texts: Good qualities of ovens/microwaves for baking cake

texts:
My aunt wants to start her own bakery where she is planning to sell different kinds of biscuits, cakes, and desserts. But she cannot afford to buy an industrial oven right now as she wants to start small.

So my questions are,

What types of oven (traditional, convection, convection-microwave, etc.) are best for commercial scale baking (especially cakes)?
What are the most important qualities of a commercially available oven/microwave for good, consistent baking results?


texts:
The chicken kebab which I cooked today was tastier. I had marinated it overnight with salt, tumeric, chilli powder, garam marsala, curd, lemon juice, ginger garlic paste and kebab marsala.

After frying it turned out hard. The one we get in hotels are very tender.
What went wrong.. Although I fried in medium high heat.

This was my first try!. I used different parts mix of thigh and breast for cooking. The pieces were not boneless. Also I fried them in oil by heating the oil first at high and then reduced to medium. Approximately one batch I cooked for 10 minutes.


texts: Can I boil milk unattended (and still keep the pan clean)?

texts:
Many recipes call for first bringing milk up to boil.

I normally boil 1 quart (1 litre) of milk in a 3-quart stainless steel heavy bottomed pan:

use low heat
keep scraping the bottom of the pan every 1-2 minute
Milk comes to a boil in about 40-45 minutes

In spite of my carefully watching the milk, at the end, when I pour of the milk, I see a "crust" form on the pan. This makes cleaning up a pain.

Further, it is hard to constantly watch and scrape the milk every 1-2 minutes.

Is there a more convenient way to bring milk up to a boil?

Looking for:

Unattended, fool-proof method
Easy clean-up at the end.

Yes, I am aware of this other question:

Quickest, and safest way, to bring milk to boil?

However, my question is a bit different.


texts: What are the differences between baking in bulk and baking in smaller amounts?

texts: I know that you need different techniques and tools to bake in bulk. But do recipes need to be changed as well? How does one take a recipe that you would bake at home in a small batch (e.g. baking bread, pies, muffins, etc.) and then convert it into a bulk recipe?


texts: How should chuck roast be grilled to maximize tenderness?

texts:
Forgive me if this question has been asked before, I did a search and did not find it.

I have cut up a chuck roast into steak slices (relatively thin, maybe half an inch), tenderized it and marinated it overnight. I am now ready to grill it. I have read contradictory advice online on the best way to grill it, the disagreement being whether to grill it 'low and slow' or 'high and fast' to ensure maximum tenderness (that is, to preserve whatever tenderness was there and ensure it doesnt become 'tougher').

I know, chuck roast is not typically designed for grilling or doing what I'm doing, so I'm not looking on a lecture on that, I'm simply asking if I want to preserve whatever tenderness is there, will I have a better shot grilling it low and slow or high and fast?

As a side note, its grass fed beef, and just by throwing a few small pieces on a frying pan last night for a few minutes yielded (surprisingly) relatively tender meat.


texts:
Reading this question: Emulsifier: is it safe to cook mayonnaise?

Is anything made less safe by cooking? (I'm not asking if cooking makes something worse-tasting, have bad texture, is culturally or religiously taboo, etc. just from a food safety perspective).

Please interpret cooking as loosely as you'd like. I would probably define cooking as "applying heat to raw food", but considering techniques like curing/pickling or freeze-drying, I'd be curious about those as well. What I'm not too curious about is failing to "cook" something adequately (not enough heat, time, salt, etc.), since the consequences of that are more straightforward.


texts: How to increase the shelf life of Bechamel sauce?

texts: how to increase the shelf life of bechamel sauce and what is the actual shelf life of white sauce?


texts: I bought raw, red Argentina shrimp. In the fridge, I noticed the legs looked like they turned blackish-blue. Does this mean they went bad?


texts: Temperature for dutch oven curry with venison

texts:
I'm making a slow cooked curry with venison in my dutch oven and I would like to know what temperature would be a good medium between what I need for a tender venison without overcooking the rest of the curry contents.

I've seen many higher temperature suggestions for the venison in recipes (375F-400F) but for curries much lower temperatures even to 225F. I plan on doing 300, would this suffice for a tender venison over 3-4 hours?


texts:
Masa harina is the corn flour used by Latin Americans to make corn tortillas.  If you live in the west or southwest US it's available in regular grocery stores.  Maseca is a brand that's widely available. If you try baking with masa harina it gives the finished goods a very pronounced corn tortilla flavor, which I don't care for since I associate that flavor with corn tortillas and nothing else.

Producing masa harina involves a process called nixtamalization.  What I don't understand is that hominy is also produced by using nixtamalization but hominy and hominy grits don't have that characteristic corn tortilla flavor that you get with masa harina.  Does anyone know why?

Here are some relevant links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixtamalization

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hominy


texts: Standard weight conversions for converting cups of flour to grams of flour?

texts:
I hate the idea of measuring flour using something as imprecise as measuring scoop.

What numbers do you treat as definitive/authoritative/canonical for doing weight conversions for different types of flour?


texts: What can I do with whole wheat pastry dough?

texts: I used soft whole wheat flour to make pasta dough, following the recommendation here that soft wheat flour is a traditional pasta ingredient. However, it's crumbling apart when I try to roll it thin enough. I'm looking for a plan B. Any idea what can I do with this whole wheat low-gluten dough, for dinner or dessert?


texts: Is it okay to mix bread flour and all-purpose flour when making a pizza dough?

texts:
From where I'm from, I can't find 00 flour or semolina flour. The flours we have from local markets are just bread flour, all-purpose flour, cake flour, and wheat flour (with no classification).

I'm experimenting and recently created a dough mixing bread and all-purpose flour (both 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon).

I'd like to know if it's okay/safe since I don't have culinary background. :)

I'm planning to start a pizza shop sometime this year once I figure out a recipe for dough and pizza sauce that's not costy but still produces a tasty pizza. :)

Thanks for all your help.


texts: Food safety of meat vs. veggies and fruit with mold on them

texts:
Obviously, it's bad to eat moldy food, so I don't do so. However, the other day I was presented with both an old pot roast and asparagus in the fridge, both of which had grown mold. Of course, I tossed them both, with some regret (the roast was tasty while it lasted).

While talking to a friend, they mentioned that moldy meat is more likely to cause problems (sickness, death) than moldy fruits or veggies. Since the asparagus was only moldy on the stem end you snap off anyway, they said I could probably have eaten the rest of it (after some judicious cooking).

The question: Is moldy meat worse than moldy plants (i.e. are you less likely to get sick eating moldy asparagus than moldy steak)? Further, if it is worse, why? Is it that meat-mold can eat us, too (as humans are meat), while the plant-mold doesn't eat meaty matter as well as plant matter?


texts: How long can you keep chocolate, and what is the best way to store it?

texts: For instance, I have some bars of Valrhona I use for chocolate tarts and pastries, but I haven't been doing the dessert thing in a while.  How long does chocolate last before losing flavor (or does it)?  And once it gets that white stuff on the outside, is it done?  What's the best way to store it for as long as possible?  Thank you.


texts: Technical reasons against chocolate-coated shortbread

texts:
It is possible to find chocolate-coated shortbread (as in, the Scottish biscuit made of flour, sugar and butter, coated with chocolate) as a product in the UK, but it's very rare. Chocolate-coated shortcake -- which is similar, but different -- is much more common. "Millionaire's shortbread" is easy to find, but it's not completely coated in chocolate and has a thick caramel layer, making it quite a different product.

Given that shortbread is very popular -- and, presumably, very cheap to make -- and that chocolate is very popular, I'm led to believe that there must be some technical reason why it's so hard to find. Does anyone have any ideas?

My only thought is that it may be due to the fat interface between the layers (i.e., butter against cocoa butter) not playing together nicely, reducing shelf-stability.


texts:
I've never read a biga/poolish bread recipe that specifically mentions whether or not to knead the starter dough.

Is it helpful to knead it, or is it not worth doing?


texts: Melted ice-cream, safe to eat if re-cooked/re-heated?

texts: Will the heat not kill the bacteria and therefore make the resulting "cream" safe to consume?


texts: I accidentally left an unopened block of Monterray Jack at my Mom's house (about 4-1/2 hours away) and she shipped it back to me (1-day air, no less) in a box without anything to keep it cool and the temp today is 84 degrees F.  It's all soft and floppy now, but not at all sweaty.  Would you consider that still edible?  I saw a previous question concerning cheese left out in a car overnight, while cool, but this is slightly different circumstances.


texts: Can someone suggest a reasonable facsimile for Chinese XO sauce? I have Korean gojujang (red chili paste), red chili flakes, miso, dashi, fish sauce, anchovy paste and cooking wines along with a well-stocked pantry of fresh and dried aromatics, herbs and spices.


texts: Why is acidic cooking problematic for cast iron pans but not BBQ plates?

texts:
I've recently discovered cast iron cookware and I'm a little bit in love! I have a couple of questions for experienced cast iron users.

I've done lots of reading and it looks like acidic cooking isn't great for cast iron. You can do a bit in a well seasoned pan, but too much will affect the seasoning and/or affect the flavour of the food. I confirmed this the hard way when I forgot a marinade had lemon juice in it and totally destroyed the patina I'd built up.

I do lots of acidic cooking, as I love tomatoes and lemons!

So my question is, why are cast iron BBQ plates able to handle anything, including acidic marinades and being left out in the weather. What's the difference?


texts:
I recently bought an Ilve oven second-hand.  I can't figure out how to use the clock/timer functions.

The oven is 10-15 years old, and all the manuals I have found are for newer/different ovens.

Can anyone explain how to set the time and use the timer functions?  What do the 6 settings on the clock dial mean?

Below is a picture of the clock, there is a full picture of the oven itself here.


texts: Can I leave out raw already-formed cookies for close to an hour while I wait for the oven to be available?

texts: I'm making a cookie dough and forgot that I already had something in the oven. I prepared a baking sheet of cookies to go into the oven - but there is something already in there that requires another 45 minutes to an hour of baking (I can't fit both in at the same time). Can I leave my cookie sheets with raw cookies out on the counter until the oven is ready? Will this alter the taste of the cookies? (Will they get hard and yucky?) What about the cookie dough that is still in the mixer (and hasn't been formed into cookies yet)? Is there anything I should do to preserve it - i.e. cover the dough/cookies, put it in the fridge, etc?


texts:
I've read that putting grape leaves with your brine will help pickles stay crunchy. But those are hard to find. I've also heard that Calcium Chloride does the same thing. Bubbies uses it, in fact. It's on their ingredients.

