texts: Is there a way to save cookies that were baked without flour?

texts:
I forgot to put flour into my cookies (though I was careful to remember the oatmeal, and I blame the lack of flour on that).  They are absolutely delicious, but also difficult to eat because they have more the consistency of goopy pie filling than a cookie that you could hold in your hand.  Ideas include mashing them up, balling them, and freezing; and mashing them up, adding flour, and rebaking.

I understand that at this point they'll never be quite like cookies, but I refuse to waste them, and that would be easier if I could get them into a more manageable to eat format.


texts: What's the best way to stack a three-tiered wedding cake that is not covered in fondant/marzipan?

texts:
I have baked the layers of a wedding cake and am left wondering as to my best stacking approach. It is a fairly dense sweet potato cake with buttercream frosting and I am worried about it sinking into itself. All of the videos/articles I've seen online seem to be for cakes covered in fondant.

The bottom layer is a one foot square, middle layer is a nine inch square, and the top layer is a six inch square. Each layer is 4.5 inches tall.

     ___
   _[   ]_     six inch square
 _[       ]_   nine inch square
|___________|  12 inch square

I've heard I should use dowels to support each layer (some say solid wood, others recommend hollow plastic). Also, I've received conflicting advice about using bases between the tiers -- should I use cardboard, plastic, or dowels only? I am really quite confused.


texts: Can I simply soak fruit and vegetables in water for several hours to sanitize them?

texts: To optimize my time as much as possible, I would like to know if I can simply put them in water and leave them there for a while. This would help if there are lots of fruits and vegetables to be washed. Would this help to remove bacteria and pesticides on them? How long should they be soaked in minimum to really be effective? How long in maximum to avoid effects on taste and nutrition? How long before they get spoiled? Should I put something into the water?


texts: How to achieve tender or crunchy toasted lentil sprouts?

texts:
A few days ago, I started sprouting a batch of lentils. This morning, I took some of the beans, now with 0.5-1 mm shoots growing out of them, tossed them in salt, pepper, and paprika, and spread them in a single layer on a pie tim, which I baked in a preheated 250F oven for about 20 minutes.
When they came out they had a lovely flavor, but were a bit gummier than I'd like. I'm going to perform the experiment again with the remainder of my sprouts tomorrow, but I'll probably change something.
What I'd like is something crunchier--I've had toasted chickpea sprouts that are crunchy and delicious, and I can only hope that a similar effect can be achieved with lentils. Does anyone have any suggestions? I could bake them longer, change the temperature, only add the salt after cooking (as one does to prevent beans in soup from toughening up)... Also, by tomorrow the sprouts will be more developed, with longer shoots. I suspect the chemical changes that take place will also make a difference.


texts:
When I am cooking at home I usually cook with dry, store bought pasta shapes. Before I cook it I usually partly wash it under the tap so that the water isn't too cloudy when it cooks, I don't usually bother to wash it thoroughly so there is still some cloudiness.

My question is basically, is it necessary to wash pasta before cooking it? Is there an advantage to washing it completely so it is boiling in clear water? I think it is just the starch that is being washed off (please correct me if I am wrong) so by washing it the cooked pasta would not stick together as much but I haven't tested it.


texts:
I made a cake with butter, eggs, caster sugar and 70% chocolate today. The cooking directions suggest 30 minutes in the oven in a bain marie. I followed the instructions to a tee (as I have done in the past). However, for some reason, the cake didn't set. I left it in the oven for an additional 25 minutes, and then let it rest on the side and cool down for 2 hours. It was still extremely moist and hadn't set as it had done in the past.

I cannot think of anything different that I did. The butter was fresh, the eggs were laid by my own chickens this morning and the chocolate was cooking chocolate.

Is there any way to salvage the cake? The oven doesn't seem to have worked this time!


texts:
How long should I let my bread dough rise the second time?

I am really having trouble with a lack of rising after the first rise. The finished product is fairly flat and a bit on the dense side.
Any ideas are appreciated.

I'm using a rich recipe:

2oz. butter,
2 egg yolks,
1/3 cup of sugar,
and 1 cup of whole milk.
No water at all.

Maybe use less or fewer rich ingredients?


texts: Why would I want to pre-heat a pan before cooking?

texts:
New to cooking here.
What are some examples where I should wait for the pan to pre-heat, for how long, and why?
Thank you in advance!


texts: What causes lemons to be bitter when cooked and how to avoid it?

texts:
I know that the bitter taste in lemons is due to the rind (the white part), but I don't understand why there are recipes where it's ok and others where the taste is just terrible.

I recently experimented by mixing curry with limes and lemons. I cut the lemons and placed the slices over chicken thighs that I cooked in the oven. At one point I tasted it and the flavour was good but the meat was slightly uncooked. I left it for another 30 min and when I took it out it was really bitter, so much that there was just a hint of curry.

So, is it time dependant then? Does the cooking method (direct heat, wet heat) have any influence? Can it be avoided by taking out the lemons at a determined point? I love the "citrusy" flavour, specially with chicken and fish, but never seem to get it right. Thanks for any help.


texts: I've been considering buying a food dehydrator, mostly for fruit, maybe some jerky. I know that a conventional food dehydrator can take a while, 12-24 hours. I'm curious, can I use a vacuum chamber to dehydrate the fruit instead? Will it take less time? I imagine that making raisins may be problematic as they have a sealed skin and would explode, but I don't think that would happen with banana or apple slices.


texts: How do I make my blended soup a more appealing colour?

texts:
I was following this recipe for minestrone soup. This recipe includes a red tomato base, as well as some green vegetables.
I like to blend my soups up after to make them smoother. However, when I do this I end up with an unappealing brown colour to my soup, since the green veggies and red from the tomato combine to be brown (at least this is what I assume is the reason).
I've seen this with other soups I've made before; anytime I have tomato + greens in a soup it happens.
How do I improve the colour of the soup to make it more appealing? Or am I overthinking this?
(I know brown soup exists and can be appealing (e.g. Windsor soup), but in this case when I blend it the colour just comes out like a mossy brown colour that looks kinda gross).


texts: What caused my blueberry muffins to come out flat?

texts:
I made blueberry muffins two times.

The first time I used unbleached flour. I don't remember if I used salted or unsalted butter then. They came out looking like from a bakery.

The second time, I used bleached flour and salted butter. They came out flat and didn't look nice. Was it the flour or the butter which made the difference?


texts: Cakes that can be cooked whilst camping?

texts: I love camping, and would like to expand my camping cooking repertoire.  This got me wondering if I could cook cakes (other than pancakes) whilst camping where I won't have an oven, and will only have a dual burner camping stove.  So are there ways of cooking cakes without an oven?  Or are there cake like alternatives?


texts: How to make my cinnamon rolls less bready?

texts:
I make it like this 3/4 cup milk, 1/4 margarine, 3/4 flour, 25 ounce yeast, 1/4 white sugar, 1/4 water, one egg.

I leave it for thirty minutes, and it hardly rises. When cooked, the taste and texture are a bit too bready. How do I make it less bready?

Didn't write the filling because that turns out right, I just have problem with the dough itself.
I use self-rising dough meant for cake.


texts:
Our apricot tree is overloaded with apricots this year so I have been trying out a variety of different apricot recipes. I am particularily enjoying an apricot compote recipe, however I am having trouble interpreting one step in the recipe:

  Cook over medium heat, turning occasionally, until apricots are glazed and syrupy, 7-8 minutes.
  Transfer to a small bowl and chill.

The chill part has me confused as I am not sure if I should let the syrup chill to room temperature on the counter then cover and store in the refrigerator. Or if I should remove from the heat and immediately store it in the refrigerator. What's the best mechanism for chilling a hot compote?


texts: How long is it safe to drink coffee after brewed?

texts:
How many hours/days would you recommend to drink coffee (after brewed) and consider it safe? (For example if you don't want to waste it). What is the difference if it is refrigerated or not?

The question is not about flavor since (I think) it is probably ruined after at most a couple of hours.


texts: How can I make herbs easy to remove from a Crock-Pot?

texts:
I made a soup in a Crock-Pot and placed rosemary directly in it. Once the soup was finished the rosemary had dispersed all over the soup.

The process I used:

Lightly spray Crock-Pot with Pam
Cut up vegetables (onion,carrot,garlic,cabbage,potato,etc)
Cut up and trim chicken breast
Place ingredients in Crock-Pot
Add chicken stock
Add in rosemary (on the stick not ground)
Add in bay leaves and a few other spices
Cook on low for 8 hours

So the soup turned out pretty good, except that it had the bay leaves and the rosemary leaves scattered throughout.

How am I supposed to add in fresh spices (not ground ones) such as the rosemary stick while being able to remove them from the Crock-Pot once the cooking process is complete?


texts: Can sour cream be made the same way as yogurt?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Is it possible to make Sour Cream at home?

I make yogurt by adding a small amount of yogurt to milk, heating it slightly (barely in this weather!) and letting it sit several hours. It's, of course, a simple process--that's rather what yogurt is all about.

I understand sour cream is made by the same essential process, but I don't know what changes I would need to make. Could I just add a little yogurt to some cream? Do I need to change the ratio of fresh to culture? Does the incubation time or temperature change at all?


texts: Can I replace honey with maple syrup in recipes that require honey?

texts:
There are many recipes (or recipe variants) that require honey as ingredient.

Barbecue Spareribs
Honey Lamb Chops
Honey Raisin Choc Drops
Honey Shortbread Biscuits
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Krispie Shortcake
Honey, Lemon and Rosemary Marinade
Pear and Almond Tart

May I generally use maple syrup in recipes that call for honey?
Are there guidelines for when that substitution will work well?


texts: How do I catch drippings on a charcoal grill?

texts:
It's time for me to buy a charcoal grill. I am looking into the Weber 22.5 inch.

I hope I will be able to use it to get smokey flavor as well with Alton Brown's "wood chips in aluminum foil method".

However, I am worried about durability. Since the the shape of the grill is cylindrical, I suspect I am going to have a hard time catching drippings effectively. Most dripping catchers are rectangular.

How does one go about solving this? I am thinking of just using aluminum foil, but I am afraid that it might melt.


texts:
Yesterday, I purchased a package of Kaymak (the Turkish version of Devonshire clotted cream). Normally, it would act just like clotted cream. It was in the fridge when I purchased it and looked fine. I put it in the fridge at home, and it broke. Now, it's just a container of thick cream.

