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What conditions make xanthan thicken?
I have used xanthan a few times, sometimes successfully, sometimes less so. The one thing I've noticed: it is certainly not enough to just stir it in until it is well dispersed. Sometimes it will not thicken no matter what I do, sometimes it will stay liquid for ages while I'm sti... | The viscosity of a xanthan solution is virtually unaffected by temperatures from
freezing point to boiling point of pure water and it hydrates rapidly in cold water. You don't need to let it sit on its own and the temperature doesn't matter.
The viscosity of a xanthan solution lowers when whisking or stirring, a proces... |
Does storing meat in plastic alter how long it takes to go off?
I was recently told quite emphatically that "Storing meat in plastic makes it spoil faster"
I suspect that this is an old wives tale, but haven't been able to find anything that either proves or disproves the statement.
I was told that it's true whether i... | The question is 'plastic vs. what else?'
I admit I've never done side-by side tests to prove it, but from my observations, when the deli I went to switched from butcher paper to zip-top plastic bags, sliced lunchmeats wouldn't last in the fridge as long. They'd start getting slimy around two weeks.**
I've noticed the ... |
Why's my icecream jelly like?
I was following this recipe to make some French Vanilla Icecream. I had to prepare some home-made cream from scratch, for I was very short on ingredients. After completing the cooking, during the freezing time, the mix became more jelly like - wobbly and rubbery. I kept stirring and break... | Ice cream depends critically on the fat in the dairy to form the structure and mouth feel. Ice cream mixes there fore are typically fairly high in dairy fat.
You have substituted a comparatively low fat mock cream. which simply does not have the fat necessary to create the body of the ice cream.
In fact, the so-calle... |
Will newspaper covering a cake pan catch fire in the oven?
I need my cakes to bake flat. I have been told to cover the cake tin with newspaper secured with sellotape, but wouldn't this catch on fire in the oven? | Cakes are not normally baked a temperature high enough to ignite paper, although the newspaper will probably singe and brown, and possibly produce an unpleasant odor--some of which may be transferred to the cake. If you are going to go this route, I would recommend using baking parchment, which is intended for the hea... |
What is the thin, colorless film that remains after making oatmeal?
When I cook ground oatmeal with boiling water, a thin colorless film is formed around the interior surface of the pot. The film comes off the pot easily, but it is attached and rooted into the cooked oatmeal. It is colorless and very similar to a thin... | Finely ground oatmeal forms a colloid in water. When that dries at the surface, you get a skin. Colloidal oatmeal feels a little odd in the mouth, but is perfectly edible. It's been used medically to treat skin irritation at least back to the 1800's. |
Ice Cream Sugar Substitutes - Applesauce?
Can I replace the sugar in ice cream with (very smooth) applesauce. I do not enjoy my desserts to be super sweet and I always have tons of homemade applesauce sitting in the fridge. How much would this affect the texture? | Ice cream needs a certain ratio of solids to liquids to work. Sugar is an important solid in ice cream. As applesauce is mostly water, you can't replace all, or even most of the sugar.
The amount of carbohydrates in applesauce will vary depending on how much you cooked it down, but based on a few nutrition data result... |
What is the US equivalent of Golden Syrup (UK)?
Having recently moved from UK to US, when making honeycomb, what should I use as a replacement for Golden Syrup? | Honeycomb can be made with honey or molasses but the flavor will not be the same. There isn't a US equivalent - we have molasses, but it's darker. You can substitute corn syrup in recipes where it isn't the principal ingredient, but here that would not work.
That being said, my local grocery store has a British food se... |
Why does the kneaded dough form a skin when exposed to air and what are the possible ways to prevent the skin formation?
I knead the whole wheat flour with water and when I am done I keep it covered with a loose lid on the kitchen counter for a hour.
I have noticed that a brown coloured skin gets formed on the surface... | The skin forms because water evaporates from the surface of the dough. The middle doesn't dry out because the drier dough skin is less porous, and so the rate of moisture loss slows down as the skin forms.
It's perfectly okay to eat it, it's just the same dough but drier. Whether it is pleasant to eat is another matter... |
Why are the storage instructions extremely opposite in cases of tea and coffee?
For coffee it is recommended to store it in the freezer.
,and
for tea the freezer or the fridge is an absolute no.
Considering that both are derived from plants, why is freezer recommended for coffee but not for tea? | "Both are derived from plants" is leading you astray. Tea is made from leaves, so does not freeze particularly well, like many other aromatic leaves (coriander, basil, other leafy herbs) that aren't recommended for freezing.
Coffee, on the other hand, is made from beans, which are much less subject to damage from freez... |
How can I make cookies without any sugar?
I'd like to try making some sugar-free cookies, which means no refined or "natural" sugar (honey, came syrup, etc.). I'll be trying to use stevia instead.
The obvious problem is that sugar is very important to cookies structurally, not to mention caramelization. Even if stev... | No, there are no other agents. Caramelization is literally sugar in a certain state. If you remove all the sugar, you cannot have a caramelization taste. You can make cookies which don't taste caramelized, of course.
As for the "important structurally" part, it depends what cookie you are trying to make. If you want t... |
What is the proper serving temperature for Turkish coffee?
Turkish coffee is prepared by boiling the grounds (and sugar / spices as desired) in an ibrik three, sometimes four times. On each boil, you bring the coffee just to a boil, and then remove it from the heat for a short time before boiling it again.
What I can ... | The temperature at the time of serving doesn't matter.
The Ottomans knew how to enjoy life. Coffee was served on social occasions, which happened at a slow pace in that part of the world. The ottoman effendi would spend hours sitting there, smoking a nargileh, endlessly turning the beads of a rosary, and taking a sip ... |
Beef parts interchangeability
I see in many recipes with beef meat concrete part of the cow in the ingredients. I'm always wondering, what would happen if I put the meat I actually have and not the exact one. Is it that different?
These are the parts of beef: neck, brisket, chuck, rib, sirloin, tenderloin, flank, sha... | There is one major aspect that controls what type of cooking properties an individual cut of beef has: the amount of connective tissue. This is what groups the various cuts into two basic categories:
Slow cooking cuts
Slow cooking cuts have a lot of connective tissue, which means they are tough but flavorful.
As a g... |
can you prepare vicyssoise a day ahead, then add cream and serve?
Can vichyssoise (cold potato soup) be prepared ahead, refrigerated and the cream added the next day? | Using this recipe as a baseline, I don't see any reason why it would not work.
