What features are important in a hand mixer? I've always used the cheapest hand mixers (around 10 Euro). But I damaged a beater of my current one when I tried to make whipped canache - it was obviously too hard. So I plan to get a new one. Strangely, on paper there isn't much difference between 10 Euro models and 50 Euro models. They all come with foam beaters, dough hooks and 5 speeds.

What are important things to look for in a good mixer?
Can I use the watt numbers to make a meaningful comparison between models by different manufacturers? How important are they?
I know that the watt numbers are supposed to indicate motor power. But I don't know if they have a meaning in the world of hand mixers, or if they have fallen prey to senseless inflation, the way loudspeaker watt number have. And if they are still meaningful, what is their relative importance as compared to other features?

I don't have a food processor or stand mixer, so the hand held mixer should be capable of doing a lot.

What I look for in a good mixer are:

A comfortable grip (I'm sure we've all have painful wrists after whisking up eggs whites or similar)
Well made, sturdy parts. (some whisks are strong others are just thin wire.)
Variable speed control
The Watt rating.

To answer your No.2 question, watts are important. They measure how much power the machine uses. Higher watts will mean the machine does more of the work and your wrist does less of the work. The cheapest machines on the market are only good for whipping light foods like cream and mayonnaise. If you plan on mixing up heavy fruit cakes or bread doughs, you should choose a higher wattage machine.

Paying for a good quality machine, if you can afford it, will save you money in the end. My mother has had the same hand mixer for over 35 years. She paid for a good one and it lasted. I however, like you, opted for a low price machine because I was on a budget, I am now on my third and this time I bought a sturdier model and I am much more satisfied with it. If I'd bought the better machine at first, I'd have saved myself £50 or so over the time.


How to hold and then poach egg yolks? I've been working on this riff on an Asian noodle soup. As the final garnish, I want to drop an egg yolk in the middle of the individual serving bowls of soup, to warm for a couple of minutes in the boiling hot soup and to burst with the first stir. Sounds simple, right? It's giving me a problem though.

I use the whites in the soup. I need to separate the eggs at least about 10 minutes before I drop the yolks. Separated yolks are really touchy, they want to break before their time. That they are at room temperature (for reasons that should be fairly obvious) doesn't help. I've been holding the yolks in little custard cups. I've tried putting a little water (hot and cool) in the cups, I've also tried broth from the soup. Even doing those things, the yolks break as I try (ever so gently) to drop them onto the soup.

Any ideas?

I do this all the time, I simply leave the yolk in the shell, then I use the shell to gently place the yolk into the spot I like. Dipping the shell into the broth and then letting the yolk float out will keep it together.

You could try heating the yolk in the shell by putting it in a hot water bath, seems a bit overkill to be honest. Chilling it also may help keep it together but then it won't cook the way you want in the residual heat. Room temperature is your best bet.


Whipped Cream out of Egg Whites All types of fresh whipping cream or Half-and-Half that I have found have an ingredient called Carrageenan, which interacts really weird with my dad (makes him feel jittery).

As I was Whipping Egg whites the other day, I thought maybe I could use that as a substitute. Is there some way to cure egg whites so as to remove the possibility of salmonella, while not ruining the "stiff peaks" property so that I can add sugar and use it as whipped cream?

Can I add milk or something else to it to make the taste similar to that of real whipped cream?

Thanks for your ideas and time!

Carrageenan is a natural thickening agent. It helps the cream beat more easily and stay fluffy. I have seen brands that don't have it but I agree with Marti that you might have to try a health food store.

Egg whites do not beat to nearly the same consistency. They are much more foamy. If beaten all the way they are more stiff. If you are using the whipped cream on a pie you can make a meringue topping instead. It won't be the same but it will serve the same purpose.

Another alternative is to make whipped cream with evaporated milk:
The first link from Google

This technique produces cream that is similar to whipped cream- it has to stay chilled and be eaten right away. It will melt unless stabilized with gelatin.


What is a flan pan called? I love making (Filipino) leche flan for my wife and I. However, I use a 9" round cake pan that I wedge into a 9"x13" cake pan, which I fill with water until it just touches the bottom of the cake pan. I then sprinkle a bit of cinnamon into the water, pour my flan mix (10 egg yolks, 1 can condensed milk, 1 can evaporated milk, dash of vanilla) into the round cake pan, and cover with aluminum foil to create a sort of rudimentary bain marie. I then pop this into the oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

My question though is: is there a pan specifically for making flan? If so, what is it called? My way creates a very top heavy and unstable (water sloshing) platform - and I'm afraid I might one day spill hot water on myself - not to mention that getting the round cake pan out of the rectangular cake pan is a pain.

Well, there is a pan especially for flan (Spanish), they call it the Flanera Flan Maker:

It doesn't appear to be intended for use with a bain marie, I'm pretty sure it's intended to eliminate any need for a bain marie (although I have never used one for flan).

Here's the link: Flan Pan


What is the basic technique for making tea with teabags and a mug? I am pretty old with no culinary knowledge whatsoever, but last week I learnt to make my first cup of tea! I have been practising it over ever since and been making slight changes to technique with improving results every time.

My specific question pertains to what experts on this forum think the ideal recipe for tea would be. I have some sugar cubes, milk, a tea bag, hot water a microwave oven and I need a glass of tea. What's the ratio of milk:hot water? Should I make the decoction before adding milk? When should I add sugar? How long should I place in the oven for best mixing?

I would greatly appreciate if you could provide me with a scientific reason for the sequence you suggest (in terms of solubility, diffusion, convection, etc).

I've never known the science behind it, but water heated in a microwave oven makes horrible tea and coffee. You need a kettle.

The standard British teabag-and-mug technique (as opposed to the loose-tea-and-teapot technique) is:

put cold tap water in kettle
turn kettle on
put teabag in mug
allow kettle to come to full boil
fill mug with freshly boiled water
leave for 30 seconds or so
remove teabag with a teaspoon; give it a little squeeze for extra flavour
stir in sugar (optional)
add milk (optional)

Scientific rationale:

The water needs to be as hot as possible to extract all the flavour: boiling water can't get any hotter
Remove the teabag before adding milk or sugar because otherwise some of the milk/sugar will be removed along with the teabag
Stir in sugar before milk because it will dissolve more efficiently in hotter liquid
Milk last because you can judge the colour more easily

However

I've seen people claim that the water should be cooler than boiling, because the boiling water destroys subtle flavours in the tea. That may be true, but I suspect that teabag-grade tea just isn't that fine; in any case the conventional wisdom is boiling water for tea, below-boiling water for coffee.

A note on strength and timing

The longer you leave the teabag in, obviously, the stronger the resulting tea. Experiment and find your preference. 30 seconds seems to be about right for a typical British tea drinker, and a typical British teabag.

However, it should be noted that a typical British teabag isn't really intended for the one-mug method -- it's a size originally sized for teapots, and you're likely to get at least two mugfuls from one teabag, if you make tea in a pot and top up with boiling water after pouring.

You could, in theory, re-use a teabag to make a second mug of tea, but teabags are so cheap that hardly anyone bothers.

The teabags found in some cafes, smaller and with a string for pulling them out of cups, need a longer steep, since they contain less tea.


Can I replace treacle with molasses in my fruit cake? I would like to know if replacing treacle with molasses in my fruit cakes will change the texture of the cake and how much molasses can I use in a 2.5 kg. of baked cake?

In my experience, any "liquid sugar" (warning: colloquial, not very accurate term) can be substituted well without texture problems. Mollasses, treacle, sugarbeet syrup, liquid glucose, golden syrup, and even agave syrup all seem to work well as substitutes. I suppose corn syrup or sorghum will work well too, but haven't tried them.

You get differences in taste, but in most recipes, the taste of the substitute is a good fit. Most of these tastes rely on caramelization anyway, so you should try to use something of the same darkness because roughly, two "liquid sugars" of the same darkness have the same taste intensity. Using a lighter substitute is mostly OK too, although you will lose a little bit of aroma. Using a dark substitute in a recipe which calls for a light one can result in the taste of the sweetener overwhelming all other tastes. For example, pliable ganache is made by adding liquid glucose to the ganache; I would never use sugar cane syrup as a substitute there.


Why do instructions for carving a chicken disregard the back? Many instructions for carving a roast chicken don't mention doing anything with the meat on the back. For example, Mark Bittman in How to Cook Everything, describes how to cut the breast, leg, and wing from the bird, but doesn't say to do anything with the back (other than, presumably, to put it in stock). The back meat tastes perfectly fine to me, although it isn't a large pretty chunk like the other pieces.

Why aren't there instructions on how to carve it too? Should I serve up the back meat? Keep it for myself? Use it as a part of some other cooking?

Back meat on poultry tends to be rubbery, inaccessible, and there is relatively little of it. The meat is almost like other dark meat but is found only in thin sheets. Also since during traditional roasting the back meat is down in the pan it tends to be less cooked than is pleasant for dark meat.

It isn't practical to try and carve it because it is a ton of effort for just a little bit of not-very-good meat.

After carving off the major cuts I will use my hands to pull off any useful scraps- including some of the larger pieces of back meat. I save these pieces for my standard poultry scraps applications: pie, soup, and enchiladas.

Whatever is left gives up it's goodness into the broth when the carcass is boiled and is then fed, with the spent carcass, back to the chickens.


How to stop a sponge cake (chiffon cake) from deflating/sinking? Beating of the whites is perfected.

When folding in the cake mixture and the egg whites is there a specific technique?

I place in about 1/3, fold, 1/3, fold, and the rest using a spatula, and turn the bowl to get it folded evenly.

Do I leave the cake to cool in the oven with the door open ajar? And for how long?

Or is there a specific way to cook it, e.g. high temp then low temp?

Many sponge cake forms are made with removable bottoms and tabs that stick up on the sides.

The purpose of the removable bottom is obvious, run a knife around the side and push the cake out. However, the tabs allow for a marvoulous technique when cooling your sponge cake.

When your cake is done cooking and ready to let cool, you invert it without running your knife around the edge.  The tabs keep the pan above the table/rack and allow for the air to circulate.  Gravity helps to maintain the height of the cake because the cake is still stuck to the bottom and sides of the pan.  As it cools, the little stretching action from gravity gives you a higher/fluffier product.