Why would that have happened? Can I rescue it? (Maybe use the cream and try to heat again?)


texts: Adjusting pressure setting and processing time when modifying pressure canning recipe

texts:
When it comes to pressure canning, is there a "golden rule" or standard for modifying recipe pressure settings or processing times when you want to change the quantity of jars used?
For instance, I am interested in cooking and canning this Split Pea and Ham Soup recipe.
Unfortunately, the recipe only makes 2 quart jars. I have a Presto 23-quart canner that can fit more than 2, and so -- if possible -- I would like to scale the recipe up to cook enough soup for 4 or maybe 5 quart jars worth.
But if I stuff 4 or 5 quart jars into the canner, does the pressure setting for this recipe (10 PSI) or the cook time (90 minutes) change? If so, what's the general rule for figuring these types of modifications out?


texts: I have 4 large jars of plums (Santa Rosa), which I bottled. The instructions said sugar would not be needed, however, they are so sour they are awful!!!  What can I do with them rather than throw them out? Can I make jam from them now that they are already cooked?


texts: Can I reprocess vinegar hot pepper jelly?

texts: I made a batch of jelly last night that just isn't sweet enough.  Can I now unseal the jars, reheat, add sugar and re sterilize and seal them?


texts: Unnecessary kitchen gadgets: a reference

texts:
There are a lot of advertised tools and electronic gadgets for every field; the kitchen is no exception.

In my experience, there are a lot of useful tools for specific purposes (a garlic press, for example) but there are also a lot of seemingly useless ones.

A useless gadget or tool is defined as one that

does not actually help make the task it was designed for easier
may cost more than the proper tool or set of tools (or the technique)
unnecessarily complicates preparation
may incur injury or increase likelihood of injury
something that gathers dust and never gets used

So, list any that you have encountered and warn others to steer clear of, and include the reason why. This is a community wiki.


texts: What is this oddly shaped hinged device with indentations?

texts: What is this device? It's about 8cm long when closed, and has little indentations on the top piece and raised lines on the bottom. Possibly it could be used to crush garlic etc.?


texts: What is the best frying pan for even heating, using a large pan on a much smaller burner?

texts:
Most often in the past I have cooked on a gas range, which I prefer rather than electric. But recently we moved and since I am renting stuck with a rather modest electric range.

The elements are 5" and 7" diameter, and frying pans I have are around 12" diameter and non-stick.
I have had real problems where the center of the pan cooks hotter than the edges and I have to move food around alot to get even cooking.

I am not looking for brand recommendations, but what kind (material-wise) of frying pan is most suited for even heat distribution? Either regular or non-stick does not matter to me.


texts: How to make a stable culinary Parmesan foam

texts:
I have Knox powdered gelatin, soy lecithin, and a 0.25 liter ISI whipper. I just need to make one cup of this special liquid to pour into the whipper but I do not know the ratios of cheese, water/milk, lecithin, and gelatin. I heard you also use egg whites but the more I research about this the more I'm confusing myself -.-

Im serving this in small amounts as a garnish for a lobster bisque fyi. I do not want the foam to melt into a puddle on top of the warm/hot bisque within 5ish minutes,

Someone help me out pls


texts: I have a recipe that calls for me to roll up turkey in puff pastry. What can I use as a substitute for the puff pastry, preferably that is lower in saturated fat?


texts: Lodge Dutch Oven seasoning fail (My first cast iron experience)

texts:
I bought this.

It was a little rusty. I cleaned the rust with salt. I wanted to remove preseasoning but I don't have requirements for that process.

Washed the dutch oven with soap and cold water.
Heated it to 100 C.
Applied flaxseed oil.
Wiped again with paper towel for excess oil.
Putted it to 250 C oven for 1 hour.
Waited 2 hours for cooling.

Problems:
1. Paper towel is not good for that because there are a lot of residue and dust on dutch oven when I use it.
  2. It seems 1st seasoning failed, because there is no change. Where I am wrong?

Rust:

Before seasoning:

After seasoning:


texts: Are there any recipes specially for mushrooms that are on their way out, like making banana bread from over-ripe bananas?


texts: Why does Black Gram Batter turn fluffy only when stone ground?

texts: Idly and Vada two major recipes of South India. For those dishes Black Gram Batter is the key ingredient. This soaked balck gram when ground in a mixer or food processor makes idly and vada hard and the batter is not fluffy. While if the black gram batter is ground in wet grinder it becomes fluffy and the idly, vada made out of it is more soft and tasty. Why?


texts:
I was reading a post earlier regarding maple syrup being left out overnight.  They were asking if their beloved Maple syrup was still safe to consume.  In the comments I believe someone brought up this question I am asking, I'm sure I could do the research and find out but hey whats the fun in that.  So here's my question does the sugar in Maple syrup or any product for that matter inhibit the growth of mold.

Also if its true, how much sugar is needed percentage wise?

Does it matter what type of sugar?


texts:
I made some cloud dough for my daughter (made of 8 parts all-purpose flour to 1 part olive oil) and I was just wondering how long you think it would last. I am currently storing it in a plastic container with a lid outside with plastic toys in it.

She won't be eating it as it's for playing but I don't want her playing with rancid dough and some might make it's way to her mouth for a taste or because it got onto something else while playing.

Thanks


texts: Little bit of an odd question, but what does pelican taste like?

texts: Oddly curious as to the answer - thought about it once and can't get it out of my head. Has anyone tried Pelican before? Or know what it tastes like? I had a look around on other sites but couldn't find anything.


texts: Will my results differ when using a sourdough starter vs poolish for pizza dough?

texts:
I've read about differing techniques for getting the best flavor, texture, and chewiness in my pizza crust. One of the commonly suggested routes is to include a sourdough starter as part of the process, but I also find suggestions to use a poolish pre-ferment. From what I understand the main difference in technique is that a sourdough starter typically uses simply flour and water(introducting natural lactobacillus), where as poolish you would also include off the shelf bakers yeast. The sourdough starter also seems to be an ingredient that you build up over days, or even longer, where as the poolish you make in less than a day.

What I haven't been able to determine, is what if any differences will I find in my pizza dough using one product over the other?  Would the pizza crust taste different, look different, rise different, or exhibit other differing characteristics between the two processes? My ultimate goal is Neapolitan margherita pizza in a home oven).


texts: How to make Brie En Croute less rich/cheesy?

texts:
I prepared Brie En Croute using 1/2 of a 16.9oz/480g round of Brie and a single layer of frozen puff pastry dough. I also added a few dollops of apricot preserves inside. When wrapped, the pastry mostly just had one layer of dough but some was double-layered.

After baking, the pastry was beautiful but was too rich and creamy. I have had Brie En Croute before and the sweetness of the preserves, richness of the cheese, and savory pastry flavor were balanced well. This however, was definitely just CHEESE.

question

How can I make Brie En Croute but balance the flavors better? How do I make the cheese less... cheesy?

In the future...

I will definitely cut off the rind a bit! It was very pungent in the Brie En Croute.


texts: is it necessary to add sugar while making probiotic(fermenting) apple

texts:
In many recipe I have seen adding sugar to water with starter and no salt. Then how does the undesirable bacteria are kept in check?

Thank you.


texts: baking time versus number of items in oven

texts:
I doubled a recipe for apple cake, and filled two 13x9 pans. Into the 350F wall oven they went. Recipe estimates 50-60 minutes.

60 minutes later, probe comes out pretty damp, and cakes are more than a bit jiggly. Easy enough, bake a little longer.

What's going on here? Do two room temperature cakes depress the initial temperature for a lot longer than one?

p.s. Oven calibration recently checked, so it's not that.

I was baking these cakes one atop the other, with a few inches between, in an electric oven. I did not have convection turned on.


texts: I have one of those ceramic pie birds that vent steam from a pie while it bakes.  What benefit does using this provide to the end result?  Also, in what types of pies should it be used?


texts:
I cut my apple open this morning and found that it had an unexpected consistency emanating from the core. I couldn't find much about what's going on here other than maybe this is some kind of mold (seems unlikely).

What's going on with this apple?

This particular apple was part of an Amazon Fresh delivery. I've had about 10 of them up to this point, all of which were good apples.

I took a bite before throwing it out. It tasted fine and the texture is the same as far as I can tell (dense, fibrous). Ultimately I decided to toss it erring on the side of caution.


texts: I seared by prime rib at 450 degrees for 30 minutes and then I was supposed to reduce the temp to 325 for an additional 3 hours.  I forgot to turn down the temperature and caught my mistake 25 minutes into cooking.  How much time should I reduce my cooking by?


texts: Is there an easy way to french trim a rack of lamb?

texts: I had to be part of a lot of french trimming of racks of lamb at the weekend, and it seemed to take a long time, so it got me wondering, is there an easy way to do this? Some preferred tool?


texts: Can I whisk macaron batter like meringue?

texts:
I was wondering whether there's any reason you shouldn't whisk macaron batter like you whisk merengue batter, i.e. first whisk the egg whites until you get soft peaks, then add sugar (in the case of macaron batter, sugar and almond meal mixed together) and then keep on beating for a little while? It seems it'd be easier to get a batter with meal/sugar properly incorporated yet not too runny. But while this method is standard for making meringues, it's obviously not for macarons, so I'm guessing there must be some kind of a reason for it?

The reason I'm asking is because I tend to either undermix the batter (giving the macarons proper feet/pied, but lumpy domes) or overmix it or otherwise getting it too runny (getting smooth domes, but no feet/pied). It seems like it'd be easier to maybe have the batter a little too stiff, and then just massage it a little when it's in the piping bag.

edit: I actually tried it out (with a batch of just a single egg white) and I guess I realized the answer to the question. As soon as the almond meal/sugar mix is added, the egg white contracts and it becomes impossible to whisk any more air into it. So my follow-up question then is if it might work better to add only the sugar first, and then, after reaching the desired consistency, add the almond meal? Or would you only be creating an unnecessary extra step with no big difference in outcome?


texts: Preserving Nerds / Pop Rocks so they activate in the mouth and not in the food

texts:
I want to be able to use Nerds and/or Pop rocks in cooking. However, unless the food is ultra dry, the food itself activates / dissolves it; I want it activated in the mouth.

a) Is there a way to do this that does not involve coating them with something that must be bitten through, i.e. so that it is saliva activated but not activated by the other liquids (water, milk, oil, egg …) in the food?

E.g. to use them in ice cream, it'd be preferable not to require biting.

b) What can I coat them with that will not activated them but will preserve them for bitten activation? They're extremely reactive. (Water, oil…)

One plausible suggestion I've gotten so far and not yet tried is vegetable wax. Anything else?

c) How can I make a pop rock type sensation myself?