Of course, the entire soup is chilled. There is no reason not to completely prepare it the night before, refrigerate, and then serve it the next day. You will want to allow it to warm up to almost room temperature for service, as the lin... |
Can I use rhubarb without tons of sugar?
My yard is crawling with rhubarb, a hardy perennial that comes back every year in greater numbers. As far as I can tell, recipes usually involve a pie or jam with gratuitous amounts of sugar to wash away the bitter taste. Can it be reliably used in ways without all that sugar? | All Recipies has an 'ingredient search' form, where you can specify ingredients that you want, and ones you don't want. So searching for rhubarb without sugar got me 10 results ... thwith most using some other form of sweeteners.
For the few that didn't:
Rhubarb Wild Rice Pilaf (2 cups rhubarb, 2 TB honey)
Rhubarb S... |
Why don't I have to season my cast-iron teapot?
This seems a bit silly really, but every single discussion of cast-iron cookware begins with "Seasoning your cookware", yet I've never heard of seasoning a cast-iron teapot. Is there a reason for this? Should I have been seasoning the things this whole time? Assume they'... | You can season the exterior of the kettle to help prevent rust, if you like.
The interior of a cast iron tea kettle is often rust-proofed through chemicals that accrue during normal use. One of these is lime scale. Repeatedly boiling water, especially hard water, will build a coating of lime scale that will keep rust... |
Why does my bread have a dip in the center?
I made some white bread this evening and was quite happy with it except for the dip in the center:
I suspect maybe I left it to prove too long? it seems like the air holes are too big and it has now lost it's structure.
Recipe was for 1kg flour I halved it:
500 g flour
12.... | Two possibilities:
Your dough overproofed, or
the oven wasn't hot enough. In this scenario, the dough rises and then collapses before it can set
I would guess it was overproofed. Your recipe seems fine, though with all bread recipes, steps like "Leave for 1-1.5 hours" are highly variable depending on ambient heat in ... |
How to make pretty crêpes?
I know how to make crêpes, however they have some tendency to be a bit ugly aesthetically speaking.
Each time I go to a crêperie, I can see this kind of crêpes :
However, when I try myself, I often end up with something much thicker, with less even browning, like this but thicker:
What can... | The trick, according to a French roommate from college, was thin batter temperature and a well (clarified) buttered pan.
The batter should feel almost too thin. I always thought that the batter was perfect and she would thin it just a little more.
The pan should be at just the right temperature (this will vary stove ... |
Closest thing to a donut I can drink coffee out of
One joking characterization of a topologist is someone who can't tell their donut from their coffee mug. As a novelty, I would very much like a food I can drink coffee out of. Does this exist? If not, what could I do to make it? It doesn't have to be anything like a d... | As far as foods that double as dishes, off the top of my head I could only thing of a bread bowl for soup. You could certainly drink coffee out of a bread bowl, but I don't think it will be enjoyable.
A bit of googling leads me to:
http://www.fastcoexist.com/1680504/a-cookie-coffee-cup-thats-easy-to-recycle-just-eat-... |
What is a liqueur?
I was sitting in a hotel bar sipping cocktails with friends last night, and as one of the less well-versed of us was casting an eye over the cocktail list, he idly asked "is vermouth a liqueur?".
"Of course not", i snorted; "it's an aromatic wine.".
A look of puzzlement creased his face. "Why? What'... | Liqueur is essentially a flavoured distilled spirit, with the important distinction of added sugar. Vermouth is not distilled, which is why it's referred to as a fortified wine. Flavoured vodkas usually have no added sugar, and so are not classed as liqueurs. Campari uses both distilled alcohol and sugar, and so is a l... |
What are the grey-black specks that appear when whipping cream in stainless steel bowl?
When we whip cream by hand in a stainless steel bowl, with a metal whisk, small grey specks, ~0.5-1mm in size, appear in the cream. The specks are squishy and can easily be smeared out. See attached photos:
Googling does not turn ... | Those look like air pockets - you're using an unusual whisk, perhaps it can't get enough "bite" on the stainless steel bowl to pop them, whereas the plastic bowl's texture offers enough resistance. I'd try it with a balloon whisk rather than a spiral whisk, and see if that helps. Here's a breakdown on whisks and their ... |
What can be substitution of maple syrup for pancakes?
I live in India and maple syrup isn't available in my town. I don't like honey over my pancakes.
What could be the substitutes ?
I think sweetened cream would be good. Also, having it with ice cream seems like a good idea. | Maple syrup on pancakes is just a condiment, much like ketchup on a hamburger.
You can use any topping you like, or no topping at all.
Among the popular ones are:
Butter
Whipped cream
Fruit, berries, or applesauce
Jam or jelly
Peanut butter |
What is the highest melting temperature of chocolate?
A pure chocolate bar will always melt at 33 Celsius, as several of my books assure me.
But an answer to another question claims that there are chocolates with a higher melting point.
What kind of chocolate can do this? What does it contain? How much actual chocol... | The typical tricks used by chocolate manufacturers is to change the viscosity of chocolate by adding a gel like xanthan gum or glycerine. The other trick is to incorporate more water into the chocolate with the aid of an emulsifier such as lecithin. All these techniques are hard to do at home as they require many hours... |
Make seitan "fattier"
Any idea how to incorporate more fat into seitan? With the purpose to bind flavor for richer and more complex taste, similar to beef. | I have been experimenting with this very thing, which is how I stumbled on this conversation. Real meat (I'm not a vegetarian so I can easily compare) has a different mouth feel. Deli meat feels stretchy and fatty, which seitan never does. It's just stretchy. Adding oil to the mix just seems to make the seitan more bri... |
What is on top of this and how do you make it?
Chocolate fondant picture on yelp. As you can see this is a picture of a chocolate fondant. However what is on top of it? I have seen this many times. | Most often they are called tuiles and they can be made in a number of ways, in some cases they are biscuit based or they can be made by melting sugar on a non-stick surface. and then cutting while the sugar is still warm and pliable.
If you wanted to make a classic biscuity tuile there is a recipe here:
http://www.fin... |
Cooked chicken stuffed with a can (of soda)?
I just saw a bit of "Come Dine With Me" which is a UK TV show where people cook/host a dinner party for other strangers to win the prize money.
When she took the chicken out of the oven, the guy who was carving it took out a can of Irn Bru (which may be just because they're... | There has been a belief, at times wildly popular, the using a half full can of beer (or soda, or other beverage) as a base when barbqecuing or roasting chicken helps keep it moist, and imparts flavor.
