texts: Are stone or metal grinding wheels better for flour?

texts: I want to buy a flour mill for bread and pizza flour. I read that stone grinding wheels are better for grinding fine flour (tipo 00) than metal burrs. The mill that I am looking at does offer fine metal burrs. Any insights into which is better, stone grinding wheels or metal burrs? Can I grind "tipo 00" in one pass or do I need to do multiple grinds?


texts: Why does my baked custard form a skin on it?

texts:
I baked my custard in a slow oven for an hour, placing my ramekins in
a roasting pan filled half with water. The taste and consistency were
good but after it was baked, it had a skin on it. Where did I go wrong?


texts: secret ingredient in a restaurant bolognese

texts:
I have dabbled with almost every ingredient I can think of in varying amount to get my Bolognese to taste similar to a restaurant made Bolognese in the italian alps.

Including:
Pepper
Sugar
Salt
Tomatos and tomato puree, tinned and chopped tomatos
garlic
lea & perrins / Worcester sauce
Onions & onion gravy granules
different meats, pork, beef and veal
Herbs Basil, greek basil, thyme and oregano
red wine
and most recently balsamic vinegar

These all get close and do make a nice Bolognese. However the secret ingredient is still missing!


texts: How can I be sure my food is ready for a raw egg to be dropped on top?

texts:
When I go to a korean restaurant and order BeBimBap, there is usually an egg placed on top that is done over-medium/over-soft. How do I know if the food I prepared is at the right temperature to do this?

I'd like to be able to do this to other foods, like steaks, or hash browns, not just make BeBimBap.

Note: I'm not concerned about safety. I'm interested in the texture of the half-cooked egg, and keeping the yolk fluid.


texts: I’m making about 12 pizza doughs. Typically when I make a few, I store each one in a ziplock and try to reduce air. But in this case I was wondering if I can just get away with a full size baking sheet and store as many dough with enough space between. Then wrap in cling wrap to secure it from drying.


texts: How bad is it to freeze vegetables in glass for a maximum of 4 weeks?

texts: How bad is it to freeze vegetables, like broccoli, spinach, or cauliflower in glass pots? I am using glass pots from IKEA that are airtight. I will be storing them for no more than 4 weeks. How does it compare to vacuumed zip lock type bags?


texts: Can cheesecake be cooked without a spring-form pan?

texts:
I don't have a spring form pan but I watched a show where they seemed to cook their cheesecakes in regular pans. Is this possible or did I just not notice that they were in fact spring form pans?

I like cheesecake but don't really have the space to add another specialty pan to the kitchen, so any alternatives would be worth considering.

This is referring to a traditional baked cheesecake.


texts: Can you replace whole eggs with only egg whites when baking pumpkin pie?

texts: I am going to be baking a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving but me as well as several family members are currently losing weight together... I'm already replacing the sugar with stevia to dramatically drop the calorie count. BUT, the recipe calls for 4 eggs and I was wondering if I could further reduce the calories by using only egg whites instead... would this ruin the flavor of the pie? I've replaced whole eggs before when baking brownies and they came out fine, but I just want to make sure it won't severely mess up the Thanksgiving classic :)


texts: Can store bought honey be used to infuse garlic and honey?

texts:
The only question I could find about honey infused garlic on the site was Honey-fermented garlic left open overnight but they do not mention what type of Honey they use. From my research I've read:

DIY: Immune Boosting Honey Infused Garlic
Fermented Garlic Honey

but I have a lot of leftover varieties of honey and I was thinking about making fermented honey since I was gifted fresh garlic and I would use this when the recipe called for a garlic clove.


texts: How do I get the right amount of heat from Carolina Reapers in cookies/brownies?

texts: I want to bake some really spicy cookies/brownies. I've got some Carolina Reaper and I want to use them somehow to achieve a really hot flavor in cookies/brownies. I need to calibrate the heat level, so that it's the right level of really spicy. How do I do it?


texts: I am using Stevia Hermesetas. Can I make liquid sweetener from Stevia powder for diabetic dessert - sweet soup with fruits and jelly? Any requirements during cooking?


texts: I can buy a 12" non-stick skillet at Safeway for $30. Why would I spend $150-$200 on one? What's the difference?


texts: Bake and then Broil instead of flipping?

texts: If I wanted to cook a meal - ie chicken wings - in a baking tray evenly on both sides, instead of turning them halfway through the cooking process, could I just switch from bake to broil midway so that both sides cook evenly? This is using a conventional oven with a heating ring on the top and bottom.


texts: Cooking times and temperatures for whole fish on the grill?

texts:
I recently cooked some whole 7lbs salmon on the grill, wrapped in fig leaves, and left them on a bit too long; they were a little dried out.  So, based on the idea that I'm cooking "thick" whole fish such as salmon, striped bass, rockfish, etc., and I want to cook the fish all the way through to the spine, some questions:

What's the best level of grill heat to cook the fish at?
Around how long per pound size of fish does it take at that temperature?
How much cooking time does wrapping the fish (in leaves or foil) add?

I know from online searching that there isn't an easily accessible guide to the above questions, and James Peterson's Fish & Shellfish didn't have anything.  So guides from personal experience are great.


texts: Do commercial yogurt starters (i.e.: store-bought yogurt) actually degrade over time?

texts:
I've seen quite a few sites make the claim that commercial yogurt starters will stop working after a few generations (example), so home yogurt makers should use "heirloom" starters. However, many of the people making these claims seem to be trying to sell or advertise something. So I'm really curious whether there have been any studies showing the multi-generational success rate of commercial v. heirloom yogurt starters.

Does anybody know?


texts: We've tried this a few times. First time we used an old ceramic container and it started sheding on the inside and ruined it. Next time we used a new metal garbage can with one of those super sized 10 gallon zip lock bags as a liner. It went rank very quickly. This could have been due to our packing though. Before we get into this again, what is you recommendation for a good container? I hate the thought of plastics but it seems it might just be the best choice as long as it's made for food storage.


texts: Can all types of honey be used to make mead?

texts: What is the difference between raw and wild honey? Is it raw because of honey collected from apiary domesticated bees, and wild when collected from the forests? Can any honey be used to make mead?  More specifically, what about wild honey, such as Tualang Honey?


texts: How to best keep a bunch of coriander fresh?

texts: I bought this bunch of coriander at my local fruit shop. What is the best way to keep it fresh as long as possible? I usually cut off about 1 cm of the stems and then put them into a glass of water, at room temperature. I wonder if I would be better off putting them into the fridge, with or without the water. Or if there is another option I'm unaware of.


texts: Edible Non Toxic Pencil Alternative for Baking Stencils?

texts: My daughter made macarons last week and decided to use a pencil to sketch out the shapes on parchment paper. Unfortunately the pencil markings (lead) ended up on the bottom of the macarons. What would be an alternative (edible) writing instrument that we could use for this kind of thing?


texts: Chuck or "stew" beef labeled in the super market

texts:
Preliminary

So I found this simple pot roast recipe here. I have cooked this plenty of times, but for some reason lately, the 'stew' or chuck roast beef is turning out to be too fatty (as it is labeled, it looks like this left picture here:

Lately, I keep buying beef that turns out to so full of fat (even from different super markets) it is just disgusting. I normally would cook this beef in a slow cooker after briefly browning it in a cast iron skillet, and since almost no fat is rendered out, it would end up like eating a stick of butter (nothing about it tasted like beef).

Questions seeking Seasoned Advice:
Are stew beef cuts not meant to be used in stews/pot roasts? If not then what is the ideal cut for pot roasts? Or is the super market selling bad beef?


texts:
Are there any interesting diagrammatic recipe notations out there?

I have found Nassi-Shneiderman diagrams:

used here at Cooking for Engineers.

An activity diagram from here:

Is there anything interesting in use by anyone?

I mean 'interesting' in two senses

The diagram conveys the structure of the recipe. The user should be able to browse through a recipe book and get an impression what is being done. Similar recipes should have similar diagrams or parts
The diagram uses some fancy mathematical notation that in some way reflects some properties of the recipe (that's why I show the Penrose diagram).

Penrose notation

Actually I like neither of the two diagrams. The Nassi-Shneiderman is more of a nice tabular form than a diagram, and the activity diagram does not show much of the structure of the recipe.
For example it does not convey any idea of time, and if you could not read the text, you had no idea what the recipe is about. The sub-recipes (like making the dough) are not very visible, either.


texts: How to use frozen patties in recipes asking for ground beef like chili, meat sauce, and meatballs?

texts:
I have 40 pounds of decent quality beef patties (75/25) which came from the store as patties and I want to use it for something other than merely burgers.
How can I take a frozen beef patty and turn it into meatballs, meat sauce for pasta, chili, or other recipes which call for ground beef?


texts: Do pre-packaged chocolate truffles (e.g., Lindt) remain flavorful months after their best by date?

texts:
I often prepare mini chocolate fruit puddings (in shot glasses), by combining fresh fruit and a melted truffle for guests; as a quick hors-d'oeuvre.
I found a bulk package available, but they're short-dated to ~2 months from now, and it'd probably take 6 months to use all of them.  Will my guests care/is there any downside to using the truffles as ingredient post-expiry?


texts: Soda water first stored in refrigerator and then at room temperature

texts: If I put an unopened bottle of soda water in the refrigerator and decide two weeks later that there is not enough room so I store it in a cabinet outside the refrigerator, will it lose its bubbly taste and carbon dioxide?


texts: Risk of eating potato skins with anti-germination treatment

texts:
Most potatoes are given a chemical anti-germination treatment to stop them sprouting before we eat them.

With crispy potato skins and baked potatoes seen as a luxury, I wondered what research has been done on the health risks of eating potato skins and what government health advice says about this.

Obviously potatoes need to be washed first, to clean them and to remove residues of treatment. Should they be soaked first? I also realise that potatoes are safer when peeled.

Being told to wash, soak or peel potatoes makes me want to see hard research data or analysis on the food-safety of chemical anti-germination treatments for potatoes. Which is why I see this more as a biology question - where I originally entered this question - than a cooking one.

UPDATE I recently bought a bag of small potatoes which are promoted as "ready to cook in a microwave oven", though marked "With anti-germination treatment". The potatoes are in their skins, in a transparent bag which looks like cellophane. As the instructions on the bag do not mention washing the potatoes, I looked at the supplier's cooking instructions and was amazed that the video says "No need to peel them. They are ready to eat!" This seems to go against all logic.


texts: Baking soda as a substitute for baking powder

texts:
I am making a pancake recipe that calls for 2 teaspoons of baking powder, which I do not have.