[ETA: instructables has a recipe for making poprocks per se, but it has the same issue. I'm wondering if there's something that'd work for mouthfeel but be less volatile during the cooking process for embedding in other things.]


texts:
I've stopped frying my straw potatoes in the fryer as the straws sink to the bottom and get stuck below the heating element. After a while, some of these raw straws float to the top and mix with the already fried potatoes. I now fry in a pan on the stove.

Is there a way to prevent the straws from sinking to the bottom in the electric fryer?

Edit: I stopped using the mesh basket as the straw potatoes float right through the holes. With the mesh basket, they don't sink to the bottom though.


texts:
I have some decent chicken stock that needs using and I am making a takka dhal tonight. I preboil my lentils, and was wondering if I boiled them in the chicken stock, whether or not they would soak up the flavour at all? Or would it just be a waste?

Advice would be welcome!

Thanks.


texts: I have a recipe calling for fresh ham I have not been able to find a store in my area that carries them is there another cut of pork that can be substituted?


texts: How can I thicken an already cooked pie filling?

texts: I made a coconut cream filling using 2% milk as that was all I had.  Now, more than 6 hours later, it still has not set although it was thick while I was waiting for it to cool before pouring into the prebaked crust.  Does it need to stay overnight to set?  Can I pour it back into a saucepan and warm it up and add more cornstarch?  I hate to waste the ingredients.


texts: Does quality decrease by heavily reducing wine?

texts:
Somewhere I read a suggestion to reduce wine separately before making a red wine sauce. After doing that, the alcohol taste is always gone, and I can control the wine taste efficiently.

A few times I've by mistake "over reduced" wine so it's more like a runny syrup (not scorched, by any means). By coincidence, I've always used a particular wine those times and never else. And all those times the sauce has gone bland and slightly bitter, while I expected the flavor to be more powerful with a more reduced wine.

Can it be that the treatment ruins the wine, or is it just a bad wine?


texts: Checking for cracks in Mussels, is a symmetrical crease/crack around top and base of mussel a normal part of the shell?

texts:
Cooking some mussels.

A lot of them seem to have a elliptical crease/crack that follows the ridges on the shell around the top and bottom of the mussel. Does anyone know if this is a crack or is it a feature of the shell?

Some don't have it, some have it more pronounced, some have it more subtly.

I thought it might just be a feature, but it could also be a crack if their shells are weaker at particular points.

Finally, should I cook or discard them?

Thanks!


texts: Is it safe to keep Carpaccio in a refrigerator for 24 hours?

texts:
I have just made some home-made Carpaccio from thinly sliced beef rump, lemon juice, olive oil and Parmigiano.

Is it safe to keep the Carpaccio in the fridge for 24 hours?


texts:
It seems to me that apples and pears are pretty much hard for a long time. Does it make sense to speak of some point at which they are ripe and best for eating?

And if they do ever ripen, how do I tell when they are ripe?


texts: What protease in particular does avocado contain? I've been searching everywhere for it on the internet and still couldn't find any answers.


texts: In the U.S.A., when a product's ingredients include spices what can this legally cover?


texts: Every time we get a extra large block of cheese, by the time we get to the end of the brick, what's left gets an off taste, from being in the refrigerator so long after opening the package. The price per pound is much more economical for the large blocks of cheese, so if it's possible, I'd like to know how to prevent or undo the off-taste that comes from being in the fridge too long once the package is unsealed vs just buying smaller bricks. Even if I leave the original wrapper around half of the block that doesn't seem to help. Usually I store the open block in a freezer-weight ziplock bag.


texts: What hot cereals can I cook by just adding hot water?

texts: I eat instant oatmeal at my office desk every morning. I think I can also get instant grits and maybe cream of wheat or something, but what other hot cereals can I make by just adding boiling water? I don't like flavored stuff and I'm not looking for recipes, just a little variety in my admittedly very bland breakfasts.


texts:
I love to bake and have come across several peanut butter recipes (cakes, cookies, even a multi-layered/multi-component [cake & cheesecake layers] cake) that sound really good.  My problem is I don't like baking things I can't eat (a little selfish I know :D), and peanut butter HATES me.  I love it, but it makes me want to curl up in the fetal position and die.

Is there anything that behaves the same as peanut butter that I can substitute?  I know it will change the flavor drastically and for most recipes it won't be a problem.  I know I can use other nut butters, but I'm asking if there are other alternatives.  I know Nutella (flavor-wise) can be substituted for most peanut butter baking recipes, but the texture is different so I don't think it behaves exactly the same (especially if I'm trying to make cookies where that would matter more than cake).

What about cookie butter?  Would that behave the same as peanut butter (assuming I decrease the sugar required)?

I read Is it possible to subsititute nutella for peanut butter?, but it's very vague with its question.


texts: Why does the smell of onions linger on your hands long after you have been cutting them? Even after washing your hands. I have heard that stainless steel remove odors from hands? Is it true?


texts: My child ate some pepperoni that was sticky, but didn't smell or taste bad, and was before the expiration date. Is that a sign that it might've spoiled early, or was it likely still safe?


texts: Difference between ground cloves and clove powder?

texts: Is there a difference between ground cloves and clove powder? Can I easily substitute one for the other?


texts: I've got some lotus root that I had in the fridge about a week before I opened it.  I left the lotus root in the water in which it was packaged and I'm wondering how long it stays fresh.  It still looks like the day I got it and it's been 2 plus weeks.  I thought what the hell, looks fine, and ate it and it's still the same old lotus root.


texts: How do the various methods of roasting beef compare?

texts:
I can think of 3 ways to roast beef:

Rotisserie Oven
Regular Oven
BBQ

What are the pros and cons of each?


texts:
What causes freezer burn?

How can I tell if meat has freezer burn?


texts: Can potassium sorbate (E202) be tasted and smelled by everyone or just a few people?

texts:
Potassium sorbate (in Europe: E202, or 'Kaliumsorbat' in German) spoils a lot of the packaged food for me – I clearly smell and taste it. I can also clearly smell it e.g. in a medicinal cream I bought at the pharmacy. The smell/taste is very specific, a kind of organic 'sweetish-sour', remotely reminding me of wax when it is stronger, and I don't really like it. The taste also doesn't disappear after cooking as I just experienced with a pack of fresh potato dumpling dough from the supermarket (Germany) – after kneading the dough I could still smell the additive in my hand palms for a few hours.

All the online info sources suggest that potassium sorbate wouldn't impart its own taste to the food, but the opposite is the case in my experience. Now I wonder if it's possible that not everyone can smell/taste it, e.g., for genetic reasons? Otherwise the Internet should be full of comments to this effect.


texts: Sticky, messy sourdough: overfermented, or ambient factors?

texts:
I've made the same sourdough bread a dozen times before, with small variations in parameters:

360g white flour
240g whole wheat flour
390g water

That's a 65% dough with 60% white and 40% whole wheat flour. I've been using the sponge method wherein the night before baking, I'm mixing half the flour (300g) with the water and 60g stiff (100%) sourdough starter.
The next morning I mix in the rest of the flour, 2% salt, and knead by hand.
This has worked well throughout March-May, but the last two times I attempted it I'm having trouble with dough that is sticky, stretchy, and a nightmare to handle.
Last time I ventured for 70% hydration and 1:1 white to whole wheat flour and it got very messy and I abandoned it.
Now, when I'm sticking to my tried recipe, I'm still having the same issue:

No matter how much extra flour I incorporate, the dough will not become more manageable... it seems it's ready to swallow an entire pack!
Do you think it could be:

the sponge, which was left at room temp. for about 10hrs, is overfermented? (I don't have a picture, but it looked normal, bubbles like a tapioca pudding, no signs of hooch)
the ambient humidity has messed up the recipe in a major way?
a combination of both?

It's warmer (25C) and wetter (55-65%) here this rainy June as opposed to ~22C / 40%.
If the sponge is overfermented, does halving the starter help in any meaningful way? Or should I give it less time?
If the flour has been soaking up water in the pantry, how much water should you add to get a predictable result? Do I just weigh a pack of flour and work out how much extra water it holds?
As for The Blob, do I continue to incorporate flour into it and hope it starts holding shape, or does an overfermented sponge preclude me from getting a decent loaf?
Update
I've been using the same brand of white and whole wheat flours throughout. Nothing substantial about the technique has changed. I knead the bread by hand 10-15 mins through a series of smear-scrape-twist motions, as shown below in the River Cottage Bread Handbook:

65% hydration with 60-40% flour mix was my safe space, and the dough just doesn't seem to come together as of late.


texts:
In the winter my matcha puddings come out the wrong color.

Every few months I make a batch of matcha puddings for my family get togethers.

In the warm months it comes out perfectly. The matcha settles to the bottom of each cup and the surface is a nice creamy tan color. In the colder months though it seems the matcha never settles, the pudding surface becomes an ugly earthy swirl color.

I believe I've tried to tweak all the obvious problems. A short list includes: warming the baking cups, letting the mixes sit longer, mixing longer/harder, making the oven hotter, heating the mixes at higher temperatures, making the kitchen itself warmer. The ingredients are typical (sugar/half+half/milk/yolk).

One thing i haven't tried is storing the sugar and matcha at a warmer temperature prior to use. I'm not sure if this would really make a difference.


texts: How much "alternative" flour can I substitute for white wheat flour?

texts:
Most of the bread and bagel recipes I use (such as no-knead bread) call for only white wheat flour. I'd like to integrate other flours (such as whole wheat, flaxseed, and buckwheat) into the recipes.

How much of the white flour can I replace? 50%?
Which grains are better than others for wheat bread?
Are other changes to the recipe necessary?


texts: Making white vinegar, question about rice wine

texts:
I'm going to start a batch of rice wine that will eventually be turned into vinegar. Is it important to age the wine for a long period for this use or can it be used after it has fermented for a few months?

Also, should I pasteurize the wine before the vinegar process or just leave that part out?

