texts:
I would like to experiment a little with new fish bait. So I want to make special bread for fishing with specific aromas and tastes like this bread.

Bread needs to be elastic and rubbery-spongy, so it will stay on the hook, but should not be crumbly. It will be perfect if it can be dehydrated for later use, but after hydration should retain the same characteristics as a fresh one.

According to my small knowledge in baking bread, I think adding more semolina in the bread flour will increase the percentage of gluten. Is there any easy accessible product I can use to make bread with these characteristics?


texts: What is the recommended temperature for cooking eggs?

texts: Omelette, scrambled eggs etc. Are there any visual cues by which you could know if the eggs are "Safely cooked"?


texts: Preparing / pre-cooking hash browns / home fries

texts:
(Inspired by, but broadening, Can you parfry hash browns in advance? )

In American diners, when you order home fries or hash browns, they are cooked to order, but are brought to the table in much less time than it would take me to fully cook them at home.

How can I prepare potatoes, then pause cooking, so that they can be finished off quickly to a high standard of crispy home fries / hash browns? Is there a technique whereby I can freeze the part-made dish?

(Note, I'm talking about fried loose potato, sometimes with onions. Not the dense patty of grated potato that's labelled 'hash browns' in British freezer sections, or rostis which are also patties)


texts: How to make brownie top crispy and the middle moist?

texts: I have been attempting to make the perfect brownie for the past few months. However, I have been unsuccessful. Do you have any suggestions on how to make crispy top brownie and nice moist middle?


texts: I just got home from work and feel like broiling a steak. Unfortunately, the steak I have is still frozen (I forgot to stick it in the fridge to thaw overday). About how long should I leave it out to thaw before attempting cooking? Should I keep it in air or water, and how warm should the water be? I assume it's a bad idea to just toss a frozen steak in the oven - or is it?


texts: Brining Turkey - 4 Days in Fridge - Partially Grey

texts: Been brining a 1/4 turkey breast 4 days in fridge with pomegranate juice, meyer lemons, kumquats, salt pepper balsamic vinegar - it's grey in parts - is it still OK to eat? Smells great but that may just be marinade?


texts: Raw Salmon on a green cutting ( RTE ) board

texts: Is this legit ok? My bosses tell me it doesn't matter because the board is going to get washed, when I say there's colors because the dish machine might not get to 165 from time to time and bacteria can be on the RTE cutting board.


texts: What is the relationship between salt and iodine?

texts:
I have seen and read some comments from the post: What is the difference between sea salt and regular table salt?

My questions are.

Does Rock or Natural salt contain iodine?
Does Table Salt contain Iodine or has Iodine been removed?
Does "Iodised" / "Iodized" table salt have Iodine added?

I have been having a discussion with a friend on whether Iodine is added to salt.


texts: Sous-Vide shrimp, minimum time and temp for safety?

texts:
It seems that the Internet has not quite caught up with sous-vide technology, I'm getting a lot of conflicting information by Googling.

I am making Gumbo for sale at private clubs. I'm packaging it frozen, with instructions to let it defrost overnight in the refrigerator, and then bring just to a boil for service. So, I want to fully pasteurize the shrimp, yet not have it completely "cooked". The goal is to have it safe if not cooked further at all, yet not be overcooked when heated for service.

Modernist Cuisine says 122F, but doesn't give a minimum time for safety.

  Typically shrimps cook quickly and do not need to be prepped as long as other foods. High quality shrimp that is very fresh can be cooked at 122°F or 50°C. It should be noted though that full pasteurization may not occur if it is not cooked long enough. Non-sushi grade shrimp is best cooked at 132°F or 55.6°C. Since shrimps may vary in size, these are cooked between 15 to 35 minutes, depending on how big or small these are.

The Black Peppercorn recommends a temperature of 149F for complete cooking.

So, what is the actual minimum for safety (time and temperature)?

My shrimp are medium sized (~50 per pound), purchased frozen at Sam's Club, defrosted just now and in the fridge.


texts:
I often make the following vegan breakfast toast. I start by finely chopped onions and garlic and heat the combination on a non-stick pan till the onions are brown. Then I add a tomato chopped into small pieces, with some of the juice that comes out. The outcome is a thick cohesive paste that tastes (at least to me) excellent on a breakfast toast sprinkled with salt, pepper, herbes de provence/oregano/powdered coriander.

I like it so much that I would love some pointers on how this recipe could be improved, or if this preparation has a name that I can look up and research. Specifically what I am looking for is a way of making it less dry. I plan on trying olive oil and avocado, but any tips would be welcome.


texts: How to clean an all-clad stainless steel pan

texts:
I accidentally left one of my all-clad stainless steel saucepans on the stove & the water in it boiled off... I used Bar Keeper's Friend(BKF) & I was able to remove all the spots in the interior of the pan but the shiny finish on the exterior is yellowed now and BKF did not remove this stain.
It almost looks like when sterling silver starts to tarnish.
Any ideas?


texts: Cooking and storing rice for a whole week

texts:
I work long hours and my commute to work is about 2 hours long, when I get home, I basically grab a bite to eat and sleep.

Recently though I have learned to cook a big portion of a meal to last me through the whole week. This way I can eat healthy instead of going to Chicken Zone (my local fried chicken shop).

I have a couple questions with regards to Rice:

How do you cook it perfectly (each and everytime) so that its softness is 'just right' and each grain is not stuck to the other? I use a Gas Cooker/Oven and my rice is Tilda Basmati.
How can I safely store it in the fridge to last a week?

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Are electric knives used in foodservice?

texts:
After learning several months ago that immersion blenders and many other kitchen gadgets/appliances have foodservice equivalents that are usually much more powerful and durable than the consumer equivalents, I've been on the lookout for a "foodservice-grade" electric knife.

However, after scouring several of my usual physical and online restaurant supply sources, it would appear that I'm chasing a ghost. "Electric [carving] knife" is a foreign concept. It's possible that they just go by another name (e.g. foodservice immersion blenders are often called "power mixers" or just "mixers") but I don't think so.

So for those who've worked at one: Are electric knives ever seen in professional kitchens? If so, do they just use the cheap consumer products or is there a commercial equivalent? And if not, then why not - is it deemed impractical over a good-quality "manual" carving knife or is there some other reason why they seem to be shunned?


texts:
I used to sell desserts and baked goods - I'm thinking about 'reopening'.  I would like to offer creme brulee as an option since its one of the more popular desserts when I make it for friends and family.

The problem is, I can't figure out how to make it 'to go'.  I can't raise the price enough to give them a traditional ramekin.  If I provide it in a styrofoam container, I can't blowtorch the sugar on top without melting the container.

I've already pretty much assumed I'll be cooking it in one container and scooping it into another to give to them.  As such, I'm open to less traditional and more innovative solutions overall - mainly on how to provide it to them in a 'take out' container AND have the crunchy top.

Is there an established way to do this or does somebody have a simple solution that I'm overlooking?


texts: Why does my flour sifter have cup markings

texts:
I have an inexpensive flour sifter that just has wire mesh and a little hand-crank (like one of these 1, 2.)

It has cup markings on the side ("one cup," "two cups").

This is probably a silly question, but why?  Doesn't the flour just start pouring through the wire mesh as soon as you start adding it, thereby making the markings useless?


texts: I am looking to get rid of the teflon rice cooker I have (it is getting a lot of scratches, and I am worried about where that teflon is going). What should one look for in a good rice cooker that does not have a teflon coating?


texts: I'm trying to reproduce a recipe mentioned in a novel for a beverage, and it mentions that the main character threw in some "irish moss". I assume this isn't literally just moss from Ireland. What is this? Does it have another name I might be able to buy it under?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How does commercial whole grain bread stay fresh for so long?

Does anyone know what store bread's secret is to making certain loaves of bread super soft for more than a day?  Is it generally some preservative that you normally would not add yourself?  Whenever I try to make a loaf of bread, it is best right out of the oven.  The next day, it does not taste as great unless I toast it. I am trying to find the world's most softest resilient bread to keep.  Thanks. :-)


texts: How long can you soak morel mushrooms before they go bad?

texts: We got some morels from a friend and soaked them in salt water in the fridge. That was Friday. It is now the following Thursday, and we just took them out of the water and cut them down. Bad memory! The water was getting pretty brown but wasn't cloudy. Did the sniff test, and they smell like salt, but I don't know if mushrooms would have a rotten smell anyway. The consistency feels fine. Put them in the fridge in an open bag. Should I throw them away, or will they be okay? Are there any ways to know if morels are getting rotten?


texts: How do you coat almonds in wasabi and keep it spicy and crunchy? (my wasabi paradox)

texts:
I've been trying to make wasabi and soy sauce almonds, like the ones you find at the store (Blue Diamond) but the only recipe I've found (food.com) is very underwhelming. Despite using varying increasing amounts of wasabi, the spicy factor is non-existant.

I suspect the heat from baking causes wasabi flavor to lose it's intensity, so it must be added at the end. But, I haven't been able to find anything to coat the almonds to the outer shell and maintain the roasted/crunchy almond exterior.

Since wasabi powder is "matured" [and activated] with water and a short (covered) resting period, refining it into more powdery makes it stick better but still not spicy.

How do I get my wasabi almonds to come out spicy?

Note: I have also tried horseradish on almonds (which is just wasabi without food coloring) and baking it off.


texts: I have 1/2 gallon of milk (not raw) that turned sour in fridge (not curdled). Hate to throw it away. Can I safely use it to make cottage cheese or put into a chocolate cake?


texts: I put some uncooked stew meat and veggies on this morning and left for 5 hours. When I came home I realized it was only set on warm. Is my meat safe to eat? I have now put it on the stove to cook.


texts: What is an alternative to oil in layered paratha?

texts: When cooking layered paratha, what can I use as an alternative to oil?


texts: I am using citric acid as a preservative for peanut sauce. The 1tsp per quart is not strong enough. Is it safe to use a higher concentration? My peanut sauce is currently at a pH of 4.5, I need <4.3. I don't want to water down the sauce any more than it already is. I will be hot pack bottling, maybe.


texts: What does dry ice to to ice cream besides freezing it faster?

texts:
From what I've seen, using dry ice to make ice cream makes the whole freezing process a lot faster than a freezer. (Besides speed, the only other benefit I can think of is trapping some gas in the ice cream to make it fluffier/softer.)
What exactly can dry ice do to ice cream besides speeding up the freezing process? What kinds of ice cream are made with dry ice and not just a freezer?


texts:
I am curious why I can not find a home oven that can reach temperatures over 500°F/260°C. Every oven I have seen maxes out at 500°F.

