texts: Dry aging at home - is it really possible?

texts:
I am thinking to test the process of dry aging at home. I have some questions:

What exactly are the processes a piece of meat experiences, in this case, beef, from the time it is slaughtered to the time its cuts show up in the meat counter in your local market.

How do these processes deviate from the beef that is labeled as 'dry-aged' in the meat counter.

Dry-aging is supposed to achieve two things:
1) Evaporate moisture and concentrate flavor
2) Enzymes break protein into glutamic acids (umami components)

I have noticed that there is plenty of debate about the time involved required to properly dry-age. Is there any research about the time involved for the chemical reactions related to the 2nd part?


texts: I've been considering making an orange pie - but something generally closer to e.g. an apple or pear pie than a key-lime. Something with distinct slices, not a custard(-ish) filling. From a cursory search, though, I can't find anything of the sort - no baked slices or chunks of any citrus. Is this a thing that can reasonably be done?


texts: What additional ingredients and steps to take to make fast cooking oatmeal from oats?

texts:
I am specifically dealing with oat flakes, however I would be happy to hear answers from the spectrum of oats.

Preferably cheap, healthy, fast and easy but a comparison of the different possible methods would be great. If anybody could tag this post with oatmeal that'd be great.

I bought a bunch of oats (a nice bulk bag), and have learned the distinction between oats and the quick cooking instant oatmeal which I love.

Upon adding boiling water to the oats, I am left with softened oats but how can I get a product similar to instant oatmeal with the bulk oats I have already purchased?


texts:
A friend brought me some take no tsuyu (たけの露) from Kyoto.
It looks like this:

I'm having trouble understanding instructions on how to eat it.

It's served with some hot water, then crushed, then more water is added until it becomes sort of a soup?


texts: Will these mince pies still be good and/or safe to consume?

texts:
I've discovered some home made mince pies (frozen after production, un-cooked) which were made by following Delia's Traditional Mince Pie recipe this time last year (lard & butter based pastry and shop bought mincemeat). They've lived in the freezer at -20°C in an airtight container since production.

Will they have suffered any quality degradation / no longer be safe to eat?


texts: How finely chopped should vegetables be when making stock?

texts:
I've watched several YouTube videos now to learn how to make vegetable stock. Most of these videos show the vegetables being chopped into relatively large chunks - for example, carrots and onions being cut into four roughly equal portions. However, I've watched a couple of other videos that explain that the more surface area you create the more flavourful the end product will be, and advise chopping the vegies into much smaller pieces. In one video, the cook even put his vegetables in a blender!

So, how big should my vegie chunks be when making stock? Is there a "correct" way, or is it a matter of taste?


texts: Why doesn't my Lemon Posset thicken? What am I most likely doing wrong?

texts:
I've have once succesfully made this Gordon Ramsay's Lemon Posset, but on the last two tries attempts I've not managed to thicken it.

After it has bubbled and kept bubbling for approx. 3 mins, I pour in the lemon juice while stirring, but the substance just doesn't thicken.

What are the most likely things I'm doing wrong? Not stirring strongly enough? Overboiling or underboiling? It did work fine the frist time (sigh)...


texts: I've heard of people cooking bacon in an oven by laying the strips out on a cookie sheet. When using this method, how long should I cook the bacon for, and at what temperature?


texts: Frozen raw beef patties vs cooked refrigerated patties?

texts:
I love making burgers but it often ends up being very uneconomical since I can only get ground beef in 1kg+ amounts here and it often expires on the same day. Due to its short shelf life, I basically have to munch burgers for breakfast, lunch and dinner for 2 days whenever I buy it.

Having done that a few times, I'm looking for alternatives. The 2 options I can think of is either preparing the raw beef patties and freezing them or cooking all the patties and putting them in the fridge to be reheated.

There are cooked and cooled patties available here at the store but they are extremely disappointing. Then again, those are only like 50% beef and filled with bread, water and whatever other crap that doesn't go in a burger patty so maybe the homemade version would be better. I've never tried a frozen raw patty though nor can I find them at the store.

Which would yield better results? Any tips in getting it right?


texts: Super-saturated sugar solution gone wrong

texts:
An interesting recipe here provides this as a recipe for making a geode-looking sugar crystal. The finished product looks really great and is basically this:

3 cups sugar
1 cup water
food coloring

Heat water and sugar until sugar is dissolved.
Cool slightly.
Pour into foil covered bowl.
Cover with towels.
Leave for 48 hrs.

What I always end up with is either no crystallisation or the whole thing turns completely solid.

Is there a secret technique I'm missing?


texts: How is pasteurization different from sterilization?

texts: Are these two terms basically the same? I am trying to learn more about food safety and preserving food longer.


texts:
We have about 13 whole chickens that we raised and butchered (first time). Unfortunately after hearing advice from countless friends and reading about how to, etc., no one mentioned the rest period.

As a result, all of our chickens went right into the freezer that evening. I only read about this after it was all said and done.

I have just taken out a chicken to rest it in the fridge.

My question is, will resting the chicken for 2-3 days in the fridge post-freeze suffice and relax the meat? Or, should I pressure cook the chicken? Are they salvageable at all?

I am really not looking forward to tough chicken.

Hoping to hear from someone who made this same mistake and was able to make it right!


texts: What to add to the batter of the cake to avoid hardening when the gluten formation can't be avoided?

texts:
So, over mixing batter forms gluten, which in turn hardens the cake. Fine.

The problem is that I don't want lumps in the cakes, and the above statement prevents me from fine mixing the batter. So, is there something which I can add to the batter (more milk?) to make the outcome soft despite Gluten?


texts:
In preparing roasted tomato soup, which includes tomatoes that I roast in the oven at 200 °C (392 °F) for 30 minutes, and then simmer for a long time, I am having an issue with tomato skins. I find these skins largely inedible: They separate from the pulp and become very tough. Since these skins might contain some flavour, I simmer them with the rest of the tomatoes, and only then throw them away. This is a bit fidgety and takes a while.

I noticed that some tomato varieties, namely the ones that are sold on vines, have much softer skins that do not separate from the pulp and remain edible.

Do tomato skins have, in fact, any flavour that I would want to keep? What is the correct way to handle tomato skins?


texts: What oven should I buy, which is appropriate for baking?

texts:
Three months ago I moved to a new apartment. In my old apartment with my old oven, my baked goods turned out pretty well. However, since I moved, my baked goods vary from almost-good to throw-it-in-the-garbage instantly. First I thought I had to get used to the new oven, so I made adjustments to the temperature and so on. Still I just get very sad every time. The oven is over 30 years old, so I think I have to conclude; I need a new one.

I looked around on the internet for a while, and I did not really get an idea of how to choose one. A couple of things are important to me:

It must be appropriate for making pastry
It will be used a lot (almost every day), so for home-use it will be used pretty intensely
I can not install a built-in oven; I rent this apartment and may not change anything
It must be big enough; I have no problem with taking a lot of my space
Here in the Netherlands combo-ovens, which are an oven and microwave in one, are very popular. I'm not interested in the microwave part, so the quality of the microwave is not essential assuming one is in the machine.

I am willing to spend some money on it because I use the oven every day. (Note: The owner of the building is probably not going to help me pay for it)

When looking around for a new oven, a couple considerations were raised for me:

The free-standing ovens have different powers. Which power must I have at least? (I have seen variations from 800W to 1500W)
Prices vary widely, while specifications do not. Are there some brands or types which can be recommended?

I would like to show you the options that I've disregarded, yet I don't even have a clue where to start at all! I am hoping to hear some good advice on how to select an oven to fit this criteria.

-edit-
I start doing some more research. And this is one criteria that must be met for me:
I want top and bottem heat. However, this is not the case in most ovens I can find, and sometimes it is not specified. Maybe I should conclude that it is not the case then?
Does anyone know the influence of only top heat?

Furthermore my research ended in some options. Prices and types vary, but I can not really tell the difference from the specifications. For example, what does the number of WATT says about the specification of the oven?

However, next to my confusions, this are the options I selected to give you an idea about what I am thinking about:

http://icecat.it/us/p/delonghi/eo3275/freestanding-cookers-8004399181762-eo-3275-10726854.html

http://www.tristar.eu/en/Home_Appliances/Cooking/Ovens/OV-1417/3/3195

Well this is to give you an idea what I am thinking about. I hope to get some feed back about a possible mistake I make with this kind of oven, or what is good about them. If you would compare them, which one to choose? The price is around the same and within my budget. (less then 250-300 euro's is fine, and this is around 150-200 euro's)

Why did I choose these two? The main two reasons:

-They have top and bottom heat

-They have a volume of around 35 liter. I make pretty large plates, especially cakes. I want enough space in my oven, but maybe I am exaggerating and 24 liters really is enough for home use?

I know this are a lot of questions at the same time. Basically I want a good advice, and feedback about buying an oven. I want to know I a forget any criteria that are important. Also I want to know how you can know ffrom specifications what is a good oven. Can you know quality difference from it? Or is the only way read experience from other people and base my opinion on that? If someone can tell me how I know which oven is a good one, you helped me a lot! Thanks a lot!


texts: Why blend soup in blender if you can use a stick blender?

texts: if a recipe calls for soup to be put in a blender can I just use a stick blender? Or Is there some difference that makes it better in a regular blender?


texts: What's the best way to execute a pulled pork dish?

texts: Like most people, I am a huge fan of pulled pork anything.  But what I don't get is the actual pulling process of the cooked meat.  Any cook book or cooking show will tell you to cut across the grain of the meat, especially a tougher cut like a pork butt or shoulder, for maximum tenderness.   Even though I am able to cook this cut of meat until very tender,I have much better results chopping it up, instead of pulling it! Based on the grain of the meat, the title and the process seems to be an oxy moron.  Am I the only one who "chops" my  "pulled" pork?


texts: Recommendations: Food with Minimal Stovetop Time, No Oven Available

texts:
I'm not sure if this will still be too broad or vague, but here's my attempt at a rewrite.  Please feel free to close it if it is still too broad/vague.

Friends overseas have a very minimal kitchen, and where they are, electricity is expensive, and they have a minimal income.

Here is what they have - one single electric burner, a smaller-than-normal dorm fridge (which eats up most of their electric bill, evidently), a very sketchy 80s or 90s microwave that they are reluctant to use because of radiation leakage, one very small pot with a lid, two chef's knives and a couple of bowls. They have access to vegetables, a little meat and a few spices and sauces (salt, pepper, ginger, garlic, onions), but that's more or less it.

