texts:
There is a "flavor of bubble gum", not only for bubble gum, but also for kids toothpaste and milkshakes.

Is it possible to reproduce this taste in the kitchen?
What ingredients are required?
Are they available to consumers or are they 'commercial chemicals'?


texts: How to use Figaro black olives and store after using? How long they remain good?

texts: I have bought Figaro black olive jar. Want to know how to use and store the olives once opened? And how long do they remain good to use?


texts: Why does canned food expire soon once the can is opened?

texts:
Canned food can maintain 1+ year in good state. However, when you open the can, the countdown starts.

I read it happens because microorganism from the outside reach the inside of the can.

My question is: Is it possible to keep food inside the just opened can free of microorganisms? Maybe moving immediately to an airtight container and take out the needed amount with a cleaned spoon? (If a cleaned spoon still contains microorganism --- why clean it in the first place?)


texts: Bread maker - is this even a collapse or did it not get started?

texts: I have used the machine successfully several times but something went very wrong today. My machine is an Oster. The top surface is powdery and underneath it is as hard as a rock. Almost looks like power was lost part way through. We did hear it operating for quite a while. What went wrong?


texts: How should I use lime leaves when making Thai green curry?

texts:
When making Thai green curry should the fresh lime leaves be torn in to big pieces and then taken out when ready or shredded so that they can be eaten ?

I have found that when I shred them they never quite break down enough to be enjoyable so I am wondering if they are like bay leaves and are only to be used to impart their flavor and not really to be eaten.


texts: How long does maple syrup last in the refrigerator?

texts:
I have bought a biological (as per the label) maple syrup that states:

Limited shelf life in the refrigerator after opening.

The bottle itself is 250mls and says that the portion size is 10ml and the number of services is 25.
My question is: does that mean that it can be consumed within 25 days? I don't really understand what the limited shelf life means in this case.
What should I watch out for to throw it away?


texts: Why is there malted barley flour in all purpose flour?

texts:
A friend and I were puzzled to see "malted barley flour" listed as an ingredient in all-purpose flour and bread flour but not cake flour or any sort of whole-wheat flour. This was the case for every flour brand I checked (two "store" brands and three advertised brands - all U.S. brands). My friend said that would never happen in Hungary.

I looked over the detailed discussion on this site of different kinds of flour and protein/gluten percentages, hard wheat vs. soft wheat, etc., but no mention of malted barley flour.

So I am curious:

What exactly is malted barley flour?
What function does it serve?
About how much of it is included? (like 30%? or more like 1%?)
Do any other countries besides U.S. put this in their (wheat) flour?


texts: Can I use diastatic malt in applications which call for non-diastatic?

texts:
I am interested in a few different applications of barley malt some of which classically would use diastatic malt and some use non diastatic malt.
I’d rather just purchase one malt for everything. Assuming I can find a diastatic malt powder without any added flours is there any reason I wouldn’t/couldn’t use it in a traditionally non diastatic scenario (such as a malted milkshake)? Many sites claim that diastatic is used for yeast growth, not for flavor but if it’s not diluted with added flours to the powder I don’t see why it couldn’t be.


texts: How do you know that the cast iron seasoning does not leach into your food?

texts:
It is well established in the scientific literature that those cooking on stainless steel cookware get a portion of their daily iron intake from the iron in the pan that makes it into the food:

Geerligs, Brabin, and Omari, Food prepared in iron cooking pots as an intervention for reducing iron deficiency anaemia in developing countries: a systematic review, J Hum Nutr Diet. Aug 2003, Vol. 16, Num. 4, pp. 275-81.
Kollipara and Brittin, Increased iron content of some Indian foods due to cookware, American Dietetic Association. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Vol. 96, Num. 5 (May 1996)
Kuligowski and Halperin,
Stainless steel cookware as a significant source of nickel, chromium, and iron, Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. (1992) Vol. 23, Num. 211.

For most people that's not a bad additional nutrient, and those who saw family use a stainless steel pan surviving a lifetime know that the lost steel will not wear a pan out, not even after decades of use.

I'm now giving up on finding a tri-ply skillet whose bottom will remain perfectly flat. Since I cook on ceramic, a cast iron skillet is a good option. I'm hoping this would lead to steaks cooked perfectly evenly.

Suppose I'll use the cast iron skillet for literally just steaks, I'm concerned about the burned fat from the skillet's seasoning that will leach out to the steaks—in analogy with what happens when cooking in stainless steel cookware.

When you cook with cast iron, how do you know that some of the fat from the food you're cooking makes it to the skillet, but never the other way around. How do you know that the burnt pan "seasoning" does not make it into your food? Without some kind of confirmation that the burnt pan seasoning is safe, it would be nice to confirm that this does not occur in even trace amounts?

I'm guessing that deglazing the pan after cooking steaks would only increase the chance of this leaching in the undesirable direction. Hints for safe deglazing are also welcome.

update: A possible litmus test to determine potential leaching is to wipe with a paper towel.


texts: I'd been bought an anodised wok as a birthday present a couple of years back, but recently, when using a honey/mustard marinade, I managed to burn some of the excess marinade, and now can't seem to get the wok clean, not even when putting it through the dishwasher (it is dishwasher safe). What can I do to clean it off that won't affect the anodised coating?


texts: Cleaning brown/gray spots on overheated stainless steel stock pot

texts:
So my roommate forgot about his boiling water and burned one of the pots pretty bad. The bottom is a dark brown/gray with colored spots underneath (electric range).

What are some household remedies to restore the pot? I'm worried that the heat might have changed the properties of the metal (such as annealing).


texts: Using food as a cooking fuel to cook other food?

texts:
I was thinking about it and we use charcoal, gas, wood chips, etc to heat our food; for obvious reasons and since they burn for a long time.

But what if, for example, you set a few steaks on fire and use those steaks to cook a hamburger? Would it improve the taste of the hamburger?


texts: Converting kneading times from machine kneading to hand kneading

texts:
I have previously tried this recipe, and wish to try it again this weekend (recipe follows at end of question).  Since I don't have a mixer, I kneaded it by hand, for longer than the recipe stated, in order to reach the required texture.  It could have been the substitute flour I used, or the fact that it didn't rise enough, or that the environment was too cold for the dough to rise, but the bread didn't work.

I am now wondering - is this recipe particularly intended for making with an electric mixer with dough hook?  Can one convert it for hand kneading?  And if so, is there a rule of thumb for converting between kneading times for electric mixers vs. hand kneading?

Sour Cherry & Walnut Stick (Yotam Ottolenghi, from his 'Ottolenghi' book)
160 ml luke warm water (not higher than 30C)
1.5 tsp active dried yeast
40 ml orange juice
250g country brown flour ("Allinson's country grain brown bread flour or Hovis granary flour) plus extra for dusting
65g buckwheat flour
1tsp salt
50g dried sour cherries
50g walnuts, roughly broken into pieces

(excerpt from method)
Stir the water/yeast in an electric mixer bowl and leave for 10 minutes. Then add OJ, mix, add both flours. Knead for 5 minutes at low speed w/ dough hook until the dough comes together.

Scrape the dough in the bowl, then add salt and knead for 4 miuntes on high. Dough should be smoother and silky. Add cherries & walnuts and mix on medium for one minute.

Knead by hand, turning the dough until you can no longer see the walnuts/cherries and the dough is smooth. Put the dough (shaped into a ball) in a large bowl, covered w/ a damp cloth, for about 1.5 hours in a warm place - or until dough has doubled.


texts:
This question is similar to Honing Steel Forward or Backward, however the answers to that question don't really get to what I want to know.

When honing a knife I see many places online indicate you move the knife into the steel as if you are cutting it (where the knife moves toward the edge of the blade). When I watch Gordon Ramsay's video on how to hone a knife (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBn1i9YqN1k) he moves the knife out of the steel (where the knife moves toward the spine of the blade). This makes more sense to me as the purpose of honing a knife is to straighten out the "bent" edges of the blade... moving toward the edge could further "bend" the blade whereas moving away would only be able to pull the blade back inline.

So the question here is: when honing a knife, do you move the knife along the steel toward the blade or the spine?


texts: Why did the bottom of my stainless steel pan burn during seasoning?

texts: While I was seasoning my stainless steel pan, the bottom turned brown before I added the oil. Why did the bottom of my stainless steel pan burn? Can I remove the stain?


texts: My girlfriend and I are huge fettuccine alfredo fans, so we have  been trying to recreate one of our favorite Italian dishes at home.  The trouble we keep having is thickening the Alfredo sauce without destroying the flavor.  We've tried tons of recipes (this one for example: http://www.cooks.com/recipe/ed5dy8k2/easiest-best-homemade-alfredo-sauce.html) but the trouble we keep having is keeping it thick without destroying the flavor.  When we are finished with a recipe and remove the sauce from heat, it never seems to thicken up.  It just stays a kindof milky consistency and gets cold ):


texts:
I remember seeing somewhere that one could use daikon in place of pasta, but I can't seem to find how one would prepare it.

Have you done this? If so, what should I be aware of when I try it out?


texts: Are MSG and Accent (Seasoning) the same thing?

texts: Can the seasoning Accent be substituted for MSG, for example in General Tso's Chicken?


texts: How should I approach peeling a clove of garlic to get the skin off most quickly?  Is it different if I'm doing a bulb whole?


texts: What to do with wet sourdough mix which was left to proof 10h?

texts:
I followed this recipe and did the stretch and fold three times according to the timings, just that my dough wasn't round enough at the end of the third time. I then left the dough at room temperature for 10h because I left home and when I returned, I got this wet dough with a few bubbles... Not sure how to troubleshoot this, and I'm leaving it in the fridge for now.

Any advice would be much appreciated!


texts:
I live in a country where nutritional yeast is not readily available. I'd like to make it. Anyone know how?

Other forms of yeast, such as baking yeast and brewer's yeast are easily found here. I understand these yeasts are essentially the same organism (Saccharomyces cerevisiae?), so I'm wondering if I can't combine yeast—instant baking yeast for example—with some kind of nutritional base like sugar water, let it ferment, dry it out, and "harvest" it.


texts: I have a large gouda cheese wheel that I need to cut first in half, then quarters etc.  I have seen cheese wheels broken down using a scoring tool and what appears to be a handled wedge tool.  That wedge tool is used instead of cutting.  Does anyone know where I can get these tools or an easier method of breaking down my wheel?


texts: Seasoning won't stick to baked potato chips

texts: I've been trying to make homemade baked potato chips, I have figured out everything, except how to get the seasoning to stick to the chips.  The recipe I'm using, calls for you to toss the chips in a bowl of seasoning right out of the oven. The seasoning is not sticking.


texts: I have leftover tea from last night but it has milk in it. Is it safe to reheat it the next day and drink it? Or should I just bin it?


texts:
I would like to know whether the Bottle gourd and white pumpkin both are same?

