what happens when you whisk sugar with oil? So far I have tired four different carrot cakes recipes, everything ended up too oily (The oil drips from the cake when pressed). I was wondering and found all of these recipes calls for "whisking sugar with oil until the sugar dissolves" as the very first step. I am sure, I am missing some basics here, since I don't know what is the consistency needed.

Can anyone shed light on what happens when you whisk sugar with oil? Like creaming sugar and butter to incorporate air into the mixture. What is the concept behind it? How the consistency should look?

I am using 135g white caster sugar and 100ml sunflower oil, if this information is of any help.

Oil doesn't really dissolve sugar.  The main purpose for the mixing is that in many recipe techniques, especially the muffin method, sugar is treated as a wet ingredient.  By premixing the wet ingredients, and premixing the dry ingredients, when the two are combined, you require much less additional mixing to get a homogeneous total batter.

Creaming sugar into butter or shortening helps leavening because the sharp edges of the sugar crystals cut air into the solid fat medium, essentially creating a foam.  This then serves as seed air bubbles for the chemical leavening to expand.  This effect cannot occur with liquid oils.

Many carrot cakes are pretty dense and oily, although I don't think they should drip when pressed.  You might have something else going on in your recipes or technique.


How to keep my stainless steel skillet clean I have a KitchenAid skillet that I love. But I can't seem to get it cleaned easily.
It looks much like this one, but with a brushed exterior and the bottom of the interior is grooved or ribbed.

For now, I run cold water on it when hot but I still end up needing light use of a ScotchBrite pad. I'm concerned I'm ruining the pan by doing so.

Be careful with cold water in a hot pan - since the pan is metal, you shouldn't have to worry about cracking, but you will get a nice burst of steam in your face!

Your best bet is to deglaze the pan immediately while it's still hot, or heat it back up and deglaze it.  There are some tips in this thread.  As a bonus you're going to get a delicious pan sauce as part of the deal.

You're never going to get it store-bought perfect, but I've had a lot of luck cleaning stains that seemed permanent by using Bar Keepers Friend, which in my opinion is one of the best commercial cleaners available.


Could You Use A Dutch Oven as A Casserole Is there some scientific reason as to why a recipe would suggest using a casserole dish instead of using dutch oven. I understand (that usually) one is ceramics and one is cast iron, but does that mean they are not interchangeable? I am specifically concerned when it comes to cooking meat in the oven

Possibly a matter of the difference in depth between the two items?

There's a Hungarian layered dish I make with chicken, potatoes, peppers and fresh tomatoes with sauce poured over before baking. If I were to make that in a more shallow casserole dish, I wouldn't even be able to do one layer. A Dutch oven is a necessity. But a lasagne made in a deep Dutch oven would end up swimming in liquid. I know 'cause I tried it once!

Other than examples like that, I'd think many foods could be cooked in either.


Help buying a copper pan I heard that the best frying pans for steak are copper. Most are way too expensive but these are cheap in comparison. For example, this is three times the price - both with a 2mm gauge, although the more expensive one is 2cm larger in diameter.

Is there something I need to look for when buying copper pans?

I have never sprung for copper pans, so this is just from my general research.

Here are the factors I would look at:

How thick is the copper?  You want it to be thick enough to retain and distribute the heat of the burner.
How is the handle attached?  Rivets are better than welded for long term use.  (This is general to any metal pan.)
What is the handle made of?  Is it oven and broiler safe?
What is it lined with, and what care does it require?  Copper is too reactive to use for general purpose cooking unlined.   Tin will need to be replaced over time, but probably is not in use in modern manufacture.
What care or cleaning will it require?

See also:
Navigating the different types of cookware - new kitchen advice


CaCl2 and cheese making I am learning to make cheese. I am reading up. I have questions.

What is the use of Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) in cheese making?

Amazon sells CaCl2(H2O)n hydrolysed Calcium Chloride at ~$8 for a 4 oz bottle.

Can I use the $2 pack of CaCl2 icemelter crystals (also sold by Amazon) instead? Or the huge $4.99 icemelter pack I got from the gas station?

Note: Hoping to prevent anecdotal answers. Before anyone says "purity" and "edibility" or "food grade",

I would expect someone who actually knows how icemelter packs are made to be able to say icemelter packs are not suitable.
Is there any edibility difference between the exposed open air conditions table sea salt is extracted, from how icemelter CaCl2

In general, calcium chloride is used in cheese making to stabilize and firm up the curd.  It's more necessary in milk that has gone through the standard modern processing routine (pasteurization, homogenization, etc.).  Heating and harsh handling of the milk messes up the balance of calcium in various milk components, and adequate calcium is needed to produce successful coagulation.  It should generally NOT be used in cheeses where the curd needs flexibility, e.g., for stretching in mozzarella.

As for the proposal of using industrial chemicals in your food, I wouldn't do it unless it's actually labelled "food grade".  I have a science background and know quite a bit about chemical manufacturing.  Industrial chemicals may be produced in a multitude of processes on all sorts of equipment that may have handled other chemicals too.  I'm sure ice-melt products generally have a pretty low threshold for this sort of stuff, since they want to prevent environmental contamination. On the other hand, a lot of ice melt stuff contains ingredients other than CaCl2 for various reasons.  Some of those additives may not be safe for ingestion or approved as food ingredients.

In any case, even if it's "just" CaCl2, "food grade" materials have to meet even stricter specific regulatory standards that require such trace ingredients to be below dangerous thresholds when ingested (as opposed to simply exposed to on the skin or whatever might normally happen with icemelt).

Does that mean your particular "icemelter pack" stuff is dangerous to ingest?  Possibly not, but I wouldn't use it in food unless it was labelled "food grade" or I contacted the manufacturer directly and got a straight answer from them saying it's safe to eat.  No one in this forum can tell you how an industrial-grade chemical was produced or handled by a specific manufacturer.  (I doubt you'll get a guarantee from a manufacturer unless it's already labelled as "food grade.")

Anyhow, there are cheaper alternatives, though.  You can buy food-grade calcium chloride in crystalline form. (It's sometimes used in preserving, home-brewing, and other applications.) That will generally be a lot cheaper than buying the liquid.  A quick search shows me a pound of this stuff can be had for $10 or less, and a pound should be adequate for making cheese with well over a thousand gallons of milk.  I'm sure there are better deals to be found; this was one of the first hits I saw.  (If you decide to go industrial, there are plenty of chemical companies which will sell you a 50 lb. bag of food-grade CaCl2 for around $50.)

You then just need to make up a solution of appropriate concentration to match your cheese-making CaCl2 liquid, which is typically around 30% CaCl2 by weight.


how many pints cooked cabbage from 3 pounds raw? How many pints of cooked cabbage should I be able to get out of 2 cabbage heads (about 3 pounds each) ? I am wanting to cook and freeze the cabbage.

It really depends on how much you cook the cabbage.

Less cooking not only means that it's firmer and it won't compact as easily, but that the majority of the water is still in the cabbage, adding volume.

The longer that you cook the cabbage, the more that the cell walls break down, moisture is expelled, and that moisture evaporates.  (but evaporation is also a function of the surface area of the pan/pot it's being cooked in)

...

I've personally never paid attention to the volume of cooked cabbage, but I have for cabbage that's been salted, let sit and drained to make cole slaw ... and that's closer to 1.5 to 2 pints per 3 lb cabbage.  (but again, it depends how much force you use to pack it ... and how much you cut out when removing the core).

I'll try to remember to get a measurement when I make a ~10lb batch of cole slaw for a gathering in two weeks.


Reheat coated fried chicken (salt and pepper chicken) I followed a recipe for sat and pepper chicken, where I fry for 5 minutes, then let it rest then fry for a further 2 minutes before adding to the pan with the veg and seasoning.

The recipe said I could refrigerate some of the chicken (after the 5 minutes) for tomorrow.

I just wondered how long I need to re-fry it for tomorrow to make it safe, and Is it ok to add straight from the fridge or freezer to the oil

From a food safety perspective, if the chicken is hot throughout after cooking, you're almost certainly good to go. Do make sure you cool down the chicken quickly enough to avoid spending too much time in the 'danger zone'. Especially if after re-frying, the chicken gets heated more ("with veg and seasoning"), there is a good chance you can follow the recipe without changing the timing.

To give a more precise answer, it would help if you could share the details of your recipe. How big are the pieces of chicken?  Depending on the size of your chicken pieces, frying from frozen could result in the outside of the chicken burning while the inside is still too cold. How long are you supposed to let the chicken rest? Do the pieces cool down to room temperature, or are they still hot? If the recipe is based on re-frying room temperature chicken, having the chicken at fridge temperature instead will not have a huge effect.


Will cooking a beef topside joint on a very low heat overnight make it dry? I bought a 1.8 kilogram joint of beef topside (called round in the US, I believe) and I am kicking myself for not buying a rib joint because it had more fat on it.

Anyway, there is so little fat on the topside that I'm concerned it will dry out during cooking.  I've been reading up on various ways to cook it to ensure it'll be tender and not dry and I think I've established that the best way to do this is to cook it under a tent of foil for between 6 - 12 hours on a very low oven heat, ie; 100ºC/200ºF, without opening the oven door for at least six hours.

I do have some basting fat so I'm going to put that on the beef before it goes into the oven, but I wondered if anyone could give me some reassurance that what I'm planning on doing is likely to turn out ok!

I appreciate that nothing is guaranteed but I'd be really grateful for some advice.

Thanks in advance.

If you add some liquid to the pan as well as covering it tightly, it should be fine. I'd suggest browning the joint well in a frying pan, slicing plenty of onions, resting the joint on them in the roasting tray, and then adding an inch or so of water to the pan before covering. This should keep the joint moist. With a bit of luck you'll also get some nice confited onions out of the arrangement as well.


Why add yogurt to curries spoon by spoon instead of all at once? A few recipes I have might use 5 or 6 tablespoons of yogurt but want it fully mixed spoon by spoon and cooked for 30s before adding the next spoon.

