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Why cook onion with chicken? Is it just for taste? In some of the chicken chili recipes I use, the recipe says to cook (or sauté rather) chopped onion with the chicken. Is that only because onion adds a certain taste? Or does this process do something more?	Onion tastes good, especially when caramelized, and since both it and the chicken go on to to be cooked for an extended time in the chili, there's really no food safety concern with cooking them together. Both contribute to the finished flavor of the dish, and cooking them together saves time. There's no magical intera...
Sugar and yeast proportion while making sweet bread Should I decrease the amount of yeast I add depending on how much sweet I add (I use jaggery) while making sweet bread? I understand that sugar (and by extension jaggery) helps yeast multiply at a very fast pace, faster than the rate of multiplication in flour alone....	No, there is no "conversion rate" because in baking there is no fixed ratio of yeast to flour or other carbohydrates from the start. Simply put, the time your dough needs to rise is a function of yeast's growth rate over time - if you start with little yeast, you need more time until you reach the same result. The grow...
Does toasting and grinding whole spice really improve curry flavor? It seems to be common knowledge that "toasting is better" when it comes to spices. But the other day I noticed my toasted-and-freshly-ground coriander smelled pretty weak, and I ended up boosting the flavor with pre-ground stuff that packed a lot more...	I don't think roasting spices "improves" them or rejuvenates stale spices but it certainly does change the flavor profile in ways that may be desirable in some cases, for some spices, less so for other spices in other cases. This is common sense to me and also what I got out of the article. I think the heading of the a...
I accidentally dropped the lid from a can of diced tomatos in my crockpot of cabbage roll soup! I went to stir the cabbage roll soup and found the metal lid to the diced tomatoes in the soup. It's been in there for at least an hour with all the food in the crockpot cooking on high. I got it out and still have the food...	When you can foods, even in a mass production setting, you're pouring near boiling contents into the cans. So heating it in your soup is no different than having used those tomatoes in the soup. If it wasn't food safe it wouldn't be used for canning. It would do no more harm to eat the soup than it would be to eat the ...
"Overly sour yogurt is a sign of inconsistent inoculation" - What is inoculation? From here: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/13533/6168 Overly sour yogurt is a sign of inconsistent inoculation From: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/inoculation The act or an instance of inoculating, especially the introduction o...	In this case, inoculation refers to the introduction of yoghurt bacteria (lactic acid bacteria) that transform the milk into yoghurt. If anything goes wrong - from unclean conditions that let other bacteria grow to unfavourable temperatures that inhibit the proper growth of your desired lactobacillae - you speak of imp...
What is the best variety of rice or preparation of rice to use in soup? I've made chicken rice soup several times in the past and I've always ran into an issue of the soup coming out too starchy/thick because of the rice. Or in the worst case scenario when I added too much rice, the soup ending up looking like rice po...	I've found that the most consistent way is to use short grain rice that is prepared much like it is in Indian cuisine. I was taught to rinse it repeatedly until the standing rinse water runs clear. That seems to remove most of the starch that causes that sticky breakdown. Also, I've found that making rice soups in a s...
Should dry salami develop green mould? I recently (5 weeks ago), purchased a set of dry salami from a food festival. I kept them in the plastic bag that they came in; however, when I recently checked them, they were completely covered with furry-looking green mould. My understanding of dry salami is that it is suppos...	Take the salamis out of the bag. Are they complete sausages or has it been sliced? Whole sausages should not be kept in a plastic bag without desiccants even if it's just a ball of paper towels. Sliced salamis shouldn't be kept for more than a couple weeks. If they are whole, don't be fooled that you can just wash the ...
Is there a way to experience pepper's endorphins effects without the burning sensation? When preparing dinner, my friend and I sometimes argue over the amount of pepper. It is often ‘too hot’ for him while I enjoy the heat effects (endorphins) of capsaicin (chili peppers) and piperine (black pepper). Is there a way to...	According to my research, the effect of capsaicin that causes the burning sensation is indirectly responsible for the pleasurable release of endorphins, which are the brain's way of counter-acting the pain sensation. If you don't feel any burn, then you probably haven't consumed enough capsaicin to trigger the endorphi...
Do pressure-cooked vegetables really have nothing else to give? Yesterday, I watched an episode of Good Eats, where Alton Brown made broth by pressure-cooking mirpoix and beef for about 50 minutes. At the end of that time, he discarded the vegetables, stated that they had "given their all," and citing (as proof) the s...	After extended pressure cooking (or any liquid cooking, for that matter) the vegetables' cell walls (composed primarily of flavorless starch) have broken down to the point where they're barely holding together, and are basically mush. Most of the flavor and nutrients contained within those cells has escaped into the l...
Chicken and Beef stored in the freezer not entirely frozen - safe? Recently (four days ago), a friend gave me a large chicken leg and some beef chunks for me to use at some point to cook with. Both of them were raw, but totally frozen, when I received them. I put them in the freezer of my small fridge (I am a college ...	If it's not completely frozen, then it will last roughly as long as meat stored in the fridge. So if "recently" was within the last 4-5 days, it's fine. If "recently" is more than a week ago, it should not be eaten.
Can I un-seal canned tomato sauce, and re-seal after further cooking? If I canned tomato sauce and all the jars sealed perfectly, can I open them, cook the sauce a little more, and do the process over again? I had some of the sauce today and I think it needed a little more cooking.	We make a lot of sauces every year. I wouldn't try to do it over. If you know what its lacking just add it to your sauce as you use it. Sometimes bland sauce can be a good thing and offers you an open door to add what you want. If you're missing some flavors you like or don't have enough of it just add it for now with ...
Why boil octopus with wine cork? I saw a recipe (in Croatian, check out if you understand) for making octopus salad that says boil the octopus with a piece of wine cork. The article doesn't explain what effect the cork gives. Do you know what the purpose of it may be when added to boiling octopus?	The muscle fibers of octopus are very thin compared to other species, arranged in multiple layers and alternating rings, which are then even further reinforced with collagen, 3-5 times more than regular fish muscle fiber. It's basically the reinforced concrete in the world of muscle fibers. There are exactly two ways t...
