texts: My Lemon Butter sauce was way too acidic. What can I use to mellow the sauce? I started with 1/4 cup lemon, added shallots and garlic and reduced by half. Then added 1/2 stick butter, cherry tomatoes and fresh bay scallops, and served over angle hair pasta. It was very lemony and acidic.


texts: What is the source of the very strong flavour in some bad fats (or dairy products?) that only some people can taste?

texts:
It's a very, very strong flavour (like hot chili peppers in potency and ability to linger).

It tastes nothing like any food I know - I've thought of it as kind of "chalky" (not sure why I know what chalk tastes like, maybe I ate some chalk as a child?).

It is very unpleasant and nauseating. I imagine no amount of willpower could keep down a mouthful of a food that has it (only managed to swallow small doses in company where it would be very embarassing to spit out food).

It seems to occur in fats, or maybe dairy products. I imagine it's some kind of contamination, maybe bacteria. I've tasted it in:

Blue cheese (don't think it's ever been absent the few times I've tried a bit)
The "creme" in little twinkie-style "swiss rolls" (occasionally)
Once in a home-made pizza (maybe in the cheese?)
Some indian sweets left out for too long (occasionally)

The weird thing is that often, I seem to be the only person that can taste it. This has often got me into trouble (I am not a fussy eater at all, and feel very embarrassed explaining I'm unable to eat something that everyone else thinks is fine).

Anyone have any idea what this flavour could be from?

I've wondered for years...

Edit:
Added some interesting points suggested by answers so far


texts: Is there any way to "Salt" unsalted cashew pieces?

texts:
I picked up a bag of cashew pieces from the bulk bin last night got home and realized they were of the unsalted variety. Which are good but for a snack not quite what I was looking for.

Is there anyway to "salt" those cashew pieces. I googled and found ways to do it when they are still shelled but none after the fact. I may not be using the correct search paramaters though as I cannot think of any other terminology other than "make salted cashews". I don't need a recipe just a direction and if it is possible.


texts: tartine bread without dutch oven (inverted mixing bowl on top of heavy skillet)?

texts:
I'm contemplating buying a dutch oven to make tartine bread.  It would be a strict unitasker for my purposes.  It's bulky and if I get a bare one, I might not bake often and it could rust.  An enameled one can't handle high heat and shouldn't be heated empty.

I do already have some heavy carbon steel De Buyer pans.  What would be the disadvantage of using an upside down mixing bowl as a dome lid to raise humidity?


texts:
In his answer to a question about nail biting, nicorellius referred to not wiping your hands with the "kitchen rag". I've never worked in a professional kitchen, and the only rags I have around my kitchen are dish towels, which I often use to dry my hands.

What exactly is a kitchen rag, and what should it be used for? What should one avoid doing with a kitchen rag that you might use a towel for in a home kitchen?


texts: I'm looking for information on Tempeh, especially how one make it themselves. Any info would be appreciated.


texts:
I've just made a rather delicious raspberry "crumble cake". It consists of a thin layer of cake with whole raspberries, topped with crumble and baked. I get the impression crumble is more of a British thing, so for those that haven't come across it, crumble is basically a rich, buttery, sugary crumb topping that goes nicely crunchy when baked (flour, sugar and lots of butter).

After eating as much as we could today, there's still quite a bit left. I'm now wondering how I can store it so that:

It maintains the textures as well as possible (cake stays moist and crumble  stays crunchy)
I don't give anyone a bad stomach

I've always been told you should store cakes at room temperature as putting them in the fridge ruins the texture and generally isn't necessary if they're eaten within a few days. Would the same apply to my crumble cake?

Also, will storing it in a closed container cause the crumble to go soggy due to absorbing moisture from the cake? I've stored some scones overnight in a tub before and by the morning their crunchy outside had gone all chewy.

Any thought appreciated.


texts: How many ounces is a British "tin" of tomatoes?

texts: If I have a British recipe that lists "1 tin chopped plum tomatoes," how many ounces is that? In British English, does "tin" usually refer to a specific size? In the US, cans generally come in 14 and 28oz sizes - which one is likely closest to what the recipe means?


texts: How can I reduce the sugar in this oatmeal bar recipe?

texts:
I made this recipe for oatmeal bars, following the instructions with just a couple changes. Although they turned out well, I would like to reduce the sugar content while still preserving the texture of the bars. They are currently somewhat dense and a bit crumbly but still hold together, and I'd like them to either stay that way or be lighter and less crumbly. What changes could I make to achieve this?

Here is specifically what I did:

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups flour
1 cup creamy peanut butter (Jif)
2 beaten eggs
3/4 cups white sugar
3 tsp vanilla
1 tsp each of baking soda, salt, cinnamon
1 cup raisins cooked in 5 tbsp water, including water
4 tbsp whole milk plus enough more to make the dough hold together

Mixed everything together and baked in a greased 9x13 glass pan in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.


texts:
Can I safely refreeze stock that I have brought to the boiling point?

If so, should I boil it or bring it above a certain temperature for a certain length of time to ensure food safety?

Is the presence of fats or oils a point of concern for rancidity or food safety?

Finally, are there some kinds of stock (vegetable/fish/meat/poultry) that need to be handled differently? Or will boiling suffice for any liquid preparation (soups, reductions, gastrique)?


texts: Ways to Make Matcha Powder Less Bitter in Baking?

texts:
I want to use Matcha powder in some baking recipes (cake, macaroons, cheesecake, etc), and while I think it tastes fine many others have told me that it is too bitter. So I was wondering if anyone knew a good way to kind of keeping the unique matcha flavor but reducing the bitterness to make it more sweet or palatable for others.

For example: I made a matcha cheesecake the other day.

Ingredients:

24 ounces of cream cheese
8 ounces of sour cream
1 cup of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of matcha powder
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
3 eggs

I combined the cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar until smooth and creamy. Then I added the matcha powder and vanilla extract for flavor; this also thickened the batter. Finally, I mixed in the eggs individually until just combined to make the batter smooth again. The cheesecake turned out excellently and I thought it tasted good, but all my friends and family thought it was too bitter. So I want to keep the matcha flavor while reducing the bitterness for others who are less familiar to the matcha flavor can enjoy.

My thoughts to counter the bitter flavor were to either combine:

mix 1/3 cup heavy cream with 2 tablespoons of matcha powder
mix 4 ounces of melted white chocolate with 2 tablespoons of matcha powder
add 1 tablespoon of honey with 2 tablespoons of matcha powder
Or some combination of the three

If anyone knows if these combinations work or has other suggestions I would be happy to hear them.


texts: Why don't we all eat injera? Or some other form(s) of teff?

texts:
We are supposed to eat high-protein foods, yet even people without celiac disease complain about gluten...
Tuff, unlike quinoa, is a true cereal grass, and like quinoa, is high in protein that is not gluten... Right?
So why isn't the whole world gorging on injera, or some other form of teff?


texts: Sprouting Potatoes in Fridge? Safe to eat?

texts:
Have a bag of potatoes about maybe 3 weeks old. Still firmish, not green but with little small sprouts (maybe barely 1 cm) VERY small.

Are these ok to eat? I trimmed off the sprouts and the inside looked fine, and they are not green. Slightly softer but still firm.


texts:
I've been paying more attention to food safety but I don't understand how people remember exactly how long a given item has been sitting in the fridge.

If I want to make sure to stay safe, do I have to just write down what I bought/cooked/took out of the freezer and when? I have started doing that but I never used to and doubt that most people do that. Or do I just label everything?


texts: Cooking on the stove: what is "too hot" for a pan?

texts:
I'm a novice cook and often hear about "learning one's stove". Obviously manufacturers, cooking methods, and appliance types vary and so "high" on one stove isn't comparable to another.

That said, many of the posts here suggest to heat a pan before adding oil, and the commentary that follows always has the sage advice, "...but not too hot!"

My question is thus:

How do you know you've gotten a pan too hot?


texts: I have a recipe for Chicken Piccata my whole family really likes. We are having a couple guests over tomorrow, and I'd like to make this recipe, but make it ahead. The guests are people we don't know personally, and it would be awkward to be cooking when they arrive. There is no baking/oven element to my recipe (just saute chicken, keep chicken warm while deglazing pan/making sauce, return chicken to pan to thicken sauce and absorb flavor of liquid, remove chicken, add some butter to sauce, add pasta to sauce and serve with the chicken). I'm worried that if I make it ahead, it will dry out the chicken/pasta. Any tips to make it work?


texts: Replace the mouthfeel of consommé in vegetarian soup?

texts:
In soups that traditionally include a consommé as the base, such as French Onion Soup, what are some ways to replace the mouthfeel of the gelatin-rich stock when converting the recipe to be vegetarian?

Background - I am quite happy with my vegetarian French Onion Soup recipe, using Vegemite to add umami, and homemade vegetable stock for a solid base, but the one aspect left somewhat unsatisfying is the "richness" or unique mouthfeel of the consommé. I know there won't be any perfect replacement, but I need some inspiration. Most discussions on gelatin substitution seem to focus on more obvious gelatin applications (jello-style desserts). I'm hoping that for soup mouthfeel there might be some other options I haven't considered.


texts:
I received the starter in early June this year. I feed 2 parts flour to 1 part well water. The flour is sometimes organic whole wheat, sometimes white flour. I keep it in the refrigerator. I feed once a week, but sometimes longer. It had been about two weeks when I opened it and saw stuff that looked like yeast granules. They are tan in color. I fed it and let it sit out for a few hours, then back in frig. I just took a look at the starter and it looks filmy, like the same thing is developing. It has a strong yeasty smell.
Is this mold? Is it still usable?


texts: What are good tips for an oven that is too hot at the bottom?

texts:
I am cooking various food at home in a new oven that I am kind of stuck with. We're renting and this is the only oven we have at the moment. It has four gas stoves at the top.

The oven is fan assisted but it is a cheap fan and an old grill and oven. Daewoo Cooker DCG5050SI

Basically it burns all my baked dishes. Burns the bottom of the cakes. I always make brownies, cookies and various cakes and no matter what I have tried--the different shelf rack, placing an extra tin. Nothing helps. My cakes always burn at the bottom.
What are some tips to prevent this? I've even tried to cut the cake half way or at the end - and ended up with messy food.


texts: How do I cook beans without having too many that are split?

texts: Whenever I have cooked beans from raw (dried), many of the beans split. But if I buy canned beans, there are fewer split beans. How are the canned beans cooked so that there are fewer split beans?


texts: Dishwasher safe lids for copper cookware?

texts:
I have a copper cookware set.  I understand that the copper portion isn't dishwasher safe, but what about the lids?  I assume since they have no copper on them, they are dishwasher safe.

