texts: how to get maximum amount of rise for shaped pizza

texts:
I'm making pizza from scratch.  My goal is to have the least dough possible in terms of grams per square cm/in, but have it as fluffy and bubbly and airy as possible.

My dough is 360g Caputo blue-sack Tipo-00 fine-ground bread flour, 70% hydration (251g bottled water), 6g yeast, 3g salt.  (I add a scattering of margerita salt on the bottom when rolling so cut this down.)  10g sunflower oil seems to improve it.

I dissolve the yeast in hot water (as hot as I can bear my finger in) while mixing the salt with the flour.

Knead 10 minutes, folding in half from 12 o'clock, 3, 6, and 9 in a cycle.

Divide into 123g balls (that fit our little baking sheets).  Fold each ball in half 4 times (it resists the fifth fold).  Let relax for 40 minutes.  (Otherwise, when I shape it to the pan, it will contract.)

Then I roll out to the size of the pizza pan, and stretch it to fit perfectly.  (I've hand-stretched instead of rolling and not gotten improved results.  Indeed, the thickness is slightly uneven and the thinner spots simply don't get any rise at all.  Rolling is much superior as even the thinnest parts are thick enough to rise.  Yes this might squeeze out some CO2 from the 30-40 minute relax period, but it's going to go on rising for several more hours.  In practice the rolled pizza doesn't end up less tall than the hand-shaped pizza's tallest points.)

Now the question is coming! I leave these sit for 3-6 hours and rise.  The baking sheet has a 1cm vertical edge, taller than I expect the pizza to rise, so I just put a cutting board on top to keep it from drying out.  I'm getting very variable results, in part because I'm letting them sit outside in Tokyo's summer weather which itself is variable.  I know I could check it every 20 minutes or make a time-lapse video, but can anyone describe generally what I should expect to happen?  For instance will it keep getting taller, or will the air go out of it at some point, or what?  Is 35C/95F a better temp than 23C/75F inside? how long should a dough 2-3mm thick take to rise?  Sometimes it almost looks like a mattress, nearly uniformly as tall as the sides of the pan, and gives great results.  But I can't recall the conditions I got that effect with.

Just in case it's relevant: I then par-bake in the baking sheet in a toaster oven 4:30; put on the toppings; and give a real bake of 6:00 or so.  The toaster oven actually does a much better job than the full-size oven in my last flat did at a nominal 250C/480F, which required a 10 min parbake and 10 min bake.  (At the moment we don't have an oven.)


texts:
I just made this brioche and I'm very pleased with it.

I'm puzzled though. Where did all of this lift come from? The dough shaped in the pan for the final proof was tiny.

The recipe calls for a sponge made with 1/4 tsp yeast, 1 TBS sugar, 1 egg, 1/2 cup flour and 2 TBS of water. That can ferment for up to a day, but I only allowed a couple of hours. It was pretty unremarkable.

Then I sprinkled over the sponge just over 1 cup of flour, 2 TBS sugar, 1 1/4 tsp yeast and 1/2 tsp salt. That sat for an hour, then I kneaded it (for no longer than normal bread), adding 1/4 lb butter and 2 cold eggs. That rose until doubled, then I punched it down and left it in the refrigerator overnight. The next day I formed the loaf in a normal loaf pan.

This is where I got nervous.

I didn't think there was any way that this tiny mass of dough was even going to rise to the top of the pan. It looked like a Twinkie!

A 2 hour proof did see the dough rise just to the top of the pan. 35 minutes at 350F caused it to get just massive (relative to normal bread).

How? The eggs aren't whipped, it doesn't call for a tremendous amount of sugar and it takes just over 1/2 the amount of yeast that would be found in typical sandwich bread. How did such a tiny amount of dough turn into such a big loaf?


texts: Beef Bone Broth: How much should I end up with per starting bones?

texts:
I'm trying a beef bone broth recipe that is short on details... it basically says to cover the bones with water and simmer for 48 hours in a slow cooker.

Based on Google, other recipes don't say to cook for anywhere near that amount of time, but I decided to try it anyway.

I started with 2½ pounds of bones and about 3 quarts of water in a slow cooker.  During the 48 hours the liquid reduced enough that it was no longer covering the bones, so I added more boiling water and continued cooking.  I had to do this a total of 2 times and the final result was about 1¼ quarts of broth (after skimming the upper layer of fat).

My question is: given the initial 2½ pounds of bones, how much broth should I end up with? Is 1¼ quarts of broth going to be super-concentrated and in need of dilution, and if so, how much water should I add?


texts:
I have left my sour dough starter on the North facing window during the day.(I live in Australia)
It has been exposed to warm, direct sunlight.
Have I killed my wild yeasts?
Should I start again?
I have seen little to no activity.
The starter is 4 days old.


texts:
This is probably a silly question, but I saw these steaks that the butcher in the grocery store said to be made of several pieces attached together by a thread. So I am wondering:

How do you cook a tied-up ribeye?
Can it be done on a grill?
Should the thread be removed before grilling or after?

My concern is that if the thread is removed before grilling the whole thing might just fall apart. The steaks looked delicious and I'd love to cook those, but I have no idea how to handle the thread.


texts:
I've been attempting to make green smoothies lately as part of a health kick. The way I've been doing it is to use a normal smoothie recipe, but to add handfuls of spinach.

In general, the results haven't been bad, and certainly better than I expected, but I do find the spinach to add a bit of undesired astringency the smoothie.

Now I know that certain tastes can counteract the perceived effect of other tastes. For example, sweetness can counter sourness, or salt can counter bitterness.

I tried experimenting a bit with adding (separately) honey, lemon, and salt, but none of these seemed to make a difference in the astringent feeling the smoothie left in the mouth. What taste, if any, can counter astringency?


texts: Ground beef stays pink for 10 days, doesn’t seem right

texts: I have a 1-lb package of 80/20 ground beef that seemed unnaturally pink. Did not open it for 10 days. Refrigerated, not frozen. Still within the “use by” date. But it’s still totally bright pink, none of the natural browning I would expect. What’s going on here? Has this meat been treated with some chemical?


texts: Reusage of deep frying oil and flour coated vegetables

texts:
I deep fry different mashed vegetables for various recipes. (For example, Indian Malai Kofta).
When I do so, I usually coat the vegetables in flour or corn flour, to prevent them from breaking in the oil. The problem is that afterwards the oil becomes tainted with the left over flour, changing the color of the oil, smell, and probably smoking point.

Is there any workaround to prevent this from happening? And is the oil still reusable if I use it within a few days?


texts: What is this dipped powder cookie called?

texts:
After hunting around online for "black and white cookies" and "powdered sugar and cocoa powder cookies", I can't find what kind of cookie I am looking for.

Not the black and white glazed cookie:

I am thinking of a cookie I had as a kid that is made of a slightly sweet, heavy, and egg-sized lump of dough. The lump of dough is baked, and then one half is dipped in powdered sugar, and the other half is dipped in cocoa powder. Then you eat it.

If you can help me figure out what it is called, I can send pictures of the cookies once I make them :)


texts: There is inconsistent terminology surrounding what is considered "processed meat". Some take any meat that has been smoked, cured, or possibly dried to be "processed", while others are consider "deli meats" that have added preservatives (nitrates, eg) for longer shelf-life, stability, and color to be processed. Can someone clarify what is a "processed meat" in the context of dietary health recommendations for reduced intake as well as any other contexts in which "processed meat" is a term that is frequently used?


texts: I recently ran into this (put your pans etc in a closed container {a garbage bag will do}, pour in a bit of household ammonia and let it sit for many hours) and love it.  However, I also have some pans with those black plastic? handles, is it safe to do on them also?  I also have a teflon pan that has some grease stuck on the outside.  Since there's no way to treat only the outside {it's the fumes that do the work, you don't immerse things} is that safe?


texts: Is it possible, and if so, how can I preserve lean meat using only salt at home?

texts:
I have lean meat (4-5mm slices) which I would like to preserve using only salt. Is this possible to do at home? Do I need any kind of special curing salt or is regular fine?

I really don't care about taste, I just want the meat to be as safe and last as long as possible in room temperature.


texts: Is it safe to eat a non-refrigerated store-bought pizza base?

texts:
We bought some pizza bases the other day and I just realized the package says to store below 4°C (39°F). We didn't store them in the fridge. Will these be safe to eat?

They contain wheat flour and yeast.


texts: Hamilton Beach 5 qt Slow Cooker Bad taste and smell

texts: I have purchased a Hamilton Beach 5 qt slow cooker.  Made Wild Rice Chicken Soup in it for 7 hrs on low and after 4 hours I checked it and tasted. Delicious. 3 hours later I shredded the chicken and shut it off. It smelled and tasted delicious. Left it on warm and when I opened the lid 2 hours later, the smell was so disgusting that I gagged. The smell was a cross between melted plastic and something rotting. My hubby thought I had gotten sick in the kitchen. The smell lifted somewhat to just smelling like plastic.  We couldn't eat it though because it still smelled and tasted like melted plastic.  I had no problem with it the first time I used it. I could find no burnt or melted plastic anywhere on the cooker.  What would have caused this. Would any ingredients do this.  Wild rice, balsamic rice and normal soup stuff. I am returning the cooker but don't want to have this problem with another one.Made


texts: Keeping Beef Wellington warm vs delaying cooking after assembly

texts:
I'm making Beef Wellington again and this time, I have to pick up my wife from the airport (about 60-90 minute round trip) before we eat it.

I want us to be able to eat as soon as possible once we get back home, but I'm not sure if it's safe to keep the cooked wellington warm on a low heat in the oven.

If that is in fact a bad idea: Could I do all the assembly with the pastry and just keep that in the fridge until it's time to cook? Does this increase the cooking time?

