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Neapolitan pizza in charcoal barbecue If I make pizza on a stone using charcoal barbecue, can I get the charred bubbles of a Neapolitan pizza? What is the source of these bubbles anyway?	The source of the bubbles is trapped carbon dioxide, which was created by fermentation in the pizza dough. The problem with using a BBQ grill to make pizza is that you simply can not contain the high heat needed for the perfect crust. As you probably know, a traditional pizza oven has a low ceiling, with its opening ...
Pan makes knocking noises So today I went to a flea market and found a copper pan with a stainless steel lining. I cleaned it thoroughly and the first thing I wanted to try is to caramellize sugar (because of the lack of fryable vegetables and meat in my fridge). While heating the empty pan it made some scary knockin...	I've had this issue also with new pans. I've purchased pans before that need to be seasons and tempered by heating in the oven. As any metal heats it expands, during expansion you will hear little knocks and creaks. I've had pans with rolled edges that trapped water from washing, has caused the water to escape as st...
Can I get 900F in a charcoal grill? What is the secret to getting a charcoal grill very hot (900F)? Is it even possible? What is the highest temperature attainable in a charcoal grill and what type of wood will produce this? I want to be able to cook Neapolitan pizza.	Alton Brown made a tandoor out of his kettle grill and a terra-cotta pot in Good Eats season 13, episode 17 ("The Curious Case of Curry"). It could reach very high temperatures. I obviously can't link to that video, but there are plenty of similar videos on YouTube.
roasting vs microwave+roasting beets We made a recipe tonight for halibut and beets. It called for cooking the beets in the microwave with some water until tender, peeling and slicing them, then putting them in the pan with the fish to bake at 450F until done. They take more time to cook than the fish, but why not p...	Skipping the microwave step works, I suppose the author of the recipe used the microwave to save time. If you decide to roast the beets directly, keep the following differences in mind: Time Roasting beets in the oven takes significantly longer than parboiling in the microwave. I can't say how long slices take (depend...
Lamian (Hand Pulled Noodles) Technique Question I have been learning and working on creating Lamian (拉麵) for a year now, and it has been quite an adventure! I had little experience working with dough coming into this, so despite many failed attempts, I've been learning a lot. But I'm not quite there yet. Let me explai...	I have not made these noodles, but what you describe is normal. What are you seeing is gluten production happening. And you don't want to prevent it, it's why you put the whole alkali stuff in there in the first place! Gluten is a very elastic stuff. Dough behaves (and tastes) very differently before it's formed. Pull...
Sprouts and "better-to-cut-out-parts" in vegetables A while ago I read that "all the green parts in tomatoes" actually contain a not so healthy "active ingredient" which would be better not to eat. What I knew was that we couldn't digest those parts well, but nothing more. Now I am asking myself if the same can be sai...	Unless you're planning to consume a few kilo of each of them in one sitting, I would say you're being too cautious. Tomato, bell peppers, chilis and potatoes are all part of the nightshades family, and are toxic to some degree. But the poison is in the dose. The amount contained with in the vegetables would mean you'll...
How to save my almonds from moths I bought a large amount of almonds at a bargain price. While moving the almonds to jars, I spotted a white powder which was very reminiscent of the eggs of the pantry moth. In the past, such powder quickly became larvae that turned into moths. I don't want to throw away all the almond...	My personal choice would be to throw this away just because I'm too squeamish. But people here use salty water to get rid of larvae from wild mushrooms. The idea is to soak the unprocessed mushrooms containing living insects, which will try to escape and eventually die outside the mushroom. You then rinse couple of tim...
Is it possible to use Coffee Mill for other grain? I'm in Argentina here I cannot fing buckwheat flour so I bought instead buckwheat grain and I want to mill it to get flour.... but I don't arrive to find a tradicional Mill (at a cheap price) I want to know if with a machine like this cofee mill I could get good flou...	That's a nice picture of a spinning blade type spice grinder you have there. The good ones will even do whole nutmegs. You can also use it to make limited quantities of powdered sugar, oat flour, wheat flour, buckwheat flour etc. About any non-oily seed may be turned into a powder with that grinder. Trying to make pean...
Why do my cakes taste like cinnamon? I baked a cake using eggs, butter, milk, vanilla extract, flour, cocoa and baking soda. I baked it at 450F for 30 mins. I tested it and the knife came clean. It looked okay but tasted horrible, like it contained cinnamon. Then I tried another recipe which had the same ingredients ...	From your list of ingredients, I can tell you are missing at least one ingredient. Sugar Or any kind of sweetener. Cocao powder by itself is very bitter and acidic. Without the sugar it's not too surprising the cake taste bitter and slightly sour.
What do these additions to common spice mixes do with your dish? Where I live, supermarkets sell all sorts of "spice mixes" for specific dishes, like "taco mix" or "spaghetti mix". I used to buy these, but then at some point started experimenting myself and stopped buying them. Occasionally when I'm lazy, I still use ...	Salt: Added as a preservative and taste maker. And usually indeed lots of it. Very broad and coarsely put, salty is usually perceived as tasty. Corn / Potato starch: Added as a thickening agent. They also thicken sauces while keeping them more translucent than regular flour does, although I'm not sure if that's the ...
What am I missing in my dishes (Indian Cuisine) I am rookie in cooking. Whatever i try to cook I am not getting any taste in it it just has the raw taste. I add chilly powder, turmeric powder etc . But I always miss the quantity . May be i think i am adding the spices too little. Does it comes only with experience or ...	The main reason why you are not getting the flavorful spicy flavors you expect from Indian Cuisines is not because of the quantity of your spices but rather the variety and quality. Most Indian dishes will have much more than just chili powder and turmeric powder. Many dishes from this cuisine will contains different ...
Can I eat Chia leaves? Just out of curiousity I planted some Chia seeds in a pot. Turned out they grow like crazy and seem pretty undemanding. Now I also noticed that they smell quite nicely, a bit like basil and wondered if the leaves can be eaten. Like for a salad or as a herb, because it seems super easy to grow th...	I would just like to say that you can't decide on edibility based on the plant family. For example, both potatoes, tomatoes and deadly nightshade belong to the same family. However, chia leaves can be used for herbal tea, which means they could probably also be eaten safely.