This is pretty much debunked. As Meathead says in the linked article:
No way the beer adds moisture. The method is su... |
I want to substitute liquid oil with a dry product
I would like to know if there is a dry food product available that is a good substitute for vegetable oil or butter.
I want to package dry mixes that I can take camping with me where hopefully all I would need is to add water to cook it. | Bisquick is a dry product that contains partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil and leavening. You can get recipe ideas from their website. With the Bisquick, some powdered eggs and powdered milk, you could create all kinds of fun mixes for camping. |
Adding moisture to gluten free muffins
I am using the following list of ingredients in trying to make gluten free, grain free, egg free, sugar free muffins. The texture turned out a bit too dry. Increasing which ingredient would give a moister texture? Bananas or date puree?
1/2 cup Buckwheat flour
1/2 cup Potato sta... | Increasing the amount of yogurt and/or banana mash should work best, the former having a more noticeable difference. You might have to experiment to get the amount right, but I'd suggest starting with an additional 1/4 cup of yogurt or banana mash. You could try more date puree as well but that might make the muffins t... |
Why is cooking rice so complicated?
I'm slowly teaching myself to cook and I made some rice today. While the result was perfectly acceptable, the process didn't go smoothly and I had to add some water in the end and cook it some more to get there.
I did follow the process on the package of rice, though I also read a ... | Once you get the hang of it, rice is as easy as pasta. One thing you say in the question that may be central to the difficulty you are having is that your lid is "half-closed". For the majority of rice cooking methods, not only should you keep the lid tightly closed, but you shouldn't even open it to check the rice unt... |
Does the biological classification of food have a relation to taste?
As a concrete example, both tomato and potato are in the nightshade family as defined by their biological classification.
However, I don't think a tomato tastes like a potato at all.
Obviously the biological classification is based upon physical char... | Yes, they are certainly connected. But as with many connections in the real world, it is not a perfect +1 correlation. So, just because tomatoes and potatoes are related and they don't taste similar, it doesn't mean that no two related plants taste similar, or that similar taste in related plants is due to random chanc... |
Is there a reason to NOT use no-stick spray (Pam) for handling dough?
I've just started branching out into the more interesting and challenging breads. I'm not particularly skilled at handling dough and I don't have great coordination in my hands. To avoid using too much flour to keep dough from sticking, I've taken t... | The only potential reasons not to use spray oil to help handle dough are:
There is a small amount of lecithin in most spray oils
The oil may not be of the highest quality, and thus not have the best taste
The propellants may leave an off-taste
You are using it in such tiny quantities, however, that I don't think eith... |
Long chilling of brioche dough?
What benefit should I expect from longer chilling of brioche dough? My recipe calls for kneading, allowing the dough to rise until doubled, chilling (without deflating) for one hour, deflating, chilling another hour, deflating by business envelope folding twice, then chilling for at lea... | The effect of long retardation of brioche dough is going to be driven by the same basic processes as in any bread dough:
Slowed but longer yeast activity, producing more of the flavorful byproducts (lactic and acetic acids) which give bread the pleasant, yeasty flavor.
Gluten development through autolysation, as the g... |
Why does a mix of condensed milk, cocoa and coconut solidify in the fridge?
A common dessert in my family is a mix of crushed biscuit, chopped walnuts, coconut, cocoa, and condensed milk. It's mixed, flattened into a square dish and placed in the fridge for a couple of hours, after which it is quite solid.
I have alwa... | Condensed milk may not get hard in the fridge by itself, but it does firm up considerably. It's very pourable at room temperature but it's almost too viscous to pour once chilled. The crushed biscuit absorbs the most liquid components of the condensed milk, leaving those components that do firm up to do so. The cocoa w... |
What is the most comfort temperature for tea?
It is hard to catch a right spot between underheated and overheated cup of tea when heating in a microwave. Is there any average value which applies to every human?
If it differs from person to person, how do tea masters make ideal tea for others? | Tea temperature and brewing time is purely personal preference, as is tea condiments (milk, sugar, honey, lemon etc.)
The only real factor is maximum brewing heat, some teas taste very bad if brewed too hot. Most teas should be brewed at 95°C or less, which luckily is more or less what happens if you aren't too fast wi... |
Green streaks on raw meat: is it safe?
Here is a picture of raw "reserve beef for stew" that we just bought at our local (nation-wide chain) supermarket:
Where do these green streaks on the meat come from ? Is it normal and safe to cook it ? It is not really very good-looking...
They appear on most of the pieces. | You should be aware that it is perfectly normal for meat to oxidize and become grey in color. In this case, it is still safe, provided it has been stored properly.
I cannot be completely sure that this is the cause based on just your picture. If you have seen the oxidation-grey meat I am referring to and know this is ... |
Crispier pizza crust. What surface to go for in a home oven?
After having read most of serious eats' recommendations for better home oven pizzas, I still have a question regarding the surface to be used to achieve a better and crispier crust.
I am on a budget an hesitating between a pizza crispier such as:
Airbake-No... | The pizza stone, used properly, will work far better. The heat stored in the stone will help brown and crisp the bottom crust.
The perforated pan just allows some better air circulation into the bottom, which has little effect. Its only true value is that it is fairly dark, and will therefore absorb the radiant heat ... |
What is the difference between grills when frying a burger?
I'm new to cooking and I saw that there is several ways to fry/cook a burger. Saw it with a stone grill, pan, iron griddle; Would like to hear other types also.
But what is the difference in the flavor? What is the influence in the preparation, all I can see... | There are many styles of burger, so there is no single answer. Steamed sliders are going to have different constraints than a smashed burger compared to a pub style burger.
For burgers that are griddled (for the purposes of this post, cooked on a hot, flat surface), the main issue is how much heat can get into the bur... |
The muffins were rock hard, what did I do wrong?
Here is the recipe I used, I did not mix it for long, as that make the muffins very hard.
The muffins were very hard, and had a bad after taste and smell. I missed adding some oil, but what else could be the reason ?
Red Millet Flour, 50 g
Whole Wheat flour, 50 g
Toas... | What makes muffins soft is starch and fat. You have no fat at all in these "muffins", and very little flour when compared to the vegetables and proteins.
Normal muffin proportions are 2:2:1:1 flour:liquid:egg:fat (per Ruhlmann). I guess you can add up to 2 parts filler (so as much vegetable as flour) before you get th... |
Why does the pasta I make with my extruder always stick together?