I am wondering are there safety regulations that limit this, or maybe technical or cost reasons?


texts: How important are each of temperature, humidity, and vibration for storing wine?

texts:
I'm deciding whether to buy a wine chiller for my apartment, maybe this one. I could only realistically keep it on top of my refrigerator. The alternative would be to keep wine in my fridge (the temperature in my apartment often gets into the 80s which I understand to be unacceptable). People who take wine very seriously do not recommend keeping wine in the fridge for three reasons:

A standard kitchen refrigerator is too cold (35-38°F vs 45-60°F)
The motor in the refrigerator makes everything vibrate too much
Refrigerators are dry (30% humidity), whereas wine likes 70-90% humidity.

I need to know which of these actually matter for a casual wine drinker like myself. A wine chiller will address #1 for me (though I might get one that offers only a single temperature rather than separate from reds and whites) but I could also see keeping my wine in my regular refrigerator or giving up entirely. Unfortunately a wine chiller doesn't fix #2 for me since the chiller would be on top of my fridge.

Which of these three concerns, if any, should I actually be worried about?

BTW, the wine may wait around for a period of months before it gets drunk.


texts: In the rainy season biscuits and other dry goods become wet under their packing. Can they be recovered?


texts:
Local farmers are currently dumping tomatoes with about 0.5EUR per kg. It is a very low price. I know how to branch small things but tomatoes are large. The video here mentioned to use C-vitamin against the enzymes and sugar against crystallization. It also instructed to cut larger fruits into pieces to increase the area. Does it work with tomatoes with so much juice?

Is it possible to freeze them for winter and how?


texts: How to caramelize white sugar without burning it?

texts:
Last day I was trying to caramelize sugar to make sugar cage. I start of by adding lots of sugar into small amount of water.After that  started heating it. After few minutes it started to bubbling and suddenly it changed it colour to light brown and before I could do anything it turned into dark brown and burning smell came. Now the quetion is when do I stop heating it? I want it to taste sweet but it tasted bitter.
Edit:Though I have accepted an answers I would like few more answer too.


texts: Do different powders (for example cocoa powder, wheat flour, health drink powder, baking powder) measure different numbers of grams per tablespoon? If yes, why and how do I find out how many grams per tablespoon a given powder is?


texts: Can I refreeze gravlax made from previously frozen salmon?


texts: Should I stir fry all my vegetables at the same time or do them one at time?

texts: I want to stir fry broccolis, onions, mushrooms, and carrots. Should I do them all at the same time or separately because they might have different cooking time?


texts: What are the consequences of failing to strain my pastry cream?

texts: I've made some pastry cream in preparation to make eclairs tomorrow. However, when I was ready to strain it I realized that I did not have a strainer as I thought. I stirred it around and did not see any big particles, so I put it in the fridge anyway to set. What are the consequences to my cream of not straining it? Can I still use it for my eclairs or should I make another batch once I have a strainer?


texts: Lactic fermentation related question: Is there a relationship between pH, salinity, fermentation magic, and heat?

texts:
I am trying to figure out if there is a way to abstract out heat in the Lacto fermentation equation. In fact, I am not even sure if heat is part of the equation.
I know there seems to be a relationship between heat and yeast, but I don't know how or if heat could be a factor in controlling pH after the fermentation process begins, or if heat is just a useful tool independent of pH at that point.


texts: Why did my organic chicken come out like rubber after roasting?

texts:
I had two chicken halves that were frozen. I thawed them out most of the way.  I put olive oil and rosemary and sage on them, placed them into a dutch oven with the lid off and a bit of chicken stock in the bottom, and put the dutch oven into the oven at 375 degrees until the inside of the breast was done (according to meat thermometer).

The chicken came out chewy and rubbery.  It was still moist, but just almost inedible.  Can I blame the chicken?


texts: Is it possible to make homemade crème fraiche using clotted buttermilk?

texts: I started making crème fraiche and when adding the buttermilk, the buttermilk had started to clot.  I didn't know this before adding it to the cream.  Am I still able to make the crème fraiche with this buttermilk?


texts: What is the "Kamchin" can on the photo and what can I do with its contents?

texts:
I found this can in my pantry - I don't recall buying it, but the date seems valid and I like the ingredients on the label (chives, coriander, parsley, fenugreek, vegetarian oil (?) and salt). Googling for "Kamchin" does not return anything interesting (sounds like it's a brand, not the name of the stuff?), I don't speak swedish so looking for ortgryta is useless. There is more information on the can in a script that I can't read (looks Arabic?).

My questions are:
 - how should it be used "properly"? I mean, what is the intended way to prepare and eat it?
 - what could be a good (=simple) way to use it, not necessarily foreseen by the producer? Would it work instead of pesto on some pasta?


texts:
I have trouble cooking the St-Hubert à la King Sauce, though I was able to cook it right with another stove and saucepan.

The issue I have is that the sauce does not get thick enough. Moreover, the sauce is a bit burned at the bottom.

Sometimes, the sauce, at the end, is almost as light as milk.

Another issue is that the sauce will often "grow" when it is too hot (this was not happening with the other stove) and I have to move the saucepan away (so that it wont spill) and/or lower the temperature. (The sauce boils with my current stove, but it did not happen with the other stove.)

I almost constantly stir the sauce with a whisk and I progressively lower the temperature.

With the other stove, I kind of feel with the whisk when it is the right time to lower the temperature, but I don't know why I don't feel it with my current stove.

I tried with a saucepan with a thicker bottom, but it does not really help.

Sometimes, I add carrots and celeries with the other ingredients at the start.

So, what can I do to get a thick sauce without problem?


texts:
I have been trying now for a while to make sticky sweet and sour chicken. It tastes great. But its not sticky. How do I achieve this?

I only use chicken wings for this. I make a sweet and sour sauce in a separate pan first, where I followed the recipe found on the internet.

•3/4 cup white sugar
•1/3 cup white vinegar
•2/3 cup water
•1/4 cup soy sauce
•1 tablespoon ketchup
•2 tablespoons corn-starch

Combining all the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat then when well mixed I boil and stir until thickened.

I then bring the chicken to oven pan, spice with chuckny spice, add some olive oil to pan. Turn oven to 165 degrees. When chicken slightly begins to grill, I add over the sauce. And then increase heat to 180 degrees until chicken is done.

Should I be doing something different to the sauce or chicken? Perhaps flowering the chicken? Or Thickening the sauce?


texts: I was wondering if a pasteurized egg in a pie needs to be refrigerated after it is made. If it is out on a table for 3 hours or more, will it go bad?


texts: Is it too dangerous to smoke a stuffed turkey?

texts: Sorry if this is a redundant question, but I'm finding conflicting advice about this: If I want to smoke an ~18 lb turkey, is there a great risk of it spending too much time in the temperature "danger zone" if I stuff it with traditional stuffing?


texts: Serving Creme Brulee to a large group of people

texts:
I have 60 creme brulees set in mason jars. The idea is to serve this to a group of 60 people at once. How do I ensure my crust for the first one doesn't get soggy?
Each creme brulee, from opening to torching takes about 30-60 seconds. This means the first one could end up sitting for 30-60 minutes before all are complete. This will definitely get the crust soggy by the time of service.

Any ideas on preventing this?


texts: Is there a difference between Stew and Casserole?

texts:
Is there a proper distinction between a slow cooked meat dish labelled a casserole and one labelled stew?

And if there is a traditional distinction would it be fair to say that the distinction is no longer observed?


texts:
Got a lovely bunch of radishes and turnips from the farmer's market, giant mass of greens included.

Can I use the greens for anything aside from compost?  Are they edible?  Worthy of salads? Stir-fry?


texts: I forgot the chicken out on the counter-top all night. How do I dispose of it?

texts: I left the chicken out on the counter top all night. Reading these comments, it looks like we should not consume it. So now how do I dispose of it?


texts: What are the key differences between brats in Germany and the USA?

texts:
I lived in Germany for 6 months, I ate a lot of bratwurst during that time. It was very very good.

Here in the U.S. the bratwurst does not taste the same. I want a brat like the ones in I had in Germany (from the little stands in downtown Weisbaden).

What is the difference? is it a way it is prepared, prepped, or a different meat all together? I am pretty sure they were cooking them on flat grills.

How can I make brats like this at home?


texts: How do I stop my steak from leaking juice?

texts: I panfry the steak by searing on high both sides, then cook it at a low-medium temperature until medium rare. Then I let the steak rest for ~10 minutes before cutting it. During that time a lot of juice leaks out. What am I doing wrong?


texts:
So I was rolling sushi the other day and I noticed how much easier it is to do with out plastic gloves on.  The stickiness of the rice dose not accumulate all over your hands as fast as it does when you are wearing gloves making it much easier and faster.

The conundrum here is.. If I don't wear gloves I can make sushi much faster, keeping customers happy but according to the sanitation department, restaurant employee's must wear gloves if the food they are touching is no longer going to be cooked any further.

What do I do?


texts: How does lentils' nutritional profile change in germinating lentils in water?

texts:
By the term "terminating lentils in water" I mean a similar thing to sprouting thing such as alfalfa in water. The crux difference is that lentils do not really sprout, they germinate because their core is removed.

Wikipedia here states that:

  Dried lentils can also be sprouted by
  leaving in water for several days.
  This changes their nutrition profile.

so what does it mean? I am always looking for getting most out of bucks but sprouted beans taste good so trying with lentils. I like lentils due to their high protein content. I am unsure what happens to lentils in sprouting. Does sprouting just break some starch to smaller carbon chains if so what does it mean in terms of protein content? Some energy is surely lost in sprouting as the bad water is thrown away. But how do the nutritional values change?

[Update]

The word sprouting is misleading in discussing lentils. The core of lentils is removed so the process is substantially different to sprouting things such as alfalfa where they totally transform the form. The transformation of lentils is because the seeds react to water like after winter, bacteria breaks the long compressed chains of protein to more accessible forms such as amino acids which people would anyway break, saving energy for people in the breakdown process (similar thing in meat heating where long protein chains get shorter). The generated smelling stuff is bacterial junk due to the process. According to my friends, experts in the field, many questions considering taste, fermentation, sprouting and the protein breakdown are unsolved.