I was wondering if it would be ok to use baking soda as a substitute, and if so, how much would I need to use?


texts: What is the effect of the fat content of milk when making cottage cheese

texts:
I made cottage cheese yesterday using 1% milk while the recipe called for 2% milk. This got me wondering...

What effect does the fat content of the milk used in the recipe have on the final cottage cheese product? Does using milk with a higher fat content produce more cottage cheese than a milk with a lower fat content?

BOUNTY:

To see if anyone can come up with anything about the quantity of cottage cheese resulting from milk of different fat contents.


texts: Making sourdough bread with just flour and water (and no starter)

texts:
Suppose I do not have a starter and I am not interested in creating one. Would the following recipe work to create an edible sourdough bread? If not, why not?

Recipe:

Mix 10 cups of flour with about 5 cups of warm water. Mix well.
Store the mixture in a warm place (about 23-24 Celsius degrees)
Knead/fold the mixture everyday at the same time.
After 5-7 days, add salt and bake the mixture.


texts: Is it possible to transfer E-O157 from simply touching something with contaminated hands?

texts:
Today I went to eat at a local hamburger chain with my family. It was the type of restaurant where you can clearly see the workers making and prepping the food. While observing them make our food, I witnessed the cook take out the raw hamburger patties (with a gloved hand), put them on the grill, grab the buns and cut them in half, line up the plates, place the toppings on the bun, then continue cooking the hamburger, all with the same gloves. Being a little paranoid about my children getting unnecessarily sick, I immediately informed the manager and requested new buns and toppings with fresh gloves. The manager didn't seem to think a whole lot about it, but still granted my request, but I definitely had to spend the rest of the stay with some death stares from the staff. After leaving, I started to wonder if I was being a little unreasonable since I have been seeing this practice more and more at different restaurants and fast-food joints.

I have read ALOT of questions on this site about the risks of cross contamination but most of it involves best practices and food being cooked together, like this, and this, and this.
Based on all my reading, I already know this is not good practice, but what I am curious about is if any of the bad stuff, like E-O157 can actually be transferred to the buns and toppings in this manner.

Am I overreacting about the risks associated with this practice, or are the risks relatively low? More specifically, is it even possible to transfer enough of the bad stuff to make someone sick by using the above practices?


texts:
I just stumbled on the site while searching for an answer. I'm hoping one of you can provide an answer.

I bought a brand new pan that is factory seasoned and I didn't strip it off.

I used vegetable oil and it came out uneven, sticky spots, and does not have the wonderful non-stick surface I would like. I tried it about 2 more times and same result. I've since picked at it, scraped bits off, noticed what looked brownish/blackish, washed it, cooked bacon in it, scrubbed it with a steelo (stainless steel scrubber). Honestly can't tell if it's rust. It's brand new with factory season. I'm lost.

I'm about to try flaxseed oil. Can I can put this different oil/seasonings right over my current seasonings or do I have to strip it all off with chemicals and start all over?


texts:
I'm currently baking a batch of sourdough bread. My last batch turned out perfectly with a hard crust and chewy inside. My problem is how to store the bread such that the crust stays hard. If I put it in a plastic bag the crust goes soft in a matter of hours and I'm afraid that the bread will turn dry if I leave it without some kind of protection. Note that I'm not looking for a long term storage solution.

What is the best way to store my bread, such that the crust stays hard and the inside stays chewy?


texts: Can you freeze cheese and still keep the flavor when you defrost it?

texts: I was thinking in particular about Brie because of its soft texture...


texts: Why is my homemade pork sausage rubbery?

texts: We just made some pork sausage and fryed up a patty to check the spicing.  The taste is fine but the patty is rubbery in texture.  What did we do wrong or not add to the mix?


texts:
I want to experiment with making a savoury sponge cake. The idea is to make something that has the texture of a sponge cake but isn't sweet, and I'll fill it with some creamy savoury sauce that I haven't decided on yet. It's probably a daft idea (blame lockdown fever) and feel free to tell me so if you wish, but what I really want to know is can I take a recipe for a sponge cake and just leave out the sugar?
I want a fairly sturdy sponge. More like the texture of a light fruit cake sponge than a Madeira sponge. If it isn't just a matter of leaving out the sugar then any suggestions of recipes that will achieve what I want will be greatly appreciated.


texts: What are ways to reduce cellulose in vegetables and fruits?

texts:
I (and some family members) have a medical condition that affects the ability to digest cellulose, so we have to avoid most fresh fruits and vegetables.  We have found that cooking vegetables helps a bit, and something that requires a long cooking time (like a stew or soup) helps more.

Basically I am wondering if there are other ways besides cooking to break down the cellulose of vegetables and fruits and make them easier to digest?


texts: How to properly store a Chinese new year cake and how long will it last?

texts: I've received a Chinese new year cake, my question is how do I properly store it? Do I need to refrigerate it? Also, how long will it last assuming that I properly store it.


texts: What are different ways to roast Bell Peppers?

texts:
I was wondering if anyone had any tips for roasting bell peppers so that they get a nice blacked skin.  I live in an apartment, and if I were to put the peppers directly on the burners, it would not go over too well.  (I did start to do that, but when it started to heat, the pepper started to stick to the burner.)  I tried to use my George Foreman grill, but wasn't able to get the char on the skin that I was looking for in order to take the skin off.  (Note: the flavor did turn out well for what I was making, but I know it would be even better if they were charred.)

Thank you for your suggestions.


texts: Why should I prefer tea dust over crumbled tea leaves at home?

texts:
I just noticed that the red coloured packet of tea contains the tea dust!

This is very surprising. Tea dust available in that kind of packet means that it is available for home use, otherwise it would have been in a tea bag. For commercial use, I don't think selling such small packets makes sense.

How am I supposed to use this tea dust at home? Why should I prefer it over the normal crumbled leaves of tea?


texts: When coating raw meat with flour, does leaving it for a period of time make the flour 'disappear'?

texts:
I recently trying the flour coating trick before frying it so my meat can withstand more temperature and does not get dried up so easily inside.

However, when I rolled the meat with all-purpose flour so it became white, I observe that if I leave it for a period of time, the white-ness is kind of gone away. Did the flour somehow goes in the meat? What is the consequence of it? And should I apply flour coating again before immediately drop into my frying pan?


texts:
I have a sandwich that says "sell by 11/4". The sandwich is white bread, provolone cheese, turkey breast, and some lettuce wrapped in a plastic bag.

I went to go eat the sandwich today and found that what appears to be the cheese has melted into a liquid goop. Within the sandwich the cheese was sitting on top of the turkey.

The provolone cheese says: pasteurized milk cheese culture, salt, enzymes.

I didn't know cheese could melt in the fridge?

No power was lost to the chilly bin since the turkey butty was put it in there.

Update:

So I pulled out my backup sandwich which is a little more recent in the aging period and it looks like the cheddar cheese is melting in this one too but not yet like the previous one's attempt to become school's next favorite Elmer's glue, although a little sour.

This ham butty has been in a different chilly bin so no connection to a power outage.

Is it the meat that's melting it, such as the salt in the meat, or something else?


texts: When I buy a brand-new Frying pan, the instructions usually say to "season" or oil the Pan. I just purchased one and it also says to "season" after every 10 dishwasher cycles. I always wash my pan by hand, so do I need to do this every 10 washings? What is the purpose of "seasoning" the Pan


texts: Should I fill up a double boiler or leave an air gap?

texts:
I have a double boiler that looks like this:

I have been trying to use it to warm soup, but the soup heats up very slowly.

Currently, I have just an inch or two of water in the bottom, so the porcelain part is not actually touching very much of the water. Most of the heating seems to be by steam. Should I fill up the bottom part more so that the porcelain has water all around it?


texts: Cans are all sealed, but I forgot to boil the closed jars - should I boil them now?

texts:
I am relatively new at canning.  Last night I made a batch of peach butter using a trusted recipe that I have made and canned before.  I sterilized my jars and lids, ladled the boiling peach butter into each jar, and put the lids and bands on.  Within a couple of hours, all of the "buttons" popped in indicating to me that they have sealed.

However, what I realized this morning was that I never actually boiled the closed jars.  Since they are already sealed, should I boil them again?  (By the time I get home, the jars will have been sealed and kept at room temperature for about 20 hours).

Thank you for your help!


texts: Substitute for egg yolk in ice-cream (Egg Allergy)

texts:
I have a few questions regarding egg yolk in ice-cream.

I would love to try making homemde ice-cream but a lot of recipes I see have egg yolk.  Is there a substitute that I could use or is it possible to just leave out the egg yolk?

I have heard that I could substitute egg yolk with coconut cream or maybe it was coconut milk.  Is this true? What is the purpose of egg yolk in ice-cream?


texts:
I have a recipe for steaming seitan that involves wrapping the vital wheat gluten loaf in a tea towel, tying off the ends, and placing in the steaming basket.

I am good to go but for the tea towel. Unfortunately, I don't have any tea towels, nor do I have any that aren't either microfiber or bath towels with a fuzzy nap. I have one of cotton quilted fabric. What can I use as a surrogate tea towel?


texts: How do I get the burnt aroma off burnt food?

texts: I sometimes burn the bottom of the pan due to carelessness or not stirring enough. The burnt smell tends to persist even after I seperate out the un-burnt bits. Is there any way to fix this?


texts: How do I use a French Press to make coffee?

texts: What are the steps to using a french press to making great tasting coffee? When I pour the hot water in, do I use the plunger immediately and then wait or do a I wait a few minutes first to brew and then use the plunger?


texts: Is it possible to make fudgy brownies without oil?

texts: What can I substitute for oil in brownies and still get fudgy brownies? I've tried yogurt and sour cream (individually) and only replacing half the oil with one of those, but the brownies always end up cakey. Should I just give up and accept that brownies are not a health food, or are there other ways to use less oil?


texts: What is the proper ratio of heavy cream to chocolate for a thick ganache?

texts:
Most recipes on the internet call for a 1:1 ratio that I've seen but this ends up being rather watery. I want a thick chocolaty ganache.

Is there anything special that needs to be done to achieve this other than adjusting the ratios? Right now I'm basically doing the "mix simmering heavy cream with chocolate" recipe.


texts: Where can I buy a pipe for a Weckmann in the US?

texts: I want to bake a Weckmann or Stutenkerl. Traditionally, these have a clay pipe for decoration. Where can I buy such pipes in the US?


texts:
I've tried using spaghetti squash as a substitute for pasta a few times, but every time I do the dish ends up really watery.

