Split (1)

train · 60.1k rows

instruction stringlengths 2 23k	output stringlengths 3 23.1k ⌀
How should I clean my metal mesh tea strainer? I have one of these teeli tea strainers, and it's wonderful. It's a very fine metal mesh basket with plastic frame. I've had it for perhaps 10+ years and it's still working well after brewing thousands of cups of tea. The Problem: However, it seems that the metal mesh is ...	Good news: I finally got 'round to cleaning the strainer, and it's clean and works well again. Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions. I ran it through the dishwasher (twice), with no benefit; still clogged. Next, I put dishwasher detergent (not dish soap) and the strainer into a small cup. Then I added boiling wa...
What is it about boring, normal ketchup that makes it "fancy"? Ketchup, at least in the USA, is about as boring as a condiment can possibly get. It's hard to imagine anything "fancy" coming out of a tube like this: Why, then, is it frequently called "fancy"? Is there some other type of tomato ketchup that is less fa...	Found in this wiki article , is the following information: "Fancy" ketchup Some ketchup in the U.S. is labeled "Fancy". This is a USDA grade, relating to specific gravity. Fancy ketchup has a higher tomato solid concentration than other USDA grades. USDA Ketchup Grades Grade Specific Gravity Total Solids F...
Can you and how do you melt quark cheese into bechamel? I would like to try to make quark cheese sauce for pasta, but I'm not confident I can make the cheese melt properly as I've never done it before. What I would like to use specifically is the Polish version, twaróg, ~8% fat. Is it doable? What proportions should I...	Quark doesn't melt at all. What you can do is to stir it into the sauce. From there on, it depends on the version you have available. I haven't seen the Polish one. If it is firm and crumbly like some of the quarks I've had, it will remain that way in the sauce, and you will have a grainy texture. The German type is s...
what determines the texture of cookies so the question is pretty much straight forward.. I ate all kinds of cookies, some of them are soft and fluffy, other chewy (like granola bars or choc chip cookies) and others really crispy and hard (like some gingerbread). I tried to compare the ingredients on some of the produ...	First, it is the ingredients. For example, shortbread cookies don't have liquid, while other types do have liquid. This makes them quite different. Also, there might be ingredients you didn't pay much attention to (mono- and diglycerides, for example, which might have been present at the end as an E number only), but t...
About 'sharpening"; do you PUSH OR PULL the blade across the stone? Do you PUSH or PULL the blade across the stone??	Depends on the stone. If it's a countertop wetstone, then you want to angle the blade slightly, while you pull and slide outwards. You never want a purely straight pull. If it's a handheld micro-sharpener, then (while holding the blade at the sharpener designated angle) out and up, minding your fingers and wrist. If ...
Where can I find food-grade beeswax to make Canelé? I am looking for food-grade beeswax to make Canelé. On Amazon, all I can seem to find is "cosmetic grade" which is not necessarily meant for food usage.	@Adisak I was able to find one source , although there may be many more. I also found food grade paraffin wax, but it seems that it has a much lower melting point. After a little reading it seems that making canelés can be a quite tricky and meticulous process, so you probably want to stick with the beeswax. They do ...
How do I fix a cast iron pot that was heated empty for hours? I left my cast iron pot on the gas stove, on high flame, and then forgot about it for 3 hours. It was empty and I was drying it before I oiled it to store it. After I discovered it and let it cool, I oiled it with a paper towel and all this rusty stuff came...	Your pan is NOT ruined.YAY! What has happened is that you have burned off most of the seasoning. Any other kind of pan would be ruined, but your cast iron pan only needs to be stripped and reseasoned. If you have a self-cleaning oven cycle, that is a great way to completely strip the pan. You can also throw it into a h...
Should I roast a rolled beef roast from room temperature? It is better to roast a rolled beef roast from room temperature? Or is it advisable to roast it straight from the fridge?	It won't make a huge difference, and excellent chefs disagree on the subject (assuming you're only thinking of leaving the meat out for an hour or so, which actually wouldn't bring it to room temp, just slightly warmer than fridge temp). If you are serving people who prefer different levels of doneness, you can take th...
How is Botan (the Japanese rice candy) made? I was wondering if anyone might know how they make Botan Rice Candy? I have searched the web but no leads.	Do you mean this one?botan rice candy. If so, in Japan it is actually known as Bontan Ame (meaning pomelo candy) as shown in this description. Here is a link to how a similar milk version is made (I think you would use mandarin/pomelo (bontan) juice in there somewhere for what you want), but it is in Japanese...Perha...
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...
I failed to make yogurt, what have I made? In the past I have successfully followed the instructions at makeyourownyogurt.com to make yogurt using siggi's as a starter for the first batch and from then on used the last of the previous batch as a starter. This worked great for a few batches. For my latest I used some ...	The white part is curd and the yellow part is whey. They can be separated in milk by the presence of acid, and helped along by enzymatic action. More acid typically yields better separation. Fresh cheeses are produced by directly adding acid such as vinegar or lemon juice. In cultured diary products such as yogurt and ...
Bread going stale in enamel breadbasket I store my bread in an enamel breadbasket like this one (different decor, though). In the bottom of the basket, there are some small holes, I think to let the air circulate. But bread stored in this basket goes stale in a matter of two or three days. Any hints as to why and how ...	Ordinary everyday bread made from flour, salt, yeast and water from a bakery should be stale by the third day. That is what happens to it naturally, unless it is packed with preservatives and kept in a polythene bag. A larger loaf will possibly stay fresher longer, but looks like your container only holds fairly small ...
Half and half bread, too salty and no salt? In putting the ingredients into my bread machine the top came off of the salt. I scooped out as much as could but it still has too much salt. I started another batch with no salt. Do I thoroughly mix them together or make a half salty and half sweet loaf?	Thoroughly mix them! If you mix them, you may end up with a completely palatable (even tasty) loaf; if you have half salt and half no salt, you'll likely end up with two unapalatable loaves.
