texts: I use my method which is i peeled potates and washed them with water. Then, i cut them and washed them with water again before cook them. Is it right or wrong? Because my aunty said, don't wash them again after cutting. Can you give me suggestions?


texts: My red potatoes seem to have an unusually high amount of eyes. Should I cut them out?

texts:
I got a large bag of red potatoes from costco, but it has a lot of eyes and probably 100 dimples all over it. I peeled the first one and extracted the deep eyes and it looks good underneath (no green), but why isn't it smooth like I expected? Is it safe?

Not a duplicate, it has not sprouted.


texts:
I tried making sausages for the first time today, and when I cooked them, the inside was more like a paste than a solid meat. Does anyone know why/how this can happen? How can I get a better texture for my sausages?

Update: I was hoping there was an obvious "oh if that happens it's always because of x", but for more details, here's the recipe I followed:

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/33512/homemade-pork-and-bramley-apple-sausages.aspx

I did the ingredients exactly, but the timing was different. After I made the stuffing, I left that overnight. After putting the stuffing into the casings, They only rested ~20 mins before cooking. Could that be it?


texts: Is it better to use oranges that are under-ripe or over-ripe to make marmalade?

texts: I have some slightly under-ripe oranges, and will be leaving the house shortly. Would I be wasting time to try to make them into marmalade?


texts: How can I integrate molecular gastronomy into regular cooking?

texts:
I love the science-y, geeky side of cooking, and molecular gastronomy really appeals to me. I've been experimenting with it for a while. The issue I have is that it tends to become an end in and of itself rather than an integral part of a dish. This is a criticism that is often leveled at the molecular gastronomy chefs. While I can get some really "wow" textures, flavors, or presentations, I never feel like I have a coherent, integrated dish.

I don't think it even needs to be "regular", it just needs to be coherent and not gimmicky. The surprise/wow factor of the texture can't be the main point of the dish, it needs to be the flavor. For what it's worth, I think Grant Achatz probably does the best job of using molecular gastronomy to augment a dish rather than controlling it.

I've had some wonderful molecular gastronomy dishes, but they always seem to rely on the novelty of the presentation/technique as the main interest in the dish rather than flavor pairings. Whatever the molecular aspect of the cooking is, it's presented as the dominant aspect of the dish. I'm interested in incorporating it so that it enhances my dish rather than defining it.

How can I use molecular gastronomy as a part of a dish in an interesting way, without it just becoming a gimmick?


texts: How do you determine whether a coconut is young or not by knocking on it?

texts:
I've seen some people knock on a coconut to determine if it is young or not. Sometimes they knock with their knuckles, or with a machete. How do they do that?

A young coconut has lesser meat, but softer and almost-translucent. The coconut water also tastes better.

Edit: Take note that the key word here is KNOCK. I generally don't see them shaking the coconut.


texts: What is the proper way to cook a hamburger on a Pit Barrel Cooker that doesn't result in fast cooking taste?

texts: I have a Pit Barrel Cooker. I have made hamburgers on it before but I keep running into several issues.  When it comes to anything else, brisket, ribs, chicken, etc. everything turns out great! But hamburgers, even with the provided online videos, my burgers always come out like I just fried them on the stove.  I try to regulate the heat by closing the circular air vent on the front but then my fire dies down too fast and it doesn't seem the burgers are being cooked properly. I use 80% ground beef and my burgers also always shrink up like crazy.  Does anyone have a proper method of using the Pit Barrel Cooker to get slow cooked, bbq tasting burgers?


texts:
I'm following one Paul Hollywood's recipe for the "Basic White Tin Bread" from his book "
How To Bake".

In the recipe it states to prove

  for about 1 hour, until the dough is at least doubled in size and
  springs back quickly if you prod it slightly with your finger.

I followed the recipe and all seemed to go well until baking. The rise in the oven was poor at best. The crumb appears okay but it's very dense as you get to the bottom of the loaf.

I've been googling and it appears the problem may be that I have over proven.

Paul Hollywood is located in the UK and his book is aimed at locals (evidenced by comments about ideal kitchen temp of 20C to 22C, 68f to 71.6f). I live in Brisbane, Queensland. The ambient temperature yesterday was 28.5C (83f). He also states in the recipe to use water that is cool (around 15C / 77f) so I use water from the fridge mixed with tap water.

So my questions are:

Does the ambient temperature of the kitchen affect the prove time? If so how?
Does the water temperature have an impact on just the rise or on the proving as well?
Should I shorten the prove time and if so how to I judge how much?

They really boil down to, how do I factor in the sub tropical climate when using a bread recipe written for the UK and north America?

Btw, I'm not keen on continually poking the dough while proving as I'm concerned that this may affect the prove.


texts: Does a strong smell when cooking spinach indicate anything?

texts:
I have some frozen spinach that I fry in a pan along with some other vegetables and meat. While it’s heating up, the spinach doesn’t smell like anything, but after several minutes, it starts to give off a fairly strong smell. I don’t know how to describe it, but it isn’t especially pleasant.

Each time, the rest of my food was cooked at that point, so I stopped cooking. The spinach looked and tasted fine. Does the smell from the spinach mean anything in particular? Does it mean that the spinach is probably done cooking? Did I overcook it?


texts: How do I make a fried egg with completely cooked white but completely runny yolk?

texts:
I like a fried egg with all the white cooked, yet all the yolk runny.

I normally do this by separating the yolk and white, and putting the yolk in halfway through.

Anybody know an easier way?


texts: Does anthocyanin still exist once the purple beans have changed to green during cooking?

texts:
When purple beans are cooked and they turn green I understand that is because the anthocyanins are only purple in an acidic environment.
So, when the beans turn green after cooking does that mean there is no anthocyanin remaining?


texts: How to get rid of raw onion smell while doing Gojju when forgotten to fry the onions

texts: I forgot to fry the onions before grinding it. Now I have added the ground raw onions with masala to make semi liquid sambar(gojju), how do I get rid of raw smell? Should I keep heating the Bindi gojju?


texts: Roasting sirloin which has already been cut into slices

texts: I was intending to cook roast beef with a joint of sirloin, but unfortunately my wife has returned from the supermarket with the sirloin already cut into slices (it wasn't her fault, and I don't know why the butcher sliced the meat). My question is: would it still be possible to roast the sirloin as if it were one joint or should I try a different cooking method?


texts:
I frequently cook sous vide at home--primarily for the sake of convenience. I have been generally satisfied with the results, and normally get tender and juicy meat.

One thing that bothers me, however, is the amount of liquid left in the bag when it's done. Even when adding nothing but, say, a steak, or a pork chop, patted dry, it is disheartening to see all the juiciness I could have had getting left behind.

A few weeks ago I saw notes from a class on khymos.org, where, in the context of a cook-chill-reheat scenario, Mr. Lersch relayed Bruno Goussalt's advice to cool in stages in order to maximize reabsorption. The reasoning seemed sound: "If plunged directly into ice water fat and gelatin can cause the juices to gel, thereby effectively preventing a readsorption of the liquid."

What I would like to know is how the same idea can be applied to the scenario in which the food is cooked and then eaten, without the chilling step. One idea I've toyed with is cooking to a target temperature (say, 155), then chilling to an acceptable serving temp (say, 130)


texts: What is the correct consistency of a cream soup?

texts:
Some cookbooks give advice, but it is conflicting. Some say "it should coat the back of a spoon", which I find terribly confusing - my best try to imagine the result will work with a wide range of consistencies. Others don't give instructions at all. I've had recipes say "then add milk to reach cream soup consistency", and I have no idea how much milk to add.

Eating out doesn't make it easier. Our cafeteria offers stuff I would classify as vegetable puree at the soup bar. I'm sure I've had "cream of mushroom soup" somewhere which had the consistency of half-fat dairy cream.

What is the correct, standard consistency some recipes refer to? Is it different for classes of soup (e.g. roux based soup vs. pureed vegetable based soup)? Or is it different for each type of soup, e.g. should a cream of mushroom soup be thinner than pumpkin soup? And how do I recognize that I have achieved the correct consistency?


texts:
Most bolognese recipes advise to simmer the sauce for 4 hours, some even advise to simmer longer than that.

Until I heard about that, I had a recipe, which was a total of maybe 45min of cooking, which worked well for me.

Since then, I have tried to do it the right way, but somehow I always end up with a sandy texture, firm ground meat and overall there is something wrong with the whole thing.

What am I most likely doing wrong here? Simmering at too high of a temperature? What does the long-simmering aim to achieve anyway? Break down the vegetables?

Also I very rarely notice the caramelization on the pot at the level of the sauce. Somehow I am probably not achieving the caramelization as well.

My current procedure goes like this:

Sweat the vegetables, until they are lightly colored, but not quite golden.
Put in the ground meat, increase the heat some and cook until the meat starts sticking to the bottom.
Deglaze using any wine available, usually red.
Add chicken stock, milk and tomatoes or tomato sauce or other sorce of tomatoes.
Season a bit, let it cook until it reduces a bit, then let it simmer with open lid for a couple of hours.

My previous procedure:

Brown the meat with high heat
Add vegetables
Deglaze
Add tomato sauce
Reduce for 20-30min
Season and done


texts: I recently discovered a number of bottles of raspberry infused vodka in my grandmother's basement. They are all many years old, and I'm wondering if they're still safe to drink. They seem to have a hazy collection of suspended particles at the bottom, and were capped with corks.


texts: What are good counter-top oven settings to reheat french fries soggy from refrigerating overnight?

texts:
I have yesterday's French Fries (Chips for those of you across the Pond).
They were stored in a refrigerator overnight and now are cold AND soggy.

What's a good technique to reheat them in a small counter-top electrical oven?
E.g. temperature? bake/broil/convection setting? How long?

Constraints:

I must heat them on a sheet of thin wrapping aluminum foil (over a loose grill, no tray)
I would prefer a method that takes less than 5 minutes, but that's not a cut-off
The main goal is to have them somewhat crispyish on the outside, and tasty (not hard, not soggy) on the inside
The fries/chips size can be either McDonalds size (1/2 cm^2 square cross cut) or slightly larger diner size (~0.5cm x 1 cm cross cut)
The amount is such that - evenly spreading them on an aluminum foil sheet the size of the oven's tray - they cover pretty much the whole sheet, in single layer
this is at work, so I am unlikely to have access to any ingredients (e.g. any answer that starts with "sprinkle with xyz oil" is less desirable.