They do not have access or easy access to the following - gas-powered or coal-powered products or devices; equipment or devices that are considered safe by most standards at home (they tried to get a hot water heater for coffee and it blew up in a month); ovens; toaster ovens; convection ovens; toasters; waffle irons; grills; George Forman grills; blenders; food processors; salad spinners, zesters, and other things we take for granted.  They also do not have access to processed foods like Oreos, soup mixes, canned broth, instant [fill-in-food-here] etc. Dairy and seafood are also out but those are due to allergies. They also do not have internet access, which is why I'm posting as I'm just learning to cook myself. I'm hoping to have answers for them next time I call.

I am looking for general food categories or formulas that they could make that have minimal time on the stovetop and will help with their bill.  Examples include stir-frys (cut up veg, add sauce, swish around, eat) or tortillas (eggs, add veggies and flavors, wait till eggs set, eat).

Are there other "food formulas" like the two mentioned above - not specific recipes - that they could use?  I used the following criteria

5-10 minutes on the stovetop
easily adaptable - e.g. for stir-frys, they can use whatever veg their market has available
imparts a lot of flavor in a short time
is forgiving

I really am looking for suggestions, not recipes. What can my friends do to make meals under those circumstances?

Thank you for your patience and help.


texts:
How far in advance can I make a bechamel sauce before using it without having to cool, refrigerate and reheat.

For instance if I'm making a creamed spinach dish for a dinner party can I make the sauce right before my guests arrive, leave it on very low heat or in a warm oven unattended while I visit with everyone before dinner, and then assemble the final dish an hour later? How long could I push the timing? Also should I leave the sauce in a heated environment, or just on the counter and then rewarm it? Will there be a noticeable drop in quality?


texts: Herbal teas don't contain tea leaves (Camellia sinensis), which means they do not release tannins into the water. Does that mean you can steep herbal teas for as much as you like without worry of them becoming bitter?


texts: I like celery with dips (e.g. blue cheese or ranch dip) but I am not sure what is the best way to prepare the celery petioles: Of course I clean them. I also remove the very lower, white parts (which are often more dirty and spotted) but what else? Remove the leafy top parts? What bothers me the most is the strings. Sometimes they are OK, sometimes they are annoyingly hard to chew. How to know? How to remove them?


texts: Necessary to change chemical leavener for sugar substitution in baking recipe?

texts: If I substitute raw sugar for white sugar, do I need to add more baking soda/less powder to offset any additional acidity raw sugar may contain?


texts: What oil/fat is best for basting sunny-side-up eggs?

texts:
I've recently gotten into sunny side up eggs. I definitely like the top to be set up a bit, so I baste them in the hot cooking oil. I'm wondering what oils and fats people find best for this. So far I've tried coconut oil, lard, ghee, and whole butter. They all work (and taste) fine, but there's definitely a difference in how well the oil runs off the top of the egg.

Coconut oil seems to run off pretty quickly and get back in the pan to heat up again (which is what I want). The others seem to stick on top of the egg a bit more, which makes it harder to keep getting enough fat in my spoon to baste them continuously.

It's not that there's anything wrong with coconut oil, but I'm curious to try other methods. So what fat (or combination of fats) have you found most effective and delicious for basting sunny side up eggs?


texts: Should I bake cookies with the oven heated from the top or the bottom?

texts: Last time I made a chocolate chip cookies, my cookies became black because I did not know which side of heat to use. Should I heat the oven from the top or the bottom? I thought maybe I needed to heat from the top to help flatten them?


texts: Christmas turkey help (mostly organization)

texts:
We are receiving the family at my parent's house for Christmas lunch at around 2pm; GF and I are doing all of the cooking.

The turkey is fresh about 12lb.

I think it should take about 4 hours and some resting time.

We will have stuffing on the side.

I was thinking of 3 scenarios.

Completely cook the turkey the day before, slice it and re-heat on the day. my fear is that it will be dry and over cooked after re-heating.
start cooking the turkey at my home early on Christmas, and just bring it to my parent's home (15 mins by car) and finish it up there (for the last hour+resting)
Prepare the turkey the day before and bring it uncooked at my parent's place the day before so they can put it in the oven in the morning.

I will push the #2 plan with my GF.

Any other suggestions ?

Thanks.


texts: Does a granite pestel need to be re-grooved?

texts:
I have a granite Mortar-Pestle, which I use to grind spices and other stuff. I got it 2nd hand and I've been using it for a 3-4 months. I have noticed that the small radial groves on the grinding surface of the pestel are slowly disappearing.

Do I need to re-grove the pestle? If so how is it done? I can't seem to find any information about that on the internet.


texts: Can fermented dosa batter cause bacillus cereus poisoning?

texts:
Dosa batter is made by allowing urad dal and rice to ferment for upwards of 24 hours, letting natural yeasts develop in the batter. I've read that bacillus cereus poisoning is a concern with rice left at room temperature for a long time, and that bacillus cereus can survive even when the rice is cooked.

Since the batter for dosas sits out for so long, is bacillus cereus poisoning a concern? And are there ways to prevent it?


texts: Is leaving a Teflon rice cooker on overnight dangerous?

texts:
I own a cheap Rival brand rice cooker. Here is a link to the product page. Note that there is an inner removable bowl where the rice is cooked. This bowl is coated in Teflon.

After cooking rice last night, I forgot to turn the cooker off, although it automatically switches to a 'warm' setting after the rice is done. (The two settings can be seen in the product page linked above.) I forgot to unplug the cooker, and it remained on overnight (8-9 hours) in a small, poorly ventilated apartment. Should I be worried at all about possible Teflon fumes? The bowl was only mildly warm when I found it in the morning, and there was no evidence of burning. I was under the impression that Teflon is only dangerous at very high temperatures, but I wanted to be sure.

More generally, suppose I want to start making rice at lunchtime so that I have warm rice ready for me when I come home. Is it safe to leave the cooker on for this period of time?


texts: Building pressure chamber for fizzy fruit - PVC safety

texts:
I'm building a pressure chamber with some basic brass plumbing parts and a cylinder of CO2. The goal here is to infuse fruit with CO2.
I'm aware of the various safety aspects to consider since the system is under pressure. I had intended to use PVC for the chamber along with PVC cement to bond the plastic pieces. The setup is that the fruit would be placed inside the chamber in a food safe bowl, and CO2 would be injected into the chamber at around 45-60 psi. For reference, a soda bottle at room temperature is ~60psi.
PVC has a smell to it, and I was wondering if there are any food safety issues in using PVC in this way?


texts: Using toasted sesame oil in a cilantro "pesto"?

texts:
Pesto, chutney, whatever. I go on flavor profile "kicks", right now I am craving Asian - soups, stir fries, curries, you name it.

Here's my thought. I want a simple condiment that I can add to anything (chicken soup for example, homemade or Campbell's condensed, even 40 cent ramen) to give that "kick" that screams 'Asian'. I'm hoping that it will last 2 weeks in my fridge.

Here's my thinking: How about quickly sauteing minced garlic and grated fresh ginger in a tiny amount of neutral oil and letting it cool. Then I whip out the food processor and pretend I'm making classic pesto but with cilantro instead of basil, sesame oil instead of olive?? Maybe I'd add some Thai basil just for fun. Toasted sesame seeds instead of pine nuts? Perhaps roasted peanuts? The big question is the sesame oil. I find it strange that I can't find a single recipe by Googleing. Is there something about one of my favorite ingredients that I am missing?

Any advice would be appreciated, I'm too broke to experiment randomly.


texts: There seems to be conflicting views on whether a pyrex dish can be used on a gas burner. Can anybody here provide a definitive answer?


texts: I am looking for a substitution for milk in risotto

texts: I have Knorr four cheese risotto mix. It calls for 1/2 cup of milk. I dont have any. Can I use fat free sour cream instead?


texts: What is the correct internal temperature for rabbit meat?

texts: I have never cooked rabbit before, and my charts don't include rabbit. Are there food safety considerations speaking for thorough heating, as with chicken, or is it acceptable to cook it medium rare? Also, what temperature corresponds with the different grades of doneness? I intend to roast half a small rabbit in the oven; the meat doesn't look suited for collagen-based cooking, the animal is probably too young.


texts: Why put pepper on a dish before cooking?

texts:
(Almost?) every good recipe for searing/grilling steaks advises to season the steak with salt and pepper before cooking it.

However, I’m reasonably sure that pepper is extremely sensitive to heat and quickly loses all its flavour.

Other recipes also advise using pepper before the cooking process but with other dishes I’m confident enough to ignore this hint and invariably apply pepper after cooking (or in the last stage). When it comes to steaks I’m trying to follow every good hint I can find. But this has always bothered me: What is the purpose of seasoning steaks with pepper before cooking?


texts: Butter Substitutions in the Quiche dough

texts:
I used to make quiche very often, but I really have a problem with dough, I want to reduce the amount of butter in the dough without making it very hard and unpleasant.

Is there any way to replace or reduce quantity of butter in the dough ? (use of olive oil instead or smth like that)

Dough Ingredients: (for 500g)
190 g butter
4 g Of salt
5 ml of milk
250 g of flour.

The link is a video in french http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMI-btHsDc4


texts: Substitution for marjoram in beef birria

texts: What can you use in place of marjoram when cooking beef birria?


texts:
I cannot eat rare meat. So, I need to cook it. Generally, in my country, we use garlic, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, oil, and salt to cook meats. But, I am just wondering what if I use only oil, salt, garlic and ginger to cook meat.

What are the minimum spices I can use to remove meaty smell?
Should those spices be different in case of chicken, lamb, and beef?

I guess they are ginger and garlic.

Any other idea?


texts: What am I missing in my dishes (Indian Cuisine)

texts:
I am rookie in cooking. Whatever i try to cook I am not getting any taste in it it just has the raw taste. I add chilly powder, turmeric powder etc .