I'm making the full filet size BTW.


texts: Is it normal for my pan to start smoking?

texts: There was only oil in it and there is no smoke when I cook in other pans. Also the heat was medium and I'm afraid if I turn the heat any lower that my meal will be under-cooked


texts: Cooking peanut butter cookies, is there any adjustment using crunchy vs. creamy?

texts:
I assume most recipes call for creamy.
Should I use more crunchy?
Should there be a cooking adjustment for time or temp?


texts: Does freezing fresh peppers, specifically habañero peppers ruin them?

texts: Someone gave me more peppers than I can eat and I'd like to freeze them for at least a few months, a year at most. Am I wasting good peppers by doing that?


texts: Are "non-fat" condiments as effective as full-fat versions at reducing spiciness?

texts: Nice creamy condiments are known to reduce the effect of spicy foods, such as sour cream on Tex-Mex food. I have a pretty low tolerance for spiciness, so I often need to put a glop or two of sour cream on what I'm eating. Would switching to low-fat sour cream (to reducing fats) still have the same spice-reducing effect?


texts:
How can you cook milk without it burning the pan? The intention isn't just to heat/warm the milk, but to thoroughly cook it. Burned pans are hard to clean, and they make the milk taste burned.
The traditional approach of boiling milk on the stove tends to cause it to stick to the bottom of the pan and burn, if not done properly.
Background: The reason I want to cook milk is because I tolerate cooked milk better, depending on the gallon of milk. Most gallons of milk from the grocery store give me a lot of gas. Some gallons don't give me any gas at all (and those tend to keep a lot longer, interestingly). Either way, I tolerate it very well, without gas, when it is thoroughly cooked. I don't personally believe I have a milk intolerance or allergy; I think it's just yeast in the milk that grows as it nears expiration and contributes to its spoilage, as I am sensitive to some yeasts and molds; I tolerate other cow dairy products just fine (e.g. cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, butter, and sour cream), regardless of whether it is cooked.
This is a Q/A where I answer my own question, but you're free to participate as usual, of course. I figured the question had already been asked, and I came here to add my answer to the list of answers. (But I couldn't find a question like it on the site.)


texts: How to thicken a sour cream-based pastry cream?

texts: I did some research, but can't find the answer to my problem: I need to thicken the cream that I am making for my layered cake. The cream is made of sour cream and sweetened condensed milk. The cream, the way it is - is runny. It is good (and also preferable) for getting the layers of my cake moist. But then, I need to keep a layer of the same in between the layers of the cake and that's where I face the problem: it all runs off. I would like to thicken it. What I had in mind is consistency of a vanilla pudding or, maybe, even a bit thinner. I tried xanthan gum, but I don't like the texture: it is too slimy. I tried tapioca flour, but nothing happens (maybe I did something wrong). Anyone has the experience? Until now, I kept thinking that heating was not an option and that I had to keep the sour cream cold, but now I thought that maybe it is what I will have to do. I am just not sure if heating it will degrade its quality as the end product will be the type of cake that needs to be refrigerated.


texts: Using hardware store dowel as rolling pin?

texts: Is there any reason not to use the wood dowelling I always see in the hardware stores/wood shops for a rolling pin for pastry?


texts: Substitute Cayenne Pepper for Black Pepper

texts:
My recipe calls for Black Pepper. I have Cayenne Pepper.

What ratio should I use to substitute to get approximatively the same "heat"?

I realize that the result won't be quite the same. I am fine with that.


texts: What is this clear liquid after braising?

texts:
I just made braised short ribs with balsamic vinegar, and after taking it out of the oven all the liquid turned clear! Here is a picture of the result (sans a few ribs):

I suspect it is due to the rendering of the connective tissue and fat from the short ribs, but I don't understand why it is so clear, especially given that there was wine and beef broth in it.

Here is the recipe I followed: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/02/balsamic-brown-sugar-short-ribs-recipe.html

Additionally, is there anything I can do with this liquid? I'd rather use it than toss it if possible.

Edit:
The liquid has since congealed into a solidified opaque beige liquid, which looks to me like fat.


texts: Do I need to grease, grease-proof paper?

texts: This feels like a very silly question, but I'm about to bake some american style cookies, and I wanted to know if I had to grease the grease-proof paper first, or if the idea was that 'grease' would come out of the stuff being baked?


texts: What food dissolves in acid but not in water?

texts:
I've recently been learning about molecular gastronomy, and I was wondering - what edible substances do not dissolve in water, but do in other liquids (e.g. acid)?

In particular, I'm looking for something that can hold other things - for example, consider this hypothetical scenario: a glass of water in which float tiny spheres. You pour the glass into another bowl which contains some other liquid, and as they mix, the tiny spheres dissolve releasing the scent of some highly aromatic component they contained.

So, what substance can be used to contain something else, does not dissolve in water, but does dissolve in another non-poisonous liquid?


texts: How do I make this particular pizza dough?

texts:
I don't know how widespread this was, but I have found myself in the position of having to duplicate those sheet pizzas that used to be used for cafeteria work.  It consisted of a dough layer, a sauce layer, a cheese layer and a sprinkling of either sausage or peperoni cubes.  I can handle all the other layers but I know the doughs that I normally use for my various pizza applications aren't going to replicate the base layer of this "pizza".  It wasn't very crisp and it didn't rise very much and it wasn't very chewy.  This leads me to believe that there should be little yeast, and the flour shouldn't be to hard, but beyond that I'm kind of lost here.

Please understand that I am NOT looking for a true pizza dough here.  It should still be white and pliable when the toppings are finished.  If anybody knows what the brand name they were or has a place to start to fix my dough, it would be very much apprieciated.


texts: Is there an official standard vegan packaging symbol designating that a product is vegan?

texts:
I'm trying to eat vegan and having a hard time determining (by the packaging) which products are appropriate for me.

Are there symbols or certifications I can look for, preferably something backed by a federal or state government?

If there isn't such a thing in widespread use, then what is the reason for its non-existence or lack of general adoption?


texts: Why can I resuse green tea leaves several times, but not black?

texts:
Simple question really - why is it I can reuse green tea leaves 2-3 times with minor degradation in the quality of tea, but I can't do the same thing with black tea?

Is it because the black tea has oxidized?

I've noticed that you can also reuse Chinese red tea leaves as well (fermented green tea) without a problem.


texts: Is there a non-penetrative method for checking cake doneness?

texts:
Is there some way to check a cake is done without using a toothpick or other penetrative device?

I like the thermometer idea, but no one seems to know how the heck to use them.


texts: What is tasso made from and how is it made?


texts:
I read the question (and all of the answers) Can I Brown Beef For Slow Cooking the Night Before.  I can see how it might be conceived as a duplicate, but I'm not meaning for my question to be.  It talks about large cuts of meat and I want to ask about small chunks of meat.  I wanted to ask the question on the other post, but since it's four years old, I wasn't sure if it would get read or answered.

I have a slow cooker recipe that calls for stew meat to be seared before adding to the slow cooker.  I know I can skip that step and have less "beefy" stew, but I'd like to have the beef flavor shine.  Since I plan to do this in the morning, can I safely sear the chunks of meat ahead of time and immediately refrigerate?  Would the same rules that apply to large chunks of meat apply to smaller stew chunks?


texts: Is Indian food more expensive to prepare than Chinese food?

texts:
Based on my subjective experience, Indian food at restaurants is more expensive than Chinese. This seems to hold across restaurant classes, low end takeout is a buck or two more then Chinese takeout, and mid-range is a few dollars more.

Could this be due to the cost of preparation itself - ingredients, equipment, etc. - or is this likely just a result of the local economics?


texts:
I love beef, but as a food source it is decidedly problematic: even aside from the ethical concerns of eating animals at all, farmed cattle are environmental disasters on hooves, and red meat just isn't that good for you.

Unfortunately nothing quite romances my tastebuds the way beef does. I find myself straying away from my half-hearted exclusive relationships with wholesome chicken chicken breast and vegetarian options and having mouthwatering but unhealthy affairs with beef. Perhaps achieving a similar gustatory experience with non-beef foods will help me cut down on my beef cravings, so I'm here for some help. How can I break up with beef but not the beefiness?

I'm looking for suggestions for how to prepare other foods so that they substantially reproduce the flavors and meaty qualities that set beef apart. Substitutes can be other meats, preferably those both healthier and less environmentally harmful to raise, as well as vegetarian options.

My ultimate personal target for this question is the transcendental experience of eating a medium-rare loin cut (e.g., tenderloin, NY strip, or sirloin), i.e., beef-flavorful, umami, lean, smooth-textured, and tender-- but still with a little substance to sink my teeth into (the mignon can even be too soft for my preference).

However, I hope this post can be broader than that and cover beef products in general, in order to be helpful for a range of dishes, recipe adaptations, and stricter dietary substitutions.* For that reason, for each suggestion please try to identify specifically what characteristics of beef your substitution achieves and why. Food science is welcome!

How can I reproduce beefiness, especially flavor and texture, with other foods?

*For those interested, check out some of the many related questions out there:

How to reproduce meat flavor? (vegetarian)

How can I reproduce "gamey" flavor?

Substituting different cuts of beef for each other ("Beef parts interchangeability")


texts: I canned some tomatoes using vinegar but now the taste in my pasta sauce is too acidic. Is there anything I can do to correct this in my sauce?


texts: Webshop to buy vegetarian/vegan products online delivering in Canada?

texts:
I would love shops with bulk of almonds, various beans (soy,lentils,chickpeas), speciality cereals like quinoa/amaranth, seitan mix, vegan fake chiken, broths, wheat grass, vegetarian/vegan fake meats ...

As I buy from Quebec, it could be harder a little ...


texts:
The USDA recommends cooking many meats to an internal temperature of at least 145 °F (63 °C) to kill off pathogens. That usually works for me, but the big exception is steak. Whenever I try reaching at least 145 °F (63 °C), I always cook the steak to well-done, and online articles generally say rarer cuts have to dip well below 145 °F (63 °C).
Still, regular portions of rare steak hasn't ever gotten me sick. So what keeps the raw meat safe enough for us to eat rare? Are there things I do or should do to ensure safe raw meat (e.g. sourcing, preservation, preparation, and cooking)?


texts: I bought a large quantity of smoked cuts of pork (Ham, Sausage and bacon) and find it is too smokey.  Is there anything I can do prior to cooking or method of cooking that will lessen the smoked taste?


texts: Safety of glues in wooden chopping boards

texts:
It seems to be becoming more difficult over time to get a wooden chopping board that isn't made of separate pieces of wood that are glued together.

I did find some sites discussing how to choose a food safe glue:

http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/food-safe-glues/
http://www.ehow.com/about_4727757_glue-making-cutting-boards.html

The latter site states "Boards that are not made with FDA-approved glues should not be used for food preparation as the toxins in the glue could leech into the food."

Is anyone aware of any studies done into whether the chopping boards generally for sale are actually safe? (For the US, does the FDA check when they are imported?)

Obviously the quantity of glue that would make it into food would be very low, and probably undetectable by taste or sight. Has anyone experienced any ill effects from using a chopping board made with glue that's not food safe?


texts: Can I re-cook a ham that was left out overnight?

texts: I left a fully cooked ham in a bag out overnight. It was refrigerator temperature when I took it out at 9pm. Our Seattle home was not heated; it was about 50 degrees last night. I found it at 6am and threw it back in the fridge, in case it was still good. I would cook it again and then use it with eggs or sandwiches. Would this be ok?


texts: What is the ideal coffee temperature for tiramisu?

texts:
When making tiramisu, I usually make a fresh batch of strong coffee. I just don't know how long to wait to use the coffee (for dipping the cookies).

