texts: Are there too many flavors competing in this side dish?

texts:
I am going to make maple roasted Brussels sprouts for a party tomorrow with toasted almonds and cranberries. However, I wanted to add a sauce for the side and I was thinking something garlic-y, probably an aioli type of dip with mustard.

Does that sound like too much going on between the maple, cranberry, garlic and mustard? I would normally experiment and just see for myself but I don't have time to go back to the supermarket between now and the party.

Thanks for any help.


texts: Can I deep fry in my Le Creuset dutch oven?

texts: It's an enameled cast iron dutch oven. Just wondering if I could take off enamel by deep frying in it.


texts: How to store Soda Water or other Home Made Sodas?

texts:
I have a SodaStream which I use to make soda water.  My wife recently started purchasing very tasty, but relatively expensive soda drinks from the store, including "Rose Lemonade" (here: http://www.amazon.com/Fentimans-Rose-Lemonade-Soda-Bottle/dp/B00513EV60), and a pumkin ginger root beer.  I offered to try to make equivalents at home, which worked out really well, by combining Torani Syrup, fresh ingredients (like Ginger Juice from Centrifugal juicer, or Lemon Juice from a lemon), and soda water from the Soda Stream.

OK, so everything is great, except now when I make a batch, my Soda Stream bottle is "in use" until we finish that batch.  So I bought a few of these on Amazon, with rubber gasket seals: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CFMBL/.

But here's the problem:

when I transfer the soda water from the Soda Stream bottle to the glass bottle, it fizzes up and loses most of it's carbonation.  Is there any way to avoid this, or a technique I can use to pour it with less "fizz loss"?

Please let me know if more information would be helpful, and thanks so much!!!


texts: How to make good quality onion powder at home?

texts:
I chopped some onion and put it in an old gas oven. It had 3 issues:

Some pieces or parts of pieces are burned while other pieces are
still not dehydrated.
It sticks with the bottom of the aluminum plate.
It has a bitter taste.

How can I solve the 3 issues to produce high quality onion powder at home?


texts: What is the best way to re-serve day old meat balls?

texts:
I've noticed that meatballs are one type of food that often tastes much better the next day.  So whenever I make meatballs, I make lots of extras and put them in my fridge to allow the flavors to "develop".

However, when I warm the meatballs up in the microwave they sometimes get dry or have slightly tough and rubbery spots -- especially on outside edges.

What is the best technique to re-warm / re-serve meatballs that you have made the previous day (or a couple days prior) so they stay moist and delicious?


texts: How to bake 3 large pans of lasagna in a regular size oven

texts: I need to bake 3 large pans of lasagna in our conventional regular size oven.  The pans are "13 x 9 x3" in size so I will need to use two oven racks.


texts: Is there a difference in appearance between semi and unsweetened chocolate?

texts: I bought semi and unsweetened baking chocolate in bulk but forgot to mark which was which....is there a way to figure out which one is which?


texts:
How long will the apple in a caramel apple stay crisp once it's been dipped in warm caramel?

Are there any tricks to extend its shelf life?

Let's assume we're starting with a large fresh Granny Smith apple that's been partially impaled on a wooden skewer. Let's also assume that none of the apple is exposed - it's just caramel and stick.


texts: Is there such a thing as "food grade CO2"?

texts: I'm thinking about building a setup to make my own carbonated water. Should I be concerned that I'll be filling up my CO2 tank at Dick's Sporting Goods?


texts: Is there a way to tone down the flavor of celery in an Oyster Mushroom Chowder?

texts:
I just created an oyster mushroom chowder with a cashew-cream base for my vegetarian wife who can't do dairy.

It turned out OK, but I overdid the celery and it tested strongly like cream of celery soup. Is there any way to cut back the flavor after it's finished besides adding more cream and veggie broth, which would throw off all the rest of the flavors which I nailed?


texts: How should I store eggs in the refrigerator?

texts:
We just bought a new refrigerator, and it came with the obligatory open egg tray container, which went promptly into the recycle bin--which got me thinking.  I have never understood the purpose of this accessory, as I keep my eggs stored in the original carton.

What is the best way to store fresh eggs in the refrigerator?


texts: Why did my omelette turn out different than usual?

texts: Why did my omelette have bubbles on top while cooking, develop tunnels, turn slightly grayish and have a rubbery texture? I rubbed olive oil on the pan surface first. I always cook omelettes the same way and this is the first time this happened.


texts: Why is there a sheet of paper in packages of minced meat?

texts:
In German supermarkets, minced meat is usually sold in a plastic box under what’s described as a “Schutzatmosphere” (protective atmosphere).
It looks like this:

Not visible in this image, the meat is always placed on a sheet of paper.
Why is that done? I haven’t found the meat to stick to the plastic more than to the paper, and I can’t think of a reason why the meat would go bad faster without the paper.
Also, the plastic boxes usually have a grill-shaped bottom, so the meat would probably not sit in any liquid coming from it.


texts: What is the meaning of "cream of X" in a soup?

texts:
I have often had "cream of tomato" or "cream of mushroom" soup. But I still have no idea how the recipe or preparation differs from "normal" soup.

What is the difference? Is it a specific ingredient or a specific process? I tried a few searches online, but they all show recipes instead of an answer.


texts:
I am fermenting homemade soy sauce for the first time, and followed this generic recipe (that has no pictures).

Technically I made tamari, because i did not to put wheat / gluten into the mix (just soy bean, water and salt)

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Soy-Sauce

I am about 3 weeks into the 'in salt water' fermentation part, and am wondering 3 things:

1. is it safe to eat raw?
2. is the soy sauce supposed to turn black, or is brown normal?
3. subjectively, is it done?

below is how it looks now.

Here is how 'moldy' the wet soy beans were before i started drying them. Only one piece had a big visible piece of mold but i did leave it out for a week.

and this is 'how brown' the dry soybeans were before putting them into the salt water

it has smelled pretty bad the whole time, but now its not smelling so bad, it feels like it smells better, or i am just getting used to the smell.

thanks


texts: Food safety of cooked Lasagna that has been left on a counter and uncovered for 18 hours. What is the proper amount of time it can be left out of frig, and safe to eat as a leftover the next day.


texts:
I've bought some red bean paste to use to fill mochi. I don't think I'll use it all in one go and I'm not able to translate what the package says for how to store it.

What is the best way to store it once the package is opened and how long will it last for?

(This is the paste I am using: http://www.japancentre.com/items/maeda-hokkaido-red-bean-paste-koshian)

Many thanks :)


texts:
I'd like to buy a 5 or 6 gallon container for drinking water. I don't like plastic. One option is a glass carboy. But it's easy to break a glass carboy. Another option is a metal container. I guess one option can be aluminum or galvanized milk can. I searched the web and all I found were old vintage milk cans which are pretty expensive. Are aluminum or galvanized milk cans (or water cans) still produced? Do you have a better suggestion for a can for storing drinking water (not plastic)?

Thanks.


texts: My question is that today I prepared Chicken Yakhni Pulao,it tasted good but it is very dry, i mean the youghurt and the masala got absorbed in the rice very much. And i have made lots of it, it is also fully cooked. So does anyone know how should i make the fully cooked pulao little juicy ? As it is difficult to eat the dry pulao(I may require another curry with it)


texts: Need help identifying 2 ingredients in homemade chicken biryani

texts:
I am very fortunate to work in an office where I am one of about 3 caucasians for around 100 people originating from Asia. Yesterday, we had a pot luck, and one of the dishes was a fantastic chicken biryani. I got to bring home some leftovers! However, there are some ingredients I am trying to identify. Here is a picture of the dish (sorry, it's been cooled and reheated by nature of being leftovers):

Now, as one would expect from real Indian food, it was fantastically spicy. Star anise, cardamom, and curry leaves. But there were other things that we can't quite identify.

There was something that seemed like a "glob," I don't know how else to describe it. It was small, about pea-sized. But it was bright pink in color, and had the awesome visual effect of giving sections of the rice a gorgeous magenta-pink color. It also had a light savory flavor.

Next, we have this ingredient:

It had a VERY strong, peppery anise flavor, very much like cardamom but significantly stronger. It was about an inch long, almost like a walnut, but a bit smaller. Inside, there were several small pellets. Here is a picture:

If anyone can let me know what the pink "glob" was that gave the brilliant color, and what the pod was that gave such a great taste, I'd really appreciate it!


texts: Are Garlic cloves supposed to be put as whole or as chopped up pieces in a soup?

texts:
Once I was making soup with a friend and the recipe called for a few cloves of garlic.  She was ready to throw the garlic cloves into the soup whole without chopping them up first.  I would've thought that it would make more sense to chop it up first and she had never heard of doing that.

Does anyone ever cook with whole garlic cloves?  My friend's parents are from Spain so perhaps in other countries this is a common way to include garlic in a recipe.


texts: Marinade then cook or cook then marinade?

texts:
For pork, does it matter if you marinade first, then sear + braise vs sear + braise first then marinade?

More details: I'm trying to cook pork chashu using pork butt. The marinade is mostly soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar. So far, I sear it then I either:

Braise for 3 hours, then marinade for 12. Or...
Sous Vide in marinade for 12 hours at 170ºF (not vacuum sealed)

It turns out dry :( So I am gonna try with lower temp next. But I am also curious if the marinade could be the cause (because of the curing effect), and if doing it before or after matters.


texts:
I know pineapple (Hawaiian cooking), onion (Chaliapin steak), pickle juice (Chick-fil-A) and honey (Shokugeki no Soma). All tenderize meat via cooking and / or marinating. My questions are:

What others meat tenderizers are there?
Is there a tasteless or more mellow substitute that wouldn't impart so much of a flavour?


texts: What is the substitution ratio for mini marshmallows to large marshmallows?

texts: I have a recipe calling for 12 large marshmallows, but I only have minis. How many should I use?


texts: Is there a special way to dry bread out to make breadcrumbs?

texts: I have a recipe for making Italian Breadcrumbs. If I leave the bread out on the counter it molds before it dries enough. I thought making breadcrumbs would be a great way to use some of my homemade bread. I love making bread but unfortunately it dries out to fast for sandwiches, but not enough for breadcrumbs.  Is there a way to dry it out before it molds? I have tried all kinds of bread, some hydrated more than others.


texts: hand cranked ceramic conical burr coffee grinder?

texts:
I would very much like a recommendation for a manual ceramic burr grinder for turkish coffee. The grinder must be able to do fine powder consistently. Effort is no problem.

