texts: Why did the apple skins turn blue/purple-ish in my apple pancakes the next day?

texts:
Yesterday for dinner I made apple pancakes. I cut the apple into small pieces (with the skin on) and just put it into my pancakes batter. The skin was dark red. After cooking it, everything was looking fine.
Now the next morning, I took out the pancakes from the fridge (on a plate covered with aluminium foil) and noticed that the apple skin turned blue/purple-ish. The apple flesh still seems normal (white/yellow), so I'm confident it is the skin that was originally dark red.
It seems safe to eat, smell and taste are completely fine. I mean it's only been 1 single night after all.
So why did this happen?
I've never heard of this. I've baked apple cake before (with skin) and it never turned blue-ish even after days.
The recipe I used includes flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, eggs, oat-almond milk, molten butter and 1 big apple.
After closer inspection it does look more grey-ish with dark purple-ish around the edges.
Unfortunately I can't provide images as the pancakes are long gone.
Oh and as someone has mentioned, the pancake interior around the apple piece was coloured purple-ish. As if some of the color of the apple skin "leaked out".


texts: Are there natural spices that taste umami? I don't want to use MSG in my food, but I'd like to add some umami flavour.


texts: How to keep the fruit on an upside-down cake?

texts:
I made an upside-down pineapple cake. It consisted of a layer of buttered caramel, a layer of pineapple pieces, and a layer of batter, baked together. I pressed the batter between the pineapple pieces before baking, hoping that it will "flow in" and keep them in place, but the pineapple was already sunk into the caramel, and it seems to have gotten quite moist during the baking. Result: when I turned the cake, half the pineapple pieces fell off. I replaced them, but I am not sure they will stay in place, even when the caramel hardens a bit, because there is no caramel between the pineapple surface and the cake.

How could I have kept them in place?


texts: Chinese noodle dough breaking when pulled

texts:
How can I make the dough for Chinese ramen noodles stretchy? It keeps breaking when I pull just a little bit.

I used wheat flour, water, and baking soda. What else am I missing?

EDIT:
400g flour
200g water
1 teaspoon baking soda.

I mixed everything together and started to knead the dough for about 5minutes then i saw it just breaks, so i knead it for about another 10min or more.


texts: How should I add wine to the sauce for my duck?

texts:
I have some chicken stock that I've made, that I want to use as a base for a sauce for some duck.  I am roasting the duck bones at the moment and will simmer them in the chicken stock for a while.

If I want to add red wine to this should I reduce the red wine first then add the duck/chicken broth and reduce further, add red wine to the broth and reduce at the same time or reduce the broth and add red wine then reduce that.  Or not reduce at all?  What would be the consequences of each?


texts: My propane grill needs to be cleaned, how should I go about doing so?


texts: My egg roll wraps smell sour. They expire in 2 days. Are they still okay to use?

texts: I'm cooking egg rolls and my egg roll wraps smell sour. They say they expire in 2 days. Are they still okay to use?


texts: What is an elegant way to serve whole duck livers?

texts: Duck livers fried in butter are my favorite "chef's snack".  I sometimes opt for roast duck for dinner so I can have my 4:00 treat.  I've recently found a source of same day slaughter duck livers in 1-2 pound quantities.  This sounds like a great opportunity for a delicious appetizer.  I'm thinking of a Chinese spoon presentation, but it needs something to make it special.  Are there any classic presentations/pairings or other novel ideas?


texts: What to do with leftover whey from vinegar-based cheese preparation

texts:
Whey is a valuable protein-rich by-product of cheese preparation. There are many advises for using whey came out of cheese preparation by culture. However, the whey produced after cheese preparation with vinegar (without culture) should be different.

Ricotta is prepared by boiling the leftover whey, but in my experience, the cheese prepared using vinegar is similar to Ricotta, and the remaining whey has no more cheese. Thus, I think this whey is different from normal whey referred over the internet.

Due to the presence of lots of vinegar, it should be more acidic and stronger sour taste.

For these reasons, I believe that common usage introduced for whey is not directly applicable to the whey remained from vinegar-based cheese process.

What are the suitable usage for this highly acidic (and probably cheese-free) whey?


texts: How to separate peanut oil from roasted peanuts at home?

texts:
I want to enjoy peanuts' protein without as many calories, so I want to separate some oil from peanuts with simple home equipment. Is this possible?

How much oil can I separate? Can I remove 50-60% of the oil just by removing the top layer of oil from the peanut butter?


texts: My curry is going funny I don't know why

texts:
First one how it's supposed to look
Second one is how its looked the last few times I tried to cook it


texts: How can I make lemon and chilli liquid to have with hummus?

texts:
A few weeks ago I had hummus at the famous Abu-Hassan/Ali-Caravan place in Jaffa, Tel Aviv. When you order hummus there you also get a small bowl of lemony chilli liquid on the side. The liquid is hot and really bitter.

The idea is to mix the chilli liquid in with the hummus to get it as hot as you like. It's really delicious!
Does anyone have any creative ideas about how I could make this kind of liquid at home? I have dried chilli flakes, and as a first pass I can fry them in some olive oil, drain and mix in lemon juice. I wonder though if anyone created this kind of thing before and is in a position to give some advice.
Thank you!


texts: Is cooking twine safe for BBQ? I see twine safely used in the oven, but I need this on a charcoal rotisserie. I'm worried that the twine will burn off. Does anyone know if twine is safe? Or if there is an alternative?


texts:
I've "inherited" this thing a long time ago, and I have no idea what it is. It consists of a cylindrical porcelain bowl with the words "Mason Cash England" stamped in the bottom, a very sturdy cast-iron frame with a screw through and two circular discs of zinc-plated iron that fit neatly inside. I could half imagine it being use to produce a perfectly circular burger, but it seems like absurd overkill. Here's a couple of pictures:

What is it actually for - anything to do with cookery at all?


texts: How do I use this store-made tomato paste with pasta?

texts: I am boiling the water, and then adding my spaghetti into it, and cooking for 7 - 8 minutes. It all works fine. However since am new to cooking, I don't know how to use the store-made tomato paste. Do I just add it to the pasta after it's done? Or do I add it while the pasta is being cooked for 7 - 8 minutes? Or do I cook the store made tomato sauce by itself in water in a different pot?


texts:
What happens inside mushrooms when you reheat them?

Is it always unsafe to reheat them or is there something you can do to safely reheat them?


texts:
I make a mean granola. It's full of inclusions (dried fruit, seeds, nuts) and oats, rice crisps, etc. I bind it all together with oil, sugar and honey.

I want to reduce the sugar content of my granola, but when I do so, it turns more into a muesli where it's all kinda free-flowing instead of having irregular sized chunks/sheets that I can break up.

I understand why reducing sugar has this effect, but what else can I do to make and give me those larger binded pieces?


texts: I was in Turkey this summer and I drank Turkish Coffee every day, I like it very much. I had some conversations with the coffee house owners and I tried to learn how to do it best, how to grind coffee, how to make it and even how to serve it. I really enjoyed the traditional methods that they used so I came to home, Florida, and now searching to find the all necessities for making and serving Turkish Coffee. Does anyone knows about where can I buy and any details about Turkish Coffee?


texts:
I often get big jumbo bags of pre-cut Broccoli from Costco with a sell by date that is usually about a week out from my date of purchase. The florets seem perfectly fine on the sell by date, and I've cooked and eaten them as much as a week later.

What signs should I look for suggesting that it's time to throw the rest out?


texts: My roux came out a beautiful dark brown.  Then I began to slowly add chicken stock.  The flour and water did not completely blend and I don't understand why not?  The roux was very hot,but the stock and water was room temperature.


texts: What is the basic technique for cooking amaranth?

texts:
I wanted to cook some amaranth grains. The back of the package said to cook 1 part amaranth and 3 parts water until soft, then let them soak for another 30 minutes. I ended up with amaranth soup.

Let's say that I want a very basic preparation of amaranth. What is the correct way to cook it?

what is a good ratio of amaranth to water?
should I cook it with the lid on or without (don't laugh, I have found often enough that it affects both the water ratio and cooking time)?
should I salt before or after cooking, and why?
should I add fat before or after cooking, and why?
is there a better way to recognize that it is done that "it is soft"?
should I soak before cooking, after cooking, or not at all?
is there something important about cooking amaranth I forgot to mention in the list?

I don't want a specific recipe, just a basic preparation which can be later extended to fit different recipes (savory or sweet). If you have specific recommendations for doing X, I'd love to hear why doing X is better than doing Y.


texts: Will storing a mix of vermouths alter their taste?

texts:
The recipe I have for a manhattan cocktail calls for 2.5:.5:.5 Bourbon:dry vermouth:red vermouth.

Will mixing the dry and red vermouth together and storing before making the cocktails adversely affect the taste of the cocktail? Is it safe to pre-mix and store constituent alcohols? If so, for how long?


texts: How to clean a clogged Misto oil sprayer/spritzer?

texts:
I use a Misto oil spritzer. You fill it up with oil and pump it up and spray a pan with it.

It's gotten clogged up so that it just squirts a steady stream of oil (not a spray).

Any ideas how to clean it and keep it from clogging again?

I've tried:

Soaking it on wine
Soaking it in boiling water

I'm going to try filling the bottle with vinegar and water.  I've also heard that you should use regular (not extra virgin) olive oil. (Extra Virgin is apparently thicker).


texts: How to color Jiaozi (chinese dumplings)?

texts:
I am planning to make Jiaozi (Chinese dumplings) for a friend's party. Because she is vegatarian I'd like to make one set of vegetable dumplings and one set of conventional dumplings. To make it easy to tell these apart I'd like to color the dough for one of them.

Can you suggest me a simple way to color the dough of the dumplings? The dough for Jiaozi is simply made from water and flour. I am mostly interested in ways to color the dough that use "natural" integredients as she does not really like artificial stuff. Also, what is the traditional Chinese way to color dough?


texts:
Does the Philips Air-fryer work as well as a standard deep-fryer?

Most of what I've been reading about Air Fryers is centered on:

Potatoes/ Fries
Some of fish/ chicken/ meat dish

Being a veggie, I am curious how Vegetables turn out inside an Air Fryer; let's say at a variety/ range of settings from start/ low to high?