In my opinion, room temperature coffee tastes horrible. Does this taste lingers on even if the dessert is chilled? If I use the coffee when it's too hot, will that deflate my egg whites? What coffee temperature gives me a good flavour and doesn't deflate my whipped whites?

I make my tiramisu with eggs, but the same issue applies to tiramisu with cream, I think.


texts: Why does cooked fruit seem to retain more heat than the other foods in the recipe?


texts: Does roasted garlic leave no aftertaste and smell

texts:
I saw in a recipe book by the Grill company Weber where they claimed that if you roast a garlic over medium heat in the grill, until it becomes pulp, and then slather it on your baguette and eat it, it will not leave bad taste/smell afterwards.

Is this true? I love garlic but it leaves strong smell, so I avoid it.


texts: Can lemon juice concentrate be used after the use-by-date?

texts: My lemon juice concentrate's use by date passed a few months ago. It was kept it in the fridge the whole time. Is it still safe to use it?


texts: Why should you remove the core of garlic?

texts:
I have read it is better to remove the core of a clove of garlic. I actually see no reason for doing this. Does it have a different flavor, or is there some other good reason for it?

-edit-
In addition to the question as reaction to the answer 'because the green middle is bitter', I was wondering:
-Then should you only remove the core when it is green, and not if the garlic is still very young?
-Is there some easy way to remove this core?


texts: The cook time and temperature I need is not an option on my crockpot

texts: How do you adjust the cook time for a recipe that says cook on low for 6 hours to coordinate with a programmable crock pot that only has settings for 4-6 hours on High and 8-10 hours on low?


texts: Do I need to adjust recipes when using hard water

texts: Our well water tastes very good but is extremely hard (220 mg/L). Do I need to make any adjustments when cooking or baking or will it work fine?


texts:
I know how to cook it fine, with garlic, onions and some seasoning (olives and pepper some times). But the thing is, it takes too long for the water to evaporate (reduce) making it take long.

Is there a way to make it faster?

I'm a very novice "cook", so any tips would be greatly appreciated.


texts: How long is wheat good for after harvest?

texts:
I'm not sure if I am asking this in the right place.

I am wondering, if winter wheat is harvested from mid-May to mid-July, and spring wheat is harvested from mid-August to mid-September, then how long is it good for before it gets milled?


texts: What sort of kebab is used with Chellow Kebab?

texts:
I came across the following picture

in wikipedia the entire serving was being called Chellow Kebab without separately naming the Kebab Variety.

I would like to know the name of the Kebab as displayed in the picture and the recipe to make it


texts: Are all emulsifying agents created equal

texts:
My question relates to the 5 of 6 emulsifying agents I am aware of for stabilizing emulsification.
namely; egg yolk, garlic, mustard, tomato paste, honey, and cream.

I haven't personally used each of these as as emulsifying agents but that's the extent of my list. Anyways. So my question is, for any given particular emulsion does there exist a most useful emulsifying agent to Stabilize that particular emulsion? For instance, if I am making an oil in water emulsion, like a hollandaise sauce where the emulsifying agent is the egg yolk or whatever, would egg yolks yield an equally stabilized emulsion if used in an water in oil emulsion like a vinaigrette? Or would an alternative absent be more appropriate for that type of emulsion?

Again, not interested in any specific case, more of the general answer. I imagine the emulsifying agent is useful because it has both a hydrophobic and a hydrophilic side, kind of like dish soap, which lends it to uniting oils and waters so well... I don't know though if there are particular characteristics about specific emulsions that would make mustard more appropriate in one case but not as desirable in another.

Obviously this is assuming all other variables being equal, and with out consideration necessarily of taste... I mean this is cooking so everything has to do with taste but you know what I mean


texts: I ended up overcooking my quince jam. It is really overcooked. It's not burned or anything but the quince pieces have harden up due to loss of water. Can I use it for something else? I don't wanna through it as it would be 6Kg of waste.


texts: Is getting rid of the dough the only solution when it smells of yeast?

texts: I made pizza dough (it was ready to use, you just add the liquid ingredients -oil and milk in my case- and the rest is similar to the usual process of letting it rest and so on) the other day and left it in the fridge for about 48 hours, when I was making pizza I figured it smells of yeast which is unpleasant and quite strong. Anything can be done about it or tossing in the trash is the only solution to the issue?


texts: Is it safe to bake in an oven with melted plastic residue left?

texts:
For space reasons, my apartment leaves some of our casserole dishes and baking trays in the oven. When my roommate went to preheat the oven one night, he failed to realize that some of them had plastic lids. As thus, it resulted in a mess of melted plastic in our oven and our whole apartment smelling awful for an hour or two.

We cleaned it up and got it off the oven racks, and managed to scrub most of it off of the bottom. Problem is that some of it dripped down into the vent. Even upon removing the cover, I believe there's some that we just won't be able to get...and who knows how much plastic is actually dripped down there.

No one's used the oven since, but I like to bake and the holidays are coming up. Is our oven still safe to use at all? I do think it smells a little plastic-y when heated up, but it's no longer smoking...I think.


texts: How long should dry beans be soaked before cooking?

texts:
I'm guessing there are different answers depending on the type of dried bean (pinto, kidney, navy, white, etc.) and I am interested in all of them.

So:  how long should dry beans be soaked?

Should the water be just tap water, or salted?

Should the soaking water be discarded or used later?

Thanks!


texts: Remove tannins from tea without removing caffeine

texts:
I have a lovely black tea that is fairly high in caffeine, which I'd like to keep.
Unfortunately though, I'm not a fan of the bitterness caused by tannins, and I'd like to remove them if possible without leaching the caffeine as well.
I was thinking pre-rinsing the leaves with cold water for example, considering the solubility figures below:

Tannic acid solubility at 25 degees C:  2850 g/Ll
Caffeine solubility at 25 degrees C:  20 g/l
Caffeine solubility at 100 degrees C:  660 g/l

Are there any experimentally verified methods of doing this?


texts: Why does white vinegar taste better when at restaurants?

texts:
Just got back from dinner, where I had some decent fish and chips with white vinegar, and a thought came to me: At restaurants, I've found the white vinegar there helps to accentuate the flavour of the dish, mainly French fries. But when trying to do the same thing at home, the taste is more like I had just thrown on water as opposed to vinegar.

Barring that I'm imagining things (and it's entirely possible), I wonder if anyone else can shed some light on this at all?


texts: If I only want to use part of a can of beans, what are my options with the rest?

texts: I typically cook eggs in the morning, and would like to add some legumes to add a little more heft. I'm looking for the easiest way to do this, so I thought of canned beans. However, I don't think I want the full can. What can I do with the rest so that I can use them the next day or two?


texts: Is it safe to drink dark tea dating to 1970?

texts: The tea has been saved in a glass bottle with metal top, stored in dark kitchen cabinet all these years.


texts: How can I choose good avocados at the supermarket?

texts: I've been trying to ignore my burning desire to make some guacamole because every time I go to the supermarket to buy avocados I can't manage to pick out good ones.  They always either become too soft before I have a chance to do anything with them or are hard and not very tasty.  How can I tell when an avocado is perfectly ripe?


texts:
I am from South Africa and we are currently having what our main energy supplier is calling loadshedding. Basically various municipalities have their electricity cut at relatively random times to lift the load. The news did not report any shedding for today, but as I finished making my banana loaf batter, the power went out. It will be out for anything between 1 and 6 hours. Do I leave the batter out while waiting or in the fridge? Contains baking powder, butter and eggs, so my questions are: Will putting the batter in the fridge for that amount of time effect the outcomes of the baking? We are in Africa, so atmospheric temperatures are high, about 36 Celsius today. Is it more risky to leave the batter out, in terms of food poisoning, or in the fridge in terms of outcomes of the baking?!
Also: had I already put the baking in the oven, what would have been the best course of action? Take out and wait, put in fridge or leave in oven? (recipe asks for 50 minutes in the oven)


texts: When you cook with wine or spirits, when does the alcohol cook away? Obviously high temperatures will do it, but how low of temperatures will work? Also, does it vary by the type of alcohol?


texts:
I have a problem with my cookies becoming crumbly as they hang-out in room/warm afternoon temperatures.

I bake cookies -- a lot for fundraisers. Normally these cookies are stored in display cases within main halls and sold by students. What happens whenever I test them in the middle of the day, is that they've lost their tender toughness, which is more akin to a freshly baked batch or one from the refrigerator.

Since the cookies won't be sold through a refrigerated display-case for the foreseeable future, I wonder what's a good ingredient to make the cookies tougher within warm ambient temperatures? I suppose grocery-store cookies have this certain ingredient to a higher extent.

Thanks for your help!

The recipe is as follows

(Makes 120-130 cookies)

Wet:

1 lb butter (2x 220g), caramelized/browned to 300 F -- cooled
10 oz granulated sugar + 4 eggs + 4 tsp vanilla extract
10 oz brown sugar

Dry:

20 oz APF
6g baking soda, 8g iodized salt
2 tbsp corn starch
16 oz dark chocolate chips*

*I should disclose this. I use couverture chocolate chips so they're slightly melty, but also because they're cheaper than bakeproof ones.


texts:
I have this non-stick tefal cooking pan which works great - nothing sticks to the telfon part.

The only problem is the silver metal rim to the pan - it just gets more and more brown the more often I use it. It requires more scrubbing with soap than I am able to manage if I want it to stay shiny silver. How can I clean the brown gunk off?


texts: How do I wrap a spring-form pan in foil so it doesn't leak when I bake in a water bath?

texts:
I have never found a spring-form pan that does not leak.

I have never been able to wrap a spring-form pan so that some of the water doesn't get into the pan.

I can wrap it so that a lot of the water doesn't come into the pan.

But it seems to me that there must be a method that works to keep the water out entirely.  I just haven't figured it out.

