What is the lowest temperature possible (of water) to cook meat in? Say I want to cook a piece of meat by putting it in water and bringing the water to a certain temperature. (In celsius please) how low can the temperature be for it to be still able to cook the meat? Does it need a boil, or can it be done with say 40 degrees celsius? And if so, how long does it need to be in the water for it to get done?

The answer depends on the type of meat as well as the thickness. There are different things you need to worry about killing in different kinds of meat, and it takes a different amount of time for everything to get hot enough for long enough depending on the thickness.

Note that you generally don't want to put the meat straight in the water, since you'll lose flavor into the water (unless your goal is to make broth or soup); you'll want to put it in a sealed bag in the water. This method of cooking is called sous vide. (Yes, that means "under vacuum", but you don't actually need vacuum-sealed bags; airtight with most of the air removed will suffice.)

The best single resource I know for this is Douglas Baldwin's "A Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking". There are tables for fish/shellfish, poultry, and beef, pork and lamb, as well as a lot of other great information. To give you a rough idea, the temperatures in the tables go down to around 55C, and at that temperature, the times cover a huge range, from 2 hours for thin (5mm) beef, pork, or lamb, to 9.25 hours for thick (70mm) fatty fish.

That 55C is the lowest safe temperature I know of. The government-published pasteurization time tables don't go below that. It's possible lower temperatures can work too, but you'd have to start digging into published papers.

Note that there may also be thickness/size bounds. Those tables only go up to 70mm so that's all I'm confident about. It's possible you can go even thicker, but I don't think you can go on forever. Eventually things will be sufficiently thick that the amount of time spent at too-low temperature in the center of the meat before it's totally heated up can't be compensated for by time holding it at a higher temperature once it's fully heated. This would be especially true if you try to cook anything that's not totally solid, since there's more contamination on surfaces than inside meat. For example, cooking a whole chicken like this doesn't sound like a great idea.


Reclaiming a salty curry I often read that salt is added 'to taste' - and I try to keep adding salt until my curries taste right.

However, on occasion my fingers are too big for my pallete, and the dish becomes overly salty. Is there a way to save a salty curry?

Add more potatoes--they absorb the salt.  As would rice or pasta.


Difference between boiling and steaming vegetables? I have eaten both boiled vegetables and steamed vegetables (e.g. broccoli, carrot, zucchini etc.), and I cannot tell the vegetables are cooked in one way or the other, whether by texture or by taste (unless they are boiled in broth; here, I refer to boiling in water).

Is there a reason why vegetables are preferred boiled to steamed, or vice versa?

To boil vegetables, you add the vegetables to a pot of water, and boil the water for a short duration until the vegetables are sufficiently cooked.  One may add salt or other flavorings (such as broth, as you mentioned) to the water prior to boiling.

Steamed vegetables are cooked in a steamer basket, where the vegetables are not in the water, but are instead sitting above the water, and are thus cooked by steam.

Salt must be added to steamed vegetables after they are cooked rather than to the water prior to cooking, since salt does not evaporate.

Steamed vegetables can retain more of their original flavor and nutrients, since they do not leech out into the water during boiling.  On the other hand, you cannot add additional flavors to your vegetables during steaming--since flavors cannot soak into the vegetables from the water, either.

Which taste/texture you prefer, of course, can be a matter of personal opinion.

In my experience, boiled vegetables are often mistakenly referred to as steamed vegetables.  And often, many restaurants will sell "steamed vegetables" which are really just microwaved frozen vegetables, which may strictly be steamed (it certainly isn't boiled!), but really bears little resemblance to the true steaming process (and has relatively poor flavor, as well).


Tamarind Pulp Gritty After soaking and sieving the tamarind through a fine mesh strainer, the remaining pulp has some grit. It kinda ruined my dish. Wonder if there’s any method that would get rid of the grit, maybe a second sieving?

Ive had that before. Use a chinore to get a finer strain.


Is it safe to cook pheasant medium? Am I right in thinking it's safe to cook pheasant breast medium so its a little pink?

If so why is this different from chicken?

According to Canada's Safe internal cooking temperatures article, game birds including pheasant should be cooked to an internal temperature as follows:

Whole 82°C (180°F)
Breasts and roasts    74°C (165°F)
Thighs, wings 74°C (165°F)
Stuffing (cooked alone or in bird)    74°C (165°F)

These temperatures will be decidedly not pink (except possibly around the bones), but will maximize the safety of eating game.


How to make cheesecake less tangy I love cheesecake, however I despise the acidic, tangy taste associate with cream cheese and yogurt. I recently purchased some that didn't have that taste at all, just smooth an delicious.
I'd like to know how to make cheesecake without the tang it generally has.

In my experience, if I use a cheese like Philadelphia, it will have a more cheesy tang, whereas using Mascarpone has a smoother creamier taste.  I also find that using higher fat creams will give a more creamy taste, as opposed to a lighter cream and particularly sour cream, which will add to the tang.  I've actually just made a very creamy tasting cheesecake today using Mascarpone and extra thick double (heavy) cream.  For my palette, it is too creamy and doesn't taste enough like cheesecake, but it may suit you.


How hot is a gas burner supposed to be? My new range has a 17000 BTU burner (natural gas). It my first gas range. I have the feeling it is not that hot.

I can barely keep pasta water boiling (8 cups of water) with the broiler on high. I expected I'd have to lower the heat in order to avoir overspils.
I was not able to burn hamburgers in a cast iron pan. Not that I wanted to burn them, but I again I expected I'd have to lower the heat. I kept it on high for several minutes without any serious damage to the meat.

Q1: How can I test if the burners are as hot as what they should be?

Q2: Can something be wrong with the connection?

Maybe my expections are too high after everone told me how amazingly hot and fast gas ranges are. The flames are blue so that seems to be ok.

Something is very wrong there; you need to get this serviced right away. 17,000 BTU should be enough to keep a full rolling boil going on a pot much larger than 8 cups, or sear the daylights out of your burger. I'd go so far as to say I wouldn't use it until a service tech has looked at it.


Induction compatible pans not working on induction stove-top I just purchased a set of "induction ready" pans from All-Clad. Found here.

However, to my dismay when I got them home, they wouldn't work! My stove makes a kind of clicking noise when I try to use cookware that's too small or not quite placed inside the cooking zone, and that's what I heard with these, although according to my range's manual they are the correct size.

I have a Samsung Range, NE599N1PBSR/AC

I can return them so it's not a huge deal, but I'd like to know why they don't work. Is it because their bottoms aren't flat? They have kind of grooves going towards the center, maybe to help distribute heat?

Most likely there isn't enough ferromagnetic material in the base of the pan or it's of an incorrect dimension.
If your range is very sensitive it won't detect the pan and thus won't activate.

I myself had a very sensitive induction range which would already deactivate if the pan was lifted a millimetre off the plate or if the pan size was mismatched. (Try using an induction wok on that.)

The only advice I can give is: if buying pots and pans, to be used on an induction range, in the shops take a magnet with you. Place the magnet on the base of the pot/pan and make sure it has a strong magnetic pull. If there isn't any or it's very weak I'd skip the pot/pan and try a different kind. This won't necessarily help with mismatched dimensions of the ferromagnetic material but at least it will give you an idea, you can also try the magnet on different spots on the base to attempt to check the dimensions.
It's not a fool-proof method but at least it will give you a better idea of what will work and what won't.

Also I'd go for high-quality pots and pans (I don't know/have any experience with the All-Clad brand so I couldn't say if they aren't good quality pans) with a thick base as this will usually mean there is more ferromagnetic material in the based and will also help distribute the heat better in the pan.


Do I need to add pectin to make jam? I'm making a variety of jams. And I've never made jams before.

I found some really fun flavours online, such as blueberry-lavender, spiced-fall-fruit, tomato-rosemary, and pear-vanilla.

Some of the recipes call for pectin. A quick google search reveals that pectin is something that's released from fruit. Is this correct? If so, why do I need to add pectin while making fruit jam (by heating fruit for a long time)? Won't the fruit release pectin of its own? So do I need to  buy pectin?

EDIT - I followed the advice given here and got pectin (sureJell brand) from QFC, followed the recipes online, and the jams came out amazing. I think I'm going to make jam every month! No need to wait for Christmas :)

I would probably just follow the recipes. If they're good, the amount of additional pectin they call for is what's necessary to get the jam to set well. If you use less than that, it might end up really runny.

Different kinds of fruit have different amounts of pectin, and it's not evenly distributed through the fruit. For example, apples and pears have a decent amount, while grapes and strawberries have very little. Oranges have some, but orange peel has a huge amount. There's a partial list in the Wikipedia article on pectin.

So, it's possible to make things that get the pectin they need from the fruit, especially if they're cooked enough to thicken and set more easily. Orange marmalade might be the most obvious example of this. But some recipes/fruits don't have enough to ever set, so they need additional pectin.

Since you're searching broadly online for recipes, you may also be seeing variations in how firmly set they come out. You might discover that some of the no-pectin or lower-pectin recipes just don't set as firmly, because that's what the author prefers. If the recipe comes with really good photos, you might be able to anticipate this.


What is the proper way to dispose of a kitchen knife? How do you throw away a kitchen knife (or for that matter, any knife)? It seems extremely dangerous to just throw it in the dumpster, even if it's wrapped up real well.

I agree on the Goodwill thing, but it pains me to think of putting tape on a knife blade -- someone's going to have to clean it off, and that risks someone getting injured.

Instead, find a piece of cardboard that's longer than the blade of the knife, and more than twice the depth of the blade with an inch (~3 cm) or more to spare.

Fold the cardboard in half, so it's now roughly larger than the size of the blade, and then place the blade so the back of the knife is against the fold (you can do it the other way, but you'll risk dulling the knife ... cutting paper isn't good for knives), then tape it down.

You want to make sure it's well compressed, so the knife is being held in by friction.  You could always sandwich something rubbery in there with it to help with the friction.

(this is how I used to transport my knives when moving between apartments)

...

