texts: 23 Year old, looking for first cookware set with longevity, suggestions?

texts:
I am ready to start cooking in my new apartment and I am looking for a cookware set that users on SA have purchased and would recommend to a beginner chef.

My main goal is buying a set that will last a long time. There was this set I was interested in on Woot! but a lot of bad reviews were claiming that during the first two weeks of use the pans would already start to show signs of wear, and black spots would appear, apparently signifying a break through to the aluminum core inside a lot of the cookware.

The main factor I worry about is whether or not the metals will leech into my food. I don't know much about cooking but I don't want to be poisoned by my cookware.

One last factor I consider is price, but I'd rather pay for quality over shoddy, toxic pots and pans.

Does anyone have any brands they trust and would recommend?

Thank you for your help!


texts: How does the shape of an espresso cup affect the flavor?

texts:
Similar to the question:
Why do drinks drunk from a glass instead of a bottle taste differently?
Where the top answer notes the logic behind each glass for a particular drink:

Wine glasses, for example, are optimal for giving the nose an opportunity to experience the wine. They enclose a volume that allows you to swish the wine in the glass (without spilling it) to impart the aroma to air in the glass. The usually tapered opening keeps the aroma from dissipating before your nose can sense the wine.
Champagne flutes, keep the effervescent champagne or prosecco bubbly and cold long enough to enjoy the drink without it going flat.
Different beer glasses are optimal for showcasing the "head" and are tall for the same reason as champagne flutes (to keep the effervescence going as long as possible).

How does the shape of the typical (see below) espresso cup affect its flavor?

CC image used with permission: Credit to Flickr user davharuk.


texts: how to prepare fresh sardines for bucatini con sarde

texts:
I tried boning sardines according to on-line instructions and made a mess of them.  Recipes, say this one by Mario Batali, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/pasta-with-sardines-pasta-con-le-sarde-recipe.html , say remove the backbone.   I'd like to know
1. does anyone know where to find instructions that work  for performing this procedure ?
2.  Has anyone done it ?
3.  when you remove the backbone are all the little bones supposed to come out with it ? If not, what becomes of them ?

Also, I live in NYC and would be please to find a seafood class that dealt with getting the guys off the boat and into the pan, but the usual places don't seem to offer a lot.


texts: Is it safe to use unwashed barbeque grill utensils?

texts: I had a fit when my husband said he never washes the tongs spatula or meat fork after cooking on the outside barbeque grill. He just let's them hang out there dirty (ugh) & uses them again without washing. Please help me explain to him why that is not only gross but dangerous.


texts: Why is  Ice Cream used in Hot Buttered Rum?

texts:
I'm looking at recipes for Hot Buttered Rum, as I have plenty of rum and it's cold out. Several of the recipes call for vanilla ice cream. Is that traditional? What is it for? Wouldn't it just cool off some of the water and possibly interfere with the steeping of the spices? Would it be better to just toss in some vanilla and extra sugar, or does the milk content actually change anything?

Example with ice cream: http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink5667.html

Example without: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/hot-buttered-rum-cocktail-recipe/index.html


texts: Made oven ghee - what is the liquid at the top of my cold ghee?

texts:
Yesterday I made ghee in the oven by cooking sweet butter for 2hrs in the oven at low temp.  I filtered the resulting liquid through cheese cloth and let the resulting clear liquid sit overnight.

Today, the ghee has congealed into a solid, as it should.  However, on top of it is an oily liquid.  I poured some into a glass and added water, and the two liquids don't mix, so it's not water left over from the butter (good news).  Still, I'm confused why I don't end up with a uniform material.


texts: How to turn sugar syrup into sugaring wax?

texts:
I would like to know how I can make sugar syrup of 1-2 tar consistency and when it cools, it is neither crystallized nor too thin syrup?

What quantity of citric acid or liquid glucose should I use in 1KG of sugar? How much water?

I have tried at least 5 times, but the result is either crystallized or too thin. I need a syrup which is sticky, so as to be used as wax as well.


texts: Is my food spoiled after a power outage?

texts:
My power went out for about 20 hours today, from 1am to 9pm. I'm wondering if the food in my refrigerator and freezer are spoiled.

Here's some info:

High temperature was about 100F outside, but only reached 90F inside. Fridge and freezer had no power the whole time, but I didn't open them at all while the power was out.

The items I'd be concerned about:

Fridge: Milk (opened), eggs, cheese (pre-packaged, but opened), bacon (opened)
Freezer: sausage, ground beef

Actually, the ground beef stayed frozen, but the sausages are now soft.

Left to my own accord, I'm inclined not to throw anything out, but I figure I should check with the experts on this site first...


texts: Cooking meat directly above the flame of a gas stove

texts: What's the easiest way of cooking meat holding it over the flame of a gas stove burner? Is there any device to help with it? How I am doing it right now is holding a skewer a couple of inches over the flame. What annoys me more is the oil dripping on the stove and having to hold it.


texts: Which BBQ grill is better: cast iron or steel

texts: I am going to buy a BBQ and I am torn between a cast iron BBQ and a stainless steel BBQ. What are the advantages and downsides of each?


texts: Saffron and coloration - is there a way to know why it gave the wrong color?

texts:
What would make saffron (or something) color pink, instead of the more usual yellows and oranges that saffron is known for?

I had, a while ago, picked up a container of saffron from an ethnic store.  On reflection, it didn't look like it was too high quality (the color was a bit pale and I could see a few yellow ends), and it smelled like saffron does when I checked, maybe a bit mild or weak.  I didn't mind too much because it was also relatively inexpensive, and I figured it would still be worth it to use up the container in some experimental recipes.

A couple days ago, I was making some rice, and randomly decided to season it with saffron - when I dropped the strands in the heating water, they looked like the color coming off them was a bit dark, reddish - but I wasn't sure, maybe it was the lighting.  By the time the rice was done, I was certain - the saffron had colored the rice pink, not yellow as I expected.  I have seen saffron color orange, in high concentrations, and of course it looks red still as threads - but I have never seen it color pink.  I didn't notice this when using the saffron previously, but then again I only used it once or twice, in complex dishes with many colors - the pink might not have showed up clearly, especially if I wasn't looking for it, while white rice doesn't have a lot of distractions.

So, my question is, is there any reasonable guess as to why the threads gave off a pink color? I'm thinking either they were dyed (or treated somehow) so that the color looked darker than it was, or else it wasn't saffron at all.  I am aware of safflower and its frequent confusion with saffron - this was not a mere labeling error - but even safflower gives a yellow color, from my understanding (if it can be substituted for color purposes at all, as I have read).

I  especially want to know what might have caused the color change because I want to know what I can do with what I've got left in the box - if it is the result of potentially toxic dyes, I would want to treat it rather differently than if it was some merely fraudulent but nontoxic treatment or substitution.

The first pic is the saffron that's been colored.  Second pic is some good saffron I had on hand, for comparison.


texts: My mom's refrigerator drips water inside.  Is it because she is opening it too often, holding the door open, or is there another possible reason?  At times it's so bad there are pools of water.  She lives in Missouri where it has been extremely hot and  humid.


texts:
I have a butterflied chicken in the fridge that is marinating in a mojo mix.

I have read many times to SV it at 148f.
But what about time?
I would like the bird to be uniformly cooked and the meat to be juicy but not stringy.

What do you think would work best?


texts: What do green spots on the inside of a butternut squash indicate?

texts:
When I was cutting a butternut squash, I noticed a greenish discoloration near around third of the seed pocket.  I scraped it off, but I was wondering

if it would have been safe for a young toddler to eat (whose the primary consumer)?
with the green parts scraped off, is it safe for a toddler to eat?
was it in the process of going bad, so I'll know what to look for later?


texts: I sometimes leave some chicken unwrapped in the fridge inside the container, if I buy a two piece, and only want one. A girl who lives at my dorm told me it was a life threatening harm, to everybody’s food inside the fridge, since deadly bacteria’s spread,  to all the food. I read a similar post, where there was split descisions. Is there any danger to it, and if yes, how dangerous?


texts: How long to cook at turkey for at low temperature in a convection oven?

texts:
For the past few years I have been cooking turkey using a low temperature method, using the Splendid Table recipe. In short: after a 45 minute blast at 450 F to kill the bacteria on the skin and in the chest cavity you turn it down to ~170 F and cook it for ~1 hr/lb.
Those instructions are for a conventional oven. This year I have a convection oven, and I would like to use the convection feature. There are plenty of recipes for the normal high temp convection oven turkey cook out there, but I haven't really seen anything talking about using a convection oven for a low temp cook.
Has anyone done this? Does the convection feature shorten the cook time? How many hrs / lb in a convection oven? The obvious answer is: "cook it until the meat reaches 165 F". Yes, that will be done, but I first wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions for time so I can roughly schedule the cook.


texts: How do I mellow out the saltiness in black olives?

texts: I have some dishes where the umami olive flavor would be perfect if not for all the saltiness that is added to the dish. I am looking for a way to mellow the saltiness in the olive in a subtle way so I could incorporate them to more dishes.


texts: How can I tell if the Salmon I buy is safe to eat raw?

texts:
If I buy a piece of cold Salmon in a supermarket, and it doesn't say anything about being "Sashimi-grade" or having been deep-frozen at X degrees for Y time - how can I know whether it's safe to eat raw?

Note: I live in the Netherlands, in case the answer varies by location.


texts:
I recently bought a Max Burton 6400 induction cooktop.  I used it a few times with some pans I already own and had to problem.  Today I wanted to heat some milk up quickly, and I used a cheap Ikea sauce pan.  The milk heated up fine, but when I tried to remove the pot, it had become stuck to the surface.  I turned the cooktop off, but it was still stuck.  I finally was able to slide it to the edge and pull it off, throwing hot milk all over my kitchen.

Has anyone experienced this with an induction cooktop before?  Is it considered a malfunction?  And should I blame the pot or the cooktop?


texts: Why does meat dry out in high heat despite being submerged in liquid?

texts: My understanding is cooking over long periods will break down collagen and other proteins. Won't the breakdown of protein cause the meat to lose structural integrity, thereby letting liquid in?


texts:
When I make yogurt, I freeze some of the yogurt for the next time. However, I concentrate the yogurt by pouring it into a cloth, and extracting the yogurt whey (I do not know if it is called whey like cheese).