I got a can of Pickle Crisp (it's just Calcium Chloride) and the directions say to add it to boiling liquid - maybe this stuff isn't for brine/sour pickles. At least, I haven't been using boiling water.

Can anyone tell me if I can put Calcium Chloride in my non-boiled brine?


texts: Additional dipping sauces for cheese fondue?

texts:
I have the fondue set pictured below (picture is of the box of the set):

I will be using it for the first time and see that on the picture of the box there are saucers with additional sauces/dips. I was wondering if this is really done for cheese fondue and what sauces would be appropriate for it?


texts: ratio of non diastatic malt powder to one pound of flour.

texts:
So I have to make bagels tomorrow. For 50 lbs of flour the recipe calls for 2.5 lbs of this super bagel mix which my boss forgot to order. Tasting it its most likely salt sugar and malt...maybe something else too.I can figure out the salt and sugar but have never used malt in baking.I am assuming that it is non diastatic only because it is mixed in with flour. Hopefully not assuming to much.
 So the question is what is the ratio or rule for non diastatic malt powder to flour.


texts: What can be used instead of cheesecloth?

texts: My father is cooking a soup, we don't have a cheesecloth and he wants to clear the soup.


texts: What are the advantages of seasoned cast iron vs enameled cast iron?

texts:
I have a 10" Lodge skillet that I enjoy using, but would like a larger (~15") version for using stove top, on my BBQ (gas weber and big green egg), and in the oven as a large roasting pan.
I'm looking for the widest that will work in all these places, and I have made a list of ones that might work. Lodge has a 17" pan which that would be great, but is too big for my oven. There seem to be two options that will work, one which is raw/seasoned cast iron (Smithey 14") and enameled cast iron paella pans from Staub and Le Creuset (about 15").
I have a Le Creuset dutch oven, but I seldom think of being similar to the seasoned Lodge cast iron. Seeing two similar pans, one enameled, one not, I'm trying to figure out if both would work for me. What are the advantages of seasoned cast iron vs enameled cast iron and vice versa?


texts: We have a recipe that calls for us to make annatto (achiote) oil and fry some chilli peppers in it.  We are unable to find annatto seeds.  Is there a good substitute?


texts:
I left a vacuum packed chicken casserole from Whole Food  out four hours.
Is it safe? The car ride from store is included in the time. Our house is not freezing nor too hot.


texts: What causes some fish to get texture like mashed potato suddenly?

texts:
Sometimes a fish I cook disappointingly becomes of a mushy texture like mashed potato. One particular species where this seems to happen very easily, is Lethrinus miniatus: sweetlip emperor (also called trumpet emperor or sweetlip swoose) I've eaten other similar fishes (other sweetlips or emperors) and I didn't encounter the same problem.
Cooking is done on a cast-iron electric cooker, on a cast-iron pan, putting a little ghee on the pan and no water added, cooking on the lowest power (140 W) for an hour or two, of the whole intact fish, with skin and scales. Using a lot more butter, when the fish is fully covered in hot liquid ghee, avoids the problem, but with large specimen (~ 2 kg) its quite impractical and expensive, as it takes several kg of clarified butter to immerse the fish.
So having success with the immersed in ghee method, I am trying to make it work without so much butter, but the result is disappointing, the fish seems to transform from undercooked (when it's not possible to pull off the skin without taking a lot of meat with it) to mushy, mashed potato in almost no time. Often one part of the fish is still undercooked and not far from it is already mushy. As I am cooking it quite slowly and at low temperature, and cast-iron has a large heat mass, it would seem it should cook quite uniformly, but it appears it doesn't.
I did this also with a thermostatic controller with a probe both inside the fish body or probing the thin layer of ghee under the fish, with 65°C (149°F) or 80°C (176°F), but it seems the temperature differs a lot between parts of the fish, with some parts being undercooked and others mushy already.
I want to try not exceeding 60°C (140°F) but this would mean extending the time, so I am not sure it will yield the desired result.
Considering it doesn't happen when fish is immersed in clarified butter, I would like to know what physicochemical properties of the fish meat makes this happen and most other, even similar species it doesn't, and are there any other ways to avoid it, preferably regarding time and temperature control?
Another thing to consider, is that the sweetlip emperors I cooked in butter, were also mostly cooked from fresh (same-day caught), while the one I cooked today which turned out mushy was frozen by me from fresh and then unfrozen and cooked, but I am not sure it was always the case with a few mushy ones I had and some which turned out fine in butter bath. I am trying to isolate the cause of the mashed-potato-like mushiness, having several variables.


texts:
I bought cream cheese (Milkana), didn't use it, and I found out it already expired on 5 August 2013 (over a month ago).

Taste and smell are still good. Can I use it for baking?


texts: What's the point of using sugar in savory dishes?

texts: I never get why people add a sweet substance to a savory dish. Especially in something like a a curry or noodles. People say it balances out the flavors. But which flavor is it actually balancing out?


texts: Amaranto (amaranth grains) is a popular cereal used in Mexican cuisine, used in both savoury and sweet dishes. However, it's hard to come by here. What can I use instead? I'm not sure if it is a cous-cous style grain or more like rice.


texts: Alternatives to roasting squash for soup?

texts:
Premise that you can access merely an electric range, and can't access any functioning oven, not even a toaster one. Then what can you do in lieu of roasting your squash? Pan-fry or caramelize it in a cast-iron skillet?

Roasted Acorn Squash and Apple Soup - Making Thyme for Health

  I find that acorn squash is a little bit harder to peel and chop so I decided to roast it instead of boil it in the pot. I know roasting it might sound like a lot of work but it’s actually pretty easy.

  After you slice of the top, you cut in half, clean out the seeds, rub it with a little bit of oil and then bake it in the oven face down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for about 45 minutes.

Holiday Soup: Roasted Acorn Squash Soup with Sage and Sour Cream - Family Spice

  To make the flavors of this soup pop some more, I roasted the acorn squash instead of just sautéing them or boiling them in broth. I also added some carrots – hello, even more beta carotene! After the veggies were browned from roasting, I added it to my pot of sautéed onions and poured in some vegetable broth.


texts: What does make ice cream smooth and silky?

texts:
I tried to make a simple ice cream by mixing heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla into a common ice cream maker. After 30 min of stirring, it produced an acceptable ice cream, but as I used heavy cream only without milk (which is advised in some recipes), I expected a smooth and silky ice cream.

However, the resulting ice cream contained very tiny ice crystals, which were melted quickly when serving.

What makes ice cream smooth and silky? What is essential for a basic recipe of silky ice cream?

I used heavy cream separated from top of raw milk.


texts: Does peppermint flavour work with orange flavour?

texts:
I want to make some cupcakes. I want to flavour the body with orange and the top with peppermint (along some blue colouring). Would this work, on a taste level?

EDIT
The reason why I am asking this is because I am allergic to egg and as such cannot taste to see if it works or not.


texts:
So what's the basic rule of when to spray with PAM etc or when to use olive oil?

For ex, for making an omelet, I usually use the spray.


texts: Does the foam from instant coffee always taste bitter?

texts:
I'm trying instant coffee for the first time and thought that it tasted like drinking a flat tire. After experimenting with different condiments I came to realize that the offensive taste was from the foam that appears at the top after stirring in the powder and not the liquid itself.
The taste of the foam is bitter and extremely distasteful. But if I spoon it off then the coffee itself is just fine.
I am new to instant coffee and have only tried Nescafé Taster's Choice and Café Listo de La Salvadoreña.
Is this a common theme among instant coffee? Possibly a result of the drying process?


texts:
My marinara was strangely too acidic than before even though I used canned tomatoes which are normally ripe, but then I remembered I added white wine to the flavor base (which i reduced).

First I do not know how acidic wine or white wine is (is it? how much?)

Second, considering wine is acidic - can you cook the acidity off like you can with alcohol?


texts: What is the significant difference between using a paper filter over a reusable metal mesh filter for Chemex?


texts:
I'm making my first batch of homemade Kimchi today using a recipe from Jamie Oliver. As I also have a mature sourdough starter in the fridge, I'm thinking about adding a bit of sourdough (a few grams) to the Kimchi in order to start fermentation.

Is this a good idea, or useless, or even dangerous?


texts: Does salt interfere with the yeast in the dough swelling process?

texts:
I was told by a friend that, when making pizza dough, I should add the salt at a later stage than the yeast, because it might disturbe the yeast from doing its thing...

I apologize for not having anymore concrete information, I just wanted to check this...


texts: I recently thawed a roast and put blood aside to use to add to gravy mix. Was this dangerous to do? It was brought to a boil.


texts: Removing turmeric stains from white plastic

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How do I remove turmeric stains from metal/plastic cookware?

I had tried detergents to remove some light turmeric strains off a plastic but after it failed then someone told me to keep the plastic affected with turmeric strains under sun rays in the afternoon. So, I kept it for 15 minutes and the strains were just vanished! How did it work?


texts: I recently made fresh egg noodle pasta. I made too much! Can I freeze it? I have tried freezing other kinds of pasta but am skeptical of freezing egg noodle pasta. What should I do?


texts: What is the name of the sauce which is made of Yoghurt and fresh Cucumbers?

texts:
I had this "Kebab Bombay" in Holland a few years ago, to which belonged a very thick, creamy, slightly yoghurty, very fresh sauce/salat containing fresh cucumbers. Supposedly it was an Indian dish, but that may just have been "inspired by".

(sauce visible on the left, best picture I could find)

What is this kind of sauce called?


texts: When should I add red chili to an omelette?

texts: Is there a proper time to add red chili to an omelette?  How should it be mixed in?


texts:
I am trying to add lemon flavor to tea so that it has ginger and lemon flavor to a noticeable extent. If we boil tea water with ginger, the ginger flavor can be brought almost to the way it is okay.
But I am having trouble adding the lemon flavor to tea. If I use lemon juice just before drinking tea, it makes tea sour, which is not acceptable.
Another way I tried is that I used the lemon peel, a chunk of it, but the tea became bitter. Note that the tea already contains ginger and it has no sugar.
Is there any other way to add lemon flavor to tea without changing the flavor of this non-sweet, ginger tea?


texts: What are the crunchy bits on top of Thai mango with sticky rice?

texts:
My favorite Thai restaurant makes a fantastic mango and sticky rice dessert, and it seems like it'd be pretty simple to recreate at home. I've searched around the internet for mango and sticky rice recipes, and have found many, but none seem to have the crunchy bits that I find in my local restaurant's version.