It doesn't completely solve your shrinkage issue but it helps out allot.


Can I counteract bitterness in apple sauce? I erred in making apple sauce by not coring and peeling the apples before cooking. Now I have a large quantity of bitter apple sauce. Is there anything I can add to counteract the tannic flavor?

There's a similar question on here about soup, and part of the advice holds true -- try spooning small amounts out into cups, and experiment with various things that are known to help mask bitterness (salty, sweet, and sour), and whichever works best use for the whole batch.

I wouldn't recommend dairy for apple sauce, though.


Cooling melted sugar quickly I need to make cubes of sugar that are 1 inch cubes and cool them down enough to hold their shape and support weight as quickly as possible.  What techniques can I use to cool the cubes, and how long will they take to cool down?

EDIT:

These are being made in an aluminum mold that I did not build.  They are made from plain white sugar and about 6 dozen will be made.  There are enough molds to make them all at once.  They are being used to prop raise a large thin cake off of a table.

How exactly are you making them? This might affect the answer.

I assume you're using some sort of mold. If that's the case, plunge the mold into an ice bath, but don't completely submerge it. Assuming your mold is metal (molten sugar is hot!) they will cool rather rapidly although I can't give you an exact time.

In general, an ice bath is the way to go for rapid cooling. You could get it a little cooler by adding a generous dose of salt to the ice bath, but meh I think you'll only shave a few seconds.


I err.. made pan fried gnochi and it tasted like pancakes I made pan-fried gnocchi for the first time today. I used the following:

Wholemeal plain flour
Leftover baked potatoes
Salt
A single egg.

I ran the potatoes through a cheese grater because I don't have a ricer. That got them into a super aerated pile. I added the egg and added flour until the whole thing was clinging together. I lifted it onto a floured surface, kneaded for about 4 minutes. I'm not a pasta adept so I don't know if I overworked - safe to assume I did.

I blanched in boiling water until they floated to the top, then I pan fried them in olive oil until golden brown on both sides. They were too chewy when they came out (No doubt wrong proportions of ingredients) but bizarrely, they tasted and smelt like English pancakes. I'm just wondering, is there something with the egg and the flour that would cause this?

It would be difficult to say precisely because the results that you describe are usually due to an inadvertent (and often undiscovered) mistake, but:

Not using a ricer or mill could cause you to inadvertently over-work the mixture; by the time you feel like you get the right tactile response it could very well be over-glutenous (this explains the chewy center). If your budget permits, even a cheap ricer or small mill would help (they're found for as low as $10), if not, just try mashing with a fork until fine prior to mixing with the flour and egg.
You need to be somewhat aggressive with salt, as others have pointed out. Twice as much as you think you need might seem like a lot, but try that as a general measure.
You mentioned blanching, did the water come up to a rapid boil very shortly after losing heat when you introduced them? You might want to use a higher-output burner if not. This can also be the bane of some fresh egg pasta; the water needs to be at a steady rolling boil and recover quickly. To compensate, you can use a bigger pot with more water and boil it covered, it might recover sooner. This could also be why they were a bit chewy

Those points could also be contributors to the taste you describe but the sum of the ingredients matter here, too. How old was the flour? With pasta and gnocci, I use a brand that's clearly marked with a packaged date so it can be rotated properly.

Also, did you groove them? Little grooves on the sides help the Maillard reaction so they don't need to fry as long, which keeps the oil from going pungent, and helps hold the salt a little better.

Source: I've screwed up more Gnocchi than I've gotten right. It's a labor of love, and so rewarding when they come out perfectly. Don't give up!


Making Bread From Pizza Dough My kitchen and I started to mess around and make loafs of bread from our pizza dough. Last night I loaded up a hotel pan with dough, and baked it for a little over an hour at 350. I let it rest and this morning I cut it open and there was a big ole air pocket in the middle of the loaf. We've had success before with using the dough as bread but this is the first time that this has happened. Did I proof it out too long? Use too much dough at once? Help!

I agree that it was probably the shaping that made the bubble.  Let the dough thaw enough so you can work it.  Then roll out and then start at one edge and roll up so there are no air pockets.  Tuck the ends under so the dough fits into the pan...having the ends contact the pan will support the dough while it rises.


Is cocoa powder chocolate? My daughter says cocoa is not chocolate. I've always believed that cocoa is chocolate, or part of chocolate, or whatever makes chocolate. I'm confused.

So, if I make brownies with cocoa powder only, are they still chocolate brownies?

Cocoa is a powder made from roasted and ground cacao beans. The beans are harvested, fermented, dried, roasted, cracked into nibs and then pressed to remove much of their butter.  The remaining cocoa liquor is dried and ground into unsweetened cocoa powder. This results in what is known as natural cocoa powder.

Dutch process cocoa powder begins with beans that have been washed in potassium carbonate, which neutralizes their acidity.  This makes the powder darker, it alters the flavor, and increases solubility.

Chocolate is made using the same process, but the cocoa butter remains. This results in unsweetened chocolate.  Of course, sugar is added to the sweetened varieties. The percentage of cocoa bean indicates the bitterness level of the chocolate.  Chocolate can also have dairy added (milk chocolate).

So, cocoa is a raw product. It is use to make cocoa powder and chocolate.  There are brownie recipes that include chocolate, recipes that only use cocoa powder, and those that use both.  You'll have to determine into which category your brownies fall.


How do I create spherical coffee? As a Barista, I have been playing around with different coffee flavours and creations.  Now I have been thinking of also adding textural elements in the coffee.  I was hoping somebody could give me a quick guide on how to make spheres out of coffee.

As I don't know anything about molecular gastronomy, I am not sure if things like acidity level will influence the creation of a sphere. I have also heard that the amounts of what I guess would be some sort of gelling or setting agent, need to be perfectly measured out to the amounts of liquid used.

I would try the cold oil spherefication method. Using agar agar as your gelling agent. The cold oil spherefication involves a solution which is in this case coffee that contains 1% to 2% agar (depending on desired consistency). The solution, which is warm is then inserted into a cold oil bath. Which will set the agar.

Why agar? Because agar melt at 85C. Making it perfect if your serving it in a latte.

You'll have to start by chilling your oil in bowl in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Lets say 1 litre. Next measure the amount of coffee your gelling and add your agar ( i would start with 1.5%) so for 100ml 1.5g agar. Bring this solution to a boil in a pan. Agar disolves at 95C. Keep wisking because if will catch. You'll see a change in viscosity, then you know your there.

Now there is alot of ways adding the droplets to your oil bath. Syringes and pipettes and so on. My recomendation is to use a squeezy bottle with a tin nozzle. Take your bowl of chilled oil and spin it ( i guess the choice of bowl and surface is of essence here). A round bottom bowl on an ice bath would be ideal. Now, gradually in a neat stream start dripping with your squeezy bottle into the side of the bowl. And there you are, Agar gellies!


How do I cook brain to achieve a firmer texture? Most of the time we fry brain and eat it. But due to its semi-solid state, it doesn't seem good.

Also Wikipedia says:

  Consuming the brain and other nerve tissue of animals may be hazardous to health.

How can I cook brain and avoid both the semi-solid texture and the potential health hazards?

As far as I know, neither one is possible.

The brain is supposed to be very soft and creamy when cooked. It is prized for this texture, there are languages where the idiom "it is soft as brain" takes the place of the English "it melts on the tongue". All recipes for brain are written to make it softer, not firmer.

Physiologically, brain cells are very different from muscle cells. Most of the cells in the brain have the purpose of electric insulation, and are practically sheets of myelin. Myelin is mostly fat and water, with a little protein thrown in. Trying to make it firm is akin to trying to make butter firm. It will always stay creamy, even if you cool it down to a point with little give/smearability.

As for safety, the brain has roughly the same dangers as eating other types of meat, plus the danger of prion caused disease. The danger it has in common with other meats are averted by following standard cooking practices, as with all other meats of the same animal. I doubt that any source warning you against eating brains will have these dangers in mind.

Prion caused diseases are a different matter. They are very rare, but very dangerous (CJD, commonly called "mad cow" in the media, is a prion disease). And no matter what you do to the brain, you can't destroy the prions. They survive at temperatures at which the tissue itself is incinerated to unrecognizable ash. You don't have a chance of destroying them by chemical means either, if you want to keep the brain meat edible. If you happen to eat a contaminated brain, you will be exposed to active, pathogenic prions, no matter how you cooked it. As far as I know, you can't avoid getting the disease after prion exposure (although I'm not entirely sure about that part). There is no cure for it.

Despite the popular name, the prions causing CJD can be found in the brains of animals other than cattle. This is why the Wikipedia article on monkey brains contains the sentence you cited, the prions can be found in monkey brains too.


Do "Best by: XX-XX-XX" foods have an expiration date? How long will foods that have "Best by: XX-XX-XX" on the product last past that date?

I have tried looking online, and all I can find is anecdotal evidence, which isn't very assuring for me since there seems to be no specific "x food will expire y weeks after its best by date".

Is there a rule of thumb or some guide out there that can tell me how long a "best by" food will last? Or is it safe to assume that they never expire, since it's not actually labelled on the product?

As I have noted in a couple of other answers, I have worked in the CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) industry for almost 30 years. It is safe to say that there is not a simple answer to this question. There are so many variables that it would be difficult to even go into all of them. Before I go further, let me say that common sense goes a long way.

Most food dating falls into three areas: Sell by, best if used by, and an actual expiration date. The one asked about, best if used by, probably has more variables than the others and is much more subjective.

First, it depends on the type of product. Is it a dry product, canned/bottled/jarred, or perishable?