Another alternative, if you're really disposing of it, and don't mind dulling the blade, is to poke it into a piece of corrougated cardboard.  Just find a piece that's longer and wider than the blade, set it on the edge of your counter, put a hand on top to hold it steady, and then slowly push the blade in.


what does watt specify in induction stove what does watt specify in induction stove?

Does a higher watt induction stove implies that the cooking will be faster?

Is electricity consumption of higher watt induction stove higher?

Watt specifies the power of the device.
Power is defined as energy per unit time. So watt is how quickly your device consumes energy.

If it is an efficient device it will convert more of consumed electricity into heat. So given two equally efficient devices the higher watt one will produce more heat faster and can therefore cook faster than the less watt one.

And the third part of your question has already been answered above. Yes, higher watt device will consume more electric power.


Testing For Salmonella in raw eggs I purchased eggs from the refrigerator in a local grocery store...When arriving home I missed and left them on the floor in my house in the plastic grocery bag still in the carton for 2 weeks! The temperature in my house stays on 76-78 degrees here in Florida.

Is there a test that I can do here at home to see if the eggs have spoiled or have salmonella, or should I just throw them away? When I found them here I put them in my refrigerator but have not used them.

The FDA advises no more than 2 hours should pass between purchasing refrigerated raw eggs and putting them back into a refrigerator. 2 weeks exceeds that by 168-fold. Toss those eggs and purchase new ones.

There is no easy at-home test for salmonella, and certainly none as cheap as a carton of eggs. If you want to completely avoid the risk, I would recommend finding a source of pasteurized eggs. Barring that, get new eggs from the store and follow all FDA advice regarding their storage, handling, and cooking.


What are the 'acidity controllers' used in canned whole tomatoes? I was looking at the label on a can of Italian roma tomatoes (similar to San Marzano) and I noticed an ingredient called an 'acidity controller'.

This makes perfect sense to me, but it doesn't go as far as to say what that ingredient consists of. It seems like it might fall under the same ambiguity as 'herbs and spices' as far as requirements to list ingredients. Baking soda-ish things immediately come to mind, but does anyone have a more factual grasp of what's commonly used to control acidity in canned tomatoes?

Most varieties are actually quite tart out of the tin, which is why I was a little surprised to see that they use anything at all. Is it just something they use to lower the acidity enough in the event that the can is dented and the barrier stopping the tomatoes from actually interacting with the metal damaged?

It is normally just a mild organic acid like citric acid, they tend to act as buffers. But the reason to use a word like "acidity controller" is exactly to be able to use something else (say malic acid) so they don't have to reprint the label if they change the recipe.

The reasons for acidity controllers is both safety (not enough acidity will make the can unsafe) and taste - too much or too little acidity will result in a taste difference between charges, because each batch of tomatoes comes with different acidity.

Basic buffers like baking soda cannot be used, because this would make the contents practically uncannable, and very unpleasant to eat to boot.


Ice cream stabilizer - locust gum - use and cooking procedure I have a locust gum (powder). I searched online and it needs to be heated at least to 165 F to properly hydrate the gum.
I have a few questions:

should I still use eggs in the recipe? Won't it be too gummy?
should I cook all liquid ingredients, including fruit, with the locust gum so all liquid is incorporated by the gum?
how long should I cook it? Just until it reaches the right temperature? Or keep cooking like 20 minutes? Is there a minimum and maximum?

I could not find much clear directions on how to use it for ice cream, bit this site helped a lot: http://icecreamscience.com/locust-bean-gum-in-ice-cream/#44_heating_and_hydration
'm just trying to get more real experience from others.

Thank you for any help!

LBG hydrates at 80C (176F); which might be a bit high for eggs. You should simply the cook the milk+cream with LBG until it hydrates and thickens; then proceed with your recipe, i.e while tempering the eggs at the right temperature as the mixture cools down...

I would mix in the fruits at the end to the cold mixture, as heat can alter the taste of fruit greatly.


Does type of starch used for thickening make a difference in a fruit sauce? I'm making fruit sauce to spoon, say, over a piece of cheese cake. American recipes typically call for corn starch to thicken it, but around here most people tend to have potato starch in their pantries. Does corn starch have any advantages over other thickeners for this particular use?

Per this page from  The Cook's Thesaurus  many starches can be used for thickening but some work better than others for certain applications. For the purpose of a fruit sauce arrowroot would probably be your best option.

arrowroot starch = arrowroot powder = arrowroot = arrowroot flour    This starch thickener has several advantages over cornstarch.  It has a more neutral flavor, so it's a good thickener for delicately flavored sauces.  It also works at a lower temperature, and tolerates acidic ingredients and prolonged cooking better.  And while sauces thickened with cornstarch turn into a spongy mess if they're frozen, those made with arrowroot can be frozen and thawed with impunity.   The downside is that arrowroot is pricier than cornstarch, and it's not a good thickener for dairy-based sauces, since it turns them slimy.
Arrowroot also imparts a shiny gloss to foods, and while it can make a dessert sauce glow spectacularly, it can make a meat sauce look eerie and fake.  To thicken with arrowroot, mix it with an equal amount of cold water, then whisk the slurry into a hot liquid for about 30 seconds.  Look for it in Asian markets and health food stores.   Equivalents:  One tablespoon thickens one cup of liquid.  Substitutes:   tapioca starch (very similar) OR Instant ClearJel®  OR cornstarch (Cornstarch doesn't impart as glossy a finish and can leave a starchy taste if undercooked.) OR kudzu powder OR potato starch OR rice starch OR flour (Flour makes an opaque sauce, imparts a floury taste, and can easily turn lumpy.  Use twice as much flour as arrowroot.)

The article lists each thickener with details on the best uses for each, downsides, and substitutions.


How do different techniques impact sourdough bread? I have recently started baking sourdough bread (with a 100% hydration starter).

My current method is:

Take starter from the fridge, feed, wait a couple of hours.
Add flour and water (approx 70% hydration), wait a couple of hours.
Scatter through salt.
"Turn" dough every 30 minutes for a couple of hours.
Rise for a few hours until double.
Gently shape and rise for one more hour.
Bake in dutch oven.

I am getting good results, with rise, and a lovely, chewy texture... however I want to branch out, and am struggling with deciphering the mass of information on the internet!

So my questions are:

To knead or not to knead?  I've heard people claim that kneading impacts flavour, then others claim it's the only way to get the highest rise.
Similarly, what impact does punching down the bread after the first prove have?
I currently do a short autolysis, long first prove, short second prove - how will it impact my end product if I change these up?
Some places have suggested that the long rise should result in the dough tripling in size. When I tried that, the finished loaf was more flat than normal: over-proved?
If I went to 60% hydration, or 80%, what impact would it have on the finished loaf, and what would I need to adapt in the recipe?
When using my banneton, should I place the bread onto the linen, or the wicker directly?
How would adding sugar impact my loaf?
Are the any other techniques for adapting sourdough loaves?

My reason for asking, is that I want to start experimenting with shaping (hence different hydrations), and with different textures (i.e. soft vs chewy internal loaf).

Lots of questions here.  Let me try to address them:

To knead or not to knead? I've heard people claim that kneading impacts flavour, then others claim it's the only way to get the highest rise.

It's true that kneading a lot can introduce a lot of oxygen into the dough, and that can have a small negative impact on flavor, which will mostly be noticeable in lean doughs (those with only flour, water, and salt, without enriching ingredients or flavorful additives).  This effect is relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, though.  It's more of a concern with intense mixing by machine rather than relatively slower and gentler kneading by hand.

The alternative to kneading is doing periodic stretch-and-fold cycles during the first proof.  In that case, you need to measure the length of your proof by time (and temperature), rather than when the dough "doubles."  But you need to do something to make gluten connections to maximize loaf height.  (So-called "no-knead" breads generally work by using very long fermentation, which will also increase gluten connections.  But if you're only fermenting for a few hours, you'll need to knead and/or do stretch-and-folds.)

Similarly, what impact does punching down the bread after the first prove have?

For most recipes, there's no reason to deliberately de-gas the dough.  The goal in shaping is fourfold: (1) stretching and folding the dough to make more gluten connections and increase structure (as mentioned above) which will increase loaf height, (2) stretching the outer "skin" of the dough to increase surface tension and support loaf height rather than spreading, (3) redistribute the yeast within the dough to provide them with new food sources, (4) in the process of moving the yeast around, move them away from high concentrations of their own waste gases (which tend to slow growth).

Only the last point is a rationale for actual de-gassing, and it's a relatively minor concern.  The main emphasis in shaping should usually be on the first two, and some de-gassing will naturally happen in that process.  Tight shaping to maximize loaf height will already result in de-gassing, but there's no reason to deliberately "punch down" the dough more than necessary in most breads.

The main reason to deliberately "punch down" the dough is to get rid of large bubbles that would create irregular "holes" in the final loaf.  If you're making a sandwich loaf or something where you want to avoid big holes in the final bread, there may be a reason to deliberately "punch down."  But in more rustic breads, baguettes, etc. which often tend to have more irregular holes, this isn't a concern.

I currently do a short autolysis, long first prove, short second prove - how will it impact my end product if I change these up?

What would you "change up"?  This is fairly typical.  Longer autolysis has diminishing returns, but it can be done.  You want the first proof to be longer to develop flavor and allow yeast growth.  (Longer first proof usually means more flavor.)  And the second proof is mainly to expand the shaped loaf to develop gases that will lift the dough during baking.  There's no reason to extend the second proof longer, and doing so would likely result in overproofing and collapse in the oven.

Some places have suggested that the long rise should result in the dough tripling in size. When I tried that, the finished loaf was more flat than normal: over-proved?

Sort of.  Particularly with sourdough, the yeast may not have sufficient strength to do too many long proofs.  Proofing too long with sourdough can also lead to more build-up of acid, which will eventually break down the gluten structure more (and is more likely to lead to a smaller rise or collapse in the final loaf).

If I went to 60% hydration, or 80%, what impact would it have on the finished loaf, and what would I need to adapt in the recipe?

