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Possible Duplicate:
  What should I look for in a good, multi-purpose chef's knife?

Hi guys

Just wondering what people consider to be the best Cooks knifes you can get?

I've been to a couple of shops and a lot of people are saying that you can't go past the Japanese Knifes... Specifically Kikuichi. The one I have had 3 different places try and sell me is the Kikuichi Gold Elite Damascus Gyuto 210mm - http://www.chefknivestogo.com/kigoelsugy21.html

So what do people think? Is this a good knife? For the money is there better out there?

Cheers
Anthony


texts: Can the Black and Decker toaster oven, model TRO55, be used for baking?

texts: On the cover it shows it can do baking, but when I read the manual it shows no option for baking. I am confused with the knob options. Can someone help please?


texts: Homemade mac and cheese always loses its creaminess and gets dry after sitting out a short while

texts: How do I keep the pasta from absorbing all the liquid?


texts:
I do understand how soda reacts with buttermilk but I do not know when. Does this happens during the baking process or does the reactions starts soon as they are mixed together?
The question i want to ask, if the time for mixing should be minimized to get higher rise during bake? Like do a quick dough with hands. Or its safe to leave it mixing in food processor?
or maybe its better to add soda later in mixing process?


texts: When cooking steak on my grill it seems that even at a steady temp of 350 Degrees F and for 20 minutes the steak seems to change in the way of texture. I get my meat from the same Hanaford and I always get the 1 Inch cut. So what makes a moist steak. Does it have to do with the weather outside when I'm grilling?


texts: Does it make sense to parboil spare ribs before you roast or grill them?

texts: I was thinking about doing it as a time saving device - any recommendations?


texts: Temperature gradients in boiled/baked eggs?

texts:
In my Science of Cooking class, we were asked to do a lab involving hard-cooked eggs using two forms of convection heat, dry (in the oven at 450 degrees) and wet (boiling water). For both the boiling water and oven, we were told to use three eggs. Take 1 egg out of the water (and oven) after 5 minutes, then again at 10, then again at 15.. shocking each in an ice water bath.

We found that, as a rule, the boiling water was a more efficient way of cooking the egg.

One of the questions in the assignment is: "Compare the temperature gradients you observed in the two methods. Which of the methods produces the most pronounced gradient?"

Can someone please explain this question to me?


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A quiche that I've made for years with no problems is now seeping a ridiculous amount of liquid. The ingredients include bacon, shredded swiss, onion (small amount, finely diced), eggs, half and half, salt, pepper and cayenne. I've made it the same way for ages so the fact that it is now so wet is a puzzle. I blind bake the crust but with the amount of liquid that is seeping, it isn't helping. Just to get an idea of the amount of liquid that I'm dealing with, I made a small version in an 8" oval baker and did not use a crust. After taking out a small portion (about 1/4), I let the dish sit and within 20 minutes I had 2-3 tablespoons of liquid pooling on the bottom of the dish.

What on earth am I doing wrong?


texts: Store meat in marinade or after cooking (for taste)

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Let's assume that cooking time is to be ignored. And storing marinade to give it time to "work itself" is not part of the process.
From a taste perspective would it be better to marinade for it maximum time (let's say a day) then cook it and store it till next day to be reheated.
OR
Marinade meat for shortest time possible (let's say 15 minutes), cook and store for two or three days?
On one hand we have marinade that have longer time to interact with surface of the meat making "different" coating around the meat during cooking. On the other hand we have much more marinate taste in the dish that further react with cooked meat during storage.
My question come from meal prepping. Would it be better to store ready meals for 5 days or to have ingredients prepared in advance and spend just few minutes cooking before each day.
I'm ignoring argument that preparing fresh each day allow me to differentiate each meal.
Additional info: let say the main meat is pork in fine cuts for searing and stir-frying. Chicken for oven-baking (but I usually store it after with some veggies and rice to keep the moisture in).
Edition: By "marinating" after cooking I had in mind keeping the meat in the sauce that is created.


texts: Why don't they sell frozen tomatoes like other frozen vegetables and fruits?

texts:
Why aren't frozen tomatoes available like frozen broccoli, peas, peaches, or strawberries? Why are tomatoes only canned or fresh?

Example: http://www.peapod.com/search_results.jhtml?searchText=frozen+tomatoes


texts: I've been making chicken soup for decades, but today I'm in a little bind. I have two large enough chicken thighs with bone in. How much water and broth should I use?


texts: What can I use for a Crème brûlée if I don't have a blow torch?

texts: I've always wanted to make a Crème brûlée but I don't have a blow torch to burn the top with. Is there anything else I can use to get that nice crunchy caramel on top?


texts: What type of chocolate is used for molding?

texts:
I failed to melt chocolate bars in order to make chocolates in mold. I tried twice using water bath and microwave but it wasn't as runny as I had expected but much like paste. When I continued heating it, it was broken, becoming like cookies dough.
Was it due to the type of chocolate I used?
By the way, what should I do with broken chocolate?
Thank you for your help.


texts: What can I substitute in patties that require one cup quick cook oats for absorption when I am making them gluten free. Is there something other than oats?


texts: I froze some soft tofu cause it was halfway to expiration and I didn’t need it for a bit. I took it out to make mapo tofu and you usually simmer the tofu in warm water for a bit before you cook with it. So I did that then strained it and left it in the strainer while I assembled all the other ingredients. When I came back the tofu cubes I had cut were all completely flat. What happened?


texts: What is the purpose of adding oil when cooking scrambled eggs on non-stick pan?

texts:
Today I had… hard conversation with my girlfriend whether to use or not oil (semi refined sunflower) when cooking scrambled eggs on a non-stick pan.

My point is that there is no reason for oil, because coating of the pan will prevent eggs to stick. Was I right or adding oil is essential for some other reason than prevention eggs to stick?


texts:
I recently signed up for America's Test Kitchen Cooking School and followed their directions for poaching eggs.  I brought my water w/ vinegar & salt to a light simmer, removed it from the heat, and gently added the raw eggs at the same time.  I covered and left it for 5 minutes, saw they were a bit feathery, gave them an extra minute before removing them, and found that they were still feathery and a bit undercooked.

My guess is that they need more time or persistent heat since I'm at higher altitude (mile high in Colorado), but I'm not sure.  Should I keep the heat under the pan?  Should I keep the eggs in longer?  Maybe both?


texts: What factors lead to rich crema on espresso?

texts: I love espresso, especially when it has a rich crema (the head that forms on top of a well made shot). I notice that some cafes produce this consistently while others never have more than a wisp on top. Which of the many factors that go in to pulling good espresso shots specifically contribute to the crema?


texts: New to sous vide and not having any luck

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Tried a pork loin that had been well marinated. Cooked it at 140 for 3 hours. Was very tender and did not have any character and no taste of marinade.
Next try was chicken tenders. Cooked at 140 for almost 2 hours. Used it for Orange Chicken. It was very tender and kind of like eating tofu with orange sauce.
Third try was a marbled beef chuck roast. Put salt, pepper and onion powder on before vacuum bagging it. Cooked for 48 hours at 135. Seared in oil in cast iron pan on all sides. Was very tender but not falling apart. Did not taste like a roast.
My wife thinks I wasted money on sous vide. Everything I read raves about everything cooked this way, but we have not experienced that.. What am I doing wrong?


texts: How do I remove my KitchenAid attachment?

texts:
My KitchenAid attachment appears to be stuck. I attempt to push up to remove the dough hook and it does not budge one bit. I am thinking I'm either doing something completely wrong or there's some way to get it unstuck!

Any advice?


texts: What is the purpose of proofing dough in several stages

texts:
I've seen several recipes for various doughs that have several (usually 2) stages of proofing.

Start by just letting the dough to rise in a bowl.
Separating the dough into the desired number of pieces, set the requested form/shape, and let the dough rise again.
Bake.

I've even seen a recipe for pizza dough where you are supposed to just hit the dough after the first stage of rising and leave it in the same bowl. Then, after a second stage of rising, form the dough into pizza form.

What is the purpose of separating the proofing into several steps, and what would be the difference between this and just one longer rise period, where the portions are separated and shaped before or after the longer rise time?


texts: Why are we not generally using egg in Buckwheat crêpe (or galette) but only in Wheat Flour crêpe?

texts: I was doing so research over the internet to know why egg are typically use in wheat flour crêpe but not in Buckwheat crêpe. Is there's a reason for it or it is just a simple question of recipe ?


texts: Is it possible to make "finely ground corn flour"?

texts:
https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/crunchy-cheese-puffs

I'm a beginner DIY-er homecook who would like to make everything I eat without setting foot in a supermarket.


texts: How can I make homemade tofu more flavorful?

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Background: My wife (for some unknown reason) bought a huge bag of dried soy beans. In my efforts to dispose of it I have been experimenting with making soy milk and tofu.

Tofu has a bad reputation for being overly bland. It struck me how tofu making is identical to cheese making except with soy milk. As such I wondered if I could flavor tofu the same way cheese is flavored: salt, fermentation, additives, etc.

I tried adding salt after the curd was drained but before it was pressed. This helped a little but I found I had to add a lot more salt than I do for cheese to taste the difference.

I added quite a bit of smoked peppers at the same time and could only barely taste it at all.

1- Is this a valid approach and I should just add a lot more of my flavoring agents?
2- Are there other flavoring agents that will present themselves more forcefully (and pleasantly) in tofu?
3- What easily accessible bacteria would be able to ferment soy curd in a pleasant way?

** Edit to clarify per comments below **

It is true that marinating tofu is the traditional way to infuse flavor. Marinating seems to only penetrate very shallowly. I want to see if I can introduce flavors that are spread homogeneously through the curd so I can use the tofu in non-traditional applications.


texts: What temperature is the "warm" setting on a conventional oven?

texts: I'm making a rack of pork ribs and I want to try and cook them as low and slow as possible, with time not really being an issue. Just wondering if the warm setting is enough to do the trick. I'm cooking the ribs from frozen, with two cups of water in a covered pan and some liquid smoke.


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I have a custom made charcoal spit and I've done a whole pig on a spit at least 10 times, so I have some experience doing this thing, however, this will be my first year cooking a sturgeon, or any fish for that matter, on a spit. I need help with and how long to cook it for.