Do I have to cure a fresh ham before smoking? I have a fresh ham. Do I need to cure it somehow before I put it in the stove-top smoker?	Trying to smoke a fresh ham will result in something that tastes like cooked pork. You may impart some smokey crust on the outside, but it will still taste like cooked pork. Curing and then smoking is the only way to give a true smoked ham flavor, and please learn about curing a fresh ham, a cure applied to the outs...
Effect of carbonated water on the rising of the dough? Some recipes suggest to add carbonated water instead of milk or water. Does this practice accelerate the rising of the dough and why?	This is rather simple. The carbon dioxide created by yeast does not generate new air bubbles in the dough - the yeast fills and enlarges existing air bubbles, that are in the dough due to the kneading, whipping of eggs etc.. If you add carbonated water to the dough, you create more air bubbles that the yeast can enlarg...
Are my cookies cooked? I've just recently started baking and I'm finding it quite enjoyable. I am now changing some of the recipes a little bit to suit my tastes better. A problem i am having is that the ingredient swaps often cause the texture to change slightly so some may need more or less baking time than before t...	There isn't a universal way to tell. It's going to depend on the type of cookie. For chocolate chip cookies, I watch for a slight amount of browning around the edges. If you're using a chocolate flavored dough, that won't work because the dough is already dark. So you'd have to watch for changes in the surface, such a...
what is the difference between thick and liquidy cupcake batters? I've seen cupcake batters that are thick and scoopable with an ice cream scoop and I've seen cupcake batters that are very liquidy in nature. What is the difference between them in general, what are the ingredients that make either one, and what are the...	This is a pretty general question, and there are a lot of different methods and ingredients that can affect the thickness of cake batter and the density of cakes or cupcakes. Most cupcake batter is really just regular cake batter cooked in smaller amounts. Although there are sometimes different instructions for how to...
Black Diamond cheddar, wedge not wheel I bought some Black Diamond cheddar today and it came in a large wedge of black wax. By large I mean it was maybe 12" x 8" x 8" thick. A really big wedge. Also, it looked like it was not cut from a wheel, but was actually aged in a wedge-shaped form. I went to the Black Diamond w...	I think I may have figured it out. They seem to have a product called Grand Reserve Triad, or something like that which is a 2-year cheddar:
How can you change flavors in store-bought frosting? I'm in a time crunch and I bought pre-made frosting for some cupcakes I'm bringing to a potluck (I know, shame on me. The cupcakes are homemade at least.). Because I was rushing, I accidentally bought 'whipped cream frosting' when I was trying to go for 'cream chees...	Yes, you can certainly mix in something to change the flavor, and cream cheese sounds like a good option. You will probably need to soften the cream cheese (microwave for a bit, but don't melt it), whip it, and then add in the store-bought frosting and whip until fully incorporated. Depending on how much cream cheese...
How to know when bread/cake is bad I have recently opened a air tight package of castella. It, however, is expired by about a year and a half, but, other than being a little bit dry, it tastes fine. I have only tried a little bit. Is it safe to eat as long as there isn't mold, and does this apply to other breads/cakes...	The rule around here is when in doubt, throw it out. That said, personally, I doubt there is any issue, especially if only healthy people are eating it. I've never heard of an age-related problem with cakes and breads other than mold which would be visible, or rancidity when the fats spoil from age which you can bot...
What is dry cottage cheese? My grandmother's recipe for cheese filling for kolacky calls for dry cottage cheese. What is that and where might I get some?	Dry cottage cheese is called Farmer's Cheese. The curds and whey are separated, and the curds are pressed. My Russian grandmother used Farmer's Cheese as a filling for blintzes.
Coconut milk/cream vs cow milk in recipes I want to know if I can freely substitute coconut milk and/or cream for cow milk in dessert recipes. The reason I wish to substitute is to try new flavors and explore new frontiers. I have never used or even seen coconut milk or cream before, therefore I have no idea not only ...	If you are not expecting a dairy-specific reaction, you can generally substitute fairly freely. Caveats are things like cheese- or yogurt-making, or whipping cream -- you can make yogurt or whipped cream but the process is not identical; non-dairy cheeses exist but I have never tasted one that approximates a flavor or ...
Smoke coming from oven I like to bake chicken breasts in a glass container with a layer of vegetable oil at the bottom. I bake at 500 degrees for about 20 minutes. Once I rubbed a bit of Worchester sauce into the chicken and baked it and this caused smoke to billow out the oven. Now, each time I fire up the oven, m...	Probably time to clean the oven. Not sure the Worchester had anything to do with it other than timing. We bake stuff with Worchester all the time with no issues. Set it on self clean and see what happens after that.
Why aren't glass spoons used for eating? Why aren't glass spoons used for eating? It seems it would solve the problem of metallic taste with some foods.	There has actually been some significant research into cutlery being made of the correct substance to match the food Testing shows perceptible difference in tastes from various metals when combined with certain foods. Just as silver spoons and egg are an unpleasant experience, some metals (e.g. copper, zinc) acted as a...
Why do we like dessert, but not extremely salty, sour, umami, or bitter foods alone? This is a "soft" question that's been bothering me for a while. When cooking savory dishes, we usually try to balance out the five basic flavors (sweet, salty, sour, umami, and bitter) so that none of them dominates. None of these fla...	There's also probably a bit of biology involved: sugars are calorie-dense, and thus good sources of calories when you're struggling to survive on what you can forage. Bitter foods are often dangerous or poisonous in some ways; sour foods are often unripe, and thus harder to digest, and umami is a fairly neutral indicat...
Can I save time by baking banana bread using the convection setting of my oven? I am following a banana bread recipe that calls for you to heat a conventional oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cook the banana bread batter for one hour. I want the bread to be done sooner then one hour. Is it possible to cook the brea...	When you heat something in the oven, a thin layer of vaporized water will settle around the good where it is exposed to air. This thin layer acts as a (minor) insulation. In a convection oven this thin layer will not form. The contradicting statements result from the fact that the answer depends on how much the baked g...
Why does freezing vegetable shortening alter its appearance? I got large container of vegetable shortening that I wasn't going to open right away, so I stuck it in bottom of the freezer (-14 F) to keep it from going rancid. I never really needed it, so I ignored it for the next four years. I pulled it out yesterday ...	Fats can have a complex molecular structure: Not only do elements have different properties, resulting in different behavior when exposed to heat or cold, but there are bonds between atoms that may be affected by these different neighboring reactions. Think of this somewhat like the way a frying pan heats up very easi...