Can't I just dump the lot in and mix well?

Edit: The recipes tend to share the same order: cook spices, add onion & garlic, add browned meat, mix in yogurt, add water, simmer for an hour or more. So it's quite a dry mix when the yogurt is added.

Yogurt curdles at high temperatures. If you curdle a big lump of yogurt, breaking it up well is hard, and it doesn't taste too well. You want to end up with tiny particles evenly dispersed in the dish. So when you add it a spoon at a time, you can mix it really well before it has had time to curdle.

An alternative method is to do it the other way round. You remove a spoonfull of the curry and dump it into the yogurt, then stir immediately. When it is completely absorbed, you add the next spoon. You continue until you have something like a 1:1 mix in the bowl, then dump it into the still cooking curry and stir.

The second method requires less than 30 s between spoons, but isn't necessarily less work. (You may have to prepare a separate bowl for the yogurt). However, it produces even smoother results. If you have a problematic yogurt (low fat content, high clumping tendency), use the second method.

Edit HenrikSöderlund's comment makes me think that my explanation wasn't clear enough, so here an addition.

The yogurt will curdle a few seconds after it is dumped in the pot. The point is, you don't lumps of curdled yogurt. A lump of curdled yogurt is grainy and sour and doesn't mix well with liquid. Encountering a lump of curdled yogurt in your soup/curry unpleasant in a way similar to encountering a lump of undissolved baking powder in your cake.

On the other hand, A tiny droplet of curdled yogurt is too small to feel as grainy, too small an amount of acid to give you an unpleasant sensation, and small enough to form a suspension with the "broth". That's why you have to break up the yogurt in droplets before it curdles, and this is only physically possible when you start out with a small amount like a single spoon.

It is even more important to do that when adding to the dry-ish mixture described in the edit than when adding to a simmering broth. The broth is below 100°C, the curry base can be much hotter, causing the yogurt to curdle quicker. Also, a liquid will dissolve the yogurt easily and disperse it, but with the dry curry base, you have to rely on stirring only to reduce the yogurt to droplets.


Fudge Recipes - Shelf Life I am looking for information on how to extend the shelf life of the fudge that I make for my business. Currently it is only lasting about 2 weeks, even when we have it sealed, we take it out and when we take it out it only lasts a couple days. I currently use a variety of methods as we are trying to find the best one.

Fudge really only has a shelf life of a week or two. First it will start to crystallize on the outside (which is actually very yummy in my opinion), but then it will start to grow mold. Good hygiene will lengthen the time before mold starts to grow, but ultimately fudge is not a preserved food and isn't meant to keep. The individual ingredients will keep better by themselves, and you can make the fudge nearly on demand.


Has my olive oil gone bad? I purchased a gallon of amazing Greek olive oil a few months ago.  It has some floaty wisps in it now.  Is it still safe?

From your descriptions it seems just freezing of some of the oil components.

When the oil is kept at low enough T, it is naturally subjected to partial of even full freezing.

White wisps, flakes and even little solid spherical drops can be seen, which tend to deposit at the bottom but are about floating in the volume if the recipient is moved.

This is totally normal, right as water inevitably becomes ice when the temperature is about 0 °C.

In the olive oil case, a denser liquid forms starting at about 12/10 Celsius and becomes evident as described above when the T is about 5 or 6 °C.

This is a normal occurrence during winter time whenever the oil is transported and/or stored in caves, supermarket corners, and even at home like in storeroom or balconies.

The oil slowly recovers its liquid clear appearance if left at normal room temperature and most important it is still safe and its organoleptic characteristics are basically unchanged, too.

There are tests based on freezing behaviour as for oils will have specific T profiles depending on their composition and possible treatments (e.g. filtration, ..) they could have been submitted to.

At a very deep level of discussion, an oil that underwent freezing might be susceptible of a faster rancidification, as for in the while the crystallized fat part is unprotected by natural radical scavengers such as phenols compounds naturally present. But this should matter to those dealing with the storage of trade/business amount of oil.

Recommended storage conditions are in dark and at temperature in the range 13 to 18 °C.

Here is a picture of a quite severe freezing:

Enjoy your oil.


What is Spaetzle? How is it cooked? We had Spaetzle for lunch today. I've never had Spaetzle and couldn't figure out the ingredients or cooking method.

Spaetzle is basically a noodle. Throw together egg, flour and salt (maybe some water to thin it out) and force it through a mold. Anything with holes can be used as a mold (for instance, I've used my old metal colander and that would work fine). Once the dough is formed into little pieces (it doesn't usually hold together for long threads), put it in boiling water to cook for a few minutes and dress it to eat however you desire.

Note: some people say Spaetzle is a noodle, some say a dumpling, I have no preference, I just call it tasty!


Fannie's Books and Derivatives I am a bit wary of Amazon reviews so  I am asking here, are these books useful today?
useful here means; are there any objective scientific practices outlined in them that we accept today? They are not fraught with misinformation to the point where it becomes advisable to stay away from them?

(1)The Original Fannie Farmer 1896 Cook Book

(2)The Boston Cooking School Cook Book 1918

Is it better to get something derived from these books such as Fannie Farmer Baking Book 1996 by Marion Cunningham and The Fannie Farmer Cookbook Anniversary Edition September 9, 1996 by Marion Cunningham? The older books are cheaper.

"Useful" is rather subjective. If you clarify what you mean by useful I can likely clarify and improve my answer as well.

One thing to keep in mind when using old cookbooks and recipes is that terminology changes a lot over time. You may have significant difficulty translating ingredients to their modern equivalents. You also may not be able to easily find the ingredients once you do translate them. A good example is this question.

Another thing you may need to be aware of is how much our knowledge has changed. You'll likely encounter a lot more misinformation than a more modern cookbook.

If you enjoy the extra work involved, then sure why not get the old ones. If you have trouble translating a recipe, you can always ask here! :)


Why do I get a 'food burn' alert every time I use my pressure cooker? I have an Instant Pot that I love to use to prepare food, and for the first dozen meals it operated without issue. Lately, however, I get a 'food burn' alert every single time I use it. As expected, my food has stuck to the bottom of the detachable pot and needs to be scraped off. What is surprising me is that it isn't happening when I cook a specific meal, it's on every meal I prepare using the pressure cooker.
The same recipes that used to be prepared without issue now need to be scraped clean from the pot. I'm not altering the recipes, except to perhaps add more liquid to prevent food from sticking.
Is there a common reason for this to happen? Is there a certain way I should load that Instant Pot that I may have stopped doing since I purchased it? Should I clean a certain part of the pressure cooker to increase the efficacy of the cookware?

A quick google search illustrates that this appears to be a common concern for instant pot users. Have you checked the sealing ring, steam release, and float valve to ensure that they are clean and working properly?  You may just need some cleaning and preventive maintenance.  You don't mention the brand, but you can begin with your user manual.  Here is some information specifically about the Instant Pot brand cooker.


How are mozzarella cheese sticks (string cheese) formed? I love string cheese.

I have had some success making homemade mozzarella but I am not particularly skilled yet at kneading the curd. My mozzarella balls sometimes end up with an uneven texture.

How can I knead the curd to end up with sticks where the cheese grain is all parallel along the length of the stick?

** First image hit on Google **

Oh you mean cheesesticks not the fried mozzeralla sticks.

I would imagine you would knead it by using the folding method in which you flatten the cheese and fold one end of the cheese over to the other end and continue folding it in that fashion(and the same direction).

Also note that the mozzeralla sticks you buy at grocery stores are machine processed and you can't really hope to achieve that same results/texture.


Fastest way to peel petai? Parkia speciosa, Bitter Bean, Stinky Bean, Sator I am looking for a fast way to peal Parkia speciosa, (as known as Petai, Bitter Bean, Stinky Bean, Sator).

We are processing thousand rows of petai every day. We need to find more efficient ways to do our job.

Our goal is to peel the beans out of it's skin and it's inner skin. The bean should come out clean without cutting it through.

The following video shows the current technique we are using.
See video: https://youtu.be/3F7TfAdMYiU?list=PLHHnWHMetsOqJArvQK9FjAsnCGCKuWs0h

Petai has a thick outer skin with rows of beans within. The petai bean are it's seeds which are coated with an soft inner skin (also known as testa or seed coat)

[Picture of] Parkia speciosa (from Wikipedia) - shows the fruit as it was picked from the tree, with some of it's bean has been peeled off clean and some are still intact with it's soft inner skin.

Pealed clean

Do not cut through

I have tried searching for any technique, devices, or machine but could not find any better way than what we are doing now.

I wish someone had an answer with the best solution to this.

While I don't have a tried answer, I had some speculative thoughts that I hope might be useful.  You may have already looked into these possibilities, or they might not work, which case obviously they won't be helpful... but I thought I might offer them because it seems to me like like they might work.

Have you tried slicing off the long edges of the pod, as close to the beans as you can?  It looks like the pod is attached between the beans, so the pod won't pop open like peas - but if it can be pried or pulled open, it might let you take the whole pod's worth of beans at once.  Even if not, it might make pulling the bean from the pod a lot easier if you don't have to pull it free from the sides.  The downside is that it would be easy to nip ends of the beans, especially if they don't line up neatly in the pod - you might consider cutting sections at a time, rather than the whole pod at once.

This would be much easier if you had a guillotine style cutter, which should let you make straight cuts fairly easily and with minimum effort.  I was thinking something like the one below, although you might want one specialized for kitchen use rather than paper.

Alternatively, if you can cut both the long sides off the pod - then if you slice off each bean, ideally so the bean shows through on three edges minimum, you might be able to remove the beans from the square of the pod by putting them in a rotating drum.  The squares would rub against each other, and over time pry the pod edges apart and let the bean loose, and let the beans rub the inner skin off against each other.  You should separate loose beans and chaff periodically, so that the beans aren't damaged by over-grinding them.  While this should work for most beans per batch, if there are any leftover beans that really won't shake loose, they can be dealt with manually at nearly the same efficiency you already have.