Is the culture in the yogurt whey? Do I lose culture by concentrating the yogurt?
Is salt harmful for the culture? Do I necessarily need to store the culture before adding salt to yogurt?


texts: Baking more than 1 cut of meat at same time?

texts: I am cooking 4 stuffed pork loins on the same rack in a 350 degree oven. Cooking time in recipe is 90 min. (Based on 1 meat portion) Does cooking time change for 4 ?


texts: Can I / should I keep spices & dried herbs in the fridge?

texts:
Common wisdom regarding spice storage (whether whole or ground) seems to tend towards cool, dark, dry places. However, I'm somewhat limited on kitchen cupboard space, and obviously the various spice rack options available don't do a great job on the "dark" front, and in my kitchen not on the "cool" front either.

Is it OK (both taste-wise and food safety-wise) for me to keep my spices in the fridge? I typically keep them either in the small glass jar I buy them in, or (when bought in a packet) in resealable tupperware-style containers, all in one of the crisper drawers (mainly because I don't typically fill both).

Whatever the answer, does it apply to dried herbs also?

To clarify: my kitchen doesn't get any natural light (sadly).


texts: Is it not possible to can some species of fish without adding oil?

texts: Some canned fish is available in oil or brine (e.g. tuna, salmon, saury), while other types of canned fish are only available with oil (e.g. sardines, mackerel). If I were to home can some of the latter, would it be completely necessary to add vegetable oil?


texts: Can store bought salmon be used for sashimi?

texts: Is it safe to consume raw fish purchased at the fish counter of a typical suburban grocery store? If not, do you have any tips for finding sushi grade fish. Also, are there requirements for safe sushi/sashimi beyond the use of safe fish?


texts:
For full disclosure I have posted the questions originally here: https://coffee.stackexchange.com/questions/5150/what-is-this-scum-in-my-coffee but since I got no answers after two weeks, I would liked to post it here as well. I have my own theory of why its happening but would like a second opinion!

Cross posting is fine according to: https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/65931/cross-posting-on-stackexchange-sites

Hello, Lately my coffee seems to have a film on the top. The picture makes it look a lot worse then it is. It is more translucent in the cup. This happens once the coffee gets cold. When its hot it looks like bubbles or just the oil from the coffee beans.

What is this? Is this just the oil from the coffee? Or do I need to clean my machine?

Coffee Details:

Black Coffee, nothing added.
Made in espresso machine.
Ground to order.
Run through several times as I "overpacked" the coffee.
Hot water added to make Americano.
Beans from local roaster, last week.

This is what my coffee looks like before it turns into that:


texts: GF Wonton/Dumpling wrapper tip from pintrest (lasagna noodle + egg)

texts:
I bought gluten-free lasagna noodles, but I'm at a loss for how they want me to fold them. They are hard pasta noodles. Do I whisk a whole egg up to brush them? Just egg whites? Just egg yolks? Am I supposed to par-boil them to soften them up? Dip them in water first? Any ideas are helpful.

 (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/11329436541148003/?lp=true)


texts: I make Rachael Ray's beef teriyaki with green beans, although I double the amount of sauce. I usually use dry sherry (rather than mirin), 15-20% alcohol. Given that the sauce is only cooked for a couple minutes, how much of the alcohol will burn off?


texts: Frozen pizza - Understanding time and temperature equivalency

texts:
When cooking a frozen pizza in a conventional oven, I have two similar personal pizzas: one box's instructions say to cook at 425°F for 19 minutes, and the instructions on the other pizza box says to cook at 33 minutes at 350°F.

Can I cook both pizzas at 350°F for ~33 minutes?
Does 350°F at 33 minutes equate to 425°F at 19 minutes with frozen pizzas in a conventional oven?
If not, why not?


texts:
In Dutch, we have just one word for pots and pans, which happens to be "pan", so I was surprised to learn about the word "pot". I learned that pans are for frying, which is why they are shallow and pots are for boiling, which is why they are tall and have straight sides. But that doesn't seem entirely correct.  Saucepans seem to have the properties of a pot, but are a pan.

There is a lot of conflicting information on the internet. So what's a pan and what's a pot?


texts: Why all that sauce just sitting in the dish in these stuffed bell peppers recipes?

texts:
The recipes here and here each call for dumping a lot of a tomato & broth (+ onion) sauce in the baking dish. Like around .75 cup per bell pepper.

That's way (way, way) too much to want to spoon over the peppers at the end, so is this stuff just meant for pouring into a cup (or tipping a corner of the dish over your soup hole if you have no cups nor time for fancy "table manners") to slurp down alongside your pepper? Seems weird, so wondering if it serves an indirect yet essential purpose like adding flavor and moisture (these recipes call for covering the baking dish) to the stuffed peppers themselves.

I don't know if this is common in similar recipies. Both of the cited recipes are by the same guy, so maybe it's just his quirk...


texts: Can I substitute quinoa flour for bleached flour in a baking recipe?

texts: I wanted to substitute Quinoa Flour for bleached in an apple nut-bread recipe - will it work, any adjustments for similar substitutions in general?


texts: I once heard that one type of canned tuna is prone to have less mercury (poison) based upon the size it is at harvest or the location where it is commonly found.  I buy Genova brand which has both kinds packed in olive oil.  They are both the same cost so getting the "safer" one is a no-brainer.  Can you shed some light on this subject?


texts: Difference between sweating and sautéeing?

texts: I would like to know the difference between sweating and sautéeing? Is the difference between the two, the fact that one uses oil, and the other uses fat, or are there any other aspects to be considered?


texts: In the local Asian market I saw a couple of names that I didn't recognize.  Has anyone heard of a green, called Tan Ho in Chinese?  It looked like arugula, tasted like a typical green. Maybe a little peppery.  Does anyone speak Chinese/familiar with this?


texts: How can I determine how powerful certain herbs and spices are? Is there a list?

texts:
I am trying to determine the relative strength or potency of flavour that comes from different spices and herbs. I often find myself lost when trying to blend recipes since certain spices can be quite potent and it is easy to ruin a recipe with a powerful spice from another recipe. The best solution is to divide the weight of the spices by the total weight of the recipe in order to apply a similar ratio in my own recipe, but this is extremely cumbersome.

A simple way to address this issue would be to add spices based on their relative potency. For example: if I have 10g of dried thyme and I want to add nutmeg to the recipe, and I know that nutmeg is roughly 10x more potent (just a guess!), then I can add 1g of nutmeg and I can be assured I haven't ruined the recipe.

I know spices vary in their flavourfulness based on their age, different parts of the world, how they're processed, etc., but there's also no doubt that some are far more potent than others. I know the relative potency of certain herbs and spices offhand, but there are many others I am ignorant about.

Is there a list or resource that ranks the potency of herbs or spices? Some numerical indices would be fantastic, but even just categorization (e.g., very strong, strong, moderate, weak, very weak) would be helpful.


texts:
When winter holidays come, I always find with my parents and the whole family. Sometimes we use Spumante, some other times Champagne, both to accompain with some sweet at the end of the meal, or during the meal.

In any case, I always wondered which is the difference between Champagne and SPumante (apart the fact that they come from different countries).

Are they the same?
Is one more precious than the other?
When do you use one or the other?


texts: I want to try to make anpan and I was planning to use this recipe for koshian for the anpan's filling. However, I do not have access to azuki beans. Is there another bean that I can use as a substitute?


texts: Are shallots less gas-producing than yellow onion?

texts:
I realise the answer's probably subjective and might vary among individuals but in your experience, have you found cooking with shallots to be less 'gassy' than using yellow onions?

I'm not allergic to alliums but I become very gassy from them. Even a small amount of onion powder will give me very malodorous gas - fine if I'm alone for the next 24-36 hours. I cook Asian dishes and use a small amount of green onion. While I still have gas, it's less than regular onion.

Please don't suggest asafoetida as I've used it before and didn't think it made a good substitute. It also wouldn't suit the soups and stews I normally use onion in.


texts: What cooking techniques can be used on a barbecue?

texts: I was a vegetarian for several years and still live in a vegetarian household, thus all of my cooking experience is with vegetarian food. My partner and I have made an arrangement that I can cook meat for myself on our gas barbecue. Since I have no experience with cooking meat, I'd like to learn as many techniques as I can. Are barbecues only good for grilling or are their other techniques I can try such as pot roasts, tagines etc?


texts: How can i make food have a more desirable smell?

texts:
I am cooking a wrap with avocado, chicken and vegetables such as carrots, cucumber, capsicum, red onion etc.

However, once I make these, they don't have any smells to it. So I was wondering how do I make it smell better?

More spices on the chicken?


texts: How much to heat mustard oil before cooking?

texts:
We use mustard oil.

How do I know if the oil is ready for cooking?

My mother always waits till the pungent smell goes off.
I can't put my finger to know if the oil is ready.


texts: If eggs are thoroughly washed and of course beaten before microwaving, and after the process I can find no liquid, is there a possibility that salmonella is still there, or does it die from high temperatures?


texts: What is the risk of food poisoning when making nattō

texts:
I've been making sourdough and kombucha for a while now, and the results are great. I've never taken any particular care with the utensils. I wash my hands before handling the SCOBY, and I use fresh tap water for it and for the sourdough, but that's about it. No boiled water, no sterilised jars and bowls. So far so good.

Now I'm thinking of making nattō. All of the recipes I've seen say several times to sterilise all the utensils. I'm skeptical of this, since nattō has been made for almost 1000 years and I doubt people would have been able to achieve the level of cleanliness asked for by these recipes. Indeed it used to be made in bundles of straw, which should have had plenty of bacteria in it other than nattō-kin.

So, what is the real risk of food poisoning when making nattō? Can anyone share their experience of making it without sterilising everything?


texts: Is it possible to heatproof (insulate) stainless steel pot handles?

texts:
I made a mistake of buying a Cuisinart 6 qt stock pot with two major downsides:  opaque lid (can't see inside) and non-insulated, metal handles.  I wasn't thinking about those features much as I was shopping and the latter now pretty much renders the pot unusable for me because I have a gas stove and the handles get so hot that I have to use a rag or pot holders and I'd rather not have to.

My question is: is there some sort of plastic putty (like Sugru) that can be applied over the handles to heatproof it ?  I was thinking maybe electrical tape but I thought that would melt.


texts: Can I deep-freeze bread, rolls and other baking?

texts:
Yesterday I hit a notice in my local mall saying (my own Polish->English translation):

  Bread, rolls and other baking made out of previously frozen raw-cake. Don't deep-freeze again!

Should I read and understand it literally?