Thank you.


texts:
I’m ordering a 6lb. bone-out prime rib roast from a local butcher. I want to have them season and (mostly) cook it for me in their rotisserie on Christmas Eve (pickup at 4pm) so I can just finish it quickly in my oven Christmas Day (12pm).

I have a couple questions:

what internal temperature should I ask them to cook? Thinking 110°.
what’s the best method to finish it? I’m thinking rest to room temperature then 375° uncovered oven roast until 120° internal to get a crisp herb crusted exterior (as opposed to a foil tent or foil wrap).
am I insane? Should I just roast it all myself?

Thanks!


texts: What would be the difference between frying vs baking meatballs?

texts: I'm sure the two techniques impart slightly different flavor profiles, but what are they? What are the circumstances where you would choose one method over the other? Would the recipe need to be altered at all between methods?


texts: The best way to roast silverside of beef in th oven?

texts:
I have a fairly large piece of beef (2.4kg) with very little fat on it. I was wondering what the best way to roast without drying it out would be please?

I know the temptation is to say that it needs to be slow cooked but I like my meat rare with a crispy crust and I really don't have time.


texts: I would like to use my artificial sweetener Equal to make yeast rolls. Will the yeast activate? I've never tried anything like this before. I would like to know before I invest in the time, effort and waste of ingredients.


texts: I have seen this particular part added in recipes for lasagna. What I don't understand is what it means by "add eggs" to cheese. Do I just crack a raw egg and dump it into the cheese mixture? Do I whisk the egg and then mix it with the cheese before layering it on the lasagna? Do I just take a raw egg and just mix it with cheese then layer it?


texts: What is this old "lemon-squeezer" shaped pan

texts:
We found this odd pan at  the family's summer cottage. The cottage is in Central Finland, and used to be a croft before my grandfather bought it. This thing has been on the edge of the stove for a while, and nobody seems to know what it is.

By the way the handle is pointing, the pan is supposed to be used convex side up. The convexity is about ten centimeters high, and has chevron-shaped ridges forming channels down the mound. It looks a bit like a lemon-squeezer from the side, but with a shallower slope. There's also a channel around the base of the mound, and a beak for pouring. The pan is about the size of my outstretched fingers, or a small frying pan. Here's a side view:

I tried a reverse image search and came up empty. The one guess anyone made is that it's a pan for melting fat, but I couldn't find an image of one of those on Google.


texts: What's the fastest way to hull a strawberry?

texts:
I often need to hull and slice large batches of strawberries.  But hulling by cutting a cone out of the top of the berry with a paring knife can be slow work.  How can I quickly remove the core (the hard white part near the stem) from the strawberry?

What do professional chefs and kitchens do to quickly hull strawberries?


texts:
What is the origin of fried potato? Is it France that introduced it through French fries to the world?

EDIT: By origin I mean the first most popular amongst the world.


texts: How much could I safely heat a content-less cast-iron pan?

texts: To which temperature could I safely heat my cast-iron pan on the stove, without any contents? I don't want to re-season it afterwards. Afterwards, I'd just let the pan cool off in room temperature. The base is ~0.5 cm thick.


texts: What should I look for in an alternative to crème fraîche?

texts:
I have lots of great recipes that call for crème fraîche, but for some reason, it's very difficult to find it in my neighborhood. I hear that sour cream is an acceptable substitute. However, in my view, if whoever originated the recipe wanted to use sour cream, they'd have called for sour cream in the first place! So I don't want to just substitute sour cream for crème fraîche by default.

I have also heard that many types of yogurt can be used, or crema mexicana, or many other products. I imagine that certain products are better in certain recipes than others, in terms of substitution. What are the properties of crème fraîche that can be emulated by which other products?


texts: Catering event for 1st time. How should I prepare?

texts:
I'm just starting a catering service for my cooking.

I'm not into too fancy style yet, like using metal silverware or china plates, but more casual version like paper plates and plastic-ware.

The events will be about for 40 people, the menu is:

curry & rice
Karaage (Japanese chicken nuggets)
veggie sticks & dips
sandwiches
bite-sized pastries
drinks    (tea, beer)

I have 1 chafing dish, I rice cooker, plastic plates/bowls/spoons/cups, aluminium foil baking trays, and paper napkins. I'm thinking to do set-ups and let people help themselves (I may stand-by and help them if they need help).

What am I missing? What should I prepare more?


texts:
When I was a kid, every month we would go out to a high-end restaurant or country club buffet for Sunday brunch.  At these buffets, I would be confronted with hotel pans with fancy chrome lids resting in their stands above Sterno stoves.  In one of these pans would be one of my favorite things: bacon.  Thin, very evenly browned in a deep red color, lacking any char marks, and also with none of the broad strips of chewy fat I was used to, these paranormally crispy, light productions were somehow piled high in ten pound portions in a pan, free for the taking.

Now, my parent's and my own history of pan-cooking bacon produced none of these qualities.  Differential rates of shrinking end up with bacon that never cooks evenly and turns wrinkly (whereas many strips of 'Buffet Bacon' end up flat as a board), and always with significant texture differences between fat and lean streaks, something that was difficult to discern in this dish.  I've finally managed to create a bacon product I enjoy more than my parent's iteration, with thick center-cut bacon cooked on low heat for half an hour, only half a dozen strips at a time... but I still wonder at the crispy deliciousness I enjoyed as a kid, produced in such quantities as I can barely imagine.  The few attempts I've made at oven-cooking bacon either resulted in the strips sticking together or a series of small greasefires.

How would I replicate 'buffet bacon'?


texts: Substitute baking powder for yeast in a focaccia?

texts: I was going to make a focaccia-like dish, but found that I don't have any yeast. Can I substitute it with baking powder? How?


texts: Does my electric stove heat up quicker on the highest gear?

texts:
I have an electric stove with the gears 1-6. When I want to, for instance, boil some water I always put it on gear 6 and then leave it like that until the water is close to a boil, and then I reduce it to gear 5.

However, today it crossed my mind: Does it actually heat up the water quicker when I put it on the highest gear? Or does the gear simply represent a temperature and then it will always heat up as quickly as possible until it reaches that temperature?

In other words, will it take the same amount of time to bring the water to a boil regardless if I pick the 5th or 6th gear?


texts: How long does a fruit and sugar mixture last?

texts: I made a sauce with frozen rhubarb and raspberry mixed with sugar and reduced it until there is hardly any juice left. I put the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge. Would this still be good? Is there anyway to tell when this is going bad?


texts: Can I serve a hot soup recipe as a chilled soup?

texts: I make a spicy red pepper soup that is made with chicken stock. Is it ok to serve this soup chilled even though it has chicken stock in it. If I take it from the freezer, do I have to heat it first and then chill?


texts: Julia Childs cake recipe featuring Galliano?

texts:
My grandmother remembers watching an episode of Julia Childs’ TV show in which she made a cake that featured a tall bottle of bright yellow liqueur, which we think is probably Galliano. Her recollection is that the episode was highly memorable because Julia was partaking in the liqueur throughout the process.

I’m trying to track down the recipe from that episode but am having trouble finding anything at all about it online. Does anyone know what this recipe or episode was?


texts: I have had a container of off-brand sour-cream I bought from the grocery store in my refrigerator for almost two months. When will it go bad or will is ever go bad?


texts: Substitute for egg yolk in chocolate truffles?

texts:
I have a recipe for chocolate truffles (basically butter and chocolate) that also includes an egg yolk; presumably to help smooth it and increase the richness.

I know that the recipe would probably work just omitting it, but,

Is there a non-perishable, and preferably vegetable based, substitution that could be used?


texts: Big Chicken vs Small Chicken: weight and stuffing volume ratios

texts:
I need to adjust a recipe for a stuffed chicken. The recipe calls for a 2kg chicken, and say W grams of stuffing. Now I plan on buying a smaller chicken because it's for less people, how can I estimate the amount of stuffing I'd need for the smaller chicken? Is the ratio the same as for the weight ration?

As an example, suppose I buy a 1kg chicken instead of a 2kg one. The ratio is now ½. For the small chicken, do I need ½ x W grams of stuffing, or more, or less?


texts: Can I replace brown sugar with white sugar without using molasses in cookies?

texts: I don't know if I can replace the brown sugar with white sugar because the recipe already calls for white sugar too.


texts: When kneading bread dough, how sticky is 'too sticky'?

texts:
I often see the directions "If it's too sticky, add more flour". This usually comes shortly after "Add as little flour as possible." Being a perfectionist, these two instructions combine to make me an agitated baker. In general, how sticky is too sticky? Does a general answer to that question exist? I know that, no matter what, my 100% hydration pain au levain will be a lot different than a 60% whole wheat or something. However, how often should I be putting aside the dough for bulk ferment and then washing gobs of dough off my hands?

Adding to this confusion is that, when I've made bread with the KitchenAid in the past, the bread can be sticky and leave flour on the sides of the bowl for the first nine minutes of kneading and then poof something magical happens in the last minute and it stops being sticky, gathers the rest of the flour from the sides of the bowl, and is very pleasant to work with. Should I be adding flour until something like that happens? Or perhaps kneading it with the lower flour amount until that happens? I feel this is related enough not to create another question but I can do so if needed. Thank you!


texts: Cooking pot with regulable water boiling temperature

texts:
I'm looking for a pressurized pot where the pressure can be regulated in both directions, that is, higher and lower than atmospheric pressures (higher: high pressure cooker, lower: vacuum distillation).

Does something like this exist?
If so, what is its name?


texts:
I use the following recipe (based on this Serious eats article) for a sicilian style pizza:

500 g All Purpose Flour
2 tbsp oil
10 g kosher salt
5 g rapid rise yeast
347 g water

Mix in food processor til dough comes together then another 40 seconds.

Then, I turn it out on a half sheet pan with 6 tbsp oil, let it sit for ~3 hours, top with a can of Muir Glenn pizza sauce, some shredded cheese and some lunch meats. Bake at 550 F for about 16 minutes.

When I used Pillsbury/Gold Medal all purpose flour, I got better browning (and flavor)  than compared to King Arthur all purpose flour. On the other hand, King Arthur gave better bubbles (I'm guessing due to the higher protein content).

