texts: Food industry: where does buttermilk go?

texts:
I've recently home- made butter.
Starting from 500g of cream I've obtained, let's say, 250g of butter and 250g of buttermilk.

The fairly big amount of by-product/scrap, the buttermilk, due to:

half of the initial cream mass
the high cost of cream
(at least in Italy) it is a ingredient used in really few recipes

This, let me think on how dairy industry deals with it, because I do not see many uses of buttermilk so:

Does dairy industry produce buttermilk in that way?
Are there any other uses for buttermilk?
Is buttermilk converted into other food?

EDIT: First, mine it is a pure curiosity. I do not need to use buttermilk anywhere or in any recipe.
Second, here in Italy, buttermilk is a very rare product: I've never neither seen my mother or my grandmother using buttermilk in recipes for e.g. cakes nor listed as ingredient in industrial cakes or other desserts; furthermore, I've never used it as beverage. Even tough, Google returns some recipes with buttermilk.


texts: What kind of dishes use fresh coriander fruits

texts:
I grew some cilantro in my garden and allowed some of it to go to seed. Most commonly, I've seen the seed pods dried and ground. Where I live at least, the fresh leaves are referred to as cilantro and the dried seeds are sold as coriander. What I tried, was using the fresh green seed pods in a soup and I loved it. The seed pods have a more balanced flavour in comparison to the leaves with additional fragrant citrus notes.

What I'm wondering is if this is common practice or if anyone has any other ideas for using these pods.


texts: Does microwaving destroy nutrients in food?

texts:
After answering this article, I did some research on microwaving killing vitamins and nutrients in food.

I very quickly learned that this is a touchy subject, even among nutritionists, and nobody (at least, nobody I saw) seems to have a "this is the science behind it and here is a definite answer" answer.  Some articles claim "there is no hard evidence" while others point to studies from Stanford and other respected institutions that back the "yes" answer.

Some quick articles with conflicting information, if you're only going to read one please read the first and last as they seem the most reputable to me:

The Straight Dope: Scientists are not sure yet, but it's likely in some cases
Microwaving can be like boiling, which kills nutrients
Microwaving is the best way of cooking for preserving nutrients
Microwaving hurts broccoli, but is good for potatoes
Harvard: Microwaving may preserve nutrients, like Vitamin C

As an interesting note, the "use less water" idea, which most of us take as common sense when cooking vegetables, may also be under scrutiny.  From the Harvard article above:

  But this is nutrition, and nothing in
  nutrition is simple. Italian
  researchers published results in 2008
  of an experiment comparing three
  cooking methods — boiling, steaming,
  and frying — and the effect they had
  on the nutritional content of
  broccoli, carrots, and zucchini.
  Boiling carrots actually increased
  their carotenoid content, while
  steaming and frying reduced it.
  Carotenoids are compounds like lutein,
  which may be good for the eyes, and
  beta carotene. One possible
  explanation is that it takes longer
  for vegetables to get tender when
  they’re steamed, so the extra cooking
  time results in more degradation of
  some nutrients and longer exposure to
  oxygen and light.

So, my questions are: Is microwaving known to kill nutrients in foods?  Is there a way to minimize this effect?  Can any nutritionists weigh in here with their experience, and ideally, the science behind their answers?  This has been a very confusing research path full of conflicting information, so all answers are appreciated.


texts: How do I easily get thin slices of guava paste?

texts:
I made guava bars recently, with a layer made of slices of guava paste. The block of paste I had was pretty hard to cut thinly and evenly: it was very sticky, and firm enough to take effort to cut through along with the stickiness.

Are there any easy ways to get nice slices out of it?

(In this case, someone else had volunteered to cut, but ended up with too-thick slices, so we ended up putting it in plastic wrap and rolling it out thinner, but that wasn't exactly easy either - I wouldn't have wanted to do it for the whole block.)


texts: Wax paper sticking to homemade taffy - what to use for wrapping?

texts:
I am developing a recipe for a taffy, and the candy itself is turning out perfectly. The major problem that I'm encountering is that the wax paper squares I am using seem to stick to the taffy after about 2-3 days of being wrapped. This may be a function of humidity (we're in mid-atlantic states).

To make the squares I simply took storebought wax paper, cut into 4x4 squares, take 1" taffy pieces and twist the ends. Every recipe I have found has supported using this. For the first few days, this worked fine. However, soon after I noticed that the paper was starting to stick at spots. Now, on several of the taffies, you simply can't remove the paper, it has adhered completely to the candy.

I'm contemplating using edible rice paper, and then a wax paper around it, but I was hoping there may be some other suggestions such as rolling the taffy in powdered sugar, starch, or flour. Any advice would be appreciated.


texts: Which torch to buy for finishing sous vide meat? Butane or propane?

texts:
I have started cooking sous vide and am thinking of buying a torch to finish off the meat. I have seen stores selling little butane torches for creme brulees, but some have claimed they are not hot enough and I should use propane.

On the other hand, some have claimed that propane leaves a flavour in the meat that should be avoided.

Anyone tried both? Anyone uses the little butane torches? What kind of flavour does the propane impart?


texts:
Where can I find food safety guidelines on how to handle reusing deep fryer oil several times for a variety of different foods.
I imagine that oil used only for vegetables can be reused for longer (both safely and taste wise) vs oil used for items that contain dairy. That’s just one example.
I’m looking for the USA.
There is this but it doesn’t address vegetable vs animal products not does it address reusing the oil several times.


texts:
I never owned a cocktail shaker before and my friend gave me a mini cocktail shaker set from crate and barrel. From what he told me, I have a 3 piece shaker, a jigger, and a Hawthorne strainer.

My question is why did the set come with a Hawthorne strainer if the 3 piece shaker has the strainer in the lid?

The Hawthorne strainer fits in the bottom biggest part of the 3 piece shaker so am I supposed to remove the top and use the Hawthorne?

Is the set more for display instead of use?


texts: I have a recipe I received several years ago from a sushi class I took for spicy tuna rolls. There is two ingredients I can't find when I search the web. They are: KOBASHI and TOBIASHI. Any idea what these are?


texts: Is it practical to boil drinking water in a pressure cooker?

texts:
At my home and relative's homes I've never seen anyone using a pressure cooker to boil water (to make it safe for drinking). They just take an ordinary steel vessel, fill it with tap water, add some salt and jeera seeds, cover the vessel top partially with a lid and let the water reach boiling point.

I just realized that it might be far more efficient to boil water in a pressure cooker until the first whistle sounds, since it's a closed environment that would lose less energy to the environment. It may boil the water faster (less cooking gas consumption), boil it to a higher temperature (greater variety of bacteria dead) and perhaps lose less water to evaporation. Is this practical or are there downsides to this technique because of which people dont use it?


texts: How to Replace Icing Sugar in a No-Bake Cheesecake

texts:
Are there any good substitutes for sugar in Cheesecakes? I am not interested in synthetic sugar like Aspartame. I want to use natural sugar substitute like honey. But if mix honey into the cheese (e.g: Philadelphia cheese), will it ruin the cheese cake. I don't mind getting the honey taste in the cake, but will I get the same consistency in the cheese compare to if I mix sugar into the cheese?

This is the recipe. I got it from www.recipify.com:

250 gr of digestive biscuit/biscotti

80 gr butter

80 gr Philadelphia cheese

5 table spoon of Nutella

4 tablespoon of icing sugar

400 gr of creme

Melt the butter in the sauce pan.
Crumble the biscuit, and pour the melted button onto it. Cool it in the fridge for half an hour.
Mix the Philadelphia cheese with the icing sugar. Once you have done that, mix the Nutella.
Whisk the creme. Combine it with Nutella and Philadelphia mixture.
Put everything onto the crumbed biscuit. Leave it in the fridge overnight.

Thanks


texts: What is the purpose of waffle irons that flip?

texts: I saw some local shops selling waffle irons that have a complicated gimbal mechanism (such as the Bella Rotating Waffle Maker listed here). What is the purpose of begin able to turn the waffle within this device? Does this have any advantage over a regular waffle iron that just has a top lid that opens?


texts: Is it okay to freeze fish at home, after it was only refrigerated in the supermarket?

texts:
Let's say you buy packaged fish from the supermarket, which was kept cool, but not frozen, by their commercial refrigerators.

The wisest thing to do would be to prepare and consume this at the earliest convenience, as it would be most fresh, but what if you wanted to keep it stored at home for later?

Is it okay to store packaged supermarket-fish in your freezer, especially after it was merely cooled by a normal store refrigeration system, and it had time in the car to gain some temperature?

Does it ruin the texture/flavour of the meat? Is it hygienic/sanitary/unhealthy to do this?

I'm looking to buy a bunch of fish (and shellfish) for the weekend, as I'll have no time/means of going to the supermarket the day of the meal.

Edit: I am aware of, and often practise, the method of buying frozen fish and storing it at home in the freezer, but in this example, I'm referring to fish that was not frozen in the supermarket.


texts: Use the back of a granite chopping board as a pizza stone?

texts:
We've got a 40x30cm granite chopping board that I never use (it's more decorative than useful), and I've wondered for a while if it might work as a pizza stone.

The top and sides of the board are either very polished or possibly coated, I'm not sure - it's very smooth anyway - but the underside is clearly not prepared and is comparitively rough.

If I can successfully remove the feet it's got on the bottom, do you think using the underside would work (and be safe?) as a pizza stone?
Would I need to prepare/season/etc it before use?


texts: I had pork tongues and collard greens in the roaster oven. They cooked for over 2 hours at 225. Then the heat was off for 4½ hours. (and the lid was off momentarily) Face-palm.Then the heat was back on at higher temperature. If it matters, the meat was submerged in water with apple cider vinegar. Likely safe or don't risk it?


texts:
I'm used to the crust on sourdough bread being thick and chewy, but had always attributed that to the longer rise, and baking with steam, that one normally does with sourdough.  However, this week I made a hybrid sourdough* in my bread machine, and its crust was thicker, browner, and chewier than non-sourdough breads made in the same machine.  Since the baking cycle and atmosphere are the exact same as, say, last week's whole wheat loaf, it's not how it was baked.

So my question is: what is the physical or chemical property of sourdough starters that results in a heavier crust?

Note that while there are a number of questions on the board about sourdough crusts, all of them focus on manipulating the baking environment, and not on properties of the dough itself.

(* hybrid sourdough: some sourdough starter plus a little commercial yeast)


texts: Best tool for quickly cutting vegetables into a salad?

texts:
I like eating a salad for lunch, but would like to somehow optimize the time it takes to cut the vegetables. My salad usually contains tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, carrot, etc.

