texts: What causes egg-covered puffed rice cakes to become soft when pan fried (and how to control it)?

texts:
While recently making fried bread slices dipped in egg (both white and yolk), I've run out of bread. Since I've already had everything else prepared, I've decided to go ahead and replace the bread with (Western-style) puffed rice cakes.

Anticipating the result would be not very palatable, I was instead surprised that the crispy and brittle (even after a long dip in the eggs) rice cakes became soft and mostly chewy during frying — turning out to be quite a viable substitute for this type of snack.

Interestingly, I've later tried to reproduce this process of softening up with just temperature and temperature and cooking oil, without success, implying that the egg dip has to be a factor in the transformation.

My question is: what in the combination of eggs and pan frying causes the softening of the puffed rice cakes, and what are the influencing factors in the context of controlling this process?

For completeness sake, some additional information:

the egg dip used was completely unseasoned, just egg white and yolk briefly stirred together with a fork,
the rice cakes were composed of puffed "pure grain brown rice" and 0.9% of "sea" salt (hence no seasoning in the eggs),
the cakes were submerged in the eggs for up to a minute (without losing rigidity),
they were pan fried on a Teflon pan in a small amount of rapeseed oil, near its smoking point, for about the same time you would fry bread.


texts: Why do my salmon fish cakes break up in frying?

texts: We make salmon fish cakes from a mix of canned fish, cooked potatoes and eggs mixed in a food processor. They are then deep fried. We find that the first batch are fine. The second batch comes out much looser and parts can even break off in the frying. Why is this and what can be done to stop it?


texts: Thaw / Brine partially frozen turkey at the same time

texts: I’ve found sites that say it’s ok to start a brine for a partially frozen turkey. My question is, when you thaw a turkey using the cold water method, they say to change the water every 30 minutes. If you’re brining a partially frozen turkey, do you have to change the brine (including all the herbs and whatnot) every 30 minutes as well?


texts: Is it safe to re-heat food twice in a short time span?

texts:
Imagine the following scenario. You make some food, and put part of it in the fridge relatively quickly (often before I eat, so I save e.g. half for later).
Some time later, usually dinner the same day, or either lunch or dinner the next day, I re-heat that food.
So far, so good, I assume.

Now, the question is: what if I re-heat it (first time) for dinner, but it gets cold while eating, and I re-heat it the second time perhaps 20-60 minutes later?

A, is it safe at all, and B, if it can be, do I have to heat it to cooking temperature yet again, or can I simply heat it so it's pleasant to eat, this second time? I always heat it properly the first time around.


texts: Do Parathas, Naan, and Roti have to be burnt a little?

texts:
On asking the owner of a restaurant, he told me that the Tandoori chicken I was served was meant to have burnt edges because it is roasted on charcoal. I checked, and found it to be true.

But, I see restaurants all over India serving parathas, naan, and roti with black spots all over them and customers happily chew away on it. They laugh at me (and say it is normal to eat the burnt parts) when I pluck out all the burnt spots and keep them separate because I get stomach pain when I eat them. I don't understand why anyone would eat burnt food! Even when food is roasted over a camp fire, I assume people throw away the burnt portion of the meat that's exposed to the fire and smoke, and eat the cooked meat inside.

So is it an understood part of cooking parathas, naan, and roti, that it has to be cooked until it gets burnt spots? Or is there a way to cook it fully without it developing burnt spots? Whenever I've seen a restaurant serve these without burnt spots, I've also noticed that the inner layer (and sometimes the outer edges) of the paratha, naan, or roti is still raw.

Some images:


texts: Why did my attempt at pan-searing beef filets fail miserably?

texts:
Background: I am very much an amateur cook; I would consider myself a novice at best, so pardon my ignorance!

I decided to try to cook a nice dinner for my family recently. Part of that dinner included some small (~6-7 oz., 1.5-2" thick) beef tenderloin steaks. After doing some Internet research I decided on a preparation method that included pan-searing them for a few minutes on each side (with the goal of getting the steaks to the approximately "rare" stage), followed by a stint in the oven to finish them off. This seemed straightforward to me, so I decided to give it a try.

As a novice cook, the only skillet that I had on hand that was suitable for use in the oven was an old cast-iron one, so I used that. Following the recipe that I had found, I added 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil and ~1 stick of butter [*] to the pan and put it on high heat. After the foam subsided from the butter, I placed the steaks in the pan. The Internet consensus seemed to indicate 3-4 minutes of searing on each side would get the steaks to rare, so I waited patiently.

Unfortunately, after 3 to 3.5 minutes, it became apparent that something had gone wrong: the kitchen began to fill with smoke, and when I turned the steaks, the side that had been seared was burned horribly. I had to abort cooking them at that point to mitigate the smoke; I later found that the steaks had cooked through much more than I would have expected by that point.

While my result was discouraging, I'm trying to do some post-mortem analysis to try to determine what went wrong so that if I get up the nerve to try this again, I won't ruin another meal of expensive meat! Some possibilities that came to mind:

Was cast iron a bad choice as my cookware in this case?
Should I have lubricated the pan differently?
Is there some other detail that I missed that could have changed the outcome?

[*] "A stick of butter" is a US measurement, it denotes 113.5 g of butter


texts: Bubble Tea - Instant or Traditional Pearls

texts:
Is there any evidence that instant or traditional tapioca pearls - for bubble tea - are a better choice if I'm looking for a pearl that is very soft with just a little bit of chew?  I've tried traditional pearls and always have okay results - but I've had better from some (not all) bubble tea stores.  I haven't tried quick/instant pearls yet, but I'm tempted to.  However, I still have a lot of traditional pearls that I don't want to go to waste if they're no better or worse than quick cooking ones.

Also, is there some way to keep the bubbles from getting harder when you add the cold drink to it (be it a smoothie, blended coffee, etc...)?


texts: How long do you have to cook wild morel mushrooms for them to be safe?

texts:
I have recently been given some wild black morel mushrooms.  I know that you aren't supposed to eat them raw, as they contain toxins which must be cooked out (at least now I know that... good thing I only ate a tiny piece raw!).

However, how long should they be cooked to be safe?

I was thinking of sauteing them, which I am fairly confident will cook them "enough", but also of making them in omelets, or as a topping on pizza.  Either of those could result in rather minimal heating (I usually make my omelets so that the eggs in the middle are still a bit wet).

Should I cook the morels first, and then add them as a pizza topping/omelet filling?  Or is this overdoing it?


texts:
According to this website, to par-bake bread, you must

Bake as usual, but cut the time by 1/4 ... The goal is to completely bake the bread internally to a temperature of 185 degrees without browning it at all on the outside. Once it's reached that internal temp, take it out.
Let the bread cool to room temperature..., put it in a plastic bag [and freeze] until later.

And to finish it,

Preheat the oven with the cast-iron skillet inside. Boil 2 cups of water. When you put the bread in, pour the boiling water into the skillet. ... Bake for 20 minutes or so, until the loaf turns brown.

My French bread recipe calls for baking for 15 minutes at 550°F, and the point is to bake the crust quite quickly. Is there a method for par-baking a traditional baguette? Should I make the dough as usual but do a short, low-temp, relatively dry par-bake, then when I am ready to completely bake, then do the high-temp, high-humidity baking step?


texts: Is it recommended to put frozen fruit in a food processor?

texts: I have a decent Kithchen Aid food processor, and I am wondering if using it on frozen fruit would cause undue damage to the blade.


texts: How can I tell whether my potatoes are waxy vs. floury?

texts: Once in a while I get hold of a bunch of potatoes without any labeling and the least I want to know is whether they are waxy or floury. Is there a way to determine whether raw potatoes are waxy or floury?


texts:
Is there a guide or rule of thumb about scaling a cake. If the recipe calls for an 8-inch square  pan and I use a 10-inch square pan, how will it behave in the oven? I expect the baking time will be longer but should I change the temperature for more even baking?

Note: I already realize that a 10-inch pan will requires roughly 1.5 times the batter than is called for for a recipe designed for an 8-inch pan.
for square pans: (10 * 10) / (8 * 8) = 100 / 64 ~ 3/2
for round pans: (pi * 5 * 5) / (pi * 4 * 4) = 25/16 ~ 3/2.


texts: Improve flavor of Sorbet made in Magic Bullet?

texts:
I'm trying to create a sorbet using a frozen fruit (specifically strawberries) using the magic bullet. The way that I do it is by literally putting a bunch of frozen, ice-hard strawberries into the bullet and pulsing the bullet for a long time giving it breaks so I don't burn out the motor. I end up with what looks like a strawberry sorbet BUT it tastes empty.

Goal: I want to create a strawberry sorbet which tastes good and is healthy (so I'd love to avoid processed sugar). Also, if there's a faster way to do it other than by pulsing the magic bullet forever that would be awesome too!

Current Developments: I've tried adding lemon juice, it made it a bit better but it still had a hollow ice flavour.


texts: Can I use a dark cocoa candy bar in place of bakers chocolate?

texts: I am making this new gluten free brownie mix and am wondering if I can substitute the Baker's chocolate squares called for in the recipe, with 70% or higher cocoa bars that I keep on hand. Are there any characteristics that the Baker's chocolate has that a bar wouldn't or couldn't be worked around?


texts: For the first time in my life I tasted smoked beef. It tasted mostly like ash. It didn't have any raw taste but just wondering when meat is smoked, does it get cooked thoroughly?


texts: What vegetable might be called a Worchester?

texts:
When I was young, my parents would put a vegetable in our stir fry that they called a Worchester. I recently found out that this doesn't actually exist so I've been trying to determine what they were feeding me. My girlfriend thinks they might have been a variety of radish.

I unfortunately don't remember the raw vegetable, by when stir fried it was a white disc about the size of a quarter. It had a very uniform size and color, there was no core like you would see in a parsnip. They were a little crunchy, like a raw apple. The taste was quite unique, I can't compare it to anything, but it was a very mild flavour.

Any ideas what they were?


texts: Thermometer says 30 degrees and has for about a week. The corn on the bottom shelf looked terrible and was pitched. Most of the meat was thawed but looks ok, which I plan to cook and refreeze. Green chili's, some were partially thawed some completely thawed. Should we refreeze? Are they ok to eat? Color is good on them.


texts:
Recently all my attempts at sauces are splitting and I'm not sure what's going wrong.
Tonight I tried a balsamic vinegar reduction / chicken stock / pan juices recipe to go with my lamb chops, but once again the dreaded split occurred.
My wife is patient and forgiving, but I feel like I must be missing something fundamental to get this wrong so often.