But I always miss the quantity . May be i think i am adding the spices too little. Does it comes only with experience or is there any rough estimate of how much to be added..


texts: What are the equivalent amounts of these sweeteners?

texts:
I've been looking into using one of/some combination of the following:

Powdered sucralose,
Sucralose liquid,
Powdered stevia extract,
Liquid stevia extract,
Erythritol

I'd like to know which one/combination is the most economical for sweetening recipes, and I know prices can vary, so what are the equivalent amounts of each?


texts: Can I use an induction cooker to restore silica gel's water absorbency?

texts: It was mentioned in an answer to my previous question that silica gel can be heated in the oven to restore its water absorbent properties.  I only have access to an induction cooker, so it possible to use that instead?


texts: Is it advisable to season a chicken with salt after having brined it?

texts:
I've used a standard 5% salt and water solution to brine a chicken, after having brined it is it advisable for me to season the chicken with salt before cooking it? I'm worried that if I do so that the chicken may become too salty; am I wrong in thinking this?

If it is the case that the chicken CAN be salted after brining; what concentrate of brine would be needed so that salting is not necessary after brining? 7%, 10%?


texts: Can fresh pasta sheets be used to assemble a lasagne, then left in the fridge overnight before baking?

texts:
Or will this make them mushy or otherwise degrade them?

I have recently gotten into making fresh pasta, and I want to prep a lasagne the night before. I have done this before with store-bough dried noodles, but I'm not sure if doing this will have a negative effect on fresh, more delicate pasta.


texts: Sous vide topside beef- what went wrong?

texts:
So, I’ve had many sous vide successes over the years but yesterday suffered what feels like a big failure and I’ve no idea why.
Long story short, I had a 2kg beef topside joint which I seasoned with plenty of salt and pepper then cooked for four hours at 56C. When I took it out of the water it felt deliciously soft- even delicate. I cooled it immediately in a cold water bath and then left it in the fridge overnight.
The next day I blasted it in the air fryer on as hot as it gets until the fat left on it browned and caramelised. At this point it looked and smelled fantastic.
The problem is that when sliced and served the meat is extremely chewy and not nice at all to eat. Parts of it that were not chewy were absolutely delightful and tasted great but so far the majority of it has needed prolonged chewing then spit out what’s left of that mouthful. It breaks my heart to see a mountain of chewed meat left on a plate!
So I’m wondering what I did wrong? Most recipes online suggested 56C and 4hrs were the correct choices. At this point I’m stumped. Could it just be as simple as a tough piece of meat? What can I do to save it, since I’m not really looking forward to eating any more of it right now?


texts: What are some ways to prepare beet greens?

texts: Back in my home country beets are only sold as the roots; in the US they're always sold with the leaves attached to them. I know how to use the roots, but what are some interesting uses for the leaves? Are they edible at all?


texts:
I hear chefs like Gordon Ramsay say this and many, many others.

When a chef has boiled potatos or bacon or spinach...

Be it my family or Betty Crocker ...
What are the "seasons" they are talking about????

[Please note] I am not asking "How much" but "What is"


texts: What is the lowest and slowest way I can bake pork ribs?

texts:
I am leaving for about 7-8 hours and I was wondering if it's possible to pop the ribs in the oven before I leave and have them come out super tender. Ive seen some recipes that suggest 250 for three hours. Can I go even lower and leave them in for longer?

Also: is it bad to have the oven going (even at a low temp) if I'm not at the house?


texts: I have some yeast listed as yeast for pizza. It says not recommended for bread making. Will it work for bread or angel biscuits?


texts: Why should you scrub/clean cast iron cookware with salt?

texts:
I've seen this a number of times (for example here, or here at cooking.SE), and I do it at home, but I'd like to know for what reason salt is good for cleaning (cast) iron cookware.

I know it's a stop-gap measure when a non-stick pan looses it's coating (I can't find the reference).


texts: Making pork pernil, and had a slight "lasagna battery" issue - is it safe to eat?

texts:
I am in the process of making the cook's illustrated recipe for pork pernil. For the first hour, you heat marinated pork at 450, covered tightly in a roasting pan with aluminum foil.

Lo, pulling it out of the oven I see several tiny spots where the aluminum foil has been eaten away. The edges are black-ish, which suggests galvanic corrosion, what's commonly called a "lasagna battery" or "lasagna cell" - the results of 2 metals sandwiching a piece of food that is acidic. I was using a stainless steel roasting pan, and basic aluminum foil.

The spots are tiny, and they're shotgunned all over the top of the pork. They're very small, and they're in several clusters, but overall MOST of the pork wasn't impacted. It would be difficult to scrape it off because it is so small. This is a huge cut of meat, and I'd hate to throw it out, but I don't know if the galvanic reaction can do any other damage.

So, is it safe to eat?


texts: Medium-rare sous vide steak - achieving coloring without slicing?

texts:
I have a nice piece of prime beef (for the sake of example, let's say NY strip or filet; I observe this with both cuts). I cook it sous vide at 130 degrees for 45 minutes. I immediately pat it dry and sear in a very hot cast iron at 1m/side.

If I immediately plate it, and cut into it, it is grey throughout. The texture and juiciness is undoubtedly medium-rare, but the color is uniformly grey.

If I slice the steak post-sear and let it rest for a few mins, it turns red (I've read that to achieve the rosy medium rare color, the myoglobin in the steak needs to contact oxygen). Slicing pre-plate isn't a problem with ribeye or strip, but when I'm making a filet, I'd prefer to plate it unsliced.

My question is, is it possible to achieve the red color without slicing the steak? i.e., is there a technique so that when I make the first cut into the steak, it's already rosy red? If I rest it either following the water bath, or following the sear, will that do the trick?


texts: How long can I keep bread dough in the refrigerator?

texts: If I've made some dough and want to bake it later, how long can I store it in the refrigerator? Do I need to do anything special to make that work out? Are there any types of bread it won't work well for?


texts:
I always look through the comments on recipes I find online that I want to try. The comments are usually helpful and give great tips on how to make the dish even better!

I recently found a great crockpot beef stew recipes and in the comments, there was some debate on whether to brown the beef before putting it in the crockpot or not. The recipe did not call for browning the meat prior to putting it in the stew. Some reviewers of the recipe said it was absolutely necessary to maintain the right flavor. Others argued that not browning helped keep the meat tender.

So, what are the advantages of browning the meat before? What does not browning it first do?

To brown or not to brown?


texts: Reason for thickness of pepper\eggplant paste

texts: When making pepper or eggplant paste (roasted then blended), the paste is very thick, even gel-like. Why is that? What ingredient in the fruit's cells thickens it so? Or is it a very low water-content?


texts: When I buy garlic, I normally put it in a bowl on the kitchen counter or in the pantry, and then pop off cloves as need.  Sometimes, if the garlic has been around for a while, I find what looks like green sprouts inside / popping out of the cloves.  What is the best way to keep my garlic fresh?


texts: Is it safe to reheat food in plastic containers?

texts: Is it safe to reheat food in any type of plastic container or are there only some types of plastic ware that are safe to use?


texts: What can I substitute for Mayonnaise in a traditional potato salad?

texts:
I wanted to make a Potato Salad that was going to be exposed to fairly extreme heat during an upcoming picnic and wanted to make sure it wouldn't spoil as quickly as it does sometimes.  Is there something other than Mayo that I can use to bind it together - here is the rest of the recipe:

5 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley


texts: Mutton shoulder versus mutton leg - any difference in length of cooking?

texts:
I cooked mutton shoulder like advised in the answer for this question. It was under the foil and was cooked in the oven for like 3 hours.

Now I have mutton leg instead of shoulder. The size is similar. Should the cooking time be different?


texts:
Background:

I'm going to be running a science workshop for kids, where kids build a "ballistic reentry vehicle" out of a cardstock paper, holding cookies inside it.  The kids will be dropping the vehicle from a height of about 6ft.  The kids will be designing the box in such a way as to keep the cookies from breaking.

I'm looking for a type of cookie that breaks easily when dropped from such a height.  I'd prefer not to bake the cookies myself if I can avoid it.  I just need to know what kind of cookies I can buy from a store that are most likely to break apart into multiple pieces when dropped.  I imagine the cookies would have to be brittle, but I don't know what kinds of cookies tend to be the most brittle that would be readily/cheaply available in a store.  I think most cookies are made to retain their shape rather well, but I'm sure some types are more breakable than others.  I would prefer cookies that fracture and break apart into multiple pieces easily when dropped, not cookies that simply fracture or flake off the surface.

What kind of cookie breaks easily into multiple pieces when dropped?  If I had to bake the cookies myself, what would I have to do to ensure that they come out brittle and easily breakable?  Without buying and testing all kinds of cookies to find the the right kind, what properties of the cookie should I look for (e.g. ingredients, style of cookie, etc...) that increase the likelyhood of it being easily breakable?


texts: Tips for cooked chicken to stay juicy half a day

texts:
A little background: I'm going to build a chicken congee business.

In my country, generally, it's a coconut rice congee poured with turmeric chicken broth. (The chicken breast from the broth will be taken, shredded and placed in a different container and will be used as topping for the congee. If you want to know, the name of the dish is Bubur Ayam.)

My main differentiation will be additional spices for the broth, like star anise and oregano and another things (might be a fusion, but that's too fancy).

My main question is: After being cooked in broth, generally the chicken will be put in a small container, just sitting there for half a day or until sold out (the opening hours will be 6 in the morning to 11.).
(Without the broth, it's in different container, and the white plain congee is in a third container, on a stove that always has a small fire so the congee is always warm.)

Any tips so the texture and taste won't deteriorate during that time? Should I fry the chicken beforehand?

Oh yeah, the general recipe for the broth: coriander seeds, ginger, lemongrass, shallot, garlic, salt and soysauce. Any other tips will be appreciated .


texts: Could adding oil to boil benefit the taste and texture of the pasta?

texts:
Note to mods: this is not a duplicate.  I am not concerned about pasta sticking.
Note to anyone who wants to stand on their heritage and say only their way is best: I am Italian, I am 45, I have been cooking for my family for my entire adult life, as well as various jobs in food service.

A point of contention between myself and my wife is how we cook pasta.  The main differences are: she adds a little oil to the water, I drizzle it in the colander after rinsing; she adds the salt to cold water, I add the salt after the water has boiled.

She prepared the pasta the other night.  She had me finish to al dente.  It was obvious to the eye that there was a bit of oil swirling in the water.

She hadn't prepared pasta in quite some time (I am a Fascist about some food prep).  And since I haven't tasted it prepared her way in some time, I have to say: it was really good.  The pasta (cavatappi) seemed softer somehow.  I even had some the next day, after having sat in the fridge overnight.  It was still very soft and flavorful.