I don't know how long it would take to do a single batch, it might depend on the beans and pods, how closely they're cut, how big and how full the batches are... but it could conceivably do large batches at a time, with minimal supervision - and so be more efficient and easier even if it isn't "fastest".  I pulled the idea from the polishing drums used for tumbling rocks, which use grit to wear down the stones - but when researching I found the process is also similar to threshing and winnowing, as is done for grain (like wheat) to lose the inedible husk from the inner grain - the scale is just somewhat different (and dedicated equipment likely to be too specialized, but you can try).  Actually, you may get the same effect from commercial mixers (or even regular ones, depending on batch size), since the work is done by the friction between the beans.

Your square cut pods should work tumbling by themselves, since they're light, soft (compared to stone), and have plenty of edges to catch on each other.  Your beans be relatively unharmed, because they should be tougher than your pod edges.  I suspect it will work better with larger batches, because the weight will give the rubbing enough force to pull the pod apart and shake the bean out.  Cutting the pod around the bean on all four sides would let the bean be pulled loose much faster, but it would mean cutting the extra pod out from between each bean.  Leaving the extra strip of pod on one side, with the bean showing on three, is probably nearly as good, and takes one cut less per bean, which may add up over large amounts.

Also, you should consider that both methods may produce more damage to the bean (in nipped of edges from straight cuts, and splits are also a possibility when tumbling).  It is also possible that there will be beans that need to be processed manually anyway.  How cost-effective the processes will actually be for your people will depend on a lot of factors.


Why won't my sourdough form a shapeable dough that doesn't stick? I'm pretty new to the sourdough game and will admit that I have very little knowledge of the science behind it (hydration, etc.). I have so far tried two sourdough starters to make two simple sourdough boules which have both failed.

The first was a Paul Hollywood starter and bread recipe. My starter seemed active as described in the book (it would double in size and recede each day when feeding) yet when it came to make the bread my dough would be semi-shapable but would end up sticking to a well-floured (I really mean well-floured...) proving basket and ended up ruining any proving that had occurred rendering it useless.

The second starter I made following this starter recipe from Youtube and this bread recipe from the same person. I decided to go along the video route as I thought I could better see how my dough should look and feel at particular stages. The only difference was that I initially kneaded mine in the KitchenAid Mixer with dough hook to bring it together. For the most part my dough was sticky and wet as expected but didn't quite come together to form the cohesive shapable dough that he seemed to get. I tried adding a bit more flour but it seemed as if I would need to add a lot more to get to the dough that he had. I was able to shape the dough into a ball to place into a well-floured proving basket but again it simply stuck to it when it was time to place it into the oven and lost all air structure from the proving.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

When I was young and poor I baked all the bread my family of 5 ate, for several years.  I baked yeast and sour dough breads with various flours.
So some hints: 1. Use good bread flour! King Arthur's or Hecker's brand, if those are not available look for a high gluten wheat flour, if possible unbleached.
2. Get good at making yeast breads first.  Yeast is more efficient than lactoacid bacillus and will make bread rise better.  Once you have made a few batches of nice home style white, then try adding in some different flours.  I used to make oatmeal, rye and Anadamer bread.  All of which are variations on white.  None of them will rise as well due to the lack of gluten. Then add your sour dough to the yeast dough.  Yes, you can get sourdough to rise without yeast but it will take much longer and occasionally fail.  Adding the sour dough starter to a yeast dough will still get you the great sour flavor with the bonus of a better success rate.

3 There is no substitute for kneading.  You generally can't stir enough flour into a dough to make a firm bread, you have to knead in the last couple cups.  Your problem really sounds like not enough flour being kneaded in at the end. Your boule should be smooth and have a dusting of flour on the outside.  You can over knead, if the dough starts to tear rather than stretch just let it rest for half an hour.


Brand new grill pan was seasoned but food taste rancid/metallic? Bought new cast iron grill pan from Bed Bath etc and seasoned it per videos on FB. Then used for first time tonight and something is off. Grilled asparagus tasted rancid or metallic and the pan smoked alot. Prior to using the pan it seemed sticky and shiny. Thinking maybe a failed seasoning due to too much oil? Is this right and how do I fix it?

You probably used too much oil when seasoning and maybe the wrong kind of oil. When seasoning you want the thinnest layer of oil possible, and you want to season several times. I use cold-pressed flaxseed oil and season my pans five times using this method:

thoroughly clean and dry the pan. some pans (like carbon steel) come with a layer of wax to protect them from rust and this must be removed before seasoning. one manufacturer suggests cooking potato skins, salt, and oil with constant stirring for 15 minutes, then a second time to remove this. do your best to get the pan prepped properly before seasoning.
put a small amount of flaxseed oil on a paper towel and coat the entire pan, inside and out including the handle. then use a second, dry paper towel to remove the oil. there will be a very thin layer left. you want to get it as dry as possible. there will still be a micro layer of residual oil left on the pan after this step even if it seems to be too dry. it's not.
crank your oven to 550°F and let it heat up fully. then turn the pan upside down (so any oil, of which there should be none, will drip out) and leave in for an hour. then turn off the oven and let it cool compeletely.
repeat steps 2-3 five times.
depending on the pan you may want to hold off cooking eggs or things that stick easily until you have used the pan for a while.

To answer your question of how to fix:
1. Clean your pan again using soap and steel wool and get off all your existing cooked oil. Dry thoroughly.
2. Follow seasoning steps above.


Will blending corn meal make baking corn dog batter more user friendly? I made a baking corn dog batter (cornmeal muffins with hot dogs spaced out in a glass baking pan) a long time ago, and it turned out well, with one minor glitch. The glitch was that the batter easily fell off the hot dogs. If I blend the cornmeal flour into a fine powder (similar to what you would do with eggshells for your tomato plants) will it be able to grab onto the hot dogs better so that they can be more like a corn dog cake dog?

I'm not sure about blending the cornmeal, though I would be interested to hear if it works, but if all you want is to try and keep the batter from falling off, you might try changing the hotdogs instead.  Hotdogs have a smooth texture, there's not a lot for the batter to grip onto.  You might try mechanically roughening the surface, using crisscross scratches or cuts, feathering cuts [as in kindling] on the outside, or something like that to give the batter some texture to hold on to.  Or cutting the hotdogs into chunks, so the batter can surround and more easily lift the smaller and lighter pieces - and it might be easier to portion and serve your corn dog cake.


What should I do when I add too much salt to rice? I accidentally added extra salt to my rice. Is there anything I can do now?

Add extra rice to your salt.

Cook another batch of rice, with no salt, then mix both batches.

Alternatively, you could attempt to make a fried rice dish from it where you add no more salt but plenty of vegetables, nuts, fruit, meat....


Constructing your own oil/water sprayer I have used Pam with great success, but I'd like to build my own oil sprayer so that I can control what kinds of oil I want to use. I also do a lot of break baking and the ability to build a water sprayer will also be helpful. How have you built your own homemade oil sprayer?

As someone who's currently trying to construct a sprayer for a sort of performance art thing, my recommendation is -- don't bother.

There are plenty of pump sprayers available at kitchen stores that you can fill and use.

There are two basic styles -- the ones where you squeeze a trigger and stuff shoots out with each squeeze like some cleaning products, and the ones that you pump up first and then press the button to release like an aerosol can.

I like the trigger ones for water (for keeping near the grill to deal with flareups).  I like the aerosol-like ones for oils, as I get a finer spray for popcorn, and I can still lay down a decent coating in a pan for cooking.

I do not like the stainless steel aerosol sprayers -- you want a clear one, so you can see how much oil there is in the container, and you don't overfill, as you need to leave quite a bit of space for the pressurized air.

You should also look for ones where the tube goes deep into the container -- if it stops 1" from the bottom, that means you can't use it when the oil or liquid is low, and you have to refill it more often.

...

I should also note that Pam and other spray oils have an additive in them that makes it so they won't bead up after you spray it, which means it'll coat things better ... misting it with oil works pretty well, but it'll start beading up if you leave it after doing it.


CharBroil Propane Grill - Troubleshooting a problem I asked on Meta if this was on-topic and was given the go-ahead to post, so...

I purchased a CharBroil 2-burner propane grill a few weeks ago.  The flame is the right color and certainly hot enough, but the grill acts as if there are random momentary interruptions to the gas flow.  It makes soft puffing sounds and occasionally the flame will go out for a fraction of a second.  I captured a short video of the problem.  Watch it with the sound turned up and pay attention between 7 and 10 seconds in to see the flame puff completely out momentarily.

I called CharBroil support and their response was to send me a new Hose Valve Regulator.  The new HVR did nothing to fix the problem. Another call to CharBroil and they told me it was the Blue Rhino propane tank I was using. Something about a proprietary refill valve that prevents 3rd parties from refilling the tank and also doesn't work well with CharBroil HVRs.

I obtained and tried 2 other tanks from different suppliers (AmeriGas and Bernzomatic) with the same results.  CharBroil's response to a 3rd support call was to send me a new burner, which I won't receive for a week or more.

Nobody at CharBroil support seems to be interested in seeing the video or actually troubleshooting the problem.  I spoke to both a first-line tech and a supervisor and both explicitly refused to view the video.  I seriously doubt the new burner will fix the problem.

Has anybody seen this behavior?  Is it dangerous to use the grill in this state?  Can anybody identify the cause?

EDIT: The new burner did not resolve the problem. If anything, it's worse. I am returning the grill tomorrow.

A few possibilities:
Make sure you open the valve on the gas tank before opening the knobs on the grill. If you do this in the wrong order, the regulator will see a large increase in gas flow and cut back.

Temperature: As LPG expands, it will cool the tank off. When pulling a lot of gas off, the side of the cylinder can even build up some frost. If the air is already cold, you might not be able to build up enough pressure to keep the gas flowing.

Restrictions in the tubing: Grills that sit out for the summer can have spiders or wasps in the gas hoses. These can restrict the gas flow. (not likely with your new grill, but there could be manufacturing debris).