I found no answer in googling.


texts:
I had a brie cheese in the fridge and got extra mold built up on the area where it was cut. Note that I had other food getting moldy in the fridge, but those were dark mold. The brie got a white mold, similar the one of the rind.
Is it safe to cut and eat? I'm coming out of a stomach gripe, so would not like to take a risk.
Thank you!


texts: I made white chocolate raspberry muffins the other day after being inspired by these muffins at a cafe near work. They were absolutely delicious (warmed up in a microwave for 5 seconds), however, the only problem was that the raspberries were a little bit too wet inside of the muffins that I made. I used fresh raspberries for it. Should I be using frozen raspberries or what other things can I try?


texts: Can you freeze unbaked cheesecake with cut fresh strawberries mixing in the cheese mixture filling?


texts: Ratio of liquid/glucomannan/xanthan gum for flan or Walden Farms dip

texts:
I'm hoping someone can offer suggestions for what a good ratio of glucomannan and xanthan gum per volume liquid to thicken a flavored liquid(water consistency w/o thickeners) into a result that has a similar consistency either to flan/egg custard or to Walden Farms marshmallow dip, if it's even possible. I'm looking for something that jiggles some but also holds its shape some, and you can scoop spoonfulls of it fairly easily.

3/4 tsp gluc:1/4 tsp xanthan:1 cup liquid gave something that jiggled and held its shape, but was very what I'd call "gummy", and trying to eat it was more like tearing off pieces with the spoon than scooping them; it was pretty elastic. It also formed sort of globs that were kinda separate but kinda attached. I suspect that a better ratio would use less xanthan gum and/or more glucomannan, but I don't really know where to start.

1 tsp gluc:1/32 tsp xanthan:1 cup liquid is good for warm [chocolate] pudding, I've found.

3/4 tsp gluc:no xanthan:1 cup liquid seems to be good for cold puddings that can be poured(don't hold their shape).

If anyone knows what a good starting point for a ratio of these ingredients per amount liquid, I would greatly appreciate the advice.


texts: In Indian cooking, what does it mean when a recipe says "until the oil begins to leave the side of the pan"?

texts:
In many Indian recipes I see the phrase "cook until the oil leaves the side of the pan". For example, this recipe says:

  Add tomato puree and cook until oil leaves the side.

Similarly, this one says:

  [C]ook the gravy until the oil leaves the sides of the pan.

Is this the same as "cook until the oil separates" as described in this other question? Or is it something different? Since the other question talks about the oil leaving the curry/gravy rather than the "sides of the pan", they seem to be different phenomena. Thanks for your help!


texts: Why did mold develop on the top of my sourdough?

texts:
I made some sourdough starter from scratch, using garden grapes, flour and water.  It was wonderful for the first few batches.  Today, I was going to get another bread batch going, and when I looked at the refrigerated starter, there was a good layer of fuzzy mold on top.

Of course, I threw it out.  But was it exposure to unwanted bacteria, or the temperature of my fridge (I kept it in our beverage fridge, which is warmer than our main fridge), or the length of time (two weeks) I let it sit unused that did it in?  Or does homemade sourdough keep less well than what you can get commercially?


texts: How to bake frozen breaded cod without breading sticking to alumnium foil?

texts:
Context: I'm a poor and lazy college student. I have breaded frozen pieces of cod from costco. I like to bake them in my toaster-oven on aluminum foil to avoid having to clean the baking dish/tray. This brand (janes) is the only kind they have at costco and the problem is the center of the breading sort of sticks to the alumnium foil.

How can I avoid this? I've thought about applying a small quantity oil , but rather put the effort and money immediately into trying that, I'd like to consult the experts.


texts: Has there been some change in the varieties of broccoli sold in US supermarkets in the last few years?

texts:
Having eaten broccoli all my life, in the last year or two I have noticed some differences in most any broccoli, either fresh or frozen. The primary differences I notice:

1) There are many small leaves near the top of the broccoli stalks.

2) Often there are stringy parts of the stalk, even just below the florets. Even when cooked they can't be chewed. Seems to be worse on frozen broccoli.

3) Stalks are waxy looking (kind of shiny).

Also I have noticed that it has become quite difficult to find really fresh broccoli. Usually most of what is available is gray on top and the stalk cutting is turning brown.

For reference I am in the western US (Northwest California). The supermarket I shop at is a large national supermarket chain, so the produce could be coming from anywhere. That is why I am wondering if there is another variety out there, especially on the low end side. I have not checked local health food stores (they tend to be pricey) or farmers markets yet.

Could anyone say what might have changed? With all the news about new varieties, imports and GMO's, I am curious if there is something to this.


texts: Why does wind blowing on pretzel dough add a chewy texture?

texts:
One of the steps in this pretzel recipe is:

  Once the dough has risen, place the trays next to a cold window with some wind blowing. A fan can be used if there is no breeze. This develops a skin on the pretzels which gives that special chewy texture.

What does the breeze do to contribute?

Note: This is done before the boiling step.


texts: When adding eggs to scratch cake batter, why are you supposed to add them one at a time?

texts: When making a cake from scratch I have always added my eggs one at a time, mixing in between each, because this is how I learned from my mother. I just can't remember why this is supposed to be beneficial. Does anyone know why this should produce a different result than adding them all at the same time?


texts: Why do stuffed shells recipes include eggs?

texts: I'm making stuffed shells, but I don't have any eggs. All the recipes I can find call for one or two eggs. What is the reason and can I get away without eggs?


texts: I have been eating fresh and brined olives for years. I like the olives with the pits and usually consume the whole pit without removing it. It was recently pointed out to me that this is not a healthy practice, and even though I have been doing this for some time, I began to wonder whether it is 1)abnormal to eat the whole olive, pit and all, and 2) will the pits have a long term adverse effect? I have never met anyone who ate olive pits, and I find the with-pit olives to be the best, so I thought I would ask. Note that I do not grind up and chew the pits, as I am sure that my teeth would not like that!


texts:
These two Chinese recipes call for what they call a beef shank (https://youtu.be/esz2fBMGkPE?t=7 https://youtu.be/318rdUn5uq0?t=12), but the butchers I've asked about beef shanks direct me to cross cut, bone-in cuts like this: https://www.seriouseats.com/images/2015/01/20150118-braised-beef-shanks-daniel-gritzer01.jpg.

If I wanted to request the boneless shank referenced in these video recipes, what should I ask for in an American butcher shop?


texts: What method yields best result for washing breads?

texts:
I've seen many bread recipes and they used different combination as egg-wash. Egg white plus water, egg yolk plus milk, beaten egg plus milk or water, and I myself sometimes give it a sprinkle of saffron ti get a goldener final result. Is it better to use egg white or egg yolk? Milk or water? Do they make any big difference or they are all the same?

The egg-wash I used for these croissants was a beaten egg plus a few drops of milk and a pinch of saffron. But sadly they are not as golden as expected even though I turned on the heat coming from up for a few minutes (oven's temperature: 450F):


texts: How do I fix crystallized butter cream filling made with ghee?

texts:
I made 9 times this recipe for filling Brave Tart's Homemade Oreos.  I made it exactly as the recipe stated, but even after 15 minutes in the stand mixer, it was grainy and chunky, not creamy.  I tried using an immersion blender, but it didn't work at all.  I tried reheating it, and it made it worse.

I probably shouldn't have tried making that much at once, but now I have 1,500 cookies to fill and I hope I can save this filling.  Any ideas?

Here's the recipe (9x the original):
54 oz. unsalted butter (melted, water cooked off and solids strained out)
3 T. vanilla
1 1/8 tsp. Diamond Crystal salt
76.5 oz. confectioners sugar

Strain the hot butter into a stand mixer bowl.  Add vanilla, salt, then sugar.  Beat until creamy (original recipe said for about 5 minutes).
Note:  This is meant to be used warm, as it sets up between cookies and is quite firm.


texts:
I would like to serve a hot garlic mayonnaise (not spicy) ? Is it possible to do that and how ?

Edit : I do not want to make a Hollandaise sauce but a real hot mayonnaise. I had seen that served on the top of a steam fish filet.


texts: Why do you need to heat the pan before heating the olive oil?

texts:
In the Netflix documentary Salt Fat Acid Heat, Samin Nosrat says this when she is making sofrito and she is about to put olive oil into the pan:

  This is one of those important things that I think home cooks always
  forget, is how important it is to pre-heat the pan. You have to heat
  the pan before you heat the oil.

Why do you need to heat the pan before putting the oil in?


texts: What are "fondi di carciofo" called in English?

texts:
I would like to know what the English name is for the Italian word fondo di carciofo as I was not able to find it on the Internet. Basically, carciofo means artichoke and fondo means the bottom part (not the heart which in Italian is cuore, and not the stalk which in Italian is manico, although sometimes the stalk is included with the bottom part and sold together and such combination is very delicious indeed).

So, here is a picture of a bunch of fondi di carciofo from the Internet:

Here is the closest picture I could find on the Internet for the artichoke bottoms with stem, although the stem has been cut away from the artichoke bottoms. Too bad I could not find a picture with both in one piece as in Italy they can often be purchased in such way; next time I go to the market I will take a picture and post it.

Because of the comments that were posted below, I have included a picture of what a cuore di carciofo is in Italy (word-by-word translation: artichoke heart). Basically, it's the inner part of the artichoke with the outer leaves removed. Once cooked, unlike the outer leaves, which cannot be fully eaten as they would not be digested properly, the inner part of the artichoke can be eaten in its entirety once boiled. Here is a picture of cuori di carciofo:

On the other hand, here is the outer part of the artichoke looks like. Italian refer to this as carciofo, but often this is used as a synonym for the artichoke leaves (more commonly known as foglie di carciofo). Italians buy these in the supermarket or at the market and eat the bottom part of all of the outer leaves of the artichoke by scraping them against the bottom teeth once cooked, often dipping them in a little bit of mustard to give them some taste:

And here is a picture of what carciofini (literal translation: little artichokes) are. There are essentially the same as the cuori di carciofo (artichoke hearts), except that this version is sold in a glass jar with olive oil used to preserve them over a long period of time, and can be found in the supermarket in Italy:

That pretty much sums up the whole story about artichokes in Italy.