How can I wrap a spring-form pan in foil so that water from the bath doesn't leak into it?


texts: Do I use half as much "double concentrated" tomato paste?

texts: I have a tube of tomato paste that is "double concentrated" (brand is "Cento").  Do you use half as much as a recipe calls for, or is this a case where all tomato paste has been "double concentrated" forever and one brand just got around to putting it on the box?


texts: I canned a mustard vinegar sauce that contains granulated sugar and brown sugar plus ketchup. I washed the jars in my dishwasher and cleaned the lids in water and vinegar. Do I need to do anything else after canning the sauce that was held over heat for 30 minutes? Please advise.


texts: Why get a chef's knife or santoku if I don't eat meat?

texts:
If I don't eat meat, is there any reason why I would choose a chef's knife or santoku over a vegetable knife (e.g. Japanese vegetable knives or Chinese cleavers)?

I eat all kinds of foods (from mexican to chinese)  and make nearly everything from scratch (minus things like noodles), so from my cheap interim chef's knife, all I do is chop, slice, and dice. Although I've only recently taken up cooking, I don't see myself doing anything else (paring and bread knife aside). Because of this, I've been debating getting a vegetable knife, such as a Global vegetable knife or Wusthof Chinese cleaver.


texts: Coconut bread dough is crumbly and does not come together to knead

texts:
So I followed the following recipe once and the bread buns turned perfect. Today I decided to make it more coconut-ish so that it tastes and smells like coconut even more than the previous batch. I substituted half of the flour with coconut flour, added more coconut flakes and substituted the butter with coconut butter (that is what I did the first time, using coconut butter)! It seems that I messed it up and it is so crumbly that I cannot knead it! I came up with the idea that I might make small buns  that look like cookie but then I added yeast, how to fix it? Or what to make with this crumbly dough?

4 cups flour
3 eggs
4 tbsp coconut flakes
50 gr butter
water
2 tsp yeast
vanilla 1/2 tsp
salt 1 tsp
sugar 1/3 cup


texts: I heard on a film the other day that you shouldn't crowd mushrooms when cooking them? What does this mean and how do you avoid doing it?


texts: This answer might vary between types of chillies, but I'm curious to know when they're hottest.


texts: How to tint powdered sugar (icing sugar)?

texts:
I'm looking for a way to tint powdered sugar without wetting it.

I know that there are powdered food colors but I think that part of what activates the color is the fact that they get wet when you add them to an icing or batter.

I'm also afraid that they're so concentrated that, even if I get the color I want, I'll end up dyeing the mouths of the people who eat the cookies/cupcakes/whatever that I dust with the powdered sugar.

Is blending/processing colored sanding sugar and adding a bit of cornstarch an option? Will it ever mimic actual powdered sugar?

Edit: I've tried the above (sanding sugar with cornstarch) and it does not make a good solution.


texts:
I love the Kirby Cucumbers (I've seen them called "Pickling" or "Salad" cukes in the midwest)  available over the Summer, but they tend to get slimy in the fridge quickly if not consumed within days.

Does anyone have a good method of storing this type of Cuke in the fridge?  In plastic? No plastic?  In a wet paper towel?  I don't use them for Pickling so "in liquid & jarred" is not my option here.

Thanks for the answers.


texts: What could be the basic ingredients that potentiate sourness and bitterness?

texts:
When it comes to basic tastes (saltiness, sweetness, bitterness, sourness, and umami), I can easily think of very basic ingredients that could be considered the essence of a given taste, something that you can add to any meal and potentiate that specific taste:

For sweetness, we have sugar.
For saltiness, we have salt.
For umami, we have monosodium glutamate.

I have doubts regarding sourness. At first I thought about vinegar or lemon juice, but both ingredients do modify the flavor of meals you add them into (and not just potentiate a given taste). And regarding bitterness, I just have no clue. Note that I am speaking about ingredients (something you can find in a kitchen), and not about chemical compounds in general.

So what ingredients can be considered the essence of sourness and bitterness?


texts:
I'm cooking soup as a starter for Christmas dinner. I've made this soup before and I used 1.5 litres of water for 4 servings. I'm making 12 servings for Christmas day so that should be 4.5 litres of water required if I just put in 3 times as much of everything.

I'm not sure if I've correctly scaled up the water needed, 4.5 litres sounds like a lot of water. Maybe when cooking 4 servings 1.5 litres of water is used but 0.5 litres boils off, then with 12 servings 3.5 litres is used and still 0.5 litres boils off. Is this a smarter way to scale up the water needed?

Edit: To make 4 servings I add 6 tomatoes, a leek and 3 potatoes; I simmer it for 30 minutes with the lid on.


texts: Finding cheap but quality steak for grill

texts:
We recently moved to a nice apartment building with great rooftop grills. I have started to learn about grilling, and it was a mistake, as now I really like prime ribeye steak off the grill (I think, we buy Whole Foods, grade 3 meat)

The problem is that such steaks are relatively expensive, at $13-19/pound.

Is there any trick to finding good quality meat at lower prices apart from waiting for discounts? Can cheaper steak be prepared to similar quality/taste as better cuts on the grill, if I like form-factor of rib eye?


texts: Bone broth has green tint; is this normal?

texts: Is it normal for bone broth to have a green tint? I skimmed a bit off and it looked like sautéed spinach. The broth itself had a slight green tint. I'm not sure whether that's okay or a sign of something being amiss. Could it be caused by the bone marrow, fats, etc?


texts: I'd like to have a go at making some kind of mole, but all the recipes I have seem to make big batches. How long can I keep mole for, either in the fridge or freezer?


texts: When making a peanut butter based sauce, how can I loosen the peanut butter and even out the consistency ? I tried adding a bit of hot water and mixing them, but even after simmering for a while in the pan with frequent stirring I still found clumps of peanut butter.


texts: Please tell me what this kitchen tool is called and its use, specifically

texts:
This vintage tool is stamped "Guelon, France." I believe it is some type of zester, but I cannot find an image of it anywhere online, nor any info on it.

Please help me and, if you can, tell me its specific use and possible decade(s) when it was sold. The image I have added here is the tool shown on its side.

The tool is 7" long overall and the diameter of the round head is 1.5".


texts: Can I make Chocolate Chip Cookies last for months by adding preservatives?

texts:
I have a small cookie business and I would like to start selling packaged (soft baked) cookies, that last longer than a week, hopefully a few months.

However, cookies prepared with fresh ingredients only last for 5 days. (After 3 days they don't taste that good anyway.)

I have heard of special ovens making them last for months, as well as special packaging and preservatives, but I don't have any information on any of these.

Do any of these work? Or do I have to change my recipe completely and use powdered eggs, whey powder, etc.?


texts:
My youngest is a fussy eater, and we have problems getting him to eat vegetables.  Recently we've tried using a wide steamer and he likes it, because its wide enough to keep all the carrots from touching while cooking (yes - that's his reasoning)

However he also only eats carrots and broccoli when there's a trace of sugar in the steaming water - a teaspoon or so.

My wife is happy to leave the water in the bottom pot and let it cool, then reheat it the next evening.  I feel this is a bad idea but can't put my finger on why....  The water boils so it reaches temperatures that should kill anything bad.

What have we missed ?


texts: What does baking time in oven depend on?

texts:
Banana bread recipe requires 1 hour, and the banana muffins recipe require 20 minutes.

Both the recipes contain bananas, and flour. Why is the baking time so different among the two?


texts: I have access to a dehydrator, but have never dehydrated sage. How should I dehydrate it?


texts: Is it safe to use non stick cookware over a flame?

texts: I have recently started to learn how to cook. Whenever I am trying to make a chapati or to cook a vegetable, I start experiencing an acute headache, most likely because of the steam or maybe the flame in burner gas stove. I am using non stick cookware. Can this be the reason for getting the headaches?


texts: I've been using this pan for a while, and have somehow scorched the bottom of the pan. Can someone tell me how I should clean it? Thanks!


texts: I have 2, 10 lb pork shoulder roasts that need to be roasted in my oven and done by noon. What is my start time? I certainly don't want to cook them as if a 20 lb roast, but don't feel certain that only cooking as a 10 ob roast is sufficient.  Any help is greatly appreciated.


texts:
I'm having a hard time to keep hydrated... and really, I think a good part of it is that straight water is really meh.
I know of ways to flavor water, but I find fruits to be a bother (you then have just soggy fruit  at the end of your bottle, not always have access to some trashcan to throw them into) and most flavor powders are stupidly high in sugar.
So is there other good ways to flavor water that do not create a waste product and are not super high in sugars?


texts: Avoiding over-mixing when using a stand mixer

texts:
I've been having a problem when I try to make baked desserts using my stand mixer: cookies come out flat and cakes come out too dense.  I've tried several recipes and had them come out great when mixing by hand instead, so I'm pretty confident it's not a problem elsewhere.  I'm using the slowest setting and running it only as long as necessary.

I don't know baking chemistry that well, but I'm guessing that the power of the mixer is starting the baking soda/powder reaction too early, leaving it without enough reaction left to do its job in the oven.  Does that sound right?

Any ideas for how to fix this?


texts: What is the best method of storage for condiments?

texts:
I have read a fair few articles about storing condiments like Siracha, Ketchup, and BBQ Sause, but they all seem to contradict themselves; some say that storing them in a fridge is bad since it has preservatives and other says it is bad to store at room temperature.

So, just wondering if anyone has advice on storing condiments preferably with reasoning since I am confused about how I should be taking care of them. (Though any help is appreciated!)


texts: What can I replace pineapple with in a cherry dump cake?

texts:
I would like to make a cherry dump cake, but some kids are allergic to pineapple. What can I replace it with?

The recipe I am working with is:

  1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple with juice, undrained
  1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
  ½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
  1 can Duncan Hines Comstock® Country Cherry
  or 1 can Duncan Hines Comstock® Simply Cherry Pie Filling Topping
  1 package Classic Yellow Cake Mix

  Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 13"x 9" pan. Dump pineapple with juice
  into pan. Spread evenly. Dump in pie filling. Sprinkle cake mix evenly
  over cherry layer. Sprinkle pecans over cake mix. Dot with butter.
  Bake 50 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Serve warm or at room
  temperature


texts:
So I have a plan to experiment with making a carrot pie. I can think of two approaches to this.

One would be to create a custard. Carrots aren't very starchy, so that may be a bit of a problem, but not one that some corn starch wouldn't solve.

The other is to make a fruit style pie "stew", maybe with raisins.

What direction would use the characteristics of carrots to their best advantage?


texts: How to cook Brussells Sprouts and sweet potates in one oven?

texts: I need to roast the Brussels sprouts at 350 for 40" and bake the sweet potatoes at 425 for 60" in one oven.  How should I do it?


texts: Substituting maltose for barley malt syrup in bagels

texts:
Can I substitute Chinese-style maltose (麥芽糖 if you want to search it up) for barley malt syrup in bagels?
From what I understand, the flavour won't be exactly the same, but I'm not sure whether the latter affects the hydration, and how they should be substituted. Can they be swapped directly 1 to 1 (by weight), or must the quantity be adjusted?