Why are home canning jars made of glass and not metal? I was hoping to can some food to take backpacking and looking for metal canning jars for home canning, but as far as I can see, they don't exist. Is there any reason why canning jars are made of glass? Metal seems like it would be lighter and sturdier.	Metal may be lighter and sturdier, but glass is nicely non-reactive and easily cleaned for re-use. It's also easier to see what it looks like inside without breaking the seal, to see if there is something that doesn't look right. It's a lot easier to do safely in home environments. I'm not sure if the difference in the...
How can I improve the texture of my whole grain pancakes? I've been experimenting for a while with whole grain pancake recipes that I can make in a blender. This is the best variation I've come up with so far: ½ cup hard white wheat 1 cup rolled oats 1 ½ cups milk 2 large eggs 1 tablespoon baking powder ¾ teaspoon sa...	Debbie's right about the gluten - overmixing is a reliable way to get tough pancakes. I'm not sure what the best solution is within your process. By far the easiest thing would be simply to use wholegrain wheat flour, letting someone else do the grinding for you. Failing that, I think you want to grind the grains up dr...
"Moose mints" origin This question is not about the preparation of a food item, so if it does not fit well on this site, please let me know where I might post them instead. I have seen many places selling "moose mints" with picture of a moose on the box. Is this just a word play on "loose mints", or does "moose mint"...	Word plays on the excrement of indigenous moose are common everywhere moose are common. In Alaska, we often refer to "Moose Nuggets" both as novelty food items and as (I kid you not) novelty jewelry items. Moose excrement is much like rabbit excrement in that it comes in big piles of perfectly shaped, tiny turds. The...
How to get rid of raw taste of Extra Virgin Olive oil? It has been told several times in the past that Olive oil cannot be used for Indian cooking. So, I want to use Olive oil as a spread on bread. The raw Extra Virgin Olive oil tastes like "oil"! Don't know how to explain it better but previously when I used to cook...	Several things here. First of all, as long as you aren't trying to deep-fry, you most certainly can cook Indian food with olive oil. It is not traditional, sure, but I know quite a few Indians who do it from time to time, including my mother-in-law. It is true that I also know some Indians who would never do it (in fa...
What is the difference between sautéing and stir frying? I put 1 tablespoon of oil in an iron Kadhai. Then after it gets a bit heated, I put a chopped onion in it, and start moving it with spatula so that it doesn't get burnt and gets cooked evenly. So, what am I doing, stir frying or Sautéing?	It mostly depends on the heat used. If you are cooking at a high enough heat that vegetables and thinly-sliced meats (if using) are cooked through in only a few minutes then it matches with the term generally used as "stir-frying". In this heat, if you stop stirring even for a moment, pretty much, the food at the hotte...
What color grapes are "Malaga grapes"? I've got an old (~1920's) fruit salad recipe that calls for Malaga grapes. My grocery store has "white" and "red" (and occasionally "black") -- which would be the appropriate substitute? Or is this not referring to a color, but rather a region that grows a lot of particularly nic...	I also googled it and it seems that sweet white or green grapes are, indeed, probably the closest answer. Since it is a fruit salad, you may want to choose whichever of the grapes is sweetest rather than choosing by color. Winemonger's page on malaga says that it is a white wine grape and can be called by the following...
How do you make pie with Citron watermelon (not just the rind)? Citron watermelon (AKA Pie Melon, Tsamma, and Colorado Preserving Melon) is said to be useful for making pies, preserves, jam, pickles and such. It is not used for fresh eating, typically, and is hard all the way through even when ripe. The interior is su...	...NadjaCS seems to have already answered this question above, but here's a link to a website which explicitly gives a recipe for a pie-melon pie using diced and flavored pie melon. It also has a link to an antique recipe for what appears to be candied pie melon slices; I'm sure you could use those slices in place of t...
Can alcohol extraction be used to draw more of the spice flavors out in chai tea concentrate? I make chai concentrate by: Quickly boiling ginger puree twice (each time for about 20-30 minutes). Boiling the spices (bruised/coarse-ground) for about an hour, removing the liquid, then repeating with fresh water several t...	Your flavors can be grouped in water soluble and oil soluble. Alcohol now is a mixture - some oil soluble flavors are also soluble in alcohol. These are phenylpropanoids, like Coumarin or all flavors that are themselves based on alcohol, like Hexanol. Alcohol is not a better extractor for flavors, just one with shared ...
Is Foul Fair? (Or what is this mystery bean) I came across this at my local hypermarket, and I'm wondering what it is, and what one can do with it. If it isn't obvious from the picture (Bigger version here https://i.stack.imgur.com/M4TKG.jpg) Its a dark brown bean, roughly the size of a coffee bean, and a medium dark ...	These are fava beans, the term "foul" (uncommon transliteration) on the pack hinting at a dish that these beans are typically used for: A ful, a stew-like dish of cooked and spiced beans from the Middle East.
What can I use instead of Sriracha if I only want to make a dish non-spicy, but similarly flavorful? The specific recipe I'm making is http://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/08/spicy-noodles/ (copied at bottom for posterity). I'm a big fan of the spice, but my guests and partner are often not. Since the sriracha is a critic...	There are a lot of things you could add that would deliver a similar pepper and garlic flavor. One thing that comes to mind is Ajvar. It's a Serbian relish made primarily from red bell peppers, garlic, and eggplant. I live in the US, and the local supermarket carries it in both mild and spicy versions. Aside from b...
Does using Electric stove vs Gas stove have any difference in food taste? Does it make any difference in taste when you use Gas stove and Electric Stove? AFAIK, it doesn't but some people I know (amateur cooks) say that it does make a difference in taste. Enlighten me on this one please?	The simple answer is: no, heat is heat, it should taste the same. Reality is slightly more complicated than that. In reality, a cook learns how to cook well by instinct with his stove. When he changes to a stove with a different behavior, his instinct is suddenly wrong, but he probably does not know it. So he cooks as...
