Does dissolved sugar really help to extract fruit flavours? A few times now I've come across online advice that, when steeping/infusing fruits in liquid to extract their flavours, it helps to add sugar to the solution.  As an example this sloe gin Wikipedia page states "sufficient sugar is required while the drupes steep to ensure full extraction of flavour".  Some commentators mention that this is obvious, because if you add sugar to strawberries they macerate and become syrupy.  Well it seems to me a very big assumption that if sugar crystals draw in liquids/flavours from a high moisture-content source then a largely already liquid sugar solution must do the same thing.  Can anyone clarify?

Edit:
This SA answer to a related but I think distinct question would seem to suggest that adding sugar to the solution should in fact slow absorption down as it would reduce the difference between sugar concentrations in the solution and fruit..

In sum: YES, sugar DOES really help to extract fruit flavors.

The answer quoted in the edit does NOT imply that "absorption is slowed down" in general.  It merely states that in a sugar solution, sugar will generally not move out of fruit; it doesn't say anything about what else happens.

Osmosis is simply a process by which the stuff on both sides of a barrier tries to come to equilibrium.  Increasing sugar content in a solution will only decrease the amount of sugar that comes out of the fruit, but it will often simultaneously increase the water that diffuses out (along with many things dissolved in that water, like fruit flavors).

In other words, in a plain water solution, sugar will diffuse out of fruit to raise the water's sugar concentration.  However, in most cases when a sugar solution is used, it is deliberately higher in concentration than the sugar content within the fruit cells (as in the strawberry example mentioned in the question, where there is basically no water at first outside the fruit, so water is forced out to bring the system into better equilibrium).

Sugar is very hydrophilic, which basically means it attracts water.  If the sugar solution has a higher sugar content than the moisture within the fruit cells (as is true in most recipes using this technique), water will diffuse out of the fruit.  Anything that is water-soluble, such as various flavor components, will come along with it to some extent.  Meanwhile, sugar will also be forced into the fruit, changing its texture -- when done in excess over a period of time, such a process can actually preserve the fruit by lowering the water content substantially (driving it out into the solution) while raising the internal sugar content of the fruit, resulting in candied fruit.

You may note that candied fruit generally lacks many of the flavors of fresh fruit.  This is because many flavor components were extracted along with the water by the sugar solution.

Regarding questions that were raised in comments, the same process occurs with alcohol in a solution.  There's almost no alcohol inside the fruit, so alcohol's presence outside the fruit will force water out of the fruit, carrying flavors along with it.  Alcohol also tends to dissolve certain flavor components that water doesn't dissolve as well, so it will gather different sets of flavors than water alone.  Note also that different flavor components will come out of the interaction of this osmosis process with the cell membrane compared to, say, simply crushing the fruit, again partly because some flavor molecules are more soluble in alcohol.


How can I add an orange flavour without using orange? My girlfriend has recently found out she has a number of allergies and her favourite thing to eat at Christmas time is a Terry's chocolate orange with popping candy...

I would like to re create this for her this Christmas all boxed up exactly how a chocolate orange would come...
However she has an allergy to oranges so she can not have oranges or orange extract..

Is there any orange free orange substitutes I could use to add to the chocolate to make this work?

Many thanks :)

It is difficult to be sure what will work without knowing more about the specific allergies in question, but there a few things you might check, if they may not trigger her allergy.

Orange flower water, also called orange blossom water, is one possibility - this will certainly be orange themed.  You might also look at orange blossom honey, which again gets the flavor from orange blossoms.  Since these are made with the flowers, rather than the fruit, it may avoid whatever is specifically triggering the allergy - on the other hand, since it is the product of the same tree (usually the bitter orange tree), it may contain the trigger anyway.

You might also look at other citrus fruit, if the allergy is limited to oranges - this will not be a perfect substitute unless you can find somethign within the family quite close to oranges, it will actually taste like the citrus you used, but it may be quite good.  I'm not sure if tangerines or clementines (mandarin orange, C reticulatata, varieties) will count towards an orange allergy, they are certainly connected, and will again give a very orange-like flavor, but might be different enough they may not trigger the allergy if it is specific to oranges, of the bitter (C aurantium) or sweet (C sinesis) varieties.  Likewise, you may look at pomelo (C maximus or grandis), the citron (C medica), or the papadea subcategory which seem to be the closest to oranges in the citrus family tree, to see if any of them might be suitible.

Going further afield, sweet lemon variants may make a fair subsitute - either limatta or sweet lemon or meyer lemon might give a good final product even if it isn't specifically orangey.

I saw a recipe that used carrot juice, apricots, and pineapple juice to make an orange-juice substitute, I don't know how the flavors, rather than the appearance, actually matches up - but you can look into it if you think it might work.

I hope you find something that works well.  Good luck.


What does melted butter do in a swiss roll recipe? I'm planning on making a Swiss roll. This is a sponge cake, baked in your baking sheet (so it's thin) and you roll it up, mostly with a filling.

While looking for a recipe, some recipes say to use the same recipe as for a regular sponge cake, but add some melted butter. Other recipes don't mention melted butter and stick to eggs, sugar and flour.
I'm wondering what the function of the butter is in a Swiss roll. Does it help with rolling? Or is it just taste? Can I omit it?

(I would omit it if it's just the taste. My filling will be butter cream.)

I have never added butter to sponge sheets when making swiss rolls, jelly rolls, or anything similar in the past. It's just straight up bread flour, sugar, and eggs.

I can only think of three possible reasons why butter might be added:

To improve the flavour;
To keep the sheets moist and help prevent overbaking, as any fat would be used in cake batter; however, this is generally not a major concern in cake rolls; or
To help prevent it from sticking to the sheet (don't bother; if you have this problem, use a silicone mat).

Reasons #2 and #3 aren't very convincing to me, so I would only bother adding butter if you prefer the taste of swiss rolls with butter added.

I don't think butter would help with rolling at all, in fact it might make rolling more difficult on account of making the sheets more crumbly and less able to hold together under pressure.


What is a spinach head is equal to? I have a recipe for ravioli filling that calls for a head of spinach. Can anyone translate into ounces or bunches please?

I would suggest that in this case what is described as a "head", is actually a "bunch".  Spinach is typically sold in a bunch (or already prepared and bagged...or frozen), as it doesn't grow in "heads."  Further, there is probably no need to be very precise for a ravioli filling recipe, and I am guessing this filling has other ingredients.  You probably want to avoid frozen for the pasta filling.  It could work, but is often very wet once thawed.


Donut-style Glaze Cracking I make a baked flat cinnamon roll style pastry that I glaze with an icing-sugar based donut-style glaze I've created applied hot on the baked product. Only sometimes when the glaze has set, some get a cracked appearance on the icing.

How can I eliminate or reduce this cracking look of the set glaze?

I’m assuming you’re using a standard recipe and process (where you dip the dougnut in the warm glaze).

If your cooling environment is quite cold, rapid cooling of the glaze can cause cracking. Another popular reason is movement, once placed on the cooling rack, it is advised that you don’t move them around.

A third reason I can think of is inadequate liquid. If all above fails you should try slightly increasing your liquid ingredients.


When is black burned? Obviously once it taste burned, its burned... (yet nothing you can do anymore)

I love to cook, and I cook for years. But im always shy to "hear" the pan, because I'm afraid I will burn the food. I think my steaks are pretty good, yet maybe it can be better (of-course it can!).

I have seen lots of famous chefs showing how to make a steak, chicken, etc. They always state there is a ton of  flavour on the bottom of the pan, which you extract (deglaze) by adding some form of liquid (water, stock, etc.). Got it!

When its truly black, its burned and you should not eat it. Sounds fair.

Apparently there is a thin line where it looks black, yet its not burned.

In similar fashion, when you throw stuff on the grill its even more obvious, because you can see the black stripes. Yet, im not sure if its actually burned?

So, any clues when does black becomes burned (before it happens)?

Thanks!

This is a good question about differentiating between burned and 'browned', if you will.

Browning meat, which is often searing, is a way to introduce great flavors from the Maillard reaction, is the holy grail of meat cookery.

There are other techniques, such as 'Blackening' which provide a very spicy sear to food, but that is a different animal.

In essence, the answer to your question is 'Does it meet the criteria you are going for?

Braised short ribs are browned, often hard.

Brisket is smoked for a loooooong time, and get a big smoky, burny flavor?

Ultimately, is the effect unpleasant?

Blackened catfish, a filet of fish seared under high heat in certain spices is a prize dish,but not 'burnt.'

Does the technique want the char flavor?

If no, then burnt = not good.


vanilla sugar substitution I have a recipe for an apple-strawberry crumble that calls for "1 vanilla sugar." I don't have any, so I'm looking for advice on how to substitute vanilla and sugar for the vanilla sugar - as well as estimates on appropriate amount, since the recipe left that out!  For estimating guidance, it's supposed to be a 9x13 pan.

My best guess would be what Stephie already hinted at: "1 vanilla sugar" means "one sachet of vanilla sugar". I have seen these in different European countries, and they normally contain the "standard" amount of synthetic vanillin to flavor a recipe of up to 500 g of flour, and just a little bit of sugar, not to make it sweet, but to make it easier to handle, because that amount of pure synthetic vanillin is so small, you'd have trouble getting it all out of a sachet if it were there by itself.

You can recognize that this is the case if your recipe calls for what seems like a normal amount of sugar, and separately says "1 vanilla sugar". If this is it, you don't need to add sugar at all. Just take vanilla extract (or whatever your preferred form of vanilla flavoring) and add an amount which seems appropriate to you for the batch size you are making. Your main flavors are apple and strawberry, so if in doubt, stay on the low side and add a bit less vanilla.

The order of mixing can change as well. Vanilla sugar is added with the dry ingredients, but if you are using a liquid form of vanilla, it goes into the wet ingredients. If you want a vanilla bean, the best thing to do is to boil the seeds in one of the liquids (usually milk, if your recipe has it), then cool it down to room temperature. If you add them unboiled, they don't really release the flavor.