Here is a little about each:

Dry products such as cereals, grains, crackers - These products vary in how long they will remain good. Keeping them well sealed and stored in a dark, cool environment will extend the time in which they would be considered good. Items such as cereals and crackers tend to get stale and unappetizing in a relatively short time. With those, common sense prevails and if it doesn't have the right taste or texture you naturally wouldn't eat it.
Can, jar, and bottle items - Items canned in actual cans can remain good after the best if used by date. However if you see a bulge, leak, etc. the item should be discarded regardless of the date. Food in dented cans should be looked at closely as the dent can cause a break in the seal. Other items such as bottled salad dressing will remain good after the best by date if they are unopened. (Given the choice of using an unopened bottle past the best by date and one that has been open in the fridge for 6 months, I would go with the unopened bottle.) For items canned in jars, look at how the food appears, be sure there is a good seal, and smell.
Perishable items - Storage conditions are extremely important. Be sure that your refrigerator and freezer are operating at optimum temperatures for keeping items fresh longer.
With most dairy products, if stored properly, common sense prevails. If it's molded, sour, etc. it's not going to look, smell, or taste good. An exception would be an aged, hard cheese, such as cheddar or parmigiana. You can cut past the mold and use the cheese safely. Many everyday dairy products can remain good well after their best by date.
Items dated in-store - Many items are shipped to stores frozen such as heat & eat items found in the deli bunker, branded meat items found in the regular meat case, etc. In this case, you want to look for the longest dated items. This is because the items come in frozen. When ready to place in a case, the store will take out of the freezer, date it per the manufacturer's criteria, and place in the case. Dating varies depending on the mfr. It may be one week, two, three, or even longer. (I have seen dating out up to 35 days on a heat & eat item. If most consumers saw that item in the case and the best by date was a week away, they would assume that it was pretty fresh. When I look at that item I know it has been thawed and sitting there for 4 weeks already!)

Most of the time "best if used by" dates are of a courtesy or guideline nature rather than a legality. The above information is only a slight overview and demonstrates how subjective this is. In closing, here are a few thing to keep in mind:

Use your head. Common sense goes a long way.
Remember that all food will deteriorate to an unsafe or undesirable point given enough time.
Once product packaging has been opened, deterioration occurs more quickly.
For various reasons, food can spoil before the best by date.
Proper storage is important for all foods, not only for safety, but for the best quality and flavor.
It's very important to be diligent with all canned items, regardless of whether in a can or jar. Dangerous toxins can develop which can't be seen, smelled, or tasted.


Making airier icecream I've been working on improving my home made ice-cream and was wondering if anyone knew how to get more air into the mix.  The ice-cream is great right out of the maker, but once I put it in the freezer to firm up a bit it becomes very dense.

Is it a matter of running the maker longer? making smaller batches?

Thanks for the suggestions

I'm seeing several answers that seem to be tiptoeing around the problem but not quite hitting it head-on...

If you have time, have a look at this Serious Eats article, The Food Lab: Real Ice Cream Without an Ice Cream Machine.  Although it's about making ice cream without a machine, many of the principles apply to machines as well, because the problem you're experiencing is the same as those experienced by those without ice-cream makers: Ice crystal formation.

Contrary to what Chef's answer says, you do not need to keep ice cream at above-freezing temperatures in order to prevent crystals.  As Mollie has correctly pointed out, that is precisely the purpose of overrun; the airier the ice cream, the less opportunity there is for ice crystals to form.  But that's not the whole story.  You don't just need to incorporate air, you need to keep it dispersed so that that the liquid never gets too dense in one place.

Ice-cream makers are supposed to do both of these things.  By churning the cream while it freezes, it keeps the mixture dispersed and introduces more air (overrun).

It sounds to me like what's happening is that your ice-cream maker is simply not getting cold enough.  If it actually brought the temperature of the ice cream to zero or below, then the consistency would not change after putting it into an actual freezer.  So you're getting not-quite-freezing ice cream out of the ice-cream maker which is great, but then you're putting it in a freezer where that not-quite-frozen liquid is forming large ice crystals as it freezes for real.

So your solutions to this problem are:

Invest in a higher-end ice cream maker that chills better (this may or may not be practical).
Introduce extra overrun by pre-whipping the cream before putting it into the machine.  Whip it until soft peaks form, then fold it into the mixture (don't stir!).  You can do the same with the egg whites as well.  This may give you an undesirable amount of overrun, like the 94% that's in Breyer's, but it will make it almost impossible for crystals to form.
Flash-freeze it with dry ice or liquid nitrogen.  This may not be practical either but is the surest way to prevent ice crystals from forming, since the main thing crystal formation requires is time.
If you can't flash-freeze, then try packing the churned ice cream into ice trays as Kenji (Serious Eats) does with the "raw" ice cream, then give it a whirl in a food processor once it's frozen.
Finally, one thing that even Serious Eats neglected to mention is to use a stabilizer.  Xanthan gum is great for ice cream and will help keep it at "whipped" consistency while it's in the freezer.  You don't need a lot - use about 0.5% of the total weight at most.  Stabilizers in particular are what will allow you to freeze the ice cream for longer, and prevent that 1-2 day "expiration date" that was mentioned by an earlier answer.

Any or all of these things will improve the smoothness of the ice cream and help it to survive the freezing process.


Liquid Layer above Melted Chocolate Recently I was experimenting with bakers chocolate. I proceeded to add some butter and continued to mix until smooth. Afterwards, I added a small amount of whole milk and the chocolate didn't really change. Once I added more milk the consistency of the chocolate radically changed and became a lot smoother. Additionally the chocolate separated into two layers, what appeared to be a water layer and a very smooth chocolate layer.

Could someone explain what was going on? Why did the water layer form? Was it from the moisture in the milk? If I try this again, does anyone have a good method of removing the water layer?

Blending ingredients with cocoa solids are best added at the same temperature as the chocolate. If you used cold milk the fat in the milk heated before the water content and was absorbed leaving the water to float. Although I avoid milk and use cream I have rescued both ganache & chocolate with icing sugar and/or cocoa powder adding a little at a time.


What fish can be used for 'minced fish' in Chinese cooking? I tried using mackerel which gave a good texture but was a little strong in flavour. What else can be used and readily available in the UK?

When I was in hong kong I was addicted to fish balls from the street food vendors.
I took a dim sum lesson and we used mince fish which was made from Dace (chinese mudcarp) and the teacher told me traditional fishballs were made with the same mince, but on the street they used small amount of any old fish offcuts adulterated with flour and other ingredients to give the desired 'springy' texture of quality minced fish.

Back in the UK, On teacher advice, I tried using a fresh mackerel which after slamming on the table 50 times gives a nice springy texture but when I added salt and white pepper and cooked in plain boiling water it was nice but a little strong. Anyone else had any luck? I was thinking a mix of mackerel and relatively flavourless white fish might be a good compromise.

I use a combination of Basa and what the shops mark as Spanish Mackerel (the basa usually being frozen in Australia) ... When fresh is available, I like to use Ling fillets.

I have had varied success with whiting fillets... Frozen whiting can sometimes have no flavor whatsoever.

Someone else suggested monkfish and butterfish.

Tuna made for an interesting meatball, and I used that with a Tom Yum preparation.

Addition of shell fish such as prawns also make a nice variation.


How to control temperature of a charcoal bbq If my charcoal bbq is too hot and the chicken  is turning stiff on the surface, can I close the top vents to cool down the barbecue?

What is the best way of cooling I down? Once cooled, what is the best way of making I hot again?

The temperature of a charcoal cooker is controlled by how much oxygen you allow to get to the fuel. I don't know what kind of grill you have, but typically there are one or more vents at the bottom, and one or more at the top. The bottom vents regulate oxygen supply to the fuel, while the top vents regulate air flow.

If you close down all the vents, the coals will eventually extinguish. If they are still holding enough heat, opening them back up will cause them to reignite. To regulate your temperature, open/close your supply vents (bottom ones) to varying degrees.

Also, consider setting up a zone on your grill surface where there is no charcoal underneath, to where you can move any food in danger of being overcooked.


How do you clean cheesecloth full of bean roots? Related: How do you clean cheesecloth?

My problem is a bit more complex. I sprout beans in cheesecloth and it's been working okay. The cheesecloth is able to get some of the bean roots off the beans when I harvest the bean sprouts so that I don't have to eat a lot of roots. The drawback: I end up with a piece of cheesecloth full of bean roots. Handwashing it helps remove some but not all the roots. Better ideas?

You clean it by throwing it away. Is it worth the trouble?


What can I do with a lot of sage? We have this sage plant and it's grown into gigantic monster which is consuming my herb patch.

I'm going to attack it with gusto and will have lots of sage to do something with. Last year we made a sage jelly but this year i want to do something else.

What are my options?

One of the most popular things I've seen sage used for is tea.  You just dry the leaves, steep as you would regular tea leaves (personally I like it with ginger root if I have some handy), and then maybe a little honey or lemon.  Sage is anti-bacterial, which is a nice bonus.

Meat-wise, I like to use sage with pork chops, either as part of a marinade or just chopped and rubbed onto the pork and then grilled.  Sage also goes great with chicken.  Roll the sage in your hands to release the oils, then either chop very finely or mash with a mortar and pestle.  Mix with a little salt and rub onto chicken breasts, and sautee in oil or butter (or grill it).

Veggie-wise, I think it pairs very well with sliced, sauteed carrots.  It goes very well with potatoes, try sweating some onion in a pan with a little oil or butter, adding some potato slices, and right before they're ready add fresh chopped sage.  It's also a great ingredient in stuffing, dried or fresh.

I had sage-laced cornbread once, it was pretty delicious.  Wasn't there for the making of, so not sure if there was any special preparation needed, but the end result was nice.  In fact, a friend of mine a while back who was a baker loved using sage in various breads, but baking is one of my weak spots so I can't really give you any specifics other than "this combination works, check Google for recipes" :)

At one point, I heard someone refer to what they called "sage fritters", which were basically sage dredged in seasoned flour and egg, then quickly fried in oil.  I did a quick search to find the source, and didn't see it, but did come across a very interesting idea: Sage and Apple Fritters (these are much more of a true fritter than what I first mentioned).

If you get tired of it while it's fresh and you're running around like a lunatic trying to find uses for it, there's always freezing.  I freeze or dry any large quantities of herbs at the end of the summer, there are a few methods available.  You can reference this question, I feel like there's a better one about specifically freezing herbs on this site but I can't find it right now.  The short of it is, some people have good luck freezing whole leaves as they are, some people prefer to chop them or put them in the food processor with some oil or stock, and freeze into cubes.  Both methods have advantages and disadvantages.