I've been roasting the split squash for about 45 min in the oven, then scraping out the flesh and then mixing it with my sauce.  When I first shred the flesh it's definitely moist and steamy, but it doesn't seem to be overly wet.  A few minutes after I've added it to the pan with my sauce however, it renders off what seems like a cup or two of water.

Most recently I've even tried wringing out the strands in a clean towel over the sink before mixing it.  That did seem to help, but it still watered down the sauce way too much for my taste.

Has anyone else encountered this issue?  Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to prevent it?


texts: How to avoid using artificial food coloring in cookie and cake decorating

texts: It's been a week since I started some cake and cookie decorating, and normally one needs many colors to come up with a lovely colorful final result whether it is Butter cream, royal icing or fondant. So I'd avoid using artificial food coloring as much as possible. Searching the web, I found a few articles suggesting to use different fruits/vegetables to make homemade/natural food coloring but I am not positive it will work since other than the flavor, it means adding too much liquid. Is there any way to avoid artificial food coloring without the aforementioned problems?


texts:
I use oil for cooking in the Teflon coated pan.  I put the pan on a very low fire. (Simmer) Lately I have found that the onions get stuck to the bottom of the pan.

How to know whether the teflon coated pan's life has reached end? Does it change colour or something else?


texts: CharBroil Propane Grill - Troubleshooting a problem

texts:
I asked on Meta if this was on-topic and was given the go-ahead to post, so...

I purchased a CharBroil 2-burner propane grill a few weeks ago.  The flame is the right color and certainly hot enough, but the grill acts as if there are random momentary interruptions to the gas flow.  It makes soft puffing sounds and occasionally the flame will go out for a fraction of a second.  I captured a short video of the problem.  Watch it with the sound turned up and pay attention between 7 and 10 seconds in to see the flame puff completely out momentarily.

I called CharBroil support and their response was to send me a new Hose Valve Regulator.  The new HVR did nothing to fix the problem. Another call to CharBroil and they told me it was the Blue Rhino propane tank I was using. Something about a proprietary refill valve that prevents 3rd parties from refilling the tank and also doesn't work well with CharBroil HVRs.

I obtained and tried 2 other tanks from different suppliers (AmeriGas and Bernzomatic) with the same results.  CharBroil's response to a 3rd support call was to send me a new burner, which I won't receive for a week or more.

Nobody at CharBroil support seems to be interested in seeing the video or actually troubleshooting the problem.  I spoke to both a first-line tech and a supervisor and both explicitly refused to view the video.  I seriously doubt the new burner will fix the problem.

Has anybody seen this behavior?  Is it dangerous to use the grill in this state?  Can anybody identify the cause?

EDIT: The new burner did not resolve the problem. If anything, it's worse. I am returning the grill tomorrow.


texts: I made a sandwich two days ago that consists of white bread and canned tuna. I put it in my freezer immediately after making it and it stayed there until today. This morning I took it to work, planning to eat it for lunch, but am now going out for lunch instead. I'd rather not waste the sandwich, so is it safe to refreeze it until tomorrow? It has been out of the freezer for 5 hours and sitting in my desk drawer.


texts: What are the signs of a watermelon past its best?

texts:
Last week I bought a watermelon, and that day cut the rind of it. Also that day it was placed in a glass container, with a plastic lid that fits snugly around the glass on top, and stored in the refrigerator.

Today I went to finish it off, after not eating some for a few days, and was greeted by a 1/4 inch of milky white colored watery liquid in the bottom of the container, along with partly mushy watermelon innards.

I don't intend to eat it, but have had slightly mushy watermelon innards before, without the liquid described above. Anyone have any ideas what that is?

Additionally, what are other signs an already-cut watermelon is past its best (but not spoiled)?


texts: How to infuse vanilla into bourbon (or other spices into liquor) using low heat without reducing alcohol proof?

texts:
I want to make and serve a vanilla bourbon, so I want to maintain as much of the alcohol as possible--ideally all of it. I've tried nitrous and room temperature infusions with various amounts of vanilla and over various amounts of time. The flavor isn't as strong as I'd like in the amount of time I'd like. (I'm using just the beans and no sheath because the sheath is lending a tobacco like flavor I don't want.) So I was thinking to try heat to get a stronger flavor faster as I've gotten more pronounced vanilla flavors in shorter time when baking it into desert sauces. I figured that if I add the vanilla beans into the bourbon and heat it on low (below 174 degrees F, the boiling point of alcohol), let that go for x time (I'm thinking less than 10 minutes?), then I should maintain the proof? I tried in a large pot but it boiled at 150F, which I think may have been due to large surface area? I plan on then cooling the mix and letting it infuse for 3-5 days at room temperature (and then compare to the ones I infused at room temperature without any heat). It may be just this simple, but I'm getting a lot of mixed input on the internet.

I was also thinking that if it is reduced significantly, perhaps I could just add the infused mixture into straight bourbon to bring the proof back up.
(Note, I have seen the USDA TABLE OF NUTRIENT RETENTION FACTORS but since this deals with cooking alcohol into food rather than on its own, I figured it may be different.)

(I have also heard of people using sous vide for infusing liquor with heat, but I don't really have those supplies at my disposal). If all else fails, perhaps I will just make a vanilla extract from scratch using bourbon and then use that, but it may be too aggressive.)


texts: Seasoning skillet: What am I doing wrong?

texts:
Since two months I have a DeBuyer 28cm skillet from the Mineral B line. Upon buying it I followed the instructions they gave me in the store: Wash it, fry (without oil) a thick layer of salt and oil it up before putting it away. This gave me a light brownish seasoning.

In the weeks after buying it I used it a lot, mainly for sautéing vegetables. Every time I used the pan the seasoning became darker. But every time I washed the pan (no soap, just hot water and a plastic brush) part of the seasoning would fall off.

After about two months I decided that there must be something wrong with the first layer of seasoning. So I used soap and a steel brush to remove all the seasoning it had. Then I heated it slowly and with a paper towel I brushed in a small amount of oil in thin layers, until the pan started the color and smoke. I did this 3 times.

Today I fried two burgers in the pan, thinking this time I had seasoned it properly. I warmed the pan for a couple of minuted on medium heat and put the burgers in with a dash of sunflower oil. Unfortunately, the seasoning came off exactly at the places where the two burgers rested (see photo.). Though nothing came off while cleaning the pan.

What am I doing wrong?


texts: What's a good vegetarian substitute for Worcestershire sauce?

texts:
The only thing I really miss since I started the whole rampant vegetarian thing is the taste of Worcester sauce in all sorts of dishes.
Is there a way to get close to the flavour without doing anything rude to any anchovies?


texts: Poured boiling water over pork belly and then refrigerated

texts:
I read about a method of preparing pork belly in the below article that involved pouring boiling water over the rind of belly pork, then refrigerating it over night(so it has a chance to dry before cooking). It's supposed to make the crackling nicer.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/apr/15/how-to-make-perfect-crackling

I placed the pork belly slab in a roasting tray in the sink and poured boiling water over it from a kettle. It was in a pool of boiled water for a good 10 seconds before i managed to lift it out(I didn't think this through properly). It looked like the outside of the meat was starting to cook, but I'm not sure if this is the case or not.

I then placed it in the fridge in some marinade, where it will sit over night.

I plan on cooking it tomorrow at 200C(fan oven) for 30mins, then 160C for 2-3 hours. but I'm worried. Will we be at risk of food poisoning?


texts: Any specific brands? so far, I could not find any popcorn that tastes like popcorn at movies.


texts: What did European/American historical cooks do with the egg whites?

texts:
I do some historical cooking out of old cookbooks, like Amelia Simmons' American Cookery or The Art Of Cookery Made Plain and Easy.  One thing I've noticed is that these cookbooks use way more egg yolks than whites.  For example, I prepared an 18th century feast one night and ended up with 10 leftover egg whites in a jar.
This left me wondering, what did they do with the egg whites?  Given the extreme frugality of cooks centuries ago, which included using every scrap of stale bread and every bit of a pig including the oink, I find it impossible to believe that they were wasted.  They must have used them for something ... but that's not in the recipes I have.  So, questions:

Are the cookbooks we have simply not representative of actual cookery of the 15th-18th century?  That is, are they purely posh cookery and as a result did actually waste the egg whites?
Or were the egg whites used for some other purpose that required a lot of whites, maybe even a non-culinary purpose?

Help me solve this mystery.  Thanks!


texts: Achieve the same consistency as 8 hour slow cooked inside skirt steak in a fraction of the time?

texts:
I have a process that calls for a 6-8 hour slow cooker braising of inside skirt steak.
The skirt steak becomes incredibly soft and the connective tissue adds a lovely gelatinous luxurious mouthfeel when large chunks of the skirt steak are served from it.

I want to replicate this in half the time. I tried with cooking approximately 15lbs of peeled inside skirt steak for 4 hours in a covered hotel pan with some water in the pan but while the steak was delicious it was not "fall off the bone" soft.

What are commercial ways of cooking large volumes of skirt steak quickly retaining maximum texture and flavor?


texts:
I was always told to wash fruit and vegetables right before eating or cooking them, and not earlier. This is supposedly intended to "keep them fresh" or "keep them safe from bacteria" (depends on the source).

I tried to find some sourced information on Internet  but while there is no shortage of information about how to wash them (especially today with the COVID-19 pandemic), I did not find anything about when they are best washed (right after buying them, or right before consumption).

I would be interested in a generic information - that is not targeted on today's critical handling of fruit or vegetables (or anything else - again, COVID-19), but one for "normal times".


texts: I have always boiled artichokes. Lately I've heard people talking about how good grilled artichokes are. There's some variation in recipes: some say to boil, some say to steam; some say to cut in half before that and some say after. I don't need a recipe for dipping sauce or anything like that. I'm simply looking for the basic technique on how to grill them. What is the best way to do it? Is there anything else I need to know to make sure they come out well?


texts:
One of my favorite dishes is steak tartare with fried bread, garlic, capers, beets and raw egg yolk. I would like to try chicken tartare (food safety issues aside - I'm aware of the risks); however, I don't think that garlic, beet and caper match with chicken meat.

Another difference would be the difference in texture between chicken and beef - I can't imagine it is possible to scrape the chicken meat as I would do with beef.

