How shall I arrange my slowly-eating plan and preserve a box of 5Lb frozen eggs over a long period? I have a box of 5Lb of frozen eggs with citric acid, where

  1 Lb is 9 large eggs

  Unopened product should be used within 3 days of thrawing.

  Unused portion should be kept refrigerated and used within 24 hours of
  opening

I can't eat all after thrawing and opening it. I can only eat 1 egg i.e. 3 table spoon per day. How shall I arrange my slowly-eating plan and store the remaining  frozen eggs over a long period?

I would thaw one pound, and make something with it that I can freeze. For example. I bake quiches in leek and chard season - each quiche uses three eggs. They freeze beautifully once cooked (I slice them into servings before I freeze them) and it's easy to remove one slice, warm it in the microwave, and enjoy. So make three quiches and freeze them, you could eat two slices a day if you wanted to.

You could experiment with a variety of egg dishes that are not just "one egg, scrambled", or "one egg, fried" to use 9 eggs at a time. The internet is full of recipes for frittatas, quiches, soufflees, egg casseroles, and the like. Just remember to cook your creations before freezing, and to partition them for serving.


Use of duck fat at the time of cooking? When I broil breast of duck, I get a significant amount of fat that pools below the duck breast.

What can I add to the dish that will soak up that duck fat and benefit from it?

The only thing I have thought of so far would be to make a pastry. So the idea is that I would make a flat of pastry dough and place it beneath the duck while it is cooking. Then, when both are cooked and the pastry has absorbed the fat, I take the duck out, peel off the skin and discard it, then I put the duck breast back in the pastry, slice it, and serve it.

I think the usual use for drippings is incorporating the fat into a gravy or pan sauce.  A bit of flour, a bit of water, salt and whatever seasonings.  I don't recall if it is common for duck specifically, but I see no reason it an't work.

As for your pastry idea, I don't think it usually works that way, the physical disturbance of the dripping and the uneven distribution might make the pastry texture not come out quite so well. (I assume there's a reason pastry isn't commonly used to catch drippings).

If you still want to try something similar, you might be interested in yorkshire pudding - which was historically used to catch and use the drippings from a roast or similar, and being intended for this purpose it will probably work better than a random pastry recipe.


Are refried beans supposed to be slimy and nasty smelling? I found a recipe in the local newspaper to make refried beans.  It said to soak them for 36 to 48 hours, draining and using fresh hot water several times.  After the time frame, the beans were so slimy and nasty smelling, I just threw them away.  The slime was so thick that I could hardly get them rinsed.  What did I do wrong, or is this way they are supposed to be?  If so it was disgusting.  This was my first time, so I need all the help I can get. Thanks for any help you can give.

Soaking beans is a normal practice. While 36 to 48 hours is unusually long, they normally shouldn't spoil in this time.

Assuming that your beans did indeed spoil, there are different explanations possible.

you misunderstood the recipe and used canned beans instead of dry beans. You can use canned beans for refried beans, but then you have to leave out the soaking and cooking steps.
you added something to the beans which bacteria could feed on, for example sugar. While a recipe which recommends this would be an incredibly dumb recipe, there are all kinds of recipes out there, and maybe your paper just printed a bad recipe without testing it.
you somehow created favorable conditions for bacterial growth. I am not sure if this can happen, but maybe leaving beans out for that long can lead to spoilage if other factors come into play, for example a very hot kitchen.

If the beans were really spoiled, but you didn't do any of the things above, it is very probable that it was a fluke. Try again, and you can reduce the soaking time. 12 to 24 hours is normal for beans.

It is also possible that your beans weren't spoiled. When beans are soaked, they can produce both slime and froth. This is a perfectly normal chemical reaction caused by complex molecules found in the beans, and it is not a sign of spoilage. A really strong stink will indeed mean that they were spoiled. But if you are not accustomed to soaking beans, maybe you assumed that something is wrong when you saw the slime, sniffed the beans and noticed their normal smell. It is faint, and to my nose it isn't offensive, but it is different from the smell of cooked beans, so maybe you associated it with "not normal" and therefore classified it as "nasty". I can't tell if that happened or not as I can't smell your beans, but if it happened, don't worry. There are lots of things in the kitchen which seem strange the first time. As for throwing out rotten-smelling food, I'd say better safe than sorry.


How to make pizza not stick on ceramic stone? I have a ceramic pizza stone that I believe is 16 inches in diameter.

It cooks pizza very well and I try and follow all of the instructions included with the stone, but I have yet to make one pizza that does not stick in a few places, usually about 2-3 inches from the edge.

Before anyone says "Put cornmeal on the stone," I already have, a lot. I put what I believe is enough down without creating a giant dusting of cornmeal on my pizza when it's done. If I add more I will just be getting a giant taste of cornmeal from the bottom of my pizza.

Here is a list of that come to mind:

Use flour, but heard it will burn
Use vegetable oil, but it can crack the stone (instructions)
Use tin foil, but does that not void the purpose of the stone and its seasoning applied overtime?

I always preheat the stone in the manner the instructions say and such, but it still sticks to the point I have to get a fork and scrape 3-4 pieces off in certain spots.

Does anybody have any unknown secrets to getting it not to stick without religiously applying cornmeal?

I'd use parchment paper. Foil might work, but it's not actually that great a nonstick baking material. Parchment paper is pretty much designed for that, though.

The purpose of the stone is to hold a lot of heat. Parchment doesn't "void" that purpose at all. I've baked plenty of pizza and bread on a stone with parchment, and it works great.

There's no need to worry about seasoning. It doesn't matter for the pizza. It's pretty much just an appearance thing; a well-used pizza stone won't be all pristine and clean like a new one.


Equivalent of dried (ground) pepper when the recipe calls for crushed This question is in relation to my earlier question Recipe calls for Aleppo Peppers, I need the right substitution amounts for cayenne and paprika that I got an answer to. My recipe calls for crushed Aleppo peppers, and I have the proper substitution ratios using paprika and cayenne peppers. Now my question is that I'm actually using ground (dried?) paprika and ground cayenne pepper for the recipe.

The original recipe calls for "2 tablespoons and 3/4 teaspoon crushed paprika and cayenne pepper mix", so my question is how much ground paprika and cayenne pepper mix do I use?

Thanks for the help. :)
Patrick.

Here's what I've been able to find (looking at crushed red pepper flake substitutions):
This site says to 2/3s as much ground as crushed:

Substitute 1⁄2 tsp (2 mL) ground cayenne pepper with:
• 3⁄4 tsp (4 mL) crushed red pepper flakes

I'm not sure why the mL are doubled but the tsp are 2/3s
This site says 2/3s as well:

1/2 tsp Cayenne powder per 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

So, in your example from your other question, you would use 4-1/2 tsp of the chili powder mixture (6.75 tsp x .666).


What is the proper volume to weight conversion for Bisquick? Most recipes that call for Bisquick have volume measurements, but I've read it's better to measure most dry ingredients by mass (not to mention more convenient and less messy). So what is the proper conversion factor for Bisquick (i.e. it's density)?

I assume it's close to that of flour, but different types of flours have different densities and I wasn't sure which one to use or which one the Bisquick manufacturers assume when developing their recipes.

Do you have a scale and measuring cup? Weigh a cup of Bisquick.

Also, this site has a line for Bisquick, but I'm not sure how trustworthy it is, being from a "forgotten source". Anyway, the site says Bisquick is 130g/cup, and also lists the conversion in a number of other units.


How high (height-wise) should the oil be for frying chicken? I thought the point of fried chicken is to have enough oil to deep fry it, but I've seen a lot of recipe discussing to fry the chicken for x-time, then flip over and fry for y-time.

Does this mean for recipes that involve flipping chicken in fryer we don't want the oil too high (height-wise), or does it make a difference even when completely covered in oil to cook on each side.

Deep fry and shallow fry both work.  At home, when using oil in a wok (safest way because of the sloping sides), I flip whether the oil is deep or shallow.  This is just to ensure even browning.  For shallow, I would use an amount of oil that is at least half the thickness of the chicken.


I was able to cook on an induction stove with a non-magnetic pot, why? As far as I understand, induction cookers transfer current (via eddy current) to the pot which heats up due to its resistance to the current. Because of this, induction pots and pans should be ferromagnetic for the eddy current to work. Therefore magnets should stick to the pot.

Now here's the thing. I was able to use a non-magnetic pot for cooking. All parts of the pot (screws, handle, body, cover)  doesn't stick to magnets and yet it works when it's not supposed to be. I am not sure what alloy the pot has nor proof marks for that. The magnets I have are a neodymium and a ceramic one.

I only used the pot to boil instant noodles. My mother was surprised by this.

Looking this up, I can't seem to find an explanation. Any ideas?

Thank you and stay safe~

[EDIT] I tried hanging the magnets on a string and slowly held the pot closer and closer, no reaction.

It is likely that it was a different metal that supports inductive currents, such as aluminium.

The problem with aluminium is not that it can't create inductive current and heat up. It can, but it is rather inefficient on induction. Also, it has a very low melting point, so with thin aluminium, you risk melting it.

Many induction units have artificially added constraints to not work if they don't sense a ferromagnetic pan of a certain size, aswhich is a safety feature. Maybe yours doesn't, and so you were able to heat your pot. This doesn't make it a good idea to continue - even if you don't run into trouble with melting, you are losing much of the advantages of induction cooking.


Quiche filling sets like an Aero bar? Last few times I've made quiche the filling has set more like an Aero bar than the thick dense custard you expect of a quiche. Additionally it's more rubbery than is desirable.

Because I'm using very fresh eggs, the colour and taste is good (and before cutting into it the surface looks fine, not sunken or anything) but the texture and visual appeal is wrong.

In case it matters the fillings I've mostly tried are bacon/pepper/mushrooms. As for the eggs, I'm just whisking them and pouring in.

What causes a rubbery aero bar quiche filling?

Are you just using eggs for your filling?  Most quiche fillings are a custard, with milk, cream, or other dairy as well as eggs, and often cheese as well.

It sounds like you are over beating your egg or custard mixture, and inadvertently incorporating air.

In general you want minimum air in a quiche filling, so whisk or stir it briefly until it comes together, but not extra.

Its harder to tell from the description, but you may also be over baking the quiche.  You want to cook it until the center just barely jiggles, about 180 F / 82 C.


