If oil in a frying pan gets displaced, say by too much liquid being sweated, will the meat be unevenly cooked? A thought occurred to me that since oil is a better conductor of heat than water, can too much sweating hurt the cooking process? If the meat sweats a lot of liquid, blood or protein then it can move the oil around (with enough liquid the oil may be elevated from the bottom of the pan), reducing the pans ability to transfer heat to the meat.

Is my theory correct? Should you keep your pan when frying meat somewhat dry so as to not displace oil?

Not in my experience. The water will spread out through the pan and meat will still cook evenly, just slower.  You shouldn't have this problem with most meats, but it can be a problem with chicken breasts in particular, and if you also have vegetables in the pan they can release a fair amount of water.

The basic problem with too much water releasing from meat (or anything else) when frying is that it reduces the temperature of the oil down to the boiling point of water. That kills the advantage oil has over water, that it's boiling point is much higher. (Higher in fact than the temperatures typically used in cooking. The bubbling you see when frying are caused by the vaporization of water.) That's what oil makes more efficient at heat transfer, it's temperature is higher.  This also means that it still should cook evenly, just slower, because the oil will be at the same temperature as the water. You're basically just simmering the meat instead of frying it.

When this happens the simple solution is to temporarily turn up the heat. It takes a lot more energy to convert water into steam than it does to keep oil alone at a desired cooking temperature. You won't have to worry about burning anything, because the water in the pan will automatically regulate the temperature, keeping it at or below 100 C (212 F). Once enough of the water has been evaporated you'll start to hear normal frying sounds again and you can turn back the heat to normal.


Storage options for Oyster mushrooms Found about 5 pounds of Oyster mushrooms today in southern Ohio. First time for me. What is the best method of cleaning and storing for long term? Do these dehydrate well or should they be sauted and frozen? I know some mushroom are ruined with a water bath.

I haven't tried this myself but upon researching on the web, there are several ways that you can preserve mushrooms: (please click the sub headings for reference)

Freezing mushrooms -

  Freezing your mushrooms will allow them to keep their great flavour,
  but freezing leaves you with a soggier looking mushroom. Frozen
  mushrooms are ideal for soups, stews and casseroles.

  Using the method below your mushrooms should keep for about a year.

  Bring 1 l of water to the boil with ½ a teaspoon of salt.
  Add mushrooms and bring to the boil again.
  Boil for another 3 minutes.
  Rinse with cold water.
  Drain thoroughly.
  Seal in freezer bags.
  Freeze.

Dehydrating mushrooms

  Stored properly, dried mushrooms have a more potent flavour than fresh
  ones, so you will use less dried mushrooms vs. fresh.

  Directions for Drying

  Pre-heat your oven to 150°.
  Slice your mushrooms into slices about ½ cm. The thicker the slices, the longer they take to dry out.
  Arrange your sliced mushrooms on baking trays in a single layer.
  Bake your mushrooms for 1 hour and remove from oven.
  Use some paper towel to gently dab any moisture that sweated out from your mushrooms.
  Turn your mushrooms over and cook for another hour.
  By now your mushrooms should be completely dry. If not, repeat Steps 4 and 5 until they are dry.
  Allow them to cool, and then store them in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place.

  Your mushrooms are ready to store when they feel dry when you touch
  them. They should still be flexible A good idea is to add a wad of
  paper towel at the bottom of the jar - just to absorb any moisture
  that might still be lurking around.

  To Rehydrate Put your mushrooms in a bowl of warm water for 30 minute
  or if you are in a hurry, bring a pot of water to the boil and simmer
  your mushrooms for 10 minutes Keep this liquid for stocks, soups and
  sauces by pouring the liquid into an ice tray and freezing. When you
  need it, just pop the frozen stock into the pot.


Can I grow Mung lentil sprouts to leaves? I am growing mung daal (lentil) sprouts and they are at day 3 right now. They have white shoots but I am thinking of growing them into leaves so that I can use them in my sandwich. Is it ok to let them sprout for few more days to develop leaves?

I wouldn’t. At least not when you are talking about true leaves as opposed to cotyledons.

The cotyledons are already part of the embryonic plant and will unfold after the first part of the sprout has reached a certain length. They are perfectly edible in mung beans and contain little or no phytohaemagglutinin (a quick search  gave unclear results), which means the sprouts can even be served raw1, if they were grown cleanly and show no signs of wilting, mold or other spoilage.

I would not recommend trying to get the sprouts past the stage when the cotyledons unfold. The first true leaves need the nutrition stored in the seed and often already the sugars produced by the cotyledons via photosynthesis. If you don’t supply a growth medium light and nutrition, the sprouts are going to starve to death around this time and start rotting.

From a culinary perspective, the true leaves are not a very common kitchen staple, if there’s not a tradition of cooking with them, you may take this as a sign that they are not a desirable ingredient. If your sprouts have started to unfold the cotyledons and are still comparatively light, the sprouts are good. After that stage, the starting photosynthesis will influence the sprouts’ taste and you may find them less desirable, as the flavor gets more bitterish and sometimes musty.

1 For healthy adults. Recent contamination of commercially produced sprouts show that for sensitive consumers blanching is recommended as safety measure.


When baking meatballs for a soup, do I have to bake until the meat is fully cooked? I'm making Italian Wedding Soup, and my recipe calls for oven-baking the meatballs for 7-9 minutes before adding them to the soup and boil/simmer for 5 minutes.

Maybe I made the meatballs a bit too big, but it's taking 2-3x the suggested oven time for them to reach 160 degrees (they were only about 110 after the first 8 minutes).

Could I rely on the boil-in-soup step to fully cook the meatballs instead?  Would I have to simmer the soup for more than 5 minutes?  Is this a bad idea?

It doesn't matter in which modality (banking, simmering) you bring the meatballs up to temperature, only that you do.

Normally, if you are cooking them in the oven first, it is for browning generate additional flavor.  Otherwise, you could simply simmer them from the beginning, which is perfectly viable.


Is it normal this white substance in my canned green peas? I just opened a can of petit pois and I found them covered in this white, gooey substance, as opposed (or maybe better "in addition") to the usual clear liquid.

I don't think I have seen it before. I think it's weird that something canned goes bad like that (expiration date is in mid 2020), but I guess it's possible. The weird thing is that I opened a second can (the same brand and kind) and found the same thing. The smell isn't really bad, but I'm still rather hesitant to eat it (in fact I probably won't no matter the answer to this question, but now I'm curious). The cans were stored in a closet cabinet, with the rest of the cans, and I've never had a similar problem before.

I tried to look it up but I didn't find anything clear. Is it possible that this stuff is normal?

Looks like starch. Several sites I find mention this for different vegetables containing starch, and they all seem to quote Causes and Possible Solutions for Problems with Canned Foods from the National Center for Home Food Preservation (note that these are guidelines for canning):

  Problem:
      Cloudy liquid (sometimes denotes spoilage)

  Causes and solution:
      1. Starch in vegetables   - Select products at desirable stage of maturity. Do not use overmature vegetables. If canning potatoes, use fresh boiling water to cover and not cooking liquid from preparing hot pack.
      2. Minerals in water      - Use soft water.
      3. Additives in salts     - Use pure refined salt (pickling or canning salt) without additives.
      4. Spoilage               - Prepare food as directed with published canning process. Process by recommended method and for recommended time.

I would just drain and rinse them, and let my taste and smell be the ultimate guide.

Another guideline formulated a little differently


How to make my pasta less brown? I really like making pasta, but I've found that most of my recipes have these sorts of ingredients:

Pale yellow pasta
Brown mushrooms
Brown tempeh or tofu (or ground beef if you prefer)
Spices that make things even more brown (generally allspice, garlic, oregano, and thyme)

What I noticed is that it always ends up all brown. It tastes great, but I'd like to make things more exciting looking. Obviously I could add tomato sauce, but I'm not always in the mood for that. The other ideas I have a spinach or basil. I'll probably start adding some spinach, but basil is pretty expensive here.

Is there anything else I can add to my pasta to add different colors? Cheap is definitely a plus in this case, but any ideas would be interesting (there's always special occasions).

For cooking in with the pasta, consider red or yellow bell peppers, carrots, cauliflower or other vegetables that hold their color well when heated. Also, you can help this problem a lot with good, flavorful, beautiful garnishes. Even a simple shower of minced parsley goes a long way. Lemon or orange zest is nice too.

Check out this peppery red-wine capellini from my blog, you'll see how the quick, fresh garnish of cherry tomatoes and parsley turns a brown pasta bright (and maybe learn a new way to cook pasta too).


What gives Indian curries the sweet and creamy taste and fragrance? I am experimenting with various curry recipes coming from chefs and roadside "dhaba" cooks on youtube, but i cant figure out what exactly is the ingredient/combination of ingredients that gives the curries the magical pungent sweet flavour.
To start with, i bought home a parcel of my favourite curry - "Kadai Paneer" and used it as a control for my experiment ;)
I tried using a few spice powders - fennel , cardamom and mace -  that, for a brief period of time during the process of cooking,  gave out fragrance that came very close to the control. I could not maintain the intensity of that fragrance in my dish though.
Cashew and cream also give some sweetness to the dish and i managed to get somewhoat closer to the control.
I suspect the presence of some additional sweet flavoured spice/tastemaker that enhances the sweetness of the dish.
I know that these recipes are closely guarded and secrets are not given out easily. Still trying to give it a shot though - maybe some kind soul would like to help as to what really goes in these curries that gives them that exceptionally strong sweet and creamy fragrance.
Cheers !

EDIT 1: Thanks for all the awesome answers here. By my own experimentation and further comparison , i realised that

1) The curry i prepare has some bitterness. Probably because i grind the spices with the tomatos/onions ??
2) Adding more fat(cream, butter) gets my dish closer to the control.
3) There is **not a hint** of bitterness in the restaurant-curry. How come ??!!

Well I do the following for punjabi gravies-

I add poppy seeds, cashew and melon seeds in milk, soak them for some time and then grind these in blender.
This gives it a creamy texture and that white shade in the red gravy
I cook the onions properly, as well cooked onions give a sweetened flavor.
To some paneer gravies I add little sugar.
I know it sounds weird but it does give gravy a different and tasty flavour.
Adding cream from also gives it a sweet flavor.
For that spices flavor, I will suggest to roast the spices dry first and then grind them, this will give a flavor as well as fragrance to the gravy.

