texts: Can I cook in this stainless steel balti dish?

texts:
I recently purchased what I believed to be a balti dish. It turned out, it was just a serving dish.

It is described as

  A Quality Stainless Steel Balti Dish 15cm in diameter. Balti dishes are perfect for serving your Indian food & Curry Dishes the traditional Restaurant way. Two handles on either side for easy handling.

Are there any obvious/common dangers cooking with this on a gas hob? Or is the risk more that the material won't take the heat and could break (spilling the food)?


texts: In baking souffles, I find that they start deflating from the moment I remove them from the oven. One chef suggested adding xanthan gum which is hard to find and quite expensive. Do you think arrowroot might work, or can you suggest another alternative to stabilize them?. Many thanks.


texts: What does simmer slowly mean with white soybeans?

texts:
The instructions in the soybeans say that parboil first and then simmer slowly for two hours.

Let's consider this in the scale of my plate. The power-scale of my plate is from 1 to 6. I put it first to 2, then to 3 and then to 4. It started to boil little with 4. Therefore, I consider that simmer slowly means no bubbles in the water i.e. 3.

I assume that parboil means "put the power of the plate to 6 and wait that everything bubbles vigorously".


texts: What is the typical composition of English Breakfast tea?

texts:
"English Breakfast" tea usually combines blends from Assam, Ceylon, and Kenya.

Typically what proportions of these three teas are used?

Edit: I have been asked to edit to explain why the answers to the question "Is English Breakfast the same as Assam?" does not answer this question. The reason is that the answers to that other question do not say what proportions of which blends typically constitute English Breakfast.


texts: How do I know if my cast iron dutch oven is preseasoned?

texts:
So I bought a cast iron dutch oven. It doesn't say anything on the box about it being preseasoned or not. So I looked up some guides online to see if there was anything special I needed to do before using it, and I found this page which says:

  If not pre-seasoned, the first thing you’ll notice is your new Dutch oven will be coated with a thick layer of wax.

This is weird because I don't notice any kind of wax on my Dutch oven. It's a dark black and is slightly shiny. I expected that if it was already seasoned it would probably say so on the box, or am I wrong?

What is the wax supposed to look like? How do I know if mine is seasoned or not?


texts: What can I do about excessive lime flavor in a pork roast?

texts: I marinated a pork roast in lime, garlic, oregano and a little olive oil.  The flavor of lime is over-bearing.  Is there anything I can do to counter the lime taste?


texts: Troubleshooting: Kitchen Sink Vegetable Soup

texts:
One of my newbie goals is to be able to make a kitchen sink vegetable soup that doesn't default to tomatoes and packs a punch in flavor. (Cleaning out the fridge and being healthy are nice goals too).

Assumptions & Procedure

Almost all the recipes I researched online called for getting translucent onions first, which I did
Added potatoes to this mix and tried to brown the potatoes for texture
Green beans and matchstick carrots went in
When potatoes seemed to turn a different color, I started becoming uneasy because the onions were getting very, very brown but the potatoes weren't.  I panicked at this point and added water and herbs - bullion, marjoram, basil, bay leaf, 5 peppercorns and a tiny amount of rosemary as per this
Brought to a boil, then simmered for 5 mins
Added sprouts and bok choy as they are faster cooking
Simmered for 5 mins
Panicked that maybe the bok choy was not cooking, so brought to a boil then down again to a simmer
Ate

Outcomes & Questions

Herbs did not "meld" with the soup and wound up sticking to the bottom despite stirring, so I got a mouthful of marjoram at the bottom of my bowl.  Why did they sink to the bottom? Should I add larger amounts of the spices for more "meld power?"
I never did get the texture I wanted from the potatoes.  Is getting a crispy potato texture not really possible in a veg soup?
Green beans got very army green toward the end.  Should I have just added them in with the water and spices?
Lastly, it had a diet-ey, cabbage-ey flavor/smell about it, which transported me to Weight Watchers meetings in the 70s/80s.  How do I prevent this? I'd like a vibrant, fresh soup, not one reminiscent of a moldy, old school cafeteria.

Please let me know if there are too many questions in this post.  I don't mind splitting them up but I thought it would be more for convenient for fellow newbies to find veg soup answers in one go.


texts:
For a family get-together, I bought 20 large containers of curry sauce from my favourite Indian restaurant - 15 Dansak and 5 Korma. I collected the sauces on Thursday evening. The containers were all hot to the touch. Then I un-wrapped and diced the appropriate amount of chicken thigh fillets. These were bought the day before, well in date and stored in the fridge. I browned off the chicken in batches with a little ghee and garlic. Then I put all the chicken in a big pan and boiled in water for around 25 minutes. Then I tipped all the sauces into two separate pans - one Dansak and one korma. The sauces were still quite warm. I then added the cooked chicken to the sauces, put the lids on and stored them in a very cold greenhouse overnight.

The following evening I took them to the party venue and warmed them up, simmering for a while, to be ready for the guests. Around 3 hours later almost all the Korma had gone, along with some of the  Dansak. At this point I decided to try some of the Dansak. Putting it in a bowl with some rice I noticed a very slight sour smell. I took a couple of mouthfuls and then I had a good sniff of what was left in the pan. Again it smelled a tiny bit funny so... To be on the safe side I removed the pan from the buffet and put it in the kitchen. Half an hour later I asked my friend to come to the kitchen to have a smell and tell me what he thought. Now it smelled pretty bad. It wasn't on any heat but was sort of fermenting by itself, with little light coloured bubbles. It smelled pretty bad (sour) so I put the pan outside. I was now quite worried that I might have poisoned some people. I went back and had a smell of what was left in the pot of Korma. This smelled just fine.

A couple of hours later I went outside to dispose of the contents of the Dansak pot. Now  smell was absolutely disgusting. Holding our noses, my friend and I tipped it into a double plastic bag and we could see that it was actually separating and was really horrible.

This was a couple of days ago. To my relief no-one has become sick. I can still 'taste' the horrible smell.

I have done this exact same thing several times before, with no problems at all. I just wonder if anyone might know what could have caused this to happen this time. It's really bugging me.


texts: All right, I made fish (shrimp) stock. Now, what do I do with it?

texts:
Just made some tasty BC Spot Prawns, them being in season.  Chopped the head off and also kept the shells as we ate them and made fish stock afterwards.
So I now have 2-3 cups of shrimp stock that I want to eat fairly soon.  I'd rather not freeze it or keep it around for any length of time.
What's a good recipe to showcase this stock?  All things being equal, I'd rather not buy more fish to use it in (but I would if I really, really, had to).
If I look for "fish stock recipe", I mostly... get pointed to recipes on how to make that fish stock.
If this was beef stock, I might make a simple vegetable stew and use the stock to add a meat flavor, without actually having meat.  Or maybe use it as an addition to a pretty cheesy pasta recipe.  An ideal use, though maybe a bit more work than I'd prefer, would be French onion soup.
Ideally, I'm looking for a simple pasta/rice type of recipes where the stock gives a bit of a subtle flavor kick.  Maybe even something like the croutons you see added to a bouillabaisse, with the emphasis on the stock.


texts: Are special recipes needed to preserve using a pressure canner?

texts:
I know that it's best practice to use tested and true recipes for water bath canning due to botulism risk, but is it necessary to find special recipes for use in a pressure canner?

edit: What I mean is that, if I have a recipe for my grandma's chicken soup, can I can this according to instructions for pressure canning a similar soup?


texts: Is it true that honey never spoils? Why?

texts: I've heard that "honey never spoils", but I'm incredulous.  Is this true, and if so, how?  Isn't there some indicator that I should throw the honey in my cupboard away?


texts: Slow cooker tips when on high and others remove the lid

texts:
I cannot use my slow cooker as designed, as I try to cook for my elderly parents. They do not rise before 11a.m., the kitchen is located upstairs with them, so they will hear or feel everything-and waking them at 8a.m. is NOT what I want. I end up preparing a lot of their food AFTER I eat brunch so I am forced to use the high setting.

And then, if I turn my back for a moment to do something else, they take the lid off! Apparently, it just had to be stirred - so I lose a good 1/2 hr. right there - each time! So really, it only slow cooks a couple of hours, in reality.

What can I do the able to use the slow cooker as I want?


texts: What's the process of making black garlic called?

texts:
it's not caramelized – it doesn't get hot enough.
it's not fermented – the process is enzymatic, not due to fungus, yeast, or bacteria.
it's not pickled – no acid brine is added
it's not curing – no salt, nitrates, nitrites, or sugar are added
it's not smoked
it's done at around 140F/60C, so it's not Maillard Reaction product, which only begins at 280F/140C in the absence of water

I've been referring to it as curing.

So, what's the consensus?  If an inventor is known, what did that person call the process?


texts: choosing a saucepan material for creams and caramels

texts:
I quite enjoy baking and i'm considering moving to making my own creams and caramels (and other sugar based work).  Currently I have a bunch of old scratched up teflon pots that probably should be binned.

For sugar based work, you generally have to work with high temperatures, so my teflon based pans are possibly unsuited for this.  Is stainless steel the defacto material for this kind of work or should i be looking at anything else... perhaps the new ceramic coated non teflon based nonstick pans?


texts: How can I make carving a chicken less messy?

texts: When I carve a roast chicken, a flood of juices overwhelms the moat on the carving board and inundates the counter. This is true whether or not I rest the meat before carving. Why? And how do I prevent it?


texts: Should I add broth to the bottom of the Dutch Oven?

texts: I am roasting a chicken in a dutch oven. Should I add any type of liquid to the bottom of the dutch oven before putting it in the oven?


texts:
I used to make the best brownies, all the time. They came out perfectly without any effort. Duncan Hines, Hershey's, Betty Crocker-- all out of the box, all simple, all delicious.

But lately (without me making any perceptible change to my strategy) things have taken a turn for the worse.

I bake them for 40+ minutes, they're not done. 8x8 glass tray as always, but the middle is still doughy and moist. Not in the good way, more in the play-doh way. I bake them for 90+ minutes, they're still not done. But the outer edges bake normally, so they end up too crispy to be good, although somehow miraculously not burned. Just the middle is completely underbaked.

Can anyone take a guess at what might cause this?


texts: What spoils breadcrumbs quicker, oxygen or moisture?

texts:
Should breadcrumbs be packaged in a paper bag, or is a plastic bag preferred?

What spoils breadcrumbs quicker: oxygen, moisture, or both?


texts:
I recently bought tartar sauce instead of cream of tartar as my recipe said. The thing is I can't decide if tartar sauce is the same thing as cream of tartar.