It's hard to predict without knowing your exact recipe, flour type, etc.  Too low hydration will prevent elasticity in the dough and thereby result in a smaller rise.  (Think bagel-like interior texture.)  Too high hydration makes the dough harder to work with, though it also tends to help with a more irregular hole structure (which some find desirable) and a less "stiff" interior.  These are just general tendencies: changing hydration has lots of effects, and the specific recipe/technique will highlight or undermine some of those effects.

When using my banneton, should I place the bread onto the linen, or the wicker directly?

You can do either.  With a medium hydration dough, it mostly depends on whether you want to wicker patterns to be seen strongly in the final dough to make a "pattern" on the top.  With wetter doughs, I find it harder to put it on cloth without excessive amounts of flour, and the wicker can sometimes stop sticking by having less dough contact (and also allowing more moisture to escape from the dough surface).

How would adding sugar impact my loaf?

Sweetness, obviously.  Faster browning.  Can potentially soften the crumb a bit.

Are the any other techniques for adapting sourdough loaves?

Lots.

My reason for asking, is that I want to start experimenting with shaping (hence different hydrations), and with different textures (i.e. soft vs chewy internal loaf).

More vigorous shaping is generally helpful in increasing dough height, as mentioned above.  Gentle shaping is most useful with high-hydration doughs where you want an irregular hole structure in the final loaf.

Regarding texture: the easiest thing to do to create a softer interior (like traditional "sandwich bread") is to enrich the dough by adding butter/oil, eggs, milk instead of water, sugar, etc.  Higher hydration can also help a bit, as well as using a lower gluten flour (though this can decrease loaf height).  Do the opposite if you want something more chewy.


Can you caramelize onions without using fat? Serious Eats: caramelizing onions

In this article the writer suggests slightly caramelizing table sugar and after that toss the onions in the caramelized sugar. My question is - wouldn't you need a fat like butter to transfer heat from the pan to the onions? Does he take for granted we add butter to the caramel? Or does he mean we add sweated onions to the caramel together with the fat?

You do not add fat to sugar when caramelizing it, you add it to the pan dry. Sugar has water suspended in it, and it comes out when heated. The caramel will transfer the heat to the onions just fine - anyone who's ever gotten splattered with hot caramel will attest to that.


Is it possible to make low-alcohol Limoncello? Lemons are currently in season and dirt cheap. I'd like to make a homemade Limoncello.

The recipe I'm using calls for odorless, high-ABV (150+ proof) spirit, like Everclear. Unfortunately, my state doesn't allow the sale of high ABV spirits.

Can I use a lower ABV, like vodka, as a stand in? Will this change steeping time?

There are plenty of recipes for limoncello/lemoncello out there that use vodka. I would reference one specifically calling for vodka rather than adapting one that relies on either 150 or 190 proof Everclear.

The higher alcohol content means a stronger extract from the lemons (does not necessarily apply to leeching of sugars, just oils), and a corresponding need to be sugared down more. As vodka is easier to just sip and lower in alcohol, it would likely require less simple syrup, and either more lemons, agitation, longer steeping or a combination thereof.


Seasoning on Magnalite anodized aluminum fry pans needs to be removed and re-done, what is process? I bought a set of three Magnalite anodized fry pans(used) and was told they needed to be cleaned out and re-seasoned. What would be the best way to remove the old seasoning?

If you mean that the anodization has chipped and you have bare metal showing through, the best way to remove the remaining anodization is by sandpaper and lots of time/ effort (aluminum oxide, a.k.a. corundum/ ruby/ sapphire, is one of the compounds used in sandpaper, so it's sort of like grinding a diamond with another diamond). You could also likely dissolve it with concentrated acids or alkali, but these may also destroy the pan in the process, and I do not know that I would want to do that to cookware.

The most challenging problem lies in how to put the anodization back on (very controlled re-oxidation of the surface), without a large vat of hazardous chemicals or investing more money than the pan is worth having it commercially re-anodized.


is it ok to use parchment paper when baking cream puffs Is it better to use parchment paper when baking cream puffs so that the middle does not end up being wet and soggy?

Yes to your title.

No to the question body.

I always use parchment when baking cream puffs. It is just to make the cream puffs not stick to the pan and cleanup easier.

It doesn't insulate enough to affect baking temperature and has no effect on the cream puffs being wet and soggy or not.


What to look for when choosing a dutch oven? I've never had nor used a dutch oven, but I have a pile of recipes I want to try that require one.  Are these all pretty similar?  Or are there things I should look for in a good dutch oven?  Or will it depend on what I plan to make?  (just soups & stews so far)

(might be this should be CW, but I don't have the option here yet)

I'd say there are basically two material options. Plain (seasoned) cast iron or enameled cast iron. I prefer enameled, because you don't have to worry about keeping them seasoned--just wash as you would any other pot--and the enamel surface is easy to get clean. But they're also more expensive by a significant margin. A properly maintained plain cast iron one will be awesome too, and do everything enameled will do for less money, so don't rule it out.

What you should consider:

The foremost thing you want to look for is a heavy pot. Heavy bottom AND heavy sides and lid. You want something that holds a lot of heat when you need it to, and heavier often means more even heating and better searing (crucial for braises and pot roasts).

Consider the lid. It should fit well, without gaps or sliding around. Some have loop handles on the side or on the top, some have a knob on the top. All are fine, but keep in mind that a metal lid handle will be more durable with all the oven time your dutch oven will likely see. They say the plastic ones are OK (Le Creuset, a trusted brand, uses them so they can't be that bad) but I'm not 100% convinced. Whatever handle you get, think about how easy it'll be to grasp wearing an oven mitt.

Handles on the pot itself are a potential issue. Some plain cast iron pots will have a bucket-style bail handle, which I don't think is that great for the kitchen, especially the oven. These are really intended for campfires and camp stoves, so I'd avoid them. Sturdy, compact but easy-to-grip handles of any type are good. It'll be heavy, so make sure you feel secure holding on.

Size is another consideration, and it's a tough one because it's so individual. I think between 5.5 and 6.5 quarts is pretty standard and works for most cooks. A dutch oven isn't like a stock pot, where big is always good. You want one big enough to cook the things you want, but you don't want it to be too huge for what you have in there, or you'll give up a lot of cooking liquid to evaporation too fast. This is less crucial for soups and stews (I'd do soup in a regular stock pot), but for a braise it's kind of important. So I would resist going too small, but don't go too far, especially if you're always cooking for two people. Also, bigger = heavier, so don't let your eyes get bigger than your muscles!

Another option is shape, as they generally come in round or oval. Oval sometimes helps people who can't decide how big to go. With roasts being generally oblong, an oval pan can fit a proportionally larger roast without getting really huge. With a round pot, your whole pot needs to be at least as big around as your roast is long. Ovals are a little less common, however, and generally don't come as big as round ones. They're often more expensive too.

Finally, don't compromise too much on size or cost. Any halfway decent dutch oven, properly looked after, will last much longer than you will. Make sure you're getting what you want, because you'll be living with your decision a long time.


Can you reheat cooked calamari without thawing? Can you reheat cooked calamari without thawing first? If I take it from the freezer and boil it, how long will it take to reheat the calamari?

It is entirely possible to reheat calamari without thawing first, I would suggest boiling for one to two minutes, depending on piece size, longer if you are using larger pieces. Conversely you can cover the calamari with boiling water and let it sit for a little bit longer than one to two minutes, I would also suggest that you heat thoroughly, better safe than sorry. I am also not entirely sure the texture will be optimal. Good Luck.


What is the difference between chickpeas and garbanzo beans? Almost everywhere on the internet I see that garbanzo beans and chickpeas are the same thing. Here on Seasoned Advice I also see that the tag chickpeas comes up when you type "garbanzo". So I guess they're considered the same here?

Today I came across this blog post which claims that garbanzo beans are large Mexican chickpeas, not regular chickpeas. So, is this claim correct and are garbanzo beans and chickpeas different in any way?

They're the same thing. About the only difference is that "garbanzo bean" is less common in British English than in American English, and chickpea is more common either way, but it's just a language thing.
There are indeed different varieties, with some smaller and some larger, but they don't have common language names like that.
Wikipedia mentions three varieties:

Desi, which has small, darker seeds and a rough coat, cultivated mostly in the India and much of the Indian Subcontinent, as well as Ethiopia, Mexico, and Iran.
Bombay (Bambai), which is also dark in colour but slightly larger in size than the Desi variety. They too are popular in the Indian Subcontinent.
Kabuli, associated with Kabul in Afghanistan. These are lighter coloured, with larger seeds and a smoother coat, mainly grown in Southern Europe, Northern Africa, South America and Indian Subcontinent, having been introduced during the 18th century to India.

Note that it says that one of the smaller varieties is commonly grown in Mexico, so the blog isn't really even quite correct to say "large Mexican chickpeas" (though I've certainly also seen large chickpeas from Mexican brands). I wouldn't lend too much authority to that blog post on that particular point. (A lot of the rest is subjective too, of course.)


Historical recipe for cake before refined sugar What ingredients were used in cake before the invention of any factory produced or processed foods such as refined sugars? Does anyone know where I could find historical recipes for such things?

See Food Timeline, which explains that historically, the closet thing to cake was more an enriched, sweetened bread, enhanced with honey, perhaps with fruits or nuts added.  They would have been closer to what we think of as fruitcake.

According to them, the precursors to modern cakes came about due to more reliable ovens, and the availability of refined sugar.  They were baked in a ring or hoop, and covered with a boiled sugar icing.

Truly modern cakes did not emerge until baking powder became available:

  It was not until the middle of the 19th century that cake as we know
  it today (made with extra refined white flour and baking powder
  instead of yeast) arrived on the scene. A brief history of baking
  powder. The Cassell's New Universal Cookery Book [London, 1894]
  contains a recipe for layer cake, American (p. 1031). Butter-cream
  frostings (using butter, cream, confectioners [powdered] sugar and
  flavorings) began replacing traditional boiled icings in first few
  decades 20th century. In France, Antonin Careme [1784-1833] is
  considered THE premier historic chef of the modern pastry/cake world.
  You will find references to him in French culinary history books.

