texts: Does vinegar need to be refrigerated after being opened?

texts:
So while wandering around our local Asian supermarket here in San Diego, my wife and I found some Wan Jia Shan red vinegar.  My wife loves the taste of vinegar, and so we have about 9-10 different types of vinegars at home.  Then we noticed on the bottle that it said to refrigerate the vinegar after opening.  I had never heard this before, and though that this would be a good question to ask.

So does vinegar need to be refrigerated after opening?  Thanks in advance.


texts: If Celery isn't available then what other vegetable or green vegetable can I use as a substitute for the making of Harira Soup?


texts: Above the wing there is a hole. What kind of deformity is on this bird??


texts:
I've been having a problem lately with my potstickers sticking to my pan too much. This didn't start happening until recently.

I'm using my stainless fry pan rather than a nonstick. Mostly, because I like this pan the most. But perhaps I'm just using the wrong tool for the job.

I've tried to let them cook longer after the water has evaporated even until some of the bottoms burned as an experiment. even then some still stuck.

Here is my current method.

Get pan hot over medium high heat.
Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. I've tried more and less with little change.
Let oil heat to ripple.
Add potstickers.
Add .5 to .75 cups of water.
cover and steam for about 10 minutes.
Let dumplings fry for a minute or two.


texts: Are seeds in melons and other fruits good to eat?

texts: I usually throw away seeds in melons (and other fruits) and I paradoxically buy different seeds from the store. Are seeds in such things good to eat and where can I use them? Because they are not dry, how can I store for future dishes? Do they have the same nutritional profile as other seeds for sale?


texts: Can I substitute a stainless steel pot for the traditional iron dutch oven?

texts:
I have very limited options in my kitchen, and while the dutch oven is the preferred method for getting an 'oven spring' while baking sourdough, I do not have a cast iron pot to do it.

IF stainless steel is a good substitute, should I consider extra precautions?


texts: How to achieve a good steak crust with a blowtorch?

texts:
I tried to torch sous vide steaks twice with a culinary blow torch, but it seems to take forever to get any kind of crust. So far I was not able to achive a really good crust. Should I simply do it longer? The following result took me several minutes per side:

Granted, I don't notice much of a gradient, so I suppose, that even if it takes a long time, it probably doesn't affect the interior temperature too much. Still I am not sure, how it is even possible to achieve a decent crust with this method. And I am also confused, why would this take longer, considering that the temperature of the torch is a lot hotter, than a cast iron.


texts: Does bread flour (vs AP flour) make a big difference in the density of the dough?

texts:
I've been trying to bake a no-knead bread (like everyone else), and I've gone with Binging with Babish's recipe.
In his video, after leaving the dough to rise overnight (or so), and then working it a bit to form a ball, the result is this:

It's a nice and (relatively) taut ball of dough. I've followed his recipe and substituted the bread flour with AP flour, which all indications suggest wouldn't make a lot of difference.
My first batch was very wet, and upon inspection, his recipe is nearly 80% hydration (400g flour for 1+1/3 cup of water, which according to my conversion is about 315g water). So I tried again, and this time I've adjusted for 65(ish)% hydration. While the result was easier to handle, it still felt closer to a thick batter than to anything like his video.
Finally, I've tried the suggestion of J. Kenji López-Alt to put the dough in the fridge for a while since cold makes the dough easier to manage. While it was definitely easier to manage, it was still pretty thin, and when I've proofed the dough, it spread further like the previous ones.
Is bread flour really that different? Is this all the AP flour fault?
I'm asking because I end up with a rather low-rise bread, and I think that is at least in part due to the fact that when the dough is placed into the dutch oven, it's already pretty flat (compared to the picture and the result in the video).

The recipe I've used this time:

400g flour,
1/2 teaspoon of yeast,
67% hydration,
1.5% salt (I've done 2% in the past, and will return to doing so because of the superior flavour).

Mix with a wooden spoon, cover and let sit over night. As per the suggestion of J. Kenji López-Alt, let another day of relaxation in the fridge. Rolled into a round loaf, proofed for an hour while the dutch oven was warming up, baked for 30 minutes with lid, another 15 without, left to cool on a wire rack for a couple of hours.


texts:
I'm making an Indian dish, for this I need tomatoes, no matter what recipe I follow I'm not getting the taste of the restaurant.

Is this because I'm not preparing tomato properly or is it because I'm not choosing good tomatoes? How can I identify good tomatoes??


texts: What is the difference in blanching and parboiling?

texts:
From the time I was very young and just beginning to cook, I always heard about blanching but never heard of parboiling. I learned how to blanch vegetables to prepare for freezing, removing skins from tomatoes and nuts, etc., all pretty standard.

However, in later years I hear the term parboiling quite frequently. Wondering if it was the same thing, I started searching for information. Believe me when I say that there is no shortage of it!

My problem is that there doesn't seem to be any consistent answers. I found answers saying they were the same, that one used the ice bath and the other didn't (but one site will say to use the ice bath when blanching and another will say when parboiling), and even lengthy descriptions of either. What I can't seem to find is anything consistent.

Is it just a case of semantics with the terms being interchangeable? If they are different methods, can anyone give me the true answer of what each is from a credible culinary source?


texts:
I work at a restaurant. Im a potential management candidate. One of my first projects is researching hand cut fries in an effort to transition from pre-cut fries to making our fries in house. I guess my question is a little more specific than why the process is done but rather would the process differ based on the type of potato used, say prep for russet burbank vs yukon gold?

thanks guys.


texts: Freezing Bouchon Bakery Macarons. Whole cookie or just the halves?

texts: I'm making the macarons from the Bouchon Bakery cookbook and it recommends freezing them for 24 hours before letting them come back to room temperature for eating. The only part I'm not clear on is if I am meant to freeze the whole assembled cookie w/filling or just the cooked halves. If anyone knows what is supposed to be frozen and why I would really appreciate that help..


texts: Should I add salt to my sauerkraut recipe if I add vegetables?

texts: I am following a sauerkraut recipe which calls for a specific amount of salt. They say I can add other vegetables, like carrots. Do I need more salt if I add more vegetables?


texts:
Potato salad, dauphinoise, sauteed, with potato cooked but firm and keeping its form with a wonderful waxy texture. Common all over France but a rarity in the UK.

What varieties should we be looking for and where to find them?


texts: Suggested chili peppers for steeping in alcohol (bourbon, specifically)

texts: I'm looking to make homemade "naughty" and "nice" shots for an upcoming holiday party, using the recipes provided by the Miracle holiday pop-up bars. The "naughty" shot consists of cinnamon sticks steeped in bourbon and simple syrup, but I'd also like to add some chili peppers for extra spice. What kind of chili peppers would work best in this application? I'm looking for something around the spice level of jalapeño, but with a flavor that complements the bourbon well, as jalapeño might be too grassy/vegetal. Either dried or fresh works for me!


texts:
I've heard that sea salt is more flavorful than iodized table salt, but was wondering about its mercury content.

Due to the mercury level in oceans, nutritionists are recomending to limit sea food meats such as tuna and cod for women who are pregnant. However, do I need to be concerned about mercury when consuming sea salt ?

I'm not much familiar with the techniques used to separate out the salt.


texts: How do I fix grainy and chewy caramel corn?

texts: I made caramel corn and it came out grainy & chewy. How do I fix it?


texts: What can I do with 500 ml of demi glace?

texts:
I bought a 500 mL package of frozen demi glace in my local restaurant. While I often cook with regular chicken or beef stock, I have never used demi glace before.

In what types of preparations or recipes would I be able to get the best use out of this - i.e. for which 500 mL of demi glace is enough and the benefits from using it over regular beef stock are evident? Preferably something that I normally wouldn't be able to make without demi glace.


texts: Does salt prevent water from absorbing nutrients and falvours from food?

texts:
A long time ago, I read somewhere, that there is a very specific reason, why we put salt in the water for cooking pasta: The point is to hinder the water from absorbing flavor and nutrients from the pasta. With soup its the other way around: We want to absorb the flavors into the water, which is why we salt it only at the end.

The explanation was, that salt "ionizes" water, which somehow makes it less likely to absorb things.

Is there any truth to this theory?

Source:

https://www.finecooking.com/article/the-science-of-salt

Quote:

  Because pure water draws salts and other soluble nutrients from the
  interior of vegetables, salting vegetable cooking water also minimizes
  nutrient loss.


texts: How to prevent my roux from sticking to the bottom of the pan?

texts:
I make this soup based on a roux. I make roux the following way:

I melt butter
I add the same amount of flour
After cooking it a little I start adding a stock, just a little at the time.

This is where it goes wrong. Always when i add the first but of water or stock, my roux sticks a bit to the bottem om the pan. I try stirring the hell out of it, but I never prevent a little to stick to the pan.
So this is what happens: I have a roux base that does not stick to the pan, but when I add the first liquid, it immediately start sticking.

I can imagine a couple of thinks to influence this proces:

The heat of the water/stock you add
I normally have already warm/hot stock. Is it better to add cold liquid?
The heat of the pan
Maybe I should cook less hot?
Does spices influence the stickyness?
I make roux with yellow curry mixed with the flour mostly.
Does baking onions/garlic with the butter matter while making the roux?
From the question How to mix a roux with stock I find out I should add more water at the same time. Would this also help my current problem? Because I can not really imagine that. (Also I do not see how you would get a good roux without lumps while doing that, but that's an other questions and probably just needs some more practice)

I looked in these questions:
How to make a roux? and How to mix a roux with stock but they could not really help me.

Thanks in advanced for the answer!


texts:
This past weekend I was fortunate enough to be gifted a standing mixer.
My first project was James Beard's white bread.  The end characteristics that I wish to improve on were:

When attempting to de-loaf the bread to tap the bottom, the top crust was hermetically sealed onto the loaf pan
It smelled yeasty instead of a nice baked smell.  It didn't necessarily taste as yeasty as it smelled
It was very, very dense

Some thoughts on why it had these issues:

I was advised to mix for 5-10 minutes.  I mixed for a solid 10 minutes
For the 2nd proofing, I was advised to go 40-60 minutes.  I barely went 40
During mixing, toward the start, I didn't feel I had the best we/dry mixture.  I played around a bit with the water and flour.  When I took it out to place it in the bowl for the 1st proofing, the dough was very sticky

Any suggestions to make better bread?


texts: How to store spinach to extend its shelf life?

texts: How do you store spinach long term? What is the best way to store spinach in order to extend its shelf life?


texts: When I get Udon at a restaurant, they're these massively thick noodles. When I cook them they look like linguine. What am I doing wrong?


texts:
I made tomato soup based on Adam Ragusea's recent video. It's a simple reciple:

Chop a medium-large onion, shave a bulb of fennel and toss both into a stick of butter with some freshly ground black pepper (he adds celery seeds, I added two stalks of celery chopped).

