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Giant Cream Puff shells The German restaurant where I worked was famous for their 'giant' cream puffs. The shells are at least 6" in diameter and 4" high. I know they used commercial convection ovens to bake them, but that is all I know. Is it the fan that gives them the size? I tried to bake them in a conventional...	You haven't really explained what you did, so it's a bit hard to give useful advice on how to overcome a failure, but my patê à choux pastries have always come out sized proportional to the amount of pastry I use. Since choux doesn't tend to spread much, make sure your base is close to the diameter you're after; I just...
Mung bean sprouts developed a slight purple color on day 3? I've been sprouting my beans for three days now; yesterday I noticed some had developed a slight purple coloration while rinsing them, photo attached. One of them even went blue-ish, but there is no brown or signs of mold. Is this normal or should I worry? He...	The sprouts developing a purple tinge is fine, it's a sign that they were exposed to light - they will even start turning green if they recieve more light. This is like with white asparagus: As long as the stalks remain completely covered in the soil, they stay white. If they start to break through the surface, they de...
Dough safety and viability after overproofing We made dough using the below recipe last night, and realised this morning that we had left it at ~70°F (covered) for ~15 hours. Questions: What would be the symptoms of dough going "bad"? How long would one expect it to take before dough went "bad" under the above cond...	It is safe to eat? Almost certainly, especially if you bake it. Your dough doesn't contain anything that will "go bad" in 15 hours at room temperature. Many bread dough recipes containing only flour, water, salt, and yeast are left to proof at room temperature for 12-24 hours, though they generally start with a much...
Preparing slow cooked meats for the next day This may be a basic question but I have never done it before (I have slow cooked meat before just not for the next day): I want to prepare different slow cooked meats, beef, pork and a lamb leg, for the next day that is going to be an out doors picnic. I know pulled pork ke...	I would suggest you follow your plan, but reserve and refrigerate the cooking liquor to reheat the meat in, which will help with restoring juiciness. However, be very careful when reheating and keeping meat warm. The meat should not be in the danger zone (5-60°C/40-140°F) for more than 2 hours, cumulatively, throughou...
Roasting 3 Stuffed Pork Loins I am roasting 3 stuffed pork tenderloins together. If the timing for one is 30 minutes, how long should I roast 3? (A digital thermometer will be used to measure internal temp.)	30 minutes. Provided you have some space between them so the air can circulate, it doesn't matter how many you roast at once.
"Soften" ice cream to make ice cream bars I am trying to make ice cream bars using a silicone mold, and the instruction sheet that came with it says "fill the mold with softened ice cream". I was wondering what the best way is to "soften" the ice cream? I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker. Should I stop the machine whe...	You just need the ice cream to be soft enough to mold. Your recipe is referring to store-bought ice cream that tends to be very hard. A little time on the counter will soften it a bit without melting it completely. A microwave is right out. It would melt pockets completely which would solidify to icy chunks. If you are...
Glass Dish Baking Temparature Generally I have heard that most recipes are designed for baking in metal dishes. I have also heard that glass will get hotter than metal, and thus I should cook it at a lower temperature for longer. Does anyone know whether these statements are true? Am I going to burn the edges if I lea...	First, the short answer: There's a lot of erroneous information circulating concerning glass bakeware, and very few reliable sources or repeatable experiments seem to be cited. In general, I'd say that the variance among different metal pans of different materials, colors, thicknesses, and coatings will have more sign...
Dissolving sugar in a beverage I have a hard time getting sugar to fully dissolve when I'm stirring a cocktail (for example, an old fashioned). I'm using granulated sugar (https://www.dominosugar.com/sugar/granulated-sugar) and I tend to stir a small amount in a shaker with 100+ quick circles and the sugar still hover...	Most cocktails use sugar syrup (e.g. simple syrup with a water to sugar ratio of 1:1 or 1:2) instead of granulated sugar. This eliminates the need to dissolve the grains in - typically cold - liquids. When you consider powdered (confectioner's) sugar because of the smaller grain size, remember that they will most likel...
Cooking with ground rabbit A few months ago I bought some ground rabbit. I had sort of forgotten about it until the other day. I've tried looking up recipes for ground rabbit, but all of the rabbit recipes I've found call for cubes or pieces. If I substitute ground rabbit in spaghetti sauce or chili, would it taste ...	I've never seen ground rabbit, but I've eaten rabbit many times in Spain grilled in the BBQ or in a Paella. Rabbit can compare to chicken. The meat is a bit tougher than chicken but not gamey at all. At least the farm rabbits I ate. So I would say that yes, you should be able to use this ground meat as a substitute of...
What cuts are "stir fry beef" and "stewing beef"? I've seen beef chunks in the store labeled as both stir fry beef and stewing beef, but neither indicate what actual cut they are. I imagine it might vary by brand but what are these usually? Are they the same/interchangable?	They are not equivalent cuts and 'should not' be used interchangeably. Stir Fry meat is cut from the more tender cuts of beef (tri-tip, sirloin, rib-eye) and don't require much time cooking to be 'ready to eat'. Stew Beef is from less tender cuts (the Chuck or Eye of Round) which will become tender after a 'significan...
How long does unwhipped whipped topping last in the fridge I have a defrosted container of frozen non-dairy whip topping (specifically, Rich's Rich Whip). How long will it last in the fridge before I whip it? It's essentially a non-dairy substitute for cream. It comes in a frozen container. You defrost it and then whi...	According to the proper handling page on Rich's food service page for ready-to-whip products they state (in the last section) that the container should be thawed for 24-48 hours, then whipped. Any leftover liquid should not be re-frozen, but that it can be refrigerated for "up to 5 days."
Can you dry out pickle brine to leave a seasoned salt? Like the title says. Would it be safe and reasonable to dry out pickle brine till it crystallizes? It might have an interesting flavor as a seasoning (the acid from the vinegar, and the salt, and the spices), and maybe could be stored and reused for future picklin...	Reasonable is subjective, but as to safe the answer is yes. The point of pickle brine is to create an environment that will kill foodborne illnesses, and as it gets more concentrated through evaporation it's just going to get stronger. Things to consider: it's going to take awhile for the liquid to evaporate. You can...
