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

Cilantro is one of the herbs that doesn't retain much flavor when it's dried; it's unlikely to be particularly tasty when made into a tisane. On the other hand, the dried seeds of the plant -- called "coriander (seeds)"* --  have a pleasantly tangy and floral/citrusy taste.

They are occasionally used as a flavoring agent in beer, so it's perfectly reasonable to think of them as a candidate for tisane. The flavor of coriander is not dissimilar to chammomile, and might complement that. It would probably make an interesting mix with black tea, too -- in fact, it should be noted that coriander is sometimes an ingredient in Masala Chai, the sweet Indian tea-milk-spice drink.

*In the US, the leaves are referred to as "cilantro", whereas "coriander" most often means the seeds (although sometimes the leaves).


Keeping the grill grate clean and sanitary every time I grill fish outside to avoid the smell in the house. Because fish is so healthy, we do this a lot. I`m beginning to get worried that the grate is not clean enough. My question is: Can I use an "indoor" oven broiler grate, outside, on top of the grill grate, so I can physically bring it in after each use and completely clean it in the sink? That way the food never touches the grill grate.(We have tried several wire "fish baskets" and they are a royal PAIN to clean. Crumbs get stuck between the wires.)

I have a few issues with your goals and current expectations.

  Keeping the grill grate clean

Is this really desirable? In my experience, you get a lot of flavour from the burning off of the last meal. It's a delicious ancestor effect. Maybe that doesn't bother you.

But washing a cast-iron grill (my assumption, might not be) is also a bit hard on the material. Cast iron is happiest when it's covered in grease. Deep cleaning it between every use might (citation needed) shorten its lifespan.

  Keeping the grill grate sanitary

If you're using it like a grill, it's getting really hot. You've nothing to worry about unless you have commercial food safety standards to uphold. Even those don't require a daily deep clean (I'm sure that varies around the world).


Chinese Chilli Oil for high heat cooking I recently made Chinese Chilli Oil (with sunflower oil) and loved the flavour it brings into other dishes. I'm thinking of high heat stir frying with this oil.
Will high heat burn the chilli flavours in the oil? Should I just stick with adding some at the end of cooking to impart the flavour?

I've done plenty of experimentation with chili oils in the past, my experience was that chili suspended in the oil seems to be able to stand up to high heat, but any solids will smoke and add off flavors. Filtering my chili oils worked well, however there's a lot of variation chilis, oils and how much heat your stove can produce and you aren't going to really know until you cook with it. I'd start with something simple like green beans and work your way up from there.


Is it safe to use an enamel/cast iron Dutch oven with small cracks and worn enamel I have a few-years old enamel/cast iron Dutch oven. I haven’t looked after it that well, and the inside is showing small cracks (crazing), and there is some grey discolouration which looks almost like the enamel is worn off in places. It isn’t chipped or visibly damaged, but looks worn.
Is this safe to continue using?

I see bare metal that is partially seasoned -perfectly fine
Crazing of enamel is also fine. Rule of thumb: if you can feel cracks with fingernail then that's too much a trap for pathogens.
An occasional soak in borax or vinegar to be 100%


Is it safe to vacuum seal shredded Parmesan? I was trying to think of a way to more efficiently storing parmesan for quick access. I realized I could shred a batch and vacuum seal it in a jar to better preserve the flavor after shedding.

However, I am aware of the risk of botulism with high moisture content foods. However what I don't know is what the approximate moisture content is of parmesan cheese and whether or not that could pose a botulism risk.

In the past, I have found that simply grating it into a Tupperware or similar container, placing the lid on it, and placing it in the freezer will hold the flavor well of grated Parmesan. It has been how I have always stored it when I bought it. Because of the grating, and the nature of cheese it has never taken long for it to thaw out if you are using it for things like a salad. A vacuum jar placing it in the refrigerator would probably work as well, just more work between each use as compared to just placing the container back into the freezer.


Are heads of porgies poisonous? I found on the Wikipedia article for porgies, there is a quote
    from a reference saying that:

  Johnson, G.D. & Gill, A.C. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 184. ISBN
  0-12-547665-5.  Eating the head is known to cause hallucinations,
  lasting many days.

I was wondering if their heads contains some poison or other bad
    things, and thereforeare not eatable and  must be removed before
    cooking?

All fishes are caught in Maryland.

There are better references in Wikipedia, to be sure.

Apparently, the Romans ate the Sarpa Salpa, a type of bream, for it's hallucinatory effects. These hallucinations are caused by a toxin called ichthyoallyeinotoxism, present in the plankton and algae the fish eats.

It's best to avoid these toxins as the hallucinations are said not to be pleasant.


Recommendation for a roasting pan that is safe to use on an electric stove? I have an open coil electric stove and I want to get a roasting pan that is safe to use on it.  Namely, I want to be able to sear meats before putting them in the oven, and I want to be able to make gravies directly on the roasting pan.  I know that electric coils can get very hot, so I'm worried about melting/burning/damaging the pan.

Does anybody have specific (and affordable) recommendations for such a roasting pan?  What are features/properties that I look for in shopping for this roasting pan?

EDIT: I don't have anything specific application in mind right now, but here are two examples of things I would like to be able to do:

Cook a turkey in the oven and then make a gravy in the pan directly (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/best-gravy-ever-recipe-2009748)
Sear some pork ribs before putting them in the oven, and finish them off on the stove (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgOBAWbkq5Q).

Electric coil is safe on just about every cooking pot/pan you can buy. It's just another heat source.

If a pan has a special requirement, it will say so on the packaging before you buy it.

Regarding a pan to sear meats, you can do no better than a good cast iron pan.

Cast iron will retain it's heat even when you drop a slab of cold meat into it. This makes for better, more even searing. To make things even better, you can then take the entire cast iron pan and stick it right into the oven! No other pan needed.

Personally, I cook steaks in a cast iron pan like so:

1) Take steaks out of fridge and set somewhere to slightly warm up while you prepare everything.

2) Put cast iron pan in the oven and turn it on to 500 degrees F. This will heat up the pan while your oven pre-heats.

3) On a plate, add a small amount of oil (canola or vegtable, not olive oil - you're going to be using very high heat, so you want a high smoke point). In a dish, add Kosher Salt, and pepper and mix around.

4) Put steak on oil plate and turn over a few time to get a light coating. Sprinkle salt/pepper mix to your liking (I personally go overboard on this).

5) Take the pan out of the oven and put it on your stove. Turn on your largest stove burner and set it as high as it will go. Put your pan on this burner to continue heating up.

6) After it's very hot (test by dripping a very small amount of water, it should sizzle and evaporate almost instantly, your coils should be red in color), drop the steak right into the dry, hot pan and don't touch.

7) Let the steak sear on that side for 30 seconds. Flip it once and let is sear on the other side for 30 seconds.

8) Put the entire thing into your oven. Wait for 2 minutes, take it out, flip the steak and put it back in the oven for 2 more minutes.

9) Take the steak out and put it onto a plate with a smaller plate or bowl turned upside down. This makes a slope for any liquids to slide down, away from the tasty seared "crust" you've developed. Cover loosely with foil. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting (very important to keep the juices from spilling out).

10) Enjoy your medium-rare steak!

You can adjust the timings a bit depending if you have a particularly thick cut of steak, or prefer a different doneness.

Be very careful with the cast iron pan, as it will retain it's heat for a long time! Also make sure you use proper care for it, since taking care of your cast iron is a bit different from a normal pan. If you take good care of it, it should last you a lifetime without issues. Some people even hand down their cast iron to their children! Here's some good information: http://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-wash-season-and-maintain-cast-iron-cookware-article


Will my results differ when using a sourdough starter vs poolish for pizza dough? I've read about differing techniques for getting the best flavor, texture, and chewiness in my pizza crust. One of the commonly suggested routes is to include a sourdough starter as part of the process, but I also find suggestions to use a poolish pre-ferment. From what I understand the main difference in technique is that a sourdough starter typically uses simply flour and water(introducting natural lactobacillus), where as poolish you would also include off the shelf bakers yeast. The sourdough starter also seems to be an ingredient that you build up over days, or even longer, where as the poolish you make in less than a day.

What I haven't been able to determine, is what if any differences will I find in my pizza dough using one product over the other?  Would the pizza crust taste different, look different, rise different, or exhibit other differing characteristics between the two processes? My ultimate goal is Neapolitan margherita pizza in a home oven).

Three things:

Most traditional Neapolitan pizza dough does not use a pre-ferment - poolish, biga, or sourdough starter.  Not to say it may not be good, but it wouldn't the way most are made.
Sourdough starters change their flavor profiles by age and by geographical region.  In general, I would expect a bit more of a 'tang' from the sourdough starter than from the poolish.
Sourdough starters usually don't rise as much - commercial yeast is just in general stronger than its wild counterparts.  So a dough made with a sourdough starter may not rise as well.

Between the two, I would prefer poolish over sourdough for a more traditional taste.  However, I'd be more likely to try something like a cold starter and super slow rise like a Pain à l'Ancienne in order to promote more natural sugars in the bread which would result in better browning.  The primary challenge with Neapolitan pizza dough is the lack of heat in a home oven.  Part of the thing that heat does is the browning - hence the recipe that promotes better browning but with traditional ingredients.


Opaque green tea, what is that? If you order green tea in Thailand you get a long drink in a plastic cup that resembles a sweet, frozen shake. (Then you can put the cup in a plastic bag, hang it on the steering rod of your motorbike, drive around and sip it with a thick straw on hot days.)

The Thai green tea is very different from Japanese and Chinese (usually hot) green tea. The Thai drink is light green and completely opaque.

I read that Thais use "green tea powder", condensed milk, "oriental spices", crushed ice and more to produce this shake.

When I drink this I remember having been served "similar" in Japan. Opaque, green tea in small clay cups. Much more filled with "small particles" than is "normal" tea.  It was hot and not sweet, at least as I remember.

