texts:
Good day!

I've been wondering this for years.
I'm from Nova Scotia and we cook a Traditional meal called Rapure.
The way it's made is by taking about
15 lbs of potatoes and processing them to remove their liquid.
Traditionally this was done by grating them by hand and squeezing out their juice.
The modern way now is to process them through a juicer and collect the pulp inside
the juicers centrifuge.

This is then mixed with chicken broth in order to create a thick gelatinous mass.
Many people believe that most of the starch is removed when the potatoes are "juiced."
However this thickening would suggest that most of the starch remains.

Could someone please clarify ?

Thanks!

Dan


texts: Even after I heat and oil, why does food stick to my stainless steel pan?

texts:
I've had this pan for 8 years. It's low priced and average — I see no brands or names on it — not even on the bottom!  I followed What’s the Difference Between Nonstick and Stainless Steel Cookware?

So here’s the crazy thing: stainless steel pans can be nonstick, if you’re doing it right. If you heat up your pan with oil or butter until it’s hot enough  then add your food, things will not stick. Stainless steel pans can withstand really high temperatures, so you can sear and brown things like meat in them, and you can also add water to the pan to deglaze the brown bits from the bottom and create a delicious sauce.

and How to Turn a Stainless Steel Skillet into a Nonstick Pan | Epicurious

You can season a stainless steel pan and make it more or less nonstick. Here's how:
Heat a stainless steel skillet over medium or medium-high for 2 minutes. Add enough vegetable oil to coat the entire bottom of the pan with a ⅛ inch of oil. Heat the oil until wisps of smoking begin to appear, about 6 minutes. When the oil begins to smoke, remove the skillet from the heat and cool the oil completely. Once the pan has cooled, pour out the excess oil and wipe up the remaining oil in the skillet using a paper towel. You want a glossy sheen left in the base of the pan—that's your nonstick surface.

Question 1
Please see pictures below. Please approve my pictures?  Can you confirm  if this is stainless steel?
Question 2
If it is, then why does food stick to it? I tried to — separately — home fry potatoes, stir fry rice, boil pasta with filtered water. The potatoes rice, pasta all stuck to the bottom of the pan!
I thought that all stainless steel pans were non stick? Was I wrong? Do some stainless steel pans stick? If so, how can I deduce which stainless steel pans are non stick? I'm thinking of buying a new brand name, high quality NON STICK stainless steel pan!
https://i.imgur.com/xtiKrxz.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/GlBFLOa.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/hw9f5cO.jpg


texts:
I am going to be making a two tier birthday cake for my daughters 2nd birthday.

The bottom will be a Vanilla sponge covered in Fondant icing. The top tier will be a Chocolate sponge covered in Fondant icing.

  --------
  |      | <-- Chocolate sponge ( 8 Inch )
 ---------- <-- No cake board (cake on cake)
 |        | <-- Vanilla Sponge ( 10 Inch )
------------

My question is:

Is it possible to stack the top tier cake on top of the bottom without using a cake board? So it would be cake directly sitting on cake?


texts: How to bake chicken with a slight crunch?

texts:
Lately, I’ve been eating a lot at my favourite local fast casual restaurant. What I keep noticing is that they bake their chicken strips with a very slight burnt crust. This gives a really nice, almost crunchy bite to the chicken.
I’d love to know how to bake the chicken to get it like this.


texts: How much salt is absorbed by meat during brining?

texts:
Has anyone created a table of sodium absorbtion during brining vs. other contributing factors such as brining time, meat type, salt ratio, etc.

I'd like to be able to compute how much sodium is absorbed in a cut of meat during brining.


texts: Are there negative effects of freezing clarified stock?

texts: I have clarified some chicken stock using the ice filtration method. Are there any negative effects to re-freezing this newly clarified stock (such as becoming cloudy again, losing flavor, etc.)?


texts: What is a good resource for learning about Molecular Gastronomy?

texts: Before frequenting this site I had never even heard of molecular gastronomy and now I am intrigued. Is there a good resource to learn about the process either web or in printed format that would be a reliable source of information?


texts: Which kind of oil is best to fry steak in a cast-iron skillet with?? Olive, Canola, almond ?? I'm looking for the best taste profile also. Thanks.


texts: Is there a way to tell if dry malt is diastatic or non-diastatic?

texts: I bought a small container at a farmer's market labeled (with a sticker) "Dry Malt" or "Dried Malt".  It wasn't until I got home and researched a little that I discovered there are two types of malt with very different purposes.  Is there a way to tell which I purchased?


texts: Could you show how nonstick Hard Anodized Aluminum is with an example? Say you leave pasta cooking for 1 hour

texts:
goal -- im having a very very hard time finding out if 'Hard anodized aluminum' is nonstick, or if i should go with 'nonstick coating' on a jumbo cooker/pot

heard that nonstick coating wears off over time

ppl say that 'Hard anodized aluminum' has 'nonstick' property -- https://www.quora.com/What-should-one-consider-when-shopping-for-cookware

but i can't tell if this is nonstick compared to 't-fal nonstick coating'

for example if you just forget and leave pasta in the jumbo cooker or pot at the regular temp most ppl use, would it stick?

some say that 'anodized aluminum' is hard to clean -- http://thesweethome.com/reviews/best-cookware-set/

i cant tell if this is this is talking about 'Hard anodized aluminum' and if 'anodized aluminum' is a seperate concept

this post -- cookydaddy.com/best-stainless-steel-cookware-vs-hard-anodized-cookware.html

seems like a promotional type of site but says that 'Hard anodized aluminum' is nonstick and thus easy to clean


texts: I want to halve a cream cheese cake recipe, how do I adjust the pan size, so I can keep the same cake height?

texts:
I found a 9 inch cream cheese cake recipe I want to try for 12-15 people and I want to halve the quantities.
How do I adjust the temperature, baking time and pan size? Thanks


texts: Using fridge for slow rise dough with eggs

texts: I have a recipe for low carb bread using  yeast, vital wheat gluten, oat fiber, flax meal and 2 eggs.  It tasted ok but would it be safe to do a slow 24-48 hour rise in the fridge to develop more flavour?


texts:
In this question about tarragon lookalikes on the gardening stackexchange, I asked about whether I have grown a tarragon lookalike or whether tarragon can be tasteless if grown improperly. I added an update to that question today and I am hoping for a herb gardeners perspective in that community, but I also want to ask a different flavor (pun intended) of that same question but from a culinary perspective.

I have grown tarragon in the past, some 15-ish years ago and it tasted great. Last year I wanted to grow some and bought some seed, and have since learned it was Russian tarragon and not flavorful at all. So this spring I decided to plant some tarragon from those fresh cuttings you can buy at many supermarkets in those plastic clamshells or tubes. Great, no issue there except this: the tarragon I bought that was sold as a culinary herb, it also seems rather flavorless.

In doing more research I discover I may have been growing what's called Mexican tarragon which is in the marigold family, but considered a good substitute in areas that don't grow French tarragon very well. It's also called winter tarragon by some, I guess because it's available from the south during winter months.

So that's the background leading up to my question.

What flavor should I expect from each of these varieties? Is French tarragon really tasteless in comparison to this marigold substitute? Are my expectations for nice anise flavor too high for this supposedly noble herb? From a purist standpoint, I am incredulous and on the edge of outrage over this.


texts: How long does pizza dough keep in the fridge?

texts:
The recipe is 500g flour, 325g water, 20g cake yeast, 10g salt and 20g of olive oil. After kneading I split it into 4 and store them individually in oiled freezer bags and store in the fridge at 1C.

Usually I eat them within a week but sometimes it happens that the last dough gets baked after up to 2 weeks of refrigeration. Today was one of those days and it got me wondering, how long can it really last?

Googling gave me the answer of 3 days... yikes

I've probably made over a hundred pizzas well past the 3 day mark though and even at 2 weeks they come out perfectly good.

The flavor peaks at around 48h of refrigeration IMO, after that it keeps getting  more sour and yeasty but not to the point where I'd consider it bad. Also the rise that goes into the edge of the crust isn't as impressive after 72h but pizza is mostly flat anyway!

So.. whats the real limit?


texts: Will Cinnamon ever dissolve in a cocktail?

texts:
I have this idea, that making a cinnamon, vanilla and brandy cocktail would be delicious,
and it is.
But it is also kinda grainy.

What I have been doing:

In a 500ml glass,
add 15m brandy, add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder, add 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract, add a few tablespoons of sugar (Still working that out).
Then I stir it vigorously with a fork, and I top it with soda water.

This tastes good, but there are still grains of cinnamon visible,
and when I get to the bottom of the glass I can feel them in my teeth (that is to say, there are more grains lower down -- they sink to the bottom maybe).

Is cinnamon soluble at all?
Is trying to put it into a liquid just not something I should do at home? (I have seen online cinnamon syrups)
Should i be trying to dissolve it in water instead of alcohol?


texts: Solutions of making cookies less crumbly and dough not being able to be shaped into balls?

texts:
I made cookies from a YouTube recipe but it was too crumble even before baking.

The ingredients are:

900g plain flour
300g sugar
Half teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
350 ml oil
Cinnamon

It's baked at 240 C for 15-20 mins.

See the video GHRIBIA COOKIES.

What are possible solutions like what kind of ingredient shall I add without affecting the taste?


texts:
Note: I looked through to see if there were any similar questions, but it appears that most of them were about eggs done over easy.

I like having my fried eggs over hard. Unfortunately, it seems that I am incredibly bad at producing a final result that is in one piece. What usually happens is that when I try to turn over the egg, it breaks apart and I am left with fried egg that's in a few different pieces. How can I prevent this from happening?

I usually try to cook fried eggs as follows:

Crack egg(s) into pan with oil.
Break yolk by poking it with a turner.
Wait until egg(s) solidify somewhat, attempt to turn egg(s) (and fail miserably).

It's possible that my pan is too small, but I've had this problem in the past as well with much larger frying pans, or that I'm not waiting long enough.


texts: how much alcohol is cooked away in preparing agar agar?

texts:
I make vegan jello by dissolving agar agar in boiling water.  Sometimes I add liqueur (e.g. Grand Marnier) for a little flavoring and sweetness, in which case I would add about 0.5 cup of liqueur to 5.5 cups of water and bring it to a boil for about 15 minutes.

Is there an approx. concentration of residual alcohol remaining in the agar agar jello (called "kanten" in Japanese)?  As an example, the liqueur used is 40% alcohol.


texts:
Is a chilli of small size more pungent than chilli of large size of same plant if so then why?
If a small chilli is more pungent then why aren't chillies in market small?


texts: Is there such a thing as "sweet" carrots?

texts:
These days I am trying to get my wife to eat her carrots. Usually we are just boiling them, and adding some spices and butter.

