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Why does my corn flour dough feel like wet sand? I did corn dough empanadas and the dough felt almost like wet sand and was tearing apart in my hands, impossible to shape up. What should I do better next time ? I followed this simple receipe: 2 1/2 cup (290 g) corn flour 3/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup warm water (plus a s...	Corn masa is what you need for this. The process of nixtamalization makes the corn more easily ground and therefore the texture of doughs made with it will not be "gritty" in the way that a dough made with corn meal or corn flour will be. Also, corn masa (or masa harina) is more nutritious than standard corn products d...
What is the diference between a quinoa burger, a quorn burger, and a soya burger? I would like to know, what is the difference between a quinoa burger, a quorn burger, and a soya burger? Are their ingredients all different, or are some of these in common to the above? What about the industrial preparation process? And...	The differences are as follows: Quinoa is a pseudocerial coming from goosefoot wikipedia. It is one of the trendy "superfoods" because it has a very high nutritional value ánd is gluten free. I have always used it as a grain substitute and do not know if it's any good as the main ingredient for a burger. Quorn is a mea...
What are properties of good whole bean coffee? I'm in search of a great new (commercially-available) brand of coffee for home-use in making both espresso and drip coffee. I used to frequent a local roaster, but I'm a poor grad student and I have to start finding something less artisanal that fits better in my budget. ...	Roast Date Coffee starts to degrade fairly quickly. If you can find someone who roasts locally, that's ideal. The closer you are to the roaster, the less shipping and handling and the more likely you are to get quality coffee. If a company is roasting something to be shipped nation wide, they have to make certain sacri...
What's the point of roasting a whole chicken? Recently I tried to butterfly a chicken before roasting it (in the oven) and I totally liked it. It cooks faster, browns more evenly and is easier to carve. It's slightly more difficult to move the chicken from the pan and I can't put aromatics (like lemon) inside it. Thes...	The reasons people still roast whole birds are: Roasting a whole chicken is easier than butterflying it. While it's not tough to butterfly a chicken many people don't know how, or don't want the cleanup It's less prep time to roast a whole chicken. If you are busy you can have it from the fridge to the oven in less th...
Ground Beef vs. Ground Pork I have a meatball recipe that calls for ground beef, but all I have on hand is ground pork. How might that affect the binding of the ingredients and the cooking in general?	It won't. In meatballs, pork and beef will behave pretty much the same, the flavor will just be of pork or of beef. The only real difference that you're likely to see (other than flavor) is if you are substituting ground pork for beef of a lower fat content. Ground pork in the US is not generally labeled for fat conten...
Will this pan works with induction? I am thinking about buying two pots online. I looked at Amazon.ca but I have a hard time to know whether the pots I am looking at will work on induction. How can I know without being able to stick a magnet on it? Consider this product for example. Do you think it is going to work on...	You can call the manufacturers and ask them if it is "INDUCTION READY" The packaging & the insert with specifications & instructions should say that. Youu can ask the customer service at Amazon too, may be they will have the answer. But I also located an answer on the internet, which I am including the link: amazon.co...
Is there any diminishing return on grinding spices for a "tea"? I'm actually making root beer, but I've found the best way is to boil herbs and spices the same way one would make a tea, and then I add sweetener, leave it to chill, and use a carbonation device to add bubbles. So far I've been using ready made root beer...	If you're boiling them it isn't necessary to break them down at all unless time is a factor for you. Nutmeg also works well boiled whole as you can see in many traditional hot beverage recipes. However, if you want to be able to add all of the spices at once, grinding some of them is advisable. Otherwise you'll have ...
Adding sugar and honey to sourdough culture I am interested in this site's members' opinions on how adding two spoons of sugar and two spoons of honey would affect a sourdough culture. I am wondering if adding sugar and honey to the starter culture will have any desirable effects on the resulting sourdough. I'm exper...	Adding sugar or honey to a sourdough culture will increase the activity of the yeast for a little while, but it is unlikely to create "new types of flavour". Honey and Sucrose (Table sugar) are both just simpler sources of glucose and fructose that the sourdough microbes usually get from breaking down the starches in f...
Sushi rice vinegar proportions So i'm trying to make sushi rice and i know the essential component is the vinegar/sugar/salt mixture (with the optional kombu, which i don't have access to, so i omit entirely). I would like to hear your opinions on the ratios of the vinegar to sugar to salt. I have seen several but hav...	I did an online search for the first 10 sushi rice recipes with distinct ingredient proportions and came up with the following ratio (by weight): 1:0.08:0.16:0.02 (Raw Rice:Sugar:Vinegar:Salt) With cooked rice, 1:0.03:0.06:0.01 (Cooked Rice:Sugar:Vinegar:Salt) Or, if you prefer: For 1300g / ~6 cups Sushi Rice 400g...
How to pick avocadoes with small seeds? Two avocadoes may look the same size from the outside, but the one with a smaller seed will have more flesh and may thus be more desirable. So how do I tell which avocadoes have smaller seeds? (Another fruit I can think of where the seed size can fluctuate significantly is the d...	You must remember that studies have shown that a normal avocado will have between 60% to 70% flesh. According to this Mental Masala blog post The edible percentage is consistent across the span of weights, centered around 70%*, meaning that the amount of flesh you get from a Hass avocado is relatively independent of t...
How to make cheesecake less tangy I love cheesecake, however I despise the acidic, tangy taste associate with cream cheese and yogurt. I recently purchased some that didn't have that taste at all, just smooth an delicious. I'd like to know how to make cheesecake without the tang it generally has.	In my experience, if I use a cheese like Philadelphia, it will have a more cheesy tang, whereas using Mascarpone has a smoother creamier taste. I also find that using higher fat creams will give a more creamy taste, as opposed to a lighter cream and particularly sour cream, which will add to the tang. I've actually j...
Thickening Alfredo sauce My girlfriend and I are huge fettuccine alfredo fans, so we have been trying to recreate one of our favorite Italian dishes at home. The trouble we keep having is thickening the Alfredo sauce without destroying the flavor. We've tried tons of recipes (this one for example: http://www.cooks....	Reduce the liquid first before adding the cheese. My favorite recipe is to reduce heavy cream by half and then add in plenty of grated Parmesan. Some people add Romano, butter, and/or nutmeg as well.