I could buy an electrical blender, but the end result is usually not as tasty since the vegetable parts are too small. Therefore I tried to look-up for some alternatives:

Starfrit Chopper

Prepworks Chopper

Freshware Chopper

Anyone have experience with such devices? Perhaps there's some great alternative that I haven't found yet?


texts: What's the difference between Red and Panang curry?

texts: I love Panang curry and Thai food in general. However, whenever I try to make  curry at home it always comes out as indistinguishable from Red curry. What's the distinction between these two dishes? I feel like I'm probably just missing one or two ingredients that make the difference, but my trusted recipe books and google haven't been of much use.


texts: Garlic clove has turned to a firm jelly texture

texts:
I keep my garlic on my kitchen shelf by the window. Out of the whole garlic bulb one the cloves has changed to a yellow/orange colour and its texture is like hard jelly. Its slightly squidgy but firm.

How has this happened? Is it edible?


texts: Why not make sourdough bread from young starter?

texts:
I made my own starter 3-4 days ago, and it has been growing well; I have fed it twice so far. As far as I know, it is recommended that you feed starter for about 7-0 days before you use it to make bread. My question is, why? If my starter is already growing, it means that the yeast in there is alive and well. How would the bread be different if I made it from the starter I have today, vs the one I will have in a week?
Thanks.


texts: How does the way chicken is cut affect the taste (if at all)?

texts: I wonder if a sloppily filleted chicken breast will yield a drier, less flavorful chicken. If it does, why is this the case?  And what is the proper way to filet a chicken?


texts: How to get rid of the rich iron and blood taste in certain beef cuts?

texts:
I sometimes get meat that tastes really strongly of iron and blood, usually when the meat is visibly bloodier, but not always. To me it's more of an effect or an assault on the senses than a mere taste and I don't like it, although to each their own.
What are some of the best ways to prepare and cook these cuts to reduce their bloody flavor as much as possible? Please include a way or two that is 'quick and dirty' when time is scarce, and also allow for still being able to serve it on the rare/medium-rare end of the spectrum. I also don't want to just completely cover the natural meat flavors up with spices and added ingredients (although I'm open to good pairings that naturally offset or complement what's going on- like the classic liver & onions).
Do people soak meat in water? Would letting the meat season overnight or let the meat air out do the trick? Also is there a way to predict which meat cuts will taste like this, through visual inspection or knowledge of the cuts?


texts: Homemade/DIY Frozen Vegetables: Can steaming be used instead of blanching?

texts:
I want to try making my own frozen veg since they go bad fairly quickly in my fridge. I've got carrots, beans and some greens.

I've never blanched anything before, so I'm willing to try, and I understand that each veggie has their own respective cooking time.

However, I'd rather steam them.

Is this possible?  Or does the blanching process do magical things to preserving the veg that steaming won't?


texts: Can adding too much sauce and ingredients to fried rice make it too salty?

texts:
I was cooking fried rice. I added sriracha sauce, hoisin sauce, chili garlic sauce, 4 huge sausages, egg, and a bunch of okra. The fried rice was too salty.

Would all of these sauces and ingredients really make my fried rice too salty? What can I do next time to make it less salty.


texts: I pickled zucchini slices last summer with plenty of vinegar, sugar and spices and still have some jars in my refrigerator.  They look fine but I wonder about bacteria etc. Thanks


texts: So, I've seen a previous question about brown spots in purple sweet potatoes, but I have baked a potato that actually has a large brown... area. Is this spoilage? I ate a bite from the "top" area, where there is no brown blotch, and it tastes okay... but the "varied" color of the rest makes me nervous.


texts: Is it alright to store frozen meat above frozen prepared foods?

texts: Would this cause any cross-contamination issues since the meat is frozen and wouldn't be dripping down onto any of the frozen prepared meals that have already been cooked?


texts:
I have now a pile of chicken bones and I have heard they can be useful in making some food. How should I preserve them and where can I use them? Should I cut them into pieces and throw them into a new soup? What is their purpose in the soup? Flavor or something else? I am always looking for ways to cut my costs so any budget-cooking ideas welcomed!

I will outline here ways how I can cut my costs with bones:

According to Wikipedia, bones are a good source of calcium with acid boiling:

  A study determined that "prolonged cooking of a bone in soup increases
  the calcium content of the soup when cooked at an acidic, but not at a
  neutral pH".

so putting some acid there (lemon juice or something else?) I can cut my milk costs, sounds great.

more ideas like this? How should the internals be handled?


texts: I forgot to rinse lentils before adding them to soup. Is the meal still safe to eat?

texts:
I get a bit too freaked out about health and safety when it comes to cooking.

I am cooking a lentil soup today and have just added a whole bunch of lentils I forgot to rinse. Is the food safe to eat? Is the rinsing for hygienic reasons or for flavour/consistency reasons?


texts: I am making cinnamon rolls with a maple flavoured frosting, however, I am having trouble finding maple extract for the frosting. What can I substitute it with? I have vanilla extract - will it change the taste of the topping too much if I use this?


texts: How long can cooked food be safely stored at room/warm temperature?

texts:
If I leave fully-cooked food (particularly meat) out at warm temperature - say on the counter or in a crock pot that's been turned off -  how long will it stay safe to eat?

Does it make any difference if I re-cook the food afterward?


texts:
I'm looking for a source for "tara gum" powder. It is used like xanthan and guar gum, but reportedly
increases the general benefits and adds a "creamy" taste. The only providers I have located only sell in mass quantities.

I am a care giver for a man with dysphagia(difficulty swallowing) and he can only eat a few items
that I freeze with the gums added. All other nutrients/medication are taken in via stomach tube.

I'v read online that "possibly" one of the major ice cream makers uses tara gum.


texts: Teflon vs. Porcelain lined cookware (stove top)

texts: We've had awful luck with non stick pots and pans no matter how much we spend on them. Most have been Teflon coated. We recently bought a bunch of "high quality", expensive, porcelain lined aluminum cookwares with enamel coated exteriors. I love the nonstick, easy cleaning so far. They are about 6 months old and no issues. Just wondering what others think of Porcelain vs Teflon cookware. Hope this will last much longer than what I've been use to.


texts: What can I substitute for pineapple juice in this recipe?

texts:
My group in cooking class has to make a beverage and they chose my recipe coconut kiss. But, one of the members tells us she is allergic to pineapple. It is hard you see because I made it before and the pineapple really boosts the taste in the coconut cream. I want it to taste no less than it should and so I need a really good alternative for the pineapple juice.

What can I substitute? These are all the ingredients:

2c coconut cream,
2c pineapple juice,
1c apple cherry juice,
1c orange juice and
Crushed ice


texts: I made tomato sauce yesterday but looking at the bottles today it has separated, can I re cook it to hopefully thicken it? I made it with fresh tomatoes.


texts: I've made a soup that has a fairly salty, this is by design. The taste of the soup has turned out well. What I'm looking for is a good accompaniment or palette cleanser to counter the salt but compliment the taste. The soup is a Apple and Gammon with a vegetable stock base.


texts: How to prepare soup for an office potluck?

texts:
My office does a weekly "Soup Group", where each week there is a team of four people assigned to bringing in dishes for a potluck-style lunch hour. I have the intention of bringing a kimchi-tofu stew in, but am unsure about the easiet/most food safe way of going about this. My original intention was to prepare the stew the night before, and then let it cool and refrigerate it. This way, I can bring the stew to the office in a sealed container easily, and then transfer it to a slow-cooker once at the office, where it can reheat and maintain temperature until the lunch hour.

My question is, is this the most efficient way to do this? Are there any concerns with food safety when reheating a stew in the crockpot? I feel as though this may be the best method, but am looking for some input. Thanks!


texts:
I have recently started poaching some of my sausages. I add a spoon of barbeque spice to the hot water when I poach it. The sausage turns out great but I'm left wondering if the spice I add to the water actually adds any flavour? I suspect I might be wasting spoonsful of spice.

So does it achieve anything to add spice to poaching liquid?


texts:
So I like to cook food in advance so its quicker to make dishes when I come back from work. After blanching a few tomatoes, how can I store them so I can use them days after? Should i refrigerate them in a suspension of oil or water? Freeze them as is? And if I do freeze them, how should I thaw them out again?

So far I have blanched them according to this technique http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCUx9xPZFe8

I just need to find out what to do next. Any advice?


texts:
I've got more grass-fed ground beef than I know what to do with and, I'd like to perfect my burger recipe.  I see lots of involved recipes with tons of spices, but I'm looking to keep it simple.

The best I've made so far is just S&P, minced onion and minced fresh parsley.

Any suggestions on how to improve from there? I'm pan frying them, if that makes a difference.


texts: What is this symbol that looks like a shrimp tempura on a Philips HD9928 air fryer?

texts:
This question is about a Philips HD9228 air fryer.
What is the 3rd symbol (C in the screenshot) on this air fryer? The manual doesn't say anything about it. I'm assuming it's a shrimp tempura, or a chicken lollipop.

Symbols:

A - frozen french fries
B - raw/thawed french fries
C - ???
D - chicken drumstick
E - spring roll
F - muffin


texts:
I have a counter-top water distiller which I have been using to make distilled water, and it's been working fine for this purpose. Recently, my artichoke plant has produced artichokes ready for harvest, and I had the idea I could use the distiller to steam-cook them.

The possible advantages I can think of are:

Distiller would automatically shutoff when the water is boiled away.
I could set the cooking time by how much water I put in.
No steam escaping into the environment. (I live in a small room, and it gets damp in here too easily.)
Producing distilled water at the same time.

However, the possible disadvantages I can think of are:

Contaminants from the water might splash up and ruin the food.
Difficulty finding a stand to keep the artichoke out of the water.
The particles of artichoke might contaminate the steam, causing the distiller's charcoal filter or even the inside of its pipes to clog.

Anyone actually try this or know of probable problems I haven't thought of?

Here is the distiller I have: http://www.amazon.com/Water-Distiller-Countertop-Enamel-Collection/dp/B00026F9F8?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_cd_al_qh_dp_i


texts:
For the record this is my first post here, so hopefully it is on topic I do mean the fishy kind, not the strongman kind:

I bought a kg of mussels but I have never cooked them before so I asked the guy in the shop, the basics and went back to cook them. However, I mistakenly chucked them in a simmering pot without checking and then realised that I need to pull the bits of stuff off them! I didn't want to take them back out in case they were still half alive or something so I have left them to cook.