The spit automatically rotates 3.5 rotations/minute. I plan on wrapping the whole fish in wire... will that be enough or will it be too tender/start falling apart? I'm also worried about overcooking it and making it too tough. Any other advice?


texts:
After some furious brainstorming in The Frying Pan, I recently prepared some hors d'oeuvres for a group of friends. These snacks were meant to include a thinly sliced boiled egg element. Unfortunately I found that I did not have a technique that reliably produced egg slices at my desired thickness.

My Technique

I boiled the eggs and placed them in an ice bath. I shelled them and placed them, one at a time, on  my cutting board (leaving the remaining eggs in the ice bath.) I was hoping the time in the bath--about 15 minutes--would be enough to firm the eggs to aid in slicing.

I drew a sharp, honed blade (6" chef's knife that I use for pretty much all of my prep) across the egg and essentially tried to freehand it. The results were tasty and they were fine for my friends but I would have really liked them to be more uniform.

I did try wiping my blade between slices and this helped a little, but the biggest problem I was having was the change in consistency between the white and the yolk. The knife would hit the yolk and it would sort of drag or turn. I tried a few different grips and I ended up just kind of clawing it.

Alternate Ideas

For next time, I have considered trying to freeze the boiled eggs and letting them thaw slightly before slicing. Something in my gut tells me that frozen hard boiled eggs won't be good eats. It seems like the texture would be changed.

I have read about using dental floss to make a clean cut... but I don't see how that would help here. Is there some magical dental floss technique that I'm just not envisioning?

Some quick Googling also lead me to the idea of wetting my knife or adding oil before each cut. I really feel like the problem is the egg itself and it's awkward shape and consistency. But maybe there's something to this advice after all?

Results

As you can see below, I ended up with some small guys and some fat guys. They were tasty, but I WANT PERFECTION!


texts: Time estimate for reaching 155F for baking 9lb Turkey breast?

texts: I have a 9lb turkey breast to bake. I've learned that I want the internal temp to register between 155-165 on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast when it's done.   Anyone know approximately how long that might take and what the best temp is? I've read about people baking turkey breast anywhere from 325F to 425F and can only imagine that much variability in baking temp would certainly affect the cooking time. Thanks!


texts: (How) can I store and cook leftover rice so it isn't soggy?

texts:
My wife and I like Asian meals (Curry, Niku Jaga, et cetera) and without fail we tend to make more rice than we need.

I would encourage her to cook less rice, but a preferable solution would be to use the rice with the meal - since we tend to have leftovers anyway, and it would be more convenient to cook the amount of rice needed to go with the meal and leftovers.

However, rice in the microwave always comes out either soggy, grainy, or both at once.  This is hardly appetizing, and I suspect the reason for it is an improper method of storing leftover rice.

Normally we simply put the rice in a plastic Tupperware container in our refrigerator and then microwave it when we want to use it.  Is there a better way to store or cook our leftover rice so that we don't wind up with soggy, unappetizing rice leftovers?


texts: Is it bad to eat cheese after its expiry date?

texts: I accidentally ate some packaged shredded cheese without knowing its expiration date. It expired in December and it is now February. it tasted fine, and it wasn't moldy. will I be okay? or should I worry about being sick? if so, how long would it take for me to get sick?


texts:
Can I lay foil over the dough in a loaf pan, to contain moisture like a dutch oven?

I've practiced using cast iron dutch oven baking, but this time I would like to use a loaf pan, so I can cut the bread evenly.


texts: Substitute for baking soda low low sodium for baking

texts: Need a substitute for baking soda- on strict low sodium diet in baking


texts:
I've made some coconut yoghurt from powdered coconut milk, tapioca flour, maple syrup and a spoonful of store-bought yoghurt. The mixture (apart from the old yoghurt) was simmered for a while, and the utensils had boiling water run over them from the kettle - except, come to think of it, the spoon used for the old yoghurt.

I left it for 24h in an incubator. It has a good consistency, but it has a pinkish patch and some yellow on top. The pink patch has a slight stringyness to it. I removed that part and gave it a stir and now it looks great, but I'm suspicious of it.

Has it spoiled?


texts: Does sauteing onions produce alcohol or something similar to alcohol?

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I came up positive on test for alcohol after eating sautéed onions.

SCRAM bracelet recorded alcohol in my system from 5 pm to 7 am. I did not drink alcohol, or use alcohol to make the onions. I read on another site about how cooking process of making sauteed or grilled onions can produce glycerol from the onion sugar and the heat from cooking. Glycerol is actually two alcohols.

Could the onions have caused this?


texts: How much salt does pasta absorb compared to rice?

texts:
Apparently if you cook both pasta or rice in salty water both will absorb salt.  It seems to me the salt changes the taste of the pasta more than it changes the taste of rice though I could be wrong, so I would imagine pasta absorbs more salt.

Which of the two would absorb more salt and how much more salt would be absorbed?  I'm looking to make more saltier pasta or rice by way of absorpton rather than sprinkling salt at the end.


texts: Acidity level not increasing when fermenting cauliflower

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I am currently part way through my first attempt at vegetable fermentation. Today marks the 4th day of fermenting some cauliflower, and things seem to be doing okay, I have some bubbles and no sign of any mould though it does smell a bit funky, though I think this is normal, it is a bit of a strong cauliflower smell.

My question is around the pH levels in the fermentation, I have read the usual beginners scare stuff about botulism, and that it isn't anything to be too concerned about, but for peace of mind, if your ferment reads at 4pH or lower you can be rest assured there isn't any botulism in your ferment.

However my ferment is currently reading at around 6pH and has been this way since I started it. Another thing I read about preventing botulism was that if you have enough lactobacillus bacteria, these guys will outcompete anything else in there, killing any nasties that might be trying to gain a hold on your veggies.

So I guess my question is, is the presence of fizzyness in the form of the bubbling (opening the jar is a bit like opening a fizzy bottle, and I have been burping the jar fairly regularly), evidence that there is good growth of the 'good' bacteria, meaning absence of any bad? And is 4 days too early to be hung up about acidity level, or should it have dropped to something lower by now?


texts: Ideal pan temperature for frying meats (kangaroo, chicken etc.) using IR thermometer?

texts:
I've recently bought a Thermoworks IR thermometer. I'm hoping to use it with my pan when frying meats, to get more ideal temperatures.

There's plenty of content online about what the internal temperature of the food should be (e.g. http://www.thermoworks.com/blog/2010/10/chef-recommended-tw-approved/).

However, there doesn't seem to be anything online on what actual quantifiable temperature the pan should be (it's all very unscientific - e.g. hold your hand over the pan, does it feel hot? Can you hold it there for 3 seconds?)

I know that the actual number will probably depend on a number of factors (e.g. type and cut of meat, equipment etc.). However, it'd be good to get a rough idea of the range for the pan's surface temperature I should be aiming for.

The pan I have is a Scanpan non-stick pan, reasonably thick (similar to http://www.amazon.com/Scanpan-Professional-12-5-Inch-Fry-Pan/dp/B000NI6DMS), and I'm using grape-seed oil.

The meats I'm frying are things like kangaroo burger patties (http://gourmetgame.com.au/products/kangaroo/), or chicken breast pieces.

Would 250 C be too hot? Lower?

How about frying eggs?

(I wish there was a table, like there was for internal meat temperatures...haha).


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I have been making the same cheesecake for some time.  It is a New York style.  I use premium ingredients and it always tastes great.
This is a recipe that my mother always used.  The difference between ours is that I have cracking on the top.  The cracks are not insignificant; when it happens, it is in the shape of a T, it stretches about 5 inches by 5 inches long, and it runs deep.
How can I prevent this? I remember my mom saying to be careful when it's in the oven, to walk lightly.  I am careful to do that.
Are there any other surefire suggestions?


texts: How do you get a poached egg to coagulate evenly and professionally?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How should I poach an egg?

How do you make a poached egg without it getting all messy when you break the egg into a pot of boiling water?  I find that it is hard to get the egg to coagulate cleanly and evenly when making poached eggs. Someone suggested using balsamic vinegar which helps a little bit but the vinegar is messy in itself. I have also tried putting the egg into a special poached egg pod, but it is hard to get the egg out.


texts: How to get the pits out of clingstone peaches for peach butter

texts:
I'm making peach butter.  The recipe I have uses the skin on the peaches (you put the peaches in a blender, put them in the slow cooker with sugar and spices, then use an immersion blender at the end to blend it all again).  Unfortunately the peaches I got are clingstone.  And they are small (like tangerines maybe), but the flavor is really good.  If I just roughly chop the peaches and throw them into the slow cooker (pits and all), will the peaches eventually cook away from the pits, making it easy to remove them?  Or will cooking the pits give off a yucky (bitter) flavor and taint the peach butter?  Or is there a super simple way of removing the pits in clingstone peaches?  Thanks.  :)

Update 20 May:  I forgot to mention that the peaches were about the size of plums.  Of course a little more challenging.  I ended up cutting chunks off with a paring knife and was able to get pretty close to the pit.  Of course it was really messy, especially with the much riper ones!  All the peaches have been blended and are in the crock pot slowly turning into peach butter!  Next time I ask someone else to get me a ton of peaches, I'll make sure to specify freestone!  :D

Update 21 May:  I came home to a disgusting smell and mess in my slow cooker yesterday.  I guess the temperature was too hot (it was on low) and it all burned into a horrible mess.  I only had three ingredients in the slow cooker.  $40 worth of peaches, 2 1/2 cups brown sugar, and 1/4 cup homemade vanilla extract (bourbon and vanilla pods).  It was on for five hours overnight and looked great in the morning but it was still very thin (in fact it seemed thinner than the night before), so I left it on low while I went to work.  I was gone eight hours and came home to a gross looking and smelling mess.  Unfortunately I don't seem to be able to attach a picture. :(


texts: Why did apple filling in the pie turn to mush?

texts:
I'm not talking about the crusts. Those came out fine.

But the fruit of my apple pie came out dark brown without any crunch at all. They turned to mush, like a thick pudding or sauce.

I used 2 pounds of Granny Smith apples sliced thinly, 3 teaspoons of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon allspice, 0.25 teaspoon salt, 0.25 ground nutmeg, 0.25 teaspoon kosher salt, 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons ground Saigon cinnamon, and 0.75 cups of sugar.