Anyways, back to my original question:

What's the best/proper way to translate fondi di carciofi into English?

Thanks!


texts: When is homemade wine-based vinegar simply bad wine?

texts: If I am making homemade wine-based vinegar, is there a way to tell if it's just plain soured wine?  One recipe described the process as leaving the wine mixture open for a few weeks - is there a turning point: Vinegar versus bad wine?


texts: What is the "grated yam" in okonomiyaki?

texts:
Wikipedia lists "grated yam" as an ingredient of okonomiyaki. Is it a particular type of yam? Can it be purchased outside of Japan?

== More Info ==
As Mein suggested, I did some more searching on Wikipedia and the internets.

The "yam" in question is Dioscorea opposita or Japanese mountain yam. In Japanese it is known as yamaimo (kanji: 山芋; hiragana: やまいも).

Unlike other yam varieties, dioscorea opposita doesn't need to be cooked before consumption. (Most yams contain harmful substances in their raw state.) The dioscorea opposita still contains "oxalate crystals" in the skin which can irritate the skin.

Image copied from wikipedia

This video shows the yam being grated. I've seen this yam grated before and the grated result was very slimy and gooey.

The grater used for yamaimo is different to western style graters. Oroshigane graters have small spikes on the grating surface.

There may be more than one variety of Japanese mountain yam. I saw a reference (now lost) to a variety with dark skin.


texts:
My wife helps organize a vegetarian community kitchen. She recently had a request for tiramisu-like dessert but there are a number of restrictions:

The time frame of the kitchen means they only have two hours to prepare it before eating (including chilling)
They cannot use raw eggs
No alcohol
No cheese (the woman requesting doesn't eat cheese) but other dairy is okay

My wife would like to try to accommodate the request if possible.

She was thinking replace the traditional mascarpone custard with a mixture of Greek yoghurt and whipped cream (do you think the whipped cream needs to be stabilized with agar agar?).

Does this sound workable (she has never tried this before and is not a professional chef)? If not, is there a better plan, or does this request sound like an impossibility?


texts: My son enjoys the Brie that comes with the cheese plate at Starbucks.  That cheese has a mild aroma.  So I picked up some Brie from the market and it has a strong smell.  Is there a way to prepare Brie to reduce the odor?  Or if I knew anything about cheese would I even try?


texts: Is there any cut of beef that's close to Kobe beef?

texts:
I have had the real thing in Japan and it was fantastic and very expensive. I don't usually eat steak at all. The Kobe beef steak was the first I ate in my entire life. It was very tender and tasty, cooked medium rare. I had it because there was nothing else on the menu I would consider eating.

I live in Canada. I want to know if there is a cut of beef that's available in Canada that's close to Kobe beef quality.


texts: Why would pumpkin pie form a clear custard layer?

texts: My PA Dutch grandma's pumpkin pie always had a thin layer of  custard on the bottom.  We have her recipe but none of us has been able to get the filling to separate... Anyone have any idea what might cause this?  We've experimented with cooking temps, ingredient temps, amount of mixing, beating the eggs more or less etc....  Any ideas????


texts: Why do black olives typically come in cans and green olives typically come in jars?

texts:
Typically pitted ripe (black) olives are sold in cans but green olives and specialty olives (e.g., Kalamata) are in jars.

Is this due to properties of the olives and different storage needs?


texts: Does adding sugar to tomato type sauces affect acidity?

texts:
Many(most?) tomato based pasta sauces have added sugar, it is generally a very small amount. I have always heard this was done to reduce the acidity.

My main question: Does this little bit of sugar increase the pH enough to be noticeable?

Or, is this just to cut the sourness and balance the flavor
(have we come to expect a slight sweetness in our pasta sauces)?


texts:
I know, right? Sounds awesome. Here's what's up:

For Christmas I got one of those do-it-yourself molds for making ice shot glasses.
My idea is pretty simple: Melt chocolate and pour it into the molds and make chocolate shot glasses. I'm thinking maybe try doing some sort of fruit-flavored liquor (as the shot) with it as well.

Any suggestions on how to get started? My instincts tell me that straight melted chocolate that is then frozen / chilled wouldn't set well and the fats would their separate ways and not be good. Should I cut it with cream or milk? I'm most certain a double-boiler for melting is the best way to go and I was considering using semi-sweet baker's chocolate.


texts: Mathris broke as soon as I added it into medium hot oil

texts:
Why did my Mathris break apart (they didn't bind together) while frying?

I was making Methi Mathris-Kasuri using 1 tsp methi, peppercorns, ajwain, salt, cumin seeds, 1 tsp besan

I added quite a lot of oil while kneading the dough


texts: A lot of smoke when using induction stove with any recipe with oil

texts:
I recently switched from gas stove to induction. I tried some recipes I could do well with the old stove. Most of them have oil at high heat. However, when switching to induction stove, any time I tried with oil, there always be a lot of smoke coming from the meat. The bottom is usually burnt while the top is not cooked yet.

I usually set the temperature to 150-200oC and put oil in immediately. Any advice what I should do? Currently I can only cook soup recipes with the induction stove.

EDIT: Sorry I forgot about the oil. I usually use olive oil, but once I tried vegetable and sesame oil too. Still a lot of smoke.


texts:
I need to roast my thanksgiving turkey in the oven.  I also want to make stuffing but not in the bird.  Every recipe I've looked at requires an hour of cooking.  I'm not sure how to make that work.  I have made some microwave stuffing in the past, but you don't get the nice crusty top.

Any ideas?


texts:
First of all, thank you for reading this absolute beginner topic :)

I want to make bread at home. To be specific, I used to live in Germany and ate a lot of this type of bread:

It's called Zwiebelbrot in Germany.

I also have something like this.

For the very very, absolute beginner, what do I really need to make bread at home?
Do I need a bread-maker machine, or is my kitchen already enough for this task?
Are there any tip that you want to give me on my first bread adventure?

RESULT:

First of all, gather all types of stuff from (mamas) kitchen :D

Mix everything youghly, drop an egg on it

In a pan, easily fry some onions

After that, mix everything together, add the onions:

After that, knead everything WILDLY (notice the blur on my head:) :

The final result should look something like:

SUMMARY:

My FIRST try ever to make bread, I'm so proud:)

After that, the raw product was:

The finished product:)

and the grande finale:)

Thank you very much :)


texts: What is the difference in flavor between a fermented pickle and a vinegar pickle?

texts: I'm interested in experimenting with pickling, and I'm wondering what the difference in flavor is between a classically fermented pickle and one made using vinegar.  I've search online, but can't find a clear description.  Many people seem to prefer fermented, but no one ever says why.  I know these thing are hard to put into words, but can anyone give it a go?  I guess I wondering if its worth the extra effort to go the fermented route.


texts:
In the process of making soymilk for drinking it, using it as diary replacement in vegan cooking or preparing tofu, one have to strain the mixture to remove the okara. There are lot of soymilk makers available. Some (like the Soyabella) include a filter so that every steps of the process are automatized. Yet, the most recent makers like the Soyapower PLUS are filter-less, which means one have to filter the milk at hand with a strainer.

Why do they removed the filter in the recent soymakers ? Is it to make the cleaning easier, or does it improve the quality to boil the milk together with the okara ?


texts: What are these small salty peppers from The Cheesecake Factory?

texts:
I recently had a dish at The Cheesecake Factory that had these small salty peppers in it that I really enjoyed. Stupidly, I didn't ask the waiter what they were. I made a mental note to google it later, but so far my efforts have been fruitless (or pepperless).

The dish I had was called "Pasta with Shrimp and Sausage."
Here's a link to their website.

Does anyone know what these peppers are and how I can make/buy them?
Thanks in advance.

Clarification: These peppers were not only salty, but also had a bit of a spicy kick to them. They were small and probably not roasted red peppers because of their size and spicy kick.


texts: Safety of old, unopened bottles of ketchup

texts: I just found two bottles of unopened ketchup dating back several years. One says "Best used by September 19, 2008," and the other says "Best used by May 10, 2010." I think I should throw them both out, but I wonder if there is any chance they could be used in making a barbecue sauce which calls for boiling the ingredients together for 30 minutes. What about in baked beans or other such recipes which are baked? Would that kill botulism or other dangerous organisms?


texts: What's happens at temperatures in both the 'pasteurisation' and 'danger' zone?

texts:
I am new to cooking and even newer to sous vide cooking. I have been trying to find as much information as I can with regards to cooking steak in the sous vide. One thing I am particularly confused by is certain temperatures in the 'danger' zone, between 40f-140f.
I have seen multiple youtube videos and articles stating not to go over a certain cooking time (usually 2.5h) in a sous vide when cooking under a certain temperature in the danger zone (usually 135f). The claim is for food safety reasons. However, I also found a document (by googling 'usda pasteurisation chart') for which it states that at 130f, for example, you can pasteurise or get a significant reduction in salmonella bacteria by cooking for about 2 hours.
I'm really confused by this as it seems to be that there are certain temperatures at which you can achieve 'pasteurisation', but which fall in the danger zone and so should apparently have way more bacteria and food safety concerns. Can anyone explain what's going on in these temperature ranges? Particularly in the 130f to 140f range where steaks are often sous vide?
I've read through this but I'm still not exactly clear on what's happening in this particular case Can I sous-vide meat (at a temperature between 40ºF and 140ºF) for more than four hours?.
Thank you!


texts: How do I impart "extra" flavor with Sous Vide cooking?

texts:
I've been cooking Sous Vide 2-3 times a week for about 10 months now, and I absolutely love it. The control of temperature and time makes for some really interesting possibilities. But, one of the touted benefits of the method is better imparting of flavors during the cooking process, and I'm not getting this at all.

I'm not using a vacuum sealer in my process, instead I'm submerging an open bag in water and letting the partial pressure get all the air out before closing it up. Is this the reason I'm not noticing the additional flavor? Do the muscles in the meat need to be stretched by the vacuum? If that is the case, is a home vacuum sealer sufficient for that? I somehow doubt that a vacuum sealer gets much more negative pressure on the meat than my method. Do I need a chamber vacuum to get the effect?

Or am I just not using the right ingredients in my recipes?

What am I doing wrong? I love my Sous Vide Supreme, but I feel like I'm missing out on a piece of the experience.