I'm making the wine only because it doesn't seem cost effective to buy it to turn it into vinegar. Store bought rice wine is twice as expensive as the vinegar itself. Is there a more cost effective way of doing this that I might be missing?


texts: If the supermarket farmed salmon says "Not for raw consumption" on the label, can I still use it to make sushi?

texts:
I have done my homework and read several reputable sources on this (e.g. this). The consensus on sushi-grade fish seems to be

There is no real "sushi grade". It is a myth.
Follow certain guidelines
Stick to tuna and farmed salmon
Freeze for 7 days at home to kill potential parasites

I just bought some fresh, never frozen farmed salmon, but the label says "not for raw consumption". Can I still use it for sushi/sashimi?


texts: How can I specify the correct type of bacon in the US?

texts: I'm in the US, looking for bacon like they have in the UK and (possibly?) Canada. However, if I ask for Canadian Bacon, I receive what is basically a processed ham product that I find far less tasty. How can I specify the cut of meat I'm looking for?


texts: What's the proper way to muddle mint for a julep or mojito?

texts: Not a huge fan of the mojito, but my wife loves 'em. A good julep is another matter... But mine have a bad tendency to end up with lots of little mint pieces that get stuck in my teeth. So what's the proper way to prepare the mint in these drinks without ending up with a green leafy mess?


texts: Why do some Parmigiano Reggiano contain bacterial cultures?

texts:
I was under the impression from what I have read/DOP specification that only rennet was to be used for Parmigiano Reggiano.

Milk coagulation, obtained exclusively by the use of calf rennet, takes place in bell-shaped copper vats; up to two wheels are made for each vat.

Yet, I come across many Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses imported from Italy with the real Reggiano logo and the DOP symbol (e.g. Tre Stelle, Italissima, President's Choice, Compliments, etc.)

Is it just a loophole in the specification and found only in lower-end Parmasen Reggiano?


texts: How do I incorporate cucumbers into cole slaw?

texts: I am entertaining the idea of making a spicy (apple cidar vinegar, sriracha,etc) cole slaw and am looking to temper the heat a bit with cucumber. Is the best option to slice in long strips? Is so, should I keep, discard, or otherwise incorporate the skin and the seed pulp?


texts:
As per a recent question of mine I intend to use the underside of an old granite chopping board as a makeshift pizza stone, once I've finishing testing that it won't break due to thermal shock..

Do I need to do/know anything in particular for this to be successful?
Does the stone need seasoning, and if so how would I go about doing so?

Also, if I'm having a lazy day, will a pizza stone work well with a shop-bought frozen/refrigerated pizza?
Or it is strictly for those that I have freshly made?


texts:
After bulk fermentation of my dough for 12 hours, I find that the dough is too wet or sticky. Should I bulk ferment for a shorter period of time, and retard it in the refrigerator?

I'm currently baking cinnamon bread with nuts. The recipe is 600g bread flour, 200g warm water, 200g warm milk, 150 grams chopped unroasted walnut or pecan nuts. 2 tsp active dry yeast, 10g salt, 30g sugar.

After combining the above ingredients, the dough looks and feels perfect and taut. I leave it to bulk-ferment overnight (not "overday") in room temps of 29-30 C.

Here's the problem:
After bulk fermentation, the dough is slightly wetter and thus too sticky. I could knead it for 15 minutes, and still wouldn't come-together. During the final proofing, it would spread towards the edges of my loaf pan, but wouldn't rise above the rim. In spite of scoring it 4 times and spraying it with water every 10 minutes inside the oven, the bottom still cooks much later and slightly dislodges the crust that set much earlier.


texts: Amount of food to prepare for bagel & lox brunch

texts:
I'm putting on a bagel & lunch brunch this weekend for 40 people.

I figure 2 bagels per person. How much lox should I need? How much cream cheese?


texts: Given I have to make the batter now to eat in 3-4hrs, what's the best way to store my pancakes (or the batter)?

texts:
I'm about to make some pancakes(1) for my daughter, and will want to make some for me and my wife this evening (in about 3-4hrs), since using a single egg should make at ~six I'll have too much batter for the one or two I wish to make now, so I'd like to use the same mix for both instances.

Is it better to store the mixed batter for 3hrs and then cook this evening's fresh or should I cook them now, store the cooked pancakes and reheat this evening?

What's the best way to store the batter/prepared pancakes?

Finally, what should I take in to account when cooking/reheating the stored batter/pancakes?

1. I know the term has different meanings, so to be clear, I mean pancakes like these.


texts: How can I hold a chefs knife for efficiency and safety?

texts:
How specifically can I hold a chefs knife properly to increase efficiency and safety? What are the advantages and disadvantages to each style?

The chefs knife in my kitchen is a workhorse that I use for everything from chopping vegetables to slicing meats, and mincing herbs. If how I can hold a chefs knife changes based on the cut involved I am interested in learning the basics of that.


texts: Are bell peppers with brown seeds safe to eat?

texts: Sometimes when cooking with bell peppers, the seeds on the inside are brown (instead of white). What causes this, and are the peppers safe to eat?


texts: What are the telltale signs of a bad watermelon?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How do I pick a watermelon at the supermarket?

I always pick out watermelons based on the tips that people provide (dried up ends, root area gives in slightly when pressed, heavy for their size, etc.) but often times, I still end up with an overly ripe or unripe watermelon.

So, instead of how to pick out a good watermelon, what "bad" signs should I avoid for 1) an unripe melon and/or 2) an overly ripe one? Many thanks!


texts: What different uses do we assign to salted butter vs. unsalted butter?

texts: What different uses do we assign to salted butter versus unsalted butter?


texts: How long is it safe to defrost frozen vacuum packed chicken in cold water

texts: Last night around 10:30pm, I put a frozen chicken thighs, vacuum packed in a pot of cold water to defrost. I intended to put the whole pot in the fridge before going up to bed. Unfortunately, I dozed off in front of the TV, forgot about the chicken & went up to bed. This morning I remembered as soon as I opened my eyes. I called my spouse who goes downstairs every morning around 3:35am, to ask if he noticed the pot w/the chicken, he said he did, & put the whole pot in the fridge. He said her checked, chicken was still ice cold & no odor. I went downstairs to check myself, he’s right, but I’m still nervous about using the chicken, it sat in water 4.5 hours. I feel I need to discard this pack & just defrost a new pack. Am I right, or just being wasteful.


texts:
The other night some friends and I ordered a thousand layer cake for dessert in a restaurant. Sadly, the cake had only ten layers, just 1% of what we ordered.

We started talking about whether, with only commonly-available ingredients and kitchen appliances, there was a feasible way to actually construct a thousand layer cake. We figured out that if you could make a very thin crepe, you could make one thousand layers by folding it in half ten times. That, unfortunately, doesn't seem like it would work - it's virtually impossible to fold paper or aluminum foil this many times, so I doubt a crepe would survive. Plus, it would end up being very narrow and very tall.

We also thought about making something out of phyllo dough, but we weren't sure whether we would have any way to guarantee that the end result actually had one thousand layers or whether those layers would be distinct.

Assuming you have a typically-equipped, normally-stocked kitchen and a six-hour time limit, is there a feasible technique for producing a cake that is guaranteed to have at least one thousand distinct layers?


texts:
I can't find this problem anywhere via google.  It's not solved by resetting the regulator (and I'll argue that it shouldn't be below), and doesn't seem to be related to this cooking.se question.

Of my last four propane tanks, I've had this problem with two:  I turn off all (five) burners on my grill and (obviously) leave the tanks valve closed, but as soon as I screw the regulator onto the tank valve, there's a hissing sound of gas and the accompanying smell.  This lasts a few seconds, then stops.  Note that this is before any valves are open.

Then, as soon as I turn on the tank valve (still leaving the burners off), there's more gushing gas sound.  This doesn't seem to stop, even if I let it go for a good few seconds (maybe thirty in total).  I've used soapy water to track the source of this leak, and found it to come from the back of the tank valve — the side opposite the threads, which I gather is the pressure relief valve.

In each case, I've attached a different tank with no trouble, then tried the bad tanks again and had the problem.  So I assume that this is not a problem with my equipment.  Maybe it is, and only turns up with some tanks, but I doubt it.  My main point of evidence is that the gas is actually exiting the propane tank valve itself, not my regulator, hoses, etc.

Last time, I just exchanged the tank and ate the loss of money because I was in a big hurry.  But now I'm wondering, is this a known problem?  Should the store I bought it from agree to just replace my tank for free?  Is there some reason this might actually be a problem with my equipment?

EDIT:
I took the tank back to where I got it, told them the problem, and they just replaced it for free, no hassle.


texts: Is industrially produced cream made with a gelatine sieve?

texts:
I've bought an ice cream bucket with, who would've guessed, cream - as one of its' ingredients. Now of course I've done some research and found out, that cream is usually produced with a centrifuge called "separator". However this website:

https://halalcertification.ie/why-butter-needs-to-be-halal-certified/

states:

Gelatine Sieve :

When cream is first made from milk, the cream needs to be strained from the milk. To do this, a very high-quality strainer with fine pores are needed to separate the two liquids of different densities. The better the sieve used, the better the quality of the skimmed (low/non-fat) milk produced.

[...]. The high-quality strainer in this case, could be the gelatine sieve, made of pig gelatine because it has really fine pores.

Is that true? Thanks in advance!


texts: How do you remove the chicken smell from Tandoori chicken?

texts:
The last time I cooked the chicken, it had a strong chicken smell. I know that the chicken was not bad because I was fine after eating it. Also, I defrosted it for 24 hours and immediately cooked it.

I'm not sure whether the flesh smell comes because of the marinade (something we need to add),

or the way it is cooked (like don't air fryer it, or don't use 200 Celsius for cooking, or keep the gas grill on low),

or do we need to wash chicken after defrosting it (WHO recommends not washing chicken to avoid the water splashing around, and I guess store bought chicken might be pre-washed, but not sure whether we need to wash it to remove the water that gets accumulated after defrosting it),

or is it to do with adding more oil while cooking,

or is it that I must be careful to discard all marinade that's left over in the bowl rather than use them to coat the chicken one last time?

I'm totally at my wit's end about to get rid of the chicken smell.


texts: Are there green tea variants that can be made with 100 °C?

texts: Green tea is usually prepared with 80 °C water. However, I found some variants in a supermarket (they are pretty cheap), where there is 100 °C written on the box. Is it some kind of fraud made by the companies, or there really exist such variants?


texts: Making my cocoa mix into instant cocoa mix

texts:
Yes, I have read the answers to this question, but none of them are what I am after. I even posted an answer there, but it is an expensive, if delicious one. The key word I am after is instant cocoa mix. Please don't suggest a blender.

I came up with a cocoa recipe I quite like (1 Tbs sugar, 4 tsp unpacked cocoa powder, 2-3 cups of milk - yes, I generally prefer more cocoa powder than sugar). However, I would like to make it an instant mix, rather than having to mix a small amount with hot water, mix that first, then add milk (or use a blender I don't want to wash).