Obviously, I can ask at the restaurant next time I'm there, but I'm curious if anybody here knows what these could be?

They are crunchy and about the size of grains of rice, which make me think they might be toasted grains of sticky rice? They could also be some kind of seed or nut...

Does anybody know of any crunchy bits that are traditional on Thai sticky rice with mango?


texts:
Can I make crackling from cured ham skin?

I have a cured ham, which I have removed the skin to glaze.

Can I bake the skin and make it into crackling?


texts: How can non-hydrogenated shortening exist?

texts:
I'm having a hard time looking up this question, but I have some palm oil shortening and I see some coconut oil shortening that are both non-hydrogenated. I thought the oils would be more liquid than solid at room temperature, if they aren't hydrogenated.

Am I confused?


texts: Is there a significant difference between Turkish coffee and Moka pot coffee?

texts: Since the Turkish coffee and the Moka pot both work by boiling/steaming the coffee, so assuming they are from the same bean, is there a significant difference between the two? How would it be best described?


texts: Can I eat chicken that was cooked, frozen, and thawed in the microwave yesterday?

texts: I roasted a chicken then took the meat off the bone and froze it in little freezer bags. Yesterday evening I thawed some of the chicken in the microwave, expecting to eat it straight away, but didn't eat all of it. I put the leftover chicken in the fridge yesterday evening, after it cooled. Do you think it is ok to eat today? And if so, would I need to heat it up before eating it, or could I eat it straight from the fridge? Thank you!


texts: If I want to replace sugar with honey in black or green tea, can I add the honey at any point or should I wait until the tea cools down a bit?


texts: I was told to bring a dessert that is NOT savory....what would you infer is meant?

texts: I realize that savory and sweet are not opposites, but being asked to bring dessert as long as it is NOT savory leads me to think there should be some component of sweetness, absent of added salts or spices. Am I correct, perhaps fruit flavored for example such as a tart or buttery with a touch of sweet? Was my host eluding to something that's not bland yet not sugary sweet?


texts: Aged steaks cooked as medium but came out looking well done

texts:
My partner and I always go to steak restaurants, tonight we went to a pub for a steak, I ordered a medium fillet mignon which is what I always order.
The steak came out and it was dark brown the whole way through, no pink inside at all, so it was more well done than medium cooked.
The colour was not medium and the taste wasn't medium.

I sent it back and the Chef claimed that due to the steak being aged its darker in colour when its cooked, so you wont get the pink medium look.

His 2nd cooking attempt resulted in my steak looking like medium normally looks like, it was pink in the middle and juicy not dry like the first steak I was given.

Is the chef correct in his statement about the aged steak or is this just an excuse  ????


texts: How do you prepare and grill blackened salmon?

texts: I've never grilled blackened salmon before, but is there anything more involved than simply sprinkling blackened seasoning on both sides and grilling it for 5-7 minutes on each side?


texts: How can I improve the texture of my home-made sausages?

texts:
I am experimenting with home made sausages.  Grinding chuck to make the sausage.
Typically I pass it through the grinder 2-3 times (kitchenaid grinder, small die).

I've gotten the flavor nice, but when cooked the sausages are mealy and soft.  When I reduce the number of grinds I get a sausage that is grainy and feels like hamburger in the mouth.

No matter what cooking technique I use (steaming, simmering, sloooow grilling, fast grilling) I get a sausage that is so flimsy it falls apart on the way to the plate.

What am I missing?


texts: Making saucisson sec from salami at home

texts:
I bought a peppercorn salami a few days ago.

I would like to make from it what the French call "Saucisson sec" in their world of Charcuterie, essentially cured dry sausage. But I am not sure about the best way to proceed.

What is the right process to get a good cured dry French style sausage at home starting with a salami?


texts: How to conserve kefir grains for 2 weeks?

texts: I guess there's no need to freeze them, just keep them dormant, so I guess this question doesn't apply. My thought was to put them into clean milk and into the fridge, would this do or is it risky?


texts: If there are different instructions for different sizes, those would be appreciated as well.


texts: How can I preserve mushrooms for a long time?

texts: Whenever I freeze mushrooms their color gets blackish, and their taste is altered. How can I preserve mushrooms for a long time while minimizing or eliminating this kind of changes?


texts: African palm oil locusts seasoning & preparation?

texts: In Africa, frying locusts in palm oil is common. What kind of stores might sell them? What's the basic technique for frying them, and how would I add seasoning?


texts: Effect of ethanol concentration on bread flavor

texts:
What is the effect of ethanol concentration on bread flavor?

According to this stackexchange post the majority of the ethanol produced by yeast evaporates during baking, so in theory the ethanol shouldn't contribute to bread flavor at the end.

From my understanding, bread's flavor profile is primarily controlled by the bacteria that produce lactic and acetic acid, and the prominence of these acids can be controlled by the hydration percentage and temperature (The Science Behind Sourdough, How to make truly sour sourdough bread, Tartine - Chad Robertson pg. 72, Flour Water Salt Yeast - Ken Forkish (Ebook) pgs. 197-198).

Ethanol production increases due to oxygen restriction, as stated by OpenLearn Yeast Experiment and as I noted anecdotally when covering my starter with plastic wrap instead of a towel.

Therefore, does changing the yeast's ethanol production affect the bacteria which produce lactic and acetic acid, whereby influencing bread flavor?


texts: Oven caught fire while using self-clean.  Now the oven looks bad (greyish tinge) - how do I clean it?  (I'm only renting!!)


texts: My marshmallows always stick together in a big clump. I keep them in a dry and cool place. This doesn't seem to work. Is there a way to store them so this won't happen?


texts: Avocado substitute in blueberry muffin recipe

texts:
I have a vegan blueberry muffin recipe.  I'm not vegan, but like anything as long as it tastes good.  The recipe calls for an avocado to be used as the fat.  I don't like avocado.  Is there something I can substitute for the avocado or should I just forgo this recipe?  I'm including the ingredients below:

flesh from 1 ripe to very ripe medium/large Hass avocado, mashed very well (about 3/4 cup)
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil (melted coconut oil may be substituted)
1/3 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream (use vegan versions if desired)
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch salt, optional and to taste
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries (keep them frozen, do not thaw them; fresh berries may be substituted and baking time may be a few minutes less)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, for tossing berries


texts: Does adding vinegar to soup make it spoil faster?

texts: I have heard that if vinegar is added to the pot of soup, it will spoil after 2-3 days even in a fridge. Is there any truth to that?


texts: Can I use cream of tartar instead of wine to avoid alcohol in a meat braise or risotto?

texts:
I admit it, if I open a bottle of wine to cook with, I am very happy to drink the rest and I need to not do that, but still make my Kümmelfleisch and risotto.
Wine does affect proteins - pork, beef, egg, differently than does lemon juice, sauerkraut juice and other acids based on acetic or lactic acids. My anecdotal experience is that wine softens and disconnects collagen, etc more efficiently, and I read that it contains more heat stable acids. And that of course is also one reason to use wine and not lemon juice in making a risotto. (Yes I am ignoring any other flavor that wine imparts)
I looked up the acids in wine and saw that it is basically tartaric acid, malic acid and acetic acid. Tartaric acid is heat stable, so it seems that is what is doing the trick.
Buying tartaric acid here, in Germany, is expensive and difficult, but I can now get cream of tartar. I am aware that this is a somewhat neutralized form, but I currently imagine that in fact I could use a gram or two to substitute for half a cup of wine in a braise.
Is there some other factor I am not considering?


texts: How do I hold my knife to prevent blisters when chopping?

texts:
I have a Wusthof Trident Classic 8" Cook's knife that I use for chopping.  I thought I was holding it properly but when chopping for extended amounts of time I end up with a blister on the edge of my palm at the base of my index finger where it rubs on the top edge of the knife.

I hold the knife where the blade and handle join together, between my thumb and index finger.  I have no problem with arm fatigue or tension, just the rubbing.

Can someone recommend some tips or point to instructional resources that can help me prevent this? Do I just put a barrier on the spot where it rubs?


texts:
I really love cooking the "main feature" of a meal...  I love doing the meat - steak, chicken breasts, you name it, I love it.

But when it comes to making the rest of the meal, I always draw a blank. I end up resorting to the same old thing that I know everyone loves (steamed asparagus, seasoned potatoes).

I'm trying to figure out how to be more creative with the complementary pieces of the meal.

What are some good things to keep in mind when preparing a side dish, and what are some good resources that will help me in my creativity?


texts:
I'm part of an international rescue team and one of the things we need to do is to be self sufficient. At the minute we take ready made boil in the bag food which is not particularly great and is quite expensive.

I recently saw Heston Blumthall proposing the use of Sous Vide food for preservation of food on a submarine and wondered if the same approach could be used by my rescue team. So the question is if the food is cooked by can it be kept on a store cupboard shelf and if it can, what would the shelf life be? I'm assuming that the quality of the packaging could have an effect. If it can how could this be taken into account?


texts: Can anyone identify this type of green tea?

texts:
My house mate brought back from green tea from either China or Malaysia that was dark green balls that unrolled to large, thick leaves when steeped and I'm struggling to find anything similar!

It didn't have the same young/grassy taste like some of the jasmine tea I've had and instead tasted quite earthy and ... green! (Sound stupid I know)

Does anyone have any pointers to what I should be looking for? When I've searched for whole leaf green tea it comes back with Jasmine Pearls which are a lot longer and thinner when steeped but these were more substantial


texts: where to keep an opened can of condensed milk safe

texts: Where is the best place to keep an opened can of condensed milk safe? I know the unopened one is okay on the counter but what about when you open the can to use half of it?


texts:
I had a really creative dish at a local restaurant that was radishes that where dipped in butter and then rolled in hazelnuts that looked like dirt. Obviously it wasn't dirt but hazelnuts that had been ground up and then cooked some way to make it look like dirt.

Any ideas on how to replicate this?

Here is a pic


texts: What to do with browned butter after frying a steak

texts:
I have cooked a steak Gordon Ramsay style (oil, butter, thyme and garlic).

Now after I have prepared and seared the steak, what can I do with the remainders in the pan?