Why do choc chip cookies change with different temperature butter? My name is Chris and my daughters name is Maggie (9yr) She’s doing s science fair project and we have a question we need help with. Her science project is baking choc chip cookies 3 different ways to see how they change. 1. with melted butter 2. with r...	It all comes down to "creaming". When you mix granulated sugar with solid (cold or cool) butter (creaming), the volume increases thanks to little-itty-bitty bubbles in the fat. That creates a kind of leavening. The bubbles get bigger as the item bakes. Melted butter doesn't do that at all, and very softened butter does...
How to make Cheeze Burst Pizza same as Domino's? I'm a true pizza lover and at Domino's they make a great style called "Cheese Burst", the only problem is I can't eat it due to religious reasons. As a Jain, I don't eat some common foods. For more details about Jain food restrictions you can read: this or this. At Domi...	Experiment! If you can't have garlic, try for a tomato/italian seasoning mix. Make your own pasta sauce from scratch and substitute in or out for the things you can/cannot eat. Onion and garlic will be hard to replace, but don't confine yourself to "this is what the sauce should be." Use spices you like the flavor of. ...
Unpeeled garlic cloves in French / Belgian cooking? I am looking through some recipes that came with a French pressure cooker I just bought (in Belgium). It seems most of the recipes that use garlic ask for one or two upeeled garlic cloves (ongeschilde teentjes knoflook). Is this really a thing, or am I misunderstan...	Unpeeled onions and garlic help thicken liquids (just a little). The skins of onions and garlic are at least 10% pectin, the substance that is used to thicken jellies. If you are making a stock or a soup, you can place the washed unpeeled garlic or onion quarters in an oversized herb sachet. After cooking you remove...
Baked beans still firm after soaking and hours of cooking I decided I would make baked beans for a BBQ at my MIL's this past weekend. I've never made baked beans but decided that it was time since I love them so much! I found a recipe for Southern Baked Beans (using Navy beans). It was from a food blog. During the de...	Since it's hard to know the age of your beans, it's best to cook them before you start adding sauce ingredients. My approach is: soak them about 20 hours. Depending on how much water they soak up you may add more halfway through - if you set them soaking in the early evening, check them in the morning drain, rinse, an...
Can sarsaparilla and sassafras be substituted with licorice root? I am trying to make root beer using natural ingredients, but sarsaparilla and sassafras root are difficult to get in my area. I found root beer recipes that used licorice root as an ingredient, and I was able to order some online. However, right from op...	liquorice root is suitable for making a root beer drink. It is important to note that most liquorice candy is actually flavoured with aniseed, which is the source of the intense flavour. however in answer to your question the following link will provide you with a natural, healthy recipe that uses liquorice root to cre...
Are slightly moldy beets edible after boiling? I have some beets with mold on the stems and top which is hardly visible but has a noticeable smell. If I cook them for 60 minutes and then peel them, will the beets then be edible?	If it were just mold, I would say you could just cut the moldy portions off prior to cooking. The smell, however, tells me they have turned bad. The mold may very well be more extensive than just on the exterior, it has probably penetrated through the stem to the center of the beet. If food ever in any way ever looks o...
What is the conversion ratio from whole potatoes to potato flakes? I have a recipe for butternut squash soup that calls for 2 potatoes which will be pureed in the end. I only have potato flakes. How much of the flakes do I use to equal the 2 potatoes?	I would aim for the amount of flakes that would make 2 cups of finished mash. Add 1/2 to 2/3 of it and see where you are in terms of thickness of the soup. If the soup is still thin add more. This also depends on what potato the flakes are made from, any additives to the flakes, etc. Usually when a recipe is not specif...
Frozen bread dough that has been thawed out in the refrigerator for five days Is it safe to use frozen bread dough that has been thawed in the refrigerator for five days? It was on a metal tray and dough covered with wax paper to keep it from drying out. It did rise already some. Not using it to make a regular loaf...	Safe, yes. Some recipes call for intentionally keeping the dough in the fridge for at least several days. However, keep in mind that the flavor may be altered. The yeast makeup of the dough may change over time. Generally the dough will become more sour the longer it sits.
Cooking, freezing, recooking, and refreezing chicken I boiled a whole chicken, then froze the cut up parts. I then cook different meals but want to know if I can refreeze the leftovers from the dinners.	Yes, you can. You're not facing a food safety issue at all except possibly for violating the "time in the danger zone" rule, and then only if, in fact, the rule has been violated. Look at What do I need to know about temperature and food safety? for more on that. For what (admittedly little) it's worth, I find the stri...
What makes Kewpie (Japanese) mayonnaise so different from Hellmann's? According to Amazon, Kewpie mayonnaise contains vegetable oil, egg yolk, vinegar, salt, MSG and spices (no sugar). Hellmann's (which I specify only because it seems like it's the 'canonical' American mayonnaise) contains soybean oil, water, whole eg...	OK, I did it. The rice vinegar was definitely the biggest difference. A pinch of MSG (Accent) sealed the deal. I found a recipe on Serious Eats. I tasted after every addition, saving the MSG for last. It wouldn't be as close having skipped anything that I used. I didn't have real hon-dashi or Japanese mustard, but I h...
Why does caffeine taste bitter when added to tea? Black tea contains about 40 mg of caffeine. When adding 80 mg of caffeine powder, the tea tastes bitter. Why doesn't caffeine that is already in the tea or in an energy drink taste bitter and how should caffeine be added to drinkable fluids so it has no taste? Adding m...	Caffeine is bitter, tea isn't too bitter because as you mentioned it's only got 40mg of caffeine. If you then triple the amount in there it's going to taste that way. Try adding 3 tea bags to your cup and I'm certain it'll taste just as bitter. Energy drinks have copious amounts of sweeteners added hence why they don't...
Why does some cookie recipes both put sugar and brown sugar? Also can we use sweetener like stevia instead of sugar in recipes? Why does some cookie recipes both put sugar and brown sugar? What is sweeter regular sugar or brown sugar? Also can we use sweetener like stevia instead of sugar in recipes? Will it give a sw...	You are asking a surprisingly lot of questions. First, to deal with this question, you need to understand "creaming". So look here and here. Nothing "creams" as dramatically as granulated sugar with room temperature butter. Those particular ingredients are special for that. Brown sugar doesn't accomplish nearly the cre...
