Help identifying squash Hi, everyone – – I’m wondering if I could get some help identifying this type of squash. I grew it in my garden, and the plant seedling was marked as a pattypan squash, which it’s obviously not! The flesh inside is green, and I had to scoop out the innards and seeds  before cooking it. The skin seems to be quite thick, like a butternut. I removed it before cooking as well. The flesh is firmer than a zucchini.  I included the Sharpie for size comparison.

Thank you!!

More examples

My best guess based on your photo is that it's kabocha (aka Japanese pumpkin)

(image source).

But squashes also hybridize pretty easily, so far as I know, so it could be a random hybrid rather than an established variety. Possibly one derived from kabocha or acorn squash.

If you grew this from seed saved from last year's garden squash, it could be that your squashes were hybrids that can't be grown from their own seeds.

Now I noticed you said the flesh is green. That makes kabocha less likely. Maybe a hybrid of kabocha and zucchini, that happened to get the skin and shape of the kabocha and the flesh of the zucchini?

Edit

I've researched further and learned that kabocha is a variety of the cucurbita maxima while zucchini is a variety of cucurbita pepo, two different species, and therefore these two could not hybridize.

However, C. pepo does include both summer and winter squash varieties, so it would be possible to get a hybrid of the two if both parents were varieties of C. pepo. C. pepo includes acorn squash and (some) pumpkins among winter squash varieties, and pattypans, zucchini, crooknecks and many other summer squash varieties.

C. maxima includes kabocha, hubbard squash, and many others. I'm not familiar enough with other maxima varieties to say if there are varieties that are likely parents of your example.


Why are some foods preferentially eaten at certain times of day? At least in North America, eggs are most often eaten (or at least stereotypically eaten) for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and a big hearty meal for dinner, accompanied with a sweet dessert.

I understand that this isn't always the custom around the world. However, since it is a phenomenon that is so prevalent, one must wonder if there's a reason behind it, or if it's really just coincidence.

Are there taste advantages to eating particular types of foods in the morning, afternoon and night?

rumtscho's answer is right (upvoted it), it's more custom than anything. In parts of Holland, they eat cheese at breakfast, quite a lot of it. Most Brits these days eat cereal grains of some sort, replacing the old, common breakfast of bacon and eggs. From a nutritional point of view, eating protein in the morning isn't a bad thing to do - it keeps you from feeling hungry for up to four hours, and if you suffer from that sluggish, I can't get going feeling when you get up, eating protein (preferably without carbohydrates such as bread) will help with that. The protein doesn't have to be eggs, can be fish, meat or cheese. Some dieticians argue that we eat the wrong way round - we should have our largest meal in the morning, then a good lunch, with a supper or tea which is significantly smaller than the other meals at the end of the day, on the understanding that you'll be active throughout the day, but not particularly active in the evening.


Dough blender vs dough cutter? I'm regularly baking pies again and I might want to get into pastry a bit more and looking for tools to help me out.

I have seen about a dozen videos about creating the perfect pastry dough and I cannot decide between the Dough Blender and the Dough Cutter/Scraper. The dough cutter seems more versatile white the blender should do it's job of blending the butter with the flour the best. However, the people using the cutter made it look easier then the people with the blender where the dough and butter mixture stuck between the blades and you still had to push it out with your hands or another tool. Whereas holding two cutters you can clean them by simply scraping them against each other and to shove the blend together with one scraper and chopping with the other looked very efficient.

So I am very much leaning towards buying two good sturdy cutters. But every pro makes his tools look so easy to work with. I am just going to make a dough two times a week at the most and I am looking for the right choice.

-edit-

I understand my question is a bit hard to answer. The short question is:

Do I need to be a Japanese ninja to blend my butter and flour with 2 scrapers/cutters?

It's really a matter of personal preference.  I like using a pastry blender, but not all pastry blenders are worth using.  It needs to be sturdy.  And you really don't want a handle that might rotate when you push down on the dough, so pay attention to how the handle is fastened to the blender.  When the dough starts to build up in the blender, just use your other hand to knock most of it back into the bowl.

The other method I was taught was to use two butter knives, one in each hand, and slide them against each other while cutting through the dough.  This method works, but it takes longer.

I haven't tried using a pair of dough cutters.  It should work, but it's going to require a flat work surface.  The other two options (blender and knives) work well in a mixing bowl.

Regardless of which method you choose, it's going to be a bit awkward until you get some practice.  Anyone with near-average dexterity should be able to master any of them with time.


What's the musky taste in curry? I often order curry when eating out, and enjoy it enough to try my hand at making it at home. However, roughly half the curries I've eaten (usually the water based ones) have a strong, overpowering "musky" taste that kind of masks everything else. It's dark and very unpleasant - not unpalatable, but certainly unappetizing and very overpowering.

What is this flavor? I'm at a loss to explain it, but want to avoid the ingredient whenever I attempt curry at home

If the flavor is so clear and overpowering to you, and you haven't noticed it in other dishes, it is most likely a spice (or another flavor agent), not some of the vegetables. There is no way for us to tell you which spice it is. The words people choose to describe smells are mostly arbitrary * so calling it "dark" or "musky" does not narrow it down. Similarly, "overpowering" and "unpleasant" cannot tell us which one it is - it is something that is pleasant to most people who eat curry (else it wouldn't be used so widely) and when you hate a flavor, it is always overpowering to you even when others may not even notice its presence. **

This means that the only person who can find out what it is is you personally. You would have to get a list of the possible "offenders", that is, the spices in a curry which tastes bad to you. Ideally you would be able to ask for the recipe for a portion which has the disturbing flavor, but if it doesn't work (restaurants can regard spice mixes as a trade secret), you can just look at popular curry recipes online and make a list of the spices appearing in them. The list will likely be manageable, maybe 7-8 spices in total.

As the next step, try finding a way to smell each spice individually and seeing if that's what you hate. A supermarket won't let you open their spice bottles, but some oldfashione spice-and-tea stores measure spices out of the bag, or have them in a thin cellophane packaging that lets smell through. Or you can ask a friend who is likely to have Indian spices to smell them in their kitchen (if the person finds you silly, think twice if you need such a friend), or just buy a small amount of each spice somewhere - the money is not wasted, you can just start experimenting with Indian spices in your own cooking later. Prefer smelling the ground spice instead of whole grains or bark. If it is somethingn like fenugreek, you will find it out.

If that process doesn't help you identify the spice, then it is likely to be something which needs to release its flavor. You will have to fry the ground spices in oil to see if that makes a difference for you. While you're at it, try finding a way to smell warmed mustard oil, that can also be a source of the smell you describe.

I assumed here that you are talking about Indian curry, but if you mean another type of curry, just follow the same process but using the flavor process for another cuisine. If it is Thai, you might have to smell different brands of curry paste or some of the typical sauces (soy sauce, fish sauce) instead of individual spices.

* I am excluding schooled perfumers and tasters here, they have a more standardized vocabulary, but everyday people cannot use it

** I never realized how frequently vanilla is used everywhere in food and cosmetics until I had a roommate who couldn't stand vanilla.


At what point (after clams die) are they ok to eat I bought clams yesterday they were all closed.

I put them in room temperature water overnight (with 3% salt). Not in fridge.

Now 50% are open. 50% have their tongues hanging out.

The main question I have is once they are dead - what is the length of time in which they are ok to eat.

From what I read the ones with tongues hanging out are ok to eat. How about the ones that are open? Are they ok to eat? They have only been open for around 10 hours or so.

Clams are exceedingly perishable; there is no length of time after they are dead that you should eat them.  They should always be killed as part of the cooking process.

They may open (they are naturally filter feeders, and open to try and feed and respire), but if tapped should close indicating they are still alive.  If they don't close, discard.

Clams do not have tongues.  They have a siphon, and a foot--not sure which you are referring to.  The siphon is normally trimmed off if it is large, but the foot may be edible (although sometimes tough and not palatable) depending on the type of clam.


Cooking in painted metal pots Is it safe to expose a painted metal mug/pot to high heat for cooking or, even more frequently, boil water? My concern is how the paint responds to heat and whether it affects the food safety.

This cup is not painted, but enameled, which means it is covered with a thin layer of molten glass (emaille).

As vitreous enamel is basically glass, it brings the same chemical and physical properties: chemically resistant, durable, scratch-resistant, smooth and long-lasting.

Enameled cookware is very safe, even at high temperatures (oven-proof), and easy to clean. The main weakness it the fact that the coating chips easily if the pot is dropped, but modern cookware is relatively resistant compared to older models. Some well-known manufacturers produce pots and pans with enamel, random examples are Le Creuset, Staub, Le Chasseur and others.

The kind of cup you have was quite common in farmers' households world wide a century or two ago and is still available in eastern European countries and the Balkans. It has fallen out of favour a bit in the West over the last decades but the recent "retro" trend has enameled goods (including tins, jugs and bowls) appear again, it seems. Note that campers, hikers and hunters always loved them for their versatility and sturdyness.

So don't hesitate to use your enameled cup on the stove, it was made for that use.


How do I get sausages to cook evenly in a pan? Whenever I cook sausages in the oven, they cook evenly. The issue is that sausages take about forty minutes in the oven. However, whenever I use a pan, they do not take an age to be cooked but they never seem to be cooked thoroughly (some appear to be raw in the centre as well as not being evenly brown). So, how do I cook sausages in a pan?

EDIT: Adding water with the olive oil really does work.

Whenever I have cooked sausages in a pan, I have always added some water in the pan that way they cook through on the inside. Once they are cooked through and the water has evaporated, I keep them in the pan to crisp up the outside.


What to use on top of a baking stone: parchment paper, a silicone sheet or a thin steel tray? According to the top-rated answer to this question, you cannot wash the baking stone (or else you can, using baking soda and a lot of care and time, which is not practical). I am mostly interested in baking at the temperatures of cr. 180°C (360°F), although sometimes I use 450°F (230°C) regime.
I wanted to compare three options that could potentially be put on top of a baking stone, to avoid hygiene concerns:

Silicone sheet - it's stated to be safe for temperatures up to 500°F (260°C), but I have read that the safety of silicone at high temperatures is disputed. Other than safety concerns, I see no downside;
Baking paper - it's stated to be safe for temperatures up to 420°F-450°F (210°C-230°C), and is single-use;
Thin steel tray - I have made it up myself, it's obviously safe, but does it negate the advantages of baking stone?