Add two large cans of quality tomatoes, with the juice and a glass of water or some white wine.

Bring to a simmer and wait until mostly ready, you can use a potato masher to break the tomatoes and speed the process (so it's about 45 minutes).

Puree with a stick blender, then add salt, water and pepper to preference. Straining optional. Sugar is optional if the tomatoes are too acidic.

I did exactly that and got what I thought was a pretty basic and decent tomato soup. But while the onion was very pronounced (and not very cooked, to be honest, so I'd brown the onions a bit before adding the rest), there is no hint of the fennel.
Other than using two bulbs of fennel, what could possibly be the reason, and how do I make it more flavorsome?


texts: What's the role of bread in pickling cucumbers?

texts:
In the summer, my mother always made Hungarian-style pickled cucumbers (kovászos uborka) by putting cucumbers, spices, salt, and water (no vinegar!) in a jar, putting a piece of bread on top, and letting the jar stand in the sun. Many many recipes say that the bread is meant to aid fermentation, as do the question and the top answer in this thread, for instance.

Wikipedia says:

  Additionally, a slice or two of bread are placed at the top and bottom of the solution, and the container is left to sit in the sun for a few days so the yeast in the bread can help cause a fermentation process.

My question is, how does this work biochemically? Is the bread just traditional voodoo? I'm a bit sceptical for two reasons:

Many breads are leavened with baker's yeast, not with sourdough. Yeast performs alcoholic fermentation, so it should not have an influence on the lactic acid fermentation in the pickles, right?
Yeasts and bacteria are temperature-sensitive, so after baking the bread in the oven, everything in it should be dead. How can dead yeasts or bacteria affect the fermentation process?

My best guess is that since sourdough bread is slightly acidic, the acidity helps a little bit with creating a favorable environment for the desired bacteria. However, I imagine that the bacteria do not come from the bread. But I would like to understand this better.


texts: Cooking boneless skinless chicken thighs

texts:
What's a good approach to cooking boneless skinless chicken thighs relatively quickly if tenderness is a priority?

I know some people like a somewhat chewy texture with chicken thigh but the person I'm cooking for is quite sensitive to it


texts: How to place nuts on top of the cake so that they stay symmetrically?

texts: I am making a Christmas plum cake and I like to decorate the top of the cake with cashew nuts. I place them in a circle, touching each other and touching the wall of the pan. But after baking is done, nuts have moved about, destroying the nice circle. I also tried by arranging them in circle touching the wall but not touching each other. Still not maintaining circle. And I can see factory made cakes of same type having cashew nut decorations. How can I get the decorations proper?


texts: Quality of frozen salmon (fish in general)

texts:
I've bought two different sets of frozen salmon with the same result. On thawing the salmon is bland and off color (more gray than pink).

After cooking, the taste is OK, but the presentation and texture is totally off.

I've tried to defrost this fish in the fridge and submerged in milk with the same result. My guess is these two brands are no good.

So, my question is: does quality salmon exist frozen, with the 'same' texture and color as fresh salmon?


texts:
I'm at a restaurant supply store and I'm looking to buy this heavy duty French whisk manufactured by the company WINCO and I'm shaking the handle and it sounds like there are small rocks or sand in them.

They all have it.

What's that about?


texts: Why are my homemade lobster rolls so much worse than those at the restaurants whose recipes I'm using?

texts:
I lived in NYC for many years and love(d) the (mayo-style) lobster rolls at Pearl Oyster Bar and Mary's Fish Camp - big chunks of lobster meat in a simple-seeming mayo-based dressing on buttery toasted hot-dog buns. Rebecca Charles (chef at Pearl) has published her lobster-roll recipe and I've used that recipe (lobster, mayo, celery, lemon juice, salt+pepper for the filling, served in Pepperidge Farm top-loading rolls toasted in a buttered skillet) as the basis for many attempts to replicate the restaurant lobster rolls I crave. The ones I make don't even come close. Which is to say: it tastes as though I did the recipe "right" but the final product is just much less delicious than what I'm aiming for.

The other day my wife and I were in Manhattan and we went to Mary's Fish Camp. The lobster roll was insanely good, and as usual the predominant flavor was of sweet, faintly briny lobster meat. My homemade rolls just tend to taste drab.

I've experimented in lots of different ways with the sauce, and with my cooking method for the lobsters. I've learned how to keep the meat from getting waterlogged, how to avoid overcooking the lobster, how to toast the rolls to perfect butteriness, how to get a meat-to-sauce ration that seems correct. But my total product is still essentially lame.
At this point my best guess is that the lobsters I'm able to get - even when I get live ones from the fish market - just don't taste as good as the ones that buyers for high-end NYC restaurants get. Which is a depressing conclusion because it means I should just give up and accept the fact that the only way for me to get a really great lobster roll is to travel across state lines and drop a ton of money on lunch.

But if anyone can offer an alternative explanation (super-secret lobster-cooking techniques? Secret ingredients?), I'd love to read it.


texts:
I have a stainless cavity Microwave.  Most all microwaves I have ever used are cool to the touch after use.

This was gets extremely hot. I have measured over 80C, 179F on the front center of microwave.  This is only after a 2 minute and 20 second popcorn.  If I turn on with nothing it might be hotter.

If you touch the area when retrieving the bag of popcorn you can easily burn yourself.

This seems unsafe and not normal.  How hot should it get?  Is there a maximum for surfaces by an agency allowed?


texts:
My local Asian Food Warehouse sells a few varieties of Hoison sauce that vary wildly in price. That got me thinking why?

Are there different qualities in prepared Hoisin sauces?
If so, would I be better served by making my own?
If I make my own, how long will it keep for?

Thanks!


texts:
We don't really drink wine in our house, so we only ever buy a bottle for cooking. Typically whatever meal we have made requires ~1/2 bottle.

How can I incorporate the rest of this wine into some other simple meals without resorting to any particularly fancy recipes?


texts: Is it necessary to thaw bones before roasting for stock?

texts: I have some frozen lamb bones that I want to make a lamb stock with. The recipe I'm using roasts the bones in the oven before making the stock - is it necessary to thaw the bones before roasting them, or can they be roasted straight from the freezer?


texts: Can I substitute canned tomato puree for canned diced tomatoes?  I have a soup recipe which calls for diced tomatoes.


texts: Can you store frozen dinners in the refrigerator for up to a week before eating them?

texts:
Given that this is "Seasoned Advice", my question may be considered blasphemy, but I'm going to take a chance anyways as the good people here are likely best suited to know the answer. ;)
Is there any harm in storing store-bought frozen dinners in the refrigerator (not freezer) for up to a week before eating them?
Many frozen dinners are labelled with "do not thaw", implying there is a problem with doing this, and I am hoping people here can shed some light on the topic.

Update: In the comments, I was asked why I would like to do this, and what I am trying to achieve.  Good questions!
The reason I would like to do this is because the freezer is completely filled, and a bunch of frozen dinners are being delivered (as a result of mistakes outside of my control).
Also, I know people will be eating several of the frozen dinners within a week, so it will conserve energy to place them in the refrigerator before cooking them in a microwave oven.


texts:
My basil often spoils after 2- 3 days of purchasing them from the supermarket. I have tried wrapping them in a wet paper towels in order to keep them hydrated, but it doesnt seem to have any effect.

How do you preserve your fresh basil leaves for longer than a few days?


texts:
It's thanksgiving, bought pancake mix to enjoy on a cold morning with the family. It had bugs in it from the store.

I have waffle mix, but my iron is MIA. Can I make pancakes or something alike using the waffle batter I have on hand?


texts: How to minimise exposure to systemic pesticides while eating non-organic fruits and vegetables?

texts:
For those who cannot afford organic produce, what foods would you suggest limiting the consumption of in order to minimise the amount of systemic pesticides being consumed?

I ask this specifically about systemic pesticides, as non-systemic pesticides can be avoided by washing the exteriors of fruits and vegetables.


texts: Cake burnt on top using both elements on top and bottom.

texts: Should I use only the bottom element for heating when baking cakes and brownies??


texts: Meatballs and Spaghetti in the InstantPot separately

texts:
I am pretty much a newbie at pressure cooking.

I've been following this recipe for meatballs and spaghetti, and it comes out great. The thing is that my kids would prefer that the spaghetti is not mixed in with the sauce. So I've been trying to figure out how to make spaghetti and meatballs in the IP at the same time, but not mixed together. I've tried twice now, and both times the meatballs came out raw.

The first time I tried, I had frozen meatballs that were all stuck together. I put them + sauce in a covered round pan on top of the spaghetti (with 3.5 cups of water) and cooked at high pressure for 9 minutes. The meatballs were completely raw and the spaghetti was good (though there was still water left that I had to drain out). I ended up putting the meatballs in again and then they got fully cooked.

The second time I tried, I separated the frozen meatballs so they were all individual. I again put them and the sauce in a covered round pan on top of the spaghetti (with only 2 cups of water). Cooked at high pressure for 9 minutes. At the end of cooking time, I did a natural release. The spaghetti was half raw/half cooked/half stuck to the bottom of the pan. The meatballs were still raw.

Has anyone ever done this before? I can't find any tips online to do this.


texts:
To try to narrow the scope and help deduce an answer to this question, I'm wondering:

Why does tea become bitter if brewed too hot or too long?


texts:
I have heard it is from an ancient ocean floor's deposits that have since been uplifted by the Himalayan orogeny, but what in that ocean water made the salt pink. I've been to the Bonneville Salt Flats and the salt there is a normal white color.

Other questions, for example Pink salt vs regular salt just concern the taste in dishes. I am concerned with the actual difference in chemical composition.


texts: Can I use coconut oil instead of ghee in curry?

texts: I've run out of ghee and it's hard to get where I am. Will coconut oil be a good substitute when frying off onions and spices?


texts: Is it safe to use a tea kettle with black dots on the bottom?

texts:
My tea kettle has a bunch of black dots all over the inside bottom part of it.  I tried washing it and using a scrub sponge to scrub it off but it won't come off.  Is it safe to continue using it or am I drinking stuff that's leaching from the kettle?

