Split (1)

train · 60.1k rows

instruction stringlengths 2 23k	output stringlengths 3 23.1k ⌀
What causes pasta dough to be holey after running through a machine multiple times? I've tried making pasta several times now, and every time it turns holey after I run the dough through a standard crank machine: Ingredients I use: 200 grams all purpose flour 2 jumbo brown eggs Bit of olive oil Bit of salt	I watched this video and saw I was adding an extra step. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6KhbS3q5b8 After making pasta again tonight, which came out perfect, I realized I was "re-kneading" the dough after I passed it through the machine. Tonight I folded the dough once, and resent through the machine over and over, an...
Why does adding commercial processed cheese to fondue change its consistency? I like to experiment with cheese fondues. I've had good results with the traditional Emmentaler and Gruyère mixture, but the best result I've had was when I added some cheese from the supermarket that was labeled as a "Cheddar Blend". I'm ...	The magic is from Sodium Citrate Most mass produced cheese it based on "cheddar blends". Basically large (50 Kg to 1 Mg) blocks of cheese are made in a milk factory. When a consumer product is to be made from it, the cheddar is shredded, flavour and/or culture is added, and then using heat and pressure it is re-packed ...
Can I bake in a convection microwave? I have microwave oven, but I can't bake cakes and cookies in it. So I need an electric oven, but people are suggesting I buy a convection microwave to do both baking and normal microwaving. Will that work? Or do I really need to get an electric oven to bake?	I've baked bread in a convection microwave with some succes. It's a far cry from what you can achieve with a good electric oven, but you can get some decent results. Certainly a poor to average microwave-sized electric oven will perform about the same as a decent convection microwave combination. Just remember to turn ...
Defrosting meat/fish in warm water I have found warm water to be a great way to quickly defrost meat and fish as opposed to just letting it sit outside the freezer, which is what my mom does. But I wonder if there are any negative side effects to the method, as in, for example, compromised taste or compromised food sa...	This in general can be unsafe, because the temperature of the warm water will be in the danger zone. That means that you'll be holding the surface of the food in the danger zone for the duration of the defrosting. Since you don't want to hold food in the danger zone for more than a couple hours, and that's cumulative o...
Can I use baking powder to replace cream of tartar I need cream of tartar to make a special apple pie,but I have none can you tell me the correct substitute I need a proper answer The pie is called cracker apple pie the crust is made of crackers	Baking powder cannot be used as a substitute for cream of tartar. Cream of tartar is used in recipes as a dry acid. Baking powder has cream of tartar added to leavening agents that have a basic pH. Thus baking powder as a whole is not acidic.
Grape Juice left out overnight, now has fizz So I left some grape juice out overnight, I forget how long, but now it has developed a "fizzy" taste. Also when you open the bottle you can hear the fizz escape. I've put it back in the refrigerator, is it still safe to drink? It tastes okay.	I'd be very wary of this, if only because it seems to have fermented remarkably quickly. The fizz is likely the result of carbon dioxide being produced by yeast eating the sugars in the grape juice; this is the same process that carbonates beer or sparkling wines. The thing is, most of these yeasts are introduced delib...
How to make double cream 48% for tart filling (not for whipping)? In my country it is impossible to get double cream (48% fat). The highest fat content I can get is 35% whipping cream. I have some recipes which require double cream and I don't want to substitute it with 35%. I want to know if there is a way I can make...	If something like Agar Agar, or a small amount of Carageen is melted into the warmed butter (powdered form, while whisking/lightly whipping after coming off the heat, or bloomed into the warmed heavy cream, it would add the extra thickening that you are talking about without actually changing the flavor, altering the "...
How to extend holding time for poached eggs? I would like to bring eggs Florentine for a potluck. I usually make them for myself Sunday mornings, but usually I strain the egg fresh from the pot to the muffin. Is there any way to do this for a potluck with, say, a dozen eggs or more, where I won't have access to goodi...	Some dat
Can you make thin crispy dosa without urad dal?? Can I use any other lentils in their place? I live in Finland and I can't find urad dal in the city where I live. Can I make thin crispy dosa with different beans?	Urad dal is the most common legume used in traditional dosa recipes but it is by no means the only legume used. Recipes for traditional dosa will sometimes use other high protein legumes such as chana dal. This variety of chickpea, or other chickpea varieties, may be easier to find. My experience with Scandinavian coun...
What's the role of milk or yogurt in sponge cake? Most recipes for sponge cake use a quantity of yogurt which sometimes is replaced with milk, or even soja or almond drinks. In those recipes (flour, sugar, eggs, butter/oil, yogurt/milk, some flavouring), what is the role of the dairy product? Is it about protein/fat/...	A basic sponge does not contain milk, yoghurt or other dairy, neither does his closely related cousin, the pound cake (except for butter, of course). That said, obviously there are many recipes that use extra ingredients like dairy products. Usually the percentages of the recipes are a bit different from the "base" rec...
How to offset sweetness in a sauce? I recently tried a recipe for Mongolian BBQ that I found online. The sauce consists of garlic, ginger, water, soy sauce, cornstarch, and the main ingredient is 2/3 cup of brown sugar. While it tasted good, I was wondering what I could add to offset the sweetness, perhaps giving it...	American versions of Mongolian BBQ are often pretty sweet (this doesn't sound like an authentic recipe). More soy sauce (or more of everything but the sugar) would cut the sweetness. Chili oil would certainly give it heat, but isn't going to temper the sweetness much. Any of the following would offset the sweetness and...
Coffee flavored melted chocolate for drizzling over cookies? I am making coffee flavored biscottis that I want to drizzle with coffee flavored melted chocolate, which should harden after. I have searched but without much luck. I was thinking of mixing a bit of instant coffee powder with some water to make a thick past...	If you can get instant espresso powder (most big grocery stores in the US have it) that's what you want to use. NO WATER, small amounts of water will ruin chocolate, cause it to seize. Just sprinkle some powder in while the chocolate is melting. It will blend right in. If you can't get espresso powder, you can use ins...
