How can I cook trout without generating horror stories? I bought some frozen trout filets, pre-seasoned.  As instructed on the box, I left one in the fridge yesterday to thaw overnight.  Today -- also as instructed on the box -- I put the stove on medium-high (7) and heated up the frying pan, and then put the fish in.

This was a horrible mistake.

I was smart enough to use canola oil instead of olive oil (which the box suggested), since olive oil will burn easily at that temperature.  I probably should have realized the temperature was too high regardless.  The oil exploded when the fish went in the pan, giving me a nasty burn on the finger.  The fish also began burning immediately, which I didn't notice as I tended to my finger.

The skin turned to charcoal, but fortunately I salvaged the rest of it and it was, fortunately, delicious.  (It tasted like bacon. Is that normal?)  But I would like to avoid all the burning and smoke-filled kitchen and all that.  How should I properly fry my trout?  I could turn the heat stupid low, but then I'd be worried about not cooking it well enough.

Teach a man to (cook a) fish!

First, about the temperature. Your safest option is to use a gun ;) The correct temp for shallow frying is between 150 and 190 degrees celsius. So if you have an infrared "gun" (a thermometer which neasures the temp of the surface at which it is pointed), use it to determine the stove setting at which the temperature of the dry (not ptfe coated) pan stabilizes in this interval after longer heating. If you don't have it, use the typical tricks for determining the pan temp, they are described in other questions here on SA.

Important: different stoves heat to different temperatures. Don't let the numbers at the knob to fool it into thinking that a given temp is "medium high" because it has the number 7. My own stove stabilizes at ~180 degrees C at setting 2 (out of 10), with setting 3 pushing 230. On the other hand, the minimum temperature for cooking fish is 50 deg. As stoves rarely go below 80 degrees, there is practically no chance to set your stove to a temperature so low that the fish stays undercooked (but it might need unreasonably long times on very low settings).

As for the spraying: the fat at frying temperature will always spray. You can still reduce your problems. First, the bubble explosions at the lower temperature will be less violent. Second, surface moisture promotes spraying (which is produced by water being instantly turned into steam in the oil). So pat the fish dry with paper before frying it. If this isn't enough, you can also drag it through flour. This will make the crust crisper. As the spraying won't be eliminated completely, don't throw in the pieces. Take a flat spatula with a long handle, place the piece on the working end, step back from the stove and slowly lay the fish into the oil, gradually pulling the spatula from beneath it. The turning should produce less spraying, so using a fork or spoon to press the fish against the spatula isn't a problem (or kitchen pincers, if you have those).

All of the above applies to everything you are shallow frying, not only fish. Only the flour is unsuitable for some vegetables.


How do I wrap a spring-form pan in foil so it doesn't leak when I bake in a water bath? I have never found a spring-form pan that does not leak.

I have never been able to wrap a spring-form pan so that some of the water doesn't get into the pan.

I can wrap it so that a lot of the water doesn't come into the pan.

But it seems to me that there must be a method that works to keep the water out entirely.  I just haven't figured it out.

How can I wrap a spring-form pan in foil so that water from the bath doesn't leak into it?

Cook's Illustrated recently discovered that placing the springform pan inside a slightly larger cake pan works. The slight air gap doesn't negate the water bath's benefits. And of course a cake pan is a solid piece of aluminum, thus completely water tight.

(Haven't personally tested this yet.)


How to make a dessert with dynamically opening flower petals? Anyone has any idea how to make petals open when sauce is poured onto the plate like pictured in this video?

I realize it requires a lot of artistic skills to do it on this level, but what is the general mechanism behind the chocolate petals opening?

Gravity is making the petals open. If you look at the shape of the petals their center of gravity is towards the outside of the bowl, but they are being held in place by something underneath. I suspect that it's simply one piece of chocolate melted onto another. When the custard (warm or hot) is poured on it melts the bonds holding the petals in place allowing them to fall.


How hot does popcorn need to be before it pops? I'm interested to know if I can make popcorn in the oven, such as in a covered roasting pan. I'm also just quite curious to know the temperature it needs.

Would it pop in a 250C oven? If so, what temperature is needed for it to pop?

Would I get a good result making popcorn in my oven?

Some kernels would pop, but generally speaking it would not work very well at all. A popcorn kernel pops because of the water trapped inside -- it is heated rapidly on the stove, and its expansion is rapid enough to produce explosive force. The oven would cause the water inside the kernels to heat more slowly. The shell of unpopped corn is not perfectly enclosed, so slow heating would allow the water vapor to harmlessly escape.


Weird residue left on pan When I cook this particular sauce in this particular pan it leaves this weird red (slightly purplish) reside that doesn’t wash off with soap but does come out in oil. The ingredients in the sauce are “tomatoes, tomato purée, less than 2% of: salt, basil oregano, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, citric acid, natural flavors. (Brand is giant foods which is a regional supermarket chain). The pan is a nonstick.
Does anyone know what this residue might be?
Also no idea what the tags should be.

I know this will sound disappointing, but I don't that you will ever find a non-trivial answer to the question.
First, what sticks is the sauce. Once it is made into a sauce, it is physically a single entity, no longer separable into tomato, basil, etc. Of course, it is not all of the sauce that sticks, for example the water is no longer there, and as somebody else mentioned, the red pigments like the lycopene are there - but it is practically impossible to sit down with a list and check off, "hemicellulose is present, sucrose is present but much smaller percentages than in the original, the eugenol is completely missing", but if somebody could, and would, do it, there would be no more precise a name for that wild mixture than "sauce residue".
The second part of your answer is the why. The problem is, surface physics is complicated, and the physics of something as wildly complex as sauce much more so. An expert materials scientist with access to enough samples of the pan, the sauce, a well-equipped lab and enough time could probably find out, and have some answer like, "the starch particles in this sauce are not as round as in others" or "this sauce uses powdered tomatoes grow d to the exact size to get stuck to this particular coating after they've been hydrated in sauce, then heated". Or sounding else of that kind. But without the experimentation, it is impossible to find out.


Portable induction cooktop with cast iron pans, will using these together break or scratch the cooktop? I have been looking at buying an induction cooktop for quite some time.  Largely the part that has tipped the scales in my favor as of lately is that I would like to be able to use cast iron skillets regularly and my current situation does not allow for that.

I have read and seen some usage of cast iron skillets on these induction cooktops, but from what I have seen almost all of these are ceramic topped.  I thought ceramic topped cooktops and cast iron skillets were items that should not be used together.

Could someone please elaborate on the usage of these together?  Has anyone used these together and had no issues?

Induction tops are usually glass or ceramic, and they will scratch over time no matter what pans you use. Cast iron works very well on induction, and is inexpensive. It is heavy though, if you drop one on your induction top you could crack it.


How to store fresh figs How do I store fresh figs so that they stay good as long as possible?  I frequently experience that they get moldy within a few days after purchase, even when storing them in the refrigerator.  I wonder if there is anything that is more effective than simply storing them in the fridge in the basket I got them from the store in.

There isn't that much more you can do. Fresh figs are perishable items, and before you get them you don't know how they've been stored. Moisture is your enemy here, the drier they stay the longer mold will stay at bay. The containers you buy them in often trap moisture so I would remove them from that packaging and store them in the refrigerator, on a shelf, uncovered.
Also, keep in mind that a bit of mold outside does not mean spoiled inside, I know it is unattractive but you can still cut them in half and scoop out the good stuff, provided that is still fresh enough.


What is the trick to kneading silk smooth bread? I've been teaching myself how to make bread for a few weeks, had some success but never able to create dough that is completely smooth why?

Following a recipe like this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTDvqn5SLGs

You can see that the bread is literally like plastic.

But when I knead my dough (even with a mixer machine) the dough is more like this:

Recipe shown in video (and what I used in my attempt) is

300g Medium-fat dough
160g milk
3g instant dry yeast
30g sugar
6g veg oil

"Cloud buns" and your bread dough are really two different products.  The dough in the video is likely based on a "milk bread" recipe, which results in the smooth texture that is pictured.  It reminds me of the Momofuku Pork Bun, a recipe I have made often.  This recipe produces a very smooth dough, which is portioned, shaped, and steamed.  It has a much different texture than my rustic sourdough loaves, which are generally a higher hydration than the dough you've pictured, but  not nearly as shiny and smooth as the milk bread.  It's just the nature of the recipe and the ingredients.  You can knead all you want, but you are not going to get the same texture and sheen, likely because your bread dough does not include milk and fat.


Can I prepare instant noodles in the microwave? I want to prepare instant noodles in microwave. The instructions on the pack clearly mention a gas stove to be used, but I don't have access to one.

The instant noodles I am talking about are Nestle's maggy 2 minutes (that's how they brand it in India). Have a look at the the following Google image search link if it still doesn't ring a bell.

http://goo.gl/tBwF0

The Maggi noodles you link to are just average ramen noodles, so can be cooked in the microwave quite easily.

Boil a kettle of water
Place the noodles in a microwavable bowl. You may need to break the noodles into pieces, but if you're careful with the boiling water you can sometimes soften the noodles in the middle enough to fold the block to make it all fit without breaking
Pour the flavour sachet (and any other curry powder/herbs) onto the dry noodles
Pour the boiling water onto the noodles, enough to cover the noodles, and if desired, a bit more for a bit of a soup
Put into the microwave, you can cover with a loose lid if desired, and microwave for around 2 minutes
Stir the noodles, separating any stuck-together blocks of noodles
Put back into the microwave for another 2-3 minutes (depending on your microwave's power)

I usually cook these kind in the microwave, since if I'm eating them I'm not usually in the mood for a proper cooking session. They do (depending on the kind of noodle) sometimes turn out slightly different when done in the microwave, as compared to boiling on hob, but both are nice as a snack.


Why do frozen foods that are fully cooked still need to be heated to the same temperature raw items require? Do they put it on the boxes just in case they didn't really cook it through?

As a rule, frozen foods that are fully cooked do not have that requirement. If the label says "fully cooked", you can eat it still frozen if you want. Where have you seen "fully cooked" and "must be cooked before serving" on the same label?

Here is a typical example. The directions say "until warm" for esthetic reasons only. There is no need to reach 165F, which would be the USDA requirement for raw chicken.