"Vanilla sugar" can also have another meaning. Sometimes people leave vanilla pods in a container of sugar for months and then use this subtly flavored sugar as the main sugar in the baked good. If this is the case, then the recipe needs to specify exactly how much sugar is needed, there is no good way to guess. As this kind of vanilla sugar does not come in packages but is made at home in whatever amount you want, "1 vanilla sugar" makes no sense in this context, and you should assume that whoever wrote down the recipe forgot to add the unit.

You can recognize this if you either have no other sugar in the recipe, or have a sugar alternative (such as corn syrup) in what looks like a low amount for the recipe. If this happened, the best thing is to throw out this recipe and choose one of the hundreds of other crumble recipes floating around the Internet. Re-engineering a faulty recipe to a decent state is hard to do and requires trial and error, so it's normally not worth the effort.

If you are sure you need this type of vanilla sugar and are very determined to try this recipe, the best way to go is to try it out with the most common unit in the recipe's culture and see if it works. In a US recipe, this would be one cup of sugar plus as much vanilla as you think is suitable for the recipe. Here you'll have to rely on baking experience, and depending on the recipe source and having worked with similar recipes before, see which unit is likely to have been meant.


What does Cranberry Compound mean? I just read on the side of a Cranberry Juice pack that one of its ingredients was Cranberry compound? What does it mean?

I honestly cannot think of anything they'd be referring to other than a chemical compound, which, in layman's terms, is basically anything more complex than a pure element like oxygen.

A cranberry - and any other food - contains an enormous number of "compounds", so I'm pretty sure that the phrase "cranberry compound" just means that it's not made from fresh/whole cranberries.  It either uses some kind of artificial flavour or concentrate.

If it says "from concentrate" then it is almost definitely the latter; if it says "no artificial flavours" and nothing else then it might be the latter, and if it says "not from concentrate" (but doesn't say anything about artificial flavours) then I'd guess it to be the former.

I'd love to post some kind of citation, but as I said, I don't think it refers to any specific thing, it sounds more like a weasel word to avoid listing one or more "chemical" names like "proanthocyanidin".


How can I intensify the orange flavour in orange cake? The ingredients I followed are:

  2 cups all purpose flour
  2 teaspoons baking powder
  1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  1 cup white sugar
  1 cup orange juice
  1/2 cup oil
  2 eggs
  1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Cooking time 35 minutes at 180 C.

I didn't put zest.
I couldn't feel the strong orange flavor in the cake. The cake was rather dry.

If next time I put 2 cups orange juice, what other thing do I have to increase to maintain the balance?

Can I put half cup brown sugar to maintain the moisture?

Can I put the Orange "pulp" in the cake? Will that make any positive difference? If yes, then what's the way to use it properly?

Citrus zest is where most citrus flavour in a sauce or baked good actually comes from because it remains in solid form, like herbs and spices. The juice adds some flavour but it turns into solution and gets spread out over a very large surface area/volume.

I don't know why you decided not to use the zest - are you using commercial orange juice? If so, that may be part of the problem too - processed juices are not going to be as flavourful as homemade, in part because of the mechanical separation of pulp (even if it is subsequently re-incorporated to make a juice "with pulp").

Orange juice is effectively your water in this recipe so doubling it means you need to double everything else. In other words you'll have exactly the same ratios and therefore exactly the same taste.

If it came out too dry then that means you either (a) baked too long, (b) overworked the batter, (c) didn't use enough oil or (d) didn't use enough sugar. Nothing to do with the OJ content.

If you really want to add more orange flavour beyond what the original recipe would give you, use orange extract, it's a highly concentrated orange flavour and is usually derived from (surprise!) the zest, or made to taste like one. But I would suggest to try following the recipe correctly before doing this.


What is a good book about soup? I really love soup, and mine always comes out pretty badly - once in a while I get a good one, but generally pretty disappointing.

Can anyone recommend a good book for making soup?  Not necessarily a "list of recipes" type of book, more of an "understanding soup" type of book, if that makes any sense to you?

If you check out the "Seasoned Advice Blog", @Yossarian has posted the first two parts of a three part series entitled "Three Books for Every Kitchen". In part-one he describes The New Best Recipe from Cooks Illustrated. I will direct your attention to Chapter 2: Soups. Not only will you find a rich collection of recipes, but invaluable advise on every aspect of soup making.

Part two of the series, "Ratio", also contains several lessons that will improve your soup making skills.

Not only will these two books help you with "Soups" they will enrich your overall kitchen life, in every aspect of cooking.

(note: at this point, part 3 is still pending, but I will bet it will be a winner as well)


Why should or shouldn't I peel button mushrooms? I've peeled my button mushrooms since cooking with a friend once, who did it, but I've never understood why, if at all, it's advisable.

Searching shows a fairly wide range of opinions but I see no reason attached to either side.

Is it purely aesthetic?

The only motivation I'm aware of for peeling button mushrooms other than wanting a very clean, white appearance is to remove dirt, dust, grit, compost, etc. from the surface without the trouble of brushing or washing. It's arguably quicker to peel mushrooms than to brush them (though not in my experience) and many people don't like washing them because they absorb a little bit of the water, which is counter-productive when e.g. sauteing. However, peeling them means you are wasting some of your ingredients, and even a very dirty button mushroom is trivial to clean by washing or brushing.

I rarely find it necessary to clean supermarket mushrooms at all as they tend to be very clean on the shelf. If they're dusty, a gentle pat with a clean, damp sponge does the trick. I would advise against peeling unless you're going for a specific visual presentation that requires it.

See also: How to clean mushrooms?


Potato ricer substitute I'm looking to make potato gnocchi again but won't have a potato ricer. Is there another way to make the potato flour with it? Will a fine cheese grater work on a baked potato?

You can scoop baked potato flesh out of the skins and press it through a sieve using the back of a spoon. This creates a similar effect to a ricer.
The potato flesh needs to be hot/warm to push through the sieve well.
You don't need to use too much pressure to get the potato through and be careful doing this as it does put rather a lot of strain on the sieve.


Sponge cake - Why mix milk and butter instead of folding? From what I understand, after whisking the eggs and sugar you fold in the flour to prevent flattening the air bubbles in the mixture you just incorporated. So why then do some recipes say you should stir or whisk melted butter and milk mix afterwards to the egg-sugar-flour mix? Does this not destroy the air bubbles?

I can't say why you'd want to do this in general for other types of sponge cakes.  But in the linked recipe it's very clear.  The reason is because the milk/butter mixture is heated "to just under a boil" and according to the instructions should still be at least "hot (about 150F)" when added.

In this case, you take out a small portion of the batter, then add this hot liquid mixture to it.  If you don't mix rapidly while doing so and if the temperature is a little off and too hot, you run the risk of coagulating the eggs in the batter (which would obviously not result in a desirable texture to add back into the rest of the batter).

Here, as the recipe notes, you're using this portion of the batter as a liaison, which is a fancy word for a mixture the serves as an intermediary temperature between something hot and something cooler.  By adding the hot milk/butter mixture to a small portion of the batter (rather than the whole batter), you cool it enough so that it won't risk coagulating eggs in the whole batter.

But in the process, you need to whisk rapidly to avoid small egg bits forming curds and becoming solid, so you're sacrificing some of the bubbles in this portion of the batter to create an appropriate intermediary temperature mixture, which then is presumably supposed to be gently folded back into the rest of the batter.

Now, the question is why you're heating the milk in the first place.  There is a whole genre of cakes called "hot milk cakes" or "hot milk sponge cakes," which seem to have originated in the early 20th century.  They use this rather unusual mixing method, where you beat the sugar and eggs for a long time first, then add flour and dry ingredients, and then add liquid and fat at the end.

I'd speculate that the hot milk serves two purposes: (1) it helps melt the butter, which both allows the liquid butter to combine easier with the existing mixture and causes it to coat the flour better which results in a tender crumb (less gluten network formation), and (2) it raises the temperature of the batter above room temperature, thus shortening the time before the cake structure starts to solidify while baking.  My guess is that this is helpful because the sugar/egg foam is less stable than, say, a sugar/butter "creamed" foam (as in a pound cake), and if you don't get the eggs to coagulate fast enough, the whole thing might collapse.  (Again, that last part is just a guess.)  The goal is to end up with a very light and tender cake.


Do cooled-down/chilled toasted black sesame seeds taste nearly raw again? The consensus seems to be that toasted (black) sesame seeds taste better than their raw counterpart.

But what happens to the improved flavour when those toasted sesame seeds cool down or get refrigerated and consumed without being reheated/re-toasted? Is that improved flavour retained? And would microwaving cooled-down toasted sesame seeds make any improvements to flavour?

Toasting a grain causes the color to change due to Maillard reactions. These are chemical reactions between sugars and amino acids that occur in high heat. When the grain cools down, those newly formed chemicals are still present so the flavor will still be different. However, when something is warm, aroma molecules are more volatile, and it is easier to smell them. This is why cold toast still tastes "toasty" but not as good as warm toast.


Roasting multiple turkeys (cooking time estimation) We tend to aim for large Thanksgiving gatherings, and thus tend to roast the largest turkey we can find.  Last year, we ended up roasting a couple extra turkey legs so we had enough meat.

This year, at the suggestion of a local butcher, I'm considering roasting two smaller birds.  He suggested smaller birds are younger, and would have more tender meat.  Depending on exact sizes, I could possibly get both birds in a large roasting pan, or two smaller roasting pans into one oven.

This leaves me with an odd question, though:  How do I estimate the cooking time for multiple birds?  Do they cook like their combined weight, or more like their individual weights?

This looks like an excellent answer to almost exactly the same question, found here.

Tuxman
Nov. 26, 2013 11:01 am

  I am trying to get a clear answer on cooking 2-15 lbs birds in
  different pans/same oven. what would the cooking time, same 20 min per
  lb on 325 degrees? for convection oven?

dae
Nov. 27, 2013 12:43 pm

  @Tuxman: Each bird cooks separately. So it is like cooking one 15 lb
  bird. Start at same time. If one is bigger, it will take longer than
  the other. Allow max space between them. Put a digital probe deep in
  the thigh of the smaller one (avoid contact with bone), and take out
  when it gets to 165 take it out. Put probe in larger one, into thigh,
  take out when it gets to 165.