Though I am not much aware of dhaba flavours but making punjabi gravys by these points will surely give better flavors than restaurants


Skinless Sausages why they disintegrate? A lot of sausages these days appear to be made skinless.  Ok, this is not a problem, but they do tend to disintegrate in the pan.  First off, why, and secondly, how do I stop this from happening?

They disintegrate simply because the skin of normal sausages is what holds them together, and that's not there. Cooking them in the oven using non-stick sheet (this is one brand but there are others) is probably the best way to keep them intact, but possibly not what you want to do. They also stay together under the grill (broiler) but watch for them leaving bits behind on the bars of the grill pan. If you really want to fry them, be gentle, and tilt the pan to turn them at least until the outside is browned and a bit stronger.


Pan frying chicken breasts? I've got these nice chicken breasts, pre-marinated, from the supermarket meat counter.

There was a little sign on 'em that said "Great for pan searing!" (Is that different from frying, really?)

How do I go about this? How do I know when they're done? It's not like I can check the middle to see if it's still pink, as can be done with beef. How long should it take, what heat, etc? General advice appreciated.

I've never been one to keep track of cooking times with meats, since it will vary wildly with meat thickness, burner strength and type, phase of the moon, etc.

Edit: I forgot to answer "how to go about searing".  I sear chicken like I sear beef: hard and fast.  The point is to get that Maillard reaction going to add some deliciousness and texture (not to "seal in flavor", which is hogwash).

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
Put just enough oil in a heavy-bottomed pan to cover the bottom.
Put the pan over medium-high heat and get it good and hot - the oil may just start showing wisps of smoke.
Lay the chicken in the pan carefully, being sure to start at the edge closest to you and lay it down away from you.  This will prevent you from getting splashed with hot oil.
Let it cook for 2-4 minutes until you get a nice sear on it.
Flip, (the chicken, not you) again being careful to flip away from you.

Now if the breast is thin enough (maybe you butterflied it beforehand), you can just let it finish in the pan.  Often, though, after flipping I'll pop the whole pan into a 400F oven and finish it in there.  Again, times will vary, but I would start checking it after 5 minutes.

The most accurate way to determine doneness of any meat is with an instant-read thermometer.  I love my Thermapen, but it's a bit pricey.  You can find inexpensive dial or digital ones at your local grocery.  The recommended internal temp for poultry is 165F.

Normally, I poke my chicken with a finger to determine doneness, then double-check it by cutting it open.  Fully-cooked chicken is white all the way through, and the juices run clear when you cut into it.  Under-cooked chicken is pink, and the juices run pink as well.  I get fresh chicken from a local farm, so I cook it until it is barely done to be sure it stays moist and delicious.  For supermarket chicken I would err on the side of completely done, since you have no idea where the meat came from.

For reference, fully cooked chicken:

Under cooked chicken:

Extremely under cooked chicken:


What are things to look for when choosing a raw cut of Steak? I'm guessing that when chefs go to the meat market early in the mornings to choose the best cuts of beef, they are doing it for a reason - what do they look for when judging raw beef that they will use for Steaks?

A few things:

grain fed vs corn fed vs grass fed.
Each style lends their own flavour to
the beef.

free range vs. feedlot. Cows fattened on feedlots will have more
fat; the meat of free-range cows has
a deeper flavour. Feedlot cows will
also be more tender.
'Organic' (a word with no meaning really) vs non. Some chefs are
concerned with antibiotic and
hormonal treatment of cows;
generally speaking, something labeled 'organic' is less likely to
have been chemically treated while
alive.
marbling, the degree of intramuscular fat. More marbling =
more flavour. Bear in mind of course
that some cuts (e.g. tenderloin) have
very little intramuscular fat.
aged or not, and wet vs. dry. Aging meat allows lactic acid to denature
proteins and increase flavour. Dry
aging is significantly better for
this than wet. However, that comes at
a cost, as dry-aged meats must be
trimmed, resulting in a lower yield
per initial pound of product.


Varying pungency with size Is a chilli of small size more pungent than chilli of large size of same plant if so then why?
If a small chilli is more pungent then why aren't chillies in market small?

From my experience the size of chili peppers is not related to the pungency.
Some time ago I grew all my chilies at home and while some were hotter than others it had nothing to do with their size.

But there might be varieties where that is true.

Some kinds of chili peppers start out hot, get mild after some time and then again become hot. So if you compare ones not fully grown to others in their mild stage it might explain differences in heat.

One variety I grew a lot started green (hot), then turned a dark violet (mild) to turn red (very hot) when ripe. But peppers of different sizes at the same stage of ripeness had similar pungency.


Pizza dough texture and workability I make my pizza dough with the following ingredients:

2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup of water

I mix all the dry ingredients in the bowl of my food processor, turn on the machine, and add the water and olive oil. I watch it come together and add enough more water so that it all sticks together.

I knead it a few times by hand, put it on a bowl on the counter covered with kitchen towel, and let it sit for a day out on the counter.

This is basically the Mark Bittman recipe, except I leave it to sit for way longer than he recommends.

The pizza dough is always pretty easy to shape and tastes good. But, it is better tasting and easier to roll thin in the winter. I live in Maryland, so I assume our heat and humidity are the difference. Even with the AC running , the house tends to be 5-10 degrees warmer in the summer and there is a lot more moisture in the air.

The dough looks and feels identical as I take it out the machine, but while it rests, something is obviously different.

How do I adjust the recipe for the summer to make the dough have the same texture and qualities as it does in the winter?

Yes, the heat is the difference. You get a better gluten production with a colder dough. That's a pretty basic fact of baking, there are even recipes which insist on using ice cold water for making bread.

If you want to have the same effect in summer, you should use cold water. As cold as possible, I even tried once slush from the ice cream machine just for kicks and it indeed produced very strong gluten (actually too strong for my preferences).

You should use the cold water on the actual dough. The sponge should use room temperature water, because ice cold water is rather unpleasant to yeast. They can live with it after they've been reawakened from their dry state, but it's not good to use it for their hydration.


What kind of vessel is suitable for storing and aging eggnog? I am planning on making eggnog for the first time. I am from Australia where eggnog is not really a thing, and living in the UK where that still seems to be the case. This means I haven't grown up seeing how eggnog gets prepared and stored.

I am aware that some recipes of eggnog are made to be stored and aged for a week or more, sometimes a month or even several months. I plan to make some tomorrow to have on boxing day (so 14 days). If I were to make eggnog to be consumed in a day or two I imagine I'd just store it in a plastic jug, but what should I be using if I were to store it for longer?

The eggnog recipe on Alton Brown's website mentions storing it in glass jars. Should I be using mason jars, or jam jars with screw-on lids, or is either fine? Are there better/worse answers?

When in doubt, look at how the professionals do it: Use the vodka bottle that'll be empty by the time the eggnog is ready to be poured into a container.

Jam jars are easier if you don't have a funnel handy, but depending how much of an alcoholic you are on the alcohol content of your eggnog, you could use the proverbial chalice found in the basement of your castle and just give it a fast wipe-down with a 100 year cloth as it contains so much alcohol it'll sterilise said chalice.

Personally, I use my left-over eggnog to strip paint off walls.  ;-) 0:-)


How does a marzipan knife work? So, marzipan - or is it marchpane? English is not my native language, but I own a cooking book where it is called marchpane - is pretty sticky, and cutting it with a normal knife doesn't really work that well. Luckily I have a marzipan knife just lying around. And it actually works.

Now I did read somewhere, that the marzipan (or fondant for that matter) doesn't stick to the knife because marzipan knives are mostly made of plastic, but that definitely isn't the reason why mine works: it's made of metal.

So what is the actual reason? Why is cutting marzipan with a normal knife so much... stickier? And while we're at it, why is the knife two-edged?

Judging from the picture, the knife gets thinner towards the spine after reaching a point of maximum thickness somewhere in the middle of the blade. This means a straight piece of sticky food cannot stick to all of the blade face at once unless it actually bends to conform to its curvature - and marzipan is a rather stiff medium. Also, since the food will not be stuck flush to the blade face at spine height (levered away from it by the thickest section of the blade), it will be much easier to grab and detach from it.

Also, it appears the surface finish has intentionally been left somewhat rough, further preventing adhesion effects.

If the spine is actually sharp, package this diligently when transporting it in public - a double edged knife tends to be interpreted as a weapon and not as a tool under some countries' laws.


Should one - moreover can one - defrost a frozen lasagna before cooking? So I purchased one of these "frozen lasagna" products at the supermarket to see what it's all about.

It was in the supermarket freezer and indeed I am keeping it in the freezer of my fridge. (I.E., it's frozen solid when I took the pic just now.)
Here are the instructions:

Notice that...
It does not actually say to defrost it first.
Perhaps "everyone knows to defrost it" and they don't bother saying it?  Conversely I guess perhaps everyone knows you put it straight in to the oven when it is frozen solid!  So in fact,

should I defrost it or not before putting it in the (375) oven? Thanks.

(I assume it is "frozen solid". For all I know, they cleverly make it chemically so it never freezes solid and stays gel-like, or whatever, IDK.)
(If it should be defrosted, I guess it would take about 90 minutes to completely thaw to room temp?)
If it is the case that one does indeed, miraculously, put it straight in the 375 over directly from one's home freezer. In fact,
2A. Is it better to defrost it (for say 90 minutes) before following the stated procedures? So, the food scientists who created this product would rather I defrosted it, if I have time, but (amazingly) it's not necessary?
2B. Indeed, is it actually even OK to defrost it before placing it in the oven? For all I know, perhaps as a food safety matter, or something to do with the chemicals involved, it is specifically necessary to not defrost?
Again (surprisingly?) the instructions (see pic) do not have a sentence such as "Never defrost!" "Defrost if you have time!" "You must defrost first, you clown" or any similar guidance.