EDIT: Wow, look at this, from the USDA

They're saying leftovers must be heated to 165F. There's overly conservative, then there is SOOO overly conservative as to strip them of credibility. I'm just flummoxed.


Meatballs and Spaghetti in the InstantPot separately I am pretty much a newbie at pressure cooking.

I've been following this recipe for meatballs and spaghetti, and it comes out great. The thing is that my kids would prefer that the spaghetti is not mixed in with the sauce. So I've been trying to figure out how to make spaghetti and meatballs in the IP at the same time, but not mixed together. I've tried twice now, and both times the meatballs came out raw.

The first time I tried, I had frozen meatballs that were all stuck together. I put them + sauce in a covered round pan on top of the spaghetti (with 3.5 cups of water) and cooked at high pressure for 9 minutes. The meatballs were completely raw and the spaghetti was good (though there was still water left that I had to drain out). I ended up putting the meatballs in again and then they got fully cooked.

The second time I tried, I separated the frozen meatballs so they were all individual. I again put them and the sauce in a covered round pan on top of the spaghetti (with only 2 cups of water). Cooked at high pressure for 9 minutes. At the end of cooking time, I did a natural release. The spaghetti was half raw/half cooked/half stuck to the bottom of the pan. The meatballs were still raw.

Has anyone ever done this before? I can't find any tips online to do this.

I have't done it, so I don't know if this will work, but here's what I would suggest:

Pasta will cook more quickly if you soak it before cooking.  (it also allows you to get 'al dente' with gluten-free pasta)

You can then put the pasta in the inner pot, while the meatballs are closer to the heat.  But you might have to experiment for just how long to soak the pasta before putting it in the pot, and what temperature water to use in the pot.  (you do the soak in room temperature water)

I'd also recommend changing your type of pasta.  Strand pasta is notorious for the need to stir to prevent it from clumping together; something like fusilli (spirals) won't contact each other as much, so they won't have as much variation in doneness.


How can I flambé ice cream? For a dessert I recently made, I intended to flame, or burn some alcohol on a quinel of ice cream. Unfortunately, it would not light. I've searched the web a bit since and have come to think it was to cold for the alcohol to evaporate and so burn (bad explanation, I know). Is this why? How would I go about achieving this, ideally with no chemicals as I have a kitchen not a lab.

Thanks in advance!

For a substance to burn, it must first reach its ignition point. For it to keep burning, it must reach its fire point. The ignition point of a 40% ABV liquid such as brandy is 26ºC/79ºF, and the fire point is approximately 10ºC higher than that.

What this means in practical terms is that you need to heat the alcohol a little first before you add it to the ice cream. The simplest way to do this is to put the alcohol in a ladle and heat it over the hob - it won't need much as 36ºC is not a great deal over room temperature. Then light it carefully with a long match, and pour it around your ice cream - if you've got it warm enough it should keep burning until the alcohol is consumed.


How do I make sure that the meat cooks well and yet stays juicy on a bbq? I am a bbq rookie and learning to cook various kinds of meat on the grill. I usually cook chicken, lamb, pork, beef and fish. However, I am struggling to get any of the meats I cook to be well-cooked yet juicy. What are the factors that influence juiciness of meat on a bbq? What are the noobie gotchas when it comes to this?

Common noob mistakes:

Cooking things too long. Meat dries out when it's cooked to too high an internal temperature. That's the whole thing, and it's true no matter how you cook something. If you like your meat to be completely devoid of pink inside, it will be dry. No avoiding it. Find out what's a good temperature for the doneness you desire, and use an instant-read thermometer to find out when you get there. You will also find that some cuts of meat want more cooking than others. A skirt steak wants hardly any cooking because it dries out easily. A New York strip, with good fat marbling, can withstand more cooking because it has that nice fat to keep things moist.

Cooking with too much heat or too little. When the heat's too high, you burn the outside before the middle can get to the temperature you want. If it's too low, you never really get a good sear on the outside, and miss out on much of the grilled food experience. And you'll need to learn to tailor your heat to the needs of what you're cooking--fish typically needs less than chicken, which needs less than beef or lamb.

Putting the meat on too early. You need to wait for the charcoal to ash over and stop flaming. If you don't wait for the coals to get right, you run a much greater risk of flare-ups and scorched food, not to mention off flavors from unburned wood or fillers in your charcoal. This is a non-issue with gas grills.

Not preheating the grate. You need to put the grill grate over the coals as soon as you can so it preheats well. If your grate isn't preheated, you won't get grill marks, and your meat is more likely to stick. You need to do this if you have a gas grill too--maybe more so, since they typically don't get as hot.

I'd recommend that you find a basic book about grilling. Any of Steven Raichlen's books will give you the general tips on how to do things. I'm not wild about his overuse of rubs and sauces--I think they're totally unnecessary most of the time--but he does know his way around a fire and a grill grate.

However, if you want your meat well-done, be prepared to eat a lot of dry (and likely tough) meat. Your only option at that point is to switch to low-and-slow techniques that cook things like pork shoulder for a really long time at a low temperature (traditional barbecue). The meat gets fully cooked, but because it has a lot of fat and connective tissue to render, retains a moist mouthfeel. But this isn't grilling, per se, and takes many hours.


How necessary is it to marinade meat before making jerkies? So I just got myself a dehydrator, for the purpose of making jerkies.

I was thinking of just seasoning the meat lightly instead of marinating them, which takes considerably more time, needs more sauce and a bit more effort.

Would it make a lot of difference? I suppose I could always experiment, but from the "making sure I won't get sick from parasites" point of view, will a super dry jerky be safe if it's not been marinated?

Also, would it depend on the meat?

Marinating your meat makes it safer primarily by introducing it to salt, which kills bacteria. It is possible to make jerky safely without it, though you need to be careful.

You should use lean meat; fat is the most likely component in the meat to go bad.

It's also important to regulate the temperature closely and make sure hold the meat at temperature for long enough.

You can get some really really nasty bacteria if you don't cure meat correctly, so it's worth taking some time on it. Check out this guide on safely making jerky in a home dehydrator for more info.


How do I maximize the shelf life of my homemade hot sauce? I am planning on putting this year's crop of hot peppers to use by trying my hand at making my own hot sauces.

I've never tried this before, but I've found a number of recipes on the Internet.  However, I'm concerned about shelf life, and the variations in preparation methods that I'm seeing in the recipes are a bit confusing.

Some of the recipes simply call for mixing the peppers, some other vegetables (typically carrots, onions or bell peppers), seasoning (such as sugar or garlic) and vinegar.  The mixture is then blended in a food processor, and is "ready to eat" with no cooking.

Others call for simmering the ingredients in vinegar prior to putting them in the food processor.

Yet others actually detail month-long fermentation processes.

Some of the recipes say the resulting sauce will last at least for a year.  Others say a month or two.

Since the sauces will be too hot for anyone in the house but myself to use, I would prefer to extend the shelf life as long as possible.  If it goes bad in a month, I'll wind up throwing away a ton.

What is the basic method I should use to maximize the shelf life of a combination of hot peppers (bhut jolokia or ghost peppers, if that matters), carrots, garlic, and possibly bell peppers, apples, or grapes (all alternative ingredients I am interested in experimenting with)?

What is the best way to store the results?

What is a reasonable expectation for a safe shelf life for the resulting hot sauce?

Vinegar and sugar make good preservatives. Provided you use sterilised containers - place them in boiling water for twenty minutes, add the sauce, seal, then boil again for ten minutes - you should be fine. Store the bottles/jars in a cool place out of direct sunlight.

Avoid using oil during preparation, as you run the risk of introducing Botulinium into the mix. This would probably be neutralised by the vinegar, but it really isn't worth the risk.

As always, if the sauce smells or looks suspect when you come to use it, throw it out. Again, it's not worth the risk of food poisoning.


How to efficiently shred a lot of cabbage? I'm growing cabbages in my garden this year and would like to make lots of sauerkraut, to eat and to give as gifts.  Gallons of it.

Is there an efficient way to slice or shred a dozen cabbages at a time?  Using a grater for that much cabbage is going to destroy my arms.

I would buy a one-purpose gadget or an attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer that didn't cost more than ~$60 if that's the right way to proceed.

There is a kraut cutter, a wooden board about 2 ft long with a diagonal blade.  We used all the time when I was a child. We laid it on a large pot.  You cut heads of cabbage in half and push it over the blade flat side down.  Try google or an old fashioned hard ware.


Using Clotted Cream as Whipping Cream Can I add normal milk or cream with a 30% fat content to clotted cream with a 58% fat content to make whipping cream?
can clotted cream be whipped on its own?
I want to decorate a cake.

I have never actually tried it, but clotted cream is made by gently heating heavy whipping cream for 12 hours or so, which causes the fat to separate and coagulate on the top. I have tried to infuse heavy whipping cream with tea flavors in the past by gently heating it for a far shorter amount of time, resulting in no visible change to the cream's structure. Even after thoroughly re-chilling the cream, it did not whip up like normal heavy cream at all.

I did achieve some measure of success when I added some fresh heavy cream to my infused cream, but it still had a different consistency from whipped cream and lacked the normal stability I would have expected.

So to answer your question, you probably won't get exactly what you want. The fresh cream you add will likely whip, and the clotted cream is thick enough that you might not have the stability issues I had, but it definitely won't be a regular whipped cream.

I would be careful whipping it at all, however. Clotted cream was initially invented as another way to make butter, and trying to whip it will likely turn to butter more quickly than regular cream.


How do I make a caramel disk? I would like to make a thin disk of caramel that could be placed on the top of a cookie. I need it to be very smooth with neat edges because I plan to cover it with royal icing. I was wondering if I made a chewy caramel recipe, but spread it thin, freeze it, then cut with a round cutter, would that work? I've never frozen caramel before, so I don't know if it would have any adverse effects.

You can freeze caramel, but I don't think that is your best option. I think your best option is to pour the caramel while it is still warm enough to pour into equal sized disks, and let it stiffen naturally. Use a silpat or a lightly greased surface.

To do so would take some practice, but once you have it down, you should be able to do it pretty easily and with very little waste.

If you have the dexterity, you could even pour the slightly warm caramel right onto the cookies.


Veggie Burger local to Tulancingo, Mexico When I was in Tulancingo, Mexico I had some type of vegetarian burger that I was told was specific to that region. I don't know the Spanish name or what was in it.