Please advise whether I can use this as a substitute or if there are other substitutes or a recipe for cream of tartar.


texts: What varieties of beans are high in calories?

texts:
Which beans have the most calories per dry-weight?

Note: This includes anything someone might refer to as a "bean" and excludes foods that are perishable.


texts:
I'm having trouble with my hamburger buns cracking in the oven.

click to expand

In this photo you can see a a bun with the crust cap cracking, isolating the bottom portion and exposing the crumbs. I used to have Hamilton Beach mixer for kneading and never had any issues. I set the Hamilton Beach mixer on speed 4 for 10 minutes. But now I got a KitchenAid Artisan mixer, and am having trouble with the exact same recipe.

I first tried to follow the KitchenAid instructions to knead only for two minutes at speed 3 which didn't work out well and the dough failed the window pane test. I then searched and found some advice to knead at speed 4 for about 10 minutes. I did and my dough passed the window pane test but somehow after rising during the shaping the crust/surface of the buns show a non-smooth surface (happens a lot more on whole wheat). What are some of the reasons this happens? The same recipe works perfectly with the Hamilton Beach mixer. Any advice on the technicalities would be appreciated.

I've read What causes the crown of the bread to crack during baking? (and I appreciate people citing that). But that question is about a loaf, and it's normal for loaves to crack like that, and normal to score loaves. Hamburger buns, in contrast, are not generally scored, and the recipe I'm making is not supposed to require it. It's worked fine without scoring sometimes, so there's something else going wrong besides the lack of scoring.


texts: Preserving sweetness during baking without sugar

texts:
noob here (both to this site and to cooking in general!).  For health reasons I can't really do sugar, and the low-carb thing has saved my life (literally).  I am trying to do more low-carb baking at home.  The topic of non-sugar sweeteners have been discussed at length (pros/cons, how to substitute, etc).  I have used stevia at low temperatures to great success (making home-made drinks, chocolates, gummies, etc).

However, when I try baking with stevia, monk fruit, and/or erithyrol, the batter/dough tastes very sweet, but after baking I cannot taste the sweetness at all.

It's important to note that, unlike other questions, I already (a) can taste the sweetness in these alternative sweeteners (no genetic issue, and I'm okay with aftertastes), (b) have used and enjoyed these sweeteners at low-temperatures, and (c) the sweetness seems to disappear during baking regardless of the sweetener used.

I have already tried:

changing the sweetener and mixed sweeteners together (swapping stevia for monk-fruit, mixing them together, etc).  Stevia, for example, claims to be heat-stable, and others have claimed success when baking with stevia.
changed recipies (cookies, cakes, breads, brownies, etc) and quantities (more sweetener, less; more baking soda/powder, less, etc)
changing temperature and cook time

Given (a) that sweeteners like stevia claim to be heat-stable, (b)others seem to have success when baking with them, and (c) I've used these sweeteners with success at low-temps, what could be causing the loss of sweetness during the baking process?  Are there any known interactions with, say, vinegar or baking powder that would change the sweeteners during cook-time?


texts: Why does my invert sugar always crystallize?

texts:
I often use invert sugar as a humectant in confections.  The problem is that it always crystallizes after a few days.

My recipe is fairly simple.

1 kg refined sugar
200 ml filtered water
1 g cream of tartar

Bring to boil at 110C.  Let cool.

The syrup is definitely inverted, as the taste is distinct.  The invert sugar is also completely transparent which tells me there are no obvious undissolved sugar crystals.

Crystallization typically begins slowly at the point where I insert a spoon to portion out the syrup for recipes.

I store the syrup at room temperature in a glass syrup jar.  I have had no luck boiling the jar in water to liquify the syrup, as it appears saturated and it returns to the crystallized state.  Also I suspect the boiling temperature is above 100C, which the waterbath cannot exceed.


texts: Care and warping of wooden chopping board

texts:
I bought a new 1.5 inch wooden chopping board around a month ago. I have been trying to take good care of it: I never submerse it, clean it with a cloth, applied mineral oil when I bought it.
However it still has some slight warping. Is this normal no matter what you do? The warping is very minimal, only around 1mm, but it still makes it rock when on the convex side
Is that normal and should I be doing more/less to keep it in perfect condition?


texts:
I am trying to figure out the best way to shape my cream puff shells into a volcano shape for baking. Any suggestions?
Thanks!


texts: I've started to learn how to make cheese and all the recipes call for cheese salt. What is it about this particular salt that makes it different than others? Some of the reading I've done have a few comments that suggest there is no difference between cheese salt and fine table salt. Is there another substitute for cheese salt if for some reason in the future I can't get my hands on any? I'm mostly interested in making hard cheeses that will need to age for 3 to 6 months.


texts: Does it matter what kind of sugar is used in baking?

texts:
The baking recipes I use specify many kinds of sugar e.g. caster, raw, white, soft etc.

Generally, I always just use raw sugar, mainly for convenience.

Does it really make a difference?


texts: 1/4 cup of whiskey in cupcake batter substitute what type of liquid? And use the same amount?

texts: I'm making chocolate coffee cupcakes with pecan praline centers. 1/4 cup of whiskey to batter. I don't want alcohol and don't know what the purpose of the alcohol is. Can I use some other liquid and the same amount?


texts: Is there anything wrong with keeping oil, salt, and vinegar together?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Need to refrigerate vinaigrette?

I am curious if there is anything wrong with keeping oil, salt, and vinegar together.

A month ago, I made a small mixture of those and brought it to my work, to use it for salad. Do some of them cause some unwanted chemical interactions? I use rapeseed oil, sea salt, and ordinary vinegar. I didn't refrigerate them.


texts: Why should entrecôte meat apparently be cut into slices before served?

texts:
Recently, I went crazy and bought an entrecôte -- a very premium cut of beef to me. Over $11 USD for one. It was heavenly. I nearly cried when it was all gone from the plate.
The instructions said to put it out from the fridge for 30 minutes before frying it, which I did. While in the grill pan, it caused so much fat to melt into it that it quickly started "boiling" in its own fat rather than frying, so I had to repeatedly take the meat out from the pan and put it on a plate while pouring away all the liquid fat from the pan into a container. I repeated this many, many times before it finally looked done. The instructions said nothing about this, but maybe they consider it "obvious". If I had just left it in the pan, it would've been "caramelized" rather than fried/grilled. A lump of coal!
Anyway, once done, the instructions said to let it rest on the plate for two minutes before slicing it up into slices and then serving.
My question is: while I understand the need to wait for it to cool down, and possibly "set" (not sure if that's the right term) outside of the frying pan before serving, why do they tell you to slice the whole thing into slices? I actually didn't follow that last advice, but instead just kept cutting pieces from it as I ate. (As I've always eaten meat of any kind, including in any restaurant I've ever been to.)
This time (yes, I couldn't help myself from buying another one!), I'm going to try to cut it into slices as instructed, before eating, after waiting the two minutes. Unless you all can tell me a good reason not to, that is. Does it make the meat taste better? If so, why?


texts: Why doesn't my cookie recipe work in the US?

texts:
This may sound like a stupid question, but I am not sure what to do. Even though I am not a professional, I was on a course and I am not allowed to post any recipe [copyrights thing].

I relocated from Israel to the States (California) and I have some recipes with me, all using accurate units of measurement in grams.

When I decided to bake some cookies, I noticed the dough was not even close to what I know... it was really dry and instead of it to be 1 piece at the end of mixing, it was still powder, no matter how long it was processed [and it shouldn't be processed a lot at all].

Reading a bit online, sounds like these results are usually because of too much flour, but as I said I know this recipe and it is working in my home country.

I wonder if people in the US know the differences in ingredients between [I assume] Europe to the US [I think butter and flour mainly], if I need to do some conversions or maybe to buy a different brands?

The reason I'm not sure it is that important is because we are talking in "bakers percentage", so in general flour is 100% and in cookies case, the fat is ~50%, I can tell the rest of ingredients which are: almond flour [ground almonds basically], shredded coconut, ground sugar, eggs, butter and salt.

Since its' all measured in grams, I feel like ingredients [mainly flour, butter] are different here than in Israel, but no idea how : )

I don't do anything differently as some people suggested... I made them several times and what I did here is no different than the way I made them back in my home country :)

UPDATE:

Thanks all! Will try to provide all answers again :)

Before that..Please don't modify my post unless it is inappropriate [which usually means inappropriate language]

This is a community not an English class - I barely recognized my own post....If the person is not an American, having English mistakes is understandable

In addition, the "UPDATE" titles is easier to manage when you can't just post in your own thread

Anyhow.....I mentioned the ingredients in one of the small post, which probably makes it hard to notice - I know you all want the exact recipe, but I can't and I know the recipe works, so it is not the way I do it but with what ingredients - This is why I'm focusing on the differences than the quantity

Flour 100% - Don't have the brand cause I moved it into a box, but it is an AP one, which I think is mistake #1 - I will try a white flour instead

[The rest are relative to the flour]

Butter ~90% - I used an UNSALTED one. Tried "Lake Lands" & Kerrygold - Both are not that far from the Israeli one, so TBH i'm not that worried here -I also changed the quantity to match the Israeli values

Eggs ~5%

Almond Flour + Coconut + Granulated Sugar - ~85%

Almond Flour - Bob'd Red Mill super-fine almond flour - kind of yellow package which says that this is "simply skinless, blanched almonds that have been ground to a super-fine texture"

UNSWEETENED shredded coconut - blue\green "Let's Do organic" package - One thing I said is that I haven't noticed the reduced fat - 36% lass fat according to package - Not sure this is what we have in Israel

Granulated  Sugar - I think this is another mistake I already saw in one of the comments. I have "Wholesome" Organic Powdered Confectioners Sugar - looks like a purple package to me..some will say purple-pink

Also have salt but that not a lot at all


texts: How to tell if shrimp is already cooked and what to do with it?

texts: I have some shrimp. Not sure if this is raw, and what to do with it to make it safe for eating. I'm not looking for a recipe, but a method of preparing these shrimp. I know how to peel shrimp, am I to boil them? Fry them? Do they look raw to you? Can I eat raw shrimp? If not, do I boil them? Thanks!


texts:
So I like making pasta sauce with lots of sautéed onions, but to properly sauté, at least as far as I understand it, I can only put a limited amount of onions into my one medium sized pan.

I am fed up with using half-steamed onions in my quest for making large amounts of sauce to freeze, and I don't have patience for ten-thousand rounds of sautéing. Surely, there has got to be a better way?


texts:
I know that scones are often seen as an unhealthy snack, but many English recipes don't actually include that much sugar and English scones contain much less sugar than American scones (why do Americans put sugar in everything?), so it got me wondering whether English scones were classed as savoury or sweet. They are often seen as sweet, but don't usually taste as sweet and are usually served with clotted cream and jam to make them sweeter.

