texts:
I have an old recipe handed down from my great great grandmother in law, for what she called brown bread. Unfortunately it has a few ingredients that I don't recognise. I did some searching on google and I thing I have figured out what different things are but I want to make sure.

The Recipe calls for:

Sour Milk : Is this butter milk?
Sweet Milk : Is this whole milk?
Graham Flour : This seems to be hard to find, but is still Graham flour.

Then baking is to be done in 4 metal vegetable cans. Can this be done in a loaf pan?

As Requested

1 Cup Sour Milk
1 Cup Sweet Milk
3 Cups Graham Flour
1/4 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup Molasses
1/2 Cup butter
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp soda (I am assuming Baking soda)
1 tsp BP (I am assuming baking powder)

Bake at 325 in 4 metal vegetable cans for one hour

I would assume it mixes like a cake, and to add the wet and dry ingredients  seperatly, finally combining them. But this is all the recipe I have to go on. So I expect to have to experiment a bit.


texts: Strawberries used to be one of my favorite fruits. I am continually disappointed when I bite into them lately and they have little flavor unless it's that slightly fermented taste. I am sure that large fruit distributors supply all the local grocers with bright-red, bruise-resistant product without any concern for flavor. However, even when I go picking in the short northeastern season, it's hit or miss. It's almost picking season and I want to know what varieties I should be looking for at the local farms. Any advice for finding a sweet but tart berry like I remember?


texts: Any books that teach the science of Indian cooking?

texts: Can someone please suggest good books to understadn the science of Indian cooking ?


texts: I am making an apple pie for the first time this Thanksgiving.  I was wondering what the best apple was for apple pie.  There are so many to choose from.


texts: Do Asian groceries carry vital wheat gluten?

texts: I want to buy vital wheat gluten for bread baking but I've only had luck finding it at health food stores where it's quite expensive. I know seitan is made from vital wheat gluten so I was wondering if the powder is something that is commonly found at Asian groceries? If so, what would be the name for it?


texts:
I've tried to make macarons eight times in a row and I failed. I used this recipe (text version is in the description below the video).

They all cracked on top and the surface collapsed as you see in the picture. I did some research and watched youtube videos to find out what I am doing wrong. As I figured the following factor could be the reason behind ugly macaroons:

I read somewhere that the time you let the batch sit and dry before putting i the oven is an important factor. I let it rest for 45 minutes to one hour instead of 20-30 minutes, but the result was the same, if not worse.
The other factor is beating egg whites to stiff peaks. There, I think this is where my problem come from. So I beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt to medium peak stage, then add in the sugar in 3 batches while mixing with hand mixer. After watching several videos I know what stiff peaks look like, or at least I think so. But trying the recipe keeping that point in mind it still had the same result:

What else is important in making macarons that avoid them crack? What am I missing?

The weird thing is, my first batch was a success without precise measurements and so on! Here is the picture:


texts: How much citric acid to use to preserve vegetarian jelly?

texts:
I am making a vegetarian jelly using Carrageenan. I am hoping to make a batch to give out as samples to friends etc. (hoping to market it eventually).
Does anyone know what concentration of citric acid to use as a preservative. Also, some commercial products include sodium citrate. Is that always needed?


texts: What's the secret to pan-searing a steak with regard to oil's smoking point?

texts:
Lately I've been trying my best to learn how to pan-sear a steak at home and the main takeaways I've gathered from my research and distilling tips from the likes of Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver etc. are:

the pan has to be really hot and not made of a material that may have its coating disintegrate as a consequence, so steel is cool while non-stick materials aren't
we put some oil in it
we sear the steak

I won't get into what point #3 branches into but the problem is, every single time I have problems with the first two points alone. I'm using an old steel pan, kinda like this one:

So I put it on high heat for literally a minute, pour literally a tablespoon of oil and within seconds there's either A LOT of grey smoke which lets me know that I'd better turn off the heat or I'm going to have an emergency or the oil just plainly catches fire (this thankfully only happened once so far but still - it did).

Why is that so? I've been using regular refined canola oil, I also tried extra virgin olive oil (that one was pretty dumb I have to admit as the smoking point on this one is pretty low but I didn't know it then - and I only did this once) but it doesn't matter to be honest. And I'm keeping the pan on high heat for literally under a minute, not 10 minutes to reach steel beam melting temperature like some people on YouTube seem to advocate.

What am I doing wrong? Is the pan wrong? The oil? The temperature? I just have no idea, especially since the temperature definitely isn't anything to write home about and the oil is the most run-of-the-mill type you could think of, not some experimental type or brand.


texts:
I absolutely love pasta caprese.  I have a great recipe for it that provides perfectly creamy mozarella and tasty tomatoes and uses up the leaves on my basil plant.  It's a great dish.

I also don't consider a meal without some form of protein that isn't cheese to be a meal, and vegetarian meals aren't considered kindly by those I cook for, so I really need at least some meat with every meal.

So my quandry is how to serve my pasta caprese as part of a meal with meat.  In the past I've done grilled chicken breast on the side, but is there a way to make it a one pot meal or serve with another meat main so I'm not limited to chicken?  Ideally I'd like to feature the flavors of the pasta as the main.

I tried hot Italian sausage last night.  It was OK, but I felt that the sausage competed too much with the flavors of the dressing.


texts: I've only ever seen green peas in snow peas or snap peas, in the frozen food section, or in the bulk/dried foods section. When a recipe asks for x cups of fresh peas, does that mean I have strip them from the pods? Seems rather wasteful, unless I cooked the pods, which just seems odd.


texts: Can I use granulated sugar instead of demerara sugar

texts:
I need demerera sugar for the outside layer of my shortbread cookies. I have none. Will regular granulated sugar work? Will it burn?

Note: not actually my question, was posted as a now-deleted answer to another question.


texts: How to slice bread thinly so it won't crumble?

texts: I make sandwich bread to replace store-bought. However, I need relatively thin slices for peanut butter and jelly and other kid-friendly sandwiches. Any tips for slicing bread?


texts: How can I turn my muffin batter into the natural blue color from blueberries?

texts: I'm trying to make blueberry muffins, and I will be folding the blueberries into the batter as well. How can I turn the batter slightly blue without adding excess blueberries? The recipe i'm using calls for 1 1/2 cup of blueberries.


texts: White residue after putting bacon grease laden cookware in dishwasher

texts: I scrape off most of the bacon grease then put it in a dishwasher. The residue doesn't feel very greasy, it has kind of a powder feel to it. There is only residue on the cookwares, and no residue on all other plates. The cookwares are a nonstick pan and a silicone coated turner. It happened with two different brands of bacon. I'm using finish powerball tablets.


texts: How do you remove garlic smells from your fingers?

texts: I've heard touching stainless steel after chopping and handling garlic helps but I haven't found it to work all that well.


texts: What part or kind of geoduck gives crunchy slender slices?

texts:
I purchased a few shucked geoducks  from Sunny Supermarket in Toronto fresh, but froze this one. I wanted to ask this question before preparing it.

After I purged the fresh shuck (not shown), I sliced it, but slices are these squat wedges in pics 1-2.

I wanted these skinny crunchy strips like pics 3-5.

Did I buy wrong kind of geoduck? Or wrong part?

Bibliography - Pics 1,2, 3, 4, 5, Geoduck anatomy picture.


texts: Why is dark chocolate dark when pure cocoa is light brown?

texts:
Kind of a simplistic question, but my curiosity cannot be assuaged. When you look at pure cocoa powder, it has a light brown color, like a milk chocolate bar. And yet a dark chocolate bar, which is much higher chocolate content than milk chocolate, is a vastly darker color than cocoa powder. Even a 100% pure cocoa chocolate bar is a very dark color.

Pure cocoa powder

Milk chocolate bar

Dark chocolate bar ~75% cocoa

Dark chocolate bar 100% cocoa

What is at work here? I know chocolate has fats and solids other than cocoa in it, but that just makes it more confusing why a pure chocolate bar is dark as well. Does compacting the cocoa into a solid form (which is how I assume you make a pure cocoa bar) darken it that much? Are there differences in preparing the cacao beans (like different roasts for coffee)?


texts: How do I get rid of burn marks in my pots?

texts:
Possible Duplicates:
  How can brown stains be removed from pots and pans?
  How to keep my stainless steel skillet clean?

A couple of times I've left things cooking a drop too long - and all the water evaporated and the food started to burn. Once it was potatoes; once apples. Both times I caught it pretty quickly and most of it came off, but now I'm left with slight scorch marks on the bottom and one of the sides of my pot - small burnt-looking black patches. Is there anything to do to get rid of them? (The pot is made of stainless steel.) I've tried cooking water and dishwashing soap in the pot, but it didn't really help. Any other ideas?


texts: No knead bread dough looking slimy after a week

texts: I have been baking no knead bread on a regular basis for a few months now and the fresh bread gets devoured still.  I usually mix a double batch and use it throughout the week.  Sometimes, at about a week in the fridge, there is liquid at the bottom of the bucket and the dough looks very wet on the bottom (where it has been sitting in the liquid). The top looks fine.  My question is whether this is normal and fine or if the dough is being overproofed or something else going on.  When I bake the dough at this stage, it does look more dense than the previous loaves but tastes fine.  Is there something I can do to prevent this or that I should do once this happens for optimal bread? Thanks.


texts:
Can I use black rice vinegar for sushi rice? (Chinkiang Vinegar)

What is the difference to white rice vinegar when making sushi?

Should I still add sugar and salt?


texts: My refrigerator has two crispers, with humidity sliders from low to high. A high-humidity crisper is pretty easy to understand: it traps the moisture inside, preventing leafy greens from wilting. On the other hand, when you slide it to low humidity, a vent opens allowing air to pass through. How is that any different from storing food outside the crisper?


texts: How do I prepare prawns such that they are straight after boiling/steaming?

texts: I'd like to make a sushi roll or a vietnamese prawn roll but can't seem to get the prawns to straighten, which would make them much easier to roll up. They were still curled up after I cleaned them before the boil.


texts: Is there something better than mineral oil for cutting boards?

texts:
I've been using mineral oil to oil my wooden cutting boards ever since I found out this was a good thing to do.  I had a couple of bamboo boards up until I bought a really great John Boos carving board (made of maple).

When I bought the maple board, I noticed they sold something called "mystery oil".  A few searches later, I found it appears to be a mix of mineral oil and linseed oil.