I know King Arthur has more protein, so how does that affect browning? And can I do something to the recipe to increase my browning? I've played with the oven racks to bottom and middle, but not much luck (it's a relatively small oven, so it might not have as much effect as I'd like).

Note: I tested about 5 times with each Pillsbury, Gold Medal and King Arthur.


texts: Why exactly do leafy vegetables turn to mush when frozen uncoooked?

texts:
I've heard 2 explanations: because of enzymes that get destroyed when cooking (which is chemical) and because plant cells expand when the water inside freezes, and then the cells burst (which is mechanical). Which one is it really? Or both?

On that note, why does cooking (blanching/sautéing) preserve their texture after freezing and thawing? The fact that it does seems to be an argument against the 'burst cells' explanation, since the cells are still full of water after freezing.


texts:
What is the best way to freeze & reheat a quiche?
I've tried it twice, and both times the bottom of the quiche became watery as it defrosted in the oven. I took the pre-baked quiche straight from the freezer to the hot oven. Note that both times I tried it, there were a few pieces missing from the quiche where most of the liquid collected. Also, I used a frozen ready made pie crust instead of one made by scratch.


texts:
I just got a used Braun MX32 CDN from a thrift store.  It's in great shape.  Unfortunately, it came with a lid from some other model that apparently somebody tried to cut to make it fit.  Naturally, it leaks, but it even leaks if I hold it down as tight as I can.

So, not wanting to spend too much on replacement parts, and preferring not to take it back, I was wondering what my options were for manufacturing my own water-tight lid.  Has anyone had success with this?


texts: Can pork and beef be thawed in water together?

texts:
I just went downstairs and noticed my girlfriend thawing pork chops and beef together in a bowl of cold water, is this okay?

The water is bloody red and im worried that the porkchop juices mixing with beef juices is a bad thing

Appreciate any insight


texts:
Amongst other things, I'm making a chocolate & bourbon pecan pie for Christmas in my capacity as family pastry chef. The recipe calls for toasted pecan halves.

What is the best way to toast nuts evenly? I assume a low oven is best to avoid scorching, but what temperature and for how long?


texts:
I have a white sauce recipe similar to Alfredo that I made up and a vegan friend of mine and I recently made it but substituted all vegan products and it turned out fantastic.  I was wondering if it would be possible to can said recipe.  I looked up canning Alfredo and because of the dairy it seems it's not possible, but I was wondering since there is no dairy if it were possible to can and if so how long it would last?

UPDATE
I figured I should include the ingredients. So the recipe contains:

Vegan Butter
Flour
Soy Milk
Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Onion
Garlic
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Basil


texts:
Why do sauces thicken as they cool? This happens for things like puddings, white sauces, jello, and gravy.

I looked around a little and maybe the reason is different for each of those different things. For some of them it makes sense that the fat would become less viscus as it cools and maybe that is the same for the geletin. But that doesn't really make sense for the white sauce because I thought the thing that makes it thick for white sauce is the gluten. Does anyone know a general scientific reason?


texts: What is this Kenwood food processor attachment for?

texts:
We've recently acquired a food processor, and can't work out for the life of us what this attachment does. The manual, and Googling, hasn't helped. Here's the attachment:

And here's the food processor (Kenwood FDP30)

Any ideas?


texts:
Possible Duplicates:
  Should I refrigerate eggs?
  How long can eggs be unrefrigerated before becoming unsafe to eat?

I got 4 dozen eggs this weekend (from actual chickens on a farm that were laid yesterday), and they sat in my car overnight.  Would they still be good to eat?  I put them in the fridge this morning.  I'd say they sat for 20 hours in my car.


texts: Do any non-commercial gas range models offer linear burner response?

texts:
I don't understand why most ranges don't offer a linear flame response as you turn the dial up on a burner. They have "jumps" from low to medium-low, to medium-high, etc. The dials themselves turn smoothly, always, but the flame responds erratically. For example, on a numbered dial from 1-10, 1-3 might be low, and then suddenly at around 3.5 it jumps to medium low, where it remains until 5. Seems to me they should just have 4 buttons (low, med, etc..) instead of a dial that fools us into thinking we have fine control.

I really want to get a range with a straight linear burner response, and no "presets." Not only is the information nearly impossible to get from manufacturers (I've tried, and many don't seem to know their own products), but retailers obviously can't leave ranges hooked up in their showrooms, so it's impossible to test them. I'm tired of trying to get the "sweet spots" between the presets that the manufacturer has decided is optimal for my cooking.

I've heard that many commercial-style (Bluestar, Wolf, etc.) offer this. What about other non-commercial-style and less expensive models from other brands (LG, GE, etc.)? Thank you.


texts: Are there any reasons not to include the zest when citrus juice is an ingredient?

texts: When following a recipe containing "juice of a lime [or lemon]", I can't help but find it wasteful to just squeeze the fruit. Usually, I'll include the meat of the fruit as long as it doesn't mess with the end result.  Are there any reasons why I shouldn't just always include the zest as well as the juice to minimize waste?


texts: Does the type of sugar make a difference when making chocolate?

texts:
I was checking some sites on how to make chocolate myself.
I should start with mixing cocoa butter, cocoa powder and sugar (and milk powder if I would make milk chocolate). Most sites mention "sugar". I'm assuming those are talking about granulated sugar. I've also found a few sites that call for powdered sugar.

Since granulated sugar has larger particles, I guess it takes longer to be completely melted. But I believe it would happen (so the chocolate would not turn out grainy).
Powdered sugar has smaller particles, so it should be absorbed rather quickly. However, there is also some starch added. Would this have an effect on the chocolate? Or is the amount too small for that?

(After the mixing it together, I should melt and temper it, with adding some existing chocolate.)

So, does the type of sugar make a difference in the taste or structure of my self-made chocolate?


texts:
I'm not sure how much of the fat to leave on the meat before I grind whether it be chicken, beef or Turkey

What's the best method for grinding chicken vs beef vs Turkey, etc.


texts:
When baking a Japanese cheesecake, I will occasionally get an incredible rise in the cheesecake - doubling or tripling in volume. During cooling, this falls back down to almost the original volume. However, other attempts will result in a much more sedate rise - with almost no collapse during cooling.

I'm using the recipe (and advice) as described by littleTeochew, available on the wayback machine.

I'm tempted to suspect the placement of the cheesecake adjacent to the waterbath rather than in it, but I have had both occur when the cheeseecake is adjacent to the water-bath.

Does anyone know why this occurs and how to prevent the over-rising?


texts: Brand new - never been used stainless steel briage pot pitted with one 6 minute water boil on my gas range

texts:
I had pitting in an All-Clad pot and figured I had done something wrong ( no salt added at all just water boiled).  The new pot ( received yesterday) .. washed with hot water and soap, cleaned, dried and commenced to heating.. it's already pitting.. I live near Carlsbad, CA and I do believe the water here is quite "hard".. ( chlorine, calcium)..    any suggestions appreciated.
Kevin


texts: Is Manganese Violet suitable as a food coloring?

texts: Can I use Manganese Violet as a food coloring? It's safe to use in cosmetics, and I've got some left over, so I was wondering. Is it toxic, edible or actually palatable? Does it have a certain taste? And if it can't be used, are there other Manganese (not magnesium) Compounds that I could use as purple food dye? (Just curious)


texts: Can I make bone broth with bones without marrow?

texts: I bought some marrow bones from the butcher, roasted them, ate the delicious marrow.  I then decided to make broth out of it.  I've made broth many times with chicken carcasses, but not beef bones from which I have already eaten the marrow out of.  Anyone have experience making broth from beef bones without the marrow?


texts: Forgot the yeast in a brioche bread recipe

texts:
This is the brioche bun recipe I frequnetly use:

250 gr potato puree

3.5 cups flour

1 tsp sugar

0.5 tsp salt

2 tsp instant yeast

1 tbsp olive oil

50 gr butter

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 tsp bread improver

First mix the dry ingredients, then add melted butter, egg and potato puree. Then add olive oil and milk.

I followed the instructions but forgot to add instant yeast. And with the mistake remaining unidentified I waited for the dough to rise. But after two or so hours, all of a sudden I figured I didn't add yeat to the dough.

Is it possible to corporate it into the dough now? What can be done to save the dough?


texts:
I just tried to fry a salmon fillet and eat it as a I would a hamburger patty: with bread, cucumber and tomato. No matter my seasoning, I keep finding the taste bland.

What could I do to enhance the taste when it comes to spices and other ingredients?


texts: Does milk make cakes lighter or tougher?

texts: After looking online on several websites and forums, there seems to be conflicting answers to this.  Some people say that it gives a lighter texture, while others say it gives a more rubbery/tougher texture (due to more gluten being developed).  So what's the real truth here?  Thanks.


texts:
A friend of mine told me that the top quality produce is sold to restaurants and that the produce found in supermarkets is B-grade. That is why, for example, you might see a bin of oranges at the supermarket and every single orange has a slight blemish--because it is a Grade B orange.

So, if this is true, how can I get high quality produce? By "high quality" produce, takes apples, for example. There are 4 different standard USDA grades:

Extra Fancy
Fancy
No. 1
Utility

Most supermarkets sell either Fancy or No. 1 apples, not extra fancy. By high quality, I mean the highest quality of produce, no ripeness problems, no blemishes.

In Boston where I am located I heard that there is an open market in Haymarket where you can get good quality produce. Is that the only way? Find large commercial open markets?


texts: Why does my colander feel slimy after I use it to drain pasta?

texts: I'd imagine the "slimy" feeling is due to all the starch passing over and through it. But how come it's so hard to clean? Even with repeated scrubbing the slickness can stubbornly remain.


texts: How do big companies can products at large scales?

texts: Canning product in small batches can be done using bath or pressure canning. But it takes a long time for canning a small batch. I was wondering how big companies do it at large scales.


texts: What is the best way to poach an egg without vinegar? Is there a quick and easy alternative?


texts: If a utensil is safe for a 'normal' microwave, is it also safe for a flatbed microwave?

texts:
I have some silicon based utensils (a steam case, a rice cooker and one for cooking pasta). These are developed for use in microwaves and I do not want to get rid of them. However, I'm planning in substituting my ancient turntable microwave with a new modern flatbed microwave.

