What kinds of pressure cookers are there, and what are they good for? I have never owned a pressure cooker, nor been in a kitchen which has one. But they have been a topic around the site and the blog lately, so I got curious. When I took a look, I noticed that they looked differently. I am not yet in the market for one, but I would like to know more about them.

What different types are there?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each type?
Beyond type, what other attributes make a pressure cooker a good cooker?

Types

There are many different designs, but in general they all achieve the same result. The style you get comes down to personal preference

Personally I do not like the type with the lid that is captured under the internal rim on the pot, as they seem awkward to get the lid on and off

The quarter turn screw down lid (like a jar lid) seems easier to me

Pressure cookers work by increasing the internal atmospheric pressure so water has a higher boiling point, therefore you can fully cook something in water/steam in a shorter time frame. That's it, there is no magic. High pressure wet steam is very effective at transferring heat, so it cooks very evenly and rapidly. The pressure increase is not enough to significantly change the way things cook in terms of flavour absorption

Most pressure cookers come with at least two different pressure settings, medium pressure around 110°C, and high pressure around 120°C. Other than that, get the size you want

There are also the Electric pressure cookers, which are normal pressure cookers with built in computer controller heating and timing systems. These appear to be good idea, but the usually warning of fiddly electronics right next to heat and moisture apply. Some models have a variety of multi-stage cooking timers; including cooking while releasing steam (browning), keeping warm, time delay etc. A common complaint is that they cannot get hot enough, and are often rated at only 110°C

Cooking With

For cooking their main use is the "set and forget" type cooking, with the main goal being to save cooking time and energy consumption

Example #1: To cook a large (1Kg+) frozen corned beef, add about 500 ml water, two whole onions, spices and lock lid down. Place on stove on high heat until pressure come up (indicator pops out), and then set to medium heat and leave for a fixed time and it will be fully cooked with nothing raw or burnt. That takes about 50 minutes per 1Kg in our cooker; each cooker is different depending on exact pressure

Example #2: To cook rice risotto quicker. Use your pressure cooker pot to fry rice and get to the point you would normally start adding stock. Add stock and any other ingredients you would use in the first two thirds of your normal risotto cooking process time into the  pressure cooker, lock the lid down, and quickly bring up to pressure. Cook for less than half the time that step would normally take. Run cold water over the lid to release the pressure and remove the lid, and continue your normal risotto recipe. This process can save a whole 10 minutes! Don't get too excited with this one, unless you have a lot of separate risotto batches to do, as you can bulk the pressure cooker step, and then finish a few separate risottos

Preserving With

In some cultures it is popular to preserve food using pressure bottling (canning). This should be the recommended method for anything without a high acid content (e.g. fruits)

Pressure cookers designed for preserving are significantly larger and stronger than their cooking counterparts, and will have a pressure and/or temperature dial on it. The idea being you can load a number of jars or cans into it at once, and bring it up to a higher pressure and therefore temperature. Most of these can be used for cooking too, if you have a large volume of food to do

For safe bottling (canning) of non-acidic foods you need to know that the entire contents of the jars have been brought up to a sufficient temperature for sufficient time to destroy all the bacteria. Typically this is just over 120°C for at least three continuous minutes for the entire contents of the jar. The whole pressure bottling process involves slowly and steadily raising the temperature to this point, and then slowly returning it to room temperature. Sudden changes in temperature will cause problems such as jar seal leaks.

Altitude has an effect on pressure bottling, and must be taken into account. Your local government food safety department should publish guidelines on the temperature and process suitable for your environment and culture

Notes

The main thing that tends to go wrong is that the lids pressure seal deteriorates over time (10+ years). So at the same time you but your cooker, order a spare and store in an airtight bag in a dark place until needed. They might not be available in ten years’ time!


Surfaces for bread making I am a home artisan baker, and am looking to build a table for myself to do folding/dividing/shaping of my bread doughs.  I usually work with wet doughs (78%-95% hydration) that stick to the surfaces I have in my house unless I use a gross amount of flour.

I would like to use less flour during the folding and shaping processes.  I would like to be able to leave doughs on the surface for some time  without them fusing with the table!

What surfaces are used in professional bread making?
What features should I look for in an ideal surface?

A vast array of surfaces exist but most people end up with either butcher block, stainless steel, or a natural stone such as marble.

People choose stainless steel for its ease of cleaning and it's sanitary properties. People choose natural stone because it is typically colder (great for pastries), dough tends not to stick to it, and it looks great. People choose butcher block because they want to prep/cut directly on it and because of the cost.

In your particular situation, for dough work the best general recommendation I have is to use natural stone. You really can't go wrong with it.

If you aren't replacing or installing a brand new countertop, there are many options such as the very typical pastry/kneading board with a built in lip(example), by purchasing "scrap" marble pieces, or a silicone mat such as the Silpat or Roul'Pat(example 1, 2, 3).

Finally, the surface matters somewhat, but far and away the key to working with high hydration dough is your technique. Make sure you nail that down and you should be relying very little on the surface itself.


How do you prepare bacalhau before cooking? A specialty grocery store recently started to sell bacalhau (heavily salted cod fish). I am guessing that a recipe I have for baked codfish would work.  Since it is so heavily salted, what should I do to prepare it for cooking?

Basically it depends on how much salt (not how little water) there is in the fish. Here in Galicia and northern Portugal we usually soak it for 12 hours or so, changing the water once or twice. That will yield a slightly salty and tangy fish. If you don't like the salty edge and prefer it blander, soak it for 18 hours or so.


How can I make yogurt at home? What are the requirements for making yogurt at home. Is there a solid recipe for making yogurt?

I was sure that with all the questions and answers we have had about yogurt that this simple question must surely have already been asked. But I couldn't find it.

Making yogurt is simplicity itself.

The goal is to introduce heat-loving (thermophillic) bacteria to milk, keep them warm so that they munch on the lactose in the milk turning it into lactic acid. The acidity and warmth denatures the milk proteins and turns the whole mass into a gel.

The steps may vary a little depending on your equipment and the bacteria that you use.

Get milk. -- The more fat the better it will taste. Powdered milk can also be added to improve the texture as it will add more protein.
Get a starter. -- Any commercial yogurt that advertises "live active cultures" will work just fine. Pick a yogurt that you like as the yogurt you make with those cultures will be similar.
Heat the milk to about 85°C (190°F) for a few minutes. -- This will denature the albumin in the milk which will add to the yogurt structure instead of leaking out with the whey.
Cool the milk at to between 40°C (110-120°F). -- 55°C (130°F) will kill your starter.
Mix in the starter.
Keep the mix warm for 6-10 hours. -- The longer the more acidic and firm it will get. The exact temperature will depend on your starter and equipment. Danon plain yogurt, as a starter, wants to stay at 37°C (100-110°F). My Indian coworker's starter that she brought from India can thrive at almost room temperatures."Yogurt makers" can be purchased that simply hold their contents at about 100F. Some people use heating pads. Some people set their oven on low. You can be creative- just don't get hotter than 55°C (130°F) or cooler than 30°C (90°F) or so.  To try it out for the first time I would recommend simply putting your yogurt in a heavy, lidded, container, wrapping in a towel and letting it sit in the turned-off oven for 5-6 hours.
For a thicker creamier texture you can strain your yogurt. -- After it has fermented to your liking stir it up well, pour it into a piece of muslin in a strainer, and let it drain for a little while. The whey draining off is good for baking. It has some calcium, b12, and a lot of lactose. (If you skipped step 3 it also has a lot of wasted protein).

Making your own yogurt is a fun activity. You get to pick what goes into it so there is no sneaky ingredients and you can make it for a fraction of the cost of commercial. Play around with different starters. Different bacteria will produce yogurt with different qualities and it is interesting to experiment.


Making pita more chewy/ rubbery I make 100% whole wheat pita bread often. I use whole wheat flour, yeast, salt water and a touch of honey to feed the yeast. I would like my pita to be more chewy and rubbery. I know those are not attributes people usually want but I prefer it. I can find thousands of articles on how to make things light and fluffy but not more chewy. I would appreciate any pointers you could give me. I have tried kneading with a dough hook for long periods of time which helps but I would like it to be chewier without having to add gluten. Could adding milk, yogurt, olive oil help? Are there any techniques like kneading after the initial rise etc. help? Thanks in advance, Pat.

The thing that makes bread chewy is gluten.  The easiest way to make chewier bread would probably be to use flour with a higher gluten content. You've said you don't want to "add gluten" so I'll assume that option is not on the table. For the same reason, I'll assume that replacing some of the whole wheat flour with white flour (which has a higher gluten content) is not an option.
So then, how do we get the most gluten formation out of your whole wheat dough?
Do not add shortening (fats and oils - or as you put it, milk, yogurt and olive oil). That will have the opposite effect. Shortening inhibits the formation of long gluten strands and will make your dough more cake-like (smaller, tighter crumb).
As you noticed, more kneading creates longer gluten chains.  Usually we're advised not to over-knead, because it makes the dough though. If you want tough dough, knead until you're blue in the face.  With this proviso:
Whole wheat flour contains sharp, hard pieces of the germ and bran. These sharp edged bits can break or "slash" your gluten strands (just like if you added a sharp pebble to the dough). To counter act this effect, you can try to soften the pieces of germ and bran using the autolyse method.
This technique has additional benefits and can or should be used when using white flour, as well.  Note the first bullet, which is especially applicable here:

using the autolyse method affects dough development in many positive ways:

The flour fully hydrates. This is particularly useful when working with whole-grain flour because the bran softens as it hydrates, reducing its negative effect on gluten development.
Gluten bonds begin developing with no effort on the part of the baker, and kneading time is consequently reduced.
Carotenoid pigments remain intact, leading to better color, aroma, and flavor.
Fermentation proceeds at a slower pace, allowing for full flavor development and better keeping quality.
The dough becomes more extensible (stretchy), which allows it to expand easily. This leads to easier shaping, greater loaf volume, a more open crumb structure, and cuts that open more fully.