Would it any stage be able to an alternative to Stir Frying?


texts: Is the second rise step neccesary for no-knead bread?

texts: In the classic no-knead bread recipe, it calls for letting the dough rise once for 12-18 hours, then folding it on a work surface and letting it rise again for two hours. Why is this second rise necessary? Could I just let the bread rise once for 14-20 hours with the same effect?


texts: How to stop sugar syrup from crystallizing?

texts: How much cream of tartar do you use to keep sugar syrup from crystallizing?


texts:
I like to use the slow cooker during the week. I usually leave at about 6am, and don't sit down and eat until around 6pm. I have a crock pot with a timer mechanism that automatically turns to warm after the specified cooking time elapses. The last recipe I made with chicken breast (i think it was some type of pineapple chicken) had a recommended cook time of 6 to 8 hours on low. I think I chose to cook it for 7 hours. Honestly, this is the first time I dried out chicken. It was so bad I ended up throwing it out.

The dish had plenty of liquid (actually probably a little to much), and I added some butter. Do you think my dry chicken problem was linked to the length of time I cooked the chicken, or the amount of time the dish sat in the crockpot at the warm setting? Ever since then, I've been avoiding recipes with chicken breast, which are a favorite.

So do I need to avoid recipes crockpot recipes with chicken?


texts: Which average weight % of the banana is edible? i.e. Which % of the banana is not peel?

texts:
I got ~1 Kg of bananas and I want to calculate the calories in it. Provided that the peel is discarded, which is the remaining mass of bananas from the original Kg?

Since I have no weight measuring equipment at hand I looked up for the info, but couldn't find anything.


texts: Garlic brown spots, safe to eat the rest of the bulb?

texts:
The spots are bruises that bacteria have infected right? There is a slight discolouration into the "meat" of the garlic. Ok to eat the rest? With a bit of discolouration? Without?

If there were mold visible, should i have thrown the whole ting then? And if it were a cloved garlic, should i judge the cloves individually or the bulb as a whole?

Edit: Similar question to Raised brown spots on garlic but they dont ask there if u can/should eat the rest of the bulb or clove.


texts: I have tried and made chocolate spread at home. I made it using a melted milk chocolate slab added to boiled Amul fresh cream. After a few days, it grew some fungus. How can its life be increased? What should be added to act as a preservative and in what ratio? It was kept in a plastic container under normal room temperature as I want to sell it in market. Also, what precautions can be taken before sealing the containers? What is the minimum life expected in a sealed plastic container under room temperature? 1litr boiled fresh cream mixed with 1.2 kg of melted chocolate slab.


texts: keeping ice cream fresh for 12 hours while transporting

texts: Is it possible to keep it fresh during a long distance travel by train? Normal styrofoam boxes won't work I guess, what about thermos flasks?


texts: How to imitate commercial fried chicken?

texts:
I'm trying to develop my own "secret" fried chicken recipe, something that is similar to Popeye's or Church's. I'm a LONG ways from getting there. Here's what I did in my last experiment:

Chicken was marinated in buttermilk with Cajun spices and Tabasco
sauce for 24 hours
I used a deep fryer and canola oil. 175C.
Prior to "dressing" the chicken, I let the excess buttermilk brine drip off the chicken. I then seasoned it with Cajun seasoning
I made a batter using an egg, self rising flour, milk, baking powder
I also tried using just plain flour for breading

Results:

Using the batter, the chicken came out looking burned and too smooth (didn't have that crunchy look). It burned too much that I couldn't finish cooking the chicken.
Using the flour, the chicken came out with a thin crust, somewhat crispy, but also too burnt.
Dipping the chicken in the batter AND then flour gave a bulky & crunchy look. However, again, the result looked too burnt.

Modifications:

I then changed the the breading. I used bread flour and corn starch. I dipped the chicken in the batter again, then used the new breading. The bread flour was a bit lighter. And the corn starch was even more lighter. But they were still burn looking (just lighter shades). I also dropped the temperature to 160C.

Results:

Burnt chicken whose crust wasn't really sticking to the skin/meat.

Questions:

Any suggestions on what I can do to improve? I'm guessing something in the batter is causing the burnt coat. What flour should I use? What can I do to make the coat stick to the skin/meat? Any other suggestions on what to do?


texts:
In a show (One Piece), the character uses the following kitchen knife. I've never seen anything like it before; what is it?

Here it is in action:


texts:
I was looking at the website for Francis Batt, a French culinary boutique (my boning knife is from there, great product IMO, so I'm a fan). I noticed a knife there called a «couteau suédois» or Swedish knife, however googling this in both French and English yielded no real info.

What is a Swedish knife ?


texts: Can white wine vinegar be used instead of white vinegar?

texts:
Recipe calls for white vinegar

Can  I use white wine vinegar diluted to 5 %  acidity?


texts:
I come from a Moroccan background where they prepare a dish call 'Harshuf'. The name is from the main ingredient stalks of the artichoke plant. It is cooked with lemon and chicken.

Does anyone know what artichoke stalks are called in the US?


texts: Can a large number of eggs be scrambled in a pot?

texts:
I am looking cook a breakfast goulash to serve 30 people.  It seems like breakfast goulash is usually done in a large frying pan (see this recipe).

The quantity I am aiming to make, however, will not fit in any frying pan, so I am wondering if I can carry this out in a very large pot.  However, will 30-40 eggs properly cook in a pot, and are there any nuances I should be aware of?


texts: How do you cook pork chops without drying them out?

texts: Every time I cook pork chops, they come out dry even though I only cook them to 150 degrees.  I broil them btw, like they said to at the store.  Is there a way to prevent this?


texts:
Has anyone tried baking the buccellato de Lucca? I'm looking forward to find the original recipe from Lucca. You can find several recipes over the internet, in italian, which I can more or less understand, but I'm interested to check if someone knows the real deal (eg. travels to Italy often or has family from Italy).

Regards,


texts:
I would like to cook pasta twice, with a cooling phase before the second cooking. Unfortunately, I’ve found that reheating pasta isn’t easy: I would like to keep it al dente and prevent tangling/sticking. It is also important to heat it all the way through both times, and to cool it down completely in between.

So far I’ve tried simply cooking the pasta again, for a short time. But unsurprisingly it becomes soggy. It also became bland (I didn’t add salt the second time). Is there a better way?

(For what it’s worth, this is for store-bought, dried pasta; I rarely have the time to make fresh pasta, and I wouldn’t want to ruin it by cooking it twice.)

If anybody is wondering why cook it twice, it’s a matter of nutrition.


texts: How does one peel and puree chick peas with a food mill for hummus?

texts: Hating having to peel each individual garbanzo bean/chick pea by hand to make hummus, I read online that a food mill will press out the "meat" of the beans while leaving the skins behind. The food mill I have has three different disks - coarse, medium and fine. To make hummus from ground chick peas/garbanzo beans, which disk should I use? How often should I clear away the leftover skins?


texts: Is it safe to sous vide chicken to less than 74°C for a longer amount of time?

texts:
When researching cooking temperatures for sous vide chicken, I came across this website among others that claimed that chicken is pastaurized if held at temperatures as low as 60°C for sufficient time. However, the website provided no sources for this claim.
According to the FDA 2013 food code 3-401.11(A)(3), the only safe way to prepare chicken is at 74°C for 15 seconds. I was unable to find corresponding EU guidelines.
Does anyone know of official food safety guidelines that describe procedures for pasteurizing chicken at temperatures less than 74°C? They can be from any country, but preferably within the EU where I am located. I am cooking for someone who is in the risk group for food-bourne pathogens, so it is important that the procedure is equally safe. Even so, I'd like to avoid over-cooked chicken if possible!
I am aware of Douglas Baldwin's site which contains detailed information on the issue, however it all seems to be original research.


texts: Is this chicken safe? silkie chicken edition

texts:
First off, I am a pastry chef, and my first thought is, when in doubt, toss it out.

I have very little experience with chicken. I am also obsessed with trying new things, in this case silkie chicken. It is a breed of chicken with black skin, meat, and bones, although the color can very from grey to black.

I bought it from a new Asian market that just opened up, it was pre-packed and frozen in a tight wrap like you would see at the store. I bought it Wednesday I think and left it to thaw in the fridge until today.

I opened the bag, removed the head and feet, and the wind pipe. The smell was very strong, and not pleasant, I would have to say musky with a touch of egg. The skin was a bit slimy, but the slime seemed to be gone by the time I was done cutting heads and feet off.

Since the color is dark, I cant tell from that, and the strong smell has persisted on my hands after scrubbing 3 times and doing the dishes.

Another note, the bird was an import from china, it wasn't USDA inspected, instead it had a Buddhist exemption tag on it and something saying it was inspected back where it came from.


texts: is it okay to use shredded zucchini that smells a little sour for baking

texts: I've had some shredded zucchini in my refrigerator in a plastic container for about a week or two is it okay to use for baking bread or cake if it smells a little sour or maybe like vinegar


texts: Regulation and balancing of readymade packed mayonnaise and other sauces

texts: How to reduce the acidity of packet sauces and mayonnaises? I came to know these packed food stuffs are very acidic to prevent any bacterial attack and i felt it my own, so what is the best way to reduce its acidity if it is suppose to use in a single day we open the packet? So that I can avoid the overhead of making sauces and mayonnaise of my own by using the best brand packets available in the market.


texts:
Almost every bread recipe I came across says to let the dough proof in a draft-free place. I was wondering what does "draft-free" actually mean? Looking at the dictionary, the closest thing related is something about air current and I'm not so sure about that.
Thank you


texts: How do I infuse fruit flavor in ganache?

texts:
I know to infuse the flavor of citrus fruits in ganache, I can simple boil the cream with the zest and strain it out. What about fruits that have juice but don't have zest or aren't commonly powdered, like starfruit, apples, etc?

Thanks!


texts: What are the advantages of homemade pasta over store-bought?

texts: I am thinking about getting a pasta maker. Of course it takes more time to make your own pasta but it seems like it would be fun and nutritious. What are the real advantages to making your own pasta from scratch with a pasta maker, as opposed to using store-bought pasta?


texts: How can I make whipped cream if I can't always get cream?

texts:
I sometimes want to make whipped cream for dessert, but can't get cream in the market. What can I do in that case?