Edit:
I tried looking for some of the recipes that I haven't had luck with last night, but because everything is mostly google searches, I couldn't really come up with anything concrete. However some things that haven't really added that extra flavor are: Olive oil, butter, bacon fat, rosemary, thyme, and garlic. Not all at the same time, but in different combinations. A lot of my initial reading was careful to point out that you shouldn't use too much seasoning as the tastes would be much stronger than you were used to. I'm not getting that at all.


texts: How to pound chicken breasts without a meat tenderizer?

texts: I do not have a meat tenderizor. I want to fry my chicken breasts but need to pound out the meat. What can I use instead?


texts: Is it possible to substitute butter with egg yolks in cookie dough?

texts: I would like to know if it is possible to completely replace butter/margarine with egg yolks in cookie dough? Or in any other kind of butter-based dough while we are at it. And, if it is possible to do it, what are the basic principles of such substitution?


texts: I buy things off the street and in markets with no labels. What is this so I can google it?


texts: Should rice be started in cold or boiling water?

texts:
There are two main methods, either putting the rice into water already at boiling point, or putting them in cold water and then putting on the heat.

Which method is the best to cook rice?

Does it make a difference if you add rice to cold or boiling water?


texts: My Bunn coffeemaker has started overflowing at the funnel

texts: We recently moved to Indiana from Colorado.  Our new house in Indiana has a water softener and I have read that soft water can cause Bunns to overflow.  I have not read anything about how this is solved.  I have pulled the nozzle and it was not clogged.  Is it just a matter of getting a different nozzle?  If so, what nozzle do I go with?  Thanks.


texts: Cooking Cauliflower so it doesn't fall apart?

texts:
How do you avoid cauliflower from being so delicate? I cook it and it often falls apart.
I heard there's a way from stopping it from doing this.

P.S. Often we boil it, and cook it with a little of salt and butter; it's just simple and quick.


texts:
This is a new carbon steel wok, seasoned on a gas stove with oil and had one stir fry made in it:

I've seen other posts where advice was given to let the scratches repair themselves over the many dishes to be made. While others said to scrub the whole patina off and redo the seasoning.

In the case here and referring to the condition in the pic; would you scrub/scrape off and redo seasoning? Or just let the fat from all the cooking do the work?

(Also, is it normal to get so dark from just the seasoning alone and one stir-fry? I thought it would take at least a few months to get to this)


texts: What is the best sugar for sweet short crust pastry?

texts:
I am reading an American Pastry & Pies cookbook and they say the sugar granules in sweet short crust pastry stabilize it and recommend using granulated sugar. So does this mean the bigger the sugar grains the better?  I assume there would be a limit to how big you want to use.  I am half American and using my experience of sugar in both countries I will grade what is available here and the US in grain size to help answer the question.

powered sugar/ icing mix - white powder

confectioners sugar / castor sugar - like very fine white sand with tiny separate grains

brown sugar* not raw sugar - small sticky brown grains

granulated sugar - unified small individual white grains

white sugar - cane sugar, most similar to granulated sugar but grains can vary in size and shape depending on brand and processing - white

Raw sugar - large translucent brown individual grains (I have never seen this available in supermarkets in the US and when Australians say brown sugar in their tea/coffee they usually mean raw sugar*)

coffee sugar - big dark brown translucent 3-5mm cubes.

Thank you.


texts: Can I substitute dehydrated veggies for freeze dried in recipes?

texts: I've been looking at pre-made mason-jar meals recently and notice a lot of recipes use freeze dried food. Namely, Cheff Tess' (presumably a spokesperson for Honeyville Foods) meal-in-a-jar mixes. I can dehydrate my own fruits, veggies and spices, and would rather add those to my stored meals than purchased freeze dried food.  Are dehydrated foods equivalent to freeze dried when it comes to cooking? Will I need to modify anything to make this substitution?


texts: How long does parmesan sprinkle cheese last in the refrigerator?

texts: My boyfriend says parmesan sprinkle cheese is bad because it has been in the refrigerator for a long time. But I still use it long past it's date and don't seem to have any problems with it. What do you think?


texts:
Most store-bought stock/broth packaging contains some claim like "refrigerate after opening, and use within 7-10 days". My bottle of clam juice makes no claims whatsoever about refrigeration or shelf life. I know it contains some salt, but I doubt it's enough to preserve it indefinitely.

Since it's basically a stock/broth, I assume it would last about as long as an opened container of chicken stock - just long enough for bacteria to establish their own civilization, complete with a "Salmonella Starbucks" on every suspended particle.

Does anyone know for sure? Can I put an opened bottle back in the cabinet? Will it last a week in the fridge? Should I just pour out any unused juice, because it will spoil so quickly?


texts:
here is my recipe

100g  banana
* 1 egg
* 1 tbsp. corn starch
* 3 tbsp. granulated sugar
* 150ml milk

I use folk to beat bananas. Then put everything together and then strain. then put it on stove and do double bowl. After the sauce becomes thick. It looks like this:

It is not so smooth in texture and when I eat it I can feel something like small fibers from bananas. What technique you suggest me to make it more smooth? I have consider two main ways, first make the fibers to become very very small by using blender. second do not let the finer comes out of the banana by don't beat it too much by using folk.

Should I use blender to make it very very smooth? or I should use folk but beat just a little bit to prevent the finer to come out?

What technique you suggest me? what about the portion of milk and corn starch, is it also effect the smooth or not smooth texture? if I place the bowl too long on stove, is it gonna give bad texture not smooth?


texts: Creating some flakiness inside a Belgian Liege waffle

texts:
I have a pretty good basic recipe for Belgian Liege waffles. Its as follows: 1 egg, 40g butter, 5g salt, 20g sugar, 250g flour, 6g dry yeast, 90ml milk, once the ingredients are combined and the dough doubles in size, add pearl sugar and divide into waffle sized balls and let rest 45min before pressing in waffle iron.

This recipe is pretty good, however from my recent trip to Belgium and the various waffles I ate, one stood out more than the rest where the inside of the waffle was slightly more yellow and the dough was more like flakey/stringy bread on the inside (like challah bread / croissant hybrid). Any idea how I can adjust my recipe to achieve a result that is more like this?

I am thinking along the lines of changing the butter ratio and perhaps adding some egg yolks, but not sure if this will accomplish this.

Also, would substituting milk for water help with this?  and lastly, swapping the 20g sugar for honey?

I appreciate any advice.


texts: How to mix parmessan (or any hard cheese) into oil sauce

texts:
When making sauces from a roux or starchy water (like cacio e pepe), I find it's quite easy to infuse hard cheese like Parmesan into it.

However, is there anything I can do when working with oil-based sauces?

In particular, I'm looking at this recipe.  To sum it up, his sauce is made of:

Olive oil
Butter
White wine
Lemon juice & zest
Parmesan cheese
Reduce by ~half

The recipe was wonderful... but when I added the Parmesan (after the other sauce ingredients and before the pasta is added) as done in the video, it immediately just gunked up and started grouping in a ball the more I agitated it.  After seeing this, I just added the rest of the Parmesan after I plated the dish.

The guy did another weird thing... and that is leaving his shrimp in the sauce while reducing it.  I understand this surly overcooks the shrimp and makes them really shrink and tougher than they should be... so I'm kind of thinking it's maybe best to not exactly follow his steps.

To sum it up... my question is:

Can I add Parmesan directly to this sauce while cooking it... and how?  Will this make my sauce richer, like adding a Parmesan rind to a soup?
Or should I just add the Parmesan to the plated dish after?


texts: Why is my Green Tea Brown but then Green when I reuse the bag?

texts:
I've read the posts about why Green Tea can appear brown, and it makes perfect sense.

However, what I'm experiencing is different.  When I reuse my Green Tea Bags a second time, I get the green color one would expect.  Totally counter intuitive, I know.

Any ideas why this is happening?

Some additional information: The green tea bags I buy are from a local Asian Market.  They are sourced from China, so not likely high quality.  I also do NOT place them in boiled water, but place 8 bags at a time in a gallon pitcher, in the room temperature purified water (reverse osmosis water), and let them steep for 24 hours.  I then refrigerate the tea.  First batch is always brown but the second batch made from the re-used bags is green.


texts: Are there certain kinds of salts that work best for baking (cakes, bread, etc)?

texts:
As there are different kinds of salts which contain different minerals, is there a kind of salt that is better to use when baking?

Does the kind of salt depend on what I am baking?


texts: Should cold turkey and roast beef be heated before putting on the gravy?

texts:
I bought some good quality roast beef and turkey carvery style.  However they are both cold, so I want to add gravy.

I don't know if I should warm the meat before putting the gravy. Another possibility would be just putting over cold meat.

What would be the best to keep it succulent?


texts: Can I use casserole steak instead of braising beef for this Chinese Beef Casserole recipe?

texts:
I can't find braising beef easily, but I do have casserole steak. Are they the same? Would they work the same for this recipe?

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/9646/chinesestyle-braised-beef-onepot


texts: Is Consumer Reports really correct about 6 parts water to 1 part rice?

texts:
There's been a number of news reports recently about possible high concentrations of inorganic arsenic in rice. I heard that Consumer Reports says to cook 1 part rice in 6 parts water to minimise risk:

  "We say to use about 6 parts water to 1 part rice," says Michael Hansen, a senior staff scientist at Consumer Reports. "And then drain off the water after it's done."

What!?!? Are they cooking rice soup? The only way I see that helping to reduce arsenic consumption would be to make the worst tasting rice ever so you don't want to eat it!

For years I have always thoroughly rinsed my rice and let it dry for about 10-15 minutes, brought water to a boil in a small saucepan (just under 2 parts water for 1 part rice) and then added the rice, covered, and cooked on low heat for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes I don't drain anything, I just server the rice. It's always perfectly cooked.

Is Consumer Reports really correct about 6 parts water to 1 part rice!? Would the rice be any good cooked with that much water? If so, would I need to do anything differently?


texts:
I'm making a cake for my daughter's birthday. I'm a bit rubbish with icing and decorating, so I plan to buy some ready-to-roll icing to cover the cake. The problem is that the cake is shaped liked a cartoon character, and I want to colour parts of it appropriately. My question is what is my best approach to colouring this icing? Is it possible for me to knead food colouring into the icing, or should I try something else?

I've did previously try to shop-bought royal icing that I could microwave to a paste then colour, but the overall effect wasn't great (mainly due to my spreading technique!).


texts:
I got a cut from an asian grocery store yesterday that was labeled as Pork Belly, but what I got is this:

That's the top-down view; the cut is under an inch thick. There's a portion in the upper right that looks similar to the fat on pork belly.