Does anyone know what this would be, what it is called, what's in it?

I was there in 1993-94.

We call those sandwiches guajolotes [*]; they are specific to to Tulancingo.

  One of the typical foods of the Tulancingo region are los guajolotes: buns (similar to a white bread baguette) are halved, filled with refried beans, cheese enchiladas, onions, and salsa. Guajolotes may also sometimes include meat, such as: shredded chicken, ham, sausage, or other delicacies. The assembled sandwich is then pan-fried in butter or oil. [**]

Here is a youtube video of one being made.

* Direct translation: turkeys
** Roughly translated from wikipedia: Tulancingo de Bravo


Will smoked-then-fried foods impart smoke flavor to cooking oil? I am preparing for a chicken wing cooking competition later this month. One way I've been making wings lately is starting with a ride in the smoker to par cook and add a hint of smokey goodness (think apple wood smoked roasted garlic butter wings).

During the competition I plan to offer some smoked wings as well as some non-smoked wings.

I am worried my smoked wings will leech so much smoke flavor into my oil that I will have to either fry them all after I cook the non-smoked wings or use multiple fryers and designate one for each style.

I haven't had a chance to test this theory yet. Am I over thinking it or will this be a problem?

The smoke flavour will definitely impart into the oil and you will have to cook the wings separately to achieve the desired flavour difference.
Cheers Dean


Can a large number of eggs be scrambled in a pot? I am looking cook a breakfast goulash to serve 30 people.  It seems like breakfast goulash is usually done in a large frying pan (see this recipe).

The quantity I am aiming to make, however, will not fit in any frying pan, so I am wondering if I can carry this out in a very large pot.  However, will 30-40 eggs properly cook in a pot, and are there any nuances I should be aware of?

You are going to have trouble scaling that recipe up to that size, due to the limited heat output of a home type burner element or electrical element.  They can only have sufficient power to brown so many hash browns, or cook so many eggs at once.  Furthermore, most home cooks don't have a pan with sufficient surface area to manage that quantity of ingredient in one go--there is a reason that restaurants and institutions use large flat griddles for the purpose, not large pots.

Instead, I recommend that you look to a class of similar breakfast casserole dishes that you can bake.   This will offer you better scalability, and less risk of scorching or burning, and almost certainly be less work.

It is much easier to put two or three casseroles in the oven than to manage a stove top dish at that scale.


How to make chapattis round and of same thickness? I have tried making Chapatis many times. I can make dough for Chapati very well, but I am failing when it comes to structure of the roti/chapati.

I make two mistakes:

When I try to flatten it, one side (when you look at it horizontally) is thicker than the other which makes it hard to be cooked evenly and results in a chapati that no one wants to eat.
Chapati should be round, sometimes I am lucky, most of the times it is similar to map of Australia. Is there a trick to keeping the chapati all uniformly round?

If you are having trouble rolling dough to a uniform thickness then you might consider putting training wheels on your rolling pin until you get more practiced.

http://www.amazon.com/Rolling-Hills-Pin-Rings/dp/B000I1ZXBC
(I don't know anything about this particular brand.)

These rubber bands fit on your rolling pin and act as spacers so you can enforce a strict thickness upon your dough. They are, of course, useful for rolling out many things besides chapati.

To reiterate what @rumtscho and @bob said. Your dough should be of a uniform consistency if you want to roll it out in a uniform manner.

As far as a perfect circle goes, turn it often and don't roll too much in one direction. It just takes some practice.


I left my non-stick pan in the oven while it was preheating, can I still use it? Long story short, I left my non-stick pan in the oven while it was preheating. Left it in there for about 20 - 30 minutes, including 15 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Just wondering if I can still use it or if I have to toss it. Thanks for your time, any input is appreciated!

EDIT: It's a T-fal Viva Frying Pan.

EDIT 2: Thanks everyone!

From the T-FAL site:

  • Oven safe to 500°F/260°C if handles are all stainless steel. Oven safe to 350°F/175°C if handles have any phenolic, plastic parts.
  Oven safe to 400°F/204°C if handles have any silicone parts.

So the pan itself should be fine, but the handles can be damaged.  No need to toss it just because you're worried about the coating being changed.


Braising with 2 dutch ovens - time? So, the wife and I are in charge of New Years dinner. That involves 2 5-lb boston butts.

One dutch oven is allclad, the other dutch oven is cast iron. The braising recipe calls for 8-10 hours on low in a slow cooker, or 4-5 hours at 325 in a dutch oven.

If we try to braise with both pots in the oven, how will that impact cooking time? Will it increase cooking time since we have 2 pots?

There should be no adjustments required:
Yes, two pots take a few minutes longer to heat up than one, but with 4-5 hours total, it shouldn't matter.


What method can be used to peel an Avocado without damaging it? This is a problem I really have each time I want to peel them. Over the years I used forks, spoons and knifes but always the Avocado gets damaged as it is mushy, pulpy when I peel it and gets a mess. Is there any method than can I use to properly peel it or perhaps a tool developed for this purpose?. If there is a video or picture that can accompany the answer that would help me a lot.

In my experience, the most important part of peeling an avocado without damaging it is to first select an avocado that is perfectly ripe.  A perfectly ripe avocado will yield to gentle pressure in the palm of your hand.  Once you've selected appropriately, halve it lengthwise and whack the pit with a heavy, sharp knife and lift it out.  Then use your fingers to gently remove the peel. If the peel does not separate cleanly, try it again with a less ripe avocado.


Kneading dough - significance of warm hands I made bread the other day and kneaded the dough by hand. The recipes everywhere ask for warm water, which is understandabe for the yeast to rise.

When my mother kneads dough using the same recipe, it turns out much softer and her bread in turn is softer. I wonder if it is because her hands are generally warm and mine cold? Or is it just a different kneading technique.

The temperature influences the speed of rising, but to significantly change the dough hardness, you need a very cold temperature. Even if your hands are "cold", they are certainly above air temperature, and firming up dough through coldness is only possible if you use very cold ingredients, below fridge temperature (4 Celsius).

It could be kneading technique, if by "technique" you mean the amount or type of lubricant added. Some people knead in a bowl of flour until the dough stops sticking. This will give you a very hard dough. Some use minimal amounts of flour during kneading, and yet others may knead without a lubricant, or using oil or water. Again, this is a very likely culprit in achieving different grades of softness.

A somewhat more "hidden" influence would be the direction of kneading (do you align your gluten into sheets or ropes, or do you just knead directionless) and the relaxation time given to the dough during kneading. The length will also play a role, longer kneaded dough develops more gluten and becomes tougher. But while these differences will contribute to a harder (actually "tighter") dough during kneading, they should be reduced after proofing. And the baked bread won't be harder, but slightly more translucent and chewy. This is because they result in more gluten, and what you describe (bread harder after baking) points to more flour.

So, if there is no difference in lubricant addition, one of you is probably measuring differently from the other and ending with a different ratio. Maybe one or both of you measures by volume, or is using a badly calibrated scale.


Cooking more than one dish that require different temperatures I'm cooking two different dishes in the oven at the same time that each require different temperatures. One is a roasted vegetable dish that says to cook at 475 for 35-40 minutes and the other is parmesan crusted pork chops at 350 for 40-45 minutes. What do you suggest I do?

I would put the oven on 350, and cook the pork chops according to the recipe. Put in the vegetables for the last 30 minutes. Once the pork chops are done, cover them and let them rest for 15-20 minutes. In the mean time, turn up the temperature to 475 and finish cooking the vegetables for 15-20 minutes.

The reason I suggest you adapt the temperature to the pork chops is that they are most likely to dry out if you deviate from the recipe. Roasted veggies on the other hand are almost fail safe. The first 30 minutes on a low temp will start cooking them, and the last few minutes will add some crispiness to them.


What is this tea stalk that almost every cup of tea in anime has? Here are two photos of tea stalks in their natural habitat:

I've never seen those myself when I made tea, and I've been making at least two cups of tea every day for the past six years.

Is it a Japanese tea thing? Is it sorted out from the leaves in other regions? I've been buying some export green teas from Japan (sencha mostly) but I've never had any tea stalks appear in my cups. How do I get them?

One type of tea style popular in Japan is Karigane (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karigane_(tea)#Karigane) Karigane tea is made from the stalks, not the leaves. This means anything that slips out of the teapot's strainer will be a stalk. This could be one of many types of Japanese tea: you can find Gyokuro Karigane (the stems and veins of Gyokuro tea leaves) or Hojicha/Houjicha Karigane (stems of tea leaves roasted in the same way as standard Houjicha.)

Stem teas tend to be a lighter, more delicate version of their heavier-hitting leafy counterparts.

You can also find blended teas, where there will be leaves as well as stems in the mix.

P.S. I like the "natural habitat" line :)


Non-spicy substitute for chili peppers when making a Thai curry paste from scratch I'm making a green Thai curry paste from scratch. I'm very happy with the recipe, and I've made it with much success in the past, but today I am cooking for someone who can't take much heat. Or well, only very little; I can put a single capsicum annuum ('standard' red chili pepper?) in a  dish for 4, let's say.

But the recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of green bird's eye chilies. That's definitely going to be too hot, even if I de-seed and trim the insides. However, a significant part of the paste comes from these (there's about 11 Tbsp of ingredients in total, so 1/3th to 1/4th is the chilies) and leaving them out entirely probably doesn't do it any favour.

So my question is, what would you replace them with? I could get a green bell pepper, but I imagine that'd be quite watery. I also have access to jalapenos, which are a bit milder (and green, as far as that matters) but I imagine could still get quite spicy. Or perhaps I do leave them out after all. What would you go for?

Let me take a wild swing -

I think trying to generate the volume required by using jalapeños would be too hot for your friend & you're right that a regular capsicum/bell pepper wouldn't have enough flavour to water ratio. Also 'bell peppers' don't taste like chillies.

How about Hungarian or Banana peppers?

Now, this is quite a variable & may depend on where you live as to which type you can access. Here in North London I can choose from 3 varieties without going more than 50m from my front door - from the the fat 'triangular' ones like giant fresnos with very smooth skin which are very cool, to the skinny ones about 20cm long with a 'lumpy' skin, which would be the type I would aim for.
Though they are generically known as Hungarian, [& of course, could actually be grown anywhere] they are likely to be commonly found in Turkish stores - local availability of course not guaranteed.