Frozen foods are made for convenience. For most people, convenience does not include remembering to defrost the food several hours before cooking. So the recipe and cooking method are indeed for cooking straight from frozen, unless they clearly state otherwise. You will get the best result if you take it directly from the freezer to the oven.
For most frozen foods, defrosting will make little or no difference. You would need to cook it for less time than in the instructions to avoid overcooking, but the end result should be about the same. Occasionally, defrosting before putting it in the oven will decrease the quality considerably. This is in particular with frozen pizza and other foods involving a crust where the base will absorb a lot of liquid during a long defrost (as opposed to a quick one in the oven on a rack) leading to a soggy crust. However, as long as you follow a safe method for defrosting (in the fridge), it is not a food safety issue. The quality may be slightly worse, but it's perfectly safe to eat.


How can I make bacon powder? I want to make bacon powder, I assume the means cooking all of the fat out without burning the meat.  Is this right?  if so how should I do this?  If not what should I do?  How should I turn the bacon into powder?  just in a blender?

My wife loves bacon that's cooked to the cusp of burning, so I've got a good knowledge of the properties of bacon on that fine line. It's so brittle, you can powder it very easily.

I myself would probably just stick it in a plastic bag, and whack it a few times with a pan, but I don't see any reason why you couldn't put it in the blender. I have a nice mortar and pestle I use for powdering things, but that's probably overkill in this case.


Is there an alternative to condensed milk? In Denmark we don't have condensed milk in our regular stores and I've actually only seen it in an UK-import store a few years ago. Is there an alternative to it or can you craft it with regular cooking equipment?

To make sweetened condensed milk:

  The best make-your-own version is to
  mix 1 cup of evaporated milk with
  1-1/4 cups of sugar in a saucepan,
  heat and stir until the sugar is
  completely dissolved, and let cool.

  If you don't have evaporated milk on
  hand either, you can make your own by
  slowly simmering any quantity of milk
  in a pan until it reduced by 60%, and
  then adding the sugar.

Source: http://www.ochef.com/125.htm

Another recipe that sounds like a lot more work and uses powdered milk: http://www.ehow.com/how_4903555_make-condensed-milk.html


What happened to my cake? I have used the same pound cake recipe in the same pan for years.  The last two times I made it; the cake was a hot mess.  The cake overflowed the pan onto my my freshly cleaned oven.  It was very giggly.  I continued to cook it, and when finally done, it sank.

6 large eggs
1 cup butter
1 cub buttermilk
3 cups all purpose flour
1.2 teaspoon baking soda
2 1.4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat butter, then add sugar, add eggs one at a time and beat for one minute after each/scrap sides, add lemon peel, juice, and vanilla, add flour and buttermilk alternately, start and end with flour.  Bake 55-60 minutes at 350 degrees.

Over-rising and then sinking sound very much like a cake made with too much leavening.

Since you cake is made with the creaming method, and baking soda, there are two sources of leavening:

The baking soda, as a chemical leavener, will react with the acid from the lemon juice and butter milk.  Have you changed brands or amounts of any of these items that might change the acid ratio?
Creaming the sugar with the butter causes the sharp edges of he sugar to cut air bubbles into the solid butter phase, which serve as the seeds of the leavening.  Has anything changed here, such as starting to use a stand mixture?


Getting rid of a commercial/plastic taste in icing? I have been taking a cake decorating course that requires me to make this buttercream icing because, being Wilton, they claim that no other icing gets stiff enough to make their decorations, and that other icings won't crust the way this does. Problem is, I think it tastes gross and fake and sorta plastic and commercial, and not at all how I want the icing on my homemade cakes to taste.

I tried adding more vanilla and/or more butter flavouring to maybe make it taste better (I suspect the taste is from the shortening?) but it still tastes odd to me. The course instructor said we couldn't replace the shortening with butter because the icing wouldn't get as stiff as I need, and it wouldn't crust.

Is there a way to make a stiff consistency icing that doesn't taste so terrible?

The ingredients they post are:

1 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon Wilton Flavor (vanilla, almond or butter)
7-8 teaspoons milk or water
1 lb. confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon Meringue Powder
pinch of salt (optional)

I would make the following suggestions based on these ingredients:

It's not really butter cream icing if you're using vegetable shortening.  You'll get far superior flavour by using butter.  Pure butter may have trouble holding its shape, but you should have no trouble at all switching to a half-and-half mixture.  This ratio won't change the colour much either.
I've never personally cared for the Wilton flavourings and suspect that is a major part of the problem here.  If you're using the vanilla, it's not real vanilla, it's imitation vanilla extract; pure vanilla extract is dark brown and would colour the icing.  Their almond flavour also seems to taste nothing like normal almond extract, and the butter flavour is thoroughly pointless (just use butter!).

You can use real vanilla extract, but it will definitely darken the icing.  You can try to compensate with an icing whitener, but those things are intended for slightly-off-white icings and probably won't get you all the way to white.  Alternatively, you can use pure almond extract instead of the imitation; it is actually clear to begin with.

Or, better yet, you can just change your brand.  Lorann makes a bunch of concentrated flavouring oils that might taste less fake.  If you go to any baking supply store you'll probably see other brands as well.  Try a few until you find one that you like.
You don't say whether you're using milk or water, but use whole milk or even cream if you can; don't miss an opportunity to lay on the fat (and therefore flavour).
Finally, a lot of people (me, for example) find the taste of meringue powder to be disgusting.  You don't need it, and the vast majority of buttercream icing recipes don't contain it.

If you really want a meringue-based buttercream, as opposed to a simple buttercream without any egg products at all, then just go for broke and make it from an Italian meringue; whip some egg whites to soft peaks, then whip boiling sugar syrup into the eggs until the mixture stiffens, and afterward incorporate the butter and other flavourings.

I know, they're going to tell you that it won't be stiff enough.  But stabilizing a meringue is dead easy; just bloom some gelatin in the cold liquid (water/milk/cream) before you incorporate it1.  The more gelatin, the stiffer it will get.  Don't overdo it because if you add too much gelatin, you won't even be able to get it out of the bag (this has happened to me). A 1% ratio should be plenty.

Making a great-tasting decorating icing is easy.  Stiffness isn't usually the problem, colour is.  If you want brilliant white icing then you have to make certain tradeoffs.  If you're willing to settle for a cream colour (or slightly whiter, with a whitener) then you've got nothing to worry about.

1. If you're not starting with a hot meringue, then be sure to heat the liquid with bloomed gelatin to dissolve before adding it to the icing!


Are there similar scales like the Scoville scale? Are there any scales that have been applied to any of the five basic tastes or other types of food sensations that have been quantified based on their affect on people, similar to the Scoville scale?

Sure you could say that people's experience of something like sweetness is subjective, but you could say the same thing about spiciness.

Yes, and Wikipedia has a brief summary of these scales (with some further details in other portions of the article and the links).

Basically, at least four of the five recognized primary "tastes" have a reference compound that other foods are compared to subjectively.  For sweetness, a solution containing the test compound is diluted until sweetness can barely be detected by a human taster (similar to the Scoville scale).  Sucrose is given the reference value of 1 (or sometimes 100).  Sourness is similarly rated in comparison to a dilute hydrochloric acid solution, saltiness is rated in comparison to a dilute table salt (sodium chloride) solution, and bitterness is rated relative to a dilute quinine solution.  (I've not heard of any similar scale for umami.)

In most cases, the reference compound is given a value of 1.  The most common way to reference these scales is as the "[taste] index," as in "Citric acid has a value of 0.46 on the sourness index," which means it has to be diluted slightly less than half of how much hydrochloric acid would be for it to be on the threshold of human sourness detection.

(By the way, while these scales show us something, they are mostly useful for comparing single pure substances.  For culinary purposes, their value is somewhat limited by the complex interactions among various tastes and flavor components.  Even individual substances can change flavor depending on environment: for example, a complex molecule may taste relatively neutral at neutral pH, but with increased acid and thus sourness, it may acquire a salty flavor.)


Is it safe to cook pork chops that thawed on counter overnight? Is it safe to cook pork that thawed on the counter overnight?

No. It has been out in room temperature for far too long to be safe to eat. Pork chops will be completely defrosted after 2-3 hours, which means they have been in the 'danger zone' for 6-8 hours. If you are defrosting over night, I would recommend putting it in a bowl of water in the fridge.


How do I roast eggplants without a gas stove? There is an Indian dish that requires roasting eggplants on high heat directly on a gas stove until charred, like this:

Here's a recipe for the dish. Everything else is fine but I do not have a flame top stove, instead I have one with an electrical top. I would really appreciate any ideas to help me with roasting the eggplant. I have an oven but not a grill/barbecue.

You have several options:

Use the the broiler (or grill, as they say in the UK).
Use a wok ring or similar to suspend the eggplant above your electric element.  Set the element to its highest setting, cooking the eggplant by infrared.  It just may take longer than the gas element would have.   If you don't have a wok  ring, you can use aluminum foil crushed to improvise an eggplant stand.
Buy a small hibachi and use it—the original recipe is designed for a grill (in the US sense, barbecue in the UK parlance).


Can I use chicken brine as a base to make a broth? I just brined 2 chickens which I am about to roast.  Once the roast dinner is over, I anticipate there will be some chicken and carcass left-overs which I will boil in a pot of water to make a broth, and then probably chicken soup.

Can I reuse the brine that the raw chickens soaked in to boil the left-over chicken carcasses in?

Is this safe? (I assume so, since everything ends up boiled)
Will this be tasty?  I anticipate the brine is quite salty, so will need watering down some.
Are there any off-flavours that come off the chicken during brining that I would want to discard?

Tasty and quite salty, YES, (the taste will be salt!) with need to water down are probably GROSS understatements. You gain nothing trying to save/reuse it. Discard it! It will have very little flavor besides salt and very few, if any nutrients.


Why does my butter icing melt so quickly? I've been making cupcakes for a while now and I use butter icing. They come out pretty and taste nice, but they melt so quickly. Sometimes it's impossible to pipe, because the icing goes so sloppy. When I go to parties and see other cupcakes, they stay on the table all day and the icing doesn't melt.

Are they using something different? If so, does anyone know what?

Many frostings incorporate more than butter as the fat in the icing. I recently made ones using shortening, coconut butter, and coconut milk solids. These three are all fats that have higher melting points and are more reliable at higher temperatures in comparison to butter.

If you wish to retain as much of the butter mouthfeel as possible, you might consider switching to a buttercream mixture that splices in shortening or even margarine as both are more workable at room temperature. You might also try some of the other variations on buttercream.