How do you make sauce for a Thai dish such as Chicken Pad Khing? I've eaten Chicken Pad Khing (Ginger Chicken Stir Fry) many times in Thai restaurants. Really love the dish. I'm a very amateur cook and recently attempted this at home. It came out ok with the exception that every recipe out there doesn't include muc...	I just joined the other day after much lurking. Figured, I could help with this question. When I worked in a Thai restaurant, I had a couple of staple stir-fry sauces on hand. The basic one I had come up with had the folllowing: 1 part thin (white) soy 2 parts dark (black) soy 1 part Golden Mountain brand soy (as this...
Cookbook on Odisha cuisine Do there exist cookbooks, possibly in English, about food from the state of Odisha, India -- preferably written by an author from that region?	I don't have any such cookbooks, but a google search turned up a lot of blogs with recipes. If you search, include Orissa and Oriya as well as Odisha. I also found several English-language cookbooks through searching on Amazon.in (best search term was oriya cooking). Some of them are also available on their other site...
UK versus US expiration dates on diet sodas I took a trip to the UK last week, and as an avid Coke Zero drinker, was surprised to find that my Coke Zero supposedly expired in March 2016 in most places I went. Surprised, because in the US, diet sodas are typically dated 3-4 months from production, and actually do taste...	First of all, sweeteners like Aspartame lose their sweetening property over time, as you have noticed yourself. This is very strongly tied to the pH level they are in. US and UK/EU coke (or any country) is different, but you usually only notice the difference if you have them available for direct comparison. Coca Cola ...
Iron soup kettle with rust I have an iron kettle that is pitted with rust in pits. How do I get rid of rust so I can cook chowder in it? We have tried using a wire brush, filled with water and boiled it. Saw vinegar can be used but don't know how long to leave it in kettle or if needs to be diluted.	I'm assuming that you're referring to a cast-iron kettle. One of the common strategies for removing rust from cast-iron is to rub the oxidized areas with steel wool. You'll want to remove as much of the rust as possible that way, and then you can consider using a wire or plastic brush, soap and water. Subsequently, onc...
Is it worth putting potato skins in chicken stock? I like to save vegetable scraps (carrot tops, onion skins and ends, ends of celery etc.) in my freezer and once I have a chicken carcass and a full bag of scraps I will make chicken stock out of them. I often have left-over potato peels and I've thought of putting the...	I personally would not put potato skins in my chicken stock. The flavor does not complement the other elements, and the starches you will get will cloud the stock and make it a bit grainy.
An electronic tool for mixing while the pot is on the fire When cooking a pudding cream, we need to constantly mix the cream while it is on the fire, in order to prevent chunks from forming and keep the cream smooth. It takes a long time and the hand becomes tired. Is there an electronic tool that can be used to mix t...	For thick sauces and puddings, I would think an immersion blender is the way to go. Some even have removable shafts, so you can change the length of stick attachment to fit your pot, or switch it out for different accessories, like a whisk attachment. And at risk of sounding like an infomercial, they even sell bowl cla...
What are these little balls in my sardines? I opened a container of sardines and found loads of little round balls in what appears to be its belly. What are these things? Are they eggs the sardine was going to lay (or whatever it's called for a fish) or something it ate? Are they good to eat, or should I throw them o...	Yes, that is sardine roe. In Portugal it is considered a delicacy on a par with caviar.
What are the pros and cons of various woods used in wooden utensils? Looking up wooden utensils on amazon, I've found bamboo, maple, olive wood and birch wood spoons/kitchen utensils. Is there any clear benefit to one wood over another for cooking utensils? Is one wood clearly a superior choice? Is one wood more maint...	I prefer Maple myself but the whole objective is to use wood species that have very tight grains and closed pores. The above that you mentioned all seem in line but as a wood worker I would think that birch would be on the bottom of my list as choices. If you look at hard woods like Oak you will notice a lot of open gr...
Xanthan Gum for Cinnamon Rolls Are there any guidelines to the ratio of brown sugar to cinnamon to xanthan gum to get that gooey texture in cinnamon rolls? I'm trying to make cinnamon rolls and want the perfect filling. :)	I have been making cinnamon rolls professionally for 10 years. I have done both traditional cinnamon rolls and gluten-free cinnamon rolls, and the only time xanthan gum was included was in the dough for the gluten-free rolls. Normally the inside is gooey because the butter and sugar (and some moisture that the sugar pu...
What kind of seaweed do I need for Japanese-style seaweed salad? I've fallen in love with the seaweed salad from a local Japanese seafood buffet. What would be the most cost-effective way to obtain this kind of food in large quantities for regular eating? I would assume that making it fresh would be the best way. As f...	Because we don't do recipe requests around these parts, I'm going to treat this as an ingredient question. Japanese markets (and some online merchants, including Amazon) often sell dried versions of the seaweed mix that many restaurants use. It'll be sold as kaiso salad or seaweed salad. Some versions are better than o...
How is basil prepared for pesto most efficiently? I'm typing this with a case of "pesto-finger" - the stubborn stains that take a few days to fully wash off my thumb and fingertips from hours of picking basil leaves (mostly after harvesting all the remaining basil in the face of a frost.) I always wonder (for a few da...	The picture shows a basil harvester. The stems remain in the ground, as you can see on the right; those stems that get harvested are processed together with the leaves.
Food container "not suitable for foods with a high fat or sugar content" I'm considering getting some food containers, but I noticed most of them have this in the description: Not suitable for foods with a high fat or sugar content Why is that ? What could happen if I stored some, say, chicken fat - or plain sugar -...	The best reason I can come up with is that microwaving items with oil and/or fat can lead to temperatures much higher than the 90C maximum that is recommended. From the link: Microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe Suitable for temperatures up to 90c Not suitable for foods with a high fat or sugar content
Old oil on cast iron Dutch oven I have a Dutch oven that remained in storage for about three years. Apparently I covered it with oil prior to the storing. Now,it has that old oil smell to it that I can't get of. Any advice on how to remove the oil and smell?	Try burning it off. Put it in a 500 degree oven for an hour or so. If there is oil on it, it will smoke. After that, you may need to re-season the Dutch oven. Good luck.