When I Google I just find entries like Oolong tea which is not what I am looking for. Oolong tea is clear and more resembles traditional tea.

My question mostly relates to what I have had in Japan. What is this brew that is green but differs very much from "normal" green tea by being opaque?

If it's "green tea powder" it's probably matcha.

Matcha is finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea. It's special in two aspects of farming and processing: The green tea plants for matcha are shade-grown for about three weeks before harvest, and the stems and veins are removed in processing.
The traditional Japanese tea ceremony centers on the preparation, serving, and drinking of matcha. In modern times, matcha has also come to be used to flavour and dye foods such as mochi and soba noodles, green tea ice cream and a variety of wagashi (Japanese confectionery).

The drink you had in Thailand is probably an iced matcha shake of some sort, made with condensed milk.  In Japan, the drink is served by itself as part of tea ceremonies and is opaque even without milk added to it.
There's a guide to how tea ceremonies work and the process of making tea here, if you're interested.


Can adding milk prevent a cake from rising? My white vanilla cake came out really flat despite using baking powder and soda. My mother told me that the milk (a small glass) I added to the batter may have prevented the cake from rising. Is she right?

No, milk in and of itself does not prevent cakes from rising.

There is noting in milk that changes the action of baking powder or baking soda.  Just yesterday, for example, I made chocolate muffins with 1/2 cup of milk, chemically leavened, and they rose beautifully.

There has to be some other factor involved, but you would need to add much more detail to your question in order to have a chance at identifying it.


How can I make proper sandwich slices of home-made bread? I like baking my own bread and do it quite often, yet to fill our family lunch boxes we still resort to professional baked bread. The main and maybe the only reason is that we can't seem to slice our own baked bread as thin as you like to fit in a lunchbox.
We could of course buy an electric bread slicer similar as the one you'll find in your local supermarket, but that is quite some overkill.

source

I have tried it many times, even with very sharp knives, but I never managed to get a slices smaller then 1 cm in thickness.
Is there some technique or device that enables proper slices of home-made bread?

You can buy a home bread slicer - and you can also make one.

  "My little invention works on the same principle as a carpenter's miter
  box (as a matter of fact, I got the idea while watching a carpenter
  friend cut some miter joints). The only difference is that my device
  was made specifically for slicing homemade bread. Just slide a loaf
  into place, position the blade of a long, sharp knife in the slots,
  and you can't help but cut straight and true." - John Shell, Mother Earth News March/April 1978


Culinary term for frying in water (without oil)? Is there a culinary term describing "frying in about 4mm of water" in a frying pan without oil (with this technique, if water evaporates you just keep adding more from a glass, keeping it shallow).

If the veggies are barely submerged, you're effectively steaming.  It is not as pure a method as actually raising them slightly above the (I presume very rapidly boiling) water, but if you keep them moving enough, the result is going to be more similar than it would be to be boiling/poaching/simmering.

In case you are unaware, you can get very inexpensive steamer baskets that fit into any size pan.  This is a pretty effective way to cook vegetables.  It also means you can cover the pan and not have to keep everything moving.  If you have layers of veggies in the steamer you may want to rotate them around occasionally.


When and how much flour do I add when mixing dough? I am a rookie bread baker and I have been following some recipes that range in amounts of water and flour. I have a Kitchenaid artisan mixer that has been doing the hard work of kneading for me. My problem is knowing when to stop adding flour during mixing/kneading.

Some recipes say add flour until the dough is workable and then knead. My questions is, when they say use 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups of flour but no more. How do I know when to stop, I have ruined a few loaves as they came out heavy and dense.

How do I know when to stop adding flour and let the gluten take care of the stickiness? I often find myself adding flour until the dough balls up and pulls from the sides but by then it's too late.

On the other side, I have kneaded for 15 - 20 minutes waiting for the dough to pull sides of the bowl and it never happened.

When do I add flour and when do I just wait?

Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

I'll convert my comment into an answer, based on your request for help or suggestions.  Bread formulas are created using the "Baker's Percentage Method".  It is expressed in the amount of liquid in ratio to the amount of flour.  This percentage varies according to the style of bread, but within each style produces accurate results when using weight measurement.

Using volumetric measurement, especially for flour, is highly inaccurate because many variables can influence how much flour fits into a measuring cup (grind, humidity, compaction...etc).  That is why these kinds of recipes often suggest a range, and put the baker in the position of guessing.

Using a scale, and weighing your ingredients according to the baker's percentage of a recipe, removes the guess work.


Low tech strategies for keeping food warm I need to cook food from the middle ages and bring it to school for a project. How can I keep the food warm without using innovative appliances?

A couple options spring to mind.

One way is, as ChrisH mentions, simple insulation, using layers of straw and blankets would be the most portable options.  I also recall that during that time items could be kept warm by burying them, or using an earthen oven to trap heat and keep something warm for hours, but these will tend not to be portable :)

To seal a pot containing said food, you can make a simple dough and use it to seal a lid on to a pot - this will keep moisture trapped, keeping the food from drying out, as well as keeping some more heat in (from steam, instead of letting it out).  Sealed pots were not really common in medieval times, metal pots would not be common or portable enough to use like this, but the basic principle was used, they would have food sealed in crusts.  In this case, the crust would be broken into and the contents just spooned out, since many of the crusts, especially for larger dishes, were thick and tough, and might even be scorched on the outside from long or repeated cooking, not very tasty.  They were not intended to be eaten as part of the dish, they might be used for breadcrumbs in a later dish or given away, as the crust would need to be sturdy, thick, able to seal the contents from air, and able to withstand the reheating process, and so the crust wouldn't need, or want, to be tender or flavorful or even part of the dish in its own right.

Another thing you might try, in addition to insulation, would be to store and add heat either while traveling or afterwards - something like a hot water bottle, though at that level of technology it would more likely be hot rocks, which would work to keep the food warm.  Depending on the insulation, method of travel, and dish involved they could even let the dish continue cooking while it traveled - something like stew or beans would be better for this, or really any dishes with extended cooking times.  If you have enough rocks (enough thermal mass) in a very well-insulated container, they could stay hot for hours, likely enough to warm the food once you're ready to set up.  You could try adding water to them once the food's set up over them, this would let the heat transfer quickly through steam or boiling water.  Transporting hot rocks, etc, with the food container will keep everything hot longer, transporting them separately will mean the food won't keep cooking while in transit, for more delicate dishes.


Baked sweet potato skin hard as a rock I tried to bake a sweet potato today, but instead of getting soft, the skin kept getting tougher and tougher. Eventually i took it out and when I cut into it, the inside was soft, but the shell outside was really tough (yes, it did feel like a shell)

Any ideas? These were my steps:

Pre heated the oven for 10 mins at about 212 F
Put the potato inside, skin on, on a rack with aluminium foil at the bottom
Let it bake at 300 F for 40 mins.
Shell super hard, fork couldnt go through, so put it back in for another 40 mins.
Shell even harder.  Turned up temperature to 400 F.
About 20 mins later i smell a little burning so i took it out. The shell was just a little burnt on the outside but still really tough.

I guesa this could be because i didnt use oil. I dont want to use oil. Any ideas?

It could be that your oven temp is too low during the cook, so you are essentially dehydrating the outside of the potato.  I would preheat to 350 for at least 30 minutes, to make sure your oven is up to temperature.  Then put the potatoes in.


Are there benefits to using a lemon squeezer? There are lots of products on the market to ease lemon squeezing. I've never used any of them.

Are there any benefits to using one? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of the different types?

I'm a recent convert to the type where you load the fruit between two halves of a metal mold and squeeze. I find that it extracts a very high percentage of the juice with minimal effort and does a good job of separating away the seeds. I find it a lot less messy than the reamer or other type I've owned in the past.


Can I substitute grapeseed oil with peanut oil? I am making gluten free chocolate chip cookies. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of grapeseed oil.Can I substitute peanut oil for grapeseed oil?

Yes, that would be fine. They're both very neutral, high smoke point oils, so you can consider them interchangeable in baking.


How to approximate the Maillard temperature (154°C) in a pan? Are there any common (non-toxic) household substances with boiling or smoke points close to the temperature at which the Maillard reaction occurs, 154°C?

I want to be able to check that my pan is around this temperature without using a thermometer before frying a steak.

The Maillard reaction begins around 150° C.  You do not need that exact temperature.  Usually, you don't even want that exact temperature; even baking temperatures usually hover around 175-200° C (350-400° F), and those temperatures are held for 20 minutes or more.  Pan-frying is almost always a fast cooking process lasting no longer than 10 minutes.

Thus, almost every cooking oil has a smoke point at or around the ideal temperature.  Butter is a bit too low around 121-149° C (250-300° F), but the vast majority of liquid oils - peanut, sunflower, corn, canola, sesame, even EVOO - all have smoke points from 150-260° C (300-500° F).

See Wikipedia's list of smoke points for a fairly complete list.  Avoid butter and unrefined flaxseed/safflower/sunflower oil (commercially-bottled oil is almost always refined, except for EVOO).

Of course, this doesn't say anything about cooking time or sticking.  When we talk about frying or sautéing in oil (i.e. to get the Maillard reaction going), we usually want a quick sear, and for that you really want to get the pan screaming hot so that you can get a good sear on the outside without doing much to the inside.  Clarified butter, coconut oil, or any other of the highly-refined oils are the best for that purpose.

If you're really trying to prolong the cooking time, i.e. pan-frying a chicken breast all the way through, then I guess you'd stick with a lower smoke point oil, such as EVOO or unrefined peanut or sesame.


How to get a open crumb bread without a starter Is it possible to get an open crumb bread without an starter, and by just using active dry yeast? According to my research, to get an open crumb bread one needs a good gluten development, high hydration, strong wheat flour, and a good yeast. However, most of recipes that I have found are using sourdough starter, which I don't want to use. Is possible to get the same open crumb like sourdough bread, by using just active dry yeast?  Can you provide some tips on technique?