Is there a reason to not grate cheese ahead of time? Suppose I know that I'm going to eventually end up grating all of my cheese. Is there a reason to not just toss it all into a blender and store it for later? To be more concrete, I'm particularly interested in the answer as it pertains to Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano, both the bonafide sorts and any variations that can be sold under the same name in the United States.

You should only grate cheese as needed, particularly the cheeses you mention.  When you grate cheese you create more surface area.  That is more surface exposed to air and oxidation, which will degrade the flavor and aroma of the cheese.  It is also more prone to drying out further degrading the quality.   The cheeses you mention are best when grated for immediate use, but stored in chunks, wrapped and refrigerated.


Is it ok for a cast iron skillet to have small visible pores on their surface? I just got my first cast iron skillet, it's brand new pre-seasoned. While I know cast iron is generally porous, I was surprised to see actual visible pores in there. Is it normal for cast iron cookware to have these sort of pores?

If the pan was cast in sand, and it looks like that one was, it's not unusual at all. As long as you have a good seasoning on it, I think it should be fine.


What is the minimum time for a decent meat marinade? Is there a good minimum time to recommend for the time to marinade meat? Or is it always best to eave overnight if you want good results?

Do citric juices such as lime or vinegar reduce this time?

It depends on the meat and how it's cut. A 'solid' uncut piece like a pork loin will take longer to marinade properly than if it was cut into thin strips for stir frying, for example - I'd want to marinade the former at least 7-8 hours, while the latter could probably get away with 1.


Are the terms self-rising flour and baking powder different in the US and UK? I made Mary Berry’s Cherry cake, which called for 275 g of self-rising flour and 2 tsp of baking powder, in an 8-inch pan. Went all over the oven. Are these ingredients different in the US?

The answer to your question is nope. The UK and USA are in agreement on this one. Self-rising flour and baking powder are the same on both sides of the pond. See also Translating cooking terms between US / UK / AU / CA / NZ

Note: I thought that two tsp of baking powder was an odd thing to see in a recipe that uses self-rising flour so I looked up a Mary Berry cherry cake recipe. The BBC published a recipe on their website and it doesn't call for baking powder. Are you sure your recipe didn't say "OR"?


How to avoid the blackening fruits once they are cut? Apples and bananas start to blacken and sour in taste soon after cutting, which spoils the presentation of dish, especially in fruit salads. How can I avoid this?  Also, does browning impact nutritional value?

I am aware that this is quite late.
Blackening and browning of fruit is caused by the oxidation of polyphenolic compounds in the fruit by a class of enzymes known as, perhaps unsurprisingly, polyphenolic oxidases (PPOs). PPOs are found inside the cells of the fruit you are eating and are released when you rupture the cell wall and membrane when the fruit is cut. Exposure to oxygen activates the biochemical pathway, resulting in the browning you see.
There is one simple way to prevent function of PPOs is to soak the fruit in a salt solution. Interestingly, a low (acidic) pH enhances this effect. The full version of the linked article goes on to explain that a 0.1 mol/l solution is enough to inhibit browning in a blinded observational test. Sodium Chloride, the common table salt, has a molar mass of 58.44 g/mol., so for a 0.1 mol/l solution you need 5.844 grams (0.206 oz, or about 1 teaspoon) of salt in a litre (2.11 pints) of water. Soaking for 3-5 min is plenty and will not cause substantial salt uptake on the fruit.
This is highly effective at inhibiting browning - I use it all the time on cut fruit for my children, and it will last all day with ease.
Browning does not affect nutritional value particularly. The action of the PPOs is limited to the cut surfaces, and most fruit contain about 0.2-0.3% by weight, so there is plenty there beyond the cut surfaces. Polyphenols are generally classed as anti-oxidants, so they are probably of some nutritional benefit, but if you eat a healthy balanced diet with fresh fruit and vegetables you should be getting plenty of antioxidants anyway. Some polyphenolics are classified as tannins - the dry/astringent components in some wines and tea for instance. These can make food unpalatable, but are not harmful.


Could you use a bread tin as a pate mould? I have bread tins and was wondering if they would work as pate molds? I'm just a little bit worried that they will rust. Also I have seen videos where youtubers line the mold with plastic to get the pate out of the mold easier, is there not a way to use something like "Cook and Spray" to stop the pate from sticking. I'm a little bit scared of the plastic melting.

I've used a small loaf pan as a pate mold, worked just fine. I don't see any reason really not to use one as long as the size is good for what you intend.

I don't like the plastic wrap idea, I'm not interested in cooking with plastic in a high temp environment. With sous vide you know that temps aren't going to get above a certain temp but in the oven I'm not convinced that the edges of the wrap won't heat to a point where it's breaking down. Typically when I do a pate I'll use thin sliced bacon to line the pan which presents a non-stick layer as well as some flavor. More traditional is the use of caul fat which is a thin sheet of fat that surrounds the stomach if I am remembering correctly.


How do I make a brownie chip? There were some oreo chips in the 100 calorie bags that were very good (they have since ruined the recipe) but I liked the taste/texture of them.

I want to figure out a way to get the same texture, with the flavor of a milk chocolate brownie.  How do you get something that is very much like a cracker (not quite as flaky, but not soft and chewy).  Think Cheez-it crunch, and milk chocolate brownie flavor......

I've tried spreading the same batter over a larger surface, but it never produces that crisp texture.

When I cook brownies, the first part to be eaten is always the crunchy edge (usually by me), I just want a way to make a whole brownie recipe more crunchy.

What do you have to do to get that?

I think what you would want to do is reduce the amount of fat in the recipe, as there is no way to get fat to dry out (well, except by using n-zorbit). Maybe use more cocoa powder and less chocolate, and skip or reduce any butter or other fats. Add more water or skim milk as needed to get a spreadable batter. Then proceed as you are currently doing, baking it as thin as possible. I would aim for a longer time at a lower temperature as that will produce more even baking, instead of only crisp at the edges.


What green chilli is being referred to in an indian lamb sheek kebab recipe? I'm looking at a recipe for an Indian lamb seekh kebab and it says green chilli without specifying the variety.  I am assuming green chilli can mean anything from green bell peppers to hot green peppers.  So what would this typically be?

For reference, a sheekh kebab is spiced minced meat pressed onto a skewer and barbecued. There are no binding agents like egg or breadcrumbs in a traditional recipe, so you want to avoid any extra moisture in your ingredients or it may not hold together.

An authentic recipe will call for green chilies, not green peppers. The chilies need to be the your birds eye style, narrow tapered chilies with thin walls, not thick walled chilies like jalapenos because they contain too much moisture. Bell peppers are not a substitute for the same reason.

There are many green chili varieties which would work in the recipe, and they vary from mild to tonsil-searing. Which to use depends on how hot you want the result to be and what's available in your local area. If you don't want that spicy and all you can find are hot ones then de-seed them and just add less - it's all getting pureed anyway.

Tips for making good meatballs and mince-based kebabs:

Microwave and then eat a small amount after mixing the ingredients to make sure you get the right levels of salt and heat from the chili. Keep adjusting, microwaving and tasting until it's right. Keep in mind that the spices won't necessarily come out right away which is why you do 2.
Let the mix rest in the fridge for at least an hour, preferably several, to let the flavors combine. It also helps the kebabs to stick together


How to bake without an oven? Possible Duplicate:
  Is it possible to bake a cake without an oven?

I'm a poor lady who can't afford an oven. I have pots here, charcoal, and aluminum foil. What could be tricks to use charcoal as an alternative for me to bake? I really want to try bake cookies.

You can do anything with charcoal.

One trick that we used to do when we were camping was to line a cardboard box with foil. Several metal grates or skewers would be stabbed into the box walls and a grate with a few coals hung near the bottom.

We would use it to bake bread and pizzas. To control the temperature use more or fewer coals.

As long as you are building things- another option to consider is solar oven.
They consist of an insulated container, a transparent window, and a reflector. There are a great many models to choose from. Some of the more permanent models can get above 350F as long as there is direct sunlight.

This model was just one of top results from Google but it is a typical design:


Why cleave chicken when making stock? Why would you cleave your chicken, bones, into pieces when you are making stock? I just throw whats left of my chicken in a pot with some vegetables bring it to a boil and then simmer away for an hour, am I missing something?

To release the bone marrow, which is excellent source of protein and has medicinal properties.


How can I thicken my mushroom sauce? Recently I have been making Crimini mushrooms like this:

Purchase a small container from the store
Quick rinse it at home in water to clean the dirt off
In a small pot, I place a half stick of butter and marscapone and then simmer it
While simmering I add garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and paprika
And then I add a little bit of soy sauce and warchestershire sauce
Once that is all simmering I add the mushrooms and place the steam lid on the pot (just a glass lid with a small vent in it)
I adjust the temperature so that the sauce rises to just below the lid
I let it cook for about 20 minutes like that and then place the sauce in a bowl

It tastes really good. I like how the mushrooms are very soft and have a nice flavor to them. The sauce tastes good as well. However, the sauce is runny and I cannot figure out how to thicken it. I have tried using various other combinations instead of the butter and marscapone such as half and half, heavy cream, cream cheese, and creme freche but still can't seem to get it thick.

How should I thicken the sauce or what I am doing that is preventing it from thickening?

You could use any number of methods, including:

Starch Thickeners (added as a slurry)

One of the simplest and most straight forward:  dissolve some starch (cornstarch is common in the US; alternates include potato starch, arrowroot, or tapioca) in some water, into a smooth slurry.

Add the slurry to your simmering sauce base, stirring, and let it cook for a minute or so.  As long as your sauce is at the simmer, it will come to full thickness very quickly.

Add slowly until the desired thickness is reached.
Flour slurry

The technique is similar to using a pure starch:  create a slurry of flour in water, enough water so that it will pour easily.

However, you will want the sauce base at a boil, as flour thickens at higher temperatures.  It will also add more cloudiness to your sauce (probably not a factor with your recipe).

Add slowly until the desired thickness is reached.
With a beurre manee (butter kneaded with flour)

Knead equal parts of room temperature butter and flour together.

Add slowly to your boiling sauce, while whisking, until the desired thickness is reached.
With roux (flour cooked with butter)

Melt butter in a saucepan.  Add an equal volume of flour, whisking it in to prevent lumps.  Continue cooking for a couple minutes.  You can use this right away, or save it in the refrigerator to use later.