Two questions.

What could I be doing wrong to cause these sauces to split?
What can I do to recover when it happens again?

UPDATE:
The Pan juices contained a tbsp or two of olive oil, and some of the fresh herb rub I'd coated the lamb chops in (thyme, rosemary, and mint). I did not drain the pan before starting the sauce. It has crossed my mind that perhaps there was too much oil / fats in the pan at that point?
For completeness, I should point out that I also sauteed some chopped shallots in the pan juices immediately before adding the vinegar.


texts:
My sourdough starter is 9 days old. Today it doubled in around 6 hours.
Following this recipe, I performed following steps:

I mixed 400g AP Flour, 160g starter, 230g water and 10g salt.
Kneading: I kneaded it for about 20 minutes until I observed window pane effect.
Proofing-1: I left it for proving for around 3 hours. It significantly increased in size, although not doubled.
Shaping: I shaped the bread and put it in a container with tea cloth.
Proofing-2: I left it for proving for around 5 hours. It significantly increased in size, although not doubled.
Baking-1: I preheated the oven at 230°C, kept the dough on tray and put some boiling water on a small container beside the dough. I baked for around 20 minutes.
Baking-2: I removed the water tray and let the rest of the dough heat up for 20 more minutes at 230°C.

First of all, the bread is barely edible. The bread developed a tough layer of crust on the top which is really hard to bite on. The inside is soggy and barely has any bubbles. Also, the exterior colour is blackish instead of brownish.
Also, the crust developed a crack below and expanded around it. It didn't expand around the scar I gave it on the top.
I'm adding some images for enhancing the context:
What can I do to improve my bread?

Although it looks brownish, really it's very burnt color.

The crack that was developed on bottom.

EDIT:
According to Chris's recommendation I made following changes:

Baked bread for 230˚C with steam for 20 minutes and then baked the bread for another 20 minutes at 180˚C.
Didn't cut the bread immediately, let it cool for about 1.5 hours.

I did one more thing, kneaded bread for around 40-50 minutes. I think this is a bit too much, but I did this since I couldn't see the window pane effect as described in the video.
Below I'm stating the improvements and lacking's the bread has.
Improvements:

The resulting bread, although on the edge, is edible unlike the earlier one.
The crust is no longer rock hard but it isn't a delight to bite on either.

What it lacks:

The bread didn't expand around the score I gave it.
The crust seems to be a bit disintegrated from the rest of the loaf.
The bread isn't as fluffy as I would like it to be.
The dough developed a huge crack in the bottom after the shaping phase. I think every shaping will have a weak corner, how do I prevent it from opening up? The crack is visible in the bottom image of bread. Same happened before as well.

Observations:
The top of the crust still has a burnt texture. To steam, I put a container with boiling water beside my bread. Usually it get split around the bread which might be the reason my bread has a nice colour on the bottom. I think the steam is not reaching the crust. Should I spray the bread for steam creation next time? (So that it reaches crust as well).
I'm attaching pictures for reference:

^The bottom of the crust can be easily peeled off from the rest of the bread.


texts:
My local grocery store (Fred Meyer/Kroger) has NY Steak in the clearance section today, (it's going out of date soon.) What I can't seem to find is whether the NY Steak is the same as a NY Strip Steak which you find at all of the top steak houses. (These steaks are bone-in, with a little bit of bone in the tip.)

Are these the same as NY Strip Steaks, or am I paying too much for a worse cut of meat by buying them?


texts:
I am no sommelier, however I understand that while drinking or tasting wines a suitable matching food-stuff (be it a cheese, herb, etc) should be paired to fully engage the drink.

Is there a similar practice to observe with respect to beers? If so, are there any informational resources for the various beers and beer styles? One brewery in particular has some amazing flavor profiles for their beers; but what do you couple with coriander, grains of paradise, and leather?


texts: how to fix a sharp carousel microwave after it has been used to heat a lot of food?

texts: I was reheating food from the fridge that had to defrost a little bit. I had reheated about four types of food, the microwave made a sound, and it stopped working. I had taken the food out and touched the top of the microwave. It was hot so I had unplugged it and let it cool down. What do I do now to get it to work again?


texts: Unopened canned sardines behaving strangely but not expired

texts:
I have some canned sardines that expire in April. It's still January, I opened one and it smelled stronger than I remember, and tasted differently (almost like cheese, sort-of). It may just be because I have been eating a different brand for a while, but how could this be if they aren't expired yet?

These are King Oscar bristling sardines (in a red package)


texts:
What to look for in a pot. I'm supposing somebody that's just starting to live alone or a couple. Help me complete this list.

Size: small, but not too small. Maybe 2L or 3L.

Material: Stainless steel with a thick bottom. As you are going to buy only one pot to begin with, spend some extra money on quality.

Bottom: A thick bottom is a must on electric or ceramic stoves as they don't bend out of shape so easily. Also, a thick bottom is handy for slow cooking as the heat diffuses more evenly.

Handle: Same material, stainless steel. This is handy if you want to put the pot in the oven. Look at the fixture to the pot, it must be riveted on, with thick rivets.

Stove: if it's going to be induction - Glass, Ceramics, All Aluminum etc. are all out.

Price: Not too expensive. 20€ - 30€?

What am I forgetting?


texts: Is it safe to reuse loose tea leaves the next day? What precautions need to be taken for storing tea for reuse?

texts:
I'm a fan of green tea and I find myself reusing the tea leaves 2-3 times a day. Sometimes I'll just store the leaves and reuse them the next day but it got me thinking if what I'm doing is actually "safe", I know that the taste isn't the same.

So my questions are:

What's the best way of storing tea for reuse? Currently I drain the leaves and put them in a small sealed glass jar.
Is it safe to store tea to reuse the next day? Bonus point for an actual reference/research proving that it has bad or no side effects whatsoever.


texts:
I'm new to cooking and I just find some trouble understanding these two terms (probably because english is my second language ?).

I have tried google but I couldn't find something that would give a clear and concise definition.


texts:
I tried baking a cake for the first time. The brief procedure I followed was:

Mashed 4 eggs. Added to it 1 cup sugar, 200g butter. Mixed it using an electric mixer.
Then added to it 1.5 cup of all purpose flour. Mixed it thoroughly again using electric mixer.
Baked it at 180 degree celsius for half an hour.

But the end product was not light and fluffy at all.

It looked something like this:

My question is:

What actually went wrong with this cake? What can I do so that I do not end up making a cake like this in future?

I want to make a normal cake which is significantly light and fluffy.

Thanks.


texts:
I make up several burger patties in advance with peppers, onions, and spices.

I use wax paper to separate them.

If I put them in the freezer they separate fine.

If I just refrigerate they stick to the wax paper.  I don't want to coat the wax paper with oil.

How can I refrigerate the patties so they will easily separate?


texts: Extent of poultry denaturing via freezing(ice crystal formation)?

texts:
I am told that during freezing ice crystals rupture vessels in poultry and denature them.  This causes the poultry to have larger pores and so when cooking things like soup the poultry absorbs more water.

If you have a thin layer of ice crystal formation on your poultry is this going to denature just as much as if you had larger ice crystals forming?
I notice varying degree of ice crystal formation on different parts of my poultry in the freezer, do you know what factors might cause this to be the case e.g. perhaps bagging prevents ice crystal formation?
Will the length of time left in the freezer make a difference to the degree of pores size opening i.e. if you leave it for one day will that have near as much affect as if you had left it for a week?

Ideally like somebody who understands the chemistry of these things to answer with explanation but anybody who knows the correct answer will do.

Thanks in advance.

Please clarify two things in your answer.

1.You said if the container is not air tight frost will develop.  Will this frost develop 'on' the food i.e. have no affect to denaturing as you say or is it likely to make its  way 'in' the food and have a denaturing effect?

2.You have said if a food is frozen it is frozen and thereafter no denaturing can occur.  Are you saying if frost develops in an already frozen food no denaturing will occur?  Are you also saying the denaturing only occurs when meat is in the process of freezing and during this time only do any developing ice crystals have an affect?


texts: Is there a close substitution for shallots?

texts:
I can't really find shallots and i'm short on time.

Are there any close substitutions for shallots?


texts: Is it normal for ginger paste to spit violently in oil?

texts:
One of my favourite recipes calls for a 3cm piece of ginger peeled and grated. The recipe asks that I heat some vegetable oil in a hot wok, then fry the ginger for 30 seconds before adding the meat and, later, the rest of the ingredients.

I am, I'm sure, a fairly lazy chef. I don't tend to buy fresh ginger root and instead I buy this: Bart's Ginger in Sunflower Oil.

When I add the ginger to the oil it has will always, without fail, transform into a roiling, spitting, volcano of fury. Small pieces of extremely hot ginger/oil will fly all over my hob and land, more often than not, somewhere on my skin.

Is this normal, and how can I avoid it? I presume it is affected by the following factors:

The heat of the wok is too low/high
There is too much vegetable oil in the wok
The wok is not the right size (maybe uneven heat distribution?). Not confident about this.

However, it actually only occurred to me recently that the fact that the ginger I buy is in sunflower oil could be a contributing factor.


texts: Where can I source Mexican chilies in the UK?

texts:
I've traveled to Mexico and the US and seen different chilies available there, but at home in the UK (or even worse, in my fiancée's home of Finland) I find it very hard to find Ancho, Poblano and Chipotle chilies.

Oaxaca Restaurants lists a lot of interesting-sounding chilies, but I have no idea how to source them.

I have once found dried Chipotle chilies in a supermarket, but at that time I was not entirely sure of the right way to rehydrate them (and I'm still not).

Where should I look for North American type chilies? And if I only find dried, can I use them instead of fresh?


texts: Chiffon cake constantly has an unfilled bottom

texts:
Not sure why this keeps happening. I read that mixing the yolks is critical and I mix until the color becomes whiter.

In the oven it grows very tall roughly 20 minutes after start, but starts collapsing after that. Once taken from the oven and put upside down it still collapses onto itself and becomes at roughly the same height as the pan


texts: What can I use in Thai curries instead of cilantro or coriander root? (Allergy)

texts:
I'm trying to make panang curry from scratch for my sister, who is allergic to cilantro (AKA coriander outside of the US). This is not the gene that causes it to taste bad - she cannot eat any part of the plant even in small amounts.

Many Thai curries call for cilantro root. This isn't something I've tasted by itself (though I hear it's sort of similar to the stems of the plant), and I'm not very good at pinpointing specific flavors to try to come up with alternatives anyway :)

What other herb or seasoning could I use to get a similar flavor?