I've tried a few times now to make pasta with my Kitchen Aid extruder and EVERY time it sticks together and tears when I try to separate the strands. What am I doing wrong?
I am new to homemade pasta and although I've tried several times I've never actu... | Your dough is too wet.
Four eggs is a lot for 2 cups flour - the KPEXTA user guide suggests 4 eggs + 1 tbsp water for 3-1/2 cups flour. Assuming you're using the mixer to mix the dough, it should be crumbly and not form a ball, but it should hold together when you pick some up and squeeze it in your hand. If you have a... |
Rolling out after or before the leavening process?
Assuming that you want to create home made pizza and bread, it's better to create the final shape when you create your dough or after the leavening ?
I think that part of the problem is the fact that the average oven can't generate the same temperatures that the indus... | In making bread or pizza dough, there is no step called "leavening."
While there is some variation in method, depending on whether a preferment is used, in general, the active culture (whether it is sourdough starter, commercial yeast, or a combination) is added very early in the development of the dough.
The dough is ... |
Mixing both gluten production and milk
I would like to get tenderness from both the leavening and the milk, when and where I should add the milk ?
My recipe is based on sourdough starter, wheat flour and water, plus oil and salt.
I'm asking this because I know that the milks alters the actions and the production of th... | The only practical time to add milk is at the beginning of dough formation, when you can still stir the flour and liquid together. Trying to add milk (or any liquid) after the dough has formed is very difficult.
While it may very slightly retard gluten development, additional kneading or resting time will make up for ... |
What is the use of UV LEDs in my fridge?
I have a new fridge in which there is, apparently, some LEDs emitting UVs. I read on the internet that it kills bacteria and helps the food last longer. Does this really work? And what about the claim that it somehow preserves vitamins? | Yes, the UV light will make your fruit and vegetables last longer. Really it depends on the wavelength of UV. 275nm is used for killing bacteria and will burn your retinas, 385nm is less harsh to the skin or eyes and will still kill bacteria to a degree.
I just read a study in which they used 285nm in a controlled r... |
Napoletana Pizza dough not elastic and breaking
I made a Napoletana Pizza dough with the following amounts:
4 cups of flour, 2.25 teaspoon of Salt, 1 teaspoon of active yeast, 12 ounces water and 1 teaspoon of sugar
After kneading, I left it rise for 8 hours at room temperature and then put it in the fridge for 2 day... | You probably didn't knead the dough for long enough, so the gluten in the dough wasn't fully developed. There are two useful tests to determine if your dough has been kneaded properly.
1.The Poke Test
Form the dough into a ball and, using a floured finger, give it a poke. If the indentation springs back, your dough is ... |
Why didn't my crumpets cook in the middle?
I tried to make crumpets today, first time I've used yeast so didn't really know what to expect.
The recipe I followed was:
450g plain flour
1tsp caster sugar
14g instant yeast
350ml skimmed milk
350ml cold water
1tsp salt
½tsp bicarbonate of soda
Basic Instructions:
combi... | Crumpets are tricky. I did not manage to cook one thoroughly or successfully until my third or fourth attempt, and even then they all had very brown bottoms! Even shop-bought sometimes seem to suffer the same fate.
The first issue could be the recipe. You'll find a mix of unbleached plain and bread flour better. My gra... |
How to get breading to stick to chicken?
I made a simple breaded chicken recipe last night (mixed butter, mustard & bread crumbs together), but the mixture wouldn't stick to the chicken - any tips? | This has been answered in a related question : https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/13878/67
So, to sumarize & relate to your current situation : don't mix your coating together, as you want seperate alternating layers of wet & dry.
Your typical breading for chicken is:
flour, cornstarch, or some other dry powder, poss... |
How do I open a brand-new (plug-top) oval canister?
Shockingly I can't find an answer to this anywhere I look online. I have an oval canister of cocoa that I received as a gift with no directions on how to open it. A can opener is not going to work here due to the shape.
http://mcstevens.com/elvispeanutbuttebanana.as... | As described in the comments by Jolenealaska and rumtscho, the key to opening plug-tops is leverage; it "is like opening a can of paint." Use a butter knife, screw driver or any other object that is both long, flat and sturdy to pry open the can. It is nearly impossible to open a plug top with your hands. If the can is... |
Where can I buy bulk wild meat in Montreal?
I've been to marché atwater and they said that usually they have in stock in the winter. But one of the stores had Bison but it wasn't totally wild but still was walking in the forest.
I want to increase my wild meat intake but is seems so hard to find. Where can I buy it? | From what I have gathered searching for an answer to this question, caribou, seal, and hare are the only actual wild game meats that can be purchased in Canada. Due to low demand, hare and seal may be very difficult to find, even in-season. All other "game meat" including "wild" boar, venison, bison, and rabbit is farm... |
Waay too much baking soda, can I salvage these tea buscuits somehow?
I baked something from the 2014 Canadian Milk Calendar's April page, cheddar onion tea buscuits, but I didn't have cream of tartar nor baking powder, and in a rush I substituted far too much baking powder (double what the recipe called for.) They tu... | They are probably unsalvageable, sorry.
There are two possibilities for the bad taste. If you didn't have much fat in the dough, then what you are getting is probably an alkali taste. It is bland and subtly bitter. Alkali (basic) stuff can be neutralized with acid. But for the neutralization you need to mix your alkal... |
How long is too long to cook chicken?
How long should I cook my chicken?
I never get it right when I cook it so what's the right time? The very last time was three weeks ago and I completely forgot about it and it burned. | Cooking chicken, like anything else, is not about time, but about outcome.
In the case of meat, the most important factor is the internal temperature to which it is cooked. This should be measured with an instant read thermometer.
White meat should get to about 155-160 F depending on your tastes; dark meat to about 1... |
Counteract the negative effects of spicy ingedients with other ingredients
I love spicy foods. Anything with ghost pepper is going to be gobbled up instantly. I however do not like the negative effects when it comes to getting rid of the waste.
Is there anything you can put in your spicy dishes that maintain the spi... | There's nothing you can put into the food that will neutralize the spice after you eat it. The only way to avoid the infamous "ring of fire" is to add less spice to begin with. One way you can do this is by removing the seeds. Some of the heat from chilis comes from the seeds, however it doesn't all get extracted from ... |
How to properly cook a kid?
Goat. Goat kid.
I have a three month old goat kid that recently had to be moved to the freezer.