Also, if you are not sure what I mean by maltose and barley malt syrup, here are some Amazon links:
Maltose
Barley malt syrup


texts: Will swishing or moving a teabag around affect the steeping time in any way?

texts: Often times I find myself swishing, dunking, or moving a teabag around to affect the steeping time. Does it have any effect at all on the tea infusion, or am i actually hurting the flavor?


texts:
My husband will bring home some fresh white truffles from Italy. I never had truffles in my kitchen and I don't know how to store them. Any advice?

Subquestion suggested by casperOne: It would be interesting to hear answers both about long-term storage in the kitchen and storage options for transporting them on a long flight.


texts: Why do I need more time and liquid than my risotto recipe calls for?

texts:
Whenever I make a risotto, I always find that I need about 50% more liquid and 50% more cooking time than my recipe suggests. I recently made a Jamie Oliver risotto that called for 1 cup arborio, 2 cups chicken stock, and 20 minutes. I used more like 3 1/2 cups of stock and it took a good 30 minutes. My stock is heated in a separate sauce pan, and I add it a little at a time (although probably more than a ladle, maybe two?). I stir frequently but not constantly (probably once a minute). I consistently seem to have this issue regardless of the recipe source.

Am I do something wrong? Or is this a case of a recipe playing it on the safe side?


texts: Should I be concerned about a tiny black bit in my olive oil? I thought maybe something fell into it or perhaps it's a bit of olive sediment. It looks like a very tiny flake of something the size of a tiny bit of dried herb. Is that a problem? I keep thinking that anything left in oil is a bad thing food safety-wise.


texts: How to heat frozen stuffed pretzels other than bake them

texts: I have sold the super pretzels for years and heat them by microwave. However I am now selling their "cousin" which is made by the same company but they are stuffed with sweet cream cheese, jalapenos and mozerella cheese, and pizza sauce and cheese. I find the outside to be okay visually but the inside stuffing does not turn out as nice when done the same way. It is more rubbery. What/how can you heat these so they turn out like they have been in an oven but can be done quickly. I am in a concession trailer so space, power and time are all critical.


texts:
I make gravy at the restaurant where I work. One week, I made a great buttermilk brown gravy. The next week, I tried to replicate it and the end product was very gritty and grainy. Does anyone have any insight into why this happened? I added it with my other liquid (heavy cream) after I browned my roux.

I know I can make smooth buttermilk gravy, I just don't know what caused it to get gritty like that. Thanks!

I use 2 pounds of flour, 2 pounds of butter, 1.5 gallons of cream, and 1.5 gallons of buttermilk.

I make a brown roux, add onions, let them caramelize, then I start adding warm milk and room temperature buttermilk. I let it sit on the burner to heat up and thicken. It will get less gritty as it thickens but the grittiness never went away the second time.

Edit: Added more clarity to process.


texts: I'm about to start a batch of Kombucha using 100% Hibiscus flowers as the tea. Just received a 1 pound bag of organic Hibiscus flowers. Can anyone give me some recomendations on amounts to use in a gallon of water and possibly some brewing methods for this type of tea? I know what to do for the Kombucha but I've never brewed Hibiscus flower for tea before and want to do it as nicely as possible before adding to the Kombucha first ferment.


texts: "Odd" flavor in some white fish - how to predict?

texts:
I am able to taste a flavor in some fish (usually white fish) that most other people do not (I also can smell the asparagus pee smell, and am a strong taster ... but not supertaster?... of bitter flavors). What I would like is a way to predict whether a given piece of fish will have the flavor, so I can avoid it. I don't think that I can detect it as a smell. I find it unpleasant, but not intolerable. It doesn't seem to be a result of spoiling. At a guess, I'd say I encounter it in less than 20 percent of white fish. It occurs across species, so I might find it in cod, haddock, halibut, sole, etc. If I'm cooking up some fillets from the supermarket, that flavor might be in one piece, but not the next. My wife and I will often swap portions if I detect it in mine, and she notices no difference, where to me it's as obvious as if I'd popped a chunk of 80% dark chocolate in with a bite of fish.  Not to imply that I dislike choco - I love it.

I don't ask everybody that I meet, so there might be others who detect this flavor, but I can't describe it, except... hmm... one-dimensional, the way a taste of metal would be one-dimensional... though it doesn't seem to be a metallic flavor either.

Anyway, would be obliged if somebody else knew what I meant, and especially if there's a way to tell if a piece of fish will be affected BEFORE I buy. Oh, and it's only in fish. No other food that I've encountered.  Not affected by method of cooking. Not affected by seasoning.   Anybody?


texts: Can you use olive oil past its expiration date?

texts:
I just noticed my olive oil expired on 2016/6, however, I couldn't tell that by taste and it still seems fine to use.

Can I continue on using it? It seems such a waste to throw it away since it still works well for frying/cooking.


texts:
I buy and freeze whole almonds when they go on sale. I use them whole, chop them coarsely for things like bread and chop fine or food process them for things like pastries.

When I chop them by hand there are some large and small pieces. I assumed this was because of poor knife work so I practiced. Since the nuts are so hard it is almost impossible for me to get uniform sizes.

When I chop them in the food processor the pieces are uniform but too small for many applications.

What is the best way to take apart almonds so I can get uniform pieces? Slivered or sliced almonds would be the best if that is possible without industrial equipment.


texts:
I cured my own corned beef recently, and cooked it sous vide (a la J. Kenji Lopez Alt). The result was superior to the pre-cured joints I've boiled to oblivion in the past to be sure, but it was unpalatable salty.

I'm trying to figure out what I did wrong and how to correct it, and I'm going in a couple of main directions.

Too much cure. The recipe had kosher salt and pink salt. I substituted tender quick for pink salt. Perhaps the concentrations are different? Perhaps I don't need both kosher and TQ? I also noticed some of the salt took almost a week to dissolve. Maybe that points to an excessive amount of cure.
Salt couldn't escape. I suppose one downside of cooking sous vide in this case is that the salt can't really dissipate as it might otherwise. I did rinse the beef thoroughly before cooking it, but perhaps instead it should be soaked for a while (a few hours perhaps?) in cold water before getting vacpacked and cooked.


texts:
I'm trying to make a fudge inspired by some I have seen made in a fudge shop here in the UK (although it is an American-style fudge, not the softer British kind). The recipe the shop uses substitutes cream for the butter in traditional recipes, and uses pure corn syrup as the sugar.  They manage to get the fudge to stay completely white, without it browning at all, yet when I try to replicate this at home I always get a pale brown colour with a toffee flavour that isn't present in the shop-made fudge.  The process I'm using is this:

Mix milk, cream and corn syrup
Heat to 112C
Add vanilla
Pour into a cold tray to cool
Stir and stretch for the final phase of cooling

Any suggestions what might be going wrong?


texts: I have a cake that calls for 4 Tablespoons of brandy. I don't have any brandy in the house, nor any kind of liquor at all (besides maybe red wine vinegar which doesn't help much). Is there anything I can substitute, or should I just skip? (I think I've skipped the brandy sometimes before when making this recipe and it came out fine.)


texts: Is One Of These An Appropriate Substitute For A Stewing Hen For Making Chicken Stock?

texts:
A.) Cornish Hen

B.) Baking Hen

C.) Capon

Both Michel Roux and James Peterson advise using a stewing hen for making a chicken stock, but unfortunately no grocery stores in my area carry any. They do carry the three listed above tho.


texts: Substituting lime juice for lemon juice in hollandaise/mayonnaise?

texts: If I have fresh limes on hand but not fresh lemons, can I use the limes to make hollandaise and mayonnaise?  Assuming it works, what effect will the lime juice have on flavor and texture?


texts: What causes gnocchi to pop violently when fried?

texts: I came across this video about frying gnocchi, and am now quite curious what causes the reaction shown, especially since gnocchi is made from potatoes, and we have all had a fried potato in some manner or another.


texts: My daughter put a cell phone in the microwave and switched it on. The phone was heated for less than a minute at maximum temperature. There was a strong smell from the burnt phone and the microwave. Can we use the microwave again? Which steps are necessary to bring the microwave to a condition where food isn't contaminated (both from an aroma and a food safety standpoint)?


texts: What is ideal temperature for baking cupcakes?

texts:
I baked two batches of cupcakes at 180˚C but both collapsed in the middle. I guessed I must have used a little extra baking soda in the first batch so I used lesser amount of baking soda and baking powder in the second batch. The cakes rose nicely for first few minutes (I watched through the glass door of the oven without opening it) and then collapsed in the middle finally resulting in hard on the outside, sticky in the inside mess.

Recipe: Adapted from an eggless cake recipe.

Ingredients: 1 cup butter; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 cup flour; ¼ cup milk; ½ teaspoon vanilla essence; 2 teaspoons cocoa; ¼ teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda.
Process: I cream the butter and sugar together and then add milk and vanilla essence. I then mix dry ingredients and fold them lightly in the batter. Then bake them in cupcake moulds at 180˚C (356°F).


texts: What does cream of tartar do in baking recipes?

texts: I am making the following recipe for a birthday party: Pinata cookies!, and it calls for cream of tartar in the dough. This is the first time I've seen that in a cookie recipe and I can't figure out what the purpose of it is. Anyone know what cream of tartar does in baking recipes?


texts: Why is my boneless beef tough and unedible?

texts:
I've been baking some meat (either lamb chops or boneless beef - not sure of cut).

I coat it in oil, rub some salt on it and them immediately put it in the oven for 30 minutes at about 150f. Apparently, the oven is quick for a home oven.

What I find is after about 20 minutes the meat feels soft and tender (like I want it) however some of the inner meat still seems pinkish so I continue to cook for another 10 minutes. However, after 30-35 minutes it becomes too tough and not edible.

It seems I'm cooking for too long. How can I ensure the pink from the center of the meat is gone?  Can you see what I'm doing wrong?

I have to do it with either frying, baking, or grilling.

Is it the case that I need to cook it on a much higher heat for 20 minutes?


texts: How can I know how long home-cooked food will stay good in fridge?

texts:
As through the week we too busy to cook we have gotten the idea of cooking a big bunch of food in the weekend, storing it in the fridge and eat it later in the week.

I am a bit concerned how long things will stay good in the fridge. For example mashed potatoes (which is prepared with milk), minced meat steaks or a cream-based sauce.