Why do some instructions tell you how long to preheat an oven for? Why is it that on some directions it says something like "preheat an oven for 400 for 10 minutes"?

Is it not enough to preheat the oven until the oven signals (i.e. usually with a beep) that the desired temperature has been reached? Are there any advantages to waiting longer even though the oven remains at the same temperature?

There are some ovens out there that beep after a given amount of time, if they've hit the correct temperature or not.

Most of the residential ovens I've dealt with likely aren't at 400F within 10 minutes.  It's possible that the recipe writer wants the dish going in before preheating is finished, but they have no way of knowing how long it takes your oven to heat up, so those instructions are going to give inconsistent results.


How can I make this antique ginger wine recipe using ingredients available today? I have this old family ginger wine recipe, but some of the ingredients are hard to find or may not exist any more...

Essence of Ginger 12mls
Tincture of Capsicum 9mls
Essence of Lemon 5mls
Solution of Burnt Sugar 25mls
2 1/2 lb sugar
1 oz Tartaric Acid
5 quarts boiling water

Add mixture and sugar to boiling water.

WHEN COLD add tartaric acid.

I expect I can find the sugar and the water(!), but the rest I'm less sure about. Can anyone give some ideas as to how I could make tincture of capsicum, essence of ginger & lemon, and a solution of burnt sugar? Just in case it's different in other parts of the world, this recipe is British.

How archaic and fun!
I whipped out some Google-fu and found the following for you:
Tincture of Capsicum
You can actually buy this on Amazon: Cayenne Capsicum Tincture 2 Ounces. It's available other places, but I saw prices as high as 2x this. (9 ml ~ 0.3 oz)
Essence of Ginger
This is from a late 19th century Jamaican cookbook (Classic Jamaican Cooking: Traditional Recipes and Herbal Remedies).

Three ounces of freshly grated ginger
Two ounces of thinly cut lemon-peel
Two pints of brandy or proof spirit (white rum)

Just combine and let sit for 10 days, shaking well.
Essence of Lemon
This can also be purchased. You can likely find some lemon extract in your grocery store, if not here is some on Amazon: Flavorganics Organic Lemon Extract, 2-Ounce Glass Bottles (Pack of 3) - note that it's 3 bottles.
Solution of Burnt Sugar
This isn't just typical caramelized sugar, it's burnt sugar. Sugar that has been heated to the dark caramel stage of 370 F to 400 F (188 C to 204 C). The sugar at this point has lost most of it's sweetness, smells burnt, and tastes kind of bitter. It's commonly called caramel color these days. This is what is gives Cola's their dark color. In the small amount of 25ml and in the presence of 2.5 lbs of sugar (wow!) you won't taste it.
My amazon-fu fails here, but have found it available on this site: http://www.spiceplace.com/mccormick_caramel_color.php
It might be simpler to buy this than attempt making your own. Caramel coloring can be a little hazardous to make, it's easy to go too far and burn your sugar, and dumping any quantity of water into 400 F sugar is a sketchy experience. Here is a how-to if you desire though:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5673239_make-caramel-food-coloring.html
Tartaric Acid
This too can be purchased - Tartaric Acid 2 oz. (56 gr.)
Please note that tartaric acid is not the same as cream of tartar. Cream of tartar is an acid-salt in which the tartaric acid is partially neutralized. This site suggests you can use a 2:1 substitution ratio of cream of tartar to tartaric acid. I'm not sure if this will make a difference in your drink because I've never used cream of tartar in such a way or quantity before.
There is also the possibility that a recipe of this age simply used the term tartaric acid to refer to cream of tartar. Who knows?


Solutions of making cookies less crumbly and dough not being able to be shaped into balls? I made cookies from a YouTube recipe but it was too crumble even before baking.

The ingredients are:

900g plain flour
300g sugar
Half teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
350 ml oil
Cinnamon

It's baked at 240 C for 15-20 mins.

See the video GHRIBIA COOKIES.

What are possible solutions like what kind of ingredient shall I add without affecting the taste?

Ghribia cookies are meant to be extremely tender and delicate. Making them with just oil is tricky. The dough will be slightly crumbly and difficult to work with. If they're too crumbly to shape at all, then you need slightly more oil until the dough is just workable. Recipes that use some butter or even an egg yolk are easier to handle and stick together easier. So for this particular recipe, add slightly more oil (it won't take much, so be careful). And in general, if you want an easier recipe look for one with butter (or vegetable shortening to avoid the butter taste) or egg.


Does beetroot and chorizo work together in a dish I'm currently going through a phase of cooking a lot of beetroot.  I also love Chorizo. I was thinking of doing a Beetroot and chorizo risotto.  But I'm unsure if the flavour profile would complement each other.

I'm thinking of trying to balance it with balsamic vinegar and/or using red wine instead of white.  In general can you cook these 2 ingredients together and make it taste nice?  Normally I'm quite good with food pairings (though I generally tend to stick fairly tried and tested combos) but don't know if this would work without cooking it.

As you go further west from Russia the borscht often has pork sausage to replace the beef shin etc. If you like it spicy, often chorizo is then substituted for the plain/spiced/smoked pork sausage

It's not everyone's ideal of a meal, but with a good dollop of sour cream it's great!


french press vs. chemex - oil absorbed by chemex filters? I've always understood the french press to be the superior way to prepare coffee because it lacks any paper/cloth filter thus leaving the flavorful and aromatic oil in the beverage. However, I've noticed a lot of my favorite coffee places now prefer chemex or pour-over style claiming it to be the best way to prepare and coffee.

Does the paper filter used in chemex's in fact absorb the coffee's oils? Does this impact the flavor/aroma of the beverage? If not, what is it about the chemex/pour-over makes it the preferred method by so many high end/gourmet coffee shops? (Aside from it's obvious visual appeal, show-like quality.)

The Chemex process does absorb oils, and also reduces the total time the coffee grounds stay in direct contact with hot water. But the issue is less about better-vs-worse, and more about your preferences wrt the characteristics of how you like to drink your coffee.

French Press yields, assuming all else is the same, an earthier, more viscous brew with more pronounced bitter notes that many people prefer. This is related to the presence of oils and suspended microparticles, much of which the Chemex filter removes.

Assuming the same grounds-to-water ratio and the same bean, a Chemex process will yield a coffee infusion with relatively sharper high notes, enhanced acidity and lowered bitterness. For coffee varietals and roasts that have more delicate, perfumey elements, Chemex can be a preferred method. Many coffeeshops prize these more floral, wine-like elements in their coffees and want their customers to experience them.

Besides choosing to showcase the more delicate elements of the coffee beans, many high-end coffee houses also have logistical concerns facing them as they work to assure the same coffee experience cup after cup. Assuming the patron receives a ready-to-drink (or ready-to-lighten/sweeten) cup of coffee, Chemex offers a process that is easier to measure, time, brew and dispose/clean up than French Press when presented with a stream of customers. While, French Press is easier than Chemex if you give the press to the customer to press and pour when they wish, that means the coffeeshop cannot control the final brew quality, which is often what they prize. Assuming the French Press is poured into a carafe, this problem can be ameliorated, but dumping, rinsing the pot, then unscrewing, rinsing and rescrewing the press is more challenging under time pressure than simply lifting out the Chemex filter and discarding.

Personally, I prefer French Press. I like the heavier, more viscous brew that the process yields, and I lean towards Half-City or medium roasts, which are lower in bitterness in the first place.

Here's a good example of a method very similar to what I do:
http://stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/press-pot/


Why and what kind of breads should be scored? Inspired by this question How can I score wet bread dough more easily?, I am quite keen to know why and what kind of breads should be scored?

What will happen if we don't score the breads?

A properly formed loaf, before it is baked, has a network of gluten strands stretched tightly around its perimeter.  This network is in tension, helping maintain the shape of the loaf.

There are several reasons to score the loaf:

The tension in the outer network of gluten strands limits the ability of the loaf to expand, especially in the "oven spring" or final excited burst of activity that the yeast go through as the temperature of the dough rises at the beginning of baking.  The score creates a slit in the network, allowing the loaf to expand, permitting more oven spring to take place.
The scores provide a weak point (due to the cut in that gluten net), controlling where expansion takes place oven spring proceeds.  This may prevent cracks that would otherwise be unattractive.
Furthermore, the score allows aesthetically pleasing shapes or patterns to created on the loaf, as the the dough exposed during oven spring will have a slightly different texture (it isn't surrounded by the in-tension gluten network, and will have been baked slightly less as it comes to the surface of the loaf during the oven spring).  This means it will tend to have a different (often lighter) color than the main crust where the in-tension network was in place.  For example:

(credit on photo)

Another example, taken farther for a more artistic statement:

You can see the attractive pattern on the loaf from the scores (which are also functional in the first sense)—the look like a leaf.  (Credit on photo).

Scoring is more important and effective in free form loaves which will have good oven spring.


How does one go about marking food in an oven? One member of our household has some specific food allergies. Her food is often prepared differently, but not usually in a way where it is visually different from the rest of the food. Let’s say we’re cooking chicken thighs on a baking sheet for the whole family. My suggestion was to insert a toothpick. What’s the best way to mark her food?

I have spent decades cooking for people who can't have gluten, and I and several other people can't have shrimp. The simplest thing to do is to make everyone's food meet the needs of the allergic person. So for example don't bread anyone's chicken, or make a single gluten-free gravy.

That's the simplest, but it may not meet your other needs. In that case, I avoid anything that can fall off or be missed. In the case of chicken pieces on a baking sheet, I would use one large sheet and one smaller pan, and put the special portion on the smaller pan. Now you can flip and turn the pieces freely, and you don't need to worry about the juices mingling or whatever. I do this when cooking regular and gluten-free pasta, for example; I use very different-sized pots. When I run a separate butter dish to avoid crumb contamination, it's not two identical white butter plates, one of which is labelled; it's a white plate for the might-have-gluten-crumbs butter and a small clear bowl for the keep-it-crumb-free butter. These visual cues are much larger than a toothpick and can't be missed or fall out or end up on the underside or whatever.


How to make uncooked onion digestable? I have a problem with uncooked, sliced onion making me and other people feel uncomfortable in the stomach, sometimes whole night. However, when I eat tacos out in restaurants that never happens. Is it due to the variety of onion or do they prepare them in a certain way?