Fry chicken with honey I like to marinate my chicken with honey, orange and soy sauce. My problem is that when I pan fry, with a little olive oil, the pan gets black even before the chicken is done. Burning a little skin but the chicken inside is fine, except for a little hint/scent of burned. One time I tried to hit...	Honey will caramelize and burn before the chicken is fully cooked. It would be better to bake or roast the chicken in the oven at an even temperature, if you've marinated it prior to. Covered in foil at first and then finished off uncovered to add a little colour. If you prefer to cook it in the pan, then adding the h...
Does Worcestershire Sauce go Bad? I really like Worcestershire sauce on a few things, but I never use it that often. My question is simply, does it ever go bad, and should I try to use it up quickly?	Real Worcestershire sauce has a very long shelf life, many many years Some people even age it, in a dark cellar! Be warned though, many brands of Worcestershire style sauce are not actually Worcestershire sauce, they are just sugar with flavourings, no sign of rotten fish etc :-( See What are the key ingredients in Wor...
Would baking chocolate with baileys/kalhua cook out the alcohol? Good day. My friends and I are planning on making a skillet based smores but with a twist. I've seen tons and tons of recipes but the basic recipe is that there's chocolate at the bottom of the skillet, with marshmallows on top, lining it. The skillet is...	With your plans, you have encoutered some questions and problems. Let's tackle one after another: Alcohol boiling off Although often repeated and assumed due to the lower boiling point of alcohol vs. water, alcohol will not boil off completely. Even after a long boil not only traces, but a significant amount of alcoho...
How to keep battered (tempura) goods from sticking to the deep frying pan? I really like deep frying shrimp and veggies in tempura batter, but every time I put these goods in the deep frying pan they stick to the net that is in there to make the goods easy to put in and take out. It then fries around the bottom of the...	What you are describing should not happen when using the right technique. I suspect this is happening because you are either lowering the battered food into the oil using the net, or your oil temperature is not hot enough to cook the batter before the food sinks to the bottom. The net is only for removing the food once...
Seasoning No-Stick Frying Pan When I buy a brand-new Frying pan, the instructions usually say to "season" or oil the Pan. I just purchased one and it also says to "season" after every 10 dishwasher cycles. I always wash my pan by hand, so do I need to do this every 10 washings? What is the purpose of "seasoning" the P...	"Seasoning" on non-stick pans is quite different from seasoning on older frying pans made of things like cast iron or carbon steel. For something like cast iron, you are trying to create a durable coating of polymerized oil, essentially a "non-stick layer" of burnt oil. That process of seasoning can require a lot mor...
Why do store-bought dips have such a limited shelf life? Why do store-bought dips (guacamole, sour cream and chive, salsa...) typically say "Keep refrigerated and consume within 24 [or 48] hours of opening"? Before opening they typically have a "use by" date of a few days to a week away from when I buy them. Is it re...	I would assume that it's for safety reasons. Not yours only, but the manufacturers' as well. At the plant the manufacturer can control the environment and make sure that the product leaves in a condition that should last for a certain time under specific conditions ( e.g. when refrigerated). Subtract a bit for safety a...
How to increase the perceived sweetness of homemade lemonade without sweeteners? I have been making homemade lemonade for a few years in the summer and slowly, starting from an online recipe, I have been perfecting it (on a mainly trial and error basis) to reduce the amount of caster sugar I put into it, the recipe th...	Lemonade is of course all about balancing the sweet and the sour. It stands to reason that if you're trying to amp up the sweetness, you can either add more sugar (the opposite of the goal here) or reduce its opposite, the sour. Reducing both sugar and the acid is equivalent to diluting your lemonade, so one of the ...
Can I mix multiple types of pudding powder? I would like to create a pudding with vanilla + cocoa pudding powder, from the same brand. Can I combine the two safely(cooking them all at once)?	Unless the package instructions are very different, yes that should be fine. A typical pudding mix will consist of starch the main ingredient, required to thicken the liquid (typically milk) sometimes sugar especially for the "instant" types, others let you add sugar separately flavourings sometimes "the real deal" l...
Are Shrimp Sizes codified? By this, I mean, are the names of the sizes regulated by an industry or government? I found this from a seafood wholesaler: Yet, my local supermarket has this ad, which appears to be 2 sizes off (not to mention the easily misleading 14 oz size bag) My question, is this regulated, or do st...	This was covered in one of the early episodes of Good Eats, Crustacean Nation. From the transcript of the episode : As soon as they are off the boat, shrimp tails—called 'green shrimp' in the biz.—are sized or sorted into various weight counts. The higher the number, the smaller the shrimp. Sixties-seventies, for ins...
If a US recipe specifies 'vegetable oil' what type of oil should I use in the UK? The recipe requires heating the 'vegetable oil' to exactly 375 degrees Fahrenheit with the aid of a candy thermometer. But aren't most oils made from vegetables? Some have a smoke point less than 375. I'm thinking of using groundnut (pea...	Peanut (groundnut) oil is a great option. In the US vegetable oil generally means soybean oil or a soybean oil blend. The main things are that it be neutral (little or no taste of its own), with a high smoke point. On those scores, you can't do much better than peanut oil. I have not used rice bran oil. Yellow squash g...
Quick-cooking vs. regular oats for bread I've got a bread-machine recipe for oatmeal bread that calls for either quick-cooking oats or regular oats. Is there a reason to prefer one over the other?	'Quick cooking' (aka 'instant') oats have been cooked more, and are in smaller pieces than regular (aka. 'old fashioned', aka. 'rolled' oats). If you'd prefer more texture in the bread, go with the old fashioned oats. If you're trying to make them less noticable, go with the quick cooking oats. If you only have one on...
Can I cook beans without salt? I made some refried beans in a slow cooker, loosely following the recipe from my cookbook. The recipe says to cook the beans with ½ teaspoon of salt. Is this necessary to properly cook the beans? I am starting from dry beans. I actually used ½ tbsp of soy sauce instead of plain salt and ...	Yes. In fact, many, many people believe (falsely) that adding salt before or during cooking will keep beans hard (a myth addressed in your first link), and most of these people have been cooking perfectly good beans for many years without adding salt until the beans were fully cooked. The cooking time may vary slightl...
Gluten & MSG free substitute for Parmesan? Gluten, MSG and aged cheeses all give me migraine headaches. Is there any substitute for aged Parmesan that might be safe for me?	No, there is no such substitute, sorry. The flavor of parmesan is dominated by both the tyrosine and the MSG it contains. If these two are triggering migraine, then there is no alternative which will be even close to the original in taste. Everything one can suggest as a substitute (marmite, certain fungi) is high in M...