I am wondering if it will be ok to cook them till they are cooked and then drain them, clean them and put them in some fresh water with some garlic and butter to cook again (straight away after that) or if I have foolishly missed my only chance to cook them properly. If the latter, can anyone advise on how I should have gone about it (I think I should have pulled the bits off - should I have rinsed them or would that be too cruel?)

I don't want to waste a kg of mussels but I preference this to food poisoning so experienced advice would be welcome! Thanks.


texts: Why can´t I make a goodlooking napolitan style pizza dough?

texts:
I know you have to use a oven that can get to at least 800°F, and I am using a home  integrated kitchen oven, but I can´t get any closer to a good-looking pizza than this

It taste delicious but I want something like this

 (or at least something similar).

The ingredients I use are:

450g All purpose flour
230ml water
4g fresh yeast
5g salt
2g sugar

I also use a round metal pizza plate with holes to prepare the pizza because I don´t have palets to move the pizza (like this one ).

I hope someone can tell me how to improve my technice, I am working on a homemade oven that can´t get to 900°F, to take the oven´s lacks of temperature off the equation, so I guess it won´t be an stopper anytime soon.


texts: Does reducing fruit change its composition?

texts:
I like fresh fruit reductions like cranberry coulis or lingonberry and huckleberry sauce. But I am worried that I'm not merely evaporating the water, but changing the sauce in other ways.

Does simmering a fruit reduction cause anything other than water to evaporate?

Does reduction reduce or destroy the vitamins by heat? A comment by Johnannes_B mentioned this.


texts: Is it possible to repair damage to the non-stick surface?

texts:
I thought I signed up before writing that post, but I can't edit it! Sorry for screwing up. I want to provide details here. Thank you so far for assistance!
I used that pan JUST on Electric Cook Top in my house. I never knew overheating can damage non-stick surface! Someone asked how do I heat it? I usually oil the surface with Sunflower or Safflower Oil —  because they have high smoke points! I usually just use medium or medium high heat.  SOMETIMES  I crank up the cooktop to max heat — if the pan holds many ingredients and the food is cooking too slowly — or if I want to stir fry rice, noodles, vegetables, seafood like Asians.
At max or high heat, I NEVER leave the pan empty or dry on high heat!!! On low to medium heat, the pan can be empty or dry when I am offloading ingredients and onloading new ingredients. Like if I finish stir frying ginger and rice at high heat, I turn down cooktop to low heat. Then I pour out vegetables. Now pan is empty. Then I pour in my raw vegetables and crank back up to high heat.
Now I have a question. I paid $129.99 + 13% tax in Ontario Canada = $147 for this pan. Can someone fix this damage? Is it economical to fix? Or smarter to buy a new pan? I contacted Zwilling about a replacement.


texts: I love pho and will soon try making it myself using an authentic Vietnamese recipe. I'm clear on all of the other ingredients and techniques, but "yellow rock sugar" has me stumped. Is this what the recipe means? If so, does it really taste different from regular sugar?


texts: Pecan Sandies-Baking powder in the recipe vs. recipe without a leavening agent?

texts:
When my children were young, we baked cookies every weekend. One of their favorites was 'Pecan Sandies' without the pecans. The ingredients were: 1)butter, 2)sugar, 3)flour, 4)vanilla extract, and 5)water. This recipe created a buttery cookie that was neither dry nor hard and seemed to almost dissolve in your mouth. I loved this recipe because it was so simple and contained much less sugar than most  cookies. (The kids loved them straight from the oven without any added sugar for decorating.)
Recently, I wanted to make these cookies with my granddaughters but I couldn't find my old recipe. Simple fix, I'll just look it up online! What I found were very few recipes with only the 5 basic ingredients I listed above.  A majority of the recipes contained a leavening agent such as cream of tartar or baking powder.
Now for my question: How will the cookies made with a leavening agent differ from the well loved cookies I made years ago?


texts: Recipes say not to boil butter for beurre monté - why?

texts: I made butter poached lobster tail today.  Every recipe on the internet warns not the boil the butter when making the beurre monté, otherwise the butter will separate.  No recipe explained why this is such a bad thing.  If you're just cooking the lobster in the butter, why does it matter if it separates or not?


texts:
I know that when a recipe calls for "whipped topping" it's code for Cool Whip. I am not a fan of Cool Whip, but want to make a recipe which calls for it. Is there a substitute that I can make or purchase that isn't totally artificial?

Trying to substitute Cool Whip in this recipe:

Banana-Berry Frozen Yogurt Bars

10-½ Honey Maid Honey Graham's, broken into quarters (42 rectangles)

½ cup sliced fresh strawberries
½ cup chopped bananas
¼ cup blueberries

1 cup vanilla nonfat Greek-style yogurt
1 cup thawed frozen reduced-fat whipped topping

Line 9-inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Arrange half the graham pieces, in 3 rows of 7 pieces each, on bottom of pan.
Pulse fruits in blender just until blended. (Some chunks should remain.) Spoon fruit into medium bowl; stir in yogurt and whipped topping. Spread over graham pieces in pan; top with remaining graham pieces, aligning over graham pieces on bottom layer.
Freeze 4 hours. Use foil handles to lift dessert from pan; cut between grahams into 21 bars. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.


texts:
On a different question on rhubarb, a link to the wikipedia-page was posted. It is stated there that cooking rhubarb leaves with soda can make them more poisonous.

Does the same hold true for cooking the rhubarb stem and adding soda? Up until know, I thought it was a nice and easy way to reduce the sour taste a bit.


texts: HELP with brining a Turkey and still have regular tasting gravy?

texts: So last year I made a phenomenal brine with kosher salt, pure maple syrup and a few seasonings. I loved the turkey, it was awesome. However the pan drippings that became my gravy turned out very sweet and tasted like maple syrup. I really want to brine. I need help with a brine that will make it flavorful yet give me normal tasting gravy when done.


texts: Apple Crumble doesn't turn out okay and takes forever

texts:
I used a simple Apple Crumble recipe: equal parts by weight flour and butter, and half part sugar. It takes forever to bake in my electric oven at 180C. I made a very small batch today (25g butter and on) in 4" round pan (non stick pan which can be base separated, though I used butter paper). It took more than an hour and a half for the top to begin to brown (and the edges began to blacken), and when I took it out the apples in the base were either burnt or completely dried. Last time I made a bigger batch and it also took forever to cook, and then it burnt from the top when I increased the temperature to 200C to speed things up (I don't remember exactly but I think the apples were fine then) and I had used a steel pan.
So my question is, what is contributing to my apple crumble disasters? Are pans no good and I should be using ramekins or glass dishes? Is slicing the apples not the best way to do it? Am I supposed to use butter paper or not? And what is the best temperature to bake it on? Why is it taking forever, especially in a smaller pan? Thank you!!


texts: How to season a giant cast iron cider press?

texts:
How do I season an antique cast iron cider press that I just bought? It is substantially bigger than any stove, oven, or grill that I own, at about 48" diameter.

I'd consider other food-safe finishes too, but seasoning seems the obvious choice given that it is cast iron.


texts: Can I use edamame pods to make a vegetable broth?

texts: I’m currently saving various vegetable scraps to make veggie broth. I have a bunch of leftover edamame pods that I would normally just compost, but I’m wondering if they would work well in my broth. Would that taste okay?


texts: Use the same cast iron skillet or buy a new one for desserts?

texts:
Quick backstory

I currently have 2 skillets -- one a 12" flat skillet and the other ribbed. They have both been used for meat and I learned my lesson awhile ago and try to keep them as far away from water as possible. I do not have an open flame as I have a glass cooktop.

Question

I saw a few recipes for desserts and cornbread using a cast iron skillet that I would love to try. The problem is that my cast irons have all been used for meat and I am afraid to attempt any of these recipes if it might come out tasting like last night's ground-beef.

I did have a look at this question: How do you clean a cast iron skillet?

Does the skillet even trap any flavors or will any excess just burn off as I heat it up? If it will have the meat flavor, will using a towel, oil, and kosher salt help get rid of any left-over flavors or is this insane and everyone has a cast iron specifically for desserts/breads?


texts: How to keep graham cracker crust from falling apart

texts: Whenever I make any type of square using a graham cracker crust, it always falls apart upon slicing.  No matter what I try, either following the receipe exactly,increasing or decreasing the amount of butter, slicing it when it is cold and hot, it always crumbles. There must be a way to succeed or they wouldn't call them squares. Anybody know the secret?


texts: Why use chopped tomatoes and tomato paste/puree?

texts: I have seen a number of recipes that call for a tin of chopped tomatoes and some quantity (usually a tablespoon or two) of tomato puree (USA: tomato paste). What is the reasoning behind using tomato puree as well? Does it give a different texture or flavour?


texts: Counteracting a metallic taste in canned tomatoes?

texts:
I used some canned tomatoes to make chili, which normally works fine, but today it has a really strong metallic flavor. From what I can tell, this is just because they're probably low-quality, so I won't be using this brand again.

Anyway, is there anything I can do to save this chili? I didn't notice the flavor until I added everything else.


texts: I made lemon sorbet and have already churned it but the consistency is too runny. I churned it a minimal amount using a food processor (I've done it this way before).  How do I make it thicker?


texts: What are the functions of vinegar in cooking?

texts:
I have used vinegar for flavor as a substitute for salt and noticed that it is used in salads, not sure why perhaps as preserver/flavour. But I have never realized that it could be used in much more like a thing to avoid potatoes turning mush, comment here. So what are the functions of vinegar? Why does it have such functions? According to this, pH of vinegar is about 2.4. It is very hard for me to see its applications. Please, teach why it works how-it-works.

Please, add some scientific tag like chemistry or homebrew-science to show that I am interested in proper explanations.


texts: How can I roast/heat all these foods for one meal?

texts:
I'm a microwave cook wanting to get fancy for a Christmas dinner tomorrow. I'm having trouble putting together a schedule for what to put in a regular gas oven at what temp, when, for a 4pm dinner. The menu I put together:

Ham that bakes at 300 degrees for 1-1/2 to 2 hours (an 8-10 pound ham)
Baked ham that glazes at 400 degrees, for 15 minutes.
The baked & pineapple-glazed ham does then sit, but for only 15 minutes.
Sweet potato wedges, roasted at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.
"Soft" veggies, also roasted at 425, but for 10-15 minutes.
Salad that doesn't need the oven at all.

I've taken gloomy note of the advice here that I should NOT try to glaze the ham alongside steamy veggies, no matter how tempting it looks on paper. So do I bake the ham & glaze it, and then deal with the sweet potatoes & veggies while letting the ham sit for half an hour?