The fries are fully-cooked, from an order from an eatery, not home-cooked. So while I don't know the ingredients/coating/what they were fried in, a safe assumption is that the fries are either standard McDonalds recipe, or some sort of generic US Diner or midrange restaurant recipe, assuming one is known.


texts: For many of my favourite cold drinks I need crushed ice. That is, thousands of small pieces of ice, not 3 big ice cubes. Is there an easy way to make crushed ice without expensive equipment?


texts: Why do they put the jelly-like substance in pork pies?

texts: I don't like the jelly-like substance found in between the pastry and meat of pork pies, and I don't know anyone that does, so I was wondering why they put it in. Or is it a by-product of the cooking/manufacturing process? Why is it there, and is it possible to create a pork pie without it?


texts: Substituting cayenne for red pepper flakes

texts:
My wife does not like alternating textures, or "surprises" in sauces.  Thus I need to make certain concessions when cooking for her.

She does not like crushed red pepper flakes, but will readily take cayenne in its place.

My question is: can this substitution be made in any situation?  I will make it when I am flavoring my own dishes.  But I have a new one I'd like to try, and I am not sure if I can do it.

I am going to make Bourbon Chicken, which calls for the pepper flakes.  The flakes would be sauteing / reducing in the sauce.  I've read this might be a situation where the substitution would not work.

Just wanted to hear what fellow chefs did.


texts: Where to get or how to make hollow sugar balls?

texts:
I'm trying to create a set of liqueur and cream filled chocolates by hand. My current idea is, having created the chocolate for the outsides, to build up layers of it on a "sugar scaffold". I can then inject the filling into the centre and melt closed the hole.

My problem is finding or making a suitable hollow sugar ball to act as the scaffold. I want them to be 1 to 2 centimetres in diameter, robust enough to have the hot chocolate built onto them, and flavourless. I can't find anywhere in the UK to buy such a thing, and I'm not sure how to go about making them.

Can anyone advise me on buying, making or finding an alternative for this project?


texts: What's the minimal set of cookware for Chinese, Japanese foods on an electric induction cook-top?

texts:
My grandparents fears food sticking to pans the most. They love, but never attended cooking school for, Chinese and Japanese cuisines.
For their current pan probably can't be seasoned or repaired, they went to the store to seek advice, but the salesperson kept promoting the 9-piece cookware set, proclaiming that they needed all 9 to sufficiently distinguish the use of different vessels for different foods, or else they'd ruin their cookware again.  Now they're suffering decision paralysis.

My grandparents live in a flat, and have little space. So which cookwares are essential?  Let's predicate that their budget is unlimited for now. They prefer buying 2 polytropic versatile excellent cooking vessels that last the longest, rather than 5 "single-minded" cheaper vessels.

They ruled out woks that don't behoove flat electric induction cooktops.
They're befuddled and overwhelmed by the overabundance and paradox of choice e.g. sauce pan, frying pan, and/or skillet. How does Le Creuset's Stir-Fry pan differ from their Deep Fry, Sauté pans? Do non-stick pans comprise a separate category?

For each cookware that you recommend, what surface coating? All-Clad Stainless Steel? Aluminum? Cast Iron again? Ceramic? Carbon steel? Forged iron? Stainless steel? PTFE?  Teflon?


texts: Can tomato sauce with cooked pork in it be eaten after sitting out in pot and a/c overnight?

texts: I made tomato sauce with browned pork roast pieces in it and cooked it for around 6 hours and left overnight by mistake until the next morning. Lots of sodium and water. My apartment a/c is set at 75 degrees C. Can this be safely eaten after reheated to boiling for an hour and then refrigerated before eating for dinner that night?


texts: What would I have to add if I wanted to substitute blueberry juice for light cream in this pie recipe?

texts:
I'm going to be making this pie recipe:
http://ediblejersey.com/editorial/summer-2011/ricotta-blueberry-pie/

I have a bag of frozen blueberries that are now blueberries in their own juice, would i be able to substitute the blue berry juice for the light cream 1:1 or should I add something else?

Thank you!


texts: Food safety and botulism indicators for pressure canned goods

texts:
Several months ago I canned some ham and pea soup, following this recipe verbatim. All went well and the jars have been sitting in my dark pantry ever since.
This was my very first time (ever) using a pressure canner, and so I have no idea what to expect. I'd like to crack one of the jars open and have some pea soup for dinner this week. At first glance, everything looks ok:

But then I noticed there is a lighter green (slimy looking) film on the very top of the soup:

Is this normal, or does this mean its gone bad?
More generally, with pressure canning recipes, what is a good way to tell if the food is safe to consume?
I've heard of the following approach:

Open the lid and confirm you hear the popping sound (the seal breaking), and let it sit in the open for a few minutes, then put the lid back on and put it in the fridge
Wait a day, take it out and inspect
If there is any white foamy substance that sprung up overnight (strong indicator of botulism) or if there are strong off-putting odors, toss it
Otherwise have a bite and wait a day
If by the next day you haven't developed any upset stomach or other GI issues, it is very likely safe to consume the rest

Is this a safe system to follow here? Any other practices or methods anybody can think of? Thanks in advance!


texts: Can you make fermented, oil-stored Giardiniera at home?

texts:
I'm wanting to try to make Chicago-style giardiniera at home. However, some food-safety site says that

  The Italian condiment, Giardiniera, CANNOT be made safely at home. This mixture of raw, hot peppers and vegetables in an oil base can support the growth of Clostridium botulinum. Therefore low-acid foods, such as vegetables, that are mixed with oil must be kept refrigerated. They can be kept refrigerated for up to 10 days. Commercially prepared products contain specific levels of microbial inhibitors or acidifying vegetables for use in an oil-based product in the home environment.

Most recipes I look up for fermented giard are touting it's mystic gut-flora curative powers, and don't discuss storing it under oil. The oil recipes I find just have the vegetables soaked in brine for a day, while refrigerated, so practically nothing microbial is going to happen there.

As to the warnings, I'm not sure if the "low-acid foods [...] that support the growth of Clostridium" include fermented vegetables. From what I can tell, fermented vegetables are more likely to be attacked (in the short-term) by mold, and only if oxygen gets in.

The "proper" Chicago recipe is cited in the Tribune article as broadly:

  According to Shay of Local Foods, making Chicago-style giardiniera is a two-step process. "First, you pickle the vegetables," he says. Then, "you drain everything, and then cover (the vegetables) with oil." Shay lets the vegetables pickle for two weeks before tossing them in the oil, where he leaves them to infuse for another two weeks.

My question is basically, what is the expected shelf-life/hazards (refrigerated or not) if I do that (2 week ferment, drain, oil, 2 week infuse).


texts: Amount of ingredients for 3 boxes of cake mix

texts: When using 3 boxes of cake mix, do I triple the amounts of water eggs and oil to make cake batter


texts: Is there any danger slicing pickles hours before frying them?

texts: I am frying pickles later tonight, and I would like to pre-cut all my slices to fry. Is there any reason I shouldn't cut them then put them back in the jar for later?


texts:
I like making sauces from scratch, starting with a roux.  Today, I discovered there's no flour in the kitchen.  A quick trip to the store is not possible.

What could I use instead?

(Note that my question is similar to but not the same as Flour alternatives for roux. I have no reason to avoid wheat flour; I just don't have any around.)


texts:
Can I use potato starch as a thickener for pie filling? From what I see it's not supposed to boil, but I cannot avoid this with pies. (I've tried it with a fruit pie and it doesn't seem to thick it much.)

If potato starch is not good for this, what approach should I take instead, provided I have no cornstarch or tapioca or any other usual substitute? (Potato starch is about the only variety of starch in local stores.)


texts:
A family member mixed sunflower butter, cocoa, sugar and a bit of milk (stirred in, not thoroughly mixed in) and left it in the fridge for quite a long time, a month or so. I want to wash it out but this isn't any sort of botulism risk is it? If it is it would be very hard to clean and I would rather throw out the bowl. I still am confused about leaving something fatty with something else and thinking that it's coating whatever it's mixed with and getting sort of anaerobic. I don't understand why nut butters don't have a problem either but it seems they don't. I know there are commercial chocolate nut butters but I assume they are pasteurized and processed together making them safe.

I did read this question but am still confused. Chocolate and oil mixed

Thank you!


texts: Is there a way to recover hardened Pecorino Romano?

texts:
I've had a wedge of Pecorino Romano wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for a while.  There are many of you out there that probably have had the same problem.  :)

I actually cut a small piece and it was quite crunchy! I tried to grate it and it's no longer crumbly. So it's quite hard to grate. The cheese still tastes good, though.

Is there a way to get it back to its slightly softer and crumbly consistency?


texts: How can I get even heat from consumer gas stovetop burners?

texts:
I have a 5 burner modern style gas cooktop (KitchenAid), 4 in standard positions, one big double in the center.

4 of the burners are all the standard circular shaped and seems most of their heat just goes to the outside edge of a circular pot/pan. I've lost a few non-metal accessories getting used to it.

Most professional models use multiple circles or cross shapes that put heat in the center as well as out sides.

Is there method or part to use that would get more heat into the pot bottom?


texts: Can you make Sous Vide Steak in a Pressure Cooker?

texts: I have been reading about sous vide cooking and it seems like sous vide cooking is done under pressure. I want to try cooking a steak sous vide in a pressure cooker and then searing it to create a nice crispy edge at the end. Is this possible with a pressure cooker? What specific temperature and time frame should I consider for beef steak? Are there any weight graphs available to determine the time required?


texts: What causes congealed bacon fat to have a wrinkly surface?

texts:
Earlier this week I refrigerated some rendered bacon fat in a small metal prep bowl, for later use. Today, after making bacon again, I went to add more grease and saw a surprising texture on the surface of the congealed fat (click for full 2592x1456 resolution):

If it's not clear from the picture, the surface is very wrinkly, with the edges significantly raised---it looks like it expanded unevenly as it solidified, but this would seem to indicate the presence of water. Water and fat, of course, don't mix and it looks totally homogeneous.

I've stored bacon fat plenty of times before and it always had a smooth surface after solidifying---schmaltz tends to be a bit less smooth but still a flat surface. When I look at pictures online, such as in this blog post, I also see nothing but smooth, flat fat.

I don't think I did anything different this time. I've used these metal prep bowls and I've used glass bowls. Does the way it solidifies say something about the quality of the bacon, how the fat was rendered or how it was stored?

It has been in there for 3 or 4 days and we haven't had any earthquakes or step-dancing parties.