Is it safe to assume that utensils apt for the turntable microwave are also safe in the flatbed one? That is, provided that you are using the same power setting.


texts: How long would a no-bake cheesecake last?

texts:
I have an excellent recipe for a no-bake cheesecake that my family has made hundreds of times over many decades. For the first time today I was asked how long it would keep in the fridge. It's never lasted long enough for it to be a question, so I didn't have an answer.

Main ingredients are cream cheese, eggs, whipping cream, butter, sugar, milk, and gelatin. The egg yolks, some sugar and milk are heated. The rest is not.

Any thoughts on how long it would last? Would freezing affect it in any way?


texts: Air Gaps In Molds Creating White Patches On De-molded Chocolate

texts:
After melting the chocolate compound, I am pouring chocolate in the molds.
After pouring the chocolate, I am tapping and vibrating the molds manually. This is getting rid of most of the small air bubbles. So far, so good.
Now comes the main issue. The issue is that air gaps (from what it looks like) are being introduced in the molds, even after tapping and vibrating the molds manually. This is creating white patches on the de-molded chocolate, in the shape of the air bubble.

Here are some pics that showcase the air gaps issue:

PATCHES:

DIMENSIONS OF MOLD USED FOR PATCH 1:

DIMENSIONS OF MOLD USED FOR PATCHES 2 & 3:

From what it looks like, I am assuming that the air gaps are really air gaps and nothing else. Please correct me if I am wrong.

How to get rid of these air gaps so that the de-molded chocolate pieces are simple plain chocolate pieces without any patches on them?

NOTE 1:

The Air gaps shown in the images do behave like an air bubble. When I manually press on the exact position where I see the air gap, and I keep doing it for few times (4-10) and apply varying pressure, I am able to get the air released from the mold, but that leaves a patch on the actual chocolate, as can be seen in 2nd Patch image.

NOTE 2:

Adding one more image of the patch to illustrate the issue.

Please look at the following image:

From the above image, it looks like the white oval patch in the middle of the chocolate resembles the white mist on the rearview mirror of a car. Not only that, but it also behaves the same, in the sense that I can see the mist in the mold cavity. If I wipe the mist (I think that is what this issue is) in the cavity with a cloth, it just disappears, similar to what would happen if you wipe the mist off of a mirror.

If my analysis is right and if the white patch is indeed the result of the formation of mist in the mold cavity, how can it be prevented to ensure clean chocolate pops out when de-molded?


texts: Why did my roast beef turn out chewy and not tender? Where did I go wrong?

texts:
I recently made an Oven Round Roast in the oven and I followed directions quite well. I would really like to know where I went wrong.

The roast was 1.4kg and relatively round in shape, it was also quite nicely marbled with a big strip of fat on one side.

  Out from the freezer and into the fridge overnight (to give it some time to cool down) and then left it out in room temperature for a
  couple of hours. Took out of package and put on a rub.
  I put the oven on 450 F and put the roast in (fat side up) for 10 minutes for the maillard reaction. Note that when I did this, I put it
  directly on the oven rack; I put a tray underneath to catch the
  drippings, but it was uncovered.
  Turned oven down to 225 for 2 hours and then 200 for 5 hours.
  Cut the roast into half inch slices and served.

The color was a nice pink on the inside and dark on the outside. It was still juicy and the taste was great. The roast's outside is absolutely delicious in fact, the rub turned out so well and the fat was amazingly tasty.

However, the roast was so chewy, I am very disappointed. I did a lot of research before I cooked it and found that slow cooking is a good way to tenderize meat. I also found out that certain cuts of meat need to be cooked differently. I.e. Steak should be hot and fast, and roast cuts should be long and slow (after searing it of course... yum yum yum).

In this post, 'Marti' answered by quoting a TV chef saying that when beef is being cooked it's collagen breaks down and liquifies and when it cools it turns to gelatine. Could that be what happened to my beef roast? If so, how can I avoid that?

In this post, 'Gilead' suggested a few solutions, beating the meat, cutting it against the grain, and choosing the right cooking method. Well, did I do the right cooking method? And do the other ones apply to a roast? I mean if you cut it up, it's basically cheap beef steak and I've never tried mechanically tenderizing the meat.

I really appreciate any help; I'm quite distraught over this chewy beef roast.


texts: It often recommended to brine salmon with salt before sous vide, so it's firmer. On the other hand, salt tenderizes meat. What is the explanation of this opposite behavior.


texts: How does fat affect gluten development in strudel/phyllo dough?

texts:
I'd like to prepare a strudel/phyllo dough from scratch,
and I have noticed that the recipe calls for about 10%-12% of olive oil mixed into the strudel dough.

I have learnt that oil and/or fat inhibits gluten development. On the other hand, I've read that oil makes the dough more flexible so it can stretch easily (I don't know why or how it does it).

Can you please explain these features of oil in the context of strudel dough?
Also, why does resting the dough help it to be more flexible?


texts:
I have some single cream or double cream in my fridge that's been there over a month & the flavour and taste has degraded into something sour and horrible on it's own but when adding other flavours like salty. Sweet & savory it brings out a nice flavour in dishes that you might not expect, which tastes a bit different  from normal cream that hasn't  soured.
I wouldn't call it sour  cream because  I don't  know  what enzymes & cultures  are used to make it , this was just sitting in the fridge  for too long but I guess most people would call this maybe gone off cream.
Is there such a thing as matured cream in the same way we have matured cheese?


texts:
Is there a generally accepted notion of high/medium/low flame that can be expressed visually?

I ask before concocting my own guidelines for peewee chefs, 8yrs+. Because there is wide variation in stove tops (Esp internationally), I want clear direction easy to remember.

For example, maybe high flame licks the grate, while low only curls around burner head. Or maybe something about the color of the flame?

Anything that can help define medium is most useful since the knob establishes highest and lowest flame.


texts: One of my friends is in Paris (France), and he posted this photo from a restaurant there . Does anyone know the name of this dish ?


texts: Should I mix vanilla sugar with wet or dry ingredients?

texts:
I could not find vanilla extract in my town. There is vanilla sugar instead in markets.In my cake recipe, there is  vanilla extract and it is whipped with egg, sugar and oil. But I am not sure with vanilla sugar.

On my first attempt I mixed it with dry ingredients, but the cake I made had too much crystallization. I wasn't sure if that was the reason.

Should I mix it with my dry ingredients like flour, baking powder and etc or with egg and sugar in the first step. ?

Thanks.


texts: Will beef bones completely submerged in 50 degree water for 24 hours still be safe to make into stock/

texts: Will the fact that they are covered in water inhibit spoilage?


texts:
I've been living in the US for several years and often make a pavlova for my friends at dinners. I made one this Christmas and it was probably the first I made that didn't collapse in on itself! I was pretty happy about that - baked at 200 deg F (~95C) for 1:20, then left to sit in the oven for another 0:50 until I took it out.

So anyway, nice ~6-inch diameter, 2-3-inch tall pavlova, with sides slightly taller than the center, and it sat nice and tall with lots of cream on top until I cut into it.

Then I saw it was completely empty inside! The crust was hard enough to hold the structure, and chewy, but there was just air in place of the silky soft foam on the inside that should be the filling of a good pavlova. It was tasty, but more of a giant meringue than a pavlova.

I really want to master this - I feel I'm getting closer with it not collapsing this time, and probably used lower temperature than I have before, but I still need to get that soft smooth foam in the middle to get this right.

Did I leave it cooking too long or too hot, still?


texts: Is Tassimo's caramel creamer suppose to be chunky?

texts: I got some Tassimos caramel creamer, the t-disc style, and I was wondering if anyone knows if it is suppose to be chunky?


texts: How to fix grass finished beef that tastes like fish?

texts:
I bought a 1/4 grass finished cow (I had a good experience with a 1/2 pig from the same seller, so didnt feel the need to start small).

We cooked some ground beef, and it was fine. But the second cut we tried were the NY strips and the fat on them tasted strongly of fish. I prepared the steak as i would any other store bought steak. I salted then fried in a cast iron pan on high with a little oil, removing the steaks from the pan at 125F. This normally produces steaks I enjoy a lot.

Based on a little research, it is common for grass finished beef to have some odd flavors if you are used to grain finished beef (almost all beef is raised on grass, the difference is what they are fed in the end to fatten up).

So, if all my steaks did taste fishy, is there a preparation method to mitigate the fishiness?

I'm familiar with gamey flavors of meat, having eaten quite a lot of moose, caribou, rabbit and the parts of a cow most people don't seem interested in. This fishy flavor was not like those. The fat tasted like I had bitten into one of those fish oil pills, and it was only the fat that tasted this way, I separated it from the flesh to check.


texts: Cookware, copper or cast iron or just buy the right tool for the job?

texts:
I'm thinking of replacing my motley collection of cheap non-stick and bargain basement steel pots and pans.

I'm considering either replacing with cast iron (Le Creuset is probably the best known of these) or perhaps pushing the boat out and investing in copper cookware.

For someone who enjoys getting adventurous every now and again in the kitchen at home, is it worth spending extra on copper?


texts: How can I make cookies without any sugar?

texts:
I'd like to try making some sugar-free cookies, which means no refined or "natural" sugar (honey, came syrup, etc.).  I'll be trying to use stevia instead.

The obvious problem is that sugar is very important to cookies structurally, not to mention caramelization.  Even if stevia were to caramelize, there won't be enough in the recipe to be sufficient for the taste.

So, are there any other agents I could use to counter these problems?

Related: Does Splenda caramelize?  (No.)


texts:
I'm a bit scared to try it, because I'm not sure what would be worse--cracking open a rotten egg, or having to figure out what to do with a chick.

So how about it?  If I leave chicken eggs out, will they eventually hatch if kept at the right temperature?

EDIT - Sorry for the confusion.  I was referring to store bought eggs only.


texts: How does foil protect a sandwich in the [toaster] oven?

texts:
If I wrap a sandwich in foil and toast it, the entire sandwich seems to warm more evenly, so I don't get burnt edges of bread.

Can someone explain what is going on here?