They taste like 'chilli' not like 'bell peppers' but they really don't have too much kick to them. They would generate the flavour without too much heat, but not sufficient colour, so you could perhaps trick some extra coriander [cilantro] into your paste to deepen the green.

From comments - though I wouldn't bother for myself, you can keep the heat down still further by not using the seeds or inner 'whiter' membranes.


Garlic turning green? When I try to make garlic bread or, in general, something where the garlic is not in a liquid, it sometimes turns green while cooking! It's worth noting that the taste doesn't seem to really be "off", but the color certainly isn't appetizing. Without doing a ton of experiments myself, does anyone happen to know what causes this?

What I'm doing for garlic bread is as simple as slicing the bread, buttering it, putting crushed garlic on it, and baking. Is there something I'm doing wrong, or perhaps something I should be doing to prevent it?

As far as I'm aware there are a few possible reasons for this to occur.

Young garlic can turn green when the presence of an acid, in this case the butter.
As a possible chemical reaction between the garlic and certain types of cooking utensil, such as cast iron or copper.
It will sometimes change colour if it has prolonged exposure to bright sunlight.

The most important worry can be dismissed, it's not harmful :)


Substitute for Pastry Flour from Limited Traditional and Alternative Flours I have a recipe for sponge cake that calls for either all white pastry flour or an equal mix with whole wheat pastry flour.  Unfortunately, the only pastry flour I have is whole wheat.  The recipe specifically warns against All-Purpose, which it claims will dry the cake out.
These are the flours I have...is there any hope?

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
Unbleached White Whole Wheat Flour
Unbleached White Flour
Whole Wheat Flour
Garbanzo Bean Flour
Tapioca Flour
Spelt Flour
Buckwheat Flour

I also have traditional powders like xantham gum, baking soda, cornstarch, etc.

About.Com suggests "two tablespoons corn starch, combined with enough all-purpose flour to make a cup," but warns that the extra protein content will increase toughness.

Thank you!

You can sift the whole flour to make it white flour.

Originally, millers used stones to grind the grains. The whole grain was completely ground, and all of its parts were mixed in the process. Wealthier people could sift the flour to discard the husks. Poor people ate whole flour bread.

Nowadays, flour is gotten from roller mills, where first the husk is removed, then the germ, and then the endosperm is ground. When you get whole flour (unless the miller says it's stone milled), they've put together the outer part and the endosperm. You can sift it to separate them.

So, in both cases, sifting the whole wheat pastry flour will make you get white pastry flour.


What ingredients can be added to pasta to give a different color? I've experimented with fresh pasta, using the following ingredients to color it:

Beetroot puree
Carrot puree
Cocoa powder

The first two were successful, the cocoa poweder resulted in a very visually appealing but rather disgusting pasta.

Any other suggestions for stuff you can put in the dough, other than the banal versions using spinach or dried tomatoes, to make for interesting colors?

We use spinach to color and flavour fresh pasta.


How to get dried split peas to be equivalent to fresh peas I'm making Fresh Pea Soup, but I don't have fresh green peas. Instead, I have dried peas that I obtained from the bulk section at my local market.

The recipe asks for 4 cups of fresh green peas. In the recipe, they only need to be cooked for five minutes. I'm fairly certain that I wouldn't get the right consistency if I only cooked the dried peas for five minutes. How long should I soak, then boil the dried split peas for so that I can just treat them as fresh peas?

There is no way that dried peas are going to perform well in a recipe designed for fresh peas.  Instead, you should look for recipes that work with dried peas, such as the canonical split pea soup.


How to achieve "fall off the bone" in a leg of lamb using sous vide? I have recently experimented with leg of lamb, following the popular recipe on chefsteps . Both times I cooked the meat, with bone, for 24h at 57°C (134°F).

While the result was generally good, I received a comment, that the meat didn't fall of the bone, and that perhaps next time, I should increase the temperature. However, I think, that I need to increase the time instead.

What is the solution for this situation? Is it even possible to achieve fall of the bone, cooking at low temperatures?

I have read, that for the fall of the bone effect to occur, connective tissue must break up, which happens at 145°F (62°C), which is obviously quite a bit more temperature, than my setup.

For the record, the meat was quite tender, but it had structure, it was not mushy and it also didn't fall of the bone.

Ribs and legs are "done" when they are 145°F internal temp, but they may still be tough. If you take them up to 190 to 203°F, the collagens and fats melt at this temp and make the meat more tender and juicy.

Alot of people prefer caramelized and easy to eat meat. Altough I would not call this sous vide.

A longer cooking time would not melt the fats and collagens, but tenderize the meat more.


Is it sensible to add steamed vegetables to a vegetable curry to reduce cooking time? The objective is to make an Indian mixed vegetable curry like this one. However, the last time I tried it, I had used more vegetables than what the recipe specifies, and needed to cook it for around 40 to 50 minutes until it got cooked.

Since pressure cookers are able to cook vegetables faster, I considered doing that, and found a recipe which steams vegetables in a pressure cooker. So it made me wonder if I could follow the mixed vegetables recipe as-is until the step where they add vegetables to the pan, and instead of adding uncooked vegetables, I add the steamed vegetables, then that'd reduce the cooking time drastically. I'd assume it'd take a total of:
10 min to steam the vegetables in the pressure cooker.
10 min to sauté the onions, spices and tomatoes in the pan.
5 or 10 min to cook the vegetables after transferring them from the pressure cooker to the pan.

Does that sound like a sensible plan or is the steaming of vegetables meant to be an entirely different recipe?

I‘m sure you could do this.

But the gain may be less than you calculate and the results will not be exactly the same:

If you are (pre-)steaming the vegetables, your are keeping their individual flavor whereas by cooking in the curry sauce you get a more evened out flavor as the various ingredients contribute to the overall flavor and absorb the spices. This may or may not be what you prefer, but it’s how your first recipe is designed.
If you are using a pressure cooker, you might reduce the overall cooking time, but you are doubling the washing up: two pots instead of one. And most pressure cookers need hand washing.

Another aspect:

If your vegetables took significantly longer than you expected, it’s likely that you used bigger chunks than the recipe author. So if you want to save cooking time, consider cutting your vegetables smaller. Unless your stove has serious problems, the amount of veggies shouldn’t be too much of a factor.

Bottom line:
It’s up to you which approach you choose to reduce the cooking time, as both can work. I personally would just cut the vegetables a bit smaller.


better to marinate in vacuum? I am going to marinate some chicken for an Indian dish. I will cook it sous vide.

now I wonder whether I should vacuum seal chicken with marinade, or marinate and then vacuum seal? what is preferable and why?

Marination, contrary to popular wisdom, is a surface treatment.  Meats are simply not that porous; the only molecule small enough to penetrate more than a millimeter or two beneath the surface is salt, which diffuses at a rate of about 2 cm per 24 hours.

So I would choose the route of convenience:  do you want the marinade in the bag as you are going through the cooking, perhaps as the basis of the sauce?  In that case, add it and seal.

Otherwise, complete the marination and then seal.


Is it possible to season chicken breast with BBQ sauce before baking it in the oven? I always put BBQ sauce on my chicken after it is done baking, but I was wondering if I can do the same while seasoning it to save time?

Yes you can, and should try it.

Baking the chicken with the sauce will cook the sauce and will start caramelize some of the sauce making the chicken better (IMO).


Can I make a sweet hot water crust pastry? I’ve been making lots of Hand raised pies recently and I’m wondering if it’s possible to do a sweet hot water crust pastry.  What I’m wanting to attempt is a Christmassy Hand raised mince pie.

My usual savoury pie pastry recipe for one pie with lid is 150g fplain flour, 33g lard, 50ml water, 1tsp milk and a pinch of salt.  I find this amount fits my pie dolly perfectly with no waste.

I’m hoping it will just be as simple as add some sugar but wonder about effect of other substitutions?  Lard swapped for coconut oil?  Adding butter?

Has anyone tried sweet hot water crust before as not found much online?

You can easily add sugar to pie crust dough. In Germany, the formula "3-2-1" doesn't mean "flour-fat-water", it means "flour-fat-sugar". And I believe that I have seen shortbread cookies with even higher sugar ratios. To clarify, you are supposed to use sifted confectioner's sugar, since any larger crystals will have a hard time dissolving.

These doughs are generally made as shortbread (= simple mixing), not as a pate brisee (which is hot water). But I think the French do make sweet pate brisee. Couldn't find a source though, since it seems modern French websites don't care much for the traditional distinction of pate sablee (cold method) and pate brisee (hot water method). Still, I would just go ahead and try it - mix the confectioner's sugar into the dough and see how it works out.

Also, I wouldn't substitute the lard. I love the texture it gives, and I am personally not at all put off by its taste in sweet recipes. I know some people may react to it as weird, simply because they have never encountered the combination, but if you give it a chance, you may be pleasantly surprised.


Frying pan Teflon damage I have a problem. Let's say I buy a frying pan for about 130 EUR. But after 5 months of using it 3 times a week, it looks like the photo. What am I doing wrong please ? (I never scratch the pan.  I always wait until it's cold before washing it, I protect the Teflon with shoam)

Edited: to react to your comments, my habits are: preheat the pan for about 6 minutes on the biggest flame without oil - to prepare it for a steak. But i use it like this for about 20% of time. Is preheating damaging the Teflon?  If so.. what material should i use?

These don't look like scratches to me, more like heat damage. You are either using it for the wrong tasks (e.g. steak), or using it improperly (e.g. preheating it), or the extremely frequent use is simply too much and tires the material.

Without knowing more about your cooking habits, we can't tell you what to change.

Edit: just realised you are using it 3 times a week, not 3 times a day. Scratch the last reason (too frequent use).


How do you wash fruit and veggies effectively? When eating or preparing fruit and vegetables, you should wash them beforehand to get rid of pesticides, bacterias, fertilizers, etc. However, I notice that I (and others I know), just put the thing for a few seconds under cold running water while rubbing it softly.

Is this quick rinse enough to remove those unwanted things or at least some of them? What big of a proportion are washed away by this?

I've found this question, but I'm not satisfied with it.

