Should I trust my Instant Pot or my ThermPro digital thermometer for temperature? I cook sous vide in my Instant Pot Ultra (which lets you set a precise temperature), but when I check the water temperature with my digital thermometer, it is a few degrees off (I believe the thermometer reads 3-4 degrees higher). This temperature difference can change how done meat gets, so which which one should I trust?  My instinct is to trust the thermometer, since it was made for a single purpose, but is that right? Should I trust the instant pot instead because it's more expensive?  Which would likely have a more accurate thermometer?

Your digital thermometer may come with a calibrate function where you place it in either ice cold or boiling water and adjust accordingly. Once you have done this, compare the temperature with your IP and this should show you which is the most out (if recalibrating has been required).

https://www.foodrepublic.com/2011/04/04/how-to-calibrate-your-food-thermometer


Increasing the earthy flavor of beets? I enjoy the "earthy" flavor of beets -- I would like to know:

What way(s) of preparing beets result in the most earthy flavor?
And are certain types of beets known for tasting earthier?

Variety-wise there are many beet types, I have grown a few and I've found that red beet varieties have earthier flavors rather than golden ones. Larger beets of the same variety tend to be less sweet and more earthy than smaller ones.  I'm not going to weigh in anymore on varieties as I simply don't know, the gardening stackexchange site might be a better place for that question.

Cooking-wise if you want an earthy flavor then I'd suggest baking the beets as opposed to steaming them (don't boil them, ever) as the dry oven will help concentrate their flavor. Leave the skin on, then peel them once the cooking process is done. It isn't going to make a massive difference, but it should be noticeable depending on the variety.


What am I missing in my dishes (Indian Cuisine) I am rookie in cooking. Whatever i try to cook I am not getting any taste in it it just has the raw taste. I add chilly powder, turmeric powder etc .

But I always miss the quantity . May be i think i am adding the spices too little. Does it comes only with experience or is there any rough estimate of how much to be added..

The main reason why you are not getting the flavorful spicy flavors you expect from Indian Cuisines is not because of the quantity of your spices but rather the variety and quality.

Most Indian dishes will have much more than just chili powder and turmeric powder. Many dishes from this cuisine will contains different mixtures of: cardamom, ground peppercorn, chili powder, turmeric, coriander, cumin, fennel, mustard, nutmeg, allspice, tamarind, cinnamon, cassia, garlic, star anise, and cloves just to name a few.

Often times all of these ingredients are whole and ground into powder at the time of cooking to retain the maximum flavor. After the spice has been ground into a powder it loses its flavor as time passes.

A common technique to help release the aromatics from these spices is to heat up and toast the spices in the pan beforehand.

If you don't have the time or the money to deal with all these fresh spices, at the very minimum you should try to buy curry powder rather than turmeric powder at the store. Curry powder typically contains a spice blend that includes turmeric and few of the other spices I listed above. Ingredients of curry powder will differ from brand to brand.

I am unable to help you with how much spice to add to a dish because it varies way too much upon what type of dish you are making and personal preferences.


Do unopened bottles of Gin and Campari turn bad in extreme heat? just got back from a trip with 2 new bottles of campari and gin, then forgot them for 24 hours in the trunk of my car, in a hot day (30C degrees) :(

Should I just throw them away? or are they still good?

It won't turn bad, in fact it may make it last longer. You may have madeira-ized it (see below)

Madeira wine is known for it's extended "shelf life" after opening because of it's unique process of being heated to as high as 60 degrees C (140 F).

You may find that in the Campari some of the sugar may have crystalised. This may slightly affect the flavour, but it most certainly won't make it turn bad.


How do I avoid a burnt underlayer with pressure cookers? I use my pressure cooker a fair bit but sometimes I struggle in translating a regular recipe to it and I get a charcoaled underlayer at the bottom of the pressure cooker.  Some of the time the rest is still edible, sometimes it has to be thrown away.

For example, with a split pea soup recipe I ended with some extremely burnt bottom layer which gave a nasty chemical smell that took a while to clear from the apartment.  Obviously the whole thing had to be thrown out.

Not all recipes will necessarily turn out well in a pressure cooker, I get that, but at least I would like to find ways to minimize this particular problem.

I guess I should watch cooking duration and also turn down the heat once the pressure's up.  But ideally I would like something that kept the ingredients from contacting the bottom of the pan and allow only water to circulate there.  Does something like steam wok bottoms exist for pressure cookers?

When we use a pressure cooker, we do so with separate pans inside the cooker - flat round tins, in our case - that can be kept off the bottom by adding something underneath.  Or stack up cook several things at the same time, if the size allows.

I recall seeing these largish round metal rings like an inch high that I think were for that, or (inverted) small steel plate or bowl.  Since there's no (or little) direct contact the bottom doesn't overcook. I imagine some kind of rack or other insert would also work.


What direction must one stir molten chocolate? I vividly remember molten chocolate was supposed to be stirred in one direction; there was even a name for this procedure. My friend, who used to work (sales) at a large Belgian chocolate factory, told me that as far as he could remember this had to do with the 'shinyness' of the chocolate. When stirred in the wrong direction they'd lose a couple of hours to try and 'salvage' the batch (which was then used for lower-end products).

Sadly I forgot the name, because I always figured just googling it would shower me with results. However I can't find anything (except forum-posts that that confirm my recollection but don't give an answer other than 'who cares, it ends up in your stomach anyway').

So, what direction (clock-wise or counter-clock-wise), and how is this called again?

I see enough here: Rheological measurements of chocolate quality:

non-Newtonian liquid
non-ideal plastic behavior
time-dependent behavior
Thixotropic/non-thixotropic transition

To make me think that changing the direction in which you are stirring melted chocolate might easily cause changes in the properties of the melt that take a while to settle down.
However, if there were a "clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere" rule, or some such, that rule should appear in the cited tech literature. It does not, so there probably is no such rule.


Will unsealed fish in the freezer contaminate packaged food? My step dad put 3 unsealed fishes from the lake in the freezer.  I also have  sealed waffles and sealed hotdog meat in the freezer.  I want to make sure the package food is safe for my children to eat.

In the freezer, things are relatively safe, as pathogens will not multiply given the cold temperature.  So, as long as you remove the package with the waffles and toast, or remove the hotdog package and cook, you will be fine. There is a higher risk for pathogens to multiply on anything that the fish is resting on if you were to remove those items and warm them up slowly (thaw on the counter top, for example). There is also a risk of cross contamination if you have the handle the fish to move things about.  However, the more significant problem with not wrapping the fish is (a) it will dehydrate/become "freezer burned" thus limiting shelf life, (b) it will be a source of off-flavors for other food stored in the refrigerator/freezer, and (c) it will pick up off-flavors from the rest of your refrigerator/freezer.


How to cook sea bass fillet in foil in the oven from frozen I would like to cook a sea bass fillet from frozen and to cook it wrapped in foil, how should i do this? Because its frozen, how long should i have it in the oven for and at what temperature?

Simply make a tightly sealed parcel of the foil by doubling it and folding over the fish and sealing the edges. I'd include some knobs of butter and lemon slices, and some fresh ground pepper.

As for cooking time, that really depends on the thickness of the fillet. I would say around 20-25 minutes at 180°C/350°F as a guide, but you should make sure the fish is piping hot throughout and opaque white with no translucent bits.


Copper/Bronze Frying Pans? What are the downsides of using a copper or bronze frying pan as opposed to stainless steel or cast iron?

Downsides:

Copper is toxic. You have to get the inside lined with tin. Tin has a very low melting point and can melt during cooking. Even if it doesn't, it wears off with usage and the pan has to be lined again. I don't know how easy it is to find somebody who lines, but nowadays, it is not so common. Alternatively, you can buy a copper pan with a thin internal stainless steel shell, which doesn't need re-lining. You have to buy it from a good brand to be sure that what you get is mostly copper (as opposed to mostly stainless steel) and you lose the advantage of copper's great heat diffusivity.
Copper is a reactive metal, you can't put it in the dishwasher (although, it shouldn't need more maintenance than cast iron - it is just more problematic than stainless steel).
Copper is an expensive metal. Due to the low demand for copper pans, they are a niche product for people who want them very much, and this increases their price even more. Expect to pay €200 to 300 for a copper pan.
you can't use a copper pan on induction. You can use it on gas, but it will likely discolor/blacken.
copper is heavy. It has even higher density than cast iron (although the difference isn't that big).

Upsides:

Copper has some great heating qualities. In fact, it is the best metal for cooking (maybe silver is better, but I haven't heard of silver pans and don't have the numbers for it). It has five times the thermal conductivity of iron. The problem is, after you have taken all the relevant variables into account, you arrive at about the same specific heat per cubic centimeter as iron. So, when heated at a constant temperature, a pan of copper will give you the same heating evenness as an iron pan of the same thickness. If the heat changes, the copper pan will react much quicker, which is a good thing. The catch: I don't think anybody makes copper pans the same thickness as iron pans, and a thin copper pan will heat nowhere as well as a thick iron pan.

Example: look at this pan. This is a €220 copper pan, 2 mm thick. (Don't ever buy "copper" pans which don't tell you the thickness, they are mostly stainless stell with a thin copper coating on the outside). My €15 cast iron pan is 5 mm thick. It doesn't have the quick response of copper, but it should beat the thin copper pan in slow, even heating and heat retention.

The bottom line: I haven't tried a copper pan, but wouldn't do it because of the price, even though they might heat better than iron. If you want to invest the money, you are welcome to try them and tell us how it went. I have never heard of bronze pans outside of historical contexts, but I guess they will share the downsides of copper (except maybe being cheaper), and I would have to see the numbers for the heating qualities.


What percentage of my chicken legs are bone I usually buy chicken legs in a pack of four from the supermarket and the packet comes at 1000grams.

This would mean that each leg should be 250 grams.