What would this cut be called, and when I'm cooking it should I look for inspiration in pork chop recipes, or pork belly recipes?


texts:
Long before the expiration date on my soymilk, I'm having to toss it and buy a new container. I use soymilk only for my morning tea, and it develops this strange metallic and bitter flavor (it may also be astringent, or it might be that it's no longer countering the astringency of my tea, it's hard to tell). When I dumped out the latest such container, it had grainy bits in the bottom as well.

I store it in the door of my fridge, only taking it out in the morning to pour some in my mug; is this not the best way to store it? Is this flavor actually even a result of it going off, or is there some other problem with my soymilk?

The milk in question is Silk Vanilla Soymilk.


texts:
If we make tomato ketchup of 100kg tomatoes.

What would be the procedure to add the gum?
What quantity of gum should be used?

Currently we are using corn starch as a thickener but it does not give the desired result.


texts: Is it possible to improve one's taste palette through practice or other methods?

texts: Good day, this seems more of a biology question rather than a cooking question, however, I don't know where else to ask. My question is simple? Is it possible to train someones tongue to be more sensitive to flavours with practice? I've noticed that my palette isn't that sensitive to flavours at times and I was wondering if there's a way to improve it. It really would help in cooking since I can fine tune my flavours more.


texts:
Some sources seem to suggest that they are not, some suggest that they are but they are treated/processed differently.

I want to know if they are fundamentally the same grain, because they are very similar when prepared.

For reference:

Whole bulgur:

Whole (pearled) barley:


texts: What is the advantage of using buttermilk in baking?

texts:
I would like to know the main advantage of using buttermilk as a hydrator and minor source of fat (1% fat, right?) in baking, over using regular milk or cream.

Since it's a byproduct of producing butter, I would suppose that early peoples developed recipes to use buttermilk solely, instead of remixing it with butter like in most recipes I see online -- though this is just a comment rather than a question, feel free to share any insights.

Backstory is I tried whipping my own butter to use in my cookie recipe. The results were absoutely superior (soft, fragrant cookies), since the butter still has some buttermilk left inside. I was able to produce the same yield whilst holding back one egg from the usual recipe.


texts: How to fully incorporate cream cheese with pumpkin puree?

texts: I have tried to incorporate softened cream cheese with pumpkin puree and it's never fully incorporated - small bits of cream cheese are left in the mix. How can this be prevented? I've tried 2 different brands of cream cheese and these bits happened both the times.


texts:
Sometimes white bread, while initially fine,  after a few days becomes sticky inside  as if its going back to a dough-state, though not quite.  The taste also becomes odd.  Does anyone understand what is happening ...?  Heating/drying it in various ways does not help (e.g. steaming, microwave, toasting etc)

i think i have seen this happen only with the small bakery breads, not the mass market variety...

thanks..


texts: How can I reheat leftovers without a microwave?

texts:
We are swearing off our microwave for our own personal reasons. Aside from running the oven to warm up leftovers are there other appliances or cookware that use less energy to warm food up? We use a toaster oven for some things but it's not practical for everything.

Example: I want to warm up leftover roast and potatoes. The large oven seems like overkill to me. The toaster oven seems to re-cook things and overdo it, or might just be too small. What else could be used to warm that up?


texts: How do I roast beets to easily remove the skins?

texts: Ideally, when roasting beets, the skins should just come right off once they're done and cool. I don't seem to be good at this, though: sometimes they're great, and sometimes the skins are pretty clingy. What should I do to guarantee easy peeling?


texts: What are some flavors that have a strong early presence?

texts:
I've just started using Soylent and I'm in the process of making it more palatable.  Most of the flavors I've tried adding help, but they come in as an aftertaste.

What are some flavors I can try that might come in before the Soylent taste?  Or, is there a way to figure out what kinds of flavors generally do?


texts: How can brisket have separable lean and fat, when it is trimmed to 0" fat?

texts:
The USDA has different calorie amounts for brisket

Lean and fat, 0" fat (1.69 kcal/gram)

Lean, 0" fat (1.37 kcal/gram)

Lean and fat, 1/8" fat (2.78 kcal/gram)

Lean, 1/8" fat (1.29 kcal/gram)

What would be examples of each of the 4 above scenarios?


texts:
I have prepared a big batch of raw turkey patties that I would like to bag and freeze, now the patties are too soft to handle and to put in the bags...

What is the best method of doing this?
I was thinking of putting them on a plate and put them in the freezer unbagged so they harden a little bit, is this a good strategy? Or is there a better way of doing it?


texts: What are these tiny kidney bean sized things in my rotisserie chicken

texts: I was trying to separate the bone and chicken meat to make soup when all of a sudden I see these tiny kidney bean things.literally the same size and everything but it was inside the chicken. Which is a rotisserie style chicken from the store. What are they. I cut into them no weird stuff and im sure they are too small to be the chickens actual kidney. This chicken was way too big


texts: Can I hang cast iron pots and pans to air dry?

texts: I normally use chain mail and warm water to clean my cast iron pan, then dry with a paper towel before stashing away in a cupboard.  If the pans are well seasoned, is there any potential rusting issues with simply hanging them up to air dry?


texts: What is the proper way to use polysorbate to create an emulsion?

texts: I am looking for an emulsifier that will bind my flavouring oil and syrup, but will not destroy the taste. I was told to try  polysorbate 20 and 80. I have mixed the oil and water, and added some polysorbate 80. There is a layer still on top of the syrup that u can't see through, and the bottom 2/3 is cloudy. I can only feel that this hasn't worked. I also thought that polysorbate is supposed to be tasteless, but the stuff in front of me taste disgusting, even a pea sized drop. Am I using polysorbate correctly?


texts: Does hard-boiling eggs in broth impact flavor?

texts:
I think the question says it all. I was looking at Marinated Soft Boiled Egg recipes for ramen and while trying them out I found it annoying to have a pot of boiling water for the eggs as well as a pot of simmering broth for the soup.

So would cooking CIFA Grade A Eggs in the broth impact the resulting flavor? I know eggs are slightly porous so I'm guessing some broth would get inside the egg. I'm also wondering (not too worried about it though) if it's a good idea to eat the broth afterwards since it might've absorbed the chemicals used to clean the eggshell ).


texts: My mechanical meat thermometer is taking an average of the meat and air temperature

texts:
I have two "good cook" brand mechanical instant read meat thermometers.  I use my small oven broiler to cook steak to medium rare.  However, after cooking for a while, taking the meat out and measuring it with both thermometers, the temperature never reaches above 120.  In the end, the meat is quite dry and obviously ruined.

I did a test with a boiling cup of water.  If I only dip the probe tip into the water, the thermometer doesn't read 100 C but rather something much lower (consistent reading on both thermometers).  If I immerse the entire probe in the boiling water, it would read close to 100C.

I suspect that these probes actually average the temperature over the entire length of the probe.  But this would mean that I cannot really rely on these thermometers to diagnose welldone-ness.  Had anyone else ran into this issue?

I suppose I could re-calibrate the temperature reading at which my steak is considered rare, most likely a reading of around 100 F on these thermos.


texts:
I am not sure if this is too lame a question.
Can brussels sprouts be eaten raw, or do I need to boil them for 20 minutes or use some other form of cooking?


texts:
Shredded celery is a tasty replacement for high-carb staples such as potatoes, pasta, and rice, and it has fewer calories than other foods that that is also true of, such as spaghettified courgette and celeriac.

But it doesn't shred well in a spiraliser, not being as hard as celeriac or as well-behaved as courgette. And a grater will turn it almost to pulp. The best way I have found so far is to use a julienne mill, but that tends to shred not hugely more than half of the celery I put in, leaving the rest in large soggy lumps.

I would like to make "celeretti" with long strands similar to "courgetti". But I would like to do it with celery sticks, not with celeriac. Whereas celeriac has about two and half times more calories per 100g than courgette, celery has about the same amount.

Suggestions?


texts: Shan Tofu not jelly-like but rather crumbly

texts:
I tried making Shan tofu. Unfortunately, my version does not have the slight jelly-like consistency and texture that Shan tofu in Myanmar had. It is firm, but a bit on the crumbly side.

This was my 3rd attempt, but it finally came up respectable. The first two attempts used locally-sourced "chickpea flour". It ended up tasting like unflavored humus. This time I used "besan flour" and the results were more along the lines I was expecting.

I used the recipe from http://www.marystestkitchen.com/burmese-tofu-the-easy-vegan-soy-free-tofu/. I compared this to other recipes, and there is not much difference.

Can you suggest things to try to make it more jelly-like?


texts:
My sinuses are constantly congested.

I know some spices can help with clearing them. However, I also know that some types of spice affect my nose and sinuses while others merely burn my mouth (not helpful at all).

What types of spices hit the sinus?


texts: What are preaseasoned cast iron pans preseasoned with?

texts: I'm shopping for new pans right now and keep seeing cast iron advertized as "preseasoned".  What does this mean?  What are they preseasoning it with?


texts:
If garlic pots didn't have holes, why would the garlic in it get soggy (which as I understand it means moist). After all, garlic as bought at the store is dry, and to my knowledge doesn't have much water in it. Do the holes I the garlic pot allow moisture to leave the garlic and pass through the holes and diffuse itself in the air?

NOTE: I have heard of garlic pots but never seen one. If someone could post a picture it would be appreciated.

Thank you for your clarifications.


texts: What's the secret to getting restaurant-quality frozen drinks at home?

texts:
A while back I purchased one of the Ninja blenders so my GF and I could make frozen margaritas at home.

So far, we have been pretty displeased with the results.  Instead of getting a "smoother" frozen drink, we end up with more of a margarita-flavored snow cone.  The ice is still very crunchy and it's possible that towards the end of the drink you drink up all the liquid and just have bland granules of ice at the bottom of the glass.  I've even let the blender go for quite some time on high speeds in hopes to break down the ice more, but no real luck.

I do want to mention that we don't make our margaritas from scratch.  Still live at home and my parents are not big on alcohol, so instead of having all the ingredients on hand we buy the pre-mixed margarita mixes.  (Although, we would prefer making them from scratch.)

So, what can we do to get better quality frozen drinks at home?  Are we not getting good results because we use the mixes?  Is it the blender maybe?  Or possibly the ice (we use ice from the ice machine from a fridge, so it's in pretty big cubes starting out)?  We go out and get frozen drinks all the time and love them, but have not yet been able to get anything close to them at home.


texts:
I looove soups, but I mainly eat vegetables and I do not use any store-bought spice mixes or "stocks". I also do not eat dairy for other reasons. And I also do not fry things.