I was not able to easily find historical recipe for very old precursors to cakes.

Still, the archive of The Old Foodie includes a recipe it indicates is circa 1769, which is in the refined sugar era, representing one of the early transitional recipes:

  Gateaux d’Amandes. Almond Cake.

  Take half a Pound of Flour, half a
  Pound of pounded sweet Almonds, and five or six bitter with it, half a
  Pound of Sugar, six Eggs, and work it well all together; form it into
  a Cake; bake it on a sheet of Paper, well buttered; when cold, glaze
  it with a white Sugar-glaze: another Method for the same Sorts of
  Cakes; bake it in a Mould, or Baking-hoop; pound a Pound of sweet
  Almonds very fine, and one Dozen of bitter ditto, putting Whites of
  Eggs, to hinder them from turning to Oil; then put to it half a Pound
  of fine Sugar-powder by Degrees, two whole Eggs, Lemon-peel, finely
  chopped or rasped; when this is properly mixed, add eight Eggs, the
  Yolks and Whites first beat up separately; stir it, and mix it all
  properly; and pour it in the Mould, to bake about an Hour: serve in
  its natural Colour.


Replacing agar-agar with gelatin I'm not able to purchase agar-agar (yet), so is there a rule for replacing the quantity? I've seen a recipe with 0,5 spoon of agar-agar for 1 spoon of gelatin. Is that the usual proportion?

Additional: is there a difference in treatment to activate the agar-agar or gelatin?

"Texture" the hydrocolloid recipe collection says the typical concentration of agar agar is:

0.2% will set
0.5% gives firm jelly

How much gelatin you need depends on the bloom (strength) of your gelatin.
Page 82 tells you how to convert measurements from one bloom strength to another.


How to cook sausage? I never cooked "real" sausages before. Now I have several kinds of sausages: chorizo, merguez, and chicken. I have only a couple of each and a big electric pan.

How do I cook them? Should I add water? How long?

Sausages are pretty forgiving. As long as you don't burn them or leave the center raw, they should come out OK. Since they're pretty fatty (at least the good ones are) there's little chance of drying them out, so when in doubt, cook them a little longer. They'll feel firm, not squishy, when they're done.

The easiest way to cook raw sausages is in the oven (at 350-375°F, 180-190°C or so). If you're doing it on the stove, I'd brown them first in a little (very little) oil, then add some water, or beer, or wine, or whatever you happen to have (not much - just enough to cover the bottom), cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until done. Feel free to cook some vegetables in the pan along with the sausage.


What is the meaning of the term whole grain? Often I have read that whole grains are healthy.
So, what is a whole grain and what is a non-whole grain?

The Pasta I have says "Durum wheat" as the ingredient. What should I understand by that?

Graphics and quoted text from: Whole Grains Council
Grains, by definition, have 3 major parts: the germ, the endosperm, and the bran.

Whole grains are those that have all of the parts of the natural seed, or kernel (not including an exterior husk that is generally inedible).
To be called "Whole Grain" the product must still have all of the bran, endosperm and germ that it had when it was in the field, although it can milled, ground, cracked, natural, whatever...as long as it still has all of its parts.

If a food label states that the package contains whole grain, the "whole grain" part of the food inside the package is required to have the same proportions of bran, germ, and endosperm as the harvested kernel does before it is processed.
Refining normally removes the bran and the germ, leaving only the endosperm. Without the bran and germ, about 25% of a grain’s protein is lost, along with at least seventeen key nutrients. Processors add back some vitamins and minerals to enrich refined grains, so refined products still contribute valuable nutrients.

This graphic shows what's lost when wheat is refined, and what's added back when it's "enriched":

Durum is just a variety of wheat. Unless it specifically says "whole wheat" or "whole grain", you can assume that it is refined.


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

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

It really depends on the location. Sciencemag.org has an article on this, which is backed up by this paper. To quote  a relevant part from sciencemag:

  Allaire and her colleagues downloaded EPA’s data and looked at the number of health-related water quality violations for 17,900 community water systems in the continental United States over a 34-year period. Some were for elevated lead levels, the problem in Flint, but the data set also included violations for coliform bacteria—a group of microbes that is easy to detect and serves as an indicator of bacterial contamination in general—nitrates, arsenic, and other contaminants. The researchers combined those data with information from the U.S. census such as housing density and average household income, to figure out which communities were most vulnerable.

The following sentence from the significance page from the scientific article's website leads me to the conclusion that you shouldn't be worried per se, but that it is certainly worth looking into the situation in your area:

  Here, we show that health-based drinking water quality violations are widespread, with 9–45 million people possibly affected during each of the past 34 years. While relatively few community water systems (3–10%) incur health-based violations in a given year, improved compliance is needed to ensure safe drinking water nationwide.

If there is something wrong with the water (as you might find after your research) then see what the specific advice is. Some things may go away after boiling, others may not.

Use this website by the EPA to search for the 'Consumer Confidence Report' on drinking water quality by the EPA.


How to make Chinese-style cornstarch coating stick The other day I prepared General Tso's Tofu. It tasted good, but the result was not quite what I wanted. Like with many other Chinese dishes, the tofu cubes in General Tso's Tofu are coated in a thin jelly-like layer consisting of cornstarch, liquid and seasoning. The coating is supposed to darken a bit, once it caramelizes in the hot pan. This adds a nice sweet-sour taste and appetizing gloss. (This is a nice example.)

The coating stuck well to the tofu cubes as long as they were raw. But once I had stirred the cubes in a hot pan, the coating came off the cubes and accumulated in lumps that eventually stuck to the spatula.

How can I prevent the coating from coming off the cubes while stir-frying? Is there a way to do this without deep-frying?

The key in a stir-fry is that the ingedients can at all times move about freely. A spatula shouldn't really be needed, the way it is in sautéing, rather you use a spoon/ladle to just, well, stir the loose mixture. In fact even that isn't ideal: arguably, it should rather be called toss-fry, because vigorously moving the pan is the best way to keep everything apart, while minimising damage to items like coated tofu.

A proper wok is certainly the best utensil for doing this since its round shape keeps the tossed-up ingredients best from flying out of the pan. I don't actually have a wok, but I find non-stick aluminium pans to work well too, as they can be controlled easily and conduct heat quickly. (Purists will probably disagree here...)
At any rate I wouldn't care to do a stir-fry in a heavy traditional european cast-iron pan. Way too inert.

Apart from that, a couple of conditions are important to allow for easy enough movement:

Not too much finely chopped material or viscous liquid should be in the pan, as both hinders movement.
Nothing can be allowed to start sticking to the bottom.
There needs to be sufficient heat, and enough heat transfer, so you actually get the cooking done quickly.
Not too much water to absorb/vaporise away heat, at least at the beginning. Rather more than less oil helps though, but of course not as much as in deep-frying.

Again, all of this is clearly best accompished with a wok over an intense gas flame, but can also be done without.


Are recirculation extractor hoods good? I am looking for a extractor hood, and I see that there exist ones with air recirculation, so a pipe to lead the smoke/greasy air away is not needed.

So I wonder, how good are these?

Can they really clean the smoke/greasy air they pull in?

If you have a gas stove, you need a hood to send the exhaust outside. One that recirculates is not sufficient.

In my experience, the recirculator hoods work OK if you're not doing a lot of cooking. If you do, however, you'll end up with a nasty, greasy dusty coating on everything in your kitchen. I wouldn't bother with a recirculation hood if you ever cook things that involve grease or smoke. For someone who mostly heats up processed foods, it's probably good enough.


How long is bread "Safe" in the fridge? Now I know bread shouldn't be kept in the fridge, but I had leftover garlic bread from pizza stored in the fridge for two days.

I warmed it up and ate them (I was really lazy today haha). then I thought....I wonder if those were bad? But since it's bread I figure 2 days shouldn't be that bad.

Then I read about how you should never store bread in the fridge because it will go stale......but stale isn't the same as "spoiled" is it technically? I mean it would probably be just hard and tasteless correct?

You're asking about a few different attributes here:

safe/unsafe - food is safe when it's essentially guaranteed not to cause foodborne illness. Nothing is perfect, of course, but if a food safety agency says something's safe, it means there's a sufficiently small chance of illness that they're fine with telling everyone that it's okay to eat. So if something is deemed unsafe, that doesn't mean you will get sick, it just means there's some chance.
stale - stale bread is dry and leathery or tough. It's not unsafe or spoiled, just much less pleasant to eat - it's about quality, not safety. Refrigeration does indeed accelerate this process.
spoiled - food is spoiled when it's obviously inedible. That might mean it's unsafe (e.g. moldy or rotten), or it might mean it's just not something you want to eat, like really overripe fruit. Since different people have different tastes and standards, that means spoilage can be a bit subjective.

In general, leftover cooked food is safe for 3-4 days, and garlic bread is no exception (if anything it'll be safe for longer), so you were fine. Again, "unsafe" isn't a guarantee, so longer than 3-4 days doesn't mean you will get sick.

That just leaves quality, and apparently it was good enough for you to eat, so... there you go. If it was stale it wasn't bad enough to stop you, and it certainly wasn't spoiled by your standards.


What does vanilla extract add to a recipe? I have been cooking for a while and have noticed small amount of Vanilla extract needed in cakes, cookies, muffins, even a smoothie recipe.  Often times I forget the Vanilla or don't have any.  What am I losing in general in a recipe without any Vanilla Extract?

Then in this recipe 1 cup yogurt, 1 banana, 4-6 cups milk, 1 peach, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract what does the Vanilla add or subtract?

Vanilla extract adds the flavour of vanilla! Not as nice as using a real vanilla bean, but significantly cheaper and much easier to get hold of.


Why didn't my puff pastry "puff"? I used store-bought puff pastry to make a tart with two layers of pastry (with some soft cheese in the middle). Even though it baked, neither the top nor the bottom layer of pastry rose or puffed at all.