How long can a pitcher of tap water be left out, and still be drinkable? My parents say that flies can lay eggs in the water (we do have flies occassionally buzzing around in our apartment). Is this true? If so, what is the longest time that a pitcher of tap water could be left sitting on a table untouched, and still ...	If you have a clean glass pitcher, the length of time we're talking is months, as mentioned by Tom's answer. I think you have a few questions that I can clear up: The bubbles that form over time are dissolved gases. From the faucet (or pitcher), the act of pouring will force some air into the water. Over time, it will...
Can I use low fat greek yogurt to substitute mayo in sauce that is going to be heated up (broiled)? I'm planning on making like a crab dynamite crusted salmon. Usually, the dynamite sauce is made with kewpie mayo or regular mayo. I try to stay away from mayo, so I thought about subbing the mayo for low fat greek yogur...	The yogurt will most likely separate and become watery under the broiler. Perhaps Mascarpone would be a good alternative. I use it whisked with a little half & half and a pinch of salt. It holds together better than mayo or other substitutes and doesn't overwhelm the flavor.
Time and Temperature to bake small fruit cakes I want to bake fruit cakes in foil pans holding about 1 1/4 cups of batter. Should I use bain marie ? What temperature oven will be best and for approximately how long	Recipes for fruitcake vary tremendously, without more information there isn't any way to say how long and at what temperature. I looked at several recipes, and none called for a bain marie, but some do recommend a pan of water below the cake to provide moist heat. You might find this Food Network Recipe helpful, becaus...
Help first time making cookies I went to the supermarket to buy the sugar cookie dough already in sheet form but didn't find it can we use pie crust to make cookies	Yes, you can use pie crust to make cookies. You will have to roll it out and cut out cookies from it. The result is called "shortbread cookies". Its taste and texture is quite different from a "standard" American cookie. If you use unsweetened pie crust, you will probably want to add something sweet on top of your sho...
Why is my stevia-sweetened fresh whipped cream bitter? I just used my iSi whipped cream maker for the first time. I cleaned it thoroughly. Then, I used a half pint of unpasteurized heavy cream (just bought yesterday with expiration 6 days away), and a few squirts of liquid Stevia. It came out super bitter. There d...	I've been using stevia for years to control my carb intake and I had to learn by experimenting with it. If you use too much, it will taste bitter. Just add a little at a time, and taste as you go.
Old-Fashioned Candy/Deep-Fry Thermometer - How Shallow Can I Go? I have a thermometer like this: Today I'm making tostadas. I don't need or want deep oil for that, just over a centimeter would be plenty. In order to submerge the bulb of this thermometer in oil that shallow, the bulb would almost be touching the botto...	That is probably not deep enough to get an accurate reading. It varies with the thermometer, but usually you need at least a couple of centimetres to be submerged to get an accurate reading. Also, unless you are super careful, it will be nearly impossible to stop the thermometer touching the bottom of the pan. In my ex...
What is the inside texture of a Japanese croquette? I made croquettes the other day using http://www.japanesecooking101.com/potato-korokke-recipe/ recipe but it was really dry inside. I'm not sure where I made the mistake. Is it expected to be dry or if it is supposed to be moist, How do I make it moist?	There are two common categories of Japanese korokke, one made with potato or another starchy vegetable (kabocha, a Japanese squash, is also common), and the other made with a roux, typically with corn and/or crab, called a cream korokke. In a vegetable-based one, which may have additions like ground beef, sesame seeds,...
Cookies are too sweet I made chocolate chip cookies and added too much brown sugar. The cookies are too sweet. I've used real butter and real chocolate chips. Does anyone have any ideas?	You might be able to overcome the sweetness by adding a tart glaze to the cookies (lemon or lime), but I don't know how well that'll go with the chocolate chips. Another option would be to crush them up to make a yogurt parfait (made with plain, unsweetned yogurt). You might also consider some of the options mentioned...
Is ionized water safe to drink? I was searching around the internet and I found this: http://www.thehealthleader.com/health-benefits-alkaline-water-videos/ Is this type of water safe?	There is no reason to think that so called "alkaline water" is unsafe. There is also no good reason (that I'm aware of) to think that it's any better than any other water. I find that site a bit suspect for more than questionable health claims. They say you can make alkaline water by adding baking soda (sure), they als...
Beets too big for quality? I left my beets in the garden too long and they are very large (some 10 - 12 inches in circumference). Can you recommend a good way to salvage these or should I just "use them as a learning tool"? They are red and white varieties. Thanks!	Just because beets grow big does not mean they can't be good to eat, if mine ever grew that big I'd celebrate! One beet can feed your entire family at that size. Try roasting one of them until you can stick a prong into it easily, then remove it and let it cool. The skin will just pull off, they you can cut it and try ...
ready made sugar syrup Lorraine Pascal made some macaroons, and added a readymade sugar syrup. Would this be liquid glucose or sugar syrup made earlier and stored. I know how to make sugar syrup, but a ready made one would be much easier when making several flavours.	Lorraine evidently used the Italian meringue method of making macarons. Italian meringue uses hot sugar syrup, not glucose syrup. As you can see from this question, sugar syrup can be kept for a few days in the refrigerator. Simple syrup is available ready made for use in cocktails, but do see William Shakespeare's not...
Buying first cast iron pan size/depth/shape I am planing to buy my first cast Iron pan and I would like to get advice on which size/shape/depth should I should choose. For example I am looking at this: size: 25.4cm depth: 4.45cm size: 25cm depth: 5.08cm Also what shape/width/depth would be best in your opinion, not...	I'd offer the following recommendations if someone hasn't worked with cast iron before: Cast iron is heavy. If you're not used to them, and used to flipping things in your pan by just lifting and shaking ... it will not go well until you've gotten used to it. You'd likely be better off with a smaller pan, provided t...
Spatchcock Turkey in Small Oven I'm looking to spatchcock a turkey this year, and I was wondering what size of bird (in pounds) would fit on a standard quarter sized baking sheet. My oven is relatively small (it looks like it can fit something up to about 15 inches x 18 inches) and we're looking to try something diff...	A quarter sheet pan is tiny ... 9 x 13. You'd have problems fitting a large chicken on that. If you don't have a place to buy a half-sheet pan, look for places that do appliance repair, and get a broiler pan ... they're of a similar size, and have plenty of uses. (they just don't work for cookies) In the comments of...