Are plain English scones savoury, or are they sweet due to their sugar content?


texts: Where in the US can I purchase Turkish Coffee/Cafe Botz/Mud Coffee

texts: When I visited Israel I became a big fan of something they called "cafe botz" or mud coffee. It tasted real good, and you sort of poured warm water over it, stirred and waited for all the coffee material to sediment, I gues that is why its called botz in herbrew. It was marketed in the shops as "Turkish Coffee". I havent been able to get it in the Unites States. Where can I get, preferably online, good quality of this Turkish coffe.


texts: What can I add to Splenda solution to prevent spoilage?

texts:
Trying to save some money on buying Splenda packets by buying sucralose powder and mixing with water. This works great and is waaaay cheaper - 10x cheaper than buying the packets!

However, after two weeks, I noticed my solution, which I keep in an eye-dropper bottle, developed fungus floaties and so I had to pour the contents of the bottle down the drain.

Can anyone recommend a method of preventing things from growing inside my solution? Is there something people use for this sort of issue? Some kind of available food preservative? Obviously, whatever the solution turns out to be, it has to be safe for human consumption.

Thanks in advance for your help.


texts:
I’ve smoked two pork butts for 11 hours and they’re done- but I’ve not supposed to serve for 7 hours.  My plan is to keep itv warm in the oven at a low temperature.

Question is: should I wrap the meat in foil now and shred later, or shred now and keep everything warm?


texts: What is the Best wash or glaze for bread when trying to achieve a crunchy crust on Rolls

texts: i would like to know if there is a way to get a crunchy yet golden glaze on Buns/rolls... kind of like bread you would get out of a dutch oven


texts: How to get crystallized honey out of a bowl

texts:
I was attempting to make a teriyaki sauce with soy sauce generous amounts of honey and orange juice boiling it all down on medium heat with some starch to thicken it. I ended up overdoing both the boiling and the honey. Pouring it into a ceramic bowl and having it sit in the fridge overnight made it solidify.
The end product is a vile mess somewhere between crystalized honey the colour of sewage and a ceramic bowl of solidified hot glue. The failure of a sauce might be a helpful learning experience but I still need my amn bowl back. Any advice on getting it off as I can barely scoop it with a spoon?


texts: How do I prevent cream puff shells from deflating?

texts:
Every time I try to bake cream puffs the shells deflate before I can fill them with the cream.

I have tried poking a hole in the shell with a toothpick in the last few minutes of baking. I have also tried leaving the shells in an "off" oven with the door open to slow the cooling process but have not had success.

Does anyone have any other suggestions to solve this problem?


texts:
How long is it till the chicken spoils
I'm trying to Prevent Poising my family an others .how long would it be till the chicken is bad,?


texts: Can raw soured milk be used to make cheese

texts: I have 10 liters of raw cow milk and my fridge has stopped working for last 12 hours. Basically the milk has soured or spoiled, but I'm not sure. There are small culture particles in the milk and it smells a little sour. What can I use this for now? Can I still make cheese, say feta or ricotta? Would love some advice.


texts: How long can century eggs last refrigerated and unrefrigerated?

texts:
How long can century eggs last for refrigerated and unrefrigerated? I have some slightly cracked eggs from a friend who has stored it for months in his refrigerator.

A few comments from this blog have suggested people have eaten unrefrigerated century eggs stored in a pantry for half a year with no ill effects.

Edit: It tasted great.


texts: Can selfriseing flour be used in placeof bisquet mix?

texts: I want to make sesame sticks the recipe calls for 2 cups of bisque mix  can I use self riseing flour in place of the bisque mix?


texts:
I put some soy sauce and a generous amount of Frank's RedHot Extra Hot into my chicken stir fry but it was considerably less spicy than I'm used to.

Does soy sauce counteract heat / hot stuff?


texts: Can cashew milk go bad, and how do you tell?

texts: How can you tell if your cashew milk has gone bad? If it is past the freshness code on package?


texts: How much beef brisket and how much pork butt  should I buy to feed 40 people. 95 % men. They will be making sandwiches and have slaw and dessert .Needed right away. Thanks..


texts: Can I boil water to temperature lower than 100 Celsius / 212 Fahrenheit to make a tea?

texts:
For many years I had a typical electric kettle. Whenever I wanted a 75 Celsius / 167 Fahrenheit water to make a green tea, I had to boil it up to 100 Celsius / 212 Fahrenheit (because, that was the temperature, where each my kettle was stopping to heat) and wait.

Now, I've got an electric kettle with a thermometer. Can I boil the water only to 75 Celsius and stop? What is the typical temperature, in which all (most of) germs in water are killed and water becomes drinkable?

I've heard, that this is 70 Celsius / 158 Fahrenheit, so my idea would have a ground. Am I right?


texts: Could anyone offer some tips on how to sculpt or mold a large piece of cheddar into a knight of the realm. I have tried on a smaller piece but the cheese tends to crumple and doesn't seem sculpt in the way I expect.


texts: Flan recipe calls for a blender; how can I make it in a mixer instead?

texts:
Cream cheese flan recipes seem to all call for a blender: you just put all the ingredients (possibly minus the evaporated milk) into the blender, kind of willy-nilly, and whizz it up.

Problem is, I don't own a blender. Obviously, wildly throwing together all the ingredients ain't gonna work in a mixer. But what will? For reference, the ingredients I'm working with are 1 package cream cheese, 5 eggs, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1 can evaporated milk, and vanilla.

I know (from experience) that the cream cheese must be fully softened — otherwise you end up with a curdled mess.
Should I beat the eggs separately?
What order should I mix things in? If this were cheesecake, I'd cream the cheese and sugar, but here the sugar is already dissolved in the condensed milk.


texts: What are some ways to reduce the bitterness of chicory?

texts:
I bought some chicory today and made chicken with chicory in Marsala sauce. Everything turned out really well, except the chicory is way too bitter for my taste. I noticed that the recipe uses red chicory, whereas I bought chicory looking like this. Would getting red instead of "normal" chicory already reduce bitterness?

What are some other ways to reduce the bitterness of chicory?


texts: Is there any use for the bark trimmings of dry aged beef?

texts:
I have dry aged my own beef, and now Im wondering if there are any applications for the bark trimmings aside from binning them.

Also wondering whether it is safe to be consumed.

I aged my beef in an umai bag :)


texts: Bagels - Use of Barley Malt Syrup or Non-Diastatic Malt Powder

texts: When using a water bath for bagels what is preferred to attain the nice brown exterior, Barley Malt Syrup or Non-Diastatic Malt Powder? I see recipes that use either one. What would be the difference in the finished bagel? Will either one effect the texture?


texts: Pasta machine rolls dough wider than machine

texts: I have a (admittedly rather cheap) pasta roller that I try to use fairly regularly. The issue is that when I am rolling it out,the dough keeps getting wider, not just longer, beyond the size of the rollers, and then getting all mangled at the edges. It also has a hard time feeding in straight.  Every video I watch on pasta making doesn't seem to show this, so it is just some trick they aren't mentioning, the cheap machine, or what?


texts:
Today I made some flatbread and while cooking them I noticed a reddish coloring of the dough. I didn't add anything red in particular, so I am very surprised they turned out this way. Why did that happen?
I mixed whole spelt flour and regular wheat flour, yogurt, 2 tablespoons baking soda, some olive oil, flax seeds and sesame seeds, salt, garam masala and turmeric. First I kneaded it with a mixer, the by hand, I left it to rest for 15 minutes, maybe bit more. I rolled it quite thinly with a rolling pin. I fried it on a non-stick pan.
I am actually not sure if this was safe to eat, maybe something reacted in an unexpected way?!


texts: How long can you keep pancake batter in the refrigerator?

texts: How long can you keep pancake batter in the refrigerator ?


texts:
In Mastering the Art of French Cooking, for the beef bourguignon  recipe, there is an instruction towards the end I'm not sure if I'm understanding.

After the meat is cooked, you pass the sauce thru a sieve and reduce it. She then says

  Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it.

Does that mean that the small onion and carrot that cooked along with the meat are to be discarded? It was kind of a hassle to take them out. Should they be cut large so as to make that easier?


texts: My recipe calls for 2 cloves of garlic, peeled, that are then to be removed at end of simmer (1-1/2 hours) before veggies are added. All I have is minced garlic or garlic powder. Should I add either of these since I won’t be able to remove, or just skip the garlic?


texts: I need to know it so that I can purchase it from the market. What is sour cream called in Hindi?


texts: What is the magic time and temperature for stewing meat and vegetables?

texts:
I made an oxtail stew in the crockpot/slow-cooker today, and 6 hours later I added the vegetables (carrots, onions, celery) which was also one hour before dinner time. Unfortunately, two hours later, the vegetables were still tough and crunchy, which earned me a reprimand from my wife for dinner being late. :-(
The reason why I didn't add in the vegetables from the beginning is because I didn't want the vegetables to be overcooked and too soft.

Motivated by the desire to earn praise rather than rebuke from my darling, what is the right time and temperature for stewing meat and vegetables? Is the solution to first sweat the vegetables?

What I have found so far:

According to Rose Prince (see link), the magic time and temperature for a beef stew recipe is 7 hours at 80°C = 175°F
According to What is the lowest possible temperature for stewing meat?, vegetables should be done at 80°C-95°C

While point (1.) tells me how long to cook the meat, I'm not sure based on point (2.) whether that will leave the vegetables undercooked or overcooked.


texts: What's the difference between masa for tortillas and for tamales?

texts:
I often buy fresh prepared masa from Mexican markets in order to make tamales and pupusas.  Mexican cookbook authors stress getting the correct masa for the recipe, either masa for tamales or masa for tortillas.  However, the masa at the market is in an unlabelled bag and is identified by the proprietor as just "masa".  Questions:

is this more likely to be tamale or tortilla masa?
is there a real difference?  What?
if there's a real difference, is there a way you can modify one type of masa into the other?

Clarifying: the above question is about fresh corn masa, not dried flour.  Prepared masa, in particular, has at least oil and salt added to the fresh-ground corn.


texts:
In the metropolitan area where I live, there is truly a great selection of dried fish in various ethnic food stores, my favorite of which is herring.  However, it is always very salty and I have a somewhat high blood pressure so the doc said keep my salt intake under control as well as I don't really like salty food very much.