Best practices for icing or frosting in any case are all over the web;

This extensive article has a real gem to be wary of; keep the butter around 65-70 to ensure you aren't dipping too low or hot. There's plenty of additional information and a listing of strengths and weaknesses of the varieties.
Here is a run-down of how to frost the cake itself.

As alluded to in the comments, don't put meltable frosting/icing on a hot cake.
If you are going to keep the frosting in the heat and sunlight, you are definitely going to want to add some shortening or coconut butter in there; that's why it's called Decorator's icing, they put shortening in it so it can hang out at summer weddings.


What are the best cuts of meat for grinding burgers? I recently bought the grinder attachment for my Kitchen-Aid mixer. I tried grinding some chuck steaks but it was tedious as I constantly had to clear out stringy tendon/gristle pieces (not sure of the exact term, sorry). They did taste decent however. Next I tried some top round. It ground easily but seemed to have less flavor.

What are the preferred beef cuts for grinding tasty burgers?

I use Alton Brown's "Burger of the Gods" recipe when grinding my own burgers:

1 part sirloin
1 part chuck
salt

He uses a food processor and pulses the meat 10x after cubing it. This is much simpler than using the grinding attachment you use; I only use that for some sausages.

The sirloin gives you that rich beef flavor, and the chuck provides the needed fat so you have a juicy and tender finished burger.  I find that when I'm making my own burgers I don't need or want things like onion or other fillers getting in the way of my beef.

You can also find this recipe on YouTube.


How should burger patties be prepared in terms of mixing and flavourings? In this article by Kenji from serious eats he discusses forming the patty to a bare minimum so the strands of ground beef are still visible. He also recommends only salting the beef just before making it. Both strategies to avoid toughness.

In this video by Gordon Ramsay (and other burger videos by him) he completely mushes up the mince to turn make it completely consistent. He also adds salt and a bunch of other flavourings, which a lot of people don't recommend.

So who's right? Assuming Kenji is right in his assertions, why would Gordon do that to his burgers? Is it true that the meat should be just formed and otherwise left alone?

Neither is right nor wrong, it simply depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

The way I make a basic burger is to try and pull off the right amount of ground meat from the package and shape it right there as is without kneading it at all. Literally just enough handling to shape it.

However sometimes I want a seasoned burger, and that's more like making a patty shaped meatball and you can't really avoid mixing/kneading it in the case.

Sometimes seasoning the outside of the burger is all that's needed.


How can I freeze excess peas from my garden? Would you recommend blanching them first or freezing them raw?

According to the Ball Blue Book of Canning & Freezing:

  Scalding is a critical step in preparing vegetables for freezing and must be done carefully.  (This is a "must" for all vegetables to be stored frozen for more than four weeks, except those used exlusively for their flavor such as green onions, hot peppers and herbs.) Scalding cleanses the surface of dirt and organisms, brightens the color, helps retain vitamins and reduces the action of enzymes which would otherwise destroy the fresh flavor after about four weeks.  It also shrinks the product, making packing easier.

The recommended scalding time for fresh green peas is 2 minutes.  Be sure to have your ice bath prepared for shocking them before starting the scalding to avoid overcooking them.
Once shocked, remove from the ice bath to avoid leaching nutrients, flavor, and color.


Reduce Sweetness in Fudge I am currently living in an Asian culture where taste buds are apparently more delicate. Many first-time tasters of fudge almost gag due to the overwhelming sweetness of fudge. I have searched in vain for recipes that reduce the richness of fudge in order to make it more palatable. Any suggestions as to how to reduce sweetness in fudge but still allow it to be fudge?

Traditional "fudge" gets its structure primarily from the sugar, which forms fine crystals; the texture of fudge is a stiff suspension of the sugar in the fat. So simply reducing the proportion of sugar will mess up the texture, as GdD alluded to.
But fudge isn't the only thickened-fat confection out there! One dish that immediately comes to my mind is sesame halwa, which uses the sesame particles in the same way fudge uses the sugar particles. Nut butters generally have a similar suspension (if you've had "natural" peanut butter without hydrogenated oils, or tahini or sesame sauce for that matter, think of the extra-thick layer that forms when it hasn't been stirred).
So I think you could temper the sweetness by combining a fudge recipe with something like sesame halwa, or by adding peanut flour as a substitute for some of the sugar. If you use light-colored peanut flour I don't think it would even affect the taste too much (other than reducing the sweetness, of course).


Does milk matter to achieve the perfect latte? Does milk matter to achieve the perfect latte?

Milk is an important ingredient of every espresso latte.  Even though I believe coffee bean is the most important ingredient, most people put emphasis in milk.

Could someone point out the reasoning between the different types of milk and the resulting latte?

Barista here, and yes you are 100% correct milk does matter when making the perfect latte.  When you look at the latte, the milk makes up at least half of the beverage. Not only does it enhance and add to taste, it is a very visual medium through latte art.

The key to great milk in a latte lies primarily in preparation, you need to heat and handle your milk correctly.

Now to answer your question about specific milk options. First rule - BUY ORGANIC. Fresh milk from healthy cows is always going to be the superior choice. If you live in a rich agricultural area where fresh milk is available, it is a compulsory choice when making a great latte.

Second rule - more fat less heat. A simple rule, if you are dealing with thick and delicious fresh cream milk, you will need baseline heat. 150 Farenheit. Once you use the low fat milk options, you will need to increase the heat ever so slightly. Never over 175. You want silky and glossy, and adjusting heat to milk fat is an important part of the process.

At the end of the day, a latte will be delicious with any type of milk if prepared correctly. Just treat the milk with care, and buy organic where available, and you will enjoy a delicious cafe latte.


Different techniques in making creme brulee What is the difference between stirring the egg yolks and sugar then adding the heated cream and heating the cream and sugar together then add the mixture to beaten egg yolks? Also some recipes call for egg yolks only and some egg yolks plus whole eggs. What is the difference?

In this case, the mixing order won't make that much of a difference. You need the sugar dissolved and the yolks broken up.
However, adding the sugar to the yolks will have two results:
 - it will allow you to more easily break up the yolks but if you mix too much it could actually aerate them- not a big risk but not good thing for creme brulee.
 - more importantly the sugar will give you a little bit of buffer to keep the yolks from curdling when you mix in the hot cream.

As for using just yolks vs yolks and whites.

Yolks have a lot of protein but they are very high in fat. Whites are just blobs of protein, of course. Using only yolks creates custards that are very rich and creamy but also high in fat (which is where "rich and creamy" comes from). Using the whites gives some of the needed binding power while reducing the fat a little.
Additionally- whole eggs are easier to use because the eggs don't have to be separated and you have fewer extra whites to use elsewhere.


why is there no cavity in the whole chicken I just bought? I wanted to try a chicken-with-stuffing recipe, so I bought a "Tyson Premium Young Chicken (without neck or giblets)" from WalMart, but when I unwrapped the chicken to stuff it for the recipe, I don't see a cavity to stuff anything into. I am looking in between the legs, but the only dent there is the one I literally carve out with my knife as I try to open up the chicken.

The chicken was taken out of the freezer and into the fridge this morning (about 10 hours ago) -- in case that matters at all.

Am I just being a noob, or is there some reason why a whole chicken really would not have a cavity pre-made?

They usually stuff the cavity with the giblets/neck so you can eat/make gravy/give to cat whatever. You do have to thaw it out a bit to finagle it out of there but once you pull that out you'll have a stuffing-ready cavity. :) happy roasting!


how to quickly dry out home made marshmallows? I just made home made marshmallows for a birthday party in 7 hrs. How do I dry them out quickly? I used Ina G. recipe, she suggests to sit overnight, but on line it says to sit 8 hrs to dry. I need to dry them sooner, can I put them in the fridge for how long? should I put them in a cold over? Help someone, please.

If the marshmallow batter is set/firm (not runny) and already cut into pieces, simply combine equal parts cornstarch and powdered/confectioners sugar and toss or roll the pieces in the mixture. Tap or shake off excess powder and you should be fine!


What is the advantage of using kosher salt I have seen a number of recipes that call for using "kosher salt". This is ridiculous to me, as I very well know that all salt is kosher, and so I am wondering what I am missing here. What is the advantage (and uses) of kosher salt as opposed to ordinary table salt?

"Kosher" salt has nothing to do with parve rules except maybe in the application of "koshering" AKA dry-brining (as a devout atheist, I haven't a clue on that one). It is coarser than regular table salt (making measurements slightly different) and it contains no added iodine. Certain food snobs (ehem) tend to find it somewhat superior in taste. In general, if the recipe asks for a certain measurement of salt, that means 1.5 times that measurement using kosher salt, hence the need to point it out in recipes if that recipe was developed with kosher salt.


Are the spices sumac, harissa and za’atar related in any way to capsicums/ chillies? I cannot cook with them until I know as I am allergic to all forms of capsicums.

Sumac is not related to chillies.
Harissa contains chillies.
Za'atar is a spice/herb blend, it should not have chillies in it, but every blend can be different, check the ingredient lists before buying.


Are blenders and food processors usually rated in terms of average wattage or peak wattage? I saw the Ninja blender and food processors were advertised as "peak wattage 1500." Some other blending machines at a similar price range had lower wattage, but most of them did not say "peak." In electrical engineering (my field), there is peak values and other values (such as operating values).
Is it reasonable to assume most blenders and food processors are advertising their peak wattage (and not a lower wattage under load or RMS power)?
I simply want to compare apples to apples when selecting one to buy.

I'm no electrician, but as Amps = Watts/Volts they had better be telling you the peak load, or you risk blowing fuses.
1500W on 240v = 6.25A.
1500W on 120v = 12.5A
This isn't like cheap hi-fi where they tell you the peak figure to make you think it's going to be louder ;)


Burger/Kraft Slice Style Cheese Is it possible to make smoothly melting cheese slices at home, similar to Kraft American cheese slices?

What are the key techniques?

Sodium citrate is a salt that is often used in making cheese sauces. When you dissolve it in water before melting the cheese into the same it will prevent the cheese fats and proteins from separating and thus prevents the sauce from becoming grainy. It can also be used to melt, thin, and remold cheese into new slices which have better melting characteristics than the original cheese.