I am trying to calculate how many calories are in each leg after I cook them. (I cook them on the bone without the skin in the oven)

I usually eat my chicken legs on the go so weighing them before and after I eat the meat is not an option.

I am not sure if my chicken legs would be considered small, medium or large and am trying to calculate the amount of calories I eat when I eat each chicken leg.

If anybody has any idea this would be of great help

27% is the percentage of raw bone in a chicken leg.

Source: Bone Percentage in Raw Meaty Bones


How to properly prepare a weeks worth of pasta and microwave it at work I've been making a pound of pasta on Sunday and eating for lunch at work throughout the week, where we just have a microwave.

The first time I did this, I cooked a jar of pasta sauce and combined both the sauce and the pasta in a big Tupperware. Before work I would transfer a portion to a smaller Tupperware and microwave it at work. The pasta I ate on Sunday was wonderful, but what I had at work was dreadful.

The second time I did this, I didn't cook any pasta sauce (except for what I ate that night), only the pasta. I brought the pasta and a jar of pasta sauce to work. At lunch I combined them and microwaved it which was marginally better than before. The next day I microwaved the pasta for 2/3 of the time, and then added the pasta sauce for the final 1/3 of the time. This was much better -- however, it is still nowhere comparable to the pasta I eat Sunday night when it comes straight off the stove.

Given I don't have a stove which I could reboil the pasta for a few minutes or to cook the pasta sauce, how should I consume my left over pasta to maximize its taste?

No leftover pasta is going to have the exact same quality as freshly prepared.

If you store the pasta with the sauce, it is going to continue to absorb moisture, and the texture will get softer, and the sauce will become thicker and reduced in volume due to the absorption of the water.

The thing is, if you are using jarred pasta sauce, it doesn't really need to be cooked (it was cooked as part of the manufacturing and canning process); it just needs to be reheated to be enjoyable.

Microwaves can also boil water, although you should be very careful due to the risk of superheating.  I suggest getting a small electric kettle if one is not already available.

Bring water up to a boil in the electric kettle (its faster and easier than doing it in the microwave, and doesn't have the risk of superheating).   Pour the hot water into a microwave safe container, and add one portion of uncooked pasta.  Stir for a few seconds to dissolve the surface starches and prevent sticking.   Microwave on high, covered, until it is almost done to your liking.   It doesn't have to stay at a full boil ; anything above 180 F / 82 C will do.  It also does not require a huge volume of water.  You may want to stir once or twice during the cooking period.

This is easiest with short pasta shapes like farfalle or penne, which easily can be cooked in a smaller container.  Even long pasta like spaghetti will work if you break it in half and allow it to soften so that it all goes into the water--and very thin pasta like angel hair or cappelini will cook more quickly.

When it is almost done, drain it, add the cold sauce, and microwave a little more to heat the sauce through and finish off the pasta.

You will need to experiment to learn the best times (the pasta may cook somewhat more slowly than the stovetop method), but this method is extremely effective.

It will take  longer than just reheating food, so be courteous to your co-workers in choosing when to do it, to prevent workplace strife.

Note:  this method can be employed without the electric kettle.  If you are going to bring the water to a boil in a microwave, take steps to prevent super-heating, by leaving a wooden chopstick, popsicle stick, or similar in the water to provide nucleation points.


Good video on separating eggs Could anyone point me to a good video on cracking an egg and then separating the white and the yolk?  I need to improve my technique.  For every few eggs that I crack I end up with little bits of egg shell in the white that I then have to pick out.

I find the site startcooking.com particularly useful for some quick videos that are narrated clearly, photographed neatly, and generally are better in quality than those found on Youtube.

Here is the video at that site: http://startcooking.com/video/295/Crack-and-Separate-an-Egg

That said, there are many such videos on Youtube that might be useful also:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-OwbEy-Vxk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAGX-54iR30
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04jY7A1yy_g


How do you clean cheesecloth? Do you only rinse it with water and accept stains? Boil it? Soak it in bleach? Put it in the washing machine? Put it in the dishwasher? Are they disposable?

For real cheesecloth, I throw it in the washing machine, with my clothes. It doesn't get sterile, but it gets clean enough that I don't worry about it becoming rancid. Rinsing it alone wouldn't suffice if you've been using it to strain fatty foods, like yogurt or cheese.

For the cheap "cheesecloth" that sold in the cleaning sections of grocery stores, that would shred to threads if you tried to clean it. It's cheap and disposable, so just throw it out.


Dissolving xylitol in a raw, home-made chocolate I was doing a home-made, raw chocolate, made of:

raw cocoa powder
raw cocoa butter
xylitol, substituting sugar

The problem was that xylitol was not dissolving well in the butter. One could feel tiny grains of it in the chocolate and also during the process it slowly settled at the bottom of the melted chocolate. I'd say the same problem would exist with sugar, as they are water-soluble, not fat-soluble.

Is there a way/trick how to dissolve xylitol in chocolate properly?

I believe that sugars are usually suspended in chocolate by emulsion - emulsifiers, like soy lecithin, are sometimes commercially used and may improve sugar staying suspended in the chocolate - which may answer part of your problem, if you can find some to try it.

But I think the real answer to how sugar usually stays suspended in chocolate lies in mechanical emulsion, where sugar is mixed into chocolate and stays suspended in fine particles.  Commercial chocolate does so in the 'conching' stage of chocolate production - where the chocolate is mechanically ground very fine for hours or days, giving a minute particle size to both the cocoa solids and the sugar granules.

Homemade chocolate using cocoa powder and cocoa butter don't usually need conching, since the solids are already ground to a fine powder - but your xylitol may be slightly coarser and so is apparent in the mixed chocolate as a gritty texture.  Perhaps home chocolate making uses powdered sugar, or the sugar dissolves more easily into the chocolate butter, or in the mouth when tasting, I'm not sure.  I don't think you can add something to make your xylitol dissolve or distribute better, though, as it will probably make the chocolate seize.

You might try grinding your xylitol (with a mortar and pestle, or a spice grinder or what have you) till it becomes a fine powder - if there isn't already a finer grind available, which would be less work. This should also help with settling since the smaller particles will be lighter, although you might need to keep stirring until it's thick enough, or plan to cool quickly enough after it is poured, so that it doesn't have time to settle.


Is there a problem with defrosting meat on the counter? I generally defrost meat on the kitchen counter. A friend of mine suggested that this was dangerous and suggested that I defrost meat in the refrigerator. I am no biologist but it seems to me that as long as the meat doesn't get warm defrosting it on the counter should be safe.

Generally, I remove the frozen items from the freezer and place them on a plate on the counter in the packaging they were frozen in. When they are mostly / completely thawed I place the meat in the refrigerator.

Am I wrong and should I be defrosting in the refrigerator?

A lot of bacteria grows in the range of 40-100°F (4-38°C) (i.e. room temperature). It's definitely not recommended to defrost meat at room temperature. In fact, you are not supposed to leave meat at room temperature for more than an hour.

However, defrosting in the refrigerator can take a long time and require you to plan at least one day ahead of time. I'm not so good at this, which leads to a safe and fast solution: Defrost meat in a waterproof ziploc bag in cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes until defrosted. The water is a better  conductor of heat than air, so the defrosting is quite fast and the water is cold so there's minimal safety risk.

From the USDA:

  Uh, oh! You're home and forgot to
  defrost something for dinner. You grab
  a package of meat or chicken and use
  hot water to thaw it fast. But is this
  safe? What if you remembered to take
  food out of the freezer, but forgot
  and left the package on the counter
  all day while you were at work?

  Neither of these situations are safe,
  and these methods of thawing lead to
  foodborne illness. Food must be kept
  at a safe temperature during "the big
  thaw." Foods are safe indefinitely
  while frozen. However, as soon as food
  begins to defrost and become warmer
  than 40 °F (4 °C), any bacteria that may have
  been present before freezing can begin
  to multiply.

  Foods should never be thawed or even
  stored on the counter, or defrosted in
  hot water. Food left above 40 °F
  (unrefrigerated) is not at a safe
  temperature.

  Even though the center of the package
  may still be frozen as it thaws on the
  counter, the outer layer of the food
  is in the "Danger Zone," between 40
  and 140 °F (4 °C and 60 °C) – at temperatures where
  bacteria multiply rapidly.

  When defrosting frozen foods, it's
  best to plan ahead and thaw food in
  the refrigerator where food will
  remain at a safe, constant temperature
  – 40 °F (4 °C) or below.

  There are three safe ways to defrost
  food: in the refrigerator, in cold
  water, and in the microwave.

  Refrigerator Thawing Planning ahead is
  the key to this method because of the
  lengthy time involved. A large frozen
  item like a turkey requires at least a
  day (24 hours) for every 5 pounds of
  weight. Even small amounts of frozen
  food -- such as a pound of ground meat
  or boneless chicken breasts -- require
  a full day to thaw. When thawing foods
  in the refrigerator, there are several
  variables to take into account. Some
  areas of an appliance may keep the
  food colder than other areas. Food
  placed in the coldest part will
  require longer defrosting time. Food
  takes longer to thaw in a refrigerator
  set at 35 °F (2 °C) than one set at 40 °F (4 °C).

  After thawing in the refrigerator,
  ground meat and poultry should remain
  useable for an additional day or two
  before cooking; red meat, 3 to 5 days.
  Foods defrosted in the refrigerator
  can be refrozen without cooking,
  although there may be some loss of
  quality.

  Cold Water Thawing

  This method is faster than
  refrigerator thawing but requires more
  attention. The food must be in a
  leak-proof package or plastic bag. If
  the bag leaks, bacteria from the air
  or surrounding environment could be
  introduced into the food. Also, meat
  tissue can also absorb water like a
  sponge, resulting in a watery product.