To better describe this, the black dots are small dots, like if you used a pen to "dot" a piece of paper.  The dots are only on the inside of the kettle, the part that touches the water.  It doesn't show up on the outside bottom of the kettle.  The dots are all over the bottom, there's no one part where it clusters up.

I highly doubt it's mold.  It could be rust but I'd think (but have been wrong many times) it would have scrubbed off with the scrub sponge.  Thanks in advance for your help.

EDIT: Newly attached picture below


texts: I'm currently working for a fried chicken pop up restaurant and we're trying to lock down our process to ensure chicken is fully cooked but comes out fast, crunchy, and juicy.  So far I've just been focusing on making sure it reaches 165 with a golden brown crust, but I'm wondering at what temp roughly boneless breasts, bone in breasts, wings, and dark quarters become too dry; my challenge is to get a well browned crust without drying out the chicken.


texts: Can I use diluted lemon juice in place of rice wine vinegar

texts:
I'm making some Korean chicken and am out of rice wine vinegar. Would a diluted lemon juice work

The recipe only calls for a tablespoon of vinegar so it doesn't form a large part of the dish.


texts: Tea that lingers is more bitter, does it also contain more caffeine?

texts:
For convenience, I tend to brew tea in a French press. Just drop a bunch of tea leaves, add hot water, let the leaves dance in the water for a little while, and then push the press down and serve (I know there are probably a million better ways to do it, but take it as a given that I don't want to change my brewing method).
I tend to get two to three medium-sized cups from a single press. Unavoidably, because I drink these cups over the course of an hour or so, the last one comes from water that has lingered with the leaves longer and can be quite bitter, sometimes unpleasantly so.
If it was for the taste only, I would often pour that last cup down the drain. But I figure it might also be the cup with the highest caffeine content and because I also dring tea to stay alert through the day, I sometimes force that cup onto myself, for caffeine-intake purposes only.
Since this can be the only reason I go through that last cup, I am now wondering whether --- and to what extent --- it's even true that this last cup contains more caffeine than the previous ones? Am I at least getting the caffeine-intake benefits I am looking for when I chug that last disgustingly bitter cup?


texts: Are frozen mussels/clams supposed to be slightly open?

texts:
I used to live in a coastal town and never worried about getting fresh mussels, but now I live in inland Ecuador and today bought a bag of frozen clams and a bag of frozen mussels. They all seem to be slightly open, but just a crack, around 1-2mm. Is that normal for frozen mussels/clams?

The bags don't smell bad, but now I'm worried as they are just in a plastic packet with no name and no description.

How will I know if they are good to go? The shop is about two hours away so I can't go back and check. I do not know if they have been partially pre-cooked or if they have just been frozen raw.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How can I get chewy chocolate chip cookies?

I've become basically addicted to these cookies at work; I believe they're Otis Spunkmeyer, based on the branded bags we're given to put them in. They're chocolate chip cookies with candy-coated chocolate (ala MnMs), but they're soft and have that "slightly underbaked cookie" taste to them despite having been stored at room temperature for god knows how long. Even the chocolate is still soft and gooey! What causes that? Is this quality replicable for the home cook?


texts:
I was wondering if anybody know a method to rice potatoes without them turning into mashed potatoes.  When I do it to raw potatoes, they mush or just stay too crunchy and with cooked potatoes, just forget about it.  What I am looking for is discrete, small bits of potato that will still have a pillowy mouth feel.

One avenue that I haven't tried yet is starting from mashed, but I can't figure out a way to segregate the bits so that they won't reform into mashed potatoes once a fork hits them.


texts: How much water to use when cooking pasta in an Instant Pot

texts:
The de facto Instant Pot manual at hippressurecooking has a page on cooking pasta but doesn't explain how to determine a proper amount of water to use when cooking pasta.

  Figuring out the liquid is easy (no sputters) The hip method for
  pressure cooking pasta does not actually measure any of the cooking
  liquid.  As noted in the recipe, only the amount of water that is
  needed for the amount of pasta to be cooked is used.  This ensures
  that there is almost no liquid left in the cooker by the time the
  pasta is finished cooking – nothing left to foam or sputter when
  pressure is released.

There follows a recipe that instructs to "Pour in the pasta, the tomato puree, and just enough water to cover the pasta".  2 cups of tomato puree.

So not much help there.  Presumably the amount of water that is needed for the amount of pasta to be cooked is related to the weight of the pasta rather than its volume—covering farfalle or rotini is going to require a lot more water per cup of pasta (but perhaps the same amount per gram) than is covering lasagne or spaghetti, because their shape makes these flat pastas more dense.

Is there a simple ratio of water to weight of pasta that will give consistent results with a variety of pasta shapes?  If not, is there a chart somewhere that gives a water-to-pasta ratio for various shapes?


texts:
The translation for buttermilk is given as babeurre, but this doesn't correspond to anything I can find in grocery stores or cheese shops here. I suspect that the word means something in Quebec but it doesn't ring any bells here.

Does anyone know what I should be asking for and where I can find it?


texts: How can I get these stains off my glass stove top?

texts:
I have this glass stove with stains on it.

I've tried baking soda, 15 minutes and a wet cloth but nothing happened. I don't even know what kind of stains they are! Could I please get some help?


texts: Can evaporated milk be converted to sweetened condensed?

texts:
(Not a duplicate of this question, I don't believe)

If I have a recipe that calls for sweetened condensed milk but only have a can of evaporated milk, is there anything I can do to it to the evaporated milk to make it a suitable replacement for sweetened condensed milk?  Does the heating / sterilizing of evaporated milk ruin it as a replacement?


texts:
I enjoy cooking but have a seriously small kitchen. There is only about 3 ft of work surface and that has kettle and toaster on it. I have a fair amount of shelf space but still need to larder goods and plates in another room.

I find it almost impossible to keep the kitchen clean and tidy while cooking. With more complex dishes becoming almost impossible.

Are there any good techniques for cooking in a small space?


texts: how to fry eggs 200+ with no green and no breakage

texts: How can I get my kitchens to fry eggs that dont go green and dont break - we fry about 300+ on gas in pans of 15 or so, put them into hotel pans & stand in bain marie until time


texts:
I've got an immersion blender, a normal blender, and will eventually be getting a stand mixer.  Are there any foods I absolutely have to have a food processor to make, where I can't use one of those?

I know I can do purees and mixing with the stick blender, and supposedly pesto too... but I'm trying to figure out if I need to plan on buying a food processor long-term. Thanks!


texts: What is redshell sushi or rødskjell sushi?

texts: This is a rødskjell sushi in Norwegian (where I point with the sticks) and translated as redshell sushi in English. I am trying to find what it is. They have used some green to roll it around, it is probably some sea thing. Is it a fish or is it something else?


texts: Are there any guidelines to the ratio of brown sugar to cinnamon to xanthan gum to get that gooey texture in cinnamon rolls? I'm trying to make cinnamon rolls and want the perfect filling. :)


texts: Are there published standards for "cuts" of seafood similar to the NAMP guide?

texts:
I've been using the NAMP Meat Buyers Guide (pdf) to specify to butchers what, exactly, I'm looking for.  That guide is simply an organized list of unambiguous names and descriptions of meat cuts.  Using the terminology from that guide works great, at least in BC, especially when placing orders in advance over the phone.  I can't think of a time I've gotten the wrong thing from a butcher when I've used the terminology from that guide.

I'm looking for a similar guide for seafood.  I live in BC where there is plenty of good seafood around.  There seems to be little agreement, however, about what, exactly, almost any terminology about edible seafood means.  Even the terms "boned", "fillet", "steak", "flash frozen", "farmed", "wild", and "sockeye" seem to have rather fungible meanings along the supply chain here.

Is there a guide that specifies seafood for the food service industry in North America?  Is there such a guide for anywhere in the world?


texts: How can 100% peanut butter have more protein than 100% peanuts

texts:
I am looking at:

100% peanut butter (no added salt, sugar, oils or anything else)
100% roasted peanuts (no added salt, sugar, oils or anything else)

When looking thought different sources, I can always notice the following:

Peanut butter has more protein (as % of calories) than peanuts

example sources (I've looked through a dozen more, but please check others, maybe mine are not representative?):

http://www.waitrose.com/shop/ProductView-10317-10001-5588-Waitrose+LOVE+life+roasted+peanuts

http://shop.wholeearthfoods.com/collections/award-winning-peanut-butter/products/whole-earth-100-nuts-crunchy-peanut-butte-227-g

Why is this? If no ingredients are added, how is it possible for the macronutrients to change (as % of the calories). Different levels of roasting cannot be the reason because they should not change macronutrients disproportionally.

The only explanation I can think of is if in the process of making peanut butter, some part of the peanut is removed and that part contains a low protein amount. Some sources say that when peanut butter is made, the 'bitter heart of the peanut' is removed. Could that explain it?

If anyone has some insight I would be very interested to learn.


texts: What is the rule of thumb for mixing doughs?

texts:
Without delving too deeply into specialty doughs, but addressing more than just cakes and bread, what concerns can I evaluate when calculating the technique for approaching a dough?

For instance, some recipes say not to mix too much, others would imply that beating every bit of air out of the dough is the best thing for it.
What I am looking for is a set of criteria, maybe a flowchart, that outlines how to deal with having a well-reasoned technique (as opposed to just following a recipe).

Crumble, cream, or melt the fat first? Paddle or hook? Beat, fold or whisk? Knead once and rest or knead three times and throw? I would assume that to some extent getting air in or out, activating and mixing ingredients, distributing fats more or less evenly, and so forth play a factor in any decision. However, I have no idea what those different things do, or the food science behind them.
What general principles would help me understand what each factor does, so that I can have more confidence when staring down the ingredients, whether for some cookies or pizza crusts or muffins?


texts:
I recently made some decorated cupcakes that required oreo halves. I tried several methods:

serrated knife - lots of crumbs, both halves would shatter
plain knife (slowly) - lots of crumbs, both sides of both halves would shatter
plain knife (quickly) - less crumbs, typically one side of one half would shatter

What's the best way to go about cutting my oreos without turning them into a (delicious) crumbly mess?


texts:
I like pan sauces with my chicken or beef, but prefer the meat cooked over cast iron.  Pan sauces apparently don't work well in cast iron, and should be done in a stainless steel saute pan.