One possibility: I did find that there is a quick way to do it by mixing a commercial powder called Dream Whip and milk. What are the actual ingredients of Dream Whip? I suspect that it mainly contains some foaming agents like corn starch or gelatin, but I couldn't find a recipe as an alternative to commercial Dream Whip powder. Can I make that at home?


texts: Can I safely freeze my yogurt marinated chicken?

texts:
I marinated chicken thigh fillets 2 and a half days ago in a Turkish marinade (Yogurt, chili paste, garlic, ginger, dried mint and salt), and its been sitting in my fridge ever since. I don't think that I'll be cooking it anytime soon, but I don't want to throw it away because it's a lot of chicken. Can someone please tell me:

If yogurt or chili help it marinate and keep for longer or do they have an adverse affect.
If the chicken might still be good to cook if I was to freeze it for a couple of days and then defrost it and cook it. I know once defrosted, I will have to cook all of it.


texts:
So I know these cheeses are a blend of yellow and white cheddar as well as some Monterey Jack (sometimes pepper jack), but do you know what seasonings are used to make these taco style shredded cheese blends?

I am guessing cumin and chili powder, but if anyone knows for sure that would be great in order to duplicate when recipes call for these shredded blends.


texts: Using sous-vide oven to make stock or soup (no bags)

texts: I have a sous-vide supreme water oven. I was wondering if I could use it to slow cook large amounts of soup or to make beef stock by slow cooking. The idea is to have the soup or stock directly into it and no bags. As it is easy to clean and is perfectly sealed, I do not foresee any problems but I am having cold feet. Could somehow I manage to ruin my oven? What is the worst case scenario here? Any ideas?


texts:
Vodka is supposed to be odorless and flavorless (with the exception of flavored vodkas). So if I switch to a dirt-cheap vodka, can I save some money?

Is there any difference between cheap and expensive vodka?  Are there any reliable studies demonstrating this?


texts: Is it possible to substitute Wax Paper for Parchment Paper during baking?

texts: If I don't have parchment paper, can I substitute wax paper for baking recipes.  What is the difference between the two?


texts: How important are olives in Ropa Vieja? Can I substitute/omit them?

texts: I'm looking to make some Ropa Vieja in my crock pot but I've got a picky eater who refuses to touch anything with olives or capers in it. My concern is that something about the briney/acidic nature of the olives helps break down the otherwise lackluster flank steak in the dish. Is this the case or are the olives something that can be omitted without consequence? Is there an acceptable substitute?


texts: I've noticed that many Italian chefs add to their pasta sauces some of the water they used to cook their pasta.  What is the purpose of this?


texts: I am trying to make an orange flavored ganache for an orange hostess cupcake. I'm thinking of using white chocolate chips but I'm afraid the orange flavoring and coloring will make the ganache clomp up. Has anyone tried this or have ideas on how it will work out?


texts: I may have incorrectly seasoned my wok; can I fix it?

texts:
I seasoned my new carbon steel wok, and think I may have made a mistake. I scrubbed off the coating it came with using a scouring pad, and then heated it on a high BTU stovetop until it turned a nice blue hue, as the directions told me. Finally, I let it cool a bit and then added some oil around the inside and outside, putting it over the heat. I washed it with warm water only after the first addition of oil (once cool), then added oil again over heat, and repeated a third time (this time with onions, ginger, and garlic). It was still blue (I had heard it was supposed to turn black), but I figured (I suppose incorrectly) it was okay and ready to use.

My first attempt left food sticking to it and I figured I had messed up. Once clean, I tried scrubbing the center to get any coating off, and then re-exposing it to heat and then to oil again (canola), applied with a wet paper towel. I did this about 7 times, but I tried cooking again and an egg I added to a sitr-fry stuck during the first attempt.

It looks like I probably messed up the oiling part of the seasoning process. Can I simply scrub the wok down using steel wool or something and start the process from scratch, or is my wok a lost cause at this point? I have read different things about how to add the oil, what temp to keep it at, and for how long. Could you clarify the best approach?


texts: What precautions should be taken while cooking a thin steak?

texts:
I went to the Halal butcher the other day and asked for steak, except what I received was more like thinly sliced beef.

What can I do with this on a barbeque? Will it cook the same? How can rescue the situation?


texts: I typically have heavy cream on hand but not milk so I'm frequently in need of a method to substitute the milk in recipes with cream.  It seems to me that adding some amount of water and sugar to the cream would get it closer to milk in composition.  I realize that the exact method and appropriateness of the substitution depends on the specific recipe but am looking for general substitution guidelines.


texts:
Where can I purchase the
Mastrad Orka pancake spatula?  It has a curved silicone blade about 8" long and 1" to 1 1/2" wide with a nice silicone handle. Some websites indicate this item is discontinued. Does anyone know why that might be?


texts:
Just made my first attempt at cooking using liquid nitrogen.  Decided to start easy, and make a 0.5L batch of ice cream, along with some powdered peanut-butter and banana for toppings.  Overall I'd rate the entire experiment a success, but noticed something a bit strange when creating the powdered elements.

My technique was roughly as follows:

Place a bit of banana and a dollop of peanut butter in a small glass bowl with LN2, and leave until the 'boiling' mostly subsides (replenishing as needed; this probably took about 400mL of LN2).
Prechill a mortar and pestle with LN2, then transfer the frozen banana and peanut-butter to it (I did each one separately, though probably it would have been fine to do both together), along with enough LN2 to keep them nice and cold (probably about 300mL of LN2 to 'prime' the mortar and pestle to the point where it was holding a nice shallow pool of LN2).
Crush the frozen item(s) down to the desired consistency, replenishing LN2 as needed (this is where I needed the most LN2, I lost track of how much I was using but may have gone as high as 1L per item).  I was going for 'fine dust' but had to stop a bit before reaching that point.

The strangeness was observed during #3.  Basically what I found was the more finely I crushed the frozen food, the faster the LN2 would evaporate off, and the more I'd need to put in to keep everything nice and cold.  I wasn't grinding particularly aggressively, and towards the end it got to the point where the LN2 would disappear only a second or two after pouring it in, making grinding effectively impossible (unless I wanted to risk ending up with thawed mush, I suppose).  This ultimately ended up consuming more LN2 than it had taken to chill the ice cream, even though in terms of volume there was far more ice cream than banana or peanut-butter.

Is there a reason/explanation for this?  Maybe something to do with the effective surface area increasing as the frozen food is ground into smaller and smaller pieces?  Or was my technique wrong?  Is there a better way to turn arbitrary things into frozen powders using LN2?


texts: Why did my flank steak turn grey when I brined it?

texts:
I brined 2 lbs of flank steak for 12 hours, but it turned the exterior gray. Why? How can I prevent the discoloration?

Ingredients:

1 quart water
1/2 cup kosher salt
Garlic Powder
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons black pepper
½ cup apple cider vinegar


texts: Why does coconut milk separate when it is placed in the fridge?

texts: I have noticed that for many coconut whipped cream recipes, you are supposed to put the can in the fridge overnight to separate the fat and the liquid.  Can anyone explain the food science behind why this separation happens?


texts: Why is good heat transfer required for making fond?

texts:
I was watching a Jacques Pepin video on steak and pan sauce.  In it, he mentions that having a pan with good heat transfer is important to make sure your fond doesn't burn, but instead crystallises.
In line with this, conventional wisdom (reading forum posts) seems to say that not having high enough heat will mess up fond production.
I'm trying to wrap my head around why exactly this is.  Does any one have some kind of mechanistic insight behind why bad heat transfer can cause your fond to burn, instead of glaze?


texts: Can I use both racks at the same time to bake chicken wings?

texts: Can I use my oven's top and bottom racks at the same time to bake chicken wings? I have a large party to cook for.


texts: Reusing marinade JUST used for raw chicken

texts: Can I take raw chicken out of a mainade that consist of soy sauce, vinegar and other things and put ribs into it to marinade as well?  Its a couple days old and been in the fridge the whole time.


texts:
I am an avid eater of coconut... Well, I would be if I had some decent coconut to begin with! It happened quite a few times that when I bought a coconut in a supermarket (you know the brown, ripe fruits? - well, here in Europe there is no abundance of fresh coconuts), and when I ate its content... it tasted like dish-soap (eeek!).
How can I be sure to select a coconut, which won't ruin my day?


texts: Why does cooking oatmeal starting with cold milk make it creamy?

texts:
I'd always made oatmeal according to the "traditional" method of bringing the liquid to boil first, then adding the oatmeal. I recently discovered a recipe that calls for adding the oatmeal to cold liquid first, then bringing the mixture to boil - the claim is that that technique results in creamier oatmeal.

Upon trying this recipe, I found that, indeed, the resulting oatmeal was creamier than the traditional method. Can anyone explain the food science behind why cooking oatmeal starting from a cold liquid yields a creamier end result than by dropping the oatmeal into already-boiling/simmering liquid?


texts:
I cannot, for the life of me (no matter what recipe I try), ever get the bread to rise that last bit in the oven. It always falls a bit instead.

It proofs nicely, but it just won't rise more in the oven. This time, I tried cutting little slits in the top (in case there was some sort of dried crust on top... even though I covered it with a clear shower cap), and I also preheated the oven for 45 minutes with a cast iron pan of water in the bottom of the oven, and a pizza stone. I placed the bread pan directly on the pizza stone.

The theory for oven spring is that the bubbles in the dough heat rapidly and expand. So there needs to be room for expansion (humid oven, no solid "crust" preventing it from expanding), and rapid heat transfer (pre-heated pizza stone).

It. Just. Won't. Work.

Any ideas?

P.S. - This is for gluten-free bread-making, but it should work just the same. All the recipes I try all assume that you'll get that oven spring. But I never do. Ugh. In case anyone is wondering, the latest recipe I have tried is this one: http://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/2014/04/light-fluffy-gluten-free-bread-recipe.html


texts: Temperature and Duration for Baking Sweet Potatoes

texts:
I am currently reading in literature about vegetables and came across a section describing how to best prepare sweet potatoes:

  Most sweet potato varieties sweeten during cooking thanks to the action of an
  enzyme that attacks starch and breaks it down to maltose, a sugar made up of two
  glucose molecules that’s about a third as sweet as table sugar. Moist or “soggy”
  varieties convert as much as 75% of their starch to maltose, so they seem permeated
  with syrup! The enzyme starts to make maltose when the tightly packed starch granules
  absorb moisture and expand, beginning around 135ºF/57ºC, and it stops when the rising
  heat denatures it, at around 170ºF/75ºC. Slow baking therefore gives the enzyme a
  longer time to work than does rapid cooking in steam, boiling water, or a microwave,
  and produces a sweeter result. Freshly harvested “green” roots available in the autumn
  have less enzyme activity and so don’t become as sweet or moist. [On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen]

So it is clearly stated that sweet potatoes should be baken between roughly 60 to 70°C. Contrary to that I read in a lot of online recipes and cooking "how-to's" that they bake the sweet potatoes farely hot, starting at 320°F/160°C for at least 15 minutes.