Pesticide reduction by simply rinsing with tap water is significant, but doesn't remove everything. Of those tested 75% were removed with plain tap water. http://www.ct.gov/caes/cwp/view.asp?a=2815&q=376676

You can quickly blanch your fruit or vegetables to sanitize the outer skin.  http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/blanching.html

A mild vinegar solution can help fruits and vegetables last longer in the fridge. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14540742


Bread-machine recipes: are liquid ingredients fungible? I've noticed that the recipes that came with my bread machine all have about the same ratio of liquid ingredients to flour: for a 1.5-pound loaf, 3 cups of flour is accompanied by 1 cup of water +2T oil, or 0.5 cup of water plus 2 eggs (+oil), or 1 cup of milk.  Does this generalize -- could I replace (some) water with oil, for example?  An egg with water or milk?  Are water, milk, oil, and eggs largely interchangeable by volume, or are there other trade-offs with respect to the chemistry involved?  (I'm not asking for judgements about taste.)

I ask because I'd like to start moving from following the recipes that came with the machine to broader experimentation, but I'm not very experienced with bread in general, let alone bread machines.  And most immediately, I want to make bread that brings out an olive-oil flavor, which existing recipes aren't doing for me.  (I have a pretty good feel for experimenting when cooking, but baking is a world unto itself.)

There are three major properties of the liquids:

Fat based (oil, melted butter, bacon drippings, and on) versus water based (milk, juice, water, and so on).
Flavor - some liquids, juices and to a lesser extent, milk have a distinct flavor that will effect the bread
Acid - Some liquids, like orange juice, are more acid and affect the pH of the dough

Not every liquid falls neatly into these exact categories.   Milk, for example, is about 87% water, 4% fat, and the rest is sugars and proteins.   These differences are often insignificant compared to the overall bread recipe.

In general, you can substitute fat-based liquids for other fat based ingredients, and water based liquids for other water based liquids.

Most breads also have the capacity to carry additional fats and sugars (called enrichment), which at its extreme leads to breads like brioche which are very sweet and fatty.

Eggs are a complex ingredient in that the whites are mostly water, with some protein (albumin), and the yolks are about 50% water and 50% fat.

See related:

Are there any general principles of ingredient substitutions?    Note that in a bread recipe, with so few ingredients and a deceptively complex chemistry, all of the ingredients have a role to play in the chemistry, so the major factors you are looking at are the overall total ratios of fat, sugar, and water to the flour.  Accent ingredients would be add ins like carway seeds in rye bread which don't incorporate into the dough.

In regards to your desire for more olive oil flavor, you almost certainly can substitute olive oil for any fats already in the recipe with comparable results.  Most dought can even carry a little more fat, although this will inhibit yeast growth and gluten development, so that you will need more kneading and more proofing time.

You can also brush the crust with olive oil before or after baking.

The very best way to get olive oil flavor into your bread is to dip it in oil when you eat it.  This also allows you to get the full flavor of a quality oil, as many nuances would be lost if it was baked into the bread.


Liquid underneath clotted cream TL;DR Why do I find liquid at the bottom of the pan when I make clotted cream?

I've read about clotted cream in books all my life, but it wasn't a thing where I grew up. I recently discovered this recipe online and have tried it out a few times. I follow the directions exactly:

Set convection oven to about 170º or 175º F
Pour cream into clear Pyrex baking dish to about 1" thickness
Put dish in oven and let it remain there for at least 8 hours
Remove dish from oven and let cool for 15 minutes
Refrigerate for 5 or 6 hours.

Each time, I have the same issue. The top layer of the result looks just like in the video, but the buttery portion goes only about three-quarters of the way down the baking dish. The rest is just liquid. In the video, when Steve scoops out the cream at 4:27, it is obvious that there is no liquid at the base.

What accounts for this difference? I have three theories, but don't know whether any of them is correct:

Steve says to use "fresh cream". Does that mean unpasteurized? Raw cream, as it's called here, is super expensive and only semi-legal to buy. So I have to buy pasteurized. I've used both UHT and non-UHT pasteurized cream, and have seen the same results from both. Is it possible that using pasteurized cream causes there to be liquid?
Steve also says to use the "thick cream that we would use for whipping up", which according to Wikipedia means cream that is about 35% milkfat, in UK usage. I used heavy cream, which is 36% milkfat in US usage. So I think I'm using the correct equivalent of what Steve says to use, but perhaps I'm using the wrong kind of cream?
Is my oven temperature wrong somehow? I thought perhaps the milkfat was rising to the top too rapidly and then forming a thick seal that prevented the cream at the bottom from separating. Is this a possibility, and if so, how can I fix it?

I'm attaching two pictures. The first shows the liquid after I've removed a small portion of the clotted cream from the top.

The second shows the liquid by itself, poured out into a jar.

From reading this other question, it seems that whey accumulates at the bottom of clotted cream. But I don't see any liquid at all in the video. And besides, the liquid I have does not correspond to my idea of whey. It's still somewhat viscous and yellow, and lacks the grey, transparent thinness of the whey I get from yogurt.

I thought that it might be buttermilk that remains after the milkfat separates, but it also seems too thick to be buttermilk. I put a dash of it in the scrambled eggs I was making to go with the bread I baked to go with the clotted cream, and the eggs were fine. I've previously used it instead of whey or water to bake bread, but it turned the bread somewhat gummy. So what is this liquid anyway?

Oh by the way, the semisolid stuff above the liquid layer is very tasty, but since I've never had any other clotted cream, I don't know whether it is the taste it's supposed to be.

Every recipe I've ever seen for homemade clotted cream has mentioned that layer under the clotted cream.

Clotted cream is essentially clotted milk solids (similar to butter or cheese, but obviously made quite different, and with a different taste), and the leftover liquid is analogous to the whey left over from cheese making or the liquid that remains after churning cream into butter.

It's likely that using a higher fat content or raw (as in fresh from the cow this morning) cream may result in less leftover liquid, but I've never tried it to be sure-- perhaps someone with more experience can tell us.


Saute potatoes without burning them I had a soup recipe that asked me to chop up onions, carrots, and potatoes and then saute them together until soft.  However, when I tried, the potatoes ended up sticking to the bottom and burning despite how much I stirred.

Is it possible to saute potatoes without using so much oil you're basically frying them?

Well, sautéing within itself is the process of frying in hot oil. So I'm not sure how you would actually sauté potatoes in hot oil without actually frying them.

If your potatoes are sticking to the bottom of the pan, then you're not using enough oil to fry them in.

It's difficult to give you any specific advice on this without actually knowing what what you're trying to make and what you're trying to achieve, what the next stage of the recipe is or how the potatoes are meant to be treated.

Do you liquidise this into a soup or are the potatoes meant to float around in the soup whole?

Here's a couple of thoughts on how you might get round this -

Sauté them in a non-stick pan. You won't find the potatoes will stick so easily in a non-stick pan. Then add the contents of this into a larger pot to continue your recipe.
Sauté just the carrots and onions in the pot and sauté the potatoes separately and add them later.
Par boil the potatoes, part sauté the onions and carrots and add the par boiled potatoes to the pan with the onions and carrots to sauté the potatoes before they have a chance to stick to the bottom of the pan.


Bubbles in unopened store bought items? I've noticed air bubbles in several things I've purchased recently. From pasta sauce to salad dressings to salsa.  All different brands, all different flavors.  I see air bubbles inside the jars/bottles, and I wonder why this is, and if it's normal.  Are these items safe to eat?

1.Some companies when they pack would fill it with a air form of preservatives.

2.Other reason for the bubbles could also be simple air that was trapped when it was packed or sealed in the container or packet. And maybe the container/packet was shaken up a bit when dispatched, causing the air inside to move around in the product.

should have no effect on the product. Just trust the best before date. (Unless it tastes funny) :)


What is chickpea flour used for? I bought a bag of chickpea flour once thinking (erroneously) that I could use it to make hummus.  I've since bought dried chickpeas and made hummus the "right" way... but now I have no idea what to do with my unopened bag of chickpea flour.  What is it generally used for?

Now, I know it can be used as a substitute for eggs (in vegan baking) and flour (for gluten-free cooking), but I'd rather not use it as a substitute for something better if I don't have to, so I'm looking for recipes where chickpea flour is the preferred ingredient.

Chickpea flour (gram flour, besan) is very useful in Indian cookery.

The most common use in the West is probably for making bhajis and pakora.  The most popular of which are Onion Bhajis, very popular in the UK.  They are essentially an spiced onion fritter, shaped in either discs or balls.  Any vegetables can be used to make pakora (which is essentially the same thing) or bhajis, but spinach (sag pakora), aubergine (us eggplant, brinjal bhaji), potato (aloo pakora) or cauliflower (gobi pakora) are the most common, sometimes in combination.

Gram flour is also used for making poppadoms (also papad, papadum, a crisp fried pancake, served as an accompaniment to meals with chutney.

One of the more commonly seen uses is in chevda (sometimes chivda), or as we call it in the UK usually Bombay Mix (I believe it is called Punjabi Mix in the US).  A mixture of dried savoury snacks, coated in spice.  One of the primary ingredients is sev, a dried noodle made from gram flour.  Mixtures predominantly composed of sev are called sev mamra.

There are also a number of Indian sweets made with besan.

Besan Barfi (barfi is something akin to fudge, made with condensed milk):

Besan Ladoo (little sweet balls):

NB. You can use it as an egg substitute in vegan cookery, but soya flour works better for the same purpose and, in my opinion, has less associated flavour.


Candy Apple Syrup Leftovers or ??/ I was thinking of making up the candy syrup and saving it to coat the apple later. I could take the candy syrup, and pour it on a buttered parchment paper, let it cool it bit and then blend a food color in it at that time, too.

I want to make little batches of different colors, not one huge batch of one color.  Is this workable, somewhow?

If you try to use a dry method (don't add water to the syrup when you heat it back up), you will likely get a very uneven heating and risk ruining the syrup. If you use a wet method (add water and let it evaporate), you will spend as much effort and time on the coating day as on making it from scratch, so your preparation would be superfluous.

So, while in principle it could be made to work, it is easier and quicker to not do it. Just do it the normal way.


Frozen Corned Beef left out to thaw, in cold basement approximately 40-45 degrees, it was completely frozen about 3 lb. brisket. Discovered it 24 hours later. It was cold to touch, and completely thawed. Still in original vacuum packaging from store. Will this be safe to cook?