But she swears that she used to eat sweet carrots, but she can't say how long ago. Supposedly I should know the difference, but I don't recall such a thing. It must be that my sense of taste is weak.

In any case, is there a sweet variety of carrots? Or is there a common recipe to sweeten them up?


texts: Choosing a blender that can puree hard fruit (like coconut)

texts: I'm thinking about buying a blender since my food processor doesn't do a great job at pureeing tomatoes or blending my homemade almond milk. I'm considering buying a blender that can also puree fresh coconut if I can find one withing my budget. I'd like to spend 70€ tops. In my country (Portugal) I can find blenders with 1000W and 1200W within this price range. These are supposed to be high speed blenders, but for the blenders I'm seeing I can't find any reviews saying they can puree coconut. Will any blender over 1000w puree coconut? How can I know? Any advice?


texts: Does starch thickened custard get thinner after a few days?

texts:
A few days ago, I did a crème pâtissière (thick vanilla custard), using

milk (300ml/1.25 cup)
egg yolks (2)
sugar (15g/1tbsp)
potato starch (10g/1tbsp).

The end result had a relatively thick consistency, fit for my purpose. I had a bit left over, so I put it in the fridge after it cooled down. After a few days in the fridge, the custard got thinner, like a crème anglaise (thin vanilla custard, picture an eggnog-like consistency).
I wonder what happened. One of my guess is that the amount of starch was too small, but I can't explain the change of consistency.


texts:
I've recently started a sourdough starter culture (using equal parts water and spelt flour) and have used it in a sourdough bread recipe I got from the Telegraph. I've halved the recipe in the article so that I am using 500g Brad Flour, 150g Starter, 10g Salt.

After following the instructions, I've found the dough to be a bit sticky and unmanageable to the extent that I had to add a significant amount of flour in order to make the dough workable. The dough seemed to be rising perfectly well and I baked the loaf (which turned out a bit doughy)

Is the ratio given in the recipe OK or am I doing something wrong - how can I make the dough more manageable? (e.g. giving the dough more time to rise)


texts: Are capers a substitute for pickles in a tartar sauce?

texts: Would capers work in place of the usual pickles in tartar sauce? I'm mostly curious and it might help other people who want to try this as well! I figure that it would add a tangy kind of aftertaste.


texts: How to tell which induction cookware is most efficient in conducting heat?

texts: As above. I am looking for a durable water kettle (preferably stainless steel 304) that is super efficient in conducting heat when on induction cooker. How do I tell which brand/model will conduct heat the fastest without doing the actual test?


texts: Is there something about black pepper that changes while frying?

texts:
I made yellow rice after a long while, I didn't remember the recipe exactly but it was simple enough so I just winged it. Here's what I did:

4 tablespoons of olive oil
200g of frozen vegetable mix (peas, carrots, beans, cauliflower)
fry them a little while until all vegetables have thawed
100g of white rice
half tsp of salt
half tsp of ground black pepper
1 tsp of ground tumeric
fry a few more minutes
2-3 cups of water
boil/fry until all the water has either been absorbed or evaporated

It came out funky as hell, had this weird sour-bitter taste all over, especially concentrated into pieces of cauliflower

Then I decided to try eliminating the tumeric, pepper and olive oil one by one and made the dish again.

First up was pepper and I didn't have to try the others because that was it. No pepper, no funky bitterness. I played around some more and found that if I add the pepper at any point after adding the water then there is no problem.

So I'm guessing that its frying with pepper thats somehow the problem, does anyone know why?


texts: Mold from cheese on sausage, is it safe to eat?

texts:
I stored some sausage together with some blue cheese. There's mold (I assume from the cheese) on the sausage casing. It starts to look like salami (except with less mold). Is it still safe to eat?

The sausage is a käsekrainer, it was stored together with roquefort cheese in the fridge, for about 5 days.

Thanks!


texts: How long will homemade Pico de Gallo last in the refrigerator?

texts: I am trying to start doing more prep work in the beginning of the week due to a busy work schedule.  We love eating pico de gallo on omelets.  Was just curious how long homemade pico would last in the refrigerator.  Haven't made it homemade yet, but will be doing it shortly.  :)


texts:
I just bought a carbon steel wok. I follow seasoning instruction in this video
https://youtu.be/Ch2hhGi-9zc
Basically

wash the wok
Burn until yellowish blue
Add 2 spoons of veg oil , rub with paper towel and burn on very high heat for 10 mins, and repeat this 3 times

After finishing season, the wok looked polishing dark and i was happy.
But when I used it for the first time ,the black patina peel off during cooking. I had to throw away the food.

My questions are what did i do wrong during seasoning processes and what should I do to rectify it?


texts:
I tried to make some peanut butter at home in a blender. It worked as expected, resulted in a somewhat smooth butter.

But after keeping it for about 30 minutes, it became too dry. The smoothness was all gone and started to appear powdery. How can I avoid this?

I had added some honey and a little bit of coconut oil.


texts:
I recently bought a Wusthof Chinese chef's knife. When I tried it out the other day I was a bit disappointed by how sharp it is. Compared to the no-name £20 knife I have had a few years and sharpened myself on a 6000 whetstone (I'm not an expert by any means, but I guess I did a reasonable job) I had trouble getting through whole carrots and onions.
Would it be crazy to sharpen it out of the box? Or am I just using it wrong?


texts: Seasoning a forged iron pan / cast iron pan - Is there any research about the process?

texts:
I'm the proud owner of two forged iron pans (I'm using them on a regular basis). They kind of work out for everything I do, occasionally, food will stick to the surface, but it can quickly be pushed away mechanically while cooking without burning in or something like that. To season the pan and create the "non-stick" effect, I used instructions from a german webpage on seasoning pans.

However, searching around, it seems to me the only source of information about frying pans and how to season them seems to be oral traditioned knowledge that everybody just passes on. I've seen so many different webblogs / youtube-videos / information-pages on pans and how to treat them, which are in general inconsistent with each other (what oil to use, what temperature, potatoe peels yes / no, salt yes / no, how often to repeat the process .... ).
What's even worse, none of the sources I consulted so far has an answer to the questions:

What does the anti-stick-layer consist of?
How exactly does this layer prevent sticking (linked to the first question)?
Is the layer good or bad for my health?

Even if I found a webblog that answers this questions, I wouldn't know where this knowledge would stem from, and wether it is trustworthy. Unless somebody had actually done research on this questions. So my question is:

Is there research about the non-stick-layer of seasoned iron pans, especially what it consists of, how it is formed (best) and wether it's detrimental for ones health?

If somebody has an answer, please also provide a link / an adress, or another way to obtain the details of the research. By research I don't necessarily mean a study conducted by a public institute. It could also just be some person who executed some experiments, and shared the results along with the details of the experiments.

Additional information: Since I have forged iron pans, I'm asking about the seasoning of forged iron pans. Since I assume the non-stick layer of cast-iron pans doesn't differ too mutch, the question can be broadened to address any type of iron-pan seasoning.


texts:
Do you need to gut sprats before cooking & eating them?

i.e.

is it safe to eat them (so long as they're cooked).
do they taste ok (to the average non-squeamish person happy with a bit of fish offal).

Research so far

I've searched online but can mostly find the question asked without answer, or with people stating that they've only had them gutted; but with no advice on whether ungutted is acceptable.

e.g. There's a recipe for Grilled Sprats about halfway down the page here where it's advised that you can eat the heads, but the recommendation to remove the guts and gills remains (gills so they don't get stuck in your teeth; guts aren't explained).  Since this chef is known for eating most things, I assume there's a good reason to avoid the guys; though perhaps he's tweaked his recipe for the paper's audience: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2006/oct/07/features.food7


texts: How to make coconut oil without any food processor?

texts:
How can I make coconut oil without having access to any food processors? I do not own any blenders, juicers, coffee grinders or anything like that and I am not looking to buy one, so I want to know if that's possible.

I would also like to know how efficient the methods you will mention are? Would I get around 66g of coconut oil per 100g of fresh coconut meat (as is the approximate content of fats in fresh coconut meat)? And if not, how much would I get approximately and how to improve the amount that I can get (again, without food processors)?


texts: If I fry chicken strips for my salad, should I spice them before or after I fry them? I've heard contradicting opinions.


texts: Possible for chicken to reach 165F and be raw

texts:
Is it possible for a piece of chicken to reach an internal temperature of 165F and still be raw?

Update:

Just to be clear, this is not something I experienced. I was just wondering if it was in fact possible. I'm looking for a scientific explanation of why this can or cannot happen.


texts: I've scalded milk on the stove before, but it takes a bit of time and is a little touchy. Is it possible to scald milk in the microwave instead (and, if so... how)?


texts: Is charcoal or the smoker at fault for low temperature smoking?

texts:
I recently received a charcoal smoker for my cake day. I attempted to smoke pork ribs, here are the steps I followed.

Cured the smoker with 2 Lbs of charcoal. (6 hours)
Cleaned the smoker.
Prepped 3 Lbs of charcoal in charcoal chimney.
Put water used to soak hickory chips in the water reservoir.
Position ribs on the two racks
Once charcoal was red hot with white ash, transferred it to the charcoal pan.
Smoked for about 5 hours and temperature started dropping.
Added 2 Lbs more of Charcoal Chimney prepped charcoal.
Smoked for 3 more hours.

The problem I experienced is the temperature never went above 180F (82C), at the end of the 8 hours total smoking time, the internal temperature of the ribs sat at 120F (49C).
I ended up finishing them off in an oven set to 360F (182C) for about 25 minutes to raise the meats internal temperature to 145F (62C).

Is the charcoal at fault for the temperature?
I used: Cowboy Brand Hardwood Lump Charcoal

Is the smoker the issue?
I used: Char-Broil Vertical Charcoal Smoker

One note, the smoker smoked from around the door to what I would think might be excessive. Should I look into sealing around the door? This smoker has no smoke stack on it's top.

Ribs turned out great either way, but finishing them in the oven caused fat to drip into the bottom of the oven and now the wife is mad because when we use it, it smokes the house.


texts: Why do turkey tail mushroom experts say to tear up the turkey tail, and not powder it?

texts: I've seen a few videos on making turkey tail mushroom tea, and they suggest ripping it up. Why rip it up, and not blend it into a powder so you can have the whole mushroom effect?


texts: Turkey chili from raw in a slow cooker accidentally for 10 hours on warm

texts:
Just woke up and realized the turkey chili (2 cans kidney beans, 1 can black beans, 2 cans diced tomatoes, 1 lb turkey ground) had been cooking from raw on warm for 10 hours.