Is my analysis correct? What am I missing? What are your recommendations?
As per this webpage, a lot of people are using parchment paper to avoid sticking, and discuss silicone as an alternative.

Ideally you'd use nothing.  Direct contact with the hot stone delivers the heat to the food best. Spilt food on the pizza stone can be scraped off when cold and any residue will be sterilised when the stone is preheated, as it should be for some time.  It's best to leave the stone in the oven after removing the pizza (or put it back in) as the considerable residual heat will help char the residue to a loose charcoal/ash mix that can be brushed off, leaving what's effectively a seasoned surface.
Although I store mine in the oven, I usually take it out when I'm using the oven and not the stone, as it's 5kg of granite and that takes a lot of preheating, slowing my cooking and increasing energy consumption.  If I'm not planning to use it for a while, or haven't used it for a while, I might leave it in while baking bread, being sure to preheat generously.   You can also bake off residue by putting the already-hot stone under the grill (broiler).  This can get a bit smoky though.
Having said all that, I have been known to use non-stick cooking liner, when I want to cook something on the stone but don't want to risk imparting a flavour to it (or picking up a flavour from it), or when cooking a really sticky dough like naan.


What do "virgin" and "extra virgin" mean in regards to olive oil? I have seen the terms "virgin" and "extra virgin" on bottles of olive oil. What do these terms mean, and how do they affect the flavor and cooking properties of the oil?

In the US, "extra virgin" isn't a legally protected term - some of the stuff sold as EVOO here would never, ever pass as it elsewhere.

From Wikipedia:

Extra-virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production only, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. Extra Virgin olive oil accounts for less than 10% of oil in many producing countries. It is used on salads, added at the table to soups and stews and for dipping.
Virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production only, has an acidity less than 2%, and is judged to have a good taste.
Pure olive oil. Oils labeled as Pure olive oil or Olive oil are usually a blend of refined and virgin production oil.

Cooking-wise, the extra virgin stuff is best used in situations where it won't be highly heated. Salad dressings, dipping oils, finishing a dish, etc. are where it shines.


Question about new sourdough starter, specifically smell I'm trying to start my first "successful" sourdough starter. I posted a question about getting it started here:

Initial Question

Since I asked that question, I started a second starter according to a book suggested by one poster. Once started, it was a 1:1:1 ratio of starter/whole rye flour/warm well water. I also let my other flour, which is the same ratio, but with all-purpose flour, sit for a few days. It got a slightly alcohol smelling liquid on it. The rye didn't rise much but got solid, puffy bubbles fairly quickly. I fed both when the rye was bubbly and the all-purpose had some liquid on top. I poured off most of the liquid and then fed both in their separate containers at about 10pm.

Low and behold, I wake up for work the next morning and they've both doubled. I repeated the process of feeding them at night and they've doubled by 6:45am and started to fall by then, as well. As per the suggestion of many posters on this site, I've been smelling my starters often. The rye smells funny on it's own, but I think recently, that it's been starting to smell more yeasty. However, I wake up in the morning and smell the all-purpose. By that point it's started to fall and it has almost no smell at all. It's fully risen and then fallen by about a quarter at that point.

I figured it should have a really yeasty smell then, like when you activate instant yeast. It just smells flat. Then when I go to feed it that night, it does have a stronger smell, but it's more alcoholic than yeasty. Am I just missing the window of good yeast smell or does it need longer to get established.

I started the all-purpose starter on 9/5/15 with the method described in the linked question. Today is the 4th day it's doubled in size. It didn't start doing that till the morning of 9/15/15. Up until then, I did get bubbling, but no noticeable rise. I figured using the initial method of feeding every 12 hours and replacing half was just removing the yeast I'd grown, so I let it sit till it got that "hooch" on top and I figured that meant yeast activity and after feeding I did get a good rise.

So it's now technically been going for 13 days, it's only been vigorously rising for 4 days. Even though it rises and there are a lot of bubbles, they aren't big huge bubbles. So my question is, that given how I've been handling it, does it just need more time to gain that yeasty smell (I think it should have enough with the way it's rising), am I just missing the time when it smells really yeasty, or am I doing something wrong? Thanks.

Trying to answer as best I can: Your culture won't smell like alcohol and it won't smell like bread yeast. It will have it's own unique sourdough smell.

Yeast gives off alcohol as part of the process. Different yeasts have different tolerances for how much alcohol they can stand. Basically once the alcohol gets to a certain concentration, the yeast will go dormant. Similar mechanics with beer.

The fact that your cultures doubled is good news. But remember, once the yeast exhausts the available sugars in the flour, they will stop bubbling. That's normal.

If you are leaving your cultures out at room temp, you'll exhaust those sugars quickly.

When I refresh my culture, I leave it out on the counter until it's bubbling and has almost overflowed the container. At that point it goes into the fridge. I will leave it there up to a month before doing another refresh.

Hard to explain but your culture should have a sourdough smell. I can't think of anything to compare it to. Using supermarket sourdough for this may be an exercise in futility as those breads can be pretty lame. My guess is there's nothing wrong with yours.

The only thing I can think that's different from what I do is leaving it out at room temp for more than half a day.

You can abuse sourdough starter up to a point but once you say you're sorry it's your friend again.

Time to make some bread?!


How to quickly make refried beans (or thereabouts) using Kidney beans? I've been trying for awhile now to make a bean-like paste for burritos/nachos/etc. akin to Refried Beans I so enjoyed while living in North America. What I've got so far isn't half bad, but I'd really like to improve on this, if possible.

Here's how I do it now:

Empty beans into strainer; wash with cold water.
Put beans into pan slightly under water and bring to boil.
Lightly simmer until beans come out of their shells.
Turn heat down to min; Drain off 3/4 of the water.
Mash mash mash away.
Add spices and mix; let water burn evaporate until consistency is to my liking.

NOTE: I only recently added steps 2-4 in an attempt at mashing the shells better. It has not helped. If I remove those steps, the entire process takes maybe 10 minutes (= happy stomachs :)

No matter how much or long I cook and/or mash the beans (while adding water), the skin never quite "liquidizes" so there are these annoying strainy-blobs that everyone complains about.

I usually use Red and White Kidney Beans or some kind of baked beans in tomato sauce, simply because I don't have to cook them at all i.e. I can eat them out of the can and they taste good :) Perhaps that logic is bad and I should be using other beans (assuming I can find them here) ?

This isn't the "quick" nor the healthy answer, but I personally do a twice-cooked system. I leave the juice from the can in the mix, and boil it down, which takes 15 minutes or so. Retaining the flavor of the canned fluid is essential, in my opinion.

Then I "fry" the dry-ish mixture which is beginning to separate in maybe 1 tbsp preheated lard per can of beans, stirring a lot at first. Lastly, very slightly simmer this on low heat for 1 hour or so, stirring occasionally. Flavor is awesome. Any kinds of beans can be prepared in this way, and it is similar (varying on oil and legume variety) to other paste concoctions created elsewhere.. such as in the middle east.

Note that this method negates the need for lots of "mashing". So, if you're more looking for less effort, than necessarily for "quick".. this could be your answer :)


Why blanch handcut fries? I work at a restaurant. Im a potential management candidate. One of my first projects is researching hand cut fries in an effort to transition from pre-cut fries to making our fries in house. I guess my question is a little more specific than why the process is done but rather would the process differ based on the type of potato used, say prep for russet burbank vs yukon gold?

thanks guys.

When I was working as a cook, we did this to cook the potatoes enough so that we would have a better result after deep frying. Deep frying alone can make for a fry that is not always cooked through to the center. If you blanche, or par-boil, the potatoes ahead of time, some advantages are these.

Frying goes more quickly, because the potatoes are partially cooked
The fries are more evenly cooked, because you don’t have to rely on
the deep fryer to do all the cooking

Probably not an thorough list of advantages, but these are the biggies.

If you go to hand cut fires, make sure cut the size you go with is consistent. This make of a better deep frying experience.

You can also deep fry potatoes at a low temperature (300 degrees F) for some time as an alternative to blanching.


Whatever Has Happened to This Fork? I left some dirty dishes over a summer internship.  Now, cleaning up, I have found that some of the silverware has developed a rough surface.  After sitting overnight in a soapy bath, it persists, although can be scrubbed off.

Here's a fork, which appears to be stamped stainless steel, showing the rough texture:

I don't have my microscope, and this camera image (try expanding it) is about as good as my eyes resolve.

My question: what is this?

I have seen similar deposited after stainless cutlery and plates were soaked in hard water from bores and from areas with hard water. Its just a collection of salts that like making a home on metal surfaces. You can remove it without scrubbing by adding some citric acid powder or a little white vinegar to some warm wash water. Denture cleaning tablets have a similar effect in cleaning off this buildup.

The citric acid powder is a really good way of cleaning up the built up scale in kettles and water heating appliances. It makes my glass electric kettle shine like new.


Why aren't my vanilla beans imparting vanilla flavor? Has anyone noticed the lack of vanilla flavor in vanilla beans?

I have tried several varieties, from different countries and suppliers. While there is a hint of vanilla, I am using triple the beans plus extract and gain some but not much effect. I have taken all the beans, (new ones) and made vanilla paste, which should be omg this kitchen reeks with vanilla! But it does not.

The aroma of vanilla beans is not easy to release. You have to extract it somehow. The most popular way is a prolonged extraction with alcohol, but you can also boil the seeds in milk or other dairy (that method is especially popular for custards).

If you simply throw seeds into whatever you are making, you are not going to get much aroma.


what is the reason for adding tomato paste when making a brown stock? I'm studying for an apprenticeship test and I know one of the questions is about why you add tomato paste to brown stock.  I have been taught that it's for depth of flavour and colour.  However, the choices on the test are separated into a) flavour, b) colour, C) acidity d) to speed up cooking process (?!)  I'm curious if anyone knows the actual ONE reason we add tomato paste to the bones?