What Kind of Pan is This? This is a screen-shot of "Chopped", a show on the Food Network that I watch a lot. Most of the pans on the show are stainless steel, but it seems that these pans are always the ones the chefs grab when I would grab Teflon. They don't seem as non-stick as Teflon, eggs especially seem to stick ...	EDIT: The cookware used is by Zwilling JA Henckels. They are Thermolon-coated, which is why I mistook it for a Green Pan--they are the same coating (ceramic.) You can see the cookware used in the show here: http://shop.foodnetworkstore.com/nav/department/cookware/show/chopped/0 My original guesstimation: This looks lik...
Baileys best before date I'm the bar manager at Taj Bengal, Kolkata, India. Just wanted to enquire if it's okay to serve Baileys Irish Cream after the "best before" date listed on the bottle. I would be glad if I can get the answer soon, as a complete batch is about to pass its "best before" date tomorrow.	Considering even the possibility of litigation, that is, if someone were to get sick and then make the correlation, I think the wiser move as an entrepreneur would be to simply give the stuff away before it expires. I'm sure the regulars would enjoy it. Plus, if you think quick enough on your feet you may be able to co...
How does pepper enhance/increase the saltiness of a dish? I have found that after adding ground pepper (any type, color, or heat level), some dishes seem to be saltier. This sometimes occurs with other spices, as well. Note that I am not using anything else that contains salt. I always taste as I go and something will...	It's not just saltiness, but various taste sensitivities that are impacted by pepper. Basically, piperine (the component in black pepper which causes its pungency) and capsaicin (the "hot" chemical in hot peppers) cause mild irritation and inflammation in the mouth when consumed. That inflammation leads to additional...
What makes pineapples cause a burning / itchy feeling in the mouth? Years ago the pineapple pieces I used to cut had something that caused an itchy / burning feeling in the mouth. After I heard that maybe some substances in the rind cause this irritation and I should clean the knife after every cut, the itchy / burnin...	Human skin contains oils which aid in blocking out the absorption of chemicals which would harm or irritate the skin. Those oils contain proteins. Pineapple contains a chemical compound called bromelain which has the ability to break down these proteins. This is bad, because it can then act on the skin itself (which is...
How can I "cheat" on dough maturation? I found a good balance between leavening and maturation while using my favourite flour, my oven and my sourdough starter, the only problem is that the whole process, from mixing the ingredients and producing a baked dough/focaccia requires more than 24h, about 1 day and a half. I...	The easiest method, and most common in a commercial setting, would be to add a small amount of yeast in addition to the sourdough starter. You will probably have to reformulate a bit, as the dough will mature faster leaving the starter less time to develop flavor. This is usually overcome by also increasing the proport...
Do nettles grow in Florida? Where can i get nettles in Florida? I have never seen them grow around here or in any stores, and i am not even sure if they grow much in the US.	What we called "stinging nettles" were the bane of my childhood in northern Florida, but they aren't nettles of the urtica genus. They are actually Cnidoscolus stimulosus, or bullnettle, which unlike true nettles does not have edible leaves, but the small tuberous roots can be eaten cooked like potatoes. Urtica chama...
Homemade marshmallows not roasting, just melting I'm trying to make homemade marshmallows for smores. I found this recipe and the marshmallows turned out great (taste/texture): http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Marshmallows-15797 The problem is when I try to roast them over a fire to make smores, the marshm...	Yes, there are two schools of marshmallow thought - with egg whites and without egg whites. Most recipes without egg whites have another difference that might better explain why your recipe acts so differently from what you see with commercial marshmallows. Egg white recipes use corn syrup as only a fraction of the w...
What are the transparent strands in this salad? What are the transparent, irregularly winding strands at the bottom of the following picture? They can obviously be had cold together with salad. They are very crispy. They are much firmer and crisper than any "pudding jelly" I have met. They do not seem to be made in a ...	I think what you are looking for is kelp noodles. They are considered a type of glass noodle. They can be eaten raw or cooked in other dishes. In their raw state they are crunchy. Please see this link for a picture and some info. Hope this helps! :)
What is the difference between a New York Strip and a Bone-In New York Cut Sirloin? The iconic Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse in DC was not able to answer my question at dinner and I truly wish to know the answer.	The short answer? The bone. And here's why. As this page shows, (the Wikipedia entry for Strip Steak), there are several name variants for the very same cut of beef. You've simply hit upon two of them, let's say. A New York Strip is a sirloin, but is generally cut from the uppermost section where, that is, the meat is ...
can I substitute greek yogurt for sour cream for a topping for baked cheesecake? can I substitute greek yogurt for sour cream for the topping on a baked cheesecake?	It's difficult to say without considering the details of a specific recipe. Both items have a sour dairy flavor. Obviously the two products often also taste different, because they may use different bacterial strains and temperatures in fermentation. But if you are using them as an ingredient in a topping that has ot...
Sous Vide Pork Butt Char Siew (Chinese BBQ) I want to make Char Siew (Chinese BBQ pork). I also want to try it sous vide up to medium rare, then finished under the broiler to get that nice caramelized outside while basting. This way it ends up medium. My question is, I'm using pork butt, but it's pork butt that I've...	If you're concerned about safety, then 135 degrees is definitely not "safe". The FDA recommends pork be cooked to 145 degrees farenheit, and due to the law of thermodynamics your pork will never reach that temperature. You'd need to make sure that your broiling would finish cooking your pork to a safe temperature. Of ...
Earthy tasting frozen salmon I got out some wild sockeye salmon that had been in the freezer for quite a while (several months at least, not more than a year). It was vacuum-packed, no freezer burn, sealed properly, etc. I cooked it very well but while it smells and looks okay it tastes earthy and a bit undercooked (e...	Not likely. Wild salmon is pretty low on the list of foods that can cause harm because of cross-contamination, particularly salmon that has been frozen for an extended period of time. Undercooked fish is considered risky more because of potential parasites than bacteria. Months in the freezer is going to pretty much el...