Its brown butter with the seasoning in it, do I just dispose of it, use for some other meat (although I have an issue making it medium-rare, since the pan is supposed to be extremely hot before dropping the meat in, but that would burn the thyme and garlic completely).


texts: Roasting vegetables that have been cut on raw bacon board? Safe or not?

texts: I cut raw peppers on the same board that I cut raw bacon on. I will be roasting these at 585F (305°C). Should I be concerned about contamination?


texts: 3:1 ratio of oil:vinegar, vinaigrette -- how can I use this in soups?

texts:
The introduction in the book, Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking mentions that this mixture can be used to flavor meat and many other dishes.

I have created many soups and I would like to learn to quantify my soup cooking. Could I use this 3:1 ratio oil:vinegar to flavor soup (perhaps substituting pepper)? Or does vinaigrette work better with other dishes (not soups)? If so why? Could this 3:1 be pepper:salt ratio?

I have currently used 3:2:1 ratio pepper:orange flavour:salt and it tastes good.


texts:
I'm Jewish and need to keep foods heated during the Sabbath and holidays. I am thinking of getting 2, 5 quart cast iron dutch ovens for this purpose. Is cast iron a good choice for to keeping foods heated on a hot plate? Or should I get glass or teflon pots? The periods could be 1 day but could also be up to 3 days if the holiday is right after or before a Sabbath.

Im gonna put the pots on a long hot plate to keep warm for the length of time. I simply want to know if cast iron would be a good alternative to do this or do i need to get glass or teflon pots.


texts: What is the best way to make noodle dishes like lo mein in a wok? I am trying to get the best noodle texture and a taste close to the restaurants.


texts: Creating the best possible home made milk chocolate bar

texts:
Assuming I am a total newbie in "patisserie", what are the best ingredients and steps to be used/taken to deliver a top quality home made milk chocolate bar?
I mean, those that really make a difference from low-quality/average and finest/top-quality.
For instance, cocoa quality and selection, cocoa butter (or butter?), powder milk.
Are there any well-known tips or techniques? Any suggestions?


texts: What causes odd off-flavor/smell in tofu?

texts:
I have found this only very occasionally in Tofu. (Maybe about 3 or 4 times, ever: that would be something betw. 5-10%?, I imagine)  I don't think the Tofu is spoiled since the date is fine, and it doesn't smell stinky like rotting beans (as I have experienced with tofu once or twice when I kept it a little too long or tried to save an already opened package in fridge).

Right away upon opening the plastic package, you can smell the funny (kind of "chemical"-ey, like Clorox, a little bit) smell. After cooking, the tofu tasted stronger than usual: saltier and a little bit tart. My daughter spit it out because it was so different, but I ate it anyway (it wasn't exactly disgusting - just odd).  Husband didn't comment except to ask why daughter spit out her food.  I think he didn't notice this tofu "problem".

This is Trader Joe's "organic sprouted extra-firm", the kind I always buy. I am asking mostly out of curiosity, since I think I will try buying a different brand in the future.  But does anyone out there know what I am talking about & have an idea what causes this ?....  Oh, another clue I forgot to mention: nobody got sick.


texts: How to efficiently shred a lot of cabbage?

texts:
I'm growing cabbages in my garden this year and would like to make lots of sauerkraut, to eat and to give as gifts.  Gallons of it.

Is there an efficient way to slice or shred a dozen cabbages at a time?  Using a grater for that much cabbage is going to destroy my arms.

I would buy a one-purpose gadget or an attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer that didn't cost more than ~$60 if that's the right way to proceed.


texts: Should I pre-boil then rinse chicken bones before making stock?

texts: I'm told this releases the impurities, i.e scum, so you don't have to skim while simmering.


texts: Why would a commercial kitchen buy enormous carrots?

texts:
I was recently on a Caribbean cruise ship, and took the behind-the-scenes tour (it was fun seeing an immersion blender the size of an outboard motor!). While we were in the pantry, I saw enormous bags of enormous carrots; that is, the bags were enormous, and each carrot was in itself enormous (perhaps 2" in diameter and over a foot long).

I've never seen carrots anywhere near that size in retail supermarkets (in the Northeast USA), and I'm wondering why they were so large. Are they cheaper? Easier to handle? Better tasting? Or were the large ones what was most recently available, and another time I might have seen what I think of as "normal"-sized carrots?


texts: How to remove garlic smell from refrigerator/ice maker

texts:
Is there a certain cleaner or chemical that will remove a lingering garlic odor from an ice maker or other food processing equipment?

About a month ago, my wife and I noticed that the ice from our fridge had a slight garlic smell and taste.  On inspection, I noticed a jar of minced garlic that wasn't completely closed in the door right under the ice maker (The ice maker is in the fridge, and has a rubber seal to the door where the ice comes out like this.)

I removed the garlic, dumped the ice, and soaked the removable ice tray/conveyer mechanism in hot soapy water.  The first few batches of ice were better, but now the smell and taste are back.

Right now we simply can't use the ice maker.  Is there a trick to garlic smell?

Also, the garlic issue with the ice maker was from garlic fumes only.  The jar did not spill, and there was never any direct contact between the garlic and the fridge.


texts: How can I liven up run-of-the-mill stir fry?

texts:
Rice or noodles, onions, garlic, sesame oil, and soy sauce are a pretty standard stir fry base.

How can I liven this up a little? I'm not looking for major additions, like chicken, eggs, etc. I'm looking for ways to make the base itself a bit more... vibrant and interesting: Herbs, spices, veggies, etc.

I've been experimenting with things like anise, fennel, peppercorns, clove, even MSG, but all of these things just seem to reinforce the same old taste I'm familiar with (sorry, I wish I knew taste words to describe it better), they all have similar "vibes" to me. I also tried experimenting with hoisin sauce but it just seems to muddle everything together. Green onions seem to help a little, when very coarsely chopped.

I'm looking for things that can add some new, compatible but contrasting flavors, rather than enhance or bring out the normal flavor, especially (but not necessarily) things that can make each bite slightly different rather than being uniformly blended in. The meat of this question is flavor pairings with onions/garlic/sesame/soy.

(I hope this question is OK here, the help center did suggest that recipe modification questions were OK, but I'm not sure.)


texts: How long can cooked, refrigerated chicken breast stay out at room temperature?

texts:
I cooked up some fresh chicken two days (Saturday) ago and stored it in my fridge sealed in some Tupperware. I made a delicious wrap for work this morning with the same chicken from the fridge, got to work, but forgot to put it back on the fridge about an hour and a half after I initially took it out.

I see that the FDA states two hours is the safe threshold for freshly cooked chicken (straight from the oven), but does this change if the chicken wasn’t immediately cooked? That is, keeping cooked chicken that was refrigerated out at room temp?

Thank you, from a constant worrier


texts:
Is there anything special to know before using powdered vanilla?  I use the liquid vanilla extract quite a bit in making a lot of things, especially chocolate and key lime puddings but am looking for alcohol free and organic form. It sounds like the powdered form provides a stronger flavor which sounds good to me.
Thank you for being there.  This is a tremendous offering for people who want to create great foods...


texts: What are these dark green spots inside raw eggs?

texts:
I bought a tray of eggs recently. They aren't old, I have them in the fridge, and the date stamped on the egg says they are good for another month.

In two eggs that I cracked open today, there were dark green spots inside the shell (looked like mold maybe?), and floating around the egg white.

Any idea what that is? Is it a sign that the whole tray may be contaminated with something??

I only noticed the green on the shell after I mixed one of the eggs into a bread dough, and now I need to know if I should throw the dough out or not (it's a huge batch of dough).


texts:
I experimented by substituting all purpose flour with oat flour that I ground up myself from organic oatmeal for pasta intended for ravioli.

I used roughly 3 cups of oat flour : 4 eggs ratio,
Kneeded it into dough, let it rest for 30 minutes before attempting to roll it in my pasta roller.

The problem is I couldn't get the texture right, plus the oat flour kept absorbing all the moisture and became dry, brittle and unrollable.

Adding more water made it too moist and sticky that I know it would get stuck in my pasta roller. Kneeding water or more flour into the dough made it eventually dry and brittle again.

The oat flour dough is like a weird sponge! I can't get the texture right.

What am I doing wrong?

I've made pasta from all purpose flour before and have not had this problem.

EDIT: Just experimenting because I had extra Oatmeal on hand. I don't have Gluten sensitivity.


texts: How are bitter almonds detected or used?

texts:
Bitter almonds contain traces of hydrocyanic acid, which can be lethal to animals and humans. 7 to 10 unprocessed bitter almonds can be lethal to a human, according to “Encyclopedia Brittanica.”

The sale of raw bitter almonds is prohibited in some countries but it's quite often to find bitter almonds mixed with sweet ones.

My question is: How does food industry to detect the bitter ones?

If you just eat some almonds at home you are unlikely to swallow big quantities of poison because you would spit out the bitter ones.
But when the almonds are processed to make some raw preparation everything gets mixed and the presence of minimum quantities of bitter almonds would be perceptible, unpleasant and even dangerous. I guess they don't throw everything to the bin.

The toxicity of the poison is destroyed by heat and processing, usually by boiling or baking them. Thus my concern is about raw preparations.
How are bitter almonds detected? (*)
Or how is prussic acid removed without affecting the food?

How is their flavour used at Disaronno or Amaretto leaving out the poison?.  I have friends that drunk a whole bottle in one night and are still alive.

(*) of course without performing a chemical analysis to each almond nor using spectrography nor having somebody tasting every almond.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaretto
PD: Some spirits use apricot kernel instead, but the problem is the same.


texts: Why does Chinese market take scales off the fish, & American does not?

texts:
Where I live (California, USA), when I buy salmon fillets from the (American style) supermarket, they have scales on. Even though it is not too difficult, I don't enjoy removing the scales at home, partly because I don't like to handle the fish too much and get my hands all fishy smelling. Once I asked the butcher man if he could get the scales off for me, and he looked fishy at me and said no.

However, I notice in the Chinese markets (I think 3 different ones) they just sell the salmon already scaled. You don't even need to ask them specially. So now I just go to the Chinese market for salmon.

So my question is: Is this typical (other locations too)? And if so, why? Why the difference between Chinese and American style supermarkets regarding scales on salmon? FYI, the only fish I ever buy is salmon, so I do not know if this applies to other types of fish or not.


texts:
I purchased an analogue instant-read meat thermometer (link to the precise product).

I fried some diced chicken in a little lime juice and olive oil in a frying pan on a medium-high heat. I periodically measured the temperature by sticking the end into the centre of a piece of chicken.