Obviously this is achievable as cocoa mixes off the store shelf don't require this extra step. What are my options for making my cocoa mix truly "instant" (I don't care if it becomes syrup instead of a mix, just as long as there is no powdered milk in there - ugh, who in the world decided there could be gourmet cocoa with powdered milk, there is no such thing as gourmet powdered milk)


texts: Does beef/pork stew require a dutch oven?

texts: I am learning how to make beef/pork stew.  Every recipe I see says to use a Dutch oven, that will be placed inside the oven.  Couldnt stew be made just as well with a regular stainless steel pot that I simmer on top of the oven range?


texts:
Whenever I cook black lentils there is always a hard crunchy piece in every bite while other pieces become soft as they should, I start cooking by boiling for about 30 minutes in unsalted water until almost all the lentils are soft.
I tried changing my soaking time and boiling time before I add salt but it didn't help.
Could it be that the manufacturer is mixing old lentils with newer ones or is there something else.


texts: Do scalloped sides on a knife blade have any effect?

texts:
One of the first knives I was ever given was a Wusthof 7-inch Santoku.  Over my years of use, I've never put much thought into the cut-outs along the side of the blade (which appear to be variously referred to as "hollows", "scallops", or a "Granton edge") which many santoku-style knives seem to feature.  Just to be clear, I'm talking about the oval indentations, evenly spaced down the side of the knife face, as prominently shown on this similar model:

I idly noticed these the other day and started a bit of research into their function, but what I found wasn't exactly definitive.  Some sources make them sound like quite an advantage:

  ...it's the enhanced slicing ability - without shredding, ease of cutting and better food release that makes this particular knife design so popular with professional chefs and home cooks alike.

I question this, as I never noticed any of the professional chefs I've worked with in the past using a scalloped-sided blade, and I personally have never noticed a significant performance difference between my santoku and other knives of similar thickness.  Likewise, there seems to be some debate about whether this feature is actually effective for its stated purpose.  Many users seem to think that there's no real difference.

So, my main question: has anyone conducted a comparison of scalloped vs. non-scalloped knife designs?  Was there any significant difference?

In addition, some follow-on questions that an ideal answer could address:

What's the principle that these cut-outs supposedly work on?  In other words, if they work: why?
Does the prominence of the cut-outs matter?  They're fairly subtle and shallow on my Wusthof, but are they more effective if deeper/more prominent, like on this knife?
Is there a particular method that makes the best use of these cut-outs?  For example, do they have more effect when using a slicing motion across the food, as opposed to a chopping motion straight down to the board?

EDIT: Let me clarify, I'm not asking about general knife preferences here.  There are tons of other answers on this site related to what to look for in a knife, and I'm experienced enough to know what I like, and what works well.  But, if I were faced with a choice between two knives, identical in every way except that only one had scallops, could I anticipate any noticeable difference in their performance?


texts: Why do my egg shells have discoloration?

texts:
Why do my eggs have discolored spots on them? In the white eggs they look gray and in the brown eggs they look darker. I know brown eggs have speckles etc but these spots are not speckles.
Thanks


texts: We were recently in Italy and bought a large piece of parma ham, which we'd like to use over a protracted period. It is vacuum packed at the moment, what is the best way to preserve it once opened?


texts: Can I store extra pizza dough in fridge?

texts: I kneaded some pizza dough and it turned out that I have done this double the amount I wanted to. This is my first time. Can I store this dough in fridge? And for how many days?


texts: What is the source of smoky flavor for barbecued foods?

texts:
What exactly gives charcoal barbecued food the smoky flavor? Does smoky flavor happen if you burn wood to make coals and then use the coals to cook?

Or does it only happen when you use store bought charcoal lumps/briquettes?


texts: Mix parmesan cheese & garlic into sourdough bread dough before or after first rising?

texts: If I wanted to put parmesan cheese and garlic into sourdough bread dough (mixed into the dough, not just a filling), should I do it before or after first rising? Will it prevent a proper rise if I put it in with dough, water, and starter right away?


texts: How to add maple and brown sugar to cream of wheat

texts: I'm a total novice to good cooking. I was wondering how to add my own maple and brown sugar to regular cream of wheat. I live in Canada and cannot get the full box of maple and brown sugar c.o.w. and have to buy the variety box where you  get packets and only 2 are maple and brown sugar! So I thought why not make my own. And now for the questions. How much maple and brown sugar per serving? Do I add during cooking or after? Do I use maple extract, maple flavoring, or maple syrup? Should I just drive to the states and buy a box? Ha. Thanx.


texts: How can I start down the path of eating less meat?

texts:
Recently I've been giving more thought to the idea of moving toward a more vegetarian diet. The trouble I've encountered, though, is that it seems hard to find recipes and eating suggestions that are not full-on vegan/vegetarian.

For example, I don't enjoy whole wheat bread or other whole wheat things, but those kinds of things are often worked into vegetarian recipes. Regular pizza with white flour is fine by me, at this stage. My theory is that if I try to change too much at once, none of it will stick. I want to eat more veggies, but I don't want the dogma that comes along with vegetarianism.

I'm not looking for strict vegetarian or vegan. I'm not planning on giving up steak or chicken at this point in the journey. I do want to eat a few vegetable-based meals per week to get more veggies in my diet.

What are some resources (books, blogs, etc.) to get started eating more veggie-based meals?

EDIT, in response to comments:

In regards to the why behind this question, I'm simply looking to eat healthier. It's not for the sake of the animals (sorry animals, but you taste nice).

I'm looking for a few "staple" recipes that I can make on a regular basis that'll be mostly made of veggies. I like (and make) lentil soup, for instance (with chicken broth in it), and I had a curried cauliflower soup recently that was very good.

Maybe what I'm looking for is a book of vegetarian-ish recipes that focus on ingredients from the local grocery store rather than specialty items from a health food store.


texts: Why did my thai curry have a bitter aftertaste?

texts:
I'm on the low fodmap diet so i tried making my own thai curry paste (without shallots or garlic). Here are the ingredients that i used:

1/4 cup coriander leaves, stems and roots
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large stalk lemon grass
6 red chillies
1.5 tbsp ginger
1 tsp salt
1/4 spring onions
3 tsp garlic infused sesame oil
1 tsp lime juice

I'm guessing it's either the lemon grass or the lime juice which made it bitter


texts: I can’t figure out what herb this is. It tastes kind of bitter!


texts:
There is some movement (backed with some literature) that using animal fats and oils are nutritionally superior to packaged oil (e.g., vegetable, canola).

What is the expert perspective on using oil rendered from pork fat, say, from the fat cap of a cut of pork shoulder? I think it has some off-taste, however upon simmering in a dish that I used it for, it became unnoticeable.


texts: Best meat replacements for a vegetarian/vegan?

texts:
Let's compile a list of vegetarian/vegan meat replacements.

Generic replacements:

Seitan
Tofu
Tempeh
Quorn
Quorn Vegan Alternatives
Paneer
TVP

Commercial fake meats:

Tofurky (Roasts, Sausages, Deli Slices)
Lightlife
Morningstar
Worthington Foods
Boca
Simple Truth (not exclusively vegetarian/vegan brand)

Similar products (nutrition):

Beans
Mushrooms (Portobello, oyster, trumpet, so many more…)


texts: Can the broth from a low country boil be used for anything else?

texts:
For those who might not know what a low country boil is; it's basically potatoes, corn, sausage, shrimp (and crab or lobster) boiled all together with seasonings (usually seafood boil packets, lemons, and old bay).

Most recipes I've seen have you just dump the "broth" into the sink.  Is it possible to save the broth and use it for anything else later?


texts: Can you thicken a pudding just by reducing?

texts:
Pretty simple question I hope. I am trying to recreate a recipe I made several years ago using heavy cream, lindemans framboise lambic, raspberry puree, and sugar. I don't recall using any thickeners - though I may have. It was easily 7 years ago, and the recipe is long gone, so I am trying to recreate it both from memory and based off my current culinary knowledge.

The resulting consistency was similar to a thick pudding. It worked great as a pipeable filling for cupcakes, and also was smooth and creamy enough to be a dessert on its own.

I remember reducing the cream for a long while, but as I said, I do NOT remember using any thickeners.

Is it possible if I added the fruit early on pectin would have helped thicken? If I started without the fruit and just used the lambic, cream and sugar, could I have reduced it well beyond nappe and then loosened it up with the fruit? Would that have thickened at all?

Or am I simply misremembering?

I wish I could remember what I did!


texts:
I have been using a wok since some years, it is nicely seasoned and I was quite happy with it and the results.

Recently, I have started cooking some Indian dishes, and because I like my wok, I just made them in the wok. However, it seems like the tomato is removing the seasoning - there are more and more blank spots appearing. Can that be?
Is it maybe the acid in them? Or is it something else specific to the Indian recipes (I use typically tumeric, ginger, garam masala, chili, and of course garlic and onions, but I used those before for non-Indian recipes without issues).


texts: Can you tell if a food is fermented (in a "good" way) or rancid?

texts:
The other day I took out a cubed pineapple from the fridge, and when I tasted it it tasted like it started to go "bad." But it actually tasted pretty good and I figured that kimchi and other foods are fermented and they are considered edible and healthy even. So that got me thinking, how can you tell if something gone past their date is fermented in a good way, or in a bad way (gone rancid)? Even meats are "aged" which means they start to decompose.. but that's considered a delicacy.
So how can you tell if it's good or not? Or only the process in which you used can somehow tell if the end product is safe to eat?


texts: up scaling cake recipe and increasing pan size

texts: How is baking time and/or temperature adjusted when scaling up a cake recipe from a 9x13 pan to a full sheet pan?


texts: What does the "operating range" of a thermometer mean?

texts:
http://www.thermoworks.com/pdf/thermopop_operating_instructions_web_a.pdf

The manual lists an "Operating Range" of "Between 32f to 122f". I thought this was the safe temperature for the entirety of the thermometer, but then it says " Do not expose the entire thermometer to temperatures over 190°F (88°C). " so the body can endure temperatures above 122f.

Does anyone know the guidelines about proper thermometer body (where all the electronics are) care?


texts: Why does a (vodka) martini often come with an olive on a stick?

texts: With Spectre being released in cinemas around the world soon, I've been looking for some James Bond montages on youtube. One of them that I came across was the classic "Vodka Martini. Shaken, not stirred". We already have a question about why Bond asks for this special preparation, but one thing that I always found weird was that this drink usually comes with an olive. I understand that cocktails more often than not have some garnish, but why an olive?


texts: What's best: boil eggs in advance or just before use?

texts:
If I want to eat a hard-boiled egg every day of the week, should I boil them and store them (refrigerated) all at once or should I keep raw eggs in the fridge and hard-boil them just before use?