If I may cite my source (Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking by Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young and Maxime Bilet, Volume 4, Page 222) and offer a recipe as example: To make 635 grams of cheese slices:

Mix 5g salt, 14g sodium citrate, 6g iota carrageenan, 2g kappa carrageenan and disperse them into 230g of water.
Bring to a simmer
Gradually add 200g swiss cheese and 180g white cheddar to the water mixture, blending with an immersion stick or whisking constantly.
One the cheeses are incorporated continue to blend until smooth.
Pour into a mold and refrigerate for two hours until the cheese sets.

Essentially we just melt the cheese(s) into excess water with some thickening and stabilizing agents. Once it sets slices may be cut off in the case you have a mold. If you don't have the capacity to make nice slices you could pour the mixture directly into a sheet pan so it may set at the desired slice thickness.


Are these eggs rotten? I have a carton of fresh eggs here. They don't expire until this time next month. They don't float in a large bowl of water. But many of these ones after being hard boiled have a very strong sulfur smell.

So i looked it up but now i am confused. Some say that smell is a normal reaction that occurs when sulfur reacts to the heat when being boiled. And others say that hard boiled eggs that are rotten have a very distinct and disgusting smell; a smell of sulfur.

So which is it? Are my (very strong) sulfur-smelling eggs rotten or is the smell only caused by the sulfur reacting to the heat?

Right now Id be more inclined to say that the eggs are rotten or that there's something wrong with them, simply because this smell is rare when i make eggs - and i always make my eggs the same way and heat them for the same amount of time.

What you're describing sounds normal to me. It's the result of overcooking them. The eggs themselves were fine. At a guess, you unknowingly messed up the timing for the particular batch described here (alternatively, the eggs may have been smaller than usual).

Over cooking hard boiled eggs will result in the smell you identified (and also cause the exterior of the yolk to turn green).

Further information: http://io9.com/when-you-overcook-eggs-you-turn-them-into-chemical-wea-1682497376


What is a non-pork substitute for Italian sausage? We do not have genuine pork Italian sausages here in Israel. When a recipe like Ragu or Bolognese calls for Italian sausage, what meat could be used as a substitute for ground pork, and what seasonings should I add to match the seasonings that are commonly found in Italian sausage?

By "Italian Sausage" I think you mean the seasoned pork sausage available in many supermarkets throughout the US.

I've found that a 30-70 mix of beef and turkey/chicken works reasonably well as a substitute when pork is not available. Beef is too strong a flavor and turkey too weak in its own. Flavor-wise most italian sausage has red wine, fennel, and oregano.


How do cooks prepare risotto in a restaurant? I'm not looking for a Risotto recipe. I make a pretty nice risotto, thank you very much.

But, making a risotto takes about 20 minutes.   It seems unreasonable to me that a cook would start from scratch in a restaurant.

So how do they do it?  There must be some pre-cooking involved, and then it's finished off when ordered in about 5 minutes.

It's actually hard to hold when it's almost all the way cooked - it'll start getting gluey if you let it cool off, but could start scorching on the bottom if it's not stirred, and get too runny if you keep adding stock.

Mario Batali said that risotto isn't finicky in the middle - so you can cook it part way, cool it down (I think he said he spread it on sheet pans to cool quickly), then you can add hot stock and cook it from that point, so you've already got a 10 minute head start.

I've also been to a restaurant where it was only served on the hour and half-hour.


How do you prevent pesto (basil) from becoming bitter? Here is my go to pesto recpie:
Serious Eats Pesto.
It has been a hit but lately whenever I make it, it has a bitter aftertaste to it. It's not as pungent or  umamied, but bitter and leafy.
I use the same proportions (but not the same brands of olive oil or same basil leaves). What in the processing or ingridients might be responsible for the bitterness?

immediate consumption

You make genoese pesto

(indeed the linked recipe is ok for genovese pesto and not simply a genoese  pesto-like green sauce)

for an almost immediate consumption.

In such a case each of the ingredient can be responsible for a bitter taste or note. I would suggest checking each of them for their own taste. Some`hints are given by commenters.

Pine nuts can be sweet and well kept, or rancid (they have fats/oil). They can be perfect as those called "from Pisa" or less valuables. Check them and find the best from your local stores.

Extra virgin oil can be of extremely bitter taste. Extra virgin mostly refers to the extraction, not to the organoleptic characteristics, of course. But this should be clear for you as you probably use oil for salad etc.

Pecorino sardo (romano as by official definition) can be more or less salty and quite pungent.  Traditionally, when it goes into pesto formulation, is very old and harder than parmigiano to give an idea. This can be overly tasty to many. In this case reduce its amount and increase correspondingly that of  parmigiano reggiano (or grana padano).

Now comes the core: basil. You cannot easily taste it alone but relies on parfum. It should not be minty or herbaceous at all. The best leafs are small and pale green.

Here in Genova the basil is collected when the plants are about 12 - 13 cm tall.
Not sure about how many varieties of it can exist as obviously I stick to what is growing in my neighbourhood but for sure the tallness of the plants is s crucial point as for the biochemistry of the plant change after a certain level of maturity. Note that this has chemical basis. I.e. the essential oil composition change after a certain size.

However, rather than bitter a too big basil plant imparts a mint and/or herbaceous taste.

I suggest tasting the oil (if not done) as it seems to me the first suspect ingredient.

Related to oil: if you are using a blender (OP doesn't but let me stay general) be sure to work by very short pulses as for blending at high speed  can microscopically rise the temperature to "burns" ingredients. This is felt by some as a bitter/burned note indeed.

Later serving

In case you make pesto for a later consumption: this is somehow detrimental as for oxidation is basically unavoidable. You will always see pesto getting darker and less scented to some extent.

Unfortunately pesto is a delicious condiment only when is almost perfect. That is why long storage pesto items are disgusting as compare to other sauces in the supermarket shelves.

Nevertheless a home made pesto can be used within days if immediately frozen. Many families do that.  A nice trick is to use ice cubes racks so that the needed portions can be used at times.

In this case is clever to skip the cheese while blending. Grated cheese is very prone to oxidation or perhaps microorganisms attack (not sure exactly) and gets pungent and bitter very quickly.
So for postponed consumption better to prepare a cheese-free pesto and mix-in the cheeses just at the last moment, carefully working with a fork.

Extra notes:

once I read here that somebody warm up pesto in a quick cooking fashion. NO and NO.
pesto "has an ingredient" that is never mentioned because does not enter the mortar (or mezzaluna or blender) step. Just before serving the pasta, a very little nut of butter and drops of cooking water shall be added to each portion in order to get a more pleasant creamy texture of the sauce.

Buon appetito from Genova.


Making my cocoa mix into instant cocoa mix Yes, I have read the answers to this question, but none of them are what I am after. I even posted an answer there, but it is an expensive, if delicious one. The key word I am after is instant cocoa mix. Please don't suggest a blender.

I came up with a cocoa recipe I quite like (1 Tbs sugar, 4 tsp unpacked cocoa powder, 2-3 cups of milk - yes, I generally prefer more cocoa powder than sugar). However, I would like to make it an instant mix, rather than having to mix a small amount with hot water, mix that first, then add milk (or use a blender I don't want to wash).

Obviously this is achievable as cocoa mixes off the store shelf don't require this extra step. What are my options for making my cocoa mix truly "instant" (I don't care if it becomes syrup instead of a mix, just as long as there is no powdered milk in there - ugh, who in the world decided there could be gourmet cocoa with powdered milk, there is no such thing as gourmet powdered milk)

Looking at the ingredients for Nesquick for example:

SUGAR
COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI
SOY LECITHIN
CARRAGEENAN
SALT
ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS
SPICE
VITAMINS AND MINERALS: CALCIUM CARBONATE, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), ZINC OXIDE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), COPPER GLUCONATE, MANGANESE SULFATE, BIOTIN.

The key elements are soy lecithin, which is an emulsifier, and carrageenan, which is a thickener especially effective in dairy products.  The lecithin will help the cocoa to become suspended in the liquid phase, and the carrageenan will help the particles not stick to each other.

What does not appear on the label is how some of these ingredients are processed.  It is likely that the cocoa is modified by being pre-gelatinized, so that  it will have reduced clumping properties, and then reground quite fine to enhance how well it dissolves.  This is not something that you can achieve at home.

As you mention, you can probably create a syrup from your ingredients, but it may settle over time and have to be shaken.


How do I extract coconut milk from coconut meat? Coconut milk in the local grocery store costs around $1.50 for a small can. Cans of coconut milk that cost less are full of fillers such as extra water and gums to thicken it.

Whole coconuts, on the other hand, cost $1.50 and I would think I should be able to get more than one can's worth of milk out of it.

What is the correct process for extracting coconut milk from coconut meat? Does it have to be heated? Does it require a special press?

After the milk has been extracted can the flesh still be used as flakes or is it spent?

(I have seen the question here. I'm not asking about where to find it or how to store it- just how to make it.)

Empty the water from inside the coconut, as this is not the milk you want.
Crack open your coconut and scrape out the meat.
In a blender, take about half your meat and roughly 1 1/2 cups of hot water (more or less depending on your desired thickness), and process.
Repeat step 3 with the other half of the meat.
Place a few layers of cheesecloth over a bowl and strain the milk through.
Wrap up the cheesecloth and squeeze the rest of the milk out.

No special press or tools needed. However, some sort of press could help get the last few drops out when squeezing the mass through the cheesecloth.

I don't think the water necessarily has to be hot. Some sources say to just use water, while other say hot. You may also want to start out with just 1/2 cup water and see how much it yields. Keep in mind: coconuts aren't super juicy. So expect the yield to be roughly equivalent to the amount of water used.

The flesh is still perfectly usable, but its applications may be limited based on how much you processed it (in terms of size).

This site has the step-by-step I used with a few (albeit not very helpful) pictures.


Vegan egg substitute in sweet roll dough Every Christmas we have home made sweet rolls.  The recipe calls for 1 egg.  Is there anything I could use to replace the egg so the new vegan people in the family can still eat the rolls?  Or can I just leave the egg out?

You can use either chia seeds or ground linseed.
Mix a tablespoon of chia/linseed with 3 tablespoons of water and let it sit on the counter for about twenty minutes.

That mixture will replace the egg in almost any recipe for bread/mixed cake.

The rest period is important, as it allows the water to soak up the sticky proteins from the linseed/chia.