  The bag should be submerged in cold
  tap water, changing the water every 30
  minutes so it continues to thaw. Small
  packages of meat or poultry – about a
  pound – may defrost in an hour or
  less. A 3- to 4-pound package may take
  2 to 3 hours. For whole turkeys,
  estimate about 30 minutes per pound.
  If thawed completely, the food must be
  cooked immediately.

  Foods thawed by the cold water method
  should be cooked before refreezing.


Crispy cold fried chicken James Beard rhapsodized about cold fried chicken, and I agree with him: not as good as fresh, but still the best thing at the picnic. Of course, if you pull the chicken out of the fryer, encase it in tupperware, and refrigerate it overnight, you'll end up with a soggy mess. Beard suggests allowing the chicken to cool at room temperature on a wire grille before refrigerating, to keep it from getting soggy.

I can confirm that this works decently well at preventing sogginess, but after refrigerating overnight, the coating is at best firm, nowhere near as crispy as it originally was. (This makes sense, of course: osmosis does not want you to have a dry coating on a moist drumstick.) How can I defy the laws of nature to achieve a durably crispy coating?

There’s a food processing trick, where producers use dextrin to keep the coating crisp for hours. You simply replace some of the flour (around 20%) in your recipe with dextrin and you’re good to go.

As the other answer mentions, multiple layers also helps creating a thick barrier to slow down moisture seeping into the coating. You can use dextrin in both layers.

Once you’ve adapted your recipe to use dextrin, frying followed by rapid cooling should give you a good result.


Pesto after doing a sauce or before? So I am cooking chorizo+squid pasta/stew and I think a little spoon of red pesto will be great addition to it.

I wonder should I put pesto while it's cooking or when sauce is ready?

Put the pesto in just as the sauce is done and as you're taking it off the heat. Generally, pesto does not benefit at all from cooking. By adding it to the sauce just as it is being pulled from the heat, it's temp will equalize with the sauce, without being cooked.

Are you planning to serve this over pasta? If so, drain the pasta (save some of the pasta water) while the pasta is still quite al-dente. Simmer and stir the pasta in the sauce for a minute or so. If it needs a bit of thinning out, add reserved pasta water. Only when it feels about ready to serve, add the pesto, again just as you remove it all from the heat.

If you are planning on cooking the pasta for a while in the sauce, as in soup, I encourage you to reconsider. I recommend that you make the sauce awesome. When the sauce just seems right, boil your pasta until al-dente (don't forget to salt). Add the pasta to the sauce, slowly, not too much, not too little. Use the reserved pasta water to get just the right consistency. Let it all simmer for a minute or two, let the pasta soak up the flavor. THEN, when it all looks great, add the pesto, stir, turn off the heat, and serve.


What to put underneath a polycarbonate sous vide bath container? I am using a polycarbonate gastro container for sous vide cooking. The water is relatively hot and I prolonged heat can damage the counter on which it is sitting.

What would be a good and cheap pad to put underneath my sous vide container to protect the counter? I am looking for something cheap and easily obtained, ideally also non-slippery.

A trivet is what you want.  Any store with cookery goods will probably have some.  They run from about five to well over thirty dollars depending on quality, effectiveness, fanciness, and decorative appeal.

I prefer the solid ones with feet for really hot pots or continuous heating.

I often successfully use one or more folded tea or bath towels or even a wooden plank (6" x 6", e.g.).


What is the quickest way to defrost a vegetable curry without a microwave? I use gas stove.

What is the quickest way to defrost a vegetable curry without a microwave?

Extract it from the container (run the container under the hot tap to loosen up the edges if necessary) and put it in a saucepan.

Add a little bit of liquid (water, juice from canned tomatoes, milk... whatever would go with the particular curry you have) just to cover the bottom of the saucepan so it isn't getting heated dry.

Put it on the stove on a medium heat.

Use a sharp, serrated knife to saw the "frozen lump" into smaller bits, being careful if you have a non-stick saucepan not to scratch the pan surface (you can saw half way through and then prise the halves apart carefully instead of sawing right through the lump).

Keep stirring and turning the lumps over so all sides are getting heated. As the lumps start to loosen up, keep sawing them up into halves.

Within 10-15 minutes all the lumps will be gone and you can make sure it's thoroughly heated through before serving.


Which preservatives/additives in ingredients can interfere with kimchi-style fermentation? This is not yet about a problem, I am trying to avoid wasting time and ingredients or creating unsafe conditions while experimenting.

Many vegetarian recipes for kimchi and kimchi-style fermented food suggest adding soy sauces and other similar flavourings instead of fish and fish sauces.

The thing is: Many such condiments have benzoates or other preservatives added, and the purpose of at least some of these is ... being antimicrobial, and not in the same manner as acids or salt are, more in a "let's make the microbes get sick and die so you don't" manner...

Now, an antimicrobial compound, even if diluted, could probably interfere with a fermentation process, maybe even in an unsafe way (shifting the balance towards something harmful gaining the upper hand).

Are there known rule of thumbs what will and will not cause such problems?

Chlorinated tap water.

The effect on the ferment may be negligible, but I've never bothered to test it, lest there be unwanted putrefaction.

Boil the water that you're going to use to make your brine, then add salt and let cool.  The chlorine should volatilize at the boil.


Baking side of pizza stone How do I tell which side of my pizza stone is the top side and is the side to bake a pizza on? I did not buy the stone but was given to me some years ago and I have not used it because I do not know which side I should put the pizza on and which side is not used to bake on.

Many pizza stones are double-sided, if so you can use either. If you have a big difference between the two surfaces then I suggest using the smoother one.

Pizza can stick like glue to a baking stone, if you liberally sprinkle fine cornmeal, or better yet medium ground semolina under the dough it will keep it from adhering to the surface.

Also be sure to pre-heat the oven a long time before baking to get the stone up to temperature. An inch of stone takes well oven an hour to be ready to bake on.


Cooking potato same day you dig up Could you cook and eat potatoes the same day you dig them up?

Absolutely! Right away if you like. And you may well notice they taste really nice when you do that. "New potatoes" - small, and not stored for long - are delicious.


Baked item that would catch on fire/smoke? This is an odd question. Are there any suggestions as to what baked items would catch on fire or smoke (possibly from being forgotten for a few extra minutes) and make a big mess?

I am researching baking information for a fiction story and have a baking disaster that needs to occur. I know alcohol and sugar will flame, but I'm uncertain if that would happen in a normally running oven.

Many thanks!

By far the main way you make a smoking mess in your oven is by baking something in too small a vessel, so that it boils over and burns on the bottom of the oven. The actual food can be pretty much anything you want, as long as it has liquid. (Similarly, baking a cake in a springform pan that leaks around the bottom will tend to cause messes.) If you want actual flames, I'm guessing something greasy would do it, but I've never been crazy enough to try it. Alcohol does burn too, but you'll get much stronger flames from a grease fire.

Alternatively, you can set a lot of things on fire by leaving them under the broiler too long. A minute or two? Nicely browned. Five or ten minutes? Charred - and there'll probably have been flames if it was flammable.


Can a pasta pot be used for cooking sauces? I am considering buying a pasta pot, such as the All-Clad 6807 SS Copper Core.  Can I remove the colander and just use the main body to cook tomato sauce?  Or can it only be used for water-based cooking?

"Pasta Pots" for the most part are just pots that come as a kit with a fitted colander and a lid which make cooking pasta easier. In 99% of cases they are not exclusive to cooking water based cooking methods, and for the rare exception it would be plainly marked on the packaging when you bought it (if you didn't look, check online for resources either from the retailer or manufacturer).


What is this plant that sometimes accompanies parsley? I frequently buy bunches of flat-leaf parsley. Every now and then I find one or two stems of a different-looking plant included. Here is an image, with normal flat-leaf parsley on the left. I remember it having a grassy, plausibly parsley-like smell, but nothing strong.

Is this some variant of parsley, or a different plant altogether?

I believe your mystery plant is....parsley.  This question was asked and answered here.
It appears that the best explanation is a leaf variant on the common cultivar "Italian Giant".  Having grown this cultivar in my home garden, I can attest to having personal experience with this leaf shape.  Chop it up and use it as you would the rest of the parsley.


Ginger vs Ginger Root Does anyone know if ginger root is the same as ginger?
I have a recipe with dried ginger but can only find dried ginger root.
Hopefully someone knows the answer

Ginger is a root. Ginger root is ginger.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger

"Ginger or ginger root is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice."

If you write ginger too many times it doesn't look like a word anymore.


Can powdered citric acid be used instead of baking soda? So I couldnt find baking soda anywhere, went to a shop and the guy gave me citric acid saying its the same thing? I bought it anyway but I want to know if its same because I use baking soda in face masks as well.

No, those are absolutely not the same thing. They're completely different compounds: baking soda is sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), and citric acid is C6H8O7. And they're not even similar chemically: baking soda is a base, and citric acid is (surprise) an acid.

Also, to help out in the future, Google is actually really good for questions like this. If you search for baking soda or citric acid, then along with the usual web results you should get a knowledge panel with a brief description, chemical formula, various other simple facts, and a link to the Wikipedia page.


If I vacuum seal a food product like beef stew then boil it in the bag, would it keep un-refrigerated? I'm wondering if after vacuum sealing something then boiling it, if that would act as sterilization allowing the product to remain safe without being refrigerated.

No, definitely not. It's not possible to safely preserve meat by boiling alone.

The only way to do this kind of thing at home is with a pressure canner, which lets you reach higher temperatures to properly kill everything dangerous.

See for example the NCHFP advice on canning meats.


Seasoning a granite mortar and pestle, with intuition for the steps and their order There are many procedures for seasoning a new unpolished granite mortar and pestle from Thailand.

Some sites recommend:

Wash without soap and dry completely
Crush garlic, maybe with salt and peppercorns. Let it sit for 30 minutes to 24 hours, then
rinse, and dry.
Add either wet or dry rice into the mortar and mash the rice to a paste/powder. Repeat until rice paste/powder remains white.