How to bake 3 large pans of lasagna in a regular size oven I need to bake 3 large pans of lasagna in our conventional regular size oven. The pans are "13 x 9 x3" in size so I will need to use two oven racks.	Stack them, like this: Rotate them 1/3 and 2/3 the way through cooking, figuring perhaps 25% longer cooking time than each would call for separately. Use an instant read thermometer, look for about 165F (74C). Also look for a bit of browning and bubbliness. It may be that they won't be done at exactly the same time, b...
How to mount a ham? I bought a Serrano ham on sale. It's the whole pig's leg, and it comes with a kind of a stand. However, the stand was delivered in pieces like IKEA furniture, but unlike IKEA, it has no manual explaining what goes where. I'm especially puzzled about the large ring and the small trapez-without-base...	This should help, it's not precisely exact, but you can probably figure it out from here.
What is the difference between regular (vege. oil) and butter recipe cake mixes? Many commercial cake mixes use vegetable oil, but I have seen some (usually 10% or less of what the store carries) that are "Butter Recipe". These use butter instead of vegetable oil. What is the difference in these? And is the reason you...	Butter gives more flavor, but oil provides longevity. Butter is about 20% water. That water will evaporate during baking and continue to do so even after they are out of the oven causing your cakes to stale quicker. Also the the fat in butter remains solid at room temperature. Once your cake has cooled the fat, now di...
How can one use Thai basil stems and flowers? What parts, besides the leaves of Thai Basil, are usable? I am making Thai Basil Chicken (Gai Pad Krapow) using the leaves but can I use the stems and flowers as well?	First off, I'm afraid you have been using the wrong type of basil for your dish! In Thai cooking, three different types are commonly used: "Thai basil" (or "horapha", โหระพา), which tastes a bit like anise / liquorice; it's slightly purple (as shown in the picture in Jolenealaska's answer). "Holy basil" (or "kaphrao",...
Starters vs Entree I've been watching Hell's Kitchen USA and they have Starters/Appetisers, Entrees and Desserts. In Australia, we have Entree, Mains and Desserts, so its very confusing what Starters and Entrees are and what is the difference. I found this on Taste.com.au, which makes it only more confusing: Whether ...	Entree in American English means main course, despite the original French meaning. This name is a sort of historical accident. Originally there were far more courses than just starters/appetizers, main course, and dessert. There have been a large variety of traditions, but a reasonably common meal structure was to hav...
Cooking peanut butter cookies, is there any adjustment using crunchy vs. creamy? I assume most recipes call for creamy. Should I use more crunchy? Should there be a cooking adjustment for time or temp?	Absolutely no difference. The small volume that the nuts take up is not enough to change the consistency of the product. Around here they sell extra-crunchy.
Reverse engineer the Perfect Japanese Omelet I've come across this video of a very impressive japanese omelet and I've been trying to understand how it's done and what do I need to make it at home. I've seen this video reproducing the technique, but the omelet's surface is not smooth at all. I'm trying to reverse engi...	It's called an "omelet", but it's scrambled eggs, well formed into an omelet shape Cook scrambled eggs, and just before they set (20 ish seconds) fold them, and tip the pan to roll them in the curve of the pan to form the classic omelet shape and serve. Since the eggs are not yet fully set, the outer surface will form ...
Baking in gas oven does not brown the top I need advice from those who bake in gas oven without fan. I bake on the middle rack and have an oven thermometer(my oven is -20 deg off). My cakes get baked darker on bottom and paler on top. Cookies can get burnt at bottom if I wait for them to change color on top. The resul...	This is an issue I've had to come to terms with myself. I spent most of my catering life spoilt by having a massive fan assisted electric ovens with space for 24 trays at once. Then one day I left it all behind to work in a tiny 2 chef kitchen where all we had was a bottom heated gas oven. The first 6 months was a nigh...
Roasting a frozen Creole Pork Leg? I have a cookbook from Panama and the directions are sometimes missing or can be very broad. I'm a new cook so I need exact directions. I've tried Googling too but can't seem to find other recipes that ask to freeze the pork. Is there a reason it says 24 hours, like it's only partia...	I have no doubt in my mind that this is a serious case of "lost in translation". Where it states to place in the freezer for 24 hours I genuinely believe it means the fridge. Never have I heard of freezing meat as a preparation method for cooking joints. Especially if the intended cooking time is only 2 1/2 hours, it'l...
Sweet rice recipe help? Panama cook book recipe This is from my vague Panama cookbook for "Sweet Rice." It's a side dish, not dessert. Ingredients: - 4 or 5 coconuts (Google says 1 coconut is 1 or 2 cups of coconut milk) - 1/2 pound of ginger (?) - 1 box of raisins (my guess is 2 cups since I'll be making 4 cups o...	Can I start by saying... You need a new cook book... Regarding the question. For my taste 1tsp cloves 2tsp cinnamon 2tbsp brown sugar 1tbsp white sugar 3 Inches of Ginger How many people are you cooking for because as a "Side Dish" this seems to make a huge amount of product. As I said this is how I would do it to my...
Black Beans - Toss the soak water? I'm making a two pounds of dry black beans by: Sorting out the rocks, dirt, malformed beans Washing any dirt or mud from the remaining beans Soaking for only 1 hour in 2 gallons of water and 2 Tablespoons of salt Add any non-acidic ingredients and spices Heating stove top until 212...	Summary: Don't toss the soak water. First, to address the food safety issue, phytohaemagglutinin is gradually destroyed by temperatures above 175F or so. The FDA has referenced studies (see pp. 254-256) which show that 10 minutes of boiling will completely destroy any of that toxin in beans, though they recommend 30 m...
How to make sugar glass without corn syrup or cream of tartar? I'm trying to make a relief sculpture copy out of sugar glass. I don't live in the US, so the corn syrup is not easily available. I read in multiple recipes that cream of tartar can be substituted with any edible acid, like citric acid. I'd like to know ...	I was composing as @Melissa was responding... here's some more detail to append to my comment above. Sucrose is a disaccharide consisting of fructose and glucose. When boiled with water, it forms a syrup. When this syrup cools, depending on the relative concentrations of sugar and water, different properties will re...
How to know whether the oven's door has loosened and leaking out some energy or is as tight as it was when new? The child had been playing with the oven door without my knowledge for some time. How to know whether the oven's door has loosened and is leaking out some energy or is as tight as it was when new?	Unless you have a measured baseline from before your child played with it there's no 100% way to know whether the seal is as good as it was when new - you have nothing to compare it to. If you want to determine if you have a decent seal you need to use your cheek and your ear. Oven seals not only hold in heat but soun...