At no point (even after 10+ mins) could I get the thermometer to read above 40 C (whereas it should reach at least 68 C), even increasing the heat had little effect. I ended up overcooking the chicken in an attempt to increase the temperature measurement.

I stuck the thermometer in boiling water to check it was working properly and it indeed gave a reasonable measurement.

Question: Can anyone explain what I may have been doing wrong?

Is there a knack to performing the measurements? Are the thermometers intended for measuring large pieces of meat only? Or did I likely fail to heat the chicken correctly? In which case, what should I do to get the temperature up? Like I said, even on a high heat still wouldn't push the temperature above 40 C.


texts: I've noticed that I never taste cumin in the tacos I get at restaurants, yet cumin is often the most noticeable flavor in pre-made taco seasonings. When and why did cumin get associated with tacos? Why is it not used in most restaurant preparations?


texts: Why is my Taiyaki (Cake that looks like a fish) too hard and dry?

texts:
I was making taiyaki, and most of my friends said that the dough is too hard and dry. I have:

2 cups cake flour
4 tablespoons sugar
6 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup of milk
1/3 cup water.

I use an electric whisk to combine the dry first, then add the liquid ingredients.
I use the electric whisk/mixer again for around 30 rotations at the highest speed and let the dough rest in our refrigerator.

I heat one side for 2 minutes in a taiyaki pan and then the other side for 2 minutes.
Can you kindly help this newbie serve better taiyaki to children and friends?


texts:
So I've been doing a bit more cooking while confined to my home and I wanted to make a recipe that calls for gelatin. I don't have any and I don't expect to be doing another grocery run for a few weeks.

However, I have two things for sure: Jell-O powder and time. The powder, from the looks of the description, is mostly gelatin, sugar, artificial coloring, and flavoring. Let's assume for simplicity's sake that this is the only combination, and also that I don't care if some coloring makes it into my final product. I also won't care if a little sugar gets in. I mostly don't want the artificial flavoring.

I don't remember my chemistry well (and honestly I never learned too much about physical chemistry or materials chemistry), but here are some thoughts I had:

DIY centrifuge. I don't know whether this works with powders.
Dissolve in water and boil off some of the materials. I imagine this will require a higher heat than I can produce, seeing as Jell-O needs to be boiled in the first place, and I don't know what it'll do to the gelatin.
Dissolve in something in which gelatin is (or isn't) soluble, then filter. I don't know what this would be.
Dissolve in water and precipitate out undesired substances via a chemical reaction. I don't know what this would be either.

This task is probably impossible for me with my current experience and materials. Even if so, I hope it's an interesting question to ponder.


texts: How to salvage a cookie dough that is too sweet?

texts: I just baked the first batch of cookies and I found them to be too sweet to my liking.  The remaining dough is sitting in the fridge right now and I was wondering if there is anything I could do to it to reduce its sweetness.  These are the simple sugar cookies,  btw.


texts: slow cooker / crock pot temperature confusion (everything boils)

texts:
On a whole I'd like someone to explain how slow cooker / crock pot recipes are
supposed to work?
I mean they tell you to cook xxx all day on high, or yyy for 6 hours on high
then switch to low, etc, etc, etc.
BUT, the actual devices themselves whatever name they go by (slow cooker, crock
pot, etc) are completely un-standardized.  So "high" for one brand might
very well be low for another brand.  How then can I trust or follow slow
cooker "recipes" (double-quotes intentional)?
To give a frame of reference, when a recipe says to cook under 15 PSI in a
pressure cooker or 230 C in an oven, it's much clearer what the inputs should
be and what results I can expect.
About a year ago, I tried to follow some slow cooker recipes and found that
the particular slow cooker I have (a cheapo Ronson one) would boil its
contents even on "low" setting.  Surely that wasn't slow cooking?  And even
with it boiling its contents, I still found that a longer cook time is needed
than the recipe states.  I'm not familiar with what the outputs should
look/taste like (it was a black beans soup IIRC); the impreciseness of the
whole experience just put me off slow cookers.
Recently I got a PID controller that holds my cheapo Ronson within 0.1 oC of
my specified temperature (for sous vide cooking).  So I'd like to try slow
cooking again.  What temperature should I use when I see "high" or "low" on
recipes? And where can I get some reliable recipes?
Wikipedia says 77 oC for "low" and 88-93 oC for "high".  But 88-93 is a
broad range.
I see this question is asking something similar, but got no answer.


texts:
I'm considering some new cookware and some sites have recommended I get a deep saute pan and a stock pot.

But from looking at All Clad's choices for the stockpot and the deep saute pan, these seem very similar, except the pan has a long handle and the pot does not.

Is there a functional difference?


texts:
For those saying this is a duplicate it is not.   The linked question is asking about whole unpeeled ginger.  This question is asking about ginger which has already been cut and it’s longevity.  If already cut ginger will not go beyond 2 days then the answer shoulr state that suggesting that unpeeled ginger is the only real way to go.
I have been eating small pieces of ginger and leaving it outside and I notice asa I cut it later that day and certainly by the next day it has lost its mouthwatering zingy flavour and become chewy.
I’m wanting to preserve cut ginger.  For a start I guess I guess I could buy smaller pieces to begin with so as not to waste a bigger piece.
Would buying a bigger piece and cutting affected areas off help I.e does the dehydration travel slowly from the exposed part?
If I were to zip tie a cut part and put it in the fridge how long would it last?
Would wrapping the cut area in foil paper help(foil doesn’t let air through) then I could slice that part of with next use.
What else can I do to preserve cut fresh ginger and how long can I expect it to last?
Thanks


texts:
I've read that allowing frozen food to defrost in the fridge or under running water is generally a good idea (compared to leaving it out on the worktop). I'm aware there are some situations where it's not ideal.

As some foods defrost, they release a liquid. My own research suggests this could be full of bad bacteria etc, and the food can spoil.

In my situation, I have some frozen shellfish. This includes crab claw, squid, cuttlefish and prawns. They are all on 1 dinner plate, in my fridge and I've now considered there are 2 problems, which I can summarise as:

They will soon be sitting in each others water!

I have 2 questions, which are relevant to the title:

As the shellfish will be cooked together, is there are any risk of contamination from the defrosted liquid?
Is my technique (or lack of) of letting them defrost on a plate incorrect? For example, should I be defrosting in a colendar with a bowl underneath?


texts: Should one - moreover can one - defrost a frozen lasagna before cooking?

texts:
So I purchased one of these "frozen lasagna" products at the supermarket to see what it's all about.

It was in the supermarket freezer and indeed I am keeping it in the freezer of my fridge. (I.E., it's frozen solid when I took the pic just now.)
Here are the instructions:

Notice that...
It does not actually say to defrost it first.
Perhaps "everyone knows to defrost it" and they don't bother saying it?  Conversely I guess perhaps everyone knows you put it straight in to the oven when it is frozen solid!  So in fact,

should I defrost it or not before putting it in the (375) oven? Thanks.

(I assume it is "frozen solid". For all I know, they cleverly make it chemically so it never freezes solid and stays gel-like, or whatever, IDK.)
(If it should be defrosted, I guess it would take about 90 minutes to completely thaw to room temp?)
If it is the case that one does indeed, miraculously, put it straight in the 375 over directly from one's home freezer. In fact,
2A. Is it better to defrost it (for say 90 minutes) before following the stated procedures? So, the food scientists who created this product would rather I defrosted it, if I have time, but (amazingly) it's not necessary?
2B. Indeed, is it actually even OK to defrost it before placing it in the oven? For all I know, perhaps as a food safety matter, or something to do with the chemicals involved, it is specifically necessary to not defrost?
Again (surprisingly?) the instructions (see pic) do not have a sentence such as "Never defrost!" "Defrost if you have time!" "You must defrost first, you clown" or any similar guidance.


texts:
Sometimes when I finish making a recipe, I wash it and want to straight away start making a new one. I usually take care to dry the inside of the pan to prevent oil from splattering once the pan is heated, but sometimes the bottom of the pan is still wet, leading to a loud hissing sound once I put it back on the hot stove top.

Is this damaging in any way? The sound by itself sounds harmful, but I'm not sure if it really is. (To the pan or the stove top).


texts: How to remove dirt from inside green/spring onions?

texts:
I love spring onions (I believe they're called green onions in the US); I use them in salads and to add flavor.

The problem is, whenever I get them from the supermarket, they're filled with dirt.  No matter how much I wash them, and spray water inside the little stalks, there is always a considerable amount of dirt inside.

I'm a little bit confused as to what I'm supposed to do with this.

Is there a way to clean the dirt from the green section, apart from doing something nutty such as cutting open each stalk?

Or are you supposed to just eat the dirt?


texts: How do you test a cake or brownie with a toothpick?

texts: When it comes to the toothpick test for checking cake and brownie doneness, where do I poke the toothpick?


texts: Urad dal used whole in thoran/rasam - how to correctly prepare?

texts: South indian recipes often seem to call for adding dry/rinsed raw urad dal (or even bigger pulses) straight into the oil with the spices at the beginning, or adding them into a tadka that is added later .. as expected, naively following that advice often leaves some or all of them very hard/crunchy/sometimes inedible in the finished dish. Is there a soaking/parboiling method that should be used and that recipe writers tend to assume you know to employ, and/or are there rules of thumb how the dish being cooked must/must not be treated after adding the raw dal or tadka to avoid such errors?


texts: Will a small "breather tube" on my bottles harm the oil/vinegar/liquor inside?

texts:
I have several glass bottles with speed pourers like this:

I am thinking of using these bottles to hold my oil/vinegar/soy sauce/etc as well as liquors for my home bar, for efficiency of pouring as well as consistency.

The bottles have a green plastic cap. But it doesn't cover the small "breather tube" or air hole (1mm diameter). For example, if I hold a capped bottle upside down, a few drops come through that tube. I don't know if it is a simple tube or not. Over a period of weeks/months, would this open air hole expose the liquids enough to affect the taste? Or is this so minor it will hardly make a difference?

(This website says that fruit flies can get in through the breather hole, but I wonder if that is a concern with my 1mm holes.)


texts:
It bugs me that I've just sort of self-taught a method of turning a whole onion into a nicely diced pile. I'm going to assume my method is inefficient and wasteful.

Could someone explain how I should be dicing a whole onion?

Unusual and clever methods also appreciated!


texts: How can I control ice crystal size in home made pure juice lollies

texts:
With the recent hot weather we've been getting through so many Ice lollies (popsicles) that we have started making our own.