I cannot unfortunately access some current research papers on the issue, here, but there is a promising paper "Nutritional assessment of raw, heated, and germinated lentils" by G Urbano (1995). The technical jargon for this problem is apparently germinated lentils. I don't use the term sprouting to stress the uniqueness of the process, not having the core. So how is the nutritional profile different between raw lentils and germinated lentils in water?


texts:
So last weekend the wife and I got a huge jar of pickles at Costco.  The thing is bigger than a gallon of milk (the wife really loves her pickles).  There really isn't any room for it in the fridge, but no where on the jar does it say 'refrigerate after opening', but I've always kept them in the fridge (and so does everyone else I know).

I know that pickles use to be kept out of refrigeration in barrels and I realize that the salt in the brine should keep anything bad from happening, but does anyone actually keep their pickles at room temp? Are there downsides to this?

Thanks


texts: How do you cook quinoa? I mean what equipment do you use (electric cooker, pressure cooker, stove top)? Do you add spices or vegetables to it while cooking it?


texts:
I'm posting links to photos on Dropbox of 3 de Buyer skillets I own. They have been placed into the dishwasher over and over again against my advice unfortunately.
I want to know if what I'm seeing on them now is rust, and if so are they permanently damaged or is there something I can do to revive them?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/okzx2s5d68ajegh/IMG_3935.jpeg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3meqro6akl6e15i/IMG_3936.jpeg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gycyjwv5rdsp56f/IMG_3937.jpeg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/g01tpvixx6g2fsu/IMG_3938.jpeg?dl=0


texts: Is there some drink like panaché available in the Netherlands?

texts:
Hi I remember summers around 2006 where we bought  Panaché at our local Lidl and a lot of people liked it. It's a soda drink with a little bit of beer. it looks like this:

Of course there is Shandy and Radler, but I don't find them quite the same.


texts: I am trying to find a way to boil 1-2 quarts of water for 10 minutes and want to be absolutely sure that the pot doesn't leak any chemicals into the water. I have tried 3 stainless steel sauce pots but they all rusted (and one rusted after a single use). What kind of sauce pot can I get that is guaranteed not to rust or break due to temperature and not leak any chemicals into the water? Price is less important than finding the right item (I'm only going to buy 1).


texts: Is the part of the squid right above the tentacles edible? I think it's the bottom of the body, I've never cooked squid before. I washed it under cold water and felt it carefully with my fingers and I think the beak had been removed.


texts: Is it possible to churn butter in a food processor or blender?

texts: I would really like to make some homemade butter. Can you make it with a food processor or blender?


texts: Is there a sweet emulsion to put on oatmeal?

texts:
I've made a ton of mayo now with egg + lemon juice or vinegar + spices + oil and it got me thinking about sweet emulsions
I've been putting my savory mayo with various spices on rice and its quite nice so I'm thinking about trying to make a sweet emulsion of egg and butter with a sweet juice and maybe some sugar or other sweetener and trying it out on oatmeal!
Butter which is commonly used when you need something oily to go with sweet + eggs + a sweet fruit juice or something else sugary and sweet, maple syrup, agave, whatever you can think of, I can't find anything about this while googling. I tried "sweet mayo" and it comes up with sweeter types of mayo but not stuff I'd want to put on oatmeal.
The closest thing I can find is hollandaise sauce but that is traditionally savory as far as I can tell?
I found a newspaper from 1964 with "grape hollandaise" during my research, it's intended to be more savory though, still neat.
Are there any established sweet emulsions to put on foods that like sweet sauces? If not then what emulsions I can make to put on oatmeal or other foods that enjoy sweet sauces, pancakes, waffles, etc?


texts:
Can microwave safe glass vessels be used in an electric oven?
I have this oven: http://www.cromaretail.com/Bajaj-28-Litres-2800TMC-Oven-Toaster-Grill-%28White%29-pc-469-468.aspx

I just checked and found the following written on the manual of the glass ware: http://www.borosil.com/products/consumer/storage/

  SUITABLE FOR CONVENTIONAL OVEN
  SUITABLE FOR USE OVER FLAME
  SUITABLE FOR MICROWAVE OVEN

Can it be considered safe (as it says)?


texts: why pepitas (pumpkin seeds) taste like blue cheese?

texts:
Many nondairy 'blue cheese' recipes are pepita based.
It actually mimics blue reasonably well according to omnivores.
What constituent(s) creates this flavor?  Recipes include acid and salt and sometimes yeast but where is the blue?
I've looked at short-chain fatty acids etc like  propionic, butyrate, valeric (pentanoic), decanoic and lauric; even the goaty 3-methylbutanoic present in blue cheese.
Doesn't correspond with pepitas palmitic, oleic, and linoleic so what could it be?
This is a typical recipe by https://lowcarb-vegan.net/vegan-blue-cheese/
Ingredients
1/2 cup (70 g) unroasted pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup (60 ml) water
1/2 cup (120 ml) vinegar or lemon juice
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon tahini
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or a small clove of fresh garlic
1 teaspoon salt
200 gram (7 oz) firm tofu
1/3 to 1/2 cup (80-120 ml) neutral tasting coconut oil (optional)


texts:
I remember one time where our father decided to use some liquor on the food we/he was cooking, and he says it gives more flavor. Yes, it does work, but I fear getting drunk or even having that strange feeling when tasting alcohol.
Since I'm still a freshman high schooler, or specifically a minor, I would prefer to stay away from alcohol, even for cooking, but just to be safe, I need to know more about cooking with alcohol.
I found this site upon searching answers and saw this quote:

You know why you drink alcohol. But why cook with it? When used properly, alcohol improves your food. It bonds with both fat and water molecules, which allows it to carry aromas and flavor. In a marinade, alcohol helps the season the meat and carry flavor (not tenderize). It functions similarly in cooked sauces, making your food smell and taste better.

This does seem to answer the question I had in mind ("What does alcohol do to the food?"), but this brings another question. The "When used properly" part could be identified further, but all I really have in mind is the "Don't put too much or you get drunk when eating." type of thinking.
How to properly use alcohol when cooking something? It seems obvious that I shouldn't use undrinkable alcohols for it.


texts: How do I prevent mini cheesecakes from stick in muffin pan

texts:
I am going to be making some cheesecake in a square muffin pan (pictured).

I am planning to make crustless cheesecake. Just eggs, cream cheese, and sugar.

How do I ensure the mini cheesecake come out easily?

Should I use some sort of paper liner? Or maybe butter, or margarine, or vegetable or canola oil.

I don't want to break them, when I take them out, but I don't want to impart undesirable qualities to them either.


texts: Saving a pavlova that didn't form a crust

texts: I have cooked my pavlova the same way I normally do, however it hasn't formed a nice crust like it usually does. I've heard that it may have something to do with the humidity? (It did rain here today and was a reasonably warm day.) Can I put it back in the oven and to save it or do I have to start all over again?


texts:
One of the best desserts I've ever tasted came from a restaurant which no longer exists, and I am trying to identify what it might be called and how to prepare it myself.  It looked sort of like a colorful flan--pie shaped with about four fruit-based layers stacked on top of each other.  I would call it a tart, but it had no crust.  The bottom layer was quite thin (maybe .5 cm) and contained passion fruit and probably some lime juice, and it was about the most delicious thing I've ever had.

So the questions are:

What should I call such a dessert?
Can someone suggest a recipe for the fruit layers (especially the passion fruit layer)?  The layers were stiff enough to stand on their own, but soft enough to be cut with a fork.

Edit: In response to comments:

The texture and consistency was about like a brownie---but maybe slightly softer and smoother.  There were no chunks or slices of fruit visible.
I don't know other flavors specifically, but I'm pretty sure there was a berry layer (raspberry maybe?).  Lemon might have been another.  The flavors were not declared explicitly on the menu, and the only reason I know that passion fruit was in the dessert is that I was so impressed I asked the server what the flavor of the bottom layer was.
It was served at close to room temperature, maybe slightly chilled.
I would describe the restaurant as "trendy modern cuisine".  It was in a mountain resort area, and typical plates ran $20-$30.  I think the main dish I had that evening was pan-seared medallions.


texts: How should I fry onions without burning them?

texts: Lots of recipes begin with something along the lines of "fry onions in oil until tender/soft/translucent".  When I do this I often find that the onions end up burning before they have softened.  What are the right things to do in order to fry them so they don't burn?


texts: When making rice, what is the proper ratio of water that I should use?


texts: How to "fill" a cake made from a cupcake recipe

texts: I have several cupcake recipes.  I know it's easy to convert to a cake (just adjust baking time and figure out correct pan size).  My question is many of the cupcake recipes have a filling that is (for the most part) just sort of stabbed into the baked cupcake using a squeeze bottle. These fillings are usually between artificial maple syrup and pudding in consistency/thickness.  If I want to use the filling, how would I incorporate it into the cake other than repeatedly "stabbing" the cake in various places?  A google search only tells me to tort the cake, but I'd like to leave it in a single layer if possible (plus I don't think the cupcake fillings would hold up to be filling layer in a layered cake).


texts: How does substituting yogurt into a cake change the texture and why can it be used?

texts: I've read about using yogurt in cake recipes to make them healthier. I was wondering how and why does replacing the fat by yogurt work, in particular whether the cake becomes rubbery and how to avoid this.


texts: Pot stick to induction top not able to remove it plz advice

texts: Kindly advice me how to remove pot stick on induction top while cooking curry .I have tried almost all ways but nothing worked, it's not moving(sliding or lifting up)


texts: Does sugar turn sour after prolonged cooking?

texts:
Growing up, my mother always told me that sugar should be added at the end of the cooking process for things like red bean soup or paste. These things are cooked for quite a long time, several hours (at least, in my house it was; I know it's possible to cook adzuki beans soft in less time) and she claimed that prolonged cooking turns sugar sour. Is that true?

Now, I know sucrose breaks down into glucose and fructose, but I wasn't aware that either of those sugars tastes noticeably sour. If it were a chemical breakdown of that kind, wouldn't the dish simply taste less sweet? I do get a sour aftertaste when I eat sweet things, is that the same thing?


texts: What are traditional sushi rolls originating from Japan?

texts:
I'm curious if there are an established traditional sushi rolls from Japan. I came across an article that says there are 86 different types of sushi rolls: https://www.bleepingworld.com/different-types-of-sushi-rolls/

I assume "Texas Roll" and "California Roll" did not originate in Japan, for example.