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2017/09/29/using-the-autolyse-method
You should read that entire article if you're interested in developing your bread baking technique, but the very short version is: mix the flour and water and let rest for 20-60 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients and kneed.
Another thing you can try to increase the toughness of the bread would be to skip the resting phases between shaping the breads.  Typically, when we make pitas, we do a bulk fermentation, then split the dough and roll it into balls, then let the balls rest before finally shaping them into the flat rounds. This rest period relaxes the gluten and makes the dough less tough. Skipping this step may result in a tougher pita. It will also make the pita harder to shape.


How long will a peanut butter sandwich last? So, I made a peanut butter sandwich the other day but forgot about it and left it (wrapped in gladwrap) out in room temperature for 6 hours. (Brioche bun as the bread, peanut butter and butter) and I was wondering if it would be ok to eat as I ate it anyways.

Generally, peanut butter has a fairly good shelf life. Putting it on bread doesn't change that.

Ordinary salted butter should also be alright for a day or two, as long as it wasn't in direct sunlight or high moisture or anything like that.

Most importantly, both butter and peanut butter will not spoil in a way that goes unnoticed. They will smell or feel wrong very obviously.

Disclaimer: This is not restaurant level hygiene advice, and probably contradicts public-health guidelines. It's certainly good enough for your own sandwiches though.


Botulism in oil packed foods We hear all about botulism in garlic oil and the needed preventive measures. Is this only true of garlic or is it just more common. For example I make a oil packed fish (oil, salt onions, jalapeño, fish) I’ve been making this for years with no problems. Have I just been lucky or is my keeping it in the fridge what’s saved me and if so how long is safe?

Any low-oxygen low-acid environment with sufficient moisture can lead to the growth of botulism (see page 6 of this USDA guide to canning). Botulism spores are present throughout your kitchen, not just on garlic. To can low-acid foods safely, you need to use a pressure canner for a sufficiently long processing time.
Refrigeration slows down the growth of botulism. The CDC recommends storing garlic or herb infused oils in the fridge for at most 4 days. You should be at least this cautious with your oil-packed fish.


Pan sauce without meat I like pan sauces with my chicken or beef, but prefer the meat cooked over cast iron.  Pan sauces apparently don't work well in cast iron, and should be done in a stainless steel saute pan.

How can I make a nice pan sauce if the meat has been cooked in a different pan?

The best I can think of is to save a small amount of the meat to be cooked into fond to start the sauce off.  Will that work?

I think de-glazing the cast iron pan would be a good solution.

After the meat is cooked, remove it from the cast iron pan, and with the pan still on the heat, add a small amount of liquid. Just about enough to cover the bottom of the pan 1/4 inch. Then scrape the bottom with wooden spoon to get up all that goodness stuck to the bottom.
Add this to your sauce to get the meat flavor into it.

Liquids you can use include: wine, stock, water, beer, probably a lot of other stuff. And the type of liquid to use would depend on the dish and personal preference.


Is my Frozen solid Lamb ok to roast I am asking for food safety reasons I  am asking for both food safety and taste reasons, and yes I do have a frost freezer.

Semi-boneless Leg of Lamb, double freezer wrapped date 12/26/14.

7.33lbs

Is it alright to roast?

In general, roasting it from frozen to properly cooked in the middle won't cause any food safety issues. It's former frozen-ness and the speed of defrosting won't mean that it grows more bacteria.

The problem is, at oven temperatures, by the time the centre of a large roast is thawed (never mind cooked) the outside will be overdone by anyone's standards. It's one thing to braise meat for a long time, it's another thing to over roast it for a long time. If you go by the done-ness of the outside, you'll take it out while the inside is still undercooked, even raw or still frozen. And that will potentially be a food safety issue.

That's why you should defrost large pieces of meat before you roast them.

If your concern is whether meat that has been frozen for two years is still safe to eat, The consensus is that meat stays safe to eat indefinitely while frozen. It may been freezer burned (especially in a frost free freezer) or not taste as nice as it would have after a few months. I wouldn't use it for a critical meal, family celebration or the like, but thaw it and look at it. If it looks dried out and white on the surface, perhaps cut that part off. Then cook it and try it. If it's awful, throw it out and order a pizza. I wouldn't throw it out in advance just because of the length of time. Being double wrapped may well have protected it.


Refrigerator setting.... help! I have a Hot point  RLA36 149 litre fridge with numbers on the temperature gage. I moved it by accident and my dad will be mad.  is 3 the standard setting? Will this be cool enough? If Thanks

From the manual:

  The control wheel on the front of the worktop adjusts the inter
  nal fridge compartment temperature.  The internal temperature should be 5 °C
  or colder although some sections, such as the salad bin, will be slightly w
  armer.
  The setting of the control wheel will depend on the location of
   the fridge, the room
  temperature and how often the door is opened.  The normal set point (marked by a 3
  and N on the dial) is usually suitable.

(emphasis mine)

Of course, the best way to find out is to put a themometer inside and check if it indicates 5 °C.


Cast iron moisture on inside top Why does my top of my cast iron oval roaster pan have rust areas when I use it to bake things in the oven. It looks to be very well seasoned but the moisture collects on the inside of the top and there are many areas that are rusty looking. It also smells funny. I am wondering if it is because there is too much oil layered on it in correctly.

I ended up using a glass top on another cast iron chicken pot to prevent the moisture from dropping that into my recipe.

This happened to my Cast Iron when I left it in the oven. If it has the slightest hint of moisture, it will rust, even if it is seasoned. You don't ever want a cast iron or Wok to be left sitting around with moisture on it.

Scour your cast iron with a bristle-brush to remove the rust. Use hot water. Wipe it dry with paper towels. Keep washing until the paper towels aren't showing any brown-orange from the rust.

The next part is crucial!

Take a dry paper towel. Put a small amount of oil in the pan. Coat the entire surface of the cast iron with oil. This layer of oil will prevent any further rust from forming


Can I use Nutralite Butter in baking Cakes and cookies? I am not getting the right type of unsalted butter. Can I use Nutralite salted butter in my cakes?

After looking that margarine up:

It is advertised as a margarine made of mostly unsatured fats. An ingredient list is not readily found on their website (red flag ;) ) . They also claim to not hydrogenate their fats, so to make a solid margarine you are either looking at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interesterified_fat (will behave similar to butter when baking) or at some textural tricks that keep oil in a solid block (will likely behave like oil in baking).

If your intention is to cut saturated fats, I would suggest you look up cake recipes that use oil in the first place, and use whatever oil suits your culinary and nutritional taste.


Can dry ice in a liquid poison you? I remember hearing a long time ago that putting dry ice into a liquid that is then consumed by people could potentially poison them.  I was just looking at halloween drink recipes and a few of them used dry ice in the liquids that people were drinking.

So, can putting dry ice in a liquid (say, punch) and then drinking that liquid poison you?  Or ws this information wrong?

Please note, I do not mean that the carbon dioxide that's released into the atmosphere can poison you, I mean the physical consumption of the liquid that the dry ice was put in.

No it will not poison you to drink a liquid that is directly cooled by dry ice.  At normal pressures there may be some gaseous CO2 dissolved in the liquid giving it a mild carbonation.  However, dry ice can be dangerous to bare skin, mouth, or GI tissue if someone swallows a medium to large pieces of dry ice.  Small pieces are not poisonous, but can produce an unpleasant popping or tingling sensation in the mouth (like extra tingly PopRocks).  In a process similar to making liquid nitrogen ice cream, dry ice can even be used to make ice cream if it is crushed very finely.

Dry ice will sink to the bottom of a drink "cauldron".  If more cooling is needed, do not add regular ice to the cauldron, instead add it to individual drink glasses.

Some simple rules to remember when working with dry ice:

Do not allow dry ice to come in contact with bare skin or other bodily tissue. Keep the dry ice in its packaging at all times. Dry ice has a temperature of -79°C and direct contact can cause freeze burns. If you must handle dry ice, use gloves or newspaper.
Always handle and store dry ice in well ventilated areas. Carbon dioxide gas is heavier than air. If it is allowed to accumulate in poorly ventilated areas such as boat holds, cellars, cars and vans, it can become a safety hazard, as it will displace oxygen and could lead to asphyxiation. Do not leave coolers in closed vehicles for extended periods and always make sure a window is open. Adequately ventilate areas before entering.
Do not place dry ice in airtight containers such as stoppered glass jars, bottles or other sealed containers as they could explode.
Do not store dry ice in refrigerators or freezers. Store in the best insulated cooler possible.
Do not pack dry ice in direct contact with glass bottles, jars, etc. as the glass could crack and shatter; use non-glass containers.
If the block is to be reduced in size by breaking or cutting, leave it in the packaging provided to avoid contact with skin and eyes.
Do not use dry ice in individual drinks. Use only in large punch bowls for effect. Under no circumstances should dry ice be placed in the mouth.

Dry Ice Safety

Dry Ice Safe Handling Practices

MSDS for Dry Ice


Converting frozen hash brown patties from oven cooking to stove top I have some store brand frozen hash brown patties that only show to cook them in the oven.  They have to cook at 450 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes, and it is 80 degrees outside.  Can they be cooked in a frying pan on the stove top without ruining them?

Yes you can do this, but it will add some additional fat to your hash browns.

Pour a tablespoon or two of peanut oil (or veg oil if you prefer) into your frying pan and heat it up.

Lay your hash browns down into the pan, and check the bottom for desired doneness, anywhere from 2-5 minutes depending on the hash brown and the amount of heat you are using. Then flip the over and check for doneness again.

The reason it takes less time this way is because they are being cooked in oil rather than being exposed to hot air. It takes longer for the heat to get to the center of the hash browns in the oven.

However, why don't you just make fresh hash browns. You just shred a potato or few, perhaps some onion as well and just drop the pile into an oiled hot pan heated to low or medium low heat, and flip it once the bottom just starts to burn, again then check when this side is ready.


Why does my lime peel-alcohol infusion become cloudy when mixed with water? Over the past week or so, I've been experimenting with infusing lime peels in alcohol, by:

Peel limes
Mix with 250mL of 151-proof grain alcohol
Let sit for a week
Strain through a coffee filter.

What I got is a nice, clear-green liquid:

However, I've discovered that when you dilute this with water, it becomes cloudy:

(click to see bigger, longer version)

Why does mixing two clear liquids create a cloudy liquid?

