate at a restaurant with some green chili pepper (Chile Verde) which I really enjoyed.
My problem relies on how to cook it, if I just use the pan it burns or does not reach the soft consistency I am looking for.
Is there any way I can easily tenderize the chili pepper?


texts: When you buy an uncooked frozen pizza, if it is soft does that mean it hasn’t been frozen?

texts: I just wanted to know... Is it safe to eat if the pizza was soft after being bought frozen from the store... it wasn’t mushy or anything, but it was a little soft. I’ve never had a frozen pizza before but I do know that frozen food is kinda supposed to be harder. Someone please answer this question.


texts: Gelatin powder vs Gelatin leaf when and why

texts:
When preparing jelly type recipes there seem to be two options gelatin leaf and gelatin powder.

When looking around I found explanations for the ratio of powder to leaf such as here how much powdered gelatin to one gelatin leaf? but I'm struggling to find any good explanation of the difference and when one is preferable over the other.

The only difference I've noticed personally is that it can be a little tricky to get powder right in that if I put it in and don't mix it quickly it can become a separate ball.

So as for the question, Gelatin leaf vs gelatin powder when and why?


texts:
Here is a picture of raw "reserve beef for stew" that we just bought at our local (nation-wide chain) supermarket:

Where do these green streaks on the meat come from ? Is it normal and safe to cook it ? It is not really very good-looking...

They appear on most of the pieces.


texts: Can I reduce heavy whipping cream for a sauce a day ahead of use?

texts: Can this be done the day before using it for a sauce?  Because of a time crunch, I was wondering if I could reduce the heavy whipping cream the day before I make the actual sauce?


texts: Does cooking octopus in salt or pastry crust produce juicy octopus?

texts:
I've been reading up on octopus preparation and the different methods used to tenderise the meat. Rustic recipes call for a good beating against a rock until soapy, others talk of a long boil or braise. Papaya has been mentioned as has a pre-cook freeze. Sous vide is obviously a popular one (times and temperatures vary).

Before I put my experimenting hat on, I wondered if anyone has tried a salt-crust bake or a pastry crust? I feel the juices would be kept in, the temperature would be consistent but I am worried about the salt content.


texts: Will roasting ginger root give it a milder flavor?

texts:
I just had a thought - garlic is very strongly flavoured, but turns nice and mild when roasted.

Can the same be done with ginger root? I can't find any recipes with a cursory search of google.

Is roasted ginger root a good idea?


texts: Substituting meyer lemons for sour oranges

texts:
Many Cuban recipes use the juice of sour oranges as an ingredient, such as mojo sauce.  Unfortunately, sour oranges are hard to find in the Western USA.

The standard substitutions offered include, depending on the cookbook:

a 1:1 ratio of sweet orange and lemon juice
a 1:2 ratio of sweet orange and lemon juice
a 2:1 ratio of sweet orange and lime juice
various combinations of orange juice and vinegar

It occured to me today that Meyer lemons are a cross between mandarin oranges and lemons, and as such might have a flavor close to sour oranges.  Questions:

Are Meyer lemons actually close in flavor to sour oranges?
What substitution ratio should I use for meyer lemon juice (plus possibly sweet orange and/or lime juice) to sour orange juice?

Looking for answers with documentation and/or direct experience here, please, rather than guesses.  Thanks!