texts: How can you consistently separate Kefir into curds and whey for cheesemaking?

texts: I have trouble getting my Kefir to cleanly separate on a consistent basis, despite allowing it to sit out for multiple extra days, prior to refrigeration.  As my house does not remain at the same temperature year round (nor day-to-day), I suspect temperature is a major contributor to the problem.  I have tried heaters, and although I can get the room quite hot, the separation is minimal, just as without the heaters.  Is there a special heater, etc. for this separation that would work for kefir cheese?


texts: Do foods labeled "non-GMO" only (and not "organic") have more pesticides in them?

texts:
I know

organic = non-GMO + no pesticides (source);
non-GMO = pesticides possibly used;
pesticide-free = possibly GMO.

Do non-GMO foods actually have more pesticides in them?


texts: Is 440° F too hot for an oven temperature?

texts:
I recently purchased a pre made casserole and the instructions stated that it should be placed in a 440* oven for 55 minutes. This seems like a very hot cooking temperature to me - am I mistaken?
Thanks.


texts: What is the purpose of baking powder in batter?

texts:
In particular, what is the purpose of the baking powder in this recipe:

http://www.wearesovegan.com/korean-cauliflower-bites/


texts: How to lower the melting point of a specific chocolate?

texts:
I want to use a specific brand of chocolate to make chocolatines/pain au chocolat. This chocolate is a stone ground dark chocolate that has been tempered. I attempted to use them to make chocolatines once but after baking I realized that the chocolate hadn't melted.
So I want to know what I can do to lower the melting point of the chocolate, just enough so it melts in the oven but not too much that it's liquid at room temperature. I read that you can ruin a chocolates temper by melting it again and waiting for it to solidify but I couldn't find much more information on "untempering" chocolate or reducing the melting point. I was also thinking I could try to melt the chocolate, mix in a small amount of butter, then wait for it to solidify again. Not sure this would work though or if it would ruin the chocolates flavor.
I don't want to use a different type of chocolate so I'm hoping people can provide suggestions.
EDIT 1:
The recipe I used the first time I tried this called for the oven to be heated at 400°F. Since they're basically croissants they only need to go in for 15 minutes, that could be the issue. The chocolate wasn't cold before use it was just room temperature. I'm now using a different recipe but it calls for the same amount of time and temperature.
EDIT 2:
I'm still wondering if there's any way to lower the melting point of the chocolate a little. I don't want to sacrifice the taste of the chocolate too much but I still want it to be a little softer at room temperature and melt more readily during the quick bake.


texts: When does gluten start to develop in pie crust or biscuits?

texts:
To bake tender pie crust, scones, or biscuits, I've always heard that the dough should be handled and mixed as little as possible. The more it's pushed around, the more the gluten develops.

There's usually two steps (first cutting fat into flour, then mixing in milk or water). I was wondering if the gluten development starts from:

as soon as I do anything (when I cut in shortening and butter)
once the liquid is added


texts: Purchased ham didn't get into the fridge when we got home

texts: I purchased a 10 pound honey glazed ham from Walmart.  When I got home, I forgot to put it in the fridge.  It has been sitting out on the kitchen counter for 20 hours.  Can I still cook it and eat it?


texts: How can I eat or drink chocolate as Montezuma would have consumed it in pre-Columbian Mexico?

texts:
I know that pre-Columbian chocolate was less sweet and more bitter, but I can't find a recipe for it. That fact probably means that it doesn't taste great, but I'd like to try it anyway.

The closest I've come was a recipe for "how the Spaniards transformed Montezuma’s favorite spicy beverage with the addition of alcohol."


texts: What's the difference between Yorkshire Tea (red band) and Yorkshire Gold?

texts:
The descriptions on Yorkshire's websites (reproduced below) are quite vague. There is a link for  "More info" but that simply directs you to betty.co.uk where the same info is reprinted.

Gold is more expensive. Right now, at betty.co.uk, for a box of 160 bags (500g), Yorkshire Gold is £5.29 and Yorkshire tea is £4.29 (excluding shipping and all that). On Amazon.com (USA), the prices (with 5% S&S discount) are $19.09 and $13.00 respectively.

My questions are:

Do the tea leaves for Yorkshire Tea (red band) and Yorkshire Gold come from different sources?
Is there any objective sense in which Yorkshire Gold is better (hence justifying the higher price)?
In taste tests, could one tell the difference between the two? (Right now I happen to be having a cup of Yorkshire Tea and it seems to be a tad weaker than Gold, which I last had a couple of weeks ago, but I could just be imagining things. Briefly Googling, I see some discussions on various forums. Many claim that Gold is better. But some claim it is not as good.)

Descriptions from Yorkshire's website

Yorkshire Tea (red band):

  A proper brew. Pure and simple. To give our blend its refreshing flavour, strength and colour we use top quality Assam and African teas. In the tea trade we’re renowned for paying more to get the pick of the crop. Our experts travel the world to find the people who grow the best teas, which we then blend together using our secret recipe to create a traditional, satisfying brew.

Yorkshire Gold:

  Here at Yorkshire Tea we know that the best tea is about the best blend of leaves. And the finest blend we make is Yorkshire Gold. We choose teas from our three favourite origins and buy them from the top ten tea gardens in the world. Back home in Yorkshire, our master blenders bring these luxury leaves together to make a rich, smooth and incredibly satisfying brew.


texts: Making tea out of grape leaves -when to pick the leaves?

texts:
I have a question for you regarding make tea out of grape leaves. I want to make some, but don't know when the best time to pick the leaves it.

I know it's made in Greece and the USA, too, but not in Georgia, and unfortunately I haven't been able to find the answer here.


texts:
Suppose I've found my "sweet spot" for the amount of gelatine for a recipe of panna cotta which has been tried only for individual portions that are either turned upside down on a plate or topped and served directly in the glass.

If I were to make a bigger loaf to be sliced, how would I need to change the amount of gelatine? Would it be a good idea to increase it?


texts: Why is there no pork on the Indian take-away menu?

texts:
The standard Indian takeout menu does not represent the kind of food eaten in India. India is a large country and "Real Indian food" is little more meaningful than "Real European food". Dishes commonly eaten in the North might be foreign to people living in the South and vice-versa. Takeout favourites (tikka masala, madras, rogan josh) don't exist in India in that form. Those dishes are European inventions inspired by Indian dishes.

When I open an Indian take-away menu I see chicken, beef, lamb, seafood and vegetarian dishes. But there is no pork. India is a predominately vegetarian country. When the modern take-out menu was invented, common European meats were added to the menu. Except for pork. How come?

The Chinese takeaway is a similar story. You will find chicken, beef, pork, seafood and vegetarian dishes that don't resemble anything eaten in China. Now we have pork but no lamb. I suspect that is because lamb is expensive in Europe. But it goes to show pork dishes sell. So why not pork Indian dishes?

Edit: Comments mention that Goan cuisine features pork from Portuegese influence. This is interesting because some dishes, for example Vindaloo, are an Indian take on a European dish, rather than for example Tikka Masala which is a European take on an Indian dish. However the question is only about the extent to which pork is eaten in India, insofar as it influences why pork never made its way onto Indian takeout menus in Europe.


texts:
I like hot dogs, but I'm always conscious that they are a means by which unspeakable bits of meat can be made appetising, even when they get a fancy name like bockwurst to cover the fact.

So I bought a packet of Tesco brand vegetarian hot dogs and was surprised to find they look and taste like the ones with meat in them. Then I bought a pack of Tevion vegetarian hot dogs - they taste "right" too and they're kosher! The texture is similar to the real thing with both products as well.

So what makes a hot dog a hot dog? As far as I can see, you don't need meat!

EDIT: The responses so far are focusing the question.
The hot dog is a bland sausage, designed to use up "meat" that would otherwise be regarded as unsaleable. The meat contributes little or nothing to the taste and texture, it is ground so fine - but the sausage has definite taste and texture.

So there are two questions;

1) what IS the flavour of a hot dog? It is not unique, because companies across the world make them, but I can't give it any labels;

2) what agents do they use to make this finely ground mass of disparate ingredients cohere into a skinless sausage shape that stands up to being cooked without falling apart?


texts: How to choose non-alcoholic beverage pairings for filets mignon?

texts:
I'm serving filets mignon with goat cheese and balsamic reduction to guests who don't drink alcohol. I'd like to serve a beverage with our meal that complements the steaks as nicely as red wine would (even if not in the same way). I'd also like it to be a sort of festive beverage. I was thinking along the lines of sparkling cider, but that will be way too light and sweet for the heavy meal.

There's a long tradition in the culinary world of pairing wines with meals or specific types of food, and the same goes for beer. What do I need to keep in mind when looking for a beverage that can hold its own against my filets? Are there any general rules for non-alcholic pairing, like there are for wine pairing, that would apply in this case?


texts: How long to bake matzah, butter and sugar at a lower temperature

texts: I'm making matzah brittle and the recipe call for 5 mins at 450.  My brisket is baking at 350.  How long should I bake the matzah at 350?


texts: Can I freeze beef bones and use them to make a broth later on?

texts:
I am interested in making my own beef broth from bones left over from chuck roasts, t-bone steaks, etc. However I currently do not have enough bones to make a batch with.
Can I get a big ziplock "bag o' bones" going and keep it in the freezer, adding to it as I get more bones, and finally thaw + use all the bones once I have enough?
Or do bones "go bad" in the freezer, freezer burn easily, or cause other problems when accumulating the bones slowly over time?


texts: I'm looking to incorporate some Kalamata olive brine into olive bread dough to maximize flavor. How much will I have to reduce the other salt in the recipe?


texts: I presoaked 1 C of Quaker Old Fashioned grits last weekend, but didn't get a chance to cook them. They have been in the fridge all week in the same water. Is it possible that anything inimical has grown while they were sojourning in their cool bath?


texts: How to set up the sous vide bath for guineafowl breasts?

texts:
I have a hard time finding hints on how to sous-vide guineafowl breasts properly. Traditionally in an 140-165°C oven they’re really hard to get right. Some of the few recipes i’ve found place them in a bath of ~65-70°C for some 30-120minutes. This feels a bit short for my taste, as i’m not sure whether the breastmeat will reach the desired temperature at its core in such a short time. So the time-temperature for this cut in sousvide would be one point i’m interested in.