I haven't tried it as I don't have access to active dried yeast rather than the instant or bread machine variety, but I can't see why a no-knead dough method would not give you the results you want.

You would have to prove the yeast first by adding it to warm water rather than adding it to the dry ingredients which is the method I use.

Using regular and bread flour I have had great results with a proofing time of up to 18 hours. In the baguettes I have baked the result has been quite light, with holes up to 1 cm in diameter. If you baked your loaf using this method in a Dutch oven instead, you would get a different consistency due to the trapped steam. Either way, the long proofing time will give you quite an airy loaf.


Is there any way to make single cream to double cream? Whipping cream is hard to find where I live in India. We have a dairy brand named "Amul" which sells cream of butterfat content of 25% and cannot be whipped! Whipping cream has about 35% fat content but its not available here. Can I add butter in it to increase the fat content needed for whipping, while stirring constantly for even distribution of fat?

Adding butter to cream will not work because you're not actually increasing the fat content of the cream-portion of your mixture. Cream is made up of microscope globules of butterfat surrounded by phospholipids (membranes of fatty acids that act as emulsifiers). This is what prevents the fat in the milk from congealing into a fatty mass (i.e. butter). The butter-making process breaks down these membranes and allows the butter to form. Butter is also a water-in-oil emulsion, but you can't re-emulsify it into cream by simply adding it back to a lower-fat cream base.

An experimental solution

(This is highly experimental, so I'll remove it if someone says it doesn't work.)

If you can only get 25% homogenized cream, try freezing and then thawing it. This should undo the homogenization to some degree, so it should separate when defrosted. Let the fat rise to the top, and pour off the excess cream (or drain off the whey from the bottom) to get the total milkfat content up into the "whipping cream" range.

(This may not work. My concern is that this separate-by-freezing process won't actually give you whey + cream… for the same reason cream + butter won't work. The emulsion may be destroyed by the separate-by-freezing process. It may indeed create a higher-fat solution… but the resulting concoction may not be "whippable". Try it and report back. Thanks.)


Yogurt has stopped thickening properly I've been making yogurt for a bit less than a year, in a multicooker. My first starter was a single-serve cup of skyr, but since then I've just been using the last of the previous batch as the starter for the next. However, for the last few batches, I've been getting much more cloudiness in the whey when I strain it. The last batch, I got four times the volume of slightly-thickened-but-too-thin-for-a-strainer white liquid as I did of yogurt, which is enough loss to make me concerned enough to ask here. I saved the liquid (now jarred in the fridge), and left it to settle; a little normally-clear whey has separated to the top, but that's just the top quarter-inch or so of two pint jars that are otherwise full of white. Is there anything I can do to make yogurt or cheese or something from the liquid? Can the yogurt be salvaged to make good batches again, or will I need to start over with a new store-bought cup?

That happens sometimes, it means that the ecological balance in your yogurt has shifted to some less tasty bacterial strains. There is even a small chance that you picked up something slightly pathogenic.
There is neither a need nor a practical way to shift it back to the original strain. It is best to start with a new, known-good culture. You can get either store-bought yogurt, or pure starter from a type you enjoy.
You can expect this to happen again and again after a long chain of reinocculations, because in home conditions, you don't have perfect control over your fermentation process. It is just part of the life of a yogurt maker to get back to a fresh culture when the homegrown one weakens.


Wrap food in cylinder shape and put in the fridge What the technique call?, if you would wrap food in a cylinder shape and put in the fridge to let it set. I see Chef flat the meat and added flat shrimp on top, then roll it in cling wrap, put it in the fridge and it come out like sausage. Not only protein item but also I see Chef do it with eggplant and its puree.
I am wondering what the technique is call and how it work exactly.

This is called a roulade. It is when a protein or vegetable is rolled, typically in plastic, very tightly.  It is sometimes also tied. The roulade, can be poached or cooked sous vide in the wrapping, if it is to be a hot preparation.  It can also be refrigerated for cold preparations.  The cooking, or refrigeration, help keep the roll in tact when slicing for service.  A modernist technique for maintaining the roll might be to use transglutaminase (otherwise known as "meat glue").


Can I freeze unbaked scones? Well, the title says it all really! Can I freeze unbaked scones, or am I better off baking them and then freezing to reheat? Thanks

I'd recommend freezing them unbaked. The crumb is a lot more delicate once they're baked and more susceptible to moisture migration, leading to them being soggy or stale (or both! at the same time!) when thawed. Scones, being relatively low moisture and not containing yeast, actually freeze quite well and can usually go straight from the freezer to the oven.

I've worked in several bakeries where we made giant batches of one flavor of scone and froze dough all portioned out so that we could always have several flavors of freshly baked.


Advice on bulk buying nuts I am thinking about buying nuts in bulk, specifically hazelnuts, almonds and/or walnuts. Are there any considerations regarding:

Type of nut - i will buy straight from farmers so i have to hope they have been stored appropriately. Which type of nuts are less likely to go off if not stored correctly?
Storage once i get them - cool dry place or maybe even freeze them?
Roasting - is it ok (flavourwise) to roast a large batch at once and eat over a period of a month or more?

I intend to start with buying small quantities of about a kilo, preferably without shells, from this site that connects farmers and customers.

Some of the main concerns with storage and consumption of raw nuts are (in no particular order)

The presence of Salmonella
The oil in the nuts becomes rancid
The presence of insects

According to a food safety pamphlet put out by UC Davis,

  Because of their association with two raw almond outbreaks, California almonds sold in retail stores must be treated in some way to eliminate Salmonella. Commercial blanching and roasting processes are examples. Almonds that are not roasted or blanched may be treated with a lighter steam or heat treatment or may be treated with the gas propylene oxide or other approved process.

  http://ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu/files/44384.pdf

They also note that dry foods like nuts are not a common source of harmful bacteria. I'm not sure of how much of a concern this should be. Further research may be required. Also note that "Refrigeration and freezing do not destroy this bacteria. The presence of harmful bacteria cannot be determined by sight, smell, taste, or texture."

The oil in nuts tends to start to go off after a few months at room temperature. This won't make the nuts dangerous to eat, but they won't taste good. Things like temperature and humidity will affect the speed at which the nuts go off. Unshelled nuts will last longer at room temperature (and in general) than shelled nuts.

Nuts in the refrigerator should be good for up to one year.  In the freezer, for two years.

The other benefit of freezing nuts is that it will kill insects and their eggs.

  If you want to store nuts obtained from a backyard orchard at room temperature, you will need to first freeze the nuts at 0°F (-18°C) for 48 hours to kill insect pests and their eggs and prevent them from destroying your harvest. Freezing the nuts is not necessary if you intend to store the nuts in the refrigerator. You can also use dry ice ( frozen carbon dioxide) to destroy insect pests prior to storage.

  http://ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu/files/44384.pdf

It's possible that the farmers will have treated the nuts with one of these methods before selling them. Ideally, you'd be able to find this out from the farmer. Laws in your area may demand such procedures anyway.


Fruit/nut allergy - cooking for In this thread about cooking for people with allergies the first commenter (rightly, IMHO) suggests splitting up that general effort into more allergy-specific tips. The overall effort might still be worthwile, but as I suffer from the 'fruit/nut' allergy myself, I would like to start this question & answer.

My question: which foods trigger the fruit/nut allergy, rated by severity, and what techniques can you use to reduce the effect? I will be answering my own question as well (in the hope of offering some help), but would prefer answers that I don't know already.

For those that aren't aware of the allergy for nuts and fruits and wondering whether they may have it, here are links to wikipedia on oral allergy syndrome and the Calgary Allergy network (as I find their site useful and will be using it, and my own experience, as a departure point. Note that the allergy may start later in life.

From the source (CAN)

  Fruit, Vegetable & Nut Allergies
  Associated with Spring Allergies  (due
  to tree pollen) FRUITS:  APPLE family
  (apple, pear) PLUM family (plum,
  peach, prune, nectarine, apricot,
  cherry) KIWI

  VEGETABLES: PARSLEY family (carrot,
  celery, dill, anise, cumin, coriander,
  caraway) POTATO family (potato,
  tomato, green pepper)

  NUTS:  Hazelnut, walnut, almond

  LEGUMES: Peas, beans, peanut

  SEEDS: Sunflower

  Ragweed allergy (which causes hayfever
  in August and September) can be
  associated with allergies to raw
  bananas, and the members of the gourd
  family (melon, watermelon, honeydew,
  cantaloupe, zucchini and cucumber).

  Grass allergy can be associated with
  allergies to orange, melon,
  watermelon, tomato, kiwi, peanut.

Explaining about the allergy and ways of combatting it:

  These allergic reactions usually occur
  only when the food is raw. People who
  are allergic to the raw food can eat
  it cooked, canned, microwaved,
  processed or baked. For example,
  someone allergic to raw apples can eat
  apple sauce, apple jelly, apple juice,
  apple pie and dried apples. However,
  nuts may cause allergic reactions
  whether raw or cooked. This problem is
  usually life long. Allergy tests to
  these foods may sometimes be negative
  unless a fresh fruit is used for the
  test (instead of a commercial allergy
  extract). The allergic reaction to
  these foods can occur anytime of the
  year when eating the foods but can be
  worse during the pollen season and
  especially if hayfever is very
  troublesome that year.

  The allergic reaction is not due to
  pesticides, chemicals or wax on the
  fruit. Howeve,r because the more
  allergic part of the fruit may be in
  the skin, some people allergic to
  fruits, e.g., peaches, can eat the
  flesh without reaction if the skin is
  peeled away. Similarly for apples,
  some brands of apples cause more
  allergic reactions than others.
  Freshly picked apple, e.g., straight
  from the tree or an unripe apple, may
  cause fewer allergic reactions than
  one which is very ripe or one which
  has been stored for weeks after
  picking.