My two questions are:

What preparation method for raw chicken would lead to the most pleasant texture? Sliced, minced, diced, mashed, etc.?
What accompaniments would pair best with this dish?


texts: Olive oil vs almond oil for frying ground beef?

texts: I need to fry some ground beef with some spices (black pepper, mustard seeds, cumin, cinnamon, salt, garlic, onion).  I have olive oil and also almond oil.  What are the relative strengths and weaknesses of each for this purpose?


texts:
I am hosting my first Christmas for the mother-in-law so of course am freaking out.

I'm planning on cooking a roast something but with a slightly different spin on it from normal Christmas Dinner as it'll be on the 27th so I thought of making something different.

I thought dauphinoise potatoes would go down a treat. I haven't made them before but the recipe seems fairly straightforward. My question is how much prep can I do the day before? As I'm keen to have a few dishes ready and on trays to go in the oven without needing lots of morning prep.

Can I pre-slice the potatoes? Will they keep in water in the fridge?

I have seen some recipes which include cream, garlic and gruyere. I'm guessing these ingredients need to be cooked off immediately prior and cannot be made up beforehand.


texts: If a meat roaster rack has become contaminated with mold, etc, would soaking it in hot water and bleach (0.5 cup bleach to 1 gal of hot water) for 2 - 1 hour cycles with hard scrubbing between soaks the baking in the oven at 450°F for 1 hour be sufficient to kill any toxins that may be present?


texts:
A lot of recipes I've been preparing lately often list salt and black pepper as "to taste" in terms of quantity. I get that the general idea is to make the food taste good, but I'm not sure that I regularly notice salt or pepper unless there is TOO MUCH of either.

When a recipe calls for adding something "to taste", what am I trying to note when I taste it? If it's a brand new recipe, how do I know if something is supposed to be bland, seasoned or salty/peppery?


texts:
According to this recipe, I did exactly what the author wrote. I ended up with a dough that was too wet and brown. I have several questions about to this recipe.

When the recipe calls for both white and brown sugar, am I suppose to add white sugar first, beat until incorporated, then mix in the brown sugar; or can I add them both in at the same time?.
Melted butter: I melted until it turned liquid. Mixing it with white and brown sugar resulted in a thick, dark brown liquid different from what I learned about using the creaming method. Did I melt my butter for too long?

The more I bake the more problems I find.


texts: Is it possible to make homemade yogurt using chocolate milk?

texts:
Making yogurt from a small quantity of live culture yogurt can be gussied up using cinnamon by adding the spice to the milk prior to boiling it.

Is it possible to make chocolate flavoured yogurt using boiled commercially made chocolate milk instead of boiled milk?


texts: Can I re-heat Ricottta that hasn't seperated into whey fully yet?

texts: I am making Ricotta Cheese with Lemon Juice for my acid. I got it to 200 degrees then added my salt and acid. Perhaps i didnt add enough. I have 7 cups milk, 1 cup heavy creme, 3 tsp salt, 5tbsp lemon juice. its been sitting while I make dough. It hasnt completely turned over. I have some small curds. But I do not see whey. Can I reheat this and fix it with more lemon juice?


texts:
My neighbour has just given me a freshly shot hare, but has been pretty unhelpful as to what I should do with it. Pheasants I can deal with, but this is a step too far.

Any suggestions (apart from get rid of it) on how I can use it? How should I prepare it and what cooking methods will be effective?

Note by the moderators:

This question is not looking for recipe suggestions. It is OK to explain what methods (e.g. slow cooking, grilling, etc.) are generally good for a whole hare not prepared by a professional butcher. Answers about how to prepare it for cooking (e.g. gutting) are also welcome. Recipe suggestions will be deleted, as they are off-topic on our site.


texts: Do you need eggs for extruded pasta dough?

texts: I'm wanting to make pasta using my KitchenAid pasta press. Many recipes I see use eggs, but some use only water. I'm thinking using so many eggs would get expensive if I do this regularly, so I'm wondering what benefit they add? Can they be partially or fully replaced with water?


texts:
I want to make pancakes. I have a powder mix that needs only milk to be ready.
However there is a note on the powder mix's box that says I can add an egg to the mix as well.

How safe is that? Are pancakes cooked enough to avoid risk of salmonella?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Anyway to avoid grease splatter?

I am trying to work on using my stove more often, since I have been told that the oven can dry out foods easier.  I was cooking some delicious hot Italian sausage last night, and I noticed something.  After the food was done cooking, there was a thin layer of grease on my stove and on the floor in front of the oven.  How can I stop grease from spattering out of my pan?


texts: Cooking stove vs cooking on open camp fire

texts:
What are the advantages/disadvantages of cooking over an open campfire made with firewood as opposed to cooking on a propane gas stove? And which should one use for which occasion?

EDIT: Thanks everybody for the answers. For a propane stove, if we are carrying it to cook in wet weather, how does this help? We cannot light it inside the tent and if we take outside, the stove will surely go out in case of rain. No?


texts: I bought a bag of Brussels sprouts that looked fine but smelled exceptionally bad, even for sprouts

texts:
I recently bought a pre-packaged bag of brussels sprouts. The sprouts in the bag looked great, green and plump with not a spec of black or brown on them. The next day I cut open the bag and found that the entire bag smelled like a mix between vinegar and over-ripened cantaloupe. If I cut open a single sprout the smell was even stronger.

There was no evidence of spoilage or a mushy texture, all the raw sprouts were firm.

I have eaten and cooked brussels sprouts many many times before so I am familiar with their normal cabbage-like or sulfurous scent. These sprouts were not like that, it was a strong sour smell.

I tried cooking with them and the smell never went away after either boiling or roasting. They also tasted like they smelled.

Does anyone know what could have happened? Was there some kind of chemical involved?


texts:
I have tried to keep my burgers flat for a while but they always end up turning into a ball and I have to flatten them out as they cook, even tried the little hole in the middle of the patty but it doesn't work.

It's ground beef (90/10 angus beef) and I'm only adding salt and pepper before i shape them. I am doing 8 oz patties and grill at medium high temp.

Ok the inflation is gone, put no salt on it and added a bigger dimple. Now my second question would be, what can I do to keep the meat together?. Sometimes about 30% of the times it breaks a little from the sides.


texts: Why are most enamelled cast iron dutch ovens only rated up to 400-450°F?

texts:
I've been investigating getting an enamelled cast iron dutch oven and am surprised to find that most of them don't recommend going over 400-450°F (200-230°C) (most even on just the base, so the lid handle doesn't appear to be the only factor there).

Given that normal cast iron can go much higher and I wouldn't have expected that heat limitation on the enamel...what is it about the pots that causes that limitation?  What risks are there in going above it?


texts: How can I score wet bread dough more easily?

texts: I've noticed that it is dramatically easier to score firm bread dough than wet bread dough. But, sometimes it's good to work with a wet dough for other reasons. Any tips on how to score wet bread dough without squashing/ripping/mutilating?


texts: When cooking 2 Honey Baked Ham frozen sides, how do I need to change temp or time?

texts: I have two frozen sides from the Honey Baked Ham store that I want to cook simultaneously - they are the Au Gratin Potatoes and the Sweet Potato Souffle. The first should cook at 375 Degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes, covered, then 13-15 minutes uncovered and sit for 2-3 minutes after removed.  The second, should cook at 375 Degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes, covered, then 27-30 minutes uncovered and sit for 2-3 minutes.  If I want them to be done at the same time and put the Sweet Potatoes in first (since they need to cook longer) the temp will obviously drop when I add the frozen Au Gratin Potatoes....  any help would be greatly appreciated!


texts: I have a made refrigerator pickles and put them in jars with lids sealed. Can I now process them?


texts:
I have been given a set of very thick and heavy tinned copper sauteuse pans, 5 in all, ranging from large down to small. I have no idea what they are used for. They don't come with lids but I have copper lids with gunmetal handles that came with a set of Leon Jaeggi saucepans that were a wedding present forty years ago.

If anyone has a definitive answer for their use in an old fashioned professional kitchen I would appreciate it.


texts: What is the cellular activity behind massaged greens?

texts:
Most recipes I have seen and used call for greens (kale, chard, collard, turnip, beet, etc) to be massaged in salt and/or lemon juice (or other acidic liquid) for 3-5 minutes, resulting in a dense leafy salad. The preparation is fantastic as it takes away the sharpness of raw greens while keeping them raw, and in a fraction of the time.

As the textural and taste characteristics are more akin to cooked greens (less strong in flavor, crisp but not tough to the tooth) than eating them raw, I would like to know how massaging greens works at a cellular level to achieve these results.

What happens to the greens to affect this change?
Is the physical manipulation what causes the change?
Does the addition of salt or vinegar or lemon juice actually have a chemical or physical effect, or are these elements to benefit the flavor?


texts:
As far as I know, the fundamental thing that makes no-knead bread work is a high hydration, a small amount of yeast, and a very long rise. This is my understanding as derived from Jim Lahey's recipe, (and described and publicized in the New York Times).

However, sometimes I want a softer bread with a different flavor, the sort you get by adding milk and/or eggs, but I still don't want to knead. Challah, soft rolls, and so on. Is it safe to leave a high-hydration enriched dough out to rise for half a day or more? I'd rather not try it, for fear that the smell of yeast masks the smell of spoilage until after I've eaten a slice. Alternately, can no-knead breads be made some other way?


texts: Does wear and tear limit the usefulness of a Dutch oven?

texts:
I bought a no-name Dutch oven* about eighteen years ago and have used it steadily since. It continues to serve me well, but I'm wondering whether I need to worry about the wear and tear on the enamel, as shown below:

Is there a point at which a Dutch oven is no longer usable, or are they basically immortal barring structural damage?

* So no lifetime warranty or anything.


texts:
It sounds simple enough. You take some icing sugar, wet it, mix it up until it's smooth, and then cover your cake with the stuff.

The problem is, when I do this, the icing always runs off the top of the cake.

Each time I make icing, I make it even drier than the last time. (Although never as little as 3 tsp per 100g. If you do that, it's just powder. I got 4 tsp to work though.) I've now reached the point where the icing is so thick and goopy that I struggle to mix it, and it's murder to stop it sticking to everything it touches - the bowl, the spoon, etc. And yet, it still runs off the cake!

Question: How to prevent glacé icing from running off the cake?