Furthermore, i’ve often heard that poultry especially contracts muscle fibers when “temperature shocked”. So i guess i’d start the bath with cold water and cold meat, to get a slow heat-up.

The last question is for sauces which could go well with it. The meat itself should be way more aromatic than many other poultry meats. Due to this i’m not sure if using the liquid from the sous-vide-bag as a base for sauces (i.e. fruity riesling butter sauce with caramelized onions and some mushroom bits? Maybe others?) is a good idea. On the other hand, if not using the meat-juices there’s pretty little base you can make a sauce of … right?


texts: can onions be caramalized completely in the microwave? If so, how?

texts:
I've seen that you can precook onions in the microwave, discarding the liquid and then put them into a pan in order to quicken caramelizing process, with a bit of added fat of course to prevent sticking. Unfortunately, I've further cooking in the microwave past a certain point simply dries them out, but still fails to allow them to actually caramelize.

Would there be a method of getting microwaved caramelized onions that I might be missing? A product that produces browning? Addition of fat? Something else?


texts: Are there different grades of chicken in the US?

texts:
I don't know how much the grocery store is doing marketing and how much difference there is between different packages of chicken on their shelves. Locally, two of our best known grocery stores advertise their chicken as being "select" so presumably a better quality chicken than off-the-shelf Perdue.

I've also noticed that one store's "select" chicken breasts are larger than the others. When I cook one store's chicken, it tends to be more rubbery (no matter the size) or the leftovers have a chew that almost makes me wonder if it's undercooked. Strange.

Or is one store just handling it better than the other. Are there different grades of chicken?  I'm confused.


texts:
I've been trying to make a creamy coconut yoghurt in an incubator. Ingredients:

Water
Coconut milk powder
Small amount of store-bought coconut yoghurt

The first time it came out too thin. The next time I used: less water, 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum (for about 800ml of yoghurt), and increased the incubation time. The result was far too thick, like hard-set jelly. Later some watery stuff separated from it (whey, I suppose). It was fine as a dessert but completely lacked the texture I was after.

I want to try again, but I'd like to know what I did wrong last time. Was it most likely to be too much fat, the gum, or the longer incubation time?


texts: At some point I came across some edible paper.  I don't know which company makes it or where to find it?  I think I recall that it was possible to write on it.  I encountered it back in the '80's.  The texture was semi-flexible, nothing like the little round cracker-like paper given in church.


texts: I put 1 cup of water in a single layer box recipe that only called for 1/2 cup. How much cake flour do I need to balance out the water?


texts: Substitute ratio when using butter instead of shortening

texts: How much butter should be used to use as a substitute for 1/2 cup of shortening for a banana nut bread recipe?  I don't have any shortening on hand.


texts: Why does freshly slaughtered chicken needs to be cooled down before cooking?

texts: Today I bought a chicken that was slaughtered less than an hour before, so it was still warm. The shopkeeper said it needs to stay in the freezer for a couple of hours to cool off before I proceeded with cooking. Why is that?


texts: How can I ensure that scrambled eggs will be fully cooked?

texts:
I have some sort of digestive intolerance towards eggs that are not fully cooked, although I can handle some softness in egg yolks. In the case of fried or boiled eggs, this means that the whites are set, and that there is not an overtly liquid component to the yolk. It is difficult to map this to scrambled eggs, but at the very least, I would want the eggs to be completely set (at least in the case where nothing in liquid form has been added to them).

I generally only fry my eggs, and then I can ensure that my eggs are fine by only turning them in the pan once the majority of the eggs have been set (as per this). Even when my eggs are split into a few different non-uniformly thick pieces, it's not too hard: from experience I know that waiting for the sides of the eggs to set and for a little browning usually does the trick. The techniques here also can apply to scrambled eggs. Something like this is fine for me:

However, sometimes I have to eat scrambled eggs cooked by other people, and that are less chunkier than what I usually cook. Sometimes, it is not obvious if the eggs are fully done to me, for instance, here:

Occasionally, if the eggs are still too raw for me, I'm told that I can cook them for longer, if I'm simply eating at someone's home. Either way though, I'm still left not knowing how to tell if my eggs are actually done:

I've eaten properly cooked eggs in cafeteria settings before, and while some signs (a lack of liquid) is generally helpful, the eggs are rarely as brown or tough as what I would cook. Dryness appears to be a good measure of done-ness, but in some settings, I've had "dry" looking eggs that still tasted suspiciously soft.
When I recook such eggs, it is difficult to judge when the eggs are fully cooked, since the pieces are far too small for setting and browning to really work well.
Softness or wetness is, I suspect, a poor indicator of whether or not my eggs are done if additional "wet" ingredients (e.g. tomatoes, or perhaps milk) are added.

Given this, is there a general rule for these?

What should fully cooked, "overly scrambled" eggs look like? (Should they just be completely dry? I think this should be the case, but would appreciate confirmation.) How can I distinguish "fluffy" eggs from eggs that aren't fully cooked? (I don't want to unnecessarily throw out restaurant eggs that are too soft, but actually are cooked.)
If liquid has been added to the eggs, what is a reasonable cooking time, after which I can assume that my eggs will be done?

Perhaps this is a really "basic" question, but I rather not risk incurring any more instances of feeling sick for a few hours on the rare occasion in which I haven't been able to avoid eating scrambled eggs.


texts: What's the best way to keep cover of a pan slightly opened?

texts: If you need to keep cover of pan or bowl slightly opened during cooking, what's the best way to do this. May be there is devices for that, if so preferably non-metal. Specifically glass bowl like Pyrex in a microwave.


texts: Substitute for eggs in Macarons (No Legumes)

texts:
My absolute favorite things to bake are French macarons. I make them for family gatherings, potlucks, or just to give to my public library. A huge issue, however, is that often times I just make them at home for my family, but my mom is allergic to eggs, so she can never eat them. For a while I've wanted to find an alternative to egg whites for the meringue. I found out about chickpea water (Aquafaba) and other legumes, and started to plan getting those and making meringue using Aquafaba. But then I ran into another issue. My mom told me how she's allergic to not only chickpeas, but ALL legumes. Now I am completely lost on how to make macarons for her.

I thought about whipping up heavy whipping cream into hard peaks (assuming it could function the same as meringue). You're whipping air into something and I thought that's the most important part of macarons. Does anyone know if this works or does anyone think I should try using heavy whipping cream?

Finally, is there anything other than legumes that I could use in place of egg whites in meringue? A reply would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Do popovers serves as the starch and the bread in a meal?

texts: I found an interesting recipe for Roquefort popovers and wanted to serve along side of filet mignon and grilled lobster tail, with potatoes and salad.  Should I leave out the potatoes?


texts: What to do with mochi...this version is white, hard and puck-like in shape?

texts:
My mother-in-law gave us some mochi that she received as a gift. It's actually the size of a small hockey puck, white and pretty hard. (I've only encountered soft mochi in this shape and generally they had some sort of filling). The only other time that I've seen hard mochi is once when I bought frozen mochi from the store (sold as one solid rectangular block, about 1/2" high). With this frozen mochi, they suggested baking it. When baked, it browned on the outside and puffed up a little bit.

Has anyone ever seen the white mochi pucks that I've described? How do you eat it? I'm going to attempt to steam one and try to bake another to test. Is this the proper way to cook this type of mochi?


texts: About how little oil can I add to an amount of flour to make a dough that is one lump of one consistency, not crumbly and in pieces? I'm looking for a ratio of solid to liquid. If it matters what kinds of flour and oil, let's say olive oil and white wheat all-purpose flour.


texts: How do you prevent pesto (basil) from becoming bitter?

texts:
Here is my go to pesto recpie:
Serious Eats Pesto.
It has been a hit but lately whenever I make it, it has a bitter aftertaste to it. It's not as pungent or  umamied, but bitter and leafy.
I use the same proportions (but not the same brands of olive oil or same basil leaves). What in the processing or ingridients might be responsible for the bitterness?


texts: What to do with leftover cream after churning butter?

texts: I used a manual butter churn for the first time and made delicious butter. Yay! And it left behind something that resembles milk... It's lighter than the heavy cream that was churned into butter. It had warmed a bit during the churning process so I stuck it in the fridge. Can I use this for anything? Is it basically milk?


texts: How to finish sous vide carnitas without drying them out

texts:
I've followed this recipe from Serious Eats to make sous vide carnitas. The sous vide step is easy - just leave it in the bag for 12-24 hours. The last step of the recipe is to break up the meat with a fork and put it under the grill for 10 minutes. However when I do this the meat goes from delicious and moist to crispy but completely dried out!

How can I finish the meat and keep the moist meat I spent so long preparing?


texts: I'm looking for a way to make a precise form for baking bread in it. I have a gas-powered oven at home and I'd like to find an easy to shape material that could be used to make a complex form or parts of it that can be assembled and will not deform from heat or the pressure of dough. I don't think I can manage precisely shaping something as hard as metal pans, but perhaps wooded planks with some preparation could work?


texts: Can I get botulism by using 2 cups vinegar to 8 cups water when canning pickles - as most recipes require 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water?

texts: I recently canned pickles using 2 cups vinegar to 8 cups water ratio but I see that most canning recipes ask for 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water. My question is: Can I get botulism from using 2 cups vinegar to 8 cups water? (I boiled 10 min in water bath after).


texts:
What are the technical differences between a soup and a stew.

Specifically, I've always had some confusion on the differentation of stew and soup. For the most part, you can tell the difference by visual cues but sometimes some soup or stew looks ambigously in between and i can't tell the difference.  For example, wikipedia shows a picture of this as soup:

Yet it looks more like a stew to me. And then it shows this as a stew:

Yet that looks like a soup to me. So my main question is: What are the technical differences that determine whether it is a soup or a stew.


texts: Can a good cast iron seasoning really be built from butter?

texts:
I don't get it. Various net pundits assert that it's a bad idea to season cast iron with butter, because butter consists of proteins + fat, and the proteins will burn and be incorporated into the polymer mesh. That collective wisdom says that it's quite alright to cook with butter after a pan is well-seasoned, but one should not season a pan with butter.
Yet a maker of cast iron pans provides a recipe (for cornbread) that does exactly that: they say that this is a good way to season a cast iron pan.
I'm not expecting you to be a polymer researcher with intricate knowledge of whether burnt proteins will slide off during pan cleaning after cooking with butter, or will be incorporated into the seasoning (but hey, if you are, perfect!).
What I'm asking is this: do you have practical experience using butter as the main source of building up a seasoning? If yes, how good is the seasoning?


texts: Can I substitute white wine vinegar for balsamic vinegar in a steak marinade?

texts: I am following a recipe for a beef marinade. It calls for 1/4th cup of balsamic vinegar. However, I only have red and white wine vinegar and cider vinegar.


texts:
I'm making white chocolate following this recipe and it had a couple issues:

The sugar didn't fully dissolve, so some of it tasted overly sweet at the bottom of the mold, rest was basically cocoa butter
It had an extremely strong and awful alcohol-y after taste. I used Bourbon Vanilla extract and Liquid almond extract

I tried again later with using granulated sugar and it also didn't dissolve, remaining quite gritty. Is there some secret (or obvious) step I'm missing to help the sugar dissolve?