What are the traditional Japanese sushi rolls?


texts: Should I use salted or unsalted butter if the recipe doesn't specify?

texts: When recipes call for “butter” but doesn’t specify “salted” or “unsalted”, which should I use? Does it matter?


texts: 3 types of fish, 3 temperature/time per package

texts:
I have to have 3 fish items ready at 6:00 PM but they each require different temperature and time and are of different weight.

Can someone please help me ... what I need is the oven temperature and at what times (prior to 5pm when we leave for church) I need to put each item in the oven so they are ready, but not dried out, when we get home at 6:10 pm tonight.

My thought is to pre-heat the oven (ex: to 375 F), put items in when YOU suggest, and set the oven to turn off at 5:00 (so it will gradually cool down ... and the fish will be warm when we get home at 6:10 pm - but not burnt from being in the oven too long)

Here is the list:

Qty Fish Type       Status CookTemp  CookTime TotalWeight
2   Salmon&Sauce    Thawed    375     16 min    0.9 lb
2   Stuffed Salmon  Frozen    350     20 min    1.2 lb
4   Crusted Talapia Frozen    425    16-20 min  1.1 lb

The cook time above is from the package(s) based on if frozen or thawed.

I need one temperature and then at what time to put in each item or tell me what the cooking time should be for each item at your suggested temperature and I'll subtract from 5:30 tonight.

Thanks so much in advance for your help because I'm totally stumped about this and trying to help out my wife.


texts:
When making a simple syrup, my ratio was four cups water to three cups sugar, what is the end volume?

I ask because i messed up a drink recipe by measuring the next step against the amount of the water and forgetting to take into account the increase in volume due to the sugar.


texts: How can I make my (American style) pancakes light and spongy?

texts:
I will be participating at a charity event at the end of this month and I am still not sure about my recipe. I am using a mini pancake griddle to cook the pancakes. My pancakes are ok, but I think they can be better.

They weren't very soft--a bit chewy and maybe bread-like. I've had pancakes before that were light and really spongy and that's what I'd like to accomplish.

My current recipe

3 cups of flour
3 cups of milk
2 tb of oil
4 teaspoons of baking powder
3 cups of milk  vanilla extract
3 eggs
a pinch of salt
2 table spoons of sugar

Process

I mixed all the wet ingredients together then I mixed the dry ingredients together. I added the wet to the dry and mixed them with an electric mixer for a short time so i don't overmix the batter.


texts: How can I detect bad-fed or fast-fed chicken eggs before buying?

texts:
I have traveled in Eastern Europe and I am annoyed to find out supermarkets seem offer only stale eggs (like white inside, no A -vitamin, tastes bad), they cost in the range of 7-12 cents per egg. My host offered me some eggs from local people, they were superb -- thick yellow, good smelling and tasted good.

How can I know before buying that I am buying a quality egg?
I like to eat eggs on the morning so I find the bad eggs very irritating, the are like paper -- not nutritious at all. For cooking, I am unsure whether they matter but I want to buy now  only quality healthy eggs. How can I find such eggs?

I feel there is no point to save a few cents to buy rubbish, eggs are very cheap protein source although I paid a bit more for healthy quality eggs.


texts: Freezing and defrosting Cantaloupe is still good in the fridge?

texts: I recently sliced a Cantaloupe and put it in the freezer for future use to make some easy-and-cold shakes. Then I read somewhere that putting it in the freezer for a long time is not a good idea, so I moved it to the fridge. I'd like to know how long does it last in the fridge and is a defrosted and sliced Cantaloupe healthy?


texts: Putting freeze dried strawberry into my soft cookies,the texture is more like cake -how to make it more chewy

texts:
I love strawberry cheesecake and soft cookies, so I created a recipe and added a large amount of strawberry powder (made by putting freeze-dried strawberries into a grinder).

I have tried two recipes. Both have the same ingredients except the flour.

Recipe A:  I used all purpose flour. It results in cakey soft cookies; the texture is not smooth and not gooey/chewy. They can break quite easily.

Recipe B: I used bread flour. It results in a better texture, more dense and smooth but still cakey and not gooey/chewy. However, while they are great right after taking them out of the oven or not long after putting them in the fridge, they become too soft after taking them out of the fridge for a long time.

Could you please advise how to make this more like soft/chewy and gooey cookie? I have tried changing ingredients a few times, but it turns out worse. For example, I use 2.5 g baking soda instead of 5 g baking powder, and it resulted in a less breakable yet more cakey and dry cookie. I mixed bread flour with all purpose flour and it resulted in a less smooth texture. I tried baking them longer but it resulted in a dense and cakey cookie.

I don't want to decrease or change the amount of freeze dried strawberry and sugar because the taste right now is perfect. Everyone around me loves the taste, the problem is the texture.

Updates: here is the update of recipe that I tried and it works! Pls see below


texts: How do I trim fat down to an even layer?

texts: Say I have something like a pork shoulder that I want to serve whole, with the layer of fat nicely browned under the broiler, but the fat is much thicker than I'd actually like to serve. How can I trim it down to a layer of the desired thickness without leaving it obviously uneven, so that it'll cook evenly and look good? I know to use a good sharp knife, but beyond that are there techniques that'll help out?


texts: Is it safe to leave mint leaves in unrefrigerated in water overnight?

texts:
Instead of drinking plain water, I would like to start drinking water with mint. I plan to put several leaves of mint in a 1.5 liter bottle filled with tap water during the night, and drink the water during the following day.

So I would like to know, is it safe to leave the bottle un-refrigerated during the night?


texts: How long can powdered coffee remain fresh?

texts:
So, I hadn't had coffee for a long time. Plus, I was feeling a little sleepy in the morning so I decided to have a glass of coffee. It tasted a little different than the last time I had it, but I thought maybe I just forgot the taste or the amount of sugar was not same.

Right now, I was just taking a look at the small coffee jar and found out that the best before date had gone by in December 2017 xD. Worried, I opened it, and it didn't smell bad. It was a somewhat pleasant smell. Plus, it was mostly powder - not many lumps. Also, it was stored in a corner of the kitchen (not too hot temp, not too cold) in its airtight jar (so there was no moisture in it).

My question is: How long can the coffee remain fresh in such conditions? I would happily throw it away and buy a new pack, but I wanted to know just out of curiosity.

Side question: The jar also said that the coffee (plus some sugar) could be had with water. Does coffee taste good with water?

Thanks. :)

PS: I was confused whether to ask this on health stack exchange or here - please don't roast me if it's the wrong website. ;P


texts: Would freezing ruin an emulsified broth like tonkotsu?

texts:
I've developed something of an obsession with ramen lately. Tonkotsu ramen has a pork broth base, which is made with blanched pork bones left at a rolling boil for around 12 hours. Its creamy texture and lustrous, opaque appearance are explained by the fats and oils in the broth being emulsified by the long rolling boil.
I strongly desire making my own tonkotsu broth, but given the necessary materials and time I'd prefer making a large batch and freezing portions of it for later use.

Would the freezing of such an emulsified broth ruin it? My fear is that as it cools down the fats will begin separating from the water and float on top. If this is indeed a risk, can it either be mitigated (by often stirring the broth as it is cooling down to freezing point) or rectified (boiling again for a while after thawing)?


texts: How long will Tiramisú made with raw egg keep?

texts:
Tiramisú tastes better the longer is kept. But it is made with raw eggs, so there must be a limit to how long you can keep it for without risking making people ill. What would you say is the min/max time on this?

Thanks!


texts: I bought it very cheap during the closing of the grocery market. The seller said that it was some kind of lettuce, but it tastes like upper leaves of cabbage.


texts: Will old coffee in the refrigerator keep for 2 days?

texts:
I like the acidic taste of old/stale coffee.

I left my coffee at my desk over the weekend, and on Monday morning I took a sip. It tasted good. I did not heat it up, I drank it at room temperature.

But I read it is not advisable to drink coffee left out at room temperature because it is a medium for mold.

If I left it in the refrigerator for 2 days will it be safe to drink?


texts: Calculating Nutrition Information for Commercial Food Labeling

texts:
I'm working on starting a small home-based bakery that will ship food products sold on a website directly to consumers. (Specifically, cookies.) As part of this work, I am designing packaging and am looking into FDA-compliant nutrition labels. Even though this two-person part-time business easily qualifies for an exemption, my preference is to nonetheless provide nutrition information as I believe it would be helpful to customers. At the same time, I believe providing inaccurate information is worse than no information at all. There is an extreme amount of conversation on calorie calculation for personal diets (including here and here), but little I can find on calculation for commercial purposes.

Obviously, nutritional information can be derived through laboratory tests and I have found many such services online.

Another possible solution (that I use for my own diet) is to simply "add-up" ingredient values from their respective labels. This method seems like a great solution but I'm concerned about its accuracy on an FDA-compliant label, especially after baking. I am skeptical of this process because:

I recall from high school chemistry that frying an egg changes its chemical composition and I'm assuming also its nutritional value, and
It is commonly stated online that processed foods have altered nutrition values.

My question is in three parts:

Are these concerns about the "add-up" process accurate enough to disqualify it from a commercial level of nutrition labeling?
Are there other methods I can use to calculate nutrition information accurately enough to meet FDA requirements without needing laboratory analysis?
Do you have any other advice on this process or topic for a small business trying to balance providing this information voluntarily and the costs of hiring outside help?

Thank you.


texts: What is the optimal autolyse time for sourdough?

texts:
I would like to know if there is a formula or technique for understanding the ideal/optimal conditions for dough autolyse?

I understand that different flours/grains have different absorption techniques and I understand calculations related to dough hydration.

I am trying to understand how a novice baker like myself can determine when autolyse is complete. Is it just by feel or is there a quantifiable metric that can be measured or determined based on flour type, protein levels, hydration, volume etc?

Or, is this one of the dark arts of sourdough baking?


texts: To make Gluten free pancakes, can I just substitute regular flour with Gluten free flour?

texts: Will a normal pancake recipe work with Gluten free flour, or do I need to add other ingredients as well?


texts: Does using flaked salt make a difference when using it in cooking?

texts: I have a few recipes that call for flaked salt, I can only seem to buy it in bulk 1kg bags here. I want to know that if you use "salt" in a recipe does it really matter to the final taste what kind of salt you use. I do understand that for example when I use it on top of a foccaacia bread or something similar it does create a nicer texture, enhancing the taste, but this is in the final stages of cooking. When its used through the initial stages of the cooking process, like in a stew, bread dough etc does it make any difference ?


texts:
Update: I managed to properly incorporate the gum without any clumping. I used an immersion blendsr (blade attachment) and mixed it with sugar this time, and it helped.