Can dough be knead with a rolling pin? Can dough be kneaded with a rolling pin instead of by hand? If not, what are the mechanic differences that make it so? How is the process of repeatedly flattening and stretching the dough different when done by hand or with a rolling pin? I have found recommendations that kneadin...	You didn't say what kind of dough you are thinking about, so I'll try to give a bit of an overview first: With most doughs, the way you handle it will influence the development of gluten. Roughly stated: more handling/stretching equals more/longer strands and more density. Type 1: Pie crust, shortbread, bisquits etc. ...
Why did my chowder turn out watery? I made sausage and corn chowder the other day. I added both corn starch and Knorr's instant leek soup as thickeners. It simmered over the stove for 25 mins. I thought it may have been too thick, but I resisted the urge to add any more liquids. I let it cool, then took it to work to ...	Unfortunately, cornstarch does that. It does not reheat well. Potato starch is even worse, and that's the thickener in Knorr's Leek Soup. If you want to reheat something thickened, your best bet is to thicken it with a roux. There are other more modern thickeners (think molecular gastronomy), but I don't know much abo...
Would it be a bad idea to electroplate a knife? I'm curious, I haven't seen any electroplated kitchen knives before so I'm not sure if they exist. And if not, why?	Pictured below is the Ginsu Shoku Series Anodized Cutlery. But this sort of thing is largely gimmicky, the kind of thing you see on knives at roving Gun & Knife Shows. If there were legitimate and truly competitive reasons, not cosmetic ones, to employ anodization we can pretty well bet this is something all major cut...
How to prevent dry chicken in soup? I made chicken and vegetable soup the other day using standard ingredients (small cubes of chicken breasts, onions, carrots, celery, leeks, garlic, and stock). I sauteed the veggies in butter and olive oil for a few minutes, then added the chicken until it was no longer pink. I then...	Don't cook the chicken pieces for so long. Add them ten or twenty minutes before serving. For that matter, I wouldn't simmer the aromatics for that long either. Do the long simmer and cooking to make the chicken stock, then strain the now-tasteless and mushy expended bits from the flavorful stock. Heat the stock and ad...
Should I steam or boil zongzi? Wikipedia says they're cooked by steaming or boiling. Searching further, I've found plenty of people saying their way is the best way. Assuming they're well-made and won't leak when boiled, why would I pick one method over the other?	I have looked extensively and it seems that whether to boil or steam is determined by region and it is as subjective as the fillings used. See below from this page . Other variations include using black instead of white glutinous rice, or precooking the rice and filling, or steaming instead of boiling, or even wrappi...
Bolognese: can I add the meat after tomatoes? I see most recipes online mention first frying the meat a bit and then adding it. I think that would make the meat drier than meadt mixed into fresh tomatoes. Will it work ok if I put the meat into a fresh tomatoe sauce about 20-30minutes in? and when should I add the wine...	It won't be as nice if you place meat into the fresh tomato sauce. The reason why is because you are then essentially boiling the mince, so you won't have any caramelisation happening. That caramelisation adds a good amount of flavour to the sauce, so you'll be losing that. Sure, the mince may dry during the frying pr...
How do I prevent salmon sticking to the BBQ grill? I love a good BBQ and cooking steaks & sausages etc are no problem. However, whenever I put the salmon fillets on the BBQ (skin side down), no amount of oil seems to prevent them from sticking to the grill. When I try to remove the fish from the BBQ, it just falls apa...	If you don't fancy cooking in aluminium foil (kind of takes the point away), you need to make sure you have a super clean, extremely hot grill. Why? Clean (No tasty burnt fat from the burgers), flesh sticks like #### to a blanket. You can get away with it when cooking steaks because they are just so much stronger. So ...
Thai curry cooking In Thai cooking, for curries I notice two different methods. One is where the coconut cream is put to boil and then the curry paste is added and rest of the ingredients are added. The other way is oil is heated up and then the paste is added and cooked and then the rest of the ingredients follow. Is...	The second method is FAR more preferable. When you add the curry paste to hot oil on the pan, it releases a lot more of the flavour & aromas, and also cooks out the raw-ness of many of the harsher ingredients such as onions, garlic and galangal (or ginger if you used that instead). When you add these ingredients to boi...
Leaving the lid open in a soup I've heard from some that soups should be left with the lid slightly ajar when still left on the stove (heat off) because the soup can spoil when the lid is left completely closed, so you need to 'air' it out by leaving it slightly ajar. Is this a myth? If not, what is the purpose of thi...	This is a myth. Soup will NOT spoil faster if the lid is left on normally after cooking. In fact, leaving the lid ajar may make it easier for contamination to enter the pot and lead to faster spoilage. I assume there may be two reasons behind this myth: (1) Before the days of modern refrigerators, many people would l...
Killed Enzymes in Yogurt We are big dairy eaters in our home, so I successfully make about a gallon of Greek yogurt every few weeks. Today I started my process as usual, but with so many things happening at once (just had my 2nd baby, so things are hectic), I failed to remember to let the milk cool before adding in my...	Why not just add more enzymes after the stuff cooled sufficiently? Enzymes you add to food are generally not toxic. If you denature them by getting them too hot, they don't usually renature spontaneously when the food cools down. They'll just act like a gram, or whatever amount, of protein added to your yogurt mix. Add...
How do I extract the membrane from an egg? I have heard eggshell membranes are good for your joints. But every time when I peel a boiled egg, the membrane is stuck to the shell. How do I get the membrane out and eat it?	Probably find it easier to crack a raw egg and then peel the membrane from inside. Maybe use some tweezers to get started.
are the larger snails in Hawaii edible? We live in Hawaii and their are lots of larger (really big) land snails. I don't know if I can eat one but I was wondering if it can be eaten. If it can be eaten, how would it be best to prepare them, or what can I pair them with?	The name of the snail in Hawaii Achatina fulica. It's is edible but must be prepared properly according to Wikipedia. Here's a video on the subject of preparing them linked to in the Wiki article.
Can I heat frozen waffles in the oven without a baking sheet? Where I live I currently don't have a toaster, baking sheet, pan, or really anything that I could use as a container in the oven. I'm starving and I'd like to heat up some frozen waffles and was thinking about just laying them down between the edges like in...	Not only is it okay to do so, I frequently place waffles directly on oven racks after making them fresh to keep warm or to cool before freezing (without ruining the crisp crust, as happens when you put them on a plate or stack them). There's no reason you can't heat items you'd normally put in a toaster (or toaster ove...