For how long I reach past with my memory, both my mother and now my wife (for the entire period of our marriage) were purchasing more (sometimes way more) breads, rolls etc. than just for the current usage and they were deep-freezing obsolete part "for future usage".

I've been eating previously deep-frozen bread for years. Now, it seems I was doing something bad.


texts: Does "build up" on the bottom of copper-bottom stainless sauce and frying pans matter?

texts:
I am not the most fastidious pot washer: over the years, my copper-bottomed fry pans have developed a layer of (I guess) burned oil residue.

Aside from any "ick" factor, does this affect the the performance of the pan? I've been trying to scrub a little bit off every time I wash them but when I have seen cooking shows, etc. I see pans that look like mine.

Does it matter? And if it does, is there a way to get this off aside from brute force with a ScotchBrite pad?


texts:
I just received my Revolation machine and will be tempering my Callebaut callets in them tonight.

I will be using it mostly for dipping cakepops. I roll them and stick them in the freezer for just a few minutes and then dip them in the chocolate.

I had previously tempered the chocolate in the microwave without using a thermometer and the chocolate came out dull and definitely soft and pliable.

I am using Callebaut Belgian White and Dark Chocolate Callets. Did I get the right chocolate for this kind of confection?

Will the chocolate eventually harden after dipping and become less tacky? (I place my pops in cello bags)?


texts: Can you season skewers after cooking them?

texts: Firstly, I write, not cook. A character in my story drugs some honey chicken skewers, saying it's seasoning in front of my protagonist. Would it be okay if he was called out about it or are there actual recipes that add spices after the meat is done grilling?


texts: How to preserve spaghetti for a short amount of time?

texts: Let's say I make a spaghetti-and-meatball supper, and I made the spaghetti an hour or so before the meal. What's the best way to keep it fresh and warm until we're ready to eat?


texts:
When I'm going to boil something, I'll set the water to boil while I prepare the food itself. When the water is boiling and my ingredients are ready, I turn to tip them in. But as I add the pieces of food, the volatile hot water splashes everywhere.

I can prevent this by carefully putting the food in piece by piece so that I only let go when it's not partially in the water. However this is an impractically slow method with lots of pieces to put in.

Besides that slow way, I haven't been able to stop this happening. No matter how much I add at a time, it still splashes because the food is falling in and causing a big disturbance in the surface of the water.

How could I prevent this happening?


texts:
I'm making Korean pork bulgogi and the recipe I am using calls for gochugaru powder but all I could find was a paste.
Can I use it and would it still be the same amount? The recipe asks for 4 tbsp. of the powder.


texts:
I have an Oregano plant and I have rarely used fresh oregano. Is it safe to use the oregano leaves shown in picture?

It has some white thing on top and at the bottom it’s a bit dark


texts: What can be added to veggie burgers to increase texture?

texts:
I add chopped onions, garlic, grated carrots, some flour and spices to pre-soaked TVP. Onions add a bit of texture but after baking tvp densifies becoming like soft rubber.

I think mushrooms, beans, corn and peas can make it more texturized but I'm not a big fan of all those ingredients. Anything else you can think of?


texts: Can I mix food grade lye (sodium hydroxide) with water to make kansui?

texts:
I have food grade lye (sodium hydroxide) from pretzel making and I want to make chewy noodles, either ramen or Chinese noodles. Many of these recipes call for lye water or kansui.
I have found many resources about making your own kansui from baking soda (for example Can I substitute baking soda for kansui powder?), but none that start with lye.
I've found that kansui has a pH of about 12.6 and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) has a pH of 14. Using a pH calculator, I should get a pH of 12.6 with 0.04 moles of NaOH in 1 liter of solute (water). That's 1.5 grams per liter. (It has been a while since high school chemistry so please jump in here if I'm making a massive mistake)
Is this a valid approach to making lye water or kansui? What might I be overlooking?


texts: Any suggestions on caps for Bakers and Chefs plastic squeeze bottles?

texts:
I purchased some Bakers and Chefs clear plastic squeeze bottles, which do not come with caps; however, there is a ridge about 1/3" down on the bottle, suggesting that they're intended to work with a cap.

Some of the reviewers on Amazon mentioned using foil, as well as some plastic cap they found in hardware store. I'm hoping to find something that fits well and ideally can be ordered online.

Anyone have any suggestions?


texts: Why do I need to melt butter with chocolate?

texts: When I bake with chocolate, especially for cakes and brownies, the recipes always say to melt butter along with the chocolate. Why is this? Would melting them separately cause some sort of problem?


texts:
How long may I store used deep fryer oil. I always strain my oil, store it in it's original container and place it in a cool, dark place.
Thanks,
Floyd


texts: Making patties from half-cooked ground beef

texts:
My roommate decided to store a sizable purchase of ground beef in the freezer. For reasons I don't entirely understand, he would thaw it as needed at cook temperature in the microwave, then refreeze.

Quite a bit of this beef remains, and it's been in the refrigerator since I discovered his shenanigans, but unfortunately it's difficult to make patties out of the meat because it's partially cooked. I don't want it to go to waste, so what might I use to hold it together while making burgers that still taste like burgers?


texts: How to bake cake in pressure cooker instead of microwave?

texts: I have tried many time to bake a cake using pressure cooker,but every time it was not baked properly sometime it became very hard and sometime it will not baked overall,i am not getting that how to bake a cake properly using pressure cooker?


texts:
What are the general rules regarding when can you refreeze food that was frozen and then thawed in the fridge? and what are the reasons behind them? (Hygiene? Food quality?). Let's assume for the sake of the argument that the items were in a non-frozen state only a few hours.

To be more specific, I'm interested in the application of these rules for
- Ginger garlic paste
- Dough
- Indian Curries
- Green Chilly paste
- Frozen green peas


texts: I'm using steel cut oats flour to make bread and muffins but the insides are mushy and wet

texts:
I bake them in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes but it seems the insides refuses to harden and dry
any advice?

PS: The mixture is (oat flour, baking powder, mashed banana, Jam, milk, maple syrup, honey, vanilla extract, nuts)

Thanks


texts:
Queso fresco is one of my most frequently purchased cheeses; among other things I like it crumbled over salads. I do like a lot of common salad cheeses - crumbly goat cheeses, blue cheeses, and feta - but I often want something more mild.

Unfortunately, queso fresco is not quite so common in stores away from Texas. Are there any common similar cheeses that are more widely available? The best my searches have come up with is "mild feta", but I'm hoping for something a bit better, since in my experience it can be a bit hard to identify mild enough feta in the store, and it's also more commonly sold already crumbled and more expensive.


texts: can I use regular green cabbage to make kimchi?

texts: Can regular green cabbage be used for kimchi? I've made several batches with Napa cabbage but it's expensive and not as easily available.


texts: What is the correct ratio to make self-rising flour?

texts:
I have a recipe that I've used a couple of times that asks for self-rising flour. Unfortunately, I only have regular AP flour where I am right now.

I know self-rising flour is a mixture of AP flour and baking powder, but I don't know the ratio.

I've found some estimations online, but they vary quite a bit.

How much baking powder do I need for 1 kg of AP flour?


texts: I want to make Ethiopian injera bread at home, but the recipes I've seen are inconsistent about whether a bread starter is needed. Do I need to use a sourdough starter? Can I use baker's yeast, or perhaps make due without a starter?


texts: Worried about raw eggs, Salmonella, and pasta maker.

texts:
I recently got a pasta maker as a gift. The instructions clearly say to NEVER use water on it.

My main concern is the raw egg in the pasta dough. How do I make sure the pasta maker is safe for future use, if I can't wipe it down with soap and water? Obviously, I don't want to give myself or my family Salmonella.

Am I just worrying too much about the raw egg? Is the pasta maker safe to use, even if I only wipe off the dried pasta with a dry cloth; if I never wash it with soap and water?

I'm worrying so much about it, that I'm afraid to use my pasta maker.

Thank you for any help.


texts: Are there culinary uses for the water left from peeling almonds?

texts:
Is there a possible use for the water used for peeling almonds?

(Throw the almonds in boiling water and let them soak for a couple of mins before peeling them: the water left is yellowish and almond scented)


texts: "Place pan in a large pan; add 1 inch of hot water to larger pan." -- Why?

texts:
I have found a cheesecake recipe which says, for the cooking phase:

  Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.
  Bake at 325 °F (160 °C) for 60--65 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull.

I have done it so (I mean, it's in the recipe which I followed), but I wonder what is this for? I suppose that the water layer prevents things from going much over 212 °F (100 °C) since the water stays at this temperature. But I don't understand the motivation for this set-up. Couldn't I just use a lower temperature setting?


texts: Is it possible to remove the smell from rice mistakenly stored in a detergent box?

texts: By mistake I stored rice in a detergent box. I took it out for cooking, but it smells like detergent. What should I do? Is there any trick that can remove the detergent smell from rice, or is it not safe to use?


texts: What can be added to non dairy milks to extend shelf life?

texts:
I'm not sure what's going on but the last two batches of homemade cashew and sunflower seed milks went bad faster than usual i.e. 1-2 days.

What can be added to make them last longer? Both artificial and natural preservatives are ok for me.


texts: What are the reasons for sauteeing with fat?

texts: I know it's a basic question and of course it's what I do every time I cook. But I'd like to know in depth what the reasons are and the detail of how it affects heat transfer and chemical changes in food.


texts:
I want to give my gf a present for Valentine's day that consists on a board with glued gummy candy, marshmallows... all that lovely sweet stuff. When put all together it will be like a romantic painting but with glued gummy candy instead.

However, I don't know what to use as a frame to stick the candy and also what to glue them with!

Is there anyway to make/(buy) some kind of edible frame? I'm ok with plastic or glass but if it could be edible it would turn out awesome! :)  Furthermore, do you have any ideas on what to glue the candy?

Final Result:

This is what I ended up doing. The base is a sponge flan cake, which I bought in the supermarket. Regarding the glue, I was presented with the options of a pure glucose syrup and a shinning glucose gel. I chose the latter, since I was told it was commonly used to stick crystallised fruits in cakes and that sort of stuff :)

Thank you all for the tips and the inspiration. She loved it ;)


texts: What is the "Chili sauce" ingredient in this recipe?

texts:
I want to make this Copy Cat A1 Steak Sauce but I'm not exactly sure what one ingredient is.

What is it calling for when it says Chili sauce?

Also, if it turns out I don't have the chili sauce they are referring to, are there good substitutions for it?


texts: How can I create a drinkable ice slurry?

texts:
Based on the idea behind this question on the physics sister site to this site, how can I process ice to create a drinkable ice slurry?  When I stick ice cubes and water in the blender, the ice shards re-solidify into a block that makes it impossible to get into my mouth, let alone swallow.