It's odd that they force you to choose one, as many things in cooking have multiple reasons, e.g. browning meat adds flavour and colour to a stew. Are you sure the question isn't one of those 'tick all that apply' ones?

In this case, the tomato paste adds flavour, colour, and the acid helps break down the connective tissue in the bones, which helps the stock to jellify.


What does it mean when a dish or product is described as "(insert culture/tradition) style"? For example, if I have fried eggs and toast, it's just fried eggs. But if I add chorizo on the side, suddenly it transforms into "Spanish style" fried eggs.

There are many examples.  When is a food product described as "__________ style?"

Adding the word "style" to a dish or food item is a way of giving a nod to a particular culture or tradition when the end product is not authentic. While we can debate the idea of "authentic" in another space, generally the term "style" might mean that a technique was employed, or an ingredient was used, but that the final product is not of the culture or tradition being referenced.  This sort of labeling is generally done for marketing purposes, be it at home for your family, in a restaurant, or in a retail situation.


How to address this burnt sugar conundrum Some Caribbean recipes, such as this Jamaican oxtail stew, ask for browning sauce, which is essentially burnt sugar:

  Heat a large Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Add brown sugar to pot and melt, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it darkens and starts to smoke — about six minutes. When sugar is nearly black, add 2 tablespoons boiling water. (It will splatter.) Stir to mix.

This does add a lot of smokey-sweet flavour, nice bitterness, and rich dark brown colour to the stew, which I'd like to keep. However, this also results, after a couple of hours on the stove, in the bottom of the pan being covered by what amounts to charcoal that's almost impossible to clean by non-abrasive means.

Since the recipes also often include acidy ingredients, I'd prefer to use enamel pots instead of stainless steel, which makes cleaning the burnt sugar residue without damaging enamel a multi-day challenge.

Is there a trick for removing burnt sugar from enamel surfaces? Alternatively, how can I achieve the browning sauce effect without it sticking to the pot?

I would do this in a non-stick pan, then throw this into the stew/pot, usually with some meat or something else first in the pot you are stewing in. The reason it sticks, is b/c sugar tends to stay together, so if sugar is at the bottom of a pan it draws more sugar to the bottom, along with all the browned meat bits. I also like to de-glaze the pot you brown the meat in for more flavor and less cleaning.


Making sourdough bread with just flour and water (and no starter) Suppose I do not have a starter and I am not interested in creating one. Would the following recipe work to create an edible sourdough bread? If not, why not?

Recipe:

Mix 10 cups of flour with about 5 cups of warm water. Mix well.
Store the mixture in a warm place (about 23-24 Celsius degrees)
Knead/fold the mixture everyday at the same time.
After 5-7 days, add salt and bake the mixture.

As a point of reference let's look to this "Sourdough Starter Recipe"

Combine ¾ cup flour and ½ cup warm water in a glass or plastic container. Make sure the container can hold about 2 quarts, to avoid overflow.
Stir vigorously to incorporate air; cover with a breathable lid.
Leave in a warm place, 70-85°F (21-29°C) for 12-24 hours.
Feeding every 12 hours will increase the rate at which your sourdough starter is multiplying its organisms; feeding every 24 hours will take a bit longer, but may be more sustainable depending on your time commitment.
At the 12 or 24 hour mark you may begin to see some bubbles, indicating that organisms are present. Repeat the feeding with ½ cup warm water and ¾ cup flour.
Stir vigorously, cover, and wait another 12-24 hours. Repeat feedings every 12-24 hours by removing half of the starter before every feeding and discarding it. Feed with ½ cup warm water and ¾ cup flour.
After about 5-7 days the sourdough starter should have enough yeasts and bacteria to be used for baking.

The ratios are a little off and you are just dumping everything in at the start. Despite your stated desire to "not do so" what you would be doing is making a sourdough starter...but what would probably not be 'a very good one'.

Edible is a matter of taste, yours would probably qualify in some 'technical' sense (unlikely that someone would become ill from eating it) and it 'would be sourdough'. The process of gradually adding and removing flour and water through the week stretches out the food supply. Your "dump it all in at once" approach would likely cause the yeast to multiply too fast to the point of creating a toxic environment for the yeast, however I doubt it would reach that level in 5-7 days. Since you aren't trying to create a sustainable culture that would not be your concern.

Would it "be" sourdough? yeah...
Would it be "good" sourdough? not likely...
Would I do it? not a chance.


Toffee that is soft? I have deep grooves in my back teeth, and regular toffee would get stuck in there easily, so I am looking to cook toffee that would turn out soft rather than hard.

Explanation; about ten years ago my mother cooked up such toffee by mistake. While I do not know for certain, I believe it was the following recipe the was botched:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt

Heat to boiling, until 285°F

My mother and I figured that perhaps everything was doubled except sugar (by mistake), so I attempted to recreate it like so. After letting it settle, the butter was starting to separate a little bit (it wasn't that bad). While the toffee was at room temperature or above, it was really hard and sticky, like caramel, and it was melting into the other pieces of toffee. After cooling it in the fridge it was surprisingly softer but not quite what I was hoping for. The texture of the original toffee from a decade ago was compared to peanut brittle by several people, however I don't remember it vividly enough to confirm.

I don't want to vainly waste ingredients so I'd appreciate any ideas on how to get my toffee as described.

Basically the hotter you get the sugar, the harder it sets.

One thing you should take note of is the color, the darker the color, the hotter you got it.

Go slowly when melting the sugar, get it to the temperature you want, and then add the rest of the ingredients in. Melting the sugar slower, makes sure that the edges don't get overcooked and burnt.

The more liquids and fats you add, the softer it will set.


Storing dried peppers I've got about 20 red thai peppers from my garden this year that I air dried.  I currently have them in a mason jar with the lid and ring on (not sealed though).  Is this a sufficient storage method, or is there a better way?  The peppers are whole.

That's how I store the bird's eye chili that I get from my small balcony garden. I truss them up so they're hanging from their stems and hang that from a baker's rack, let them dry naturally, and just store them in a glass jar with a lid or cork.

I produce way more than I use, so I use small (pint) size glass jars to store the peppers, and I rotate them by using the oldest batch to grind up into several kinds of chili powder; the oldest batch I keep in the cabinet is about 8 months old (and that's the point where the pungency has mellowed just enough for use in rubs and stuff)

But yes, as long as you've got them covered and stored in a relatively cool place, they'll keep a nice flavor for quite some time. Just don't forget about them and taste before using if you can't remember when you bottled them (labels help!) :)


Liquid made with cream and penicillium roqueforti? In a comment on this answer, Wayfaring Stranger mentions something I'd never heard of before:

  Incubating a walnut size chunk of blue with some cream for a couple days creates a lovely tasty thick blue liquid. The stuff has a fancy French name, but it's been too many years since I actually saw the recipe.

What is this? How is it used? Obviously cultures of penicillium roqueforti like the original blue cheese are safe when made correctly, but is this safe to make in a home kitchen? Are there any potential pitfalls to be aware of?

I honestly doubt that growing blue mould in cream for a few days will have much effect, but why not try, it won't harm you either.

Why is it not going to work? Mould needs oxygen to grow. When making blue cheese (or generally cheese with "internal" mould), holes are punched through the curd to create air channels to supply the mould with oxygen. A Wikipedia image of Gorgonzola clearly shows how the mould grows around one of these punch holes. You can also see how the mould only grows around other natural cracks in the curd, while there are large solid areas of cheese with no visible sign of mould at all.

If you don't do this and the curd is without naturals cracks, the mould will only grow on the cheese surface, like for example on a Camembert.

If you soak a piece of blue cheese in cream, some spores may of course dissolve and reach the surface, but they will only be able to grow on the cream's surface. Another problem is that Penicillium roqueforti is not growing particularly fast. Roquefort is for example ripened at least four months under ideal conditions, so just a few days will not allow much growth.

Why is it not going to harm you? Using harmless or perhaps even beneficial moulds like Penicillium roqueforti to prepare food is not only done for the taste, but also for their preserving functions. Or more precisely, different species of mould tend to fight each other, so seeding food with a "good" mould will prevent the growth of "bad" mould. Anyway, cream will get sour and taste bad long before dangerous amounts of mould would grow.


Definition for light, medium and heavy flour? In this answer:

What can I use in place of Quinoa flour?

regarding substituting for quinoa flour, the answered alleges that another so-called "medium" flour can be substituted.

When I googled, I found that so-called "light flours" were alleged to be high in starch; rice flour or glutinous rice flour was the usual example.  I found far less consistency—and no definition based on an objective criteria—for medium and heavy flours, although nut flours usually seemed to be grouped as a heavy flour.  Almost all references to these terms were from the gluten free community.

Is there an actual objective criterion for these categories of light, medium, and heavy flours?  If so, what is it, and what does it mean for their baking characteristics?   Is it just a cultural thing in the gluten free community to group together empirical experiences?

The blog sourd'oh referenced is the best I've seen up to this point:
http://www.myrealfoodlife.com/understanding-gluten-free-flours/

Basically, My Real Food Life breaks it down into the following categories:

Heavy: Give structure and binding, have lower rising capacity.
Medium: Lighten heavy flours, even out stronger tastes, soften the
crumb and texture.
Light: Needed for binding, adding lightness, and sometimes
crispiness.  Neutralize the taste of stronger flours.

If you're looking to use a wheat-based flour, this seems to correlate to the flour's milling and the type of wheat used (hard seems to correlate with heavy and soft seems to correlate with light).

Heavy:  Whole wheat flour, bread flour
Medium: All purpose flour
Light: Cake flour

For additional information on the composition of wheat-based flours, see the following Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_flour


How much tea is ideal out of one tea bag? My mother regularly uses 1 tea bag for two cups or 2 tea bags for a teapot. I've read on several sites that one tea bag is ideal for one cup.

So, how much should I get from a tea bag?

Also, is the steeping time different if I was trying to get more tea out of the same tea bag? Some say that steeping it longer gets more flavour out of the bag. Somewhat more formal research suggests that releases the bitter parts and makes the tea bitter rather than thicker.