Air intake: Propane needs air to burn. Some grills will have an air intake hole where the burner rests on the gas tubing. Make sure nothing is obstructing this, and if it's adjustable, try opening or closing it.


Convert fresh basil leaves to a dry measurement I have a recipe that calls for 12 fresh basil leaves. How do I convert that to a dry measurement?

This is a more tricky conversion than most.  As another answer already said, the "standard" conversion for most herbs is 3 parts fresh = 1 part dried.  (There is more general advice on that question in the link rumtscho gave in comments here.)

Basil is a particular problem because its flavor is generally very different in dried vs. fresh forms.  Dried basil can also vary greatly in its potency and flavor notes: I often find it has enhanced "sweetness" compared to fresh basil, but lacks some of the other distinctive flavors of the fresh form.  The only time I'd generally consider substituting dried basil in a recipe for fresh is if the basil is cooking in the dish for a long time (for example, simmering an hour or more).

In any case, sometimes you just can't get the fresh stuff.  But converting a number of leaves into a measurement of dry basil gets even trickier: what size is a "standard" basil leaf?  Is your particular dried basil fresh-bought and potent, or has it been sitting around for a while?

I poked around in internet searches, and people seem to recommend anywhere from 4 to 8 fresh basil leaves = 1 teaspoon of dried basil.  So, if I had to do this, I'd go somewhere in the middle and probably try 2 teaspoons of dried basil for 12 leaves.  If you are using this in a dish that will cook for a while you'll have time to adjust, so I'd start a little on the lower side and add more basil to taste if necessary.

On the other hand, if you're using this in a dish where you're depending on a specific "fresh herb" flavor of fresh basil, there's just no substituting the dry form.  In that case, I might recommend trying another fresh herb you do have (perhaps something more neutral like parsley) mixed with a little dried basil to give a bit of the right flavors.  It still won't be the same as fresh basil, but at least you'll get a bit of the fresh herbiness which is often part of the experience too.


Does quality decrease by heavily reducing wine? Somewhere I read a suggestion to reduce wine separately before making a red wine sauce. After doing that, the alcohol taste is always gone, and I can control the wine taste efficiently.

A few times I've by mistake "over reduced" wine so it's more like a runny syrup (not scorched, by any means). By coincidence, I've always used a particular wine those times and never else. And all those times the sauce has gone bland and slightly bitter, while I expected the flavor to be more powerful with a more reduced wine.

Can it be that the treatment ruins the wine, or is it just a bad wine?

The extended reduction could be destroying or driving off some of the volatile, organic compounds that give the wine its flavor.  Wine can contain literally thousands of aromatic and flavorful chemicals from the specific variety of grape and the winemaking process (see http://www.winegeeks.com/articles/93 for a good article that balances geeky and approachable) and together their flavor is what makes up the "profile" of the wine's flavor.  As you reduce, some of the more temperature-sensitive ones are being driven off, just like how the alcohol in the wine burns off before the water does.  So it's probably the over-reduction that's culpable here, but some flavor loss/change is inevitable with any reduction.

The other factor is dilution.  Adding or removing water from a substance can change the aromatics that your nose picks up as you eat or drink.  Try this: take two glasses of the same wine, chill one in the fridge, and add ice to the other until it reaches about the same temperature.  You'll very likely notice some significant differences in their flavor.

The best solution is to watch your reduction carefully so that it doesn't over-reduce in the first place.  If you want a stronger flavor, you're better off varying the type of wine that you're using.  Fruit-forward wines like Merlot tend to retain their flavor pretty well in reductions.


What kind of rice is used for Jamaican rice and peas? I'm about to make Jamaican rice and peas, and I'm not quite sure if I want a long, medium, or short grain rice. What is traditional in the islands?

I'm by no means an official source, but it looks like a long grain rice is used. This article shows an example made with Basmati rice, and links to this recipe, which calls for long grain rice.


Dust and stems in packaged oats Is the presence of dust and small stems in packaged rolled oats a sign of inferior processing equipment? Would higher-end brands like Bob's Red Mill have less of those? Is it likely that for any big brand, their oat products are produced, packaged, and exported from a single region/country?

I make granola bars using rolled oats, occassionally swapping between 2 brands. I've noticed that one brand has more dust and stems than the other brand, however of course, this is just based from personal observation, and maybe the bias that the other brand is already a seminal brand i.e., must be a century-old company already. Notably, the brands come from two, different wheat producing countries.

I'm not sure what you means by dust exactly but stems are definitely a sign of less sophisticated processing and quality control. You should rarely, if ever get a stem. As for dust its very hard to say as it could just be oat dust produced when oats rub together during transport. If one brand consistently has more dust in the bag than the other then it could be from processing, maybe they are allowing more byproducts into their final product in order to save costs, or perhaps the dust is there because a less sophisticated processing plant. If one brand travels more than the other the dust could be from more rubbing and shaking.

If the dust is not oat dust then its a definite cause for concern, you don't want real dust in your oats! That would definitely be a sign of poor processing and I'd personally avoid that brand.

Having oat dust and stems in oats doesn't mean the oats themselves are bad quality, that's more determined by the wheat varieties and how well it was grown. It does mean there's labor involved to search for stems and perhaps sieve out the dust, which is inconvenient.


Why are we not generally using egg in Buckwheat crêpe (or galette) but only in Wheat Flour crêpe? I was doing so research over the internet to know why egg are typically use in wheat flour crêpe but not in Buckwheat crêpe. Is there's a reason for it or it is just a simple question of recipe ?

Eggs make crepes stronger, which makes them less vulnerable to tearing. It also adds some taste if you like eggs.

If you have a good frying pan then you don't need them at all. You can make crepes with next to any type of flower without eggs or any egg replacement. Pure buckwheat on the other hand does not have gluten and might be more fragile.

In my experience "galettes bretonnes" are always with eggs, water and buckwheat, but without white flower or milk. I expect here the eggs are especially in use to make the dough less fragile.


How can I cook 1/2 a cup of rice? Almost every time I make rice, I make it for just me and my partner. We've found that the right amount for us is 1/2 a cup (125mL, a regular cup not a rice cooker cup) of uncooked basmati rice. I make it in the microwave, with 1 cup of cold water, uncovered, 10 min on high and 5 min rest, but it's never as good as when I make a whole cup. I've tried varying the cook and rest times, but it only seems to get worse (dryer).

What other ways could I cook such a small amount of rice?

When you microwave on full power you are likely boiling off all the water before it can be absorbed by the rice. When you cook rice on a stove a common method is to bring it to a boil and then turn it down to low, cooking it until the rice is done. I prefer this method as I like the texture you get and once it's cooked you can eat it straight away without any extra process. I would suggest you mimic this method with your microwave by starting on high until it boils and then turning the power way down until it is cooked. On the stove this method requires you cover the pot, not a practical option in the microwave so you need to add some water to make up for the moisture loss.

Another way to cook rice on the stove is to add much more water than you need to cook the rice and boil it until the rice is done, then drain the rice while discarding the extra water. You could also try this method in the microwave very easily. The drawbacks to using this in the microwave is that if it boils over you will end up with a puddle of water on the bottom you have to clean up, and you still have to drain it.

So my advice for dorm room rice is the first method, you just need to experiment with water levels and power settings.


How to imitate the oven on the stovetop? I would like to know if there are techniques of replicating oven-cooking on the stovetop, without using actual stovetop ovens (aluminum box that sits atop a flame).

Although I can cover skillets and grill pans with foil, the problem would be that meats would burn on the bottom side.

Hoping you could share some tips for an amateur cook.

There is no great solution for an oven on the stovetop, even stovetop ovens aren't that great. The two are entirely different styles of cooking. The only thing I can think of that comes close is a dutch oven as the thick sides conduct more heat around the vessel, but that still gets most heat on the bottom.

If you want to do a lot of browning of the tops of things in a commercial situation then you could invest in a dedicated top grill unit, these are just for that purpose, a bit like a broiler except it's a table-top unit. If you want to brown the top of things and melt cheese every once and awhile but can't have an oven then I would introduce you to my good friend the piezo ignition gas torch which you can pick up in most hardware stores.

Other than the equipment side I'd suggest you modify your choice of dishes and ingredients to fit the equipment you have available. You can struggle trying to re-create oven cooking on a stovetop with mediocre results, or you can learn to make falling off the bone stovetop slow-cooked meats. One approach is more rewarding than the other.


Cooking down tomatoes I grow sauce tomatoes, roma and others. When they come in I blanch them, then run the thru a food mill. I then freeze the sauce in plastic freezer bags or cook it down into paste.

I recently tried pulling out several bags of the frozen sauce to cook down into paste, I sliced the bags in a couple of areas and let them defrost over night on a cooling rack set in a tray.

In the morning, the bags had just the solid tomato matter and all the liquid was collected in the bottom of the tray. Very cool I thought. . but then. . . the question came to mind. . . .

Am I losing any flavor or nutrients by just discarding this liquid or should it be cooked down with the solid tomato matter?

I definitely think you should cook it down.  I sometimes use canned whole tomatoes to make sauce by slicing them open and letting the liquid out, and combining that with the liquid from the can and whatever else (e.g, a bit of white wine).

I roast the tomato solids under a broiler with some sweet onion and garlic (starting the onion 5-10 minutes before anything else).  While that's happening I reduce the liquid by half, so it is a bit syrupy.  Exactly how much you boil off I guess depends on your ratio of solids to liquid.   The whole process takes maybe 20 minutes, then I combine the two in a blender.  If it's too thin or too thick, you can always reduce it further or add some water.

Roasting the tomato solids gives the sauce an enhanced flavour.  Credit where it's due: I got this idea from Alton Brown's "Good Eats" -- but I don't recommend the specifics of his recipe, which involve way, way too much vinegar, sugar and capers.  There's no strict recipe needed anyway; just add whatever you  normally would (or wouldn't).  Reducing a liquid and broiling tomatoes is pretty straightforward.