I didn't cook the apples on a pan, just mixed the apples with the sugar and the flour and allspice and stuff and let it cook in the pie in the oven for 90 minutes(the first 30 minutes at 375 degrees and the 60 at 350 degrees.


texts:
Usually whenever I bake I substitute milled flaxseeds + water for eggs, soy milk for milk, and margarine for butter. This isn't a problem when the sweet gets most of its flavor from other ingredients such as carrot cake, nut-based cakes, and pies. However whenever I try to make something which contains a large bread-like element, such as kolaches, the dish comes out tasting mediocre.

Is there any way I can make the dough taste richer using only vegan ingredients?


texts:
I recently watched the movie "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," and noticed that Jiro was always brushing some sort of liquid onto the sushi, but I can't figure it out.

My hypothesis is that it's either some sort of oil (sesame, olive, etc.) or maybe a vinegar of sorts, but I have no idea.


texts: Whenever I have to peel potatoes, I spend much of the time fighting the slippery, just-washed potatoes and keeping them from shooting out of my hands...what's a good way to peel potatoes more efficiently/easily?


texts: How long will spaghetti and meat sauce last in the refrigerator?

texts:
Today, I accidentally forgot that I had brought my lunch in - leftover spaghetti noodles and a meat sauce (sauce from a jar, meat cooked fresh and added to the sauce) that we had last night. They are in separate containers.

I'm going on an anniversary trip with my wife this weekend, so this lunch will be left in the office fridge for the next three days - one of which is a work day where people will be putting things in and taking things out of the fridge, but I won't be there.

Will my spaghetti and meat sauce lunch, that was cooked on Thursday, put in the company fridge Friday (today), and will be left in there until Tuesday (four days) still be safe to eat?  Or should I toss it when I get back?


texts: Is there a way to infuse roasted coffee beans with different flavors?

texts: I would like to be able to grind my own flavored coffee beans - hazelnut, French vanilla ect.. However, I don't want to buy the coffee beans that are already flavored but would rather try to recreate the infusion method at home. Does it involve soaking the beans, for how long, at what temperature.....


texts: Can I leave cauliflower florets in batter overnight for making Gobi Manchurian?

texts:
So I have this potluck party coming up tomorrow and I am supposed to bring an Indo Chinese version of these dishes - Gobi Manchurian and Veg Hakka Noodles! Since I am the only one who will be doing all the cooking myself for 10-15 people, I want to work out few things overnight so that tomorrow morning I am not stressed out by the scale and volume and can be ready in time with my dishes for lunch!

So what I really want to figure out is what happens to Gobi aka Cauliflower florets if I leave it on batter overnight and just deep fry the next morning! Will it retain the crunch and flavours required for Manchurian or will it become gooey and spread apart. I have left chicken overnight and fried it the next day but I am really not sure about this. Any suggestions??


texts: How do I choose the best nonstick pan or coating, for high heat on an electric cook top?

texts:
After reading Nonstick Pan Ruined in High Heat? and Why did my Zwilling Aluminium pan cookware surface corrode just after 1 month?, I'm still afraid of accidentally buying shoddy non stick coating or pan , damaging it, and wasting money.
What are some tips or advice to choose the most reliable, durable non stick coating or pan? Are there any keywords or chemicals to look for or avoid? I'm using this pan just on my Frigidaire 30" electric induction cook top, not inside the oven.


texts: What is the optimal way to remove salt from cooked meat?

texts:
I want to remove salt from marinated chicken thighs. What would be the most effective way to do this "reverse brining", if flavour does not matter?
I have seen these two questions:
How deeply will the flavors in a brine penetrate chicken? and How does rub or marinade actually seep into meat?
It seems like small molecules like salt penetrate throughout the meat, whereas larger molecules like food colouring stay on the surface. Since my main goal is to remove salt, would soaking or boiling the meat be most effective? I assume cutting the meat up smaller or even grinding it up will speed up the process, but with small quantities I would prefer not to have to break out the meat grinder. Also, the meat is fully cooked. Do changes in the protein affect how (much) salt can be drawn out of the meat?


texts: Is there a way to make falafel without deep frying?

texts: I see in this video how the falafel balls are fully submerged in oil. Are there other ways (e.g. baking) to prepare the falafel balls after the balls are formed? Note: I do not ask for recipes.


texts:
As a programmer, I'm used to have a lot of online books for learning about almost everything.

I'm sure that there are some cookbooks hidden in the web... but I've found just a few of them...

I know that there are a lot of great websites teaching cooking skills and collecting recipes (and my RSS reader is always exploding with great tips and recipes), but sometimes I prefer to have a whole book in my (virtual) shelves...

So I thought we could create a list of available online free cookbooks, like the programming books one on stackoverflow.


texts: How do I convert a British biscuit recipe to a moister American style cookie?

texts:
I've got a triple choc biscuit recipe from my British mother. She's noted that it's a dry biscuit as it's meant to be enjoyed with a cup of tea.
My partner enjoys American style moist cookies. She prefers the gooey texture it provides.
I was wondering how I would convert the recipe to make my dry biscuits into gooey cookies?
The dry ingredients are cocoa, Sr flour, sugar, choc chips.
The wet ones are eggs, vanilla extract, butter, cooking chocolate melted.


texts: I'm trying to make homemade Tootsie rolls, and the recipe calls for 1 1/4 cup of instant non-fat dry milk powder, which I don't have. Is there any way I can substitute regular milk for this? If so, do I use the same amount?


texts: Are there any vegetarian-friendly egg substitutes that can be used in cakes?

texts: I spent about 2 1/2 years as a lacto-ovo vegetarian but, I gave up eggs in October. The problem is that I really like cake. Unfortunately, the cake recipes that I've found that don't use eggs produce very dense cakes. Is there a way around this?


texts:
I've had an Xbox cake made for my son, but they made it white and I wanted it black. It can't be remade, because it's too late.

Can I do anything to dye it black?

I was thinking about brushing black food colouring on it but I think it will go grey and ruin the icing.


texts: Could a non-bitter eggplant become bitter after cooking?

texts:
I've seen a couple of questions here, that touch the issue of aubergine bitterness:

How do you make sure aubergine doesn't go bitter when cooking?
Rubbing eggplants in salt

But nobody writes about the connection between the taste of a raw and a cooked eggplant. (Do not be afraid to taste a raw eggplant - it's not poisonous, you would have to eat 36 raw eggplants to cause any harm.)

So, if you chew a small bit of a piled eggplant before cooking, and it does not taste bitter, is that a guarantee that it will not taste bitter after cooking?


texts: Is it safe to place raw beef on the same surface that a full raw chicken has been on? I intend to roast the beef but I'm wondering if I should take any precautions?


texts:
I have a Morphy-Richards bread-baker which is about 30 years old. It still works fine, but the latest bread I baked is brighter than usual. I use whole wheat flour, so the bread is usually browny, but now its color is more near white.

Is the bread edible in this situation, or is it still unbaked?
Does it mean that my bread-baker is no longer strong enough for baking, and I should replace it?


texts: How do you get a sear on chicken breast without overcooking it?

texts:
Since chicken breast does not have much fat, it can overcook (and thus get dry) very quickly in the temperatures required for a sear. Therefore I always end with either flavorful (but dry) chicken, or juicy (but flavorless) chicken.

What is the way to get the best of the both worlds, which is to have browned chicken that is juicy and moist?*

*No sous vie please


texts:
So I was about to sear some steaks in my trusty cast iron skillet tonight, when upon pouring a couple tablespoons of avocado oil, it burst into flames. Having read about how to put out grease fires, I covered the pan with a lid and turned off the electric burner, extinguishing the flame, and transfered the skillet to the garage (the door is 3 ft from the stove) to minimize the amount of smoke in the house.

Even though this all happened well within a minute, the smoke alarm went off, and the two wood cabinets above the stove turned grey from the smoke. So my question is twofold:

How should I clean the cast iron after such a fire? It's got some sticky residue on it (burnt oil?), but otherwise seems fine.
How do I clean the soot (?) off of those cabinets? I tried using a little vinegar and some elbow grease, but basically nothing happened.


texts:
I really like the idea of cooking steak using sous vide. However, I am very wary of heating food up together with plastic, and then eating the food, as I believe that at high temperatures, chemicals from the plastic will leech into the food. *

Is there an alternative to plastic bags for sous vide?

The requirements for the new type of container must be that it is airtight, waterproof, and of course able to withstand heat.

Call me paranoid, but I do believe this to be the case - and I do not want to ingest these chemicals


texts: How do I cook chicken and asparagus over an open fire?

texts:
I have some chicken breasts and some asparagus that I want to cook tomorrow whilst we're out camping for midsummer.

The fire will have a grate over it probably.

Is it better to wrap the food in foil to prevent it being touched by open flame? How can I make sure the chicken doesn't get too burned on the outside whilst being cooked on the inside?


texts: Do I need to thaw fish before steaming it?

texts: Can I thaw fish during steam cooking or is it better to leave the fish the night before in the fridge?


texts: How to address this burnt sugar conundrum

texts:
Some Caribbean recipes, such as this Jamaican oxtail stew, ask for browning sauce, which is essentially burnt sugar:

  Heat a large Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Add brown sugar to pot and melt, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it darkens and starts to smoke — about six minutes. When sugar is nearly black, add 2 tablespoons boiling water. (It will splatter.) Stir to mix.

This does add a lot of smokey-sweet flavour, nice bitterness, and rich dark brown colour to the stew, which I'd like to keep. However, this also results, after a couple of hours on the stove, in the bottom of the pan being covered by what amounts to charcoal that's almost impossible to clean by non-abrasive means.

Since the recipes also often include acidy ingredients, I'd prefer to use enamel pots instead of stainless steel, which makes cleaning the burnt sugar residue without damaging enamel a multi-day challenge.

Is there a trick for removing burnt sugar from enamel surfaces? Alternatively, how can I achieve the browning sauce effect without it sticking to the pot?


texts: Which cuts of beef are suitable for slow cooking methods?

texts: If I want to simmer or braise a piece of beef for a few hours, how do I choose suitable meat? Which of the usual cuts are great, which are adequate, and which ones will just turn tough? It would be great if you could, beside giving a list of the good cuts, also give some advice on visually recognizing the good meat, in case I am faced with a supermarket selection with no labels (or misleading labels) and no qualified personnel.


texts: Why did my banana catch fire in the microwave?

texts: Wow, that sounds like a silly question, but really! My wife froze bananas in the freezer with the peel still on. You can't peel them frozen. I put it in the microwave for one minute at 50% power. After 30 seconds the thin end of the peel (where a bunch connect to each other) was on fire, with a visible flame (about the size of a lighter). What on earth happened?


texts: Are there low-fat substitutes for shortening in baking?

texts: My husband has just had stints put into his heart and is now on a fat/salt/sugar diet.  I do all the cooking and enjoy making things from scratch.  I am trying to adjust my recipes for his new diet.  Shortening is used in rolls, biscuits, cakes, etc. (you get the idea) what can I use in place of shortening?  I need something that will not be greasey or tasteless.  I do not mind if I have to use a different ingredient for different applications (sweets, breads, etc.)  I just need a way to make the food compliant with the prescribed diet without losing flavor.


texts: Brewed vs regular soy sauce : phytochemical content

texts:
I love soy sauce, but I'm trying to minimize my consumption of phytochemicals.