This is a kind of emulsion called the Ouzo Effect (ouzo and other aniseed drinks also do this). I won't pretend to know enough to explain it, but it's essentially down to how oils (like those in fruit skin), water, and alcohol interact when stirred or otherwise agitated.

Wikipedia has an article that explains it fully.


Using low oven temperature to accelerate proofing During wintertime it is often cold enough in my apartment that proofing takes much longer than in summer. I'd like to use my oven to create a warmer environment, in which the dough would rise faster. I can go 30-50 degrees celsius, the question is what temperature is safe and at what temperature will I actually start baking the dough. Is 50 degrees celsius still ok or not?

Let me suggest a totally different approach:

Why not work with the cool conditions instead of against?

You could let the dough proof for a long time, e.g. overnight in the fridge. This allows for a lot less yeast and hence a less yeasty taste, which is usually desired. Also, more complex flavors develop during long proofing times. (There is a reason french baguette may wait for two days before baking.) For a start, aim for about 5% yeast1 and use cool instead of lukewarm liquid.
You might have to adjust your attitude, because this requires some planning ahead, but gives you more degrees of freedom on the other hand: Fresh bread / cake in the morning without having to get up before dawn and more tolerance with regard to proofing / timing - the dough can handle an extra hour or two in the fridge easily. (Especially nice if you have a baby or a crazy schedule...)
You could also dump the dough in cold water and proof it there. As crazy as it sounds, it works. See more here.

If you'd rather stick with warm conditions, I'd aim for 30°C for optimum (=quickest) activity. Yeast starts to die at about 45°C, completely dead at 55°C. Also, warmer dough tends to proof unevenly and have a "flat" taste (can't find a better word).

1 fresh yeast, percentage based on flour weight.

Adjust dry yeast accordingly: fresh to dry conversion rate is 1:3, so use 2% dry yeast.


What is the proper salt to water ratio for turkey brine? I want to brine a turkey but have heard conflicting messages on how much salt to use. I have heard 5% salt mixture and from others I have heard 10 salt mixture. I would like a somewhat strong taste of salt. For the sake of this question we can assume I'm going to use 5 litres of water.

You might want to explore "equilibrium brining."  While a bit slower, it makes it very difficult to over-brine and have a product that is too salty.  See this link for details:  http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/equilibrium-brining


Flavor and Chemical Composition of Thyme What is the flavor of Thyme?  What chemicals give it this flavor?

Thyme is dominated by the phenolic compound thymol, with the terpenes pinene, cymene, and linalool adding additional pine, citrus, and flowery flavors, respectively.

Source: On Food and Cooking (revised edition), pp 391, and table on 392.  If you're into the chemistry of flavor, I highly suggest buying a copy, because the same table lists main flavor compounds for dozens of common ingredients and flavorings.


Shelf life of refrigerated cream cheese - unclear best before date I have an unopened package of cream cheese (store brand: Hy-Top) and the date has no year on it. It shows:

  -NOV 27 135J
  01:20 02P2

I don't think I've had it longer than maybe 6 months but I don't know for sure. It was at the back of a shelf in my refrigerator.

How do I find out if it is this November or last year?

You open it:

The best before date is merely a guideline, it does not mean the food will be bad after that date (there are posts on this site that expand on this). Still, after almost an extra year, the cream cheese will very likely have gone bad - and this should be immediately noticeably by an off smell or visible mold.

If you notice no deterioration, you are either before the best before date or you were quite lucky and the package kept exceptionally well.

CAVEAT:

With all food items there is always the general rule:

  When in doubt, throw it out.

I would never feed "questionable" food items to others, especially children, pregnant or elderly people or anyone else with a weak imune system. (Even though I might use it myself if it appears perfectly ok to me.)

Weigh the cost of a package of cream cheese against the risk of food poisoning - and use common sense.


Why does rapeseed oil turn sticky but coconut oil doesn't? Whenever I season my cast iron pan with canola/rapeseed oil it turns sticky after a few weeks. It also gets sticky on the bottle and glues the cap on sometimes. When I season it with coconut oil, it doesn't get sticky and looks beautiful. Why does rapeseed oil get sticky but not coconut oil?

It is a chemical quality of the oil called "iodine number". There is nothing you can do about it, it is as inherent in the oil as its smoke point. Oils with a low iodine number create hard polymers, and oils with a high iodine number create soft, sticky polymers.

If you want a hard, nonstick surface on the pan, choose the right oil. Coconut oil, Palm oil or lard give you a good finish, while many polyunsaturated oils give you a soft finish. Linseed oil is the worst of all, it's very gunky.

Note that many sites will suggest seasoning with high iodine oils, especially linseed, because it is easier to get them to polymerise. I personally don't like this recommendation - as you discovered, the resulting polymer is low quality.


Can I still use frozen beef brisket left out at room temperature for 12 hours? Possible Duplicate:
  How long can I store a food in the pantry, refrigerator, or freezer?

I left out 2 raw but frozen 6 lbs beef briskets in the sink at 7PM to thaw out because they were rock hard from the freezer. I had intended to transfer them to the refrigerator but only the next morning at 7AM did I remember that I had forgotten to put them in the refrigerator.

They will be seared on both sides first in a heavy cast iron pan and then braised for 3-4 hours in the oven. Is this still safe?

Unfortunately, as sad as it is to see two nice briskets get wasted, I would not feel comfortable using them. In the guidelines from the USDA, thawing on the counter is explicitly discouraged. Additionally, it is likely that in that amount of time the surface of the cuts came up to temperature to allow for otherwise inactive (due to freezing) pathogens to become active again. In the absence of a vacuum pack and having been left at room temperature for that long, it is likely that even in the original paper wrapping the food has become unsafe to eat.


the whistle on the kettle keeps popping off Is it safe to use Teflon tape on a kettle whistle? I have a stovetop stainless steel kettle with a whistle so I don't walk away and forget it. The two parts of the whistle keep falling off (one outside and the other into the kettle). Is it ok to put the two pieces together with the Teflon tape between them?

Given that PTFE (Teflon) tape is meant for use on drinking water pipes, and PTFE is used for non-stick cookware (which gets much hotter than a kettle spout), I'd happily use it (the type for potable water).

Making a habit of consuming it probably isn't a good idea but flecks of non stick coating do sometimes get into food, without poisoning anyone.

I've recently read a research paper suggesting that PTFE could be used to bulk out food as a weight-loss aid: Polytetrafluoroethylene Ingestion as a Way to Increase Food Volume and Hence Satiety Without Increasing Calorie Content.  I'm not sure I fancy it, and it would contribute to microplastic pollution - but the paper proposes PTFE making up 25% of foods, while the worst that could happen here is a few scraps.  They say it's safe. In rats.


Filling for Stuffed Chicken Breast I was wondering what taste good as a filling for chicken breast. I want to make kind of chicken breast pockets by almost cutting through the chicken breast but keeping both sides still together to fill. Then I will fill it and close it with some string or tooth picks. That's very much for any suggestions!

There are a few classics:

Chicken Cordon Blue - Ham and swiss

Chicken Kiev - tarragon, garlic, parsley, butter, etc.

You can use spinach and cream cheese, spinach and bacon, spinach and ricotta.  Mushrooms with different cheeses, there are a ton of different things.

Try this:

google.com

and search:

different types of stuffed chicken breast


Why would a recipe say mix all ingredients, then add egg and mix again? I have a recipe for meatloaf in which the method boils down to:

In a large bowl, add everything except the beaten egg, and mix well
Add the beaten egg, and mix well
Cook

Now, I understand why you might want to mix all dry ingredients before adding anything wet, for example when making a cake; but here the everything except the beaten egg is most definitely not dry once all mixed together.

What's the benefit of mixing the egg last, separately?

There isn't really a technical reason for this in most cases.  It is for the convenience of the cook, to get things mixed thoroughly with a minimum of mess and hassle.

However, with meat loaf, once you add the egg, it gets even more sticky and messy.

When I make meatloaf or meatballs, I actually do it in three stages:

Mix all the onions, herbs, spices salt and so on into the breadcrumbs so that they are uniformly distributed (everything except the meat and eggs).
Mix that with the ground (minced for you UK types) meat, loosely breaking it up and tossing with my fingers
Add the eggs and mix again briefly just to incorporate.

The only purpose of this is to easily get thorough mixing, with minimum messiness, and minimum additional working of the meat.


How to minimize smoke/liquid output when roasting chicken? Last spring I discovered this recipe for roast chicken. It's a winner: simple, reliable, and tasty. I have two quibbles:

It produces enough smoke to set off the smoke alarm, even with the exhaust fan at high speed.
Even if I rest the chicken for fifteen minutes after roasting, it still emits huge amounts of liquid when I carve it.

How can I reduce liquid/particulate emissions from this bird?

As far as smoking: Use a roasting rack in the pan, and put enough water in the pan to not allow the dripping fat to burn. Keep the chicken above the water and check the water level during roasting.

As far as the liquid exuded: Be sure that you are using a chicken that has not been "pre-basted" (injected with a flavor/sodium solution). Slash the skin of the chicken, especially the dark meat, before roasting. That will give extra liquid an avenue for escape. Don't slash the breast meat, as that will likely dry out the chicken before it is done.


Does soaking apples in baking soda for 15 minutes remove pesticides? I read this on the internet. How can this be true when apples are waxed?  Wouldn't the pesticide be under the wax?
If anybody has any ideas how to get rid of both at the same time without using boiling water which will trash the pot you use with baked in wax I would sure like to know.

There seems to be some truth (and this ) that baking soda helps removing some pesticides.
You can wash your fruits under running warm water to remove most of the wax and some pesticides and after that, use baking soda.
If all fails, you can remove the skin of the apples.


How do I make my baking powder biscuit dough stick together? I am trying to make baking powder biscuits for strawberry shortcake.  i followed the recipe on the baking powder can and i was trying to roll them out but the dough doesn't stick together very well.  I was able to get some biscuits cut but not very easily.  Should I add more shortening or more milk?

If its dry adding some kinda liquid would help. Probably just needs a little more. Also helps to see the recipe. It probably said x amount of cups of flour it makes a difference if it was sifted before vers straight out of the bag. Better to go by weight instead of volume.