How long does an opened and unrefrigerated tub of yogurt last? I have found online that unopened and unrefrigerated yogurt will last for a few days without refrigeration. However, is this also true for opened and unrefrigerated yogurt? By "opened" I mean that I have already removed the seal and taken a few spoonfuls out of the tub before leaving it unrefrigerated.

EDIT: I see this question has been marked as duplicate. I think that the link provided does not answer my question. The case for yogurt is a very special one since it is a fermented food and cannot just be casually thrown into the general category of "dairy product" (as does the top answer in linked question). Moreover, my rough understanding is that yogurt has a low pH (from the high amounts of lactic acid) which prevents the growth of external pathogens. Hence, unopened yogurt will be safe at room temperature for at least a couple of days.  However, if you wish me to be pedantic, my question would be: is it likely that by opening the yogurt tub I introduced pathogens that can replicate rapidly at the low pH of yogurt given that it was left unrefrigerated?

When you open a food product, you are exposing it to microbes in the air. The food is sealed in a sanitary environment and bacteria is kept out. Once you open the container of yogurt, those microbes begin working on the yogurt. Further, when you leave the yogurt at room temperature the bacteria can rapidly multiply as the yogurt is in the danger zone between 40 F and 140 F. At temperatures in this range, any yogurt exposed to bacteria in the air will become rancid rather quickly.


Long term stability of okara flour I make a lot of tofu and soy milk from soy beans, leaving me with a lot of okara as a by product.
"Okara, soy pulp, or tofu dregs is a pulp consisting of insoluble parts of the soybean that remain after pureed soybeans are filtered in the production of soy milk and tofu.
...
Due to its high moisture and nutrient content, okara is highly prone to putrefaction, and this has limited its commercial use" - Okara - Wikipedia
It's high in protein and other nutrients, so is a shame to leave to waste, but it's not something that can be stored as-is for very long, it starts to go off after a day or so.
The only feasible options for long term storage are freezing, or as I have found - dehydration.
I stick it in the oven spread out on a tray at 100c for a few hours, stirring occasionally. Then blend the resulting clumps into a kind of soy flour.
The resulting flour is useful for all kinds of things - adding to protein shakes, using a 50/50 mix with wheat flour to make bread, adding into oat porridge, etc.
Can I expect to store the flour for just as long as other more common flours such as wheat flour? Do I need to worry about oxidation? (Soy beans are high in oils).

The safety of the flour will depend on water activity. We cannot know the water activity of the flour produced in your kitchen, but 1) home dehydration is known to generally create shelf-stable products, and 2) if you could create a powder, it is pretty certain that you don't have enough moisture for bacteria to survive. And while molds can survive much lower amounts of water than bacteria, the good news about them is that you will notice dangerous levels of mold itself, while bacteria can be dangerous before you notice rotting. So I would tend to treat it as any dehydrated plant matter and consider it safe.
The oxidation will certainly happen. It does not fall under food safety, but is considered a quality issue. Oxidation is common in flours. Commercial wheat flour is defatted and has antioxidants added, but other types of flour, especially nut flours and nut meals, are eaten oxidized, unless you grind them fresh for every dish. For any quality issues, it is up to you to decide whether they bother you.


What's the difference between pickling and fermentation in cabbage? I was discussing various "cabbage things" on Cooking chat, including coleslaw, sauerkraut, and kimchi.

One thing I noticed that confused me was that coleslaw Wiki page mentioned "pickling" the cabbage; while most other products mention fermentation.

But they all seem to follow similar process (salt and/or vinegar on cabbage).

So what's the difference between pickling and lactic-acid fermentation in cabbage?

It is no different in cabbage than other vegetables.

Pickling is preserving a food with a salt brine.
Fermenting is to allow tasty bacteria to work in a food to change its flavor and often to acidify it.

They are not the same thing but there is overlap.

Some pickled foods are also fermented. The salt inhibits bad bacteria. These tend to have more complex flavor and be more sour. Cucumber pickles, for example, can be made in just a brine or fermented.

Kimchi and sauerkraut are both fermented. The cabbage is packed in salt and let age until sour. Technically they are pickled but they aren't usually referred to that way because they are their own thing.

I've never seen a coleslaw recipe that was fermented. It also isn't really pickled because it doesn't have enough salt in it and it isn't aged. Coleslaw is usually made with just an acidic dressing.


Freshly ground coffee, how fresh should it be? I 'know' that freshly ground coffee is the best there is (within the quality of the beans, that is).

The question is whether this is true. Freshly ground coffee smells great, but does that affect the flavor after brewing? How long do these volatile flavors or smells last before the coffee goes 'stale'.

Can anybody (experts) taste the difference between freshly ground and brewed or not so freshly ground coffee? If so, what differences can be observed?

Edit as per talon8's link:

Freshly ground: brighter acidity, richest flavor.
9 hours: very similar to the freshly-ground coffee, although a bit mellower; less “bright” notes.
24 hours: some of the fruity flavors have faded; a bit less flavor in general.
7 days: duller, significantly less flavor overall.

To the people that notice the difference in taste, do you agree with these observations?

Coffee begins to lose its flavour and freshness as soon as the roasting procedure is complete. Whole beans are best used within a month of roasting. The best way at looking at ground coffee is that it is similar to the whole bean, only with a whole lot more (pardon the poor english) surface area. That means that any of the breakdown that occurs to the bean will occur exponentially faster with a grind. You should always grind beans for each use, if you wish to have maximum flavour.
I am no expert, but I can tell the difference between freshly ground beans (like my wife and I do), or not so freshly ground (like my in-laws do).  I am no scientist, but the older the grind, the 'flatter' the flavour. It is definitely noticeable.


What should I look for when buying a ramen bowl? I live in Italy and I love ramen, but I can't seem to identify the characteristics that make for a good Japanese hot noodle serving bowl. What's a good capacity? Is there a well-known substitute that I'm unaware of?

This is just a personal preference I would like to share here:

Size: I tend to top my ramen with things like pork slices, vegetables such as bean sprouts, seafood etc. So, I prefer a bowl with
wider opening so that I can still get to the ramen on the bottom with
the food on top of it. But usually if the ramen bowl is wide, its
bottom is flatter, and that means, in order to fill up the noodle with
soup one would have to add more. To me, that's undesirable because the
soup would be watered down (for instant type) and second with flatter
bottom the heat disperses more quickly. I prefer still seeing steam
coming off within the bowl even after I finish the ramen. That means
it is hot enough and one of the most undesirable thing eating ramen is
it gets cold before you finish it.
Material: I prefer a heavier type, a thicker type such as clay - it holds the heat better and for a longer time.
Lastly: Size really depends on how much you normal eat. Suggestion is: get one
with the aforementioned taken into consideration and one that, when
you put food on top, you would still be able to see your ramen on the
bottom and can easily get access to it with your chopstick without
having to fumble around or shove around the food on top. Just wide enough but not too
wide because the heat lets off quickly with flatter bottom.

Now I am getting hungrier writing this. Bon Appetite.


Risotto question - what does "translucent rice" look like? Recently I've tried my hand at cooking risotto. The results are always delicious, but one step in the process has me stumped - the instruction to cook the rice until translucent. I've tried cooking the rice for different amounts of time with different amounts of oil and I honestly can't see a change in the rice. Could someone describe what to look for here, or even better upload some before and after photos? And how does one achieve "perfect translucent rice"?

Risotto is a common dish down my parts of the woods, being so close to Italy and all. Making your fist few risottos might seem a tad overwhelming with all the tiny details and tricks that recipes will hit you with, but you'll soon get a hang of it and think nothing of it. One 'seasoned advice' though - to keep it fairly moist and remove from the heat while it's still bubbling on top with its own juices. It's OK to keep it even slightly waterish, as that adds to its creaminess (most of the times I've eaten it in Italy, they actually leave it nearly thick soup like). Then keep it covered but off the stew for ~ 5 minutes, while you chop some fresh herbs of choice and grate Parmigiano cheese.

OK, since this is not a recipe question, let's continue answering your 'perfect translucent' question; I'm not sure which recipe you're referring to. but e.g. this one mentions:

  Stir in the rice and sauté it too until it becomes translucent (this
  will take 7-10 minutes), stirring constantly to keep it from sticking.

It also gives advice what rice to look for and is most recommended for risottos. I tend to agree about the article's choice, but you shouldn't have difficulties finding rice that is marked to be suitable for cooking risottos. These tend to be rounder, but most importantly (and what the article I link to fails to mention) they'll have any excess starch removed from it, to allow for longer cooking without overboiling it.

This excess starch removal also helps with its ability to soak in oils (extra-virgin olive oil is recommended, preferably cold pressed, and some butter if you like creaminess of your risottos or to soften vegetables faster), making it nearly translucent in the process, similar to how normal white paper becomes nearly translucent when soaked in oil. This rice will later become white-ish again as you add water and it starts releasing more starch, gathering on its surface.

That 'perfect translucent rice' in your recipe probably refers to the rice being perfectly (equally?) soaked in oils and butter, rather than trying to suggest it should be perfectly translucent in a way that you could see through it. The latter, I'm afraid, isn't possible with any rice I've seen sold neither here, nor in Italy (or in UK, for the matter). The only way to literally achieve 'perfect translucent rice' that I can think of is by using rice-shaped Chinese pasta (I don't know what it's called, but we nicknamed it in my family 'fake rice', that we sometimes use to trick kids into eating 'rice' dishes that they otherwise wouldn't touch) that is actually pasta made of rice starch instead of wheat flour. This rice-based pasta will be literally invisible to the eye when boiling in pure water. But don't use that for risotto (it tends to overcook fairly quickly), unless you have really picky kids that wouldn't touch it otherwise!

Hope this answers your question, and I've attached a photo that approximately shows how the rice should look like when it's supposed to become 'transparent' and equally soaked in oils and butter.

EDIT: For the better of me, I honestly can't find the name of that 'rice starch pasta shaped like rice', but I presume it has a Chinese name, and since I don't speak Chinese, I won't be able to find it. It is however available in some better stores throughout Europe, and quite similar to Orzo, only that it obviously isn't made out of Semolina (durham wheat flour) but rice starch, making it perfectly translucent while boiling and nearly translucent afterwards, much like thin rice noodles.