While making pepper oil with dry crushed red pepper, do I need to sterilize the jars to store for up to 6 months? I am planning to make a large quantity of oil cooked with dry crushed red pepper. I fry the oil on low heat with the dry crushed red pepper for awhile and then remove it. I plan to distribute it to friend...	Basic answer: it's generally recommended to sterilize jars before storing low-acid foods at room temperature. (Many canning procedures effectively sterilize the jars during processing.) In your case, you should be certain the jars are clean and thoroughly dry as well. Regarding your overall proposal: I'd only give awa...
Is it possible to substitute butter with egg yolks in cookie dough? I would like to know if it is possible to completely replace butter/margarine with egg yolks in cookie dough? Or in any other kind of butter-based dough while we are at it. And, if it is possible to do it, what are the basic principles of such substit...	Butter and egg yolks have very different profiles in terms of their uses in recipes and constituent parts. Butter usually has 80-85% fat by weight, while egg yolks are only about 25-30% fat. Butter has only a trace amount of milk proteins, while egg yolks typically have 15% or more protein by weight. Butter has onl...
Cooked white asparagus is stringy Everytime I cook white asparagus it has these strings in it, which are not really pleasant. Is it normal thing? Or I am doing something wrong? I peel asparagus and cook it in boiling water for 15 minutes in boiling water.	Contrary to popular belief, older asparagus is not what causes larger stalks and larger stalks are not tougher than thin stalks. The size of the stalk is determined by the variety of asparagus. As cited in this article in the NYTimes , asparagus will start to get tough immediately upon cutting. It starts to toughen at...
Problem making homemade bounty bars I tried making homemade bounty bars twice but there is a problem I can't seem to get the solution to this problem right. What I do is as follows: I first mix a can of sweetened condensed milk with some coconut powder until a thick batter is formed. Then I put it in a mold and in th...	From your comment: I dip the bars into melted chocolates and roll, using a fork. If you want to coat something in chocolate, you typically need much more chocolate than you expect. The height of the chocolate should be high enough to submerge the praline or bar without rolling, otherwise you start to loose material -...
What is the shelf life of gelatin sheets? Earlier this year, I found a package of gelatin sheets in my cupboard, which looked extremely old. I couldn't exactly tell how old, but the packaging mentioned a refund procedure with the refund price not in Euro, but what I think was either Dutch Guilders, or Belgian Francs, ...	In a sealed package, (not getting into what date may be printed on it for "expiration") practically speaking, sealed and dry, it appears to keep "essentially forever." Once opened, not nearly so long, though that is not something I've done much personal experimentation with.
What are the differences between using whole wheat flour vs. all purpose flour in batter for frying? There have been many questions related to whole wheat flower on this site before, but nearly all of them focus on baking. I'd like to know what is the effect of frying with whole wheat flour in terms of flavor, texture...	Just as with kneading, stirring develops the gluten in the flour. over-mixing batter is a culinary no-no (fr. non-non). Batters are frequently rested in the refrigerator so the gluten can relax. Foods fried in batter that has been overworked and deprived of adequate rest is like a chef exposed to the same conditions–to...
I have a bottle of unopened 23 year old corked spanish white cooking wine with laurel leaves steeping in it as well. I bought it at the Placio De Espania in 1992. Would it still be safe for use?	Yes, barring something really bizarre, it is safe. It probably sucks, but the best way to know for sure is to taste it. Know one thing, it is not any more "aged" in a positive way now than it was 23 years ago. It's just older. For more information check out the Wiki, Aging of Wine.
When do I add the chicken stock in this recipe? The author doesn't specify I've found a bunch of morels this weekend and wanted to make a simple sauce with them. The simplest one I want to try directs me to cook a medium shallot in butter until translucent, then add morels and a pinch of salt stirring occasionally fo...	After the wine. Let the wine almost reduce, then add the stock. Follow the recipe then from "reduce by two thirds", reducing the now wine-flavored stock. You might as well be quoting any of 1000 recipes for mushroom risotto. It's basically a typo, the author has seen it so many times before that he doesn't see it. I ca...
How are Oil Types Differant? I recognize that Canola, Vegetable, and Corn oil are all Vegetable-Based oils, but many Recipes call for different kinds of oil. I don't know why. Is there a major taste/other difference between Vegetable, Corn, and Canola Oil? Is there any reason why I couldn't just use Canola for everyth...	Ratios of saturated/monounsaturated/polyunsaturated fats, and ratios of which kind of polyunsaturated (omega-3/6/7/9) are different for each oil. While the ratio of polyunsaturated fats to each other will mostly be a health matter and out of scope here, the saturated/mono/poly ratio has an influence on consistency at a...
How does substituting Butter for Margarine/Shortening affect the Recipe I know that Margarine / Shortening are usually softer than butter, but what other differences are there? Can I just melt the butter and call it good or will this effect my final Product? I have seen Margarine / Shortening a lot in cookies, but I a...	Here are the players: butter (~80% fat, salt varies) margarine (~80% fat, added salt) vegetable oil spread (less than 80% fat, salt varies) shortening (100% fat, no salt) I only list it that way, because some people think a vegetable oil spread = margarine. It is not. If you substitute an oil spread for butter, you ...
Should I actually add nutmeg to eggnog? Where did adding nutmeg to eggnog come from? I've tried nutmeg before and can't really taste anything other than nog. So where did the idea of adding nutmeg come from?	Add it if you like! As mentioned in the comments, eggnog usually already has nutmeg in it, so when you say you say you can't taste anything other than nog, in reality you're probably tasting eggnog including nutmeg! If what you add is pre-ground, the flavor probably isn't terribly strong. And even with freshly grated n...
Whisk eggs without an electric whisker I am planning on baking Macarons. The recipe requires whisking egg whites in an electric whisker but I don't have one. It is bit expensive to buy a good one for me right now and I do not have space in my kitchen to actually keep a machine like that. I was wondering if there w...	Yes, you can whip egg whites (or whipped cream, or....) by hand. There are a few things you need: a reasonably large bowl a good, sturdy whisk, again not too small proper technique a good amount of ellbow grease patience It will typically take longer than when using a mixer (for beginners, I've seen pros that could k...