To this, I'd like to add that, in The Netherlands at least, the Santana apple is available as a special anti-allergy apple, and, for me at least, it works!

Also, as a technique, (deep)freezing the food may also offer benefits, or cooking the food in acid(ic) substances.

  Other alternatives:

  Substitute Raw Fruits Berries*
  (strawberry, blueberry, raspberries,
  etc.), citrus* (orange, mandarins,
  etc.), grapes, currants, gooseberries,
  guava, mango, figs, pineapple, papaya,
  avocado, persimmon, pomegranates,
  watermelon*.

  Substitute Raw Vegetables MUSTARD
  family (cabbage, cauliflower,
  broccoli, watercress, radish GOOSEFOOT
  family (spinach, swiss chard)
  COMPOSITE family (green onions)

  Substitute Nuts Peanut*, cashew,
  pistachio, brazil, macadamia, pine
  nut.

  *May occasionally cause Oral Allergy Syndrome.

For me, this list indeed works, as I have a milder version of OAS. The substitue nuts work for me as well (walnut and almonds are terrible to me: the above are fine). When using pine nuts, try to use the European version, as the Chinese one can be horrible (which is a general problem with Chinese pine nuts)


What's this salad of gray lumps in white dressing? I can identify the green lettuce at the bottom, but not the physical matter under the red maraschino cherry. I happened upon this on Open Rice for a popular Western cuisine restaurant in Central, Hong Kong.

What are the gray lumps?

What white dressing is this?

This is potato salad, cubes of cooked (boiled) potato in a dressing of mayonnaise. If you are looking to replicate this, the typical cha chaan teng (茶餐廳) style potato salad might have some sweetened condensed milk, something like a 4:1 ratio of mayonnaise to condensed milk. Also, the garnish appears to be half of a cherry tomato, rather than a maraschino cherry.


How to bake a sponge cake in a grill microwave oven How can we bake a sponge cake in a grill microwave oven where there no preheating functionality? It's an Electrolux grill microwave oven. Is there any substitution to the preheating process?

If you are sure that your oven can turn the microwaves completely off, then use it like any other toaster oven. Turn the microwaves off so only the heat elements are on, turn to the temperature you need, let it "bake" for 10 minutes without anything inside. It is preheated. Bake the cake as usual. Be aware that, if the heating elements are on top only, you probably won't get a good cake. Cakes can be made in toaster/grilling ovens, but need heat from both below and above, or in the worst case from below only.

If you don't have temperature controls for the grill, you can risk a try, but it is unlikely that the temperature will be suited for a cake.

If you can't turn off the microwave function (and sadly, there are even some ovens which have a button for it but still use microwaves when it is selected), there is no way you can bake cakes with it. You need another oven for any dough then, your options start with toaster ovens at ca. 50 Euros.


creme fraiche 1 month out of date! I was just cooking some soup and added some creme fraiche (I smelt it before and it smelt fine, force of habit)

Once I had mixed it in - I noticed that the sell by date was the 15th of January!

I mean it smelt fine before I put it in, but will I give myself food poisoning or will I be alright?

Crème fraiche is a cultured product, meaning it has lots of helpful bacteria that cause the initial sourness.

These products will tend to become progressively more sour over time - in the case of crème fraiche, more like sour cream - but the pre-existing bacteria tend to compete with (and win against) other parasites, such that the food will start to smell "off" long before it is unsafe, and may actually never spoil as far as bacteria are concerned.  It may, however, develop mold.

If it's not moldy, and it smells fine to you, then feel free to eat it and don't fret about it.  Sell-by dates are indicators of quality only, not food safety.


How can you change flavors in store-bought frosting? I'm in a time crunch and I bought pre-made frosting for some cupcakes I'm bringing to a potluck (I know, shame on me. The cupcakes are homemade at least.). Because I was rushing, I accidentally bought 'whipped cream frosting' when I was trying to go for 'cream cheese frosting'. I tried the frosting and I think it will be too sweet on my cupcakes. Is there any way I can fix this?? I think I have a tiny bit of cream cheese, could I add it to the frosting in some way to try to tone down the sweetness? My cupcakes are butternut squash spice (kind of a play on pumpkin spice) and they're rather sweet, which is why I was thinking the tang of cream cheese would go well.

Yes, you can certainly mix in something to change the flavor, and cream cheese sounds like a good option.  You will probably need to soften the cream cheese (microwave for a bit, but don't melt it), whip it, and then add in the store-bought frosting and whip until fully incorporated.  Depending on how much cream cheese flavor you like, I'd recommend something like 4 oz. per can of frosting.


Butter melt inside the toaster My toaster is smoking and activating the fire alarm. I tried to clean the tray and the dust from the inside. I shook it pretty much and many black "things" came out. Although, it's still smoking.
I believe that the butter melted inside it and has gone to particulars places that I can't clean by shaking or taking the tray off.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to clean it?

By toaster I am assuming you mean the type that has slots that you pop the bread into from the top.  Normally they also have a removable tray at the bottom, which you say you have taken out and cleaned.  Shaking does normally work, but this can also lead to breakage...  so maybe not quite so vigorously would be a good idea.  I don't understand why you have butter inside your toaster, but that is irrelevant now - so how to clean it.  I would suggest opening some windows, and getting the toaster as close to an open window as possible, and putting it on repeatedly until it stops smoking, you are basically just burning off what is left in the machine.  Just as a side note, every time you use your toaster, after it has cooled down, turn it upside down and give it a little shake, and try not to put anything other than bread in it.  If you want to make toasted sandwiches or anything with butter/cheese, get a toasted sandwich maker.


What are the impacts of a worn pizza stone? While cleaning out my oven I noticed that there were some chips in my pizza stone (the one below is about 1.5" long). I would like to know what the impact is, if any, of worn pizza stone.

What degree of wear and tear is to be expected, and what is dangerous or otherwise the point at which you just need to get a new one? (I.E. Do I need to replace mine for what appears to be such a minor, superficial problem?)

Is there anything that can be done to repair cracks, or is it even necessary or advisable?

What would be the impact of those varying degree of wear and tear, be it uneven heat transference or the likelihood of it cracking in half?

Pizza stones are typically either:

Refractory ceramic with a high thermal conductivity, moulded into a useful shapes. Fired, but unglazed
Diamond saw cut slabs of suitable natural stone

Either type will respond well to heating and cooling in a normal oven. And take reasonable amounts of general wear and tear

Both types will chip on the edges if whacked, and will develop cracks over time that will cause it to split, normally only into two pieces

If they crack during normal use, and are fully supported by a metal oven rack, they will still perform fine, and may even continue to be used in the future

Warning: Natural stone that has been submerged in water for a long time may explode when next heated in the oven. But normal washing and care should not cause this situation

Note: According to many recent studies and famous books like "Modernist Cuisine", a pizza stone is not enough, you really need a large slab. e.g. a 10 kg steel sheet


Why did my ginger garlic paste have a bitter aftertaste? I cooked a base for indian sauce based on lots of onion, homemade ginger garlic paste, some veggies (I used carrot, a little napa cabbage, bell peppers) and spices. After cooking, the sauce had an unfortunate bitter aftertaste. Nothing burned, I cooked over careful heat.

First I thought it wasn't cooked enough, so I cooked some more over low heat. The bitter taste did not disappear.

After considering this some more, my suspicion turned to my homemade ginger garlic paste. It turned green after grinding the ginger and garlic, but that didn't bother me, it's a fairly common phenomenon. But I fried some paste in two batches, and then tasted the result. One was fried until it browned. The other was just fried for 2-3 minutes, and remained quite green. Here's a picture showing (clockwise from lower right) raw, lightly cooked and browned ginger garlic paste:

The browned batch was sweet, followed by the pungent ginger. The lightly fried batch was quite bitter, and also pungent.

So I think the bitterness in my sauce was caused by my ginger garlic paste. But why? What happened?

I see three possibilities based on what you've said:

the germ of the garlic. The germ, or new sprout of the garlic, should be removed before cooking. If your garlic had started to sprout and especially if you left in the germ, this is a possible cause of the bitterness.
acid. Cooking garlic in an acid environment can cause chemical changes in the garlic, such as turning blue-green or bitter -- as in your picture. Ginger and onions might even be enough to trigger this, or other components of the dish.
over-cooking the garlic. Though you said you were careful with heat, it's easy to burn garlic just enough to make it bitter.


How to bone lamb breast I've got a recipe that calls for a boned lamb breast. Unfortunately, the lamb my wife got from the butcher is not boned, so I need to remove the bones myself. However, I can't find any guidance on how to do this. Before I dive in and probably ruin a perfectly good lamb breast, can anyone offer any tips?

Breast of lamb (or veal) is what would be called the belly on a pig -- it's the relatively thin and flat layer of muscle and fat surrounding the ribcage. As such, the bones that you have are in fact ribs, and they're quite easy to remove from the remainder of the meat. Because of the muscle that's between the bones, connecting them, they can be treated as their own layer. All you have to do is free that whole layer from the layer that is just meat. Really, this sounds more complicated than it is.

Lay the breast flat on a board, with the bones on top, ends towards you. Use your boning/filet knife, narrow-bladed slicer, or even a paring knife.

To set yourself up for the cut you'll use for the majority of this process, you need to get the first bone (the one on the side opposite your knife hand) free. With the knife held vertically, cut along the outer edge of that bone, trying to not go deeper than the bone. Just disconnect that side from the meat.

Now, holding the blade parallel to the board, get right under the end of the bone with the tip of the knife. Make a small cut across the breadth of the bone. Ideally the face of the blade should be making contact with the underside of the  bone as you cut -- not cutting into the bone, but taking as much meat as possible. Don't sweat it, though: whatever's left attached to the ribs will make a very nice stock.