Since then, I have been using just mineral oil on the board(s) with no ill effects.  However, I have been wondering if there is a benefit to using something other than just straight mineral oil.

Can anyone weigh in on this?


texts: Proofing pizza dough with an electric oven

texts:
I used to make pizza dough effortlessly when I had a gas oven.  The pilot was enough to keep a warm temperature.
My last two ovens have been electric ovens.  I have tried many approaches, including keeping a hot water bath in the oven with the dough, and leaving the light on.  But have had no success in getting a good raised proof.
Are there any surefire methods to proof pizza dough with an electric oven?


texts: Can frozen peaches be made into jam or other things?

texts:
I have over ripe peaches.  I have scaled them and pitted them and they are in lemon water.

Can I freeze them to make jam later?
Can I put them in the refrigerator to make jam later?


texts: Chinese rice vermicelli tastes of chemicals

texts:
We bought a large package of dry rice vermicelli recently at our local Thai market. We've cooked it a couple of times, and both times once it starts to boil it gives off a chemical odor, sort of like lye or chlorine (not really either, but that kind of thing). It doesn't rinse off, though rinsing helps a bit. Once rinsed, the chemical smell is not strong enough that it's a problem if you have any kind of sauce on the noodles, but eaten plain they definitely have a chemical funk.

I haven't cooked with this style of rice noodle a lot (we usually do cellophane noodles, which seem different), so maybe this is normal. Can anybody tell me if this is something we should expect with this kind of noodle?

The package was new, clean, and in perfect condition, so if there was some kind of contamination it happened in the factory.


texts: In general, can I substitute egg species for either egg-only or egg-centric dishes?

texts:
(Prompted by an interesting radio show on ducks and duck eggs).

For general uses, in either an egg-only dish, or an egg-centric dish like a custard or quiche, can I use eggs other than chicken eggs?

Other than the obvious that the volume of the dish will vary, and perhaps the cooking time, can I make a fried quail egg on toast, or a duck egg quiche?  Or for that matter, to echo another recent question, a soft-boiled ostrich egg - presumably with lots of dipping toast!


texts: Storing Bao Overnight--to steam and refrigerate?

texts:
I am making roasted duck bao for a dinner tomorrow night.

I will form them all tonight and then refrigerate them until tomorrow. Is it best to steam bao before refrigerating and then steam again before dinner or just wait to steam tomorrow? Will they still have the slightly cakey, slightly chewy consistency of good bao dough? Or will they come out hard and gummy?

EDIT! The recipe I use does call for yeast which I happily use. I have tried two methods now: retarded rise (refrigerator method) and double steam. I am much happier with the freshness of making the bun right before eating. Double steam works best for keeping longer, but nothing beats making it right before eating. If you have the time and room, try the retarded rise.


texts: Should pressure only be applied at the top of a pastry bag?

texts:
I was using a pastry bag for the first time today, and used both hands to squeeze the frosting out, applying pressure on the side and at the top of the bag. My friend said it's better to only apply pressure at the top; that's what she's seen in cooking shows.

This clashes with my understanding of the underlying physics; applying pressure at the diameter is easier, and the only negative consequence I can imagine is applying too much pressure unwittingly because of this. Is there anything else that would discourage using both hands to squeeze a pastry bag?


texts: What can you surmise about coffee beans that have oil on them at the time of purchase?

texts:
I find myself favoring the purchase of coffee beans that have visible oil on them.  My inference was that this bean had some extra flavor or awesomeness.

Am I right, are beans 'better' if they are oily, or more simply, what does that mean about the flavor profile of the bean?


texts:
The way I cook beans (always dry, never canned) is A) I soak them the night before, B) boil just the beans for 45 min, and C) then add other ingredients and cook another 1 hr.

Most of the time, and depending on the kind of bean used, the beans in the step B while boiling release lots of white foam.  I usually skim the foam and throw it away as it takes too much space in the pot.

Should I discard the foam, or keep it, and why?


texts: How long to cook multiple food items with varying temperatures?

texts: In a conventional oven, I need to warm up a turkey for 1 1/2 - 2 hours at 300 degrees, and a sweet potato casserole for one hour at 375 degrees. How long should I cook the casserole with the oven at 300 degrees?


texts: How much lemons are needed to produce pure 1 kg lemon essential oil?

texts:
First of, sorry of the question is not for here, but I can't seemk to find more proper place...
My question is, how much lemons are needed to produce 1 kilogram pure essential oil, not the method with olive oil, but pure one, with only lemons?


texts: How to make semi-hard, unripened brined cheese

texts:
I want to make semi-hard, unripened brined cheese, kind of like Nabulsi or Halloumi.

I already know how to make "fresh" cheese from cow milk, rennet and salt.

But, in my attempts, the resulting curds is far from being hard or semi-hard, unless I strain the curds many hours, but in the process I loose the freshness and fresh milk taste, and the cheese develop other more complex flavours, wich is usually good for a cheese, but not for the kind of cheese I want to make :)

I think I read somewhere that the curds in this kinds of semi-hard, unripened cheeses, just like mozzarella, needed to be cooked?

Is it possible to do this cheese with cow milk instead of goat milk?

For the brine, can I use the (in process produced) whey, in wich I add salt?

Can someone post a complete step by step procedure, or direct me to a web site with this procedure?

Thank you!


texts: Can I make puff pastry with half the butter?

texts: I made puff pastry with Gouda cheese inside and it turned out really good. The only problem I had was the amount of butter and it was too buttery. I'd like to know if it is possible to reduce the amount of butter? Another question is, I have some leftover dough without butter (a combination of flour, salt and ice water) and I was wondering for 420 gr dough how much butter should I use?


texts: Is it possible to release the earthy citrus of a tomato in a soup without eating it?

texts:
I have this idea that maybe along with other ingredients for a savory Thai-inspired soup that I can boil whole tomatoes with it to balance the savory flavor with the earthy citrus that the tomatoes have. But, the tomatoes themselves aren't something that should be eaten with the rest soup because actually biting into a ripe tomato is overwhelming and inconsistent with it.

I haven't gotten much out of experimenting with it so far, so is there a way that I can just cook or boil the tomatoes with the soup so that it adds a the earthy citrus flavor but without being an eaten ingredient? I don't like the idea of canned tomato juice, I usually use fresh ingredients and it tastes more metallic.


texts:
I've been working on a starter and feeding it daily for a while now and it really seems active, smells yeasty vinegary and generates plenty of bubbles.

I am trying to test out my starter by making a small loaf of sour dough. I came across this article, which says to use one part starter, two parts water and three parts flour as a general rule.

Following this example, my dough is wayyy too sticky and not really workable at all. How come I am getting this result? did I do anything wrong? should I just keep adding flour until the dough is less sticky and I am able to knead it?

Also, I recently bough a baking stone which I plan to use for baking the bread, I appreciate any advice and getting the best result possible.


texts:
I've made my own pasta for the first time today. While the results were far from bad, it was not perfect. It looked a little bit too "fluffy" when compared to store-bought pasta (I mean the more or less fresh ones you get at the refrigerator and not dried) and once it was cooked it grew too much in size.
I've seen some discussions on this site regarding for instance adding more or less eggs, or only egg yolks, etc.
I would like to know how these proportions affect the pasta in itself. While of course I can eat it how I want, I like to do things as traditional and "rule-following" way as possible. Some questions that come on top of my head are, for instance: What is the effect of adding only yolks, more eggs, less eggs, salt (does it do anything besides taste)? Should the pasta be overworked, or very little?
I understand is a question with multiple questions, I am just looking for general advice on how to master the recipe based on a few factors.


texts: What is the maximal thickness for choux pastry?

texts:
I recently made puff balls. I made pâte a choux, but instead of baking it as small spheres (profiteroles-like) or piping it for eclaires, I shaped it into 3 cm big balls and baked it. They puffed beautifully to more than double their original size, but the planes of dough inside remained rather moist, they were actually underbaked.

What thickness (pre-baking) can I use for choux pastry shapes so I can be sure that they will bake on the inside?


texts: Gravy with Scrambled Eggs :: What went wrong?

texts:
OK, I love scrambled eggs but I wanted a variant which isn't completely dry so here is what I did:
I got some instant (add hot water) type gravy packets which were of Chinese cuisine. I added hot water and stirred like crazy till it tasted, looked and had a good consistency like gravy. I made my scrambled eggs this way and simply added them. As a consequence, the scrambled eggs got all soggy and tasted really weird.
The ratio of addition was just enough to drown the scrambled eggs. Sorry but I can't provide metric proportions

Note: I am on a student budget, please suggest improvements which won't burn holes in my pockets.


texts: What are the (dis-)advantages of cooking vegetables in alkaline water?

texts:
Chee Kei 池記 @ CWB – live2makan

蠔油芥蘭 Chinese kale with oyster sauce
Chinese kale is also referred to as Hong Kong kailan. The greens are blanched in the same boiling water that they used to blanch the noodles. The alkalinity has kept the kale really green. Here, it’s just a simple dash of oyster sauce and the dish is done. You can taste the sweet taste and crunchy texture.

Is the embolded proposition true? Why would alkalinity keep vegetables really green?

Does the embolded proposition suggest cooking vegetables with alkaline water? If so, what pH is best?


texts: How long does shrimp paste last in the fridge?

texts:
Basically, I have some shrimp paste, it's a nice, very dark purple colour, and I keep it in the fridge.  It's not "dry", but it's dry enough to be extremely firm when I take some out of the jar with a teaspoon.

I'm wondering how long it will last - since it's mostly salt and is very, very thoroughly cooked when used, I'm thinking it will last quite a few months, but would it last a year?


texts: Does white chocolate HAVE to have milk in it?

texts:
I've looked through the ingredient labels of cheap candy bars, and quality baking white chocolate chips alike, and have been unable to find any milk-less white chocolate, they all contain either milk fat, skim milk, or dry milk.

Has anyone seen vegan white chocolate before, or is it even possible to make?


texts:
So, I recently bought some Spearmint plants, and the yield has been pretty nice. However, I've hit a bit of a snag. I've tried a few different Drying and Brewing methods, from Oven drying to Air drying, from loose leaf in a kettle to in a coffee maker (both Fresh and dried), and it seems that I just can not seem to get a good flavor out of them.
Ya, I know Spearmint has very little Menthol (if any, depending on the variety). Normally it has that spearminty leafy green flavor, but no matter what I do, I can't seem to get rid of this Musky flavor and smell. I'm working with Smooth-leaf Spearmint atm.