What regular maintenance is best for a Japanese knife? My amazing fiancee just got me a Nenox gyuto as a graduation present. (You can't have her, she's mine.) Until now, I've only had Western knives. I understand that I should never use a steel on this beauty. The question is, what regular maintenance can/should I be ...	As I am sure you can tell by looking at it, your Japanese knife is primarily sharpened only on one side. As a result, the cutting edge is angled more steeply. Japaneseknives on Wordpress has some simple pictures illustrating this. This asymmetry is why you can't reliably use a honing rod on it, which relies on swipe...
How important are each of temperature, humidity, and vibration for storing wine? I'm deciding whether to buy a wine chiller for my apartment, maybe this one. I could only realistically keep it on top of my refrigerator. The alternative would be to keep wine in my fridge (the temperature in my apartment often gets into...	For a few months I would really not worry too much about your storage, half a year at 80F is not going to destroy your wine. If you have the space in your fridge then that is a better option, but I doubt even the most dedicated wine snob would be able to tell much of a difference. Humidity only matters if you have win...
How to extract raw honey from honeycomb? We recently had to get a swarm of bees removed from our house and moved to an appropriate lodging. We have been left with about 2kg of honeycomb - some of it clean, some of it with old honey/larvae/debris in it. How do you extract the honey with the following restrictions: No ...	Ok so this is what I did, and it worked :) Gently cut/scrape the outer caps with knife Mashed the comb with a fork and moved it into a fine sieve, placed over a bowl Put it in the oven on a very low heat <35 degrees Celsius for 30 min This happened over 2 days, I would gently warm it, then mash it a little and move i...
My dishes seem the same I have been learning to cook for a little while now, and can make 10+ good looking and tasting meals but I have a problem I am encountering that I notice more and more as I learn new meals. It seems all my meals (exception of things like soup or salads) break into the same 3 things A meat (Chi...	Different Cuisines is definitely the way to go. Many dishes from South America (chile, brazil, argentina) seem truly innovative from an American palette. Maybe you can gain some excellent insights into these amazing and wonderful cultures through their culinary voyages! While the meat-vege-starch thing is a staple of...
How to convert knife edge angle "ratios" into degrees? European-style Japanese knives seem to be described (also here and here, and in my most recent post) in terms of "ratios" that always add up to 100. It's not exactly clear what this means in terms of angles off the center plane of the blade. It appears that, even...	I found this on chefknivestogo and I think it explains it quite well. RAY <> A "50/50" usually references an edge. So on the cutting edge, it is an even 50/50 "V". It can be 50/50 at 12 degrees or 50/50 @20, but each sides angle is equivocal. A double bevel is a knife design created by grinding. So from the spine to...
Submerging chicken carcass twice I need to make chicken stock so I bought a 3 lb fryer chicken today. Obviously my plan was to roast the chicken tonight, take meat off the bones and then use the carcass to make the stock tomorrow. My roommate, however, is begging me to make my chicken and sausage gumbo. To do this, I...	Once you've boiled the carcass, most of the juices, fats, etc. have been released. Trying to do a second pass will result in a much weaker stock. There's only so much that can be released, and it's already happened on the first pass. You should just choose one thing to make, or buy a second chicken, I'm afraid.
Cake flavour options I want to make an easy cake. What flavor should I do it? I have already tried strawberry, vainilla and chocolate cakes, but I want something different that its not too difficult.	You can make a vainilla cake with chocolate chips.
Thawed frozen blueberries inside cake roll? I would like to put frozen, thawed blueberries inside a red velvet cake roll filled with cream cheese icing. I am concerned that the blueberries may "bleed" or just look a mess instead of having the red white and blue look I am hoping for. Has anyone ever tried anything li...	Yes, the blueberries will bleed, and, what's even more non-4th-ish, they will make purple or lavender stains instead of blue. If you are serving the roll rather quickly after assembly, consider thickening the pureed blueberries seperately with some corn starch or pudding mix. Then you can make a blue-and-white filling ...
How to tenderize bell pepper skin / peel Consider the scenario: You cut the bell peppers in 1-2 CM squares, throw them in a pan with some oil and 1/6 teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate. You let it simmer until you get a mush. At this point the bell pepper's peel / skin is tough to chew on. What can you do to get the peel ...	You can't. If you want a pepper puree, you have to remove the skins mechanically. Else you get a puree with "scales" of skin inside. You also mention making a stew out of the peppers. The skins are normally not removed for a stew, just eaten along. Many people prefer to not add the pepper at the beginning, but only to...
What's the difference between Yorkshire Tea (red band) and Yorkshire Gold? The descriptions on Yorkshire's websites (reproduced below) are quite vague. There is a link for "More info" but that simply directs you to betty.co.uk where the same info is reprinted. Gold is more expensive. Right now, at betty.co.uk, for a...	Speaking very generally, there are three bands of quality when it comes to black tea in the UK Market. Brown (Economy) is your lowest grade, it is the cheapest in the shops and usually very dusty and fibrous. The flavor is weak and the color with milk is a dull brown.Teas can come from central Africa, south India, Arg...
Baking with unhulled sesame seeds versus hulled I'm baking a sesame seed bread recipe from the Tartine Bread book and it calls for toasting the hulled seeds. Penzey only had hulled so, not having written it down, I figured that was what I was supposed to get. Rather than worrying too much about it, should I just put ...	You should dry roast the seeds before putting them in bread dough. It will have a really strong flavour. He used the unhulled seeds for the mild flavour. You can either use hulled or unhealed. I believe that you have washed the sesame seeds, dried them, dry roasted them and then ........ WHOOP in the dough. That will o...
Does Paprika extract actually taste of Paprika? I’m looking to use paprika extract to flavour a dish, however upon googling it there really is no mention of this extract being used in this context. From what I can see its use is mainly to colour food and for chicken feed (to give their yolk an intense colour). If I b...	There are two types of paprika extracts; one, as you mention, is mainly a food colour. I understand this is made from raw, unsmoked paprika. It has no real flavour. The other is mostly a smoke flavour. I believe it's taken from the smoked paprika leftovers, not from the raw paprika. Neither is any good for simulating t...