My Cookware Set


texts: Recipe asks for "15 cardamom pods, crushed". Do I keep the shells?

texts:
do I just crush the pods in a pestle and keep the pods in or do I remove the seeds from the pods and then crush them?

this is for a flavouring for grilled chicken


texts:
A week ago I mixed 1 part AP flour 1 parts tap water, keeping it at room temperature (18-24c). I've been discarding a bit and feeding it 1:1 daily. The last few days, the next 4-6 hours after I feed it it double in size, and then it slowly goes down.

Now I want to use it to make some baguettes, the recipe calls for 20% starter. But how do I use the starter? Do I have to use it before or after feeding it? Or should I feed it and wait a few hours before using it?


texts: Is there such thing as letting bread rest for too long?

texts:
I am pretty busy this week but I want to try making Augustweggli buns. The recipe says to rest the dough for 1 hour but does resting the dough a couple hours (eg. overnight) longer do anything to the dough?

Thank you


texts: What could it be the white fatty substance I found in raisins?

texts:
Hi, as you can see in the pictures, strange white, fatty substance collects in raisins irregularities. May it be something natural origin or could it be that producer dumped these in palm oil to make them shiny? Is it safe to consume?
I have tried to ask the producer, unfortunately no answer was given :(


texts: What methods make tomato chopping less messy?

texts:
Chopping tomato is real mess sometimes. I just want to know that what is the best chop tomatoes without any mess?

One trick I did was to deep freeze tomatoes before cutting them and then used to chop them. But if we don't have time to deep freeze i.e 20 mins then what are other options?


texts: How long will previously-frozen vacuum-packed chicken last in the fridge?

texts:
A similar question about fish was all I found, but fish is not chicken and they have different considerations.

I buy chicken from Whole Foods that comes already sealed, and is labeled as "Air Chilled". It is not frozen when I buy it, although I am not sure if it has ever been frozen and thawed before.

My question is how long will this last in the fridge? I buy them in large quantities and freeze them to be eaten over the course of a couple weeks, occasionally I will thaw one (still sealed) and not eat it for a couple days. Is this safe?


texts: How long does it take to slow roast a 13 pound bone-in fresh ham? We want to bring it to 190 degrees F to break down the collagen.


texts:
I'm trying to batter a frozen egg but the egg melts as I try to batter it and it falls off about half the time.

I notice when I cool the batter mixture and flour mixture before hand it has a better chance to stick without any holes.

Any ways to batter a wet objects while having an even distribution and no clumps?

My only thought for this specific scenario would be to do it in a cool temp the whole time or even freeze the batter on.


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What do you do with left over tomato paste?

I have many cans of tomato paste, and I just want to get some ideas about how to use them up.


texts: What are the main flavours/aroma compounds of the Scottish soft drink "Irn-Bru" (Iron Brew)?

texts:
Those familiar with the Scottish soft drink Irn-Bru may be familiar with the marketing slogan: "made from girders." This is due to the drink's taste which some describe as having a metallic edge.
The actual recipe remains a secret, however there is a large range of imitation drinks and unbranded "iron brew" flavoured products (e.g. syrups, confectionery, etc.) with the same taste, so the general flavour recipe must be fairly widespread knowledge within the flavouring industry.
I've searched but unlike cola-flavoured beverages, whose flavours have been scientifically studied and for which recipes exist, there is no information about the makeup of iron brew.
So does anyone know... what are the flavours or aroma compounds which go into making an iron brew taste?


texts:
We're working with some 16th century recipes for sauces that call for blood (among other things). However, several members of the group try to keep kosher, and besides, I have no idea where or how one would acquire blood for cooking.

I know I can substitute egg for the protein/thickener aspect, but what about the flavor? What does blood actually taste like (when cooked)? I've had blood sausage, but all I remember about its flavor is the generous quantity of black pepper. Would a red wine and some salt come anywhere close?


texts:
I have a 4lbs boneless leg of lamb I intend to roast in an oven this weekend.

I am thinking of trying very low temperature roasting. I was inspired by Alton Brown roast beef episode where he cooked a (6 lbs?) roast beef in a 200 F oven and then acquired brown skin by finishing it in a 500 F oven.

I am going to follow the same strategy, put the leg of lamb in a 200 F oven (just to stay under boiling temperature) until I reach my internal target temperature of 118-120 F which will carry over to medium rare when rested, hopefully, then finish with 500 F for 15 minutes to brown the skin.

For those who have tried both methods, I am curious to know how the result compares to roasting at a higher heat.

Also, how long (ballpark time) does it take to roast 4 lbs at a low temperature such as 200 F?


texts: How do you fry chicken, so that oil doesn't explode on your shirt?

texts:
I love chicken, and I love to fry it. The problem is that the hot oil explodes, and it gets on my clothes.

I already have a cover for my pan. The problem is that I need to turn chicken upside down and then I need to open it. That's when I get the oil on my shirt.

What do you do? Are there any tricks?


texts: Do these fish have bones, and are they dangerous?

texts:
I'm looking to start eating fish but I have never prepared any and never ate any except for smoked fish. I went to the store and saw that at least where I live, we don't have many fillets.

The best fish that I found were these, and I have no idea if they have any bones that are dangerous (the small ones), and if so, what's the best way to prepare them in a way that I wouldn't have to spend an hour eating it? I hate that!

The fish are: smelts, flounders, sprats, mackerel, rainbow trout, catfish (some weird species that I had to google up, they aren't even called catfish in my language!).

Any advice is appreciated, as I will be eating fish daily!


texts: Soft dinner rolls always taste bland or flat

texts:
I proof Granular Rapid Rise yeast in mix of milk/water/honey/touch of flour and 100 - 110 degrees, adding the yeast.  Always proofs really well, doubling etc. I have made these so many times, you would think I would give up,,  I cook alot, bake a good deal, and always seem to get a great shiny dough, buttered and rises with all the unpredictability yeast dough can - moisture content, temp. etc   I like a softer dough, not quite sticky, and punch down, and rise a second time. I know the times that I've allowed rises to happen too quickly - but generally an hour for each rise, almost double rise first time, and 3/4 rise the second time. I use eggs, milk, water, King A. Unbleached AP Flour, some sugar* and some salt*.  sometimes I mix in butter, sometimes mix of shortening/butter, and like tonight, very little butter, with heavy cream instead of milk.
I think the texture is good, very consistent crumb, soft crusts ( egg wash or butter), and they look great.  Trouble is the taste:

Seems to me that butter helps, but really salt and sugar will affect the flavour/taste the most.  Would you agree with this?
I like a sweeter dinner roll, and with the sugar in the proofing liquid, I may only add another couple of tablespoons no more.
Perhaps salt is my weakness, I love salted things, and try to add as much salt as I feel I can, but worry so much about harming the yeast, am I just not putting enough?  tonight, I put a total of 1.5 tsp in dough of 4 eggs, 4 cups flour, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of honey, 1/2 c. water, 1/2 cup whpping cream, for a total of 1.75 cups of liquid.  Dough was predictably soft and sticky, but came together, so while kneading added approx 1 more cup flour until just soft, shiny, and smooth.  I kneaded by hand for about 2 - 3 minutes until I felt the dough was not too elastic, smooth and formed a nice soft ball.  The rises were as mentioned above, pretty good.
I have half of the dough in the refrig. to perform a slower rise, which I understand develops a better yeast flavour - I hope so, but now I realize that the finished rolls are just bland.  Like just the flour taste, maybe a touch of the honey, but otherwise, flat, cardboard flavor.  Hard to throw them away when they look so good, texture is great and all that unsalted butter waiting to go on them!

I need advice please -  what am I missing or doing too much of?  Do you think longer rises?  More salt?  less yeast?  Sorry for the long question - wanted to give you as much info as possible! thanks,  Brad


texts: What are the downsides of using a copper or bronze frying pan as opposed to stainless steel or cast iron?


texts: How can I minimize "stringing" of cheddar cheese

texts:
I like to add cheddar cheese to my chili.
However, when I eat it, it always has strings.
Which sticks to my whiskers.
Is there a way to minimize that?
Thanks.


texts: What is the difference between acetate sheets and baking paper when making chocolate deco?

texts:
I would like to make chocolate decorations with melted chocolate. After searching on the web, however, I am not quite sure I could find acetate sheets. But I can find baking paper.

Would there be any substitute, like baking paper, parchment paper? What is the difference between them?

I want to make melted-chocolate decorations like those around this cake:


texts: Is it safe to use a new microwave if I dropped it on the back corner?

texts: I dropped my brand new microwave transferring right out of the box and before use. It landed on the back right corner. The frame is bent, but it doesn't look like anything else is wrong. I don't know if I can still use it; is it safe to just try it?


texts: Using eggs in pudding - yolks vs whole eggs

texts:
I wish to know what would be the difference between using only egg yolks in a pudding, compared to using whole eggs?

Yes, there are other questions on this site, asking what is the difference between yolks and whites, but I wish to know if it would be different in a pudding.

(I mean this type of pudding pic)

(link to example recipe)


texts:
I have a way of cooking cod loin which has never failed me before.  This time, large parts of each loin became so rubbery as to be unchewable.  I know several things that deviated from my usual recipe, but I'm wondering which thing was the culprit.
First, the recipe:  Cod is dipped in milk and egg and then rolled in panko mixed with Cajun spices.  A little olive oil is heated in a cast iron skillet.  Cod is fried for a couple minutes on each side.  Then the heat is turned to low and the lid is put on the skillet.  The fish "bakes" in the cast iron for about 11 minutes.  This has never failed to give me nice white flaky cod.
A couple things were different this time:

These were from a bag of frozen cod loins (maybe from Sam's Club or HEB.)  These were the last two, so they'd been in the freezer a while.
I had gotten these last two out a couple weeks ago, and then didn't make the fish, so they went back into the freezer.
Instead of 11 minutes, they got more like 20 minutes of "baking".