How long to bake bread? I followed the basic recipe from the Good Housekeeping
Cookbook for basic bread. After the first proofing, I baked it
in a loaf pan at 400F for 30 mins. The bread turned out flat and
burnt at the bottom. What am I doing?

There are a few rules I follow - but sadly bread does vary depending on water content, room temperature etc.

If making smaller loaves or rolls - the time is greatly reduced.
Making the oven extra hot before loaf goes in and then reducing heat helps get a nice crust.
Adding a cup of boiling water into the oven also helps with the crust
I use generally use a fan oven and rotate the bread part way through cooking
Take bread out early - tap the bread - it should sound hollow if cooked.
Cook in the middle of the oven not on the bottom shelf.

Sorry I can not offer more detail - but it does tend to be a more of a trial and error process - and I am not sure what type of oven you are using.

I was advised by a baker - trial and error and take notes - do not change to much ant any one time!


Should I mix vanilla sugar with wet or dry ingredients? I could not find vanilla extract in my town. There is vanilla sugar instead in markets.In my cake recipe, there is  vanilla extract and it is whipped with egg, sugar and oil. But I am not sure with vanilla sugar.

On my first attempt I mixed it with dry ingredients, but the cake I made had too much crystallization. I wasn't sure if that was the reason.

Should I mix it with my dry ingredients like flour, baking powder and etc or with egg and sugar in the first step. ?

Thanks.

You should use it as the sugar the recipe calls for.  In this case, whip it with the eggs and oil.  The vanilla in vanilla sugar is for flavoring and does not really alter the sugar.


Make Kiwifruit sauce less sour without sugar? I've prepared a Kiwifruit sauce, adding also some sugar and honey.

I was wondering - is there a way to make it less sour, that is not increasing the sugar and honey content?

The recipe was:

4 Kiwifruit, ripe
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch

I made a sauce using the ingredient ratios specified in the question. The sweet and sour in this sauce actually balanced each other and I thought this might invalidate any experiments until I considered that they also dominated the flavour of the sauce. In other words the sauce was a little too tangy (or tart if you prefer).

For the purposes of this answer, I'll make the following distinctions:

sour: A taste where there is not enough sweetness to balance the acidic notes;
tangy: A taste where sweet and acidic notes are balanced;
tart: A taste that is tangy, but the sweet and acidic notes together dominate flavour.

Note that I don't suggest that this is the accepted nomenclature. I think it is possible that the OP confounded sour with tart which may explain the specification of no additional sugar in the question.

Colour as a sweetener

As the Wikipedia article on Sweetness says,

  The color of food can affect sweetness perception. Adding more red
  color to a drink increases its perceived sweetness with darker colored
  solutions being rated 2–10% higher than lighter ones even though it
  had 1% less sucrose concentration.

The colour of this sauce became much duller during cooking, so I tested the effect on taste of using a green food dye. I didn't notice any difference in a side-by-side taste-test, even though the sauce with food dye did look much nicer,

I did one more test adding more dye and this time, to my surprise, the sauce with the more vibrant colour tasted very slightly, but nevertheless distinctly sweeter than the original.

I didn't quite believe this, so I taste tested this several times with the same result.

This led me to suspect the food dye itself and, sure enough, it tasted sweet due to an amount of glycerol in the ingredients. Despite invalidating my experiment, glycerol is neither sugar nor honey and as such answers the OP's question directly (if indeed the sauce was sour and needed sweetening). Adding to that the fact that the sauce now looks more appetising, I can recommend using green food dye whether or not colour has any effect on taste.

Salt

I also tested the suggestion of another poster, where salt is used to sweeten the sauce. I didn't hold out much hope for this technique, having experimented with salt on all manner of fruits a couple of days back.

Once again, I was surprised. Salt made a positive difference, although this time the sauce was no sweeter than before. Quite the opposite; sweetness was reduced (which is consistent with my earlier experiments). The sour note was also reduced, so sweet and sour were still balanced leaving the sauce tangy but not tart.

I adding a pinch more salt and now the salty taste came through and ruined the sauce.

I recommend adding salt if the sauce is similar to mine and excessively tart rather than actually sour. It is easy to overstep the mark when adding salt. I suggest making a little more sauce than actually necessary and putting an amount aside before adding the salt so that you can re-introduce some if you do go overboard.

Dilution

Finally I tested the advice to thin-out the sauce with water. This was the least promising result and it seems to me that sweetness disappeared faster than the sour taste. I tried various dilutions, but nothing compared well to the original and flavour was lost.

Possibly this could work if you dilute the sauce with something more flavourful than water, but I would recommend the other two methods over this if you want to stay true to the original recipe.


cornmeal crust on chicken is too gritty, is there a way to fix after chx has been baked? I made oven baked chicken using coarse ground cornmeal (obviously a mistake). Dredged chx in flour, then egg, then cornmeal.  I'm worried I'll break a tooth on the gritty corn particles in the breading! I don't want to throw it out. Is there a way to soften the breading even though the chicken is cooked?  Next time I'll use crushed cornflakes or something else.

The only way you are going to soften the corn meal in the breading is to let it get a bit soggy. Store it in a plastic container in the fridge overnight and let it's own moisture do the job. If the result you get is good then great, if the skin isn't good after that then just peel it off and eat the chicken.


What makes rice wet? Recently I've been making rice, but my rice is always a bit moister than I'd like. Normally it is visibly wet and somewhat sticky.

My normal recipe is:

Add a lot of water to a pan.
Bring water to boil.

Add rice.
Move lid to be partially on.
Keeping the water boiling. (Fairly large bubbles, ~2")

Ten minutes later drain water.

However in an attempt to get 'perfect' rice I tried another recipe I found online:

Add water to be ~1cm above rice.
Bring water to boil.

Add rice.
Keep lid fully on.
Keep water boiling. (Small bubbles, ~1cm)
I messed up here as it should have been simmered, but I messed up the temperature.

Ten minutes later drain water. (There wasn't really any)

This new recipe caused the rice to be very wet, to the point that the next day the rice was, pretty much, useless at making egg-fried rice.

My rice is long grain rice, which has been double water polished.

How can I change my recipe to make dry rice?

What causes the rice to become wet, and how can I ensure this doesn't happen?

I'm going to copy/paste my answer from https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/93753/42066 because I still disagree with the usual methods posted...

TL:DR - use less water, allow 'drying time' afterwards.

I'm going to go contra to pretty much all the advice so far, but this is how I've been cooking rice for 25 years...

Clear-lidded pans make this far less guesswork.
Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, 3 times the volume of your finished rice.
Don't rinse the rice, you don't need to.

Use your coolest, most even burner - this is not necessarily the smallest. Sometimes the tiny ones generate bad hot-spots that a medium one wouldn't.

Boil the kettle.
Pre-heat the pan on high.
Add rice to your pre-heated pan.  Salt as required.
Immediately add 1.75 x the volume of water, not double.
late addition - this is a 'learned' variable, dependant on the solidity of your pan & how low you can get the burner. It could be as low as 1.6x if you have a very heavy pan & a good low heat.

That should immediately hit a rapid boil because of the pre-heating.
Stir once, just enough to ensure the grains are separated.
Drop the heat to minimum [on gas this is near instantaneous, you might need to wait a second on electric]
Put the lid on.
The contents should foam almost to the top but not go over - lift & replace the lid if it looks like it will go over, otherwise leave alone.
Simmer at this minimum temperature for 12-15 mins [depends how low you can get the heat]
Don't lift the lid to "see if it's done". Learn when it's done by repetition.
'When it's done' btw, is when all the water is gone; you might be able to hear a slight crackle as the last bit dries.

After the required time, switch off the heat, leave the lid on.
Allow to rest for another 15-20 minutes.

Fluff briefly with your spatula; no great effort should be required at this stage.
Serve.
The rice will be separate & fluffy, none will be stuck to the bottom.

This works for pretty much any rice type - long grain, basmati, or short-grain, glutinous [short grain, of course, will not separate in the same way].

*Almost copy/paste from my own answer at https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/93672/42066

I must add, this is for 'white' rice types  - standard long grain, patna, basmati, jasmine, & even mixes or pre-frys like Turkish orzo/rice etc. It even includes bulgar.  [It excludes quick-cook or par-boiled, as I never use those]
I also never cook brown rice so have no ratios in my head & I'd have to look it up or read the pack. Risotto, of course, you just keep adding more until it's done ;)

Late edit
I only just noticed the purpose is for fried rice - in which case the last step is to allow it to cool completely then put the pan in the fridge overnight. If you have the method correct so far, then tomorrow it will separate even more & be just right to stir-fry.


How long to sous vide a tough cut of steak? With most steaks the recommended cooking time in sous vide is about an hour (of course depending on the thickness of the cut).

I have done some sous vide cooks recently, and they always ended up perfect until last time, where I had a ribeye, which turned out tough and chewy.

I have since learned, that ribeye in particular has some connective tissue, which can make it tough. I have also learned, that most tenderizing methods, like vinegar or baking soda don't actually really work, because they are only in contact with the meat on the outside.

So I was wondering if I could improve the result, if I simply increase the cooking time to say 2h? Or should it be way longer than that in order to tenderize the connective tissue?

What would be the downside of increasing the cooking time?

Collagen (type-1, for the scientific folks), one of the major connective tissues in beef, begins to dissolve into gelatin starting at 55°C (131°F) but very slowly, long enough for the meat itself to become mush.  The pace increases with rising temperature to about 71°C (160°F), at which point further rises in temperature don't accelerate the process much -- but that would be medium-well, a crime for ribeye.  Unfortunately, collagen begins to denature at 68°C (154°F), which is also when the meat begins to constrict/toughen substantially and release lots of its juices.  Cooks Illustrated suggests 54°C/130°F for 2-3 hours, but in my steak that didn't melt the collagen at all.  I find the best trade-off is medium, 63-64°C (145-147°F) for 3 hours. Yes, it isn't the deep rosy and extra-tender medium rare, but most of the connective tissue vanishes and is replaced with luscious gelatin.