What can substitute for barley in soup What can I use as a substitute for 1/2 cup of barley in a 2 quart soup?	Barley's there to bulk out the soup, and add a bit of flavor and texture. It doesn't thicken or have any other special function, so you don't need to add anything to replace it. If you want to add something with a roughly similar size with some texture then short grain rice like risotto or paella rice will do, however...
Raw pork and raw chicken touching each other I bought a huge bag of pork bones, pork spare ribs and chicken bones. To save time and space I combined them all and separated them into 4 bags and chucked them in the freezer. Now i'm not so sure about having the raw pork and raw chicken touching each other in the bags and...	Yes, that's fine. You're going to cook everything to a much higher temp than the minimum safe temperature for the meat that requires the highest temperature. That's the key, and your plans are far beyond what is minimally required for safety.
What is the white dust on red grapes? I bought some red grapes, and they have a thin layer of white dust on them. What is this? It has no flavor and seems to be harmless, but sources differ on what exactly it is, so if anyone has an authoritative source, I'd be interested to find out.	This coating, which wipes right off and is indeed harmless, is called the "bloom" of the grape or sometime the "blush". As described here, (the wiki for Fermentation in winemaking), it contains trace amounts of natural yeast, though thought to be the result of ambient yeast rather than the result of growth process prop...
uncooked pork left out overnight in original packaging My kids helped unpack groceries last night and left a bag of uncooked pork chops in the original packaging out overnight. They were still in the shopping bag on the floor of the kitchen. There was also ground beef that comes in the chub packaging left out. The ...	Personally I think some of the people here enjoy throwing food away. As you state you are on a limited budget I can emphasise as I'm in the same position. I've been a chef for 10 years so I've done my fair share of food hygiene courses and top ups (boring) and I stick to the rules at work as I'm required to by law. How...
Why did my soy (Silk) milk suddenly become as viscous as rubber cement? I used about half of a quart of Silk Milk and returned it to my refrigerator. Two days later the remaining liquid had been replaced with a colloidal mass with a gooey consistency not unlike rubber cement. Why? I see no signs that anything froze...	Soy milk can spoil, just like ordinary cow's milk. That seems to be what happened. While spoilage in cow's milk is usually souring, and the smell is unmistakable at fifty paces, soy milk spoils by turning gooey. I'm not sure about the details, but it's something in how the proteins react to oxygen. In soy milk, if I'm ...
Breaking down a turkey for storage - brine before or after freezing? The subject should sum this up. We're taking advantage of the seasonal prices for 2 fresh turkeys which I'm breaking down into boneless breasts, thighs, and legs to be frozen for future use. The back and rest of the carcass will be boiled down with s...	According to Handbook of Food Science, Technology, and Engineering, Volume 3, edited by Yiu H. Hui, the freezing of any meats, (particularly red meats), causes cell walls to rupture the rate of rupture is inversely proportionate to the rate freezing Since household-grade freezers are of the slower sort, owing to a...
Bringing water to boil with rice or alone and then add rice? Very simple question: as a general rule of thumb, is it better to A) put the rice into cold water and then bring to a boil together or B) bring the water to a boil, then add rice and then cook until the rice is done? Or does it depend on the type of rice...	In his section on cooking rice, Wayne Gisslen makes a couple of frank statements which deserve to be restated here (Essentials of Professional Cooking). First, There seems to be very little agreement among chefs regarding the best ways to cook rice. And second, Everyone agrees that the key to properly cooked rice ...
How to remove soil smell from beetroots? I buy veggies from local store (not organic). When I cook, I get the soil smell from it. How can I avoid it? any precooking process can help? Thanks in advance.	Beetroots do have an earthy smell, that's normal and can get stronger if you just cook them in water. I can think of two approaches to work with this: Try roasting them in an oven (optional: wrapped in some aluminum foil) until tender. They will develop a sweetness whith perhaps some earthy undertones. Add an acidic ...
How far in advance can you make bacon? I have to cook bacon for 300, how far in advance can I make the bacon? How will it hold up if say I start cooking it 2 days before the breakfast?	I actually have some experience with exactly this. I needed to do a breakfast party for a bunch of bikers, at 5am, by myself, in the middle of nowhere. The middle of nowhere in Alaska has a special meaning that would elude most readers of this. It's a special kind of middle-of-nowhere. So, I promise, I took it seriousl...
Why did my idli looked cooked from outside but was still mushy inside? I sometimes try using Homemade batter for making idlis and dosas as I live in the perfect temperate climate which is required for fermenting the batter properly and wish to cut down on the preservatives which are found in ready to use batter packet...	If you are in a "perfect temperate climate" then the batter should not "go rotten" as the method is from southern India, which is very hot. It does not rot there, so it will certainly not in a cooler climate. You may not, however, have the same rate of success for the same reason. You imply you are an experienced idli...
When sautéing vegetables, should I wait for the oil to heat up first? When sautéing vegetables in oil – for example carrots, should I wait for the oil to heat up and then add the vegetables, or should I put the vegetables in cool oil and then heat everything up? What differences will these two approaches yield?	In addition to the fact that some oils get quite a bit hotter than other, (so that hot with one oil isn't the same as hot with another), there is an in-between here that some cooks rank as a default option whenever inexperience prevails, namely warm oil. Regardless of which oil one is using, this can be achieved by app...
Easy Oven Cleaning - No products The manual for my oven states that only warm water should be used for cleaning. I've followed this so far but it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep the oven in a respectable condition. Does anyone have any experience using natural options such as baking soda and vinegar, with o...	Is it a self-cleaning oven? If so, running the cleaning cycle according to the instructions should leave nothing but a fine ash on the oven, which is easily removable with just warm water.
Candied almonds made In a crock pot didn't harden, are still gooey I made candied almonds In a crock pot according to a recipe. They did not get a candy coating on them. Now I have a large bowl of gooey nuts and don't know what to do with them. They are too expensive to throw out.	I'm not an expert on candy-making, but it sounds to me as if you didn't heat the sugar sufficiently. The temperature that the sugar reaches will affect the texture when it cools: https://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/candy/sugar-stages.html I'd attempt to heat it back up to hard-crack state (300°F), and see if I co...