Is there any difference between "brewed" and "regular" soy sauce as far as their phytochemical content?


texts:
We were given about 8 lbs of frozen goose breasts in a bag. I would think we can defrost it and will then have to cook all of it; slow cooker to be the best option.
Is there a method of cooking this goose? as I understand it needs to be cooked a long time to be tender. Can this be refrozen afterwards into smaller packages. We were thinking about cooking this for Christmas.

EDIT - The goose is skinless


texts: I read about weighing coffee to the 0.5 gram, but what's the margin of error for a typical 5kg/11lb kitchen scale?


texts: English Translation of Gastronomie Pratique

texts: I was reading Julia Child's autobiography, and she mentioned that she loved the book Gastronomie Pratique by Ali-Bab. It's apparently a classic compendium of French cooking recipes and techniques. Does anybody have a particular translation they recommend?


texts: Gnats were in my bag of potatoes; can I still cook and eat the potatoes?

texts: There are some holes in my plastic package of potatoes. Gnats got into them (maybe 20 or so) and were buzzing in and out of them until I shoed them away. Can I still either bake or boil the potatoes and eat them?


texts: How do I make sure that the meat cooks well and yet stays juicy on a bbq?

texts: I am a bbq rookie and learning to cook various kinds of meat on the grill. I usually cook chicken, lamb, pork, beef and fish. However, I am struggling to get any of the meats I cook to be well-cooked yet juicy. What are the factors that influence juiciness of meat on a bbq? What are the noobie gotchas when it comes to this?


texts:
How long should I cook my chicken?

I never get it right when I cook it so what's the right time? The very last time was three weeks ago and I completely forgot about it and it burned.


texts: How to make extra crispy and crunchy breading like KFC?

texts:
I'm wondering how I would go about making extra crispy chicken breading like they do at many places like KFC and the like. Is there a certain ingredient that makes the breading like that?

Any assistance would be very much appreciated, and feel free to share any of your own recipes for crispy chicken breading if you have them. I'll be sure to put them to good use!

Thanks!


texts: How to reduce the bitterness of tonic water in a non-alcoholic citrus drink?

texts:
After having a good fizzy lime drink recently, I decided to try mixing up some non-alcoholic drink options.  Being completely ignorant of fizzy waters in general, I decided to go with tonic water to mix in some citrus drinks (I didn't even know tonic water was bitter, this was really a spur of the moment decision with no research).  I've had some success mixing it with some strong drink mixes, but the sourness and sweetness had to be really strong to cancel out the bitterness of the tonic.  Too strong really.  I really think I should have chosen club soda instead, but now I'm stuck with a gallon or two of tonic.

Instead of disposing it, I was wondering if there is any way to cut down/mask/hide the bitterness in a non-alcoholic drink mix.

P.S.  Not sure about the alcohol tab, as tonic isn't alcoholic, but its primary purpose from my knowledge is to pair with alcoholic drinks.


texts:
Nacho time!
The urge to make nachos overtakes you, and you set to make them excellent.
But alas, seems like you've forgotten to get milk! You can't create a proper Mornay (cheese) sauce, since you can't create Bechamel.
You do, however, happen to have a very good stock at hand.
Thus, the question - would you be able to make a veloute sauce (roux + stock) and add the cheese to it to create some form of Mornay? Or would that sauce just not work?


texts: I've never had trouble making Tuna and Pineapple casserole before coming to Turkey. After making the white sauce and adding the cheese, tuna and fresh pineapple the whole mixture turns sour. No amount of adjusting with salt or sugar can save it. This has happened at least 3 times now. Could the cheese be making it sour or some other chemical reaction. I used to use canned pineapple in Australia but fresh is more readily available here. Could that cause the sourness because there is less sugar?


texts: Are there any yeast-less breads that can be used as sandwich bread?

texts: My son cannot eat anything that contains yeast. Are there any types of yeast-less bread that can be used as a sandwich bread?


texts:
Sorry to ask a rather non-specific question, but I am actually trying to formulate an example. Suppose you have a recipe to make biscuits, but what you get is quite hard, and you would like to have a softer result. What do you need to add or change in the recipe?
It does not matter if it's not accurate. I just need a non-blatantly wrong process or component.


texts: Can you suggest any Carb Free thickeners that don't affect the flavour of soups/casseroles?


texts: Is it common to cook food directly on the oven racks?  I often do this (with a container for drippings) and was wondering if this is common or if there is a better solution.  It has worked out fine for me, but sometimes replacing these racks can be costly.  I do not replace them often, and they are not very hard to clean, but I would like to get some ideas on if I am doing this wrong.


texts: How long does an opened and unrefrigerated tub of yogurt last?

texts:
I have found online that unopened and unrefrigerated yogurt will last for a few days without refrigeration. However, is this also true for opened and unrefrigerated yogurt? By "opened" I mean that I have already removed the seal and taken a few spoonfuls out of the tub before leaving it unrefrigerated.

EDIT: I see this question has been marked as duplicate. I think that the link provided does not answer my question. The case for yogurt is a very special one since it is a fermented food and cannot just be casually thrown into the general category of "dairy product" (as does the top answer in linked question). Moreover, my rough understanding is that yogurt has a low pH (from the high amounts of lactic acid) which prevents the growth of external pathogens. Hence, unopened yogurt will be safe at room temperature for at least a couple of days.  However, if you wish me to be pedantic, my question would be: is it likely that by opening the yogurt tub I introduced pathogens that can replicate rapidly at the low pH of yogurt given that it was left unrefrigerated?


texts: I cooked turkey breakfast sausages in a 350 F convection oven and one exploded. The stuff that came out looked a little foamy and the juices before it was cooked looked a tiny bit foamy. This may be completely normal but just want to be sure if it sounds safe to eat. The sausages were packaged five days ago and expire in two days. They didn't smell bad or anything. Thanks!


texts: What is silken tofu compared to regular tofu and how do you use it?

texts:
Because of the contest, I read up about tofu. It's something I'm not familiar with at all, I've only eaten it twice. I came across the term 'silken tofu'. I only know this by name.

I've found that silken tofu is in short tofu that's not well pressed. It's consistency is custard-like. My question is if this is correct. Are there any other differences, apart from the moisture content?

Another question is how to handle this. You can't fry custard AFAIK (although I'm willing to try ;-) ). So do you always use it raw? Or do you bake it in the oven? Do you use it as a 'sauce' with fried veggies? Or should/can you drain/press it yourself? If you would drain/press it yourself, would you have the same result as store-bought regular tofu?


texts: How can I calculate the affect of cooking my food on its nutrition

texts:
If I look on nutritiondata.self.com for the nutrition value of raw lentils (as an example), it tells me the protein value per 1 cup is 50g. However, 1 cup of boiled lentils is good for 18g of protein!

I looked up the question, however the popular answer is that it doesn't make much of a difference. But judging by those numbers, I think that it does!

So, what should I do?

Lentils being just an example! This applies to other foods too..


texts:
Assuming that once defrosted, I'd most likely use them for their juice (but not exclusively; I occasionally use the peel for zest, whole slices for cooking with fish/poultry or preparing vegetables in brine).
Is this even possible?


texts:
Many cook books advise that fresh clams should be soaked in salt water with a bit of corn meal added.  The purpose is that the clams will consume the corn meal, thereby cleansing their gut of sand.

However, I've seen it said elsewhere that this is unnecessary for farm raised clams since they are raised on a medium suspended above the bottom and therefore not exposed to sand.

My question is twofold:

1) Is the first advice valid at all?  Does this soaking improve the taste and/or quality of the clams?

2) If #1 is true, does it also apply to farm raised clams or is the step unnecessary?


texts: I recently bought some organic cinnamon (not ground, broken pieces for a hand mill) and saw what looks like pieces of wood in the mix (they don't have the same color as the rest of the pieces). Is this normal and/or safe, or should I return the product?


texts: Should I stir my sourdough starter before measuring?

texts:
I'm new to using sourdough starter and some directions aren't very clear. I'm not sure if it needs to be stirred down before I measure for cooking and for feeding it. I've been stirring down the starter before measuring both when feeding and when cooking with it. Is that the right way?
Also, I've only been keeping 1/2 cup of starter to feed, adding 1/2 cup water and 1 cup flour. If I keep more, do I need to increase the amount of flour and water I add?


texts: Is bread that can go mouldy better than that which does not?

texts:
I've recently moved from Holland to the UK, and one thing I've been noticing is that the available bread here (which I feel is highly inferior to Dutch bread) does not go mouldy. When  left in the open, it merely goes hard.

Then I've recently found some nice Polish bread with sour-dough, hidden away in the foreign section, and that one does go bad, like I'm used to from Dutch bread.

So I've been thinking: I've observed that most foods that are nutritious or fresh go mouldy after a while (vegetables etc) and foods that aren't very good for you (like sugar, chocolate, but also frozen foods) often are very preservable. To me (someone who is not very knowledgeable when it comes to chemistry or baking) it makes sense, because I figure the mould feeds off the nutrients.

My question is; Am I right? And if so, does that mean the English breads, that don't go mouldy, aren't as nutritious?


texts: How can I cook an egg to win at egg tapping?

texts:
Easter is coming up, and I was wondering how I should prepare eggs to be as strong as possible for a game of egg tapping?

The egg should still look and feel like a regular egg (although it's probably painted, because, y'know... Easter).

This is a cooking question, so I'm looking for answers about the cooking process, not about modifying the egg afterwards (e.g. coating with something hard).