What is the target internal temperature of pork back ribs for maxium tenderness? Although there are many variations for how to cook 'baby back' ribs, there seems to be scant information concerning the target internal temperature of the meat when finished.

The question may be slightly more complicated because it seems that simply getting the meat to a target temperature is not enough to get the meat to literally "fall off the bone" (meaning, many of the bones may actually be pulled out of the meat); there is probably a time element for how long the meat is held at the target.

Rather than quote a time and an oven temperature, as most recipes do, I would like to know what the meat temperature profile is for recipes that delivery super tender ribs.

In other words, if a recipe produces a super tender result, what is the meat temperature profile (i.e. meat temperature is held at between X and Y degrees for Z minutes).

Tough cuts become tender because collagen breaks down over time in the presence of heat and moisture, which usually takes several hours. When cooking that long the meat heats up to be the same as the oven temperature, so in this case internal meat temperature = oven temperature.


Is "swimming in broth" a common cooking technique for pasta and broccoli rabe? In two "old school" Italian restaurants in New York, USA, I've ordered penne with sausage and broccoli rabe. Both times the pasta was served with a good 1/4 to 1/2 cup of liquid in the bottom of the dish.

I'm trying to figure out whether this liquid is chicken stock (it kind of tastes like it), and as such is part of the recipe, or whether it is leftover water from the cooking process (the broccoli rabe and penne were both overcooked).

A quick search of recipes for penne with broccoli rabe and sausage do not include stock as an ingredient.

Yet, the broth was quite flavorful, so I'd be surprised if it was only water.

Maybe "old school" Italian restaurants in NY use chicken stock in these dishes? Any insight?

I am not sure whether it is a common way to prepare it in the US, but I would say that it is definitely not the traditional Italian way to serve pasta salsiccia e friarielli which is instead a fairly dry pasta dish.

Of course nothing stops you from making variations on the theme. For instance, I know some people who purée the broccoli rabe.

However, in Napoli (where the dish is from) you would generally have it dry.


What is the appropriate lentil-to-water ratio for stovetop lentils? I'm planning on making a simple dish using split pigeon peas (or, toor dal) which I plan to soak for an hour.

Since I don't have a pressure cooker, I will need to cook these on the stove top. What is the appropriate lentil-to-water ratio I should use? Is it (as I suspect) 3 cups water to 1 cup lentils? Or, like pasta, does it not matter and I should just keep stirring?

In surveying the web, I have found a variety of ratios from 1:2 to 1:4 by volume, and some which measure the toor dal by weight.

I suspect some of the variation comes from the desired outcome (more or less soupy or poridgy), and whether or not the peas were pre-soaked.

You can google "toor dal recipe without pressure cooker".

This recipe for stove top toor dal suggests pre-soaking, and then using a 1:2 ratio of water.  The author provides lots of pictures and explanation.


What ingredient adds the sweetness on Croissants in Europe? I'm travelling in Europe right now, and in France, Spain, and Italy I've had croissants and similar pastries. Unlike the ones I've had in America, these have a bit of sweetness to them - my intuition is that something like honey or agave nectar has been drizzled on top, either before or after baking. Does anyone know for sure? I'd love to try baking pastries more often when I get back home.

Sometimes, in the less refined areas, you'll get pastries with sugar syrup brushed on top with the egg. It gives a shine to the pastry that lasts for a long time, protects it from losing moisture and makes it sweeter.

This is why all the industrial pastries are usually so sweet.

I don't think that any traditional European patisseries have ever used Agave for anything, and I hesitate to think what their reaction would be if you suggested it.


Why is tofu so popular compared to tempeh? The preference of tofu over tempeh is purely subjective. However, in the US many do not enjoy tofu (aside from perhaps breaded/fried) but do enjoy tempeh. In fact, many people have never heard of or tried tempeh.

Is there a reason tofu is ubiquitous and tempeh is still uncommon?

Note: This was observed in the US. Perhaps this difference is strictly regional.

One possible reason is that Tempeh is uniquely from Indonesia, which is much less of a culinary influence on the US than China, Japan, and Korea - all of which use tofu in traditional dishes. There were an estimated 95,000 Indonesian immigrants in 2010, where Eastern Asian immigrants was over 3.9 million in 2014.

sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_Americans
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/asian-immigrants-united-states
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempeh


Can I use aluminum foil instead of parchment paper for resting candied fruit? I’m making candied fruit and I need somewhere nonstick to place them while they cool, but I don’t have parchment paper. I don’t know how much the sugar will stick to aluminum.

Aluminum foil is not non-stick, except for those specially silicone or otherwise coated foils that are explicitly marketed as such. (And which are probably even more of an environmental nightmare than regular foil, but I digress.)

If you see aluminum foil used in a candy making context, you will notice that they recommend greasing or oiling the foil before pouring or placing the sugary food on it. Personally, I’ve had mixed results, you really have to grease the foil well. If a bit of fat or oil is ok for you, you can use aluminum foil, otherwise I recommend either a shopping trip or checking your household for alternatives.

For your special case of candied fruit, you want the sugar syrup to drip off, not the fruit to sit in a puddle. Have you got a cooling rack at hand? Use it, ideally with a tray underneath to catch the drippings and make cleaning easy. The significantly smaller area of contact will reduce sticking, especially if you move the fruit a few times before they dry fully.


Adapting waffle recipe into mix Assume I have a decent waffle recipe that I like. Assume it has nothing particularly unusual for waffles -- this means it has liquid ingredients such as milk or buttermilk, eggs, butter, vanilla extract. How can I modify this to make an "instant" waffle mix where I just add one or two ingredients (say, milk)? Can I simply replace most of the liquid ingredients with powdered or solid versions? Or must other adaptations be made to compensate? Will I have to adjust proportions?

If you replace liquid ingredients with a powdered equivalent, you'll need to add in additional liquid to compensate.

For instance, let's say the recipe calls for two eggs. If you replace two eggs with a powdered substitute, you'll need to add water to the mix in addition to the milk in order to replace the moisture loss by using a powdered egg substitute.

I'd also be concerned about loss in product quality when using an instant / powdered substitute, but in principle it should work.

That being said, I work in a bakery where we do something similar. For our muffins and scones, we combine the butter, flour, salt, sugar and baking powder and mix it until the butter is incorporated into the dry ingredients. We also beat together the eggs, milk and water required.

The dry mix and the wet mix are stored separately in large quantities in refrigeration and when we go to bake we simply combine them.

There will be a shorter shelf life to the dry mix because it's got the butter in it, but under refrigeration it lasts a long time. In theory, you could store it in the freezer -- I know you can freeze butter with minimal loss of quality so I cannot think of a reason why this wouldn't work, and it will give it a very long shelf life (however long you can freeze butter for.)

The egg, milk & water mixture's expiration date is whichever expires first from the egg and milk.

This probably isn't a practical solution unless you're making waffles all the time, but if you make them a few times it week it might be worth it because you won't lose quality. Otherwise, parse through your waffle recipe an ingredient at a time, replacing liquid with powdered versions, making sure to keep track of the water you'll need to add back in.


Does the airflow pattern in a hot air popcorn popper matter? / What should I look for in a popper? I'm interested in purchasing a hot-air popcorn popper. I grew up with a Wear-Ever Popcorn Pumper, which holds the unpopped corn in a metal cup with angled slots for air on the sides (so that the corn spins as it's being popped).

On the other hand, almost all of the poppers I've found for sale today (I admit, I only looked on Amazon, and a lot of them seem to be the same thing in different plastic) are described as having the air coming in from the bottom, moving directly upwards.

I also notice that the reviews of these poppers often talk about unpopped kernels being blown into the bowl (which I know happens even under the best conditions) or debris falling through the grate and burning up on the heater (!).

Is the vertically-blowing design actually inferior so that I should be trying to find a better grade of popper? More generally, how do I evaluate a hot-air popper (absent trying it in person)?

All of this techniques are simply trying to get an evenly, uniform amount of heat to all kernels. If one part of the machine or blower gets more heat than the rest, then you will first start hearing the kernels pop. Then a brief silence. Then other popcorns The rest that did not get the same heat as the first ones) start popping. By the time this second kernels stop popping, the first should be burned out.

So several ways have been created to solved this. You got horizontal heat blowing, diagonal heat blowing (This cases involved a bowl like container). Then you got the vertical heat blowers. Most of this are meant to do 2 things:

Create enough heat at the bottom and blow it up until the kernels pop.
Make the popped kernels literally blow out to the top of the machine and on to a bowl of some sort.

The problem here is that, what happens if a kernel is at the bottom and it pops, but this same kernel has way too many kernels on top of it. By the time it gets blowned out, it will be almost burned or totally burned. This is the most common problem with this vertical ones (I bought one long ago). the ones left are either burned or not popped yet.

What I would look if I wanted a popcorn maker would be:

Vertical Popcorn Makers

Enough space where the kernels are heated for them to move (Since heating them will make them start jumping because of the amount of heat/energy received) and to come out quickly.
The height of the place where the kernels are left should be low to help them come out quickly.
If the space where they are is very narrow, there is a bigger chance they will burn while trying to escape their doom.
Kernels should not be thrown in with butter or any other sticky liquid, since this liquid will make them stay on the bottom and will burn more of them faster.

Horizontal Popcorn Makers

Make sure it actually spins. If they do not spin, make sure the airflow circles around the machine in a somewhat evenly distributed airflow. This should also take care of moving the kernels. If not, then kernels that stay on the borders longer will burn. For this cases, the center should have something that kicks the kernels to the borders, making sure they all pop quickly.
The space inside the machine should be in the shape of a circle so it can spin better and heat the kernels evenly. If you see a machine that starts making some socially acceptable figures that are not circles (Like a Horizontal Unicorn shaped popcorn maker) do not buy it. It will eventually burn more kernels than a circle which is the best way for airflow to work it's magic on the kernels.

Diagonal Popcorn Makers

Tips from the 2 above should be applied here. Typically they will either give you an option to spit the popcorns from the top to a bowl or from the side. In any case, watch out for space for kernels to move and heat sources.

For all the cases above, there is another small, minor, insignificant detail in regards to this machines:

Do not use plastic ones. They will not last since we are talking about a machine that will heat kernels to the point of popping them. It is much better a metal based one and have the handles be made of plastic, but never have the actual plastic be in the same place where the kernels will get heat and pop.