Notes:

I realize I could use butter cream or fondant instead of glacé icing. (In fact, I'm probably going to do that at some point.) But plenty of professional cakes use glacé icing, so it must be possible, and I'm curious to know how.
The cake isn't particularly flat on top.


texts: Brewing coffee concentrate using both hot and cold methods - Freezing concentrate

texts:
I drink iced coffee by the gallon. Currently my go-to method is just to brew a strong pot of store-brand medium grind coffee at night using an old Mr Coffee drip coffemaker, putting the brewed coffee in the fridge and adding sugar-free hazelnut syrup and fat-free half & half in the morning.

Obviously, I'm not a coffee connoisseur. I'm not looking for exquisite flavor and delicate notes here, I just want my java, and I want it as cheaply and conveniently as possible. I don't want any "nasty" flavors, and I can't stand burnt tasting coffee, but I won't even notice a reasonably mild decrease in quality.

I've read about brewing methods using near boiling water (french-press type), and cold brewing methods to make concentrate. Can I get more bang for my buck by doing both? What I am imagining is using my 10 cup rice cooker and the giant freezer I have at my disposal this time of year. How about freezing the concentrate in hopes of keeping it at the ready for 2-3 weeks?

This is what I have in mind:

Step 1 - In the morning, put a large quantity (maybe 2 cups?) of inexpensive, medium roast, medium grind coffee in my rice cooker. Add 8 cups of cold water, hit "cook" and bring just to or just below the boil.

Step 2 - Perhaps keeping the rice cooker on "warm" for a while? My cooker will drop from boiling down to about 140F where it will stay just about indefinitely.

Step 3 - Set the cooker insert, contents and lid on the porch until chilled, then place in refrigerator overnight.

Step 4 - Strain the grounds from the coffee concentrate, freeze the concentrate in ice cube trays. Once frozen, transfer cubes to a freezer bag.

Step 5 - Reconstitute coffee cubes in water, add syrup and creamer.

Can I expect that I will get more concentrate (or more concentrated concentrate) by using both heat and time in this way? What problems can you foresee? Should I keep it below the boiling point? Will keeping it warm for a while extract more flavor? Will it be OK to freeze the concentrate?


texts: Do I need a special recipe for mini cheesecakes?

texts:
I found a bunch of mini pie tins on sale at the grocery store and decided that instead of a regular sized cheesecake I would make mini ones for Thanksgiving.

I've yet to decide on a recipe, whether to go with straight pumpkin cheesecake, a layered cheesecake, or a marbled, but I do know I want to make the smaller ones.

I know that it's unlikely, but do I need a specific recipe for the smaller cheesecakes, or will a full-size, but divided recipe work? Also, in the case of a full-size recipe, is it worth layering or marbling a mini cheesecake?


texts: I left unopened pack of lamb burgers to thaw on the counter for 2-3 hours, if I cook them thoroughly should they still be safe to eat? Please advise, haste is appreciated.


texts: button mushrooms turned red while frying in butter

texts:
I fried fresh sliced button mushrooms in butter over low heat with no other ingredients. After a short while dark red areas started to appear on the sides of several slices.

I never noticed anything like it before and would be happy if someone had an explanation. Also I would like to know whether or not it is a sign of some sort of danger.

I tried to find information online but the results are mostly recipes and the only instance where someone describes the same, people's responses are not at all helpful (»maybe you cut your finger without noticing«, »maybe you used fly agaric«).


texts: I got a pizza peel that feels like it is just plain wood. How can I protect it? I thought I heard somewhere to use some sort of oil.


texts: Can I substitute heavy cream for milk. I am making crepes for manicotti and am wondering if they would be fluffier.


texts: Should I flip a roasting chicken in lieu of having a rotisserie?

texts:
I don't have a rotisserie, but would love to impart some of the flavor that seems to come with rotisserie cooking.  The rotisserie chickens I've had were significantly juicier and more flavorful than the roasted chickens I've had in the past - plus the skin seems to be much crispier all the way around.

I feel that besides the crispier skin, one of the benefits of using a rotisserie is that the filling (herbs, garlic, etc - but specifically liquids like lemon) will coat the entire inside while the bird rotates, instead of just "sitting still at the bottom" during roasting.

Will flipping the chicken during roasting help with a more even crispy skin?
Will flipping the chicken affect/enhance the flavoring that comes from what I put inside the chicken?
If I should flip it, how often?

I should add that the chicken won't be sitting in liquid, I use a modified version of this recipe, which may make a difference when answering.

I am aware of this question about rotisserie beef, which is about why a rotisserie is better, but does not seem to address how one can get closer to a rotisserie style chicken in the oven.  Tim's answer is related, but assumes the chicken is sitting in liquid, and mine will not be.


texts:
Will my recipe for roasted red pepper salmon still taste great with cod as a sub?

I have a freezer full of cod, but no salmon. The salmon goes faster. Thank you.


texts: What sushi-like dish consists of various fish in a light sauce?

texts: I recently ate at a sushi restaurant where we just asked for "chef's choice," so we ended up with some dishes and rolls I was not familiar with.  The first one was small pieces of various fish tossed together with a light sauce.  Is there a name for this dish/preparation?


texts: Order of ingredients when making Pizza dough

texts:
I see all kinds of different dough recipes for Pizza. They all contain flour, salt, yeast and water. Some contain olive oil as well. The recipes are not consistent with the order in which ingredients are added to the mixture. So one recipe starts with the water and the yeast until it dissolves, then the flour is added and then salt. Another one starts with flour + yeast, then salt and water. Is there a preferable method? Can you explain to me the different considerations in each path?

Thanks


texts:
I love to eat scones, they are my guilty pleasure, but I can never cook them right, They just become Hockey Pucks, because they are too hard and the size of a puck. Is there any tips with making scones?

I use this recipe http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1729/ultimate-scones but I tried buttermilk, soy milk, lite milk, rice milk and even 2% milk but nothing works.


texts: I combined sugar and flour and mixed with frozen blackberries and placed in unbaked pie crust, dotted with butter and froze.  Will this turn out all right when I bake it?


texts: I don't have access to baking parchment and I need to make a cheesecake tomorrow. Is there any substitute that I can use for baking parchment?


texts: Why does some bacon contain whey powder?

texts:
I wouldn't expect bacon to contain cows milk, but it does in some cases in the form of whey powder. What's the purpose of it?
(My daughter is allergic to cow's milk and I have to check her foods carefully, including bacon, which isn't a food I'd expect to contain dairy.)


texts: what is the ideal ratio to mix mustard powder with flour?

texts:
Hi I am making mustards and soon planning to do it commercially too.
My question is the rate of mustard powder&wheat flour mixture ratio. Otherwise it's too hot and too expensive to sell. I welcome also other solutions to use less mustard powder.
Any recommendations would highly be appreciated.


texts: What is the purpose of salt in fermented vegetables?

texts:
I'm trying to stay low on sodium so I limit salt intake to minimum wherever possible (most of it comes from bread, fermented vegetables or a tiny dash here and there for seasoning)

For vegetables I use 2% salt to water ratio brine as most fermentation recipes call for

Why the 2% and why at all? Is the salt just for seasoning or does it have anything to do with safety? If I get it right, the whole point of fermentation is for the good bacteria to grow, out-crowd the bad bacteria, and act as a natural preservative; So what purpose does salt serve in the ferment other than flavor?
How much of the salt/sodium is soaked into the vegetable during fermentation and storage? (7-10 days at room temp and then in the fridge for consumption in about a month)


texts: Is there any alcohol remaining in beer-stewed chicken?

texts:
We once tried to use beer instead of water when stewing cubed chicken breast pieces on a lark, and it turned out pretty tasty (surprise, since we don't actually like to drink beer).

However, we were leery about offering the result to the kids since weren't sure how much alcohol would remain in the dish after it's done.

Is there any reliable information about how much alcohol from beer would remain after stewing for 1/2 to 1 hour?


texts:
I just saw a claim to this end in another thread, and it is perpetuated about the internet and in many cookbooks.

So: Is it true? Does making a nice crust (maillard reaction) on a roast seal in juice and yield a juicer end product?


texts: Perpetual stew-like stock using the fridge: is it a good idea?

texts:
I work in the science behind nutrition and one of the first things you learn is that a huge amount of nutrients from your food goes down the drain when you throw out the cooking water. In the water you use to cook broccoli, chickpeas, tomato, basically any vegetable, you will find a significant fraction of the vitamins as well as some carbohydrates and fats.

I once read something about a "perpetual stew", a stew that people in the Middle Ages were keeping all year long on the fire. Whenever you needed to cook something in water, you threw it in the stew: not only it added the flavor of the stew to your meal, it also changed the taste of the stew.

I like this concept, and I was thinking that each time I cook something in boiling water, I could save that water to prevent wasting all the nutrients it contains (and likely pesticids, too, but that's another story). Keeping something on the gas at all times is a crazy ideas in this day and age, and unrealizable in my apartment. But I was thinking of buying a big jar and keeping it in the fridge at all times, filled with the broth from whatever I cook (mostly vegetables and starchy foods, the idea of putting meat in a perpetual stew grosses me out a little bit). I would fill up the jar with the water while it's still hot, and immediately close it.

Do you think it's a good idea? Would it improve the taste of my food in addition to increase its nutritional value? And would keeping it in the fridge be enough to prevent contamination and bacterial/fungi growth?

Edit: my question does not concern soup per se. I'm not planning on leaving any chunk in there, no solid food, only slightly-flavored water. This limit the amount of carbohydrates contaminants could use as food, and render it pretty low. Besides, I have specifically mentioned not wanting to elt the soup on the fire at all time.

In the comments of the first answer, I have concluded that I will probably be cleaning the jar every time I use the broth, and boil it before placing it in the jar again. This makes my question really different from the soup one.


texts: I haven't seen these things in the markets here. How do I ask for them in the local market?


texts:
What can be done with quail to ensure that it doesn't dry out when cooked?

(note: the other question about tender quail, AFAICT, is specific to braising....my question is more about roasting, though advice about other cooking methods is also welcome!)

  Inspired by How to prevent the chicken breasts from drying out


texts: Is there some kind of sausage that blends some kind of cheese with meat? In Brazil we have a kind of cheese that has almost the same shape of a sausage, I guess this could exist.


texts: I opened my onion rack lately to find onions that had sprouted several-inch-long green roots... It made me extremely queasy and I threw them out. But I was wondering - would it be safe to eat them / cook with them?


texts: Proper kitchen temperature for doing "fermentation"

texts:
I am looking at the Saveur magazine annual 100 issue.