Anyone know what I might be doing wrong?


texts:
I have made this recipe for buttercream:
https://addapinch.com/perfect-chocolate-buttercream-frosting-recipe/
 It includes powdered sugar, cocoa, butter and vanilla. I made it according to instructions but unfortunately started with cold butter, so the buttercream came out grainy. To fix this I followed many tips from the internet instructing me to separate part of the mixture, microwave it, and then return it to the mixing bowl and mix on high for a long, long time. It's still grainy. Any more suggestions? How long am I supposed to be mixing it for? I've mixed it using a hand mixer for at least twenty minutes. Now the buttercream seems to be separating, and I can see grains of butter appearing.


texts:
I have an old jar of 9 bean soup mix which is basically dried beans. In order to cook them, they must first be softened and according to some prior research a few methods exist, though the most common method is to soak the beans over night. I have done just that. They have been soaking for more than 12 hours now and they are still quite hard. When I began soaking them I used boiled water from the kettle so that the process might be sped up.

Is there a better way to go about this?

Would adding an acid help to soften the beans?

Am I doing something wrong?


texts: Which mild pepper is a good substitute for Serrano pepper?

texts:
I plan to make a guacamole dip and one of the ingredients is Serrano pepper, which is 10,000 to 23,000 heat units by the Scoville scale.

That is way too spicy for me.

Which one of the milder peppers (100-2,000) would be a good replacement?


texts: Is there a web site indexing cooking competitions, or an effective aggregator?

texts:
Most sites that list cooking competitions are unfortunately holed up in one groups' pages and not easily searched.

I am looking for a site that indexes cooking competitions across various formats (i.e. chili, bbq, chowder, whatever), can provide event information, filter geographically and by event type.

A great site would index the events themselves as its sole function, but might also provide guidance/community elements.

What sites are currently out there that fit this bill?


texts: Why is it easier to separate a cold egg?

texts: A lot of recipes that call for separating an egg, suggest that the egg be separated when cold rather than at room temperature even if it has to be brought to room temperature afterwards. I was just wondering what makes it easier to separate eggs when cold and if there is a chemical reason or the cells of the egg change under different temperatures? What's the science behind it?


texts:
I just got a squash from a coworker (he grows it) and it occurs to me that my wife likes to use fresh vegetables for making our own baby food. It also occurs to me that she's out of town for the next two weeks.

What options do I have to preserve this squash in such a manner that she can make baby food when she gets back? If it can sit on the counter for three weeks and be just fine, that works for me. Otherwise, what can I do to cook it that won't render it unusable for baby food? I don't really know what goes into baby food other than I think she steams the veggies so they're soft for our baby.


texts: How shall I arrange my slowly-eating plan and preserve a box of 5Lb frozen eggs over a long period?

texts:
I have a box of 5Lb of frozen eggs with citric acid, where

  1 Lb is 9 large eggs

  Unopened product should be used within 3 days of thrawing.

  Unused portion should be kept refrigerated and used within 24 hours of
  opening

I can't eat all after thrawing and opening it. I can only eat 1 egg i.e. 3 table spoon per day. How shall I arrange my slowly-eating plan and store the remaining  frozen eggs over a long period?


texts: Why are there so many different pasta shapes?

texts:
Do the different pasta shapes serve any purpose, or are they just for fun?  Some difference appear to be cultural (lo mein vs spaghetti), but there are so many different syles of Italian pasta, is there a reason for this?

Clearly there need to be differences for stuffed / not stuffed, but why do we have penne and ziti?


texts:
We've got a fancy espresso machine in our office kitchen. (It's apparently the kind they used to use at Starbucks stores before they switched over to a more automated "point-and-click" type system.) I was trained on how to use the machine by an old pro, and have been successfully making delicious cups of espresso for a few months.

Lately, my espresso tastes distinctly salty.

I haven't changed the process at all. It has happened on a few separate days, with many other people using the machine, so I doubt it is an issue related to the substance used for cleaning the machine (since I believe that would have been flushed out between my attempts). I haven't heard any other complaints from the 50 (or so) other people who use the same beans, grinder, and espresso machine.

It's a mystery to me, but salty coffee is gross, so it's a mystery that needs solving. (My theory is that I've unwittingly altered my method in some tiny way that I haven't noticed, and that has changed the taste of my espresso. I just don't know what that alteration was!)

Edit: I had a thought: This morning, I made a cup that was salty enough that I didn't want to drink it at all. I poured it out and made another from the other basket on the same machine. It was salty, but drinkable. Potential clue?

'nother edit: Yesterday, my coffee was less salty. The only difference in my method was that I rinsed the basket for way longer than I usually do. It still tasted a little bit off (in the salty direction), but not nearly as bad as previous cups.


texts: I have a recipe that calls for a Cubanelle Pepper, but my dad can't eat peppers.

texts:
I've got a recipe that asks for a Cubanelle Pepper. I was going to just leave it out, but I'm not sure how much it's going to alter the flavor.  It's a flounder and scallop saute in a garlic cream sauce.

Additional ingredients: Italian parsley, lemon zest, Greek seasoning, corn, green onions

Is there anything I can add to help make up the flavor?  Thanks!


texts: What kind of seaweed do I need for Japanese-style seaweed salad?

texts:
I've fallen in love with the seaweed salad from a local Japanese seafood buffet. What would be the most cost-effective way to obtain this kind of food in large quantities for regular eating? I would assume that making it fresh would be the best way.

As far as obtaining ingredients, I'm located on the east coast of the United States; so this isn't a native dish.

I'm also confused on the type of seaweed to look for. Google says that I'm looking for wakame seaweed but search results show many different varieties.

The specific type of seaweed salad I want appears to be "sesame seaweed salad".

Here is a photo of what I would like to make:


texts: How do I control the quality of a kombucha SCOBY?

texts:
I'm starting to make my own Kombucha and have seen scoby with many different colors, shapes, textures, etc.

My goal is to have a scoby that produces good probiotics and a taste that is acceptable to the average bud.

There are many elements that could alter the quality of the scolby, for example:
Direct Sunlight, Altitude, Humidity, Temperature, Type of Tea(or other liquids), Sugar, etc.

I want to understand the role of each element that contributes to the qualities that make up high quality kombucha.

If you know any links, research documentation, or anything that reinforces your suggestions please post them.


texts: Are there guidelines for choosing bread for a sandwich?

texts:
I'm trying to figure out if there's a sort of "etiquette" to it, like there is with wine.

Obviously, some sandwiches just "go" with a certain bread, like cream cheese and salmon on a bagel. I'm trying to understand the link between the filling and the "right" bread.


texts: How to evenly spread butter in each square of a waffle?

texts:
We made large Belgian-style waffles tonight and I found it incredibly difficult to evenly spread the butter in each square. In fact, it was so time consuming, by the time I was done, the waffle was barely hot :(

As a second attempt, I cut a tablespoon of butter into 16 tiny cubes and let each cube melt in the waffle butter receptacles. This was slightly more effective but it got butter all over my fingers in the process :(

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


texts:
I'm hungry at a power substation.

All I have is a 13-pound turkey and these air-interrupt breakers. How long does the turkey have to sit in the arc before it's done?


texts:
I am using this Smitten Kitchen recipe for lemon tarts.

I made it a few times prior (all within the last few weeks) and it worked beautifully. I loved it because it had a great balance of lemon flavour, to sweetness. The main selling point, however, was the 5 minute prep time.

In my most recent attempt, I made the pie as before - followed the directions pretty closely.

However, this time, the pie did not set. The top was caramelized nicely (I probably left it in longer than I did previous times, about 40 minutes?), but inside the pie was almost completely liquid. I have an analog oven thermometer as well, so I know my temperature was fairly accurate.

I don't do a lot of baking, so I was sure to follow the recipe pretty accurately. The only thing I changed in all three attempts, was I added an extra half lemon's worth of zest. Is there anything I may have missed that may have caused the tart to not set?

How can I ensure consistent results?

Note: On the first success I used large eggs, the second success was made with medium eggs. The failed attempt was used with the same batch of medium eggs. Not sure if that's relevant, since we used the same eggs. I wouldn't have thought it'd make a difference, other than the fact that they've been in our fridge an extra week or two.


texts: How do you emphasize the yeast flavor in bread?

texts: How do you amplify the yeast flavor in bread?


texts: How can I add a savory note to (or otherwise improve) a sweet, cream based salad dressing?

texts:
I recently purchased a cream based salad dressing and it is VERY sweet with an aftertaste, what can I add to make make it more savory and just make it taste better?

I love salad and my veggies are so sad with this dressing...


texts: How to differentiate normal potato from the potato that has sweetness?

texts:
Sometimes, we need to add potato to our dishes like in  Pulao and some Indian dry vegetable dishes. But some potatoes have sweetness to them which ruin the flavor of the dish.

Is there a way to differentiate the potatoes which are sweet in flavor from the normal one without tasting?

Note: I am not talking about Sweet potato, which is a different thing altogether.


texts: I have tried making the same quiche recipe twice, but both times it has turned out soggy. I whisked together 3 eggs, milk, half and half, and seasonings and poured it over the crust with ham and cheese sitting at the bottom. I put it in the oven at 375 for an hour. Everything was cooked, but there was liquid just coming out of it and the bottom crust was soggy. Any ideas why this sogginess is occurring?


texts: Should a teabag or looseleaf tea brew at room to cold temperature water?

texts:
I recently noticed that an organic bigelow tea(teabag) starts brewing at room/cold temperature water. Not sure if it is brewing or not but the water starts to get green after dipping the tea few times.

I seriously doubt that tea could brew in cold water and that too in few dips. This has put a doub in my mind, whether I am drinking tea or something flavored? The ingredients on the packets say: Organic Green tea and nothing else!