I only rinsed the pasta (didn't also drizzle oil post-rinse).  Putting the leftovers away after dinner, the pasta was not sticking terribly.

So, again, I know this is not the traditional way of preparing a pot of pasta.  But I have to say, it was delicious.

I guess what I'm looking to find out is whether anyone has some science to back up why adding oil to the boil would improve taste and texture.

Thanks.


texts: Are blenders and food processors usually rated in terms of average wattage or peak wattage?

texts:
I saw the Ninja blender and food processors were advertised as "peak wattage 1500." Some other blending machines at a similar price range had lower wattage, but most of them did not say "peak." In electrical engineering (my field), there is peak values and other values (such as operating values).
Is it reasonable to assume most blenders and food processors are advertising their peak wattage (and not a lower wattage under load or RMS power)?
I simply want to compare apples to apples when selecting one to buy.


texts: Sourdough starter - will it set off my allergies?

texts: I'm very allergic to mold, among other things (all airborne, no food allergies). I also adore sourdough bread. If I were to make my own sourdough starter so I could bake sourdough regularly, would it a) be similar enough to mold to set off my allergies, or b) be likelier to attract mold than anything else in my kitchen?


texts: Is there any taste/texture difference between refined vegetable oils at temperatues above melting point

texts: I am making vegan cheese and it calls for a lot of refined coconut oil. I am wondering If I were to substitute out half the refined coconut oil for equal parts of another flavorless vegetable oil would it make a difference in taste or texture once it is melted. The rationale for using coconut oil is so that it is solid at room temperature like regular cheese, but I am only concerned about the final melted product.


texts: How to make a Lamb Seekh Kebab more juicy and soft?

texts: What are some secret ingredients used to make a Lamb Seekh Kebab so soft and juicy? These is one of the best kebab to taste.


texts: How does boiling impact the texture of tofu?

texts:
For years, we've been making pasta sauce that incorporates extra firm tofu. To prepare the tofu for crumbling we follow this procedure:

cut tofu into pieces
cover with water
bring to boil
drain
mash with potato masher
squeeze out water by wrapping in towel and twisting
add to tomato sauce

How does boiling affect the change in the texture of the tofu?


texts: Can I Use Yellow Split Peas in Paruppu Urundai instead of Toor Dal

texts:
I thought toor dal (thoor dal?) was the Hindi term for the pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan).  Additionally I thought yellow lentils (Lens esculenta) and split yellow peas (Pisum sativum) were two different plants.  Bit confused.

Which brings me to my most important question – if I wanted to make Paruppu Urundai could I substitute split yellow peas for the toor dal?  I live in a small, rural town and although our health food is store is brilliant we don’t have a huge range of choices.


texts: Does wrapping turkey while resting make the skin soggy

texts:
I normally rest turkey (in 16 - 24 lb range) for 45 - 60 minutes, loosely tented in foil only.   I'm looking at a number of suggestions for longer resting time*, but they usually refer to tenting the turkey in foil and then wrapping in towels.  This would seem to keep in a lot of steam, not just heat.  Does the skin stay crisp?

I'm not thinking of a "full Gordon" at 3 hours but perhaps going to 90 - 120 minutes; I see a lot of comments that 2 hours works very well.


texts: Dangers of leaving food in an off gas oven

texts:
My gas stove manual warns not leave food in the oven while it's off either:

More than an hour before cooking, or
More than an hour after cooking

I can't seem to find the reason why, or to tell if my food has been ruined.

What exactly happens in this situation?


texts:
Okay, I know the title is a little ridiculous, but I swear I am not making this up.  When I was a kid, my parents bought a lot of rice and a lot of bananas (among other things).  They would get the big 25# sacks of rice, which seem to be made of several layers of kraft paper, and put them in a cabinet.

When they bought bananas that were a little too green to eat, they would put whole bunches into the rice sack for a day or two.  Does that actually make any difference for ripening?  If so, is it because of the rice?  The paper bag?  The cool, dry, dark environment in the cabinet?  Something else entirely?

  This question looks related, but I don't know if the extra conditions I've noted make a difference beyond what was noted in the answer there: Why does a brown paper bag speed ripening?


texts:
So I find it odd, that every site says "Don't leave guac sitting out more than 2 hours or you'll get sick!"

But a lot of recipes (like alton browns for instance) actually say to let it sit out for a couple of hours at room temp?

Proof:
http://altonbrown.com/guacamole-recipe/

I ask because my buddy brought over some Guac for a cook out, and it was sitting in the house (at about 70 degrees so it wasn't super hot). And I think I ate some before we put it back in the fridge (and it had been out for about 3 hours).

(we got it from kroger, it was one of the ones they make fresh or whatever). It's still green and smells fine.)

So whats the deal?...2 hours too much yet a lot call for that. So if you let it sit out for 2 then serve it (and it sits out for 2 hours) thats four hours?

Thoughts?..am I probably ok?


texts:
Free range chicken is generally a lot more expensive than battery farm chicken, but it's often claimed it is better tasting.

I'm curious if restaurants stick to this mantra and use free-range chicken, or if it's just psychological, and if there any benefits besides ethical ones.


texts:
I tried melting some sugar for a sesame caramel bar, but I could't manage to melt it evenly, and I have no idea why.

What I did was:

I turned the heat on the hot-plate at 2 (out of 4) and put a thick pan on.
I put the sugar in - the layer was about 1/2 to 1cm.
It started melting alright but there was unmelted sugar left on the top, so I tried swirling it (as I've read I should do in that case) but it didn't seem to do anything. I was afraid it might start burning so I tried putting the melted sugar on the top of the unmelted sugar (again according to the instructions) with a spoon, but that didn't work well - it started hardening in lumps.
I managed to melt it somehow and removed it from the heat when it started turning brownish, even though there were still some small lumps left.

The bar I was making turned out quite well despite of this, but I'd still like to know how to melt sugar properly.


texts: Is there a use for bean juice - the cooking liquid of beans?

texts: When I cook beans there's heaps of brown-coloured water. Is there a use for this? Do you drink it or something?


texts:
I am soon to be moving to a house with a very nice kitchen, and so the time has come for me to buy myself a proper set of knives. I have been looking around at the various types available. There seem to be cheaper steel knives with plastic or wooden handles (e.g. from normal homeware stores), pro-range solid steel knives (e.g. Global) and also ceramic knives. As much as I'd like to buy something like the Global knives, they are quite expensive and so I've been looking at what else is out there.

While I'm pretty sure the pro-range steel knives will outperform the cheap steel knives, I have no idea how good ceramic knives are.

Are there reasons why I might want to choose ceramic over steel or vice versa?
What are the things to look out for when buying knives?


texts:
Can dough be kneaded with a rolling pin instead of by hand?

If not, what are the mechanic differences that make it so? How is the process of repeatedly flattening and stretching the dough different when done by hand or with a rolling pin?

I have found recommendations that kneading should not be done with a rolling pin, there is never a justification of why. Upon simple inspection, what is done to the dough seems similar enough in both cases.


texts: Why does my glaze soak into my doughnuts?

texts: I fried up some yummy doughnuts and let them cool. Shortly after glazing them, I noticed that the glaze has soaked into the doughnuts. How can I prevent this from happening?


texts: How long does cheese last out of the refrigerator

texts: We went on vacation and while we were gone, the refrigerator in which I stored a GREAT DEAL of cheese (both hard and soft, although unopened) quit working and when we returned home, I found the cheese defrosted (I had put it in the freezer).  Is it safe to transfer to my other refrigerator?  The packages are unopened and there is no indication of spoilage.


texts: Subs for baking mix/ eggs and condensed milk?

texts: I am trying to make my own protein cookies/bars. This way I know what is in them. I have a good idea on what I can replace oil and eggs with. What I am still unsure of is what to replace the biscuit mix and the sweetened condensed milk with. I don't want to use flour,dairy or sugar.Can anyone help?


texts: alternative leavening agents other than baking powder, and their ratios of substitution

texts: Please provide a list of alternative ingredients to baking powder, and how much of the substitute to use in place of baking powder.


texts: Why add baking powder when creaming sugar and butter?

texts:
A friend recently provided me with a family recipe for cookies which instructed  me to cream together sugar and butter - so far so good. However, the thing that took me back was that the recipe called for adding baking powder along with the sugar and butter and creaming it all together.

I've never seen a recipe call for creaming anything more than just sugar and butter so I'm unsure if there is a valid reason for adding the baking powder at this stage. Does adding baking power during the creaming process do anything or is this recipe just odd?

As an an addendum, is there any reason you'd add anything besides butter and sugar during the creaming process?

FWIW, the cookies came out rather small and unlevened.


texts: Buying a "blender" that can purée a potato

texts:
My wife had a "smoothie" made by a co-worker that is based on green apples and raw red potatos.  Our smoothie maker can't do that and leaves unchopped bits and a gritty feel.

Her friend uses a Vitamix blender, and looking up the model number not only induced sticker shock, but reviews raised concerns with the item leaving bits of teflon in the food etc. And the price for just a replacement pitcher is so high that it appears overpriced.

What is it about a blender that allows it to make a good purée rather than just mixing things easily?  I think it might be the design of the blade and base, not just raw power: even a modest powered blender doesn't stall or run out of power; but it doesn't chop any finer no matter how long it is left running.  It might also involve speed vs torque usage of power.

Does anybody know what makes a machine capable of making a good purée as opposed to just blending, especially when both kinds are sold as “blenders”.

Should I be looking for ones with different options for blades like a food processor, to make it well suited to different purposes? E.g. I have seen blades just for milkshakes.

In general, how do you shop for one when the only information a seems to be total power and the number of presets?


texts:
I have had great success making seeded bagels; I boil the bagels in water with baking soda and a little sugar, and any kind of seed sticks to the outside and bakes to perfection. My problem is trying to replicate garlic bagels.  Fresh garlic doesn't stick, and doesn't get dried out like I want.  Dehydrated "garlic granules" burn by the time the bagels are done.  So:

What type of garlic works best for bagels?

I am really looking for someone with actual experience making garlic bagels.

Edited to respond to a comment: I can see the following problems with adding the garlic partway through baking.