Ginger starting to sprout - can I still use it? I have two beautiful ginger roots (rhizomes) which I had planned to turn into gari (pickled ginger). But I also have two children and the ever-changing schedule that goes with this. So the ginger sat in a bowl for a while, waiting. While Wikipedia states that the rhizome...	From a culinary perspective, I find that when sprouted, the ginger just loses a bit of flavour, that's all. If you let it grow for a very long time and it becomes all shriveled, then you are talking about a flavourless piece of ginger. I've even used such shriveled and even moldy (cut the mold off, though) pieces... no...
What can I use as a manual hard cheese slicer? I used to have an electric deli slicer (with the motorized rotary cutter) like they have in the supermarkets, though not so fancy for home use. But not any more, and now I do not have the counter space or budget to justify getting another one. Also cleaning given infreque...	A Scandinavian cheese slicer, like this one should do the trick. It's small, cheap, machine washable, and they last basically forever.
Does anthocyanin still exist once the purple beans have changed to green during cooking? When purple beans are cooked and they turn green I understand that is because the anthocyanins are only purple in an acidic environment. So, when the beans turn green after cooking does that mean there is no anthocyanin remaining?	The anthocyanins are still there; they've just changed color. They're an indicator, like litmus, except that they range in color from red to purple to blue to green to yellow, depending on how acidic or alkaline the liquid is that they're in, instead of just pink or blue. Red cabbage will do the same thing.
Using soft apples to make apple juice My question is a kind of follow-up to this. When apples have turned soft or have started to shrivel, is it possible / advisable to but them through a juicer? From the linked question is would appear that they have started to dehydrate, so I wouldn't expect to get much juice from...	It's not going to hurt anything. The apples they use for cider are usually pretty rough, so a little wrinkling isn't going cause a health issue. You very well may not get as much juice, but the juice you will get will be more concentrated. The same principle applies to grapes used for wine...Ideally they will get very...
What is the best way to infuse garlic flavor in the bland brown rice? I have got fresh garlic cloves. I want the brown rice to have a garlic flavor. Please mention the garlic quantity needed for the 5 table spoons of uncooked brown rice. What is the best way to infuse garlic flavor in the bland brown rice?	Garlic flavors are soluble in oil, simply chopping up garlic and putting it in with the rice will not distribute the flavor well. I would recommend you chop the garlic finely and then infuse into a tablespoon of oil or butter by putting the pan on very low heat for a few minutes. Then add the rice and stir to coat the ...
Why use clarified butter in a bearnaise I love Bearnaise. I use a recipe that calls for clarified butter, but why just not normal melted butter? Is it purely taste? Or is it because filtering the milk solids away changes how the bearnaise reacts to heat or something else?	You can make make Bearnaise with normal butter. The version with clarified butter has a more subtle and, some say, refined taste. I think the missing milk solids negatively impact on taste, which is why I always use regular butter.
Chilli con carne - chocolate, cocoa powder or nothing? I am about to prepare chilli con carne. I have found more recipes than I would even like. I have quite an idea what ingredients and spices to put in. The last question is whether to use chocolate, cocoa powder or nothing. How do mexicans cook chilli con carne?	The origin of chili con carne is actually from the American southwest, not Mexico. It's tex-mex, not mex. There are many variations on chili con carne, however if you go back to the earliest known recipes cocoa or chocolate are not on them. It's pretty basic, flavored mostly by cumin and chili. So if you want to make ...
Will a Sourdough starter from one locale change to yeasts of current locale over time? I currently have about 8 different sourdough starters purchased from other locales. They are all 5 plus years, I am wondering if they have all become the same. I have heard this debated, but no definitive answer, and I would like t...	Short answer: YES, a sourdough culture can change when moved to a different location. But the amount and types of shifts are unpredictable, and other factors (feeding schedule and regimen, kitchen conditions like temperature, nutrients from flour, etc.) can also cause significant changes. Also, environmental conditio...
Aiding the Maillard reaction: Baking Powder or Baking Soda? I will attempt to cook a Thai Green Chicken Curry. I'll be using cubed boneless chicken thigh which I would like to brown really well. I remember reading somewhere that Baking Powder or Baking Soda could be used to aid the Maillard reaction by making the surf...	You want to use baking soda. Baking powder is used as a leavening agent and does this by combining an acid and a base, so it would not make your chicken more alkaline. Baking soda, on the other hand is just sodium bicarbonate and will make your chicken more alkaline. However, baking soda, especially if used in excessiv...
Ice Cream Bar Wrapping Machine Suggestions? I have been making some ice bars recently, and was wondering what the most cost-effective way would be to package them. I am not talking about Haagen-Daaz level of production capacity but more like a mom-and-pop store kind of capacity, which will be done by hand ;) Is there ...	There are many food grade presized "Cello"/"Cellophane" bags. They all use more modern plastics, but are continued to be called "Cello". Here is one that has an adhesive flap. Others can be used with a heat sealer, twist tie or ribbon. Heat sealer
Does a strong smell when cooking spinach indicate anything? I have some frozen spinach that I fry in a pan along with some other vegetables and meat. While it’s heating up, the spinach doesn’t smell like anything, but after several minutes, it starts to give off a fairly strong smell. I don’t know how to describe it, ...	True, you may have cooked it too much and spinach is cooked when it reaches 160 degrees F. If the spinach overcooks, it does not necessarily mean it is bad, it is just overcooked. In my opinion, eat it, I have because mine did not taste bad as I understand yours did not taste bad. Now, another idea is that when you h...
Close the lid of unsealed jar with pop-up lid I bought a cheese spread bottle last night and I opened it today. It said in the bottle to refrigerate after opening, it came with a pop up lid. I don't have the facility to use a refrigerator. How long it can be fresh without refrigerating and can I able to seal it back ...	After a couple of hours it will be unsafe if it was below 140 °F/60 °C during that time. Even if you resealed it, it wouldn't "undo" the bacterial growth that occurred during the time it was unsealed. So, no, it would not be safe to do this even if you could.