Another site recommends:

Rinse with clean water (no soap) and let it air dry.
Grind a small handful of white rice. Discard and repeat until the
rice grinds white.
Add 4 cloves of garlic, mash and muddle them together.
Then add 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of
pepper to the garlic. Grind it all together and discard.
Rinse once more (without soap) and allow to air dry.

Cooks Illustrated just recommend dry white rice.

What is the best way to do it? What is the logic for each step and the sequencing?

The rice, salt, peppercorns and garlic aren't hard enough to polish the granite.  There are hardness scales such as the Rockwell hardness scale and Mohs scale for minerals.

What you are really doing is grinding the granite pestle against the granite mortar. The purpose of having some material in the process is just to get the granite particles to mix into material being ground. The notion is avoid packing the ground off particles onto the surfaces of the mortar and pestle.


What is the difference between pancetta and bacon? I see pancetta next to the bacon at a local butcher and was wondering what the difference was between the two?

Bacon and pancetta are both made from pork bellies; the difference between them lies in how they’re prepared and cured. To make bacon, pork belly sides are brined and then smoked. Pancetta, the Italian version of bacon, is made by seasoning a pork belly side with salt and lots of pepper, curling it into a tight roll, and wrapping it in a casing to hold the shape. It’s cured, but it isn’t smoked.

From here.


Effect of adding whole egg or yolk to filo pastry? I had some success making filo pastry for apple strudel with a mixture consisting of flour, olive oil, lemon juice and white vinegar. The result was actually quite nice except the pastry was very delicate. I made the dough very thin using a pasta machine. I am wondering what would happen to the pastry if I used an egg. I am thinking it might be more crunchy... due to the egg introducing more protein fibers. What do you think?

In my personal experience, adding eggs to dough makes it softer, not crunchier. Adding an egg makes it an "enriched dough" that has the ability to hold onto moisture despite being baked.
Many apple strudel dough recipes include an egg or two in the dough, so you should just go for it.
Finally, while strudel dough is very similar to filo, it is not the same thing, which may be causing some confusion for you.  Per one baking blog:

So the difference is simple, it's the fat! In the Puff Pastry the butter is folded in, in the Strudel dough the oil is part of the dough from the beginning and the Phyllo dough is brushed with oil before being baked.

So per your question, strudel dough sometimes includes an egg, whereas filo (phyllo) never does.


Potable water chemical preservation I intend on making caffeinated water for personal consumption, in batches large enough that it will take several months to consume them, using containers which are not hermetically sealed, and for which it is not practicable to refrigerate. What would my options be as far as preservatives?

Commercial caffeinated water products i've bought use sodium benzoate, but I can't seem to find information on how much to use. I am also interested in the possibility of using citric acid, but again i'm not sure what pH level I would be looking for. If it matters I do have a lab grade balance (Sartorius Entris 64-1S) which would be capable of measuring sub-milligram amounts and a dispenser to match.

It seems to me that the risk of adding soduim benzoate, while small, is higher than adding no preservative at all. I doubt you really need any type of preservative.  If you begin with impeccably clean bottles...perhaps sanitized the way a home brewer might sanitize beer bottles (using iodine or other sanitizing product), and work cleanly, I don't see a safety risk here. Use a known clean water source.  You could also decrease your worries further by using distilled water, but the taste might not be agreeable.  It seems like the biggest potential problem is that you might grow some algae.

Now, I don't quite understand your comment above where you state that a 16oz container would contain a hundred or so servings.  If you intend on taking a swig, and re-capping the bottle...well, every time you do that you introduce bacteria into the equation. Additional potential problems arise if you were sharing that bottle with others.  This, of course, could be remedied by pouring your dose into a cup.


How to smooth a wooden rolling pin My wooden rolling pin has a rough patch on it due to the grain of the wood. When I roll out pastry with it, the pastry tends to stick to the rolling pin at that point and lift. Is there anything I can do to get a smooth surface all over the rolling pin or will I have to buy a better one?

Woodworker and cook here. Here's something that might work (without having seen the actual problem). You'll need some 220, 320 & 400 sandpaper,  alcohol and shellac (which is food safe).  Create a small amount of thinned shellac by mixing it with the alcohol. Next use the alcohol to raise the grain in the affected area. It'll create little nibs that'll stick above the surface of the rolling pin. Use a thin coat of the shellac to 'freeze' the nibs and sand lightly to remove them and the shellac. Start with the 220, lightly sanding and work up to the 400 after the shellac has dried (it's  fast). You may have to repeat this a couple of times. Keep going until you can't feel the problem area any longer.

It might be easier to just buy a new one,  but things are always better when you've got some sweat equity in them. Plus now you've got a story.


Black paint chipping of electric grill: is it still safe? My electric grill, without the heating element looks like this:

There is black paint chipping away and also, what appears to be rust.

I was planing to convert it and use it as a charcoal grill, but am wondering if the rust and especially the paint or whatever that is could be unsafe?

The rust is going to be harmless, except to the extent that the grill will eventually corrode all the way through and the coals fall on the surface underneath.

It's not possible for anyone on SA to tell if the paint will be harmful; you would have to get it tested.  Once you fill that tray full of hot coals, some of the remaining paint will almost certainly burn away, and whether or not that results in harmful smoke really depends on what it's made from, and how much actually burns.

FWIW, that looks too shallow to make a good charcoal grill, regardless, and it's likely that the steel is thinner than you'd want as well -- likely to warp or even crack. You'd probably be better off finding a secondhand charcoal grill.


Bread crusty outside and super soft inside I want a crusty bread from outside and super soft almost like a croissant inside. What flour should I use?

You need steam.  For the first 10 to 15 minutes of the bake put a tray of water (about a cup full) in the bottom of the oven.  Alternatively cover the loaf with some form of loose dome to trap in the moisture from the bread, again only 10 to 15 minutes then uncover.

Leave the steam for too long and the crust will get leathery.


My cake batter always comes out sticky. Is this normal? When I was growing up, mum's cake batter was always smooth with a consistency like honey -- enough to pour in to the caketin. Now I'm living out on my own, I'm cooking for myself, including cakes. But my cake batter is much stiffer and thicker than I remember mum's being: I always have to scoop mine into the caketin; it won't pour. Now, I don't recall what method she used, but I'm using the creaming method. The cake still bakes just fine. But am I doing something obviously wrong?

Again assuming you're using the same recipe...

I don't think you need to leap to different kinds of flours as in mrwienerdog's answer. You could be using the same type (probably all-purpose) and even the same brand, but purchased and stored somewhere else; it'll end up with a different moisture content, and perhaps fluffed differently, so your volume measurements might not actually end up getting you the same amount of flour.

If you're trying to follow her recipe exactly, there's really no harm in simply reducing the flour a bit to get the texture you remember.


Making stroopwafels with a pizelle iron Last year we spent our honeymoon in Holland and Belgium, and so for Christmas this year I wanted to surprise my wife with 2 types of cookies we were introduced to while we were there - stroopwafels, and mergpijpen. Every recipe I find for the stroopwafels requires that they be sliced in half after baking in a pizelle iron or a shallow waffle iron. However, our pizelle iron makes cookies so thin that I seriously doubt that they can be cut.

Can anyone provide any insights on whether the "cut in half" step is necessary?

I did some reading and checked several recipes. First, while all pizelle irons cook thin waffles, there does appear to be a difference in thickness from one iron to another.

From the recipes I looked at, the following information and suggestions were given:

In order split the pizelles in half, you must split them immediately upon removal from the iron, before they have had a chance to harden.
If your pizelle iron makes the thinnest waffles and it is impossible to split them you can put the filling between two waffles.

Also, regarding the comments about the hardness of stroopwafels, it seems that it is customary to sit them on top of a hot cup of coffee or tea for some seconds to soften them.

I haven't had the opportunity to try these but they sound delicious. I may try my hand at them soon. :)


Where can I buy bulk wild meat in Montreal? I've been to marché atwater and they said that usually they have in stock in the winter. But one of the stores had Bison but it wasn't totally wild but still was walking in the forest.
I want to increase my wild meat intake but is seems so hard to find. Where can I buy it?

From what I have gathered searching for an answer to this question, caribou, seal, and hare are the only actual wild game meats that can be purchased in Canada. Due to low demand, hare and seal may be very difficult to find, even in-season. All other "game meat" including "wild" boar, venison, bison, and rabbit is farm-raised and butchered. There is no farmed moose in North America. A recent  web article from the CBC, makes it seem like there may soon be a chance to find some trapped wild game on a limited number of Montreal menus, but not necessarily in stores anytime soon.

In the US we have similar restrictions that may vary slightly state-to-state. The venison, bison, ostrich, turkey, pheasant, and quail available for purchase is all farm-raised and often imported from other countries. Wild boar from Texas, though, may be wild/feral and is trapped by permitted individuals and butchered at USDA approved facilities. USDA regulations require ante- and post-mortem inspection, meaning that the animals must be delivered to the slaughterhouse alive. These regulations limit the number of domestic wild boar available, even though we have a huge wild hog problem throughout the South, California, and Hawaii.

It seems that the only way to get actual game meat is to be a hunter or know a hunter who is willing to share the fruits of their labor.  In my experience, many hunters don't know what to do with large portions of the meat, and just grind almost everything but the loin and tenderloin into burger. It might be easier to get some of those tougher cuts from the front and hind limbs, especially if you offer to share some stew, a slow roasted shoulder, or some braised neck medallions.

Sources:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/410204
http://forums.egullet.org/topic/37573-wild-game-restaurant-in-montreal/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g155032-i51-k7231237-o20-Serving_wild_game-Montreal_Quebec.html

Place to try contacting:

Boucherie De Paris Enr, 5216 Avenue Gatineau, Montréal (514) 731-6615
Volailles Et Gibiers Fernando, 106 Roy E, Montréal (514) 843-6652
Also Kivalliq Arctic Foods in Nunavut (867) 645-3137, see if they can cold-ship it to you


How do they make Mexican vanilla extract? I would like to make 'Mexican Vanilla' extract.  I have used it for years and now would like to make it.