I want to prepare a pasta, where sweet potatoes, cut into small cubes, shall be one of the main ingredients.

In light of the above stated facts, what temperature and duration can be suggested from your side for baking sweet potatoes?


texts: Can I use store-bought custard for Portuguese Tarts?

texts: I always make my own custard when I bake Portuguese Tarts but want to take a shortcut. Can I use store-bought custard to make Portuguese Tarts? What kind of custard do I need to buy? Should it be at room temperature before I bake?


texts:
I did not know pressurized cream whippers existed until just seeing a reference to one, which led me to do a Google search.
I own a manual cream whipper, which I rarely use, because it is exceedingly difficult to remove the cream from the canister.  So I just use the whip attachment on my mixer.
I'm very interested in hearing  people's opinions on pressurized whippers, and whether they can be used for more than cream.


texts: First time cooking Ribs. St. Louis Style, membrane questions + more

texts:
This is my first time cooking ribs so I feel I am making some rookie mistakes.

I forgot to peel the membrane off of the rack of ribs I plan on cooking later today and they have already been soaking in the marinade overnight.

My questions are: Will the marinade penetrate the membrane and still flavor the meat? If I peel the membrane off after I pull the ribs out of the marinade, would it be worse than if I left the membrane on?

Cursory question, How often should I baste my sauce on the ribs? I have seen reports that it should be anywhere from once or twice towards the end of cooking, to every 10-20 minutes through the whole 2-6 hour process depending on temperature.


texts: can I roast the nuts before I make a maple candied walnuts

texts: Can I roast nuts for flavor before I make my maple candied walnuts? The recipe says raw nuts. I want to roast the nuts before I put in the maple candied walnuts recipe. Will that make the nuts overcooked


texts:
I remember reading and watching videos about it, but haven't ever made it, and I also forgot the name. I want to learn some more of it, find the correct recipe, etc., but it is rather hard without the name as a starting point.

It is very simple, made with only egg whites and something else (flour, or cornstarch, or confectioner's sugar, I don't remember exactly which, or the correct ratio). It is baked in a very thin shape, often dripped in a pattern. When hot out of the oven, it has enough plasticity to be shaped per hand. It then cools in the shape it was given, making ornaments (out of the dripped patterns) or small basket-like shapes, for serving ice cream etc.

Does anybody have more info on it?

Update thank you for the great answers. I was able to find good ressources, mostly on searches for tuile, which seems to be the broader term (although hippenmasse alone would have helped too). The best information in English was available on http://www.pastrysampler.com/Questions_and_Answers/tuile.htm, if anybody is interested.

Update 2 I made the stuff according to a recipe from the link above, and they turned out just as I imagined them. Other SA members tried other recipes with less success, so I am posting the "known good" recipe here:

2 1/2 oz. powdered sugar // 70g
1 1/2 oz. flour // 45 g (slightly higher because with 40 g, it was too runny for piping)
2 egg whites
1 1/4 oz. clarified unsalted butter // 35 g


texts:
I should start by stating my actual problem: this coming Rosh HaShannah, the latest I can buy fresh meat is on Thursday, but I need to serve it the following Monday. (Jewish holiday. I live in Israel, shops are going to be closed.)

I thought to circumvent having to either freeze the meat, or reheat a prepared dish, by way of pre-making pastilla filling on Friday or Saturday, keeping it in the fridge, and only baking the actual pastilla on Monday, before serving.

Would such a solution be safe to eat? Would the filling keep its taste, being refrigerated for several days?


texts:
We have a small household and most baked goods are not finished before they go stale.

For bread and buns, when is the best time to freeze?

After knead?

Before first proof?

After proof?

After second proof?


texts: Why is water often added to the eggs when making omelettes?

texts:
Why is water often added to the eggs when making an omelette?
Also, is there a recommended amount of water?


texts: Over mixing, when do I have to be aware of it? (Baking cookies)

texts:
I'm struggle with making my cookies spread out so I can have thin and chewy cookies. I've tried almost every possible solution but one thing that I can't get my head around is when mixing ingredient together.

I've often heard of the term "don't over mix your dough" but when exactly do I have to be aware of it?

mixing butter and sugar: in this case I used melted butter
beat egg with butter + sugar
mixing dry and wet ingredients.

According to this video, butter and sugar should be mixed roughly. But when I try it, my cookie dough come out all greasy, shiny and has a really dark brown color. You can even hand pick and roll it into a ball (not sticky at all)! What would happened if I over mix in each of those steps above?


texts: What is the difference between ranch dressing and ranch mayonnaise?

texts:
I bought a sandwich from a supermarket that said it contained ranch mayonnaise. I liked the flavor so I wanted to buy some for myself. I looked around and could only find ranch dressing. Are they the same thing? If not, what are the differences, and where can I buy the product I want? I am in the UK.

Thanks :)


texts: How long should I sear meat after thawing from frozen state?

texts: I generally sous vide more food than I can eat at one time, so I put the extra food in a water bath and then freeze.  I'm wondering how long and at what temperature I need to sear meats after thawing to make sure they are hot but not overcooked.  I generally sear on the grill but sometimes in a skillet. Thanks!!!


texts: what to make with a very high hydration dough?

texts:
I have accidently (due to tiredness and unit-conversion) made what I think is roughly a 100% hydration dough. I have used strong white bread flour. I was intending to make some "no-kneed" bread, so after mixing the ingredients I have left it to rise for 18 hours, and it has been in the fridge for another 24 hours. It is very sticky and runny.

Are there any types of bread that call for a dough of this level of hydration? Is there anything I can use it for? Other than trying to incorporate more flour (which I'm not sure is a good idea this far into the process)? What will happen if I just put in a bread tin and cook it?


texts: Is it really necessary to properly heat oil in a pan before frying veggies?

texts:
As an example, we often lightly fry onions in (preferably) Olive Oil before adding them to any number of dishes, such as scrambled eggs for breakfast.

My talented cooking friends frequently remind me, "Don't put your veggies into the frying pan until the oil is hot!" The thing is, I personally can't tell the difference if I put my veggies in immediately after adding oil to the pan, or if I wait for the oil to properly heat up first. My friends also tell me, "Don't turn the heat up all the way either!"

Why do people recommend heating the oil first? Are there really benefits to waiting the 3-5 minutes?
If the answer to above is yes, how high should you turn the heat up to get the oil? Can I just set it to 100% for 1 minute to cook the oil faster? Yes I realize I have to watch the oil carefully otherwise chaos will ensue.


texts: Is there a plastic bowl/dish that can withstand high temperature in the oven?

texts: I am looking for a plastic bowl or dish that can withstand high temperature in the oven? A bowl or dish that won't melt nor emit odour. Is there such a thing?


texts: What's a good vegan substitute for sour cream?

texts:
There's a recipe I grew up with, that I would like to try to make a vegan version of.
Basically, it's mushrooms sauteed with onion and paprika, and then sour cream.

Since my kitchen is now vegan, I'm wondering what would work as a substitute for the sour cream.

I'm happy for ideas to be composite, and include something for flavour and something else for texture.


texts: Is there a reason to not add salt when making a soup?

texts:
On several occasions I have had friends make soup without salt and then tell me that salt should be added only when the soup is served.

I've read Why is it important to add salt during cooking? But what is the reason, if any, for withholding salt during cooking?

I have only heard this advice in context of Chinese soup/broth, namely a Chinese-style chicken soup and a brothy oxtail soup. I've asked a friend about the reason, but didn't quite understand the response (something about damaging the proteins).


texts: Is it possible to cream clarified butter with sugar? Will it have the same benefits as shortening and oil?

texts: Is it really possible to cream clarified butter? And considering that clarified butter is 100% fat, am I correct in assuming you'd get the taste of butter and also the leavening benefits of shortening if it was creamed with sugar? And when melted, would it work just like oil?  Basically the best of butter, shortening and oil into one?


texts: Can you eat the head and guts of anchovies?

texts:
I read that you shouldn't eat fish guts and other parts because
(a) fish guts have the fish stool, maybe poisonous, and (b) fish guts can affect the flavour.

I bought some dried small anchovies and some slightly bigger ones (though still small compared to most fish). The small ones are in the top right of the pic, and the larger ones on the bottom shelf:

I notice that if I break the small ones there are some black things inside (I'm guessing it's the stomach). It's all very small and I'm not sure how I'd go about removing the stomach.

Should the small ones be eaten with the stomach or is there some way to remove it? Does the same apply to the slightly bigger ones?


texts: If we cut ourselves when preparing food, unless that food is going to be cooked thoroughly, should it be tossed?

texts:
Probably every person who cooks has cut themselves while preparing food. Blood can carry many pathogens, so continuing to prepare that food may incorporate those pathogens into the food. Unless it is going to be cooked thoroughly (by that I mean at least 160°F/71°C in the center) it seems prudent that the food should be thrown out, even though it seems a waste.

For food that is going to be served raw, while hydrogen peroxide will probably destroy the blood and any pathogens it may carry, it can also destroy the food or alter its taste, and it may not be 100% successful. And getting the correct H2O2 concentration may be guesswork, at best.

So should we toss the food? It certainly seems the prudent thing to do. Better to waste the food than get sick. Let's assume the blood either got incorporated into the food (not splattered on a nearby surface) and/or the blood was noticed so late that it seems likely that the blood got in to the food. If preparing raw food (salad e.g.), then the blood probably got well mixed with the food, thus making its removal nearly impossible.


texts: How long will ground beef stay good after being frozen?

texts: How long will beef be good after being frozen?  My boyfriend has ground beef in the freezer that has been there for almost a year.  Is it still safe to cook?


texts: In the US, can I buy fish from any reputable fishmonger for ceviche, or should I be using sushi-grade fish?


texts:
This question relates to a tomato based sauce, but I imagine it applies to all dishes.

I recently made meatballs in a tomato sauce; typically, I find that any tomato sauce is too bitter.  I found a recipe that suggested boiling a halved onion and butter in the sauce for almost an hour, and that worked really well.

I've also tried adding sugar, which obviously works.  My question is: what are the other options that can be employed to make a dish sweeter?


texts:
My grandma used to make buttermilk fudge for us every year for Christmas. I have tried and tried to make it and it never sets up. It tastes great if you want to eat it with a spoon.