Can I keep herbs fresh by spraying them with fertilizer? I tend to use a lot of fresh herbs for cooking so over time with trial and error I have come up with this: It is possible to keep herbs fresh (Parsley and Dill mostly) for around a week or more but putting them on an EMPTY jar (without water) and spraying water ...	Dousing your herbs with fertilizer is not going to preserve your herbs, and could make you sick as many fertilizers are toxic. If you want really fresh herbs you can keep them in pots on a windowsill, otherwise your spraying water method is about as good as you are likely to get.
What can I add to Splenda solution to prevent spoilage? Trying to save some money on buying Splenda packets by buying sucralose powder and mixing with water. This works great and is waaaay cheaper - 10x cheaper than buying the packets! However, after two weeks, I noticed my solution, which I keep in an eye-dropper bo...	The easiest and best solution for the problem is to not dissolve it into water in the first place. Powdered sweetener keeps indefinitely. Dissolved sweetener falls smack in the middle of FAT TOM, so you have converted a shelf stable food into an unstable one. Assuming that you want to keep it at room temperature, ther...
Wrong consistency when making "after eight" chocolate I am following a very simple recipe for making peppermint-stuffed chocolate, like the "After Eight" kind. I have a problem with the uniformity of the mint mass and am looking for advice. A few spoons of egg white is hand-mixed with 60 g flormelis (icing sugar). The...	Recipe requests are off-topic but I can solve your problem nonetheless: After Eights are filled with soft fondant, which is sugar, often glucose syrup and water boiled to the soft ball stage, then whiped. If you google "poured fondant" you should find enough recipes online.
How do you finely grind coriander seeds? Whenever I grind coriander seeds the outside seems to separate like a husk and doesn't grind well. I use a pestel and mortar. Is there a trick to getting finely ground coriander?	I recommend a dedicated, rotary style coffee grinder for home spice grinding. Whole spices last longer, usually taste better, and are often less expensive than pre-ground. In many food cultures, whole spices are often toasted whole, then ground. It makes a big difference for not a lot of effort. I picked up a rotary st...
Broad bean water went brown overnight We had broad beans last night (in a risotto - yum!) I emptied the beans from their pod, blanched them, then removed the skins from the individual beans before putting them into the risotto. I never got round to cleaning up the pan in which I had blanched the beans, and when I came...	Speculating - (colloidal) rust - from iron in the beans - via oxidation.
To make a cream cheese icing, can I use cottage cheese? Can I use cottage cheese instead of cream cheese to make a carrot cake icing?	It is true that you can use the cottage cheese, you could even use ricotta cheese which Italians have a Ricotta Cheese Pie and Sambucca Liqueur is used as a flavoring. It is delicious. Using cottage cheese, which I have, really does not taste good, not only in my opinion but others who have tried to cut calories. Ei...
Why didn't my laminated dough rise? I'm trying to make croissants for the first time and my dough is not rising in between folds. I don't know whether to just keep going or if it's trash and I should start over?	Laminated or "roll-in" doughs don't rise in the traditional sense. Between folds rising is very minimal. You won't see a true rise until you proof your croissants.
Why does tilapia and swai fish taste like catfish? I have been cooking fish for over 40 years. Catfish is a fish I can not stand. My family buys and loves tilapia and swai and no matter how I cook, grill, bake, fry, season, marinate, flour it, breadcrumb it, and use panko and even try to make fish fingers, it still t...	Swai and catfish are biologically related, but Tilapia is a Cyclid and as such quite far removed. I think the biological relation is not all that critical to their similar taste which you dislike though. The taste of fish relies on a few factors such as: Their living environment (Fresh, brackish, salt water) The type ...
All Clad Copper Core - everything sticks, why? I decided to splurge on a set of All Clad Copper Core. I have no problem with browning meats with this cookware, but I am having huge problems with many other kinds of cooking. For instance, this morning I made chilaquiles for breakfast, and although I heated the pan, hea...	Pans made from different materials will heat your food at different speeds and to different temperatures. Getting a perfect crust without sticking is a matter of very fine tuning. You have to set your stove just right, preheat the pan just right, and keep your food inside for just the right time. If you spent 35 year...
What has happened to today's chicken compared to the chicken in the 1950's - 80's? In the 1960's, 70's and up until now, my dear parents prepared their chicken the same way as have I. We bought it, washed it, cut it up, cooked it and served to family and friends who never got sick eating it. True we washed our hands...	I don't think much has happened to washing a chicken in itself, rather much more has happened to our knowledge about bacteria, hygiene, and cross contamination. Most likely, with or without washing, nothing bad is going to happen. But then again: It might. Properly cooking the poultry is going to get rid of the bacte...
making iced tea with lowest caffeine content I want to make lemon iced tea with lowest caffeine content possible. I understand I should use white tea leaves instead of green or black. Is this true? Also, should I steep the leaves in boiling water, then refrigerate or should I steep directly in cold water while in refr...	The only way to significantly reduce caffeine content is to use decaffeinated tea or "herbal teas." I know it's probably not the ideal solution, given the limitations on variety and flavor. There are various claims about which types of tea have more or less caffeine, but the reality is that there's a huge amount of va...
prepared meals and storage time in fridge before delivering them to clients my daughter prepares meals for her small catering business. After she prepares them and stores them in plastic containers she stores them in our fridge which is taking up too mush space. They foods are cooked and vary from pasta to vegetables ...	In catering, you do not use your home fridge because your family opens and closes it so many times that the temperature drops and the food in it that is cooked does not stay at a steady temperature. For example, you said she may prepare seafood. That is a Big NO NO. The seafood should be prepared and served within h...
Pizza crust mix for pizza with cast iron pan? I bought this "Mantita's italiano Crispy Pizza Crust Mix", but I own no pizza pan. All I have is a 8 inch wide, ~2inch deep, round "Lodge" cast iron pan I have never used before. I want to make a deep dish pizza with it. How much of the crust mix should I use in the pan? ...	The bottom of the 8" pan is a bit less than half the size. For a 2" deep-dish, there's a 2-inch high (if you take it to the top) 8π circumferential strip for another 16π, and presumably the 12" dough is for a flat pizza. At 32π .vs. 36π I'd do the whole box, unless your deep dish isn't really all that deep. I'm also a...