I know you shouldn't reuse coffee beans when making an espresso, but does this apply to tea as well?

This completely depends on the quality of the tea and flavor you're going for. It is common practice (especially in China) to make 2-3 or more cups/pots of tea from good quality loose leaf green tea. The flavor will change after each steeping, becoming lighter and milder, but also just different in certain ways. You can do the same thing with any lower quality tea, you just have to decide  if you like the flavor of the second, third, etc. steepings. If not, don't do it.


Making cake icing look professionally smooth So you've got a nice, flat-topped cake after learning on Seasoned Advice how to eliminate doming and now you wish to ice it as perfectly smooth as you see it sometimes done commercially: no ridges with a even sheen.

Any secrets beyond patience and an artistic flair?

I already use a long, flat icing spatula.

Professionals ice on a turntable. Turntables for home use are affordable, and make icing much easier.

Your spatula should reach to about the centre of the cake when held steady and comfortable. As @rfusca suggests, heating it for buttercream is a good idea. You can also wet it for other icings, to make it glide smoothly.

For the icing process itself, start with the top of the cake. Apply a generous amount of icing; you will be thinning it out with the spatula, not smearing it right and left to get an even thickness. Hold the spatula to an angle to the cake, tip at the centre, and rotate the turntable. Let excess icing drop to the side of the cake. When you have done the top, smear icing thick on the side, hold the spatula vertically, the edge at 45° to the cake side surface, and again turn the turntable. When you have finished, you will have raised icing on the edge of the cake. To finish the cake, smooth these edges.

To do this, you need enough icing. "The professional chef" recommends 340 g (12 oz) for a 20 cm (8 in) cake and 454 g (1 lb) for a 25 cm (10 in) cake.

This all assumes buttercream icing or other spreadable icings such as ones based on whipped cream or creme fraiche. It is somewhat tougher for semi-liquid glazes such as ganache.


My tea had expired(?) for about 9 years already, can I sill use it? is doesn’t say if it’s best before or expiring date

It smelled okay.I saw a blog saying that it’s okay to use it,but I’m a bit skeptical about it.

So long as the tea hasn't been contaminated with anything (mold growth, insects, etc.), it should be safe to use.

Depending on how well sealed it was, some of the volatile flavor components may have escaped into the air.  Tea will last in an airtight tin, glass jar, or hard metal container for many years (even a decade) past the date on the package with little loss of quality.

Cardboard packages have an advantage that they can help to regulate humidity (reducing the risk of mold), but they're not so great at keeping in the flavors on their own.  Individually wrapped teabags, especially if it's a glossy paper can offer additional protection.

My suggestion would be to look for signs of infestation -- if it's bagged, look in the bottom of the box for anything other than just tea leaf dust.  So long as there's no problems there, brew up a bag.

If it's weak, just brew it longer, or double up the tea bags.  If it doesn't taste good, then get rid of them.


Why do chefs in cooking shows not always seem to do things the "right" way? I've read some books about the science behind cooking, and I've watched videos of chefs like Gordon Ramsey and Jamie Oliver on YouTube. It seems like those famous chefs don't always do things the way I'd expect based on the books.

For example, books mention that for better browning of meat, you should dry the outer layer of your meat with paper towels. When I watch those videos, they never dry with paper towels the outer layer of the meat, but they apparently still get great results. Similarly, books say that adding salt to a bowl of mixed eggs helps them retain more moisture, while Gordon explicitly says you shouldn't salt your eggs because it breaks the yolk's formation and make it lose water.

Why might these kinds of discrepancies happen? Is it possible to get good results without doing everything exactly right, are celebrity chefs just not actually cooking well, or am I missing something?

I have a couple of observations:

"Different" doesn't always mean inferior.
"Best" from a science perspective, doesn't always mean most expedient in a restaurant or home kitchen.
Sometimes the results of the difference between "scientific" best practice, and alternate restaurant or home kitchen practice are not noticeable, unless you compare these results side by side.
There are lots of ways people learn how to cook, and many practices have been handed down through generations.  While science is, naturally, the basis of all cooking, it is only relatively recently that people have taken a "scientific" look at cooking and shared those practices widely.

So, you are probably hearing more about "best scientific practice" these days.  However, old understandings and practices are hard to give up. People typically use the practice they were taught, because it has worked for them.


What type of rice vinegar is more often used in Asian dishes? I occasionally come across recipes that call for rice vinegar, but they don't specify which of the many varieties they mean.
Is there a "standard" or implied type of rice vinegar that should be used when a recipe simply calls for rice vinegar? Or is it assumed that the chef will be familiar with the flavor profiles of the dish they are trying to make and will be able to choose an appropriate rice vinegar by their own knowledge and discretion?
Some example recipes:

http://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/slow-cooker-general-tsos-chicken/
http://onadimeandoutoftime.com/sweet-and-sour-chicken/
http://www.iwashyoudry.com/2015/07/27/asian-chicken-lettuce-wrap-spring-rolls/
https://food52.com/recipes/3869-chinese-roast-pork
http://carlsbadcravings.com/asian-sweet-chili-sesame-chicken/
http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/06/thai-crunch-chicken-salad/

I only have white rice vinegar and dark rice vinegar (Chinkiang vinegar).

All of your example recipes seem to be written from a Western POV. That being the case, all of those recipes seem to be calling for white or light, unseasoned rice vinegar, not Chinkiang AKA Chinese black vinegar. Someone writing a recipe for an American or British audience would not expect you to even know what Chinkiang is, and would ask for it specifically if it were expected.

The other type of rice vinegar that you might commonly see in a bottle on a typical Western shelf is one seasoned with sugar and salt, most particularly for use on rice for making sushi rice. These recipes are not asking for that either, just use your regular white rice vinegar.


Why is gluten-free baking possible? Maybe a silly question, but I've been trying to learn a lot of baking fundamentals and trying to understand specifically what makes a cake. Most explanations I've read are something along the lines of:

flour for structure
fat to interfere with gluten development
sugar for taste and moisture
binder (eggs) to keep it all together

Then the explanation for the flour is that the water and flour interact to produce gluten that then gives the cake its structure. One main thing doesn't make sense to me here though:

If flour is there for the gluten, and gluten is required to form the structure of cake, how can gluten-free baking ever work?

Now, I've done gluten-free baking plenty of times. Have never really had an issue. Additionally there are tons of alternatives, how can you get something cake-y out of so many different materials, none of which have gluten? Are there alternative protein networks that function like gluten? Are these protein networks common or rare, or beside the point altogether?

Not sure if it's related, but why does adding xanthan gum to these gluten-free flours seem to always make them better?

Then the explanation for the flour is that the water and flour interact to produce gluten that then gives the cake its structure.

Your confusion is well-founded, because

  gluten is required to form the structure of cake

is too strong of a premise.

Gluten can be a primary contributor to the structure of a cake, as in a wacky cake, but it is not required.

This answer limits its scope to cakes and does not discuss other forms of gluten-free baking (bread, pies, etc). Gluten is a significant contributor to the structure of wheat products including breads, croissants, and some types of pie crusts and pastries.

Non-Gluten Sources of Structure for Cakes

On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee is a well-regarded reference. In its section on cakes, it does not describe gluten formation as necessary or desirable. I consider this weak evidence that "conventional wisdom" does not count gluten as a major structural contributor in cakes.

Egg Protein

As noted on page 554 of the second edition of On Food and Cooking,

  A cake's structure is created mainly by flour starch and by egg proteins.

The omission of gluten as a contributor to structure is especially notable given that the next sentence mentions how other ingredients interfere with gluten.

  The tender ... texture comes from gas bubbles ... and from the sugar and fat, which interfere with gluten formation and egg protein coagulation, and interrupt the network of gelated starch

Angel Food Cake

As noted in this recipe for angel food cake by Stella Parks, egg white can provide sufficient structure for a cake.

  ... angel food cake is so high in protein from egg whites, it has enough strength to stand on its own ... With that kind of underlying structure, all angel food cake really needs is enough starch to keep its moisture in check

Note that the motivation behind removing gluten in this recipe is specifically avoiding the additional structure gluten provides:

  angel food cake toughens up like shoe leather in the presence of gluten

Personal Example: Gluten-Free and Egg-Free Brownie Recipe Adaptation

In my personal experience with a few brownie recipes, protein from eggs provide a considerable amount of structure; omitting eggs without adding protein produces dramatically different results.

The most rigorous experiments that I have performed were attempts to remove gluten and replace eggs in this recipe for brownies by Alice Medrich.

Egg Protein

In my earliest experiments adapting Medrich's recipe, I tried replacing wheat flour with an equal amount (by mass) of rice flour. This produced a result that was recognizably a brownie.

However, also replacing eggs with binders and emulsifiers without protein (in my trials, a mix of water, lecithin, fiber, and starch) produces a sticky, caramel-like mass that separates from a significant amount of oil. This outcome was observed when using rice flour and gluten-free flour with xantham gum added.1

These two results are evidence that, in this recipe, eggs are sufficient for structure even without gluten.

Another recipe by Dandelion Chocolate also appears to work fine with AP flour replaced by an equal amount of rice flour.

1 Correction: A previous version of this answer reported similar results with AP flour, and inferred from that result that the procedure outlined in Medrich's recipe made the gluten content of the flour irrelevant. In light of newer experiments that showed that simply adding enough starch and enough gluten in place of the AP flour produces brownie-like results, the inference is incorrect.

Other protein

Whey protein isolate, mixed with psyllium and starch for binding, baking soda for lift, and water for hydration, is the best substitute for eggs I tried so far; it produces a crumb very similar to that produced when using eggs.

Carbohydrates

Adding more starch than called for in Medritch's original recipe (e.g. increasing flour used from 65g AP flour to 100g rice flour, then adding another 10g of tapioca starch) appears to have a stabilizing effect.

Mucilage (in the form of hydrated xantham gum, psyllium, or flax) may contribute to structure as part of their role in egg replacements.


How long is too long for sous vide steak I have sous vide for a while with mixed success. Mostly good, but still mixed.  One thing I question which I hoping to get opinion on is time to sous vide beef (steak specifically, e.g. ribeye or strip).