Are there any general rules of thumb that can be used to estimate how long things will stay good? And are there any 'dangerous' foods, foods that can be spoiled but not show any mold or smell strange, but are not good to eat?


texts: If my sugar cookie dough has been in the fridge for a few days how long should it sit out before I attempt to roll it out?


texts:
I'm making mushroom soup recipe and I'm looking forward to serving it at dinner tomorrow. I have powdered the shitakes, sliced the mushrooms and the wild rice is in the oven now. In order to serve the best possible soup, where should I stop preparation tonight? If I were comfortable with all of the ingredients, I would prepare the soup up to the addition of cream. Unfortunately, I know nothing of wild rice, and how best to hold it. Will it be OK overnight in the fridge? Even better, can I leave the soup (up to the cream addition) on the porch overnight? It's expected to dip 10 degrees F below freezing and stay there until morning.

EDIT: My best guess is to add the rice to the soup now, store overnight on the porch, and add the cornstarch slurry, cream and the rest just prior to service. Would the wild rice hold up to that?


texts: What are some appropriate accompaniments for satay?

texts:
I have an excellent recipe for satay chicken, which I usually accompany with coconut rice. Last time, I also attempted a kind of Asian coleslaw of white cabbage, chilli, carrot and lime juice, but it didn't turn out all that well.

Can anyone suggest a suitable accompaniment, preferably something vegetable and fresh to counter the peanut butter in the sauce, for this? The only caveat is that I am cooking it soon for guests who don't like salad of any kind (lettuce, cucumber etc).


texts: At which temperature Parmesan cheese must be transported?

texts:
I bought a piece of Parmesan cheese over internet. When it arrived (in a styrofoam box) I measured its temperature and it was 17,8° C  (64° F). I think it's too high...

Is this OK? What is the correct temperature for storing and transporting Parmesan cheese?

Thanks!


texts:
I have several ice cream recipes that I'm generally happy with (texture is good and all). However, I'd like to make a less sweet, less rich version of some of them.

How much guar gum would I expect to need if I halve the amount of sugar needed, or replaced half the cream with milk, for this example recipe:

560 ml of heavy cream
50 g of unsweetened cocoa powder
150 g of sugar
85 g semisweet/bittersweet chocolate
310 ml whole milk

What if the recipe has no chocolate but several egg yolks?

I know there probably isn't an exact answer, so is there any way I can efficiently test a given amount? In order to directly test it, I'd have to churn a batch, wait for it to freeze, see if it's soft enough, and if it's not, melt and rechurn it, and so on, and I'd much prefer avoiding that.

I saw that some information is contained in the comments on a previous answer, but I'm looking for more detail.


texts: Which oil is best for frying Italian doughnuts?


texts: Why use metal cake pan instead of silicone one?

texts:
I've been using silicone cake pans in my electric oven for a while and they work great and cakes come out easily and washing then is also very convenient. However I see that there're lots of traditional metal cake pans of the same form in shops and so I guess they are in demand.

Why use a metal cake pan and not a silicone one?


texts: Eating raw fish: what are parasite infection risks really: how big?

texts:
I make sushi often, and i never use sushi-grade fish...i simply buy fresh fish from the market.  I know the requisites of frozen for 20 hours etc., but I know for sure there are many restaurants in europe that certainly do not (exclusively) use frozen fish. Moreover, I ate sushi often in the years I lived in Thailand, and well...pretty sure they use non frozen either. Never a problem, but, I realise that this does not prove anything..

Does anyone have an idea of the size of the risk, i.e. the incidence of parasite infection after eating non-frozen fish raw? I am asking after research..i cannot really find it.

These articles were informative, but no info on size of risks:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3374688/
http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/41/9/1297.full

This study gives a bit more information:
http://cmr.asm.org/content/23/2/399.full

"During 1973 to 2006, 188 outbreaks of seafood-associated infections, causing 4,020 illnesses, 161 hospitalizations, and 11 deaths, were reported to the Food-Borne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System. Most of these seafood-associated outbreaks (143 [76.1%]) were due to a bacterial agent; 40 (21.3%) outbreaks had a viral etiology, and 5 (2.6%) had a parasitic cause (Table 1)"

Now, considering this is not concentrating on raw fish only, but all fish consumption, I would say the chances of getting sick from eating raw fish with a parasite are microscopically tiny? Agreed?

Is there someone who could get me this report: this seems to be the basis of the safety measures

American Gastroenterological Association.
2000. Determination of the incidence of
gastrointestinal parasitic infections from the
consumption of raw seafood in the U.S.
[Report under FDA Contract 223-97-2328
with Life Sciences Research Office, American
Society for Nutritional Sciences]. AGA,
Bethesda, MD.


texts: Unroasted coffee beans in the pantry, several years old: roast, toss, or other use?

texts:
I just discovered a bag with about 100g of unroasted coffee beans in my pantry. I know they are at least four years old, and maybe 10 years. They've been in room temperature, dry storage the whole time. They look like beans, no mold, no ick.

I don't drink coffee any more. I want to get rid of these beans.

Should I give them to a coffee-drinking friend to roast?  Should I believe this question on whole coffee bean storage, that they are dead after a week, and throw them out? Is there another good use for coffee beans apart from making coffee?


texts:
I've been trying cook Marinara Sauce for a while now, I visited the states and had that sauce in their pizza hut. When I got back i tried cooking the same Pizza hut Marinara sauce but can never get the same taste or anything close aha. The only thing I have been able to do is get the texture and consistency right.

I have been looking at copycat ingredients but they haven't seemed to do the trick, or maybe it's just me? The recipe i am using is written below:

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

1⁄4 cup water

1 teaspoon sugar

1⁄4 teaspoon dried oregano

1⁄4 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme

1⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄8 teaspoon black pepper

1 whole bay leaf

1⁄2 teaspoon lemon juice

Does this seem correct? Thanks for the help in advance. :)


texts:
I often buy frozen vegetables, defrost and eat them.

Recently, I came across an article that says Lima Beans contain Cyanide, should be thoroughly cooked and then eaten.

Do frozen Lima Beans come precooked or are they supposed to be cooked before consuming them?

Location: CanadaIf you need product information, please do let me know.


texts:
Does salt pork have to be fully cooked before you put it in your dish?

I am cooking red beans and rice, and the dish calls for a ham hock. I don't have one of those, so I opted to use salt pork instead.


texts: What is the best way to clean a roasting tray/baking tray that has sauce burned on to it?

texts:
I made this recipe last week - chicken wings roasted in a marinade of soy sauce, brown sugar and white wine vinegar. It was delicious but lots of the marinade has burned onto my baking tray, and I'm struggling to get it clean.

I put it in to soak immediately, scrubbed and then tried washing powder, but it is still very firmly stuck on. Does anyone have any cleaning ideas that might help me in this case?


texts: How to properly measure the temperature of meat with a meat thermometer

texts:
I have a Thermapen meat thermometer that I use for precise temperature measurement. Although it's easy to read and fast, I'm not exactly sure how to take readings.

With a large piece of meat with consistent temperature throughout its quite easy, like a braise or meat in a stew. I am having trouble with burgers though, they are much thinner, and the temperature is very inconsistent, so it's difficult to know whether it has reached medium rare or medium or whatever.


texts: How do reduce the sourness of pasta cooked with peppers?

texts: I made pasta today using Parmesan Romano sauce and jalapenos and banana peppers from a can. The result was extremely tangy. Is this because jalapenos and banana peppers are sour by nature, or because some of the liquid in the cans was mixed as well? Would not using the liquid from the cans and only the slices reduce the sourness?


texts: When canning strawberry preserves can you substitute lime juice for lemon juice?

texts: I am making strawberry margarita preserves and would like to substitute lime juice for lemon juice..  Would that present a problem once I can them?


texts: Why does Brining help food to retain water, but adding salt will draw the moisture out?

texts: I saw a recipe that called for brining a Turkey in order to retain the moisture, but when you cook with salt it causes the foods to get less moist - Why and how does this happen?


texts: why a citric fruit rind is cooked several times to make a marmalade

texts: why the citric fruit rind is cooked several times to make a marmalade? i meaning boiled several times, its to reduce acidity or bitterness or what?


texts: Devil's food cake turned out dry and dense

texts:
I tried this recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/devils-food-cake-recipe.html

However, when I did it, the cake came out dry and dense and not very tasty. According to many other comments, it should not be this way.

Now, perhaps, there is a problem with the recipe...but Alton Brown's recipes (while not 100%) are usually pretty good.

What are the probable causes for dry and dense in this case? What can I improve next time?


texts:
Eggs are commonly used as a binder in meatballs and other foods.

If separated, is one part of the egg a stronger binder:

Is the white a stronger binder than the yolk?
Is the yolk stronger than the white?
Is either separated portion a stronger binder than the whole egg?


texts: How to deal with "no precooking required" lasagne sheets?

texts:
I've always been a bit suspicious of "no-precooking-required" lasagne sheets.

What are the benefits and detriments of these sheets?

What would happen if you ignore the instruction and cook them a little in any case? I tend to do so - am I wasting my time?


texts: Keep dinner rolls brushed with olive oil overnight

texts: I received dinner rolls brushed with olive oil from take out from an Italian restaurant (part of the brown paper bad they came in became translucent during the 15 minute trip from the restaurant home due to the olive oil). I would like to keep the dinner rolls fresh for the next day. The environment I live in is 80°F and 70% humidity at night. What is the best way to do this? Seal in a plastic bag to keep the oil from oxidizing? Refrigerate, freeze, or leave on counter?


texts:
I purchased a cheap kettle charcoal grill a few weeks ago, and I feel like it's not getting hot enough. I'm using a charcoal chimney which takes about 40 minutes to get the coals ashy. I've read it should only takes 15 minutes to light. Once I dump the charcoal into the grill it gets cold fast. When I first put my hand over it the grill is hot, and I can barely keep my hand over it for a few seconds. After closing the lid and letting the grill warm up for 5-10 minutes I can typically keep my hand over the coals much longer. I also never see any smoke coming from my grill after I initially light the chimney.
I'm currently using briquettes as lump charcoal was even colder. The bottom and side vents are fully open, so there should be plenty of air flow in my grill.


texts: Why do industrial drinks mark caffeine as a flavoring?

texts:
The ingredients list is sometimes written "Flavors: ... Caffeine" (Arômes: ... Caféine) on official Coca-Cola cans and home-brand cola bottles here in France.