Also, is using alcohol based extracts in chocolate a no-go? Cause that after taste was positively awful. Multiple recipes online don't seem to say anything against using alcohol extracts though.

Couple final notes:

I used both a double boiler and microwave melting for chocolate
I used the vegan version of the recipe (soy milk powder)


texts: What is the purpose of using ice cubes in smoothies over frozen fruit?

texts:
I usually make smoothies with frozen fruit berries and a banana with a liquid like orange juice or home made kefir.

I notice lots of smoothie recipes online call for ice cubes and fresh fruit. Is there a benefit to making smoothies that way? Since half your volume is crushed ice it seems like the result would be less flavorful.


texts: Dealing with a hank of natural sausage casings

texts:
The hog casings I purchased came packaged in a large amount of salt, and I was not able to pull them apart. So, I removed the casings from the salt and put them all in soaking water.

That leads me to question 1: is this the normal practice? Soaking the entire hank even if you aren't planning to use all of it? Should they be easier to pull apart when salted?

After soaking all of them, based on what I've read, I should be able to take any that are not used when making sausage this evening, pat them dry, and put them back on salt and safely store them.
So this brings me to question 2: Can anyone verify if this is true - you can safely re-salt the rehydrated hog casings that haven't been used? Or did I just waste 10$ of pig gut for a relatively small amount of sausage.


texts: When I bake a 2lb loaf, the very Centre of it lacks structure

texts:
Am I over proving my bread,  or might there be some other issue?  I'm using a fairly standard baker's mix. 750g flour, 450g water, salt, quick blend yeast (Doves).

I bulk prove for 40 minutes, then shape reasonably tightly and into a large, heavy duty loaf tin.  30 minutes in the oven at about 200 degrees c. (Fan oven).

You can see this effect in the image, where I've held it up against a light.


texts: How to make the legs of a whole roasted duck less fatty?

texts:
I made a roast duck for Thanksgiving. It came out well.  I'm looking to improve it.

The recipe calls to pierce the skin all over, and submerge in simmering water for nearly an hour before roasting.  This helps to render a lot of fat.

The breast was marvelous.  But the leg quarters had very persistent fat.

Does anyone have a success story on how to get the legs and thighs less fatty?


texts: In industrially produced soup, how does each can contain equal parts of all ingredients?

texts:
In the soup that you get at the store, how come you never get cans of just broth?

You'd think that if the soup were made in a large vat, the first few cans would have very little broth and the last few cans would have exclusively broth... but that's obviously not the case.


texts: Why does commercial brown (whole wheat) bread taste bitter?

texts:
I use this flour for making parathas: Pillsbury Chakki Fresh Atta (whole wheat flour)
This is whole wheat flour. The parathas never tasted bitter.

Is the commercial whole wheat bread made of this kind of flour?
I have found the commercial whole wheat bread to be bitter. What's the reason?

If I make the brown bread with this flour only, will that be bitter too?


texts: How to make the pasta in this TV show (Anthony Bourdain in Rome)?

texts:
I'm talking about the one served on a parmesan crust bowl, but that's not all.
Besides the parmesan bowl (they only showed the chef melting grated parmesan and then molding it), what kind of pepper did he use? What else do I need to know to make that?

For how long should I let the parmesan melt before I can mold it? Should I let it cool down a bit first?

It looked really good, and the B&W thing gave it a mysterious look, something like hiding the details from it.


texts: I want to bake cookies and croissant but I don't have baking trays. Can I use the drip pan that is removable and metal? It's shiny coated black metal ( not sure which type).


texts: How can I improve my bread-scoring technique?

texts: When I try to score bread with a lame, the blade tends to catch on the dough instead of slicing cleanly through. This means that I have to run over the same cut several times, and also produces ugly jagged edges on the scores (see photo). The bread does expand correctly, so it's purely an aesthetic issue, but I'd still like the bread to look a little less clumsy. I've read instructions and watched videos on YouTube, but clearly I'm missing something. How can I optimize?


texts: Vacuum sealing vs. water displacement method when doing longer sous vide cooking

texts:
Modernist Cuisine recommends that for longer sous vide cooking (times greater than 36 hours) that bags are vacuum sealed rather than just using the water displacement method to remove the air from a ziploc bag.

What is the reason for this? Will I be losing something essential if I just use a regular ziploc bag without vacuum sealing?


texts: Whole wheat pasta from milling to the results

texts: Can it work to make pasta from freshly home-milled flour?


texts: Can I store soft serve ice cream in my regular freezer?

texts:
I was gifted with a soft serve ice cream dispenser. however it's such a pain to always keep the machine on and running each time I want ice cream--more so that it highly consumes electricity. I wish to know if there is a way I can produce my soft serve in a large quantity and store it in my freezer so I can always remove and take a scoop each time I want soft serve. I tried it once but it went hard as a rock and lost its texture when I allowed it to defreeze.

Is there a trick to keeping it soft and close to the consistency in the freezer?


texts: Do frozen ahi tuna steaks need to be seared?

texts:
I have a bag of frozen ahi tuna steaks purchased from Costco. Some of them have been quite tasty when seared. That said, I heartily enjoy raw tuna, so I am intrigued with the idea of trying them raw.

Fwiw, the steaks are not labeled as sushi grade, but I am not sure how much that really matters. From my brief research, it appears that the primary determining factor for what qualifies as sushi grade is the fat & oil content of the fish. That might imply that these wouldn't be as tasty as fresh sushi, but it does not really have any bearing on whether or not these steaks would be good without searing.

Is there any reason that they specifically need to be seared?


texts: I made a dish that used a small amount of wine and now I'm wondering how long I can keep the rest of it for next time.  I know you wouldn't want to keep good drinking wine around long after opening it, but does the wine get too bad to use in cooking quickly?  It's Chardonnay, if it matters.  Thanks!


texts: What should I look out for when creating my own beef jerky marinades?

texts:
I have had some success with making beef jerky at home in my food dehydrator. I would like to try and start experimenting with some original recipes. A whole host of questions:

What sorts of ingredients can I use in my marinades?
Does it matter how thick / thin the marinade is?
Can I use fresh ingredients (chopped ginger for instance) or should I start with dry?
Can I use maple syrup / molasses instead of sugar?
Is salt (or soy sauce) an important part of the process or can I leave it out?

I'm not looking for specific recipes, but rather the basic attributes of a jerky marinade so that I can be inventive without throwing too many batches out (or being unsafe if salt is required for the drying process).


texts: How to tell if a vegetable steamer contains titanium

texts: How do I find out why steamers sometimes have titanium, and which ones, if so? Also, why is it there in the first place?


texts: How do I make brown rice bread rise without any wheat flour?

texts:
My brown rice bread is not rising and I do not know if I am doing something wrong or if yeast does not work with brown rice flour.

I baked brown rice bread in the following way:

600 g brown rice flour
100 g Chuño
Whole yeast block
100 g flax

Any tips on how to make it rise without any wheat or other gluten products?

(I cannot eat any gluten, so I need a 100% gluten-free solution.)


texts: What is the correct temperature for storing home-made frozen yogurt?

texts:
I have made frozen yogurt for the first time yesterday. It was stored overnight in the freezer at -18°C (-0.4°F). When I checked it this morning it had solidified a lot more than I had expected.

Is this normal for home-made frozen yogurt?

Is the temperature too low?


texts: What effect have bay leaves in a meat/tomato sauce?

texts:
A bolognese-type sauce recipe I usually do uses ground beef, canned tomatoes, onions, carrots, chilli, garlic and bay leaf. The bay leaf gets cooked with the rest for a while and the sauce tastes wrong if I forget to put it in.

Now my question is, does the bay leaf do anything specific, like sugar counters the acid from tomatoes, or is it purely that the taste becomes unfamiliar and thus feels incorrect?


texts:
I have some white rice cake. The instructions say to soak it in water overnight, then either fry it or simmer it. I tried part of it simmered some time ago, and didn't like the bland taste. So today I shallow fried some of it. I had soaked enough for two batches. The first batch went in when the oil was at about 190°C. They took a lot time to get ready, and soaked up too much oil in the process, coming out greasy (despite the fact that I packed them in paper as soon as they came out of the pan). For the second batch, the oil had gotten at above 250°C, actually above the smoke point. These cakes puffed up, forming air pockets between the cake body and some kind of thin "skin" on the upper side. The underside fried quickly and well, but when I turned them, the puffed bubbles kept the cakes from contact with the fat, so this side stayed almost unfried.

Is my frying technique wrong? Should I drain the cakes for longer time before frying (they had about 10 minutes of draining now)? Is there an optimal temperature for frying them so they neither get greasy nor puff up?

Edit: I didn't know that there are many kinds of rice cake. Mine are dried.