I assume it has something to do with the ambient temperature cooking the sandwich instead of direct heat.


texts: What is the best way to store fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro?  I find I have about the same luck with them whether they are left in a plastic bag or I put them in a cup of water.


texts: homemade pizza - getting the dough crispy

texts: When I put my pizza in the hot oven, the top crust gets blackened, but the bottom crust doesn't really cook enough. I want the bottom crust, the part that is underneath the cheese and tomato sauce, I'd like that to cook well and the very bottom of the crust to be CRUSTY. It's always too limp for me and even a little raw, but if I keep it in the oven longer, the top gets black and is not good.


texts: How do I remove bitterness from bitter melon

texts:
We use bitter melon/bitter gourd for making curry. We boil bitter gourd in water couple of times to remove bitterness which is very time consuming.

Is there any better way to remove bitterness?


texts: How to make double cream 48% for tart filling (not for whipping)?

texts:
In my country it is impossible to get double cream (48% fat). The highest fat content I can get is 35% whipping cream. I have some recipes which require double cream and I don't want to substitute it with 35%.

I want to know if there is a way I can make 48% cream myself.

Could I add butter to the 35% cream to make a liquid double cream? - which wouldn't whip but that is ok
I heard that you can make butter from cream if you whip it long enough. Could I whip the cream a little bit and then let it set back in the fridge. Would that change the fat content?

Could also somebody please explain to me how double cream is made on industrial level.

Thanks


texts: Should I top up pickling cabbage solution?

texts:
I'm making a first attempt at pickling cabbage. I compressed some cabbage in a suitable container, and added hot vinegar with spices to it, making sure to fill it right up to the brim. I put it in the fridge.

The next day I take a look at it, and presumably the cabbage absorbed some of the liquid, since there's a 5cm or so gap at the top.

Should I add more vinegar to it and top it up? Or just leave it as it is?


texts: It looks to be a double boiler of some sort, but we're not sure what it is.


texts: I'm planning on baking a pineapple cake for my husband's birthday and the only recipes I find are for pineapple upside down cake. Can I use a pineapple upside down cake and just add the pineapple on top to the batter instead? Has anyone tried this before?


texts: Should I be able to make a tarte tatin in a glass dish?

texts:
I saw a question about meatloaf in a pyrex dish, and one of the answers said that glass gets hotter than the metal when in the oven, which got me wondering.  I made a tarte tatin but didn't have a metal dish, so I used a glass dish and it came out terribly, mainly because the sugar didn't seem to have gone caramely enough.

I put it down to the glass (I'd made it in a cast iron griddle pan before and the caramel was much better, but had different issues), but maybe that was premature...


texts: Non-Quick Cooking Couscous - Is that a real thing anywhere?

texts:
To me a big part of the fun of cooking meals traditional elsewhere is to do it "right". So I'd like to try to approximate using a couscousier as I play with my new North African ingredients. Almost all of the couscous I've been able to find (even on Amazon) is either labeled "quick cooking", or there are instructions on the box that say basically to add water, bring it to a boil, cover and let it sit for five minutes. I've found some couscous that doesn't offer any instructions, leaving it a mystery, but nothing that clearly says, "This is the real stuff, it takes time to cook." There is even couscous in the bulk aisle of my local grocery that has no instructions. I thought, "AHA! This must be the stuff". I called the company to be sure, but alas, same quick-cooking stuff.

I look at this recipe though Traditional North African Couscous and it seems pretty clear that this recipe does not refer to a product that can be made adequate by treating it like Stove-Top Stuffing. What gives? Is there such a thing as non-quick cooking couscous? If so, can you tell me how to get a hold of some?


texts: How long will my pepper relish last, and how can I stretch it out?

texts:
Last year, I made a simple pepper relish out of some hot peppers that are grown on a local farm. The method I used was to saute the whole peppers for a short time in olive oil, then blend them in a food processor with vinegar, salt, and a little sugar. This turned out to be a really tasty treat, great on pizza, sandwiches, sausage, just about anything.

This year, I repeated the process. The relish is the single hottest thing I have ever put in my mouth, bar none. It's excruciating. It's so hot that after eating something like an eighth of a teaspoon half and hour ago, my nose membranes are still burning.

So this concoction is sitting in my fridge, and I have two questions: first, how long can I expect it to last? My thinking is that with the vinegar and salt (no sugar this time), I should expect it to last approximately forever. Second, what can I do to turn this volatile relish into something I'd happily add to a cheese sandwich?


texts: Should I get masticating or a citrus juicer?

texts:
I am looking to start juicing, but I can't decide which juicer to get.

Since I am a beginner, I am thinking of taking a citrus juicer, but yet again maybe it is better to take masticating juicer because I heard it is better and it can juice more than just citrus fruit.

I particularly love this masticating juicer:

NC800HDR Nutrition System

And I really like what I read and saw about this citrus juicer:

Breville 800CPXL

On another hand maybe citrus fruit is good enough for a beginner.

What I want to know is can I juice citrus fruit in the masticating juicer? And what are the main benefits of owning a masticating juicer?

Also if anyone owns any of the juicers I mentioned, please let me know are they good? Will they suffice for a beginner?


texts: What is the expected shelf life of salted butter?

texts:
I have just purchased 250g of Lescure salted butter (Beurre Demi-Sel) with a best before date of 23 July 2011. Today is the 2nd July 2011. I thought that butter has a shelf life of months, not 21 days!

What is the shelf life of salted butter supposed to be?  Is my shop holding old stock or am I just being paranoid?


texts: Does salty water become more or less salty after boiled?

texts: If I have water containing a certain concentration of salt and I boil the water to the point that I have, say, half of the initial water left, will the leftover half have a higher, lower, or equal salt concentration than the initial whole?


texts: What are the mushrooms used in this (video) recipe?

texts:
On this video of a recipe for mushroom-onion pudding, I can't seem to recognize which mushrooms are used (at about 2:20 in the video).

What is the name of these big mushrooms?


texts: Is there a difference in the taste/seeds of egg-sized eggplants, and long and slim eggplants?

texts:
Is there a difference in the taste/seeds of egg sized eggplants or brinjals, and long and slim eggplants or brinjals?

They are different in shapes. Is there any other "known/visible" difference?


texts: The Perfect Smoothie - Liquid Milk versus Powdered Milk

texts:
I recently attempted to make myself a Strawberry Milkshake Smoothie (as what is defined here, that is, no ice cream used) and failed miserably. This made me wonder about two things regarding this drink.

This time I tried to make it using powdered milk instead of the liquid one usually contained in Cartons. What I did was to put all those three ingredients (water, powder and strawberries) into the blender and then blended it until it had the desired consistency and color. The result was not as I expected, as the drink was not too flavored (tasted like water mostly, and seemed like it did not blended properly).

Could the order of preparation have affected the quality of my Beverage? I am no master chef at all, but I have at least prepared Lemonade to know that order sometimes matters here.

Also, that made me wonder if using powdered milk versus liquid milk could affect somehow the preparation of drinks like Milkshakes or Smoothies? I tried this time the powdered option, as I think I saw my favorite Milkshake seller use it instead of Carton milk so I thought it could be worth the try.

Other possibly important details on my failed attempt: The Strawberries were cold (not frozen but considerably cold), powdered milk was whole and fresh and used "standard" measure and added at most 2 cups of water (was a drink for one).


texts: What happens when you knead bread dough?

texts:
Why do you (most of the time) knead the dough when baking bread? And what does it do with the bread?

(I was going to mark this question as Community Wiki, but I didn't have enough rep.)


texts:
I had an interesting discussion today during lunch on when a food can actually be 'declared' a delicacy. Is there someone saying "this is hereby to be put on the delicacy-list", or is this something that goes by word of mouth?
Also, who determines that an item should be classified as this?


texts: How to Rescue Too-Soft Cookie Dough Made with Butter Substitute?

texts: The other day I made a batch of sugar cookies intending to roll them out and cut into shapes.  I used the standard Martha Stewart's recipe, but didn't have butter, so I used Smart Balance Lite Margarine.  Needless to say the dough didn't get stiff enough to cut or roll, even though its been refrigerated for more than 24 hours.  Is there anyway to either use this dough as is OR to add ingredients to the dough to make it more stiff?


texts:
I often read that salt is added 'to taste' - and I try to keep adding salt until my curries taste right.

However, on occasion my fingers are too big for my pallete, and the dish becomes overly salty. Is there a way to save a salty curry?


texts: Why did my shrimp bisque turn out so broth like?

texts:
I made a shrimp bisque today. But it came out extremely thin like a weak broth as opposed to thick like a decent bisque should be.

I think the problem lies here:

Now, the recipe calls for the melting of 2 tbs of butter and then the adding of 2 tbs of flour. Then the addition of 1.5 cups of hot half-and-half in a light but steady stream. However. I think I used 3 tbs of butter.

Would this have caused it?

I do have another suspect — the onion.

The recipe calls for half a medium onion finely diced, sweated, and then blended to a purée. But I'm not sure what qualifies as a "medium" onion. I guess I should have researched that. Could the onion have been too large?

Could the stock have resulted too much. I simmered the shrimp shells and head in 4 cups of water but I don't think that it reduced like most stocks do. If anything it reduced by a few tablespoons.


texts:
Black Garlic is made by keeping garlic at a high humidity + 140 degree temp for 8+ weeks (generally speaking) Keep it hot and humid for a long time.

"Bulbs are kept in a humidity-controlled environment at temperatures that range from 60 to 77 °C (140 to 170 °F) for 60 to 90 days. There are no additives, preservatives, or burning of any kind. The enzymes that give fresh garlic its sharpness break down. Those conditions are thought to facilitate the Maillard reaction"  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_garlic

The Maillard reaction and caramelization is a type of non-enzymatic browning. However, unlike the Maillard reaction, caramelization is pyrolytic, as opposed to being a reaction with amino acids. (straight from the wiki caramelization page)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caramelization

It seems to me that making black garlic is pyrolytic (head induced) and I can't find any information as to how exactly it is a reaction with amino acids.

Why is it defined as a maillard reaction and not caramelization?


texts: Egg and flour proportion for pasta extruder

texts: Just bought a manual pasta extrusion device from China. It came with no instructions and the box is written in Chinese. By looking at it, it seems that the "1 egg x 100g of flour" dough recipe will not make its way through the tiny holes (or i will have to exercise a lot to make it). Is this the right proportion for the dough for the extrusion tool?


texts: Is there a website on how to store specific foods?

texts:
I ask if there are websites which explain how to store/preserve (in the fridge, freezer, out) all kind of foodstuff.   Examples: eggs, milk, meat, specific fruits, specific vegetables, etc.
This book provides such descriptions.


texts:
I purchased vacuum-packed Flounder and the individual wrapped filets bear the following statement:
Must remove from packaging before thawing. Do not refreeze.