We are primarily using freshly squeezed orange juice (with bits *8') and freezing them in a frost free freezer regulated to -18°C.

Comparing them to the '100% juice' lollies we have been buying, they taste better but don't have quite the same texture when you bite into them.

In the commercial lollies, the ice crystals run in lines which radiate out from the central axis of each lolly. With our home frozen lollies, the ice crystals are randomly arranged in every orientation.

Answers to What stops commercial ice lollies from being rockhard? suggest changing the amount of sugar, or adding glycerin, pectin or gelatin.

I'm not sure whether adding more pectin would help, given that it's freshly squeezed orange juice that we're freezing, and the other suggestions aren't acceptable as we don't want to add any more sweeteners, and we want our lollies to be vegetarian, so no steak dipping† here.

So, how do commercial freezers get this nice smooth, radiative arrangement of ice crystals without additives, and can I replicate this at home?

I presume that this is, in large part, a process control issue, with specific cooling profiles needed to get the ice crystals to form in a consistent way.

† Steak Dipping: What my partner calls the act of needlessly making something non-vegetarian by adding something for which there is a vegetarian alternative.


texts: We are setting our hot air oven 130 degree Celsius.Unfortunately oven was fired and all the products (wheat flour) are burnt.What is the reason for this type of fire?


texts: Trying sous vide techniques with an induction cooker

texts:
I have a Nu-Wave induction cooker and the normal pans, and I want to try to use it as a sous vide cooker for steaks.  I plan to get it going with the steaks and then move on to everything else, finishing with searing the steaks at the very end, right before serving.

The nu wave has a digital control that goes up or down by 10 degree increments (farenheit).  from other experience I have found that it maintains the temperature very consistently and accurately.

Since I will not be using a more pricey rig, I know I will have to make sure to occasionally stir the water bath.  I'm not going to try to rely on convection.

Before I plunk down the cash for some good steaks, will this work and what things am I overlooking?

Any advice to prevent me botching this would be greatly appreciated.


texts:
Making turkey gravy - the recipe says to not use the liver. How can I identify the liver from the magical bag of turkey bits?

I ended up with 4 things. The first looked like 2 organs connected by some sort of tendon. The 2nd was more firm and sort of bean shaped - a little bigger than the first digit of my thumb. The last 2 looked like they might be the same thing - dark red (I would say "liver colored" but they are all this sort of darkish red color), kind of flat, with tear drop shapes on one end.

Still need to find the neck - I know what that looks like - hopefully it's in this bird somewhere.


texts: I bought some buckwheat groats recently. These are from a different source than where I normally get them, and I notice that these have a slightly grassy smell both before and after cooking. The other brand has a nuttier smell. They don't taste bad, but I want to see if this is normal and make sure there is nothing wrong with this batch of groats. I soak the groats overnight and then make them in a pressure cooker. Thanks for any tips!


texts: Make existing cheesecake recipe chocolate?

texts:
I have a cheesecake recipe that I have used many times, and absolutely love. I also love chocolate. So I was thinking, why not combine the two? There are plenty of recipes out there for chocolate cheesecake. My concern is that these are all new and different recipes to me, and while there is nothing wrong with that, I was wondering if I might be able to simply use the recipe I already know?

My thinking was that I would melt some semi-sweet chocolate and mix it into the batter, perhaps with a dash of chocolate extract as well to enhance the chocolate flavor. Is this a reasonable approach? or would the addition of the melted chocolate change the consistency/character of the batter such that it wouldn't work, perhaps not setting up properly or something? Would there be any caveats I should be aware of, or adjustments I would need to make for it to work?

Apparently (according to comments) the specific recipe makes a difference, and the technique can't be generalized to cheesecakes in general, or baking in general. As such, here is the recipe I use. Nothing special, it's just one I know works and produces results I like. It actually came from the box of cream cheese originally:

  1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  3 Tbsp. sugar
  3 Tbsp. butter, melted
  5 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
  1 cup sugar
  3 Tbsp. flour
  1 Tbsp. vanilla
  1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
  4 eggs

  Heat oven to 325°F
  Mix crumbs, 3 Tbsp. sugar and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 min.
  Beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.
  Bake 1 hour 10 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours.


texts: How can I get my flavorings to flavor my carnitas all the way through the pork?

texts:
So, I've been trying for a while to mimic taqueria carnitas at home with my slow cooker. I initially tried a recipe that had you put some water in and then cook in its own juices, with seasoning; that was good, but it was a bit dry, and the seasoning all stayed on the outside.  since there were multiple options for what recipe to use, I asked the folks at the tacqueria I go to which recipe they use, and they said they use oranges and milk. So I tried a couple different recipes with those properties, and they still only flavored the outside. So I tried experiments with submerging it in lard - an experiment each with spices smeared over the meat, then with them mixed into the lard. Still only flavored the outside. I tried using more of the spices; that was good, but it was emphatically not the right thing.

So for comparison, what I'm trying to reproduce - the carnitas from the tacqueria - is pretty subtly flavored, and notably, basically does not taste like pork at all. It pretty much tastes like milk flavored pork. Furthermore, it's super moist all the way through but it's as though it's moist with milk - when you cut into it, the runoff from inside looks like milk mixed with a small amount of pork fat. and it looks grey most of the way through, with only small spots of pink, whereas mine look pink in the middle.

My current hypotheses:

they might be using a pressure cooker or deep fryer rather than a slow cooker
they might be marinating it with milk
they might be adding the milk afterwards
they might be shredding it then cooking it further (seems unlikely, they often give me large chunks)
they might be using better meat (mine is the cheapest pork butt/shoulder I can find)
they might be cooking it in a smaller pot, as described as beneficial on serious eats (but I already tried packing my slow cooker with meat and nothing else and it was exactly the same)
they might be using a completely different spice mix than cumin and oregano (but I can hardly taste any spice in theirs at all, whereas it's always obvious in mine, so they're at least doing something to blend it in better)
they might be using more milk than I am (I'm using a cup for 3lbs to 7lbs of pork, they might be going as far as to submerge it)
they might be using a meat tenderizer
they might be cooking on a much higher heat
they might be using more orange than I'd expect, maybe marinating in orange tenderizes such that milk soaks through?

I don't have any pictures of theirs, unfortunately.


texts:
My question is if I can use calcium propionate as a preservatives for cakes. I've read that e281 would be better, but is it ok if I use calcium propionate instead? What would happen? How long is the shafe life of a cake with calcium propionate, eggs, flour, etc.
Thanks
Jake


texts: I have several large sassafras trees that I would like to use for flavoring. What part of the tree is used? How is it prepared? How is it used?


texts: Preventing Noodles from Sticking to the pot

texts:
I have been having this problem with my macaroni and I'm hoping that I'll finally be able to find an answer here!

I make my noodles in a pot on the stove. But I find that a lot of my noodles are sticking to the bottom of the pot. This severely complicates the pot cleaning process - plus it is hard to make sauce in the pot when there are noodles stuck there...
Anyone know why this happens and how it can be prevented?


texts: If I shun molasses and sugar, can I still copycat Outback Steakhouse's bread?

texts:
Outback Steakhouse doesn't unveil the recipe for their bread, but Copycat Version of Outback Steakhouse Bread Recipe lists

  Ingredients

  3 packages dry yeast
  1 1/2 cups warm water (divided)
  1 tablespoon sugar
  1/2 cup dark molasses
  1 tablespoon salt
  2 tablespoons neutral oil (vegetable or canola)
  2 cups rye flour
  2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour

What happens if I must eschew the sugar and molasses for medical reasons? I don't care if the color changes.


texts: How to make the best of tough meat while camping?

texts:
The problem is my buddies like to buy cheap steaks to take camping (usually from the 5 for $5 bin), then they hand them to me like I could work some miracle other than adding cracked pepper and trying not to overcook them on an open fire.  I'll leave the result to your imagination.

Is there something I could do or add to this meat to make it less tough, but also something I could do while camping and having no access to a kitchen?


texts: Does store bought barbecue sauce need to be heated/cooked before consumption?

texts:
I have been thinking about buying barbecue sauce to use as a condiment (to use as a dipping sauce). A local store has many different brands, such as Jack Daniels and others.

Is it safe to consume this sort of pre-made barbecue sauces uncooked (similar to e.g. ketchup or mustard)?

(None of the bottles say that the sauce needs to be heated up before consumption but I thought that I better ask here.)


texts: I made strawberry jam and bottled and sealed using wax discs. I'm planning on selling the jam but scum has formed on top. If I open the jars they will have to be refrigerated and won't last. Is there anything I can do to save my jam without opening them?


texts:
I'm working through a pizza dough recipe, and one of the instructions is to use oil on the worktop to stretch and fold the dough:

  Oil the worktop once more, dimple the dough out into a rectangle, then pull one side of the dough out and fold it back in upon itself. Do the same with the other side, then rotate the dough through 90 degrees and repeat the dimple, stretch and fold steps once more.

Now currently to do this, I'm using olive oil which is my standard at home oil... however, this is much to the consternation of my girlfriend, which I can understand and if I continue with this recipe I'm going end up wasting a lot of olive oil on work surfaces

Is there a cheaper oil that I could use for this and also other bread baking?


texts: What is a close alternative to Graeffe brown sugar?

texts:
Maybe it's because I'm Belgian and grew up with the Graeffe brown sugar, but I've always found it superior to the hard/crystalline brown sugar you find in stores in the US. Is there a brand close to the Graeffe one that comes close or do I have to order it from Europe?

Here you can find a picture of said sugar (on the left; the right is granulated sugar, for comparison).


texts: What is the use of this device? Perhaps a potato masher?

texts:
It has holes on the bottom as well.
Please inform me of all the uses (and the name of) this tool.


texts: What is the difference between a Dutch Pot (Dutchie) and a Potjie?

texts:
I think about buying a Dutch Oven. As this is mainly - and as the name says - an oven, I think also about buying a pot to cook in the fire/coal. After some research I found

a) a Dutch Pot, also called a Dutchie (which is mainly used in the caribbean, take a look here) and b) a Potjie (which is mainly used in South Africa).

They look different and I have the impression that they do also "work" different in a way I cannot specify (and there is not so much information about Dutchies in the web). So can anyone explain me the difference between these two?


texts:
Whenever I go to a BBQ and sausages are cooking, the chef will always prick the sausages while they are cooking. I have no idea what this does, I assume it's to get the fat out, however I recently read that you should never prick sausages as it results in them being dry inside?