Can I substitute almond meal for breadcrumbs in meatballs? I am gluten-free and want to make some turkey meatballs. I was thinking about putting almond meal in the mixture. Would that be okay instead of breadcrumbs? If not what would be a good substitute? I don't really want to buy breadcrumbs or bread for one thing ...	Go right ahead and use the almond meal. In its list of uses for almond meal, this source says: Use almond meal in place of breadcrumbs in meatballs. In fact one of the recipes on the site is for Meatballs Parmesan. It calls for ground meat without specifying a type, so I assume your turkey would be fine. In additio...
Use the same cast iron skillet or buy a new one for desserts? Quick backstory I currently have 2 skillets -- one a 12" flat skillet and the other ribbed. They have both been used for meat and I learned my lesson awhile ago and try to keep them as far away from water as possible. I do not have an open flame as I have a...	Tl;dr You can use your cast iron for anything if it is seasoned and cleaned well. I don't have a ribbed pan and it seems that would be harder to clean so I will speak only to the smooth. My cast iron pan is reasonably well seasoned. It could be better but I only get a little sticking. Scraping it well and scrubbing wit...
Fruit Oil Extraction I'm making an experiment which compares different oils. It seems I can make oil from any fruit/seed by just pressing it, filtering the liquid outflow, and letting the filtered liquid settle (keeping only the liquid which settles above the water in the end). Though not refined, I should be able to...	For grapes you don't make oil from the fruit, you make it from the seed. The only entries in this table for fruit "flesh" are for oil palm and olives. Assuming the price of some oils correspond to the difficultly to get a reasonable yield, I think their will not be enough oil in grapefruit (or grape flesh) to extract,...
Polenta instead of breadcrumbs? I'm making flamenquin this evening and don't have any breadcrumbs available (apart from under the toaster, but some are suspicious). Has anyone ever used polenta instead of breadcrumbs to coat meat? Thanks!	You can use definitely use polenta/cornmeal for breading, but it'll tend to be noticeably more crunchy than breadcrumbs are. An obvious comparison is cornmeal fried fish. People make it multiple ways: some just dredge in cornmeal so it'll add a definite crunch, while others use a batter which will soften it up. The moi...
Does polenta 'go off'? I have some polenta in the cupboard that I can only assume is a family heirloom. The best before date has long since perished but the contents look okay. Does polenta ever stop tasting of polenta?	Yes, it can go bad. It's pretty much the same as the way flour can go bad: the fats can go rancid. Grains are mostly starch, but they contain enough fat for rancidity to be a noticeable problem. There's a huge amount of variability in how long that takes, though. If it's airtight and kept in a cool, dark place, it'll l...
Olive oil "shelf" life and summer camping I am about to car camp one week and I am wondering if I may safely carry some olive oil in a glass bottle - I expect day temperature to peak around 30 degrees Celsius. I would like to know ahead of time if the oil is going to get rancid, or to deteriorate in any way. Thank you...	Olive oil will degrade over time, but that is measured in months and years if stored out of the light, and in cool conditions. If you leave EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) in a glass container in sunlight, it will start to loose some of it's amazing flavour, astringency, and smell, but again this will take many days to b...
What natural emulsifier can I use for almond milk? I am a vegan and I make my own raw almond milk (blend soaked almonds, strain through a nut milk bag). The trouble comes when I want to warm the milk for a warm drink or to put in my coffee - if it gets too hot the fat separates from the liquid part and it's really gro...	Your best bet for this is xanthan gum, which is an excellent stabiliser. Whilst the distinction between 'natural' and 'unnatural' is fraught with difficulties, insofar as xanthan gum is a product of microbial fermentation then it is no more 'unnatural' than alcohol or vinegar. Be careful not to use too much though (un...
Could I get sick from accidentally cooking an olive can metal lid in my spaghetti sauce? I accidentally cooked a metal lid from an olive can in my spaghetti, but didn't find it until everyone had already eaten. Could my family get sick from it?	Very unlikely. Cans are made from either steel (uncritical) or aluminum (dito), covered with a thin layer of tin (dito) or epoxy coating. These materials are explicitly choosen because they are food-safe1, even at higher temperatures than you use with home cooking: Tin cans are sterilized after filling to make the food...
Pork Belly - served with soft fat I have been to two restaurants now and been really disappointed with their pork belly as I was expecting the fat would come crispy. When it didn't, the waitress said "Chef said it's slow cooked, so supposed to be like that." It really puts me off ordering it in the future. Restaurants...	They are not lying, slow cooked pork belly is supposed to be soft and tender. It's perfectly acceptable to serve pork belly this way and there are many people who prefer it. If it's not to your personal taste then it's best to avoid it and order other things from the menu.
Supply of Boiling water without power outlet This weekend coming some friends and I will be running a cake stall at a local vintage fare. We would also like to sell hot beverages such as tea and coffee. How can we cheaply and easily heat water up for tea and coffee without access to a power socket?	Do as others do and use a camping stove. They come as gas stoves like this one or even as wood- or charcoal-fired versions (see here). Perhaps an avid camper among your friends could even lend you one, means you'd only have to buy the fuel. But before you do this check with the local authorities / people responsible f...
How to tell if fresh chilli is off? So, I keep running into this difficulty. I buy and use a lot of fresh chillies in my cooking, but sometimes the dish turns out, well, significantly worse and I cannot identify anything I am doing differently, at least, until I started suspecting the sometimes-soft chillis i'm buyin...	When I buy hot chilies, I look for firm, uniformly bright (or dark, depending on the type) green specimens. Unless I'm in a big hurry, I pick through the pile and choose them individually. I avoid any that are soft, discolored (including the ends), missing caps (the part that attaches to the stem -- they spoil faster a...
Do I chill mead? I've just bought a bottle of mead for the first time - do I need to chill it before drinking, like a white wine, or let it breathe before drinking, like a red wine?	Often referred to as "Honey Wine", mead is an alcohol made from fermentation of honey. The temperature of mead you want to drink is really variable. If your mead is lighter and dry, it is better to be chilled like white wines whereas the stronger ones can be served at any temperature. I loved it to be chilled.
What is the best way to go about developing and formulating a product? I hope this is within posting guidelines. I have an exciting vision for a product but I have no formal culinary experience (mixing, baking, etc) I do have extensive knowledge in the field of nutrition from hundreds of hours of research (personal no...	I've had two food products made to my specifications via contract manufacturing and evaluated contract manufacturing of several other products. Fundamentally the process requires you to have enough of an understanding of the product you want to be able to work with the contract manufacturer to make it. In one case, I d...