I kept the puff pastry in the refrigerator instead of the freezer for a few days between purchasing and baking. Whoops! I was also pretty sloppy about "room temp"; I just worked the dough when it was flexible.  Would this incorrect temperature management have caused the failure to rise?

I did not use an egg wash. I baked at 400° F for about 17 minutes, in a square ceramic dish, pre-greased with sprayable butter. Since the pastry didn't quite fit in the dish, I used a butter knife to trim the edges off of the pastry.

Puff pastry is a laminated dough, with very strong gluten development, so an extra couple of days in the refrigerator should not have caused problems.

450 F seems like a typical temperature, and the time seems in the normal range.

The only thing you have mentioned is that is definitely outside the standard treatment is trimming the edges with a butter knife.  Normally, you want to trim or cut puff pastry with a very sharp knife or pizza cutter, in order to cleanly cut through the layers.  A blunt knife like a butter knife can mash the layers together, making it hard for them to separate at the edges of the pastry.

Still, this should have lead to lopsided or strangely risen pastry, rather than a complete failure to rise, especially in the center.

The other possibility is that the dough was too warm when you rolled and worked it, or that you rolled it too much, which would work the fat or butter layers into the dough phase, rather than keeping discrete layers of flour then fat, which is what allows the rise.


Can you refreeze spring roll wrappers. Made spring rolls but still got loads of wrappers left, they came frozen so can I refreeze them?

Absolutely, as Robert said. Just be forwarned of condensation forming at the bottom when you thaw which will ruin the wrappers. So support with three or four layers of paper towels.


Why does water always boil over when steaming shrimp? Normally, with some typical amount of water, when steaming vegetables my steamer never boils over.

However, when I steam shrimp, it seems like no matter how low I keep the heat or how little water I use the water always boils over.

Why is this?

Foaming is the result of proteins.   For example, urine (sorry) foams when protein levels are high (persons with kidney failure can judge their urinary protein levels by how much foaming occurs).  Vegetables have no protein;  shrimp juices, plenty.  Fats counteract protein foam formation, so egg whites ( very high protein) foam nicely, but not if any yolk or other oils are present.  cream is a bit different, in that it has both protein AND fat, but that’s another story.


Is it necessary to peel aubergine? Do we really have to peel aubergine before cooking?
Or can we cook it without peeling?

It depends.

The skin of aubergines can sometimes be a bit hard after preparation, especially if you are working with older fruit and apply dry heat (e.g. grilling). During cooking, the skin should get soft, but some people dislike the texture difference between the very soft inner flesh and the noticeable firmer skin.

The decision to peel or not is similar to the question whether one should peel bell pepper or skin tomatoes - it depends on what one plans to cook and whether one objects to the texture. Leaving the peel on can help to hold slices together when grilling or frying slices. Or, one of my favorite preparations, the skin can be like a disposable container when grilling the whole fruit until the flesh becomes very soft, which can then be scooped out and puréed.

On the other hand, the color contrast between the dark skin and light interior can add visual appeal to a dish, some cooks remove only strips of the skin to create a pattern on the outside of aubergine slices.


Peeling coconut meat from shell I roasted these two coconuts at 350℉ for about 15 min.

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

Cross-hatch it several times with a sharp knife (every 2-3 cm or 1 inch).  Then you can pry up the chunks more easily.


How long does shrimp paste last in the fridge? Basically, I have some shrimp paste, it's a nice, very dark purple colour, and I keep it in the fridge.  It's not "dry", but it's dry enough to be extremely firm when I take some out of the jar with a teaspoon.

I'm wondering how long it will last - since it's mostly salt and is very, very thoroughly cooked when used, I'm thinking it will last quite a few months, but would it last a year?

As your shrimp paste is mostly salty, it will last quite a while even without refrigeration. IMHO, it is better to keep it in the fridge as you do. The important thing to remember is to seal it well to cut down on odor leakage. In this way it can sit finely in the fridge over a year.


How to harvest peppers and tomatoes for later use in sauces without harming taste Is there anyway I can pick my peppers and tomatoes now and freeze them immediately for later use to make hot sauces and tomato sauces? I am trying to find the most efficient way to process my pepper and tomato harvest.
The pepper stems and seeds would be removed, the tomatoes would be halved and cores removed before freezing in vacuum bags. Once I have enough peppers and tomatoes, I would thaw them and make hot sauce and tomato sauce respectively. Furthermore, I want to smoke my peppers to make chipotles (for chipotle hot sauce), however it is not really efficient to smoke 2 pounds of peppers every couple of days. I would like to smoke all 20+ pounds of peppers all at once. Its just that 20+ pounds of peppers don't ripen all at once.
I have several pepper varieties I use to make hot sauce and I have a couple different paste tomato varieties to make tomato sauce. I do not have enough peppers and tomatoes to pick right now, but over the next 3-4 weeks I will have over 100 pounds of tomatoes and over 20 pounds of peppers to harvest.
I know the peppers and tomatoes will be soft when thawed, I am worried that the tomatoes may taste sour due to the freeze. I am not sure how the peppers will take the smoke flavor when soft. I was considering dehydrating the ripe peppers as I pick them over the next few weeks. But when I want to smoke them, the dehydrated peppers might not take the smoke flavor. If I had to rehydrate the peppers before smoking, the "waterlogged" peppers might not take the smoke flavor.
I understand the flavor will not be the same as making sauce with fresh produce. It just doesn't make sense to make small sauce batches every 3 days for the next 3-4 weeks.
Let me know if you have any suggestions or how I should tackle this feat in a different way that I may not have even considered. There has to be an easier way to accomplish this. If I must freeze the produce, I would greatly prefer to freeze them the same day I harvest versus picking everyday for a week then a big freeze on the weekend. Those peppers I picked on Monday might start to soften by the weekend.
All sauces will be canned and spend 30 minutes in a boiling water bath.

We've been freezing both vegetables for years, with no loss of flavor.
Tomatoes
Unless your tomatoes have very thin skins, I recommend that you skin them prior to freezing. If you don't remove the skins first, you may wind up with the leathery skins floating in your sauce, which isn't really appetizing. To easily skin a tomato, press the back of a sharp knife onto the tomato, press gently, then rub the fruit to loosen the peel. Next, just make a small cut and start peeling with the sharp side of the knife. We also remove all seeds at that time. Alternatively, use a food mill (not a food processor) to process the tomatoes.
We freeze the tomatoes in roughly one-quart amounts, which is what we generally use at any one time.
Peppers
As you noted, you'll cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds, but we've found with experience that the frozen peppers, when thawed, turn mushy; we get around this by using the peppers as soon as we remove them from the freezer. They even retain a little crunch!
We freeze our peppers by cutting them into edible-sized slices (after removing the seeds), laying them out on a cookie sheet, and then putting the entire sheet into the freezer for a couple/three hours. This helps the slices to freeze faster (which we assume helps keep them move flavorful, but that's an assumption only); it also keeps them from sticking together after we bag them. When the slices are frozen, we bag them. We then use only the number of slices we need for a dish, cutting them up immediately upon removal from the freezer bag and adding to the dish mostly frozen to avoid the yucky mushiness.
Given that thawed peppers are really not appetizing, I don't know if you'll like the end results after smoking them. They will definitely NOT hold any kind of crunch and may even somewhat disintegrate in your sauces. Well worth a try to do it, though, especially if you do only a small test batch first.


Crispy pork belly, how can I cook the inside more? I recently discovered that there is an Asian market in my neighborhood. I was thrilled to discover it. I ended up purchasing a bit of pork belly cooked on-site and highly recommended by the owner. She said (rightfully) that her pork belly was crisper than any pork belly I'd ever seen. The crusty outside is very, very nice. Unfortunately, the inside still has that unrendered, solid quality.

I've tried slicing it through the center and frying it (cut side down) over a low flame. That left the beautiful crust overcooked. I could slice away the crust, I suppose, but I'd rather not dissect it that much. Any other ideas?

It might be sacrilege, but how about microwaving briefly? The crust won't burn anymore, but the heat will help render the fat. Worth a shot. But probably not the best flavor.

I'd probably experiment with pan frying some slices at different temperatures to see if you can get the meat and fat done before you over char the crust. Try slicing it vertically into 1/4" slices with the crust on the top 1/4" edge. That will minimize the crust and maximize the surface area of the inside.


How to quickly soften hard, dried out brown sugar I had some brown sugar that didn't get properly sealed and so now it's too dry and solid as a rock.  What's the quickest way to soften it up and get rid of the clumps? Folks have suggested leaving an apple with it in a bag overnight; any suggestions of a shortcut for rehydrating that takes minutes instead of hours or days?

There are a variety of tips for quickly softening hardened brown sugar here: 10 Ways to Soften Hard Brown Sugar.

The one that worked best for me personally, when I had to do this in a hurry, was to chip off a large chunk of the hardened sugar, put it in a (microwave-safe) Ziploc bag with a damp paper towel, and microwave it for 5-10 seconds at a time until it was soft enough to use.  Don't pierce the bag; the whole point is to allow the steam to re-hydrate the sugar.  But obviously don't leave it in the microwave for too long either, otherwise the bag will either melt from the heat or explode from the steam.  You should also let it cool for a minute or two between zaps; the sugar will continue to absorb moisture as long as the steam can't escape.

I also use the paper towel trick if I need to re-hydrate the sugar the day before.  Place a piece of wax paper on top of the sugar, then a damp paper towel on top, and seal it.  It'll be good as new the next day.  Don't leave the paper towel in there for too long though, otherwise it'll grow mold (doesn't seem like it should, but I personally witnessed it happen).  I like this method because it doesn't require me to waste any apples or bread, if I even have any around.


Problem: grainy kefir I usually put a heaped Tbsp of kefir grains in full fat milk. Whether I start from room temp or cold milk I end up with grainy bits after culturing the kefir.

How to get a smooth kefir?

Ps:
I can always blitz the kefir to make it smooth (and place it in the fridge to Thicken it a bit) but I have tried kefir that is thick and Creamy with no grains a few times before... Is there anything wrong in how I make mine?