I'm a bit desolate since it's all organic. I just turned it to high and set a timer for 4 hours. Can my chili still be salvaged?

This isn't a duplicate to this wiki because it is specific to chili crockpot with the ingredients above.


texts: Nonsoggy spinich pie with frozen spinach

texts:
The base recipe for my spinach pie (rough recipe I don't have a book) is

500g spinach
250g Feta cheese
250g Cheddar cheese
1 bunch of spring onions
1.5 - 3 eggs (for binding)

Baked into 2 large pies, made with filo pastry. Cooked at 180-200C.

Originally I would make this by using cooking fresh spinach in water,
then carefully drying it with paper towel,
and combining that with fried spring onion.

However the fresh spinach was too expensive, so I refined it.
Changing to frozen, which I would put in the microwave,
then while it was defrosting, I chop up the spring onions and put them into the microwave with it.
I would not drain this or anything just combine with the other ingredients (in the same bowl I microwaved it in even!)
This was great it made delicious pie and was low effort.
You couldn't taste the difference.

However I wanted to make it more filling.
so I tried adding potato, it was good and very filling. However, my family thought it was less full of spinach and feta goodness.
So my next approach was to double the amount of spinach and cheese.
It is delicious and as expected each slice is twice as filling.
I've tried that twice now and both times it has ended up soggy on the bottom.

What can I do about this?
Is it a matter of squeezing the water out of the defrosted spinach?
Or is there some other trick, like cutting a hole in the top of the pastry to let the steam out while it cooks.


texts: Why does roasting add a flavour to the peanuts?

texts:
I roast the peanuts on a tawa and gas stove, after taking them out of their shells.

Have noticed that after roasting, peanuts taste great as compared to when they are raw.

Why is that so?


texts: How can we prevent the steaming of tiffin when we put chapatis in?

texts: When we put hot chapatis in the tiffin (lunch box), the lunch box get steamed. The water from steam makes the chapatis soft and sticky. How can we prevent that from happening?


texts: I used a boxed breading that called for dipping chicken in egg and milk then rolling in breading.  The chicken fingers still look kind of white with noticeable flour left on them after baking.  I did use parchment.  Is that why??


texts: How can I make my cheese sauce creamier?

texts:
I made my cheese sauce with pre-shredded cheese (first problem I know), milk and butter. I tried to make a roux but without the flour I think I made it fail.

To make the cheese sauce, I put milk and butter in a pot and brought it to a boil. When it frothed, I mixed in the cheese, then stirred it every so often.

When I took it off the heat, the cheese was separated, with a milk and butter mix at the top. I strained it over my pasta and it was in chunks. (I'm keeping the milk and butter mix for my next cooking adventure, but I'm not sure what yet.)

Where did I go wrong, and what can I do for next time? I'm trying to keep it relatively cheap. I thought doing homemade would be more cost-effective than buying Velveeta or a million boxes of macaroni and cheese.


texts: Making cherry ice cream, should I macerate the cherries?

texts:
I am going to be making cherry ice cream, I haven't used cherries before but in making strawberry ice cream I have always macerated the berries.

Should I do the same for cherries, the few recipes I have looked at don't say to to this.

I am planning to use the Good Eats custard base and add the cherries and some dark chocolate chunks.


texts: Does garbage disposal horse power matter that much?

texts:
I am in the last leg of a kitchen remodel and need to purchase a garbage disposal. And I am wondering how much of a difference horse power makes in the day to day operation of the kitchen?

Has anyone here experienced the pros and cons to disposal units with different horse power?

NOTE: I almost posted this question on the DIY site, but I feel it has more relevance here. Moderators, feel free to move it if you think it belongs there instead.

UPDATE: We decided to go with the Waste King L-8000 Legend Series 1 Horsepower. It is really smooth and quiet. It takes up a fair amount of space under the sink however.


texts:
I have followed the instructions in this video from Delia Smith precisely, twice:

https://www.deliaonline.com/cookery-school/second-term-perfect-eggs/lesson-6-separate-ways-eggs-part-2

What I get from the final product is a custard which is very egg-like is taste. Not overpoweringly so, but enough that it puts people off eating it.

Is this because there are 6 egg yolks or is there an obvious mistake that a newbie like me is likely to make?

Is it simply that 6 egg yolks is too much? Would the custard be a lot thinner and runnier if I reduce it to, say, 3?

The recipe in full:

6 egg yolks
600ml heavy cream
125g caster sugar
1 level table spoon of cornflour
2 teaspoons of vanilla essence

Heat the cream on the lowest setting.

Sieve the cornflour and sugar together.

Mix the egg yolks into the cornflour and sugar until smooth.

Mix the vanilla essence into the egg yolk mixture.

When a single bubble appears on the surface of the cream, indicating the cream is just about simmering, pour the pan of cream slowly into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly.

Once the cream is all mixed in, return to the pan and place back on the same low heat and continue whisking until the desired thickness is achieved.

Put in a dish and serve or cover with cling film and place in the fridge.


texts: Can you safely torch a meringue topping instead of baking it?

texts: I want to make a butterscotch pudding and chill it in ramekins. Since the pudding calls for egg yolks, I thought of making the whites into a meringue topping. If I do that, can I brown the topping with a kitchen torch instead of baking all the puddings in the oven? Or is the baking necessary (e.g., for safety)?


texts: Egg pasta vs. water+semolina pasta texture

texts:
I recently started experimenting with making pasta from semolina flour and water. I noticed it has a slightly "slimy" texture after cooking, compared to that made with eggs.

Is it supposed to be like that? If not, should I knead it more? Or add more flour?


texts: Better methods for meal-prepping salads?

texts:
Every time I've tried to prepare salads for the week, they always go bad. I meal prep on Sunday and make 5 days worth of meals. I've been doing this for months but salads always give me trouble. Greens will go soft or veggies will get soggy.
Currently, I split the salad into four containers (per day) and only combine them on the day of. One for the greens, one for extra veggies, one for dressing, and the last for the dried stuff (like nuts, seeds, and dried fruit). Even with that, the salads on Day 4 and 5 just aren't as good. However, if I buy pre-packaged salads, all five will taste the exact same!
What are some of the best methods of meal-prepping salad so that the salad you eat on Day 1 tastes just like the salad you eat on Day 5? How can I get my meal-prep salads to stay crispy throughout the week?


texts: Is putting pots on the stove without oil or water damaging the pot?

texts: My mother always told me that I shouldn't put pots on the stove without any content, because otherwise they would get damaged. Is this actually true?


texts: What are the impacts of common pizza dough errors?

texts:
I'm diving into the world of making pizzas from scratch, and I'd like to take a systematic approach to the possible mistakes I could make with regards to the dough.

What impact do each of the following errors have on the final taste/texture of the pizza crust?

Using old yeast or too much/too little yeast (I assume that using old yeast is the same as using too little yeast?)
Too high or too low of a water to flour ratio
Overworking or underworking the dough
Too much or too little resting time of dough


texts:
I know it sounds like an obvious question.

At work, my colleague has a drip-filter machine he uses to brew his tea. He puts about two table spoons for an eight cup pot.

This makes nice strong tea.

I use a glass infuser teapot, which I put two teaspoons in for about a mug of tea.

This has the advantage of being easy to clean up, and convienient. However, it's not nearly as strong as the drip tea.

How can I make my tea stronger? Do I simply need to put more tea in?

Nb. I'm talking about for black tea.

For green tea, I'm putting in 1.5 teaspoons, and adding a little cold water first, and that comes out fine.


texts:
does frozen vegetables and berries need to be washed or rinsed before cooking for eating fresh?
Frozen vegetables and berries do you keep them in the freezer or chiller or in an airtight container to stay fresh?


texts: How to prevent my marshmallows from melting in my hot cocoa?

texts:
Whenever I make a hot cocoa, adding powdered cocoa in a hot water (not boiling), and add my marshmallows in it, the marshmallows just melts until they are completely gone. I really want to feel the mushy marshmallows melt in my mouth, not in my cocoa.

How can I prevent my marshmallows from melting in my cocoa?


texts:
I've seen conflicting advice on how to store bagels.

I make 6 at a time, for use over the course of a week (or less).

Should I store the ones I'm planning on eating tomorrow and the day after differently than the rest?

I know that bagels are best eaten within a day, but I'm not going to make fresh ones daily. I'm looking for what storage method will help the bagel maintain the best quality.


texts: Can I cook a food differently than the instruction?

texts:
So the instruction on the food carton that I just bought only mentioned of oven-method but I actually know the food can be served via frying (on another brand product).
Is it bad if I cook the food differently?


texts:
I have canned a lot in the past with with aa jar here and there. But the last year I have lost so much food to crowning of lids after they have sealed. I again lost 22 quarts of beautiful red beets. All sealed two days later the lids are swelling and crowned lost all 22 jars.
We do have lime in our water and it seems to be stronger since the dry weather.


texts: How to keep pork crispy during transport to venue?

texts:
I want to cook Lechon Kawali (filipino food) for my officemate for lunch but I'm worried the pork skin won't be crispy when we eat it. I'm going to cook it in the morning. Any ideas how I can make the pork stay crispy in time for lunch?

It's going to be eaten around 3 hrs after cooking. I'm going to put it in a container to bring it to the office.


texts: Can deglazing a cast iron skillet remove the seasoning?

texts: I would love to combine two of the best things in cooking, deglazing with a fonds or wine and my cast iron skillet, which I have been seasoning for a couple of months now. My concern is that the seasoning might remove the seasoning from the skillet. Could this happen?


texts: Mixed instant and cook and serve pudding

texts: Mixed cook and serve and instant pudding into dessert ingredients but didn't realize until dessert completed.  Is it safe to eat uncooked cook and serve pudding?


texts: The pressure cooker gauge was wrong for cans of soup I processed in the past 5 weeks. What can I do with the soup?

texts:
I've been pressure canning zucchini soup the past 2 years and it's a beautiful thing. This year I used a different pressure cooker, and I've just found out that 15psi on this pressure cooker is actually more like 13psi, and the internal temperature gets to 235 maximum when it says 15psi.

Well, that means that I didn't meet the rules of 240-250 degrees for 15 minutes and I have 20 cans of soup to show for it. I also learned while researching that it may not be a good idea to puree the soup before canning due to high viscosity and heat distribution, and it is indeed pureed, so I have two issues to combat. All of the can seals are still in tact, but it's only been a few weeks.