Loose-leaf te	specifics of re-steeping multiple times? I'm an avid tea drinker who drinks several cups of loose-leaf tea every day. My usual steeping technique is to fill a teapot with about 3 cups of boiling water, wait for it to cool to the correct temperature depending on the tea, and then steep about 3 tsp of tea in a very larg...
Can I substitute low fat greek yogurt for light sour cream in a high speed blender? I'm wondering whether the blending speed will affect the texture of the yogurt unfavourably. I am making a spinach and artichoke dip, and I want to lower the calories per serving. If I can substitute, should I do it one-to-one?	You can substitute one to one. Many brands of "light sour cream" (Which is an oxymoron. Cream without the cream?) have a lot of gums and starches to stabilize the liquid as the fat would have done. Brands that don't have gums dilute the fat with skim milk and are basically just yogurt anyway. Regular yogurt is fragile....
Why does my food taste like propane when i grill? Every now and then when I use my propane grill my food comes out tasting like propane. I am wondering why this is and how to correct it.	@Ross Ridge's comment implies that it can't happen, but it is happening. That suggests incomplete combustion (since it IS getting on the food), which suggests either the fuel air mixture being set wrong, or being upset by having dirt/spiders/mud-wasps/etc. blocking the air intakes. The flames should be pure blue, no ye...
Is there any way to make crepes without a proper non-stick pan? I unfortunately ended up in situation where I tried to make crepes in a regular pan - needless to say, I was unprepared and it didn't end up well (they would get stuck to the pan and burn) I tried using both butter and (canola) oil in the pan to avoid sti...	Crepes were made long before teflon was invented. I use a quality steel pan and non stick spray. I reapply the spray every 3rd or 4th crepe to avoid sticking. Everything else is temperature control. If your temps are too high then the crepes will toast and burn before they set on top. If the temp is too low then they a...
Why won't my ground beef thaw? I put ground beef in the fridge 3 days ago and it's still frozen! Why isn't it thawing like normal?	Either you've insulated it or your fridge is really cold. I suggest using a thermometer to check your fridge temperature. Parts of your fridge may be at slightly different temperatures than other parts; it may help to move it to a warmer part of the fridge (if that can be done safely, you don't want it dripping on your...
What soy sauce is Tamari closest to? There are a great many variations on the theme of 'Soy sauce'. And whilst there are lots of descriptions of the difference, I can't find the answer to this question: Which other soy sauce(s?) is Tamari closest too. My specific scenario is this: I use and intend to continue using Ta...	Your typical Tamari is, to my understanding, going to be closer to dark than light soy sauce. So you'd want light as a second soy sauce. Inside Japan, there are five kinds of soy sauce: Koikuchi, which is your most typical soy sauce Usukuchi, which is lighter because it has fermented rice in it Tamari, which has more...
3 types of fish, 3 temperature/time per package I have to have 3 fish items ready at 6:00 PM but they each require different temperature and time and are of different weight. Can someone please help me ... what I need is the oven temperature and at what times (prior to 5pm when we leave for church) I need to put each...	I would recommend doing what Stephie says in the comments - start the food right when you come in. With 5 minutes to preheat and ~20 minutes of cook time, your fish will be ready around 6:35-40. It won't be ready right when you walk in the door, but that's okay. To answer your original question of how to cook these thr...
Transporting partially finished ravioli In a couple of weeks I am catering a private dinner for a work relation. I will be prepping everything in my home kitchen and finishing off in their kitchen, meaning I want to get every dish as close to finished as possible before transporting it. One of the dishes I intend to s...	I've done option 3 for a christmas dinner party, even with the egg-yolk trick. In one night I learned both that it can be done, and also that it can be a complete disaster. I made three large pieces of ravioli per person, each with a different filling. I was most worried about the yolks breaking during transport, so I ...
Meyer curd without added sugar? Is there any reason I can't make a Meyer lemon curd without adding sugar. Is the sugar doing anything structural or is it just taste? Should I adjust the number of eggs?	Sugar acts as a stabilizer in the heating process of eggs. It acts as a bit of "insurance" to keep the eggs from curdling under the moderate heat during the cooking process. It is a necessary component in making citrus curds.
Can apple cider vinegar be substitute when coloring eggs? I have egg coloring kit that suggested using vinegar for darker colors. Only have apple cider vinegar in cupboard. Can I use this instead or am I better off just using water?	Apple cider vinegar still contains the acidity that the dye needs to activate, so it should work just fine. You may encounter a slight discoloration due to the naturally brown tint of apple cider vinegar.
Filling tart with beans/rice for baking I've found a recipe for a lemon tart: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/380616/greggs-tangy-lemon-tart Everything looks fine to me and I get what to do exactly, but I don't understand the part that says: Line the tart with foil and fill with rice or dried beans. Bake for 10 mi...	The rice/beans in this step act as a form of what are known as pie weights. They are used in order to maintain the shape of the crust as it is being baked. If you eliminate the weights during baking, you may encounter undesirable levels of puffing, curling and shrinking. If you'd rather brown the top of the bottom crus...
Why cover a pepper after blackening? I have seen multiple recipes that ask to cover the pepper after blackening? What is the use for this?	It causes the pepper to steam a bit, making it easier to remove the charred skin. (resting might also be a factor ... I've never done a side-by-side comparison of covered vs. uncovered)
Is it safe to eat baby-potatoes? I kept several potatoes in a box dark cool cellar. Now, after 6 months, I am surprised to see that they grew a lot of sprouts, and among them, many "baby potatoes", with radius between 1 and 10 milimeters. The "mother potatoes" look and smell OK, but they feel softer than usual. I wond...	Planting will get you a better return. Cut the potatoes up into sections with a sprout each, let the cuts callus at 70 F/21C for a few days, and plant. If you remove the sprouts and the potatoes are not green, or any green parts are removed, they should be safe, if not of particularly good quality. Planting the sproute...
One base cake mix and then make several flavors Does anyone know how to make one base cake mix and then make several flavors for cupcakes? I was thinking a basic white cake mix then SPLITTING mix into Vanilla Bean, Chocolate and Strawberry. Thank you in advance.	Adjusting a basic cake (either from a boxed mix or from scratch) is easy if the cake has no or very little flavour of its own. Using a boxed mix might be more difficult because they often have a generous amount of flavouring, typically vanilla, even if it does not explicitly say so on the box front. Check the ingredien...