There are a couple of items related to fermentation; and I am intrigued.

The recipes instruct to let the mixtures to stand at room temperature for around 5 days.

Is there a proper "room temperature" for that to work ? or is it a trial by error kind of thing ?

Thanks,

Max.


texts: Can soured raw milk be used to make yogurt?

texts:
I have a large quantity of raw milk at my disposal, and am trying to find creative ways to use it.

Various web sites (here, here, and many others) have suggested that raw milk, even (perhaps even especially) after it begins to sour, can be used to make yogurt.

I've also heard the claim that sour milk is too acidic for yogurt cultures to grow.

Which is it?

Please note this question is specifically about soured raw milk, not spoiled milk, which is not edible. And please assume that the sour raw milk being used is free from harmful bacteria and pathogens and is safe to consume.  I'm not asking about food safety here, I'm asking: Is it possible to make yogurt from sour raw milk?


texts: Is Nattou safe to eat when it has white dots on it?

texts:
I bought a couple packs of Nattou (fermented soybeans) and stored it in my refrigerator.

They come sealed in plastic, so I opened the plastic and only ate about half of one container. I wrapped it back up in plastic and stored it in the fridge again, and the next day I checked the Nattou and it was covered in tiny white dots, which look kind of foreboding.

It did not look like mold, though, since the white dots were uniformly the same size and spread out evenly. In my experience fungi usually grows at random, and in different sizes, and usually larger than the tiny white dots that I see on the nattou.

What are those dots and is it still edible?

I threw it away without trying it to be on the safe side, but I did notice this experiment is repeatable (I got white dots on the next package by doing the same thing the next day).

I think it might have something to do with storing it in the fridge, since I have stored Nattou in the freezer before without the white dot results.


texts: I'm wondering if we can use Yakult as a yogurt starter to obtain drinkable yogurt?


texts: Can bean-to-cup machine make quality espresso/cappuccino?

texts:
I want to buy myself a coffee machine so I can get nice and tasty coffee throughout the day. Basically my goals are

Don't really want to invest half the day in front of my machine, experimenting with all sort of weirdness
Do want excellent and nice looking coffee.
Do want to have milk foam.
Don't want to go over 500 euros.

I'm OK with a cup of coffee taking like 15 minutes of preparation, but not much more.

I heard from people that a bean-to-cup machine makes not a real cappuccino or espresso, because that can only be done by a portafilter machine, where you have to grind the beans yourself and prepare for much longer. Is that correct, or is that only fanboy sayings?

EDIT: By "coffee", I mean espresso and cappuccino.


texts: How can I reduce the pungent odor of split pea soup?

texts: I love the soup, but hate how it makes my house smell.


texts: Is burnt ceramic frying pan safe to use?

texts:
I've been using a Bergner ceramic frying pan for a month and it has been ok up until today when I decided to cook beef burgers on it. After I was finished the ceramic coating was pretty burnt out. I've follow a cleaning method I found online with boiling water and baking soda, which cleaned it a lot, but there are still burnt bits here and there that won't go away.

Is it still safe to use?


texts: Missing ingredient from Peach Salsa can I recan

texts: I made a batch of peach salsa last night but forgot the vinegar. Can I add the vinegar and recan the peach salsa. It has the sugar, just forgot the vinegar


texts: Macarons Problems because of convection gas

texts:
I tried the pierre herme macaron ispahan recipe:

250 g de poudre d’amande

250 g de sucre glace

6 blancs d’œufs (180 g)

3 g de colorant rouge carmin

250 g de sucre semoule

65 g d’eau minérale

The problem is not with the recipe. The problem is my oven.

I have a convection oven, where the gaz marker of the bottom area contain degrees (100, 120, ..., 220C). And the bottom mark just contain low and high heat.

The first batch I used the bottom area where I put the temperature on 160 degree C for 20 minutes. The rack was at the middle of the oven. The end result was macarons with no feet. The taste was burnt almond.

The second batch I just used the upper area of the gas and the marker was on high heat (unknown temperature). The rack was in the middle and after 20 minutes I have a good looking macarons. I waited for few minutes and taste one it was hard a little bit with a weird taste (not burnt almond taste, just unknown weird taste).

How can I master the macarons with this type of gas ?


texts: In ingredient lists, does "lime" mean the fruit or the chemical?

texts:
Ingredient lists on packaged foods sometimes list "lime".  Does this refer to the citrus fruit, or to the chemical calcium hydroxide?

As an example, Mission Organics White Corn Tortilla Chips list "trace of lime" as the last ingredient.  This could indicate some part (or juice) of the citrus fruit, included as a seasoning (common in Mexican cuisine).  On the other hand, there is a process for preparing corn (maize in some dialects) which involves cooking it in a calcium hydroxide solution.  So if these chips are made using this process, "trace of lime" could refer to calcium hydroxide residues.  Which is meant?


texts: Left my cast iron on the hot burner, now what?

texts:
So the other day, while baking off excess water after washing, I spaced out and forgot it was there and headed upstairs for say, an hour.  When I got back down the pan had a white-ish ring in the center.  After cooling and scrubbing it down it appeared that the seasoning had been vaporized in the area that has the ring.

I oiled the pan to prevent rusting and haven't gotten back to it in a week or so.

My question is:
  Should I remove the seasoning from the rest of the pan or should I just re-season the whole thing?
  If I should remove the seasoning, what is the best way, I think I read some on here but I haven't been able to get back to it.  I recall possibly using the clean cycle of the oven?

There's plenty of info on here about seasoning so don't worry about that!

Feel free to make jabs at the space cadet too, I beat myself up about it until I realized the pan wasn't completely ruined!


texts: How to get uniform bubbles in simple dutch oven bread?

texts:
I'm using the "Saturday White Bread" recipe from Ken Forkish's Flour Water Salt Yeast. I'm very happy with the results so far, except for the irregularity of the bubbles. Here's my loaf:

For contrast, here's a photo of the same recipe from Forkish's book:

His bubbles are not perfectly uniform, but they are a lot more uniform than mine. The dense areas are not as dense, and the largest bubbles are not nearly as large.
The recipe I followed:

1000 grams all-purpose unbleached flour
720 grams water, 95°f
21 grams salt
4 grams “active dry” yeast
Complete procedure here.

Some areas are very dense with small bubbles, while others are large and cavernous. An average 1/2" thick slice has two or three large holes going clean through.
Is there any way to even out the bubble size without reducing the overall airiness?


texts: How can give expirey date using scientific way?

texts: I'm going to make food as startup business? If we make food for market, how can give expiry date using scientific way.


texts: How long does bicarbonate soda (baking soda) keep?

texts:
I am thinking of baking biscuits for presents for Christmas.

However, the recipe calls for baking soda, and I cook from scratch fairly rarely, so I'm worried the leftover bicarb will go strange in my cupboard.  And since people use it for all sorts of purposes, it's one of those products generally not available in the small quantities called for in cooking.

If I do buy a packet, how long is an expected shelf-life for it?  Based on this question I probably should find an airtight container to store it in, which may assist.

(Note if relevant: I live in Sydney Australia; Christmas here is mid-summer, and often fairly high-humidity and 35-40 degree C heat.)


texts: My cultured butter homogenised again after separating

texts:
I tried making cultured butter using a very simple recipe: 500 ml of cream mixed with 30 ml of buttermilk, left on the counter for a couple of days. Then mix to separate, drain, dry, etc.

I don't own a stand mixer, so I used a hand mixer instead. At one point I noticed the buttermilk separating from the butter, but thought I had to keep going to extract more moisture out. Then the mixture suddenly homogenised again and I was left with a slightly sour, buttery mixture that was quite tasty but won't last long in the fridge (because of the lactic acid still present in the mix).

Most videos I watched mentioned keeping on mixing for a little while after the separation first took place. I didn't really hear anyone mention mixing it too long.

A few questions:

How does it homogenise again? I thought that these fat droplets separate because of breaking membranes.
Is there a name for the mixture I ended up with?
Is there any way to separate it again? I kept on mixing but nothing happened.
Is the hand mixer the right tool for this job?


texts: Botulism from *uncooked* potatoes wrapped in foil?

texts: Recently I've seen uncooked, prewrapped-in-foil potatoes at the store, meant for baking. But I've always read that keeping potatoes wrapped tightly in foil at room temperature is one of the ways that botulism can occur. Is this a safe product? Is it only after cooking that botulism can grow?


texts: Make lemon balm tea - recommended method

texts:
I get a ton of lemon balm in my yard and I'd love to make a tea from it - especially an iced tea. I'm a total tea newbie, so I have a few questions:

Should I dry it first (in my food dehydrator) or should I use it fresh as-is?
What ratio of lemon balm to water should I use?
Lemon balm seems relatively subtle - should I use it in tandem with other herbs/teas or can it stand alone?


texts:
My housemate's mother is visiting and she's been doing a bit of cooking. Today she made beef stew.

She cubed up about 4lbs of tri-tip and dumped it all in my stew pot with some olive oil where it promptly steamed and smoked, then she dumped in some beef broth, a handful of sliced carrots and celery, a couple diced potatoes,  slapped the lid on and boiled everything for about an hour.

The result is remarkable in it's similarity to canned beef stew. She'll be out later today and I'm hoping that I might be able to salvage the stew somewhat. Does anyone have any advice for how I might go about this?

Right now I'm thinking of draining the whole mess and making a new gravy but if there's a way to salvage what's already there I'd try it.


texts: Why are Zucchini's refrigerated, but not acorn and spaghetti squash?

texts:
I stock food and follow this procedure, but can see that these are not only the same family - the gourd family, but also the same species.

Both have a hard outer shell.  Why does one ( Zucchini ) require refrigeration but not the others?

I would assume the answer holds true for cucumbers as well.


texts:
I accidentally placed my hot chicken on the counter for 1 hour and 15 minutes last night before placing it in Tupperware and storing it in the fridge for lunch today.

Before people reference the FDA, I see it says two hours. My question is: does this number change since my chicken was right out of the oven and steaming hot?


texts: What can I use to replace eggs in the recipe?

texts:
I'm not a vegan or something, but my stomach can't take many chicken eggs in food.

I've got a recipe for an Imeritian khachapuri variant (cheese-filled flat bread) recipe where eggs are used as a "glue" (I think) for the filling. (Sorry, the recipe itself is in Russian, I'll give any details if needed.)