Thanks

Additional information :
I just started making kefir a few weeks back
This is a problem form day 1 for me
Milk: Australian full fat cow's milk "Marigold Fresh"
Temp : I haven't checked but I live in Singapore so quite warm. I leave the milk overnight in the kitchen (8-9pm to morning 9am)
There is usually no separation of whey / curd when leaving overnight.

Link to the milk's description

The texture of kefir depends on many factors, so it's difficult to give a canonical answer. Based on the information you've provided, here are some possible reasons.

I'm assuming you purchased the grains rather than got them from a neighbor, as in the latter case you could simply ask the neighbor for advice. So your grains are quite new. New grains need some recovery time from transportation and some adjustment to a different climate, different milk, etc. Put about 1Tbsp of grains into 1 cup of room temperature milk and leave it for about 24 hours. The next day, filter out the grains and put them in a fresh cup of milk. You may need to do this two or three times before the grains recover fully. You will know they are recovered when they are more than double in size, float to the top, and cause the kefir to start separating into curds and whey. Once this happens, you can increase the amount of milk to two cups per tablespoon.
Even assuming healthy grains, 12 hours is almost certainly too short a ferment. Kefir is at its thickest and creamiest just before it begins to separate into whey and curds. This makes sense: the liquid has thickened to the point where the solids are not yet heavy enough to precipitate, so it is creamy, but once the solids get heavier, they sink and you get separation. So leave your kefir out for longer. Generally 24 hours is the norm, but you will need to experiment. Check at 18 hours. If you see small pockets of whey in the liquid, you are done. If the liquid is more separated, then 18 hours is too long; if you don't see any pockets of whey, leave it for longer. Basically, leave it out for just as long as you need for the texture to be right.
Grain storage. If you are straining out the grains at 8 or 9 am and adding them to milk at 8 or 9 pm, what are you doing with the grains in the meantime? To remain healthy, kefir grains need to be in milk all the time. They cannot survive well by themselves out on the counter or in the refrigerator.
Too much starter. If you have too much starter for the milk, new grains don't get enough sugar to grow and stay small. They then make the kefir gritty. You say 1Tbsp, but not how much milk. Once you are past the recovery stage with your grains, 1Tbsp is right for about 2 cups or a half liter.
Weather and temperature. Dom's super-useful kefir site says:

  Kefir can often turn out having a gritty mouth-feel. This may usually occur during mid-season, as the organisms are adapting to change in temperature [the microflora is trying to find its feet]. However, kefir with a gritty mouth-feel is not impaired in regards to health-benefit and nutritional value. Texture and consistency has more to do with the drinking pleasure of the beverage, and the majority of folks seem to prefer kefir with a smooth, creamy consistency.

It's possible that Singapore is too hot for your kefir grains to be comfortable. Using colder milk and a longer ferment might help. Make sure that wherever you leave the kefir to ferment, it is out of direct sunlight. Or of course, perhaps you're leaving the kefir in too cold a spot, but given that it's Singapore, that's pretty unlikely.

Of these possibilities, I think a combo of the second and third is the most likely in your scenario.

Making kefir really is trial and error, though. I too have had gritty batches sometimes. This was a particular problem before I managed to find a process and time-table that works well for me. I now get good results pretty consistently, but it took playing around to get to this point. Here's what I do:

Use the right amount of starter. I use about 3Tbsp for about 800ml of milk.
Use cold milk. If I use room temperature milk, my kefir is done quicker than I can drink it.
Add the milk to the starter and stir well.
Leave to ferment, covered, in a dark place for roughly 24 hours.
Stir well again.
Strain out the grains and immediately start the cycle again.
The grains keep growing, so every ten days or so, remove excess grains from the strained-out grains and refrigerate in milk.

Hope this helps!


Reuse frying & sauce pans multiple times during cooking session I'm a student and prefer to cook my own food rather than eating in the cantine. Due to time constraints, I cook only once a week, making different dishes of big enough portions to suffice for the entire week. Because I only have a frying and two sauce pans, I reuse them multiple times during the cooking session. Basically, I do the following:

Cook meal 1 in sauce/fryin pan
Empty meal 1 into plastic container
Scrape off residues with cold water and a fine brush
Stick sauce/frying pan back onto the hot stove, prepare for meal 2
Go to step 1

In the frying pan I cook mainly fish, sometimes some beef. In one sauce pan I cook rice, in the other bigger one I cook chicken and vegetables.

My questions are:

Does this procedure of heating up the frying/sauce pan, cooling off during washing and reheating it, damage it? Could it forcefully crack, blasting metal pieces everywhere?
Are there any health implications due to some of the residues still remaining on the pans when cooking the next meal?

I think thermal shock is unlikely to be a problem at the temperatures you're likely to use.  I had heard that it is mainly a problem if the pan is very hot (500 degrees or more, although some materials like cast iron are more susceptible to thermal shock than others) and if the shock is very great, like plunging the whole thing into cold water.

I wouldn't even think about thermal shock at temperatures cool enough to be cooking with - if the water is sizzling and dancing on the pot, that's the test for it being ht enough to cook, and adding room temperature food or liquid for de-glazing are well within the expected ranges for temperature, and probably as much of a temperature difference as you're getting when rinsing your pan.  If your food is done cooking, and cool enough you can put it into plastic without worrying, the pan it's cooked in and that has been off the heat while you're scraping the food out will probably be cooled enough not to crack from being run under water.

As a side note, I once had a pan crack from thermal shock - it did not shatter, or blast pieces everywhere, but spluttered a lot of steam and sharply cracked nearly in half to let it equalize the thermal stress.  It is not pleasant, but it was not quite as terrifying as "blasting pieces" makes it sound.

As for residues, I personally wouldn't worry about them too much - since very little will stay in the pan after being rinsed off, and they should have already been cooked to safe temperatures, the pan doesn't sound like it will be sitting out between sessions long enough to breed anything dangerous (which would be hours), and the next batch of food should be cooked to safe temperatures again.  I would be more concerned about flavor contamination than safety, although different people tolerate different levels of risk.


How to understand the effect of individual ingredients of recipes? I like cooking and I try different recipes from web/book. But I am not satisfied by just cooking using recipes, I want to understand what tastes individual ingredients bring to a recipe and what alternatives do I have for different ingredients of recipes that I cook so that I can experiment safely i.e replacing ingredients with there alternatives to produce slightly different taste or removing some ingredients altogether.

Is there any resource on the web that I can consult for this? I know I can learn this by experimenting and tasting individual ingredients but I need something that can give me a starting point upon which I can build my own knowledge.

This is an overly broad question which may get closed by some here for that reason. For the future you may want to limit your questions to specifics goals or issues. It is often helpful to include what you have already tried.

As for general resources YouTube and other sites offer a variety of videos where experts will teach and demonstrate a variety of techniques. If you search Google or YouTube for "Alton Brown" and any of a variety of topics you are likely to find a video that will be helpful. Here is an episode from Alton Brown on Shish-Ka-Bob as an example.

Your profile indicates that you are in Pakistan, some of the best resources I can suggest come not directly from the internet but from television, much of which is also available via YouTube, Hulu and other internet sites. Also The Food Network website is a great resource.


Juice Concentrate Manufacturing and Process? I was doing some research into juice production, some of the companies have suppliers who make the juice concentrates and these are used to make juice..What exactly do these concentrates contain apart as preservatives,what are the methods of transportation ? etc..What additional stuff and artificial stuff do juice companies add. Any insights?

Unfortunately, the simple answer you are looking for does not exist.  There are books written about this subject, for example, the Handbook of Fruits and Fruit Processing or Processing Fruits: Science & Technology.  Where I live, there are entire academic programs dedicated to commercial food processing, and fruit processing is no small part of that.

It's a little like asking how a car is made.  There are different classes, different engines, different companies, different features... there's no single answer.  Likewise, if you're processing fruit juice, there are different classifications (juice, nectar, or "drink"), different fruits with different properties, seasonal variations, pulp or no pulp, different degrees of sweetening and concentration and the incorporation of other additives, and so on.  It's a veritable jungle of proprietary processes, patents, and trade secrets.

Let's take oranges and citruses as an example.  A little digging around on Google Books through the Handbook indicates that they have to go through all of these processes:

Washing.  Food processing plants don't just rinse the fruits in a little water like you or I would juicing an orange at home; they need to wash them with detergent and scrubbers to prevent any contamination.  Of course, it goes without saying that this is only possible with the thick insulating peels of citrus fruits.
Extraction.  In order to concentrate the juice, they have to get it out of the fruit first.  There all sorts of machines and patents dedicated to maximizing the yield from every single piece of fruit.  Of course in some cases they also have to de-seed, or preserve the pulp, or both.
Blending accounts for seasonal changes in the appearance and flavour of seasonal fruits.  Many if not most plants will retain and freeze some amount of juice or concentrate from earlier seasons and mix it with late-season or off-season juices to get more consistent output.
De-oiling.  Yes, citrus peels have oil.  From what I understand, removing it involves either a centrifuge or a hermetic separator (also common in dairy products).
De-aeration removes oxygen (air), which improves both the total output and the shelf life.  Notice how homemade orange juice is often kind of frothy and bubbly but store-bought juice isn't?  That's why.
Pasteurization is a whole area of study in and of itself, and needless to say almost every commercial food needs to be pasteurized before going out the door.  This can do all sorts of interesting things to the flavour and nutrition of the juice - some good, some bad, depending entirely on the method of pasteurization.
Debittering seems to be done in several different ways, and understand that this is not sweetening.  It refers to the actual removal of bitter compounds (such as limonin) via various chemical, physical, and even biological processes.
Acid Reduction requires the pulp to be separated first and (sometimes) re-incorporated later, so that the pure juice can be treated to remove some of the citric acid.  Again, this is not the addition of a buffer, it is the removal of the acid ions.
Cloud stabilization I can barely even understand myself, except to say that the opaqueness (or "cloudiness") of orange juice is due to specific kinds of particles and that the process of stabilizing them prevents the juice from turning clear and usually seems to involve pectin (a naturally-occurring gelling agent found in many fruits).  I guess consumers would think they were getting ripped off if their orange juice was clear.
Evaporators do exactly what the name implies, evaporate water out of the juice, which is where the concentration actually comes from.  Again, industrial evaporators are far more complex than the basic principle of simply applying heat, and I'm not going to try to get into that here.
Essence recovery deals with the part that's actually evaporated, which is more than just pure water.  Processing plants have ways to separate at least some of the characteristic orange aroma from the water vapour and later re-incorporate it back into the concentrate.
Finally the concentrate has to go through freezing and storage and you can rest assured that they don't just throw it in a freezer.  The book above makes reference to a "slush freezer" which is similar in principle to the ones you see at the 7-11 but obviously much larger.