On the first piece of fish, I took a bite off the end and it was fine.  The next bite I couldn't cut with my fork.  It was almost exactly the texture of that triangular piece of cartilage one gets on a chicken breast: rubbery, tough, bleh.
I would think that if over-baking were the problem, then the fish would have been tough at the ends, but the ends were the only edible bits.    If it were that Sam's Club just stocks bad fish, then I'm incredibly unlucky/lucky in that out of a bag of 15 pieces, I chose two at a time over the months and only the last two were bad.  That leaves "refreezing."  Only these two pieces were thawed and then refrozen.   Could that have caused the puck-ness?


texts: What is the best method for yogurt straining? cheesecloth? yogurt strainers? coffee filters? I appreciate it if you could share your experience.


texts:
I usually cook risotto in a wide-based, shallow pan. It always seems to take longer than the recipes would suggest.

I've just seen a chef using a deeper saucepan. Would this help speed things up?


texts: How is gelatine sold in U.S. grocery stores?

texts:
I'm interested in trying a recipe from Alton Brown for marshmallow. I'm not sure what exactly "3 packages unflavored gelatin" refers to.

How much gelatine (in weight) is included in a standard package of gelatine in the U.S.? And what bloom* would that be?

Probably has no bearing, but is that likely to be powdered or leaf gelatine?

* Actually not sure what bloom is used for gelatine from Swedish stores. Awaiting a reply from Dr. Oetker's customer service on that point :-)


texts:
I'm in a place where buying baking soda is proving to be quite difficult*, so I was looking for substitutions, and it seems there really aren't any.  So this got me thinking:  Baking soda is made (or otherwise harvested from nature) in some way.
How can I do this?
I realize the answer is likely to be so involved or expensive that I won't want to undertake the project, but for the determined baker, how would it be done?
*I eventually found some.
NOTE: The question is about making, not sourcing or substituting, baking soda.


texts: Best approach to making a loaf of bread stale

texts:
I have a recipe that calls for a loaf of "stale country bread".  Instead of waiting for the bread to stale, I'd like to engineer it.
I plan to take the loaf and place it in a paper bag.  But for how long?  Is this the right approach?


texts: Is it ok to make mozzarella from pasteurised milk?

texts: Hi Is it ok to make mozzarella from milk bought at Spar or any other supermarkets? If not, how could I buy 5l non-pasteurised milk? I live in Hermanus, Western Cape. Thanks Ian le Chéf


texts: Why does the oil never separate when I try to make an Indian curry?

texts:
A lot of curry recipes tell you to keep going until the oil separates, but for me this point never comes. I've tried putting more oil / butter in to start with, but no joy. I've also tried turning up the heat - same. Can anyone tell me where the oil comes from, and what causes it to be released?

[Edit following comment]

For example, I just made one as follows:

Coat 130g king prawns in a mixture of 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp chili powder, pinch salt and set aside

Fry half lg onion and a clove of garlic (chopped) in a generous amount of butter until onion translucent

Add 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp coriander and stir in

Add 80g tomato paste, 1/2 cup water and leave to simmer for 5 - 10 mins

Add prawns and simmer until cooked through

When the prawns were done, the sauce was at about the right consistency but there was no sign of the oil separating out. I'd had the frying pan at a temperature where it would stop bubbling if stirred.

I left it for another few minutes but the prawns were getting overdone and so was the rice I had on the other ring, so I called time on it.

Thanks


texts: Delayed Pressure Canning by 12 hours? OK? or no?

texts:
We did a batch of canning the other day. We take our beans and blanch them then let them cool off. We take our mason jars and boil them as well as our lids. We take the jars out of the boiling water, add our beans, and then fill the jar with boiling water (leaving head room at the top). We then take the full and closed jars and put them in the pressure canner for 25 min with the top shaking/rocking. Then let them sit in the canner for probably another 30ish min until the pressure is gone and we then let them sit on the counter until they cool completely (hours later).

Here is the question. We did multiple batches that night and it got so late that our last batch we decided to wait until morning to pressure can them. So they sat on the counter for maybe 12 hours max before they were put into the pressure canner the next morning. The lids were on tight and they seemed to be sealed. The only variation from our normal canning procedure was waiting 12 hours before putting them in the pressure canner. Are these still safe to eat? We are concerned that by waiting bacteria could have grown and that it wont be killed from the pressure canning. If these were yours, would you throw them out? Or keep them?


texts:
I made a persimmon jam, just like I successfully made other jams, i.e.: took 7 persimmons, added a cup of sugar and a little lemon juice, put in a bread baker and activated the special jam program.

The jam is delicious, but, after several seconds in the mouth, it gives a very unpleasant feeling that the tongue and the entire mouth becomes dry.

What happened to the jam? Is there a way to rescue it?


texts: My question is about making yogurt at home. I made yogurt at home but there is some problem which causes the yogurt to taste sour. I tried lots of methods to prevent the sourness because I don't like the sourness in yogurt. But unfortunately, I have failed to achieved the expected results. What should i do to make a perfect yogurt at home?


texts:
How can one check if the food does not have excess levels of pesticides?

The need of the hour is to have some machine/tool that checks what is the composition of the food that we are eating and advices us to stop or go ahead with it. I am not sure if there is anything created like that? To take the examples of the news: Salmonella in eggs

How can we ensure that the food that we eat is not unhealthy?


texts: Should I be worried about a dark red spot on my acorn squash?

texts:
When I split open the acorn squash, there was a large blood-red spot with small white spots in the middle. My best guess is it's rot or mold. I cut it out, leaving plenty of the normal golden flesh around it, but is the rest of the acorn squash contaminated? The flesh smells and looks normal everywhere else.
And any ideas what it is? That color is disturbing :/


texts: Are air bubbles/pockets/loose casing in raw sausages okay food safety-wise? I don't know if it's just because they didn't fill them as full or if they formed from gases/bacteria. They are five days before the best before date Merguez sausages. Thanks!


texts: Botulinum Toxin in Home-Canned Green Beans

texts:
I was given a jar of home-canned green beans.  The method of canning is unknown.

Wikipedia says:

  Botulinum toxin is denatured at temperatures greater than 80 °C (176 °F).[27]

  Proper refrigeration at temperatures below 3°C (38°F) retards the growth of Clostridium botulinum. The organism is also susceptible to high salt, high oxygen, and low pH levels. The toxin itself is rapidly destroyed by heat, such as in thorough cooking.[30] The spores that produce the toxin are heat-tolerant and will survive boiling water for an extended period of time.[31]

As usual with wikipedia, I'm not able to view the references.

My questions are:

1) At what minimal temperature and for what minimal amount of time is that temperature to be maintained to destroy the toxin?  I'd like to see something definitive and believable.

2) Suppose the toxin is destroyed by cooking, but the spores remain.  What is to stop the spores from becoming newly toxin-forming bacteria in my gut?  Is there not enough time?  Is there suppression from beneficial bacteria which prevents it?  Is the ph wrong?  The temperature?  The oxygen level?

3) If you've answered the first two questions favorably and were presented with a can of beans having a somewhat more than remote chance of containing clostridium botulinum, would you follow the procedure in your answer and eat the beans?  Assume you like green beans.  I don't want to see "when in doubt, throw it out" because shouldn't there always be an element of doubt with anything home-canned?  Shouldn't we treat each jar as if it was known to be contaminated?  I understand that there is an extra element of doubt if the canning procedure is not known, but then again, if the sterilization procedure works, does it matter what process was used?


texts: After I allowed the polish to rise for approx. 10 hours ( it had risen quite a bit) and I placed in the fridge overnight - I find that the level has dropped from the high it had prior to refrigerating ? Why ?


texts: Does smoke point affect max temp of patina

texts: If I were to season a cast iron pan by rubbing it with olive oil(smoke point of 350F to 410F) and putting it in the oven for a while at 340F to create a patina, would I be able to later on use that pan in the oven at 550F? My thought is that the patina might smoke or something because 550 is so much higher than the smoke point.


texts: What is the secret behind "always soft" ice cream?

texts:
Since humanity discovered the ice cream in a frozen cave in Antarctica, it was so hard you had to wait 15-20 minutes to be able to use it as food and not as a blunt object for a Hitchcock's plot. Then, suddenly one day all ice cream were soft right out of the refrigerator.

What is the magic component the industry added in order to keep ice cream always soft ?


texts: I'm a huge Pacman fan and therefore I would like to create some Pacman muffins next week. I was searching for a receipt in the Internet, but couldn't really found one. I could find quite a few pictures of Pacman muffins, but nowhere is a guideline how those muffins were made.


texts:
I've been working on improving my home made ice-cream and was wondering if anyone knew how to get more air into the mix.  The ice-cream is great right out of the maker, but once I put it in the freezer to firm up a bit it becomes very dense.

Is it a matter of running the maker longer? making smaller batches?

Thanks for the suggestions


texts: White residue emerging while cooking bacon

texts:
When I pan-fry bacon I usually see a curdled white residue emerge from the strips as they start to become cooked. This residue forms a sticky film on the pan that burns if not scraped off during cooking. It appears to be a some sticky goo composed of proteins, fat and water.

What exactly is this residue and what causes it/where does it come from? Does it pose any health concerns? Is it common practice in professional kitchens to wash the bacon before cooking in order to reduce this residue?


texts: What could cause a sudden loss of sour flavor?

texts:
Background

During the weekend, my mother made a plum cake and put slices of plum on top. She gave me a piece to try and it was sweet and good for ~1.5 seconds before my face puckered from how sour it was. I can usually take sour thing (I like to eat lemons/limes with salt and keep dipping into a bottle of citric acid), but I was surprised by how a cake could be so sour, even with a small slice of plum.

She took the slice of plum off of another piece and gave it to one of her neighbors who also puckered from how sour it was.

“Problem” / Mystery

The next morning, she had another piece and was surprised to find that it was not sour whatsoever. She gave me a piece later in the day to confirm that it was not just her tongue that was broken and sure enough, it was not sour in the slightest. All traces of sourness had completely gone, literally, overnight. In fact, she made two of them and they both gave the same results (really sour, then suddenly not).

Question

I know that in the culinary field, some kinds of food molecules can break down under certain circumstances, but I have never heard of anything that could explain this.

Now we are both baffled by this mystery. What the heck could cause a homemade cake that was shockingly sour to lose every last bit of sourness in less than a day? Nothing had changed (she did not cook or freeze it); she left it on the counter, covered in a mesh overnight.


texts: What device to use to chop/dice tomatoes?

texts: I make chunky salsa in 2 quart batches. I have terrible knife skills, it takes me way too long to dice the amount of tomatoes needed for a batch. I am looking for a piece of equipment that will chop or dice the tomatoes into appox. 1/4 inch pieces in a quick and efficient manner.


texts: UK versus US expiration dates on diet sodas

texts:
I took a trip to the UK last week, and as an avid Coke Zero drinker, was surprised to find that my Coke Zero supposedly expired in March 2016 in most places I went.