Make small but smooth cuts further in along the bone, digging out a little slit underneath it. Once you're two or three inches in, move to the next bone in line, and separate it in the same way. You've now got a corner that you can lift up to make it easier to get your knife in there.

Go back to the first bone, and pull up on that corner. Now make your cuts diagonal to the lines of the bones, so that you're separating the first bone further along than the second. Keep the blade parallel to the board, and don't try to do too much at once -- go long but not deep, slicing lightly along the whole underside crease right where the bone and meat are connected, to a quarter inch or so depth. Readjust your grip on the top half, and make another cut.

(If you have a big enough board and table, you might find it easier to turn the breast so the corner you're working from is pointed towards you at this point.)

Repeat that cut all the way across the breast, and keep using your free hand to lift the top part away as you cut. This obviously gives you a better view, but it also actually assists the separation. The meat and the bones are less well-connected to each other than the meat is to itself -- when you put the join under tension, it wants to come apart.

Depending on the size of your slab, once you've got more than a few bones free, constantly lifting the top half may start to be cumbersome. At that point, you can completely separate some of those bones and set them aside -- just cut vertically along the meat between two of them.

That's all there is to it. Turn those ribs into something tasty, too!


Fabric to be used for cheesecloth I want to make my own cheesecloth as to aid the make of Paneer. Is there any type of fabric I should avoid or any other pitfalls to avoid? Can I use just general cotton and will this be effective in letting the whey drip out of the curds?

The problem with buying tailoring fabric for food use is that sometimes such fabric is treated. Many treatments are not especially problematic (for example starch), but there are others - there is a method for making shirt fabric wrinkle-free which uses formaldehyde.

It is the best to buy real cheesecloth, created for this purpose. The second best option is to buy uncolored organic fabric, it's seldom treated. If you can get neither, a tea towel is also a good option. It's supposed to be used in food settings, cheap, and does not have to have any special features as cloth, so it's unlikely that it's treated. Its dye is probably also quite leak-prone, as tea towels should be able to be washed at very high temperature. But still, if you can find white (or even better, unbleached) towels, they'll be best, because textile dyes can be toxic themselves.

If you really have to get it in a fabric store, go for pure cotton. (Flax should work, but it's unnecessarily expensive). You need it in plain weave, no twill, satin or anything else. And somewhat loose weave is indeed best, as Joe already mentioned. It should be fairly thin, too. "Standard" muslin will probably work more or less, but not as good as regular cheesecloth, as it's a bit too tightly woven.

Another option is to find out if somebody can sell you gauze meant for dressing wounds. It is loose enough, and untreated. It will allow you to make somewhat soft paneer. If you want to press yours very firm, gauze will probably tear. It is also probably not so easy to find, as nowadays there are other products used for wound dressing.


Cooked chicken on bone - how to refrigerate and reheat some I've made a cooked chicken on the bone (Coq Au Vin), however some guests couldn't attend, so two Chicken legs are left over.

I'm planning to cool then refrigerate these and then re-heat in a pan tomorrow (we have no microwave).

As long as I get it piping when I reheat it is it ok food safety-wise or should I be doing things differently?

Food safety guidelines suggest that when reheating food you should heat to 165 degrees F to kill any bacteria which might have been tempted by your food between when you cooked it and when you eat it again.  As long as you do this and eat your food within 4 days, you should be fine.


Kneading and rolling fondant icing without air bubbles I recently did a short cake decoration course and we rolled out fondant to prepare cake boards and then cover the cakes with fondant. The work surface there was absolutely clean with no scratches and when I kneaded and rolled out fondant, there were no air pockets or bubbles formed.

I then started making cakes at home and the kitchen bench here is not without scratches or bumps. So, I ended up buying a cake mat (plastic sheet) and every single time, there have been air bubbles in the fondant, which I had to remove using a toothpick. But it still leaves a mark on the icing once it goes on the cake.

The question is whether rolling the icing on the plastic cake mat can cause the air bubbles or am I doing something wrong when kneading the fondant? I am using the same store bought fondant as the one we used in the class.

It's most likely (in my opinion) that the air (and subsequently air bubbles) is being introduced into your fondant at the kneading process rather than anything to do with your rolling method or surface used to roll on.

Perhaps experiment a little on a more gentle but firm (as opposed to vigorous) kneading method and see if that removes those air bubbles in your fondant.

Are you kneading the fondant in the same way as instructed on the course?


What natural ingredient besides honey and fats can I use to bind a mixture of powders together? So I need to turn super food powders into something more tangible, like a stick form. Honey seems to not be that effective and has a lot of sugar and fats melt quite easily. Water obviously not a good option. What else could I try? Thanks so much for any answers!

You could use nut butter, caramelized sugar, marshmellows or gelatin to bind things together, but it really depends on what is in the powder you are trying to solidify.


What purpose does coffee serve in a chocolate cake recipe? I have a recipe for a chocolate buttermilk cake.  It's not constructed like most cakes, but it's always turned out OK.  I've always wondered what does the coffee in the recipe do?

Is the coffee just there as an additional flavor?  (The cake never tastes strongly of coffee.)  Can I use a cheap instant coffee, or will a higher quality coffee make a difference?  Does the acid in the coffee do something?  Does the temperature of the coffee really matter?

Here's the recipe:

  3 cups flour, 2 1/2 cups sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil, 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, 3 eggs, 1 1/2 cups freshly brewed hot coffee, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

  Slowly combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.  Blend (on medium speed) in the oil and buttermilk.  On low, mix in the eggs, one at a time.  Add the hot coffee and vanilla and mix on low speed.

  Divide into two 9 inch round cake pans and bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes.

from Caprial's Desserts by Caprial Pence and Melissa Carey

it's probably there to add depth to the flavor, since chocolate and coffee complement each other so well. i've used the instant kind in similar recipes and it's just fine.


How does one break long bones for broth? When attempting to cook bone broths, what is the correct technique of breaking up long bones which do not fit inside the crock pot?

I can think of hammering or sawing off hand, but both seem to be rather messy techniques. Is there any good method to break off large bones (relatively) safely?

A normal hammer (one that is used for nails) will not suffice for breaking relatively strong bones, such as the leg bones.
Personal experience: I bought a pork knuckle, and attempted to break the bone with a hammer (600g head), and it resisted 5 minutes of straight hammering, despite the fact that the surface was significantly dented, and many bone fragments were scattered about the room.

A few online searches suggested that a sledgehammer would be required to break bones for broth.

In short, get the butcher to do it for you. You probably don't have the necessary equipment needed to smash bones.


Can clotted cream be made with UHT cream? I've followed a couple of recipes for clotted cream without success and it seems that pasteurization is the issue. I'm told that I need to use either unpasteurized cream or cream that has been low-temperature pasteurized.

All I can find here in Stockholm is cream pasteurized at higher temperatures (85 degrees C). Does anyone know why high temperature pasteurized cream doesn't work for clotted cream? Does anyone have a trick up their sleeve to get it to work?

This recipe seems to suggest that using UHT cream will work, but that it will be a bit softer than if non-UHT cream is used.  Perhaps you can compare your technique to the one suggested in this recipe to see where it diverges.


What changes can I make to a bread recipe to prevent it collapsing when rising overnight in fridge? I'm trying to rise bread overnight in the fridge and sometime it collapses.

What changes could I try in the recipe to try to stop this from happening? I think I need to retard the yeast action (I'm using fast-acting) but I'm not sure if I should add or remove salt, sugar, or use less yeast. Do I need to add another agent to control this process?

I want to make good loaves overnight and bake them in the morning. If I could I'd leave them in the oven overnight and use the built-in timer, but I suspect that's not going to work at all (aside from it definitely over-proving it'd be the same as putting it into a cold oven then switching it on).

Update: The Recipe...

650g strong white bread flour
10g salt
5g sugar
15g soft butter
7g sachet easy bake yeast
400ml warm water; 1 part boiling 2 parts cold

In summary, it calls for baking it at 230c (no mention of fan ovens), and claims that it's suitable for overnight rising. It's a single rise method.

The fermentation of yeast raised dough is a complex interaction of:

Temperature - yeast are nearly dormant at 40 F, and die at about 120 F; in between, they get more active as the temperature rises
Initial amount of yeast - Yeast is alive, and will grow exponentially, if given the chance to.  However, the initial quantity of yeast in the dough can be used to get this process started more quickly, or to delay the onset of very rapid activity
Sugar - The presence of small amounts (up to 10%) of readily available sugar in the dough, within limits, will encourage the yeast to grow more quickly--however, high concentrations of sugar actually inhibit yeast growth
Salt - Higher concentrations of salt also inhibit yeast growth

This paper from MIT discusses in detail several of these factors.  The different types of yeasts do have different activity curves, with active dry producing the fast growth in CO2.

Your best bet to adjust the recipe if it is over-proofing is:

Lower the proofing temperature, if you can— check your refrigerator and make sure it is performing well.  Get the dough to proofing temperature quickly.  You may want to cut batch into two proofing containers in order for it too cool more quickly if you have a lot of dough.
Lower the initial quantity of yeast, cutting it by as much as 50% or 75%
Very slightly raise the salt level--above 2% salt levels inhibit yeast growth, but also affect the flavor of the bread


What techniques and tips do you have for keeping an organized, clean work area while you cook? I've heard of the Mise en Place principle in professional cooking which means literally "everything in it's place". Professional cooks applying this principle keeping their work area clean and organized. Translating this to home cooking, I'm thinking about how to make less mess resulting in less cleanup time and an overall cleaner kitchen.

What techniques and tips do you all use to be tidy cooks?

If you want one, simple technique -- put ingredients away as you use them.

When you start the recipe, take out all of the necessary ingredients, and put them on your counter (or somewhere nearby, if your kitchen is as tiny as the one in my first apartment).  This gives you a chance to make sure that you're not missing anything critical.