Adding salt and lemon should do it, or at least help a lot.

What you want to do is to chop them up and rub in a little salt and a splash of lemon juice (vinegar should work too). Obviously you don't want to add so much of either that you won't want to eat the onion.
Leave to sit in the fridge overnight and enjoy.


What would be the result of using chicken livers when making liverwurst? Is liver just liver or is there some basic difference in beef, swine, chicken. If I take a liverwurst recipe and use chicken liver instead of pork am I gong to get the same results within + or - 10%. Is liver from a shoat the same taste as a 60 kg sow?

Let me do a breakdown of the typical ingredients of liverwurst ("Leberwurst") roughly based on food laws in Germany (aka liverwurst country):

roughly 10% - 30% (sometimes up to 40%) liver:
mostly pork because it's cheapest, using partly veal or poultry is more expensive but tastewise no big difference.
muscle meat and bacon, again typically pork, but beef, veal and poultry is also used either alone or as add-in.
usually a generous amount of spices.

The liver is influencing taste and texture, but the used regular meat and especially the spices play a big role, too. Using a "too dominant" liver or too much in total can be overwhelming, but there's no accounting for taste. While pork, veal and poultry livers are comparatively "mild" and can be used interchangeably (or as you said, the results will be in your +/- 10% range), beef liver has a tendency to make the liverwurst bitter, so it's use is not recommended.


Bread dough. Rookie questions I am trying to make a multigrain/white blended bread, I want to break away from using a breadmaker and manually mix it.

My recipe:

  1 package (1/4 ounce - 1.5us tsp) active dry yeast (my previous attempts did not rise very much, suspected old yeast - new yeast was purchased, confirmed active)
  2-1/4 cups warm water (110° to 115°) (water verified this temperature range with thermometer before mixing begins. any extra added is less than 15ml and also the same temp)
  3 tablespoons sugar
  2 tsp salt
  2 tablespoons butter
  6-1/4 to 6-3/4 cups flour (using 2 cups of multigrain bread flour, 4 cups all purpose white flour)

procedure:

  Yeast is activated and dissolved in sugar water mixture before other ingredients are added. After adding, as per the above recipe I knead it for 10 minutes on a floured surface. Initial rising time is 30-45 mins or until doubled, dough is punched down and then shaped into loaves and divided into lightly greased breadpans. secondary rising time 30 mins or until doubled, placed into 350F oven for 30-40 mins or until lightly browned bread sounds 'hollow' when tapped.

Questions:

What should the dough look/feel like when it's ready? (can anyone post me a picture of the targeted product?)
What is overkneading?
Is the recipe alright?
Do you have additional steps to follow?

My background: I am a 260lb x-military veteran who regularly does 1000 pushups every 3 days, avg bench is 300lbs for several full sets, overhead press and pulls are roughly the same weights.

The point of me saying this - someone suggested I have kneaded the bread too much and too strongly.

Previous loaves were hard and did not rise very much.

Please offer this rookie some advice.

There can be a lot of things happening here, but I will start with some first ideas.

You are not overkneading. Overkneading is not about raw strength. It doesn't happen per hand, not in 10 minutes (actually, it doesn't happen in the mixer within 10 minutes either). Whatever your problems are, overkneading is very unlikely to be one of them. If it were, you would notice a pronounced change from sticky through supple to weirdly-noncohesive.
You are killing most of your yeast off. 110 to 115 F is not "warm" water when it comes to yeast, it is scalding. If you absolutely need quick rising times, use water at 90 F, +-5. Room temperature water (70 F +-10) will produce better tasting bread, and also has a larger margin for error.
Forget the time directions for rising and really go with "until doubled". Proof in a measuring container, or at least in a square or cylindrical one where you can mark the initial level. "Just kinda stopped" should not happen before doubling, if the yeast is well and alive.
The problem is not in the proportions of your recipe. They are pretty much middle of the road, assuming that you are really following them and not mismeasuring somehow. If you think it is a measuring issue, weigh the ingredients, that's not nearly as error-prone as baking by volume.
A somewhat far-fetched idea would be that you beat too much flour from the mat into the dough during kneading. My quick calculation shows that you would have to beat in well over 150 g of flour before it starts getting unpleasantly hard, but if you want to avoid this source of error, knead without additional flour (just disregard the sticking).
Preheat your oven. If you have a pizza stone or some other good thermal mass, use it.
If you really have that big problems, try simple white bread first. After you have mastered that, you can get to multigrain loaves. They typically don't rise as much as white bread, and are more difficult to get right.


Is tofu considered a processed food? One might not think of tofu as a processed food, but it seems to follow the definition found here:

  Food processing is any deliberate change in a food that occurs before it's available for us to eat.

Is tofu considered a processed food? If so, in the 'continuum' chart, which would tofu fall under?

We are being bombarded with the message to eat less 'processed food' so asking what that might mean and which foods it includes is relevant.

Most of us will agree on the definition found here:
www.getting-started-with-healthy-eating.com/processed-food
Processed food refers to the products of food manufacturers; these products are literally manufactured in industrial processes.

Industrial is the key word. I can grind flour at home and bake bread but not with a mixer of 500rpm and 100 additives.

Any site with a more inclusive, favorable definition of 'processed food' is probably an industry representative

My opinion puts tofu at the same processing level as home curd cheese.


Are these beets still edible? I boiled some beets last weekend but then had to travel unexpectedly.  They have been in the fridge in a container.  They have some light purple watery droplets on them now.  Are they still edible? Here is a photo:

It's a vegetable. When you cooked it you damaged the cell walls and the juice is leaking out.

I think this picture only seems unusual because of the beets' color. If these were carrots there wouldn't be a question because, of course, the juice would be less startling.

If these beets haven't started to mold or ferment- and you'd know it from the smell- then they are fine.


How much is in a handful of spinach? Yes, I know it's a volume unit, but I want to know how many grams does a male or female handful of spinach can hold. You'll see, a recipe calls for 2 handfuls of spinach, 1 handful of parsley and 2 leaves of kale (these aren't all the ingredients, just the non-precise ingredients). So, as you can see the recipe is good for you because you don't have to measure, however, I want to get the nutritional fact of this recipe. To do this, I have to put the ingredients and its quantity on a page.

So, how much is a handful of this green veggie? Or much does it weighs? (it'll also help).

I general any recipe that uses non precise words like a "handful", is either not a well tested recipe, or the author is suggesting to use the ingredient for taste, colour, and/or texture reasons. The amount (within reason) is not critical to the recipe

Just add the amount you would like in terms of a balanced meal, and what gives the taste, colour, and/or texture you like


Thawed meat can we refreeze Our freezer was accidentally switched off approx a week ago and it was full of beef which had been frozen when very fresh will it be safe to refreeze

It depends on whether the temperature stayed under 40 F / 4 C the whole time, and even if it did, how long was it above 32 F / 0 C.

If:

Yes, the temperature never rose above refrigerator levels of 40 F / 4C, and
The duration that it was above 32 F / 0 C (above freezing) was not more than the length of time you would normally refrigerate an item (2-3 days meat) then
Yes you can refreeze but the life will be shortened upon being thawed by however long it was above freezing; furthermore, you will probably suffer a loss of quality (especially in texture) from the refreezing cycle.

According the Ohio State University extension, this is likely to only be 24 hours id safety margin assuming you don't open the door.  If you don't know the temperatures, you probably want to be conservative in your estimations.

After a week, you may wish to lean towards discarding the contents, as sad as that may be.


Why is my chocolate fudge not that dark? A UK chain's chocolate fudge is very dark. When I do chocolate fudge it comes out more looking the colour of milk chocolate. Is this because they use whipping cream or for some other reason?

It's possible that you need to add more chocolate, or use a different type of chocolate.  Dutch process cocoa has a much darker color than natural cocoa, for example.

It's also possible that the color is being lightened by microscopic air bubbles.  This can happen if you use a fluffy ingredient (such as marshmallow cream) or if you mix a lot of air into the fudge.  Although, I imagine it would take a lot of air to make a big difference.

If all else fails, try dipping pieces of fudge in dark chocolate.  I know that's cheating, but who's going to argue with chocolate covered fudge?  Sounds good to me!


Why would parsnips make a beef stock not freeze? I made a beef stock the way I always do, except that I added parnsips. Then I put the stock in the freezer and when I took it out, the stock was not frozen. It was freezing cold, but instead of having the consistency of ice as I would have expected, it was more like jelly. I think the only thing I did differently was adding the parsnips (although I suppose it's possible that the bones had an unusual amount of collagen for some reason).

Has anyone ever observed this effect from parsnips, or what else could be going on here?

I dont think that adding parnips to a beef stock would change the chemistry. I would give the beef stock a longer time to freeze as well as check the temperature in your freezer!


Butcher/Cooking Twine - safe for BBQ? Is cooking twine safe for BBQ? I see twine safely used in the oven, but I need this on a charcoal rotisserie. I'm worried that the twine will burn off. Does anyone know if twine is safe? Or if there is an alternative?

I've used butchers twine on the grill many times with only the cut ends charring a bit.  As the meat cooks the twine absorbs some of the fluid that it exudes, which evaporates and cools the twine some.  By the time the twine chars the meat has started to shrink and usually the shape has at least started to set.

As an alternative you can use wire. Stainless steel wire for this purpose can be purchased online from many grilling and BBQ retailers. For larger projects, like whole hog rotisserie, I've seen people use chicken wire fencing material.  Just make sure to thoroughly clean off any oil or coating that may be on the wire before using it on food.


How can I fix brownies that I accidentally added ketchup and pepper to? When whisking eggs with flour, I accidentally added about 3 tablespoons of ketchup (I know, I know - I was making pizza at the same time and mixed up the two doughs). I also added ground pepper. I'm afraid I messed everything up irrevocably - the brownies are already in the oven, but I tried the dough and it was salty/creamy. Is there any way I can counteract the saltiness/creaminess? Should I add more chocolate?