How can I make a nice pan sauce if the meat has been cooked in a different pan?

The best I can think of is to save a small amount of the meat to be cooked into fond to start the sauce off.  Will that work?


texts: Does repeating freeze -> chill -> freeze -> chill spoil yogurt?

texts:
I brought a 3 KG yogurt store in a container. The container mention to store it at temperature between 2 degree to 7 degree.

So, I put my 3 KG yogurt in the freezer. When I want to eat, I put to chill and later consume it, then I put it back to the freezer. This process repeat until the 3 KG yogurt is finished.

So, I was wondering if the whole process of freeze, chill, freeze, chill, ... may or will cause some "damage" (or spoil ) the yogurt?


texts: What is the effect of poaching fish in milk?

texts:
I recently came across a recipe for fish poached in milk.  I've never heard of this technique, and am skeptical of its effect (vs. water), so it sounds wasteful to cook fish in 4 cups of milk only to discard the milk afterwards.

After a quick Google search, I found that it's done in some cuisines.  So I'm wondering what, if any, effect does poaching fish in milk have?


texts:
I'm learning how to make sushi and the last problem I always get now is that my rolls end up getting too thin. I follow the guides I found on the internet to split the seaweed in half and put the amount of rice similar to a lemon sized ball. If I put an amount of rice and a normal sized filling, it is impossible to close.
So, I really would like to know a couple of things, what is the regular size for the seaweed, what is the proper amount of rice to put on it and if this problem I'm getting there's nothing to deal with measurements, but technique.
Note: as I see some tutorials, it seems the seaweed is the same, so they are getting the same size seaweed, and I'm inclined to believe that I'm executing the technique to roll improperly.


texts: Can I add cocoa butter to 100% chocolate

texts: I have several kilos of 100% Grenadian chocolate bars that are old.  I enjoyed them when they were fresh but now they are dry and, although they still 'snap', somewhat crumbly.  I would like to temper them and add cocoa butter to increase the creamy taste. Is there a limit to how much I can add?  Will just tempering them restore to original consistency?


texts: Potatoes boiled with skin on makes less gluey mash?

texts:
So I have been reading and hearing a lot about Robuchon (to name one) boiling his potatoes skin on to counteract gluey mashed potatoes. When I make my mash though I think it's way easier to peel them pre boiling and simmer the potato skin in the milk that I'm later gonna use to emulsify the butter and potatoes.
Normally I have to add quite a lot of milk (2 parts potatoes to 1 part butter and almost 1 part milk) before I end up with a mash that isn't gluey. This makes for quite a loose mash though.
Would it be correct to say that boiling the potatoes with the skin on would lower the risk of having a gluey mash with less milk? And if so, then why?

To give some reference to where I found the habit of using the ratios mentioned above I put a link here to a transcript of a Joel Robuchon mashed potatoes recipe. http://greenmarketrecipes.com/vegetables/robuchons_mashed_pototoes.htm

Also I include a link to a youtube video of Tom Aikens, a former chef under Joel Robuchon, who speaks about the question I am posting here. This is the reason for my question in the first place.
https://youtu.be/S-Gkne6skXc?t=25m19s


texts: How do I get vegetarian tamales to come out fluffy?

texts:
I'm a vegetarian, so naturally I don't use lard when making the masa for tamales. I've experimented with butter, non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening, and solid coconut oil. I've tried beating the dough for a long time in my stand mixer, as I've read some suggestions that that is the key to make a fluffy dough. I've also tried both fresh masa and MaSeCa.

My tamales are ok, but I inadvertently had a bite of a lard-based tamale last year, and it was drastically fluffier and lighter than anything I've achieved. I don't know if the difference is the choice of fat, or if the restaurant that made them employs a better mixing technique. Help?


texts: Which uk olive oil can I buy is really early harvest extra virgin olive oil?

texts:
I want to buy early harvest extra virgin olive oil, however, it seems there is no way to know what is the real thing.  Searching suggests supermarket brands have been tested and failed to be extra virgin olive oil, and those that passed were Californian.

I’m in the UK and want to buy EVOO; do I have to buy from California or is there a brand I can trust?


texts: I saw Cooking eggs too soon for Keto dough earlier this week and determined this "Fathead Dough" was something to be tried. How thick should the 'dough' be rolled, particularly for 'other applications' (taco bowls and nacho chips in particular)


texts: 'Espresso' Maker - Base turned dark, is it bad?

texts:
A few days ago I got an 'Espresso' maker made out of Aluminium (one of these).
At the moment I am experimenting a bit with it, but I noticed something strange. The base (the part where you put the water in) turned dark from the inside. Is this normal or bad, maybe even dangerous? Do I need to clean it? If so: How do I clean it?


texts: When can't I use a squash in a recipe which calls for pumpkin?

texts:
I am not even sure what the difference between squash and pumpkin is - the botanists seem to not recognize it at all, and cooking sources on the Internet are contradictory. I tend to not pay attention and use whatever is available for any recipe which calls for pumpkin (I don't think I've ever tried recipes which specify squash). But recently, I had a talk in chat where derobert suggested that squash may not function in all situation.

When can I continue using squash instead of pumpkin, and when should I expect a difference? And what would the difference be, just a change in taste, or the dish failing completely?


texts: How do I properly freeze a frosted cake?

texts: I have a purchased frosted cake I would like to use closer to Christmas. I do not know if it would keep properly in the refrigerator without freezing.  How could I freeze it properly ?  (preferably without damaging the icing, as it is a very expensive cake)


texts: can shortening be used to replace lard in baking bread?

texts: I have a bread recipe that calls for lard. Is it possible to replace it with shortening and still get the same soft texture in the bread.


texts: What parasites are problematic in sous vide?

texts:
Obviously, one should use only clean ingredients. However, especially with game and river/lake fish that's rather difficult.

What are parasites that should be taken into account in sous vide cooking, or any other tightly controlled low-temperature cooking?
What is the minimum core temperature and time to kill all parasites?

For sake of reality, "all parasites" should be limited to those in Europe and northern America.

I'm not looking for "just boil everything" or "only use inspected ingredients". Also, note that in sous vide, same temperature can be maintained for extended period of time. At least some temperature guidelines are higher than they have to be to account for quick, uneven cooking.


texts: How can huge bubbles in pizza crust be prevented?

texts:
When making pizza, often the dough bubbles up hugely, displacing toppings and generally making a mess of the pie.

Are there any secrets to preventing this? Does the key lie in the dough recipe, the distribution of toppings, or something else? Or is there no real secret, other than watching and popping the bubbles when they form?


texts: Proper temperatures for meats...foodie standards?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the internal temperature a steak should be cooked to for Rare/Medium Rare/Medium/Well?

I know that whenever you look at cookbooks they give you the recommended cooking temperatures for doneness in meats based on the USDA food safety guidelines. However, I been to certain restaurants where food has been cooked just slightly below those temperatures...essentially more on the rare side.

So what is the real safe temperatures for the meats that we eat? I.e. not thinking about any legal implications, what temperature would chefs cook their meat to? I'm trying to discern the difference, if any, between gastronomical and governmental standards.


texts: Why does food taste bland when we are sick?

texts: Once, I had a high fever and everything I ate seemed to taste bland. Why is this so?


texts:
I had my brownie batter in the pan to bake, put it in the oven for 5 minutes, then had to take it out due to an emergency. I left it out for about 2 hours before I got back.
I then put it in the fridge for an hour or so before I baked it.
Are they safe to eat?


texts: How long do oven elements last under high usage?

texts: If someone were to use their oven to cook five-hour pot roasts every 2-3 days, how long would the elements last before they would need to be replaced?


texts: Measurement for 3 sheets of crushed graham cracker

texts: My receipe calls for 3 sheets of crushed graham cracker. I bought pre-crushed graham cracker. What is the cup measurement for 3 crushed sheets?


texts: Do I wash off the "silicone" before using my meat grinder

texts:
I have a Lem Big Bite meat grinder which I always thoroughly clean and spray with food-safe silicone lubricant after each use.

My question is, do I "wash or rinse" the parts that I've sprayed BEFORE I use it?

I seem to lose a few ounces of meat around the auger when I'm finished, and I wonder if it's because my blade and plate aren't properly lubricated.


texts: Where can I buy borosilicate (Pyrex) bakeware in the U.S.?

texts:
Because of the shattering dangers of the apparently inferior lime glass that Pyrex uses for manufacturing in the U.S. as exposed by Consumer Reports, I'd like to replace my Pyrex with borosilicate bakeware.  Apparently Pyrex used to manufacture their bakeware with borosilicate until about 10-15 years ago in the U.S..

I thought I found a manufacturer (Marinex) that used borosilicate, and though they advertise it as such, based on this report, it turns out that the materials used by Marinex still may not be as safe as "true" borosilicate bakeware.

How can I purchase true (new) borosilicate bakeware from the United States?  It doesn't have to be manufactured in the U.S., and I'm open to ordering it from foreign stores that export to the U.S..  Specifically, I'm looking for 13x9 and 11x7 rectangular, and 8x8 square baking dishes.


texts: Preventing white sugar from clumping in the canister

texts: We store sugar in a ceramic canister, and we get some clumping. Restaurants in humid areas that will often add grains of a rice to a salt shaker to stop clumping. (The rice acts as a desiccant and absorbs moisture, keeping it away from the salt; I believe the salt also acts as a preservative for the rice.) Is there an equivalent common household item that will keep moisture away from the sugar, or is getting a better canister really the only way?


texts: What to use instead of white wine in recipes?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is a substitute for red or white wine in a recipe?

I am Muslim and we do not consume alcohol in any form. I love European cuisine, but many of the recipes call for the use of white wine, or red wine or alcohol in any other form.

So I was thinking that there must be something that can be used instead of wine in those recipes (e.g. Swiss Fondue).


texts: I am pretty sure I know the answer to this, but I need to know for sure to settle an argument with someone... Is yeast still active after the bread has been baked and cooled?


texts: What's the correct texture for masa dough?

texts:
Recently I bought a big thing of masa harina and tried making pupusas and tortillas. I forget which recipe I used, but I remember it saying to get the dough to a "playdoh" like texture. The dough was soft but did not stick to my hands. The problem is that when I cooked it on a pan, it didn't seem to cook through before the outside got really dry. I used medium-low heat and a bit of oil. The recipe said 2-3 minutes per side, but it was still raw at that point.