What I would suggest, if I may be so bold is to either use the microwave or the stove. In both cases you get the same result. On the stove you actually need to be moving the popcorn with a spoon until you see all kernels popped. In the microwave, you need to make sure they are evenly left on popcorn bag for example. Making sure they are not all push to the borders (That would make the kernels on the borders pop first and burn first before all kernels are popped) or push them all to the middle (Same effect but with kernels left in the middle).

Just some tips to look for some of this machines and ways of doing great popcorn.


How do I reduce the acidity of homemade honey lemon juice? I usually use 1 lemon together with 2 spoon of honey and 500 ml of water. I note that as I increase the water content, the juice does not taste as good but I would like to reduce the acidity of my lemon. So, are there other ingredients that I can add such that the taste of my homemade honey lemon juice will not be affected?

You can neutralize the acidity of your drink by adding a half teaspoon of baking soda, but don't do this. Apart from fizzing up like a volcano, your lemon drink, or what is left of it, will taste pretty awful.

What you want to do is reduce the perceived acidity. This can be done simply by adding more honey. I suggest adding a teaspoon at a time until it tastes about right. I like about double the amount of honey you specified if we're talking teaspoons.


Are there any situations where untempered chocolate is better than tempered? Every chocolate-based recipe I've seen either requires tempered chocolate or can use either tempered or untempered chocolate. Are there any recipes or techniques that specifically require untempered chocolate?

EDIT: I think the question might be a little unclear. To clarify, I have a block of tempered chocolate; I use this to make cordials (must be tempered) and ganache (doesn't matter). Are there any uses for it where I'd have to untemper the chocolate first?

Tempering is a process used to give solid chocolate a uniform appearance and texture, as well as to insure that those qualities are shelf-stable. Most commercially available chocolate is already tempered to some degree so that it has a pleasing appearance and texture for customers to enjoy right out of the box/bag.

Tempering is required when the final product will be made of solid chocolate or the chocolate is a component in an unadulterated state, especially in candies that will sit at room temperature. These would include molded and enrobed chocolates such as chocolate bars, bonbons, leafs, and nests.

Recipes that add chocolate to other ingredients such as dairy, flour, and sugar can be made with either tempered or untempered chocolate because the structure of the chocolate fat crystals is no longer the dominant source of structure and texture.  Examples of this include cookies, brownies, ganache, ice cream, and cakes.

There is no normal application where untempered chocolate is required and tempered chocolate could not be used.  The only application I have been able to think of where untempered chocolate would be desired/required is something made for the express purpose of training and/or testing chocolatiers or chocolate tasting professionals.


How to get fresh green peas? I've only ever seen green peas in snow peas or snap peas, in the frozen food section, or in the bulk/dried foods section. When a recipe asks for x cups of fresh peas, does that mean I have strip them from the pods? Seems rather wasteful, unless I cooked the pods, which just seems odd.

Yes, you would remove the peas from the pods.  Chocolate and Zucchini shows how to do it efficiently.

And no, the pods are not normally eaten, although according to The Splendid Table you can.


red spots on the chicken Are those red spots on the chicken ok? or does it mean chicken has got some bacteria or it is not fresh?

They are little blood spots, perfectly safe to eat but often a sign of cheap and/or poor welfare birds. As long as you cook it properly (take it to at least 140f) its fine to eat.


How to use frozen patties in recipes asking for ground beef like chili, meat sauce, and meatballs? I have 40 pounds of decent quality beef patties (75/25) which came from the store as patties and I want to use it for something other than merely burgers.
How can I take a frozen beef patty and turn it into meatballs, meat sauce for pasta, chili, or other recipes which call for ground beef?

If the patties are just ground beef, then use them the same way you'd use any other ground beef; pull it apart with your hands or break it up with a spoon or spatula in the pot.
It may be that your burgers include other ingredients for flavour, in which case those other ingredients will also be in whatever you make, but they shouldn't significantly affect the cooking.
Some burger patties could include things like egg or breadcrumbs for binding and to bulk up the mixture, but it doesn't sound like that's the case from your description. If that is the case, then they will still work fine for things like meatballs but might make something like chilli have an odd texture.


New corned beef ideas I love beef especially corned beef but i would like to try a new version or recipe like i know how to slow cook it or make a Ruben with it but there isn't a whole lot in the way of variations. So how about something new like glazing with honey or marinating it in pineapple juice to tenderize it?

In a sing sing base,][ Australian stile, shred, fry with onions. Serve with rice. Freeze-cold chill till firm. Slice very thin. Or use meat cutter. 1/8 inch thick. Braze brown both sides on a hot flat plate,grill. Stack with peppers black or hot. Or other things between each. Refrigerate over night. Or a soysauce mix? vinegar mix? what ever. Slap between a roll the next day. For sandwich.


What can I do with lots of plain sweetened yogurt? I have a several gallons of yogurt intended for smoothies.  So far I have been eating it over fruit and in various types of shakes.  I've also made some frozen yogurt.

What else I can make, be it sweet or savory?

I like to spice up Yogurt with Garlic. For 200ml of Yogurt, take about two tea-spoons of olive oil, one crushed garlic clove, a pinch of salt, pepper to taste. Let it steep for at least an hour. Then use it to dip in slices of Baguette or grilled meat.


What sauce is Gordon Ramsey using for this dish? Gordon Ramsay has a trailer on YouTube for his MasterClass course. The link for the video is here: Gordon Ramsay's MasterClass (YouTube).

I have attached the screenshot at 0:21

It looks like cream or something else - is that beef wellington too? What is that sauce as I wish to make this dish!

Thanks

The sauce in question here is pomme purée. This was answered by the community but a special thanks to @Luciano, @ElendilTheTall, @GdD and @Dorothy.

Happy Cooking


Chocolate mousse turned to scrambled eggs in cream So I was trying to make a white chocolate mousse.

The recipe called for heating up cream, beating egg yolks, then combining the two and thickening over heat.

I must've cooked it too long as the egg seems to have been cooked, it smells like scrambled eggs. The egg has become solid but very small (but a lot) of pieces floating around.

At this 'curdled' stage is it safe to eat? If so is there any dish I can make with it or otherwise make it nicer to eat. Basically it's 8 scrambled egg yolks in two cups of thickened cream. So it's a fair bit which I don't want to just throw away.

Did the recipe include a "tempering" step where you add a small stream of the hot liquid to the eggs while beating them, before adding the egg mixture to the hot bowl? If not, it should have - if so, did you actually do that? Many new cooks see something like that and figure it's pointless, so they just dump the eggs in - but it's not pointless. A poor recipe writer might assume that you'd know to do that without explicitly mentioning the step. Either would cause problems.

For something like this, you can actually add the whole of the hot mixture to the eggs, slowly, while beating, and then transfer back to the pot for further cooking.

If refrigerated post-disaster, it should be safe to eat. Add more eggs and have creamy scrambled eggs, or a lumpy omelet.


Why did my flank steak turn grey when I brined it? I brined 2 lbs of flank steak for 12 hours, but it turned the exterior gray. Why? How can I prevent the discoloration?

Ingredients:

1 quart water
1/2 cup kosher salt
Garlic Powder
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons black pepper
½ cup apple cider vinegar

It is highly likely that the acid from the cider vinegar denatured the proteins at the surface of the meat, making them opaque instead of translucent, so the red interior does not show through.

This is akin to when ceviche is "cooked" in citrus juice, turning opaque.

This cannot be reversed, but when you cook the steak and browning reactions take place, you should get a better appearance.

In general, you can prevent this while brining by not including acid or enzymatically active ingredients like uncooked pineapple juice.   Brines in general should only contain water, salt, and sugar; other flavorings are common, but they have little to no effect as they do not penetrate.


Are there substantial benefits to grinding your own flour? I've read that most of the nutrients of wheat are stripped for the sake of shelf life.  Is this marketing propaganda or is there truth behind it?  It was my impression that white flour (even fortified) is nowhere close to the original thing but whole grain flour is still pretty good.

The grinders are pretty pricy and after that even buying large amounts of grain (if you can find it) doesn't ever appear to pay off.  Am I mistaken?
Are there any real benefits to doing it yourself (whether nutritional or not)?
Does it taste as good?  (Sorry, I know this question is opinion-oriented, but I'm curious)

You're very correct the grinders are pretty pricey. I believe we paid about $300 for ours.

There are a few good reasons for me to have a grinder. Whether they are good reasons for you is your call.

1- I can grind whatever I want. Right now I am using hard white wheat. Unbleached, hard, white wheat flour is more expensive than your run-of-the-mill flour and comes in annoyingly small bags. I also grind beans, quinoa, oats, etc.

2- I can control the fineness of the grind. This is a minor thing but it is nice for me to be able to experiment with the texture of the product. In practice I usually leave it on the same setting but it is finer than the flour I can purchase.

3- Wheat flour is very perishable. I go through a fair bit of flour. As much as 200 oz in a heavy week. In order to have enough wheat flour on hand for a couple weeks it would have to live in the freezer. I don't want to waste that much freezer space. Whole wheat berries last almost indefinitely.

4- I like the flavor better. It tastes fresher and more nutty. This may be imagined- I haven't done any double blind tests. I should do that.

5- Cost- I had to do some of the maths as I don't usually pay a lot of attention to this.
King Arthur white wheat flour costs approximately $1.00 a lbs.

I buy 25lbs bags of bulk white wheat for $12-$15 or $0.50-$0.60 a pound.
If I use around 10 lbs of flour a week (usually a little less, it varies) I am saving about $5 a week. If you don't have access to wheat that cheap or don't make that much bread then of course the savings will be less.

As for nutrition- I read all the time that the nutrients in whole wheat flour degrade very quickly. I'm not a chemist but those results seem plausible to me based on how quickly the flour itself degrades in quality.


What is a good brand for teflon pans? I am going to buy a new teflon pan and seem to run into bad luck with cheaply made ones which flake off too quickly. Also can any good brand teflon pan withstand automatic dishwashers?

It is not a good idea to combine ANY teflon pan with an automatic dishwasher, regardless of what the manufacturer says.