Here's the same 60 mL prep bowl with more fat from the same package of bacon added this morning, on top of the older fat, after sitting for ~30 minutes in the fridge---no longer wrinkly! This seems to rule out the particular batch of bacon as an influence.


texts: How should I store sunchokes for 4 months in a hard freeze?

texts:
I've seen that sunchokes "just want to grow", so I was wondering how I should store them over a long cold winter.

This is mostly so I can have seed (community garden) in the spring, but I will also be eating some.


texts: Is a vacuum strictly necessary for sous-vide cooking?

texts:
I'd always assumed that things cooked sous-vide (which translates as 'under vacuum'!) needed to be under a good vacuum for the most efficient heat transfer into the meat, since air is less convective than water. I also thought there might be a hygiene issue with having the meat exposed to the air in the bag.

However, in the video on this Kickstarter page (at around 1.00), she simply puts the steak in a sealed Ziploc bag and then into the water bath, without evacuating the bag. So, are my concerns unfounded?


texts: What good substitutes for saffron exist?

texts:
I am a big fan of paella, amongst other uses for saffron. However, it can be a very difficult and/or expensive spice to obtain.

What good substitutes exist?


texts: Why does broiled and roasted salmon give these different results?

texts:
I ordered roasted and broiled(grilled) salmon form the restuarant and noticed both products tasted quite different. I don't have a great digestive system but noticed that the roasted salmon agreed with me more than the broiled salmon.  I want to understand what was it about the specific cooking methods that gave the different end products.

Broiled slamon
The sides were crispy and quite browned.  The fish didn't have the natural flavour of salmon/seemed to have lost it.  The oil tasted greasy and mechanical if that makes any sense.

Roasted Salmon
It was not browned or crispy like the broiled.  It tasted like normal salmon i.e. similar to poached salmon.  Oily was present but not greasy/mechanical tasting like the broiled salmon.

Basically the roasted tasted closer to poached salmon.  However I read that roasted salmon is to be done at 450f and this would brown it just like grilled.

My guess is that they roasted the salmon was done at a low tempertare and for a short time hence the slamon retained its juices, didn't get too processed.  The broiled salmon was probably done very high and also the smoke may have gone in the meat or something to that effect.  I want to understand what happened.

I have no idea what happened but based on the cooking methods can you explain why the broild and roasted salmon gave the different results?
If it was due to low temperature and short time as I am guessing, wouldn't I then be able to grill at a low temperature and for a short time and create the same result as with the roasted salmon? Or would the fact that I am broiling still cause other chemical differences in the meat even at low temp and low duration broiling?


texts:
I hear that chicken breasts can be cooked in microwave and that it's the best way to get it juicy and tender. I have also seen some articles about it on the internet.

I wonder if this is just a myth or if professionals also use this trick?

Wouldn't you risk that parts of the chicken is not cooked properly then causing infection?


texts: How common are worms in dried mushrooms?

texts: I was excited to try cooking with dried mushrooms until I saw some comments from people who found (many) dried worms mixed in with their dried mushrooms.  How common is this?


texts: Can I use Chocolate Chips in place of Semi-sweet baking chocolate?

texts: I don't have baker's semi-sweet chocolate and recipe calls for a box with 8 squares. Can I replace with chocolate chips and if so what would be the ratio?


texts:
I've just recently started baking and I'm finding it quite enjoyable. I am now changing some of the recipes a little bit to suit my tastes better.

A problem i am having is that the ingredient swaps often cause the texture to change slightly so some may need more or less baking time than before to get to a good consistency.

Is there an easy way to check if a cookie/biscuit is ready to be put on the cooling rack? So far i've been tapping them with a fork to feel how firm they are.


texts:
I'm not sure I really want to know the answer to this, but in the United States, are sausage manufacturers required to specify certain cuts of meats in their sausages, or does "beef" or "pork" suffice?

The reason I ask is that some brands of chorizo sausage disclose with great specificity what parts of the pig go inside their casing. For instance, the cuts in the Cacique brand pork chorizo contain:

  PORK (SALIVARY GLANDS, LYMPH NODES AND FAT (CHEEKS))

On the other hand, several other brands simply list "PORK" as the meat. Is this disclosure (or concealment) by marketing choice, or are certain cuts required to be explicitly called out in the ingredients?


texts: Pressure Cooker "Safety Fuse Plate" Bubbles During Use

texts:
I recently bought a 9.5 Quart Tramontina Pressure Cooker for the purpose of cooking dried beans and legumes since I've moved to an altitude that makes simple stove top cooking impractical.

I've only used the cooker twice, and each time, it pressure locks but steam/bubbles continue to come out of the handle (on and off), the manual pressure release valve (frequently) and something called the "safety fuse plate" (almost continuously). Very little steam comes out of the pressure limiting valve from what I can tell.

I am not familiar with pressure cooking, but have done quite a bit of reading and cannot figure out if this is normal or unsafe or really anything. I know I'm not overfilling it and I doubt the pressure is too high. The food does not come out cooked/finished, although that could be due to incorrectly adjusting the times for the altitude.

So my questions are:

1) Is this normal?

2) Does this sound unsafe?

Happy to provide any more information as requested.

EDIT: After replacing the safety fuse plate, the bubbling continued. I reached out to customer service and they think its probably an issue with the valve itself. If I get a replacement, I'll try the cooker again and update with the results.


texts: Why does cheese sometimes slide off my pizza and how can I prevent it?

texts:
I eat pizza constantly and have noticed that one of the most annoying pizza properties is cheese sliding. You take a bite and all the cheese is dragged off and often swings down and burns your chin with hot tomato sauce.

I have noticed this effect with home-made, frozen and delivery pizzas and the effect is not always consistent. Sometimes my frozen pizza has sticky cheese and sometimes it slides off despite being the same product prepared in what would appear to be the same way. The same can be true for delivery pizzas where even two identical pizzas ordered together may not act the same way.

What causes the dreaded cheese slide and what measures can be taken to prevent it?


texts: What skillet pan to use for making spring rolls wrappers?

texts:
I'm trying to make spring rolls wrappers. My dough looks fine, but it doesn't stick to the skillet.

What skillet is the best? I'm trying with non-stick ones (teflon and seasoned cast iron) but I guess that the opposite is what I need. Must I use an old 'sticky' one?

I'm following the recipe below, and my dough looks like the video shows.

How To Make Popiah/Spring Roll Wrappers/Skin


texts: I've just made a cream cheese, mushroom and onion spread and the onion flavor is way too strong.  Is there any way I can reduce it by adding something?


texts: Should I add vegetables and spices in the stock-making stage of pig-knuckle soup?

texts:
I'm toying with the idea of making some soup - just a simple one.  The recipe call for boiling/simmering a pig-knuckle for about four hours together with a laurel-leaf.  Afterwards the stock/fond is strained, the meat stripped from the knuckle, and vegetables and the meat is put into the fond to make the soup - which should boil for another 10 minutes.

The thing is, I was wondering if I could do something more with it.  I thinking about adding vegetables, herbs and spices when cooking/simmering the knuckle, to add flavor to the stock and/or meat.

I was thinking root-vegetables like celery-root, beats and carrots... perhaps leek... perhaps onions, perhaps garlic - maybe after frying them lightly in some butter (before adding the water to cook the knuckle)...  I guess black pepper would be OK, but what about chili?  And what about some fresh herbs and spices?

My first thought would be to strain the stock and throw-away the out-boiled vegetables, since I'll be adding fresh ones to the soup anyway...  But could some (eg. the root-vegetables) or all be puraied in a mixer and added to the soup to make it "thicker" - and perhaps add flavor?

I you probably understand, I'm a lot better at eating food than making it, so any advice would be appreciated.


texts: Will a Sourdough starter from one locale change to yeasts of current locale over time?

texts: I currently have about 8 different sourdough starters purchased from other locales. They are all 5 plus years, I am wondering if they have all become the same.  I have heard this debated, but no definitive answer, and I would like to know if anyone has experience with this?


texts: How many varieties of edible pepper spice there are? I know white, black, green and pink pepper, but I'm sure that around the world there are many more varieties. There is a comprehensive list or a book devoted to pepper and receipts with pepper?


texts: How can I make my icecream soft as it is too hard to carve straight from the fridge?

texts:
I have made my recipe with many changes and the most successful effort was the addition of a Instant Pudding mix. All others were much too hard to carve and serious effort was needed to just get the spoon or scoop into the frozen delight help please. All recipes made were made dairy free using soy and tofu bases.

The responses to this question have been very helpful and have given me new directions to explore. I believe now the product I want to create is achievable. Thank you everyone.


texts: Orange juice preservation by chemical presevatives

texts: How much Sodium Benzoate should I add to preserve 200ml Orange juice?


texts: Can you make cheese curds with pasteurized milk?

texts: I have this recipe for cheese curds that I want to try: http://www.ehow.com/how_5106352_make-cheese-curds-poutine.html, but it specifically calls for raw milk which is near to impossible to get here. I make yogurt with pasteurized milk and it works no problem, but does cheese somehow work differently?


texts: I heard Alton Brown say that on Next Food Network Star. Is it true? What about salt that is mined, or salt from salty lakes?


texts: How should the smoke appear in the exhaust in a kettle charcoal grill

texts:
I am about to start my BBQ adventure. I intend to buy a Weber charcoal grill. I am going to use it for grilling and smoking. I was listening to a podcast where the desired smoke color was discussed. They claimed thick white smoke to be undesirable, but a clear blue smoke to be preferable.

Why is that? What texture/color is optimal and why? What is going on in the combustion process?


texts:
There was an article early march on npr called Oberoi's Kitchen: The Art Of Indian Haute Cuisine. It featured several recipes and talk of a traditional workman's lunch called atta chicken. It is a featured dish in this chefs restaurant but he did not give the specifics of the dish. I have searched everywhere for a recipe.

Can anyone describe this dish and/or give a general idea of how it's made?