Perhaps your brownies could be saved, and even improved, by the addition of a caramel layer on the top, creating a salted caramel and chocolate version. Simply  boil sugar with a small amount of water until it's a deep golden amber color, take off the heat and whisk in several tablespoons of heavy cream and several of butter. Drizzle over the top, before or after cutting into squares, and let cool completely.


How to soak no boil lasagna noodles in water without them sticking to each other? I like to soak no boil pasta noodles in water before layering them since it gives them a special taste. However the noodles like to stick to each other in whatever container i put them in. How do you prevent them?

Layer them between wax paper, parchment paper or microwave cling film.


Instant coffee with only milk? I like milk. So I thought of doing milk with instant coffee. I mean, I have coffee here but it says I should use water. I always use it with water and put a little bit milk.

Can I also use only milk without any water?

Milk is mostly water.  Instant coffee will dissolve just fine in milk or even cream.

Of course, flavour-wise it's going to be more like a weak latte than coffee.  That's essentially what a latte is - coffee and milk.


Should you wash beef before freezing? I have bought a 3 kg vacuum-sealed package of ribeye steaks. The steaks are very fresh and are essentially floating in blood.

I would like to repackage the steaks one by one, so that I can thaw them separately. Should I wash them before freezing, or is it ok to directly package them in plastic wrap as they are?

Just a note, a pet peeve of mine and something that may help you feel better, that red liquid is not blood. It is Myoglobin, a protein that found only in muscle. Blood tends to spoil very rapidly and meat which was not properly drained of blood will typically spoil or at least taste unlike what you want. Myoglobin however as it ages is what helps give aged meat its distinct, and for many, better flavor. When meat is seared, it also contributes to the caramelized crust, another level of flavor many like.
 Myoglobin is related to Hemoglobin, red blood cells, and works with it to deliver oxygen to the muscle, but it is not the same and does not age the same.

As to what to do when repacking, well, as comments have given multiple answers, I would also say that is personal choice.  For me, best taste is to still have some, but a lot of the liquid is just messy, so I would tend to pat some off but not rinse or wash.  Rinse if you prefer, but I certainly would not soak or scrub.  When you thaw, almost certainly more will be released from the steak, so in the end the results will likely be about the same between patting and leaving it.  I would just think you will want to minimize introducing ice crystals which may reduce the quality of the frozen and thawed meat.


Frying potatoes in cast iron: sticking! I've tried frying potatoes (generally cubed small, like 1/4") in my cast iron pan but they frequently stick very badly. Badly enough so I've got to resort to scraping with a metal spatula. The pan is not like 50 years old and perfectly well-seasoned or anything, but I have no trouble with any other kind of food sticking.

They generally come out ok but just not very brown and crispy, as you would like fried potatoes to be.

Anyone have any advice? Temperature ranges to try to improve the results?

Preheat the pan for longer than you expect, then preheat the oil as well. Cast iron takes a long time to heat up. With some foods you can get away with not preheating so it may seem silly to just let the pan sit on the burner with nothing else happening, but the potatoes will test your patience because of how much they can stick to pans.

Once you add the potatoes to the hot pan with hot oil, let them sit. They will go thru a stage of raw -> starting to cook -> cooked and starting to brown but sticking -> deliciously brown and movable from the pan.


Kind of Russian pierogi When I was younger, we had a yearly "Taste of Tacoma" in Tacoma, WA. There was a booth that had this Russian, I think, pierogi. However, I remember what I had as being round like a baseball with at least ground beef inside. I was fairly young and don't recall what else it included.

Does anyone know if this is a specific type of dish or just a variation on the pierogi?

Thanks.

That sounds like a beef Pirog, a Russian (and other surrounding areas) pie with meat (or other fillings) wrapped in pastry or dough and baked.

There are also smaller stuffed pastries/breads called "pirozhki" in Russian (literally: little pies) that may be baked or fried.

Polish pierogi are small filled dumplings. Similar in concept and pronunciation to Russian pirogi and sometimes similar in filling as well, but with a different dough and generally steamed (or steamed then pan-fried) -- those are also called vareniki (Ukrainian) or pelmeni (Russian).

I would say that Russian pirogi and Polish pierogi are distinctly separate foods. Russian pelmeni and Polish pierogi are different regional variations of the same dish.


frozen meat and pork kept in freezer for 4 years never opened I recieved a freezer full of frozen meat is beef or pork is still good if frozen for 4 years. never unfrozen still in package
from store

It is fine to eat but it's all going to be flavorless from freezer burn, most likely. Freezing periods for beef and pork are about 4-5 months, ground meat 2-3 months, and poultry about 6-8 months.


Discworld cookbook question How useful is the discworld cookbook to people in our world for cooking purposes? In other words do they use real world ingredients? Any notable successes?

I’m mostly curious & I don’t think it’s been covered on this stack before anyway

I took a look at the Amazon page for the book and using Look Inside discovered a number of relatively innocuous recipes. The ingredients are UK-ish (self-raising flour, for example) as are the names (Delight for a pudding and sauce combo, for example.) There is an old-fashioned tone to the dishes I spotted, which were exclusively desserts, though I didn't see all of them because See Inside doesn't show you much.

I didn't see a ton of actual recipes - there are pictures, and pages of text that I didn't read. If you're a Pratchett person (I am) it's delightful. If you're not, you will probably be quite confused. But I don't think any of the confusion will come from the actual recipes themselves.


Making cream cheese from raw, non-homogenized milk, what to do with the cream? Of all the recipes I've seen for cream cheese from raw milk, I haven't seen any mention of whether to skim some of the cream, shake it in or something else.

My initial guess is to leave the cream and let the milk continue to separate further, but that is just my educated guess so hoping for an actual answer.

In all cheese making and especially with young cheeses like cream cheese, fat adds a lot to the flavor and texture.

You can skim off extra fat but your cheese will be thinner and less richly flavored.

Shaking the cream in won't help if you are using a fermented method (as opposed to using boiling and acid to curdle the milk) because it will separate out again during the fermentation.

Your thickened, fermented milk will be richer on top where the cream rose. It will mix back in when you drain the cheese and form it.


How accurate is the hand technique for grilling? I have read several articles and watched several videos talking about the proper way to gauge the temperature of a grill. Basically they state if you can hold your hand X inches over a grill for Y seconds the grill is at some range of Z1 to Z2 degrees. I have read, for example, if you can hold you hand 3 inches above the grill for 2 to 3 seconds then the grill is 350F to 400F degrees.

How accurate are these measurements? Especially on a charcoal grill?

Example: I am making a Brussels sprouts recipe that calls for roasting them on 400F for 10 minutes in the oven. Unfortunately the oven is full. Can I throw my Brussels sprouts on a grill that I can hold my hand over for 1-2 seconds at 3 inches above the grill and expect similar results? I realize grilling and roasting are very different, but I was wanting for a baseline.

While I suspect that the formula is mostly reliable if you repeat the experiment with the same person, I found the individual heat sensitivity varies a lot. Most professional cooks and seasoned homemakers can handle (pun intended) higher heat than those who rarely expose their hands to high temperatures. In our home, we’ve had heated discussions about whether the dishes in the just finished dishwasher are too hot to touch or not. And this is just one example.

If you exclude the differences between individuals, using your own hand’s heat sensitivity to gauge a temperature range is absolutely possible (as long as a few degrees don’t matter). It takes time and practice - which is usually described as “experience”. I personally don’t think in “degrees” though, but more in categories like “too cold” / “should be ok” / “too hot” and a few steps in between.

So in short, if you need a precise temperature, get a thermometer. If you are still working on judging by hand, either get a thermometer or plan a few trial-and-error loops. And sometimes the exact temperature is not important for a recipe to work.

Using the X-time at Y-distance formula may work, if your heat sensitivity is similar to the author’s.


Why do black olives typically come in cans and green olives typically come in jars? Typically pitted ripe (black) olives are sold in cans but green olives and specialty olives (e.g., Kalamata) are in jars.

Is this due to properties of the olives and different storage needs?

It's for marketing purposes. People who can see the food inside the jar are more likely to buy it. Subconsciously a tall jar full of olives is more pleasing to the eyes than a can which is full to an unknown percentage. Another good thing about a glass container is that it is resealable, so the olives remain fresh longer.

So why don't they do this with black olives? Jars are more expensive than cans or other cheap plastic containers. Green olives seem to be more popular in american cuisine than black olives. Companies have more budget to afford more expensive packaging for green olives than for black olives. It also depends on where the olives come from - I eat a lot of olives from a niche Greek grocery store, and all of the olives (green or black) are in plastic containers, most likely because of the economics of the region from which they were imported.


Pork substitute for Game Meat Pie I found out my friend can’t have fatty pork products (grew up not eating it for religious reasons and now if she has really rich fatty pork products it makes her sick) but she was super excited to try a Game Meat Pie I make with elk and rabbit. Unfortunately, the recipe calls for some back bacon and pork belly so that the fat keeps the leaner game meats from drying out. Does anyone know what I can maybe substitute for the back bacon and pork belly that will still give me the fat I need?

Duck fat.

You could use butter, of course, which would make it delicious like everything made with butter is.  But duck fat has a higher melting point than butter and in that respect is more like lard.  Duck fat is super delicious.  Also it seems to me duck fat is more in accord with the overall ethos of a game meat pie.

You could buy plain duck fat.  Or you could first have your friend over for roast duck, and you would then save the rendered fat and have her over for the game meat pie later.  Do the duck in a way such that any flavor in the fat will match what you intend with the game meat pie - for example duck with Moroccan spices would be great but those spices might then crash the game meat pie party.


What is: Yellow Flour? We were told that yellow flour (Italian) can be added to normal white flour to make a good crispy pizza dough?

What is this yellow flour?

The yellow flour you are referring to is most likely durum wheat semolina, which is yellow in color and is often used in making pasta, breads, and pizza dough.

As noted in some of the comments, semolina can come from different grains and other types of wheat.

Please see this  link  for more information about semolina.


What is the difference between crème anglaise and crème pâtissière? I am amateur and novice baker. I cannot differentiate the two recipes. Are they only different in proportion?

I know that the two are egg-based, mixed with sugar and starch and tempered with milk (or occasionally fresh cream) previously boiled with vanilla bean and then heated until it thickens. So what is the difference between the two?