I've come up with a few options:

Re-can the soup. Just put new lids on, bring the water up to boiling for a minute or two before putting the lid on and building pressure. This will help with heat distribution from room temp up to boiling point since this is not freshly cooked and hot soup. I will also keep the water level in the pressure cooker to just below the fill level in the bottles to further combat the viscosity/heat distribution issue with the puree.
Sterilize then freeze the soup. Pour the cans from matching batches right into the pressure cooker, bring it up to pressure to kill anything that may have formed, then bring down to about room temperature inside of sealed pressure cooker, pour into containers and freeze it. This method addresses my fear of the pureed/viscosity issue.
Refrigerate, use ASAP.
Put the cans in the freezer.
Leave it alone. Is 235 degrees good enough? Are those extra 10 degrees important? Is everyone else in the world as precise as me, or was there a safety factor when they came up with those numbers?

I'm not sure which is the safest option. All I know is I dodged a major bullet by finding this out early. In the future I will can the soup before pureeing as well.


texts:
We recently bought half a salted codfish. I did a Spanish recipe (and asked a question about it). The fish had a very nice texture (although it was way too salty).

This weekend, my wife did the same Spanish recipe, with the same codfish... but the texture of the flesh was chewy (her fish was less salty).

Any idea why? My guess is that the fish was overcooked. But I'm not sure.


texts: Baking time difference in pyrex versus metal

texts: What baking time is optimal for recipes that are done in pyrex for banana bread versus metal baking dish?


texts: Substitute for bell peppers in meat dishes

texts:
I recently became addicted to the taste of fried bell peppers (green specifically because that's what's cheapest) as an ingredient in meat dishes. However, in my area the price has doubled so I can't buy as many.

What are some things (if any) that can replicate the flavor (and the lack of spiciness) of bell peppers? Specifically I like to add them in beef and make sandwiches with cheese and onions.


texts: What happens if I added double the pumpkin puree in my pumpkin pie filling?

texts:
I'm a little panicked. I could obviously just wait and see but if someone sees this and can ease my mind...

I used the big 29 oz cans of Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin instead of the 15 oz cans by mistake. I also added an extra egg as well. Other than maybe a little heavy on the ginger, cloves and nutmeg I basically followed the classic Libby pumpkin pie recipe.

I was a bit confused why I wound up with so much extra filling but I just wound up making more pies since I could. Didn't realize what had happened yet.

My recipe is basically:

29 oz pumpkin puree (almost 2x more)
12 oz evaporated milk (same as Libby's)
3 eggs (1.5 times more)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar plus a little vanilla extract, ground ginger, ground cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg. (roughly same as Libby's)

What can I expect from my pies? Obviously not as sweet and some of the flavors may not be as strong but will it set properly?

It took longer to firm up in the oven but not sure if the oven was having issues or not. Might be because the pie pans were overfilled? I just baked until edges were firm, knife pulled out clean and center was still jiggling.

I hastily mixed up some sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg and spread a couple of tablespoons over the top of each pie trying to make up a little for the lower ratio of sugar and spices.

I don't mind slightly sweeter pie, in fact I usually tend to cut the amount of sugar in recipes most of the time. Can I rest easy knowing I'll have something worth serving tomorrow? Any other advice?


texts: Looking at 100g chicken breast for example, I see that ~30g is protein and ~4 is fat. What is the rest of the 100g piece made of? Is that all connective tissues? Fiber? Something else?


texts:
Can you make whipped cream with half and half?

If you can, what, if anything, do you have to do differently?


texts: How do I keep fettucini from sticking together while boiling it

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How can I keep pasta from sticking to itself?

I have tried to add vegetable oil to the water.  I have tried stirring while boiling.  Is there a better technique?


texts: Can I use just flour instead of roux in my gumbo

texts: I'm scared of making roux. Hot oil=Scary! Can I use just flour instead of roux when making gumbo? Will it thicken the soup in a similar way?


texts: How should burger patties be prepared in terms of mixing and flavourings?

texts:
In this article by Kenji from serious eats he discusses forming the patty to a bare minimum so the strands of ground beef are still visible. He also recommends only salting the beef just before making it. Both strategies to avoid toughness.

In this video by Gordon Ramsay (and other burger videos by him) he completely mushes up the mince to turn make it completely consistent. He also adds salt and a bunch of other flavourings, which a lot of people don't recommend.

So who's right? Assuming Kenji is right in his assertions, why would Gordon do that to his burgers? Is it true that the meat should be just formed and otherwise left alone?


texts: What should roasted pistachio oil smell like?

texts:
I've had a bottle of roasted pistachio oil sitting in my refrigerator for about two years now, that someone gifted me.  Every day I open the refrigerator and it stares at me.  Today I decided that enough was enough, and I'd try and finally get it out of my life by substituting it in a biscotti recipe.

It's over a year past the expiration date, but I've been storing it in the fridge ever since I got it.  Now, I'm very familiar with what rancid neutral oils smell like, and even rancid olive oil.  But I'm not sure how to detect whether a roasted nut oil has gone rancid.  It has a very strong smell, but when I taste it, I don't notice any bitterness.

What should it smell like, if it is in fact still fresh?


texts: How to keep my pizza stone from smoking?

texts:
We have 5 year old a pizza stone that use to make homemade pizzas, pita bread, etc...

For as long as I can remember every time we preheat it in the oven (before adding any food on it) it produces a huge amount of smoke. The oven is clean.

Depending on what we're using it for the temperature varies, but on average I'd say ~400°F. I'm not 100% sure of the stone material, but I would guess Cordierite because it looks similar to this stone.

Is there anyway to prevent the smoke?


texts: Roasting an eggplant for "Neapolitan Eggplant Parmesan"

texts:
I found this Neapolitan Eggplant Parmesan recipe, which lists roasted eggplant slices as an ingredient. I'm guessing that I wouldn't want to roast it so that it is all mushy as one might do for other dishes (e.g. baba ghanoush).

Does anybody have a roasting technique they would suggest here?

As a side note/question, it appears with the classic Eggplant Parmesan recipe (like this one here), you would fry the eggplant, which starts with thin slices being salted and drained. I'm guessing such treatment isn't necessary for roasting in an oven?


texts:
As a follow-up to this question about the safety of raw flour, and to possibly update this question about eating raw cookie dough:

Is it possible/how can I pasteurize raw flour, at home, to kill any E. coli that may be present?
If possible, what other effects (e.g., flavor, color, texture) if any, will this have on the flour?


texts: How to bake frozen chicken without setting off fire alarms?

texts: I was able to bake frozen chicken for the longest time in my oven (~6 months). However, recently the fire alarms in my apartment started going off.  So I noticed it was a little dirty and cleaned it out with Easy Off, and cooked non-frozen chicken and all seemed to work out fine. Tonight however I tried to cook 4 frozen chicken thighs (1.75lbs) in a glassware container by themselves and put very little PAM spray in the bottom of it and placed a cookie sheet on top... the alarms went off again.  What am I doing wrong? On the package for the chicken it says to bake at 350F and I've tacked on 50% of the cooking time since it's frozen. But the alarms went off after only ~30mins.  If anyone could point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it! Thanks!


texts: Fresh salmon that was frozen after: till when can it still be eaten raw

texts:
I always buy fresh salmon filet, cut it into pieces and put it in the freezer.
I usually take a frozen piece cut it and eat it raw.

My question is: for how long can a frozen salmon filet (frozen after being fresh) still be eaten raw without the need to cook it?


texts: Lots of water coming out of chicken breasts when cooking in pan. Why?

texts:
When I cook chicken breasts in a pan, a lot of water comes out of them.

I've seen this answer: My chicken breasts release a lot of fluid when cooked. How do I prevent this?

where some people suggest that this has to do with the quality of the chicken and that certain producers/supermarkets will actually "pump" their chickens full of water.

However, what i don't understand is that I'm buying those from Whole Foods and that they are supposedly air chilled (which someone in the above-quoted answer suggests getting), so shouldn't they be high quality?

Is the reality that even WF is scamming its customers by pumping chickens full of water? Is their chicken just not that high quality?

If that's the case, where can you possibly get good chicken? (Serious question if you know a place, I live in Cambridge MA, US)


texts: Can they be frozen, before being cooked, for a week? I'm making sauerbrauten & potato balls for 25 people, and thought if I could make them a week earlier and just cook them that day, it would be a lot easier.


texts: Raw pork and raw chicken touching each other

texts:
I bought a huge bag of pork bones, pork spare ribs and chicken bones.
To save time and space I combined them all and separated them into 4 bags and chucked them in the freezer. Now i'm not so sure about having the raw pork and raw chicken touching each other in the bags and when I defrost them in the fridge, they would be touching each other for another 10 hours in a less-than-freezing temperature.

Is this safe?

(I am planning to use each bag at a time for making bone broth- boiled for up to 4 hours)


texts: I'm testing out a meatball recipe with aleppo pepper flakes, and although it's good, I want a little more heat. Do you think adding a touch of cayenne would do the trick? Would it pair well with the aleppo or could it possibly overtake the aleppo's unique flavor?


texts:
I plan to cook a thai dish this weekend and I search for a dessert that fits to that. In particular it will be a chicken dish with lemon gras.

I moved the drink part of the question here. Sorry for that.


texts: What forms the pocket in Arabic/Pita bread?

texts:
I have always been curious of why a pocket is formed in the Arabic/Pita bread, what causes it & why does it NOT happen frequently, for example, in flatbread with yeast, it doesn't split and form a full pocket.

What's the science behind it?

Thanks!


texts: What am I doing wrong with my rice cooker?

texts:
I have a Breville rice cooker and follow the instructions exactly (for 2 cups of rice). There are two settings - on or off (keep warm). The manual says:

But no matter what type of (white) rice I use, there is always a layer of hard (overcooked) rice at the bottom. I've tried various timings, stirring between cooking and resting etc. but that releases the steam and I still had the same problem.

The manual has some tips:

But again, even changing the amount of water slightly (tip 1) seems to do very little to the end result. I must say, apart from the layer at the bottom the rest of the rice is absolutely fine. However when you're cooking only 2 cups and losing half a cup or more it isn't exactly efficient. Is it just because I'm cooking such a small amount of rice in a relatively large/shallow cooker?

I've already searched Google, and I'm going to try some other methods. I was wondering though if anyone can see anything obviously wrong with the manual that I have, or if I'm simply missing an additional step that would solve the problem?

I already rinse the rice beforehand. I came back from visiting the Philippines with a rice addiction after eating so much of it, but until now have never really cooked it much myself. Very much an amateur...