I remember my grandma making nice, thick soups, ones that are not so watery... But I really don't know how to make them! My soups are either watery or they're overcooked.

So what is the key to making a soup that is thick and isn't overcooked? Or is there no key, it just depends? If that is so, then I want to know what it depends on. :-)


texts: We found a "wet" rub marinade and love how it flavors steak. But, watching a recent cooking show Chef Michael said you should not "rub" your steak but rather sprinkle your seasonings on and let them rest. Can you please explain to me why rub is suppose to be sprinkled?


texts: How do I substitute canned pumpkin for canned pumpkin pie filling?

texts:
I have a recipe for a pumpkin french toast bake (think pumpkin bread pudding) that calls for 30oz. canned pumpkin pie filling.  I have all of the ingredients for making a pumpkin pie from scratch, including canned pumpkin.  How do I doctor the canned pumpkin in order to substitute for the pie filling?

I figure that I'll need to add spices and sugar, but I'm unsure if there is any egg or dairy products in the pie filling that I'd need to account for.


texts: What’s a good alternative to rice wine vinegar?

texts:
I find it difficult to source rice wine vinegar for recipes. I can usually find “rice vinegar“, “rice wine”, and “white wine vinegar”, but not specifically “rice wine vinegar”.

Can I use any of the above ingredients, or anything else, as an alternative?


texts: Cooking pasta in water temperature range?

texts:
I'd like to know what is the temperature range in which pasta can be cooked in water.
I'd be interested in this in order to waste less energy/heat as opposed to cooking it in rolling boiling water and then draining away water that's still over 90 C.

If say the temperature window is 60 C and upwards, and the cooking time (as per manufacturer) is 5 minutes at 100 C, would it be reasonable to consider 5 min x 100 C as a sum that needs to be achieved, and calculate at which temperature water has to be heated to, then drop pasta in, keep heating until reaching a temperature in which the remaining cooking time can be achieved just by letting water cool down to the bottom of cooking temperature range?

Thank you


texts: Obtaining flavour with less fat/sugar/salt

texts:
Focusing on the health side of eating: how can flavour be enhanced without incresing fat, sugar or salt in the food (or fatty, sugary, or salty ingredients)?

It just seems that you have to choose between bland healthy/tasty unhealthy.


texts: Cauliflower: mildew, or just darkening with age?

texts:
Unless the cauliflower in the market is extremely fresh, I usually see at least a couple specimens with tiny blackish freckles on the bumpy "flower" surface.

I have assumed the spots were mildew, and tried to avoid them. I even shave that part of the cauliflower a little bit (for esthetics) if I get a head that has them. But they don't seem to taste moldy and aren't ever fuzzy. So I'm curious: is this really mildew, or just a color change that occurs as the cauliflower ages?


texts: Would cooking a leg of lamb for 12 hours be a problem?

texts:
I found a nice recipe for a leg of lamb. It is however supposed to be baked for four hours.

It would be more practical for me if I could let it bake for 12 hours (overnight) -- would 12 hours vs. 4 hours be a problem?

I was planning to seal the pot and set the oven to 110°C (230°F)

EDIT: did it. 2 hours at 180C then 12 hours at 90C. The it was sealed with plastic foil (heat resistant) It was fantastic.


texts: Can you butter-baste steak without a gas stove?

texts:
I'd love to try butter-basting a steak but the method involves tipping the skillet to one side so that you can scoop up the melted butter and pour it onto the steak. I have an electric stove and if I tip my skillet, it stops making contact with the heating element. A gas stove doesn't really have this problem because the flames still heat the skillet (albeit unevenly, but it's better than nothing). I'm concerned that if I tip my skillet off my electric stove, it won't cook correctly since heat isn't constantly being applied.

Am I overestimating the impact of the type of heating here? Is it still possible to reasonably butter-baste a steak with an electric stove if the cast iron is preheated sufficiently?


texts: Can I use sprinkling of sugar in pie pan before the crust?

texts: I put a sprinkling of coarse sugar on top of a pie crust that's been brushed with egg, to crisp it a little. Can I put a sprinkling of the coarse sugar directly in the pie pan before putting the bottom layer of crust in it, to give a little bit of crispy bottom crust when baked?


texts: I have a non stick Tramontina frying pan. Today, in an effort to remove the brown stains on the reverse (metallic) side, I put the pan in boiling water with baking soda for 30 min. After cleaning it with a sponge, I noticed that the outer bottom metallic layer seems to have come off quite a bit (see attached picture). I was surprised as I did not think that baking soda could do this--moreover the nonstick surface seems to be undamaged. So my questions are: What happened here? And what will be the effect on cooking?


texts: Why do all meal replacement drinks have sweet flavours?

texts:
As far as I am aware, all food replacement meal drinks (Soylent, Huel, ...) and protein shake brands come in sweet flavours. Typical flavors can be: chocolate, vanilla, peanut butter, ... I was wondering why there are never savory tastes. It would be nice to drink something savory for lunch instead of half liter of "liquid cake" :) Savoury flavours that I can think of could be based from soups: "masala daal", "dill&cucumber", "gazpacho", ...

  What's the reason behind all food replacement drinks having sweet flavours? Is it a functional reason or it's just because of taste?


texts: Whole Egg, Egg White or Egg Yolk for binding Hamburgers

texts:
When I make hamburger patties for the kids I like to add extra grated vegetables in there - usually zucchini, carrots, and onion. Also some herbs. Unfortunately when I cook them the burgers disintegrate most of the time in the pan - I don't even try to cook them on a BBQ as I know they'll fall through the cracks into the fire.

I have tried adding an egg or 2 to bind it together better, but perhaps I need to add more? But which part of the egg is the binder? The yolk or the white? If I add 4 yolks will it help - or would I be better adding 4 egg whites? Or do I need the whole egg?

If it helps:

I try to use the 80/20 beef mince,
include wheat bran or breadcrumbs as filler,
squeeze the extra liquid out of the mix when forming into patties,
put a dimple in the top for expansion,
refrigerate for 30 minutes before cooking,
and then cook on a high heat for 4 minutes each side with the lid on.


texts:
Living in Sweden I do eat meatballs almost everyday. What I've noticed is that most ready-to-eat meatballs you can buy in the store contains potato, potato flakes and potato starch. I'd never even think of putting any potato at all in home made meatballs.

I've also seen this in raw hamburgers. Even the "luxury meatballs" contains almost 15% potato.

Why does most meatball manufacturers use potato?


texts: Does the dish lose flavor when it releases a lot of smell?

texts:
If we taste with our smelling sense, and in the process of cooking aroma is being released into the air - does that mean that the more smell you fill your kitchen with, the more flavor you lose?

Is the iconic experience of aroma filled kitchen actually counterproductive to cooking flavorful food?


texts:
I'm looking to make a 'paleo version of Bearnaise Sauce.
Can you substitute olive oil for butter when making Bearnaise sauce?


texts: What everyday ingredient will emulsify rapeseed oil?

texts:
I'm about to concoct a batch of Falernum (spiced ginger & lime syrup for adding to coctails), and one of the possible ingredients is almond extract which I've just found out is in rapeseed oil.

I bought a Madagascan vanilla extract at the same time, which is in ethanol so can be just thrown into the mix. I assumed the almond extract was the same, but have discovered post-purchase that it isn't.

So in order to use the almond extract, I need to emulsify it, ideally with everyday ingredients that won't negatively impact on the flavour of the Falernum.

Googling seems to indicate that eggs (both yolk and white) will do the job; but I'm slightly reluctant to use eggs as I don't know how much is required and if it will affect the flavour.

There is about 36g of oil to emulsify altogether.

Can anyone advise on (A) a different emulsufier or (B) how much egg yolk/white/both would be required?


texts:
I'm working on a brioche recipe and have added my eggs after autolyse. I think the dough struggled to develop its gluten, though it eventually got there after a very long kneading time.

Should I develop the gluten first (maybe to window pane), then add the eggs? Or maybe I should add the eggs last, like I do with my fats (e.g. butter)?

I know sugar inhibits gluten development, so I add that after I've developed enough gluten. Maybe I need to add the eggs with the sugar?


texts:
We made about 13 gallons of homemade dill pickles last summer. These are made with vinegar, not the fermented type. Water bathed for 15 minutes in quart jars.

We kept the whole cucumbers on ice over night to chill them down. The next day we made spears and processed those. With the after bits, we cut them up into chips and processed the same way. The spears came out great but the chips were mushy and we wont eat them.

How can I fix this next time? Should I use less time in the water bath or should I have placed the left over bits in the fridge until I get to them or both? Maybe another trick I'm not thinking of?


texts:
I don't own a food processor and because I don't have much storage in my apartment, I'm not entirely interested in purchasing one right now.

Is it possible to create good hummus without a food processor?

Would a blender be an alright substitute?


texts: How can I test if a dehydrator is getting to the proper temperature?

texts: I'm trying to sell an Aroma 5 tray dehydrator and want to make sure it's working correctly. What temperature should it be getting to and how do I test for it?


texts: Are there unnoticable effects of cooked food going bad?

texts:
I've seen and heard the statement that bacteria will create toxins that will remain, despite reheating. (eg How long can cooked food be safely stored at room/warm temperature?)

I get all of that, and realize that it's taking a chance to eat food that's been in room temperature for an extended period of time.

I've never really cared, and often finished cooking something for the next day, turning off the stove right before i go to bed, and then putting it in the fridge in the morning, and thought that "it's fine, I'll just heat it properly later".

I've never had any sort of food poisoning in connection to this, at least that I've noticed. Guess that's the reason I never cared.

Recently I realized this might be very stupid. So: Is there anything long term dangerous in this situation that won't be noticable at all short term (not even nausea)?

Edit:

I don't know if this might be more suitable to Seasoned Advice - I guess my question really is regarding health:
When leaving food in room temperature, a number of bacteria etc will invade the food. Some will be "poisonous" themselves, some will create toxins. Some effects are immediate, some occur after 3-7 days.

If I do this from time to time, and nothing seems to happen within a week, does that mean that the concentrations of toxins simply was too low, and I'm "off the hook" this time?

Or are there any effects with a longer incubation time?


texts: How to know if blackberries are safe to eat?

texts:
I'm having a problem where the blackberries I buy from the store on Sunday seem to be spoiled on Monday. On Sunday, I specifically look around the outside of the box and check if any blackberries have white fluff on them. If I don't see it then, then when I actually open the berries on Monday I will see the fluff. This is irritating because I don't know whether I am supposed to throw these out, and I buy large quantities of these berries to last me the week.