Should I stop drinking the tea from tea bag and buy loose leaf teas only? Any suggestions/tips are appretiated.


texts: Does a bread box requires holes for ventilation?

texts: I am trying to figure out whether a breadbox should have ventilation holes or not. There are many for sale with and without. When I look at most breadbox pictures, going from vintage to modern, I don't see holes, but some contemporary ones have holes. I understand bread produces moisture and it's important to let it out?


texts:
I'm looking to make a start in the world of baking bread, and have a quick question:

Once my dough is kneaded, proved and ready to go in the oven (i.e. in the tin) - does it need to be baked immediately, or can it be stored in the refrigerator overnight for example?


texts: What will happen if I put cut vegetables or roasted peanuts in a Salzburger grain mill or a mock mill?

texts: I am trying to use a grain mill for peanut butter, and also pureeing vegetables. Can this work?


texts: How do I keep my melted candy windows in my gingerbread house from cracking?

texts: I have melted hard candy in the windows of my gingerbread house, two days later the candy is cracked.  Tried it again, using more candy, but it cracked again.  The gingerbread wall with the windows was baked and sat for two days before the hard candy was melted.


texts:
I've tried many times to whip some cream or egg whites with a simple whisk, but I feel tired after about a minute of whipping, and I do not obtain good results also after whipping for sometime. I suspect that I'm doing it wrong.

Is there a correct way to use a whisk? How to avoid so much fatigue? About the quantity of the food to whip?


texts: What are these chocolate meringues called?

texts:
I've picked these up at a swiss/ french patisserie and I'd love to try making them myself, but I can't find anything online similar to this.

They are dry and crusty on the outside and have a soft mousse like texture on the inside. They are not chewy or squishy


texts: Do oat flakes (Spar S-budget) contain gluten?

texts: I am intolerant to gluten (was diagnosed with Hashimoto thyroiditis, my symptoms become much milder when I don't consume gluten). I wish to eat lots of healthy fiber, preferably cheap one, to lower the chances of colon cancer. Do oat müsli by Spar S-budget (picture below) contain gluten?


texts:
I am currently grinding walnuts at home using a manual grinder and I would like to use an electric one.

I have seen there are several models available on the market, but I haven't seen one which can be adjusted for slow (speed) grinding. This is useful when the walnuts aren't perfectly dried.

So, I am looking for a home-use walnut grinder with a low speed setting (similar to the speed achieved using a manual grinder). Does anybody know if such a grinder exists?


texts: Looking for 10" bamboo steamer that will last!

texts:
I've owned quite a few different bamboo steamers. First one I bought many years ago and it lasted many years. Last few I have purchased did not. We're talking normal use, hand washing only. Seems like they are made ever more cheaply and none of them hold up well.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can ensure that the next one purchased will be durable and hold up well? Is there anything in particular I should be looking for/at?


texts: Are Gem Squash Edible After the Green Rind Turns Yellow/Orange?

texts:
We've had these squash for a while.

I've cut them open and they appear to be OK, but I want to be sure.


texts: Is it safe to only rinse visible residue from container if I then refrigerate the container?

texts:
I like to eat off silicone containers. I've noticed that if I rinse them right away after eating, there will be basically no visible residue left on the surface.
Now let's say that, err, I had a friend who is lazy and gross and was considering rinsing a container that way and placing it in the fridge in between meals, eating in that same container throughout the day and only washing it properly after dinner.
That would be yucky, yes, but not dangerous, right? Since the fridge can keep a whole container of food safe for a few days, surely it can keep some microscopic food residue safe from morning until night? The food would only stay briefly in the temperature danger zone (4-60 C or 40-140 F) when eating, so it wouldn't add up to two hours of non-safe temp throughout the day.
I coul-I mean, my friend could even rinse with hot water, or place it in the freezer instead to make extra sure. Or you know, actually wash it for real, but it's a really lazy person I'm talking about here.
EDIT - To summarize: I want to know whether it is dangerous to not fully clean the container in between meals throughout a day (like three or four times). I would only give it a quick rinse to remove visible residue, and then keep it under 4 C / 40 F, where bacteria won't grow too quickly (and then clean it properly afterward for the next day).


texts: How to store homemade pasta without freezing

texts:
I'm curious how to make pasta (and in this case I'm talking about say, spaghetti, angel hair, shells or lasagna noodles, no filling) and store it dry like I would find in a box at a store. I would try to take a day where I have not much to do and make ~25 pounds of pasta for the year (or every six months, happy to keep food fresh) Should there be adaptations of a recipe? Or would any do?

How would I go about storing pasta (without filling) without a freezer for long periods of time?


texts: Why can't I use toaster oven instead of real oven?

texts: My toaster oven has a temperature gauge just like my oven 200-450 degrees. I opened a package of fish sticks and the instructions said "Do not cook in microwave or toaster oven." It only had instructions for cooking them in a regular oven. Do you have any idea why a toaster oven that can be put at the same temperature would not be good to use?


texts: Is it possible to subsititute nutella for peanut butter?

texts: Beyond the obvious differences in flavor, do these two tend to be interchangable?  The consistencies and composition seem close enough to me to make an acceptable substitute, but is it likely to give a significantly different end product with certain types of preparations?


texts: How can I buy black pepper with mainly black bits?

texts:
When buying black pepper I notice it usually comes whole or grounded but it usually contains the outer black part as well as the inner white part hence a mixture of white and black bits.  When fine grounded it looks grey.

I prefer the taste of the black bits only however they dont seem to be sold with the black bits only.
How can I make it seperating the white and black bits and can I buy it like that also?  Do I have to search for a particular term because I can only found whole or ground both of which conain white and black bits.


texts: Gritty White Globules in Precooked Grocery Store Sausage?

texts:
I've been buying some various types of precooked brand-name sausages from the grocery store over the last few months, and while they've been pretty good I have consistently found these little white globs in the sausages. They don't taste very good and they're not particularly soft or easy to chew. If I had to describe them in more traditional terms, I'd say it's similar to the "grit" that I don't like on some steaks.

The sausages that I'm speaking of are small 4-6 inch links that come in plastic packaging.

It occurred to me eating it recently that maybe these were little globs of fat that hadn't been melted, and in that case maybe I was cooking the sausages incorrectly. I have a fairly limited set of instruments to work with in my kitchen right now, so I've been cooking them on the stove in the single saucepan that I have in my possession. I don't have a frying pan or anything else like that.

I'd like to know what these globules are and if there's anything I should be doing to cook my sausages differently.


texts: Does brown rice or white rice expand more when cooked?

texts: Which expands more when cooked: brown rice or white rice?


texts:
Just found out there's actually two kind of puff pastry in my local supermarket, one called chilled and one called frozen. Do anyone know the difference?

Some people said the chilled one is fresher as it's kept in normal fridge not frozen. But then I'd also want to know if I have left over of this chilled puff pastry sheet can I freeze them for storage?


texts: What is a good use for lots of fresh cilantro?

texts: I have a few recipes I like to make which call for fresh cilantro, but when I buy it at the store it's usually in large bunches and I have a ton left over.  What's a good use for the leftovers?


texts: Substituting maple syrup for honey in bread

texts:
I've got the following recipe for a honey whole wheat bread-machine bread:

1-1/3 cups warm water
1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoons butter
2-2/3 cups whole wheat flour
1-1/3 cups bread flour
1-1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp yeast

I'd like to substitute maple syrup for the honey to produce a maple wheat bread.  Can I substitute one for one, or do I need to make adjustments?  In particular, will I need to increase or decrease the amount of water used?


texts: Can agar-agar be used in fondant icing in place of gelatin?

texts: Can china grass (agar-agar) be used as a substitute to gelatin in fondant cake icing?


texts: Stronger bread, how could I achieve that?

texts:
I'm new to baking in general,
and I've been recently trying to make a simple pizza bread.

But the problem is that after I bake the bread in the oven, it seems like the bread isn't as elastic as I want it to be..

I use the basic ingredients which are:

Flour
Yeast
Sugar
Water

The bread is fine.. it rises and it looks good..
but you can barely stretch it, a very little of pulling is required to tear it apart and it forms cracks very easily..

I'd love to know how I could change that and make the bread stronger and more elastic?

Thank you!


texts:
Yesterday, I got a calzone from a pizzeria, took it home and refrigerated it immediately.

This morning, I reheated it in the microwave and ate some. Then, I put it back in the fridge. Later today, I reheated it again in the microwave and ate the rest.

Now besides poor food quality (which it was), was this "okay" to do as far as health/bacteria is concerned?

I did a search for this but didn't find anything.


texts: What adjustments when doubling a cheesecake recipe?

texts:
My cheesecake recipe calls for a 9 in pie dish. I want to double the recipe and bake in a single, glass 9.5 in pie dish. I make it about every year for Christmas, but last year I made a pumpkin cheesecake in a 9 in pan, and it called for 32oz of cream cheese. It was awesomely thick! I was just wanting a thicker cheesecake. The recipe states to bake at 325 F for 35 minutes. How should I adjust?

The original recipe is as follows:

1 c crushed ginger snaps
3 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 c sugar
2 Tbsp sugar
16 oz cream cheese
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c sour cream
2 eggs
1 c apple pie filling
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c toffee pieces

Bake at 325 F for 35 minutes


texts: Can water cause fermented pickles to spoil?

texts:
I recently learned about Indian lemon pickles.

There is a lot of variation between recipes but the ones I am trying consist of chopping lemons or limes, adding salt, and letting them ferment for a period of time before adding spices.

A large number of recipes have included a warning that the lemons, utensils, and jar must be completely dry or else the pickles will spoil quickly.

Here is one example
"Even a small drop of water makes this pickle spoil soon."

This doesn't make sense to me for several reasons:

There is, of course, already water in the fruit
A tiny amount of water won't be enough to significantly dilute the acid or salt
I have never seen such a warning in fermented pickles from other cultures

Admittedly none of these recipes have come from an authoritative food chemist. They are all traditional recipes.

Can water actually spoil fermented pickles or is this an Indian old wives tale?


texts: I realize it can go bad after a long time, but why does it take so much longer than other dairy products? Does it have to do with the alcohol content? If so, what is the process that is happening?


texts:
I sauteed some spinach in a little oil and when eating the oil with spinach I noticed the oil tasted a bit watery and I could have sworn I saw water(likely from spinach) in the oil while it was frying.

Am I doing something wrong when cooking, can you explain these results? As far as I understand, since the oil should be so hot the water should evaporate rapidly.


texts: Are fungal toxins a significant problem in coffee, and if so, can they be avoided?

texts:
I stumbled across this blogpost which claims that coffee is awesome for our bodies but only if it doesn't have mycotoxins (toxins generated by fungi).

To quote them:

  One study showed that 91.7% of green coffee beans were contaminated with mold.  This is before they were processed, which allows even more mold to grow.  Another study showed 52% of green coffee beans and almost 50 percent of brewed coffees are moldy.  Coffee is easily one of the largest sources of mycotoxins in the food supply.