You can find many instructions on the web for how to make your own vanilla extract, such as this one from Beanilla.  As Derobert mentions, it is essentially just soaking the beans ins spirits long enough for the flavors to infuse.  The beans you buy will determine the flavor profile.  To make Mexican vanilla extract, you would buy pods imported from Mexico.

Regarding commercial products:

If you are speaking of pure, genuine vanilla extract of the type legal for import in the US, then Mexican vanilla extract is the same as any other.

Such vanilla is subject, in the US at least, to the FDA standard for identity for vanilla extract, and so cannot vary from this model.  It is made, usually, by soaking vanilla beans in an alcohol/water solution, although there are alternate methods permitted.   Several minor ingredients such as sugars or glycerine are permitted, but if used, must specified on the label.

On the other hand, there are products available in Mexico that are not true vanilla.  These are made from extracts of the tonka plant, and contain a substance, coumarin, that is not permitted in foods in the US, as it is a blood thinner and can cause bleeding.   The FDA says:

  Be wary about buying products labeled "Vainilla" or "Extracto de Vainilla" in Mexico and other Latin American countries. Look for "vanilla bean" in the ingredient list on the label. If it has "tonka bean" or if there is no ingredient list or a vague one, do not purchase this product.


Maximum time for rising in a breadmaker I have a Panasonic SD253 breadmaker. The function chart shows 2hr 55min - 4hr 10min rising times available for the French Bake program.  How do I make sure it rises for the full 4hr 10 mins?

Take a peek of the dough every 1/2 hour.

If you see in a certain peek it's lower than the last time you saw it, it has fully risen and is starting to fall.

The dough should be about to reach it's rising limit before it begins to be baked, but not pass it. You can change the dough's rising speed changing the amount of yeast from your recipe, or controlling the dough's temperature, among other ways.


Preheating Onida convection microwave oven I am using Onida's microwave oven. There is no option to preheat on that. Please give me some advice how should I bake things without preheating the oven.
It's a 20 litre grill microwave oven.

I assume you are using one of Onida's "convection" microwave oven.

Here is a link that describe how to pre-heat your oven.

http://foodomania.com/setting-oven-temperature/

In summary: Select the "bake" option. Hit Enter/start once, then choose the temperature. Hit it once again, which will let you select the time. For preheating, leave it at 0:00. Hit start/enter again. When your oven beeps, it has reached the temperature. Hit Stop and bake.


Super-saturated sugar solution gone wrong An interesting recipe here provides this as a recipe for making a geode-looking sugar crystal. The finished product looks really great and is basically this:

3 cups sugar
1 cup water
food coloring

Heat water and sugar until sugar is dissolved.
Cool slightly.
Pour into foil covered bowl.
Cover with towels.
Leave for 48 hrs.

What I always end up with is either no crystallisation or the whole thing turns completely solid.

Is there a secret technique I'm missing?

Creating the Geode candy you have in the link should be relatively straight forward, but does require a little knowledge about how crystals form.

First, let's look at what is probably going wrong by examining your two outcomes:

  or the whole thing turns completely solid

You made glass candy. You cooled the solution so quickly that no crystals were allowed to form. Crystallization takes time and complete stillness.

  no crystallisation

Lack of crystallization means that either you didn't have enough sugar OR the crystals did not have a surface upon which to grow.

Necessary science:
A crystal that forms from a sugar solution is a precipitate, which falls out of solution because there is more solute than solution. A super saturated solution is a solution where there is more solute than solution at nominal temperatures.

We are able to "cheat" the "normal" solution / solute proportions by heating the solution, which allows for more solute to be added to the solution than normally possible. As heat is removed from the solution (yay entropy!), solute is "forced" out of solution because there is just no more room.
When this happens, it needs a place to go.

Normally, a precipitate would just solidify and fall to the bottom of the beaker, bowl, or whatever container you're using.

Sugar (as a crystal) could go this route and just fall to the bottom as a coating or mounds of goo at the bottom. OR, if there are structures for it to latch on to, it can start forming crystals.

The interesting thing about crystalline structures is that they whip themselves into molecular order when they run into another crystal. It's like they are walking by the other crystals, and say: "Woah! Nice lattice! Can I join in?" and they just snap into place.

So the hardest crystal to get is the first one.

There are a couple things I would do to improve upon this recipe to get the results you're looking for.

I would create a sugar solution using mass not volume. 600g of pure sucrose (normal table sugar) in 235g of water would be the minimum concentrate I would use. Honestly, if I could get 1,200g in 235g of water I would do that. But make sure you hit this minimum.
I would heat up the container as high as I could without causing a malformation. Since the recipe in question is using fondant (and the other, chocolate), that's probably not very feasible. In fact, chocolate is tempered at 105F, and sugar solution is WAY hotter. So, we have an issue there. So, I propose we cheat that a little by creating a layer of glass candy on the bottom (you're good at that already), which will provide a higher level of insulation for the formation of the mixture at the bottom. This also gives us the opportunity to give the crystals something to latch on to in order to grow...
Your crystals need something they can use to start growing. Fondant is typically pretty smooth, and doesn't really give a great surface for crystals. When you do this experiment using the classic "string hanging in a jar" method, the frayed bits of string provide ample surface area to snag a crystal that is coming out of solution and start the chain reaction that builds large crystals. It's been a while since I did this in physics class, but I believe that the entropy of sugar molecules bouncing off one another is one of the keys to the formation of crystals. It takes a LOT of time to form crystals because we essentially have to wait until two molecules bounce off each other at exactly the right angle to stick to the lattice structure. When you have NO crystals yet, we have to wait for one to get stuck to a structure and provide that lattice base. As your crystal size increases, the growth of the crystals increase because the probability of a sugar molecule colliding with one of the members of the pre-established lattice has increased dramatically, so it happens faster later, but slow to start with. To increase the surface area of your geode, you would need to score the candy glass layer at the bottom of your fondant shell to create groves, bumps, or marks. Anything other than a smooth fondant surface or a smooth candy glass surface will be good. (I realize we are running the risk of just dissolving that off into the solution, which is why you need an truly super saturated solution. If there is no "room" for the sugar to dissolve into the solution, it will not be able to dissolve our little scouring marks either).
COOL IT SLOWLY. Don't let it cool at room temperature, under a breeze, or on the window sill like it's a pie. Put it in a small cooler so the insulation of the cooler allows heat to escape as slowly as possible. This also means that you should check it as infrequently as possible. A minimum of 5 hours. You could also "make" a cooler by using 4 glass bowls. 2 large and 2 small. Put small bowl #1 on at least 2-3 cloth towels. Put the geode in the bottom of small bowl #1, cover with small bowl #2, and secure them together with tape. Put this "bowl ball" into the bottom of large bowl #1, and cover with large bowl #2, and (again) close with tape. These nested bowls will provide a similarly good insulated environment, which will retard heat transfer. The heat from the sugar solution will fill up the initial area in the two small bowls, which will heat the glass. This will contain water vapor (and probably sugar), which is very effective at transferring heat. Glass, however, sucks at transferring heat. Air is even worse. So, the two small bowls will heat up from the initial insertion of the hot sugar solution, and will heat that environment, but once that reaches a somewhat equillibrium, the heat will not continue to transfer upwards out of the first glass "shell" into the air of the second glass "shell" with any sort of efficiency. So, it should cool very slowly. The second glass shell is (ultimately) cooled by your air conditioner. So, you would want to cover that with a towel as well to prevent convective cooling.

The advantage of using these glass "shells" would be that you can check crystal formation without disturbing the temperature environment OR causing any sort of physical vibrations, which would retard (or destroy) the crystal formation.

PS.
Also, based on her accent, I am guessing the cook in the video is in Australia. Since most of the people in Australia live on the coasts, she is probably cooking at or near sea level, with (probably) higher levels of humidity than land locked areas. This probably doesn't affect the amount of sugar she can saturate, but WILL other processes that have to do with water and moisture (just ask bread bakers). You can control for this using an insulated environment created from 4 bowls (two smaller ones nested in two larger ones).

References for more information:

Rock Candy
Canding making (American Chemical Society)
Science of home crystals (Scientific American)


can light beer be used as substitute for white wine vinegar in marinade recipe? A chicken marinade recipe calls for both 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup white wine vinegar. I was wondering if I can swap the vinegar with a light beer, and if so, would proportions remain same as if when using vinegar?
If not, can unfiltered apple cider vinegar work as a substitute for white wine vinegar?

The answer to this is: No, beer won't substitute, but another vinegar could.
The main reason here is flavour - beer tastes completely different to vinegar, and would change the flavour profile of your marinade substantially. This may work out, but it may not, and the only ways to tell would be to test it and/or look for recipes with the same ingredients as your marinade but beer instead of vinegar.
Another reason beer might not work work is that beer is not generally acidic, whereas vinegar has a substantial amount of acid (acetic acid in the case of vinegar from grapes) in it. The acid will help macerate/soften the tissue so that it is easier to eat. Having said that, beer will contain enzymes that break down protein, that might do the equivalent of the acid, but these may not work in the presence of other substances in your marinade recipe.
Interestingly, if you are going to marinade with beer, use a canned pasteurized beer or a fresh brew of unpasteurized beer as the proteolytic enzymes in the beer are broken down in unpasteurized beers (warning: PDF, possible paywall).


I added more water to my ciabatta dough by accident I just realized that I added about 4 cups of water to 4 cups of flour for my ciabatta dough. It only calls for 2 cups, but I added 4 for some reason. It’s been rising for a bit over 4 hours and there are a lot of bubbles, which I’m happy about, but it’s very runny. It was a bit sticky when I mixed it but it can pour like a thick soup. How do I fix it? Will it ruin the air bubbles if I add more flour?