Alton Brown has a great method for drying described in this episode (text transcript).  Essentially, you layer an air filter (like you'd use in your central air unit) with an herb.  Place another filter on top, layer it again.  Continue as much as you want, then strap them all to a box fan.  Instead of weeks to months, you should have dried herbs in a couple days, max.  You can watch the video here, skip to about 2:30 in.   Bonus: the same episode describes his method of freezing herbs, that's about 1:00 in on the same link.

Speaking of Alton Brown, he recommends herb vinegar - you'll find how he makes it on the (text transcript) link in this paragraph.

There are also a TON of medicinal uses and has been used for thousands of years for various remedies.  Since this is a cooking site I'm hesitant to list them all (there are a lot), but you can read more about the most popular ones here, here and here.

This is non-culinary, but you can use it to "smudge", which is often tied to cleansing rites, but can also be considered just a simple incense/potpourri.  I had a hippie friend once whose house always smelled like smoldering sage.  More details can be found here.

Can you tell I grow sage and generally have an abundance at the end of the season?


Cheese that Pairs with Spicy Food I regularly make spicy Indian meals, but have been unable to find a cheese that pairs well.  Does anyone know of one?

Paneer is the obvious one. It can be used as a primary ingredient in a curry.


Techniques for making sourdough starter in cold/altitude I want to try my hand at making sourdough starter but live in high altitude and cold weather. I'm not sure if the altitude is an issue but I don't think my house is warm enough on its own to allow a starter to properly rise and ferment. Aside from I'm wondering if there are any other ways to create a warm, moist environment in which a starter could be successful.

You might want to try a desem starter.  Have a look at the desem primer, which is also linked on the Wikipedia page.  Starter instructions are given toward the end.  Common lore says that desem starter should never get above 65F, which sounds perfect for your situation.  (It's actually fine if it gets warmer than that, though.)  Traditional conditions for creating a starter are 50-65F, and I imagine you must have an area at least in that temperature range.  I don't think the high altitude should be an issue in getting a starter going, and it might actually help in the case of desem starter by allowing the internal sponge to grow slightly easier.

Basically, it's a dry dough sourdough starter -- different from the typical goupy or soupy sourdough starter most people work with.  You begin a starter by essentially taking a little water and kneading in about as much whole grain flour as is reasonable to make a very dry little dough ball.  (Whole wheat is traditional, but you can use other grains -- rye would probably be effective, but it's not traditional "desem.")  Then bury it in flour.  Standard practice is to throw half away every 24 hours and then add water and flour to repeat.  You can also start with a very small amount and gradually enlarge the ball.

Eventually, you'll pull the ball out one day and it will be very soft and spongy inside.  This will probably happen in about a week at low temperatures, but it could take more or less.  At this point, I would usually do a few feedings 12 hours apart before using it to bake bread.  If you want to ensure the strongest starter, I'd also do regular feedings for a few more days to really get the culture established.

You can easily convert a desem starter to a wetter version once it is established.  Just add water to get the texture you want, and feed according to whatever starter recipe you want to follow.

And, of course, you can use to bake other kinds of bread.  You can also convert it to another type of flour once established.

Why does this work better at lower temperatures?  I've never actually tried it at very low temperatures (I've had success with a temp of 65F or so), but lots of people have.  I think you might be able to get a more standard wet sourdough culture going with at least 50F temperatures -- I only recommend the desem method because anecdotally it's what a lot of people use at lower temperatures.

If it does work better, I assume it might have something to do with the way yeast and bacteria growth rates change at lower temperatures.  Both are integral to a sourdough culture, but too much of one and not enough of the other, and the starter can fail.  Early on in the creation of a starter, bacteria are much more active than yeast, and they produce a lot of byproducts, including acids which provide souring.  In the first few days, you often end up with an excess of acetic acid (partly from bacteria that are undesirable and ultimately die off in the starter process), whereas a mature starter should produce more lactic acid.  Excess acetic acid is known to be a significant inhibitor of yeast growth.  So, at lower temperatures, the yeast may grow too slow and not have a chance to get established at all if there's too much acetic acid around.  The high flour proportion in the desem starter could dilute the effect of all that acetic acid early on more effectively than in a wet starter.  At least, that's what I'd theorize.

Regardless of the science, lots of people have success with the desem starter technique at lower temperatures.  If you don't like maintaining that type of starter (which I personally have grown to like, because it seems to stay fresh longer with fewer feedings in the fridge once established), you can add more water once the starter is established.

As for allowing your dough to rise once you start baking, there are lots of ways to make a temporary humid warm space.  If you have some small enclosed space that doesn't allow a lot of air circulation outside (microwave, small oven, etc.), put the dough in there along with a cup of hot water.  Refresh the hot water as necessary to keep the desired temperature.  If you don't have such a space, you can even take a large wider-than-tall cardboard box, cut off the top flaps, seal the bottom with packing tape, and invert it over your dough along with the cup of hot water.  I used such makeshift proofing boxes for years until I actually was given a proofing box as a gift.

Frankly, you can let sourdough bread rise at lower temperatures, too, which will increase certain flavor elements.  It will just take longer, and sometimes you might need to use a different amount of starter in the recipe so as not to end up with a loaf that's too sour in the end.  But that will depend on the recipe and the specific characteristics of your mature starter.


Can I bake pita bread on a pan? I wouldn't like to heat the oven just for making a pita bread for one sandwich. Could I bake it entirely in just a pan, just like some tortilla?

The answer is almost certainly yes.

The almost is because I haven't made pita bread this way - but I have seen chapati made on a skillet, and under the right conditions it will puff up, even into one big pocket - so pan cooking doesn't specifically preclude that kind of development.  Beyond the need for it to puff up into the pocket, I don't imagine pan-cooking pita bread is that much different form other kinds of pan-cooked flat-breads.

it looks like cast iron is preferred, since it can be heated very hot and has the thermal mass to hold the heat steady while the pitas are cooking - but I honestly expect you can make them with any skillet you have on hand.
Stove-top pitas may be a touch drier, slightly less puffy, but have more browning (and toasty-flavor) than oven-baked pitas, because they're in direct contact with the heat, instead of being cooked by radiant heat.  You can press the surface gently with a clean towel to help the pocket form if it isn't forming quickly or fully enough for your tastes.


Will I damage a plastic bowl with a marble pestle? The title should say it all. I have a pestle but lost the mortar that belonged to it and wonder if I can use it with my ol' plastic bowls.

Yes you will damage plastic. At the very least, you will scratch them. At worst, you will get plastic dust in your food. Don't do it.

If you don't believe me, take empty plastic bowl (one you don't mind damaging) and push pestle against it's wall. You will see for yourself.


Is there grade/quality for spaghetti selection? Just as the topic.

One of my friends brought me some spaghetti from Italy. What is the difference between spaghetti from Italy and spaghetti from outside of Italy?

There is a legal difference: according to Italian law, pasta (which includes spaghetti) is made only with durum wheat. Other countries also accept soft wheat. The difference is in the amount of protein (mostly gluten): durum wheat has more, which in turn gives the pasta a somewhat snappier bite. Also, the cooked pasta stays eatable (as in, non-mushy) for a longer time.

Moreover, some Italian pastas are extruded through traditional bronze dies that leave a slightly rougher surface that makes for better sauce adhesion.

Avoid by all means all stupid Italian pastas made for tourists. Avoid stupid novelty shapes and (most) colored pastas. Some good brands with global distribution that will not let you down: Barilla, Agnesi, Garofalo, De Cecco (thanks for the tip).


Mixing starches with sugar to make chewy candies This is a bit of a Moby Dick for me. There is this candy, Gingerbon, that that has a very tough (for lack of a better word) chew to them. The texture is like a very chewy taffy that sticks to the nooks in your molars. However, it's resilient enough to not deform under moderate pressure.

The ingredients, listed in order, are simply sugar, tapioca starch, ginger, and vegetable oil.

I suspect the vegetable oil is used as a releasing agent for whatever mold is being used. This is simply based on the idea that the ingredients are listed in order of prominence but, since this is a candy made overseas, the order might not indicate anything.

The candy is mfg'd in Indonesia. I looked it up and found Permen Jahe but the recipes online seem to make something more akin to a gritty tootsie roll.

The only other potential candy that might resemble this in the States is Gin Gins (formerly known as Ginger Chews) by Ginger People. They only list 3 ingredients (no oil).

I'm not 100% sure on this but I believe starch gelatinization breaks down well before the soft-ball stage of sugar so boiling them together at the same time doesn't seem like the best option. Adding it towards the ends seems like a it would just make something akin to twizzlers since, again, it wouldn't have enough water to gelatinize. Adding a slurry of gelatinized tapioca to hot sugar seems like a recipe for disaster...

I would love to experiment but I don't really have the resources for it. Is there another way to get chewy candy with just starch and sugar?

Thanks.

I think it'll be very difficult to mix everything without any liquid, but if you cook everything long enough until (almost?) all liquid is evaporated, maybe it's not necessary to list it anymore.

But here is some info to get you started on your experiments:

In Germany there are tons of "vegan gums" with very similar ingredients like your candy, but they all list fruit juice.
I found a product with slightly more detailed ingredients list than usual that may be similar to what you ate here. If you experiment with the added liquid, you may get chewy candy.

The shortened and generalized list of ingredients is:
invert sugar syrup; 15% fruit juice; starch, glucose syrup, 4% ginger pulp; acidifier; ginger extract.

Usually, "starch" refers to potato or corn starch here. But I've seen "modified starch" on the packages and "tapioca starch", too.

Unfortunately I only found one recipe to cook something similar to that here (also in German, sorry). The ingredients if condensed are also basically sugar, starch, liquid, some carrageen (see note #1) and flavouring.

The tl;dr recipe would be:

Mix everything, bring to boil
Stir a lot until the bottom of the pan becomes visible between strokes
Dial down and continue cooking while continuously stirring until "your desired toughness" is reached. To test this, a small piece is dropped into cold water (sounds a lot like cooking sugar).
While warm, the mass can be pressed into molds (either starch dusted or silicon). The oil is used to remove the starch and bring it to shine.