Is there some sort of additive that I can put in my ice slurry to prevent the ice from re-solidifying?  Preferably low calorie or healthy?  Perhaps something that lowers the freezing point of water, but doesn't do it so aggressively that it causes the average temperature of the water to drop too low.


texts: What will happen to my cake if I don't cream the butter enough?

texts:
I am preparing for a cake decorating party for some 8-year-olds and was testing a simple butter cake recipe.

I made a small-ish batch of batter (just over a stick of butter, just under 1/2 lb of flour), but I have a large stand mixer and I don't think I really creamed the butter enough.  (This isn't the first time I've run into the issue of the large mixer not being ideal for small batches.)

The test cakes seemed to come out fine - they certainly aren't terrible - but I was wondering what, in general, happens to a cake when you're using the creaming method but don't really cream the butter enough?  Does the cake come out heavier?


texts: Are canned, unsweetened elderberries supposed to smell like blue cheese?

texts:
I know someone who recently water bath canned some blended-up elderberries without added sugar (it should be noted that elderberries aren't sweet in the first place). We ate a jar of it that didn't seal; we ate it over the course of a couple weeks or so. We opened another (a sealed one) today, and when I put it in my mouth, I noticed that it smelled quite fragrantly to my nose of blue cheese (or smelly feet). Is this normal? The jar that didn't seal didn't smell at all like blue cheese (directly after canning).

It seems that elderberries are thought to have an unpleasant smell, based on the idea that telling someone they smell like elderberries is an insult (unless that just has to do with alcohol, as one person thought).

I'm a little worried that the pH was too high. People say you can water-bath can elderberries, but I'm not sure if this is just an assumption based on other berries. They don't taste very acidic, and the lack of sugar seems concerning.

If it is actually Brevibacterium linens causing the smell, it would seem rather astonishing, since it's not supposed to survive canning temperatures. The jar did seem to seal correctly, and popped when opened.

Re-cooking the smelly berries did not fully remove the smell.


texts: I feel like a real dummy but I need some help.  I have a recipe that is calling for 8 oz of semi sweet chocolate finely chopped.  I'm thinking that means a semi sweet chocolate  bar chopped up.  I read where a lady said each square is an ounce of chocolate but on the box it says there is 4 ounces  but I bought the box and when I got it home and opened it, there are 8 squares in it.  Why does the box say 4 ounces if each square is an ounce and there are 8 squares?


texts: How to keep pasta hot, yet not sticky in crock pot?

texts: We are having a pasta "bar" for a party that will last several hours.  How do you keep pasta HOT and NOT sticky.  (I have seen several answers for COLD and not sticky, but not for hot.)


texts: What are the chemical contents of beef stock?

texts: I am familiar with the average beef stock recipe. After the liquid is strained, what are its chemical contents, exactly? Is it just water + denatured animal cell proteins? Does it contain collagen? What would I see if I looked at it under an electron microscope?


texts: Why does mass-produced cheddar cheese vary from package to package?

texts:
My question is about commercially mass-produced cheddar cheese sold in vacuum-sealed plastic packaging. The particular variety is a medium-age marble. I find that sometimes, when a package is freshly opened, the cheese has a firm almost crumbly consistency which cuts cleanly and easily with a dinner knife (which I prefer), and when I open a different package of the identically labeled product, it may be softer and somewhat gooey. The taste is also a bit different. I find that the cheese does not noticeably "age" after opening over a couple of weeks in the refrigerator, so it doesn't seem as though it is a "shelf life" issue with the sealed product. For a mass-produced product, I would have expected a consistent product in every package.
What would cause the variation? Would there be batch-to-batch variations before packaging due to manufacturing? Is it caused by differences in handling after packaging?


texts:
I am looking for a temperature probe. Specifically the kind you put in meat before putting it in the oven and the display is outside of the oven. I've purchased three in as many months and each one has died or started reading incorrectly.

What should I look for in terms of a temperature probe that will last?


texts: Bread baking: dough has little holes after first rise

texts: I'm making a half white flour, half whole wheat flour bread, with garlic, olive oil and dried herbs. After kneading it for about 20 min I left it to rise even though it wasn't as springy as I'd like. It was also a bit sticky, but was afraid to make it too dry since I'm using high gluten flour and whole wheat which both need more water. After the first rise it still didn't feel springy enough, and I gave it another knead and let it rise again for 15 min. After this, and when shaping the bread, I noticed there are little holes in the dough as seen in the pictures. For some reason the gluten didn't fully form to which I attribute the little holes and tears to, but I can't think what to do different. Any ideas?


texts:
I have a standard long-raising bread I use to make and bake in a cassarole. During this holiday I wanted to bake a double-sized bread. However,I ended up only giving it 150% baking time, and not 200%.

Are the sources that can help you calculate how long approximately your bread needs to be baked given size, floor and water composition, etc. ?

Example-recipee:

400 g flour
300 ml water
1 small ball of yeast
Raise for 18 hours
Baked for 30 minutes in 250 celcius closed heated cassarole.
Baked 10 minutes without lid.

Double up:

800 g flour
600 ml water
2 small balls of yeast
Raise for 18 hours
Baked for **45 minutes** in 250 celcius closed heated cassarole
Baked for 10-15 minutes without lid.


texts: What is the minimum internal temperature measured inside meat (not air temperature) for pork ribs to be safe?

texts: I want to experiment to prepare the pork ribs in Weber Kettle charcoal grill on a minimum possible temperature. What is the minimum internal temperature measured inside the meat (not air temperature) for pork ribs to be safe? By safe I mean meat to be prepared so that it is safe to eat.


texts: Can sarsaparilla and sassafras be substituted with licorice root?

texts:
I am trying to make root beer using natural ingredients, but sarsaparilla and sassafras root are difficult to get in my area.

I found root beer recipes that used licorice root as an ingredient, and I was able to order some online. However, right from opening the package, it did not smell in any way like licorice or anything remotely evocative of root beer. I tried to boil it as instructed in the recipe, but the aroma did not improve. It actually smells kind of earthy and, in my opinion, kind of gross.

The resulting drink was weak and largely flavourless. So I'm wondering, did I get possibly the wrong type of licorice root, or perhaps a bad batch? Or is licorice root a different thing than the kind of high intensity licorice one might get in a candy?

I did see this other question about making licorice extract, which leads me to believe that licorice root might be inappropriate for making root beer, but then I have to wonder why any online recipes might use it as a main ingredient for root beer.

Is licorice root suitable for making a root beer like drink? If so, are there any special processing or source considerations?


texts:
Today I tried to cook my favourite Raspberry and White Chocolate muffins using a recipe I found on BBC Good Food.

However after cooking them for the set amount of time and removing them from the muffin tray I found that when I tried to peel away the paper cases (from the muffin) the muffin stuck to the case.

The mixture itself was cooked but for some reason it stuck to the paper cases, this is also odd because I've done this recipe before and it worked fine. I've tried to think of any factors that may have changed when cooking for a second time and all I can think of are:

The raspberries were cut slightly larger (in half rather than in quarters/thirds)
Slightly less egg whites were used (because of a slight spill)

Could these factors have caused the muffin to stick to it's paper case?


texts:
I recently made this recipe:

https://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2016/08/paper-pork-shoulder-its-wrap.html

7 lb pork shoulder, apply rub, wrap tightly in parchment and foil, roast at 225 F for 12 hours.

I cooked it in a freestanding turkey roaster and after 12 hours, plus an hour of rest, it wasn't really done -- the meat wasn't fork-tender, and the bone was still firmly attached.

I then put it in a 350 F oven for about two more hours, with another hour of rest, and was much happier.  The meat was fall-apart tender, and the bone slid right out.

But why did I have to do that?  How did I screw up?

It shouldn't matter that I used a freestanding roaster instead of a standard oven, should it?  225 degrees is 225 degrees, right?

I only had a few other thoughts:

I didn't let the meat come up to room temperature before roasting, but I don't think the recipe said to do that.  (Is that just assumed?)

The meat was sitting on a rack in the roaster, with a little bit of air space underneath, instead of sitting directly in a baking dish as in the recipe video.  Can that matter?


texts: safety of using chamotte stone from hardware supplies store for baking

texts:
Should I be concerned about heavy metal poisoning when I use said chamotte stone in an electric home oven? The dough would be placed directly on the hot stone.
I didn't want to buy a dedicated Baking Stone, because the dimensions didn't match as well as the prices seemed to be too high. So I picked up a chamotte plate from a hardware store.


texts:
I keep hearing about Ground Beef, but I'm from Australia and I've never actually seen it before.

Is it the same thing as Minced Beef? Or different? Is Minced beef an acceptible substitute if they're not the same thing?


texts: What does the halal label mean to non-muslims for non-meat foods?

texts:
For example kosher berries or salad are checked more thoroughly for insects than usual as far as I know, so could be attractive to non-jews who don't want to accidentally eat insects.

Are there similar reasons to search out or avoid halal food for non-religious reasons?

I restrict this question to non-meat food because there is an existing question where the answers all focus on meat.


texts:
I’ve watched and read a lot on creme Angela is, brûlée and caramel. In two attempts the final product has improved a lot, but I’m not sure where this is going wrong. Could someone help, please?
Recipe:
This is only a small, test batch.
150ml thick, double cream
3 medium egg yolks
2 tbsp caster sugar (sorry for the mixed metrics)
2tsp vanilla essence
Method:
Slowly heat the cream and sugar to just boiling, gently stirred with a wooden spoon.
Add vanilla essence and take from heat to cool. I poured into a glass jug and sat that in a bowl of cold tap water (no ice, just as it is from the tap) until the jug was not warm to the touch.
Use a hand whisk to beat the eggs until slightly lighter in colour and smooth.
Gradually (very!) pour in the cooled cream and mix the egg/cream mixture (not beating.)
Pour into 3 small ramekins stood in a baking pan.
Pour freshly boiled water into the pan and insert into a preheated oven at 140 Celsius (fan, though I don’t have an oven thermometer) for 25 mins.
Result:
At 25 mins the tops were I nice yellow, just turning very light brown but we risen in the middle with a gentle curve from side to side. Reminded me of baked eggs.


texts: I have just been given new black "whites" at work. We are soley responsable for the laundry of these items, and I was surprised to see that my new "whites" are to be washed at 40 degrees. Can anyone recommened a sanitiser that wont "bleach" the colour but will make my uniform safe?


texts: I rarely see ground beef used in many Chinese or American Chinese food recipes. Is there just a small number of uses for ground beef in the Chinese kitchen?


texts: French Fries: Why soak in cold water, and if so, why a long time

texts:
I have heard that, to get crispy french fries, I need to get rid of the excess starch on the surface of potatoes after cutting them. But that can't be the reason, really, because starch is actually what FORMS the crust... so my reasoning is the following: we soak them because enzymes released by cutting will quickly convert the starch into glucose, and THAT will caramelise and burn our french fries. Is that the reason why we use cold water, to keep the enzyme inactive?