Why does yoghurt need to feed on milk products? Why not plain sugar? My understanding is that yoghurt is is the biproduct of a yoghurt culture, a bacteria, eating lactose and excreting the yoghurt. My question is - why does it need to be lactose that the yoghurt culture is eating? For yeast to produce alcohol, for e...	Lactobacillus is the genus of the bacteria responsible for making yogurt. These bacteria consume sugars and excrete lactic acid. The acid denatures the proteins in the milk, causing them to coagulate into a delicious gel. Lactobacilli can consume sugars other than just lactose. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobaci...
What causes stringy winter squash? I know that spaghetti squash is supposed to be stringy; this question is not about that. When I cook winter squash, I cut the squash in half, remove the centre (seeds/strings), rub the flesh with olive oil (sometimes stuff the cavity with stuffing), and bake in the oven for 30-40 min...	Well it's possible they are over ripe. Acorn squash should be dark green or mostly so when it's ready to eat. It turns orange when it's ripe, but just like many circubits and cucirbits (squashes and melons(including cucumber)) you don't want to eat them when they are ripe, you eat them before they start to ripen. How y...
Shelf Life of Homemade Panettone I'm thinking of making a few panettones for Christmas presents, this year. At what time would you recommend? This question is largely motivated by the potential for them to spoil or go stale; but also, if there's any maturation time, that would be good to know. I'm guessing the water a...	Panettone is better consume in the first 2 to 3 days. Even if it comes from the supermarket. After the second day I recommend you to heat the piece you are going to eat in the oven for 7-10 minutes. Raisins will become creamy again–and your kitchen will smell delicious–. I've lived in Italy and my Italian flatmate used...
Can I use sous vide instead of pressure cooking In a recipe, I have to pressure cook vegetables in mason jars in duck fat. I don't have a pressure cooker but I do have an Anova Sous Vide Immersion Heater - can I use that instead? Any other factors I should be considering, or alternate methods to pressure cooking? UPDA...	If this is a recipe that will be served immediately, you may be able to use an alternate cooking method. If the reason is to store in your pantry, NO, do not use any method other than pressure cooking. From Pressure cooking Wiki The standard cooking pressure of 15 psi was determined by the United States Department of ...
Vintage West Bend Slow Cooker number settings verses hi low settings I recently purchased a brand new vintage west bend slow cooker which I love however the cook settings are marked in numbers 1-5 rather than high and low like on a typical slow cooker/crock pot. Obviously I understand the lower numbers are less heat ...	You should consult the owner's manual for your slow cooker. According to one manual on West Bend's website: There are five numbered heat settings on the heating base, 1 to 5. Heat setting # 1 should only be used to warm dinner rolls, muffins, etc. Heat setting # 2 should only be used to keep warm cooked foods f...
How to decorate extremely fine details I have seen some pretty well done decorations, but these ones by a chick named "Christine McConnell" really take the cake. So I was wondering firstly how one does such fine details and secondly how does one even name them? All my attempts to scour the web for "master decorations"...	They = cake decorators They have an artistic hand (I don't have one and cannot decorate anything). They have lot and lot and lot of practice. They have wasted a lot and lot of cakes and icing and fondant to achieve that level of perfection. They have a lot of experience with making their own icing (and fondant) that wi...
What is the foam that comes out when making clarified butter? When making clarified butter you get a bottom layer of milk solids, the center layer of clarified butter, and the top layer of foam. What is in the foam? Does it have any uses?	That foam is more of the milk solids, brought up and made foamy by water evaporating. The Joy of Baking says it is whey protein specifically. I usually discard it but you can eat it. Some people like it on toast or other places where you might use butter or a light sprinkling of mild cheese.
Making high-quality frozen-food at home? There's a french chain, picard, which sells gourmet frozen food , for the french. And they really like it - so it must be really tasty. But it's expensive. On the other hand ,some families , that want to save time and money, cook food in large batches and freeze it for the who...	Flash-freezing equipment wouldn't hurt, but for the normal home cook, the main things are to chill it as quickly as reasonably possible, package it with as much air removed as possible (vacuum sealers help here) in individual meal-sized portions, then freeze. Thaw in the fridge if possible, or by heating your vacuum-s...
Tennessee Honey Jack Daniels substitution What can be substituted for Tennessee Honey Jack Daniels in a recipe, I don't have any in my home. I have not been able to try anything yet.	The flavored varieties of Jack Daniels (and most other brands, really) are nothing more than the same base whiskey, cut with additives including neutral spirits, sugar, and water. You can very easily add those last at home. Make a honey syrup by combining honey and boiling water in equal amounts by volume in a heat-pr...
Kind of Russian pierogi When I was younger, we had a yearly "Taste of Tacoma" in Tacoma, WA. There was a booth that had this Russian, I think, pierogi. However, I remember what I had as being round like a baseball with at least ground beef inside. I was fairly young and don't recall what else it included. Does anyone ...	That sounds like a beef Pirog, a Russian (and other surrounding areas) pie with meat (or other fillings) wrapped in pastry or dough and baked. There are also smaller stuffed pastries/breads called "pirozhki" in Russian (literally: little pies) that may be baked or fried. Polish pierogi are small filled dumplings. Sim...
iSi Gourmet Whip Plus - 0.5l or 1l? I'm buying a iSi Gourmet Whip Plus and I'm not sure which size to go for. The difference in price is only $4 so cost is not a factor. I'm a home cook and mostly cater for 2 or sometimes upto 6. I'm worried that the 1l is too big. Is there a minimum fill amount to successfully charge...	I have an older 500ml/pint version and a family of 4; I find it more than adequate for my applications. If I'm doing whipped cream it's somewhat unusual that I go through it fast enough, so I can imagine it would not be helpful to have a larger one unless I was using it for catering or extreme holiday cooking. For what...
Can over proofed dough be harmful to breathe in? I work night shift in a bakery and the people before me always leave unused dough in the mixer. Who knows for how many hours, but during that same day. It's a dough made from dry yeast. One night I went to scrape it out and got a strong spoiled yeasty smell that came fr...	.... There's no way to know for sure (since we can't test it) but it was probably CO2 (Carbon Dioxide)... Yeast creates CO2 when it converts sugars... that's how you can bottle carbonate beers. The breaking down of sugars, or fermentation, produces alcohol and carbon dioxide as by-products. Fermentation turns fruit ...