Is this soup, stew, or something else? I ate some East Asian dish recently and it looked something like this: [image source: http://www.thetabletopcook.com/images/tabletop-cooking-homemade-taiwanese-hot-pot.jpg] I had never eaten anything that looks like it. I was confused, is it a soup with some solids added to it? ...	It's a hot pot or steamboat as we call it in Malaysia. It's a clear soup made from stock. Raw ingredients are gradually added to it as it simmers. Soup and the cooked ingredients are fished out when they are done (each time when the pot boils). At the end, you are left with a rich, delicious soup that has flavours of a...
Solid honey in dragon's beard candy? I saw a video of a street vendor making dragon's beard candy in Korea and at the beginning he started with what he described as a block of "fermented honey two weeks" and a bowl of corn starch: The honey is quite solid, like a lump of plastic (he knocked it against the walls of th...	I've imported a dragon beard candy product from Hong Kong in the increasingly-distant past. The company I worked with used a maltose-based solution that had been boiled (wheat germ sugar). They'd typically heat the puck in a microwave or hot water bath before shaping the dragon beard candy so that it would be soft enou...
What are food combinations that trick your taste buds into tasting sweet? I recently tried unflavored yoghurt with a teaspoon of cinnamon, and for some reason, the combination tasted sweet. Are there any food combinations that accomplish this? The yoghurt was non-fat; I'm assuming that because both ingredients contai...	Though your yogurt was unflavored, it almost certainly still contained lactose (milk sugar), so it should still taste a bit sweet regardless of whatever was added to it. And as Catija points out, "unflavored" doesn't apply to added sugar, of which there can be quite a lot in yogurt (and almost every other prepared food...
Is the stainless steel pot pitted by salt water a food safety problem? I added salt and cold raw eggs to cold water in an All-Clad D5 18/10 stainless steel pot before turning the burner on. After the salt water was boiled and eggs were taken out, I saw a lot white spots on the bottom of the pot. I tried to clean wit...	Chemically the pits etched in your pot are the absence of the stainless steel material that makes up the pot. In other words the white spots you're seeing are where a small amount of the stainless steel has been removed from the surface of the pot, much like it had been scraped off. So the pits are completely harmless ...
Jaw Shattering popcorn Recently I found that popcorn is a fantastic snack, and incredibly cheap if you make it yourself. There is only one problem... it seems that some of the popcorn pieces have a jaw shattering hard pieces hidden within them. Is there a way to easily separate these or even preventing them whilst coo...	Shake the bowl containing the popcorn, the un-popped kernels should tumble to the bottom of the bowl. Warning,there might be slightly popped kernels that should be eaten at all cost (the best part IMO).
Using cream cheese instead of cheddar in a grilled cheese sandwich If I want to make a grilled cheese sandwich with cream cheese instead of cheddar, can I get it melted like cheddar?	No. Cream cheese will simply go runny if you melt it. It is in no way a substitute for a hard cheese.
What are good counter-top oven settings to reheat french fries soggy from refrigerating overnight? I have yesterday's French Fries (Chips for those of you across the Pond). They were stored in a refrigerator overnight and now are cold AND soggy. What's a good technique to reheat them in a small counter-top electrical...	They won't be as good as when fresh (of course) but generally: You want the oven pretty hot. How hot depends on the oven, size of fry, etc., but a good first guess would be 425°F–450°F. On most toaster ovens I've seen, that'd be as hot as it goes. Let the oven preheat. Unfortunately, heating the oven is going to take ...
Do you need eggs for extruded pasta dough? I'm wanting to make pasta using my KitchenAid pasta press. Many recipes I see use eggs, but some use only water. I'm thinking using so many eggs would get expensive if I do this regularly, so I'm wondering what benefit they add? Can they be partially or fully replaced with wa...	The original pasta recipes of old were simply wheat and water. Eggs or oil (the two most popular "water substitutes" in pasta recipes) are not at all necessary to make pasta dough, but they will have an impact on how the dough turns out. Now, it's hard to give a firm "this is the best way to do it" answer, because eve...
Is there a papaya substitute in salads? Is there a substitute for green papayas in green papaya salad? The papayas in U.S. supermarket are not the same, even if you use them green.	The "key property" of the papaya and the reason why it is used is its texture: crunchyness. I think you can use anything else that is crunchy and has a quite neutral taste, like cucumber peel, cabbage, kohlrabi, carrots, young lotus stalks (like the ones in this receipe, not these), or unripe mango. I had them in salad...
How to get pickled mushrooms to be less sour? I like pickled mushroom from a jar but I would prefer if they were less acidy/sour. Is there any way to increase the PH ? Will it work if I drain the juice they come in and refill with oil or something else ?	Draining the juice, refilling the jar with oil and then storing to reduce the acidity won't work because: Acid and lye can be diluted only with water or liquids like water (if I remember correctly, ethanol will also work) but not oil. You might run into the risk of botulism. (Maybe not since the mushrooms are sour. I...
Can I use an avocado instead of a banana? I have a great recipe to make cookies but it requires a mashed up banana. I am on the anti-candida diet so I cannot have bananas. I would like to replace it with avocado but I wasn't sure of the measurements or whether it would even work properly. This recipe calls for three v...	Why and how the banana is being used in your recipe is important. Sometimes, bananas in baked goods are used as "mix-ins"---not to change the qualities of the batter, but to add interest, in chunks or slices. Other times they're used as a substitute for eggs, mashed or pureed and meant to replace the binding, leavening...
Tofu and chalkiness I just found out that I have new dietary restrictions. In an effort to get more protein I have begun experimenting with tofu. The problem I am having is when I make tofu " yogurt" or add tofu to my protein shakes I get this chalky or dry feeling on my mouth. It's really bad and not something I thin...	Toufu comes with many different textures. There's dried toufu, which has a meaty texture (and can be substituted in meat dishes), regular toufu, which sounds like what you're using, and soft toufu, which is what you want to be using. It might also be called silky/silken toufu, depending on where you'd buy them and usin...
How to flambe my roast meat platter I want to have flames coming off my roast meat platter when I serve it to guests. What liquid would I use to light up?	The technique is called flambé in kitchen/restaurant lingo and means pouring a liquid containing alcohol over food and igniting it. You need somehing: flamable non-toxic tasty -> High-proof drinking alcohol, like brandy, vodka, rum, whiskey kirsch, himbergeist, pastis, Grand Marnier... whatever fits your dish. The h...
how long to leave the sliced onion mixed with salt/pepper for onion Bhaji/onion fritters/onion pakoras? How long should we leave the sliced onion mixed with salt and red chillies/green chillies, for them to be used for onion fritters/onion bhaji/onion Pakoras with gram flour? Suggested time is usually 15-20min. What ...	There are more than one methods and answers to above question. As per the Mumbai Special Ghati Bhajiya, Sliced Onions must be mixed with Salt for at least 15 Minutes & Maximum for 1/2 Hour. The water content must than be drained keeping only dry salted onions. Then Gram flour & other Spices should be added to Onions, j...