Surprised, because in the US, diet sodas are typically dated 3-4 months from production, and actually do taste noticeably less sweet at that point (to the point that some brands of soda, including Coke Zero, are undrinkable for me if they're at the expiration date).  March 2016, even assuming they were produced next door and stocked that day, was almost 6 months out, and considering about 75% of the sodas I found were that date (I did see some Jan and Dec, but almost all Mar) it sounds like they're dated at least six months out.  But even the Dec dated sodas tasted fine (Which, if they were 3 months old, would start tasting off to me normally in the US).

Why is that? Does the UK have different regulations, or are there different formulas that explain it, or different storage, or ... something else?  The base sweeteners were the same (Aspartame and Ace-K), though of course it's impossible to tell %s in the US so who knows if they're the same; and I think it all tasted differently there than in the US, so it's hard to say if there's more/less in there.


texts: Pour over coffee : what is needed for a good pitcher replacement?

texts:
My pourover coffee pitcher just broke. Its the second time it does this this year, so i guess the maker of this pourover kit is making flimsy glass for their pitchers.

So is there a good replacement for those kinds of pitchers? What is important in a replacement? Does the mouth of the pitcher need to contain the whole filter? Do the sides really need to follow the filter?
Here is how the filter looks like


texts: How do you clean a seasoned cast iron skillet?

texts:
I have a seasoned cast iron skillet, and I don't want to mess up the seasoning when I'm cleaning it.  What do I use and what don't I use to get it back to clean?

I've heard not to use soap and to make sure it is dry, but nothing beyond that.


texts:
I know that sugar molecules are large and too many of them can prevent a proper gluten network from forming when making bread.  What other things can be used to sweeten bread instead of sugar?

I'm thinking about trying to make some sort of dessert bread.


texts:
Its mentioned in Goodfellas so this is obviously a thing among Italian families and their cooking.

Do you stir to prevent it from sticking? Why cook the sauce for so long?


texts: cooking pastry for bottom of pie using cold filling

texts:
Sometimes my meat pies do not cook properly on the bottom.
I usually put the filling in cold rather than hot.
Should I cook the bottom pastry blind before adding filling and top.


texts: How to reduce sugar in chocolate chip cookies without losing the texture

texts:
I have my chocolate chip cookie recipe which uses a 1 to 1 sugar to flour ratio. The texture is chewy because I under-cook them on purpose. When cooked golden brown they are snappy like the supermarket chocolate chip cookies. (like pepperidge farm)

I'm trying to reduce the sugar in this recipe for taste and health reason. (I know that chocolate chip cookies are not celery and carrots :D )

I reduced the sugar to reach a ratio of 75% sugar to flour ratio. The cookies need more cooking time, and come out bready/cakey.

Here is the final low-sugar recipe for reference (my original recipe is based on the one on the back of the Tollhouse chocolate chip packages):

250g butter
110g granulated sugar
100g brown sugar
1 pack vanilla sugar
2 eggs
1 pack of baking soda
1 pinch of salt
270g flour
300g chocolate chips
Bake 12 minutes at 190°C

My understanding is that the sugar contributes to some kind of caramelization of the cookie, making it chewy/snappy.

Is there a way to substitute the sugar? Change the ingredients ratio so that we still have a not-too-sweet and not-too-unhealthy cookie?


texts: What is the best way to cook the beef cut "nerveux gite"?

texts: In France, just bought a beef cut of meat named "nerveux gite a bourguignon", planning to cook it in the slow cooker.  However, it seems incredibly tough!  What's the best way to prepare it?


texts: What exactly is the difference between all these dairy products?

texts:
I have heard cooks talk about the following products and was wondering what exactly they are and what the difference is between them?

Buttermilk, Creme Fraiche, Clotted cream, whipped cream, double cream, heavy cream, and sour cream?


texts: interval cooking vs regular cooking meat

texts:
I've heard that some restaurants use a method of cooking steaks (or other meats) called "interval cooking", where rather than cooking the meat to just below the final temperature and letting it rest to the final temperature, you cook at say 2 minutes on, then rest for 2 minutes, then 2 minutes on again, then rest for 2 minutes and so on, until you reach the final temperature.

Apparently this promotes more even cooking, as the meat has a chance to reach internal equilibrium during the cooking process as opposed to just at the end. Has anybody tried this approach and will interval cooking actually promote a notable difference assuming the meat is rested for the same amount of time at the end using a regular cooking method?


texts: Day 8 of Sourdough Starter, is it still alive?

texts:
I started my starter 8 days ago. I stopped feeding it after Day 4. It has been left on the counter. It has been stirred but not fed for 4 days.

Is my starter still ok? It's kept in a mixing bowl with a towel over it and a rubberband.


texts:
I've seen different recipes and some shows on TV that show a method of "shocking" the food; boiling it and then when ready, placing it in ice water.

What does this do for the food?


texts: How long can I keep a dessert out of the fridge?

texts:
Recently an uncle of mine taught me how to make Γαλακτομπούρεκο, which contains eggs and milk. When I asked him how many hours after it is baked should I put it the fridge, he said that it is Ok for a couple of days out of fridge.

But I'm not really sure, since it contains milk and eggs, like I said. So, how long is a dessert like this good for out of fridge without it getting bad?


texts:
I have been making some horchata (using white rice, cinnamon and water). I left it for a day and when I returned, it looked slightly fermented (a stream of bubbles were coming out of it and it was frothy ever so slightly). I blended and sweetened it and it tasted delicious, with a slightly tangy taste.

My question is will it be safe to eat? I see no reason why it shouldn't be, after all it is no different to fermented ginger beer, but I would like to have some advice.


texts: How to raise the setting and melting point of gelatin

texts:
Is there anyway to raise the setting and melting point of gelatin so that it doesn't melt at room temperature. I've heard that adding pectin can raise the setting and melting point, but I'm no sure.
Thanks.


texts:
I am baking a fancy cake recipe for the first time, and have trouble with it.

Basically, the cake has three layers. The first one is a flourless bisquit. Then there comes a guar thickened puree made of fresh mangoes and grand marnier , and above them JI am supposed to smear a thick wallop of a mascarpone-sour cream combination.

I have all three ready (not yet combined), only the puree is quite runny. I expected it to get as hard as starch-based custard does when it cools (frankly, I have never yet tried to achieve something actually stiff with guar). But I have already put three times as much guar as the recipe called for, and it is a very viscous liquid - when you pull the spoon out of it, you see ridges which slowly run back to smoothness. It is yummy, but there is no way it will carry a thick layer of the dairy stuff (which is not quite hard itself). There is a lot of puree, about 750 ml for a 28 cm cake, so the layer is supposed to be thick.

The best solution I can think of is to mix some gelatin into the mango stuff. But I have never used gelatin and guar together, so I am not quite sure what the result will be. First, will the taste suffer (I know that thickening agents shouldn't have an impact on taste, but I've actually had too much gelatin ruin the taste of the thing). And second, will some weird physical effect caused by the guar prevent the gelatin from setting?

And if you have any better idea than the gelatin, I'd be happy to hear it.


texts: To make a cream cheese icing, can I use cottage cheese?

texts: Can I use cottage cheese instead of cream cheese to make a carrot cake icing?


texts: What should I look for in strawberries at the market?

texts: When I'm selecting strawberries at the market or farmer's stand, what should I look for to indicate the most flavorful berries?  I don't need the strawberries to keep; I'll be using them immediately.


texts: Why did my ginger simple syrup develop such a disgusting consistency?

texts:
I made a ginger simple syrup. I took a large amount of ginger, simmered it in water to cover for an hour, drained it (reserving the water), and repeated the process with fresh water. I did this three times. I took the reserved ginger water added a bit of sugar and reduced to maybe 1/3rd. Let it cool and stuck it in the fridge. It was cloudy and clearly had some fine ginger particulate floating around in it. It was very strong and tasted great.

I used it for a couple of weeks to make ginger based drinks, and then it got stuck behind something in the fridge to be rediscovered this morning. I made it 43 days ago, and it's probably been untouched in the fridge for 28 days. I checked to see if it was still good and it smelled ok, however, it had the consistency of mucus. It was really, really disgusting. I did not taste it. My wife tried to throw it out but started gagging as it oozed out of the jar. Naturally, I got a camera (unfortunately it's acting up and I can't upload the photos, hopefully they'll follow).

What on earth caused this to happen?


texts: What is the shelf life of pickled gherkins stored dry?

texts: Our almost 2 years old toddler loves oignons accompagnying pickled gherkins.  Unfortunately, trying to pick one by herself, she spilled all the pickle from a brand new (commercial, pasteurized) jar.  I guess the lack of pickle will affect the gherkins conservation : how long will they remain edible (kept in the fridge) ?  Still a few weeks, or rather a few days ?


texts: How much acid to use for stabilizing meringue?

texts:
After reading up on the proper books, I started adding some acid when beating meringues. At home, I use cream of tartar, but when I am baking at somebody else's kitchen, I am lucky if they have at least some citric acid; cream of tartar is a huge rarity here.

The trouble is that the books don't specify a ratio. They speak of throwing in "a pinch", suggesting that the exact amount is not that important. In my experience, this is not true.

I have had meringues fail despite cream of tartar. They went from a runny mess to an overtightened stiff layer floating on water without a noticeable sweet spot inbetween. I admit that I may have used the wrong whipping speed (this happens especially often when I whip by hand), but 1) I can't attribute it to speed alone, and 2) this is exactly the kind of problem I hope the acid works against.

Then again, I have whipped beautiful meringues with acid. Cream of tartar helps there too, but citric acid frequently gives me a great texture from a single pinch (maybe 1.5 g) per 2-3 eggwhites. The meringue gets smooth and glossy, with robust little bubbles, and holds without deflating when folded into other ingredients, even during a not-so-gentle macaronage. The problem: at this concentration, the sour taste is already very noticeable. In some very sweet applications, this still works, but most times it adulterates the taste.