Every single one of these steps varies from producer to producer, plant to plant, juice to juice.  Sometimes steps can be omitted, sometimes new ones are added.  To know exactly what a particular company does with a particular concentrate, you'd have to ask them or visit their plant.

The one assumption you have made - that concentrate contains preservatives - is actually wrong.  In fact, kind of the whole point of concentration (aside from making it easier to trade in high volumes) is that it doesn't need preservatives like fresh juice does.  Many if not most "from concentrate" drinks will even say "no preservatives" on the label.

If I were to try to sum this up as best I can into a bite-size answer, it would probably be this:

Very little is actually added to juice concentrate.  The concentration process is mostly about the removal of undesirable substances.


How to cook Beansprouts so that they remain crispy I have tried different methods of cooking Beansprouts but I just never seem to get a consistent crunchy tasty end product. Can somebody please share a recipe or method because I absolutely love Beansprouts so much. (When they have been cooked by someone else)

I only know one way -- don't cook them.

I add them at the last second before serving.  If I want them to warm through slightly, I'll mix them into whatever else has been cooked before plating -- otherwise, I'll just add them on top as more of a garnish.


Make spring rolls in advance I'm making some spring rolls for a party on Friday. As I will not be able to make them the same day I was wondering what the best option would be. I will have the possibility of frying them directly at the place, but making them there would not probably be feasable.

What would you advice me to do?

make the rolls the night before, then freeze them and fry them the next day
make the rolls the night before, keep them in the fridge and fry them the next day
make and fry the rolls the night before. Reheat them (in the oven?) the next day (this sounds quite bad to me)

I think I will have some with pork, some with shrimp and some with veggies only.

Thanks

I think the best choice is number 2, get them all wrapped up and ready to go, cover them tightly and pop them in the fridge.

3 is possible but you risk them going soggy. They'll be fresher if you fry them on the day.


Is using a French press to strain plant milk (almond, soy, etc.) easier than straining through cheesecloth? The thing I hate most about making homemade milk is having to squeeze that little bag for eons just to strain all the milk out. I got the idea to do it in a French press instead, but upon doing some research found that people have very mixed experiences with this method.

Is it perhaps dependent on the quality of the French press? Has anyone here tried this way and is it preferable to the cheesecloth / nut milk bag?

I've never made nutmilk, but I'd guess the fine-ness of the nut puree could cause problems. You can put a coffee filter over the metal strainer (so that you push it down into the liquid) to keep particles out, but then you'll still have liquid trapped with the puree under the metal strainer. It'll also be kind of a pain to press down with the paper in there.

If you're okay with losing some of the nutmilk then it may well be easier. But then if you were okay with it, I'd think you wouldn't be so annoyed by the traditional method.

I guess if you use a LOT of puree relative to the amount of water, you could press it directly with the strainer, but even so there's simply a limit to how much you can press in a French press. If you're like me, you'd end up eyeing the puree at the bottom suspiciously, decide to throw it out, then find yourself scraping it into the nutmilk bag anyway and cursing the father of all nuts for making you do this.

Again, I really don't know on this one, but I'm guessing it's 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. If you're willing to let the French press tell you "that's enough!" then that method would be easier. If you're thinking you're going to get every last drop, you won't escape the nutmilk bag, and you basically need to decide if you want to wash your French press too.

ALSO, if you use the French press, you'll want to disassemble it and wash it thoroughly in the first place in case it's new for obvious reasons, and in case there is any coffee oil residue if it's been used for coffee. That coffee aroma is hard to escape.


Are substitutions for vodka allowed when making a vodka cream sauce If I am making a vodka cream sauce and I realize that there is no vodka (or not enough) to make the recipe, what would an acceptable substitute be?

The purpose of vodka in a cream sauce is to enhance the flavor by allowing spices that are not soluble in water to dissolve into the ethanol contained in the vodka. A suitable substitute would be any mild flavored strong alcohol.


Turkey stock in refrigerator We boiled the carcass of the turkey and let it set in the refrigerator for about 5 days. When I took it out to prepare the soup it was like gelatin. I know that's OK, however at the bottom there was white stuff. Could that be fat? I always thought fat was on the top!

The stuff at the top is fat, as oil floats on water (arguably one of the best things ever for a chef :))

The stuff at the bottom, is a collection of proteins, meat juices and all other sediments left in the stock after straining.

Personally I'd scrape any fat from the top. Then depending on the solidity of my stock I'd either ladle out the clear stuff from above the sediment or if set well enough I'd turn the container over so I had a big lump of jelly on my counter and slice the bottom portion off with a warm knife and discard.
It'll not taste great if at all and will make your soup, gravy or broth a little grainy.

On a side note, 5 days in the fridge is rather long. Food hygiene wise you'd usually not keep cooked meat products much longer than 3 days though a boiled stock will likely last a little longer. I'm not 100% sure what the actual guidelines are but I live to a 3 day rule on everything cooked in my work kitchen to keep the 'environmental health organization' happy...


Is there anything gained by butterfly cutting a hot dog for grilling? A friend of mine butterfly cuts (in half lengthwise without separating) his hebrew national hot dogs before grilling them.

I don't notice a difference in flavor and didn't perceive a decrease in required grill time. Is there anything gained by butter flying a hot dog for grilling?

Butterflying a hot dog (or any similar sausage) has two effects. First, as the moisture inside the hot dog expands during cooking, causing the casings to frequently burst due to the pressure that builds up. When you butterfly a hot dog the this is prevented. Such blistering does not 'harm' the hot dog but are somewhat 'unsightly', so I would call this an aesthetic effect. The second effect is that it allows the hot dog to cook through more evenly. Particularly for those who prefer their hot dog well done butterflying can get the insides cook through without charring the outside.

[Edit: found something interesting to add...]
If you want to impress your friend with something different, try spiral cutting your hot dog.


What are the signs of a watermelon past its best? Last week I bought a watermelon, and that day cut the rind of it. Also that day it was placed in a glass container, with a plastic lid that fits snugly around the glass on top, and stored in the refrigerator.

Today I went to finish it off, after not eating some for a few days, and was greeted by a 1/4 inch of milky white colored watery liquid in the bottom of the container, along with partly mushy watermelon innards.

I don't intend to eat it, but have had slightly mushy watermelon innards before, without the liquid described above. Anyone have any ideas what that is?

Additionally, what are other signs an already-cut watermelon is past its best (but not spoiled)?

It sounds like your water melon simply spoiled in the refrigerator.  It is a very perishable food, once the rind is cut off, as it is basically a sugar syrup waiting to be eaten by whatever comes along—people, dogs, bacteria, yeasts, molds, whatever.

The milky liquid would be waste from the metabolization processes of whatever colonized the water melon.

You are probably wise not to eat it; just discard it.

Some signs of past-prime watermelon include--but all of these border on signs of spoiled, because it is a continuous process:

Aroma:  If you detect an alcoholic, winy, or boozy smell, it is a sign the flesh has started to ferment.
Another sign is when the rind is not taught and firm.
The melon is light for its size, indicating it may have lost moisture


How do I scale serrano chile? I'm following a recipe that calls for 2 chiles serranos and serves 6. The dish is not hot/spicy at all, and I wouldn't want to lose this when scaling.

I need to scale by 6, and the dish should serve about 36 persons. Should I now use 12 chiles serranos?

They will be cooked with the rest of the ingredients, adding some flavour. Unless I'm missing something about this recipe, you are not supposed to eat the chiles!

This is the recipe I'm following. It's from a Diana Kennedy book.

I don't want the dish to become super hot!!!

I would follow the age-old cooking rule that says you can always add, but you can never take away. In other words, I'd add, say, 6 chillis, see how that tasted, and add more if you think it needs it.


Sushi rice vinegar proportions So i'm trying to make sushi rice and i know the essential component is the vinegar/sugar/salt mixture (with the optional kombu, which i don't have access to, so i omit entirely). I would like to hear your opinions on the ratios of the vinegar to sugar to salt. I have seen several but have not chosen my favourite yet. Also does anyone know for certain if salt is added to make the overall flavour sort of bitter-sweet, or... ?

On a related note: how important is the fanning of the rice? I mean, come on, to me sitting besides the rice and fanning with a giant palm leaf to fend off the excess moisture from your rice-pharaoh just seems utteryl ridiculous. In cooking there always have been supposedly imporatnt fancy techniques that are considered essential by every blogger, ever, yet in reality have little to no impact on the quality of the dish.

I did an online search for the first 10 sushi rice recipes with distinct ingredient proportions and came up with the following ratio (by weight):

  1:0.08:0.16:0.02 (Raw Rice:Sugar:Vinegar:Salt)

With cooked rice,

  1:0.03:0.06:0.01 (Cooked Rice:Sugar:Vinegar:Salt)

Or, if you prefer:

  For 1300g / ~6 cups Sushi Rice

  400g or 2 cups of raw sushi rice (about 1200g or 6 cups of cooked rice)
  32g or 3 tbsp white granulated
  sugar 63g or 4 tbsp vinegar 7g or 1tsp salt

I've not tried these proportions yet but I usually find that a simple average of 10 to 20 distinct recipe proportions gives me a good starting point for experimentation. At the very least averaging helps avoid nasty surprises like the saltylicious recipe of Alton Brown I linked to in my comment above.

Another answer here suggests a Salt:Sugar:Vinegar ratio of 1:2:2, whereas my figures suggest something closer to 1:5:9 if we are talking weight ratios (the other answer doesn't specify).