I did some research and found that kneading it helps the water get absorbed into the flour better, and that it dries out quicker than wheat flour. However, kneading it didn't seem to help, and I did cover it while it rested with a wet paper towel.

Any tips?


texts: I am a bartender who has little experience using caramel.  I want to use caramel as a garnish by dipping dehydrated apple slices in it.  How do I create a "dripping effect" on the dehydrated apple slice?  I need it to look "drippy", but also need it to be hardened.  Also, is it possible to prepare the apples in advance, or do I need to do each one when making the drink?  This is for a cocktail competition, so the garnish has to be on point.  Any help is appreciated!


texts: Where can I find a recipe for less-dense coconut bread?

texts:
I was looking for a recipe for coconut flour bread.  I found several like this Amazing Paleo recipe.  However, all of them are rather flat and seem very dense.  I found another site that sells coconut flour bread that looks more like what I'd want.  It seems they added baking soda and apple cider vinegar to get the volume (the air bubbles) like you would with yeast.

Is there a recipe for coconut flour bread that's more similar to traditional sandwich bread?


texts:
I haven't been able to find much in regards to titanium cookware and its possible interactions with the human body.

Please provide academic/peer-reviewed/scientific articles if possible.


texts:
The little bit I currently know is that they're fried pig skins. However, beyond that it's just a bunch of hand-waving on my part.

Do you buy pig skin from a butcher?
Is there a special type you need?
How do you judge pig skin quality?
I'm assuming they're deep fried, does the oil matter?
Are they a difficult thing to make in your home?


texts: Is there a way to make leafy green vegetables absorb salt throughout their tissue?

texts:
For example you can make protein tissue absorb salt by brining/dry curing it.  What ways can I make say some spinach or kale tissue absorb salt?  I want the salt to be in and throughout the greens and not just placed on the surface.
Also if there is any penetration, I take it, it is just on the leaf parts and won't go into the stalk?


texts: How can I maximize the caffeine content of my coffee?

texts:
Like many people, I rely on coffee in the morning to really get me going for the day. I always use more than the directions require to get more caffeine for that extra morning jolt.

How much ground coffee should I use to reach caffeine critical mass in my brew? Is there a formula for volume of grounds per unit of water that I can use so I can get the maximum caffeine experience without wasting coffee?


texts: How can I preserve yogurt for at least 2 weeks without preservatives?

texts: How can I preserve a creamy yogurt for at least two weeks without using any preservatives?


texts: Can’t find 1/2lb ground picnic ham to use in pasta sauce recipe. What could I use as a substitute?


texts: Coconut Cookies have bitter underlying taste

texts:
so I made these coconut cookies for the first time and everything tastes fine except for this added unflattering bitter aftertaste. The taste wasn't pungent but it did make the cookies not enjoyable to eat. The cookies also came out very flat even though it contained baking soda and I chilled the dough. I don't have proper dry measuring cups, so I didn't use any for the cookies. I also used an actual spoon to measure a teaspoon, would this make an actual difference in anything? I also think I might've used a little too much vanilla. What do you guys think could be the problem?
Recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/9589/chewy-coconut-cookies/

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut


texts: I've had a store-bought cheesecake in the refrigerator for four days.  Would it be safe to freeze it?


texts: Is there a different fruit very similar to oranges?

texts:
I recently purchased a fruit, which is very similar to an orange but slightly different in taste, size and color. The fruit I purchased is about 3 inches in diameter, and has a reddish orange peel and a rich sweet citrus taste. Its internal structure is exactly like that of an orange. Is there is any such variety of oranges? Or it is an entirely different fruit? One of my friend also told me that it wasn't an orange, but wasn't able to recall the fruit's name.

I went to market again but could not find it. I don't know its name. What it is called? I wasn't able to find it on fruits stores on the Internet. If anybody knows what it is then please let me know. Its rich taste is unforgettable. I would love to know what fruit it is. It's neither grapefruit nor blood oranges.


texts:
I use bacon grease for cooking during the week. I have an issue though. I always get residue from the meat when I poor it out of the pan.

How can I filter this out? I can use a spoon for some of it, but it's just not effective to get more than 2/3 of it.


texts: How might I roast coffee at home without investing in an expensive roasting machine?

texts:
Tired of the bland supermarket beans and too poor to sate my thirst at the local roaster, so I've ordered 20lbs of green coffee beans online...

But, now what do I need to do to turn them into The Life-Giving Elixir? Not interested in crowding my kitchen with yet another special-purpose device, even for such an important task! I have a gas oven/range, cast iron pans, dutch oven, etc. - Is there a way to get a good roast without specialty equipment?


texts: How to properly mix cooked noodles and vegetables?

texts:
Whenever I make basic noodles & vegetable dishes I would cook the noodles in a pot of water, while at the same time stir frying vegetables in a wok.

Then when the cooking is done, I would drain the water out of the noodles and add them to the vegetables.

The problem is that they don't mix properly; the cooked noodles stick together too much for me to be able to blend them with the vegetables.

This usually means I end up with a thick layer of noodles with some minor vegetables on top, and a thick layer of vegetables at the bottom of the wok.

It's still tasty, but I'd like to know if there's a way to make the mixing process easier so that the dish becomes more uniform in taste.


texts: Can tempered chocolate be seeded with a different chocolate?

texts:
I have unsweetened chocolate, which is stored in seized form (soft, grainy). I use it for chocolate sauces. Is it possible to temper this chocolate by:

Sweetening it with white or brown sugar?
Then seeding it with Some
Callebaut 811 dark chocolate chips that I have? Therefore, the
melted and seeding chocolates are different.

I just recently learned to bake donuts. I tried to glaze it using my regular chocolate sauce recipe made a little thicker. Wasn't good. I revisited tempering chocolate, and thought that having it crystallize over the donut would be perfect and less messy.


texts: What does kansui do to dough in noodle making?

texts: I'm trying to understand how to properly prepare hand pulled noodles. I've read about Kansui and Lye water and in some instances I've read that they serve a similar purpose. However, after some reading, it seems that kansui could potentially affect the dough differently than lye water. Some expert insight into this would be appreciated very much.


texts: I know that raw chicken generally has a lot of safety concerns. Is there anyway that I can source the chicken to minimize these worries? What are the general concerns? How can I combat them? Are there any other safety concerns I should be worried about?


texts: When a large aluminium foil bakingpan is usd to bake rusks or biscotti can you use the pan a second time


texts: What is the perfect temperature for serving soup?

texts: I have read reports that 400 degrees Celsius is too hot. I've read reports that 10 degrees Celsius is too low. Who am I to believe?


texts:
I feel this is violating at least one law of physics.  I’ve tried twice now to make polenta recently.  All my life it’s worked as expected.  But these last two times the cornmeal starts to setup within a few minutes of stirring, then progressively begins to reverse course until it’s just water and some grit at the bottom.

The cornmeal was bought about a month ago.

Does anyone have an explanation for what can cause this?


texts: What do I search for when looking for unsweetened recipes?

texts:
This has frustrated me immensely. I want to find recipes for things like savory granola that contain neither added sugar nor any kind of sweetener like rice syrup.  However, recipes on the internet seem to include some kind of sweetener despite saying they are sugar free. Presumably they mean no added refined sugar, but sugar is sugar no matter where it comes from and I'm afraid I just don't like it. (No health reasons, I just really want to not eat sweet things sometimes).

So what do I search for? "Sugar free" gives me a bunch of artificial sweeteners recipes and "no sugar" leads me to recipes with syrups or dates or something that contains a lot of sugar anyway.


texts: Can I add vanilla to pastry cream after its cooled?

texts: I forgot to add the vanilla at the end of making my vanilla pastry cream for eclair cake.  Can I add it now after its been in the frig overnight?  I'm going to fold in whipped cream also.


texts: I have made 4 times the recipe in order to make a half sheet cake. Do I lower the degrees and bake time?


texts: I am making a Guinness chocolate cake and I need the color of it to turn out lighter to match the colors for a wedding. I have already used non Dutch processed cocoa but the lightest it got was maybe dark chocolate color. What I am going for is a carmel color. Is there anything I can do to bake a lighter cake?


texts:
I am trying to make granola that holds together in small clumps. I have had limited success. Any hints or suggestions?

I have used rolled oats, but had better luck with instant or cut oats along with some whole wheat flour mixed through it. I use butter, half honey and half brown sugar, some flax seed and bits of pecans. I bake the mix in an over-sized metal roasting pan as I make a very large batch at once (turkey sized roaster) in a slow 300* oven stirring every 30 minutes until golden brown and moister has left the batch.  Dried fruit is added after baking.


texts:
We've got a small jar of Vegemite that the kids are slowly nibbling away at, and I just realized it has a best-before date of three months ago.  At the current rate of consumption, there's another six months to go before it's gone.  We're keeping it in the fridge, and it shows no visible signs of going bad so far.

How long is it safe to keep, and how do we know it's gone bad?  Bear in mind this is pretty funky-smelling stuff in the first place.

Also, just how bad an idea is it to reuse a knife that's previously been used to spread butter to scoop out Vegemite?

Update: On further inspection, the date on the bottom of the jar is just a date, it's not labeled as "best before" or "use by" anywhere on the jar.  Definitely not the date of manufacture though, and the official Vegemite FAQ implies it's a best-before date.

Also, this somewhat amusing Metafilter thread about whether somebody should eat seven-year-old Vegemite, the general consensus being "it's probably OK".


texts: Energy efficiency of microwave and electric kettle for heating water

texts:
Has anyone measured the watts used to heat a mug of water in a microwave instead of in electric kettle into cold mug?
I have always considered that an electric kettle wastes energy when heating enough water for a mug of coffee or tea. Enough water must be added to cover heating element and often surplus is left with hot element.Instead I have an old  tupperware mug with two finger handle for safe use. The correct amount of water is added. The heating is watched until it boils and then used immediately door opened.


texts: Piping whipped cream icing vs buttercream

texts: I'm looking to try piping whipped cream icing, instead of buttercream -- what are the major handling differences the feel to it, different tips to use, any tricks or pitfalls I should be aware of? I've never done whipped cream icing before, but it was requested. I am used to a stiff buttercream, and would like to know the handling comparisons when piping it.


texts:
The question is similar to this one. I'm going to Iceland and I'd like to bring home some ingredients which are specific for Icelandic cuisine but are hardly purchasable in Central Europe.