Is the saltiness essential to the preparation of dried fish?  Can the fish be as nicely dried/smoked without using so much salt?  Finally, the most important question is, is there a way to desalinate the dried herrings that I otherwise like so much?  E.g. I would make eggs with minced dried herring and not add any salt to the eggs, hoping that would neutralize the saltiness and the mix is still so salty I can barely eat it.


texts: Is water on the outside of an electric kettle dangerous?

texts:
When filling our electric kettle with tap water, I’m carefully avoiding any water trickling down the side. Others in our household are less careful.

If we let water run down the side, will it damage the kettle and reduce its life? Is there any other reason it could be harmful?


texts: How to reduce microwave power to prevent burned popcorn?

texts:
I got a Nordic Ware "microwave popcorn bowl" for Christmas, that my dad and sister had been raving about. I usually make stovetop popcorn in my Whirley Pop popper, which does a great job, but wanted to give the microwave one a try.

Unfortunately, my 1100 W microwave seems far too powerful and tends to end up with either burned popcorn, or having to stop the process with a LOT of unpopped kernels. I was going to give up on the thing but tried it at a vacation house we rented where the microwave was a lot less powerful. It produced amazing popcorn!! Absolutely delicious, tasted more flavorful even though I used way less coconut oil.

I've tried using reduced power setting on my microwave but it doesn't seem to help, the fact that reducing power just makes it shut off for brief periods (see this question) seems to mess up the popping.

Is there something else I can try, like maybe putting a glass or two of water in the microwave with the popcorn? That might help absorb some of the microwave energy. Perhaps I will experiment...


texts: Can I substitute olive oil for butter/shortening in pie crust?

texts:
I was making a pie the other day -- a mock apple pie*, to be exact, which is unusual enough. But I came up short on butter and don't keep any shortening stocked in my kitchen. Desperate, I searched online for any substitutes, including olive oil, and found a small number of hits and recipes.

I ended up erring on the safe side and just made a brown sugar crumble topping, but I've been curious about an olive oil crust ever since. Has anyone attempted it? What are some of the differences between olive oil and butter or shortening? What would be the result of using a combination of all the fats?

* Mock Apple Pie uses no apples, and is a carboholic's dream. It was for a themed party and I don't intend to make it often. But it's quite a fun surprise to try out on unsuspecting guests at least once!


texts: How Long is the Shelf Life of Refrigerated Eggless Mayonnaise?

texts: I have learned to make mayonnaise using only oil, milk, and lemon juice. If I store this in the refrigerator, how long will it remain safe to eat?


texts: If you soak legumes (in this case split chickpeas, aka chana dal), but end up not cooking them when they would be "finished", what is the best way to store them? In water or without? And how long can you store them? Soaking time for my chickpeas are only 3 hours.


texts: How can I grind coffee without a coffee grinder?

texts:
I usually buy prepackaged ground coffee for my drip coffee maker, but recently I accidentally bought a bag of whole bean coffee and threw away the receipt.

Can I salvage this bag of coffee without purchasing a coffee grinder?

I have seen the suggestion of using a blender or perhaps a food processor, but I don't own those either.

Are there other ways to grind these coffee beans that will provide acceptable quality?


texts: How far will my summer truffle and water go?

texts:
As a gift, I received a summer truffle preserved in water. It is in a glass jar. Net weight of the truffle is 13 g. There's 7 g of water in there too. I plan to serve it for two. I'm going to make a simple olive oil and Parmesan pasta with an egg on top.

How much should I plan to use in the dish? Should I use the water?

I was planning on shaving the truffle thin and then adding it to the warm pasta and olive oil. Is that the best way to handle this?


texts: How should I store this BBQ sauce for later use?

texts:
Dropped by a video where a BBQ sauce caught my attention. The ingredients used are:

Olive oil, for frying
1 small onion, peeled and finely diced
2–3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
6 tbsp tomato ketchup

I was thinking about making larger quantities so that I can use it on sandwiches throughout the week. Two questions came up in the process:

Is it safe to assume the sauce will be ok if refrigerated for a week? Can I keep it in the fridge for longer?
Would it be a good idea to store such a sauce in the freezer? If yes, for how long until everything goes wrong?


texts: My misto sprays in a stream. I have cleaned it amd follow the instructions. What can I do to correct this problem?


texts: Badly burned hand on pan sitting on unlit burner

texts:
Can a pilot light on a commercial stove cause a thin aluminium pan to get so hot it causes a palm burn bad enough to blister? The pan was moved for cleaning and was on the unlit burner for about 15-20 minutes.

Updated/Edited 10-14-18
Yes, the whole palm got burned because they were not expecting the pan to be hot. The person (not me, really!) had ice on it for two hours before I saw them. Bad move. This required cold (not ice cold) water running over it for 10 minutes. We dabbed the palm with Witch Hazel and then applied Neosporin and covered the hand with a light covering. The following day the pain was almost gone but the skin was red and "tight", so we dabbed some organic apple cider vinegar on it, which very quickly gave the hand's mobility back and all pain gone. There was one 1/2 dollar sized blister on the palm, just below the thumb. We think the apple cider vinegar kept it from breaking. It did finally break, but a couple of days later. We kept dabbing with apple cider vinegar daily and the hand is perfectly fine. It was ok to use by the 2nd day, but carefully due to blister.

Thank you for all your comments.


texts: Does preparation of food change the nutritional content with respect to fat type?

texts:
I apologize in advance for my lack of knowledge in how a fat comes to be saturated, and perhaps therein lies the answer to this question. However, due to my wife's gall stones I need to remove hard to digest fats from my cooking routine. In addition to buying fewer raw ingredients that have high saturated, hydrogenated, or trans- fats, I want to be sure that food preparation methods do not change the chemical structure of fats that I do happen to be working with.

I may just be over-thinking this, but in cases of suspending one fat in another, emulsification, etc I wanted to know if there are any methods I should avoid due to the chemical changes they entail. For instance, deep-frying foods (which typically use the fats I hope to avoid) is said to make them difficult to digest.

Please list any others that do; or let me know if I'm just being a worry wart.


texts: How can I use white pepper without having the odor dominate the food flavour?

texts: I received several different pepper (spice) for christmas. One of them is a white pepper. Whenever I use (very) little of this white pepper in my dishes, the odor/flavor is very dominant cutting out all other flavors. How can I use this pepper without losing the other flavors?


texts: Is 3 days too long to soak dried fruit for my fruitcake?

texts:
My fruitcake recipe calls for soaking dried fruit in molasses and wine overnight. I mixed that up and it's macerating in the fridge, but a surprise schedule change means I won't get it into a cake for another two days (a total of 72 hours of soaking, rather than the expected 24).

Is this going to negatively impact the consistency of the fruit bits in the fruitcake? I like them somewhat chewy, not extremely soft. (The "dried fruit" in question is this mix of peel, pineapple, and cherries, plus raisins.)


texts: Can you create brown butter directly from heavy cream?

texts:
The other day I made cookies with homemade brown butter.
I first churned the butter from heavy cream, separating the butterfat from buttermilk. Then I took the remaining butter and melted it in a pan then browned the milk solids to make brown butter. Then I cool it in a glass container and let reform as a solid.
I am wondering if you could directly make brown butter by skipping the churning process for the heavy cream. Is there a way to heat heavy cream such that the water / buttermilk / etc. evaporates and leaves melted butterfat and milk solids?
I would think that the water would evaporate and leave only the butterfat + milk solids but I am not sure.

I had a pint of heavy cream so I went ahead and tried it to see what happens. I left in a small saucepan over medium / medium-low heat for a while with minor agitation (stirring every few minutes). It looked about the same for the first 45 minutes. Then I could actually start to see what I assume is the butterfat. However I also saw a large amount of milk solids (I assume), much larger than typical churned butter.
See oil + solids:

Then I waited a little longer and it seems they separated further:

A little longer and it smelled toasty like the usual smell from brown butter when I make it. I took it off the heat because it also ruined my pan pretty nicely. I poured it in a glass container and here's what it looks like after separating:

So my follow-up questions would be: Is this brown butter? Are the solids just milk solids or are they something else? Is the oil actually butterfat? Is this safe to incorporate into cookies as butter?
I enjoy the taste that toasted milk solids add to cookies but this is so much more milk solid than I was expecting (if it is milk solids).

Another update now that it's solidified. It looks and smells just like how my normal brown butter smells except it has way more milk solids (if that's what they are). I would estimate about 1/2 cup of clarified butter + slightly less than a half cup of toasted solids.

It doesn't look like 1/2 cup clarified butter but keep in mind that the butter also settled into the gaps between the solids while it was still liquid.

It smells delicious. I'm tempted to soften it and mix it into a batch of cookies but I'm also not sure if the solids will be over powering in the taste.


texts: How to wash pesticides from fruit skins?

texts: We eat many fruits and veggies at home and I am concerned about the amount pesticides on fruits like strawberries. Is washing the fruit effective enough? Does a thorough wash vs. a quick rinse make any difference?


texts: Best way to stabilize wedding cake tiers

texts: I am baking a 3 tier wedding cake for August. It will consist of 2 white layers and 1 chocolate layer in the middle. I am covering these layers with white fondant. Should I rather stabilize these layers with straws or rather wooden skewers?


texts: Is there any advantage to cooking steak on the bone?

texts:
My local butcher sells ribeye and sirloin steaks from Basque and Galician dairy cows on the bone.

All of their products are fantastic but I question what effect cooking it 'bone-in' has.

Is there any advantage - in flavour/texture/ease of cooking- to cooking steak on the bone, or is it simply a way for them to charge more?


texts: How to make chocolate mousse that will set?

texts:
I have experimented with chocolate mousse lately. I use a recipe I think is taken from Ferran Adria. It consists of

120 mL cream
125g 60%+ chocolate
4 egg whites

I heat the cream, and pour it over the chocolate (in tiny pieces). Mix it thoroughly so that it is even and has no particles. Then I add the egg whites and mix all this together. After mixing, I pour it into an iSi gourmet whip+. I charge with one N2O-capsule, shake it for  at least 30 sec. and wait. Once the gourmet whip is at room temperature, I release it from the whipper.

The result is a very airy, but runny chocolate mousse. I would rather call is a chocolate foam. the consistency is foamy and it tastes good. I would prefer, however, a mousse that is firmer and denser. I have experimented with gelatine, by using one sheet, blooming it and adding it to the hot chocolate--cream-mixture. This did not give any noticeable effect.

Are there anyone here, who know hov I can make it set more firmly?


texts:
This is basically the first loaf I have baked and I am having difficulty knowing how I should tweak it. I have four directions to go with it and would like to know in which direction I should go, or if further tweaking might improve any of the forks below.