If you can, please be specific in terms of ratios - many substitutions say "try a little of X with a bit of Y," but I don't know what the flavor I'm going for is so I can't taste-test... I would love to know how much of what substance I could use to replace e.g. 1 tablespoon chopped coriander root.


texts: Is there an alternative to dried Fenugreek in curry? Is it required?


texts:
I think one would just go to the supermarket and buy whatever, but since I don't want my cakes to be ruined, I would like to ask for some advice.

I have never bought a Bundt cake pan myself, and don't know what kind of materials should I look for, what's the optimal diameter, and eventually if there are some "non-sticking" ones (or even dishwasher-resistant) that do their job. Please notice that I have an electrical oven.


texts: What energy efficient options are there for small baking quantities?

texts:
This morning felt like some scones and had to pre-heat my normal oven to 220C which takes like 15m - just to bake a very small batch of scones (literally 4) which took 12m.

I'm a energy conscious bachelor and wont be baking for large quantities often so was wondering what my options there are for quick small scale baking (literally, a handful of scones / mini bundt cake / a couple of pastries).

My microwave is rather dated, so I was wondering if I could get something like:

https://www.lg.com/za/microwaves/lg-MS5696HIT
or

https://www.lg.com/za/microwaves/lg-MH8265DIS
or

https://www.lg.com/za/microwaves/lg-MA3884VC

Much smaller loading area which should heat up quicker and inverter tech should also be more efficient, but can it bake? Or perhaps something else entirely I'm overlooking?


texts: Slowing motor and electric smoke coming from Magic Bullet blender?

texts:
I have a Magic Bullet blender at home and I have been using it for the past month or so everyday to make some smoothies. I always blend fruit (both frozen and fresh). I'm not sure if the contents that are blended are related, but I've noticed the blending seems to have slowed down lately. The motor runs noticeably slower and the machine doesn't vibrate as much as it used to.

Has anyone had this experience? In addition, the blender has some smelly gas coming from the bottom, where there is a vent for the motor. Does this mean the unit is already wearing out? I only started using this a month ago, and I'd be surprised that it's already breaking.

Does anyone know what the gas signifies, even in other similar kitchen appliances?


texts: Is there a special Wasabi paste/powder I should use when I'm making Wasabi ice-cream?

texts:
A friend of mine once made Wasabi Ice-cream. I remember she was saying she had used some special 'Wasabi Powder' Unfortunately I can't reach her, and I wanna try to make this Wasabi Ice-cream at home..

I am wondering if it's anything special I should consider when using Wasabi to make ice-cream (wondering about the cream curdling, etc) or can I just use the standard Wasabi (or horse raddish) paste I get in the Asian section of the supermarket?


texts:
Some brands of fermented dairy products have a certain "bite" to them, literally a tingling sensation on the tongue when you eat them.  I've found it in Danish buttermilk for example.  (I've also sometimes found it in certain non-dairy products like pickles, but I'm asking here only about buttermilk or similarly fermented dairy products.)

I can't figure out how to reproduce that "bite" when I make my own buttermilk.  Does anyone know a technique to produce "biting" results?  I've tried just fermenting longer, and that just gets progressively more sour, not biting.


texts:
Is the store-bought yogurt a good "starter" to culture cooked beans to reduce the gas-producing oligosaccharides? Does it contain the right kind of bacteria to ferment the beans or is it only good for dairy?

How long should I ferment? 24-48 hours at room temperature?

Thanks.


texts:
I'm making oat milk like this:

Put 4 tbsp around 40 grams Rolled Oats (without soaking) into blender, then add 1 cup (300 mL) Cold water, then add 1 tbsp canola oil (to help emulsify). Then I blend them. Then I filter is using a cloth.

The result is thin and chalky.

Now how to make the oat milk less chalky? I couldn't find any discussion about this online.


texts:
I'm currently in Greece, I'm trying to find some Manitoba flour but it seems nobody here have ever even heard the name. And I asked in bakeries and restaurants, too, just to be sure to find it.

What a different "term" for Manitoba could be? I already checked for the translation and even the Greek term is widely unknown; on the other hand I've had people telling me about flour 75%, flour 50%, and so on. So, maybe they just use a different term at all for the Manitoba flour? (I seriously doubt it, but...I can't come up with anything better)


texts: What's the most cost effective way to make chicken bone broth?

texts:
I would like to start consuming chicken bone broth for health reasons, but there are some difficulties with this plan I'd like to resolve.

Where is the best place to get bulk chicken bones (I live in Washington state)? Is it better to just buy whole chickens or buy the bones? I've looked all over the internet for ideas and places to shop, and I just keep getting more confused on what to do. I would be so grateful for any advice on this subject. I'm looking to make enough bone broth to consume about 16 ounces daily.


texts: Beef mince (ground beef) smells like vinegar

texts:
My wife bought some beef mince (ground beef) from a shop. It looked red.

When she fried it, it give off an aroma of vinegar. Is it spoiled?


texts: Is Dahi (Indian homemade yogurt) Thermophilic or Mesophilic?


texts: what should I do with overgrown beautiful clusters of Chia seed leaves?

texts: A few weeks ago I soaked Chia Seeds to add to my daily smoothie the following morning.However, this got forgotten to add and left over for the next day. Instead of throwing away in the trash bin, I threw these soaked and smelly in my back vegetable plot. Tiny leaves have started to sprout. Can I eat them?


texts: Can I substitute potato starch (katakuriko) for cornstarch in a cookie recipe?

texts: I have a cookie recipe that calls for cornstarch. I was wondering if I could substitute it for potato starch (katakuriko, in Japanese).


texts:
I've been making sushi for a while at home and now decided to get a set of knives specifically for this purpose (as I have only a couple of general-purpose knives which are horrendous).

The question is - which types of knives should I get? Is there a one universal knife for cutting rolls & carving fish & making sashimi or there are several and what are their names? Maybe there is a standard set for this?


texts:
I like to make pancakes. I like to make them on a nonstick surface.

I know that nonstick surfaces don't last forever, but my specific experiences with griddles, both electric and stovetop, has been ridiculous. A few sets of pancakes, even with careful plastic utensil usage, and the sticking commences.

Can anyone suggest either (a) a brand of griddle with a half-life of over a year, (b) anything I may be doing wrong in managing the object, or (c) some alternative approach to cooking pancakes that requires neither a nonstick surface or a lake of lubricant?


texts: Is Bisquick the same as self-rising flour?

texts: Is Bisquick the same thing as self-rising flour? or if not, what differences are there? Is it a good substitution if a recipe calls for self-rising flour?


texts: What happens if I forget to feed my sourdough starter?

texts:
Is there something wrong that can happen if I forget to feed my sourdough starter? I kinda forgot to do it twice, but it still appears to have a few bubbles in it. Previously it contained hooch, which I discarded. Also, my starter has a dense consistency because the whole grain flour I guess.

So how should I feed it? I am using 5 tbsp of flour and 4 tbsp of tap water (previously rested for an hour or more to let the chlorine to fall to the bottom)


texts: What is the effect of adding sugar to the water when poaching eggs?

texts: I'm doing a food tech assignment and I need to know how adding sugar to the water effects the coagulation of protein when poaching eggs.


texts:
I made two batches of sauerkraut. The first one turned out great and is already  canned.   In the 2nd batch I put too much salt, and it is not working as quickly as  the  1st.

What I was wondering: if I put a couple of raw potatoes in the overly salty batch, would it draw out some of the salt?


texts: So, I am from India. And it's very difficult to find bacon in local super-markets here. I was wondering if there is a way that I can make bacon at home or any other alternative to bacon.


texts: What to do with rotisserie chicken juices

texts: I bought 2 rotisserie chickens yesterday for the meat.  I use it for chicken soup.  I saved the juices at the bottom of the pans in the refrigerator.  This morning it is a gelatin with just a bit of not so hard fat on the top.  I threw away the fat, but is the gelatin good for anything?  Is it a kind of stock?  Can I add it to the soup?


texts: What would be considered thick milk in old recipe

texts: I have a cake recipe from my Grandmother that calls for thick milk?   Anyone know what this might be?  Not sure of the cake name, handwriting is hard to read.  Full recipe is 1 c sugar, 2 eggs, 1 c thick milk, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp cream of tartar, 1/2 c butter.


texts:
I am a student that recently moved to a student apartment, I have been making grilled sandwiches and storing them in aluminium foil to eat at uni. However, this causes the sandwiches to steam themselves inside the aluminium foil and the bread becomes mushy. How can I prevent this? Is there any way to store it and be able to carry it in the backpack without it steaming itself?

Thanks!


texts: Is it true that even quality knives with wood handles can warp and be contaminated with bacteria?

texts: I was at Bed Bath & Beyond and I spoke to one of the employees about knives with wood handles. She said that wood handles are no good because they warped from water and heat and were difficult to sanitize (especially if you're . But what about knives such as the Wusthof Ikon knives with blackwood? I find it hard to believe such an expensive knife could have those flaws, especially if one is properly cleaning, drying, and storing them properly. (My question isn't speficially about the Wusthoff knife, but about knives with wooden handles in general).


texts: Can I salvage cookie dough made with whole eggs instead of yolks?

texts:
I was making the dough for cookies and was supposed to add just 2 egg yolks and I added 2 whole eggs.  What was supposed to form a ball just made a really thick batter.  So, do I have to start over or is there a way I can fix this?

Recipe called for 4 cups of flour, 2 cups of softened butter, 1 pint of sour cream and 2 egg yolks.  I put in two whole eggs.  It's in the refrigerator chilling in hopes of tightening it up.

They were supposed to be pinwheel cookies that you put a bit of jelly in the center.  And then finish off with powder sugar. If there is no salvaging the consistency of the cookies to form these pinwheels, would it work if I make them into balls and then finish them off with powdered sugar so as to not waste this batch and start over to make the pinwheels with just the yolks?


texts: Why did I end up with mushy corned beef?

texts:
I cooked my first ever corned beef brisket. I think it was a point cut by the shape of it. I won the darn thing and the package did not specify.

Anyway, I brought to a boil then reduced to a simmer for three hours. The taste is good but the texture is mushy. It seems a little fatty. Did I overcook it?


texts: Does leavened bread made with yeast require gluten to rise?

texts:
I want to understand which flours can and can't be used with yeast to get a rise for baking bread. From what I understand, yeast consumes sugar and produces carbon dioxide, which gets trapped inside the dough and causes it to expand during proving.