Annotation #1: The mentioned recipe uses "Tortenguss" which is mainly modified starch and some carrageen. Also, the author uses three types of sugar (refined sugar, glucose and fructose).

Annotation #2: Someone in the comments of the mentioned recipe reported that they cooked everything so long it became hard candy.


What is the approximate shelf life for herbal infused olive oil, coconut oil, glycerin, or vinegar? What is the estimated shelf life (assuming you keep it in a dark place) for:
1)herbal infused olive oil? coconut oil?
2)herbal infused vinegar
3)herbal extract made from 50% glycerin in water (and would you refridgerate it to prolong its shelf life?)
3)does food grade beeswax even have a shelf life?
Thanks for any help you can provide.

Update: Thank you! I should have specified olive oil infused with dry herbs, not fresh-- I think it keeps for significantly longer,  especially in the refrigerator,  on account of the neatly absent water content. The herbal academy of ne site says to use only dry herbs because of the risk of mold, and to discard it after a month.  I thought that might be excessively careful,  but I guess not.  By the way my main focus is not cosmetics,  but rather "dietary supplements " for health purposes,  made from edible ingredients and foodstuffs.  If they taste,  smell, and look good, so much the better!

For 1), it is 2 hours. See Infusing olive oil with herbs: infused olive oil is not a shelf stable product and the same rules as cooked meat apply to it. 2 hours on the shelf, 3-5 days in the fridge. The type of oil doesn't matter. As soon you have plant matter where the oxygen is cut off, you risk botulism (can be deadly even if treated properly).

For pure coconut oil, look at the date stamped on the package. This is what is relevant for food safety purposes. If you are asking "when will it go rancid", there is no way to predict it. Just smell it before use.

Herbal infused vinegar will last the same as other vinegar. It is safe for years, unless you notice signs of spoilage (mold).

Pure beeswax also lasts for years without becoming unsafe.

All of this is for each of the exact products you mentioned above, unaltered in any way. For example, if you were to emulsify together the infused vinegar, the beeswax, the coconut oil, and some water, the resulting shelf life would be again 2 hours outside of the fridge, after which it would be unsafe for consumption. Or, to say it another way: the storage lifetime of a prepared food is not determined by the storage lifetime of each ingredient. You can learn some more in our tag wiki on food safety: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/tags/food-safety/info.


How does pudding make cake moister? I've got a recipe that calls for adding a box of instant pudding mix to a box of cake mix (along with eggs, water, and oil) to make a cake moister. And there are lots of cake mixes that proclaim "pudding in the mix!" on the outside of the package.

I'm curious how this works. I think instant pudding is just sugar and cornstarch (and then various chemical things and flavoring), so what's working with the cake mix to make a moister baked cake?

Instant pudding contains a significant amount of cornstarch. It also contains less significant amounts of disodium phosphate and tetrasodium phosphate. All three of these ingredients will have an effect on cake.

Starch absorbs water and gels during baking. This interferes with gluten formation to some degree. If you break down the starch in flour, which is, in part, how you make cake flour, the starches are more able to do this job. Cornstarch is nearly all starch. Adding it to your cake will make your flour behave more like cake flour, while increasing your cake's hydration.

The phosphates also affect your cake, but to a lesser degree. Depending on the other ingredients in your cake, they will act as a leavening agent that will help to prevent the addition of all that pudding from making your cake too heavy.

Many bakers rely on a secret trick that you might try instead of pudding. They replace two tablespoons of flour in any cake recipe with cornstarch. I do this not only in cakes, but in pie dough.


How to make mozzarella with rennet? I used to make soft cheese by vinegar, which quickly results in the formation of curd. I tried to make hard cheese (mozzarella) by rennet (commercial tablet) by the process took more than 30min and the result was something like yogurt.

I simply followed the manual (mixing the tablet solved in warm water with the milk at temperature 35 - 40 C). Was something wrong with my procedure, milk, or rennet?

The one time I made mozzarella, I used this recipe. As I understand it, the key is (a) citric acid, and (b) kneading (that's what gives it the stringy texture). It turned out pretty well, but it didn't keep long at all.


Beef mince (ground beef) smells like vinegar My wife bought some beef mince (ground beef) from a shop. It looked red.

When she fried it, it give off an aroma of vinegar. Is it spoiled?

Probably. Beef should have a faintly sweet meaty smell. An acidic or vinegary smell is never good. I'd chuck it and/or take it back and get a refund, providing it was still supposed to be in date.

With any question of food safety, you have to make the trade off between your willingness to contract food poisoning and the cost of the item involved. Minced beef would cost, perhaps, £5 tops? Which would you rather, lose £5 (assuming you can't get a refund) or spend a few days in bed/in the bathroom being violently ill?


Rough guidelines for oven temperatures How can I master the oven temperatures at which to cook things and corresponding cooking times without having to remember them specifically for each dish? Are there some charts anywhere on the internet, for instance in gif format?

Thanks.

What you're really trying to do is add a measured amount of heat to your food in order to achieve the effects you want: in the case of e.g. a roast chicken, crispy skin and safe but juicy meat. As noted by Erica there is comparatively wide band of temperature in which this will work, so why not measure the temperature where it matters?

Buy yourself a digital thermometer. America's Test Kitchen has rated ThermoWorks as one of, if not the, top brand.  A 'Chef Alarm' by TW will cost you about US$50, and consists of a probe you stick into the food, and a digital reader. It will make more of a difference to your meat dishes than anything else. Roast meats at around 210C as a base temp. This will seem pretty high, but will ensure you get a crispy outside while the inside cooks, and you can always modify once you see how your oven behaves. Chicken is cooked internally at 70C, pork about 65C, lamb or beef at 55C. You can even set an alarm on your unit to tell you when it's done. No more guessing - ever.  In terms of veg, see a nice summary (conveniently, all cooked at about the same temperature too) at ChefSteps: https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/tips-tricks-perfect-roasted-vegetables

Most braises or casseroles will go in at about 150-170C for several hours depending on the thickness of the meat. The point in slow cooking to break down tough collagen into tender and tasty gelatin. For a great, instructive and short video on understanding the difference between tough and tender cuts (and why you can use the same techique for a shoulder of pork or a shoulder of lamb): https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/decoding-tough-and-tender-cuts

Oh - and cakes always seem to be cooked at about 180C. No idea why but most recipes seem to be written for that temp.


What temperature would you heat frozen lasagna in the oven at? We froze some leftover homemade lasagna and instead of reheating in the microwave we would like to use the oven. What is a good temperature and time for reheating?

350F is the magic temp. Just about every casserole cooks at 350, and you cook it until it starts being bubbly which will probably between 30 minutes and an hour (in this case, you should check to make sure it's hot in the center as well, since you're starting from frozen). I'd cover it early, and then uncover it near the end so the top won't get dry.


Smoked Pork Butt Question I’ve smoked two pork butts for 11 hours and they’re done- but I’ve not supposed to serve for 7 hours.  My plan is to keep itv warm in the oven at a low temperature.

Question is: should I wrap the meat in foil now and shred later, or shred now and keep everything warm?

I would wrap the meat and keep it warm. Otherwise its likely to dry out in the oven at 7 hours, even at low heat.


Are these coffee beans unroasted? I bought these coffee beans in Bali. I tried to grind them up to make a cup of coffee this morning, but they didn't grind properly, leaving lots of big chunks. It was more like grinding peanuts than coffee. The coffee didn't taste or smell anything like coffee either, and it was a really weak brown colour.

I'm assuming that I've gone and bought unroasted beans (although it didn't say anything about that on the pack). Is this the case?

Yes, they are not roasted. I think you can do this in a normal oven, but I have never done it myself so I cannot advice you on temperatures etc.


My refrigerator is not efficiently cooling I have a problem with my twin door refrigerator,

first its not cooling properly the freezer side is not freezing as required.

secondly there is red sign that's coming in the dash of the refrigerator, kindly help if anyone knows about this issue.

i don't know if the temperature is correct.

John, you might want to find the manual for the fridge, and see if there's some way to get a trouble code.  You can often find them online these days ... even for older appliances.

It's possible that with everything computerized, you might have to do something before display a code, but in previous decades, there'd be a light that blinked with a given pattern, or multiple lights in a pattern, and you'd compare it to a table in the manual.  I would try to find one on the manufacturer's websites, although there are some sites that specialize in just manuals.**

It might be something as simple as needing to clean some cooling fins or coils, or just making sure they have proper airflow.  It's possible that they've gone the way of modern cars, where you have to connect a device to read the code ... in which case, the cost might be high enough to check the code that it'd be better to just  get a repair person in to take a look at it.

** But there have also been groups putting up PDFs with exploit code in them ... they take legitimate stuff from other sites and use them as trojan horses.  I haven't heard of it happening with repair manuals, but I'd make sure your virus scanning software is running and up-to-date before downloading PDFs from just anywhere.


I want to add milk powder in my bread recipe - what ingredients below do I reduce and by how much? I would like to add milk powder in my bread recipe to soften the loaf and enhance the flavors. In my ingredient list, I have water, milk, bread flour, salt, sugar, yeast, butter. By what proportions do I have to reduce the other ingredients to add milk powder (around 15grams) into this bread recipe?

None, will be a perfectly fine "adjustment" to the other ingredients - just toss in the milk powder and leave everything else the same.


Can I use southeast asian fish sauce as a marinade? I have been using Southeast Asian fish sauce ( its Vietnamese variant called "nước mắm" to be precise ) to marinade meat which I would then fry. From the narrow observation I made though the Vietnamese seem to use it solely to dip the food in it. Is my usage really that unusual?

No, it's not unusual at all. See this page from Vietnamese-American cooks for examples where nuoc-mam is used to marinate chicken, or just type

  nuoc mam marinade

in Google :)

There are a lot of examples, including fish, chicken, beef, or even mango marinated (as well as dipped, of course) with nuoc-mam (and most of the time lemongrass), and a fair share of them are recipes by 'natives' from South-East Asia, not only fusion food addicts (even if you can be both!).
Some salads like goi tom or goi ga also involve nuoc mam marinade.