Is there a quick, easy, mess-free way to peel an orange (or grapefruit)? Just what the title says, I don't enjoy getting my fingers all messy and I don't like getting a lot of pith. Is there a better way than just...peeling?	Yes! I just came across this, and it just so happens I could use an orange in a slaw I'm making right now. Tablespoon Orange Hack Simply lop off the ends, make a small incision in the side and carefully open to reveal easy-to-eat orange segments. (Or as I prefer to call it, an orange caterpillar.) I did it with my o...
Is this yeast classed as instant yeast? I want to do this recipe which contains these ingredients for the bread part.. 250g/9oz strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting 5g salt 8g instant yeast 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 135ml/4½fl oz whole milk 1 free-range egg, lightly beaten...	No, that is just normal dried yeast. Allinson do an instant yeast (they call it Easy Bake yeast) that comes in a green container. You can still use your dried yeast though. Use double the amount, and instead of adding it to the flour, add it to the milk (which should be warmed very gently first - not hot, just 'finger ...
What is the meaning of the term whole grain? Often I have read that whole grains are healthy. So, what is a whole grain and what is a non-whole grain? The Pasta I have says "Durum wheat" as the ingredient. What should I understand by that?	Graphics and quoted text from: Whole Grains Council Grains, by definition, have 3 major parts: the germ, the endosperm, and the bran. Whole grains are those that have all of the parts of the natural seed, or kernel (not including an exterior husk that is generally inedible). To be called "Whole Grain" the product must...
Why does microwave popcorn burn? I've been experimenting some with do it yourself microwave popcorn, and some trouble getting the 'burn time' right has led me to a question that I can't find a good, definitive answer to. What is the scientific explanation for the mechanism for how popcorn burns? I'm not looking for "...	I think most of your confusion comes from the paradigm of water. Water (under kitchen conditions) will not get any hotter than its boiling point. Oil has no such limitation. You microwave will heat oil well past water's boiling point and all the way up past the smoke point to the flash point of the oil. At the flash...
Why did my sweet potato hash turn soggy when frying in a non-stick pan, and crispy in a cast iron? I was making a sweet potato hash for pizza topping the other night, and tried to fry the first batch in a non-stick pan. The hash never crisped up and was soggy, so I ended up mashing it instead. The next batch I fried i...	The theories that have come out in comments are most likely right on. Cast iron is special in how well it retains heat. Give cast iron ample preheating time, and you can drop in cold food without a significant drop in the temperature of the pan. That equals crispy. Even a pretty good and heavy non-stick pan is not goin...
What were the primary reasons for different livestock consumption habits of countries and cultures? Whilst visiting a friend in Germany recently he told me that the prevalence of pork in the German diet was because the winters often killed cattle and beef was not readily available. I began to think about the issue on ...	Id'say availability, like others have commented on. If you have access to sea, seafood is an easy choice. You cannot keep cattle high up in the mountains, that's why goats and sheep are more popular in e.g., Greece, where there are no plains for cattle to graze on. Chickens and doves are easy to keep and were cheaper t...
dehydrating food with a vacuum chamber I've been considering buying a food dehydrator, mostly for fruit, maybe some jerky. I know that a conventional food dehydrator can take a while, 12-24 hours. I'm curious, can I use a vacuum chamber to dehydrate the fruit instead? Will it take less time? I imagine that making rais...	You can certain lyophilize fruit. It's done commercially and there's no insurmountable barrier to doing it at home. Since water basically 'boils til it freezes' in a vacuum, then slowly sublimes, you're not likely to get much improvement on a dehydrator's 12-24 hour cycle. For some fruits however, product can be much ...
How do I avoid chunks of butter in non-homogenized milk? I bought a half-gallon of non-homogenized whole milk for something different. I gather that I need to shake it to mix the cream with the milk, but towards the end of the carton (after using it over a week or so), I'm starting to get increasingly large chunks of ...	Yes, this is the way it is. The point of homogenization is to prevent the chunks of "butter" (it's actually kaymak, halfway between cream and butter). If you don't want them, you should drink homogenized milk. As for "too slowly", yes, you are drinking it very slowly. Normally, you should end a carton within 3-5 days ...
Making saucisson sec from salami at home I bought a peppercorn salami a few days ago. I would like to make from it what the French call "Saucisson sec" in their world of Charcuterie, essentially cured dry sausage. But I am not sure about the best way to proceed. What is the right process to get a good cured dry Frenc...	While you might be technically correct if you were to call saucisson sec a salami, you do not make saucisson sec from commercial salami. Without knowing how the salami was produced it could be dangerous to try to do so. The pictures you posted seems to be of a cooked salami, which is significantly more perishable than...
Sous Vide long cook meat prep? Do I need to do anything special to prep a flat iron steak for an overnight SV bath? I have seen some references to dunking in boiling water for anti microbial effect, but am not sure what the best practice is? I am getting my meat from a cert reputable local butcher, if that matters? Th...	Nope. Haha :) Brining will give you a softer texture. I have brined duck for varying times (depending on how much of a rush I was in) and brining really does help with the texture. You can sear it beforehand, some Maillard reaction will help in flavour development, but when I cook sous vide for more than 8 hours, I don...
Can I substitute canola or safflower oil for vegetable oil when making granola? I am making granola and just realized I do not have vegetable oil. Can either canola oil or safflower oil be substituted without compromising the flavor?	canola oil and vegetable oil are the usually the same thing. Veg oil is simply a less specific oil that could be made from different or combined vegetable sources, but not those which contain nut oils. sunflower (not safflower) oil is likely your best bet for the least flavor contribution to your granola.
Choreography of making many yorkshire puddings Say you want to make a lot (>4) yorkshire puddings, but your form only has 4 molds. What is your choreography? Do you ... stack several forms in the oven use one form, take out the pouddings when done and refill the hot form immediatly with fat and batter something else ...	I would buy two tins, for the reason that one of the most important factors for successful Yorkshires is a good hot oven. This is required to convert the water in the batter into steam quickly, causing the puddings to rise. Your oven loses a lot of heat when you open the door, so you will more than likely get a poor ri...