For those interested the article can be found here http://www.npr.org/2011/03/18/134594286/oberois-kitchen-the-art-of-indian-haute-cuisine


texts: My recipe calls for 1-teaspoon of Accent and I do not have this ingredient, as they were out of it at my grocery store.  Is there a good substitute?


texts: In Mexico, "Tacos de lengua" (cow tongue tacos) are popular, and I've come to love them!  I want to learn to make them in the U.S.  What is the proper way to cook a cow tongue?  I've seen the taco stands remove the skin from the already-cooked tongue before slicing it to serve on tacos.  But what did they do before then?


texts: How long can you keep pizza dough in the fridge?

texts:
We usually keep pizza dough in the fridge for three days before making the pizza.
We use the normal ingredients such as flour, sugar, salt, yeast, olive oil and water. I think this specific one has garlic powder and dried herbs added.
Due to circumstances, we might have to keep it longer than three days this time. Will it be okay to keep it for a week?


texts:
I remember listening to an America's Test Kitchen podcast where they compared UK v. US scone styles. They asserted that they were quite different from one another. And they seemed to favor the UK scone, their comments regarding a UK scone sounded alluring.

My question is, do you think there is a noticeable difference?


texts: How long should roast pork be cooked so that it stays light pink?

texts:
Often pork is much too dry when served, I would like to have it slightly 'rosé' pink.

So I am looking for some cooking instructions for cooking a roast pork in the oven. A time/temperature table should be fine.

I ask this as from the information I see around, temperature varies from 160ºC to 210ºC. But from experience 200ºC makes the meat much too dry.


texts: Do yellow lentils sprout after submersion for a few hours?

texts:
Yellow lentils. Not consumed fast enough. Organic. Bought bulk at a health food store 28-29 months ago and kept in a sealed jar.

After leaving them in water for 3-4 hours, they seem to be sprouting. Is that possible, so fast?

One concern is that the sprouting tips appear to be breaking off. Is that a sign that storage for nearly 30 months is excessive and the jar should be discarded?

Worst case scenario: the minuscule tips that appear to have broken off are entirely static (they do not move). Could these conceivably be (dead) worms?

Another thought: my indoor potted plants seem to blossom quite happily in April. It's as if they know it's Spring, despite being in constant temperature year round. Do lentils also sprout more eagerly in Spring than in Fall/Autumn?

(Note to self: must eat grains and lentils more regularly.)


texts: Preparing pine and fir needles collected in the wild

texts:
I live near a small patch of forest that features various pines and firs. I have been thinking to use their needles for home-made gravlax.

What would be the safest way to prepare them in a way that would retain their qualities?


texts: Is core temperature a good indicator of bread doneness

texts:
I've read so many recipes stating core temps as a way to tell when your loaf is ready. Me being a fan of measuring have bought a plethora of devices for measuring the core temperature of my loaves.

The most disappointing one is that a perfectly fine loaf of white wheat at 75% hydration is done at 95°C internal temp. This usually is after 18-20 minutes for a 375g water loaf.
I disagree. I need it to be 99 + 5 minutes.

I just did an excellent sourdough (should be done at 98°C). I did it 99 + 15 minutes.  That was good.

I put in the last sourdough loaf and accidentally forgot about it for a 52 minute total in the 230 fan oven. This was the best one. Internal temperature seems to be useless.

Why are my results so different from the recipes?


texts: How long will a frozen lamb roast stay "good" ?

texts:
I have a lamb roast in the freezer ( uncooked) that I put there at Christma, will this still be
"good"?  thank you, Claudia


texts: I am planning on making a cute little desert for my family that involves steam melting (putting the bars in a glass bowl under steam) hersheys Cookies and Cream chocolate bars and then pouring them in a ice tray as a mold. However I want to coat the White Chocolate in the Milk Chocolate upon pouring them into the mold. Any ideas of how i could do that due to it seeming quite impossible in my mind?


texts:
I marinated chicken breast cubes in teriyaki sauce for aboutt 1 hour. I then cooked it together with the sauce it was marinating with for about 15 min on medium heat.

The result was gummy (probably overcooked), hard to swallow chicken that tasted pretty bad.

I don’t want to just throw it out, but I can’t eat it thr way it is either. Is there a way I can treat it (say even in soup) to make it edible?


texts: Identify a round kitchen tool with perforated and hinged metal leaves

texts: My old roommate left this in my kitchen before moving out.  I can't remember what it is or used for.  Is this part of a grill?  Does it go in my sink to trap things that shouldn't go down the drain?  What is it used for?


texts: How to recognize that a hard cheese is mouldy?

texts: I have a piece of comte (French hard cheese) open for some time (1 week or so). How do I recognize that it's moldy and therefore not good to eat? There're a thin non-connected layer flour on the piece of the cheese which makes it quite difficult to visually detect mold.


texts:
I have never been successful in fermenting dosa batter properly in the US. I generally soak urad dal, rice and fenugreek seeds for a few hours and grind them together. Even if I leave the batter in 30°C temperature, the batter does not double in volume, as is generally does in India. The batter seems to ferment somewhat because of the sour taste but it seems that the fermentation is not being done by the "right" microorganisms.

Any ideas on improving fermentation, or on mimicking the process they use in India?


texts:
Most (all) recipes I know talk about 50/50 butter/flour for roux. However, at home I'm using something like a 40/60 butter/flour mix. It's thicker, but it works.

Does anybody know what the absolute minimum butter content is for roux, so it will thicken with a low fat content. As far as I understand, the fat is there to align the starch molecules.

Cheers


texts:
In "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", Julia et al. explain that Crème Brûlée is simply Crème Anglaise (Light Custard Sauce) made with whipping cream instead of milk, half the amount of sugar and then chilled.

I made a couple of attempts but it didn't set. Here's a shortened version of the recipe:

1/4 cup sugar
4 yolks
1 tsp cornstarch or potato starch (optional, but I went with the potato starch)
1 3/4 cup boiling whipping cream

Beat sugar into the yolks until they reach the "ribbon" stage. Beat in the optional starch. Pour the boiling milk in a stream of droplets into the yolks whilst beating. Set the mixture over a moderate heat, stirring slowly and continuously until the sauce thickens enough to coat the spoon with a light creamy layer. During this time the mixture should not go above 165 degrees F (without starch) or 170 degrees (with). I also added an optional tablespoon of orange liqueur for flavour.

I beat the mixture at just under 170 degrees for around 30 minutes without it thickening up much. On the second attempt I used more starch (about a tablespoon) and it thickened up, but still didn't set after chilling overnight. Any ideas?


texts:
I was following the recipe here:

How do you make pork rinds?

and ran into a situation.  When I get pork rinds from the store, they are beautiful and puffy like a Funyun.  I followed this recipe exactly and am left with deflated rinds!

Can anyone help?


texts: How much of the clove should I use when using big garlic heads?

texts:
I recently bought some of those big garlic heads (unlike the small, pretty ones you have in the supermarket). It looks like this:

My problem is that when I take out the cloves and try to cut them, they break apart like a small onion. Here is a pic

As you can tell, there is a "whole" clove buried under the smaller outer layers. My question is - do you just take out the whole, smaller clove and use it, or do you use the outer layers as well? Do the outer layers have a different flavor? Are they bitter?


texts: What causes the crown of the bread to crack during baking?

texts: What causes the crown of a bread loaf to crack as it bakes? I would like to prevent it.


texts: How do you prevent chicken from sticking when searing?

texts:
My method of making stewed chicken is to sear the outside, take the chicken out, add veggies, saute, THEN add the chicken and cook until its ready. That way the chicken gets a sear and is not overcooked.

But when I flip or take out the chicken the skin just sticks to the pan. If I will deglaze using wine, it will lower the temperature of the pan, making it harder to get a sear before the inside gets over well done.


texts: What is this double-serrated knife good for?

texts:
I was recently given an unused knife from an elderly relative who downsized her home. It is stainless steel with a sort of "double serrated" edge.

Out of curiosity I gave it a try and it more "shredded" than cut my meat and almost destroyed my plastic cutting board. It is also a pain in the proverbial to clean because food particles cling to the tiny spikes and it catches on the cloth and towel.

I don't really need it - my kitchen is fully equipped for my needs - but before I delegate it to "garden duty" (makes a good impromptu saw), I'm asking for your input:
Am I missing something here? Does it have a special use or advantage I just don't see?


texts: Buying European flours in the United States?

texts:
Is there somewhere I can buy Grupen Meyer Danish Flour or Campaillette French Flour in the United States? Watching different videos of master bakers in Europe, I keep seeing these products used.

I have looked at… King Arthur Flour, Anson Mills, iGourmet, google's shopping search engine, ebay. Any other ideas?


texts: Is it safe to eat sushi with different toppings (cooked and raw) after 24h?

texts:
I have been reading posts in the internet, but it just made me more confused. My conclysions after reading several posts of different websites:

Some say that sushi (the rice) with sashimi (raw fish) should be safe, but the cooked food shouldn't (this fact shocked me a little bit as I would expect the opposite).
Others say completely the opposite, as I was expecting. Even like 16h after storing it in the fridge, if it has sashimi (raw fish) it should be thrown (depending on the freshness of the fish. If you ordered it, its impossible to know).

Context:

I went at a friend's place yesterday at about 22:00. We chilled (using this verb in the cooking exchange just sounds weird, sorry) for a few hours and then I went home, not without taking the enormous sushi tray that was leftovers from a few hours before I went there.

Some info:

The sushi tray was on the table, not in the fridge. So my friends probably ate and then went to the living room without putting it inside the fridge. Let's say 5h passed.
When I got home, I immediately stored it inside the fridge.
Some sushi has raw fish (sashimi), some has cooked stuff (like japanese omelette) and I think there are some vegetarian or vegan ones.

Picture of the tray:


texts: Adjusting baking powder to work with almond milk

texts:
A family member has a dairy allergy so we often substitute non-dairy milk in recipes. Most often, this is almond (it's what we have in the house for the kids to drink, and is therefore always on hand). However, if a recipe involves baking soda or baking powder, almond milk produces a less satisfying rise and there's a bitter aftertaste.

I think this means that the baking soda is not reacting fully with the almond milk. Soy milk does provide the same "lift" and eliminates the bitterness the same way that dairy milk would. What's causing this? Is it possible to adjust our baking powder recipes to use almond milk, or do we need to buy two kinds of milk (one to bake with, one to drink)?

While I'm hoping to get a general rule of thumb, here are a couple of the recipes we have noticed this with for reference. Pancakes:

1 c. flour
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
1/4 c. oil
1 egg

and muffins:

3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
4 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup raisins, plumped
1 egg
1 cup milk

I did find a Question about almond milk in pancakes, but I'm hoping to get a more general answer about how baking soda/powder and almond milk work together (or, more accurately, fail to work together).


texts: What counts as "hydration" when figuring Dough Hydration?

texts: I'm keen on the idea of baking using "Baker's Math"... but, what ingredients do we count when trying to figure out the hydration level of a dough? Do we count just water/liquid? Or, do we count things like sour cream, butter, milk, eggs?


texts:
I occasionally experiment in the kitchen by tossing together rather arbitrary mixes of whatever I have handy.