Add roux to your boiling sauce base, whisking, until you achieve your desired thickness.

All of these starch based methods will thicken about one to two cups of sauce per tablespoon of starch, depending on how much additional thickness you desire.  The exact ratio of thickener to sauce is up to your taste.

All of the starch based methods should be done at the end of the cooking period, prior to service.

Reduction

Simply reduce your sauce until it is as thick as you desire.  This may overcook your mushrooms so may not be an ideal method for your recipe.  You might also reduce your sauce to almost the desired thickness, then add the mushrooms.  Your sauce is very, very high in fat (butter and marscapone, so it will not likely break).
More mushrooms (and a blender)

Add even more mushrooms to your recipe.  When it is cooked, remove some mushrooms and reserve them.  Puree the remaining mushrooms and sauce in a blender or with an immersion blender (or even with a food mill).  Add the whole mushrooms back for flavor.  The body of the pureed mushrooms will add thickness to your sauce.

This method will work even better if you add some potato chunks with your mushrooms.  This gives the benefits of the potato starch, and more body from the potatoes when you puree.


Which parts of a chicken are used to make chicken soup? I boiled a chicken legs for over 2 hours in low temperature. The soup is yellow and with very soft chicken. It tastes very good after adding some salt. Which part of chicken is the most appropriate for doing a soup? I am looking for the lowest cost option.

The lowest-cost option is definitely bones, assuming you don't actually need or want pieces of meat in the soup.

When I say bones I'm referring to the parts that are normally thrown out as waste products, especially the necks, feet, and carcasses.  If you can't find them at a supermarket, talk to a butcher.  They are sold for next to nothing - usually less than $1/kg, sometimes as low as $0.50/kg.  That is even less than the per-unit cost of a whole chicken.  Some butchers (no promises!) will even give them away for free, or at least haggle a little bit, especially if their business is small.

You can roast these and simmer (not boil) them over a period of several hours to produce a very rich stock.  Usually you would do this with a mirepoix and/or bouquet garni for flavour.  When it's done, you strain it, and then add fresh or frozen vegetables, noodles, etc., to stretch it into a full meal or at least a hearty soup.

If I really wanted meat in the soup, I'd opt for thighs, as they are inexpensive and (once butchered) you can throw the bones in with the rest.

Other than pure bones, the "budget" option for chicken is almost always the whole chicken, if you can use it all.  That means doing your own boning and butchering, then using the bones and trimmings for stock/soup and finding ways to use the offal (combs, hearts, livers, etc.)  The offal really isn't any good in soup, so if you just want chicken soup, then stick to just bones and one inexpensive cut (over here it's thighs, but this may vary by location).


Can I get 900F in a charcoal grill? What is the secret to getting a charcoal grill very hot (900F)? Is it even possible? What is the highest temperature attainable in a charcoal grill and what type of wood will produce this? I want to be able to cook Neapolitan pizza.

Alton Brown made a tandoor out of his kettle grill and a terra-cotta pot in Good Eats season 13, episode 17 ("The Curious Case of Curry").  It could reach very high temperatures.

I obviously can't link to that video, but there are plenty of similar videos on YouTube.


Northern Indian Cuisine - Garam Masala Without Cumin I love Northern Indian cuisine, but am allergic to cumin. Can anyone suggest a substitute for cumin to use in making garam masala from Northern India?

There seem to be more than a few well known curries that use neither garam masala nor cumin - for example, Camellia Panjabi's "50 great curries of india" (an older vintage but good cookbook IMHO) lists a Rogan Josh and a Safed Murgh Korma meeting this constraint.

Also, "Nadan" style south indian beef curries seem to be commonly cumin-less, and they could fit well together with north indian dishes even while not north indian.

Also, while it is a different flavor, Ajowan (or even Thyme) can go great lengths at creating a "balanced" indian flavor profile where nothing seems missing (it is commonly used as one of defining spices in samosas).


How to use meat thermometers with big needles for thinner meat pieces? Naturally steaks will be thinner than 4 inches like thermometer needle, at least the one I have. So it will absorb less heat in total, and maybe show lesser values than what is actually inside the meat.

Problem two, meat is less cooked in the middle so how is that adjusted with thermometers? Will it still accurately show that it is medium rare for example?

When taking the temperature of a thinner steak, I pick the steak up with a set of tongs and insert the thermometer into its side. Aim to position the tip of the probe in the coolest part of the steak - probably the center and away from the bone, if it has one.

Your goal is to find the coolest temperature inside the steak.


Substitute peanut butter for cookie butter? I'm trying to make mug cookies and it calls for cookie butter, which I don't have. Can I use peanut butter instead?

Peanut butter and cookie butter are quite different in taste: your end-result will be very different as well.

To make your own cookie butter, take 66% gingerbread cookies, 33% unsalted butter (left out of the fridge) and mix into a paste.

That being said: if you really like peanut butter and you're making this for yourself: go for it: the texture is about the same.  I would add a bit of honey or jam to the peanut butter as well as cookie butter is a bit sweeter then peanut butter.


Can you roast vegetables before freezing instead of blanching? I don't like the texture of green beans after blanching and freezing, I'd like to know if you can roast them in the oven instead of blanching.

Yes you can, however they will suffer the same problems with texture as you find with the blanched beans. This is because it is the cooking part that is affecting the texture, not the freezing.

You can also freeze green-beans fresh without blanching. All you need to do is rinse, slice (if you like), then freeze. They may change color when cooked after thawing to a more brownish green, but the texture is less mushy in my opinion.


Shortening substitute that can prevent gluten growth? Is there a shortening substitute that can also prevent gluten growth?

Every fat prevents gluten formation as much as any other fat. At least, if there are any differences, they are not noticeable by somebody eating a finished product.
When substituting fats, "how much it inhibits gluten" is not a criterion. Just pick whatever fits your recipe.


Add spice then oil, or oil then spice? When I'm cooking chicken, steak or fish, I normally sprinkle on the spices first and then add the oil. Is this the right order, or would it be better to add the oil and then the spices? Also, does it make a difference if I rub in the spices as opposed to just sprinkle it on? What I'm aiming for is to try and have the spices stay on and not get rinsed off from the oil, or the juice seeping out of the meat.

I noticed some recipes actually say to add the oil onto the chicken. Does it matter if the oil is added to the meat or the pan? If relevant I usually use extra virgin olive oil and grape seed oil.

Well, this is rather complex. Let me break it down in two parts:

Oil on the meat vs. oil in the pan
There are two advantages to oiling your meat instead of pouring oil in the pan: Less splattering and typically less oil used overall.
But keep in mind which oils you use: For frying / searing you want something with a high smoke point. Leave your extra virgin for cold or only slightly warm uses.
Oil or spices first
Your meat should be dry before you put it in the hot pan or you will end up with possibly painful splatters, or at least a lot of extra cleanup (see 1.). So you should always dry your meat, e.g. with paper towels. This will mean your spices are less likely to stick to the surface. Oiling the meat first helps the spices to adhere better, rubbing them in or just sprinkling doesn't make much of a difference.


Geographic variations in coconut milk My local supermarket sells numerous brands of coconut milk. Some brands, by their packaging and location on the shelf, are marketed for use in Thai cookery; other brands target Indian or Caribbean cuisines. There is a substantial difference in price between the different brands: a factor of ~5 between the most expensive (Thai) and the cheapest (Indian).
Are there any significant geographic variations in what is sold as 'coconut milk', so that I should buy the brand marketed towards the cuisine I want to make? Or can I use whichever one I consider to be most attractively-priced?

If you examine the ingredients on different brands of tinned coconut milk you can find percentages of coconut ranging (and I used the Tesco Supermarket website to get a sampling as they always list product ingredients) from 25% up to 72% and possibly higher. There will also be varying proportions of water, thickeners and emulsifiers such as Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Carrageenan, Carboxymethyl Cellulose, Polysorbate 60 and Locust Bean Gum.
Sometimes the coconut content is described as 'coconut extract', I have no idea what that means.
Products marketed as 'Light' will typically have more water than coconut.
It is possible that in markets outside the UK there are 'better' canned products available.
I get Creamed Coconut in block form, which is 100% coconut and can be grated into the dish as required, where you can add such liquid as you choose and the gratings melt into it as it heats. You can also get this in sachets if a whole block seems like it would be more than you need.


Olive oil gets bitter in blender? I read somewhere -- maybe a James Peterson cookbook? -- that putting olive oil in the blender for more than a few seconds will make it bitter. However, many recipes for hummus, aioli, and other things call for blending olive oil. At times I've felt that making hummus without the oil, and then stirring it in at the end gives a better flavor, but I can't say for sure.

Does anyone have any advice about this?

Well, this is a common confusion between "sour" and "bitter".

The better your olive oil is, the lower its acid value - extra virgin olive oil has the lowest acid value, it is pressed in ways that reduce contact with atmospheric oxygen. Contact with oxygen increases the acid value of olive oil.

Whizzing olive oil in a blender aerates it, and the resultant oxidation increases the acid value, ie it gets more acidic and tastes "sourer".

Lots of people can discern the change, but they don't use the right word to express it ...


Has anyone tried to cook spaghetti or other pasta in a skillet? I was watching Sara Moulton's TV show last night. She did a segment on breakfast for dinner. Part of the one recipe involves browning the pasta in a skillet first. Later on, it is cooked with some chicken stock and water.

http://saramoulton.com/2016/01/spaghetti-with-bacon-eggs-and-toasted-crumbs/

Has anyone tried cooking this way? Does the pasta take on a different flavor or texture?

It adds a little bit of "nutiness"; it is subtle and depends on the other flavors in the dish.

It is the same thing when sauteing rice (or other grains) in oil or butter before adding water.

I've done it a few times, but long time ago.


What's the best approach to get runny-yolk sunny side up fried eggs? I like my eggs Sunny-side up, and ideally, with runny yolk but fully firmed up whites (including a millimeter-thin film of cooked yolk/whites on top of the yolk - not sure if there's a technical term for that).

This seems like an incredibly difficult balance - either the whole yolk starts to harden (very quickly - enough to get distracted for 15 seconds), or the whites are still runny and the yolk top is not cooked.

What's the best approach?

I tried covering my frying pan with a cover (helped a bit) and cooking over lower gas for a bit longer (didn't help much).