To make things worse, I only have two cookie sheets, and I suspect that potatoes & veggies for six are going to take up three. Can I do the potatoes very early, and then repurpose their cookie sheet at the end? (But I'd have to heat them back up...) Can I put one of the dishes in a cake pan or Pyrex casserole dish? Will there be enough real estate in my normal-sized oven if I do so?

Should I just break down and cook the sweet potatoes in the microwave? Then I can do so and oven-roast the veggies while the ham sits.

UPDATE: I tried parboiling the sweet potatoes before roasting them, and it went blooie: I just plain boiled them instead. So we'll have mashed sweet potatoes and plenty of room for the veggies... Fingers crossed on those.


texts: Is granulated sugar (American) the same as caster sugar (UK)?

texts: I have an american cake recipe which includes 'granulated sugar', would this be uk caster sugar? It is for the stage when you beat in with the butter?


texts: How long to bake lasagne at lower temperature?

texts: My recipe states that I need to bake my fish lasagne for 40 min at 180 degrees Celsius. I will go out and want the food to be ready when I return but will not be back within 40 minutes. Is there a way how I can extend the cooking time at lower temp without drying the lasagne out?


texts: How much pepper sauce could you get out of a Carolina Reaper?

texts:
If you can get one pepper and let's say for arguments sake assume that this pepper is 1 500 000 SHU. How much sauce could you actually make from one such pepper?

I would personally remove the seeds to improve my seed bank. How would this influence the amount of sauce you could make?It would have to be a reasonably strong sauce, but not overbearing.

Is there a general rule of thumb for how pepper sauces are made in regards to the SHU levels they achieve?


texts:
Much to the amusement of @ElendilTheTall, I'm working on French macarons. I'm using the method that makes an Italian meringue, so I pour hot sugar syrup into the partially whipped egg whites.

The final result is supposed to look like this:

I'm not there yet :/. The recipes that I have consulted add powdered color to the unwhipped egg white and almond flour mixture (I don't have powdered color), or they add gel to the final mixture before folding. One of the recipes warns against that, that the liquid in the color will affect the consistency of the batter.

So why not add the color (and for that matter, any liquid flavoring you might be using) to the syrup? Just before it reaches soft ball stage (the stage at which it is added to the meringue)? The syrup has water in it anyway. It seems that you could even use ordinary liquid food coloring, three drops isn't going to affect the water measurement, kitchen scales are not accurate to fractions of a gram.

If, at the final stage, the color looks a bit too timid, I still can a drop of gel color (less than I would use otherwise) to the final mix.

Why would this be a bad idea?

My actual recipe is paywalled, but this method is close.


texts: Is it safe to use non-sashimi grade fish to make gravlax?

texts:
Background: I am trying to make gravlax, but some recipes I see use sashimi quality fish, and others do not, see:

Recipe without sashimi quality fish:
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/super-quick-salmon-gravadlax/#zYOgHzcRRMYwGDTe.97

Recipe with sashimi quality fish:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/04/how-to-make-gravlax-cured-salmon.html

So my questions are:

Is it safe to use non sashimi grade fish to make gravlax, as in that first recipe?
Was it safe to eat traditional gravlax before people knew about parasites and freezing?
What does Ikea do to its gravlax to make it safe? Or is Ikea gravlax not the same as the ones produced by the above recipes?

The first question was my original main question, but subsequent discussion has led me to think questions 2 and 3 are related and relevant as well.

I do know that salmon can have parasites and sashimi quality means it has been frozen to kill the parasites.


texts: How do I keep my enchiladas from getting soggy when they cook?

texts:
I love enchiladas. I almost always order them at a Mexican restaurant. I've made them at home a few times with a recipe that's delicious, but it's not the same as what I'm getting at a restaurant. The main difference seems to be that the recipes I've seen call for putting some sauce in a casserole pan, adding the enchiladas, and then adding more sauce and cheese before baking. This always comes out soggy. It's still good, but it's not the same as I'm getting in a restaurant (or on my recent trip to Mexico), which seems more like they just broil the enchiladas for long enough to melt the cheese.

I guess the question(s) fall a couple of different ways:
Is this the right way to be making enchiladas?
What are the restaurants doing that is different?
Are there different styles of this dish that explain the discrepancy?


texts:
I've canned my whole life (54 years old), I started when I was young helping my Mom, and I've never run into this before.

I've never canned just plain pork stock before, but wanted to try. I had 4 pints and put it in the pressure cooker at 10lbs for 25 minutes. The book called for 11 lbs for 20 minutes.

When I took them out they started popping right away...but they kept popping several times.
In and out of seal. Now they have settled on sealed "popped down".

Has anyone else ever had this happen, do they know what the issue was and they should be ok, shouldn't they, as long as they are sealed?


texts: What can pasta absorb from the water it's cooked in?

texts:
I know you're supposed to put salt in the water when you're cooking pasta, both to aid in anti-starch gelation and to add flavour.

This got me thinking - what ELSE can pasta absorb from the water it is boiled in? I suppose it couldn't be anything, probably depends on the surface of the pasta, its cells, etc.

To test I put a LOT of nutmeg in a bowl of water, boiled it and dropped some couscous in it.

The couscous didn't taste like nutmeg at all. I guess it could be because the nutmeg does not dissolve in water but still - does pasta absorb everything that is dissolved in the water it is cooked in? Does that mean we can create super-pasta if we boil it in sauce or something?


texts: How accurate is the hand technique for grilling?

texts:
I have read several articles and watched several videos talking about the proper way to gauge the temperature of a grill. Basically they state if you can hold your hand X inches over a grill for Y seconds the grill is at some range of Z1 to Z2 degrees. I have read, for example, if you can hold you hand 3 inches above the grill for 2 to 3 seconds then the grill is 350F to 400F degrees.

How accurate are these measurements? Especially on a charcoal grill?

Example: I am making a Brussels sprouts recipe that calls for roasting them on 400F for 10 minutes in the oven. Unfortunately the oven is full. Can I throw my Brussels sprouts on a grill that I can hold my hand over for 1-2 seconds at 3 inches above the grill and expect similar results? I realize grilling and roasting are very different, but I was wanting for a baseline.


texts: How long can you keep chocolate in the freezer?

texts: We get lots of gifts of chocolate and due to health reasons, we can't finish all the chocolate. So we store it in the freezer. How long can or should you  store chocolate in the freezer before it's not safe to eat anymore?


texts: How do I get rid the yellow layer of oil that forms in my cream of mushroom soup?

texts:
When making cream of mushroom, I sauté the chopped up wild mushrooms with unsalted butter until tender and add a little olive oil. After a while, I add the milk, cream, bay leaves and season it to taste. And it tastes great. ;-)

However, there's always this layer of oil that forms which gives the soup a yellowish tinge. I usually skim off that layer of oil with a spoon and all is well.

Is there a way of preventing it from forming in the first place? Am I doing something wrong?


texts: Why is my chocolate fudge not that dark?

texts: A UK chain's chocolate fudge is very dark. When I do chocolate fudge it comes out more looking the colour of milk chocolate. Is this because they use whipping cream or for some other reason?


texts:
I realize aglio olio is best consumed warm. When it cools it's not as nice as the oil thickens.

Am I putting too much oil or should I use a thinner olive oil?


texts:
Concerning alcohol flavored panna cotta, other questions I found focus more on how to prevent a cream plus alcohol mixture from splitting but they assume one knows the right amount of gelatine for their mixture.

Although the instructions on the gelatine package say something like "10g for 500ml liquid", for a cream-only pannacotta I believe it is too much and I've found that half is enough. I applied this for a mixture of 50% cream and 50% baileys.

What can be a reason why this amount of gelatine was not enough?


texts: Looking for Chicken & Dumplings pointers

texts:
A young lady I know has informed me that "Chicken & Dumplings" is amongst her favorite dishes. I have only attempted this a few times with only marginal success. Mostly my dumplings end up too bland and too loose. I have tried both of Alton Brown's recipes and (sorry Alton, I'm sure it is my fault and not your mothers') I am still not happy with the results.

I would greatly appreciate any sage advise from the readers here.


texts: How do I keep a hot meal fresh for several hours?

texts:
In three days, I will be picking up two fully-prepared chicken dinners - with potatoes, cole slaw, and a pre-packaged dessert - from work to home for my wife and I.  I've done this before and it came out fairly well.

The problem is, I know for a fact that I will have to keep these dinners, which are cooked on-site shortly before pickup, in my office from 1pm to 5pm, and take them home on the bus, which could on a bad day mean that I won't be home with them until 6pm - a full 5 hours of sitting out at room temperature (or outdoor temperature, whatever that might wind up being in springtime).

I know that we can make these meals warm again in the oven or microwave, and that the Styrofoam container they'll be in will help too, but are they safe to eat after sitting out for such a long time?  And is there any superior way to transport them to eliminate spoilage?


texts: Bottom of my charcoal grill keeps falling out

texts:
I got a small charcoal kettle grill from Craigslist recently. I can't seem to get the little dish on the botton that holds the charcoal(?) to stay attached to it. It tends to just fall out when I put it in.

Not sure if this metal piece is supposed to do something? I've been googling but no luck so far. It's the ProLight 14-inch grill from Meijer... I've never grilled before, is this normal? Am I supposed to glue it in or something?


texts: Here's a pic of an appetizer I'd like to replicate. Can you tell me how to slice the prosciutto and cantaloupe and plate it? Thanks


texts:
I'm interested in learning to make my own sushi.

Every guide I have read has stressed that the rice has to be rinsed thoroughly.

The bags of rice I generally buy say not to rinse the rice in order to preserve the nutrients. What is the reason behind rinsing rice?


texts: How can I extend shelf life of my cakes?

texts:
I need to bake a cake and send it over to a friend. It might take 5-7 days for the cake to reach him. What are the possible ways available to extend shelf life at least till the day it reaches him, especially during the transit?

My current recipe consists of dry spices, honey, sugar, white floor, eggs, baking soda, baking powder, warm water, coffee powder, almond, oil.


texts: If you brine a chicken and then boil it in soup, how much salt, if any, will come out and go into the liquid?

texts: Suppose you brine a chicken in a heavy solution e.g. 10% saline.  Suppose you now boil this chicken in water which does not contain salt or contains a little salt e.g. 5g.  How much of the salt, if any, will come out of the chicken and go into the soup.  Will it try to equalise via osmoses and keep putting salt out until an equal concentration is present in chicken and soup or not?  If it does, i take it a large amount of salt will ditribute into the soup liquid leaving the chicken less salty?


texts:
I would like to bake bread as soon as I get up.