The recipe is

2 c   sugar
2 c   buttermilk
1/4 c butter
1/3 c dark karo
1 tsp soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 c   nuts

  Cook till forms a medium soft ball. First cool a while and add vanilla and nuts. Beat by hand.

I remember grandma always saying something about the shine. Oh why didn't I pay more attention?! What am I doing wrong?


texts: What does it mean for a dish to be called poêlé?

texts:
I was watching a show and they mentioned Fois Gras Poêlé. Now I know what fois gras is so I looked up what poêlé meant since I assumed it was a cooking technique. However, Google (patent pending) turned up that poêlé was either a kind of pan (basically a frying pan) or meant "pot roasting".
Now, when I look up fois gras poêlé on Google (patent still pending) it returns recipes for Pan-Seared Foie Gras that you then make a sauce for using its drippings, yet when I look up other terms like "chicken" poêlé it is basically cooking chicken in a covered pot with ingredients similar to the sauce step in fois gras poêlé.
My question: looking at these seemingly disparate cases, what does it mean for the dish to be called poêlé? The pan? The cooking method? How you make the sauce?


texts: Cooking rice on a fire pit vs gas burner

texts:
It is widely believed in East Asia that cooking rice on a fire pit, with firewood as fuel, allows one to make the most tasty rice. Both Cantonese pot rice and Japanese kamameshi, for example, call for cooking in firewood-lit fire for best taste.

Is there a scientific explanation to why cooking rice on a pot in a fire pit, with firewood as fuel, allows one to cook rice better than e.g. on a gas fire, or using a rice cooker?


texts: Why slow thawing is the best way to defrost a chicken flavor wise?

texts:
From Julia Child's "The Joy of French Cooking":

  The best method for defrosting frozen chicken, according to those in
  the business, is the slowest : leave it in its transparent wrapper and
  let it thaw in the refrigerator. It will lose much less of its juice
  and flavor

How can the thawing method affect juiciness and flavor?


texts: What type of Paprika is the generic stuff one buys at a grocery store chain?

texts: I have read this very good link on the differences in paprika, but I did not learn all that I need to learn as far as buying these different varieties.  When I go to my grocery chain to do my weekly shopping and I see the spice container which says Paprika, is that just going to be "Plain" paprika.  I ask because I need to go out and find both sweet paprika and hot paprika which probably will require a little more effort on my part to find.  Maybe a Whole Foods or something?


texts: Accidentally baked flatbread with oxygen absorber -- is flatbread safe to eat?

texts:
We just accidentally baked some trader joes flatbread and didn't notice the oxygen absorber went in the oven with it. If you're unfamiliar, this is the little packet that preserves the food with big words "DO NOT EAT" printed on the side. The packet didn't open, just stayed stuck to the bottom of the flatbread while it baked. However I'm wondering if anything poisonous might have out gassed and been absorbed into the pizza dough? Maybe I'm paranoid, but I don't feel quite safe eating it now.

Oxygen absorber only lists a brand name: AGELESS. From this link its the "ZPT" type. The first one listed on the page.

The flatbread (and the oxygen absorber) was cooked at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes.


texts: What's the difference between dried split peas and dried snack peas such as wasabi peas?

texts:
Wasabi peas (and similar snacks) appear to just be dried green peas (coated in wasabi).

Similarly, dried green split peas are also dried green peas (that have been split).

So why is it that wasabi peas are crispy and edible, while dried split peas are hard like stones?


texts:
I make my own homemade chocolates, fillings are also prepared by me.

The question is how to preserve the chocolates for a long period of time?

As in keeping it in a refrigerator is it the right way to make it stay for longer period of time? If I keep the molded chocolates outside of the refrigerator it often changes its shape; though keeping it in dry cool place, if its more than 80 pieces? If an order is been placed the quantity and quality is absolutely up to mark, but some times I lack in presentation because of the change in shape of some few pieces.


texts: My flatbreads are still doughy inside after cooking?

texts:
So I am making basic flat breads using flour, water, oil, salt and spices. I kneaded the dough for 5 mins and rested it for 15.

I then rolled them out really thin and cooked on a super hot griddle, two minutes per side. Once they are charred, though, they are still doughy inside. Are they meant to be doughy? I was expecting something pitta-esqe.


texts: Possible to Cook with a Wok on an Electric Hot Plate?

texts: My kitchen currently consists of little more than an electric grill/hot plate combo, one wok and one non-stick pot/pan.  Woks, it seems to me, were really designed for flame - either wood and coal fires or gas burners.  The one time we tried with the wok (a round bottomed one) on the hot plate no heat seemed to be getting through.  So my question is, were we just doin' it wrong?  Or is it impossible to cook on a flat electric burner with a round bottomed wok?


texts: When to add fresh basil to a tomato sauce?

texts: Is it better to add fresh basil to a tomato sauce and then let it cook for say, 10 mins, or wait till the end and add just before serving?


texts: Most of the recipes I'm finding on reputable websites for canning pickles (or banana peppers) are designed for pint-sized jars. So, naturally, I have a full dozen quart-sized jars that I'd like to use but I'm worried about the processing stage.  Does increasing the size of the jar from pint to quart change how long I need to process it? If so, how much?


texts: What ingredient(s) available in the UK would make a passable alternative to epazote?

texts:
I'm following a recipe for Sopa Azteca de Tortilla that calls for Epazote, which I haven't heard of before, let alone tasted (to my knowledge!).

Wikipedia mentions:

  Raw, it has a resinous, medicinal pungency, similar to oregano, anise, fennel, or even tarragon, but stronger. The fragrance of D. ambrosioides is strong but difficult to describe. A common analogy is to turpentine or creosote. It has also been compared to citrus, savory, and mint.

If I did swap in something (or a mix of things), for "a sprig of epazote" what would you recommend & in what quantity? Or would I be better off just doing without?


texts: Does cutting off a pineapple's crown shorten its longevity?

texts:
I have a teeny refrigerator, and cut off just the crowns (see red line below) on newly bought pineapples to save space. What are the cons of this truncation? Will pineapples be less fresh?

Source of original picture


texts: Small Hard White Thing In Whole Wheat Bread - Mold Or Grain?

texts:
I just bought a loaf of bread yesterday, and went to use some to make a sandwich.  I found a tiny white spot on it that is about the size of a rice grain, but it doesn't look like normal mold.  And when I touch it, it is hard.
Is this some type of mold? Or is it just a bit of grain that got stuck in the bread?


texts:
I have recently learned that my carb intake is insufficient, leading to so-called "glycogen depletion" while cycling. I have possibly spent too much time around folks who boast of equating a healthy diet with a diet that is partially or fully deficient in carbs. I followed, not realizing the consequences.
Mid bike ride it turns out that a cyclist needs (immediate) simple sugar, in addition to some more complex carbs. At this time of the year sour cherries make their way to the market in vast quantities, but they spoil extremely quickly and must be frozen.
I've tried in the past freezing in zipper bags, intending to eventually learn how to make a proper pie (I never did). Now I'm thinking that there could be another pertinent use for them: cherry bars that are dry enough to carry along on a bike ride, and where the cherries have stabilized enough so that they do not spoil quite as rapidly as they normally do. The need for simple sugars would be satisfied by the cherries; the need for complex sugars by the crust.
My first experiment was to simply add them, in large quantities, to a standard brownie mix. That didn't fare so well. The mixture was too moist to cook uniformly—edges cooked, inside not so much—even after leaving for extra time in the oven. Worse, after a day in the fridge some of the cherries have turned color from the characteristic "still good" bright red to a dull "likely spoiled" crimson red.
Can sour cherries be used in a semi-stable bar? The idea is that I'd use the whole lot (5 kg!) and have ample supply in the freezer.
Related:

Hungarian-style apple pie (almás lepény)
General ideas for sour cherries


texts: How long should a 4-5 pound rib roast take in an infrared cooker?

texts:
I'm going to attempt to cook a 4-5 pound rib roast in an infrared cooker. Specifically, a Big Easy Infrared Turkey Fryer.

Everything I've read says that it's done when it's done. I understand the sentiment there, but I would like to know an approximate time so that I can have other foods prepared to hit the table at the same time.

How do I estimate how long this will take?


texts: Should I always run the exhaust / hood fan when cooking?

texts:
A question over on DIY.SE about sizing a range hood exhaust got me thinking about whether I should be running the exhaust fan every time I cook. Is it supposed to be more of a proactive or reactive piece of equipment - i.e., should I only turn it on in response to a problem, or always turn it on before cooking anything (or any specific types of cooking)?

I only run it now when it gets noticeably smoky around the stove, which is usually when I'm cooking in my cast iron skillet. I mainly turn it on in an effort to avoid setting off the smoke detector (which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't).


texts: Does it matter if I freeze dough before proofing?

texts:
I made some pizza dough today and only used 1/3 of it. The other portions I decided to put in the freezer to use later on. I froze them before proofing though. Does this matter? Should I have let them proof first, then freeze?

I'm mostly worried that this might affect the future proofing, once I get them out.


texts: How can I modify my hot sauce to make it Shelf Stable?

texts: I would like to be able to can and then sell my own hot sauce. The hot sauce I make is a low acid meat (ground beef) and tomato based sauce. I had sent it in to get a shelf life expectancy, and was advised the acidity level was too low and the only way I could make the sauce in a way that it was shelf stable was if I used a retort or sold it as a frozen product. Neither of these are options I can consider at this time.


texts: Does it take a special type of blender to make smoothies?

texts:
Or am I just doing it wrong? I have what I consider a typical blender that you might find in any American kitchen. It's a glass container with a cross shaped blade. The problem I have is that pieces often get underneath the blade and don't get blended at all. With smoothies in particular as well, if it's too thick the blade tends to spin too fast and keep everything pushed out to the sides and not actually blend. This is mostly a problem if trying to make a thick milkshake.

I have tried adding in thing like fruit while the blender is going in hopes that it wouldn't make it to the bottom without being blended but that doesn't seem to work really well. I've been reduced to blending multiple times (starting with a small amount of well blended material and slowly adding in the "chunks" from the previous attempt while the blender is running), but that is fairly time consuming.


texts: Would blow-torching tomatoes have the desired "oven roasted" effect?

texts:
I want to have oven roasted tomatoes that have some black on them for salsa. I have over 100 tomatoes and don't want to use the oven for a full day doing this. I think a blowtorch might blacken the tomatoes in a good way. Would this have the desired effect (i.e., having blackened charred tomatoes)? How would it be different from baking them in an oven?