Air Gaps In Molds Creating White Patches On De-molded Chocolate After melting the chocolate compound, I am pouring chocolate in the molds.
After pouring the chocolate, I am tapping and vibrating the molds manually. This is getting rid of most of the small air bubbles. So far, so good.
Now comes the main issue. The issue is that air gaps (from what it looks like) are being introduced in the molds, even after tapping and vibrating the molds manually. This is creating white patches on the de-molded chocolate, in the shape of the air bubble.

Here are some pics that showcase the air gaps issue:

PATCHES:

DIMENSIONS OF MOLD USED FOR PATCH 1:

DIMENSIONS OF MOLD USED FOR PATCHES 2 & 3:

From what it looks like, I am assuming that the air gaps are really air gaps and nothing else. Please correct me if I am wrong.

How to get rid of these air gaps so that the de-molded chocolate pieces are simple plain chocolate pieces without any patches on them?

NOTE 1:

The Air gaps shown in the images do behave like an air bubble. When I manually press on the exact position where I see the air gap, and I keep doing it for few times (4-10) and apply varying pressure, I am able to get the air released from the mold, but that leaves a patch on the actual chocolate, as can be seen in 2nd Patch image.

NOTE 2:

Adding one more image of the patch to illustrate the issue.

Please look at the following image:

From the above image, it looks like the white oval patch in the middle of the chocolate resembles the white mist on the rearview mirror of a car. Not only that, but it also behaves the same, in the sense that I can see the mist in the mold cavity. If I wipe the mist (I think that is what this issue is) in the cavity with a cloth, it just disappears, similar to what would happen if you wipe the mist off of a mirror.

If my analysis is right and if the white patch is indeed the result of the formation of mist in the mold cavity, how can it be prevented to ensure clean chocolate pops out when de-molded?

These are not air gaps. When chocolate sets, it will shrink a little bit and bend the mold, thus creating these gaps as it sets (they are effectively vacuum gaps). This can be avoided by using a more rigid mold, that wouldn’t bend as it sets.


is Doubanjiang (Szechuan hot bean paste) an acceptable substitute in recipes calling for Doenjang (Korean fermented bean paste)? I have a LOT of Doubanjiang taking up valuable space right now. I wanted to make some Ssamjang which calls for Doenjang.
Even the names are remarkably similar...

The two have almost nothing in common, beyond being fermented and pastes (though doubanjiang is only sort of paste-like). The ingredients (broad beans and chilies versus soybeans) and the taste are very different.
That’s not to say that you’re not allowed to make a sauce for your ssam with doubanjiang, of course. But one is not a straightforward substitute for the other.


Is there a reason to have coffee grounds at the bottom of an espresso? While having coffee at a fancy café earlier, we noticed that the espresso aswell as the cappuccino had large amounts of coffee grounds still sitting at the floor of the cup.

While being annoyed by this (given that the coffee was rather expensive), I still wasn't quite sure if this was intentional or not. For example, i reckon this could be expected when having a turkish coffee.

Question: Is there a good reason to leave coffee grounds in an espresso on purpose, or is it just sloppy?

Two possibilities:

It's just sloppy.  They're dispensing directly from the espresso machine into the cup, and as a result the finest particles that should be poured off, with proper technique, ended up in the cup.  Given that the main reason to dispense directly in the cup is that they're using a super-automatic (push-button) machine, I'd be pretty unhappy with that if I'd paid a lot for it.
They're deliberately leaving the fine particles in the pour to "prove" that it's real espresso and not a Nespresso capsule.  This seems misguided to me, but I can imagine someone doing it.


Reducing "gamy" flavor of turkey I'm planning on smoking a turkey for the holidays. I have done that before, and it turned out good on the tenderness and flavor, but still had a very "gamy" flavor. I typically use either hickory or fruit wood (fruit has milder smokiness), lump charcoal, for about 8 hours at 200°F and finish it on high heat in the oven.

I use a salt brine overnight the day before, and typically don't apply much seasoning, mostly just a honey glaze. While cooking I occasionally sprinkle it with Sprite or Seven-Up soda to keep it moist.

Do you have any advice on how to make the meat flavor milder or closer to chicken?

I've never thought of turkey as gamey at all, but that's just my own taste I guess. It sounds to me you want a milder bird, in which case you want to buy a cheap battery bird. Gameyness comes from exercise and diet, the blander diet and less exercise the milder (read blander) bird you get. Don't go free-range, get store-brand.


Is it bad to refrigerate cut up onions? Can we store cut up onions in the fridge or do onions go bad in the fridge? Do they become poisonous? Can onions be safely stored in the refrigerator after peeling? Also how can you tell if an onion is bad?

Restaurants store cut onions refrigerated all the time. They will try to use them in one shift but they can last longer if needed.

They will go soft after time and lose flavor and crispness.  As far as going bad it would take over a week.  It will be too soft before it actually goes bad.

At home I try and cut on demand. I will halve and make the vertical and horizontal cuts but only finish the dice on demand. My experience is vertical and horizontal cuts on demand causes more damage. Most of the damage is on the exposed surface, which stays the same either way. This assumes proper technique, good knife skills, and a sharp knife.

If you want slices then easy.  Just take a slice on demand.

Store them cut side down in a sealed container.


Increase re-heating oven temperature for cooked ham I have an 11 pound bone-in preparation cooked ham.

It says to cook at 325°F for 15-20 min per pound.

Can I increase the temperature to 350°F without drying it out in order to speed up the reheat time?

Yeah, 25 degrees extra shouldn't make a big difference to dryness. If you have an extra roasting bag, that'll help it stay moist. A gas oven will give you more moistness than an electric oven and you might get away with an even higher temperature. I doubt it'll make a big difference to the total time, though. In an emergency, the easiest way to quickly heat a pre-cooked ham is to slice it and use moist heat on the slices.


Two temperatures for making caramel candy When making caramel candy the recipe often calls for boiling a water/sugar/butter mix to one temperature, then adding cream and boiling to another temperature.  Often the second temperature is higher than the first.  I assume the second temperature is set to get the proper amount of water driven off and the proper caramelization of the sugar.  What is the purpose of the first boiling?  How would the result be different if we just mixed the water/sugar/butter/cream and boiled to the second temperature?  If the first one is higher I can see we get more caramelized sugar that way, but if the second is higher I don't see the purpose.

When caramelizing sugar in a recipe that uses water your first job is to get the sugar to completely dissolve. That is the first temperature you are using. They are probably making you pause at this temperature long enough to make sure you do this tep correctly. If they didn't have the step most folks would blow past it, add more ingredients and run the risk of not dissolving the sugar correctly.

Make sure no sugar crystals remains at the first stage, even on the side of the pot. If any crystals remain or fall in later your recipe will fail because the sugar will recrystallize leaving a grainy taste.


Why cut and discard the base of asparagus, before dipping in water? Please see this City Super video clip. Why do they recommend truncating the base in step #3 (將蘆筍末端切掉) before standing them in water?

For the same reason as you re-trim the last inch or so from a bunch of flowers before putting them in a vase.

The damaged cells at the original cut will have dried & sealed themselves by the time you get it home. That damage may now be extending up the next part of the stems. Cutting off another inch exposes fresh cells, still capable of drawing up water.


How much can I change a NY cheesecakes recipe? My sister recently started making NY cheesecakes (Baked) according to an online recipe she found. I assisted her in doing so, and every time I mentioned any kind of change we could make in the recipe she refused to even think about that stating "you should be loyal to the recipe" and "don't make comments about things you don't know".

So I'm wondering: how much can I change a recipe for a different result?
Can I swap "petit beurre" biscuits with "digestive" biscuits?
Can I use any other kind of starch instead of corn starch?
In general, is it wrong to make drastic changes in a recipe?

P.S.: I am the kind of a person that tries different things to find the right way to do things, more of a trial and error kind  but with the recent spike in the prices in my country and the economy we have I can't afford trying and failing no more, so I have to ask about everything beforehand, even the simplest things.

Many beginners in the kitchen get advice along the lines of “you can play around with cooking, but baking recipes shouldn’t be changed or you risk failure” or something similar. This is only partially true.

Whenever you consider substitutions, you need to consider what the purpose of the given ingredient is. This will help in finding the answer to the “can I substitute” question. A few examples:

Corn starch thickens - potato starch will do the same, plain flour will usually work, but may affect the mouthfeel and flavor a bit.
Substituting one kind of dry biscuit for another will be no problem texture-wise, as the crumbs are bound together with the butter, but of course each kind will give a different flavor - and if you use a recipe that adds sugar to the crumbs you want to compensate the difference in sweetness between the chosen biscuits. Still, crumb crusts are quite forgiving.
Dairy is tricky - especially if it’s the main ingredient. Using a low-fat softer type instead of the rather firm “bricks” of cream cheese in US recipes can backfire badly. Here the different water content must be compensated, which means you need to adjust other binding ingredients. And the flavor will be different.

If in doubt, it’s always a good idea to check lots of recipes for the same dish. The common denominators should become clear as well as the range of variations.


Which part of a cow does UK "frying steak" come from? UK supermarkets often sell cuts of meat with ambiguous names that don't resemble the cuts on a butchery diagram:

Where would I find frying steak on that?

According to this site the frying steak is cut from the thick flank.


How to make pizza without cheese? Maybe I'm the only person in the world who does not like cheese ... Or maybe not ..
What are the perfect ingredients to make a pizza taste good without cheese?

You might consider making pissaladiere, a traditional pizza-like dish from southern France that does not have cheese.


What knife should I take if traveling? At home, my Santoku is used most, but there's no way I'm bringing that with me on my travels. In the event I don't find cooking utensils at respective hostels sanitary, I will opt to use a knife and a cork cutting board. But what type of knife should I bring? A serrated knife? my paring knife? Or should I get a utility knife? I plan on cooking entire meals for myself instead of going out to eat (to save money), and I definitely won't be cooking anything fancy.

I do have a multi tool, but I'd rather not let that touch food as it's been used on all sorts of things and there's always the chance i rust my multi tool.