Bonus points if the egg is still edible after I've beaten all my in-laws!


texts: My cocoa powder is not dark. Is it still dutch processed?

texts: I bought whole foods "baking cocoa". On the back in the ingredients section it says "processes with alkali." Then, just above the bar code it says "dutch-processed cocoa". Also, it actually smells like chocolate, unlike my Hershey's unsweetened cocoa. However, it is still very light in color compared to all the pictures I have seen online of dutch processed cocoa. Anyways, my question is, if it is not dark in color, is it still considered dutch processed?


texts: Can I get a haze off of ceramic cooking pans

texts: I have 2 baking pans that are clean but have a haze on the bottom and sides. these are Rival roaster ovens and I think they are ceramic inserts. Can I get this haze off?


texts: Gluten free baked good coming out bitter

texts:
I am trying to bake gluten free and i find that my baked goods come out bitter. I am using oat flour and rice flour, can the bitterness be from that, what can i do to correct this?
What is a good gluten free flour other then oat?

Thank you


texts: Cheese making, acidic whey, denatured protein

texts: I wish to know. Does protein in acidic whey gets denatured and is it unfit for consumption. By acidic whey I mean whey which was made through citric acid as splitting agent for making panner(cottage cheese). How can I preserve it for a week so as to get it tested in lab.


texts: I need help please, I have just made my first batch of truffles. I decided to coat them in chocolate (untempered) but after I had dipped about 8 the chocolate started to go too hard. I tried to melt it again but it just got more solid. What did I do wrong? I have lots of truffle mix left so need to coat at least 30 more! Thank you in advance.


texts: How much sorrel is safe to eat, and does cooking affect this amount?

texts:
I have been given different accounts on the edible-ness of sorrel. Some people/sellers/books do not give you any information about how much it is safe to eat, whilst others tell you to just use a few leaves in a salad.

In addition to this, sorrel soup was apparently the bane of my father's poor childhood, so I wondered if cooking it (as a soup or otherwise) neutralised the semi-poisonous chemical it may or may not contain.

If there are different varieties of sorrel, mine grows leaves up to about 20-30cm long, and the plant is about 30-40cm high before making flower stalks, the tallest of which gets to maybe 1.5m.


texts: I want to make some authentic Indian sweets, but I have questions about the silver foil that is found on some of them.  First of all, I can't seem to find it (in the United States); the closest I get is edible gold leaf.  I suppose I could leave it off, but I was wondering if there was an "authentic" substitute.


texts:
I made chocolate eclairs, my second attempt copying exactly from Laura in the Kitchen on YouTube (full recipe here), and the pastry was not all well creamed and looked oily as I placed in oven. It looked as though it was frying.

Please can you kindly explain what I did wrong? I feel so frustrated as they baked over 30 minutes and came out rock hard, but completely moist in the middle. Just wasted so many ingredients, eggs and milk and flour and butter.


texts: How do Crispbread manufacturers use so few ingredients?

texts:
I'm curious if anyone is familiar with how the major Swedish crispbread manufacturers like Ryvita, Wasa, Finn Crisp, etc., manage to produce those crackers with ingredients lists as short as "rye flour, salt" – with, perhaps, water and in the less traditional varieties, yeast, thrown in – whereas every crispbread recipe I've seen involves an additional combination of yeast, butter, honey, etc.

I hope this isn't veering into recipe request territory – my apologies if so.

For reference:

Wasa Whole Grain Crispbread
Ryvita Whole Grain Rye Crispbread


texts: Does anyone have any tips for how to easily and quickly remove silk from ears of corn? I find that it takes a long time to pick it all out.


texts:
I love dipping things like pretzels in melted cheese.

I've done this lots of times at fairs and other places with 'pretzel carts', but I've never been able to replicate it myself at home.

Whenever I try it, I get really thick, stretchy cheese with a layer of liquid oil sitting on top of it. It's gross, and not good for dipping.

So, how can I melt cheese into a nice, smooth liquid that I can use for dipping in?
I'd love to learn if there's a particular type of cheese that will work best, how to heat the cheese, and any other tips that you can provide.


texts: Why don't filled doughnuts have compressed dough around the filling?

texts:
How are doughnuts filled? I thought they were just injected in but that would compress the dough.

The custard jam etc does not appear to be cooked so I assume it is filled after the cooking process.

But the filling does not share space with the dough. (It is in place of rather than being mixed together).

The dough does not seem to be compressed around where the filling is added.

There are no joining marks where the dough could have been removed and replaced with the filling.


texts: How do I "save" my Christmas Cookies (Venetians)?

texts:
I am making my favorite Christmas cookie. They are called Venetians. They are a layered marzipan bar cookie.

Here is a recipe.

So, I just took them out of the oven -- and while the tops are perfectly cooked -- the bottoms got too toasty. I have taken them out of the pan and put they on cooling racks. I expect to let them cool well before putting on the jam and layering. I will then let them set overnight before putting on the chocolate top and cutting.

But darn-it -- the bottoms are too toasty. In fact they are just this side of being burned. I am not sure why. The oven must have gotten way too hot, or the greasing pan before I put the wax paper on must have gotten too hot too fast. Whatever -- now I need to figure out what to do. And they are suppose to be delicate -- not have a crunchy layer!

I would "cut the layer of burn off" -- but there isn't a layer to do this. The layers are less than 1/4 of inch think as it is. I honestly don't think I can without wrecking it. I could try to "scrape it" -- but they are so delicate. I could add some sweetened whipped cream to the toasty side. I could  . . .

Ideas? What should I do to save these delicate "masterpieces" so that I can still enjoy the results (even if I don't give them away anymore).


texts: pressure cooker overflowing while cooking soup

texts:
All my life I've cooked soup in a big, old (over 30 years old) pressure cooker. I'd boil all the vegetables in it, open it to blend them all together, then add cabbage and let it boil anew.

Now, in an attempt to boil the vegetables for less time and, therefore, avoid losing so many nutrients, I've started blending the raw vegetables. That way, the whole thing only needs to boil once and the flavours are much stronger. What I do is simply blend the vegetables with some water until it is a thick 'juice'. Then I add some more water, to make it less thick, add the cabbage and put it on the cooker.

Unfortunately, the blended 'juice' starts foaming (I'm not quite sure if that's the accurate word, since I'm not a native speaker, but to me it looks like a thick vegetable foam) and often spills over the little opening for releasing some of the pressure. I've tried boiling it in a normal pot, and the situation was the same: whenever the soup comes to a boil, the foam starts climbing up the pot and, if the fire isn't immediately turned down, it will overflow.

Can someone explain why this happens now when it didn't before? And how can I avoid it overflowing?


texts: What to do when a recipe calls for dutch process cocoa and you only have regular cocoa?

texts:
In the recipe here: enter link description here the chef requires a mixture of sour cream and dutch process cocoa because they neutralize each other, creating a leavener. There is no dutch process in Israel though, so i need to use regular cocoa.

What to do?

I am making a devils food cake.


texts: Is it safe to use a propane torch bought at a Hardware store?

texts: I've come across recipes that involve the use of a Butane or Propane torch.  Is it safe to use a propane torch bought at the Hardware store, or is there something different about the torches and/or fuel that is sold at a culinary store?


texts: Homemade marshmallows not roasting, just melting

texts:
I'm trying to make homemade marshmallows for smores. I found this recipe and the marshmallows turned out great (taste/texture):

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Marshmallows-15797

The problem is when I try to roast them over a fire to make smores, the marshmallows just melt. The store bought Kraft 'big' marshmallows I used to use for smores would usually burn/roast on the outer layer.

Is there a way I can get homemade marshmallows to be more 'roastable' over a fire instead of just melting? I also noticed that most marshmallow recipes do not use egg whites, but the one I followed does. Could that be contributing to the issue?

Thanks!


texts: Why do frozen foods that are fully cooked still need to be heated to the same temperature raw items require?

texts: Do they put it on the boxes just in case they didn't really cook it through?


texts:
I recently got myself an iSi Creative Whip and have been having a lot of fun playing around with it.  Tonight I tried one of iSi's recipes, which uses the following ingredients:

250 g goat cheese
125 g sour cream
125 mL cream
1-2 tbsp olive oil

Preparation is basically to purée the goat cheese, sour cream, and oil, mix in the cream, strain it through a sieve, load it into the whipper, then charge and cool it.

At the denouement, I was greeted with a brief but ominous fizzle followed by an even briefer splatter of yogurt-like liquid, very much like the explosion of snot one witnesses after somebody sneezes a little too hard.  After clearing the cheese blobs from my shirt and hair, I proceeded to scrape the remains (which was in fact the majority of what went in there to begin with) with a rubber spatula and spread it on some crisp toast; it was delicious in spite of not even being remotely close to an espuma.

I'm well aware, as the manual makes sure to mention about half a dozen times, that the whipper will fail to perform any actual whipping if the fluid inside is too thick or viscous.  I was quite skeptical myself, before charging it in the first place, but until now I haven't really tested the limits of this thing, and I figured, if I was able to strain it through the sieve (with much mashing, I might add) then it would be whippable.

So I already know, superficially, why this failed, but that only leads me to a deeper why which I have been unable to answer myself:  Why did this happen with one of iSi's own recipes, found in the very recipe book that is included in the same box as the whipper itself?  I have to assume that iSi knows what they're doing and it was me that screwed up; but how?  What did I do wrong and how could I have fixed it?

Some possible avenues of investigation:

There are a great many different types of goat cheese available; I used the standard soft/unripened type, but there are also goat cheese "spreads" that are probably less rich.  Perhaps the recipe was actually referring to one of these?
I used ordinary (14%) sour cream; perhaps the fat content was too high and the recipe intended for light or even fat-free sour cream?
I had a lot of trouble actually puréeing the mixture; using a blender, I found that the mixture didn't really move around much, so I had to keep scraping it back into the center so that it would hit the blade.  The recipe actually says to use a blender or food processor but I assumed that a blender would be better.  Should I have used a food processor instead, or maybe even a stick blender?  Would any of this have actually made any difference, given that the consistency of the final mixture was very smooth (albeit thick)?

Are any of these likely to be the root cause?  Is there anything else I might be overlooking?


texts:
While I've been making it for years, hollandaise remains a fussy, error-prone sauce where the slightest error in technique, measurement, or timing results in an oily mess and a huge waste of expensive butter.  I've tried the blender hollandaise, the immersion blender hollandaise, and of course classic double-boiler hollandaise, and all of these take way too much time and fail way too often (for example, Kenji neglects to mention in the 2-minute hollandaise that those 2 minutes do not include the 10-15 minutes required to clarify the butter, and that if you try to double the recipe it'll fail).  And, of course, there are cheater hollandaise recipes that are completely reliable, except that they look and taste nothing like the actual sauce.