As you use them, put them away ... this helps you keep track of what's already gone into the recipe, so you don't end up with twice as much salt (or none at all).

I find it's most useful with baking (eg, when you'd have a large container of flour or baking powder that you only need a portion of vs. other cooking where you'd just pull out those three carrots or two onions you needed from the beginning).   It's also really useful when you have more than one person in the kitchen helping to cook a single dish (the most typical reason an ingredient gets doubled)

I actually don't like chopping everything in advance, as this means that I have to have place to put all of my prepared items (which means more bowls and dishes to clean afterwards).  I do make the exception for stir-fry, but I use a few plates and keep things that cook in a similar time together on the same plate; I won't dump in the whole plate at the same time, but if a carrot ends up getting hidden under the stems of the bok choy, it's not as big a deal as if it went in with the greens of the bok choy.

...

My only other recommendation is in cutting board selection -- I really don't like the heavy, thick butcher block ones, because they're difficult to carry one handed.  With a lighter board, I can pick the whole thing up, then use the back of my knife to push things into the pan, or into the trash as appropriate.

... and I guess one more recommendation, but this one's actually from America's Test Kitchen (I think it was in their Quick Tips book) -- when you're peeling carrots, potatoes or whatever ... put down a sheet of newspaper first, then after you're done, you can just fold it in on itself, and compost or trash as appropriate for your area.


How much is a knob of butter? I was reading a question here on Food and Cooking and no one seemed to know how much it is. I tried to Google convert it to cups but no dice.

So how much is it?

In this Gordon Ramsey scrambled eggs video he uses a "knob" of butter. It appears to be about 2 Tbsp.

I don't think it's intended to be a specific term. You'd never see "knob" used for baking, where exact amounts matter. When cooking, recipes tend to be a general guideline rather than a strict set of instructions.


Getting better in the kitchen Possible Duplicate:
  Resources for a beginner learning to cook

So, I really want to improve my talent in the kitchen. I think I should start with the basics though. I've always concentrated on following recipes, or trying to emulate what I see on television, but I feel like without a good foundation on the basic skills in the kitchen, I will never truly improve.

One example I can give is to the television show "Worst Cooks in America" on the Food Network. They basically bring those guys in, tell them how to cut correctly, which knives they should be using - then they move on and go over the proper way to sear meats, what heat to keep your pans at, how to season different things correctly, how much oil to use, the proper way to fry/saute - everything like that.

I kind of just do everything my "own" way, and when I'm following a recipe I get off line or something, I just pretend I know what I'm doing, and that if I follow the steps, it will come out exactly as theirs did, which has been pretty false for the most part.

How can I start to improve my basic cooking skills? Is there any books or anything I should pick up? Maybe any links online that go through how to get better and where to start?

I eventually want to be able to just see what food is on sale in the grocery store, and be able to picture how I can create a meal with it, how I would season it, what would go great together, etc - as opposed to only buying things that match up with whatever recipe sounds good to me that night :)

Thanks guys.

I'm sure there are a million ways to do this, so my answer isn't "right", it's just how I've learned.

Get a good cookbook and follow recipes from it. Ideally, you want a cookbook that discusses the "why" as well as the "how". I highly recommend The Best Recipe for this. They have detailed explanations of how they created the recipe and why certain things work. Having a good understanding of why will allow you to really understand the steps of a recipe, making it easier to improvise.

Look for some courses. If you live near a major metro area, there is almost certainly somewhere to take some cooking courses for the home chef. Look for some 101 level courses. Our local cooking school / gadget shop / place I spend too much money is Cooks Warehouse. They have classes like Knife Skills, Pasta 101, Summer Veggies, Intro to Cheese Making, BBQ, etc. Take a class or two.

Ask and research questions here. If you want to know "how to..." there's a good chance that there's already a good question on this site. Reading about steak for instance, you'll learn a TON, or look for Beginner Cooks. Do your research. If you don't find your question, ask away. There's no question at all that I've become a better cook because of this site.

Find someone to cook with. My wife could cook pretty well, and I learned a lot from her. Later we made some friends and gained a neighbor who were professional chefs. Cooking in a kitchen with them, even if it's just helping, can be very helpful. You'll learn a ton. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

Cook the same dish over and over. Find a dish you like and make it a couple of times from the same recipe. Then look it up online and look for some recipes that are different. Try those. Figure out what you like / didn't like about the recipes and identify what was different. Then start to try and make some changes off the top of your head (this is particularly common if you don't have something in the recipe, leave it out? substitute?).

Cook lots of different dishes. Branch out a little and try some different things. Stew, pastry, cake, stir fry, etc. Trying a bunch of different things will give you an idea of what happens when you cook something low and slow vs hot and fast, dry heat / wet heat, etc.

What you are really looking for is a trusted source followed by experience, both in depth and in breadth. The trusted source is important to make sure you are getting experience doing the right thing. Ideally, maybe you should start with just depth and nail one dish / technique after another, but that's boring, and if you're doing it at home, you have to eat the results. So breadth helps the home cook, even if that isn't what you'd do in culinary school.

Practice and learn and you'll get there eventually. Fortunately, you need to eat every day, so there's plenty of opportunity.


Extracting flavor from lemon zest What are some good ways of getting the most flavor out of lemon zest and into sugar+water?

I’ve steeped them in the liquid that was just to the boil and left it to cool.

But I wonder what better techniques might be available.  I beleive that the “essence” is oily and doesn’t wash out into water-based solutions easily.

What would Alton Brown do?

The flavor of lemon zest is in the oils contained in the skin, the best way to extract them is to mechanically extract them, steeping in hot water isn't going to do much for you.

First, grate the zest using the finest microplane grater you can get, the more surface are you have the better. Second, you need to crush and/or grind the zest to get the oils out. If you are using sugar then a great way to extract flavor from the zest is to crush the zest into the sugar, the sugar acts as an abrasive and grinding agent. You can do this in a mortar and pestle if you have one, or if you don't using the back of a spoon to crush it into the side of a bowl works pretty well too. If you aren't using sugar then crushing still works, just not quite as well. You want to keep crushing until you have a strong smell of lemon coming from it, then crush a little longer.

Once you have your sugar and zest crushed up you can add it to hot water and mix .


Why do my stainless steel fry pans always develop a residue? I have a set of stainless steel frying pans.  They are Emeril Lagasse brand which at some point was mentioned to be made by all-clad.  I don't believe they are of particularly high quality but seem to be fine.  They have a "copper core" with stainless steel making the remaining components.
When I cook just about anything, such as pan frying bratwurst/sausages, making chicken piccata, or caramelizing onions - the end result is always the same.  The pan develops a golden brown residue.  It could be called a crust of oil, fond, or just burned residue.  It is possible to remove it completely by scrubbing with bar keepers friend and a rag for ~20 minutes of elbow grease.
Note that I am using a fairly robust gas stovetop at medium-high to high heat for these tasks.  I usually am using 1tsp-1tbsp of EVOO, added after the pan gets up to temp and before adding the meat/vegetables.
Is it expected that using a stainless steel fry pan will result in this residue?  Or is my technique off?
Image of what my pans will look like after using them once (somewhat severe outcome):

Image of what my pans will look like after using them once (somewhat mild outcome):

Image of what I can clean the pans to look like after bar keepers friend:

I use stainless daily, and they are pans I have had for almost 20 years.  The outside of my pans look like crap, but the inside looks like your final pic.  My tips are: (1) Reduce your heat a bit when you can, as high heat will polymerize the oils in your pan, creating the coating that is difficult to clean.  (2) Make sure you are using proper cooking techniques, particularly when it comes to using the correct pan for the job, and deglazing. Also, your pan does not have to be smoking hot before you add oil or ingredients.  Be gentle. (3) Clean pans right after use, and when you see a hint of polymerized oil (the brown haze) work hard to get it off (it's actually not so hard...just takes some effort, and sometimes some scouring powder and/or pad).  Any residue you leave behind will worsen with time.
The pans pictured can certainly be cleaned up. It will now take some elbow grease, but it would be in your best interest.  Use a scouring powder with just enough water to make it a paste.  Let it sit on there a while, then scrub with a scouring pad.


What's the brix of a typical avocado? What's the typical brix of a typical store-bought avocado? I mean the percentage of sugars, acids and such (I think it refers to all dissolved solids, but sugar gets the most attention). I can find the sugar content, but brix includes acids, minerals, and such, too. Does anyone have a refractometer and an avocado handy?
My hypothesis is that avocados have a very low brix. I'm not sure that they'd be easy to get juice out of, rather than an oily substance, though! I think juice is required to test the brix.

The basic definition of Brix is grams sugar per 100 g solution. For an avocado, the FDA’s  nutrition data says that’s 8.5 °Bx.
The Brix scale is generally applied to solutions consisting mostly of sugar and water. That’s why it’s possible to use something like specific gravity or a refractometer to measure it. For solutions with other significant components, it’s not possible to use a refractometer or hydrometer to accurately measure Brix.


How to roast peanuts for peanut butter? Do I have to roast peanuts before grinding them or after grinding them?
Does it matter?

May I roast the peanuts with their papery skin on?

What should I expect from the output if I make the peanut butter with the peanuts with their papery skins on?

If you're going to roast the peanuts, definitely roast them before grinding. Do like you would any other nuts: in the oven, maybe 350F, spread out not too deep in a pan, until they smell toasty and nutty, making sure not to burn them.

If you ground them into peanut peanut butter, and then tried to roast it, it'd be a lot tougher to roast. You'd have to spread it out in a thin layer on a pan, since if it's thick only the surface would really roast. You'd have to be really careful about overroasting, since you won't be able to directly see if the bottom is scorching. And then you'll have to scrape out the pan to try not to waste any, and still have a greasy pan to clean up. Roasting before, on the other hand, is easy. There's space for air between the peanuts so they'll all roast. You can easily give them a stir if you need to, and see directly whether they're burning. And the pan will basically still be clean when you're done.