But fortunately for you, I have handy the Cook's Illustrated from October 2010, which did a nonstick skillet (aka frying pan aka saute pan) review.  According to them, even the best nonstick coatings won't survive more than a year or two of heavy use.  This makes proper care all the more important. Brand also isn't a good indicator of coating quality, because many pan manufacturers buy coatings from the same suppliers.  To quote the article:

  Most cookware manufacturers don't make their own nonstick coating; they buy it from suppliers offering a menu of options, from basic to premium, and spray it on their pans.  It's similar to painting a room; the quality of nonstick coating is determined not only by what's in it but also by how carefully it's applied and cured, and how many coats the manufacturer decides to put on.

They found the Tefal (T-Fal in the States) Professional Total Nonstick Fry Pan ($35) had a nonstick coating that outperformed the other pans by a significant margin, probably due to its 5-layer nonstick coating (most pans use 2-3 layers).  The only fly in the ointment was its handle, which had rivets that loosened after abuse.  But, for $35 that isn't bad, doubly because it outperformed the $150+ All-Clad nonstick pans they used normally.

If you're looking for something cheaper than that, I'd suggest you look at construction and not brand.  Pick a heavy pan (for its size), with either solid, thick-gauge aluminum OR a multi-ply construction.  This combination ensures the pan will heat evenly and rapidly (crucial for eggs), and is resistant to warping (important if you use an electric range). If you're cooking eggs, avoid hard-anodized aluminum interiors, as they don't help prevent adhesion of eggs, and just cost more.  The nonstick layer should look thick and smooth, not slightly textured.

My most-used frying pan (the default egg pan) is a small T-Fal that cost all of $7. The important thing is that it has the right construction and I treat it correctly; I'm careful not to scratch the surface with utensils, I never use a scouring pad on it, and it can't go near the dishwasher.  This makes more of a difference than picking a fancy brand.


Ceramic vs Stainless Steel in coffee mugs My travel mug broke :(  Looking at replacements, I find that most travel mugs with designs tend to be stainless steel, whereas my prior mug was ceramic. Is there a difference in heat retention between the two materials in this day and age? Are there other considerations I should take into account when choosing between materials?

(Note: I put tea in it)

Stainless Steel

Most stainless steel travel mugs are double walled, but are NOT vacuum flasks

They usually have a screw on stainless steel base, or just a plain plastic base. Both of these stop thermal air losses, but are in no way as efficient as a true vacuum flask. It can't be anyway, due to the lid having a drinking hole in it

Lids with sliding covers are impossible to clean, and should be avoided. Just a simple double wall stainless steel mug, with a "reduced spill" style plastic lid and silicone gasket will last many years, be cleanable, and provide reasonable heat retention

Double Walled Ceramic

Double walled ceramic mugs are heavy, and while reasonable strong, generally have two fundamental flaws:

They are very heavy due to having two ceramic layers, even though both layers are quite thin
Because the layers are thin, most mugs do not have a handle, as they cannot support one without breaking

Their insulation qualities are fine and they can be-reheated in situ. The typical silicone lids they ship with are easy to wash which is a bonus

If you don't mind not having a handle they are fine, but heavy

I don't like drinking from silicone, it feels weird, and the hole is usually too small. Cutting a bigger hole always ends in disaster (maybe a hole punch would do it?). They also break much more easily than a normal ceramic mug if used while travelling


How to ferment dosa batter? I have never been successful in fermenting dosa batter properly in the US. I generally soak urad dal, rice and fenugreek seeds for a few hours and grind them together. Even if I leave the batter in 30°C temperature, the batter does not double in volume, as is generally does in India. The batter seems to ferment somewhat because of the sour taste but it seems that the fermentation is not being done by the "right" microorganisms.

Any ideas on improving fermentation, or on mimicking the process they use in India?

I found some pointers here:
http://www.indiacurry.com/south/batterexplained.htm

(The following is just taken from the information in that link, I do not actually know anything about dosa)

It seems that the lack of fermentation could be due to a number of things:

Overwashing the ingredients (removes the wild yeast).
Using chlorinated water (kills the wild yeast). Use bottled water instead of tap water.
Iodine in the salt can also kill the wild yeast. Use kosher salt instead.
Temperature. As you have already noted in your question, normal room temperature in the US may be too low. You could try putting it in the oven with just the light on, no heat. Or if you have a gas oven, with just the pilot light on.


What is missing in this recipe for Peruvian fish ceviche? I've tried fish ceviche from many Peruvian restaurants where I live (Houston TX), and they seem to taste about the same.

So I tried to recreate their secret recipe but there's something missing.

For the fish, I used mahi-mahi, although I think these restaurants use red snapper. The fish I used is not fresh, but "previously frozen". I suspect they don't use fresh fish, either.

For the marinade, I use key lime juice, Kosher salt, garlic and cilantro. And I let it marinate for about 30 minutes.

But the flavor turns out to be too acidic and unpleasant. I'm wondering if I need to dilute the key lime juice with water or perhaps add a bit of sugar.

What am I doing wrong? What secret ingredient am I missing?

In general, ceviche is marinated/cured, using citrus as the main ingredient, with other possible ingredients (onions, garlic, etc).  That initial marinade is drained off, then the ceviche is "dressed" for serving.  It sounds like you are not draining the initial marinade.  This could be causing the excess acidity.


Nestle Cream "Ashta" I was in the middle east for a few weeks a few months ago. Anyways, I was introduced to the following Nestle cream:

It didn't really taste like the cream I'm used to here in North America.

Have any of you tried this before?
Can I make it at home?

I haven't had it. As to making it at home: that would be a recipe, which normally is outside of this site's scope. I'll give you 2 links, though, from which I'll try to distill a general description of 'Ashta type cream'.

This type of cream contains:

Milk, Milk-and-cream or powdered milk
(corn)starch
orange blossom or rose water
sugar.

Source links:

http://arabicbites.blogspot.com/2007/06/ataif-bil-ashta.html
http://www.tasteofbeirut.com/2010/05/lebanese-cream-ashta/


How do I separate crackers stuck to parchment paper? I just made sunflower seed cheddar crackers. The dough is spread all over a layer of parchment on a cookie sheet . I baked for the required time but the parchment is stuck to the bottom of the crackers. They are not fully cooled, will that make a difference?

If you mean that the parchment is stuck to the bottom of the crackers, try putting the whole thing in the freezer for a while.


Pre-blending Potatoes What would happen if you put your uncooked potatos in a blender and then cooked the result?

Would you get mashed potatos? Faster?

I doubt that most blenders could handle raw potatoes, though a food processor probably could. The problem with your idea is that they'll be easier to cook before they're mashed, and easier to mash after they're cooked. I see no advantage and plenty of potential disadvantages.


How can you make gray or black butter? Soon, I'll be serving garlic bread, but I would like to add something to the garlic-butter, to make it darker (gray or black). It should look like lead.

So far, I've found two ideas:
- add dark olives
- add caviar

I don't like the idea of the olives because it'll be served with scallops in cheese sauce and some mushrooms. I don't think the taste of olives will fit well.
The idea of adding caviar is better, but expensive, or other black fish eggs are not easily available here.

Squid ink is used to make black pasta, no reason it wouldn't work with butter. Good fishmongers should be able to source it for you.


Why does my curry taste so bland? I'm trying to make a curry, and failing. I'm a decent amateur home-cook, but now that I'm exploring outside of my usual cuisines, I'm at a loss how to improve my preparation of this recipe. Either that, or the recipe might just be of questionable quality... which would also be good to know.

Following this recipe (automatic translation here), I end up with something that looks and smells very much like a curry, but it tastes very flat/bland, while still hot/spicy.

I'm not used to talking about flavour so forgive me for this poor attempt at describing the taste (any hints on how to learn that skill?). It's spicy, but only as an after-taste, mostly in the back of the throat. Most curries I've eaten in Indian restaurants had a real strong flavour right at the first impact, which mine is lacking. Adding questionable amounts of salt after serving helped a little bit, but felt like a cheap trick to mask the issue.

The recipe is easy on spices with (perceived) spiciness: No peppers, just the usual amount of ginger and only 2 cloves. On top of that, close to half a liter of coconut milk gets added, which will sweeten the curry, and dampen the (again: perceived) spiciness.

The main veggies are cauliflower, far from the most exciting taste in the world, and peas, which tend to have a sweet taste.

Also, the amount of veggies (close to a kilo) compared to the amount of the spices seem a tad on the small side.

Personal observation: I'd have to make it myself to see what (if anything) is missing, but as Chris mentions, some cumin (usually an equal or half part compared to the coriander) might help, as would nutmeg and/or mace, all of which (IMHO) go well with cauliflower.

I've found that good Indian recipes are hard to find on the internet (or I'm not very good at searching). They tend to be of the Ginger-Garlic-Coriander-Cumin-Cardamom-Blended-With-Tomato-Puree variety, which although definitely tasty, all merge in to the same taste. Maunika Gowardhan has nice authentic recipes, and the slightly dodgy looking India Curry too, together with lots of spice mixes and background information.


Left out, store bought, Tyson sealed fully cooked chicken patties 20 hours Came in from store but forgot to put up my Tyson fully cooked chicken patties. Never opened, seal not broken, 20 hrs later--do I trash em?

Yes. This is far outside any kind of safe zone.

Always always always throw it out if there's any kind of question.


Homemade chocolate turns crumbly I have been making Peanut Clusters a lot lately, and it seems that I just can't get them right. Once I add the butter, the chocolate turns brittle and crumbly before I can shape them on the wax paper. Does anyone know why this is happening and how I can make the chocolate stay smooth until I put them in the fridge?

This is my recipe:

  1/2 c. sugar
  1/4 c. milk
  1 heaping tbsp. cocoa
  1 heaping tbsp. butter
  1/2 c. roasted peanuts

  Mix sugar, cocoa, and milk. Boil 6 minutes, counting from time the bubbling begins. Add butter, nuts and vanilla. Take from the heat and stir just enough to mix in the nuts. Drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper.`

GdD gives a good answer, but I am going to give a recommendation type answer based on your ingredients because although the quantities are different the ingredients are exactly the same. Go to Hershey.com and search for their fudge recipe. Follow this recipe.