Is there a way to cheat at hollandaise, using stabilizers, additives, or alternate ingredients, that tastes approximately correct, always works, and scales up or down easily?


texts: I made instant noodle, just put the noodle into boiling water for about 3 minutes, and noodle is already. But this time I want make this with an egg, how? should I break the egg first and then put the egg into a boiling water for a minutes then I put the noodle or vice versa?


texts: Best method to prepare catfish (very soft flesh)?

texts: I live in an area that has some of the best catfishing in the world.  Here, they are considered a garbage fish, and no one eats them.  I think I would like to try them.  What are the best ways to prepare a catfish?


texts: Can I turn evaporated milk into unsweetened condensed milk?

texts: I see how to change the evaporated milk to sweetened, but can I make it unsweetened?


texts: Do Pineapples Ripen After They Are Picked

texts: Do pineapples ripen after they are picked?  I had alway thought you could leave them on the counter to ripen, however, I recently heard they don't ripen after they are picked.


texts: What is the way to "mince" stew meat using a machine?

texts: I have a bolognese sauce recipe that says to cook a mixture of pork and beef stew meat, and then mince the meat. With garden tomatoes in season, I would like to make a very large batch to either freeze or can, but I am dreading the thought of mincing all this meat. Is there a recommended way to use a food processor or some other machine to do this for me? I am concerned that if I do it incorrectly, the meat will turn into sausage and have a very different texture in the sauce.


texts: how to not get burned keto flour pancakes?

texts:
I make keto pancakes out of a bought keto flour pancake mix (almond flour and cassava and coconut flours are main components). I mix these with either water or whole milk, making not too thick mixture, and cook on a cast iron pan with a pad of butter placed on heated pan first.
A problem I run into consistently is this: the first pancake cooks very well--well browned outside and cooked inside. But subsequent pancakes come out slightly burned outside while under-cooked inside.
I make sure to keep the pan on medium heat throughout and add butter in between pancakes in order to keep the pan well-greased. I make sure to turn pancake from one side to other when bubbles form. However, that doesn't help it.
Is there something else I can do to make sure to have several pancakes in a row come out well-cooked inside and not burnt outside?


texts: I left kimchi at room temperature for 7 hours. Can I still eat it?

texts: I accidentally left Sunja's kimchi at room temperature for 7 hours.  It started leaking.  It's in the fridge now.  Can I still eat it?


texts: Are my refrigerated pork chops & onions safe to eat?

texts: I cooked pork chops with onions two days ago and refrigerated the leftovers pretty quickly. I checked it today and there was a lot of congealed fat around and over some of the onions (not submerged though). I looked at related questions but still not sure if this a botulism risk. Thanks!


texts: I am trying to thicken lactose free cream and it does not thicken up the same as normal cream.  Any suggestions.


texts: What Impact Does Meat Curing/Preservation Have on Nutritional Content?

texts:
I am currently trying to research nutritional facts for cured meats and other preserved foods.  In specific, I am looking for any information about the caloric impact that preservation methods might have.  For example, is 100g portion of chicken drumsticks the same amount of calories as, say, a 100g that is then smoked, cured, or, goodness forbid, pickled [I truly hope this is not really a thing, but...pickled pigs feet exist, so who can say].
From my research on the USDA pages, I cannot find anything specific that hints at or discusses any changes.  The closest related thing I was able to find was a basic justification from the meat industry for why processed meats are not as bad as some consumers fear.  While it touches on the various methods of preservation, it does not go into any real details on the impacts to nutritional content, excepting for sodium levels being discussed.
Any details that can be shared are greatly appreciated.  I am working on a somewhat realistic, but also simplistic (only calories truly matter) food system for a programming task, and would like to insert enough reality for the various things commonly done to food to matter as they would in our everyday lives.


texts: How to convert cook time and temp from 9" round cake pans to standard cupcakes?

texts: I am making carrot cake "cupcakes" from a recipe meant for round 9" cake pans (3 layers, if that matters).  The cake pans are supposed to cook 25-30 min at 350.  How should I cook the cupcakes?  Thanks!


texts: Roasted chicken ends up only salty outside

texts:
I tried to make roasted whole-chicken yesterday, by patting dry inside out with paper towel and salting it inside out followed by roasting for 1 hour at 465 F. It was nice overall except that it's tasteless in the meat and rather just salty on the skin and bone.
What have I done wrong? Is it because I didn't truss the chicken?

*The chicken was 4 pounds.


texts: I made an apple pie the other day and peeled 6 or so apples.  I ended up composting the peelings, and it got me wondering, what else could I have done with them?


texts:
Why does my top of my cast iron oval roaster pan have rust areas when I use it to bake things in the oven. It looks to be very well seasoned but the moisture collects on the inside of the top and there are many areas that are rusty looking. It also smells funny. I am wondering if it is because there is too much oil layered on it in correctly.

I ended up using a glass top on another cast iron chicken pot to prevent the moisture from dropping that into my recipe.


texts: Why did my gumbo stored in a metal pot refrigerated overnight change?

texts:
I make gumbo all the time and offered to make some for a event I was attending today. I cooked 6 gallons in three separate batches. I added them to a 8 gallon metal pot. I let it cool for a few hours and then placed it in my fridge. I also had some of the same gumbo stored in a tupperware container overnight. The gumbo in the metal pot looked completely different and had an off taste.  The batch in the tupperware container tasted perfect.

I often cook large quantities of food and I have never had anything like this happen to me. I would never serve anything that was not perfect for my guests. I had to cancel the gumbo.

I would like to know if I did something wrong or if this was just a fluke. I have taken the Food Prep course and I understand the cooling issues and temps that food should be kept at.


texts: How to avoid stiffness and crispness of toasted/oven baked bread sandwiches

texts: I would like to know whether there is any solution to avoid the stiffness and crispness of bread of oven baked sandwiches which uses normal white bread as the base. I used to make sandwiches with bread and always these bread after baking turns out really crispy and stiff and sometimes it get burnt. I butter the bread sometimes and sometimes not. Either way I end up with crispy bread sandwich which is difficult to bite and affects our mouth skin. How can we make the bread base of the sandwich soft?


texts: How much dried herb to use when substituting for fresh herbs?

texts:
When replacing a fresh or leaf herb in a recipe with the dried or powdered kind, what is the ratio I should normally use for the substitution?

E.g. if the recipe calls for 2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary, how much dried rosemary should I use?


texts:
A while back I heard mention of a way to bake/roast chicken that supposedly would make it very good and juicy.  Unfortunately I didn't get the details, so I haven't dared try it myself.  I was wondering if someone here had done this or something similar, and could describe the methode (especially temperature and timing) to me - and confirm that this actually work and give a good result.

The idea was to take a whole (or half would do?) chicken (I assumed plucked, cleaned and ready for cooking), and cover it with salt!  You would basically take lots of salt and add a little water, so you got a thick "goo" of salt.  Then you would cover the chicken with this salt-goo in a thick layer.  Then you would put the salt-goo covered chicken in the oven to bake.  In the oven, the salt-goo would become a thick salt-crust, that would trap in the moisture.  When finished, you just crack the salt-crust open.

Does this actually work?!  I can't help but thinking that the result would be a very salty chicken...


texts: My sauerkraut has mold covering the surface, is it ok?

texts:
I had a batch of sauerkraut fermenting in the basement.  During the fermentation I had to leave for over a week and left my roommates with the basic instructions to check it a couple times and skim off any mold that might form.  They forgot about it, and when I returned I found the brine level was down to the weights (but not exposing the cabbage), and that there was a full cover of dark greenish/grayish mold on the brine surface.

I've removed the mold carefully and found the submerged cabbage smelled and appeared ok, with the exception of some being slightly darker where the weights were not directly on top of it.  This kraut was removed and thrown out, and only totaled about 1 cup.  The mold did not contact the kraut, and the kraut itself seems to have remain submerged.

Overall I'm leaning towards it being ok, and might try small samples in cooked dishes--is this reasonable, or should I just toss it and start a fresh batch to play it safe?


texts: What stabilizer can be used in non-dairy ice cream with alcohol?

texts: I am making coconut milk ice cream with alcohol. I'm using 28oz of coconut milk, fruit macerated in 1/4 cup of alcohol, another 1-2T of alcohol, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of arrowroot. It tastes great, but it melts way too fast. What can I use besides xanthum gum, guar gum. Could it be the freeze time? Or the tupperware containers I use in the freezer? Any suggestions are appreciated.


texts:
Being someone that bakes infrequently I prefer to have plain flour on hand and add baking powder rather than purchase self-raising flour. Something I've noticed recently by experimentation and further research is that the faster I work the more success I've have with the rising process. The following question and answer explains that perfectly because I've confirmed my baking powder is double-acting:

Will double-action baking powder lose potency if not baked immediately?

Most baking recipes seem to specify preparing the dry and wet ingredients seperately and combining as the final step. I wondered in cases where that is somewhat time consuming or I am preparing other dishes in parallel if there would be any merit in mixing through the baking powder last? It seems like a reasonable approach to me but I've seen reputable recipes that recommend the wet / dry approach even when baking power is listed as a seperate ingredient.


texts: Benefits for different fats for flour tortillas?

texts: There seems to be no standard fat for making flour tortillas.  I've seen recipes using lard, shortening, butter, olive oil, vegetable oil, and canola oil.  Is there a reason I would pick one of these over the other, or can I use them interchangeably?


texts: Can a failed cupcake be incorpated into a new cupcake?

texts:
I was making white chocolate cupcakes, and forgot to put in baking powder.

I am baking a new set, and wondered if it would be possible to crumble up these failed cupcakes and put them in the new ones I am making?

Is this possible, or would the cake just become overcooked and ruin the taste of my new cupcakes?


texts: Is there ever a reason not to use baking beads when blind baking?

texts:
Whenever I'm making a recipe that calls for blind baking pastry, they always provide alternatives for ceramic baking beads (such as rice) in case you don't own any. I do own them, so I always use them, assuming that they are the best choice.