(The main reason) The garlic will not stick to the outside of the bagel, since the bagel will be dry.  One would have to re-wet the bagel somehow, or maybe wet the garlic?
Interrupting the baking process of bread is not good in my experience.  Since I cook bagels in six-bagel batches, the bagels would be out for a reasonable amount of time to add the garlic.  And re-moistening the surface would further cool them.
It seems absolutely absurd to have to manipulate piping-hot bagels mid-bake just to add the topping. I am positive that this is not how the bagels I have in mind are made.

However, if anyone has done it this way, let me know what your results were.


texts: The center is still cold when I deep fry my precooked frozen chicken

texts:
Two days ago, after I seasoned my chicken breasts I stuffed them with smoked turkey slices (not a fan of ham) and some mozzarella cheese (don't have swiss). I battered them with flour, seasoned egg, and bread crumbs. I also made another batch with panko. I baked them in the oven for 35 minutes. Then, I put them in the freezer after I left them to cool.

Today I wanted to fry them. The batter was almost gonna burn, I even tried to start frying with less heat but the chicken and filling was still very cold in the center. This recipe was successful when I fried the chicken right away without freezing before. What can I do to defrost fast without having to leave it in the fridge over night? Is there a way to cook the chicken thoroughly in the fryer?

And I have the same question for home made burger patties. How can I thaw big batches fast? Putting them in water seems inconvenient for me as I like to season my meat when forming it rather than on the fryer. I sometimes also fill with cheese in the middle (the kids like the surprise!).


texts: Any tips for seasoning wooden spoons?  I found a couple different methods on the web but they vary quite a bit.  What I've done so far is to sand the new spoons starting with 280, then 320, and finally 1000 grit sandpaper.  Then I put it in water to raise the grain and sanded some more with 1000 grit.  I repeated the last step 4 times and the spoon is nice and smooth.  Is there a final step to season the spoon?


texts: Instant Hummus Pre-cooking without Dehydrating

texts:
I would like to prepare my own instant hummus (dried, only add water) for backpacking. A commercial product is available, but I would prefer to start from scratch.
Normally, chickpea flour has to be cooked for around 3 minutes to make hummus, e.g. in this recipe.
I would like to avoid cooking the flour in a large amount of water, as dehydrating a paste is a big mess.
Is it possible to just moisten the flour with the right amount of water and then steam it, such that in the end it will still be mostly a powder and easy to dry?


texts: I ended up with a gallon (almost 4 L) of 2% milk that I don't really need. I was thinking of making it into some kind of fresh cheese (i.e., farmer cheese or panir or something) to extend its life a bit. Will this milk make decent cheese, or do you really need full fat milk for that?


texts: How can vanilla essence and vanilla extract be used interchangeably?

texts:
This question has answers which explain the difference between vanilla essence and vanilla extract, and which tell you when you may want one over the other - if I am correct in thinking that "vanilla essence" is the same as "vanilla flavouring"?

My question is - in baking where colour is not an issue, how do I substitute one for the other? For example in a recipe that asked for 1tsp of extract, how much essence would I use in it's place?


texts: Why did my roasted pumpkin soup smell foul and seem sour after only 1/2 day?

texts: I made 2 batches of roasted pumpkin soup and both went sour and smelt horrible within 1/2 day.  I am unsure why and am baffled as I have made soups heaps of times, but not this roasted pumpkin soup.


texts:
I am trying to make dill rolls and I am following the recipe but cut it in half. Instead of margarine I used butter and vegetable oil. Those were the only changes I made. I also used the kitchen aide dough mixer and mixed it for about 3-5 minutes. I let it rise and it doubled in size, but for the second rise my dough went flat. It never rises again. It also would not brown and did not taste good at all. What am I doing wrong? I'm at normal altitude. I have included the link for the website.

http://monasterykitchen.org/savory-dill-rolls/


texts: what makes red tomato sauce turn orange in colour?

texts:
I have noticed that tomato sauce (having started with deep red tomatoes) can turn orange.

The colour change isn't from mixing in an ingredient of different colour such as cream. It seems to occur in these observed circumstances:

Blended using a blender or an immersion blender (boat motor).  The colour change is noticeable quickly (30 seconds or so)
Cooked tomato sauce for a long time (hours)

The sauce stays nice and red if taken off the heat quickly and not blended.

Some of the ideas are:

Oxidization: the immersion blender doesn't incorporate much air so this is unlikely.
pH change: this usually requires adding of other items such as vinegar.
Breakdown of seeds or something else in the tomatoes releasing something that causes the change in colour.  Although I think I've seen seedless tomato sauce also go orange.

This question also seems to have been asked on the serious eats forum without a substantive answer.


texts: What should I do with too-dry vanilla beans?

texts:
A few weeks ago, I bought a few vanilla beans to make mint ice cream. I only needed one, so I put the other bean back into the glass container it came in. Today, I was having a hard time using the vanilla bean while making a trifle.

When I took it out of the container, it was very dry and not pliable as I would have expected. I was still able to scrape the seeds, but the bean was broken into several pieces because it was so brittle.

Is there anything I can do to too-dry vanilla beans to make them easier to use?


texts:
It's difficult to find information on the internet about botulism prevention that doesn't talk specifically about canning or jarring your own foods or using pressure cookers.

I'm wondering if it's possible to inactivate the botulin toxin itself and possibly kill the botulism spores that may be present in the food using simple methods such as boiling the food in a saucepan with some extra water.

My specific case is as follows: I opened a glass jar of white beans in tomato sauce 5 days ago, and left half of it in the fridge until today. As far as I know this is the sort of environment the botulinum bacteria would thrive in, however I hate wasting food and wanted to avoid doing so on a mere suspicion.

I placed the beans in a saucepan, added some boiling water and let them boil almost continuously for roughly 15 minutes. I placed a lid on the pan during the last 3-4 minutes of boiling, as I realized that might increase the internal temperature.

The only information I could find on the internet on how to avoid foodborne botulism risk involves high-temperature pasteurization processes or pressure cookers, both of which I have no access to.

Here's a snippet that I found:

  Normal thorough cooking (pasteurisation: 70°C 2min or equivalent) will kill Cl.botulinum bacteria but not its spores. To kill the spores of Cl.botulinum a sterilisation process equivalent to 121°C for 3 min is required. The botulinum toxin itself is inactivated (denatured) rapidly at temperatures greater than 80°C .

From https://www.fsai.ie/faq/botulism.html

Did I meet those requirements and inactivate the toxin (and possibly killed the spores, too) by boiling the beans as I did? If not, what should I have done differently?

Answers that don't require the use of advanced equipment or techniques would be very helpful.


texts:
Some of ghee I find in stores has liquid on top (with some solids floating about), while in other brands it is completely solid (both jars are stored at the same temperature). Also, the latter ghee (that doesn't split into a liquid layer on top) is often twice as expensive as the former.

So, what is the "right" texture/consistency for ghee? Are the more "solid" brands just better at filtering out the usual water and protein? Or, are there really some components of butterfat itself that melt at lower temperatures, only to get filtered out by the more "solid" ghee brands?


texts:
I'm familiar with many fine vegan cheeses, ranging from cream-cheese to Camambert. Undoubtedly much progress has been made in this area in recent years. The one (important) cheese I have yet to find a suitable replacement for is Mozzarella.

More specifically, I'm interested in a vegan cheese substitute which successfully mimics both the flavor and texture of melted Mozzarella. All soy-based substitutes I've tried which did have stringy properties suffered from very high stickiness, and adhered to the roof of the mouth resulting in an unpleasant experience.

Another recipe I've tried is cashew based cheese combined with tapioca flour, though both flavor and texture were less than adequate.


texts: My bread cuts doesn't expand the way I like

texts:
I can't seem to get that final rise in the oven. I would expect and prefer the cuts to show a more prominent rise.

This bread is
- 310g water
- 501g bread flour (13%protein)
- 12g salt
- 20 grams fresh yeast.

Cold water and other ingredients. Machine pounding it for 14 minutes.
First proofing 1h50 minutes. Second proofing 45 minutes. Kitchen temp is about 24C, 76F.

I brushed it with oil before second proofing, covered it in clingfilm. It is dry here at wintertime.

The actual bread was quite nice.

The odd picture is just to acknowledge that most frying pans seems to be coders.


texts: How to use tapioca pearls when making puddings and pies?

texts:
I have made puddings and pies from instant tapioca before, and I like them a lot.
I would like to try to recreate those recipes with tapioca pearls. How is cooking with pearls different from cooking with instant tapioca?
I'm not looking for specific recipes, but general guidelines:

do I rinse pearls before using them?
do I need to soak the pearls?
how much time do I need to add to cooking/baking?
do they go bad? What is shelf life of tapioca pearls?
any other details to consider when replacing instant tapioca with pearls in a recipe?


texts: How to prevent food colouring changing the taste of food?

texts:
I am a keen baker with a big sweet tooth. I often use coloured icing and sponge when I bake, but often the colouring I use changes the taste of the icing/sponge.

Does anyone know how to prevent the food colouring changing the taste of food or how I can minimise it?

The food colouring I use is: Dr Oetker


texts:
I recently (5 weeks ago), purchased a set of dry salami from a food festival. I kept them in the plastic bag that they came in; however, when I recently checked them, they were completely covered with furry-looking green mould.

My understanding of dry salami is that it is supposed to be able to be kept for (in some cases) several years without risk. So I am confused, What could have caused the mould growth that I experienced?


texts: I have leftover baked chicken - can I reheat it on the grill?

texts: I have leftover baked chicken breast. I want to know if I could reheat it on my gas grill and if it would still taste good after that.


texts: Will flavors marry in compound butter if given sufficient time to rest?

texts:
Edit: I plan to actually do a blind taste test to put this question to bed and satisfy my curiosity. If anybody wants to beat me to it, please feel free.

If you make a salsa (for example) and store it in the fridge the flavors will marry over time.

Is the same true of compound butter? My hypothesis is that a compound butter that includes multiple flavoring agents (perhaps two different herbs) will taste essentially the same right after it has been compounded as it will after an overnight banishment to the refrigerator.

My initial reaction is that the magic that is helping salsa ingredients mingle is water (a solvent extraordinaire & excellently thin transport medium). Will butter insulate this wonderful exchange?

This Alton Brown recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/compound-butter-recipe/index.html) suggests chilling for two hours before serving. He's one smart cookie, so I tend to follow his lead, but is it worth waiting?