If so, soaking in cold water seems unnecessary to me. Thoroughly rinsing until the water runs clean should be enough. Am I correct?


texts:
Today as I checked on my sourdough starter, I noticed some dry white patches on its surface. Has it gone moldy? If so, is it safe to just scrape off the mold and use the remainder as usual?

The sourdough smells cheesy / yeasty, nothing that yells "I've gone bad!" at me. There is no liquid on top. I've left the jar open for the last two days covered with a cloth, can it have anything to do with it?

 Image source


texts: Where does the Asian dish "sang choi bow" come from?

texts:
I'm currently travelling in Laos where my favourite local dish is called "larb" or "laap" (ລາບ in Lao, ลาบ in Thai).

When I described it to my Australian friend he said it sounded like a dish that was one of his favourites called "San Choi Bow" and described it as "either a southern Chinese or Vietnamese word for the spicy mince in a lettuce leaf".

I've been hunting on Wikipedia and there appears to be no English article though I have now found a Chinese Wikipedia article and the term does show up in a couple of articles on the English Wikipedia. There is lots of information on the Internet, I noticed especially from Australia. But the information is contradictory. Two Yahoo Answers questions about its origins give different answers with no further details: China, Thailand.

There's at least seven other spellings I could find, all combinations of "san" vs. "sang", "choi" vs. "choy", and "bau" vs. "bow".

To me this looks like Chinese but I couldn't find the Chinese characters and even if the dish has a Chinese name that doesn't mean it wasn't originally from a neighbouring country.

Could it be that "larb" is a Southeast Asian version of "sang choi bow" or is "sang choi bow" a Chinese name for their version of "larb"?

Sang choi bow, from the Chinese Wikipedia:

Squid larb in Thailand:

Pork laap in Laos:


texts: What is unique about veal and how can I take advantage of this in my preparation?

texts:
First off, I'm talking about what they call Rose Veal here, not the crate Veal which has given the meat such a bad name.

So, I've tried a few recipes: a roast, a stew and some breadcrumbed escalopes. The escalopes were fantastic, but I can't honestly say any of it was better than the equivalent dish made with beef, or pork where a milder flavour was desired.

But, the veal wasn't exactly cheap, so am I missing something?  I'd sort of expected something a bit more special if I'm paying a premium for it.

Are there some specific preparation methods and/or pairings which show the meat off better? What is it people enjoy so much about veal and how can I accentuate that quality?


texts:
I'm  looking to make Georgian Satsivi (example recipe), which has a complex unique flavour that is hard to describe. The recipe asks for marigold as an ingredient, which I can't find in my area.

I've got no idea what marigold tastes like, but I've got a feeling it's quite important to Satsivi's unique flavour, so I'd prefer to substitute it than just skip it.

I'm looking for a substitute that matches the flavour and I don't mind if the appearance is different. The only relevant discussion I can find speculates that marigold might be used in Georgian cooking for colour as a cheap saffron substitute and suggests tumeric, but that doesn't seem like a great match to satsivi in terms of flavour, and I'm not sure I believe the source.

So, is there anything that tastes similar to marigold?

(and what does marigold taste like, anyway?)


texts: Is there a way to cook hot dogs in a microwave without them bursting?

texts:
Whenever I cook hot dogs in the microwave they invariably split and/or burst open. I've tried shortening the cooking time, but haven't found a happy medium where they are thoroughly cooked, but remain unmutilated.

Is there some trick to cooking them in a microwave without this happening?


texts: Rising pizza dough in the fridge after punching it?

texts:
EMERGENCY!  I am making a pizza recipe and am deciding between having it for dinner tonight or tomorrow. I was originally planning on doing it tomorrow because I wanted to let it have its first rise in the fridge since I've heard that is what makes it taste best.

However, the dough seems to have doubled already after being in the fridge for 6 hours.  I also read that it should be punched down so I did and now I'm stressing...

Now that I have punched it down, should I leave it unrefrigerated and let it reach room temperature and do it for dinner tonight? Or should I put it back in the fridge and let it rise overnight again?


texts: How to store bread dough in the fridge for proofing?

texts:
My bread book says that I can store the shaped loaves of white bread with sourdough starter and yeast in the fridge overnight instead of just leaving them to proof for two hours outside under a moist cloth. It also says I should put them in an air-tight container.

But if it's already shaped, it will stick to the container and the shaping will break. Also it's very hard to find an air-tight container that can fit a short baguette. Instead, I have just put it onto the baking sheet, including paper, and wrapped it in cling foil.

In general that works well, but it's tedious to wrap the thing in a couple of meters of foil, and it will sweat underneath. The baking paper will be damp, it's hard to open it up again and the cling foil clings to the loaf.

Is there a more efficient way to leave the loaf to proof in the fridge overnight? Does it need to be air-tight?

I'm talking about a home-size fridge and baking sheets for a home-size kitchen oven.


texts: Boxed pancake mix - Allpurpose or Cake Flour?

texts: Is boxed pancake mix usually made out of Allpurpose flour, or cake flour?


texts: Why is it faster to reheat something than it is to cook it?

texts:
In my experience it takes less time to reheat a cooked item than it does to cook it. This is true for every single different "type" of cooked item I can think of. (Meat, soup, pasta, beans, etc etc).

It's quite common for me to use the microwave to reheat things, and that might lead me to be biased in thinking that it's faster because the microwave itself is often the fastest way top reheat something, but this observation isn't true just for microwaving. It doesn't even seem to matter on the method of reheating, as I can reheat something faster if I use the same method of as I did to cook it (e.g. by frying).

Note that I always check the temperature of something I've reheated via a food-probe, so I'm also not making a mistaking of cooking something to 70C and then reheating to 45C etc.

So:

Is it always faster to reheat something than it was to cook it, or are their exceptions?
why is food faster to reheat? What's the food-science behind it?


texts: Is it possible to have a good crust without prebaking a quiche?

texts:
I'm planning on making a quiche (Lorraine with leek to be exact) and I was looking up recipes for quiches. Most recipes call for blind-baking the crust in advance (or at least partly), but some skip this step and pour the filling in the raw dough and bake it like that.

I think blind-baking would prevent the dough from getting soggy since the filling is quite liquid. The other recipes look nice (judging on the picture), but won't the dough be soggy?
Or should you put the temperature lower and the time higher so the liquid can evaporate?

Does it matter whether you blind-bake your crust for a quiche? Or does it mainly depend on the type of dough (puff, shortcrust...)? Or on the amount of liquid or type of veggie/meat (precooked)? Any other factors that I don't think of?


texts: Suggestions for caramel from dark brown (muscovado) sugar?

texts: I'm thinking about making caramels for holiday treats, and as some of the flavors I'm considering are quite intense (and for variety's sake), I'm considering trying to use a much darker, richer sugar.  Previously when I've tried doing caramel with brown sugar, the molasses seemed to lead to a rather intense foaming and an astonishingly un-appetizing result; I'm wondering if there are any specific tips folks can offer for getting brown sugar to behave reasonably well while I'm caramelizing it?


texts: Are there any variable temperature electric kettle which boil water before letting temperature drop to the desired temperature?

texts:
I am a green tea enthusiast so I'm looking for a variable temperature electric kettle but since the water in my home is not very clean I don't want to buy one which just heats the water to a given temperature without boiling it first.

Are there any electric kettles which can bring water to a boiling temperature and let it cool until, say 80 degrees Celsius and then make a sound indicating the water is ready?


texts: Is there a difference between Brie & Camembert?

texts: I was listening to a program on Radio NZ where the broadcaster claimed that apart from size there was no difference? It's almost like today we put a brie label on and tomorrow a camembert one. Is this the case world wide or only in in NZ?


texts: Is it safe to wash a little Sterno down a sink drain?

texts: I've recently been cooking and using Sterno to keep things warm - or cook. However, from time to time I need to stir, scoop, or manipulate the Sterno in some way. Is it safe to rinse off my utensils, which have come in contact with Jelled Cooking fuel, in a kitchen sink?


texts: Why do canned sardines have no protein scum?

texts: I believe canned sardines are cooked in the can.  I notice they never have any protein scum, albumin etc.  Do you know why or where in the cooking process is it removed?


texts:
In the outside world ...

Let us imagine that we have enough meat to make two stews. Is it best to split meat and cook one today and one tomorrow or cook both today and reheat tomorrow?

Either way, there is no fridge.


texts: How can I separate the lid from a can that has a pull-tab/ring without flinging food everywhere?

texts:
When I try to separate the lid from a can that has a pull-tab, the moment the lid separates from the can, the lid flings food everywhere. It's not always a lot, but it goes far because the lid has so much spring-tension.
I'd keep the last bit of the lid on the can, but sometimes I need the lid off to get everything out or to fully clean the can. (I don't want any remaining food in the can afterwards. My house pets will try to steal the can, and wild animals will try to steal the can from my recycling bin.
What methods can be used to avoid the mess and keep the kitchen clean?

(Image from self.com)


texts:
I like to use peaches with the skin on when possible, but I'm not a big fan of all that fuzz.

Does anyone have a fuzz-removal method that works particularly well? Currently, I just rub the peaches with a rough cloth. I didn't know if I was missing out on some other, great method.


texts: Advice for cooking two pumpkin pies at once

texts:
Tonight my wife will attempt the feat of cooking two of her pumpkin pies at once. Given the firing schedule for one pie (the Libby's recipe for one pie- 15 mins @ 425, reduce to 350 for 40-50 mins), what allowances should be made to cook two at the same time?