Why is Tsuyu sauce for cold Soba noodles served on the side? Why are they always served separately as a dipping sauce, instead of mixing it into the noodles like they do with soup?	The simplest reason is texture. The point of cold soba noodles is to taste them at the ideal texture for soba. In a party situation, I've served cold soba with pre-mixed sauce, and there's a variant called wanko-soba in some parts of Japan (particularly Iwate prefecture) that is often served premixed in small bowls, bu...
How deep is a deep pie dish, traditionally? I have a recipe for a game pie, circa. 1973. It calls for a "deep pie dish". Searching online for one to buy, I find deep pie dishes with different depths, and breadths. Typical pie dishes seem to be about 26cm diameter and a depth of 5cm. Others look deeper and narrower. Bu...	There doesn't seem to a standard for pie dish sizes. I'm betting they haven't changed much in size since 1973, or since 1900 for that matter. If you look at modern deep pie dishes, they seem to mostly be in the range of 4 to 6 cm deep. For the ingredients you mentioned, a 26 cm diameter by 5 cm deep pie dish should ...
Alternative to pan frying fish fillet? I have a recipe that calls for pan frying fish and my goal is to find a healthier way to do it. I want to stay true to the recipe, i.e. I don't want to use breadcrumbs when baking the fish fillet in the oven, I want it to be cooked but slightly crispy, especially the side with sk...	Grilling/broiling would be a good alternative to pan frying, as the more intense heat will crisp the skin much more effectively than baking. It is a generally healthier cooking method because the food is not sitting in oil; any fat will drip off into the grill pan.
How to tell when bacon is cooked enough? I've been experimenting cooking bacon on the George Foreman grill. I'm trying it out a little less cooked and was wondering, how do I know if it's cooked enough to be safe to eat? Recently I've tried coating the bacon in maple syrup and it really makes it difficult to see when ...	Bacon cooks to safe very quickly. Once it's opaque it is safe to eat. Raw bacon is itself pretty low risk, provided it has been properly cured. Even if it wasn't cooked through, you are unlikely to come to harm.
Commercial Bakery to Provide Dough We want to approach a commercial bakery to provide me with dough for a restaurant's use (so the restaurant can bake the buns in house). The restaurant will handle the shaping and adding the filling to the bun. The idea here is for a commercial bakery to provide the dough so the resta...	The best solution would probably be to get the buns par-baked, or to get frozen dough. The problem with buns is that they're small and they rise very quickly. At a commercial bakery where I worked, most of our buns would be ready to bake within 2 hours tops, even if they spent their entire second rise refrigerated. Fr...
Frying chicken wings all the way through I have tried deep frying chicken wings few times. The first time I tried it, the oil was heated a lot and I continued Frying it until it was crisp outside,but when ate it, it was not cooked all the way through, it was pink and the joints of the wings still had blood. Second t...	It sounds like your temperature is way too hot. You need a thermometer as there's no reliable way to tell the temperature of your oil without one. A simple method is 190C for 10-15 minutes depending on the size of the wings, that's from refrigerator temperature. Serious eats has a page on wings here if you want to get...
Can I make a hot mayonnaise? I would like to serve a hot garlic mayonnaise (not spicy) ? Is it possible to do that and how ? Edit : I do not want to make a Hollandaise sauce but a real hot mayonnaise. I had seen that served on the top of a steam fish filet.	You are basically talking about a Hollandaise sauce, which is similar to mayonnaise in that it is an emulsion of egg yolk and fat. The main difference is that in mayonnaise the fat is oil, whereas in Hollandaise it is butter. The main flavours in mayonnaise come from an acid (lemon juice or vinegar) and mustard - Holla...
What do I do with trout slime? The trout is covered with slime. I am going to bake it. Should I remove the slime?	If it's fresh Trout with the skin on then yes, rinse the slime off. If it was frozen then you might have another problem...
Why is my garlic brown and slightly translucent? I have a whole garlic where almost all cloves are slightly brown, a bit translucent and soft. This is a photo of one of the cloves: The cloves are also a bit sticky when peeled. It reminds me a bit of how pickled garlic looks like: These are not brown spots, so it doe...	This is a defect known as "waxy breakdown" or "waxy decomposition", and is caused by growing or storing the garlic under too hot conditions. See http://livegpath.cals.cornell.edu/gallery/garlic/waxy-breakdown-on-garlic/, which also mentions that anaerobic storage conditions are also considered a possible cause or contr...
Where can I buy a pipe for a Weckmann in the US? I want to bake a Weckmann or Stutenkerl. Traditionally, these have a clay pipe for decoration. Where can I buy such pipes in the US?	Doing a quick Google Search "clay pipes for Weckmann", the only shop that came up immediately is The Pipe Shoppe.com. They seem to import them in various sizes and they sell them individually. You can contact them by email if you want to buy several, presumably they may be able to give you a deal on shipping and maybe ...
Does this type of frosting have a name? I've previously asked about converting a family recipe for a cocoa frosting to a coffee frosting instead, and got a pretty good answer, but it's all very theoretical and "try this" and "try that", and I just don't have the time or, to tell the truth, the patience, to experiment ...	Looks like the term you want is "French buttercream". American buttercream is, as you say, full of sugar but rarely has eggs, relying on powdered sugar and butter with a bit of wet in the form of a dash of milk, cream, or alcohol. French buttercream is based on egg yolks and contains relatively little sugar and is coo...
Bread: Higher rise/coarser crumb I tend to make a starter for my bread, typically a poolish. Sometimes I make ciabatta without a starter. I tend to see the same results either way. I give the starter 10-12 hours, then rise the dough to double(4-8hrs), then form the loaf, then proof to double(30min-2hrs) it before baki...	4c flour 2c water 1/4tsp yeast Mix warm water (~175-180F), yeast, and a dash of sugar to feed the yeast. Sit for 15min(until water froths). Mix remaining ingredients together. Wet knead dough in bowl till consistent and gluteny. Rise overnight(10-12hrs). Punch down, pour dough out and shape by pulling to a crude oval ...
Why does fish stick to a pan which is not very hot? As we have seen there are several threads about preventing the fish from sticking to the pan by making the pan very hot. I want to understand why does the fish stick to a pan which is not very hot. What is the science behind it?	Have you heard of the leidenfrost effect? If you drop a bit of water on a very hot pan, the water floats around on its own cushion of steam, thus not touching the pan at all. Similar things happen when you sear meat on a pan. The steam keeps the food from bonding with the pan. In general you shouldn't cook meat on a me...