Would it be possible to store bread dough overnight, perhaps in the fridge?
For how long could I store it?
Would it need to rise again next morning?


texts: Using homemade pasta instead of dried in a bake

texts:
I'd like to use fresh homemade pasta tonight in place of bagged egg noodles. My question is, should I prep the noodles in boiling water in anyway, or should I skip that step and add the freshly made noodles where the recipe calls for it?

here is the recipe:

1 lb ground beef
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
8 oz tomato sauce
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
8 oz egg noodles

Brown and drain ground beef. Add beef back to the pan over low heat and stir in minced garlic, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and tomato sauce. Simmer for 5 minute and remove from heat. Meanwhile, boil egg noodles for 2 minutes less than the lowest time on the package directions. (They WILL continue cooking in the oven. No one likes an overcooked noodle!) Drain noodles and combine them with the cottage cheese and sour cream.

Spray a 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray and put the noodle mixture in the bottom. Top with reserved meat sauce. Cover with cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until bubble and cheese is melted. You can broil the top for a minute or 2 if you want the cheese to brown. Remove from oven and serve!


texts: Is Irish buttermilk different from Estonian buttermilk?

texts:
I'm Irish but living in Estonia. Just now, I decided to make some soda bread which I have made a couple of times before. I bought some "pett", which Google translate and a professional chef told me is the translation for buttermilk, but what I got was closer to yogurt. It was white not yellow and had no butter smell.

Anyway, I made the bread and it came out OK, but was missing something (likely butteriness and saltiness). A little confused, I turned to Wikipedia and found that in some cultures people drink it. Something that seems unthinkable with the buttermilk I am used to, but reasonable for the Estonian buttermilk.

Is Irish buttermilk different?


texts: I purchased a gallon of amazing Greek olive oil a few months ago.  It has some floaty wisps in it now.  Is it still safe?


texts:
I remember reading about the 2010 Texas State Fair "Most Creative" deep-fried food winner, who made fried beer. The news stories I've read were all published around that time (August 2010), where Mark Zable (the fried beer inventor) said he had a super-secret patent-pending process for being able to fry beer.

I don't want to do any of my own experimenting to figure out the process - apparently Zable's first attempts resulted in exploding beer and oil - but I haven't seen any follow-up articles that describe his process. I can imagine that the two major problems would be a) keeping the beer actually inside an uncooked dough pocket and b) preventing the beer-filled dough from exploding in the fryer.

Has Zable's patent been approved and his process published? If so, where can I find it? Has anyone here successfully deep-fried beer and have a technique to share?


texts: How to remove the flavor from whisky stones?

texts:
I made the mistake of buying these awesome whisky stones (soapstone) to chill my drinks. Besides the fact that they don't cool the drink down a lot, they acquire a freezer taste and ruin the flavor of the beverage.
How can I eliminate this taste? I tried to wash them with soap and water, but I can still taste them.


texts: What's happening to the coating on the OUTSIDE of my roommate's non-stick cookware as we wash it?

texts:
My roommate has a set of non-stick pots and pans.  They advertise themselves as dishwasher-safe, so we typically machine-wash them.

The exterior of the pans is not bare metal; it's covered in some kind of dark gray matte coating, as in the following picture:

However, we've noticed that the pans we use more often (and therefore wash more often) are starting to lose this coating:

The pans also give off a noticeable amount of dark gray dust if you scrub them too vigorously; I assume this is the coating coming off.

Questions:

What is the exterior coating?  Why is it there in the first place?
Why is it coming off?  Are the pans not as dishwasher-safe as they claim?
Is there any reason to be concerned about this?  Does it have any implications for food safety, or for using the pans?

A couple notes:

The non-stick coating on the interior of the pans (which is Teflon or similar) isn't coming off - it's just fine, and the pans are still functionally non-stick.
Pretty sure that brown splotch on the exterior of the second image is just grease spillage.  The pans are aluminum, so shouldn't be rusting.


texts: Pizza crust mix for pizza with cast iron pan?

texts:
I bought this "Mantita's italiano Crispy Pizza Crust Mix", but I own no pizza pan. All I have is a 8 inch wide, ~2inch deep, round "Lodge" cast iron pan I have never used before.

I want to make a deep dish pizza with it. How much of the crust mix should I use in the pan?
The crust mix says its for a 12inch pizza and requires 1/2 a cup of hot water.


texts: Is it possible to get crispy, crunchy carrots from canned carrots?

texts:
I understand this is basically just a question of laziness and as such if the answer is 'no' that's perfectly fine, but as someone that enjoys the convenience of canned carrots and also enjoys a crisp, crunchy carrot slice...

Is there any way to prepare canned carrots such that they would be crispy and crunchy like stir-fried fresh carrots can be?


texts: If Soy Milk gets congealed at the bottom, is this a sign that it's going bad?

texts: It happens a lot with vanilla flavored soy milk - the congealed portions sit at the bottom of the container and looks like whip cream - does this mean that it's going bad?


texts: How can a dutch oven reach 400°C on an electrical stove?

texts:
I have a pretty average stove and oven. The oven can't even make 300°C.

Yet today I measured the temperature of my dutch oven, heated on the stove and it read almost 400°C. How is this possible? Can the durch oven somehow accumulate energy and reach higher energy, than the heat source? If I remember school physics, this shouldn't be the case.

I checked my IR thermometer on the wall and it seemed to read the correct temperature, so I assume, that its working.

What is most likely the issue here?


texts: What is the difference between Orbit Gum and Orbit for Kids

texts: If this is not the right forum for this question, please let me know where to post it.


texts: What specifically makes microwavable frozen food taste so delicious?

texts:
Update: Here is an objective and non-opinion based question.

I recently asked another question on how I could make a weeks worth of pasta on a Sunday night and have it still taste good throughought the week. I've been advised to store the sauce separately from the pasta and use hot water instead of the microwave to heat it up, in addition to cooking the pasta less al dente than normal.

However, when I buy frozen pasta, notably fettuccine Alfredo, I cannot believe how good it is. I'm referring to the boxed frozen food that you throw in a microwave as opposed to cooking on a stove or heating up with boiling water.

What precisely enables these cheap ($2.50 plus tax) frozen meals taste so good, and more importantly, how can I replicate it? I overdose my pasta with salt anyways, so that can't be it.


texts: How long is it safe to eat left-out Lasagna

texts:
Last night I made a large portion of lasagna (ground turkey, cheese, spaghetti sauce).

I wanted to let it cool down before placing it in the refrigerator, but I forgot to put it away last night.

I discovered in the morning that I had left it out all night (room temp was low 60F last night).

I put it right into the refrigerator as soon as I discovered it.

Is it safe to eat?
And if so, how long?


texts: What would the drawbacks/benfits be to making French toast with egg alternatives (Egg Beaters, etc)

texts: Would there be any benefit to making French toast with a low cholesterol version of Egg alternative? Or possibly just using the whites for French toast? (I'm currently using the very basic 1 egg/3 Tbsp. of milk recipe)


texts: Excess oil / holes in cheese when baking pizza

texts:
I'm making a simple pizza using:

A regular water/flour/yeast dough wo/oil, raised, kneaded and flattened thin with a rolling pin
High quality minced meat (<5% fat), pre-fried in a pan without oil, drained of excess fluid, added a little ketchup
Topped with white cheese (an European gouda type, 27% fat, whereof 17% saturated fat)

Baking at the bottom of the oven on a thin silicon mat on a wire rack at 225°C, a lot of small holes form in the cheese, maybe 1 cm apart, and there is a lot of oil(?) simmering around these holes.

This gives a somewhat strange end result, and makes the crust hard because the top seems to finish much slower because of all the excess oil the pizza is baking in.

Can someone explain the formation of these holes and the excess fat? Does it come from the cheese itself? How can I test / change things to get a uniform baking without the holes and oil.


texts: Baked chocolate cake type dessert with 'sticky' top

texts:
I am in the UK and in my 60's.  My Mum used to make a cake in the oven that was heavy cake like at the bottom, but was still slightly sticky on top.
Can anyone tell me if they know of this and what it is called please?  She was given the recipe by a friend of hers.


texts: My honey always crystallizes no matter where I store it. I have some that hasn't been opened yet and it has crystallized. I have stored it in dark and warm places I tried cool places the outcome is the same. I know I can still use it but sometimes I haven't thought ahead and I didn't prepare the honey from being crystallized. Is there anything I can do to stop it from being crystallized?


texts: Looking for the name of a sweet green drink

texts: A long time ago I tasted an alcoholic drink which was green and tasted very sweet (possibly like banana, definitely not mint), and it had a long french name, something like (pesong, pisang, ...). Does anyone know the real name of it?


texts: How do I roast eggplants without a gas stove?

texts:
There is an Indian dish that requires roasting eggplants on high heat directly on a gas stove until charred, like this:

Here's a recipe for the dish. Everything else is fine but I do not have a flame top stove, instead I have one with an electrical top. I would really appreciate any ideas to help me with roasting the eggplant. I have an oven but not a grill/barbecue.


texts: I bought a fully cooked can Hormel Ham. It is to be refrigerated however I left it in my trunk for 4 hours. It is now in my fridge. Should it be okay???


texts: Why is there vinegar in the bread recipe?

texts: Yesterday I made bread based on a recipe I found on the flour bag. It contained both rye and wheat flour but also three tablespoons of vinegar. I've never seen it used in bread before, why is it there?


texts: Kitchen aid pasta roller getting oil on my pasta

texts:
I have to avoid letting the pasta get wide enough to touch one of the sides of the roller because if it does, the grease inside gets on the edge of the pasta.  The other side doesn't do it at all.  I've tried feeding pasta through a bunch to see if it could just pick it all up and eventually stop, but it doesn't.  I started to take it apart but I wasn't able to remove the dial, and without that I can't get the plate off on that side.

It would be nice to be able to roll out the pasta to the point where the edge makes it all square.  No big deal I guess, but it does make it tough to deal with anything but minimal amounts of dough at a time.

Any ideas for getting it to stop?


texts: How long do meatballs in sauce need to be heated in a crock pot?

texts:
I'm participating in a pot luck lunch this week.  I'm bringing fully cooked meatballs, served in pasta sauce.  My plan is to make the meatballs (around 30 - 40) the night before, cook them fully in the oven, and refrigerate them overnight in the crock pot without the sauce.