How to store Soda Water or other Home Made Sodas? I have a SodaStream which I use to make soda water. My wife recently started purchasing very tasty, but relatively expensive soda drinks from the store, including "Rose Lemonade" (here: http://www.amazon.com/Fentimans-Rose-Lemonade-Soda-Bottle/dp/B00513EV60), and a pu...	More sodastream bottles is the best option if you are starting from a sodastream. The best other alternative is to act just like a really old-fashioned soda counter. Mix and store your syrups/flavors. Measure syrup into the glass. Add plain soda-water and mix. Thus, your sodastream bottle only ever has plain carbona...
Using homemade pasta instead of dried in a bake I'd like to use fresh homemade pasta tonight in place of bagged egg noodles. My question is, should I prep the noodles in boiling water in anyway, or should I skip that step and add the freshly made noodles where the recipe calls for it? here is the recipe: 1 lb ground b...	Personally I'd suggest blanching your pasta. By blanching: I mean get a big pan of heavily salted water on a rolling boil. Drop your pasta into the water, give it a stir. After 1 min or when the water has come back to boil drain the pasta off. At this point your pasta will still be el' dante but not raw which is what ...
What is the maximum internal temperature of baked goods? Obviously this will vary depending on the size/shape and ingredients used. But how hot does it get inside, say, a loaf of bread? A cake? How wide is the variation? What ingredients (or factors other than shape/size and cooking temp/time) might affect this, and i...	Jolenealaska's answer provides the basics -- internal temperatures over boiling inside baked goods just don't tend to happen under normal conditions. The reason is because most doughs and batters contain a lot of water. The final baked goods generally still retain a lot of that water, too. When the dough is hot and ...
How to infuse flavours in alcohol? When making lemon lime and bitters at home, I decided to try the bitters by itself (the one with the classic oversized label, I think it's Angostura). It tastes heavily of what seemed like cloves and cinnamon, or aniseed-ish flavours and wondered "Could I somehow make a similar thin...	Can you make bitters and spice-flavored tinctures at home? Absolutely you can! I do all the time - in fact, I've successfully engineered a couple of bitters recipes, and even gave a homemade "holiday" bitters to friends as a Christmas favor last year. The process itself is simple and easy; what is not easy is duplic...
Where to place the oven thermometer in an oven? Where to place an oven thermometer in a gas oven? Should it be left hanging from the rack or should it be placed on the rack?	I tend to just stick it close to where the food cooks. From the two options you name that would mean putting it on the rack, not hanging under it. I checked a couple of sources and found this one quite a nice read.
How do I make sugar-free ice cream without a machine? I want to make ice cream at home for diabetics without a machine. I'd want it to be sugar-free. What kind of base ingredients should I use? Will the any of the no machine methods here be better or worse, or require modification, since I'm not using sugar?	You could use sugar substitutes but you should take care to use one that is heat stable. Sugar Substitute with Stevia as main ingredient can be used but you need to inquire to what ratios you would need to use your specific brand with. Acesulfame Potassium is heat stable but is 200 times sweeter than regular sugar. Th...
Fermenting Sauerkraut - Should I Stir? I haven't done this for a very long time. I am following Alton Brown's recipe, which conveniently fits perfectly into a little hack-job of containers I already had. (Related: Why isn't glass ideal for the fermentation of sauerkraut?) @Athanasius' answer to that question led me to...	Well, having grown up near "the" Sauerkraut region in Germany - I'd say don't. Honstly, I hadn't ever thought about why until today (can't have been only lazyness that my ancestors left the kraut in peace until done.), but: Why making really sure to create a water-seal when you are breaking it with stirring? The kraut...
What will happen if I leave out hardboiled eggs in water for four weeks? Stupid me forgot to take out two, unpeeled hard boiled eggs still in the water before leaving on a 4-week long vacation. If I just leave them be, will they stink up my apartment with that terrible rotten egg smell they use in fart packs? Condo ma...	If you boiled the eggs but left them in the pot of water, you may be in luck. The shell should keep the rotten egg safe from cracking and exposing the apartment to the truly rancid smell of spoilt eggs, assuming they haven't cracked during boiling. You will know a spoiled egg when you crack open the shell. Whether r...
How to turn Extract into syrup I have Elderberry extract and want to make elderberry syrup. Does anyone know how go from extract to syrup?	Well, you can't really make "elderberry syrup" (as the term is usually understood) from only elderberry extract. Fruit syrups are generally produced from a mixture of fresh berries, sugar, and water, which is cooked and then often strained. You could perhaps make "elderberry-flavored" simple syrup by combining sugar a...
Making that little butter thing you put on top of steak So, how do I do it? It's delicious and adds a bit of class. Any suggestions as to what I should compose it out of?	I believe you're referring to a compound butter. They usually contain butter and herbs such as sage, parsley, rosemary, thyme, etc., salt, and occasionally lemon, pepper and/or garlic. For steak it might also include a strongly flavored soft cheese such as a blue cheese such as Gorgonzola or Stilton (my favorite, but ...
frozen chips always take longer Often I cook frozen oven chips and frozen fish (in batter) in the oven at the same time. The cooking instructions for the chips usually say 20 minutes (or less); the fish usually more than this. They require the same temperature, usually 220C Why is it that (if I follow the instructions...	My personal experience with frozen oven fries is like Wayfaring Stranger's, it takes longer to cook them than what the manufacturer suggests. I think though this comes down to personal preference. If I do follow the instructions then I get fries that strictly speaking can considered cooked, they're hot throughout, but ...
Why does roasting add a flavour to the peanuts? I roast the peanuts on a tawa and gas stove, after taking them out of their shells. Have noticed that after roasting, peanuts taste great as compared to when they are raw. Why is that so?	That great taste comes from the compounds produced by the Maillard reaction. It not one reaction but many that occur when the building blocks of proteins and sugars react as food is heated. Many new compounds are produced giving the cooked food a richer range of flavors. The pyrazines produced by the Maillard reacti...
What is the type of cheese in "chips and cheese" UK fast-food? (with photos) I went to England a few years ago for a couple months. I took pictures of a fast-food dish, "chips and cheese" that is uncommon where I live. More than that, the taste of the cheese intrigued me. The pictures were took in Stafford in case reg...	The cheese you saw was, if it was real cheese at all, probably cheddar or just plain white cheese. Whatever they put on was not high-quality stuff - takeaways are not known for lavishing money on ingredients. Whether you will be able to get anything similar depends on where you are. American and British cheddars have ...