So, what is the minimal ratio at which acid works (given a sensible technique - forget hand whipping for now?) And what is the maximum ratio at which acid is still undetectable in taste? I am interested in both cream of tartar and citric acid here.


texts: I have this jar of coconut oil from NOW Foods that my wife found in the beauty isle. She wasn't using it, and I'm wondering if I can use it to make pancakes. The jar is labeled "skin & hair / revitalizing" but the only ingredient listed is "cocos nucifera (coconut) oil". It tastes very plain. Is this the right stuff? Or is there a special quality to coconut oils found in the baking isle?


texts: Do I need to cook the meat filling before stuffing ravioli?

texts:
I been making ravioli this past week (3 types, butternut squash, various fungi, and spinach  for those interested).

Now I'm onto the meat. Its a pork, beef, and veal mixture.

My question is, do I need to cook the mixture before stuffing into the ravioli? If I do cook it, I'm worried the fat in the meat will make it so that everything won't stick together and therefore be harder to stuff.

On the other hand If I don't cook the meat, I'm worried the raviolis will have to cook too long for the filling to be cooked and the pasta will be way overcooked.

Which is the proper way?


texts: Can I cook Meringue on tin foil rather than Baking paper?

texts: I am making meringue's and don't have access to baking paper, would tin foil work or could I just grease the tin itself?


texts: Should I be concerned about drinking tap water?

texts:
I grew up in the United States and have been drinking tap water my whole life. More  recently some of my friends have been making me feel a little bit guilty or awkward about the safety of tap water, usually recommending me to use either use a water filter, or to boil my water. I think this is just hyperbole, but after a long time hearing this from different people, I am beginning to feel unsure.

I know some places in the United States and across the world have unsafe drinking water, but how do I know where the water is safe or not? Are there any certain tastes that are considered dangerous? Is it better for me to just start using filtered water?


texts:
I see Pillsbury pre-made dough rolled in tubes. This makes it easier to open it at one end and chop off slices as needed.

In my case, I force freshly made cookie dough into containers and just slice them up later -- very difficult and tough. I tried preparing them into rolled parchment paper, which I ended up using a lot of, so it was thus wasteful.

Is there tool I can use so I can form the freshly made cookie dough into tubes, for ease of rolling later on?


texts: Can you freeze an unbaked sour cream apple pie?

texts: I am concerned the sour cream will separate during freezing.  Did not know if I added corn starch if that would help.  Any suggestions?


texts: How should I organize making a cake days ahead?

texts:
My wife's birthday is coming up and I want to make a cake for her.

I was thinking of making a layer of sponge cake, amarena cherry sauce (cherries, wine and sugar), chocolate mousse, another layer of sponge cake with sauce, Diplomat cream and amarena cherries on top.

The problem is that I won't have time the day we eat the cake (Saturday) and the day before (Friday), so I need to make it in advance. I'm thinking of preparing the sponge cake, cherry sauce and chocolate mousse on Thursday and build the bottom layers and put it in the freezer. I can make the Diplomat cream on Friday morning, save it in the refrigerator, and build the rest on Saturday (after we'll arrive home).

Does this sounds like a good plan? is it better to just make the pastry cream on Friday and mixed it with the whipped cream on Saturday? Can the cake and the mousse wait for two days?


texts: why is exterior of the microwave oven getting hot & the lights getting switched off

texts:
cooking pizza @ 180 degrees celcius then the exterior gets too hot and the lights on the microwave oven get switched off. after it cools down the lights start again

`


texts: Many recipes suggest storing perishable food, such as left-over chicken stock, in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Why could one not store it frozen for longer, surely bacteria and mould cannot grow in a deep freezer to spoil the food?


texts: Should you wait certain amount of time after steak reaches 170 degrees internal temperature

texts: I was wondering if the steak reaches internal temperature of 170 degrees (for well done) is it done at that instant or should you still wait a certain amount of time after the thickest part has reached the desired internal temperature?


texts: Is it possible to have golden beef meat with normal spices?

texts: I wonder how a restaurant able to cook beef until golden colour with normal spices and cooking such in following picture?


texts: Using avocado oil as a substitute to olive oil

texts:
Olive oil is more expensive than normal oils, but due to its nutrition properties (and probably its taste), chefs prefer to use it for lots of different applications even frying. Avocado oil is more valuable than olive oil, and of course, more expensive. It is normally used for cosmetics, due to its magical effect on skin healthcare.

Apart from its price, is it an ideal replacement for olive oil in different types of recipes? I mean is there any drawback to use avocado oil in recipes as a general oil? because I have not seen such suggestion in recipes. Is its high cost the only reason for avocado oil unpopularity in cooking, or other disadvantages?


texts: I have some tomatoes that might go bad soon. Do they freeze well? (E.g. taste, texture)


texts: Use orange juice instead of water for syrup to make Orangettes?

texts:
I used this serious eats recipe to make orangettes. After removing the oranges from the syrup in the end I further reduced it in order not to waste it. After tasting I though it could do with a bit more orange flavour and wondered:

Could I just squeeze the peeled oranges and use their juice instead of part or all the water in the syrup to make the leftover syrup taste stronger of orange?
Would this affect the Orangettes? How?

I'd also be interested in suggestions as to how I can use my syrup.


texts: Does Heating Up A PTFE Non-Stick Pan Create "Fumes"?

texts:
Given the advances in technology regarding non-stick pans, do they still give off fumes if they are heated with nothing in them?

I never pre-heat my non-sticks with more than low to medium-low heat, and have never had any issues. I have read various answers to this question, so I will defer to the knowledge of this group.


texts: Ingredients injected into chicken breast

texts: What is in the broth injected into the Heritage Farms boneless skinless chicken breast I feed my dogs.  Dogs can't eat onions or garlic.


texts: Why some fruits are less common for making jam?

texts: Some fruits are more common to make jam from them (like peach in Hungary), but sometimes even widely available fruits are not common to make jams (like grape). What's the reason and what is it depends on?


texts: What is this really tasty part of a chicken found in a cavity in the hip?

texts:
About once per month, my mother prepares chicken with rice and a currysauce with pineapple. I don't know exactly what the method of preparation is of the chicken because it's prepared by one of those traveling grilling trucks.

However, what I do know is that there is a small (like 2 cm wide and half a cm deep) cavity in one of the hips of the chicken that's filled with really tasty meat. The cavity is open on the  inside and I think it's the best part of the chicken. It appears to be some kind of organ meat, but I'm not sure what exactly it is. I also don't have a picture of the meat, sorry.

What could this meat be?


texts: Interpreting recipes from a different culture (specifically India)

texts:
I've tried to make dahi (indian "curd", or yogurt) a few times, but it has always turned out more like cottage cheese (English "curds and whey") than like yogurt.

This isn't necessarily bad (the whey is great for making pancakes), but it isn't what I'm trying to produce.

Making the starter using peppers is no problem, since there isn't anything critical at this stage, but after that, everything is vague.

I think the biggest problem is that the recipes written by Indians are difficult to understand by Westerners.  What's blatantly obvious to everyone there isn't obvious at all to me here.

For instance, I discovered that the verb "boil" in India doesn't mean what it does here.  (E.g. recipes that say "boil for a few minutes until lukewarm" don't make sense unless one interprets "boil" as simply "heat".)

What does "lukewarm" mean?
What does "room temperature" mean?
When I got up this morning, "room temperature" was 18°C, but two months ago it was nearly 30°C.
How long is "a while" or "until done"?
One recipe offered help by suggesting "a while longer if you are in the North".
What does "test on wrist to ensure it is the right temperature" mean if I don't know what the right temperature is supposed to feel like?

How should Indian recipes be converted to exact temperatures, specifically "lukewarm" and "room temperature"?

Note:
A comment mentions that the above might be considered insulting to Indians.

I was generalizing what I had noticed in Indian recipes, but I definitely didn't mean any of it in a negative way.

It's just a fact of life; every culture has its own obvious meanings that aren't obvious to other cultures.

If I said I picked up a two-four of blue, a mickey of screech, and a couple double-doubles on the way home, almost every Canadian would understand what I meant, but almost no one else would. Or poutine with a bloody caesar.  Or Nanaimo bars and butter tarts for a toonie.

I certainly wouldn't be insulted if someone from India asked me what I was talking about.


texts: How to Everything Soup / Anything Soup / Build It Yourself Soup / Stone Soup

texts:
Saute onions, fresh garlic, in the pot using 1 tbsp olive oil.

• For every cup of chopped veggies, use approximately 2 cups broth [or water be used for a cheap imitation?]

• For every 2 cups broth, use 1 bouillon cube [or not?]

• For every 2 cups broth, stir in 2 teaspoons onion powder and garlic powder

• Bring everything to a boil and cook until the veggies are fully cooked [for approx how long?]

https://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-build-it-yourself-vegetable-soup/

Why have onions and garlic twice? Why not just saute more?
Why broth and cubes?


texts: Any reason to put cornmeal/semolina on hot pizza stone or steel?

texts:
When I first started baking pizza years ago, I read somewhere that one should toss some cornmeal on a hot pizza stone after preheating, just before putting the pizza on.  Since I tend to bake pizza at the highest setting on the oven, the cornmeal (or semolina, which I later switched to) would immediately smoke and burn.  I set off a smoke alarm in my house a couple times.  And I always had this wasted layer of burnt cornmeal/semolina which I'd wipe off the stone after each use.

After a few years of doing this, I realized that my pizza dough never stuck to the stone in the oven (though I occasionally had trouble getting it off the peel as it was going into the oven).  So I just stopped doing it.  Even with the minimal amount of semolina I tend to use on my peel these days, I never have had a case of the dough sticking to either a preheated pizza stone or a pizza steel.  (I have had cases where the pizza got stuck due to sauce or cheese leaking through a hole or over the side, but a little dusting of cornmeal/semolina wouldn't have prevented that sticking.)

Recently, I watched Alton Brown's pizza bake on his fun Mega-Bake Oven contraption.  I noticed he too tosses what appears to be semolina on the hot pizza steel (which smokes immediately) before loading the pizza on.  I've seen this recommended occasionally in other reputable sources.

I can certainly understand putting some sort of cornmeal/semolina/flour on a cold pizza stone or steel, for those who tend to bake raw dough without preheating first.

But is there really a good reason to throw some semolina or cornmeal onto a screaming hot pizza stone before baking, assuming a "normal" pizza dough (of some sort)?  I would assume that perhaps some recipes might stick, though I tend to use a very high hydration dough that sticks easily to my hands and the peel, but it always releases easily in the oven.  I also have baked many loaves of various kinds of breads and again have never had a problem with sticking.