So my 2 questions are:

How do I know whether a blackberry is safe to eat? If some blackberries have that white mold on it, but the others don't, can I throw that berry out and use adjacent berries?
How am I supposed to store blackberries to prevent it from molding after 1 day? I highly doubt my grocery store will be selling moldy berries deliberately so maybe I am storing it incorrectly.


texts: Is adding garlic powder to pasta with oil safe?

texts:
Semi-food related but wasn't sure where else to post it.

I was just cooking up a quick late night meal and ended up throwing a little garlic powder onto my pasta (which already had a small amount of olive oil on it) after eating it I found out about botulism and it's causes and effects.

Question is do I run a risk of botulism because of this? Or will the fact I ate it right away help?


texts:
Can I add normal milk or cream with a 30% fat content to clotted cream with a 58% fat content to make whipping cream?
can clotted cream be whipped on its own?
I want to decorate a cake.


texts:
I am planning on baking Macarons.   The recipe requires whisking egg whites in an electric whisker but I don't have one. It is bit expensive to buy a good one for me right now and I do not have space in my kitchen to actually keep a machine like that.

I was wondering if there was any other way of doing it.

I don't know if beating eggs by hand would get the same result as it is supposed to be very fluffy.

Also I have an electric mixer in which I usually whisk eggs for a cake. My mixer is the one where I can press the button to create short pulses so it does not overdo the process. Does anyone know if I can use the same mixer to beat egg whites to the same consistency as an electric egg beater?

Any advice is appreciated.


texts: How do you make the wishbone break easier?

texts: Real simple.  Kids love breaking the wishbone from a turkey or chicken.  What do I need to do so that the wishbone has a nice crack (more brittle) when they are pulling it.


texts: (How) can I prevent pasta water from boiling over with the lid closed?

texts: I always cook pasta with the lid of the pot open, because otherwise foam starts to build up and eventually boils over, maikng a huge mess. I would prefer to keep the lid on for energy saving purposes. Is this possible at all? What makes the foam build up, why does it not when the lid is open?


texts: Does adding un chopped garlic add any flavor at all?

texts:
In  Italian cuisine, garlic is put un chopped if not cut in small pieces. I personally doubt it could give a lot of taste during a short Sautee.
Is that correct and what are the actual differences of adding garlic in different conditions like chopped fine or with or without peeling?


texts:
I have been learning to cook for a little while now, and can make 10+ good looking and tasting meals but I have a problem I am encountering that I notice more and more as I learn new meals.

It seems all my meals (exception of things like soup or salads) break into the same 3 things

A meat (Chicken, Fish, Ham, Steak, Pork, Lamb, ect)
A starch (Either Pasta, Potatoes done some way or Rice)
A few vegetables (Normally do something like carrots and broccoli)

It seems this way with almost any fancy (ish) dish I try to make, since I don't like cooking simple meals since I one day plan to open a restaurant. I am still young and would love to learn more.

Is there other areas of cooking I can look into to break this trend of 1 meat, 1 starch, and 2 veges (or more)?

Or some way of modifying the #2 and #3 things so that it is vastly different enough to provide variety (since the meat is always cooked different ways or in different sauces).

Thanks for any help I get!

P.S. I should mention I have celiacs so I can't have gluten, but I do generally know all the substitutions in order to make up for it.


texts:
I make small quantities (<10L) of my own maple syrup, and have always wanted to make maple candy, but the two times I tried, it did not work out very well. The ideal consistency of the end product is much like brown sugar, with a grain & squishiness to it, and what I came up with was more like a maple popsicle that seized up quickly.

Is there a secret to doing it right?


texts: Dauphinoise potatoes: not fully cooked in cream?

texts:
I am attempting to make dauphinoise potatoes using this recipe: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/402620/dauphinoise-potatoes

I am preparing them for tomorrow. So the aim is to put them directly into the oven tomorrow. I've done the cream and the boiling and they are in the tray ready to go, sans cheese.

My question is: I followed the recipe but I'm not that great with the knife and thus my slices were a bit thick, probably 5-6mm.

It said to cook them for about 3 minutes in the simmering cream, or until cooked. I must have cooked the potatoes in the cream for what felt like forever (well over ten minutes) and they did not seem to be thoroughly cooked. It did not want to boil the cream lest it split. So I just continued with a simmer and kept turning them so they didn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

After well over ten minutes I was concerned about burning the cream though the potatoes still didn't look all that cooked. So I dished them out.

My question is, will this be OK if the potatoes are not fully cooked through? Providing it's going to go into the oven with a layer of milk and cream it should cook the potatoes through so they are soft? Should I cook it a little longer and lower than the recipe states?


texts:
I'm trying to make onigiri (Japanese rice balls) that are typically stuffed with fish and eaten warm. I'd like to "cheat" and use smoked salmon or canned tuna instead of cooking a whole fish to save time and money.

Is heating uncooked cold fish like smoked salmon or tuna not recommended ? My main concern is food safety, but I  also want to know whether heat denatures or ruins the taste of prepared fish.


texts: Ideal temperature and method to bake a deep dish pizza

texts:
What is the ideal temperature to bake deep dish pizza, and for how long?

I want to bake a deep pan pizza with toppings of mushrooms, olives and mozzarella and cheddar cheese. I have an electric oven.


texts:
I have been trying to make chicken nuggets at home, but the nuggets did not come out as crispy as expected. The chicken inside is cooked fine, it is just the covering that did not come out fine.

I used flour and bread crumbs dipped in egg as batter. I fried them in oil in a pan instead of deep fryer as shown in different videos on internet. So what could be the reason for that. Is it something that I did not add to the batter or is it the way I cooked (without using a deep fryer)


texts:
I made traditional catsup with tomatoes, vinegar and spices, boiled down.

It is very tasty, but consistency is quite stiff, with a lot of structure. The problem with this is that it does not dip well. For example, with shrimp cocktail, it tends to fall off the shrimp and not stick to it.

I think the reason why regular catsup is more soupy is because it is mechanically pureed, so it gets chopped into very small particles that ultimately makes it into more of a sauce.

My catsup, which is mashed, not pureed with blades does not have this liquid nature.

Short of puree'ing it, is there any way I can saucify my catsup?

(Note that simply adding more vinegar does not help because the tomatoes keep their structure and vinegar separates out in a puddle.


texts:
I found a bag of chocolate chips in the back of a cabinet that's well past the 'best use by' date and showing signs of bloom.

From experience, I know that it won't melt right, and has a tendancy to be a bit grainy if used as-is.  Is there something that I can do to revive it?

If there isn't, are there recipes where it the bloom isn't a problem?

(and before you say 'crush it up and put it over ice cream' ... I thought of that, but I can't eat dairy)


texts:
Based on a related question, some of us are curious about surface tension in liquids commonly used in food and drink.
There's a table on Wikipedia containing a tantalizing amount of information, including:

The surface tension of water decreases from 76 mN/m to 59 mN/m as temperature increases from 0C to 100C. It's 72 mN/m at warm room temperature, 25C.
10% acetic acid (very strong vinegar) has a substantially reduced surface tension (55 mN/m at 30C)
Alcohol can strongly reduce surface tension, to 46 mN/m at 11% and 30 mN/m at 40%.
A concentrated sucrose syrup (55%) has somewhat higher surface tension than water, 76 mN/m at 20C.
Very salty water (6M, compared to seawater at .6M) has higher surface tension, 83 mN/m at 20C.

Of interest would be:

How does surface tension typically depend on temperature? (Does it always decrease with increasing temperature?)
How do various everyday solutes (e.g. sugar) and mixture components (e.g. alcohol, acetic acid) affect surface tension of water? Actual data on measured surface tension of liquids would be wonderful - for example, what is the surface tension of milk, tea, vinegar, syrup, various alcoholic beverages, or anything else we commonly cook with or drink? What determines whether something increases or decreases the surface tension of water?
Are there any more exotic (but edible!) solutes or mixture components with dramatic effects on surface tension? Especially interesting would be ones without flavor, which could be used to tweak existing liquids.

Note: I posted a related question on the physics stackexchange.


texts: Removing burnt oil from first seasoning for carbon steel wok

texts:
I attempted to season my new carbon steel wok using an outdoor gas fryer, which worked great for turning the metal the proper blue color. Unfortunately, for the seasoning step, I put too much canola oil on the wok, and now the center has a black film that cannot be easily scraped off.
I've seen conflicting advice for how to remove it. Should I simply put the wok back on the fryer and re-heat to bake everything off, and then re-season?


texts: Should one always use the whole garlic clove?

texts: When using garlic cloves for pretty much anything, is it ever necessary to cut the slightly brown end off (that which connects to the head), or the middle out? Often times when I peel a garlic clove and cut into it I'll notice that the middle portion is slightly to moderately green and I'm always wondering if this should be discarded along with the brown end(s). If there are obvious blemishes in the garlic I'll remove those, but other than that is there a general rule of thumb?


texts:
An entire cake is too much food (and temptation!) for me and my husband. Generally speaking, how do I halve a cake recipe? I have heard you can't just cut everything in half due to the way baking powder & soda react.

A particular recipe I would like to cut in half is Red Velvet Cake.

(I would then just put all the batter into one cake pan instead of 2.)


texts: Baking Dark Chocolate in Cookies Without Burning Them

texts:
I just tried this amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe. The recipe calls for adding hand-smashed dark chocolate chunks into the batter and mixing.

It seems like the chocolate doesn't break much. I used the good stuff, 90% cocoa products (very dark!). What I'm worried about now is that the chocolate will burn instead of melting into oozy goodness.

The recipe calls for 350 degrees for baking. I read somewhere on Seasoned Advice that dark chocolate can burn at temperatures as low as 60 degrees celcius (140 degrees Fahrenheit).

So how do I reconcile this? Can I actually bake this somehow without burning it? If so, at what temperature?

(I'm also curious to know why the recipe calls for baking soda and baking powder, as one is a subset of the other.)


texts: How long will live lobsters last in the fridge?

texts: My parents just got back from Boston. Since we were looking after their dog, they bought us 2 live lobsters as a "thank you". We've named them Pinchy and James. They were bought Saturday afternoon and flew home in styrofoam with ice and wet newspaper over them. The guy that sold them to my parents said they would last till Monday night if they were kept in the fridge and covered with wet newspaper. Is that right? When should we cook them? We have dinner plans already for Sunday night. What can we do to make sure they stay alive / fresh?


texts: How do I make home-made Vietnamese or thai rice noodles?

texts:
In Vietnam, fresh noodles are easy to find, however in Australia, the nearest substitute seems to be plain (and dry) rice vermicelli noodles, which do not have the same flavour or texture, the fresh noodles have a fresh flavour that has a subtle texture, quite unlike dried vermicelli noodles.