Considering that they are specifically designed for blind baking, my question is: are there any disadvantages to using baking beads, or if I own them should I always choose to use them over other things for weighing down the pastry? Are there any alternatives that will give better results?


texts: I'm Making Chicken stock. How can I keep the chicken meat/bones from rising above the water line?

texts: I'm using chicken wings to make a stock, but they want to float up to the top above the water line.  Any kitchen hacks to keep them submerged??


texts: My mother-in-law believes she is allergic to milk solids, but that ghee has the solids removed.  She loves lemon meringue pie.  The lemon curd in the pie calls for butter.  Can I substitute ghee successfully?


texts: What stage of cooking chicken to use milk cream?

texts:
I originally purchased packaged fresh cream to make butter chicken, but then cooked a normal chicken curry in a pressure cooker and after it cooled, added around 200ml of the cream to it. But after one and a half days in the fridge, the chicken curry got spoilt (could make out from the smell). I assume this happened due to bacteria in the cream.

I kept the remaining cream in the freezer and plan to add it to some freshly purchased chicken before closing the pressure cooker lid to start cooking. I'm worried that the cream will curdle. So what is the general rule of thumb when using milk, cream or even coconut milk to thicken the gravy? At what stage of the cooking can it be added and does it need to be heated before adding? Can the curdling really be prevented? I've added milk while making mixed vegetable curry in a pressure cooker, but couldn't make out if the milk curdled.


texts: I'm new at baking bread but had a very experienced coach. The dough rises well one time but very little the 2nd time. If I put the dough into the baking pan to rise I get a good result, meaning it at least doubles in volume and makes a tasty loaf. If I punch it down it maybe only rises 20% or so. Is this a sign that the yeast is getting old?


texts:
I make Japanese green tea. I use Gyokuro Imperial, a high quality shaded green tea, so it should be green not yellow.

Sometimes when I make it, it is indeed green, but other times yellow.

Is it because I am putting too much tea in, or too little?


texts:
I baked a cake using eggs, butter, milk, vanilla extract, flour, cocoa and baking soda.
I baked it at 450F for 30 mins. I tested it and the knife came clean. It looked okay but tasted horrible, like it contained cinnamon.

Then I tried another recipe which had the same ingredients but I was told to add baking powder. This one was baked at 325F for 30 mins in the middle rack of the oven.

However, when we ate it, it tasted horrible and like it had cinnamon, though I had put no cinnamon in either.

Why are my cakes coming out like this? How do I fix it?


texts: How can I make a chocolate cup that looks like the seaweed on a sushi roll?

texts:
I want to make a dessert that simulates a salmon roe sushi (like this) using rice pudding and spherified melon juice with a chocolate "seaweed" wrapping. But I can't figure out how to make the seaweed convincing.

How do I do this?


texts: How to "bake" whole potatoes in slow cooker?

texts:
The ability to make "baked" potatoes in a slow cooker is pretty appealing: I can bake potatoes while at work without heating up my house or having to worry about fire hazards.  After reading several recipes on the internet, it seemed that a cook time of 4 - 8 hours was normal.

However, my slow cooker has been cooking potatoes for about 14 hours now and most of them are still not cooked.  On the other hand, after opening up the potatoes on the bottom layer they are over-cooked.

Judging by the plethora of recipes online, there must be some way to do this. Is there something I am missing?

Some more specifics:

My "recipe" consisted of poking holes in potatoes, wrapping them in foil, and adding them to my crockpot. I did this until my crockpot was full (8-9 potatoes).
Based on the wisdom of several internet sources, I did not add any liquids.
I am using a Rival 5-quart slow cooker like this one.


texts: Using salmon in 2 days, freezer or fridge?

texts:
I have a fresh cut of salmon I plan to cook for dinner in two days. I know that fish is best cooked as soon and as fresh as possible or should go right into the freezer.

Which is the best storage method? Should I put it in the freezer for just one day, and then take it out tomorrow to thaw overnight? Or should I leave for two days in the fridge?


texts: How is starch content of some vegetables reduced by cooking?

texts:
How is starch content reduced by cooking vegetables? Are the starch molecules simply broken apart?

For example, this study showed a reduction in starch in sweet potato by cooking.


texts: How is jin jun mei (a Chinese tea) made?

texts:
I'd like to know whether jin jun mei (golden beautiful eyebrow, a Chinese tea) is kosher. To know that, I first need to know its ingredients and how it's processed.

What are the ingredients in Jin Jun Mei?
How are the ingredients processed?


texts: Troubleshooting braised turkey legs dry and tough

texts:
I've tried twice to follow the instructions for braised turkey legs in "The Food Lab" by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. It is very similar to this recipe:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/11/red-wine-braised-turkey-legs.html

The main differences are that the book calls for a covered pot (I assumed he meant left ajar) and for browning both sides, not just one side of the legs.

So here's what I did, and the legs came out pretty tough and a little dry.

The first time I used all the broth which mostly submerged the legs and I didn't keep an eye on the thermometer which got to 180º internal before I pulled them. I know that is too hot.

The second time I seared the skin side of the legs, removed them, added chunked carrot, onion & celery and 6 c. of stock, and put the legs in and brought to just a simmer, then put in a 275º oven.
Within 30 min they were already 150º! They're supposed to cook for 2-3 hours and that seemed like it would get too hot for too long. The stock was nearly 180º. So I pulled out the legs and the pan and cooled it while I figured out what to do. I removed most of the stock so the legs were sitting on the vegetables and not submerged, and put it back in with the lid ajar. It took an hour to get back up to 150º, then 30 min to get to 160º and then only 12 min to get to 169º which is when I pulled them out to let them rest under a tinfoil tent for 30 min. I left the thermometer probe in and saw that it did not get any higher, no carryover cooking.
According to the book dark meat's collagen will melt between 160º and 170º leaving you with fork tender meat.

Any ideas about what I'm going wrong? I even tested my thermometer and room temp seems right and boiling water is 208º which is appropriate for my elevation of 2300'.

Thanks,

Monty


texts:
I recently made Sanjeev Kapoor's butter chicken and found the taste too acidic/tomatoey. It was tasty but it lacked the authentic butter chicken flavor. This was surprising to me considering the amount of spices called for. I followed the recipe nearly to a tee.

My leading theories are:

did not cook tomatoes long enough (cooked about 15 min)
did not cook tomato puree long enough (cooked about 15 min)
too many tomatoes (8-10, followed by 2 cups tomato puree)

Any thoughts?


texts: What can deform/bend a stainless steel skillet?

texts:
One month ago I bought a set of stainless steel cookware from Cuisinart. Today I noticed that the smallest pan is not flat - the base has bended so that the center is a little lower than the edgees.

That made me wonder what could have caused it? I was quite watchful to wash it only after it cools down a bit (though I'm not sure how my girlfriend was). Can overheating cause that too? Or heating without oil? (my girlfriend uses it to toast toasted bread)


texts: Why did my ceramic coated loaf pan turn brown?

texts: I used ceramic a coated loaf pan and the inside color which was white, changed to brown, as if it has burnt, is that normal?


texts: What part of oatmeal cookies are making them soft / chewy?

texts:
I'd like to recreate the texture of an oatmeal cookie in very different flavor profiles, ie savory / umami. I'm tinkering with only the rolled oats for now, but I wonder if the chewiness could be coming from another ingredient, or a specific ingredient interaction during the cookie making process. For example, do I need creamed butter to achieve that texture or can I do without ?

To be clear I'm not looking for a cookie recipe, more like an analysis of how they come together. But if you have a recipe of a savory "oatmeal galette" or similar, I'll gladly take it. Thanks for your answers.


texts: How can I get more lime flavor into my key lime cake recipe?

texts: I found a great recipe for key lime cake, but it seems to lack the key lime flavor I am looking for. It has lime zest and juice in it, still a great cake, but it seems not enough lime kick to it.


texts: Is it safe to defrost cooked meat and eat it (without reheating)

texts:
Say for example I had some marinated cooked chicken that I put in the freezer. Would it be safe to defrost this cooked chicken and put it in a sandwich without reheating it through first?

I know it's safe to eat cake out of the freezer, but I was wondering whether meat was different.


texts:
Yesterday, I had a can of alcohol free beer which tasted almost like normal beer, just without the alcohol bite. Practically any other alcohol free beer I've had has a different taste. They all are slightly sweet (but not with a sucrose sweetness) and remind me very much of the taste of young corn, specifically the white liquid contained in the raw kernels before the corn is ripe. This happens with beer which contains enough hops and no corn at all (brewed by Reinheitsgebot), while alcoholic beer which actually contains corn (like Tuborg) doesn't have that taste. I am talking about regular light lager here, not the strongly malted dark beers which turn sweet with caramel products.

I think that young corn is sweet because of its glucose, which converts to starch while ripening. Is it glucose which makes the alcohol free beer sweet? If yes, does it ferment in the alcoholic beer, or is it still there, but covered by the alcohol taste? Or is my sense of taste misleading me?


texts: Breaking down a turkey for storage - brine before or after freezing?

texts:
The subject should sum this up. We're taking advantage of the seasonal prices for 2 fresh turkeys which I'm breaking down into boneless breasts, thighs, and legs to be frozen for future use. The back and rest of the carcass will be boiled down with some chicken carcasses we have frozen for poultry stock.

For the cuts goal will most likely be to thaw and smoke them in the BBQ.

So, is it best to brine before freezing, or brine after freezing the birds?

I have tried searching for this but everyone seems to just be asking whether it is ok or not to store a brined bird. Nothing that really examines the results of each approach.


texts: American pancakes: Why not substitute some wheat flour for starch?

texts:
please bear with me:
I've only eaten pancakes once (not even in the US), so I might not know how real American pancakes taste like.

In pancake recipes the mantra seems to be not to over-mix the batter because of unwanted gluten formation. If you leave the normal batter a little bit longer uncooked, too much gluten will develop. Hence, I would expect the last pancakes of a batch to be worse than the first few. So I was wondering: Why don't you substitute some wheat flour with pure (potato / corn or even wheat) starch to get a more tender result without worrying about over-mixing? The batter would also stay good to a longer time because resting would be mandatory to let the gluten and starch bloom; one would avoid a too strong gluten-network due to a rest that was accidentally too long. Of course then you will need a double-acting baking powder. (Though I read some additional baking soda is good for browning).

I'm asking because I saw many recipes for German Bundt cakes (those recipes with copious amounts of butter and eggs - resulting in a very heavy batter) that call of starch for a more tender cake.


texts:
I don't have a bread machine or a mixer.