Why do my pre-cooked hams always take way longer than they should? My ham is 8.5lbs half-ham and was refridgerated, but not frozen. Here are the instructions that were with it. Here's what I did: Preheated the oven to 275. Removed all packaging and put the ham face down on the pan. Wrapped the pan in foil. This cove...	Apparently the results you're getting are more or less by design. The How to Bake a Ham page on Smithfield's website gives similar instructions to the one you're following: Preparation Genuine Smithfield and Country Hams (Cooked) If you have selected a fully cooked ham, further preparation is unnecessary. Simply slice...
How is one meant to treat fenugreek seeds? The last time I used fenugreek seeds, they and mustard seeds were the first into the pan, followed by onions, then other vegetables. I expected them to soften a bit and release their flavor, but they retained a bit of an unpleasant crunch, in the end. Do I need to grind or c...	When cooking with fenugreek personally, I have found that processing them in a grinder is the best way to use them in a dish. If they are not ground fine enough they can remain a bit more textured. Longer cooking time in liquid can help with the breaking down of the texture as well. However, it is best to just start ou...
When did the US start refrigerating eggs on a regular basis? Does anyone recall when refrigerated eggs became the norm in the US? I seem to remember buying eggs in the large grocery stores off the shelf--not refrigerated--as recently as the 1990s. I lived in the Detroit area so I'm talking big city, not country stor...	The question actually brings up two separate issues: (1) When did the U.S. "start refrigerating eggs on a regular basis," i.e., when did the process of refrigeration become a common practice with eggs? Answer: late 1800s (2) When did refrigerated eggs "become the norm," i.e., when did American consumers expect eggs ...
Onion has yellow center. Is it safe to eat? I cut open an onion I had and it had a yellow center. I read online it might be a sign of sprouting but I am uncertain if that's actually the case. Is it safe to eat? Should I just throw the onion away?	Sprouted onions are perfectly safe to eat. If far advanced the texture may not be ideal; yours does not sound very far advanced at all (not even green.) Considering you can eat green onions, there's nothing to fear from onion sprouts.
I've seasoned and floured more chicken than I need to fry. What's the best way to store it for cooking at a later date? I have marinated chicken overnight, floured it for frying and didn't cook. What is the best way to store it for frying at a later time?	There is no good way to keep it in the "ready to fry" state. I'd suggest to simply store it in the fridge as you would do with unfloured meat. When you take it out, just flour it again. The thicker flour crust will make it somewhat closer to a schnitzel, but it won't taste bad. If you already had a very thick flour/eg...
How can I tell the difference between a rabbit and a cat? I received a shipment of prefabricated skinned rabbit last week and the shipment seemed unusual. Rabbits have a very close resemblance to cats once their “hair” and skin have been removed. Is there a telltale sign that I’m working with Bugs Bunny, not Sylvester...	In Germany we have an old (joking) saying that roughly translates to "head off, tail off - bunny", so your question is legitimate. But first thing's first: There is no health risk1 involved if you ate the latest shipment of "meowling rabbit". (To cat lovers everywhere: This is no endorsement, I have a much loved and pa...
Is there a significant difference between pizza ovens and conventional ovens with pizza functionality? I have a small pizza oven (the round ones, with stone), with whom I make an adequate pizza; according to the manuals, temperatures go from 190 to 400 °C, so I guess I'm baking it between 300 and 350 °C. Since I have ...	The linked question in comments makes some general points about dedicated pizza ovens. However, to address the final question about temperature differences, the general answer is that it depends on the style of pizza you'd prefer to make and the dough/topping characteristics. Some doughs and pizza styles are designed ...
Is my chicken ruined? I put 4 raw chicken breasts is a crock pot in the fridge last night around 9pm. This morning at 6:50, not thinking, I removed the crock pot from the fridge and put it into the cooker. I left it off until 9:00 am and started it for an 8 hour low heat cook. Did that 2 hours ruin the chicken? The he...	I think you should be much more concerned about what happened after you turned on the heating element. It's likely that a heavy ceramic liner crock pot fresh out of a (properly kept) refrigerator would keep contained food out of the danger zone for a couple hours. But once cooking begins, that's a wide temperature ran...
Dry brining burger patties with onions I tend to mix in some onions when making burger onions, before putting on a rack and letting it sit in the fridge for an hour before cooking. With that said, if I dry brine at the same time, will the salt interact with the onion already in the meat during that hour?	Salt mixed into hamburger results in patties that have the consistency of sausage instead of a good burger. Brining is totally unnecessary for ground meat. It is a mechanism for conveying flavor into meat, helping reduce moisture loss, and increasing the illusion of tenderness. None of these are necessary with ground m...
Can I subtitute water for milk in crêpes? I want to make crêpes, but I have run out of milk. I do have all the other ingredients I need. Can I somehow substitute the milk by water or anything else?	You can substitute but don't expect them to be exactly the same, of course. The fat, protein, and sugar in milk all interfere with the flour and egg protein binding in the crepes. Milk will produce a more tender product. Also expect the flavor to be a little less luxurious without the fat and sugar. You can use vanilla...
Jam "separates" in processing I've been making jams and jellies for a while now. While I don't have this problem as much with marmalade, for some reason my jam usually separates when being jarred and canned. By separate, I mean the fruit all migrates to the top, leaving the bottom half just liquid (jelly-ish). Is t...	I made apricot/jalapeno jam in August, and I had directions from an experienced jam maker. She said, after it starts to jell, remove the pan from heat, let it set a minute, then thoroughly stir before putting the jam into your jars for processing. Then the fruit doesn't float to the top. It worked quite well. I used l...
Coconut sugar flavor I bought a lot of coconut sugar (and have since given it to my MIL). I baked cupcakes with it and the entire batch of cupcakes fell (there was a crater-like indention in every cupcake). All of my cane sugar cupcakes rose nicely. In the cupcakes, I didn't notice much of a different flavor (they ...	Pretty much all sugar, regardless of source, has to go through a series of refining steps in order to remove moisture and produce crystals. Common white "table sugar" that we're familiar with in Western countries is the most refined, having gone through a whole series of steps to precipitate and "wash" the crystals to...