Your recipe should call for the dough to be folded a few times during proving. Do this on a thick bed of flour, and sprinkle more flour on top as you fold, and you'll find it will come together more and more with each fold. Remember, when it comes to bread, the wetter the better!


Is cloudy-looking used peanut oil safe? I have already stored used peanut oil in the refrigerator for one week. I had strained it through coffee filters, and it had looked very clean and clear. Now it looks cloudy and milky. Is it OK to use? I had used it to cook fish and hush puppies.

May depend on the temp. of your fridge, but when I have stored a brand new (i.e. unused) bottle of peanut oil in my fridge, it has gotten cloudy and thick, especially when the level in the bottle goes a little below full. When I wanted to use it and took the bottle out of the fridge, it "thawed out" as soon as it got warm, and looked & acted just like when I bought it.

Canola oil does not behave this way for me. So this might just be a property of peanut oil when it gets cold. Does your left over oil thaw out & look clear when you let it get to room temp.?

On the other hand if you have used it to cook fish, I imagine it will still have at least a slight fishy taste even if it is strained out perfectly. Maybe best not to use it for fine delicately flavored dessert items anyway.


Worried about dangers of rotten food (including smell) Today I found out I had rotten food (bread and meat) inside a closed (I think) container inside a bag. The bag had been smelly but I couldn't find the source until today. I immediately threw it away, but it had a nasty look: putrid smell, black-green-colored (hard to tell). I had felt the smell for quite a few days, maybe two weeks (though I suspect it had been hidden on the bag for longer). Today, when throwing it away, I obviously smelled it once again.

I did wash my hands thoroughly, but I'm still worried this might be dangerous. I'm not feeling any symptoms, but should I be worried about the potential consequences? I was close to the source, and smelled it, many times. Presumably either fungi or anaerobic (even aerobic?) bacteria were involved, and these can give some nasty infections, I think.

Far be it for me to give medical advice as I am NOT a doctor, but the likelihood that the mold you encountered was toxic is pretty small and I would not be worried. That said, if you were to start developing any kind of symptom, your best place to ask about it would be your doctor and not on the internet ;)

The presence of black mold doesn't guarantee that it is of the kind that everyone fears to find in their homes, and even if it was it doesn't mean that there are mycotoxins present and that you should be worried. Toxic mold can actually come in a variety of colours, and isn't limited to one genus/species.

I have also thrown out plenty of 'science experiments' from my fridge that required me opening containers to clean them out with very questionable looking growths of mold, and have experienced no actual illness, despite how my stomach might turn based on the smell.

As for bacterial concerns, unless you got some of what was in the bag into an open wound or mucous membrane, you have nothing to worry about there.

For reference, I studied microbiology in college and worked in biotech for a while before moving to 'greener' pastures. I've also done research specifically into black mold as we had a concern in my previous house.


How to clean red tea stains from cracked glaze Japanese tea cups I have a set of green, cracked glaze Japane tea cups.
A totally unused one is pictured in Figure 1.

Figure 1: A clean, unused tea cup.

As I have used one of these cups several times with African red tea, the cup has begun to take on a stain, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: A used and reddish/brown stained tea cup.

What method can remove this stain while preserving all parts of the cup, including the glaze?

For these types of cups with a cracked finish is the purpose is actually that over time, the tea fills up the cracks. This sounds a bit strange, but the same happens with porous Yixing clay teapots. The pores are filled with tea over time, which helps to improve the brew.

Given that you want to remove the strains I wouldn't use any detergent or soap. If that is sucked in the cracks it can be released when you serve tea in the future. This might negatively affect the flavor of tea.

To clean, I suggest the same method that's used to 'season' Yixing clay pots. You can cook the cup in hot water until the strains are gone.


Does freezing sap freshness? Will acids bring the flavor back? I just dethawed a frozen lentil soup which was poorly seasoned before it went into the freezer. I added salt to the other half which I ate fresh and made a mental note of seasoning the frozen batch once thawed. Once I thawed it, I corrected the seasoning and observed there was this unpleasant metallic flavor to the soup. I can't put a point on it, but it tasted "off".

I considered for a moment: what if extreme temperatures sap the freshness out of food by reducing the acidity of the fresh product? Lo, when I gave it a slight splash of sherry vinegar, all was right again. However, I love sherry vinegar and use it often in any salad or soup to sour it up to my taste.

My question is: does freezing reduce acidity in products? Is acidity what we perceive to be the "fresh" flavor of things not previously frozen or boiled to oblivion?

Freezing will not reduce acid.   Chemical reactions tend to slow down when at freezer temperatures, not speed up.

Fresh flavor is a complex amalgam of many factors:  texture, aromatics, color, and so forth.   While acid is perceived as lending a brightness, it is not the only factor in freshness.  After all, your sherry vinegar is far from fresh, but quite acidic.

While there may have been something off in your stored portion that was masked by adding additional vinegar, it is almost certainly not related to having frozen a portion of the soup.


What can I mix and store Kimchi in? I'm looking for ways I can use containers to mix and store kimchi from the thrift store.  I don't want to buy special containers, unless I have to.  I've seen plastic bowls and the like used to mix kimchi or when you do that initial salting (I've never made it, only watched others).  After that I wondered if I could use things like canisters with lock lid or plain plastic (kitchen) containers.  I'm sure you've been to a thrift store, so you can imagine the hodgepodge of possibilities.

I wanted to make sauerkraut too, and thought the lockdown canister might work? Maybe if I didn't lock it? Those crocks are expensive.

To mix, use any bowl that won't be damaged by the salt.  I would stay away from metal or wood, anything else would be fine.

To store,  just use a glass jar. I usually use a half gallon canning jar, but if you're making a lot you can use a gallon jar.

Cover the cabbage with a big flat cabbage leaf.  (Or a grape leaf).  Press down, so the leaf is covered with brine. Next you just need a weight. What I like to use for this is a plastic bag: get a big one(like the kind you put produce in at the grocery store), and fill with some water.  Put that in your jar on top of the cabbage leaf, being careful not to spill any water.


misto sprayer malfunction My misto nozzle does not push in or out.  It doesn't move at all.  I've cleaned with a vinegar soak and hot water and soap soak.  I've taken it apart and put back together.  It doesn't spray because the nozzle doesn't move. Any suggestions?

How apart did you take it? There are 2 o-rings, 1 inside the spray mechanism and 1 on the outside of the larger plastic tube where it connects to the oil container. Losing either of these would pose a problem.

The nozzle on a Misto does not push down very far at all, maybe 1 mm at most. When not under pressure it is hard to detect any up or down movement.

It is possible if you pumped it up, tried to spray and nothing came out, that it is clogged. The answers to this question may help How to clean a clogged misto oil sprayer/spritzer.


How do I add spice after cooking gravy? I have made chicken gravy. It tastes good but I think adding a little more spice to my gravy will be fine. Can anyone say how to add more spice to it after cooking?

Carefully! You can always add more, but you can't really remove spices once they are added.

If your spices are ground, you can just add them to the gravy and stir them in. Salt, you can add any time.

If your spices are whole, you can simmer them for a while in the gravy and them remove them. You can also toast them in a separate dry pan, grind them (see here), and then add them to your gravy. Again, carefully!


How to make yogurt without any existing yogurt How does one make yogurt when there isn't any existing yogurt to use as a starter?

There are various bacteria that can make yogurt. They ferment milk at warm temperatures and are called "thermophilic" for that reason.

These bacteria were cultivated by millenia ago. I assume by having milk accidentally spoil to something that didn't kill the starving person who ate it.

Tasty thermophilic lactobacilli do exist in the wild but so do plenty of other very untasty bacteria that would love to eat the lactose in your warm milk. You can't just let warm milk spoil and hope you get yogurt bacteria. The only way to be sure is to not get sick when you eat it.

Getting yogurt starters is very easy.

Any yogurt from the store that contains "live active cultures" can be used as a starter. Yogurt starters can also be purchased dried online.

Once you have some yogurt, and won't be making more for a long time, you can save a little dried or in the freezer.


Can you add emulsifying salts when making mozzarella? Pretty much what the title says, I want to improve the stability of melted mozzarella for a dish I want to make. Haven't made mozzarella before, but if I make it at home, is there a stage I could add sodium citrate (or sodium phosphate) like is done to make American cheese gooey like it is?

Well as such you can't add emulsifying salt in the preparation of natural mozzarella cheese. If you want to prepare processed mozzarella cheese then you can add emulsifying salts for better improvement of emulsification properties and protein solubilization, it helps in reducing free fat leakage. the stability of melted mozzarella cheese depends upon many factors associated with manufacturing steps i.e. cooking temperature, scalding time, the acidity of whey drainage etc... so you have to take care about each and every aspect of manufacturing step to make it more stable in their melted form.


Can I use Cheddar cheese for pizza? I know that most of the time Mozzarella cheese is used for pizza and often in combinations with other cheeses including cheddar.

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

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

You can use small amounts of cheddar mixed with the other cheeses. But you'd be disappointed in the results if you tried to use it as the main or only cheese on the pizza.

Cheddar cheese doesn't tolerate sustained, high heat as well as some other cheeses. It can scorch, which tastes and smells bad, and/or the fats can separate from the solids as a yellowish oil. The sharper the cheese is, the less well it will tolerate heat.


What should I know about the peels of raw fruit and vegetables? I've not been paying much attention to what I ate, but now I have just become a vegetarian and want to try eating much more raw foods.

I know that in many fruit and vegetables, most of the important nutrients are found in the peel or directly below it; however, it is also commonly known that for example the green of tomatoes contains a poison and must be removed before consumption.

I'd like to know what other fruit and vegetables contain potentially bad substances when eaten whole and raw (or put in a blender etc.), and what to look out for.

Also, many people remove the skin of mushrooms before eating them; is this actually advisable?