Does gluten have any special properties for trapping carbon dioxide that make it uniquely capable of trapping CO2 or can I perform this process with a variety of flours?

Flours I'm interested in are soy flour, defatted peanut flour, brown rice flour,
dark rye flour, chickpea flour, sorghum flour, oat flour, and several varieties of corn flour.


texts: Is it safe to eat expired hollandaise sauce mix

texts: I have a really old packet of McCormick Hollandaise sauce mix - it's 5 years expired.  Is it safe to use and eat?  Main ingredients are Wheat starch, maltodextrin, egg solids, soy lecithin, etc..


texts:
I'm moving into a small apartment with no oven. Before, I had a 16" oven stone to bake my bread and I'm looking for something to keep baking.

Would a duch oven over a gas kitchen work? I can't use coal (I have no terrace or backyard).

Do you have any suggestions to survive without an oven?


texts: Why do red onions turn blue or green when cooking sometimes?

texts:
I cooked a pot of beans with some red onions last night.  Today for lunch when I got them out of the fridge, all of the onions had turned a blue/green colour!

They still taste ok, but sure looks unappetizing!

Any ideas what's going on here?


texts: Possible Wine Substitutions for Sherry When Making French Onion Soup

texts: I am making French onion soup, and it calls for sherry. What would be a good substitute for the sherry?


texts: Appropriate oil to infuse with hot chillies

texts:
I have loads of chillies left over from summer so I'm making some infused oils for christmas gifts. The obvious oil to use would be extra virgin olive oil (very expensive for good quality), but I've also found some very reasonably-priced cold-pressed premium extra virgin rapeseed oil (it's even won awards!).

So my question is: are there any reasons not to use cold-pressed rapeseed oil vs olive oil for the infusions - e.g.

Any difference in flavour absorption?
Any effects from the different fats (mono-/poly- etc.)?
Any issues with storage?
Anything I've missed?


texts:
Wheat is frequently included in chicken feed. Partially-digested wheat, therefore, would likely be present in chickens' gizzards before butchering.

However, the chicken gizzards seen for sale in grocery stores don't appear to have any leftover feed residue in them -- apparently, any macroscopic amounts of undigested feed remaining in the gizzard are (somehow) removed during processing.

Do the human-edible parts of the gizzard come in direct contact with the bird's digestive contents? If so, would a person with celiac disease need to worry about potentially ingesting residual gluten from the chicken's feed when eating gizzards?


texts: How to prevent the lasagne filling from sliding out?

texts: When I cook lasagne most of the filling slides out between the pages. How do you make the filling stay in its place?


texts: How hot should the oil be when preparing schnitzel?

texts: I frequently fry breaded chicken breast, but I can't seem to get the temperature right.  Sometimes the first couple pieces come out overdone and sometimes if I don't let them sit in the pan for a while, they will come out under-cooked.  I would like to get the outside of each piece crispy without having it be overcooked.  How can I know what is the correct temperature to fry at and is there a trick to know once the oil has reached this temperature?


texts: Should I use raw turmeric that turned rubbery?

texts: I have some raw turmeric, which has become rubbery lying in the deep freeze. Can it be used for cooking? If yes, does it require any special processing first?


texts: What is a good bread recipe for light bread, but able to be shaped?

texts:
I've started this thing for Easter where I bake bread and mold it into the shape of a bunny. Last year the bread turned out really hard and was hard to eat.
How can I be able to shape it but have the bread soft when it's cooked?


texts: plastic cutting sheets. how to use properly

texts: I bought some plastic cutting sheets in a pack of two. One side is smooth, the other side has a rough texture. Which side of the sheet should I cut on?


texts: Can I substitute almond milk for heavy cream in chocolate glaze?

texts:
When making chocolate glaze for éclairs or donuts, I want to use almond milk (well mainly because I don't normally have heavy cream readily available but I have almond milk)

The almond milk I have is a nice smooth texture and not too runny, like some of the thicker soy milks out there.

Will this work in place of the heavy cream?  (i.e will the lack of fat content in the almond milk compared to heavy cream cause any issues)

For example this recipe is rather simple, can you just replace the exact amount of heavy cream with almond milk?

Chocolate Glaze:
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped


texts:
When aging pizza dough in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, I mix the salt and "Saf-Instant Dry Baker's Yeast" (a Japanese brand) with the flour and add room-temperature or cold water.  I always get lots of yeast bubbles within hours in the fridge, and lots of rise when par-baking, so I know the yeast is happy.

When I tried making same-day dough, I fell back to habits I learned as a kid, to mix the yeast with water as hot as I could stand my finger in.  I mixed salt in that water too, and that was the only time in years of weekly baking I got no rise.   Question part 1: Does salt kill the yeast??

Question part 2: Is there any reason to even use hot water if room-temp water works fine with this brand of yeast?

Question part 3: is there any reason not to simply use the mix of dry ingredients that I have success with with refrigerated doughs?  If not, why do books/recipes/relatives insist on the hot water dissolve-the-yeast step, which means you have a couple more utensils to wash?


texts: Is carob bean cooked when used as a thickener?

texts: Many yoghurts contain carob bean gum as a thickener. Does anyone know if this is raw or cooked carob bean  ?


texts: What are the correct simmering times for chicken/vegetable stock?

texts:
I recently read that cooking stock for more than about 2 hours negatively affects the flavor, and eventually vitiates the vitamins due to heat degradation.

This seems to conflict with advice I've read previously, which states that you need to do a "shimmering only" simmer (no bubbles) for 24-36 hours in order to extract/denature all of the collagen.

My questions are:

Is it true that extended simmering destroys flavor and nutrients, and if so, is it due to the time, temperature, or some combination of the two?
Which advice is better to follow? What are the optimal simmering times for the meat and vegetables?
If the simmering time for vegetables is shorter - at what stages should I add (and remove) them?


texts: Why do Pocky and other "stick" biscuits have this distinct burn pattern?

texts:
This is Pocky: (much larger image)

As you can see, the part that is not covered in chocolate has burn marks that form a distinct pattern that is also common for other kinds of "stick" biscuits. Is this just a traditional decoration, or does it serve some purpose?


texts: Baked 2 cakes simultaneously. One sank in the middle on cooling

texts:
I have a gas oven. I have raised a question regarding it before, Baking in gas oven does not brown the top. This time when I baked I placed a aluminum foil in bottom rack and baked 2 same size cake on the top rack. The cake on the left baked evenly and was fine. The cake on the right though browned more sank in the middle on cooling.

I had heated the oven to 180 C and baked the left cake for 30 minutes and since it got baked I removed and shifted the cake on the right in the middle as it was wobbly in the center. I baked it for 5 minutes more and then took it out. It looked fine first but when cooled it sank in the middle.
What could have gone wrong here? How can I prevent it?

Thanks!


texts: Cooking corned beef brisket for maximum slice-ability

texts: I want to prepare a nice corned beef meal, but I don't know the best way to do it.  Last year I did it in a crock pot.  It was delicious, but the brisket feel apart so much that the presentation was very lacking.  I was unable to slice against the grain (probably had something to do with the subpar knife I was using, but still).  I want good looking even slices of beef, so how should I cook the roast?


texts: Other than gelatin what makes gummy bears chewy?

texts: From previous experiences, every time I try to make gummy bears they are more springy than chewy like gummies are supposed to be. I have been wondering, other than gelatin, what makes gummy bears chewy? I use 250 bloom gelatin powder.


texts:
With respect to pickled herring, is the herring cooked before being put into the pickling solution?

If not, what safety measures are in place to ensure bacteria are within safe limits?


texts: How do I make my sourdough bread dough stretchy and not have it tear?

texts:
I've been trying to make chewy sourdough bread and it's not going as planned. I read somewhere that if you mix and knead the bread a lot and avoid adding a lot of sugar and use a lot of water that should aid gluten development to make the dough chewy. Also I read that the dough should be stretchy and  if you pull two pieces apart it's supposed to be transparent. Well, I don't have anything anywhere near that.

My starter was super fluffy. I took 2 cups of starter, added about 1 cup of water with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tea spoon of brown sugar already dissolved. Then I kept adding flour and mixing in one direction until it didn't mix with a spoon anymore. Then I kneaded it for about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. I tried to avoid adding too much flour to keep the water percentage up, but that's hard to do when you are kneading on a wooden board and the dough keeps sticking. I finally got it to where there was an even layer of dough stuck to the pen so the piece I was kneading didn't stick to it too much anymore, but the dough still refuses to be stretchy. I pull on a piece and it tears with a ragged edge. That's after 1/2-3/4 hour of non-stop kneading. Finally I gave up because it wasn't getting better.

I let it rise for 1 1/2 hours between a heating pad and covered with electric blanket on top. Then I kneaded it again. At first it was slightly more stretchy, but the more I kneaded it the less stretchy it got. I didn't add a lot of flour at this stage either so it kept sticking to the board. Now it's back to the original non-stretchy, tearing consistency.

Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong?

Edit: I should mention that I'm using King Arthur bread flour, so the protein content is most likely not a problem.


texts: How would you modify seafood linguine to give it a holiday twist? I am cooking and some of my conservative guests are in shock after hearing the menu. How can I mollify them?


texts: differences between cooktop, range and stove?

texts: I am looking for an apartment to rent. There is one that the agent said has no oven but only something I didn't catch from her speaking. I usually call those round things on the top heated by either cooking gas or electricity, "stove" or "range". But I am not an native American English speaker. So I wonder if cooktop, range and stove all refer to those round things on the top? What differences are between them? Thanks!


texts: How to Make Canned Coconut Milk Separate

texts:
My friend wants to make coconut milk separate so that she can use the cream for whipping. Can anyone suggest a way of accomplishing this?

Edited to add: I asked her to confirm that it was full-fat and she said 'yes, I'm not that dumb'. She's storing it at room temperature (rather hot lately in NYC lately) but is going to try chilling it to see what happens.


texts: My friend and I have a tradition of giving each other unspeakably horrible presents on each other's half birthday. I want him to be able to enjoy the delicious taste - and smell - of durian all year long, so I want to make my own jam using Durian. I've canned before (always with store-bought pectin and using slightly-modified versions of the recipes provided with the pectin). I'd rather this be as good as I can possibly make it without too much experimentation (durian is not cheap where I live), so what ratio of pectin to durian should I try to hit?


texts: For various reasons I have to bake yolks to the consistency of soft boiled eggs, what is a good temp and time to do this?


texts: What temperature to freeze meat at to preserve quality?

texts:
My new refrigerator has a configurable-temperature compartment.  Samsung claims that the "soft freeze" mode will keep meat and fish fresh longer.