Edit: by best I mean the acceptable trade-off between saving time and energy vs. shelf-life and taste. I mentioned a working week to limit the scope to 5 days, i.e. how much would a hard-boiled egg's taste and texture degrade after 5 days on the fridge?


texts: I understand the ins and outs of peeling, what a clove is, mincing, crushing, etc., as I am new to cooking and learning one step at a time.  My question is about size.  When I purchase a bulb of garlic, the size can vary a lot, even down to several different sizes of cloves in one bulb.  If a recipe calls for eight cloves, the size variation can be pretty big.  Do I just pick a size and make sure they are all the same, or do I purchase in a particular way?  Or, is a clove a clove?


texts: If my stew beef is tough (it's been on a small flame in liquids for about an hour), does it mean that it is overcooked, or undercooked?


texts: Is there any harm to eat cooked renal pelvis in lamb kidney?

texts:
I googled many forums listed in google and found people just say that cooked renal pelvis in lamb kidneys are stringy and chewy. That sounds to me like people already consider its edible, but it's somewhere where urine goes through, at least before it's getting into the urinal for the lamb. I am a bit concerned if this is cook-able and edible directly without any cleaning procedure.

I wonder if eating renal pelvis has any harm at all? If it's edible, is there any cleaning we should always do before cook it?


texts: How long does jarred chopped garlic keep?

texts:
I have some chopped garlic in a jar (from Spice World if it matters). I have used it. Not sure when, but it is open. The best by date is June 2018.

My question: I have always heard that after opening jarred food you should throw it out after 2 weeks. For chopped garlic: should I look at the use by date or should I toss it 2 weeks after opening it?


texts: What causes the texture difference between Greek style yogurt and regular yogurt?

texts:
In the US, Greek-style yogurt and regular yogurt are both made with cow's milk, yet they have a distinctly different texture.

When I described the texture of Greek yogurt to my nutritionist, she used the word "pithy". It, to me, feels like a thin layer of fuzz (like the skin of a peach) gets left on the surfaces of my mouth when I eat it.

Initial thought would tell me that it's because Greek yogurt has less water in it, but I made some homemade yogurt last weekend, using Greek yogurt for a culture, and despite being quite thin, it still had that pithy texture.

What gives Greek yogurt this texture? Or, what makes regular yogurt not have this texture?


texts: How to store cooked / stir-fried egg noodle leftovers?

texts:
I have still quite a good quantity of cooked egg noodles and I'm wondering what's the best way to store them and how long will they last? (It's mixed with chicken, bok choy, and carrots.)

And also, how to reheat them without overcooking?


texts:
Every now and again I really crave some crustinis with marrow.  I've had mixed success trying to find the ones where the marrow can easily come out.  There's usually sinewy ossificans and it makes it hard to get all the marrow out easily.

What are some reasons that some bones don't have ossified material inside and some that do?  Does it happen as the animals get older?


texts: Does the type of strainer built in a teapot matter?

texts:
I have been making tea in a simple glass jug for several years, but I happened to break it. When I went shopping, I saw many teapots with integrated strainers, which look convenient.

But there was a large difference between the strainers. Some were made from a fine stainless steel mesh, like a normal strainer. Others were from plastic or glass. The ones from plastic and glass typically had only a few holes, and they were rather small ones. Several had slits instead of round holes.

Does the type of strainer matter for the quality of the tea? Do a few slits work as well as an all-mesh strainer? Does the water move in and out of the strainer enough to make good tea in a strainer with a few small holes?

Second, what about the maintenance? Are the slit strainers easier to clean than the mesh ones?

By the way, the teapots with steel mesh strainers seem to be generally more expensive. Is this because they make better tea, or is it just because metal is more expensive and/or looks better?


texts:
I have found a transparent plastic bag of 300g of powdered turmeric in the back of a cupboard, bought in Mauritius in 2011, with a best before date of December 2013.
The bag is still airtight, and the powder inside is still behaving like a dry powder. Nothing suggests that the turmeric inside has gone wrong.
Will it be ok? Will it last once opened?


texts: A friend recently went to Ireland and had a banoffee pie with the bananas somehow made into the caramel.  How would one go about replicating this?  The only recipes I can find have the banana slices on top.


texts: Best time to cook chicken, to keep it from going off

texts:
Assuming no use of freezer, or desire to salt-cure/pickle/etc.

From how I was brought up, if I notice a piece of meat in my fridge is going to go off in the next ~24 hours; I'll always try to cook it so I can hold it for a couple more days (refrigerated again).

Intuitively, this makes sense - cooking the meat kills most of the bacteria and so gives more time before they build up the dangerous levels again. However, I am also aware that the bacteria cause toxins to build up - and those will make me sick at some point - so it is not as simple as just "resetting" the storage time by cooking the food.

I'm trying to figure out; when is the best time to cook meat that I know I won't be able to use in time - in order to keep it the longest?

To be clear - I'm looking to prolong the time I can keep the meat in total, without putting myself at serious risk of food poisoning.

Example:

I have some raw chicken.
It has a use-by date, of 4 days from now (and for this, we trust that is a reliable date - as it has proven to be for me in past experience)
General consensus is that cooked food will be safe for 4 days in the fridge. See stack answer

Can I keep the raw chicken until day 4 (the day it says it will go off), and then cook it to get another 4 days cooked-storage time, giving 8 days total?

Or, does the initial storage time affect the cooked time; meaning that I should only store it for say, 2 days, and then cook it - giving me 6 days?

Noting that at the extreme end; if I cooked it immediately, I would have 0 days raw storage, and then only 4 days cooked time - giving me just 4 days total. Which is clearly not ideal (no advantage to cooking).

Compared to existing questions and answers:

There are a lot of really detailed answers on SE already about how long food can be kept in the fridge, or kept once cooked. There are also good answers on how you cannot cook food that's already gone-off, to save it, due to the toxins built up already (and that not all bacteria is killed).

However, the part I am struggling to do - is combine this information to know: "If I have a piece of raw chicken, that will go off in 4 days - and from USDA I know a cooked piece of chicken will last 4 days - when is the best time to cook it, to give me the longest total lifespan?"

This answer details how long things can be kept, but not whether the cooked and raw times add together, or affect each other.

This answer details how cooking food doesn't get rid of toxins, and suggests I can't just wait till the use-by and then cook it.

This answer details how cooking gives you a new amount of safe time, which doesn't seem to work with the above.


texts:
I bought some dried red beans from the supermarket. I learned that in order to cook them well, I need more time. I have to soak them in cold water for one night, then cook for another two or three hours.

Are there any tips or tricks to cook them faster?


texts: Can you make a porridge from wheat flour?

texts:
I bake enough bread to buy flour in significant quantities; separately I buy oatmeal for quick low-effort breakfasts but don't generally use it for anything else. I would  prefer to be buying just flour for both uses. I know that farina is a wheat porridge, but it's definitely sold as a different product from wheat flour, and I am not sure whether the differences are necessary for porridge-making.

Is it possible to make a breakfast porridge from ordinary all-purpose white or whole-wheat flour?


texts: Markings/smudges/wear on steel springform pans

texts: Hi folks.  Can someone tell me what the markings are on this steel springform pan?  I tried cleaning it with Bar Keeper's Friend already.  Also interested to know if they are still okay to use if they cannot be removed.


texts: Does vegetable soup made with chicken stock last longer if the stock was made fresh vs from a stock cube?

texts:
My son made some vegetable soup at school this morning and it's been sitting unrefrigerated in a sealed container all day (~10 hours).

The soup used chicken stock as a base. In trying to determine whether it's safe to eat at this point, would the origin of the stock (freshly made from chicken bones, versus from an instant stock cube or stock granules) make any difference?


texts: Will a fishmonger or bait shop clean a fish you caught for a fee?

texts: I love fishing, especially saltwater surfcasting, but up until now it's been mostly "catch and release" - this summer I would like to try fresh-caught striped bass or bluefish. I am terrible at cleaning and gutting fish, and I would prefer not to hack my catch into inedibility. Do independent fishmongers clean and fillet fish brought in by customers for a fee? How about bait shops?


texts:
I want to become more consistent in what I cook on a daily basis. One option that I've seen suggested is to prepare the ingredients in bulk and freeze meal-size amounts in ziplock bags (without yet cooking it). Then you can prepare the food by simply putting the package in the slowcooker in the morning and then eating at the end of the day for dinner.

So here are my questions. Can you put a frozen package of food into a slowcooker and can it handle cooking it without needing to defrost the food (even if there's meat will this work)?   Additionally, if a slow cooker can't handle such a thing, is it possible to do so with sous vide?

Additionaly, what are the pros and cons of using a slow cooker vs using a sous vide machine?


texts: Can you use marinade twice if it was first used on precooked meat?

texts: I made precooked frozen meatballs in the crockpot with jelly and honey BBQ sauce. It was really yummy and was wondering if the sauce that's leftover would be ok to marinate some ribs in?


texts: How does "BHT added to packaging material" actually work?

texts:
This is not a question about the merits of BHA or BHT (butylated hydroxyanisole or butylated hydroxytoluene).  It is a question about how BHA/BHT work when "added to packaging material".

The BHA is often added directly to food, where it has an antioxidant effect keeping fats from turning rancid during storage.  But often, especially on whole grain breakfast cereals, BHA is listed as "added to packaging material".

What mechanism allows the BHA/BHT in the packaging to protect the food?  Does it adsorb free radicals for example?  Or "added to packaging material" just a marketing trick, because the BHA/BHT actually must migrate to the food to work?

[Ref 1] Encyclopedia of Food and Color Additives, edited by George A. Burdock


texts: I bite my nails. How can I keep proper hygiene in the kitchen?

texts:
I'm not a professional chef, but I think someone will have this issue, somewhere, and is a chef. A similar question asked about having a cold, but nail biting is much worse due to the obvious amount of cuts one develops on fingers.

Apart from the obvious (and difficult to achieve) goal of stopping the habit, how can I maintain proper hygiene and food safety while cooking?

I would say gloves, but I think it's going to be a problem for complex manipulations, and it could affect the taste of what is prepared. Is there a special brand specifically for this purpose?  If not, what other precautions can I take?


texts:
Most of the recipes and guides I have read for making vanilla extract say to use cheap vodka or whatever is available; however, if I am going to have it on my shelf for the next few years, I want to make the best extract I possibly can. Is there any benefit to using good vodka over the cheap stuff, or am I throwing my money away?