I have read and heard where people have left beef in the bath for 24+ hours and rave about it. All the Anovo guidelines say 4 hours or less. I have not tried more than four hours.  What gives, and what is overdoing it with sous vide cooking?

When cooking low temperature, over time the texture of the protein that you are cooking changes.  For a tough cut, like a shank, or short rib, this is desirable, and where you would see cooking times of 12, 24, 48 hours...or longer.  Most people want to enjoy a steak that chews like the traditionally cooked product.  After 3 to 4 hours, the texture of your steak will change.  It will become more mushy.  That is why it is recommended that you only cook until done (1 to 2 hours).  So, overdoing it, as you describe it, would be cooking it too long so that the texture becomes undesirable. For a steak, I think 4 hours would be pushing it.


How do I ensure that pita forms a nice big, even pocket when baking? I have the opposite problem as Amir's question about thick, fluffy pitas. Whenever I make pita, it's nice and thick and fluffy, but the pocket is small or nonexistent. I would like to use my pita for sandwiches, so the pocket part is important.

Normally when I make pita, I get a pocket forming on one side of the bread, but the other side stays flat. I end up with a lopsided pita that has a pocket too small to stuff anything into. Every once in a while, I get one with a perfect pocket that evenly puffs up the whole pita, but I don't know why it happens sometimes and not others. Could this be caused by uneven heat in my oven? Or is there something about the technique of rolling out the dough that I'm not doing consistently?

The magic word is "water" - the dough needs sufficient moisture to stay moist while it expands to one big pocket and enough to generate the steam to make that pocket.

Most people when doing doughs make them too dry because they're easier to work with.  As the dough rests, it will pull together more.  Ideally make your doughs for this kind of bread slightly wetter than you think and then check it after its been mixed for 30 minutes or so.  Additionally, as you knead and then in the fermentation stage it will firm up some.  Difference in water content of the dough causes many of the consistencies for bakers.  It will also depend on how much it dries after its been rolled so thin - keep it covered.

Alternatively, if you've put your first one in and found out its too dry, then try spritzing the top with a little water and let it rest there for 5 minutes or so.

I tested batches with spritzing and without, and so long as there's enough water in your dough and the oven is hot enough to make the steam - it doesn't seem to matter. Every one came out perfect.


Edible straws that look like plastic ones I'd like to make some root beer float cupcakes. The recipe suggests garnishing them with a decorative (non-edible) straw. But I'd like to kick things up a notch: is there such a thing as an edible straw that looks sufficiently like a drinking straw (i.e. same width, preferably striped like an old soda fountain straw)?

I know there are various edible straw-like things available, but they all seem noticeably wider that a drinking straw. I don't require that they be hollow inside, but the width is my main concern.

Pirouette cookies (here by Pepperidge Farm) are rolled wafer cookies. The inside is stuffed with chocolate, chocolate hazelnut or vanilla.

Here's a recipe that includes a picture using them in a manner similar to what you're asking.

You could follow the recipe, but tweak it to look more like a straw and with colors and flavors that suit your purpose.


Is there such thing as letting bread rest for too long? I am pretty busy this week but I want to try making Augustweggli buns. The recipe says to rest the dough for 1 hour but does resting the dough a couple hours (eg. overnight) longer do anything to the dough?

Thank you

If you take a “fast” recipe and let it rest overnight, you will get overproofed dough. After what’s effectively eight times or more the expected time, you will have a rather yeasty tasting dough that has lost its inner structure - think of the way foam collapses after a while. It may or may not be able to do a comeback when re-kneaded, that will depend on the type of yeast you used and a few other parameters, especially the actual timing.

But an overnight rest is nothing unheard of in baking - if you prepare your dough as usual but use cool ingredients instead of warm ones and significantly reduce the amount of yeast, you can let your dough rest in a cool place for hours, even longer in the fridge. If you have a very buttery dough, don’t cool it too much, or it won’t rise due to the hardened fat, choose “cool” (8-10 C) over “cold” (2-5 C)1. For an overnight rest, the flavor will stay pretty much the same, possibly less yeasty, which is desirable in my opinion. It’s the two-to-three-day (or even longer) rest that contributes to the flavor of baguette or the famous “Artisan bread in five minutes a day”.

Have fun!

1Yes, that means you will be storing it slightly in the danger zone, but it’s up to you whether you want to take the risk. Overnight on the counter is way worse, the way yeast grows faster in warm conditions is the same as for bad bacteria. Personally, I am fine with that, but for the sake of completeness, it’s worth mentioning.


Is/are there any difference(s) in batter from French and Italian macaron methods? I've kept things simple with the French method so far, and I've always been very nervous about over macaronnage-ing, but I just watched a video in which the host used the Italian method and seemed to just go to town on the batter (once the tant pour tant is incorporated) like there was no risk of over-doing the macaronnage step.

Does the syrup in the Italian method make the meringue more resilient as it cools? Are there any other differences between the results of the two methods than simply how they're achieved?

Any comments about preferred methods would be appreciated as well!

I'm not sure how I missed this answer before I posted the question, it wasn't a very difficult thing to Google... Anyway, here seem to be the differences between the results of the two methods:

French

Softer/chewier
Less sweet
Less stable
Smaller feet

Italian

Crispier/more powdery
Sweeter
Larger feet
Much more stable

As far as I can tell the smooth, matte, fancy looking macarons seen across the internet are the Italian method (I'm guessing that the syrup helps with the shell). The French method is less steps, but I will definitely need to give the Italian method a shot!

Sources:

Love and Macarons
Indulge with Mimi


Does brewing hot chocolate for longer hours make a difference? I've been to some stores that offer hot chocolate that has been "brewed for 2 hours". I've also come across the following recipe that instructs to let the mixture sit for 12 hours. What does this achieve? What actually happens?

Ingredients:

500g whole milk
100g 35% cream
140g Inaya™ 65%
40g sugar
20g Extra Brute

Method:

Bring the milk to a boil. Pour over the cream. Add the chocolate, sugar and cocoa powder. Let sit for 12 hours. Serve at 60°C.

Cacao powder is not very soluble in water, so I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that the extra time allows for the cacao to incorporate better into the liquid.

The recipe includes actual chocolate nibs, but after it's melted into the milk / cream there's no extra flavor infusion by keeping it for a longer time.

12 hours sound like a lot: if you keep the mixture cold, it takes longer to dissolve (but not that long); if you keep it warm there's a risk of spoiling the milk. I can't think of a benefit to let the drink sit for such a long time.


What can I do with frozen eggs? Although a previous question asks if raw eggs can be frozen, my eggs froze, in the shell, because the chicken coop into which they were delivered was very cold last week.

I thawed the eggs, and they seem fine, except that the yolks are solid / gelatinous. This means that scrambled eggs are out, at least as I know them.

What else can be done with these eggs; this will probably happen again?

The best I can offer you comes from Functionality of Proteins in Food:

  The gelation of egg yolk can be partially reversed by heating after thawing.  This treatment improves the functional properties of proteins.  The stiffness of the gels obtained after frozen storage can be reduced by more than 50% and become pourable at 21° C by heating up to 45° C for 1 h.

Eggs don't actually start to set until you hit 63° C, so if I had previously-frozen eggs, I would heat them as the above paragraph suggests.  Just be very careful not to use too much heat.

You won't get perfect eggs, but they'll be edible.


Is there a reason to have a plastic bowl? The only mixing bowl I have for now is a plastic one. But recently it came to my mind that I should have bought a stainless one instead. Is there any pros of plastic bowls, or some task that's best done with plastic bowls?

For your average mixing task, pretty much any bowl (of the right size, shape) will do. Also, "plastic" isn't one material, it's a bunch of different materials. For example, some advantages of polypropylene bowls do not apply to melamine formaldehyde bowls, but both are plastic.

So, here are some advantages of a polypropylene (PP) bowl over a metal bowl:

microwave safe
high elasticity (can be bent, and will go back to its original shape. E.g., if you drop your PP bowl, it won't dent)
extremely acid-resistant
extremely resistant to other chemical attacks (e.g., will not corrode)
plastic bowls are often made in a mold, so can be cheaply made in a variety of shapes. You can get bowls with nice pouring spouts, etc. because of this.

Of course, they have disadvantages too:

fats stick, almost impossible to remove all traces (a problem when beating egg whites)
can't be used over a pot as a double-boiler
can't hold very hot things (e.g., you can put hot oil in a metal bowl, but PP would melt. Different plastics have different melting points, some can't even hold boiling water. You never have to worry with stainless.)
can't be used in the oven

And there are things which are just different, like metal conducts heat better (so it works better when cooling in an ice bath, but also you're much more likely to get burnt on it), metal is denser (PP floats, metal doesn't).

If you get metal bowls, except for a few applications where copper is nice (those egg whites, again), you want stainless steel. Stainless is fairly resistant to acid and also corrosion (plain steel is not). Note that stainless comes in different grades, which vary in their corrosion, rust, and acid resistance.


Can I use cottage cheese instead of cream cheese when making a cheesecake? If I can, would there be any difference in the measurements? For example if the recipe calls for 8 ounces of cream cheese, would it be the same amount of cottage?

I've made cheesecake with many different types of cheese and it pretty much always worked.

Of course texture and taste vary, but that's the beauty of it. Try a single cheese, see what it gives and then start experimenting mixing them.

For instance cottage cheese tends to give a slightly more "crumbly" texture. To compact it you can add some fresh cream.

Sour cream also makes a wonderful addition, and marries well with some lemon zest, taken that you like a bit of acidity in your cake.

I've also tried to add mascarpone and even gorgonzola, they all work well, and give you very peculiar mouth-feelings to combine and mix as you please, but obviously add in calory content quite a bit...

As for the amount, you an just keep the same as cream cheese.


Why does my glaze soak into my doughnuts? I fried up some yummy doughnuts and let them cool. Shortly after glazing them, I noticed that the glaze has soaked into the doughnuts. How can I prevent this from happening?