I have looked online.  All advice there seems to indicate from 5-15 minutes extra on the end.  Does anyone here have experience doing this?


texts: When I try cooking some asian rice dishes, Nasi Lemak, or Hainanese Chicken rice, I always add the "active ingredient" straight into the water used for boiling the rice (Coconut milk and sesame oil respectively in these cases) When cooking they smell really good, however when the rice is done and I taste it tastes bland like normal white rice. How can I make the flavours "go into" the rice?


texts:
I'm trying to understand the purpose of salting a potato prior to baking it.
I've always oiled to skin to make it softer, but I don't see the purpose of salting it. What does salting the skin accomplish?


texts:
I am trying to make butter chicken and most recipes call for adding garam masala powder to the mix.
I could not find the powder and only found garam masala paste instead.
Can i use the paste instead of the powder?
If yes, does 1 tblsp powder equate to 1 tblsp of the paste?
Thank you!


texts: Preserved lime is browning and fading inside the brine

texts:
I read a lot about preserved lemons (TLDR: quarter them, and keep them in a mix of lemon juice and salted/brined water for 10-30 days), and I'm trying it with limes. But...

Two things concern me about my current mixture:

The lime skin, which was a nice vibrant green, is turning a dark greenish (almost brown) colour
In some places, the colour leeched off entirely and it's white (like the inside of the rind

Am I doing this right, or is this starting to rot?

I brined them in a combination of salt, water, and lemon juice for about three or four days prior to noticing this. Now (another four days later), they're even more dull-coloured.

(I don't have a picture, sorry. On closer inspection, the dark green/brown looks like it's fading.)


texts: What is the best western/cheap substitute for banana leaf?

texts:
Southeast Asian recipes such as Amok are sometimes steamed in banana leaf containers. Since these are fairly expensive (and presumably not indefinitely reusable), is it possible to use, say, parchment paper instead?

What is a good low-cost and easy to find substitute for banana leaf in these recipes? (and for Amok in particular) If obvious candidates like parchment paper aren't suitable, why not?


texts: Can I substitute 70% chocolate for unsweetened chocolate in a cake recipe?

texts:
This is a recipe for a dark chocolate cake. It calls for 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate. But I made a mistake and bought the 70%. The recipe also calls for 1.25 cups sugar. I don't want it to be too sweet, so by how much should I decrease the sugar?

The last time I baked this cake, I used 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate and it was perfectly dark. I want to get the same results. Help!


texts: Was too much oil used, or not enough when seasoning?

texts:
I went about trying to reseason my cast-iron pan yesterday. I used some recycled canola oil at 400F for 60 minutes right-side up. After that I checked on it (before it was completely cooled), and noticed that most of the surface was a matte black with a web of a glossy material.

I was under the assumption that the surface was supposed to be a uniform color, so I put it in for another 30 minutes, thinking that I had pulled it out too early. When I checked on it afterwards, I noticed that more of the surface area was glossy, and not matte. So before I threw it in for more time or added more oil, I figured I'd ask here.

Should I strip the surface and do something different? Should I use brand new flaxseed oil instead of recycled canola oil? Should I flip it upside-down and set the oven to 350F?


texts: How to get more flavor out of dried herbs?

texts:
What is the proper way of bringing the flavor out of dry herbs like oregano and basil?

In the US I use fresh herbs to make my pizza sauce. But since I've moved to Norway they don't have any fresh herbs that even resemble the flavors that I'm used to in the US. After recreating my pizza sauce I found that sweating the herbs increased the flavor of the sauce.


texts: Why is commercial sandwich bread so popular in the US and UK?

texts: Why is commercial, sliced, sandwich style bread so popular in the US and UK, as opposed to more traditional European loaves (like this Slovakian bread)?


texts: I made delicious cranberry sauce with fresh berries, sugar and brandy.  Can I freeze it?


texts: What cooking techniques depend on controlled temperature between 100 and 120 degrees celsius?

texts:
Many preparation techniques rely on controlled temperature. Sous Vide, Chocolate making, etc.

I am trying to identify specific techniques that have their range in 100 to 120 degrees. For example, Fudge needs 115 degrees.

Context: new Thermomix (version 5) advertises the maximum temperature increase from 100 to 120 degrees. I am trying to figure out what difference that can make.


texts: Is lemon rind supposed to feel sticky when being grated?

texts:
I was grating lemon rind for a lemon cake and noticed that it left a sort of sticky film on my hand. Is this normal or does it suggest that the lemon was not fresh?

My other question was about whether or not the lemon I used was spoiled, so perhaps the stickiness caused by the lemon was due to this.


texts: Can oatmeal be cooked in rice milk in a regular oven and pan?

texts:
I usually cook a big portion of oatmeal in a big plastic bowl with 1 liter of rice milk at 600W for 5-7 minutes in a microwave oven. however, I don't have one at my disposal at the moment.
Can the same process be done in a regular oven? If so, at what temperature? For how long?
Maybe I should use water instead or rice milk?


texts: How to recognize when American style chewy cookies are done?

texts:
I made chewy chocolate chip cookies. The recipe gave baking time suggestions, but noted

  check your cookies before they’re done; depending on your scoop size,
  your baking time will vary

and suggested to bake them "until the edges are lightly toasted". However, I used dark brown sugar, so my dough was much darker than in the pictures, it was an ochre shade. I didn't notice any changes in color, and I don't think I could in the dark dough, but my second sheet got rather hard after cooling, I suspect I overbaked them.

How can I notice the right moment to take cookies out of the oven?


texts:
Sometimes the UHT milk I use has some small floating white particles (about 1 cm long, few mm wide)

This is milk that has been kept sealed at room temp (30-35C) for about 2 months

Any way to know if its safe?


texts: How should I pre-cook a burger to be micrwaveable?

texts:
Start with a generic 1/3rd lb patty of ground beef, either frozen or fresh.

Normally I follow the advice from How do you grill a perfect burger?, however, I want to make many. How can I cook and store the extra patties for lunch the next day or more? Given that at work, I only have a microwave to reheat the meaty goodness.

Step 1. Cook beef patty
Step 2. ???
Step 3. Profit


texts: Why do people put oil/butter in pan when frying ground beef?

texts: I have always wondered why people put oil or butter in a pan before browning ground beef. It doesn't make sense since you end up having to drain the grease in the end anyways. What is the purpose of the oil or butter? Is it used for pans that are not non-stick? Flavor?


texts: Why does my pizza dough (and other doughs) go sticky on freezing and defrosting?

texts:
I make this simple sourdough pizza dough, with the slight variation that I weigh my starter.  A half quantity does me 2 pizzas.  So that's 150g 100% hydration starter, 125ml water, 250g flour, kneaded in a stand mixer and rested (30 minutes to 2 hours depending on my evening).  That gives me a nice easy to work dough.  But I only want to make one pizza, so I freeze half of the dough - I roll it into a ball, roll it in flour, and put it in a generously floured plastic container, then freeze for about a week.
When I defrost it (in the fridge for 24 hours), it's always stickier and harder to work with than it was before freezing, despite having added a little flour in the dusting.  The resulting pizza is just as good though (fairly thin, baked at 240°C on a slab of preheated granite).
It happens consistently, and I've noticed the same with naan dough.  The last 2 batches of pizza dough I froze with a note about how easy they were to handle, to be sure I hadn't just made a sticky batch and forgotten by the time I defrosted it.
Why is this, and is there anything I can do about it?


texts: How long does uncooked meat last when kept in the freezer?

texts: Chicken, beef, or even shrimp? How long can I keep it there before it goes bad?


texts: While in Italy I had a pasta sauce that was made with mascarpone and almonds (the almonds were ground fine) it had the look of Alfredo sauce. I cannot recall the name of the sauce. I have searched far and wide for such a recipe. Is anyone familiar with this sauce? If so, would you PLEASE share the name?


texts: Assume I have a decent waffle recipe that I like. Assume it has nothing particularly unusual for waffles -- this means it has liquid ingredients such as milk or buttermilk, eggs, butter, vanilla extract. How can I modify this to make an "instant" waffle mix where I just add one or two ingredients (say, milk)? Can I simply replace most of the liquid ingredients with powdered or solid versions? Or must other adaptations be made to compensate? Will I have to adjust proportions?


texts:
From Clarissa Dickson Wright's A History of English Food (2012):

[In the 1920s, British] hostesses also started to serve canapés: little cheese Parmentiers, asparagus rolled in thin brown bread and butter, delicate crab patties, and, of course, the ubiquitous vol-au-vents [...] (source)

Antoine-Augustin Parmentier (1737–1813) was a French proponent of the potato.
Googling "cheese Parmentier" just wants to tell me about hachis Parmentier, basically a French version of shepherd's pie, dating back to at least 1898. ("Hachis" here I think is French for "a chopped-up thing," and has no relation to the Spanish word for "hashish," but I'd appreciate some authoritative enlightenment on that point too.)
Hachis Parmentier does contain both cheese and potatoes, and also phonetically sounds like "(ha-) cheese Parmentier"; the only reasons I'm doubting this identification are (1) that I can't find any evidence at all that anyone's ever actually referred to hachis Parmentier as "cheese Parmentier," and (2) little shepherd's pies sound like they'd make terribly messy canapés.
So, what did Clarissa Dickson Wright mean by "little cheese Parmentiers"?


texts: Is there a way to heat a precooked ham in a 425 degree oven?

texts:
Is it possible to protect a precooked ham while heating in an over hot oven?

For example is it possible to heat a precooked while cooking a turkey at 425 by say wrapping it in a double layer of foil, or placing it in a pan of water, etc?


texts:
how to prepare Chilly Chicken. Its basically an indian recepie. Its my favourite dishes too. Please help me to make chilly chicken.

I ever prefer home based food. So please tell the masala preparation too. Thanks in advance.


texts: Can cooking in a larger than intended vessel be disadvantageous in some way?

texts:
I have a big pressure cooker (3.5 litre) in which I cook 3/4 cup Lentils (on gas stove) intended for 2 people. Can it be disadvantageous in some way?

Are there some serious reasons that I should consider buying 1.5 litre pressure cooker to cook that amount of food?


texts:
I know already how I can peel cooked potatoes, e.g. by throwing into ice water. According to a german helpster entry, the shell will be easily removable just by "rubbing". But is there another "instant" method for peeling raw potatoes? Instant means, I don't want to just peel faster, as suggested in this question.

EDIT This German helpster entry I described above mentioned some efficient industry methods - which are unfortunately not very usable in a private sector. E.g. putting the potatoes in a natron solution/leach or putting them into a high steam/pressure environment.

EDIT2 Sorry for the confusion. I don't want them to boil/cook first; so i want just a raw peeled potato afterwards.


texts: Can I use cooking sherry instead of red wine in my stew?

texts:
So I found some Sherry Cooking Wine ($6 CAD) at my supermarket and I don't want to go and shell out too much money on a real bottle of wine just for a stew, is it possible to use cooking wine like Sherry Cooking Wine as the base of the stew?