To thicken a home made tomato sauce, I tried added xanthan gum. While the sauce did thicken (too much in fact, it was mucus like), it resulted in little white 'seeds' floating in the sauce, which was visually unappealing.

First, I placed the sauce in a tall metal cup. I placed my immersion blender (with whisk attachment) inside and turned it on.
With the high speed immersion blender whirring inside, I sprinkled xanthan gum inside, bit by bit.
The xanthan gum powder did not mix well and white 'seeds' could be seen floating in the sauce.

Are the 'seeds' a result of the xanthan gum clumping together? What should I do differently to mix it well to avoid this from happening

I should note that the sauce was quite hot (between 160F- 180F) when I added the gum. The sauce also consisted of mainly vinegar, and some sugar.


texts: I am wondering if these painted knives are safe to use.


texts: Does dairy (e.g. crème fraîche) spoil faster if using the same spoon in older and newer product?

texts:
If I'm using up the last of one package of crème fraîche and then starting on a newer package (later "best by" date), I avoid using the same spoon because of a theory that the newer package will get spoilt quicker.

Does anyone know if there is any sense in this?


texts: I've been reading and watching content about cooking and when the instructor says, "liberally season with salt", I am left clueless as to how much I should apply. As a complete novice in cooking, I don't know how much is too much, or how little is too little. What do they mean by that ?


texts:
So I know that one should never substitute chocolate chips for chocolate in a recipe, but I'm new to the game and don't really know what the deal with these callets is. Are they essentially the same as chocolate chips, or can I buy a massive bag of them and use interchangeable with chocolate chips as well as bar chocolate?

Sorry if this is a rookie question.


texts: Should a Pound Cake be stored in the fridge or the freezer?

texts: After cooking a pound cake, should I place it in the freezer or in the refrigerator?


texts: What is the standard amount (if there is one) for a "glass" of wine?

texts: I have seen wine poured to various amounts in a wine glass; what amount is generally considered standard...4 oz, 6 oz, 8 oz?


texts: I have a number of recipes that call for pork. Am I able to substitute with beef? And when it calls for chicken stock, do I use beef in place?


texts: Can you freeze bread dough when it's done proofing to bake later?

texts:
Has anyone put bread dough in the freezer overnight (covered), and then tried to bake it straight out of the freezer?

I believe you can put it in the fridge, and then straight into the oven from there without issues.

I am wondering specifically two things:

Would the bread's structure/flavor be compromised by freezing?
Would the middle not cook enough?

The state change from freezing to non freezing takes much more energy than warming the temperature
The dough as a whole would be colder than any fridge proofed loaf

I also intend to try this in the next few days, so I will update regardless


texts: Can I use sourdough starter (kvasek) to produce kefir?

texts: Is the yeast/bacteria balance in mature sourdough starter (fed on wheat and barley) correct for making kefir? If not, why?


texts: Large milk dough for pizza; doesn't seem to knead at all

texts:
So I set out to make pizza dough, with these ingredients:

1.25 cups whole wheat flour + 3.75 cups refined flour(5 cups total; around 750g)
1 cup water + 1 cup milk
1 tsp active dry yeast
10 tsp olive oil
2.5 tsp salt
2.5 tsp sugar

The dough I made from this is yellow/white in color. The strange thing is that despite having 66% hydration ratio, it wasn't sticky when I started kneading it. It wasn't elastic either, so kneading wasn't optional(obviously).
The trouble is, no matter how much I kneaded it, it just didn't seem to "set" into that elastic dough ball that we're after, after normally about 8 minutes? I kneaded for more than 20 minutes and it was still breaking.
I had to literally pound it with my closed fist like a hammer. It wasn't done even after that.
Right now, it's in the fridge, and I'm letting it cold rise for 24/48 hours.
What's the issue here? Why didn't the dough come together even after all that kneading?


texts: The container of my food is domed/bulged, is it spoiled?

texts:
This happens every now and then. It can be a package of fresh mozzarella, or a jar of marmelade, or something else. The packaging used to be flat, now it is plump.

Is this a sign of spoilage or not? How can I tell?


texts: how to cook nondescript venison in a cast iron pot so its tender?

texts:
Imagine you bought a piece of venison (unknown which part of the body, and exact species unknown, but probably red deer), and I have only a Le Creuset cast iron pot to prepare it. What would be the procedure to have the best chance of the meat ending up tender and tasty? Frying is not allowed because of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), nor is any method which will cause these to form in high levels. But I don't want to end up with a tough, dry, difficult to eat piece.

Please post an exact procedure to cook it tender, including things you think are obvious, as I am not very experienced in cooking so maybe I am missing something obvious, and so it turns out tough and dry when I tried to braise it, and the longer I cooked the tougher it was.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How does one find recipes given an ingredient rather than the recipe name?

I'd like to get a recipe by given food (fridge content ;) )


texts: I find that the scouring side of a blue ("non-scratch") kitchen sponge, with water and dish detergent and lots of elbow grease, is effective, but it does require lots of elbow grease and I'm wondering if there's an easier way.


texts:
While making a "sugar" syrup reduction with erythritol, I have noticed that the liquid crystallises upon cooling. Google-fu says two parts of water and one part of erythritol will not crystallise.
The two challenges with this are : One, upon boiling, the water content is sure to reduce so the ratio is out of the window and the important one is that the sweetness is diluted and hence reduced. The solution to bumping up the sweetness is to add in a few Stevia drops.
I now have access to some sunflower liquid lecithin - will adding 23 milliliter to one cup of water and one cup of erythritol avoid crystallisation? First time using lecithin - from reading on the internet lecithin will hold on to water and oil. There is no oil in this recipe. But people have used to stabilise xylitol based sugar syrups - hence the question.
How do I make a sugar syrup with erythritol that doesn't crysatllise?


texts:
I have been fermenting this kimchi for a month now and it has grown this white things above. I've stored it in in my refridgerator and I only opened it now.  Is this poisonous and should I just throw it out or should i just remove the top?
It doesn't smell rotten or have any foul odor.


texts:
I really love soup, and mine always comes out pretty badly - once in a while I get a good one, but generally pretty disappointing.

Can anyone recommend a good book for making soup?  Not necessarily a "list of recipes" type of book, more of an "understanding soup" type of book, if that makes any sense to you?


texts: I'm making a toffee apple tart that has a shortbread pastry as its crust, and the author of the recipe says you can use milk or water in the crust.  Which would be better?  Or do they each have their own strengths and weaknesses?


texts: Should I refrigerate vegetables in sealed bag or not?

texts:
Supermarkets sell vegetables in sealed bags. Best to refrigerate bags with vegetables inside, or take vegetables out of bags before putting them in refrigerator?
 Here are more pics of vegetables sold in sealed bags.

I can't make up my mind. If I take them out of bag, then cold refrigerator air will dry them. If I keep them in bag, they can't intake carbon dioxide, and the oxygen they keep exhaling will kill them!


texts:
I live in the Philippines where Frank's Hot sauce is frankly quite expensive. I'm planning to make a homemade Buffalo Wings sauce with Trappey's Hot sauce (which is cheaper) to sell in our entrepreneur food stall.

Does anybody know any good combinations for homemade buffalo sauce with this combination?

So far, I tried simmering 2/3 parts buttermilk with 1/3 trappey's hot sauce, and added 1/8 cup of ketchup (just for the sweeter addition). It kind of lacks the "tangy" "sharp" taste that I taste in restaurants. Can this be amended by adding white vinegar in the mix? Any spicing suggestions that makes a big difference? :D


texts: How Can One Safely (in a Manner That Rids of Toxins) Cook Red Kidney Beans in a Pressure Cooker?

texts: Since the chili bean mix that I have includes red kidney beans, and since kidney beans contain a very high amount of toxin in them, and will cause severe gastrointestinal illness if the kidney beans are not cooked long enough or hot enough to reduce the amount of toxin in them, and since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends boiling for 30 minutes to ensure they reach a sufficient temperature long enough to completely destroy the toxin, and since cooking kidney beans at the lower temperature of 80 °C (176 °F), such as in a slow cooker, can increase this danger and raise the toxin concentration up to fivefold, is it known whether cooking red kidney beans in a pressure cooker will reduce the toxin level to a safe-to-eat level, and if so, how long should they cook in a pressure cooker, and is there any certain technique/method/extra steps that should be used?


texts: How can I measure the performance of my stovetop pots and pans?

texts: Am I looking for the ratio of burnt dishes to fine dishes? Well-cooked to not? My general happiness? When should I replace a pot or pan? I am unsure where to begin.


texts: Most optimal pizza type or style for home oven?

texts:
I have an electric oven with a "broiler" function. Its not bad, but temperature-wise it doesn't get close to the 450°C required for "real" neapolitan style pizza. I think it is below 250°C on the highest setting.

So I was wondering, since I can never achieve real pizza with what I have on hand, are there styles of pizza, I could actually nail with my oven?

I was thinking, that Sicily style and other deep dish pizzas should be a good fit for an oven with low maximum temperature?

What about Roman style pizza?


texts: Kitchen aid artisan: won't turn on lower speeds

texts:
I have a fairly new kitchen aid artisan. Recently we probably did a larger batch of dough, than reasonable and there was some burnt smell. After that the kitchen aid won't turn on on the lower two speeds. It will only work on speed 3, which seems to me to be the new speed one, basically very slow.
I know that kitchen aid has plastic gears which are designed as breaking points, so the motor doesn't break. But what could cause this effect? Is it most likely the famous plastic gear or could it be something else?


texts: How can I figure out fat content in quark cheese?

texts:
The store next to my house offers a brand of solid quark.

It's really good and tasty, and it says on their website that it's made of whole milk and it's not being stirred during production, so that it remains solid and keeps layered texture.

However its fat content is listed as 4% to 20% on the label. Apparently they don't want to bother with measuring the exact fat content and labeling each batch separately.

My question is: is there an easy way to measure fat content in quark?

By "easy" I mean something I could do at home using readily available equipment and/or chemicals, within like 5 or 10 minutes, and not ruin the whole package of quark in the process.


texts:
I'm trying to cook carne asada chicken (hope that doesnt sound too strange). I'm trying to make the perfect marinade for it. Here's what I've tried so far:

3 tblspoons orange juice
1 tblspoon balsamic vinegar
1 tblspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cumin

After marinating the chicken for ~3-4 hours, it still does not taste.... carne asada-esque enough. Any tips?


texts: Can a cast-iron casserole be used for steaming?

texts:
I just got my first cast-iron cookware -- a 2.5qt casserole (similar to the Le Creuset ones, but a fair bit cheaper). I understand that cast-iron cookware has some caveats regarding cleaning and storage, and I've heard conflicting advice about water-heavy cooking with them because of the potential for rust buildup.