Am I just lucky?  Or are there some particular recipes/stones that stick more?  Or is there some other reason for doing this?


texts: Why is my first batch of cookies out of the oven too flat?

texts: Every time I make cookies, the first batch out of the oven is a bit too thin and flat. Subsequent batches are as expected. What could be causing this?


texts: why does doughnut powdered sugar seem cool?

texts:
Why does the powdered sugar which coats the outside of powdered sugar doughnuts give that amazing cool sensation on your tongue, when the powdered sugar in the box I buy from the supermarket does not? I am pretty sure this effect is not just imaginary since I see the question asked on the internet, but the two answers I find there are not satisfactory:

It's the cornstarch in the powdered sugar -- wrong. Cornstarch doesn't have that cool taste, ... and the boxed powdered sugar also contains cornstarch anyway.
Some thermodynamic mumbo-jumbo about latent heat of crystalization, or enthalpy [?] when the sugar dissolves on your tongue, which may be true for all I know, but can't be the explanation since it would apply to all powdered sugar - or maybe even all sugar.

I really think the doughnut makers are using some different type of sugar, or adding something that we don't have at home. Can anyone shed some light on this? (These are US doughnuts, if it matters.)


texts: Does ghee make a good substitution for lard?

texts:
I'm trying out a recipe which requires sauteeing something in lard. A lot of people seem to recommend butter as a substitute for lard, but I'm not fond of sauteeing in butter, because of the low smoking point and difficulty in getting it the right heat.

So does ghee work as a substitution for lard (specifically pig lard)?


texts: Do storms influence the souring of dishes?

texts:
The story/lore passed from generation to generation is about the influence of a storm on some dishes. Allegedly, they sour once the storm hits. This holds especially when the dish is kept in a metal bowl, jug, or pot. What I've heard is that it affects soups, broths and mayo-based salads the most, but I am not sure if that is because of their ingredients or just because they are mostly kept in those metal containers.

Is there any scientific proof of this phenomenon, and if so what is the mechanism? Is it due to rapid changes in the air pressure or maybe electrostatics?

If that would be true, how can one counteract it? Does keeping dishes in the fridge help?


texts: Which parts of a spring onion should I use in a pasta salad?

texts: The recipe I've got (Commonsense cooking, page 211) for a pasta salad lists spring onion (green onion/scallions) as an ingredient, but doesn't say which part to use. Should I be using the long, slender green tops, or the small white bulb, or both?


texts: What is the purpose of oiling a wooden chopping board?

texts: I recently bought a wooden chopping board to replace my plastic one. In the course of my research I read that it's important to regularly rub mineral oil in (some people say once a week, some say once a month). It's said that it "protects" it and makes it last longer, but what is the oil actually doing?


texts: How to create thick, hearty garlic marinara sauce?

texts:
I've been searching online for a recipe for a robust garlic marinara sauce to no avail. Does anyone have any tips on how to make this kind of thick, hearty sauce from scratch?

This is what I've tried so far:

Tomato Paste (I don't have a blender)
1/2 teaspoon butter
1 cup diced onions
1/4 cup diced red chilies
1/4 cup whole milk cream
3 cloves of garlic
Fresh Basil

I fry the garlic and onions in olive oil and then add the tomato paste, chilies, basil and cream. It has not turned into the hearty kind of sauce one imagins on an Italian dinner table. Does anyone have any tips?


texts:
I've seen this Q&A

What can I do to help my avocados ripen?

And this one

Will avocado stay fresh longer if stored in the refrigerator?

and this one

What can I do to help my avocados ripen?

but none of them answers my question which is:

I have an avocado I cut open but it's not ripe yet. Being that it's already cut what if any are my options? For the moment I poured some lemon juice on the exposed parts, put them in a container and put them in the refrigerator but I kind of get the impression they'll never get ripe in there and I should just throw them away. Being already cut it doesn't seem like I can leave them out of the refrigerator in a paper bag.

Is there any way to rescue these already cut but unripe avocados?


texts:
Today I tried to make a Tarte Tatin, with mixed results. Everything tasted great, expect that my apples didn't really caramelise.
Note: This recipe is more like an interpretation of a real Tarte Tatin.

As instructed, I first made caramel (sugar & water), which I then is poured onto a plate to cool and harden, just like the recipe said.

In the meantime, I peeled four apples (Boskop), then cut them into quarters and removed the core.
To prevent the apples from browning, I put them in a bowl of water with lemon juice (this was not in the recipe).

After all four apples were ready, I put the quarters into an oven-proof pan after washing them & drying them with a paper towel (to remove the lemon juice taste).

Following the recipe, I broke the caramel into small pieces, put them on top of the apples, squeezed half a orange over the pan and added a few tiny bits of butter. Then I covered the pan with aluminum foil and put it into the oven at 180°C.

As the recipe did not tell me what type of heat to use, I used top & bottom heat.

According to the recipe, the apples would be caramelized after 20 minutes. When I looked at them after 20 minutes, the caramel didn't even begin to melt, so I put them in for another 15 minutes. After that, the apples basically turned into mush, like they had exploded.

My guess is that by putting them into the bowl with lemon water, they probably sokaed a bit, which means they were moister than usual.

Also, it sounds a bit strange to me to first make the caramel, letting it harden, just to reheat it again – that simply did not work as expected, maybe because it was to thick or the pieces were too large.

How can I avoid that my apples turn into overly soft, shapeless apple things?
Is there a better way to caramelize apples, maybe a way that keeps a bit bite to them?
Did you notice anything wrong in my process?


texts: Does cinnamon go bad? I have a small jar of cinnamon and sugar and some of the people in my family are absolutely religious about the best by date.


texts: Does the accidental discoloring during seasoning impair my steel pan in any way?

texts:
I recently entered the realm of cooking with cast iron and steel pans, and am still trying to find my way around it.
Last weekend I went about seasoning my first bundle of pans (De Buyer Mineral B) using an induction stove and corn oil. I put the temperature to around 180 °C (350 °F) and filled the pan with a little oil. Quite soon the pan started to warp a tiny little bit, therefore exposing the middle and moving all of the oil to the side. As expected the pan now displays a range of tempering colors.
In the end the seasoning did not work very well, I will have to do it again, but this time I'll probably be using an oven. However, I am afraid that I might have damaged the pan.
Does the accidental tempering of the pan impair it in any way?


texts: In China there is a famous dish called Ma Po Doufu 麻婆豆腐 and most of the recipes I find online have pork. I was wondering if anyone knew if pork was an essential part of the dish (in terms of flavoring) or if there was something you could do to make it a vegetarian option? Would the dish work with chicken/beef?


texts: Swapping sugar for something less calorie dense but keeping the volume

texts:
I have a friend who bakes for me. I suggested that we swap sugar for Stevia or something even less calorie dense. She's worried, though, that since the volume of the sugar is different, the banana bread itself will be damaged.
I also have a plan to swap the wheat flour for almond flour or possibly coconut flour. That can be handled by adding extra moisture, possibly extra eggs.
But how can I manage sugar?


texts: What is the term used for this type of biscuit

texts:
What name is given to the type of cookie that has no icing?
Wanted the correct term to find on the internet the type of cookie that receives a mark like the figure:


texts: Why is herbal tea brewed at boiling temperature?

texts:
I commonly see charts that recommend brewing green and white teas at lower (140-180 F) temperatures, black and oolong and pu-erh teas at higher temperatures (170-200) and herbal teas at full boil (208+).

I always just kind of took this as gospel, and one time accidentally brewed some green tea at too high a temperature and it tasted terrible so that reaffirmed my faith.

But I was making an herbal tea recently and used the temperature setting for green tea, and it tasted just fine.  Great, actually.  And that made me wonder, why is herbal tea recommended at such a high temperature?  Is it to bring out more of the flavor?


texts:
Can one create any flavor combination by breaking down the five modalities of taste into their chemical form and adjusting proportions accordingly?
Namely, if you broke down sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and umami into their rawest chemical form, could you combine these chemical to create virtually any taste?


texts:
I'm looking at vinegar-based BBQ sauce recipes, and a lot of them tell you to let the mixture sit for a day in order for the flavors to balance each other out.

I've also seen this advice for curries and stews - people say that they're tastier the next day because the flavors sink in.

What causes this to happen? I can understand if the meat absorbs flavor from the curry sauce as it sits in it overnight, but what causes the flavors of the sauce itself to "marry"?


texts: How to roast potatoes in the oven to make them crispy?

texts:
What is a good way to roast potatoes in the oven in a way that they get crispy ?

At the moment this is how I do:

I start from raw potatoes (I never got why I have to boil them first).
I put them in a baking tray, and some oil, and turn them many times, and take care that they are all covered by oil.
Put the oven on the maximum (482° F) with ventilation.
After 15 min I take them out and turn them
After 15 min I turn them again, put the oven on 390° F, switch on the grill and put them on the last floor of the oven.
Here the last 10 minutes I open the oven door 3-4 times to make the steam go out and make them a bit less humid.


texts: What is the temperature range for food not to burn your mouth?

texts:
I'm trying to get a temperature range for knowing when food is too hot to eat.  Most of what I am finding is temperature ranges for food to kill bacteria instead.

For example, if I'm serving a hot drink or a soup/stew which was recently simmering or boiling, what temperature should I let it cool to before serving?


texts:
I'm using this recipe, with the following ingredients:

450 grams Strong White Bread Flour
300 grams Warm Water
150 grams* Active Sourdough Starter
12 grams   Sea Salt

*This amount is can be adjusted to 50 grams for a longer 12 hour bulk ferment.

I want to take the option to reduce the starter from 150g to 50g in exchange for a longer bulk proof period. Should I replace the lost 100g of starter with an extra 50g flour and 50g water during the initial steps?


texts: Why isn't my espresso coffee nice and strong?

texts: I have just purchased an expensive espresso coffee machine (American) but the taste isn't nice and strong as I expected. Does it depend on the coffee beans? What characteristics should I look for (in the coffee or in the preparation)?


texts:
So I was sitting there, looking down at my counter, realizing that I probably had a good carrot or two of shavings just going to waste.  (well, I'll compost it, but it's non-food at that point).

Is there any reason we peel carrots and don't just give them a good scrubbing?  I mean, the scrubbing works for potatoes (so long as they're not green under the skin), and carrots grow in dirt, too.  I don't think it's a pesticide issue, as we did it growing up, and I don't think we cared about pesticides back then.