Kneading dough by hand is a long and tiresome process. Are there any tricks to developing gluten?


texts: What ingredients can you have in Hot Sauce?

texts:
I'm researching in doing a hot sauce company. its been a constant struggle for me to find some answers so Ill go ahead and pitch them here

Assuming that I use a good amount of vinegar and sugar for my hot sauces, what other ingredients can I use so that I do not need to refrigerate? I.e. corn, ginger, figs, or things not at high acidity blended in


texts:
Is there something like a printer that makes it easy to create icing art on cookies?

All the work to create the example below, I believe there is something that can facilitate production


texts: is it okay to wash vegetables by soaking/submerging?

texts:
I go on frequent long-term road trips, and I don't have access to running water during those times. Is it okay to fill up a bowl of water and just stick the vegetables in there and rub them, take them out and be done? If I wash one veggie after the other after the other using the same water, I'm thinking I'd just be using contaminated water to clean vegetables after the first set.

Any ideas or recommendations? Is the method I'm asking about good enough?  I was reading adding white vinegar helps but the articles didn't provide any scientific studies or anything.


texts: Possible to thicken gravy without flour or cornstarch?

texts:
I'm on a diet where I can't eat a number of things that I would typically use to make gravy, specifically corn and flour.  I'm planning on roasting a chicken tonight and I was thinking it would be great to have some gravy to go along with it.

Is there anything I can use to thicken the drippings besides cornstarch/flour?

Note:
I am also not eating potatoes, soy or dairy so I can't substitute with those either.


texts: Where can I find an extremely slim wooden stirring spoon?

texts:
A friend of mine has this very slim wooden stirring spoon. It's handle is a little thicker than a pencil, and the spoon itself is about 1.5 inches wide.

It does any amazing job of stirring and mixing.

I asked my friend but she doesn't remember where she got it. I've been looking everywhere for something similar with no such luck.


texts: 10 liter fermentation crock... water getting sucked inside, advice needed

texts:
Please assist regarding water added to the moat during a 4 to 5 week ferment, because one cannot simply keep adding water to the moat because if the  crock's vacuum is sucking in the water and you keep adding it will eventually reduce the salinity of the brine water and ruin your kraut!

My 1st batch I followed what i presumed were correct instructions and added water to the moat to keep full. Within 1 week I added 4 cups of water and discovered after lifting the lid for inspection the water was actually being sucked into the crock from the moat as the water level inside was clear up to the top of the crock! Initially I had at least 5 inches from the weight stones up to the top. The pulling of water into the crock fix no one has been able to tell me.

I thought well if it keeps pulling the water in from the moat that is not salted maybe it would be better to add salted water into the moat. Wrong! Because then it grew white mold or yeast floating all over the exposed moat salt water to the air & then since it was a real sucker and always thirsty that same white stuff got sucked into the crock and grew above the weights! So I skimmed off the white floaties best as possible, emptied the moat well and wiped clean & then refilled with clear distilled water & replaced the lid.

I have 2 more weeks to go before it is done and hope all my hard work and efforts & expense is not wasted. None of these issues is presented clearly or what to do to correct and I have searched tons online. I even emailed the store that sold me my 10 liter crock and they had no answers other than to just say "fermenting is an art that you just have to learn"! Wow, they were zero help after the sale.

Now the pros who know these answers and have faced such issues good luck trying to phone them or get the answers we all need because like an internet search you just do not get to THE person with THE knowledge needed after so much frustrations. The crock I bought the inner lip on the crock is the same height as the outer and this may be in part why water was getting sucked inside easier than those whose inner lip is higher? I did not know these things pre-purchase cuz nobody tells you.

I mainly bought my 100 + dollar 10 liter crock due to the convenient handles and the glass weights which are easier to clean & do not get moldy. Here is the one I bought: https://www.stonecreektrading.com/collections/fermenting-crocks-2/products/copy-of-fermenting-crock-10-liter-Egyptian-style-with-stone-weights  If anyone can help this issue of water being sucked into the crock and how to remedy please do so, then my next batch will be less of an issue hopefully.


texts: Can I substitute canola or safflower oil for vegetable oil when making granola?

texts: I am making granola and just realized I do not have vegetable oil. Can either canola oil or safflower oil be substituted without compromising the flavor?


texts: Does 1 tea spoon correspond to half table spoon?

texts: I don't have a measuring glass. I just have a tablespoon (15 ml). Can 1 tea spoon be considered half of 1 table spoon?


texts: Can one be "taste blind" to the sweetness of stevia?

texts:
I bought some stevia powder today and tried to make waffles with it, replacing the sugar. However, no matter how much stevia I poured into the dough (carefully adding tea spoon by tea spoon, tasting it each time), I couldn't really taste any sweetness.

Other family members said the dough was already very sweet.

Then I tried a pinch of stevia powder purely, and it tasted slightly bitter at first and minimally sweet after a few seconds.

From the description, stevia should be magnitudes sweeter than sugar though.

Is it possible that some people don't have the necessary taste receptors that would react on stevia and are therefore "taste blind" to its sweetness? If so, are there any numbers or guesses how many people are unable to taste it? I could not find any online resources about that, but it would be useful to know how likely e.g. a guest will not be able to taste it.

Additionally, might there be any "workarounds", like adding something to make the stevia sweetness available?

Update: I just checked the product I bought again, it's actually a mixture (proportions not mentioned in the ingredients list) of maltodextrin and steviol glycosides.


texts:
How can I tell if soy sauce is of good quality? Is it possible to tell from the smell and colour of the sauce?

I'm aware of the differences of dark vs. light soy sauce (see this question: Soya sauce. Are they different for variety of dishes?).  There are also regional differences of soy sauces.

Just a simple rule-of-thumb would be good.


texts:
I've been wondering, is there a way to gratin food (as in cheese gratin) in a gas oven without a broiler?

I'm used to cook using my parents' big electric oven, which had coils in the upper and lower part, so I was able to heat from below as well as gratin from the top.

Now I only have access to a gas oven without a broiler, but I still want to get those nice gratin crisp cheese on lasagnas and escondidinhos (a traditional dish from the north of Brazil).


texts: How to replace polenta in Mexican Polenta Casserole recipe

texts: The recipe asks for one 16 oz. package of precooked polenta, but I only have yellow corn grits (uncooked, from Bob's Red Mill - also labeled as polenta). How much do I cook for it to be equivalent?


texts: How do you Tell if Home Made Pasta is Dry Enough to put through the Cutter?

texts:
When making Pasta with my new pasta maker I had the following Steps:

Make sheets from the dough using the roller part of the Pasta Maker
Let these sheets dry to a certain extent
Put the pasta sheets through the spaghetti or linguine cutters

It seemed if it wasn't try enough the pieces would stick together to much and if it was too dry it would break up a little and be a little hard to get started in the cutter.

What qualities do you look for in the pasta sheets to tell when it is the ideal dryness to pass through the cutter?


texts: Do any of you know if splenda caramelizes and melts like regular sugar? My parents are doing a low-carb, low-sugar diet and I'd love to surprise them with some diet-friendly hard candies.


texts: What is the proper amount of time to thaw + brine a turkey simultaneously?

texts:
I recently saw a tip that you can thaw a frozen turkey in your brine, and I'd like to try that this year. I was planning to thaw my turkey for 3 days in a cooler of water.

I've actually never brined before, so I'm a little worried about over-brining and turning my turkey into mush. The bird we got this year is just under 15 pounds, and the package says to thaw for "3-4 days".

Everything I've found so far says to brine for 1-2 days. Should I plan to start using brine about half way through the thaw process (maybe even leave the wrapper on for that first half, too?), instead of the whole time, or will the bird being frozen initially prevent the brine from doing its magic early on, thus preventing mush?


texts: Are large veins in a rhubarb leaf safe to eat?

texts:
I've got a lovely rhubarb plant. Nice stalks, huge leaves. The biggest leaves have veins in them bigger than some of the smaller stalks. It seems a shame to throw them away— but obviously I am not keen on poisoning myself and my family.

Are these 'veins' part of the poisonous leaf, or the delicious, safe stem?


texts: What foods to cook in a new cast iron skillet that will help improve the seasoning?

texts:
I've never cooked with cast iron before and just picked up a couple Lodge cast iron skillets  (6" and 12"). They come preseasoned, but I imagine some additional seasoning is desired.

I tried bacon, which took a lot longer than I expected, and left a lot of brown bits. I also tried grilled cheese, which wound up being a terrible mess that I threw away, since so much of the bread stuck. I had buttered the bread, and put some oil in the pan, but still went back to my non stick pan.

I know there are some foods that really require a good season on the skillet to cook properly (like eggs). Are there any foods that help improve the seasoning?


texts: How to get those professional looking peaks on top of tiramisu?

texts:
Most tiramisu-recipes end with the last layer of mascarpone mixture spread on the last layer of lady fingers/sponge cake (and some chocolate powder on top). So you have a flat surface.
I've seen pictures of tiramisu with a bumpy surface, like small peaks (picture of what I mean).

I want to replicate the peaks, but I'm not sure how to do this.
I already tried to form them when the last layer of mascarpone mixture was on top, but this didn't turn out well.
My next attempt will be with a piping bag. And the one after that will be with cold mascarpone mixture, so it's a bit more firm.

However, I'm not sure any of those will work, so in advance of making two batches of tiramisu, I'm asking if anyone knows how to form the peaks, or if anyone knows that my two next attempts will fail.

I've seen also this question, but I don't think that would help me. If you think otherwise, please say so.


texts: The age deterioration of the enzyme action of invertase is slowed under cold storage.  I am wondering though, with freezing stop/slow it even more, or will it damage the enzymes beyond normal aging rates?


texts: I want to just toss it into some indian food I have. Does it need to be cooked first or is it ok if it just warms up a bit when I throw it in the sauce?


texts: Can I use rhubarb without tons of sugar?

texts: My yard is crawling with rhubarb, a hardy perennial that comes back every year in greater numbers. As far as I can tell, recipes usually involve a pie or jam with gratuitous amounts of sugar to wash away the bitter taste.  Can it be reliably used in ways without all that sugar?


texts: Salad ingredients: how to pick them at the market?

texts: I often make salads with lettuce and a few vegetables (perhaps some of carrot, celery, bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, green beans, snap peas). I can plan the ingredients before I go to the grocery store or farmer's market, but are there good ways to pick the ingredients once I get there, based on freshness or value? How?