To slow down the fermentation process of a food in a can I am particularly interested in the histamine's creation in a can because I need to deal with allergies. Possible Factors to me which affects to histamine's creation that is the speed of the fermentation process in a can:

temperature
humidity
concentration of salt in the liquid

Histamine is created as a result of fermentation so can-food has significant amounts of histamine compared to non-can-food. Assume we have food in a can. It ferments all the time little although it is in a salt liquid. Consequently, little amounts of histamine is created to the food. However, I am not sure how significant is the given factor compared to iron oxides, for instance.

My intuition suggests that to decrease the amount of histamine in a can-food, slow down the fermentation process that is keep the can in cold temperature at dry-air and select cans that have high salt amounts.

Some people keep cans in the refrigerator, I do not. I have noted that the can gets roasted a lot faster in old refrigerators without any humidity control. What is the ideal humidity and temperature to store food in cans to minimize the amount of histamine's creation? How much should the fermentation process slowed down?

Masi,

Given that I'm a severe allergy and migraine sufferer, I was surprised by your assertion that canned foods in general contain large amounts of histamine.    As far as I can find from internet search, they do not.  The canned/jarred foods which specifically have been measured to contain histamine are:

canned fish, especially tuna
canned tomatoes
fermented vegetables, especially saurkraut
fermented soy products, especially soy sauce and tofu
red wine and red wine vinegar (and anything pickled in wine vinegar)

The answer is simply: don't eat the above if your sensitive to histamine.  You can avoid them.  Also, the histamine in the above foods already exists in the can or jar before you buy them, and will not be reduced using salt or chilling.

I am quite puzzled by the inclusion of canned tomatoes on that list, but several sites reference it.

Part of your confusion is clear with this statement:

  Histamine is created as a result of fermentation so can-food has
  significant amounts of histamine compared to non-can-food. Assume we
  have food in a can. It ferments all the time little although it is in
  a salt liquid.

Um, actually, no.  If your can of corn is fermenting, it's bad.  Throw it away before the can explodes.  Canned and jarred fermented foods are fermented before they are put in the can or jar.  Cans of non-fermented foods are not going to ferment on you; they are heat-treated to destroy all microorganisms which would cause fermenting.

Further, histamine is only created as the by-product of the fermentation of certain proteins or fibers, so not even all fermented foods have it.  There is a larger list, though, of foods which stimulate histamine production than which contain histamines.

References on which I base the above statements:

http://www.reverta.com/blog/histamine/top-10-histamine-containing-foods/
http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_04.html
http://www.allergyuk.org/fs_histamine.aspx
http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_home.html

One thing which is interesting and irritating is that while there have been numerous studies showing that canned fish can contain deadly levels of histamine (because of the decomposition of the fish before canning), several nutritional information sources have apparently taken to restricting all canned foods "to be safe", presumably since they don't think their readers can differentiate between tuna and green beans.  This is presumably the source of Masi's confusion.  I spent some time searching for any studies indicating the presence of histamines in canned vegetables or fruits, with no results.

If an actual nutritionist or biochemist is reading this question (I am neither), please add to what I have above or correct me.  Thanks!


Why does adding sugar/salt causes water to release? This is purely practical observation.

If I add pinch of sugar or salt, somehow automagically water appears in the pot. For example I had a week old cauliflower somewhat wilted/dried in fridge cooing in a pot - no water added at all. Starting process was basically Indian style "tadka"

Florets were somewhat browning because of heat, but after adding pinch of salt, it sort of became moist or water appeared in the pot. I have similar observations of similar effects for adding sugar too.

What causes it? Where does it get water from if I have not added any water or

Salting (sugar coating) the surface of the vegetables; causes Osmosis.

Water molecules inside the fruit, will move from lower concentration of solvent (salt/sugar) to a higher concentration medium (outside of the fruit)


How much smoke to expect from making a roux? I live in an apartment and am considering making a roux for a gumbo. I've seen methods for using an oven to make the roux, but I've noticed that there's a high possibility of getting a lot of smoke with a roux.

Even if I use a relatively high smoke-point oil (e.g. peanut or avocado), how much smoke can I expect from making a roux? Is making a roux / gumbo only advisable for a very well-ventilated kitchen?

I don't want to have a continuous battle with my smoke alarm as I go through the process of making the roux. I live in a relatively cold area, and although keeping windows open is an option, I would prefer not to do that.

Creating a roux is all about cooking the flour to the desired color.  It can take from 3 to 15 minutes.  Do this over medium heat.  Stir constantly.  You should not experience any smoking when making a roux.  If you are experiencing smoke, turn the heat down.


What is a good vegetarian source of umami flavour? I'm looking for a source of the umami flavour to add to various dishes. However, since I became vegetarian I can't think of a good source for the flavour.

I used to use Worcestershire sauce, or Nam Pla (fish sauce). I can't think of a vegetarian source of the flavour in the same vein though.

I've tried soy sauce, and it does work, but it imparts too much saltiness to the dish.

The Umami information Center has a list of Umami-rich foods along with natural concentrations of glutamate.  I've copied some of their list below (included some meats for comparison) in case the link disappears (concentration number is mg glutamate/100g food).  There's also some information at the above link about how to prepare the foods to maximize the umami taste.

Food/Concentration:

Beef/107
Tuna/188
Nori/1378 (not a typo)
Tomatoes/246 (the riper the better)
Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms/71
Dried Shiitake Mushrooms/150
Enoki Mushrooms/22
Soy Beans/66
Potatoes/102
Sweet Potatoes/60
Chinese Cabbage/100
Carrots/33


How do I start juicing? A recent question tipped me off about juicers. I have heard of them before, but I had always written them off as TV informercial gadgets that were not really useful. Is this true?

If I had and orange, a tangerine, and a grapefruit, could I just put them in a juicer and have my own fruit "cocktails?" Is there a special juicer, just for amateur cooks?

I recommend this juicer I have it and use it every week to make lemonade:

Peel 6-8 lemons

Add to juicer

Mixing in a large pitcher, add water and sugar to taste.

Refrigerate

It's absolutely delicious. It's all I drink, no more soda.

Last week I made cherry juice. De-pitted the cherries and repeted the same steps as above.

I've also made carrot and beet juice, but they test very strong and work better when you mix them with other juices - orange juice for example.

My experience with juicing grapefruit is not good. The juice comes out very bitter and tastes very strong.

In general, to reduce the bitterness in citrus juices, peel the fruit first before adding it to the juicer. As in the lemonade example, I sometimes use the lemon peels to make Limoncello, or keep a few in the fridge to garnish my coffee. If you have no use for them, they will at least make your garbage smell very good.

Maintenance

You need to clean the juicer after each use, which can be discouraging. If you have someone who lives with you, have them help. My husband peels and juices the lemons, I wash the juicer parts while he mixes the lemonade in the pitcher. It takes us about 15 minutes from start to finish.

Experiment

You can throw anything in the juicer as long as you remove large pits and cut it to a size that fits the opening. It will fit a whole lemon but you need to halve an apple.
The juicer  - at least the model I have - also comes with a recipe book. Not that I ever used it. I just use whatever I have left over and try to make something tasty.


How to prevent Orecchiette from sticking to each other while cooking? How to separate in water? This shape of pasta easily nests inside each other. A lot of times if you just pour it directly from the bag/box into boiling water, you will get stacks of them together.

Once they are cooking this way it is a major endeavor to separate them. The pasta won't cook evenly because they are stacked together. The ones stacked in the middle will have more al dente centers.

How do we prevent this? (One way is to make sure they are separated before entering the water.

Once they start cooking and some of them are stacked, what is the best way to separate them?

Adding your pasta to cold water before boiling it may help. You will need to stir more often overall, but the shells won't initially stick together as soon as you add them to the water, and then you can stir to prevent the sticking as they become softer.

Harold McGee in a New York Times column wrote this:

  I prefer starting with cold water, because the noodles don’t stick together at all as they go into the pot, and because I don’t notice a difference in flavor once they’re drained and sauced.

What happens is that the starch on the noodles gets rinsed off in the water before it can gelatinize and stick to everything. So you will have to stir even before the water gets warm.


Is the sprouted wheat used in any traditional recipes? The healthy food movements uses sprouted/germinated wheat in many ways. They even make sprouted wheat grains bread. But is the sprouted wheat used in any traditional cuisines?

Some of the earliest uses of wheat called for germinating the seed as part of the malting process, i.e. making malt in order to make beer. There's archeological evidence shows evidence of sprouted grains being used in malting kilns from the time of the ancient romans.

In addition to beer, other traditional uses of malt, and therefore sprouted grains, include Samanu and Mammi.

Unlike wheat strains of the modern world, there's evidence that most of the ancient grains would germinate during storage, so it could be most ancient people's default experience with grains were with sprouted grains. Traditional recipes for porridge, gruel, or bread likely used germinated grains and flours.


Ears of corn in grams I found an interesting recipe (http://www.icouldkillfordessert.com.br/receitas/mingau-de-milho/) for corn porridge, in it was necessary "3 ears of corn" for the amount of porridge.

Suppose I don't find the corn on the cob and can only buy it in a can, how many grams of corn does the proportion of the recipe ordered?

Recipe:

3 ears of corn;
500ml of milk;
1/2 cup of sugar;
1 pinch of salt;
Cinnamon.

I agree with @rumtscho that you are unlikely to get the desired results from canned corn as you really probably need raw.  If you do try canned, make sure it is whole kernel type and that might improve your results.  If you cannot get fresh corn, frozen, uncooked corn might work, but even that is usually blanched which might be enough to change the results too much for your desired results, and I would again try for whole kernel, not cut.

Digging around a bit, I found a blog claim that a medium ear of corn yields an average of 3/4 cup of kernels.  Ears of corn vary substantially in size, for a recipe that gives a measure in ears, not in volume or weight, I would immediately say that exact amount is not critical, you just need a very rough amount so I would use the 3/4 cup as being roughly correct.  If weight works better for you, a cup of corn kernels should be about 4.5 ounces or 125 grams (from another blog http://www.veg-world.com/articles/cups.htm), so your three ears would be ballpark of maybe 275 grams with an assumption that exact measurement is not critical.

