Fermented onions in orange juice took a long time to show activity - are they safe to eat? I'm trying to ferment sliced red onions in orange juice with 6% salt. I used one tablespoon kimchi juice to start it.

It was started Monday last week, but until yesterday (after a week), there weren't any signs of fermentation occurring, not even bad smells or mold or anything, but then, yesterday at last I began seeing some small bubbles and today it's going really wild with the bubbling.

It's been a week and I'm afraid it has some bad bacteria producing the bubbles, because of the long time that has passed.

I'm using an airtight jar which I've burped once everyday since the first day, and also mixed the contents everyday to avoid anything being on top for too long.

Is it safe to eat the fermented onions, or should I toss them?

EDIT:

While I know cold weather would slow down the fermentation process, I don't believe that's the case, since where I live, it's been around 68F-75F for the last week.

Edit: See my question here. I plan to update this answer after I get an answer to that question.

I'm a beginner when it comes to this (I've fermented a few quarts of pickles with Fermilids), but from everything I've read, you'll probably survive if you eat it. However, if you add too much salt, that can kill the bacteria needed to do lacto-fermentation, and you may end up salt-curing your vegetables instead of fermenting them.

From what I understand, a 6% salt brine solution is about 3.34 tablespoons per quart of pickles. I've read that your brine should only ever be between 1 to 3 tablespoons of salt per quart of pickles (if you're not using a starter, and you can perhaps use less salt if you use a starter), and that you should use more salt the warmer it is (but not more than 3 tablespoons).

I believe the delay is partially, if not entirely, due to the salt. I imagine that the activity is from beneficial bacteria that needed a longer time to get started, due to the salt. I don't know of any bad stuff that would survive those conditions, if you're not getting mold. I can't give you a definitive answer here, but from everything I've read, that's my opinion.

I used 2.5 to 3 tablespoons of pickling salt on a quart of rhubarb, and I didn't taste much lactic acid in it after three weeks. However, with about 2 tablespoons of pickling salt, and a probiotic (a chewable L. acidophilus and B. lactis tablet) my rhubarb tasted pickled after 6 days. Temperatures for both sets of pickles were between 69 to 73° F., I believe.

From those results and the results with my radishes, I personally would be leery about using more than 2 tablespoons of pickling salt for some vegetables. I'm not sure about cabbage, onions, oranges, etc.

Remember, though: I'm new to this. So, you probably know things I don't.

You'd think onions would ferment quickly, because they're known for their content of FOS (a pre-biotic and sweetener). However, from my experience, I know oranges can take a really long time to compost in a garbage can with a lid on it (they're still whole and visibly oranges after a couple years). So, maybe the orange juice contributed. I'm not sure how LABs respond to citric acid.


Why does my pizza crust turn out too hard? I made pizza from scratch, including the dough. I followed the recipe correctly and kneaded it for around 30+ minutes until it passed the windowpane test. It was stretchy and not too dry or wet. I let it sit and then proof in the fridge before stretching it out and baking it on a pizza steel (That was heated for 1 hour at 525F). The crust turned out WAY too hard, so much so that if I tried to fold the tip of the slice it would crack like a cracker. I like pizza crispy but I still want to be able to fold it! The dough seemed fine and nice and stretchy and easily workable before I put it in the oven... it was light and airy and the outer crust formed those nice big bubbles (that were way too hard, though)... what went wrong? Is it possible that I over kneaded? How do I keep a crispy outer crust but still nice and foldable so I don’t break my teeth when I eat it? Also, after kneading the dough can I let it rise in the fridge overnight?

Possible problems:

You have too little water in the dough (you said that it felt OK, though)
You baked it for too long at too low a temperature (likely).
You let it proof for too long or too high a temperature (sounds like this may not be the case if you followed the directions and had it in the fridge).
You kneaded it too much (likely).

I'd suggest making sure the hydration is correct according to your recipe, kneading 10-12 minutes, then cooking it on a pizza stone or baking steel in a really hot oven so it cooks as quickly as possible. Let us know if this solved your problem.


How to store cooked / stir-fried egg noodle leftovers? I have still quite a good quantity of cooked egg noodles and I'm wondering what's the best way to store them and how long will they last? (It's mixed with chicken, bok choy, and carrots.)

And also, how to reheat them without overcooking?

If they seem like they are kind of starchy, you might toss them with a litle toasted sesame oil. The flavor would be appropriate and that will keep them from sticking together. Other than that, just refrigerate like any other leftover. They should be good for about 4 days assuming your fridge is below 40 degrees F, as it should be. Of course they will never be as good as they were the day you made them. For reheating, my first choice would actually be the microwave. A minute at a time, tossing in between. You might need to add a tablespoon of water to help them loosen up.


How do I salvage this bread dough? I was planning to make a brioche dough, but somehow managed to measure out and add cornstarch instead of bread flour. I've taken as much of the cornstarch out as I can, but there's about 3/4 cup still in there mixed in with the brioche ingredients.

Is there any way to salvage this? I don't need the final result to be brioche, any edible food is fine as long as I dont waste these ingredients.

You can make some sort of bread by adding plenty of the highest protein wheat flour you have. You'll have to judge the hydration when you knead. I'd aim for proportions like a yeast-risen cornbread (or failing that a basic enriched dough) , and make it into rolls, then eat them warm (or reheated). Rising will also be a matter of guesswork/judgment. I find warm bread to be more forgiving when it comes to doneness - a little doughy matters less than when cold. This is even more true if you serve it with soup/chilli/stew for dipping.


How to keep baked seitan from being too tough? I've been trying to make seitan at home more often and have a great slow cooker version that has won me over, but no matter how hard I try, every time I bake it it comes out awful.

For instance, I followed this recipe and this recipe and both times it came out dry, tough, chewy- pretty much inedible. The stuffing, from the first, was good, stayed moist and was eaten up quickly, but the seitan got thrown out.

I followed the recipes exactly and cannot figure out what I did wrong (other than my broth/water not being warm enough, perhaps?), or why every time I've tried this doesn't work. Suggestions?

For what it's worth, I read once that you should briefly soak seitan in a bowl, covered in boiled water, to soften it up before using it. I have tried this, and it really does make a difference in the final texture. I typically cut it into cubes, soak it for about 10-15 minutes, then drain it and proceeded as normal for the recipe.


Does liquid smoke differ in intensity from brand to brand and if yes, how to compensate? Does the intensity of the flavor of liquid smoke differ significantly from brand to brand?
If yes, suppose I'm following a recipe that calls for a certain amount of liquid smoke. If the brand I'm using is different from theirs, the results could be wildly different. Is there any good method to compensate for any such differences other than just to try and see?

Yes, I have seen gigantic differences in potency. There’s not much you can do about this; if possible, try to use the same brand as the recipe refers to. A saving grace is that liquid smoke doesn’t need to be cooked to release its flavor, so you can be conservative when adding it initially and then add more near the end if you think more smokiness is needed.


What are the requirements for a dish to be kosher? I see a lot of restaurants and grocery stores advertising kosher food.  What qualifies a kosher dish?

There are quite a few rules involved. Short version:

Animals must be slaughtered in a specific way, blood drained, and a rabbi must supervise
Dairy and meat (fish does not count as meat, generally) may not be served in the same dish. Depending on the level of observance, separate sets of dishes, cutlery, sinks, fridges, etc are maintained for dairy and for meat. Less Orthodox Jews will serve meats and dairy in the same meal, but not in the same preparation.
No shellfish; fish must have both fins and scales to be kosher
No pork
Only cloven-hoofed animals which also chew cud
A rabbi must supervise food preparation when prepared by non-Jews

That's the basics. The Wikipedia articles on kosher food and kashruth will explain further. Reform and Reconstructionist Jews may or may not follow some or all of the practices.


All the cold pressed virgin sunflower oil in shop is in transparent bottles. Does it mean it is already rancid? All the cold pressed virgin sunflower oil in shop is in transparent plastic bottles. Does it mean it is already rancid because of exposure to light?

Does it make any sense to purchase such oil now?

I'm fairly sure the manufacturers and supermarkets are not in the business of exclusively selling rancid oil.

Sunflower oil has a shelf life of around two years. The turnaround time for oil is fairly high, so the bottles probably haven't been out on a relatively bright shelf for all that long. Check the use by date and as long as you have, say, a year to use the oil, it will almost certainly be fine.


How to keep saute pan hot without it burning for searing fresh greenbeans or zucchini Im working in a restaurant that has pan-seared greenbeans and sauted chopped zucchini with onions&peppers. It seems were constantly waiting for the damned veggies or GB to complete our plates so the rest of the meal gets effing' cold! After a few batches the pan gets all charcoaly and the veggies get all grainy and ugly. (We use nonstick spray to do the greenbeans and in a separate saute pan we use a soysauce type mix for the zucchini stuff.)

I have seen various establishments par-cook their vegetables then finish them in whatever sauce is being used or quickly reheat them in a pan or on a flat top in oil or butter.

Like part of your morning prep would be to cook off however many zucchinis (broil it? oven fry? up to you, you're making them in bulk so sauteing may not be the most efficient route) you're going to need for the evening, cool them on a half pan in a single layer, then store them in your line until the order comes through. Chuck them in the morning if they don't hold up well overnight, I'm not super sure how well zucchini holds up. Green beans should hold just fine for a day or two.

All you need to do then is get a serving out and saute until heated through. Shouldn't take too long, and it shouldn't leave an unwieldy mess in the pan as long as it's oiled appropriately.


What can I bake for my nut allergic friend? I have a friend who has tree-nut allergy so he isn't able to eat any kinds of nuts, because of this every single time I bake something for my class he can't eat it because of his allergy. When I searched up recipes that are nut-free, I can't be 100% sure that it will be safe for him to eat it, I understand if he eats something with nuts in it can cause a deadly reaction and I don't want him to risk his life eating my cookies. What are some recipes for baking cookies that I can guarantee that it will be safe for him to eat?

Step 1 should always be to ask  which ingredients exactly you need to stay clear of, just in case it's more than nuts.