Why are Parathas smeared with fat/oil within layers? The difference between plain roti and plain parathas is that parathas have oil in between their layers, and roti's don't. Even after we put oil in the layers we still smear the front and back sides with oil while cooking them. That may be for taste though. What pur...	It's the same idea as puff pastry, when the layers of oil/fat heat up they expand and make air pockets in the dough which gives the flaky consistency. The fat or oil needs to be layered and not amalgamated to get the flaky layers. If it was spread throughout the dough randomly it would be a more spongy texture. The ot...
Can I use just flour instead of roux in my gumbo I'm scared of making roux. Hot oil=Scary! Can I use just flour instead of roux when making gumbo? Will it thicken the soup in a similar way?	I wouldn't recommend it. Dark roux is actually a pretty weak thickener compared to a light roux. As you get darker, it's more of a flavoring. Flour on its own gives an obvious raw flour taste. As an alternate method to make darker rouxes, search for 'oven roux', where you're working with a more easily controlled, eve...
How to fully incorporate cream cheese with pumpkin puree? I have tried to incorporate softened cream cheese with pumpkin puree and it's never fully incorporated - small bits of cream cheese are left in the mix. How can this be prevented? I've tried 2 different brands of cream cheese and these bits happened both the ti...	When mixing cream cheese with softer or more liquid ingredients, you first need to make sure both things you're mixing are softened and smooth. Even room temperature cream cheese is sometimes hard to mix. I usually microwave it in a glass bowl for 30 seconds then beat it until it is smooth. A food processor or electric...
What are good tips for an oven that is too hot at the bottom? I am cooking various food at home in a new oven that I am kind of stuck with. We're renting and this is the only oven we have at the moment. It has four gas stoves at the top. The oven is fan assisted but it is a cheap fan and an old grill and oven. Daewoo ...	I'm a person that goes on vacation and bakes bread. As such, I have met a few terrible ovens around the world, and temporarily improved most of them to work better... Grab a roll of aluminum foil (heavy duty is nice if you have it, or if you don't have any are are buying a roll with this in mind.) On the bottom oven sh...
What happens chemically when flavours 'mingle'? When I make a stew and cook it for hours, the flavours combine to make a better combination than if I cooked them for a short time. The same thing happens when I leave a sauce like a ragu in the fridge overnight. People talk about flavours mingling, but what is actually ...	There are two different processes. Amino and glutamine acids break down into smaller components, γ-glutamylpeptides due to long cooking. These proteins create the "complete, rounded taste", kokumi, similar to the umami taste, which is more a feeling than a flavor. The second process are enzymes breaking down fat into o...
Microwave-safe cups becoming less safe For a couple of years we have been using a microwave-safe cup to heat up milk. The milk is whipped until it's creamy, then we add coffee on top of it and we have a sort of cappuccino. Until recently this has worked well, but for the last few weeks we have found that the cup itsel...	Whenever something gets hot in a microwave, it indicates the presence of water. If something that used to stay cool suddenly heats up, you have water present where previously there was none. I assume you are using a glazed ceramic mug or jar, not one made of glass. Your glazing must have tiny cracks in it, that allow w...
Substitute for celery in soup I'm making this Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup recipe and I wanted to know what can I use as a substitute for celery because it'll be difficult to get it before tonight.	Honestly, I'd say there is no substitute that you're likely to have on hand. The unique qualities of celery are mostly the cellulose crunch it provides, and the suggested substitutions like daikon, radish, bok choy or the like are even less likely to be in your pantry. Most likely you'll just have to go without or mak...
When does gluten start to develop in pie crust or biscuits? To bake tender pie crust, scones, or biscuits, I've always heard that the dough should be handled and mixed as little as possible. The more it's pushed around, the more the gluten develops. There's usually two steps (first cutting fat into flour, then mixing ...	Wheat and (other grains) contains the two protein classes gliadin and glutenin, which together can form the composite protein gluten. This process requires water and is influenced by a) the amount of water available and b) the mechanical process of kneading. Thus a strong gluten network (as desired in bread baking) i...
What makes for good olive oil? It's been years I've been pondering this question. When I go to the store, the olive oil section has a vast array of offerings with a great range in prices. With that in mind: Does higher price necessarily mean better olive oil? What distinguishes good olive oil from bad olive oil?	The problem is that there are different types of olive oil that are used for dramatically different purposes. A high quality 'cold pressed extra virgin' oil often has fruity notes that are destroyed when you heat it, but is great for drizzling over things at the last minute, or cold applications such as salad dressing...
Why pour water over the covering plate while cooking okra? When my mom makes okra, she adds okra in the pan with all the masala. When she covers the pan with a plate for the okra to cook, she pours some water over the plate. She says it helps it to cook faster or something, but she doesn't know any scientific reason. ...	The reason she puts water on the plate is to weigh it down so it seals better. Weight will press the plate down, less steam will escape so the okra will cook at a slightly higher temperature. It works, but it's not as good as a tight fitting lid on a good pot.
Using unrefined sugar to make candy I have been trying to avoid refined sugar (white sugar, corn syrup, etc.) for health reasons. usually I replace it with demerara sugar, but I can also use honey, date syrup, unrefined cane sugar. Is it possible to make candy (that will taste good) without the refined sugar? Are the...	The closer your sugar is to white refined sugar, the better your recipe will work. Unrefined cane sugar and demerara are both quite good choices. They just have a tiny bit of molasses, else they are almost the same thing and behave very similar to white refined sugar. Honey has a lot of water, around 17%. The same goe...
Making crumpets in advance? My fiancée lived in England for a few months a couple of years ago, and has spoken about crumpets ever since. I've never tried them myself, but I'm planning on making a few for her breakfast on her birthday in a couple of weeks. I found several recipes, but they all follow the same basic s...	You are better off making the crumpets in advance and then reheating them. The rising agent in crumpets is usually bicarbonate of soda or baking powder, and so the batter can't be 'held' in the fridge like a yeasted batter - it would be very dense if you left it too long. So, make the crumpets, then reheat them. I'd su...