How do I preserve a tomato's freshness after it is cut? I've seen and read online, and experienced firsthand, that refrigerating a tomato is an awful idea. Not only does it lose freshness, it does little to prevent wilting and leads to flavorless tomato. But, eventually a tomato needs to be cut if it's going to be ...	I peel and seed the leftovers, freeze them, and use them the next time I make tomato sauce or marinara.
Difference between instant cocoa and drinking chocolate There's a question with answers detailing the difference between pure cocoa powder and chocolate; it boils down to the 'raw' cocoa powder being a very ungrateful, bitter substance difficult to use without making the results taste terrible. It takes quite a bit of...	They are technically different... but it seems that the producers do not always follow the correct terminology in an attempt to sound fancy. Instant Cocoa is made with cocoa powder, as you stated in your question. It's made from leftovers from the chocolate making process and contains little cocoa butter. Hot beverages...
Mix parmesan cheese & garlic into sourdough bread dough before or after first rising? If I wanted to put parmesan cheese and garlic into sourdough bread dough (mixed into the dough, not just a filling), should I do it before or after first rising? Will it prevent a proper rise if I put it in with dough, water, and sta...	My initial reaction is that adding cheese and garlic could affect the rise, unless you are using a recipe calibrated for their presence. Cheese would probably affect the texture of the bread, interfering with an even rise. Garlic is fairly astringent and has some antimicrobial properties; this could very well mess wi...
Chicken curry in a slow cooker turns out watery My first question on here, so please go easy on me. I have recently got a slow cooker and have been very pleased with the results, but that was using ready-made sachets of cooking mixes. I am now trying to cook things properly from scratch but I think I'm missing som...	A slow cooker needs a lot less water for the same recipe than something you simmer in a pan for 20 minutes. The sauce thickens in the pan because a lot of the water evaporates. In this case, most your water is in the chicken stock. To get all of the flavor, but less moisture, drastically reduce, or even eliminate the s...
How to avoid burned layer on seared hamburger? I usually make my hamburgers at home by putting a little oil in a pan and then just placing the patty in it on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Inevitably, while the meat ends up about medium rare, there's a semi-burned layer along the bottom, where it's browned and crusty....	Make sure you flip it reasonably frequently; that'll actually make it come up to temperature faster inside, so the outside won't have as long to burn. Also make sure you haven't made your patties excessively thick. 10-15 minutes on medium sounds like a fairly long time for normal sized burgers, so possibly yours are on...
Preserving Nerds / Pop Rocks so they activate in the mouth and not in the food I want to be able to use Nerds and/or Pop rocks in cooking. However, unless the food is ultra dry, the food itself activates / dissolves it; I want it activated in the mouth. a) Is there a way to do this that does not involve coating them w...	instructables has a recipe for making poprocks per se, but it has the same issue. I'm wondering if there's something that'd work for mouthfeel but be less volatile during the cooking process for embedding in other things.]
How do I practice piping icing without wasting icing and money? Is there some cheaper alternative to real icing so I can avoid wasting good icing and money while practicing? Or can I avoid having to throw the practice icing away? I do not want to waste good butter just to practice my piping skills =)	If you're just practicing piping, you can just pipe onto parchment paper (or a clean counter) and then scrape it off with a spatula and save the frosting. That way you can actually practice with the frosting you'll be using and not be thrown off by different textures and consistencies. ET
How can I light charcoal faster? I'm terribly impatient but I love cooking on a charcoal grill. How can I get the charcoal ready faster? Currently I have a chimney starter, I use lump charcoal and light some kind of paper under the chimney. It takes about 25 minutes to get ready.	This bugged me for a long time, and I assumed that there were better ways. And there are! Mostly notably you want to introduce the coals to more of your friend, Mr. Oxygen! Plight of firefighters everywhere and friend of blacksmiths, increased oxygen will start the coals much much faster. Three easy ways to accompli...
How to keep dust and cat hair off cast iron pans? I live with three long haired cats that shed in the winter, and my place gets dusty at times too. I have a fairly new cast iron skillet that I use once every one or two days. I don't have any shelves in the kitchen big enough to store it so I have to hang it. There's a...	First off, cleaning isn't necessarily bad for seasoning. "Soap removes seasoning" is largely a myth; Serious Eats discusses this at length. The seasoning is actually a polymer chemically bonded to the iron, not just something coating the outside that will easily wash off, so anything that isn't able to remove the iro...
Are vanillin/vanilla powder safe to use in savory dishes? Vanilla beans are quite expensive, and I can buy cheap vanillin ($0.3). So I'm wondering whether I can use vanillin instead of real vanilla for savory dishes: are they dangerous in high heat? I'm thinking of curry or onion soup.	The vanilla chapter of Ian Hemphill's "Spice and Herb Bible" says, Vanilla is also delicious in savory cooking because it is not overtly sweet. An innovative Mauritian restaurant in Sydney served a delicious vanilla chicken [...] It was aromatic delicate and beautifully balanced. The same book has a recipe for ...
Dehydrating eggs I have seen a few examples of dehydrating scrambled eggs, and reconstituting them later. It got me wondering if there is a way to dehydrate raw eggs in a way that lets them still work for baking. I think it would be a good way to make a "just add milk" pancake mix for camping, so we don't have to brin...	Powdered eggs are available for purchase. Yes, they can be used for baking. Due to the their advantages, they are often advertised for camping or long-term storage use. You can even purchase the powdered whites and powdered yolks separately. However, there are many applications they are not good for (fried eggs, an...
Which foods are certain to never cause food poisoning? After a nasty bout of food poisoning lasting nearly 5 days (rare I know) my trust levels and appetite for certain foods have dropped considerably however my inquisitiveness kicked in... ...from a data perspective (ignoring allergies) which foodstuffs are almost gu...	There is almost no food which is guaranteed to be safe. If it has nutritional value for a human, it has nutritional value for many microorganisms too, some of which are human pathogens. So, out of the FATTOM rule, you can already throw out F: you cannot remove the food. A is also not a good candidate - no food is natu...