Crème Pâtissière is a thicker mixture, and is usually used for filling a pastry. It would be rolled into, or injected into something that would then be baked. As such, it needs to be thicker, so as not too leak out, and usually more flavourful, as it is the main flavour in the pastry.

Crème Anglaise is what the English would call custard. It is usually served as a "sauce" for sweet dishes. A classic dish would be apple crumble, served in a bowl with custard around it. The custard is there to add richness, and complement the flavour of the cake, and is therefore usually more subtle in flavour.


"preseasoned" cast iron pot colors my broth I recently bought a certain "light cast iron" that looks like a wok. Cooking on induction, it seemed to give my pork broth a black tinge. Broth was fine, but there was certainly something from the pan.

The wok is supposedly preseasoned, so I don't know why this happens. Any workarounds? Should I rub the inside of the wok with cooking oil and bake it in the oven upside down for 30 minutes?

Pre-seasoned doesn't generally really mean ready-to-use. It usually only means that the cookware is coated in wax and/or oil to protect it from rusting prior to use. It still needs to be seasoned. Consumer Reports gets into that and how to season cast-iron for first use. Seasoning is also covered at length on this site.

Don't worry though, the factory coating is perfectly safe to eat as you have.


How to get Palm Oil? I am trying to make my own Nutella from raw ingredients. I have tried many recipes and eventually bought a wet grinder to make smooth hazelnut paste. Then I bought criollo couverture chocolate and I was able to make the most amazing hazelnut-cocoa-spread. But it has a flaw, it is too soft and it becomes almost liquid when spread on a fresh toasted bread slice.
So I tried to replace some of the oil I used with cacao butter and it was better. Then I used coco oil for the rest and it was perfect. But again this recipe have a big issue. coco oil and cacao butter are both worth than palm oil in terms of saturated oil.
Now I am trying to buy some "palm oil" but this looks like mission impossible. I either find cosmetic products, or articles about deforestation. When a find an interesting shop, it sells liquid reddish palm oil, not the white buttery paste I saw on how is it made.
Where can I find palm oil and how should I call it?

Based on your description of being more solid, I think you might actually want palm shortening.  Shortening is 100% fat and doesn't contain any water, making it more solid at room temperature.
Palm shortening does look a little closer to butter

A quick google search shows that Amazon does sell palm shortening.


Ceramic knives for boning? I have read that one shouldn't use ceramic knives for cutting THROUGH bones, but how about for cutting AROUND bones? Examples would include cutting breasts off a chicken, carving around bones in steaks, etc. So the knife would probably come into occasional contact with a bone, but not with any serious amount of force.

the problem with ceramic knives and bones is that they are incredibly brittle. Any slip into bone can cause chips in your blade so I would just not use them when bones are involved.


How do I get my cheesecake bottom not to crumble? I made a triple chocolate cheesecake. The bottom is just crushed Oreos (no filling) and melted butter which is baked to make the crust.

But once I was done making the cheesecake and tried to serve it, the crust is sufficiently crumbly that it like leaves a trail every time I serve it.

My Question

Is there a way to reduce how crumbly the crust is?

I don't need it to be perfectly congealed, but I'd like it to not get everywhere when I serve it and so a more congealed crust would be preferable.

When you crumble the Oreos for the Oreo crust, keep the fillings in. You can put them all in a plastic bag and squash them thoroughly with a rolling pin, then scrape the whole (somewhat greasy) mass out and press it into your cheesecake pan. That one ingredient -whole Oreos- is all you need for the crust.


How can I make my almond buns rise evenly? I make small almond flour buns using silicone molds shaped like half a ball, my problem is that I need them to rise evenly so that I can get a perfect mini-bun shape.
What should I do?

It sounds like your mold may not be sitting totally flat in the oven. Try putting it in the oven on a baking sheet.

One way to minimize doming, is to lower your baking temperature. There is a lot of good information in this answer to a similar question.


What to do with the fat rendered when making beef stock? I just made beef stock and after cooling the stock in the pot I skimmed the solidified fat off the surface and the walls of the pot. Since I often read 'keep duck fat' when making duck stock/broth and because lard is probably something similar from pork, should I keep that beef fat instead of throwing it away? Or does it lack the 'quality' of duck fat (for instance)?

Rendered beef fat can be used in a lot of ways.  You can use it in place of oil in a lot of recipes, but finding out which ones you like will take some experimenting.  Around our house, I use rendered fat from beef or bacon in place of oil when sautéing, for example with onions and peppers, garlic or mushrooms.  I've also used it to add some kick to gravies.

You could use it to pop popcorn, which I've heard is delicious but unfortunately have never tried.

I've had pasties made with beef fat, and they were delicious.  Mashed potatoes as well.

As far as fat ratio goes, it's better than butter, but not as good as other fats.  Beef fat has a high smoke point and is suitable for frying.

The table below is based off of 1 tablespoon.  Ratio means saturated to unsaturated.  Smoke point can vary depending on a lot of factors (olive oil can range from 300 when unrefined, to 375-450 when refined depending on quality) but the table below should be a good guide.  For the oils, I took the refined numbers.

                   sat   mono  poly   ratio  smoke
  Canola Oil       0.9   8.2   4.1    1:12   470°F
  Olive Oil        1.8   10.0  1.2    2:11   450°F
  Chicken Fat      3.8   5.7   2.6    1:2    375°F
  Duck Fat         4.3   6.3   1.7    1:2    375°F
  Lard (pork fat)  5.0   5.8   1.4    5:7    365°F
  Beef Tallow      6.4   5.4   0.5    1:1    400°F
  Butter           7.2   3.3   0.5    7:4    350°F

(fat source) (smoke point source)

A lot of people mix it into their dog's food, or use it to feed birds.

Seach for tallow if you want to find recipes that specifically use it.


How to use sourdough starter? A week ago I mixed 1 part AP flour 1 parts tap water, keeping it at room temperature (18-24c). I've been discarding a bit and feeding it 1:1 daily. The last few days, the next 4-6 hours after I feed it it double in size, and then it slowly goes down.

Now I want to use it to make some baguettes, the recipe calls for 20% starter. But how do I use the starter? Do I have to use it before or after feeding it? Or should I feed it and wait a few hours before using it?

The optimal time to use your starter is at peak activity.  This could range from a couple of hours after feeding to 12 hours after feeding, depending of conditions.  The top should have a slight dome, it should be bubbly...just before it begins to settle back down.


How should I order unknown wines in a tasting I hope this is not too off-topic.

We are doing a wine tasting soon, where everyone presents a wine (assume all red, dry). As there will be a wide variety of types, I think the order is quite important (e.g. not having light wines directly after very heavy ones).
What might be the best way to define an order from the information given on a typical bottle of mid-range wine?

Light first, see e.g. this list for ordering them by varietals, if you have old world wine you need to decode areas to probable varietals :-)

So for reds that would make a list like this.

Pinot Noir
Sangiovese
Tempranillo
Grenache
Zinfandel
Merlot
Shiraz / Syrah
Cabernet Sauvignon


Remedy for Dry Chicken Yakhni pulao ? My question is that today I prepared Chicken Yakhni Pulao,it tasted good but it is very dry, i mean the youghurt and the masala got absorbed in the rice very much. And i have made lots of it, it is also fully cooked. So does anyone know how should i make the fully cooked pulao little juicy ? As it is difficult to eat the dry pulao(I may require another curry with it)

Pulao is usually a "dry" dish without any gravy/sauce left in it when it finishes cooking. If the rice seems to be fully cooked and the individual grains do not seem to be under cooked or slightly crunchy then I think it is probably correct.

Many people serve raita (I like a simple yoghurt-onion-tomato mix with some chili powder and salt) and green coriander chutney along with pulao or biryani which helps to make the overall experience less dry. I usually cook the marinade as well to make a gravy/salan to serve on the side when I make chicken biryani.


Easy way to steam vegetables in opened steam-in-bag kind I bought a steam-in-bag bag of brocolli and carrots. These bags are usually microwaved without opening. E.g.: http://www.birdseye.com/vegetable-products/steamfresh-pure-simple/broccoli-florets

My 4 year old opened and ate one of the carrots. Now, I am left with an opened steam-in-bag bag which I need to steam. Of course, there are many ways of steaming vegetables but I was wondering: Is there any way of using this bag to steam the rest of the veggies?

Put the frozen vegetables in a microwave-safe bowl and place a wet paper towel (or two) over it. Microwave for about 1-1 1/2 minutes at a time (checking that the paper towel is still moist) until the vegetables are cooked to your liking.


What kind of alcohol has least carbohydrates? I'm looking for types of alcohols which have least carbohydrates. I'm looking for more of a ranking than just a single one, as it would be clean spirit, wouldn't it?

The general idea is to know what to choose over what when I want to limit carbohydrates and have a drink.

To make it more like a measurable criteria I'd say that I want to get equally drunk so amount of drink I need to consume would vary.

All distilled spirits have no carbohydrates at all. Vodka, whisky, whatever. Only alcohol, water and aromatic compounds can ascend the spiral in a distillation process.

So a standard alcohol portion (10g ethanol) from a distilled spirit has 0 grams carbohydrate.

Properly made table wine shouldn't conatin carbs either, as all the grape carbs should be fermented. Sometimes substances which aren't recognized in a food are counted towards carbohydrates, that's what a source claims is made with wine.

Then there is sweet dessert wine, there you have 3-4 grams of carbs per 10 grams of ethanol (70-100 ml depending on wine), because it has more sugar. I didn't find information on fortified wine, but as they have more alcohol than sweet dessert wine and probably about as much unfermented sugar, it is about the same or somewhat less.

In beer, expect something like 7-8 g carbohydrates per 200 ml (I am assuming an average ABV of 5%). A big comparison of American beers is given here

I can't help you with liqueurs, they typically are infusions of plants in distilled alcohol, but may have sugar and other stuff added. It depends on recipe.


Why are non-orange coloured carrots so uncommon? Carrots come in a great variety of colours, from almost white to dark purple. However, the most ubiquitous colour variety is orange, and often the only to be found in regular supermarkets. Why is this?