Moderate heat, eggs at room temperature, non-stick egg pan (8" is good, with gently sloping sides) with a tight lid. Melt butter in the egg pan until it stops foaming. Crack your eggs into a bowl so you've got more control when you add them to the egg pan. Cook uncovered until just the bottoms of the white are set, the tops of the whites should still be transparent. Add 1Tbs water for two eggs, cover, check after 45 seconds and give the eggs a jiggle to be sure they will slide neatly out of the pan. They may be ready at this point, they may need another 30 seconds to a minute.

EDIT: I'm hungry anyway:

My pan isn't ideal, I'd rather have 8", this one is 10" but it has a lid. My eggs are at room temperature, I have butter ready and a tablespoon of water. A heat-proof rubber spatula is nice to have, but if everything goes right you don't even need it. I turn the heat to 1 click out of 10 below medium (YMMV [Your Mileage May Vary]). After giving the burner and pan a couple of minutes to heat up it should take room temperature butter about 10 seconds to fully melt and another 5 seconds to stop sizzling.

One thing that I like about cracking eggs into a bowl first is that it allows me to better center the yolks.

The whites should start to become opaque almost immediately, but they shouldn't take on any brown color or be sizzling hard, just gently. Once the bottoms of the eggs are completely opaque (this should take less than 30 seconds), add the water and cover immediately. Now the eggs are steaming.

Fortyfive seconds and a jiggle later they're just about there! (This is when I'll add salt and pepper, I'll wait until they're plated for the hot sauce I can't live without.)

10 more seconds under the lid, slide onto the plate. Voilà, completely set whites, completely runny yolks.  OOPS, I forgot the tiny bit of white on top. That's easy, using a spoon, give the eggs a quick baste of the hot butter before adding water and placing the lid.

You can also just steam the eggs until the yolks have a bit of opaque white on top with or without basting them. With practice you can control just how done you get your yolks on a scale that runs between totally runny, to creamy, to still translucent looking but nearly solid, to dry and crumbly (after piercing the yolk, usually).

Flipping is a different technique to get a very similar result.

One more quick note: You may notice that I used quite a bit of butter. That's just personal preference when my jeans are fitting just fine. You may use much less butter if you prefer, another type of fat, or even just a spray of non-stick spray (Pam). If you use a minimum amount of fat, or even none, the "check and jiggle" step becomes even more important. Make sure you can slide the eggs around in the pan. If they're sticking at all, this is when the heat-proof rubber (silicone) spatula can be very helpful.


Desperately Seeking Chicken Haddies A staple of my Gran's kitchen when I was a child, Chicken Haddies (unbelievably I found a graphic of the product she favoured, below) was boneless haddock meat wrapped in wax paper then canned (a process unique in my experience.)

She was raised in Southern Ontario but spent decades of her life in mining camps in Ontario, Québec, and Newfoundland. My question is, is anyone aware if Chicken Haddies are still sold anywhere? An internet search finds references to several canneries in Atlantic Canada but the companies have no internet presence.

Please help, Chicken Haddies made the best chowder EVER!

Here's a link to a page where you can get them shipped from, or find the nearest store:

http://www.powershopper.com/products/findneareststore.asp?companyid=13&partnumber=6712483&companies=13

It sounds like the term "chicken" means the same thing in PEI for haddock ('haddie')as it does in Maine for lobsters, that is, small.  (Minimum size lobsters are sometimes referred to as "chickens" or "chix")


Dry brining burger patties with onions I tend to mix in some onions when making burger onions, before putting on a rack and letting it sit in the fridge for an hour before cooking. With that said, if I dry brine at the same time, will the salt interact with the onion already in the meat during that hour?

Salt mixed into hamburger results in patties that have the consistency of sausage instead of a good burger.

Brining is totally unnecessary for ground meat. It is a mechanism for conveying flavor into meat, helping reduce moisture loss, and increasing the illusion of tenderness. None of these are necessary with ground meat because it is ground! It will already be tender and flavorings can be mixed right in.

Don't mix salt into the beef. Apply it only on the surface when it is cooked.


What is the difference between Cajun and Creole cuisine? What is the difference between Cajun and Creole cuisine?

The previously accepted answer contains a good link, but not any information here on Seasoned Advice, so I thought I would write out a few things from my understanding after having developed an abiding interest in Cajun foods over the past decade.

Basically, Creole is a much broader term with a longer history. While it is perhaps inaccurate to say Cajun is a 'subset' area and culinary style, it is more geographically- and flavor-specific than just saying Creole. The history of people and region identified as Creole (on the American continents) goes back a long ways, and Cajun is a more recent phenomenon. Creole can also refer to other peoples and regions other than just in the South/Central parts of North America, though such use in the United States is a distant memory.

In the past century, the "Cajun" term has certainly attained an independent status as a self-identified people, region, and flavor -- the last no doubt owing to the flavor potency of their offerings. Which offerings, in my opinion, when consumed, are nearly always exquisitely enjoyable examples of perfection in the experience of food.


Can I use wood from a camphor tree for a barbecue? I have some dry wood from a camphor tree in my garden. Is the wood suitable for open fire barbecue?

It seems that the wood is fast burning, which may not be ideal for a barbecue. Additionally, the wood will probably burn smelling of camphor, which could (will) give your food some of that taste.

I can't find anything related to the safety aspect, but several sources say not to eat things with camphor in them, and that breathing it in large doses can be toxic.

I probably wouldn't use it for that purpose.


New to grinding meat I'm not sure how much of the fat to leave on the meat before I grind whether it be chicken, beef or Turkey

What's the best method for grinding chicken vs beef vs Turkey, etc.

Fat
That depends on what consistency you like, how oily/fatty you like your food, and the kind of food you are preparing.
For things cooked on high heat, like hamburgers, more fat will give the meat more flavor and tenderness.
For things cooked on lower heat, like spaghetti sauce or a casserole, less fat is generally preferable as the looser ground meat will absorb more of the flavor from the sauce/seasoning. It will also make the dish more attractive by not having a layer of oil from the fat floating on it.
Precautions

Always promptly and carefully wash the grinder with hot water and soap after using. Ground meat is more vulnerable to bacteria due to more surface being exposed to the environment.

It is a good practice to sanitize the areas of the grinder exposed to the meat after, and even before using it. You can purchase food-grade sanitizing liquid online or from a restaurant supply store. This is especially important dealing with poultry meat. Poultry, especially ground, is particularly vulnerable to Salmonella. Here is information about handling poultry from the CDC.

Use mineral oil to lubricate the grinder plates, knives and corkscrew regularly. You can also use it on other steel surfaces to preserve its appearance.

Tips

Grind meat twice to get a smoother appearance and texture. Some types of recipes may call for just a coarse grind but generally you will prefer the smoother kind.

Mix types of meats together for interesting results. For example, Bolognese style pasta often using a mix of veal/beef, pork and lamb.

Add your dry seasoning to the meat before grinding to make it more even and quicker to prepare. This works great for things like meatloaf, sausages, etc.

Accessorize! You can usually purchase things like sausage tips so you can make your own. If you have a dehydrator you can make jerky and meat "sticks" (like you can buy at the gas stations).


What is the difference between Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate? What is the difference between Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate?

Does Dark Chocolate not have milk? What are each made out of that make them different?

Short answer:  yes, milk chocolate differs from chocolate by the milk its manufacture.

Real chocolate (as opposed to many other confections) is made from chocolate liquer, which despite the name, is not alchoholic, or even liquid at room temperature.

The fruit of the theobroma cacao tree contains seeds, known as beans.  The harvested fruits are allowed to ferment, bringing many flavor and chemical changes to the beans, as well as removing the pulpy fruit.   The beans are then husked for the seeds inside, the nibs.

The nibs are the first true chocolate product, although they are not sweet.

The nibs are roasted, and then ground.  This is chocolate liquer, a solid colloid of cocoa fat and solid particles.  It would be solid at room temperature, but the grinding process melts it.

The cocoa liquer can be pressed to separate out the cocoa butter (as for use in the cosmetics industry), leaving cocoa powder, but that is not the point of your question.

Instead, to manufacture chocolate, the liquer is conched, a mechanical process that makes the suspended particles much smaller, part of what gives chocolate its smooth mouthfeel.

Various products can be made from chocolate liquer, or cocoa butter, including:

baking chocolate - essentially, just chocolate liquer, hardened and tempereded.  May or may not be fully conched, so may not be as smooth as chocolate intended for eating.
chocolate or dark chocolate - Chocolate liquer, possibly extra cocoa butter, and sugar.  Minor optional ingredients often included are vanilla or other flavorings, and lecithen, an emulsifier.
milk chocolate - Same as dark chocolate, with the addition of condensed milk or milk solids, depending on whether it is made via the Swiss method or the Hershey method
white chocolate - cocoa butter, plus sugar and other flavorings
chocolate chips - Another form of chocolate in a particular shape.  Many manufacturers don't make these from true chocolate, but rather substitute another fat which doesn't melt as easily as cocoa butter, for economy, and so the chips hold their shape in the oven
chocolate bunny - Chocolate molded into the shape of a bunny, then tempered and cooled
German's chocolate - A brand name of quite sweet dark chocolate

Chocolate labels which list "cocoa percentage" are saying what proportion of the chocolate is cocoa liquer or additional cocoa butter or cocoa solids--that is, stuff from nibs, as opposed to sugar or other flavorings.  The cocoa percentage for milk chocolate tends to be much lower than that of dark chocolates, although not every milk chocolate has a lower percentage than every dark chocolate.

See this question for information on tempering chocolate, which gives its snappy mouthfeel.

Edit:  On dairy products in dark chocolate:

I was very surprised at Lemontwist's comment, so I did some googling and found this article at Go Dairy Free:

  A good quality dark or semi-sweet chocolate will only have sweetener /
  sugar in some form added, and may also include a touch of soy lecithin
  as an emulsifier. These brands are milk-free by ingredients, but keep
  in mind that most brands of chocolate are made on shared equipment.
  That is, an inherently milk-free dark chocolate may be made on the
  same equipment as milk chocolate. See below for my note on
  cross-contamination issues.