My - possibly naïve - assumption would be that basic recipes that stick to flour, sugar, eggs, butter and possibly dairy should probably be ok. Chocolate could be dangerous as the factories often use nuts as well, so there is a risk of cross-contamination, but cocoa should be safe. Note that some oils can be made (partly) from peanuts, so read the label or use butter.

Once you have verified the extent of allergies, you will have a "safe ingredients list".

From there, choose the type of baked product and search for basic recipes - the no-frills, few-ingredients recipes are a good place to start.

Unless you choose a recipe that uses nuts as main ingredient (sorry, no macarons for your friend) the options are almost endless, in my experience.


Please name me an easily accessible chilli pepper which is low heat, sweet and aromatic? As the question states.  I'd prefer something which has very little heat if any at all but it should be strongly sweet, aromatic and grassy. I am in the UK so something easy to get: fresh or powdered.

UK stores do not have much variety of chili powder in the low heat range, however you can get good quality paprika in almost all stores. Paprika is low heat, sweet and aromatic (provided you get decent stuff). Some stores sell Spanish Pimentón, which is good quality paprika. Pimentón comes in dulce (sweet) and picante (spicy) although picante isn't really very spicy.

I have found chipotle powder from specialty stores which is also a good choice, it's basically a smoked Jalapeño. I have found Ancho as well, which is red poblano, neither is particularly spicy.

There's a lot of chili powder on offer in the UK that is in the hot range from Indian, Pakistani and Caribbean influences, so many stores have sections for each cuisine, it's worth having a trawl through there to see what you can find as occasionally you'll see mild chili powders for sale, and they are good value.


Can I use fresh broccoli in quiche? I have some (not so) fresh broccoli I need use. I'm thinking of making a quiche with it. Most quiche recipes seem to call for frozen broccoli. Can I just use the fresh instead? Does it need any special prep?

Yes, you absolutely can. I do it all the time, in both quiche and omelets. It does need to be cooked which is most easily done in the microwave. Prep by removing much of the large stem, diving into little 'tree' segments, and placing in a microwave-safe dish or bowl. Add just a bit of water, not much, just about a tablespoon, to create steam. Cover with plastic wrap/cling film or a very wet paper towel, and microwave on high for about three minutes. Drain any liquid that remains. It can also be cooked on the stove top, simmered in water, but I prefer to microwave, as it keeps it tender crisp with little loss of nutrients.


How do I make stir-fry sauces that don't get watery and thin as leftovers? I often cook in bulk and then eat leftovers for several days. One area where I've struggled with this strategy is stir-fries. It seems that even if I get a well-thickened, flavorful sauce the day that I cook it, the sauce will go thin, watery, and weak-flavored as leftovers.
What I think is happening is that the salt and/or sugar in the sauce is putting osmotic pressure on the water in the vegetables. Since the sauce is added shortly before serving, the whole dish doesn't have time to come to equilibrium the day of. However, overnight, water leeches out of the vegetables and dilutes the sauce.
The same problem doesn't seem to happen with Chinese take-out leftovers, so I think it must be possible to avoid it. Does anyone have a suggestion?

This is pure conjecture:
It's possible that the issue is in how the vegetables are cooked -- commercial restaurants have crazy hot burners so the vegetables are cooked on the outside while still firm in the middle.  It's very difficult to achieve this with a stove at home.
The closest that I've managed to get to it is by cooking in batches ... an ingredient or two at a time (or half of a given ingredient when I'm cooking for a crowd) in an oiled skilled that's heated to smoking ... and then move it to a bowl once it's cooked, and cook the next batch once the skillet is back to smoking hot again.  (I deglaze in between batches, with mirin or similar, if needed)
Another possible issue is the ingredients.  There are a few foods out there that will break down gels due to enzymes in them.  So if you're making sweet and sour dishes with fresh pineapple, you're actually better off using canned as they've been cooked thoroughly enough to deactivate the enzymes.  You should also only taste your sauce with a clean spoon (or using the two spoon method), so that enzymes from your saliva don't contaminate the sauce, as that can also break down gels given sufficient time.


Where can one find a food vacuum? It is a big pain to get soup out of a crockpot and put it into a ziploc bag. I am looking for a food vacuum which would basically just suck up the soup and put it in the bag. Does this exist?

You want "a quick, cheap, and easy solution" that moves food with vacuum:

I suppose the other one would be a very large ziplock, and you'd just put it over the whole top of the crockpot and quickly invert. Much wasted space, comparatively expensive bags.


What utensil (material) to use in Convection + Grill mode of Microwave Oven? My Microwave Oven (Samsung DE68-03387M) has three modes: Microwave, Convection and Grill. It has various combinations of those.

There is a Pre-heat option which uses Convection and Grill modes simultaneously. It has maximum temperature of 250 degrees centigrade.

Now, I have, at home, only Microwave Safe plastic bowls and a Baking Tray/Pan {Maybe aluminum? Some kind of non-stick color.}.

I want to make this recipe: Mac and Cheese. Where I have to bake the dish (Picture point number 34). My mother generally uses Microwave + Convection mode and Microwave safe plastic to bake the cakes. Since, it says preheat(see above), I'm concerned that the grill will melt plastic? Is this possible?

I don't want to just Microwave + Convection because it will not brown the cheese on the dish.

I saw somewhere that Borosil glass is fine but doesn't let enough infrared (convection) heat pass through. Is metal allowed in Microwave + Convection mode?

Preheat should be done with an empty oven, afaik. And indeed, a grill isn't nice to plastic; and I avoid plastic also when using the convection mode (alone or with microwave): where the plastic touches the food, the temperature will be limited by the water in the food, but if the plastic is not in contact with the food, it'll go to the temperature of the oven.

Convection heating is through air circulation, so IR plays only a very limited role there. Borosilicate glass is however a poor conductor of heat, compared to metal. That means that a borosilicate tray will show more browning on top when the interior is cooked. But it is perfectly usuable in a convection/microwave oven. And you can always give it a few minutes with just the grill to brown the top a bit more.

As for the use of metal in yor microwave oven, check the manual. It might be possible with limitations.


I need a substitute for crushed tomatoes! I have tomato sauce, and I have fresh tomatoes, but I forgot to buy the 28oz can of crushed tomatoes for a sausage/pasta recipe.

Cut a small cross in the ends of your whole tomatoes, dunk them in boiling water for 30 to 40 seconds and remove them. With a paring knife, grasp the edge of the skin where you cut a cross and peel the skin off.

In a large bowl, grasp the tomatoes and crush them with your hands until the size you require is achieved. You now have crushed tomatoes.


Minimum preparation for baking a whole fish I suspect that if one cooks a whole fish with the guts still in, the result wouldn't be good.

Other than gutting it first, is any other preparation needed for baking a whole fish, such as scaling it? When I've consumed whole cooked fish before, the skin has generally just lifted away anyway, so perhaps the scales wouldn't be likely to get into the meat if served carefully.

You will want to scale the fish, definitely. If you don't the result will be absolutely awful as the scales will come off in cooking and get all over the place. They won't stay attached to the skin for easy removal.

Other than gutting and scaling (and a thorough wash) preparation before cooking depends on the effect you want on the table, and how much you want to de-bone it. I'm not a fan of fish heads so I remove them before baking, but you may want to leave it on if you like that look. I usually remove all the fins but the tail as well as I find that it's easier to do before cooking than after as you can get lots of little bones from them if cooked.

Other than that you can marinade them, or salt the insides for 20 minutes to firm up the fish, but that's totally optional.


Advice to making Boba Pearls Today, I tried 3 different ways to make boba/tapioca pearls from scratch, and while the third time sort of worked I never got a "dough" that was of a playdoh consistency.
In reading several articles/recipes on the internet:

Joshua Weissman Video
Scientific American Article
Instructables Article

All use moderately different techniques, the essential technique appears to be:

Mix hot water and tapioca starch together, in approximately correct proportions, and you will get a playdoh-like doh.

All three of our attempts were with boiling water with brown sugar, and varying degrees of tapioca.
The first two were horrible non-newtonian liquid pieces, that were impossible to form.  i.e. once we stopped applying pressure they oozed everywhere but had zero pliability.
Our third attempt, we let the brown sugar and water boil for a while (but not to a syrupy consistency) and that seemed to do better.  It was manipulatable, but definitely NOT "playdoh" like consistency.  Additionally, after about 10 minutes it was hard as a rock.  We found 10 seconds in the microwave helped make it moderately pliable again, but again, nothing close to the consistencies we were seeing described or observed in the videos.
I'd like suggestions on how to improve.  Various thoughts that have come to mind include:

Is there something wrong with our general approach here?
Are there "known" techniques for getting the right consistency?
Heat is pretty clearly important, is it just heat, or do proportions matter?  Are there "sweet spots" in ratios of ingredients?
Does heating a partially dissolved starch help?  Some recipes do that, some don't.  I haven't found a clear discussion of how different techniques help/hinder the process.

I visited some Chinese language websites, and it seems that there really isn't any magic here. Since their recipe is basically the same as the first one you linked to, I won't post any links here. I've never made tapioca balls, but the technique used here is a technique common in Chinese cooking called "hot dough" (tangmian 烫面), which I often use.
The water mixture (syrup?) must be consistent and boiling hot, so boiling the mixture for a while might be a wise choice. Also, stir quickly and well. This might explain why your first two attempts failed: the phrase to remember here is starch gelatinization, and if your water-starch mixture doesn't stay hot enough, there wouldn't be enough gelatinization there.
It's usually better to err on the side of too much water (but of course, not way too much), as you can add starch to get the desired consistency.
Also, you are not supposed to leave it there for 10 minutes; it is normal for the dough to become hard after a while. You are supposed to make the tapioca balls from the dough _right away. Yes, it would be hot, so it would be wise to wear gloves. If you really need to leave it to cool down, covering the dough with a hot wet kitchen towel might help.
Once you craft your bobas, it would be just fine to leave it to harden. It might be wise to cover your bobas with (raw) tapioca powder to prevent sticking.