Should I cover food while reheating it in a microwave? For reasons of time, I like to cook more than one portion of a meal and then reheat a portion in the microwave whenever it's needed. Aiming for maximum energy efficiency, I wonder if it's a good idea to cover the food with a big ceramic or glass bowl? Just in cas...	You do get some reflection of microwaves off a glass or plastic cover (Table 1 here) Material Reflection Transmission Metal 0.88 0.00 Glass 0.38 0.60 Plexiglas 0.16 0.83 Don't use metal lids. Neither glass nor Plexiglass plastic absorb much of the beam. The que...
Lasagne package says cook from frozen The package says cook from frozen, do not thaw first, but the lasagne is thawed (my daughter brought it up for us) and has been refrigerated for a couple of days. Is it safe to cook and eat?	This issue has come up in our home. We did an experiment with a frozen homemade and a frozen store bought lasagna. We defrosted both of them for 3 days in the refridgerator. We did this to make the process of heating them easier, as it takes a much longer time to heat them up frozen. They were both approximately 1...
Wild Mustang champagne cocktail Does anyone know of a champagne cocktail with vodka and Grand Marnier called a Wild Mustang. We used to get it is Whistler but the bar has closed and we can't find the recipe online anywhere.	Looking online, I found this menu from a Monk's Grill that appears to be in Vancouver. Under Champagne Cocktails it lists a Wild Mustand as having Skyy vodka and Grand Marnier. See below, copied from the menu: WILD MUSTANG splash of Skyy Vodka & Grand Marnier Searching on end, however, I have not been able to find a...
Homemade double/heavy cream separates after setting in the fridge Good day. I recently made a homemade double cream using 1.5 cups of whole milk and 150 grams of unsalted butter. I followed most recipes I saw online which started with melting the butter so that it becomes liquid and not letting it boil and mixing it w...	You cannot make double cream by mixing milk and butter, this is wishful thinking. Some recipes which call for heavy cream, e.g. a cream soup, can indeed be made by adding milk and butter in such quantities that the fat ratio becomes similar to double cream, and will be successful. But for all such cases, there is no re...
substitution of whipping cream for water in jello This is the first time I have been on the internet for over 5 years so please excuse my slowness with this site. I have been successful using heaving whipping with unflavored gellatin mix with added sugar and vanilla. I have used both a mold and a big crystal bowl, ...	I see no reason why not. Some chef's cheat when making pannacotta and simply set some flavoured milk with geletin. Simply replace all the water with cream. It may set a little firmer so you might want to tinker with the recipe next time round. The result will be somewhere between panna cotta and blancmange. I'd suggest...
How long can I keep unleavened dough at room temperature? Can a dough of only flour and water stay usable indefinitely (as in between a few days and a few weeks) when stored covered at room temperature? I made a batch of dough last week and ended up with a good portion of it unused. Today, I finally managed to finish ...	A mixture of flour and water at room temperature is a very hospitable growth medium for many bacteria, yeasts, and molds; and indefinitely is a long time.... Even if you are extremely vigilant when it comes to kitchen hygiene, the mixture will eventually start to grow some form of microbes. This process could take a we...
Using parchment paper to bake whoopie pies My recipe for whoopie pies calls to grease and flour a baking sheet. Can I simply use parchment paper on the baking sheet instead?	Absolutely. There are only a few cases where parchment and grease/flour are not interchangeable and whoopie pies are not one of them.
In ingredient lists, does "lime" mean the fruit or the chemical? Ingredient lists on packaged foods sometimes list "lime". Does this refer to the citrus fruit, or to the chemical calcium hydroxide? As an example, Mission Organics White Corn Tortilla Chips list "trace of lime" as the last ingredient. This could indic...	Calcium hydroxide is pretty much insoluble, so it's hard to get every last bit of it out after nixtamalizing. A trace always remains. If the maker were selling lime flavored tortilla chips, which are sold the ingredient list would say something like "lime extract" or "natural lime flavor".
What properties allow something to be considered "milk"? Traditionally, milk is defined as (from Merriam-Webster): 1: a white liquid produced by a woman to feed her baby or by female animals to feed their young; especially : milk from cows or goats that is used as food by people 2: a white liquid produced by a plant ...	I will disagree with Johanna here. While hers sounds like a reasonable definition, it is not how the word is used in practice. Milk is A) Cow's (also goat's, sheep's, camel's and mare's) lactated fluid, or B) Any liquid which kinda looks like A), doesn't have an overly strong taste, and there is a convention of bei...
Inexpensive vacuum sealer not pulling out air I bought a Seal-a-Meal for sous-vide cooking. It felt like a bargain at the time, it was very inexpensive because it was a close-out model. It seals great, I'm not having any problem with leaking, but it only pulls out the air maybe one out of five times. Other times it do...	One of the things I've found critical with getting a vacuum using a fairly similar style unit is to make sure the air has a way to escape from the bag reliably. The best bags I've found are ones that are smooth on one side and have a cross-hatch ribbing on the other side, I've had limited success with bags that are smo...
When you try to "catch" yeast from the air: is it normal for the flour and water to split I'm trying to "catch" wild yeast for the first time. 36 hours ago I mixed a cup of flour and a cup of water and left it out on a shelf with a paper towel over the top. It's been between 45 and 70 degrees here over that time. Sin...	Yes. It seems like you should be stirring occasionally (when you feed your starter). This site seems like a reasonable reference and, in the section called "Making your starter" it says: In between stirrings it's normal for the mixture to separate and for a small layer of water to be on the top.
How can I prevent strawberries from discolouring cream? When I put strawberries onto a sponge covered in cream, how can I prevent the strawberries from discolouring the surrounding cream?	I'd suggest 'sealing' the cut side of the strawberries by dipping them in gelatin (or a vegetarian alternative. Or you could use white chocolate.
How to store cut fruits & vegetables for days? Is it possible to store fruits and vegetables (like apples, beetroot, pomegranate, etc.) for days, after they're cut? Here are some things I've read, but I don't know which works best and if at all they do: Soaking them in a solution of 1 tablespoon lemon and 1 cup water...	I'm not sure how possible it is to give good and definitive advice on how to store fruits and vegetables generally. The best ways to store food will often depend on the specific kind of food and the purpose you intend for it. So take the following advice as more of hint, as it may be very bad advice for a specific frui...
Expiry date of custard powder? I bought a pack of 'Custard Power' around 4 year ago. I placed the pack in my store room and completely forgot about it until now. The packet was 100% unopened until yesterday, when I found it. I cannot seem to find an expiry date, but the powder still seems fine. Can I use it, or should...	Products like custard powder don't come with a use by date, instead they have "best before". To be honest I see no reason why if kept dry custard powder would ever be inedible. Especially if it is just the corn flour and colour mix.