I know the tomatoes won't lose as much liquid as if they were baked, but that is not an issue since I'll be reducing them in a salsa anyway.


texts: Using chocolate for caramel instead of butter

texts:
For caramel popcorn, what if we use a chocolate compound instead of butter for caramel. Even if it doesn't become caramel, can it be used for coating popcorn like caramel?

Please suggest me if there is any other cheaper way to make it like caramel by using chocolate (and oil if required).


texts: In Spain I had a wonderful tapa called Pimiento de Padron. Green chiles fried in olive oil and salted. What type of chile could I find in the US to replicate this dish? The chiles should be mild, with the odd spicy one.


texts: How Sanitary are Counter-Style Baked Goods versus Packaged Goods?

texts:
In a local supermarket, the bakery section has a small cart-like unit that houses baked goods like croissants, bagels, etc. The cart has small boxes to store the food, tongs to pick it up, and a roof-like clear plastic shield. However, the boxes themselves are not individually covered (in contrast with a bulk bin or something similar, for example).

My question is, are these open-air container bagels less sanitary than, say, a closed plastic package of bagels? I'd assume there would be greater chance of people coughing on them, touching and throwing them back, having pathogens being blown on them, etc. Is that significant?


texts: Could I use a blast chiller to make modern frozen meals at home?

texts:
Over the last decade or so I have noticed that the quality of store-bought frozen meals has increased. And after heating, the quality of the frozen food is better than my own prepared meals that I freeze and reheat later. Vegetables, while usually not exactly crisp, are far less mushy than my leftovers even if they're vacuum-sealed. Pasta is pretty tender, sauces are pretty flavorful, and in pretty much every way my leftovers are outclassed after any length of time in the freezer.
As I understand, there is a fair bit involved in preparing those frozen meals at the factory but the most important element is rapid freezing in an extremely low-temperature freezer.
I recently saw a listing for a blast chiller small enough that it might reasonably fit in a residential kitchen, which led me to wonder: could I prepare food, freeze it in the blast chiller, and then heat it later, essentially making my own frozen meals with quality comparable to the mass-produced frozen meals available today?
For reference, here is a link to the type of frozen meal I'm describing (this is not intended to be an endorsement of or advertisement for this brand). Even if it worked as I imagine I'm not convinced that this is an economical practice for a home cook, but I am interested enough in whether or not it would work and if the flash-frozen food would last longer (or be more palatable for longer) than conventionally frozen leftover food.


texts: What is the shelf-life of store-bought commercially-produced jam?

texts:
My question is similar to this one, but about store-bought jam.

What is the shelf-life of store-bought jam – i.e. commercially prepared major brands – if not opened?

Are the processes or ingredients for preservation of mass-produced jam superior to at-home sterilization of home-made jam?

Quite simply: I have an unopened jar of jam purchased 18 months ago.  Good to eat now, or not?


texts: Is less quality cream used in salted butter?

texts:
My room mate's mom recently told us that butter manufacturers will use a lower quality cream in their salted butter because the salt will help preserve the butter. This sounds too intuitive to be true.

Is it common practice to use a lower quality cream in salted butter, and if so is it because the lower quality cream does not preserve as well without the salt or is there not even such a thing as 'lower quality' cream?


texts:
Last night I was doing some fried schnitzels with canola oil at 130-140C (they were very good).

After serving them, I felt adventurous and wondered what would happen if I tried to poach an egg in that oil. The result: a hell-spawn mutation of an egg.

The question(s):

did I do something wrong?
is there a right way of poaching an egg in oil?
are there other fluids where the poaching yields something more pleasant?


texts: How to heat up a pan on an induction burner?

texts: When it comes to a cast-iron skillet, the benefit of using traditional methods is that if you want a super hot pan, you heat it for a long period of time before adding fat to the pan. The instructions say never place an empty pan on an induction burner. So for me adding oil at the beginning was non-sensical, Within a very short period of time the oil was smoking but the pan itself was cold except for the bottom. So how do you get a screaming hot cast iron pan before adding any fat?


texts: Can I use a nonstick or stainless steel pan to bake a cake in a microwave

texts: Can I use a nonstick pan or a stainless steel pan to bake a cake in a microwave?


texts: I'm after batch cooking mini meatballs in sauce for my kids, so I'm wondering how best to prepare the meatballs so they can be frozen and reheated? I'm assuming it wouldn't be good to soak the breadcrumbs in milk? But I'm very much a beginner so not sure how best to go about it. Thanks :)


texts: Need chewiness and density added to blondies no carbs

texts:
I want chewy and dense blondies. The recipe I'm currently using is:
2 cups almond flour
1 cup xylitol sweetener
2 eggs
½ cup butter
vanilla extract

I've tried adding ground flaxseed, corn syrup and corn starch. No xanthan gum please, as it's too expensive!


texts: How to keep baked meringue from shrinking away from pie crust?

texts:
I've tried this three times now, but have not yet had success.
When making pies like chocolate cream pie or lemon pie and topping them with meringue, after baking said meringue it inevitably shrinks and pulls away from the pie crust, in cases becoming somewhat loose over the pie filling.
These pies are using unbaked filling, in that I'm pre-baking the crust and then adding the filling afterwards (for instance, custard that is cooked on the stove and then poured over the cooled pie crust).
I should note that I am not using the unstable French meringue, and have come to this situation using both Swiss and Italian meringues.
The last couple of times I have paid extra attention to spreading the meringue all the way to the pie crust, 'anchoring' it to try and avoid shrinkage.

Is it wrong to let the filling cool before adding and baking the meringue?

This has generally been my process, but checking some recipes around most do not seem to indicate that these steps can or should be taken separately (as opposed to, say, topping a pie with whipped cream).
I often cool the pie (filling and all), occasionally even overnight, leaving the meringue topping to be made, spread and baked the next day.
EDIT:
I made a coconut chocolate cream pie with meringue topping.
This time, I prepared the meringue, then immediately prepared the chocolate filling, then immediately poured the still-hot cream onto the pie crust and leveled it, then immediately spread the meringue over the hot filling and anchored it to the pie crust edges, then immediately baked it.
I should note that I spread the meringue far to the edge of the pie crust.
The meringue still shrunk as it cooled and was subsequently refrigerated, at points pulling away from the pie crust.
However, it is not so visually dramatic, I guess because I had spread it farther outwards.
The big win though is that the meringue is not loose on the pie filling in this situation.
It feels securely anchored to the filling and cuts without wobbling or sliding around.


texts: Making cake and added oil at end instead of at the beginning

texts: I forgot to add the oil at the beginning of my zucchini cake and had to add it at the end, after all the flour was in.  So I had to beat it in a little.  Do you think it will still turn out?


texts: What tools are needed for making wafer cookies?

texts: I like to eat wafer cookies, such as the ones in the picture here. These usually come in three flavors (chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry). Unlike regular cookies, which I can bake in the oven, and come out as round and thick, wafer cookies seem to be made of many layers and have a waffle-pattern on the outside. Unfortunately, cannot find any in the supermarket, so I want to make my own. Do I need any special machinery to create these cookies?


texts: I'm going to buy Crawfish this Friday night at 9 or 10 and boil them Saturday at noon. Is it possible to keep Crawfish alive overnight? If possible how does one do so?


texts: On frying cooked, parboiled rice from yesterday, some grains jumps out of the pan every other second, creating a mess. Is there a way to avoid this?


texts: Can I soak dried fruit in sweet wine instead of liqueur for use in fruitcakes?

texts:
The recipes for fruitcake that I've looked at say to soak the dried fruit in brandy, rum, etc., i.e., something with a high alcohol content.  I've been using liqueur which works well.

I was wondering if using a sweet wine would work; has anyone tried this?


texts: What are the effects of salting a thin steak that's grilled on a pan?

texts:
What are the effects of salting a thin (1/4" to 1/2") beef steak right before being seared on a pan, compared to not salting at all?

(there are no other spices used, salt or nothing).

Does the exact method of preparation matter to the differences (e.g. searing almost-frozen steak vs. thawed out)?

Obviously, I'm interested in effects other than imparting salty flavor.


texts: How to adjust baking time and temperature for volume?

texts:
I have a recipe for a round honey cake, I want to halve the amount and bake in a loaf pan. Or, the other way round - I have a recipe for a loaf pan, I want to double the amount and bake in a round pan.

How do I adjust baking time and temperature?

Note: this question refers to a tube pan, and thus doesn't answer my question, because the chimney in the middle makes things different. This one talks about a taller cake, where mine keeps the height more or less the same, changing width instead. And this one suggests testing internal temperature, which might be OK for someone advanced enough to bake bread at home, but me - I don't have the tools. I just want a simple honey cake for Rosh HaShannah.


texts: Why does freezing vegetable shortening alter its appearance?

texts:
I got large container of vegetable shortening that I wasn't going to open right away, so I stuck it in bottom of the freezer (-14 F) to keep it from going rancid.  I never really needed it, so I ignored it for the next four years.  I pulled it out yesterday and let it thaw.

The first thing I noticed is that it's more translucent than fresh shortening.  It looks just like paraffin wax, but it's still soft like shortening.  The smell and flavor are identical to fresh shortening.  The can still had the factory seal until I opened it yesterday, so it's unlikely that it got contaminated with anything.  What caused the change in appearance?


texts:
I am currently planning to make my own energy gel, for which I will need some form of carbohydrate source, in my case honey. I will appreciate if you can tell me another carbohydrate "agent" that I can easily flavour.

Now I am a person that doesn't like the taste of honey, no matter which one I try I do not like it.

How do I remove the flavour of honey?


texts: How do I prepare ground flaxseed for consumption? (If needed at all)

texts:
I haven't prepared or eaten flaxseed before. I just purchased a bag from Sprouts Farmers Market in their bulk section. The flaxseed appears to already be ground up. Do I need to wash or cook/heat these before consumption?

Also, is it true they contain cyanide? I can't find anything in wikipedia about this.


texts: Why does Phillips Crab taste like chemicals, unlike M&S's Orkney Crab that tastes natural?

texts:
BC supermarkets  stock only Phillips Food for  picked crab meat. Thrifty Foods sell them in plastic cylinders:

To me, Phillips's crab always tastes wacky, like chemicals. Does anyone taste this or know why?
In England, I stumbled on White and White & Brown Orkney Crab at M&S Foodhall. It tasted truly crabby, delicious and fresh, unlike Phillips. Why?


texts: Is it safe to eat venison tartare from an animal that was harvested in the wild?

texts:
I recently watched a cooking show on how to prepare venison tartare.  There was an explanation given by the host stating that the venison was acquired at a local deer farm.  There was no mention regarding meat that was harvested in the wild.