What temperature are dark beers (stouts and nut browns) supposed to be consumed at? I remember reading somewhere that certain beers are supposed to be drunk much closer to room temperature than most people drink them for optimal flavor.  Specifically stout beers and nut brown ales are only supposed to be "slightly chilled".  I think I read that the temperature for optimal flavor is around 55 ℉ (13 ℃).  However, most people I've met are shocked when I tell them this and swear by a nice cold one.  My own personal experience does seem to confirm the "slightly chilled".  Am I crazy?

No, you're not crazy.  You have good taste.  The reason for drinking darker beer like stouts and porters is for the flavor.  If they are over-chilled, you lose most of that flavor.  Don't obsess over it, but in general a lot of people serve dark beer too cold.

That said, you should drink your beer at whatever temperature makes you happy. There is nothing wrong with a nice cold pilsner or Hefe-wizen on a hot day.


Cast Iron Bread Tin is Leaving Black Spots on Bread? Im using cast iron baking tins for my bread recipe (just standard whole wheat flour, yeast, salt).

I notice that after baking the bread it will have black spots on the bottom and sides.  If I bake the bread further they only get worse.

What is this?  It looks like mold, but I highly doubt that is what it is.  I clean the tins after each use and keep them seasoned and oiled.  Anyone else have this problem?

I think this is just iron reacting with the bread. In cast iron, I think your choices are to either:

line the pan with baking paper (then it's hardly bread anymore ):
heat up the pan to oven temperature first, and then drop in the dough, returning the pan to the oven. This technique is often used with cornbread.


Does chlorine evaporate from water when cooking? Most municipal water supplies in the U.S. include noticeable levels of chlorine or chloramine added to kill microbes, and often adds an objectionable chemical smell.

Does chlorine evaporate when cooking?  If so, does it require boiling temperatures?  Does it become more concentrated if the water is boiled down? Does it matter when water is added as an ingredient, such as in bread dough?

Water treatment often uses chlorine or chloramine to kill germs or algae. If you are smelling it it's more likely to be Chloramine than Chlorine. Chlorine will dissipate from water over time naturally, but boiling for 20 minute will drive it out. Chloramine will also dissipate naturally, but in a much longer time frame, and would take over a day to boil out.

So boiling water will get rid of chlorine but not chloramine (at least not in a useful time frame), and boiling will concentrate other minerals in the water which is usually undesirable. It will also de-oxygenate the water, making it flat. Flat water isn't great for cooking - compare the flavor of a cup of tea or coffee brewed with flat water as opposed to fresh and you'll see what I mean.

Your best option for water treatment chemical removal at home is an activated charcoal filter unless you want to invest in a UV treatment system, which would seem to be a bit OTT. You could also use a reducing agent from a brewery supply company, but if all you want is some fresh tasting and smelling water then the filter is your best option.

Homebrewing SE has a thread on this which is worth reading.


What do you call this Chinese Popcorn Cooking mechanism? In this video they have this really cool popcorn pressure cooking thing,

Chinese Puffing Gun

You can see one for sale on dhgate for $600

You can see it in use here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiD3YJD2RVU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baQT0pwvXKQ


Why do Injera recipes call for adding boiling water or cooking down tef with some water? Very often in Injera recipes you will see step toward the end of the process, right before cooking that involves cooking some Tef flour with some water and then mixing that into the batter. Can anyone explain what this step is for?

The rough recipe I'm thinking of works like this (also see here:

1) Mix equal parts Tef sourdough starter and Tef flour. Let that ferment for some days.
2) (optional) Mix some more Tef flour into the dough (1 cup) and then wait again.
3) Mix 1/2 cup Tef with 1 cup water in a pot and cook until it thickens, while whising. Let it cool. Then mix it into the batter.
4) Add water slowly to the batter, while mixing, until it is quite thin. Let it ferment again until small bubble form on the surface. Then it's ready to bake.

It's the step #3 that I'm wondering about.

I can’t give a definitive answer for Injera, but in baking, a boiled water/flour mixture (called tangzhong or  water roux) is added to increase the dough’s water content, effectively binding more water in the dough than a plain dough could. The results are typically very fluffy and light.

I suspect that Injera with this water roux would turn out more pliable and a bit softer. Considering that you use bits of it to scoop up the stew that is usually served with, I would expect it to be more “bendable” and texture / mouthfeel would certainly also benefit.


How to boil maize(Indian corn)? I bought some maize(also known as Indian corn or flint corn). Do you boil it just like regular corn on the cob? If so, how long do you boil the corn?

Flint corn has a very hard outer layer to it.  If it's mature and dried, you may need to simmer it for some time, then attempt to work the hull off.

There was an episode of 'My Grandmother's Ravioli', where they made an indian corn soup.  The recipe posted online calls for nixtamalization:

  Remove the corn kernels from each ear by using your thumb to push kernels up and off the cob.
  Heat a large cast-iron pot over medium-high heat. Add the kernels, the hardwood ash and water to cover by 4 inches. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 hour, or until most of the hulls have fallen off the kernels. Strain through a drying screen or colander. Rinse the corn with fresh water until all the ash is removed and the water runs clear.


How to compensate for high altitude when baking bread in a bread machine? I have heard that high altitude can create bad results when making bread in a bread machine. I live at 7,000 ft above sea level. If I bought a bread machine, is there some way to compensate for the altitude, so that the results are still good?

This site claims that you should add some extra flour and liquids while reducing yeast and sugar, while increasing temperature and reducing time. I'm not sure that I accept their reasoning behind increasing the amount of liquids (supposedly to counteract dryer air), but at the same time increasing the amount of flour.

You probably can't adjust either time or temperature in your bread maker, though.

A lot of their reasoning is based on the air being dryer at altitude, but I would have thought that the breadmaker would be sealed enough to maintain a humid enough atmosphere inside.

That is based on 3500ft above sea-level , but you're twice as high. At your altitude water boils at 92°C, which means that the bread will expand faster in the oven, but before setting properly.

If you can't change any other parameters, I would try to reduce the amount of dough in each batch, to ensure that it heats through faster


How to make round Seitan sausages I'm steaming my seitan (after I wrap it in foil), but it's hard to get it in perfectly round sausage shape. On the other hand, the seitan sausages I buy in stores are always perfectly round like a cylinder.. How do Seitan manufacturers get their seitan in this cylindrical perfect shape?

The easiest way to make perfect sausage-shaped seitan would be to buy vegan sausage casing(assuming you are vegetarian or vegan since you are making your own seitan).

Something similar to this.

Seitan in general isn't really smooth. And generally if it ever becomes smooth its probably over-mixed and becomes really tough. The casing provides a smooth surface and helps keep it in the round shape while you boil or steam it.


What are the authentic traditional ingredients for Naan bread? I would like to know what the authentic and traditional ingredients for Naan bread are. There are many recipes that use some ingredients but not others and the cooking method are not always the same. These are the ingredients which usually differ from what I have seen:

Milk
Yogurt
Water
Baking Powder
Yeast
Eggs

This recipe here does not use yogurt, this one here uses no baking powder or milk or yogurt, this one here uses no baking powder or yogurt. I can understand substitutions and variations, but I would like to know how it is originally made and what the ingredients are.

Also the cooking method varies. Some use a pan to fry the Naans prepared, some use only the oven, and some use the oven and then are grilled at the end for a short time.

Naan traditionally is plain flat bread made using bread flour, Yeast, salt and water. Its cooked in tandoor.

Salt could be optional if you are having naan with a curry. (Cause curry usually has salt and the bread might not need it).

Variations like milk or yogurt is used instead of water to make dough soft and fluffy. This would change the texture and flavor of the bread.

It is possible to use baking powder instead of yeast, because they both act as a leavening agent. Don't use them together.

IMHO eggs are not part of the traditional naan ingredients.


Using left over pickle juice to make more pickles Can the juice from store bought dill pickles be used to make more pickles.  Can fresh cucumbers put into this juice aquire the same flavor as buying more pickles. If so how long would the cucumbers have to be in the 'juice' for full flavor?

I tried it once. They just spoiled in a few days. I think you need to go through the whole pickle-making process rather than just adding cucumbers to a jar of brine. There's a sterilization that you're not getting, I think.

I have seen recipes and pre-packaged "refrigerator pickle" mixes, ("Mrs." somebody... comes to mind) but haven't made any. I've eaten them, and they were pretty tasty.


Problem with "No Bake Cookies" We have made the standard type of these for years, using a recipe similar to this one 3-Minute No-Bake Cookies.

A problem we have sometimes is that the sugar will not set (I think). The cookie should be slightly crumbly and have a granular(?) texture.

However sometimes the cookies will not set properly. The cookies remain gooey and will not harden even after a day or two.

As far as I can tell, the same recipe is followed each time. Possible variables might be boiling temperature (by eyeball, not using a thermometer), the timing of removing the heat and adding the oats, or the humidity (we are in a high (70%) RH area, so some ingredients might be affected).

Also we use Nestle Nesquik instead of cocoa. Also margarine instead of butter.

I would appreciate any insight as to why this may be happening.

ADDITIONAL INFO.

There is one additional difference from the recipe. We mix the boiled mixture with the oats in a separate bowl, rather than adding the oats to the boiled mixture in that pot. Possibly the cooling time is an issue.

UPDATE

After further experimentation, the best result was obtained by using a Dark Chocolate cocoa powder (which I presume has a higher cacao content, although the products I used did not state any percentage).
Even the result of other milk chocolate cocoa powders was not as good.

I have had thsee problems too. Here is what I found. Margarine has changed over the years. Do not use it for no bakes, use butter. Cocoa is prefer for no bakes. As far as the gritty, or crystallized taste, do not scrape sides of pan when stirring and cooking. Crystals on the edge of the pan start a crystallization in the whole batch when stired inot the pot. It's an old fudge making tip, and no bakes are similar to fudge.