The first one is raw, non-soaked. The second one is from the first batch (greasy, pale). The third one is from the second batch (with the bubble).


texts: I have a Mr. Coffee BVMC-ECM260 espresso maker. I'm kind of getting the hang of frothing it (i.e. I can make a decent cup of frothed milk) but every time it makes that loud "screaming" noise that I've seen others describe. I've tried different techniques, putting the wand in close to the surface, close to the bottom, etc. but it makes the same noise. I live in a small apartment building where the walls are very thin and making loud screaming noises with my espresso maker on a regular basis is not really ideal for me. Should I just go back to a drip coffee maker, or could there be a problem with the way I'm frothing the milk?


texts:
I marinated a couple of chicken breasts overnight in the fridge

The next day I baked it (in the same ovensafe dish it was marinated in) until fully cooked through

After baking, the chicken is still fully submerged in the marinade

I let it chill 30 min at room temp and then put back in the fridge

StillTasty says it will last 3-4 days refrigerated

If on day 3 I reheat, rebake or even boil it for 10 minutes, will it kill all bacteria that were present and multiplying during those 3 days in the fridge? In other words, can I restart the 3-4 days count whenever I recook the chicken, so that it will last indefinitely?


texts: How can I make the best use of chocolate peppers?

texts:
One grower at the farmer's market in the alley near my work recently started selling a crop of chocolate peppers. I've had some moderate success using them as an ingredient, but am looking for tips on additional uses for them; particularly in how to make them more expressive of their flavor (i.e. is it particularly important to roast them before use, etc).

(If you're unfamiliar with these, they are poblano-ish looking peppers with a purple-ish color to them; they have a subtle, sumptuous chocolate-y profile and pair very well with very hot peppers.)

For example, I have made Chile Rellenos with them and they were very good; but recently I tried to incorporate them into a simple rice and eggplant dish and they didn't flavor the dish very well at all. I'm wondering if pre-roasting them ahead of time might have made them a better ingredient or if perhaps some other technique could have made them more worth including.

What sorts of preparation techniques or ingredient combinations would best utilize this unique ingredient and help enhance its flavor?


texts: Getting the lighter fluid taste out of burgers, after the fact

texts: My burgers came off the grill tasting and smelling like lighter fluid. Are there any ways to reduce or remove the taste and smell from the leftovers? In the future I'm using one of those charcoal chimney starters, so I won't need any lighter fluid at all.


texts:
The actual measurement of the caramel sauce is 50g sugar : 20g water. I divided it to 17g of sugar to 7g of water, but after following the necessary procedures the mixture doesn't boil, and nor does it thicken. Why is it so?
I boiled for almost 30 minutes in medium heat though.
Also, caramel sauce is supposed to be thickened by concentration right?

(This is the link to the procedure that I had used to make caramel sauce.)


texts: How can I make bread within one and a half hour?

texts: Since we have to make bread in cooking class, there is only one and a half hour. Should I use more time to knead, or rise?


texts: Reuse frying & sauce pans multiple times during cooking session

texts:
I'm a student and prefer to cook my own food rather than eating in the cantine. Due to time constraints, I cook only once a week, making different dishes of big enough portions to suffice for the entire week. Because I only have a frying and two sauce pans, I reuse them multiple times during the cooking session. Basically, I do the following:

Cook meal 1 in sauce/fryin pan
Empty meal 1 into plastic container
Scrape off residues with cold water and a fine brush
Stick sauce/frying pan back onto the hot stove, prepare for meal 2
Go to step 1

In the frying pan I cook mainly fish, sometimes some beef. In one sauce pan I cook rice, in the other bigger one I cook chicken and vegetables.

My questions are:

Does this procedure of heating up the frying/sauce pan, cooling off during washing and reheating it, damage it? Could it forcefully crack, blasting metal pieces everywhere?
Are there any health implications due to some of the residues still remaining on the pans when cooking the next meal?


texts: Peeling and dicing potato before boiling it

texts: I've mostly seen people peel a potato after it has been boiled and then cutting it to pieces if required. Given it's muddy exterior, I find it cleaner (and probably takes less heat) to remove the skin with a peeler before boiling. Am I losing anything when I use my method? What do you suggest?


texts: Why does the custard in my lemon/lime bars always come out looking terrible and with bad texture?

texts:
Here's a pic of the ones I made yesterday:
http://imgur.com/XTXBlk0

And here is a pic of the consistency that I'm trying to achieve: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3484/3314383525_1912d1d089.jpg

I've had similar experiences with lemon bars as well. The custard part just never comes out how I want. Any ideas?


texts:
I'm looking to develop freezer meals for my family. The meals will be frozen in plastic takeout boxes likely PET, or PET-lined paper/kraft bowls.

The frozen meals are likely to remain frozen even when opened by lunch time, and will have to be blasted in a microwave at medium for 15 minutes, or at high for 5 minutes. Either of these are practical and potentially unsafe.

It's the unsafe part I'm worried -- do these plastic boxes or paper bowls that say "microwave safe" really suitable for high power microwave?


texts: What kind of bourbon is best for making whiskey balls?

texts:
What kind of bourbon should I use in this recipe for "whiskey balls" (aka "bourbon balls" aka "tipsies")?

  1 6 ounce pkg — 1 cup chocolate bits (chips)
  3 tbsp light corn syrup
  1/2 cup bourbon
  2 1/2 cups fine vanilla wafer crumbs (use a rolling pin!)
  1/2 cup powdered sugar
  1 cup finely chopped walnuts

  Melt chocolate over hot — not boiling — water. Add syrup and bourbon. Combine crumbs, powdered sugar and nuts. (I do this first before melting the chocolate.) Blend into the chocolate mixture, stirring well.

  Let stand about 30 minutes; then form in 1 inch balls (rolling in hands). Roll balls in granulated sugar. Let ripen in covered container for several days. (Makes about 50.)

P.S. Being very much an amateur drinker, I woulddn't know what difference in flavor there might be between, say, Old Crow or Wild Turkey. What I'm looking for is a list of brands that will add a strong whiskey flavor to the product, without my paying extra for nuances and overtones that will get lost in the chocolate. As a man of simple tastes, I will have no problem sipping the leftover whiskey, even if it is not of the highest quality, or I could save it for the next holiday. As for other types of booze, I'm sure rum balls would be delightful, but bourbon whiskey is traditional — the recipe is from a dear departed aunt.


texts: Why do brisket recipes move to the oven to finish?

texts: In the Cooks Illustrated BBQ brisket recipe and many others I've seen, they call for moving the brisket from the grill where they are being smoked to the oven to finish.  I'm wondering why the recipes call for this step rather than finishing in the grill.


texts: How does food cook differently on an open top grill than a covered one?

texts: The title pretty much says it all, how does food cook differently on an open top grill than a covered one?


texts:
Based on my reading, preserving dried ginger is the same as preserving fresh ginger I.e airtight and in the fridge.
Is there anything more that can be done to preserve the dried version.  After dehydrating it, will not grounding it immediately and instead grounding it at the point of use make a significant difference?


texts: Why didn't my clarified herb butter solidify?

texts:
I was making spicy clarified butter but wanted to avoid the flecks of red or black that can throw off the color of a dish.  I decided to steep some basil and a few other herbs with an habanero in the butter and then remove them.

The butter did not come out nicely AT ALL. Despite letting it cool for some time, the butter never re-solidified.  I was rushed and didn't have cheesecloth so I might have done a poor job at removing the solids.  At the normal temperature of my kitchen, butter, clarified or otherwise, will solidify - but not this stuff.

Is it possible that the oils from the herbs and pepper prevented it from setting up?

I wouldn't think a handful of herbs and a singular hot pepper would have enough oil to prevent 12+ ounces of clarified butter from setting up.


texts: To par-boil or not to par-boil root vegetables before roasting?

texts:
I'm looking at some recipes for roasted root vegetables and there appears to be a split between those that par boil then roast for ~30 minutes versus those that just roast for ~45 minutes

Excluding potatoes - where there appears to be a consensus that par boiling is necessary, what are the pros and cons of each approach? and is it more important for particular types of root veg?


texts: What is biltong, how is it made, and is there a significant risk of contracting food poisoning from it


texts: I was trying to make white chocolate truffle.....but when I melted my white chocolate and added lemon juice to it, it curdled and there was huge chocolate butter floating on top of my mixture...can anyboody help with this.


texts: Using osmotolerant yeast in regular bread

texts:
After the demise of my sourdough starter, I've decided to switch to instant yeast, and am trying to decide which to buy. Specifically, I'm comparing Saf-Instant Red and Saf-Instant Gold. The former is officially recommended for dough with up to 12% sugar, while the latter is recommended for dough with between 10% and 30% sugar. However, I've read several anecdotal reports that Saf-Instant Gold is perfectly fine for plain, low-sugar bread.
I don't bake often enough to justify stocking two different yeasts, so is Saf-Instant Gold (or any similar osmotolerant yeast) suitable for regular bread, and do I need to adjust any recipes if I'm using it in place of Saf-Instant Red?
Ideally, I'd like an answer drawing from a statement from a yeast manufacturer, substantial personal experimentation, or a published study.


texts: Is there any advantage to cooking beans in a pressure cooker, besides saving time?

texts: I cook beans quite frequently, and typically soak them overnight then cook them the next day.  I don't find that particularly laborious, so I've always wondered why people use pressure cookers. Are there any other advantages besides the time they save?


texts: I brine my chicken and use only salt, pepper and garlic powder in bleached flour to taste. I think this comes close to the Colonel's. Can anyone taste other spices in the original recipe?


texts:
When simmering a basic chicken or beef broth (bones/meat/onion/carrot/spices) the result generally improves with time until, often, after a long time (on the order of 12-24 hours) the broth and solids change color significantly in the 'dark' direction and it smells a bit, well, burnt. Not 'gross throw it out', but definitely a 'darker' aroma and appearance.

I'm confused about how this happens. There's still significant liquid in the pot so why is anything burning? The temperature should still be hanging out close to 100C/212F. If color wasn't developing before, why does it eventually develop now? Does it have to do with any solid pieces poking up above the waterline? I wouldn't expect those to have such a different temperature.

Any tips to prevent this? Or is this normal/expected/desired for long 'bone broth' type soups? (Or does this only happen to me?)


texts: Why double fry French fries after blanching instead of just blanching and frying?

texts:
I love good fries fries.  I've made them with some success at home using the Steak Frites recipe originally developed by Cooks Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen.  In their recipe cut potatoes are rinsed, soaked, fried at a lower temperature, then finished at a higher temperature.  It did not involve blanching, and I've been convinced through research that blanching them can be helpful.

In another recipe I've found for twice-cooked fries, they are merely blanched and then fried.  Is this technique going to produce good fries?

According to Serious Eats fries from McDonald's are both blanched and fried at a lower temperature, frozen, and then finally fried before being served to you.

The French Culinary Institute has a technique that pre-blanches, blanches, freezes, and then twice fries - talk about work!