Now, this recipe also uses eggs for the dough. That is a bit too much eggs for me. I'd like to replace eggs in filling with something. (Other option is to leave eggs in filling and replace them in dough — but I feel that the taste will change too dramatically.)

Note that I'm not interested in commercial (or "chemical") solutions.

Update:

Ingrediends for the filling:

Soft cheese (150 g)
Hard cheese (150 g)
Two eggs
Some herbs and salt to taste

Here is a Google Translate version of the recipe. I think it is more or less understandable.

Another update:

Note that it is not necessary to get the exactly same taste with the modified recipe. I will settle for anything that tastes good enough and is more or less along the same lines as the original.


texts: I've been using the beer cooler hack instead of a sous vide machine and I was wondering if water is the only medium I can use to cook in it. I was thinking that I could fill it with oil for a high thermal mass that would use less energy since I'm using a plastic bag to prevent any contact with the food anyway.  Also, how important is that plastic bag? Could I use a broth to sous vide in with something pourous holding my meat and seasoning together?


texts:
I have several grapefruit trees and get tons of grapefruits almost year round. When I eat the grapefruits, which is fairly regular, I typically eat a good amount of the seeds with the fruit for nutrition, though I do get tired of them after a while.

Is there any recommendation as far as what to do with grapefruit seeds that might break the monotony of just eating them raw? Any way to prepare them or mix them into something... I've put them into smoothies which works fine, but I'm trying to see if there is anything more creative out there that I haven't considered.


texts:
I am cooking a recipe that uses Barramundi fish:

https://www.blueapron.com/recipes/honey-butter-barramundi-with-za-atar-roasted-vegetables

Unfortunately I have never seen this species of fish in a grocery store and so I need some help. What is a good substitute for Barramundi fish?


texts: Using baking strips vs. submerging in a water bath

texts:
I've just recently become aware of baking strips, which are strips of fabric submerged in water and wrapped around a baking pan to reduce the heat transfer to the sides of a cake, preventing the sides from browning and eventually having a perfectly flat cake.

If the purpose of the baking strip is to reduce heat transfer to the sides, it seems to me that submerging the pan in a water bath higher than the height of the cake would have the same effect.

Will this work the same way, and if not what is the difference?


texts: bacteria forming in reheating of baked potatoes

texts: I understand that if you do not correctly reheat a baked potato bacteria can set in botulism. what is the correct temperature you need to avoid temperature abuse.  Also can you use the baked potato for other uses ie hash brown that need to be reheated


texts: How should I store 15h cooled and then 2h cooked at 65C white soybeans?

texts:
I cooked a litre of soybeans for two hours and cooled them for 15*. I should put them in the refrigerator, but in what solution? My intuition says that an acidic liquid would work. Should I use one teaspoon of citric acid to make them acidic?

*Note (Jefromi): the title said "15h cooled and then 2h cooked" soybeans. I tried not to change the meaning, but I suspect that the OP may have actually meant that the soybeans were soaked for 15 hours, then cooked.


texts:
I am cooking crêpes using the basic recipe: 1 egg, 250 ml (8.5 oz) full-fat milk, 250 ml (8.5oz) water, 200 g (1.4 cup) regular wheat flour, a pinch of salt. I let it sit for an hour+ in the fridge before I start baking.
The taste is fine, but the texture is not consistent. Sometimes I get “lace” crêpes with small holes (1 mm), which is what I want. Sometimes I get crêpes with large air pockets, maybe 2-3 cm / 1" in diameter, 1 cm / 0.5" thick.
What am I doing wrong?


texts:
For the past few months, I've been doing a fair amount of curing, and I think I've gotten my pastrami down pretty nicely. Now that warm weather is here, I have burgers on the brain, and considering how to merge these two loves.

What I'm looking for advice on is how to approach this feat. I was considering one of two basic directions:

Cure ground beef
Patty-ify completed pastrami

In the former case, I would mix the cure right into the beef, rest for a few days, then form patties, crust, and slow-grill over a smoky flame.

In the latter case, I would take a completed pastrami, mince it, form it into patties (probably with a binder), and then grill.

Has anyone tried anything like this? Am I off my rocker? Are there any other approaches I'm missing here?


texts: Baking apple roses in oven in France, which mark should I choose?

texts:
I'm baking some apple roses as described here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rGrwvEjZIQ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKOla0-aW5o. Basically, it's apple-packed puff pastry plus some other ingredients, baked in the oven.

In both of the recipes, they instruct to set the oven to 400 degree F (=200 degree C approx.) I'm in France and using their oven, I set the temperature to 200 degree C and chose the mark "flans/tartes", set the roses for 42 minutes. They got burnt quite a bit. What mark should I choose? I see that there's also a
"poissons/pâtisseries" mark, should I choose that instead? Or, should I just lower the temperature?


texts: What way to incorporate sugar into dough for millefeuille is better?

texts:
Choosing from two alternatives: separating layers of dough with layers of icing sugar and making dough with a solution of sugar. If the latter option is preferable or no less good than the former one, an additional question I have is what the concentration of such a solution has to be.

P. S. Descriptions of the process of production of this French dessert available on the web advice to cover with icing sugar only the outer layers of pastry, but it will not impact its taste at all.


texts: Do people eat clotted cream AND butter at the same time?

texts: In The Hobbit, Gandalf is described as eating loaves with clotted cream, butter, and honey.  I'm familiar with clotted cream, but I always eat it with jam - clotted cream PLUS butter seems excessive.  Do people frequently eat these things together?


texts: Looking for an accurate nutrition database

texts:
I hope that this is the right place to ask this question. My problem is that I wish to plan a diet for myself but - nearly - every database has different values for the same food. How do I know which one is accurate?

For example if I check bodybuilding.com for raw eggs: Eggs on bodybuilding.com and on the USDA webpage: USDA entry for raw eggs I get different values for the same thing.


texts: How can I add salt and get it to permeate throughout chocolate?

texts:
Based on a previous question I understand it is not possible to make chocolate from home since specialist and expensive equipment is reqiured.  As such I bought premade dark chocolate from the shop, melted it(brang water pot to simmer, added anotther pot wih chocolate in to top of first pot). I then added salt in as I wanted to increase the salt content of the chocolate ensuring the salt is distributed well.

When eating the chocolate I noticed that the salt did not distribute throughout the chocolate and the grains didnt even dissolve properly. large salt grains were present in the chocolate.

I then melted some coconut butter in the same way, added salt and noticed the salt grains didnt dissolve either so clearly need to do more to get the salt to dissolve and distribute.  I added water to the coconut butter and it the salt did dissolve however it seemed to still be seperate from the coconut fat in the same way oil seperates from water.  I then added coco powder.  When I ate it although the salt grains did dissolve it still seems not to have distributed/penetrated the chocolate well.

Chocolate bars with a high salt content e.g. twirl, flake have the result i'm looking for i.e salt is distributed well throughout.  Anyone know how i can get premade chocolate, add salt and get it to distribute like the aforementioned bars, or cook from scratch getting the salt to distribute properly?  I cant just use the aforementioned premade bars because they have many other ingredients which I'm trying to avoid.

-- UPDATE --
I have just noticed that the chocolate bars I have been comparing to e.g. twirl, flake do not have salt added as an ingredient.  However they still have 0.25g of salt per 100g of chocolate.  I guess it means its naturally occuring as a result of one of the ingredients or managing to merge that ingredient with the other ingredient hence getting the seemingly well distriuted salt.  Does anyone know which ingredient gives it the salt(I'd guess milk).  If I wanted to then emulate the recipe would I simply melt chocolate as previously and then add milk, is there some possible way to make the salt distribution like aformentioned store bought chocolates now that I know it definately wasnt as a result of adding/cooking salt?


texts: How to prevent eggplant having a tough or rubbery texture

texts:
I'm planning on cooking an Asian style eggplant with garlic sauce soon. However, I am concerned (perhaps even paranoid) about getting the texture right. My goal is for the eggplant to be very soft ("melt in your mouth"). In the past, I've had eggplant turn tough and chewy when cooked. How can I make sure it turns out how I want?

I don't typically salt my eggplant before cooking, because I don't find the taste to be unpleasantly bitter. Would that help?


texts: Can tomato essence be made with tomatoes only?

texts: I've seen a few recipes for tomato essence and they all include a few other distinctly flavoured ingredients.  I understand the essence of something to be of that one item.  How can the tomato essences be so tomatoey when other ingredients are fennel, basil, onion, etc?


texts:
I'm having a hard time letting go of using cooking time & internal temperature as metrics when it comes to cooking BBQ, especially when using the oven.

For example, I'm currently baking baby-back ribs wrapped in foil.  This recipe calls 3 1/2-4 hours at 275 degrees.  However, the ribs reached an internal temperature of 200+ degrees after only 2 hours.

I took the ribs out and tested for done-ness, but found the meat cooked well done but chewy.  After letting them sit (wrapped) on the counter for about 15 minutes, the ribs went back in the oven at 225 for the remaining time.

If the issue was simply that I need to cook them lower and longer, I'd be fine with that- but it's not.  People achieve great results using various times, temperatures, and recipes.  This is definitely a problem with technique.

My question is this- is an internal temperature of 200+, after only 2 hours, not excessive?


texts: Quickbreads vs Cakes: Understanding Mixing Ingredients -

texts:
Type 1:  In a typical quickbread (and certain cake recipes), the instructions will say to mix just until combined, no actual stirring or beating. I think this is because (assuming this is made with wheat flour, either white or whole), overstirring or beating would cause the gluten to develop which would result in a chewy texture, not usually desirable in this case.

Type 2:  Then there's the type of cake where the sugar and butter are creamed and then if I recall eggs are added and then the flour. It's not a problem to continue mixing it, in fact mixing is not only okay but required. This tends to result in a light, fluffy cake.

My question: If my premise for Type 1 is correct (overbeating develops the gluten), why does it not hold true for Type 2?


texts:
Let me start by saying, I am a good home cook.
I have been cooking for a while with positive review.

I decided to try something I had never done before.  I made a Greek Inspired Pork Roulade.  It required making a filling with spinach, cream cheese, feta, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, lemon zest, and garlic.
I tasted the filling and it was great.  I pounded the pork to about 1/4 inch thin and spread the filling and rolled it into a Roulade.  I didn't have twine so I rolled it in parchment paper.  The final step was to baste the Roulade with mustard, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano sauce.
So, after baked it for 15 -20 minutes, I basted. Everything looked and smelled amazing, but looks and smells can be deceiving...it wasn't great!!
But, neither myself or my husband could finish it due to the tartness.