What is GABA Rice? GABA rice seems to command a high premium is only found on Amazon in a few varieties, one by Koshihikari, one by Sempio. Is GABA rice anything but brown rice pre-heated? Is the GABA setting on a rice cooker for GABA rice? Or, is to cook brown rice in a fashion that makes it GABA-like? And, if so, w...	The rice you are referring to is sprouted brown rice. From wholegrainscouncil.org , GABA stands for an amino acid, gamma amino butyric acid. THE MOST TOUTED HEALTH BENEFIT of sprouted rice is GABA (gamma amino butyric acid). The GABA setting on your rice cooker will take much longer as per this article on Techilici...
Is this moldy vinegar salvageable? I started making apple cider vinegar using the second method listed on http://thehealthyeatingsite.com/apple-cider-vinegar-recipe/ It's been little over 4 months and my mix is looking really weird. There's some white fluff on top of what looks like a vinegar mother. The more was to ...	Is it mold? It definitely is. Whatever happened to it, it is bad. Are the batch and mother salvageable? I wouldn't think of that for a second. The mold is everywhere. Just get rid of it.
Is it possible to create the flavour of a food by using the component chemicals? For example, if I were able to identify the flavour compounds of bacon or cabbage, could I take just those ingredients and create the flavour? Is identifying the flavour compounds something that has been done extensively by food scientist...	It's a little hard to understand exactly what you're asking, but flavor and fragrance scientists have been at this for a long time, and yes, there are people who specialize in flavor research, using methods like "collecting headspace" (gathering flavor compounds) and analyzing those with techniques such as gas chromato...
How to grill polenta? The first time I tried to grill polenta on a barbecue, I brushed both sides with olive oil and it came out perfectly with a crisp exterior and a creamy interior. The next time I tried it, on a different barbecue and with the slices a bit thinner, it was a disaster with the polenta refusing to se...	Your polenta was probably sticking because you didn't use enough oil or your barbecue was too cool. Olive oil on a barbecue is a bad idea as it flares up and burns easily, you're better off with a more standard vegetable oil. The choice of oil is not as important as the quantity in keeping things from sticking, you nee...
Difference between French bread and Japanese bread I have been living in Japan for 1 year now, but I cannot find French bread - baguette - in Tokyo like the one we have in France. Their bread is not crunchy nor crispy at all, and it's chewy, I kind of feel like I am eating a sponge... like old bread. What is the diffe...	I'm a professional bread baker from 2018. I started learning by my self until I open my shop in China. I was living in Japan and Brazil also and I had the same experience when I moved to Japan. Now I know why the Asian bread is different from European bread. The major basic components are totally different. The basic f...
Coconut rice; should it taste like coconut? I made coconut rice yesterday with a simple recipe (coconut milk, water, tsp sugar, pinch of salt, rice, all in the rice cooker). I was a little bit underwhelmed by the output; the rice was cooked perfectly, but lacking in the the flavour and aroma area. My coconut milk can ...	When I visited Malaysia and Singapore, the nasi lemak I tried had very little taste of coconut - many of the people I traveled with even got surprised when they heard the rice was cooked in coconut. The name literally means 'fatty rice', which indicates that the coconut milk is added only to make the rice fatty, i.e. m...
Reuse of Food Grade Tins I am interested in using a food grade tin (such as this) to store small amounts of food, in particular for storing summer sausage or cheese for short periods of time (1-2 days). What are the food safety concerns (if any) for this? My searches online seemed to concentrate on reusing industrial ...	Different types of tins are intended for storing different types of foods (dry crackers are very different from cheeses that contain some moisture). And as mentioned previously, linings can chip when the tin is being cleaned. Food grade does not mean that they are reusable - I'd contact the source and ask them. Usua...
converting a muffin recipe to a cake recipe I have a muffin recipe for chocolate zucchini muffins. The recipe calls for a 325 degree oven and a baking time of 20-25 minutes. I want to bake these in a 9 x 13 pan as a cake. How long should I bake my cake and at what temperature.	Most of the bake times that recipes give you are very general ideas of how long you should bake something. This is why most of them are given in ranges rather than in specific values. (20-25 minutes instead of specifically saying 21 minutes) The reason for this is because there are a lot of variables when it comes to b...
Can I use the leftover pickling brine? I have some leftover brine that was leftover from making canned pickles, it was heated up to put in the canned pickles to make them. Can I use this brine again to make more canned pickles? The brine never touched the pickles or anything else.	Not sure any of the above have read your question completely. You are asking; can you store extra brine that you made but was not used in your pickling process. I do this systematically when my Green Beans are going crazy. I mix up extra brine and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The brine is simple...
Pulled pork too sweet I made pulled pork and added too much brown sugar. What can I add to dilute it so it's not so sweet? Tried not adding barbeque sauce, but that didn't help.	The sugar flavor is in there whether you like it or not, you can either use the pork as an ingredient in something else where sweetness is an asset (salads, casseroles, etc), or balance the sweetness with other flavors. To me the way forward is to try and balance the sweetness with acidity and bitterness, and a really...
Has there been some change in the varieties of broccoli sold in US supermarkets in the last few years? Having eaten broccoli all my life, in the last year or two I have noticed some differences in most any broccoli, either fresh or frozen. The primary differences I notice: 1) There are many small leaves near the top o...	First, there can be a difference in varieties that are sold in supermarkets. Calabrese, which is a member of the broccoli family, is what is most often sold in grocery stores. The other variety that may be found is 'Italian Green Sprouting'. (Note that I am not referring to other types such as broccoli rabe, broccolini...
Are cooking thermometers essential? I've been watching some cooking shows, and they seem very keen on there thermometers. They have prob thermometers, oven thermometers, meat thermometers, confectionery thermometers, oil thermometers... (Possibly these are all the same device, I don't know anything about kitchen therm...	Thermometers are really practical when you do not have a lot of experience cooking things; it let you keep track of the proper food temperature. For example, I do not cook beef roasts often, so I will use a thermometer to not mess up my cooking and waste a good amount of money on a good cut of meat. Thermometers are es...