You asked whether salt would help give the rice a bitter sweet taste. In my experience sushi rice has no obvious bitter taste, but it does have a sweet-sour flavor that the vinegar and sugar lends. Salt helps other flavors play nicely with each other and at the same time adds a delicate flavor bass note of its own.

In my opinion you are unlikely to find a favorite recipe by adjusting the proportions alone. There are preparation techniques to play with, varieties of rice and types of vinegar. Many sushi rice recipes feature mirin, sake, kombu or dashi in the list of ingredients. Experimenting with any of these things will likely necessitate altering the ingredient proportions from what I give here.


Good (cheaper) alternative to Vitamix Blender I've just got back from a department store where they happened to be doing a demonstration of the Vitamix TNC Blender. Obviously, now I want one. Is anyone able to recommend a good alternative, thats not quite as pricey (this thing was £430 / €500). Basically, the features I'm interested would be:

Ability to heat for soups, etc.
Ability to blend ice.
Really, really fast.
Durable

Is there anything out there that can compete? Or are the vitamix blenders pretty unique in that respect?

Cheers guys,
Alex

I don't think it's possible. You are talking about restaurant / bar quality blender (like Vitamix, Waring, or Blend-tec). Cheaper units will not have the horsepower or quality of construction to do things like smooth blends of ice in a drink, generate enough friction to heat a soup from scratch, or grind flour from nuts and grains.

Even if your blender will handle some of these things initially (like blend ice, I'm skeptical any cheap mixer will provide enough heat for a soup), I think your blade / motor will quickly take enough abuse that it won't be able to continue to perform.

Update: Since initially posting this answer, I've actually bought a Vita-Mix (I'd been lusting for quite some time). I now feel more strongly that my answer is right. I've used it three times in the first 12 hours of ownership:

Nut Butter - I made a pistachio nut butter that required nothing more than 2 cups of pistachios and a tablespoon of oil. It came together really quickly and has a lovely velvety texture.
Pureed halved peaches - these ended up complete liquid with no texture / fiber left from the fruit. Exactly like Looza Nectar, but fresh.
A smoothie. The smoothie had zero ice chunks in it and was professional quality.

I have never seen a cheaper blender capable of the quality of any of the first three things I've tried. I'm afraid you're out of luck.


Thick layer of egg formed at the bottom of sponge cake I've made several attempts on this recipe (the ingredients are on the video Description) and... I get the fluffiness of the cake and a great taste out of it once I throw in a bit of lemon or vanilla (whatever is available) to get rid of the egg smell but no matter what I do there's always a thin layer of eggs formed at the bottom.

I've added more flour (20 grams more to the 60 grams, a total of 80grams) but it didn't really do much to it.

I've whisked it the best I could, folded it as many times (10-15 folds)... I'm out of ideas sadly. I'm by no means experienced either so I just want to "perfect this" fluffy delight so I can finally make it properly.

The ingredients are: 5 egg yolks and one egg, 60g butter, 100ml milk, 60g plain flour, 20g corn flour and 5 egg whites, 1/4 tsp salt, 80g sugar.

The butter and milk are heated over a double boiler and mixed, the, off the heat, the flour stirred in, then the five eggs are stirred in. The eggs whites are whisked with the sugar and salt to stiff peaks and the batter folded in. The cake is then baked in a water bath at 150C for 90 minutes.

From the video, it looks like medium eggs (about 50g) were used. If like me you usually buy large eggs then the extra yolk could be as much as 50g. So I'd suggest cutting back on the yolks slightly. The water bath should help cook the base. Also definitely use a metal tin, as in the video: glass or ceramic containers do not conduct the oven's heat to the bottom of the cake so efficiently.

Finally you mention whisking: definitely whisk to stiff peaks for the egg whites. But for the batter, you don't want so much air. Instead the aim is to make a stable emulsion.


What's a good choice of steak to use for a steak pizza? I'm planning to cut into small cubes and place raw on the pizza before putting it into the oven. I wondering what cut of steak would be good for this purpose.

Any meat that is good for fast cooking (BBQ, frying, grilling etc.) will be suitable for this. Do not use meat that is normally casseroled or slow cooked. For beef this is the non-exercised top parts of the cow. Typical western cuts are called sirloin, rump, and fillet

You need very thin slices of meat more than cubes if you want any level of browning and cooking to be achieved

The easiest way to do this is to partially freeze you meat for one to two hours in a normal domestic freezer. A slab of meat with a profile of around 30 x 80 mm (±50%) is the easiest to handle. Use a sharp chef's knife or meat cleaver and slice it into 2 to 3 mm thin slices which will cook very nicely on a pizza

A well marbled (mixed fat content) cut would work better, like in this picture


Why does my apple crumble develop a bitter aftertaste? I tend to make Apple Crumble in a very basic way, using Bramley apples cooked down with plenty of sugar ( enough to leave a little tartness to balance out the sweet crumble mix ) and a bit of cinnamon.

The outcome is delicious but if I go back for a second helping, which has been known, that seems to develop a really strong sour or bitter aftertaste in the back of my mouth.

Now I acknowledge that modest portions are probably a virtue, but this seems to be a standard pattern over several years- that first portion is so good and the second one is so bad and I'm sure there must be something wrong with the way I'm preparing the dish. What do I need to change?

The crumble recipe I use is a typical flour/sugar/butter with a few oats and sometimes crunched up nuts too. Any variance in the crumble doesn't seem to change the aftertaste.

It may be that the specific flavour has a compounding effect, in the same way that spciy heat (capsaicin) does. The first bite is great, the second one is more sour, and by the second portion it is the only thing you can taste.

It happens because of the way the mouth's flavour sensors react to certain flavour compounds, but I don't know enough to explain how it works exactly.


How is one meant to treat fenugreek seeds? The last time I used fenugreek seeds, they and mustard seeds were the first into the pan, followed by onions, then other vegetables. I expected them to  soften a bit and release their flavor, but they retained a bit of an unpleasant crunch, in the end.

Do I need to grind or crush them first, or can they be used whole if you treat them right?

When cooking with fenugreek personally, I have found that processing them in a grinder is the best way to use them in a dish. If they are not ground fine enough they can remain a bit more textured. Longer cooking time in liquid can help with the breaking down of the texture as well. However, it is best to just start out with grinding them as fine as you can.

In response to the mustard seeds, I leave them whole, or grind them. Depending on how I plan to use them. They can be prepared in dishes both ways. They too break down in liquid much easier than the fenugreek seeds. So the crunchy texture you mentioned, may have been from the fenugreek, not the mustard seeds. Cooking duration can play a role too, just to keep that in mind.


What are other techniques to make garlic bread? I've usually made garlic bread by pouring over the bread with special garlic bread powder over spread butter. This works, but is there any way to make the garlic sauce/powder on your own?

I find garlic powder to be kind of meh when making garlic bread. I suggest using fresh garlic that is finely minced that has been mixed with softened butter. You simply spread it on, cook, and enjoy.

Here is a recipe demonstrating this technique (I have not used the recipe):

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/garlic_bread/


Additional Time Needed for Baking Two Loaves of Bread at same time? How many minutes should you increase the baking time when baking two loaves of beer bread at same time?  Recipe calls for one loaf to bake at 375 for 50-55 minutes.  Not sure how much time to add when baking a second loaf - do not want doughy, raw bread in the middle of the loaf.  Any help would be appreciated!

Unless your oven is dramatically under powered, you should not need to adjust the bake time at all—and if it is so under powered, maybe because it is a counter top oven, you should only bake one loaf at a time.

Put the loaves in the oven with at least a hand's width of distance or so, allowing the air to circulate between the loaves.

Note that bread should be cooked until it is done, not just to a certain amount of time.   Your recipe should provide a doneness test such as a target internal temperature (preferably), or how to gauge by the color of the crust development.


Fan oven temperature conversion and biology/chemistry Many recipes call for a lower temperature in a fan oven (usually by 20°C), which makes sense as these ovens transfer heat more effectively.  However there would appear to be exceptions:

When the conventional oven temperature is only just high enough for browning – the Maillard reaction needs ⪆ 140°C while caramelisation of most pure sugars needs ⪆ 160°C.  A recipe reducing from 160°C to 140°C would therefore seem to result in much less browning when equally cooked through.  But keeping the non-fan temperature would result in overcooking.
Sterilising jam jars in the oven (common/official advice for hot-packing jams, chutneys etc.) relies on the surface getting hot enough to kill anything that could be living on them.

I'm sure there are others.

How can we identify and deal with such cases?  Is there a good rule of thumb for when to lower the temperature and when not to?

I think that the feature that you would use to identify the ones that might require the same or higher temperature in fan assisted ovens is removal of water.

In the case of a fan oven, the water is more efficiently removed from the food surface by elimination/reduction of the boundary layer through circulation of air in the enclosed space. The boundary layer is a diffusion rate-limiting layer of still air that limits diffusion away from any surface (e.g. Washed clothes dry faster on a windy day than on a still one when hung outside). In conventional ovens, the boundary layer is larger as the air is largely still and the environment is isothermal.

In most recipes the cooking involves removal of water from the items being cooked, however the Maillard reaction and sterilization of (dry) glassware both rely on heat alone.


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

Most freezers are frost-free, which means that they occasionally cycle above freezing to prevent formation of frost on the walls of the freezer. This makes them easier to maintain but it shortens the storage longevity of the food.

This makes products stored in them vulnerable to freezer burn, which is a loss of moisture. It can also cause ice and IQF products like frozen fruits or vegetables to solidify into a single mass. If you have ice cube trays, you may even notice them becoming empty after a few months of sitting unused.

Freezer burn is a loss of quality, though, not a health issue. The food isn't spoiling.

If you have a "deep freeze" or a non frost-free freezer that you only access occasionally, you can certainly keep foods for nearly indefinite periods of time without worrying as much about freezer burn.

You can also reduce the likelihood of freezer burn by following better freezer practices.

Resources available here and here and here.