According to the History of Carrots page from the World Carrot Museum:

  The current yellow/orange varieties (containing carotene) through
  gradual selection in Europe, now form the basis of the commercial
  cultivars around the world, mainly through their superior taste,
  versatility, nutritional value and cultural acceptance.

It is clear that until as recently as 1500 or so, carrots were cultivated in a variety of colors such as purple, yellow, and white, but orange was not among them.  Dutch carrot growers, who were among the most prolific, created the orange hybrid:

  The orange colour did not become popular until the 1500's when Dutch
  growers developed the mutant vegetable by selective breeding to make
  it less bitter than the yellow varieties, and then it was said to be
  adopted it as the Royal vegetable in honour of the House of Orange,
  the Dutch Royal Family, although there is no documentary evidence for
  this latter "fact". The first carrots were grown for medicinal
  purposes, perhaps the medicine tasted good!  The main reason why cooks
  and housewives preferred orange carrots was because they kept their
  colour after cooking and did not leave cookware with an unpleasant
  colour. — Carrot Museum's Carrot Color page

There are actually many orange cultivars (in addition to the many other colors), which come in a variety of shapes from long and skinny (the Japanese carrot) to shorter and stubbier (more like a radish).


How to make Namkeen Mathi/Mathri? Namkeen Mathi/Mathri translates to salty, chewy, and crisp biscuits in English.

http://www.tarladalal.com/Namkeen-Mathri-10381r

  Ingredients
  2 cups plain flour (maida)

  Method
  2. Add just enough water to the flour mixture and knead into a hard dough.

How hard should the dough be so that the resultants biscuits are chewy NOT HARD?
Why can't pure Wheat flour replace Maida since the recipe asks for a hard dough?

http://goodethnicveggiedelights.blogspot.in/2011/05/mathri-traditional-indian-namkeen.html

  Recipe Ingredients
  * Semolina (suji) - 1/3 cup

Above recipe asks only for Maida, but this one (for the same dish) asks for Semolina as well.

What would addition of Semolina do to the Namkeen Mathri?

If your dough has little cracks on it on the sides when you roll out balls from it or doesn't easily sink in when you press it with your finger as bread dough does, its hard dough. Normally, the folds on a hard dough don't easily mix in. This image shows how a hard dough looks like.

Namkeen Mathri usually tastes like the cover for samosa with added salts and spices. Using wheat is also okay. But definitely tastes better with Maida instead of wheat.

Mathris are usually rolled on semolina before they are fried to give them little extra crunch and grainy texture.


Is cooked fish as perishable as raw fish? I know that leaving raw fish out of the fridge for more than a couple hours makes it totally unsafe to eat. Most cooked meats are okay to pack in a lunchbox and hold at room temperature for the hours between breakfast and lunch, but some foods are considered unsafe to store at room temp even after preparation (like mayo-containing potato salad).

If I cook fish in the morning, let it cool, and pack it in my lunch, do I need an ice pack in my lunch or will it still be safe to eat 4-5 hours later when kept at room temperature?

Play it safe.
It has been said:

You probably will be ok, but the safer method is just to cook it the night before and refrigerate it. Toss the whole thing in an insulated lunch container, and you should have no problems. Even if the temperature creeps up into the danger zone, it shouldn't be there more than an hour or two before lunch time, and should still be cool enough not to cause an issue. –  JSM Aug 21 at 17:44

I happen to disagree with this advice, personally. While it may be OK, is this something worth trying to find out?
Here is an excerpt from an FDA research paper about pathogenic bacteria in food handling

Growth rates of pathogens are highly temperature dependent. Ordinarily, pathogenic bacteria growth is relatively slow at temperatures below 70°F (21.1°C). In most cases, growth is very slow below 50°F (10°C), and 40°F (4.4°C) is below the minimum growth temperature of most pathogenic bacteria, although there are some exceptions. On the other hand, pathogenic bacteria grow relatively fast at temperatures above 70°F (21.1°C).

Think of a real-world example, say a soda can. You get the can out of the machine at a temperature around 35°F-40°C, which is refrigeration temperature. You set it naked (i.e., no "can cushy") on a table and just leave it there. Within 1-1.5 hours or so, it will be very close to room temperature, which on average is about 70°F to 73°F. That's when your fish will begin growing bacteria more rapidly, which it would continue to do until you are ready to eat it.
TL;DR
At the very least put and ice pack or other method of absorbing heat inside your lunchbox. Always play it safe when it comes to pathogens.


Where does the green part of the scallion start and the white part end? I've been using Hello Fresh for a while now and many of their recipes include the step: "Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens."  Looking at a typical scallion, I see a clearly green part, a clearly white part, and a relatively substantial greenish-white no man's land in the in the middle.

In the recipes, the greens are used as a garnish or sometimes in salsas, so I feel like the super green, super thin parts are most desirable there.  The whites, on the other hand, are usually used as a cooked ingredient, sometimes, but not always in something lightly colored like rice.  In my gut, the greenish-white part feel like it should be considered a white, up until the part where it loses it's white-ish moisture and softness.  Are there any problems (flavor, cooked texture, etc) I should worry about by using that middle section as whites, or where should I draw the line?

If you want to be really, really picky, then the 'green' is each individual leaf as it breaks away from the cylindrical whole.
That leaves you with the decision as to whether to pick off each leaf, giving you a bit of extra 'white' or just make some relatively arbitrary decision after you hit that first leaf 'node'.
So, unless you want to pick off each leaf, then it's 'about here… ish… '

Personally, if I'm being 'a bit picky' I will unwrap the outer layer for the first couple of nodes, where they go unattractively lumpy, purely for aesthetic reasons & include the rest in my 'white' distinction. Once I get far enough I [that I can't be bothered any further] then I pick out any remaining 'white' bits & go all-in for the rest  of the greens, until I hit the raggy ends, which join the roots in the compost bag.
Once you've actually cut to the green line, separation for 'fussy distinction' reasons does get easier, as you're no longer dealing with the entirety of the onion & its reluctance to part layers without ripping down to the root - you can just pull bits off & deal with them separately.


How can I make a large amount of caramelized onions for a french onion soup? I am looking to make a large amount of French Onion soup (for ~16 servings), and rather than spend hours in front of a skillet (as I would have to do several batches), I am looking for an easier way:

could I bake a large amount (~20 onions) in an oven to achieve a similar effect?
should I put them in a pressure cooker?
are there even better alternatives?

In particular if anyone has advice as far as what else or details as to how to make it work (temperatures for ovens, convection/broil, pressure to cook at, etc. (I already read this, which while it would help, aims mostly at speeding it up & not doing a large amount which is more along the lines of what I am thinking) I would be interested, as I don't want to experiment with a large quantity of onions several times in order to get it right

P.S. - I am using yellow onions, although I'd imagine this would apply to all onions

P.S. #2 - what do restaurants do?

You can caramelize onions in the oven to do large quantities.  This isn't less effort, and it actually takes longer, but it does allow you to do really large quantities; I did 20lbs of caramelized onions for one Polish dinner I was serving this way.  Since I haven't been able to find a website with this method, here it is:

heat oven to 325F/160C
fill a hotel pan or baking pan with sliced onions to a depth of about 3/4"/2cm
toss the sliced onions with vegetable oil or melted butter and a little salt (and optionally a little sugar)
cook, uncovered, in oven for 1 hour to 90 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

The reason for the 2cm depth of onions is to keep them from burning in the oven, which they tend to do if spread thinner.  Also, if you have a gas rather than electric oven, you may need to add a little water occasionally to prevent burning.

Althernately, Kenji of Serious Eats has a formula for cooking caramelized onions over high heat, and thus cooking each batch faster, without losing flavor.  This would allow you to jump through several batches.


How do I get rid of mayonnaise smell? Today for the first time, I tested classic egg mayonnaise.
All I can say that it smelled strongly like yeast!

Is there a way to get rid of that smell? Do mayonnaise in general have that smell?

Enlighten please.

The strongest smells in mayonnaise should be vinegar and egg. There shouldn't be any yeast, and therefore any yeast smell, so that is a bit concerning. I am not sure what might imitate a yeast smell.

I don't know how to counter the smell since I am not sure what the origination of the smell is. Does it taste okay? Is the texture okay? I do find that homemade and store brand mayonnaises have pretty different smells in general.


Should rice cooker bowls be refrigerated? Whenever I can't finish all the rice in the rice cooker bowl, I place the bowl (with the lid on) into the refrigerator, to shirk transferring the rice to a container (e.g. Glasstock).

Does this refrigeration damage the bowl?

When I had one it was non stick aluminum which is something I'd happily put in the fridge. This seems to be common. The bowl is oversized for the amount of rice you'd want to chill, so it dries out. Anyway you should cool rice quickly, such as with cold water which would then need draining, at which point you might as well use a smaller container. I wouldn't usually have the fridge space for a rice cooker bowl.


How to tell if shrimp is already cooked and what to do with it? I have some shrimp. Not sure if this is raw, and what to do with it to make it safe for eating. I'm not looking for a recipe, but a method of preparing these shrimp. I know how to peel shrimp, am I to boil them? Fry them? Do they look raw to you? Can I eat raw shrimp? If not, do I boil them? Thanks!

If you look at the label, you see "CKD SHRIMP..." which I read as "cooked shrimp".

Even without the label, you have two indicators for cooked:

the colour: raw shrimp are greyish-green, they turn pink when cooked
the body shape: raw shrimp have a more "stretched" body, they curl up during cooking.


Fudge already set, can you soften and re-set it? I have plans to make fudge this year for the holidays but wanted to try a new method for making it. I want to use silicone molds to put the fudge in so that once it sets it is pre-shaped. My only concern is that the molds I have don't hold a full batch of fudge. If the excess sets before I put it in the molds, is there a way to resoften it and then put it in the molds and have it set again?