My question, to have everything properly heated before lunch time, how early should I start the crock pot?  I don't want to start too early and turn everything to mush, but I also don't want to serve cold meatballs.


texts: Plain Greek yogurt with finely chopped green onions dip

texts: I am doing a 21 day challenge and I am making a Greek yogurt and finely chopped green onion dip and I need something to subsitute green onions with. What can I use that is very similar to it?


texts:
My mother recently bought these from an old second hand shop because she thought them pretty, but I am just wondering if they are suitable to cook on the hob.
I tried to google them on Google images but it kept showing me Serveware. Does anyone know if this is actually cookware?
We think so but just want to be sure. We use a solid plate hob.

Click for full size


texts: Can I freeze dried rice noodles after they've been rehydrated?

texts: I'm on a diet and am eating a lot of stir-frys. I use very thin dried rice noodles. Because I only want a specific amount, which is hard to judge when I pull the noodles apart, can I freeze them once they've been rehydrated? Many thanks.


texts:
I am trying to find for a descent equivalent for the Spanish "sartén de la abuela" or "sartén de los montes". That is, I want to know the name of the dish, how you order it from a menu, not the utensil (the pan itself).

Don't worry if you don't understand Spanish. The pictures are here:

Google image search for 'sartén de los montes'

Google image search for 'sartén de la abuela'

"Sartén" is just a cast iron pan. And the dish is cooked and served in it. It is purported to be homemade or rustic. "Abuela" is grandma. "Montes" is hills.

Just imagine an assorted fry (meat, sausage) with two eggs on the top.


texts:
I have heard of people eating alligator. But only southern people. I am from Ohio and don't know any place in Ohio that has alligator meat.

Another thing I am concerned about is that alligators have lots of microbes and some might be heat resistant. If that is the case than that could cause food poisoning or worse, ulcers.

So is it safe to eat alligator?


texts: storing liquor in cabin for the winter--quality loss?

texts: I stocked up on a few mid-range "nice" whiskeys, scotches, and cognacs ($50-70 bottles) while visiting my summer cottage this summer but will likely not finish off all the bottles before I leave in a few weeks.  I know they're unlikely to freeze (not totally impossible we'd hit 30 below, though 20-25 is more common; but not likely inside or for an extended enough period to really freeze them), but will their quality be affected by being between stored over the winter?  Likely to have some short periods of below zero nights and possibly not getting much out of single digits during the day, at the worst; it'll usually be less severe than that (southern Maine).


texts: can paprika or other dried spice be substituted for red bell peppers?

texts: Can paprika or other dry spice can be substituted for red bell peppers?  This recipe call for 1/2 medium red bell pepper, but a child will not eat the red peppers and I am hoping that using a dried spice will enable me to serve the dish.


texts: Are these green areas on my cured ham a health problem?

texts:
In below images I highlighted a green coloration on my cured boar ham. It cured for 5 days in an open plastic box in my cellar. I put a lot of salt around it and a weight on top (it was maybe 75% submerged and fully coated with salt and powdered celery).
I then hung them in my cellar, but when I was cleaning them I saw what I encircled in the images below. These seem to be near the holes we used to hang the animal from. When I smell the holes there is a very faint smell of maybe sweat or something. It is hard to tell if it is actually a bad smell from the boar or not.
This is my first time curing/drying meat so I am not very confident obviously, can anyone see if I have a problem? (P.S. I know the lighting is not ideal in the pictures, sorry)


texts: Can I use pearl barley instead of rice in baked rice pudding?

texts: I want to make a baked rice pudding with plums. I was wondering since pearl barley is sometimes used for risotto if I could use it instead of rice here too. Will it bet the sticky, sort of slimy consistency rice gets when boiled in milk?


texts:
I've accidentally ordered tortilla flour for my kitchen instead of flour tortillas.

The meal was saved, but I don't know anything about this flour specifically. What type of flour is it closest to? What can it or can it not be used for? Is it a different grind?


texts: Why do mushrooms freeze in fridge at temps above freezing?

texts: I noticed mushrooms freeze in my fridge when nothing else does.  Can anybody explain the phenomenon?


texts: How to clean stains from anodized aluminum pans?

texts:
I've baked some pie on my anodized aluminum pie pan but things went awry, and some dough was stuck to the pie in the end; I assume it was overbaked?
I could remove the pieces but stains were left behind.
Here are pictures:

  Are these stains a big deal? Do they mean the pan or anodization has been damaged? What can cause them, or how to avoid them?

I've looked around on how to clean and remove these stains, but have found contradictory advice on using baking soda, or other methods.

  Is it possible to remove these stains, and if so, how?


texts:
I currently have a borosilicate glass teapot.  Glass seems to have the advantage that it will not absorb flavours and so can be used for all styles of tea.

What are some of the advantages of using a clay or ceramic teapot over glass?  I am not interested in the differences in style or size, just the material used.

Edit: anyone with information on clay teapots, such as the Yixing, and its (dis)advantages?


texts: High hydration focaccia, cheap mixer and little proofing

texts:
I decided to push to the limit my "modest" stand mixer and make a 100% hydration focaccia.
Baker's percents:
Manitoba flour 100%
Water 100%
instant dry Yeast 0.5%
salt 3%
olive oil 3.5%
Procedure in this video with Italian comments, but basically work flour with 3/4 of the water and then add the remaning water in several steps.
The manitoba flour I used is this one.
Then the dough is supposed to be folded some times on the counter and then ferment in the fridge for 24h.
After that, proof at room temp until doubled, then spread on a baking tray, wait a bit and bake.
I have made two attempts in the last two months. Same flour and same machine that rotates the hook along a conic axis instead of cylindrical. So not really ideal and it tends to spread the dough to the wall instead of on the hook itself.
The first attempt doubled in volume with respect to the mark in about 4h in my oven turned off with light on after a while. It was October, let's say 22C (no light) and 30C with light.
The second attempt didn't raise at all in 5h at similar temperatures. But the spreading in the tray was ok and the final product did turn up with some bubbles.
Unfortunately the first attempt was spread differently so doesn't really make sense to compare those.
Question is: can "overworking" inhibit the proofing somehow? I mean that the gluten net is so strong that the expansion just can't happen.
Pictures from first attempt:

Second attempt:


texts: Substitute nixtamalized corn flour for corn meal + corn starch

texts:
I want to make mexican tacos, which are usually made with masa harina (nixtamalized corn flour + water).

However I don't have nixtamalized corn flour, I have precooked corn flour. I read in the Internet that precooked corn flour is not a valid substitute since tacos tortillas should be thin and this kind of flour is thicker.

So I thought I might be able to compensate it by adding cornstarch.

Do it make sense?


texts:
I've been working on my pain au levain and after a couple 15-20 minute kneadings, I have some pain in my wrist flexors. I'm using Bread Alone as my guide and Mr. Leader mentions off-handedly the importance of having a kneading surface at a correct height.

I am an unusual height and suspect that my counter is not at the correct elevation. How can I find the correct height to make a kneading surface? Is there a way other than changing it up and seeing if I continue to injure myself?


texts: Is candle wax and cheese wax the same thing?

texts:
I hope to preserve the cheese I make in wax alla Gouda but the books keep talking about cheese wax. Is this a special kind of wax and if so what is the difference between it and regular wax?

Also is it a rule that you have to brine your cheese if you wish to wax it?


texts: I bought a frozen ham steak (natural pork from local farm/meat processor), and noticed when I went to cook it that there is a bit of very bright, hot pink on the surface. Is this safe?


texts:
I want to make some chapatis with water and wheat flour only.  there should preferably be no mineral fortification or added ingredients and it has to be white as I want it to be easier for digestion.

I cant seem to find it all the results show wholewheat or wholemeal and I believe that's the brown harder to digest version right?  This would be the wrong one too?
https://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/East-End-Premium-Gold-Chakki-Atta-Chapatti-Flour/260562011?from=search&param=chapati

What term should I be searching for?  Can I get it without minerals fortified? It should be white and free of chemicals.  Basically I just want the pure white wheat flour without any added nasties etc.


texts:
This is a relatively famous scene from an Irish TV show - Father Ted where a woman bakes a jumper (sweater) into a cake. Video can be seen here for reference - https://vimeo.com/38355848
I’m wondering what the best way to go about creating something like this would be?
In the video, it seems that the jumper is actually cooked into the cake, rather than added afterwards.
Could I make a normal cake mix and add in a suitably sized jumper before putting it in the oven?
My other thought would be to make a normal cake then cut out a cavity in the bottom to insert the jumper into. I was hoping there would be a better more-Father Ted like version if anyone with more experience has an idea.


texts: Are American food colourings weaker than in other countries?

texts:
I was looking at baking a yet-to-be-determined-colour velvet cake, and happened upon a recipe for blue velvet cake: http://bakebakebake.livejournal.com/3342197.html

This calls for two tablespoons of food colouring!  The food colouring I am most familiar with is stuff like McCormick's, which is generally measured by the drop.  Generating an entire tablespoon of a single colour would probably require several packets' worth.

Am I misunderstanding something?  Are the comparative strengths the same and you just need a heck of a lot of colouring to make a cake that dark?  Or is the American stuff a lot weaker and I'd only need the 4-5 drops I would expect from a recipe?


texts: I accidentally boiled away most of my soup, what can I do to recover it?

texts:
I wanted to reheat my chicken tortilla soup and walked away and forgot about it. When I went back to the stove very little liquid was left in the pot, it was practically all boiled away.

I used a Mexican tortilla soup stock by Swanson. Other ingredients in this recipe are black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and tomato paste, plus the chicken. This is the only Mexican recipe that I make.

What should I do?

What would happen if I poured in 3 cans of water for example? What would happen to the flavor of the soup?
If I add preheated water will the water dilute the flavor?
Do I just put in 1 cup/can or can I put in 3 cups/cans of water?


texts:
How normal is it to use premixed dried herbs with pre-toasted garlic as a quick oil pasta preparation? Is it presumable that one can just use supermarket brands in making one's own premixes, or is it still incumbent to use just-dried herbs?

In Italy, I was able to buy some packs of mixed dry herbs. Printed on them was an obvious "aglio e olio". The packs varied in content, but all contained garlic. One variant had sun-dried tomatoes, another had a lot of chili flakes. I think I spotted some dried basil and parsley.


texts: Why are my calzones always wet after I cut them? If I let them cool, the bottom is wet. Other then runny or soggy they're so good.


texts: Can I leave boneless chicken breast flat in freezer overnight?

texts: I buy refrigerated chicken breasts and cut them into smaller pieces, lay flat on a cake pan and freeze overnight, then separate them and put into individual bags in the morning. Does this cause other food in freezer to get contaminated?


texts: How long does it take for unopened cheese to go bad?

texts:
I bought one of those blocks of Dubliner cheese (at Costco, sealed relatively well in wax paper) and left it in my car all afternoon and overnight by mistake.