So I'm building 'bread' for a grilled cheese sandwich using macaroni (ditalini, actually) and cheese (mornay using 1/2s  cheddar, colby-jack, using roux). I am making this bread using a springform pan, so it will also be a 'cake', if you will. So anyway, I need to keep the 'cake' from browning too much, stay moist, not get super crunchy, and turn into a solid, cohesive whole.

I have two primary forks from my first test.

Test #1: 325'f @ 45min

browned slightly on bottom and sides after 45 minutes; too loose, not browned
raised temp to 425'f applied egg wash to top and edges baked for fifteen; too loose, spotted brown (bottom unknown)
applied egg wash to spots, around edges again, baked for fifteen more; less, but still too loose, bottom far too crunchy

Final for Test #1: bottom too browned, too loose

Moving Forward

Fork #1: Adjusting temp:time

sub fork #2.1.a: lower, slower
sub fork #2.1.b: higher, faster

Fork #2: Adding more mornay using a corn starch slurry prior to baking

sub fork #2.2.a: mixing corn starch slurry mornay  with mac 'n cheese
sub fork #2.2.b: mixing just bechamel and corn starch slurry with mac 'n cheese

So what direction would, at least in theory, provide a denser, more cohesive solid, and allow for some browning, though not complete? (The browning will be finished off by egg-wash and cast iron skillet)


texts: How do I clean a vintage carbon steel pastry cutter?

texts:
How do I remove old rusty spots from a 70-year-old pastry blender & make "food safe"?

Prefer not to use polishes or other volatile, caustic products.


texts: Why is my stevia-sweetened fresh whipped cream bitter?

texts:
I just used my iSi whipped cream maker for the first time.  I cleaned it thoroughly.  Then, I used a half pint of unpasteurized heavy cream (just bought yesterday with expiration 6 days away), and a few squirts of liquid Stevia.  It came out super bitter.  There doesn't seem to be a ton online about what the cause might be, and the answers I did find were confident but varied.  I've read everything from using bad cream to not enough sweetener or flavoring.  Any thoughts on what the cause might be?
Thank you!


texts: How to reduce the intensity of garlic in a soup?

texts:
I made a soup, and put a lot of raw garlic in. It cooked in a slow cooker for about 8 hours. Now the soup is much too spicy and dominated by that raw garlic flavor. Is there anything I can put in the soup to temper or balance the intensity of the garlic?

I found this: How do I neutralize a strong garlic flavor?

But I'm looking for soup specific advice.


texts:
Without giving it much thought, I've always roasted garlic for use in cooked preparations (hummus, spaghetti sauce, garlic bread, etc.), and used it raw for uncooked preparations (salad dressings, tzatziki sauce, etc.).

Cooking with friends recently, one said all that matters is how much or little garlic pungency you want in that dish; another said the acidity of the other ingredients in the recipe dictate which form tastes best (raw with tart or acidic flavors; roasted with more salty and savory flavors).

Of course, personal taste preferences will nearly always trump cooking traditions and rules of thumb, but is there science or logic behind choosing which form for a particular dish?
Other than roasted garlic being milder and sweeter than raw, does either go with a particular cooking method or set of ingredients better than the other?


texts:
I bought Oat bran and ground it until flour consistency,
I was wondering, can I use it as flour for baking? (pancakes, bread etc.)
Same question for wheat bran flour as well.
Thanks.


texts: How to make potato wheel not stick to mold

texts:
I used a spiralizer on a potato and wrapped it tightly around the outside of a metal ring mold. When I deep fry it, it sticks to the mold, even after using non-stick spray. I am going for something like in the photo.

Any ideas of how I can solve this?
Many thanks :)


texts: What does melted butter do in a swiss roll recipe?

texts:
I'm planning on making a Swiss roll. This is a sponge cake, baked in your baking sheet (so it's thin) and you roll it up, mostly with a filling.

While looking for a recipe, some recipes say to use the same recipe as for a regular sponge cake, but add some melted butter. Other recipes don't mention melted butter and stick to eggs, sugar and flour.
I'm wondering what the function of the butter is in a Swiss roll. Does it help with rolling? Or is it just taste? Can I omit it?

(I would omit it if it's just the taste. My filling will be butter cream.)


texts: I brought out my old cast iron pan and scrubbed it with salt and seasoned it yesterday.  I have used it in the past for a few things but not much.  I want to start using it on a regular basis.  Question:  If I am only using water to "wash" it after cooking, won't some of the flavors transfer to my next item?  For example, if I saute onions and then want to make pancakes next.  Thank you!


texts:
I have a coworker with a dairy/whey sensitivity, yet I love making rum balls around this time of year and plan on bringing a batch to work.

Are there any close substitutions I can use in place of wafer crumbs that will stay fairly true to the original recipe?


texts:
I have tried making gummi bears but have the problem that they dry out very fast. I'd like to make gummi bears that could be eaten for a couple days. After five days they dried out so much it was impossible to chew them anymore.

Am I missing some other ingredient to prevent it from drying out after just a couple days? This is the recipe I used

0.5 liter water
20 g gelatine
1 teaspoon salt
325 g sugar (65%)
A dash of glucose syrup
Flavoring


texts: Where does the shape of pretzels come from?

texts:
I wonder where the shape of pretzels originated.

My guesses:

The holes make it easy to put them on a stick or rope and store them in a place (under the roof?) where mice would not get it.
Originally the pretzel was a long thin stick, but it was impractical to transport. The pretzel shape provided stability to carry it around. It could be broken into smaller stick-like pieces and eaten.
It resembles some symbol.
Just for fun, because the kids liked it.


texts: Can I use caster sugar instead of cane sugar?

texts: I am making a ginger beer and I do not know if I should use caster sugar as a subsitiute for my cane sugar, as I do not have any. Is this OK?


texts: Today I am supposed to make a chocolate mousse for dinner and I need butter (melted).The shops are closed. Can I use vegetable oil instead of melted butter?


texts: Is it safe to eat a lump of Jamon that grew some mold?

texts:
A lump of Jamon in my fridge grew some white mold. Is it safe to eat if I scrape all the mold away?

Edit: this is white mold, of the sort that grows on Camambert cheese, or so it appears. Not green or black mold.


texts: What food from Niue can I cook in the UK?

texts: I want to cook a Niuean dish but live in the UK (not a city, best resource - Tesco etc). What recipes or dishes can I cook?


texts: How do I distribute pastry in a tube pan?

texts:
Recently I tried to bake a cake in a silicone tube pan. I evenly distributed pastry over the bottom of the pan and put into the oven.

While the cake was baking pastry expanded and started to fall over the inner edge of the tube, but not over the outer edge.

What have I missed? Does pastry expand unevenly or what? How do I distribute pastry inside the pan so it raises evenly?


texts:
At our new home, we have hard water.  I had thought that the teabags I was buying were just weak, but the internet seems to indicate that the hard water will actually change the taste of the tea to a more chalky taste with some residue.

Two suggestions I have come across are either brewing with bottled water (I try to reduce the amount of packaging I buy so don't want to do this), or brewing the tea double strength (this makes it a little bitter).

What is the best way to get a tasty brew using hard water?


texts: Why is salt sometimes ingredient of otherwise sweet cookies?

texts: In some recipes for muffins, biscuits or cakes I find small amounts of salt as an ingredient (Chocolate cake, Banana muffin). Why? What can a pinch of salt add to the bowl of chocolate?


texts:
I set out this morning to cook a pig butt. Found out that I was going too a birthday party at such a time that the butt would smoke for six hours and then I would need to pull it.

The shoulder was a seven pound boston butt, bone in, fat trimmed neat, no marinade period, rubbed with "glue" (1/2 cup mustard, 2 tbsp honey) salty rub with marinade injected. I cooked it for 6 hours, flipping every 60-90 minutes, adding chips, mopping and shaking rub on it. Unfortunately (?) the butt never got above 130'F, but it got 6 hours of cooking in. I pulled the meat off, let it cool down a bit, wrapped it in foil, and refrigerated.

So, how should I finish it off? I used plenty of wood chips and I am pretty confident that the flavor is good on it. It seems the two first-glance options are:

Start it up smoking again, and put it over more direct heat this time. This would be helpful in really crisping up the bark on the outside, but quite a bit more hassle than...
Throw it in the oven, maybe wrapped in foil with some orange juice, or coffee and jalapenos, or a little rub of oil. Cook it at ~325'F...

So which technique would yield the best results of just getting it done, but without sacrificing too much in the way of time or flavor? (Aside from using a meat thermometer to ensure it's over 145'F, probably 155-160'F,) How will I be able to tell if it is done or not (if any additional considerations)?


texts: Every time I try to boil a pot of water to make spaghetti, I leave the kitchen to go do something else (I am very busy lol). Sometimes I come back to find the pot boiling over and a mess on my stove! Is there some way I can make the water boil more slowly so I have more time to run my errands?


texts: Marinade sauce bottle left open for longer than recommended - safe to use?

texts:
I have a marinade bottle from Nandos, it was opened and then kept in a cupboard for about 6 months.

Is it safe to use?

I can't find any information of what could go wrong about sauces. It still smells the same so I don't see any issue aside from the bottle saying:

  Once opened, keep refrigerated and use within 3 months


texts: How to bake chips in microwave using grill?

texts: Is it possible to prepare tortilla chips using the grill in a microwave? Can I bake anything for example, Indian version of samosa in a microwave using a grill rack? Here is a picture of a microwave with a grill rack:


texts: What am I doing wrong during the seasoning process of my cast iron skillet

texts:
I have read a lot of articles and watch several videos on how to season a cast-iron skillet. But the outcome I am getting is nothing like what I find online.

My cast iron skillet comes out with spotty marks which are a bit sticky. I've repeated the process twice but now I am doubtful about doing it one more time.  I am using canola oil and a convection oven at 450F, leaving the pan upside down for 1 hour.

Here is a photo of the results.


texts: What Side Dish Sauces Should Be Promoted To Their Own Sauce?

texts:
We all know about the typical main dish sauces: gravies, cream sauces, marinara, vinaigrettes, bbq sauces, etc...

However, I find that many side dishes have their own great sauces that you don't typically find as an entree sauce.  For example:

Baked bean sauce/juices are great on meat.
Glazed carrots' glaze is great with light/mild fishes.

I could absolutely see these sauces being used on their own - that is, without serving the beans/carrots.  What other side dish sauces do you think deserve to be bumped up to entree sauce status?


texts: I recently found a piece of black substance in my Navel Orange. When I rubbed it against my finger, the blacked thing smeared on my finger like coal. It was less the 1 cm wide and kind of look like a jagged piece of gravel. Could anyone know what this could be?


texts: Which spices are best fried in oil, which are best toasted and which are best cooked in water?

texts:
I've been learning a bit about spices and experimenting a little with dry toasting and frying spices rather than just adding them all to the water component. I keep reading that some spices go best in the water component, like saffron and nutmeg, but I can't really find anything with much more detail than that. Does a list exist of how the flavour profile of each of the common spices will be changed at the end of a dish when cooked in each manner?