Tonight I'm making something which I would call a stew, but with much less liquid. It's in the crockpot where it should be ready in about three hours.  It's not braised chicken, because I did start without the pre-cooking that "braising" implies.  I'd be inclined to call it a roast but it's being done very slowly.

So, of curiosity, what would be the best term for it?

Here's what I did:

* wash/scrub and trim four large carrots
* eat two tangerines, washing the rinds
  and placing them in the bottom of the crock pot (under
  the carrots which now form a sort of gridiron)
* add in a whole yellow onion (peeled and quartered)
  and a couple of shallots and whole potatoes
 (forming a ring around the edges)
* season four raw chicken thighs which seasoned salt,
  chili powder, minced ginger, whole cloves, and oregano
  and place those on the bed of carrots. with just enough
  water to submerge the carrots
* put a small pat of butter on the top of each piece of chicken

So you can see why it's like a stew or a roast but not quite either of them.

What is it?


texts: How to keep the surface of the cake from splitting?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How do you make a cake lift equally and minimize doming?

Or is it natural for it to happen because the top layer has expanded? what should I do if I wanted to make an even-surfaced cake? Not convex shaped as you can see in the photo? Should I cover the tin with an aluminium foil?


texts: What is a good spicy potato wedges seasoning?

texts:
I've taken a liking to the simple potato wedge as an alternate to mash potato when preparing meat and three vege. However, I'm trying to get a recipe that consistently deliveries tasty wedges.

My current method is:

Wash potatoes
Chop potatoes
place in plastic bag
Add a little oil and spice mix*
Shake
Bake

* The spice mix is the part I've been having problems with.

I was using:

1 part salt
2 parts pepper
3 parts paprika

But this wasn't giving consistent results.

I've stuck with Nandos Peri-peri seasoning for a while as a safeguard, but I'd like to go back to my own spice mix.

I'm looking for spicy Mexican flavours, but using only spices/herbs, and not salts or flavour enhancers, apart from sea salt (not garlic salt or onion salt).

Any suggestions?


texts: N2O canister getting stuck in whipping siphon?

texts:
this is the first time I tried to make homemade whipped cream, so I bought a new whipped cream siphon and some N2O cartridges, and the first time I tried to use it, all worked well and I made a bit of whipped cream. When I unscrewed the canister cover though (the one the canister goes in to be screwed onto the bottle), I found that it was stuck inside and it took me about 15 minutes to get out with pliers. (Note: It also took a surprising amount of force to screw in in the first place)

I looked up some videos on how to make whipped cream, and they show people just shaking the canister out of the cover once they're done. There's no way I can do this, as when I insert it into the cover and just slightly press it in with my thumb, it takes a lot of shaking to get out. It simply gets stuck there almost immediately.

Do I have the wrong type of cartridge, or is there a step I am missing?

Thanks in advance!


texts: I occasionally make soup and then freeze it in separate containers to be eaten at a later date. Most of the time I keep one or two servings in the fridge to use in the next few days but I never know how long to actually keep these in the fridge. This time I made this soup http://allrecipes.co.uk/m/recipe/7404/creamy-carrot-and-potato-soup?o_is=LV, It doesn't have any cream in it at the moment so ignore that part. Do people have a particular rule of thumb or does it really depend on to many factors in order to have a specific answer (content,  cooking method etc.)?


texts: What seasoning can be used to replace msg?

texts: If you can't use msg, (due to Migraines), what other seasoning can be used to make korean yaki mandu?


texts: If oil in a frying pan gets displaced, say by too much liquid being sweated, will the meat be unevenly cooked?

texts:
A thought occurred to me that since oil is a better conductor of heat than water, can too much sweating hurt the cooking process? If the meat sweats a lot of liquid, blood or protein then it can move the oil around (with enough liquid the oil may be elevated from the bottom of the pan), reducing the pans ability to transfer heat to the meat.

Is my theory correct? Should you keep your pan when frying meat somewhat dry so as to not displace oil?


texts: I had to thin my hop plants and I have some hop leaves. I know people use hop shoots and hops for cooking but I was wondering if hop leaves are edible and, if so, how they are used.


texts: My ciabatta dough hasn't risen after 2 hours!

texts:
I mixed my ciabatta dough 2 hours ago, and it's barely risen at all.

I put it in a greased plastic container in the hot water cupboard, and marked the level to know when it "tripled in volume". The hot water cupboard isn't particularly warm, but it's not cold. The container is a tall storage container (it used to hold flour), and I had put the air-tight lid on lightly which the dough has opened (with air pressure).

I made a biga last night, which had fermented for about 6 hours before I put it in the fridge. I made the ciabatta dough with biga, high-grade flour (although recipe called for AP flour), yeast (1 tsp), salt, cold water. No sugar. I mixed it with a food processor.

Sorry about all the details, I don't want to miss out anything that might be a silly mistake. Is there any obvious reason it's not risen?

(I can provide more details about the recipe if that helps...)

Edit: I just touched the dough and its pretty cold, so no wonder its not rising! I guess it would have been a good idea to "wake up" the biga before mixing the dough? Any suggestions how to proceed from here?


texts:
I cleaned and gutted a whole fish then stuffed with
rosemary and garlic. Wrapped it foil and cooked it on
charcoal grill. After it was done cooking, the fish lacked
the flavor of the herbs.


texts: When using melted butter, is rendering (clarifying) always preferable?

texts:
I was looking at this question:

How do I butter popcorn without making it soggy?

And it got me wondering: is there any instance, either using melted butter for popcorn or in some other application, where simply melted but not clarified/rendered butter should be used?


texts: Is canned or jarred minced garlic substantially different from fresh garlic?

texts:
I am always in favor of fresh ingredients when possible. I recently discovered that minced (and crushed and chopped) garlic is available in very inexpensive jars in the produce section of the grocery store. I've always bought garlic and chopped it for a given meal, but I wonder if such jars of prepared garlic are worthwhile.

Would purchasing prepared garlic in a jar be a time saver in some situations, or is the quality reduced such that it is not recommended?

As a side question, does minced garlic in a jar keep for very long once opened?


texts: Nonstick pans blistering after dishwasher?

texts:
So I have a nice 12 inch nonstick pan, which I always run through the dishwasher, and it's always fine. There's nothing unusual about the pan. But tonight, I needed it for dinner and the dishwasher was just finishing its run (the heated drying cycle ran too.) I took the pan out, dumped out the remaining water, and put it on the stove. About a minute later, I started hearing "shhhkk!" noises, looked over, and saw the nonstick coating blistering along the rim. Since this has never happened before, I only had one hypothesis - that despite the pan appearing dry, the heat and pressure of the dishwasher had gotten tiny water droplets underneath the nonstick coating which caused the blistering when they heated into steam.

Is my hypothesis correct? Is this what caused it?
Is there anything I can do to prevent this, other than waiting a few hours before using the pan?

edit:

The pan is a Cuisinart 12" Black Aluminum Non-Stick Skillet. Looking at the reviews of the set, it seems I'm not the only one with this problem.


texts: Added more flour than what the recipe calls for to make butter cookies

texts:
In the process of baking some butter cookies using the following recipe, I mistakenly added 1/2 cup flour more than what the recipe calls for, and it is now mixed with other ingredients (in a food processor). This happened 3 days ago and I have the semi-batter in an airtight container on the counter since then. I'd like to know if there is any way to save the ingredients. I think I could double the recipe but not sure how it will turn out considering the 48+ hours that it lived in the kitchen.  Here's the recipe:

  100gr butter

  2/3 cup powdered sugar

  1/8 tsp vanilla powder

  3 egg yolks

  2 cups flour


texts: How do I use fridge's super cooling properly?

texts:
My fridge (Whirlpool BSNF 8152 OX) comes with "Supercool" or "Fast cooling" feature. It's supposed to somehow improve the process of cooling newly stocked fridge/freezer. I am unsure about the way it works and I failed to find any information about how am I supposed to use it.

In my understanding, when turned on it slightly lowers the temperature in the fridge and "prepares" it for cooling of the newly stocked food. But am I supposed to use it when stocking the freezer or the fridge or both? How long should I leave it on?


texts:
I've tried the slow (or cold) fermentation method of baking bread at home and for the first time it turned out to be very nice. But ever since I use this method the dough just doesn't rise that much and each loaf ends up flat and not very fluffy. The method requires the dough to be leavened in the fridge for 12-24 hours. I've used hand-bake yeast that I activate before making the dough. What I have done so far:

add more sugar
make a small batch of dough with half the flour and no salt, then the next day mix it with more flour and salt
add less salt
leaven the dough for half an hour BEFORE it goes to the fridge
put the dough in the fridge straight away
leaven the dough for a few hours after it was taken out form the fridge
put the dough in the oven for half an hour on the lowest temp setting

None of these helped. Any ideas what have I done wrong?


texts: Effects of correcting partially mixed/kneaded dough with flour or liquid

texts:
Often, doughs (be it quickbread, enriched yeast bread or cake doughs based on these) turn out too dry or wet in home baking practice, be it by temperature issues, measurement imprecisions, properties of local ingredients, wrong assumptions.
 A typical response is adding liquid (same as originally added, or maybe even just milk or water if all available wet ingredient mix is already used up) or flour when discovering the problem.
 Since that means adding these ingredients into an already hydrated dough or even a partially built gluten structure, it is obvious that there will be differences in outcome vs a dough that has been mixed to a perfect ratio from the beginning.

What additions, in what amount/at what time in a mixing/kneading process, cause what change in final texture is confusing. Gross deviations in ratio are obvious (the dough is swimming/immersed in liquid, or sitting in dry flour, or falling apart because of layers of dry flour), my question is more about the range where a usable result is still made.

Are there documented experience values on WHAT these changes in outcome will be? On the other hand, can these effects ever be used for a textural advantage?


texts:
I've got a pasta sauce which I create from scratch. I currently add various ingredients like vegetables or tinned chopped tomatoes that come with some water. One of the steps in the recipe is to simmer away the vast majority of the water.

The issue is that the quantity of the water implies 4H+ simmer times.

Can a bigger pan affect the time taken to simmer, assuming all else is constant?