Can you use olive oil past its expiration date? I just noticed my olive oil expired on 2016/6, however, I couldn't tell that by taste and it still seems fine to use.

Can I continue on using it? It seems such a waste to throw it away since it still works well for frying/cooking.

If it tastes and smells fine, I would still use it. It won't do you any harm. It may just have a diminished/diminishing flavor.


Lead residue on stainless steel skewer? I recently purchased some stainless steel kabob skewers from Amazon, similar to the ones listed here at the Webstaurant Store.

They look and feel like stainless steel, however they appear to have some kind of coating. The surface of my skewers looks slightly more dull and grey than my stainless steel cookware.

Furthermore, I observed a dark grey residue coming off my skewers under the following circumstances:

Straight out of the box if I rub my fingers across the surface.
After putting them through the dishwasher if I rub my fingers across the surface.
After dishwasher if I rub a white tissue across the surface.

I noticed that there is also a Prop 65 warning listed in the Webstaurant link above, which states:

  WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including lead, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. For more information, go to www.p65warnings.ca.gov.

Is it likely that my skewers are indeed coated in something, and if so, what is this coating and why is it possible to contain lead?

Simple enough if it is lead which I greatly doubt : Put the stainless on a grill ( outside) and heat to just dim red ( 1100 to 1200 F) . Any lead will  have long since evaporated  and the stainless will get a tight grey oxide coating (at most), depending on the time it is hot. Of course anything organic will also be gone.


What can I substitute for cornstarch? Cornstarch is used in various recepies for many purposes but sometime it is not available in kitchen. So, what can I substitute for cornstarch?

Genrally speaking, you can substitute any pure starch for corn starch.  This would include:

Potato starch
Arrowroot powder
Tapioca starch

Usually, you can use the same amounts you would have used for corn starch.  You cannot substitute flour in the same amounts without changing the flavor and/or texture of the dish.


What is the difference between jus and stock? They seem to be made very similarly.

They both can be made from bones, veg etc. I know technically au jus refers to using the juices of the meet that you're cooking but i've seen people make a "jus" with bones and offcuts... which sounds exactly like what you do for a stock.

Is it because people add things like wine to a jus where a stock is usually just meat, bones and veg?

What's the difference?

Jus generally refers to a sauce or accompaniment, served alongside or on top of some other food.

Stock is a (generally gelatin-rich) broth used during the cooking process, whether as a braising/cooking liquid, or reduced/thickened into another sauce.

There are varying ways to make both; the terminology mainly refers to how they're served or used. In my opinion, "jus" is just a fancified way to refer to a stock served as a final component of a meal rather than an ingredient during cooking.


When is a food considered a delicacy? I had an interesting discussion today during lunch on when a food can actually be 'declared' a delicacy. Is there someone saying "this is hereby to be put on the delicacy-list", or is this something that goes by word of mouth?
Also, who determines that an item should be classified as this?

I found your question very interesting as, even though we know there are delicacies, I never thought about how something came to be considered a delicacy.
The following excerpt from an article in  psmag.com  sheds a little light on the subject. The article in its entirety is very interesting and demonstrates how the same thing may or may not be a delicacy today and the opposite tomorrow.

Cultural influences lead to the difference in the habitual consumption of certain foods and in traditions of preparation, and in certain cases can lead to restrictions such as exclusion of meat and milk from the diet. Cultural influences are however amenable to change: when moving to a new country individuals often adopt particular food habits of the local culture.
Social influences on food intake refer to the impact that one or more persons have on the eating behavior of others, either direct (buying food) or indirect (learn from peer’s behavior), either conscious (transfer of beliefs) or subconscious. Even when eating alone, food choice is influenced by social factors because attitudes and habits develop through the interaction with others. However, quantifying the social influences on food intake is difficult because the influences that people have on the eating behavior of others are not limited to one type and people are not necessarily aware of the social influences that are exerted on their eating behavior.


Why cook octopus with an onion? I've been following all the rule books on how to cook fresh/thawed  octopus, specifically to "frighten" the octopus before cooking. The "frightening" is a quick 10 second bath in the boiling water, repeated 3 times, which shrinks the arms. I know I have to put spices in the water where I cook the octopus, and perhaps some sea-salt. All that will help to tenderize the octopus.
Now the question is: Why is it recommended to add a whole onion, including the skin? Is there some reaction with the onion and the octopus while cooking?
Note: This is a wide spread recommendation on how to cook octopus in Portugal.

I would suspect for the same reason you often marinade steak or meats in onions.
According to the answer onions contain proteolytic enzymes which are natural tenderizers, by breaking down proteins into smaller polypeptides or single amino acids, common in natural processes like digestion.

From Wikipedia
A protease (also called a peptidase or proteinase) is an enzyme that
catalyzes (increases the rate of) proteolysis, the breakdown of
proteins into smaller polypeptides or single amino acids. They do this
by cleaving the peptide bonds within proteins by hydrolysis, a
reaction where water breaks bonds. Proteases are involved in many
biological functions, including digestion of ingested proteins,
protein catabolism (breakdown of old proteins), and cell
signaling.

It is easy to believe these would have on octopus flesh a similar effect that they have on other meats. Whether it is significant or not may be open to debate, some times old traditions tend to stick around even after being debunked as myths.
Keeping the skin on is probably just a practical consideration for preventing it from breaking into pieces and spreading all over, as well as easier removal.
Like other seasonings it probably also imparts some flavor, even if residual, which some people might find pleasant, adding to the advantages.


How much does fresh pasta yield when cooked? While I know the yield for dried pasta, I cannot find the yield for fresh pasta, which I know is different from dried.

(My goal here is actually to calculate calories for fresh pasta based on the weight after cooking.)

when making fresh pasta a classic ratio is 100g of flour + 1 egg per person; that roughly means 150g per person
When cooked fresh pasta yields roughly 1,5 times the weight of raw (while dry pasta yields between 2 and 2,5 times according to type)


What method for advance prep of seitan prevents deterioration of texture and preserves flavor while protecting from spoilage? Tonight, I am hoping to cook up three to four loaves of seitan for final prep three days from now. My intent is to form the dough, simmer in stock or steam, and then refrigerate. In three days I hope to use the seitan to make sandwiches after bringing up to temp while smoking on the grill and then slicing.

I have seen storage options including freezing, refrigerating wrapped in cling wrap, refrigerating while submersed in the simmering liquid, and a few variations in between. Three days is long enough that I would be concerned about spoilage, as well as picking up stray odors (I will be doing a bunch of bulk cooking of different foods). It is at once short enough that I don't think the texture would necessarily be compromised, but definitely see it as possible if stored in liquid. Likewise, flavor will last fine, but if it is in a simmering liquid, that is soy based, I am concerned it would leech every drop of saltiness and end up as some decaying, more-spongiform-than-usual, briny bread.

So I am looking for three possible things and the benefits/drawbacks of any methods;

What advance cooking method will work for a batch that will be reheated by smoking (low heat for about an hour or two)?
What storage method will preserve texture, maintain flavor, and lock out nasties?
What steps can I take when re-heating to preserve all of the above effort?

Essentially, what is the prep/storage/plate combo that will save me from turning a few pounds of simmered vital wheat gluten into cloudy clods?

hmm....

my thoughts:

1) biologists use stock as a medium for growing bacteria.  therefore, anything stored in stock; I generally like to boil/heat up a lot first before eating

2)the seitan should stay just fine; kept dry in the fridge in an airtight container

3) have you tried making steamed seitan, ala seitan of greatness from lachesis?

4) have you tried making "dry" seitan in a water bath (bain marie) in the oven: this is how it is done in the rfd (real food daily) cookbook. I make this a lot; both the "chicken" and "basic" (which reminds me of turkey)


How can I keep corned beef pink? I have a large gathering on St Patrick's day and serve corned beef. In years past I did all the cooking on that day and missed my own party due to all the work. Last year I cooked the beef the night before, let it cool overnight, and sliced it cold. I added water from the pot and reheated it in the oven in aluminum trays, and kept it warm in sterno racks. The taste was great but the color changed from pink to gray.

Any suggestions on how to serve a large group a hot meal and still keep the color of the beef pink would be appreciated. FYI, my typical method is to cook the beef first the night before, then in the same pot with the same water cook the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage on the day of the party.

As Jay mentioned, potassium nitrate or sodium nitrite is what gives commercially made corned beef its long-lasting pink color.  Home cooks can use the same chemicals.  Just make sure that whichever you buy is specifically labeled for use in food.  Also, since you mentioned that the corned beef you buy comes with a spice mixture, check the ingredient list to make sure it doesn't already contain either chemical.

I've only ever used potassium nitrate (A.K.A. saltpeter) for corned beef.  1-2 teaspoons per gallon of water is plenty.


I have a coarse pepper grinder, and it says not to grind over steaming pots, why is that? It says not to grind over steaming pots on the label of the pepper grinder. Is this so you don't get burned or for some other reason?

There are two possibilities I can see:

The steam can wet the pepper in the mill and cause it to cake in the grinding mechanism
There's an over-protective lawyer worried someone will scald themselves and blame the grinder company.

Which of the two is your guess. Personally I use my grinder over steaming pots all the time and I've never had any problems, but YMMV.


How to loosen peanut butter in a sauce When making a peanut butter based sauce, how can I loosen the peanut butter and even out the consistency ? I tried adding a bit of hot water and mixing them, but even after simmering for a while in the pan with frequent stirring I still found clumps of peanut butter.

If you add all the liquids and a big solid lump of peanut butter, you'll have a tough time getting it all smooth, as stirring the (thin) liquid parts won't affect the (solid) peanut butter lumps, and the lumps (once they're small enough) will just swim around your spoon and not break down further.

You need to gradually dilute the peanut butter with the other hot liquids, stirring each time until the mixture is smooth. That way at each stage the liquids won't be vastly thinner than the peanut butter, so stirring will properly mix the two. Once the peanut butter mixture is thinned to the consistency of, say, mayonnaise, you'll be able to add the rest of the liquids.