Baking Adjustments When Using a Countertop Oven I'm planning to bake some scones for a friend, but they only have a simple countertop oven. Although it's rated up to 250W, I would like to know if I should make any adjustments (I'm used to baking with a conventional, fan-assisted oven). Should I: Change nothing Keep t...	I don't think you need to change anything... 180 C is the same temperature regardless of the oven. The only reason you'd need to change anything is if the oven doesn't get to the proper temperature, so, if you have one, take an oven thermometer with you to make sure it's operating correctly. As long as the oven still g...
What is the difference in flavour between the zest of an orange vs lemon vs lime I am anosmic (do not have a sense of smell) and therefore am reduced in my perception of flavours to the flavours my tongue can detect, every time I zest a citrus fruit I always hear everyone talk of the smells released and how full of lo...	If you can't taste it, but others can, chemical composition of the essential oils might prove a useful guide for you. Ingredients of Orange, Lemon and Lime oils: First line shows components common to two or more of the fruits. Second line shows components unique to each fruit. lemon oil a-pinene, b-pinene, myrcene, l...
garam masala powder to paste I am going to make chicken saag. I have bought garam masala powder but my recipe says that I need 5ml of garam masala paste. Can someone tell me how do I convert garam masala powder to a paste?	Curry pastes are just powdered blends in oil for convenience. Just use a teaspoon of powder and fry it gently in a couple of tablespoons of oil to release the flavours.
Which rice is best for rice pudding? I live in a small town in Argentina and there is no special rice available for cooking with milk, like I am used to buy in Germany. Which sort of rice is best for cooking with milk. It should get really soft while cooking.	You don't say what type of rice pudding you want to make, and wikipedia lists quite a few. I'm assuming you want to make a traditional british baked rice pudding in this answer, but if not then it might be useful to clarify what you want to make, as many cultures make different rice puddings and use different rices to ...
How can I best dry homemade extruded pasta? I've been experimenting with extruded pasta. I want to try to dry it so I don't necessarily have to make it the same day as cooking it. Once extruded, how long should I leave it out to dry? Afterwards, can I simply store the noodles in a container, or do they need to be stor...	Though I've never dried extruded pasta. I regularly make and dry out cut pastas like fettuccine. I prefer egg based pastas, as they're richer. I dry mine at room temperature in nests. Even with the egg I've never gotten ill. This is how my great grandparents had done it. So I'm fairly certain its very uncommon to becom...
How should I prepare the coffee to be used in my tiramisu? I'm making tiramisu. Coffee is a large component of the recipe, so I imagine that the choice and preparation of the coffee used will have a big impact on the final taste. Or will it? I'm not a coffee expert; perhaps all the sugar and other ingredients will ove...	Someone will be able to notice. In matters of taste, there is always variation. Some people can't taste the difference between stale Folgers and fresh high quality coffee. However, many can. I the case of your dessert, without more data, I can't tell if you would be able to tell or not. But, for sure, someone wou...
How long can I leave the fridge open? How long can I leave the fridge open without it affecting the food inside? How often? Is it just the temperature or are there other factors (moisture?) as well? Also my fridge has a light that gets warm after a while ... I guess newer models use LEDs?	In terms of food safety you can leave the door open for the same amount of time that your food can safely sit on the counter when taken out of the fridge. This is a couple of hours for most potentially hazardous foods as indicated in the answer to the linked question. This a cumulative time, so if you leave the door op...
Should a teabag or looseleaf tea brew at room to cold temperature water? I recently noticed that an organic bigelow tea(teabag) starts brewing at room/cold temperature water. Not sure if it is brewing or not but the water starts to get green after dipping the tea few times. I seriously doubt that tea could brew in co...	Yes, tea will brew at cold temperatures. Growing up, we'd make sun tea by leaving it in a sunny window for about 8 hrs. These days, I put it in the fridge to brew simply because you have a longer window before the more bitter flavors start getting extracted. Tea bags will brew faster, as they tend to have smaller pie...
How does a typical electric rice cooker work? I have a cheap $15 rice cooker from my undergrad days (link). It has a metal pad on the bottom attached to a spring, a "Cook" switch (feels like a toaster lever), a "Cooking" light and a "Warm" light. Generally speaking, how does a low-tech, electronic rice cooker work? C...	Inside the rice cooker, there's a thermostat monitoring the bowl's temperature (and kept in firm contact with the bowl via the spring). As long as the temperature doesn't go above the boiling point of water, the rice cooker keeps cooking. Once it goes slightly above that point, the water must have all boiled off or b...
Kitchen towel vs dough seal in a dum biryani A lot of recipes for biryani involve sealing the edges of the pot with dough. I generally used a kitchen towel and weigh down the lid with something heavy and don't bother with the dough. I was wondering if there is any benefit to using the dough over the towel. I use the t...	I have used both methods. I don't really know why but the one cooked with dough tasted bit better than kitchen towel method for me. I believe it was because the container was sealed very well and no room for air to escape. The meat is cooked to perfection too. You are right the towel absorbs moisture which may even...
How to tell if my fig is ripe For the past couple years I can't ever seem to pick my figs when they're ripe. Not sure if it's the breed of fig or if I'm missing something else. I just picked one of the darker green ones today and cut it open. Did I wait too long or about how much longer should I wait... any other tips...	That fig doesn't look ripe to me... but I'm not seeing it in person. Based on the info on the site mentioned below, it's likely the fig is not ripe as the neck is very straight. Eating unripe figs won't hurt you, though... they just won't taste very good. Regardless, they should be slightly soft, not firm. According to...
Sauerkraut soaks up too much liquid while fermenting I've been fermenting sauerkraut in a quart jar and for some reason forgot to keep an outer piece of cabbage to help keep the kraut submerged. For day 1-2 it was fine, there was plenty of brine to keep it submerged. Now though on day 3 and 4 the brine has all been re...	It will likely mold on top, where the cabbage is exposed. You can simply remove that layer, the kraut below will be fine. Alternately, you can top it off with brine...or use a container, smaller than the opening of your jar, filled with water, to weigh it down.