From what I've read pectin is released during the blanching at certain temperatures.  Also the blanching removes some external starches, which I assume rinsing and soaking may accomplish.  Plus if you blanch in salted water you pre-salt the fries.

My question is, what does that initial lower temperature fry do?  Cook the inside?  Why should I do it instead of just blanching and frying once?  The accepted answer to this question says the initial fry is to cook the fries, which it seems blanching already does.  It seems to have something to do with starch molecules, but I'm interested in the details.


texts: What is ganache, and how it is used in truffles? Does it differ from chocopaste?

texts: I need to know what ganache is and how it is used in different truffle recipes. Also, how it is different from chocopastes?


texts: Why would you pinch egg whites when making sunny side up eggs?

texts:
At a restaurant with a window into the kitchen I saw a chef cracking eggs and pinching the top of the egg whites near the yolk before applying heat. We saw him crack many eggs and he did this every time. Why would he do this?

My best guess is that maybe it helps separate the whites from the yolk but I couldn't find any reference to this technique online.


texts: Will microwaving lemons make them easier or more efficient to juice?

texts:
I've heard many people say that microwaving lemons before juicing them causes them to release more juice. I'm skeptical, although not enough so to ask this on Skeptics.

I cannot think of any physical reason why this should be so, and I don't believe it, but I would love to have some kind of response when people say this, or even to be proven wrong!


texts: Bizarre: Chocolate tempering is good on the outside

texts:
I poured some undertempered chocolate into molds (as practice). Out of the molds, the exterior of the shells were glossy, clear, and hard as is well-tempered chocolate. The interior streaked terribly.

I suppose the polycarbonate/chocolate surface interaction is preventing exterior streaking. Any explanations?


texts:
I was going to buy some supposed 'ribeye' steak today (in Indonesia). However it looked weird. The marbling did not look anything like any ribeye I've ever seen.

I found it was 'Meltique' http://www.meltiquebeef.com.au/, which is some lowgrade cut of beef injected with either canola oil or beef fat. Apparently the halal version (which they had) is canola, for fears about lard or something like that.
Anyway I passed on it.
Can anyone who has bought/cooked this pass comment on the quality of the product? My instincts suggest I'd just buy regular beef without fat injected and cook it some other way. But it seems to sell large volumes in Asia. Is this available in Western countries? I'd kind of expect low-grade restaurants to use something like this to save money? But maybe it really is that disgusting?


texts:
For reasons not related to this question, I had to cook my turkeys yesterday.  My meat themometer died near the end of cooking. So I ran to the store to get one "real fast".

Three stores later I came home to two over done birds (185 degrees).

While not totally dry, I don't want them to dry out any more while reheating them today.

Should I slice them then heat them?  Is there a better way to reheat than another?  (ie oven vs microwave vs warming drawer vs (some other heating tool).)


texts: What's the function of acerola powder in bread?

texts:
While I was reading the ingredients list of a supermarket-bought bread (in the Netherlands) the other day, one of them caught my eye: acerola powder. I know acerola is a fruit with a high vitamin C content but why would it be used in bread?

I don't think it was for its particular flavor since it was just a regular soft bread, not a sweet/flavored bread (more precisely "bakkersballen" with spelt). And if it's as a preservative / conditioner, why not just use ascorbic acid?


texts: Making Raclette without special equipment or specific type of cheese

texts:
I have a sizable chunk of emmenthal cheese taking up valuable space in my fridge, and I was looking for a recipe to use it in. Drilling down into Swiss cuisine at wikipedia, I encountered an intriguing mention of Raclette, an apparently simple meal of 'scraped' hot cheese with various accompaniments.

My questions are:
1. Is emmenthal an acceptable alternative to true raclette cheese?
2. I have no intention of going out and buying a specific 'raclette' gadget, so is there some sort of workaround using ordinary kitchen utensils that will allow me to recreate the traditional ralette experience (ie. scraping the edge of the cheese with a knife)?


texts: Safe kitchen-ready materials to drill holes in for tofu press?

texts:
I am looking to make my own tofu press to save money over a store-bought one. For those unfamiliar with the process, imagine two 9x5 loaf pans with a series of holes drilled into their bottoms for water drainage. The tofu sits between the two pans and weight is put on top to press the water out of the tofu.

I am thinking that many non-stick pans are safe to use but that once the coating is punctured, one could end up being exposed to chemicals that are not food-safe.

Are most stainless steel or aluminum baking pans just that or are they composed of multiple layers, some of which may not be food safe? What material would make sense for this? Do these materials lose their anti-rust properties if punctured like this?

Note: I have also seen designs which are two slabs of material (think cutting boards) which are squeezed together, but I want the final product to have firmed sides so this will not work well.


texts: I used to add cornflour in my chicken sweetcorn soup or chicken and noodle soup for a thicker consistency. But then I stopped using it completely after watching some show on TV that recommended not using it (I didn't research this much, but all it comes up with is that cornflour can make you gain weight). The soups still taste equally good but I do sometimes miss the thicker consistency. I did try to replace it with plain flour with it just adds an uncooked flour taste to the soup, which isn't very nice. Can someone suggest any replacements to cornflour to give the soup a thicker consistency?


texts: If you don't cure a ham and just brine it, is it just considered a pork roast?

texts:
I brined a ham over night and then slow baked it. Then topped with an apricot honey glaze. It looked and tasted just like pork tenderloin and was white meat and not pink.

I know curing it gives it a salty taste and pink meat. Is what I made just a pork roast?


texts: Was honey in ancient times different than now?

texts:
I am trying to reproduce a recipe found in the Roman "cookbook" Apicius, Conditum paradoxum: it is a spiced wine that calls for honey as an ingredient, but it uses a lot (30 % of the volume of the wine).

This means – adapting the recipe, that originally is for 14 11 liters of wine – that for a bottle of wine I should add 230 ml of honey (340 g if considering a density of 1,45 kg/l).

I was wondering if the honey produced in ancient times could be perhaps "lighter" than the honey we know; this could, at least a little, allow me to reduce the sweetness.


texts: Dough(s) to hold moist oven dish contents

texts:
I have a recipe at home that creates an oven dish with fairly moist contents (curry sauce, creme fraiche, cherries from a can). This specific recipe calls for ready-to-use croissant dough, which I use, and the recipe works fine.

At one point, I made this recipe with plain old puff pastry, and it turned into a soggy mess. Thus, I concluded that pre-made croissant dough is suitable for wettish oven dishes, and I've been able to use it as such. However, it has a slightly sweet innate flavor, which isn't always appropriate.

Thus: what other dough(s) can be used to create oven dishes with fairly moist contents?


texts: Can I use cilantro instead of basil on a bruschetta?

texts: Ran out of basil at the last moment, can substitute the basil for cilantro? I know people will notice the difference but would still be acceptable?


texts:
I looking to do some basic oil frying in my house. I have a gas stove.

What is the best vessel to use and why? I am mainly worried about spilling oil all over the place.

I read an article from serious eats where they recommend using a basic 14 inch wok for the job since oil will not supposedly splatter.

Has anyone tried using a wok for deep frying with good results? What is you recommended vessel for the job?


texts: What happens to raw honey after the expiry date? Will it be edible?

texts:
I have got a 3 kg pack of raw wild unheated honey. Expiry date is 18 months from packaging.

What is expected to happen to it after the expiry date? Will it be edible?


texts: Is it recommended to rinse the teapot with boiling water before putting the tea leaves in?

texts: Is it recommended to rinse the teapot with boiling water, or does that make no difference?


texts:
I'm following the instructions in The Rye Baker to start a rye sour culture. After the first week of daily refreshing, it says it can be left in the refrigerator and fed once or twice a week. There are proportions for a "maintenance refresh", but no specific instructions for feeding. Am I just supposed to dump flour on top? With water?

Specifics:
The first step is 70g whole-grain rye flour and 70g warm water. Daily for the next week is 70g of preceding culture mixed with equal amounts flour and water. (I'm using King Arthur Pumpernickel flour.) The maintenance refresh is 7g sour culture and 70g each of flour and water, which seems to be rather wasteful for "feeding".

In searching this site, this question got the closest to an answer, but it's asking about feeding after taking some out for bread; I'm not sure if regular not-baking-anything feeding is different, or if an all-rye culture is different.


texts: Can you use mascarpone in place of ricotta?

texts: Can you substitute mascarpone for ricotta cheese?


texts: Does coffee in a cafe press keep brewing after being 'squeezed'?

texts: I've recently gotten a Cafe Press for making my coffee, and I'm pretty bad with proportions. If I make too much and leave it sitting in the press with the grounds pressed to the bottom, does the coffee on top keep 'brewing'? Does it otherwise adversely affect the flavour? Does it affect the caffeine content?


texts:
I'm quite a bean aficionado and have noticed that different kinds of beans vary widely in the amount of cooking the require to achieve an equal level of tenderness. E.g. while I cook small lima beans only about 1.5 hrs total, it takes up to 3 hours to get a similar tenderness from favas. Red beans somewhere in between. All examples assume having soaked them overnight to prep them for cooking.

Is there a list of different bean varietals that ranks them by how hard they are and how long they usually require to be cooked?


texts:
I have a little bush which lost quite a few leaves due to overwatering. They are healthy looking and fragment.
I wonder if I can use them in a similar way to kaffir lime leaves? I couldn't find much info re: toxicity, but lemon leaves are used in some regions to impart flavour .


texts: Usually I think of leavening as either yeast or chemical (baking soda / baking powder).  On these sourdough pretzels yeast and soda are both listed.  Why would a baked product need both leavening agents?


texts:
I made chocolate pudding from scratch and substituted 1 cup of Stevia for the cup of sugar and the pudding is bitter tasting. Any way I can salvage the pudding and make it sweeter?

The recipe was as follows:

1 cup white sugar, or to taste
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon butter (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

I just used Walmart brand Stevia.


texts: Can I remove frost from frozen chicken breasts and re-package?

texts: I bought a large package of chicken breast several weeks ago. Usually we break down the bag and package in food saver bags to keep frost at a minimum. For some reason we didn't do it this time. I just went to get a few for tonight and noticed it's all iced up inside. Can I run them under warm water to remove the ice and re-package them in our food saver bags now or is it too late? Anyone know of any other tricks? They don't seem freezer burned yet.


texts:
Let me start by saying that I am not a cook by any means.