It's the same principle when making gravy from flour, fat and broth. If you add all the broth at once to the roux, you'll end up with lumpy gravy. But, if you add a bit of broth at a time, stirring until smooth each time, you'll never have lumps.

To fix your problem in hindsight, try running it all through a coarse sieve, or use a potato masher on it.


spanish rice ran out of liquid and is getting sticky help! My rice is still hard and I have a party coming over. I ran out of liquid and stirred it. Tastes great but center is hard. What can I do?

Have you tried adding water to let it finish cooking?


Is there any reason against using red onion, or a mixture of red and yellow onions to make an onion soup? Should I use yellow onions, red onions or even a mixture of both to make the best onion soup?

I realise this is a subjective question, but is there any reason I shouldn't use red onions or is there an advantage to using a combination of onions?

I would simply use whatever onions I had available! Red onions have a milder flavour than yellow onions (therefore red is usually preferred in salads) and obviously different colour but the difference is still small enough to interchange with no problem. Unless, of course, you desire a particular colour in the soup or are particular about the soup having a strong or mild flavour. Leek would make it even milder and sweeter. If I'd have to make a choice I would use yellow onions and spare the red ones for raw/decorative use.


How do I get my spring rolls crispy? I tried making spring rolls last night and for whatever reason they turned out soggy and I was generally disappointed.

I cooked them in about 5cm vegetable oil in a wok that was on a pretty high heat using generic spring roll "paper", but they just didn't crisp up.

I have a feeling that maybe it was because my fillings were a little wet side (but not too much) but I'm a little stumped as to what has caused them to be soggy.

Any tips on how I can get them to crisp up next time would be greatly appreciated

As Brendon mentioned, the oil needs to be very hot. Just test this by dropping a cube of bread into the oil. If it 'sizzles' and starts to colour, the oil is hot enough. Also, cook the spring rolls in small batches, say 2 or 3 at a time. Overloading the pan or wok won't help.


How can I prevent meatballs fall apart? Everytime I make meatballs they fall apart during cooking them. I used a several recipes such as a chinese lionshead meatballs and an indonesian recipe
and even a recipe from  a michelin 3-star restaurant. Always they fall apart. please give me tips. I like to make lions heads or indonesian meatballs.
But they fall apart all the time. it drives me nuts. I use the recipes to the letter so it must be technique or something.
The meatballs look oke when i construct them, but during cooking they all apart.

The general cure for this is to add an egg and some breadcrumbs to your ground meat mixture. The eggs serve as a binding agent, and the breadcrumbs remove excess moisture.

If your recipe does not allow the use of these workarounds, there are still some things you can do to improve your result:

Increase the density of your mince: there is quite a lot of difference in how large or small the chunks of meat in your mince are when you buy it. A real craftsman butcher will allow you to buy finer mince by changing the setting on his mincer. The finer the mince, the denser and tighter the meatballs will be.
Work them! Many cooks tend to be a bit lazy when it comes to rolling meatballs, working on the "once it's round, it's done" principle. This means  that they do not bother to roll them longer and harder to improve the structural integrity of the balls.
Turn up the heat: Good hot oil/butter and plenty of it helps you to get a solid crust around the meatballs, which in turn lowers the chance of them falling apart.
Bigger is NOT better. Smaller balls have less tendency  to fall apart.

I hope this helps any in making the recipes more successful next time!


Adjusting Bread flavor I just found a lovely recipe to make a super crusty bread in my dutch oven.  The texture is lovely and the crust is fantastic! However, the bread didn't rise much and the flavor is a little flat.

The recipe is

6 cups flour
3/4 tsp yeast
2 1/2 tsp sea salt
3 1/2 cups water.

I think if I add sugar and mix with the yeast and water I'll have a better rise and better flavor.  I would like to add a fat to add more flavor as well.  I don't know enough about food science to know the ratios and what the impact of those additions might be.  Any suggestions would be great.  Thanks,

Considering the amount of flour used, the basic bread proportions are:

Water: 60% the weight of the flour. Of course this percentage may vary among the different recipes (even above 100%).
Salt: 2%
Fresh yeast: 1%

It may seem a tiny amount of yeast, but the trick is that in order to make bread, you just need time. Time for the yeast to do its job. If you leave the bread to rest for a while (a couple of hours or even more in a banneton before putting it in the Dutch oven) you will get a better rise and flavour. Also, as Stephie said, use very good quality flours. Both things combined and you're done. No need to add sugar, fat or other things.

If you do not have the time, adding more yeast will reduce the resting (and rising) time, but the bread will get less flavour. But if your bread is going to be very hydrated (as it seems), I would really recommend to have patience in the process of kneading and letting rest the bread before cooking it.


How do you stop banana flower soup from tasting astringent? I have made banana flower soup 3 times now. The first time it had a nice, unique warming/comforting flavour. The second time it was inedible. The third time it was almost inedible. The recipes I have found call for the banana flower to be soaked in water with a slice of lemon for 1 hour.

Worried that it didn't work last time, I just quartered the lemon and soaked it with the whole thing (squeezed), but still it had that crappy taste (like banana peels).

I noticed this time that it also said use a non-reactive pan, so I did that.

I am wondering if any one can shed some light on what counteracts this taste? I know it can taste nice, and the banana flower is to substantial to waste! Thanks.

If the banana flower was astringent it is because of the flower, not the cooking method.

When the flowers are large and young they taste a lot better. If you wait until the bananas are formed and the stem to the flower is long then it will be astringent. The best time to pick the flower is when the stem is 10cm or less from the banana bunch. If the flower is old it will not be as good.

The variety of banana will also influence the taste of the flower. Sugar bananas often have the best flowers. You can eat the pink section but it is not as pleasant as the white section. If you eat the small individual flowers you need to take out the sepal in the centre which is incredibly time consuming.

Putting the banana flower in lime water is simply to stop it from going brown before you cook it. It does not significantly change the flavour.

There are many ways to cook banana flower. Here is my preferred method:

Peel the flower until you come to the white centre.
Discard the red outer section and the individual flowers hidden within this.
I like to quarter the centre and then I place in boiling water and simmer for 15 minutes with some salt.

For me it is delicious just like this with some lime, but from here you can put it in a cooked curry, salad, etc.


What’s the science behind thenkuzhal (its a crispy snack, crispy hollow tubes)? How/why does the hollow form inside this crispy snack? It is made from rice flour dough. For more details please check https://kalaskalai.wordpress.com/2015/12/20/thaenkuzhal-murukku/

I think the hollow comes from air expanding while frying the dough.
At first I thought it was made like an Italian bucatini (with a die), but watching videos showing how Thaenkuzhal is made, I think it's only air expanding


How to Remove Burned-on Grease from Stove I have not been wiping the stove top after cooking for several years. Last month I tried to clean it by taking some baking soda + water and scrubbing with steel wool. I did manage to get a lot of the dirt off but it is not clean enough. Any suggestions about how I can remove the grease off the stove top?

I'd try dish soap first with a scrubby sponge. Then, a cleaner like Formula 409 with a scrubby sponge if that doesn't work -- this usually works with a bit of elbow grease/a few tries.

And if that doesn't work, you can always go nuclear with something Easy Off Oven Cleaner (This is inconsistent with the manufacturer instructions, so I would not recommend it even though I've done it before and it worked).


Can I substitute canola or safflower oil for vegetable oil when making granola? I am making granola and just realized I do not have vegetable oil. Can either canola oil or safflower oil be substituted without compromising the flavor?

canola oil and vegetable oil are the usually the same thing. Veg oil is simply a less specific oil that could be made from different or combined vegetable sources, but not those which contain nut oils.

sunflower (not safflower) oil is likely your best bet for the least flavor contribution to your granola.


Induction surface started making a barely noticeable high-pitch whining noise, even when it is not in use, is this dangerous? We have been using a 4-slot Amica induction surface for 4 years now, and it started making a barely noticeable high-pitch whining noise, even when it is not in use. Is this dangerous? Can aging induction surfaces pose a danger of electrocution, fire or something else?

Glad you are getting this checked out.

As Steve mentioned, it sounds like the power supply or the supporting electronics for the hob is starting to fail. To be on the safe side, I would isolate the power to it if at all possible (UK hobs are required to have a wall mounted isolation switch).

Certified electrical appliances are designed to "Fail safe” so the risk of fires etc. is small, but your hob is sending you a clear warning sign that it is not very well and should be turned off. Depending on the nature of the fault, this may eventually result in absolutely nothing at all (apart from mild irritation), a totally dead hob, a small bang, or indeed a big bang. The greatest risk you are probably taking is that your insurance company will not cover you should something adverse happen and they prove you continued using the device despite being aware of it malfunctioning.


Are screwed on pot handles an indication of quality? Is the use of screwed on handles any indication of the quality of a pot?

What determines the choice of screws versus rivets or welds?

Briefly, no.  Screwed on handles usually are found on cheaper cookware, but it doesn't necessarily mean the pan overall is of poor quality.

There used to be a contention that riveted handles were the strongest and an indicator of quality cookware.  Also, welding and various screw attachments (which frequently also contained welds) used to fail more frequently.

But in cookware that's manufactured now, it's really a design choice.  Some people like the traditional look of rivets, while others find them annoying to clean.  And many cheap manufacturers now use cheap steels for rivets, meaning in some cases they're just as likely (if not more likely) to fail as other constructions.

Screwed on handles are generally used on cheaper, lower-quality pans, but not exclusively.  They can take a number of different forms, sometimes screwing onto a base that is welded to the pan (and thus creating more points of failure), sometimes screwed onto a base that sticks out but is manufactured from a single piece of metal with the pan, and occasionally screwing directly into the side of a pan.  The biggest problem with screwed on handles is that they're generally more vulnerable to coming loose.  On the other hand, when they do come loose, they can often be more easily tightened and thus repaired than welds or rivets (which would generally need to be sent out for a specialist repair).  Also, on cheaper pans, the handle materials tend to be cheaper too and may crack and warp over time, so a screw attachment can make it much easier to simply buy and install a replacement handle yourself.