I'm planning on steaming some potatoes for a recipe this weekend, and while I could use a cooking tray and aluminum foil, I'd like to see how it turns out with a cast-iron casserole; would this potentially damage or cause rust on the cookware?


texts: Why didn't guava ripen after being stored in the fridge?

texts:
I'm fairly new to guava, and was thinking it was strange that the color of the guava didn't change after leaving them out for a week so I could eat the other pack. The guava turned brown on the outside, but didn't yellow at all.
Why did this happen?
How should I keep guava if one pack is being eaten, while the other pack is being kept to eat after?


texts: Who would I take my knives to, to be conditioned?

texts:
I would like my knives all to be sharpened by a professional.  Some knives I cannot sharpen because they have an intricate serrated edge that I would ruin if I used my own stone.

Several of my knives also have stains, whether they be rust stains or some other kind of mottling.

I figure maybe I would go to a key maker.  Not sure if there is someone else who specializes in this.


texts:
I would like to invest in a pizza stone and have read that leaving it in the oven is acceptable and possibly preferable in some ways. However, my oven my electric. Do I leave the stone on the lowest rack mere inches from the bottom heat source or should it be a particular distance from the coils?

What about when I am baking casseroles, cookies, etc. Is it safe to put a pan directly on top of the stone?

A final question... is using my oven in broil mode also safe for the stone? My electric in "broil" is just the top heat source turned up super high.


texts: Homemade soy milk powder, or other plant-based milk powder

texts:
I have tried making soy milk powder from store bought soy milk. I used my dehydrator, but a few hours into the process the milk was starting to smell sour.
I have seen recipes that make soy milk powder from the soybeans itself, but I have no access to soy beans.
Has anyone have had succes making soy milk powder this way? Is it possible to dehydrate store bought soy milk without it turning sour?
I am thinking of trying dehydrating almond milk next. The goal is to make an instant chai latte powder. I like my chai latte best with soy milk but am open to whatever plant-based milk will dehydrate properly.
Thanks!


texts: Does traditional Pesto Genovese contain garlic?

texts: .. I'm hoping a native Genoan can tell me. Every recipe for Pesto Genovese I've found out there includes a fair amount of garlic. But I barely cook the sauce. I really just warm it through, tossing with the pasta and a little pasta water to form an emulsion. This means the garlic is pretty much raw. Even a little is pungent enough to detract from the other ingredients.. is this really traditional? Am I doing something else wrong? I've taken, instead, to melting a little garlic in a frying pan before introducing the pasta, pesto, and water.


texts: My gingerbread recipe says I should rest the dough for 20 minutes in the refrigerator before rolling out and cutting. What difference does it make?


texts:
This weekend, I made Peter Reinhart's water bagel recipe from The Bread Baker's Apprentice. The bagels taste yummy, but they're flat wrinkly discs! What can I do next time to get nice puffy bagels instead?

The recipe is basically:

make a sponge and let it ferment for 2 hours
add more yeast, salt, flour, and sweetener (I used Wheat Montana all-purpose flour, which yes is all-purpose but has a protein content closer to bread flour...so I was hoping it would behave more like bread flour)
knead (I kneaded for about 20 minutes, until I got a nice smooth dough that passed the windowpane test)
divide, form into rolls, rest for 20 minutes
form bagels (after I was done forming them all I also went back and stretched out some of the first bagels I'd shaped a bit more)
let rest for 20 minutes and then do the float test (mine passed the float test after the 20 minutes)

Here's what the bagels looked like at that point:

put in refrigerator for up to 2 days (I had them in there for a little more than 24 hours)
take out of the fridge and boil as soon as they pass the float test (mine did right away), 1 minute on each side. This is where things started going wrong. Mine puffed up nicely in the water, but then they started to deflate as soon as I took them out.
bake. I saw my somewhat deflated boiled bagels and thought "they'll spring up in the oven!" but alas...basically no oven spring. You can see the result above.

The finished bagels are tasty and chewy, and the crumb is somewhat dense but not THAT bad:

But they're so flat!! The uncooked formed bagels almost look taller, like they spread out during/after boiling instead of poofing UP.
Here are my current hypotheses about what could have happened:

I think I added the extra instant yeast and salt to the fermented sponge at the same time, so maybe the salt killed some of the yeast? But the bagels did poof up and pass the float test, so the yeast must have been active enough for that.
I was using all-purpose flour instead of bread or high-gluten flour, and my understanding is that higher-gluten flour soaks up more water. So maybe the dough was too wet, using the same amount of water with all-purpose flour? I also didn't end up adding all of the flour the recipe called for - I was trying to pay attention to the dough foremost, so I stopped when it seemed to have a nice consistency with just a couple tablespoons of flour left to go. However, other bagel recipes (like this one https://cooking.nytimes.com/guides/81-how-to-make-bagels) say you can use all purpose flour yet have an even higher hydration, and my dough did feel quite dry.
Another potential downfall of that all-purpose flour: maybe there wasn't enough gluten development to hold up to the boiling. But I did knead it extensively, got the dough texture Reinhart describes, and have seen other bagel recipes that use all purpose flour without such flat results. Moreover, it seems like people recommend bread/high-gluten flour for "extra chewy" bagels, not poofier ones...and mine were chewy enough for my tastes.
It seems like some other bagel recipes call for only 30 seconds of boiling on each side, so maybe my 1-minute on each side boil killed too much of the yeast to get a nice oven spring? But Reinhart's book says you can boil it for up to two minutes if you want extra chewy bagels.

What do you think? What should I try next time to get poofier happier bagels?
Update
Per Johanna's diagnosis of overproofing, I tried halving the yeast and then otherwise making the bagels as I did above (just with a bit of extra rise time for the sponge), and they turned out so much better!!

I pulled out a couple after 4 hours in the fridge, and they puffed up well but were not particularly flavorful. The rest I took out and boiled after 24 hours, and those were great!


texts: How to cook squid to get rid of the 'urine' flavor? What causes that flavor?

texts:
My brother-in-law and his buddy caught a big squid on a fishing trip awhile ago. They fired up a camp fire and proceeded to cook the squid. Once it was done, the took a bite and to their surprise it tasted horrible. They said it had a flavor like urine(I'm not sure why they would know what urine tastes like but since your sense of taste is connected to your sense of smell, when they tasted it it probably invoked memories of the scent of urine).

My question is, what is inside the squid that is causing this 'flavor' when cooked and how do you prepare squid to get rid of this flavor?

update

The squid was Humboldt Squid (aka jumbo squid) ~5 ft long. They were caught live and cleaned, I.e. guts removed. My brother-in-law confirmed the taste as "tasted like piss". :)


texts: I want to cook shrimp in butter. My problem in the past has been that the butter burns if it gets too hot but the shrimp remains fishy if the butter does not get hot enough. Any advice?


texts:
I baked macarons earlier and this happened. You can see that they're pretty tall (which I don't want) but mostly importantly, what happened to the shell? I baked at 290F for about 20 minutes (they're about 1.5 inches). I can't tell whether the middle is underdone or whether the ridges are well done. It seems that interior is most full in the center.

I'm thinking I might not have deflated this properly during macaronage and it needs to be cooked at a lower temperature.

Thanks!

Edit 1: I used a new recipe via Chef Nini and it solved them problems I was having. This time, I paid close attention to the temperature of the oven and overbaked them a little. I'll let the maturing to take care of softening them again. I made chocolate shells and most turned out well. The ones that were piped last were a little overmixed in the bag and turned out a little funky (top collapsed, wrinkled). I'll wait around to vote for best answer though.

Edit 2: Some of them still collapsed in the middle, but it's by an acceptable amount. However, some are still a little hollow, which is disappointing. Onto more trials!


texts: What is the difference between various cuts of steak?

texts:
I'm sure each has their own differences in texture (and cost) but don't really know exactly what they are or what they are best used for. I like bone in ribeyes so I haven't bothered to try experimenting with other cuts such as:

Boneless Ribeye
T-Bone
New York Strip
Sirloin
Porterhouse
Delmonico
Filet
Filet Mignon
Rib

I'm mostly looking at this from the perspective of grilling.


texts:
The recipe calls for:

200 g (each): broccoli and cauliflower.
200 g: cottage cheese.
100 mL: water.
1/2 tsp (each): nutmeg and thyme.
Salt & pepper.
30 g: Parmesan cheese.
Coconut oil.

So in the directions, you start chopping vegetables. Then you make the creamy sauce: mixing cottage cheese, water, nutmeg, thyme, salt and pepper. After that you pour this cream in the casserole with vegetables and sprinkle Parmesan cheese. Finally you just bake.

What cheese, or other ingredient, can I use instead of cottage? It can be anything but cottage. I'm looking for one as high in protein as cottage (so, would yogurt work?, but that's more nutrition-related, so a substitution for the texture and flavor would be the answer I'm looking for.


texts: What ingredients can depress the freezing point of a cake so that it remains edible(soft) while frozen?

texts:
I own a homemade ice cream company and for 40 years I've been unable to find a cake from suppliers that doesn't freeze rock solid at -10F..So, I'm about to embark on making our own cakes from scratch. I'd like to know what ingredients in a scratch cake recipe I can use to depress the freezing point so I don't end up with rock hard cake layers in my ice cream cakes.They have to be assembled by our ice cream cake makers and frozen "assembled", decorated and frozen to -10F for our customers to transport home.
Thank you,
Vincent Petryk
J.P. Licks


texts: Is it bad to cook frozen meat without thawing it?

texts:
I wonder if it is bad to cook frozen meat (chicken, fish, beef,...) without waiting for it to thaw?

Sometimes, I realize I forget to take meat out of my freezer beforehand, when I am too hungry already.


texts: Is week-old cooked ground beef safe to eat?

texts:
I have some ground beef in the fridge, that was cooked about a week ago.

Is it still safe to eat, of course after reheating to at least 74 degrees?


texts: What would cooking chicken at 140 degrees F for a prolonged period do?

texts:
A couple of times I've cooked chicken at 140F in the oven (i.e. with the oven temperature set to 140 degrees). Both times I've followed the advice to cease cooking when an internal temperature of 140 degrees has been reached and maintained for a few minutes.