Tortilla press geometry problems I have a fairly typical Mexican-made tortilla press, and I've had it for a while. It works of course, but there's a persistent problem of the part of the tortilla at the hinge end of the press ending up much thinner than the part where the lever is.

That makes sense of course; this particular press has almost no "play" at all at the hinge, and when the plates are fully closed they're touching with basically no wiggle.

I'm not asking for a recommendation for another brand so much as asking whether there may be certain patterns of hinge design that allow for a little bit of play in the hinge so that that end of the tortilla doesn't get pinched down to nothing.

I also wonder if the real problem may be that mine is a little 6" or so press instead of a larger 8" press.

I probably should just go fool around with presses at a local market and check to see; I hadn't used mine in a while but I did over the weekend and I got somewhat frustrated.

edit — for those not familiar with what a "tortilla press" looks like, it's a simple pair of flat round iron plates connected by a hinge.  Opposite the hinge is a lever that allows the plates to be forced together.

If you hold your hands in front of you with the heels of your hands together and your fingers out in a big "V" shape, that's basically what the press looks like when open.  As the press closes, the distance between the plates gets smaller, but it gets smaller more quickly at the hinge side than the other side. That issue is my problem.

The tl;dr of my question is whether there exist some presses that have enough looseness in the hinge mechanism to keep that part of the press from squeezing the tortilla dough too thin.

With no pictures of your press it is hard to make suggestions.
But assuming your press has metal plates with loops and a pin for the hinge, and if you can take it apart, you might be able to lengthen the hole of the plates (by lengthen I mean to wollar out but only to an oval instead of a circle in the correct direction, so there is play up and down between the plates but not forward and backward between the plates).
What you are needing is a small (about 1/8 inch) gap between the plates when pressed.

Remove the hinge pin
Take apart the plates
Lengthen the hinge holes on one plate (top plate) - you should be able to do that with a drill and the proper sized bit, or with a metal file
Place plates back together
Insert the pin

Now there will be more space and the plates should be able to close with a small gap for the tortilla.


Is lemon rind supposed to feel sticky when being grated? I was grating lemon rind for a lemon cake and noticed that it left a sort of sticky film on my hand. Is this normal or does it suggest that the lemon was not fresh?

My other question was about whether or not the lemon I used was spoiled, so perhaps the stickiness caused by the lemon was due to this.

Limonene, a major component of lemon oil, is not very water soluble, and will leave a sticky residue on your hands til you wash with soap and water.


How to prepare a vegetable base using roasted squash for savory tomato-chunk soup I am looking to prepare a roasted squash soup base/stock. I plan on pairing the meal with a stout beer tasting. How do i go from roasted squash and asparagus to having a flavor dense but low volume soup base/broth/stock to pour over/mix with my onions on the initial sauté?

The primary concern here is that I am going to be making a vegan, chunky tomato-based soup, but i want most of the flavor to come from the vegetable stock. As such, I don't want to have much water content and will be adding things like celery and corn later on. even if the stock will come out as a gravy I am not worried much about consistency as the soup will cook for about four hours.

(*) I am not fixed on squash necessarily if a lower water volume vegetable might help I will consider that an answer as long as it is savory and on par with squash's eathiness and can be roasted for use in a soup stock

Your base probably needs to be a roasted squash puree, I don't think it will work well just being used to flavor a stock. Normally you would add cream to roasted squash to make a soup, but I guess that wouldn't be vegan. Butternut squash is tasty for this (and very autumn/winter), if you haven't actually picked out your ingredients yet.

If you want to add asparagus flavor, you should consider toasting/grilling the asparagus first. Applying a dry heat to asparagus when cooking it will bring out a very savory flavor (a nice addition to a vegan dish), but just boiling it in liquid will make it taste "grassy". It all depends on what flavor you want out of it, really. Asparagus is really a spring/summer ingredient though, if you're really wanting to be "seasonal" with this dish.


When baking, is it better to use a gas or electric oven? I'm looking for an oven and wanted to know if there is any difference between a gas or electric oven when it comes to baking things like cakes, biscuits and scones?

For baking cakes and breads it is important to control the humidity in the oven. In early stages of baking one typically needs the humidity to remain in the baking chamber, which is hard to do with a gas oven.  Two of the bakeries near my house use electric ovens with brick lined baking chambers; the other uses gas.

Expansion

Gas and electric ovens can be built to bake the same way if cost is not an issue.  Most home gas ovens will circulate the combustion products (mainly water vapor and carbon dioxide) in the cooking chamber.  As the flames burn, combustion products need to be vented out of the baking chamber.  Electric ovens also need vents in the baking chamber to help maintain the pressure as the air inside expands.

Steam is essential in the initial stages of baking for good crust formation in breads and crack-free cake surfaces. The oven cavity can hold much more steam than released from the gas combustion and it is my inference that the steam content of an electric oven will be higher  (I cannot find published steam measurements inside ovens). After the dough expansion, the vapor coming off of the dough or batter needs to removed quickly for browning and for the inside to cook well.  The constant flow in a gas oven makes it better at that. In an electric oven a peep or two during the last baking stages will handle excess moisture.

Two bakeries near my house use electric ovens, the other, which makes excellent French baguettes, uses a gas oven.  The baker there has had both electric and gas ovens and he prefers the caramelization of the gas oven.  But note that he can handle the moisture problem with the steam injector of his professional gas oven.  He also noted that using gas ovens require skill as they have temperature and moisture quirks.

Recipes may be adapted to either gas or electric ovens.  In the US the majority of recipes are designed for the electric oven (they're more popular).


How can I make my (American style) pancakes light and spongy? I will be participating at a charity event at the end of this month and I am still not sure about my recipe. I am using a mini pancake griddle to cook the pancakes. My pancakes are ok, but I think they can be better.

They weren't very soft--a bit chewy and maybe bread-like. I've had pancakes before that were light and really spongy and that's what I'd like to accomplish.

My current recipe

3 cups of flour
3 cups of milk
2 tb of oil
4 teaspoons of baking powder
3 cups of milk  vanilla extract
3 eggs
a pinch of salt
2 table spoons of sugar

Process

I mixed all the wet ingredients together then I mixed the dry ingredients together. I added the wet to the dry and mixed them with an electric mixer for a short time so i don't overmix the batter.

I can't say for sure what is wrong, but here's a few possibilities:

Your mix is too runny: if you have a batter that's too thin then it will spread out too far on the pan, if it's too thin you will get a rubbery pancake. It doesn't take much liquid to get too thin, a couple of tablespoons of milk make make the difference between just right and too thick. If you overrun you can always add just a bit of flour
Your mix is too thick: if your batter is too thick then it will be to stodgy to rise well. You'll get a taller pancake but it won't open up
Over-mixing: flour has protein in it called gluten, and developed gluten is what makes bread stretchy. Gluten is developed by working it in the presence of moisture, causing gluten strands to uncoil and interlock. Gluten development is good for bread but bad for pancakes risen by baking soda or powder. If you over-mix your pancake batter you will develop the gluten in it, so it's best to do it by hand for as short a time as possible. Don't worry about eliminating all lumps
pan too hot: if you have the wrong pan temperature it's easy to overcook your pancakes. If it's too hot it will overcook the outside before the inside is done
pan too cool: If it is too cool then you won't get as much lift, or you lose lift because the batter doesn't set quickly enough to hold in the air, and then you have a close texture. You will also need to cook it longer to get it done, getting a rubber mat instead of a light and fluffy pancake
Not enough baking powder: Your recipe calls for 4 tsp of baking powder for 3 cups of flour. The non-buttermilk recipe I use would call for 5 tsp. Probably not enough to make the difference between rubbery and fluffy but you never know.

Like others in the comments I also recommend buttermilk for your pancakes as it gives better color, flavor and texture. You can make good pancakes without it for sure, but if I have it available I will always use it.


Why did my reverse spherification method fail to produce proper spheres? After much experimentation with reverse spherification this weekend, I completely failed to get an acceptable product. Caviar didn't form properly. In particular, when dropped from an eye dropper, the drops would not penetrate the bath and so did not form proper spheres. The height I dropped from made no difference on the effect. I also had issues with my spheres glomming together in to a single mass if they touched.

I used a 0.5% sodium alginate bath with room temperature Dasani bottled water (which makes no mention of any sort of calcium on the label).
I did a 2.5% Calcium Lactate Gluconate in to Peach Looza.
I also tried a 0.5% Calcium Chloride solution with the Peach Looza.
I tried thickening the peach juice with 0.5% Xanthan gum, but that didn't seem to make a difference.

The gelling process was working, and was fine if I placed the peach in the bath slowly, but I found it impossible to make small caviar with an eye dropper as the peach just sat at the surface. Once they did eventually sink, if there were multiple spheres, they would form a single mass as soon as they touched.

Any suggestions to fix these issues? I wanted to make a large amount and then hold for service, but I was unable to make any at all, really.

I don't have direct experience of this concept, but I do have a couple of comments that might help.

A general comment about your choice of calcium salt:

Gluconates have a side effect - they numb mouth tissue (like taste buds). It is not a drastic effect, but that is why gluconates are the salts of choice for that stuff you put on mouth ulcers ...

I just don't like the idea of eating calcium chloride - I think I would prefer calcium acetate, if you can get it.

About the alginate bath - if the globules eventually sank to the bottom, you are fighting a surface effect, rather than having a density problem.

When I thought of ways to reduce the surface tension, I kept coming back to the idea of adding a little disodium phosphate to the alginate solution. That would also contribute to formation of globules, because it would form an insoluble complex phosphate with the calcium.

WTH, knowing my luck, adding disodium phosphate to the alginate solution could make the effect worse. I'm guessing ...

There is the consideration that, if there is calcium in your water, adding a little disodium phosphate the night before you use it will cause the calcium to precipitate and drop out of the water - then you can pour off the supernatant water, confident that the calcium is staying in the bottle.