Image from another recipe here: http://www.thehungrymouse.com/2009/03/27/fresh-herb-compound-butter/


texts:
I've tried numerous recipes, watched different videos, and adopted different techniques, but to this day I can't make good plain custard.

Some of the issues with previous custards:

Egg taste ( I realize this is probably due to me pouring hot over eggs, but I assure you it's not, I do it very very slowly)
Deflation (the custard deflates in the middle) I'm assuming this is due to me over mixing, or not adding flour / baking powder.
Texture ( sometimes the taste is frigging amazing, but it's either too runny or too hard.

I've given up on making custard and by mine "fresh" from a local baker.

Recipe I use:

3 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/3 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Method:

Combine until not foamy
bake in a water bath until stiff


texts: What purpose does adding oil/butter to thin pancake batter serve?

texts:
While I understand that adding melted butter or oil to thick, American-style pancakes improves the texture/crumb of the pancake, I have been wondering what the impact is on thin pancakes. Here are some example recipes of the style of pancake I mean: one, two, three (interestingly this third link is a vegan recipe and calls for the most oil by far).
I've read in some places that the main reason is to reduce the chances of the pancake sticking to the pan - but this seems easily avoided with the right equipment and technique anyway.
So what function is butter/oil serving in these recipes? Is it still a textural thing, as with thick pancakes (and if so, how would the texture be different with or without the oil)? Is it about the non-stick issue? Or is it just a flavour thing? Given the massive variance in amounts of oil I've seen added to otherwise similar recipes for this style of pancake, it would be useful to understand what function the butter/oil is truly serving.


texts: Gluten & MSG free substitute for Parmesan?

texts: Gluten, MSG and aged cheeses all give me migraine headaches. Is there any substitute for aged Parmesan that might be safe for me?


texts: How can I intensify the chocolate flavour in my yoghurt?

texts:
When I want a healthy dessert, I add grated dark (70%) chocolate to natural yoghurt. If I want some sweetness, I add dried cranberries. The cranberries definitely have a much stronger flavour, but even without them, the chocolate flavour does not come through very much. I think this is because it is designed to melt in your mouth before being eaten and the flavour only comes through when it melts. If it's in yoghurt, it's much too cold to melt.
Is there an additive or some alternative chocolate form (perhaps cocoa powder + something?) which could give a stronger chocolate flavour to yogurt which will be eaten cold?


texts: Why does horseradish paste "curdle" when cooked?

texts:
I once made a tuna marinade that included some imitation wasabi paste. Usually when I cook like this, once the fish is done I cook down the marinade into a thicker sauce. In this case, the sauce quickly clumps when heated into a goop with a similar appearance and texture of cooked chicken fat. Obviously then I can't use it, so since then I just throw out this marinade since I can't use it without heating it (it had the raw fish in it.)

Why does horseradish do this? I'm assuming that's the culprit ingredient since it's the only unusual thing that I don't have in others that don't have this problem. And in any case, is there something I can do about it, or do I just have to throw this one away?


texts:
There are a lot of edible things that come to mind when I think about what can be frozen. But when I think about things you better not put in the freezer, I honestly have no idea.

So, what food and/or drinks come out of the freezer unusable?

(I really am asking about the use, rather than the texture. For example, blueberries would come out mushy, but you can still use them in some dishes.)

And are there things that completely lose their taste or even get an other taste?


texts: grams of fat on nutrition facts label don't add up

texts:
http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-general-mills-cinnamon-toast-crunch-i8272

2.8g of total fat. Of that 0.4g is saturated fat, 0.9g is polyunsaturated fat and 1g is monounsaturated fat. Adding saturated / polyunsaturated / monounsaturated yields 2.3g of total fat - not 2.8g. What's composing the remaining 0.5g of fat?


texts: Can oven cleaning sprays poison the quality of the food baked in an oven if not cleared away?

texts: I want to ask Is it good to use oven cleaning sprays to clean oven. Does the quality of the food baked in an oven will not goes down or become unhealthy?


texts: What is the shelf life of dehydrated, precooked meals?

texts:
I'm planning to dry precooked meals with a food dehydrator to make them non-perishable for hiking trips.

Some of the recipes I want to cook do have ground beef, chicken, or salmon in them. I want an estimated for how long they are safe if they were dried for about 24 hours at 70°C (158F).

I plan to dehydrate the meals, freeze them until I go on the trekking trip, and then have the precooked meals in my backpack for the whole duration of the two week trip.

The food during the trip will not be refrigerated, but the temperatures are likely to be between 15°C and -5°C (59F-23F).


texts: Why does whipped cream use nitrous oxide instead of nitrogen gas?

texts: It seems that nitrous oxide (N2O) is frequently used to create whipped cream. But why can't just regular nitrogen gas (N2) be used instead?


texts: How can I use a large quantity of raw almonds all at once?

texts:
I have a big practically unused bag of raw almonds that's been sitting in my pantry for a couple years. I got them as a gift when I used to munch on them more, but after a few major life changes it just has never been pulled out again.

What can I possibly make with all of these almonds? I'm looking for something that uses the almonds as I primary ingredient rather than a garnish so I can get rid of them in one fell swoop instead of slowly whittling them away. I've thought of almond butter and almond flour, but I don't see myself using either that often, so it doesn't really help.


texts:
I recently tried making four batches of mozzarella, all of which turned out like a rubber band. The first three times around I used a one-hour recipe, but tried less rennet and a longer setting time for the curds the last time around. After that too turned out rubb(er)ish I was too dispirited to waste another gallon of milk.

Are there any classic pitfalls here?
- too hot whey when stretching and folding
- overworking the curds when straining them
- overworking the melted curds
- too much citric acid or rennet

Does either of the above (or something else) jump out at anyone as the more obvious perpetrator? From reading online I feel like the consensus seems to be that usually rubbery mozz is caused by overworking it during stretching/folding, but I thought I was being so careful the last time around.

Greatly appreciate any pointers, thanks


texts: How long does beef stays good after turning of refrigerator?

texts: During this weekend I accidentally turned of my refrigerator connection before going out and It was like this for about 50 hours without the connection. I had raw beef in there in almost an airtight packet ,when I opened it today , it was still cold , but not frozen. Is it safe to eat this meat ?


texts: Why caramel crystallize after adding butter?

texts:
This weekend I tried making salted caramel following a recipe from Bon Appetit's Test Kitchen (The caramel part from https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/salted-caramel-chocolate-tart).

I noticed a little foam during the caramel formation but it did not give me much trouble at the moment, but later, when I added the butter, everything has gone awfully bad.

I took it off the stove to add the butter but it started to gain a sandy texture and a light yellow color. I put it on the stove again and kept adding butter hoping to solve it but it did not help.

In the end, I resolved by using half a glass of water, that lowered the temperature and melted everything back to a smooth deep amber sauce. After adding the cream and trying to reduce it to remove the added water, it went ok.

What did I do wrong? What happened?

P.S. In the recipe it asks for cream of tartar but I did not have it so I did not use it, is it the cause? I've seen other recipes without it, so I thought it was ok.


texts: What is the difference between a brie and a brie de meaux?

texts: Often in the supermarkets, you can find lot's of brie cheese, but also "brie de meaux". What is the difference between the two cheeses. Is it just a different level of protection or do the production methods/ingredients differ? Is there a difference in taste or texture?


texts:
I cure my own bacon with the skin still on the pork belly because I do not know how to remove it. I tried slicing it off with a knife (type unknown) but quickly lost patience. What is the best way to accomplish this task?

Also, I have 50 pounds of pig fat with which I intend to make lard, but I must removed the skin from it as well.


texts: Difference between Pan-Frying and Searing

texts:
What exactly is the difference between pan-frying and searing? They both use the same principles -- high heat, oil, flip once or twice -- and they both create the same result, namely that wonderful golden crust.

Is there a difference?


texts: "Instant" leftover rice? Making leftover-like rice without the wait? (as in for fried rice)

texts:
I have a bunch of recipes which use leftover cold rice: rice salads, fried rice, rice cakes, and similar.  However, I rarely have large quantities of rice left over in the fridge when I want them, since we don't eat rice with dinner most nights.

I've tried making some of these things with freshly cooked rice, but the recipes don't turn out well.  Rice which has been cold for hours has a different texture and reacts differently to seasonings, oil and liquids than warm rice.  The starches on the outside of the rice change somehow, and it becomes less absorbent and drier.

Is there any way I can quickly (as in, in less than 2 hours) produce rice which has the texture and starch structure of long-cold rice, at least approximately?  Cool it down in an ice bath?  Soak minute rice in cold water?


texts:
I was at a Sushi restaurant in San Diego today and ordered some squid nigiri.  Although it had been roughly scored with a knife, it was still quite chewy.  I'm assuming it was yari-ika.

Is there a way to prepare squid for nigiri that's less rubbery?


texts: Why does adding lemon juice before baking cause a thick layer of dense cake to form?

texts:
I am trying to adapt a recipe for lemon cake. I want to add actual lemon juice to the batter and omit the lemon zest. The recipe I have goes as follows:

250g butter
250g sugar, half and half powdered and granular
4 separated eggs
250g flour
baking powder for 250g flour
zest of 2 1/2 lemons

I experimented with several ratios of lemon juice to the other ingredients. However, each time I tried it, when I took the cake out of the oven and looked at the cross section there was a dense, slightly darker layer at the bottom which disrupts the otherwise fluffy nature of the cake.

How can I get rid of this layer, while still adding lemon juice to the cake?


texts: Why does a plastic lunchbox tend to be more greasy than glass one?

texts: I always have a difficult time washing greasy plastic lunchbox. I wonder if it is because some chemical or physical reaction between the container and the oil?


texts: Why does my bread burn at the bottom before it is done?

texts:
I bake my bread for about half an hour. At the 15 minute mark, the bottom is already slightly burnt, but the bread is clearly not done.
My oven doesn't have a thermometer, so I don't know exactly what temperature it's at. I preheat it for 15 minutes at the highest setting, and then I drop the temperature when the bread goes in. I also put a container with water at the bottom to create vapor.
How do I stop the bread from burning?


texts: Is it safe to keep dried out egg noodles?

texts: I've read a few sites explaining how to dry your noodles, and I know the store bought ones are not made with eggs.  I tried experimenting with no-egg noodles though and they just came out too gummy.  I've not seen any site explicitly saying it's ok to dry egg noodles.  Raw egg is kind of a scary thing; I know they do end up cooked eventually, but in the meantime can they get all nasty so they make you sick and/or taste like ash?


texts: What is the secret to baking bread with a very fine crumb?

texts: I've noticed bread purchased from the local baker always has a very fine crumb. How is this achieved??


texts: Should I salt water for cooking pastas based on the volume of water or amount of food?

texts: I was wondering if I should estimate the amount of salt I need proportionally to the volume of water or to the amount of pasta?


texts: What can I add to boiled lollies to stop them from melting in humid weather?

texts:
I've made a gingerbread house this year and popped in stained glass windows. The windows are made of crushed up boiled lollies.