The key is just being conscious of screwed on handles and tightening them if they ever start to wobble even a bit.  (You do not want a pan or pot handle to ever come off unexpectedly while moving boiling hot food around.)

Unless you're talking about unusual pans (particularly very heavy pans, like thick copper) or unless you tend to fling your pans around with a lot of force (like if you love to do the "saute toss" repeatedly every day with a fully-loaded skillet), most methods for attaching handles can function fine.


Why remove the vegetables from vegetable stock? Most meat stock is based on boiling bones, so it's not hard to imagine why you'd want to remove the bones before using the stock.
Vegetable stock, on the other hand, is broadly similar to the mirepoix that's used as the basis for a huge number of savoury dishes: onion, carrot and celery. When you cook something based on a mirepoix or soffritto, you leave those ingredients in. Yet most stock recipes suggest you filter them off and throw them away.
So why not do the same for a stock? I'm specifically thinking of ways to try and add flavour to the broth of vegan noodle dishes, and I'm struggling to see a reason why I wouldn't just grate the onion, carrot and celery and leave it in the stock for texture and better nutritional value.

The point of stock is to extract the maximum flavor from whatever you are using, be it bones or vegetables. Once extracted there's not a whole left, which is why you don't boil stock bones over and over. Vegetables will not have much left to give after being used for stock, you can still eat them but they may not be flavorful or nutritious.
Unless you're making a stew you're going to be cooking the stock, then removing the vegetables, then cooking the stock more with other ingredients. If you leave the vegetables in they'll continue to cook until they break down, and that's usually undesirable.
If you are making a dish where you want to eat the vegetables with it then you would either want to extract them while they still have some texture and then add them back in at the end to re-heat, or add them towards the end and cook them till done.


Can I still use butter that's been left out for 2 days? I bought butter in 1/4 sticks (one pound box) and left it in my trunk by accident.  It's been very cold 35-50° F (2-10° C) at night/day. It's been 48 hours.

Can I still use it? It's still in it's original container/box.

Yes, that should be fine. Plenty of people keep butter on the counter, so a couple days at below 50 is no big deal.


I have some cranberry juice that developed some dark spots under the lid, is it still considered safe to drink? My mom had some cranberry juice that says best if used in 2018, and was wondering if it will do anything very bad to me, since it was sealed by a reputable manufacturer for this long, and never opened.

Probably corrosion at pinholes in the internal coating ( lacquer type ) and not hazardous. However , I would not take the chance for a couple dollars can of juice.


changing single loaf bread into two smaller I am wishing to bake smaller loafs of bread. Do I need to decrease time or temperature if dividing single loaf recipe into two smaller loafs?

When you divide your recipe into two loaves, compared to the single loaf, they will:

Bake through more quickly
Get less crust development

all other things being equal.   Still, bread is relatively tolerant of varying conditions, so I would start with the original baking temperature, and monitor closely.  The baking time will probably be reduced by a few minutes

It is always important to know how to test that the loaves are done, not just rely on a time.  Depending on the recipe, it will be done when the internal temperature reaches something on the order of 190 to 200 F (depending on your recipe, and how enriched it is).   See Fresh Baked Loaves for other tips on how to determine if a loaf is done.

If you find the loaves are baking through and you have insufficient crust development, you may try increasing the temperature slightly (in increments of about 25 F).


Food that does not spoil, lightweight, energetic and balanced As I am preparing to get into sailing, the problem of having food with me that does not spoil, is lightweight, sufficiently energetic and well balanced becomes relevant for me. Personal satisfaction is of course also important. Water is available, but occasionally something without water may be called for.

If you had to arrange food with these characteristics in mind, what would you pick ?

You have asked a huge question; bigger than one can reasonable answer on a site like this.

I suggest you look into "Crusing Guide" type books.  One such is Sail Away - I have no involvement with this book other than having met the authors; there are many others.

Books like this will take sailing-specific exigencies into account such as limited water/power/etc. as well as accounting for storage issues.

Sailing, like many other travel endeavours can vary widely between people as well.  My version of spartan may well be your luxury.  Power budgets lead to refrigeration issues, and the like.

Good luck and fair winds!  (from a sailboat owner)


Do sweet dishes taste sweeter when hot or when it gets cold? While cooking something sweet which would be served cold or at room-temperature, is it more sweet when it is hot i.e. during the cooking when you taste in order to check the sweetness, or when it is served cold or at room-temperature i.e. after the cooking?

I feel that it tastes slightly less sweet when served at a lower temperature. Is that right?

Sweetness is perceived in inverse relation to temperature, so what you say is quite correct. Further along the same range, ice cream or sorbet tastes much less sweet when frozen than when you taste the initial base.


What is it that a filter Coffee maker can do that we can't do in a better or equivalent way at home? So, for knowing what is it all about, today I purchased some filter Coffee.

I followed the steps of using a strainer and liked its taste.

I want to know what is it that a filter Coffee maker can do that we can't do in a better or equivalent way at home?

Does Coffee maker works like the steps shown in the above link?

The method outlined in the linked page is closest to French press brewing.   You also have perfect control of the of the temperature of the water, and the length of the brew time.

A French press works essentially the same way, but the plunger filters out the grinds by pressing them to the bottom of the pot.  If you pour immediately, the outcome is essentially the same.  If you don't pour the coffee out right away, some people believe that it picks up off flavors from the grounds at the bottom of the pot.  This method also produces coffee with a certain amount of grounds or sandiness at the bottom.

I have never heard of an automatic coffee maker that fully replicates the so-called straining method from that page.

After the French press, perhaps the most similar is the manual drip coffee maker, such as the famous Melita cone drip coffee maker or the Chemex.  Normally, with this type of equipment, you put the grounds in the filter in the cone, over the coffee pot.  You then moisten them, and slowly pour hot water through.  It seeps through the grounds, picking up flavor, and the drips into the pot.  The advantage of this is that you control the water temperature and pour time, which some coffee aficionados are very particular about in getting their perfect cup.

An automatic drip coffee maker essentially automates the manual drip process, at the cost of giving up control of the temperature and pour rate to the machine.   The manufacturers do try to set them close to what are often considered ideal values.  They are pretty successful for pour rate, but only the best machines do as well on temperature.

What you gain is a high level of convenience, which many people find an acceptable trade off.  These are probably the most common type of coffee maker in the world, due to their simplicity, effectiveness, and convenience.

Please note that coffee generates a lot of passion and excitement among its fans.  I believe the truth is that with quality coffee, and care, and reasonably good equipment, any of the brewing methods can produce a quality cup, although each of us may have our favorites.

If you like the so-called strainer method from that web page which is specifically about when you don't have specialized coffee equipment, I suggest you try a French press.  It is not automatic, but it can produce a very high quality result.


How should I interpret this expiry date? I have a just opened plastic 4L container of cranberry juice that I bought several months ago. The expiry date on the container is 14 DE 15. I don't know if that should be interpreted as 14 Dec 2015, or 15 Dec 2014.

In general I have this problem with many expiry dates and am curious if there is any kind of standard.

According to this government website from Canada, the date on your product should be read as 15th of December of 2014.
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/information-for-consumers/fact-sheets/date-labelling/eng/1332357469487/1332357545633


Can I put chicken marinade on chicken after it was almost cooked? Can I put uncooked chicken marinade back on chicken after it is almost finished on the BBQ or roasted?

If it's the same marinade you marinated the chicken in, I would be very careful. If it's not cooked to a high enough temperature, it is not safe to eat, as it has been in contact with raw chicken. It would probably be safe, but I would just mix up a new similar batch and use that to finish off the chicken. It's not worth risking salmonella to save the cost of making a little more marinade.


What weights to use for fermenting sauerkraut? I am new to making sauerkraut. I do know the right ingredients for making sauerkraut, based on searching on Google.

My question is what equipment should I use to weight the sauerkraut below the brine?

I am using a Fidos jar as a container. If I were rich, I would buy a fermenting crock that comes with stone weights, see for example this crock. However, since I am not rich, are there stone weights that I can buy?

My current idea is to use ceramic pie weights, but I have never owned any of these before. Would they be sufficiently heavy to weight the sauerkraut down?

Penn State Extension recommends:

  Cover with a plate weighted down with jars filled with water or cover
  with a large food grade plastic bag filled with salt water (6
  tablespoons salt per gallon of water.)


Do I need to sift flour that is labeled sifted? Is there really an advantage to sifting flour that I bought that was labeled 'sifted'?

Maybe!

Flour is unusually variable in how densely it will settle, so this can make a big difference for some recipes. The purpose of sifting is to make the amount of flour in a given volume reliable. (If you are measuring by weight, you don't need to sift.)

By moving around the sifted flour, or pouring it from one container into another, you are changing the way it is packed. Therefore, you can easily "unsift" it in the course of normal handling. Proper sifting is done straight into the measuring device.


is there a downside to using a wood mortar and pestle? I bought a wooden (uhh, stained bamboo?) mortar and pestle today at an asian supermarket. I liked it because it looked nice and it was pretty large, especially for the price. I was also thinking that the larger size would help with peppercorns not flying out of it -- and landing ... somewhere... wait where did that go anyway?

I have to wonder though: are there any downsides to an MP set made of wood?

There are at least three potential downsides:

wood is quite light, so you will not get the benefit of added weight of the pestle for crushing;
many wooden mortars have a smooth texture, which will not aid in the grinding as much as, e.g., a coarse ceramic mortar; and
wood is porous—increasingly so as it dries over time—so it may have the tendency to pick up the flavors of its contents.


Can you buy plastic food containers like "Tupperware" in specific or custom dimensions? I am in need of a food container that is a specific dimension in this case (7.5"L x 3"W x 2"H) but I often need various sizes. I can't seem to find any in that dimension and I cant find a website that allows you to search by dimension. Can you custom order these types of containers or is there a website/dealer that allows you to search by dimension?

Edit:
I wanted to add that I did find a company Placon who does custom food containers but its more for large restaurants and grocery stores I don't imagine they would do small batch custom containers. While this isn't what I had in mind it may be helpful to someone finding this question in the future.