  The complications arrive as some brands of dark and semi-sweet
  chocolate do include milk ingredients for a “smoother” end result.
  This is particularly true in mainstream brands like Hershey’s. Some
  ways that you may see milk listed in the ingredients include milk
  solids, milk, milk powder, whey, butter oil or butterfat (see the Ask
  Alisa post on butter oil), or even casein. If milk is in the
  ingredients, it should be listed in a clearly identifiable manner per
  the labeling laws, but still, use caution.

This is still in line with the information I provided, as I did mention "other flavorings" in dark chocolate, and it is not a universal or even common practice as far as I know.

For people with strong allergies, the cross-contamination issue may be more of an issue.

Vegans would have more of an issue, as lecithen is a very common ingredient in chocolate of all types, and may be animal sourced.  Vegans would specifically need to reseearch and obtain chocolates that meet that standard.   Googling will find many such products, but I did not find an easy single reference list.


Can I turn off stove while making stock? Can I turn off the stove mid-way through making the beef stock? I didn't know it would take 4 to 6 hours!

Sure, turn off stove, chill your stock quickly, then refrigerate.
To chill quickly, you can fill a sealable container with ice, float it in your stock, and stir.  If you can also simultaneously put the pot in an ice bucket, chilling will be even more rapid.


Chicken Stock - Boil Twice? I have a sick relative and I'd like to make a really flavorful chicken stock to make chicken soup for them.

I watched a video on youtube.com, by 'Sorted' and they mentioned that you boil your chicken, then dump the water, rinse the chicken, and start over. I've never heard of this and they've been known to redo recipes when they learn new stuff.

The idea behind it was that supposedly, you boil it for a short time and all the 'impurities' come out, then you start with fresh water and boil for the stock. The same as people say you should cook ramen, but don't serve it in the water it was cooked in, because of all the preservatives that wash off.

Can anyone verify if this idea of cooking a chicken twice actually removes 'impurities', or am I throwing out flavorful chicken water? I've definitely hear of skimming the foam off the top of the pot to remove 'bad stuff'. Thanks for the help.

Think I found the video you are talking about:
Sorted Traditional Ramen @ 3:34

They are not making stock when they dump the water, Ben and James (chefs in the video) are only bringing the water to a boil. They are blanching the pig and chicken to get the scum, this is mainly because the pig parts they are using has a lot of denatured protein. It is not boiled twice Ben says @4:01  "bring to a boil" he doesn't say to leave it there.

Sorted also has these recipes written out in the descriptions of the videos if you ever get confused like this in the future.

The recipe for the "TONKOTSU RAMEN BROTH" (Traditional Ramen),
if you don't want to make ramen just stop after the stock is made.

If you meant these videos:

Ultimate Ramen Chef Battle

Ben is still doing the same thing possibly a different pork bits.

Big Night In Ramen @ 1:09

Same thing just with pork ribs.

Hopefully I was able to help! Good luck and hope your relative gets well soon! It was fun trying to find these videos!


How should I boil green beans to keep them crisp? I just pulled fresh Blue Lake Bush green beans from my garden, snapped the ends and wanted to boil them, while keeping then crisp. How should I boil them so they are cooked through, but not limp?

You shouldn't cook more than a few minutes, and should cool them as quickly as possible afterwards.  Ideally, you'll be blanching them, and here's how:

Bring a pot of water with a pinch of salt in it to a roiling boil
Dump beans in, and cook for a few minutes
Check that beans are fully cooked (time will vary by variety and ripeness of beans)
Strain beans, and IMMEDIATELY transfer to an prepared ice water bath to cool as fast as possible

This ensures beans are precisely cooked, but do not have a chance to over-cook, and using the ice water helps them retain color and flavor.

It's how we get deliciously crisp haricot vert (French green beans) at the restaurant I work for. Note that cooking times and crispness will also vary based on the variety and age at which the beans were picked.


Stew beef, overcooked or undercooked? If my stew beef is tough (it's been on a small flame in liquids for about an hour), does it mean that it is overcooked, or undercooked?

Generally speaking when speaking of "stew beef", the meat will break down more the longer you cook it. I often make shredded beef for tacos out of that cut by simmmering it for a few hours or more. At 1 hour, I'd say it was undercooked.

For example: http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/Main/Beef/recipe.html?dishid=1772

In there he recommends using stewing beef, browning it first and then "... stew until the meat is tender and can be cut with a spoon. This will take at least an hour and a half."


Canned yams vs. fresh There is a family recipe which calls for either canned or fresh sweet potatoes or yams. Is there any practical difference in preparation? Sweetness level? Does the cooking process matter (it's a baked pan of mashed potatoes)?

In preparation, there shouldn't be differences beyond the obvious (cook the fresh, drain the canned, etc), but the flavor will be different. Canned yams are frequently packed in syrup, which will make them very sweet. Some people think that canned goods taste "like can" as well. On the other side, the method used to cook the yams will effect the texture and flavor (boiled will have less flavor and be softer than roasted, etc).


Did I kill my chili's heat by processing the tomatoes and onions together? I made this chili: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ9eY0_DoEk

I ended up with a chili that, while robust, only gave a mild heat and a heavy tomato/meat flavor, even after excessive salting and peppering. This recipe has two whole jalapeños and half a habanero, so I am not positive this is intended.

There's a few things that could have gone wrong. First, I have never made chili from scratch, so I may have simply under-cooked it. Also, I accidentally added 2 tbsp cornmeal to the spice paste. But, I feel like these are unlikely.

The last difference is what I suspect to be my culprit - I had to blend the tomatoes and onions together in a food processor, due to somebody in the household being a picky eater who can't stand the texture of them. I added it in around the point the tomatoes are added in the recipe, opting to add only the peppers and garlic where the onions would have also been added.

Did this kill my chili's heat? And, if so, how do I avoid this from happening if I make it again? Or did something else do it? Am I missing something?

So, first, that chili recipe will always be heavily meat-flavored because it has 3lbs of beef in it; at a glance, that recipe is more than half beef by weight.  So if you want a recipe with a subtler meat flavor, that's probably not the right recipe for you.

There are several possible reasons for it being less spicy than you expected, among which are:

the dried anchos and cascabel you used were old and had lost most of their flavor
heat level in fresh peppers can vary a lot; maybe you got ones that were on the less-hot side for their variety
many fresh peppers vaporize a lot of their capsaicin when fried.  So it's possible that adding just the peppers and garlic to the pan could have burned a bunch off; I've had this happen particularly with habaneros

All of that aside, I wouldn't expect that recipe to be super-spicy, more medium-hot.  So maybe you just have a high pepper tolerance.


Thawing and Broiling Steak I just got home from work and feel like broiling a steak. Unfortunately, the steak I have is still frozen (I forgot to stick it in the fridge to thaw overday). About how long should I leave it out to thaw before attempting cooking? Should I keep it in air or water, and how warm should the water be? I assume it's a bad idea to just toss a frozen steak in the oven - or is it?

I think it is important to defrost the meat completely because it is impossible to season it properly if it is still frozen, you also risk burning the surface while the center is still cold if the steak is thick.

You can put the steak (or other frozen seafood) inside a zipped bag like ziploc, squeeze out the air and zip the bag. Then put the bag under slow running tap water (if the water is too cold, turn on the heater and make it lukewarm), then you can quickly defrost it without damaging the taste (compare with soaking in water directly).

Also now those hi-tech microwaves usually have a defrost function. You just need to input the weight of the food and it would defrost it automatically (e.g. 200g for 2 or 3 mins).


Deep-Frying stuffed mushrooms? I got stuffed mushrooms at the butcher's today with minced meat inside them. Would it be a good idea to deep-fry them; and if so on how many degrees would you do so?

If you try to fry them, you'd do well to coat them with breadcrumbs (using egg as an adhesive). Depending on the size of the mushrooms you may even need to do 2-3 layers.

If you don't coat them, they'll probably loose too much water and taste weird. I have deep fried coated muchrooms before (delicious!) at 170°C, however I never tried it with stuffed mushrooms. Personally I disliked them deep fried without coating, but I guess to each their own.


How finely chopped should vegetables be when making stock? I've watched several YouTube videos now to learn how to make vegetable stock. Most of these videos show the vegetables being chopped into relatively large chunks - for example, carrots and onions being cut into four roughly equal portions. However, I've watched a couple of other videos that explain that the more surface area you create the more flavourful the end product will be, and advise chopping the vegies into much smaller pieces. In one video, the cook even put his vegetables in a blender!

So, how big should my vegie chunks be when making stock? Is there a "correct" way, or is it a matter of taste?

I'd say it is a "matter of taste," literally, because what comes out will change depending on how you process the vegetables.  For example, despite the common use of carrots in stock, I feel like many chefs don't actually want a real "carroty" flavor in stock.  Quartering or roughly chopping a carrot is enough to give them plenty of "carrot notes" in their optimum flavor.  Thus, my theory is that chefs often follow their particular chopping pattern to produce the balance of flavor that they want.  If you chop things more finely, you may actually alter that balance.

Anyhow, if your goal is maximum flavor extraction, then you'll need to chop your carrot into finer pieces.  (You may then find that you need less carrot in your mix of vegetables.)  Other vegetables like onions don't necessarily need fine chopping, since they already exist in relatively thin layers to allow circulation.  If you quarter an onion, the liquid will already be able to infiltrate -- if you want even greater circulation, just break up those quarters into layers as you throw the onion in.  And things like herbs, etc. don't generally need to be chopped at all: just throw in whole sprigs, and they'll provide most of their flavor after simmering even for a brief time.

I would note that simmering time is also an issue here.  Most chefs don't cook vegetable stock for longer than an hour or so, since there's no benefit (as there is with meat stocks, where it can take hours for collagen to break down, etc.).  In fact, by simmering too long, you can actually break down some of the more subtle flavor components, lose them to evaporation, or bury them in the more generic "overcooked" vegetable flavors.  Thus, some recommend adding finely-textured herbs only briefly toward the end.  (That's also the reason why a small amount of fresh herbs are often added as a garnish to a finished dish; the flavor is greater and more noticeable than if they were cooked in for a long time.)

I'm therefore somewhat skeptical of the method that used a blender before cooking, since that would cause a very fast breakdown of the vegetables and potentially unbalance the flavors.  (Some people do puree the vegetables after simmering and add them back for a more hearty or thicker broth/soup.)