They conveniently sell coffee beans that underwent a different process and don't have mycotoxins, so I have to wonder if this is a real problem and if there are ways to avoid it besides buying from them.

Perhaps buying green beans and processing them somehow so the fungi are washed away?


texts: How to pack items that may leak liquids for lunch?

texts: Today my husband packed me some shrimp burritos for lunch. They were very tasty, but unfortunately, a lot of liquid drained from them between morning and lunchtime, so the bottom burrito in the pile was too soggy to eat without a knife and fork. Is there a better way to pack foods of this type so that they retain their expected consistency?


texts: I would like to dehydrate some sweet potatoes. Here I found a recipe for dehydrating fresh sweet potatoes in low temperatures without cooking them first. But here they say that fresh sweet potatoes contain toxins and should not be eaten without cooking. So what is the truth? Is it safe to eat dehydrated sweet potatoes that were not cooked first?


texts: How to determine quantity of baking powder for baking simple cake?

texts: Do I need to double the quantity of baking powder,when all other ingredients are doubled for preparing simple sponge cake?


texts: Looking to bake side dishes, having problems with dryness

texts:
When I cook my meat, I usually bake or broil it, I basically use the oven.

I like using the oven to make the side dish while baking the meat. Usually the side dish consists of a combination of sweet potatoes / yams, broccoli and onions.

I slice the potatoes and make sure the broccoli pieces and onions are large enough so they will not overcook / burn.

However, usually this combination ends up being really dry, and everything sticks to the aluminum foil.

Now, I don't really like throwing oil on everything, I want my meals to be healthy, and covering everything with alot of oil is not appealing to me.

Do you know of any alternatives to prevent the dryness?

I might just have to revert to boiling the potatoes and broccoli, although I have never heard of boiling onions.


texts:
Right so, for many sauces i buy, they have a use within 3 days / 4 weeks after opening in the instructions on the back.

For most.. they have an expiry date on the actual bottle and "Refrigerate after opening" on the instructions, with no info on how long i can use it after opening, does this mean, if constantly refrigerated they will last until the expiry date (Which can be well over a year ahead) Despite having opened them a while ago?

Examples : Teriyaki sauce, Honey/Mint sauce, Apple Sauce, Ketchup, Barbecue sauce, sweet/sour sauce, and the list goes on..


texts: In Chinese cuisine, are the black beans fermented in Black Bean sauce?

texts:
I was wondering what type of flavour the black beans add to black bean sauce.  Can they be switched for pinto beans or kidney beans?  Is there a process such as fermentation that the beans undergo before adding to sauce.

I ask because UK supermarket black bean sauces seem poor.  I was thinking that that the main source of flavour is soy, fish or oyster sauces.  I was also beginning to think that all the beans did was to add bulk and to thicken (because soy is watery).

Are they are cheats/substitutes to achieve the same effect as fermentation?  Links welcome.


texts: Can I use the green part of leeks for stocks?

texts:
Most recipes call for the white and the inner green parts of leeks. I feel like I'm wasting half leek.

After googling a little, I've found some people consider it edible if properly cooked. I guess a couple of hours of simmering should be enough, but my book says to use only white and inner green parts for stock. Is there a reason not to use it, if properly cleaned?


texts:
I've been trying to make cookies the usual way : All Purpose Flour + Eggs + Butter + Powdered Sugar + Chocolate Powder > Mix till Semi-Solid Batter > Put chunks of them in a baking tray and bake at about 180C for 15 minutes. However, my cookies always end up rubbery. If you attempt to break it asunder, it comes apart as if it were made up of rubber. The cookies have not been removed prematurely, in fact, a minute more burns them (but they still stay rubbery). I have already tried:

Using no eggs.
Changing proportions of flour and butter.
Increasing temperature too 200C for 12 minutes
Decreasing temperature to 160 for 20 minutes.

Nothing seems to help. Any help?


texts:
What are the odd sprouts at the ends of them? Exp date is good.

I've seen this frequently now.  I usually just cut off the ends and eat it anyway.


texts: looking for a substitute for liquor in a cake recipe

texts: I'm making a Lady Baltimore cake the recipe called for chopped raisins and figs to be soaked in 1/2 cup of brandy can I substitute something other than liquor? This mixture goes into a frosting along with nuts and it is spread in the middle of the cake.


texts:
I have one recipe that calls for several egg whites, and no egg yolks that I plan to make soon. I have other recipes that call for more yolks than whites (which I am not planning on using 'soon')...
How long will egg yolks 'keep' in the fridge?
(alternatively/additionally) Can yolks be frozen (for instance, in an ice cube tray) an preserved?


texts: Why does my bread collapse in my bread machine?

texts:
I have a bread machine and when I follow the recipes in the included booklet that came with the machine, the bread rises for about an hour, but the collapses back on itself and comes out rock hard and, usually, undercooked (doughy). I've tried adding flour, which helped a little, but didn't cure the problem.  When I bake bread in the oven (hand-kneading, etc.) it comes out just fine.

Some additional info: I've had similar problems with chocolate-chip cookies.  Recipes that work perfectly for other people collapse in our kitchen (even the recipe from the Nestle chocolate chips package).  My only theory is that since we live one block from a very large lake the air is somehow more humid, or dense, or something.  Adding almost twice as much flour to the cookies has make them stay up, but now they taste "cakey."

Does anyone know what might be going on and what I could try to help the problem?  I'm stabbing in the dark, since I don't know the science behind what's going on.


texts: Heart shaped fruit cake: how to prevent uneven baking

texts:
I have just made my first ever fruit cake. I used the BBC light fruit wedding cake for a 6" tin. I used the cake o later to increase the cake to a 12" one.

The original recipe said to bake for 30 mins, then turn oven down to 150C/ fan 130C/gas 2 and bake for another 1 hr 45 mins until risen, golden and an inserted skewer comes out clean. I increased it to 40 mins and 2 hours 30 mins.

I was worried about the point burning, but it was fine. It was the sides of the top curves of the heart that over cooked and the top burnt. The sides also got really dry and crispy. I double lined the tin, in and out. I can't find any help about heart shaped tins. What can I do?


texts:
Is there a danger of the plastic bag melting for cooking via sous vide?

How do you know when the plastic has melted?


texts: Can I leave Easter side dishes in a closed (off) oven for three hours safely?

texts: I have people coming for Easter dinner immediately after church. I don't have a timer so if I cook the side dishes in the oven, can I leave them there with the oven door closed? Will the be ready to serve 3 hrs. later?


texts: How do I keep eggs from sticking to a pan while cooking?

texts:
I like to cook eggs in my toaster oven, but the one thing that I don't like about it is how the eggs will stick to my pan after cooling and its just so difficult to clean off afterwards. I end up having to take a very stiff brush to the pan and even then it takes a full 5 minutes of scrubbing to clean it off.

How do I keep the eggs from sticking to the pan in the first place? A few things:

It's usually around 3 eggs, whisked in a bowl, and salted before being poured into the pan (I think its called a fritata?)
The pan is definitely NOT non-stick. I think it's an aluminum cake pan, but I don't really remember.
I butter the pan before pouring the eggs in.
Oven is set to 150 C, cooks for about 10 minutes. I realize I might be overcooking things, but would NOT overcooking solve my problem?

I need some advice here. Is there a way to solve my problem with this pan or should I just go out and buy a new one?


texts: Mixture of ingredients has a bitter taste

texts:
I put ginger, cilantro, red onion, jalapeno and garlic in a blender for a dish I'm preparing. This mixture was going to be fried in oil. I noticed that it had an extremely bitter taste - what could be the reason?

What's the best way to counteract this bitter taste? My dish has tomatoes, some Indian spices like dried cilantro powder, chilly powder, turmeric, etc.


texts: Why is potassium bromate in bread banned in almost all countries of the world except for countries in Africa?


texts: What seasonings give ranch dressing its distinctive flavor?

texts: I've always wondered this. Is there a collective set of seasonings that equal "ranch"?


texts: How to get the correct expresso extraction amount, grind vs tamper

texts:
I'm trying to extract a double shot, e.g 60ml in 30 seconds. I always seem to go over and get 100ml+. When I use a finer grind, the coffee tastes burnt... It seems that tampering harder and using a finer grind have the same effect.

How do I know which method to use? e.g. why not use a really fine grain and not tamper at all? why not use a croase grind and tamper really really hard?


texts: How to properly clean raw chicken cut in pieces?

texts:
In the country where I live, whole chicken is the cheapest protein you can buy and I cook it every week at home. I always ask the butcher to cut it into pieces for me and I use it for stews, grilled, fried, cooked in the oven, anyway you can imagine. It is cheap and incredibly versatile, selling for around 1,6€/kg. The closest meat product would be pork chops selling for around 3,5€/kg.
Because the chicken is cut in pieces it comes with small bits of fat and chicken insides that don't taste or look good in my dishes. I remove these with a knife and then wash chicken under running water to remove the smaller bits. If I don't wash the chicken I get smaller bits of fat and blood vessels in my food. But I was horrified to stumble into articles that say washing raw chicken isn't safe. It spreads bacteria into the countertops and the sink and there's evidence that the bacteria can remain after the kitchen is washed. Everyone agrees washing raw chicken isn't safe. The alternative is patting the chicken with kitchen paper, but this will make it hard to remove the small bits of blood and whatnot that are holding on to the chicken. What can I do to safely clean my chicken?


texts: Is there any way to avoid grease splatter?

texts:
I often cook fries in a skillet. I put about 1/4 cup vegetable oil into a large skillet and heat on high, then I toss in some frozen fries.

As soon as I toss them in there is an explosion of grease that makes a huge mess. After it simmers down though, I can cook the fries without spilling anymore grease.

Is there anyway to avoid the initial uproar?


texts: I know its probably a silly question but i left the fridge door cracked slightly open last night for around 3 and a half to 4 hours and was wondering if the freezer would have been affected in anyway?. I worry needlessly about everything and overthink compulsively so cant let this go. I imagine all the fridge items would be ok also as i said it was only cracked about 1 inch open for just about less than 4 hours..


texts:
I'm trying to purchase some of these cocktail/martini glasses, but I can not find a name for them.  If you search martini, you get a traditional martini glass (straight sides).  If you search for a cocktail glass, you get high balls and low balls.