Edit: The previous pan was roughly the same size as the hob size. The new pan is a bit bigger.


texts:
I would like to pressure can grilled paprika, which is a traditional Bulgarian preserve and looks like this:

Normally this is done by grilling the paprika on very high heat for a short amount of time, after which the skin is removed and the paprika are put in a jar and topped with the juice and maybe water. The closed jar is then water bath cooked for 30-45min. The result is great and not mushy.

Until now, I have always canned them without a pressure canner, but now I want to switch to a pressure canner in order to alleviate the danger of botulism, even though the produce is skinned, to be on the safe side.

Since there are no official recommendations for canning already cooked / grilled paprika, which recipe should I choose? Will the end result be mushy, because of the higher temp? Or will it be similar to what I have done in the past with a water bath? How long should I put the jars in the pressure canner? I have different sizes of jars, but most are about 125-250ml in volume.


texts: How to avoid cooked pasta soaking up sauce when stored?

texts:
I often make up a box of pasta (dried) with some sauce that I make from leftover ingredients for work the next day. The sauce is always either tomato or cream cheese based.

By lunch the next day, the pasta has soaked up a good amount of the excess sauce that was previously filling the base of the box. Aside from storing the pasta and sauce in two separate boxes, is there anything I can do when cooking to avoid this happening? It does not appear to be a problem in supermarket ready meals.


texts: How does one calculate the nutrition of homemade yogurt?  I'm using 2% milk and a packet of yogurt culture.  Does anything change during cooking that makes the nutrition info of the final product any different than the milk I use?  Does yogurt culture have calorie, fat, carb, etc content?


texts: What differences are there between reconstituted dried mushrooms and fresh?

texts:
I'm new to the idea of cooking with dried (reconstituted) mushrooms and am wondering how they would differ from fresh when cooked.

Specifically, is the texture noticeably different?  What types of (cooked mushroom) dishes and cooking techniques are appropriate for dried vs. fresh?

Related questions: 1, 2


texts: UHT cream storage - temperature extremes

texts:
I buy canned Anchor brand butter, which is sent by road unrefrigerated where afternoon temperatures are around 29C, sometimes higher. On one occasion I received a can that had melted and was no longer usable as butter (though fine for ghee or whatever). I understand butter melts around 32C.
The local supermarkets, which I guess are air conditioned to around 22C sell unrefrigerated canned butter, and refrigerated UHT cream.
According to Anchor
https://www.anchorfoodprofessionals.com/us/en/products/cream/anchor-chefs-heavy-cream.html
For best results:

The product can either be stored ambient between 68°F and 77° or refrigerated between 36°F and 39°F.
Keep out of direct sunlight.
Rotate the stock regularly.
Anchor™ Chef’s Heavy Cream has a 9-month shelf life.
For optimal results, once stored in either refrigeration or ambient the product is to remain in that environment pre- and post usage.

That's 25C, which is definitely cooler than I'd expect to receive good sent by road, which might be 28-29C. That's for the US.
For SE Asia however
the carton seems to say
keep refrigerated

whereas the website says
https://www.anchorfoodprofessionals.com/sg/en/products/cream/whipping-cream/anchor-whipping-cream.html

Store unopened packs out of direct sunlight. Once opened, keep chilled at 2°C to 4°C and serve within 3 days. Check and rotate stock regularly.
Anchor UHT Whipping Cream is stored at 2°C to 4°C after manufacture and during international transport.

which kinda suggests it doesn't need to be refrigerated.
Some references say that UHT cream should be refrigerated for 24 hours before usage, which is fine. The question is at what ambient temperature will the product be permanently damaged? Most sellers seem slightly happier about sending canned butter than UHT cream, but I'm not sure if that is anything fundamental about the product, in that it would make more sense to have a lower melting point about butter, which is solid, compared to cream, which is already liquid


texts: using icing with buttercream to write with

texts: I am decorating a cookie for a wedding and packing them separate in a clear bag for a thank you gift.  I've used the instructions from the meringue container for icing but wanted to know if I could use butter cream with real butter, add the meringue powder and have crust up so the writing doesn't smear in the package but taste better than plain icing.


texts: Why do instructions for carving a chicken disregard the back?

texts:
Many instructions for carving a roast chicken don't mention doing anything with the meat on the back. For example, Mark Bittman in How to Cook Everything, describes how to cut the breast, leg, and wing from the bird, but doesn't say to do anything with the back (other than, presumably, to put it in stock). The back meat tastes perfectly fine to me, although it isn't a large pretty chunk like the other pieces.

Why aren't there instructions on how to carve it too? Should I serve up the back meat? Keep it for myself? Use it as a part of some other cooking?


texts: Is it possible to make pork belly very soft with a pressure cooker?

texts:
I recently bought a pressure cooker and I have been learning about all sorts of different ways to make things that I normally would slow cook faster with the pressure cooker.

However, a lot of forums I have read mentioned that a pressure cooker can't really speed up the process for breaking down the fat in the pork belly. I think what was mentioned was the heat needs to be very low whereas the pressure cooker allows you to cook at a higher heat.

Is this accurate? Is there any way to cook pork belly or other types of meat to be very tender?


texts: How do I translate microwave cooking instructions to fanless conventional oven instructions?

texts:
I have a microwavable meal which instructs me to (for a 800 Watt microwave oven) perforate film and cook for 3 minutes on full power, then remove the film and cook for a further 1 1/2 minutes.

Unfortunately I don't have a microwave.

How do I convert these instructions so I can cook my food in a normal (no fan) oven?

How long should I cook for?

What (UK gas mark 0-9) oven setting should I use?


texts: How does buttermilk affect a waffle recipe?

texts: A lot of waffle recipes call for buttermilk and some claim its addition makes superior waffles. Apart from thickening the batter and giving it a slightly acidic flavour, does its addition do anything else?


texts: I have had to buy a new freezer as mine broke last night, a new one will be delivered tomorrow morning, but I have to unplug it tonight. Will it be safe to put the meat in the new freezer possibly 10 hours after turning freezer off? Or should I just bin it all and go shopping? (I love to shop so that's fine...lol) I hope someone can help me. I am 37 yrs old, you would think I would have had to do this before but no! - lol


texts:
Just out of curiousity I planted some Chia seeds in a pot. Turned out they grow like crazy and seem pretty undemanding.

Now I also noticed that they smell quite nicely, a bit like basil and wondered if the leaves can be eaten. Like for a salad or as a herb, because it seems super easy to grow them. I acutally wondered why we can’t eat the leaves of way more plants (I know you can eat nettles when boiled).


texts: I was diagnosed as gluten intolerant but they said I could use Polish Wheat.  I was wondering if anybody knew where I could purchase this in the US?


texts: Can various fats be used as a strict substitute for pastry dough?

texts: If you take the three main  types of fats used for puff pastry. Lard, butter and margarine, can they be used interchangeable or is there caveats between the three? I found a nice recipe for puff pastry that uses butter but I want to use marge for a vegan option.


texts: I'm making some treacle toffee for tonight but think I've left it too late to cool naturally - will cooling it In the fridge affect the result too much, or just speed the process up nicely?


texts: I was wondering if anyone knew how to get rid of this burning sensation on my hands from some peppers that I chopped earlier this evening. I've washed my hands multiple times and it seems that I am unable to wash off the acid. Does anyone know of a technique to rid myself of this?


texts: We have a question about how to label things for the freezer in general, but that's for if you've managed to plan ahead. What if you have a bag in the freezer, already thoroughly frozen, so tape doesn't stick well and markers don't write well? What's a good way to label it at that point?


texts: Does toasting and grinding whole spice really improve curry flavor?

texts:
It seems to be common knowledge that "toasting is better" when it comes to spices. But the other day I noticed my toasted-and-freshly-ground coriander smelled pretty weak, and I ended up boosting the flavor with pre-ground stuff that packed a lot more "fresh" (citrusy, floral) flavor.

It got me thinking - is toasting really better? Cooking is full of pervasive myths, and perhaps this is one of them? If it turns out toasting can be beneficial, then which spices really need it, which only see some small improvement (and could be skipped), and which ones should not be toasted?

I found this long and interesting article that argues against toasting. My TL;DR summary:

Plenty of generations-old family recipes use raw (untoasted) spices. They know about toasting but have chosen not to for centuries.
One Indian cookbook says toasting helps dry out whole spices that have become damp during monsoon season, for easier grinding (not for flavor).
McGee says toasting "mellows" spices.
Essential oils are lost into the air, making a nice smelling kitchen (but less flavor for the food itself).


texts: How can I prevent my honey cake from splitting open?

texts:
I've made honey cake pretty often, and it almost always splits open in the middle. Why does that happen and how can I prevent it?

Edit: attaching a picture of the cakes I just made

Basic recipe (not so exact):

Ingredients
6   eggs
1   glass oil
2   glasses sugar
    Pinch of salt
4   teaspoons baking powder
1   cup coffee (glass of water + some instant coffee)
4   cups flour
4   Tablespoons brandy
    Pour in cinnamon - teaspoon+
1   pound honey
Directions

Mix first 3 ingredients. Add rest of ingredients besides honey and mix. Put in honey last – pour slowly as it mixes Bake for 1 hour at 350. Cover towards the end


texts: Can vinegar be used instead of alcohol in keeping sorbet soft/scoopable?

texts: I recently found a recipe (forgot the source) that called for white wine vinegar instead of strong liqour or sugar syrup to keep the sorbet soft and creamy. Would this actually work (is there something in vinegar that would have this effect)? If so, what vinegar would be best?


texts:
I've read in a few recipes, especially ones using gelatinous parts of pork like the head and trotters, that long rinsing under running water, and several changes of water soaking is called for.

Why is this?

Why does this practice seem to be unique to pork?

Thanks


texts: How to predict what the final result of a recipe will weigh?

texts:
I have a recipe for a mascarpone substitute. How much does that recipe make? I need a pound's worth, so I don't know if that will be a enough or is too much.

Here is the recipe:

1 16 oz block of cream cheese,
1/2 cup sour cream,
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream,

Blend until smooth


texts: Do products derived from coconut need to be kept cool?

texts:
I have something that's a mix of coconut oil and butter gee. How should I store it? It turned brick hard when I put it in the refrigerator. Here is a picture. UPDATE: I tried keeping it in the cupboard and it completely separated and liquefied :(

I also have something called coconut manna and am not sure if it should be refrigerated?


texts: Is there a practical difference between light and dark brown sugar? I ask because I've seen many recipes specify one or the other. Do they really behave differently in some way?


texts: Can I reuse an alginate bath for reverse spherification?

texts: Can I REUSE an alginate bath for reverse spherification? If I use a solution of alginate today, can I use the same solution next week? How should it be optimally stored? How long will it keep. How many "spheres" can be produced by a batch of alginate?


texts: Can you pressure cook whole fish and get soft bones without overcooking fish?

texts:
I want to cook whole fish in a soup and get the bones soft.  According to some answers pressure cooking will soften bones.  however by the time this has happened won't the fish meat be overcooked/tear off the bones?