Deer farming keeps the deer in a controlled environment where their diet is controlled as well as the deer receiving the proper vaccinations.

Since wild deer don't have a controlled environment or vaccinations, would it still be safe to eat raw meat from deer harvested in the wild?


texts: How can we differentiate between fried rice, pulav and biryani? As these three rice dishes look similar, are there any differences between three of them?


texts: Can I fry my frozen Maitake pieces with other fresh mushrooms?

texts:
I was given a bag of frozen Maitake pieces and read online that they are best cooked without prior defrosting.

Can I throw into the skillet a handful of fresh shitake or oyster after awhile?


texts:
I've been trying to top my homemade bagels with poppy seeds but haven't had much luck getting them to stick.

The instructions I've found says to boil the bagels first, then sprinkle seeds on top after boiling (before baking). The problem is that almost all of the seeds just fall right off, and the ones that do manage to stay on in the oven are not well attached and come off later (e.g. while cutting the bagel).

I've tried putting some poppy seeds on a plate and rolling the boiled bagel around, but it doesn't really seem to be much better. Plus, handling the bagel too much before baking causes it to deflate.

I've used a few recipes to make the bagels, some call for adding baking soda to the water and some call for malt extract powder.

Anyone have any advice? Some bagel shops manage to get poppy seeds absolutely covering the bagel, so there must be some trick...


texts: How long will a shooter's sandwich keep?

texts:
A shooter's sandwich is intended to be eaten a long time after it is made. I understand that it originated, pre-refrigeration, as a meal that could be prepared the night before and taken on a hunt the next day. This recipe recommends keeping it in a cool place for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight.

I am wondering how safe it is.

Could I prepare it late on Dec 30th, refrigerate it overnight, and then take on a camping trip for New Year's Eve, and still enjoy it (as a hangover cure) on New Year's Day, 36 hours after cooking it, without risking my stomach (as well as my liver)?

Or is that just looking for trouble?


texts: My iron tawa pan is flaking, how do I fix it?

texts:
I don't think my pan is cast iron which is why I am posting this here. I revived my cast iron pan and it performs beautifully. I use the cast iron pan for doas/pancakes.

The iron pan is lighter but defintely made of iron and does not have a non stick coating on it. It is commonly used in india for cooking flatbreads. I bought it at a local shop a few years ago. It looks very similar to this.

When I cook rotis/flatbreads on it, it flakes. Little black bits come onto the bread.

My method of cooking is this.

Heat pan.
Place flatbread on it for a while.
Flip it, brush some oil on cooked side.
Flip again, brush some oil on other cooked side, keep away.

If I brush oil directly on the pan, it smells weird.

I scrape and wipe the flakes off with a piece of cloth when it gets bad. But yeah, this pan has a huge flaking problem. What's causing it?


texts: What is meant by "neutral" oils? Conversely, what would make an oil not neutral? When is it important that the oil be neutral (or not)?


texts: How can I concentrate citrus juice at home?

texts:
I used to make no-bake pies as a kid that consisted of whipped topping, condensed sweetened milk, and frozen lemon- or lime-aid concentrate (thawed) mixed together and poured into a graham cracker pie crust then chilled to set.

The recipe I learned called for a small can of frozen concentrate, a can of sweetened condensed milk, a 12-16 ounce container of whipped topping and a 9 inch pie crust.  But lately all I can find are large cans that result in a runny pie filling that doesnt set well.

I would like to try with homemade lime or lemon concentrate but how would I go about concentrating the juice?


texts: I have a recipe that calls for toasted chopped pistachios. I'm wondering if I should toast them whole and then chop them up, or toast them chopped?


texts: Is white cabbage that has turned rose-colored still safe to eat?

texts:
We sliced and grated some white cabbage three days ago and left it salted and completely covered in a plastic container. It has since then turned rose-colored. The top layer was pretty dry when I opened it tonight. We had it on our journey and the weather has been pretty cold these days.

The big question: is it bad now? I mean, it didn't taste differently, there was no fermentation... Anybody have a clue if it's still safe to eat? We like to travel around and want to eat some of the cabbage mixed with salad cream in the next few days... So it's only salted and cut right now and completely airtight covered in a plastic container.


texts: How can I mask or reduce the taste of coconut oil? Perhaps a spice of some sort?

texts:
I love it for its health benefits and I can't eat most other oils in higher amounts, but my meals are very fatty (and I intend to keep that that way), so that means a lot of coconut oil. However it's hard to eat the meals sometimes, while if I was to add butter - it would taste amazing (but I cannot eat butter or ghee unfortunately).

I know that one way is to use refined oil instead, but I'm not going to do that due to many health-related reasons.

So besides that, is there a way to reduce or mask the taste of coconut oil somehow? Some spice perhaps?


texts: Green tomato soup calls for creme fraiche. I cannot have creme fraiche. If I add heavy creme will it be ok?

texts: I want to make green tomato soup but the recipe I have calls for creme fraiche. I cannot get creme fraiche. Will using heavy cream as a substitute smooth out the sourness of the green tomatoes and still be pleasant tasting? I prefer a little sweet to tart tasting anyway.


texts: I am planning on making a pie for my dad for father's day. I know when you buy most pies at the grocery store, you have to pop it in the oven for a few minutes to heat it up. Is it possible to do a similar thing with a homemade pie - bake the whole pie (not just the crust) most of the way one day, and then finish it off the next? I don't want to fully bake it and then heat it in the oven because I am afraid it will burn or overbake, but I also don't want to underbake it and have it go bad.


texts: Freshly ground coffee, how fresh should it be?

texts:
I 'know' that freshly ground coffee is the best there is (within the quality of the beans, that is).

The question is whether this is true. Freshly ground coffee smells great, but does that affect the flavor after brewing? How long do these volatile flavors or smells last before the coffee goes 'stale'.

Can anybody (experts) taste the difference between freshly ground and brewed or not so freshly ground coffee? If so, what differences can be observed?

Edit as per talon8's link:

Freshly ground: brighter acidity, richest flavor.
9 hours: very similar to the freshly-ground coffee, although a bit mellower; less “bright” notes.
24 hours: some of the fruity flavors have faded; a bit less flavor in general.
7 days: duller, significantly less flavor overall.

To the people that notice the difference in taste, do you agree with these observations?


texts: I just got a Presto 6qt. Pressure Cooker. Its manual states that I shouldn't cook split peas in it; does that include split mung beans or dal, or does it refer only to "green peas?"


texts: If I leave brie in my fridge for two weeks, will it still taste as good?

texts: Can you refrigerate Brie cheese for about two weeks unopened and expect it to still be as good? I have a round of it and it does not smell or anything. I kept it at a certain temp.


texts: Cooking "steak tips" on the grill - how to avoid making them tough?

texts:
Recently we bought some "steak tips" from a local farm, and cooked them on our grill and were very unhappy about the result - they were very tough, although the flavor was ok. I wanted to see if someone could see my mistake (I have lots of broiling / pan frying steak experience, but very little on the grill).

These steak tips (which I'm assuming were "beef flap") were like 6" long, 3" wide and 1/2 - 1 " thick. First time, no marinade. They came frozen, so we thawed them in cool water.
Preheat the gas grill to over 500 F.
Throw the steaks on
Cook 2 minutes a side, flipping frequently (as per Cook's Illustrated's advice).
Cooked to ~130 F in the middle, which was cool pink to hot pink, roughly what we like. (different sized steaks were done slightly differently of course).
Tent for 5 minutes in foil.

And they were very tough. Second time I tried an overnight marinade, and also attempted to slice the steaks across the grain (which is how we prepare skirt steak), and they were still very tough.

I've seen lots of advice, which is mostly where I came up with this basic procedure. Where did we go wrong?

(I'm hoping for some advice specifically about steak tips, but if my method is flawed I would like to know that as well!)


texts: I think this is a pretty basic question, but can I purchase cooked chicken breast from the deli at the local supermarket then freeze it?  Would it be unsafe in any way to unfreeze it later to eat?  Would I have to bring it up to 165 degrees F when unfreezing it, or would it be safe to just defrost to around room temp and eat it then?


texts: How is Botan (the Japanese rice candy) made?

texts: I was wondering if anyone might know how they make Botan Rice Candy? I have searched the web but no leads.


texts: Is it possible to resume baking brownies the day after?

texts: I was making brownies late last night and left it in for twenty minutes. Took the brownies out and left them on the oven top. I was going to test them for being done, but became otherwise occupied and simply forgot (but I did remember to cover it, so they're quite moist today). When I went to have one tonight I found that it's slightly under done-- it might need another 5 minutes in the oven. But I'm unsure if that's safe or if that will ruin the brownies.


texts: How to make apple chunks in apple pie stay intact?

texts:
I made an extremely delicious apple pie yesterday, with a puff pastry crust. The only problem was that by the time the pastry was cooked, the apple filling had turned to mush - the texture of apple butter or apple sauce.

I used fresh Bramley cooking apples from the tree in our garden, and cut them into what I thought were reasonable sized chunks... I added sugar and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves) but nothing else - no water or anything.

Should I have cut them into bigger chunks, or is there some other technique for ending up with solid chunks of apple in the pie rather than mush?


texts: When I roast a goose, I decant the fat, strain and freeze it. I typically get a pint or more. This seems to work well, I can chip off suitably-sized pieces from the frozen block and use them as necessary. But is this the best way to store it, and if so, how long can I leave it for in the freezer before it's no longer safe to use?


texts: How can I make curved gingerbread sheets for a gingerbread house?

texts:
I'd like to make a single cylindrical tower for my gingerbread house this year, about 8 inches in diameter and probably 6-8 inches tall.

This doesn't have to be made in one piece. I'm fine with building it out of 2-4 curved pieces and seaming them together.

What I do not want is to use many flat gingerbread pieces and end up with an octagon or dodecagon that "pretends" that it's round.

The goal of this is to find out a good method for making curved sheets of gingerbread by either shaping them while baking or after.

I'm planning to use Stella Park's recipe for gingerbread to be used for construction, which notes that it's soft (for cutting purposes) when removed from the oven, but I'm not sure if that's soft enough to try to shape after baking, too.


texts: What heat & fat do you use for fried mushrooms?

texts:
I like fried mushrooms with my steak.

What techniques should I use when cooking them?

What sort of fat (if required) should I use?