I'd be fine with it. Salt is a preservative, and it was still cold to the touch - not the same as if it had spent 24 hours in a 70 degree F environment, or a 40 degree C environment.

The default mantra for this site is to throw everything away. If you or someone you are feeding actually is immune compromised, this makes sense - if not, it's a rather extreme view, but that's the way the wind blows here, so that's the advice you can expect to see upvoted.


How can I barbecue salmon steak? I have two Salmon steaks that I would like to Barbeque. What are some effective techniques for barbecuing salmon?

Buy a cedar plank. Soak it in salted water for a couple of hours

Rub the salmon with olive oil and season it with a little bit of salt, I use kosher salt or smoked sea salt but regular table salt will work just fine. Then put the salmon on top of the plank, skin side down. Then put the plank on the BBQ. You can see the fish cook, it will get pinkish-white starting from the skin and traveling up. If your grill has a top, close it and cook for about 20-30 minutes. Check it to make sure it's not drying out. Internal temp should be around 130 or so.


Can pickles (like beetroot) be frozen? Living alone I can not resist buying pots of pickles.
But I do not dare to open them as I know I will not finish them before they go off, even when kept in the fridge. I have binned a few pots with at least half the pickles still in, gone nasty.

My question, can you freeze the pickles out of a freshly opened pot? My intention is to freeze them in 'one use' portions in plastic bags, so I can get them back to room temperature in the amount(s) I think I will use.
And if you can only do so with some of them, is there a list somewhere?
If I can freeze them, I expect them to be still nice to eat, not coming out as mush or dried out.

At this time I have beetroot, garlic and mini corn on the cob pickles.

Yes, you can freeze pickles, there are no safety considerations you need to be aware of. Freezing ruptures cells and can change the texture food, so your pickles may have a different consistency when they are thawed.


Is this siphon based recipe for mousse au chocolat trying to whip the cream? The following recipe came with my new N2O siphon:

dissolve 75g of chocolate in 275g of cream
cool to 5 degree Celsius
strain through sieve into siphon to make sure no undissolved pieces of chocolate get into siphon
pressurize siphon
shake 8-10 times

When I eat the mousse au chocolat immediately after letting it out of the siphon, it doesn't quite have the texture I expect from mousse au chocolat (my reference is a traditional recipe with eggs, whipped cream and chocolate), but it's still fluffy and nice. When I let it rest in in the fridge however, which usually gives mousse au chocolat a firmer texture without being less fluffy, it kind of deflates and reverts to it's pre-siphon state of liquid chocolate-cream mix. It actually keeps it's fluffiness worse than a vegan variant I also did with 250g of coconut milk and 100g of chocolate (which has enough fat that it becomes solid in the fridge and keeps it's fluffiness).
Is that supposed to happen like that? Isn't a whipped cream siphon supposed to, you know, whip the cream?

This is an expected outcome. Foams made with a siphon are not especially stable over time.
If you are making a siphon recipe without stabilizers, you should prepare it in time for serving, not plan to store it.


How to get rid of the rich iron and blood taste in certain beef cuts? I sometimes get meat that tastes really strongly of iron and blood, usually when the meat is visibly bloodier, but not always. To me it's more of an effect or an assault on the senses than a mere taste and I don't like it, although to each their own.
What are some of the best ways to prepare and cook these cuts to reduce their bloody flavor as much as possible? Please include a way or two that is 'quick and dirty' when time is scarce, and also allow for still being able to serve it on the rare/medium-rare end of the spectrum. I also don't want to just completely cover the natural meat flavors up with spices and added ingredients (although I'm open to good pairings that naturally offset or complement what's going on- like the classic liver & onions).
Do people soak meat in water? Would letting the meat season overnight or let the meat air out do the trick? Also is there a way to predict which meat cuts will taste like this, through visual inspection or knowledge of the cuts?

If your beef has honest-to-goodness blood in it, complain to your butcher.
More likely, what you're seeing/tasting is myoglobin, which does have a bit of a metallic taste when it's not cooked. You can get rid of this in two main ways: osmosis and heat. So here's how to do that.

Dry brine it. Put the beef on a drying rack set on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Salt liberally on all sides and set uncovered on the bottom shelf of your fridge overnight. This will pull a lot of the myoglobin out, while also improving flavor, juiciness, and texture. Pat it dry with more paper towels before cooking/searing later.
Cooking with special equipment. If you want to serve it pink with no metallic taste, you'll want to cook slowly, and at a low heat. That's where immersion circulators (i.e. sous vide) and combi ovens shine. If you have access to these, try cooking your meat to 135F (medium rare, closer to medium) and then sear in a hot cast iron or carbon steel skillet (maybe with crushed up garlic, thyme, butter, etc.)
Cooking with common equipment. If you don't have access to these tools and the cut of meat is reasonably thick (2" or more), then you can set your oven to the lowest setting (other than plate warming) and just wait. Use a good thermometer to detect when your steak gets ~10F below your target temperature, then transfer it to a screaming hot skillet to sear.

Please include a way or two that is 'quick and dirty' when time is scarce, and also allow for still being able to serve it on the rare/medium-rare end of the spectrum.

You'll need to dry brine it, otherwise this is a "pick one" situation. However, if you're cooking skirt or flank steak, then you can still get good results by cooking very hot and very fast, though it will tend to dry the meat out a bit more.


Why is there potato in meatballs? Living in Sweden I do eat meatballs almost everyday. What I've noticed is that most ready-to-eat meatballs you can buy in the store contains potato, potato flakes and potato starch. I'd never even think of putting any potato at all in home made meatballs.

I've also seen this in raw hamburgers. Even the "luxury meatballs" contains almost 15% potato.

Why does most meatball manufacturers use potato?

With absolutely no citation or evidence to back up my claim ;-) I'm going to say that the reasoning is two- if not three-fold…. or maybe more...

It's cheaper. It adds bulk.
It helps the meatball stay whole; a binder. Similar reasoning as breadcrumbs &/or egg, but see 3.
The binder is needed because the EU allows the meat producer to add 10% water to the meat before it's even completed the initial butchery stage[1]. Therefore you need some 'soak-up' to prevent the water being squeezed out as soon as you start to heat the product.
It helps the texture; stops it becoming too chewy. A mouth-feel thing, same as you might make 50% beef/50% pork meatballs. 100% beef can be a bit heavy.

from comments

There's no chance of gluten intolerance issues with potato.

…and a late

It's very probably traditional. Burgers get breadcrumbs, meatballs get potato. Why or why not; because it's always been done that way, which sometimes defies all reason.

[1] I personally consider this a cardinal sin & were I ever to miraculously become 'President of Europe' this practise would become a capital offence ;)


Do flax seeds lose their fiber if cooked? I found a recipe on the internet in which half a cup of ground flax seeds are added to the mixture to make muffins.

Since there is flour and sugar in it I was wondering if that defeats the purpose of using flax seeds to increase your fiber intake.

A survey paper concluded, "Heating generally changes the ratio soluble to insoluble fibre." Both forms are good additions to your diet. The way the ratio change varies from source to source, and the paper does not specify what happens to flax seeds in particular. But flax seeds are well supplied with both kinds of fiber, and unless you have some extreme requirement for one form or the other you'll get sufficient health benefits from consuming them either raw or cooked. (And if you do have extreme requirements you need a doctor's and dietician's advice on your diet.)

This site is not for nutritional advice, so I can't really address the rest of the question, except to note that the form in which you consume the different ingredients doesn't radically alter the nutritional properties. So eating X sugar and Y flour and Z flaxseeds doesn't undo anything; it just adds those amounts of nutritional components to your diet.


Is there such a thing as too much vanilla? I have been making cookies for decades and I have noticed a dramatic change in quality based on the usage of vanilla.  Using weak vanilla or just not enough will lead to bland cookies, oftentimes regardless of the usage of other ingredients.  This has lead me to add twice to three times the amount of vanilla that is called for in my recipes.  So far, I have been happy with the results.  Is this a common experience?  Is there a recognizable upper limit to the addition on vanilla? Or is it that, since I am a fan of vanilla, I am simply making cookies to my personal taste?

How much is too much is a totally subjective thing. Yes, there is such a thing as too much, but where that point is will vary among tasters. There is no objective question here to answer. No one answer to the question will be "correct".

I really like vanilla, and I like flavors to be on the rich side, so I tend to be a bit heavy-handed with vanilla. A few (very few) times I have been surprised to have that heavy-handedness criticized. Why would they not like my amazing vanilla ice cream? They experience vanilla differently than I do. What is ideal for me may be overdone, even cloying, to my neighbor.

So, when it comes to various flavorings (vanilla is just one of many), get to know your own "likes" and what your audience likes. After that, you can ignore what the recipe says and just do what feels right to you, knowing your audience and the potency of your ingredients as well.


Grapefruit recipe substitute to avoid medicine interaction? A good friend just underwent a kidney transplant and the anti-rejection drugs are known to interact with grapefruit, so while he is of course incredibly grateful for his new kidney, he is a little sad that he will literally never have grapefruit again.

I know this is a weird one but I'm curious if anyone knows of good flavor extracts that contain absolutely no grapefruit but provide a credible grapefruit flavor so I can make him something grapefruity, yet medication-safe.

Two ideas come to mind:

Artificial grapefruit flavor. Clearly not the most desirable ingredient, but they make it and you can buy it online if you look for it.
Hoppy beer (IPAs) for aroma. Certain hop varieties have a strong grapefruit aroma. You can seek out West Coast-style IPAs for this (Lagunitas IPA or Lil' Sumpin and Ballast Point Sculpin are some that come to mind). Or homebrew your own beer with hops like Cascade, Amarillo, Centennial, Citra, and there are several others. You can google for grapefruit hops.

Otherwise, you might try meyer lemon. It's sweeter than a lemon, but still has some sourness, though not the same as grapefruit.


Is there a specific thermometer to check soup temperature? I'm currently struggling with overcooking small fish so trying to use a thermometer to check water temperature.

The thermometer I currently use

However it says 'meat thermometer' not sure if it can be used to check soup water.  I tried it today(dipped it in soup water) and it seemed to reflect correctly.

1.Is this thermometer ok or is there one I specifically need to get for soup water?

2. If it makes contact with bottom of pot might it be that it reflects a higher temperature due to pot surface conducting more heat and so are you meant to dip in water but not make contact with bottom of pot?