Okay, I did some more thorough searching and found Beki Cook's donut frosting recipe. Apparently my mistake was that I was letting them (the doughnuts) cool off, and according to the article:

  Glaze is the easiest way to sugar-up a donut. But there are a few things you need to remember. First and foremost... only glaze donuts when they're warm. If you do it when they've cooled the glaze just soaks in and get goopy.


Can crockpot chicken be made with wet ranch dressing, instead of dry? I am trying to make a recipe like this one, Crock Pot Creamy Ranch Chicken, but I do not have dry ranch dressing.  Will it still work if I use ranch dressing from a bottle instead?  Would I need to change anything else?

It will likely work, but the flavors will be muted.  At a minimum, I would leave out the milk in the recipe.  You might be better off using other dried herbs and spices, even if they aren't specifically 'ranch'.  The recipe in question links to a recipe for making ranch dressing mix, which is black pepper, dill, garlic, onion, parsley and salt.

The advantage of dry mixes is that they have a lot of flavor, without any liquid to water things down.

As the recipe stands, the liquid would be from the milk, condensed soup and the liquid that the chicken exudes as it cooks.  To get the same amount of ranch flavor in the dish as you'd have gotten from the dry mix, you'd have to use as much as the dry packet would make ... which is typically a couple of cups of dressing ... and that can be a lot of liquid to add to a dish.

In addition, the extra dairy will mute the flavors some, and it'll be a bit more soupy -- you'd likely want to serve it over pasta or rice to help absorb some of the sauce.


Quinoa in a Rice Cooker? I’ve recently discovered the loveliness of Quinoa, and the joy of buying it in bulk at Costco, so I’ll be making a lot of it in the near future.  I’m wondering if I can use my rice cooker to make the Quinoa. Has anybody done this? Does the ‘fuzzy’ logic in the machine prevent it from doing anything other than cooking rice and steaming veggies? I hope not, but I also don’t want to ruin a good kitchen tool finding out either. Thanks!

Rice cookers are quite versatile and cooking Quinoa would not ruin the rice cooker if you do indeed want to experiment.

A rice cooker works because there is a springloaded thermal sensor plate at the bottom of where the metal pot sits(only if it is automatic. Some rice cookers have a switch to flip to go into the heating process). This will then start the heating process to boil to water. Because boiling water do not rise above 100 degree Celsius, the sensor can tell if there is still water left in the cooker. Once the sensor reads higher than 100 degree Celsius, this means the water has all boiled away. At this point the rice cooker goes into a sitting phase where the steam will continue to cook the rice and the rice is allowed to expand.

With this knowledge, we know that the main problem you would come across when cooking Quinoa in your rice cooker is getting the correct ratio of water to Quinoa grains. If you use the same amount of water you use for cooking rice, the Quinoa might turn out softer than desirable.

Take a look at this link: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-to-cook-quinoa-super-easy-way.html. It provides some information in regards to cooking Quinoa in a rice cooker. It seems to suggest 2-1 water to Quinoa grain ratio (which is typically what I use for rice too).


What are the tiny white self-moving objects on pasta? So, a lot of pasta I've bought lately came with some white substance. At first it looked like uncooked starch or something. But when looking closely I noticed it was MOVING ON ITS OWN.

After a while this incident repeated a couple times. Even when buying pasta from other factories, they have that self-moving white substance.

So... what is it?

On penne for example, in the "channels" that the pasta have, the white stuff collects there. It is quite tiny and long, and clearly alive.

Assuming these are open packets that have been open for a while - you probably have a mite infestation, probably the flour mite (Acarus siro), or a closely related mite. These are tiny almost-invisible-to-the-naked-eye members of the Acari, which is an animal order including the ticks and mites.

They are very small - between 0.33 and 0.66 mm (00.13-0.026 in), with translucent/whitish bodies and or pink legs. They are, as the name suggests most commonly found in flour, but are also seen living on a range of grains, cereal products, dried fruit and nuts. They can promote allergic reactions upon consumption of food contaminated with the mites.

Because they are so small detection is difficult and usually not noticed until fairly heavily infested - if you are seeing the dust/flour/whatever move, then you most likely have a heavy infestation. You may be able to find them on the food or in your cupboards with a magnifying glass or using a piece of sticky tape to press down on cupboard surfaces, then examining it under bright light.

Severely infested foods should be discarded, but the mites can be killed by freezing the affected food-stuffs for 7 days. Just be aware that this will not kill off any antigens from the mites - they can still cause an allergic reaction upon consumption. They are difficult to eliminate because they are so small, but you can thoroughly clean your cupboards and any food storage containers with regular house-hold cleaners to get rid of food residues that they use as a food source.

There's a more detailed version of the above advice on wikihow.


Storing potato water: how long can it be refrigerated? When boiling potatoes, I like to use the leftover water for soups, sauces, etc. Does anyone else use potato water, and if so, how long can it be stored in the refrigerator? I am wondering if it has a "shelf life" similar to homemade stock.

Yes, shelf life would be similar to homemade stock. It has the same potential for cross-contamination, and natural contamination (with a slightly reduced chance for contaminates from ingredients, as there is no meat).

Be sure to cool and refrigerate quickly (cool pot in a sink of ice + cold water). If left to sit out, warm + starchy water is a great breeding ground for un-fun microbial life.


How to package fresh pasta and fresh pasta sauce I want to start selling my pasta sauce and fresh pastas (gnocchi and tortellini) in refrigerated compartments of departmental stores. Does any one know how stores package their sauces and fresh pastas? is it vacuum sealed or something else?

In Italy fresh pasta (gnocchi, tortellini etc) are usually sold vacuum sealed in department stores... If you see rana fresh pasta (the most famous fresh pasta maker here in Italy, you can get some good ideas).
For what concerns sauce... the best way to sell it is in glass jars.


How do you minimise hand washing between every step to keep tools clean? Say you cooking beef steak:

You have to unwrap the beef from its packaging, lay it down, get blood on your hands, wash hands, sprinkle salt, wash hands, grind pepper, rub the seasoning into the beef, wash hands, grab the tongs etc..

Is it normal to wash hands after every step or is there a trick to avoid getting all the tools dirty?

If you watch TV, they don't ever wash as much as I do.

Bad news first:
Frequent washing is part of clean cooking. And while the TV chefs might seemingly ignore this step and simply wipe their hands on a towel, note that they a) typically don't serve these meals and don't do the cleanup after the show and b) the shows are heavily edited - no viewer wants to watch the chef wash their hands again.

But the good news is that you don't have to wash all the time. With a bit of practise, you can use the fact that you have two hands - keep one hand clean and dry, actually touch the meat only with the other one.
I did a longer explanation for a very similar question about seasoning steak.

This might need a bit more conscious planning and a mise en place for the first time, e.g. opening spice jars or chopping herbs before unwrapping the meat, but unless you are dealing with very large and heavy pieces of meat, the "dedicated hands" method works pretty well.


How can I eat or drink chocolate as Montezuma would have consumed it in pre-Columbian Mexico? I know that pre-Columbian chocolate was less sweet and more bitter, but I can't find a recipe for it. That fact probably means that it doesn't taste great, but I'd like to try it anyway.

The closest I've come was a recipe for "how the Spaniards transformed Montezuma’s favorite spicy beverage with the addition of alcohol."

Chocolate recipe was different for rituals or medicinal purposes. The recipes talk about adding some of the following: vanilla, powdered chilli, flowers as gueyncaztle, mecasuchil, maize as filler, honey, tlacoxoshitl..

Here is the recipe for Mexican hot chocolate from Food and Feasts with the Aztecs, Imogene Dawson (p. 29). It is adapted for modern kitchens:

  Mexican hot chocolate Ingredients 1/2 lb semisweet cooking chocolate 4
  cups milk 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 drops vanilla
  1. Break the chocolate into small pieces. Put the pieces in the top of a double boiler or into the heatproof bowl.

  Fill the bottom of the double boiler or a large saucepan with cold water. Then bring the water to a boil. Turn the heat down so that the
  water continues to boil gently.
  Put the container with the chocolate over the one with the boiling water. With a wooden spoon, stir the chocolate until it has melted.
  Measure out the milk and pour it into another saucepan. Heat the milk gently but do not let it boil. Pour the melted chocolate into the
  hot milk.
  Add the cinnamon and the vanilla to the mixture and bring the mixture to a boil.
  Turn the heat down and whisk the mixture for 2 minutes until it is foaming.
  Pour the chocolate into mugs and use the small whisk to whisk the chocolate again, so that there is foam on the top of each mug.

Montezuma dined with Cortes and his Spanish Officers. At this meal the Mexica/Aztec king reportedly drank chocolate from cups of pure gold. Hernán Cortés then wrote:

  These seeds which are called almonds or cacao are ground and made
  into powder, and other small seeds are ground, and this powder is put
  into certain basins with a point... and then they put water on it and
  mix it with a spoon. And after having mixed it very well, they change
  it from one basin to another, so that a foam is raised which they put
  in a vessel made for the purpose. And when they wish to drink it, they
  mix it with certain small spoons of gold or silver or wood, and drink
  it, and drinking it one must open one's mouth, because being foam one
  must give it room to subside, and go down bit by bit. This drink is
  the healthiest thing, and the greatest sustenance of anything you
  could drink in the world, because he who drinks a cup of this liquid,
  no matter how far he walks, can go a whole day without eating anything
  else"

Source: http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodmaya.html#hotchocolate

I recommend you to read Chapter 8 "From Bean to Beverage", page 100 on the book–180 on the PDF– of History, Culture and Heritage, Louis Evan Grivetti & Howard-Yana Shapiro


Why and when do you need to dock dough? When making a pie, you almost always have to make holes in the dough with a fork. This is called docking.

What is the exact reason for doing this? Are there kinds of pastry (puff, short crust, flaky) where this isn't necessary? Do you only need to do it when blind-baking? When you're using baking weights, does it still make a difference?

Doughs are docked to keep them from blowing up with steam while they bake.

Thus- you only do it in applications that you don't want blown up- like blind pie crusts. Puff pastry applications, for example, you usually do want to blow up so you will get a lot of light layers.

If you are baking a pastry with a filling then the filling will keep this from happening. If you are baking blind, even with pie weights, you should dock because the weights might not weight evenly and you might still get a bubble.