In general, I'd plan on simmering vegetable stock until the various vegetables are "done" (soft) and then going a bit longer, tasting it periodically until the flavor is rich and full.  Chopping finer will release more flavor faster, but there is a limit because things will rapidly get "overcooked."  At that point you'll be releasing less of the "bright" and "fresh" vegetable flavors that you get early on; these flavors may start to break down or get lost, and eventually you'll have more of a generic "vegetable mush" flavor.


How can I enhance fudge's "fudginess" and flavour? My fudge recipe uses peanut butter, brown and white sugar, corn syrup, cream, and chocolate.

How can I can add a bit more "pizazz" to my fudge, taking the flavour from grandma's favourite fudge recipe and making it into a complicated, rich, exotic and exquisite taste?

A few things to think about:

Sprinkling kosher, sea, or another interesting salt on it for a flavor contrast
Using some small amount of pepper a la the trendy pepper chocolate bars out there, or perhaps some paprika for smokiness
Adding orange or lemon zest
Pairing with an unsweetened or very lightly sweetened raspberry syrup (at least in my experience fudge recipes don't need more sugar)
Bacon (inside or on top)


Can I pre-cook chicken in a sous vide bath while cooking something else? Let's say I'm in the middle of a 72-hour 135F sous vide recipe, and I want to cook some chicken thighs for dinner for tonight.

Does it make sense to put the chicken in the bath at 135 for my normal chicken sous vide time, then finish them using a conventional cooking method (in the oven or on the stovetop), until the inside is fully cooked?

Alternatively, can I turn my 72-hour short ribs SV bath up to 150F for 1.5 hours to sous vide the chicken simultaneously?

You can cook chicken at 135F, or indeed any temperature 131F or up. It will take a while; several hours, as noted in the Baldwin Sous Vide Guide you posted. If you pasteurize it at 135F, you can then later cook it, ignoring the temperature (and only worrying about the texture, etc.), as its already cooked to safety.

If you want to hold it, chill it down quickly, e.g., in an ice bath. Do not remove it from the bag until you're ready to throw it in the oven (to minimize oxidation).

I do not suggest turning your water bath up, as you will end up with well-done shortribs instead of the medium-rare ones you wanted.


What causes gnocchi to pop violently when fried? I came across this video about frying gnocchi, and am now quite curious what causes the reaction shown, especially since gnocchi is made from potatoes, and we have all had a fried potato in some manner or another.

I think it's because there is water inside the gnocchi paste, which turns into vapor and builds up pressure. A little bit like why you shouldn't throw an ice cube in hot oil.

You can pan fry them, but not deep-fry them.


Can you cook pickled onions? Can you cook hot dishes with pickled onions?  I've never seen a recipe which uses them hot, is this just because they don't taste good hot?  What hot dishes might be appropriate to put pickled onions in?

This afternoon, I made a veggie/bean chilli. When preparing, I was surprised to notice that we are out of fresh onions. I decided to use a can of pickled onions in the chilli.

60 minutes later and this is my happy finding...that the pickled onions have retained crunch and infused the chilli sauce with the most gorgeous deep and rich sweetness. Pickled onion chilli can rest and infuse a wee bit more.


What is the proper way to use corn starch to thicken sauces? How do you mix corn starch slurry and how do you use it?

Do you add the corn starch to the water, or do you add water to the corn starch?
Generally what proportions do you need, what is the ratio of water to cornstarch?
Do you need to use more slurry to thicken more liquid; if so, what is the quantity per volume?

When making the slurry, stir cornstarch into cold water until it has the consistency of cream. This can be set aside until it's needed, but be sure to stir it briefly before you pour it into the sauce to redistribute the starch granules in the water. You should pour it into your sauce toward the end of its preparation.

According to McGee you should use roughly 2/3 as much starch as you would flour. If you aren't using a recipe, add your slurry a bit at time until it's a thick as you like it. Also remember that the sauce will thicken a bit as it cools, so it should be a little bit thinner on the stove than you intend to serve it.


hominy grits versus masa harina Masa harina is the corn flour used by Latin Americans to make corn tortillas.  If you live in the west or southwest US it's available in regular grocery stores.  Maseca is a brand that's widely available. If you try baking with masa harina it gives the finished goods a very pronounced corn tortilla flavor, which I don't care for since I associate that flavor with corn tortillas and nothing else.

Producing masa harina involves a process called nixtamalization.  What I don't understand is that hominy is also produced by using nixtamalization but hominy and hominy grits don't have that characteristic corn tortilla flavor that you get with masa harina.  Does anyone know why?

Here are some relevant links:

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

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

Masa harina is quite simply dried and ground hominy.

As to why masa tastes more corny than hominy? I don't know, perhaps grinding it allows more of that internal flavor to be available to your taste buds. As well, masa is either baked or fried to make tortillas, and that cooking process likely enhances the corn flavor the same way that bread toast has an enhanced malt flavor than untoasted bread.


Why did my omelette turn out different than usual? Why did my omelette have bubbles on top while cooking, develop tunnels, turn slightly grayish and have a rubbery texture? I rubbed olive oil on the pan surface first. I always cook omelettes the same way and this is the first time this happened.

Bubbles on top while cooking - If you beat air into your eggs before you pour, air would naturally come to the surface.

Develop tunnels - The only explanation I have for this is that you didn't beat the eggs enough, and the mixture was not homogenous. But based on the physical characteristic of bubbles, it would seem that you did beat the eggs, so I'm not entirely sure.

Grayish - Overcooked iron/sulfur compounds in the yolk. Overcooking usually involves heat, which is a chemical reaction from a more reduced state to a more oxidized state. This usually brings about a change in the transition state of an element (sulfur or iron). A change in transition state causes a color change.

Rubbery - Overcooked. The proteins have coagulated very tightly due to prolonged heat exposure.

When I cook omelettes I usually use Jacques Pepin's method, which gives a creamy inside. Youtube "Pepin omelettes," and it'll probably show up.


A lot of smoke when using induction stove with any recipe with oil I recently switched from gas stove to induction. I tried some recipes I could do well with the old stove. Most of them have oil at high heat. However, when switching to induction stove, any time I tried with oil, there always be a lot of smoke coming from the meat. The bottom is usually burnt while the top is not cooked yet.

I usually set the temperature to 150-200oC and put oil in immediately. Any advice what I should do? Currently I can only cook soup recipes with the induction stove.

EDIT: Sorry I forgot about the oil. I usually use olive oil, but once I tried vegetable and sesame oil too. Still a lot of smoke.

What kind of oil you're using would be helpful but, really, the answer is, whatever temperature it is you set it at, it's too hot.

Turn the temperature down.

The temperature gauges shouldn't necessarily be trusted to give you a perfect temperature reading. You can use an infrared thermometer to test it but your result tells everything, really.

If your gas stove was underpowered "high" heat may not have really been that high and the induction stove is probably stronger, so you're overheating your pan.

Since you added your oil usage:

Olive oil is a very low smoke point oil (325-375°F/165-190°C), so it should never be heated so much. Some sesame oils are also pretty low (350-410°F/175-210°C), depending.

Vegetable oil (400-450°F/205-230°C) is much better. Soybean or peanut are even higher (450°F/230°C).


Converting oven recipe to slow cooker I have a casserole recipe that I generally cook in the oven.  I'd like to try it in my slow cooker for several reasons:  convenience, timing, opening up the oven for another dish.  Is there a general rule of thumb to convert the directions for the oven to an equivalent for a slow cooker?

Roughly speaking, the low setting on a crock pot is 200 degrees Farenheit, and the high setting is 300 degrees.

Crock pot time vs oven time:

4-6 hrs on low = 15-30 min oven
6-8 hrs on low = 35-45 min oven
8-18 hrs on low = 1-3 hrs in oven

In addition to the liquid notes above, you may want to make these changes as well:

reduce the amount of whole/leaf herbs by half
add ground spices during the last 30 min of cook time
you may prefer to brown meat before cooking in the crock pot; it's a flavor & fat issue
add rice or noodles in the last two hours of low cook time


Using Milk Chocolate instead of unsweetened chocolate in a pie I would like to make a chocolate silk pie for Christmas.  I have a LOT of unused Milk Chocolate left over from a wedding and so that's why I am using the milk chocolate.  Most of the recipes that I've read call for unsweetened chocolate and then melting the chocolate and then adding it to a creamed mixture of butter and sugar.  Since the chocolate is already sweet I don't really need to do that, so should I just melt the chocolate and then add eggs and pour it into the pie shell?

Milk chocolate is usually made for eating, not for baking. In any case, even if you are using a milk chocolate that is meant for baking, you need more than milk chocolate and eggs to make a chocolate silk pie.

Your desired result is light, smooth and consistent throughout. To get there you need to add volume in the form of air, typically by folding in whipped cream, but also by making a nice light custard of the eggs over a double boiler. You can't just mix the eggs into the chocolate and expect to get the right texture.

If you can determine the proportion of sugar to cocoa to milk solids in your chocolate, and if there is not too much else in the chocolate altering its texture, you should be able to tell if you are close enough to the proportions of your original recipe to pull it off.

Please share your result with us if you tried this for Christmas, or do in the future.


Cheesecake in rectangular pan Can I make a cheesecake with cookie crust Ina a parchment lined rectangular pan so I can cut it in little squares?

You can of course, try this.

The largest challenge you will face is that cheesecakes are notoriously difficult to release from the pan, and they are not very strong.  The traditional crumb crust is also not very strong, so it doesn't provide much support or structural integrity to the slice.

This is why spring form pans are normally used for cheesecakes:  they let you leave the cheesecake on its base plate, and just remove the ring.  The crust sits on the base plate until service.

If you want to try it in another pan, to facilitate getting it out, I suggest that you:

Consider using aluminum foil instead of parchment, as it is easier to shape.  Make a sling for the cheesecake, so that the foil comes up the edge of the pan.   You will want to do this in both directions.

The sling will be used after baking to lift the cheesecake out of the pan.  You should then be able to carefully peel the foil back from the edges, and slice it.  (Many brownie recipes recommend this technique.)
Consider a sturdier crust than a crumb crust, perhaps a full shortbread, that will survive the lifting from the pan, and be strong enough to support the pieces when you cut them.
Changing the shape of the pan may change the surface area of the cheesecake, and thus its depth, which will affect the cooking time.  You want to choose a new pan that is as close in area to the pan anticipated in your recipe as possible, so that the baking time and temperature do not have to be adjusted too much.  Getting the perfect balance of time, temperature, and thickness of the custard is a tricky matter.