Most of the goat recipes that I see call for long braising in strong flavors. I assume they are using older animals with a lot of connective tissue and goaty flavor.
Is this true of kids as well?... | Older goat tends to have a very strong flavor, hence why many suggest braising in strong flavors. You can braise your kid following these recipes - just remember to use 3/4th the amount of strong seasonings as you would for a regular goat.
As for grilling the meat, you could try to marinate the meat overnight with herb... |
What's the secret to getting restaurant-quality frozen drinks at home?
A while back I purchased one of the Ninja blenders so my GF and I could make frozen margaritas at home.
So far, we have been pretty displeased with the results. Instead of getting a "smoother" frozen drink, we end up with more of a margarita-flavo... | You might have better luck if you use ice that is composed of margarita ingredients (lime juice and water, I guess). Unless you're referring to margaritas on the rocks, many restaurants actually have something akin to a slushy machine that is used for margaritas, so there is no ice added to the drinks. Instead, the act... |
Hot tea to iced. Safe?
I want to boil tap water and use tea bags but since summer is coming I want to make it cold.
Is it safe if I let it to get to room temperature and then put it in the fridge? | Please see Food Safety News: Did You Know Iced Tea Safety which gives the very strict FDA guidelines for iced tea as:
Iced tea sould be brewed at 195 F for 3-5 minutes.
Iced tea should be stored for no longer than 8 hours.
The tea brewer, storage dispenser, and faucet should be cleaned daily.
while pointing out that... |
How do you store away freshly peeled and sliced potatoes?
After peeling potatoes and slicing them to your desired size, how do I store them away? | The main problem with storing pre-cut potatoes is oxidation, where they start to turn brown from contact with the air. To prevent this, store them submerged in water. You can get about 24 hours, refrigerated, in this manner.
This is is how restaurants that do natural cut fries store the pre-cut fries. |
How to prepare cockles for cooking?
I collected some cockles from the beach today and would like to try cooking them tomorrow. In the meantime I have soaked the cockles in tap water and I have added some salt into it. I have not put them in the fridge. Is this the correct procedure? | I'm familiar with the preparation of what the Portuguese call Amêijoa and Berbigão (the former being a clam, the later a cockle).
A general advice upfront: make sure that cockles in your region at this season are safe to eat as shellfish tend to accumulate potential harmful substances in their tissue.
Cleaning with sea... |
Does candy expire?
If so, is there any preventative measures I can take to prevent candy from expiring?
I'm curious because Halloween candy after two years tends to look a little...off, and I'm not sure if it's safe to give it back out this Halloween. Since there's no noticeable expiration date on candy packages, is ... | Hard candy (I think called boiled candy in England), such as lollipops or star mints is essentially pure sugar, with some color and flavor added. This type of candy will last essentially forever, if kept absolutely dry. There may be some degradation to the color or flavorings after six months or so, but the candy its... |
Modernist Cuisine-style BBQ brisket safety
I am going to try Nathan Myhrvold's 2-step BBQ brisket recipe: Smoke at 149F for 7 hrs, then vacuum seal and sous vide at 146F for 72 hrs. However, (due to travel for work) I won't be able to complete these steps in the consecutive days leading up to the party.
What I would l... | I am not aware of any rigorous tests done on a sequence like you propose. In the absence of data, I simply assume holding any open cooked product more than a week in the refrigerator is risky, smoke notwithstanding.
You can significantly boost your safety by soaking your brisket for at least 24 hours in an acidic sa... |
Cheddar equivalents as far as amount of flavor
I read on a website that cheddar can be aged for 12 years
I suspect that 12 year old cheddar is so strong that a small amount may be equivalent in flavor to a much larger amount of mild cheddar (3 months old)
Assuming that all ages of cheddar are made the same way, how mu... | Cheese isn't just used for flavor; it generally contributes greatly to the texture, whether via a crispy browned layer on top, or thick goopy texture inside a dish, or even just background richness. If you change the total amount of cheese, even if you have the same amount of cheddar flavor, you won't have the same dis... |
How to add savor to a squash and grain mix?
My friend and I have been making a sort of health mash for the past few weeks in large batches. The ingredients are something like:
1 sweet potato
1 butternut or acorn squash
1/2 cup dry quinoa
1/2 cup dry lentil
1/2 cup dry Job's Tears
1/2 cup dry millet
2 tbsp roasted pin... | It looks to me like you need umami. One easy, healthy thing you can add is powdered dried shiitake or porcini mushrooms. I just throw the dried mushrooms into a spice grinder, it's a powerful punch.
EDIT: (SAJ14SAJ refers to the same concept, glutamates, in his answer) |
Are cooking show minutes really minutes?
I've noticed that cooking show inches are not very accurate. I can usually see that the "half inch slices" called for by the chef are no where near that, which is fine, since I can see the thickness for myself. It only just occurred to me that cooking show minutes might be wa... | There is no single answer to that question: it is going to vary program by program. Some shows, like America's Test Kitchen, are going to be quite precise--at at least, they will intend to be. Other shows, not naming any names, less so.
The thing is, with very very few exceptions, you should not be cooking to time a... |
What "all-in-one" single serving tea device(s) are sturdy, make "teapot quality" loose leaf tea, and are two pieces or less?
I am looking for a convenient office/portable tea making/drinking system. Ideally the device should be portable and very easy to clean in an office setting and still extract the same quality of ... | Are you overthinking this? A small teapot, sized for one person, would meet your criteria, wouldn't it? Unless you count the infusion basket separate from the teapot itself, you just have a teapot to rinse out (no scrubbing needed) and a mug to wash.
This is mine:
It holds around 20oz of water, so I can fill the pot,... |
Nonsoggy spinich pie with frozen spinach
The base recipe for my spinach pie (rough recipe I don't have a book) is
500g spinach
250g Feta cheese
250g Cheddar cheese
1 bunch of spring onions
1.5 - 3 eggs (for binding)
Baked into 2 large pies, made with filo pastry. Cooked at 180-200C.
Originally I would make this by ... | With more spinach you need to wring the hell out of it, whether you start with fresh or frozen. Cook the spinach a bit so it starts to release its liquid, then squeeze it out with your hands doing small batches at a time. When you're done with that, put it in a clean tea towel, wrap it up and twist and wring. You'll ge... |
Other than gelatin what makes gummy bears chewy?