If it matters, the meat will probably be lamb or beef.

The cooking wine in question:


texts:
In this thread about cooking for people with allergies the first commenter (rightly, IMHO) suggests splitting up that general effort into more allergy-specific tips. The overall effort might still be worthwile, but as I suffer from the 'fruit/nut' allergy myself, I would like to start this question & answer.

My question: which foods trigger the fruit/nut allergy, rated by severity, and what techniques can you use to reduce the effect? I will be answering my own question as well (in the hope of offering some help), but would prefer answers that I don't know already.

For those that aren't aware of the allergy for nuts and fruits and wondering whether they may have it, here are links to wikipedia on oral allergy syndrome and the Calgary Allergy network (as I find their site useful and will be using it, and my own experience, as a departure point. Note that the allergy may start later in life.


texts: When simmering black eyed peas, should the water turn brown?

texts:
I'm simmering black eyed peas for the first time. I rinsed them very thoroughly, covered with clean water, and simmered.

The water they're in has turned dark brown. Is that normal?


texts: Why do whole chicken recipes advise rinsing the chicken?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Does meat need to be washed before preparation?

I'm roasting a whole chicken for dinner tonight and the recipe told me to rinse the bird under cold water and pat it dry before doing anything else.

What is the reason for that? Does that improve the flavour or prevent any problems?


texts: Why arent my pancakes browning correctly?

texts:
I am using a cast iron pan and all of my pancakes are coming out like this. I leave them on and they get crispy on the outside and cook through but they do not brown. I tried turning the heat up and that just burns them in splotches. Then I tried a lower heat and they turn golden in weird uneven patterns but they still cook through. Ive tried different oils, no oils, reheating my pan, waiting longer before flipping (which causes the pancake to have poppled bubbles and dark spots instead of a smooth surface). And when I flip them, the second side gets sort of a film on it when I take it out of the pan, the outer layer separates from the rest (it kind of looks like saltine crackers lol)
this is really frustrating. any tips?


texts: Black mold inside Misto oil sprayer collar

texts: There is some black mold I can see inside my sealed Misto internal clear plastic air collar that is just below the sprayer and around the sprayer tube when the sprayer mechanism is unscrewed.  I cannot find an obvious way to get into that apparently sealed plastic collar to clean the mold out.  Does anyone know how to disassemble the round donut shaped clear plastic collar?


texts: This is more just out of curiosity then anything. I just wondered could eating ice or somehow making you mouth colder before eating spicy foods, such as chill peppers or such, help lessen the spiciness?


texts: Why running tap water over mussels not kill them, but soaking does?

texts:
Why doesn't rinsing mussels with tap water kill them like soaking does? I know running water over mussels takes very little time, compared to soaking them, but the water is still entering the mussels.
For example, see this quote from Knorr UK: How to Clean Mussels:

Keep the cleaned mussels under the running water. It’s really important that the water stays moving over the mussels, but that they’re not soaking in it. If you leave them soaking in tap water, they’ll die and that’s not what you want.

This other quote from Serious Eats: How to Clean and Debeard Mussels implies that some mussels should be soaked--does soaking kill them or not?

[F]arm-raised mussels are held in tanks prior to packaging and shipping, which means that the purging step—soaking the mussels in clean water until they spit out impurities—has already been done for you


texts: How do I cut bones in preparing a fast brown stock ("fond brun rapide")?

texts:
I tried to prepare the bone and skin from a ham shank for use as a kind of brown sauce or stock. The purpose was to fold the reduction into a beef/pork chili. I was very pleased with the flavor that resulted, but want to push it further. However, I had to use them whole and my guess is that the fast process and uncut nature of the bones made them less effective.

First I roasted the (hickory smoked) ham shank (meat and skin on) at 350'F for about 2 hours. Then I removed it and pulled off the meat and skin from the bone. I took an old boning knife and was able to separate the two bones from each other; covered with water (added some onions and salt etc) and boiled vigorously for about 3 1/2 hours (covered in a high-walled frying pan), replacing water as necessary. Shortly after beginning that, I kind of pan steamed the skin from the meat and added the meat to the chili and the skin to the stock pan. What resulted was a good broth.

Basically, I would like to know how I can take it from good broth to a demi-glace or essential oil; one pungent enough to be rendered with a roux or other thickener and incorporated into a chili. (Forgive me, there are better words for what I am asking; I just don't think I know them.) After the process I had about 8 ounces of the oily liquid, and per the scale of 4 quarts of chili the ham stock was just not as pronounced as I would have liked.

Any initial suggestions or red flags that my process may have brought to mind are appreciated.
The process I wanted to follow but couldn't (no cleaver, are they necessary?) involved cutting the bones into 1-2 inch segments and pan-frying those (instead of the two whole bones) then vigorously boiling. What knife is actually suited for this purpose where there is some required accuracy in the portioning?
There was a time constraint on me originally, but does really getting to demi-glace require a minimum of 6-8 hours simmering and reducing?


texts:
I know from this question that I should avoid cooking (at least without gloves) if I have an open cut.

However, once a cut starts to heal, how can I tell if it's safe to cook without gloves? Are there any firm rules, or is it based on experience and watching how MY cuts react to being washed often?

Are there different rules if I have a burn? Or is it the same -- if I'm likely to ooze, I should wear gloves. Otherwise, I'm okay without them.


texts: We've been experimenting with using almond milk as a substitute for actual milk in my household. The biggest failure so far has been with pancakes. The pancakes taste okay, but they are far stickier in the pan than batter made with milk, scorch more easily, and don't brown well. What can I do to get a more satisfactory pancake with almond milk?


texts: I just started canning hot peppers last year. This year I am canning salsa. I boil the jars, lids, and rings just before I seal the jar. I make 3 pints at at time. I combine all my ingredients and add 1 cup of 5 percent vinegar with 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, and bring to a hard boil for about 10 minutes. Then I turn it down to a mild boil and hot pack into the jars that I took out of boiling water.  I fill the jar, place lid on top and hand tighten the ring. Is this good?


texts:
I tried making bread today, and overall, I enjoyed it!

However, there seems to be something weird going on. Right between the crust and the basic white section of the bread, there's a line of dense bread that is a little bit darker. It does not seem to taste too different (although I did not rigorously taste test it/I don't have much experience with bread).

Image of the bread. What I'm referencing above is the strip of dough that seems more dough like than bread like.

Another thing I did not like as much was how dense the bread felt overall.

Are these signs of undercooking my bread?

Notes: I accidentally doubled the amount of yeast, and I used all purpose instead of bread. Not sure if those would play a difference, but wanted to include them. One thing that I did notice is a relatively strong scent of yeast when it first came out of the oven (although the bread had no taste of it at all). Would that indicate over-leavening as some commenters suggested?

Here is the recipe I used: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/basic-homemade-bread/. I halved the recipe, except for yeast like I mentioned above. The smoosh factor is most likely me slicing when it was hot (I really wanted to taste it fresh out of the oven).


texts: After steaming for 5 mins, why are live PEI mussels shriveled, but PC's mussels plump?

texts:
In both cases beneath, I steam the PEI mussels for 5 mins. on low heat, on a pan on my stove in 100 mL of white wine. I live in Toronto, Canada.
Case 1: Live mussels  from Pusateri's or Whole Foods Market.
They're individually picked as in the left picture beneath,  in a string bag like on the right.

or vacuum-packed. Most meat shrink and wither after the 5 mins. of cooking. The meat aren't clumps as they ought be, and can't be plucked. Rather, the meat has crumbled and dismantled, and I have to scoop the spindly slivers of meat with my spoon. See beneath.

Case 2: I've bought PC's Cooked then Frozen PEI Mussels weekly for the past year.
By comparison, every time that I steam these,  the edible meat is fleshy like the picture on the right.


texts: How to make Chicken Laksa taste more like To's restaurant?

texts:
I've tried a couple of recipes to make Chicken Laksa but I cant get it to taste like this Malaysian restaurant (To's in North Sydney).

I've had the best luck with this recipe from Taste.

Is it just Red Chilli and Shallots I'm missing, or am I doing it wrong using laksa paste (Tean's Gourmet Malaysian Curry Laksa Paste)?


texts: Cook boneless skinless chicken thigh portions to taste like drumsticks?

texts:
Can I cook boneless skinless chicken thigh portions to taste like drumsticks?

My store doesn't have IQF (individually quick frozen) drumsticks, so I
bought IQF boneless skinless chicken thigh portions, on the theory
that they're both dark meat.

Unfortunately, the thighs have a LOT more fat and actually made me a
little naseous.

Is there any way to cook thighs to taste more like drumsticks? For
example, somehow draining more fat out of them or something?


texts: Sourdough Starter: Very fast rise (doubles in an hour)

texts:
I started a sourdough culture a week back and have some questions about rising time.

I did not add any yeast to the culture.
I am using regular whole wheat flour.
The temperature at my place is 30*C(at 1 pm)

Day 1-6 I used 10 Gram Flour. Day 6 I used 20gram, Day 7 I used 50gram
The progress so far has been as follows with 100% hydration:
Day. Status

Equal parts water and flour.
Equal parts water and flour, No Activity, smells rotten!
Equal parts Fresh Orange Juice and flour, Doubles after a few hours Repeat Same feed after 10 hours.
Equal parts Fresh Orange Juice and flour,  Doubles after a few hours Repeat Same feed after 10 hours.
Discard 50%, Equal parts water and flour: Doubles in an hour. Smells Yeasty!
Discard 50%, Equal parts water and flour: Doubles in an hour. Repeat feeding 3 times a day when the dough starts falling.
Discard 50%, Equal parts water and flour: Doubles in less than an hour!

Now most Sourdough bread recipes that I see online are based on an assumption of 8 hours rise time With my dough doubling in an hour or less, I had the following questions:

Is it the "right culture"? Should I be using it for baking?
If it can be used for Baking Is there a modified recipe available for fast acting yeast?

My Starter Jar right now looks like this!

Edit 1: I Made a whole wheat bread with the started.