Anyone know the name of this glass?


texts: How does FPC compare to mammalian rennet?

texts: How does fermentation-produced chymosin (bio-chemically engineered rennet) compare to real mammalian rennet? Does it affect the flavor of the cheese?


texts: What is the difference between "Mongolian Grill" and "Hibachi"?

texts:
For years I have been frequenting Chinese restaurants that feature "Mongolian Grill" (or Mongolian BBQ depending on the location). Recently I tried a new place that had (what they called) "Hibachi", which looked very similar, and I originally mistook for 'the same'. When I inquired about the Mongolian grill I was informed that there is a difference. While the host went on about what those differences are I am afraid that the subtleties were "lost in translation".

Can someone clarify for me what the differences are?


texts: What's is the internal temperature of pancakes?

texts: I made pancakes made out of a nutritional shake but some of the health benefits disappear if heated over 115 degrees F. So wanted to know what the typical internal temp is for pancakes?


texts: How can I make a super-thin, yet strong, calzone crust?

texts:
I am a relatively experienced amateur when it comes to making pizza, especially pizza doughs. I recently went to Italy and enjoyed some calzones with super-thin crusts.

My standard recipe for a pizza crust is essentially the following:

1.5 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (or all-purpose)
0.5 cups semolina flour
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. quick-rise yeast
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive (or cooking) oil
1 cup warm water
More water or flour to achieve a mostly-elastic (but slightly sticky) dough

I typically add some of the following seasonings for fun and flavor:
 - 1-2 tsp. minced garlic
 - 1-2 tsp. onion powder
 - 1-3 tsp. oregano
 - 1 tsp red pepper flakes

The above recipe works great for crusts thicker than a few millimeters. When I roll it out thinner, however, it isn't strong enough and tears when forming a calzone.

How can I modify that recipe to get a crust that's strong enough for making a calzone? I expect substituting bread flour for the whole wheat flour would help, as well as not adding extra ingredients. Perhaps I could add a few teaspoons of gluten?

Thoughts? Thanks in advance!


texts:
I'm starting a Sous Vide project and I didn't find any information about Temperature Accuracy. I really would like to know how accurate must be the temperature sensor in Sous Vide.
 I found some DIY Sous Vide that uses DS18B20 with 0.5ºC accuracy, will it be enough or Sous Vide must require better accuracy such as we can find on commercial products.


texts:
I'm a beginner, and trying to follow this recipe.

Along the lines, it's said that we should add coriander. I'm still a beginner, but I find it weird to add coriander into an ice-cream recipe. Please explain to me why should I add coriander? Thanks in advance


texts: Can I use icing sugar instead of caster sugar? Are they the same thing?

texts: So there is a cupcake recipe I wanna make and it's my first time making it also one of my first time making any dessert like this. I got some icing sugar but the recipe asked for caster sugar. Are they both the same? If not can I use icing sugar to replace it? I see they're both powdered sugar.


texts:
Calcium Propionate

I normally use calcium propionate for extended shelf life problems. I am a packed doughnuts manufacturer, and I have a problem managing my shelf life. Regarding mold on our product, I need some halal/vegan preservatives to extend my shelf life from 3-10 days. I am using yeast, baking powder, eggs, salt, and butter as an ingredients. Some authentic solutions would be highly appreciated.


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Recipe : Three cups AP flour, three or four eggs depending on their size.

This recipe used to work for my little hand crank pasta machine, but lately wont. The pasta that results doesn't stick to itself. The noodles don't fuse and mush together. They stick only to the metal of the cutters themselves, and wont come loose, then double up on themselves. I've tried to separate them from the cutters, but I can only get in a half crank before almost doubling up again. And it doesn't stick to the rollers so long as I keep it dusted.

I hand roll it to lengthen it a bit, then press it flat. After that I run it through the rollers, dusting a bit as I roll it thinner. Then I dust it one last time and run it through the rolling cutters.

Will extra humidity do this? Do pasta machines just get sticky? I've tried flower and oil on the cutters, but neither seems to help. Also I like to make the sheets very thin. Any help would be appreciated.


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I looked at well-known restaurant nutrition guides and noted that their chicken Parmesan dishes always seem to be high in carbohydrates and sugar. On par with ravioli and ice-cream.

How is it being prepared that is would be so high? I'm thinking plenty of added sugar to the marinara sauce?


texts: What's the safest shape for homemade hard-candy

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I'm thinking about trying to make some wintergreen hard-candies out of gum paste + wintergreen extract, but wasn't sure what shape / size to make them.

It got me thinking, "What shape should these candies be so that it's less likely that someone might choke / otherwise hurt themselves while eating them?"

I feel like a perfect sphere is probably the most likely to be accidentally swallowed, but hard / sharp edges may not be good for the inside of your mouth. Tried looking this up online, but didn't really get worthwhile search results-- beyond hard-candies being the most likely food item for a child to choke on.


texts: Washing fresh produce before cooking is important for safety and hygiene. However, the water left on them after washing causes oil to splatter in a pan or pot. What is a good way to dry them up before cooking?


texts: When is it appropriate to serve shrimp with the tail still attached?

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I ate at a local Italian dive last night and ordered Shrimp Fra Diavolo, which included a spicy sauce served over linguini noodles.  The dish was great, but the tail was still attached to the shrimps and I was annoyed that I had to remove the tail to eat my dinner.  Is this normal?

Other than shrimp coctail, when is it appropriate to serve shrimp with the tail still attached?  Are there flavor/seasoning benefits to cooking shrimp in the tail?


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A couple of weeks ago I bought this "grill and pan cheese" in a supermarket and I distinctly remember to have chosen this one because it didn't contain any weird chemicals... It seemed to me "only cheese" and nothing else.
It came in a parallelepiped form (just like feta would... and looked just like that) and both grilled and pan-roasted, its consistency was a bit chewy (to the point that I would hear squeaking every time that I put a piece in my mouth).

I'm explaining this whole thing to help you better understand what I am talking about, so you can maybe have a better opinion on the fact.

When I roasted the squeaky thing in the pan to the point that it was brown on both sides, I noticed that my pan was stained. After the meal I rinsed it (when it was cool), and put it in the dishwasher. After having it washed, the rectangular brownish stain remained (and I could also not remove it washing the pan by hand). Notice that the pan is a ceramic "non-stick" one.

What do you think caused the stain? How can I clean the pan?

EDIT:

Just a follow up... After all this time my pan never failed me. Nothing else sticked to it or caused nasty stains. The one of the cheese remained though.


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I'm trying to figure out why a fish I cooked tasted pretty nasty.

I bought a whole farm raised striped bass from the Asian seafood market. It was US farm raised. The eyes were bright and not cloudy or desiccated. It didn't have much fishy-smell, so I assumed it was good.

My first mistake is that I didn't put it on ice when I brought it home. It just went straight into the fridge inside its package, bottom shelf. It smelled fine when I brought it out.

I cleaned the fish by scissoring around the anus up to the gills, drawing out the viscera and discarding, then I cut out the gills by snipping wherever I could until they came out. Head stayed on. I cut out the fins. I did not descale it. Another possible problem.

I rinsed it copiously, getting all the blood off. I laid spring onions, garlic, and lemon slices into the cavity as aromatics. I then built a salt crust around it and baked 450F/225C for 30 mins. The center temp was well over 130 (came up to like 180-190 actually) which was overcooked. That might have been my third mistake.

My question to you:

Was it possibly a crappy fish? Can fish just taste bad even though it's fresh because it was fed a bad diet and/or improperly handled?
Was the storage/cleaning process wrong?
Was the cooking process wrong?


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This is the basic recipe I used (taken from http://www.yuppiechef.com/spatula/the-science-behind-chocolate-chip-cookies/):

8 oz (about 225g) unsalted butter
10 oz (about 1.5 cups) sugar
12 oz (about 2.75 cups) flour
2 large eggs – these will soften the cookies and help make them nice and ‘puffy’
1 tsp baking soda – to help the cookies rise, and also to brown
1 tsp salt – to bring out the flavour

To clarify I definitely used bicarb (the UK version of baking soda). The butter was softened and I used everyday plain flour. I substituted half of the sugar with soft dark brown sugar, so about 5oz brown sugar and 5oz caster sugar. Instead of using chocolate chips, I used about 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract and about a dessert spoon of ground cinnamon for the flavour.

I followed the mixing and refrigeration instructions to a T and the dough was left in the fridge overnight. It came out of the fridge lovely and stiff and I was able to form balls of dough without any mess left on my hands.

I tested 2 balls of cookie dough, and they've come out nicely browned but they're flat cakes (spread out with a small hump in the middle), not cookies! The texture is that of a sponge that hasn't risen. The oven had been preheated to 160 degrees Celsius because it's old and a bit temperamental. If I'd had it at 180 degrees, they would've burned for sure.

I was hoping these would come out moist and chewy. Where did I go wrong?


texts: What are the fault tolerances on the FDA food handling guidelines?

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Sometimes I have suggested that food that sat out a little longer than optimal may be safe to eat.

Granted, this is based on my experience, and I always qualify that it shouldn't be served to guests (and by extension, customers) and that one should determine their own tolerance to risk, but I want to know if there is information as to the methodology of the FDA guidelines.  Specifically, what is the contamination rate at n hours, and what are the initial conditions of the food and environment?  How much risk is there REALLY (in incidences per n-population and such) in a standard kitchen for food that has sat out 50%, 100%, 200%, etc. longer than recommended?


texts: Can I use aluminum foil as a substitute for parchment paper?

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I'm attempting to make this recipe for Greek Meatza which calls for baking ground beef in a pan on top of parchment paper.

I don't have access to parchment paper, so I'm wondering: can I substitute aluminum foil? If so, are there any adjustments I should make to the time or temperature for baking?

Thanks.


texts: How can I thin a sauce that has too much tapioca flour

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I bought a half gallon of picante sauce, and it was way too thin. I put in tapioca flour to thicken it, but added too much (when I warmed it up to blend in the flour).

Now it is so thick and jelly-like that it won't pour out of the container without the help of a fork or spoon. It also does not lend itself to chip dipping. Is there a way to thin that out and return the consistency back to somewhat normal? A different site talked about adding tomato juice to thin tomato-meat sauces out.


texts: What is the best way to cook chicken if I plan on microwaving it a few days later?

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I'm going to start meal-prep sunday soon (in about a month). Basically I'm going to be making all of my meals on sunday and eating them throughout the week. I'm loving the idea but I'm a little worried about my chicken. I love chicken but whenever I broil it (I don't own a grill) and then microwave it a few days later, it's extremely dry. Marinating isn't an option (I'm going to be cooking with a lot of people who have a whole bunch of different allergies), so I'm stuck to salt/pepper.