How do I keep a hot meal fresh for several hours? In three days, I will be picking up two fully-prepared chicken dinners - with potatoes, cole slaw, and a pre-packaged dessert - from work to home for my wife and I. I've done this before and it came out fairly well. The problem is, I know for a fact that I will have...	Refrigeration! They should be cooled to refrigeration temperature as soon as possible after pick up. You can do this in a cooler with ice, if you don't have a refrigerator. A portable cooler will allow you to take the dinners home on the bus.
What is a clove of garlic? If a recipe calls for 8 whole cloves of garlic, does it mean 8 whole garlics? Or does it mean 8 of the wedges?	Each "wedge" is a clove. The entire garlic is called a "head".
When should I add proofed yeast to a bread machine? I like to use proofed yeast when making bread. I want to use a bread machine but all the recipes call for adding dry yeast to the dry ingredients before adding the liquid. Since proofed yeast is basically a solution of water and dry yeast, when and where should it b...	It depends on why your bread machine is having you keep your yeast dry: If it's because you're putting a bunch of ingredients in the night before and setting the machine to have bread ready for breakfast (e.g., on a delay), then you have to use dry yeast. The yeast needs to stay dry so it doesn't start growing until t...
What is a device used to slice tomatoes with in one motion called? I worked at a restaurant for a month once and they had a device there. It was a rectangular box: you'd put a tomato in it, and there was a handle at the one end you could use to push the tomato against some blades. The tomato would come out the other e...	Yes, believe it or not... it's called a Tomato Slicer, but they are also sometimes referred to as a Tomato Saber. Which is a product name originally from the commercial company Price Castle. Although I agree with Stephie and janeylicious just include the additional keyword 'commercial' with your search. Another optio...
What kinds of beans are there and how to recognize them? I've been looking for nutrition facts for beans (bought in bulk, doesn't have a label) I bought but couldn't find which type there are. It took me quite a while to recognize them as pinto beans. Also different sources differ way too much when it comes to nutriti...	How many basic types of beans are there There are hundreds of different bean cultivars. Some countries sell predominantly 2-3 types of bean in the supermarket, but which type is sold varies from country to country. If you are eating beans from a farmer's market, all bets are off. How do you distinguish them There...
how to season a frozen steak I have some frozen steaks I want to cook rather quickly. I want to follow this method: this question but I am not sure how to season it. How do I apply seasoning to a steak without defrosting it?	I'm not sure how much it matters, other than the fact that it is difficult for seasoning to stick to a frozen steak. I would season with salt and pepper (or whatever spice blend you prefer) after the sear and before the oven step...but you could also season at the end of the cook. If it is a good steak, keep the seas...
Is it advisable to freeze tomatoes? I have some tomatoes that might go bad soon. Do they freeze well? (E.g. taste, texture)	Tomatoes freeze well in terms of taste, but not in terms of texture. After thawing them, you should use them in soup, stews, etc. rather than eating them raw. It could be useful to remove their skins and dicing them up prior to freezing.
Is it important to knead biga/poolish? I've never read a biga/poolish bread recipe that specifically mentions whether or not to knead the starter dough. Is it helpful to knead it, or is it not worth doing?	Well, technically there is a minor difference between biga and poolish, but often the terms are used interchangeably. Just for clarification: A poolish uses equal parts (by weight) of flour and water and very little yeast (sources vary between 0.1% to 1% fresh yeast / 0.03%1 to 0.33% dry yeast of flour weight). This ...
Can you substitute Asian red chili paste (e.g. Thai Kitchen's Roasted Red Chili Paste) for Sambal Oelek? The recipe you will find here: http://runningonbrie.com/2014/04/28/korean-inspired-pork-rice-bowl/ (Korean Pork Rice Bowl recipe)	The author of the linked recipe appears to be substituting in turn for gochujang, which in addition to spice has a bit of a yeasty, fermented flavor not unlike miso (no surprise, since both include fermented soybean). Sambal oelek will be brighter, generally hotter, and looser in texture. It's less of a paste than th...
Binding properties of turmeric Is turmeric known to have any binding properties? Wikipedia doesn't mention anything, and a google search only relates to iron binding properties of turmeric or similar health benefits. A few days ago I made a curry (a Madras variant), and put the turmeric, as recommended by an Indian f...	Turmeric is a rhizome that contains some starches. Those starches will hydrate and gelatinize like any other starch and thicken liquid. I don't know how its thickening power compares to other starches like flour or corn starch. This paper has a chart of vegetable starch sources that would imply that turmeric's starch ...
vanilla sugar substitution I have a recipe for an apple-strawberry crumble that calls for "1 vanilla sugar." I don't have any, so I'm looking for advice on how to substitute vanilla and sugar for the vanilla sugar - as well as estimates on appropriate amount, since the recipe left that out! For estimating guidance, i...	My best guess would be what Stephie already hinted at: "1 vanilla sugar" means "one sachet of vanilla sugar". I have seen these in different European countries, and they normally contain the "standard" amount of synthetic vanillin to flavor a recipe of up to 500 g of flour, and just a little bit of sugar, not to make i...
Do they count calories in fried chicken accurately? Personally, I never eat my fried chicken to the bone. There is always the veins left as well as some meat and skin. In a frozen dinner, do they calculate the calories assuming the chicken was licked clean? Or do they take a more realistic approach and account for los...	Unfortunately the nutritional values given on packages aren't accurate enough for it to make a difference whether you eat chicken to the bone. Compliance testing in the United States and Canada only requires that an average of a certain number of servings be within 20% of the stated number. Individual servings can vary...
Wine substitutions for homemade salami I want to make my own salami but I'm interested in alternative ways to lower the ph of the meat. I have people in the house with dependency issues so using wine in any sort of food (Like the recipe says) is a big No-No. I was thinking maybe some sort of citrus to reduce the ph. M...	Substitution in preserved foods are generally considered unsafe. Food chemistry is a complicated affair, and cooking is inherently imprecise. Sure, you can find a way to reduce the pH to that of the original recipe. But a salami is a fermented food. Your pH might be the same, but other things will change, for example t...