Now, "do not refreeze" is straightforward.  We were taught in grade school, don't re-freeze meat or food poisoning can result.
Does "must remove from packaging before thawing" have a similarly health-oriented cause?  Or is it simply less damaging to the filet to remove it from vacuum-packing while it's frozen?  This advice is contrary to the simplicity and neatness of thawing the fish while it's still vacuum-packed.
My question is, is there a health-related reason not to thaw it while still in the vacuum-pack?


texts:
What is the difference between French and British cuts of beef?

I am told they just butcher the animals dfferently. Certainly the cuts don't seem the same. For example is faux fillet really exactly the same as British sirloin and is entrecôte really the same as rib steak?

Here is a picture of British beef cuts.


texts: How long should chicken wait in eggs before applying bread crumbs?

texts: To get the bread crumbs to stick to the chicken, I coat the chicken with eggs. I then put the bowl in the refrigerator. How long should I wait before taking the chicken out of the eggs and rubbing the bread crumbs on them?


texts: How to wash vegetables without running water?

texts: I live in a subtropical climate where most people cook vegetables, rather than eat them raw, so when making green salads, I must be careful to ensure that everything is clean. I have seen recommendations in How to wash lettuce to wash lettuce under running water or in a salad spinner, but I do not have access to either. I have tried adding bottled water to a bowl, then putting the lettuce, onions, and tomatoes in this bowl to soak, but do I not know if this will clean the vegetables sufficiently, especially as the onions and tomatoes seem to already contains some water trapped inside, which is likely not safe to consume. How can I clean these vegetables?


texts:
According to wikipedia, the byproducts of yeast fermenting (like done in baking it says) are carbon dioxide and alcohol (not necessarily ethanol -- the kind you can get drunk on).

If that's the case, then technically speaking does every form of raised bread have alcohol in it?


texts: How can I reduce the salt in oversalted potatoes?

texts: Let's just say I was experimenting, and now I have a pan full of diced carrots and potatoes that have been boiled and way, way over-brined. They taste like... salt. It's very bad.


texts: Has anyone solved this problem with braising (other than by sous vide)?

texts:
I've been braising food for a number of years as a home cook.

PROBLEM: Whenever meat is braised (pot roast, short ribs, oxtail etc.), the flavor/juice/water from the meat leeches out onto the cooking liquid that it is braised in.

The result is a tender, soft, texture of meat but lacks a lot of flavor, which ends up in the cooking liquid.

I know some might say, very low heat at shorter time, would help (and it does) but the flavor always leeching out into the cooking liquid is inevitable.

It seems that sous vide, very low temperature to soften the meat without the high temperature where meat loses too much juice is the only solution (other than eating it raw, where tenderness and juice is retained).

Is braising the same for you in the above? It would be good if someone's technique was better and it saved a lot of the juice and flavor in their braise.


texts: Where can I buy corn kernel for making popcorn?

texts: I want to home make popcorn by myself. Watching some video on youtube, I saw they are using a kind of kernel of corn. Are they different to what we eat normal corn? It seems that they are much smaller.


texts: How can I tell if the tea has been stored properly, is not too stale or oxidized?

texts:
I was looking up why my green tea isn't as green as the other guy's and stumbled upon this question: Why is my green tea brown?

So I guess the tea I believed was the best I could get is not actually the best. And I can't fully trust what the seller has to say about the quality of their product, so I'd like to find a way to discover the real quality of the tea I'm drinking.

Are there any reliable ways to tell how old the tea is and if it has been stored properly?


texts: Steaming oysters without shucking meat v. just shucked oyster meat?

texts:
Before COVID, I asked Chinese restaurants and they said they steam oyster wholly.

Some Michelin Restaurants serve cooked oysters in shells.
What are advantages and disadvantages of steaming oyster whole v. steaming just oyster meat?
How To Make Poached Oysters - Best Recipe | Charleston Magazine

DIRECTIONS:
Shuck oysters, separating meat into one bowl and juices into another. In a heavy-bottom pot over medium heat, melt one tablespoon each of butter and truffle oil. Add shallot and garlic. Sweat until tender. Add next four ingredients. Sweat mixture for three minutes.
Add lemon and oyster juices and reduce liquid until almost dry. Remove from heat and whisk in remaining butter. Pass liquid through a sieve, pour into a small heavy-bottom pot, and heat to 135°F.  Add truffle and oysters. Poach for 10 minutes. Place oysters into shells and spoon liquid onto each.

These two recipes don't clarify if they steam oysters wholly? Or if they shucked meat first, steamed just  meat, then placed meat back into shell.
Poached Oysters and Artichokes with Champagne Cream recipe | Epicurious.com

Prepare oysters and sauce:

Pour oyster liquor into a nonreactive 8-inch heavy skillet and add Champagne, shallot, and vinegar. Bring to a boil and boil, skimming foam, until reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes. (Reduce heat if necessary to keep from boiling over.) Pour liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup, pressing on and then discarding shallot. Return liquid to skillet, then add cream and oysters and cook over moderate heat, turning oysters over if not completely covered, until edges curl, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Poached Oysters with Pickled Cucumber and Caviar Recipe - Stephen Harris | Food & Wine

Step 3
Arrange the oyster shells on a platter. In a small skillet, simmer the oysters with their liquor over moderate heat until the edges begin to curl, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer each oyster to a shell. Spoon some of the beurre blanc on each and top with
pickled cucumber and caviar. Serve immediately.


texts: Is it true cooked food cannot be left in room temperature for longer than 4 hours?

texts:
I have only recently discovered that cooked food shouldn't be left in room temperature for longer than 2/4 hours.

I lived in a tropical country which is warm and humid and I have been growing up eating left over cooked food(meat, rice, bread, dairy products and left in 30C for longer than 6 hours) with no issues. In fact it's very normal to the people in my country.

So my question is the 2/4 hours only a strict guide for commercial food seller? How come people in my country do not have issues with leftover food? Is this habit a silence killer which only breaks out when we grow old?


texts: Paring knife selection for work in the air?

texts:
I'm going to be buying a new paring knife soon. I use my current knife mostly for "air work" - things like coring strawberries, trimming fruits/vegetables, etc. I rarely (or never) use it for work on a cutting board.

I've been looking at different styles/brands of knives and saw in a (printed, not online) article a comment that Japanese-style paring knives were "not good for air work." There was no elaboration.

This caused me to pause and ultimately brought me here to ask, what criteria go into choosing a paring knife specifically for work in the air? Heavier/lighter? Larger/smaller handle? Handle shape? Blade shape?

(Ultimately I'd love to buy a range of knives and decide for myself, but that isn't practical financially. And I don't have any stores nearby that allow test-use of knives, so I have no way to "test drive.")


texts: What's a good molasses-based glaze for pork tenderloin?

texts:
My wife and I cooked a pork tenderloin with a molasses-based glaze/sauce this evening. However, we didn't care for it, not because of the molasses but because the recipe called for ground cumin—turns out, we don't care for cumin.

How could I make something similar without cumin. The original ingredients were:

2 tbsp molasses
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb pork tenderloin


texts: Can opened cooking cream in frozen state go bad?

texts: I opened this cooking cream 2 months ago and it stayed in the refrigerator in an almost fully frozen state (right under the cold air blowing fan). It also has lost its flavour (not bitter, doesn't have a taste) and doesn't have an odour (slightly smells like flour). When I first opened it 2 months ago, it had solidified into some kind of thick whipped cream (probably age gelation). 5 minutes ago I gave it a stir and now it looks like this:


texts:
Do sulfites cook out when you reduce wine?

The main cooking mode I'm thinking of is a braise: coq au vin or beef Bourguignon, but would also be interested in the shorter cooking time recipes, e.g. a wine reduction pan sauce.


texts: Are vanillin/vanilla powder safe to use in savory dishes?

texts:
Vanilla beans are quite expensive, and I can buy cheap vanillin ($0.3).

So I'm wondering whether I can use vanillin instead of real vanilla for savory dishes:
are they dangerous in high heat? I'm thinking of curry or onion soup.


texts: no-knead pizza. When is it supposed to raise? which flour is the best?

texts:
I tried a "bonci style" roman pizza. I followed a recipe that is basically a no knead 24hrs pizza "in a baking dish", in the sense that is not cooked in a brick oven but in a home oven. The directions say roughly to mix part of flour, water+yeast for a bit, add salt, more flour until combined. Hydration is 80%. The flour I used has the German classification 550, with 12% proteins. I do not have the info about its strength W.

Move to a board and give a few folds within the next hour, then lock it in an airtight container brushed with olive oil and store it in the fridge for 24 hours at between 5 and 7 Celsius degrees. After this time, let it reach room temperature and spread it with the help of hard wheat flour. The recipe goes by describing a certain way to spread it in order to keep the bubbles in the middle of the dough and not on the edges, which are supposed to stay flat.

But I didn't get to this step because, after some hours in the oven with the light on, it didn't raise at all and its manipulation was impossible.

I realize that the question is very vague, but when is such a dough supposed to raise?

edit:
ingredients:
500 g flour as above
400 g cold water
20 g olive oil
10 g salt
1g dry yeast, that doesn't need to be activated first


texts: I'm smoking a small 3lb pork butt we picked up at the farmer's market. If I plan on cooking it at 225 degrees, how long do you think it will take to get to an internal temp of 160? That's when I plan on wrapping it in foil before getting it to an internal temp of 190. Thanks for helping out a newbie!


texts:
I have made a recipe where I take a number of ingredients and cover them with Creme Fraiche and then bake it in the oven for a while. I have been making this recipe for a few years.

Recently the recipe has been failing as when I take the food out of the oven, the Creme Fraiche has split and the "sauce" is very watery.