Now, I love salsa and I always have, but mostly I just get store brands. I've had homemade salsa before and it tends to be a lot more flavorful, and for that reason I'd like to try my hand at making some.

What exactly is "salsa" defined as? What are the core ingredients? Is it cheaper to make it myself or to buy it from the store? If I make it myself, about how long is the shelf life?

I realize that salsa tends to be pretty simple to make, but I see so many variations, and internet searches bring me many different recipes.

What will I need to get started?


texts:
I'd like to grill my turkey this Thanksgiving. Cook's Illustrated's method has you put the turkey on a V-Rack on the grill.  If I do this I won't have any pan drippings for my gravy.

Is there an advantage to putting the turkey right on the grill?  Can I just put my roasting pan + turkey right on the grill?


texts: How to put stuff inside baked sandwich and bread?

texts:
I would like to cook some rolls or bread with the condiments already inside. The condiments that I like range include tomatoes, olives, sliced ham, and bacon. Notice that I mentioned acidic and fatty foods. Can these ingredients derail the development of the dough, particularly the leavening?

I currently do not have much trouble baking a good focaccia or piece of bread that I like.

My question is how and when should these ingredients be added to the dough?


texts: Sandwich wraps always getting way to crispy

texts:
I sometimes make sandwich wraps using water, flour, salt and oil.

I mix salt, wheat flour and a tiny bit of olive oil and add hot water until I get a homogeneous sticky dough and let it rest for about 45 minutes. After that I roll it out down to about 1 mm. I heat up neutral oil in a pan and bake the flat round dough until bubbles show up, then turn it over.

But they always get so solid in their centers they can't be wrapped without braking them. They are more like flat, toasted noodles. This happens no matter what frying pan I use or temperature I use to bake them.

What am I doing wrong?


texts: How to hand-select the perfect coffee bean?

texts: I would like to know from you guys, what criteria do you use to select the perfect (green) coffee bean for roasting purposes?


texts: How can I scale down a high-yield recipe that calls for a single egg?

texts: Recipes for muffins and the like often involve eggs and the recipes are usually designed for a yield of about 20. I have a small oven and only want/can make about 5 muffins at a time. What do I do with recipes that have a yield of 20 or 10 muffins, but requires a single egg? Should I beat the egg in a bowl and use a proportional amount, or are there any special rules to be aware of?


texts:
Is there a substitute for green papayas in green papaya salad?

The papayas in U.S. supermarket are not the same, even if you use them green.


texts: Can "juice from concentrate" be diluted 100% juice?

texts:
If products labelled as juice from concentrate is just water added to concentrated juice, and concentrated juice is 100% juice with water removed, can juice from concentrate have more water added than previously removed and effectively be diluted juice (compared to the original 100% juice)? Or is there a legal requirement for producers to add the same amount of water that was removed?

Are typical "juice from concentrate" products sold in stores equivalent to 100% juice (ignoring the removal and readdition of water), or could they dilute it and still sell it?


texts:
If I slow-cook a turkey over low, low heat for 12-18 hours, how does it stay "safe" when the turkey has been in the danger zone for a large majority of the cooking time?

I've been slow-cooking turkeys on my Big Green Egg for years. I use lump coal and wood chips (for smoke) and manage to keep the cooking temperatures between 200°F-250°F (93-121 °C) for the entire time (12-18 hours). The turkey is unstuffed and placed on a rack over a roasting pan. It is cooked until the internal temperature has reached 165°F (white meat) and 175°F (dark meat).

Certainly the finished cooking temperatures has killed any food-borne bacteria, but what makes this method safe when the turkey spends many, many hours in that "danger zone" building up toxins until it is done?


texts: My mother tells me when she was young her mother would bake cakes on an asbestos mat inside a lidded electric frypan. I'd assume the practice is gone now because of the reputation of asbestos, but what was the idea behind the asbestos--a simple heat spreader?


texts: How can I handle black pepper without sneezing?

texts:
Every time I am using black pepper, no matter how little, no matter how I turn my head to avoid sneezing, it still triggers it.  I have to run from the work area, release myself and then go back.

Are there any quick fit kitchen masks (I am serious) for this purpose, or at least special dispensers that can reduce this problem?  What can I do to avoid sneezing?


texts: Watermelon - picking and managing them during heat

texts:
There are a lot of posts and videos on the internet about picking up the correct watermelon. Sure. I get that. My question varies a little different.

I currently live in the UAE and climates here reach around 49c and more. So despite the fact that we pick watermelon we want to know the best way to preserve it. Supermarkets here and the farmers market leave them out.

I take them home and immediately put in the fridge. About a day later I take the melon, cut it up and will leave half in the fridge and other half chopped in a bowl and also can leave that in the fridge and we will consume it with meals taking it in and out over the next few days. Few problems:

The watermelon gets very watery - dark red blotches so it becomes overripe
The sweetness goes quickly

How can we keep it sweet and keep it maintained - what are some tips you guys use for family and preserving it.

Thanks


texts: Safe to leave 'new' chicken stock in rice cooker for three hours?

texts:
I'm on a Japanese food kick after starting Midnight Diner on Netflix, and recently purchased a rice cooker. I'm experimenting with the delayed rice setting, and have programmed the device to have my rice ready approximately three hours from now.
Instead of water, I'm using chicken stock from a brand new, unopened box. I'm pretty sure that there is nothing unsafe about this, but the box does say that unused stock should be refrigerated after opening.
Is there any reason to worry about leaving two cups of chicken stock in a rice cooker for approximately two hours before the machine begins cooking?


texts: Why do most belly pork recipes recommend cooking the pork at a high temperature at the beginning of cooking?

texts:
Most belly pork recipes recommend cooking the meat at a high temperature at the beginning. And then lowering it for a number of hours.

However, I have found that when I do that, the skin rarely forms decent crackling. Presumably because the skin is still a bit wet and it takes time for it to get hot enough to crackle.

I have only had success when I turn the heat up at the end of cooking.

Why do all these recipes recommend the opposite of what is working for me?


texts: Every time I venture to whole foods I notice the ostrich and emu eggs for sale. The one obvious difference is size. Do the eggs taste the same as chicken eggs? Are they any different nutritionally? Can they be hard-boiled?


texts: How do I best cut florentines from a finished (baked) baking tray?

texts:
I have baked a tray of florentine pastry, and I have spread chocolate on it (dark and milk). It's about 35 x 35 cm. Now I'd like to make cookies out of it.
I know recipes say to cut the pastry when it's still warm, but it was just far too thin and fluid to do so: it would basically have amounted to pushing a knife into almond flakes which are floating in a sauce; it didn't seem realistic at all.
The pastry is nice and crisp and thin now (as thin as I could get it, maybe 3–5 mm), as it should be. The consistency is a bit like semi-hard caramel. but of course with almond flakes over the entire surface (so much less hard, easier to break/cut). How can I best cut (square-shaped) cookies out of it?
I don't think breaking is an option, so it has to be cutting or sawing? I see no option but to use a large kitchen knife. Should I press it down until it snaps? Or should I move it along the length of the desired cut ('sawing')? Should I use a smooth knife or a serrated knife (probably not)? Or is there anything else you can recommend?
I'm afraid I might break the pastry into irregular shards and bits if I do it wrong, but I haven't tried yet without asking you!
P.S. It doesn't stick to the baking-paper much, so that won't be an issue.
P.P.S. You see the orange in the picture which I grated for the zest.

Epilogue: I ended up cutting them with a non-serrated knife, which I put in a pan of very hot water between 'cuttings', to partly melt the cut (wipe with paper towels in between). I cut by moving the knife up and down the length of the cut ('sawing'), but I did also exert some downward pressure. It worked well enough, except for some breaking at the edges which were not flat at the bottom (because of the uneven baking tray).


texts: How long to cook a 150 lb. pig in the ground?

texts:
I am cooking a 150 lb pig in the ground for Cinco de Mayo.
I am using a Kalua Hawaiian method but using taco Al pastor flavoring.

Feeding over 100 people street tacos. I have researched and have read different times on how long to leave the pig in the ground.

I will have two wireless thermometers. One in the shoulder and one in the butt.
The pig's cavity will be stuffed with room temperatured whole pineapple.
Very very hot dry rocks will be placed in the pig's joints. Four corners, before tieing up and laid to rest. One true cord of apple wood will be burning, so a solid foot of hot coals. Old cabbage and water will be applied to create steam to help with the cooking process. The pig will be butchered appropriate and accordingly. Wrapped in banana leaves and aluminum foil.

Two Questions:

•If I want the pig done by 4pm (food on the table by 5pm), when should I have the pig in the IMU, covered, cooking? I would rather have the pig finished early and held hot rather than have 100+ hungry people staring at me, waiting.

•What temperature do I want the shoulder and butt to be? Different temperatures? I have experience in braising pork shoulder, chuck beef, etc.


texts:
What effects would using salted butter instead of unsalted butter have on a toffee recipe?

I'm using the basic

Equal parts butter and sugar
Heat to soft crack (285 F)
Poor into flat cooking sheet or something similar to cool


texts: Why are these called "no bake" brownies?

texts:
I have this old recipe, that my grandmother's aunt's, someone or other (don't really know any more, no one alive can remember) cut out of a magazine years and years ago. The Title is "Blondie Brownies, No Bake Brownies easy enough that even a blond can make them."

There's a pretty short article that reads something like a terrible, sexiest joke, by today's standards anyway. It basically states that if your doing a crappy job as a wife, and your husband's not happy, that you should try to make these no bake brownies for your next desert.

Obviously, the recipe and article are, a bit out of time, but I won't post either here because I don't know the rules for copyright stuff from that long ago.

It's also a cut out, and it's been so long, that I can't tell you what magazine or year.  Given the context of the articles and who it's coming from, I would say it's 1930s to 1950s with more emphasis on the 50s.

Now here's the thing, They are referred to as "No Bake" brownies several places in the article. They are also mentioned to be super easy. The last step in making the brownies is to bake them, and the recipe by today's standards, while not difficult, is far from fool proof (slight measurements being off, or the wrong kinda pan ruin them)

So the question is, how are these brownies considered "No Bake", when you clearly have to bake them? And, is have recipes really gotten that simple with time, that this recipe, would have thought of as super easy, while today I find it moderate difficulty?