I wonder what leaving it at that temperature for longer than necessary would do. I'm partly interested because it would be convenient if I could leave the oven unattended overnight. And partly because on the second occasion I tried this, the meat was pink close to the bone despite the temperature probe reading.

For all I know, the meat could taste better the longer it is cooked. Does anyone know?


texts: Fastest or most efficient way to cook rice in a pot with a lid?

texts:
Without using (read: buying) a rice cooker, what methods can I use to reduce active cooking time for brown rice? Does pre-soaking help? Should I add the rice before or after bringing the water to a boil? I'm interested in both fitting my cooking into a busy schedule and minimizing the amount of heat I add to my small un-air-conditioned apartment this summer.

I would like solutions that work for both weekend batch cooking and "need more rice mid-week" cooking.


texts:
I bought some prime trimmed beef brisket on March 9 with a sell by date of Mar. 12. It was kept in the frig in its foam/plastic wrap container until Mar.16. There was some odor when I opened it up and put it up to my nose. I washed it off and cut away some meat and scraped it off. Not much odor anymore. It had reached room temp for a short period of time before I did this and then I wrapped it and froze it.

Is it likely safe to eat? No children or immune compromised people will eat it and it will be thoroughly cooked first.


texts: How to ensure quality control when cooking with or eating crickets?

texts:
Eating crickets seems to be a growing trend in the USA. I am quite familiar with beef, chicken, fish and their internal temperatures when cooking. I also understand that you don't need to cook crickets to eat them; they are fine to eat raw.

I am curious though if there are other observations that can be made that will determine if a cricket is good to eat or not. Are they specific breeds of cricket that are more quality than others? Do some breeds have more issues than others?

Could a discoloration of a cricket indicate that is spoiled and should not be eaten?


texts: How to keep a green smoothie from getting 'frothy'?

texts:
I've been making a lot of green smoothies (using a Vitamix), and they have a tendency to end up with about 2 inches of undrinkable froth/foam at the top.  It seems a higher percentage of veggies vs fruit makes it worse, and spinach is particularly bad.

2 questions:

What causes this?  (my wife suspects it has to do with the fiber not breaking down -- which seems plausible, but it's just a guess)

And what can we do to prevent it?  Is there anything we can add to get them to more fully integrate?

A sample recipe, if it helps:

1-2 handfuls spinach
1 apple
1" piece ginger
1 persian cucumber
1 stalk celery
juice of 1 lemon


texts: Why did people start using CO2 (instead of e.g. oxygen) for carbonated drinks?

texts:
I am curious about why those who invented carbonated drinks chose to use specifically carbon dioxide in the liquid, instead of some other gas (say, oxygen).

(Obviously they wouldn't necessarily have been called "carbonated" if some other gas had been used, but that is besides the point.)

Is there some reason such as that CO2 does not dissipate from a liquid as fast as other gases, or something else?


texts: Is it possible to extract juice from bok choy and napa cabbage using a blender?

texts:
Is it possible to extract juice from these vegetables using a blender? How much would it take to produce 100mL of juice?

Baby bok choy:

Napa cabbage:


texts:
To what thickness should I roll out icing for covering a cake?

I had a look at Google where values range from 1mm to 5mm. 5mm strikes me as a bit thick; and the last time I tried, I had some trouble to roll it to anything much thinner than 2mm. Any hints?


texts: Pork sausage patties in a crockpot overnight

texts: Is it safe to store a crockpot full of freshly cooked pork sausage breakfast patties overnight?  set on Warm. ? Also do you think this will make them "dry" to eat in the morning?  If it's safe, do you know any tips for making them keep their taste/texture ?


texts: Does type of starch used for thickening make a difference in a fruit sauce?

texts: I'm making fruit sauce to spoon, say, over a piece of cheese cake. American recipes typically call for corn starch to thicken it, but around here most people tend to have potato starch in their pantries. Does corn starch have any advantages over other thickeners for this particular use?


texts: How come my dishwasher leaves grime on dishes?

texts:
There is this wierd coating on almost all of my dishes after having washed them in the dish water. I am using an automatic detergent (powder), highest how water setting.

More details:

Only some dishes get this coating. It seems like they are more dirty coming out than going in. The coating is like... white/clear. I can use a sponge, soap and warm water to remove it. Overall it feels like none of my dishes are being cleaned at all and I am just washing everything by hand now. This seems to have gotten worse and worse.


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

texts:
I'm making Russian Black Bread for the first time, and I don't tend to follow recipes exactly. (I do weigh ingredients and understand how to speak in baker's percentages, so this is generally in the spirit of experimentation.)

I added a fair amount of vinegar. (100g to 1400g dry flour-or-flour-adjacent ingredients, about 7%.) The recipe also contains yogurt, molasses, and coffee, plus I used a poolish, so there's a whole pH adventure going on in there.

This morning I see that it's rising even more slowly than I'm accustomed to with my poolish. I don't know how much of this is that it's a very wet (~80%), very enriched dough, so I did a little searching and the Internet warns not to use "too much" vinegar to avoid killing the yeast, but not in very precise terms.

Is there a recommended maximum percentage? Is it based in total pH and thus might shift with other ingredients?

Update: While I am still interested in answers to my question for improvisational food science reasons, I can now report for future vinegar-adders that the amount described above is not a problem. This batch had phenomenal spring.

These were patted almost flat like hamburger buns when I put them in the oven. They were almost spherical when they came out and are tearing along the score because they wanted more space:


texts:
Today I headed to a nearby camp ground which had some charcoal barbecue stands. I put in around 2 pounds of charcoal and put a thin slice of pork meat on the grill. After 40 mins, it was well...lukewarm. Also after around 10 min of burning, the charcoal had a layer of ash deposited on the surface and after that it hardly gave off any heat. My question is :
To cook 1 or 2 pieces of pork or steak how much charcoal should I put? Also what can I do to make the flames rise a bit like in a campfire so that the flames actually touch the grill.


texts: How could I cook industry like foie gras?

texts:
I would like to learn the industrial skills that allow them to achieve such successful commercial products like the cheap and addictive foie gras.

I know that in many cases, it is required to have some special machinery.

Customers usually buy it without caring if it is not really foie gras.


texts:
I've been boiling water with some new pots on a gas stove and it leaves (left) a stain on the bottom (on the inside) that has the same color pattern as when oil drifts on water.

What could be causing this and is it 'a bad thing' ?


texts: Does addition of tomato puree make the oil component of sauce less lubricating?

texts:
I believe the oil component of a sauce of a pasta sauce, for example is the critical lubricating factor. It is here that herbs and spices will get infused.  Wherever the oil goes thereafter so will the flavor from herbs and spices.

When you add tomato puree, the puree itself cannot get absorbed by the oil so significant bits of non oil mixed puree will exist in the final sauce. This will not absorb the flavors of the herbs and spices, so there isn't an equal distribution of herbs and spices throughout the sauce.

Is this correct, or would you say a sauce such as dolmio, or homemade has the oil mixed with and well distributed in the tomato?  Put another way I don't think herbs/spices are soluble in pureed tomatoes, so I don't expect a good distribution of the flavour throughout the puree.


texts: How can I make the most effective use of high-quality olive oil?

texts: I was recently in an organic market and sampled some of the finest olive oil I've ever tasted.    I bought a bottle, and I'm now looking for ways to maximize my enjoyment of it.  I'm familiar with dipping bread into the oil, and this seems to bring out the taste with few distractions.  On the other hand, mixing the oil in a salad dressing hides some of the qualities among all the other tastes (herbs, vinegar, etc.).  My question is, what are some simple ways to maximize the enjoyment of olive oil?


texts:
I made brownies with the recipe of this:

egg           : 2

coco powder   : 1/2 cup

white flour   : 1 cup

milk          : 1 cup

baking powder : 1 tea spoon

oil           : 1/2 cup

sugar         : 1 cup

then i put oil, egg, and sugar in the bowl and beat it then i add coco powder and white flour and again beat them all for 5 minutes. Then i add milk and start beater. And then i spreading less oil in the dish and then add my ready brownies in the dish.Then i put brownies in microwave oven for 8 minutes for bake.

This is the recipe that i made but the brownies which i made is always bitter. Whenever i made it taste bitter a lot but why?

I don't know what step i done wrong can u please let me know what i can do that my brownies taste not bitter anymore.

How can it taste changes?


texts: Storing water after reconstituting dried mushrooms

texts:
I like to use dried mushrooms when I cook. I soak them in water for a while and then I use the mushrooms. Normally, I either pour the water down the drain or use it right away to give more flavor to rice.

Would it be safe to store that water in refrigerator to use for cooking rice another day? If so, how long can I keep it in the fridge? Are there any special precautions I should take?


texts: how to extract Glycyrrhizin from liquorice root?

texts:
I recently learned that Glycyrrhizin, which is naturally present in liquorice root, is a strong sweetener (30-50x stronger than sugar depending on sources).

Some traditional recipes call for infusing liquorice for tea, but besides this I could not find much information about how to use liquorice as a sugar substitute.

So my question: How can I extract glycyrrhizin from liquorice to substitute for sugar in recipes?

Should I grate / slice / blend my roots before putting them in water?
Shall I boil for 10 minutes (more / less?) or leave it in cold water overnight?

I'm assuming the last step would be to filter the water / liquid and use this 'syrup' as my sweetener, but is this assumption correct?


texts: I am canning quart jars of tomato sauce and heard a few "pop" before pressure was reached; is this ok

texts: Is it okay if my lids "pop" before pressure cooking is finished


texts: Is there really such a thing as a muffin scoop?

texts:
I've been asked to get someone a muffin scoop as a gift.  It was described to me as a 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup sized cookie scoop.

I'm extremely confused by this request, as cookies and muffins are fairly different.  Cookie scoops expedite making drop cookies by making it easier to grab that rounded tablespoon or 1/8th cup or whatever and placing it smoothly on the sheet.  Since muffins are batter I'm not sure I can easily visualize the same thing happening.

I also had trouble finding a muffin scoop when I searched for it.  There are about 5 logical links on the front page of google, including this one from King Arthur.  Beyond that I could find a 4 tablespoon cookie scoop, but I'm not sure if this will work well for muffin batter (or at least any better than a nice 1/4 cup measure) because I don't see how the spring action of the handles for such scoops is helpful.

I also found things like a #20 scoop that lists itself as helpful for muffins, and the King Arthur scoop says it is a #16.  As far as I can tell that is how many scoops per quart and it is a professional tool.  Is that what I should be looking for?  I don't want to disappoint my giftee, and I also don't want to purchase the wrong thing or a worthless thing.


texts:
Guanciale is something I've never seen in the UK. What can I use as a substitute?