Also, I don't drink, so I have no idea what the best Vodka is. I did some searching and the consensus seems to be that Russian Standard, Grey Goose, and Skyy are the top 3 mid-range vodkas. What do you recommend?


texts: Is there a standard measure for coffee grind size?

texts:
There is a lot of measurement involved in brewing coffee: the weight of the grinds, temperature of the water, etc. But as far as I can tell, there is no standardization on the size of the grinds. Recipes usually call for hand wavvy sizes like "set the grinder midway between drip and espresso grind" (for an Aeropress). Even an approximate standard would be more useful.

I'm curious if there is a standard unit of measure for grind size? If there is, do grinder manufacturers use or publish this information?


texts:
So I made a pecan pie, which turned out delicious.

However I was not a fan of the top of the pie.

How would I go about getting a top like that? How is this done in general?


texts: Not sure my meat spent long enough on high in the crock pot?

texts:
Last night, I was making chili and realized I'd forgotten to thaw the meat. I was most of the way through putting the veggies and sweet potatoes in, so I put them on high and let the meat thaw in the fridge. I took the thawed meat from the fridge and put it in the crock pot before I went to bed, but I'm pretty sure my crock pot (which is a digital model) had actually switched to the "warm" setting by that point, or shortly thereafter. I was tired and not paying close enough attention. When I woke up, the food was still really hot and steaming, but now I'm scared to eat it because I don't know how long it spent on high, if at all. (I guess that'll teach me to cook while I'm tired ...)

Would it be safe to eat? Or should I toss it?


texts:
I need to purchase 1.5 cups of hazelnuts for a recipe I want to make but they’re sold by weight not volume. Approximately how much does a cup of them weigh? I would prefer to purchase as close to what I need as possible since I don’t really have a use for the left overs.

Update

The nuts are sold whole, but my recipe calls for them chopped.


texts: Should tuna steaks sit out before cooking?

texts: If beef steak needs to sit outside the refrigerator before cooking, should the same thing be done for tuna steaks too?


texts:
What exactly is apple cider?

I've been using Apple Bandit Cider for some recipes in which I needed to reduce the cider. However the Apple Bandit Cider is like a low-alcohol fresh cider/beer kind of drink. And I recently heard that this is an incorrect literal translation of the apple cider. Apparently there is a difference in what we call apple cider in the EU vs. the US.

So when using apple cider, is it best to just use an unfiltered sort of apple juice, or what is the closest description of the actual good?


texts:
I'd like to cook rice in my steamer, if possible. It comes with instructions for a bunch of food types, but doesn't mention anything for rice.

The bottom of the steamer looks like this:

I also have two of these to put on top of the previous compartment:

I usually get boil-in-bag rice and cook the rice in a pot on the stove, so I'm not really sure how to cook the rice with a steamer.


texts: Substitute fresh garlic instead of garlic powder?

texts:
I have a recipe that calls for garlic powder, but I only have fresh garlic on hand.

What ratio should I use to substitute?


texts: Condensed cream of mushroom over chicken and rice

texts:
I was thinking about doing a baked dish with chicen and rice covered with a can of cream of mushroom soup.  I'd like some advice.

I was just planning on kinda winging it by cooking some rice, putting it in a casserole dish, placing some chicken breast on top, then covering it with the soup and baking until chicken is done.  maybe put some bread crumbs on top so they get nice and brown.

Any tips before I try it out?


texts: Couldn't tell by smell if my bottle of Great Value olive oil was rancid or not - and decided to taste, about 2 teaspoons. It had the bitter, peppery sorta burn in the back of my throat that some people have said is characteristic of good olive oil. Is it likely that it is rancid? I can't quite describe its smell or taste.


texts:
I'm half Carpatho-Russian, the love of pierogies is in my blood, but my recent gluten sensitivity has stopped me from eating them, and I really miss them as they taste great and give you a lot of energy (the potatoes really help).

So can someone tell me what I need to swap out to make pierogi gluten-free?


texts: How to recover cast iron skillet with melted fiber on it

texts:
So I decided to try seasoning my cast iron skillet in the oven. After a few hours I made the mistake of thinking I could take it out and look at it with some pot holders. It turns out pot holders than will be just fine at 350 can't stand up to the max heat of my oven -- Fibers melted on the handle, or maybe they got stuck in the oil, I'm not sure -- but I can't get them completely off with a brillo pad.

My next step is something a bit more drastic -- sandpaper or a dremel with a buffing wheel. This will leave bare cast iron exposed unfortunately. I realize it's just the handle, but I don't really want that to rust either. If I do wind up scrubbing it down to shiny metal, is there any reason I wouldn't be able to just reseason it using advice on this site?


texts: Is there such a thing as unsteamed rolled oats?

texts: Is there such a thing as truly raw (unsteamed) rolled oats? Why are rolled oats usually lightly steamed?


texts: Is there anything I can use in pumpkin custard to replace salt?

texts: I am on a strict low salt diet. Have been looking for pumpkin custard recipes and all have salt. If it's for flavor only, which spice(s) could I add or increase to kick it up a bit?


texts: I just read on the side of a Cranberry Juice pack that one of its ingredients was Cranberry compound? What does it mean?


texts: What is the function of salt in chocolate?

texts:
Iv'e recently seen, for the first time, chocolate coins filled with caramel and "Atlantic salt". I did a bit of searching and found some more of these types of sweets:

To the food simpleton that I am, adding salt to chocolate and caramel seems counter-intuitive. I realize that these are small amounts of salt (at least compared to the sugar). What is the idea behind this practice?

Also, what is "Atlantic salt"? Salt from the Atlantic ocean? Does it really make a difference which salt is used?


texts: What dough recipes are suitable for "shaping" with a piping bag?

texts:
I have made cookies based on this recipe, and we have really liked the taste. The appearance was not ok but not perfect, partly because my make-a-ball-and-flatten technique is not great (the outcome is not 100% round), but also because the dough started to stick to my hands 5 minutes after it was out of the fridge.
I wonder if it is possible/reasonable to "shape" these cookies using the piping bag, or maybe you would suggest another way to "shape" them nicely?
Is there a way to tell if the dough will be suitable for a piping bag "shaping", other than try-and-see-if-it-works method?


texts: I usually bake a 10" New York style cheese cake.  cheese cakes. On my 10", I bake it for 45 minutes at 350 degrees, shut off the oven but leave the cake in for another hour before removing. I now want to use the same recipe and make a few 4.5" cheese cakes. How do I convert the baking time for these smaller ones?


texts: Does vanilla really bring out the flavour of other foods?

texts:
I can't count the times I have heard that vanilla brings out the flavour of other foods. For example it "makes chocolate taste more chocolatey," etc...  I have also heard that it's the only spice that does this (enhance the flavour of other spices/foods).

Is this true? If so, by what mechanism does it do this?

Here are some places online that mention this alleged property of vanilla without explaining how it works:

"Vanilla is used for its sweetness and its ability to enhance other flavors." (eHow)
"Vanilla delivers characteristic and complex flavor notes to hundreds of types of food. With fruit- and dairy-based products, it enhances flavor by cutting acid notes, bringing out creamy notes and rounding out flavor systems." (preparedfoods.com)
"Add vanilla to give new 'life' to flavorless seasonal fruits or other foods that need a flavor boost.  Did you know that chocolate by itself tastes 'flat' which is why it usually contains vanilla?" (vanilla.com)

  ...Chocolate simply wouldn’t taste like chocolate without vanilla. “Chocolate tends to be somewhat dull on its own. Vanilla transforms it,” says Patricia Rain, author of a new book, Vanilla: A Cultural History of the World’s Favorite Flavor & Fragrance. “Vanilla
  really enhances the flavor notes of chocolate,” agrees John Scharffenberger, CEO of Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker in Berkeley, CA, where they prize vanilla so highly that they grind whole vanilla beans with cocoa nibs to make their chocolates.

(vegetariantimes.com)
"Vanilla is one of those ingredients, like salt and fat, that complements and brings out the flavor of other ingredients." (Wiki Answers)


texts:
So, I'm new to the world of desserts and am getting into making some gelato. My ice cream maker is the type that has a cooler in it so it pre-cools the bucket and continues cooling it while churning.

Given that, I've seen some recipes that specifically call for heating the gelato base and then cooling it overnight before churning.

What are the pros/cons of such a tactic? My assumption is that, since my ice cream maker can cool the bucket, starting with a hot liquid will have little, if any, difference than starting with a chilled liquid. Am I incorrect?


texts: What's a good choice of steak to use for a steak pizza?

texts: I'm planning to cut into small cubes and place raw on the pizza before putting it into the oven. I wondering what cut of steak would be good for this purpose.


texts: using medium chilli powder instead of kashmiri chillis, what ratio should be used?

texts:
I have a recipe for making a madras, and it suggests substituting chilli powder for the chilli's, but doesn't suggest how.

Wondering of anyone can give me a pointer as to what ratio to use?


texts: Reasons for Discarding the Core of the Onion When Chopping?

texts: A cook I know always discards the core of the onion when chopping it.  Is there any reason for this?  In professional demonstrations and cooking classes, I've never seen it done.  From observation, it does seem to make chopping or mincing the way I've always been taught a bit easier, as the core can be awkwardly shaped, but other than that is there anything besides personal preference to it?


texts: How are you supposed to eat ribbon candy?

texts:
This seems a bit of a silly question to ask, but I'm a bit confused, so I'll ask for help.  I was gifted a box of Hammond's assorted classic ribbon candy for the holidays.  I've never been much of a fan of hard candy of any sort, but I was curious to at least try some of this gift.  (I also don't think I've seen it in decades; my only vague recollection is of an elderly relative having some when I was a small child.)

I understand that ribbon candy is partly made the way it is for its appearance.  But how is one supposed to eat it?  The candy I have comes it rather large pieces: about 3.5 inches long and about an inch wide in the other dimensions.  It's rather thick too.  (A quick search online mentions that some of this type of candy can be thinner and more fragile.)

As the pieces were so huge, my first thought was to break off a curve or two of the ribbon, but it tends to shatter into lots of shards and makes a mess.  Which led me to wonder whether one is just supposed to stick the end of a piece into your mouth and suck on it like a candy cane or something as it dissolves.  Except, again, it's rather large and awkward to eat, and from its composition, it tends to get really sticky when held in the hand.