Anything simple like snack would work fine.

It should survive the flight as well.

Any recommendations?


texts:
The cut is 'plat nerveux' and was purchased at a Parisian (French) market. It is beef, long-ish, round (like a sausage), and boneless. The meat is deeper red than most beef cuts I am used to. Deep red, but not liver or other organ color.

This cut is not even listed on https://tasteofsavoie.com/2018/10/23/french-meat-cuts/


texts:
So, I asked my friend to get me a chocolate cake mix, but she accidentlt got me a brownie mix instead (Betty Crocker Brownie mix). I wanted to make a chocolate cake for tomorrow's Super Bowl. However, if there's no hope then I'll just make the brownies.

I can't turn them into cupcakes because I have no cupcake molds. I just have a rectangular pan. I also don't have baking powder.

So the insturctions on the box say to add 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 vegetable oil, and 1 egg.

I've seen some sites that says to add one more egg. Would that really help? Has anyone converted a brownie mix into a cake?


texts:
I tried to make crispy chocolate using dark compound outer casing. An inner filling made of dark compound, fresh cream, honey mixture along with some rice crisps.

But the crisps end up loosing crispiness and starts becoming chewy in a bad way.

How can i maintain the crispiness of rice crisps in my chocolate. Also please advice other ways to make crunchy and crispy chocolate at home.


texts: Why isn't "pasta" water salted in Chinese cuisine?

texts:
I'm American-born Chinese and my parents never salt the water in which they boil noodles and there's never been an issue - at least with my palate - with seasoning or the texture of the noodles w.r.t. clumping or sticking together. I don't think I've seen the water for ramen seasoned either.

Another related question is that another "rule" for finishing pasta in the sauce doesn't seem to carry over to Chinese cooking either, e.g. neither dan dan mian(担担面) nor zhajiangmian(炸醬麵) is cooked in the sauce but rather you have to mix it up when served.

Thanks and happy thanksgiving :) !


texts:
Recently, I've been experimenting with trying to cook steak on the stovetop (or in the oven), and I'm having a problem with each one that is really frustrating me. Typically when fat is left in a steak, its white and moist, while seeming to have at least partially rendered. In each steak I've cooked however, there remains chunks of solid, uncooked fat that ruins the dish. They are cold and hard and persistent throughout the cut, as if they hadn't been melted away at all. Its not the typical type of fat one sees remaining in a cooked steak. My question then is, what is happening and how do I avoid it? I've tried broiling and cooking over as high of heat as I can, and I've tried slow-roasting on medium heat for awhile. Is this "fat" mostly a consequence of cook time or temperature, and how can I fix it without obliterating my steak to shoe-leather town.

I should also mention that the steak is cooked past my liking (IE to medium-well) and there are pieces that have none of this fat so it seems like another culprit might be that I'm not cooking it evenly but I don't know what to do differently.

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Types of steak include flank steak, sirloin, and petite tender.


texts: How can I reduce the richness of my homemade chocolates?

texts:
Context: I've recently gotten into making homemade chocolates. So far I've just been melting the stuff in a microwave according to directions and putting it into molds along with whatever filling I feel like. While I think the results taste perfectly fine, I've been getting the complaint that they are "too rich" (whatever that means). Before I go and do experiments that might result in chocolate that I won't even eat, I thought I would ask here...

Question: Is there something I can mix into melted chocolate to reduce the richness like water or milk, and will I have to expect it to interfere with it hardening in my molds? Am I just going to have to get less-rich chocolate to mix into or replace the chocolate I'm currently using (Wilton's light cocoa candy melts), and if so, what kind should I choose?


texts: I bought some mozzarella sealed in plastic and noticed that there is a bit of liquid in the package with a few tiny bubbles. Is this normal? And safe to eat? It's not bulging at all. It has 48% moisture I think and is low fat. Maybe this is more traditional mozzarella?


texts: Different techniques in making creme brulee

texts: What is the difference between stirring the egg yolks and sugar then adding the heated cream and heating the cream and sugar together then add the mixture to beaten egg yolks? Also some recipes call for egg yolks only and some egg yolks plus whole eggs. What is the difference?


texts: In uk, can I buy fresh fish directly off the boat?

texts: In England, can I buy fresh fish directly off the boat?


texts: What's the difference between pearl quinoa and 'regular' quinoa?

texts: ..and does pearl quinoa have the soapy saponin residue washed off it perhaps, so that you don't need to rinse the seeds before using them?


texts: May I use cacao butter in place of coconut butter?

texts: I'm out of coconut butter and am making fat bombs that call for coconut butter.  I have plenty of cacao butter on hand.  Can I use that instead?  Thanks!


texts: What's the proper way to dispose of used fats & oils?

texts: Down the drain? Does it depend on the type? With bacon fat, I usually let it solidify in a cup lined with foil, and then throw it out. With used canola oil, I'm not quite sure what to do because it doesn't solidify.


texts: Cooling and diluting over-reduced stock down with cold water

texts:
I've just had a brown chicken stock on the simmer for the last 8 hours, not planning for that long but got called out. Nonetheless, the liquid has reduced by about 1/2 - 2/3.

Would taking it off the heat now and adding cold water to both bring the liquid quantity back up and cool the stock for refrigerating be an appropriate rescue?


texts: Can I use a plastic tub to ferment sauerkraut?

texts: I have always used glass jars, crocks, etc. but found a nice plastic tub....will this work okay?


texts:
I know that most of the time Mozzarella cheese is used for pizza and often in combinations with other cheeses including cheddar.

I have noticed in quite a few things I cook like sandwiches, quesadillas and such that both mozzarella and cheddar are very stringy when melted which is perfect for a pizza.

So is it possible to use cheddar as the main cheese in pizza instead of mozzarella?


texts: I am cooking a recipe of Asian style sea bass. What would be a good, cheaper alternative to sea bass that is readily available in a UK supermarket?


texts:
Welsh Rarebit has always been a staple lunch for me.  Are there any other methods of cooking it, possibly in the microwave?  My method is as follows.

225g Grated Cheddar Cheese

Large spoon of butter

A few dashes Worcestershire sauce (Lee & Perrins)

4 tablespoons milk

2 teaspoons flour

Salt and pepper

Mix altogether in a pan over a medium heat and serve on slices of toast.


texts: Is it okay to eat gorgonzola cheese mold?

texts: My pack of Gorgonzola came with greenish/blue mold. is it okay to eat that mold? I intend to eat the cheese by itself.


texts: Beef: Red on the outside, brown on the inside

texts:
Take bright-red ground beef and put it in a freezer for a few days.  After
taking it out and letting it thaw, it looks fairly red on the outside, but brown
on the inside. Why is that?

From the answers to this question,
I understand that fresh beef initially becomes bright-red upon exposure to oxygen, and
then browns after long-exposure to oxygen.

I also understand that oxygen can pass through the plastic packaging.

What I don't understand is why the the ground beef on the inside turns brown
before the outside? If oxygen is the cause of browning, shouldn't the opposite happen?


texts:
We are trying to come up with a hummus product which will have a shelf life of at least one month. We will cook the chickpeas first then add all the other ingredients and blend. Product will be packaged in jars. Do you know how much citric acid should I use to extend the shelf life? And should it be in powder or liquid?
Thank you!


texts: What can be used as a wrapper with minimum taste?

texts:
I'm creating a recipe, which is essentially a duck parcel.

The problem I have is how to make a parcel.

Filo pastry worked but is too dry.

I then read Giorgio Locatelli's idea on use very fine potato sheets, where the starch will help it to glue, but I couldn't get this to work (may be I had the wrong potato, I don't know, I couldn't create a parcel, it only worked as a 'basket' with no lid).

The potato would have been great because it's not a very powerful taste and would not have overpowered the honey duck.

So, filo was too dry. Potatoes may have worked but I couldn't get it to work and of course bacon is obvious but the taste would be too over powering.

So, what else can be used to create a parcel around food?


texts:
Where did adding nutmeg to eggnog come from?

I've tried nutmeg before and can't really taste anything other than nog.

So where did the idea of adding nutmeg come from?


texts:
I use Red fife Heritage wheat in my baking.
I grow, mill, and sift our own wheat. what are peoples experiences with the differences between Heritage wheat's and conventional wheat's in bread baking.
I have noticed that the Hydration is different... sometimes it seems like the flour hydrates quickly then for lack of a better word "releases" some of the hydration leaving a liquid layer on the outside of the dough... has anyone else had this experience?


texts: What can I use as a replacement for cumin?

texts:
I've just run out of cumin and rather than go to the shops for more I wonder what I could substitute for cumin?

I'm making a lentil soup, which calls for sweating onions and the finishing the onions with cumin before adding the stock.

What can I use instead for variety or desperation?


texts:
Temperature range for canned goods?

The question is about home canning in glass but I suspect the same applies to commercial metal cans.

I have read under 70 F and bad things happen fast at 100 F.

Is there a lower bound?  If they freeze will they survive.

I want to set up an outdoor kitchen that I would use for home canning and cooking. I would like to build a cabinet for the canned goods (one reason is to keep them out of the sun).  It will only get to less than freezing maybe a couple times a year and doubt they would freeze.

Is the lower bound above freezing?


texts: What are the 3 vents / weights on this Chinese pressure canner?

texts:
I bought a pressure canner of Amazon, unfortunately the manual is entirely in Chinese.

It doesn't look like the two types of pressure canners I have learned about, which are "weighted gauge" and "dial gauge".

It has 3...things on the lid and I am not exactly sure how to operate it. Is this basically dial gauge pressure canner? What are the 3 things? Vents?

The product was fairly expensive and looks well build and judging by the temperature gauge it can reach very high pressures, so I assume, that it can be used for canning, but I am not sure how to find information on it.