I baked the gingerbread, then added the windows, then baked the bread a further 15 minutes. Five days later the windows are melting because of air humidity. How can I stop this from happening? Is there something I can add to the boiled lollies to keep them hard?


texts: What is the proper way to maintain a can opener?

texts:
I bought a hand crank can opener (Oxo) because of the good online feedback and only use the "shake" dry approach. It quickly developed rust in between the metal. If I invest the time and scrub, I can remove most of the rust.

When I initially posed the maintenance question in IRC concerning rust and utensils and kitchenware in general, I got suggestions from "spend a little on a decent one" to "you want stainless steel". I stored both answers as helpful for future purchases.

Just recently I noticed two can openers in the office pantry that both show rust. Obviously these were neglected and showed more corrosion. After seeing this, I am curious if rust is actually normal and harmless. Are there more expensive stainless steel can openers that are rust resistant? Should I be drying more rigorously? I just thought of another possibility: should I keep the can opener in a jar of cooking oil?


texts: Can I turn my unset jelly into cactus fruit gummies instead?

texts: I tried making prickly pear fruit jelly. I accidentally used regular pectin instead of low-sugar pectin. Is there a way that I can turn my unset jelly into cactus fruit gummies instead?


texts: How can I make my turkey gravy look darker and richer?

texts: When I make gravy to go with roast chicken and turkey, it is flavourful but always looks a little pale. Could you suggest a way to make it look darker without adding gravy browning?


texts: Should I pour off the liquified fat while cooking bacon?

texts: At home, I'm likely to cook bacon stovetop in a cast iron skillet. In commercial kitchens I've worked in, bacon goes on sheet pans in the oven. In each case, I usually pour off excess fat once or twice during cooking. However, I just watched this video at Chow that instructs to never pour off the fat. Does the pool of hot fat help or hinder in achieving a uniformly crispy piece of bacon?


texts: What are some interesting herbs/spices to sprinkle over fish?

texts:
I typically just pan fry my fish (typically cod, rockfish or salmon).  For cod I dip it in batter (egg+flour) and for salmon, I marinate it in a Tandoori-ish type of yogurt-based marinade.  In all cases I use an impromptu made mix of spices consisting typically of ginger powder, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne pepper.

I often feel that some specific fish spice/herb would fit in better. Anybody have any suggestion?  I don't like processed spices (like Old Bay), I prefer base ingredients (don't even use premixed curry).


texts:
Dalgona coffee / whipped coffee is a hit recently, which is made from instant coffee powder, hot water and sugar.

I was wondering if there are any possibilities that we could have similar results if we do not use sugar? And if we could substitute the sugar with other stuff so to make the whipped-cream-liked foam stiff?


texts:
When making a stew, I forgot to add flour before the liquid. To thicken the stew, I added some slurry (flour + cold water). However, it was not enough. I would add more slurry, but I found this website (2012) that says

  If you've prepared a dish that started out with a roux and you feel it needs a slurry at the end for additional thickening:  use cornstarch or arrowroot to prepare the slurry.  Why?  Because a chemical reaction occurs that will prevent the same starch used twice to thicken it any further.

I could find not any other sources supporting or opposing this claim, so I'll ask here:

Can I thicken a sauce/stew twice with flour (roux+slurry or slurry+slurry)?


texts:
I'm making Lobster Sous Vide with Pain Perdu and Tomato Marmalade tonight. I wanted to serve it with a lobster bisque(y) foam. I was planning on mixing lobster broth, cream, and some of the butter used in cooking the lobster, heat it up. Use an emulsifying agent and throw it in my vita mix. But I've never made a foam before.

So some questions:

I have Lecithin and Mono/diglyceride from a set. It says they're both emulsifying agents. Which should I use? What's the difference?

What's the appropriate ratio of emulsifying agent to liquid? How does changing the ratio affect the foam?

Does temperature effect how the foam forms?

What consistency should my bisque be to make a good foam? Does it need to be thin, or will it work thick?

What else should I know before trying to make this?

Update:
I really hoped that I could answer my own question today, but the foam was a complete failure. My Lecithin may be "off", it was kinda of sticky, not powdery at all. No idea what went wrong.


texts: How to brown ground beef so it comes out uniform and not chunky?

texts: How do you get even small pieces when you brown ground beef? It always seems to come out chunkier than I would like.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How to fix food that got extra salty?

Is there any way to resurrect a dish if you put too much salt into it ?  I know you could double up all other ingredients to dilute the salt, but if you don't have this option is there anything that tends to counteract salt ?


texts: What caused the crust on on the top of my bread to separate from the rest of the loaf?

texts:
I used this Portuguese sweet bread recipe. The bread came out with a great crumb, great flavor, and a great crust. The problem is that the crust on the top separated from the crumb on the top of the bread:

I followed the recipe. The only change I made was that I refrigerated the dough after the first rise and shaping for 12 hours and baked it the next morning after letting it warm to room temperature. Anyone?


texts: What Tea leaves are used in Kashmiri Pink tea

texts: I want to make Kashmiri pink tea but have not found an exact name in English for those tea leaves used in Kashmiri pink tea. As I am right now in china, here they have varieaty of tea. I would like to know the name in English so that i can translate it and find it here


texts:
There are kinds of fruit where it's common for people to eat the fruit together with the skin (apple, grapes etc.).  But there are some where people would peel off the skin beforehand like the kind of orange, banana, water melon etc. The skin does contain a heavy dose of fiber, and am wondering is it safe, or even healthy, to eat the skin?

But has anyone eat fruits such as orange or banana wholly without peeling off the skin, and find any health issue (positive or negative)? Assuming the skin is washed clean, do people peel skin because just it taste bitter?


texts: I am making momos at home and want to store them too

texts: I am making chicken momos at home for the first time.My question was that if I want to fry the momos do I directly put them in the fryer or steam them first and then fry it.What will be the difference in taste and texture?I also want to store them for later use but I am finding that they stick together and become limp.


texts:
Have anyone tried making microwave popcorn in a oven? What temperature is preferred? For about how long does it have to be in?

I know I could just rip the bag and pop it a pot but if it's possible to do it in a oven I would try.


texts:
So, I have no photo of this sausage, but to give you a picture: dry-cured chorizo, casing is easy to remove on thin slices, but on larger pieces the casing breaks sort of like paper – the edges becomes white (otherwise being transparent) and fibrous. I find it a bit chewy and like to take it off.

What type of casing is this?


texts:
I have a great cast iron skillet that I use frequently and also take superb care of. Until I noticed the bottom is coated in rust. I believe the high heat that I use from the range top cooked off all the seasoning on the bottom + I never re-season this skillet ever since the business end of the skillet is in such fine shape.

What should I do to repair the bottom?


texts: What is the purpose of making a preferment for yeast doughs?

texts:
I have found a number of bread recipes that call to prepare first a preferment - a very simple dough with half the flour, water, sometimes sugar, and the yeast to be used. This is left to rise for an hour or two and afterwards it is mixed with a dough made with the rest of the ingredients including fats, additional sugars, and eggs. This second dough is then left to rise again and later split into the loafs and baked.

What is the purpose of the preferment and why is sponge made with such basic ingredients?


texts:
I have a 2-pound block of dark no-sugar-at-all chocolate, and I want to use some of it as coating for candies or popsicles. It's 100% raw cacao, so I'm thinking of melting some and using honey as a sweetener (from a previous experiment I know it'll take a lot of honey!), because I think powdered sugar or any other sweetener will have a hard time dissolving in it. I was thinking of using the cacao/honey mixture to coat the final product, but I'm doubtful if it'll work like that.

I've never worked with raw chocolate before, so I'm wondering if it's advisable to temper it, and how to do it, or just try and use it as is (just melted, that is). Also, if anyone could advise on the honey  as sweetener I'd appreciate it. I once tried stevia, but it took a lot of it and the difference was not very noticeable. I also read somewhere that using agave or corn syrup would not work because of their high water content, so I'm hoping honey works better for this purpose.

Thank you in advance.


texts: How do I extract the membrane from an egg?

texts:
I have heard eggshell membranes are good for your joints.

But every time when I peel a boiled egg, the membrane is stuck to the shell.

How do I get the membrane out and eat it?


texts:
What do honey bubbles taste like?
I'm asking because I've got almost no sense of smell or taste myself.
The answer is probably obvious though.


texts: Is there much of a difference between organic vs. regular olive oil?

texts:
I have this idea that if I buy high quality olive oil from non-industrial producers then it doesn't need an "organic" label because olives are pretty resistant and don't require that much pesticide.

Is this correct?


texts: How to dry out mash - added too much milk

texts:
I was just making some mashed potatoes and slipped when adding milk, adding probably 50% too much.

The mash is now very liquid.  Whats the best way of saving it?

I am thinking of either heating gently to dry out a bit or adding some sort of flour to it, or both.

The mash will be used to make fishcakes if that makes a difference and has been seasoned with salt and pepper and butter.


texts: Peanut oil with maybe some residue of raw egg

texts: I  poured too much oil into the measuring cup, so I poured some back into the bottle.   However, the measuring cup was used for eggs before measuring the oil. I rinsed it from  the eggs but didn't wash it properly with soap, just water. Did I contaminate the whole bottle of oil, or is it safe to use? I put the bottle of oil in the fridge after that and the color and texture changed


texts: Made some tea using a drip style coffee maker by placing tea bag where coffee would normally go, namely on the standard fibrous (paper) coffee filter. After the tea has been on the warmer for a while, it develops dregs. Actually it's not so much dregs as particles that sometimes sink to the bottom and sometimes float and stick to the side of the carafe. The tea also develops an oil slick on top. It makes for some nasty looking stuff which sticks to the sides of my cup as well. I fail to understand how these dregs got through the coffee filter in the first place. I pour it back through the filter, but it then drips slowly, as if the filter were clogged. Any clues as to what is happening here? It has happened with 3 different kinds of tea (all in bags).


texts: Does anyone know how to make a Sous Vide style cooking vessel?

texts:
The last year I was in culinary school (2014) my chef instructor was really excited about culinology and the new innovations that were emerging and becoming to be utilized more often in the industry, like for example Sous Vide cooking or "under vacuum" in French.