ETA from @Jolenealalaska, adding a part as creamed corn may very well get you some of the missing goodness in both canned and frozen corn.  I might even try a higher cream corn ratio than their 3-to-1 suggestion.  A bit of experimentation may get you close to your target.


What is the lowest and slowest way I can bake pork ribs? I am leaving for about 7-8 hours and I was wondering if it's possible to pop the ribs in the oven before I leave and have them come out super tender. Ive seen some recipes that suggest 250 for three hours. Can I go even lower and leave them in for longer?

Also: is it bad to have the oven going (even at a low temp) if I'm not at the house?

To achieve "done" pork ribs should reach an internal temp of 160°F (71ºC). The longer it takes to get there be more tender they will be. I would not recommend going any lower than 200°F (93ºC) for your cooking temp, even if that means turning the heat up a little at the end to reach your internal temp of 160°F. Put a good rub on, wrap the racks of ribs (individually) in aluminum foil, with some beer or cola in there (or other braising liquid) and let them go. For a video of how to do this watch this episode of "Good Eats" All of that said, I have never tried to let the ribs go 7 hours unattended, so I would try it when you have the time to hang around and monitor the internal temp, again looking for 160°F internal temp and that will give you a means to determine what is "done".


Can I fix butter (for a sauce) after putting too much mustard in? I'm making sauce for chicken cordon bleu. The butter has shallots, parsley, mustard, salt and pepper. I put too much mustard into the butter. Can I fix this?

Simply do not use the butter for this dish. Cordon bleu does not require butter, only cheese and ham.

EDIT:

@Joe thinks you mean a mustard sauce to go with the chicken cordon bleu. Is that correct?

OK so in the absence of your verification or any other feedback, the answer is:
you need increase the other ingredients so the ratio butter : shallot : mustard is back in proportion.

For example the recipe calls for

1 Tbsp butter
1 shallot
2 tsp mustard.

but you put in 4 tsp mustard by mistake?

You increase the butter and shallots so it is all double quantity:

2 Tbsp butter
2 shallots
4 tsp mustard.

1 : 1 : 2

2 : 2 : 4

3 : 3 : 6 etc.

On the other hand you can simply just ignore the extra mustard. It may need a little more liquid for the right consistency because there is more starch than usual, but basically the sauce will be just fine. Do not add extra salt before checking the seasoning. The Dijon mustard I use is very salty so I never add any anyhow, but YMMV.

It would be nice if you could acknowledge our various replies, Linda.


Vacuum packed fish not vacuum in shop I just bought refrigerated salmon fillets from a supermarket. They are in the kind of packet you'd expect to be vacuum packed. I have bought fish here before and it's always vacuum packed.
This time, didn't notice in the shop, but I notice now (as soon as getting home, 10 mins), that the fish is "loose" within the packet. There is clearly no vacuum, even though the wrapping conforms to the shape of the fish it isn't really "sealed" (it's not skintight to the fish, the packet doesn't seem to have any holes or openings anywhere though). The fish can slosh around, there are air gaps.
Is it safe to eat?

The vacuum-packed-ness of vacuum-packed foods can help keep food fresh by reducing oxidation, but it doesn’t have any effect on safety. If it were originally vacuum-packed but then gas developed from putrefaction then that would be a bigger concern... but there would be absolutely no question whether that was the case once you smelled it.


How to cook young onions so that they melt? I was at a restaurant yesterday and I was surprised to get young onions (sorry for the direct translation from French oignon nouveau en botte - I added a picture below) cooked as whole, but melting once they are cut.

What I got on the plate was just the head (without the green part), cooked but not fried/braised (the head was white). When cutting it, the layers fell apart and the taste was almost sweet, without any aggressive onion taste. If I did not look closely at what I was eating I could miss the fact that it was an onion.

What would be the right approach to cook an onion like this? Boil it and then sauté? Cook it in butter for a long time at a low temperature?

Oignons nouveaux, aka green onions, are typically cooked low and slow in a dutch oven with butter or [olive] oil. When you're cooking them (and onions in general), salt them early - salting the onions will help get rid of that "oniony" taste and will let you taste their natural sweetness.


TVP - textured vegetable protein Can anyone tell me how TVP is produced?

Wikipedia can:

  Manufacturing process

  TVP is made from a mixture of proteins extracted primarily from soybeans, but also cotton seeds, wheat and oats. It is extruded into various shapes (chunks, flakes, nuggets, grains, and strips) and sizes, exiting the nozzle while still hot and expanding as it does so. The defatted thermoplastic proteins are heated to 150-200°C, which denatures them into a fibrous, insoluble, porous network that can soak up as much as three times its weight in liquids. As the pressurized molten protein mixture exits the extruder, the sudden drop in pressure causes rapid expansion into a puffy solid that is then dried. As much as 50% protein when dry, TVP can be rehydrated at a 2:1 ratio, which drops the percentage of protein to an approximation of ground meat at 16%. High quality TVP can be mixed with ground meat to a ratio of up to 1:3 (rehydrated TVP to meat) without reducing the quality of the final product, sometimes improving it if the meat used is poor. TVP is primarily used as a meat substitute due to its very low cost at less than a third the price of ground beef, and when cooked together will help retain more weight from the meat by absorbing juices normally lost.


RPM for milk frothing? So I had one of those American capitalist/consumer moments where I would have liked to have a milk frother handy. But I just can't bring myself to buy such a frivolous single-use additional material possession. So as a compromise I'll get a Dremel tool.

Concerned that I'll need to step down a Dremel tool to work as a milk frother. Has anyone measured the average RPM of a milk frother? Anyone seen a DIY project to attach a gear reduction to a Dremel? Do I actually need more RPM?

Loss of torque should not be a big issue, even with whole milk. Half and half, that may be another story.

The Ozeri Deluxe milk frother  claims an rpm of 15000 rpm

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BISKPMG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00BISKPMG&linkCode=as2&tag=nmjv-20

However I have seen in ikea (and pound / dollar stores) a much cheaper option that to me seems much the same

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/30100041/

Hope this helps


Ham and beans in a Crock-Pot I boil my navy beans first and I put in a Crock-Pot with ham that I had Frozen it's already been cooked they have been cooking for about 4 hours on low my question is can I shut the crockpot off for about 5 hours I meant by get back for my appointments can turn it back on low I just don't want to overcook the beans I would appreciate any help you could offer thank you very much

You don't say whether the ham had been defrosted first; if not the temperature would have taken so long to rise that you're already outside the safety guidelines.  Even then, turning off the slow cooker for several hours is a bad idea from a food safety point of view.  The beans shouldn't overcook too much on low anyway, so I'd say just leave it on low.


Can one use SOS pad on Gotham frying pan? Stains remaining in frying pan after cooking meat that sticks to the pan. I have tried SOS pads, is that okay?

SOS pads are steel wool with a ton of soap. That means they are an abrasive cleaner, and except on the very hardest surfaces, will scratch away the surface. This makes them very effective so removing a microscopic portion of a stainless steel pan or a slightly less microscopic portion of an aluminum pan (or cookie sheet) is sometimes worth it.

I believe those pans are coated with some form of porcelain, which is a very hard surface. So you're probably removing very little of that surface, but if that's the way you clean it every time — you will eventually destroy the pan.

You may want to consider plain stainless, high-carbon steel, or cast iron. The later two are seasoned with oil and become non-stick. Also... minor stains (on any type of pan) can often just be ignored.


Why are stems common in packaged raisins but uncommon in breakfast cereals? When I purchase raisins in the US, it is not uncommon that some of the raisins have bits of stem still attached to them.  However, when I purchase breakfast cereals with raisins included, I seem to never encounter stems.  Clearly there is a difference in how the raisins are processed.  But what is that difference?
What about the processing for breakfast cereals make stems so uncommon, and why is that same process not considered for raisins sold alone?  Is it the cost of some extra or different processing, or are perhaps all these raisins processed the same but then dividing into low- and high-confidence-no-stems pools, the latter used in breakfast cereals?

I've noticed a difference between raisin brands in the past. Given my habit of alternating weekly shops between the close/cheap supermarket and the well-stocked one I'd choose to buy them at the better shop, though I've had worse than even that cheaper shop.
From the better shop I find less than one stem in a generous handful of raisins (on my otherwise plain weekday Weetabix), but in the worst ones I've tried I've found a few every day.  This all indicates that there's a possibility for variation from some point in the production process.
Given that variation, so long the worst ones aren't added to breakfast cereals, and given the dilution by other ingredients, I'd expect to find very few.
In addition, there's no guarantee you'll find every single one.  On weetabix or porridge I've been known to spot a stem only to lose it when it sinks, but then not to find it when eating.  In something like granola with its range of textures and harder components I would be more likely to miss an occasional stem.


How (or is) "low & slow" turkey safe? If I slow-cook a turkey over low, low heat for 12-18 hours, how does it stay "safe" when the turkey has been in the danger zone for a large majority of the cooking time?

I've been slow-cooking turkeys on my Big Green Egg for years. I use lump coal and wood chips (for smoke) and manage to keep the cooking temperatures between 200°F-250°F (93-121 °C) for the entire time (12-18 hours). The turkey is unstuffed and placed on a rack over a roasting pan. It is cooked until the internal temperature has reached 165°F (white meat) and 175°F (dark meat).

Certainly the finished cooking temperatures has killed any food-borne bacteria, but what makes this method safe when the turkey spends many, many hours in that "danger zone" building up toxins until it is done?

This article, by a reputable food scientist, summarizes the possible dangers inherent in slow cooking of turkeys, with some scientific citations and actual experimental data on microbiological growth in slow-cooked turkeys.  I'd encourage anyone interested in slow cooking to read it to appreciate the great variety of microbes which could cause problems, as well as the problems that can occur with persistent toxins or spores.

Basically, the take-home message seems to be if your turkey gets to at least 130F within 8 hours and ultimately reaches 165F throughout, it should ultimately be safe, according to the cited research.  However, this is of course at odds with official FDA and USDA standards which seemingly recommend less time in the "danger zone" (though they seem to allow some exceptions for food that is smoked or cooked in a pit barbecue in their guidelines, which they sometimes allow to take up to 8-12 hours to attain temperature, and the USDA's own turkey cooking guidelines clearly imply that large turkeys will spend longer than a couple hours in the "danger zone" when roasted at their "safe" minimum temperature of 325F, though other users here have asked them about this, and they refuse to acknowledge that fact when queried).