I admit that sometimes there's odd crooks that might be harder to scrub dirt out of, but is there something fundamental that I'm missing here?


texts: How does the choice of vegetable ratio and processing steps influence the taste of mirepoix?

texts:
There are sources on the internet, but each one touches only one or two areas and some contradict each other. For example they say "two parts onions for other veggies" but videos always show equal parts onion to carrot and celery ratio.

I believe that simply explaining the process behind making a flavor base (how the veggies interact with each other, the role of fat, how dicing size affects the end result etc) will help us all make better informed decisions for our own preferences in whatever flavor base we choose to make.


texts:
I love pot stickers. I love them steamed, but even better deep fried. I've tried different brands and they all have a similar dipping sauce. It's hard to describe, but I'm sure a lot of you out there have tried it. I would guess its mostly soy sauce, but I don't taste a lot of salt, so I assume its balance out with something. There is a great tang, so I assume it's got vinegar. Probably rice vinegar or shaoxing. I can almost drink the stuff.

Sadly, there is never enough included in the frozen packages and I've recently decided to start making my own pot stickers. I've seen and tried a few youtube.com recipes for the dipping sauces, but I can't ever find one that's like the Ling Ling dipping sauce or any of the others. They're perfectly adequate, but not what I'm looking for.

My question is, does anyone have a recipe or know what the main ingredients are to make a dipping sauce like these? I don't know what I'm missing. They used to just sell bottles of the sauce for dipping or marinating. They seem to have discontinued it. I even went so far as to get the ingredient list off the bottle which gives me a head start, but doesn't convey amounts or preparation methods. I've seen some sauces where you boil some of the liquid with corn starch before adding other ingredients. I've added the Ling Ling pot sticker ingredients below if anyone has a recipe that gets very close to one of these sauces or can help me replicate it, I'd appreciate it. Thank you.

SOY SAUCE (WATER, SALT, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, MOLASSES, CARAMEL COLOR) SUGAR, VINEGAR, CHILI SAUCE (JALAPENO PUREE, CHILI FLAKE, CRUSHED GARLIC, VEGETABLE OIL, SUGAR, VINEGAR, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH) COTTONSEED OIL, SESAME SEED OIL, SODIUM BENZOATE (PRESERVATIVE). CONTAINS: SOY

*On the ingredients list, I assume the ingredients in parenthesis are supposed to be the components of the one ingredient that preceeds it. So the water to caramel color are ingredients for the soy sauce. I also know that some ingredients are used commercially and aren't needed for home cooking. Such as the sodium benzoate for preserving. I don't know if that affects the taste or not, though. Again, even though there is a list of ingredients, they can vary wildly in flavor and there may be a prep step I don't know about. Thanks for the help.


texts: How do I distribute fillings evenly in flan/pudding mix?

texts:
I bought the following flan/pudding

I followed the instructions:

300 ml of cold milk
add content of the package
beat 3 minutes until fluffy

However the small pieces of chocolate were all on the side of the bowl. Is there a way to have them uniformly distributed inside the cream?


texts: Why would different types of pots/pans (made from different metal) give a different taste to food?

texts:
There's many types of pots and pans: from copper to stainless steel. I own several different types at home. I have been using them, and I've noticed a slightly different tastes each one give on the same food. I want to understand the reason why different pot and pan would give a different taste to food. Understanding this also might help me use the correct pot/pan for specific recipes.

I don't know if this is a topic that people are even going to agree with me on.

Is it because each pot/pan has different heat distribution? Or does the pot/pan impart something to the food depending on which metal it is?


texts: Baked apple that was left out overnight?

texts: I made a baked apple recipe with a crumb stuffing (recipe here), and then accidentally left one of them out in the dish overnight. Is it safe to eat? (Checked stilltasty.com, my reference for such things, and couldn't find it)


texts: I'd like to roast a goose, but none of my local supermarkets stocks them. Where should I look?I would prefer fresh and local but frozen would suffice.


texts: Is it possible to make breads using cake techniques?

texts: Is it possible to make bread using similar batters/techniques as cakes? Or why isn't is possible to make breads using similar techniques or batters as a cake?


texts: Is there a Scoville scale for "coldness" (e.g. mint)?

texts:
Certain foods taste hot like peppers and are measured by the Scoville scale. Some foods also taste "cold". Mint is the main one that comes to mind. Is there a similar scale for this kind of taste?

If there isn't (or maybe even if there is) is there any reason we couldn't just use the same methodology as we do with the Scoville scale?


texts: How do I balance the bitterness of raddichio in soup?

texts:
I made a big pot of soup and put a little of nearly everything I had in my refrigerator in it:

radicchio
fresh green beans
beets
potato
carrots
garlic scapes
scallions
tomatoes
yellow crookneck squash
swiss chard

I put a little apple cider vinegar & sea salt in it and it has been simmering. I just tasted it and it was so bitter that I don't think my family will eat it. I think it must be coming from the radicchio...

Can it be salvaged?


texts: How firm a bite should Ptitim (pearl couscous) have?

texts:
I've made Ptitim for my family a couple of times without any prior experience of how it should taste. After about 25 mins of simmering, the pearls remained quite firm (a little like pasta that needs a couple of minutes more). I wonder if this is correct, or if I should have continued simmering.

I used Ptitim with rather large pearls (spheres of about 5mm diameter). I used enough liquid that the pearls were still coated when I had stopped cooking.

The results were edible, even tasty. Still I wonder if the pearls should have been quite so chewy.


texts: What's up with tomato paste. I think it provides a unique taste you couldn't get with fresh tomato.. but why?? In specific, what's the difference between cooking fresh tomatoes or mixing tomato paste with water, both to the same consistency. There is a difference in flavor. but why?


texts: How do you make buns hollow inside for filling?

texts: Chinese and Korean filled buns are my family's favorite. I've succeeded in making soft breads but never know how to make the buns hollow to inject a cream inside. I know that some recipes simply put the filling inside before baking them but I wanted to know if there is a way to make it hollow inside?


texts: Is it safe to prepare ginger garlic paste without peeling garlic skin ?? I always peel garlic which is a labourious and time taking process. I would like to know whether if it is ok to make paste without peeling skin of the garlic.


texts: How to preserve the "sugar syrup" without using a cold storage?

texts:
I prepared the Gulab jamuns few days back. Now there is a lot of sugar syrup remaining, what's the way of preserving it without using the fridge?

One way is to boil it daily, but that'll consume a lot of gas. So, any other way out?


texts:
I like cooking my own food and I often try to make it as healthy as possible. I would like to make my own jam with dark red cherries, but recipes often have loads of sugar. There are lots of different recipes without sugar, but they all have different substitutes and I was wondering which was the best substitute, in order to get a thick jam without using sugar.

What is the best substitute for sugar when cooking thick jam?


texts: Can I add peanut butter to cook and serve pudding to make peanut butter pie? If so, do I use less liquid?

texts: I'm wanting to make a peanut butter pie using vanilla cook and serve pudding. Can I do this and would I need to use less liquid?


texts: Sous vide air bubble, still safe to eat?

texts: I am making this recipe for pulled pork, planning to do 24 hours at 75 deg C. After coming home from work, I discovered I did not suck the air out properly and there is a big bubble in the bag, causing it to float to the top and for the top of the meat to be not submerged properly. I have now put a bowl on top of it to weigh it down for the next 12 hours. Will it still be safe to eat? Will it taste good?


texts:
I've tried several pizza recipes but the rim/crust always comes out white, no browning at all. I used all-purpose flour, salt, instant yeast, water and olive oil.

I tried to set the temperature to maximum (230 degree celsius 230°C with my oven) and bake longer but then the crust turned out hard while cheese was starting burning. I also tried to brush the rim with milk, it was better, not white anymore, but still wasn't golden brown as I had expected. Hope someone can help. Thanks very much.


texts: Is it good to store a salt block with silica packs?

texts:
We recently started using an Himalayan salt block.  We cleaned it as per the directions, and the storage said to scrub it, dry it, let it air dry, and store it in an airtight container.

It seems clear that these storage directions are intended to make sure we keep the block as dry as possible.  I thought it would be even better to toss a silica pack or two into the airtight container, since silica packs help keep whatever is in their container dry.  The instructions certainly don't suggest doing this, presumably because silica packs aren't common items to keep around.  (If it matters, I scavenged this one from a bag of jerky we had eaten.)

Is there anything wrong with this idea?  My understanding was that the silica packs keep their silica all inside the packet, and draw the moisture into the packet, and that it shouldn't interact with the salt block at all, but there's a fine line between food chemistry and magic for me.

Should I toss a silica packet in to the container that has my salt block?


texts: How and why does yeast grow and feed on the water? My children and I have been making yeast rolls and they keep asking why it expands,I don't know how to answer this and they are still waiting for an answer.


texts: How do I keep the paddle of a bread machine from damaging the bread upon removal?

texts:
I love my bread machine. However when the bread is done baking, removing it from the machine breaks the bread where the paddle is. I know the paddle is embedded in the bread and it will break the bread a little. I am looking for ideas on how to prevent it or at least make it smaller.

Should I:

Remove the paddle before the second rising/the baking?
Oil the paddle before I add the ingredients? (tried it, does not work very well)
Do something else?


texts: Decrease stickiness of brownies during depanning?

texts:
I use a square pan with 12 slots to individually bake brownies, as opposed to using a large square pan. My problem is that during depanning, I would occassionally lose a brownie because of a sticky bottom (maybe underbaked).

What I normally do is pass a knife multiple times around each brownie so it comes off the sides, however this takes too much time, as opposed to the Anna Olson youtube video where she just slides in a pastry spatula and it came off so easily. What should be a 20-minute brownie batter is already running into half an hour.

How can I make this task easier? Should I:

Place it more towards the bottom of the oven and increase temp or time?
Use flavorless oil inside the slots?
Or cut out parchment paper that can fit inside the slots? (already too laborious..)

Grateful for anyone who can offer wisdom.


texts: Is it ok to use a metal turner in a wok?

texts: Is it ok to use a metal utensil when turning or serving food in a (seasoned, steel) wok? I suspect that the wok surface may get scratched, but it doesn't seem to cause any problems so far; is it always better to use wood or do the scratches not matter?


texts:
I have a medium size chest freezer. I've been having an ongoing debate with a friend of mine. I believe that you shouldn't stuff your freezer to the top and he says otherwise. I have no internal fan in the freezing compartment.

My refrigerator freezer has a visible fan so I know that foods cannot be stuffed tightly in the compartment because the air needs to circulate. It is a self-defrosting refrigerator/freezer whereas the chest freezer is NOT.