Is there a difference between "magret of duck" and "fillet of duck"? In my local supermarket, they have 2 kinds of duck breast meat: something called magret and something called filet. If you'd ask me to recognize which is which based on just the meat itself, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. There also doesn...	From Wikipedia magret refers to a specific breed (the Mulard, not to be confused with the Mallard): Magret refers specifically to the breast of a mulard or Barbary duck that has been force fed to produce foie gras. From dartagnan.com : Sometimes called “duck steak,” the magret (breast) of the Moulard duck is know...
Does keeping a fridge/freezer full significantly help energy efficiency? This is one of those statements I frequently encounter, but I've never really seen evidence to support it. The advice often goes even further to say that if your fridge/freezer is relatively empty, you should add something (e.g., bottles of wate...	SUMMARY: Unless I'm missing something here or you're doing very odd things with your refrigerator, you'd at most save a couple dollars per year by keeping your fridge/freezer full. Moreover, stocking up on water (or other things) to fill up fridge/freezer space won't save you much at all unless you're keeping it store...
Smoothie amount decreases If I dont drink my smoothie straight away the amount of smoothie in my bottle seems to decrease by almost half. I normally make the smoothie in the morning and have it for my lunch at work. Has anyone else experienced this problem?	When you blitz your smoothie in the blender a certain amount of air is incorporated. This will naturally make its way back out over time, decreasing the volume of the overall mix.
Can I infuse my own raisins? I quite like lime-infused raisins (like these), but they're kind of pricey compared to regular raisins. Are they made by some process I can emulate at home? Is it just a matter of soaking and then drying? Or adding small amounts of liquid? Or is this an industrial process I can't easily re...	I am not sure what you mean by lime-infused raisins but let me explain what I do to my raisins for scones. I usually soak them in Gran Marnier Liquour, anywhere from 4 hours to 24 hours. I put the raisins in a glass bowl or big cup, covering the raisins with the Liquour. It depends on how much flavor I want the rais...
Pork loin vs pork roast? I've seen both boneless pork sirloin chops and pork sirloin roasts in the grocery store, for different prices. From their names, I would think the chop is intended for grilling and the roast is intended for roasting, but if they're both cut from the sirloin, what's the difference between them ...	You've answered your own question, it's size and shape. You could buy a roast and slice it into chops and you'd get the same thing as if the butcher does it. That's if they are both pork sirloin, sometimes there can be confusion between sirloin and tenderloin, which are not the same thing.
How can I cheaply cook a bratwurst that is similar to a grilled brat with only access to an oven or stovetop? I'm currently not TOO excited to spend $100-200+ for a propane grill. Is it possible to cook brats with a small budget (preferably around $20-30, but as high as a soft $50) and get that nice, crispy skin aroun...	Most ovens have a 'broil' setting (where the top element is on, and not the lower element). You'll likely want a 'broiler pan' so that you can drain the grease away from the food (and catch it so it doesn't light on fire). They're under $20 online. Set the rack of the oven so that the food will be about 2" from the u...
Repeatedly softening ice cream in the microwave My wife is in the habit of making ice cream easier to serve up by defrosting it in the microwave for 20 seconds or so to soften it. After serving, the ice cream goes back in the freezer until the next time. I estimate that a 2 litre tub of ice cream may well be microwa...	It's perfectly safe to do this, it's not great for the ice cream's consistency to keep warming it and cooling it as you'll start to get big ice crystals. I'd suggest you get a metal ice cream scoop and put it in hot water instead. If you have to thaw it to use it I'd leave it on the counter for 10 minutes instead of n...
Custard - How much milk can one egg set? If I had one whole egg (my understanding being that the white has more 'setting power' than the yolk), how much milk would I be able to set? If I tried to set 2 cups of milk with 1 egg, can I expect something like a creme anglaise or something thicker?	It really depends on how thick you want it. Some sites recommend one egg or 2 yolks per cup of milk. Ruhlman mentions 2 eggs per cup as 'standard', with 1 egg able to thicken 3/4 of a cup of liquid (but more fat helps). I can't comment on thickness of creme anglaise -- I had to gave up dairy years ago, and that's not...
Making Pâté à bombe without sugar thermometer The recipe says that the sugar syrup must reach 120C, but I have no sugar thermometer. Can it be done without a thermometer? Dissolve the sugar in a medium saucepan with 120ml boiling water. When clear, bring to the boil and place a sugar thermometer in the pan. Meanwhi...	120°C is what's known as the firm ball stage of caramelisation, because when you drop some of the caramel into cold water, you should then be able to make a firm but still pliable ball with it. You can use this to determine the approximate temperature. This page lists all the stages so you can determine how far along y...
How are maraschino cherries pitted? How are mass-produced maraschino cherries pitted? I looked on wikipedia, but it doesn't mention much about pitting.	I'm going to assume you're talking about the "whole fruit" style and not the "halved" style. It depends on the producer and variety of cherry, but the cherries that I've seen are pitted in two different ways: in a similar way to olives and simply "brute force" pitted. Like an olive: The cherry is centered over a round(...
What hot cereals can I cook by just adding hot water? I eat instant oatmeal at my office desk every morning. I think I can also get instant grits and maybe cream of wheat or something, but what other hot cereals can I make by just adding boiling water? I don't like flavored stuff and I'm not looking for recipes, just ...	If you try regular oats and like them, then you might try flaked/rolled barley, if you can find it. If you have refrigeration at work (or just bring in one-day's worth each morning), you could also add wheat germ (I can't imagine having a bowl-ful of it, but adding some to your oats would change them up.) Wheetabix or...
Can I put a layer of almond paste in my tart that will not be baked? All the recipes I'm finding are for pies where you put the layer of thinly rolled almond paste on the pie shell, add the filling and then bake. I'm wanting to blind bake my pie shell, lay down the almond paste, add pastry cream and top with fresh st...	Almond paste is a finished product. It can be eaten without cooking. In fact, one of my favorite tart recipes is Julia Child's "Pear and Almond Tart" from her Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The four parts of the tart (crust, almond filling, poached pears and currant glaze) are cooked separately and it is assembl...

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