Any advice or constructive criticism welcome :)

EDIT May 2018: I've been using it as a steamer with the included thingy and for that it works wonderfully!


texts: What am I doing wrong soft boiling my eggs?

texts:
I've been trying to cook a good soft boiled egg for a long time now, and I don't think I've ever gotten it right. I've tried a bunch of different methods, but this is the one that I've seen thrown around the most, and this is the one I try when I want a soft boiled egg but it still doesn't work for me:

Place the egg in room-temp water
Bring the water to a soft boil
Take it off the heat
Let it sit for 6 minutes
Take the egg out and place in ice water

But it never quite works. The yoke always settles to one side of the egg so, one part of the yoke is totally done, and the other is still bright, shiny yellow, but no part of it is still running.

What am I doing wrong?


texts:
I have a bumper crop of french beans, runners, and (earlier in the summer) peas. I know that we're supposed to blanche vegetables prior to freezing and my general purpose cookbooks tell me how long to give each vegetable.

I believe that blanching helps retain flavour, colour and vitamins. But I don't understand how or why. It seems counterintuitive that the best way to preserve the vegetable immediately prior to freezing, as close to its natural state as possible, is to apply heat via boiling water.

You would think that just picking the vegetable and bundling it into your freezer as fast as possible would be the best way to preserve colour, vitamins etc.


texts: Flavor profiles of Steelhead Trout versus Artic Char

texts: I haven't found too many places that sell Artic Char, but how different is the flavor profile of an Artic Char when compared to that of a Steelhead Trout?


texts: Boiling Water For Pasta - With Lid On....Do I Have To Wash The Lid?

texts:
I hope this is an appropriate question for the site.

Today I was cooking pasta.  To begin with, I filled a pot of water and placed the lid on top.  Then I cranked the heat up until the water was rapidly boiling.  At this point, I was of the opinion that the lid was still clean.  I'd even argue it very clean, as it had been 'steam cleaned' and the high temperature would (in my mind) probably kill some germs.

A roommate of mine disagreed.

Is the lid dirty?


texts: How long to cook green onions relative to other vegetables

texts:
I'm planning to put some green onions into my fried rice.

Normally when I make fried rice I'll brown some yellow onions in a big covered pan, add some slow cooking vegetables(Eg: carrots), leave that for a bit, add some quicker cooking vegetables(Eg: broccoli crowns), leave that for a bit, and then add the stuff that takes very little time to cook or is already cooked(Eg: Meat, rice, peas).

At what stage of this process should the green onions be added for best results?


texts: How to prevent fat splashes when I fry a burger?

texts:
The question How do you grill a perfect burger? tells me the best solution is to fry not grill, but I find frying makes such a mess I spend ages cleaning up afterwards.

So I grill burgers using my oven grill, but I think the temperature of my oven grill isn't high enough even at full gas. If I cook burgers long enough to get the outsides nice and caramelised then they are too cooked inside and have gone a bit dry. Even preheating the grill for an extended period doesn't help much. Grilling outside on a barbeque works and doesn't mess up my kitchen but it isn't a practical everyday solution.

So my question is how to cook a perfect burger in my kitchen without making a mess? I'm open to all suggestions, though obviously I already have some ideas and top of the list is to use a George Foreman grill or something similar. Do George Foreman grills get hot enough to cook burgers nice and brown without them going dry?


texts: It's an Indian, or to be more specific, Bengali pudding. Its milky with sheets/pieces of something akin to 'hard milk'. I've never seen a recipe for it and the Wikipedia article is vague indeed.


texts: I have a recipe that calls for "Cooking Chorizo" (in the UK). What is this? Would normal cured chorizo be an acceptable substitute?


texts: Using cultured buttermilk to introduce cultures to cheese

texts: I have read recently that you can instead of using cultured developed in a lab you can get cultured buttermilk and use the cultures in that for your cheese making. I'm just wondering how effective this is and whether you can use it in all cheese recipes that call for cultures?


texts: I'm disabled and have a person help with groceries and meals. Today, she bought roast beef at the grocery store and immediately put together a beef stew for me (no time in fridge at home), but she didn't notice the crockpot was unplugged. I discovered it about 3 1/2 hours later and plugged it in. Should I let the stew finish cooking or throw it out? Keep in mind if I throw it out, I won't have dinner for the next 3 days and will be living on cereal and Halloween candy. Not an exaggeration.


texts: Baking My Own Sweet Potato (Yam) Chips - Help Correct My Current Methodology

texts:
A while back I tried baking my own sweet potato (yam) chips and I ran into some problems. Here's what I did on my last attempt:

Using a mandolin, I sliced the potato into one-eighth of an inch size medallions.
I placed those medallions on a baking sheet that had been covered with a greased sheet of tinfoil.
I set the oven to 350 (it was a total WAG in terms of temperature) and placed the baking sheet on the middle rack.
I watched as the potatoes began to curl and shrink. "Hooray!" I thought to myself. "I should flip these suckers over just to be safe".
I flipped the chips over (still soft) and returned them to the oven.
After another 5 min or so I took the chips out of the oven. They were hot, some were burnt, but none were crispy or chip-like.

My question is: What was my fundamental flaw? was it temperature? timing? What is the fundamental secret to getting them to be crisp without frying?


texts: Why do creamed sauces often contain nutmeg?

texts: Many recipes for creamed spinach to cream of broccoli soup contain nutmeg. Why does this spice compliment such sauces so well?


texts: If I shaved a white chocolate bar and put the shavings in a cake batter, would they melt or harden?


texts: What can be substituted for green onions when making crab cakes?

texts: I would like to make crab cakes that call for green onions but I am out. What can I substitute for two finely chopped green onions? Would minced onion work?


texts: Is it possible to make a wheat free/gluten free/dairy free apple pie?

texts: Is it possible to make a pie that does not include gluten or dairy?  What techniques and ingredients can I use?


texts: How to increase the perceived sweetness of homemade lemonade without sweeteners?

texts:
I have been making homemade lemonade for a few years in the summer and slowly, starting from an online recipe, I have been perfecting it (on a mainly trial and error basis) to reduce the amount of caster sugar I put into it, the recipe thus far is:

4 M-S lemons or 3 L
1 orange
90g caster sugar
1l water

I clean and zest the orange and lemons and set the zests to simmer for 2 mins (in as much water as needed to just cover them) while i squeeze the juice of all the citrus fruits. I boil 600ml of the water while keeping the other 400 cold. Into the boiling water I place the caster sugar and then the juices followed by the simmered water (straining the zest peels) and finally the cold water on top and let it to rest.

This adds enough sugar to curb the lemony sourness (which personally I don't mind) and adds some sweetness to it all. I like the addition of the sweeter orange to the mix too.

I was wondering if any of you have advice on how to maybe reduce the sugar further and find an alternative way to curb the sourness just enough to have the pleasant lemony flavour and yet achieve a nice level of sweetness.

I don't want to use any traditional sweetener: neither a different form of sugar, nor an artificial sweetener. Are there ingredients or methods which will nevertheless increase the perceived sweetness of the drink and allow me to further reduce the sugar content?


texts: Can I substitute red onion for green onion

texts:
Will red onions, instead of green onions, work with these other indgredients:

Pecans, Cheddar Cheese, Mayonnaise?

Thank you.


texts:
I love everything from the sea, but am a little squeamish when it comes to cooking shellfish etc. myself

I have a large bag of Frozen, shell-on Black Tiger prawns, as well as two trays of 'Jumbo' Black Tiger prawns in my freezer (these are enormous, almost Lobster-like, three per pack).

My particular issue with these is that while they are well in-date, we have had two x 6 to 8 hour planned power-outages over the time I've had them in the freezer. I followed the usual guideline, as in keep the freezer closed during the outage.

Should I be concerned, or just cook up these (still beautiful looking) Crustaceans?

Thanks!

(My first post here, so please forgive any errors.)


texts: I made a flan, added lime zest and grated ginger, and it was a flop. What is happening?

texts:
I tried cooking it an extra few minutes, but the flan was runny and looked a bit like scrambled eggs.  I have tried this before, and it worked.  this time, I added more lime zest and ginger root for a more flavorful dish.  Was it the lime zest?  Was it the ginger root (freshly grated)?  What might have been going on?  how do I avoid the problem in the future.

Thanks very much!


texts:
A friend of mine mentioned he wished he could find snakehead fish (Channa marulius) to make me a fish curry his mother used to make him in India. I haven't been able to find a source of this fish locally or else in Canada (it's considered an invasive species).

Any recommendations on something that would be a good replacement?


texts: How to improve the flavor of gluten free challah bread?

texts:
I am trying to improve the taste of this gluten free challah recipe.  The texture seems right, but I am trying to add more flavor.  I am wondering what ingredients I have the freedom to modify.  For example,

Can I increase the butter without altering the chemistry?  Will this add to taste?
Can I increase the salt?  Why is there so little to begin with?

Any other suggestions are welcome!


texts: How should I deal with "thawed frozen puff pastry"?

texts:
A cookie recipe asks for:

  14 ounces good-quality thawed frozen puff pastry, such as Dufour

So, does puff pastry mean this? http://nishamadhulika.com/baking/homemade-puff-pastry-recipe.html

Secondly, how long do I have to freeze that stuff?

Thirdly, Google says that "thawed" means "Become liquid or soft as a result of warming".
So, what is the way to make it soft?
Do I have to add warm water and crush it?
Or do I have to heat it in an oven?


texts: Historical recipe for cake before refined sugar

texts: What ingredients were used in cake before the invention of any factory produced or processed foods such as refined sugars? Does anyone know where I could find historical recipes for such things?


texts: Optimal cooking tool for long-duration steaming

texts:
I'm a recent college graduate, and will begin working 40 hour weeks soon. I'm not good at cooking, and I prefer to cook all of my food (fish, chicken, turkey, vegetables) by steaming them in a small rice cooker. This currently works out great, and is quick and simple enough to clean up without a mess.

However, I was wondering if it's possible to use one of these "multi-cooker" steamers, such as this Cusinart model for steaming and then slow cooking (i.e. "keep warm") chicken breasts for 4-5 hours while being away.

I was thinking about coming home for lunch, starting the steamer, then letting it run for 4-5 hours until I get home from work.

My current rice cooker isn't built for very long durations of "keep warm", and if I use the "keep warm" setting for more than an hour, it makes it more difficult to clean up.

Question:

What would you recommend for an optimal cooking tool given this situation. I'd rather start the cooking mid-day (12pm), then have it finished and ready by the return from work (5pm).


texts: Fully cooked, but requires a minimum internal temperature?

texts:
I'm making a box of packaged chicken burgers. On the front of the box, it says "Fully Cooked", but then on the back of the box, in the cooking directions, it says "Heat to an internal temperature of 75C (165F)."