Can anyone give me tips on how to fix this...I hate wasting food but can't seem to be able to figure this one out.


texts: Everytime I cook white asparagus it has these strings in it, which are not really pleasant. Is it normal thing? Or I am doing something wrong? I peel asparagus and cook it in boiling water for 15 minutes in boiling water.


texts: Is there residual alcohol in various vinegars?

texts:
How much, if any, alcohol is left when vinegar is made from alcoholic products? Does this differ between different types of vinegar, such as malt, red wine, white wine and spirit vinegars?
The context is a desire to absolutely avoid alcohol.  This includes de-alcoholised products that may contain trace quantities.


texts:
I am looking for a good book on British cuisine, and I have a specific type of book in mind. I tried looking on Amazon, but I couldn't determine whether a given book offers what I want.

I am looking for a book which is more of a good read than a recipe collection. I actually intend to curl up in an armchair and read it through.
It should describe different traditional dishes, something about their background, maybe things like where it is from, is it prepared for certain occasions, maybe some historical anecdotes, or typical pairings.
If there are traditional genera of dishes which require their own technique, I'd like to see that technique explained somewhere. For example, I have a book on French cuisine, and it contains very detailed directions on making pastetes, independently of any recipes.
A general chapter on food history in Britain could also be nice, if not too long.
It should also provide the recipes for the dishes - maybe not a big collection, just for sampling whatever is described in the text. But please, it should be a book with good recipes, not one where the author described the cooking tradition and then just slapped the first recipe they came across without even testing if it can be made.
It should cover baking as well as cooking. I've always wondered what scones taste like.
It should contain a good share of food porn.

All in all, I guess it is maybe best described as a collection of Smitten Kitchen articles, only the text shouldn't be about the author's personal experience with the food, but about the tradtions surrounding it.

If you know of such a book, I am looking forward to your recommendations.


texts: Why is my bread not mixing and cooking properly

texts: When I add my ingredients like my bread machine manual says I'm getting this tangled ugly mass of bread. It rises some but when it mixes it breaks apart and doesn't join together again like my previous loaves. This has happened to me twice now, does anyone have any suggestions?


texts: Using Pressure Cooker to Make Bone Broth

texts: I have always read that when making bone broth you should keep the heat to around 180F and do not let it get to an aggressive boil because it will emulsify the fat into the broth and also because you will lose flavor and nutrients through the boiling process. I always let mine simmer for about 2 days. I am considering opening up Bone Broth kiosk in my city and someone suggested using a pressure cooker to quicken the process.  I would think this would also be considered cooking at a very high temperature. Has anyone ever used a pressure cooker for making broth and would you consider this to be a decent way of keeping the nutrients and flavor intact while speeding up the process?


texts: What makes bourbon a decent substitute for vanilla?

texts:
In the accepted answer to this question, it was said that bourbon can make a half-decent substitute for vanilla. I fail to understand how because the primary flavor component is vanillin and as far as i know, there is no vanillin in bourbon.

What characteristics of bourbon are analogous to vanilla? Is the similarity due to the alcohol content of vanilla extracts? Or is there another reason?


texts: Cake yeast rolls recipe missing part of flour measurement

texts:
My mother has a cake yeast rolls recipe, but she can't remember it. She's 101 so don't expect it. I have part of the recipe, and it is:

2 yeast cake in 1/4 cups of warm water
1 cup scalded milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 1/2 salt
3 eggs
3 1/? cups flour

My dilemma is how much exactly is the partial cup of flour?


texts: What ingredients can I add to food or gum recipes to add grittiness without any carbs?

texts:
I have a sugar free gum recipe that I'd like to add some grittiness to so that it scrubs teeth while it's being chewed. I need help finding an ingredient to add this grit, meeting the following specs:

Won't dissolve in water/saliva
Ingestible (generally regarded as safe)
Contains no sugars so that the product stays sugar free. Tooth-safe sugar replacements would be OK

I've been looking for an ingestible replacement to the microbeads that used to be used in exfoliating cleansers, but haven't found something that would meet the specs.


texts: How to prevent smoke detector from triggering while using my air fryer

texts:
I'm using an air fryer to make things like potatoes, fish or carrots.

Every single time some amount of smoke (apparently oil) comes out of it and some almost translucent smoke probably from the food.

The annoying part is having the smoke detector being triggered every single time.

Any good tips to avoid this?

Thanks,


texts:
Sweet potato fries are one of my favorite sides.  I also love the taste of pumpkin, and thought it would be good to replace the sweet potato in sweet potato fries with pumpkin.  I am looking to make something very similar to sweet potato fries, but I am curious on a few things.

I would love for them to be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  Should I fry them or bake them?  Other than salt and pepper, what spices would bring out the flavor of the pumpkin or pair well with it; would spices be necessary to make them tasty?


texts:
I would like to make honeysuckle ice cream (or some other honeysuckle flavored food item).

  What is the best way to extract the flavor from just picked honeysuckle flowers?

There seems to be no consensus among the various internet recipes I've found.  All suggest something like "add boiling water and soak" or "bring to boil then let cool", possibly followed by letting sit in the refrigerator over night.  I tired one version of these last year to no avail (no honeysuckle flavor).  Honeysuckle has flowers now and won't one week from now, so there's scant time to experiment.

One last question: how do I know when is the best time to collect the flowers?  I've heard morning is best, but I notice the flowers are often very fragrant also in the late evening.  I guess after rain is not good (that may have been my mistake last time, actually).


texts: Is Microwaving considered dry heat or moist heat and why?

texts:
I am wondering if microwaving food is considered dry heat or moist heat.

It has a similarity to frying in oil as it doesn't heat it in water. And I know frying in oil is dry heat.

But if I put bread in the microwave it goes soggy, not brown (no Maillard reaction), so that suggests it's moist heat.  I understand the reason it doesn't brown is because the food surface temperature is low, unless a "browning pan" is used in the microwave.

Are the terms dry heat vs. moist heat dependent on whether the surface temperature of the food is such that browning occurs? Or is it based on whether or not there is water/steam surrounding the food?


texts:
The batter doesn’t stick to the rosette when I dip it, it falls off. What am I doing wrong?

I made the batter, heated the rosette for 15 minutes, and dipped it into batter, which didn't stick.


texts: Fresh milk curdles when added to hot coffee and tea

texts:
Came in to work this morning and made a round of coffees, the same as yesterday.

To freshly washed and fully rinsed mugs, I added instant coffee, and the milk then filled with boiling water and the milk instantly curdled and all the bits floated to the surface.

Thinking it was just bad milk (the milk didn't smell off at all but I remember seeing it sat on the side at some point yesterday) I bought fresh milk and repeated. The same thing happened.

We are using the same kettle as yesterday, the same mugs, the same instant coffee.

To be sure it was the milk, I made a coffee with just coffee and water, it was fine, I then added the milk and it curdled.

To eliminate bad luck with 2 different jugs of milk, we've poured the milk into a glass to inspect and drank it and it is fine from both milk jugs.

Please help, I had a few beers last night and need my coffee!


texts: Attempted to season my new cast iron pan and was left with a ring

texts: Is my pan ruined? I coated it evenly with vegetable oil, put it on low to medium heat, came back after about 20 and the centre where the now circle is was dry and the oil was around the dry circle. I cleaned it under hot water, gently scrubbed, the hard crumby circle away and it went down to what you see now. I reseasoned it and put it in the oven upside down but nothing changed. Help!


texts:
Spanish Tapas is some of the best food I know. I've been to a lot of great restaurants all over Europe. I've bought some books, and tried different recipes for making this food. It should not be very hard to make it as good as in the restaurants, but the recipes I have found in the few books I've tried has all failed. They are indeed horrible!

Is there a great book with really good recipes for this kind of food?


texts: Which one of the five mother sauces is Sauce Messine derived from?

texts:
I'm organising the sauce recipes I have and I'm uncertain as to where I should place Sauce Messine. I'm inclined to say it belongs in the bechamel category, or is it a veloute based sauce? I'm not sure. Also where would sauces like parsley and watercress sauce fall in the system of the five mother sauces?

Thanks.


texts: What is the name for a dish similar to chili but with no chili peppers or related spices and some very non-chili ingredients?

texts:
I made something the other day and I'm not sure what you'd call it.  I softened some onions, celery, carrot, and garlic in olive oil;  browned some ground venison in with the veggies and oil; added some beans, chicken stock, diced tomato, and tomato paste; let cook for a bit; threw in some spinach and let cook to wilt; cubed some stale rolls and threw them in there too.

It struck me as somewhat similar to a chili but has no chili peppers or related spices and some other things you normally wouldn't find in chili.  What would you call it?


texts: How to cook sea bass fillet in foil in the oven from frozen

texts: I would like to cook a sea bass fillet from frozen and to cook it wrapped in foil, how should i do this? Because its frozen, how long should i have it in the oven for and at what temperature?


texts:
I decided to make a 2.5kg sourdough to make bread and pizza out of it. I used the following formula: 76% hydration, 2% salt, 20% of starter (100%).

I mixed the flour and water and let it autolyse for about 2 hours. After that, I purred in the starter and salt dissolved in water. I mixed by hand until the gluten was formed.

After that I left it to bulk ferment over night. I left it covered in the oven with the oven light on.

In the morning it grew a lot, I think it doubled. However when I took it out on the bench it seemed liquidy. It was very very hard to handle. I left it outside in the cold for about 30 min then I tried to shape it. It was still pretty liquidy, it lost structure.

Can I still bake with this dough? I put it in the fridge because I had to go to work.

Should I simply bake and see what happens?

Kind thanks!

Update:

So the pizzas were a disaster and the bread didn't spring too much but the taste was good.


texts:
When I was young my step-mother, who was Filipino, did most of the cooking.  She often served plain white rice with this Shrimp/Fish paste on the side instead of soy sauce.

I'm trying to find the paste.
(it wasn't a paste-paste or dry)

I have no idea what it was called.  It was bought in an Asian market.  Came in a tiny glass bottle. Was a redish/brown colour.  It had a little liquid in it, and was crunchy if you accidentally ate too much.  Something you didn't want to do since it was so salty 1/2 a dime size amount was more than enough for a full bowl of rice.

Everything I've found on-line says it must be cooked in.  It was never cooked in.