I'll probably buy chicken breast most of the time but an answer about any kind of meat (other than ground) would be extremely helpful.

How should I cook so that it's not dry when I microwave it?


texts: Is a degraded Teflon pan toxic to all of its users?

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We have an induction cooktop at home. We use a teflon pan from IKEA, roughly 24 cm in diameter. This pan is frequently used on level 7 of the induction stove. Based on limited measurement with an IR thermometer, I found out that this heats the pan to about 240 °C at least, and very likely past the 260 °C recommended limit since it often runs on this level for at least 10 minutes at a time.

I read that exceeding recommended temperatures causes the non-stick quality of the pan to degrade. I’ve also read that over a certain temperature (I think 300 °C), the Teflon may let out toxic fumes.

While the fumes are a concern in their own right, I wonder if future uses of the pan, even within the recommended temperature limits, could cause toxic chemicals to spill into the food that’s being cooked. This pan has definitely been overheated more than once, and I’d like to know about the health repercussions of this.


texts: I have a recipe for fresh fig cookies that is delicious (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/9929/fresh-fig-cookies/).  I added a few extra spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and all spice) and changed the shortening to butter.  My problem is the cookies come out like flat, round cakes instead of crispy cookies.  The picture shown looks like crispy-ish cookies, but I've made them twice and both times they have come out the same way.  Since I've already changed to butter to help them be crispy, can/should I increase the baking soda (or leave out the baking powder)?  Or is there something else I can do to make them crispier?  Or just resign myself to cakey cookies (and make a filling to turn them into whoopee pies)?


texts: If the egg whites are old, is it safe to make Italian meringue?

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If the eggs are little bit old, and I used the egg whites to make Italian meringue, is it safe to it ?

Egg whites could contain salmonella, and especially in my country where eggs are sold locally from local farms without being tested. I have the eggs in the refrigerator since 2 weeks, and sometimes I make scrambled or boiled eggs with them, but could I eat meringue with them that is made by adding hot syrup (Italian meringue) ?

The syrup will cook the whites or there still a danger of eating it ?


texts: Suggestions for Brie + Bread + Preserves

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I've now tried two different types of Brie cheese from my grocery store.  The first was a triple cream version which was very mild and nice.  The second was a "Rich and Buttery" (whatever that is supposed to really mean) version which was just a little bit stronger.  I tended to like the first version more, at least in my preparation.

I ate both by spreading a thin layer of slightly toasted, light and airy bagguett and then topping with about half as much of either apricot or strawberry preserves.  I like both the preserves and the bread is nice, but I'm not sure what kind to try next.  There are double creams, store brands, international brands, etc...

Does anyone have suggestions for:

What types of Brie should I try?  Any specific terminology that will help tell the difference between the 10 or 15 types I see in the store?
What else to eat the Brie with?
What types of bread would be good?
Any other flavor of preserves that would be nice?


texts: My husband and I will be catering our daughters wedding. It's a very simple ceremony with about 120 to 130 people. An afternoon wedding with the reception right after. My question is how do you figure how much meat per person. We will be having chicken (fried), ham and turkey. Potato salad, green salad, and a fruit salad. Would love any input anyone can give me!!! Thanks!!


texts: Why does oil reduce the effectiveness of Japanese waterstones?

texts: I've read in several places that oil should not be used on Japanese waterstones, but none of the sources explain the reasoning behind this. What, if any, damage would using oil cause and would it be reparable?


texts: How do I determine if my knife must be honed and/or sharpened?

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My grandparents never altered their WÜSTHOF 4596-7/20 Classic Ikon 8-Inch Cook's Knife since buying it on Aug 1 2018. It could effortlessly slash coconut and raw Winter Squashes, but now it can't even cut paper or pears or zucchinis! Undeniably they must alter their knife.

Before they buy a honing rod and/or electronic sharpener, how can they infer if it must be honed and/or sharpened?


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I am using this recipie to make cheese sauce for my maize crackers.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/nacho-cheese-sauce/detail.aspx

However, my sauce starts solidifying as it cools down. I am using a slice of provola instead of american cheese. could that be a problem?

Next time I tried doubling the milk andadding a little more flour, it fared a little better, but suffered the same fate. I need it to stay liquid for at least 90 minutes after removing from heat


texts: Can I substitute mascarpone for ricotta?

texts: I have left over mascarpone that I don't want to waste


texts: Can I use the juice from pickles to make bread?

texts: I finished a jar of pickles the other day and was trying to figure out what to do with the half a jar of pickle juice that was left behind so I didn't have to just pour it down the drain. I thought maybe you could use it instead of water to make bread with a pickle flavor to it. I thought it may be good for sandwiches where you're normally add pickles, or even for cheeseburger pizza crust. So, is this a completely horrible idea (like my wife thinks), or could it work?


texts: How do I clean kale and other leafy vegetables for cooking?

texts: I'm eating a lot of kale and other leafy vegetables lately, and I'm concerned about removing pesticide residue. Is thoroughly rinsing the leaves in cold water enough?


texts: Liquid exuded by frozen chicken breast: what's in it?

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I have a wonderful Chicken Quesadilla recipe that involves cooked and shredded boneless/skinless chicken breast. I generally poach the whole breasts in a frying pan with chicken broth or a little water, and it comes out quite tender and easy to shred.

When I start by defrosting frozen chicken, I end up with a thick liquid in the bag of chicken. Thinking that it would be a reasonable broth substitute, I have several times tried poaching in that liquid instead of the broth or water. But, each time a strange thing happened: the liquid seemed to curdle, looking a bit like someone had stirred in some small-curd cottage cheese. It's certainly not dangerous, but it isn't very appetizing.

What is it in the liquid from a defrosted chicken breast that curdles when heated? Is it inherent in the chicken, or something added at the processing plant (I generally use Perdue)?


texts: How long do eggs last at room temperature?

texts: Eggs that were never refrigerated and placed in an ACed room at a constant temperature of 77-78f (25-26c), how long before they start to go bad?


texts: Can I eat white vinegar if it has tons of deposits in it?

texts: I have a bottle of white vinegar on which it says that the presence of deposits is normal. My problem/concern is that there are LOTS of deposits. What are they? Is there any danger associated with eating these deposits?


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I got some freshwater mussels (I don't know what the name is in English) from the beach. They are brownish with two little white dots on the bottom, or can be yellowish. See the picture below.
I didn't read enough and tried to purge them in saltwater, and half of them are slightly open, one completely. I think I killed them all. Just to be safe I'll chuck them and get new ones, but next time, what should I do? Should I purge them in normal tap water?


texts: Is it OK to leave pans unattended on an induction stove that is turned off?

texts: I was just wondering if leaving pans unattended on an induction stove while it is turned off is actually safe?  Could any external factor turn the stove on?


texts: Are N2O and CO2 chargers interchangeable for culinary purposes?

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Cream whippers seem to use N2O chargers.

Soda siphons seem to use CO2 chargers.

But both chargers appear to be physically identical. The MyPressi espresso device, which uses chargers to force water through a coffee puck at 9 bar like a benchtop machine is apparently happy to use either.

So can cream whippers use CO2, and soda N2O?

For example:

Is 'nitrogenated' water as safe as carbonated?
Might one cool more than the other? (cooling being preferable for whipping cream but bad for maintaining espresso water temperature)
Assuming both contain the same liquid volume, would one or the other give greater gas expansion and more usable output?


texts: Is it safe to eat off of partially tarnished silver?

texts: My wife and I were visiting some friends who were recently married and had received heirloom silver as a wedding present.  It was obvious it had been recently polished, but some of the pieces still had a little tarnish on them.  Is it ok to eat off of that, or should I schedule a doctors appointment to get checked out for this reason?


texts: I am looking for a way to process beans, or a variety of bean that is as flavourless as possible, to get a "clean slate" for making vegetarian cutlets


texts: I wanted to bake a cake and I have a microwave  oven. Can someone please let me know if I can bake a cake in it and how?


texts: Tips on cooking Christmas dinner for large group

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Hi all and Merry Christmas.

Ok so I stupidly volunteered to cook Christmas dinner for 11 people (9 adults and 2 children) this year!

So was looking for tips/hacks on timings for getting everything cooked on time.

Initial ideas are;

Roast the Turkey for the time it takes to cook, then take it out and let it rest for up to 2 hours. Towards the end of cooking the turkey, stick in the stuffing and cook so it comes out at the same time as the turkey.

In the 2 hours resting time, roast the Carrots and Parsnips for 11 people (these are going to be par boiled bight before). Once they are out, stick in the roast potatoes (again par boiled). Towards the end of the potatoes roasting, start boiling the brussel sprouts. At this time I will warm up pre-made gravy and add turkey juices.

At the end of the potatoes cooking, stick the stuffing and other roast veg back in the oven to heat back up. Take the turkey out and carve, then serve everything warm.

Does this sound like the best way to do things? What is the maximum time you would let your Turkey rest?


texts: What is the English name for chleb bez maki?

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Can't remember how I stumbled onto this but everything I google for chleb bez maki is in Polish. Can't find a Wikipedia article. Is this a traditional polish bread?

What is the English name for it? I see there are chleb bez maki mixes but can't seem to find them online for purchase and even if I did I wouldn't know how to use it. Id like to know the English name. Looks like it's made almost totally out of seeds.


texts: As an experiment, for my first attempt, I'm making a small batch of sauerkraut. Small like less than 1/3 of a head. Its setup is pretty amateur, no professional airlock. Anyway, it's been going for a little while, less than a week, and I wanted to taste a little bit to see how it was going. It is starting to taste a little bit sour, which I think is good, but also has a very noticeable yeasty taste and smell. I don't see any visible signs of yeast, no kahms yeast film on the top or anything(and the cabbage is, as far as I can tell, completely submerged). I plan to leave the kraut for longer before calling it "finished", and to be entirely honest, I don't really know what sauerkraut is ideally supposed to taste like. Should this yeast thing be worrisome?


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On the outside the white part of the cheese has got a bit yellow and the blue mold has turned green in a bit of places.

On the inside, some tiny bits have become greenish too and some slightly brownish. However the white part didn't go yellow.

The best before date is July the 1st. I store it at the right temp.