  When you select Soft Freeze mode 23 °F (-5 °C) regardless of the
  overall temperature setting of the refrigerator. This feature helps
  keep meat and fish fresh for longer.

However, every reputable reference I've found claims that you should freeze meats below 0 °F.  What would the effect be of storing meat at 23 °F rather than at 0 °F other than presumably shorter storage time?


texts: Why is a copper bowl recommended for whipping cream and egg whites?

texts: They say you can get the whipped cream or egg whites "higher" or "stiffer" if you use a copper bowl.  Why is that?


texts: Converting oven time and temp from convection to conventional

texts: I watched a British recipe that instructed for it to be baked at 180 fan. I live in the states and use a conventional oven. What do I set it at. Also, would the baking time change?


texts:
I had a soup recipe that asked me to chop up onions, carrots, and potatoes and then saute them together until soft.  However, when I tried, the potatoes ended up sticking to the bottom and burning despite how much I stirred.

Is it possible to saute potatoes without using so much oil you're basically frying them?


texts:
I tried googling this one but I just kept getting recipes.

I bought a slow cooker (Proctor-Silex 33043 4-Quart Slow Cooker), which seemed to have good reviews. However I try to make stock, which I would normally cook for 12+ hours, every time that I do it bubbles over. It isn't to say that the liquid itself boils up and out of the pot but rather a ring of liquid forms on the edge of the pot and begins to bubble outwards.

It causes a mess by burning inside of the metal part of the pan (in-between the heating element and the stoneware part) and spilling down the outside walls of the slow cooker onto the counter.

What can I do about this? Is it just a bad slow cooker or is there a trick I'm missing. I haven't encountered this problem before with my old cooker or pot on the stove. I was considering inserting a toothpick in the edge or something.

Has anyone else encountered this? Is it because I'm making very liquid stock vs say a heavier dish like oatmeal? I've tried shallow (less liquid) and very full but it occurs in both scenarios.


texts: When turning instant soup into liquid soup, how can I optimise dissolution?

texts:
At work, when I'm hungry, I sometimes resort to instant soup (Royco, in case it's relevant). Simple to make: heat water, put package content into cup, pour water into cup, stir.

However, I often find that the powdered soup has a bunch of wet powder residue left at the bottom of the cup after drinking. although this residue is full of taste, it means the rest of my soup was actually blander than it should be. I also usually have a small bit of residue on my spoon that I can't seem to fully dissolve into the rest of the soup. The residue on the bottom of the cup usually can be fixed through proper stirring, but the spoon residue is trickier.

How can I make the soup powder dissolve more effectively so all of the powder is part of the soup?


texts:
I am a complete amateur when it comes to the world of cooking.

My recent attempts to teach myself have unfortunately lead to me needing to ask:

How did I explode my saucepan?

I'd put some garlic/onion/olive oil in the saucepan and left it on low heat to soften on my electric hob. After about five there was a loud bang and I turned to find the saucepan falling through the air (which I just caught by the handle). The base of the saucepan had come away from the body. Cue jokes about taste explosions from my flat mate

I am fairly sure this wasn't supposed to happen.

The same thing happened when I was cooking meatballs with some onion on the side - though to a much lesser degree.

Did I just have a duff saucepan, or is there some explosive quality to onions I missed!?

On the plus side, the meal came out okay in the end.


texts:
We received a handmade cutting board as a gift awhile back and I decided to bring it back to life with some Boos board oil and conditioning cream. I noticed when wiping off any excess with a white towel though that the red wood color stain that was used on the board is coming off on the towel.
Does that mean the board is unsafe to prep on? Was it not sealed correctly? Was it the Boos product I used on it?


texts: By what reactions do moisture and light steal away my coffee's freshness?

texts:
Typically, the standard advice for prolonging your coffee is to store it in an air-tight, light-tight, dry container. At a chemical level, what happens when coffee is left in humid or sunny conditions that causes it to lose "freshness?"

Specifically;

What compounds and characteristics do people identify as "freshness?"
How do light and moisture compromise these components?


texts: How to reduce the time and cost for making a cheesecake?

texts:
I have tried making cheese cakes a couple times before. And each time, it ends with discouragement and exasperation.

After spending on even the cheapest cream cheese and sour cream, and a lot of time, the cheese cake ends up being more expensive (including electricity) than the one they sell at Walmart. Also the time I have to spend preparing and cleaning up.

Such that every time I think of making a cheesecake, I would simply buy a ready-made one from Walmart.

Why does it take so much time to make the cheesecake?
What are the techniques to reduce the time I spend making the cheesecake?
Can I substitute graham crackers with animal crackers, because I find animal crackers less messy and an easier task? I also like the taste of animal crackers much better than graham crackers.


texts:
I want to squeeze oranges quickly using the screw-type motorized juicers (e.g. Hurom). It would be good if I can have them pre-supremed and ready to be put in the juicer.

Will removing the rind of the oranges the night before maintain at least the flavor?


texts: Cheesemaking produces strange bicolored whey

texts: I made some farmer cheese (heat milk, add vinegar, strain curds). I didn't have a strainer big enough to handle the whole batch, so I used two smaller strainers. Weirdly, the two sub-batches produced very different-looking whey (see photo). Why would this happen, and are both batches of whey safe to consume?


texts: What is it that a filter Coffee maker can do that we can't do in a better or equivalent way at home?

texts:
So, for knowing what is it all about, today I purchased some filter Coffee.

I followed the steps of using a strainer and liked its taste.

I want to know what is it that a filter Coffee maker can do that we can't do in a better or equivalent way at home?

Does Coffee maker works like the steps shown in the above link?


texts:
I'm thinking about getting a slow cooker, so I was checking out some recipes.  Many say something along the lines of:

Cook Time
4 - 5 hours on LOW
2 - 2.5 hours on HIGH
Slow Cooker
4 - 4.5 Quarts
6 - 6.5 Quarts

Two questions:

Is it better to cook it on low or high? Obviously the time will be different, but will it usually taste better when done on low?
What is the stuff under Slow Cooker referring to?

Thanks


texts: Why does this Egg McMuffins recipe taste terrible?

texts:
I tried to recreate the taste of a McDonald Egg McMuffin at home.

I cut an English muffin in half and cooked it in the oven. I fried an egg in a pan. I added mayonnaise to the English muffin halves, then added the egg and a slice of American cheese.

The result tasted nothing like a real Egg McMuffin, and did not taste good at all. What can I do to make this more closely taste like a real Egg McMuffin?


texts: We're considering roasting a Buffalo Rib Roast for a bunch of friends but have no idea how it will turn out. How does this meat compare (assuming it's cooked medium rare) to something like a Beef Sirloin Roast? Are there other meats that are particularly similar? Will it be succulent or dry out? How does the flavor profile compare with beef? Is it particularly gamey?


texts: Do I need more fermentation? Why my sourdough is flattened?

texts:
From a few weeks I've been trying to make sourdough. The most successful recipe for me and for the time I have I found is Easy Sourdough Bread Recipe using a stand mixer - Sourdough Lamination In the recipe it said that it needs 3 hours in room temperature + 30 min in refrigerator and then you bake.
Because I don't have that time in one I leave it on the counter for 1 hour then let the sourdough in the refrigerator overnight (10 hours) and bake it in the morning. The whole wheat flour I use is with 13% protein.
I found the dough "flattened" and without so much holes and somehow I feel like it's not so fermented. Is it possible for 10 hour fermentation in the refrigerator? How can I improve the dough and do I need more fermentation time maybe in room temperature? The dough is fine, not so wet it can be shaped. I added picture in the end to show what I mean.
The recipe is:

200 g. white flour
100 g. whole wheat flour
240 g. water
6 g salt
90g starter
40g pumpkin seeds

Totals:

345 g flour (45 from starter)
285 g water (45 from starter)
2% salt
82.6% hydration


texts: How long would you keep this Caesar dressing?

texts:
My Caesar dressing contains the following: mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, fresh ground pepper.
How long do you think I should I keep it before I pitch it?
And why is it that bottled commercial dressings last months and homemade do not?
What do they have in theirs that we don't have in ours, and can't we put it in ours?


texts: What can I bake for my nut allergic friend?

texts: I have a friend who has tree-nut allergy so he isn't able to eat any kinds of nuts, because of this every single time I bake something for my class he can't eat it because of his allergy. When I searched up recipes that are nut-free, I can't be 100% sure that it will be safe for him to eat it, I understand if he eats something with nuts in it can cause a deadly reaction and I don't want him to risk his life eating my cookies. What are some recipes for baking cookies that I can guarantee that it will be safe for him to eat?


texts: Canned beans come with a liquid that may be eaten. Do the calories shown on the can reflect the calories with the liquid, or without? Either way, is there a way to know the calories in just the beans or just the liquid (without a calorimeter)?


texts: Why does hot food placed in a picnic cooler keep cooking?

texts: A modern picnic cool box is used to keep food cool inside it during the day. However, when you place a hot stew inside the box and close the box, the stew carries on cooking slowly. Why does this happen?


texts: Is slightly sugary mango fine for hot sauce?

texts:
I'm taking a crack at a mango habanero hot sauce recipe I found, which calls for dried mango slices.
However, all of my friendly neighborhood grocery stores have the dried slices that have that crystallized sugar on them. I picked up a variety that claims to be "low sugar", but still taste fairly sugary.

Will mango that is sugared impact a hot sauce recipe (negatively) too much? If so, is there a "safe" way to remove the sugar?

Now, I'm definitely far from being even an amateur chef, so I could just have the perfect thing and not know it. Rather double check now then risk it and end up with a bad batch.

Ingredient list:

Habanero - 3
Ancho Pasilla - 1
Dried mango slices - 6
Water - 1 cup
Shredded coconut - 1/2 cup
Brown sugar - 1 tsp
A "spice blend" - 1 Tbsp
Pinch o' salt

All ingredients soak for ~2 minutes, simmer for ~3, then are liquefied in a blender.


texts: How to butter-roast coffee in frying pan?

texts:
I've starting roasting green coffee beans in a frying-pan at home and in a tin foil tray, when having an outside bbq.