Or, alternatively, is there somewhere I can source this in the UK?

Note: I'm thinking of experimenting with an Amatriciana.


texts: What tweaks can be made when preparing chili powder?

texts:
I am planning on making some chili powder this weekend using ancho, pasilla, and guajillo peppers. This is a follow-up to the question about storage-lifetime that is to do with the powder itself.

The other concern I have is to do with what is flexible in a chili powder, and what tweaks I can/should make; I've never made a spice blend before, and would appreciate some specific tips. I am weighing the different variables of how to prepare the chili powder itself (i.e. I was a bit disappointed to see more than one "recipe" with one step: "blend"). How does preparation work for powders?

If I want to toast the ground spices, what impact will this have if I do so before storage? Should toasting be done dry (i.e. no oil), or are there different methods (i.e. to how they are roasted) one can use?
If I use fresh roasted peppers (i.e. if I go to the store and buy some fresh habaneros, and roast them in the oven, or if I want to use fresh roasted garlic), how do I incorporate them? More fundamentally, how do I incorporate "wet" ingredients into the powder? (I do not have any dehydrating appliances beyond oven/range.)
Does salt serve any function in chili powder (beyond flavor and filler), especially if I plan to salt anything as necessary?


texts: "Overly sour yogurt is a sign of inconsistent inoculation" - What is inoculation?

texts:
From here: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/13533/6168

  Overly sour yogurt is a sign of inconsistent inoculation

From: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/inoculation

  The act or an instance of inoculating, especially the introduction of an antigenic substance or vaccine into the body to produce immunity to a specific disease.

What is that quote talking about? How can "inconsistent inoculation" be prevented?


texts: Pizza dough dipping in middle during proofing

texts:
Yesterday afternoon I made some pizza dough for use on Friday (tomorrow).

I mixed in all of the ingredients after blooming the yeast then split the dough into 4 equal parts and placed them in oiled Tupperware. I covered the containers with cling film and placed them in the fridge.

I checked on them today and saw one of the four has got a steep dip in the middle of the dough. The others are fine.

Have I done something wrong? Is this normal? Will it ruin the pizza? If so, can I salvage it?

Note: I'm currently out of the house so can't take a photo. I'll add one ASAP.


texts: Can I substitute a 10 oz bag of large marshmallows for the same weight equivalent in miniature mallows?

texts: My recipe calls for a 10 oz bag of miniature marshmallows. I only have a 10oz bag of regular marshmallows (not jet-puffed), will that work?  Thank you.


texts: How should I order unknown wines in a tasting

texts:
I hope this is not too off-topic.

We are doing a wine tasting soon, where everyone presents a wine (assume all red, dry). As there will be a wide variety of types, I think the order is quite important (e.g. not having light wines directly after very heavy ones).
What might be the best way to define an order from the information given on a typical bottle of mid-range wine?


texts: Why does my dumpling /dimsum/momos turn dark brown while steaming?

texts:
We make dumplings by bun making machine. (bought from China.)

We add all purpose flour, xanthan gum and water to make the dough for dumpling.
We make 10 varieties of dumpling and filling varies as per the variety. After making the dumplings, we half steam and sell it to the market. When we half steam at our kitchen, everything if fine.

But some of our dumplings turns pale yellow when our client resteams at their sale point. If steamed more, it turns into dark brown colour.

What could be the problem?

Also, our dumplings breaks too much. What can be done?


texts:
This is my first post so forgive me if I break etiquette! I am trying to figure out why I can't seem to achieve crispy waffles. I've been working with the King Arthur recipe: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/classic-sourdough-waffles-or-pancakes-recipe
And I've also tried: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/246917/sams-sourdough-waffles/
These are pretty different recipes. I preferred the King Arthur in terms of flavor, but they both just came out... soft. Could it be the recipe, or the waffle iron (mine is old and cheap), or maybe the process? Ideas?


texts:
I'm learning french and thought I would check out the master himself, auguste escoffier, and I bought "Ma Cuisine" on my kindle. In looking at the poultry section, he identifies four types of chicken.

The four types are:

Les Poulardes et Chapons (fattened chickens)
Les Poulets dits <<a la Reine>> (chicken that says "to the queen") ????
Les Poulets de grain
Les Poussins (chicks?? ewwwww)

I think 1 and 4 I basically understand, but I couldn't find anything on "dits <<a la Reine>>"


texts: Using Pyrex casserole dish as bread cloche?

texts: Can a casserole dish (Pyrex) be used upside down as a bread cloche?


texts: Is there a standard part of the turkey that they use to process "turkey bacon"?  Is it pressed from different sections of the turkey?


texts: What can I substitute fennel pollen with?

texts: In this simple spaghetti recipe, fennel pollen is used. From googling it, it sounds like MSG :). I'd rather not buy it since it's so expensive, so is there any way to substitute this stuff in the recipe?


texts: I'm quite good in cooking schnitzels, but in the place where I live now there is no hammer to thin the meat. I wander if I can use the same technique like coating in breadcrumbs and frying on the pan but on the non-thinned slices of meat? As far as I understand, this also involves cooking on a lower heat for a longer time, so it will cook properly over all of its thickness.


texts: Cooking time for two identical pieces of beef

texts: I am cooking two identical 2 pound pieces of beef. It calls for 25 minutes per pound. Do I figure the cooking time for 2 or for 4 pounds? The cooking time for 2 pounds would be 50 minutes and for 4 pounds it would be 1 hr and 40 minutes.


texts: Loose-leaf tea: specifics of re-steeping multiple times?

texts:
I'm an avid tea drinker who drinks several cups of loose-leaf tea every day. My usual steeping technique is to fill a teapot with about 3 cups of boiling water, wait for it to cool to the correct temperature depending on the tea, and then steep about 3 tsp of tea in a very large infuser for 1-3 minutes. The first cup usually turns out great. However, despite the fact that many tea drinkers talk about how they can re-steep their teas 2-5 times with great results, I have not had any success in this regard. No matter how I adjust the time, amount of water, or temperature, the second steeping inevitably comes out fairly bland in comparison to the first.

Does re-steeping require a different technique to begin with? I've read some casual accounts of tea drinkers starting out with something like 2x the tea leaves and 1/2x the time that you would normally use, and then gradually increasing the brew temperature and time with each steeping. However, I have not been able to find any explanation of the specific differences between "normal" steeping and steeping for multiple infusions, if they even exist.
Which teas are more susceptible to multiple infusions? I've heard that pu-erh is the best, but I've also heard people talk about green tea in this regard.
Am I "wasting" tea by brewing it in one go and then throwing out the leaves after one batch? Instead of 3 tsp for 3 cups, should I instead be using 1-2 tsp for 1 cup (depending on the answer to Q1) and infusing 3-5 times?


texts: Is Shochu an acceptable alternative to Awamori?

texts:
Some recipes I was looking at (Okinawan) use Awamori, but I can't find it.  I can find various forms of Japanese vodka (Shochu), and sake.  Would Shochu be the closest to Awamori?
EDIT: Was looking at this recipe specifically - Rafute (Okinawan Braised Pork Belly) ラフテ


texts: What can I do to keep high hydration dough from sticking to my hands?

texts: Whenever I try to knead (by hand) or move after kneading, a high hydration dough like ciabatta, it sticks to my hands terribly and often seems ruin any shaping I try.  I've tried flour on my hands, but it comes off so quick - what can I do to keep it from sticking so badly?


texts: Do I need to keep white peppercorns on hand for making stock?

texts:
Many classic recipes for chicken stock call for white peppercorns (which are just skinned black peppercorns).

I'm looking to trim my pantry list a bit and white peppercorns seem unnecessary, given that black will probably do the trick, and I always have those on hand.

Does anyone have first-hand experience with a stock made with white vs. black peppercorns?


texts: Does there exist a chemical-free, homemade substitute to deli?

texts:
Kids eat cold cuts cheerfully, whether alone or in sandwiches. I avoid salamis as their (saturated) fat content is conspicuous and alarming, but even the better ones, such as capocollo, are still filled with chemicals, with MSG, sodium erythorbate, and sodium phosphate present in those claiming to be superior because they contain no wheat.

The next best option is to prepare my own meat, slice it as thinly as I can, and use that. Unfortunately it'll be necessary to freeze and thaw, since otherwise the time investment would be prohibitive.

What is a class of homemade cold cuts that can replace store bought ones? I can think of roasting (slow cooking) lamb, pork, or chicken, suitably spiced with garlic, oil, and mustard, but the resulting flavor does not quite compete with the deli section. Does a healthy (chemical-free) homemade solution exist?


texts: How to make chicken liver less explosive?

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I like fried chicken livers with onions quite a bit, and they are very quick and easy to make... unfortunately quick and easy doesn't translate to safe.

These livers explode HARD. And of course they splash big globs hot oil/fat everywhere as result. The splash guard is the obvious solution for the main part, except for when I need to flip/stir them, avoiding burns is a challenge. Even when reheating them in microwave they explode, splattering bits of liver and onion all over the oven.

Any tips how to contain their explosive nature?


texts: What's (really) the difference between fruit and vegetables?

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I was wondering what's (really) the difference between fruit and vegetables. Obviously I can name different fruits and vegetables, but if you ask me what's really the distinguishing factor, I wouldn't know.

Things that I think may be the difference are:

Taste: sweet or not
Historical reasons
Whether it is mostly eaten raw or cooked/baked

But for all of the above there seem to be some fruits/vegetables, for which it isn't clear under which category they fall. So, what's the difference between them?

Thanks in advance.


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The recipe uses 3 eggs for volume, separated, yolks and sugar whipped over hot water until triple in volume, whites whipped to stiff peaks. Ground walnuts, 2 tbsp breadcrumbs, 1/4 c butter are all folded in. baked at 350 for 40 minutes.

During baking it looks great, rises and is perfection. On cooling the center starts to fall, then the sides turn into the center.

How do you stop it falling? Am i overwhipping?


texts: How much chicken stock should be used when slow cooking 3 boneless,skinless chicken breast? I used a 8 ounce can of chicken stock,and no water.


texts: How can one use Thai basil stems and flowers?

texts: What parts, besides the leaves of Thai Basil, are usable?  I am making Thai Basil Chicken (Gai Pad Krapow) using the leaves but can I use the stems and flowers as well?