Is titanium cookware safe? I haven't been able to find much in regards to titanium cookware and its possible interactions with the human body.

Please provide academic/peer-reviewed/scientific articles if possible.

You cannot view the full study, but the summary already tells you the results: http://journals.lww.com/joem/Abstract/1988/12000/Epidemiologic_Study_of_Workers_Exposed_to_Titanium.11.aspx

The objective of this study was to determine whether workers exposed to titanium dioxide (TiO2) had significantly higher risks of lung cancer, chronic respiratory disease, pleural thickening/plaques, or pulmonary fibrosis than referent groups.
A total of 1,576 employees exposed to TiO2 were observed from 1956 through 1985 for cancer and chronic respiratory disease incidence, and from 1935 through 1983 for mortality. A cross-sectional sample of 398 employees was evaluated for chest roentgenogram abnormalities.
Cohort analyses suggested that the risks of developing lung cancer and other fatal respiratory diseases were no higher for TiO2-exposed employees than for the referent groups. Nested case-control analyses found no statistically significant associations between TiO2 exposure and risk of lung cancer, chronic respiratory disease, and chest roentgenogram abnormalities. No cases of pulmonary fibrosis were observed among TiO2exposed employees.
(C)1988 The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Note: Titanium always has a TiO2 layer above it, which is why your food won't get into contact with titanium directly (and if it does, it'll quickly oxidize to TiO2 again).
The result of that study is consistent with the fact that titanium is widely used for medical purposes like implants and dental fillings. Even pacemakers are made from titanium. It is not toxic, even in high doses and on permanent exposure (the medical "lifetime" of the titanium is somewhere along the lines of 20 to 30 years, without a single toxic effect ever linked to the titanium).
The only thing that is hazardous is titanium nano-particles. But the nano-particles of pretty much any element, including carbon, will be hazardous, so that doesn't count (it's not chemically toxic, the physical size is what makes it dangerous). You won't ever be exposed to nano-particles from using titanium cookware, so to answer your question: Yes, titanium cookware is completely safe. There are no cases of allergies recorded (at least I didn't find any) nor is it toxic.


Why isn't my homemade pepperoni orange? I bought a large pork shoulder, broke it down into manageable pieces (it's just myself and my wife), and with one piece I decided to make pepperoni. I followed what seemed to be a pretty standard recipe:

Grind
Add spices (fennel, red pepper, garlic) and tender quick
Dry in fridge
Slow-roast to 160°F

If I close my eyes, it tastes like pepperoni, but it looks nothing like it. Much more red--almost purplish red, but by no means the greasy orange slice I'd expect on a pizza. I guess it could do fine in a stromboli, but I'd like to know what I did wrong, or what I'd need to do to get what I was looking for.

From Wikipedia:

  Sodium nitrite, used as a curing agent, is what gives pepperoni the pink part of its distinct orange-pink color, while paprika or other capsicum provides the orange part.

It cites a food science blog article as the source.


Microwave oven equipment I just purchased a new Berkley and Jensen microwave.  I would like to know what the metal rack used for?  There is no explanation in the owners Manuel.

Some microwaves have racks so you can cook two dishes at once.  In fact, you can buy generic racks for this very purpose.  However, I also read that some hybrid microwave/convection ovens include metal racks that must be removed if you're using it in microwave mode.  You could check with the manufacturer if you want to know for sure.  They may recommend removing the rack if you're only cooking one dish at a time.


What do the numbers on my deep fryer dial mean? I'm very new to cooking. I bought a second-hand deep fryer, without a user manual. The dial has these numbers on it:

What do the numbers mean? Do they refer to wattage, or temperature (degrees C/F?)?

How do I find out what types of foods are best suited for each of those numbers, or what settings are appropriate for each food? For example, to which setting should I set the dial for fried chicken?

I am pretty certain these are degrees in Celsius. They cannot be degrees in Fahrenheit, that wouldn't deepfry a thing if they were. Similarly, unless you have a fryer which can only fry a single nugget at a time, they can't be watts, they're an order of magnitude too low for that.

I have no idea what the settings "Temp" and "Min" could mean. Had they been on two different dials, I would have assumed that one sets the temperature and the other the times of heating in minutes (but the second makes only little sense since you can't leave deep frying stuff alone and come to it later after it has turned itself off). A guess would be that "Temp" is not a setting, but the label of the whole scale, and the designer erroneously added a dot like in the scale positions. Then "Min" would be keeping the oil barely warm.

The degrees you choose will depend not just on the type of food, but on the exact recipe. The starting temperature of the food, the size of the food, the batter type etc. all make a difference in the choice. If your recipe doesn't tell you, you are stuck experimenting. I would suggest starting from 190 and changing from there.

If you do find temperature suggestions, be sure to check with a thermometer if the setting is accurate. Most appliances outside of the sous vide niche are wildly wrong about their temperature.


Can I prepare and eat dried oyster mushrooms that are four year old? Can I prepare and eat dried oyster mushrooms that are four (4) years old?

Yes, certainly. Foods which have been preserved in a permanent way (such as dried mushrooms) are safe to eat in 4 years. The taste can suffer with time, it's up to you to decide if you like them.


How long should I let durian ripen in a freezer bag? I recently picked up some cut up durian  at an Asian supermarket, and since pre-packaged fruit normally is a little under ripe, I was wondering how long I should allow the durian to ripen in the bag before Christmas.

It's a matter of taste. Since your durian is already cut, as it continues to ripen (which it will, although much more slowly than uncut fruit) it is also rotting/fermenting (which is desired by many). You don't say where you are from, but durian season is long over in the northern hemisphere. Most durian sold in the US this time of year has been frozen. Previously frozen durian rots more rapidly and ripens less rapidly than fruit that hasn't been frozen, some sources say that previously frozen durian won't ripen at all, only mature (rot).

So the bottom line for you is that you should taste your durian every 12 hours or so and put it in the freezer (or consume it) when it has matured to your liking. The ripening (not rotting) of durian is accelerated by the ethylene it produces. Since sources are not in complete agreement concerning additional ripening of previously frozen durian, keeping the pieces in a bag with ethylene may help. Most of the ethylene is produced by the husk, not the flesh of the fruit. If your fruit still has the husk, it is worthwhile to keep it in a closed bag for that reason. Whether or not the Durian still has the husk, it wouldn't hurt to add an apple to the bag for more ethylene.

If you can, store your durian with an apple in a few separate bags, so that "tasting you go" doesn't release all of the ethylene available to all of the durian.

Some durian lovers go as far as to keep ripe, cut durian on the counter; rotting away (and producing alcohol) for 3-4 weeks. Others prefer durian under-ripe and freshly cut.


How to turn pasta sauce into a longer-lasting ketchup? I was making a bacon sandwich earlier and I have some nice jars of tomato pasta sauce in the cupboard. I thought it'd make a great relish but it would go off too quickly in the fridge to make i economical. It got me wondering whether there's anything you can do to make an existing tomato sauce into a something with a longer shelf life.

For example, could you add vinegar or salt to tip the sauce over into more of a preserved sauce?

Similar question might apply to salsas, I suppose?

Ketchup keeps because it is full of sugar (reduces water activity) and vinegar (acid, keeps microbes and especially molds at bay). A boatload of both. Look at a ketchup recipe for reference...


Can I halve a macaron recipe and expect the same cooking temperature and time? I'm about to try a macaron recipe at home; I'd like to start with a half volume in case they turn out particularly badly. Given the macarons will be on a single tray in the oven I can't think of a reason why cooking temperature or time would be different to the full recipe – is there anything I haven't thought of that I should be aware of? Of course I will try to check that they're ready from appearance/texture etc. anyway.

You might see a tiny reduction in cooking time due to the smaller thermal load, but this is more a theoretical than a practical point. The difference will be smaller than normal variation between ovens. Check for doneness as you would usually, and you will be fine.


bread machine loaf size buttons My sunbeam 5891 does not give specifics on the knead/rise/bake times of each cycle, or what happens when you change the loaf size.  Time slightly increases if I click the button to raise from 1.5 lbs to 2 lb loaf.  Does proofing time, baking time, or both increase when the 2 lb button is used?

My goal is to add 10 to 15 minutes of proofing time for particular recipes.

I doubt it'd increase the proofing time, since that doesn't generally vary with the quantity of dough; the yeast is working in all the dough at the same rate. It would definitely need to increase baking time, though, since it takes longer for heat to transfer all the way into a larger loaf.

Sounds like with that machine you might have to do some non-automatic proofing in order to increase the time, e.g. with a preferment.


What is this Thai tea, spiral plant-part? I bought these, for me, nicely spiral looking dried fruits(?) in a tea-specialized shop in Bangkok in the area of the bridge leading from Phra Khanong towards On Nut (pictured below a cooked product).

I made a gentle tasting tea from these before bed time ; it was very nice for me.

What is this Thai tea, spiral plant-part?

Please share some information you find crucial about it in the answer.

These are fruits of the East Indian screw tree (Helicteres isora). The plants are native to Asia and Australia and its fruits are used in folk medicine.


Why do people say that cooking in a cast-iron pan will build the seasoning, while also saying that you should never cook to the smoking point? A very common claim is that once you start cooking with a cast-iron pan, you never really need to season it again. As you cook, the seasoning just builds up. However, the way I understand it, seasoning only happens when you heat the oil so much that it starts to smoke. However, smoking oil has many carcinogens, and you're not supposed to eat it. So how does the seasoning build up if you never heat the pan enough (while cooking) for the seasoning process?

Yes, the two pieces of advice are contradictory. You have to choose which one you prefer to follow. If you decide to only use your pan below the smoke temperature of oil, the seasoning will not build up during cooking.
In typical use, people do heat their pans above the smoking point, and the seasoning does build up. This is how cooking has been done for centuries, with tasty results, while cooking without heating the oil up produces not-very-exciting results for certain foods. People can choose to use low-heat cooking methods and avoid the "smoke point" part too, but that is not what usually happens. There are many factors why more people use the "high heat that seasons" approach:

They have never heard the "smoking point" advice and use their cast iron pans the usual way
They are not aware that they are heating it above the smoke point
They know the "smoking point" advice and choose to disregard it and cook the usual way
They would like to follow the "smoking point" advice but it is physically very difficult  to do it with a cast iron pan
(Kinda combination of the last two) They are aware of the difficulties of remaining below the smoking point in a cast iron pan, and choose to use a different pan when they want to stay below the smoking point.