Whether or not to remove the skins is mostly down to personal preference. You will end up with flecks of skin in the peanut butter, so if that bothers you, remove them. If you're really sensitive (and eating the peanut butter mostly by itself) it's possibly you'd notice a texture difference too. But they won't taste bad (some people even think they improve the flavor), so do whatever you feel like!

If you do want to remove the skins, you can and should wait til after roasting: they should be much looser and easier to remove after roasting. You might even be able to get a lot off simply by putting them in a bowl or colander and shaking. Otherwise, putting them in a kitchen towel and rubbing around should work pretty well.


Why blend soup in blender if you can use a stick blender? if a recipe calls for soup to be put in a blender can I just use a stick blender? Or Is there some difference that makes it better in a regular blender?

You've answered your own question in your comment, really.  One advantage of a stick blender is that you don't have to deal with hot soup in a stand-up blender. The advantage of a high-powered, stand-up blender is that it can puree very well.  However, hot liquids are problematic in these blenders. They expand and can create a mess, and potentially burn you if you are not careful and do not know how to control for this.  I use my stick blender for soups, but also for many small batch needs as well...when I don't want to drag out the blender, or the batch is too small for the jar.  So, in general, they are interchangeable, but in most cases the stand up version will puree more smoothly, and is (obviously) hands-free.


Is it possible to make souffles that rise without beating egg whites? TLDR: Is it possible to make a souffle that doesn't have beaten egg-whites, but still rises? Leaveners don't seem to work.

Longer version:

I've never eaten "real" souffles (at a restaurant). I tried this recipe, which tastes great, but doesn't deal with beating egg-whites. This (beating the egg-whites into stiff peaks and folding) seems to be something of a fundamental or hallmark of souffles, which is credited to their rising.

The recipe's souffles don't rise much (not even out of the pan). I also tried a variation with baking powder, which had a negligible effect.

Is it possible to make a souffle that rises, without folding in beaten egg whites? Would baking soda work?

NB: these (from the recipe) are also not baked in a pan with water with them.

TL:DR answer - not really. The beaten egg whites are an integral component of the souffle, forming both the rising action of the mixture (by capturing air within the protein network of the eggs) and and the structure. The recipe you linked to is more of a cake than a souffle, even using the creaming method commonly seen in cake production.

While other ingredients can capture air as well (such as the gluten formation from flour in a cake or bread), they change the nature of this dish so much that it's no longer recognizable as a souffle.

Adding baking soda unfortunately won't help in this particular instance as the rise caused by this is due to the carbon dioxide gas released. The souffles have that part covered with the air bubbles released during baking - what they need is the structure to trap them in.

I hope that helped to clarify!


Why do salt flakes start building up in a bottle of mineral water after it was first opened? I noticed that mineral water with high mineralization doesn't have salt flakes floating on the bottom of the bottle on store shelves, but when I open one, after some time they start accumulating. Does it have something to do with decarbonation?

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

Salt solubility decreases with decreasing pressure.


Can a spice grinder be used for coffee permanently? My father bought a spice grinder thinking it was a coffee grinder. He is very stubborn and does not want to return it (also it was the most expensive grinder from the store) Can it still be used for coffee? I feel like it will break sooner since spices are softer than coffee so the grinder is not design the same.

This model

Also, there is no mention of coffee in the manual

The Cuisinart SG-10 spice grinder it designed to grind soft and hard spices. There is no reason why it couldn't do coffee

The SG-10 manual even mentions nutmeg, which is significantly tougher than coffee

Many coffee "professionals" like the burr grind (like a pepper grinder), compared to the rotary blade grind (like a small food processor), but either will work fine

Also, many people grind spices in rotary blade coffee grinders, so it comes down to which style of grinding you like

One issue with rotary ground coffee is the inconsistency of grind size. There will be too many fine particles that will leech out of the coffee holding/filter mechanism. If you don't want solid particles in your coffee use a burr grinder


160°C fan forced or 325°F convection I have  recipe that recommends 160°C fan forced for approximately 1 hour.
I have a convection feature on my stove, so should I use it at 325°F with the convection on or just 325°F direct heat?  It is a gas oven.

If your oven allows, 320°F is closer to 160°C, but I know some ovens are bit clunky and only go 25 degrees at a step.
Since "Fan Forced" is just another term for "Convection" you should use the fan if the recipe recommends it.


Is is ok to use slightly sour curd for chicken marination? The last time I used slightly sour commercial curd (it usually isn't sour and was well within the expiry date) for marinating chicken. An hour or so after cooking, there were little bubbles bubbling up to the top of the curry, and I had stomach trouble after eating the chicken. But I wasnt sure if it was the curd or whether the shop owner had left the chicken at room temperature for too long or whether it was because the shop was just unhygenic.
This time too, the curd is slightly sour and I just wanted to know if it is considered safe to use slightly sour curd for marination. Or does the sourness indicate that that it has too much acid or that the curd has got spoilt and can be bad for the meat?
Update: Slightly sour curd (it's not supposed to be sour) did create a slightly sour taste in the cooked chicken, but it got masked to a reasonable extent by the spices, salt and onion flavour. The little bubbles are just a normal phenomenon I've observed even if I cook without marinating in curd. After cooking with slightly sour curd a few times, I could conclude that it is ok to use it.

There are types of curd* that are supposed to be sour.

If the kind you are using is not supposed to be sour, then do not use it if it is. Expiry date is not everything. How it was stored in shop plays a big part in food safety, and dairy products that soured uncontrollably are safety risk.

You can make sour dairy products in home if you know what and how you are doing, and they will be safe to eat, but that's it. If it soured not on purpose, throw it out. Maybe you can also change shop you get your food from, or send it to your local food safety agency for examination. If there is one, they can examine your curd, inspect shop, and fine shop owner if souring was due his neglect.

* Note, English is not my primary language and what word means what gets blurry when it comes to Polish-English translation.


How can I chop onions without crying? Onions are an excellent addition to many dishes, but cutting them can be frustrating when they make you "cry" all the time.

Does anyone know any tips or tricks to help minimise the tears when chopping onions?

Can't comment directly due to rep limit, but I'm not sure Ryan Elkins above is correct. I'm fairly certain both allinase and LFS are found throughout the layers, though the "core" might contain a higher concentration. Certainly there's no gas contained in the central bulb.

There's a couple of basic strategies for avoiding eye irritation:

Avoid breaking cell walls: use a sharp knife

The enzymes and amino acids involved in producing the Onion Lachrymatory Factor (seriously!) are normally contained in the cells, and only become a problem when released in volume. Using a sharper knife will avoid mangling cell walls, creating more clean separations between layers, and reducing the amount of enzymes released.

Slow down the reaction: refrigerate/freeze the onion

I would guess the activity of both enzymes involved here peaks somewhere around room temperature, or maybe a little higher. You want to get out of this optimum range: either freeze the onion, or heat it beyond denaturation. The former is probably way more practical, since heating to denaturation will leave a soggy mess instead of an onion. You may also be able to deactivate the allinase by substantially altering the pH, for example by coating your knife in lye (not recommended) or lemon juice.

Avoid the reaction products: cut underwater or ventilate

The OLF and the reaction intermediaries look to be fairly water soluble, so cutting under running water should take care of them with sufficient flow rate.

I'm not sure what the mechanism behind the common candle suggestion is, OLF is a thial oxide and not very flammable. My best guess is that the rising air draws some of the irritant up and away from the area, but in that case a fan should work much better.


Very Bitter Cocoa Powder Measurement My father is a retired chef so he is kind of picky with the quality of his ingredients. In most cases it causes no problem, but there is a single exception. The cocoa powder he buys is extremely rich, powerful and bitter as hell.

It is so much that any recipe I found on the internet which contains cocoa powder becomes a total gamble as I don't have the his gift of measuring by eye. I cannot put the same amount of cocoa from the recipes henceforth I am asking, how do you deal with the amount of very bitter and strong cocoa powder you put into your recipes, compared to normal supermarket stuff?

I am going to risk pinning the problem on the measuring method. Cacao powder density can vary. The only way to measure powdery ingredients is by weight, not volume. Even for the same batch of powder, every cup could be loaded differently. Weigh what your father is using.


Margarine vs vegetable oil in baking Since the ingredients of margarine tend to be vegetable oil hydrogenated to be firm, is there any point in using it over vegetable oil in baking where it will be melted into liquid anyway?
Same question for any other applications where it's not spread on toast

Yes, it certainly matters. Baking is not about what goes in, it is about the structure in which it goes in (and as a consequence, the structure in which it comes out). If you start using oil instead of margarine, the results will be anything between "different" and " a disaster". Flour soaked in liquid oil behaves very differently than flour in contact with margarine, and until the time the margarine melts, a lot of other interactions should have happened, which will prevent the flour (or the other ingredients) to behave as if they had been in contact with liquid oil from the beginning.
Simply "different" is something you will get in some forgiving batters such as muffin batter (when made by the mix-everything-at-once method, also aptly named "muffin method") and some types of cookie, which will show difference in spread behavior and variables such as chewiness. Yeast doughs, which usually use the fat simply as a form of enrichment, will likely be the least affected, in fact many of them may direct you to melt a solid fat for easy mixing.
You can expect a very bad result in any short or flaky dough (pie crusts and many types of cookie), in recipes which rely on creaming the margarine (many cakes and cupcakes for the batter, and all sorts of buttercream), and laminated doughs. Probably also others, these are the ones that come first to my mind.


How to store homemade pasta When I prepare homemade egg pasta (tagliatelle, fettuccine, spaghetti, etc), which is the better way to store it?

I used to keep it in a cotton cloth, but sometimes it becomes moldy.