Microwave oven equipment I just purchased a new Berkley and Jensen microwave. I would like to know what the metal rack used for? There is no explanation in the owners Manuel.	Some microwaves have racks so you can cook two dishes at once. In fact, you can buy generic racks for this very purpose. However, I also read that some hybrid microwave/convection ovens include metal racks that must be removed if you're using it in microwave mode. You could check with the manufacturer if you want to...
Vegetable Broth/Stock from Kirkland Organic No-Salt Seasoning Is it viable to make stock from store bought Kirkland Organic No-Salt Seasoning? I'd be ok using a bullion cube but they all seem to be loaded with salt. Mix with water and bring to a boil. Ingredients: Organic Onion, Organic Garlic, Organic carrot, ...	Converting comment to answer. How much salt could a boulion cube have? Certainly no more than the volume of the cube itself. Generally when you make a broth, it needs salt or it tastes insipid, flat and flabby. Just reduce the salt in your recipe by however much boulion cube you are using and it will balance out fine.
Adding melted chocolate to a sponge cake batter I have baked a victoria sponge cake and it came out fine. In order to make a chocolate sponge cake, Can I use the same recipe of Victoria sponge cake and just add some quantity of melted chocolate to the batter? Will that work?	Will it end up being a (probably delicious) cake? Yes. Will it have the texture of a Victoria sponge? No. The melted chocolate will destroy some of the airiness of the sponge, making it more like a brownie. Instead, I would recommend substituting a few tablespoons of flour for unsweetened cocoa powder. That will give y...
Mould on top and bottom of white wine vinegar I didn't realize there was mold on the top and bottom of my white wine vinegar until I had added a teaspoon into the ingredients for Tzatziki. Is it OK to use or should it be discarded?	It depends; if it's formed a solid disk and was/is floating on top, what you probably have is a vinegar mother, not mold. It's a bacterial colony of acetobacter, and probably happened because your vinegar still had a little bit of alcohol left in it for the bacteria to feed on. You have several options if this is the ...
How to make white risotto I want to make white risotto, but I can't as the broth is usually brownish and makes the rice to have the same color. I don't know how to make/get white broth, any ideas how to make white risotto?	Normally a white risotto would be made with chicken or fish stock. While the stock you get at the store is normally brown, homemade stock can be quite light in color if made properly and won't impart much color. Further, a splash of cream and a bit of a white cheese at the end of cooking can have a whitening effect.
Combining melted chocolate with eggs I've come across a number of recipes (the most recent of which was this) which suggest various combinations of adding hot melted chocolate to a mixture that contains eggs. The problem that I have here is that if I let the chocolate mixture go cold, it hardens and can't be mixed, an...	The cocoa butter in your chocolate melts fully at 43 degrees Celsius (110 F). But it stays liquid until at least 30 degrees C (85 F). The most heat sensitive proteins in an egg white coagulate at around 65 degrees C (145 F), most proteins stay stable until 85 degrees C (185 F). As you shouldn't overheat your chocola...
I have a French Coconut pie recipe that calls for 1/2 cup butter. Could I replace it with condensed milk instead? I have a coconut pie recipe that uses 1/2 cup butter and 3 eggs. Could I replace some of the butter with condensed milk? Any other substitutes besides margarine?	Butter is about 80% fat, maybe a bit lower if you're getting it direct from the farmer; condensed milk is about 10% fat, so you'd need to use a lot of condensed milk and you'd probably have too much excess water to compensate by reducing extra liquids. The best substitute would be another fat which is solid at room tem...
What does it mean if human DNA is in hot dogs? According to this report on hot dogs by Clear Food, some hot dogs have human DNA in them. 2% of the overall samples had human DNA present. What would cause human DNA to end up in the hot dogs? Does this have any food safety implications?	There is definitely no food safety concern here. While the report you cite makes a big deal out of this, implying that there's some kind of serious problem being detected here, in their FAQ they say: The most likely cause is hair, skin, or fingernail that was accidentally mixed in during the manufacturing process. It ...
Forgot to add spices to curry I made a jalfrezi today for tomorrow and I forgot to add spices, (cumin, tumeric, paprika). Is there a way I can add them now getting the most from them?	You will need to cook the spices before adding them, but you can add them in now and it will be fine. You can either dry-roast the spices in the pan or cook them in a little oil like making a tadka. Probably if the cumin is whole, dry roast it until it starts to turn golden then add the turmeric and paprika and cook i...
Bacon fat producing solid white and gelatin state I save my bacon grease when cooking bacon and use it in several recipes. When i render it and store in the refrig some becomes a white solid and some remains in a gelatin state. Why?	If the white solid is on top, and the gelatin below, it's just an issue that it's not all fat -- you have meat juices in there, too, which can turn to jelly. If you're trying to store it for a longer-term, you'll want to strain it, then let it cool. Lift off the solid white portion, scrape any jelly stuck to the botto...
Help me rescue my bland soup Help I threw in carrot, potato, parsnip, turnip, leek and two ham stock cubes but I've ruined it by using to much water and I've already blended it. I would really hate to have to chuck it in the bin. Any suggestions on how to rescue the flavour and thickness? Added a little paprika a...	If too much water is the culprit, then its a simple matter of reducing the soup on the stove top. Just put it in a pot and boil it with the lid off(so the water escapes) until you reached a desired thickness and flavor.
Pizza dough texture and workability I make my pizza dough with the following ingredients: 2 cups bread flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 teaspoons instant yeast 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 cup of water I mix all the dry ingredients in the bowl of my food processor, turn on th...	Yes, the heat is the difference. You get a better gluten production with a colder dough. That's a pretty basic fact of baking, there are even recipes which insist on using ice cold water for making bread. If you want to have the same effect in summer, you should use cold water. As cold as possible, I even tried once s...
Making caramel: how the ingredients effect the outcome? I was making a simple caramel with sugar, water, and lemon, and salt. How do the ratio of these ingredients affect each other? What does a longer cooking time change?	Here's the function of each ingredient, as I understand them: Sugar - Obviously, this is the thing that caramelizes. You need it. The amount of sugar determines the amount of caramel. Water - The water helps early in the cooking process by causing the mixture to heat evenly without burning. Most of it boils off. A...

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