Best pan to use for cooking in olive oil? I have just bought a Tefal Pan with nonstick Teflon coating. The instruction manual says that using olive oil to cook will gradually ruin the nonstick coating. What are the best options for buying a pan where one could cook and fry in olive oil without worrying about the toxin...	First of all, a Teflon pan will get gradually ruined anyway. Even when you don't use oil, the heat and the food itself will wear out the coating, it is just very sensitive this way. Using oil will speed up the process. Second, both existing technologies for nonstick pans, PTFE (Teflon) and ceramic, will get ruined by ...
Can I substitute parchment paper for foil? can I substitute parchment paper for the foil in a bar cookie recipe	Short answer for a short question: Probably. Assuming you're using it to line the pan, paper might leave the cookies less browned than you'd like, but it will provide a physical barrier between cookies and pan just fine. If you're using it to cover the bar cookies to keep them warm, foil works a lot better than paper. ...
how can I get guar gum to smoothly blend in juice? I watched a demo clip of a guy who simply tossed a tbsp of guar gum powder into a cup of cold water and 5 minutes later, it looked and acted like a glass of slightly opaque jello. Yet, when I've tried to replicate this with white grape juice, both hot and cold, it kee...	The lumps of gum in products are known as "fish-eyes". Unless you get pre-hydrated gum, the best way to avoid them is to mix it in a blender (and a pretty powerful one at that). Sometimes pre-hydrated gum will mix in more smoothly and with fewer lumps, but you'd still need to blend it. Another option that may not be pr...
my black garlic cooking in a rice cooker went brown and hard before black any ideas? I have my garlic in the skins in a rice cooker on the warming setting after 7 days the garlic was brown dried out and hard, is it over cooked and not slowly caramelized? what is the purpose of putting it on a steaming tray? there is ...	To make black garlic, you're trying to break down the sugars in the garlic. It sounds like you're dehydrating it, rather than giving it time for the enzymes in there to do their work. You need to somehow prevent the moisture from escaping. Covering the vent hole may be sufficient, but I'd suggest putting the garlic is ...
When does the new home oven/stove smell go away? Our last stove broke and our landlord had to replace it. We got one from GE Hotpoint and it seems like an OK stove. It's a gas model. We have had it for a few months now but haven't been able to cook in the oven just on the top range. When we first got the unit it le...	This apparently is normal for at least some GE ovens, as can be gleaned from Consumer Affairs complaints filed by Gary of Port Angeles, WA, Eileen of Henderson, NV, and Susan of Portland, OR. In two of the three complaints the smoke became intense enough even to discolor the oven-door glass. (A good deal can be...
What are the differences between a Dutch oven and ceramic casserole? I've been looking for information about the difference between cast iron Dutch ovens and ceramic casseroles. I use my Dutch oven for baking bread and would like to know if ceramic will have the same effect on the crust. Aside from the fact that cast...	First, fully generically: The main distinction made by The New Food Lover's Companion (Fourth edition, 2007) is that a "casserole dish", can be glass, metal, ceramic, or any other heatproof material, while a Dutch oven is usually made of cast iron. Another distinction is that the Dutch oven may be a kettle, which...
Canned yams vs. fresh There is a family recipe which calls for either canned or fresh sweet potatoes or yams. Is there any practical difference in preparation? Sweetness level? Does the cooking process matter (it's a baked pan of mashed potatoes)?	In preparation, there shouldn't be differences beyond the obvious (cook the fresh, drain the canned, etc), but the flavor will be different. Canned yams are frequently packed in syrup, which will make them very sweet. Some people think that canned goods taste "like can" as well. On the other side, the method used to co...
Can I freeze raw liver and meat? I noticed that my friend freezes raw liver, raw red meat, and raw chicken. I have the intuition that the fat goes bad (due to lipid peroxidation) even when frozen. However, I am not sure if this is bad for the food in terms of quality and safety. So can I freeze these things raw?	Of course you can freeze meat. If it would be unsafe, your local supermarked wouldn't be allowed to sell it. What you have to keep in mind when freezing your own meat: Storage time is limited, for guidelines see here or here. Freezing does nor remove bacteria, mold and other "nasties", but stops them from multiplying....
Roasting multiple turkeys (cooking time estimation) We tend to aim for large Thanksgiving gatherings, and thus tend to roast the largest turkey we can find. Last year, we ended up roasting a couple extra turkey legs so we had enough meat. This year, at the suggestion of a local butcher, I'm considering roasting two s...	This looks like an excellent answer to almost exactly the same question, found here. Tuxman Nov. 26, 2013 11:01 am I am trying to get a clear answer on cooking 2-15 lbs birds in different pans/same oven. what would the cooking time, same 20 min per lb on 325 degrees? for convection oven? dae Nov. 27, 2013 12:43 p...
How large does an oven need to be to fit a 18 lbs turkey? Can anyone tell me the interior oven dimensions needed to comfortably fit an 18 lbs turkey? I've searched around on the internet, but seeing as Thanksgiving is an American holiday, where most people have large, built-in ovens, I haven't had much luck pinning do...	The oven in a standard 20" kitchen stove will accommodate a bird even as large as 20 lbs (9 kg). The very detailed chart here, the pertinent details of which are replicated in the chart below, establish the standard dimensions of such an oven as 18 X 16 X 14.5 inches (46 x 41 x 37 cm). In their downloadable Thanksgivi...
tartine bread without dutch oven (inverted mixing bowl on top of heavy skillet)? I'm contemplating buying a dutch oven to make tartine bread. It would be a strict unitasker for my purposes. It's bulky and if I get a bare one, I might not bake often and it could rust. An enameled one can't handle high heat and shoul...	Overall, you should be fine. The purpose of the dutch oven is trapping moisture and, to some extent, coralling the dough. Keep the following in mind: Make sure your bowl can handle the heat - high heat might cause it to warp. To some extent, this is fine, but if the gaps at the bottom get too big, you won't trap the ...