Why would I need to achieve a certain internal temperature if they're fully cooked?


texts: Why do some recipes recommend a short rest after mixing but before kneading the bread?

texts: Some recipes I see for bread dough recommend a short rest between the mixing (just enough to make the ingredients homogeneous) and kneading stage - often 10 to 30 minutes.  The dough seems to be a little easier to work after the rest, but what is going on there in such a short time?


texts: Sugar icing glaze became wet and lost its texture

texts:
We made cookies that we glazed with a simple sugar icing.
The icing is simple

confectioners sugar
skim milk
almond extract

At first the icing was normal and hardened when dry on the cookie surface, but after a few days, it started to get really wet looking and lost its glazed appearance, like it was melting.  It looked really bad after.

The base of the cookie dough consists of

approx. 8 - 10 cups cake and pastry flour (extra as needed)
approx. 3/4 cup sunflower oil
12 egg yolks
2 cups of milk
backing powder

I'm just wondering what would cause this?  Is it an interaction with the cookie or the ingredients of the icing or both?


texts: How to determine amount of mother starter to use to build a levain for STIFF/dry sourdough starter?

texts: I have a healthy, active dry sourdough starter (50% hydration). Most of the recipes I want to use it in, ask for anywhere between 100 g, 150g and 200 g. How much of the starter would I have to use in order to prepare a levain of those quantities?


texts: Can I re-use rice if it has been used for blind baking?

texts: I often use rice when blind baking... and then I throw it out which is obviously a waste. Am I able to keep the rice and either use it again for blind baking or even to cook and eat later?


texts: When "sorting" lentils, what exactly am I looking for?

texts:
When a recipe calls for lentils, sorted and rinsed, what am I looking for? I've heard debris, such as leaves or sticks, but also "bad" lentils. Is there anything else I should be looking for before rinsing and using lentils?

Also, does the same hold true for dried beans?


texts: I have heard people saying that brownies are simply a smaller version of chocolate cakes, is that so? If not, then what could be the differences between  brownie and chocolate cake?


texts: After boiling and draining the rice vermicelli or pho noodles they always stick to a big lump. How do I prevent this?


texts: How to substitute peanut butter for peanut butter chips

texts:
I'm making a Peanut Butter Blondie recipe, and I'm trying to make it healthier for a Health Class my son is in. The recipe calls for 2 cups of peanut butter chips and I want to use natural peanut butter instead. How would I convert 2 cups of chips to an amount of peanut butter.

Here is the recipe for those interested. http://www.squirrelbakes.com/2011/01/peanut-butter-blondies.html?showComment=1295643747439


texts:
I fed my 2 year old pancakes that required yeast: yeast, mashed banana, warm water, whole wheat and buckwheat flour, and salt. I left the batch in the fridge overnight, and in the morning added a teaspoon of sugar, some more water, and a bit of oil. Fried them up on a shallow pan for just a few minutes and served.
My concern? How much alcohol/ethanol would yeast pancakes contain? Should I be worried about having fed these to a two year old???? I feel ridiculous in all sorts of ways...


texts:
Is it possible to make puffed rice at home like the rice used in breakfast cereals? I have a hot air popcorn maker and have experimented with that with little success.

I imagine the problem is to do with the moisture content of the rice, so far I've only tried with dried Basmati. Does it need moisture to expand to create the puffed effect? If so does par boiling the rice work? If so how long would I need to do it to get the ideal moisture content.


texts: How to achieve a good char on cooked and shredded chicken?

texts:
I happened to be at the grocery store just as they marked down that day's rotisserie chicken. I planned to use chicken breasts for tomorrow's Sesame Noodles with Shredded Chicken, but at that price it was hard to turn down rotisserie chicken. So now I've got it shredded, and as grocery store rotisserie chicken tends to be, the flavor is really nice. It's missing some char though.

The sauce I'm tossing with the final dish includes sesame seeds, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha and brown sugar. I could make a little extra sauce (maybe heavy on the sugar for the caramelization?), and toss the chicken with a bit of that and put it under a hot broiler for a bit.

My thinking is to marinate the chicken in the sauce and briefly put it under a blazing hot broiler to char the marinade. I want to avoid overcooking the chicken and of course I want to avoid any nasty burnt flavors. Any advice or caveats?

EDIT: Just to follow up. I followed the advice of the posters here and did not further cook the chicken. I did add some fairly heavily charred multicolored bell peppers. That did the trick, it was a new recipe and it made a lovely meal.


texts: I am from Austin,Tx.I am looking for Milk kefir grains to make fresh kefir at my home.But I coudln't find Kefir grains in whole foods.I dont know how to reach to individuals who can share.Any advice??


texts: Can calcium sulphate substitute for calcium chloride in mozarrella cheese making?


texts:
All the recipes I've known for croutons required pre-made bread, fresh or old.
Do restaurants always use pre-made bread as well?
Is there ever a case for making croutons from scratch, and what would be a basic recipe?


texts: In addition to specific fruits like avocados and bananas, and the specific trick of using a brown bag, I would like to know if there are ways to let fruit and vegetables in general ripen faster. Are all fruits the same, or is it different for every kind of fruit/vegetable? If there is some general way or mechanism, what methods generally work to expedite fruit ripening?


texts: Roasting more than 1 meat in using one oven

texts:
How do I manage the roasting time and temperature for roasting/baking more than 1 beef wellington using the same oven and at the same time.

Thanks.


texts:
More of a safety question, but im a beginner cook and I made Chicken and Potatoes n Such in a Cast Iron Dutch Oven.....Let it sit for about 30 minutes and then put it in the fridge.

Is this unsafe? How long should I let it cool?

For reference I was able to pick it up with my bare hands no prob before putting it in the fridge.


texts: What to look for in an induction stovetop?

texts:
This is a sad story, because I've already bought one and am not completely happy.

The good:

Power - 9kW.
Fires - 3 fires from small to large (14cm - 28cm).
Timer - From one to ninety nine minutes for each fire.

The bad: The controls.

They are incorporated in the surface and are very sensitive. When cleaning the surface it will power down the stovetop.
If you put anything on the controls, they will flash an error message.
There is only one up and down button. when more than one fire is 'burning' you have to activate the fire you want to change. You have to cycle clockwise through all the fires to do that.

What advise would you give to anyone looking for an induction stovetop?


texts: Is it safe to cook raw meat (beef) and veggies in the same pan?

texts: Is it safe to first make sautéed onions and then cook raw (thawed) beef in the same pan? I plan on cooking the meat thoroughly (no pink), so I figured I should be okay, right?


texts: How do you stop banana flower soup from tasting astringent?

texts:
I have made banana flower soup 3 times now. The first time it had a nice, unique warming/comforting flavour. The second time it was inedible. The third time it was almost inedible. The recipes I have found call for the banana flower to be soaked in water with a slice of lemon for 1 hour.

Worried that it didn't work last time, I just quartered the lemon and soaked it with the whole thing (squeezed), but still it had that crappy taste (like banana peels).

I noticed this time that it also said use a non-reactive pan, so I did that.

I am wondering if any one can shed some light on what counteracts this taste? I know it can taste nice, and the banana flower is to substantial to waste! Thanks.


texts: What is the danger of small strands of stainless steel coming off the wire filter and being ingested?


texts: How do you make sure aubergine doesn't go bitter when cooking?

texts: Sometimes aubergine and courgette tastes fine when cooked as is, but other times they are so bitter that they're almost inedible. I've tried dry salting and leaving the slices in salt water beforehand for various lengths of time, but this is a mission and can often make them too salty. Also the outcome seems pretty random given that sometimes this isn't necessary. Is it to do with freshness?


texts: How can I find flavors that pair well with a given ingredient?

texts:
"What goes with X?" is a common question. It could be a starting point for coming up with a new recipe for an ingredient you have on hand, or a way to come up with a variation on an existing recipe.

So how can I find such flavor pairings? Are there resources dedicated specifically to this sort of thing?

Note: this is intended as a canonical reference which we can provide when people ask flavor pairing questions.


texts:
Made a hot sauce recently that has common ingredients found in many hot sauces. Habaneros, onions, garlic, carrots, lime juice, sugar, vinegar, tomato, salt and fruit. I used a mix of habeneros and Fresno peppers, noticed the fresno pepper had a lot of seeds. The sauce tastes great but has a very mild bitterness at the end. Is it possible that the seed ratio to sauce is giving it that mild bitterness? The balance between vinegars, lime juice and acids from the tomatoes are well balanced by the amount of sugar. Can't think of anything else, don't ever have this problem with peppers with a lower seeds ratio.
Thank you


texts: How long to steam eggs for? (Instead of hard boiling)

texts:
I'm steaming eggs, rather than hard-boiling (I want the same effect), because it's convenient as I'm using the steam from some boiling chickpeas underneath.

But I can't seem to find a definitive estimate for how long to keep them steaming.

One source says 20 minutes. http://www.communitychickens.com/2012/08/the-best-way-to-hardboil-eggs-is-to.html#.Uk0oAX-aejs

I imagine that's too long.

Another source implies 7 minutes. http://whatscookingwithkids.com/2011/05/27/forget-hard-boiling-eggs-steamed-eggs-are-easy-to-peel/ (In the comments.)

And then there is the usual time for hard-boiling, which is 10 minutes.

I don't want to cook them any longer than necessary.


texts: The rim is off, the lid is secure, but the button can move up and down, is it safe?

texts: I have a jar that the lid is secured to the glass BUT the button still moves up and down.  Is it safe or not?


texts: Sous vide effectiveness without using a vacuum sealer?

texts:
I frequently use the water displacement method to seal ziploc freezer bags when I sous vide. I can get maybe 99% of the air out, but technically the bag is not under vacuum. If I clip the top of the bag to the side of my container, any air pockets that emerge collects at the top, and the meat is entirely in contact with the bag and immersion bath. Alternatively, if I seal the bag with a marinade, there are no pockets of air between the meat and the immersion bath.

I can't imagine that the temperature transfer can be any more effective when vacuum sealed. So why does a site like SeriousEats still suggest that a vacuum sealer is needed for best results with longer cooking times?

update from http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/08/how-to-seal-food-airtight-without-vacuum-sealer-water-displacement-method.html#comments-299859

In the context of food storage in plastic bags, SeriousEats claims, "excess air causes oxidation that can develop into off flavors or promote spoilage." But I never sous vide for the freezer, it gets served when done.

There was a comment that asked if food contamination might occur for cooking times longer than 48 hours, but it was never answered.

What is the science behind this statement? How much residual air is "too much"?