What would be a good way to make a Vietnamese style butter-roast? Should I just fry the beans in butter, until they are brown?


texts: Are there any general rules which can be used when determining tasty food combinations?

texts: It seems like with all the recipes in the world there must be some guiding principles on creating new recipes, but nothing I've read suggests this is common knowledge. I'm hoping someone with more experience cooking knows of some general principles like this.


texts: I just had horse meat for the first time and found it rather chewy.  When asked what I thought of it, I said I found it a bit chewy.  I then got a new portion, which was just as chewy.  Is this simply how it is supposed to be?  The waiter suggested as much, but I am skeptical.


texts: How to make vivid color candy with a small quantity of natural food coloring?

texts:
I use some natural food coloring for candies. The problem is that they are not very intense and that not many vivid natural food colors are available in the market.
I tried powder, liquid and gel coloring: powder and liquid had very dull colors ( I tried several brands and several colors) while on the contrary gel coloring was the only one that gave vivid colors.
The components of the 3 types for coloring are the following:

gel: E422 glycerol or glycerin or glucose syrup + water (optional) + color
liquid: water + color
powder: just color

What I don’t understand is : how come the color intensity changes so much for gel with just this additional ingredient? Did I miss something?


texts: At what temperature can you cook scalloped potatoes and heat a cooked ham together? Ham says 275 and potatoes says 325.


texts: What's the numbering system for spaghetti and does it matter?

texts:
When I lived in Italy some years ago I remember an Italian friend explaining the numbering system for spaghetti (perhaps also other long pasta). How spaghetti was sold in Italy with a number indicating its fineness.

She told me that different kinds of recipes called for specific numbered spaghetti, if you wanted to be precise.

Can anyone else explain the numbering system for spaghetti better than my vague recollection? Do people in Italy really worry about matching the right numbered spaghetti with a given dish, and has anyone outside Italy encountered a recipe calling for a specific number spaghetti?


texts: Kosher veal steak more salty than kosher beef steak - is it expected and why?

texts:
When I make veal vs. beef steak from kosher meat, it consistently seems to me that the veal is significantly more salty.

The steak isn't salted by me at all (aside from whatever saltiness remains from koshering process).

The difference persists between different methods (grilling in a stove pan vs. in convection oven).

The steaks (shoulder) are sourced from the same supermarket and to the best of my knowledge are sourced from the same producer by them.

Is this difference in saltiness something expected (or just in my head) and if so, why?

The steaks aren't rinsed (either one).


texts:
I want to cook red kidney beans in a shortest cooking time.

How can I cook them?
Should I put them into water before going to office and then cook them in the evening?
What are the required ingredients?


texts: How do you cook margarine with brown sugar without separating?

texts: I have a recipe that calls for melting margarine, adding brown sugar, and boiling a few minutes before pouring it over matzah boards. The problem is that the margarine separates, and the brown sugar never totally dissolves.


texts: Can I deep fry food in butter instead of vegetable oil?

texts: I was wondering if it is possible to deep fry food that would normally be fried in vegetable oil in butter or lard instead? Will the result be different?


texts: What is the difference between quick bread and cake?

texts:
Quick breads, like banana or zucchini breads, seem to be assembled in an identical method and with similar ingredients as cake. Many recipes have comparable quantities of fat and sugar.

So what is the difference and how can you tell whether a baked good should be called a quick bread or a cake?


texts: How long does it take to cool 5 lb of deep fried chicken from 350 degree to 75 degree

texts: I need help: we had a problem with health dept. We put 5-10 lbs deep fried chicken in the walk-in cooler directly removed from oil. Around 350 to 400 degree then.  After 1 and 1/2 hours in the cooler (cooler temperature was about 40 degree), it stated 77 degree. We got violation notice. To me it is the violation one way of the other. You left outside cooling is violation, inside cooling is violation. Is there any one please help me to give me the answer that how long it will take to cool down?


texts:
I have heard that roasted vegetables are more tasty than steamed, but I have never been successful in roasting in small batches.

What is the best temperature to roast and for how long?  Should I add olive oil? How much?


texts: What is this plant that sometimes accompanies parsley?

texts:
I frequently buy bunches of flat-leaf parsley. Every now and then I find one or two stems of a different-looking plant included. Here is an image, with normal flat-leaf parsley on the left. I remember it having a grassy, plausibly parsley-like smell, but nothing strong.

Is this some variant of parsley, or a different plant altogether?


texts: Mysterious bitter taste from tropical fruits and coconut

texts:
I cook every day, and today I had an experience I am at a total loss to explain. I am hoping the combined knowledge of the Internet can help.

Today, I decided to make a  tropical fruit custard. Being as it's passover, it contained matzoh meal. I blended the ingredients together, and it tasted fine--a little bland, but fine. I sprayed a casserole dish with canola oil, and poured in the mixture. 30 minutes later, I test it for doneness with my finger, then taste the batter on my finger. It was BITTER! Not curdled milk, not sour, not anything but overwhelming bitterness, like I was chewing on the pith of a grapefruit.

I ate some raisins to cleanse my palette, drank a glass of water, and tried again with a spoon. BITTER. I called down my fiance, who loves this sort of thing. (I was making it for her.) She made a face and said "bitter!" In three letters, WTH? Any help would be very welcome.

2 cups Goya frozen coconut
1 cup frozen mango
1 cup frozen pineapple
1/2 tsp Vanns Spices coconut extract (propylene glycol base)
1 tsp homemade vanilla (Madagascar beans, vodka base)
1 cup matzo meal
1 cup Breakstones lowfat cottage cheese
1 cup Wegman's egg white
1/2 cup Fage 0% greek yogurt
1/2 cup Breakstone's lowfat sour cream
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp molasses

These are all ingredients that I use routinely, with the exception of the Vanns. None of them are particularly bitter. (Molasses is slightly bitter, of course, but nothing like this.)

I had cleaned the casserole dish two days earlier, dried it by hand, and put it on the shelf. I washed the pan with soap and a scrubbing pad. Its preceding use was in roasting tomatoes. Burnt tomatoes can be bitter, but not like this, and anyways, it was pretty clean. It definitely didn't taste like soap.

Does propylene glycol have some kind of reaction where it can turn into hell bitter juice? What else can it be?


texts: Cooking chicken breasts in Buffalo sauce, cast iron

texts:
I really like to cook chicken in my cast iron skillet and I cook it down with butter and Texas Pete Sauce (my mother does the same, but in Teflon).

My issue is that it takes about 20 minutes to cook the chicken and after about 8-10 the sauce begins to dry up and I have to pour more sauce in to keep the chicken soaked the way I would like (spicy). By the end my chicken is perfect, but I've used a ton more sauce than I believe I need, the kitchen smells like a cayenne pepper farm, and there's a thick layer of dried sauce on my pan.

Any ideas on how to save on sauce or to keep it from drying so quickly?

Lower temperature?
More butter?
Not possible?

I would prefer to continue using the cast iron, thank you.

Update:

Used a smaller skillet (8 in), turned to medium heat, added red wine vinegar for extra liquid.


texts: Frying Steak - disappointing gray crust, not pink inside

texts:
Ok so I'm a teenager and I'm starting to get interested in this cooking thing, and in particular, steak.

So anyway, this past week I decided to try my luck at preparing a steak. My family's grill is broken, so I tried to cook it in a pan (after reading and watching plenty of articles and videos on how to cook steak).

So I used some sort of heavy metal pan (I'm not sure what material), and let it heat up on high heat for about 5 minutes. After letting my 3 thin flank steaks sit out for around 30 minutes, I put salt, pepper, and olive oil on them. Next, I put them in the pan and immediately the room filled with smoke.

I opened up windows, doors, and used the vent above the pan but to no avail. Despite all the smoke, the steaks would only seem to turn a bland grey. After a while I had to take them off because I didn't want them to get overdone.

I put the steaks on a plate and covered them with tin foil. After around 10 minutes, I cut into them and they only had a little pink in them. Not the medium rare I was hoping for. Plus, there was the disappointing gray crust.

What did I do wrong? Any help is appreciated.


texts:
Some time ago I have grown my own sourdough starter fed with 50/50 wholemeal rye & all-purpose wheat flour (with 100% hydration). It turned out great, it normally grows a bit over 2x in volume after feeding over night, and smells in a pleasantly floral way.

I had this idea, that with already established yeast culture, I could now start a second jar, where I would grow 100% all-purpose wheat flour with a bit of the 50/50 starter - so that I would end up with a fast wheat sourdough starter. I have started it last Sunday, and I could see activity in it already after 24h, with a visible volume increase (~maybe 1.5x?) and a bubbly surface. However, after I gave it a sniff after these first 24h, I immediately detected a really offending smell, which brought about association with still water in nature, like the one you can smell in swamps. I figured it might be a result of a rapid flour type change, and that new microorganisms have started multiplying in there in competition with the already established yeast culture, so I just chucked out most of it, and fed the dirty jar with a new feed of all-purpose wheat. This morning the smell is back, maybe in a slightly smaller intensity, and volume growth is around 2x already. No mold can be seen on the surface, and the color of the mixture is milky-white.

Can anyone with some experience in this area tell me, if that is a normal behaviour, with all-wheat starter just going through its kiddy-years at the moment? Or did I already mess it up, and the only real choice is to chuck it and start anew?


texts: Why do you use sugar when canning peaches or pears?

texts: I’m going to be canning peaches and pears and most instruction say to use sugar.  Is sugar a preservative for the fruit or is it just for taste?  I would prefer not to use sugar if I don’t need to..


texts: Carrots turning dark at heads, and on skin after chopping?

texts:
Please see attached photos.  We are a small food processing plant, and recently it came to my attention some of the carrots we have been purchasing have been having a problem where the heads are turning a dark green/brown coloration.  The skin on them also turn dark after processing.  There is no slimy or any textural difference to the rest of the carrots, and to the touch they are still completely firm with no give or sign of rot.  These are fresh from the distributor, and properly stored in coolers, we source and use fresh vegetables so these do not sit in the coolers for prolonged periods at all.

Just to give more information, our procedure is 1) automatic friction peeler, 2) fresh water rinse, 3) chlorine wash at 200PPM concentration (verified) with contact time of ≈15 seconds, 4) two additional fresh water rinse cycles, 5) carrot chopper.

You can see in the upper photo, after chopping the outer layer of the skin is already starting to turn dark for unidentified reason.  Again, our process is rapid and our processing room is air conditioned.  There is no slime or decay, but this batch of carrots has been discoloring unusually like this.

My questions are: what is the cause?  Is there a food safety impact or is this a quality / aesthetic issue?  What are some methods to combat this from happening?