I know it's hard to tell things about difficulty with a recipe, when you can't see it, but some easy ways to mess it up, are very slight mis-measurements in the ingredients (not adding a flat cup of sugar but leaving it a little over the top), or baking it in glass instead of metal.

Based on comments here is the recipe, minus the article, instructions in my own words.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix all the dry and wet stuff together, dry first, then spread in a 13x9 metal pan (very important) Bake at 350 for 30 mins. Don't over bake or use glass cookware. Cool in pan.


texts: I've seen several people insist that steel-cut oats are better than regular oats. What makes them different?


texts:
I am single. When I buy strawberries or blueberries they don't always last until I get to eat them. Would they last longer kept in water? (in Tupperware)

I know strawberries can be frozen in syrup. I don't want to do that. I sometimes make muffins with half the blueberries just so I can eat them all.


texts:
In commercial use, what temperature is set in a refrigerator used primarily for thawing?
Because food keeps longer when colder, my home fridge is kept so close to freezing that ice cubes sometimes don't fully melt over-night.  Using a thermometer with an alarm set for 40 degrees F, I thaw food faster in coolers, drawers, the interior of a microwave oven, etc. ... any small space where desired heat infiltration can be controlled enough the ambient air temperature stays in the safe zone.


texts: How long can a bottle of self-made basil sauce last without rotting?

texts:
I made a bottle of basil sauce by myself last year summer. It composed of basil leave, extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, garlic and parmesan cheese.

It was kept in a glass bottle in the refrigerator, and I've add some lemon juice on the top of the sauce to preserve it.

It should be rotting already right?


texts: How to prevent crust forming during frying, baking and grilling?

texts:
I do not like the crust that forms on the surface of meat when frying, baking and grilling.  It seems to me this is caused by oil being on the surface of the meat.  In the case of baking and grilling I imagine oil comes out of the meat, sits on the surface and fries the surface temporarily hence there is some frying going on here.
1. Would I be correct in thinking this is the cause of the the crusty exterior, if not what causes it?

In all cases how can I avoid the crust from forming?  I have bought grilled chops from the shop and they did not have a crusty surface so there must be some way to avoid it? At the moment I'm just cutting the surface off and eating the interior.


texts:
I am a person that likes spaghetti that is stuck together, al dente, so it's nice and chewy.

I haven't been able to find any advice on how to cook spaghetti so that it sticks together, but rather the contrary, as it seems most people would prefer spaghetti that is separated.

So, logically, I did exactly the opposite of what these sources recommended so that it would stick together (not stirring, not letting it boil so much that it separates itself), which seems to work well, but not as much as I would like it to. Some of it sticks together, but not all of it.

Is there a way I could make spaghetti such that all of it would stick together ALL the time? Like just one big clump?


texts: Pasta: is simmering equivalent to roiling boil?

texts:
I recently got into a surprisingly heated argument with a friend about what level of boil you should cook your pasta at. He (an engineer) argued that the heat transfer would remain the same regardless of the level of the boil and that anything above a simmer would be a waste of energy. I looked at it less from a heat transfer point of view and argued that a higher boil would increase agitation and cause the noodles to stick less to each other.

So what is it? Is a higher boil actually a waste of (a minuscule amount of) energy?


texts: How can serrated knives be sharpened, without the serration being eroded?

texts:
This post recommends having serrated knives sharpened by professionals, and not an amateur. I ask about whetstones, steel rod, and pull-through sharpeners.

But wouldn't sharpening efface and remove the serration? Or can the professional recreate the serration? Here's my knife that needs sharpening, where I use these knife terms:


texts: I've started making home lemonade recently and all the recipes boil about one cup of sugar in one cup of water. I never questioned that until my father saw the process and asked why don't I just add water and sugar to lemon juice or add boiling water to the pitcher with lemon juice and sugar and I couldn't really tell, I just knew the sweetness was greater in my experience.


texts:
I recently ordered some dish from a local food delivery company. The dish, among other ingredients, contained hard-boiled eggs. The ingredient list read the following:

  [...] Hard-boiled eggs (egg, citric acid), [...]

Due to that formatting, the citric acid was definitely used for the eggs, not for the dish as a whole. I am wondering what the purpose of using citric acid for cooking hard boiled eggs could be. I am not sure how/in what quantity/when it is added to the eggs. I could think of a few possible reasons to using it, however, I am not sure if any of these is real. My ideas are:

Perhaps, given that it is acid, it helps removing the bacteria and/or feces remnants from the shell, or
Given the lime content of egg shells and the fact that lime is pretty reactive to some acids, it might help with peeling. It sounds reasonable as we are talking about a food delivery company, probably cooking eggs up in the quantities of the hundreds to thousands.

These are just my two cents, does anyone know the (possibly) real reason behind it?


texts: If you are making gravy and accidentally burn it,than how can you fix that burnt gravy?


texts: Left an uncooked thawed store made pizza in the car for 4 hours in 54 degree weather

texts: Left an unfrozen uncooked store made pizza in the car for 4 hours in 54 degree weather. Is this safe to cook?


texts: I have an aluminium hard anodized non stick pans. When I use oil for sauteing, it many times disappears - For example when i fry shallots or eggplants. Is this normal? Even if I use a large amount of oil, it still disappears, presumably into the vegetables. This leads both to the vegetables getting too oily, and for the need to use more oil once I start sauteing a new vegetable.


texts: What is this teapot and where can I buy it?

texts:
I recently watched this video and instantly fell in love with the shown teapot. As you can see, the strainer is movable and integrated in the handle very cleverly.

I tried searching for it with the little info that I have, but nothing came out. It looks like Bodum, but it's not. All search variations for "teapot with integrated strainer" return very interesting results, but none is the one I search for.

So if someone has any idea what brand it is I will be very grateful.


texts:
I've bought a fresh mango for a recipe, I've not used mango fresh before and it's currently pretty green (there didn't seem to be any that were more ripe at the shop) and came with a sticker on informatively saying just "Ripen at home".

So, what's the best environment to help it ripen?
Should it be refrigerated during ripening and/or when ripe?
And how do I reliably tell when it's 'ready'?


texts: What are the effects of using different types of ground mustard?

texts:
I made a cheese souffle recipe that called for 1 tsp of dry mustard. I used ground mustard that was 40% yellow and 60% black.(And it wasn't fine like powder)  Everything went perfectly with the souffle but the taste wasn't all that amazing. In fact, I couldn't stand eating it, perhaps because of the mustard spice I used, it just didn't taste good. I even reduced the amount of dry mustard to ~90% of 1 tsp, because I feared that its pungent taste would overcome everything else. So, now I am left wondering where did I go wrong? Is there a difference in taste with my described mustard and 100% yellow mustard? Would this difference cause such a huge taste differences?

I used Alton Brown's recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/cheese-souffle-recipe.html.

The only change I made is add a pinch of nutmeg and cayenne pepper instead of the garlic powder.


texts: What is the difference between bún tươi and bún khô?

texts:
There are two versions of Vietnamese rice noodles available. I'd like to know what is the difference, if any. They seem almost identical.

bún khô
bún tươi


texts: How long can a packet of sliced ham be used once opened?

texts:
When buying ham slices from supermarket, I get like 10 slices in them. I want to use it for a week.
But the packing says when once opened it should be used within 2 days. So it seems like the 8 slices just always goes into bin. Is it safe for me to keep it from Monday to Friday?
And is there a way to store them?


texts:
I am purchasing a PLA/ABS/etc. 3D printer for various projects and a friend asked me to make a Jell-O mold. I am aware that PLA degrades into harmless lactic acid and there are Food Grade varieties for purchase but that isn't the only issue.  There are other potential issues such as contaminates from the printing device (maybe from the metal or remnants of other plastics) and bacterial growth in the rough surface of the plastic.  That being said, one internet article from 3 years ago is probably not complete.

For cookie cutters (no friend; I want those), I intend to try putting aluminum foil or saran wrap on the cutting part. This would decrease any detail of a Jell-O mold but it might be the correct direction to go.

Is there food safe way to print cooking tools intended for repeated use at low temperatures to moderate temperatures without a printer specifically designed to be food safe?  If I am not comfortable my tool is food safe (say it needs to be ABS or bright purple), is there a way I can permanently or temporarily coat such a tool to make it food safe without sacrificing excessive amounts of detail or functionality?


texts: What can I safely put between my cast iron skillet and induction glass top stove to prevent scratches?

texts:
I moved into a new flat and it comes with a brand-new induction glass top stove. Unfortunately, it seems like the glass rather easily scratches: There is already a visible scratch in it (likely caused by me, but I have no idea what caused it). This is why I don't want to put my Lodge cast iron skillet (with a rough bottom) directly on it. I've found several pages stating that I can easily prevent scratches by putting something between the cast iron skillet and the glass top, such as paper towels, newspaper or parchment paper, as long as I'm not going for a very high heat sear.

However, that is mostly the purpose of my cast iron skillet: To sear meat at very high temperature.

Has anyone used any of the above objects successfully as a protective layer between cast iron skillet and induction glass top, while searing at very high temperature? Or is some other sort of layer even more preferable?


texts: What is this powder served with fried dango?

texts:
While in Japan, my husband got some dango from a street vendor. It was dipped in some kind of sesame-based sauce, and served with a little powder to dip it in on the side:

What is that powder?


texts: How to make paneer at home like the packaged ones?

texts:
whenever I make paneer, it is somewhat sticky on the teeth and doesn't give that 'squeaky' feel.
I use the packaged pasteurized full cream milk.


texts: Ball Canning Jars: Use them over and over?

texts:
A simple question:

Can I seal and reseal Ball canning jars over and over?  How long before the seal gets busted usually?