From previous experiences, every time I try to make gummy bears they are more springy than chewy like gummies are supposed to be. I have been wondering, other than gelatin, what makes gummy bears chewy? I use 250 bloom gelatin powder. | From a package:
corn syrup, sucrose, gelatin, citric acid, apple juice concentrate, sodium citrate,
coconut oil, natural and artificial flavors, carnauba wax, red 40, yellow 5, blue 1
Likely the sugar types and their ratio is important. pH (citrate) shouldn't make a lot of difference unless you're using someth... |
What is this type of hot plate and how do I use it?
We have this type of hot plate in our house. It has a raised centre section that depresses when a pot is placed on it. The temperature control has 10 graduations compared to 6 for the other 3 hot plates, which do not have the centre section.
We just tried use it to ... | I used to have an electric oven with similar hotplates and while I can't find a reference because it was such an old model I recall it was a safety cut-off. It would simply stop supplying power to the hotplate once a pot was removed, something you could easily confirm by seeing what happens if you turn on one of the ho... |
Using cueritos (Pork Rinds) for ground beef
Can I use cueritos as my fat to make burger? I usually use pork fat but my butcher was out today so I bought 2 pounds of this delicious stuff. | Sure. You want to grind the cueritos with leaner meat to make a higher fat ground meat? There is no reason that wouldn't work. You might find it necessary to remove the very outer skin, but I'd try a small batch without taking that step. The grinding might eliminate any textural problems (or it might not, so try a litt... |
Is less quality cream used in salted butter?
My room mate's mom recently told us that butter manufacturers will use a lower quality cream in their salted butter because the salt will help preserve the butter. This sounds too intuitive to be true.
Is it common practice to use a lower quality cream in salted butter, and... | There is no such thing as "lower quality cream" although there are variations in taste.
All milk has a slightly different water to fat ratio. In general, animal milk is 80% water, 5% protein and 5% fat.
Cream is the fatty part of milk skimmed off. Cream will typically be 35% fat (though in different cultures it varies ... |
How do I tell bucatelli pasta size and thickness
I am trying to find Bucatini pasta. I don't want the really thick one...I have seen it with #14, #16, etc.Which ine is the smaller diameter? | See: What's the numbering system for spaghetti and does it matter?
The number assigned to pastas is particular to individual manufacturers. You would need their data sheet, if they offer one, to know the details based on their product numbers.
On the other hand, many pastas are packaged so that you can see product, ... |
Does placement of ingredients and condiments on a sandwich change the taste?
When making a cold deli meat sandwich or a burger, does layering the solid ingredients and condiments in a different order change the taste or mouth-feel? If so, how and why? Are there reasons to prefer one order to another? | Yes, it can change the taste quite significantly.
Here's an easy experiment that you can do:
Make a sandwich, but spread mustard on only one of the pieces of bread.
Take a bite of the sandwich, mustard-side up.
Take a bite of the sandwich, mustard-side down.
Mouth feel is affected as well, but not quite as dramatical... |
What are the categories of fish?
It seems like there are a few broad categories of fish, and I can easily substitute any fish of a given category for any other most of the time. The one I'm most familiar with is whitefish: a recipe for cod comes out just as well with halibut or tilapia. Are there other such categories... | Oh yes. Different people use different categories, no one system is canon, but this bit from Cooking Light is helpful; I wouldn't hesitate to substitute within these categories.
Dark and oil rich: anchovies, bluefin tuna, grey mullet, herring, mackerel (Atlantic, Boston, or King), Salmon, farmed or King (Chinook), sar... |
What do soybeans taste like?
I've read about the beneficial use of soybean in the food industry, so I wonder what it tastes like? How can it be explained?
Does soybean taste like regular beans? Also, what's the difference in its processed forms, such as soymilk? | I can get soy beans in two varieties here: As dried beans and as edamame.
Edamame is a particular type of soybean that is harvested when it is still young. The pods are cooked (usually boiled or steamed) and then served with salt. The beans are popped from the pod and eaten. The pod is discarded.
Edamame is sweet and a... |
Why did my lids seal?
This has never happened to me before! Last night I made Refrigerator Pickles using cucumbers and an ordinary vinegar, water, sugar brine. My intention was to make a couple jars for co-workers who would use them within a few weeks.
I sterilized my jars, lids, and rings but didn't keep the jars h... | Evidently, despite your not doing so intentionally, the evidently the brine was in fact hot enough to heat the air in the head space enough that when it cooled, a partial vacuum was created. The jars are truly sealed as you noted from your description.
While they are sealed, since you did not process the pickles, they... |
Dehydration temperatures for long-term preservation
I am dehydrating fruits and vegetables with a home dehydrator. I found in the internet varying recommendations about dehydration temperatures, ranging from 45 to 65 C (113 to 150 F). However, since dehydration is used also for short-term consumption (by raw-food enth... | The temperature varies not by how long you want to keep the item, but by what you are dehydrating. Consider a carrot. A raw carrot will keep for literally months. A cooked one at room temperature will not even keep for days. So, when you're dehydrating carrots (for example to reduce the weight of the food you take camp... |
Is this coffee ratio calculation correct?
On the Folgers website, it has a calculator. Place the number of 'cups' of coffee you desire and it tells you how much coffee to use and how much water to use. I put 8 cups, and it gives the following. 'For 8 servings of coffee use 8 tablespoons of ground coffee and 6 cups o... | Yes. Strangely, a standard "cup" of coffee (at least in the US) is 6 ounces (177ml). That's especially weird since most of us drink huge mugs. Go figure. So according to Folgers, to make 8 "servings" (48 ounces, 1.4 liters) you should use 8 tablespoons of coffee (42 grams) and 6 cups (48 ounces, 1.4 liters) of water. S... |
What is the best way to get rid of the ants from the box of clarified butter?
The clarified butter is in a semi solid state in a transparent plastic box covered with a screw type lid.
I don't know how the ants went inside but now I can see those ants roaming inside the box - over and inside the clarified butter.
I was... | The best way to get rid of the ants? Toss the ants and the butter in the trash or a trash bag that you can quickly seal to prevent the ants from spreading around your house. Then, wash the container and check it for any holes or openings where the ants could have gotten in through (can do a water test - fill it with wa... |
What is the best way to store the whole wheat flour for daily usage?
https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/33892/6168
For longer storage, keep white flours in the refrigerator in an airtight container. All-purpose and bread flour will keep up to two years at 40 F in your refrigerator, according to the Wheat Foods Counc... | Hermetically sealed (airtight) containers. If it's not airtight you will eventually end up with flour bugs and they will move into to your non-airtight cornmeal container, and anything else they care to infest that isn't locked up tight. The old metal tins or quaint crockery are not adequate to prevent infestation, and... |
How do they make Mexican vanilla extract?