I was wondering if any one has come up with a solution to obtaining one of these cooking utilities without having to go out and spend a bunch of money.

If so... What do I need to get to make one?


texts: Amish Friendship Bread starter with buttermilk

texts: I saw a recipe for an Amish Friendship Bread that called for buttermilk in the starter and feedings.  If I made this and gave some away, are the recipients now required to continue to feed the starter with buttermilk or can they feed it like a normal starter?  I don't want to make this one if it is forever required to "eat" buttermilk.


texts: Comparing different binding agents (Konjac, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Corn Flour)

texts: Is there any way to figure out the potency of different binding agents, such as: Konjac, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Corn Flour, before purchasing them?


texts: Do you need to adjust baking time or temperature when baking more than one pan of muffins at the same time in a single oven?


texts: Indian Curry: Frying spices vs marinating the meat in them

texts:
I'm on a bit of a quest to make a great lamb vindaloo, and through my research I've seen two pieces of advice (often given together) that I can't quite reconcile.  First is to marinate the meat in the spices for up to a day beforehand.

The second is that when making any curry, you should toast the spices separately first and then add the meat afterwards to brown it.  It seems impossible to do both!

Any recommendations?  My current thought is to toast and grind the whole spices, then marinate the meat with the powder.  Then fry the onions and brown the meat from there.

Many thanks


texts: What is the difference between caramelized onions and "crispy onions"?

texts:
I've searched around for information on this, and seen "caramelized onions" in some places (simple enough to make), and then what can only be described as a VIOLENT reaction indicating that rather than caramelized onions, "crispy onions" are the proper accoutrement to Mujaddara.

What is the difference, and what do I need to know in order to make crispy onions for Mujaddara?


texts: Why are British cooking shows seemingly more lax in terms of cleanliness?

texts:
I was watching the Great British Baking Show and a couple others and I noticed multiple instances where things were dropped on the floor and added back to the plate, or they taste with a spoon and then use the spoon to taste again later or stir or something. This would result in instant disqualification on Chopped or something like that.

Is that just a non-issue there, is the US just a bunch of pansies, do the US shows just edit some of it out, or is there something else going on i'm missing?

A friend of mine worked in a kitchen in London for a year, and mentioned that their health/cleanliness standards were quite high. I'm just wondering about the shows.


texts:
I bought some crab legs on Monday night.  I steamed them on Tuesday night.

I couldn't have more than a bite; the taste and aroma was that of ammonia, although the taste itself did not taste poisonous.  (My wife says she didn't notice and went happily along)

I am wondering if this could have been because the legs were bad.  Also, I stored them in the fridge for 24 hours instead of keeping them in the freezer.  A friend thought this shouldn't have mattered.

Any definitive thoughts as to what caused this effect?


texts: Starting the Maillard reaction on ribs without a torch or gas stove

texts:
Two months ago I made a homemade sous vide cooker and I've had great luck so far. Last night I started a batch of 72 hour ribs and I'm really looking forward to eating them in a few days. Until I realized a problem:

When I've made sous vide ribs before I've used a kitchen torch or a plumbing blow torch to start the Maillard reaction on the ribs after removing them from the water bath. This works great. However, because of work I've got two apartments 1000 miles apart and the sous vide cooker and the ribs are in the apartment without either of my torches right now.

If I had a gas stove I could turn on the burners and use a pair of tongs to take the ribs over the flame and start the reaction that way, however the stove here is a glass top stove. I'm hesitant to do the reaction in a pan because the shape of the ribs makes it difficult to get all portions of the ribs up to the temperature for the reaction to occur.

So, given that I've got a bunch of candles (unscented, thankfully), some matches, aluminum foil, access to an outdoor grill (but no charcoal), lots of paper, and assorted other things you might find in a moderately, but not well, stocked kitchen, what's the best way for me to go MacGyver on this and get that tasty reaction on Thursday night?


texts: How to imitate the oven on the stovetop?

texts:
I would like to know if there are techniques of replicating oven-cooking on the stovetop, without using actual stovetop ovens (aluminum box that sits atop a flame).

Although I can cover skillets and grill pans with foil, the problem would be that meats would burn on the bottom side.

Hoping you could share some tips for an amateur cook.


texts: Yesterday, I began using a propane torch (which I won in a raffle; Yay!) for browning the tops of foods. My quandary is: where do I store the torch? The instructions say not to store it in your living space, and not to store it in a place which will get overly hot. That rules out the cabinet under the sink, and the backyard shed. I don't have a garage.


texts: What is the difference between "mince" and "dice"?

texts:
Some recipes use the term to dice, and other recipes use the term to mince.
What is the difference between to dice, and to mince used in culinary?


texts: What is the difference between 100% whole wheat pasta and 100% whole wheat couscous?

texts:
I google the ingredients list and one says 100% durum wheat the other says 100% whole wheat. I still don't see any difference? Does anyone else?
If they are the same then couscous is just pasta?


texts: gluten free gnocchi tasting too much like potato

texts:
I made my first batch of gnocchi this weekend and after quite a bit of work, I got gnocchi that didn't taste great.  The consistency was ok; they did not disintegrate when I boiled them for a couple of minutes. BUT it felt like I was eating potatoes, nothing less, nothing more...

So I know... gnocchi are essentially potatoes.  But still all the gnocchi I have tasted over the years, "regular" and gluten-free, all had a taste quite distinct from potatoes.  I am wondering what I am missing.

I used red potatoes, which I had steamed in a pressure cooker, and mixed them with potato starch and rice flour.  (Some of our family members are gluten free.)  I let them dry for 30 mn to an hour before throwing them in boiling water in small batches and taking them out as soon as they floated, which was quick (1-2 minutes).

Any thoughts on improving on the taste of the gnocchi itself (as opposed to "cheating" by overloading them with butter, cheese and tomato sauce)?


texts: Napoletana Pizza dough not elastic and breaking

texts:
I made a Napoletana Pizza dough with the following amounts:
4 cups of flour, 2.25 teaspoon of Salt, 1 teaspoon of active yeast, 12 ounces water and 1 teaspoon of sugar

After kneading, I left it rise for 8 hours at room temperature and then put it in the fridge for 2 days. Then I took it out and let it rest for another 2 hours before shaping.

When I started shaping, the dough was a bit sticky. Playing with some more flour I could start shaping it but the dough itself would shrink when I was pulling back, so it was hard to create the good shape. Also, at same point it was breaking.

I ended up to using a rolling pin.

What was the issue? What did I miss in my recipe/process?


texts: What non-alcoholic liquid can I use to store Ginger, both cooked and raw?

texts: I've read that storing Ginger in wine vinegar or vodka preserves it. Is there something non-alcoholic that will do the same thing?


texts: Can I fix my universal meat grinder which leaks when I make cranberry orange relish

texts:
'Tis the season for cranberry orange relish, but what a mess!

The source of the leak:  where the handle meets the barrel of the grinder.  Is there a gasket there that can be replaced?


texts: Will dried buttermilk react with other ingredients in dry mix with oil, stored in fridge?

texts:
I would like to make a (dry) pancake mix in a large batch, and then store it in the fridge. I have done this before with no problem, and would now like to do the same thing, but add dried buttermilk. I was wondering if the dried buttermilk will store well with other ingredients, while stored in the fridge.

The other ingredients include oil. The full ingredients are:

4 cups King Arthur white whole wheat flour
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3 1/2 cups old-fashioned or rolled oats
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil

The source for this recipe is:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/homemade-whole-grain-pancake-mix-recipe


texts:
I don't have the stomach for a proper recipe for tomato canning. I simply "binge" bought an enormous box and am now trying to salvage what I can.

Here is my recipe:

Gently simmer 6 quarts/litres of tomatoes in a batch on the stove for 24 hours, with a modest one tablespoon of salt as preservative.
Wash one-quart/litre mason jars in the dishwasher, along with their covers.
Wait until the tomatoes are slightly less than 100C to avoid cracking the jars.
Once they're at a still-hot but not boiling temperature (70-80C?), fill the jars.
Seal the jars while the tomatoes are still hot.
Let cool down, and then put in the fridge.

The tomatoes are still somewhat whole, and so they're versatile. They can be turned into a sauce or used as is in recipes. I could diligently add them right and left to go through them quickly.

Will the tomatoes keep for three months in the fridge?


texts: what weight to use when weighing pasta for dieting purposes?

texts:
I presume that, ceteris paribus, the same amount of pasta cooked is significantly heavier than the same amount uncooked.

So what is the standard?


texts: Using gas cooker now having problem cooking food

texts: I have a new world gas cooker bur I am finding following recipes cooking guidelines results in undercooked bases of i.e. scones, fruit pies, or Xmas fruit loaf. When baking blind, the top of food looks cooked but the bottom is soggy and uncooked. I tried changing position of shelves and cooking longer on lower heat, but my normally good baking is no longer.


texts:
I am a new cook, and I want to freeze roast beef for later use. So I cut it in 2cm pieces. I never cooked roast beef before and realized that it is cooked as a whole.

What can I do now? Should I season it like steak and cook it like steak?


texts: what flavors are lost in general cooking that arent lost cooking sous vide?

texts: And when I saw General cooking I mean pan searing, roasting, baking, braising, stewing, grilling, etc.


texts:
Similar to this question, but not the same (by the way, I like Hobodave's answer).

What's the correct way to treat saffron to get most of the flavor?

I've seen the following methods:

Let the stems soak in a cup of lukewarm water.
Warm the stems in oil on a slow flame.
Wrap the stems in aluminum paper and put it close to a heat source (so it can warm up).
Fry the stems.
Soak in white wine for 20' (as per Peter Taylor's comment).

I'm talking about expensive (stem only) saffron. Should the stems be crushed (before or after soaking)?

The method I usually use is the first one.