Given that it is unopened and the weather is relatively cool, what are the chances that it is still good?


texts: Safety of vacuum packed smoked salmon in turned off fridge?

texts:
I have a piece of cold smoked salmon, vacuum packed, in my fridge.  Unfortunately when leaving the house I turned the fridge off accidentally and left the house for 8 days.  The house was unheated and the kitchen is on the north side so is unlikely to have got outside the 4-8C range and the fridge was unopened.  I shoved a thermometer in when I discovered and it read below 5.

I'm inclined to think in those conditions it should be OK but I'm not sure.  It doesn't look or smell any different than before.


texts: What hole size to prefer in the bread for what reasons?

texts:
I have seen someone asking how to get big holes in a bread? and then someone else asking how to get small holes in the bread?

Why would someone like big holes and the other person small holes?

Question: Is it all about the looks? Big holes look fancier than the smaller ones OR do the size of the holes impact the taste and texture of the breads?


texts: Preview for "The New Best Recipe"? Suitability for vegetarians?

texts:
Is there a site that offers a "look inside" preview of the book "The New Best Recipe"? I checked both Amazon and Google Books, but I couldn't preview it in either.

The approach of the book sounds interesting, but before ordering, I'd like to see for myself how the recipes are laid out and how much explanation is given for why a particular recipe worked out the best. Also, I'd like to check that it contains enough recipes suitable for vegetarians to be useful to me.

If no online preview can be found, some description from someone who owns a copy would be useful too.


texts:
I guess it's technically a Mornay, it has Parmesan and Fontina. I've got about 1 1/2 cups in my fridge. Refrigerated it's solid enough to hold a knife vertically, when it was warm it was just barely pourable and self spreading. It's a darn good sauce, I'd hate to waste it, but after all my adventures lately making an 'ultimate' lasagna, I won't end up using it for pasta. I'd like to put it to use in an entirely different way, preferably with a totally different flavor profile.

Any ideas?

Bonus points if it would make a nice lunch for the day after the extreme lasagna dinner.


texts:
One of the signature items of the California-based burger chain In-n-Out Burger is the "Animal Style" burger from their secret menu, which features a mustard-fried burger patty.  It has a slightly tangy flavor to it, with a crispy, almost caramelized surface but a juicy center, and is often quoted as the best fast-food burger available.

I know the basic idea behind the process: squirt some mustard on the grill before putting the burger down.  But I haven't tried it, and I'm curious if anyone has, and what specifically works best.  Is it better to put the mustard on the burger, or directly on the grill?  What type of mustard to use, and how much?  At what point in the cooking process:  just once before adding the burger, or a second time before flipping?

I know this falls under the restaurant-mimicry category, though I think I did a decent job of following the rules;  If not, feel free to edit, or leave a comment and I'll try to clarify.


texts:
It seems there are many foods that benefit from 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit / 10 to 15 degrees Celsius storage temperature--herbs, peppers, tomatoes, etc.  As it stands, I store tomatoes and some herbs on the counter, which shortens their shelf life.

Is there a small home refrigerator available that will provide a suitable environment for such produce?


texts: What role does salt play in pumpkin pie?

texts: My pie filling texture didn't seem right but I don't know what went wrong. The flavor was good, but the texture was a little off, but I don't even know how to explain the difference. But I later realized I forgot the salt. It's the only thing I can think of that made it different, but how?


texts:
In a fit of pumpkin-bread-craving I bought a pumpkin (labelled "for cooking" instead of "show"), only to realize I have no idea what to do with it. I already plan on scraping the seeds out and roasting them, but how can I convert the vegetable in front of me into something like canned pumpkin for use in bread, pancakes, etc?

Edit: Thanks, everyone! Your suggestions worked wonderfully. I removed the seeds/stringy stuff, roasted it at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 1hr, then dropped it down to 300 for the last 15 minutes. I then let it cool, peeled the skin, and blended the daylights out of it (I added a little water to help the process, as I like having a working blender). The result was a smooth, flavorful pumpkin mash that I plan on nomming on for awhile :)


texts: I used a juicer to juice vegetables. Then, I used the juice in making bread. Some of my friends said that something in vegetables affects the fermentation, namely the enzymes. They said it can kill the yeast. Is it true? Can you briefly explain?


texts: Can I cook my apple butter on high when it suggests low?

texts: I am cooking apple butter in a slow cooker and the recipe calls for 1 hr on high and then 9 hours on low. My slow cooker only cooks on high.. Can I cook it on high for a shorter amount of time without compromising the flavor, etc?  Thanks


texts: Canned cheddar kept for many years - does it get better and for how long?

texts:
Cougar Gold is a cheese made in Washington and is unique in that it is canned.  Because of the canning, it lasts indefinitely if refrigerated until opened.  I understand that cheese can become more flavorful with additional aging.  I am trying to understand how/why cheese that was sealed in an air-tight can and refrigerated would benefit from years and years of aging.

A friend of mine insists that the longer the cheese is kept in the fridge, the more crystallized and better flavored it will be.  Their website seems to back this up.

Is this accurate?  How long will this last (will the flavor continue to get better, will the amino acid crystals continue to develop)?


texts:
Long ago, I bought some food grade lye to make pretzels. Then I became afraid to use it cause I didn't think about the potential damage it could cause to my sink and some baking materials. Specifically, baking sheets and my kitchen counter top.
This answer solved the problem with my baking sheet and stainless sink but my biggest fear still remains with spilling lye on my quartz counter top, fake wood cabinets or ceramic tile flooring.
Does anyone know if I need to worry?


texts: Sticky, tacky texture with less sweetness?

texts:
If I want a sticky, tacky surface on food, I typically use some kind of very sweet sauce. As it reduces down and the sugars caramelize during cooking, it leaves a delightful candied layer on the surface.
Barbecue chicken, or some preparations of ribs come to mind.  Also cinnamon rolls / sticky buns.
Can I recreate that texture without (or with less) sweetness in the end product?
Note: the goal isn’t to use less sugar for dietary reasons. The goal is to create and end product with less apparent sweetness.


texts:
I heard Spelt flour is lighter and easier to digest. Can I substitute spelt for white flour in my standard white bread recipe that I make all the time? Or, do I need a spelt specific recipe?
What kind of dough does spelt flour make? Is it very sticky? Hard to work with? Any tips to keep in mind before giving this a shot?


texts:
Nearly all "good" bread (from a traditional bakery, made at home by a competent baker) comes with a thick, hard crust. However in every supermarket there are shelves and shelves full of soft (white, brown and everything in between) bread. I want to know how they make such soft crusted bread, and why do they do it?

Is it much cheaper to produce soft bread on a large scale? I've noticed this kind of bread does not go stale, instead it eventually starts going mouldy (my homemade bread goes stale and loses all moisture before mould gets a chance to set in), is this related to the softness, or is this a separate phenomenon due to added preservatives? When did the public start demanding this kind of bread, and why did they move away from the more traditional crusty bread?


texts: How can i create a crunchy exterior with and airy interior donut?

texts: I am attempting to make a donut that is crunchy on the outside and airy and lite on the inside with simple ingredients (yeast, flour, water, sugar.) I have tried different variations (+/- flour, +/- water, different oils) but no luck.  What should I add or add more/less of to accomplish this?


texts: How can I tell when chicken thighs are sufficiently cooked to eat?

texts:
Last night I was grilling chicken thighs on a barbecue and I was told that if there was any pink inside them, they are not safe to eat. My question is twofold:

(a) Is this true?

(b) Is there a way to tell that doesn't involve cutting the thighs open to have a look at the colour?


texts: We had Spaetzle for lunch today. I've never had Spaetzle and couldn't figure out the ingredients or cooking method.


texts: Making whole wheat bread in a bread machine? What kind of flour?

texts:
Disclaimer: I may not know what I'm talking about, feel free to correct me if you think I'm making a fundamental error.

I just got a bread machine and I love it.  It's so easy!  But I'm experimenting.

The first time we used it, we used a store brand white all-purpose flour, and the bread simply wasn't very good.  It was crumbly, it collapsed a little in the bread machine, etc.  I mean, it wasn't bad, we ate it.  But I wanted better.

After that, we bought King Arther white bread flour, and it worked much much better.  The bread was delicious with a wonderful texture.  I don't know how much of this is because it's bread flour (I assume mostly this) and how much is because it's a nicer brand (I assume this is a smaller factor).  It's great bread!

However, I'm told that white bread in general is not as healthy as whole wheat bread, although I'm not exactly sure what whole wheat means or how much healthier it really is.  Therefore I want to make "whole wheat bread," whatever that means, in the interest of health.  And to be honest, I've had some very boring whole wheat bread, and some incredibly delicious whole wheat bread.  It varies.

So, what do I need to do?  I assume it's a question of getting the right flour, but I didn't see "whole wheat bread flour" in my store- is this because it doesn't exist, or because my store doesn't carry it?  What should I be looking for?

Any tips, specific or vague, would be appreciated.  Thanks mmuch.


texts:
So I was defrosting some chicken breasts for a crock pot meal 2 days ago. I set them out Wed night and checked them thursday and they were basically still frozen solid.

So I let them defrost another day (since i've always heard frozen meat in crockpots is not a good idea)

They are thawed completely today, but it makes me wonder if it's safe? Since most defrosting is done in a day for meats...but I can't imagine the temp ever got too high up for too long? Our fridge stays pretty cold after all.

Thanks!


texts: Why is it advised to freeze meat before eating as opposed to eating it fresh?

texts: I am not sure, is it right to wrong "It is not good to eat meat just after killing, it should be stored and deep freezed for at least 24 hours". But I had heard same like this through national media. What could be the logic behind this ?


texts: Why does my canned enchilada sauce smell and taste like dog food?

texts:
So I bought the ingredients for a terribly unhealthy microwave burrito enchilada-style casserole recipe today. The recipe, of course, called for enchilada sauce. So I went out and bought Las Palmas brand mild enchilada sauce along with the other ingredients. When I popped open the sauce, the kitchen was immediately filled with the pungent smell of dog food. Having no idea what the sauce was supposed to smell like, I put it in anyway, thinking the smell would go away.

After an hour in the oven, the smell was still there, and the heat made it stronger than ever. And when I tasted it, the sauce tasted of dog food. I've checked the can (the expiration date wasn't for another two years) and scoured the Internet, but I can't figure out any reason the enchilada sauce would take on this particular smell and taste.