Thank you!


texts: What happens to the heat/capsaicin content of a pepper when you roast it?

texts:
We received some extremely hot peppers of some sort in our CSA bin. They're a light green color and look like under-ripe habaneros, and we can't for the life of us figure out what kind of pepper they are. My dad used to tell me that eating spicy things would "put hair on my chest," but I think these peppers would burn the hair right off of my body, given the chance.

Since I'm not the biggest fan of deathly spicy peppers, we're considering roasting them to reduce their heat to something similar to the peppers we normally use. I'm curious what happens to the capsaicin content of the pepper as a result of roasting it. Does anyone know how that works?


texts:
I’ve eaten plain whole-milk yogurt every day for over 10 yrs.  One 32 oz tub of the brand name I buy can taste sweet & mild one day; sour & acidic the next...or vice versa.

I’ve complained to yogurt makers so many times; even sending batch info & pics...and they’ve been so nice...thanking me & sending me coupons for free yogurt.

Now, however, I honestly think the perception of different tastes has to do with the changing chemistry in my mouth or on my tongue. Eating something sweet OR savory OR salty...that does NOT seem to matter. It’s just sour some days; sweet the next.

What’s going on??


texts: How do I make the panko bread stick to my egg-coated chicken?

texts:
I am trying to do a pan-fried schnitzel with chicken breast coated in a mix of eggs, salt, pepper, some ketchup, a bit of olive-oil and sweet paprika.
Once I coat the chicken in the egg mix, I try to cover it with panko bread, but for some reason it doesn't stick and leaves tiny holes once it's pan-fried.
Somebody says I should coat the chicken with flour prior to the egg, but I'm not convinced that would do the trick.

Does anyone care to explain what to do?


texts:
I've recently been experimenting with sous-vide cooking. The results have been good, except that I find that the food can sometimes seem unpleasantly cold. Obviously I tried reducing the time between removing from the water and eating but this doesn't solve the issue completely.

For example, I cooked fish fillets at 50 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. The flesh was beautifully medium-rare but after just a couple of minutes on the plate I found it far too cold for my taste.

Are there any techniques to heat up the food immediately before serving without over cooking it?


texts: How to keep insides of calzone from being too runny

texts:
I have cooked calzones with differing results.  Sometimes it comes out that the insides of the calzones are too runny, even after cooling.

Some things I have done to ensure a dry, solid center are:

Use egg(s)
Use cheese
Squeeze the ricotta with paper towel

I feel like the last item should not be necessary, that there should be some way to ensure a solid center each time.  I'm just not sure what those steps are.

Any advice from those who know?


texts: How do I get caramels to turn out grainy?

texts:
Yes, I know the opposite of the usual question.  I've been making candy since I was a little kid. My caramels are always smooth and creamy.  My partner's father thinks they taste good but that the texture is all wrong.  He liked the gritty/grainy ones his mother used to make. Everything I have ever seen listed as a way to fix grainy caramels I have tried reversing.

I have tried many things, including:

adding granulated sugar late in the process
not using corn syrup or other invert sugar
cooking them at high temps
cooking them for too short a time
stirring or not stirring at all the wrong times
switching recipes
varying the fat content

I guess I am wondering what makes caramels turn out grainy.  It's not as far as I can tell, wholly related to the sugar dissolving/melting.  If it was adding some granulated sugar as it cools should cause more crystals to form.

Is it related to the liquid content? Because sometimes after months in a cupboard even ordinarily smooth caramels will have developed some graininess.


texts: I enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables, but the problem is that they seem to go back extremely quickly.  It isn't realistic for me to go shopping multiple times a week.  Are there any tricks to keeping fruits and vegetables fresh for a longer period of time?


texts: Smoke alarms go off now that we have a gas stove didn't when we had electric

texts:
Our smoke alarms are constantly going off while cooking now that we have had to replace our stove. My wife didn't really like the electric so when it was necessary to replace it, we went with gas.

Ever since, nearly every time we cook, especially if we fry bacon, or something like that, the smoke alarms go off. We had to disconnect the one in the hallway near the kitchen, and we have to make sure our master bedroom door is closed. But, it still trips the alarms all the way across the living room in the main hallway.

Since they are all interconnected, they all go off at the same time. Since our home was about 10 years old, I replaced all of them last year, but, they still go off just the same.

The stove is clean and now the smoke alarms are clean.

I know we are not generating smoke every time we cook. That might happen on a rare occasion, but, this is becoming annoying!

Any suggestions?


texts:
I've probably only made tempura 10 times in my life, with fairly inconsistent results. often it has been heavier than the best restaurant versions I've had. There seem to be many variables involved:

type(s) of flour
added pure starch (cornstarch, arrowroot, ...?)
use of seltzer
use of chemical leavening
overall thickness of batter
type of oil
temperature of oil

Which of these factors (and any others I've forgotten) are most important to getting a thin, light, non-greasy tempura shell?


texts: What are the basic tricks to prevent the bottom layer of cake from burn when making it without an oven?

texts: I have tried making a cake without an oven, but the bottom layer of the cake burned. How can I prevent my cake from burning at the bottom?


texts: Macarons with no feet in convection oven

texts:
I made a french macaron (french meringue) and the result was aweful.

The recipe is:

275 g almond with 250 g powder sugar

6 egg whites with 210g sugar

10 minutes on 160 Celsius.

What was wrong


texts: Should I delay adding barley when making vegetable barley soup?

texts: When adding barley to a soup (usually with some combination of vegetables), should I add the barley later than the rest of the ingredients?


texts: Will a Dutch oven be a good investment in a motor home with a butane gas burner?

texts: I live in a Motorhome and only have a butane gas burner. Cooking over a butane gas burner is all I have and is limiting using just a pan for recipes. Does anyone have experience investing in and using a Dutch oven on this type of little butane gas stove? Any suggestions on recommend cookware is welcomed.


texts: Why can't I heat water properly on a new glass cooktop using a stainless steel pot?

texts: I have just started using a glass cooktop and my RACO stainless steel cook pot takes ages to heat and won't boil unless on the highest setting.  It makes a scummy mark on the cook top. I thought that RACO was a brand that was recommended.  Any ideas about what is happening?


texts:
I'm planning to make a chocolate orange cake and fancied making an orange caramel sauce to go with it.

My plan is to make a caramel sauce by heating up butter and sugar in a pan , stirring all the time  until a golden caramel and then adding whipping cream and stirring like crazy and taking off the heat.

My question is what is the best way to get orange flavour in there?  Can i add orange juice instead or cream?  That doesn't feel like it will work.

Could I mix orange juice with the cream first then add that?  If I reduced the OJ down before mixing it with the cream I assume I'd get more orange flavour?

Any other ideas?  I will only have access to oranges and juice, no orange oil or anything fancy.


texts: If a recipe calls for canned beans and I want to use dried beans, what do I need to do to the dried beans first?

texts: This is for chili in a slow cooker and I'll be using red beans of some kind--kidney I suppose.  I know I need to soak them, but do they need to be pre-cooked too?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How to know whether the teflon coated pan's life has reached end?

We have this set of teflon covered pots, how do I know when the teflon gets too worn out? Or does it ever?
Things we put in, does not come as easily of, as it did when the were new.

They are aprox. 6 years old.


texts: What makes oil stick to the pan so bad that it is so difficult to wash out?

texts: My parents went out of town for a bit and so I had to fend for myself with cooking!  I made some chicken and some quesadillas on a particular pan.  However, my parents got back and my mom is astounded to find the pan all dirty with oil still sticking to the pan.  I washed it with soap, so why is it still sticking???  It is like it is embedded into the pan.  Not sure what happened!  Anybody knows?  I am also unsure about the type of pan it is.  At this rate, I'll be buying new pans every so and so months if I lived alone.  :(  I wonder if it has anything to do with cooking food in a not so high temperature?


texts: Can this shrimp paste be used to make kimchi?

texts:
I live in a rural area of Canada, asian markets aren't a thing around here. Since there isn't much good kimchi around, I decided to try myself !

I went to a largeish city a few weeks ago and was able to get this shrimp paste:

https://i.imgur.com/AEnHi0L.png

When doing my research, the product called for usually looks like this:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yM6LLHJvt7I/UaqrTVVvZHI/AAAAAAAABtI/QwYdgP-5xEQ/s1600/rhubarb-4357.jpg

In the kimchi recipes I found, the shrimps are like the product above, whole and pink. However the product I bought is pasty/ground and grey. It is also Vietnamese rather than korean.

I cannot find the korean salted shrimps anywhere sadly, but this looked like a reasonable substitute to me. Would anybody with any kimchi-making experience knows if that shrimp paste would be suitable?


texts:
I have a bay tree, and it's far too big. If I cut it back, I think I'll have around 40 pounds of bay leaves (and I'll still have a bay tree).

It seems like a waste to throw all those bay leaves away.

What can I do with lots of bay leaves? Are there any good recipes that use lots of bay leaves?


texts: I got a bunch of (dried) almonds in their shell today. I wasn't aware of how hard their shells were and I have no nutcracker. Is there any way to open them without one?


texts:
Most times when I cook, steam leaks out the back of my oven in large quantities, much more than I've spilled. I think maybe it's coming off the food, leaking out a loose seam in the back, and condensing on the back panel, dripping down onto the stove.

Besides loss of energy, should I be concerned about this? Could this damage my oven?


texts: I completely forgot to add the sugar in my custard cookie dough. I've already baked them, anything I can do with them?


texts: How can one clarify orange juice to clear orange flavoured gelatine?

texts:
In UK we have a small cake called a jaffa cake which has a sponge base with an orange flavoured gelatin disc covered two thirds of base (think flying saucer/UFO shape) and covered with chocolate.

I can temper chocolate and I can cook sponge.  I was wondering how they made the clear orange gelatine part.  Specifically how can one take orange juice which is opaque and arrive at an orange flavoured clear gelatin?

EDIT:
A different way of asking is how come marmalade is clear?  I mean I know that one can make a consomme from tomato juice or beef by using egg whites which uses the albumen to filter out pulp but there must be a different technique for orange juice.

LINKS:

Bartender advice on clarifying fruit juice - suggests coffee filter (also mulls agar)
Agar clarification - agar is vegan gelatine - article suggests simmering, cheesecloth and coffee filter
Clarification Agar vs Gelatin


texts: Is it true about a dull knife being more likely to cut you?

texts:
I've heard people argue that a dull knife is more likely to cut you than a sharp one.  The argument is that you are more likely to cut yourself by applying too much pressure with the dull knife.  When too much pressure is applied, you jeopardize your control over the knife and it puts you in a position to cut yourself.