Can instant oatmeal really expire? I ask because I ate a package of Quaker instant oatmeal (maple/brown sugar) at work today, it was just kinda a single package sitting in our "snack pantry". I looked for a date and it didn't have one. But I had forgotten breakfast and decided eh it should be ok. So I made it, and whi...	A copyright date isn't a good way to determine the age of the food. It's likely that the copyright date is much older unless the design is very recent. As far as whether it goes bad, StillTasty gives it 1 year past its date, unopened.
What is the difference between a thickener and an emulsifier? I ask this because I have used a minuscule amount of Xanthan Gum to slightly thicken a chilli sauce I have made. However upon looking at the ingredients of many popular chilli sauces they all tend to use a "modified starch" (modified cornstarch, modified ma...	As Max points out, emulsifiers work by allowing two normally incompatible ingredients to mix. There are different ways that emulsifiers do this. Lecithin, probably the most common emulsifier, can do this because its molecule has a water-binding end and an oil-binding end. Hydrocolloids, like xanthan gum, can also have ...
What can I use as a substitute for hoisin sauce? Is there anything I can use as a substitute for hoisin sauce that's less salty or even salt-free? This is for a sauce to go with pork steaks.	Hoisin has a few primary flavors: salt, sweetness, and umami. If it's a significant part of a recipe, leaving it out isn't really an option; you'll notice the lack of all three of those. If you can find a fermented soybean paste that has less salt, that'd be the closest substitute, possibly with some added sugar. Other...
Problem in cake baking tray I have purchased microwave safe cake baking pan but as soon as I use the pan in the microwave the spark is coming. What may be the problem ? In which mode should I keep that?	If it is sparking then it is not microwave safe and you should get your money back. No change of mode is going to help, it is the material and construction of the pan which is the problem.
What is the history of souvlaki and is there any benefit in cooking meat on a skewer? I'm wondering about the origin of souvlaki. Was it only something of a convenience (easy to cook lots of pieces together)? Or does this way of grilling lead to better results, as opposed to just placing the pieces on the grill? If th...	Historically, the practice of skewering meat had several advantages over building a rotisserie and cooking a single large piece of meat. Think about the advantages of cooking over a primitive camp fire, rather than a modern grill: Cooks quicker, saving time but more importantly fuel for the fire (think desert or other...
Using previously frozen salsa I hope this isn't off base because I'm not asking for recipes, just suggestions that I might not have thought of. I made a HUGE batch of roasted cherry salsa (like normal salsa but where all the ingredients except cilantro [but including the additional cherries] go on a grill for about ...	What about pureeing it and using it as a base for BBQ sauce or a basting sauce for roasts.
Is it advisable to season a chicken with salt after having brined it? I've used a standard 5% salt and water solution to brine a chicken, after having brined it is it advisable for me to season the chicken with salt before cooking it? I'm worried that if I do so that the chicken may become too salty; am I wrong in thi...	I agree with @rumtscho that you should not need to salt after brining. However, I totally disagree with the accepted answer. There are simply too many reputable sources that say otherwise, not to mention my own experience. First, please see the accepted answer to this question which is from Cook's Illustrated. Seco...
Why did my chocolate eclairs fail? I made chocolate eclairs, my second attempt copying exactly from Laura in the Kitchen on YouTube (full recipe here), and the pastry was not all well creamed and looked oily as I placed in oven. It looked as though it was frying. Please can you kindly explain what I did wrong? I feel ...	As the commenters have already said, it's hard to know exactly what happened from the information you've given but I'm going to try to give some direction. First, I think the key is in this statement: "the pastry was not all well creamed and looked oily as I placed in oven". This sounds like either the oil (butter, in ...
How can I use a large quantity of raw almonds all at once? I have a big practically unused bag of raw almonds that's been sitting in my pantry for a couple years. I got them as a gift when I used to munch on them more, but after a few major life changes it just has never been pulled out again. What can I possibly mak...	As Stephie implied, after "a couple years", I'd bet your raw almonds are rancid and whatever you do with them would just be throwing good ingredients after bad. But eat a couple and see for yourself. If they're ok, I'd make almond butter, that would let you use all of them quickly.
Soda carbonation With the process below, why wouldn't the yeast eat all the sugar or explode the bottle whichever comes first? How does the yeast eat the sugar to make carbonation, yet keep the soda sweet? Directions from Homebrew4less.com: Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon dry yeast (Red Star preferred) in 6-oz. of warm water....	If you follow the process, the yeast are not cold-tolerant strains and shut down for most intents and purposes when the bottles are chilled. Plastic soda bottles also take a LOT of pressure to burst, and unlike glass you CAN gauge the pressure by feeling them (and they don't make shards if they do explode, but they sur...
Make fruit last longer in fridge? I am single. When I buy strawberries or blueberries they don't always last until I get to eat them. Would they last longer kept in water? (in Tupperware) I know strawberries can be frozen in syrup. I don't want to do that. I sometimes make muffins with half the blueberries just so I c...	No, they won't last longer in water. Fruit freezes very well without the need for syrup, and can be defrosted quickly simply by running cold water over it. If you're baking with it, you can just bake with fruit still frozen.
Help in identifying Scandinavian dessert recipe Background -- I made this recipe as part of a group project (in college) that was preparing different foods from around the world. My group had Scandinavia, but as I didn't find this recipe (one of the girls in the group did), I don't know which country the recipe origin...	Maybe it was a variant of chokladbiskvier, a Swedish macaroon?
How to Sous Vide Filet Mignon to Medium Rare I made my own Sous Vide with a crockpot and an Arduino and would like to cook a Filet Mignon cut to medium rare. However, a quick google search of '"sous vide" "medium rare" "filet mignon"' shows contradicting results: This states 130F for steak in general, not Filet Mign...	130F (approx. 54C) works great. That brings it to the very bottom of the "medium-rare scale", allowing you to sear before presentation without overcooking. Although, I have to tell you, filet mignon is kind of a waste with sous vide. Not that it won't be great, but a much less expensive cut can be cooked at that temper...
Pasteurized eggs in homemade mayo? If you are using pasteurized eggs or pasteurized egg yolks when making mayonnaise is it still necessary to leave the mayo out at room temperature for the recommended 24, or more, hours?	The main rationale for the "room temperature rest" for homemade mayo is to kill off potential Salmonella in eggs. Most other ingredients in mayo recipes should not be contaminated with bacteria, so I can't imagine any benefit from the room temperature rest when using pasteurized eggs. In fact, given that mayo will deg...