Thank you :)


texts: why add a shot of vodka to a cream sauce?

texts:
I don't understand what reason there would be to add vodka to a cream-based pasta sauce.

Vodka is allegedly tasteless, and the alcohol burns off. So why?

Is it to make the recipe 'nouveau' or something?


texts: Is it okay and safe to store pulses, grains, rice etc. in these containers?

texts:
During coronavirus lockdown, I can't buy containers. But I've some empty boxes of Protinex powder like these: https://www.amazon.in/Protinex-400-g-Tasty-Chocolate/dp/B01MS489AE I guess it is made from metal.

So is it safe to store these things in it? Or it will be harmful to these things?


texts: I have a very old Pyrex glass coffee pot that belonged to my grandmother.   As a kid, I have a distant memory of her using it on a gas stove to boil water.  The pot has a picture of a flame on the bottom of it, but it doesn't say either way whether it's safe to use on a gas stove.   I'm sure the pot is very old;  maybe 1950s or 60s.  Any advice?


texts: How can I make caramels at home that are shelf stable?


texts: Does fat as opposed to oil distribute flavour better?

texts:
I was eating a chicken stew and a beef stew both with the same ingredients.  What I noticed was the beef stew had better and more distributed flavour whereas the chicken stew didn't taste as well distributed.  The beef stew liquid definately tasted superior to the chicken stew liquid.

I wondered why this may have been the case and what I noticed was the beef stew had a lot more fat(saturated) then the chicken.  Suspecting this may have been the cause I googled this and found the following in an article:

"We all know that fat affects flavor thanks to the mouth-coating richness that butter or olive oil can impart to a dish. But fats do more than add textural nuance. Many of the flavor compounds that make herbs and aromatics such compelling seasonings are what we call fat-soluble, meaning they'll actually spread and coat your tongue better when they're immersed in lipids. Using fat in anything from marinades to braises helps coax out, layer, and evenly distribute flavors."

So it seems the fat may be giving the differences I am noticing.  However the article also mentions olive oil.  Issue is when cooking the chicken we used oil(I think sunflower or vegetable) yet it didn't distribute flavors like the meat stew which had a lot of saturated fat.  That being the case I would not expect olive oil to distribute flavors like the saturated fat from meat so why is it mentioned in the article alongside fat. I think it olive oil has no solid fat.  Or is the article saying anything with some fat e.g. olive oil or sunflower oil will distribute flavor but more solid fat will distribute even better(hence the fatty meat stew tasting more distributed)?


texts: bone broth..chicken carcass, lamb bones with some meat left out for 3 hours from pressure cooking

texts: I left my bone broth out after pressure cooking for 3 hours. It was warm when I got home and consisted of a chicken carcass, lamb bones with a bit of meat and the second boiling of marrow beef bones with some vinegar. It gelled so perfectly in the fridge but should we eat it? Would boiling it again for a while make it safe?


texts: How do I increase the amount of store bought peanut butter from 1/2 cup to 1 cup in a peanut butter brownie recipe?

texts:
I have a chewy peanut butter brownie recipe that uses 1/2 cup JIF peanut butter. The recipe also includes 1/3 cup butter; 1 cup flour; & 2 eggs.
I want to increase the amount of peanut butter to 1 cup, so that I end up with a significantly higher percentage of peanut butter in the brownie, but the same amount of batter. What adjustments do I make to successfully increase the peanut butter to 1 cup? Since I am ONLY doubling the peanut butter how will the measurements of flour, butter, & eggs be affected?
I also have a fudgy brownie recipe that is my go to. Can I just match the measurements of the peanut butter brownie ingredients to the measurements of the fudgy brownie recipe with the exception of the amount of butter? The quantity of butter (I do use real butter), used in the fudgy brownie recipe is 1 1/4 cups. Would decreasing the amount of butter from 1 1/4 cup to 3/4 cup and adding 1/2 c of peanut butter work?
I want a chewy & fudgy peanut butter brownie.


texts:
As a result of a promotional offer from a mail-order meat company, I receive 1lb of Wagyu ground beef each month. I have experimented with it in various dishes. It makes an excellent burger. Great flavor, and not sensitive to overcooking (doesn't get tough or dry).
My question is about other dishes that feature ground beef but aren't "about" ground beef, like chili, seasoned ground beef for tacos, red sauces, etc. In those dishes, I have found that despite the presence of other strong spices and ingredients, the resulting dish is very "beef forward". For example chili made with Wagyu ground beef almost tastes like a burger with chili topping. Is there something about my technique that is leading to this? Can I make this into an ordinary chili, or is it really reserved for burgers?
(In most of these dishes the ground beef is browned, and then drained, retaining whatever the usual desired amount of beef fat is for the rest of the dish. Even so the Wagyu ground beef (which isn't marked with a leanness percentage) doesn't seem that much fattier than ordinary ground beef.)


texts: All else held equal, does a pot of tea have more total caffeine than a mug?

texts:
Let's say you have one tea bag and can either brew it in a mug of boiling water, or a larger tea kettle of boiling water. The temperature, steeping time, type of tea bag, etc. are held constant. Assuming you drink all the tea that gets made, would you consume more flavor/caffeine from one method than from the other?

I'm just wondering because even though the amount of tea leaves in the tea bag would be the same, it intuitively seems to me like the water surrounding the bag in the tea kettle would be more hypotonic because there would be more of it compared to the amount of tea, so more tea would come out of the bag overall.


texts: What are professional methods for preventing pantry moths?

texts:
For about a month I have been fighting with a pantry moth infestation and that got me thinking... Professional businesses (bakeries, restaurants, factories that produce milkbars or cornflakes) take in much more food than I ever will. Therefore the probability of them buying an infested product (like pantry moth-infested flour) is much higher than in case of my home kitchen. And the costs of production halting or throwing away infested food is much higher than in my case.

What precautions are taken by professional businesses to minimize the risk of pantry moth infestation? Can some of them be implemented in home kitchen?


texts: What is 91/100 CV when referring to olives?

texts:
I often see numbers like 91/100 CV when buying olives.
Example: GREEN OLIVE MACARICO GORDAL 91/100 CV 500G
What do these numbers mean? I tried to do some research and I think it might have to do with the size of the olives, but I still cannot figure out what they mean exactly.


texts: How to roast garlic on low temperature grill

texts:
Going to smoke some pork ribs on the grill, with a smoker box, planned temp with closed cover is about 90C (194F), but for sure less then the boiling point. This will probably take about 2:30 - 3 hours.
Is there anything I can do to use the space on the grill for roasting some garlic while ribs getting done? I am used to add some oil and cover them in foil, then roast on high temp for about half an hour. But now it is going to be relatively low temps.

Thanks,
UriR.


texts: Bringing water to boil with rice or alone and then add rice?

texts:
Very simple question:  as a general rule of thumb, is it better to

A) put the rice into cold water and then bring to a boil together or

B) bring the water to a boil, then add rice and then cook until the rice is done?

Or does it depend on the type of rice and/or desired texture?


texts: How long can a stacked carrot cake be stored

texts: I'm baking a cake for someone's wedding and need advice on whether a carrot cake can be stacked and how long can it be stored.


texts: how to make health bar hold (stick) together

texts:
Much to my surprise - this came out cake like instead of crunchy semi-hard granola bar.  Asking for advice to save money and time.  I thought of eliminating the egg or possibly adding more egg white?  or maybe no cream? or don't use butter? Obviously, I'm not a scientist.

By the way, mixture "tasted" very good.

1 Cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal.

1/2 Cup each of the following:
toasted coconut, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, chopped walnuts and slivered almonds.  Also 1/2 C very fine grounded sunflower seeds. (Maybe this turned into a cake?  What would've happened if I didn't add this.)

1/2 C Raisins, dried cranberries and dates

In pan, melted together 1/2 C Honey, 1/4 C unsalted butter, then when cooled, added 1 egg and 1/4 C cream, and 1 tsp vanilla.

Poured over dry mixture, coat all evenly, pressed tightly into 9x13 pan to
bake for 30-40 mins. until top is lightly brown. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.


texts:
I would like to sell a pair of stemmed glasses, but do not know what to call them.  They are quite large (7.5" tall, and the bowl is 5.75" wide) and say "0.5 deru" on them, but have no other makers mark.  They seem too big to be called Margarita glasses or cocktail glasses, but I can't find any other suitable name for them. I am unable to post a picture of them. If anyone knows what they are called, I would sincerely appreciate it!

Thank you!!


texts: How much of powdered rennet should I use when making mozzarella out of 2 liters of unpasteurized milk?

texts:
I bought a bottle of powdered rennet as shown in the image but without a manual on how to use.

https://m.imgur.com/a/flFKwKp

I am learning how to make cheese, and I have a local store who sell unpasteurized milk. So my first attempt is going to be on mozzarella.

I have 2 litres of milk. How much of citric acid and rennet powder should I dilute in water for the 2 liters.

My second question, if by mistake, used an excess amount of rennet, is there a risk of poisoning ?


texts: Converting a recipe from 6qt Instant Pot to 8qt

texts:
I have an 8qt Instant Pot. Most of the recipes online are for 6qt Instant Pots. I find that since my 8qt takes a lot longer to come to pressure (about 18 minutes, depending on the amount of liquid inside the pot) than the 6qt ones do, my food often ends up getting overcooked if I follow the instructions exactly.

Is this normal? How should I convert recipes from 6qt to 8qt?


texts: Why don't I have to season my cast-iron teapot?

texts: This seems a bit silly really, but every single discussion of cast-iron cookware begins with "Seasoning your cookware", yet I've never heard of seasoning a cast-iron teapot. Is there a reason for this? Should I have been seasoning the things this whole time? Assume they're not enameled, and I use them to brew tea but not to heat water.


texts:
I have an enameled cast iron dutch oven.  I thought the pamphlet that came with it said not to heat the cast iron dry -- I could be imagining things, though.

Part One

So, am I supposed to put the oil in the dutch oven and then put it on the (cold) stove and then turn on the stove to low heat and then to medium?  If I do this, will the oil evaporate -- I thought I experienced that once?

Or am I supposed to preheat the dutch oven (starting on low and then going to medium) and then throw in the oil and heat it?

I'm asking this question because I don't want to ruin my le creuset french oven.