Pyrex Percolator on stove? Does anybody use a vintage Pyrex percolator on their stove? Electric? Gas? Is it 100% safe? I just saw it in an old movie, which is what gave me the idea to look for one.	Pyrex percolators made after 1940 were not intended to be used directly on a heating element as stoves made after 1940 had a higher burner heat level that those made in previous years. (Presumably, those made before 1940 were placed directly on a burner.) The Pyrex percolators I remember had a wire 'grid' or 'heat spre...
Why remove the skin and seeds of a tomato? Many recipes ask for peeled and seeded tomatoes, which I find both wasteful and too hard work. What is the point of removing seeds and skin of tomatoes? Just texture and presentation? Or can it actually change the food's taste?	Texture is the main reason, but if you're going to be blending the sauce, there can be off-flavors from cracking open the seeds. Even if you don't blend it, they can be these slippery little things that I never much liked growing up. To reduce the amount of waste, you can : cook the sauce, then put it through a food ...
Should I season my sushi rice before or after cooking? When I make rice for sushi, I season it with sugar, salt, rice vinegar, and mirin. I'm never sure if I should add these at the beginning or near the end of cooking the rice. Does it matter when I add these seasonings?	You should add the seasoning at the end of cooking the rice. Actually normally I let my rice cool down for 10-15 minutes and transfer it to a large mixing bowl before mixing the seasoning with my rice. I do not think it matters when you add the salt BUT the wet ingredients (including sugar) should be added after the w...
Adding lime juice to green curry paste and heating I am trying this recipe which requires preparation of a green curry paste with lime juice as one of the ingredients. Once the paste is prepared, I add it to a pan with hot oil (after which I add coconut milk to the paste) My doubt is - is it a good idea to add lime ju...	Lime juice is one of the components of green curry. The acid from the lime juice macerates some of the other ingredients and wakens up some other flavors. If you don't add it as part of the paste preparation, then you aren't cooking with Green Curry. If you add the lime juice in the end, you will have a very different...
What are 'boiling potatoes'? If a recipe calls for 'boiling potatoes', what variety(ies) is it referring to, and why? Example Recipes: Punjabi-Style Cauliflower and Potatoes with Ginger (Aloo Gobi) Potato and Cauliflower Curry Roasted Portobello Burgers with Rosemary Garlic Oven Fries Chorizo-Cod-Potato Stew	This most likely means waxy potatoes, typically white or red. In some contexts it might also mean you want small ones so that you can boil and serve them whole, but it doesn't look like that's the case here. There are two main kinds of potatoes, starchy and waxy. Starchy ones (like russets) cook up fluffy and dry, desi...
Is it bad to eat cheese after its expiry date? I accidentally ate some packaged shredded cheese without knowing its expiration date. It expired in December and it is now February. it tasted fine, and it wasn't moldy. will I be okay? or should I worry about being sick? if so, how long would it take for me to get sick?	Speaking in general about expiry dates, because I haven't seen them posted in other answers to this or other questions... Expiry dates are (in some jurisdictions) entirely optional for most goods, and determined by the manufacturer (one example, anecdotally). Another recent-ish article, which I found enlightening, from...
Minimalist Burger Patties I've got more grass-fed ground beef than I know what to do with and, I'd like to perfect my burger recipe. I see lots of involved recipes with tons of spices, but I'm looking to keep it simple. The best I've made so far is just S&P, minced onion and minced fresh parsley. Any suggestions on...	I would say if you want to improve on your burgers, go even simpler. Season only with salt and pepper, or even just salt, after you form your patties. Rely upon the salt to bring out the flavor of your beef, and the maillard reaction from cooking to add flavor and texture. Anything more and you are likely to overwhelm ...
How do I prepare fresh clams for clam chowder? I regularly prepare New England-style clam chowder with all fresh ingredients except for canned clams which I use out of convenience. I have been feeling guilty of trying to pass my recipe off as "fresh clam chowder" and I want to make it better. I would like to pick up a...	Cook them first. I consulted few recipes including this very representative 5 star recipe from Anne Burrell, she uses one dozen little neck or cherry stone clams per serving. Scrub the clams and put them over high heat with one cup of water, covered, for 6-7 minutes. Remove open clams (careful, don't waste any juice). ...
Is it not possible to can some species of fish without adding oil? Some canned fish is available in oil or brine (e.g. tuna, salmon, saury), while other types of canned fish are only available with oil (e.g. sardines, mackerel). If I were to home can some of the latter, would it be completely necessary to add vegetabl...	The reason sardines and mackerel are generally packed in oil is due to the naturally high amounts of fat/oil in the fish. If you cook a raw mackerel thoroughly you will soon notice the large amounts of oil left in the tray. On the other hand when cooking Tuna you will notice the opposite and almost no matter how much o...
What can I do to prevent big holes in the bottom of bread loaves? Can you give me any ideas to control this type of hole in bread?	When I had a similar result many years ago, I finally figured out that the problem was a combination of how I shaped the loaves and letting them over rise in the pan. It also looks to me that these loaves were twisted when formed. If so, perhaps try a different method of shaping them such as a braid, for a similar lo...
How can I vacuum seal acidic ingredients with meat or poultry for freezing? What if I want to prepare packets for sous-vide and freeze them? I want to include an acidic marinade in the bags, but I don't want to turn the meat into mush.	Home sealers don't like liquids in the bag, so use an ice tray to freeze any liquid you want to seal in the bag. Both of these products freeze slushy, but that's fine. I squished the slush into a corner, and then added a layer of butter so that the chicken won't actually interact with the acidic ingredient until it's ...
Teryaki sauce becomes viscous after boiled I recently cooked chicken in a Teryaki sauce/marinade, and it turned out great. I cooked the chicken on both sides, and then cooked it in a bath of Teryaki for about 3 minutes. The Teryaki bubbled a lot. I let the Teryaki sit there in the pan, after cooking, for about 24 hour...	Teryaki has sugar in it. If you bring it to a boil, the sugar will behave like it typically does in candy-making, and become viscous and possibly tar-like. You often want this sort of behaviour if you're trying to make a barbeque sauce from meat drippings, but it sounds like you let it boil a little too long.

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