Has the cheese gone off for some reason? Should I cut off those bits and eat it? I can eat those bits too? It tastes fine now even the weird coloured parts.


texts: What is the function of this shallow, 19-divoted, eared cast iron piece?

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This piece was given to me a few years back by someone who picked it up at an estate sale. At the time I cleaned it up, re-seasoned it, and promptly forgot about it.

At first blush I thought maybe it was an escargot pan, but on further attention the divots seemed too shallow; each of the 19 holds approximately 1/2 t to 3/4 tbs (7-11 ml). There are no discernible markings on the reverse nor the ears  to give me anything to work with.

Someone said it might be an Æbleskiver pan, or a drop muffin pan, but in comparison with the samples I have on hand I don't believe it to be so. The divots on this pan are shallower and the bottoms are relatively flat (disc-shaped rather than hemispherical).

Does anyone one know what the purpose of this cast iron piece? Is it even a piece of cookware?


texts: I have a murphy electric cake oven. it is a classic electric cake oven(not a modern one) In the recipe book it is mentioned to preheat it to 200 degree C for 10 mins. But it is not specified anywhere what should the temperature of the oven be while baking. My cake often gets overcooked/burnt if i keep a high temperature. or remains uncooked if i keep it low. Can anyone specify a temp. for baking a cake or a brownie please.


texts: Any pointer on how to get different marble cake patterns or zebra cake patterns?


texts: I have a manual meat grinder that needs the cutting blade sharpened, how do I go about sharpening the blades so that it will cut the meat.


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Apparently there is very little sugar in a cocoa pod so sugar is generally added in the chocolate production process.

My question is why has it become the complete standard to have sweet or semi sweet chocolate, and not savoury chocolate (or savoury cocoa products)?


texts: Can you make sourdough starter without throwing any away?

texts: I'm curious if you can make the sourdough starter by adding flour to it, in a sense doubling the volume each time.  So many recipes I see in books and online require you to throw almost half of it in the garbage on each refresh.  If you are buying organic stone ground flour this is incredibly wasteful and expensive.


texts: What are alternate uses for leftover buttermilk?

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Buttermilk is one of those pantry items that I buy for a specific recipe, then don't know what to do with the leftovers (and I think this is not uncommon).  In my question about buttermilk in soda bread, the topic of alternate uses came up in the comments.  I'd like to make a list of these uses.  Here's what I have so far:

pancakes (instead of milk or yogourt)
quick breads, scones (instead of milk)
cakes
mashed potatoes (instead of milk)
low-fat muffins (replacement for oil)

(Note: This should be a community wiki item, rather than a question, but I'm not sure how to flag that.)


texts: Does it make a difference if you marinate a steak in a plastic Ziploc bag or just a covered pan?


texts: Chicken bone broth, what is the brown stuff at the bottom of the pot?

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I often make chicken bone broth using a simple recipe of chicken backs, chicken feet, water, apple cider vinegar, parsley, salt.  Ingredients are organic.  The resulting broth tastes excellent.

My concern is the brown crud at the bottom of the pot.  Pictures below.  What is this?  Is it normal?


texts: What are safe temperature ranges for fermenting miso paste?

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I'd like to make some miso paste. The recipes I've seen recommend keeping the miso in a cool, dark place. Unfortunately my house gets hot in summertime and there is no cool place like a cellar or air-conditioned room to store the miso during the summer months.

Does anyone know what are the safe temperature ranges for fermenting miso? How hot is too hot? What happens if miso gets too hot?

Recipe #1 http://permaculturenews.org/2012/02/04/making-miso/
Recipe #2 http://japanese-cooking-class-tokyo-mari.com/recipe/2013/11/01/how-to-make-miso-paste-home-made-miso-recipe/


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In Maggie Gleer's Artisanal Baking, there is a recipe for a focaccia-style rosemary bread (ACME's herb slab).

The dough is fortified with oil, and spends a long time proofing. the recipe then goes out of its way to keep the bread flat. Firstly, the dough is stippled all over twice, and most important of all, five minutes after the bread goes into the oven, it's flipped over.

This basically means that it gets a solid crust on both sides that the force of the oven spring can't break, keeping the bread flat.

I've been wondering about the effect this has on the crumb, since normally, you do everything you can to get as much height as possible. My theory is that providing a counter force to the oven spring, what you're doing is increasing the pressure inside the bread. I'm imagining that this might cause the steam to superheat (or at least reach much higher temperatures). This would then heat the oil in the dough to much higher temperatures than it would reach if we let the bread spring normally. This, I imagine, would have some effect on the crumb that might be nice.

Is this hypothesis reasonable? Is this why you would want to flip the bread? Or is it just for the shape. And if so, could we provide even greater counter-force, keeping the dough almost the same size, and almost deep frying the crumb (and would this be desirable)?


texts: Is it necessary to remove the seeds of Tinda before cooking Tinda sabji?

texts: Is it necessary to remove the seeds of Tinda before cooking? And if so why?


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I'm a professional private cook in Rio de Janeiro. I also teach here. Fresh bread is a major part of my teaching regimen and I have successfully taught my students several different types of breads, everything from focaccia to Italian bread for bread bowl soups.

I recently had an opportunity to do some baguettes for a friend's French cafe and I've been working on the system. I use an 80% hydration recipe that involves many stretch and fold sessions with 45 minutes in between. Though I follow the instructions, I'm having issues with the dough being so wet at the end that it's impossible to shape correctly. It's so loose and visibly wet that it practically runs off the pan.

When I form the baguettes in the couche, they puff up a bit, but when I remove them and attempt to transfer to my baking stone, they just turn into flat bread and don't recover. The taste is great, but you can see from the slashes from the lame, that something isn't right. Plenty of bubbles and when I'm working it, it expands quite a bit during rest periods. But it's just too slack.

I'm using a typical type 1 bread flour. Here in Rio the weather is cool and humidity is very low right now. What is causing this?


texts:
I've seen both boneless pork sirloin chops and pork sirloin roasts in the grocery store, for different prices.

From their names, I would think the chop is intended for grilling and the roast is intended for roasting, but if they're both cut from the sirloin, what's the difference between them besides the shape?


texts: Dangerous pathogens capable of growing in acidic environments

texts:
Imagine this scenario:  You've cooked up a batch of chili peppers (or cucumbers, or anything, really), put them in a clean container, filled it with vinegar, and refrigerated it.  As with most things of this sort, someone occasionally reaches into the jar with their fingers or a less-than-spotlessly clean utensil to grab one.

Are there any known pathogens that can grow to levels in such an environment after many months that would create a danger to a healthy adult?

If so, what are those pathogens?  How long is "too long" for such an item?


texts: I recently sent someone out to get a lamb shoulder roast which I would typically braise, but said person returned instead with a "square shoulder" which is a larger and bony cut.  Short of just going at it with a knife what is the best way to extract the roast from the larger cut and is this even possible without a cleaver or saw?


texts: Can I brown my turkey in my conventional oven first?  That way, my turkey would have a nice brown skin, and I could continue the roasting in the roaster oven to leave my regular oven free to bake other dishes.


texts: Is there a way to ferment mustard seeds for homemade mustard?

texts: I have a recipe for mustard that calls for fermented mustard seeds - is there a way to ferment them at home?


texts:
I bought a nonstick Greenpan at Williams and Sonomo. It was kind of expensive like $100.  It was working great.  Then someone used it on high heat.  Now it sticks a lot.  Visually, I don't see anything wrong with the pan, but it seems to be totally broken.

I'm surprised that using it just a single time with high heat was enough to ruin the nonstick surface entirely.

Was this my fault? Or should an expensive nonstick pan be a bit more durable than that? (I am new to cooking so sorry if it's a newbie question.  Any info appreciated!)


texts:
What is better: drinking cold milk or warm milk?

My question is only from the nutrition point of view. I am interested to know which one has a better nutrition value regardless of their side effects and other considerations.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How should I care for my knives?

At home i have this knife:
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=11097073&RN=1038&

I picked that one up several years ago, but haven't done much in the way of any maintenance on it. I did pick up a cheap sharpener but it didn't seem to have much effect so i stopped using it.

The knife seems dull to me. It doesn't cut through things as easily as i think it should. For example, resting the blade on a ripe firm tomatoe, i would think the blade should be able to slice through without me applying much, or any, downward pressure and without pushing in the shape of the tomatoe. It should basically just start slicing through under it's own weight and without squishing the tomatoe at all.

Let me know if that sounds like an unrealistic expectation.

So i have 2 questions:

is that (or was it before i didn't maintain it correctly) a good knife? In searching here i saw victorinox suggested as a good value. Is the one i have worth keeping or should i purchase a new one?
Does anyone know of a chain store (or local store in the LA area) that i can take it to to get it re-sharpened? And what should i be doing to maintain it's usefulness after it's re-sharpened?

I assume the answer to the 2nd part of question 2 is this: How should I care for my knives? - specifically the part about getting honing steel? does it matter which one i get or can i just get a $10-$15 one on amazon?

Thanks


texts: I put a frozen roast in a crockpot for 4 hours on high.  I was going to cook It another 4 hours but forgot so it sat on “warm” for 4 hours.  I checked the internal temp and it was at 140 so I turned the crockpot back on high.   Is this going to be safe to eat once it’s finally cooked??


texts: I love beef especially corned beef but i would like to try a new version or recipe like i know how to slow cook it or make a Ruben with it but there isn't a whole lot in the way of variations. So how about something new like glazing with honey or marinating it in pineapple juice to tenderize it?


texts: Beans should not be served with potatoes?

texts:
Huffington Post writes:

  Potatoes conflict with digestion of the beans, so avoid eating them in the same meal.

Is this true? I couldn't find any reliable source.


texts: "Prepared" pizza base - does that mean cooked?

texts:
I have reproduced on my website a recipe for a pizza, out of my Mediterranean cookbook: http://www.justrightmenus.com/recipe.php?id=275

What I'm looking for help on is whether they more likely meant for one to start with a raw-dough pizza crust or one that's already been cooked. The recipe in the book said to use a "prepared" pizza base.


texts:
Can you help me identify all the cookies in this picture?

General name is fine, like 2 is Gingerbread. Sorry if it is unclear from the picture, but this is all the info I have.


texts: I took my levain from the fridge, fed it and put it in the counter, besides a cheese which is aging. The levain pot had no lid and the cheese has a cloth mesh over it. One day later the levain did not start, and was smelling like cheese. Would it be a good idea to recover the levain to benefit from this? If yes, how?