Is this true?


texts: Should asparagus be peeled before cooking?

texts:
I have it from two sources that asparagus should be peeled before being cooked in simmering water (Julia Child) or fried in butter (Heston Blumenthal). I tried Julia's method once and I've been discouraged from peeling them again ever since.

I probably overcooked on that attempt; they turned out a bit limp. But even so, don't asparagus look nicer with the skin on? And what's wrong with the skin anyway?

The asparagus spears I buy are quite thin with tender skin. Does the advice to peel only apply for thick asparagus spears?


texts:
I have tried this recipe but i want roti more soft.

Roti recipe

500 g Wheat flour
15 g Salt
50 g Oil
300 g Water or as required


texts: Describing the taste of Illy coffee and similar brands

texts:
I'm no coffee expert - I can't describe flavours well, but I know what I like.  And I'd like to learn to describe tastes better.

Illy is my favourite coffee (for French press use) - it seems a lot lighter than other brands. For example, Douwe Egberts seems too thick, and impossible to drink black.

How would you describe the main qualities of Illy?  And if I want to get more in depth and buy fresh beans, what types might share some of these qualities?


texts: Is there a frosting similar to whipped cream but without cream?

texts:
Can I use butter or margarine for frosting instead of whipping cream in cakes?

I tried frosting cake with butter and icing sugar but I did not like the outcome.

Is there something else that'd come out similar to whipped cream without using cream?


texts:
I am trying to toast bread in a gas oven on a rack about 8 inches from bottom, but all the toast in the centre part of the rack are burnt and the ones to the sides are perfect, is this a normal thing with gas ovens or is my oven faulty? The bottom cover is in place I have not adjusted anything, I use a temperature setting of 180 degrees Celsius. Please do not chastise me for trying this I am just experimenting to see if I can Economize on equipment and even energy as most of the times something else will be going in the oven.

I suspect that it is because of where the flame is at the bottom and that I could place a thick metal plate on the centre of the oven floor, to prevent this, but I prefer to hear from someone with experience or any other expert.


texts: What's the best way to clean a salad spinner?

texts:
We had taco salads last night for dinner.  Cleaning the little bits of shredded lettuce out of the salad spinner seemed to take forever.  Despite scrubbing and lots of rinsing, little bits of lettuce were still clinging to the inner bowl (in between the slits in the bowl).  I finally resorted to picking out the lettuce bits by hand in order to be sure I got them all.  Is there an easy way to clean this thing?

We could try washing the lettuce first, then shredding, but what about the pre-packaged lettuce that's already shredded?  I'd heard you're still supposed to wash that too.


texts: What kind of wood puts the most flavor in the meat?

texts: I want to smoke a few boston butts, but I want to know what wood has the strongest flavor, and I will be smoking them for 12+ hours, very slow and low cook.


texts: recipe was creamed butter, powdered sugar, flavorings and flour . dough is dry and crumbly not the usual consistency of spritz dough - should I try adding more butter ?


texts:
I've been following a recipe for meatballs but they are far too loose for putting on the bbq.  I thought I could maybe put them in the fridge before cooking them, or brown them in a pan before putting them on the bbq - I was wondering, does anyone have any idea of how to make them a bit more solid?  or any better way of making meatballs / keftedes?

The recipe is here : http://www.meatwave.com/blog/keftedes-grilled-greek-meatballs-recipe


texts: Raw cream safe to consume after 125 F for 12 hours?

texts:
I was attempting to make clotted cream with pure raw cream (jersey cows) from the dairy farm.

I had my temperature too low I think though. I had it "cooking" at 125 F for 12 hours. It should have been 160 F for 12 hours.

Can I increase the temperature and cook for additional time?

Some websites say temperatures as low as 110 F will work for clotted cream.

https://www.english-cottage-lifestyle.com/English_Cottage_Lifestyle-clotted-cream.html


texts: Does brown sugar draw moisture from cimmamon buns which makes them dry out fast?

texts: Since everyone knows that brown sugar hardens fast and it draws moisture from anything moist (bread for example), does the brown sugar in the cinnamon rolls filling make them dry out faster? Since i notice cinnamon rolls dry out fast compared to other baked goods and i wonder if it has anything with the brown sugar, and is there tips to keep the cinnamon buns fresh for longer time?


texts: What is the correct (or best) oil to use for fondue?


texts:
I have been trying to search for this device for days. I’ve used the terms “dough rolling frame, caramel ruler, confectionery frame, ganache frame, adjustable ganache frame, dough leveling frame, confectionery bars/rulers” and nothing comes up.

Is there another name for this thing that will help me find it? I'm specifically looking for a frame that is adjustable and has those little notches in it.

After some additional searching I found something similiar but they just call it a frame >.<


texts:
Are there any thermometers that you can put in clay ovens, or under a broiler? Most of the thermometers have a temperature limit of 350 ~ 400 degrees.

I actually burnt one down last year by turning the broiler on by accident.


texts: In this video of triple chocolate pudding recipe, a shot of Baileys is added to whipped cream. Other than Baileys, what can I add to the cream?


texts: Forgot to add salt to rice before cooking. How can I add salt after cooking to fix that?

texts:
I cooked jasmine long grain rice - but forgot to add salt before cooking.

It is a small amount, about 250 ml dry rice.*

When the 20 min where over, I noticed I had forgotten the salt.

Adding salt by just scattering some crystalline salt on it gives a very irregular result.

I understand that salt is not needed for the cooking process itself - it is to be added for flavor.

How can I add an adequate amount of salt to cooked rice?

I think it is good enough to add salt to the surface of the cooked grains, and not necessarily to all grains. I would tolerate altered texture of the rice.

* In case the preparation details are relevant: I washed it, and added about 1.5 times water by volume. Heated to boiling, then heated minimally for 20 min covered.
(I fully expect that this method of preparation is unacceptable of other reasons than missing salt. This is outside the scope of this question.)


texts: How long can I hold spätzle in ice water or drained?

texts:
When making spätzle, it is common to chill each batch in ice water to stop the cooking.  I need to make spätzle as part of a large feast for 10 people; I'm wondering if I can just leave the spätzle in the cold water bath for  4-5 hours to hold them aside, or if they will become gummy and waterlogged in that time.

If the answer is, yes they will become waterlogged, can I drain them and hold them in a bowl for 4-5 hours without them sticking together?

(if relevant, I'm planning to use a spätzle grater and not the board-and-knife method)


texts: What effect would boiling for 1 minute and resting have on a vinegar-based BBQ sauce?

texts:
I'm making a Carolina-style BBQ sauce (specifically Piedmont-style), so it's supposed to be a thin and vinegary sauce. The recipe is basically: 2 cups vinegar, 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, 1 tablespoon each of ketchup and hot sauce, plus some salt and pepper. The instructions call for it to be brought to a boil for a minute, and then it should be refrigerated overnight.

Since the sauce is supposed to be thin, and we're only boiling for a minute, the desired effect cannot be to reduce the liquids. Is there some other sort of chemical reaction that this is supposed to produce? Also, what effect would the overnight rest have on the sauce -- I don't see the flavors mellowing in the bottle, really. I'm wondering if these are just some urban lore bits being passed down that have little actual effect on the end result.


texts: What are other techniques to make garlic bread?

texts: I've usually made garlic bread by pouring over the bread with special garlic bread powder over spread butter. This works, but is there any way to make the garlic sauce/powder on your own?


texts: What is the difference between risotto rice and paella rice?

texts:
My local supermarket stocks arborio and carnaroli rices for making risotto, and also stocks "paella rice".  I have, in the past, used them interchangeably in both risottos and paellas.  Wikipedia handily summarises the difference between carnaroli and arborio here, but I can't find a description of the differences between these and a paella rice (aside from country of origin).

Note: I'm aware that the rice is cooked differently in a paella compared to a risotto -- I'm asking about the differences in the rice itself, not the cooking method.


texts: How to prevent cheese and certain other products from stinking up my fridge?

texts:
Certain food products have a very strong odor,
that may not seem annoying at all when I buy them,
but become very much apparent after I keep them in the fridge for a few hours.

For example these kind products:

roquefort cheese
liver pâté
pretty much any kind of meat pâté

My fridge is quite new, kept clean, and normally doesn't smell, only when I buy these products. I don't keep these products for a long time, I always eat them within 2-3 days,
but I cannot prevent the bad smell from lasting about a week,
after which it naturally dissipates.

I tried wrapping the products in double-bags and inside sealed plastic boxes but it didn't make a big difference. I also keep a few trays of baking soda in the fridge, but that doesn't seem to help much either. What else can I do?


texts: Is it possible to make guacamole without acid?

texts:
All guacamole recipes call for lime juice, some tomato variant, even hot sauce. I want to make a low-acid guacamole.

Is the acid necessary? How do I go about making low-acid guacamole? If it plays a role in the finished product, is there something I can substitute?


texts: Matzah meal as a binder in veggie burgers

texts: I'm experimenting with veggie burgers, and I keep seeing rolled oats and breadcrumbs in recipes such as this one. However, I grew up in a Jewish home where the binder in recipes such as this one would be eggs and matzah meal. In what ratio can I replace the rolled oats and breadcrumbs with eggs and matzah meal?


texts: During flambé, what is the powder that is shaken into the fire to create sparks?

texts: My apologies for a lack of link, although hopefully my description will suffice. I saw some transient video of chefs making Bananas Foster in, I believe, New Orleans. They were shaking a powder into the flames to produce a dramatic sparks effect. What is this powder? I can't find any YouTube videos of it, so I believe it might be a lesser-known, regional flourish. At any rate, it looked spectacular and I would recommend it to anyone flambé-ing in front of an audience.


texts: How do I clean off bread stuck to a non-flat / patterened cast iron pan?

texts: If this was a normal pan I'd be scraping it with a metal spatula right now, but it's a custom shaped pan (for making novelty shape bread/cupcakes). There are no flat spots, just a lot of grooves and curves. Should I be using a plastic or otherwise non-scratchy tool to scrape out one part at a time, or is there some other approach?


texts:
Sometimes I need to shred a block of a soft cheese such as mozzarella, or cheddar. When I use my grater, the cheese starts to get kind of chunky as I'm grating it. I end up wasting a lot of cheese when I try to grate it.

It never happens when I grate harder cheeses like peccorino.

Is there a way to grate softer cheeses without ending up with big pieces of wasted chunks? Is there a particular grater that works better for softer cheeses?

I currently use a mandolin grater, and not a box grater.