Part Two

And how do you know when the oil is hot enough?  This recipe says until it is almost smoking, but how do you know when it is about to smoke?  And don't all oils have different smoke points.  This recipe calls for vegetable oil, which I assume can be canola.


texts: What's the difference between tangzhong and levain?

texts: I am going to start making sourdough bread but there are recipes using both tangzhong and starter (levain). Not sure why both needed and how it will achieve given results.


texts:
I wanted to make a mushroom risotto with some very nice mushrooms I had acquired. I have made risotto countless times, using traditional methods and "cheater" methods. I didn't expect to have difficulty, but I did.

I always use Arborio rice for risotto; generally I buy it in bulk by mail order or any brand that they might have at the grocery store. I've never paid any attention to brand name or where it comes from. Arborio rice has always behaved as I expect Arborio rice to behave. I bought this last time just because it's what my grocery store had:  Amazon

The first time I used this product I just set out to make standard Parmesan risotto. I sauteed the rice until vaguely translucent, deglazed the pan with wine and added simmering broth bit by bit while stirring. It was taking forever and I suddenly decided to scrap it and go with plan B. I really didn't give it that much thought at the time, but it should have been moving towards done well before I gave up on it.

So today I had these mushrooms and wanted to use them in a risotto. I proceeded in my usual way; I sauteed the mushrooms, added the rice and sauteed it, deglazed, and proceeded to add the simmering broth and then,...and then, nothing. It was as if I was simmering pebbles. After 10 minutes the first ladleful of broth was gone (apparently due to evaporation), but the rice was still hard. I kept it up for the better part of an hour and used more broth than the dish should have required, but the rice was still hard. This rice doesn't seem to want to absorb water.

I'm still 2 years out from the "best by" date and I'm using tried and true technique.

Do you have any idea what could be going on? BTW, the Amazon reviews are fine, no clue there.

UPDATE I used the same rice again, this time following the new recommendation on Serious Eats. I soaked the rice for a few minutes in the broth, agitating a bit to loosen exterior starch. Then I strained the rice for several minutes, reserving the starchy broth. I used that broth to make the risotto. By golly it worked. This doesn't answer the question, it still doesn't make any sense that that it didn't work without soaking, but at least I know a way to deal with it now. Serious Eats recommends that method for the creamiest risotto, and it doesn't really add much effort, so I'll probably continue to do it that way - even with my next batch of rice.

I'd still like to figure out what was going on.


texts: What do you call a steak separated with fork?

texts: I stayed at a place about 20 years ago in Mexico that had this great little restaurant and they served a steak that I haven't seen replicated anywhere else. It was a fairly flat cut but the steak itself had been separated, as if by using two forks to pull it apart somewhat, during the preparation or cooking process, and then thrown back on the grill. Is anyone heard of preparing a steak like this?


texts:
We've just been to Spain and while we were there we ended up in quite a touristy restaurant. There we ate paella which was terrible, at least in my opinion. Then I was wondering how fresh (or not) it was. The prawns were still in their shell but some of them had developed some white areas.

So my question is: do these white spots on the shell indicate that they had been frozen? Or can a prawn go white too if it is boiled or fried straight after being caught?

Just for the record: I'm sure they had been frozen because they didn't taste very nice.


texts:
We had recently been given some fresh caught-that-day trout. The trouble is that we didn't know how to prepare it.   The last time my wife filleted it, but we ended up with lots and lots of little bones in the fish.

What is the best way to prepare trout that avoids this problem?


texts: What's the use of the hexagon bottom in braisers?

texts:
I have a few cast iron skillets and a dutch oven and I want to get an enamelled cast iron pan so that I won't have to worry about ruining the seasoning when using acidic sauces (tomatoes, lemon, etc).

I like this shallow Staub pan but I'm not convinced about the hexagon shapes. They say the hexagon bottom produces a natural non stick surface that is more resistant to scratches and chips. Has anyone used something similar to this or know what the hexagon shapes at the bottom are for?


texts:
I've recently enjoyed finally being able to reliably make lemon curd. Now I'm wondering: is there a way to use different fruit as the flavour?

Is there anything special about lemon that makes it uniquely suitable for this that couldn't be achieved with other fruits? The fact it only adds a small amount of liquid, or maybe the high acidity offsets that? My first idea was trying raspberries reduced as much as possible without burning, and maybe adding some lemon juice to brighten up the flavour and add acid.

As a baseline, the recipe I use for the lemon curd is:

2 eggs and 2 yolks
200g (1 cup) sugar
125g (1 stick) butter
juice of 2 lemons, zest of 1-2 (to taste)


texts: Drying fish before cooking - Is it okay to leave it uncovered in the fridge?

texts:
I found an article where a restaurant chef shared a trick to prevent fish from sticking to the pan : leave it on a plate, uncovered for about an hour in the fridge to dry it out.

When I tried it, my housemate complained that it was "unhygienic" and insisted that I cover it with foil...which kind of defeats the purpose of drying it out in the fridge. I tried to explain that I was drying it out, but she just kept saying "please...its unhygienic..."

(Her food was not even on the same shelf by the way)

Do you think it is okay to leave it uncovered in the fridge? Any alternatives?


texts:
I'm 81 and have not been living in a cave all my life, BUT I had never heard of a "Polish dill pickle" until  today. So, let me now ask, What's the difference between a dill pickle and a Polish dill pickle?
Sun Nov 10, 2019, 11:00 a.m.


texts: What is the minimum processing time for salsas?

texts: I found a recipe (Wonderful Salsa at Food.com) that called for it to be processed for 10 minutes.  I'm seeing now that other salsa recipes call for 15 or more minutes.  Is this true for all salsas, or is the 10-minute processing time based on the recipe and thus all right?


texts: There are commercial flavored popcorn (i.e. BetterMade) that aren't topped with flavor but coated like a potato chip.  How do I re-create that coating at home?  Specifically, I'm a fan or the 'hot' style coating (bbq, buffalo chicken, jalapeno, flame).  I've tried oils, tossing in a bowl, spraying from a bottle, but no luck  - it's just regular popcorn with a little chili powder sticking to each kernel.


texts: Why does my steak turn out well done when the temperature probe says it's only rare?

texts: Is it because I used a poor cut of meat?  Did I not cook it fast enough?  Should I have removed it from the heat sooner?  Is my cut too thick?  Is my temperature probe too conservative?


texts: Can a meringue ever be frozen?  I want to make a meringue topped dessert for Easter and don't want to leave my guests while I add the meringue and torch it.  Ideas?


texts: Where can I buy American style bread flour in Europe

texts:
I live in Germany, and all the flour here is made from soft winter wheat. I can get some durum semolina imported from Italy and sold as "hardwheat flour" (Hartweizenmehl), and that's about it. But most of the ressources on bred baking I read are of American origin, and they are all optimized for American style bread flour, made from the endosperm of spring wheat.

Is there a source within the Schengen zone which produces high-gluten flour and ships it to Germany? I think I read a comment somewhere on the site that Sweden has such flour, so maybe there is a producer who ships to Germany there. But I don't speak Swedish, so I can't research that. But I don't care if it comes from Sweden or another country, as long as I don't have to pay import taxes.


texts:
Today I tried making praline paste, specifically of the hazelnut kind. It was equal parts by weight roasted and skinned hazelnuts and sugar.
I caramelized the sugar dry, poured it over the roasted hazelnuts and after it set I cracked it and put it into the food processor.

I spent a bunch of minutes processing it, and in the end it became a smooth liquid, more pourable than spreadable. It's sitting right now in the freezer, so I expect it will thicken under the cold, but I wonder: is it possible to process the praline too far, and is that what happened here? Or should I expect it to behave like, say, butter, meaning that it became liquid also due to the heat of the processing, and that after cooling it should set firmer?


texts: How long are Hot & Spicy Beer Battered Jalapeno Slices good in Freezer past Best by Date?

texts: I have a package of Great Value Hot & Spicy Beer Battered Jalapeno Slices that state that they are best if used by February of 2020. It is January 2021. What is your opinion of whether or not they are still good? They have been in the freezer the entire time.


texts: Can the skin of lychee be used for anything?

texts:
We recently saw and picked up some lychee from the grocery store.

It appears that the skin is inedible, but my girlfriend is wondering if it could be used for anything.
Should the lychee skin just be tossed, or can it be used in some way?


texts:
In the answers to this question Jerk vegetable?
one of the suggestions is to marinate some cheese.

This is not something I have heard of before. I was wondering what cheeses are suitable, and are there any special considerations that need to be made?


texts: How do I clean a moldy rice cooker heating element?

texts:
There's a pretty large patch of white and green mold on the heating element of my rice cooker, near the magnet. Is there a way to remove it? It's grown to the point of bumpy.

It seems that my brother forgot to properly clean the underside of the inner pot this whole time


texts: My sushi rice comes out chewy on top, mushy on the bottom

texts:
I recently moved & my new crappy stove won't cook my sushi rice correctly. My old stove cooked it perfectly according to the package directions: 1 1/2 cups rice to 2 cups water, combine, bring to boil, reduce to low, cover & leave for 20 mins. Now it comes out underdone on top & sometimes ever so slightly toasted & mushy on bottom.

Any way I can fix this? I've tried a larger pot, seems to make no difference. Tried turning off heat instead of low, as my new burners seem to cycle more drastically &stayhot longer, but doesn't cook the rice enough. Added more water but doesn't help overdone bottom problem. I don't rinse my sushi rice even tho you're supposed to, because I don't have time & it always came out perfectly before, but I will start if it will fix this.

Or should I just break down and buy a rice cooker? ;-) Thanks!

EDIT: I think my new stove is crap and cycles too hot on lowest possible setting.. Any suggestion of how to adapt to this, please? Thank you


texts: How to easily minimize waste using a potato smasher?

texts:
I have a new tool. At Walmart they didn't seem to have the kind of potato masher I'm used to, so I bought this thing.

(The can of soup is there for size reference.§) From a young age I'm used to the tool with a long stiff steel wire extending out of the handle about 3", zig-zagging on itself several times in a flat plane, then returning back to the handle. Since that thing mashed, and this thing smashes, I call it a potato smasher.

I had not yet cleaned up, so you can see some mashed potato in a few of the holes. Therein lies my problem. As I smashed the boiled potatos, potato would extrude through all the holes.  It was easy to remove potato from top and bottom for multiple mashes -- just wipe it off with a fork.  But with 24 little holes, I did not know how to efficiently remove the contents of the holes and return it to the smashing bowl when done.  Is there an easy way to remove potato from all the holes without waste?

In the end, after I was done smashing, I cheated. Using my mouth, I just sucked out as much potato as I could. It was good! Even with my big mouth, I could not get it all, though.