I would like to make 'Mexican Vanilla' extract. I have used it for years and now would like to make it. | You can find many instructions on the web for how to make your own vanilla extract, such as this one from Beanilla. As Derobert mentions, it is essentially just soaking the beans ins spirits long enough for the flavors to infuse. The beans you buy will determine the flavor profile. To make Mexican vanilla extract, y... |
How long does ceviche keep?
We just made ceviche with ahi tuna, lots of lime juice, avocado, onion, cilantro and jalapeño. It's wonderful. Unfortunately we made too much. Now, I've never made it before and want to know about how long I should keep it in the fridge, if at all?
Note: this is not super high quality sashi... | Drain as much of the "cooking" solution (lime etc) off as possible, and store separately
Both parts will keep a day or two
After draining you can briefly rinse the fish to stop the "cooking" process, otherwise it may go a little mushy, but not unappetising |
Can I make my crumble topping in a mixer?
I have a basic crumb topping that I use to top fruit crumbles. It consists of 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup flour, and 1/2 cup margarine. I like to make it in big batches and freeze in individual bags in the freezer so that I can just pull it out and sprinkle it on top of the fruit... | You could use just about anything to mix that, a food processor, a mixer, a stand mixer (just about any attachment), even a blender would work in pulses. Freezing it too will work just fine. Just move fast because any of those methods will create heat, and heat will melt butter. As long as your ingredients are mixed an... |
Freezing and defrosting Cantaloupe is still good in the fridge?
I recently sliced a Cantaloupe and put it in the freezer for future use to make some easy-and-cold shakes. Then I read somewhere that putting it in the freezer for a long time is not a good idea, so I moved it to the fridge. I'd like to know how long does... | It should be healthy for now (assuming it was still relatively fresh when you put it into the freezer) but will actually break down faster now that you have frozen and thawed it. It will also have a much softer and significantly less pleasant texture than it did before, although that won't have much effect on blending... |
How can I fix a bitter raw leek soup?
My son just got his braces adjusted and in a panic to make him a lunch for school, I made the following soup in my vitamix with what I had on hand. The problem is that the soup is very bitter (raw leek I suspect). I usually sauté the leeks first but didn't have time this morning. ... | Raw leeks are quite strong and will mellow if cooked, so get it up to temperature for awhile and see where you get. I suspect that will get you much of the way there. If not, some mild acidity will help, adding a squeeze of lemon juice may do it for you. |
What's the best way to cook BBQ ribs in the oven and grill?
I have some pork ribs that I want to barbecue, but being relatively inexperienced with BBQ and lacking a decent grill thermometer, I want to simplify things by cooking them partly in the oven and partly in the grill. Researching online has thrown up many vari... | The goal with ribs is "low and slow" cooking to break down connective tissue. But a quick sear will help to lock in juices and provide a good smoky flavor. I find it's preferable to do this first so that the smokiness can work its way into the meat over the slow cook to come.
After seasoning, I would start with a sea... |
Why might I have trouble making butter from Crème Fraîche?
I tried making cultured butter today from a supermarket variety crème fraîche. For some reason the butter hasn't split from the whey although I've "churned" it with the hand mixer for 20 minutes or more.
This recipe for cultured butter suggests that about 2 to... | If you were using supermarket cream, the reason would be very clear: it is not only pasteurized, but also homogenized. This means that it has been mechanically emulsified to prevent the butter from separating.
I don't know if the cream for creme fraiche is homogenized too before creme fraiche is made, but with your re... |
Can I save a Creme Brûlée with a soggy crust?
I wasn't thinking, and put the top layer of hardened sugar on my creme brûlée last night. Now it's a little bit soggy, and I'm trying to figure out how to save my dessert for a party today.
By the way, I originally used powdered sugar. Not sure if regular or powdered is be... | Just before the party, sprinkle some granulated sugar on top. Use a blowtorch (preferred) or a very hot broiler to "brulee" the new sugar. That will cause both the old and new sugar to get browned and crunchy.
I just saw this on a related question. Alton Brown on Creme Brulee. He shows great blowtorch technique, do it ... |
Riced potatoes recipe called steurens or steritz?
Trying to find a recipe for my older neighbors. they think it's called steurens or steuritz... seems to be riced potatoes made into either dumplings or noodles... can't find anything named that online.... has anyone hear of this? Many thanks! | It might be the dish called "Sterz", common in Switzerland, Austria, and a little further away in Slovenia and Croatia. |
Keeping meat safe all day?
I would like to be able to take meat (e.g. a whole chicken) out of the fridge in the morning (6am) and put it in a oven that is set to turn on approximately 10 hours later, so its ready (or mostly ready) when I arrive home from work (4/5pm).
This is obviously not safe to do without some sort... | In simple terms, meat is safe either at fridge temperatures or cooking temperatures. You cannot leave meat out all day in a switched-off oven, which is essentially room temperature: 2 hours at room temp is the maximum recommended time throughout the meat's lifetime.
Your various suggested methods of cooling involving i... |
What's the best water temperature for making Pizza dough
I know the dry yeast proofing is at 100 - 110F, but what about the water that goes into the flour? | Choosing a temperature means choosing between proofing speed and flavor + gluten development. Higher temperatures (say 80-90 f) will get you a fast rise, but less flavor and gluten is not as well developed. A long, slow rise in the refrigerator takes much longer and typically gives you better flavor and texture.
Here'... |
Can I grill a whole octopus without pre-steaming or poaching?
My local awesome fish market sells whole octopi, and my friend is having a BBQ. I figured nothing would be cooler than showing up with a whole octopus to throw on the grill, but most recipes I'm seeing are either for a "Greek-style" preparation that include... | Full-size octopus are tough and rubbery when cooked, so the purpose of pre-cooking is to tenderize. According to some research, this can be done by hanging the octopus out to dry and then beating the crap out of it, but that sounds like more trouble than simply poaching.
If your octopus is already cleaned (i.e. ink sa... |
Powdered Goat Milk in Bread?
A lot of my favorite bread recipes call for powdered milk (cow's milk). Particularly in some of the tangier breads, it would seem that goat's milk might be really tasty. Is there anything I should know before buying powdered goat's milk and using it in bread? It's spendy stuff, so an answe... | I haven't used goat milk in my baking because I don't like the taste of goats milk. I suspect it would be a good idea for you to taste goats milk first to see if you like it if you haven't already. Other than that, there's no reason to not use it.