How long should it be in a pressure cooker for and at what setting?


texts: How to get sour cream & onion potato chips flavor?

texts:
I've noticed that when eating common 'sour cream & onions' potato chips, there is a distinctive, cheesy-like flavour that distinguishes the chips.

What gives it this flavor? Is it simply MSG, or is there a way to achieve this using natural ingredients, such as black pepper, Worcestershire sauce etc?

To give more context, I am intending to use this in a home-made ranch dip.


texts: How can I prevent strawberries from discolouring cream?

texts: When I put strawberries onto a sponge covered in cream, how can I prevent the strawberries from discolouring the surrounding cream?


texts:
When you cook pasta, something you have to mix the pasta in the pan with olive oil and various ingredients. For example, in this recipe: http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/02/spaghetti-cacio-e-pepe/

Afaik, there are 4 grades of olive oil, which one should I use in this case?

I've heard that extra virgin olive oil have low boiling point, and the nutrient goes away upon high temperature. I have only a bottle of olive oil which is extra virgin olive oil. Should I use some lower quality olive oil?


texts: Best way to rehydrate dry black beans so the skins are not hard but beans are soft?

texts:
I have a recipe for rehydrating red beans that says you should boil them briefly (2 min) then soak them overnight (6-8 hrs) to rehydrate them so that the skins aren't hard.

Is this advisable? Is there a better option?
Does it make any difference?


texts: What is the white sauce of Domino's pasta made of?

texts: What is that made of? Can it be replicated at home?


texts: What kind of tray to I need for my combination oven?

texts:
Recently I moved into a new flat that has a Panasonic inverter NN-CT54JW combination oven in it. The instruction manual very clearly says that when being used in convection mode you need to use the included enamel tray. My issue is the microwave doesn't have an enamel tray in it and a previous tenant must have lost it. I've tried searching for new trays but they're all upwards of 60 pounds and I'm not paying 60 pounds for a lousy replacement tray.
I'm wondering if I really need some special enamel tray for this or if I can just get some form of baking tray or even something like this to replace it. After reading the instructions I feel like the only purpose of the tray is to reflect heat away from the glass turntable so as long as it's covered by something oven proof it should be OK shouldn't it?


texts: Can I use a fry sieve to steam vegetables in a pot? Does it work for the purpose of steaming collard greens? The pot lid doesn't seal when the sieve is in the pot.


texts:
I am trying to cook hamburgers in a 12" pan on my stovetop. I am attempting to replicate some hamburgers I have had at a "local" place around here (read: 1.5 hours away), where the burgers are not well-formed patties but kind've jagged patties that get nice and crisp and also are relatively thin and spread out, cooked by the burgermeister on a large commercial griddle.

My question is, what temperature should I use for with this type of burger? My thought is that I will roll out 1/3 lb balls of 80/20, flatten out on the pan with a spatula, roughen up a little, then let cook until done. At some point, I'll add some cheese (monterey jack or muenster, no comments on the cheese!).

What I'd like is a bit of meaty flavor, greasy of course, but also crunchy to a degree (but not a lot). Should I pre-oil my pan?

Thanks!
Jared


texts: How can I filter out unwanted particles in my chicken broth?

texts:
I often like to cook an entire chicken in water in a crockpot. After the chicken is done cooking, I remove all the meat and then throw the bones & organs back in, pour some extra water in, and let it sit for a day on "Keep Warm".

Now the only thing is that I find that there's some brown particles floating around that I'd rather not be in there. I do my best to clean out the chicken before putting it in, but I'm still not entirely trusting.

Anyway, how can I filter this stuff out to just leave me with a liquid broth?


texts: How to make gingerbread more moist and fluffy?

texts:
I have a gingerbread recipe (http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/gingerbread-loaf) I recently made with gluten free flour and honey instead of white sugar.  While it was somewhat moist I wanted to make it a bit more moist and fluffy. How can I make the recipe more moist and fluffy?

Also, I did some research and noticed that most other recipe's for gingerbread online have butter in them, the recipe I am using does not contain butter.  Will butter help to lighten and moisten the recipe?


texts: Is there something wrong with the corn kernels that don't pop?

texts:
Usually, at the end of a bag of popcorn, or when you pop your own on the stove, there is a certain number of kernels left unpopped. Why is that?

Is there something that changes in the kernels that makes them different from the others or are they the same, but the heat isn't distributed to them well enough?

Is there any way to make more of the kernels pop without burning the ones that popped first?


texts:
I got some soy milk on Saturday and it expires May 2017 (if unopened I presume). I went to open the fridge just now and I had a cup of tea with it no problems. I went to drink some now from the bottle and it has gone sour and tastes identical to normal cow milk when it goes sour. It smells like it too and has thickened. I have never had this happen before and I have bought soy milk for months. I am not sure how this happened. There is nothing I think that could've caused it. Some vinegar was put near the bottle?? Could that do something?
I always refrigerate it with no problems.


texts: What is the white residue on pots after cooking beans or lentils?

texts:
One of the most important maintenance items around the house is to keep the cooking pans in perfectly clean condition. I consider this to be by far the most important DIY item to stay healthy at home.

On occasion I find there is some particularly resilient residue.

The white layer you see in the picture has the habit of showing up after cooking beans or lentils. While boiling anything else, it's enough to make sure there is a reasonable amount of water left in the pot for it to remain easily cleanable, but beans and lentils leave this particular residue. This suggests that it is not caused by water hardness.

What is this residue and what is an effective way to get rid of it?


texts: How to understand the effect of individual ingredients of recipes?

texts:
I like cooking and I try different recipes from web/book. But I am not satisfied by just cooking using recipes, I want to understand what tastes individual ingredients bring to a recipe and what alternatives do I have for different ingredients of recipes that I cook so that I can experiment safely i.e replacing ingredients with there alternatives to produce slightly different taste or removing some ingredients altogether.

Is there any resource on the web that I can consult for this? I know I can learn this by experimenting and tasting individual ingredients but I need something that can give me a starting point upon which I can build my own knowledge.


texts: After purge mussels 6 time in salt water 20 mins each, why they still exude much grime?

texts:
I  buy mussels at Pusateri and Whole Food Market for a year in Toronto. They sell them on ice and dry, not in running water.

10 s this video, Bart teaches add salt to cold water and
soak for 20 mins. But I repeat 6 times...so 20 mins x 6 times = 120 mins of soaking!!! Mussels exudate less black grime every next time, but even after 6 times, water still has much black grime! See my pic under! Why? This happening for a year!

Part 2, Step 2 has GIF that shows you what I mean.


texts: Can you get sick from milk that's been heated at a high temperature?

texts:
If you have pasteurized milk that is steamed for lattes, could that end up making you sick?
The steaming seems to occur at a high temperature.


texts: What happens when I store coffee in the refrigerator?

texts:
Since I am the only coffee drinker in the house, I started making coffee a quart at a time and saving it in a mason jar in the fridge. I discovered this interesting thing. Starting with about the 3rd opening of the jar, when I warm up the coffee in the microwave and then add a spoon of sugar, a fine lace of foam rises to the surface, giving the coffee the texture of crema coffee. I assume something in the air (nitrogen?) is being dissolved into the chilled coffee and then brought out of solution.

Further, I think the coffee tastes smoother after it has aged a couple days. I don't have a great palate, but I suspect something is going on that is analogous to the binding of tannins in wine, but I have no idea.

Can anyone shed some light on this?


texts:
Straying from the printed recipe still makes me a little twitchy, so I ask you, gentle cooks (chefs?):

Can I safely double the cooking time? (In this case, it's a split pea soup, dried split peas - used 2 lbs instead of 1, and doubled everything else)

On a side note, the pot I picked is somewhat undersized for a double batch, as it turns out. The broth is nearly to the lip of the pot. Other than making sure it doesn't boil over during the simmer phase, is this a bad thing?


texts:
My wife will be making home-made vanilla ice cream with our ice cream machine tomorrow. To celebrate the holiday, we wanted to make it red, white, and blue ice cream: essentially a white base with red and blue spots or swirls.

We considered dropping in some food coloring, but we don't want to end up with a purple mess. We also considered adding chopped strawberries and whole blueberries to the mix, but we will be serving it over a variety of desserts, so those fruity additions might not go well.

Any tips for pulling off a successful red, white, and blue vanilla ice cream?


texts: How to convert a muffin/cupcake recipe to a large muffin recipe

texts:
I'm looking at the side of my "breakfast - O - meal" box at a recipe for 12 muffins. The kind you would use with a standard muffin tin. What kind of variation should can I use to make the recipe work in a larger 6 large muffin tin?

I tried this once before with corn bread muffins and they never seemed to be able to bake all the way though. Ideally I would like to try this with some other cupcake / muffin recipes I have too.

So what's the secret? Less liquid? More Egg? My underused large muffin tin needs to know.


texts: Does black tea have the highest level of caffeine? If so, why?

texts:
It's said that tea, in general, has lower levels of caffeine than coffee, and that black tea has more caffeine than green tea (which has more caffeine than white tea).

This suggests that the higher degree of fermentation of the tea, the higher the caffeine level. Is that correct? Does fermentation concentrate caffeine?

How is it that these teas, all coming from the same plant, have different levels of caffeine?


texts: when I first set the sauce to simmer, it's fine, but after simmering for 2 hrs. it's more tart than I like.  How can I counteract this tartness?


texts: If I double a bread recipe do I double the salt?

texts:
I think it was my mom who gave me the rule of thumb that when you double a recipe you double everything except the salt.
I'm willing to defer to her wisdom for the sorts of soups and stews she liked to make, but she didn't do much baking, and I never saw her make bread leavened with yeast.
I know salt and yeast aren't friends and I'm trying to double a rustic ciabatta recipe.


texts: What should I use for old recipes that call for 'buttermilk'?

texts:
Old-school buttermilk is the milk left after churning butter and is not today's 'cultured buttermilk'.