Could anyone help me figure out why? It won't improve the casserole, but it will assure that I'm not insane for having this apparently unique experience.


texts: Should I consider water temperature in kettle or in cup to infuse my tea?

texts:
Most, if not all, teas have an ideal infusing temperature. Is this temperature the real water temperature at the time of infusion, or the water temperature while pouring it from the kettle ?

For instance, let's say that I have a kettle that can warm up water with a 1°C accuracy. I want to drink a green tea that suggest 75°C infusion for 3 min. What should I do ?

Warm water up to 75°C, pour it on my tea infuser, and wait 3 min.
Warm up water up to 85°C, pour it on my tea infuser, and wait 3 minutes. Because, right after pouring it, since the cup and tea infuser were at room temperature, the water will nearly instantly lose 9-10°C (and roughly 7°C without the infuser from what I measured).

So I wondered which case was taken into account when determining the ideal infusing temperature.


texts:
I use mushrooms mainly to bulk up food, for example, I add them to cottage pie, lasagne, etc.. and they can turn 1lb of minced into 1.5lb.  Also, I particularly like venison stew (which seems to require a huge quantity of mushrooms).

The problem that I have is that my daughter can't stand mushrooms, and studiously picks them ot of all her food.  Is there an alternative for them for the two uses above?


texts: Overcooked yogurt : what did I actually do?

texts:
I tried to make yogurt by slowly heating yogurt diluted in milk, but I forgot to watch it.

When I checked a few minutes later, it was above 70 °C and the whey had separated from the "yogurt".

The result smelled like yogurt, but it was very lumpy and quite dense, it looked a bit like mozzarella.

AFAIK, at 70 °C, the lactobacillus should have died, right ?

So what was that ?  I am not familiar with many milk products, does it look like a known recipe ?


texts:
I see bacon in store that varies widely in price. From the bulk ends and pieces packed in a solid block to thinly cut off-brand to expensive thick cut bacon.

Some of the differences in quality are obvious. The really cheap brands are thin enough to see through and very fatty. I haven't done side-by-side taste tests to judge for myself how bacon at various price points compare.

What makes premium bacon more expensive? Is it simply a more meaty cut or is the smoking process more flavorful?

The other side of the question is- How can I identify good bacon that has those characteristics? Is it really just you get what you pay for and inexpensive bacon can never be good?


texts: How to salvage hardened peanut butter from jar bottom

texts: How can I salvage hardened peanut butter from the bottom of the jar? Is there anything I can put in it that will soften it but also add to the taste, or at least not affect it negatively?


texts: My tea bags are expired, can I still use them?

texts: This box of tea has an expiration date which has passed but I would like to know if I can still use it. What do you think?


texts:
I'm baking ~67% hydration bread, following this recipe Kvali food dutch oven bread.
The bread is baked using a covered cast iron casserole dish heated to 250'c, and following the cooking times suggested in the recipe.

However, the bread is developing a crust that is "sucky" rather than either chewy or crunchy.  It pulls moisture from the mouth and ends up unpleasant to eat - despite having blisters.

This effect gets worse the longer wait to eat the bread - it's bearable straight out of the oven but after an hour or so is a major detractor from the bread experience.


texts: According to this question freshwater fish should not be used in Ceviche--why not?


texts: Sponge Cake vs (UK) Angel Cake: what's the difference

texts:
Having made various random cakes over the years, I'm trying to get my head around what I'm actually doing, so I can experiment a little I suppose.

Now, a pound cake is butter+sugar, then eggs, then flour (in 1:1:1:1-ish usually), and so's a (UK) angel cake (but in a different ratio). In saying that, there's lots of important details I've missed out that very with each individual recipe. But what are the important differences, the ones which differentiate angel from pound, in terms of taste and category?

I notice that angel cake recipes have much more "flour" in proportion to the other ingredients? Is that the thing that can be best said to separate them?

Also they tend to have baking powder (in addition to s.r. flour)? Is that important, or just a co-incidence?

Every recipe differs in tiny little ways from all the others that it's hard to see the pattern.

I'm happy to make a bad cake or two while mucking around, but some sage advice would be welcome as to the general lie of the land as to the essential differences between the cake types.

I'm an analytical type so any framework will help me mess around in the kitchen even though I realise that such things are very much in the eye of the beholder, and other people may not use the same names.


texts: Why do you need to wrap containers of brined meat?

texts: Everyone says you should seal whatever container you brine your meat with using tinfoil or airtight nylon. What are the reasons for this?


texts: 6 hour cooling contradicts 2/4 hour food use rule

texts: When potentially hazardous foods are cooked, it is said that cooling from 60 to 21 C should happen in 2 hours and from 21 to 5 C in 4 hours, does this not contradict the 2/4 hour rule which states that if food is in temperature danger zone should be discarded if its more than 4 hours. Reference http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumer/safety/faqsafety/pages/foodsafetyfactsheets/foodsafetystandardst857.aspx


texts: Why do burgers sometimes fall apart on the grill?

texts: Sometimes when cooking a burger I have had it completely fall apart for no apparent reason. Is this due to using a ground meat that is too lean? I don't add anything to the meat and don't spend too much time working the meat in forming the patty.


texts: Can anyone tell me the UK equivalent of Australian Thickened Cream. Not sure if it's what we call Single or Double cream. Thank you


texts: What does it mean when an egg splatters and the white is greenish-yellow?

texts:
This morning I decided to make some eggs. I cracked open the first egg and it just all sort of splashed out onto the pan, the yolk already liquefied and the whites with this yellowish-greenish hue.

I cracked open a second egg to see if the whole carton was like that, and it came out just fine, with white whites and an intact yolk. I still threw it out because that does not look safe to eat.
The carton shows a Best By October 2020, so it's a little out of date but not by much.
What happened here?


texts: separating almond flour from almond meal

texts:
I've been experimenting with almond flour for baking bread because I have a hard time digesting starches.  I've progressed to the point where my bread made from 50:50 (almond:wheat flours) is almost indistinguishable from 100% wheat flour.  That's a big win for me.

Almond Meal is not Almond Flour

The problem is that I have yet to find anyone actually selling actual almond flour.  Most vendors only sell almond meal even though they like to call it "almond flour".  Some vendors sell "fine ground almond flour" which is still just fine ground almond meal (I'm lookin' at you Bob's Red Mill).  Semantics aside, I have found that the fat content of almond products I can buy is too high and the texture too gritty to make good bread dough.

Making Almond Flour from Almond Meal

I've had great success separating the oily and gritty parts of almond meal from the almond flour.  With the right pitch of sieve you end up with surprisingly smooth and dry flour and a yield of between 65% and 80%.

I'm fine with the yield.  The sifting process, however, is terribly slow.  Making 50 grams of flour with a plain-old dome-shaped sieve takes about 5 minutes of labour.  That's just too time consuming to become a regular part of my meals.

Is there a better way?

Is there a method or device that will separate more flour from almond meal with less manual labour?
Is there some source of actual almond flour hidden away by food distributors somewhere?

Note: I am perfectly tolerant of gluten.  I am also tolerant to minimal amounts of starches over time.  Please keep that in mind if you are inclined to suggest alternative strategies.


texts:
Family recipe for Vollinas.

4-5 cups flour
4 egg yolks
1 cup milk
1 pkg yeast
1 stick sweet cream butter
1/2 cup sugar.

After mixing & kneading & rising overnight, golf ball size pieces are pulled off, rolled out into an oval shape, filled with nuts, & folded over into a pie shape. The edges are sealed. When fried in oil they tend to increase in size & lose their fried pie shape. Any thoughts why they increase in size & how to remedy that?


texts: If my pizza comes out perfectly baked on the upper and lower sides but still doughy in the inside, what mistake am I making? I use a gas oven set at 240 degrees celsius. I also knead it for 10 minutes and do not overload it with toppings.


texts: 800g of peanuts give 700g of peanut butter – why?

texts:
I’m making my own peanut butter from roasted peanuts that I’m buying. I just got a wet grinder in order to make a larger amount at the same time.
From the packaging I know that I used 800g of peanuts. But the end result was 692g of peanut butter. I expected it to be the same as what I started with, but am I simply wrong in this assumption? Or does that loss come from leftover peanut butter on the sides and floor, plus the small amount that I tasted during the making?


texts: How do I remove boar taint (from a wooden handle)?

texts:
So, I made the mistake of using my beautiful cleaver (that has a wooden handle) to cleave some particularly pungent pigs’ trotters, and for the next year, no matter how many times I’ve washed it with detergent, I can still smell the boar taint on my wooden handle. It’s soaked in.

I’ve tried looking for ways to remove boar taint, but nobody seems to have any good ideas on how to remove it from pork meat, let alone wood …

Any help is appreciated!


texts: How to avoid cinnamon sludge in a beverage?

texts:
When you grind up cinnamon (say in a coffee grinder) and use it in a drink, it ends up producing this thick sludge.

You can only prevent the sludge from forming if you leave it very course.  Why does it turn to sludge?  I swear I once had a container of cinnamon that did not produce sludge.  Am I buying the wrong cinnamon?


texts: How long will a peanut butter sandwich last?

texts: So, I made a peanut butter sandwich the other day but forgot about it and left it (wrapped in gladwrap) out in room temperature for 6 hours. (Brioche bun as the bread, peanut butter and butter) and I was wondering if it would be ok to eat as I ate it anyways.


texts: Key Lime Pie Filling - Thins out after pumping

texts: Key Lime pie filling thickens once the lime juice is added to the sweetened condensed milk and allowed to sit.  Why does the filling thin out when it is pumped and require static hold time to thicken back up?


texts: I have a recipe for a pizza dough, that was originally with yeast (500g flour and 300ml water). I tried to make it twice now with sourdough. I took a bit of starter, mixed it with a 50-50% flour-water mix, let that rest for around 10 hours and than took 160g of this mix and figured since it's 80g flour and 80ml water, I now only need 420g flour and 220ml water. Now this sounded like a good plan, but both times the dough was a bit too wet and sticky compared to what I used to get when I just did the original 500g-300ml with yeast, so I ended up adding a bit more flour to the dough. Is this normal or am I not getting something here?


texts: After my instant coffee (with chicory mix) powder got hard due to moisture I decided to heat the hardened coffee in a pan, and it got soft stuck to the pan like chocolate, and even had strings when I broke it (something like when you pull a caramel bar). I expect it to form a powder on heating, instead of turning into candy. Was it because of the water content?