How to avoid the potatoes from sticking to the pan while frying for french fries/finger chips? Sometimes when I fry the potatoes for french fries, the potatoes stick to the pan which irritates me and I can't separate the potatoes because if I use the spoon a lot, it will cut the fries into pieces. Due to the scarcity of resources, I can't manage to buy a non-sticky pen. Kindly recommend me some solution.

It sounds to me like you just aren't leaving sufficient room in the pan - you're crowding it.

When you drop food into the fryer, in the first few seconds there should be enough heat to seal the outside - this is vital for anything battered, but still important for such as fries.

If your heat drops too far because the pan is too crowded, this won't happen. To make matters worse, as it all sits in a lump trying to regain temperature, the starches in the potatoes start to set, gluing the individual fries together & also to the pan.

If finances won't allow a double-size pan - non-stick shouldn't be necessary for a deep-fryer - then try frying in two or even three batches instead, which will allow you to keep the heat up & the fries separate. If they hit each other & the sides less, they'll stick less. Stirring shouldn't be quite so necessary either, if they have enough room to move, one or two gentle swirls during the cook should be plenty.


Cooking peanut butter cookies, is there any adjustment using crunchy vs. creamy? I assume most recipes call for creamy.
Should I use more crunchy?
Should there be a cooking adjustment for time or temp?

Absolutely no difference.  The small volume that the nuts take up is not enough to change the consistency of the product.

Around here they sell extra-crunchy.


Why add flour to grilled onions? I enjoy a dirty rice recipe that has you sauté onions, celery and green peppers in sausage grease and then add a tablespoon of flour. What does the flour do?

Fat + flour form a roux, the base for creamy/starchy soups and sauces.

You don't give details, but Cajun recipes often let the flour/fat mixture get rather dark, which will contribute more flavour while significantly reducing the binding properties, so I suppose this is the case here, too.

Rule of thumb: Lighter for thickening, darker for flavour.

The moment you add the liquid in your recipe, a sauce forms, which will then coat the rice and let the veggies and spices "stick" to it.


Are stainless steel saucepan glass lids dishwasher friendly? All in the title really...

Are stainless steel Saucepan glass lids dishwasher friendly?

The lids are most likely dishwasher safe.

Factors in dishwasher safe designation:

Will the item be damaged by high temp water? (probably not, this is a pan)
Will the item be damaged by the drying cycle heat elements? (probably not, it was designed to take high heat)
Is the item susceptible to the corrosive detergents used in dish washing?

I think most better brands would pass all three factors.

The corrosion from the detergent is the wildcard. On a lesser quality brand of kitchen ware:

Might the hardware (screw and washer) that attaches any handle knobs be a low quality metal?
Might the glass be soft and susceptible to abrasion? Is it really glass?
If a steel ring surrounds the lid edge, is it low quality metal?

I agree with comment: check with the manufacturer.

OT because we're talking lids here: but, most non-stick pans are not dishwasher safe. And of course: don't put your well seasoned iron cookware in a DW.


How can I make carrot cake more fruity and fresh? I am planning to create a carrot cake that should be a bit different from what people usually think of when they think of carrot cake.

Please note: This is not a recipe request!
My carrot cake recipe consists of the usual stuff cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts...and of course carrots. The frosting is classically cream cheese.
The purpose of this question is more to ask for classic flavor combinations or well knows flavor combinations. I want to be creative, but not too bold. Basically I just want to add different textures and bit of a fruity and fresh flavor to it, so:

What do you think about a layer of raspberry gel inside the cake?
What do you think about a layer of orange gel inside the cake, maybe with a bit of ginger?
What do you think about a passionfruit layer? Maybe together with the orange?
Do you think a bit of lemon and basil or mint in the frosting could be used to create a refreshing aftertaste?

Culinary Artistry by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page has a large section on food pairings. For carrots they mention orange, ginger, lemon, basil and mint. I think any of these could work well, if done right. My suggestion would be first to use really good, flavorful carrots—preferably from a farmer's market. Second, I would tone down or even leave out some of the usual carrot cake spices so that you don't cover up the carrot flavor or the subtle flavors of your possible additions. Maybe fresh or candied ginger in the cake itself would be good. Orange or lemon curd and/or zest would work particulary well in offsetting the cream cheese icing. I'm thinking basil and mint might be better saved for another dessert.


What are some make-ahead crunchy/crispy components that keep fairly well? I'm wondering if you have any advice on crispy/crunchy components that keep fairly well (for a decent amount of time), either in the fridge/freezer or at room temperature.

Occasionally, I'll make a batch of breadcrumbs or fried quinoa, which do work well, but I'm curious to hear if you have any other ideas.

Thank you!

Prawn crackers, AKA shrimp crackers.
You just fry them up in a little oil, then sprinkle with salt.
They're made using either wheat flour or tapioca. I prefer the tapioca.
Available at most Chinese, Vietnamese, etc. food stores; for cheap.
I guess they come precooked too. Never tried those, but would be concerned about oil going rancid.


Why did my vinaigrette congeal? I was making a vinaigrette to marinate some tomatoes, and it congealed to the consistency of a pudding.  It is the first time I have tried this recipe.  I whisked it all together, then left it on the counter overnight for the flavours to meld before pouring it over the tomatoes, and this morning there was still some oil on top, with the rest of the vinagraitte a very thick mass underneath.  So I whisked again, and the rest of the oil got emulsified, but I was left with "vinaigrette pudding."  Any clues as to why it congealed like this? The ingredients list is:

1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
Squirt of Dijon Style Mustard for Emulsifier
4 Tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 T Freshly Ground Black Pepper (I toasted it before grinding)
2 t Chopped Fresh Oregano
18 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)
2 T Chopped Fresh Thyme
2 cloves Garlic, Minced Finely

It is unusual for this to happen. One possibility I see is for your mustard to contain a thickener which then also emulsifies the whole sauce. Remember, most emulsifiers will thicken even when present in tiny amounts. If the conditions are right for some other reason (maybe you mixed with an electric appliance or shaked very vigorously) it is not that strange that it can happen.

My suggestion is to try it without the mustard and see if it thickens. If it doesn't, shop around for mustards from thickener-free brands. If it still happens with them, then they worked too well! Normally the mustard is a mediocre emulsifier and allows the vinaigrette to combine, but does not make a stiff emulsion. You could try less mustard then, or adding it at the end and gently stirring with a fork without whipping at all.


What is a "roux" and what are its uses? I've had excellent Macaroni and Cheese that I was told was made with a "roux."  What exactly is a roux, when is it used and what are the benefits of using it versus other cooking methods?

It's actually spelled 'roux', and is a mixture of oil and flour, cooked to remove the starchy taste of the flour.

It's a great thickener any time that you don't need the sauce to be clear, and you have time to cook it down.  I typically use it for cream sauce (including cheese sauces, such as for mac & cheese) and gravies.

As for benefits -- it's habit at this point, so I'm not really sure -- I guess it's made from things I always have on hand.  You can also get flavor from the roux, if you cook it longer , but you'll adversely affect the thickening ability.  Gumbo is normally made from a dark roux (the Cajuns have a series of names for the color of roux, including 'brick', 'peanut-butter' and 'chocolate')


Choux pastry recipe spreading and deflating I tried this recipe for choux pastry, but it turned out too thin and the scooped dough spread on the tray before I could put them in the oven. They started to rise well, but deflated at the end. I read the answers about the deflating part.

Is the recipe bad? What can I do to get better results?

A successful pâte à choux / choux pastry depends on a combination of

Gluten development
Water content
Baking environment

Let me show you how they work together:

The gluten, which helps to trap steam during baking and create the large holes, is developed during the phase where the water-fat-flour mixture is stirred in the pot on the stove. (There is a reason it is called "burned dough" in German, for example.) It needs to be cooked until it forms a smooth ball and a white layer is visible on the bottom of the pot. During that roasting step, some water evaporates as well.
The eggs add protein and liquid to the flour ball. It is essential that you add them to the slightly cooled flour mix slowly, one by one (or a bit at a time), always stirring well, until the dough is completely smooth before adding the next. Do not add the last bit of egg without checking the dough first. For your recipe, add the beaten eggs in about four portions. There will be a stage when the dough becomes stretchy and gets a glossy sheen, that's when you have reached the right spot. It can be piped or spooned easily, but won't be runny. Depending on how much water evaporated in step 1 and the size of the eggs, you might have to leave out the last bit of egg or use all of it.
The consistency of an eclair or cream puff depends on a balance of steam "blowing up" the batter and the flour-egg mix solidifying in the oven heat. With choux pastry, steam is an important factor. You need good heat to generate steam quickly, yet not too hot or the outer crust solidifies before the steam does its job. Some swear by generating extra steam by adding a bowl of water or spritzing the oven walls. And that is the reason why opening the oven door is so fatal. Piercing or cutting the baked puffs to release excess steam helps preventing sogginess.

So to improve your flat puffs:

Meassure your ingredients, especially the liquid carefully.
Bring the water-butter mix to a rolling boil, cook the dough ball well.
Add only eggs until the right consistency.
Choose the right baking temperature.
Do not open the door before the baking time is (almost) over.

And finally: Don't use sugar in the dough, even for sweet fillings. The sugar could influence the texture negatively. Choux pastry is neutral and can be used with sweet or savoury fillings.


What does a healthy cast iron skillet look like? I've read plenty about how to restore and season cast iron, but I have no clue whether any of the old cast iron I've inherited could benefit from this.

Is healthy cast iron black? or should it be somewhat metallic looking (ie. a bit silvery, like steel). Does the black color come from even one seasoning process, or will it develop over time?

Is is smooth? or is it alright if there are some lumps in it's surface texture?

and finally: after seasoning, is the surface supposed to have a slight oily appearance or should it be totally dry? and will healthy cast iron leave a residue on a rag if I wipe it? Some of mine do, and I'm not sure if that is good or bad.

Ideally it should be matte to just-slightly-shiny black and very smooth. This article has some terrific information on the ideal oil to use (flaxseed) and method for seasoning, with actual scientific grounding.