Freezing Buttercream Flowers for later use? I would like to make some buttercream cake decorations in advance and freeze them for later use (I am very slow at creating these designs) I know I can freeze them but I don't know what people put them in to not be damaged or freezer burnt in the freezer without taking up a ...	Put them in the freezer on your parchment covered baking sheet for an hour. Get your Tupperware and cover the bottom with a folded paper towel. Then remove the flowers and put them in the Tupperware. Cover the flowers with another paper towel and seal the Tupperware tight. The paper towels will help keep them container...
What is the additive they put in apple juice to change it from cloudy to clear? I was told today that my juice was cloudy because they hadn't put the additive in it that makes it clear. My question is: What is the additive they put in apple juice to change it from cloudy to clear?	(after reading this: http://www.ncbe.reading.ac.uk/ncbe/protocols/inajam/pdf/jam01.pdf) They usually use pectinase (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pectinase) to break down pectin molecules to help mechanical filtration. They also use gelatins to help clump up particules to help mechanical filtering.
Does the material of the container affect the flavor of the prepared tea? If yes, what material should be preferred to get the best results? I use a steel bowl for boiling the combination of tea and milk. Then I pour the prepared tea in a melamine cup. Does the material of the container affect the flavor of the prepar...	It shouldn't have any effect, in the sense of any flavors leaching. If your container does change the taste, you should replace it. But it would be very unusual to chance upon a taste-changing container. Most cookware is non reactive, and containers meant for preparing and serving tea even less so. For example, untrea...
Bread has tough, crunchy crust but is underbaked in the middle - how to fix? I've been attempting to make white bread using a recipe from my grandmother. However, since she used to bake this bread every weekend and could probably have done it in her sleep, when she wrote down the recipe she was very vague. Recipe is a...	First off, there is a way bakers measure the proportions of ingredients that is pretty unique to bread—everything is measured relative to the amount of flour by weight. A ratio of 0.6 (or 60%) means if you use 10oz of flour, you use 6oz of that other ingredient. There are typical ranges for these. For example, salt wil...
Which cookware material should be used to retain the heat of the prepared tea? I have glass, plastic, stainless steel, earthenware, and melamine vessels. Which one of out of them should be used to retain the heat of the prepared tea for a long duration? Is there any better material too? Which one? Update: See the clai...	If you had vessels of the exact equal shape, you could have gone by material. But in reality, you are likely to have different shapes and sizes, so there is no good way to tell which one to use. The general rules (each of which holds as long as the features in all the other ones are kept equal) earthenware is better t...
Is there any way to make an egg pancake without sugar or white flour? I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to make a healthy breakfast pancake that I can put in a container and take to work with me. Most pancakes need white flour and sugar; but is there something that can be made with oatmeal or something similar...	You likely need to define 'egg pancake', because to me, it would seem that the ideal solution would be something without flour or sugar at all -- an omelette. And there are many other similar items that could also qualify, if you want more than just eggs in there -- if you add potato, you can make the Jewish latkes (ak...
Mysterious bitter taste from tropical fruits and coconut I cook every day, and today I had an experience I am at a total loss to explain. I am hoping the combined knowledge of the Internet can help. Today, I decided to make a tropical fruit custard. Being as it's passover, it contained matzoh meal. I blended the ingr...	The culprit is the pineapple. Raw pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that breaks down the protein in your milk, making it bitter. The same principle is applied when bromelain is used as meat tenderizer, either as powdered additive or as fruit-based brine. This process takes a short while, so if you used pineapple ...
How to deseed a guava? I found guavas in the local Asian store and bought one out of curiosity. While I have had guava juice, I've never eaten the fruit before. I bit into the fruit only to find my mouth full of hard seeds, which were somehow less convenient to spit out than, say, watermelon seeds. Seeing that most ...	The only ways I've figured to use the inter-seed pulp is to juice it or mechanically sieve it, such as in a food mill, coarse stainer, or colander. This article from EHow suggests to blend or process the seed-pulp mixture, possibly with a bit of water, then sieve or strain. It might be possible to blend slowly enough ...
Keeping noodles from absorbing all the soup I cook in the summer for a week for about 30 people,and we serve buffet-style over the course of about an hour. This summer, my plan is to make lemon chicken orzo soup for one of the meals. However, I've found that if you put the noodles in the soup, they do what noodles do ...	If it were me, I'd cook the pasta seperately (possibly in some of the broth), and only combine them just before it was to go out in the buffet. You might also want to take a look at How do canned soup companies keep their noodles from absorbing all the liquid in the can?
During flambé, what is the powder that is shaken into the fire to create sparks? My apologies for a lack of link, although hopefully my description will suffice. I saw some transient video of chefs making Bananas Foster in, I believe, New Orleans. They were shaking a powder into the flames to produce a dramatic sparks...	just a cinnamon or cinnamon blend with nutmeg and other spices will make sparks when tossed into the fire. You do need a big flame for this; I typically use a camp chef stove with a modified propane regulator to get the big flame needed.
Replicating commercial gluten-free/non-gebrokts matzo -- where to start? I'm on a somewhat restricted diet right now in which I'm not allowed to eat any grains of any kind. It turns out that the Yehuda gluten-free matzo and Manischewitz gluten-free matzo-style crackers are entirely grain-free, being made of tapioca an...	Here's a recipe from Joy of Kosher. The flours and starches may be a bit hard to find in stores, but they'll be on Amazon. As a matter of fact, the matzo is on Amazon too, but you're right, it's pretty spendy.
Sausage discolouration - is it safe to eat? This morning, I found some sausages in the fridge that had been there all week. The top of the sausage (that is, the surface of the skin facing upwards) had turned brown. I initially thought that if I just fried them long enough, this would be fine; however, while frying I...	My question is: what causes this discolouration Many meats are dyed to make them look fresher. They add red, cause meat is red right? Well no. Most meat will "brown" or "gray" as it is exposed to the air and the blood dries up (or drains out). This is not, in any way, a sign of bad meat. In fact it "may" be a sign of...