So my question is, should I prick sausages with a fork or knife during cooking?


texts: Can I turn a can of red kidney beans into red bean paste for Japanese Style Red Bean Paste Buns?

texts: I have a can of Red Kidney Beans, and I want to use it to make Japanese Red Bean Paste Buns. Looking online, I found that these buns require Azuki Beans for the paste, not Kidney Beans. Is there a way to turn Kidney Beans into a replacement for Azuki Beans?


texts: Preserving oil and lime based dressing for resale

texts:
I make an oil and lime based dressing that everyone loves and says I should sell. I am having a hard time finding out the requirements to safely preserve the dressing for resale. There has to be a method or there wouldn't be oil and vinegar dressings on store shelves.
I don't want to contact a manufacturer/distributer yet because I'd like to see how well it does on a small scale at farmers markets before I pay  manufacture/distribution costs.


texts: What should be the tooth of banana pudding pie?

texts:
Last night I made a vegan banana pudding pie for Pi Day, and despite the quality of the pie as a pie, I was left wondering if I had gotten the pudding texture right. I had anticipated something a bit looser, though gelled. This was next to Jell-O, and when you put your fork through it to take a bit it pushed out the banana underneath, or wiggled off the crust.

I was expecting something more like bannoffee pie, or a more giving texture. The cookbook refers to this as "a take on the Southern Classic;" so perhaps we Yanks are accustomed to wimpier pudding pies? I don't know if it was the recipe or the technique;

The composition was a half cup of corn starch in a slurry with a half cup of soy milk. The recipe calls to bring 1 1/2 cup soy milk, 3/4 soy creamer, and 1 cup granulated sugar to a simmer; stir the slurry and add to pot, whisking for five minutes. Then you add the pot to a bowl with 1 tablespoon earth balance, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, whisking until cool (put bowl over cold water).

As I do not have a nylon whisk, I had to use a small, heat-proof flat spatula to whisk in the pot. Per prior experience with corn starch slurry, I gradually poured it in while stirring instead of "adding" it. The pudding was not cold, but the recipe indicated this would take about ten minutes, as opposed to the three or four it actually took.

First, how would one describe the proper texture of a banana pudding pie's pudding; what similar recipes have a similar stiffness, texture, tooth?
Second, were my expectations wrong, or my recipe and technique?
Last, could I tweak the amount of corn starch, or perhaps substitute in part or whole a different thickener to get a more appropriate, giving tooth?

Is it perhaps that the problem wasn't that the pudding was too gelled, but that the crust didn't give enough traction (crumb'ed oreos and 4 tablespoons earth balance melted and pressed into the shell and par-baked 10 minutes), or perhaps the bananas were too few (three small on a 9" shell) or should have been cooked somewhat?


texts:
What is the science behind soaking pulses? Any way to measure if soaking is complete/done well?

What is fermenting of pulses do? What is the science behind it?

Is it better to soak or ferment pulses? Are they comparable or totally different?

I just know about soaking green gram & chick peas before cooking. I was told that if its starting to froth on the top, its too much time and will effect the pulses. I just heard of fermenting soybeans and there to properly ferment, you have to wait till it froths.


texts: i have a mist twst can case but the date on the bottom of it shows dec 19 2016

texts: i brought a mist twist 355 ml soda can case. But the date on the bottom of it shows December 19 2016, i could not know if it is an expiration date or manufacturing date and kindly let me know if i still can drink it.


texts: Which method of preparation would produce a more tender and juicier steak, grilling or broiling?

texts: I do not have an outdoor grill but would like to make steak. I just bought a grill pan, and I have an electric oven with a broiler setting. Between these two methods which would produce the more tender and juicier steak if I have an already tender steak like Filet Mignon?


texts: How can I grind sesame seeds in my coffee grinder better?

texts:
When I grind sesame alone or with flax seeds, I can see that many of the sesame seeds are not ground.

When I grind several things together including sesame, flax seeds and mixed nuts, like walnuts, almonds, and cashews, the powder becomes more stuck together, and I can't see unground sesames.

Does the second way indeed grind sesame seeds finer or are the unground sesame seeds hidden in the powder?

My coffee grinder is KRUPS F203 Electric Spice and Coffee Grinder with Stainless Steel Blades, 3-Ounce, Black:


texts: Is there a faster/less messy way to stuff manicotti/canneloni?

texts:
I've had all the ingredients for stuffed manicotti sitting around in my kitchen for the past 2 days but keep putting it off because I absolutely dread the whole stuffing process.

I usually start off using a spoon but quickly give up on that and resort to my hands instead.  It usually makes a mess of my hands and the counter top, and every so often I have to throw one out because it broke.

I keep thinking that surely a fancy Italian restaurant is not going to have a cook sitting there stuffing individual tubes.  I actually thought of using a piping bag but I'm pretty sure that the stuffing is just too thick and heterogeneous (it's usually a cold mixture of ricotta, shredded cheeses, onions, herbs, and an egg).  That's about the limit of my imagination with respect to stuffing techniques.

So, does anyone know one or more ways to reduce the tedium or mess?


texts:
In Australia, shredded beef is not something you can buy easily. I haven't seen it anywhere except in restaurants.

I would like to know how I can make my own restaurant quality shredded beef; the same kind that appears in "Mexican" restaurants. Please also provide information on which cut of beef I should be using along with the process.


texts: What is the American measurement equivalent of 3см.л in Russian

texts: on a package of seasoning from Russia for Rice Pilaf, it suggests using 3см.л per 900 grams of rice. What would those measurements translate to in American measurements? I've seen translations for ct.L but not cm. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


texts: Which oils or fats make the crispiest roast potatoes?

texts: Which oil or fat is the best option for crispy on the outside fluffy on the inside roast potatoes?


texts:
I recently purchased a bamboo cutting board and it's shedding fine splinters of wood.  Is there a way to clean this off or did I buy a bad quality board?

I've tried washing it but water doesn't seem to rinse off the fine splinters of wood very well.  In fact, the water makes the fine splinters of wood stick!


texts: How do I brown nuts without burning and without taking forever?

texts:
Whenever I roast nuts (walnuts, sesame, ...) to add to dishes, I either choose a very low oven temperature and then it takes far too long, or I use a very high temperature and I struggle to get them just golden, without getting any higher notes of oil that reached the browning point.

What is the right temperature and the range of duration to obtain strong tones of roasting in nuts? Is this different for different nuts?


texts: How to clean an octopus - and is it worth it

texts:
I've bought an octopus from my fish monger, but, when I asked if he could clean it, he openly admitted he's never done octopus before and doesn't know how. Well, neither do I but I've taken it on myself. This is clearly a poor decision, I don't even like gutting fish!

I'm reading up on this, and a certain website says the following

  Octopus must also be cleaned, so you may want to ask your fish monger to do it if you're uncomfortable doing so yourself. Hold the head under running water to simply remove and discard the ink sac, stomach, and eyes. Then use a sharp knife to cut out the beak, which is found at the bottom of the head

I'm very lost with this statement; it seems like the article suggests by holding the head under water, everything will just fall away (doubtful otherwise it would have a rubbish time being a sea creature!). Has it glossed over the 'how' because it's very difficult?

More reading on other sites suggests that the head is very gelatinous and the vast majority of meat/flavor is  from the arms.

So, based upon my own research (if it is correct), is it worth cleaning an octopus (and if so, can some one explain how) or would I be better off just chopping the head off (and removing the beak) and discarding them, keeping just the legs/arms?


texts: Flavor difference between marzipan and persipan

texts: I know that persipan is a cheap substitute for marzipan, using apricot or peach kernels in place of almonds. How do the flavor profiles of these two food items differ? Is marzipan really "better" in some sense than persipan?


texts:
I've recently started adding beans to my diet to get more fiber. I've never been a fan, but it's better than the alternative. I've also discovered refried variations, which helps a lot.

What I'm looking for is some kind of bean that isn't as "fibrous" or "dry" as the red kidney beans I've been trying. Are there different tastes? Different textures? Any beans considered "safe for beginners"?


texts: Resources that explain the science of cooking?

texts:
I have been cooking for a while now, but its mostly what I picked up watching others cook. Now, I am an engineer by profession, and it seems there ought to be a reason for cooking food the way it is done.

I'm curious to understand the science of what's actually happening in cooking. Why it is that everything actually works the way it does?

What resources are there (books, websites, tv/video series) that explain the science behind cooking, as opposed to the art and trial-and-error process that it actually is in practice?

Note: new answers should be added to the existing community wiki answer. They should keep to the existing format: explain what the book is about, your general impressions, pros and cons, scientific depth, etc. No need for a full-page review but please explain your suggestion.


texts: My family has been trying to get away from using yeast.  So I've been experimenting with using baking powder and baking soda as a leavening agent in my bread loaves.  Our first loaf was very salty!  I don't see why you would need salt in the bread especially when baking soda and baking powder has such a salty base/flavor.  I have had other loaves that resulted in less saltiness, but then I run the problem of it not baking properly being doughy in the middle no matter how long I bake it.  I'm not certain if my loaves are too big and using the baking powder/soda is resulting in the necessity of smaller loaves.  Hope this is enough info for some help please??


texts:
I know of "boar taint," which describes an unpleasant taste in the meat of non-castrated pigs.  Which left me wondering more broadly: Are there other animals whose meat (from an animal of the same age on the same diet) tastes different depending on whether it came from a male or a female of the species?

And if that depends on conditions, as it does with pork, please note such.


texts: Will I damage a plastic bowl with a marble pestle?

texts: The title should say it all. I have a pestle but lost the mortar that belonged to it and wonder if I can use it with my ol' plastic bowls.


texts: How to mimic Giordano's Pizza SAUCE? (Part 2)

texts:
I am trying to mimic Giordano's pizza at home, as stated in part 1 I need to learn how to make both the crust and the SAUCE. I think I can manage the rest...

I am looking for advice on how to make a pizza sauce to mimic Giordano's.