In my experience, whether or not you peel a fruit or vegetable has more to do with how easy it is to digest than any level of toxins. If you're going into the realm of herbs, however, then you need to be more careful, as some are quite potent. But as long as we're sticking to fruits and veggies, here's my advice, and it's pretty simple:

Clearly things like melons, and corn don't have edible peels, simply because their outer layer is too difficult for us to masticate, and then digest... Things like citrus peels can be digested, but not when they're raw. They need to be pickled, cooked (think of marmalade) or turned into a zest. When it comes to soft, thin peels, like apples, pears and kiwi, it's more of a personal preference. Some don't like the feel of a furry kiwi slice going down, but I don't mind it, so I slice it right into my cereal.

In the realm of veggies... Yes, stems are great for you. If it's really difficult to chew it, it's not going to be broken down enough for your stomach to handle it, and extract anything useful from it. Ex: Broccoli stems - they'll benefit even from some light steaming, and they're GREAT for you. But raw? Rather difficult. The florets however are a classic raw snack. That's my general guideline. Same with artichokes. They need some kind of cooking in order to be digested. But carrots? Kale? Celery? Simple chewing pulls them apart enough to make the extraction of nutrients easy for the body.

Hope that helps!

Mindy

P.S. A great tip for raw kale - not everyone likes the consistency of raw kale because you have to chew it for soooo long. BUT, if you massage it with a bit of lemon juice, and a touch of olive oil until it softens, and the color brightens (5 minutes or less), it's easier to chew, very tasty, and you haven't cooked any of the nutrients out of it!


What causes static in a coffee grinder's receptacle? What causes static in a coffee grinder's receptacle?

The question of how to reduce static has been asked multiple times on cooking SE (see https://cooking.stackexchange.com/search?page=1&tab=Relevance&q=coffee%20static). However, I can't find a legitimate answer as to why ground coffee has static build up. Some discuss moister in the beans, but how is that related to static?

I don't know anything about burr grinders, but with blade grinders you generally get tiny bits of coffee bean being spun quickly around the outer edge of a plastic enclosure. This is a recipe for generating static electricity by the triboelectric effect, the same as rubbing a balloon on your hair or shuffling your feet across a polyester carpet.


Does pasta boiled in tap water absorb chemicals? Apparently chlorine goes with boiling but I'm not sure if this is true.  However I know that chloramines also exists in tap water and concentrate more with boiling.

Will the chloramines absorb into the pasta?

Yes, as a chemist i can assure you that whatever chemicals are in the water would tend to get absorbed into the pasta.

In general the public is lousy at assessing risks. Did you drive to store to buy the pasta? You're at a more significant risk of a car accident than a serious problem from chloramines.


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

Speaking from a different dish: when I make citrus caramel I have to blanch the citrus peels a few times (three times mostly). It greatly reduces bitterness from the white part of the skin.

Here's Kenji-Lopez Alt's take on it.


Russian Vobla - ratio for the brine? A few years ago I had the pleasure of meeting several people from Moldova who were briefly living here in the USA. One of the fun things we did was a sort of "culinary exchange" where they'd cook several traditional Eastern European meals for us, and we'd do the same for my roommates and I (Filipino and Italian).

Anyway, one of the culinary items they introduced us to was Vobla, which is a salted and dried whole fish (called a Vobla, part of the Roach family) that is served with beer or occasionally vodka. I've been strangely hungry for it lately, but have been largely unable to find any recipe that gives decent measurements. I've been trying to translate the broken English on either expat forums or the results of Google translate but not making much progress.

http://expat.ru/forum/showthread.php?p=720551
http://www.shepotka.ru/recipe/fish/vobla/

For my first attempt, I found our local grocer carries Atlantic perch, which is a small, thick, lighter colored fish which is quite similar to roach. I only purchased 2 so there wouldn't be much waste if it didn't turn out.

For the first attempt at the brine, I used 600ml of 5% cider vinegar, about 5 crushed cloves of garlic, and about 2.5 tbsp of non-iodized table salt. I'm letting it brine for about 5 days, and then will be putting it in a dehydrator with no heat until the fish are almost crispy dry.

Does this seem like enough salt? I've seen other recipes state that you should keep whisking salt into the brine until it's saturated and no more will dissolve. At 2.5 tbsp there was still no problem getting more salt to dissolve, but I was concerned about over-salting.

Still other recipes recommended no brining, and instead just packing the fish in salt for a few days, and then sun drying.

Is there a "most correct" method for preparing the fish? What is the proper ratio for the brine?

What you tried is nowhere enough salt for the fish.

Both methods, drying it out in a bag of salt, and brining it in a saturated salt solution, are common. But this kind of high-salt brining is not similar to typical vegetable brining which is done with low-salt solutions.

When they say a "saturated" solution, they mean it. The Internet says that this happens at 35 to 40 g salt per 100 ml of water. I have never measured it, but it is obviously a lot more than your 5 g of salt per 600 ml.

There are also other ways of gauging the saltiness of your solution. I found a recipe with the directions to keep adding salt until a fresh egg or a cleaned potato floats on top. It also gave 48 hours as the brining time. This will probably have less salt than a saturated solution, but obviously, what you want is a very strong salt solution. I think that you can go with the actual saturated one (keep adding until some doesn't dissolve), it is unlikely to be an economic problem for you to add enough salt to saturate it.


What is a good resource for learning about Molecular Gastronomy? Before frequenting this site I had never even heard of molecular gastronomy and now I am intrigued. Is there a good resource to learn about the process either web or in printed format that would be a reliable source of information?

Khymos is a fantastic resource, and has probably the best collection of recipes out there at the moment.

There's also a lot of good stuff at the French Cullinary Institute's Cooking Issues blog. They've got a good post on hydrocolloids that's quite enlightening.

I actually disagree on the McGee recommendations. While it's an excellent book, full of great info, I don't think it's a good starting point for molecular gastronomy (in the sense of the cooking movement rather than the more literal sense)


Substituting cayenne for red pepper flakes My wife does not like alternating textures, or "surprises" in sauces.  Thus I need to make certain concessions when cooking for her.

She does not like crushed red pepper flakes, but will readily take cayenne in its place.

My question is: can this substitution be made in any situation?  I will make it when I am flavoring my own dishes.  But I have a new one I'd like to try, and I am not sure if I can do it.

I am going to make Bourbon Chicken, which calls for the pepper flakes.  The flakes would be sauteing / reducing in the sauce.  I've read this might be a situation where the substitution would not work.

Just wanted to hear what fellow chefs did.

Crushed red pepper flakes and cayenne come from the same types of peppers, and you can definitely substitute one for the other in terms of spiciness (most resources I've found say that you add about 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne for every 3/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, or vice versa).

However, beyond the spiciness level they may not give the same flavor to the dish. In the particular recipe that you're citing, since it calls for sauteing the flakes some of the spiciness will be drawn out of the flakes and carried with the sauce, while some of it would stay with the flakes and provide those bursts of heat that your wife doesn't seem to like. As Willem says, you can use fresh chile peppers, add them like you would the flakes, and then take them out before serving. That is probably the closest you can get to the same flavor without having those "surprise spicy" moments. (1 red chile per 3/4 teaspoon flakes).

Adding ground cayenne pepper towards the end of the sauce would allow the sauce to have a pretty uniform spiciness, without any surprises, but may not give it the same flavor. Cayenne pepper is usually just the ground up cayenne pepper (a specific variety). Red pepper flakes may consist of a couple different types of dried red peppers, and they often include the dried up seeds in addition to the the dried peppers themselves. So, the cayenne will add the spice, but probably not the same complexity.

My suggestion: Make half the sauce with cayenne and half with red pepper flakes and see what you think!


Rice cooker problem: film appears after cooking What is this and why does it appear?
It always happened, maybe I cook rice the wrong way, or maybe it comes from the rice itself...

I wash the rice with water before, at least 3-4 times. I don't even cook it until it's completely done, I stop it before today in order to check if it's due to overcooked rice or not. It isn't.

It is perfectly okay to eat. I am going to assume when you cook rice, the rice comes out a bit too moist. The "film" is literally the water and the starch from the rice that has dried and turned into a thin film of rice starch.

If you like your rice the way it currently is, then there is nothing to worry about. But if it indeed is too moist, then decrease the amount of water you use to cook the rice.


Keeping meat dry after salting it One of the tips I always get about cooking is seasoning meat before I put it in the pan for a sear, but one of the other tips I get is to keep the meat dry so it can actually brown and develop a crust. I know that salting meat draws out moisture to the surface, and that tends to prevent the sear I want. Dabbing the steak with a paper towel before I put it in the pan seems to take away the salt I added, and that seems counterproductive too.
Is there a way I can still keep meat I want to season dry so I can get a good crust?

Serious Eats published a great article on how to cook, sear, and season their perfect steak!
TL;DR Salt your steak and rest it on a wire-rack for 40+ minutes (ideally in a fridge overnight) before searing. If you can't do that, your next best bet is to salt immediately before searing.
If you're curious to know the science behind it, here's what happens after you salt your steak (assuming it's 1.5+ inches thick):

Within 3-4 minutes, the salt draws out liquid from the meat. At this point, you don't want to sear your steak because evaporating liquid inhibits the Maillard reaction, which forms that coveted crust around your steak.
After 10-15 minutes, the salty brine formed around the steak breaks down the muscle fibers of the beef and starts to work its way back into the meat (!!)
After 40 minutes, most of the liquid has worked its way back into the meat, yielding more deeply seasoned meat, and a drier exterior that's ready to sear.

You may notice that your steak appears to be slightly darker after resting it overnight -- this is normal! As it works its way into the meat, the salt actually dissolves the proteins in the meat; dissolved proteins reflect light differently than whole proteins.
The steak might also appear to be dry from the outside. Again, totally normal. Resting a steak in the fridge overnight will cause it to lose ~5% of its moisture, but this is negligible when you consider that you drive off 20%+ of a steak's moisture when you sear it.
Good luck!