How much is in a handful of spinach? Yes, I know it's a volume unit, but I want to know how many grams does a male or female handful of spinach can hold. You'll see, a recipe calls for 2 handfuls of spinach, 1 handful of parsley and 2 leaves of kale (these aren't all the ingredients, just the non-precise ingredients)....	I general any recipe that uses non precise words like a "handful", is either not a well tested recipe, or the author is suggesting to use the ingredient for taste, colour, and/or texture reasons. The amount (within reason) is not critical to the recipe Just add the amount you would like in terms of a balanced meal, and...
How long should chicken wait in eggs before applying bread crumbs? To get the bread crumbs to stick to the chicken, I coat the chicken with eggs. I then put the bowl in the refrigerator. How long should I wait before taking the chicken out of the eggs and rubbing the bread crumbs on them?	Spices or egg do not get absorbed into chicken, or any other protein in any significant manner given any safe amount of time Some amount of sodium from a brine will get absorbed, but this is generally for different reasons, and is not a requirement for crumbed chicken The easiest and safest method is to dredge in flour...
How long does tortilla dough keep for? I am making tortillas with masa harina corn flour according to this recipe. Can I make it a few hours in advance and cook the tortillas just before they are to be eaten? Or should I cook them after making the dough and then reheat them just before they are to be eaten?	It's absolutely fine to make the dough in advance, just don't let it dry out. It even freezes well. There is more good information on Serious Eats on the subject. Keep it on the counter for up to a day, refrigerated for up to three days, frozen for up to 6 months (for best quality). In any case that you want to hold th...
Can I use a china oven dish to make a sponge cake? I want to make an ordinary sponge cake. The recipe says I need to use a metal cake tin. Can I use an (ovenproof) china oven dish instead?	Yes, it is just fine to bake a cake in a pan like the one we talked about in comments. A pan of that type may stick a bit more than a metal pan, so you might find "cake release" to be of benefit. It's unlikely that you will have any problems at all, but read Aaronut's answer here.
Casein content after curdling I am making curdled cheese for a cheesecake. I am using reduced-fat milk (2%) and would like to know the content (e.g fat, sugar, protein) of the curdled cheese after it has been separated from the whey. How can this be calculated?	It depends on how the cheese is made. Whey will include a lot of the water soluble molecules of the milk. That means a lot of the sugar (and acid if it was fermented) will wash out. Any of the albumin from the milk will also wash out. Almost none of the fat will. This means that it will be very difficult to calculate e...
How to make the marshmallow swirl for Chocolate Marshmallow Ice cream from scratch? My wife loves chocolate marshmallow swirl ice cream, but she doesn't like store-bought marshmallows. I would like to surprise her with homemade chocolate marshmallow swirl ice cream, but I am unsure how to make the marshmallow swirl. H...	I have made marshmallows using Alton Brown's method; it works and is a lot of fun. If you don't form the individual marshmallows, but just swirl it into the ice cream while it's still a sticky mess, that should work for your swirl. There is even a video in that link. As ElendilTheTall mentioned in comments, you probabl...
Question about consistency of homemade ice cream My family has been making homemade ice cream for years. I run the machine, but usually there are many other hands that want to make it. I know their is the custard less variety, containing milk, condensed milk, vanilla, and any other flavoring or fruit they want. Recen...	It may freeze hard, that depends upon the sugar and salt content and any other ingredients, like alcohol, that don't freeze solidly. If it does freeze hard it should be like store-bought ice cream, not icy. Ice cream that seems like softserve before it goes into the freezer should not crystallize. If it does, that usua...
What to do with leftover almond peel? I always soak almonds at night and peel them the next morning. I'm just wondering if I can do anything with the leftover almond skin. Any suggestions?	I made bacon Mixed together 2 tablespoons oil, 3 tbs soy sauce or tamari, 2 tbs nutritional yeast, 1 tbs woostershire, 1/2 tbs maple syrup, 3/4 tbs hot paprika in a bowl. Mix in 3 cups loose Almond skins. Bake 375 for approx 20 minutes on non stick surface until crispy. BLT waiting to happen. Or use as bacon bits...
Can the freshness of butter affect taste of cooking? Recently I made paneer (cottage cheese) butter masala following the recipe here. However the taste was a bit off with the smell of butter. The butter had 3 months expiry date and I used it within one month from the date of manufacture. I have to admit that as I was ...	Butter can/will turn rancid if not stored properly; using rancid butter will completely destroy a recipe as it will have a strong smell and taste; probably why people use ghee instead of butter; smell it before using it. In that particular recipe, I would imagine using more butter will not change much in term of taste ...
How do I best grill an artichoke? I have always boiled artichokes. Lately I've heard people talking about how good grilled artichokes are. There's some variation in recipes: some say to boil, some say to steam; some say to cut in half before that and some say after. I don't need a recipe for dipping sauce or anything ...	I trim the stem and remove the outer leaves till they snap to get to the fresh inner core and steam them the night or morning before grilling so they are cold and moist. I prefer steaming because I want all of the nutrients to remain in the artichoke. I cut them in half for the grill, remove the choke and brush them wi...
What makes frozen burger patties bland? This has confused me for a while: it's observable that a lot of all-beef burger patties from grocery stores and fast food joints taste dull compared to homemade ground beef, but is the key difference in the fact that they're frozen, or is it in the cuts of meat that they use? Fo...	When you buy a burger from a fast food restaurant you are buying a product that has been engineered to provide absolute consistency, be very fast to cook, and be as cheap as possible so it can be offered at a low price for a reasonable profit. The grill marks are engineered in, and they are given coatings which will gi...
What can I use as a substitute for Nori Wrapper on a Chocolate Dessert Sushi? I'd like to make a chocolate dessert sushi but I'm stuck trying to come up with a substitute for nori or rice paper. I know some people like to use plastic chocolate like in this question. However I'd like to do something different to compl...	Green fruit leather makes a good substitute for nori in dessert "sushi" rolls, if you're going for something that reminds people of sushi without being creepily realistic. (I recently made a variation of these dessert sliders for Independence Day and they were a little too realistic for people).
how to whip UHT cream? Today I was making a cake for which I needed whipped cream. The local store did not have fresh cream so I bought UHT cream, I am not sure that's the correct term in English, you basically treat it with high temperatures so that it lasts longer. Said cream is specifically meant to be whipped, or ...	UHT and ultra-pasteurized creams can be whipped, but it can be more difficult than pasteurized cream. From The Cultured Cook : The key to lush whipped cream is choosing lush cream to begin with. Ideally, you want cream from grass-fed cows — it has a richer, fuller taste and a lighter, fluffier texture — and cream tha...