If the bag remains submerged, does not leak, and the food in full contact with the water bath, is that enough to duplicate the benefits of a true vacuum seal?

update 2

Also, what is the scientific impact of trapping small amounts of residual air in a pocket above the water bath?  This assumes that there is still a very strong thermal coupling between the water bath and sous vide item.

In the photo below, you can see at least a 2inch gap between the air pockets above water level and the actual short ribs. From a heat transfer perspective, I can't imagine that a vacuum sealed bag can perform significantly better—certainly not relative to a 48hr cook time. Is there a possibility of bacterial contamination?


texts: Should I rinse chicken livers before cooking them?

texts:
I bought some fresh packed chicken livers from the supermarket (refrigerated). At home I froze them. Today I've thawed them and they were bloody. I've put them into a bowl with cold water, then drained them. The water was reddish and small pieces of tisue were floating.

Was my approach ok/safe? How is it done in restaurant kitchens?
Should I just drain the blood and water after thawing or wash them with cold water?


texts: Replacing egg whites with whole eggs when baking cookies

texts:
I want to make the recipe here: http://www.shutterbean.com/2012/flourless-coconut-chocolate-drops/

This recipe states that you should just use four egg whites. I really, really don't want to waste 4 egg yolks (I know you can make scrambled eggs out of them. I always try to remember but often they do go to waste.)

What would happen if I used whole eggs to replace the egg whites in the recipe? I assume I would need fewer eggs, but what else would happen?


texts: What kind of food components contain more energy?

texts:
So what should I build my dishes out from to have an energized, successful day?
Rephrased: What do I choose for a dish?

By energy I mean like carbohydrates which are in bread, potatoes, sugar and stuff. Energy that allows you to move. I'm not asking how to be stronger or anything.

My understanding of food (extremely simplified):

bread, potato, sugar -> energy
meat -> protein (build muscle)
...

The question I want to answer for myself: If I eat meat, can I be sure to ingest enough energy to live through the day?

(I'm not anything like professional in food stuff and not native English.)


texts: Frozen pizza kept at room temp (23 C) for 48 hours - safe to use?

texts:
I bought a salami pizza and a Hawaii pizza (ham & pineapple) the night before yesterday, but forgot to put them in the freezer.

This is the latter, soggy part removed:

Normally they should cook for 16 minutes, but they are completely thawed. Will cooking them at 190 degrees Celsius for 11 minutes make them safe to eat?

Opinions are divided, with 66% in favor of cooking, but i'd like some expert advice.


texts: I believe this has been asked already but I'll ask it again. How do I clean a refrigerator with no removable shelves? I am renting an appartment so this fridge isn't mine exactly. I have no idea what make or model it is either and I'm guessing it's pretty old (70s or 80s 90s at the latest). I tried to adjust the shelves when I first moved in bc they looked like they could come out and I can't fit tall bottles in there on any shelf. However, I was not able to remove the shelves because the fridge is shoved flat into a corner so the door won't open wide enough and the door including the shelves looks to be one piece. On the inside there is one glass or plastic (clear) shelf with removable drawers underneath but the shelf itself appears to have been screwed or otherwise permanently secured to the fridge. I can wipe it clean no problem but I'd rather not have to leave it open to dry for fear of it burning itself out. Also towles notoriously don't to much of anything in my appartment because I got cheapies and there is no airflow due to my appartment having all windows on the same wall and being located directly above the laundry room. My fridge isn't much better due partly if not all to it's age. So again, how can I clean it without ruining the thing?


texts: We have a bottle of saki that I use for cooking occasionally, but I haven't used it in about 6 months, and the bottle has been in the fridge for over a year. Is this still good or can I reclaim that space in my fridge?


texts: Why does Alton Brown call for three types of milks in a recipe?

texts:
I'm looking at the ingredient list for Alton Brown's aged eggnog recipe, and I see the following:

1 pint half-n-half
1 pint whole milk
1 pint heavy cream

Does the half-n-half play any specific role here?

I calculated the final fat ratio of the mix and it's ~20%

Wouldn't it be easier to just mix milk and cream to get the right ratio, skipping the half-n-half altogether?

By my math that's 3.25 cups of milk + 2.75 cups of cream.


texts: What are the names of the breakfast spreads used in Indian cuisine?

texts:
I visited Bangalore a few years ago and much enjoyed some of the hotel breakfast dishes.  As I remember they were a sort of paste that could be spread onto bread or toast, etc. I have no idea what they are called or how to make them.

Could someone suggest what they were and how I could make something similar?


texts: Our gas range oven gives us only the option to choose high or low and I'm not sure how to use it and the recipes online are hard to do because they specify the exact temperature. To summarize really, I just need some references or recipes which shows how to cook on high and low ovens


texts: what is [flavor-wise] the closest nonalcoholic substitute for white wine and red wine?

texts:
White wine and red wine have great flavors when added to a dish. But because I'm on medication, I'm not able to use wine (my body would have odd reactions when I consume food cooked in white wine) I wonder what is flavor-wise the closest nonalcoholic substitute for white wine and red wine?

I have looked at What is a substitute for red or white wine in a recipe? But the answers were not satisfactory. For example, chicken stock has a completely different flavor when substituted for white wine and so does white grape juice. What is [flavor-wise] the closest nonalcoholic substitute for white wine and red wine? Thank you!


texts: Toaster oven features - convection/rotisserie

texts:
I need some help in buying a toaster oven:

My needs are primarily to roast/grill vegetables, occasional baking (bread, brownies, muffins). I am vegetarian and this is for a 2 person home. I'd like it to compact, simple to clean, and built to last. (I can live without more advanced features if this means it will be more reliable.)

Is it helpful to have a toaster oven with a convection feature? Does this lead to better results in baking? What exactly is this feature anyway? Is it a fan that moves the hot air around in the toaster oven?
Will a rotisserie feature help with grilling vegetables? (Or is it of use only for meat?)
How big does it need to be? (would a 0.9 - 1 cu.ft model be appropriate?)

The choices I have are mainly among these:

Morphy richards - 0.9 cu.ft

Bajaj


texts: how to mix wine into cream sauce (or cream into a wine sauce) so it doesn't curdle

texts: how to combine wine in a cream sauce so it doesn't curdle?


texts: Why does Mexican food taste dissonant with balsamic vinegar?

texts:
I assayed an attempt at hot sauce the other day by cooking 3 pounds of peppers (jalapeno and hungarian wax) in olive oil and balsamic vinegar for about three hours, then throwing them in a blender. The result is thick in consistency and tastes like very mild balsamic vinegar with added heat (as you might expect). It's not super hot, and the bitter "cooked-pepper" taste has all but vanished.

The original plan was to use it for tacos, but now that I've finished, the flavor just doesn't seem appropriate for use in Mexican food.

What are the flavor bases of Mexican/Tex-Mex cuisine, and why do they seem so dissonant when paired with balsamic vinegar?

As a follow-up, are there such things as known consonant flavor-pairs (bell peppers and onions?), and if so, does balsamic vinegar have any?

For reference, when I say "known", I mean widely accepted and agreed upon among the professional (or at least experienced) cooking community.


texts: How can I make a BBQ sauce from my dry rub?

texts: I would like to use my dry rub to make a BBQ sauce but don't know how.


texts:
I make hummus about once a week, and make it essentially the same way each time. This week, my hummus tasted as it usually does immediately after I made it. However, I put it in the fridge for three days without eating any, and it tasted and smelled off when I tried to eat it today. It didn't smell rotten or anything, just extremely bland. Normally, it smells pretty garlicky. There was also basically no taste.

I used the same ingredients that I normally do except for a different brand of tahini, but the tahini smells fine. I am in a new apartment, so I am using a different fridge than I used to. This fridge was set to be much colder than my previous one, and I found ice chips in my hummus. Could this be the reason my hummus went bad? I also soak the chickpeas in the fridge overnight before I cook them. Are there any other things that could have contributed?


texts:
I’ve noticed a couple of brands of skyr popping up on store shelves but they’re all fat-free. I’ve had some and it’s not bad, but as someone who eats 6% yogurt I definitely found it lacking a certain something!

Is this the way it’s traditionally made or is this a concession to North American fat paranoia?


texts: Can a sour dough starter be too active?  My starter almost tripled in 4 hours.  Should I keep feeding it and when do you know that it is ready?.


texts: Does the colour of the olive oil say anything about its quality? Some labels make a point of saying that the olive oil was made within a short period of time after harvesting. Why would this be important?


texts:
What can be done with left over mussel shells? I have heard of them being boiled to make sauces etc.

Is there any other culinary use for them once the mussels have been removed?


texts:
Some pie recipes call for placing weights on the pastry when it is cooked prior to the addition of fillings.

Why is this necessary? What effect does it have?


texts:
In Israel, there are some low-sodium salt substitute, which brag to have "60% less sodium than regular salt".

I suspect that there's a catch. I strongly suspect that indeed they contain 60% less sodium than the regular salt, however, you need to add 60% (or 50%, but a larger amount) more of the salt-subtitute to get the same taste.

Is that true? Did anyone else think about that?


texts:
I would like to experiment more with muffin recipes, but I don't want to stray too far and end up with inedible product. Are there basic parameters I should follow in creating my own muffin recipe?

What makes a muffin a muffin, as opposed to a cupcake?

What proportion of wet to dry ingredients should I use?

What is a good method for converting one fruit/veggie ingredient to another? So if I have a great apple muffin recipe, how do I know how many berries to use instead? Or grated carrot or squash?


texts:
What are the best varieties of potatoes to use for baking with a roast that will give a nice golden brown finish on the outside?

[Edit: to clarify, I'm from Australia and we don't really distinguish between baking and roasting potatoes. What I'm referring to here is "roasting" potatoes to be eaten with a roast lamb or beef]


texts:
I have recipes that call for dry roasting peanuts, coconut, and sesame seeds.
I make these recipes a lot — so theoretically it would be easier to dry roast everything I have one time, instead of each time I'm making a dish. Would that in any way diminish the taste of the dish?  And does the same apply to spices?


texts:
I would like to know what the long hat that chef's wear is called.

Toque is what Google/Wikipedia proffer but is it really that?


texts: Fat free cooking in 18/10 stainless steel cookware

texts:
I'm considering a set of stainless steel cookware from either AllClad or Inoxia

Both cookwares are made of 18/10 stainless steel but Inoxia states you can cook fat free in their cookware:

  During the use of the cooking unit the heat accumulates in the
  high-thickness structure of the capsular base, which spreads it back
  gradually and uniformly inside the pot, so that foods can be cooked
  without water or fats addition.