How much is a "round" of butter? This is in an old pound cake recipe I have a very old pound cake recipe that calls for a “round” of butter. How much is that? I have no idea.	Looks like a misprint for Pound. The point of Pound Cake is that you use the same amount of each ingredient - for example, a pound.
Why would parsnips make a beef stock not freeze? I made a beef stock the way I always do, except that I added parnsips. Then I put the stock in the freezer and when I took it out, the stock was not frozen. It was freezing cold, but instead of having the consistency of ice as I would have expected, it was more like jel...	I dont think that adding parnips to a beef stock would change the chemistry. I would give the beef stock a longer time to freeze as well as check the temperature in your freezer!
How to heat up already baked french bread in oven to get a crispy crust Where I live I do not have access to great quality bakery breads. Is there a way to heat up an already baked french sandwich baguette in oven to get a crispy outer texture? Water mist on top before baking, egg wash etc?	In my experience you have 3 choices. Lightly spray with water, oil of your liking (olive, canola, grapeseed, or sunflower not vegetable, and lastly, my favorite, brush on lightly sweet unsalted butter. Preheat your over to 350 degrees F (give or take 25 degrees) and do not keep in oven more than 5-7 minutes depending ...
chocolate substitutions in baking brownies from scratch can I use semi-sweet or unsweetened chocolate squares for dark chocolate in a brownie recipe	Chocolate - one of my favorite subjects. The rules for naming chocolate (milk, semi-sweet, bittersweet, dark, extra dark, etc.) vary a bit depending on where you live. However, as a general rule you may substitute semi-sweet chocolate for dark chocolate in a brownie recipe. Semi-sweet chocolate doesn't necessarily have...
Will chopping hard destroy my new knives? I bought a new set of knives and my dad used the chopping knives to cut onions. Instead of chopping by slicing the onions with the usual technique, he was using his two hands to hold the knife by the extremities and chopping the onions this way. Is this going to destroy my kn...	Hard chopping will not destroy the knife, but it will dull the knife faster. The edge of a knife is extremely narrow. As a result, regular use will push the edge to the left or right, leading to burrs. Hard impacts accelerate this process, and can even cause the edge of the blade to chip. Knife blades stay sharp longes...
Help identifying Turkish dessert Anyone familiar with Turkish cuisine know what this is? I had this in Istanbul. All I could gather from the owner was that it is made of milk. The texture was like a very moist cake. The taste was milky and sweet (but not very sweet). That is definitely raspberry jelly on top.	This looks like Trileçe which is indeed a Turkish take on tres leches: Trileçe’s heritage is a lot more complicated than that of the éclair. Chasing down the elusive origins of this cake – a Balkan cousin of the Latin American classic tres leches – leads to a deep, dark, global rabbit hole. And it's certainly got mil...
After refrigerating cookie dough overnight, should i leave my dough at room temperature or go straight to the oven? I usually leave my cookie dough in the fridge overnight. After taking it out, should I leave it at room temperature for a while or should I scoop it and go straight to the oven?	From the Fridge: If you can scoop it (some doughs are too hard), go straight to the oven, though you will likely need to give them a minute longer baking time. This is actually beneficial for some doughs that spread a lot and some recipes actually call for a quick refrigeration. I like to do this with sugar cookies (p...
What's wrong with keeping frozen vegetables in refrigerator? The bags of frozen mushrooms and okra that I just bought got mistakenly put into the refrigerator for a few days instead of frozen. I want to eat them now. What's the problem with letting bagged veggies thaw and then eating them? Is there a danger of food po...	After a few days, they're almost certainly still safe. Most fresh vegetables will last a few days to a week in the refrigerator. The quality might not be amazing, though. Frozen vegetables tend to get limp and soggy when they thaw; after a few days of being in the refrigerator, they might very well turn to mush once yo...
can maple syrup be refrigerated after it was out for a few days? I opened Adirondack pure maple syrup a few days ago. It didn't say to refrigerate, so I didn't. When I googled it, it said that it should be refrigerated. Can I still do that? If I may not use it for a while, should I freeze it?	Unless you left it open to the air it should be perfectly safe. Maple sap is thickened into syrup via boiling so any bacteria/etc. originating in it will be killed off. Thick sugary syrups also make it very hard for bacteria and mold to grow. Despite the plentiful food source, the concentrated sugar is dessicative: ...
What is my pizza cutter's handle made from, and how do I stop it from staining everything it touches? A while back, I bought an ordinary-looking pizza cutter with a dull grey handle. However, I soon found out the hard way that the handle is made from some weird metal or alloy that reacts with water, staining everythi...	Mystery solved! At Catija's prompting, I managed to dig up the cutter on the website of the shop I bought it from, the Chef's Hat in Melbourne, Australi
Is there a drink that's analogous to coffee but made with cocoa beans? Is there a drink out there that is made identically to coffee except with cocoa beans? I would be interested in finding either a drink with the exact roasting process or a drink brewed with ground cocoa beans. I've heard of something called "choff...	You certainly could brew a drink from pure cocoa powder. It'll be pretty bitter, though; if you don't like unsweetened chocolate you might not like it much, though. So you'll most likely end up adding dairy and sugar, and ending up with hot cocoa. It won't ever be exactly the same process though. In both cases there's ...
Substituting cayenne for red pepper flakes My wife does not like alternating textures, or "surprises" in sauces. Thus I need to make certain concessions when cooking for her. She does not like crushed red pepper flakes, but will readily take cayenne in its place. My question is: can this substitution be made in any s...	Crushed red pepper flakes and cayenne come from the same types of peppers, and you can definitely substitute one for the other in terms of spiciness (most resources I've found say that you add about 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne for every 3/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, or vice versa). However, beyond the spicines...
Does sugar inhibit mold growth? I was reading a post earlier regarding maple syrup being left out overnight. They were asking if their beloved Maple syrup was still safe to consume. In the comments I believe someone brought up this question I am asking, I'm sure I could do the research and find out but hey whats the...	Water activity is the big issue in preventing microorganism growth in sugary solutions. Water Activity of Foods Table Includes limit points for various types of bugs. A few molds will grow down to 0.60Aw. Another foods Aw table Water Activity of Sucrose and NaCl Solutions From which: 180 g sucrose + 100 g water...