Filter out sand from amaranth and teff I'm having sand in the cooked amaranth and teff if the package has some in it. Is there a way, how to filter it out before cooking it? Or I just need to find a proper brand?	If the sand is significantly smaller than the grains, rinse the grain in an appropriately sized sieve. If the sand is denser than the grain, perhaps the grain would float and the sand would sink in a large amount of water? If neither of those ideas work, then you may need to find another brand.
Temperature needed to make crunchy toffee I'm trying to make chocolate nut toffee and all the recipes I've found tells you to boil the toffee until it's dark brown. What temperature does it have to reach to achieve that? The toffee should be crunchy and not sticky. Thanks!	Toffee is a confection made by caramelizing sugar or molasses (creating inverted sugar) along with butter, and occasionally flour. The mixture is heated until its temperature reaches the hard crack stage of 149 to 154 °C (300 to 310 °F). While being prepared, toffee is sometimes mixed with nuts or raisins. As ...
How keep prepared courgette fresh? I am making a pasta dish at school that has courgette in it. The recipe says grate the courgette and because I don't have much time at school to do it, I want to do it at home. I do not know how to keep them fresh when they have already been prepared.I heard that if you keep grated ...	You could totally just grate courgette (zucchini) the morning of your lesson. It will be fine, you don't even have to put it in water. Just put it in a baggie. It would be fine at room temperature for several hours, it's not even going to notice two. If you want to grate it the day before, just put the baggie in the re...
Why pre-mix baking soda into 2 tsp of milk? I am not much of a cook, but about this time every year, I pull out a favorite family recipe for cookies. My grandmother made these cookies for me when I was a child, and when I got older she wrote their recipe down for me. There is one aspect of the recipe that I have neve...	Mixing it with milk (or liquid in general) is probably just to remove clumps. It clumps easily, especially when things aren't perfectly airtight (probably more common in your grandmother's time), and mixing in a small amount of liquid is an easy way to make sure it all breaks up. I'm less sure about the alternating. It...
Does frozen broccoli need to be cooked to be eaten safely? I bought a different brand of frozen broccoli and the package says, "For food safety, cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees". The previous brand didn't have any such warning. My questions: How big a risk am I taking by just blending frozen broccoli ...	I cannot comment directly on the broccoli, but I want to point out that this part How big a risk am I taking by just blending frozen broccoli into my smoothies without cooking at all? How likely is it that I get sick and what might be the symptoms? is impossible to answer. This is not how food safety works. Creati...
How to Prepare Chickpea Purée from a Can? I got a can of "chickpea purée with sesame paste" (though the English name on the can seems to be "chickpeas with sesame purée"), produced by Baktat, as a gift. It is this product. The can specifies the ingredients in various languages, but fails to provide any preparation ins...	Chickpea puree with sesame paste would be hummus. Hummus can be served warm or cold, so you could serve it straight out of the can if you wanted. To warm it up, I'd avoid heating it with any kind of direct heat, but it should be fine microwaved briefly. When it is served warm, it's not hot by any means, so a gentle hea...
Making ice cream and fats don't dissolve in base I am making ice cream from this recipe: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/10/apple-browned-butter-sour-cream-ice-cream-recipe.html (the first variation) Upon reaching the final mixing step for the base, I find that small clumps of something (I assume fat) are not ...	Looking at the ingredients in step 3, my guess is that the sour cream is causing the milk to curdle, possibly made worse by the heat from the melted butter. You might try experimenting with first mixing everything except the sour cream together, then letting it cool completely, and then slowly whisking in the sour crea...
Difference between two cleavers - straight back vs curved Hopefully this is a quick, simple question. What is the effective difference between a traditional cleaver (something like this) and a straight back cleaver (like this)? I can't tell if the curved blade near the front would be helpful or hurt the my normal usag...	So, as I couldn't find anything online regarding this. I asked the butcher I work with. He also can't give a definite answer, he does however have a collection, including a cleaver similar to the Curved Front. He recons as the front rarely takes a pounding like the main flat section, it's almost always sharper. As a re...
How to stop sushi nori tasting too strong? Vegetarian here (who doesn't eat fish), I love sushi and I've made it a few times at home and the technique is relatively pain free but the taste is just... off. From a shop, usually Yo-Sushi or recently Wasabi (which is an amazing oriental place I might add.) - it's deliciou...	It does sound more like a balance of flavours issue... Are you adding rice vinegar, sugar and salt to your rice once it is cooked? If not your rice will be less flavoured and therefore the nori would taste stronger in comparison.
How to make gingerbread more moist and fluffy? I have a gingerbread recipe (http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/gingerbread-loaf) I recently made with gluten free flour and honey instead of white sugar. While it was somewhat moist I wanted to make it a bit more moist and fluffy. How can I make the recipe more moist an...	The biggest issue's your facing is the lack of Gluten which helps trap the air created by the baking powder (Fluffy) and the lack of fat (Moisture). I also sure the sugar would be adding a little extra strength. However the Picture on the original recipe looks dense and dry anyway. I'm assuming you're not using butter ...
a glue like substance in oil I use refined sun flower oil (Fortune brand). Now I am realising that there is a glue like substance in the oil, also, it is so sticky that, the container in which in store has become dirty and gluey, also the gas burner has turned sticky. I have started using this oil since 6-8 months. ...	It is not the brand. What you are seeing is just a bit of polymerisation, this occurs normally with thin layers of oil exposed to the air for a long time (on the bottle) and especially to a combination of air and heat (on the burner). All oils polymerise to some degree. But if you buy a oil designed specifically for v...
Water bath issue when doubling a cheesecake recipe to make bars I have a recipe for a cheesecake that I'd like to double. Of course I would have to use a 9 X 13 pan and make it into bars (which I don't mind). It will eventually get covered with a chocolate mint ganache. With that in mind, how important is the water...	The water bath for a cheesecake is to control the temperature of the thick custard in the springform pan (cheesecake is technically a custard) - you don't need to worry about the moisture of the oven in the absence of a water bath. The equivalency you stated of your pan volumes is a problem, though. The two pans are...
Why put Sprite in a baking recipe? My Apple Dumpling Recipe calls for Sprite or Ginger Ale to be added around dumplings before baking. What is the effect of the Sprite?	The soda does a few things: adds moisture to steam the dumplings. cooks down into a syrup to make a sauce. You can typically change out the soda, but you don't want to use a diet soda, as it won't thicken the same and some artificial sweeteners will break down when heated. You don't just want to replace it with suga...