What heat is suggested?


texts: I've always heard that you should wait for water to boil before adding pasta/perogies/vegetables/etc.  What is the reason for this? Is it because it reaches boiling point faster?  If so, why?


texts: using somthing besides onion in recipies

texts: So I was a cook and now I can be and have to reshape how I cook I became highly allergic to onions about 4 months ago and I'm having a hard time replacing them in so recipes I have tryed garlic but its now the same what else should I try


texts: How do I cook a chicken to make it really really really soft?

texts: I ate a dinner one time, and this guy cooked the chicken so soft it almost melted in my mouth.  Now I want to know how to make that kind of chicken.  Because when you cook the chicken regularly it comes out rubbery. You know what I mean?


texts:
A few weeks ago I made a European-ish buttercream with roughly these ingredients:

4 large whole eggs plus two yolks;
~1.5 cups of white sugar;
~1T vanilla bean paste (I scraped out the rest of my jar);
5 sticks of salted butter (I like salted butter. Haters gonna hate.)

I beat it over a double-boiler until it was foamy, cooking it to at least 140F. Then I transferred it over to the stand-mixer, beat it until it was cool to the touch, added the butter bit by bit, and continued to beat it until soft and fluffy. It was perfect for my affogato cupcakes.

Half an hour ago, I made a lemon-polenta loaf, but I don't like powdered sugar glazes, so I thought I'd beat a bunch of lemon juice and lemon juice powder into some of the left-over vanilla buttercream living in my fridge. I did that, and the texture is weirdly reminiscent of mayonnaise. Not bad, just noticeable.

And when I thought about it, I realised it has all the necessary components. Eggs, oil (in this case just butter), and acid (about a tablespoon each of King Arthur lemon juice powder and fresh lemon juice). The eggs and oil were already emulsified, which seems to be the hardest part of mayonnaise-making, and I just beat the acid into my preexisting emulsion. Except for the vanilla and lots of sugar, it fits the definition (I think).

So my question is, could I, in fact have turned my fancy buttercream into mayonnaise? Or is this just a trick of texture? Is there any way I can tell for sure with a little I save out? If it's not mayonnaise, then why not?

Corollary-type question: If this is mayonnaise, would there be anyway to make a tart European-ish buttercream without it turning into mayonnaise...?


texts: Can meat spoil outside the fridge if it's baked into bread as a filling?

texts:
I made some meat buns tonight (that is, buns with cooked chicken stuffed inside them before being baked), and I'm wondering if I should bother keeping the buns inside the fridge, because that would mean having to reheat them later.
Will the chicken inside them even go bad if the bread's there to protect it? It seems to me that the bread will act basically like a tin can and keep the meat preserved as long as the bread is, since the meat inside was heated and all the bacteria that might have been on it was cooked to death.
Is this a wrong way of thinking? Should I just refrigerate them just to be safe?


texts: I made Korean Gochujang with the following ingredients: Fermented White Miso Paste, Gochugaru (Fine powdered chili flakes), Sugar, Water, Salt and Vinegar. I cooked all ingredients except for the salt and vinegar which I added after the mixture almost boiled. I will be giving this away to my family and friends who live far away. Shipping will be around 1-2 weeks. My questions is how long will it last specially if they don't have access to refrigerators?


texts: I baked cookies last night and they came out rather crumbly. It felt like I put in quite a lot of flour - would that affect the crumbliness?


texts:
I have been trying to improve my skills in the kitchen by watching some professional chefs on television, I have a serious problem though, many of the recipes they describe contain different kinds of cheese,  I can get cheddar easily but after several disasters I have discovered that I can not replace some of the hard to get cheese discussed in some recipes with cheddar, to my surprise there are even different varieties of cheddar.

Could someone point me to a comprehensive easy to follow cheese guide for beginners? I would prefer a PDF document I can freely download and print. the guide should contain the different types of cheese, their characteristics and what they are best used for I will then use this to try and make substitutions.


texts:
I am following Tony Gemignani's recipe for Pizza dough. For making a dough with a starter, he suggests making a Biga (which he calls "Tiga", link follows). Once the mixture is ready, he asks to let it ferment at room temperature for 18 hours. A few questions:

There is a connection between time, amount of yeast, temperature. Given that "room temperature" is not an exact measure, I guess that there should be some other measure of "when the starter is ready" and not specifically that 18 hours have passed.
18 Hours is really an inconvenient amount of time. If I start the Biga before going to work, that means I have to put it in the fridge in the middle of the night. If I start it later in the evening - I might be at work when it's time to put it in the fridge. So that's a really inconvenient schedule. I would prefer to use my fridge which has a constant temperature and have more control over the process and schedule.

Any ideas?

Thank you so much!

Master dough with starter: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/master-dough-with-starter-51255340

Tiga:
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/tiga-51255350


texts:
Farmers markets and CSA's are great, but there doesn't seem to be a local market for grains.

Where could a person go to purchase grains (for human consumption) besides the supermarket and online?


texts: If a recipe calls for 8 whole cloves of garlic, does it mean 8 whole garlics? Or does it mean 8 of the wedges?


texts:
What options do the best cooktops (or complete gas stoves) have to regulate gas flow in cases of variable gas source pressure?

For example, I don't want my cooking to be affected when the furnace in my house switches on (which would reduce the gas flow to my stove if it simply used a partially-open mechanical valve).

I could imagine an expensive cooktop with some feedback mechanism to make sure gas flow is constant, or even to maintain some measured temperature, but I have never seen such a thing.  Is feedback ever used?


texts:
In light of the question Are chillies hotter when they're ripe?, in particular – @ElendilTheTall's answer. I am wondering if chilies continue to ripen after picking?  If so, does capsaician continue to build up.

What is the 'peek of freshness/ripeness' for chilies? (assuming it is different for each type of pepper, but are there 'commonalities' to look for?)


texts: Can I approximate stock using gelatin, MSG and water?

texts: From looking at different sources about stocks and broths, I understood that the main goal of simmering the bones for a long time is to extract as much gelatin and glutamate as we can from them. So I was wondering if it would be possible to approximate stock by just boiling water with appropriate amounts of gelatin and MSG. Would this work? Maybe I could boil the aromatics like mirepoix in the water along with the aforementioned ingredients. If there is any research into this subject I'd be glad if anyone could share it with me.


texts: Are British curd, Cottage Cheese, Indian Chena the same thing?

texts:
Are these the same thing ?

British Curd - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curd
Cottage Cheese - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottage_cheese
Indian Chena - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhena


texts: How long can you freeze raw chicken before it seriously affects its taste?

texts:
The dramatic effects of freezing something almost always has an immediate impact on taste.  But it seems like the longer something is in the freezer the worse it tastes.  Recently, I found some months old raw chicken in the back of the freezer and it definitely tasted slightly strange.

So, beyond the initial freezing process, how long can you store frozen chicken before being frozen affects its taste?


texts: Is it possible to extract the allergens from shellfish?

texts: What exactly is it in shellfish that people are allergic to, and is it possible to extract those chemicals from them?


texts:
I roasted these two coconuts at 350℉ for about 15 min.

I was hoping it would make it easier to detach the meat from the shell but it didn't so much. I peeled it but I struggled with a butter knife. Is there a way to cook it differently to make it easier to peel or is there a better tool than a butter knife?


texts: What is the difference between tomato juice and passata?

texts:
As far as I am aware passata is obtained by crushing tomatoes and then sieving the result without heating. That sounds an awful lot like juice to me. What is the difference (if any) between passata and tomato juice? Under what circumstances could they be substituted for each other?

Pubs often sell small bottles of tomato juice so on camping trips etc I suspect it may be easier to get tomato juice than passata, although it hasn't been necessary yet.


texts: How to make central/south american "arroz con pollo"

texts:
In Belize, Peru, and the Dominican Republic I absolutely loved the perfectly moist and delicious arroz con pollo. Always flavorful and simple, it was my fall back anywhere I was anytime I was too tired to try something new.

Can anybody here share with me the way to make this simple delicious style, my wife knows how to make it with a tomato base mexican style the way she grew up with it, but as we've had it without the tomato base she's not sure what to do to get that same moist light delicious flavor.

We searched for recipes, but all of them were the mexican tomato base kind. Please help anyone who has had this same dish I'm referring to.

To be more specific, I'm looking for the various types of ingredients used for flavoring this dish around central/south America, not a specific recipe. I am rather interested to the variety of ways this dish is seasoned when made without a tomato base.


texts: Please suggest a substitute for espresso powder which is not made from coffee

texts:
I see Espresso Powder frequently in chocolate-based baking recipes. I've done some searching here (and elsewhere online) for potential substitutes, but have only been able to find other coffee-based substitutions.

For religious reasons I would like to avoid coffee products. To clarify - caffeine is not the issue, but rather the coffee bean itself.

What are some effective substitutes for espresso powder in chocolate-based baking recipes (e.g. brownies) that do not contain the coffee bean?


texts: Why does my horchata have too much sediment?

texts:
I've tried a few times to make horchata.

My process is as follows:

Put 1 cup of long grain rice, one cinnamon stick, and 4 cups of water in the blender.
Blend briefly to break up.
Let soak for 3+ hours.
Blend thoroughly.
Strain through a fine mesh strainer.
Sweeten and chill.

The flavor is fantastic but there is a large quantity of rice sediment and the texture overall is gritty.

This sediment is fine enough to pass through my muslin so I don't think more straining will help much.

What do I need to do to improve the texture of my horchata?


texts: I've done sushi a couple of times, successfully I must stress, and while in sainsbury looking for it I came across the pudding rice which looks exactly the same as the more expensive sushi counterpart. I found another thread here What is the best rice for sushi? saying essentially the same thing, but not many people posted in it, so I was wondering if anybody else has tried it. Any idea?


texts:
I bought about 1.2kg of frozen raspberries with the intention of using them yesterday, but it turns out I won't need them for another couple of weeks.  I had let them thaw but have put them in the fridge since I realised my mistake.

Am I able to refreeze the berries or should I find some immediate use for them?

What are the risks / consequences if I do refreeze?


texts: I am fermenting pickles in a glass jar, using a brine of 1 TBS salt to a glass of water and a bit vinegar. Should I place the jar in a sunny location or in the shade?


texts: How to grease a parchment paper for SugarVeil?

texts: How can I  grease a parchment paper, for making SugarVeil? Because I want to do my own SugarVeil design. I already tried it with butter for greasing, but after lace is dry, it stick on the parchment paper & can't roll out.