Because of the last one, I would suggest that, if you prefer to follow the "smoking point" advice, you switch to a different type of cookware.


Why is my cake rising sideways while baking? Here is what my cake looks like:

I'm using the following ingredients to make the cake:

1 egg
wheat flour
milk
some kind of flavour essence like vanilla essence
pinch of baking powder
pinch of baking soda (though I've tried without it)
powdered sugar or jaggery

I've noticed that the cake tastes good but it tends to rise sideways.

I'm not sure what's causing that but from the look of it it seems that the uppermost layer formed a crust that wouldn't move and the insides had to forcefully burst out because the crust was so tight. Not positive here though. I'm following everything that's written in common recipes.

Edit: Since everyone is commenting on the oven, I used an Air Fryer actually at 160 degree Celsius (which is supposed to be the recommended temperature for baking the cake).

Edit2: Observations on the way the cake has burst through sideways.

The way it has risen - it's as if the top part solidified and formed a thick crust. The structure in the middle tried it's best to rise up but the top crust didn't allow the rising up nor did it allow bursting. The middle part had no choice but to keep pushing until one edge of it gave way. I find it strange that the top crust didn't burst anywhere. Rather the side burst and the middle part leaked out from there. The top is so strong that in spite of the sideburst it still retains its shape. Makes me feel like the top is "suffocating" the middle.

In fact, when I take out a slice I see that the top layer is so strong that it gets easily separated like it were a cloth piece. The middle part is squishy kinds.

The structure of the cake makes me feel like something is wrong with the ingredients due to which the top formed such a strong crust. Could it be something to do with fat in the milk? This reminds me of the time when milk is boiled and the round layer of fat is formed at the top. As the milk boils it doesn't allow the bubbles to escape and starts "suffocating" the liquid underneath instead of bursting.

Perhaps we need to use skimmed milk for the cake? Also, I didn't use any water at all. Only milk. Could it be that I need to use 50% water + 50% milk so that the top crust isn't so strong and it becomes more "burstable". That way the middle structure can jump out from whichever direction it wants? Perhaps that would make the bursts happen in different areas and create a more "normal" cake. Or am I wrong here?

A cake baking uneven to that degree makes me thing the heat source is really uneven. One side of the oven is hot, the other is much cooler. I've seen a fan oven cause some uneven baking before but never to that degree.

Make sure your oven is pre-heated for at least 10 to 15 minutes before baking
If you have fan oven and you have no non-fan mode try putting a piece of aluminum foil between the fan and the cake to deflect the hot air around it so the heat is even
If you are not using an oven make sure that the heat is even around the cake

EDIT: It's come to light that an air fryer was used to bake the cake. Air fryers come in several types, but they all work on the principle of blowing very hot air over food inside. This hot air comes from a vent, so the reason the cake is so uneven is that the side right by the vent is getting a blast of hot air while the other is relatively cool. I would suggest putting a piece of aluminum foil between the pan and the vent to deflect the blast of hot air and force it to circulate. Be sure not to block the vent though, you don't want to overheat the machine!

Turning the cake is one option, although it could cause the cake to lose lift and collapse. I would try foil first and then try turning if you still get a very uneven result.


How to cook Mixed grains all together in one pot I purchased a bag of organic mixed grains with 7 different types together and any directions, which there does not seem to be any, is in Chinese so I have no idea how to cook this.  this package includes brown and sweet rice, barley, millet, red, kidney and black eye peas.  Help?

Some of them aren't grains, and they'll be the limiting factor.

In particular red kidney beans must be boiled for a good few minutes to remove phytohaemagglutinin. If you treat the whole lot as beans, you won't go far wrong, though the actual grains are likely to end up rather soft, a short of porridge with beans in. This is probably intentional.

So I'd soak overnight, then boil hard in fresh water for long enough to make the kidney beans safe (sources vary from 10 to 30 minutes). Then I'd drain and slow cook on high with whatever flavours you'd like for 6-8 hours, or simmer gently for a little less time. Alternatively you could pressure cook them.


What are yellow sushi radishes called? I'm considering growing some sushi radishes, but what are they called, because I'm considering growing some this summer after ordering them from a seed catalog.

I think you're talking about takuan? I don't know if I'd call it a sushi radish, but it's yellow and Japanese, at least.

It's just pickled daikon, not a naturally yellow radish:

  The finished takuan is usually yellow in color and quite pungent, though most mass-produced takuan uses salt or syrup to reduce the dehydration time, and is colored artificially.

You can have a look on Google image search to confirm it's what you're thinking of.


Buttermilk substitute for making creme fraiche? I want to make creme fraiche. I have 2 cups of heavy cream, but I can't find any buttermilk in my Country. I've read that it can be substituted with lemon juice, or vinegar mixed with milk. The problem is that for creme fraiche you need the bacteria from the buttermilk right?

So how can I substitute my buttermilk for this recipe?

This recipe! found  here , calls for buttermilk or sour cream. Perhaps you can find sour cream.

Crème fraîche

1 cup heavy or whipping cream, room temperature
1 tablespoon buttermilk or 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature

In a jar with a lid, place whipping cream and buttermilk (or sour cream); cover securely and shake 15 seconds. Set aside at room temperature for 24 hours or until very thick. Stir once or twice during that time. NOTE: Cream will thicken faster if the room is warm.

Stir thickened creme fraiche well. Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving. Cover tightly and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.


Stainless steel in contact with molten plastics - useable after cleaning? (Context:) Years ago, I borrowed a stainless steel pot to an acquaintance. When they returned it, they apologised and said they had accidentally molten significant parts of a plastic ladle in it. As far as I know, they used a common home gas cooker. I don't know what happened exactly, but the pot seemed to have been thoroughly cleaned as no plastic residue was visible in the pot. I have always assumed that steel is useable after cleaning even when plastic has molten on it, and that the cleaning process has been succesful when no residue can be spotted on the steel. Today I pulled out the same pot out of the cabinet and started wondering whether this is really true.
So my question is: After contact with molten plastics (at usual temps of a home cooker) and removal of any visible residue, is there any reason not to put stainless steel cookware back onto the stove?

You should be OK.
If you want to be extra OK, just "cook" something in it that you will throw away and clean the pan again.


What kind of food components contain more energy? So what should I build my dishes out from to have an energized, successful day?
Rephrased: What do I choose for a dish?

By energy I mean like carbohydrates which are in bread, potatoes, sugar and stuff. Energy that allows you to move. I'm not asking how to be stronger or anything.

My understanding of food (extremely simplified):

bread, potato, sugar -> energy
meat -> protein (build muscle)
...

The question I want to answer for myself: If I eat meat, can I be sure to ingest enough energy to live through the day?

(I'm not anything like professional in food stuff and not native English.)

The body can derive energy from three main "families" of molecules:

Fat. This is the highest density, at about 9 KCalories a gram. There are varying recommendations regarding the amount of fat intake to be healthy, and most major medical establishments have been seriously wrong over the past decades. In my opinion, which works for my body alone, 20% of your calories from fat is about right, but this varies from person to person. Fat is in any oil, fatty fruit (like avocadoes), margarine, animal fats and dairy products. The body can convert fat to glucose for energy as needed.
Carbohydrates. This includes sugars, and anything that breaks down into sugars, such as starches and complex carbohydrates. Glucose is a type of sugar that the body needs to burn for energy. Most starches will reduce to glucose via the body's own chemistry. Other simple sugars are metabolized differently, like fructose, which is too long a discussion for here. carbohydrates contain about 4 calories a gram.
Proteins. The body needs protein (a set of different amino acids) in order to build muscles, brain and other tissue. However, if needed or if there is an abundance of protein in the diet, the protein can be broken down to carbohydrates and waste products, thus gaining some energy from it, at about 4 calories a gram (like sugar).

From a health perspective, the body is "designed" to take the bulk of its energy from carbohydrates. Taking energy from protein is possible, but a high protein diet has a negative effect on the kidneys over long periods.

As for energy during the day, the release of energy (read glucose) into the bloodstream is governed by the time it takes the body to digest the sugar. The more fibre around the sugar (fruit, vegetables, whole grains etc.) the longer it takes to get to the sugar, and the slower the release. This allows for a relatively constant level of energy.

The opposite would be to eat some pure white sugar (or equivalent in candy or soft drinks). This causes the bloodstream to be flooded with sugar, giving an energy high. Within about 15 minutes, the body's insulin response will kick in and lower the sugar levels, causing a "down".


What's the kind of cake that have liquid frosting that drips when you open the package? I've seem videos of such cakes where the frosting is in molten/semi-liquid form sitting on top of the cake, and held up by packaging (usually a piece of hard plastic wrap around the cake). Upon lifting the wrap the frosting flows down and covers the cake, which is beautiful to watch.
I was searching hard on the internet but couldn't find the right keyword. What are these kind of cakes called?

Ok found it. they're called pull-me-up cakes or tsunami cakes or in my opinion quite ambiguously, doll cakes.


Is there a maximum amount of time heavy cream can be fermented? I want to ferment some heavy cream and was wondering how long can it be fermented for? Side question does reducing the ph of the cream mean it can be fermented longer?

It is the opposite. Fermenting lowers the pH of the cream, making it taste sour. And the time you can ferment it is limited by how sour you can stand to eat it. If you ferment it for too long, the taste will be simply unpleasant.

Typical fermentation times are similar to yogurt and will depend on your culture. I ferment with thermophillic lactobacilii bulgaricus for about 8 hours. I don't know for sure when it will become too sour, you could just let a batch sit for longer and note the taste, until you see no improvement. If you use other cultures, you will have to inform yourself about the preferred fermentation times. Also, if you want a certain product, you will obviously be limited by how the product is supposed to taste, for exapmle creme fraiche is intended to be very mild and most people won't appreciate it if you fermented it to a more sour state.