In the end, I took some of the shards I broke off and ate them, but some edges were sharp, so it wasn't really pleasant to leave it in my mouth as it dissolved.

I know this sounds silly, but is there a method people usually use to eat ribbon candy?  If I were offered a piece at someone's house as a guest, what would I be expected to do with it when I consumed it?

As I said, I'm not a hard candy lover anyway, but at least most such candies I have consumed are small enough to place in your mouth as a single piece or are at least smooth and pleasant to eat more slowly (like a candy cane).  This candy seems huge, but breaking it up seems to make a mess and sharp shards.  (While keeping it whole both requires one to eat a huge piece and makes it very sticky to hold.)

Am I doing something wrong?  Or is this candy really just made this way for appearance, not for a practical pleasant eating experience?


texts: What does pulling on syrup (in the semi-solid state) do to the texture/taste?

texts:
I have seen this done at candy shops before, where the syrup is pulled/stretched 10s of times before they are allowed to cool off.

What chemically does this do to the sugar? How does this affect the taste?


texts: Fast way to cook steel-cut oats when no microwave is available

texts:
I am looking for a way to prepare fast steel-cut oats.
I do not have a microwave, and I would like to have them for breakfast but I can not cook for ~40 mins to prepare them in the morning.
I have tried to cook them by simmering them ~10 mins till the water is gone but they did not taste good (were actually uncooked).
I have also tried leaving them overnight in a bowl of milk but they were not easy to eat either (was like chewing gum)
Note1: yes I know about instant oats etc but these are less nutritious than steel-cut oats so I am looking for a way to prepare them fast.

Note2: I don't care if the fast method suggested is for a warm or cold recipe. Either warm or cold are fine by me.


texts:
I often zest up my food with lemon juice and I usually have squeezed juice in the fridge in a jar because I like it pre squeezed, with pulp and seeds removed.  However, a jar is not an ideal container for distributing lemon juice over food because it's hard to get an even coverage, rather a few spots of intense concentration.

Are there better containers or perhaps even some form of sprayer for spraying lemon juice over food evenly?  I was hesitant to use a regular water spray bottle because I thought the juice, despite being strained for pulp, still might have small pieces that could clog the tube.


texts: I wanted to make these meringue cookies. The instructions say to bake them for 90 mins at 100, but our oven only broils and we're still waiting to have it fixed. If possible, how long and what temperature would I bake the meringue cookies at? Ty! :)


texts:
What are the best substitutes for arborio risotto rice? And how about when your only choices are all the local shops have: pearl barley, or 'brown rice with barley and spelt blend'?

For the first question, this suggests Carnaroli, pearl barley and farro. This makes me think pearl barley is the best option. It take a lot more boiling than normal rice (40 minutes), so I'll have to half-cook it by boiling before adding it to my pan with stock as my risotto recipe calls for. (My recipe is similar to this.)


texts: Why does fresh coriander deteriorate so quickly?

texts:
I realize that, as I live in a northerly climate, I cannot expect to have fresh herbs like coriander always available at my beck and call.

Yet, yesterday I bought a lovely, thick bunch of coriander at the cheapo-supermarket closest to my home and it was fantastic: profuse, aromatic, and fully tumescent.

Now, 24 hours later, even though I refrigerated it in an vase with water (it has the roots still attached) it is looking like sh*t.

I know that greens deteriorate over time but the turn around time in this case seems ridiculous to me. Italian parsley, AFAIK, is also imported yet it lasts for weeks in the crisper.

Is the only reason coriander looks good on the shelf is that it is spritzed every 90 seconds?


texts:
Most of the recipes that call for crispy chicken mention that you must leave the skin on. That's what crisps.

Is it possible to make crispy chicken without skin?


texts: Why are dark roast beans usually used for espresso?

texts: Do other roasts not taste good if they're made in an espresso machine?


texts: Whether a piece of meat is near its shelf life or not, does it also determine how long it can be stored after it is cooked?

texts:
For example, to buy two pieces of meat in supermarket. They are well sealed and can be kept for a few days; one piece is new, another piece will be expired just next day.

Generally speaking cooked meat can be stored in fridge in a few days. So can these two pieces of meat be stored in the fridge for the same long time after they are cooked?


texts: Is it true that bananas are radioactive?

texts: Is it true that bananas are radioactive, and if you eat too many it can kill you? If yes then how many bananas are good to eat at once.


texts: Halva smells like play-dough? a common ingredient?

texts: I tried a Halva (gound sesame and sugar kind of sesame marzipan) of a kind I didn't try before, and I find it smells like Play-dough. My wife says that when she makes Play-dough from flour it also has the 'Play-dough' smell. Could there be a common ingredient to the two? Maybe cream of tartar? Thanks!


texts:
Answering this question, I made an ass of myself claiming that

Onions are not used in a real Paella.
Tomatoes neither.
Paprika / Pimentón neither as this will overpower the saffron flavor.

I've seen loads of recipes with all of these ingredients in some way or other (and I posted a recipe with all of these ingredients :-( ).

As I understand it, onions are not used because the will 'pass' the rice. I have no idea whether this is true or not, but I've never eaten a paella with onions. Not that I usually eat paella.

The tomatoes and pimentón will impart too much flavor so it will overpower the saffron taste (by far the most expensive spice on earth). Food coloring can be used to make the paella 'saffron' yellow.

The question is, what defines a real paella? One definition of paella is the 'pan' or 'skillet' itself, meaning that whatever rice dish you make in it can be called paella, but I'd rather have a more 'traditional' view as to what ingredients can or cannot/should or shouldn't be used.

Onions (yes or no)
Tomato (yes or no)
Paprika (no :-)
Saffron (yes)


texts: I had a lovely big kefir grain, been making kefir everyday for years. Today I accidentally put it in the blender with the milk and fruit. I managed to sieve out a few tiny bits of grain which I've put into milk. Will they grow again?


texts: Does Arabic gum help keep frozen yogurt soft?

texts: I'm trying to make frozen yogurt manually (no machine), but I would like it to be soft-scoop. My first batches froze hard (tasty but hard), regardless of whether I stirred them every half-hour or not. I was advised to try Arabic gum, but that doesn't seem to make any difference. Am I trying the correct additive? If not, what should I be trying?


texts:
I have fond memories of deer hunting with my uncle when I was younger... not only for the thrill of the hunt (as I'm sure most do), but also for the spoils: venison. Apparently, I was the only one of the kids who enjoyed the meat (I guess I have weird tastes?). It wasn't until recently that I identified the specific taste that I enjoyed: gaminess.

Anyway, it's incredibly difficult to buy venison where I live, and the prices on the net are unacceptable. So, that leaves me looking for a flavoring I can simply add to what I eat. Unfortunately, this has not been easy.

I have seen "liquid smoke" before (which I was told tastes exactly like how it's described), but nothing close to this.

Where can I find a "liquid game" or a similar sauce? Can I reproduce this flavor with other spices?


texts: What is mirepoix and what purpose does it serve? Is it a type of cut such as julienne or Macedonia, or is it a type of cuisine?


texts: How do I make sure spice mixes don't make my curry grainy?

texts:
I'm making a curry, with an unknown dry mix of spices (smells remind me of cumin, turmeric and cinnamon) in the form of a powder.

When I've used it before though it's ended up grainy.

Have I been using to much spice mix? It have I not cooked the mix enough? How can I reduce the grainy texture?


texts:
I am a home artisan baker, and am looking to build a table for myself to do folding/dividing/shaping of my bread doughs.  I usually work with wet doughs (78%-95% hydration) that stick to the surfaces I have in my house unless I use a gross amount of flour.

I would like to use less flour during the folding and shaping processes.  I would like to be able to leave doughs on the surface for some time  without them fusing with the table!

What surfaces are used in professional bread making?
What features should I look for in an ideal surface?


texts: I am drying a loaf of sourdough on my counter. There is a lot of it, so I will need to store some of the dried cubes. My question is, how do I store it and how will I know if it is no longer good to cook with? Also, is it better to just put it in the oven to dry it rather than on the counter?


texts: How to counteract sage (in a pumpkin soup)?

texts:
I prepared a pumpkin soup with the secondary ingredients being onions, ginger, garlic, cream, chilli, nutmeg, pumpkin seed oil, and sage.
I accidentally added too much of the latter.
I wish to neutralise this.

I found and tried the following so far:

General counteracting advice like diluting and adding more of (almost) everything else, both of which I do not wish to do.
Physically removing the sage, which are not applicable in my case since the sage was ground.
Adding sugar (or sweet ingredients).
I did this to some extent, but perceived no effect.
While the sweetness hasn’t spoiled the soup yet, I am afraid that adding more of it might.
This site recommends to add potatoes, which are claimed to soak up excess spices (in general).
I am skeptical about this claim since I cannot find any other source corroborating this.
Said source uses a very distancing language in this section.
Moreover, if potatoes really suck up flavours in general, they may be of little use for me due to sucking up everything else.
By chance, I found that adding salt (or salty ingredients) reduces the effect, but only to a certain extent.
Also, this comes with the downside of the soup being overly salty.

Are there any other ways or reasons to assume that my assessment of the above options is too pessimistic?


texts: I use peri peri sauce for grilling chicken, but it's coming out to be too sour. How can I neutralize the sauce?


texts: What type of knife befits peeling/skinning melons and squashes?

texts:
I prefer to peel/skin melons (e.g. watermelon, honeydew) and squashes (butternut squash, pumpkins), rather than cutting and slicing into wedges. I depict some catalogues beneath.

Which type of knife fits?
Serrated or non-serrated?

http://blog.house.com.au/know-knives-buying-knives-taking-care/

https://shiraleelodge.weebly.com/


texts: How long should it take my refrigerator to recover from adding new food to it?

texts:
I recently bought a new refrigerator, and just to make sure it's working right, I bought two standalone fridge thermometers to put in it, one for the freezer & one for the fridge portion. (We replaced our last fridge because it wouldn't cool lower than 45°F, even though its digital readout said the temperature was 34°F.)

The new fridge was down to 34°F this morning (according to the standalone thermometer) and about 30% full when I returned from a big shopping trip, and added a large amount of already-cool food to it, now it's about 80% full. But it's been over 6 hours since I added all that (already cool from the grocery store) food, and the fridge is still measuring above 47°F!

From the advice I read, above 41°F is in the food safety danger zone, and 2 hours is the maximum time food should be allowed to be in the danger zone. But my new fridge apparently can't get the food back in the safety zone within 2 hours; is that normal? How long should I expect it to take my refrigerator to recover from adding a bunch of already-cold food to it?