I can make a 'pretty good' pizza sauce, but I can't seem to get the seasoning quite right to match Giordano's. I would call garlic the most pronounce flavor, but I can't seem to meter the seasonings 'just right'. In my attempts the garlic either overwhelms the flavor or is not as pronounced as I think it should be.


texts: What can I subsitute for Aluminum foil in the oven? I am allergic to Aluminum

texts: I am allergic to Aluminum and have always had a problem with what else I can use to line baking dishes or pans in the oven and toaster oven. Can you give me an idea of what else might be oven proof for this use? I used to just leave it and scrub like mad but now my arthritis is too bad for that.


texts: Fresh tomatoes for home-made pizzas, is it worth it?

texts:
I figured fresh tomatoes would be the best choice for making a tasty pizza sauce, so I bought like 8 kg of fresh Roma tomatoes as I found a good price opportunity, to make jars.  I already made a try a few months ago and it was a disaster, way too watery, but this time I planned on either draining tomatoes or removing seeds and gel/pulp before cooking them.

However now I'm starting to wonder if it's worth wasting my time again.  Indeed reading more on the web it seems that canned tomatoes are much more suitable for a tasty pizza sauce than fresh tomatoes.  Add to that that I'm not sure how mature the tomatoes are and should be and that in any case I'm not going to keep the fire below the pan for 5 hours or more, and the following question seriously pops up : is it really worth my time ?

Keep in mind that we're talking of home-made pizzas, I don't own a wood-fired oven myself, mine goes only up to 250 °C, so arguments for professional pizzas baked in 2 minutes may not apply.


texts:
I really like the taste and texture of red lentils and I've been cooking them (sometimes together with rice) as a side dish or as part of the main dish.

However, I wondered if and how you would go about frying them. I'm thinking that maybe the straightforward way of just throwing them into hot oil wouldn't work if they're raw, right? So do I have to soak them beforehand? Should I cook them first?


texts: Does heavy cream "go further" than light cream or milk in soup

texts:
I know the chief difference between light and heavy cream is the amount of fat in it. What I'm wondering about is the flavor. The fat will give it texture, but I'm not sure that in a soup it would make that much of a difference. When I'm searching for substitutions online the answer is along the lines of "Sure! Just use that ____ instead!" but that's not exacty what I'm asking for. High cholesterol runs in my family and I very much would like to use a lighter cream when possible, but that isn't always possible. I don't always have it, and I'm not in a position to run out and get some, like just now when I had a pot on the stove and it's late at night.

So the question is, will the flavor be the same if I use, say, a 1:2 substitution for heavy to light cream. That is, can I use half as much and still get the same flavor?

This is a general question, but if you want a specific example, I was making a potato, kale and sausage soup.

Also, know that I make my soups more like stew, with very little in the way of "free" liquids.


texts: I was looking at mantou recipes (mantou is a fluffy Chinese bun), and the recipes were remarkably similar to bread except less proofing and using milk instead of water. If I were to make regular bread with milk instead of water, what would happen?


texts: Fish always giving bitter/unpleasent taste/smell

texts:
When I make fish in a soup(no ingredients, just water, salt and fish) I notice the soup water tastes bitter/unpleasent and I stop eating it.  This can happen with any fish - it's the same taste and smell.

Sometimes when I cook whitebait from from frozen(which was apparently frozen at sea) that too can get this nasty smell.  I've recently been buying line caught mackeral which isnt old and it doesnt usually have the same problem(above smell and taste doesn't occur), note I usually eat it within 2-3 days.  However the other day on the second day I boiled the mackerel for a while and the same stink and taste happened.  I imagine the prolonged boiling caused the issue to prop up.  On the 3rd day from the same batch of mackerel I didnt overcook the mackeral and the smell didnt come.  This tells me it may be something in the way i'm cooking which is causing the issue.

Do you know what it might be and how I can prevent it?
Are frozen or small fish more likely to have this problem and if so why?

Do you know what the smel//taste might be and how I can prevent it?  I especially notice it consistently appear when I cooked sardines, whitebait, anchovies and other small fish though mackerel can get it as in the example I gave.

Thanks


texts:
I just finished a burger that I got at a local butcher/deli.  The burger was half ground chuck and half apple wood smoked bacon.  It was delicious.  The only problem I have with it is that it was very salty.  I do not know if the butcher added any additional salt, but assuming he did not, how would go about making my own version of a half ground chuck/half ground bacon burger less salty?  This is assuming all of the salt is coming from the bacon.

There was also a slice of American cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo on it.


texts: Can I blend high-protein (baking) flour and 00 flour to approximate plain (AP) flour?

texts:
The high-protein flour has 11.5% protein — the 00 flour has unknown protein content. I understand that "00" is a statement of the flour's grain size and not its protein level, but I assume that there's a normal range or expectation for the protein content of 00 flour.

So, would it be suitable to blend the two in some proportion to obtain something substitutable for AP flour?


texts: I went to the supermarket to buy the sugar cookie dough already in sheet form but didn't find it can we use pie crust to make cookies


texts: Are the white dots mould or part of the bread?

texts:
The bread is called Malted bread, 9/10 I see this I believe it’s mould but does anyone actually know if it’s actually part of the bread or not? Top right corner.

Thanks.


texts: Flat cookies when baking with milled grains

texts:
I've made whole wheat chocolate chip cookies from Good to the Grain many times with King Arthur Flour's whole wheat flour and they come out great.  http://food52.com/blog/9497-kim-boyce-s-whole-wheat-chocolate-chip-cookies

When I mill hard red wheat and use it in the cookies (from finely milled to coarse) I get flat, barely edible cookies.

Anyone know why this happens and how I can fix it?

Edited to add:
With the King Author wheat flour I use a 3T cookie scoop and the cookies flatten slightly and then raise. They have a slight crunch to them.

Using the milled flour and the same cookie scoop they at least double in diameter, do not raise much, and are very flat.  They are really hard to bite and can only be eaten when dunked in milk.

I wish I had pictures, but the times I tried making them I didn't think to take any.


texts: How do cooks prepare risotto in a restaurant?

texts:
I'm not looking for a Risotto recipe. I make a pretty nice risotto, thank you very much.

But, making a risotto takes about 20 minutes.   It seems unreasonable to me that a cook would start from scratch in a restaurant.

So how do they do it?  There must be some pre-cooking involved, and then it's finished off when ordered in about 5 minutes.


texts: How do you get garlic to stick to green beans?

texts: When sautéing green beans (or snap peas, asparagus, etc) in butter with garlic, how do you get the garlic to stick to the beans?? I've tried varying the amount of butter up and down, and I've even tried adding corn starch, but nothing seems to get it to stick like I've seen in restaurants.


texts:
When I'm cooking chicken, steak or fish, I normally sprinkle on the spices first and then add the oil. Is this the right order, or would it be better to add the oil and then the spices? Also, does it make a difference if I rub in the spices as opposed to just sprinkle it on? What I'm aiming for is to try and have the spices stay on and not get rinsed off from the oil, or the juice seeping out of the meat.

I noticed some recipes actually say to add the oil onto the chicken. Does it matter if the oil is added to the meat or the pan? If relevant I usually use extra virgin olive oil and grape seed oil.


texts: Is it safe to eat raw, soaked grains and seeds such as buckwheat?

texts:
I was wondering about the safety of frequently eating grains or seeds that have been soaked overnight, but not cooked. I'm thinking about buckwheat, barley, spelt, rye...

Soaking in water with a bit of vitamin c or apple cider vinegar should reduce the phytic acid content enough. Is there anything else that would be of concern ?


texts:
Is turmeric known to have any binding properties?

Wikipedia doesn't mention anything, and a google search only relates to iron binding properties of turmeric or similar health benefits.

A few days ago I made a curry (a Madras variant), and put the turmeric, as recommended by an Indian friend (I normally put it when creating the curry paste itself), in the latter stages of the cooking process. The curry was at that point not boiled down enough, but with the addition of the turmeric, the curry bound (binded?) in a similar way to adding flour.

(Sneak side question if the answer is "No, it doesn't": Should You / Why Should You add the turmeric only in the latter stages?)


texts: What is the best way to store potatoes that were already cut?


texts:
How can I master the oven temperatures at which to cook things and corresponding cooking times without having to remember them specifically for each dish? Are there some charts anywhere on the internet, for instance in gif format?

Thanks.


texts: I have seen many people having problem with dry clumps of brown sugar, while I am having a problem of wet clumps of brown sugar. The sugar is in very moist clumps. Is there a way to dry it out to make it easy to work with as other dry minerals?


texts: When you simmer certain spices in fat and water, where do the spices/nutrients go?

texts:
I'm referring to ingredients like cumin, coriander and tumeric.

If you have a fat and water mixture, both the fat and water will seperate i.e. fat moves to top.  Will these ingredients and their minerals concentrate in the fat or dilute in the water?


texts: Why do Injera recipes call for adding boiling water or cooking down tef with some water?

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Very often in Injera recipes you will see step toward the end of the process, right before cooking that involves cooking some Tef flour with some water and then mixing that into the batter. Can anyone explain what this step is for?

The rough recipe I'm thinking of works like this (also see here:

1) Mix equal parts Tef sourdough starter and Tef flour. Let that ferment for some days.
2) (optional) Mix some more Tef flour into the dough (1 cup) and then wait again.
3) Mix 1/2 cup Tef with 1 cup water in a pot and cook until it thickens, while whising. Let it cool. Then mix it into the batter.
4) Add water slowly to the batter, while mixing, until it is quite thin. Let it ferment again until small bubble form on the surface. Then it's ready to bake.

It's the step #3 that I'm wondering about.


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I have been working with rice flour to make homemade stuffed dumplings and have been able to improve my current recipe greatly except for one thing. I am stump as to how I can have the dough stretchier.

Currently the way I make the dough is: 2 cups rice flour, 2/3 cups potato starch, 1/3 cup tapioca flour, 1 tbsp flax seeds, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 1 cup of water and 1 avocado (or 47 grams of spinach/1 Korean sweet potato) mixed, 2 tbsp sesame oil, and 1 tbsp olive oil.

So my question is: How can I make this dough have the same stretchy consistency like all purpose flour without using xanthan gum?


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I want to produce kefir at home for personal consumption but I don't know where to find kefir grains. Any ideas?

Some of my friends buy commercial kefirs. Do commercial kefirs in the market have the same quality as the ones produced at home?


texts: How to substitute butter with combination of butter and shortening in cookie/biscuit making?

texts: Sometimes when I bake cookies, they either come out too soft or they become rock hard. I have read somewhere that baking cookies with butter makes is spreadable in the oven and gives it crispy texture, while using shortening makes it firm in the oven and gives it a flaky texture. What if I can use both in any of the cookie recipe replacing it with 100% butter or shortening? I want my cookies to have melting in the mouth and flaky texture.