If your original recipe calls for a 9" spring form pan (which is fairly typical of cheesecakes), that is approximately 64" square inches.  So you would choose an 8x8" square pan to have approximately the same area.

A complication is that spring form pans tend to be taller than square cake pans, and cheesecake recipes often take advantage of this fact.  If all of your filling will not fit (with some reasonable room for a tiny amount of expansion (cheesecake should not really expand when cooked), you are going to have to adjust the baking time and possibly the temperature.

Your cheesecake should be done when it jiggles slightly at the center, and has an internal temperature measured in the center of approximately 180-185 F.  You will need an instant read thermometer to measure this.

If you are changing the depth or the area, you will definitely want to monitor your cake closely for when it is done.

Another approach would be to make individual cheesecakes or tartlets in a tartlet mold.

You should easily be able to google many suitable recipes.


What's the name of the black-brown decoration sauce used in French cooking? When my boyfriend and I visited France a few months ago, I noticed that a lot of savory dishes were drizzled with some black-brown colored sauce on top (see picture I took, which is a plain risotto). The sauce tasted fairly sweet and not salty.

My best amateur guess is that this is some sort of reduced sugary balsamic vinegar sauce, but it does not taste acidic at all. Maybe the vinegar evaporated while reducing?

It is most probably crema di balsamico, a quite popular condiment, even often only used for decorative purposes. It can both be used with savory dishes, but also with sweet dishes, as in e.g. ice cream or gelato.

Traditionally, crema di balsamico is made by reducing grape juice and optionally wine to the point where the sugar in the grape juice starts to caramelise and then deglaze the reduction with balsamic vinegar. Convenience products are often pepped with food colouring and thickening agents.


Is there a releaseable mold/pan for bread? I am looking for a bread mold (or is it a pan?) that can be removed prior to baking. The reason is that  it will lose the shape if I rest it before baking too long, but longer resting time in my experience makes bread more airy. I do not want to bake the bread in the mold itself - there are too many chemicals that can be released during baking cycle, and I like free-form loaves anyway. I know the loaf will keep it's shape better if it's drier but I dont like how the bread turns out in this case.

This is about yeast bread, and I am referring to resting (not rising) time, immediately prior to baking. Regular round/oval shapes will work. My bread is adapted version from 'Artisan Bread in 5 minutes'.

Any suggestions how to do this?

It seems you are describing a banneton basket. These are commonly used to hold the shape of a loaf before it is transferred out of the basket and into the oven.


How does one cook with aloe? There is an asian grocery nearby and I've seen foot long lengths of aloe vera plant in the produce section.  I have an aloe plant at home. What do you suppose people do with aloe as a ingredient?

As Kruti Jani rightly pointed out, you can make aloe vera juice. Aloe vera gel (made like this) can also be diced finely and mixed into fruit juices to give a texture and slight freshness to a glass of juice. I have also seen it (the aloe vera gel) mixed with lemongrass jelly or mango sago dessert.


Is it possible to use casserole dish to make no-knead bread? I don't own a heavy enamel pot, which seems to be the best for no-knead bread. Is it possible to make good no-knead bread in a glass casserole dish?

i STRONGLY recommend against it. i can speak from experience that the sudden change in temperature can cause glass baking dishes (particularly when they go from as high of a heat required by no-knead bread to a cool room temp) to shatter and explode! i had a pyrex dish go supernova on me once, sending hot flying glass shards all over the kitchen. how i didn't get hit i'll never know, but it melted holes in our floor and left scorch marks!

more information from Consumer Reports: http://tinyurl.com/33dz9o5

you can pick up some heavy pots suitable for no-knead break baking at thrift stores and garage sales for a song. if you can find a cast-iron dutch oven, even better! i urge you to dig around a bit. the results are really worth it.


The ingredients I used in my recipe were too cold and they did not mix well. Is there anything I can do to fix this I already started mixing the wet ingredients and they are clumpy, is there anything I can do to fix this?

I would hate to waste all those ingredients(especially since I doubled the recipe...yikes)  Please HELP, thanks :)

I am making blueberry muffin bread, I creamed the butter(1 cup) and sugar(2 cups) and then added 4 eggs, 2 tablespoons of vanilla and 2 cups of milk. No dry ingredients yet.

It is very "lumpy", I did let the ingredients sit out but apparently not long enough. Tried to include picture but it would not download. Thanks again :)

There are three points I'd like to suggest.

First, letting the mixture sit and come up to room temperature might help - especially if your recipe called for warmer ingredients.  Or you might even look to set it someplace slightly warmer (near any mild heat source like you might need for dough) that might warm and soften your mixture a bit before trying to mix it again.

Second, as Dorothy mentioned, the lumpy texture may subside when mixed with the dry ingredients.  One of the things that can work when smoothing lumps is to dry out the mixture enough to make a paste, and slowly loosen to a smooth liquid.  It is possible that the dry ingredients will be enough to incorporate and smooth out any lumps in your mixture.

Third, and my favorite possibility - to misquote from a question about eggs - with an immersion blender and a sufficient amount of violence, there is much that is possible.  If you have an immersion blender (or, yeah, even if you have a regular one - I just like the immersion ones better) - you can just blend the ingredients together, and count on the blender's mechanical thrashing, and possibly a bit of friction heat, to smooth your wet ingredient mix back down to smooth.

If the liquid in your bowl isn't very deep, an immersion blender might spray the batter around, true - but it actually doesn't take that much.  If the blades of the blender are submerged (say, ~1 inch), an immersion blender can run for short bursts, if the whole head is under the batter (~1.5 inches) it can likely be blended for longer times without trying to fling batter around - and the bowl can be tilted for blending at the angle for the right thickness.  I find it simpler to use and rinse the immersion blender in the bowl than fussing about transferring the batter to other containers to blend or mix in.

Although while I prefer immersion blenders, you might also try a regular blender, or a mixer, or even a milk frother (depending on amount, power, and viscosity of your mixture) to beat the lumps out of the mix and leave it nice and frothy.  You might, if the liquid is thin and the lumps are stiff, slowly start adding some of the dry ingredients to thicken the mixture (the lumps blend better the closer everything is to the same texture), and keep blending everything smooth.

In any case, once the mix has been beaten down into smoothness, you can continue your recipe, folding in the rest of the dry ingredients and continuing from there.

Good luck, I hope it all turns out well!  :)


Does saturated fat result in crispier fried food? I was watching this video of Kenji making Kung Pao chicken, in which he claims that frying in saturated fat results in crispier food. Is there any truth to this? I found this page stating saturated fats resolidify after frying, which results in the food being less oily tasting, but I am not sure how that translates to the food seeming/being more crisp.

Having looked into this a bit, I have some hints for an answer. I'm still not convinced I understand the full mechanism, so any feedback is welcome here.
I think some of my sources might be paywalled; apologies for anyone unable to access them.

Reading a few studies on the effects of different variables on the outcome of deep frying (specifically potato chips), I found the following information.

Oils higher in saturated fats are more 'stable', that is, they show less change in chemical composition when heated (3).
Hydrogenated vegetable oil in one test (1) provided the crispiest results when compared to refined soya bean and groundnut (peanut) oils. The difference got bigger with increasing temperature, suggesting the stability of the more saturated oils has some effect.
This last point is corroborated by (2), who showed that the difference between different oils is biggest at higher temperatures.

The results from (1) in particular support the idea that more saturated oils result in crispier foods. The question why still remains unanswered, however.

Side notes:

While (1) found that the hydrogenated vegetable oil produced the crispiest results, people on average preferred chips fried in peanut oil.

Sources:

M. Rani and G.S. Chauchan, Effect of intermittent frying and frying medium on ihe quality of potato chips; Food Chemistry, 51 (1995), pp. 614-617.
A. Kita , G. Lisińska and G. Gołubowska, The effects of oils and frying temperatures on the texture and fat content of potato crisps; Food Chemistry
Volume 102, Issue 1, 2007, Pages 1-5.
E. Choe AND D.B. Min, Chemistry of deep‐fat frying oils. Journal of food science 72.5 (2007): R77-R86.


How to make bun with my oven The electric oven I have, Its maximum heat is only 250 Celsius. If I wanted to make a bun in it,
How to preheat?
 &
How much time I have to heat?
&
how many Celsius to heat?

Most bread products cook well at about 200C.


Reusing butter used as a frying agent I often use butter to cook most of my dishes. I tend to spice this butter with various things (chili seeds, herbs etc) and it will naturally absorb some of the flavours of whatever is being cooked.
Could this flavored butter mix be cooled and frozen for use at another time?
i.e. I do a bacon fry up and want to use it again for scrambled eggs another time.
If so, would it be as simple as waiting for it to cool, putting it in a container and freezing it?
Edit
This answer seems to be what I am looking to accomplish, I just would like to know if my understanding of the storage is correct.

In principle you could proceed as you suggested. However, a few small tweaks may improve the overall results.
1. Straining the remaining fat.

Small particles of whatever is floating in the fat (either added on purpose or just pieces of water food you were frying) will be tasty in the first round of frying, but probably just burn and turn bitter in subsequent rounds. Just remember how most recipes will warn against letting garlic fry too much lest it becomes bitter. Burned herbs aren’t pleasurable either.
And fat will extract flavors, so what is a nicely aromatic mix in the beginning may become overpowering after a few days of storage if you leave the crushed garlic clove, peppercorns or twig of rosemary in the butter.

2. Letting the fat cool down or at least float to the top in a jar or jug and then draining off liquid at the bottom / skimming off just the fat.

Depending on your cooking process and ingredients, your food may have exuded quite a bit of liquid. If you try to fry in a fat + liquid mix, you will inevitably get a lot of splattering.
If you cook off the liquid, you will get leftover particles, which tend to burn (see 1.) If you want to reuse the flavorful liquid, freeze it separately and add it to a sauce or finished dish.
Even without aromatics, the butter contains milk solids. When you heat the butter, they will solidify and can be removed (so that they don’t burn), so that you get clarified butter, which is very good for frying and quite stable in storage.

If you have sufficiently clarified and filtered your butter, storing it in the refrigerator instead of the freezer will suffice (unless you plan to keep it for months) and it will be easier to scoop out if you need just a small amount instead of the whole jar.