The food and hospitality industry faces the same problem as you do: restaurants want to store food in a space-efficient manner, but for decades, a business model in which a mom-and-pop place gets a manufacturer to produce 15 containers of their perfect dimension was not viable. Nowadays mass customization is theoretically possible, but the industry has already solved the problem by a different way: standards.

Specifically, there is the Gastro-norm international standard for food container outer dimensions. (If you read German, click through to the German Wiki article, it is much more detailed). It is similar to the DIN paper sizes standard. Many manufacturers produce containers of these sizes independently of each other. Storage space manufacturers produce racks, cases and display systems designed to perfectly fit a given number of Gastro-norm sized containers. This might be the best solution you are going to find, as it is so widespread that I don't know of anybody trying to use a custom solution.

Note that I have seen these containers mostly used for display purposes in canteens. In this case, they were open stainless steel containers. So I don't know 1) if you can get them in plastic, and 2) if you can get covers for them, especially tight-fitting Tupperware style covers. I don't know if this is a deal breaker for you.

If they don't work, you can probably find a combination of plastic containers and storage cases which are close enough that you are only losing a minimal amount of space when fitting multiple plastic containers into a case, but it will need searching. Still, you're not losing more space than by, say, storing books on a shelf. If you get problems with transportation (containers shift in the box because they're not a tight fit), some reusable package fillers should take care of that.


How can I sharpen my peeler? Is it possible to sharpen a peeler?  And if it is, how should I do it?

Are there any things to look out for? (Such as ending up with concave blades.)

This is the sort of peeler I'm talking about:

Sort of.  There's a trick to fix up peeler edges: rub the back side of a paring knife along the blade, at roughly the same angle as the peeler blade's edge. Use the tip of the knife if needed. You may need to do this with both sides of the peeler blade.

I suspect the result is closer to honing the edge, but the trick works well enough that I haven't bought another peeler since my kitchen manager showed it to me.


How to make cauliflower pizza crust without using parmesan cheese? I want to make cauliflower pizza crust for keto diet, but all the recipes I have seen on internet require a lot of parmesan cheese, which is too expensive for me.

So I want to look for a cheaper alternative of parmesan cheese to use in cauliflower pizza crust. Can someone suggest something?

Following edit is mostly copied from edit suggested by @NSGod, his/her edit was already rejected by someone senior on forum, so I couldn't mark it as approved. So I am posting this little note to give credit where it is due. Thank you.

An example recipe from https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/katie-lee/cauliflower-pizza-crust-2651381 is:

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, stalk removed
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:

In a food processor, chop cauliflower to a fine consistency. Steam cauliflower and then drain thoroughly. In a bowl, combine the cauliflower with the mozzarella, Parmesan, oregano, salt, garlic powder and eggs. Transfer to the center of the baking sheet and spread into a circle, resembling a pizza crust. Par-bake for 20 minutes @ 400 degrees F, then add toppings and bake for another 10 minutes.

As far as I can tell from the recipe, the parmesan cheese is included mostly for flavor, plus a little crispiness as suggested in a comment. The mozzarella and egg are what keep the base together.

Omitting the parmesan altogether should work. You can substitute any hard(er) cheese. I would also recommend breadcrumbs if cheese is too expensive, but that will probably not fit in the Keto diet.

As a final note: the recipe calls for 1/4 cup of grated parmesan. Given a quick search for the density of grated parmesan, this comes to about 25g (less than 1 oz.) of cheese. This does not seem like a lot to me, although you might disagree.


Oven is leaking steam out the back Most times when I cook, steam leaks out the back of my oven in large quantities, much more than I've spilled. I think maybe it's coming off the food, leaking out a loose seam in the back, and condensing on the back panel, dripping down onto the stove.

Besides loss of energy, should I be concerned about this? Could this damage my oven?

Modern ovens have holes in the back for things like thermostats and ignitors. Yes, you should be concerned. Not so much about the steam but it does indicate you have some sort of hole in the back of the oven or it's not properly vented. The holes for thermostats and ignitors (gas ovens) should be filled in with insulation so normally there shouldn't be a lot of venting from the back of the oven.

The bigger concern is flame potentially coming out the back, especially with broiling or convection.

The steam itself is only going to come from whatever you're cooking. Obviously there's no plumbing associated with an oven.

The back panel should be hot just by being close to the oven. Water should not be condensing on it.

I make bread and I will often throw literally big ladles full of water into the hot oven. I have to be careful not to burn my face off from the steam but I don't see any water condensation outside the oven. My bigger problem is shattering the glass in the oven door or the glass lenses oven the oven light bulbs if I accidentally splash water on the glass.


What is the English name for chleb bez maki? Can't remember how I stumbled onto this but everything I google for chleb bez maki is in Polish. Can't find a Wikipedia article. Is this a traditional polish bread?

What is the English name for it? I see there are chleb bez maki mixes but can't seem to find them online for purchase and even if I did I wouldn't know how to use it. Id like to know the English name. Looks like it's made almost totally out of seeds.

Chleb bez mąki means literally in polish "bread without flour", you may find hundreds of recipes in the web. They are breads based in whole grains, oatmeal, etc...

Chleb bez mąki


Substitute for ground picnic ham. Can’t find 1/2lb ground picnic ham to use in pasta sauce recipe. What could I use as a substitute?

You could use ground pork, ground beef, ground lamb, or ground chicken.  These would slightly alter the flavor of the final product, depending on the other ingredients in your sauce.


Once a month cooking I've heard of "once a month cooking" or "freezer cooking," where you basically spend a day cooking and fill your freezer with the next month's worth of food. This could especially come in handy when preparing for a baby. (Take-out food gets boring REALLY fast.)

What are some tips and/or resources for once a month cooking?

Edit: I suppose this need not be for cooking for an entire month per se. The idea is cooking in bulk ahead of time.

For years I did the 'once a week' cooking, which has the advantage of not requiring much freezer space (which I didn't have, with my under-counter apartment fridge).  Part of the trick was cooking something that could be used multiple ways with minimal effort -- a blend of ground beef, onions and peppers could be turned into a pasta sauce, mexican food, etc.

These days, I still don't go quite to the extreme you're talking about, but I will do things like make way more than I know I'm going to use right away, and freeze the rest -- chili, black bean soup, stock, lasagna, etc.  When chicken's on sale, I'll poach a large batch, shred it, then freeze it in zip top freezer bags.  I can turn it into chicken tacos in a few minutes -- thaw with some water in a pan, add spices, and cook 'til the water's mostly boiled off.

Now, as in the past few months I've made a lot of meals for my brother's family while his wife was pregnant with twins, some considerations:

containers : you're going to need a lot for a month, especially if you're preparing sides and such.  As I had a membership to Restaurant Depot, I was able to get 2 1/4 lb rectangular aluminum containers normally used for carryout packaging.  Of course, I had to get a case of 400 ... if you know a restaurant that uses 'em, you might ask if they'll sell you a few dozen.  You want something that seals tightly, and you'll want to fill them so there's not much air space left in them.
labeling : all containers should be marked with what's in them (if you have to open to look, it's not going to last very long), the date it was made, and possibly reheating instructions and/or ingredient lists (see below).  My mom would use masking tape to label things, I just got the lids that had paper on one side, aluminum on the other.
variety : my sister-in-law started getting heartburn from some ingredients (tomatoes, onions), which meant that the items I had made didn't work out so well.  (She was fine after the pregnancy, though, and made use of the dinners then).

One thing I've heard about, but never done myself, is people who have a dinner exchange -- sort of like a cookie exchange for the holidays -- everyone makes up a number of casseroles, or whatever, and then people meet up, and everyone takes one of everyone else's items home.  So, if you're thinking about doing this, and know of other people who might want to, also, you might be able to get some extra variety.  (of course, if you don't like their cooking, it might not work out so well).

... and one last thought -- it won't help on the baby preparation front, but if I were going to do this as a regular thing, I'd consider making one or two recipes, with batches for 4-5 dinners each ... so I was staggering things, and not having to spend a whole day (or weekend) trying to make enough different things to have variety for a whole month.


Can I make my fish stew recipe into a Chicken Caciatore recipe? I have a theory - my fish stew recipe would make a great chicken cacciatore, simply by removing the clam juice and all the fish meat, and replacing the juice with a cup of chicken broth and a pound of chicken thighs (and cooking the whole thing on low for 8 hours, rather than on high and then cooking the fish for 30 minutes on low).

My recipe consists of 28 oz of diced tomatoes (w juice), 6 oz tomato paste, 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, 2 cups of onion, 2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tbsp olive oil (I think I would leave this out too), 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar and 1/2 cup white wine (plus canned crabmeat, chopped clams, and a pound of white fish that get cooked at the end).

Would my transformation of fish stew into chicken cacciatore work?

Your tomato-veggie-herb-wine mix is a pretty generic (tomato) sauce base, so replacing the protein would work for more or less every meat, adjusting cooking times etc., of course.

A pollo ciaccatore ("chicken hunter-style") is such a basic dish that there are lots of varieties all over Italy and probably from one household to another. Your base sauce is probably the most simplified one would think of and there is a list of add-ins or changes that are common and work as well: mushrooms, olives, capers, red wine, sometimes even potatoes... And I wouldn't dare to declare one "the right" version here or anywhere.

There are probably two changes I would suggest for your recipe nevertheless:
searing the meat before stewing and adding some garlic.

Otherwise: have fun, I think you can't go wrong with your idea.


Culture fresh buttermilk with yogurt I would like to try culturing fresh buttermilk that I get from whipping butter. I would like to ask if storebought "cultured buttermilk" is done exactly like homemade yogurt, but with fresh buttermilk?

Thus, would the methodology be as follows?

(1) heat buttermilk to simmering
(2) cool down to 110 F
(3) add live yogurt culture
(4) incubate at the proper temperature

Thanks for any insights or those who have attempted this before.

You seem to have gotten the process backwards. You don't culture the buttermilk. You culture the milk, then whip the butter, and the rest is cultured buttermilk, at least if you are going for traditional buttermilk. If you want modern buttermilk, you don't whip anything, just culture the whole milk and consume the result.