Is there any way to "Salt" unsalted cashew pieces? I picked up a bag of cashew pieces from the bulk bin last night got home and realized they were of the unsalted variety. Which are good but for a snack not quite what I was looking for.

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

You may have luck just tossing them in popcorn salt. Popcorn salt is ground much finer than regular salt, and should stick to the surface much easier than the larger grains in table salt or kosher salt. If you don't have popcorn salt, you can start with kosher salt and pulverize it into a fine powder in a food processor, spice/coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle.


What is the 'malty' flavour added to tea to make it taste like biscuits? I'm in Australia - and for my birthday I ordered some British tea - Yorkshire Toast and Jam. (Picture below.) Which was really nice, but at about 80c per bag, a little hard to justify.
I gave some to my wife and she said:

"That's just Berry flavoured tea added to normal tea"

That shattered my illusions a little bit, but then I got practical. I started mixing strawberry flavoured teas and English Breakfast tea to get that "toast and jam" taste. For the cost, it was pretty close, and I'll probably order some for my birthday next year.
My wife likes their other product - Yorkshire tea 'Malty Biscuit'.
So I thought to myself "I can engineer this one too!" But then I was dumbfounded. Short of breaking up actual malt biscuits to attempt to mix them with tea (leading to a crumby tea problem), how would you do this?
Now I imagine you can try adding some kind of original malt ingredient to it. But again you end up at the 'crumby tea' problem.
When I look at the ingredients list of both they just say "tea, flavouring".
My question is: What is the 'malty' flavour added to tea to make it taste like biscuits?

Not something I've ever tried, but I'd be tempted towards either the bottled malt drinks popular in the Caribbean (eg Supermalt), or Horlicks.
Or, you can just buy "malt flavour" - Random google search  for liquid flavour manufacturers - http://www.weberflavors.com/products/liquid-flavors/
Perhaps your 'crumby' malt could be done as a separate infusion first, then just the liquid transferred to the tea.
btw, those tea-bags are about £1.50 in the UK - you could probably find a cheaper supplier than Amazon US ;)


Why did my roast beef turn out chewy and not tender? Where did I go wrong? I recently made an Oven Round Roast in the oven and I followed directions quite well. I would really like to know where I went wrong.

The roast was 1.4kg and relatively round in shape, it was also quite nicely marbled with a big strip of fat on one side.

  Out from the freezer and into the fridge overnight (to give it some time to cool down) and then left it out in room temperature for a
  couple of hours. Took out of package and put on a rub.
  I put the oven on 450 F and put the roast in (fat side up) for 10 minutes for the maillard reaction. Note that when I did this, I put it
  directly on the oven rack; I put a tray underneath to catch the
  drippings, but it was uncovered.
  Turned oven down to 225 for 2 hours and then 200 for 5 hours.
  Cut the roast into half inch slices and served.

The color was a nice pink on the inside and dark on the outside. It was still juicy and the taste was great. The roast's outside is absolutely delicious in fact, the rub turned out so well and the fat was amazingly tasty.

However, the roast was so chewy, I am very disappointed. I did a lot of research before I cooked it and found that slow cooking is a good way to tenderize meat. I also found out that certain cuts of meat need to be cooked differently. I.e. Steak should be hot and fast, and roast cuts should be long and slow (after searing it of course... yum yum yum).

In this post, 'Marti' answered by quoting a TV chef saying that when beef is being cooked it's collagen breaks down and liquifies and when it cools it turns to gelatine. Could that be what happened to my beef roast? If so, how can I avoid that?

In this post, 'Gilead' suggested a few solutions, beating the meat, cutting it against the grain, and choosing the right cooking method. Well, did I do the right cooking method? And do the other ones apply to a roast? I mean if you cut it up, it's basically cheap beef steak and I've never tried mechanically tenderizing the meat.

I really appreciate any help; I'm quite distraught over this chewy beef roast.

The only mistake you made was the choice of cut, and maybe the quality of the beef itself. Round (in the UK/AU/NZ topside and silverside) is from the rear end of the animal, and is a working cut. Working cuts have to exert a force, so the muscle must have lots of collagen to distribute the force from the tendon throughout the muscle. Collagen is a tough material which breaks down in the presence of heat and moisture, not just heat, so working cuts make poor roasts or steaks and are better braised or stewed.

The upside to working cuts is that they have a stronger flavor, and the collagen when broken down by moisture turns to gelatin which adds to the flavor and mouth feel. A well-prepared braised piece of beef is as good as a roast any day in my opinion. It's also better value, round and other working cuts are much cheaper than tender cuts.

Your technique as described is perfect, and if you'd chosen a rib, short loin, or sirloin roast (US cuts) it would have come out beautifully. Where you erred was at the store when you chose a working cut for roasting.

Now some people on the forum are probably preparing a rebuttal at this point saying "you can roast round and have it be tender", and they'd be right up to a point. The best quality beef is reared and slaughtered better, so if you bought US Prime round it has a good chance of coming out relatively tender, however it's hard to find. My assessment would be for what you'd find in the average store in the US, which is Choice grade. Choice encompasses something like 75% of beef produced, so has a huge range of quality.

You can tell a lot about meat by touching it. Stick your fingers in it, if they go in easy and the meat springs back then you have a tender cut, if you can't get your fingers in it it's a braising cut. If you stick your fingers in and the meat doesn't spring back its old, so don't buy it.


Scrambled eggs for a buffet At our cafe we will begin offering a Saturday brunch buffet. I would like to do scrambled eggs and am thinking that they would be best cooked in a hotel pan in the oven. Any advice for this method of cooking?

Thanks!!

I cooked a brunch for a fairly high end restaurant when I was younger. They had us cook the eggs in a buffet pan on top of the griddle/grill. We used pre-cracked eggs in a carton and folded constantly until they were done. Then we would transfer them into a fresh buffet pan before setting them out. They did it this way because it presented better than just baking in the oven. They look more like the scrambled eggs you get per order this way.


storing liquor in cabin for the winter--quality loss? I stocked up on a few mid-range "nice" whiskeys, scotches, and cognacs ($50-70 bottles) while visiting my summer cottage this summer but will likely not finish off all the bottles before I leave in a few weeks.  I know they're unlikely to freeze (not totally impossible we'd hit 30 below, though 20-25 is more common; but not likely inside or for an extended enough period to really freeze them), but will their quality be affected by being between stored over the winter?  Likely to have some short periods of below zero nights and possibly not getting much out of single digits during the day, at the worst; it'll usually be less severe than that (southern Maine).

I don't think that this temperature range should be a problem for the spirits. If there is a significant amount of air in the bottles, though, you might want to decant them into smaller ones to reduce oxidation.


Making corn bread pudding from corn bread I have a large batch of corn bread that's about to go bad, a situation I'd like to salvage by turning it into corn bread pudding. Unfortunately, all of the recipes I can find online start from base ingredients, or corn muffin mix, rather than using completed corn bread as an ingredient. Recipes for bread pudding don't have this problem; they don't expect you to start from flour :)

Can I just substitute corn bread for wheat bread in a bread pudding recipe and get palatable results? I'm not at all sure. If not, what would people suggest I do to my corn bread, to turn it into corn bread pudding?

You can sort of substitute, yes. Bear in mind that cornbread has a far lower gluten content than wheat breads (zero gluten if there's no wheat flour in the recipe), and thus will not hold together quite as well. So you may wish to use slightly less of the custard base.

In addition, I've found that cornbread doesn't generally make a particularly nice sweet pudding; it's much better in a savoury application. So perhaps throw in some jalapeno and some goat cheese.


Will fresh bell peppers give stew a red colour? I know ground paprika from red bell peppers does give a red colour to a stew.  Just wondering if the bell peppers are fresh cuts and not ground, will it give the stew a red colour?

Normally no. Paprika and the like are dried and powdered. You will likely get some red coloration if you puree your fresh red peppers before adding to your stew. Absent that step, the red remains mostly in the pepper chunks.


Is it true that generally chicken ham is not as tasty as pork ham? Recently in my country, subway decided to turn halal. To some people, they are utterly disappointed as subway's pork product are being removed and replaced by chicken product.

Personally, i have tasted both eras of subway that have pork and chicken ham. I felt that ever since subway changes the ham to chicken, their sandwiches are not as tasty as before.

I am not the only one who thought this way. I knew several people who also have the same sentiments.

If that is the case, why is it so?

I don't know that one's particularly 'tastier' than the other, but it's more about what you're familiar with.  It wasn't what you were expecting, and so it tastes bad to you.

For example, say you're at a restaurant, and you order a soft drink, but they bring you something that looks right, but isn't.  (eg, you order root beer, and they bring you a cola or visa versa).  Even if you would normally like what they brought you, your mind is expecting something other than what your taste buds get, and it just tastes wrong no matter how much you typically like the drink they brought.

It's similar to trying foods for the first time -- you often need to try it multiple times until you can really taste it, because your mind isn't sending you signals of 'that wasn't what I was expecting' and 'I don't know what that is, it might be poisonous or have gone off, I should puke this up right now'

There are lots of low quality pork-based hams, so it's impossible to say that all chicken hams are worse than pork hams.  But it's worth noting that cured porks are high in glutamates, which we sense as meaty (aka umami, as it's not all from meat).  If the chicken ham doesn't have MSG or some other form of added glutamates, or if they try to make it 'healthy' and reduce the sodium, it's going to taste 'flat' as compared to pork hams.

For the time being, I'd recommend that you ask for extra tomatoes (high in glutamates) and extra salt or other seasonings until your taste buds are more familiar with the chicken ham.  If you can handle dairy, also switch to the parmesan bread when it's available.  Your other option is to avoid ham entirely for a few months so that your memory of what that sandiwch normally tastes like isn't so strong.