Can "cream-style" corn substitute for creamed corn in cornbread? I was searching for an extra-moist cornbread recipe, and found several that said the secret was to add some creamed corn. From the descriptions/quantities involved, it seemed clear that they meant canned creamed corn, not the homemade variety. However, all I've ever seen in the grocery store is cream-style corn, which does not generally involve cream, or even dairy products of any sort. (The ingredients are usually corn, sugar, cornstarch, and salt.)

Thus, my question is twofold: (1) is actual creamed corn available canned, and I just don't know about it? (2) If I use cream-style corn, will it have the same effect of adding extra moistness to my cornbread, or should I substitute something else instead?

It's canned cream-style corn that the recipes are expecting you to use, it's not a substitution at all. It does make for nice cornbread.


Why do you shred cheese before adding it to a sauce? I know it melts faster, but tearing cheese into rough parts and adding it to a white sauce melts just fine. Is there a specific reason to why you should shred cheese before adding it to a sauce?

You're right that the smaller pieces of cheese will melt faster than a whole block when added to a sauce.

The main advantage to shredding or grating cheese is that you create smaller pieces of uniform size, and often smaller than can be achieved just by crumbling (at least when working with harder cheeses).

The smaller the pieces the faster they melt, and if they're a consistent size/shape you don't have to investigate the sauce closely to find when the last, largest bit of cheese has been incorporated. This helps ensure the cheese will be evenly distributed throughout the sauce.


Can't make an omelette in my all-clad pan because of sticking I have an all-clad pan that I have used many times for scrambling eggs. Usually there is no issue with sticking. Recently, I've tried to make an omelette in the pan by sautée-ing the vegetables first. Afterwards, I pour on the eggs. I've found that if the eggs go under the vegetables, it will stick to the pan. Any way to get around this?

It also happens to me sometimes, what I suggest you do is spread oil uniformly on the pan and make sure you pour the egg in the middle of the pan. If the pan has oil on all sides it does not matter if you add the vegetables first or later as topping on  the egg.

There is also a way out, pour the egg first, adjust flame of the burner to low
and add the vegetables on the egg. As the base gets hard enough that you can turn it on the pan, do it quickly and cook the vegetables attached with the half cooked omelette. Then enjoy eating the omelette...


How to protect roasted coffee powder from degrading during daily use? I have to buy coffee roasted powder in 100gms packet. I use 1 tablespoon on coffee per day.

I do keep the coffee in an airtight container and then in an opaque cover.

How should I protect remaining coffee from damage from air when I use some coffee from the container and the container starts half emptying?

In all truthfulness, the fact that you buy coffee grounds instead of whole coffee beans is the biggest culprit.

Here's a list of things to consider:

By whole beans
Grind immediately before use, not the night before, not an hour before, but immediately before brewing.
Keep in air tight container, and store in a dark place. Do not put them in the freezer, as they are subject to freezer burn, and long exposure to cool temperatures can effect the flavor.
By from a roaster. Roasters roast daily, and you'll likely get a batch that's no older than 2-3 days, often times you'll get beans roasted that day or the day before.

You can see how fresh your beans are when you initially add hot water to the grounds. Fresh beans will produce lots of foam, as they still have lots of CO2 left in them from the roasting process.

Some things to note when grinding beans at home are the type of grinder you use. Blade grinders will not provide a consistent grind, the grounds will be a varying sizes, and this affects extraction more than you'd think. For the record, no coffeeshop(not even the dinner down the street) use a blade grinder. Make sure to have a Burr Grinder, or a Hand Mill grinder. These will provide you with a consistent grind.

A few burr grinders that I've known to work well:

Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill Skerton

The first burr grinder that I owned. I used to brew single cups and didn't want to spend the $100+ to get an automatic burr grinder. It works really well, but I got sick of grinding coffee by hand every morning for 2 years.

Capresso Infinity Conical Burr Grinder

Pretty standard automatic burr grinder. Its in the lower price range, but it works well.

Baratza Encore

This one gets lots of hype in the coffee community, mostly because its relatively cheap, and it has a wide range of grind settings.

Baratza Virtuoso

A set up from the Encore model.

It depends on what you're willing to spend for a grinder. If you really want to get into coffee I'd start with the Baratza Encore. If you just want a automatic grinder the Capresso Infinity might be for you. If all the other options are too expensive the Hario Coffee Mill works great.


Why is it dangerous to eat meat which has been left out and then cooked? If cooking meat kills bacteria, and bacteria are responsible for problems with eating meat which has been left out, then why is it dangerous to eat meat which has been left out at room temperature and then thoroughly cooked?

A related question mentions that "Even if the bacteria is dead, toxins can remain if the food was out too long, causing problems".  However, there's no further detail given.  Are these toxins as dangerous as the bacteria themselves?  How long does meat have to be left out to accumulate a dangerous level of toxins and thus be dangerous even if thoroughly cooked?  Are these toxins the reason for the usual guideline of keeping meat unrefrigerated for a maximum of 2 hours?

update

The revelation, courtesy of Aaronut, that e. coli is actually dangerous because of its toxins — which cannot be denatured at temperatures which will leave meat in an edible state — has pretty much answered this question.  And also given me further incentive to stop eating meat altogether :)

Our discussion (see the comments on hobodave's answer) has progressed into the realm of microbiology.  Some highlights from my ongoing research:

Detail on heat-shock proteins.  These seem to be the reason for the importance of keeping meat at a high temperature for a period of time.

Some background on heat resistance in bacteria.  This also provides fascinating insight into how bacteria evolved immunity to antibiotics.  Fungi.

hobodave's answer is most of the way there but I think it understates the importance of protein toxins.  With the vast majority of foodborne illnesses, the bacteria aren't particularly harmful at all; what you need to worry about is the protein toxins they produce.

E.Coli - probably the most well-known form of food poisoning along with Salmonella - is actually a harmless bacteria that already lives in your lower intestine.  But there is a particular strain of E.Coli, notably O157:H7, that is primarily associated with food poisoning.  The reason?  It produces what's called a Shiga-like Toxin.

E.Coli contamination is actually dangerous on two fronts.  Because the bacteria are so well-adapted to surviving in the human digestive system (as I pointed out earlier, that's their primary habitat), ingesting even a relatively small number of the bacteria will result in them multiplying and producing those toxins in your gut (and the rest of the way down).  This is why it normally takes several days for you to feel the effects of this type of food poisoning; that's how long it takes for them to produce the toxins in sufficient quantity for your body to notice.

But they don't need to be in your gut to produce those toxins; a piece of meat at room temperature provides good enough conditions and more than enough raw material for them reproduce and emit those same toxins.  So if you leave it sitting out too long, then it really doesn't matter how many bacteria you kill, you are going to end up with E.Coli poisoning fast, because you don't even need to wait for them to produce the toxins; they're already there.

The problem is that you can't "kill" a protein toxin with a brief burst of heat because a protein isn't alive.  It's just a protein.  The temperatures and times needed to destroy that toxin would be similar to the temperatures and times needed to destroy all of the protein in the food, draining all the nutrition value and quite possibly turning it into a lump of charcoal.

Salmonella seems to be a fountain of misinformation with all sorts of people saying that it doesn't produce toxins.  This simply isn't true.  Inside the host it produces what's called an AvrA toxin (which isn't "toxic" per se, but allows the bacteria to grow to larger numbers), and some strains can also produce a CdtB toxin, which is highly toxic.  (Apparently there's also a similar toxin produced by other strains.) I'll be honest, a lot of the medical mumbo-jumbo is way beyond my ability to comprehend, but it seems that a lot of the public confusion comes from the fact that salmonella can do some nasty things even without the toxins - but that doesn't mean that the toxins themselves can't do plenty of damage even if you manage to kill the bacteria.

The same applies to many other types of dangerous bacteria; C.diptheriae produce the diphtheria toxin, C.botulinum produce the botulinum toxin (botulism); even the infamous mad cow disease was, as far as we know, caused by a protein, not a bacteria, which is why it was able to be transmitted to humans even through cooked beef.

Are protein toxins the only reason why the USDA insists on a maximum 4-hour cumulative danger zone?  Probably not.  As hobodave says, the more the bacteria multiply, the harder is to kill all of them, even at high temperatures.  The figure of 74° C / 165° F that the food agencies give us for poultry is not going to kill exactly 100% of all the bacteria, and if it only kills - I'm just throwing out a number here - 99.999% of them, that may be good enough for relatively fresh poultry but won't be enough if you've got a whole bacterial colony to worry about.

We can only speculate as to exactly what's entailed by the "danger zone" but my guess is that it's actually a combination of statistics, probabilities, and safety margins, which include, but are not limited to, the effects of protein toxins.


Is my ragu missing an ingredient? I'm following a recipe for a pork rib ragu that calls for one onion, 2 carrots and one stick of celery along with 500ml of stock. It suggests that I let this simmer for 2-3 hours.

When I return to the pan after 2 hours, most of the stock has boiled away (and not into a thick sauce) , despite turning the heat down, and I'm left with blackened vegetables, under the ribs. I've watched the video and it appears I'm not missing anything but for the life of me I can't get the same results.

The recipe is here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/rib_rag_28935

I do agree with the comments about using the proper temperature and simmering. It can be difficult to achieve that perfect simmer, especially with a lidded pan, but quite worth the effort.

Please see this from  CookingLight  as it gives very good information about boiling and simmering and how to get to where you want to be.

Another thing would be to check on it more frequently (after achieving the simmer). 500 ml of liquid is not a huge amount, especially with a 2 - 3 hour cooking time. (You will surely have some evaporation, even with a lidded pan, and the amount can vary from one time to another.) If you see that the liquid is getting too low you can add more.


Which appliance to use for masala chai? Many regions have special devices or at least custom namings to brew tea and similar beverages:

Teapot in Western countries
Caydalnik in Turkey
Samovar in Russia
Samavar in Kashmir

Is there any special appliance, either a corresponding naming of such for brewing masala chai?

In my house, we have a rectangular-cylindrical metal pot that is used to make only chai. It does not have a specific name, although the class of utensils that it comes from are called patila (Hindi), patela (Marathi) (attaching a picture)
. In my experience, most Indian households do have a seperate patila/patela for making chai. Hope this helps!