Butter cream icing substitutions for covering the cake with fondant Is it Okay to have whipped cream icing before covering the cake with fondant? I don't have enough time to make butter cream so I would know other alternatives that could be used in this case. I have heard that whipped cream might make the fondant melt...	Butter cream consists mostly of almost water-free fat (butter or shortening) and sugar. Whipped cream has about 30% fat, the remaining part is solids and mostly water. Everything that has significant amount of water will dissolve fondant since fondant consists of sugar. For example, cream, yoghurt, cream cheese, masca...
Electric smoker and a charcoal smoker Got a electric smoker recently. Are there any differences that one should consider in terms of recipes when using an electric smoker? Or are there any processes that one must take additional steps when utilizing a smoker? I want to make sure that there isn't any additional work I ...	Recipes for smoked meat are usually mostly about the preparation and then a note about target temperatures. These things will not change; the air will just be heated differently. With grilling there is quite a bit of difference between charcoal and other heaters. Flavor and the fact that charcoal can get much hotter ar...
Raised brown spots on garlic Occasionally I'll get a clove of garlic that has small brown spots on it. When there are a couple spots, I cut them off and use the rest of the garlic. Sometimes there will be A LOT of spots and clustered together. Those will get thrown away. The garlic will look and feel fine until I ...	The brown spots can be a bruise from handling or a bruise caused by heavy soil. We learned the hard way to avoid planting in heavy clay. Loads of brown spots from cloves trying to swell against hard soil, or a rock or buried root etc. The bacteria get into the bruised clove and quickly discolour it. We added lots of...
Can I cook a slow cooker recipe on high instead of low, but for shorter time? This morning, I was supposed to prepare our chili recipe for tonight in the slow cooker, but I have forgotten. Now it's too late to start the recipe as usual and cook it on low. However, it's not too late for my wife at home to prepare the...	It will be safe and edible. It might not be quite as good. Part of the appeal of slow cookers is just the convenience of leaving them unattended. The other appeal is low-slow cooking that blends flavors and melts connective tissue without burning anything. Meat Cooking things faster and hotter will not make the meat as...
Is it okay to use stainless steel in oven? Its stainless steel dish so can I put it in the oven at 250c/482f ?	When you ask "can I put it in the oven?" you're actually not asking a whole question. Can you put it in the oven? Of course you can. Will anything happen to it and your food that you don't like? Ah, that is the other half, right? What might happen? the pan might warp (if it is thin) the food might scorch or burn (agai...
How to make sure teapot is safe after being on fire without water I left my teapot on the stove for about 30 minutes by accident. By the time I noticed, all the water had boiled out. So, I turned off the stove and let it cool. When I went to put water in it again, black flakes began to come off the bottom of the pot o...	It's probably just limescale stuck to the bottom of your pot that blackened. I don't think burnt limescale is harmful, but it shouldn't be too hard to remove. You can try cleaning it using standard means to remove scale from kettles, like using vinegar.
How can I estimate the time required to bring a piece of meat to a certain temperature? I would like to cook a couple steaks using the "reverse sear" technique (e.g. this Youtube video). The general instructions are: Preheat the oven to 275F. Put steaks in oven and bake until they reach an internal temperature of 125...	I think this will be impossible to do accurately, in an oven, without a thermometer. I know you want to estimate, but a few degrees will be the difference between rare and medium rare, for example. Variables include: thickness of steak, internal temperature of steak when you begin, accuracy of your oven temperature, an...
Can I swap sabji Masala for Tandoori Masala in this recipe? thought I'd ask more experienced cooks on their advice for this recipe. Found it a while back on a Suhana sabji masala box. I made it and turned out fantastic. I want to make it again but I have all but the sabji masala and instead have tandoori masala. Is i...	Spice mixes tend to vary quite a lot from recipe to recipe. If you go to an Indian shop and compare a few brands of tandoori masala (or search online for different recipes) you'll probably notice that there are quite large differences in both the quantity and types of spices used. I've tried a few packaged tandoori mas...
Are there food products that are meant to have an aftertaste? Is "aftertaste" always a bad thing, and are there food products that are supposed to have some (specific) aftertaste?	It likely matter how you qualify 'aftertaste'. I was watching a documentary on artificial sweeteners, and they specifically mentioned that with sucrose, there's a period of time where you continue to sense it. (I'm having difficulty finding what they called that variable, and what the time is for sucrose ... I want to...
Sea Salt and Mercury I've heard that sea salt is more flavorful than iodized table salt, but was wondering about its mercury content. Due to the mercury level in oceans, nutritionists are recomending to limit sea food meats such as tuna and cod for women who are pregnant. However, do I need to be concerned about merc...	Food grade salt (Sodium Chloride) in most parts of the world is evaporated from sea water. It generally does not have any detectable mercury, though it does have many other trace elements, some of which are normal dietary minerals Mined salt (rock salt) is generally used for industrial purposes and de-icing, it contain...
Is polyamide food safe? I got a nylon bag which is marked 'PA' in the label, which I think is polyamide. I plan to use it for mashing barley grains in homebrewing ( 62C to 78C, PH ~ 5, 90 minutes ). The bag is black and was originally intended for washing clothes. Is it food safe in this setting? Will it leach chemica...	Pure polyamide is foodsafe at these temperatures, they make pan spatulas out of them, which are safe to about 200 Celsius. The problem is that we cannot know if your bag is 100% pure polyamide. It could be that the coloring is not food safe, or that it was contaminated with something inedible during production. So nob...
Roast Cooked all night I left two big pans of roast (about 20 lbs) in the oven at 350 over night - from 3 p.m. to 8 a.m. Is this still safe to eat and serve.	It is safe to eat, but not safe to serve. Elaboration: Depending on your general cleanliness, there shouldn't be enormous amount of bacteria in the roasts: anything above 100°C (200°F) for an hour is sterilised and if you keep your pans and oven clean (with pyrolysing ovens: easy to do nowadays) it is perfectly safe fo...