I always freeze my leftover fresh pasta.  I lay it flat on a cookie sheet, place it in the freezer for a couple of hours, and then when it is frozen I transfer it into a Tupperware container.  I always use a rigid container instead of freezer bag as the bag does not protect against breakage when the pasta is moved around in the freezer.


What knives are "required" for a serious home kitchen? I consider myself a serious home cook. What knives are essential?

There are three core essentials:

Chef's knife

8" or 10" depending on your preferences

Paring knife

3" or 4" depending on your preferences

Bread knife

As long as possible, 12"+
Feel free to go cheap here, it's serrated and thus largely unsharpenable

You may want to check out Alton Brown's book, Alton Brown's Gear For Your Kitchen. He spends a chapter on knives and where to go past the essentials. He also suggests which ones are worth spending money on and which should be throwaways.


How do I make my blended soup a more appealing colour? I was following this recipe for minestrone soup. This recipe includes a red tomato base, as well as some green vegetables.
I like to blend my soups up after to make them smoother. However, when I do this I end up with an unappealing brown colour to my soup, since the green veggies and red from the tomato combine to be brown (at least this is what I assume is the reason).
I've seen this with other soups I've made before; anytime I have tomato + greens in a soup it happens.
How do I improve the colour of the soup to make it more appealing? Or am I overthinking this?
(I know brown soup exists and can be appealing (e.g. Windsor soup), but in this case when I blend it the colour just comes out like a mossy brown colour that looks kinda gross).

Of course “appealing” is quite opinion-based, so let’s look at the problem in a slightly more neutral “how can I avoid the colors mixing when I blend the soup”.
In short, you can’t.
If you have a significant amount of green and red veggies, that is.
One of the appeals and key features of a classic minestrone are the colorful ingredients that give you a bright and versatile palette, almost a mosaic in a bowl. But let’s not argue with the question’s premise.
If you want to blend the whole soup, you need to stay in a limited range of the color wheel, which means for your soup everything that’s between red (as dictated by the tomato base) and yellow will be fine, as is white or translucent.  Stay away from green. Blueish ingredients are quite rare and not part of a minestrone, so we can ignore that. In your example recipe, the spinach is out.
Alternatively you can blend everything except “the green”. That means you need to either fish out all the green vegetables or cook them separately. That said, the spinach in your recipe will cook so quickly that you could even add it after the blending step. And of course you still get chunks in the purée.
If your desire to blend is not motivated by the desire for a chunk-free result but about thickening the soup, you could use alternative ways to thicken the soup. An easy way would be to scoop out a few of the starchy ingredients (e.g. the potatoes), mash them up and put them back. Or introduce an additional thickener, e.g. a starch slurry.


Do I have to adjust oven cooking times from recipes for more / less food? In an oven, when following cooking times from a recipe, do I have to adjust times if I change quantity? I don't mean thicker or thinner food, I mean more or less of the same size, like e.g. more or less potato wedges.

Or does the thermostat in the oven just make the burner stay on for different times naturally and thus deliver the same amount of energy per mass of food over time (assuming I don't put too much food in at once).

Many ovens do not have a thermostat. They have a timer, which turns the heating elements on and off in a predetermined pattern. As a result, the oven is a very imprecise heating instrument. It is frequently miscalibrated, and even for a calibrated oven, the temperature you set is the average temperature, while the actual temperature of the air inside varies in a roughly sinusoidal pattern, and the internal temperature of the baked good is even more irregular depending on its composition, location, choice of baking tin, oven type, etc. Even if the oven has a thermostat, it only (roughly) regulates the air temperature, not the internal temperature of the food.

As a result, the change in heating speed caused by adding a little bit more mass is really insignificant when compared to the huge variability of heating speed which is inherently present between ovens.

Luckily, many recipes are not very sensitive, and taste good no matter how much heat transfer actually happened during the time prescribed in the recipe. For these, you don't have to sweat it, keeping the original time is mostly OK. If you create major occlusion (e.g. two separate pans of gratin above each other), add some time by gut feeling, and check frequently for doneness toward the end.

For sensitive recipes (roasts, custards, some cakes), baking by time doesn't work anyway. The best you can expect from a time given in the recipe is a rough guide to help with planning when to start preparation for a meal. You have to always bake these until they are done, regardless of what the recipe says. In this case, you again don't have to do any time adjustments, because you are not baking by time.

To summarize, no, you don't really have to do any adjustments to time. Just bake everything until it is done, and if your time-based expectations were wrong, adjust based on doneness.


I have a frozen fish head. What should I do with it? I butterflied a whole dorade but removed the head. It's now sitting in the freezer waiting for a soup or stock. Does anyone know a more interesting or creative use for fish heads?

I guess you could look into making your own fermented fish sauce, but for that you are really supposed to use whole small fish. And a single head will not get you very far.

If you had heads from larger fish you could cut out the cheeks and cook something with those. I had a pasta dish once where the sauce was made with cod cheeks and that was delicious. Having said that though, it is still just fish meat. The cheek meat is not that different from cod fillet.

As for your single dorade head, your best bet is probably still to use it for stock or soup. I usually keep two boxes in the freezer, one for meat and one for fish, where I just toss anything that will work in a stock. Fish heads, prawn shells, chicken carcasses, meat trimmings, it all goes in there. Even vegetables, like carrots that have gone soft, leek greens etc. Once the boxes are filled up I make the stock and start the box over again.


How to make marshmallow ice cream topping without it hardening in the icecream My favorite flavor icecream is chocolate marshmallow swirl but the only brand I know of that makes it is Turkey Hill and I can't find it outside of Pennsylvania. I live in California now so that's a problem. I've tried to add my own kind of marshmallow topping but it always hardens in the icecream. Does anyone have a remedy for this? Thank you

I've seen this mentioned on the internet a couple of times...it's not a topping, so you won't get the "swirl", but a way to add marshmallow into your ice cream, like in rocky road.
Take regular sized marshmallows and knead them between your fingers until you get a soft pliable mass.  Reserve on a plate until you have enough for your batch.  When the ice cream is almost frozen, mix them in.  Sounds like it takes a bit of work, but supposedly they don't freeze solid after this point.


Is it ok to keep lettuce in water in the fridge? I've read a lot of tips on storing lettuce in the fridge, with paper towels, after washing and drying, and such.

The way I've been keeping lettuce for a while now, is by filling a small plastic container with water, placing the leaves in it submerged, and then closing the container and placing it full of water in the fridge.

It seems to keep the lettuce from rotting longer than usual (though it may harm crispiness, but that matters less to me).

Is this safe? Is there any reason not do store it like that?

I don't see any reason for it to be unsafe.

However, I think you are wrong in assuming it will keep longer. I keep my lettuce in a closed container with water on the bottom, then a trivet, then the lettuce on the trivet, raised above the trivet, and the whole thing in the fridge. It keeps that way for weeks, not getting yellow, and not wilting too much.

If a leaf falls into the water, or the water is so high that the bottom of the lettuce touches the water, these parts rot within 2-3 days, not unlike how the leaves of flowers rot soon if submerged in the vase while the leaves and blossoms above the water level keep well. So, I don't see why you would place the leaves in water on purpose. Since the rot is easily perceivable, I would say it's safe (you won't eat it once it turns bad), but it is not really a good storage strategy.


When basil gets brown spots, is it still usable? When I store basil in the fridge, sometimes it gets brown spots. Is it still usable? Is that valid also for Thai basil? Throwing it all away after 2-3 days seems such a waste. Also, how can I prevent this from happening?

You can store it with the stems in a glass of water, like a bouquet, preferably not in the refrigerator. A few black spots that aren't moldy or slimy doesn't make it totally unusable, but it isn't very appealing to eat.


French Fries: Why soak in cold water, and if so, why a long time I have heard that, to get crispy french fries, I need to get rid of the excess starch on the surface of potatoes after cutting them. But that can't be the reason, really, because starch is actually what FORMS the crust... so my reasoning is the following: we soak them because enzymes released by cutting will quickly convert the starch into glucose, and THAT will caramelise and burn our french fries. Is that the reason why we use cold water, to keep the enzyme inactive?

If so, soaking in cold water seems unnecessary to me. Thoroughly rinsing until the water runs clean should be enough. Am I correct?

The reason why you want to get rid of the excess starch on the surface is, while cooking they will brown faster and will yield very dark brown fries, instead of golden-brown "which we all like ;)". It has nothing (or little) to do with enzymes aiding caramelization/maillard reaction. The browning happens at high temperatures, such as the temperature of the frying oil. As you have more starches on the surface, they will get darker, or even burnt.

As a side note, I’ve found out that instead of soaking, just cooking the fries in water for a short while helps greatly in getting rid of the surface starches, even more than soaking or running them through water.


Refrigeration of Cream Liquor I recently bought a bottle of Jackson Morgan cream liquor.  The alcohol content on the bottle is listed at 15%.  After looking up when alcohol percentage becomes a preservative I found an article that stated:

  If it’s under 15% alcohol or if the base is wine, it goes in the fridge once it’s open.

Even though it says under 15% and this is listed at exactly 15%, it seems a little too close for comfort for me where I want some more information.  I was wondering if anyone had any experience or references on the following:

Is it safe to keep the cream liquor on the bar top?
When does the percentage of alcohol become a valid preservative?

Link to the article referencing the above quote: https://food52.com/blog/16656-which-alcohols-should-be-refrigerated-why

Between 6-18 months is the usual number. Refrigeration isn't required, but certainly will help. Bailey's claims to be fine for two years, but no other site backs up their claim.

I can't find anything specific on "Jackson Morgan Cream Liqueur"; they don't seem to have any sort of expiration information on their site. I'd err on the side of caution and try to knock it out inside a year, and refrigerate when possible.

As with many other dairy based products, it's incredibly obvious when it begins to spoil. Taste, color, and texture will all go notably off before it becomes harmful to drink.

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