Don't take anything that costs much:

You may have it taken away from you by border controls. In some parts of the world being able to confiscate nice things is a perk of the job. You want to enter (or leave) the country, you part with the knife. It could also be illegal to bring in knives over a certain size
Hostels are famous for being rife with theft. Having some nice folding knife just begs for someone to take it
Traveling is hard on equipment
It doesn't really matter anyway: who cares about the knife, anything will do. Ingredients and technique are what matters

If I were you I'd get a cheap, short cooking knife from some hardware store. Also make sure it looks like a cooking knife, you don't want anything that could be mistaken for a weapon! If you lose it, or it gets stolen, or broken, or you give it to someone who needs it more than you do then you just buy another cheap knife at a market somewhere. If you have an expensive piece of equipment it's just another worry.


Should broth from a shrimp boil be refrigerated after canning? I searched for an answer but was unable to find an answer on the site or google. Recently I did a shrimp boil with corn, sausage, red potatoes, onions, shrimp, lemons and spices. After pulling the strainer from the 50 quart pot I took several 32 ounce ball mason jars and bottled the fluid. With the heat the lids appear to be sealed and do not pop. Should I just leave to room temp and not refrigerate or is there a proper storage procedure?

The left over broth will be used for jambalaya and I doubt I’ll have any of it longer than 6 months. When jarred the broth was not strained.

If you want to keep the broth at room temperature, it needs to be pressure canned, as do all stocks and broths with animal ingredients.  Advice on times and pressures varies, but assuming that you don't really care to go back and pressure can it, I'd just keep it in the fridge or freezer (if freezing, have plenty of headroom in those jars).


Are they the two main reasons why I never got a good steak crust? I always pat dry my steaks(often about an inch thick or close to that) and get my pan really hot but every time I cook a steak on the stovetop I either get a steak with mostly gray look but has my desired doneness, or a steak with a great crust but it's overcooked. I do constantly think of the reasons I can't get both desired doneness and crust, and there indeed are two things I think I should bring up.

The first thing is that I use grape-seed oil but I only pour very little of it into the pan so it barely covers the bottom. The other thing is that I don't let the steak rest in room temperature, I just take it out from the fridge when I want to cook it.

Come to think of it, the temperature of the meat surface may matter a lot, maybe the surface needs much more time to develop the crust when it's cold than it does when it's not that cold? And does the amount of oil also play a big role in achieving a good crust on the steak?

Neither of those sounds like a big problem.

You say that you get your pan "really hot". It's nice to use an infrared thermometer to check how hot, but at the very least, you should check for the Leidenfrost effect: if you put a drop of water on the pan, it should skitter around without visibly boiling, and take several seconds to actually evaporate. That means your pan is at ~200 Celsius or higher.

The problem is, the moment you put your steak on the pan, that temperature drops precipitously, because the water in the steak will be boiling away. If your burner can't put out enough power, you won't be able to get a good crust no matter what the initial temperature is. If your burner puts out almost enough power, then using a cast iron pan can help because it has a high thermal mass to transfer to the steak, but even there you're limited. Always use the largest burner you have available, even if it's bigger than your pan.

Not letting the steak come up to room temperature is not a problem. Actually, it helps to have it just out of the refrigerator, because the surface of the steak can spend more time hot (and crusting up) before the center overcooks.

Only using a small amount of oil is probably not a problem. If you're using a non-stick pan, using more oil can help you get a more consistent crust rather than only parts of the steak crusting up. But the oil by itself won't make the difference between brown and grey.

Finally, if your primary concern is the crust, make sure you only flip the steak once. Flipping it multiple times helps you get more even cooking, but what you're looking for here is really uneven cooking. The first little while after you flip the steak, the bottom surface needs to come up to Maillard browning temperatures. The more you flip the steak, the more of the cooking time is wasted in that "getting ready to brown" stage.


What are the Purposes of the Types of Meringue that are used for Pastry? i have seen a lot of recipes, which calls french meringue mostly in spongy cakes in the japanese cheesecake for example and other cake recipes, but for the decoration and filling of them are used another kind of meringue that could be swiss or italian meringue, also even a mix of buttercream with italian meringue, or heavy cream with meringue, or just cream with something, or just buttercream, but what i want to know is what are the purposes of each type of meringue in pastries,cakes, even in ice creams for a more creamy texture maybe. i know the different and delicate as well preparation of those, specifically about how the sugarr its join together. something that i know its that the french meringue its more weak to keep stand and firm for while than swiss and italian ones or not?.

great question.

first of all, each meringue originated from a different culture and as such is more prevalent within recipes of that culture. more modern recipes might choose to use a different variant of meringue to get a more nuanced texture than in classic recipes.

I would like to refer you to a great article about this issue. here is an excerpt:

French:

  sometimes referred to as "ordinary"—is the most basic of the trio and the least stable until baked. Egg whites are beaten until they coagulate and form soft peaks, at which point sugar is slowly incorporated until the mixture has attained full volume; is soft, airy, and light; and stands at attention when the whip is lifted. French meringue is customarily spooned or piped into different forms, including dessert shells (such as vacherins) and cake layers (as in a dacquoise), and baked, later to be topped with fruit, mousse, or whipped cream. It is also often folded into batters (for lady fingers, sponge cakes, soufflés, and the like) and baked.

Swiss:

  is prepared by gently beating egg whites and sugar in a pan that sits above boiling water, without touching it. When the mixture reaches 120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit and the sugar is completely dissolved, the mixture is pulled off the heat and beaten vigorously to increase and attain full volume and then at a lower speed until cool and very stiff. Swiss meringue is smoother, silkier, and somewhat denser than French meringue and is often used as a base for buttercream frostings.

Italian:

  is made by drizzling 240-degree Fahrenheit sugar syrup into whites that have already been whipped to hold firm peaks. Whipping continues until the meringue is fully voluminous, satiny, stiff, and cool. Italian meringue is often used to frost cakes (alone or as a base for buttercream frostings), to top filled pies, or to lighten ice creams, sorbets, and mousses.


How long will infused alcohol last? I'm attempting to infuse alcohol for the first time, and I'm wondering how long the infusions will keep? I've read a few different (contradictory) opinions on this matter. One recipe for vanilla vodka said to store in the fridge and use within 3 months. I've even seen "use within a month" for some infusions. Others say, "it's alcohol, it will keep forever." I'd imagine the alcohol would act as a preservative allowing it to keep for a very long time.

In general, is there a reason to consume infused alcohol within a specific timeframe? Taste? Flavor? Safety? Would this differ based on whether it was infused with fruit, herbs, or spices? Is there a reason that you may want to store infused alcohol in the fridge/freezer instead of leaving it out?

Would there be any special considerations for what I'm infusing right now:

Vanilla vodka
Jalapeño tequila
Rosemary tequila

I use "one step" to sanitize bottles and caps, like you would do for beer, and bottle my infusions in that, and they've lasted >3 years. I've done raspberry and cherry vodka. If the alcohol percentage is high enough, it will kill bacteria or mold, so it's pretty safe for long term storage. Probably depends on the final alcohol percentage though, like if you add enough juice that the percentage goes less than 10 or so percent, you have to have more precautions in sanitizing everything. I usually sanitize anyway because it can't hurt, and I already have the equipment to do so from homebrewing.


How to make Luxury White Pancakes Please HELP!
I have a burning desire to know how luxury breakfast restaurants (I'm talking like expensive yuppy brunch places like Waldorf Astoria hotel and Sweet Maple in San Fransisco) make their pancakes. It is IMPOSSIBLE for me to find correct information on how to do it because everyone that I read online is looking for the exact opposite of what truly makes a good pancake. If you look online for the best pancake recipe, all you'll see is recipes talking about ways to make the pancakes as fluffy and light as possible. At Sweet Maple, they are called Buttermilk Thin Pancakes.
However, from my experiences dining at these luxury restaurants, their delicious pancakes are completely opposite from that: they are thinner (not as thin as crepes or Swedish pancakes mind you), not fluffy, and they also are NOT fall-apart crumbly. They are actually quite chewy and sort of dense in a way! It's hard to explain to most people that haven't tried it why this is a more desirable pancake texture, but trust me, once you have these pancakes, you'll never seek out recipes of the typical American diner being thick, light, and fluffy.
The only piece of info I've been able to discover about these mysterious pancakes is the restaurant told me they are more of a European style than an American style, but that doesn't tell me much. Are they using different types of flour that only restaurants can get? Are they leaving out baking soda/powder to get that texture?
I need a pro/restaurant baker to help out here! I would be so grateful.
PS: Yes I've seen the other thread of someone asking essentially the same question (How can I make NON-fluffy pancakes?), I only hope I can get better answers from the right people this time around.
Update, here are some pics of the pancakes I found online. Hard to see the thickness though.

The difference between "fluffy and fall-apart crumbly" and "thinner, chewy, and sort of dense" is precisely governed by baking powder/soda.  Baking powder/soda creates the fluffiness.  If you want thin and chewy, omit the baking powder.  This should get you 90% of the way to the texture you want.  The next variable to experiment with would probably be the water/flour ratio (more water = thinner pancake).  This should get you 95% of the way to what you want.  The next 5% comes down to more subtle things (whole milk vs 2% vs skim, bread flour or cake flour, etc.), but the key point is baking powder/soda.


Making bread on Stand Mixer I am a novice at making bread from freshly milled flour. I have a kitchen aid mixer and am using the dough hook to knead bread. Do I need to:

Knead it more by hand once I turn it out? how long
Put it in an oiled bowl to rise for 1 hour?
Form loaves and let loaves rise again slightly above pan (about 30 minutes or so)?

Most directions I find are for a BOSCH Universal mixer....I'm just not there yet!

Knead it in the machine until it is ready. No further kneading by hand necessary. If you don't know how to recognize dough which is ready, make one small batch with high hydration (75-85%) by hand, kneading without stick prevention (flour, oil or water). Just take the goo in one hand, stretch and fold onto the other in the air, and continue. Try doing it until it actually goes over the best point and starts getting worse (may take you well over an hour). Pay attention to the changes in the dough all the time. Now you will know what good dough looks and feels like. The next time, you can let the mixer mix a small batch until it gets reasonably close.

Put it in a bowl to rise until it has doubled in volume. Don't measure by the clock.
Knock down by hand, back into the bowl, second rising. Again, wait to double.
Form it into the desired shape. You can place it in pans at that time if you're going to bake in pans. For this final rising, wait until it looks ready, time is again not a good criterion. Doubling can happen, or not.