My understanding of the fudge process is that you are aiming to make a supersaturated solution of sugars at heat, which, when cooled, will cause the sugars to crash out of solution all at onece into the fine crystals characteristic of fudge. This is the reason you need to remove sugar crystals from the sides of the pan - so that they don't act as nucleation points, allowing bigger crystals to form.
There are a few different sorts of fudge, some of which will be easier to fix than others. Traditional fudge is the fussiest to get right, but also the easiest to fix if necessary. So called "quick" fudge made with condensed milk or marshmallow fluff is easier to get right, but not as easy to fix, and does not rely on so heavily on sugar crystallization, but rather on protein precipitation acting as .
In principle for traditional fudge you could re-heat it by adding more liquid so that the sugars dissolve. You would then need to evaporate the excess liquid (but don't exceed the soft-ball stage at 237 F/114 C) to recreate your supersaturated solution. Whether this will work or not will likely depend on your skill at maintaining the temperature below the point above, so as to neither burn the fudge, nor turn it into toffee.
For quick fudges, there is some protein content in there from the milk or the gelatin in the fluff, which affect these. You can't really re-dissolve proteins that have precipitated and aggregated, so you will not be able to melt these ones effectively.


Avocado substitute in blueberry muffin recipe I have a vegan blueberry muffin recipe.  I'm not vegan, but like anything as long as it tastes good.  The recipe calls for an avocado to be used as the fat.  I don't like avocado.  Is there something I can substitute for the avocado or should I just forgo this recipe?  I'm including the ingredients below:

flesh from 1 ripe to very ripe medium/large Hass avocado, mashed very well (about 3/4 cup)
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil (melted coconut oil may be substituted)
1/3 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream (use vegan versions if desired)
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch salt, optional and to taste
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries (keep them frozen, do not thaw them; fresh berries may be substituted and baking time may be a few minutes less)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, for tossing berries

In general, when making muffin recipes, you can replace around 1/2 of the oil (sometimes up to 2/3) with applesauce or mashed banana without significant problems.  I don't know if you could get away with it in this particular case, as avocado would be a solid fat, so it might adversely affect the texture.

I'd personally try replacing the avocado with either mashed banana, coconut oil (mashed up some, but not melted), or a combination of the two.


How long will roux keep? I've made roux some time ago. Forgot to put the date on the container. How long will it keep in the fridge? I'll be making a sauce in a day or two...

Surely you figured something out by now, but here is what I would do. First, look closely and carefully for surface mold. Look around the rim of the container. If that is clear, smell the oil for rancidity. If it stinks, throw it out. At this point, it looks good and it smells good. I can't imagine a dish where the roux is not thoroughly heated, so unless you are pioneering some kind of cold ingredient, cold roux dish, I think you are good to go. The sealed roux in the fridge should behave like a confit and retard spoilage for a while. If you did a dark roux (like a cajun style) it should last a really long time. They sell it in jars in New Orleans supermarkets, and if memory serves, the jar said something like 90 days in the fridge after opening.


In making a pudding, can you replace yolks with whole eggs? Can I use six whole eggs instead of six yolks.

The recipe calls for:

6 yolks
1.5 c sugar
4 heaping T cornstarch
1 can evaporated milk
1 can regular milk (fill the above can)
1 T vanilla

You certainly can replace the yolks with whole eggs but you wouldn't do one-to-one as that would give you too much volume. The average egg has more volume in whites than in yolks (it's about 60% white and 30% yolk) so you'd want to use three whole eggs, not six.

Unfortunately, whites may give your pudding a texture that you won't like - one site calls it "jellyish" (meaning like gelatin), so you may want to use a combination of whole eggs and yolks alone, say, two whole eggs and two yolks. This would be about equivalent to using six yolks but will reduce the gumminess.


Where can I buy a goose? I'd like to roast a goose, but none of my local supermarkets stocks them. Where should I look?I would prefer fresh and local but frozen would suffice.

Can't speak for Atlanta, but up here (Canada) when I am looking for a meat that a supermarket doesn't carry (like goose), I go to the local butcher. My butcher brings in a very good selection, and otherwise usually knows of more sources. Also good places to check are local farmer's markets.

Edit: Adding to an old answer as I've come across another additional thought. Another place that might be worth checking is the farms themselves. It's becoming more common to have farms that sell directly to consumers. Around here there's quite a few. A quick Google for "goose farm yourlocation" might be a place to start.


What is the best chemical cleaning agent clean tough stains out of a microwave other than vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice? I have seen this question posted on here before but the answers are always always water, vinegar, baking soda, or lemon juice. I have tried all these methods and including boiling and steaming each one.

Despite it's flammability, I have also resorted to nail polish and no luck.

Any other suggestions? I'm a neat freak and prefer my kitchen looking clean.

Thank you

Bar Keepers friend is a powdered cleaning agent that contains oxalic acid as its main active ingredient, along with abrasives. It's great for removing many kitchen stains, including the polymerized oils that get baked onto pots and stovetops.

Acetone (the nail polish remover you have been using) is highly flammable, and toxic, so should never be used anywhere near food.


Max Temp for Fried Chicken I'm currently working for a fried chicken pop up restaurant and we're trying to lock down our process to ensure chicken is fully cooked but comes out fast, crunchy, and juicy.  So far I've just been focusing on making sure it reaches 165 with a golden brown crust, but I'm wondering at what temp roughly boneless breasts, bone in breasts, wings, and dark quarters become too dry; my challenge is to get a well browned crust without drying out the chicken.

I wouldn't go any higher than 180F at most.  You can mitigate the drying effects of higher temperatures (especially on white meat) by brining the chicken first.


If only one choice - convection microwave, convection oven, regular micro, conventional oven? Can a convection microwave along with an induction cooktop effectively replace a microwave, conventional electrical oven and cooktop? I'm creating a small kitchen for a guest suite. One approach has a small electric oven with a cooktop and a separate microwave/exhaust system mounted above. Another thought is to forego the oven entirely and simply use a convection microwave for any baking purposes along with an electric (induction?) cooktop for cooking food that requires cooktop cooking. A convection microwave requires less space and costs less than an individual oven range and individual microwave/exhaust, though there is an additional cost for a cooktop. My concern is that baking/roasting/etc. in a convection microwave will yield less desirable results than using a conventional oven.

IMO only a good convection microwave can replace a normal oven. They're not cheap, but I often use mine rather than heat up the big oven for something small *. The heat is a bit too much from the top for some baking, such as tall cakes, but it's OK for most things and there are workarounds like preheating with a pizza stone or covering a cake with foil.

I've actually got two convection microwaves (both Panasonic) because that's my main cooking option in the campervan when I've got electric hookup. I liked it so much I got one for home.

The biggest downside may be unfamiliarity - your guests may struggle to use the right combination of settings and accessories/dishes. They're also rather small so you won't be cooking a roast dinner in one.

* combination mode is also very good for some things but take a little getting used to


Ultimate Grilled Cheese : Keeping it together Maybe it's called something else, but to me a grilled cheese sandwich with extra stuff in it is an "ultimate". The extra stuff I'm referring to is generally tomato, onion (thin sliced raw or grilled) and bacon (already cooked).

The problem I'd like to correct is that often the cheese has difficulty fusing the sandwich together because it doesn't stick well to the other ingredients. I've tried a few different placements of the ingredients but they all usually end with on slice of bread not really "attached" the way a proper grilled cheese should be. For example: Bread, Cheese, Other, More Cheese, Bread : this tend to give me two separate slices of bread with cheese and some ingredients in the cheese.

Is there any special technique to keeping this thing together as one piece?

Ignore the purists. If it's got cheese in it, and you're grilling it, it's grilled cheese.

The problem is this: your cold ingredients are keeping the cheese from properly melting through. The cheese is what binds the whole thing together. If there is not enough cheese, or if the cheese hasn't transitioned completely to gooey deliciousness, the sandwich is going to fall apart.

The solution is to heat your cold ingredients (at least to near room temp), and to cook the grilled cheese longer, at a lower temperature, so the heat has time to penetrate before the bread gets overcooked.


Sous vide timing for prime rib I'm looking to sous vide a boneless, 6 lb rib roast, for New Year's Eve.  If I set the temp for 136F, how long should I leave this to cook?

My thought was 6 hours, but that's just based on experience and not any actual calculations.

Surveying the top search results for sous vide prime rib, the consensus appears to be about 7 hours, with some leeway on either side.

Cooking Sous vide - 5-10 hours at 137 F.
Big Wayner BBQ - 7 hours at 135 F.
Modernist Cuisine - 5-10 hours at 137 F.
Cave Man Keto - 10 hours at 136.5 F
Sous Vide Recipes - range of temperatures depending on desired donenness, "couple hours"

Note that you don't want to hold prime rib for extended periods (such as overnight) in its bath, as enzymatic action will make it mushy.


How do I keep my melted candy windows in my gingerbread house from cracking? I have melted hard candy in the windows of my gingerbread house, two days later the candy is cracked.  Tried it again, using more candy, but it cracked again.  The gingerbread wall with the windows was baked and sat for two days before the hard candy was melted.

Using melted hard candy, you are at the mercy of the ingredients of the hard candy manufacturer.  I like to make my own sugar glass.  Here is my recipe for sugar glass:

1 C Water
1.75 C Sugar
.5 C Corn Syrup - the clearer the better
.25 t Cream of Tartar

I always supplement it with cream of tartar and corn syrup.  The cream of tartar stabilizes the mixture and the corn syrup helps the glass stay clear.  Sucrose (table sugar) is a disaccharide (two sugars) of glucose and fructose.  Most cracking occurs when when there is a structural defect due to crystallization.  Applying acid (cream of tartar) causes the sucrose to break down into its component sugars and stabilize.

Also remember that heat and humidity are the enemy of sugar glass.  Do the best you can to control the environment of the sugar glass.


How do you manage the water that tomatoes generate when they're cooked? I love tomatoes, and I like to put them in stuff like omelettes or to sautee them with sweet potatoes and other vegetables.

However, they "leak" so much fluid when they cook. When you sautee them in particular, they probably leak 50% of their weight in water. No matter what else you cook them with, they turn everything into a gooey mess.

What I've taken to doing is sauteeing them by themselves, then draining them, and setting them aside on a folded paper towel to absorb some water, before dumping them back into whatever else I'm cooking.

Is there a better way to do this?  Am I doing something wrong?

cook them some more.
use proper "cooking" tomatoes (for example roma variety) that contains less water.
remove all the pulp and seeds (the stuff between the meat) from the tomatoes before cooking them (to remove as much water as possible.