I explored related microbial issues of slow cooking in my answer to another question, drawing in part on the article I cited earlier.  In sum, the official "danger zone" guidelines have lots of built-in buffers to allow for other errors in food handling.  Some microbiologists are on record as saying that these guidelines are overly cautious, but exactly how far you can "bend the rules" is not something I want to speculate on.

Obviously, the safest course would be to follow official approved guidelines.  I personally had done a lot of research into this before I ever slow-cooked anything myself, and I would encourage others to do the same before coming to their own conclusions.  One important thing I would note, however, is that there are limits to slow-cooking safety -- for example, I absolutely would NOT eat poultry that, say, spent a day or more in the danger zone before reaching 130F.  Toxins will build up eventually, and at some point even boiling the turkey won't be enough to make it safe to eat anymore.


Using frozen/cooked frozen blood in black pudding I am having a hell of a time trying to track down blood in the US for black pudding. None of our local processors can provide it, several butchers are claiming it's illegal to sell (not true, but you have to be licensed at the abbatoire). I haven't been able to find a place that will sell dried pigs blood over the internet AND can ship.

The only option I've found so far is frozen pig blood from a local meat plant (they do NOT sell fresh, only frozen), or a small asian market (they ONLY sell coagulated pig blood that has been cooked).

Can these be used interchangably or is it an absolute requirement that the blood be fresh?

The frozen blood (once it is thawed) would be the better option.  I would not consider the cooked and coagulated product to be interchangeable with the thawed product.


How to hand-select the perfect coffee bean? I would like to know from you guys, what criteria do you use to select the perfect (green) coffee bean for roasting purposes?

If you are hand selecting than you might refer to AA standards for the chaff, etc.

Also discoloration from the median color of the other beans can lead to irregular roasting intervals (if you have a mix of colors they may "crack " at different ranges of time). Similarly you should prefer the beans to be approximately the same size.


What is a refrigerator tray in older recipes? Many older cookbooks call for filling a “refrigerator tray”. For example, in the 1960 Better Homes and Gardens Dessert Cook Book the recipe for “Banana Ice Cream” says to “Pour into refrigerator trays. Freeze till firm.” and in Anne London’s 1972 American-International Encyclopedic Cookbook, the recipe for “Refrigerator Tray Pie” says to “Pack half the crumb mixture into a refrigerator tray. Chill… Return to refrigerator to freeze.”
Doing a search for “refrigerator tray” on archive.org, I found the pamphlet for Use and Care of Your New Norge Refrigerator which mentions many uses for refrigerator trays, all involving freezing in some way. From the various recipes for ice cream and other frozen desserts on pages 31-32,

Pour into refrigerator trays and freeze.

Freeze in refrigerator tray.

…freeze in refrigerator tray until firm.

From this, I can deduce that a refrigerator tray is something that you can pour liquids into and then put into the freezer, but that’s about it.
Those pages also mention trays without the qualifier “refrigerator”:

Pour into tray of chilling unit and freeze to mush.

Pour into tray and chill to soft jelly… Return to tray and freeze to desired firmness.

Turn into freezer tray and freeze 45 minutes to 1 hour.

The list of definitions on page 9 does not include a definition for refrigerator trays, although it does include one for ice trays, and specifically mentions using them for making ice cream:

Ice Trays:
Fill the trays with water to within 1/4 in. of the top. Place trays in their section on top of main freezer compartment. When making Ice Cream, use the aluminium tray by removing plastic cups or dividers.

I would guess that the ice trays mentioned are the metal trays for making ice cubes, which used to come with a removable (always metal, in my limited experience) divider that doubled as a loosening device for the ice cubes. They seem awfully small for use as a dessert pan, but then the Better Homes and Garden recipe did use the plural for its mention of refrigerator trays.

I ran a quick search on ebay Images.  Looks like a refrigerator tray is a shallow glass or enameled dish.  I saw a few plastic ones, also from the 60s-70s.


Does glass bottled orange juice taste bad because of leached metals? I refuse to get glass bottled orange juice any more even when it's on sale because it tastes bad to me.

It seems like every glass bottled orange juice I've ever had tastes bad compared to orange juice stored in plastic or cartons. Does the orange juice leach metals (like lead) from the glass? Does that make it taste bad?

Corollary question: if I'm right, and it leaches so much metal from the glass, why do they still sell it in glass?

My guess is that limonin is responsible for the orange juice in the glass bottles not tasting as good as the carton juice.  Limonin is a very bitter substance naturally arising from orange juice.  Removing it is difficult and limited by patents.  The Tropicana's of this world (which tend to sell in cartons) use centrifuges and these special beads to debitter the juice, but other companies resort to mixtures of Valencia juice (which doesn't produce juice that goes bitter after a few hours) with other less expensive cultivars that will add bitter notes.

The limonin develops a few hours after the juice is squeezed.  So if the juice is fresh, it is the balance of sugar and acid in the fruit that has the biggest impact on its flavor.  Also, commercial juice needs to be pasteurized, which add to the flattening of the flavor.

The soda-lime glass used for containers in the US and many other countries leach very little of their elements into a solution as acid as orange juice (recycled glass leaches more and glass with phosphates, less).


What is the opposite of cuvée? I know that cuvée is wine produced from several types of grape. Is there a word to describe wine made from a single type?

A cuvée usually means that the wine if made from the same batch of grapes, harvested at the same time (year), from a particular plot of land.

A cuvée can either be a single grape varietal , which is called a mono-varietal cuvée or different varietals, which is usually called a blend.

For example, a Bordeaux wine can be made with different grapes varietals (merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon...); the Bordeaux AOC allows such blends.

On the other side, the Burgundy wines, are mono-varietals, they only allow for Pinot Noir for the red wines and Chardonnay for the whites (*)

(*) There are other types of grapes, like gamay and aligoté, but still, they will not be blended (AFAIK).

Sometimes, cuvée is used in association with the vintage (year) of the wine.

People will say "the cuvée 2015 of such and such wine is more rounded than the cuvée 2017, because the weather was dryer"


What does the ash content of broken wheat really mean? I purchased some broken durum wheat (also called lapsi or daliya in India) to make upma and was shocked to find that it contained ash.

It seemed silly that someone would deliberately mix ash into broken wheat, and this site says it's not mixed in the flour, but is just a measure of the percentage of non-starch parts the wheat has. But as per this website:

  The ash content of white pan bread flour has increased over the years
  from 0.45% in the 1950s to the current level of 0.50-0.55%. This has
  undoubtedly resulted from negotiations where the miller has agreed to
  the flour buyer’s price but only if he can raise the ash content of
  the flour a couple of points (0.02%).

How can anyone raise the ash content at will? This almost sounds like someone is adding 0.87g ash per 100g of wheat, but I reasoned it speaks of the amount of residue produced by the milling process. Am I right? I was just concerned about "ash", since when I tried washing the broken wheat, I had to wash it more than double the number of times I wash brown rice (that's at least 7 times for brown rice), for the water to finally become clear (I hope it isn't necessary to wash it so many times). Everytime I poured in water to wash it, the water turned a whitish grey, which made me think it was ash :-)

The "Ash" is not an ingredient in the flour

To be clear, the "Ash" is a measure of what you'd get left - if you burned the flour. It is not an ingredient in the bag of flour.

More specifically if you had 100g of flour - the "Ash" number is literally how much the Ash would weight if you burned all of it. As starch burns readily, what you'll be left with is mainly minerals.

Some people will determine various properties of the flour based on this Ash number. For one, a higher Ash number generally means more of the wheat's non-endosperm parts were included in the flour.

As milling is generally the process of separating the endosperm from the rest of the wheat; a less effective milling process will result in a higher Ash figure. So in a way, you can consider it to be a quality measure. But in other ways, it's just another indicator of "what exactly is in the bag".

Some useful sources:

Joe Pastry

Ash in the flour

NDSU


What are the purposes of the various specialty knives? I generally tend to use a paring knife for most of my cutting, but I'm sure I should be using a different knife.  Recently I also made the mistake of trying to cut a watermelon with a big, straight-edge knife, which didn't go over too well.

When I look at knives, I see a lot of different weird-looking implements and don't really understand what they're for or when I would use them vs. some other knife.

Can someone give me a quick overview of the different types of knives that one would find a typical kitchen store, and what types of food or cutting techniques they are meant for?

The standard answer is that you actually need a grand total of three knives, and could conceivably make do with one.  The usual load-out recommended is 1)6"-8" chef's knife, santoku, or cleaver, 2) 3" paring knife, and 3) long serrated knife.  The chef's knife or santoku is for most work (a cleaver can be used for this if you're a mad man), the paring knife is for small work (fine vegetables and mushrooms), and the serrated blade is for crusty breads and tomatoes (which can end up crushed by straight blades).   If you are embarrassed for funds, ditch the serrated knife and paring knife, in that order.  If you're doing serious butchery, a 10"-12" carving knife and a small thin jointing knife are worth the investment.    There's a special knife for fileting fish, but to be frank I've had one for 20 years and it's never been the best tool for the job.

Watermelon can be sliced with a large straight blade (I might pull out the 12" for that), but only with a lot of gumption.  Show fear or hesitation, and you're going to make a mess.

More important than what you buy is how you use it.  Search on youtube for "introductory knife skills", or take a cooking class on it.  Well worth the investment.

(As should be obvious from the above, whatever you do don't buy a "knife set".  You'll end up paying a lot of money for knives you will probably never need.)

Except for raw tomatoes, french bread, and peeling fruit, everything on your list ends done by my 8" santoku (or 6" ceramic, which is not something for beginners, purely on price).


Once mixed, how long is cake batter good when refrigerated? After using a cake mix to bake in a lamb shaped form, I have batter left over. How long can I keep it refrigerated (not frozen) and still combine it with another cake mix batter -- and have the second cake bake properly?

Comments are right, mixing with another box would probably not provide enough leavening for the second cake to be successful.  Just toss the leftover batter into a smaller baking  pan.  You'd be better off having a very slightly stale mini-cake the second day than a larger fresher brick.  A bit of fruit and whipped cream would disguise the not-baked-today character very effectively.  Or you could just eat it before the guests arrive :-)