This assumes commercial yeast bread. Sourdough needs a different process.


Questions on frying Chicken breasts Is the oil temperature limited to 350 or 375.
How do I Dry Brine chicken?
Is there a rule of thumb for how much seasoning is used?
Do I use more seasoning in the marinade than in the flour mixture?

Brining chicken doesn't take more than an hour.Just make sure it is well dried before frying.  I use 1 pint of water with 1/8 cup of salt and the breast (which can be very dry when just fried) comes out juicy,  Hope this helps.
Seasoning should be coated with seasoning but be careful of the salt.  Brining adds some water to the breast but also some salt.


What to look for in a pot? What to look for in a pot. I'm supposing somebody that's just starting to live alone or a couple. Help me complete this list.

Size: small, but not too small. Maybe 2L or 3L.

Material: Stainless steel with a thick bottom. As you are going to buy only one pot to begin with, spend some extra money on quality.

Bottom: A thick bottom is a must on electric or ceramic stoves as they don't bend out of shape so easily. Also, a thick bottom is handy for slow cooking as the heat diffuses more evenly.

Handle: Same material, stainless steel. This is handy if you want to put the pot in the oven. Look at the fixture to the pot, it must be riveted on, with thick rivets.

Stove: if it's going to be induction - Glass, Ceramics, All Aluminum etc. are all out.

Price: Not too expensive. 20€ - 30€?

What am I forgetting?

Modifying your original terms:

Size: 2-3 quart/liter.  I consider 2.5 quarts to be ideal.

Material: Two options: hard-anodized aluminum nonstick, OR  stainless-steel interior/exterior. With stainless, it should have either an encapsulated aluminum disk base or a tri-ply construction (aluminum layered with stainless)

Bottom: Thick is good, and you absolutely must have aluminum here for conduction

Handle: stainless is good, as long as it stays relatively cool.  The handle absolutely must be riveted on, with thick rivets. Screws, glue, or welded handles do not last long-term.  Tack-welded handles are the bane of the restaurant I work for right now; we've had several handles snap off in the last year.

Additional things to look for:

Weight: HEAVY. You want fairly thick cookware for even heating, but most of that weight should be from thickness of the aluminum disk.

Design: A flared lip around the pot, to facilitate clean pouring.

Shape: I'm partial to shallow designs, which flare out at the top.  Although it's nonstick and not stainless, I love my Calphalon Contemporary shallow 2.5 qt saucepan for it's extra-flared design.  This lets it transmit heat more efficiently from the range, and allows it to safely hold a larger capacity of food.  It also allows for faster and cleaner reduction of sauces.

Lid: TEMPERED GLASS with a handle on top, and a flange to help seal tightly on the pot/pan.  Tempered glass is very durable and lets you see the progress of your cooking without releasing the steam.  The handle also remains cool, so you don't burn yourself on it; this is the second problem I have with solid stainless lids on many premium cookware lines (All Clad, and most manufacturers' tri-ply products).


Cooking bolognese sauce in stainless steel versus dutch oven? I've got a recipe I've been meaning on trying for sauce that indicates using an assumably ceramic dutch oven. Will I be in any dangerous territory if I use a stainless steel pot instead? I know not to use a reactive pot for tomatoes, just not sure if there are any other considerations?

Yes and no.

Stainless steel is not "reactive"; generally that term refers to cast iron, aluminium, or copper cookware. So from that perspective you can swap it.

However, a recipe which expects a ceramic or enameled cast iron dutch oven probably is calibrated for cookware that has a high thermal mass and slow heating for its contents.  So if your stainless-steel pot has thin walls & bottom, you will need to adjust heat levels and cooking times, and stir more often to prevent burning.


Why does my sourdough starter have in the top the liquid separated from the flour? Why does my sourdough starter have in the top the liquid separated from the flour? 2 days after beginning a new one, a liquid (water) appeared on top of it, it appeared after I fed it the first time. To feed it I discarded half of the starter and then I added 5 tbsp of flour and 5 tbsp of tap water to feed it. Then, on the next day the liquid appeared like that. I don't think it's OK, so I discarded that liquid, and then waited a full 24 hours to feed it again like that.

That is referred to as "hooch". It is water and alcohol. It forms when the yeast has passed its peak activity. I've noticed that it corresponds with the increase of bacterial activity when the starter gets more sour.

The hooch will not form when you are feeding regularly. It is harmless and can be discarded or mixed back in.

Sourdough is a balancing act. Finding the feeding rate that will produce the lift and flavor you want. Slower feeding will make it more acidic and rise less. More frequent feeding will do the opposite. You can experiment to get a healthy starter with the flavor you like. When learning you should start with a proven recipe..


How to make croutons crunchier throughout without burning? I've made homemade croutons a few times now and experimented with using more or less olive oil and cooking shorter/longer.

My first batch was the best tasting, however they were a little chewy inside, which is great if that's what you're going for, but I want them to be consistently crunchy throughout.

I wondered after first batch if I used more olive oil if it would soak in more and cause the inside to cook more like the outside. I tried but I also was experimenting with temp and time (I'm using a convection oven for the first time) so it was hard to tell if it worked because on the one hand I did get the desired texture that I wanted but on the other hand I over cooked them just a little. If you like a tinge of that burnt flavor then they are perfect but I don't.

I'd love to not have to expirement for too much longer before finding my answer so hope you guys can help! What's the best way to get a consistent crunch throughout without burning your croutons?

Oh, also I'm just using regular sliced bread. I think just using some other kinds of bread would solve the problem, but I want to be able to do it with this kind of bread so I can salvage stale bread in the future.

It's easy to make croutons crunchy: Just dry the bread pieces in a dehydrator or low-temperature oven (around 125°C) for a couple of hours. This should be done before adding oil or seasonings, since the process would cook off a lot of their flavor. Afterwards, drizzle on the olive oil and seasonings, and bake or fry as desired. (Be careful with the oil: the dried bread cubes will absorb it much more quickly than fresh or stale bread cubes would.)


does white sugar have a shelf life? i have had a sealed container of white sugar for about 5 years now, we have been using it slowly, but is it safe/healthy to continue using it because of its age? or should i replace it?

Various references, including this one from Lantic sugar note the shelf-life of granulated white sugar as indefinite or effectively forever.

Presuming, likely, that it is stored as you note in a sealed container.


How to prevent chocolate covered items from sticking to the cooling rack? I made my first chocolate covered creams as a Christmas test run, but I put them to dry on a cake cooling rack. This morning the chocolate was so stuck that when I took them off the chocolate was tearing off. Not worried about rescuing this test batch, but what can I dry them in to prevent it? Or should I dip one side then the other?

The simple approach is to skip the wire rack and place the dipped confections on parchment paper, waxed paper or a silicone mat. (Some use plastic wrap or aluminum foil, but this may stick as well. Oiling helps.) After cooling, they should come off easily. However, there’s a chance of them developing “feet” when the runoff pools on the parchment, especially if the coating is on the runnier side.

If you use a rack (which reduces the “feet” by letting the excess chocolate drip down), you should lift the creams up once they have mostly, but not fully, solidified and transfer them either to the above mentioned parchment or a clean spot on the rack. You can also oil the rack very lightly, but the effect is not too much.

In any case, make sure you let all excess chocolate drip off well before actually placing the creams on whatever you choose for the cooling phase.


Correct procedure to thaw frozen pizza dough? I have frozen leftover dough. I put it in the fridge over night for like 11hrs. Then I placed it on the counter for 3 hours. My mom saw the dough was rising and thus opened the container so it deflated. Later on I saw bubbles on the side.

My questions are:

Is the thawing process correct? I.e. overnight thawing in the fridge for 11hrs then countertop for 3? Should those hours be amended in any way?

Should my mom have opened the container? Does it make a difference at all if oxygen is introduced to it?

Are the bubbles on the side good or bad?

I have one more in the freezer and I want to make it right.

Thawing frozen pizza dough should be done overnight in the fridge, but allowing it to come to room temperature is not strictly necessary, because it will be cooked in a relatively hot oven in a short time. In fact, cold dough is often easier to work with.
However, 3 hours sounds like a lot for pizza dough, which may caused you to overproof it.

No, it does not make much of a difference if your container was opened.

Bubbles tell you that the yeast in your dough is active, which is often a problem with frozen dough. If you don't have bubbles, the dough will seem dense and undercooked even after baking for a long time. So bubbles are a good sign.


why is cooking in oil or fat considered dry heating? Why is cooking in oil or fat considered dry heating, while cooking in wine is considered moist heating?

Oil is dry heat because oil contains no water.  Wine does.

The "moist" in moist heat really means water.  In moist heat cooking, water acts as a solvent and actually dissolves much of the solid matter in the food - hence the reason why steaming and boiling tend to make food rather soft or even soggy.

Oil, on the other hand, is very rarely a solvent.  There are certain food compounds that are fat-soluble, but most are water-soluble and oil, being hydrophobic, actually blocks any contact with water, thus preventing any dissolution, and generally making the food crispier as well as promoting the Maillard reaction (which can only occur with dry heat, due to the low boiling point of water).

It may seem counterintuitive, but oil isn't wet.  It just looks that way.


How can I cook chicken in a similar way to how it was done in Biblical times? I want to make a historically accurate biblical meal for a group. I'm using chicken, and serving it with flatbread and an Israeli salad (sans tomatoes and other new world vegetables)

Does anyone have a recipe for a historical barbecue chicken or an idea of what sorts of spices were used back then?

edit: Just thought I'd let you guys know

I marinated the chicken in a mixture of rosemary, thyme, oregano, toasted sesame, garlic, salt and a bit of mint/pepper overnight. Then put them on skewers. Maybe not 100% authentic, but tasty.

McCormick Science Institute: History of Spices:

  Papyri from Ancient Egypt in 1555 BCE classified coriander, fennel, juniper, cumin, garlic, and thyme as health-promoting spices (3). Records from that time also note that laborers who constructed the Great Pyramid of Cheops consumed onion and garlic as a means to promote health.

The Spice Encyclopedia at Spice Advice appears to give history / origins for a large selection of spices.