3.  Even if linked thermometer is ok, is there something which is more appropriate/easy to use when checking soup temperature e.g. something perhaps i could just hang on the pot without having to handle at intervals like the linked one?

Sorry if this is a stupid question.

This is fine, albeit inconvenient
Don't make contact with the bottom of the pot, for the reasons described. Stirring can help make the temperature more uniform.
You could try a candy thermometer. But most soups aren't sensitive enough that you need to be super careful -- just poking it with a Thermapen or something similar every few minutes is probably more than enough. You can also get an oven-safe dial type thermometer and thread it through a binder clip or similar clamped to the pot, or an oven probe type thermometer (the kind with the probe on a cord).

For an overview of different thermometer types, see this USDA link.


What size cake pan could be substitued in place of muffins? I have a recipe that the blogger said made 24 mini muffins and had enough batter left for 4 regular sized muffins.  If I want to make it into a cake or loaf, what size pan would I need?  I know it would need to have the baking times adjusted.  The recipe, below, is topped with a streusel topping.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3  mashed ripe bananas

3/4 cup white sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup melted butter

Which pan should I use?

Volume of a regular muffins
1/3 cup equals about 79 ml
1/4 cup equals about 60 ml
--> I take the average of both: 70ml per regular muffin

Volume of mini muffins
1/8 cup equals about 30 ml
2 tablespoons equal about 20 ml
--> I take the average of both: 25ml per mini muffin

Total volume
24 mini muffins ⋅ 25 ml/mini muffin + 4 ⋅ 70 ml/regular muffin = 880 ml = 880 cm³ batter

Using the 8x8 pan
8" ⋅ 8" = 20.32 cm ⋅ 20.32 cm ≈ 413 cm². Height of the unbaked cake: 880 cm³ / 413 cm² ≈ 2 cm ≈ 0,75".

Using the 9x13 pan
9" ⋅ 13" = 22.86 cm ⋅ 33.02 cm ≈ 755 cm². Height of the unbaked cake: 800 cm³ / 755 cm² ≈ 1 cm ≈ 0,4 inches.

I assume that baked muffins will gain the same the volume as the volume of the unbaked batter. Or at least 3/4 of their original volume.

The cake without streusel topping in the 8" x 8" pan will be 4 cm or 1,5" thick and the cake in the 9" x 13" pan will be 2 cm or 0,8" thick on the average. After baking, the cake in the 8" x 8" pan might look like a molehill cake :D

After adding streusel topping, I assume you cake will be 1 cm thicker. To prevent extreme doming and to have a shorter baking time I recommend using the 9" x 13" pan.

Baking time

Some receipes in my cook / baking book say that pound cakes backed directly on a sheet pan take about 25 to 30 minutes at 180°C / 356F (in an electric oven) to de done. You should still check your cake continuously after 15 minutes.

image sources:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muffins_with_honey.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muffin_Starbucks_2.jpg


What is the maximum allowed temperature to cook onions saving the fructooligosaccharides? Onions are a great source of fructooligosaccharides that are a natural prebiotic that beneficial bacteria of our gut microbiome feed on.

Having read about this I have started eating raw onions but they can be nasty, as for boiled onions - that's kind of easier for me yet nobody likes them anyway, some people actually find it easier to eat onions raw and just find boiled onions disgusting.

So I have ended up seeking a healthy-tasty ways to cook them.

I've found a  scientific papers by Roberto Vega and Zuniga-Hansen (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.10.119) that says the percent of retention of sc-FOS is greater than 95% at temperatures above 95 °C yet it doesn't seem to make it clear how far above 95 °C can we go.

Olive oil smoke point is 160°C. Is sautéeing onions at near this temperature ok if saving the fructooligosaccharides is what I want?

To give some perspective on FOS (fructooligosaccharides) denaturation characteristics to sucrose (for a baseline since sucrose is a common molecule),

  FOS are water-soluble and their sweetness is 0.3-0.6 times that of sucrose, depending on the chemical structure and the degree of polymerization of the oligosaccharide. FOS are highly hygroscopic and their water holding capacity is greater than that of sucros. The viscosity of a FOS solution is higher than that of sucrose at the same concentration because the greater molecular weight of FOS. The enhanced viscosity of the gastrointestinal content may delay the rate of gastric emptying and the digestion and absorption of nutrients. Their thermal stability also is greater than of sucrose. FOS are highly stable in the normal range of food pH (4.0-7.0).

Source: https://www.ukessays.com/essays/biology/chemical-structure-of-fructooligosaccharides-biology-essay.php

This is comparing the FOS (fructooligosaccharides) to normal sucrose.  Specifically, this mentions that the thermal stability is greater than sucrose.

If sucrose has a decomposition temperature of 186°C (367 °F), when it starts to form caramelized onions, then it is safe to assume that you will be able to fry your onions in olive oil with a smoke point of 160°C without denaturing the FOS since FOS has a greater thermal stability.

Source for decomposition temperature of sucrose: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucrose


Chinese noodle dough breaking when pulled How can I make the dough for Chinese ramen noodles stretchy? It keeps breaking when I pull just a little bit.

I used wheat flour, water, and baking soda. What else am I missing?

EDIT:
400g flour
200g water
1 teaspoon baking soda.

I mixed everything together and started to knead the dough for about 5minutes then i saw it just breaks, so i knead it for about another 10min or more.

Baking soda, being alkaline, makes the dough unstretchable. The hand-pulled noodles recipes I see on the internet do not contain baking soda. But even if you use a noodle maker, you need to add wheat gluten if you want to include baking soda.

More info here : Use high gluten (bread) flour for hand pulled noodles

also: What flour and technique do I need for hand pulled noodles?


How do you get a nice yellow gravy color when making a chicken pot pie? I'm making a chicken pot pie. Taste is decent, texture is good, however the appearance of the 'chicken gravy' inside is more....dull gray like than a more vibrant yellow. I don't mind it, but most people eat with their eyes first so....

Is the yellow color artificial or natural, and what can be added/removed to create this?

I've only seen that color in canned cream of chicken soup and I'm dubious of its source.
I personally don't feel like it has to be yellow.

If your goal is just color I would use turmeric- it is my yellow-stain of choice.


Coconut water from mature coconut I recently bought a green, and a brown coconut (different stages of maturation). I drunk the liquid from the green, young one, which is apparently what you are supposed to do, and it tasted terrible. It was sourish not sweet at all, and had almost like a carbonated feel to it. However, water from the brown coconut (mature) tasted delicious and sweet, and left me much more satisfied. Is there a reason for this, because this is contrary to what I read online.

All coco's are created different. If it is too young then definitely sour.I like them from our trees with 1/4 of spoon meet in them...a treat after you drink them. so I think you want a medium aged coco.


What is this yellow "fat" thing on my bacon Searching in google for yellow bacon fat returns nothing

I'm assuming it's fat, but have never seen a large yellow lump of it on any bacon I have had in the past.

Would this still be good to eat? (Already ate half the pack...)

That's a piece of the rind of the bacon, which is yellow because it was exposed to the smoke. The bacon shifted while being sliced, causing the strip to end up attached to that one piece rather than in bits on the others. It's fine to eat.


Can white wine vinegar be used instead of white vinegar? Recipe calls for white vinegar

Can  I use white wine vinegar diluted to 5 %  acidity?

Generally, vinegars that aren't central to the application (e.g. Balsamic Vinegar in in a Balsamic Reduction) are interchangeable within the same acidity level. Every kind of vinegar has a different distinct flavor and color, so any substitutions will affect the final dish, but not necessarily negatively. Distilled (regular white) vinegar ranges from 5-8% acidity, is colorless and pretty flavorless. Since white wine vinegar has very little color and is mildly flavored, and your vinegar is 5% acidity, it should be a fine substitution.


Which side of the oven tray is the front one? Why? The oven tray provided with my oven is not symmetrical: one side is slanted and the opposite side has holes in the corners.
The manual does not provide any hints, I could only see an image where it looks like the slanted side is the one facing the door, but I'm not sure.
See image.
Which side is which one and why are there holes? I have a normal electric oven without rotating grill.

It doesn't really matter most of the time, but the sloped side should be the one facing you. Any rack designed to go inside the tray would better align with any grill (broiler) elements in that position. It also makes access easier if you don't have any rack in it & need to reach into the tray itself.
The holes may be for some additional attachment, or simply where the tray was hung whilst it was being enamelled. Any kind of heat-set powder coating needs to have a hanger which won't interfere too much with the eventual finish. Often they're placed out of sight, but that's not always possible, depending on the overall design.
Sometimes if you look, or even feel carefully, you can identify where the hanging wire/hook went, by the irregularity in the surface at that point.
Two lovely old enamelled trays showing the holes, with a cheap teflon one underneath, no holes

click for full size


What is the standard ratio of sugar to cream in Crème Chantilly? How many grams of sugar should I use for 250 mL of heavy cream to sweeten it?

Some recipes omit sugar entirely, so the lower bound appears to be zero at least for some uses, but what is the upper bound before it becomes overly sweet? Does this depend on what I'm using the crème Chantilly for?

You can be quite free with your sugar amount, depending on what you want to achieve. I would say that as a rule of thumb, you don't want to create too great a contrast between your sauce and your other components. So, if you are using it for dipping fruit, you can use less sugar than usual, else the fruit will be perceived as too sour. For a rich torte, you can go up with the sugar.

As for the normal range, it can start at zero, but this is very unusual for sweet applications. The upper bound is given by foaming: you can't whip cream well if it has less than 30% fat. (This number is for pure raw cream, and varies even there, depending on factors like cow breed. It can be slightly higher or lower depending on cream treatment - pasteurization etc. - and the amount of stabilizers usually added to whipping cream). So, if you start with a cream which has 35% fat, you shouldn't add more than 16.7 g sugar per 100 g cream (40 g sugar per 250 ml). Else your texture will suffer.

You also ask for a standard amount. This will vary regionally. The Professional Chef recommends 57 g of sugar per 454 g (a pound) of cream, which translates to 12.5 g per 100 g, or 30 g per 250 ml. This is an American book, and I have found that using 2/3 to 1/2 of the recommended amount in most American recipes results in good-tasting sweets, whereas the original amount often produces oversweetened dishes. This would be my guideline for a standard amount too. You can adjust it to your own taste.