When your "fudge" reaches nearly the desired consistency from stirring, start stirring in the peanuts, and quickly spoon out your clusters onto wax paper.

I think that will give you the desired results and give you a silky fudge chocolate peanut cluster.


Can I increase my iron intake by eating food cooked with cast iron? Can I eat food cooked in cast iron to leach iron into the food?  Is it a significant amount?

Can you get leached iron from cast iron?  Yes

Is it consistent in the amount that you get?  No

Is it dependent on the food in the pan?  Yes

How much?  It varies hugely dependent on the food.  More liquid, acidic foods leach more.  How long its in the pan also plays a role.  3 oz of spaghetti sauce could leach as much as 5mg - that's almost 1/3 of the daily recommended 18mg.

So you can cook with cast iron to get more iron, but it will vary wildly on what you cook in it.  It will also likely increase/decrease based on how well the pan is or isn't seasoned.


How long to bake lasagne at lower temperature? My recipe states that I need to bake my fish lasagne for 40 min at 180 degrees Celsius. I will go out and want the food to be ready when I return but will not be back within 40 minutes. Is there a way how I can extend the cooking time at lower temp without drying the lasagne out?

Yes. Use a thermometer. Your lasagna will be done at an internal temperature of 165F (74C). Just lower the baking temp appropriately. I can't know the time and oven temperature that will actually work for you, because you didn't present them, but I hope this helps.


Safe to make liqueur from tomato vines? I was thinking about all my favorite tomato dishes and wondering if there were a way to infuse more tomato flavor into my chili, spagbol, and bloody mary. I've heard that the tomato vine contains a lot of the aromatic compounds we associate with delicious tomato flavor, but the vines themselves are not safe to eat. However, many inedible things can be used in infusions to carry the aroma only from something, such as how wormwood is made into absinthe. My goal is not to discover the next psychedelic. But can I infuse tomato vines in vodka as an additive for sauces and drinks?

This would be a really, really bad idea. The alkaloid compounds that make nightshades toxic can be toxic even at low levels, and a few of them are specifically alcohol soluble. This means that while chomping down on a tomato leaf might not hurt you, the toxins are readily extracted in alcohol, so you'd be maximizing your exposure to them by making a liqueur.

Further, most of the aromatic compounds in the tomato leaves and stems are going to be very bitter anyway, so even if this weren't dangerous, it would be of dubious culinary use.

Tomato Toxicity from WikiPedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato#Plant_toxicity

Source: http://www.anaturalway.com/NightShade%20Alkaloid%20Toxins.html


How long can I keep eggs in the refrigerator? To keep eggs useful and healthy, what is the average time I can keep them in refrigerator?   Can I freeze, and re-use them after melting, or will they be useless or not healthy to eat?

Back in the 70's, the folks at Mother Earth News performed an egg storage experiment.  They stored them in a variety of ways, both refrigerated and unrefrigerated, to see how long they could keep.  They concluded that unwashed eggs (aka, "hen fruit" or "cackleberries") stored in a sealed container, and kept at 35° to 40°F, were still perfectly edible after seven months:

(1) Unwashed, fertile homestead eggs seem
to store much better than washed,
unfertile agribiz eggs. Why? Probably
for the simple reason that they're
unwashed ... and not because they're
fertile. Hen fruit, as it comes from
the chicken, is coated with a light
layer of a natural sealing agent
called "bloom". And, while a good wash
may make a batch of eggs look more
attractive, it also removes this
natural protective coating ... leaving
the eggs more subject to aging and
attack by the air and bacteria in the
air.
(2) The very best way we've found to stash
eggs away for long-term storage is in
a sealed container at a temperature of
35° to 40°F. Their whites may become
somewhat runny looking over a period
of time, but even after seven
months—the cackleberries stored in
this manner smell good, taste good,
have a good texture, and—in short—seem
"almost fresh".

Update 2011-02-19: This discussion inspired me to do some experimentation of my own.  We keep chickens, so I plucked two eggs on October 2, 2010 and put them in the refrigerator.  I just pulled them out today.  Here's a picture of one of them next to a fresh egg.

One of these eggs was laid yesterday and the other was laid 140 days (4 months 17 days) ago.  Can you guess which is which?
Update 2011-06-05: I completed my eggsperiment today by cracking open two more eggs that I have had in the refrigerator since October 21, 2010.  Here they are:

There was no trace of odor, but the whites were definitely lacking in firmness.  I scrambled them.  They didn't make for very fluffy scramblers due to the watery whites, but they tasted fine.  So, I can confirm the findings of the Mother Earth News experiment.  Fresh, unwashed eggs stored in the refrigerator were perfectly edible after 7 months 15 days (227 days)!


Dutch Baby Disaster! So I made these Dutch Babies this morning following the New York Times recipe and usually they puff up beautifully but today they didn't and were a disaster. What did I do wrong? I'm thinking to much flour perhaps??

3 eggs
½ cup flour
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
 Pinch of nutmeg
4 tablespoons butter

I figured it out after looking at the recipe as I was copying it to my question. I didn't add the milk!


What limitations are there to sauteeing with water? I was recently helping with some recipes and was instructed to use water for "sauteing" onions, celery, garlic, etc. in place of oil (scare quotes on "saute" since it involves frying in oil or other fat by definition).

The technique is meant to parallel sauteing in oil, water is measured by the tablespoon in a large pan, and although you replace water as it evaporates the vegetables are never submerged in water. Only enough water is ever used to inhibit sticking of the vegetables to the pan.

The results were good and light but I haven't had much of a chance to push it further and experiment with the upsides and downsides (the three dishes meant to just soften the onions, garlic, celery and I had to follow the directions). Obviously, using oils imparts that flavors that you otherwise won't have present if using water. More importantly though, I would like to know which reactions would be inhibited in some way; for instance, would browning and caramelizing happen at a different rate, or at all? Are there any other preparations that would be impossible without a fat to saute in? What are the limitations when using water to saute?

The big difference is that oil can get to a higher temperature than water can.  Water turns to steam at 212F, while most oils won't start smoking until 300-400F.  Caramelization doesn't happen until 320F (for sucrose and glucose, 230F for fructose), while browning (the Maillard reaction, to be specific) doesn't happen until 375F.   Now when you "saute" like that in water, you'll also be using the steam to cook, and the steam will be somewhat hotter than 212F, but probably not enough hotter (or in enough quantity) to get to those reaction temperatures.   You might get high enough temperatures via direct contact with the bottom of the pan, but that's a recipe for uneven cooking, as the part of the food actually in direct contact are likely to be quite small.


Thawing haggis safely I have a large frozen haggis that I'd like to use for dinner Saturday night.  when do i start to thaw it, and whats the safest method of thawing to prevent both food borne illness and to preserve quality of the product?  I already read the question about cooking haggis from frozen, and decided I don't want to do that.

Defrosting haggis is no different to defrosting any other perishable food. It shouldn't be at room temperature for more than 2 hours. That means:

Defrosting in the fridge for 24 hours
Defrosting by running it under cold water for no more than 2 hours, then cooking it straight away.

There really is no problem with cooking haggis from frozen (or after partially defrosting), so long as you ensure it's piping hot throughout when you take it out of the oven. Use a probe thermometer if possible to ensure a safe temperature (75°C is a safe bet).


What is the texture of grilled swordfish? Purchased and grilled swordfish steaks, as usual, but the texture was very gelatinous(squishy) and raw feeling, though the color was opaque after cooking. Taste was bland and rubbery. The fish was marked Fresh, as opposed to the usual "previously frozen"
What is wrong?

You may have purchased mislabeled fish. Unfortunately, this is a real problem, alas!  (So at least the texture issue might well not have been your doing.)


What is the purpose of turning a pot roast (and can I do without it)? I recently bought a big outside round oven roast that was on sale for cheap.  I've made plenty of roasts before, but I don't remember having used this particular cut, and it seems to have a reputation for being generally tough and flavourless.

So I looked up a few recipes and most recommend cooking it as a pot roast, which I plan to do.  Most of these recipes also say to turn every 30 minutes or so.  This is something which I am not accustomed to doing and I'm not entirely sure I see the point.

Given that the cooking method is basically a braise - i.e. steam is doing most of the real work - is there a reason why these recipes suggest turning the meat so often (or at all)?  Or can I get just as good a result without this inconvenience?

I've never seen any benefit to turning a roast. If you want to minimize the crust, use a roaster with a lid or a roasting bag, but the rule is always low even temperature and slow roasting for the best meat.

A crock pot is also a good way to slowly braise a tough roast.

Coming from a beef ranch, we'd put a roast in the oven at about 100-125F at 7 in the morning on Sunday, do our chores, go to church and come home at 1 to a well done, tender roast with no turning. It gets a good crust on it which you can amp up with a good dry rub if you feel so inclined, but there's no need for turning.

Just low, slow and in a container of some kind if you don't like a crust on it.

Now, in doing just a bit of Google due diligence I ran across this article that suggests that aging is more important with an inexpensive roast than the cooking environment. We hung our beef for 14 days before packaging, so this wasn't an issue for us.

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/images/document/howto/SO96_HTbeef.pdf

If you have a big back yard and a tolerant spouse I've had very good results with the Polynesian pig-roast style of roasting.

Dig a big hole, line it with rocks, build a fire to burn down to coals, wrap the meat in several layers of tinfoil and place on top of the coals, bury it with more rocks on top and leave for 8 hours. Delicious, fall off the bone beef from the cheapest giant Costco cuts we could buy on a boy scout budget.


3 day old steak turning brown from the inside out I have a 10oz. steak I cut 3 days ago. It was stored on peach paper, which is oxygenated. It is beginning to brown from the inside out. The exterior is fine, no slime, no odour. But when cooked, it looked medium well at 120*F. It also tasted dry. I get that age would make it dry. I`m just wondering why it is browning on the inside. Any ideas what would cause this?

I've heard that some stores will actually use some type of food safe bleach to extend the life of their meat products. It is possible that the meat you purchased was treated in this manner which would not have an affect on the inside of the steak. This would make the inside age quicker than the outside.  Just a thought.