It looks like this:

Top:

Top from the side:

From the top:

From the bottom:

Close Up of one of the holes:

Part of the manual:

Full manual: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Tw3X3beWptUEGTLG6

Edit:

After scanning part of the manual with an OCR scanner and using google translate I learned the following: The middle valve is a safety valve. The  right one is for manual release. The left one with the pins sticking out is an automatic release, possibly adjustable.


texts: DIY Finishing Salt (Maldon, Fleur de Sel)

texts:
I've found links here and here on making finishing salts, but this isn't the kind I'm talking about.  These are just mixtures of salt and some flavoring.

I'm referring to salts like Maldon Sea Salt and Fleur de Sel.  I know that these have (purportedly) minerals that make the salt taste richer.  Back when I was working in a kitchen, I was taught that part of what makes these nicer is that they're large crystals that dissolve slowly on the tongue (instead of nearly-instantly like your run-of-the-mill Morton's).

So basically, I want to try making my own large salt crystal flakes.  Maybe I'll use kosher salt instead of iodized salt, but the goal is to get large crystals that look like this, or even larger.

Finally, the questions:

Has anyone done this before?
What should I keep in mind?
What should I look out for?
How can I maximize crystal size?
Is there any overlap with growing crystals in general?


texts: Substitute for a Standing Mixer using a paddle

texts:
Many times I'll find a great-looking recipe that calls for a standing mixer. I haven't made buying one a priority yet. Usually I will make it anyway, using my hand mixer with beaters.

I found one where I would be mixing cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise with a paddle. Will it ruin the consistency/chemistry to use my hand mixer with beaters?  Is there another suitable way to mix these ingredients?


texts: Can I use garam masala instead of curry powder?

texts: When I don't have curry powder can I use garam masala as a substitute? Can it give the same taste as curry powder or not? If use garam masala how much should be added?


texts: Highest protein-dense, low fat, raw, plant-based ingredient?

texts: What ingredient that can be eaten raw has the highest protein content and lowest fat for its weight?


texts: Which type of flour would be better to use in this case?

texts: I have 450g whole wheat white flour and I would like to bake a bread which needs 500g. I have also different types of flour, corn and barley flour, Which one to use for that 50g shortage of flour? Note that the shops are closed now, that's why I need to use one of flour types I have at home.


texts: Sealed whey protein container past its use by date - is it still usable?

texts:
I've had an accident that made me stop training for quite some time and I ended up with a sealed - never used nor opened - whey protein pot that expired Oct/2015.

Considering it's a powder and the package was closed and sealed, I opened and it still seems fine, with the same texture and smell as expected. I tried it and the flavour is very good as well.

What issues I could have using it? Would the proteins be "gone"? Could I have health problems?


texts:
What sorts of nuts are common in (real) Italian cooking?

Looking online it seems that walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts figure heavily but do Italians use cashew nuts, peanuts, pistachio or other nuts?


texts: Why does frozen spinach have so much less iron than fresh spinach?

texts:
I have been trying to increase my iron intake and was dismayed to learn that my frozen spinach only has 2% of my daily iron needs while fresh cooked spinach has about 20%. I have been under the impression that freezing vegetables preserves their nutrients from the moment they are picked/frozen and that transporting fresh vegetables across the country depletes the nutrients.

There was a whole about this some time ago either on TV or the internet or someplace.

So when I read the back of my frozen spinach container I was really surprised to find that it only has 2% of what I need.

Why is this? Is there a difference between the kinds of spinach that are grown for canning/fresh/frozen? Does freezing break something in the case of spinach? Does this happen with all fresh green leafy vegetables?

Thank you for your time.


texts: Final failure mode of Cosori electric pressure cooker when lid is left unlocked?

texts:
One reason I prefer an electronic pressure cooker to a regular stove for safety  is that it won't start without setting the count-down timer to turn it back off.  (I am forgetful, and have 3 times fallen asleep with something on the stove.)

Well, unfortunately, my new Cosori electronic pressure cooker's count-down timer does not start until pressure is reached, but pressure will never be reached if you forget to twist the pressure lid to lock in the pressure.  The damn thing doesn't warn you by beeping or refusing to start or anything if you forget to twist the lid to lock.

Have any Cosori users here ever forgotten to seal the lid and observed in practice what the final failure mode is after all the water boils off?


texts:
I have a layer of grease on the top of my slow cooker. The recipie is a sausage & bean hotpot with smoked paprika and red wine. My issue is that I added a little too much liquid and now the fat has separated and risen to the top. As any good cook knows, much of the flavour is in the fat, plus the fat absorbs a lot of the spices.

I'm a believer in healthy food, but don't believe that all food should be healthy. As such, I'd like to blend everything back together and see how it goes. My thinking at this point is along two avenues:

Add something starchy (Cornstarch, Lentils, Mashed Potato...) to allow the oil and water to bond.
Add an emulsifier (Mustard, Egg Yolk, etc)
Separate the liquids from the solids, transfer the liquids to a pan, and reduce. This should concentrate the flavour while allowing the solids already in the sauce to do technique #1 for me.

Right now I'm leaning towards egg yolks, a few lentils certainly wouldn't harm the flavour I'm going for either. Has anyone tried the above techniques, specifically with regards to a slow cooker? How did it turn out?


texts:
While tasting some chocolate chip cookies I made, I noticed a salt taste in one bite and I wondered; if the salt was powdered, could it be incorporated better?
Would this change the taste?
Would there be any chemical changes in the baking process?


texts: Where can I source my own food safe pizza steel?

texts:
I am looking to save some money and order a slab of scrap steel from a local company.
My question is what kind of steel should I be asking for to ensure the steel is food grade quality?


texts: Can I substitute mint tea for fresh mint?

texts:
I've been interested in making tabouli, but the "fresh mint" part is incredibly expensive where I live. Since I have a huge bag of loose leaf mint tea (nothing but mint), I was wondering if I could use that instead. Would that work? I assume adding the boiling water to it will re-hydrate it.

Also, how would I decide how much to use (for example, one recipe I was looking at said "1 cup fresh mint")?


texts: how to make crumpets with bigger and more holes

texts:
I make many batches of crumpets and although they taste okay, I can't seem to get enough holes. I've tried adding bi-carb at various stages of proving, but it doesn't do anything. I've also tried Cream of Tartar. Again, it didn't work. Does anyone have any ideas.
The recipe I use is as follows:
320g flour (maida is a plain white flour available here in India)
1 tablespoon instant dried yeast
1/2 teaspoon bi-carb of soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
225ml warm milk
225ml warm water


texts: What does an overnight chill do to cookie dough, that a 4 hour chill doesn't?

texts:
I have a high-fat cookie dough (see What ingredient changes will make this cookie dough more workable?) which wants to be chilled in the refrigerator overnight before shaping.  I tried to cheat by chilling it for only 4 hours, which I figured would be more than enough time for the dough to get as cold as the fridge could make it.

I was wrong.  When I pulled the dough from the fridge after only 4 hours, it was not nearly as stiff as it needed to be. The next morning, the dough was much stiffer and more workable.

What is it about an overnight (or longer) refrigeration that transforms the dough into something workable?


texts: Sushi in lunch box? Sushi rice preservation

texts:
I want to make maki rolls for my 10 year old's lunch box.

As I will be making the sushi rice the evening before, I will be refrigerating it until the next morning when I will do the maki rolls with smoked salmon (it's for a 10 year old).

Obviously my primary concern is food safety over texture and I have come upon conflicting information on whether or not to refrigerate the sushi rice.

Any thoughts or ideas?


texts: what are the Cheap Substitute of Catechu powder?

texts:
i am about to make Mouth freshener and of the Ingredient is Catechu powder and it's very costly so is there any other thing i could instead of Catechu powder which is cheap ?
basically Catechu powder is used to make breath fresh Flavour

other Ingredient i am using are the following
1.bettle nut
2.mint extract
3.Catechu powder


texts: How long does cooked corn on the cob keep in the fridge?

texts:
There's a question here that indicates the cooked corn on the cob should be refrigerated, but doesn't indicate how long it will stay good for.

Does it make a difference whether the corn on the cob was grilled or boiled initially?


texts: How to make homemade ice cream with a chocolate swirl

texts:
My favorite ice cream flavor has swirls of gooey chocolate running through vanilla ice cream.

What do I have to do to reproduce this effect with homemade ice cream?

I tried adding chocolate sauce near the end of churning but it was too thoroughly churned in. I have tried swirling the chocolate sauce in manually with a spoon after the churn but before freezing but the syrup mostly just floated on top.

I am using a simple syrup based chocolate sauce.
What technique should I use to produce my chocolate swirls? Does the consistency of the syrup play a role? Would some other chocolate sauce work better- such as hot fudge?


texts: Is there a trick for separating still-hulled rice grains?

texts: I make a lot of bulk brown rice so occasionally I'll come across the grain that is still hulled, and chomping down on those is never fun. Is there a quick way to separate those from the rest of the grains?


texts: Can I make a Cheesecake without using cream cheese?

texts:
Is it possible to replicate the texture of cheesecake without using cream cheese?
I really love the texture of cheesecake and I really love its aesthetic.
But I just really dont like the sour taste of cream cheese which destroys the entire experience of eating cheesecake for me.
So I'm trying to look for an alternative.
I'm thinking about, replacing all the cream cheese with just heavy cream, maybe add some cooked cornstarch to thicken it to try to replicate the consistency of cream cheese. My hypothesis is that it should hold perfectly like regular cream cheese/ be runnier but should have a lighter taste which should make it 100x more suited to my tastebuds.
But I also want to hear your opinions/alternatives you might have. I want to have the best chances of success


texts: How does one use cocoa butter in cooking?

texts: I'm experimenting with different vegan solid fats for baked goods, like pancakes.  This fat isn't only solid at room temperature, it's hard as a rock even on a warm summer day.  For baked goods, do I need to do any adjustments to the recipe, or do I just microwave it until it melts and use it like butter?


texts: I have tried making scallops at home from the super market..They have so much water retained they never seem to be able to be seared correctly.. How do you correct for this problem..


texts:
I have had a look at lots of recipes for yoghurt and spice based marinated chicken legs. They are almost all similar with little variations. I skin, slit and marinate the chicken overnight and cook it in a fan forced oven at 180 degrees and turn and baste with the marinade every 15-20 minutes.

The problem that I am facing is that the chicken legs take more than an hour to cook and even then there is a little bit on the inside that looks uncooked. If I cook it any longer, the outside is very dry.

I had a look at How long and at what temperature do the various parts of a chicken need to be cooked?, but it doesn't help.