As far as fat content goes, I only use full-fat dairy in my bread. No ad... |
Emulating Starbucks Frappuccino Cream Base
At Starbucks, the "Cream Based" (no coffee) frappuccinos all use a proprietary syrup base which I would like to emulate to be able to make a reasonable facsimile at home.
When the baristas make a "Vanilla Bean" frappuccino, the process goes something like this:
Add a measure... | I can't comment yet...but if I could, I might suggest using or swapping a portion of your sugar for liquid invert sugar, instead of caster or white granulated, in conjunction with the afore mentioned artificial flavorings, and possibly some more milk protien like sodium caseinate. Invert sugar is often used in candies... |
How do you make the green beans served at Din Tai Fung?
Does anyone know how to make these? I'm pretty sure they are just blanched and fried (w/garlic), but I can't seem to get it right. | I think the problem lies in that the beans are not water blanched, but rather oil blanched. The technique is called "dry frying", and is a traditional Sichuan cooking method. The oil temp is kept low to dry out the inside while cooking the outside of the food. After the dry frying you can then stir fry the food. Th... |
Can I store bread dough overnight?
I would like to bake bread as soon as I get up.
Would it be possible to store bread dough overnight, perhaps in the fridge?
For how long could I store it?
Would it need to rise again next morning? | Yes, it is possible, and in fact usually results in better bread, because the yeast has more time to work and develop flavour. It depends on the recipe, but you should usually reduce the amount of yeast being used to prevent overproofing. You can keep most doughs for a couple of days in the fridge, depending again on t... |
Some minor changes in recipe: Is it okay to use carrot marmalade instead of orange?
A recipe (Florentine Lace Cookies) calls for the following ingredients:
2 cups slivered almonds
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
1/4 cup orange marmalade
3 ... | The almonds are pretty much the whole cookie. They get ground up and provide all the bulk and some structure. You could substitute a different kind of nut, though it'll obviously change the flavor and may affect texture too, since different nuts have different hardnesses and different amounts of oil. But leaving them o... |
where to keep an opened can of condensed milk safe
Where is the best place to keep an opened can of condensed milk safe? I know the unopened one is okay on the counter but what about when you open the can to use half of it? | You have to keep it in the fridge. This is generally true of any open can or jar. Once the seal is broken, you have to refrigerate as with any other non-conserved food.
Personally, I also refill it in a glass container, because sometimes the oxidizing metal of the can gives food an off taste. |
How does a coffee bean get its smokey flavor?
I've tasted on a number of occasions coffee that has smokey flavor. Is this a natural flavor of the beans or was it acquired in other means (e.g. during the roasting process)? | It's all about the roasting process. The beans themselves have a much subtler flavor, a bit closer to tea really.
Try tasting a light roast coffee compared to a medium roast or dark roast at your local coffee house. The differences are readily apparent. The coffee you describe was most likely a dark roast which gene... |
Why should I use garlic making roasted potatoes?
A recipe of roasted potatoes calls for some garlic to be put in the oven with potatoes that are covered with salt and black/red pepper and rosemary. I don't understand what's the role of garlic here, could someone explain? | I assume the recipe says to put the garlic in the pan with the potatoes, not just in the oven with them, in which case the garlic will flavour the fat you are roasting the potatoes in, and so will subtly flavour the potatoes themselves. |
Same recipe but sometimes white chocolate cookies come out strange
I always use the same recipe (weight everything including eggs) but occasionally the white chocolate cookies come out funny.
When baking in the oven I can see them making bubbles constantly, they always come out flatter and taste doughy.
Here is a vide... | White chocolate has a higher fat content than milk chocolate. That's very likely throwing off the balance in your dough. Even though you're using the same batch, more fat is being added to the white chocolate cookies as the chips break down.
You may need to reduce the butter or margarine that you use for the white ch... |
My Fudge Is Crunchy! Where Did I Go Wrong?
This is the recipe I'm trying to follow, but from what I've seen it's a fairly standard fudge recipe. I watched a few videos online and I felt like I had the general idea of what to do.
The fudge came out pretty good except there are a few very small, very crunchy 'bits' mixe... | The most likely culprit is how well you beat the mixture just before pouring it into the pan. I really like Alton Brown's explanation of the fudge-making process. What you're trying to do is form very small sugar crystals which provide fudge with its fine texture. Those crunchy bits you describe are larger crystal f... |
Frozen pizza kept at room temp (23 C) for 48 hours - safe to use?
I bought a salami pizza and a Hawaii pizza (ham & pineapple) the night before yesterday, but forgot to put them in the freezer.
This is the latter, soggy part removed:
Normally they should cook for 16 minutes, but they are completely thawed. Will cooki... | Any perishable food (in this case I would be concerned about the ham more than anything) left at room temperature for more than 2 hours should be considered unsafe, even after cooking. Considering we're talking about a frozen pizza and not a full beef fillet, why take the risk? If it's been in the fridge, however, you ... |
Why does my coconut sauce lack a strong coconut taste?
Why doesn't my coconut sauce have a strong coconut flavor similar to what is served in Thai restaurants? Do they use real coconut or coconut essence or coconut oil? I use a can of coconut. | Canned coconut milk is the base of the majority of savory coconut sauces, Thai or otherwise. It tastes of coconut, but it isn't strongly flavored. If your coconut milk separates (some do, some don't; added emulsifiers inhibit this separation) the thicker layer that rises to the top is coconut cream. Basically coconut c... |
How to make the bottom of breads bake a little slower so that the whole bread could stay longer in the oven?
When I bake a bread in my oven, I sprinkle some flour on the pan. But when it's half the baking time, the bottom of burger buns or baguettes become far too brown when the bread itself is not done yet. I wonder ... | First, you can bake the bread on a higher rack.
Second, you can turn up the temperature of the top heating element.
Third, you can use a less heat conductive pan.
Fourth, you can use a wash on the bread which turns brown quicker than normal dough. Egg yolk browns very nicely. On lean breads, a milk wash also does we... |
How long does it take for sugar to get to the hard ball stage?
I tried to make nougat but just could not get to the hard ball stage. | It's not a question of "how long" as much as it's a question of "how hot." Sugar reaches the so-called hard ball stage somewhere between 250 and 265 degrees F. How long it will take your sugar to reach that temperature depends on a number of variables including the power of your cooking range and the type of vessel the... |
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