The original method would include "self culturing", so you just leave your freshly milked milk at room temperature until it is done (soured). This is not considered acceptable by modern safety standards, even if you have your own cow. If you are starting with milk you bought somewhere, it is not even likely to work. So your best bet to get buttermilk culture is either a package of storebought buttermilk with live cultures, or to look if some specialty store sells the culture itself, possibly online.

I cannot comment on the perfect temperature/time conditions for buttermilk, they are also likely to differ between strains just like they differ between yogurt strains. Maybe somebody else can post the usual ones in another answer.


Why does my jelly crystal box single out pineapple, kiwi fruit and paw paw as preventing setting? Assumptions:

For American readers - I'm talking about Jello not Jam.
in Australia Paw Paw refers to Papaya

I've got a box of Aeroplane Jelly that states:

  DO NO ADD FRESH PINEAPPLE, KIWI FRUIT OR PAW PAW AS JELLY WILL NOT SET

My question is: Why does my jelly crystal box single out pineapple, kiwi fruit and paw paw as preventing setting? Why not orange or watermelon or plum?

Certain enzymes (proteases) cut the protein bonds that create the mesh that causes the jelly (or Jello, or gelatin) to, well, gel.

Orange, watermelon and plum do not contain enough of those enzymes to interfere with gelling. In addition to paw paw (more commonly known as papaya in the US), pineapple and kiwi; mango, ginger, figs and guava also contain enough of those enzymes to interfere with gelling.

The application of high heat will inactivate those enzymes to the point that they will no longer interfere with gelling. That's why you can use canned pineapple, but not fresh, in gelatin desserts.


Will store eggs turn into a chick if i leave it out in the warmth? I want a baby chick and i was wondering if i could leave a store egg our in the summer's warmth/ a warm place and let it turn into a baby chick.. does it really work???

No. In most (all?) places that sell chicken eggs in quantity, the eggs are not fertile. For that, there needs to be a rooster involved. The hen that laid your egg doesn't hang out with roosters.

Your best bet is to acquire a few fertilized eggs from a farmer who keeps chickens. You can also buy fertilized eggs online, just search for "fertilized chicken eggs for sale".


Is it safe to make chicken stock, forgot to turn crock pot on! I cooked a whole chicken in the crockpot today and then put all of the veggies/herbs in to make stock from the bones. I just realized I forgot to turn it on for the stock and it's 5.5 hours later. Is it be unsafe to make the stock at this point?

Bone broth is supposed to be cool when you add the vinegar to it. And then it's supposed to sit up for a half hour or so in order to let the vinegar draw the minerals, etc., out of the bone. So really at the time of this writing you've let the stock, which has already had all potentially harmful micro-organisms neutralized by way of boiling, sit up for just a few additional hours. On top of that, in order to make a good poultry bone broth you're going to bring it all to a boil again and let it simmer for another 24 hours. There's no chance anything bad is going to survive that onslaught. And there's no way mere stock, fresh off its cool down cycle, has had a chance to take in any new micro-organisms capable of forming the kinds of toxins which aren't resistant to such treatment. You're fine. And hats off for going paleo!

[EDIT]

By saying that the stock hasn't had a chance to take in any new micro-organisms capable of forming the kinds of toxins which aren't resistant to such treatment, this really is to acknowledge that some micro-organisms cannot be destroyed by boiling and, as pathogens, are the by-products of bacterial growth; since your stock has not had the time/opportunity to engender or accommodate bacterial growth, (thus the term new), there can be no reason to anticipate a consequent whose known antecedent is lacking. No new bacteria, no possibility of new toxins ...unless introduced from some flukish or otherwise uncommon manner of uncarefulness, (a cat's paw?), which would be a whole other matter. It is almost always possible to imagine contingencies which, for their very particulars, disallow of what would normally be sound advice.


How do I determine if my mussels are fresh? What texture should fresh mussel have?

Does mushy mussels mean they are bad? What causes this mushy texture: cooking or quality of the mussels?

Assuming your mussels came from clean, unpolluted waters, there is mainly only one thing that determines the quality of mussels:  Freshness.

For all shellfish, this means alive when you buy them and alive when you cook them. Their shells should be tightly closed when you buy them, or they should close when you tap them.

Mushiness doesn't mean much.  Shellfish are kind of mushy in their most perfect condition.


Chocolate Twang Aftertaste I was sampling several brands of dark chocolate bars. Here are two of them.

Lindt 90% Supreme Dark
Ghirardelli 86% Intense Dark

This bar of Ghirardelli chocolate (as well as other Ghirardelli chocolates) I tried have a twang aftertaste to them. The closest I can describe it is a citric acid / vitamin c flavor. Perhaps even "fruity". The Lindt bar didn't have that twang and was very smooth.

Can you tell me:

What is it I'm tasting
What causes the "twang"
What are other chocolates brands I can buy that are "twang"-free like this Lindt bar.

At a guess, you're tasting the chocolate.

Plain chocolate can actually have a lot of different flavor notes, depending on the bean type, origin, batch, and year.  A fruity taste is quite likely the result of working with a single-origin batch of beans that had that characteristic.  Other tastes can be mellow or sharp, reminiscent of different scents or flavors or kinds of sweetness that are actually not added to the chocolate bar - caramel, or tobacco, or marshmallow, or various fruits, spices, herbs.  Various kinds of fruity tastes are quite common - you can look up descriptions of types of cocoa beans for sale by batch or origin, or single-origin chocolates, and they will usually describe what typical notes might be found in the beans, growing area, or batch that they used.

Of course, some kinds of beans don't have that varied flavor, being more single-note.  Mixing several batches of beans can also lose the extra flavors, since instead of a few notes working together strongly, the much more varied and less concentrated extra tastes get kinda mixed together into a generic sweetness.  Big chocolate makers will likely deliberately blend different batches of chocolate together to get specific and reliable tastes in their products.  And those kinds of scent undertones are also often lost the more processed or diluted the chocolate is, with the addition of sugar or milk powder to help mask them, which is where the "typical" chocolate taste comes from, and why you don't get fruity notes until you hit very dark, pure chocolate.

If you would like to avoid the fruity notes, then you should perhaps avoid single-origin chocolates, or else specifically look for descriptors that match what you're looking for (smooth, intense, deep notes, something like that), and avoid what you don't want (fruity, tangy, floral, light).  You can also track which companies blend their chocolates the way you like, for pure dark chocolate (they will want consistent products, you understand) - though I have no knowledge of how the companies stack up against each other in this fashion, you may be stuck with trial and error.


Is the miracle thaw safe? I have a miracle thaw from my mother from many years ago. It works fantastic but I would like to know if this thing is safe? Does anything penetrate into the meat?

It's certainly safe in terms of food contact. See How does a Miracle Thaw work? - it's really just a sheet of metal. It's not very much different from just putting your food on a baking sheet. Just be sure to clean it between uses as you would with anything else that touched raw meat.

However, you do still have to be careful about general food safety: it's not safe to leave meat in the danger zone (40 to 140°F) for more than a couple hours. The miracle thaw speeds things along, but it doesn't change that. So if it makes your meat thaw enough in half an hour, awesome. If it still takes 6 hours, you need to find another safe thawing method to use instead.


Safe to leave 'new' chicken stock in rice cooker for three hours? I'm on a Japanese food kick after starting Midnight Diner on Netflix, and recently purchased a rice cooker. I'm experimenting with the delayed rice setting, and have programmed the device to have my rice ready approximately three hours from now.
Instead of water, I'm using chicken stock from a brand new, unopened box. I'm pretty sure that there is nothing unsafe about this, but the box does say that unused stock should be refrigerated after opening.
Is there any reason to worry about leaving two cups of chicken stock in a rice cooker for approximately two hours before the machine begins cooking?

The packaged stock will be pasteurised, leaving it in a pan for a couple of hours is unlikely to allow a huge amount of bacteria growth from ambient air. Then cooking the rice will boil the stock and kill anything that has grown anyway, so it is perfectly safe. The only drawback sometimes is that the celery stick in a stock introduces a sour taste as it ages but that is with fresh celery (shop bought is likely to be powder-based) and then it only happens after about 5 days in the fridge...


Cooking Porridge in steam oven Can anyone tell me if it is possible to cook porridge in a steam oven?  We're not fond of porridge in the microwave, and, as we never have much time in the morning, we are not able to cook porridge on the stove and allow it to cool for our toddler. I was thinking of trying it in the steam oven with the timer to cook an hour or so before we get up.

I'm not sure what a steam oven is either, but I think I can answer: YES!

I regularly cook porridge in an unsealed/unlocked pressure cooker that has been set on a hotplate which is plugged into an appliance timer.  I put my oats and liquid into a metal canister that fits inside my pressure cooker, and I put foil on top of the canister to keep extra water from dripping into it.  The pressure cooker has a "rack" in it to keep the canister off the bottom of the pot, which keeps the porridge from burning on the bottom, no matter how high you turn up the heat.

I keep the hotplate set to just barely a boil, because I use 100% milk for my liquid and don't want it to scald.

I have the timer set to start cooking it a full 3 or 4 hours before we wake up.  I prefer to soak my grains overnight, so I set everything up the night before, and we just wake up and eat!


Is chocolate that was in contact with moldy vegetables safe to eat after washing? If a small part of a piece chocolate was in contact with some moldy vegetables leaves for a day, will the chocolate be safe to eat after washing it with water? The chocolate bar itself didn't have any mold on it.

My personal opinion:  I don't think you would be at risk for any health issues beyond potentially throwing up the chocolate after you eat it.
I once bought something from a local gas/market and was eating it before I realized that it was moldy. Promptly got sick. I'm not sure if getting sick was caused from actually eating it, or because I saw the mold. Either way, my body responded in a natural way. And I think you would (also) throw up if the chocolate bar was truly bad. I'm not sure that the conditions you describe would put you in any serious risk... but I really can't say (not there, can't see it, examine it, etc.) The important thing is, what do you think? If you really think it would make you sick, throw it away.
I am sorry to hear that you have so many health concerns. Going online to try and make sense of this pain, or that ache would give most healthy people a reason to worry. But some of the conditions you have "self-diagnosed" are serious health concerns. Please take the initiative to see a health care professional and find out for sure if you do (or do not) have health issues that would require medication. There is no reason to panic over things you "might have", better to find out from a doctor and then decide how to deal with it.