Why is caffeine marked as an aroma rather than an ingredient? It makes it sound like there is a caffeine substitute rather than the real thing.


texts: Why are Built-in/Wall Microwaves Above Ovens when Stacked?

texts:
I've noticed that stacks of built-in/wall ovens and microwaves are almost always installed with the microwave on top and the oven at the bottom, regardless of whether they are single or separate appliances.
This seems counter-intuitive to me for at least these reasons:

A lower hotter oven is more dangerous to roaming children than a lower colder microwave.
When both appliances are operating, the colder microwave might be passively heated by the hotter oven, possibly shortening the microwave's life.
When baking with oven's door partly open (for whatever reason), trying to operate a microwave right above it seems inconvenient with the hot air rising from the oven.

So what am I missing? Why are the appliances always stacked with the microwave on top?


texts:
Since shops around here are out of oat milk for past week I started running low on supply. I decided to make one at home. I'm targeting the Oatly full-fat milk.

I blended 1 cup of oats with 4 cups of water for about 30-45 seconds (I used wrong blender so the timing is not accurate as it started to spilling over when blend too quickly) and then put it through cheesecloth. Have I:

Added too much water
Blend too short time (timing was very innacurate)
Not soak the oats first?


texts:
I always try to make custard from scratch and have now used 9 recipes and it always ends up splitting or curdling and I can't get it right.

How can you overcome this simple issue with custard?

I've used Delia Smith's, Paul Hollywood's, Jamie's and 6 more from books and the net.


texts: Why is a spit called a spit? I can't imagine it, but historically, was it spat on?


texts: Is filtering Japanese matcha green tea drink recommended?

texts: When pouring Japanese matcha green tea drink into cups, is filtering with a filter cone or something equivalent recommended? Why?


texts: I went through several websites and  found that the easiest way to peel tomato is to boil them . So, How long do we need to boil tomatoes so that you can easily peel them?


texts: How do you fat into meat when grilling or is there a better cooking method?

texts:
I want more of the fat to stay in the meat when grilling. It seems grilling is the best way to do this since wet heat methods boil the fat out, frying takes it out then puts it back in however I always find frying leaves the outside layer orangey and I don't like that.  So it seems low heat and short grilling is the best?

Is there anything else I can do?  I know people coat with oil to keep moisture in however would that also prevent fat dripping out i.e. more fat will be retained in the meat?


texts: Is it safe to prepare a crock pot recipe the night before?

texts:
I'm looking at slow cooking a beef stew on a workday. The stew includes raw beef.

Recipe: http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/14685/slow-cooker-beef-stew-i/

Is it safe to combine the ingredients the night before, refridgerating the crock overnight, then cooking it in the morning?


texts: Why do most sandwich makers have a triangular shape?

texts:
I've seen many hundreds of sandwich making machines in my life, and I noticed that in the vast majority of them, there is a diagonal protrusion that makes sandwiches come up in triangular shapes.

This makes no sense to me, for the following reasons:

Most packaged sliced bread is square, not triangular.
Most grilled sandwich recipes don't call for triangular shapes
You're forced to a triangular shape
Non-square bread slices are difficult to use with this triangular shape
The protrusion itself is much more difficult to clean than a simple flat iron.

Yet for some reason these sandwich makers are extremely common, to the point that flat makers are somewhat of a specialty item, therefore costing more.

I think I'm missing something here. Why do most sandwich makers use this triangular shape? What are the advantages of such a shape?


texts:
The parmesan cheese in pasta recipe is quite expensive.....do we have cheaper alternative??

Are there are cheddar cheese which can replace parmesan cheese?


texts: What's the benefit of chilling my cookie dough before baking?

texts:
I'm making some chocolate crinkle cookies, and one of the recipe steps is to refrigerate the dough at least four hours before baking.

Does this cause any changes in the dough such as something to do with gluten formation (or relaxation), or is it largely about getting a good consistency for the cookie to properly shape itself while baking? Should I be doing this with pretty much any cookie I bake? Is the four hours important, or am I looking for a temperature rather than a time limit?


texts:
No matter what recipe I try, whenever I toast rice it comes out unevenly brown (it always skips past the golden brown stage), it lacks any nutty smell and smells and tastes partially burnt.

I tried to toast it with fat, no fat, high heat, medium heat - it all comes out the same. I tried brown, Thai, and Basmati. I have used non-stick pan in all my tries.


texts:
Some of my Asian friends soak their beef stew meat in water or even boil it to "get rid of the blood and the bad smell", as they say.

It is my understanding that the red juices in the meat is not blood but myoglobin. The cow has been drained for day, extracting all the blood from the capillaries, so there should not be any blood left.

Why do they believe that they are getting rid of bad smell and blood?
Are there differences in the way animals are slaughtered in Asia compared to the West?


texts: Is it a good or a bad idea to cover food that is cooling? For example I have bolognese cooling in a tupperware container but don't know whether I should cover it and refrigerate or leave uncovered out for a while?


texts: I live in France and would like to know what cut of veal is equivalent to American brisket.


texts: Can I put raw ground beef in the crockpot when making chili?

texts: When making chili in the crockpot, must the ground beef or turkey be precooked, or can I just throw everything in and cook it all day?


texts:
So I ordered a hamburger at a new restaurant and they brought me the burger but without a patty, with two slices of square salami in it.

When I asked them where the patty was, they said I should've asked them to put it specifically, otherwise the default is just salami.

Since burgers aren't something I eat all the time and not many restaurants have it around my place/country, I was wondering if that is even a thing? Is it true that the patty is optional in a burger?


texts:
I keep getting quite a mixed bag when it comes to butterscotch sauce; sometimes it's runny, sometimes it's thick (as I want it).  Other times it gets lumps in it, or simply clumps to the side of the pan while having a runny consistency in the middle of it.

I tend to start with 7 muscovado : 2 butter : 5 cream.

I melt the butter, dissolve the sugar thoroughly, then stir in the cream, allowing it to bubble lightly, not boil, though I have tried this, also (I don't use a thermometer - I don't have one!).

Why should I get such varied results on the consistency?


texts: Tricks to ensure Mailliard/Browning reaction?

texts:
Seems like a question that would've been asked before, but I couldn't find a pre-existing question.  Sorry if this is a duplicate.

Anyway, I do a lot of stir-fry, usually with chicken.  My usual method -- I cube the chicken, then brinerate it in soy sauce, brown sugar, a bit of oil, and ginger.  Then I dry it off with paper towels, heat a cast-iron to 400-500*F, then add a little peanut oil and put a small amount of the chicken in at one time.  I wait for that to cook, pull it out, make sure the pan's reheated, then add another small amount of the chicken. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked.

I've run into a couple problems though.
1) It takes a very long time to follow those steps.  Drying the chicken is slow and messy, and seems overly pedantic.  The amount of chicken I can cook at one time and still get a maillard reaction is very little.

2) The browning reaction is very inconsistent.  Sometimes it's perfect, sometimes it doesn't work at all.  Usually if I follow these steps to the extreme (like, 4-5 small cubes of chicken at one time) I can always get a reaction, but that just takes waaaaay too long.

So, what tricks can I use to help ensure that a Maillard reaction occurs?  Are there any ways I can speed up the whole process?


texts: Cooking chicken in a risotto without it drying out

texts:
I was following a recipe for a chicken risotto, which said to brown the chicken (breast meat, cut into small pieces, maybe 3/4 of an inch or so) in the pan after browning the onions, and then add the rice and stock to the same pan afterwards (so the chicken was in the pan the entire cooking period of the rice). However, when the dish was complete, many of the chicken pieces had unfortunately dried out.

What can I do to prevent this next time?


texts: Is natural yoghurt & soured cream a good replacement for khatta dahi (Indian sour yoghurt/'curd')

texts:
Dahi is a natural unpasteurised yoghurt eaten as-is and an ingredient in India, aka curd in Indian English (different to curd in Br/Am E. though). Khatta dahi is more soured (khatta means sour).

What's a good commercially-available (outside of India/Asia) substitute? Natural yoghurt for dahi, plus some (how much?) soured cream for khatta dahi perhaps?

I don't think commercial natural yoghurt could be soured at home, since my understanding is that they pasteurise it (to prolong shelf-life) before re-introducing the desirable bacteria (but not the undesirables).

Or perhaps dahi is often only used because it's so common anyway, and actually if we're substituting it needn't be a yoghurt at all; we could just use (soured, for khatta) cream? - which is of course higher in fat, but so is buffalo milk, which is also used (I'm not sure whether it or cow's is more common) for dahi in India anyway.


texts: Can alcohol and salt lengthen the shelf life of vegetables in room temperature?

texts: My refrigerator is small, so often I have to keep some vegetables outside the refrigerator, in room temperature. I was wondering, whether spraying alcohol and/or salt around the vegetables can help in keeping bacteria away for them and thus lengthen their shelf life. Do you have any experience with this?


texts: I was taught to make omlettes with a hot pan and cold (room temp) oil.  My wife thinks that I'm giving our family cancer.  I heat the pan quite hot, hot enough to smoke the olive oil that I add.  The eggs follow the oil after one to two seconds, just enough time for the oil to spread across the pan. The oil stops smoking as soon as the eggs are in, and the omlette is finished within a minute. I have tried cooking at lower temperatures, but the oil is never quite hot enough and I usually get scrambled eggs rather than an omlette.  Does anyone else cook an omlette this way?  Is it dangerous?


texts: Technology improvements of microwave ovens for thawing and reheating

texts:
We own an 800W microwave oven that was bought in 1999. It still works fine but I am thinking about replacing it, specifically since I hope to benefit from technology improvements that may have happened since then. But I'm not quite sure if there are in fact any improvements relevant to our use cases.

We use the microwave almost exclusively for thawing and reheating but I am not satisfied with some aspects:

Thawing food is really slow: e.g it takes almost 20 minutes to thaw and subsequently reheat 600g of Bolognese sauce.
It is necessary to supervise the thawing process and change the setting from thawing to "normal" cooking after the food has thawed sufficiently.
The containers I use are specified for microwave use, but after 15 to 20 cycles they begin to discolor and deform. Maybe today's ovens are more gentle with polymers?

So would it make sense to buy a new microwave oven for us, i.e. would there be any improvement regarding these aspects?


texts:
Can farro be cooked using a rice steamer?

Would it need to be soaked in water for a period of time first?


texts:
Below is my situation:

Is completely (vacuum) sealing leftover meat in the freezer absolutely necessary? I would always just use a plastic bag to cover the meat and fold it around couple of times so it's almost as good as sealed (usually grocery plastic bag is much bigger than the piece of meat) and have never had a problem with it last a decade or so I have been cooking.

But recently I got this new roommate who insists on me using special small plastic bags with sealers to use and he is being very paranoid, obsessive about it.