On a side note, The Professional Chef insists that it whips best if the sugar is sprinkled in after you have achieved soft peaks. I haven't done it this way, but it is worth a try.


Time and temperature for converting collagen to gelatin in chuck roast cooked sous vide? I've been reading about the long low temperature cooking and its ability to convert collagen to gelatin.  For example, Doug Baldwin describes some data here.   I'm currently focusing on chuck roast since it's a tough cut and needs this conversion.   Is there a chart that describes the time and temperature for full conversion?

For example, my first attempt was 131 F for 30 hours and it was not enough time.

This depends on the end result you are looking for.  At some point, if you leave it in the bath too long, the texture will probably go too mushy for most peoples' liking, but here are a few observations: Baldwin states that 131F (55C) is the lowest temperature for collagen conversion, and that at higher temperatures the denaturing happens more quickly.  So, you could increase the temperature. Since you cooked at 55C, you probably want it on the pink side.  You could go as high as 57C or 58C (though now we are getting into "medium" territory) and still have pink meat. Chefsteps has a recipe for chuck roast, and provides a time and temperature guide.  They cook for 18 hours with temperatures ranging (depending on your desired outcome) from 54 - 72C (129-162F). I am guessing that 18-24 hours produces something that resembles a more traditional roast in the end.  If you are looking for a softer texture, I would go slightly higher on the temperature, and longer on the cook, maybe even 48 hours.


Why did my chocolate tempering fail? I just tried today to temper dark chocolate for the second time. I used about a pound of Toll House dark chocolate chips. If the quality of that chocolate is my problem, that would help me a lot.

My first attempt, I heated 3/4 of the chocolate to about 115 F, took it off heat, and tried to cool it by adding the remaining chocolate as a seed. The instructions I used said it should cool and almost melt all the seed. Wrong, it all melted in about 10 seconds. I'm guessing all the temper in that seed was lost and my chances were ruined right then. All my test parchment failed to set up. I also noticed the thermometer I was using was awful so I went and bought a fancy infrared gun thermometer. I put the failed bowl in the fridge to set up.

I just tried again with the new thermometer. Having no tempered seed, I figured I'd try the melt, cool, reheat method. I put the chunks of chocolate into the glass bowl over a pot of a water on very low heat, and melted it up to 115 again. Then I took it off the heat, and spent over 20 minutes stirring and waiting for it to cool it down to about 82.5 degrees. Then I put it back on the heat for 10 second increments, heating it first to about 85, and keeping it there for a few minutes, then heating it to just a fraction over 88. I held it at that temperature for a few minutes to make sure the form IV crystals were gone, and then dipped some parchment strips. Again, they never set, even in the fridge. Like before, they looked ok, with good gloss, but stayed soft and smeared to the touch.

Rather than getting discouraged I tried heating it back up to about 90 degrees, held it again, and then did more tests. Still nothing. It's back in the fridge now.

I have no idea what to do next except get a different batch of higher quality chocolate to try.

I'm going to blame your thermometers.
The one you used for your first batch you believe was a bad one, so it likely was measuring the temperature incorrectly, so you got poor results.
Then, you bought a really fancy infrared thermometer... which is great for measuring surface temperature but is pretty useless for anything else. Note that surface temp is usually much different than internal temp. Generally, if you're heating something up, the surface will be hotter than the inside and if you're cooling something down, the surface will be cooler than the inside.
This means that all your temperature readings were wrong!
Here's some info about the internal temperature reading myth:

2. An infrared thermometer will tell you the internal temperature
This is another myth worth busting. An infrared thermometer is a surface temperature tool – period. If you’re grilling, baking, smoking, or roasting you’re going to need a penetration probe to tell you the internal temperature of the food you’re cooking. An infrared will only give you the surface temperature of the food, and depending on your optical range, the temp of the surrounding grill, skillet, oven, etc.

I think you should try your chocolate tempering again but with a good-quality instant read thermometer (make sure the temperature range goes low enough) or a candy thermometer (again, some of them start at 100 F, so make sure it goes to the temps you need).


Glue-like smell on cooking paste I recently bought a cooking paste from a well-known retailer in the UK.

Yesterday I opened the jar. The lid made a popping sound when I opened it (that's good), and the paste is well within its "best before" date. However, the paste itself had a very strong chemical smell, something I would describe as "glue" or perhaps acetone.

The ingredients should be tomato, garlic and other spices.

I used 2 teaspoons in over 2l of stock / tomato juice, and the strong smell went away.

Is the paste safe to use?

Is the paste safe to use?

It's hard to say with any certainty -- we can't smell the paste, you haven't said specifically what the paste is (product name, brand, etc.), and there can be a lot of variation in how different people perceive the same odor. Asking for an opinion from one or more people around you could help.

That said, you're the one who is considering eating the product in question, so if it smells bad or unappetizing to you, toss it. In general, if there's a question about the safety of a food, it's better to be safe than sorry. And even if the food in question is safe, there's no reason to use a product that you're pretty sure you won't enjoy.

Keep in mind that there are some strong odors that are less than lovely by themselves, but which are still delicious in small amounts or when mixed with other ingredients. Onion and garlic can fall into that category, and fish sauce isn't great either.

You could call the manufacturer and see what they say about it -- they might send you a coupon for a new jar if you're willing to give the product another try. Or you could take it back to the store and ask for a refund or exchange.

Trust your instinct -- the nose knows.


Can I use a pint/ 500ml whipped cream canister for small volumes? When using a small volume of contents, is it better to fill a larger (pint/ 500ml sized) whipped cream dispenser only partially or to fill a smaller (half or quarter pint/ 125ml or 250ml) whipped cream dispenser fully?

Specifically, will the cream be filled with enough tiny air bubbles if I do not fill it to maximum volume?

Secondarily, is it cost effective to use small batches of content in regards to the whipped cream nitrous oxide chargers?

Edit:

Thanks, commenters who discuss cost effectiveness! Now I know, nitrous oxide chargers are one-time use. :)

You can (to some extent) fill it under the max line and still get good results.

The standard 500 ml whip has an internal volume of 750 ml actually. If you fill it up to the max-line, you’ll have 250 ml left for the gas in the cannister.

Ideal Gas Law states that, pressure changes inversely proportional to the volume of the container.

So... say that you’ve filled up to 250 ml, you’ll extend the volume of the gas twice; thus the pressure will drop twice.

Henry's law on the other hand, states that amount of dissolved gas is proportional to its pressure.
So, the amount of NO2 you'll get dissolved will be also halved.

50% less gas should be your lower-limit I would say. You'll probably have less volume also on your whipped cream as well. If that's something ok with you...

But this approach will signifacantly lower your yield too. As the leftovers in the cannister will be constant, not proportional to your starting amount.


Royal icing safety concern Is it possible to acquire salmonella from consuming royal icing?  Is it better to use a powder substitute?  I am afraid to serve egg whites that have not been cooked in a recipe.  What do you think?

If you can get a powdered substitute, or even pasteurized egg whites, and it will make you feel better, go for it. I understand that using meringue powder is actually a bit easier to work with, so if it's convenient to you, and if it provides some peace of mind, don't hesitate. It won't compromise your final product at all.

I think there are official guidelines saying that eggs must be pasteurized (I forget whether the temperature is 140 or 160F) to be considered "safe," but common wisdom and experience would disagree with that. There's such a high proportion of sugar in royal icing that it will kill anything that might be living in the whites. And salmonella is pretty uncommon, in the grand scheme of things, and when it is found, it's usually in the yolks. If your egg whites are fresh and have been stored properly, I really would not worry about it for royal icing at all.

I won't say that it is entirely impossible to get salmonella from royal icing, but I think the odds are negligible. So again, do what makes you feel better.


My sugar cookies taste dry/stale I baked 200 sugar cookies and as I was frosting them the frosting was running together so I put them in a room we don't use to dry, now the cookies taste dry/stale. I have put an apple in with them, is there any other way to get rid of the dry taste?

Staleness in baked goods is caused by starch retrogradation. Basically as your baked goods age, the structure of the starches goes from fluffy to a more crystalline form, and this forces some of the water out of them. Unfortunately, once this has happened, there's really no way to get the water back in, as the stale flavor and feeling are more related to the starches crystallizing than to the loss of water.

Sometimes warming the starches will temporarily soften them again, but this will be temporary, and when they cool they'll be even more stale than before. You could try gently warming one cookie to see if it helps, and then warming the rest right before serving. If the cookies are already decorated, it may complicate this enough that it would be easier to just make a new batch.

As a last ditch, you could try adding a bit of simple syrup to the undersides of the cookies and letting it soak in. They won't taste "fresh" again, but it will make them less dry.


Why isn't the beef fat in my chili melting? I'm making some Texas-style chili ("beans optional" :) for the second time, and the fat on my brisket just does not want to melt. As the recipe instructs, the chili sits on the stove for 4+ hours at a simmer.

My somewhat-trusty instant-read thermometer says that the temperature is around 205 °F after about 3 hours of simmering. As far as I can tell, very little fat from the brisket has actually melted/rendered by now. I noticed a similar issue last time I made this chili as well: the final outcome had some rather large pieces of fat which were not a particularly nice texture. Here's what it looks like so far:

The brisket is already very tender, and there's very little fat floating on the surface, but there's significant layer of fat still on the beef chunks.

What's going on? I'd really think that multiple hours at 200+ °F would melt most or all of the beef fat in the pot. Is it too hot? Not hot enough? Do I have any hope of getting the fat to melt so I can either skim it off, or mix it in?

Not all the fat in beef (and generally, in any kind of meat) is the same.

Any piece of meat will have a certain amount of marbling fat, which is intramuscular and is hard to remove, intermuscular fat and subcutaneous fat, which can be trimmed off.

From your picture, it seems to me that the fat covering the outer layer of the beef chunks is gristle, which you can easily remove after having cooked your Chili. It is however hard to remove by increasing the temperature, as fat molecules are generally quite big and they are not soluble in aqueous solutions, which makes them kind of float on your sauce in an emulsion.

From my experience as a cook, the best tip I can give you when it comes to Chili or stews is to choose a lean piece of beef, with as little as possible of visible marbling fat and before cooking, to remove as much of the visible fat as you can possibly do. Cooking it gently for four hours will make sure that the meat remains as tender as you can wish. :)