Also, how do you clean the rubber seal ring without damaging it?


texts: Can hollandaise be made with frozen lemon juice?

texts: In my other question -- Are there any reasonable substitutes for lemon juice? -- I learned a cool technique to preserve lemon juice by freezing it in an ice tray. I'm considering making a hollandaise, and the only lemon juice I have available is frozen. Will this affect my hollandaise? Could it increase the chances of splitting?


texts: Can I substitute regular dried lemon peel for sweetened dried lemon peel?

texts: I have a recipe for mini lemon-poppy seed bread that calls for purchased sweetened dried lemon peel (3 oz). Can I substitute dried lemon peel since I can't locate the sweetened? The recipe is for Mini Lemon-Poppy Seed Loaves from Cuisine at Home magazine. The 3 oz. (1/2 cup) lemon peel is mixed in with the flour mixture.


texts: What additions can I make to my basic white bread recipe to increase its fiber content?

texts:
These are my ingredients for a one-loaf white bread recipe:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
4 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 packet active dry yeast

I'd like to add an ingredient that will increase the loaf's fiber content without having to adjust or alter the other ingredients, but I don't know a) what to add, and b) how much of it to add.


texts: I can't seem to get my nougat to come out right and I don't know why

texts: I tried this pistachio nougat recipe once and it came out great. I've tried it two other times and the nougat hasn't set well at all. I'm thinking that this is because the recipe doesnt list a temperature and I probably didn't reach the correct temperature. Is that a good assessment? Additionally, why are most nougat recipes made by adding the syrup to the whipped eggs instead of the whipped eggs to the syrup (like this recipe)? It seems like it would be easier to reduce the mixture to the correct thickness if you added the eggs to the syrup. Thanks


texts: Why is there such a big difference of carbs in dark chocolate?

texts:
I'm noticing that there is a huge difference of the amount of carbs in dark chocolate.

For example, Lindt Excellence Cocoa 90% says:
100g chocolate:
592 kcal
55g fat
10g protein
19g carbs of which 14g is sugar in 100g chocolate.

Amedei Toscano Black 90% says per 100g chocolate:
741 kcal
53g fat
11g protein
55g carbs of which 32g sugar per 100g chocolate.

Both are 90%, similar protein and fat amounts but the carbs differs a lot. Why is that, what's going on here?


texts: What types of sauces would pair well with boiled pork knuckles?

texts:
I'm going to be boiling some pork knuckles. What type of sauce would be a good pairing?

I am guessing that because pork knuckles are fatty, the sauce should tend to be sour or pepper-ish to balance out the fatty taste?


texts: Since when have eggs in the UK said "at home, refrigerate" (and why)?

texts:
Eggs in the UK (and most if not all of Europe) are sold at ambient temperature.  This question is specifically in this context.

When putting a box of eggs away in the cupboard yesterday I noticed that they were supposed to be refrigerated.  This makes no sense as they're sold at room temperature with a single date given as "best before/display until", i.e. they could be kept at room temperature in the shop until the only date given (which was about 10 days after I bought them).  In practice, in a cupboard, they are fine several weeks longer than this.  I tend to buy rather large boxes as I like to have enough to make a large omelette if I want a quick dinner; they also work out cheaper that way.  The previous box, from a different supermarket, had similar text.  I don't plan to keep them in the fridge, but if there's a good reason, I'll have to start buying smaller boxes.

So:

Has this been going on for years without me noticing?
Why can eggs be kept for day if not weeks in a shop at room temperature but not in a house?


texts: Cook with no hood - how to control smell

texts:
I am planning an extended stay in an efficiency apartment. Kitchen has no stove (hob), exhaust, or window.

Install an exhaust or recirculating hood is not an option as I don't own the apartment.

I have a sink, fridge, toaster, microwave, and sufficient counter space.  It is still tight - over the microwave and crock I would like to keep it to 2 small additional devices or less.

In the efficiency is just a small under fridge but there is an outdoor fridge with freezer I think I will be able to use some of the space.

A crock pot is good for controlling smell so I can do a pretty wide range of foods in the crock pot. Most crock dishes re-heat in a microwave just fine.  Crock takes a while and often need to prepare a meal for immediate consumption.

I have access to a charcoal briquette BBQ so I can cook batches of poultry and ground meat and refrigerate as I don't mind those foods reheated in a microwave.  I could do single serving on the BBQ but I don't want to spend the 30 minutes it takes to get it up to heat for a single serving.  On cold or rainy days I just don't want to BBQ.

Fish and steak does not re-heat microwave very well in my opinion. Not just taste but fish is often an odor problem re-heated in a microwave.

My thought is to get a counter top two burner stove. Either electric coil or induction.

Stuff that has no or little odor is steam vegetable, pan grill vegetable with just a little or no oil, and boil noodle/rice.

Finally getting to the meat of the question.  I don't see a good option for cooking or browning raw meat (red, white, poultry, fish) without smell. Any options either in cooking equipment (other than crock) or method for meat and control the smell?

For fish I might be able to poach. I have not tested but I fear that has bit of odor. I might be able to steam fish. Steam would have very little flavor but for a salmon salad it could work.

I know I can use canned for fish and I will. Looking for cook from raw options if any.

I know nutrition is out of scope.  I happen to chose a low Na (sodium) and low fat diet.  Low Na eliminates many canned foods and most lunch meats.


texts: What strength of brine will completely inhibit growth of lactobacillus (and friends)?

texts:
As per the title. How strong does a brine have to be before it will completely inhibit growth of the bacteria that are traditionally employed to create pickled foods?

The backstory is that I decided to make some sauerkraut the other day. The recipe I looked at said to use a 3.5% w/w brine. I filled the jars with the sliced cabbage I had to see how much they would take, and the cabbage I had filled two jars. So I measured the volume of the jars, remove the cabbage into a large bowl and added the correct amount of salt for a 3.5% brine that completely filled both jars. However after an hour of contact with the salt, the cabbage had wilted enough that all of it fit in one jar, leaving me with effectively a 7% brine after adding enough water to cover the cabbage. It's been two days since I left the jars covered with some muslin to ferment, however they don't smell particularly lactic. I'm partly worried that I may have added too much salt and thus inhibited the growth of the lactobacillus, but I'm aware that fermentation can take time, especially in cold conditions.

Mostly I'm just curious for future reference as to how strong a brine is too strong to stop lacto-fermentation.


texts: Tempering chocolate without a thermometer

texts: Is it possible to successfully temper the chocolate without a thermometer? I'm sure it's quite important but since it's so difficult to find one in my country and since I don't make chocolate so often I would know if there's a way to temper without it.


texts: In the past I would simmer stock without a lid on, and the results were generally good. Strong flavor and good gelling after refrigeration. The only problem is that this resulted in very little stock to make soup out of, so I would have to water it down. Lately I have been trying leaving the lid on while simmering but it doesn't seem to work as well. The stock never gels at all (even when adding chicken feet to my usual chicken bones) and the taste is bland. I cannot see any reason why it would make a difference, but is there some advantage to reducing a stock first and then adding liquid as needed later? Does this extract flavor better?


texts:
Five or six years ago, I happened upon a pumpkin in the bin at a Whole Foods in Cambridge, MA, that turned out to be substantially different from the others I've had.  It was, I think, about eight pounds.  Its skin was milky white with very faint, thin green veins, and its flesh had a distinct reddish tone to its orange color, very different from the usual pale or medium orange of a pie pumpkin.  After baking and pureeing it, the resulting mash was unusually dark and dense and the pie I made out of it was fantastically rich and flavorful.

I have no idea what kind of pumpkin this was.  I suspect that the store was using it only for decoration, or to be sold as a decorative pumpkin, because it was in no way advertised as a pie pumpkin (it was way better than any pie pumpkin I've had) and the employees weren't even sure how to ring it up.  Other white pumpkins I've bought that I thought were the same turned out to be no different from similar-looking orange pumpkins.

Was I the lucky beneficiary of a unique gourd or is there a particular pumpkin species or cultivar that displays these properties, and if the latter, what is it and where can I get more?


texts: Were they orginally made from real dogs?


texts: Is there something in red potatoes (and possibly some others) that is very bitter that only some people can taste? And if so how/can I get rid of it. The reason I think so is I boiled some for potato salad and it was inedible. I figured that it was just that season/batch. So Ive tried it several times again at different times of year and it’s always very bitter. russet potatoes are fine as are reds when roasted. Though some fingerling and blues are also bitter but not nearly to this extent.


texts: What vegetarian substitute for prosciutto could I use in Carbonara?

texts:
Instead of prosciutto, I used capers to try and maintain the salty aspect.  It worked ok, but something about the capers and cheese didn't seem right.  Any other suggestions?

Also, to round out the dish with a bit more substance, I also added some diced zucchini, sauteed with garlic and shallots.


texts: i have a 18 pound turkey can i brine it for 35 hours in a wet brine?

texts: help me please i’m already brining my turkey im 13 trying to cook this turkey. the brine has a small scoop of sugar, some bay leaves, peppercorns, and a few slices of lemon can i keep bring it until thanksgiving or will it affect the texture and taste and ruin my turkey. and how long should i cook it i was thinking 4 maybe 4 1/2 hours but give me some advice please


texts: What are purple small Brinjals called in English?

texts: There are white and green Brinjals too. Are the purple ones known by some special name?


texts: What are the differences between Coconut Milk, Coconut Water, and Coconut Oil?

texts:
I am wondering about the differences between these three products.  There must be oil and water in the coconut milk, but what makes the milk more than the water and oil?  Is it the fiber?

Is there oil in the water?

Is there milk in the oil?


texts: Best way to remove fruit flies from your kitchen

texts:
I have a confession to make.

I was lazy, I didn't think it would cause any harm, but it did.
And now they are back. The fruit flies have taken over my kitchen, and I need help fighting them.

Story: I was preparing a must for homebrewing a batch of forest fruit wine. This all went well, the wine began fermenting and I was left with 4lb of warm soggy fruit mush. I tactically decided that the best place to dispose of this was in my inside kitchen bin.
Naturally the next morning I woke up to discover hundreds and hundreds of fruit flies in my kitchen, feasting on the fly-superfood in my bin.

Question: What is the best method of killing/removing the fruit flies from my kitchen? I have already emptied, cleaned, and sterilised the offending bin, but the flies seem to be okay with not having a food source anymore.
Will they eventually leave/die from lack of food? Can I drive them out with a smell or incense? Should I just commit mass insecticide and sweep them up afterwards?

Thanks :)


texts: Curing bacon with a wet brine, without nitrates

texts: When making bacon, many of the recipes call for a dry brine using curing salt with nitrates. I've read that it is possible to use a wet brine without the curing salt with the nitrates and just use Kosher salt (or some other salt). Is this possible and safe to use just kosher salt and water? From my understanding curing salt with nitrates can be toxic, but also protects against botulism but I'm still looking for a safer alternative.