How do you salvage a topped pizza that sticks to the peel? This is a scenario I've encountered multiple times. The dough is stretched to the right size. It's coated with flour. The pizza peel has some flour in it, but maybe not enough. The pizza gets sauced and topped, and when it comes time to put it into the oven,...	I always give a light "shake test" before I try to put it in the oven. If it's sticking, I take a long spatula and try to lift the dough a short ways from the offending section, and then I toss some more cornmeal or flour under there. Usually, just to be safe, I go all the way around and lift and toss more, just to be ...
What kind of cabbage is on my photo? I bought it very cheap during the closing of the grocery market. The seller said that it was some kind of lettuce, but it tastes like upper leaves of cabbage.	It appears to be curly endive which is a lettuce. It is crisp and has a bitter flavor. Dole Know Your Lettuce
Cut Onion Safety I was dehydrating some diced onions overnight on my patio. When I got up I noticed the dehydrator was not running and the onions were not dry as we had a power outage overnight. Will it be safe to go ahead and dehydrate them? I was going to make onion powder. I hate to lose all the onions and the work...	Onions shouldn't degrade that quickly at room temperature anyhow, even if they weren't partially dried. This food safety and preservation site specifically addresses inadequately dried foods: Check containers within seven to 10 days to see if moisture is present. If you see moisture, remove food and redry at 140 to...
What is the name of a drink made with iced tea and orange juice? Iced tea and lemonade is known as an Arnold Palmer. I mix mine in 50/50 proportions. Lacking lemonade, I mixed 50/50 iced tea and pulpy orange juice. I really kind of like the result and nicknamed it a "Hairy Palmer" (because the pulp normally suspende...	Having a citrus juice in iced tea certainly isn't a new concept. However, there is no official name for half orange and half iced tea drinks. So you may call it whatever you wish.
The right amount of jalapeño Often when I make soup I add a minced jalapeño (with the seeds) into the soup. I know that the pepper has a (I believed) 1,500-2,500 heat range and so when I add a full pepper on the low end of that scale it's fine and I get that tongue numbing heat sensation. When the pepper is on the hig...	The heat of individual peppers varies. Add a little bit at a time, tasting as you go. You can put more in, you can't take any out!
Can I use dry milk instead of whole milk? If a recipe calls for whole milk and you only have dry milk, what would you do? Explain your answer.	I was able to find this pretty easily online: 1 Cup Milk = 1 Cup Water + 3 Tablespoons Powdered Milk 3/4 Cup Milk = 3/4 Cup Water + 2 1/4 Tablespoons Powdered Milk 2/3 Cup Milk = 2/3 Cup Water + 2 Tablespoons Powdered Milk 1/2 Cup Milk = 1/2 Cup Water + 1 1/2 Tablespoons Powdered Milk 1/3 Cup Milk = 1/3 Cup Water + 1 T...
licking spoon and putting back in the food Recently had some guest at my house - while I was in another room one of the guest was sampling the food repeatedly and put the spoon from mouth back in the food. Is this a health concern? Does the food spoil faster?	Safety-wise: If the food is heated at least to 180° F/ 80°C, I'd like to cite Jefromi But if you're just cooking for yourself I personally wouldn't really worry about it, because in general you'll be cooking the food at a safe temperature, not just above the danger zone (140F/60C) but something safe for all meat...
Omiting salt in baking recipes that use chemical leaveners? I'm trying to reduce my salt intake. I've noticed in baking recipes where baking powder is used they add salt. Can I omit the salt or would the recipe fail?	I completely agree with Cascabel's answer. I do want to add a bit. Salt is an amazing flavor enhancer and most (sweet) baked goods use very little (1/4 to 1 tsp) considering that most of the recipes make 12-24 servings (more for cupcakes/cookies etc) but it does make a difference. Most baked desserts gain quite a bit ...
Are these grates okay to cook on? I'm having trouble with some enamel-coated cast iron grill grates. I've only had this grill for a few years, I don't live on the beach (salt), we don't get much rain, and I store it outside but keep it covered when not in use. However, at this point I strongly suspect that the discolo...	What you have is rust. You'll want to strip the grates down and re-season them I've had mixed-luck over the years with cast iron grates on gas grills -- yes, they cook things really well, but if you leave the burners on high to burn off any food bits left on the grates after cooking, you'll risk burning off the season...
Difference between Fleischkäse, Mortadella, and Parizer I am a great fan of some cold meats typical to Germany, Italy, and Romania. Surprisingly, I was unable to find a definition of how they are made which is sufficiently accurate to determine any significant difference. They are clearly different visually: Fleischk...	Your instinct is correct, all your favourites fall into one category of saussage: Brühwurst. This means that they follow the same principle when made, which is Mincing the raw meat and fat with ice or ice water, salt, often curing salt and various spices until a smooth paste forms. This is what you refer to as "pinkis...
Can you make caramel with evaporated milk? So I love cooked sweetened condensed milk (caramel, dulce de leche, all that). It's really simple to make - just cook the stuff for a while - and it tastes awesome. That said, I could really stand it being a little less sweet (not a carb thing, just a taste thing). So I wa...	Milk contains lactose naturally, so there will always be a minimum amount of sugar that any condensed milk will contain. Having said the above, the recipe for making lowest-possible-sugar condensed milk, is evaporated milk (which still contains all of the lactose), so that's still sweet as well, but not overpoweringly ...
Is sweet-tasting raw kale normal? I just tried eating kale for the first time, raw, in a salad without any dressings, and to my surprise it did not taste bitter at all unlike descriptions of its taste that I've seen online. In fact it tasted a little sweet. Is it possible for raw kale to taste sweet? Did I buy a diffe...	There are quite a few very sophisticated market gardeners in New Zealand producing greens and micro-greens like no other in the world Especially from the Pukekohe, and other volcanic silt soils areas, it's hard to grow anything bad. The crisp mornings at this time of year, and the naturally nutritious soils result in g...