Is this true for AllClad? (or any cookware made of 18/10 stainless steel with 5-ply construction?) Otherwise what is the technical feature allowing for the water/fat free cooking in Inoxia?


texts: What if anything make a liquid a good candidate for a reduction?

texts:
What if anything makes a liquid a good candidate for a reduction?  Often you see things like wines and fruit juices called to be reduced for recipes.  Why are they so common?  What specifics about them make them so?

If I am wanting to play around with making different reductions is there anything I should look for and what are the expected results of the liquid having that content (i.e.  high sugar content, does acidity levels have an effect on the reduction).


texts: What oils are suitable for Indian cooking (i.e. extended frying duration)?

texts:
Indian cooking basically uses oil from the beginning of the process, typically starting with sautéing ginger and garlic, then adding shallots, chillies and onions. So the oil is on the fire for quite some time.

I would like to know whether any type of olive oil will be suitable for this type of cooking. Extra virgin olive oil seems to be out of the question from what I have read.


texts: How to (cheaply) maintain a plentiful herb supply

texts:
I love herbs.  When I buy them in packets, it seems they are ludicrously overpriced and go bad quite quickly.  I keep them in the fridge, but perhaps there is a way to make them last longer?  I have tried buying potted plants but either 1. I use the herbs so much the plant is depleted after a very short while, or 2. If I try to be sparing, the plants tend to die anyway.

Does anyway have advice on cheaply keeping a constant supply of fresh herbs (particularly rosemary, thyme, sage and parsley).


texts: Can soap be put it in the water used for Sous Vide?

texts: This is a bit of a strange question, but may a small amount of soap or detergent be placed in the water when cooking with sous vide? Is the vacuum effective enough to prevent any taste of soap from entering the food contents? Thank you


texts: How to cook Beansprouts so that they remain crispy

texts: I have tried different methods of cooking Beansprouts but I just never seem to get a consistent crunchy tasty end product. Can somebody please share a recipe or method because I absolutely love Beansprouts so much. (When they have been cooked by someone else)


texts: Can an old rosette “iron” that's starting to stick be reconditioned?

texts:
My Mom's chruściki (rozetki) iron is about 50 years old.  The batter is sticking to it and doesn't release easily now.  How can I recondition it?

I picked up a new one (aluminum!) but it’s not the same. I’d like to get the old one working again.  It weighs 39 grams, compared to the new one’s 24. Since the new one is thinner, 50% makes sense for the difference in mass, with them being the same density.

I think the old one needs to be cleaned, since it’s discolored on the sides. The new one worked out of the box.  So what can remove the staining?

I had assumed that it was cast iron, but comparing the weight against the new one, I'm not sure. I suspect it’s aluminum too.


texts:
I have read that industrial microwave ovens operate at 900 MHz rather than the more common 2.4 GHz ovens found in most homes.
Why is this?
Some examples of this claim:
Continuous Microwave Processing for Heating Materials
Comparing Microwave to Conventional Heating & Drying
The latter link claims "[The 900 MHz] range allows more efficient penetration of the microwave through the material." Though I don't know why that would be.


texts: Looking for some advice on why brown bits burned

texts:
I was cooking this sausage and peppers recipe.  I warmed up some EVO, browned the sausage on both sides, about 3 minutes on each side.  They left some brown bits behind.  I drained the pan of EVO and fat.  There was still a slick of oil and brown bits.  I then cooked the onions and peppers on the same heat (6 / medium).  The brown bits seemed to dry up and eventually collected and burned.

What did I do wrong and what could I have done to prevent them brown bits from burning?

Also, how much oil are you supposed to put in the pan to brown the meat?  Just enough to coat the entire bottom of the pan?  More or less?


texts: Is there any loss of nutrition when toasted?

texts: I have heard that when you toast whole grain bread, you lose most of the nutrition. I'm wondering if this is true, and if so, do you lose the nutrients when toasting nuts?


texts:
Extensive rewrite:

Young meat is considered unfit for human consumption by the European Union:

"derives from animals which are dead before slaughter, stillborn, unborn or slaughtered under the age of seven days;" Chapter V, EC 854/2004 [PDF], page 22.

According to a photocopy I have: "The meat is pale, bland and gelatinous. The bones are bland. The fats are grey and filthy. These meats do not have nutritious value and provoke diarrhoea." I do not have a reference for this quote.

The question is whether there is objective evidence supporting this claim. What is the European legislation based on?

Added (note the 'may'):

  decisions concerning meat. All meat which may constitute a danger to human health shall be declared unfit for human consumption. This includes meat from animals which have not undergone ante-mortem inspection (excluding wild game), meat from animals whose offal has not undergone post-mortem inspection, meat from animals which were dead before slaughter, stillborn, unborn or slaughtered under the age of seven days, meat from animals affected by a notifiable animal disease, meat not in conformity with the biological and radioactivity criteria, meat containing specified risk materials, chemical residues or veterinary medicinal products in excess of the permitted limits. In addition, the veterinarian may impose requirements concerning the use of meat derived from animals having undergone emergency slaughter outside the slaughterhouse.


texts: I have modeling chocolate panels I am using for a cake. They have a very soft shine from being smooth, but I was hoping to bring them to a higher shine. I had wanted to make them out of tempered chocolate but the shape made it problematic. I've tried lightly buffing with my hand, but that is not doing enough. Can I use perhaps a warm, damp cloth or glaze with a mix of 1:1 corn syrup:alcohol? Would that make them tacky?


texts: Suppose I was to cook some fish bones and make them soft.  If I wanted to use them in the future what would be the best way to store them?  Do I freeze it in which case after defrosting wouldn't it still be soft?  Is there any point leaving it in the fridge or are they something that can be left at room temperature indefinately? Also how long would they last for using the different methods?


texts: Should I boil the alcohol out of marinade?

texts: A recipe for cooking pork calls for sake in the marinade. Should I boil the alcohol out or should I marinate with the alcohol intact? I read somewhere that alcohol can cook the meat just like acid, but what I can't figure out is whether that could be beneficial and actually improve the end result.


texts: How to extract raw honey from honeycomb?

texts:
We recently had to get a swarm of bees removed from our house and moved to an appropriate lodging. We have been left with about 2kg of honeycomb - some of it clean, some of it with old honey/larvae/debris in it.

How do you extract the honey with the following restrictions:

No heating, the honey must remain raw
All items need to be common household items
End product needs to be filtered and clean of any debris or bee leftovers


texts: How do I deal with silverskin in a steak without trimming away all the fat?

texts:
Below is an image of a steak I cooked the other night. It is a grass-fed New York Strip steak, I used medium-high heat in a cast-iron pan, seasoned with only salt and pepper and cooked for 3 minutes per side. The steak was roughly 1.5" thick, and it is cooked to roughly medium. (The image looks redder in the center than it was in actuality, but it's close.)

The fat was soft and delicious, as was the steak. But that streak of silverskin that attaches the two was impossible to chew. I have heard that when you're butchering other animals or large cuts of meat, the silverskin is always removed, but if I had done that there would be no fat left on my steak.

How do I deal with this silverskin without losing all the fat?


texts: Coconut rice; should it taste like coconut?

texts:
I made coconut rice yesterday with a simple recipe (coconut milk, water, tsp sugar, pinch of salt, rice, all in the rice cooker).

I was a little bit underwhelmed by the output; the rice was cooked perfectly, but lacking in the the flavour and aroma area.

My coconut milk can was a bit old (passed expiration date), but smelled OK and tasted OK; do it loose flavour over time?

Is the rice supposed have a subtle flavour or should it be more "in your face" ?

Thanks.

Max.


texts:
My sunbeam 5891 does not give specifics on the knead/rise/bake times of each cycle, or what happens when you change the loaf size.  Time slightly increases if I click the button to raise from 1.5 lbs to 2 lb loaf.  Does proofing time, baking time, or both increase when the 2 lb button is used?

My goal is to add 10 to 15 minutes of proofing time for particular recipes.


texts: What will be the yield on an 8lb 15% added solution boneless turkey? I am catering for 700 hundred people next week. I would like to make sure I have as little waste as possible and I do not over order.


texts: Hard boiled eggs in "insta-pot" type device

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I am trying to hard boil my eggs so the yolk isn't mushy at all, and the yolk doesn't contain a greenish cast around the outside (which I think means they are overdone).

I am doing this in an "insta pot" style device, on a trivet above the water (the eggs aren't submersed).

Some of my eggs crack and leak, which is unappealing to the children (and for better or worse, that's a consideration).
Generally I lose 2 or 3 out of the dozen.

Any advice on how to stop the explosion?
* Am I releasing the pressure off too fast?
(I have tried doing it in short bursts instead of all at once with no noticeable difference)
* Is this caused by them starting too cold?
(generally they come straight from the refrigerator)
* Is it that I'm using large eggs instead of extra large?

All advice appreciated - sorry it is such a simple question for a site where I sometimes don't recognize the terms being used.


texts: Substituting quinoa flour for wheat flour in egg pasta

texts: If I am making an egg pasta, can I substitute quinoa flour for wheat flour (semolina, durum, all purpose, etc)? Or will the presence of the eggs not be enough to offset the absence of gluten, and I would need to add another binder (I am thinking xanthum gum or potato starch)?


texts: Is our oven at work powerful enough to bake pizza?

texts: Do all thick based pizzas require an oven temperature of at least 300°C (575°F) to cook better as per our reference manual?


texts: Does this look sanitary to you? I think if I wanted to put out a flame I'd use a pan lid.


texts:
I've been reading (most) questions and answers (here) about baking bread (which I love) and how to replace eggs in many recipes (which I wish I didn't need). Turns out, I too have egg allergy (not too severe) and a few of my favorite breads require one or more eggs.

So far I've seen two options, in many threads, that look promising: Ener-G egg replacer and replacing eggs with flax. However, not a single use case I've seen here is about bread. I'm looking for an option to replace 1-3 eggs in a bread dough with: 500 g of white wheat flour, 200 ml of milk, 50-80 g of butter, a variable amount of sugar (5-50 g) and 20-30 g of fresh yeast.

Examples of this dough are the Swiss züpfe, the Polish chałka and a similar recipe from Galicia (northwest Spain) with even more eggs. And so many other breads, but these are my favorite ones :)

Has anyone tried flax or ener-g on a similar bread dough?


texts: Are chocolate brands taking countries temperatures into account?

texts:
Today is an unsually hot day where I live in France, we are reaching 40°C in some cities.
As I grabbed a KitKat out of its bag, I noticed that it was completly melted. It's 35°C in my appartment.
It made me wonder: Does hot countries like Mexico, Spain or Algeria have chocolated products specifically designed to be more heat resistant ?
And how would you achieve something like that ?