Thank you to anyone that knows the correct answer.


texts: Grinding melted latex off a pizza stone?

texts:
My fiance and I got a pizza stone for christmas, and are still learning how to use it. Tonight we accidentally used a potholder which had silk-screened designs on it, and almost immediately the white silkscreened lettering (I believe it's latex) had melted off on to the pizza stone, so we now have big white splotches that we can't get off (tried steel wool, scrubbing with water, etc. No luck on anything.

I'm considering hitting it with an orbital sander because at this point, I figure it may be ruined if I don't try something more drastic. Has anyone done this, or used something like a dremel to grind chunks off of a pizza stone?


texts: How to change a chocolate cake recipe to a vanilla cake

texts:
I have a recipe for a moist chocolate cake that requires 3 cups of all purpose flour and 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened cocoa powder.  I would like to turn this moist chocolate cake into a white cake and was wondering if I should substitute vanilla bean powder for the cocoa powder?  If that is possible, what amount would I use? Or can you suggest another substitute?  I've included the instructions

Ingredients:
butter and flour for coating and dusting the cake pan
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

instructions for cake:

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 9-inch cake rounds. Dust with flour and tap out the excess.
*Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a stand mixer using a low speed until combined.
*Add eggs, buttermilk, warm water, oil, and vanilla. Beat on a medium speed until smooth. This should take just a couple of minutes.
*Divide batter among the three pans. I found that it took just over 3 cups of the batter to divide it evenly.
*Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
*Cool on wire racks for 15 minutes and then turn out the cakes onto the racks and allow to cool completely.
*Frost with your favorite frosting and enjoy!


texts: Chicken sticks to bottom of pan when I boil bones for soup

texts: I like to make what I call boiled bone soup. The leftover stripped chicken carcus is broken up and boiled with leftover veg and stuffing with some seasoning to produce a stock. I seive this, add the stock to the pan with fresh veg and the meat juices from the original roast chicken, then bring to a boil adding the left over chicken. After boiling I reduce the heat to a simmer. My problem is here, the chicken always seems to stick to the bottom of the pan and burns unless I stand there for 2 hours. Why? How can I prevent this?


texts:
Found this coconut cake  recipe in https://www.completelydelicious.com/southern-coconut-cake/

A lot of people indicated success with it, but several readers including myself got a really dense cake instead of the light and fluffy cake image posted in the webpage.

I'm a bit skeptical because the butter is not creamed, just added to the dry ingredients along with some of the liquid ingredients (1 cup coconut milk). In addition, egg whites are just slightly beaten before being mixed into the batter.

Im not an expert baker, but have successfully baked enough cakes to realize that as written, the above recipe for the cake may be missing some details.

Can somebody advise me if this cake is really do-able so that i can stop trying if its not.

Thanks in advance.


texts: In order to mix the cocoa powder in water/milk, is it a good idea to put the cocoa powder in the milk while heating it?

texts:
The answers here Dissolving cocoa powder in milk tell us to manually dissolve the Cocoa powder in the liquid.

Will it not be a good idea to put the Cocoa powder in the liquid while heating it so that it gets dissolved automatically? Why?


texts:
I'm looking to make a hot sauce that would be great for dipping and BBQing. I've made about 5 batches with different variations but generally the same idea. Some batches have been too hot, some too sweet, and some lacking depth. People have told me they like it, but I personally am not happy with it.

I have realized that I do not like the tastes of molasses or brown sugar and that it smells bad to me when cooking, so I am trying to perfect this recipe using only honey as a sweetener.

I wanted some feedback from the gurus here as to how I can balance the amount of heat, sweet, and acidity in this recipe. I like things pretty hot, and I also like pepper. I'd say on a scale of mild-medium-hot-suicide, I'm aiming for hot. As for pepper, a lot of the recipes I've read online don't even use pepper, but it is essential for me.

Here is my recipe:

2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 chopped onion
1 chopped bell pepper
3 scotch bonnets, stems removed, keep whole
5 chopped garlic cloves
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp peppercorn
2 sm cans tomato paste

Here is how I'm cooking it:

step 1:
melt butter over medium heat
add chopped onion, bell pepper, garlic cloves, and whole scotch bonnets
cook until tender (approx 10-15 mins)

step 2:
add honey, lime juice, vinegar, sea salt, peppercorn, and tomato paste
bring to a boil and low rolling boil for approx 10 mins
lower heat and simmer for approx 30 mins

step 3:
let cool to room temperature
blend until smooth

I'm just looking for some feedback as to how I can improve this recipe and balance it well. What is it lacking? What proportions are off? Should I add ginger? Do I need more garlic? What better steps can I take during the cooking process?

Thank you for your time.


texts: I have a three-wheat batter bread recipe that calls for baking in four 16 oz cans. What size pan can I substitute?


texts: My Mom is making a cake. Its an old recipe, 50 - 70 yrs old (or older). All it says is to use a warm oven. No temperature range, just a warm oven. What temperature would this be?


texts:
I have a recipe for an Italian stew that is pretty much just caramelized onions and juice from tomatoes plus veal.  My partner does not eat veal so we've substituted stewing beef to good effect, though it takes longer to cook and is not quite as tender.

I'd like to make the dish for some friends of ours, but they don't eat beef of any kind.  We've tried it with chicken in the past but the chicken came out tough; we probably cooked it too long.  The veal cooks for 1.5-2 hours over very low heat, the stewing beef is more to the 2 hour end, if not a little more.  Can I successfully substitute chicken or pork and not have it come out tough?  Any pointers on how long to cook it, or how to know when it's cooked but not overcooked?

Thanks!


texts: Why does Angel Food Cake use a tube pan?

texts:
I know from Can an Angel Food Cake recipe be converted to cupcakes that it is possible to make Angel Food Cake in a form other than a tube pan.

However, I'm wondering if there is a reason that Angel Food Cake is usually made in a tube pan. Is there an advantage to that shape? Other cakes are not usually made in a tube pan, so I'm wondering why that's the traditional shape for Angel Food Cake. Is there something about the nature of Angel Food Cake that requires the extra internal heat?


texts: Do coffee and tea need to be agitated while brewing?

texts: Do they need to be agitated in order to let the solution come into contact with every little particle of coffee/tea, or does it work the same without agitation? If not, can you explain why with physics?


texts: I love using my dehydrator. Can I use dried cilantro as tea, or with other herbs to make tea? If so, how would I pick herbs to use with it?


texts: Making Habanero Jelly - Safety and Preventing Spoilage

texts:
I have recently made a large batch of habanero jelly, and followed the recipe exactly (please see References). I am wondering, why is the final boil of the sealed jars necessary? I've already boiled the jars, lids, and locking mechanism, and the jelly itself is piping hot. Most recipes I've found insist that after sealing the jars, they need to be boiled, while sealed for five minutes. Is this to guarantee no micro organisms from the air remain?

References

Habanero Jelly Recipe, Accessed 2014-03-31, <http://allrecipes.com/recipe/habanero-pepper-jelly/>


texts: Convert pressure cooker recipes for 8 psi

texts:
I have a new electric multi cooker, it works at 8PSI and I am having difficulty at finding out how to convert stove top pressure cooker times at 15PSI down to 8PSI, hoping for your help.
Regards
Joan


texts: What makes carrot bits turn green in carrot pineapple bread? (And are they safe?)

texts:
Sometimes, a couple of days after its cooked, the carrot bits inside a carrot pineapple bread turn green.

Normally, I'd assume that a food that doesn't start green and winds up that way is moldy, but, A) it's only happening to the carrots, and B) it's happening inside the loaf, not on the outside, and it doesn't look like mold- more like the carrots themselves are changing color.

What's causing this, and is it still ok to eat?

In case it matters, the other ingredients are vegetable oil, cinnamon, salt, eggs, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, flour, and vanilla.


texts: Having trouble with the sweet & sour sauce recipe

texts:
Recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/19670/sweet-and-sour-sauce-i/

Ingredients:
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:
Place the sugar, vinegar, water, soy sauce, ketchup and cornstarch in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Stir continuously until the mixture has thickened.

I did everything as said in the instructions, weighed in all the ingredients correctly and the problem is with the vinegar. I don't know if I'm using the wrong vinegar or something, but as soon as I smelled the sauce when it was cooking, I thought my lungs was about to explode in my chest, I could barely taste the sauce as the vinegar felt really really strong in it.

Is it something wrong with my choice of vinegar or is the recipe faulty? I don't understand. On the bottle it says "Food vinegar acid (9%)".

Really need help.


texts:
I am making a quiche. The recipe tells me to "blind bake" the crust at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes. What is "blind baking"? Is it anything more complicated than baking something partially?

To avoid making this a general reference question: why is it necessary to blind bake things? And, why is it called "blind" baking?


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In the commercial production of beef (or any meat) jerky, how is the threat of parasites handled?

The at-home recipes are simply soaking the meat in a salt solution, then drying.  Is this sufficient to kill parasites?


texts: What does the date on eggs mean if it does not say sell by or expires by in the United States?

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I have several cartons of eggs that have a date stamp but the date stamp does not say, sell by, expires by or best by. It's just a date. By the way the date is in the future so I know it is not a pack date of when the eggs were packed. If I knew that I would be OK.

What is the default if the date is just a future date? Should I assume it is an expiration date and it's time to toss them out after that or should I assume it is a best buy in which case it is good for another 2 weeks or so? I assume on eggs there is no such thing as best by because you need to know or be able to figure out when they will expire so you can toss them out.

The date appears as follows "May 29 11:45" 121 P1008 L6". I know you will be tempted to say pack date but May 29 is in the future. Should I eat them all by May 29 or do I have the standard 2 weeks after a sell by date?


texts: Two identical dishes - how do I adjust temp and time for two 9x13 pans instead of just one? It calls for one being baked at 350 for 40-45 minutes.


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I bought a bag of walnuts from the local farmers market (in NZ), but some of them are dark colored on the outside and almost black inside. Is this normal and are they ok to eat?

Also noticed some of them are slightly open.


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What are some key points to store coffee to preserve freshness?

Different methods for whole beans vs ground?


texts: Why does packaging indicate that a ribeye cut needs to reach 165 F?

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Even though the FDA recommends 145 F as the safe temperature for whole cuts of beef, this ribeye I bought, as per packaging instructions, needs to reach a minimum internal temperature of 165 F.
Could this be an indicator of poor meat handling/quality (cut was priced at $50 per kilo)?