A recent answer to the question about what to use for 'sweet milk' mentions :

  Buttermilk was what was left after the soured milk had been churned and the butter removed. There were always small particles of butter left in it

For years I had assumed that skim milk was the best substitute (as it's milk with the fat removed), but this suggests that it's both soured and has a little bit of fat left (but not even close to homogenized).

Is there something roughly equivalent available today, or something that I can make to approximate old-school buttermilk without churning my own butter**?

** It also hints that today's 'sweet cream' butter is not the same as butter in the old days.  I don't know if 'cultured butter' might be closer, or a blend of cultured & sweet cream butters.

Clarification: I am not looking for a replacement for modern 'cultured buttermilk'.  I'm quite aware of the substitution for today's buttermilk when baking of using milk plus an acidic liquid, or of thinning yogurt.  It's possible that this is also a good substitute for historical buttermilk; if so, please acknowledge in your answer that you're aware that they're different.  If you've spent time on a dairy farm, please let us know if the dairy was using fresh or soured milk for their butter (because everything that I've found said that it was made with soured milk historically).

From The Settlement Cookbook (1945), in the discussion of dairy products (pp. 45-56):

  Cream is the fat that rises to the top of the milk if left standing.  For Whipping Cream, see page 498.
  Skim Milk is the milk left over after cream has been skimmed off.
  Buttermilk is the liquid left over after cream is churned into butter.
  ...
  Cultured Sour Cream and Buttermilk may be obtained from most milk dealers.

In this case, it doesn't specifically mention that soured milk is used, but I've seen other references from the late 1800s to early 1900s that said that butter was made from soured milk.  (and one of them would occasionally say 'new milk' instead of 'milk', suggesting that their use of 'milk' was sour milk or buttermilk.   I suspect that before refrigeration, it's quite possible that milk left to separate into cream would sour by the time it was finished.  They do mention in that same section:

  Sour Milk is valuable in cooking and may be obtained by keeping milk (preferably raw milk) undisturbed in a shallow covered pan at a temperature of 90° to 100°F. until it becomes thick and clabbered.  If it sours too slowly it becomes bitter.


texts: Sautéing vs Frying vs Caramelizing -- what's the difference?

texts:
What's the difference between sautéing, frying, and caramelizing?

When I cook chopped onions in a pan with oil until they are brown and have a slightly sweet taste, which of the above is the correct term for what I am doing?


texts:
(This is a follow-up of this question.)

I'm trying to bake a "frozen, stuffed pretzel". (Why? See previous question.) My first attempt (350°F for 35 minutes), however, was less than satisfactory; the filling seemed okay, but the pretzel shell did not cook through. I suspect that the frozen filling is the culprit?

Given how the previous attempt turned out, what would be a better way to try cooking these? Specifically, in what way(s) could I modify my approach so that the shell cooks evenly and all the way through?


texts: Will coated chicken fry up ok if not fried right away?

texts: Will coated chicken fry up okay after keeping in the frig for an hour?


texts: Raw meat or prepared food? Which lasts longer? - Short term

texts:
Let's say you buy all the ingredients for your meal. You choose a recipe which is using meat.
From the shop, you get raw grinded meat that is still good for a week. (label says so.)

Which will last longer?
A) The raw meat in the fridge (and prepare it when you want it.)
B) Prepare the meal, cool it down properly and put it in the fridge.
C) Freeze the meat and unthaw when you need it the next few days.

(C is an extra option, as I doubt it's a handy option if you just want to prepare the meal the next day or the day after that. But again, I couldn't find any evidence back anything up.)


texts: What are the coloured pieces inside cupcakes called?

texts:
I have been searching and searching online but can't get the answer. Inside cup cakes, without the frosting, you can find some coloured sweet pieces of "I am not sure what", but they look like pieces of hardened jelly.

What are they called?


texts:
How long can you store uncooked cut fries?  Tried to make some other day, didn't finish. Had quite a bit left over.....am currently storing them in water in refrigerator.  How long will they be safe to fry and eat? Or, can they?

Would estimate it's been at least 4-5 days.

Thanks


texts: How to avoid the sauce turning bitter when stir-frying clams?

texts:
In Malaysia and Singapore (and I believe in Thailand and Indonesia as well) the typical way to prepare clams is to stir-fry them with a bit of chilli and garlic. It's one of my favourite dishes when eating out at restaurants. However, every time I try to cook it at home the sauce (clam juice) turns out bitter (or at least much more bitter than at restaurants).

So, how do the restaurants do it? How to avoid the clam juice turning bitter?


texts: Any idea how I can facilitate the untwisting of this stuck salt shaker?  I was thinking an oil filter wrench but that may break it.  Should I try soaking it?


texts: Can you please suggest to me how to prevent rice from getting very small black coloured insects, they are really irritating us by spreading total house and bothering my little kid a lot. I am from Hyderabad, India.


texts:
I have come across a few recipes that envolve a mix of goat cheese, cream and other hard cheeses. They're called 'royale' for some reason. Can anyone define the term 'royale' in this context.
What makes a royale and if you use any other soft cheese aside from goat, is it still called a royale?


texts: How to remoisten sweetened coconut after opening?

texts: My Baker's sweetened coconut is not moist after being stored in the refrigerator. How can it be remoistened?


texts: Why do Chinese grocers advise cutting and discarding flowers in Chinese vegetables?

texts:
Many times when buying Kai Lan:

and Choi Sum

Chinese shop staff heartily say

  Cut flowers. Don't eat them. Flowers have insects.

Are they correct? How do the flowers harm you?
Were they referring to  pollinators that land on those flowers?


texts:
I have some liquid cream - it's a dairy product with a high fat percentage but thin enough to flow, you can make it into whipped cream by beating it (explaining due to different cultures and languages). It can be added to coffee but is mostly used in cooking pastry.

I used to have the habit of decorating my coffee by beating said cream and pouring or scooping it on top.

However I just discovered that something is wrong and maybe I can't get the whipping right but it ends either too thick and using a spoon I can only get it into lumps on the coffee and it looks ugly or if I beat it too thin it sits sort of mushy, while I would like to achieve a more eye-pleasing effect, maybe make a little top of swirl as I could easily do with whipped cream from a can.

I am looking for advice how I can achieve my goal without using whipped cream from a can (it has a whole different taste) or using a plastic bag to pipe it on.


texts: I recently ate a jerky with white mold on it (see below), I donot know if I should be okay with that? The mold grew on jerky because I placed it in a moist environment days before.


texts: What is the correct order to both marinate and velvet the meat?

texts:
Velveting a meat is a Chinese technique to coat meat with oil and egg whites and can prevent overcook. In the process, it needs to be left for about 30 minutes in refrigerator for the coat to apply then stir the meat in simmering water for about a minute. The meat then is ready to be used for anything else.

The problem is, I wanted to also marinate the meat in mixture of sauces, salt and pepper. When should I put the marinate into play? At the same time as the 30 minutes refrigerator? (That would make the meat not versatile to use in other dishes, as the sauce applied is specific to a dish I wanted to prepare.) or after the 1 minute stir? (I worried that this would somehow destroy the velvet effect, or not?)


texts: What is the shelf life of gelatin sheets?

texts:
Earlier this year, I found a package of gelatin sheets in my cupboard, which looked extremely old. I couldn't exactly tell how old, but the packaging mentioned a refund procedure with the refund price not in Euro, but what I think was either Dutch Guilders, or Belgian Francs, although the price was quite high, mentioning something around 200 of the currency. I assumed that this meant that the package predated the Euro, which meant it was over 10 years old.

I tried to use it in a recipe I learned in a cooking class, but the packaging was already completely broken, making the gelatin exposed to the air. The recipe wasn't that successful, with shreds of undissolved gelatin littering my chocolate mousse. I later was told that the only reason we used gelatin in the cooking class was because we didn't have enough time to properly set the mousse.

Does gelatin keep 12-13 years?


texts: Pressure cooking beans with salt and spices

texts:
I am trying to pressure cook beans. In order to to soeed things up eben further I add salt before cooking rather than after. While I know that salt toughening beans is an unsubstantiated myth there are still some ingredients that can make beans cook  slower like tomatoes, vinegar, etc.

The salt i am using is approximately 70% salt while the rest being curry mix with ingredients like several green herbs, turmeric, ginger, cumin, etc.

I have 2 questions about this:
1) Is there any reason why the non-salt part of my spice mix could slow cooking or reverse the effects of salt?
Any special spice to avoid that offset salt?
2) Is it alright to add spices BEFORE a session of pressure cooking? Any reason I should be concerned? Like taste, health or anything else?

Thanks a lot


texts: Chef at restaurant seemed to be using really flimsy pans

texts:
I was at a restaurant and sat at the chef's table where I could see the chef making the entrees.

He seemed to be using thin pans that were battered and dented. I couldn't tell what material they were (either alu or steel; they weren't copper), but they were thin and/or soft enough to be battered and dented.

Still, he was able to cook lamb, chicken, duck, and salmon without any burning or sticking. The pans were heated very hot and well oiled.

If anything, the thinness of the pans seemed to make heat transfer even easier.

This caused me to come home and look a bit askance at my heavy, all-clad, triple-ply cookware.

Are thin-pans totally usable and it's just all in the chef? This seems to upend my purchasing habits entirely.


texts: Found this knife in my Grandmother's collection. None of us can figure out what the semi-circle shape and slots are for (see attached picture).  Anyone have any ideas?


texts: What pasta sauces can I make that don't include cheese?

texts:
I've been making a fairly standard arrabbiata sauce for months, and I'd like to expand the number of sauces I can make.

However, many of these recipes involve cheese and/or milk, but I'm sadly lactose intolerant and would prefer to avoid these ingredients.

What others sauces could I be making, and what pasta should I use with them?


texts:
So, I'm on a brownie kick, and am currently playing around with baking batches of brownies in 9"x13" pans. I want each batch to yield 15 brownies (so I'm aiming for brownies that are around 3"x2.5") and I'd like them to look as presentable as possible (e.g. like these guys).

So far, I've read suggestions like:

use a warm blade, wiping it down after every cut
let the brownies cool in the pan until room temperature (~ 2 hours), chill in the fridge or freezer, then cut
use a plastic knife
forgo the entire process and bake in muffin tins.

Do any of the experts here have any time-tested advice? Or if people subscribe to any of the above methods, can they elaborate a bit more? For example, if you believe in the warm blade method, what type of blade would you suggest?

The brownie mix I'm using has chocolate chips in it if that helps anyone.