Any suggestions as to why this might be happening?


texts: Raw turkey leaked in shopping bag - how to clean other groceries?

texts:
I bought some raw turkey drumsticks and put them in a plastic vegetable bag at the store. When I got it out of the grocery bag to put it in the fridge I saw that the shrink wrap had broken and the outside of the package was wet (inside the plastic vegetable bag). Some of my other groceries looked very slightly wet so I assume they could possibly have gotten a little turkey liquid on them. How do I clean them? I wiped the other groceries with vinegar using two different paper towels, I'm not comfortable using bleach on food though. Can I rinse the cucumber and oranges really well or is that not enough?

And is it safe to eat the part of turkey that was exposed? I assume the plastic film was too thin for heavy turkey drumsticks.


texts: Looking for a pliers-like tool for making crushed tomatoes

texts:
I need a tool for crushing or mashing fresh tomatoes. I know I can use a grater but that takes too much table space for me to use and it's not comfortable enough - if you want to crush a tomato after you start eating, you need space for another plate to grate the tomato on top of it. You also have to stand up.

I am looking for a tool similar with an egg slicer, where you can simply push one side on top of the other to crush the tomato. Or like a nut cracker, so I can crush the tomato while holding it on top of my plate. And I can sit down when doing it.

Is there any instrument like that?


texts: A recipe calls for me to sweat finely chopped onions.  What do I do, and why?


texts: How to clean non-sticking pan from burnt pepper juices

texts:
A couple of times I ruin good non-sticking (teflon) pans in the same way - I fry or roast a bell pepper with too little fat, the pepper juices stick to the non-stick surface and I have to use really hard steel wool to scrub them off.

One problem is that no-matter how hard I scrub, small spots remain on the pan's surface and after that almost everything I fry tends to stick there (even with enough oil). The other problem is that at least in a few cases, I've managed to dent the non-stick coating so deeply that metal showed through.

This time, it is my favorite Bialetti pot (water boiled out while I forgot to turn off steamed peppers) and I want to make everything possible to save it.

Any suggestions are welcome...


texts: Recommendation for thickening agent for use in basil seed drink, to prevent seeds from collecting at the bottom

texts:
I was wondering what might be a good choice for a flavorless and clear thickening/gelling agent for use in a home made basil seed drink.

I am trying to imitate the commercially available basil seed drink products which mention a 'gelling agent' of sorts in the ingredients list and as such have a higher viscosity than regular water, which allows the seeds to be suspended in the liquid rather than sink and collect at the bottom of the container.

I was hoping to find recipes and ingredients which would not have any adverse or notable effects on health or detract from the flavorless nature of the basil seeds themselves.

I would really appreciate any thoughts and recommendations.

Many thanks


texts: Are "shelled nuts" with or without their shells?

texts: I'm using MyFitnessPal to log what I'm eating, and I can't figure out whether 'shelled pistachios' are pistachios with or without their shells.


texts: What would be a good sub for pineapple, any other fruit or veggie for a strawberry pineapple mint salsa

texts: I need to sub pineapple with something else, im highly allergic to it.


texts: How to make a beef or vegetable broth more dense?

texts:
The broth tends to be very low in density, it's basically water with a flavour, and I would like to make it a little bit more smooth and dense like a good pasta sauce; nothing like gelatin or something that will generate blocks or blobs, just a more dense preparation that will still retain the properties of a liquid or smooth sauce .

What can I use for this ?


texts: What are these spots on my butternut squash?

texts:
I just roasted a bunch of butternut squash for dinner and am getting to puree, but am noticing that some of the pieces have weird glue-looking spots.  It sort of looks like when water weeps out of the pores on the squash, only it's white and the consistency of silly putty.  They're very small spots (like the size of a straight pin head), and close to the skin on the flesh, on the cross-section.  I feel like I'm describing this poorly. Here's a picture:

My question: Is this stuff safe to eat, or do I need to compost it and find something else for dinner?  I'd rather not give my whole family food poisoning!


texts:
So, yesterday I forgot bread loaves on a table and in the evening found tiny red ants crawling on the loaves all over.

I tried to dust them off, but some of them went into hiding in pits of the bread.

Is there some practical method to get the ants out of the bread loaves?


texts: Is steaming causing food to lose more flavor than baking?

texts:
I made two banana nugget with two different method. For those who have never heard one, that basically a thin (3 cm thick in a pan of 5x5 cm) banana cake with a lot more banana than flour.
One is done with baking in the oven and the other with steaming. Both aimed so that all part of the nugget is cooked. Baking in oven takes 20 minutes in 160 C, and steaming takes 30 minutes.
Even with the exact same recipe, I realized that the product has different flavor. The baked one is definitely more dry, more fragrant and I can feel the strong banana flavor when I eat it.
The steamed one is less fragrant, I can't really taste the banana flavor, and of course a bit more wet.
How is that possible? Is steaming really diminish/reduce the flavor? Or maybe I missed something?
For those curious with the recipe, the banana nugget basically consist of 6 part of banana, 2 part of flour, and 1 part of other ingredients (sugar, fat, baking soda, etc).


texts: How can I tell if a mushroom is poisonous?

texts: Assume I have found and want to eat a to me unknown kind of mushroom. Is there some way to find out if that mushroom is poisonous by looking/smelling/soaking it?


texts: Is it safe to remove the rings on jars for long-term storage of home-canned goods?

texts: Is it okay to store the canned goods without the ring screwed on it?  I know someone who removes the screwed rings off her jars once they're processed and then stores her jars with the seal lids only.


texts: Does the vendors’ storage method affect shellfish quality?

texts:
For the same shellfish (like Little Neck clams),

Some supermarkets keep them  in tanks with running water:

While other supermarkets fridge them dry, without water:

Does the storage method affect the quality of the product, and if yes, how? As a consumer, which is preferable?


texts: Is sealed raw meat left out on counter for 3+ hours safe to cook and eat?

texts:
Left a lb of ground chuck, still sealed, out on the counter after coming home from buying groceries. It just slipped by me, everything else went into the freezer. It's been about 3 hrs and some change. Still good or should I suck it up and buy another lb? The store is kinda far and huge and a pain in the buns.

I understand that the toxins released by bacteria will still be present after being cooked, but it's still sealed so am I good?

Thanks!

It's one of those round cylindrical packages that are twisted off at the ends. It was not frozen when I bought it, just chilled.


texts: How deeply should I peel sweet potatoes?

texts: When peeling sweet potatoes, should I just peel the outermost layer, or should I be peeling off the white part as well till I hit the orange inside? Should I keep going until it's all a darkish orange?


texts: Coffee roasting, worth upgrade from popcorn popper

texts:
I've been roasting for about 3 years and have gone thru about 3 or 4 poppers for roasting coffee. The machines wouldn't stop working I'd just notice they slowly started  taking longer and longer to roast my coffee beans.

I've been looking at the FrenchRoast sr500 and wondering if the $170 price tag is worth it over just getting another popper. I have no complaints over the coffee I roast from the poppers other than a few gripes over the actual roasting process.

Will the FrenchRoast produce a better roast over the popcorn popper? If not is it mostly convenience? I don't have to roast outside, it has a cooling function, etc. Anything else I'm missing that can sell me on the $170 price tag?


texts: How to remove bad smell from fridge and refrigerator?

texts: How to remove bad smell of food from fridge and refrigerator?


texts:
After using certain foods e.g. fish, spinach the remaining trash/waste food starts to smell and my tiny flat starts smelling of fish etc.  I cannot take the rubbish out daily and if I put them in plastic bags I notice the smell keeps coming out, maybe these bags are porous.

I'm thinking the best thing is to put them in plastic containers and take them out once a week.  Any ideas?  If I get those small plastic bags with air tight written on them will that be sufficient to contain any smells?

In the same light, when putting foods inside a fridge/freezer is there a specific type of bag one should use to ensure odours do not travel.  I notice that some refrigerator bags are so thin they might not actually contain smells?


texts: Converting Pressure Cooker recipes for cookers with lower PSI

texts:
Most of the recipes I'm using (mainly Modernist; stocks, caramelized vegetables, confit) suggest cooking at 15psi. My pressure cooker has two settings 12psi and 7psi. I've always had success just using 12psi in recipes where it says 15psi. However recently the 12psi mode has broken on my PC. I can now only cook at 7psi. How can I convert my recipes to use this lower pressure?

For example I would cook a chicken stock at 12psi for 90mins, I presume at 7psi the cooking time would need to be longer but by how much?


texts:
I would like to know how to temper chocolate without seeding it with already tempered chocolate.

Possibly this comes from a misunderstanding for the reason for tempering:
My understanding is that pretty much all shop bought chocolate (at least for cooking) is tempered already and melting it effectively un-tempers it. It is then re-tempered by slowly mixing in part of the original, unmelted chocolate.

What if I have melted the entire bar of chocolate? How would I then temper it?

I've seen in many videos and articles, which describe tempering, that "there are different ways to temper" but they all then go on to describe the "seeding" method. Which seems like cheating to me - or, at least, a chicken-and-egg situation; How does one make tempered chocolate without having tempered chocolate to begin with?!


texts:
The recipe calls for my food to bake for 35 minutes at 425 degrees F,
But if I have another dish baking at 325 degrees F, how long should I bake the first dish at the lower temperature so it will turn out correctly?


texts:
I recently came across this study:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC546945/?page=1

and I am worried about potential salmonella infection in raw coconut meat and whole coconut picked up from my local grocery store (i.e. thai grocery, local organic shop). Is it necessary to pasteurise the meat before consumption? If yes, would the pieces of coconut meat they sell be pasteurised?

Would it be safer to purchase pre-cut coconut meat, or a whole coconut?


texts: What cut of short rib do I have, and how do I prepare them?

texts:
I have beef short ribs that I'm not sure how to prepare. I'm not even sure what cut they are. They consist of only bone and intercostal meat. The blade fat and meat have been removed. They are then cut in ~2" wide strips. They are not "flanken" ribs. As far as I can tell this cut doesn't really exist. In short they look like long strips of pork spare ribs, but are beef.

I was intending to grill them, but with the way they are cut I think they will be too tough. Should I braise them?  Should I remove the bones and just braise the intercostal meat?


texts: Anyone know of any good resources for cooking recipes/methods/tools for people with a medical condition that causes chronic fatigue? I'm relying too much on convenience foods and 'tv dinners', because frequently the effort of cooking a decent meal is beyond my energy limits at the end of the day.


texts: Can I use any sort of pumpkin for pumpkin pie?

texts: When I'm making a pumpkin pie, does it matter what sort of pumpkin I use? Are the specific varieties that are more suited to pies or can I just use any pumpkin?


texts:
My friend was remarking that the bacon I buy is low-quality because when it cooks it's all warped and not flat.  I remarked that if he doesn't want bacon, he should keep talking.