Working with sticky dough for pizza making I made a pizza dough with a recipe containing: 20 ounces of wheat, 2.25 teaspoon of Salt, 1/2 teaspoon of active yeast, 12 ounces water. After a good time of kneading, I let it rise for around 2 hours. Then I made balls. Already I could tell the dough was very humid and bubbl...	A super sticky dough is exactly what you want for pan pizza. Take a look at what Kenji from Serious Eats has to say about pan pizza dough. He uses a super-sticky, no-knead dough, but I bet yours would be fine for this application. I followed Kenji's advice to make this pizza, it was the best pan pizza I've ever had. U...
What wines pair well with spicy, citrus chicken? I will be preparing a stir-fry entree, served with rice, consisting of: Chicken, seared after applying the spice rub, then sauteed with citrus (lemon and lime). Red and yellow bell peppers, carrots, and (possibly) baby corn A sweet, thin chili sauce, applied sparingly;...	In my experience, dry wines risk being completely killed by hot food. The classical pairing would be an aromatic white, like Gewürztraminer or Riesling, with substantial sweetness. Germany is the role model here, especially the wines around Spätlese and Auslese levels, with Alsace a close second. (They're also great QP...
How (or is) "low & slow" turkey safe? If I slow-cook a turkey over low, low heat for 12-18 hours, how does it stay "safe" when the turkey has been in the danger zone for a large majority of the cooking time? I've been slow-cooking turkeys on my Big Green Egg for years. I use lump coal and wood chips (for smoke) and ma...	This article, by a reputable food scientist, summarizes the possible dangers inherent in slow cooking of turkeys, with some scientific citations and actual experimental data on microbiological growth in slow-cooked turkeys. I'd encourage anyone interested in slow cooking to read it to appreciate the great variety of m...
What are the chunks of connective tissue on soup bones? (And can I use them?) I just finished making a beef broth stew with a big ol' soup bone. I left the random scraps of muscle and stuff attached to the bone while it cooked, and now I've fished out the non-muscle bits. They were white (or pale) and stretchy, and no...	What ever it is, sounds like sinew or other hard tissue, it's done it's purpose now the flavour, sugars, geletine etc is now in your broth and you should probably discard them. I don't imagine they will taste of anything now and the texture is likely to be vile. By all means taste a bit to see what I mean. It won't mak...
Which end of the cucumber should I save for later? When using only half of a cucumber, which end of the cucumber should I save for later use - the stem end or the blossom end?	There's no difference between the stem or blossom end, you should save the end which looks and feels in the best shape.
How much brown sugar should I substitute for white sugar? I'm making a cranberry sauce from fresh cranberries and want to substitute brown sugar for the 1 cup of white sugar without making the sauce sweeter. What quantity of brown sugar do you suggest?	Dupe, but a good question. See Satanicpuppies answer here: Brown sugar instead of white sugar I know you asked re: cranberry sauce specifically, but this is a great article regarding the differences in sugars, generically, which might help in the future: "Sugar can be a single molecule made up of carbon, hydrogen, and ...
Can I make my dough for dinner rolls ahead in bread maker and refrigerate overnight? I want to make my dough for dinner rolls tonight in my bread maker and bake in the morning. Will this work? Also do I cut and shape before putting in the fridge for the night or do I do this in the morning before baking? Thank you.	Yes, you can refrigerate after the machine has kneaded the dough. Cover the bowl tightly. In the morning, take the dough out of the fridge and let it 'wake up' in a warm place for an hour, cut and shape, then either prove them again or bake straight away (a second prove will give you a lighter texture).
How many minutes in the oven per pound: stuffed turkey My mom is asking. Not sure if she's brining the turkey, but probably. Also, she probably knows the answer but is just testing me.	Per Food Network, plan on 20 minutes per pound at 350F (177C), up to 30 minutes more for a stuffed turkey. Whatever you do, don't count on that silly pop-up thermometer thing, use a real thermometer. The thickest part of the thigh and the stuffing should register 165F (74C). Don't forget to let it rest for at least 30 ...
How can you make gelatin at home? I'm looking for something maybe from a really old recipe book, be it fish, chicken or beef. I've been searching all over and obviously most people's opinions are to buy store bought gelatin. That doesn't work for me - I want it to be kosher or halal, and I can't find that.	After a quick Google I found this recipe :- http://www.grassfedgirl.com/diy-make-your-own-healing-gelatin/ Ingredients: 3-4 lbs pastured animal bones (any kind will work, I even mix them between animals) (the more bones the more likely it will gel…fill’er up! ) 4-5 quarts filtered water 1 tbsp sea salt Directions:...
Best thickness for shaped pizza dough for good sliding from the peel/tray into the oven I made pizza yesterday and encountered an issue. My dough was not very sticky, it was sliding well when adding flour to the surface. However, after I added toppings (tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil, olive oil) it seems like the wei...	Sliding well has nothing to do with weight or thickness, although too thin makes the dough prone to tearing. A generous spread of ground semolina under the pizza dough after shaping will keep it from sticking to your counter while you top it, and in your oven when you bake it. The grainy semolina will act as a barrier,...
Should I default to higher or lower power when the recommended power is not an option in a microwave? I often cook takeaway dishes at home. Some of these dishes ask for 4 minutes at 850 Watt (for example, ravioli with mascarpone sauce). My microwave oven supports 750 Watt and 950 Wattt, but not 850 Watt. Should I go f...	One way to approach the problem is to ask the question in a slightly different way: how do I generate the same amount of energy in a 750 Watt microwave that would be produced in a 850 Watt oven over four minutes? Watts times time will give energy, and since we are not in a Chemistry or Physics forum, let's throw units ...
Is it safe to deep fry two turkeys in the same oil for Thanksgiving? Should you deep fry two turkeys in the same oil or is it better to use fresh oil for the second turkey?	Reusing deep frying oil is fine (up to a point - you can't refry indefinitely), and in fact the flavour often improves with use. You should be absolutely fine frying two turkeys one after the other for Thanksgiving. Have a good one!

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.