Can someone provide any usefull tips?


texts: Is using hot water to make chapathi dough a good idea?

texts: One of these days, I accidentally used hot water in place of cold water on wheat flour to make chapathi dough. Coincidentally I found the dough to be much softer than usual. Also the kneading process had sped up by a bit. Is there any science to this observation or is it random?


texts: can Tilapia replace salmon in recipes and taste good?

texts: I have a few recipes for salmon, and a freezer full of tilapia. Can I just use the tilapia instead of salmon? It's for things like "salmon and rosemary", and "poached salmon with cucumber dill sauce" for example. I know fish is not all the same, but I would like to try these out without having to get more fish when I have so much. So can I just change it right over, or will it not taste right?


texts:
Several bread recipes that I have been looking at recently call for rye malt.

I know that malt is sweet but what other effect will malt have on a bread recipe?


texts: How to keep my turkey burgers from crumbling

texts: I combined a pound of lean ground turkey with 3/4 cup each of chopped red onion and medium salsa. It was delicious, but it was also pretty crumbly, is there something I can do to make it hold together better without increasing fat content too much?


texts: Why does dried pasta say "Do not reheat" on the packet?

texts:
I've noticed quite a few packets of durum wheat semolina (supermarket own-brand dried pasta) has this warning. This applies to macaroni and spaghetti etc. but similar products from other supermarkets don't have this.

I've also seen it on raw cubed beef and sausages from other supermarkets in the UK.

While I can understand this warning on meat products, and would expect such a warning on storing/reheating rice (but haven't seen that many), it would seem more appropriate to give the appropriate storage/reheating advice than just a blanket, terse "Do not reheat". If taken literally, this would be goodbye to special fried rice, reheated casserole or lasagna.

Provided the dish was properly cooked, stored and reheated, I cannot think of any food safety risk by doing so (especially in the case of pasta). Is this just legal overkill, food presentation advice or marketing jargon to sell more product? Or am I missing some critical food safety factor here?


texts: Putting half thawed joint of pork back in fridge to fully defrost?

texts: I have a 2kg joint of pork which I took out of freezer last night and kept of the kitchen counter. I was wondering is it safe to now put back in the bottom of fridge to continue the safe defrosting proceedure? Or should I throw the joint away?


texts: What helps against astringent mouthfeel from spinach or chard?

texts: Spinach and chard dishes, if prepared from fresh veggies, have a somehow astringent mouthfeel, that can be unpleasant. Does anybody know what exactly causes this mouthfeel chemically and/or knows a good counter substance that makes the astringency go away?


texts: What is the Barcelona sausage mentioned in Homage to Catalonia?

texts: Orwell mentions a red sausage from Barcelona that tastes like soap and gives you diarrhea. I am curious what kind of sausage this is.


texts: How to balance out sourness of lemon juice, specifically in a mayonnaise?

texts:
I've just made some mayonnaise, and it's turned out fine - texture wise. However, I used too much lemon juice when I made it. What are the possible ways to balance this out, mellowing the 'zing'? It's not terribly overmuch, but it could definately stand for a bit less.

Recipe used:

1 egg yolk
1.5 dl oil
Juice from 1/3 lemon
Salt n pepper

Can I go with some honey, or will this simply make it disgusting? I realize this wouldn't neutralize the sourness, but simply mask it. Any ideas? :)


texts: How to properly cook basmati rice in a rice cooker

texts:
I do have a kind of problem with cooking basmati rice in my rice cooker.
I am following the cooker instructions - for two cups (the cooker one, not the measurement unit) I use 200 ml of water. As far as rice goes, I am washing it multiple times - about 5 times every time, until the water is more or less clean and even let it soak for a few hours sometimes. But there are two problems :

Sometimes there is some kind of white foam coming from the rice which will somehow alter the cooking and eventually ruin the rice. There's a lot of foam and the rice has got a really bad taste afterwards and some weird texture.
Even when the foam is not present the rice is burned on the bottom of the cooker - I know I shouldn't trust ads, but the cooker was said not to be sticky one :(

Any help will be appreciated, thanks


texts: Re-canning Ghee that was not strained well

texts:
I made Ghee and pressure canned it for long term storage. After it hardened, I noticed quite a lot of brown bits in it; I didn't strain it well.
Can I re-melt the Ghee, re-strain it and pressure can it again? It tastes fine, but it is unsightly to me.


texts: I was reading a Moomin book (Comet in Moominland) recently and there was a part in which Moomintroll and Sniff fry up some pancakes for dinner (40). I don't know if these are normal pancakes or if they're meant for dinner, but if possible, could you give me the name of this type of pancake (if it is in fact a different type of pancake)?


texts:
I'm not sure how to ask this question so bear with me. This shawarma place nearby has this amazing hot sauce but I have no clue whats in it! I want to re-create it if possible. I talked to the clerk and he said that it may be BBQ sauce and hot sauce. I originally thought it tasted like ketchup and hot sauce.

Having said that any ideas of the recipe for this sauce?


texts: Why should i add the butter after i knead the main ingredients when making a bread? i saying this because from this recipe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDAznRsfPjo and many others that i have seen, they have added the butter after kneading (or mixing though), i just realized this in few bread recipes like that one, so which its the purpose of mixing it like that, this kinda reminds me of when you make puff pastry dough.


texts: What is the best way to clean an electric fryer?

texts:
I have a Rival RCF15 fryer. I lost the manual and can't find a copy online. It has a fixed metal reservoir for the oil. It has a removable basket. I remember the manual saying something about not exposing the heating element to water, so I've been cautious about cleaning it.

Fast forward a few years, the fryer is coated with a layer or brown oil...mostly on the inside, and some on the outside(which is made of plastic).  What would you guys recommend for cleaning this?

Should I just throw this away and get a better model that's easier to clean?


texts: Do you heat the pan first, then add oil? Or put the oil in and heat up with the pan?

texts:
As the title says...

I personally heat up the pan first, then put the oil in and after it's heated up add the ingredients.  I go with the line of reasoning that doing it this way gives the oil less time to burn, thinking that if you do it the other way, by the time the pan and oil has heated up, the oil could already be starting to burn.

I've never experimented, but I think this is more of an issue with electric stoves since you can modulate the heat more quickly with gas, ie turn it off if the oil's starting to smoke.


texts: Has anyone tried placing a steel plate in direct contact with the heating elements in an oven?

texts:
I've been cooking pizzas at home almost every day for months now, I figured that was as good as they get and dare I say they are quite good.

Recently I had an opportunity to use an oldschool wood fired oven though and that thing could get HOT. I'm not sure how hot exactly since there was nothing I could use to measure the temperature but it could cook a pizza in around 2 minutes as opposed to the 20 minutes it takes at home in my electric oven.

I gotta say, the difference it makes in my usual pizza dough is huge, the ones I made weren't just good but sublime pizza excellence once I got the hang of it.

Now I know for sure that I need to get hotter at home too. I looked around for high temperature ovens but they are damn expensive around here so I figured I could maybe tweak my current oven.

The simplest idea I had was to place a steel plate in direct contact with the bottom heating rods and cook my pizza on that. I'm looking for a suitable plate right now but I'm curious, has anyone tried this? Did it make the required difference?


texts: How to cook rice with fish without overcooking the fish

texts: How can I cook rice with fish so that the fish is not over cooked or breaks into smaller pieces? Fish meat cooks quickly, in much less time than rice. Would anyone like to share tricks or tips for this?


texts: What are the qualities of a good French Bread?

texts: I have tried a couple different recipes, and the best tasting (in my opinion) are from Betty Crocker and Fannie Farmer. I was just wondering what are the qualities of a good French Bread?


texts: How do I adjust apple crisp cooking time for muffin-size crisps?

texts:
My usual apple crisp recipe is here, except that I generally use a third of the recommended sugar and three or four times the necessary cinnamon.

I'd like to experiment with variations on the recipe (e.g. adding flour to the filling, putting nuts in the crumble) but I don't really want to make multiple whole apple crisps, because of lack of ingredients, lack of people to eat them, etc.

I'm thinking about making multiple mini-crisps in a muffin tin. This also has the advantage that they will be side by side for easy comparison. But I'm not sure how (if at all) to adjust the baking time. Help?


texts: Do I need to worry about marinade dripping in a gas grill?

texts:
I bought a marinated flank steak that I’ll be grilling on a gas grill. When I purchased it, the butcher suggested I use aluminum foil while grilling it to avoid the marinade potentially causing huge flames as it drips.

When I researched this later, I found articles saying it’s dangerous to use foil while grilling.

Do I actually need to worry about fire or giant flames when grilling a marinated steak? If so, what can I use instead of foil?


texts: What are good references for Gluten free baking

texts: I have several members of my family who are GF. Baking for them has become a real challenge. I'm looking for good references to learn to understand how to work with this limitation in my baking.  What are good references (online or print) for good GF baked goods?


texts:
I have been searching for fat and calorie content per volume of ground bison meat, and I have found various conflicting sources.

BisonCentral.com lists it as 2.42 grams of fat and 143 kcal per 3.5 oz serving.
nutritiondata.self.com claims 14 grams of fat and 190 kcal per 3 oz serving.
healthyeating.sfgate.com says 10 grams of fat and 200 calories per 4 oz serving.

So which is right?


texts: I made a recipe for crispy shallow-fried battered chicken. The recipe called for a little vinegar to be added to the chicken after drying and seasoning. This dish did not work, the batter (just flour and water) slipped off the chicken in the oil because the meat was too wet. What is the reason for the vinegar here? Is there a trick to this or do I just have a bad recipe?


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I often make tikka masala using this recipe. However, the recipe consists of three "let simmer for 10-25 minutes" periods (after adding tomatoes, cream and chicken, respectively), so the total preparation time is quickly an hour.

I'd like to be able to cut down time by simplifying the recipe or making preparations, so I can get dinner on the table as quick as possible when I get home from work already quite hungry.

Is it really necessary to first cook the tomatoes for a period, then the cream for a period, then the chicken? Why can't they be added simultaneously? (An explanation if so would be nice!)
I thought about pre-cooking gallons of curry sauce and freeze in smaller containers, so if I just plan to take one out in the morning, it will be thawed and ready for dinner.

I discarded the idea of keeping pre-made curry sauce in the fridge, because it would rot after a week, so the upside of pre-preparation would only last for a couple of meals.