Other things being equal, namely the cooking method (if you use one of those fancy presses, could probably make anything flat), does "higher quality" bacon cook flatter?


texts: When a receipe uses cookie crumbs mixed with melted butter for a base, it usually requires it to go into the oven for about 10 minutes. I am wondering why it needs to go into the oven as opposed to the fridge. I'm thinking that the fridge will help set the butter and make it more solid so it can be sliced, unlike the hot oven. Does anyone know the reason for heating the crust? I know the oven will toast the crust a bit, but the directions on the receipes usually say that it is to "set the crust".


texts: I usually clean my microwave with a surface kitchen spray and was wondering what other tips and tricks do people use to clean their microwaves. Is there anything that should be avoided to not contaminate the food or to not damage the microwave?


texts: I have two day old tuna nigiri in the fridge which smells fine. What I've read says to eat it within 24 hours. But if I cook the tuna then I can just go with raw fish guidelines?


texts:
I have a set of stainless steel pans that I absolutely love, and my 12" frying pan has received LOTS of use since I bought it. This is my first ever stainless steel pan and I'm pretty aware of all the ways to clean it (deglazing, barkeeps friend, etc). Recently, my wife purchased some scotch-bright heavy duty sponges with good intentions but I didn't realize exactly how "heavy duty" they were. I was washing my frying pan one night and used the scouring side of the sponge to get some stuck on grease and I noticed that I actually scratched my pan. The scratches don't look very deep, but I'm a little concerned.

Will these scratches damage the pan and reduce it's life? Should I stop using the scouring side of the sponges on my stainless steel?


texts: What (if anything) Does Superfino Indicate on a Package of Italian Arborio Rice?

texts: Local stores want my first born child for Arborio. I have found much better deals on Amazon. Most packages say "superfino". Does that actually mean anything?


texts:
I recently received a venison neck. I've never cooked this cut before and I haven't found a lot of helpful recipes. I want to keep it as whole as possible, not simply grind it into sausage.

I am assuming this cut has a lot of connective tissue, so I was thinking a low & slow method (braise or stewing). What I've found is mostly grilling (hotter and faster) than I expected.

What would be recommended cooking techniques for this cut of meat?


texts: How can I make a vanilla ganache which does not taste of white chocolate?

texts:
I've been baking for quite a while, but now have started venturing myself onto the chocolate world. I'm very very intrigued by Laduree's vanilla ganache on their vanilla macaron as it doesn't taste like white chocolate! In fact, it tastes like a super concentrated vanilla ganache, which is so light and delicious at the same time!

I already tried all sorts of vanilla ganache (from Pierre Herme to Doris G - by the way, Herme's vanilla ganache took more than 30 hours to set up because of the cream-chocolate proportion).

Does anyone have any clues on how to achieve a vanilla ganache without the taste of white chocolate being too intrusive? I asked the lady at Laduree and she said it's a ganache and not a buttercream or creme de beurre.


texts: How do you remove cayenne pepper (capsicum oils) from your hands?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Cure for burns from hot peppers / capsicum oil?

The cayenne pepper crops are in and I have been stringing peppers for winter use and drying, I also tend to use a lot of peppers in my dishes but inevitably an hour after processing those peppers I will rub my eyes, and that is a lot of burn. I know I could use latex/rubber gloves but I am not going to. I have tried everything including dishwashing detergent, the dry kind, lava soap, vinegar, and coffee grounds nothing seems to work. How do you remove those oils from your hands?


texts: I have a meatball recipe that calls for ground beef, but all I have on hand is ground pork. How might that affect the binding of the ingredients and the cooking in general?


texts: Looking for non-standard (i.e. no dill) fermented pickle suggestions

texts:
I'm looking for some outside the box ideas for fermented (sour) pickles.  Fermented pickles only use a salt water brine, spices and some time.

Here's a short list of what I'm NOT looking for:

Anything using dill
Sauerkraut
Kimchee

An example of what I am looking for is the selected answer for this question.

What flavorings do you use for sour pickles?

Cucumber pickles using tarragon.  A friend suggested red bell pepper pickles using lemon grass.

Let your brain go wild.  If you're having trouble thinking of something, pick a spice or herb and then a vegetable that might taste good pickled with it.


texts: What is the maximum temperature to use when cooking with flavor oils?

texts:
I'm using standard LorAnn's flavoring oils, which are supposed to be for 'high temperature' cooking with candy.

So far 275 degrees F works as far as the flavor goes, but it's bad for efficiency, as much of the candy is lost to waste due to cooling and cleaning.

What temperature have you found you can put in oil based flavors into sugar candy without the oil hitting its smoking point?


texts: I like scrambled and fried eggs but the butter or oil probably add unnecessary calories. How can I fry an egg with no butter?  I tried in a Teflon pan but it was a mess.


texts:
I just opened up a fresh pack of spinach which is two days until its use by date.  It had been stored in the fridge at perhaps 6c since yesterday.

I noticed that some leaves have little brown dots on them in the middle and on the edges. Some leaves are also slightly torn in places.  The browning is a bit like what you see in this image:
https://www.quora.com/How-can-you-tell-when-spinach-has-gone-bad

Are these brown dots/tears a sign of spinach gone bad or can I eat it(including the brown bits)?

Why did it develop if it is in use by date and had been refrigerated?

The quora answerer says you can rip any 'damaged' parts and eat it however since some parts of it are damaged isn't it safer to just discard everything?

Again are these parts really damaged because it seems in date and refrigerated to me. Just those brown dots on a number of leaves are making me uncomfortable.  If I were to remove the brown parts, cook it and use the cooked spinach the next day, isn't it lkely to have developed more problems in which case one should use it same day?

Is there anything else I can look for e.g. bad smell which I don't notice btw?


texts: What is the difference between making French baguettes and US style baguettes?

texts:
I have noticed that there is a large difference between French baguettes with chewy crust and consistent airy and chewy inside.

Baguettes in the US are a different type. I am referring to the ones I find in serious bakeries (not mass production ones). They're often fluffy inside like a sandwich loaf, and the crust is either crispy or totally soft.

What are the differences in the production process which determine that a baguette will be of the French type as opposed to the US type? How are French baguettes made?


texts:
A street side stall selling fish fries them two times for convenience.Initially they fry the fish for 70%, then keep it for 10 to 20 minutes. When a customer comes they fully fry that fish.

Is this safe?


texts:
It is kind of annoying to buy broccoli and pay per weight when there's this huge and heavy stem, so I was wondering what I could do with it?

I know that it can be cut and steamed/cooked like the rest of the sprouts, but are there any specialities for it?


texts: How long will glutinous rice flour keep unopened?

texts: I have one unopened bag of glutinous rice flour, it's 1 year old, I know rice keeps well for a very long time and was wondering if this also applies to rice flour?


texts: Is it possible to use casserole dish to make no-knead bread?

texts: I don't own a heavy enamel pot, which seems to be the best for no-knead bread. Is it possible to make good no-knead bread in a glass casserole dish?


texts:
When steaming milk (for a latte or other coffee drink), it sometimes produces a loud, high-pitched "screaming" sound.  I think you can usually prevent it by keeping the tip of the steaming wand on the surface of the milk longer before putting it in deeper, but that's just a guess more than anything I've actually been taught.  I've always assumed this noise means the milk is scalding, but I'm really sure.

What causes the screaming noise, and what is the best way to avoid it?


texts: Are gas stoves preferred in a commercial kitchen due to having a constant heat source

texts:
I'm a home cook and have never been inside a commercial kitchen - I believe though, in a commercial kitchen, gas stoves are preferable due to having a constant heat in contrast to an induction or halogen hob which 'pulses'.

I live off the gas grid (meaning I have no gas), and I was wondering, other than gas, does any other type of cooking "technology" (that is suitable for an indoor kitchen) offer constant heat or anything that can heat to as high a temperature as gas can?


texts: I'm working from a bread recipe that tells me to brush the dough with egg wash before the final rising and then let rise, covered, until doubled in volume. How can I do that without the cover sticking to the dough when I try to remove it? Right now I have an aluminum foil tent over it, but I'm guessing there's a better way.


texts:
I'm not familiar with the term "julienne" in cutting and knife skills. What is the purpose of it? How do I safely execute the cut?

Related question on applications of the cut: Julienne applications


texts: What should be understood by "refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or overnight"?

texts:
The cookie recipe asks for:

1½ cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon freshly grated peeled ginger
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoons boiling water
7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate, cut into ¼-inch chunks
¼ cup granulated sugar

then, it asks us to combine all these ingredients and

  ; turn onto plastic wrap. Pat out to a 1-inch thickness; seal with wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or overnight.

Questions:

How do you define "firm" here? Something which is not melting, or something which we'll have to crack with our hands?
There is a great difference between 2 hours and overnight. So, what temperature should be set of the fridge that'll result in fast firmness in less time? Will that be counter productive? Can I use the freezer?


texts:
What is typically the best substitute for palm sugar? I've been getting away with brown sugar or molasses if I really have no time to get the actually stuff.

Honey, granulated sugar, maple syrup are others I've tried but they don't seem as effective as the main two I use.

Am I forgetting an obvious substitute or is there a simple way to make palm sugar that's fast that I should be doing instead?


texts: What is the correct flour, sugar, butter ratio for crumble?

texts:
Looking through a number of fruit crumble recipes I see that there is a wide range of ratios used for crumble topping. Some use equal amounts of flour (or other dry ingredient), sugar and butter. Others use about half the weight of butter and sugar to flour. Others still use double the amount of sugar and butter to flour.

Is there a definitive ingredient ratio for crumble as there is for pastry (3:2:1)? If so, what is it?


texts: How to cook rice in an electric oven meant for baking cakes?

texts: Are there any special precautions to be taken? About the water quantity, soaking and timing etc?


texts: I am having an issue with leaving macarons to form a skin

texts: I have a few macaron orders, so I need to bake them. However, when it is raining and the air is moist they don't form a skin very well. What can I do to make sure they form a skin before they go in the oven when there is moisture in the air?