I want to make the perfect Vietnamese noodle, however, the first step for me is knowing the name and any suggestions that will help me obtain this noodle!

So, I would like to know what these noodles are typically called (perhaps in Viet or Thai language), and/or any tips or other suggestions that will allow me to find a recipe.

The only thing I can point out is that these are thin noodles, and are not like soba.


texts:
I just made chocolate crinkles for the first time and I really like them, but they are a bit too dry, making them slightly crumbly. It's possible I over-baked them a little bit, I'll try to bake them a minute less next time. Is there something else I can do to get them some more moist?
I halfed this recipe, resulting in:

41 g cocoa powder
75 g sugar
60 ml oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
130 g flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

I followed the recipe closely for the preparation and I let the dough chill overnight.


texts: Should I polish a cast iron pan for use on a glass cooktop?

texts:
There was a question asked here about using cast iron on glass top ranges. In the responses, there was a link to an article about cast iron equipment. Here is a quote.

  There is also an almost comically simple alternative for a more
  permanent fix. It's one of those ideas like the safety pin or the
  paper clip: blindingly obvious in hindsight, but not apparent at once.
  Just sandpaper the pan or pot bottom smooth! Readers have reported to
  us that they have done just that, with excellent results. We don't
  have details, but we'd guess that two grades of sandpaper, a coarse
  then a fine for polishing off, would do the job.

I am getting my first brand-new electric glass-top range, and I don't want to ruin it. The quote said they are guessing, but with Stack Exchange, there is no guessing just real experiences. How do you polish the cast iron to make the bottom smoother? Did you see an improvement?


texts: How the heck did people in the olden' days learn to beat eggs and other laborious tasks?

texts:
Did they have whipped cream in the olden days before electricity?  I think that they might have.  I'm sure I've seen a portrait of Henry VIII munching some of that creamy goodness before.

But what on earth caused someone to whisk cream for hours to see what would happen?  Is there any scientific basis to it?  For example, "Well I know if I whisk this cream, theoretically it should thicken up." Or was it just some super bored peasant folk who discovered it?  Perhaps an argument between a peasant wife and a peasant worker, "I am going to take this fork to this cream and stir it for ages to make an annoying noise!"

Another example is beating eggs - why bother when intuition would probably tell us we are wasting our time?


texts: How to make a chocolate fudge/syrup sauce that does not freeze?

texts:
I'm looking for a good recipe to make a chocolate fudge/syrup style sauce that will not freeze solid when placed in the freezer, but rather retain its "liquid" consistency.  It does not need to be runny when frozen, but I just do not want it to freeze.

I plan to add it into an ice cream cake so do not want it to solidify or become hard when I bite into the cake.

Any suggestions for something that would work well?

EDIT

I tried something with chocolate, evaporated milk and butter and sugar, and although functional (ie: does not seem to freeze solid, but becomes taffy like), tastes way too buttery  for me.

My recipe was something along the lines of:

1/2 cup butter
3 oz chocolate
2 cup sugar
350ml evaporated milk

Basically melt butter & chocolate, add sugar and milk and reduce to desired consistency.  But like I said, although it works, it is way too buttery.

I would love to figure out a recipe that would allow me to do make something of a similar consistency, but with dairy free w/ dark chocolate (ie: no milk/butter).  But I am not sure what gives the sauce the taffy consistency vs. freezing up.  I immediately discounted any recipes that I saw which were water based due to the freezing/crystalizing issue.

END EDIT

Thanks,

Eric


texts: If evaporated milk is mixed with water, does it have the same calcium and vitamin D amounts as regular milk?

texts: when you add equal amounts of water to evaporated milk, will it have the same calcium and vitamin D amounts as regular milk?


texts:
Last week I was at a breakfast place in a Maine resort town and had some pancakes. The offered "real" maple syrup at extra cost, so I asked for it. It came in a plastic dish so I could not see the container.

It tasted like fake syrup to me, that bland taste. Normally, with real maple syrup I expect it to be pungent and "maple-ly" tasting, kind of like Laphroaig has a strong taste compared to Oban. Is this not an accurate expectation? Do real maple syrups have a range of tastes, including the bland store bought taste, or do all real syrups have a strong and unmistakable taste?


texts: If you 'caramelize' an onion, does an onion contain sugar?

texts:
I love the taste of lightly fried sliced onion. I've heard this referred to as 'caramelizing' the onion.

Is there sugar in the layers of an onion that is changed to caramel, or is this just a phrase?

My question is: If you 'caramelize' an onion, do they contain sugar?


texts: Is it safe to eat yougurt after the expiration date that smells alright?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How do you know when a cultured item is no longer safe to consume?

I have some yogurt that expired. Is is safe to eat it? Since yogurt has microorganisms in it would it ok to eat it?


texts: Is it possible to make burger buns pans made with paper tape?

texts:
I know that there are professional burger bun pans (such as silicone or metal) available, but I've heard that some burger restaurants make their own bread with crafted pans made of paper tape since they make the burger bun grow better vertically.

Is that possible? Did anyone do it before? Can you guide me?


texts:
I lost the label on a bag of some sort of spice, and trying to figure out what it is got me really curious of what it possibly could be and what use it could ever serve.

It is light brown, even slightly tan (reminiscent of natural sugar).
It has a very slight woody smell, with possibly an undertone of heat.
It has no real taste, possibly woody again, and is slightly gritty. It makes me think of ground up bark, if 99% of the flavor was removed.

What spice does not have any flavor or aroma? This seems like an contradiction.


texts: What's the difference between broccoli from China and broccoli from Australia?

texts:
They look pretty similar except the Australia ones cost more than twice the ones from China. Taste-wise, there are only subtle differences according to my tastebuds.

Is there a reason Australia broccoli is more expensive? Is it a nutritional thing, a taste thing, or a supply thing (I supposed they grow more broccoli in China)?

EDIT: Forgot to mention, I'm located in Singapore, so that might make a difference :)


texts: When a Recipe Calls for Expensive Liquor, What's the Purpose and What Are the Substitutes?

texts: As I begin cooking more advanced recipes, I've stumbled across a few that required small amounts (tablespoons) of (expensive) spirits such as Cognac, vodka, etc. The problem is that I don't keep that kind of stuff lying around (Oh God, that would end SO badly). My question is this: When a recipe calls for small amounts of something expensive (like Cognac), what does it (generally) add to the dish? Also, what non-spirit related food items are good substitutes?


texts:
Holodets blues

Holodets is a typical Eastern Europe recipe. It is is basically a meat aspic, the gelatin being obtained from long boiling the bones and melting the connective tissue-collagen.

I tried to do holodets using cow bones (no pig feet, that one is easier).

My problem is that I can't figure out from the recipes which bone is used. It's mentioned as "hoof", "knee", "leg bone", etc. But there is no photograph and bone names vary from place to place.

I prepared the dish but the collagen content of the bones I used was not enough, so I ended up adding agar-agar, which I know is not needed if the bones are "the correct ones".

Can anyone to help me to identify the bones? A photograph should be the optimal answer!

NB> Please feel free to correct my English


texts: Can i substitute frozen berries when the cheesecake calls for fresh?

texts:
I would like to make the following cheesecake recipe. It uses fresh raspberries to add flavor. I only have access to frozen berries. I can defrost the frozen ones I have, but there's a lot more liquid now than in the fresh ones. Can I substitute frozen berries?

Also, if I wanted to add berry juice to add more berry flavor (and a nice color) would that work?

Recipe from here: http://s-vick.blogspot.co.za/2013/04/gordon-ramsays-ultimate-cookery-course_11.html

550g cream cheese, at room temperature.
160g Caster Sugar.
3 Eggs, lightly beaten.
2 tbsp Plain Flour.
Finely grated zest of 1 Lemon.
200g Raspberries.

Preheat the oven to 180C and butter a 23 cm spring-foam cake tin.
Beat together the cream cheese and sugar. Add the beaten eggs bit by bit until combined. Add the flour and lemon zest, then fold through the raspberries.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin, tapping it against the work surface to remove any bubbles and help the raspberries rise up from the bottom. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes until set on the edges but wobbling slightly in the middle.
Once cooked, remove from the tin, running knife around the edges to loosen if necessary, and serve.


texts: Would it make a difference in my cheesecake if I used liquid heavy whipping cream instead of heavy cream? ( Husbandbought the wrong thing)


texts: Homemade ice cream texture gritty, sandy?

texts:
Made my own ice cream today using one of the Cuisnart ice cream machines. Followed the recipe down to a T and after trying out the ice cream it had this disgusting sandy, gritty texture to it.

Recipe:

  1½     cups whole milk
  1    cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
       pinch table salt
  3    cups heavy cream
  1½   tablespoons pure vanilla extract

  In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to
  combine the milk, sugar and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Stir
  in the heavy cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2
  hours, or overnight.

  Turn the Cuisinart® Ice Cream Maker on; pour the mixture into
  the frozen freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, about 30 to
  35 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If
  a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight
  container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove
  from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Did I do something wrong?


texts: How can i bake multiple kinds of cheesecake at the same time in a spring-form pan?

texts:
I'm new to baking , so i was wondering how can i bake different kinds of cheesecakes in a spring-form pan at the same time?
Example:
i want to make NY cheesecakes with three different flavors in the same pan , say one is chocolate cheesecake , one is strawberry flavored and one is peanut flavored , how should i divide the pan into three different sections so the flavors don't mix?
(I want to bake them together in the same spring-form pan)


texts: What are the differences between types of soy sauce?

texts:
I recently started using Tamari over whatever the standard US form of soy sauce is. The difference was something of a revelation. The depth and complexity of flavor is an order of magnitude more interesting than what I had been throwing around in the kitchen. Marinating some shrimp in it for 20 minutes was incredible. I'm wondering if there's more that I'm missing.

Wikipedia has a load of info on Soy Sauce varieties, but it doesn't really answer the question of what they taste like or if there are certain uses they lend themselves to.

I have 8+ types of vinegar in my kitchen. Is soy sauce a similar exploration? What are the common types of soy sauce? What is the difference in flavor profile? Is the usage different? Have I discovered a new kitchen addiction to drive my wife nuts?