What should I substitute for dried anchovies and kelp in a stock I was thinking of making this tofu-/seafood-stew, but I am having some trouble getting a couple of ingredients for use in the initial stock - namely the dried anchovies and the kelp. A friend suggested that I should just make a stock of the heads and she...	Some ingredients more effectively transfer flavor to stock in dried form than in fresh or pickled form. Mushrooms, kelp, fish and shellfish are examples of those types of ingredients. You won't find an exact substitute for them, but they do keep for a long time, so it doesn't hurt to keep them on hand. However, Japane...
How should I choose my next step as a cook? I'm a reasonably competent home cook: I can roast a chicken, bake bread, improvise a dinner with what's in the fridge, etc, but I'm looking to step up my game a bit. How do I look at a recipe and decide if it's a good next step in learning to cook? I would like to make good ...	In my view this is pretty simple: make things you want to eat. As long as you cast your net wide enough as you look for recipe ideas, there will always be new things that you'd love to eat and will learn something from making. And as long as you want to eat the food, you'll be motivated enough to actually follow throug...
My chicken breasts release a lot of fluid when cooked. How do I prevent this? I notice when cooking chicken breast in a pan, or in the oven, the chicken releases a lot of fluid, watering down the flavour. This happens with fresh chicken as well as frozen (de-frosted) chicken. How do I prevent this?	Moisture-release is not a result of the cooking process but of the quality of the chicken. Try the following experiment: Buy halal or kosher chicken breast Buy the cheapest chicken breast you can find. Now put two pans on the stove, and put the industrial chicken breast in the left pan and put the kosher/halal in t...
How long can food last if reheated periodically? Say I fixed some stew that's been in the refrigerator for around three days. Will putting that stew in a pot, heating it up to around 170F (77C), and letting it simmer for a while make it last longer in the refrigerator? And if so, then can this be done (nearly) indefin...	Yes, it will "make it last longer in the fridge" for a certain definition of "last longer": it will not mould nor infect other foodstuffs in the fridge if it doesn't come into direct contact with any of them. Is it still safe to eat after a few of these re-heatings? Very probably not! Elaboration: More then half of th...
How to make fluffy (not crunchy) quinoa? Here is what I did: Heated 1 cup quinoa in olive oil for 1 minute after rinsing it. Added 2 cups water till it boiled. I set the heat to the lowest setting and closed it with a lid. After 15 minutes, the quinoa is still crunchy and the water has gone. If I let it stand for a ...	Quinoa is cooked exactly like rice. In fact- if you have a rice cooker you can use that and not worry about it. Your procedure is ok. This is the way I make my quinoa. Toasting grains in oil before steaming them is delicious and results in grains that are more nutty and more individual. Rice is nice this way so there ...
How can I get more lime flavor into my key lime cake recipe? I found a great recipe for key lime cake, but it seems to lack the key lime flavor I am looking for. It has lime zest and juice in it, still a great cake, but it seems not enough lime kick to it.	My daughter who loves lemon cake thought of a great idea a couple years ago to knock the lemon flavor out of the park. I'm sure it would work for lime too: make a lime syrup and pour it into the bottom of the cake after poking it all over with a thin skewer. The more lime you like, the more syrup you use. As a bonus, i...
If you 'caramelize' an onion, does an onion contain sugar? I love the taste of lightly fried sliced onion. I've heard this referred to as 'caramelizing' the onion. Is there sugar in the layers of an onion that is changed to caramel, or is this just a phrase? My question is: If you 'caramelize' an onion, do they conta...	Yes, onions contain sugar, just like most fruit and vegetables. It is not simply a common phrase, it is true caramelization. They have 4.24 g of sugar per 100 g in total (wet weight). For dry weight 40% is sugar. See the USDA nutrient database for more details.
How to unsalt roasted salted peanuts? I bought roasted peanuts from the market and they have too much salt in them. How should I reduce the salt in those peanuts as much as I can? My intent is to make peanut butter.	Depending on how much salt is on them, and how it's been applied, you might be able to knock some of it off, and effectively decant it: Place the peanuts into a hard-sided container at least twice the volume of the peanuts that you can seal tightly. Shake the peanuts. A lot. Not too hard, though, as the goal is to kno...
Graham cracker crust too salty for cheesecake My first cheesecake was too salty, particularly around the crust, and I want to know what could have caused it. One possibility is that I mismeasured the salt, although I do not make that mistake often. I doubt it was the use of sea salt as it is usually less salty. So I g...	Yes! Try to avoid salted butter in cooking and baking. If you must use it you will need to adjust, but I am not sure there is a consistent way to do this. Different brands probably have different salt content.
Green gooey stuff when removing head from raw shrimp When removing the head from a raw shrimp, I usually expect orangey goo to come out / be visible (the yummy stuff when you suck it of a prepared shrimp, I suppose :) ). I also usually have fresh shrimps. Today however I bought frozen ones, and some of them have green...	I think what you are seeing may be the hepatopancreas. From a Serious Eats article about shrimp heads: There could be nothing sweeter and tastier than those shrimp heads. For in their armored shells you will find the hepatopancreas, the digestive organ that in lobsters and crabs would be called tomalley. Shrimp hepato...
Is it possible to make souffles that rise without beating egg whites? TLDR: Is it possible to make a souffle that doesn't have beaten egg-whites, but still rises? Leaveners don't seem to work. Longer version: I've never eaten "real" souffles (at a restaurant). I tried this recipe, which tastes great, but doesn't deal ...	TL:DR answer - not really. The beaten egg whites are an integral component of the souffle, forming both the rising action of the mixture (by capturing air within the protein network of the eggs) and and the structure. The recipe you linked to is more of a cake than a souffle, even using the creaming method commonly see...
Is it possible to make guacamole without acid? All guacamole recipes call for lime juice, some tomato variant, even hot sauce. I want to make a low-acid guacamole. Is the acid necessary? How do I go about making low-acid guacamole? If it plays a role in the finished product, is there something I can substitute?	At its simplest, guacamole is just mashed avocado. Avocado is not particularly acidic on its own, so add whatever non-acidic ingredients you like. Consider cilantro, sour cream or whatever low or non-acid flavorings suit you. See: Browning Avocados - What Helps? for more on acid and avocados.

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

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