Are there alternatives to okra as a thickening agent? I had a go at making a gumbo last week, and it went really well. The only problem was that the okra proved to be fairly difficult to source (after several supermarkets and groceries, we managed to find a tin of the stuff in a specialist food shop).

Given that the okra is used as a thickening agent, via the mucilage that sweats out when cooking, is there any other vegetable based alternative that would help keep the flavour of the gumbo, and thicken up the soup?

I'm specifically trying to avoid cornstarch or cornflour, since that would likely affect the flavour considerably. I was thinking potato, which is also starch, but that would also probably affect the flavour a fair bit. I realise that any alternative would have some effect, but would like to minimise it.

Filé powder (ground dried sassafras leaves) would be style-appropriate.

Fresh okra is only just now coming into season in the American south.   I'm in Tennessee and most supermarkets carry fresh okra for most of the year (though it often looks quite sickly), and frozen year-round.

If it's something you enjoy, you might look into growing your own, as it tastes excellent when it's fresh picked and handled appropriately.


Can I substitute chocolate chips for cocoa powder in my frosting? I just ran out of cocoa while making a cookie sheet cake.  Had enough for the cake, but not for the frosting.  Can I substitute chocolate chips?

You cannot substitute chocolate chips for cocoa alone, as they contain sugar and cocoa butter (fat), as well as cocoa solids—assuming you have quality chocolate chips that are true chocolate.  The ratio of these ingredients will depend on the exact chips you have.

A reasonable approximation for the general case per What's Cooking America assuming you have semi-sweet chocolate chips is:

  3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 tablespoons sugar and 1
  tablespoon butter, margarine or shortening for every 1 ounces of
  semi-sweet baking chocolate.

However, frosting is a specific application, and your recipe almost certainly has its technique based on powder, not melted chocolate.  You would be better off looking for a recipe that starts with melted chocolate.

The easiest (and one of the best in my opinion) if you have cream on hand, and again assuming the chocolate chips are real chocolate, is to make a ganache; see Ina Gartner's recipe for reference.

See also:

The reverse question:  Can I substitute cocoa for semisweet chocolate?


Self-Saucing Pudding—Storing? I've made this recipe once before and it turned out really well. I'd like to make it ahead of time for an event that I'm going to but I'm really not sure how it should be stored overnight.

The top of this dessert ends up with about an inch and a half of cake with a golden-brown crust. Beneath that it forms a custard-like rhubarb sauce that is fairly "liquidy" when it comes out of the oven but firms up as it cools.

I'll make it in the evening and will serve it early the next day. Should it be left on the counter or refrigerated? Covered or uncovered? Or, given the proximity of cake and custard to one another, is this a dish best left to serving immediately? Thank you!

Here's your answer, directly from the creator of the recipe:

  This dish is terrific if left for an hour or so after cooking as it
  gives the saucy bit and the cakey bit some time to separate a little.
  I have devoured leftovers of this 24 hours later, after i left them in
  the fridge. In all honesty after being left for this time it's very
  different to what it's like warm - more like a gooey pudding than cake
  and a sauce, but absolutely delicious. I doubt very much that it would
  reheat as it would dry out (although you could try it briefly in the
  microwave if you have one).

  I hope that helps.

  By the way, the Guardian printed a version of this recipe which had
  one of the ingredients (milk) missing from the method. Hopefully the
  one you're using is the correct one, but if you do find the milk is
  missing, the correct version is on my website

  Best wishes

  Sue

(just to make sure: I'm not Sue, this a copy of the email she sent me in response to the forwarding of your original question)


Would baking a cake for 2 hours at 350 degrees F be safe to eat if it's still moist? I'm trying to modify a recipe for a cake which calls for 3 cups of shredded butter nut squash. I thought I could replace this with roughly the same amount of pureed pumpkin (like what you would get in a jar).

However, the cake is still moist inside, after more than doubling the baking time it originally called for.

I don't mind that the consistency is too wet, I'm only concerned about cooking the eggs enough. Unfortunately, I don't have a thermometer to test the internal temperature. Is it safe to assume that at 350 degrees F, with the cake baking for more than 2 hours, that it reached the internal temperature of 138 degrees?

The cake is about 1.5 inches in height. I baked it for 1:10 minutes, then an extra 1 hour with tin foil on top (to prevent the top from burning). The top and bottom of the cake are not moist at all.

Unless you are very young, very old, or immunocompromised in some way (chemotherapy, leukemia, HIV, etc), slightly undercooked eggs are fine.


How can I extend shelf life of my cakes? I need to bake a cake and send it over to a friend. It might take 5-7 days for the cake to reach him. What are the possible ways available to extend shelf life at least till the day it reaches him, especially during the transit?

My current recipe consists of dry spices, honey, sugar, white floor, eggs, baking soda, baking powder, warm water, coffee powder, almond, oil.

Increasing the amount of sugar, eggs, and oil should make the cake last longer. The sugar binds water, which slows the cake from drying out. The eggs and oil slow the starch in the flour from recrystalizing, which is what causes staling.


How do I properly substitute flour and water for sourdough starter? I have a sourdough bread recipe that I want to try. The recipe calls for 2 cups starter but I do not have that much. It says I can use less and to just make up the difference with equal parts flour and water. If I use 1 cup of starter does that mean I use 1/2 cup of flour and 1/2 cup water? or 1 cup flour and 1 cup water?

This is my first sourdough bread attempt and I don't want to waste my starter with a stupid mistake. I have worked too hard at keeping my starter alive to mess it up now.

Starters are typically maintained at 100% hydration.   That means equal parts water and flour.  So, in your case, mix equal parts water and flour.  Measure 1 cup of that, and add it to your mix.  Of course, this will mean that all of your starter is gone.  Alternately, feed your starter (equal parts water and flour) with more than you need, and let it sit on counter over night.  Then you you can save the left over to use again next time.


How many cups is 8 whole peaches equivalent to? I have some fresh peaches that have been peeled and sliced and mixed with some sugar and a little lemon (approx 1/2 a bushel).

All the recipes I can find only call for  "8 peaches" or similar values. But my peaches are already cut up.

Does anyone have a suggestion as to how many cups of peaches is equivalent to 8 peaches?

If I gave you any number I'd be almost certainly wrong - peaches come in many different sizes. (And personally I'm led to believe that any recipe that gives only a number like "8 peaches" is either crap because is's imprecise or tolerates a lot of difference.)

So I suggest you

either find a recipe with a weight
My first guess is jams that often use equal or specific-ratio parts (by weight) of ingredients.
or one that gives volumetric meassurement for the cut fruit
"add two cups of sliced peaches"
or choose something that can be imprecise because you add ingredients to taste.
Compote, for example. Less sugar for ripe fruit, more for tart ones...

And if all fails and you have only sliced your fruit, try to "build" a whole peach (sort of, you don't have to find the original pieces, this isn't CSI) and weigh that. The rest is simple math. If you want to be very precise you could weigh 1c sugar as well and subtract from the total amount, but for 1/2 bushel of fruit I'd probably ignore it.


Can I eat an eclair which has been at room temperature for almost 2 hours I have recently bought an eclair and I'm not sure if I should eat it as it has been sat on the side for a good hour and a half/two hours. Please HELP!!

EAT IT NOW!IT'LL BE ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! No worries about food safety at this point, but time is of the essence!


Why does refined coconut oil make cookies chewy? I've made this recipe for Chewy Vegan Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies and they are indeed chewy and delicious.
I never used refined coconut oil before so I did some research. I saw a lot of recipes claiming "chewy" when they called for refined coconut oil. But I haven't found anything that explained why.
What is it about this oil that produces chewy-ness? What is the science behind refined coconut oil producing this texture?

I believe that the key here is the fat content, to achieve a truly chewy texture you need to have the right amount of saturated fat. In this case, chewiness comes from coconut oil's high saturated fatty acid content. As a comparison, coconut oil is 100% fat, 80-90% of which is saturated fat while butter has almost twice less (50-60%).


What is the ideal way to prepare (and the type of) beef for a homemade meat pie? What is the ideal way to prepare (and the type of) beef for a homemade meat pie?

I'm really interested in ..
1. whether there is a certain preference for the type of cut to use.
2. how much you should cook (if at all) the meat before you put the pie in the oven.
3. Is there a certain size that works best (for cooking purposes more so than eating).
4. Should I remove all of the fat content before searing?
5. Is there an ideal ratio of meat to gravy in the pie?
6. I want a meat pie where the meat content is still a bit tender, but the gravy is hot. any tips?

Your filling is basically a beef stew/casserole, so any cuts that suite long slow cooking are fine. They get cooked again while the pie is baked, so premium cuts will just be wasted

The lower grade and 'off cut' parts are what are most commonly used. Like rump, brisket, chuck, shank, neck etc

Using a bench top slow cooker makes cooking this all very easy. The beef needs to be fully cooked before making the pie. An eight hour slow cook is fine

You want the pieces to be a variety of sizes to fill out the pie shape, but make sure you have some at least the height of the pie filling. The larger pieces tend to be better, but that could be a matter of taste and culture

You need to get rid of plenty of fat before and after cooking. A mouth full of fat in a pie is not nice. There is already plenty of fat in the gravy and pastry, so trim off all you can

A good meat pie should have a solid layer of meat connected with gravy, not swimming. It should also not be so full as you can't eat it with your hands (for a single serve pie) without loosing half the contents

Puff/flakey pastry works best and holds everything together

Avoid overly strong flavoured gravies, you don't want to hide the beef and pastry taste

Before you attach the lid, place a slice of tasty cheese, or an extra generous serving of cracked pepper on top of the filling

A respectable pie looks like this - thanks to Ponsonby Pies (not made in Ponsonby anymore)