§ I lied, sort of.  The can is also there because that was our gravy.  We lacked normal gravy ingredients, so I got some help from Necessity's kid. Using heated split pea soup as gravy ended up tasting great. More vegetables, plus the ham in the soup provided a bit of meat. (I'm not pushing the Progresso brand; it is just what we happened to have.)


texts:
I'd like a reusable lightweight cup for the microwave, so I compare the melting temperature of plastics (#1 through #6 in our recycling codes) and would think Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is the best

So, why is Polypropylene (PP) predominantly used instead?  I would even guess PET is cheaper to manufacture since most one-time bottles are PET.  Is it really just a public perception preference for PP?


texts: How can I pit cherries easily and neatly?

texts:
I would like to make a recipe I have found for Cherry Clafoutis. But, I have never had any luck pitting cherries. I leave a lot of the cherry flesh attached to the pits, or I just rough the cherries up way too much.

Any tricks?


texts: How to dress sushi to better enhance all its flavours?

texts: I would like to know what is the better way to dress sushi and sashimi. What I am looking for is how it was thought to be eaten and what are the ways a sushi piece is supposed to be dressed with soy sauce and wasabi to obtain a balanced taste!


texts: Put a 5 pound pork sirloin roast in oven at 175 degrees F for two hours. Then turned up oven to 350F for two hours. Is it safe to eat?


texts: Substitute for Pastry Flour from Limited Traditional and Alternative Flours

texts:
I have a recipe for sponge cake that calls for either all white pastry flour or an equal mix with whole wheat pastry flour.  Unfortunately, the only pastry flour I have is whole wheat.  The recipe specifically warns against All-Purpose, which it claims will dry the cake out.
These are the flours I have...is there any hope?

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
Unbleached White Whole Wheat Flour
Unbleached White Flour
Whole Wheat Flour
Garbanzo Bean Flour
Tapioca Flour
Spelt Flour
Buckwheat Flour

I also have traditional powders like xantham gum, baking soda, cornstarch, etc.

About.Com suggests "two tablespoons corn starch, combined with enough all-purpose flour to make a cup," but warns that the extra protein content will increase toughness.

Thank you!


texts:
I used store-bought puff pastry to make a tart with two layers of pastry (with some soft cheese in the middle). Even though it baked, neither the top nor the bottom layer of pastry rose or puffed at all.

I kept the puff pastry in the refrigerator instead of the freezer for a few days between purchasing and baking. Whoops! I was also pretty sloppy about "room temp"; I just worked the dough when it was flexible.  Would this incorrect temperature management have caused the failure to rise?

I did not use an egg wash. I baked at 400° F for about 17 minutes, in a square ceramic dish, pre-greased with sprayable butter. Since the pastry didn't quite fit in the dish, I used a butter knife to trim the edges off of the pastry.


texts: I've had carrots in a plastic bag in the fridge for a few weeks and when I went to use them today, I noticed there are what I can best describe as white bristles or whiskers coming out of them. I've never seen this before. What are they and have the carrots spoiled ?


texts:
I have read various recipes for making shime saba, the pickled mackerel commonly found in sushi restaurants. All of these recipes require starting with a fresh caught fish and recommend keeping for at most 2 days refrigerated.

This sounds potentially difficult to do for restaurants. Is there an alternative method for doing this (whether under home or commercial conditions)? Is it possible to extend the shelf life, or can no more than 2 days pass from catching to eating for it to conform to safety rules?


texts: How can I preserve Jamun (Indian blackberry) without sugar?

texts: I want to save jamun fruit for a diabetic person so I can't add sugar. Is there any means to store it for 6 months or so by adding salt/lemon or any other thing except sugar?


texts:
I like to cook stuffing in the bird because I think it imparts flavors you just can't achieve cooking it out of the bird.  The problem is, it's virtually impossible to get the stuffing to 165F/74C without way overcooking the meat.  I read one suggestion to cook the bird until the meat is done and then remove the stuffing and finish it in the oven.  That makes sense, but is it really a safe method?  Is it possible the lining of the cavities also aren't fully done yet since they've been exposed to cooler stuffing and not hot oven air?

If so, would a good alternative be to remove the stuffing when the meat is, say, 10 degrees short of being done and then putting both the stuffing and bird back in the oven to finish?


texts: I want to make my own cheese. How do I get started?

texts: I've seen people do their own mozzarella and it seemed easy. Any tips on how to get started (equipment, ingredients, recipes)? What about blue cheese and other stronger cheeses?


texts:
I am trying to make Sukimono, which is a Japanese type of fermented green cabbage.

I'm completely new to fermenting and my first batch came out a bit too salty. I weighted the cabbage down in salt (no water) for a little over one day and rinsed out thoroughly when it was done.

I used a thin sea salt, which I'm guessing might have been too salty for it and wondered if there was a better salt to use or if any other part of the process I used could be improved.


texts: Why do home-made pickles float in the jar, but commercial pickles don't?

texts:
I make a lot of home-made pickles; mostly pickled onions/shallots/cucumbers. I use a cold process and I don't pre-brine.

I notice all of my pickles always end up floating to the top of the jars, even after months of pickling. This is very annoying because it means the top pickles don't get evenly saturated.

Commercial, store-bought pickles never have this problem. They always sink to the bottom of the jar. Even if there's only a single pickle left in the jar, it sinks.

What can I do to get my pickles to sink?


texts: How does rub or marinade actually seep into meat?

texts:
This morning I began crockpotting my first (ever) pork butt in an attempt to make pulled pork. In preparation of this, two days ago I smeared the meat with a spice rub and put it in a large sealed bag in the fridge. I did this because the recipe I was following stated that giving the rub a few days to "sink in" to the meat was crucial. This got me wondering:

  Does rub/marinade actually penetrate into meat, if so, how?

The animal is dead, so I would imagine anything along the lines of "osmosis" or "capillary action", etc. would no longer be functioning.

To me, it doesn't seem feasible that rub/marinade would actually penetrate into a (dead) piece of meat. If it does, I'd like to know how, and how deep the rub/marinade actually travels.


texts: how to avoid crystallization of powdered sugar

texts: I have powdered white sugar and stored it in a glass bottle. I see the next day that the sugar had crystallized and i cant seem to take it out or anything. Tried to keep under sun. No result. i have no other go than to discard the whole bottle.


texts: How to bacon infuse solid cheese block for smoking?

texts: I already cold smoke cheese. I'm looking to add bacon flavor to that cheese. Would soaking it in cooked bacon grease and cutting off the heavily saturated outer section work?


texts:
I am having family over for dinner soon, and would like to make profiteroles for dessert. I will, however, be busy during the daytime and will only have an hour or so before people arrive for dinner, in which time I will need to cook the main course.

My question - can I make the profiteroles (just the choux bun - filling and sauce kept separate) the day before?

If there is a way, how should they be kept, to keep them fresh and not either dried out or far too soft/stale?


texts: I made a coulis from fresh blackberries by simply using a fork and sieve. I did not cook, neither added sugar to the final juice. The creamy coulis had beautiful color and texture, however it clearly separated into a watery phase and a more granular phase. How can make the coulis a stable substance which works well for decorating a plate?


texts: I see a lot of info on overfilled whippers but what about underfilled. Let's say I have a 1/2 liter whipper which is 500cc. I know I can get away with just putting in 250cc of liquid but what if I put in 125cc of liquid and then charge it. Will it hurt the whipper? Will the liquid be overcharged (too much n2o for the liquid) or undercharged (decreased pressure because N2o is spread over a larger non-liquid volume)? If undercharged, would I just have to add a second charge? Thanks. Whipping expands to several times the original volume and for some things, several cups is leading to a lot of waste.


texts: How long can I keep raw-egg based salad dressing refrigerated

texts: I made salad dressing with, raw egg, mustard, olive oil, vinegar, minced garlic, salt & pepper.  How long can I keep this refrigerated?  Thanks


texts: I often cook Russian dumplings - pelmeni, but it relates to any similar kind of dumplings. Basically, you wrap small balls of ground meat (mixed with spices and other ingredients like onions) and boil them until ready. All the recipes I saw suggest adding small amount of salt to the dough (about a teaspoon to 500 g of flour). What's the purpose of it? The filling is flavorful and dumplings are boiled in salted water, the dough will be flavorful enough at the end (like, for instance, cooked pasta). I never add salt to my dough, and I tried it last time, and tasted no difference, as I expected. What task is solved by adding salt?


texts: Any good substitutes for tamarind in Beef Rendang?

texts:
I have seen recipes for Indonesian Beef Rendang that call for tamarind (here is one), but tamarind is a little difficult to find here in Japan. So I have two questions:

What could serve as a substitute for tamarind in a Rendang recipe?
And what does tamarind do for Rendang, exactly?


texts: Does placing a metal spoon in an open bottle of sparkling wine (etc.. .) help keep its fizz?

texts: Does placing a metal spoon in an open bottles of bubbles, sparkling wine &  Champagne help keep its fizz ? If so why is this ?


texts: To salt or not salt broth for use in recipes?

texts:
Many recipes call broth, but broth recipes often omit salt and pepper or in some instances require only a small amount.

My question is this: when a recipe, let's say risotto for example, calls for broth, should I season the broth with salt and pepper before ladling it into my risotto? Or should I leave it unseasoned and just season the risotto? Or both? Or does it depend on the recipe?


texts: I'm at the point where I will completely avoid certain recipes simply because they require sifting and I find it incredibly tedious. Is there a better method? A better tool? A magic sifter?


texts: What north atlantic fish can we use to make a good ceviche?

texts: I am planning to do a ceviche entrée in Ireland but I am limited in the choice of seafood and most likely won't find Peruvian/Pacific ones. Any recommendations for? substitutes


texts:
I made chicken goujons coated in breadcrumbs last night and had a go at making my own breadcrumbs. I cut two slices of bread (high end sliced loaf, not cheap white) into cubes and blitzed them in a food processor. Then I put them in the oven on 200C for 15 mins to dry them out.

The end result was tasty, but the breadcrumbs lacked the crunchy texture of shop - bought panko breadcrumbs. How can I make my own version crunchier?


texts: What is causing my butter toffee to separate?

texts:
Each year at this time, I make 4-6 batches of Butter Toffee (2c sugar, 2 c butter, 2 tsp vanilla, 6 tbsp water), but only about half usually turn out ok. About half way through the heating process, the unsuccessful batch starts to separate. Once, I saved it by doing something magical to the temperature and stirring vigorously, but I don't know what I did. Every other time, Once it starts separating, it is a lost cause.

I use the same pan, same stove, same wooden spoon to stir, and I think I am either using heat that is too high, or too low and too long. Help!