The hydration was low(70%),
the crumb a bit dense.
There was little or no over spring(Did not use a dutch over, used a pan with boiling water and a tea towel on lower shelf)

...but the bread was tasty :)


texts: What can I do with Hazelnuts and Walnuts?

texts: Recently I got some hazelnuts and walnuts to snack on, but I got too many. What interesting things can I do with them before they go bad?


texts:
I have used a lot of recipes for Japanese cotton cheesecake, but none of them have worked well for me. I am currently using the following recipe and method:

60 gr of full milk
140 gr of cream cheese
40 gr butter
50 gr plain flour
15 gr cornstarch
5 eggs
100 gr fine sugar

Method: mix milk and cheese and add flour + cornstarch, then mix in the yolks. Make meringue and fold in.

Bake at 180C for 15 min, then lower the temperature to 160C and bake for 50 min.

Turn off the oven and leave the cake in the oven for 1 hour.

My problem: the cake is rising well during baking but then it deflates when it cools in the oven. What am I doing wrong?


texts: Is it safe to eat butter that have mold on the surface?

texts:
I have got a large chunk of butter, with some green molds growing on one surface only, with spots that are 1cm in diameter, and only like 3~4 of them total.

the butter itself tastes and smells fine, once i cut off the mold parts.

it is unsalted butter.

It has been sitting in the fridge for few weaks.

so is it safe to eat butter after completely removing the mold parts ?


texts: What's this discoloration in my saucepan?

texts:
I've noticed this discoloration on or near the bottom of my saucepan, which stays even after cleaning. When dry, parts of the pan will appear slightly pinkish or greenish. Furthermore, there is often some white staining.

Is this a cleaning issue (given that I haven't entirely been good with cleaning the pan out promptly)? Or is this perhaps related to something lile my water supply? The saucepan appears to be made of stainless steel.


texts:
How do you get this style of breading? I'm referring to this kind:

I'm doing Flour > egg > flour. but I dont get the results I want. I also don't want to use breadcrumbs for this. Can anyone suggest something?


texts:
So you've just cooked your creme caramels in a water bath/bain marie/double boiler with only about a quarter of the ramekin appearing above water level.

I've tried the follow methods in the past and feel there must be a more efficient, more secure or less dangerous way:

tea towel/oven mitt: not enough ramekin to grab onto without dipping the towel/mitt and your hands into boiling water.
Tongs: very unstable grip, ramekin can easily slip.
Lifting out with an egg flip: flips bends due to weight of ramekin.
Scooping water out: too much manual labor, often awkward as little room to scoop from.


texts: How can I reduce the fat in a white wine and parsley sauce?

texts:
For Xmas I was given a steamer.

This is good as I, as I expect a lot of people in the world have done, have resolved to lose some weight this year. Now I understand that steamers are good for cooking fish. One of my favourite accompaniments to make for fish is a white wine and parsley sauce, basically a thin Bechamel with white wine and parsley (occasionally with tarragon or dill depending on my fancy).

What I'm wondering is how to achieve the same effect with fewer calories. A white herby, winey sauce that's lower in fat... What do you think?


texts: How does daube provencal differ from beef bourguignon?


texts: Should steak be broiled crosswise or lengthwise?

texts: When broiling steak in an oven, is there any difference between positioning the steak lengthwise or crosswise relative to the flame?


texts: Cheddar equivalents as far as amount of flavor

texts:
I read on a website that cheddar can be aged for 12 years

I suspect that 12 year old cheddar is so strong that a small amount may be equivalent in flavor to a much larger amount of mild cheddar (3 months old)

Assuming that all ages of cheddar are made the same way, how much of each one from 1 year old to 12 years old would be equivalent in flavor to 1 cup of mild cheddar in flavour?


texts: Why can I have an indoor pizza/wood oven, but not a BBQ or smoker? (or can I...?)

texts:
I know people have indoor wood-fired pizza ovens. I also know that in general people cannot have barbecues or smokers indoors, presumably because of the potential for leakage of dangerous or deadly gasses. I am confused because both of these methods involve burning wood indoors, but only the pizza oven is considered appropriate or safe.

My guess at this time is that pizza ovens have sufficient ventilation to let out bad gasses and such, while barbecues and smokers traditionally do not have good ventilation.

Why can I have an indoor pizza/wood oven, but not a BBQ or smoker?
Would having a valve that partly closes the ventilation of a pizza oven "turn" the pizza oven into a smoker? And if so, would this also be considered dangerous?

I want to make it clear that I don’t plan on poisoning my family and won’t be building something unless if is deemed safe by professionals.


texts:
I make cakes with fondant decorations and figurines. To harden the fondant for these figurines, I add tylose or CMC powder. Sometimes, I just color the white fondant to get the desired color without tylose. Once done, I store this fondant by rolling into balls and wrapping in cling wrap before storing in an air tight container, so that air does not get to the fondant and harden it. However, after a few months, when I open the box, I find that the fondant has harden and I can't use it anymore and end up throwing all that fondant.

Can someone please suggest:

How to store fondant better?
How to soften the hardened fondant?


texts: Why was the cooking liquor for my mussels too dilute?

texts:
I made moule marinier, which were ok,  but the 'sauce' that was left when they were cooked was more dilute than I would have liked.  I cooked them in:

200ml white wine
sauteed onions and garlic
thyme

and added parsley at the end.  There seemed to be significantly more liquid at the end of cooking than I started with.  Is this normal?  Why was this?  Is it residual water in the mussels?  How can I avoid this in the future?


texts:
When chopping garlic the blade of my knife, and any fingers used to handle the garlic, become sticky.

What causes this reaction?

Is there any way to counteract it?

EDIT: After trying both suggestions out on my own, olive oil worked best for me. This feels very much like a results may vary situation, so I encourage anyone curious to try both ways.


texts: Shelf life of homemade self-rising flour?

texts:
I have a recipe that uses self-rising flour which is not available where I live, so I make my own by sifting all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt together. This has always worked fine.

In a few days I will be needing a few cups, so I decided to make it today and store it in a closed plastic bag.

Could it be a problem that I have made the flour a few days in advance? Will it still work as expected?

I have always used the homemade self-rising flour immediately and never tried to store it.

Of course the  self-rising flour you buy in stores are the same three ingredients, but I don't know if the manufacture also uses some additives that makes it store well.


texts: Too much sugar in soup -- how to make it less cloying?

texts:
I was making this recipe: Cabbage Borscht, which was from the old Lincoln Del, one of my mom's favourite places. I mistakenly doubled the sugar, putting in 1/2 a cup instead of a 1/4 of a cup. Given the 2/3 of a cup ketchup, which was Heinz, the soup turned out way, way too sweet.

Is there any way I can rescue this?


texts: The trout is covered with slime. I am going to bake it. Should I remove the slime?


texts:
I know, I know, I should be making my own eggnog, but when I'm in a pinch and I don't have the time to make my own eggnog, I have to rely on the store bought stuff.

With that being said, can anyone tell me a standard ratio of eggnog to brandy/rum?


texts: Why does my skillet burn even when using peanut oil?

texts: When I use peanut oil which is one of the highest smoke point oils the oil still burns. Why is this happening? Is it the burner that's too hot? I have used the burner mainly on high


texts: Selling food online nationally (US based)

texts:
I’m wanting to sell a dry-mix product online.
I am aware of the required local/state licenses as well as the need for food handler certification and commercial kitchen.
However, I am unsure of what is required in order to sell nationally.

Do I have to send my food in to a lab to have the contents analyzed or is there a less costly way to make a legitimate FDA nutrition label?

Is there anything else that is required to sell nationally online?

Do you know of any good resources for this general process?


texts: I am looking for a vegan substitute for cream cheese for use in a white chocolate/cream cheese icing

texts: I tried one recipe with silken tofu, but it didn't set enough and just ran off the carrot cake.


texts: Chocolate baking bars vs. chocolate chips?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Can I use Chocolate Chips in place of Semi-sweet baking chocolate?

Can I substitute chocolate baking bars for chocolate chips?  Usually the baking bars are so much more expensive.  I am going to be melting the chocolate, so I'd figure chocolate is chocolate, right?  However, I am worried about if when letting the chocolate set, if the results are going to be different or not (texture, shine, smoothness, etc). Thanks!


texts: We received several pork items as gifts that have way too much smoke flavor, these items are several types of brats, bacon and pork patties along with a mesquite chicken breast. How can I remove some of the smoke flavor?


texts: How does mixing different kinds of beers/liquors mask the taste of alcohol?

texts:
Some time ago, I was at a college party where my friend gave me some horrifying concoction of various liquors, and he asked me to try it.  As I'd expected, it was absolutely foul- until he added a splash of beer.  Naturally, I was skeptical...up until I tasted it.  I couldn't taste ANY alcohol whatsoever, just some of the juice he'd used.  And since then, I've had quite a few other mixed drinks where the taste of alcohol just disappears.

In general, what is happening (chemically, mechanically, any way) when you mix two different types of alcohol together?  Are there any specific tricks to being able to make drinks like that?


texts: Can I add lemon zest to a shortbread cookie recipe?

texts: I would like to use a shortbread recipe for making lemon short bread cookies, this recipe only uses sugar and butter and doesn't use any eggs or milk, I was thinking that perhaps I could add lemon extract and use lemon zest do you think it would work?


texts: Can household dish soaps, stored diluted, breed dangerous bacteria?

texts:
Keeping some of your dish soap in a spare bottle pre-mixed with water, ready to apply to rags, paper towels or sponges, seems practical to quickly clean up small spills etc - the question is, is there a risk of making the soap itself "perishable" that way, possibly breeding germs that will be distributed by using it?

I am aware that the soap is not a food, however it is something commonly used near food and on food contacting surfaces.


texts: Is there a problem with defrosting meat on the counter?

texts:
I generally defrost meat on the kitchen counter. A friend of mine suggested that this was dangerous and suggested that I defrost meat in the refrigerator. I am no biologist but it seems to me that as long as the meat doesn't get warm defrosting it on the counter should be safe.

Generally, I remove the frozen items from the freezer and place them on a plate on the counter in the packaging they were frozen in. When they are mostly / completely thawed I place the meat in the refrigerator.

Am I wrong and should I be defrosting in the refrigerator?


texts: I want to try out some recipes that require a bone stock. Ideally a bone stock should be made with bones that have been roasted for 45 minutes, I  just moved and do not posses a oven. Is it possible to get the same roasted bone flavour with just a skillet or any other type of pan? If not, are there any alternatives for getting a proper bone stock?


texts:
When I used to work for a grocer a senior employee told me that the broccoli suppliers tried not to freeze or pack the broccoli in too much ice to prevent it from freezing. He said that this was because freezing broccoli leads to it drying out after the ice melts away.

Is this an urban myth? Is there anything to this statement?