So my question is: Is he right?


texts: Can you cook chicken breasts frozen on the George Foreman Grill? Is it safe? Will it work well?


texts: Butter cream icing substitutions for covering the cake with fondant

texts: Is it Okay to have whipped cream icing before covering the cake with fondant? I don't have enough time to make butter cream so I would know other alternatives that could be used in this case. I have heard that whipped cream might make the fondant melt, is it true?


texts: My Italian meringue macarons won’t stop coming out hollow

texts:
I’ve been making Macarons for a while but I have recently started to try the Italian method for making them and have basically failed 95% of the time. I’ve probably made around 25 batches all that have come out extremely hollow. I’ve tried like 15 to 20 different oven temperatures and times, all which have failed. I’ve invested in an oven thermometer and my oven is working as it supposed to; it’s a brand new oven, only about a year and a half old. I’m pretty positive that the entire macaron assembling stages are on point. I know the macaronage is essential and can be easily messed up but I am confident that I’m doing it correctly and that my problem is the oven temperature and time because my macarons have come out fine a couple times. I have a whirlpool electric oven. i’ve tried temperatures like 300F+ for 12-14 min and that cracked my shells. I tried 295F for 20 minutes and that made them dry and overcooked. I tried 275 convection for 10 minutes, then flipped the pan and baked another 10 and they were also hollow. I believe I’ve tried 285 as well and everything in between. I’m really not sure on where I should position my racks and what other temperatures I should try. I’m getting desperate and I just need to figure out what temperature works so that I can stop wasting so many ingredients!

Please help!


texts: I just bought my first pizza stone.  The instructions that came with it recommend that I wash it thoroughly with plain water before using it for the first time.  Is there anything else I should do to it to season it so it lasts and performs optimally?


texts: I have a problem with uncooked, sliced onion making me and other people feel uncomfortable in the stomach, sometimes whole night. However, when I eat tacos out in restaurants that never happens. Is it due to the variety of onion or do they prepare them in a certain way?


texts: I have my grandmothers handwritten recipe for banana bread. the paper tore and I lost some of the recipe. it calls for 1 1/2 cup sugar, 2 cups flour, 3/4 tsp baking soda, 1/2 cup of milk, 1 tsp vanilla, 3 mashed bananas. I lost the amount of salt, baking powder, shortening and eggs. can anyone tell me how much of each I need to make this recipe?????


texts: Why it is not recommended to mix the milk of different days?

texts:
A vendor supplies a half liter of milk daily. Some times, due to variety of reasons, I arrive at a situation that I need to handle milk of 3 consecutive days i.e., 1.5 liter.
Elder and experienced members of my family asks me to deal each 1/2 liter of milk differently. But, they fail in providing a valid reason for not mixing them.
Is there any issue with mixing milk of different days and use them for my purposes?
Note that the milk is not too old. All the individual milks are edible.


texts:
I am referring to things like cumin seeds or others which are meant to contain oil.  When they are ground does it loose the oil?  Or does the oil exist but it deteriorates due to oxidation?

I also understand raw tumeric contains oil.  Does that also go once it's ground or does that oxidise too?

I am asking about if you ground at home and store bought powders.


texts: Can large pizzas be made in a convection oven? I have a large pan, but it is bigger than the rack. If I make pizzas on that pan, will the pizza bake evenly?


texts: Reducing the saltiness of commercially prepared seasoning

texts: I've been cooking a certain brand of noodles, and noticed that the seasoning provided is quite salty than you'd expect. Is there a way to reduced the saltiness without a noticeable change in flavor? And if it does change the flavor, please describe in what way it changes.


texts: This is the second avocado from the same bag that is tough and rubbery. The pit won't come out without leaving a skin, and it won't peel out of it's skin without cutting the skin off. I made sure it was soft and was at room temperature before I cut it open. How can I de-rubberize them?


texts: Do different wood types work better for grilling different meats/fishes?

texts: If I'm using my gas grill (adding charcoal and wood) and wanted to try to get different flavors out of different wood types, is there a guideline for which woods work better for fish/meat - Hickory is a strong flavor and works great with meat; Cherry works good with chicken...Any other ideas?


texts:
It will take a few minutes to cook the steak through
How long do I need to bake it for and at what temperature?


texts:
First of all, I don't know the difference between stock, broth and bouillon in english (not my native language), but what I mean is when you cook for example a chicken carcass with vegetables for a couple of hours to use the liquid, discarding everything else. My question also applies for when you cook any other type of meat which haven't been pre-cook, meaning it will have quite a lot of fat remaining.

However, when you make your own stock, how much fat will there be in it? I'm mostly interested in the fat content after you've removed the "lid of fat" after refrigeration, but also immediately after sieving, if anyone has answer to both questions.

And naturally, I know it's hard to determine the fat content without doing an analysis, but I'm not calling for an exact answer on the gram, just if it's around 0–5 %, 5–10 %, or 10–20 % or whatever – just be as precise as you can.

When buying stock in the store, it usually says 0 g fat, but I guess they have some method of removing all of the fat, lowering the risk of it going rancid and increasing shelf-life. In my stock, I can see quite a lot of droplets of fat.

One way of attacking the question can be: Doesn't all the fat have to come up the surface ("the lid") since fat and water are unmixable? If fat is still in the broth, a) has it cooled down before all of it was allowed to rise (can be difficult in gelatin rich stocks)?, or b) can a stock hold fat in an emulsion?


texts: Does red wine vinegar and red vinegar taste same?

texts:
I am going to cook salad for my lunch, I checked a for recipes. I just eat halal food and wine is not halaf, so I am going to use red vinegar (which I don't know even exist) instead of red wine vinegar. Do they taste same?

This is one of the salads I decided to make; I want to make just vegetable and fruit salad.


texts: Can you buy plastic food containers like "Tupperware" in specific or custom dimensions?

texts:
I am in need of a food container that is a specific dimension in this case (7.5"L x 3"W x 2"H) but I often need various sizes. I can't seem to find any in that dimension and I cant find a website that allows you to search by dimension. Can you custom order these types of containers or is there a website/dealer that allows you to search by dimension?

Edit:
I wanted to add that I did find a company Placon who does custom food containers but its more for large restaurants and grocery stores I don't imagine they would do small batch custom containers. While this isn't what I had in mind it may be helpful to someone finding this question in the future.


texts:
A few days ago, I had a cocktail called "Winter queen". It may have been a specialty of the place where I had it, I couldn't find any recipe for it when I searched for it. The menu listed it as "a hot chocolate beverage with rum, topped with cream".

Based on the taste, I can say that the thing had rather low alcohol content, but the rum aroma was fairly strong. Also, I am not sure what liquid they used for the chocolate "beverage" - there must have been some milk in it, but I don't think it was straight full-fat milk. I suspect that it also had other spices, maybe some vanilla, and it was slightly sweet, but not oversweetened. The cream was only a swirl of whipped cream from a NO-bottle, with some chocolate-deco sprinkles on top.

I tried to copy it at home, but couldn't get the same result. I started with semi-sweet chocolate, melted with sweetened milk, added vanilla aroma, a pinch of salt, and Bacardi Gold rum. With a small amount of rum, it didn't have enough taste. When I added more rum, it got very bitter and alcoholic. Also, something with the fat content wasn't right - the original drink was less rich, but still quite smooth, unlike water-based hot chocolate.

Should I have tried to do it some other way? Did I use the wrong rum? Would it have helped to cook the rum first, so some of the alcohol evaporates? Is there a better way to mix it? And what about the smooth-without-fat problem?


texts: Bread machines and low altitude my bread won't rise!

texts:
I am experienced in baking; I am 65 years old and been baking and cooking for a while, but this problem has got me going crazy.

I have recently purchased two new bread machines; one is a Sanyo brand and the other one is an Oster brand. I live below sea level, and the bread I have made in them won't bake light and airy--it bakes very dense and won't rise completely. I previously had an older bread machine and it baked perfect bread every time, but I also lived in a higher altitude when I had it.

All my ingredients are fresh and I have followed the recipes to a T. What am I doing wrong? I never had this problem before until I got these new bread machines and got rid of the old one. I am so frustrated. I'm ready to just give up and throw my bread machines away.


texts: How can I avoid my knife from "dragging" across my unbaked bread when making slashes to let steam escape while baking?

texts:
My slashes seem to be OK (not great) before I put the bread in the oven but never really open up during baking.  I'm thinking the slashes aren't deep enough but since I use a no knead method, I'm reluctant to press any harder.

Is there a trick to help the knife move more easily?  I use a serrated knife.


texts: There's this really cool microwave lemon squares recipe that I've been dying to try out - only, the recipe insists on the cook time being 3 minutes on 80% power. I don't have a microwave where you can adjust the power, so is there any way to change the cooking time so I can make the recipe on full-power?


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Making a big batch of roux is a hassle, so I'm investigating how to make my life a bit easier.

According to 'Ideas in food', you can make roux in a jar in a pressure cooker. Nice, but the quantity is too little for my needs.

In the Cajun cuisine you can make roux for gumbo in the oven. That won't work for me as I need it to work as a thickening agent. Maybe it would work at a lower temperature.

The problem is to lose the raw flour taste. I'm thinking of mixing the butter-flour as always, on the stove-top. Then transfer the batter to a sous vide bag and let it bathe for 12 h at 85ºC (at which point the starches should be gelatinized).

What do you think? Is 12h too long or too short? Is 85ºC high enough to lose the raw flavour?


texts: Shelf life of commercial jams with no preservatives?

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This commercial peach jam does NOT contain any preservatives.
Room temperature is 20 C.

It is written on the bottle that it should be refrigerated after opening since it doesn't contain any preservatives.

For how long can I keep it in the cupboard after opening?


texts: In what ways does the size of the baking pan matter while baking cakes?

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Rose Levy's reviews warn about using the right sized pans, and say that failing to do so will result in failure.

I have glass ware and silicon cups for baking cakes. I prefer to bake the cake material in cups so that it takes less time, etc.

So, what kind of precautions should be taken if the intention is to bake cakes in cups?


texts: Grinding dried chiles in a mortar and pestle?

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I purchased some dried chile peppers from a local market thinking that I might be able to grind them up in a mortar and pestle. That completely failed - the peppers didn't grind at all, and instead mushed up.

Is there any way to grind peppers in a mortar and pestle, or is that purely a job for a blender?

Thanks!


texts: How can I make a chocolate syrup that can be frozen?

texts: I am looking to make a chocolate syrup without eggs, that freezes well.