What is the function of oil in baking/roasting? Oil is almost always used when cooking vegetables or meat at high temperatures in the oven, but I'm not sure what it actually does - it obviously provides flavour, but there seem to be other purposes. Surface water prevents the maillard reaction from occurring because th...	(Liquid) water cannot exceed 100°C because that it's boiling point, and any additional heat applied goes toward the latent heat of evaporation needed to turn it into a gas (steam, which can then be higher than 100°C). Oils have a boiling point much higher than water, and a point lower than that (but still much higher t...
Pure maple syrup wedding favors i want to give 4oz jars of syrup to my wedding guests as favors. Due to the cost I'm buying it in bulk and filling the jars myself. How far in advance can I fill the mason jars and not have the mold issue? I obviously can't keep 100 4oz jars in my fridge.	If you sterilise the jars before and after sealing, it should easily last a year if not more. Sterilising will involve boiling the jars in a large pan of water for 15 minutes, filling and sealing them, then boiling for 15 minutes again.
Sour butter from freezer? Earlier today, I defrosted two different sticks of butter from my freezer. Both tasted sour. Neither had expired. The manufacturers were different, so it wasn't the same batch. Has anybody run into this before? Is my freezer a frothing cesspit of bacteria or something?	OK, so I left one of the butters (the Kerrygold) out for a little while longer to see if it would affect the taste. I tried it again the day after taking it out of the freezer and the sour notes disappeared! So I guess my freezer isn't the culprit after all. Here are the possibilities as I see them: The first butter (...
Does roasted garlic leave no aftertaste and smell I saw in a recipe book by the Grill company Weber where they claimed that if you roast a garlic over medium heat in the grill, until it becomes pulp, and then slather it on your baguette and eat it, it will not leave bad taste/smell afterwards. Is this true? I love gar...	Roasting garlic tends to make it sweeter and milder in flavour yes. It will not be completely undetectable, but it is certainly less strong than sautéed garlic.
How much meat should I serve per person? Catering a small event tomorrow for twenty people. Serving beef brisket, pulled pork, and veggie lasagna. Question is how much brisket & pork should allow for each person? also serving three sides, rolls, etc.	About 8oz or 225g/person is probably a good place to start. Think about when you have a standard steak or a piece of chicken in a restaurant. The pre-cooked weight will usually be in the region of 8-10oz.
Can I safely thaw and refreeze sorbet? A month ago I made a mango/lime/cilantro sorbet that is delicious. The problem is I put the sorbet into a quart sized container and it's frozen solid (I keep my freezer very cold). Can I safely thaw (or partially thaw) the sorbet and put it into popsicle molds and then refreeze...	Sorbet are typically acidic(from the fruit juices) and contain sugar. Both of these act as preservatives in addition to the extremely cold temperatures that sorbets are kept at. So it is perfectly okay to melt your sorbet ice block. However when you melt the sorbet block, you will want to do it slowly. Fruit/herb flavo...
How do I prevent jams from turning brown? I have been a jam maker for years. We live in an area of fresh fruit so it's always naturally sweet. I decrease the sugar in each recipe by at least 1 cup and I always add fresh lemon juice. My question is: do I need to water bath the jam to prevent it from turning dark on ...	Turning brown on top is usually a sign of too much oxygen in the jar. The NCHFP FAQ covers this exact topic (search for "dark"). There are a few primary causes: too much headspace, or bubbles left in the jam before processing; not enough liquid to cover bits of food/fruit; or not enough processing time. All of these ...
Making drinkable yogurt I like the taste and consistency of danactive drinkable yogurt. Google searches on making drinkable yogurt suggests adding water or milk to store bought "set" yogurt. Another said to use kefir and just blend in fruits for flavoring. There was one post on how to make drinkable yogurt from scratc...	There are lots of ways of doing this, depending on exactly what you want in your final product. If you want an exact flavor and texture match to your specific brand of drinkable yogurt, you're going to have to try various things and experiment to see what works. Here are some issues to consider and options. (I'm ass...
How much white chocolate should I use in a white chocolate cake? I am trying to develop a white chocolate cake formula. The recipes that we tried were dry or did not have the right flavor or consistency. I found no guide line as to how much white chocolate to use. Can any one help? I am concerned that the white choco...	Looking at your recipe, there's not enough butter or eggs for the amount of flour and sugar. I'm saying this because I'm assuming the the oz measurements are weights. You could also increase the amount of white chocolate to 6 oz. Since white chocolate doesn't have much of a presence in a cake - the primary flavour is ...
Is a (British) wedding cake just a tiered fruit cake I'm trying to find a good recipe for a wedding cake. I'm going to keep it fairly simple, one or two tiers, plain icing with some small decorations. Many recipes seem to be variations on classic fruit cake or Christmas cake. Is that the case? Am I safe scaling up a ...	These days, wedding cakes can be pretty much any kind of cake. A traditional wedding cake is certainly more or less a Christmas cake - a dense, dark, 'matured' fruit cake with marzipan and royal icing. However, nowadays you will find that anything goes - flavoured sponges are extremely popular. The main criteria is tha...
USDA or Food Labeling? I have some bacon I took out of the freezer and put directly into the fridge to use this past weekend. Unfortunately, the weekend came and went without me cooking said bacon. It has been sitting in my fridge about 6 days in its unopened vacuum pack. The package says it is best by July 30 of this...	To quote from your own source: It’s best to plan ahead for slow, safe thawing in the refrigerator. After defrosting bacon by this method, it will be safe in the refrigerator for 7 days before cooking. If you decide not to use the bacon during this time, you can safely refreeze it without cooking it first. And, furth...
Three ingredient peanut butter cookies - how to improve texture I am Gluten free and I thought these looked good for peanut butter cookies: peanut butter, maple syrup salt. They really do bake up beautifully. However, they crumble on the way to your mouth. I added egg. Now the batter has become gummy and pasty....	I use a recipe that is similar and have good results. I believe that I use 1 cup of peanut butter, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 egg. These turn out a very nice texture. If I were you I would sub some or all of the syrup for regular sugar to make it a bit dryer and make sure to add an egg.

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